Egg 1 at Moorings Park! …Monday in Bird World

12 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It was a nice day. The wind was a bit nippy, and I kept myself to the area around the duck pond at Assiniboine Park and The English Garden. It is just so lovely to get out in the winter. Lots of people were walking their puppies today. One was an 18-year-old terrier. His owners had a little pet stroller in case he got cold or tired. How sweet. I wonder what it would be like if governments cared that much about wildlife.

The paths were not groomed, but they were also not slippery. No blue sky, just everything shades of grey and brown! I will be so glad when spring is here.

Someone asked if Missey was still being Mama to Hugo Yugo. Yes, absolutely! This was Sunday afternoon. Here are a few images of the two of them after Hugo Yugo had pulled the camp blanket off the sofa and tossed it around. She is pretty strong to be so little!

Sorry, Bald Eagles. Sally and Harry laid their first egg of the season at 1718 Sunday – they really wanted to put a damper on Super Bowl viewing! 

Good for Sally. She isn’t going to give that egg much incubation time. Delaying it will only mean less stress between hatchlings. Look for the second egg on Valentine’s Day.

The season’s second egg for the PA Farm Country eagles was also laid on Sunday. The Live Stream is at HDonTap, and there is no rewind! Many little birds nest below the main Eagle nest – it is an excellent place for them to raise their families. Reminds me of Patchogue. ’MP’ told me that he used to watch the Sparrows at Patchogue when Mini was doing poorly….it is the thing to do: watch the birds. It will take your mind off anything!

Hope and Chandler at Port Tobacco also have their second egg for the 2024 Bald Eagle season.

There were a lot of meals today for Swampy and Meadow at Eagle Country. It is too difficult to tell but Abby kept the fish flakes going down the nest bowl so, surely, Meadow had some.

The live cam of Stella and Talon is up and running at Florida-Gainesville. The students worked hard to get the funds for a new camera this year when the lights were replaced and the nest needed relocating. There is also no rewind like PA Farm Country. 

Talon has been busy delivering fish to Stella on Sunday.

We are on egg watch at Pittsburgh-Hayes.

Here is the link to the streaming cam.

Jackie and Shadow are being so careful with those eggs. I wonder if it isn’t a real blessing – the snow – to help keep those eggs safe. Please don’t ask me why I think that, but it does have to do with them eating prey on the nest and moving about. With the snow, this is not happening, and it might keep those precious eggs from getting punctured accidentally. What do you think?

Shadow brings in a small twig. This time Jackie is ready to give up incubation and have a break!

Cali Condor caught Shadow arriving early to get a chance on his eggs!

Waiting for eggs from Bella and Scout. Deb Stecyk caught some images of Bella on Sunday – a few nice close-ups of her on the pole.

Chase & Cholyn were at Two Harbours today working on their nest. So nice to see them. I am getting Highlights for West End and Fraser Point today.

Mr North and Mrs DNF were on the nest today in Iowa without a speck of snow in sight. Gosh, they are gorgeous eagles.

Cal and Lusa are big with their juvenile plumage they are simply stunning. Just send very positive wishes that neither of these two has a problem with their plumage development like Connick. It doesn’t look like it, but then we wouldn’t have guessed about their older brother from last season either til it happened and he tumbled off the nest. Thankfully, he was rescued and will soon be an ambassador at the Smithsonian after a long rehabilitation at Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland.

Lucille Powell provides us with the dates for Rosie’s return to the Whirley Crane and Richmond. Wonder what day she will arrive this year?

Valerie Webber gave these updates for the UK Osprey arrival times: ”So we have 34 days when Blue 25/10 touched down on the Rutland Manton Bay nest (14 March) (video of her arrival) 
then 36 days when Blue 33/11 Breeding male arrived Rutland Manton Bay (16 March) 
37 days when Blue NC0 (2016) breeding female at Loch of Lowes arrived (17 March) 
37 Days also for LM12 (Laddie) breeding male at Loch of the Lowes arrived (17 March) 
also Black 80 (Threave) (17th) – Yellow 30 (Rutland) (17th) – Maya (Rutland MB) (19th) and Blue KC (Threave) (19th) all arrived by the 19 March so within 39 days.”

Did I say it is getting exciting?

There is wonderful news coming out of the Laysan Albatross Colony on Kauai, Hawaii.

‘A’ brings us news of the Australian birds: ”At Olympic Park, SE31 has not been sighted since 6 February, although Lady and Dad have been spotted occasionally over the past week. I think our girl has dispersed, though we have thought that before and she has returned, so we will wait and see. At Taiaroa Head, mum LGL was back to relieve LGK again today – she really is incapable of staying away from her baby for more than about three days! She must have found a good foraging ground pretty close to home because TF chick is obviously maintaining a good weight – the weight chart has not been updated for eight days and although TFF chick was weighed today, I’m not sure that TF was. Hopefully, we will get a weight update tomorrow. At Port Lincoln, both boys ate well today, although Bradley had to wait until after 5pm for his fish. Giliath had a gigantic breakfast fish and another small fish late in the evening. Both are looking healthy and are doing a lot of exploring. I cannot wait to see one of them catch a fish, although I would not be at all surprised if they are already doing this out of camera view. They are certainly looking healthy and strong. What a lovely thought that Bradley may have been fishing with older brother Ervie.”

Flaco is still moving about Manhattan to the delight of his cult followers! Thanks, L!

At Rutland, the Egyptian Geese are getting too cosy on the nest of Blue 33 and Maya. Guess what?

Bird trapper finally caught in Italy! But how will they actually stop him if this is his fourth offence?

The public wants justice for wildlife and yet the prosecution against crimes that impact wildlife is more than extremely low.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, streaming cams, and articles that helped me to write my blog: ’A, H, J, L, SP’, Moorings Park, Elfruler, PA Farm Country, Port Tobacco, Eagle Country, UF-G, PIX Cams, FOBBV, Cali Condor, Deb Stecyk, IWS/Eplore.org, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Lucille Powell, Valerie Webber, Holly Parsons, Manhattan Bird Alert, @Geemeff, Livia Armstrong, and Raptor Persecution UK.