It is -17 C on the Canadian Prairies, almost noon on 16 February. The temperatures will drop overnight so that it is -32 C tomorrow. No snow. Yeah! But the wind was blowing this morning and swirling around Mrs Woodpecker when she was eating the suet.
Yes that white strip is actually how the blowing snow looked to the camera. Isn’t she lovely? None of the other birds had arrived and she had this compressed seed cylinder all to herself. They seem to prefer it over the more traditional suet- at least at our breakfast bar!
It is the middle of the night in Port Lincoln Australia and Ervie and Dad are on the barge. Ervie on the nest and Dad up on the perch.
Yesterday afternoon I needed a break from the worrying over NE27 and so I went and checked on Xavier and Diamond. Diamond had a large crop and was in the scrape. Oh, she is gorgeous.
Did you know that the Latin word peregrinus means ‘foreign, wandering’? Apparently they noted that the bird was constantly on the move!
Sharpie came to visit the other day and I was reminded, looking at him, that he is just so much smaller in size that the Peregrine Falcons which are medium to large size hawks.
I love how the raptors can close one eye with their nictitating membrane, that third eyelid unique to them.
It was comforting to see Diamond in the scrape. Breeding will not take place til the late summer but if you are longing for Peregrine Falcons, it is time to turn your attention to Annie and Grinnell at the UC-Berkeley Campus. Egg laying should be taking place in a couple of weeks.
Both of the chicks have hatched at the Eagle Country nest of Abigail and Blazer. The oldest was given the name Thunder and the youngest is Fern. Fern gets some bites amidst a bit of bonking from Thunder.
There is a pip on at least one of Andy and Lena’s eggs at the Captiva Osprey Cam. I thought it was on two eggs, some think only one.
Here is the link to the cam:
I grew up in Oklahoma. Sadly, one of the oldest living eagles, Taurus, who was an ambassador for the Sequoyah State Park in my home state died. Taurus was 43 years old!
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article258434148.html
At the 07:10 feeding on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, NE27 did the old snatch and grab. It got right under the parent and up so it could grab ignoring a couple of earlier pecks by 26.
NE27 needs to keep its head and neck away from NE26. It seems to know that. It is also figuring out how to circumvent NE26 and get up front quicker. Clever little eaglet.
Later NE27 stared down 26 with the older sibling not reacting. Well done, Little Bit.
That cheeping by Little Bit is because it is hungry. Some eaglets do it more than others.
We are in the third week. We should be seeing this competitive behaviour by 26 easing up in the next week. NE27 is going to be fine and much better suited to deal with the outside world where there will be huge competition with other raptors.
If you missed it, Liberty and Guardian now have three eggs as of yesterday! I missed that one for sure. Last year this couple fledged three juvenile eagles. The Redding California Bald Eagle nest is one to watch!
Here is the link to the Redding Cam:
The sun is shining bright and it is getting a little colder. I am off for my walk and to check on the chickadee at the park. There is a small bag of seeds for it in my pocket today.
Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Captiva Osprey Cam, and NEFlorida Eagle Cam and the AEF.
Thank you Mary Ann! Right now I’m sad for little one at Samson and Gabby’s nest. I do believe and pray things gets better there with the 2 little ones. 🙏💕💕🙏
Thanks for all the photos and links and great info of all the nests.
Also I’m so sad the learn of the Oklahoma eagle. He sure lived a great life there as an ambassador and he was gorgeous.
Have a great walk and let us know who all you see today there. Hope the little chickadee is there for the seed in your pocket.
Have a great evening.
Linda
You are so welcome, Linda. It has been a bad year at Jacksonville nest – owls, intruders all the time – adults, sub-adults. Everyone wants around that nest. But the eaglets seem to be doing really well regardless. 27 is OK. He is learning how to survive. It is a wonder all the little males don’t just hate the females!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy your evening, too.
Another most interesting report, Mary Ann. I didn’t know where the word “peregrine” came from – nice to finally know! (I too visit Diamond and Xavier at least once a day for a break — along with the Royal Albatross nest. Both relaxing and very “Zen” places right now.)
I’m really sorry to hear about the Oklahoma eagle, Taurus. (Wow, 43 years!) I can imagine he’s survived by many offspring. Did he still have a mate?
Oh, and yes – so exciting about the Redding third egg! (I missed seeing it this time.) Though I was hoping there’d be just two this year. It was so nerve-wracking last year with three – but maybe we’ll be rewarded by seeing another “Rebel” emerge. Liberty has successfully fledged four sets of triplets now, I think. But that’s got to be hard on her, at her age.
Thanks again for all you do, Mary Ann.
Betty, I always hope that there will be only two as well! It is hard enough to feed two never mind 3 or 4. I am also hopeful that the third osplet at Captiva will not hatch. It has a shell over part of the egg. The two now are doing well. I think that Taurus had a good life there. I will have to find out about Taurus. I seem to think he didn’t. He had something happen to him and was an educational eagle. Things are going well today!