Hi everybody,

We have triplets!!!
Yes, the West End nest is now home to three little chicks!

On Thursday, March 29th, we had two chicks trying to break out of the egg. One hatched that day and the other one on the 30th.
Pipping out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm2HRhCPIJ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM2pqZMKX-M

Parent feeding a recently hatched chick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8rIVtyrSJ0

Great view of WE chick #1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8rIVtyrSJ0

Hello chick #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ7tXW8VEGc

Some sibling rivalry during feeding, all normal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UzoBlQyFNg

Mom and dad feeding twins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZugNkzQkjM

The third chick finally hatched this Tuesday and we have been watching closely to make sure its much older siblings give it a chance to eat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0acj7g3jyA&feature=youtu.be

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

They are just too cute!

The second egg at the Two Harbors nest also hatched on the day the first WE chick hatched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_z5LwVpcgY

Rolling the chick! Wait… what?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUOtM2dpiis

On Sunday, we experienced some crazy winds and K82 got “attacked” by some branches at night… it was rough!
Storm Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=432g6qtCGF4

Storm Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_NHaHr87Ho


The Pinnacle Rock egg’s due date was last Thursday. We have been monitoring that nest very closely but unfortunately, they seem to still be incubating a single egg.
The PR nest on a very cloudy and windy day
On Thursday




The view from the PR blind, nest is circled


Clearing up a bit




On Friday
K73 rolling and incubating


Finally he moves away but all we see is one egg…




On Monday


Still one egg


Cont…

Zoomed in without the scope




And today, still one egg


Some video too


We have checked on the Seal Rocks nest and, these being the oldest chicks on the island, already look huge compared to the recently hatched ones we have been paying so much attention to. I checked them on Friday and took a few pictures and video










Video


Cont…

And here are the Rattlesnake chicks, growing very fast as well!






Pete and I have been surveying about 4 miles of coastline in the Twin Rocks area in order to determine if our newly formed couple, K17 (28-years-old) and her new mate K00 (just 5-years-old), are breeding or not. After steep hikes and long waits, we finally saw both adults perching together for a considerable amount of time which indicates that they haven’t laid eggs yet but they remain paired up. Yesterday, Pete hiked up to the top to Twin Rocks so he can see both sides of the coast and I hiked down into the Valley of Ollas on the western edge of the TR territory to be able to cover more terrain
Italian Gardens area


Looking at Little Gibraltar and TR in the far back


Looking down to the coast


Watching the cormorants flutter along the water






They were so many of them I had to make a video


Cont…

And they all gathered on the water


Now checking out the western section and looking at Empire Landing


Watching a pair of love birds


Scanning the coast






Around 3pm, I spotted the female flying into a small canyon as she was being harassed by gulls. I tried to follow her and on my hike up I spotted her again flying towards Gibraltar Point, which is where Pete got a chance to see her and also spotted K00 who met her and ended up perching together.
Shortly after they perched, one of them took off and didn’t come back for a couple of hours






Pete stayed in the area to confirm that they don’t eggs yet while I headed back to Middle Ranch to feed Hydi and Pimu.

Cont…

Switching gear a little bit, we have some excellent news to share with you today. This week, Pete received a couple of emails reporting two more eagle sightings; this time it was K03, one of the first two chicks naturally hatched at the Seal Rocks nest in 2007, and K91, one of the two naturally hatched chicks at the Two Harbors nest in 2009!
K03 was seen again at Elizabeth Lake, CA and according to Jason McClure, the person who has been observing her, she has also been hanging out with another adult in the area, a really good indication that she might be paired up! Pete mentioned that he’d make the trip up there to check her out in the event that she does breed and maybe even band her chicks!
(photo by Jason McClure)

K91 was spotted Nicole Desnoyers, field crew leader for the IWS San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike Monitoring Program, on the west side of San Clemente Island. We don’t have a current picture of K91 but I figured I’d share the one taken on TH banding day in 2009


On Sunday, April 1st, we kick-started our 7th annual fundraiser, the 2012 Nest Adoption Challenge! There are many ways that you can contribute to the Institute’s efforts to restore and monitor bald eagles to the Channel Islands and at the same time participate in the distribution of fabulous prizes including among many: invitations to see our educational eagles Pimu and Hydi, whole-island tours with an IWS biologist, special eagle items AND the unique opportunity to officially name this years’ chicks, names that will go in our permanent records! Now, who wouldn’t want to do that?!
Just visit out website www.iws.org or http://s11.zetaboards.com/IWS_Eagle_Forum/index/ …and thanks!

Until next week,
Steffani

YEAH for the West End nest - another big brood of eaglets! I do hope the PR egg has hatched on your next outing! Fingers crossed for it :X: And RS and SR doing great, too. Great news on the sightings of K03 and K91 (hmm, was that Thunder or was that Lightning??). What a cool shot of K03 - is that typical for eagles to perch with a leg extended down? At first glance I thought she was straddling the branch! Thanks again for another great report!

Stefffani:
So much good news!
Awesome views!
Appreciate all the hard work DrSharpe and you all do! :><:

:<S><: FABULOUS FABULOUS UPDATE AND VERY EXCITING NEWS ABOUT PR K03 and THk
K91!!

Wouldn't that be a thrill for B-)) , if K03 is mated, they have a nest and he could go band her chick/s! Talk about another exciting added success story to all his years and years of dedication to these EAGLES! <3

I STILL HAVE MY FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED THAT WE K73 WILL BE POPPA FOR THE FIRST TIME! :)^

THAT IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY GORGEOUS PHOTO OF K03!!! <3 <3

THANK YOU JASON MCCLURE!!! :Hugs:

:><:

Great update ! chicks are everywhere :^:
and K-03 looks great :<<>>:
But i gotta ask about that cormorant did it have something imbedded in his head ?
:blink:

Great update! Thank you!

Steffani what a great overview of nests on the Island. Such a lot of hiking just to get some information on how the :^: :^: are doing at all of them :><: :><: :><:

Were the cormorants massing because of a school of fish? Incredible how many of them were all together.

Amazing :clk: of K03 by Jason McClure...those talons are huge!

Great to hear about K91 too, all in all a wonderful update. Thanks so much for keeping us all in the loop :D

Hopefully the NAC will be a huge success again this year. The possibility of even more new nests makes for even more exciting updates in the future :)^

I love the color of the water on Catalina where you hike.
Great photo of K03 dangling it's talon from Jason McClure.
You have the best job ever! I'm sure you spend a lot of time inside
observing the cams too, but we like that! :D
I'm happy there is another successful update on K91. :<<>>:

Wonderful update & pictures, Steff! :><:

Thanks so much!

:**: Whoohooo!! >O< I just told my class the great news about Thunder, A.K.A. K-91! :<<o>>: Last we heard she was way up in Northern California. It's nice to know that she is now on the same island as her sister Lightning, A.K.A. K-87! :<<o>>:

Great pictures and updates. Thanks B-)) , Steffani and the whole IWS crew. <:::

Thanks Jason McClure! What a shot!

Thank you Steffani & Peter, your efforts are always greatly appreciated. Wishing you both a great week & Happy Easter.

Great Update...and thanks for the news on K03 & K91. Fabulous photo of K03. What a beauty!!!!

Thanks guys! I go out looking for her or what I believe is her mate every weekend. It's been great for me as an aspiring photographer to have such beautiful subjects do close to home!!!