Thursday in Bird World

1 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that the middle of the week has been good to you. It has been a quiet time in the garden. There are no more migrants visiting just the usual crew. With the lilacs in full bloom and the vines beginning to take over and make a sanctuary at the back of the garden, it is difficult to see who is here and who isn’t in terms of birds except for Mr Crow and family, Junior and the other Blue Jays and Dyson and family. Somehow they manage to share all of the peanuts and take turns at the bird baths. Dyson has taken to hiding peanuts in the garden containers and today I am trying an experiment. A neighbour thinks that coffee grounds might cause her to stop planting those peanuts in my herbs. So far, so good. If it continues to work, I will let you know.

First up. Middle has fallen out of the Achieva Osprey nest. The time was 01:31 1 June. Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue reports the following: “I have two people ground monitoring.” #2 has flown up to a wire and Mom is trying to encourage him to fly to the nest.” Send your best wishes. Middle is 74 days old today.

Second, you will see reports of the Middle chick at Carthage below. it was finally relieved of its suffering during the night. This is the worst nest for parental neglect I have ever seen. Thank you to Kathryn and ‘H’ who helped observe this nest in very distressing times. #41 Memorial Page.

Third. We have Dale Hollow DH17 caught on camera flying. Warms the heart.

There are lots of good things going on at the nests especially the osprey nests in the UK. The problem nest in the US is Carthage TN. This nest is genuinely an issue, but, thankfully, there are others doing so well to make up for it!

‘H’ reports Wednesday’s first hatch at Barnet Light in New Jersey! The egg was 39 days and the hatch was officially declared to be 15:34. Congratulations to Duke and Daisy!

Thanks to ‘H’, she has also reported on the Dahlgren Osprey nest where the feedings appear to be peaceful and equitable with both chicks getting nice crops.

The feedings and behaviour of Big on the Severna Osprey platform continue to be like riding a roller coaster. On Wednesday morning Middle had a nice crop and both were up at the beak at one time. Later, Big roared its head and did not allow Middle one bite. Fingers crossed. Middle is getting older…keep the fish coming, Dad!

Big is full and walks away…Middle continues to get fed. Way to go Mum!

And then later…

And at 2000 Dad flies in with another fish and Big took exception to Middle eating then, too. How many times does this first hatch have to remind me of Zoe! We are nearing the time when Middle will not have to worry – unless Big decides to toss it overboard. Goodness.

But Middle is getting very clever. The other day we saw him go between Mum’s legs and be away from Big. Today, he plays ‘possum’, listening..and then he moves around the rim of the nest to get to Mum’s beak and gets fed. A survivor.

‘H’ also reports that Mini had a good feed at the Forsythe Nest. “What a nice surprise. 1412, huge fish, Mini is in the back of the pack.  Mom feeds the bigger ones up front, and I thought she would omit Mini.  After several minutes Mom started reaching out to Mini.  Mini got a ton of bites, and as the others were falling over after eating, Mini walked up close to Mom and got several more bites.  I counted 34 total legitimate bites for Mini.  That Mom (named Opal) was fantastic!”

DG4 fell out of his nest as many of us watched. It was a worrisome sight to see a young eaglet fall to the ground due to a partial nest collapse. Well DG4 has made USA Today!

I thought the remaining chick on the Carthage TN nest would die on Wednesday. In the morning at 0638 Mum removed the body of the other dead chick and began to eat it. Despite the surviving chick being obviously ‘starving’, she did not appear to feed it. Around 11:27:48, the surviving chick appears to have a seizure. It did not die. A fish came to the nest sometime after 1300. It is really not clear how good the feeding was for the chick. Mum is obviously starving too and she continues to incubate a remaining egg other than freeing herself. Then Dad brings a fish and Mum and Dad have a tug-o-war for that fish. It was 15:18. Mum ate but did not feed the little chick. At 16:14, the chick might have had a few bites. Then at 17:24 the chick moves up to the fish – it is starving. Just bones. Mum goes up, moves the fish. Did she feed it at all? If so it was not much. The behaviour appeared to be Mum eating. This is an extremely difficult nest to watch. Neither adult appears bonded with the chick that died, this living chick, but there is fretting over the egg. I do not expect this baby to be alive when I wake up in the morning.

0708

0917.

Seizure.

After this, I went to check on Mini at Patchogue, and tears came to my eyes when I found it, and that wee baby had an excellent fish feed. It was up front and centre at 0935. No aggression from the other siblings, and again for another feeding – I did not check them all. That time was 16:15. So my question is this: where are the fish and why aren’t they landing on the Osprey nest at Carthage, TN? Anyone know about a drought? intruders? Any information would be most welcome. That nest is a tragedy in the making.

0935 feeding.

Mini isn’t always up front but he was there later in the day and got some nice fish, too. This Mum is excellent. Time 18:14. Just look at that little one…right up there. Brave! Surviving. Does Mini know how little it is compared to the big siblings? Just look at the size difference in those wings! Oh, you clever little one.

Outerbanks 24/7 is doing great!

The only osplet at Cowlitz PUD is doing fantastic.

Oyster Bay looks good so far.

Doesn’t get much cuter than Angel’s little RTH5.

The Ms are doing fantastic as well.

E22 is breaking records for a fledgling staying at the SW Florida Eagle nest. I think everyone would love for this sweetheart to remain. 144 days was E12’s stay, so today is 145 days, and if E22 is there…this is the record to break. My goodness, what a gorgeous fledgling.

Moving across the Pond to the UK Osprey nests…

Blue 022 is right there stocking the nest for CJ7 and their new chicks. Just look at those adorable Poole Harbour osplets.

Blue 022 loves feeding the kids.

Aran’s new mate, Elen, at Glaslyn is a cracker jack of a Mum!

Aran sees his baby for the first time.

And just quick as a wink, there is number 2 at Glaslyn. Well done Aran and Elen!

Loch Arkaig’s Louis is one of the most beloved Opsrey males in the UK. Here he is with Dorcha, his mate of two years, and their first hatch of the 2023 season. So happy that owl spared one of those eggs – some even think the second egg might have a chance to hatch. I just say one healthy osplet untouched by intruders to fledge!

Fish, fish, and more fish at Manton Bay! The trio are growing like a patch of healthy weeds.

Maya took good care of them when the rains began.

Everything is fine for the two Bobs at the Loch of the Lowes.

All good at the nest of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi. Is that a pip in the third egg? or is it my imagination?

Waiting for a hatch at RSPB Loch Garten.

All looks well at Llyn Brenig. Two little osplets.

Dylan and Blue 5F Seren have two babes at Llyn Clywedog and they are doing super. Dylan was up early getting the breakfast order from Seren this morning.

A timely and necessary intervention where the whole community came together quickly to save an eaglet! Yes, that is a fishing lure stuck in the eaglet’s neck along with fishing line.

Another story to put a smile on your face today…the Cal Falcons kids makes the Berkeley News with some great photos of their aerial acrobatics.

An update on Connick from the Captiva Bald Eagle nest of Connie and Clive!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send your best wishes to all those struggling chicks and all the nests in general. Keep them close. Take care. S ee you soon!

Before I thank everyone else, I want to thank ‘H’ and Kathryn again who have observed some very traumatising nests for me this season. Even in the darkest hours they do not give up. I am so grateful. Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, Barnegat Light, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Severna Ospreys, Forsythe ospreys, Dulles Greenway, USA Today, Carthage TN Ospreys, PSEG, Cowlitz PUD, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, LRWT, LOTL, RSPB Loch Garten, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, CarnyXWild, Winged Freedom Raptor Hospital, Berkeley News, and the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey.