19 July 2023
Good Morning Everyone!
The news today is bittersweet. While we hail reintroductions they often come with such great heartache when there are colliding species – goshawk versus osprey. We all know how this usually ends and if you love ospreys, like I do, you sit and weep. I am so very tired of adding names to the Memorial Wall and more than furious if the deaths have been caused by goshawks or starvation!
News:
One of the things that I believe in strongly is our power to motivate change. We cannot just sit on our hands and twiddle our thumbs. We have to do something and sometimes it is what seems to be the smallest of efforts that come up with even a greater impact.
Do you remember when I posted the information for the GoFundMe to help gather up funds – about 1500 GBP – needed to help The Gambia clean up the birds dead and dying from HPAI? Thanks to everyone who donated or shared the fundraiser on social media, Sasha Dench was able to secure another 125,000 GBP from DEFRA.
This is immensely important. This is the flyway that connects the ospreys in the UK to West Africa. All our loving fledglings and their parents tend to go to The Gambia or Senegal. But others from various other European countries fly there, too.
So whether or not you donated or you spread the CrowdFunder on social media, I want to thank you – today you made a difference.
Good news (before the sadness). The very first White-tailed eaglet has fledged in the UK in 240 years…congratulations Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation for all the hard work that went into this very moment.
Proud Mama Thunder watches her boys soar above the old nest in the Channel Islands. Turn the volume up!
This is heart breaking.
There is another heart break from Tweed Valley. My guess is goshawk not turkey vulture.
Fabulous news. Kakapo on the New Zealand mainland in ……how long?
I am a huge supporter of Conservation without Borders. There are other great charities, too. Please take the time to vote. They also accept international nominations for the prize – so do it. Don’t know Conservation without Borders? Do you know Flight of the Osprey and Sasha Dench? That’s them chasing osprey, educating people in Africa to the osprey, its challenges and getting them to help protect the species. They were there to help find the funds to help fight HPAI in The Gambia! Consider voting. These big donations mean all the world to some charities.
There is good news in my province!
I am going to give a real shout out to Latvia! Thank you for your judicial system that stepped up, followed the laws, and actually might deter individuals from cutting down raptor or stork nests. I wish this would spread to places where it is illegal to shoot or poison and knuckles are just tapped!
Sadly, the male has been missing since the 15th of July at the Grib Skov Danish Osprey nest. There are three chicks ready to fly. After two days without fish, the female went out and now provides for the family.
Annie and Lou continue to pair bond during the off-season. Missing the ee-chupping…have a listen.
Whirl through the Nests:
Cowlitz PUD. Looking great. Those barriers are holding the eagles off so far and a number of fish deliveries.
Patchogue: Dear Little Mini would like to fly. Stay home Mini when it is raining! Oh, just stay home. We need an Osprey to watch for a bit…you could just hop and hover and let Dad bring fish, right?
‘L’ was delighted when she switched on the Patchogue cam and saw Mini eating a nice fish!
Little Mini ate that entire fish! Good Nite Mini.
MN Landscape Arboretum: Looking’ good.
Just look at that nice crop on the chick at one of the late feedings in Minnesota.
Golden Gate Audubon: Rosie and Richmond have been chasing off intruders. Still, Rosie managed to get herself a fantastic fish. She will leave for migration while Richmond will stay over for the winter in the Bay Area.
Fortis Exshaw: ‘H’ watches this nest for me but I keep an eye because I am so excited for Louise. Mr O has really stepped up to the plate and is not only bringing fish and sticks but today really helped Louise defend the nest against intruders. It is a keeper — just like Alden was for Annie.
‘H’ reports: “What a day: Mr. O vs. the intruders! The major intruder event started at 1141 and continued on and off for nearly an hour. Mr. O flew to the nest immediately, and provided protection for the nest and kids. Louise was in on the action as well. An intruder even landed on the nest twice. The intruder finally left the area. There was another intruder issue at 1558 which Mr. O quickly handled. With the support of Mr. O providing security, Louise was able to deliver eight fish to the nest. In addition to being their protector, Mr. O added some sticks and performed some minor nestorations. Meanwhile, the 31 day old osplets are growing like weeds. Since losing Jasper, Louise would certainly be having a very difficult time raising those kids without Mr. O.”
Boulder County: A scorcher. Mum is doing what she can to keep those three osplets cool.
‘PB’ gives Dad at Boulder a real thumb’s up as “the most attentive Dad out there” for helping Mum to feed the three chicks. I totally agree. He is awesome. This nest just spells ‘love’ to me. Mum is always feeding Dad and these three osplets did fantastic this year. So wonderful in the midst of such heart break.
I just wonder if the nests that are inland are doing much much better % wise than those on the coast?
Look closely. The third chick is underneath Mum’s left wing. If you didn’t know, you might have thought with all the flapping, there had been a fledge. Not at the time of my writing but…soon.
Oyster Bay: All is well. Everyone is home!
The Bridge Golf: A fish came in around 1740. The chicks were so full that there was fish left for Mum. Now doesn’t that just put a smile on your face?
Crooked Lake: Life is just perfect!
‘H’s report on the other nests she is monitoring:
Barnegat Light: Meet “Dorsett”. Ben Wurst of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey has named the 49 day old osplet, Dorsett. Dorsett is a small island near Sedge Island in Barnegat Bay, which pays homage to Duke and his natal area.
Osoyoos: Despite the heat, Dad was able to provide at least 8 fish for his family. The 22 and 23 day old youngsters are doing great.
Forsythe: Good news: The fledgling, Owen, finally returned to the nest at 1433, nearly 49 hours after fledging on 7/16. She looked good, so she had most likely been fed somewhere. However, the younger sibling, Ollie, did not give Owen a warm welcome home. A major battle took place that lasted about 9 minutes, with Ollie nearly going overboard. They also engaged in a few brief kerfuffles later on. At 57 days of age, Ollie’s recent activity has demonstrated a physical readiness to fly, and s/he may fledge today.
Cape Henlopen: The new Cape Henlopen osprey platform has been a terrific hit this season . . with the black vultures that is. An osprey or two has been seen from time to time. The platform was erected near the state park office building at a campground. There are many bicyclists, pedestrians, and dog walkers about. JM, a Delaware Naturalist, has suggested placing some barriers to keep humans and pets at a distance, and she also suggested providing some materials on the platform for a starter nest. Hopefully, an osprey pair will make the new platform their home next year.
Thanks, ‘H’….now let us skip across the pond for a minute.
Loch of the Lowes: Those two fledglings love their fish and they are letting Laddie and Blue NC0 know they are hungry!
Alyth: I could not write anything better than Sue Wallbank’s post!
Kielder 7:
Loch Arkaig: Will Dorcha and Louis’s chick get its name before it fledges? Whole lot of hovering and getting much height! Oh, gosh, golly. As I was writing Geemeff sent the news…LJ7 flew! It was the “shortest flight ever – 15.05.11 to 15.06.05 54 seconds!” Congratulations.
Do you think this person likes birds? I hope they pull them off for their nests!
Tomorrow I am going to tell you why – if you love the Royal Albatross Chick – you will spread the word and never eat tuna again!
Thank you so much for being with me today! Take care and always remember – stand up for our raptors because they cannot do it themselves. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, L, PB’, Conservation without Borders, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, IWS, John Williams and The Clywedog Osprey Group, Anne Rye and The Clywedog Osprey Group, Tweed Valley Ospreys, Sirocco Kakapo, Ospreys FB, Cory Laughlin and MB Birding and Wildlife Photography FB Group, Marijana Miscevic SOS Tesla, Luise Stender Ekberg and Ospreys FB, SK Hideaway and Cal Falcons, Cowlitz PUD, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Timothy Dygert Live Stream, Lucille Powell and SF Osprey Cam with Rosie and Richmond, Fortis Exshaw, Boulder County Fair Grounds, The Bridge Golf Club, Forsythe Ospreys, Wildlife Conserve Foundation of NJ, Cape Helopen State Park, Friends of Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust, and Alyth.
As always, thank you for all the updates.
By any chance, have you had any updates about SE30 and the hawklet being raised on that eagles nest?
Thank you!
Jill
Hi Jill, Are you referring to the Red-tail Hawk in Redding, California? If so, sadly, that hawklet died. It is truly not clear what happened but it was ‘starving’ and fell off a branch and was found dead. I will see what I can find about SE30 after my last report.
There has been no update since feathers were found below a tree. There was no indication if these feathers could be related to a moult that would have caused the tracker to be lost. She could have been predated. It is just not clear what has happened. Without the tracker finding her would rely on individuals with good binoculars. Hopefully we might hear something soon.
WBSE30 is alive! See today’s blog!
Good news! Two (C17 and C18) of the three chicks at Crooked Lake, Indiana fledged this morning July 19. Beautiful take offs. The landings improved over time. The last chick (C16) may have also fledged; however, the video is being reviewed to verify if it happened.
Congratulations to parents Whitley and Noble!
Oh, that is wonderful news, Denise. thank you so much for letting me know. I am very grateful. They looked ready to fly on the 18th. Excellent news.
Hi, Mary Ann! A big thank you for all the news you bring to us! I’m glad that the good news are still more prevalent, but, as always, feel heartbroken over the bad ones. Sadly, our osprey nest in Latvia was also savaged by a goshawk for several years in a row. They are unstoppable…I truly hope the other osplet will survive. Thank you for giving a shout-out to my country, we’ve really come a long way in bringing to justice those responsible for cruel acts against animals. I couldn’t believe my eyes when reading about such immeasurable cruelty towards our beloved white storks! This summer hasn’t been easy for white storks due to the dry weather conditions, and nests with 3 storklets are a rarity in my surroundings this season. And then to kill them deliberately…absolutely devastating! Hope for more good news to come, though nothing can make me not to think about this…
There are people who are so cruel that it is unbelievable. I feel so sorry for the birds and animals because they are helpless…I am still haunted by the young people at our park luring the goslings with food and then kicking stones at them! We have to force the laws to prevail and the punishments to be enough to deter and then treatment because surely…I know little Theo and his nest. He should find another place. No female wants her chicks destined to be predated by goshawks. I have suggested to Tweed and Clywedgo that they put up the metal grids like they have done at Cowlitz. Perhaps this is something that could be done to Theo’s nest and maybe the goshawk could be thwarted. It is an idea…I do not know if your biologists would be receptive but why not try?
I certainly hope that they will consider some protection against goshawks. It’s hard to make birds choose new nests, and the thing with osprey nests is such a paradox. They choose such an open space to raise their young for easy access and protection from ground predators, but at the same time it’s so accessible to predatory birds. But their instinct is to flee when a predator comes. As in many countries in regard to wildlife, Latvia believes in minimum intervention policy, but such approach is definitely worth suggesting. And as for young people hurting wildlife, that baffles me every time – there must be something missing in their upbringing or their empathy gene is just missing for some reason. Still, I hope at some point they’ll feel deep shame over what they’ve done and will grow up and turn into decent human beings. I sometimes struggle with what empathy should mean. I know that when my dog has caught another vole or mole and it’s beyond saving and squeaking in excruciating pain, I should put them out of their misery, but I can’t bring myself to do it 😔 That makes me question my empathy sometimes. It definitely can become a struggle, especially when living in the countryside surrounded by wildlife.
Yes, I think that everyone is going to have to implement something to protect the Ospreys. Their talons are so curved that they cannot fight back. I must show this tomorrow. The goshawk populations are suffering in parts of Scotland due to a lack of their own prey which is why they think they are going after the osplets. And now there are Pine Martens that are populating everywhere…sometimes biodiversity sucks. Empathy – I wonder if it can be taught or are some hardwired to be unempathetic? We sure need more of it…