Got my Check List ,Do You ?

So I was just getting my check list together yesterday of the things I wanted to see before we have eggs. Here it is  and I can check off two things.
1.... Brood patch on Harriet and M15.....
 Well last night one of the photographers got a photo of M15's. Yay . Now to see Harriet's
2.... A food gift for Harriet from M15.....
8:00 am this morning M15 brought her a real nice size fish gift. WTG M15 . He did good on not eating it before Harriet got there. Boy he sure was looking around for Harriet tho. Harriet came in  from the NW just a squawking and landed in the nest to claim her gift. She sure let M15 know it was HER fish not his. He did good in standing his ground tho. He didn't leave the nest right away when she landed like  Ozzie had in the past. That may change in time if Harriet pushes him out of the way..LOL Hopefully we should see more of them. M15 you did a great job today. I'm so proud of you and always knew you would do what comes natural for you. Instinct... it's a wonderful thing to watch.No teaching this at all.. you knew what to do.  
3... More nestorations like rails and fluff......
Now I can live without the rails but I know most of you can't . I have seen a lot worst nests and the Babies did just fine. Now I would like to see more of a nest bowl and egg cup. Harriet needs more fluff to lay on for the long hours ahead of her. A nice deep egg cup would be great too. Ozzie & Harriet had one deep egg cup last season. I didn't think we'd ever see the eggs or the little ones when they hatched.
4.... More mating of course.
5...Hanging around the nest more......
 The closer it gets the more Harriet will stay close to the nest tree. Maybe by then there will be more fluff in the nest and Harriet will be checking it out a time or two and maybe she'll spent the night again. I know ,I know ,I got over excited the first time she did it but I promise I'll behave myself the next time. Well at least I'll try.
These are  a few things I have been looking for and wait to see them happen. Again this is my list of things that I have observed in the past and I'm just seeing if they will be the same this time as far as how soon we see them. Harriet's brood patch was first seen Oct 31st 2014. I don't remember seeing Ozzie's like we do M15's. Here is the link for the photo David Eppley Photography took of M15
https://www.facebook.com/453803511405998/photos/a.454287701357579.1073741828.453803511405998/795988933854119/?type=3&theater

So I hope you have your check list ready or make one up. Things will be happening soon and I sure can't wait for it. I'm so excited for all the new and great things that will be going on. To see a New Dad in action, how he will take to egg sitting and babysitting for the first time. Oh to see M15 take his first look at the eggs and the Babies and how he will react. How Harriet will help him along the way. For me it will be almost like going back in time in my mind and watching Ozzie & Harriet their very first time. Well almost any way .

                           I'M JUST SO EGGCITED !!!!!

M15 bringing Harriet a fish gift this morning.

M15 looking at the fish before Harriet got there.

 Harriet on her way to get her gift.

M15 watching Harriet. You did good M15

Harriet flying up to a higher branch to do some preening after eating. M15 watches her.

"Come on Harriet Show me your brood patch" and that's a look of "NO" !

A New Couple in Town ?

Both are still sleeping as I set up my camera. It was well after 7:00 am before We heard Harriet's good morning vocals. Both Dona's have joined me today. Always good to see them .
Harriet and M15 drop down into the nest and are aerating then Harriet goes to the porch branch and M15 to the attic. More vocals from both of them. Harriet checks out her toes again.lol
The sun is coming up and we have some awesome colors going on behind us , to the left and in front of us. Wow orange behind us, pinkish/ orange to the left and then my favorite pinkish/purple in front of us to the west. Harriet flies to the OCT . She does some preening of her tail and vocalizes.

M15 vocalizes then joins to the Harriet on the OCT. The vocals being and I thought there was going to be mating but M15 wasn't accommodating Harriet . Well don't you know she sure let him know about it too. Looks like she gives him the old side kick and lots of vocals.Well M15 vocalizes right back at her then bows his head. It wasn't until I up loaded my photo's that there was a Starling sitting there on the OCT with them watching the whole thing. At one point you see the Starling taking off as to say" Man He's really in trouble and I'm out of here."  Harriet done fussing at M15 ,M15 vocalizes right back at Harriet and then she bows her head.

They both sit side by side for a few mins then Harriet takes off across the road and lands in the tree. M15 follows right behind her.
Dona Broock leaves and Donna McMurrer and I stay for a bit. We see one of ours fly towards the poles at Bob's . Hmm maybe the other one is there. Donna and I do some exploring .  We find a Hawk sitting on a pole.Stop and get photo's of it.

On our way back from an area we were checking out by the river we see 2 Eagles on the cell tower. We pull over and get photo's of them. The one does the sidekick to the other one. Boy Donna and I just start cracking up. So Harriet isn't the only one that does that. It's 9:34 am now and we are taking  photo's about 20 mins later we hear Harriet and she and M15 are in the tree over by Publix. They are vocalizing at the other couple and the couple are vocalizing back. Ok I guess they are still letting each other know this is a Questionable area . It's ok to sit there but don't go any further type of thing. We have 4 Eagles vocalizing and which way do you turn ..LOL
Soon the other couple leave the cell tower heading SW towards the river and Harriet gets quiet. Boy she sure was letting them know She saw them and that they better not come her way. Amazing. So now you all know Donna and I have to name all of them. Sooo keeping in mind that this couple could be the River Bend pair we named them Robin= Female and of course Ben for the Male. Simple and easy.  Donna was able to get flight shots of both of them and the Female has still has a lot of black on her tail whereas the male not so much. Awww maybe we have just turned 5yr old  Newlyweds here . How awesome is that ! Now we'll have to keep track of these two to see if they come back to the cell tower. Meet Robin and Ben . Ben is on the right. ETC.... Sorry Ben is on the left ...lol My bad.

Harriet and M15 from two different angles .

So after Robin and Ben leave we head over to the drive at Publix to get some pics of Harriet and M15. It's now 10:09 am and time for me to go home . It was a very interesting morning with Harriet and M15. We got to ID two new or possibly the same couple we have been seeing on the cell tower. Only time will tell if they are or not.

I had an apt. this morning so I wasn't at the nest early but did get there before Harriet left and met up with M15.
Dona was there early and she told me that Harriet spent the night in the nest again. I did see one on the attic branch and did hear Harriet so I thought it was Harriet and couldn't find another in the nest tree from looking at the cams. You know it wasn't focusing very well this morning and of course my eyes weren't either. That will all change soon. Yep getting the eyes done so I can see much better.
Enough about me back to Harriet and M15. Dona let me know M15 did get a stick from across the road. Then she said he made like he was going for a stick in one the tree's in the west pasture but after going from tree to tree he just kept going. LOL Sneaky little guy. She said it looked like he might have gone to the poles. Harriet was on the attic branch when I got there. She was vocalizing and doing some preening then looking to the west. Maybe she knew where M15 had gone to...Well of course she did. She can see things that we can't and further than we can sitting way up there.
I got some photo's of Harriet.I even walked around to the sidewalk to get a better view of Harriet. Then Harriet vocalizes and off she went to the cell tower flew down and around landing in her tree over by the parking lot at Publix. I look to the cell tower and there is another Eagle there vocalizing too. From the right of me I see M15 flying . He's headed over to Harriet and lands next to her . Both are vocalizing and then there is another Eagle with the one on the cell tower and they are all vocalizing. So I wonder if the cell tower is going to be a spot in question of whose territory it belongs in? We know Harriet and M15 sit there and so does the other couple when they are not there. If the River Bend couple are still around this could be them or just maybe we have a new couple in the area. Could it be who ever gets there first? Like King of the hill???    Hopefully it will be just a vocal thing about the cell tower as time gets closer for eggs. This is just an observation ... we have noticed here lately that Harriet has been a bit more vocal not only with the little birds but with the other Eagles, Hawks and what not.Is it just Harriet been Harriet or could it be a way of letting them know more now that egg laying is getting closer  this is My territory my nest and to beware sorta speak ??? I mean she even get's a bit snippy with the Starlings at times. It's understandable with the Crows and Grackles. They are just  annoying any way. lol
We have also observed Harriet doing more preening in the front of her around the area of where the brood patch will be. We just haven't seen it yet. I know the male get's one too but never did see Ozzie's as well as I have Harriet's.I realize according to Harriet's "normale" egg laying time , it's a bit of a way off but what "if ", just what "if" she lays earlier this time could she be getting a brood patch ready? Here is a photo of an Eagle with a brood patch. NOT ONE OF OUR's !!!

"Both male and female eagles form a brood patch--a bare spot on their tummy where they can press their hot skin directly against the eggs or chicks to keep them warm. The female's brood patch is a little bigger and more feather-free than the male's. And the female incubates the eggs more often than the male does."

There are other things that we have been observing and are waiting to see if they possibly have anything to do with Harriet getting even closer to egg laying and the changing in appearances that we have noticed to also see if they have anything to do with bonding / mating. We are NOT researchers, biologists or anything like that .We are just seeing and wondering about things we see and can't find any research on it. Being at the nest everyday like we are,we see things and wonder. Oh the questions we have for a averian biologist if one were to ever show up at the nest.LOL

  Dona left and I stayed a bit. I gathered up the things that were left for Ozzie's Memorial. I checked the cell tower one last time before I left to go to the Pritchetts office to give them the stuff. I met Mr. Pritchett, Andy and Ginni's Dad. Very nice man. We talked a bit about Ozzie which brought tears to my eyes. I think Mr. Pritchett had some too. He asked if we're going to have eggs early and I told him I just don't know. Only Harriet does and she's not telling us...LOL  I thanked him again for the new cams and all then left. I checked out the cell tower and the tree Harriet and M15 were in ..yep everyone still there. I laughed and shook my head then head home.

Harriet preening this Morning.

   

Harriet before she left for the tree at Publix.

Harriet's brood patch from last year .

Harriet shows Her dominance

Of course when I get to the nest they are not in the tree nor any of the other ones that I can get photo's of. So I wait to hear them. Sure enough Harriet vocalizes and M15 right along with her. Aha haa they are in the front pine. Sounds of possible mating, not sure because I can't see them. They are closer to the driveway side. Done with what they were doing , Harriet flies to the nest and does some aerating and M15 flies to the dead tree closer to us. He's looking around and breaks off some of the vine that is growing on the tree. M15 flies out and around very close to us then up to the attic branch with his piece of vine. Not sure but it looked like he dropped it in the nest. M15 then drops down with Harriet. M15 is behind Harriet and I can't see him. Maybe he was laying down in the nest checking things out. M15 then hops up to the attic branch ,Harriet stays in the nest. Both just looking around checking out their territory then Harriet takes off for the west pasture treeline. She goes from one tree to the next and I lost her in the trees somewhere. I stand and wait for her to come out from where she is and sure enough here she comes with some pine and a long strand of moss. Again M15 drops down to help the little woman out and again I can't see him behind Harriet..LOL
Now it's M15 turn to get something for the nest. Out he flies ,past the front pines and up he goes to get a branch on the fly. He missed that one but got another on his way past one of the other pines.

Good job M15 ! Back to the nest with his branch. The branch is placed then up to the attic Harriet goes then M15 follows a few mins after. We have mating again this time they are behind the pine needles and again I'm in the wrong spot.

 M15 seemed to stay on Harriet a little bit longer than other times. I guess making sure the "package is delivered". Oh and this reminds me of Santa Clause 3 where Santa says "It's time to deliver the packkkagggge" when Miss Clause was pregnant.https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0gtxFRHZxwA&h=OAQFCsweJ&__mref=message ......  

 Well  "if "  and I say "if " they mated in the front pine we have a second mating already this morning. Remember ,I couldn't see them, I can only hear them.
M15 leaves the attic branch and it looks like he tries to get a branch from the front pine and missed but keeps heading across the road to the tall pine. he leaves there and goes and finds himself a nice big branch to bring back to the nest.Harriet is vocalizing . I guess she likes the size of the branch he is bringing in .

 Well M15 sure is becoming a good nest builder. I always had faith in him. It's just not an instinct to them but a show me how to do thing. With Harriet's yrs of helping Ozzie sure has helped M15 out. Could you imagine if they were both brand new at this? It would take them awhile I would think. Both learning together. M15 flies up and pulls the long stick up over the side of the nest then lets go of it and drops down into the nest at the same time so he doesn't lose the branch over the side. Amazing to watch this. He then grabs it with his beak and is pulling it into place. Not satisfied with the stop he put it in ,he then pulls and moves it to another spot.

While doing this I see he is moving that V branch that him and Harriet tried to work with from yesterday. Donna told me all about it. So that branch is moving and looks like it might fall so he moves the other rail to a different spot. Now they are set ..for now any way. Satisfied with a job well done ,M15 goes up to the attic branch with Harriet. Well Harriet all of a sudden decides to show her dominant side and kicks M15 ,wings a flapping and almost got on top of him. My,My,My  I saw this once with Ozzie and Harriet . She sure does let them know who is boss....LOL
Poor M15 as soon as Harriet was done he took off for the front pine. I'm not sure if he was sitting there checking him self out or looking for something to take back to the nest. M15 finally leaves the pine and is heading across the road way past Publix pond SE. Harriet stayed on the attic branch watching him leave. After some preening and just sitting Harriet also leaves around 8:39 am heading in the SE direction.

Harriet in front M15 behind her. What a good looking couple.

My Morning starts off with Harriet and M15 sleeping. I'm watching the cam before I head out. Both have their heads tucked in and are side by side.  Aw. 4:13 am  M15 wakes up and vocalizes which wakes Harriet up and both are vocalizing. Ok ... So  now there's a bit of stretching and Harriet goes back to sleep, M15 turned around. Finally M15 goes back to sleep.

4:45 am Both wake back up and are vocalizing. Of course I can't see anything but whatever it was they stopped vocalizing after a min or two. Time for me to get ready to leave. I arrive at the nest my usual time. Sitting in the truck for a bit and Donna arrives earlier than usual.  Always good to see her. We get set up and wait for daylight to break. Both Harriet and M15 drop down into the nest and aerate. Then Harriet to the porch and M15 up to the attic branch. Some more vocals then M15 drops down on Harriet but wasn't a very good landing so off he went to the side of her. Well so much for a little whoopee this morning.  M15 and Harriet stayed on the porch branch. Harriet did a bit of straightening out of her feathers and M15 just looking around. M15 left the porch branch heading NW towards the poles. Harriet vocalizes then she heads off in the same direction that M15 just went. About an hour later here comes Harriet and flies to the west treeline. She is looking around and finds herself a nice pine branch and here she come to the nest tree.                          

As we were watching Harriet coming back M15 flew in and was laying down in the nest. LOL I didn't see him until Harriet had placed her branch and M15's head popped up . They both sit there then M15 hops up to the attic branch. Both are looking around. Harriet stretches her wings then sits back down in the nest. Harriet then goes to the veranda and M15 is vocalizing .Ok maybe they will try it again? No Harriet heads over to the front pine and gets her another pine branch. Boy Harriet has gotten a lot of pine lately.                                                                                                                           

While Harriet was getting her branch,M15 had left the attic and went and got himself a branch.            Well here comes M15 and Harriet s still in the nest as he is coming in for a landing. Poor Harriet had to duck so she did get knocked over by M15 . You'll see Harriet on the far left side of the nest by the veranda in the photo with her head way down.                                                                                               

                                                                                          

               Both get their rails placed then sit next to each other for a bit. M15 up to the attic again ,Harriet still in the nest.
Harriet takes off to the west treeline again and tries to break off a branch. It wasn't budging. No matter how hard she tried.She flew past another tree and got a stick on the fly and back to the nest she came.
When I was watching two Red Tail Hawks in the west treeline, M15 took off again so I 'm not sure which way he went until Harriet hoped on the porch branch and was looking NW. The two RTH were playing in the tree to the west and Harriet would over there ,vocalize then look back to the NW.

Harriet stayed on the porch branch for awhile then took off to the SW flew around the cell tower then landed in the pine at the parking lot. Went up a couple of branches then off towards the SE  as M15 flew right past us heading in the same direction. I stayed for awhile and finally gave up . No one was coming back soon.                                                                                                                                      

Slow and Easy Day

After working all morning yesterday Harriet and M15 take it easy this morning.

I find harriet and M15 in the same spots as they were last night. Just after 6:00 am they are vocalizing. I think they were having a conversation on what they were going to do today.lol Both drop down into the nest and do some areating and maybe a ckeck list for the day. Harriet hops over to the porch branch and M15 still in the nest. Harriet does a bit of preening. I guess she still had to get a few feathers in place from her bath at the pond last night. There she goes checking out her talons as usual . Must be an Eagle thing.  M15 flies up to the attic branch.Both perching and looking around. Harriet hops back in the nest and M15 takes off to the west pasture treeline and grabs a stick for the nest. Great job! Looks like Harriet takes the rail from M and placed herself. Some beak-kissing then just sitting next to each other. Good to see this close bonding between the two of them. Like when they went to the pond last night for a bath together. Donna told me all about it. She said it was very heartwarming to see how M15 watched Harriet and how She does her bath ,then M15 would copy her like "ohh so that's how you do it" . Then M15 would do the right wing dip ,then the left wing dip then dunk the head and come up and flap the wings and shake all over. M15 saw how Harriet takes HER baths.  Then Donna said they were side by side and both were taking their baths together. How awesome. We have never seen Ozzie and Harriet do that together. One at a time yes but not at the same time. Now this does not by no means , mean M15 didn't know how to take a bath. Surely in his few yrs before he met Harriet he took a bath. It just means that Our Harriet is the Queen of baths and showed M15 the way she does it.LOL
So any how with the stick placed and the beaking done,M15 heads off for another stick from the west pasture. Another rail placed then both rest for a bit then M15 up to the attic branch and Harriet still in the nest. Now we're thinking it just might be about time for "whoopie" but Harriet has other plans. She heads off to one of the front pins.Vocalizes a few times then here she comes with her pine branch.

 














M15 drops down into the nest to help Harriet  but she already has a place for this in mind. She places her branch and M15 sits and waits. M15 then head out towards the front pine  grabs a long thin bit of moss,out over the road then across the road to the tall pine. Now what in the world is he doing. Even Harriet is watching and vocalizing like she is asking too "where are you going with that ?" He sits there for a few then drops down curvers around and heads back to the nest with a stick and not the long strand of moss.                                                                                                                          
       

           










The rail placed M15 back up to the attic branch and Harriet stays in the nest. Then all of a sudden, harriet takes off to the East and swoops down by the road  then back up like she saw some thing. Then she comes back right over us from the  front of the Church. As we all had our backs turned , M15 left and we don't know which way he went. Harriet flies up to the outer branch left and vocalizes a few times. She keeps looking past us to the E S E. Maybe she see's M15.

Harriet is looking around vocalizes a few times then heads off towards the  SE past the two Norfolk pines dips down then I lost sight of her. Donna and I stay a bit to just to see if maybe ,just maybe they might come back.

 With the busy day they had yesterday between, nestorations, mating, eating on the nest and a bath ,I guess they decided to go relax some where nice and quiet. Watching them become sooo bonded and comfortable around each other is a great thing.It puts a big smile on mine and Donna's face. They are becoming more and more of a couple as time pass's in my opinion.
I can think back now and see so much of this behavior in Harriet and Ozzie that it just warms my heart to be able to watch a new partnership/relationship grow and get stronger each day.

M15 is Back !!!!!!

So I turn on the computer click on the cam and who do I get to see . Harriet ,well at least I think it's Harriet. So I check out face book and I hear vocals so I switch back to the cam and it's Slim so I think. OK that so it's early I can deal with the mix up. It's time for me to head to the nest. I arrive get set up and take a few pics. Something Is just not setting right with me I don't know what it is but would find out soon enough. Who I think is Slim drops down into the nest and Harriet is steady vocalizing.I'm giggling think she still doesn't want him in the nest .He hops up to the attic branch and Harriet is still vocalizing.  Both Harriet and what I think is Slim drop down into the nest. They do some aerating then Donna and I  hear the unmistakable vocals there was mating in the nest.It was too
 fast and still a bit dark to get photo's.But still this seemed a bit off for Donna and I ..
 By this time Bob,Jeff, Dave and Wilbur have shown up. Harriet and what we think is Slim are vocalizing and looking around.Both Donna and I commented several times that Harriet was very vocal this morning and wondered what she was seeing. He goes back up to the attic branch then back down in the nest again with Harriet and  again with the vocals. Harriet goes to the veranda and he goes back up to the attic branch. Harriet still vocal and both looking around. he then joins Harriet on the veranda and we are waiting to see "bonding/mating " again.Still we haven't caught on that this is not Slim. Boy were we slow this morning. Harriet goes back into the nest and he follows her. Both aerating again then Harriet hops over to the porch branch. Still with the vocals. from Harriet. By this time a few others have arrived. Bob, Jeff and Dave. Harriet still on the porch being very vocal then he leaves the nest ,flies around the pond and scares off the other bids that are there and flies to the right pond tree.
Who we think is Slim sat on the pond tree for a bit and Harriet still vocal. The  he flies back to the nest tree.
This is when it hit me that this is NOT Slim but M15. Holy Shit ! I let everyone know and they all checked their photo's and sure enough it's M15 . Well I'll be. No wonder it looked like Harriet first thing this morning on the cam and things just weren't sitting right . Know wonder Harriet was so vocal this morning too. Now we really have the story's going about why Harriet had been so vocal . She was fussing at M15 for being gone and how she had to put up with the young'en Slim that stopped by on and on. Poor Harriet .I wonder what she was really thinking about all of this.
Well now we are scrambling to get photo's to prove this is M15. Donna and I know the makers. We let the big lens know also so they can get a better photo. M15 does a PS right into the nest and Jeff just started laughing and said that sealed the deal for him. M15 always did a PS into the nest.. Donna is already by the sidewalk with Wilbur and Dave so I join them after Jeff leaves to go home.
We have a better view of M15's back side. Sure enough we get the shot we need to tell it's M15. We already know it wasn't Slim because of too much white on his head and tail. How in the world we missed this is beyond me.
Even the eyes , how did we miss that. Boy oh boy ....
M15 drops down into the nest with Harriet again. Both aerating then Harriet back to the porch branch and M15 up to the attic branch. Harriet still vocalizing off an on . She roused her feathers then goes to the branch above the attic branch. Those unmistakable vocals start again and M15 hops up next to Harriet but not on top of her so Harriet side kicked him not once but twice . OMG we are just laughing. Harriet would do this to Ozzie . Boy she sure is running on hormones. If her time is still the same with M15 as it was with Ozzie ,she is ready.
M15 still doesn't hop up on Harriet and so Harriet goes to her branch just a fussing and M15 goes way to the other side of the nest tree. Ohh the laughter from all of us. Harriet is sitting looking to the NW  with her back to M15 and he is sitting looking to the SW then turns his back on her. More laughter from those of us still watching. Not to long after this M15 fies off heading in the ESE direction. Harriet watches him leave then preens some then something caught her eye and she is looking n the same direction that M15 took. Soon Harriet leaves heads over the Church then in the same direction as M15 . I watch her circling then out of sight.
Wow what a morning. I just hope Slim is ok and left without a fight. M15 looks good. Have no idea where he has been or when he came home. Of course it had to be some time last night and no one really noticed it was him. Good to have him home. Slim is young and hopefully he will not put up a fight for the nest and territory. M15 spent 6 months  with Harriet and chased off others. This is his home more than it was Slims.  But again only time will tell if Slim comes back.