Berry College 2020 -2021

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

The female was still on the eggs at 6:36 this morning after having done afternoon, evening and night duty.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Found the female on the eggs at 6:16 this morning. She was lightly vocal at 7:25 and again at 7:26 when she got up and off the eggs. She went to the front rails, then to the left nest and picked up the fish remains and placed on the left rails and ate. She finished at 7:29 and went back to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, adjusted the fluff. At 7:52, she was up and off the eggs again and to the front rails, lightly vocal then back to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, adjusted the fluff. I think she is a little restless this morning because she has been on egg duty since early yesterday afternoon. Pa to the nest at 7:57 with a fluff delivery. She was lightly vocal, went to the right branch at 7:58 and flew. Pa to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, adjusted the fluff around him.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Late getting in and there has been a reset. Per chat, Pa arrived in the rain at about 6:09 this morning. The female returned at 10:44 and Pa left. He returned at 11:35 with part of a fish. This time the female took it to a branch to eat. After she finished eating, apparently they had a little fuss over incubation and Pa won. She flew out at 11:47, but returned at 11:58 and Pa flew out.

At 12:24 this afternoon, I found the female on the nest. She was up several times this afternoon to change positions and tend to the eggs. She flew to the right branch at 4:49 and Pa arrived to the left branch. She flew.

Pa to the bowl at 4:50, rolled the eggs, settled, brought fluff closer. The female waited till after dark to return at 6:39 to the rear curve of the rails. Pa was vocal. Pa up and off the eggs and flew out at 6:40 toward the left. The female went to the bowl, aerated and settled. She has changed positions and tended to her eggs several times this evening. She remains on night duty as I leave at 11:35 pm in a nasty rain.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Will try to see if I can bring the Berry Q&A they had today over here shortly. Something for everyone, whether it's why Pa chose to stay at this location after Ma left or what about that OTHER NEST located on the mountain campus. And yes ... they continue to keep an eye out for Ma Berry!

Berry College Eagles
12 hrs ·
Good morning, eagle watchers! It is once again raining here at the nest, and we thought we would brighten up this dreary day by answering some of your questions.
If you leave your question in the comments, we will be back at 3pm to answer as many as we are able!

Sometimes when Dad has been vocalizing for about an hour, usually when he is stressed about an intruder, he loses his voice. Is this normal for a bald eagle or is it unique to Dad?
Berry College Eagles:
This one stumped us! However, bald eagles do have weaker voices that you might expect for birds (sometimes in movies they dub a red-tailed hawk's screech in!) so it certainly seems like that makes sense.

Are there any more recent sightings of Ma Berry near Guntersville
Berry College Eagles:
Not that we know of, but we welcome any news of her from anyone who does see her!

How long does an eagle pair usually stay in the same nest? In this case of a new female, why did they take this nest instead of the original female keeping it and the new pair making another one?
Berry College Eagles:
Our eagle experts feel that the current male is the same resident male. Because their instincts are, at the end of the day, to continue the species, our best guess is that he chose to remain so that he could have more eaglets!

What is an estimate of the number of bald eagles in Floyd County?
Berry College Eagles:
We do not have an estimate for Floyd County, but North Georgia has an estimated 15 occupied nests.

How often do Ma and Pa switch positions or is it random?
Berry College Eagles:
It varies by pair, but eagles will typically switch place between every 1 and 4 hours.

Has anyone reported the original Ma Berrys leg to DNR? Her leg looks so painful, I would think it makes it hard to hunt for food. She wasn’t able to defend herself from the new female!
Berry College Eagles:
Our eagle experts were in contact with the DNR regularly about the original resident female's leg.

How many years might Pa Berry mate with the new female?
Berry College Eagles:
We have no way of knowing that for sure! The average lifespan of a bald eagle in the wild is 20 years.

I bet the old Ma Berry doesn't miss sitting on that nest in the snow and ice this year! Has anyone heard from her lately?
Berry College Eagles:
We haven't seen any sightings, but we are keeping an eye out, and if anyone spots her we'd love for them to share any photos they get!

The nest raiders are difficult to watch. What Are their intentions , and how often are they successful?
Berry College Eagles:
Bald eagles are fairly social animals, so with the juveniles that are visiting, it's possible they are just curious about the goings-on! In the case of the new resident female, her intentions were clearly to take over the nest for her own.

How does pa select his mate? How many years was pa and the old ma a pair?
Berry College Eagles:
We don't know how many years the resident male and original resident female were together before they arrived at Berry, but they were together at Berry from 2012 until the original resident female's departure in November 2020. With regards to mate selection, there's not really a definitive answer for eagles in general (courtship behavior can play a role), but for our resident male, his instincts were to continue the species, so when the new resident female established it as her nest, he chose to remain at his nest and mate with her.

Is the nest viewing area open to visitors at the moment?
Berry College Eagles:
Campus is entirely closed to everyone except students, faculty and staff. Should that change, we will let you all know, and you can always find the most recent information on the Berry College website.

Do both eggs appear to be okay after the parent who was nest setting a few days ago had to fight an intruder while very near the egg bole?
Berry College Eagles:
We are keeping an eye on them, but as best we can tell they are just fine!

How big across is the nest, and can you estimate its weight?
Berry College Eagles
We actually have this mentioned in our Eagles FAQ! A typical nest is about 5 feet in diameter, and as mentioned above, this one is roughly the size of a king size mattress. https://www.berry.edu/eaglecam/eaglefaq

When do we expect the eaglets to arrive?
Berry College Eagles:
Our best estimates at present, looking at a 34-36 day window, is February 4th through the 9th. We don't know this new resident female's incubating window, though, so it may be outside that range!

If eagles mate for life why did Pa Berry leave Ma Berry?
Berry College Eagles:
While eagles do typically mate for life, that is not always the case. At the end of the day their instinct is to continue the species, so one example that may cause an eagle to take another mate is if one mate is no longer fertile, or if there is a battle for the nest and one eagle is driven away.

How is the other nest doing?
Berry College Eagles:
If you are referring to the nest on Mountain Campus, we do not believe it is currently occupied, but we do not know for sure.

What's the average survival rate of bald eaglets in their first year? This is my 4th year watching so I've seen some successes and some tragedies and was wondering how typical that is compared to other nests.
Berry College Eagles:
It varies, but mortality rate in the first year of life can be as high as 50%. After their first year, though, survival rates go way up!

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

At 6:15 this morning I found the very wet, female on the eggs. She was vocal at 7:10 after a PS from the rear rails. She kept watching something out from the right of the nest at 7:48 from her position over the bowl. Pa arrived to the nest at 7:50 with a large, fluff delivery, so it was probably him she had been watching. The female got up and off the eggs and flapped her wings several times to rid the rain and caught lift with it and floated up the left branch, then flew out. Pa to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, then picked at the wet fluff around him.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Found Pa on duty at 8:06 this morning. There has been a reset. (He arrived at 7:27 for the 1st nest exchange per chat.) The female returned at 9:15 with a fluff delivery. Pa was vocal. He got up and flapped his wings several times and went to the left branch, flapped his wings several more times, vocal again, then flew. The female to the bowl at 9:16, rolled 1 egg, aerated, settled, then picked at the fluff around her.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

At about 7:27 this morning, Pa arrived per chat for the first nest exchange. When I arrived at 9:21, he was still on duty. He was vocal at 9:50. The female arrived at 9:51 to the left branch. They tracked something from above. At 9:53, Pa got up and off the eggs. Female to the nest. Pa to the left branch and flew seconds later. Female to the bowl, rolled eggs, settled, adjusted fluff. Pa in at 11:03 for next nest exchange. Still on duty at 2:06. Has repositioned several times and tended to the eggs this afternoon. At 5:24, he was vocal. He got up and off the eggs at 5:25 and flew out to the left. The female arrived to the left branch after he left within the same minute. She went down to the nest, then to the bowl, settled, adjusted the fluff. She has changed positions and tended to the eggs several times this evening. She is asleep with her head tucked as I leave at 12:52 am.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

At 7:21 this morning, Pa arrived per chat for the first nest exchange. When I arrived at 7:33, Pa remained over the eggs.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

At 6:44 this morning, the female was asleep with her head tucked. There were sirens in the background at 7:15 and the female was vocal. She was vocal again at 7:45 and got off the eggs, more vocals, then to the front rails and flew out between the 2 front branches. Pa arrived to the left branch at 7:46, then down to the nest, to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, fluff adjustment.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

The female was still on egg duty at 6:26 this morning in the rain. She was vocal at 8:33 and again at 8:35, then Pa arrived to the nest with a fluff delivery. She got up and off the eggs and up to the right branch flapping her wings to rid the rain, then she flew out. Pa to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, adjusted the fluff.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Found the female on the nest at 5:50 this morning. She was vocal at 7:21 and Pa in with a stick he placed to the left front, curve. At 7:22, the female got off the eggs and up onto the nest and flapped her wings several times, then flew out the front between the 2 right branches. Pa to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, then fluff adjustment.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

At 6:00 this morning, I found the female on the nest asleep with her head tucked. She was vocal at 6:57. Pa to the nest at 7:55 and backed up toward the female and she finally got up and off the eggs at 7:59. Pa alerted and the female flew toward the left. Pa to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, adjusted the fluff.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

At 6:45 this morning, the female was asleep with her head tucked. She got up and off the eggs at 8:16, stretched, was vocal, went to the front of the nest and looked out and about, probably for Pa because she was ready for her break and he was running late. Then she went back to the bowl, rolled the eggs, aerated, settled, adjusted the fluff around her. At 8:31, she was lightly vocal and Pa arrived to the nest with a fluff delivery. She was vocal again, got off the eggs and onto the nest, then up to the right branch and flapped her wings several times and flew out. Pa placed his fluff on the left nest and rails, then went over to the multi-stemmed stick that was sticking straight up from the nest floor where she had left it last evening and placed it to the front rails. He went to the bowl next and rolled the eggs, settled and brought the fluff closer to himself.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Pa grunts ... who knew? This is my account of the unseen intruder to or around the nest tree during the night (There is a video of the event, but so far I have been unable to find on YT, will place here later if I do.):

All vocals, alerts, grunts I thought were from Pa. Some of the grunts he made during the 2:00 am minute, you can clearly see his beak move in unison with the grunts. Wondering if this was a mammal intruder, as Pa's approach seemed different with the grunts and as he was usually looking in a downward direction. I watched the tree on the AC for several minutes during this, but saw no movement other than Pa. So maybe a racoon climbing on the tree out of our view or an owl that was about on the lower limbs that we just couldn't see on the cams

Some highlights: 1:52 - Female awoke abruptly and looked toward left rear. Pa vocal in background. Then he arrived to a rear limb below the nest and vocal. 1:54-Pa flew up to the left rear, branch above the nest with short alert and turned back and forth on the limb a couple times.

1:57-Pa with wing thrusts and is fluffed out and another thrust at 1:58. Pa is looking down and remains fluffed out. 2:00 another wing thrust and more grunting. He has been grunting prior to this, but I forgot to write times and at 1st, I actually thought the grunts were coming from a mammal as I had not heard Pa make this noise before.

Pa remained fluffed out. More grunts at 2:01, 2:03, 2:10. And a couple more wing thrusts. Some vocals from him. He alerted at 2:14. Later he jerks and looks to the left abruptly and then back to the right.

2:23-Female tucked her head and went to sleep under Pa's protective watch. 2:32-Pa preens and some soft vocals. All is well!

His grunts also kind of reminded me of the low grunts geese make when they are together and rooting about looking for something to eat.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Per chat, Pa in at 7:08 this morning for 1st nest exchange. The female returned for the 2nd nest exchange at 8:00.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Per chat, Pa came in at 7:07 this morning for the 1st nest exchange. He was still on duty when I arrived at 8:19. He did several position changes and tending of the eggs throughout the morning. He was vocal at 11:31. Then he got up and off the eggs at 11:32, flapped his wings vigorously and hopped up and down across the nest, was vocal, then flew out the left. The female arrived to the nest from the left at 11:33, to the bowl, rolled the eggs, settled, adjusted the fluff.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Per chat, Pa in at 7:14 this morning for the first nest exchange. Got here at 7:33 and Pa was settled on the eggs. The female returned at 9:06 with a stick she placed to the left front, curve of the rails.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Pa on duty at 7:30 this morning having arrived around 7:28 per chat. He made several position changes with egg rolling throughout the morning. Pa was vocal around 1:14. He was vocal again at 1:16 and this time the female responded from a distance. The female arrived to the right branch with a stick at 1:24 and Pa got up and off the eggs and went to the left side of the nest, then flew out. The female left the stick on the rails, then to the bowl at 1:25 and rolled the eggs, aerated, settled, watched something out from the front and left of the nest for a couple minutes, then adjusted the fluff and relaxed.

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

New life coming from an egg near you soon! Check out the chirps from one of the eggs near the end of the 8:46 pm minute and into the 8:47 minute. Watch the female look down at the eggs! Pa Berry seemed to hear or feel something 1st thing this morning. They are reacting to the eggs!!

SWINWK · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 am **Posts:** 12697

Chirps continue and a pip was first seen here in the middle of the night. BCE has zoomed cam 2 to be able to view pip/hatch. From their FB:

Berry College Eagles
3 hrs ·
It appears we may have the first pip this morning! We're keeping a close eye on the situation as the day progresses.

Marked pip.

:loveheart2:

Still waiting for B14 to officially hatch. It has been on the half shell for quite awhile. Both B14 and Mom are currently resting at 3:10 am on 2/10/20.

E14 remains on the half shell at 7:22 am. It has been this way for somewhere around 6 hours or more.

Have been up all night will post later and a link to a video of Pa meeting E14 in the middle of the night.

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