30 May 2023
Good Morning Everyone!
Oh, goodness. Hot. That is all I can say. This week will be a ‘cooker’ on the Canadian Prairies with temperatures going to 36 degrees – similar to my son visiting SE Asia for the next month! The garden birds are not eating that much but they sure are enjoying the bird baths and the dishes of water. Be sure to do your part – even if it is a single tiny bowl of water. Everything helps.
We are going to start with a question that comes up quite often: Do Ospreys inbreed? Before you make a face, the term is not a negative one in the raptor world. Indeed, the answer to the question is ‘yes’ and this article by Emry Evans in 2015 tells us why there are advantages and why this is not a bad thing in raptor populations.
In terms of Bird World, there is sheer joy and anxiety. It is a real mix this year. New parents are not as attentive, nests of four cause endless issues for the smallest to get to the front of the line, and the success of some predators means that we are losing healthy nestlings to other species for their dinner. It can be difficult to watch or to even think about. Let us, however, mourn the loss but focus on the living and hope that they survive. The world away from the nest is much more challenging.
Mini-Bob at the Patchogue was getting a really nice private feeding on Monday. The other three were full and on the rim of the nest and Mini had time with Mum. How happy does that make us? Mini is on the other side of Mum, and her behaviour indicates feeding. The other three are looking out to the street.
Mini under Mum’s tail later.
So tiny. It takes a miracle for these little ones to survive. As the older siblings get bigger, they require more food. It is easier to shut out the tiny one. Few parents are able to cope with four in the nest but, so far, this nest is moving forward. The chicks have not yet entered the Reptilian Phase fully but you can see the back of the necks and the plumage beginning to change on the eldest.
At Patchogue, Mini Bob had problems getting up to the line to get fed late Monday. As the other three get bigger and require more food this will be a real issue for this osplet unless he can get some of those private feedings from Mum.
Rose and Ron’s R5 at the WRDC in Miami is back in the nest after falling off the rim on Monday. R4 has fledged and no doubt R5 will fly shortly….and then, once everyone leaves it looks like some repairs will need to be done on Ron Magill’s nest. It has worked…stronger metal for the frame, perhaps?
I am not sure you could get a more gorgeous Osprey couple than Aran and his new mate Elen at Glaslyn with their matching spiked crests. We are on pip watch for this new couple.
Bless his heart. Blue 022 at Poole Harbour, the mate of CJ7 for the second year, is so excited hearing the chick peep that he is trying to feed it!
The first chick of the season for Blue 022 and CJ7 at Poole Harbour has arrived! The pair made history last year by hatching and fledging the first ospreys in Poole Harbour for over 250 years. Poole Harbour is part of the translocation project begun by Roy Dennis and The Birds of Poole Harbour group.
CJ7 is the star of a BBC Springtime! Great history of the nest..Please watch. This is an energetic, joyful presentation!
Geemeff caught the first hatch on video and guess what? The second chick has now arrived! There is only 12 hours difference. Thank you CJ7 for that amazing delayed incubation!
And the second one!
‘H’ gives an update on the WRDC nest. After 2 hrs 45 minutes R4 flew in and landed on the selfie branch like a pro! ‘H”s update this morning is that they are putting R5 back in the nest. Like all of you, she hopes R5 will fledge instead of keeping falling out of the nest! And I have said Rita a couple of times instead of Rose…apologies. I do know the difference! Mind on Ospreys.
Heidi McGrue catches R4 returning after fledging. Mamma Rose is glad. Lots of squeezing!
The Dulles-Greenway Trio. The oldest, DG4, was not ready to fledge and has been retrieved. She was not injured and has been taken into care for monitoring. From the size, she has been declared to be a female. It is doubtful that DG4 would be placed back in the nest. DG5 has branched!
San Jose City Hall – the little one was bed by Hartley for what appeared to be about 38 minutes beginning at 0920 – the feeding ended with a huge crop. Looks alright today. Feather development also looks to be alright.
Another feeding for the San Jose City Hall chick came at 15:44.
In fact, there were 8 meals on Monday for this wee little one.
There are several osprey nests that are having problems (I worry about Patchogue but let’s wait and see). One of those is Patuxent II reported by ‘H’. Four osplets. Mini is too short and the bowl is deep, the three eldest get up front and eat and eat and despite fish, the female does not reach out to feed Mini. If four dies, it would be listed as ‘parental neglect’ as there is no aggression currently by the older siblings.
Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home has three osplets but the age difference and the aggression by Big Bob to Little Bob means that Little is not getting any food. This is a hard nest to watch. Thanks ‘M’ for bringing this nest to my attention. There was six days difference between when the eggs were laid and four days difference from when Big and Little hatched making Little effectively ten days younger in development.
Not a problem nest right now! Thankfully. Sunnie Day just posted a video of the first hatch at Crooked Lake. This is Noble and Whitley’s sixth season with a three egg clutch. Good luck to all!
At Loch Arkaig, Louis has stepped up the fish deliveries as hatch approaches.
If I want to feel ‘good’, I head to the nest of Big Red and Arthur, the resident Red-tail Hawks at Cornell University. They raised four hawklets last year and since Big Red would have begun breeding (around 2005), there are no known nest deaths and only one of his chicks did not fledge, K2, who had a problem with her jaw/beak area two years ago. Well fed. Big Red makes sure that even the tiniest baby is full to the brim.
Then there are Annie and Lou’s kids…What were they up to? SK Hideaways caught it on video for us. These three just keep giving us smiles…what joy!
One great Osprey nest that gives me comfort is Rutland’s Manton Bay home to Blue 33 and Maya. No shortage of fish or parental care but, there is something else going on here. Little Bob is not shy – not one single bit – of getting itself right up there to Maya’s beak. Reminds me of Big Red’s L4 from 2022 who climbed over the big siblings to get to be the first in line. Fantastic. Survivor instinct.
Mary Cheadle posted a great little video capture of Little Bob moving up to get that fish. Thanks, Mary. I missed this. It is brilliant. (This is a still capture of a frame of her video showing Little right up at that beak…he did not hesitate to get up out of that egg cup and to Mum’s beak).
Big and Middle both ate well at the Achieva Osprey nest on Monday.
The first hatch at Cowlitz PUD has had some good fish meals all day long Monday.
There are currently two little osplets on PSEG’s nest at Oyster Bay, Long Island. There is lots of fish!
The last eaglet to be banded by Dr Sharpe is named Anthony after the donor’s grandfather.
Speaking of naming, Window to Wildlife would like help in naming Angel and Tom’s little one RTH5. Here is the information:
Other brief news. Middle at Severna has been kept from eating by Big but managed to get some food on Monday because Big was still bashing Little’s corpose. This is one strange osplet. There appears to be some aggression at the Forstyhe nest in the evening after a peaceful feed earlier. Dahlgren looks like a little bit of beaking going on. Fingers crossed. Thanks ‘H’ for those observations.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon1
Thank you to all those who sent notes, posted videos, articles, announcements or host streaming cams that helped make up my blog today. They are: ‘A’, ‘G’, Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘M’, ‘SP’, Dyfi Osprey Project, PSEG, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Anny Ryc and Love for Poole Harbour Ospreys, BBC spring watch, Heidi McGru and the WRDC, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, San Jose City Hall Eagles, Patuxent River Park, Maryland Western Short for Old Town Home, sunny Day and Crooked Lake, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Cornell RTH, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, LRWT, Achieva Credit Union, IWS, and Window to Wildlife.
Thank you Mary Ann for all these updates and pics and links! Angels and Toms little one is so cute and is growing up and mantling. 💕. Congratulations to the new hatches to Oyster Bay Ospreys! And Cowlitz! I like the name chosen for the 2 harbors eaglet Anthony. He’s adorable ❤️ Thank you Dr Sharpe for bandiing him!
So good to see Acheiva ospets doing well and eating good !❤️❤️
Good to see the little Bobs at all the nests getting in there to eat!
Glad to know the Greenway trio are doing good and D4 wasn’t injured from the fall and is back on the nest !🙏❤️congratulations to Poole Harbor on their Hatch as well? Thsnks for the updates on all the falcons! Big Reds are really growing and looking great!
Have a good evening Mary Ann and we look forward to tomorrow’s updates!
Linda
Thank you so much, Linda…we must be so joyful of the nests that are doing well!