We're going to learn about what it takes to install a camera above an eagle's nest, which is amazing, and to help us learn about it, we've got a few folks.

first, we're going to talk with Brett Peters and you are the assistant director here at the beautiful Notre Dame linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility, which is at St Patrick's County Park in South Bend.

Right?

So what's happening today?

So today we're going to be replacing the Eagle Cam, which has been positioned above the eagle nest here since 2017 in the spring of 2021.

The camera went offline and we did some troubleshooting.

It looks like the camera itself broke, so we're going to be replacing it with a slightly more modern camera that that functions.

OK, and this is actually the camera.

This is the one that will be going up in the tree shortly.

And this does it have any new features because I know people love watching Eagle Nest cameras?

Yeah.

So what will this one do?

Well, it's very similar in terms of the specs, the specs in terms of zoom and resolution and whatnot, which is all very, very high quality.

And this is like you put like camouflage paint.

Yeah, yeah, it is a little camouflage paint there to make it blend in a little more with the sycamore bark exactly because it is a big nest in a sycamore.

That's right.

What about the types of stuff that you use the camera for?

I mean, obviously you can see the chicks, right?

I mean, it's great entertainment.

You know, we know that, but we also have been using it for some science.

And what we've been able to do is document the prey that comes into the illness, which is not something you can generally do because you can't see the eagle nest, right?

So we actually had a paper published recently documenting that the prey that came to the nest in 2018 and all those food items were like a variety of things.

Oh yeah, muskrats and turtle.

Yeah, muskrats, turtles, lots of fish.

Fish is the primary prey for eagle.

So roadkill, right?

Roadkill?

Yeah, we have 2020 deer carcasses.

The front halves of two small deer made it up, so it's incredible.

Eagles are amazing.

So how?

Who's actually doing the installation and how is that like?

How do you get the camera up there?

Yeah, I mean, it's not something that I can do.

And we've been working with Dave Resource Group, who has been generous, generous enough to donate their time and services with some experience tree climbers to go up that tree in and do the replacement.

Awesome.

Well, I'm going to talk with Jeremy from Davey Resources Group and get a little bit of his perspective, and I know you got to get the camera and the microphone out to the trees, so I'll meet up with you there in a little while.

Sounds good.

OK, see you a bit.

Well, now I'm with Jeremy from Davey Resources Group and tell me a little bit about the gear that the crew is using to kind of get.

I mean, that's way up there in history.

So how do they do it?

Sure, it's a deceptively simple setup.

They really just use a rope and a little bit of extra gear.

They've got a an ascender clip on their feet and they they tie what's called a friction hitch on the rope.

And that kind of acts like an ascender that rock climbers would use.

And then they just pull themselves up in the tree, which sounds super easy, but looks really hard to me.

I mean, that's hard work.

They're they're going through branches and twigs and everything else.

Yeah, it's a lot of specialized training, I would think.

So, a lot of training.

How about the fact that this is a eagle's nest?

Have you folks ever done something like this into a nest?

Davey does a wide variety of things.

We are actually a nationwide company and had to have people come from a few offices here today because of work schedule and everything.

So our climbers are actually from the Cincinnati office.

I'm from Indianapolis, and of course, we have our new office here in South Bend to.

And usually these guys are claiming to do invasive species surveys.

And so they haven't actually climbed up to a raptor nest before.

So the first of which is totally awesome.

And I know one of the things that Brett's going to have the crew do is actually put a meter stick and get some measurements.

We think the nest is about, I don't know, seven feet across or so, maybe eight feet.

But that's one of the things.

In addition to installing the camera, that's one of the things that actually your your crew will actually be able to help provide is some data about how big that Nest is.

one of the other things I think that one of the climbers has is a GoPro.

So what are you hoping that we'll get to see from that?

I think we'll get a pretty good first-person view of how he got up into the tree and what he sees, which is great.

A different perspective, nest and everything.

So that's going to be really fun.

We certainly appreciate the resource for being here.

Why did you all decide that you could do this or should do this?

Well, we decided that this would be a good, good project for our community give back program where we we'd like to support certain causes and and this is right in line with our company values.

And so we like to help support research and and do things that are good for the community.

And you do a variety of things, right?

Sometimes it's tree planting.

Exactly.

Sometimes it's actual donations.

So we certainly appreciate you being here because certainly I couldn't get up the tree.

I don't know the break to get up the tree.

So your expertize and all the training and all the resources you bring is great for this particular project.

So thanks so much for being here.

We're happy to help.

Thank you.

I'm going to go check in with Brett now and see how the installation is going.

Well, Brett, the crews up there right now, and they just hollered some information down what we just learned six feet wide.

So we've always kind of guesstimate it.

Well, why the eagle nest was.

We set up a tape and they gave us an official measurement.

Additional measurements six feet wide, still plenty big, big, big nest now to speaking of distances.

There's actually like a safe zone or restricted zone around an eagle's nest.

Let's talk about that.

Yeah.

So the bald eagles and golden eagles are protected by a special act which limits any kind of disturbance to the Eagles.

And so what they suggested is a 330 foot buffer zone from from those eagles.

So if people come out to St Patrick's County Park and the endingly facility, there's signage.

There is, yeah, there's signage letting you know when you're going to be encroaching on that and the pavilion, Andy Leaf is perfectly situated just outside that 330 foot zone.

So it's an ideal place to to see the eagle nest.

So if you're going to come here, go there.

We should also talk about the fact that right now, obviously there's a crew in the tree.

We're standing fairly close.

Yeah, the timing of the installation of the eagle camera was critical.

Yeah, so it can't be during the breeding season, which in this area begins in December.

So we want to make sure we're before that.

So the Eagles aren't actively in that breeding cycle where we could disturb them?

Potentially, yeah, because late fall they actually start coming back to the nest and bringing twigs.

And you just wanted to make sure that the installation was done in October.

So it was totally, totally clear.

So that's that's all terrific.

So you have to get permission to put that up there.

We notified the DNR and the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service just to let them know what we were doing and the time, and they verified the breeding season and that we'd be outside of that.

So that's great.

What kind of response overall have you had to the Eagle Nest camera?

It's been great.

You know, it's such a huge, huge response online and in the local community.

I think it really shows because with when the camera went down, we had so many people reaching out saying, Hey, we would like to support a new one.

And so we quickly fundraised for that and fundraise enough money to purchase the new camera from from those viewers.

So it's that's been great.

Well, we certainly appreciate the University of Notre Dame and the Environmental Change Initiative actually getting the camera and putting it up and making sure that it all happens because it's a great resource for the community and beyond, because people can watch the Eagle Nest Cam and leap from anywhere all over the world, all over the world.

It's awesome.

All right, Brett, thanks so much.

Good luck with the rest of these things.

Remember, you can find your own outdoor elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.

We'll see you soon.