Catalina update, October 10th, 2007

Hello everybody…
We have a great update for you today.
Beginning with the wild eagles: I’m pleased to report that the same four juveniles from last week are still here in Catalina. They have been moving around in the eastern part of the island and the reservoir. They are becoming a bit more predictable as far as where they like to spend their time but sometimes one of them decides to take off to another part of the island and that’s when it gets hard to find them. Last Friday for example, K-75 had been hanging out at the reservoir and at Bulrush Canyon (right behind the reservoir) for most of the week.

And all of the sudden I couldn’t find him because he had flown over to the Empire Landing area which is a couple of miles west off Twin Rocks. I went on an all-day hike searching for him and found him way down in a drainage by the coast, which is probably why I wasn’t getting a signal from anywhere else.
Here’s K-75 on that day

Something probably washed out by the shore so he spend a few days out there and was back at the reservoir yesterday

I spotted K-93 going under some bushes in the Bulrush area. He must have found a deer carcass or something because he was up there for like 45 minutes. I snapped this picture when he came out and perched.

If he continues to visit this particular bush I’ll go check it out next week.
K-77 likes to hang out near the reservoir and at Silver Canyon, a beautiful canyon by the way. I’ve hiked it twice this week looking for him and the area looks great and very promising for a future eagle nest. Here’s K-77

K-56 also likes to hang out here sometimes but her favorite place is Salta Verde. We’re thinking this would probably be her breeding territory in a couple of years or so. (Sorry no picture)
K-64 was last seen in Middle Canyon on Friday but we haven’t gotten any readings on him since then so tomorrow I’ll go looking for him. (Wish me luck!)
This is him last week

Today, Pete and I worked on the Seal Rocks camera. This is Pete dealing with the cables. Notice the solar panel and the batteries down below; the nest is another 80 feet down that cliff.

and here’s Pete figuring out where on the tree to place the camera so we can look down right into the eggs (this is assuming they’ll lay them somewhere in the middle of the nest).

Now we have a little treat for all of you. It’s a video of our beloved eagles during their training. You’ll have a better idea about how the birds are responding to our handling and hear what we hear everyday when we feed these guys. Notice how much personality they have. I’m sure you are going to love it.

Enjoy!!!
Steff

WOW what a great treat. Thank you so much
Those are two beautiful birds. I love Hyde he is such a gentleman and then there is Pimu who is a drama queen They are both fantastic. I envy you both so much. And you both do your job so well. Thanks for the video and all the pictures of our other guys. Frances

THANK YOU for the pictures and video! as always it's worth the wait for Wed to come - your updates are the best!

WOW! Terrific update, Steff! Great news about all the eagles you've seen this week.....and fantastic video of Hyde & Pimu! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Oh Yea, that was great

Thank you Steffani - I must say those eagles do keep you busy and you're certainly getting to see ALL of the island! Love seeing Hyde and Pimu (and hearing the difference in the 2 of them)! Always enjoy the info and the certainly the photos! ( so was that or making the 'chicken/cat' noises?)

Steffani, you have given me something to enjoy again and again in the coming week. What fun to see Hyde being fed and Pimu 'up close and personal'! Are Hyde's vocalizations typical of Goldens, or was he simply giving us his chicken imitation? Also, what brought him to IWS? It looks like he flies pretty well, so does he have an injury that is not all that visible? I'd love to know a whole lot more about him.
I am surprised that you are tracking the eaglets as industriously as you are. They are so lucky to have you there, as is Peter, as is IWS, as is US!!!

Hyde is a beautiful golden eagle. It's too bad these raptors are not welcome in the wild on the Channel Islands... they eat island foxes. I see from the video how intelligent they are.

Thank you Steff and Peter for the video. Thank you Steff for the great report on the other eagles. Hyde and Pimu are very beautiful birds.
Looking forward to your next report

Sammy

Steff and Peter;
Great video. thank you. You must have a great camera.
8 > )

Best regards
John

Well, that certainly is an UNDERSTATEMENT!

you gave us a FANTASTIC update! Ozzie

Steff, as usual, your report was outstanding!!! It's great to see that Hyde seems to be quite comfortable in his surroundings, and it seems that Pimu is far more comfortable having Hyde around.

Thank You for all that you do.....this has been an exciting week for IWS and our Channel Island Eagle population.......

Steffani - Don't know how you keep outdoing yourself week after week but you most certainly do - thanks for all the eagle pics while you were out in the field and the FANTASTIC video of Hyde and Pimu - both beautiful examples of their own species - the video for sure allowed us to experience what you see and do on a daily basis - thanks for bringing it all to life for us.

Thank you for the fantastic report and photos of the wild Island eagles and the wonderful video of Hyde & Pimu. Both of these eagles are magnificent, but....I like the bald eagle call better.

Thanks for another incredible video.

Thanks Steff for your great eagle report, beautiful photos.

And, a big thank you to you and Peter for the video. Hyde really is handsome and seems very comfortable working with Peter. Pimu is so beautiful and I hope her training works as well as Hyde's.