Travel Updates for Destiny & Thunderbird
August 30, 2013
This blog documents significant observations regarding the journeys of Destiny (Patagial Tag L3) & Thunderbird (Patagial Tag K3).
Destiny and Thunderbird did not share their travel plans with us, but chances are, some of you might be in an area where they travel. If so, we welcome you to send photos and information if you see that the eagles are in your area.
New updates will be posted on this page.
On August 30, 2015, (this is the last confirmed sighting we have) AEF received an email and photo reporting a sighting of Destiny! The email stated: “While visiting Deer Creek State Park, OH I saw an impressive immature Bald Eagle perched on a tree near a point that we were headed over to to fish. I noticed that it had a tag (L3) and after some digging I found out it was a bird you guys released named Destiny. I was excited to find out her past and it seems that she is in good shape. She was a rather impressive figure perched on a tree that we floated close to in our canoe. Sadly, the only camera we had in the canoe was an old digital that takes blurry photos of most things at a distance, so I don’t have a decent photo, but I’m glad I got to find out who L3 is. Luckily we could see her tag so even though the photo was blurry we could tell the letter/number from our canoe. I saw that the last posting on your website was a sighting of her in February and I thought I’d let you know she’s still frequenting Deer Creek State Park.” Many thanks to Stephanie Flood for reporting this sighting!
On February 14, 2015, Destiny was spotted by Joshua Anderson just a few miles west of Chillicothy, Ohio. As you can see, Destiny is feeding on a deer carcass in a field. We appreciate this good news from Joshua, along with a photograph documenting the sighting.
On September 6, 2014, Destiny was seen in the Deer Creek State Park area again, this time carrying a fish! Carl Winstead reported that he had been watching at Deer Creek State Park when a young bald eagle stopped briefly on the beach. He took this photo as the eagle flew away. With the help of Google and the tag number, he found our Tracking page and identified the eagle! Many thanks to Carl reporting the sighting and including the photo!
On April 12, 2014 Destiny was sighted and photographed by Thomas Bowen over Deer Creek State Park Golf Course area in Mt. Sterling, Ohio. We are so grateful for this information and photo. Destiny looks majestic and has obviously been flourishing!
On September 15, 2013 we received the last “true” transmitter reading for Thunderbird. At that time, he was still in the Saginaw Bay Area of Lake Huron. Following that date, the transmitter was functioning, but it did not seem as if any distances were being covered from one day to the next. Shortly thereafter, on two separate occasions, thorough searches were made attempting to locate either the transmitter or Thunderbird using exact GPS markers from the last transmittal date. Although these attempts were unsuccessful, and we do not have an answer as to what happened, we will remain hopeful that Thunderbird is “out there” somewhere enjoying his life.
If anyone in that area sees an eagle with Patagial tag K3, be sure to contact the American Eagle Foundation.
Our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mike Baker, a moderator and zoomer for the AEF-sponsored Northeast Florida Eagle Nest Cam, and to Kyle Bagnall, Grant Clarkson, Steve Frisbee, and Sherry Clarkson from the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan—all volunteers who conducted a thorough Thunderbird search. Below are photos of the team that searched for Thunderbird, and the terrain where the last GPS location was given.
A Phragmite jungle of dense, swampy vegetation extending over vast acres of land made search extremely difficult.
Steve Frisbee from the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan works his way through the reeds.
Another volunteer, Kyle Bagnall, also from the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan, found the going very hard.
Sherry Clarkson, Grant Clarkson, Kyle Bagnall, Steve Frisbee, & Mike Baker - all volunteered to look for Thunderbird
Destiny – August 31, 2013
On September 6, 2013, The AEF received an email from Danny Bystrak (Wildlife Biologist, Bird Banding Lab, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center) with 2 photos attached of an immature eagle seen at Deer Creek State Park near Mount Sterling, Ohio. The individual reporting the sighting, James Duffield, stated: “[On Aug 31] I was facing the lake side of the dam with my 30X lens aimed at the dirt bank across from the dam. The eagle was sitting on a log or root sticking out of the bank. The second picture was taken a day later (Sept. 1) from the shore line below and to the right of the dam. The eagle was in a dead tree above the dirt bank 50 to 100 feet from the spot it was the day before.” After examining the photos, the tag clearly shows the number “3” – indicating a release date of 2013. The letter to the left of the “3” cannot be seen because feathers are in the way. The color of the tag identified it as being an eagle released by the American Eagle Foundation, and the left wing placement of the Patagial tag was further confirmation of the AEF connection. The photos are not clear enough to determine with certainty that the transmitter is still on the eagle or has fallen off, but there is enough information beyond that to say that it is indeed Destiny. This additional sighting, approximately 90 miles NE of where the last transmission was received, is good news indeed!
Destiny’s transmitter antenna can be seen in this photo.
August 27, 2013: Update and Sighting of Destiny
For reasons we are still investigating, Destiny’s GPS transmitter has stopped transmitting her location. August 21st is the date of her last transmission. After much detective work, however, we discovered that she was alive and well! She was spotted on Marsh Lake in Ohio on August 22nd (where her last marker lies) and photographed by a fisherman. The second image clearly shows her identifying patagial tag. We have reason to believe that her transmitter is permanently damaged, so we can only hope that we have future sightings to let us know she is growing strong!
Destiny sighted 8-22-13
August 26, 2013: Sighting of Thunderbird! We received an email that was cause for celebration.
“After a google search for eagle tag K3 I found your site. As you probably know, Thunderbird is still in the Saginaw Bay Area of Lake Huron (the inside of the thumb in Michigan). We saw the eagles fly to the top of our trees at the water edge of our property last night (the 24th of August) and walked out to see them. It was a surprise to see the tag on one but your effort seems pretty exciting. What you may not know is that Thunderbird was flying in along side one of the local adult eagles. We have 2-3 mature pairs that visit or woods on a regular basis. They were perched in two trees about 30 feet apart. When we walked out we were about 40 feet away from the base and although the adult left almost immediately, Thunderbird stayed into the evening. It is normal for the wild eagles to fly once you approach so it was unusual for the immature to stay so long. He had flown away by this morning but It looked like he was healthy when we saw him in the 24th. The local adult and fledglings hunt and fish out in front of us so I bet he is learning from the best. There are many wild pairs nesting in our area. We did not get a picture but if we spot him we will try so you can see his growth progress. Right now he seems alert and well nourished.”
Satellite Tracking on August 22, 2013
August 22, 2013: Thunderbird has left Destiny behind and is now hanging out on the shore of Lake Huron, very close to the Canadian border. Destiny is currently just north of Cincinnati. Since leaving the Douglas Lake area about August 13th, Thunderbird has traveled over 600 miles; Destiny about 300 miles.
Satellite tracking on August 15, 2013
August 15, 2013: Both Thunderbird and Destiny are winging their way North – they were over Kentucky today, flying about 26 mph at an altitude of about 260 ft! They are flying together.
The American Eagle Foundation cares for several disabled, captive Bald Eagle breeding pairs at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. Every Spring, these eagles lay eggs, and the AEF does the best job it can to make sure that healthy eaglets hatch! With limited human contact, the eaglets are raised to about 6-7 weeks of age and are then placed in the AEF’s Hack Tower on Douglas Lake in Tennessee. We want to acclimate our released eagles to typical bald eagle habitat where they have a chance to learn how to survive in the wild. The transfer to the hack tower needs to be made just before the eaglet(s) begins to peer downward to the ground and Park at about a 45 degree angle. They could then possibly see AEF staff placing food on the ground inside the aviary, so that the eagle parents can deliver it to the eaglets in the nest. This could easily result in the eaglet’s permanently associating humans as their food source, and thus not learning to fish for themselves, and therefore risk starving to death.
As of this year, the AEF has released over 130 captive-hatched Bald Eagles into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Destiny and Thunderbird are the FIRST AEF eaglets to be fitted with GPS Satellite Transmitters. We are very excited to track these beautiful creatures everywhere they go.
On August 2nd, the AEF and its most devoted “Chatters” gathered at the hack tower to watch these eaglets fledge their “nest.” All photos below courtesy of John Douglas Prickett.
The Fledgling
I hear a whispering in the wind
An ancient voice beckoning me to come
It unlocks a yearning deep inside
A primal memory of soaring freely
I lean into the wind and feel its power
I stretch my weak wings and feel its caress
The longing grows as the days march onward
I practice and practice anxiously waiting
The voice becomes stronger – urging me on
I face into the wind and I know – it is time
I flap with all there is within me
Suddenly I am free of the nest
I am where I was destined to be
I severed my earthly bonds
And became one with the wind.
©Evelynn Wings Pignataro, 2013 — reprinted with permission
(please no copy or share without author’s permission)
DESTINY & THUNDERBIRD RELEASED FROM HACK TOWER
Thunderbird was the first to fledge – Mr. Worth Miller, who now lives in Kodak, had the honor of naming the male bird. He named it Thunderbird after his Army unit in World War II. Mr. Miller was captured in Italy by German forces and spent 14 months in captivity. Thunderbird is a male eagle, with Patagial tag K3. His fledge weight was 9.5 lbs.
Thunderbird
Thunderbird
Thunderbird
Destiny made a successful flight in private – after the crowd had gone. While everyone watched, she put on quite a show, dazzling the crowd with her awesome wing spread, enthusiastic flapping, and hops from one pole to the other! She is a female eagle, known affectionately in the nest as “Rail Baby” because she was the first to perch on the side of the nest. Chatter Laurie Yancey (Raidwoman) from Albuquerque, NM, and the Pre-kindergarten Class at The Family Center at Dollar General – Bright Horizons Family Solutions both chose the name “Destiny,” which was selected as the winner. Her fledge weight was 11.5 lbs, and she wears Patagial Tag L3.
Destiny
Destiny
Destiny