Nest Cameras

    Time has been flying by! It is crazy to think that this field season will be coming to an end in less than a month. I am very, very happy with how things have been going and I am feeling very grateful for all the people who have contributed to our success. I am especially grateful to those who have helped make this week run smoothly.
    On Tuesday PPL (Electric Services Company) assisted us with the installation of our first nest camera. It was finally time to put the cameras up for real, no more trial tests, this was it. Laurie and I gathered all of our materials, jumped in the car and headed out to New Ringgold to meet the PPL crew. We arrive to the site and begin unloading the equipment. I will tell you that I am pretty sure I triple checked everything to make sure it was there and working properly! Two bucket trucks pull up, one with a 55 foot bucket and the other a 70 foot bucket (we had a feeling we were going to need the larger one since the nest was over 60 feet high in a White Pine). We discuss the game plan with Andy Rhody and the crew from Orwigsburg Service Center. Then I showed the guys going up in the bucket, Tim and Dennis, how to install the camera once up at the nest.
    Finally we are ready, it is go time. Tim and Dennis snaked the bucket deftly between two trees into the opening near the large white pine holding the nest. Laurie and I nervously pace back and forth worrying about the little ones and the parents too.  At one point we saw a parent fly over. After reaching the right height near the nest tree, they positioned the camera on a thick tree branch above the nest. The camera was mounted and they slowly dropped the camera video cable to the ground. Andy and I grabbed the cable and ran it along ground to our hidding place for the DVR.  I then worked to set up the DVR, turn on the monitor and timer and voilà! The camera was working! Three, fluffy, white adorable Broadwings sitting in the middle of the nest and the middle of our video screen! A feeling of relief and happiness came over me when I saw them on the monitor screen. We did it! 

    The next morning we find it is "go" time for the camera installation at the Shartlesville nest. We greet the gentlemen from Met-Ed (a FirstEnergy Company), Jeff, who just like the PPL crew, graciously donated their time and bucket trucks. He and his four crew members also were very enthusiastic about the project and had many questions for Laurie and I about Broadwings! The second camera was mounted successfully on the branch of the neighboring tree of the 55 foot Red Oak nest tree. They also helped us string the cable to secure location in a Game Commission building.
    
    Many thanks goes out to both PPL and Met-Ed for assisting us with this task and allowing us to collect valuable data on the nesting ecology of Broad-winged Hawks. We hope we can pass on video clips in the near future for everyone to enjoy!

The 70 foot bucket truck up at the nest

A look at the nest from inside the bucket

I think they might have been posing for the camera ;)

It looks like a tight fit in there

Myself, Laurie and the great staff from PPL- Andy, Dennis and Tim

Met-Ed bucket truck

The camera mounted on the neighboring tree

Thank you again to the Met-Ed team!!

A distant look at the nest from inside the bucket truck

One of the chicks popping up to say Hi!

Broad-winged Hawk Project People afield.   

Nest observations have been in full swing for a few weeks so we thought we might introduce you to some of the people behind the scenes.  We have been so busy pointing our binoculars and cameras at the birds we still do not have great photos of our observers!  The two folks most responsible for collecting nest observations are Rebecca McCabe, Hawk Mountain trainee and East Stroudsburg University graduate student (see on right), and our Project field assistant, Zach Bordner (below). Myself, Laurie Goodrich, and Hawk Mountain trainee, Chien-Hung Yang are also observing once a week. 

Zach observing nest - June 2014

We are conducting observations at four nest sites and hope to locate a fifth nest soon. When observing the nests, we sit fairly far away from the nest to avoid disturbing the incubating birds.  We use camouflage netting to hide ourselves, and write down prey deliveries and other behaviors.  

Todd and Rebecca review climbing equipment.

Rebecca has been busy working with Todd Bauman, Hawk Mountain Land and Facilities Manager, to practice tree-climbing.  They will work together to access nests when it comes time to tag the young hawks.  

We are grateful to Todd and other Facilities staff, Allen Kohn, Ryan Beltz, as well as Educator, Adam Carter, for assisting with behind the scenes work. Other key players include Chien-Hung and other Conservation Science Trainees, Javier and Melina, who have helped search for nest sites along with volunteers Lisa Schnell and Scott Morrison.  David Barber, Hawk Mountain GIS specialist, has produced field maps for our nest searching whenever we needed them.  Thank you everyone!

David Barber with newly banded Striated Caracara.

Incubation is in full effect!

Observations

We have just started our second week of observations. Last week was essentially 'practice' where we tested out data sheets and tried to find the perfect location to post up with the fieldscope so we did not alarm the birds. The female Broadwings are on eggs and spending the majority of the time incubating. Check out a few pictures taken on Friday, May 30th, 2014,  of what we presume to be the female from the Shartlesville nest.

 Notes from the Field:
  5/30/14- Shartlesville, PA- Observer: R. McCabe

  Cloudy, 55°F    Start time- 7:15     End time- 13:03 

      7:23- Male BW flies in South of the nest with prey in talons and perches on branch of neighboring tree (prey looks like small mammal- difficult to see from this angle). He calls to the female periodically as smaller birds attempt to mob. The female BW who is on the nest looks very alert but does not move or call back to the male. Male BW flies off with prey in talons at 7:28.

Looking down at the eggs

A view from the office :)

The female with a white patch on her throat

Staying Alert

Cameras

Ahhh the cameras... they have become quite the headache these past two months. We are intending to place cameras on two nest sites so we can get more extensive data on prey and behaviors. Cameras will be installed once young hatch.  But, there is always some sort of issue, whether it is the DVR, the monitor, specific adapters and cables that we need to buy. It is a good thing we have had some time to test out the equipment before putting it out in the field! We are currently working on the last piece to the puzzle, and hopefully by next week the eggs will have hatched and we can start the camera installations.

The Camera Set Up

Checking out the footage from our camera test conducted on the captive Black Vulture.

Tramsmitters

The units are in! David Barber, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Research Biologist, let the 9.5 gram solar platform transmitter terminal (PTT) soak up some sun this weekend. Dr. Laurie Goodrich and I were excited for their arrival and had to go check them out!

9.5 gram PTT Transmitter up close

Dr. Laurie Goodrich examining the satellite telemetry units