Harrison Bay Eaglets HB15 and HB16 Hatch

If you have not heard by now, we have two new residents at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  HB15, hatched on 4/15/20, and HB16, hatched on 4/18/20, have joined the family.  We are about a month behind schedule due to the tree and nest hoping that occurred earlier this year but we are happy they are here; happy and healthy.

We got our first look at HB15 early on Wednesday morning when Elliott, ready to see his kid, rolled HB15 out of his half open egg. Sometimes a parent just has to give their child a nudge. As you can see in the picture HB15 is ready to eat and grow up to be big and strong.

Here is a good look at the pip in HB16's egg.  The eaglet has a sharp egg tooth on the top of its beak which it will use to scratch the inside of the egg to create a small hole.  From there it is a continuous process of breaking out small pieces of the egg until the hatch occurs.





So we are happy to welcome our newest residents to the property.  Congratulations to Athena and Elliott on this years brood and we are hoping for many more years to come.

Of course sibling rivalries happen in every household and even day old eaglets have their disagreements.  This is a common occurrence in nests and rarely results in harm or damage to the eaglets.  It is a sign of dominance over the other eaglet to ensure one is fed first.  I am confident HB16 will not let HB15 get away with this much longer as he/she gains strength and confidence.


I would like to thank Sue Yungwirth and Pamela Crosby, two long time moderators for HBEC, for the great screen captures used in this blog.

We are very sorry that we can not provide you with a streaming service of the nest this year.  The best  location for updates and pictures/videos of the nest will be either on the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HarrisonBayEagleCam/  or The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay Twitter page https://twitter.com/BearTraceHB

We will do all we can to keep you up to date on the nest activities and the growth and health of HB15/16 as we can.

Eloise Lays HB9 and HB10

It is hard to believe that our Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project is now five years old and what a fantastic and amazing journey the past five years have been.  We have been so blessed to watch, and allow others around the world to watch, Eloise and Elliott raise their young over the years and this year's excitement is well under way.  On Wednesday night, January 27, at 5:52 PM Eloise laid HB9 much to the surprise of most as this is about two weeks before the normal laying time.

Then on Saturday night, January 30, at 6:55 PM Eloise laid her second egg of the 2016 season which makes it HB10.  Two eggs is the normal number of eggs to be laid from this pair and we hope that they will complete their hatching cycle and be healthy eaglets ready to take that great leap into the world.

So just like the US Postal Service, Elliott and Eloise will be on watch through rain, snow, sleet, fog, sun, and dark of night.  It will take, on average, 35 days and then we will be on "Hatch Watch" and then an additional 8 weeks before our little eaglets will be ready to join their parents for a quick fly over of the golf course.

We welcome everyone to join our eagle family and get an unclose and personal experience of life and love in a bald eagle nest.  You will likely witness Eloise sheltering the eggs/eaglets from rain and snow, Elliott providing multiple meals for his family, sibling rivalry between the hungry and growing eaglets, and the tenderness and love of Elliott and Eloise as the carefully roll the eggs, feed the eaglets, and coax them to leave the nest.

This project continues to show how golf courses can be an environmental sanctuary and a great place for many forms of wildlife to raise their families.  We, at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, strongly believe that we have a responsibility to the wildlife that call our golf course "home" to protect and preserve their habitat and we hope that we can show that dedication to everyone around the world through this project.  The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project can be viewed at www.harrisonbayeaglecam.org.  Tell your friends, your children's teachers, and any one else you can think of to visit us and get a view of our eagles.

Harrison Bay Eagle Cam goes High Def and More

The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project is beginning it's fifth season with some new additions and improvements.  Each year we have tried to upgrade the experience of watching Elliott and Eloise raise their young.  This year we have upgraded our broadcast to High Def which will allow us to see the details of the eggs, the eaglets, and at times, unfortunately, what is for dinner.  The details of the feathers and other features really pop with this new addition.

The other addition/improvement to the project is the addition of an Approach Cam which our faithful viewers and supporters raised enough money to fund last year.  This camera which is located near the ground looking up at the nest will give us a view of the eagles flying in and out of the nest and moving around in the top of the trees.  We have some more adjustments and fine focusing to do on the approach cam but this has already been fun to watch.

The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project, which can be viewed at www.harrisonbayeaglecam.org, is a great project that we have a lot of fun with.  The project was begun to allow us to watch "real time" life in a bald eagles nest but also to show how a properly managed golf course can not only be a place of enjoyment for golfers but also provide a safe and suitable habitat for wildlife to live and raise their young.  Over the years we have had over a million viewers view our project from all over the world.  We hope that everyone who logs on will enjoy the project for what it was designed for and we thank you for your continued support and funding.

Harrison Bay Eaglet Injury Update

One thing about working on a golf course is that you never know what the day will bring.  Harrison Bay is usually not a boring place to work and yesterday was no exception.  After a message from one of our Harrison Bay Eagle Cam moderators about one of the eaglets not returning to the nest the previous night I went to see if it was just out of camera range and found that it was no where to be seen.



The eaglet was located by our golf course staff around noon but it was unable to fly and could only hop around on the ground. It made its way into a very thick area of blackberry bushes for shelter.  Members of our golf course maintenance staff along with Harrison Bay State Park rangers corralled the eaglet and safely placed it in a box for transport to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.


The great people at the UTCVM examined the eaglet and found that no bones were broken, as was feared, but that the eaglet had multiple lacerations on its right wing and that flies had begun to lay eggs in the cuts.  The eggs were estimated to be about 12 hours old and we were told that if the eaglet had not been captured and taken to UTCVM that it would have most likely died within the next 12 hours.

The picture to the left shows the left wing of the eaglet which is not injured and is perfectly healthy.

This picture shows the injured right wing of the eaglet.  The "whitish" area around the elbow is the fly egg sacks that had been laid in the lacerations on the eaglets wing.  Also notice the swelling in the elbow and the torn feather ligaments.  It is most likely that the injury occurred in the tree while the eaglet was moving from branch to branch and once the infection took hold and the eaglet could not use its wing properly, it could not return to the nest and either slipped or fell from the tree.




 
We are extremely grateful to Dr. Cheryl Greenacre and everyone else at the UTCVM for taking such quick action to care for the eaglet.  They will tend to the eaglet for a few days to make sure the wounds are closed and any infection is gone. You can view the rehabilitation process at www.facebook.com/UTCVM. We are hoping to be able to work with the American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge, TN to have them rehab the eaglet in one of their large aviaries until it can successfully fly.  At that time it is our utmost desire to return it to Harrison Bay for release.

The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project has taken on a life of its own over the years with people from around the world tuning in to see the birth and growth of the eagles.  The eagles feel like family now and we hate to see them hurting or in danger but I am glad that we have so many people willing to go out of their way to help them survive.  Thanks to all of the Bear Trace staff, the Harrison Bay State Park rangers, and the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine personnel for all your dedication and hard work.

Aerification and Wildlife

 Our first aerification of the year will begin on Tuesday morning.  We will be verticutting the greens, topdressing them, and then pulling a small 3/8" core.  We will do the back nine on Tuesday and the front nine on Wednesday.  With the topdressing and the rolling the greens should still putt just fine.  Hoping for some good weather so they will heal in quickly.

 Our bald eagles have had a tremendously successful year this year.  It has been great to watch the little eaglets grow up to be as big as their parents in just these short eight weeks.  The video stream has been viewed by close to 200,000 different viewers in 70 different countries.  Plans are already in the works to improve our project for next year.

The eaglets are almost ready for their maiden flight into the great blue yonder.  Here is a picture of one of the little ones "branching" out on a limb.  As with most siblings, one is more adventurous than the other but they are both doing fine.  A special thanks to USGA and the Friends Group of Harrison Bay, as well as our other sponsors for making the project possible again this year.

In addition to the eaglets we have some more new additions to the wildlife population at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  These two little foxes were seen playing on a fallen tree between #1 and #8 green.  They were fun to watch as they played around and tried to figure out their new world.  Welcome to the family, little ones.

Two Eaglets Have Arrived

We are thrilled and blessed to announce the hatching of two eaglets at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  The first eaglet arrived on Wed. March 20, 2013 around 7:30 AM and the second arrived Thurs. March 21, 2013 around 7:30 PM.  Both eaglets appear to be strong, healthy, and thriving.  This is great news, especially considering the failure of the two eggs last year.

This is a video of the first eaglet hatching.  What a wonderful site.

Feeding time this afternoon.

I can not thank the United States Golf Association and the Friends of Harrison Bay State Park for their funding and support.  Without these great sponsors this project would not be possible.

Hope everyone is enjoying this awesome site.

Expected Hatch Date is Quickly Approaching

March 17th is quickly approaching.  What is so special about March 17th you might ask?  Well it is the expected date for the much anticipated hatching of the first egg Eloise laid on February 10th.  Hopefully a few days later little brother or sister will emerge from the second egg which was laid on February 13.

Both Elliott and Eloise have been very busy and attentive parents this year, with Eloise taking the brunt of the parental duties.  She has stayed on the nest through bitter cold temperatures, driving rain, and wind storms that have swayed the treetop enough to make some viewers feel ill.  After last years sad and disappointing failure of the two eggs laid we are praying for a happy and successful hatching and fledging of the two eaglets.

It has been great to see the attention the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project has received this year and we are very appreciative of all the articles, email and Facebook passes, and tweets that everyone has sent out.  It has been especially thrilling to see entities such as TurfNet, The Golf Channel, and USGA spread the word about the project, along with emails and tweets from organizations such as Audubon International and GCSAA. 

Here is a photo my mom sent me of some eagles having a "family reunion" in Homer, Alaska.  Don't know if we will ever have this many eagles at Harrison Bay but we can hope. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear Trace at Harrison Bay Honored with Governor's Environmental Pursuit of Excellence Award

We just received some great news that the golf course has been awarded the Pursuit of Excellence Award from the State of Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards program.  This award is presented to previous winners of the GESA, which we were fortunate to receive in 2009, who have continued to implement programs and improve their environmental stewardship activities.

2012 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards Announced

Individuals, Organizations and Projects Honored for Achievements

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced the winners of the 2012 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards today. The 11 winners will be recognized for their achievements and positive impact on the state’s natural resources in an awards ceremony to be held in Nashville on August 24.

 

 

“From implementing innovative new technology to environmentally friendly building practices to community members simply supporting one another, the honorees announced today once again demonstrate that Tennessee businesses, local governments, schools and everyday citizens are committed to healthier and more sustainable communities,” Haslam said.

 

Complete 2012 GESA Winners Press Release

I am very proud of all my staff members who help are dedicated and involved in the environmental programs we are undertaking at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  It has always been our goal with our Environmental Partnership Initiative to balance the needs of the golf course with the needs of the wildlife which call the property home in such a way that one can not tell the two apart.  With our turkey feeders, our blue bird trail, the naturalized areas around the course, and our good Bald Eagle friends, Elliott and Eloise, we feel we are accomplishing our goal everyday.

Eagle Cam and Mallard Duck Webcast

As many of our faithful followers know, our environmental programs at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay are extremely important to us and the success of our golf course.  Several months ago Bill and Mitch built seven new mallard duck nesting tubes and installed them in the irrigation lake on #11 green.  We were pleased that the fine folks at the United States Golf Association Green Section saw the blog post and requested we record a webcast about the project.  Another great way to promote the environment, so I jumped on board.  Below is a copy of the USGA webcast. 

And as if the great people at TurfNet have not done enough for me and The Bear Trace already they have put together a video about the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project and are continuing to add informative articles to keep the TurfNet readers up to date.

A Project for the Birds--TurfNet

Eagle Cam Video--TurfNet

I do want to let everyone know that one of the eagle eggs has been discarded from the nest. Eloise moved the egg out of the nest on Friday morning.  We were all very sad and disappointed but spirits were lifted on Friday evening when the remaining egg began to crack open and our newest eagle at Harrison Bay began the hatching process which can take up to a day to complete.  We are very much looking forward to seeing the little one grow up and take flight.  As I am typing this it is raining outside and like a good mother Eloise is sitting contently on the nest keeping her little one dry and warm. 

And contrary to popular belief we do more than just take care of the "zoo".  We were able to complete the bunker renovation on the large greenside bunker on #12.  We have plans to renovate the small greenside bunker on #12 and the two rear greenside bunkers on #15 before the heavy play season begins, if it hasn't already.

The greens have come out of winter dormancy in great shape this year.  We have begun the process of lowering the heights and will begin our light topdressing program in the next few weeks.  Fairways, tees, and approaches have all been cut down and we will continue to spray the Poa in the roughs throughout the rest of March.  Hope everyone had a great winter break and are ready for some warm weather and great golf.

Winter is Almost Gone

Wow time is flying by.  We have had some great weather in Chattanooga this winter.  We have been blessed with warmer than usual temperatures and moderate rainfall.  All that has lead to us having the best January in our existance and putting us on pace to have our best year of golf rounds yet.  The crew has been working hard to get the remaining bunkers on the back nine renovated and we are down to only 7 more that we are planning on fixing before spring hits.  With this weather trend though it might be here sooner than we want.

Our other big project for the winter, the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam, is off and running also.  We have had a great amount of publicity about it in local and state papers and in a recent article "Eagle Eye" in GCSAA's monthly publication Golf Course Management .  I am so thankful for all our sponsors on this project and all the assistance I have gotten from fellow State of Tennessee employees and vendors in Chattanooga.  This project is going to be another great way for us to show how golf courses can be beneficial to the environment and wildlife.

Eloise has laid two eggs to date, one on Feb. 11 and one on Feb. 14.  Normal schedule will have the eggs hatching around the middle of March so stay tuned.

2011 Is In the Rearview Mirror

As 2011 comes to an end and I look back at a very successful year at Harrison Bay I have to say I am very pleased with all that we have accomplished this year.  It has been a little over a year since I started this blog and it has been fun to show you what is going on at the golf course.  Our golf course maintenance staff has made several improvements to the golf course this year including the renovation of the front nine greenside bunkers, providing better putting surfaces with the addition of John Deere Walking Greens Mowers to our fleet, irrigation renovation to some of the greens, beginning the renovation process of the native grass areas on the course, and improving and expanding our environmental stewardship activites.  My crew is very dedicated to the golf course and I have to express my pride in thier work.

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2012 looks to be another exciting year at Harrison Bay.  Our Eagle Cam Project should be up and running soon, the renovation project of the back nine greenside bunkers is in full swing, we will continue renovating the irrigation around some of the greens, renovation of the native grass areas will take place during the summer, and we are going to add some mallard duck nesting tubes to our environmental conservation program in the next few months.  All in all 2012 should be an exciting and busy time at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  We hope everyone enjoys the improvements that we are making to the golf course and if you have any questions or comments about what we are trying to accomplish here just let us know.  Hope to see everyone at the Trace in 2012.  Happy New Year!!!

 

Sample Video of the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam

We are just days away from going live with the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam, just a few additions to the setup and we will be up and running.  The eagles returned to the nest yesterday morning and took up to cleaning and straightening the nest like they had never been gone.  I took the video below with my regular camera but it can give everyone an idea of what is to come when we go live.

Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project

Photo by Bret Rogers

For close to a year now I have been dreaming and working toward placing a camera in the tree above our bald eagle nest.  The camera will allow us to view the activities in the nest and will provide us with a view that not many people have the privilege to see.  I feel honored and blessed that the eagles have trusted our golf course as a suitable place to raise their family and we are taking every step necessary not to disturb them during the process of this project.

The project started by visiting some other bald eagle cams on the web and wondering why we couldn't do that.  It has taken almost a year worth of research and planning but we are oh so close.  The project is funded by the Friends of Harrison Bay State Park, the United States Golf Association Green Section, and the East and Middle Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Associations.  I am extremely grateful and thankful for the support from these organizations and am so excited about getting this project off the ground. 

Photo of first juvenile eagle last year

Dave Leff of Horizon Electronics has worked tirelessly to research and recommend the best camera setup for the project.  We have decided to place two stationary cameras at different angles in the tree which will provided us with 24 hour viewing of activities in and around the nest.

Live web streaming of the eagles nest will be visible at our website http://www.harrisonbayeaglecam.org/ and on the blog http://hbspeaglecam.blogspot.com/.  Give us a little time to get things up and running.  We hope to have the streaming video available by mid December so we can all enjoy the building of the nest, the laying and hatching of the eggs, and the fledging of the baby eagles.  As time goes on and we hopefully gain valuable footage and information about the eagles we will post information on Twitter and Facebook.

As you can imagine this project is very involved and I can not thank the volunteers that have given their time, expertise and financial support to get this project off the ground.

The goal of this project is to continue to show interested individuals that golf courses are good for the environment and if maintained and managed properly can be an environmental asset.  We hope you like the project and ask for your prayers and support for its success.