Ground Observations - 2016 - 2017 Season

[boonibarb]

A new season with the Hornby Eagles is beginning!
Last season, Em(?) came back on september 21, surprising us all with her earliness.
She hung around, but there were also a few other females who tried to win Dad & his territory.
Dad was just not himself.
i think he was a bit lost without Mum!, waiting for her perhaps, & not sure what to do.
The Herring Spawn came & went, & it was a good one, & after that Dad seemed to kick in with Em & there was mating & Nest building, way past the normal season.
They seemed to be gelling as a pair finally.
You can find last year*s posts here.

august 2, we had a powerful thunder & lightning storm come through, such as i have never experienced in my whole life.
At 4:24 am, the cam went dark & came back by itself 20 minutes later, but we no longer had sound from the mic or the ability to move the camera via the ptz.
The system is in for checking & repair & we are hoping to get it all back again, as this could be an interesting season for watching Dad & Em!

[jeavverhey]

Good summary of the situation Booni. I am looking forward to a rewarding year for the eagles and all of their fans. Hopefully we will have one or more nestlings to visit on our 2017 HIP trip! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️

[boonibarb]

 
Back on june 12, the power was out on Hornby all day.
We were warned about it ahead of time, & we had some say in which day would be the least painful.
bc hydro had to replace a worn pole that i believe serviced Hornby & Denman both.
While the power was off, they were going to fix all sorts of other things, too.
The power was due to be out 8am-8pm, but we were lucky when it came back on at 5:30.
Well, remember that lightning storm when we lost our cam?
Turns out this new hydro pole got struck by lightning too!
& now it needed replacing again.
So in order to prevent a long power outage in the winter, when the blasted pole ended up having problems anyway, they let us pick another day for a 12 hour power outage, while they again replaced the pole.
This time we were to lose power at 7:30am.
i made sure & set my alarm so i could get my water boiling for coffee & oats before we lost power for the whole day.
i have an old fridge, the kind where the freezer frosts up so that you can barely close the door.
Last time i defrosted it was the last 12 hour outage, well, guess what i needed to do again today.
i wanted to take Otto for a walk, but i needed to tend the defrosting of the fridge or i would come home to a HUGE puddle.
So, poor Otto waited in the car til i was done.
The power came back before i had all the ice out!
It was really thick this time.
FINALLY it was done & wiped & turned back on, but now it was after 4pm, starting to get dark, & i was pooped.
Probably Otto would be happy to just come in & have his dinner & call it an early night?
Oh, but he has been waiting in the car all this time, okay, let*s go somewhere, but where?
It is high tide so the Niner steps will be underwater.
Grassy Point?
But i am tired & he will be dragging me all over to sniff everything, it would be nice to let him loose.
Hidden Beach maybe?
We can see if anyone is there, & even on the leash he is happy to just sniff every third blade of grass on the path to the beach?
Okay!
Plan made.
We went down there, no one was there, so i just threw his leash over his back & told him to have at it, i was gonna sit on a log & look at the water for a bit.
i sat down with a huge sigh, then looked up at the water & movement caught my eye in the sky.
i looked up & a Bird was flying from Sandstone Point right into Hidden Beach!
& the Bird was an Eagle!
& they landed in Mum & Dad & Em*s perch Tree in Hidden Beach!
Who was this Eagle?
i hadn*t brought my camera, grrrr, so i ran back up to the car to get it & my tripod & set up.
Oh, wow, i think this might be Dad.
This is what i thought down on the beach, & i am really thinking it, looking at the fotos now.
Will wait for better light, & a view of his back to see if the distinctive feather is there, but i am pretty sure.
 
september 25 2016 16:27 - Dad in Hidden Beach Tree
 


This look is SO Dad!
Soft, sweet, gentle.
 

 


i don*t have the best vantage point here, there is too much greenery in the way, but the tide is right up to the beach & i am not sure i can get a better view than this.
 


& what if i move & he flies away?

 
link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/

[boonibarb]

 
Well i moved, & when i looked up at the Tree, the Eagle was gone...
Darn.
But i kept looking.
Was that a white tail maybe?
i zoomed in.
YES!
i am glad i moved.
This is a much better angle.
Look.
Has Dad got a basketball in his crop?
& is that his white tie of down feathers showing through the brown feathers?
There is also what looks like a petticoat feather to the left of his head!  
 
september 25 2016 16:36 - Dad in Hidden Beach Tree
 

 

 


i*m pretty darn sure this is Dad.  
 

 



 
link to my fotos page -  
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/

[boonibarb]

 
All he needs is a down feather stuck to his beak.
The petticoat feather will have to do.
It looks like it could be his.
 
september 25 2016 16:37 - Dad in Hidden Beach Tree
 

 


He has his right foot bunched & sticking out.
 


Now he has it relaxed & tucked against his belly where it is warm.
 

 


Welcome home Dad.


 
link to my fotos page -  
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
 

[Tigerlady105]

Wowee!  Thank you for the great photos and your comments, booni!  Looks like Dad.

 

I sure hope we'll get the/a cam back up and running soon!!!     

[jeavverhey]

❤️💕👏😊 Thank you, thank you, thank you (((Booni))). This is heart medici e for me! Dear old Dad H ❤️❤️❤️ is as handsome as ever!  He alwAys returned first but this seems to be extra early? No matter, I am thrilled to see him and that full crop! 👍 Now 🙏🏼🙏🏼 for cam and eggs!

[boodle317]

Beautiful Dad...sure does look like him.  Welcome home Dad....what will this year be for you?  Will Em return?  Will  other suitors  make their plays again?  Oh gosh, exciting stuff.

[auroradawn]

WOW thanks booni.  I would also like to thank Otto for needing to go out for a sniff or two or three!!!!!   

[amazedbyeagles]

Wonderful!!!!!  So wonderful to see this gorgeous eagle!  More handsome than ever!  Soooo exciting!!!!  Welcome home Dad!  Thank you Booni!  Your little story of how you came to see him is a wonderful enrichment to the ongoing Hornby Story!  Thanks you!

[Rajame]

Ever handsome and stately Dad returns and I am filled with hopefulness for the new season. We used to wait and look to the nest and chart the date/day that Mom and Dad returned. We knew, with trepidation, that one day things would change. And they did. Is the eagle with the hole in her beak Mom? Is Em actually Hope? We will probably never know for sure. What I am sure of is that this experience of knowing all of you and Mom and Dad and Em and all the eaglets changed me forever!

Thank you from my heart to you Booni for your willingness to share with us. Made even more precious each post.


Rajame

[paintnut]

Be still my heart - welcome home Dad.

[ivani]

 
Thank you very much Booni. I'm super happy !! I'm laughing alone! Good Dad be back. I hope the cam return soon so we can see what will happen this year, which I'm sure will be wonderful!

[Lifegard]

Thank you Booni for your photos!  It surely does appear to be Dad    He looks very healthy and robust, especially with that crop.        I'm just thrilled.  Cheers, Hornby watchers!   

[Cawatcher]

  OMgosh Omgosh!! fantastic!!! thank you for all f the Photos booni!!