The Port Lincoln Osprey cam is working!!!!!!!! There sitting close together having one of their silent conversations were Ervie and Dad. I noticed something different about Ervie. He has a nice crop and he displays the appearance of an Osprey who has been in the water fishing. Oh, Ervie, it is so nice to see you! It is so very nice to see you.
Liberty has laid the first egg of the season. It happened just a short while ago on 9 February at 15:19. She had a 5 minute labour. Congratulations Liberty and Guardian!
Here is a video of that exciting event!
Quick news report from the other nests:
The new female at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest with Smitty has some flight feathers missing. The missing feather/s were noticed today when she flew in to get a fish from Smitty. It answered a puzzle. One of the searchers for Bella found the feathers but noticed from images that they did not come from Bella. Mystery solved!
Lady and Dad have visited their nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest for two straight days. Oh, ask me if I am glad that Daisy isn’t trying to incubate eggs in that nest! This year the Sea Eagles stayed away longer than normal. It could be because they were harassed so much by the Currawongs on their last visit.
It is not breeding season. We will not be looking for eggs until June – two of them traditionally known as the heir and the spare.
Staying in the Southern Hemisphere, the Royal Cam chick nicknamed Quarry Track or QT til it gets its official name, is growing and growing and growing. Parents OGK and YRK have literally been coming and going almost every 24 hours. The little one is working its wings and getting strong.
Ranger Sharyn keeps an updated log of the weights of all the chicks including the Royal Cam ones. The NZ DOC does DNA testing to see if the chick is male or female but sometimes, around 80 days, this can be done by comparing the weight of males and females. Here is the chart for QT so far:
Mum, YRK, is on the nest today.
Adorable.
When the Osprey nests stress me out too much, this is where I come for comfort. NZ DOC takes excellent care of its wildlife. Never a worry if there is not enough food for chicks or parents –supplemental squid feedings are always on hand. Here is your link to this at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand (on the South Island near Dunedin).
Thank you for joining me. I know that we all love Ervie and are so happy to see that he is fine – and there are many Redding and WBSE fans here, too. Stay safe all of you. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC and Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.
Oh thank you Mary Ann! It’s
So nice to know that Ervie is there and ok! Thank you for the photos. There are tears again in my eyes!
Congratulations to the Reddings on their first egg! Looking forward to a good season for them! I’m so glad that the White Sea eagles are back and that Daisy isn’t there! The Royal
albatross chick is so cute and I love watching them. I thought Q T was short for cutie! Thanks for letting me know it’s Quarry Track!
Thanks and have a great evening !
Linda
You are not the only one that thought QT was for Cutie! But that little chick is a cute! I hope they do the name selection early before we come up with nicknames. I was so used to Pippa. Yes, it was a good day for Redding and well, so happy Ervie is home. You take care. Thanks for your lovely comments.
Mary Ann, I’m so glad Ervie is okay! It’s nice how he and his dad seem to have such a good bond still. Hopefully he’s catching more and more of his own meals!
I too thought QT was short for Cutie, lol!! Thanks from me also for filling us in. The Albatross nest is where I go also for a “rest” from all the other activity. Until now I never knew much about them. They’re so gentle and affectionate. That baby is a sweetie and I love watching the parents alopreening him/her — and each other. So uplifting!
And the Redding eagles– so exciting! And I just watched Guardian seeing his egg for the first time. A truly tender and touching interaction between the parents and their egg. Me heart about melted! (As I type this he’s still snuggling the egg while Liberty snoozes next to them. It feels almost like a sacred moment….)
Thank you again Mary Ann – for everything!
Ah, glad to hear you find those Albatross comforting. They are very special and so gentle. I have a screen capture of Guardian seeing the egg. How can people say that birds and animals have no emotions! That is just crazy watching all of these eagle parents tend to their children and each other daily. I think you captured that perfectly by saying it is a ‘sacred moment’. It certainly is. And what a relief to see Ervie. He was fish calling a few minutes ago so he is fine!!!!!! Take care, Betty. We are so blessed to be able to watch them.
So glad you got a screen capture of Guardian seeing the egg! I’m hoping Gary will post a video of that special moment. Also, when Guardian eventually went over to Liberty and nuzzled her beak with his, as though saying “well done, dear”.
My biggest interest is in studying bird interactions, their body language, their eye contact, and wondering exactly what they’re thinking and feeling. Indeed, they definitely have emotions! And such intelligence!!
Thank you again – I hope you’re having a good night, Mary Ann.
Me, too. It was a great image seeing him see that egg. I Meant to post it today and forgot but Gary has it in his video! I love his videos. I have a great book on behaviours. I must find it and get the title to you. Will dig it out this weekend.
Thanks in advance, Mary Ann!