Nest Cam Considerations

[NewMexiKen]

Several eagle watchers have expressed interest in having a nest cam installed. Such a camera would require funding and acquisition of dedicated bandwidth. We understand that electrical power may be available from a box only about 150 feet from the nest. If funding were obtained and local permissions were granted, a formal application must be processed.  FWC requires application for an eagle nest cam to be made 90 days before intended installation, if it is placed within the 330 foot buffer zone around the nest.

Of course, a camera view is no substitute for the real thing, but it can provide valuable information about the welfare and habits of the birds. Interestingly, Barbara Walker has informed us about an Osprey cam that has just begun operating at a nest in Pinellas County. So far, the only bird to appear has been a Loggerhead Shrike!

You might wish to check out the Osprey cam at this link and click on "Live Camera."

Other links describe a project to involve 4th and 5th grade students:

Participation in monitoring an Osprey nest is intended to accomplish three things.  1) To get children in the habit of observing the wildlife around them on a regular basis, 2) To create an interest in and to teach 'citizen science' methods of observations and collecting data and 3) To instill in children a sense of the value of volunteerism, particularly as it relates to the environment.

Participating 4th and 5th grade classes will receive Citizen Scientist booklets to record their observation data.  For enrichment children are encouraged to visit Honeymoon Island Nature Center and the Osprey Trail at Honeymoon Island.   Data will be summarized and posted before the end of the school year.

The students will track the following pair/nest events:

    * Nest Building
    * Mating
    * Egg laying
    * Incubation
    * Hatching
    * Fledging
    * Departure
 

On a more somber note, Barb also provided this information about persecution of Ospreys, from  Rob Bierregaard of the Biology Department at UNC-Charlotte:

Regulars to the migration pages know that we have lost all 4 young Ospreys that tried to overwinter in the Dominican Republic to gunshots. That's a pretty scary statistic, given the number of Ospreys that pass through or winter there. Stirred to action, working with the Hispaniola Ornithological Society, I received a start-up grant from the International Osprey Foundation to do some environmental education down there. Here's a link to the first TV ad that will be run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81cNlNMAEVU

The message is that Ospreys eat fish, not chickens, so don't shoot them. The big problem for Ospreys down there is that everyone
has chickens and many think that any raptor is a threat to their chickens. My good friends at the Peregrine Fund have offered to
receive contributions to support this effort and get the money down to the D.R. So if you're interested in helping spread the word down
there, you can send a contribution, earmarked for Osprey Conservation/Dominican Republic, to:

The Peregrine Fund
5668 West Flying Hawk Lane
Boise, Idaho 83709