community.kjrh.com

Hi All,

As we approach Independence Day in the company of the Sutton Eagles, here is an appropriate poem, by James G. Percival, introduced with words from the website where I found the poem-- http://tiny.cc/QTl85
"The eagle is the emblem of might and courage, joined to magnanimity. Its figure, the size of a pigeon, once crowned the standard of the Roman legions. It is fabled, that when Rome fell, the eagle found nowhere else a nation to match his own qualities and went into voluntary exile in America. Here the Pilgrims found him, and the nation has adopted him as its military symbol, as well as stamped his figure on its coins." (The entire poem is at the website; for space, I've omitted the portion about the Romans.)

   The Eagle 

Bird of the broad and sweeping wing, Thy home is high in heaven,
Where wide the storms their banners fling, And the tempest clouds are driven.
                      
Thy throne is on the mountain top; Thy fields--the boundless air;
And hoary peaks that proudly prop The skies, thy dwellings are.
                                              
[Rome falls....]

And where was then thy fearless flight?
"O'er the dark, mysterious sea,
To lands that caught the setting light, The cradle of liberty.
 
There on the silent and lonely shore, For ages I watched alone,
                         
And the world, in its darkness, asked no more Where the glorious bird had flown.
                                                  
 But then came a bold and hardy few, And they breasted the unknown wave;
I caught afar the wandering crew, And I knew they were high and brave.
 
I wheeled around the welcome bark, As it sought the desolate shore;
And up to heaven, like a joyous lark, My quivering pinions bore.
                           
And now that bold and hardy few Are a nation wide and strong;
And danger and doubt I have led them through,
And they worship me in song;   
And over their bright and glancing arms On field, and lake, and sea.
With an eye that fires, and a spell that charms, I guide them to victory." 
  Happy Independence Day, Forum Friends!                     

Photo/image credits:
1. Photo by Christina Murphy, Norfolk Eagle Forum--one of the fledglings soaring
2. Storm approaching Sooner Lake. Capture by Bville, from Sutton Eagle Cam, hosted on KJRH Hawk Cam page--http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/hawks/default.aspx
3. Microsoft clip art     
4-6. Sunset at Sooner Lake; Sutton eaglet overlooking the lake; Sutton adult and approaching storm. Capture by Bville, from Sutton Eagle Cam, hosted on KJRH Hawk Cam page
7. Microsoft clip art
8. Photo by Catgirl, juvenile eagle in Tulsa
9, 10. Microsoft clip art 
11. Capture by Bville, KJRH flag on Hawk Cam, 7-3-09                     

Pretty cool BVille!!  There has been an abundance of hawks today in the area. 

OK more sightings. This morning again, the Langeheim hawks were out and about. I can confirm two healthy looking juveniles. I believe one to be male, one female based soley on size while sitting side by side. Both were cruising and perching in the park and generally being harassed by the mocking birds. The male more so than the female as she generally ignored them and the male was somewhat like a toddler alternately calling for Moma and running (flying) off.   Mom meanwhile was perched atop the Spirit bank building observing.  Now where I saw her yesterday provide food, today I have not seen any. She may be trying to make them do their own hunting. Or maybe she was just taking a break.  They called and flew about for at least an hour and a half before I had to come into the apartment.

BVILLE!!!!  You've done it again!  How beautiful a 4th of July post!  Thank you.

Workaholic, thank you for the ongoing observations.  Glad to hear Langerham is doing well.

 

Workaholic, you've had yourself a great couple of days! Thanks for sharing the details with us, and with the Map. Duly noted.

Bville:

Workaholic, you've had yourself a great couple of days! Thanks for sharing the details with us, and with the Map. Duly noted.

Thanks also workaholic.  WOW oh Wow, what sightings you had.  I had just about given up on them, after not seeing them for soooo long, especially the juvies!

Just in the last few days have I seen one of the adults just about everytime I pass by - like the other evening -

 

And then yesterday morning I saw one of the adults perched on the spiritbank/TNT bldg, but I did not see or hear the juvies anywhere.

This morning I was passing by on the highway early, taking a car in for repair, and could see two hawks perched on the top of the spiritbank/TNT bldg.  Once I was back home again, I borrowed my sleeping daughter's car and headed over there.  The adults were still perched on the bldg.  I headed over to Langenheim park but did not see or hear anything.  I circled around the block and as I came back I could hear a blue-jay ruckus going on along the creek.  I parked and listened - and heard a hawk calling amid the blue-jay chorus.

So I went to investigate.

And sure enough, there was a juvie on a utility pole along the creek.

I walked closer - and it flew closer to me ....

Twin 1 flew back into the utility lines/trees along the creek and another hawk joined it.  Maybe one of the parents to come protect it from me?

But then it turned around and it was also a juvenile.  The first one flew away from the creek to the east.  After a minute or two, Twin 2 flew off to the south, heading to where another juvenile  was perched on a utility pole along the creek, eating (I assume twin 1, must have circled around, grabbed a bite to eat - by itself or delivered from parents?)  Its flight path was taking it directly to where the other juvie was already perched, so twin 2 had to change course when it became apparent both could not fit in the same spot.  It briefly perched on the next south utility pole, where several birds immediately objected.  So it returned to join its sibling - allowing a bit more room this time -

Twin 2 sat quietly nearby, while twin 1 finished its meal. 

And then they both flew off into backyards along the creek, a few swoops over the water in the creek, and back into the trees and backyards of the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the parents watch from the SpiritBank/TNT bldg.  The adult on the right, I am assuming is the female as she appears bigger, is now in a different perch than she was earlier.  So maybe mom did deliver the meal to twin 1.

 

Time for some new names - how about it workaholic, bville - our talented scribes - time to pen more to the story of Gwen and Lancelot!!!!!

and a few more photos of the visit at my flickr site - www.flickr.com/photos/cheryls_camera

ENJOY

Great Pictures Catgirl!!!!  Really great.  Names?  How about something like Appollo and Atremis twin daughter and son of  Zeus and Leto?  Any Ideas Bville?

Workaholic:

Great Pictures Catgirl!!!!  Really great.  Names?  How about something like Appollo and Atremis twin daughter and son of  Zeus and Leto?  Any Ideas Bville? rc

Ex-cell-ent photos and narration, Catgirl; and super-duper naming suggestions, Workaholic! A very welcome redtail 'splosion! As far as the names are concerned, the two of you deserve the honor of the assignment. I did look up some info on Apollo and Artemis; and it does seem fitting that:
1. They were twins.
2. She was, among other things, Goddess of the Moon, of the Hunt, and of Wild Creatures.
3. He, the God of Light, was associated with the Sun (driving it daily across the sky in his golden chariot). He, too, was associated with archery/hunting; and he killed the serpent, Python.

So, like the redtails, these were beings both of the sky and of the earth. Sounds great to me. Catgirl, anyone?

Wow gang! What wonderful sightings and pictures Catgirl!  Gee, those babies perched together ont hat power pole make me nervous! Wonder what instinct they have that keeps them from touching that wire? Great names Workaholic!  Hi Bville!

How exciting Catgirl to be that close and get those stunning shots of the two fledglings! Love the one where it is coming right toward you. RTH juveniles have the most incredible plumage!

Workaholic, excellent choice of names!

Bville, as always, wonderful job of research and fact finding!

Love to hear that our local Red Tails are prospering and multiplying!

---

live well --- laugh often --- love much

Midday Wednesday, EagleGuy (Alan Jenkins, Assistant Director, Sutton Avian Research Center) gave the KJRH Chatroom an update on the Eagle Cam status, (the one on the Sooner Lake nest hosted on KJRH's Hawks Page). He added:

"THEN, I got news of a double electrocution of two adult eagles near a nest in Latimer County.

Last night he gave us more details:

I got an e-mail last night that the ranch owner who has a nest on the property found 2 dead adult Bald Eagles below a transformer.  The eagles were surely the adults nesting there.  this year they had 2 young, I know they were older that the Sooner Lake Eaglet, and I hope they were old enough to be independent.   The transformer took a young eagle the first year the eagles nested there, but the power company 'fixed' it.  I notified the federal Special Agent, but the landowners had to go out of town until Friday.  I have no other details.   It is a sad deal because the ranch was made into a non-profit guest house property and called Eagle's Rest Resort,  I'm on the Board of Directors. 

In anticipation of your next question, the chances of the nest being used next year, if the two eagles were the adults there, are dependent on if some of their progeny survived and are around to take over, and if there are progeny from nearby nests (The closest nest I know of is near Poteau.  the Red Oak and Poteau nests are good producers, but the other factors are not known. Only time will tell.)

The landowners didn't say where exactly the dead eagles are, and they are out of town.  so, no they probably haven't been picked up.  I e-mailed them to do so, and to take pics.  The pics and dead eagles can be used as incentives for the electrical company to modify the transformer to make it eagle-safe.

The problem of electrocution is common enough that the authorities know how to 'coax' the power companies to make them safe.  I'm sure they will.

Electrocutions are less common that once because in the late 1960's the problem was identified and the scientists and the power companies developed strategies to make powerlines safe for raptors.

If someone with the power companies wants to know exactly how to make power lines safe for raptors here is a link to a PDF that give the technical details. 

http://www.aplic.org/SuggestedPractices2006(LR).pdf

As you can imagine the details depend a great deal on the line and pole configuration.  The publication I sent a link to has all the engineering details.  It's rather technical and boring suff, but it's what the power line and power companies need to have.

---

live well --- laugh often --- love much