SW Fla. EAgle cam.

[Frog42]

Exactly. What they're doing is showing us nature as it is in the wild not as we would like it to be.

Chicks die every year. That's just how it is with that ungrateful wildlife.

[SuzE-Q]

The hypocrisy can't be lost that no one is frantically climbing up to save the prey being caught and eaten daily for regular meals...

In that article, did anyone fight to save the cow that became the roast that was eventually tossed up to feed the hungry birds, I wonder?

Carnivores can sometimes be so picky when it comes to who to complain about not saving, or even for us all to understand how our ecosystem works when we are given an unvarnished glimpse of it...

I totally understand why no one names the babies anymore, makes perfect sense that we begin to feel protective towards them when we consider them pets.

[SuzE-Q]

But, it IS hard to watch animals starve to death, I must admit.

I think perhaps we can appreciate very well how agonizing those hunger pangs must be for them.

This weekend's weather is supposed to be decent there, but turn back to rain early next week again.

Hopefully they are able to stock up, but today has not been successful, despite both mom and dad gone all day in search.

[SuzE-Q]

I saw parent with one, here's explanation of second, it's okay, just got tangled in some wire and was taken out to be rehabilitated. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4423[/ATTACH]

This is a fascinating follow up I found about our swfl eaglets, you remember the one taken out because he got caught in fishing net?

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This just came up on the barn owl heated debate, a follow up to our sw.fl fledged eaglets that I wasn't aware of:

We have a local Bald Eagle cam (swfl eagle cam) this spring at about 2 weeks old, one of the eaglets became tethered to the nest with fishing line, the circulation in his leg was impaired. Because this was a man made situation, he was taken from the nest, brought to a local wildlife rehab, treated then brought back to his nest a couple of days later.

Prior to this there was a huge uproar by certain people because being the 2nd to hatch he was constantly being bonked by his older sibling. The comments were pretty similar to here regarding the heartless and cruel cam owners, etc.

He survived the bonking and the fishing line, only to get slammed right after he fledged by a Great Horned Owl one night. Got it on the cam, 2x he was slammed lost his perch and wasn't seen for a week only to be found a week later in some underbrush with a broken femur. Taken back to the same rehab in pretty rough condition, he's now expected to survive and hopefully be able to be released into the wild.

[SuzE-Q]

Sadly, another owlet was injured this evening, got a leg caught and tripped and fell, almost out of the nest box. It became too weak to fully get up on a hurt leg and possibly wing and struggled for some time on the ground.

The parents made several food deliveries this evening, so they have been working so hard to feed their remaining chicks. The weather has not been good and owls aren't made for wet conditions. Food sources hide as well.

The surviving 2 chicks were last seen drawing around their fallen sibling, it appeared to be their usual efforts to stay all together to draw strength, warmth and support. They included their lost sibling in this gesture as well, likely as they are not quite as starving tonight with some food drops.

We will see if the parents come back to rest or eat themselves, or if they'll remain out trying to bring further sustenance to their remaining two.

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[SalpalSally]

Well we also eat other animals!
What does that make us?

[SuzE-Q]

Well we also eat other animals!
What does that make us?

I don't know, maybe just part of the cycle of life and probably in no position to cast judgment, especially when we've walked by hungry people sitting and begging at the side of the street ourselves?

Many people don't eat other animals, or walk by the hungry...maybe this can be aspirational and thought-provoking for ourselves and our own actions and lives, being of higher intelligence, sentience, and capable of much more?

[SuzE-Q]

And I think I also appreciate a little bit more what I DO have in my own life, rather than focusing on what I don't.

I wasn't expecting any of this heartbreak, I've never watched animal live cams before.

It's been a very good lesson and glimpse into the difficult lives of these amazing creatures and what they go through to survive. I admire them even more now.

ETA, a poster on the site just added this info that helps to put it in context:

Matt Klar

Hi guys. I'm a mod on other cams- Rt, Osprey,Kestrel, GHO, snowy owl. I'm also a falconer, veterinarian, and sitting member of the Advisory council of the fish & game dept of the state I reside in. Cornell has been very consistent over the years in not intervening (in any nest) except in cases of man-made injury.

Intervening is not a one-off 2-3 day commitment. You're potentially on the hook for 20 years per bird, depending on the circumstances. Who here clamoring for intervention is willing to commit to 2-3 hours a day for 20 years? The reality is that 80% of raptors perish in the first year -- and that's pretty much the pinnacle of avian success. For other birds, mortality is more like 96%.

This nest is visible and thus high profile, but whoever you are, wherever you are, there is a failing nest literally within earshot of you right now.

[agate]

I have an aversion to ants these days. We built this house a year ago and have had bug invasions of every kind since. Creatures I've never even seen before!
The worst was an invasion of fire ants! Those monsters bite repeatedly and it hurts! They weren't here for food, but looking for new nesting sites. They apparently do that in the spring. The winged queens look similar to termites, but smaller and a little different. They don't behave like regular old black ants either. They don't form a nice little trail that you can follow to see where they're coming in. They scatter and bite, bite, bite!!!

We don't use insecticides or poisons, but after repeated invasions in almost every room of the house, the can of Raid finally came out!
I was afraid I'd get fire ants in bed with me, so when I see those ants crawling all over the walls of the nest box and even some in there with the chicks . . . it makes me crazy!!!

Eek! I've never had any fire ants but they sound really terrible.

I do have continuing problems with tiny black ants. They don't bite and are harmless as far as I know. They don't destroy wood the way carpenter ants do (I've had experiences with them in the past). But I don't like having them around, and when they swarm it's creepy.

They don't seem to have a nice little trail either. I can never figure out where their nest might be. There's a sticky goo that can be put down, and supposedly they will come and eat it and go back to their nest with it and spread it around to the others and then the nest will die off. When I put down the sticky stuff, a swarm of them were picnicking all around it but they weren't going back to their nest. They took it to be a welcome mat and started fanning out into my apartment.

I don't like pesticides either but I reach for the Raid can sometimes.

[SuzE-Q]

I had that once and found putting cinnamon sticks around eliminated them. Apparently they hate it.

But yes, you're supposed to find the Queen because once she's gone, so are the rest.

My sympathies, they're not fun.

[SalpalSally]

Eeeeeeeek fire ants!

[SuzE-Q]

Sadly, there is only one owlet surviving of the Tx Barn Owl 6.

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It sure has been a fascinating, but sometimes difficult glimpse into the life cycle of these predators.

Nuthatch, I've appreciated the learning I've experienced watching all these various live cams. Thank you! Technology has definitely opened a window for us!

[SuzE-Q]

On a brighter note, here is a sweet photo of 3 new barn owls in Burlington, Kansas that are ready to fledge. This site was accessed from the Pittsburgh (with an "h" ) bald eagle link.

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[SuzE-Q]

Cornell has added a very informative FAQ that is very instructive. I take it they've been inundated with requests/demands/threats to intervene in what became a grisly situation for these poor little owlets, especially over this weekend.

ANN, yes, the owls' water source is from the water within their prey.

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Interesting - most barn owls don't even make it a couple years, even though they're capable of living for 2 decades. This appears to be why they lay so many eggs, and are capable of doing so frequently, because it increases the likelihood that at least some will survive these harsh threats and conditions or others will experience more suitable environmental conditions during their development period. Barn Owls in Texas are not endangered.

The life of a raptor is dangerous. Forget about this being a "dog-eat-dog" world, perhaps it's far more apt and accurate to use an aphorism like it's an "owl-eat-owl" world...

[stillstANNding]

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She is off the nest stretching right now. Exposing the 8 eggs if you want a peak.
Chicks should start emerging any day now.

ANN