Golden Eagle Tracks

Tuesday December 3 2019

I just happened to look out my window the instant a golden eagle landed on a jackrabbit on the hill in the snow near our Candelabra trail. I grabbed my binos and ran outside to watch. 

If I hadn't seen the eagle land, I'd have known something was going on there, as there were a dozen magpies squawking, flying around, and landing near the eagle. 

The eagle walked with the rabbit in one claw, dragging it up the snowy hill, with the magpies chattering away and licking their chops.

The eagle walked uphill a little farther, then she stopped, crouched over the rabbit, and started shredding the fur, flinging it everywhere. 

Now another dozen magpies appeared, some getting close to the monster bird, but just out of reach of her big beak, looking longingly at her meal. (I am sure I saw that expression on their faces through the binos - exactly like Finneas stands and looks over the gate at me wistfully when I'm mixing up Stormy's grain in the feed room.)

Every once in a while the eagle flung a little meat scrap and a few magpies flew in to grab it, and whoever got it shot off with a dozen other magpies hollering in pursuit. Then they'd all come back and stand around the eagle and salivate. 

Twice I saw a magpie yank her tail (like Ravens are known to do to eagles - Ravens and magpies are of the same Corvidae family) but they were very cautious about it and they were scared to do it more! 

The eagle finished the rabbit in ten minutes, and stepped off the bones, and while the magpies swarmed the dinner spot, she walked up the hill a bit, cleaned her beak, walked uphill in the snow some more, sat a while, then flew off to the next hill. 

She sat there a while, then hiked uphill some more (probably working off some of that meal), then rested (tired after a good meal). One magpie flew to join her, thinking 'This is my meal ticket!' After a while she flew off to the next hill. The eagle was really beautiful, shimmering golden feathers on her neck and lower parts of her wings. 

Years ago we used to have golden eagles nesting on the crick, not too far from the 'town' of Oreana; they successfully fledged young a couple of years. They even put up with the farmer plowing his field below their nest. But once new people bought the land, moved in a large herd of cows and irrigation lines, then started bulldozing all the brush (think: quail, rabbits, prey), and half the cottonwood trees, they've never been back since.

I hiked up the hill later to see her tracks (and the hundreds of pacing magpie tracks!) 

see the drag marks beside each foot, that's her tail feathers dragging in the snow

so big!

Nestlessness

Wednesday May 15 2013

It's been a dismal year for local Ravens and raptors in the reproduction department.

This hawk nest sitting atop a Snake River Birds of Prey 'badlands' hill is typical of our area this year. It's a fine nest (though one wonders how a hawk can defend such a nest against, say, a coyote) with a fine view - fine scenery and a fine sweeping view of prey: there ain't any.


Four great horned owl territories and 2 red-tailed hawk territories on our 2 creek are empty this year - the birds didn't even try. (The great horned owls choose their nests first, the red-tails have second choice, and the Ravens get to choose last from what's left.)

Fortunately the golden eagles down the creek successfully hatched at least one young, the top of whose fuzzy white head I saw a few days ago.

My theory is there are plenty of jackrabbits around - the main prey of golden eagles, but our cold winter with the week-long -8°F nights and months below freezing froze the little varmints - mice and voles - that nest in burrows just under the ground and that the hawks and owls normally eat. Then again, it's already been so dry, and nothing is growing, that maybe the varmints had nothing to eat themselves.

Two pairs of Ravens tried nesting this year. Both failed. Under the nest up one creek I found the remains of a Raven shell.



The nest up the other creek - on which a Raven was hunkered down quietly just last week - is empty now. There should be enough Raven food around - Ravens eat just about anything - so why they failed in nesting also, other than egg predation, is a mystery.

Good Housekeeping

Friday December 21 2012

It's always a thrill to see the pair of Bates Creek Golden Eagles, and never more so than when they're on their nest early on, fixing up the house, tidying things up to get ready for a new nesting season.  

This pair successfully raised one young on this nest in 2011, and one young on this nest in 2012. Often eagles will have several nests in their territory, and switch to a different nest each year. This pair of eagles has only this one, but it's big and sturdy and solid in a cottonwood tree - a good house to come back to year after year.

Last year the pair occasionally visited and worked on and kept an eye on their nest throughout December, January, and February, before the female started sitting, and laid her first egg on March 7 or 8.

That the eagles are here so early is a good sign there might be a new golden eagle or two in the neighborhood in 4 months.

She Waits

Thursday April 19 2012

Sitting low on her nest, she incubates the first egg she laid on March 7 or 8 (and perhaps subsequent eggs, laid 3-5 days apart). The golden eagles on Bates Creek started nesting on one of those two days. Incubation is typically 43 to 45 days, which means possibly today, and through Sunday, the first new golden eagle could be born on Bates Creek.

Waiting nearby is the other adult (females and males both incubate the eggs, though the male does it less, and only during the day - in the photos I'm assuming it's the female on the nest).

Last year, this pair produced one eaglet that successfully fledged. Perhaps this spring will bring one, or two new ones. 

She sits and waits.

Anxiously, we all wait!

The Eagle Has Landed!

Friday February 10 2012

Both of them in fact - the Bates Creek golden eagle pair are prepping their nest for some good old fashioned egg laying again this year!

They've been hanging around the area the last month, keeping an eye on their old nest from last year, and checking out new real estate further up the creek (a nest occupied last year by great horned owls, and the year before that by red-tailed hawks); but the last couple of weeks one or two have been seen at their tried and true old nest.

Today they were both on the nest (there are 2 eagles in the top photo), and presumably it's the female that was sitting on the edge, looking down in her cubbyhole that she'll soon be sitting in.

Playing With Your Dinner

Tuesday December 27 2011

The Bates Creek golden eagles are hanging around the area, and I recently saw one of them standing on their nest, presumably adding sticks to it, rearranging the furniture, which is a good sign. Hopefully it means they will nest again in the spring.


Today I saw the pair of them flying above the rim. One of them had prey in its claw. As I watched through my binoculars, it dropped the prey in mid-flight, dove after it, caught it before it hit the ground, and flew up again.

I grabbed my camera, hoping it would happen again - and it did!

The prey is in the eagle's left foot.

As he hovers in the air, he shifts the prey to both feet,


then to his right foot.


then he drops it, and dives after it

He pulls up short because he's getting to close to the ground


and hangs above the ground, either watching his prey scuttle away, or just deciding he didn't really want it.

Off he flies toward the Owyhees with his partner.

Golden Success!

Thursday June 16 2011

It's time for a final check on the golden eagle nests to see if they were Successful.

Golden eaglets fledge (leave the nest) at around 63 days (9 weeks) of age. A golden eagle nest is considered "successful" when the young reach 51 days of age, or about 80% of days to fledging.


Two weeks ago we checked on the Brown's Creek cliff nest. The two young were still on the nest, and now estimated to be 56 days of age - therefore, a successful nest with two young!


At this stage the eaglets may be larger than their parents. They have longer feathers than their parents; the theory being that it will help cushion them for when they crash into things when they actually fledge - and they will crash into things. Additionally, the parents stuff them with as much food as they can, because the young don't know how to hunt yet on their own, and they may get a bit hungry as they try to figure that important part of their lives out.


Today I checked on the Bates Creek tree-nest eaglet. He/she is about 2 weeks behind the Brown's Creek pair, but as of today, the eaglet is approximately 57 days old - therefore, a successful nest!

Ma and Pa Eagle still like to perch on the distant ridge, which gives them an eagle-eye view of their nest, and presumably doesn't draw attention to the nest tree, which 3 adult-sized eagles sitting together would easily do.


After failing while brooding on the nest last year, this year the Bates Creek golden eagle pair are proud parents (if I may so anthropomorphize - WE are proud anyway). Here's hoping they'll return again next year!

Eaglets!

Wednesday May 18 2011

I went out with retired bird biologist Karen, to check up on a couple of eagle territories.


The Brown's Creek golden eagles whose territory and nests I found last year, who raised a youngster last year, have two babies in the nest - big babies! (Note the one laying down in the back left of the cavelet.) The adults moved to a different nest this year on the same cliff face - a nice nest with a little cave, plenty of room, a choice between sun and shade, and shelter from rain and snow. You can see the eaglet in the sun panting from the heat. It wasn't hot today, but you can see why heat is a big killer of eaglets.


Karen estimates their age to be 6 weeks.

Mean fledging age is 63 days. A nesting attempt is considered successful when the young is 51 days old.

The golden eagles down the creek on the cottonwood tree nest are still raising their one eaglet! There's a big difference - size, feathering and maturity - between her (I'm just guessing it's a she) and the two cliff nest eaglets. Karen estimates this one to be 4 weeks old.


I checked on another canyon that was known to have historic eagle nests. I sort of 'rediscovered' these nests last year that haven't been monitored for many years. For at least the last two years, the territory has been unoccupied, though the whitewash around two of the cliff nests isn't so very old.

One can see why this nest might be undesirable from the big rock that fell in it...


though this one looks good to me.


But then, I'm not an eagle.

We'll check on these nests one more time - between the 51 and 63 day marks - to see if they can be labeled Successful.

Feathered Friends

Wednesday May 11 2011

The Great Horned Owl pair that raised three young last year moved downstream one nest (taking over a red tailed hawk nest - and the red tail is in their old nest), raised two young this year. The Great Horned Owl gets first choice - they begin nesting earliest. The owls are on just about exactly the same schedule as last year: these photos were taken May 1, an evening after I'd seen them lumbering around the edge of their nest, flapping their gangly wings, getting ready for their first launch. A couple of days later, they were gone.


The Great Horned Owls up the creek did not nest. I could not find a Long-Eared Owl nest (last year there were two).

The Raven cliff nest up the canyon that produced 2 or 3 young last year is empty this year. The Raven tree nest up the crick whose two babies died is occupied by red tailed hawks this year. The Ravens nest earlier; they apparently chose not to nest this year.

And the best for last: the golden eagles in the tree nest down the crick - after sitting on an egg(s) then abandoning the nest last year - have successfully fledged a chick this year! The mother (or father - they switch off) - sat for weeks low down in the nest; a couple of weeks ago we saw mom (or dad) sitting on the edge of the nest, but we could never see anything in the nest - until today, when I spied a white fluffy eaglet sitting up begging from an adult!


I'd parked as far as I could from the nest while still being able to see it with my binoculars. Mama ignored her baby and eyed me the entire time I sat there, so I didn't linger too long. The eaglet showed himself just in time, as spring has suddenly hit with full force, busting out the leaves on all the trees almost overnight. Soon the nest and everything in it will be invisible behind a curtain of green.


We're looking forward to seeing 3 golden eagles flying along the crick soon!

Eagle To Eagle

Friday March 25 2011

We ride toward the cliffs, hunting for golden eagles. They've nested in this territory the last couple of years.


A golden eagle flies off the cliff as we approach, but we don't see from exactly where.

We dismount to glass the cliffs, and the horses are a bit goosey at times, preferring to stand alertly and stare back down the trail whence we came in this narrowing canyon of tall concealing sagebrush - what's back there behind them? What do they feel? What do they smell? Cougars? Wild horses? (We did see 4 wild horses in the distance).

We spot two cliff nests, and find a likely one that might be, or maybe will be, occupied. We wait and watch the cliff. The horses wait and watch down-canyon.

No eagle returns. We want to climb higher, for a possibly better look at the nest. How about that ridge above us? We mount up and point the horses' noses toward the sky.

It is a steep climb. Snow has only recently melted up here and the ground is virgin-spring soft. Horses' feet sink above their ankles. It is very steep and deep. But there's no stopping now; we are committed. I am leaning forward over Gil's ears as he clambers awkwardly upwards. He has to stop and catch his breath, but I am afraid we will get stuck with the lost momentum and start to go backwards. I smooch and cluck, "Up!" Gil sinks down deeper as he starts forward. He leaps upward. My feet bang his stifles with every lunge. Finally, we crest this ridge, lungs panting, hearts pounding - humans and horse's. "I thought we were going to go over there for a minute!" says Karen.

The reward up here is fresh spring grass niblets for the horses, a staggering view over the Snake River valley and the mountains beyond for the humans.

Karen sets up the scope, but we still can't see in the nest.


I hike on foot, climbing even higher toward the nest - my feet sinking in the ground and the steepness snatching my breath away. The human and horses are dots below me, though I can't see the nest any better from this height.


We wait and watch the nest. We see a golden eagle flying, but none returns to the nest. Maybe there already is one sitting low in the nest. Or maybe up here, where snow still dusts the hills not far above us, it's still early for nesting. It's an inconclusive site visit, so it will have to be checked again.

Now, that's an idea... the Owyhee Eagle to Eagle Endurance ride...

Owyhee Eagles

March 21 2011

You may not believe it by the weather, but it's springtime - nesting time for birds of prey in Owyhee.

Karen S, retired bird biologist and endurance rider, keeps tabs on the eagle nesting sites in the county, and whenever I can, I hitch a ride (by vehicle or on horseback), to peek through her spotting scope at the birds on their nests.


The Bates Creek golden eagles are trying again. Last year they were on the nest (the male and the female will switch off) for several weeks - and then they disappeared before any eggs would have hatched. They are a skittish pair, and how or why they picked a nest in a cottonwood tree less than 100 yards from a dirt road that has a fair amount of vehicles on it, is a good question - other than it is a nice big secure nest in a protective tree. I expect what really was the last straw last year was the hay cutting in the field right below their tree.

They've been on the nest for a couple of weeks now - and no tractors have been in the field yet - so I can only cross my fingers.

Last year the pair of golden eagles on the Brown's Creek cliffs raised one youngster. Eagles usually rotate between several nests in their territory, and you'll often see many nests on a cliff face. On this cliff, there are at least 4 nests. Last year's is on the far right.


When we approached the canyon, an eagle flew off the opposite cliff face - we didn't see exactly from where - and as we moved closer to scope the nests, we found all of them empty - and then saw 2 golden eagles soaring far away.


Karen did spot a nest that looked like it had fresh 'greens' on it - every year the eagles will add more sticks to their nests, hence you may see a nest that is six feet tall - including a fresh piece of green sagebrush. We'd figured that this pair had started but decided not to nest this year, since they were both off flying and no nest had been occupied for the 15 minutes we'd been watching, but just as Karen noted some downy feathers on the 'fresh' nest - one of the eagles landed on it. She (or he) stared back over her shoulder at us - we sat very still behind our binoculars and spotting scope and talked quietly - and she took her time moving in and finally settling down on the nest.


Success! A confirmed nesting in this territory again.

This week we plan to ride out on horseback to check another territory.