12 April 2023
Good Morning Everyone,
Spring really has arrived. It was a balmy 14 degrees C here on Tuesday with a clear blue sky and bright sun. The same weather promises for today. Yipppeeee. When the weather is good, I encourage all of us to get outside. Even if you sit on a chair and let the sun warm your face. It is all beneficial. Make a habit of it!
The snow is melting and causing some local flooding, the geese, Cormorants, and pelicans fly overhead and it is a great day to be outside and appreciate all the effort the migrants have made to get here. A bald eagle flew low on the road, banked and landed on the ice at one of the lakes. I stopped and found it had spotted some carrion, likely a dead goose.
Other geese were finding open areas of water.
Geese are very territorial as they begin to prepare for nesting. I did not have my long, long lens on the camera. I am about 10 metres away, and he is still warning me off!
The staff have all of the goose and duck boxes full of fresh straw just waiting for new occupants.
Meanwhile, at home, all Lewis can do is dream about another Dove landing on the roof! Lewis makes Missy tired…he is still very much a kitten!
Missy prefers the Japanese snacks!
Ospreys move nests. Yes, they do. In fact, at Kielder Forest some have kept people guessing as to whether they would stay or go. The male at nest 1A White YA disappeared last year. Now the female has left that nest and moved to another. Kielder is putting out a call for female ospreys! Know anyone?
The remarkable story of a rock, an eaglet, and Murphy! From World Bird Sanctuary continues in the most positive way:
There is good news coming out of CROW. After treatment, Connick’s blood is clotting normally. Now they are trying to figure out why he had the loss of so many primary feathers. Thanks, CROW!
Annie and Lou’s little eyas is such a cutie pie. Cal Falcons caught the first feeding on video for us.
As I write this, it is 19:14 at The Campanile. Annie is giving us a good look at her sweet baby.
Lou meets his baby.
Annie even allows Lou to have a couple of incubation duties. Fantastic. Thanks SK Hideaways!
Ah, thank you, Annie for showing us the two little ones!
DHM and DHD have a precious little one, too – DH2.
At Dulles-Greenway, Martin and Rosa are doing such a fantastic job raising the three. ‘A’ comments today: “The three at Dulles Greenway have the most GIGANTIC crops. Three chicks in total food comas, mama looking down at her babies. She has fed them and fed them and I have rarely seen larger crops in my life… The youngest is just a firecracker. Always has the biggest crop on the nest. Always front and centre at meal times. Just the sweetest little eaglet. I have seen little or no bonking on this nest. The three just lie around, growing and playing, and eating like small peagles (pigs/eagles).”
The eaglets were fed several times in a row always crop dropping. This is a wonderful nest to watch. If you haven’t checked in on them, please do.
There are terrific storms hitting the UK. It was particularly windy and rainy in Wales so much so that Idris and Telyn at the Dyfi nest took to the ground instead of staying in the trees or nest. Poor Telyn. She was readying to lay her first egg.
The weather in Wales is very wet. The new female at the Glaslyn nest beat Aran there on Wednesday. Mrs G is now well past her return date, sadly. She left a fantastic legacy of ospreys and will always be remembered and loved. Glaslyn will no doubt be issuing a lovely memorial once they are sure Mrs G is not returning.
‘T’ writes: “What a wonderful day for the cameras and watchers in the Baltic countries! Karl II is back! Kaia is not too far. Osprey Teo is back in Latvian nest. And!! A new camera is already installed on Kergu’s nest. So more black storks we will see in Estonia. Kergu is on a bird map with Karl and others.” This is wonderful news. So many storks have been slaughtered in Malta and Lebanon- such sadness. Now will cute little Teo get a mate this year?
Karl II wasted no time getting from Moldova to his home! Fantastic.
Here is the video of Karl II’s arrival!
Welcome home, Teo!
Everyone loves SP chick in New Zealand. I have promised ‘A’ to put in this cute video and I kept forgetting amidst the drama of the hatch at Cal Falcons. Here we go! What a cutie pie. Life is good with our little gardener.
Everyone reading my blog knows I love ducks and look forward to their arrival. Here is a lovely short article on the Gadwall and why we should appreciate these little non-flamboyant ducks more.
Checking on Dale Hollow and Achieva: River brought in at least three nice fish for DH17 and DH18 and herself. Everyone ate well. Still, River had to warm off intruders while feeding her babies. She is doing well. Continue with your best wishes.
There also appears to be an issue of a possible nest takeover at Dale Hollow. Intruders have been about and landing. A floater? A take over? We can only watch and wait.
When I last checked, Jack had delivered two flounder to the Achieva nest in St Petersburg and both osplets as well as Jack and Diane had eaten well. Relief. Again, like Dale Hollow, send positive positive wishes to this nest also.
In fact, my count was wrong. Jack brought in five fish today!
This is a short report on what is happening in Bird World. All nests are good except those I worry about – Achieva and Dale Hollow. We take them one day at a time. Shadow continues to get in the nest cup, hoping for a spring miracle – the first male eagle to lay an egg! While he and Jackie are otherwise as affectionate as ever. Eggs are being incubated, eaglets fed, and Ospreys in the UK are either incubating or working on nests. Send them all your good wishes as we wait to see if either of the remaining two eggs will hatch at Cal Falcons.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘T’, Kielder Forest, Wild Bird Sanctuary, CROW, C White and the Captiva Island Eagle and Ospreys, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Dulles-Greenaway, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Estonia Eagle Club, Latvian Fund for Nature, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, The Guardian, Dale Hollow and Barbara Snyder and Achieva Credit Union.
Thanks Mary Ann for the great updates! Enjoyed seeing Louis and Missy pictures and the pics from the geese and others too! So glad Karl 11 is home and hoping Kiai makes it soon! Congratulations to the new little falcons and all others too! The babies are so adorable and thanks for the pics and video!
Glad things are better at the Achieva nest and glad all is well with the rest too🙏
Have a good Wednesday and see you soon here!
Linda
It was really a good day in Bird world. So nice to be able to do those kind of reports!!!!!! And you’re always welcome. We take Achieva and DH a day at a time. Lots of pressure on those adults. But it is looking good so far.