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.