🚨 Cams Are Back-Chet is Not. New Eagle Sharing the Nest! - West End Nest of Thunder & Akecheta (2/2)
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- I do not want to misrepresent anything in this situation, but there are some challenges to providing detailed updates at this time. Here's what I can tell you...
The West End cams are back up as of this afternoon. It was about two weeks ago now that we last saw Akecheta. He was significantly injured following a territorial dispute. The cams went down by the next morning. I have personally believed from that point that we would be faced with a mystery that would never be solved, and that Akecheta's fate would never be known.
When the cams came up today, there was a lot of fog on the scene, making visibility a challenge. I have repeatedly stated that I am not an eagle ID whiz, but it's pretty easy when an eagle has huge tags, like Akecheta. We first saw an eagle in the nest. Viewers and mods seem to pretty much agree that this was NOT Akecheta. No tags were seen on this eagle. Some say they saw bands on the legs - others swear there are no bands. I don't see bands on this eagle myself, but my eyesight isn't the greatest.
Later, we see Thunder, perched and preening in one of her usual spots. She seems rather at ease.
In the final clips, through a thick veil of fog, we see two eagles. One is Thunder. The other does not appear to be Akecheta. This would likely be a sign of her "acceptance" (if not tolerance) of this eagle.
I'm not loving the way this all appears, as far as the future of our beloved West End pair, but we may never know what has actually taken place here, or what has happened to Akecheta. There are many more questions than answers, but we have to take solace in the confirmation that Thunder is okay. Now we watch - hoping for clearer, happier days - and maybe just maybe... some answers. Still time to hope for eggs for this nest this season, but that may be a bittersweet thought to those who love Akecheta so much. Always try to keep the bigger picture in focus, friends. It's hard - it hurts - I understand. This could be our third "replaced" eagle this season from the nests I cover. That's not something I am taking lightly, but we have to accept whatever unfolds - even if it remains somewhat of a mystery.
As a reminder, here are the prominent event dates from last season at the West nest
Eggs Laid: 1/30/24, 2/2/24, 2/5-6/24
Hatches: 3/9/24, 3/9/24, 3/12/24
Fledges: 6/3/24, 6/8/24, 6/9/24
You can review the complete playlist of my West End Eagles videos from the 2023/2024 season here: • West End Bald Eagle Ne...
Screen recordings from @ExploreLiveNatureCamsCalifornia
Visit the cam to check in on Thunder & Akecheta LIVE & follow their story....
(Please note: If there is no audio or poor/jarring audio on a cam or in a recording, I will add music. If there is nice, ambient sound throughout the clips, I'll leave it alone - no music. Always remember, you can mute the video if the music bothers you. This decision comes from considering the majority of comments & feedback.)
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I'm a longtime watcher of this nest. I'm so sad for Akecheta, he was such a great partner to Thunder and Dad to his eaglets. I have to remind myself that these are wild creatures and this is "the law of the jungle". It's ok to mourn Akecheta and support Thunder and her new mate.
This has been a very vibrant nest and last years crew of eaglets were characters for sure. It is a beautiful place and obviously perfect for eagles. We must understand that not too long ago all this life went on without us. So, projects with doctors and scientists were formed to save the eagles and hopefully bring them back from possible extinction due to mankind's misuse of chemicals that destroyed the eggs. This was all documented carefully by the moderators, and they had to watch year after year of broken eggs, dying chicks, and devastated parents. They have done a fine job; we know this because we now have been invited to watch the amazing comeback of eagle populations. Of course, there are many conflicts when an area is in such high demand. We have to decide if we can not bear to see it and stop watching and not complaining or be understanding that this is their life and good or bad, it must go on. They are compelled to exist, and we can not judge what we don't like about it.
As heartbreaking as the thought of Chet possibly being gone is I totally agree with your comment ❤
Life's cycle is no different for mother nature's as well we are all In this life cycle together
This is how it works with eagles . The same thing happened with Jackie and Mr. B . Shadow at the time was the intruder) and he had a fight with Mr.B and Shadow won. Mr. B left and Shadow took his place as Jackie's mate. The two have now been together ever since . While I'm sad for Akecheta if Thunder really was rejecting Akecheta suddenly then clearly there is something she knows that we do not . The fact it is breeding season could be the driving force behind her choosing to breed with Makaio. Either way we do not know where Akecheta is only that he was bleeding pretty bad after the fight . If he lost the last fight , I'd be surprised to see him win another one with Makaio . It is good to be positive but it is even better to be realistic about the world of eagles and other wildlife . It takes a strong person to watch this world in its rawness and stick around for the long haul .
TY for the update WoW, I'm so very sorry to hear this as it does not sound good 😢 That said, I'm gonna hold on to hope for a while longer 🙏 Beau from NEFL was missing for about 2 weeks early in the season after a dispute and came back with healing injuries. I pray we will see the same from Akecheta and he will retake his place by Thunder's side 🙏🙏🙏 I don't think I can bring myself to watch WE if he doesn't 😞 Im still very saddened by Abby's absence at EC 😞 May I ask what other couple had a partner change this season?
Claire at US Steel is the third. I know that many are taking the Chet situation pretty hard - myself included. Frankly, after Abby & Claire - and of course SWFL - I selfishly wanted a little break from the sad end of nature, for at least a bit. I'm working up a nice big batch of happy baby videos in the next day or so. Hoping that will help us all get a little positivity going again.
@WingsOfWhimsy Thank you WoW. I haven't been following them this season as I have far too many already, goodness. & Yes, it has been utterly heartbreaking 💔 We celebrate the joys with enthusiasm but oh how deeply the losses cut 💔
Thanku for this info but I’m soooo sad about this. I was terrified as to what was happening while cams were down. It won’t be the same without Chet😢 I wish ground crew could’ve gotten there to see if Chet was grounded and needed help. Guess this isn’t Disney and it’s not always possible to have a happy ending like that. I’m so disappointed
Feel the same. I've made the sad decision to stop watching this nest, at least for this season. It's just too hard imagining what happened to our beloved Chet. They were my first eagle couple and this is so hard. Crying just writing this...
@@QueenCeleste2 I’m so sorry I know it hurts. I’ve been watching eagle cams since 2018 and many times I thought, I can’t do this anymore. On the other hand it brings me much joy most of the time❤️🦅❤️
Indeed this really affected me. .loved Akecheta was following the nest mainly to see his actions so wholeheartedly
😢
It just seems hard to believe that Thunder could have bonded with a new eagle in just two weeks. Maybe this being the nesting season and her hormones pushed her, but I remember when Chet first showed up. He had to really work on winning her over.
It was very hard to tell anything with that pea soup fog today. Maybe this is Chet without his tags. Maybe the dark marks on his head are wounds from that bloody fight. I'm probably dreaming, but I don't want to let go of him just yet.
This eagle whoever it is . Does have one huge " scar ." OR brown stop on top of head ..looks kinda like a healing wond ...fingers crossed amd sending best wishes to CHET..
WOUND " sorry about misspelling "
I saw a post on Facebook shortly before the "fight" between Chet and the other eagle. Thunder appeared to be rejecting Chet, going as far as to eject him from the nest. I remembered being confused by her behavior, thinking it was maybe hormones, but maybe not.
This is the same eagle that was in the fight.
@kirstenj2583 if this could possibly be true .than female must have a VERY good reason for her behavior as we know wild creatures act on instinct ..not on human emotions..or maybe this " people " gossiping. " on lone " saw. Female eagle AFTER " the fight " amd she was rejecting THE NEW eagle on her nest not her old partner .BUT ....who really knows AS no human was there only the eagles .
this is the intruder ☹ really sad for akecheta he was a good father( I hope he recovered.😢
So sad, hopefully he shows up. But more attacks most likely happened. I had speculated that the cameras were shut down as to not show his demise on camera.
Chet was not saved. The People owner of channel, they did nothing and left him for Dead. I will not longer watch the west end channel
Agree, cams where purposely turned off and they gave excuse of “issues”.
How can you possibly know this? It's in a very remote area...I am going to remain optimistic for Akecheta until I get some sort of official word.
@@J.O.R_BR_OverclockingI had a feeling that they were turned off rather than an issue occurring
Первое, что я подумал- камеры отключены намеренно. Теперь я вижу, что не одинок в своём мнении. Бедный Akechta, он заслуживал, чтоб ему помогли. В конце концов, влияние (в плохом смысле) людей на природу огромно, и люди должны помогать там, где могут это сделать.
I remember how sad I felt when Superman, Thunder's first mate, disappeared 😢 😅
Thank you for your information.
I miss you, Akecheta! 😭😢
I'm sad that Chet is not here. I hope he is healthy 😢
sad to see this 😢 this is the nature actions. I hope ackcheta recovered
Your comments were so well said and helpful. Thank you!
So glad - Thank you!
Oh no! I know his injuries looked bad, I'm just 🙏 that he's just laying low, healing somewhere, just like Bella from NCTC did.
@simplycurlyde When Did Bella get Hurt?
@@lindaadelwerth8042 This was a few years ago, when I first started watching that nest. She was missing for a while, not sure how long, but I guess it was a while. She still had injuries when she came back.
@@simplycurlyde OK Ty! So then it was before I started watching.
It’s Nature in action.
Yeah I got on the Chat and it was said there would be no eggs this Season for Thunder. They are also saying that there was nothing ever said or any intention of anyone going up to check on Akecheta, I Know that to be Wrong. They said that they were only sending someone to work on the Cam. Hell they Could of Possibly Flew a Drone to see if they could locate Him. I'm Sorry But I Feel Like There Could of Been Some Effort Made. This Really Upsets Me That We May Never Know if Akecheta is Still Alive or Passed Away from His Injuries. I Saw that Other Eagle in The Nest and Its Big. They Are Saying It's Alot Bigger than Akecheta. If Thats The Case Then I Feel Like it's a Very Good Possibility that Akecheta May Have Not Made it From The Fight. I Too Am Having a Tough Time With The Changing of Mates at Some Nests This Season. I Know it Can Happen, Just Seems to Be Too Much of It. Sigh, Watching Eagles is Rough, Beautiful and Heartbreaking at The Same Time. Alot of Drama Too. Appreciate the Update!
The eagle could be from Alaska where the eagles are larger. The Alaskan males are about as large as the lower 48's females.
I hear you. Just to hard to watch mow.
@JoJo-JoJo-JoJo Hes Definitely a Big Boy
I definitely agree with you. They could have used drones to locate him and give us an update. It is a sad situation but I'm sure viewers would like to know the truth. Nature is cruel sometimes.
Oh my! That is so sad!! 😢💔
Oh no😢
I have a concern about some, two in particular, of these organizations, likely NPOs, that have these eagle cams. I watch the Two Harbors nest more than I watch this one, but I have concerns when I don't know what kind of money this organization brings in to provide these videos. Admittedly, from the public I can't imagine they get much. Is this organization getting funds from the government or from some university to maintain these nests? If so, absolutely no effort was made to help Akecheta in any way.
They simply turned off the cameras and told us over and over that the repair people would come out. The day that the repair people would come out kept getting extended to a later date. I realize that this is in a remote location.
My concern is what kind of money and from what sources does this organization receive its funding? Have they in some way not fulfilled their obligations? When we were not able to see the cameras, could they see that Chet was grounded? We have no way of knowing that answer. If he was grounded, they had a moral and possibly legal obligation to provide assistance. This clearly was not done. If they no longer have the means to provide assistance, then they need to allow another organization to step in that has the resources to provide assistance when needed and when lawful.
I even have screenshots of the chat where they were saying that they needed to hire a new biologist. There were chats where they were saying that Dr. Sharp had retired. All well and good, unless they had some sort of legal obligation for their funding to provide that biologist and their services. I have concerns that this organization is receiving government funding and not fulfilling its duties. Remember, this was a project to repopulate the Catalina Islands with bald eagles.
I hope that someone can look into the funding of this obviously non-profit organization and figure out if they have an obligation to provide a biologist on a regular basis. I wonder if they have upheld their responsibilities here. If you throw your hat in the ring and likely receive funding, possibly from government sources, to steward a nesting area, then you have an obligation to follow through.
This is not about saving somebody's feelings that might see something disturbing. Adults can turn off videos when they want. These videos can be labeled as not for children. The issue here is not about some types of people not having to feel, the issue here is about eagles being placed in locations where there are not trees, mostly rocks. The idea was to steward them to successfully make it in that environment. That is an ongoing obligation once you have begun with that task. My concern is the clear prevarications provided by the chat monitors about this incident. It smells fishy and does not look like they are making any effort to steward this nest any more. I would like to see how many people are actually on the payroll for this organization directly dealing with this nest. That includes everyone involved in the chats as well as any other biologists and support staff. It is far better to be honest with people and transparent than what this organization has done on this nest in this incident.
I know I'll be crucified for making this comment. I do not care! I care about the safety and well-being of these eagles. This organization brought them to the island. I know they likely won't, but they absolutely need to open their books and be very transparent about what their obligations are. I wish I had the time to pursue this. If I did, I certainly would.
🎉
Thanks for this post.
I think that, even if this doesn't give results in the short term, valuable criticism is better than constant and over the top praise, as I see in too many video comments.
I was very critic of the CROW management of the SWF nest desaster ( 2 eaglets dead ), and they had to explain their
Behavior. I touched a nerve. Maybe next time, they won't be so negligent.
Sorry for my English.
I totally agree with you. They did absolutely nothing . But turn the cameras off and that is so wrong, chet got no help what so ever. It pisses me off. So I will not watch anymore.!!!
@LaurieFloodTeacher. Extremely Well Said! Another one of My Biggest Problems is It was Said Someone Would Be Going to Check on Chet. A Few of Our Reputable Posters that Post Regularly About The Nest Said the Same Thing. I Got on the Chat Yesterday as Soon as I Found out that the Cam was back on Hoping to See Some News About Chet. Nothing Except still No Chet. So I Asked. I Was Plainly Told That It Was Never Said Someone Was Going to Check on Chet. And That It Was Never Said That Someone Was Going to Check on Him. I Know This to Be a Lie. I Am Extremely Mad and Very Disappointed that No Effort Was Made for Chet. They Told Me Not to Believe Everything I See on Social Media like fb, IG and X. Told Them I Don't Do Any of That. I Know From Tha Last Picture I Saw of Chet He Looked to Be in Pretty Bad Shape. That Male he Was Fighting is Huge.
@@rosehudson6583I'm done too
@@lindaadelwerth8042 I read that post it was very clear what it said. I was waiting for it. Yesterday someone said not to believe what you read on facebook etc. . it was not on facebook it was very clear it was posted on chat. Perhaps the poster was mistaken
Oh yeah, they definitely turned the cams off this nest when early morning hit, to make it “appear the cams had onsite technical issues “. Mods were confused when addressing to chat that other cams were going on the island but not this one. Chets bloody head was terribly concerning, being a bird owner and watching his physical behaviors, probability of recovering was very low. this was not a man made incident its nature taking course, so NO human intervention would be okayed.
Viewing nature in the raw is not edited or censored. If the live streams that want to do so, need to set their service settings to “children” and leave it. Otherwise quit forcing adults, who have control of their own actions, in a category of “we must be attentive to sensitive types, so we won’t show this part of nature” and make up an excuse as to why. If parents can’t control what their kid watches, its not other’s problem. If sensitive adults watch life uncensored, its not others problem when they “get the feels n hurts” can’t turn it off.
I totally agree with you. Chet couldn't have survived that severe wound and bleeding without a human intervention. And no intervention was allowed. From what I know, eagles have a high metabolic rate and can bleed very quickly from a severe wound like that. They also may not be able to clot blood fast enough to stop the bleeding. I feel that he was probably gone by the morning and that's when they turned off the cameras. As sad as it is and as much as it hurts knowing Chet didn't make it, I don't appreciate the way they've handled the situation with such a lack of transparency and feeding us stories about the cameras being down due to some imaginary technical issues. Very disappointing.
Is anyone going to possibly look in the area to see if he died? This was not what I wanted to see and hear!!!
at least we will all have an enclosure. He seemed badly hurt wonder how could he get food ? without food how could he heal? very very sad .
I've read nothing about plans to actively search for Akecheta. Some are choosing to believe he moved on. Some believe he passed away. Others believe he may still return. It's all a guess at this point & a wait-and-see. I hate it, personally. I like closure. Unfortunately Mother Nature isn't one to much care what we humans want or need, and the protocol at this nest - especially due to its location and terrain, I believe - is pretty much non-interference. They do band, however... so there's that. I don't know... this one is going to tug at me for a while. It's unfolded exactly as I feared & these cams just have a knack for going down when it hurts the most.
@@WingsOfWhimsy I don't watch this nest but I follow highlights here and there through UA-cam videos and Mary Ann Steggles' blog. I will say that watching these nest cams for several years now I've learned to live without closure, not just in nature but in my own life as well. These birds have taught me that. Never knowing where they migrate to, never knowing if they are still alive if they disappeared. That said, I am so sad for Akecheta. I hope he's all right, wherever he is. I've often wondered if birds ever think about former mates. That's something we will never know.
@WingsOfWhimsy thank you 💔
Thanks but this is terrible 😢 such a perfect pair raising 3 last year and then enjoying every minute with them. So sad. ❤
This one hit me like a brick to the face. I always say - I wish no ill will on any of the eagles of course, and I am certainly very happy for such a great rebound of the species, but these ripples in "our" little families are so painful. We can be happy for the WHOLE while mourning the HOLE that the individuals leave behind. ❤
Will the new Eagle get a name? Can they tell by injuries if this is the one Chet fought?
See my new video - Meet Makaio & read the video description. We know ALL about this eagle now. They are saying this is NOT the one who Chet fought - instead, the theory seems to be that this one (in whatever way) defeated/chased off Chet AND that eagle to win the nest & Thunder. I couldn't possibly confirm this, because I don't feel at all confident enough in trying to compare Makaio to the eagle we saw engaging Chet, so I can only share what I have seen being said.
Wasn't Chet the Eagle that was badly injured?😮😢
Yes
@tambramaggi5094 TY for the Identification, though 😔 😟,I think
Do they Have 2 Nests or Just 1?
Two, but they abandoned the previous nest. I believe they wanted more security, privacy & shade 😉
@JoJo-JoJo-JoJo I thought so but wasn't sure. Appreciate it!
Please review the legal restrictions placed onon human interference in the North American Migratory Bird Act. And perhaps more in federal law in the US Code. I am no lawyer or expert, but heve seen raptor rehabilitators and licensed falconers who are heartbroken because of the restrictions imposed by these laws. In addition, i keep seeing live cam chats reminding people that many children's classrooms are also watching these cams. Not everything is a conspiracy.