Bald Eagle - Virginia / Norfolk

[Alison]

An update on the eaglet NX from the Norfolk Botanical Garden, who was last released in May of 2012. Now four years old, she is still out there, and her transmitter is still functioning.

August 17, 2015

Whatever happened to ... the eagle rescued from its nest at the Norfolk Botanical Garden

By Joanne Kimberlin

Miraculously, the signals still come - blips on computer maps that show NX survives and is still phoning home.

No one has actually seen her - at least knowingly - since she was last released in May 2012, one of three young eagles who became wildlife stars after their mother was killed in a collision with a US Airways jet over Norfolk the year before.

Rescued from their nest at Norfolk Botanical Garden, reared by the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, adored by millions who tuned in via eagle cams, NX was the only one of the trio outfitted with a tracking device.

Strapped to her back with a harness, the 3-ounce device - about the size of a deck of playing cards - uses cellphone towers to relay its GPS signals. But even with solar charging, its battery life is limited.

"We expected the signals to start fading out by the fall of 2013," said Amanda Nicholson, a director at the center.

The most recent was transmitted to the wildlife center Wednesday.

"It's just crazy," Nicholson said.

Such good luck means NX - named for the ID code on one of her leg bands - is supplying the center with its longest-running eagle track yet. She's also showing that wildlife rehabilitation can work.

While her siblings have vanished into the wild, where 70 percent of eagles don't survive their first year, NX's signals are proof that she's making it, despite having no parents to learn from.

"Some people say you can't raise in captivity and be successful," Nicholson said. "But we have a 4-year-old eagle out there doing her thing."

NX certainly had a rocky start. In July 2011 - three months after being plucked from their nest - the Norfolk eaglets were released with loads of hoopla at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County.

By then, the story of the motherless chicks had captured international attention. They'd been celebrities from egg stage, thanks to eagle cams at the Botanical Garden and the wildlife center. More than 1,000 fans turned out to watch them fly away.

But unlike her nest mates, NX didn't seize freedom. She landed in a nearby field, staying put until she was picked up and returned to the center. After a second release in August 201l, she took off, but was found injured on a road that December, apparently struck by a car on the Northern Neck. After five months of recovery, she was released again.

Since then, Nicholson said, NX has been a homebody compared with three younger eagles the center has more recently started tracking: "We've watched the others go off to different states and come back, but she's pretty much remained in Virginia. She's not a huge adventurer."

The past few weeks have been an exception, Nicholson said. The latest blips have come from the Maryland side of the Potomac River.

"But mostly, she pretty much sticks around the Northern Neck area. Twice, she's turned up in the exact same spots on the exact same dates of different years. It's interesting."

There have been no verified visual sightings of NX, even though her band letters are large enough to be read with binoculars or a bird scope. The transmitter also makes her distinctive. She'll carry it on her shoulders all of her life - which could be 30 years. Permanent harnesses are considered safer than deteriorating versions, which can fall apart in stages, leaving dangling pieces that can hang up a bird.

At 5 years old, NX will be mature enough to mate. Already, her head and tail feathers have surely turned white - the trademarks of an adult bald eagle.

"I'd love for someone to get a photo of her," Nicholson said. "She must look very majestic by now."

Her transmitter does seem to be getting tired. Programmed to check in once every 48 hours - if she's in range of a cell tower - the blips are becoming more sporadic, sometimes weeks apart.

But each one feeds research into eagle behavior, information that might help preserve the species and reduce the type of air strikes that killed NX's mother.

She and her siblings were the last of their kind at the Botanical Garden. Nesting has been discouraged there since their mother's death. The airport is right next door, and collisions with big birds are risky all around.

But at the wildlife center, the Norfolk chicks left a lasting legacy.

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/08/whatever-happened-eagle-rescued-its-nest-norfolk-botanical-garden

[allikat]

Thanks for that post RCF!  

It will be interesting to see what happens or if anything happens as birds will do what they want to do.  We can only hope by moving the nest sites away from that darned airport will help...Now, it's up to the birds to listen!  Eeeck!  

[The Peregrine Chick]

will be interesting to see if they can keep the eagles from nesting there again OR what they manage to devise to encourage the eagles to nest elsewhere.  I can empathize with their problem/concerns. 

[RCF]

From BCAW

BREAKING NEWS: NORFOLK NESTS TO BE MOVED TOMORROW

Norfolk Botanical Garden Eagle Alliance - http://www.peregrinefalcon-bcaw.net/viewtopic.php?p=207424#p207424

From City of Norfolk facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/NorfolkVA?ref=stream

In the interest of public safety and the safety of the bald eagles, the City of Norfolk will move forward to remove the nests at the Norfolk Botanical Garden Thursday morning October 4th. Norfolk Botanical Garden will delay its opening until approximately 11:00 a.m.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk International Airport and City of Norfolk agreed to support the recommendation of the USDA Wildlife Services to remove the nests following months of discussion and study of the USDA’s Wildlife Hazard Assessment and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries reports on the status and population of eagles in Virginia.

While we all have enjoyed the eagle’s at Norfolk Botanical Garden, encouraging them to find a new home ultimately ensures the safety of the public, property and the eagles.

For questions regarding the nest, avian radar and dispersal techniques, go to USDA FAQ at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/state_office/virginia_faq.shtml

[RCF]

Boy, this guy is really popular with the ladies!

Yes, what a gigolo!! 

[susha]

Boy, this guy is really popular with the ladies!

[RCF]

More excitement today with another intruder!!  

http://www.norfolkeagles.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=6805 - Male attacking female #5 who entered the nest today.

[susha]

Wow!  Such drama!  Wonder if this union will produce eggs

Thanks for the links, rcf!

[RCF]

These pics and video are from today with Dad Norfolk and Female #4.  

Video - http://youtu.be/Hwq7VbXBZ7c

Female #4




They also say she has very gnarly looking feet, I suggest a pedicure.  

[RCF]

There has been a lot of drama at Norfolk Botanical Gardens this year. Someone from one of the forums made a couple of movies called  " As the Nest Turns"  

You really need to watch to get what has been going on.  

 As the Nest Turns Part 1 - https://picasaweb.google.com/106076466575367436243/NBG2012#5712912626737739170

 As the Nest Turns Part 2 - https://picasaweb.google.com/106076466575367436243/NBG2012#5721064094895908866

[Kinderchick]

There is now a webcam back up and running, at the rehab centre.
Here is the link...
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

And here is a comment from the website...

Three bald eagles from Norfolk Botanical Garden were relocated to the Wildlife Center of Virginia on April 27 after their mother was killed by an airplane the previous day. The eaglets are receiving excellent care and are being prepared for release into the wild in August...

Please note, the video feed from Waynesboro was established on short notice due to the sudden death of the adult eagle. Steps are being taken to improve the quality of the video stream, but we hope our devoted Eagle Cam fans will appreciate the hard work WCV has done to bring us this video feed so quickly.

[Pam]

Thanks for the link, Carly, sad story......hope the eaglets do well, and same for Dad...

[msdolittle]

Details of the plan for raising and releasing of the three eaglets.

http://eaglecam.tumblr.com/post/4985403539/eaglets-being-removed-from-nest

nice story.  The kids and dad should do well in the long term!

[Kinderchick]

Very sad, indeed, for the dad. I hope he finds a new mate some day. But I am glad to hear that the 3 eaglets are now being cared for, especially as a family unit. Thanks for posting the article, bcbird.

[bcbird]

Details of the plan for raising and releasing of the three eaglets.

http://eaglecam.tumblr.com/post/4985403539/eaglets-being-removed-from-nest