Here is a really neat image of the Sycamore nest and its surroundings. The roads on the right are on the NCTC campus. The red roof buildings below our nest is the working farm on which the Sycamore resides. The road directly to the right of the barn is where we parked when we visited in July. We walked up the small road to the barn to observe the nest.

Click on each picture to view it larger in a new window.

Below are a couple of more shots.

A little bit closer in picture.

The NCTC Campus is on the right.
Click on the link below to get your own view of this map.

http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=conservation+way+shepherdstown+wv&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&z=17&ll=39.486704,-77.808759&spn=0.003792,0.007113

NCTC Campus, Sycamore Nest and Potomac River

Here are Liberty & Belle, late afternoon on Dec 27, 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsjS7tqh_LQ

Click on the link below to watch a picture video of Liberty & Belle at the nest on Christmas Eve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAA5keLW6A0

Here is a clip of some morning nest building on Dec. 20, 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exdxq-NPsMY

Liberty & Belle took it pretty easy this afternoon. There was not much nest activity until it was almost dark, but by then the video was down. Here they are in the nest around 4pm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgyHhgz43mE

NATURE REPORT

ON THE MEND

A bald eagle found in Frederick County on Thanksgiving had been trying to survive in the wild with a broken wing for nearly two weeks. Now, veterinarians and wildlife caretakers in two counties are trying to heal the bird.

By NANCY HERNANDEZ News-Post Staff nhernandez@fredericknewspost.com

WESTMINSTER — A bald eagle with a broken wing has covered a lot of ground the past two weeks. After being found in Frederick County on Thanksgiving, the eagle journeyed to two more counties as veterinarians and wildlife caretakers have worked to heal him. On Thursday, he was placed in an intensive care unit at Feathers, Scales and Tails Veterinary Hospital in Westminster. The eagle is suffering with urinary stones and might have a fungal infection in his respiratory system, said Dr. Thomas Ryan of Feathers, Scales and Tails. He hopes blood tests will help determine what caused the eagle’s initial injuries as well as its current health concerns. When he is fully recovered, the eagle will make a journey to Allegheny County to live at an aviary in Rocky Gap State Park. The eagle was found on a farm near Point of Rocks, said Officer First Class M. Graham of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police. “We don’t know how it got hurt,” he said. The people who found the eagle contacted the Natural Resources Police and helped get him into a large dog crate for transport to Opossum Pike Veterinary Clinic in Frederick, Officer Graham said. X-rays at the clinic revealed the ends of the eagle’s humerus — the bone that runs between the shoulder and the elbow — were separated about two inches, said Dr. Barbara Stastny. While that is a common fracture for birds, she was startled to realize the injury probably took place about two weeks earlier. “He had been surviving out there and trying to fly,” Dr. Stastny said. Dr. Stastny and her staff installed a pin to align the bone and stabilize it, she said. However, the location of the fracture and damage to surrounding tissue will permanently ground the eagle. “He won’t be able to fly again well enough to be able to hunt,” she said. After his surgery, the eagle was sent to recuperate at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area in Patapsco Valley State Park near Ellicott City. He weighed eight pounds, about four pounds less than he should have, when he arrived, said Cristi Mills, a park service associate at Soldiers Delight. He measures about 2 and 1/2 feet tall and should weigh closer to 12 pounds. The eagle’s age is unknown but his white head indicates he is at least 5 years old. On Thursday, Ms. Mills noticed the eagle still couldn’t perch and he allowed her to hold him. “I was cradling him (Friday) morning and you can’t do that with eagles,” Ms. Mills said. “That told me something was wrong with him and he had to go to the vet immediately.” He will return temporarily to Soldiers Delight after he is released from the Feathers, Scales and Tails clinic before heading to Allegheny County, Ms. Mills said. “We are doing everything we can to get him back to bald eagle health,” she said. Eventually, the eagle will join the DNR Scales and Tales program, which introduces people to wildlife and promotes stewardship of natural resources, she said. Although people are bound to get attached to him, the eagle will forever remain nameless. DNR doesn’t permit any wild animals in its care to be named, Ms. Mills said. “If we name them, it gives people the wrong idea,” she said. “They are not pets.”

Here is a little video of Liberty & Belle at the nest this morning, Sunday December 10, 2006. Click on the link below to view.

http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/pccompton/?action=view¤t=NCTC1210.flv

Or click on the link below to view. Click on slideshow to see in a better quality.

http://picasaweb.google.com/EagletMomsters/NCTCEaglesSundayDec102006

This was my last picture of the nest from last season. Look how flattened out it is!



This is what the nest looks like now. Notice how much the sides have been rebuilt. Also, what will become the nest cup is apparent in this pic. It is the upper right portion of the nest.

Here is a short video clip of our eagles. This was taken around May 1, 2006.

http://media.putfile.com/NCTC-eagles-May-1-2006

Beautiful Shot of the Maine Nest Today, December 4, 2006

Click on the link below to see more pictures of the Tesoro Eagles from December 1, 2006. This one was eating breakfast.


http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/pccompton/Florida%20Eagles/?sc=9

A 2-3 year old juvenile bald eagle visited the Blackwater Osprey Webcam on Wedsnesday, November 29th. Notice all the white in his feathering. Bald eagles molt once per year, even the adults. The juveniles will obtain their full colors during their 4th and 5th year.

I decided to check out this video on the USFWS website. Much to my surprise (and delight!), this video includes approximately 8 minutes of Liberty and Belle. The nesting season appears to be their first, from 2004 when they hatched and fledged 2 young 'uns.








http://media.putfile.com/USFWS-Bald-Eagle-Recovery

Here's a little animation of the Kent Eagles



http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/pccompton/KentnestbuildingNov11.gif

Coming Soon! Stay Tuned!