Sunday, May 11, 2008

Rochester: 5 healthy eyases











AND A SLIDESHOW



The 5 eyases of Mariah and Kaver are doing very well, as can be expected with such excellent and experienced parents as this couple. They have fledged broods of 5 before so these 5 will fly over Rochester in about 7 weeks as well. I'm sure of that. In the meantime we can enjoy these 5 cute eyases and in fact the whole bunch together will be so much fun to watch.

De Mortel: S2 showing off





Oberhausen









The three Oberhausen juveniles are welcoming a new day full of joy and wingflapping. The pictures are so beautiful again, the colors are breathtaking.

Later that morning one of them used the webcam lens as a toiletseat and we have to put up now with a blury spot, thank you so much dear juvi.

Derby: evening feeding







Read all about earlier today and watch the pics and slideshows

http://falcoperegrinus-froona.blogspot.com/2008/05/derby-on-sunday.html

Visit the Derby webcam and the Derby Blog:
http://derbyperegrines.blogspot.com/

James River Bridge: 32 days old







The wonderful thing of this nestsite is that the three chicklets are of the same birth-day. They all hatched within hours and so are all three in the same stage of transformation. Real triplets they are. And very cute.

Terminal Tower Cleveland: 19 days old







The Terminal Tower eyases will be banded on Tuesday May 13. So be sure to watch the cams for unique pics of a very very angry Buckeye and SW.
The nestsite will first be blocked bij a concrete plate so the eyases will not be able to run away in panic. Then they will be fetched and brought inside to be banded.Lasts years have learned that both SW and Buckeye will attack the people who take the eyases inside, so they will wear gloves and helmets.

Rome: fighting over food

Zurich: 32 days old





Nijmegen: 20 days old



Oberhausen: no prey today







For the past week every day between 11:00 and 12:30 the female brings in a just caught pigeon. But not today. The juvi's waited and waited, walked up and down the ledge to see if she was coming, but no preydelivery.
Finally they tried to find some leftovers and went to sleep.

AVIAN IMMUNITY

Avian Immunity

Just like we have a very sophisticated system to fight of infections, birds have a similar immuunsystem. But there are however important differences.

The bird's immune system mainly consists of lymphatic vessels and lymphoid tissue. Primary tissues are the thymus, located in the neck , and the bursa of Fabricius, located in the cloacal cavity. Secondary lymphatic organs and tissues are the spleen, bone marrow, mural lymph nodules and lymph nodes. There is also, just like we have a lymphatic circulatorysystem of vessels and capillaries that transport lymph fluid through thebird's body and communicate with the blood supply.

The immune system defends against foreign cells. This may be in the form of an invading organism like a virus or bacteria, or an abnormal body cell.



There are three majortypes of response in a bird's immune system:

1. Specific consisting of the humoral en cell mediated respons

The humoral and cell mediated responses need a processed antigen to stimulate response. Their respons is to create a specific antibody for each particular antigen. The B (bursal produced) lymphocytes are associatedwith humoral response and the T (thymus produced) lymphocytes areassociated with the cell-mediated response.

2. Nonspecific

The nonspecific immune system responds to all antigens. Macrophages,heterophilsand thrombocytesare the main cells associated with the nonspecific immune system.

The first line of defense of the avian body is the physical blockade of the skin, cilia and mucous membranes. If these fail, the non-specific immune response comes on-line. Macrophages, heterophils, thrombocytes and Natural Killer(NK) cells converge on the invader, killing it or slowing it down until the components of the specific immune system can join the battle.

For the specific immunesystem to come on line, the invading antigen must be processed by an antigen presenting cell such as a macrophage, then appropriately presented to the B and T cells. Once the antigen is presented and in turn processed by the B and T cells, the antibody is produced that will mark it and bind it to be disposed of from the body by the spleen and liver. This encounter is also filed away in memory cells so response will be faster should this same antigen be confronted again.

Hatchlings

Birds are very different from mammals in the way their immune system develops and becomes diverse enough in order to fight off infections for the rest of their lives. This is provided by a unique organ to avians called the bursa of Fabricius and a process called gene conversion.



Hatchlings are born with an incomplete immune system. Maternal immunity is passed on in the amniotic fluid and yolk.. It is transferred to the embryo when it swallows amniotic fluid during hatch and absorps the left over yolk. This is transported into the digestive system. These antibodies give the hatched chick's immunity a start while it's own system is developing.

The bird's immunesystem begins developing before hatch and is complete by sexual maturity. One of the most important stages of this development happens in the first six weeks of the life of the eyas, when gene conversion is taking place inthe bursa.

Gene conversion

Gene conversion is the "education" of the B lymphocytes, cells that respond to a disease antigen by producing antibodies. These antibodies bind the antigen for removal from the blood by the spleen and liver.

However unlike mammals, when eyases are born they do not have a database of genetic information for the B cells to use in their production of antibodies. Birds have only one variable function gene encoded in the germlineDNA. If left this way, the B lymphocytes will not be able to produce the different antibodies needed to resist specific diseases. In the first six weeks of the bird's life, these B cells are going to be trained to able to do so in the bursa. They are rearranged there in order to provide the diversity needed to protect against the great variety of potential pathogens. These educated B cells leave the bursa to seed other organs of the immune system.





Although "school" is open in the bursa for six weeks, it is the first three that are considered the most critical. School closes down after six weeks and what diversity has been achieved by then is what the bird will have for its lifetime. The bursa continues to produce B cells until it involutes at sexual maturity. The blood marrow takes over the task of producing the B cells. The bursa does continue to play a role in the immune system through the life of the bird, though not as critical a one as it does in the beginning

Brighton Sussex Heights: 14 days old





Rochester Kodak nestsite







These 5 are the cutest things you've ever seen. These little naughty faces are absolutely Mariah and Kaver's offspring. Mariah keeps trying to catch one minute of sleep, but they won't let her. They keep stubbling and pushing and tossing and turning and screaming no doubt. Mariah dear, you wanted 5 eyases, so now you have them dear falconlady.

Kaver is on guard outside the scrape. Whenever Mariah get's some food for her gang, he takes over. For a second and off he is. He won't be able anyway to keep this wild bunch covered. They are adorable. (I'm writing this with a big smile on my face.)

Hatchtable updated

After the 5 hatches in Rochester we are only waiting for Ohio Columbus.

New Yersey update






Yesterday I had to tell you the disturbing news that 2 of the New Yersey eyases have died of Trichomoniasis. A third one is admitted in the Raptor Health Center to receive threatment. The fourth however seems to be doing very fine. It is being taken care off by it's parents who brood it and feed it. So no problems with this one,
All 4 did receive threatment a few days ago but it was to late for 2. But this one is a winner obviously. And that makes us all very happy indeed, We do hope the one in care will be returned to the nestsite very soon.
I will keep you updated.

Cobb Island: 20 days old already



De Mortel : growing real fast: 21 days old







The De Mortel eyases are growing very fast. They are being stuffed on a daily basis by the female S2. They are like fat balloons. But that is very OK.
S2 was sitting on the burning hot rooftop of the nestbox and the eyases where very curious what was going on up there.

Oberhausen:finally food







After a long day of waiting for food the juvi's finally got their daily pigeon delivery. At least I guess that's what it was that the female brought in at 18:45! All I saw where the left overs half an hour later. They feasted on it, the 5 of them very hungry as they where.

It has been a very warm day all over the continent. No birds to be seen all day. They have been all in hiding because of the warmth. So no possebility of prey to catch. I saw the same problem in most of the european nestsites. In Rome they didn't get any food either until late in the afternoon. And fought over it, screaming.
No doubt there has been al lot of screaming involved here in Oberhausen as well when the prey was brought in and majestic wingflapping. After this meal the evening dis set in very quickly and with warm full crops our 3 juvi's went to sleep.

Derby on Sunday

It was hot, to darn hot in the morning. The parents provided shade for the 4 hatchling. Hot sunbeams can kill a hatchling within hours. So parents are very wel aware of this and protect them with their body and wings. We could see the parent having a hard time and was panting all the time to cool off.

As I write this the 4 eyases are sleeping in a chickpile. Waiting for food no doubt.

Here are some impressions of today:







FEEDING