30 March 2022
Good Morning Everyone,
It was -4 C in ‘Winter Peg’. No snow. Blue skies and a chilly, chilly wind. We are now at the point of longing for spring to arrive, and it will be another month til it feels like it! I would love to wake up in the morning to hear the quack of ducks in my garden!
I will go back to SW Florida, but what we had feared all along happened. One of the Es got knocked off the branch while they were sleeping by the GHO. It was 21. ‘A’ sent the following note: “Both Es are in the nest tree, although I am not entirely certain that E21 may not have fledged and returned, as E22 suddenly got very excited by what could only have been E21 much higher in the nest tree. Camera scans had not found E21 in the tree prior to that, and I was starting to think he had fledged earlier this morning, then suddenly, E22 was squeeing like mad and there was E21. So I thought that he may have left the tree and returned. Otherwise, he was in the higher reaches of the nest tree all morning. Well, turns out that what happened was E21 got knocked out of the nest tree by a GHO and landed in a branch under the nest tree. Three hours later, he is now back in the nest tree. Congratulations E21.” E21 flew back to the nest so it is an official fledge. So lucky!
Heidi Mc got it on video- please watch to the end. The Es so happy to be together after the ordeal.
If you missed it, Geemeff published Tim Mackrill’s brief talk about the miraculous journey of Blue KW0 cross the Atlantic to Barbados on the BBC.
I simply cannot help but continue to applaud this incredible Osprey. She is an amazing bird and let us all hope that she lives a long and productive life.
A fantastic interview with Sasha Dench and her return to Guinea to find 4K again and check out the challenges for the ospreys return to the UK. Thanks, Geemeff. Please listen. It is such a good interview.
Geemeff got to visit Rutland today and guess who they caught mating? Oh, eggs soon Blue 33 and Maya!
When CJ7 gets back to Poole Harbour she might have something to say to Blue 22, who has been cavorting with the unringed female on their nest at Poole Harbour!
Maya and Blue continue to work on the nest and are waiting for eggs. Blue 25 seems to be staying away or maybe her mate has now returned.
Telyn is at the Dyfi nest patiently waiting for Idris to return while eating her flounder in the wind.
Looks like she finished that off nicely! Telyn is also an excellent fisher.
Waiting for Mrs G and Aran at Glaslyn Valley where it has flooded and there is currently rain. At one time the nest was a wading pool.
It has been raining up at the Loch of the Lowes where Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 (she has lost a ring) are hoping for eggs soon!
Heavy rain drops are falling at Louis and Dorcha’s nest at Loch Arkaig. According to one of the nest experts, the pair typically do not return until April. Smart! It looks damp and cold.
It is dreary at Clywedog, also. Dylan and Seren are both home from their migration. These are the first Welsh couple to be reunited this season.
This incredible couple made the news! There were so many new stories about Ospreys today. I wonder if the unthinkable journey of Blue KW0 across the Atlantic has sparked international interest in the fish hawks.
There are three rather energetic osplets on the Achieva Osprey nest. I don’t know how this season will end but right now the little one is quite feisty. That said, the beaking has already started. The key will be for Jack to keep the fish coming in to the nest just like a train – finish one, get another. Like Harry did at the Moorings Osprey Park in Naples, Florida when Abby and Victor were wee. It didn’t stop Abby’s dominance but Victor is still happily with us!
Trey at the KNF E1 nest of Anna and Louis is having a great time flying from branch to branch at the nest tree today. She is sitting right above the nest on a branch in the image below. What a magnificent eaglet.
Prey delivery at the KNF E-3 nest of Alex and Andria and their kids, Valentine and Nugget. Both Valentine and Nugget on the nest while Andria looks on.
Connick is big and beautiful and his nest is full of fish at Captiva. Connie and Clive will still be close at hand even though Connick might like to only self-feed and be somewhat independent. Clive supplies lots of fish. You can see them on the nest. I am counting seven!
Rose and Ron’s two eaglets at the WRDC nest in Miami are sooooo cute.
They have names – and every time I go to keyboard them in I forget. So…the two at Duke Farms have their complete thermal down. There are only a few little white dandelions remaining from their youth.
Sharon Pollock shows us what the Es have been up to!
Both have been up on the attic together. Could we have a dual fledge?
In California, ‘B’ warned me that bad weather was approaching Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear and would arrive on Wednesday. He was 100% correct. I am sooooooo glad there are no little eaglets on this nest right now. This front is expected to last through Thursday. It makes me cold just looking at it!
Shadow cannot stop thinking about those nest rails even with the snow and wind! Does he know the Ravens have been taking them?
At the Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bald Eagle nest, there are three eggs! Thanks, ‘L’ for letting us know and for sending us the link to their camera.
It is raining in Corona California but this is not stopping Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot from fledging! Congratulations Owlvira and Hoots for another successful year.
Angus and Florence will have hatch around the third week in April. There are three eggs for these first-time parents. If they all hatch, this will be a crazy nest to watch. Gosh that is a long time away. How will they do in the heat and humidity?
A check on the Moorings Ospreys shows that Victor walks freely around the nest today with no monofilament hindrance—smart little one. Whenever there is an incoming fish, and he fears Abby will not be agreeable, he gets between Sally’s legs to eat and protect his head!
We have all been concerned about the Moorings osprey platform since the incident with the monofilament line. It is, sadly, too familiar. Humans must be vigilant and take better care. Sunnie Day sent me a link to a site. Please check it out. I understand that they might even retrieve line. So write this down somewhere! It could save a life.
https://www.facebook.com/mindyourline
The Moorings Park monofilament line also brings to mind the need for all streaming cam owners to have proper contact information that will respond. It is unknown how many citizen scientists – you – save the lives of birds each year. There are no statistics. What we know is that individuals watching nests know the birds personally. They can tell when they are sick. Watchers first spotted Legacy not feeling well at the NEFL Bald Eagle nest, and it was confirmed she had Avian Flu. Others – I remember Patuxent and my friends ‘S’ and ‘L’ calling everyone. A staff member listened to the taped phone messages and took their canoe to save an osprey chick falling in the water. The tide had not come in, and it was a glorious ending. ——So my point is this: YOU can save lives. To do so, you need the phone number of the nearest wildlife rehab centre for the nests you watch. You need to report what is happening and where clearly. If it is a human caused issue, such as fishing line, they can get the permit in the US to go to the nest. If a chick falls out of a nest, they can help. You are all wonderful and you can make a difference! Do not hesitate. Do not assume someone else has called.
We have a falcon egg at the Spartan Stadium in Michigan!
It is never the outcome we hope for but this posting does help us understand just how well the raptors can adapt to injuries. We have seen eagles with one leg, eagles with a mangled leg become mothers (Ma Berry), and this one with only two toes surviving well til he broke his wing. Remember this – a good learning lesson! Share the story with others when they wonder if an eagle can survive and hunt with only two toes.
That is a round-up of some of the nests we have been following. Stay tuned for the Es fledge. It is coming quicker than we might imagine. Will they fly together?
Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, posts, announcements, articles, and streaming cams that helped to make up the news in my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘L’, Heidi Mc and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Geemeff, Sunni Day, The Guardian, Tim Mackrill and the BBC, Tom Heap and Sky News, Geemeff and LRWT, Poole Harbour Ospreys, LRWT, DYFI, Glaslyn, LOTL and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, CarnyxWild, Cambrian News UK, Achieva Credit Union, KNF E-1, KNF E-3, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Duke Farms, Sharon Pollock and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, FOBBV, Sutton Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, Mind Your Line, Olga Kysil and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams.
Oh goodness – Harriet’s nest has certainly had its ups and downs this season. GHO’s are fearsome predators, good for E21 getting away safely. Let’s hope both eaglets make it to migrate to honour Harriet’s legacy and the sterling job done by single-dad M15.