SNN (ScrollingNetworkNews) ✿ ✿ Our Mel and Sydney returned to their nesting box with plenty of bonding occurring..but after 2.5 months of Sydney in the box from Dec 2013 to mid Feb 2014, the lack of prey gifts from Mel ( perhaps due to the severe and historic drought underway in California)and they have forgone the nesting process this year as many other raptors ✿ Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents – often regarded as pests by humans – than possibly any other creature. ✿ We remind viewers that sometimes owlets may not survive - the parents will dispose of things in "The Owl Way" -viewer discretion is advised, this is nature and the "Owl way". ✿ ~ ✿ “Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.” ― Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals ✿ Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius." ~ E.O. Wilson

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

A steller Bird

Steller's Sea-eagle is the biggest bird in the genus Haliaeetus and is one of the largest raptors overall. Females typically weigh from 6.8 to 9 kilograms (15 to 20 lbs), while males are rather lighter with a weight range from 4.9 to 6 kilograms (11 to 13 lbs). At its average weight, the Steller's outweighs both the average Harpy and the average Philippine Eagles by over 0.5 kilograms (1.1 lb). An unverified record exists of a huge female, who apparently gorged on salmon, having weighed 12.7 kilograms (28 lbs). The Steller's Sea Eagle's length can range from 85 to 105 cm (33 to 41 in). The wingspan is from 1.95 to 2.5 m (6.4 to 8.2 ft) and each wing chord is 57–62 cm (22–24 in).
The Steller's sea eagle has the second largest median wingspan of any eagle. Both the wing chord and wingspan, at an average of 2.13 m (7.0 ft), are similar or slightly smaller than to those of the Steller's close relative the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) The Steller's Sea-eagle mainly feeds on fish. Favored prey include salmon , trout and cod. Like most Haliaeetus eagles, they hunt fish almost exclusively in shallow water. Relatively large numbers of these normally solitary birds can be seen congregating on particularly productive spawning rivers due to an abundant food supply. Besides fish, it also regularly preys on water-dwelling birds, including ducks, geese, swans, cranes, herons and gulls. After courtship, which usually occurs between February and March, the animals lay their first white-green eggs around April to May. Usually only one chick survives.