Remember how we said bird cams were cool?

Well, they just got even cooler! We tracked down this live feed of a nesting bald eagle pair whose little chicks recently hatched! Yesterday I spied the mommy feeding the chicks turtle! Yes, turtle! Today they are eating fish and some kind of rodent. YUMMY. You can check these magnificent birds out here: http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp

So we previously blogged about how to tell the difference between a bald eagle and an osprey. Today we’d like to share the great success story of the American Bald Eagle.. Not too long ago, this species was listed as Endangered. Its population was threatened by habitat loss, DDT (an insecticide used back in the day that caused eggshells to be really thin and crack before chicks were hatched), and hunting. To protect the symbol of our country, the government banned DDT, prohibited the hunting of eagles, and protected their nests. These protections resulted in an amazing recovery, with populations high enough to take the bald eagle off the endangered species list. Yay!

Image from Alcoa eagle cam of mommy and daddy feeding a chick!

 

Osprey update: still no chicks, but you can check in on them here: http://ospreynest.info/ospreycam.php 

Bird cams can be cool!

(Image from http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/?page_id=843)

Today I discovered the coolest web cam ever (at least to a CWT) – a live feed of a nesting osprey pair! An osprey is an impressive bird of prey that hunts for fish, thus earning itself the nickname of “fish hawk.” Ospreys can often be seen in Florida (and around the world) soaring through the sky clutching fish in their talons or perching atop manmade structures.

You MUST check out Dunedin, Florida’s awesome Osprey Cam: http://ospreynest.info/ospreycam.php where you can watch live footage of an osprey pair tending to their nest. Right now they are sitting on three eggs, which they will incubate for just over a month. Once the eggs hatch, the chicks will spend nine to ten weeks in the nest before they fledge (aka fly off on their own). This osprey pair laid their first egg in mid February, which means we are just a couple of weeks away from babies! CWT will be keeping an eye out, and will of course let you know when they arrive.

(Image from http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensp/raptor_info.htm)

Just a little more about ospreys because untrained eyes often confuse them with bald eagles. The biggest difference between them is size. Ospreys are much smaller, especially their tiny bird heads! Their coloration also differs, but this difference is more subtle since both species are brown and white — ospreys have completely white necks and bellies and sport a distinctive dark eye mask, while bald eagles do not have white necks or bellies and their head is completely white. Bald eagles also have bright yellow bills and feet, while ospreys have a dark beak and white feet.

Have you ever seen an osprey? Or a bald eagle? Or now realize what you thought you saw was something totally different?!