Santa Cruz Island Update, Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Hi Eaglemania,

At about 7:30 am on April 13, 2007, a fragile yet eager bald eagle chick emerged from its shell encased world. While hundreds of viewers watched from their computers, the newborn chick was welcomed to its new life on Santa Cruz Island by an excited, dedicated, and exhausted mother- K-26. Within an hour, the chick’s down feathers had dried out, revealing a fuzzy ball of hope for the future of bald eagle restoration on the Channel Islands and in California. The male, K-10, soon returned the treetop nest to join K-26 on this momentous occasion. Before the day had ended the chick was fed, triggering rapid growth and a nearly bottomless stomach that will keep the parents busy for the next 12 weeks. This milestone marks the 3rd bald eagle chick to be hatched in the wild on the Northern Channel Islands in over 50 years. Congratulations K-10 and K-26. And thanks to the nest camera and online feed, people from all across the globe will be watching the chick’s progress for the next three months. So…no pressure at all K-10 and K-26.

Andy, Karen, and I were working on Santa Cruz Island for the past week, monitoring The Nest and looking for other eagle activity around the island. Due to strong winds and high seas throughout most of the week, we were unable to use our boat to track possible nesting eagles. On Monday, Karen went to the southeast portion of the island and saw and adult eagle, most likely A-21 or A-11. Karen reported seeing the adult fly by with a fish, extending and retracting its leg as it flew, only to drop the fish and continue west. This could have been courting behavior but Karen saw no other adult eagle in the area. On that same day, Andy traveled the south side nest to track A-04, hoping to find re-nesting activity. Andy flowed A-04’s VHF signal throughout the day but never actually saw A-04. According to Andy and recent GPS data, A-04 is moving around the island far more than usually, indicating that her and K-11 are not attempting to nest again this year. We are a bit concerned that A-04 and K-11 are not together anymore. Meanwhile, I traveled to Christy Beach and to the West End to search for eagle activity. On Christy Beach, I found several sea lion carcasses that had washed up with the big swells. One fresh carcass showed obvious signs of scavenging, so I decided to put one of our motion-sensitive cameras nearby to record any hungry visitors. After relocating to a high observation point, I was able to see two eagles near the beach: one was a juvenile with darker plumage and the other was a sub-adult with dark tail feathers but almost a fully white head. Hopefully we will have some exciting pictures to share with you in the next couple of days from that camera.

As many of you know, A-49 is back on Santa Cruz Island. After heading as far north as Salinas, CA, she decided to turn around and fly back south, eventually showing up on Santa Cruz Island on April 12th. Welcome back A-49. The juvenile eagle I saw on Christy beach could easily have been A-49. Maybe we’ll get some pictures of her!

That about wraps it up for this week. We have no new eagle pictures to share with you this week; just some other interesting shots took. Dave will be posting nest/chick video on www.eaglefix.com so keep your eyes pealed.

Until ‘nest’ week,
Chris


A sea lion lounging on Christy Beach


The western most point of Santa Cruz Island


A windy but beautiful day on the north shore

Thank you Chris for the great update and super photos! I love the last one - what a great shot! Hoping for more nesting eagles ----- thanks!

Wow!! Chris, what a beautiful office you have. Really nice photos of the island. I am amazed that you got to do as much as you did with the wind out there this week, it was brutal. Really really glad to hear Cruz is home again. I hope she was one of the eagles on the beach, I love that girl. Also enjoyed your commentary on the new chick. What a cutie that one is. I am just so thrilled that there are so many postive events going on out there. Again thanks and keep up the great work, it is so much appreciated, you guys are the best.

Chris, thank you to you and the rest of the IWS crew for the weekly update and photos. That's great news that Cruz has returned home. She returned just in time for the birth of her sibling the next day! Quite appropriate!

Chris - thank you so much for the SC update! We all know it probably hasn't been easy out there with the high winds and rough seas.

I am soooo t-h-r-i-l-l-e-d to hear that A-49 is back on Santa Cruz Island!! And that she returned on her birthday. . .and the day before her sibling's birth made her return even better. Maybe on her adventures, she realized how good home-sweet-home is I hope she stays on the Channel Islands!

Thank you again for keeping us posted. . . it means so much!!

Chris - Thank you so much for your newsy report of Santa Cruz Island. So glad that A-49 is back where she belongs, what a trip she had. A big thanks also to Karen and Andy. Your pictures are beautiful.

Thank you for the very detailed update and pictures, Chris! It is most appreciated!

Thanks for the update, Chris, and the beautiful pictures. Hope the weather will begin cooperating with ya'll a bit so you can get around better. Stay safe! Look forward to the eagle pictures......and keeping talons crossed for pictures of Cruz!

Thanks for a great update Chris....we'll look forward to the pictures from the camera on the beach. Those you posted are beautiful. Glad to hear our Cruz is home again.

Now how cool is that??? A-49 returning home for her birthday! Too bad Mom and Dad were too busy with the impending birth of their new baby. Sorry to hear the grasslands pair don't seem to be retrying...what a disappointment. Can't WAIT to see who shows up in the motion sensitive camera photos!

Thank you, Chris!

Chris, when you say you're "are a bit concerned that A-04 and K-11 are not together anymore" you don't mean permanently, do you?

CHRIS, KAREN, & ANDY - Thank you Chris for the update today on the eagle activity you have been able to view with all the wind activity - really appreciate the update and the pictures - so happy that Cruz A-49 has returned to her home land and on her birthday - wonder if she will stay or move on - time will tell. I'm hoping she will stay and meet her mate - still too early for that though. Hoping the winds die down soon so your work isn't hampered.

Thanks Chris for the great update and to all the others out there with you thanks for all the info. I get really excited on wednesday morning because all the updates read like a book with pictures and I know the day is here. and I the pics for today they maybe not be eagles but they are beauties anyway. You all have a great time and be careful out there in the water and brush
Frances

I went on the IWS.org website earlier today to track A-49's (Warrior Princess Cruz)
travel adventures on the mainland and noticed she was back on Santa Cruz. Just in time for our visit April 28th... if she'll stay put that long...

Thank you, Chris, for giving us such detailed reports each week...