Bald Eagle(!) or Golden Eagle? Any ornithologists out there?

[Joe Schmoe]

Ah...the new version of the news story quotes the lady I contacted in 2014.  I couldn't recall her name:

The resident bald eagles may be using the San Gabriel Reservoir as a food source. It contains non-native fish such as bass and carp, explained Ann Berkley, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service.
SNIP
Berkley said she was expecting the adult pair to leave the area last year but they ended up staying, very much like humans who visit Southern California for the first time.

The photos from 2014 made it clear, though, that they were eating duck.  I didn't point it out to you guys but the little fuzzy things in the needles of the tree were feathers...from an earlier meal.  The bird was VERY interested in some ducks in the reservoir.  The water was very low that year.  The ducks were squawking away and the way the nest is located is very tricky - from the ducks perspective the eagle would be coming down at them out of the afternoon sun.  Very interesting and maybe even an intentional move by the eagles.

[tcaarabians]

Wonderful pictures Joe. And, thank you for trying to keep their location secret.  cheryl o7o

[Joe Schmoe]

[Tall Trees]

I am glad that the Forest Fires did not threaten the Eagles nest.

[Joe Schmoe]

I would think that if they are filling up at the reservoirs that would impact the eagles ability to catch food.  Maybe they should consider some food supplement/relief.

[Joe Schmoe]

Eagles are still there.  Wasn't sure they would be following the fire and all the rain.  One Eagle was intently sitting on the nest.  The nest is getting huge and it makes me wonder about the integrity of the tree it's in.

Blurry video is the best I can do: http://youtu.be/Vv4uiQpOBNw

[Jim Wilkins]

Eagles or other raptors that hunt for fish shouldn't be affected by the depth of the water.  They are surface feeders and also scavenge dead fish or birds as well.  Love watching them hunt and catch a trout (or striper) depending on the lake.

[Wrightwood]

Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest (Live Streaming)
Institute for Wildlife Studies
February 20

The Big Bear Bald Eagles are hard at work at their nest about 180' up a Jeffrey Pine at Big Bear Lake, CA. We placed this camera in the tree in the fall of 2015 for the Friends of Big Bear Valley, but the nest was not used in 2016. There is a new female this year and there is a good chance they will have eggs. As far as I can tell, this is one of the highest known bald eagle nests at close to 7000' in elevation.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/iHofqKTOcKw&amp;showsearch=0&amp;rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/iHofqKTOcKw&amp;showsearch=0&amp;rel=0&amp;fs=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18</a>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHofqKTOcKw

[Wrightwood]

http://www.iws.org/interactive_nestchat_allUstream.html


Select A Nest To View

Two Harbors Bald Eagle Cam, Catalina Island, California   

West End Cam Bald Eagle Cam, Catalina Island, California

Sauces Canyon Bald Eagle Cam, Santa Cruz Island, California

Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam, Big Bear Lake, California

[Joe Schmoe]

The pair of Bald Eagles is still at it.  Went and rented the good lenses again.  Unfortunately since the article in the newspaper the nest has become somewhat of a spectacle.  When we arrived people were already positioned at the side of the road taking photographs.  In conversation they mention stories of people attempting to hike closer to the nest and throwing rocks to get the attention of the birds for a better photograph  .  This is what I feared all along.  Lets hope things don't turn out badly - I'm confident they will though.  People are just too selfish for this kind of scenario.  We were able to see the two adults fly as a pair, one landing in a good spot on a tree. 


Video of the nest.  There are two young, the second is hard to see in this clip.  About halfway the more visible of the two shows it's beginning the process of learning to fly.  It was somewhat windy and the camera equipment was VERY heavy so I have processed the video to stabilize it.  In doing so, it's apparent the tree is swaying in the wind.  A secondary concern about the situation is the weight of the huge nest and the health of the shabby noticeably swaying tree.
https://youtu.be/JbMhJJBAS4A

[delta]

Great video! Your processing really makes for a clear video. I agree that some people  are too selfish and the eagles will probably move on.

[tcaarabians]

Lovely video Joe... here's hoping the little eaglets learn to fly before some humanoid does something stupid. How far away were you when you shot this? cheryl o7o

[Joe Schmoe]

150-200 yards.  The lens was a 400mm zoom lens with a 2X teleconverter on a Canon EF-S camera with it's 1.6 focal length multiplier.  400X2X1.6 = an effective 35mm equivalent focal length of 1280mm.  Then I zoomed in on the center of the video even further when I processed it.  This also gives the stabilization function room to steady the view - the portion of the video where you would see the effect of what it's doing is cropped out.