Estonian White-tailed Sea Eagle Nest Camera 2023

[Liz01]

Susanne , thanks for great pictures and reporting

video includes arrival both & mating

[Susanne]

11:58: E 340 back in the nest bowl with a small bunch of hay.


He turned in the nest bowl, the wind fluffs up his plumage and we get a decent look at HIS tail marks.

[IceAge]

Hello ,

11:58
E340 with hay.


12:03
The male waits for the female.


12:12
E340 jumps onto the branch.

[Susanne]

12:12: E 340 back on the p-branch.
IceAge

Mark this day red in your calendars. In my humble opinion, this is the first really promising day regarding the choice of this nest as a breeding site.
12:46: E 340 leaves the p-branch and flies down to the right.

[Susanne]

Around 16:20, a WTE seems to start off from a branch at the right - possible also, that the eagle came from the right and made a 'touch down' before heading straight towards the woods. (I have a very unstable stream at the moment, many interruptions). - I try to review that.(Sorry, I can't. My 'digital infrastructure' is driving me nuts!)

[sigge]

That mysterious bird yesterday: why not a pygmy owl?? wing shape is like woodpeckers and small owls. Size is rather hard with these wide angel cameras

[Susanne]

17:41: A WTE lands on a branch at the right - in silence.
17:42 ff.: Two male (?) voices can be heard fom further away, very agitated.
17:44:42: WTE flies off branch to the right. - Hm, rumble in the jungle?

[Susanne]

sigge!

That mysterious bird yesterday: why not a pygmy owl??

Yes, you're right - now that you mention it, the head looks rather round, doesn't it?

[Susanne]

18:26: The couple comes home - first 'Smiley' in the nest , then E 340 'overtakes' her and lands beside her.
18:29: Both are on the p-branch now, E 340 sings softly, he seems to be in the mood for more - we'll see ...
18:31:50: 'Smiley' prefers the branch at the right.



18:34:44: E 340 leaves the p-branch and flies down to the right.
18:35: 'Smiley' follows.

[Susanne]

18:58 ff.: Some howling!
19:10ff.: Dogs barking.

[Liz01]

March 15

good Morning


6:45 a grey headed woodpecker female visit the nest - thank you Aja!

[Liz01]

8:27 Arrival eagle - a stranger? Baiba, thanks for the time stamp
adult or is it the female?


messes up the nest.


blood on the tail feather

[Liz01]

That's the female?




8:35 it is not the female .. bright plumage. it looks like male

[Liz01]

9:05 is standing in the nest and looks around
9:10 start working with straw
9:33 he flew away

[Susanne]

Mar 15

Good morning Matsalu, good morning eagles, strange and known ones!

08:27: A strange male (thin ankles, YT-chat, you're right!) WTE arrives at the nest, a floater without mate, it seems, but somehow not unexperienced in nest building, which he shows in the following.



Very light at the shoulders and beautiful plumage:


He has got beautiful very dark wing tips .You see him working there with the branch E 340 brought yesterday, the "devil's fork" :

[Susanne]

Now he reveals his tailmarks:

[Susanne]

Thank you Liz, better done twice than never.
- I don't think he 'messed up' the nest. For me, he worked quite purposeful: areating the bowl, arranging also difficult branches etc. EDIT: But you clearly see that he has not finished his work when he leaves the nest.
09:30ff.: He is standing in the nest bowl with a long neck. It's just a matter of time until they detect him -and then it will be up to E 340 to defend nest, mate and territory.
- I don't want to be overly dramatic, but did you know: today, it's the "Ides of March"?

09:32: He perches on the p-branch, shaking his plumage, back into the nest, working with the 'devil's fork'.
09:33: He leaves and heads off to the left. - Yes, the - from our/the cam's point of view: area on the left is what our couple watched very closely yesterday.

<I have to get some breakfast now>

[Susanne]

The nest what it looks like after the stranger's visit:



Note: Snow has melted so much that you can now clearly see what I call "brook alley" down at the left.

[Susanne]

Just an idea, triggered by something Yana re wrote in the YT-chat (can't quote it directly, because for me the chat history is gone due to system restart ). She thought: what if this male was one we had already seen last year participating in the ownership issues on this nest? So I reviewed the 2022-thread, and here's what I've found.

March 03, 2022: male that was one of the mates of famous E 321, tailmarks:


March 15,2023 (snippet taken from Liz' picture):


Now, don't take anything for granted, I don't know how many male eagles have two distinguishable tailmarks. The March 2022 male was also very cunning regarding his nest work. So, maybe this is a little farfetched, but quite thrilling as an idea.

[Susanne]

13:15: A WTE coming from the right lands on a tree down at the left.
14:29:29: The WTE flies away to the right, circles over the meadow (rather low) and then off to the left. (This surely was not one of 'ours', but a stranger; as far as I saw, it was an adult WTE, I'll check later again.)