12 January 2024
Good Morning,
We had an ‘Alberta Clipper’ hit southern Manitoba overnight on Wednesday, and when we woke up Thursday morning, all of the main roads surrounding the city were closed. They reopened at 0845, but many city streets were blocked. There is not a vehicle moving where I live. It is wonderfully quiet. What was different, also, was the traffic at the bird feeders. The Crows arrived – two of them – for peanuts. They were joined by five woodpeckers, 4 Chickadees, and 2 Blue Jays, the usual cohort of squirrels and sparrows.
I have been talking about the Crows and how I noticed that they have not been around the neighbourhood. It was worrisome. The other day, I saw one at the corner waiting for a neighbour to put out food. They were not coming to the garden. Today they are here. Oh, tears. Joyful tears.
Our City has marked diseased trees and sadly, their nesting trees are due for cutting. We are all hoping that they will find another tree. These trees were planted in 1902. They are huge and made a beautiful canopy once the leaves were fully out in the spring. It is so sad to see them needing to be taken down. There are others being planted in their place but it will be a decade or more before they are even a decent height, never mind 60 for 70 feet in height.
The Blue Jay in profile is the baby that slept with the ornamental birds in the garden last summer. It is here with its dad, Junior. These seem to be the only two Blue Jays still in the neighbourhood that did not migrate (or die).
The male Downy. Notice the red patch at the back of the head near the nape.
This is the male Hairy Woodpecker.
One of Dyson’s kits was enjoying peanuts, too!
It is one of the female Downy Woodpeckers eating the suet on the big table feeder.
As a result of the activity in the garden, I spent much time in the conservatory watching rather than on the computer – something that I ask all of you to do! It was so nice. There is no hatch news so it is simply the status quo so far.
Iowa got some snow, too, and the eagles at Decorah North were doing a bit of cleaning up.
The Hatchery Eagles stayed in the trees.
Sunny Florida on Thursday. At the nest of Gabby and Beau, Beau is really coming into adulthood. He is helping Gabby and has incubated twice on Thursday. As the hatch approaches, let us all send positive messages that this egg is viable and that Beau begins to bring prey to Gabby and their chick.
We do not ever have to worry about E23 not getting enough prey!
E23 tried to yank that rabbit out of the nesting material to eat it today. Our little eaglet is getting pin feathers and will soon have some dandelions as the thermal down comes in. You can also now see the ear.
Rose is not giving any hints at the WRDC nest on Thursday.
At Captiva, C10 and C11 are sleeping with the fishes.
Shadow brought in the first fish of this season on Wednesday!
Heavy rains caused flooding at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest on Wednesday.
SE31 continues to put smiles on our faces.
Changeover at the Royal Albatross Colony. Everything is OK.
Marri’s return to the nest and – some memories thanks to SK Hideaways.
In California, Monty and Hartley want one another’s breakfast!
The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland – one of our favourite wildlife rehabilitation centres – released its 700th eagle into the wild! This is where Bailey, the Osprey, is an ambassador and where Connick was cared for before going off to the Smithsonian as an Ambassador.
Why is the Jackdaw the most beloved Corvid in the UK?
Why is the population of Winter Finches in decline? Audubon gives us some answers.
You are looking at the only breeding pair of Short-tailed Albatross at the Midway Atoll and they are feeding a chick. They also breed on Mukojima, Ogasawara Islands, Japan.
Pesky intelligent Kakapo do not like staying in their enclosure.
New comes about one of the Hancock Eagles from British Columbia.
Thank you so much for being with me today. We are anxiously awaiting a pip or hatch at both the WRDC and Berry College. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Raptor Research Project, NEFL-AEF, Jan Lester, SW Florida Eagle Cam, WRDC, FOBBV, Duke Farms, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, The Guardian, Audubon, Friends of Midway Atoll, Robyne Hocking, and Hancock Wildlife Foundation.
