Golden Eagle Webcam Nest 1 2024

[Liz01]

Helju takes the wing


Kalju flies away

[Liz01]

15:53 another feeding in beautiful light

later....

[Ravens]

2024-04-26 - Day 0

First, before we get to the prey. A couple nice frames.

Lovely Helju.



Helju and her new sprout.

[Ravens]

This prey was delivered by Kalju on 25 April at 16:34:28, but we are only able to get a nice look at it now. It appears to me to be a shorebird, a bird in the Family Scolopacidae. It has long, thin legs, toes lacking webbing, and a long thin beak. Its rectrices are finely barred. It is dorsally dark overall with white dots, a white belly, and a streaky breast. The blue framed close up in the lower right corner shows Helju with her beak on the prey. Its foot has caught the light above her eye and shows a reddish-scaled cast.



That close up was taken from this scene. Turning it into a .gif desaturates the color, unfortunately. Watch closely above her head to see the foot with its thin toes. Take note of the light underbelly as well. Every feature is a key to unlock identity.



Here is the leg and foot in full light. This confused me, as I thought we might be looking at a spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) transitioning into its black summer/breeding plumage, but beyond the toes those scales seem closer in hue to a common greenshank (Tringa nebularia). Having said that, light and color can be deceiving through glass. These are the thoughts from someone not intimately familiar with many Palearctic species and their various plumages, nor commonness or scarcity in the region. I think it is a Tringa sp. (?), but not confident which. If you know better, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[Ravens]

Now the wing, also delivered by Kalju yesterday at 06:55:14. We finally have the light we need to confirm an obvious layer of tegmen on the underside of the primaries.
This waxy layer is most developed in waterfowl and Galliformes.



Source: https://www.originalwisdom.com/wp-conte ... d-feet.pdf

[ellie]

Hello everyone

11:14:43 Helju brought the prey!



But not much edible parts?

Thank you Ravens. so interesting

[ellie]

Feeding time 11:50/14:03/14:50

14:50..

(Please give it in small pieces )

[Ravens]

Glad you found interest, ellie, and oh good, you made helpful .gifs! :>

2024-04-27 - Day 1

10:57:54 - Helju leaves the eyrie after spying something of interest in the distance. She heads out over the bog, arcing to the right.
11:11:36 - Kalju arrives.
11:12:04 - He broods his eaglet.
11:14:44 - Helju delivers the large wings of a western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). Enough is eaten to tell us that there was likely a prey exchange with Kalju away from the eyrie, or she picked it up from a known drop-off location.

1. Note the white underwing coverts in the far right framed close-ups, top and bottom. Compare: https://www.natureplprints.com/sq/729/c ... 6.jpg.webp
Some in chat offered common crane (Grus grus). This pattern is absent in that species. Compare: https://static1.bigstockphoto.com/8/7/3 ... 837106.jpg

2. The dorsal feathers of the wing are dark brown. The sunlight captures this in the first framed close-up on the left.

3. In the second close-up we get a glimpse of the conspicuous white carpal patch. Compare: https://www.mediastorehouse.com.au/p/62 ... 9.jpg.webp
Aside from size, the lack of white wingbars differentiates this species from black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix).
See - western capercaillie in flight: https://nplimages.infradoxxs.com/cache/ ... 598027.jpg
Black grouse in flight: https://media.sciencephoto.com/c0/41/41 ... 0px-wm.jpg

Also note, the flight feather behind and between the wings in the below screenshot was from yesterday's prey.



Size comparison between a subadult golden eagle and two mature male western capercailies. 24 seconds in:



17:18:27 - Kalju delivers another phasianid. Note the reduced halluces (hind toes). Also compare the smaller if well-plucked wing size to the one lying beneath it in the nest. We'll hope for better light and views on the morrow.

[muwizar]

Thank you Ravens, Liznm and Ellie for the posts and updates. I look forward to reading to them every day.

[ellie]

Hello all, muwizar
Ravens, thanks for the specifics! the video was amazing ;)

from chat
Ell M
​​13:37 Kalju with a prey, 13:38 he took an old wing from the nest and flew away
13:40 Kalju lands on the curved branch ... 13:41 and Helju ... she jumps into the nest and takes the new prey, it's a big waterbird, 13:42 Kalju off
Thank you Ell M!

today's catch




feeding- 13:44/15:34

[ellie]

13:38:16 kalju dives

[Ravens]

2024-04-29 - Day 3

09:33:09 - Helju leaves the eyrie, flying straight out over the bog.
09:37:00 - Kalju alights on a lower rung of branches at the right of the nest.
09:39-10:04:30 - He broods his eaglet for 25 minutes, until Helju shows up with prey.

It's an anatid. Webbed feet, bright orange scales. Different species or different sex from yesterday's duck, as that one had duller scaled feet and a well patterned belly.

[Ravens]

2024-04-30 - Day 4

Kalju was absent today. No new prey delivered, but there are plenty of leftovers in the nest. The eaglet is well fed, thus far.

18:21:17 - Helju flies off from the curved branch, angling downwards to the right.
18:31:53-18:35:43 - When she returns to the eyrie, she alights upon the curved branch and skawks at the sky. Her head snakes about as she tracks a silent flier, right wing drooping.
At times her hackles raise and her tail flares. Whoever it is, they are not welcome.

[Susanne]

Just for your information, in case you haven't seen it yet:

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/16/1/69
Diet Composition Explains Interannual Fluctuations in Reproductive Performance in a Lowland Golden Eagle Population
by Gunnar Sein and Ülo Väli

Diversity 2024, 16(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16010069

Published: 20 January 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology and Conservation of the White-Tailed Eagle and Golden Eagle)
Quote:
"Abstract
Food supply stands out as one of the most critical drivers of population demographics by limiting reproductive rates. In this study, we assessed fluctuations in diet composition and monitored various reproductive parameters over a nine-year period in a Golden Eagle population in an Eastern European peatland. The identification of 2439 prey specimens from 84 species revealed that the studied eagles primarily preyed upon birds (constituting 78.3% of prey numbers and 67.2% of prey biomass) and less on mammals (21.6% and 32.8%, respectively). Grouse emerged as the most important prey group (31% and 27%), followed by waterfowl (17%) and hares (8% and 14%). The most significant prey species, both in terms of numbers and weight, were the Black Grouse, Mountain Hare, Common Crane, and Capercaillie. The share of the Black Grouse decreased, while those of the White-fronted Goose, Roe Deer, and hares increased. The food niche, as measured by the Levins’ index, was broad (6.6), and it expanded during the study. On average, 58.3% of Golden Eagle pairs initiated breeding annually, with 69.1% successfully completing it, and 0.41 young per occupied territory were produced annually; there was pronounced interannual variation in reproductive performance. These fluctuations were associated with the shares of White-fronted Goose, Capercaillie, Mountain Hare and Roe Deer in the diet, suggesting that these species may be gaining increasing importance for the Golden Eagle, particularly following the decline of the Black Grouse."

[Ravens]

I'd not yet seen this paper. It is now saved to my hard drive. Thank you, Susanne!

2024-05-01 - Day 5

08:33:02 - Kalju delivers a dying duck. S/he has a dark bill. The little yellow wedge markings in the framed close ups point the general direction. 2. S/he has a light throat patch. 3. A darkish crown. 4. These patterned feathers of the mantle hint at a female, juvenile, or a male in eclipse plumage. 5. Black or otherwise dark feathers have been plucked from the breast. The webbed foot is beside the number.



Yet again stumped by another anatid. Of which species do you think s/he belongs?



15:00:56 - Kalju considers brooding the eaglet after hanging out for about 6 minutes. He hovers for 36 seconds, aerates the nest, hops to the curved branch.
15:09:02-15:16:05 - This time he is committed and broods properly until Helju returns to relieve him.

18:26:23 - Helju skawks up at a hooded crow (Corvus cornix) whom we cannot see, but whom we can hear cawing back at her. She lowers herself over her eaglet, neck tucked in and beak angled up.

Sorry I can't commit more time. I am trying to at least continue with prey assessment, but I may vanish at any moment.

[ellie]

May 3

Something is approaching the nest
09:37:11 Helju is calling
09:38 She flapped her wings to alert it


09:38:56 A large bird flies in the direction of the south


09:39:29 It flew toward the nest


After a few minutes, she calmed down a bit

[ellie]

11:04ish, we finally saw the chick!

[ellie]

Kalju visited 09:16/14:12
Feeding time 12:21/14:59/17:18
No fresh prey deliveries as of 18:50

17:17:43 The chick rolled

Happy 7 days old

[Ravens]

2024-05-03 - Day 7; 1 Week Old

16:41:00 - Helju returns to the curved branch, again telling off an intruder. She flares her tail and shakes her wings at them.





Kalju has been present today and yesterday (thank you for time stamps, ellie), but no new prey yet. The old prey has continued to be sufficient. Eaglet is satisfied.

Edit: 19:34:29 - Another Kalju visit. He brought a conifer spray.
19:38:41 - Helju does too.
19:38:49 - Farewell, Kalju.

[Liz01]

May 5th.

6:33 Heljus flies away
6:44 she is back

Breakfast for the eaglet