19 October 2023
Good Morning!
Oh, the girls are doing splendid! It is so nice to have Missey back to her normal self and to have Hope and Calico ripping and tearing all over the house. Had to pinch myself and stay out of their rough and tumble moments – gosh, they sometimes look like they are going to tear one another apart. (Missey did not cooperate for photos yesterday – she was always in a place with really low light when I had my phone).
These two are adorable. You can see how big Hope is getting from when she arrived. I said three times bigger, but it is more than that. She is a robust young lady with the most amazing tail. It is thick and bushy unlike Calico’s thin, pointed tail. I continue to survey the males that visit the feeding station to see if I can figure out who her Dad might be!
Hope’s legs are also nice and thick, whereas Calico is fine-boned. They sure love the sunshine when it comes out. Some days have been rather grey and gloomy.
Today, the pair enjoyed being back in the Conservatory on the table looking out at the birds. This was their safe space for so long, and yet, once they moved into the main part of the house, I did not see them spending much time on the table.
Port Lincoln. Well, that was quick. # 1 and #2 out of the shell so close together. Thank goodness. Giliath is quite a strong first hatch. Whether or not it was the first egg is still being debated. The ‘average’ hatch for Eastern Ospreys is 40 days so, to me, it looks like it was the first egg did not hatch but that it was egg 2 and this most recent hatch is egg 3. I am happy to wind up with egg on my face but, in the end, I hope that there are only two and that they thrive. That the new Dad is a good provider for Mum and the babies.
Dad at the nest after the hatch and after delivering a nice fish for the family.
‘A’ remarks, “At 11:56 mum is up at Port Lincoln, stretching her legs and demanding lunch for the family. Dad obliges with a whole good-sized fish (on the large side of medium for this nest, I think). Mum is very careful with it, as it is still alive, barely but enough to make that tail a danger to a newborn osplet. So she keeps it well clear of the little ones. Hatch two is very shaky still. It did a lot of hard work breaking out of that shell as fast as it did, and is still tired. Eventually, it finds where the table is, and mum carefully leans over the older osplet to reach the younger, feeding it several mouthfuls. It is a little wobbly but has its sibling to lean on and manages a good feed for one so young. I am impressed at the way mum is noticing it and concentrating on it once the older chick is full. She is making sure it gets fed. That IS an encouraging sign. Talons crossed. Interestingly, dad stays for the meal, watching closely as mum feeds both chicks. He is standing right beside her, not watching from a distance. It would be lovely to see him join in the feeding! Perhaps we will see him doing some of the feeding later on. Certainly, he’s fascinated by his offspring and their lunch. Mum is not objecting, which is perhaps surprising. The meal ends at 12:11 and both osplets have eaten well, the oldest getting quite a bit more of course. Good to see. Some chatters think the second chick is weak. I think it worked hard overnight and is tired. We will see. It is also a hot day in Port Lincoln (about 30C I think).”
Putting that 1208 image up first. This Dad enjoys being with his family. Look how strong hatch 2 is now.
Earlier.
Falcons are so civilised. Just look at those two sitting there waiting for food, reaching up with their beaks, crops growing…not attacking one another. Beautiful. They are doing so well and are incredibly adorable.
Xavier loving being a dad.
My heart is so overjoyed that SE31 is back safely at the nest after fledging. S/he slept there last night after taking the first flight….sorry for being so repetitive but is this the year of triumph? When Lady and Dad can fully raise and train their babies? Gosh, I am hoping so and I know you are, too.
Another look at that fledge.
YRK is waiting for OGK to return. They were the Royal Cam parents to Pippa Atawhai and Lillibet. OGK went missing in May 2022.
At Duke Farms, the new male is helping Mum with nest renovations. Old Dad went missing in May 2023.
Work continues by Martin and Rosa at Dulles-Greenway.
Gabby at NEFL on cam 1 with V3, below, on cam 2.
As M15 and F23 continue to work on the nest at SW Florida, you can get a good idea of just how much bigger F23 is than M15 in the top image.
These rails are quite something.
A reminder from the Audubon Society –
Something else killing our wildlife, thanks to humans….
Congratulations to Sacha Dench and her amazing volunteer team at Conservation without Borders. A well deserved award.
Thank you to everyone for being with me today. It looks like SE32 could fledge while I sleep – I hope some of you are watching it live! See you soon.
Many thanks to the following for their notes, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Cindy Giesler, Duke Farms, Dulles Greenway, Audubon, The Guardian and Conservation without Borders.
