Fraser Point eaglet, Victor, who had suffered from acute zinc toxicity and had been in care at the Ojai Raptor Centre in Ojai, California has been released today!
Absolute tears. Thank you to Dr Sharpe, his team and the great folks at the Ojai Raptor Centre for returning this amazing eaglet to the wild.
A special thank you to ‘B’ who sent me the wonderful news!!!!!!
Thank you to the Ojai Raptor Centre for their posting and video on their FB page where I took my screen captures.
I went to the UK as a Commonwealth Scholar in 1990 and received my PhD from the University of Leicester in 1993. After three decades of university teaching, I retired to devote my time to the study of raptor behaviour. I am particularly interested in Ospreys and am working on a long term project on third hatch survival and siblicide in these raptors. My blog is a result of a fascination with my local wildlife and the desire to encourage others to love and care for birds! I live on the Canadian Prairies and prior to the pandemic travelled a lot. I am questioning the use of aviation fuel at the moment as we all strive to help our planet. My early research was in politics and art including British public statues exported to Southeast Asia and Vietnam Resistors that contributed much to Canadian ceramics. Books and articles were published on those subjects over a period of 3 decades. Now I am working on books for children so they can learn about the challenges our raptors face.
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This has been such a wonderful story, seeing Victor unable to stand steadily on the Fraser Point nest, then fall to the ground and be rescued by Dr. Sharpe. Taken to the Ojai Raptor Center by Dr. Sharpe, Victor got such wonderful care at ORC, unable to stand at all at first, and now released to fly free. Many thanks to all who helped Victor. Wishing Victor a long and healthy life.
Thank you Mary Ann for this update on Victor! So happy for him and I
Pray he does well there. 🙏❤️
I didn’t know about when he would be released so this is such an exciting news to hear!
Have a great evening and we look forward to hearing from you tomorrow!
Linda
It is so wonderful! My great heroes are these rehabbers that work so hard to save the beautiful raptors like Victor and Little Bit. They are fantastic — and well, Dr Sharpe is nothing short of an angel for all that live on the Channel Islands. I wish Victor had a tracker – maybe he does and we don’t know? But I doubt it.
It is a fantastic story worthy of a book like Beauty and the Beak and Swoop and Soar. To see Victor fly so high out of that cage was simply magnificent. We won’t forget it…Victor and Little Bit 17 were so well taken care of – so glad they got that second chance, Bill. Hope to see Victor surprise us at the Channel Islands one day (maybe).
Reading your blogs is an important part of my life now! Love reading what is going on, and your knowledge is extraordinary! I followed Victor’s rescue and this makes my heart sing with joy that he is soaring the skies once again! Thank you Dr. Sharpe and team, Ojai Raptor Center and you, Mary Ann for keeping us informed of birds around the world!
Oh, thank you. I am so glad that you are enjoying them and learning a little something. The birds have become such an amazing part of so many lives and they bring us such utter joy — and frustration when we can’t reach in and help them immediately. Dr Sharpe is an angel for all the Channel Islands eagles. The wildlife rehabbers who work tirelessly out of donations (much less than the cameras often) give these wonderful birds a second chance at life, not giving up on them! It was magnificent seeing Victor fly (and Little Bit 17). Than you so much, Cindy, for writing in.
Great news, Mary Ann!! Thanks for letting us know. I hope he’s in a prey rich area and that he’ll quickly adapt to being free again. So glad he had such wonderful care and training!
Update on Collins Street: At 13:26:45 today with the female on the nest, a male flies up to the far end of the ledge and a few seconds later his head is visible. From 13:26:53 we get a good close-up of his face, which we can compare to our photos of the two males. I think there are noticeable differences in the way she interacts with each. And again, I wonder if comparing last year’s male’s vocals to the sounds from this year will tell us which male is which off-camera.
At 13:28:25, the male (obviously not last year’s dad) waddles down the ledge, mates with the mum as she lies brooding the eggs on the nest, and flies off! Not very gentlemanly of him. He didn’t even bring her dinner! This situation is seriously unstable. Not great for a mum who may soon have several new hatchlings. We can only wait, watch and hope for the best.
This has been such a wonderful story, seeing Victor unable to stand steadily on the Fraser Point nest, then fall to the ground and be rescued by Dr. Sharpe. Taken to the Ojai Raptor Center by Dr. Sharpe, Victor got such wonderful care at ORC, unable to stand at all at first, and now released to fly free. Many thanks to all who helped Victor. Wishing Victor a long and healthy life.
Thank you Mary Ann for this update on Victor! So happy for him and I
Pray he does well there. 🙏❤️
I didn’t know about when he would be released so this is such an exciting news to hear!
Have a great evening and we look forward to hearing from you tomorrow!
Linda
It is so wonderful! My great heroes are these rehabbers that work so hard to save the beautiful raptors like Victor and Little Bit. They are fantastic — and well, Dr Sharpe is nothing short of an angel for all that live on the Channel Islands. I wish Victor had a tracker – maybe he does and we don’t know? But I doubt it.
It is a fantastic story worthy of a book like Beauty and the Beak and Swoop and Soar. To see Victor fly so high out of that cage was simply magnificent. We won’t forget it…Victor and Little Bit 17 were so well taken care of – so glad they got that second chance, Bill. Hope to see Victor surprise us at the Channel Islands one day (maybe).
Reading your blogs is an important part of my life now! Love reading what is going on, and your knowledge is extraordinary! I followed Victor’s rescue and this makes my heart sing with joy that he is soaring the skies once again! Thank you Dr. Sharpe and team, Ojai Raptor Center and you, Mary Ann for keeping us informed of birds around the world!
Oh, thank you. I am so glad that you are enjoying them and learning a little something. The birds have become such an amazing part of so many lives and they bring us such utter joy — and frustration when we can’t reach in and help them immediately. Dr Sharpe is an angel for all the Channel Islands eagles. The wildlife rehabbers who work tirelessly out of donations (much less than the cameras often) give these wonderful birds a second chance at life, not giving up on them! It was magnificent seeing Victor fly (and Little Bit 17). Than you so much, Cindy, for writing in.
What a magnificent sight! Victor soaring high, flying free at last. TY for such wonderful news, Mary-Ann. Tears here too.
Great news, Mary Ann!! Thanks for letting us know. I hope he’s in a prey rich area and that he’ll quickly adapt to being free again. So glad he had such wonderful care and training!
Oh, goodness, it was so wonderful. Crying and jumping up and down at the same time.
Update on Collins Street: At 13:26:45 today with the female on the nest, a male flies up to the far end of the ledge and a few seconds later his head is visible. From 13:26:53 we get a good close-up of his face, which we can compare to our photos of the two males. I think there are noticeable differences in the way she interacts with each. And again, I wonder if comparing last year’s male’s vocals to the sounds from this year will tell us which male is which off-camera.
At 13:28:25, the male (obviously not last year’s dad) waddles down the ledge, mates with the mum as she lies brooding the eggs on the nest, and flies off! Not very gentlemanly of him. He didn’t even bring her dinner! This situation is seriously unstable. Not great for a mum who may soon have several new hatchlings. We can only wait, watch and hope for the best.