Estonian White-tailed Sea Eagle Nest Camera 2023

[Polly]

Hello Susanne!

This is absolutely your area. Nevertheless, a short observation from me/us for you. Although different actors but similar events.

I cannot imagine that a WTE noisily lands ("touch down")and immediately turns just like that.

Yes, it works somehow.
We observed something similar with H21 some time ago. On this day, a strange female hawk was passing through the territory and in the nest.
H21 carried a stick, came to the nest unprepared and was startled by something. I have no idea what was going on.
viewtopic.php?p=889701#p889701

I made you a short video.
0.5 speed without sound. This way you can calmly go through the situation as often as you like.

But for me it actually looks like one and the same WTE, which turns back immediately.
In my opinion, no second WTE is involved. I would expect more sounds when rivals clash.
But let's keep it a secret.

(And utterly frustrating to see no continuation of nest building activity *sigh*.)

I keep my fingers crossed!

[Susanne]

Mar 19

Good morning Matsalu!

06:05: We start the day with a ruffling of plumage. So there still is and was over night a WTE in the tree.
06:23:45: He/she leaves the tree, flying low over the meadow to the left. Maybe he/she perched on a branch beneath the nest?
06:38 ff.: Black woodpecker Starting off like an eagle - and now some more variety in vocal display. -Plus drumming at 06:44 f. Ah yes, spring time...
<and breakfast for me>

[Susanne]

I made you a short video.
0.5 speed without sound. This way you can calmly go through the situation as often as you like.

Thank you very much Polly for this video! I didn't think of rivals because there were no calls at all. Later in the evening there was plumage ruffling, but I had not seen the arrival/return of an eagle - which means nothing since the wind constantly moved branches, and as I wrote earlier: for me it was hard and/or impossible to state wether a bird landed or the branches rattled due to the wind.


08:44: A WTE hops into the nest.A subadult!



Eyes are light, beak is yellow - tail: still black tips.
08:50: The subadult leaves.

09:08: 'Smiley' arrives at the nest. E 340 follows at 09:09. Both work in the nest.

[Susanne]

09:13: E 340 sings some notes - 'Smiley' is not in the mood yet. They continue working in the nest.



09:22: E 340 flies away and returns at
09:26 with a big bunch of hay.
09:29: NOW she's in the mood. E 340: Mating song - successful!


09:39: Short calls. Other bird voices.
09:41: E 340 onto p-branch.
09:44: E 340 dives down to the meadow and returns at
09:45: ... with more material.

[Susanne]

09:50: E 340 dives down to the left from the nest rim close to the camera.



09:51: Some branch cracking sounds.
09:52: 'Smiley' hops onto middle branches. Big PS.
10:16: E 340 returns with another big bunch of hay.
10:24: 'Smiley' leaves.
10:26: E 340 leaves.
10:29: 'Smiley' back with a branch (!). There was a cracking sound, then she flew off beneath the nest and circled back to the nest. So she plucked the branch off the nest tree.



10:31: E 340 returns. Makes bed and settles in the nest bowl.
10:48: 'Smiley' perches on the p-branch which will become the M-branch in an instant after a nice duet.

[Susanne]

11:11: 'Smiley' leaves first, E 340 follows after PS. Both were on the p-branch for a while, busy with preening.

- Wow, what a busy and exciting Sunday morning!
Some extra info: Regarding the age of the subadult visitor: Liz in the YT-chat added this link from our forum: Plumage and Moult - Photo Gallery viewtopic.php?f=46&t=269. Hence, the visitor should be 4 CY - with really stunning light eyes. For me, the tarsus looked quite fleshy, so maybe this could be a female. Please correct me if I'm wrong!
2 matings and a lot of material brought - very good.

12:03:18: A WTE is on a branch at the right.


Dark tail tips, spotty body - could be the subadult we have seen this morning. Ts, ts, ts!

[BDrieliņi]

Good afternoon! Have a nice day!

[Susanne]

My stream is constantly breaking, I need a time stamp for the defending event.
- Sorry, complete blackout. I can't retrieve it, so this is hear-say: two male voices, shuffling and ruffling. Presumably E 340 chased the stranger away. If so, the visitor is a male, too.
EDIT 15:05: : I just reviewed the sequence. I didn't find a "defending event".

13:08: A WTE leaves from a branch at the right, flying to the left. I think it was the one with the black tail-tips.

[Susanne]

BDrieliņi, Thank you so much for this charming Eagle Show!
< I am struggling so much with my stream today, that I will take a break now. >

15:22: Cam is turned off.-
15:45 ca.: cam is back.

[Susanne]

17:54: A juvenile perches on the p-branch. We haven't seen this one before, he has got a dark area on the backhead.





18:13: He is a little clumsy on the p-branch, but manages to jump onto a lower branch at the left. (between the left and the middle branches - you can see his head!)
around 18:22, the cam drops out. Back at 18:31.

[Susanne]

He has moved to another branch:



18:41: Now he moves closer to the stem and is out of sight, under the nest.
18:44: Nothing seems to fit well enough - he is still searching for a better place beneath the nest. Looks as if he wants to stay overnight.
18:48: Someone landed in the tree top.
18:55: Adult WTE, leaves and flies to the left where he probably perches somewhere in the tree tops.

19:05 ff.: The adult WTE circles to the right, crashing sounds. Shortly after, the juvenile flies into that direction, again crashing sounds.
19:09 f.: Again crashing twigs.
19:11:58 f.: Sounds like a flap with a wing. (Maybe pushing, shoving away).
19:17:20 ff.: Two WTEs circling at lower level over the meadow to the right, coming from the area down at the left.

[BDrieliņi]

BDrieliņi, Thank you so much for this charming Eagle Show!
< I am struggling so much with my stream today, that I will take a break now. >

Thank you for your support, I really hope for a successful season in the nest

[Susanne]

Mar 20

Good morning Matsalu, good morning eagles!

10:20: The couple arrives, 'Smiley' is first in the nest bowl, E 340 follows swiftly. They are digging and everyone wants to be first to lie down.
10:22:13: E 340 wins: First!

10:30: 'Smiley' onto branch at the right.
10:31: 'Smiley' on the cam branch - the pic swings lightly with her movements.
Seems to be her 'day of gymnastics' - 10:32: back in the nest bowl. Then onto middle branch, next: p-branch.
10:36: Both leave - 'Smiley' first, E 340 follows - down to the right.
_________
10:27 ff.: Interesting bird call. - Before I thought I perhaps heard a black grouse?

[Susanne]

10:57: Stranger on board. -At least that is my impression, behaves a little camera-shy (oops,what is this thing?). - Maybe it's 'Smiley' after all,, I have to check.



11:46: I am confused, the WTE behaves now like 'this-is-my-nest'. I haven't seen the tailmarks properly yet. And the head looks so different to me. Maybe just dirty?

Comparison heads - left: 'Smiley', right: the WTE currently in the nest bowl.

'Smiley' has well defined nostrils on both sides - the WTE on the right does not, his left nostril looks more blurred.

12:20: This is probably a male. He jumps up to the right and finally shows at least a good sector of his tail which has some thin black linings at the tips.



12:21: He leaves and flies down to the left along the brook alley.
- Whoa, before he jumped up to the right he was standing in the nest and looking around and up to the sky, and I thought: you better get going. - At least he behaved really nicely in the nest bowl, arranging material etc. And he had quite a good rest.

[Susanne]

around 13:13/14, a WTE landed in the tree.
... and shows herself (fleshy ankles) at 13:23/24: - from the right, she jumps onto the p-branch, then into the nest and at 13:25 up to the middle branches:

[Susanne]

OMG!!! 'Wrong' couple!

13:58: The strange male from before returns. The juvenile female jumps down in the nest. They mate! (pic. later.)





14:17/18: The male is on the cam branch.



14:25: He is currently working in the attic. Then back into the nest, while she explores the branches at the right. Then she returns to the nest and the male is again working his way upwards at the right.
- They seem to be a perhaps newly bonded couple, still working on 'synchronicity' and harmonious pair behaviour ... and she is young.

[Susanne]

14:31: There goes a branch - down in the alley. Well, you have to practice branch handling.
14:35: She tries to retrieve a branch from the tree, but then leaves. You can hear the cracking of branches.
14:36: He leaves the tree and circles back again, female is perching on the p-branch. - Oh, he is still in the top of the nest tree and collecting branches.
14:38: Comes back with a short branch and as salary for his efforts wants to mate. But this is just an attempt.
- They are obviously intrigued by the quality of this nest. High time for the owners to come back.

<I will have a short break now>
14:52: Both fly away and are back at
14:53/54 (Thank you YT-chat for the time stamps! ).
15:00: Kissy-beaky exercises...
- It's interesting to see how differently they use and explore the nest tree.
15:04: She is working hard on the p-branch - such nice twigs and sticks. - And off she goes collecting somewhere else.
15:05: The two fly off and circle through the area, back at 15:06.

[Susanne]

Nibbling at his legs:



... and his tail feathers:



15:21 f.: They are busy on the right - out of sight - cracking branches.
15:22: Duet!
Shortly after one WTE flies off to the left (looks like the male).

[Susanne]

15:27: And he's back. - Do you want some more complications? Allright, here we go. I don't think that this male playing with his juvenile bride is the stranger that rested in the nest bowl in the morning. THIS male still has some light grey hues on his beak, and his nostril on his left is not as blurry or scarred.



Oh dear, he must have heard me - this is the strange male with the scarry nostril.



15:42 ff.: The young couple is back again. Defending duet.

[IceAge]

No, not another fight for the nest .