The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[Wneighbor]

This seems to have been a sleepy day in the Hobbit Hole. Or maybe it's just me. Everytime I'm here, nobody else seems to be.

It's about time to go to church though. So, I guess I'll see everybody when I get back.

[Overtaxed]

Yes. Seems sleepy to me too. Think I'll rake the gumballs off the front walk while it's still daylight.

[2Jedismom]

Let me know when they start pipping and I'll start making phone calls. I asked 3 families, but will be surprised if they all really show. We'll meet at Doc's Country Mart...how is that?

Even if we see nothing but a bit of pipping, that would be good. Thank you so much for the invitation!

[Corin Stormhands]

This seems to have been a sleepy day in the Hobbit Hole.

Are you kiddin'? I was all over FR today...fightin' Balrogs, standin nekkid in hotel lobbies...no, wait that weren't me...honest...

Sleepy day. Hah!

[SuziQ]

I was just checking out that Eagle nest and I still see the unhatched egg, but I have YET to see the Eaglet. I see one of the eagles sitting on the branch; maybe the new male? I haven't seen the female on the nest both times I checked today, about mid-morning and just now. Looks like she's having to do all the food gathering etc.

[JenB]

Hi Suzi!

I got to go biking after all. It's getting easier. I had fun. Now it's getting dark and I'm ready to relax just a little...

[HairOfTheDog]

I have been seeing the same thing Suzi..... so I went and checked the message board for the Eagle cam ( The Kent Eagle Forum )...

The baby is gone. This is a sortof synopsis from the owners of the house 'down under' the nest:

Life is hard and comes with so many ups and downs. On April 9th we were wondering if Star was ever going to lay any eggs. We started believing that the new male was not getting the job done. Egg laying was late and she had never been this late before. Then very early in the morning on April 11th the first egg, finally! We all jumped with joy and excitement. When the second day after she laid the first egg was here and no egg appeared, we were all sad there would only be one this year. Then late in the evening on April 13th, Star produced her second egg. Once again we all jumped for joy! We are going to have a good year!

Then disbelief began to set in; something seemed to be very wrong here! We all watched in dismay as this new mate was not following suit, not sharing the egg sitting duties and not delivering food to Star during her brooding time. Most unusual compared to what we have been accustomed to viewing. She seemed to handle it although the eggs were left during a few of our cooler days and some days with drizzling rain. At one point, up to 2 hours and 20 minutes. Other periods at times were nearly that long but we had to consider the (her) options... no food, no mom, no babies at all.

At that point, we were very discouraged yet keeping a positive outlook because there is no biological data referencing this particular situation. Many of you were sending us your experiences and it was welcome except sadness set in again because that information told us the eggs most likely would not hatch. If they did it would be the “miracle of the century”. Low and behold, that miracle became a reality! On May 21st a small hole appeared and we all started getting excited again! Wonderful news! On May 22, that hole changed to a crack, on May 23 the crack changed to an even larger split in the shell and on May 24 the first eagle chick hatched and appropriately given the name “Miracle”.

Once again we were all elated and danced with joy! We now have the start of another good year of watching Star raise yet another family to soar the skies overhead. We would all watch as the babies grow, learn to stand, learn to walk with those big feet, grow feathers and develop character, and the fight and play. One of the best parts...to watch them take their first jump (plunge or fall if you will) to flight to soar high over our heads while we watch in awe of these beautiful, majestic birds.

On May 25th late in the afternoon this little “Miracle” stopped moving. Star went out and returned with a large clump of grass, covered both the egg and the chick and sat on them as if to keep them warm. Through the night it poured rain and we envisioned seeing that protective momma cover her family like she always had while waiting for the other egg to hatch. First thing in the morning we checked to see how things were going but this morning the baby was gone and the second egg sits alone.

We are sorry to have to break this news to you all. After last Saturday mornings’ full emergence of that cute little fluff ball, we felt we would have a much different outcome to write about. This has been one of the hardest updates we’ve ever written. Although, as we’ve always stated: “Mother Nature has control. It’s all in her hands and she can sometimes be very cruel.” This is one of those times we had hoped we’d never have to experience. Inevitably as you all know, it happens.

From Loraine, Garry, Star and Clueless [heh... they named the new male 'clueless'] We bid a sad heartfelt goodbye to “Miracle” and the un-born egg (or unviable for those needing a technical term).

This is just a small bit of the up and coming update to be sent in to the WDFW first thing tomorrow. Please watch for the full story.

Thank you for your patience
Loraine and Garry

Other posts on the forum indicate that Star and Clueless are no longer sitting the nest at all, but are remaining nearby on the branches... Hopefully, they will have better luck. Occasionally when something like this happens, apparently they will rarely lay another clutch of eggs, but no one is thinking that is likely being that the first set was already pretty late.

LIVE SHOTS:

[HairOfTheDog]

but are remaining nearby on the branches... Hopefully, they will have better luck *next year*. (*should have said*)

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Well, that's too bad. Nature sucks.

[Wneighbor]

Gee, I go to church for almost 2 hours and come back to only 8 posts. You'd think with all the rain everybody was talkin' about this morning they'd be holed up here.

[SuziQ]

Yeah, well maybe the next time "Clueless" will get one and will help out with the sitting duties and with providing food for Star. I wondered why I never could see the hatchling, now I know.

I checked out the site for the Northern Michigan nest, but they're not broadcasting at all this year. Sounds like their eagles might have had difficulties as well.

The nest at Barton Cove in Gill MA has one hatchling. The mom actually laid 3 eggs, but only one remained to hatch. Clare and I wondered if our friend at the Rehabilitation facility had come over and taken a couple of them to hatch them, but if he had, he likely would have returned the hatchlings by now, so I guess he didn't. That's too bad, because we could have had two additional bald eagles this year.

Like Bear said "Nature sucks" (sometimes)

[Overtaxed]

I think they're all out fighting balrogs on other threads...at least the dwarf is.

[Wneighbor]

Are you kiddin'? I was all over FR today...fightin' Balrogs, standin nekkid in hotel lobbies...no, wait that weren't me...honest...

Yeah, G'nad showed us all a picture of you tryin' ta be nekkid here.

[HairOfTheDog]

Sniff... Yes, Patriot was a much better father the two years previous when both eaglets survived. Many of the wimmin on that board are mourning the loss of Patriot after this new guy ran him off... and wondering what became of him.

'Clueless' may be a young bird who will do better next year. One can only hope!

[JenB]

NO posting nekkid dwarf pictures, please!

[Wneighbor]

Wow. That's sad. Very sad.

[Wneighbor]

i don't know, i've known way too many Cluelesses.

[Wneighbor]

G'nad posted only a partial nekkid. I only linked to his. We are both mostly innocent!

Glad you had a good bike ride. It's really nice to get into habits like that.

[JenB]

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Kind of a boring park and there were a million mud puddles, but I'm doing well. Think next time I'll try to go for half an hour rather than twenty minutes, I'm not tired out from this one.

[HairOfTheDog]

i don't know, i've known way too many Cluelesses.

They never got better?

Out to work Bay now for a bit before it gets dark!