Meeting?

It seems that our prediction was correct, which may mean that we are starting to understand the eagles' migration. The young eagle seems to have caught up with the adult. Yesterday a transmission from the younger bird was from the same region near Belaya Gora where the adult was a week ago. In the next few days we'll see if the adult moves ahead, or the two migrating eagles move synchonically. In the map the adult track is in yellow, the youngster's in white.

Youngster on the move

The young eagle started migrating (again) on 16 October, and moved along the mountains. On 19 October it arrived at Ayan town, and has stayed in dangerous proximity of the Munuk airport. The airport is not a large one, but people are neareby. It looks that the eagle escaped the deathtrap of the Okhota river, but there are many perils ahead. Will it cut across the Tugur bay to avoid shooting there, like the adult did?

Adult eagle: migration in Progress

The adult eagle took off from the Okhota river on 18 October and flew along the coastline, some 15 km inland and on 20 October arrived in the Belaya Gora region of the Russian Far east. The place, judging from the Panoramio photos, is a magnet for the eagles.

It was here last autumn from 28 October to 17 November (that is 2009)... the same place, similar time. Interestingly during spring 2010 this place was not visited: the eagle went straight to the ice north of the Shantar islands.

Will the youngster will join the adult here as they did last fall? I bet it will happen sometime between 2 and 7 November.

Adult and youngster at a favorite location

It looks like both the adult and young eagles prefer the same place on the Okhota river. In the past this place has been very attractive to some eagles, but it can also be death trap when eagles remain too long it this area and are cut off from reaching feeding areas along their migratory route heading south. Hope it won't happen to these ones.

Circlular movements of the young eagle

Meanwhile the immature eagle (65629) demonstrated rather strange movements between the Chilchikan and Okhota rivers. In early July it moved from the Okhota river to the seashore around the Chilchikan and Tolmot estuary, where it stayed until September 5. Then it flew back to the Okhota river via the Urak river (September 6), where it stayed at the same place until September 10. Then it made a loop through the tundra surrounding the Okhota river lowlands and then flew back north on September 18. Then the eagle flew back to the Chilickan River, then to the Amerikan River on September 30, and then back to the Okhota River on October 4th. Currently, it is at the same location where it was first noted in July, not far away from the adult. We hope it will fly away from this place before the ice forms.

The snow cover is steady in Magadan from yesterday.

Adult arrived to the Okhota river

Our adult eagle started the migration on September, 13, 2010, and arrived on the Okhota River on September22, where it has remained up until now (18 October).