Eaglettes in Iowa!!!

Live streaming of eaglettes, again, this time in Decorah, Iowa. Here is some more info on them:

First hatch 4/2/11.
24-hour collage of first egg pip and hatch
Second hatch 4/3/11.
First glimpse of second hatchling
Third hatch 4/6/11.
Close-ups of the third hatch

Enjoy!!! --LKR


Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

There is also a live cam in NJ at the same site that I had posted last year, too.

Eagle Research

Ever wonder how little birdies are banded when living high up in a nest? This clip shows how! It also explains what they did with the eaglets I had in an earlier post, and why they do it. Interesting! --LKR

Bald Eagle Nest Cam

This won't be up all year long, but it's worth sharing! Come back often to watch this live viewing of a bald eagle's nest in central New Jersey.

After the eaglets have fledged, reading the observations of others in these comments will remain. You may also want to check out this post on the research done with eagles like these.

Enjoy!!! --LKR

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Turkey Vultures

A turkey vulture gliding through the air...

...and landing in a tree at Starved Rock State Park.

I've never seen them this close, before!  In the wild, that is!  At first, they flew really low to the ground, then soared higher above us before they descended again to rest in the trees.

Yup, there were two of them.  They are usually seen in numbers. 

Turkey vultures are interesting creatures. They can only hiss or grunt because they lack a syrinx.  Having a very keen sense of smell, they mainly eat carrion, but sometimes will eat fruit.  Nests are not built--eggs are laid in hollow trees, on cliffs, in caves, or even in abandoned buildings. If they can't fly away, turkey vultures will hiss and vomit undigested food to deter the few predators they have.  And to cool themselves down, they will defecate on their own legs!  This gives a new meaning to "dirty bird"!!!  --LKR

Purple Finch Family

Almost every year, purple finches build a nest in one of our hanging baskets. I must admit, it's a very nice neighborhood to raise a family!

Do you see mother finch's beak?

...And then there were four!!!

Our first little guy is "eggxhausted". At first he thought I was one of his parents! He needs to save his strength.

"Me! Me! Me! Me!"

Aren't they adorable?!

They grow up so fast!!! Can't wait for another year of baby birds!!! --LKR

This Year's New Addition...

This is a pic of a very busy female paper wasp at work. She let me come and go through our sliding glass door until the nest got larger...and others were invited to come work on it.

We also had a huge nest under our deck, last year. They never bothered me when I was out gardening right in front of it. In fact, I was totally unaware of them, at first. After that, I made sure to stay out of their flight pattern, and they acted like they never even noticed me. It would have been quite the scene if they had!!! --LKR

Last Year's New Addition...

I just found this pic from last year. It was the newest addition to our home in 2006. As you can see, the worker is quite busy! She is building her nest out of mud. I think it's a potter wasp. --LKR