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| IWS Catalina Tours Awarded from '06 NAC - 2007; Sharing the experience! | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 23 2008, 10:56 AM (455 Views) | |
| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 10:56 AM Post #1 |
Eagleholic
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KLJinUSA/Karen -- Jan 13 2007 Ozzie claimed her IWS tour on Friday. She took her daughter and very lucky me with her. We took the 6:15 am Catalina Express from downtown Long Beach. We were at Avalon Harbor by 7:30 and Dr. Sharpe was waiting for us. We are his first tour! It was a cold & blustery morning, so we quickly climbed into his truck and off we went. Dr. Sharpe drove up hill, south of Avalon and unlocked a gate at a private Catalina Conservancy road, public not allowed. The Conservancy network of roads is dirt, but well maintained, very smooth. Dr. Sharpe had his GPS tracker (it’s programmed to track each eagle by frequency) and that’s how our morning was spent, chasing eagles. And we got lucky. First, we saw a juvenile, being harassed by ravens, and then landing in a far off tree. Dr. Sharpe drove to the copse of trees we thought the eagle was. As we were driving by, Ozzie spotted him and started filming. The eagle flew off just as we stopped (orange wing blings) and Ozzie got a good 4 seconds of him. Then Dr. Sharpe showed us the Seal Harbor nest site (no cam on that one) and we stopped every so often to take photos of the beautiful coastline. We also spotted a Peregrine falcon and another rare bird, beautiful black and white, I forget the name. Ozzie took notes, so she will fill you in on more details later with additional photos and videos. Dr. Sharpe is caring for a permanently disabled eagle and feeds her daily, and we got to go into her cage. She wasn’t happy about it though, so I don’t know if future tours will include that. In another location, there is a Catalina Island fox that cannot live in the wild and lives in a large compound. She was just adorable, playful and loves Dr. Sharpe. We were not allowed to go into her cage however, liability concerns on the part of the Conservancy. We went to Two Harbors at the Isthmus, and we saw the Two Harbors Nest through the telescope. It’s located on a rocky point, called “the Pregnant Lady” as it looks like a pregnant woman lying on her back. The nest is on her “chin” and the parents were there on her belly! Ozzie got a great photo through the telescope. On the way there we saw extinct buffalo (actually called bison). We also saw a mule deer… we stopped for anything that moved basically. We then went to lunch at the top of Catalina, a restaurant at the airport. They feature extinct buffalo in some menu items: Dr. Sharpe & Rachel had buffalo burgers and I had home-made buffalo chili, delicious! We made our way back to the IWS office, which is in a secret location in Avalon. Very impressive and Dr. Sharpe explained all the apparatus he has set up caring for eggs and fledglings. He walked us downtown, and left us to do a little tourist shopping. He was a gracious host and we had a terrific day. Even Rachel was interested and the ipod did not go into her ear a single time. I’m pasting up a few photos here, but I have a Kodak album with 52 photos I will email those of you whose email address I have. You’ll get more from Ozzie in a few days; she’s on her way back to Sydney and has 2 or 3 days of intense work. But be patient, her photos will be worth it.       |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 10:58 AM Post #2 |
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Eagleholic
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KLJinUSA/Karen -- Jan 13 2007 Here is the site of the Two Harbors Nest, IWS calls it "pregnant lady". You'll see why from this photo. 
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:00 AM Post #3 |
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Eagleholic
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KLJinOZ/Kath -- Jan 15 2007 Finally back to Oz, left LA just in time as the COLD snap hit where here its warm and humid. All the animals were happy to see us, especially DH! :lol: Our Catalina trip was FANTASTIC (really an understatement). Karen has pretty much covered what we did and posted her photos of the day. I have added a few more here without being redundant. I primarily took video shots but that will take me a few days to download to harddrive, edit with a new software program and then upload in acceptable format (time) to Photobucket, please be patient as I hope to do this by the end of my weekend. To start, here is a complimentary photo of Rach & Karen (CLICK to enlarge all photos)  Here are various Eagle statues, I'll leave their locations secret for the next IWS Tour winners!    'Pimu' - 10 y/o disabled eagle. Pimu is Catalina Island Indian name. If you arent one of the lucky sods to have won a tour, you can see Pimu - see http://www.ecatalina.com/store/index.cfm?f...y&Product_ID=33 Pimu was frightened by a slow loud truck driving by and flew over Karen, Rachel & Dr Sharpe's head into the roof netting, falling back onto the ground but not before hitting Karen and Dr Sharpe with her huge wings. I unfortunately did not get either a video or picture due to shock.... But she was fine afterwards, no harm done. Dr Sharpe left her some fish to eat which would calm anyone (eagle) down!  Here is the cutie Island Fox 'Tachi' who acted just like a puppy with Dr Sharpe.  And finally a picture of the two Eagles through the telescope.  As Darrell would say 'stay tuned' for more. Ozzie 
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:01 AM Post #4 |
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Eagleholic
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KLJinOZ/Kath -- Jan 23 2007 Well it was an AWESOME trip, thank you Dr Sharpe for being the BEST Tour Guide ever! It seemed to be a particularly rough trip going to Catalina, the ride back was MUCH smoother… Some facts and notes gleaned on our tour: Catalina is 22 miles long and ½ to 8 miles wide, 47884 acres (or 76 sq mi). The highest peak is Mt Orizaba at 2097 ft. It is home to ~3,500 fulltime residents and the population can swell to 10,000 in summer with visitors. 40% of the island’s fresh water is from the desalination plant (which Dr Sharpe says uses so much fuel to desalinate it defeats the purpose of being environmentally beneficial). The Montrose settlement was for a total of $140 million, $6 million of which was for bald eagle restoration (only a fraction of that went to the IWS for eagle restoration). Considering that, the project is a huge (on-going) success. Also the native foxes were down to 100 and now number over 400. Foxes are omnivorous and have been inoculated against canine distemper (the disease that nearly wiped them out) and rabies. The Bison on the Island were brought over for a film (‘The Vanishing American’ based on a book by Zane Gray) in the 1920s and never removed. The bison burgers at the airport café are NOT the island bison….. (Dr Sharpe says the Island bison are just too raggy). The airport café had a visiting Coast Guard helicopter whilst we were there. It appeared that they dropped off one guy and later came back to pick him up. Karen guessed they were picking up their lunch orders! Our first sighting of an eagle nest was Seal Rocks. Dr Sharpe said the eagle couple is going to get to keep their eggs this year to see if they can hatch. They are a younger pair and may not have the level of contamination that the older birds have. He is hoping they can do it on their own and the eggs will not break. This will be watched closely by the IWS staff and a chick will be fostered into the nest if nothing hatches. His radio tracking system is set up for a different frequency for each bird. Our first bird was K-64 who is an 8-month old male and would be, according to Dr Sharpe, what Cruz should look like. We tracked him from the beach to a clump of gum trees where we saw him sitting in one of the higher branches, fairly close. Unfortunately, both Karen & I were on the opposite side of the car and could not get our cameras up in time to get good photos / footage, but we got something! It was a thrill to see him. The radio signal can fade in and out which Dr Sharpe says is an indication that the bird is soaring up and down. Whilst in the IWS office, I noted a 50+ book library, mostly on birds of course. I picked one book out with a yellow post-it-note sticking out. It was a study of the Bald Eagles and there was a 1929 picture of the TH nest! The videos: Getting there  Up the Hill and Eagle Search  Eagle Sightings  PIMU Parts 1 and 2   Tachi the Fox  The IWS Office Part 1 and Part 2 along with Goodbye   |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:04 AM Post #5 |
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Eagleholic
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Nancy -- Mar 23 2007 I will give you the narrative of my fostering tour and will post photos later. I still have to do the upload thing etc. So be patient. Let me begin by saying that it was an awesome experience and my aunt and I felt blessed to have had such a wonderful opportunity. We arrived on Tuesday March 20 at 3:00pm and it was raining, gray and cloudy, but it did not dampen our spirits. After all tomorrow was the day of my tour, the first day of Spring and my birthday. We walked around the rest of the day taking photos, eating drinking and enjoying the sights. When we awoke on Wednesday it was a glorious, sunny, clear day. We walked to the IWS office at 8:30 met Steffani (who is a gem) and Dr Sharpe. Deposited some money into Peter's Piggybank and began the candling of the eggs. You have to take your shoes off and wear surgical booties to keep the area clean. He would take each egg, weigh them check their development while Steffani records. He enters the data into the computer and so far things are on track. There was one egg that needed some more tegraderm (sp) as it is evidently losing more water than it is suppose to. Hopefully it will make it. After that, we were headed out for a tour of the interior of the island. Before we were to leave, Dr Sharpe instructed Steffani on how to use the generator in case there was a power outage. Dr Sharpe was leaving that afternoon to go to Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel for the helicopter survery. The incubator has a back-up generator, but it doesn't last for very long. We settled in the truck and our first stop was Seal Rock nest to check on the 2 eggs. Right as we approached and I got out of the truck I spotted an eagle. Dr Sharpe said they were getting ready to do the switch so he quickly set up the scope and the video camera to the equipment to record the switch and see the eggs. It was so cool and that video camera is great by the way. Once we saw the eggs our job was done. He left a note on Steffani's truck to let her know she did have to check Seal Rock as she was at the Pinnacle nest. Next stop Pimu, and what a beauty she is. The second we drove up and Dr Sharpe got out of the truck she began to call. I said,"You are the man" and she knows him. We checked her netting in her enclosure as he was worried that it might have blown off some. It is rotten and he is working to obtain some new netting. The golden eagle's enclosure is coming along nicely and Pimu's "roof" is going to be raised soon. Dr Sharpe left some fish. While we were exiting the enclosure I saw A-32 swoop by and then K-93 it was exciting seeing them both soar. They have been together now and hopefully will stay together. Next off to see the Island Fox, Tachi and another cutie. She knows Dr Sharpe as well and just loves him. She immediately sprang from her little hole and was just like a dog happy to see its owner. Snapped a few photos so hopefully they will be good. When he leaves the enclosure she follows him along the fence line to his truck, looking at him all the way. Too sweet. Off to the airport for lunch and buffalo burgers and buffalo tacos. I had never had buffalo before it was very good. Lean and tender. We made our way down and saw all of the beautiful coastline. Stopped at Two Harbors but were too far away to see the nest, but got an idea of its location. Had to return to the office so Dr Sharpe could catch the boat for the mainland to do his important helicopter survey. It was a wonderful time. The next day was departure day. As we approached the boat and people were coming to spend several days on the Catalina, I couldn't help but think to myself how I now knew things that they would never know or see. I had been to places that they would never be allowed to experience. Plus I got to meet that Eagle Guy! I can't say enough about how gracious he and Steffani were and how they spent so much of their valuable time with us. We met up with Joanie and Scott on the return and they showed us the area and off to Bolsa Chica Wetlands. What fun! Had to make a stop at the marina to get a picture at the sacred door of course. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. Joanie and Scott were wonderful hosts. I hope that by reading this you will see what I saw through my eyes. Pictures to follow. 
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:05 AM Post #6 |
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Eagleholic
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Nancy -- Mar 23 2007 Here are a few pics I got via Joanie until I can spend more time on the uploading process. They are of our arrival back to Long Beach, our visit to Bolsa Chica with Beanie Cruz, and the almighty sacred door. Do enjoy and thanks Joanie     
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:08 AM Post #7 |
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Eagleholic
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Nancy -- Mar 28 2007 Ok finally uploaded pics from my tour here goes.... Our arrival wet and rainy   Some of the "local" eagles and the sign under the big bronze actual size of an eagles nest statue     Finally the visit with the good Dr Sharpe and Steffani and those oh so precious eggs. Dr Sharpe candling and recording the data. Also he is using the microscope to place more tegraderm on this egg because it was losing too much moisture.    
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:14 AM Post #8 |
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Nancy -- Mar 28 2007 Part 2 more pics Making a donation to Peter's Piggybank Visiting the Seal Rock nest and a view through the telescope after the switch was made. And the area where the Seal Rock nest is located to give you an idea of how rugged the area is.    And last but not least...The beautiful Pimu and Tachi the Island Fox.   The proof I was there with Dr Sharpe photo and the final views of Catalina when we left.    It was a wonderful experience. |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:16 AM Post #9 |
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Eagleholic
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teacherlady -- Mar 23 2007 I want to do a Reader's Digest version of our Eagle Tour on March 10. (Pat has graciously agreed to post a few photos for me.) We arrived on Catalina the day before and spent the day "doing Avalon" (mostly, for me that meant shopping). Most amazing to me were a series of large fiberglass eagles :<<>>: that had been part of an art display the summer before. They were all over town, but mostly centered in a small plaza next to the bay. They were themed: Native American Eagle, Ocean Eagle, even Harley Eagle. They seemed to be there "just for us" and set the tone for our tour. There was a bronze eagle in a life size nest. I tried the Jim Speckler-thing, but it wasn't quite the same. The next morning at 9 a.m., there was a white truck waiting in front of our hotel lobby. Next to it was a man who had on an Indiana Jones hat, sunglasses  , and who had his hands in his pockets. It was awesome to finally meet Dr. Sharpe who I had admired for so long. My husband Randy (I let him come along so I could have an official photographer) who is a NPS Ranger on the Channel Islands, knew each other in passing.He took us to the IWS office where we met Stefani, and were able to hold one of the fake eggs that are put in the nests. It was surprisingly large and heavy. Then we put on surgical booties and went into the incubation room. It was awesome to me to see the eggs in the incubator (there were nine then) and to watch them being turned randomly, as the parents would do. Peter and Stefani took each one out and measured, checking for water loss. There was much scientific calculation. Then, most touching to me was to watch each one being candled, and to see the embryos and veins being formed. And the embryos MOVED (these future little eagles moved!) Two of them already had formed eye spots! Hopefully, a year from now, most of those little embryos will be fully formed, juvenile eagles, soaring over Catalina or Santa Cruz, or anywhere they please!  Peter had to put the tachiderm (?) on one because it was losing too much moisture.He took us to the Seal Rock nest site, and set up a spotting scope, although I was later able to see them with binoculars and then with the naked eye. I love watching the eagles on the webcam, but this was so awesome so see them "in person", in their home, to hear the sounds, smell the fragrance of the chapparel! The parents switched nest-sitting duties and we were able to see that there were still two eggs there. I didn't want to leave. We went to the Airport-In-The-Sky and had lunch. It was really neat to be able to eat outdoors and talk to Dr. Sharpe. Then we drove out toward the Isthmus, where were were able to see toward the Two Harbors area. We came back through Middle Ranch, and then on to see Tachi, the Island Fox. I've been in love with them for over twenty years, and she is captivating, as was watching the affectionate interaction between her and Dr. Sharpe. We drove on to the Reservoir to see Pimu. I was impressed with knowing that Peter catches her fish, and if he is going to be gone for a while, catches them before he goes. His dedication to these animals and this program is amazing. Pimu was beautiful, regal, fierce. :<<>>: We drove back to Avalon. We did have to have the obligitory photo with Dr. Sharpe (after all, I had spent $100 getting the highlights, and hair trim!  It was an awe-inspiring day, to be in the world of the eagles, of Dr. Sharpe, of IWS. About a year ago, my minister encouraged me to "Follow My Own Truth," and this is where that path led. I am so very grateful, and feel so very blessed.
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:17 AM Post #10 |
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Eagleholic
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Cumbrian/Pat for teacherlady/Regan -- Mar 24 2007 Here are Teacherlady/Regan's photos of her tour ..... Part 1  .......  .......  1. Doing the Jim Speckler thing in the "nest" (beautiful statue!) 2. Stefani and I with the fake egg 3. Peter opening the incubator  .......  .......  4. The little embryo 5. Peter applying tachiderm (?) 6. Randy, Peter, and I at the Airport in the Sky Click on the photos to enlarge. |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:19 AM Post #11 |
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Cumbrian/Pat for teacherlady/Regan -- Mar 24 2007 Teacherlady/Regan's photos of her tour ... Part 2  .......  .......  7. Peter tuned into the eaglecam 8. Watching the Seal Rock pair 9. Tachi  .......  10. Pimu 11. Part of the eagle display in the plaza at Avalon Bay click on the photos to enlarge |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:21 AM Post #12 |
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Eagleholic
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Harpo516/Deb -- Mar 24 2007 Here's some of the answer to the eagle statues - how cool - http://www.lafamily.com/display_article.php?id=836 |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:23 AM Post #13 |
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Eagleholic
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Eagle Duo/Jann/EDblue -- Apr 3 2007 Hi eagleholics. We're back from the fostering tour and just beginning to look at the pictures we took. Can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was, but here's a 'teaser' of what's to come!   The first two chicks to hatch. Boy were they noisy and cute!  Chick from Twin Rocks nest still recooperating from having hatched early this morning. click on the photos to enlarge |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:25 AM Post #14 |
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Eagle Duo/Dave/MIB/Tiger -- Apr 3 2007 Jann, Steffani, a fake egg and the egg collection box.  Just for you Bea. Tease Tease MIB |
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| EDblue | Aug 23 2008, 11:26 AM Post #15 |
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Eagle Duo/Jann/EDblue -- Apr 3 2007 Here are the 2 eggs in the hatchery. The one in back has internally pipped and the one in front just externally pipped this morning. The arrow is pointing to where it pipped. The second picture is just a close of up the first picture.   click on the photos to enlarge |
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