Santa Cruz Update, Banding Day Summary

Hey All,

Well, last week was pretty exciting here on the island. As most of you know, we banded the chick (now officially A-63) live, on the web. Everything went as smoothly as we could have hoped, and A-63 is now fully prepared to take his first, expected sometime in early July. Today I'm going to give you a bit of a summary of how banding day unfolded on our end, and explain a bit of the process.

The day started like most other days here on the island. I woke up, made a pot of coffee and scarfed down a chocolate eagle cupcake that Peter had brought out the day before (thanks to Cathy - aka OhiaHikers – for the GREAT cupcakes). We had prepared most of our equipment the night before, so we didn't have a lot to do before we left for the nest that morning. The plan was to leave around 9am so we would have a bit of time to test out the new hand-held camera setup we were planning on using to film the action. Peter and I were at the camera tent the day before, working on the webcam, when it occurred to us that we could use his new, super-sweet HD camcorder to get the entire banding live on the web. We plugged it in right then, and it seemed to work perfectly. We had a nice, clear picture on our monitor at the tent, so we immediately plugged it into the web feed. Assuming we were now live, Peter used the opportunity to officially announce the planned banding time to all the viewers. Unfortunately, when we arrived back at housing that night, we found that the webcam feed was down, so we couldn't be sure that the hand-held camera was going to work. Anyhow, just as we expected, NinjaSherpa was able to work some of his magic on the mainland and the camera feed turned on sometime around 8am banding-day morning . . . but the camera was 'crazy'. Fortunately, we're getting pretty good at fixing the 'crazy cam' when it happens (we're just not as good at predicting or preventing it), so off we headed to the nest. We arrived around 10am and went about the job of re-wiring the camera, yet again. This is about the time we patched in the 'tent-cam' so that people could see that we were hardly working. Peter, Kim, Ryan and myself were alone at the tent at this time. We were still in the middle of the camera work when Jessica, Jim Spickler, Kate Faulker and the rest of the crew arrived (the park had arranged for 3 reporters to accompany us for the day). We were still a little ahead of schedule, and since banding wasn't supposed to start until noon, we had some time to relax and eat a little lunch. The reporters also used this time to interview Peter and Kate, and to take pictures of our staging area.

Anyhow, now that the camera was working, lunch had been ate and interviews had been conducted, we were finally ready to 'make our move'. It had been decided the night before that Jessica would be doing the banding, Kim would be holding the bird, I'd be filming and Ryan would be monitoring the camera feed at the tent. Peter took advantage of the nest disturbance to troubleshoot the webcam and replace any loose connections, since we can't actually service the camera while the birds are using the nest (several months of the year).

Jessica, Kim and Jim were the first to approach the nest tree, while the rest of us watched the capture from a safe distance. I was amazed at how calm A-63 seemed, even while Jim was climbing the tree. The bird didn't seem to realize what Jim was planning to do until the orange helmet popped up above the rim of the nest. I don't think he (A-63) was very happy to have a new nest-mate, and proceeded to give Jim a bit of a scolding. Fortunately, Jim has climed into hundreds of eagle nests, and wasn't phased by the less than warm welcome. After a few minutes in the nest to calm the bird (and do a bit of nest repair), Jim was able to grab the chick and safely lower him to the banding crew below.

Once on the ground, the bird was hooded and brought up to the chosen banding location (just a few yards up the hill). ' Banding' actually consists of several procedures, including taking measurements, drawing blood for DDT/PCB analysis, applying a Fish and Wildlife Service leg band, attaching blue 'Patagial' wing markers (A-63), collecting a couple body feathers for Stable Isotope analysis and fitting the bird with a radio/GPS telemetry unit. The GPS allows us to track the bird via satellite anywhere in the world, and the radio transmitter is for more local tracking (i.e. On the islands). This unit is attached with a backpack style harness that is designed to fall off the bird in 1-2 years, although we have had birds retain them for over 3 years. The entire unit weighs around 100 grams and doesn't impede the birds flight in any way. With the data we get from these units, we are able to closely monitor the movements and survival of the birds that have been released or hatched on the islands.

Once the banding was completed, and A-63 had been given a final check-over, he was carried back to the nest tree and lifted in the same way he came down. It wasn't until Jim had him back in the nest that K-10 (Dad) finally made an appearance. He flew by a couple times, voicing his displeasure at our presence. It was actually perfect timing, because we were done everything we needed to do and were already preparing to leave the area. I'm sure he thought he was quite the protector, chasing us away with just a few noisy swoops. By this time, most of the crew had already left to catch to boat at Pelican Harbor. Peter volunteered to stay at the tent and monitor the nest until he was satisfied everything looked normal. It wasn't long before the parents were back, and A-63 started settling back into his routine. We make it a policy to monitor the chicks pretty closely after banding, just to make sure the bird is OK and is adjusting well to the backpack and wing-tags. A-63 looked like he may have been favoring one leg a bit (probably a sore muscle), but within a day was once again moving perfectly. He also seems to be exercising his wings a lot more in the past few days, preparing for his upcoming big day. Eagles generally fledge around 12 weeks of age, but it can happen as early as 10 or 11, so maybe he's planning on an early flight!

Anyhow, that's about all I have to say about that. I'm going to try posting some video that Peter is preparing, but it probably won't be ready tonight, so check back tomorrow afternoon. I'll talk to you later.

Dave

Here are a few shots and some video from banding day that Peter just sent.

Fantastic report, Dave. Well worth the wait. No words can express how much we appreciate everything you guys did to make the banding available for us to actually view. Incredible!!!

Thank you all so very much!!!

Thanks so much, Dave, for the 'up-close-and-personal' account of Banding Day.... you have been so generous with your time in filling in details for all of us 'wannabees' about your daily responsibilities and activities and it is much appreciated! Can't wait for the film!

Dave, the finer details are a plus and much appreciated. You have the greatest team! Thank you for making the forum a special place. Looking forward to the video.

Thank you so much, Dave, for this detailed report of A63's banding day. I'm at a loss for words other than to say thank you!

Thanks Dave for the wonderful update on such a special event. All that effort by all those people for A-63, but really for the future of the bald eagle, is truly amazing. Thanks so much for your efforts and for keeping us informed.

Ahhh? Did I miss something? Does Dave (and the IWS crew) know something that we don't know yet? Or did A-63's sex get announced somewhere already and I missed it? (I am presuming, also, that he is talking about A-63 taking his first expected "flight")

The blood analysis wouldn't yet be available which would confirm male/female so...

I agree - thank you - can never cover it but what else is there to say!

(and as active as the little one has been - I'm leaning on earlier fledge than later)

Dave - Thanks a million for your detailed report, you and the crew were awesome.

Thank you so much Dave for the update. I wasn't able to watch the banding live, but with your update and the video I feel like I was there. You all do such a fantastic job. Thanks a million time and over for the experience. A-63 Sweet Peeps is such a great bird. I think he will be male. Just a curious guess?

Frances

Wonderful report on a very unforgetable day. Thank you all so very much!!!

Hi Dave!
I've just had the opportunity to read your post. Who knew you had such a sense of humor? Well probably your family and friends, but I didn't! A couple of things stood out. First, thanks for the detailed 'behind the scenes' report. I especially liked knowing what you had for breakfast the morning of the banding. We share something in common! I too love O Hi's chocolate eagle cupcakes for breakfast! Second, I was happy to hear that Peter checked the nest cam while the little one was otherwise occupied, and that he stayed around to keep an eye on him after the banding. Of course if I had known that at the time I would have been able to sleep the couple nights after, but oh well, I survived! Finally, as others have noticed, it seems pretty clear what gender our little Lucky is thought to be. No surprise, several of us have been calling him 'he' for quite a while now. I guess we have a 50/50 chance of being right, or wrong, depending on one's perspective. But you just might have some inside information....
Eaglely awaiting more,
Sara

GREAT update, Dave!! You guys are going to be able to hire yourselves out as cam techs during the off season.

Dave: I was surprised you didn't mention A-27...our nest intruder....has he been seen in the area much or has he moved on to another territory...or did he get chased out of the area by K10 and K26?

H Dave, Now I know what all those ribbons or strings were hanging down the eaglet's front. Everything was wonderful for us to see as usual. Very grateful
Jeanette

Great work everyone. Sounds like you all had a great time. Kudos to you all for all of your hard work!!!! Thanks for the update.