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Catalina Update; Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Topic Started: Oct 28 2009, 02:58 PM (1,253 Views)
eaglegal
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Hi everybody,

Things continue to slow down on the island.
This week we’ve been doing a lot of office and video system work. The Tour for A49 is now available on our website, we hope you enjoy watching and exploring the areas where the eagles have visited and play around with the maps; it is a pretty neat program. http://www.iws.org/bald_eagles/A-49_Maps/A49tour_points.kmz

http://www.iws.org/bald_eagles/A46_Maps/A46tour_points.kmz

We have also been working on putting down some gravel on the outside of the enclosed to prepare for the rainy season. After my second day of shoveling gravel I went into the cages to feed the eagles and I took one step in and there I found a large rattlesnake coiled up rattling away nest to the golden’s water tub. I immediately stepped out, called Pete, who was coming back from Two Harbors, and between him and another friend they trapped the snake, which by this time had made its way into Pimu’s cage and it had a big, fat rat in its mouth when they caught it.
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This is not the first snake that we have found hanging out at the enclosures. We get calls all the times letting us know that they have seen a snake inside Pimu’s cage, now how many of them have been rattlesnakes, I’m not sure. In the last 3 years I have personally seen about 7 rattlers, either in the cages or near the large metal container where we keep out fishing gear and the freezer/fridge. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was cleaning and swiping inside the container when I lifted a plastic cover and found a live rat cornered by a rattlesnake. Again, I took a step back, closed the container and went and got help. They are pretty neat creatures despite the terrifying feeling they give you when you first see them.

In case you are wondering if the captive eagles are in any danger, the answer is probably not. Snakes are native to the island so the species do live in close proximity, also the eagles are normally perched high above ground where it’s safe. Our eagles are very well fed so I don’t think they would go after them, especially since it is not their favorite food item of choice in the wild.

That’s all I got for today, until next Wednesday,

Steffani
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Lauri
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Dear Steffani,

Oh, rats! I can't open the A-49 file. Do you have any info on what opens this type of file?

Thanks for the interesting "nature shots" from the aviary. I had my eye peeled for rattlers when we were up there except I was so excited to see the birds, I probably didn't pay as close attention as I should have.

Glad that there is no bad news this week and than all seems well in eagle land.

/auri
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SoCal Lady
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:}^ STEFFANI--- :8O: :8O: :8O: :8O:

You are very brave to take those photos, even though mr rattler has dinner in his mouth.

Oh, My Heart, you have been quite a lucky woman so far in these encounters, because you have come upon them unexpectedly--I think I have read that snakes want to get away from us as much as we do of them--but when startled there can be big trouble.

Enjoy the nice cool weather out there on beautiful Catalina, after all the heat you have trudged through in September. Continue to STAY SAFE.
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ojailala
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He looks like a rather large rattlesnake .. when I was there in the Spring, there was a note on the gate as we walked in with Peter that read: Carefull where you walk, large rattlesnake spotted today... so I was looking all around while I was there... great picture.. glad he had his mouth full and couldn't bite anyone rofl
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Topa Topa Hikers
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rattlesnake... :8O: with a large rat in it's mouth :wacko: :8O:
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JudyB
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Oh wow - you do have an exciting job, Steffani! :o

Thanks so much for the plots of A-49 and A-46's travels (they opened with Google Earth for me, Lauri - but I already had it installed to track the Loch Garten osprey). It's interesting that A-49/Cruz has pretty much stayed in California, while A-46/Stephen Jr has been up and down the coast - really shows how different they are. And it's apparently not completely genetics or gender - Cruz and A-64 Spirit have both seemed content to stay in the general area, while Limuw chose to roam. It will be interesting to see what patterns develop in a few years if (fingers crossed) we have more Santa Cruz eagles to track.
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Patti
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Looks like a big snake and a fat rat!!!!

Looking forward to the A-49 Tour and thank you for posting the link. Thank you, Steffani.
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ElaineRuth
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Dear Steffi, did you and Pete do the work on the Google maps? Whoever did, please accept my congratulations!! I know how much work went into that, just inputting the data. It is fabulous! I took the flight with our Cruz, A-49, and had that happy tingle in my stomach for the first time since she left her nest!! She is quite the tourist, isn't she. And it reminded me that we original members here missed our 3rd anniversary. That type of thing used to be a big thing with us. Did you ever see the photo of the guys on the island lifting a glass of IP at the same exact time as all the members here, in Hawaii, Canada and Australia!!!! It was great!
Thanks again for the map.
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bette
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I can't open either tour link.
Error message says the file "is either corrupted or it has an incorrect file type."
I also tried through the IWS forum, to no avail.
Any suggestions?
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summer818
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Thanks Steffani, I'm glad we didn't see Mr. Rattlesnake on our visit with Pimu! Eeek, the dead rat was enough, let a lone a rattler! Be careful, and I'm glad you call for help! Keep up the good work, and I too couldn't open Cruz's map. :o
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moving
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Hi,
For those, who can't open the links, I can't either, but I was able to determine they are ".kmz" files, which are used by Google Earth to make and view maps.

We can either download Google Earth or search for viewer software for this file type.

I've heard that Google Earth is an interesting and fun thing, so I might download that.... later. [:~D]

Good luck,
Jim
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harpo516
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Steff and Peter - awesome map - love that you can zoom in and get a "lay of the land" - great visual of their travels - thanks so much for the effort you certainly put into all of this - we really do appreciate it!

I've not had the pleasure of meeting a rattler on the trail or at Pimu's - whew! Gary did a couple years ago while hiking with his crew - seems as they were all sunning themselves together on a nice rock - :P so gary and the scouts just moved away and let the rattler have the rock to himself!

That's a mighty big snake and the nerve of him not to share with you - rofl so glad you saw him and that he was really too busy to bother with you. Always be safe ..... also glad to hear that the eagles wouldn't really be interested in him either -

As always - thanks for taking us along and sharing and certainly keeping us informed! Go Eagles and IWS :**: :soar:
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Naturegal
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Steffani :<S><: - You are one brave girl, that rattlesnake is huge. :8O:
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davetheagle
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there are rattlesnakes and copperheads in these shawangunk mountains of ny. i have never seen one, but i have seen plenty of copperheads. those are some good pictures.

up at the sydny nest in vancouver i think i remember someone posting a video of one of the adults feeding tiny and company a snake earlier this spring.

:soar:
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