This picture shows our young eagle Kuyurnpa sitting
on her nest, the last time I saw her just under a week ago. I have now left the
field study area and have been keeping an eye on the satellite network to
monitor her progress. Two days ago, one GPS fix (at 4pm on 4th
November) showed a point about 100m from the nest, and 200m in the air,
indicating she may have made her first flight. But the rest of that day was
spent at the nest site, so was this a slight error in the GPS accuracy, or a
very quite test-flight!? Yesterday afternoon, though, the GPS showed a clear
path of waypoints to a site 160m from the nest, where our little girl roosted
for the night. And today she continued, flying from one perch tree to the next
and travelling a whole 370m from her nest site! By the looks of the last few
fixes, she roosted right on top of the ridgeline, a more prominent viewing
point than the nest itself. Here’s a quick look at the eaglet’s progress:
The moment has finally arrived – the bird
has flown! More updates on Kuyu's flight path after the next GPS download in 3
days.
How amazing is this research? Here in WA our own unique naturalist, putting himself out there in the name of science. This whole family of research scientists are of a similar clique, dedicated to the natural world, finding out its secrets. Keep up this wonderful work boy!!
ReplyDeleteWow THANKYOU! What a lovely comment, I really appreciate such positive feedback, this is just the sort of thing that keeps me firing along! Cheers :)
DeleteSimmo, very exciting to track a 'virgin' eagle from the moment it leaves its nest. Also wonderful to read your ongoing research narrative, which brings a human face to the scientific process. Peter Taylor
ReplyDeleteThanks Pete! Yes it is exciting to 'watch' her movements and picture her growing in confidence each day. Glad you like the personal stories too - I am a big fan of broadening the audience (to reach those not just interested in the science) through human story. Plus storytelling just comes naturally!
DeleteAny updates/progress on this interesting experiment?
ReplyDeleteYes the next updates are coming this weekend! Been a very busy last month but I'm working on them as we speak. Watch this space :)
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