Fledge at Osoyoos…Sunday in Bird World

27 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday was a beautiful ‘fall’ day – yes, ‘fall’ day on the Canadian Prairies. The top of the trees have a kiss of gold and it was a perfect morning, after feeding Missey, Lewis, and Calico, to head and check on the American White Pelicans that spend their spring and summer near me breeding.

Oh, I am very blessed. Three amazing rescue kittens. So sweet and so gentle.

Calico has moved in to be part of the family. Early Saturday evening I went to feed her. She ate like she had not seen food before and she began to follow me home. At one point she rolled on her back and I sat on the sidewalk and rubbed her tummy. No milk. All dried up – not like on Thursday when there was some milk at one teat. No indication of anyone sucking. I carried her the full block home. No one growled – I guess I smelled of Calico for so long that Missey and Lewis just accepted her. Still, she has a special room with several baskets, a carrier, an open donut bed and anything she could want including a small area to hide behind a basket. I will sit and read to her and stroke her and we will take time integrating into the rest of the house.

Letters went into mailboxes for the area where Calico had her kittens. Posters have gone up. Sadly, if there were any surviving kittens, I do not know what they look like, but people around here are good, and they will bring any kittens to me if they see them on the streets – if they can catch them or let me know where they saw them. For now, Calico is safe. No more life on the streets – it is a new beginning for her and us! She is sleeping in a basket on top of a quilt made in the early 1800s by my great-great-great grandmother. I spent much time scratching her face and rubbing her. Not a burr in sight. Slee well, Calico!

At least a third of all North American White American Pelicans arrive in Manitoba in spring and depart late summer or early fall. They are truly a wonderful sight. Many grab a picnic lunch and sit on the shore of the Red River, watching them at a place called Lockport – there is a dam, and they catch the fish when they come over. There were a few Cormorants today.

On Thursday, I wrote to Michael St John in Barbados to see if there had been any further sightings of Blue KW0. Ah, he wrote back and sadly had not see the British osprey blown off course last year since March. Oh, but wait…Saturday afternoon I received a note – did I bring Michael some luck (he thinks so) – twice since our correspondence, he saw and photographed this famous osprey. Oh, fantastic!
I look forward to seeing Blue KW0 in person later this year and meeting Michael and everyone working so hard for wildlife on the island. Thanks for allowing me to share the photographs, Michael.

Speaking of famous Ospreys, Zoe is infamous for some reasons many do not like to discuss but, many of you might not know who she is. Fran Solly wrote Zoe’s Story back in August. I will post it here in case you do not know what could be the sad ending to the only surviving osplet from Port Lincoln in 2022.

Prior to her departure, Zoe was often characterised as a ‘fish eating machine’. Her two siblings perished due to siblicide in the nest…it was quite sad and there were times I found myself upset with Zoe especially when it was clear that Mum was so hungry. Middle was an especially sweet osprey, but food deliveries were down for a period, and many believed that Dad might have been having health problems.

Zoe’s sibling Ervie (2021) used to fish with Dad at Delamere. I wonder when they were last seen fishing together? Does anyone know?

Mum with her new mate. Remember, for identification, it is the markings on the head that never change from year to year. Take photographs and compare them from all angles. It is unclear whether or not the couple will successfully produce eggs in their first year together. Many do not. We wait. There is no urgency. The ospreys do not migrate, but the breeding season coincides with better weather and fish.

These special times of seeing Mini on the Patchogue nest could be drawing to a close. She arrived on the platform Saturday morning at 0855 with a chunk of fish. She worked down the last of it at 0901 and flew off. She has developed a good strategy for holding on to small pieces by using her beak. And we can get a good look at her leg. Yes, it is still a bit wonky.

Mini makes funny faces. I want to remember her like this – spunky and full of life. She did not let anything get her down and she delighted in the most curious of things – a sandal and a piece of cardboard.

Good night, Mini!

At Glaslyn, 0H2 had four fish deliveries…0H1 was nowhere to be seen. Thanks, Aran! The birds are moving south. Everyone feels a change of seasons.

Fish continue to arrive at the nest of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi in Wales.

Saturday morning, Maya was still enjoying being with Blue 33 for another day at least. These two are such a very special couple.

People often ask if the females deliver fish to the fledglings..yes, and often before they fledge! CJ7 has been busy delivering fish to 5H5 at Poole Harbour on Saturday.

There was also a goshawk that landed on the nest and Blue 022 drove it away. This is so scary. The couple lost a chick last year to a goshawk and we do not want anyone to get injured or worse now. It is migration time – even in Poole Harbour where thousands of birds on their way to Africa stop over to rest and feed before crossing the water to France.

‘H’ brings us up to date on what has been happening at Fortis Exshaw. “The intruder osprey pair that completed a nest takeover a few days ago was on and off the nest throughout the day.  Louise was last seen at the nest or perch three times on 8/24, and possibly once on the 25th.  On 8/26, Louise may have landed on the T-perch once and the tall pole once, but it was impossible to say.  There were quite a few times when we heard Banff either in the distance or closer to the nest, but for the most part, she stayed away from the nest.  Perhaps Banff had heeded our warnings!  At 0857 we heard Banff approaching, and the female intruder jumped up to intercept her.  We did not get a good look at Banff, but we knew it was her.  There were also other times when we knew the intruders flew off the nest to chase Banff, because we had heard her.  A couple of times when the intruder pair was on the nest, they alerted when an osprey flew close.  It could have been Louise, or another osprey, but Banff tends to announce her arrivals, lol.  Listening to Banff’s vocals at 1409 and also at 1757 was particularly notable, and enjoyable.  We could hear her chatter starting in the distance and progressively getting closer to the nest.  We did not see her (thankfully she did not land on the nest).  But what was utterly delightful was the ‘cheerfulness’ heard in her voice!  Banff actually sounded ‘happy’.  She was having fun.  You go girl!  I was grinning from ear to ear.  Banff was adjusting to her new life, out and about in the world without needing the nest-of-her-youth as her anchor.  Banff is technically still youthful, but after facing and surviving the many trials and challenges she has had to endure since she fledged, she is no doubt, wise and skilled way beyond her days.  So, to summarize, it was a relatively uneventful day . . oops, uh . . wait just a minute . . At 2049 Banff was heard calling, and she landed on the nest!  She may have been chased, and she immediately assumed a slightly submissive posture.  In less than twenty seconds, Banff was dive bombed and hit twice.  She then quickly flew off the nest.  It seems that the intruders constantly have the nest in their crosshairs and they are on Banff like ‘white on rice’.  Banff is still learning to accept that she is a defenseless ‘sitting duck’ on the nest, and she is not safe there.  Good night, Dear Banff, stay safe.  Good night, Dear Louise, and thanks for continuing to take such good care of your girl (our girl).”

Oh, what a terrible season Louise has had. Our hearts really go out to her and Banff. Thank you ‘H’ for your careful monitoring and concern for this family.

Here are the other four reports by ‘H’.

Kent Island – Tom brought four fish to his young lady, but Molly wanted more.  Molly stood on the nest in the afternoon, staring down at the water, contemplating and triangulating.  Then she plunged straight down toward the water.  We could hear a splash, and we had a brief glimpse of her emerging from the water empty taloned.  Nice try, kiddo!  Audrey was last seen on 8/24.

Osoyoos – There was an empty nest for a large part of the day, but Junior may be perching just out of our view.  I only saw two fish brought to the nest, but I might have missed one, and Junior may be eating off nest.  All seems to be well for this osprey family.

Barnegat Light – Duke delivered five fish for Dorsett.  Dorsett was still eating fish #4 on the utility pole when she saw her dad flying to the nest with another fish.  So she held onto her fish and flew back to grab fish #5.  Dorsett had two fish at once!

Thanks, Suzanne Arnold Horning, for chasing after any Ms still on the Cornell Campus. Your photos are always heartwarming. Nice to see one of the Ms!

Well, it was a grand day – full of prey – for the sea eagles! ‘A’ fills us in: “For the first time last night, Lady didn’t sleep with the eaglets. Soon after midnight, she went to the perch branch behind the nest, where she slept for the remainder of the night. She was keeping an eye on the youngsters, but they were alone on the nest. They are awake, waiting for breakfast, at 06:22…..”

“There is a chunk of that fish left at the back of the nest. It appears to be the tail and attached flesh and may represent a quarter of that large fish (I have no idea why Lady went to so much trouble to get the flesh off the bony parts of this fish while leaving this chunki at the back of the fish, I have no idea. She must have eaten it through the middle and then finished off the head end (which they seem to prefer starting with for some reason). SE32 has been aware of this for a while, and has even approached it to consider a nibble, but he is simply way too full. SE31, however, has a much smaller crop, and at 12:15, SE31 reaches out and grabs the open end of the fish tail, pulling it towards herself. Smart girl, SE31. She looks around, perhaps hoping a parent will come and help her. She then surveys the fish again. She is unable to work out the problem and resumes wingercising. The size discrepancy between the two eaglets, while still obvious, appears to have shrunk significantly over the past three days. SE31 was getting close to twice SE32’s size, but just have a look at them now! I am starting to believe in this nest turnaround. This is the third day of SE32 gaining confidence and eating plenty. While he began by retaining a little caution, he has now thrown that entirely to the winds and is acting as though he is the dominant chick on the nest. SE31 is deferring to him, reinforcing his belief that he is top eaglet. He is quite prepared to rear up and stare SE31 down on the rare occasions it is necessary, and the timid submissive little man we saw only four or five days ago is a thing of the past. This is an entirely new nest. What a joy it is. And the fishing has been excellent for the past few days as well. I do wonder what would happen if the fish suddenly disappeared for a day or two. Would things revert to an SE31-dominant situation? Or would the relationship that currently exists survive a food shortage? Let’s hope we do not have to find out. Just after 12:36, Lady arrives with a small-medium fish for lunch. SE32 is closer and sits up. SE31 remains in duckling position and watches. Lady is looking around, so SE32 sits down again. After a while, she starts feeding SE32 while SE31 watches. There really is a large chunk of leftover fish from this morning. It’s way bigger than I realised (it was hard to see initially) – it is significantly larger than this fresh fish, which itself is a reasonably sized fish of the same variety of the small fish that were being brought in earlier in the week. Still a nice fish, and SE32 is enjoying it, but that fish this morning was another monster and should feed the nest for the remainder of the day. It is the bottom third of the fish, so it is open at one end. I am wondering whether either chick will attempt it. SE32 is so full, I doubt he will be motivated to bother, but SE31 has not eaten enough yet today so she may well be hungry enough during the afternoon. We will see. For now, Lady is feeding SE32 again. Still. At 12:40:53, she gives a grateful SE31 a bite. SE32 pulls himself up and shuffles forward a little so that both eaglets are sitting up side by side at the table. SE32 gets the next bite but Lady then starts feeding SE31. It appears SE32 is a bit distracted and at 12:41:45, as he takes care of yet another PS, Lady offers another big bite to SE31, who is happy to take it. Around 12:42 Lady switches to the leftover chunk of fish. She feeds both eaglets a bite, then concentrates on feeding SE31, who eats big bites. She is hungry. SE32 sits beside her and watches her eating. Dad flies onto the nest at about 12:45. It’s hard to see if he has prey. It looks like a bunch of eucalypt leaves. Dad has a very large crop. Lady continues feeding SE31. Dad flies up onto a perch branch and Lady continues feeding SE31. Just before 12:34, SE31 gets up, turns around and walks away from the table to collapse on the front rails. Her crop now matches SE32’s. Lady proceeds to start feeding SE32, in case he can fit any more, and he does his best to oblige. He keeps eating steadily until just after 13:00, at which point he too stops. It is 13:04:15. He looks like a Thanksgiving turkey!! He turns away from the table, despite Lady’s best efforts at coaxing him to see whether an eaglet can physically burst through eating. (Spoiler alert: Apparently not. Probably …. )”

“Today was the third consecutive day and this nest has turned around. Today, SE32 occasionally pecked at his sister (just gently), such as when her wingercising hit him by mistake, and he was first up to each feeding (unless he was in a food coma, in which case SE31 would get fed). He is so confident that the casual viewer would assume him to be the dominant chick on the nest. Both are happy, very very full, and playing together so nicely. They will both sleep well tonight. The fishing is extraordinary, with plentiful fish being brought in (two of the biggest fish I’ve ever seen have come in over the last three days, along with additional smaller fish). Both parents are also eating heartily. The nest is humming along, which of course makes one fear it is all about to come crashing down. But let’s remain positive and just enjoy these two beautiful siblings growing up together happily and peacefully. It is just lovely.” 

This video clip by Gracie Shepherd was too cute to leave out…32 honking at 31! Just smile. 32 is getting its mojo.

Darling Xavier and the first time with his egg captured in video by Elain. Oh, Xavier is such a darling. Goodness…

And I love this post! Have a laugh!!!!!!

Annie and Lou have been pair bonding again..don’t you love peregrine falcons?

Ah, the air is still crisp. In Manitoba, it is time for local corn and apples. Even though it is not yet September, it feels like fall is officially arriving. It is a beautiful time of year. The wasps will leave. Hopefully, the heat and humidity will be gone, and walks will be done with a little quicker step. The Canada Geese will begin arriving at the nature centre from up north. They will take a break and spend a few days with us. By the middle of September, hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, will arrive just after dusk. It is my favourite time of year…there is something about the scent of fallen leaves, just slightly damp, the tussle of the ones that have dried, the squirrels working hard for winter. It is lovely!

But for now, I will sleep so well – Calico is home. She is off the streets and safe. No more worries about her being hit by a car. The challenge is to continue to get her fur in good order, get her health checked and everything that goes along with that…. it is time for Missey and Lewis (almost) to have their annual check-up! They have been spreading their joy for almost a year. Life is good.

Calico slept in the basket on the antique quilt waking up to breakfast without wasps attacking her. She has not cried or growled or scratched or tried to leave her space. Missey and lewis are curious – but no growling. They saw one another for the first time this morning. The trio will be eased into one another’s lives slowly. For now, though, it is really blissful.

The kittens ask that you remember their friends outside!

Thank you for being with me this morning. It is time to feed the garden animals. I will be counting Blue Jays wondering if they will migrate or if they will stay over for the winter. Their ‘blue’ is gorgeous when it is snowing! Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to ‘A and H’ for their wonderful reports, to MSJ and SAH for allowing me to use their photographs, Fran Solly, PLO, PSEG, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Ospreys, LRWT, Poole Harbour ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Kent Island, Osoyoos, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Sydney Sea Eagles, Sk Hideaways and Sydney sea Eagles, Gracie Shepherd and Sydney Sea EAgles, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Karen Leng and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, and SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons.