Late Tuesday in Bird World

7 June 2022

This blog is mostly about Little Bit 17. It has been a good day for our little trooper!!!!!!

Little Bit 17 (formally known as ND17) at the ND-LEEF nest is 63 days old today. Big is 68 days old and Middle is 67 days old. Little Bit is decidedly behind in food from the two older eagles and he might well be a third of their size but that does not stop him. I call these third hatches ‘The Little Eaglets that Could’. Little Bit 17 has no idea he is small. No one sat down with him and explained size ratios, lack of development due to lack of food, etc. Now, some people might think it is a bad thing that Little Bit is a little eaglet. Perhaps not. He is decidedly quick- he can snatch and grab the prey before the two big eaglets. He is also extremely intelligent – he has learned to read the environment and know when to go in after the prey rather than get injured. Great lessons for the future. Later on he will be able to get that prey and fly off with it.

Today ‘something with a pelt’ came on the ND-LEEF nest. The older siblings simply cannot be bothered to work hard for food. That is another huge difference. Because Little Bit has been so hungry, he will eat things that the older two, more privileged will not. That really ticks the box for survivor for me.

At 13:41:08, Little Bit 17 grabs that squirrel pellet and works on it. At 13:56:23 he horks it down! Don’t worry. He will not choke. You have probably seen falcons being fed feathers, etc. The raptors do not waste a thing. Each has a purpose. In her book, The Hawk’s Way by Sy Montgomery she reminds us that people do not have to hunt but hawks do and so do eagles and all of the raptors. They live by four rules in the wild: Hunt hard. Kill Swiftly. Waste Nothing. Offer no Apologies.

Little Bit 17 watches the older sibling eating. He sits waiting. It must be 15 because the two of them tolerate one another rather well.

Little Bit 17 has taken the pelt and is eating it. The older sibling does not care.

Little Bit 17 works away on his meal – grateful to have food today!

At 14:47:54 Little Bit takes a UFO that lands on the nest!

But wait. At 14:55:39 Mom brings in a Rock Bass. The older siblings look at it but no takers. Little Bit waits and watches. When he is sure that 16 is not going to rip him up if he gets near it, Little Bit 17 moves in and takes that fish. Little Bit ate the whole thing.

The Rock Bass has arrived.

One of the older siblings checks out the Rock Bass but doesn’t want to have to unzip it. Meanwhile 17 is watching —–and you can bet that Mum is watching what is going on, too.

Little Bit has the fish. He is mantling.

Little Bit is pulling it over to the porch where he feels safe. He will eat the entire fish.

Little Bit has a huge crop. Isn’t it wonderful. In fact, Little Bit has been eating most of the day. He should definitely be energized. Let us all hope that this warrior of an eaglet will get as much food tomorrow!!!!!!!

The struggle that this little eaglet has made to live is inspiring. We should all sit back and take a page out of his playbook. Little Bit never gave up – never!!!!!! Little Bit is grateful for any and all food that he gets. He has taken each day and has made the best he could out of it. When there was no food for several days, he rested saving up the energy he had until food did arrive. Little Bit 17 is pretty amazing.

There is good news coming out of the UK. One of the Salisbury Cathedral eyases fell from the scrape. It is hard to imagine that it was not injured. Have a read:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/07/young-peregrine-falcon-falls-from-salisbury-cathedral-tower?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR3i2ekRjCwN_3McrdzQ2zLJIPRm9kEVRMAXE-0FiC_G0BbZGZHRe0b-bjE

L1 is going to give everyone a heart attack. She is going to fledge any moment.

Middle remains on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. He is inspired also and has been taking prey items and not deferring to Big. Confidence is growing and growing. Like L1, he is going to fledge any moment.

The population of Condors is so very fragile. To lose one is a real tragedy. Condors clean up the ‘dead’ – the carrion like the Vultures, Eagles, and other birds like Corvids. They are highly susceptible to lead poisoning. Help make the world a better place – tell your friends and family to use non-lead fishing and ammunition. Write to your government leaders. There are options that would greatly impact the life of our raptors and Condors.

The 18 year old male at the Cape Henlopen State Park Osprey nest in Lewes, Delaware is believed to be missing. He did not bring in a fish this morning or at all during the day. The chicks are old enough to be left alone but still are too young to not predated by larger raptors. I really hope that Dad returns. Fingers crossed. Will Mum go fishing? Yes, she did. She returned wet but with no fish. Just look at those three chicks! Send all your positive wishes!

Right about now you might be thinking that I am wishing for Urmas to send over his fish basket! or for him to climb that platform and put some fish on that nest!!!!!

Big Bob on the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest is being unkind. He gave Little Bob quite the going over today right when a fish arrived. This nest has had weather issues and you might remember that Dylan was missing in action for a day. Hopefully, Big Bob will settle down. He should! Seren was fighting with a fish delivery that went wild across the nest.

A falconer friend of mine posted this article on the Japanese falconer, Hidetoshi Matsubara. He has been a falconer for more than 50 years. Learn about falconry in another culture! It is a beautiful 7 minute read.

https://www.patagonia.com/stories/the-last-takajo/story-120760.html?fbclid=IwAR0C5JaLwQ3bEpa2zWi7kKG5e07Ll-vAJe9IjHFmHMyBs6MTY0wQLoI7twc&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=s22_content&utm_content=last_takajo

I had a wonderful afternoon and found lots of ducklings and some goslings. More about that tomorrow.

Thank you for joining me today! So happy for Little Bit 17 that I can’t think of too much else. I just wish that camera had higher definition so we could actually get a good image of this little warrior. See you soon. Take care.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell Bird Labs RTH, Osprey Web Cam Cape Henlopen, Nd-LEEF, CarnyX Wild, and UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys.