The Three Post Below were copied from the NCTC start of a New Thread they were not written by me

There are three Updates below this post: Just below is Update 4/1/2011 Below that is Update 3/23/2011 Below that is Update 3/21/2011 Placing them here will hopefully help with the confusion of whether the intruder is a male or a female........it was first believed that the intruder was a "female". Now it is believed to be a "male intruder". Either way Liberty was last seen 3/21/2011 per update they dated he was in good health. You can go to my blog called Nest Of Liberty and Belle to see the last pictures of Liberty seen in the nest on 3/21/2011. That blog will end with those last pictures of a wonderful, beautiful, great mate to Belle and a GREAT DAD TO HIS EAGLETS. If Liberty would return for the 2012 season or before I will start a "new blog for Liberty". Thank you and miss you Liberty. I am still going to be hoping Liberty does return. If he does not and in the next season if Belle excepts the "intruder" as her new mate then I will too. With heart break I will have to accept the "intruder" as the mate Belle chose. As to why she did???? I have no answer nor do I feel that biologist or NCTC has just one answer. They as us are learning new things happening at our nest and with our resident pair of American Bald Eagles. Whom we the "Eaglet-Momsters" have called the male Liberty and the female Belle since the year 2006.

Latest Message from NCTC APRIL 1, 2011

April 1, 2011 This morning we confirmed a sighting of two adult eagles in a tree located near the nest tree. While we do not know the current whereabouts of the original male resident eagle, he was see on March 21st and was not injured. We have not seen the male resident since. The new eagle, we now believe to most likely be a male, has been making trips to the nest on a daily basis. This indicates to us that the resident male eagle has either moved on or is not willing to come within a certain radius of the nest because of the new bird. The resident female is still occupying the territory and is keeping quite close to the nest site. It is very difficult to determine whether an adult eagle as male or female; typically the female is larger (we initially assumed the new adult eagle was a female because of its large size). Without capturing the new adult to examine it - which would pose a potential risk to eagle - it has been difficult to confirm whether it is male or female. One method we're exploring is listening to the eagles calls: somefemales have a much lower pitch relative to males. We will continue to provide information as the situations changes. Meanwhile, we encourage those of you who are inerested to learn more about eagle biology. (For example, this Cornell University web page is a good resource: httpl://bna.birds.cornell.edu/slpecies/506/articles/introduction.) We have a fascinating piece of eagle biology playing out at NCTC. We are glad that you are able to experience this along with us.

Another Update Wednesday March 23, 201 from the NCTC website

Shepherdstown, WV - since 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Nation Conservation Training Center (NCTC) has connected people to nature by streaming live video of a pair of American bald eagles to viewers across the country and abroad via a camera placed near the eagles nest. The NCTC eagle cam serves as an educational tool to showcase egle biology, including mating behavor, egg laying, incubation, and in a successful yar, rearing eagle chicks until they are old enough to leave the nest. Although the NCTC campus is closed to te public (with the exception of the annual open house and occasional special events), the cam records video year round can be accessed online anytime at: ww.fws.gov/nctc/cam/livevideo.html. After many years of viewing the same pair of eagles, this year we have witnessed the process of natural competition within a species. Recently a third eagle believed to be a female of breeding age, has been sighted near the nst and appears to be asserting control over the nest and surrounding territory. This is typical eagle behavior in a robust, healthy population and likely indicates that the eagle population near NCTC has increased in recent years. In response to this behavior, many eagle can viewers have expressed concern. It is important to highlight to our public viewers that the eagles residing on NCTC's land are exposed to natural environmental pressures, including the presence of other eagles. At times the camera may be difficult to watch. While NCTC provides the opportunity to view live video of wild eagles, our position is not to interfere in any way. Craig Koppie, regional eagle coordinator and raptor biologist at the Service's Chesapeake Bay field office, is working closely with NCTC to monitor the situationh. Koppe said, "there are timeswhen intervention is not the correct course of action. Breeding birds are very sensitive to human distrubance, and interfering could result in abandonment of the nest." Koppe also acknowledged that, "as hard as it is to watch an older generation of eagles potentially be displaced by a younger generation, we need to inform the public that the aggressive behavior we're seeing is natural. The most fit individual will emerge as having control of the nest and surrounding territory, and this individual will go on to contribute to the nest generaltion of eagles, keeping the species and the population strong." NCTC is committed to providing factual, science-based updates on current nest activity. To monitor these updates, please visit: www.fws.gov/nctc/cam.

Liberty has not been seen at the nest anymore Belle and a male Intruder are at the nest

Here's the update from FWS: March 21, 2011 Over the weekend we were able to confirm the presence of a thrid adult eagle near the nest, and we are amost certain that it is a breeding age female. Typically, the presence of a new female mean she is competing with the established pair of eagles for the current nest. Nest competition is a common occurrence in areas with healthy eagle populations, meaning the total population of eagles near NCTC has likely increased in recent years. We have also confirmed multiple sightings of the male eagle who is part of the established breeding pair. The male does not appear to be injured, and appears to be in good health. Th eaget which hatched on March 17th has died and the remaining egg is not likely to hatch given that it is not being regularly incubated by the parents. We do have biologists on staff here at NCTC who have been offering their expert assessments of the situation. In addition, our land manager has been communication with another raptor biologist based in our Chesapeake Bay field office. There is general agreement among our biologists that if the new female eagle is successful in chasing off the current female, the new female will then need to recruit a male to join her. However, it is likely too late in the nesting season for success in laying, incubating and hatching any new eggs. You may wonder why there is competition over this nest - and there are several potential factors. Eagles prefer to nest in the tops of large trees located near rivers, lakes, and other wetlands. The NCTC nest is located very close to the Potomas River, which is a plentiful source of fish for nesting eagles to hunt. In addition, eagle nests represent a considerable investment of effort to construct: they can be up to 10 feet in diameter and weigh up to 2,000 lbs. And finally, as mentioned above, nest competition frequently occurs in areas with a significant eagle population. All I can add to this is to thank you for your concern, passion and understanding that intervention is this episode was not the right thing to do. Things don't always work out the way we'd like in nature, but I think we would all agree that we have gotten a rare glimpse, these past few days, into the world of bald eagles that most people to not see or will ever know about. The fact that we have competition such as this is speaks well for the recovery of the Bald Eagle, a species that was nearly extinct fifty years ago.