21 February 2022
Good Morning Everyone,
Oh, it is nippy cold on the Canadian Prairies. The weather people got everything turned upside down, leaving us thinking that the holiday weekend was to be warm and delightful. We also received a good bit of snow that is causing havoc over the snow that melted and turned to ice. It is currently -19 with brisk 15 kph winds. I am beginning to wonder why humans don’t hibernate! It is to be -29 C tomorrow morning. We are more than back in the deep freeze.
Today I will hop around a lot of nests. They have been neglected because my almost full attention has been on M15 and his eaglets. I will say again that he is doing a tremendous job. There have been enormous hurdles for him, including losing Harriet. I hope she doesn’t mind. My friend ‘A; says that the eaglets gave M15 something to live for after Harriet. It took him a few days for it all to sink in, but he has come about and, quite honestly, is one of the most democratic adults feeding eaglets I have ever seen. ‘A’ reminded me of what I already knew but had lost in the density of it all – that M15 always took care of the underdog on the nest even when Harriet did not. Looking at the history of the SW Florida nest, it was fascinating how many eaglets those two had fledged since 2015 when M15 became the man of the hour. What also interested me was that these eaglets survived…the prior history with Ozzie is not nearly as good. There was good DNA, with Harriet and M15 producing strong, independent, healthy eaglets. What M15 looks for in his next mate, his second by all accounts would be a fierce female like Harriet. As much as we waffle on our feelings about the female with the black talon, she may be precisely what he is looking for in a future mate.
Making News:
Ervie. Our dear Ervie. It is so nice for someone to take and post photos of you living the good life in Port Lincoln. There is no word from your sister, Zoe. Indeed, they are having problems with many of the satellite trackers. Let us hope that is all that is wrong…Glad you are safe!
When you think of Ospreys, do you think of Bahrain?
We all watched and held our breaths, hoping that Karl II and his Black Stork family – mate Kaia, offspring Waba and foster, Bonus – would not travel through Ukraine on their way to Africa. Many asked what the cost to wildlife is. An article in The Guardian examines the cost to nature.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/20/ukraine-war-cost-for-nature-russia?CMP=share_btn_link
Did you know that Ostrich feathers are still considered a luxury item and there is high demand for them?
Broken wing and extensive lacerations for this eagle caught in a fence. Help came in time, and today, that raptor is flying again. Thanks, Everyone.
Two of the 55 Kakapo chicks hatched in 2022 are celebrating one-year-old hatch day. They get their names today. Well done, everyone.
Did you know that the USFWS believes there are now 316,000 Bald Eagles in the US? Many in Florida are making their nests on the old NASA site during the winter.
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/american-bald-eagles-florida-kennedy-space-center
In the Nests:
Richmond is looking for Rosie to arrive any day! He has arrived at the nest as he will do from now until she returns from her migration.
Staying in San Francisco. There might still be time to vote on Annie’s mate.
All of the eaglets are growing up fast. E22 is so good at stealing fish from Dad and then feeding himself. Nugget was doing the same thing…but, what did Nugget eat?
Connie and Clive are also beginning to teach Connick to self-feed. They dropped a fish into the nest that was unzipped and watched from the upper branches til Connick was interested and pecking and getting some fish. After he gave it a good try, Mum flew down and fed the entire fish to her baby!
At the KNF-E1 nest of Anna and Louis, that eaglet – this has to be a beautiful female – is now self-feeding, too. They are all progressing just as they should.
Meanwhile, B16 is being filled up to the brim by Pa at the Berry College Eagle nest.
Well, I missed it watching M15 and the Es but, it seems that Pearl and Tico have fledged!!!!!!
Gary seems to think things at the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian are returning to normal. Guardian brings a Coot to Liberty. Liberty loved that meal. The first egg collapsed and the couple have incubated the second egg nearly fully time.
Some great highlights of the 20th in Orange Australia. Indigo is still with us!
At noon on 20 February, 8868 people were watching to see if Jackie and Shadow will have a pip in their eggs today.
Still waiting and hoping.
‘H’ sends word that Angus has brought two fish to Florence today at Captiva. She has also caught one of her own. August has also only kicked her out of the nest once! Courtship after losing a mate is interesting, complex, and often confusing.
E21 and E22 are turning six weeks old. M15 has to be given many awards for his dedication to raising these two. He is quite amazing.
The eaglets at SWFlorida had a nice big fish on Monday morning at 10:50:18.
Both ate, but 22 is getting so darn good at snatching and grabbing. He got some of the fish – a nice big piece and then the tail – and put them down with one gulp. 22 is so far ahead in this area of learning. It is grand. This nest is preparing them for anything and everything that could meet in the outside world.
E21’s large wings!
Two fish came in the late afternoon. One was around 15:55, and the other was at 16:54. E22 got the best of those meals. 21 did a bit of nipping at 16:11:45 so that he could eat! Meanwhile, E22 did his famous snatch-and-grab and wound up with a rather great ending to the day regarding food.
22 appears to ‘hork’ another tail. 22 might move away from 21 at times but, he is determined and is really able to deal quickly if a piece of food presents itself. Well done, 22.
At one point, the camera had M15 on the nest tree.
The female with what appears to be a large crop is down by the pond.
At another time, both were at the pond. I will imagine that M15 caught that last nice fish here. It is 14:16. M15 is on the right. He looks like he has eaten and has a nice crop.
Here is a video by Eagle Goddess of the pair at the pond.
Who’s guarding? Who’s sleeping?
The day went without incident on the nest, which is all that matters. And then came the GHO strike at 21:24:40. M15 cannot get a break. Sara McDavid caught the auction for us.
https://www.youtube.com/live/5aL2OA1jOq0?feature=share
Minnesota had some of the snow that swept through this area. Nancy woke up with no snow, and then it came on Monday, and then it was gone again. If there is to be a third egg, it should arrive today for Nancy and Beau.
The eagles at Pittsburgh-Hayes welcomed their second egg on Monday. Congratulations, everyone. The time was just after 17:17. Mum seed to have about a three-minute labour.
The Majestic’s Mum at the Denton Homes nest in Iowa laid her first egg with a new mate, Beau, on the 20th. Dad and the three eaglets died of Avian Flu last year. It was so sad.
There is also the first egg at Decorah North for Mr North and DNF. Happened around 2000.
It appears that Big Red has not decided where the 2023 nest will be but she has definitely rejected the Fernow Tower Light stand potentially because of the construction work across Tower Road. Today Suzanne Arnold Horning found the couple delivering sticks to the smoke stacks.
There is just too much happening all at once in Bird World, which is what we thought when the other Bald Eagle nests came into play. All in all, it was a good day.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, news, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that make up my newsletter today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Sandra Wallace and Friends of Osprey, Howard King @BirdsofBahrain, The Guardian, Golden Gate Audubon, Cal Falcons, Tonya Irwin and KNF-E3, Window to Wildlife, KNF-E1, Berry College Eagles, Superbeaks, Gary and FORE, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, FOBBV, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, MN-DNR, Pix Cam, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, and Suzanne Arnold Horning and the Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters.
Always great to see photos of Ervie. Thriving. Note to Zoe: please phone home.
Thanks, as always, for the updates on the SW Florida drama. Keeping fingers crossed for Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear.
You are always welcome. It is my pleasure. Yes! So excited to see Ervie, and I hope we hear from Zoe soon!!!!!!!
Thank you Mary Ann for these updates.it was so wonderful to see Ervie! He looked great ! Hope Zoe will show up soon too. Hope for the eggs to hatch at Jackie and Shadow. All the little eaglets are growing and looking so cute. Congratulations to the eggs for Decorah North, Denton homes, Hayes nest, Liberty and Guardian, Minnesota nest! Wishing them a great season! Good luck Big Red and Authur to pick a good nest area too!
Have a great evening Mary Ann and take care and stay warm.
Linda
Such a joy to see Ervie…I am so glad he stayed around Port Lincoln. The females sometimes go further but not Calypso..so we know two of the chicks are doing well from the barge!