9 December 2022
It is hard to believe it is December for some reason. I am officially back on Canadian soil but not home yet. Lots of people traveling. If you are heading out over the holidays make sure that you allow plenty of time for everything to go wrong and then smile when it doesn’t!
Gosh, and we have a hatch at Superbeaks in Florida that is getting its first feeding! Congratulations to Muhlady and Pepe!
One of my most favourite birds in the world is Wisdom who is now 71 years old. Can you believe this? The oldest Laysan Albatross in the world!
Can we even begin to imagine what she has experienced? Here is the latest news on Wisdom:
I am so grateful that ‘H’ kept me informed about Rita. Rita is angry and that means she is doing alright. Of course she wants to be with Ron at her nest and time will only tell if that is possible. She is now eating small mammals and they are trying to get the end of the wing tip to heal. What a great time. They are working so hard for Miami’s most famous female eagle, Rita.
Here is the announcement:
Elain’s wonder montages of the comings and goings at the Peregrine Falcon scrape at Orange, Australia keeps us up to date on Xavier, Diamond, and Indigo – who is just doing amazingly well.
Samson has now been missing for 2 weeks. V2 and Gabby have mated but V2 did not return to the nest last evening and has not been seen this morning. What does this mean for Gabby?
This is just a quick check this Saturday morning from Toronto’s Lester Pierson airport. Keep all of the birds and their nests in your thoughts. Send positive wishes out to Rita who is working hard to get well and get out in the wind, flying free.
Thank you for being with me this morning. I will have a more comprehensive look at what is happening tomorrow. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following whose videos and postings made up my screen captures this morning: Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project and Cilla Kinross, Ron Magill and the Miami Zoo Vet Team, NEFL-AEF, US Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region, and Superbeaks Nest Florida. Thanks, ‘H’ for the heads up on Rita! Much appreciated.
Good afternoon Mary Ann! So glad your almost home when you wrote this and in Canada. I know you will miss the warm climate and fun times with your family.
I bet the birds and animals will be so happy to see you back home too!
So thankful and so happy to hear about Rita. She is amazing and I’m really praying for her ❤️🙏🦅
Sometimes I hear about an eagle leaving for 2 or 3 weeks. Sure hope Samson returns home and is ok. 🙏❤️🦅
Thanks for the photos , videos, and info from all the sources.
Hope to hear from you again soon!
Love all your news Mary Ann always!
Linda
It is such wonderful news about Rita. I wish she could go back to her nest and run. That could be fuelling her recovery – that desire. We all ache for both of them because we know she is lucky to be alive. But, I am hoping for a miracle – Ron doesn’t take a new mate and Rita is released and flies right back to him in the spring. You are always so welcome, Linda. Thank you so much for all your comments. It is good to be home and it was good to be away.
Indigo is just adorable, and what a treat it is that unlike Collins Street, we get the privilege of watching his development as a juvenile falcon. It is such a joy. I so wish they had left the cameras on at Collins Street, as they promised us throughout the season they would do after the eyases fledged.
Wisdom is not just the oldest Laysan albatross but apparently she is the oldest known bird living in the wild. Her age has been dated from when she was banded, so she could actually be older than 71.
I do hope V2 is a gentleman and doesn’t just get his way then get on his way, as it were! There has been a lot of competition for Gabby’s attentions over the past few weeks but this is the only one of the males she has allowed to hang around. I hope he is just off catching her a nice fish. After all, he does need to prove himself a good provider at this point, if Gabby is to take him as a mate.
The Falcon Cam at Orange, as you note, is fantastic – just like the one for Cal Falcons and a few others in the States and the UK that remain on throughout the year. It is wonderful to see Indigo develop and I love how Xavier and Diamond bond in the scrape. As you are saying, we miss all that in Melbourne. — Yes, Wisdom is fantastic. Thank you for reminding me and yes, of course, she could be older than 71! I must mention this tomorrow because it is awesome. Apparently the older they remain the longer they live – these birds ‘learn’ how to survive. Well…that is the big question: who is going to rule the Hamlet? I would like to see them bring Gabby a big fish!
Wonderful…love the photo of angry Rita. What a sweetie!
Gorgeous photo of Wisdom also. I didn’t know of her until now. I watch Lady Hawk’s YouTube video recaps of the Royal Albies of NZ.