Moorings Park is up and running…Saturday in Bird World

6 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that the start to your weekend is a good one!

It was only -5 on Friday at the nature centre. It was a really good day for a walk. The Chickadees, the squirrels, and the woodpeckers were all out looking for food and enjoying the mild weather before – next week – when it is forecast to be -29 C. There were so many going for walks today. Happy. They were smiling and taking photographs. Sometimes, when it is frigid, we don’t want to get outside! So Friday was a good opportunity to walk in and have that quiet, peaceful time in the woods. Nature is healing.

Not a great shot of the woodpecker upside down at the feeder.

Snowshoes. The Ontario Heritage Trust gives us a good history of the snowshoe in Canada: ”Snowshoes are a practical mode of winter transportation, and they are also a symbol of practical ingenuity representing thousands of years of cultural history and adaptation to the country’s snowy winters. It is believed that snowshoes arrived in Canada during ancient migrations at least 10,000 years ago from eastern Siberia over the Bering Strait. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain provided the first written account of the First Nations using snowshoes to walk across the deep winter snow. Recognizing their value, Europeans used snowshoes for hunting and trapping, and for exploring the rugged landscape. In the mid-1800s, snowshoeing became a popular recreational activity, with clubs meeting for hikes and competitive races.”

The girls are fantastic. Every day – many times a day – I profess my great astonishment that these four girls are safe and sound. They bring me such happiness I cannot imagine life without them.

Today, my daughter sent me an article form the local news. Apparently feeding stray cats is illegal in my city. Well, who would have known? If I had not been feeding strays, I would not have Calico or Hope and the Boyfriend would be thin. My entire neighbourhood would be fined. Now how ridiculous is that? It seems that someone has thought so too so there is a move to strike that law and allow people to care for these needy animals. The girls and I intend to write in support of lifting the law that prohibits the feeding of feral cats.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-considers-allowing-care-for-feral-cats-1.7074944

Missey is rather ‘wild’ looking. ’J’ thinks she comes from a magical forest full of unicorns. I could not agree more. She is now 22 lbs. and is 16 months old.

Storytime and Baby Hugo decides which of the treats everyone is going to receive.

Calico listening to a chapter about the establishment of The Ramble in Central Park and all the birds that migrate there twice a year.

After story time, Baby Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope wrestle and run.

Hugo Yugo knows that Baby Hope is hiding under the tablecloth, ready to pounce.

There would not have been enough fines in the world to get me to stop feeding Calico — and I am so glad that someone rescued Missey and took her as a week-old kitten to the Humane Society – and that some kind heart took pity on Baby Hugo Yugo’s mother and brought her in to have her 7 kittens safely. These four beautiful souls are what rescue is all about. 

There is not a lot of action in Bird World. In some ways this has turned out brilliantly for all of us as we can enjoy three little eaglets – both clutches at such different stages of development – without having to spend much time decided on which streaming cam to watch.

There is much relief at watching the SW Florida nest – no bonking! Just one very special little eaglet who has the complete attention of its parents – the super dad M15 and his new mate F23.

E23 is an eating machine…and F23 and M15 are fantastic parents. Food coma after a great feeding from Dad!

The variety of food coming to the SW Florida nest this year is quite incredible. Today it was an Armoured Catfish – but there has been rabbit, egret, fish. F23 is very grateful for the fish!

A nest full of fish and eaglets looking out to a beautiful world at Captiva.

My goodness the nest was really rocking for Rose at the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Dade County. Thinking pip in a week?

It is always a good day when Jackie and Shadow are in the nest at Big Bear.

At Port Lincoln, it is wet. Bradley took the first fish delivery from Mum. Giliath had to wait for food today until dad brought in a headless fish at 18:09.  He ate the entire thing in 15 minutes. 

Look at Gil’s tracking! We all wish Brad could have had that extra tracker. It would have been fantastic to compare the two brothers.

At Orange: ”At Orange, Marri was seen and heard flying past the scrape yesterday (5 January). Diamond and Xavier had two bonding sessions this morning (05:39:30 and 07:24:45). Diamond spent a lot of the day surveying her territory from the ledge of the scrape.”

WBSE news of 5 January: “SE31 appeared from River Roost at 6:40am, then flew to the island. She flew around the bay then, just before 7am, attempted to catch a fish, with a splash. Shortly after, she was not eating, so must have missed (or dropped it). Neither parent was seen earlier, but at 7:45am, one adult was seen at River Roost with SE31, who was whining continually for food. Around 11am, we saw SE31 soaring way up high and one adult on River Roost. Then, at around 12:05pm, the juvenile returned, past the adult and into the mangroves below the adult. Lady took off from River Roost, then the other adult appeared from behind the island. Both then set off, hunting hopefully, at 12:22pm. We did not see SE31 or either adult when we left at around 1:30pm. Then, at around 5pm, SE31 was seen again, and set off on a long flight, over the river to Homebush Bay and over Meadowbank, then back to more familiar territory.”

The latest news from WBSE: ”January 6: Early in the morning, our observer reported one adult and  the juvenile upstream of River Roost. Being Saturday, river traffic was very noisy. They were still there some time later. Then, at around 12:30pm, one adult was seen flying with a big fish, followed by an eager SE31. Around 40 minutes later, SE31 was seen sitting on a low branch on the island – had she eaten? Later in the afternoon, after a very hot day, none of the eagles could be seen from the boat ramp. Plenty of fish were jumping – come on SE31! “ Thanks, ‘A’.

At the Royal Albatross Colony near Dunedin, New Zealand:

Now this is the kind of news we want to read.

Oh, oh, oh. Moorings Park Ospreys are live!!!!!!!! Didn’t we have a great year last year with Harry and Sally. Look who is home. Oh, talk about a fluttering heart.

It is time to have some fun with some of those strange ‘bird terms’….Gorget, anyone?

How can we help our urban birds? An article in the latest Living Bird Magazine from Cornell Bird Lab has some answers.

Results of the Christmas Bird Count in Canada. Now, please make sure that you join Cornell and other groups for the Big Bird Day coming up in February. I will remind you again and again of the date as it approaches. All of this helps us understand what species are in decline, which are flourishing, and where. Then, we can ask why.

If you live near Threave, you might want to join in the fun! This sounds like a great experience…wish I was in Scotland.

Two more book reviews coming for Sunday, 7 January.

Thank you so much for being with me today. We should have a few more eaglets in a week and hopefully some more eggs. We are looking for hatches at the WRDC and Berry College. Take care all. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, SK Hideaways, Vija, Window to Wildlife, Jenna Dorsey, WRDC, FOBBV, PLO, Bart M, Sea Eagle Cam, Ron Young, Fran Solly, Moorings Park, Living Bird Magazine, Audubon, and the National Trust for Scotland.