13 June 2022
Good Morning!
So what do you do when you worry? This morning after seeing Tiny shut out of food at the Patchogue nest for another day, it seemed like a good idea to head out for a walk in the forest despite the 29C temps. Tiny has not eaten since it had a huge crop late Saturday. Nothing is better to clear the mind than walking through trees with a slight breeze and looking at ‘the living’.
Fort Whyte Alive is restoring and building wetlands. They are being so careful not to disturb the waterfowl that the new area is intended to benefit. Two days ago, I could see only two Hooded Mergansers despite others saying there were three. Today, I turned, and there were three! Two drakes and a hen. Then turning away – I did not make a peep, but I sure wanted to – there was another hen with ducklings! There were eighteen. After so few goslings and Mallard ducklings, this was just overwhelming. Hooded Mergansers do breed in southern Manitoba but, according to all the ‘counts’, they are more populous in eastern Canada and Ontario than where I live.
Happiness in a pond full of Dragonflies and mosquitoes! A tip: if you go to wetlands and there are mosquitoes about, do not wear open-toe sandals. Yes, I did. LOL. Silly me. But I did have on long pants and a long sleeve shirt. Thank goodness. The running joke in Winnipeg is that people get eaten so severely by mosquitoes that they feel like they have given blood to the Red Cross. There were t-shirts to that effect for one year. The Dragonflies must be eating well!!!!!!!
In addition to the Hen, there were also two Mallard hens with eight ducklings. This was just a wonderful sight.
The two Mallard drakes were having a siesta!
Hooded Mergansers are ‘climate endangered’ according to Audubon. Many hope that the species is adjusting to climate change.
There are always Red-winged Blackbirds standing sentry at the top of the trees, flying around and following the humans on the paths if they get too close to their nests. This fella kept a really close eye on me and was vocalising very loud.
But then…just around the bend, there were geese with their five goslings. Talk about growing! This is the couple in the water two days ago.
Just lovely. School children were everywhere with nets checking the water, some were in kayaks or canoes, and others were heading to the Interpretative Centre. It is a great place to introduce youngsters to nature and hopefully, they will grow up to be good stewards of the land.
Lewis and Missey literally go and hide when they hear a Peregrine Falcon! It is incredible. Not frightened by eagles or anything else but let those falcons start and off they run! Her name is Soledad, the only eyas of Monty and Hartley at the San Jose City Hall scrape. Nice name.
Soledad is one ‘tough cookie’. Very strong and curious…she goes all over the place! After a meal, of course.
Sometimes Monty looks terrified.
In case you are going to miss, Deyani, SK Hideaways did a really cute video of this gorgeous hawklet before she fledges!
Patchogue is heartbreaking. The fish have changed. There are big bony ones coming on that take a long time to feed so that by the time it could be Mini’s turn, the Big ones are hungry again. Mini is very intimidated but that does not stop it from watching and trying to get up to some fish. It has been beaked by one of the big siblings and has lost out on food on Monday – at least anything more than a few bites by 1606 that I have seen.
Mini hopeful at 1607, but no fish left. This little one had tried and tried. Did I say that I have to go for walks in order to watch this nest now? Pray for lots of fish…we need a fish right after one another.
Mini had only a few bites of food today and was brutally attacked by the older siblings. How sad this has all become. It is unclear if any intervention could take place. ‘L’ is on it -. PSEG says that the osplets are all “doing fine”. It is 2300 and Mini has not eaten for 52 hours…OK. 3-4 bites. By Tuesday evening it will be the very critical 72 hours. Let us all collectively hope for a fish.
It is Tuesday morning and three large boney fish came to the Patchogue nest prior to 1019. Mini had 3 bites before it was sent into submission. The little one tried to chew off a bone. Mini is starving and persistent and a survivor…if it gets a chance. Mum was being so slow to start to feed it from this fish that I thought she was going to refuse. Mini does not understand.
Mum works around that bony head of the fish and finally starts feeding Mini a few decent bites. Is it possible Mini will get the rest of that fish before the others wake up? If so, Mini will survive to live again. Go Mini!
Tears. This nest desperately needs fish delivered like this or Mini will continue to be shut out and desperate. Send your most positive wishes. We need Mini to be another week older and he should be able to handle the Big ones better.
1100. Still being fed. Mum is fighting the bones and trying to eat, too. Mini is getting a crop. So Mini went more than 60 hours. Tears. Come on Mum…feed this baby more quick!
Mini ate until 1108 when the Big ones came up. Now why can’t Mum feed Mini as fast as she does the Big ones? It would make all the difference.
The weather has turned nasty in the UK with thunderstorms, high winds, lightning and hail. Maya kept the three osplets warm and protected as best she could teaching them to tuck their heads in. The minute the storm stopped Blue 33 was on the nest with a fish. Yes, he caught it during the thunderstorm for his family. Great guy! My choice if I were an Osprey!
It might be clear in Rutland but it is pitching down rain at Glaslyn. Elen is keeping the babes warm and dry.
The camera at Dyfi seems to be down.
At Llyn Brenig, Mum is spread out in a great umbrella protecting her chicks.
Dylan is home with Seren at Llyn Clywedog. The storm is passing.
At Loch of the Lowes, Laddie delivered another small gold fish. This nest is hungry. The issue is down to intruders.
Good feed on Tuesday. No animosity at LOTL. Yippeee.
At Loch Arkaig, the storm arrived quickly and left. Dorcha took great care of her Only Bob in the heavy rain and hail – but not until she had bolted off the nest when loud thunder frightened her. Just listen to the wind and heavy rain. Poor thing.
No shortage of fish at Poole Harbour. I saw one on the nest while CJ7 was feeding off another. All Bobs are little reptiles now.
Continuing to watch the Evergy Topeka Peregrine Falcons, where the third hatch is only a day younger than the two oldest and yet…the plumage is underdeveloped. Grateful that the feathers are starting to come out of the shafts but, what will happen to this baby?
‘H’ reports that the feedings remain civil at Barnegat Light. That is fantastic news…We all know that this can change. All it takes is a bad day for fish deliveries to set the nest off so please enjoy it now! You can see they are turning into little reptiles…itchy and a little anxious, they will be.
Birds in Helping Hands reminds us:
We are monitoring the Great Spirit Bluff Falcon scrape. There was a fierce GHO attack and Savannah defended the nest. Hoping she returns and is uninjured.
Newmann, the Dad, has been dropping off food. Savannah has not been seen since the GHO attack. Send your wishes. The eyases are old enough that Dad can raise them alone but our thoughts are with this brave Mum who might have fought that owl to the death to save her chicks.
Young Benjamin has caught up with the other storklets and is now six days old. This is excellent news. This wee one was so tiny. See the change!
There are still four storklets at the nest of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. There were numerous feedings throughout the day and at the evening feeding by Karl II the storklets had huge crops. Kaia arrived to feed but seeing no one was hungry enjoyed all the fish herself. the parents have to eat, too. This is great news – everyone full and the storklets all growing.
Bety and Bukacek’s storklets are growing and growing and doing fabulous. There are five of them.
This is the latest update on Dulles-Greenway Pat:
Ithaca, New York needed rain. We noticed this on Ferris Akel’s tours and it was getting it on Monday. The Ms were soaked! But with all that beautiful plumage, they are fine. Big Red was on the nest at one point and you could not tell her from one of the Ms.
Not sure they moved!
Murphy and his Eaglet have now been separated. Here is the latest news from Wild Bird Sanctuary.
If you are a fan of Kielder Ospreys then you will be delighted to hear that Blue 437 named Elsin, the only offspring of UV, and grandchick of Mrs G and 11 (98) – the original Glaslyn pair – was spotted in Cumbria. He survived his first migration!
Thank you so much for being with me this morning as we skipped around the nests. My focus remains on Mini at Patchogue (as well as Mini at Forsythe who had 36 bites this morning and Boulder County that I need to check on). Send your best wishes to all the nests. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, ‘L’, ‘SK’, San Jose City Hall Falcons, SK Hideaways and SJCH Falcons, SK Hideaways and Window to Wildlife, PSEg, LRWT, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, CarnyXWild, LOTL, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Evergy Topeka Falcons, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Birds in Helping Hands, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Maria Marika, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlady Buky Stork Cam, Celia Aliengirl and BE Live Nest Cams and News, Cornell RTH, Kielder Forest, and Wild Bird Sanctuary.
Thank you Mary Ann for the blog today and photos and links. It is so good to see the ducks and geese at the Center. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thank Goodness Mini finally got a feed this morning before the 2 bigs came and put him/her in submissive and took over again! Continuing prayers for more fish so Mini won’t go hungry like this anymore. It is so sad to see mini getting bit on its neck and suffering like that. Begging for food. 🙏 praying for all nests and sending positive and best wishes to all everywhere.
Have a good day Mary Ann. Hope to hear from you on here again soon!
Linda
It breaks my heart, too. It was good to see him get some food this morning. If Mum had fed faster he could have had at least half of that remaining fish…we will hope for more fish and easier ones for Mum to feed! Thank you for your compassion, Linda. It is hard to watch a nest change. so hard.
I’m afraid I am not brave enough to watch certain nests, and those include three-chick broods on osprey and eagle nests, all stork nests and the nests of some owl species. I know it is gutless of me, but I simply cannot put myself through the stress and heartache of watching little ones struggle and suffer. Yes, I have cheered on the underdogs on several nests, and the sense of triumph and joy that accompanies the successful fledge of a third or even a fourth hatch on an osprey or eagle nest is overwhelming, but for each of those, there are two or three who don’t make it, and who break my hearts in their futile fight for life.
At Mlade Buky, I can only count four storklets – were there four to begin with or has there been a brood reduction? The four look very healthy and of similar size. At Karl 2 and Kaia’s nest, the third hatch is small and the fourth hatch is no more than half the size of the oldest, although once food arrives, it eats well. I do fear that if Urmas fish baskets keep being raided by other birds and the food supply on this nest remains irregular, Kaia might decide three or even two are a better bet than trying to keep feeding four storklets.
Finally, I am confused and concerned by the youngest eyas at the Evergy Topeka falcon scrape, wondering what caused the feathers to become ‘stuck’ as it were and why, even now they are breaking free, the eyas still looks absolutely miserable – is it bored and lonesome in the scrape now its siblings are exploring the deck beyond, or very itchy and uncomfortable as some of the feathers remain trapped, or suffering from other symptoms of some sort. It seems to eat voraciously and loudly when it gets the chance. Do we have any theories as to what could be going on here and, just as importantly, what the future may hold for this little one?
Thank you for your concern about the eyas at the Evergy Topeka scrape. There is cause for concern. When they banded the three, the wildlife rehabber said the chick was fine. Really? So a few of us are writing them with screen captures and videos to show them the issue which looks like it could be genetic. I will post a link to write to in Friday’s blog! Karl II for the first time did a brood reduction. Sadly it was Little Benjamin. I wish someone had taken it like Dmitri did the stork to raise…it is very sad, Alison. Around the world I continue to see little food and little rain in areas where the waterfowl need it the most!