Blue 497 in Senegal, adult osprey released after 53 days in care…it is Tuesday in Bird World

3 January 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope everyone is well and that the start of the week got off to a good beginning for 2023. It is a warmer day here, -8, and there are lots of sparrows along with Dyson and her gang and the European Starlings at the feeders. It is always good to see them and my heart skipped a little when my granddaughter said she could hear the birds singing as she approached the house on New Year’s Day. Just lovely. What would the world be without our feathered friends singing?

I want to start my blog today with two ‘good news’ osprey stories because, Ospreys are really the raptors that I know best, they make my heart beat just that much faster. The first one is a remarkable sighting because we all know that the majority of the first year fledglings simply do not ‘make it’. The second one is dear to my heart and it is about an adult male osprey taken into care by CROW and released 53 days after being admitted! Remember: Too many people sing the mantra of ‘Ospreys do not do well in care’. This simply does not seem to be borne out by the evidence.

I am super excited. Two Glaslyn Ospreys have been spotted in Senegal. KC4 has been seen previously but it is the youngster, 497, a 2022 fledgling that has me jumping up and down. 497 made the cover of the Glaslyn calendar this year! 497 hatched on May 26 and was last seen at Glaslyn on 13 September 2022. Many of you watched these chicks at Glaslyn grow from egg to fledge. Now Blue 497 is successfully in Senegal. Fantastic. Tears of joy.

What a handsome osprey! The best of Aran and Mrs G in one fish eating bird of prey. Oh, my goodness what a beautiful bird – with great DNA. Can you tell how excited I am?

KC4 is a 2020 fledgling seen in this image before fledging with the entire family. She has been sighted in Senegal various times since she fledged. As I said about 497 – these chicks of Mrs G and Aran have really great DNA. Good DNA and luck – the two things that help the young fledglings. That and experience later. Their Mum, Mrs G, is the oldest Osprey in the UK.

Many of you will recognise the name CROW. They are the wildlife rehabbers located on Captiva Island. Their facilities were hit by Hurricane Ian but many were standing. They have a good news story about an adult male Osprey. Remember this when anyone tells you that Ospreys do not do well in care. We now have a growing file of evidence from chicks to adults that they do well in care – if the wildlife rehabbers know what they are doing and care!

That is simply incredible news.

To the shock of everyone, there is a new little osplet in a nest on the NW coast of Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island lies off the coast of South Australia and is Australia’s third largest island.

Xavier and Diamond get to bond without an interruption by Indigo! Can you believe it? Me, neither!

It is so difficult seeing the two eaglets – Pearl and Tito -at Superbeaks. It seems there is more ps on the camera lens. It didn’t stop us getting sight of the largest of the two (I presume) standing up and walking a couple of steps. Can you believe it?

Standing tall!

Then a feeding and both were there. Oh, they are sweet. Looks like a big sister and a little brother to me…but who knows. Or does this camera really distort the size difference? Whatever. Both look great as the sun begins to set on the nest.

Ron and Rose were at their nest today. Rose is a young sweetie. Next year the brown will be gone in her white head. Look closely. Find anything distinguishing. Ron has been working on that nest probably hoping for eggs this year. Will there be any? Perhaps not but who knows. That is the reason that it will be good to try and identify any special features of Rose for next year.

Ron has really made a very nice nest.

The lovely couple.

‘HeidiMc’ did a fantastic clip of Ron and Rose yesterday – a fish delivery, footsie, and bonding! Thanks, ‘H’.

Some people have been very disappointed that there will be a black out of news about Rita and her whereabouts. There is a very good reason for this. WRDC was rehabbing another eagle and people attempted to steal that eagle. That is why the precise locations of nests and now Rita’s future home will not be disclosed. It makes perfect sense. This is precisely the reason that the location of many nests is not published for the safety of the birds. Can you imagine someone trying to steal Gabby?

I did not see a lot of activity at the NEFlorida nest of Gabby and V3. Gabby was prominent on one of the branches around 0948 but after there it appears little presence by either eagle.

Jerinelle Wray posted a video on FB of all the bugs that made V3 move to another branch last night. I took a capture from her video to show you. As she says, “this could be the reason that the eagles are not sleeping on the nest tonight”. You may recall that some cams are now turning off the light at night that attracts insects to the nests and scrapes. It just reminds me that while some will dismiss the bother of the insects, we know that three peregrine falcon eyases at Spirit Bluff jumped to their death because of so many black flies.

The two little eaglets at the KNF-E3 nest are just fine. The oldest one will eat more food because its crop is larger and can hold more. Today, seemed relatively peaceful in the nest to me. Andria has been feeding them American Coot and then switched to one of the two Sunfish on the nest.

02 had a crop and both are sleeping sound in a food coma.

Both Alex and Andria have been doing tandem feedings – a good way to get both chicks full without any beaking. It is a great help and I have always cheered those males that step in – including many of the male UK Ospreys who help out like Louis did with Dorcha when they had JJ5, JJ6, and JJ7 in 2020. Still, Tonya Irwin, the moderator and FB admin for the Kistachie Eagle Cams has placed an announcement on FB today:

I really wondered if Mum and Dad at the ND-LEEF nest would rebuild in the same tree but, like the other eagles who rebuilt after Hurricane Ian (if the tree was still standing), the pair remained faithful to their old home. This is the Bald Eagle nest in St Patrick’s Park in South Bend, Indiana – home of Little Bit ND17. Mum and Dad have done it and the chair rails are going up nicely.

Gosh, I wish that Humane Indiana had gotten Little Bit banded. Wouldn’t you love to know where our ‘survivor’ is?

Andor and Cruz were at the Fraser Point Bald Eagle nest working a bit. — If you go to that cam, be careful. It seems that all of the Channel Islands streaming cams are putting in Highlights now and again. It is easy to be fooled into thinking that what you are seeing is current.

The eagles look to be in very good condition nothing their chrome yellow beaks and feet along with what appears to be good plumage .

Chase and Cholyn visited the Two Harbours nest, too, but I did not see either Thunder or Akecheta at the West End nest today.

Jackie was at the Big Bear Valley nest despite the snow.

There are still some pip watches ongoing or coming up: SWFlorida, Captiva, Berry College, and Metro Aviation to name four. Here is one of the pip watch announcements.

In California, people are flocking to see a rare sight – a Snowy Owl. Here in Manitoba, the Owls literally love our snow. But what is one doing in the heat of the western US?

I have mentioned Cockatoos several times in relation to calls for assistance by one US sanctuary. The real issue is that Cockatoos should not be exported for pets to anywhere. If you have heard them at the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest, their cry sounds like someone being murdered. It is not that nice. They are also pesky toddlers as my friend ‘J’ continues to tell me. Remember the one throwing pots from a second story balcony. Now, seriously why would you want one for a pet? There is an article in The Guardian today showing just how clever these birds are, too.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/23/cockatoos-in-sydney-learning-from-each-other-to-bin-dive-for-food-study-finds?CMP=share_btn_link

Let’s end with a good news story just the way we began. There are a lot of kind people who are looking out at the ice patches floating on rivers around the world. This morning there are several stories of Bald Eagles being rescued who are found sitting on tiny pieces of ice. Most are juveniles.

https://www.fox32chicago.com/…/bald-eagle-rescued…

Thank you so very much for being with me today. I hope that you have a wonderful Tuesday. Tomorrow a look at the anger around illegal poisons killing Ravens in the UK and investigations into raptor deaths that seem to be going no where. Stay safe. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, announcements, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Brewed Gwyllt Glaslyn, CROW, RAD KI, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Superbeaks, WRDC, NEFL-AEF, Jerinelle Wray and the NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watchers Club FB, HeidiMc, KNF-E3, Tonya Irwin and the Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam Fans, IWS and Explore.org, FOBBV, CBS, Sharon Dunne and the NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watchers Club FB, FOX32Chicago, and The Guardian.