15 December 2022
Good Morning Everyone!
My goodness. Can you believe that we are 16 days away from 2023? Did we blink and 2022 flew by? The good news…it seems that Gabby might have been persuaded by V3’s charms. They were in the nest together and on the branches this morning!
In the garden it is snowy wonderland. About 17 cm fell – or should I saw blew in from Colorado with some more to come today. The birds do not like the heavy wet snow any more than I do. Mr Crow flew in and complained along with 27 European Starlings and a host of Sparrows.
The Starlings also knocked a solid seed cylinder to the ground and have been trying to eat it. I don’t think they like getting their feet in the snow.
The lone Blue Jay, Junior, has decided that eating the soft suet like the Starlings is a delicacy. So happy to see him enjoying it. Of course, Dyson is busy working away at the brand new solid seed cylinder that I put out this morning. Apparently Dyson & Co can eat a whole one in two days. That surprised me. They must have been eating all night!
In the World Cup of Birds, it is the French Gallic Rooster versus the Argentinian Rufous Hornero.
“João de Barro / Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)” by Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Cockerel, The golden Gauloise, whose male is named Gallic Rooster, (51650492815)” by gailhampshire is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
In Vancouver, a rare Warbler has been found and rescued in a parking garage.
Endangered bird not native to B.C. found in Vancouver parking garage
Channel Islands eaglet seen. San Miguel is the most remote of the islands and in this article Dr Peter Sharpe says he has not been there since 2017. The spotting of the eagle is excellent news.
Deborah North Eagles caught mating. New season. New Hope.
Goodness. That Pepe at the Superbeaks Bald Eagle nest in Central Florida had some good fishing today. Just look at the size of the fish he brought in for the family! Incredible.
At the California-Berkeley Peregrine Falcon scrape of Annie, the new guy continues to come and try to wow her. However, twice he has brought prey and twice he has eaten it! I don’t think he read the ‘courting’ manual carefully. Annie is too much of a treasure. Let’s hope that this new guy shapes up or ships out!
In Louisiana, there was severe weather and tornadoes. Tonya Irwin reports on the nests in the Kisatchie National Forest:
It looks as if the male at the Metro Aviation Nest in Louisiana got hit by flying debris on his head ?? or had some other injury. It seems he will be alright.
This is a long but, a good eye-opening read from the Raptor Persecution UK. It has been suggested by Geemeff that I give you a warning before reading this. It is distressing to the extreme. Baby Hen Terriers stomped to death by humans!!!!!! Having just read Bowland Beth and a stack of books on the plight of the Hen Harrier and the Red Kites, I find this article distressing. How can we convince people that all of the animals have as much right to life as we human animals do?
Early morning at Port Lincoln and Zoe is wishing for a fish!
We will miss that amazing Indigo when they leave the territory of Xavier and Diamond. Indigo is adorable. He has been stashing his leftover prey in the corner and Diamond has been taking it – obviously to teach Indigo many life lessons. He retrieved his prey from Mum. Look at how proud he is!
As Wednesday ends at The Hamlet, Gabby and V3 are on the nest tree together.
This image of Gabby with V3 is from this morning, Thursday 15 December. It seems Gabby might have made up her mind!
Two other love birds…Samson and Jackie. Oh, stay safe you two!
And last, some very good news sent by Geemeff —especially if you have been following The Flight of the Osprey! A live event…
Thank you so much for being with me today. Wherever you are, take care. See you soon!
Thank you to Geemeff for the heads up on the Flight of the Osprey live discussion. Thanks to the following for their postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: FOBBV, Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Raptor Persecution UK, Tonya Irwin and Raptors of the World, Cal Falcons, Superbeaks, Raptor Resource and Explore.org, and Vancouver City News.
And on Thursday, things got even better at NEFL, with several (unsuccessful) mating attempts and lots of courtship behaviour and vocals. It may take V3 a little time and practice but this pair look like they are going to make a good couple. He is a good provider and a great defender of the nest. He has brought nesting material and helped Gabby work on the nest and he has demonstrated he is ready and willing to help with brooding a clutch of eggs. Now all he needs to do is fertilise some eggs. They have plenty of time – this is the first week of their relationship after all – so I think we can relax a little and let them bond.
The murder of the Hen Harrier chicks left me beyond words that anyone could be so brutal. I am a firm believer in karma, which is the only thing that saves me from thoughts of hatred and vengeance. I have total faith that the culprit/s will be given plenty of opportunity to fully understand what they have done. The description of the mother’s behaviour was heart-rending. I am not sure how we go about preventing such appalling acts of cruelty towards animals – we hear horrendous stories so often. I wonder what percentage of these torturers are female. Somehow, I suspect the figure would be somewhere between negligible and zero.
There are too many cases where Hen Harriers on grouse moors have their nests destroyed, or tagged birds ‘go missing’ but this vile behaviour filled me with horror. Imagine the terror and agony felt by the little ones as the boot kept coming down relentlessly. May karma strike soon!
I felt precisely the same horror just thinking about those wee chicks and their parents who want nothing but to have a meal. Unlike those that take their guns and romp through the heather and moors with the beaters shooting the Red Grouse. I think there should be a total ban on all hunting everywhere. But this instance of the stomping has left me livid and feeling ill. Is it because the owners of the estates have such funds and influence and that many in government are part of these groups that this has not stopped? Is there any hope?
I am still horrified by it! It will take a sea change to get rid of this practice. I noticed that it is even commented on in some of the old television series like All Creatures Great and Small – the glorious 12th. I would like it to be the end of that!!!!!!!
Yes, Gabby and V3 have some time! But the horror those little chicks must have felt. I cannot even fathom but I wish hunting in all its forms were outlawed. I hope that karma comes to them with a vengeance!
I know it sounds crazy but how would these men feel – you have to be correct that women would not be inclined to do these horrendous acts of violence (I know there are some sick women out there, too) but what if what they did was done to them. How would they feel if they were stomped to death?