Brad steals the fish…Wednesday in Bird World

27 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for being with us. There is ‘some’ news coming in from Bird World and a note from ‘J’ who found a YT video of a young woman reading to an Eagle! She said that she had never heard of reading to animals til she discovered I was reading to the cats. If you have animals, read to them, especially if they are young and frightened. Let them get used to your voice. The tone of the words in the book is important, too. Calico will walk out if they are ‘loud or gruff’. Seriously. Otherwise, she sits and listens intently from my grandmother’s quilt or my lap. The girls have all had story time more than once today. It is a lovely time together, and they listen, just like this eagle.

https://www.facebook.com/BirdTLC/videos/224864223356789/

The kittens are tuckered. They played, going around in circles and up through the ‘catservatory,’ over the table, through the kitchen, leaping to the island and down to the floor before scurrying as fast as they could tree in the con into the sitting room. Hope liked to take an ornament off the twinkling tree, and away she would return to the cat tree. As a consequence, today has been quiet. Quiet as a mouse wanting to get into the mince pies on the counter. They have slept all day. Even Hugo has not been crying for food. Incredible.

Thank you to those who have sent in their uplifting moments from 2023. For those that haven’t, there is still time. Send them in by the end of the day on 31 December. I will be posting them on the 1st of January. You can add them in the comments or send me an e-mail. I won’t mention your name! E-mail is: maryannsteggles@icloud.com

The big news in Bird World is a possible pip at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23. I have not seen this or any official notification by the Pritchett family, so it could be simply someone being optimistic. That is easy to do – I have been there once or twice.

F23 and M15 should be able to hear their eaglets soon (if not now).

The hatching process by Elfruler.

Clive and Connie -along with C10 and C11 -survived that soaking storm that went through Captiva. The eaglets look a little ragged but everyone is alright. Just look at that pantry! What I wouldn’t give if V3 had Clive’s instincts! These two are going to be nibbling on those fish before we know it. Just look at all of them!!!!!! A nestful.

Did your hair look like this in the 80s? (Thanks, J). And where did those pin feathers come from!!!!!! Stop growing you two. 

Gabby rolling the egg at NE Florida.

Eggs are completely unviable. Alex off the nest at KNF-E3.

One egg for Abby and Blazer at Eagle Country on 25 December. Second should arrive on the 28th – that is Thursday.

Both eagles working on the nest at Duke Farms.

A foggy Christmas at the Dulles-Greenway Nest.

They are busy at the Johnson City Bald Eagle nest.

Dad brought in a small fish at 0744 to the Port Lincoln Osprey barge nest. Gil got it and Brad stole it and ate it! Way to go Brad. That was a really good steal.

SE31 rumoured to have caught another fish.

Marri’s Christmas set to music by Cilla Kinross.

Ospreys at Achieva in St Petersburg. Normally eggs are laid in early February.

A Eurasian Hobby has reached South America.

Have you ever seen a Common Shelduck?

What do the birds have to do with mistletoe?

We had hedgehogs in our garden when we lived in the UK. One even made its way into the house by way of a seven-year-old who thought it adorable til the fleas started flying off in the gazillions! The hedgehogs feasted on the fruit from the orchard at the back of the garden and from the food we left them: water, cat food, and mealworms. While this note is for people with hedgehogs, think also of the community cats in your neighbourhood and leave food and water out for them and the birds – if you can. A bowl of water can be a lifesaving thing!

Thank you so much for being with us. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, articles, poems, and posts that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’H, J’, Bird TLC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Elfruler, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Carol Shores Rifkin, KNF-E3, Pat Burke, Eagle Country, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenway, Sara A, PLO, Bart M, Cilla Kinross, Achieva Credit Union, BirdGuides, Audubon, and Al-liance.