8 November 2023
Hello Everyone!
Oh, I love hearing from you. I am glad that some of the last blogs have touched your hearts. I have met so many people helping in every way they can, struggling to get by from one day to another. Still, they find simple ways to help that make such a difference. It warms my heart to see such compassion. Some put out water, some collect donations for shelters, some help clean cages…there are, as my friend Sassa Bird says, “more good people in the world than bad”. She is right!
It is raining ice right now as I am writing. Not quite hail, but the girls came out of the conservatory and into the living room, alerting me to the fact that ‘something’ was happening.
The ‘cat’ news is that Hope will be ‘fixed’ by a great organisation called Fixing Feral Felines. They encourage people to take in and provide homes for the feral cats in their neighbourhoods providing spay and neuter services at a fraction of the costs of regular clinics. They are a mobile clinic. Hope needs to wait til she is 6 months old.
I picked up Lucky #13 cat shelter and am now accepting donations of bins and insulation for the individual who makes these. He says they do not look so beautiful, but there is a lot of love in them – and they are lined with styrofoam and have straw bedding. I expect the feral cats will consider them penthouses!!!!!! Especially in our weather. It is really nasty out there. There is a little flap to try and keep the rain and snow from blowing in.
Morning Update: The Boyfriend slept in the shelter last night!!!!! I caught him going inside late last night…pieces of straw coming out this morning. Yes!!!!!! We have lift off. It got warm over night and the snow has now melted.
On the way home from picking up the cat shelter, I saw Canada Geese feeding at a local golf course and others flying in to rest and eat. There was lots of grass and with the temperatures climbing a bit, the water hazards on the course are open.
It has now snowed. A right blizzard was coming down for a bit.
Meanwhile, Hope is living a very privileged life. She will go and tap on the screen when she wants her bird video to play. It sure did not take her long to train me!!!!!!
But seriously, how could you not? Look at that sweet face. She has me wrapped around her little paw. Soon she will know how to operate the remote. She is very smart.
Missey and Hope are getting along famously.
Calico prefers to watch Hope and Missey, sleep on the couch, and snack on kibble. Bird videos are not her thing! She knows about the ‘real’ birds unlike these two. I do remember seeing her leap on the big table feeder once trying to catch a bird when she was living rough despite the fact that she had plenty of food (even when she was living outside). Now she has no interest…loves creature comforts.
Now about that potential little brother. I do go and look and had the cat carrier with me. The kittens had ‘crusty’ eyes. Now that sounds like I am being very picky but I do not want the girls to get any kind of infection so…I have decided to wait and to see if a little kitten will show up at the feral feeding station now or in the spring. When it does, it will join us! Or as Geemeff assures me – the right kitten will come along at the right time.
The Starlings were in the garden today- before the new snow arrived. Look closely at their beautiful colours. It is as if someone has embroidered velvet strips on velvet with little jewels added. The soft grey-brown wings are edged with gold. Nature is truly beautiful. The white specks indicate that they are in their non-breeding plumage.
I bought a different ‘premium bird seed’ from the farmer, which got the Starlings to the table feeder. Excellent. Many do not like feeding them or the Sparrows…I adore them all. There is a huge decline in the number of House Sparrows and Starlings. In certain regions, they are both endangered and on the brink of extinction. I am so lucky to have them here with me.
Mum, Giliath, and #2 are hopeful that Dad got a breakfast order and will return with it.
Sweet babies and Mamma waiting for some fish.
Dad brought in a small partial fish at 10:25 which Mum, Giliath, and #2 finished. They had a good breakfast.
Waiting for more fish – Dad or the Fairies?
It’s Dad!
Mum knows Dad is on his way.
Nice crops.
Wed 08 Nov 2023 video archive
First Light: 05:51, Sun Up: 06:18, Sun Down: 20:02, Last Light : 20:29
Age (chicks): Giliath : 22 days, #2 : 20 days
Fish count: Mum: 0, Dad: 2
Fish times: 10:25, 14:27Feed times:
| 10:25 | Dad in with a small, partial fish! | Dad (XS,Part) |
| 10:25 1 | Both chicks get a little breakfast. Mum finishes it. | |
| 14:27 | Dad delivers a whole fish! | Dad (L,Whole) |
| 14:27 2 | Mum partially blocks the view. Giliath’s on the left and chick #2’s on the right/behind Mum. Both chicks get their fill. Mum finished that fish up! | |
It is anyone’s guess who is going to fledge first at Orange. Barru is certainly keen and is flapping just as much as Marri and there are a lot more downy bits missing today. Remember we are within a week of fledge.
At the Bald Eagle nests:
Pepe brings Muhlady a fish tail for breakfast.
Mum at Duke Farms is working on the nest with the new male. Dad has been missing since spring. Wishing this new couple the very best!
It is not clear what is happening at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty but Bella is now warming up to the new male. Her fertile period is approaching.
At the NE Florida nest of Gabby and V3, work continues on the nest.
Cam is back up at Pittsburgh-Hayes where there will be a new male this season. Isn’t that fall colour beautiful? I am so missing that!
Fish gift at Pittsburgh-Hayes.
706 people are watching Jackie and Shadow at their nest early Wednesday morning. Let us all send this much-loved couple the warmest and most positive wishes. They so want another baby! Let’s hope we have one this year.
In the middle of the night, we have an eagle at Redding!
There is a lot of mismatched news coming out of Bird World and it is all good. There is something for everyone!
All eyes on Taiaroa Head to see which of the Royal Albatross will return safely! So happy to see OGK’s brother!
More of the eagle nests with owl issues.
You will remember that Bobby Horvath was with Pale Male when he passed and he was willing to go and help Mini at Patchogue if needed. He is always saving a raptor somewhere – very devoted.
Fantastic news coming out of Scotland!
This place looks magically wild -. Thank goodness they continue to exist down in the what? Roaring 40s? Places sea birds love.
Oh, they are so beautiful. Will be posting regular updates for the Moli throughout the breeding season.
The Captiva Osprey Cam is live! Wonder who our resident pair will be this year? Will they ward off intruders, lay eggs, and raise chicks?
Sunnie Day posted the link to this report on FB. It gives us a grim account of the decline in Osprey populations following Hurricane Ian.
It is Kakapo Adoption Time!!!!!! Everything goes to help care for these flightless parrots.
‘H’ gave me a wonderful smile this morning. I want to share it with you! We both really like Gessner’s Soaring with Fidel and ‘H’ reminds me that a seasoned birding is expelling GISS to Gessner: “GISS is an acronym for ‘general impression shape and size.’ That’s how you identify stuff after you get good. It’s not any one thing. You just kind of get a feel…maybe the tail is a little shorter, but all kinds of other things are coming into play too. It’s just your general impression initially. From far away, you don’t have time to look for small details.”
Just love it…I find much of the time I have to get the images home and enlarge them to find out precisely what I was seeing.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, pictures, videos, articles, announcements, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, Sassa Bird’, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Superbeaks, Duke Farms, NEFL-AEF, PIX Cams, FOBBV, Cathy Cohen, Sharon Dunne, Jann Gallivan, Bobby Horvath, Erica Gaize, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Window to Wildlife, Sunnie Day, the Osprey Observer, and Kakapo Recovery.
