My Chance Encounter With A Wild, GPS-Tracked Bald Eagle

[vdelauz]

I spotted this Bald Eagle by luck as I was leaving the SW 168th Street entrance of the Everglades National Park yesterday morning (Chekika entrance). It was on the ground in the middle of what looked to be a field of recently planted tomato plants. This field is approximately one-half mile east of the entrance gate to the park. It's white head stood out like a sore thumb, which is what caught my attention as I drove by. When it noticed that I knew it was there, it took off, flew in a big circle around the field and landed at the top of a pine tree at the opposite end of the field. During this entire encounter, I managed to capture many images of the eagle. It was not until I actually got home and viewed the images in detail that I noticed that not only was it tagged on both feet, but it also had a GPS tracking device mounted on its back with a solar panel and a protruding antenna. I had never seen this before, so I'm assuming it was probably a rehabilitated eagle that was put back into the wild, but was being tracked by the people that cared for it. Either way, here is a shot of the eagle on the ground and an inset with a close-up of the tracking device. If interested, I can post up more images showing the eagle in flight and the eagle perched atop the pine tree. The images of the perched eagle show a green band on its left foot and a silver band on its right foot.

[Kelly Smith]

Thank you for these observations.  Very interesting!  I'm sure that Brian Mealey would be interested in this information and I will be sure to email him.  If you have more pictures, I'm sure we would all be happy to see them.  Brian is currently researching the eagles that inhabit the Florida Bay area, and it seems that perhaps this could be one of "his" eagles.  The color of the bands on the legs can also help in identifying this eagle, and sometimes, with the aid of digital photography, the numbers on the bands are available as well.  Perhaps one or more of your pictures will offer this information.

[Trisha]

(Kelly...I also just emailed Brian, so hopefully he will be able to follow up!)

Thanks so much to the poster for sending the photos and details of such an exciting discovery! I hope your report can provide very important information for the study and preservation of the Bald Eagles and their habitat!

[Jill W]

I would definitely like to see more of your pictures of the eagle.

Thank you for posting about your observation.

Jill

[vdelauz]

Kelly, Trisha and Jill,

It would be my pleasure to share more pics with all of you. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness this rarity and would love nothing more than to share the information with those of you who are indeed helping these animals to help thrive in this environment.

I apologize, but the following pics are heavy crops of the original images captured by my camera, so they are not as clear as I would've liked for them to be. Unfortunately, the longest reaching lens I have right now is a 200mm with a 2x teleconverter, so this is not the ideal setup for birding.

Here is a pic of the eagle taking flight towards the north end of the field. The tracking unit is clearly visible on its back. Also visible in this pic is the green tagging band on the eagle's left foot.


Here is a pic of the eagle perched atop the pine tree on the eastern end of the field. Again, the tracking unit is clearly visible on its back. The unit's antenna is actually pointing right at you in this pic. It is the white dot seen below the miniature solar panel.

[vdelauz]

Here is another pic of the eagle perched atop the pine tree. If you look closely at its right foot, you can see a silver tagging band. The green tagging band on its left foot is barely visible from this angle, but the antenna protruding from its back is clearly visible now.

[Trisha]

I heard back from Brian Mealey and he said it sounds like one of the eagles which he has tagged. He would like for you to get in touch with him and is very interested in seeing your photos. His website is www.instwildlifesciences.org and you will find an email link there. Thanks so much again for reporting your super find!

[vdelauz]

Trisha,

Wow! Thank you so much for the information. I visited his website and noticed that the eagle named "NBC6" hasn't been heard from since 6/10/07. The pic on Brian's website clearly shows the green tagging band on the eagle's left foot. Could this be the same eagle? I hope so! If Brian can identify the eagle I saw as being "NBC6", then we can assert that it has lived and grown for over two years. That's great news, considering that he wrote on his website about the high mortality rate for young fledgelings. I will write Brian an e-mail now and see what he determines.

Again, thank you for the information and I certainly hope that this story has a happy ending.

[Trisha]

Hi!

I really am excited like you! I sent Brian the Forum address so he can
see your photos. Brian is a great guy....extremely informed and
dedicated.
I also read about NBC6.....and have my fingers crossed!

I'm just so thrilled and appreciative that you shared your information
and photos with us and got the whole process started! I
spend a lot of time out photographing birds in the Everglades and
around the area. It's a great hobby! I also use mainly a 200
lens and can't get sharp shots like those 500s get!   But sometimes
you get shots that they don't so it evens out somewhat!
We have groups on Flickr where we post our bird and wetlands
photos....you should join us!

Hope to hear back soon....thanks again so much!!!

Trisha

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 3:21 PM, vdelauz [via Bald Eagles of Broward
County, Florida] <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Trisha,
>
> Wow! Thank you so much for the information. I visited his website and
> noticed that the eagle named "NBC6" hasn't been heard from since 6/10/07.
> The pic on Brian's website clearly shows the green tagging band on the
> eagle's left foot. Could this be the same eagle? I hope so! If Brian can
> identify the eagle I saw as being "NBC6", then we can assert that it has
> lived and grown for over two years. That's great news, considering that he
> wrote on his website about the high mortality rate for young fledgelings. I
> will write Brian an e-mail now and see what he determines.
>
> Again, thank you for the information and I certainly hope that this story
> has a happy ending.
>
> ________________________________
> View message @
> http://n2.nabble.com/My-Chance-Encounter-With-A-Wild-GPS-Tracked-Bald-Eagle-tp4300064p4369329.html
> To unsubscribe from Re: My Chance Encounter With A Wild, GPS-Tracked Bald
> Eagle, click here.
>

[Brian K. Mealey]

Victor,

Thank you very much for the information on the bald eagle.

Let me introduce you to Camp Eaglet a very photogenic eagle who loves her picture being taken.  She was banded and fitted with a transmitter March 12, 2005 on Camp Key in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park.  We have fitted 18 eagles with transmitters but she's the only one who manages to be photographed once or twice a year.

I'm including a map of her movements over the last 10 days.

/Users/bkmealey/Desktop/56105circle.jpg

Thank you again,

Brian

[Brian K. Mealey]

Couldn't post the map of Camp Eaglet.  

Victor, Trisha or Kelly please feel free to post the map I sent you of her movements.

NBC6 eaglet is still a mystery.  This year I photographed Madeira Eaglet with her transmitter very close to where Victor photographed Camp Eaglet.  Madeira eaglet stopped transmitting within a month of fledging in 2004 and we assumed she didn't make it.   It was a wonderful sight and gives us hope that the transmitter of NBC6 malfunctioned.

I'll post a few pics of Madeira eaglet as soon as I figure out how to post an image.

[NewMexiKen]

Hey Ken,

Here is the map from Brian of the photographed eagles movements. I
haven't had any success getting it on the Forum either.
I hope you will easily be able to post it. I think it's really super
that your Nest Site was helpful to unite the eagle transmitter spotter
and Brian....really neat!!!!

Thanks,
Trisha


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:  <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 9:42 AM
Subject: Re: Possible Sighting Of NBC6?
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
[e-mail]


Victor,

This is a more upated version of her movement.

Brian

Brian K. Mealey

[vdelauz]

Brian,

Thank you so much, not only for taking your valuable time to provide us with the explanation and identification of "Camp Eaglet", but for the maps, as well! I had no idea the vast area that bald eagles actually travel. I always thought (incorrectly, as it seems) that they were somewhat limited to a smaller territory. I appreciate you posting up your findings here and for doing what you do to help these majestic birds. I certainly hope I have the opportunity one day to capture some images that might actually help you.

All the best,

Victor

[vdelauz]

A quick note to all that helped me with this eagle identification project:

Thank you for your time and dedication! I truly appreciate all of the help I received and I'm glad that we were all able to enjoy the outcome of the story. I would especially like to thank Ken for hosting this forum because, without it, none of this sharing of information would have been possible.

Have a great evening, folks, and thanks again!

Victor

[vdelauz]

Trisha wrote

We have groups on Flickr where we post our bird and wetlands
photos....you should join us!

Trisha,

I forgot to ask in my previous post which Flickr group you are all participating in. If you don't mind, please let me know, as I'd be interested in viewing and participating.

Thank you!

Victor

[Trisha]

Victor,

We just have our Flickr accounts and add each other as contacts. Email me at [e-mail] and I'll give you the sites of the Forum posters and eagle watchers/photographers on Flickr. Ken also has a great blog accessible from this site where he posts his photos and interesting narratives (very educational!). Thanks so much again for posting your eagle photos on the Forum....you are very lucky to have photographed one of Brian's eagles!

Trisha

[vdelauz]

Trisha,

Will do!

I just saw Ken's blog, too. Thanks for the tip! There seems to be lots of great reading there, as you've pointed out. It's definitely a bookmark for me.

By the way, as with Camp Eaglet's encounter, if I ever have anything interesting to share, I will do it here. It's nice to see that others have the same passion for wildlife that I do.

Have a great evening,

Victor