Bird Cams Around the World

Bev/SGB/Terka - Thank you for your coverage today. My day got crazy today.

So, Glenn S posted a response on the SFPGE Yahoo forum to a question regarding intervention... Here's his response:

I do not think there is a clear answer to this because of the unknowns. Who is to judge that he is "unable to care for the eyases?" What we would see is a young, or set of young, that he broods and then leaves to acquire food. At what point do we decide that they have been uncovered too long or are not getting enough food? For example, my "judgement" right now is that the eggs will not hatch. But what if I went out on the ledge and took the eggs and then discovered life within? No, in that case we need to wait until well after hatching should occur--my preference is one week--before we intervene. (And I will not do that until my permits are amended to allow such an unlikely intervention.)

The state and federal view is now that we have a population recovery, intervention is no longer necessary or permitted. In the case you bring up, I think it would be impossible to know that he was unable to care for the young until it was too late.

While we are on the topic, I do intervene in one case where there is a clear line: where nestlings are subjected to a lethal fledging environment. I have a permit for this spring only to take any young that may be produced on the Richardson Bay Bridge and supervise their soft-release (by hacking as was done successfully with thousands of young during the recovery effort) at a remote location. In that case we have perfectly healthy young that fledge straight into the bay and drown if we do not act.

Cher has been warming up slightly to the eggs. We have seen her quickly on and off them (I do not call that incubating). Perhaps the cries of hatched youngsters would be the stimulus she needs to fully engage in the nesting process by brooding while Dan is hunting? I am not predicting that is what will happen but the point is that it could happen and that we should not act in a way that would preclude such an outcome. --glenn@scpbrg

Well, a week is too long. I guess we do things different here.

I guess we wait, but if these hatch, I will not watch chicks starve. that is inexcusable, in this day and age

Just my thought. I know the laws o f nature but I have said from day 1, that if you have a cam up, and see something in harms way, you help. there is so much out there we cannot help. The day we cannot do that where I am is the day I quit.
I f you go for a walk and see something suffering, do you walk by. I do not and I know most biologists would not either.

this is going to happen more an d more.

And now I get down of f my soap box because I am just tired

0647 - Pull up cam and find Dan on the eggs.

SGB - I don't think anyone wants to see chicks starve, especially on live cam.

Not 100% sure here, and this is MY interpretation of the post: I think his reference to waiting a week after hatch is in regards to taking eggs - so hopefully not another 2012 Pa situation, and as Glenn commented, that would only be if his permit is amended.

And really, it is all about what he is *permitted* to do. If the agencies involved will not let him intervene in any situation, except the 1 specific bridge removal, I think his hands will be tied.

Sorry. I know it's not an easy situation.

8:53 - Cher comes into box area. Dan departs - eggs uncovered.

Cher works the scrape - eggs are all out of sorts. She laid down for a bit, but not on the eggs.

So, SGB, I think you are right, that might just be her way of testing the scrape.

She left at about 9:07/9:08.

Eggs are still uncovered.

Pics to go with the arrival/departure

Thanks SGB.

I'm going to be away from cams for few hours. We are starting some MAJOR spring cleaning projects around here this weekend and I've got to go get some stuff.

Well, it's sad to see her too, in there scraping. I hope the eggs don't hatch and they take them away, but I know for a fact that the Dunn male never sat on the eggs when it was his turn and they hatched. Of course he did feed them once they did hatch. I doubt that she will take care of them at all. And if they don't hatch and they do nothing, Dan will continue to incubate them for ages. Hard to see how this will be ok without intervention. Maybe they could give a chick to Clara, but not too many.

Cher