Angel’s baby doing great, Oldest Red Kite dies…Saturday in Bird World

20 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

It is Canada’s first long weekend of the ‘summer’ season. Victoria weekend – also known as Bank Holidays in the UK. It is considered the safe time to plant your tender annuals in the garden or the first time to head to the cottage and turn the water on. Of course, it has been warmer and we are all ahead of this schedule but, it is a long weekend for people who are working and hopefully, a fun and safe time.

First up, one of the first raptors in the reintroduction scheme in the UK has died. Red Kite, Aragon, was 29 years old. First we lost Pale Male and now Aragon who was named after the area in Spain who donated him to help the UK with their project.

This is absolutely hilarious…for the smile we all need today, thanks, Heidi McGrue!

Here is another one…Talk about a feeding frenzy…have a look at what it is like for Annie and Lou at Cal Falcons with Rosa, Zephyr, and Luna! Goodness.

Victor Victoria finally fledged at the Moorings Park Osprey Park at 0809 on Friday the 19th of March, 11 days after her sibling. You will notice that I am using the pronoun ‘her’ and ‘she’. Vic flew to the Purple Martin bird house in the middle of the pond and from there had a few short flights and then was seen soaring, being escorted by the parents. One of the highlights for me was Abby landing on the bird house next to Victor!

It is always a worry til they return, and Victor returns to the nest at 1734 to the relief of everyone involved and all of us watching.

Victor was hot and hungry! A Red-winged Blackbird serves as an escort. I had gone to check on Angel seconds before – thanks for the alert, ‘H’. — And just a correction to some information that I have mentioned earlier. Moorings Park does not stop their pond. Thanks, ‘SD’!

It appears that the fourth hatch at Manton Bay in Rutland has died. A large fish was delivered right when it was hatching and sent its shell flying along with flapping all four osplets hard. The fish covered Mini-Bob and when Maya was finally able to get it off, the little one was very weak. Mini had a feed in the afternoon but later, there were only three heads eating. Maya was seen later covering it with grasses so no predator would get her baby.

There were four in the image below but you can see Mini…so frail and not moving. Later in the evening, only three heads could be seen. So sad for Maya and Blue 33.

Geemeff caught the last feeding and the lack of Mini Bob…taking a deep breath. Happy to have three osplets. That fish could have done more damage – so grateful it didn’t.

A plaque has gone up to Harriet near to her nest on the Pritchett Farm. It is a beautiful tribute to a much loved Bald Eagle.

Have a look at this little beauty – Chase and Cholyn’s baby from this year.

All continues to go well at Lake Murray for Lucy and C2. Tonight, I noticed that Lucy is not on the perch but is down in the nest with her baby. Weather? GHO? or both? She was on the nest til dawn when she went fishing.

Diane, Big and Middle all had fish today at Achieva in St Petersburg, Florida. Diane brought in a big fish around 1900 and Big had her own to self-feed and Diane fed Middle.

Little RTH5 wasn’t so welcoming to Tom when he arrived on the nest with empty talons. She went after them! Too funny. RTH5 ate so well on Friday. Had at least one crop drop and was so full once it could hardly move on the nest with its big crop. Details of the feedings and more images later in the blog, too. I love this little nestling.

“Oh, just one more bite!”

Thank goodness for the wildlife rehabbers who take care and try desperately to return to the wild every life that comes into their clinic. Here are two stories for today to put a smile on your face.

If you live near Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, sometime, if you can, take the opportunity to visit there during the migration counts in the spring and fall. Here are the recaps so far this year.

The counts reveal a shark decline for our dear Ospreys.

Angel’s RTH5 has eaten very well today and these are the details that were posted, not available earlier. These are the prey deliveries and feedings up until 1700 Friday: “9:25:51 Angel back with a young Meadowlark. 9:26:20 Feed1.12:49:08 Tom in for a visit. 1:26:29 Angel back with a young Meadowlark. 1:27:33 Feed2. 3:09:52 Angel with a young Meadowlark. 3:10:40 Feed3.” We will really be able to see changes in the plumage of RTH5 which are beginning now but next week, the look of this adorable baby is going to be sooooo different.

The arrival of the Meadowlark and feeding 3.

Preening her baby!

It is a windy morning in Ithaca, New York at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. The cam operator gave us some lovely images of the eyases.

E22 was at the pond this morning looking out and probably thinking about fish and a good swim. Everyone is treasuring each moment and wondering what will come next.

For those of you that followed Louis and Aila at Loch Arkaig, you will recall that they used what is known as nest 1. When Aila did not return from migration two years ago, Louis took another nest site with Dorcha. The old nest has been vacant. Sue Wallbanks reports that there is hope that a new couple might move in – LV0 and Blue 152. That would be fantastic. Too late for eggs this year but for bonding and planning…absolutely!

Bruce Yolton caught up with Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo. He was hunting at the Compost Site – far nicer than an earlier construction site and the dumpsters. He had caught a rat!

A UK man was sentenced for putting out poison bait – along with other offences – to protect his exotic birds. I am glad that the instigator was punished, but I wonder about the sentence. Cris Packham calls the sentence ‘pathetic’. I totally agree. What will it take for humans to understand that they do not have the right to kill wildlife indiscriminately? (or at all!!)

It is, of course, not just planning in the UK that is causing havoc with wildlife. Plans for a tidal barrier along with some entertainment and economic plans for Norfolk and Lincolnshire are drawing a lot of criticism from environmental and wildlife groups for good reason. The coast along Norfolk is one of the most beautiful attracting waterfowl from the tundra to the UK for the winter. Politicians believe that economic concerns trump anything to do with the environment but have they lost touch? Does the area really need more cruise ships? Perhaps nature reserves and eco-tourism?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/19/tidal-barrier-proposal-for-lincolnshire-and-norfolk-sets-off-wave-of-opposition?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. There is lots going on and many nests not covered. We are awaiting for hatches and monitoring chicks but so far all appears to be going well. Take care everyone. Have a lovely weekend. See you soon!

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Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘M’, ‘SD’, BBC News, Heidi McGrue and the WRDC, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Geemeff and LRWT, Cornell RTH, Lisa Russo and the NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watchers Club, IWS/Explore, LMO, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, Wild Bird Sanctuary, The Raptor Centre, Hawk Mountain, WGCU, Sue Wallbank’s and Friends of Loch Arkaig, Bruce Yolton and urban hawks, Chris Packham, and The Guardian.