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.

Engaging Young Golfers with Landseer Communication Activity Books

Last week we received our order of activity books from Landseer Communications and we could not be happier.  We have been looking for some time for a way to engage younger golfers/people to the beauty and environmental stewardship opportunities that can be found on a golf course.  The activity books are extremely high quality with great illustrations and descriptions of the wildlife and projects that can be found at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  Simple and to the point these books will provide a guide or reference to the wildlife, birds, insects, and activities that can be found on our golf course.

One of the features in the activity books was a tribute to Eloise, our first female eagle that we lost last year.  This feature is a great way to highlight all the excitement and fun we had watching her and Elliott build their nest, raise their family, and bring a great deal of publicity and fame to our golf course.  It was heartbreaking to loose her as we did but she will be remembered by many for years to come through these books.

Another page area that we chose to feature is our Bobwhite quail restoration project which has turned out quite nice.  The quail are hard to see, as they are very elusive and don't like to be around people, but if you sit still out near #5 tee complex where they were released you might get lucky and hear them calling to each other.

There are 16 pages of coloring pages and activities, such as Nature Bingo, in our book which can give a preview of what someone can look for during their round or show off what all they found around the course.  The pages are individual and specific to each property with special write-ups to highlight information about the bird, insect, animal, or project.

Delphine Tseng is the owner of Landseer Communication, the designer and publisher of these great activity books.  She has a passion for the environment and getting young people involved in our sport and appreciating all the beauty and activities golf courses have to offer, and her level of enthusiasm can't be matched.  I would encourage anyone that wishes to create a fantastic community outreach project to contact Delphine or visit Landseer Communication at https://www.landseercc.com.

We will be distributing these activity books to school children during our The First Green field trips which we will be hosting this spring.  If you would like one we have placed a few up at the clubhouse with Robin. The Friends of Harrison Bay State Park also published a book for Harrison Bay State Park which is available at the Interpretive Center or the A-Frame at the park.  If you would like to give a small donation to help offset printing costs that would be much appreciated as well.

Triplets at the HBEC Nest for 2019

The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project has been a source of great joy and of sadness.  Last year we lost our original female Eloise (Remembering Eloise) leaving the nest empty for a while.  Throughout the spring three females tried to claim the nest and the handsome and dashing Elliott as their own, but it was not until our new female came along that a new HBEC queen could be crowned.

Our new queen of the nest has been named Athena and has taken over right where Eloise left off.  She has many of the same traits or characteristics that made us all fall in love with Eloise such as having a prominent brow which gives her a fierce look, to keeping airspace near the nest clear of any other females trying to stake their claim on her nest or her "man", to making sure Elliott knows exactly where the nesting material goes, no matter where he thinks it should.

On Tuesday afternoon 1/22/19 a little after 4:00 PM Athena laid her first egg at the Harrison Bay nest.  As with any eagle in the wild it is virtually impossible to know if this is her first egg every laid but she did struggle a bit which lead our expert moderators to speculate that it was.

Here is a video from our moderator Suzie-O which shows the laying process of egg #1

On Friday afternoon Athena laid her second egg which seemed to be a little easier on her.  Both her and Elliott have, and will, take turns caring for the eggs as they keep them warm and turn the eggs periodically to keep the embryo from sticking to the insides of the egg.  It is delicate process that makes many of use worry but we have to trust that the eagles know exactly what they are doing.

Well much to our surprise on Monday evening we were graced with a third egg from Athena.  Three eggs in a single nest is not completely uncommon but is rare and since the nest was constructed in the fall of 2010 Eloise had only ever laid two eggs at a single time.  We are very thrilled and excited about the opportunity to witness three eaglets being raised but it will also increase the need for food, shelter from the elements, and the inevitable sibling rivalries and bonking which will make all viewers uneasy and is the leading cause to hatchling death in a multiple egg nest.

As always we welcome everyone to join us in viewing the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project at

Harrison Bay Eagle Cam

We are still buttoning up some technical issues which will make the experience even better throughout the year.

We would like to thank our great moderators who operate the site and the cameras and keep all the chatters informed and in line.

We would also like to thank Golf Course Industry magazine, Aquatrols, and Syngenta US for their sponsorship of the project this year.  Without financial support from our friends this view into the life of a bald eagle nest would not be possible.

Soft Tees, Smooth Paths, and Short Skirts

It has been a great year at The Bay so far this year.  We had a sluggish start due to the harsh, prolonged winter weather that stretched into the spring but the course has rebounded in championship fashion.  The agronomy staff has been hard at work giving the course some extra TLC by aerifying weak areas, sodding areas that needed a quick recovery, and applying extra fertilizer and growth stimulants to the course.  We have also had some special projects going on that are making a huge impact on the playability and look of the course.



Deep Tine Aerification of Tees:  Our tee boxes are notorious for firming up during the hot summer months, so firm that it is difficult to get a tee in the ground.  This is due to the native clay soil they are constructed from with little to no sand base or incorporation of sand to help them stay soft and user friendly.  We have tried over the years to use our greens aerifier to cultivate the tee surfaces, removing cores and trying to work sand into the holes to help this issue.  The success has been very limited because our greens aerifier is designed for the soft features of the greens and not the hard clay base of the tee complexes.  So in order to remedy this issue we purchased a used Wiedenmann Terra Spike XP deep tine aerifier.  With this powerful machine we are able to use tines that penetrate deep into the soil surface to aerate the soil.  This time around we are using 3/4" solid tines that are 11 inches long on a 4" x 4" spacing allowing 8 inches of this tine will penetrate the surface.

Smoother Cart Paths Courtesy of Flatpaths:  You may have noticed that the ride around the course is much smoother in areas and some of the bumps in the cart paths no longer exist.  That is courtesy of Jim from Flatpaths, a company we contracted to grind back down areas of the cart paths where tree roots have buckled them up.  Jim did a great job and we hope to have him back out to finish the course the next time he is in the area.  This process was very quick, with limited debris, and was much, much more economical and less disruptive to the course compared to removing or resurfacing the cart paths throughout the course.

Native Grass Area Renovation:  We are very proud of our native grass areas on our course as they provide movement corridors and nesting/brooding habitats for the residents, help eliminate runoff contamination from the short turfgrass before reaching the waterways, and gives defined definition to the golf holes.  As with most things in life there comes a time when some renovation has to occur and for our native grass areas that time is now.  We usually only have to do this process every 3-4 years and it is a good thing because with close to 100 acres of low maintenance areas it takes quite some time.

The course looks quite different with her skirt down and there are many golf balls which have gone astray from their intended target that are getting a second chance at life, but the best part of the renovation project is this is the best time to disperse the seed from the native grasses that are present in these areas.  We want a variety of plant species in our native grass areas, not a monostand, as this improves the diversity of wildlife that can call the golf course home, gives different food sources at different times of the year, and looks more natural.  Bill is working hard to stay out of everyones way and get this project done.  The areas will be back to their glory in no time and we ask that you continue to obey the standing cart rule and not enter these areas with your cart.

We hope you have had a great year so far and we look forward to seeing you on the course.  

Bobwhite Quail Chicks are Busting Out

We have done a lot of environmental projects at Harrison Bay over the years but our Bobwhite Quail Restoration project has turned out to be one of the most fun, and it culminated today in the release of the chicks from their brooding chamber.  The project started back in April and you can review its beginning here Southern Bobwhite Quail Restoration project. We have had the chicks for 36 days and they have been in the brooding chamber for the past 24 days.  Today they were released to fly free.

The chicks started out about the size of a golf ball, if that, and have grown considerably in size over these last 36 days.  They have gained about four to five times their size and have grown in their flight feathers so it was time to let them loose into their new environment.  Our project started with 125 Bobwhite quail chicks and as of today 86 have survived and are thriving.  According to Bill the survival rate of most quail clutches is between 12-15% so our 68.8% survival rate is incredible.

Here is a video (turn on your volume) we put together of the 

Bobwhite Quail Restoration Project at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.   

(Videos are courtesy of Willie Hamby.  Photos by Paul Carter)

The release party was one of the coolest things I have experienced in quite some time.  To see the quail chicks take flight and/or strut around in the native grass areas was entertaining, inspiring, and gave us all a sense of satisfaction that the project had turned out so successful.

The project is far from over and we have more in store but it makes me think back to a classic episode of The Andy Griffith Show "Opie the Birdman" (Season 4, Episode 1) and a saying comes to mind.

The box seems sort of empty now...

but don't the fields sound nice and full.

Again we can't thank Bill Greene enough for his dedication and passion for our environmental programs.  The Bobwhite quail restoration project has been fun to implement.  We are proud to have a golf course with the natural habitat specially suited for these birds and we can't wait to watch them grow up and begin raising their own families on the course.  This group of birds should lay their first clutch of eggs toward the middle of July and will hopefully over the years cover the course.

If you are interested in introducing Bobwhite quail onto your golf course and if we can help in any way please contact us and we will be happy to put you in touch with the quail breeder, let you borrow the brooding chamber, or answer any questions we can.

Welcome to The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay 

Mr. and Mrs. Bobwhite Quail.  

We hope you enjoy your new home for many years to come.

Southern Bobwhite Quail Restoration Project--Earth Day 2018

Every day is Earth Day on a golf course and especially at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  Each year we try to determine an environmental or wildlife habitat need on our course and design a project or program to try and address this need.  For decades the habitat for the Southern Bobwhite Quail has been in constant decline.  This decline is caused by many issues.  As smaller farms, pasturelands, and grass-woodline areas have disappeared in favor of larger open farms and sprawling neighborhoods the habitat for these small game birds is becoming scarce.

Over the years we have drastically reduced the highly maintained turfgrass acreage on our course allowing these areas to return to a natural grassy stage.   These areas are perfect habitat for these small birds as they are small in size and close to water and wooded cover.  The project for this year was designed and carried out by Bill Greene.  Bill, an avid hunter and outdoorsman throughout his life, has a passion for wildlife conservation.  After some detailed research Bill started constructing a brooding chamber to hold the quail chicks until they are large enough to be released.  The chamber is 3'x8' and 12" tall with feed towers and a watering system installed.

Feed and grit will be placed in the feed towers and water placed in the watering barrel.  This supply of food and water will be enough to keep them for the 33 days then need to stay in the brooding chamber before being released into the wild.  1/4" wire mesh was installed in the front half of the brooding chamber with the back half of the chamber solid to allow the chicks an area to get out of any harsh sun, wind, or rain.

A layer of pine shavings are placed in the bottom of the chamber and the chicks released into the chamber.  As you can see in the picture, the chicks, which Bill is holding in his hands, are very small and quite fragile at this young age.  It will take close to a month for them to become strong and big enough to release into their new habitat.

Our plan was to have the chicks out in the brooding chamber long before this time. The unpredictable weather that has kept the south in what seems like a never ending winter has changed those plans.  Since the chicks are so small and fragile and the weather keeps fluctuating so much we have decided to keep the chick in a nesting area at the maintenance building under a heat light and with food and water until the weather regulates.  This will give them some extra time to grow and be ready to be placed in "the wild".

We are blessed to have employees like Bill Greene at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  Not only does he assist in maintaining the golf course grounds everyday but has taken a personal interest in the environmental projects and programs we have in place.  Bill took the time to research the needs of the quail, to speak with his  uncle who raises Bobwhite quail and to secure the donation of the game birds to our project.  If you see Bill out on the course (he will be the tall guy almost always wearing something promoting the Georgia Bulldogs) stop and speak with him and learn about the Bobwhite quail restoration project and say thanks to him for his commitment to the environment, our wildlife habitat programs, and to the golf course.

We are very lucky to be able to come to work on a golf course everyday, and even more for that golf course to be The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  Golf courses provide land that can be used in many ways.  For the golfers (humans) it provides a great place for exercise, stress release, and fellowship with friends and family.  For the wildlife and birds the golf course provides a home, a place where they can move and live and raise their families.


We hope that each of you have a fantastic Earth Day this year and remember that every day should be considered Earth Day.  Please do you part while on the golf course by keeping vehicles out of native grass areas, placing trash and cigarette butts where they are designed to go, and stopping from time to time and simply enjoying the wonderful sights and sounds of the course.

Remembering Eloise--The First Lady of HBEC

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Eloise, the original female bald eagle at the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project.  She was spotted on the nest cam Saturday with an injury under her right wing.  On Sunday Harrison Bay State Park rangers responded to a local land owner reporting an eagle in distress.  She was captured and taken to the University of Tennessee Veterinary College for treatment but did not survive her injuries.

We have, as viewers of HBEC, had the distinct pleasure of watching her care for her nest and territory.  From watching her direct her mate Elliott as to where each and every stick should be placed around the nest perimeter to carefully and delicately rolling her eggs and feeding her chicks without the slightest chance of injury to them with her razor sharp beak or talons to protecting her nest from predators or other eagles that would like to take over, it has been a true gift to witness this.

Since 2010 Eloise has laid 12 eggs of which 10 successfully hatched and fledged from our nest to take to the skies and fly free.  Along that path we have had several close calls or frights including the premature branching and fledging of HB5 which lead to a capture and rehabilitation stint at the American Eagle Foundation before being released back at the golf course.  HB5 Flies Free Again

Watching Eloise care for her eaglets was a tremendous honor.  There were so many times where she would shelter them from rain and snow and stay awake all night long to make sure they were safe and sound.  It has truly been a blessing to get to see this magnificent animal in its natural environment and she will not soon be forgotten.

As many of you may remember Eloise left the nest last year and was replaced by Eliza.  Why this happened no one knows and we feared the worst but hoped for the best and we were all thrilled when she returned this year to reclaim her rightful place as the queen of HBEC.

Photo by Bret Douglas

Our eagle cam is a glimpse into nature at its rawest form.  We have witnessed all the elements that makes life, life.  From birth to death, caring to pain,  anger to love, all of these elements have been on direct display and many of them hurt.  We will miss seeing Eloise "boss" Elliott around about where to place the "furnishings" around the nest, seeing her care for her eaglets in the tender caring way she did, and being taken back by that distinct, heavy browed stare she had.

The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam (http://harrisonbayeaglecam.org) will continue to function as an educational conduit to allow interested viewers to garner a view of an active bald eagle nest in the wild.  Elliott, as his natural instincts tell him to continue his species, has returned to the nest this afternoon with Eliza, the female that took Eloise's place last year.  We can only hope for continued success of the nest and for many more eaglets to be fledged in the years to come to fill the skies.

Photo by Bret Douglas

Fly Free Eloise

We will miss you dearly

Harrison Bay Eagle Cam 2017 Season Takes Flight

After a very frustrating season last year, HBEC Experiencing Technical Issues, where we lost all communication to the PTZ camera in the top of the tree.  We are happy to announce that after a lot of hard work on the part of a lot of people and a tremendous amount of patience by our supporters and chatters, the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project is back up and running.  We are hoping that this year will be much more successful and will not have the issues we have experienced in the past.

Earlier this fall Angelo came down to the course and removed all the equipment from the top of the tree.  The equipment was inspected for damage but none was found.  We can't really say why the camera stopped communicating but we believe it was a wiring issue going up the tree.  In the past the wires were not protected from things that could have damaged them like an animal chewing through them.  This year all cables were run in flexible conduit all the way from control box to camera.  We also purchased a secondary camera which is also mounted in the nest tree which will serve as a backup, complete with its own microphone and infrared light.  Live and learn!!!

We get asked a lot about what all it takes to provide this great and unique experience and it takes a lot.  It takes a lot of time, planning, work, and expertise.  To the right is a photo of the communication and power connections at the base of the tree.  There is a lot of stuff going on in this photo including fiber optic conversion, IP camera Power over Ethernet adapters, data switchers, microphone power injectors, and more.  This is not your average "plug and play" set up.  So if you want to start a streaming website program I am not discouraging you, I'm just letting you know you can't go down to your local Walmart and pick this package up.

So let's give some credit to the people that make this project work.  Matt Vawter, pictured with Mr. Jim Morgan of The Friends of Harrison Bay State Park, is a Park Ranger at Harrison Bay State Park and is the brains behind the entire project.  Without Matt being willing and able to create our website, determine which equipment was needed and how to make it all work, and be able to program the cameras to get out to the internet we would all be looking at a blank screen.  When you sit around your computer screen and enjoy the eaglets hatching out of their eggs it is because of Matt's hard work.

The other piece to the puzzle is Angelo Giansante. Angelo is the Park Manager at Hiwassee Ocoee Scenic River State Park and has been involved in the project since the beginning.  Angelo is in charge of installing and maintaining the cameras and everything else up in the top of the tree.  Without hesitation when we call and ask Angelo to come down and climb the 100' to the nest he never turns us down and says it is one of the best projects he's worked on.  So much like Matt when you are enjoying the sights and sounds of HBEC Angelo is a vital part of the project.

We are extremely happy to be back online and streaming and hope to have a much better year this year.  We have learned some very hard lessons over the year and although we are not the biggest eagle cam project out there, nor do we want to be, we do everything we can to provide this glimpse into the nesting life of a bald eagle family.

Again we want to thank all our loyal followers who have patiently waited for us to be back on line.  If you have not experienced this great project we encourage you to join us at www.harrisonbayeaglecam.org as we hopefully watch Elliott and Eliza lay a couple eggs and raise a new brood of bald eagles that will take to the skies.  

Spring Cleaning for the Wood Duck Boxes

For me personally I think the Southern Wood Duck is the most attractive bird we have on our golf course, except for our bald eagles of course. The population of the wood duck was greatly threatened in the late 1800's and early 1900's as detailed in Staus of the Wood Duck from Ducks Unlimited but has made a comeback.  Our belief in sharing the property our golf course sits on with the wildlife and waterfowl that call it "home" started a long time ago and we still hold that belief to be true today.

Several years ago we constructed 12 wood duck boxes which were placed in different areas near the water around the course.  The plans for these nesting boxes are really simple to make. This plan from Ducks Unlimited is some of the best I have seen. Wood Duck Nest Box Plans  So each year in the spring we go through the course and repair any damage to the boxes and install new bedding material (cedar shavings) to help the ducks out.  Wood ducks are extremely timid and will abandon nests built in tree knot holes if threatened so installing these nest boxes over the water where predators can't get to them give them a greater chance of nesting success.

Our wood duck boxes have been very successful over the years.  We have provided a safe and suitable nesting habitat for these waterfowl for just a very limited investment in material and time.  Installing these nest boxes has allowed for the wood duck population around our golf course to grow like the hatchlings in this photo.

Our next step might be to add a nest box cam so we can watch the nesting process and to continue to promote the environmental benefit of golf courses and the superintendents who manage them.

If we can assist or encourage any others to protect and promote the wood duck population please let us know.   Happy Birding!!!

HBEC is Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Since 2010 The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay has been blessed to be the home of a pair of American bald eagles.  With the addition of cameras, infrared lighting, and microphones over the past five years we have had the unbelievable pleasure of getting an up close and "birds eye" view of the nesting and brooding habits of Elliott and Eloise. Last years addition of the approach cam allowed us to get a different view of their activities.

The 2017 nesting season was to be an exciting and intriguing viewing season since we now have a new female eagle, Eliza A New Lady in HBEC . Lots of questions were in the air. Would Elliott take to the new female?  Would they make a good pair or was there a new male waiting to take over as well? How would Eliza's parenting style differ from Eloise?  Unfortunately we have not factual idea of what happened to Eloise and we continue to pray that she is okay and somewhere else raising a new family.

As fate would have it, and a reminder that you can't beat Mother Nature, the storms that came through our area in the beginning of December that helped to put out the raging wildfires also took out the electronics in the top of the nest tree.  We have lost communication with the HD PTZ cam, the infrared light, and the in tree microphone.  Basically everything that we need to continue enjoying the famous view of the HBEC nest is down and at this time can not be fixed.

Looks a little like HBSP Ranger Matt Vawter

So Fix-It Felix!!! If it was that easy, we would, but we can't.  The eagles have begun the nesting process and we cannot do anything that might disturb them based on the International Migratory Birds Treaty, and the Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle Protection Act (Act 16 U.S.C. 668-668C). Even if the Protection Act was not in place we still would not take any actions that would disturb them. It's just not the right thing to do.

So what is the plan?  Right now we are putting together a package to place a new camera at the ground level with infrared lights to light up the tree, along with a new microphone.  Will it be perfect or what we are used to? No, it will not but it will allow us to get a better view of the nest tree activities than we have now.  We are hopeful to have all the technology in place within the next two weeks so we can start streaming a better picture for you.  In the fall when we can do some maintenance on the cameras we will replace the PTZ camera and other items in the top of the tree and install backups so if this happens again we will not be in the same predicament.  

If you would like to help our project out and donate to the camera/tecnology replacement and upgrade campaign please visit the HBEC website www.harrisonbayeaglecam.org for different ways in which to donate.  Our project is completely funded by donations from our fabulous viewers so every penny helps.  All donations are tax deductible and we can provide you with any donation information you might need.  Matt will be placing a Fund Raiser page on the website soon with more detailed information about the components, timing, and need.

Thanks for your support of the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project.