4 March 2022
Hi there,
First, no hints this morning from Jackie. We wait. There is a second egg at Fort St Vrain in Colorado and the NCTC nest of Scout and Bella.
The storm hit north of Winnipeg where a former student of mine described the winds so high that the ‘birds were being thrown out of the trees’. There was some rain that turned to ice. The snow arrived later than predicted. It is now nearing midnight and the beautiful clean white adorning the branches of the spruce trees makes it look like we are preparing for Christmas, not spring. Oh, it was so dirty and grey. Tomorrow will be so gorgeous!
Today I saw Dyson. She was eating at the small feeder. It was so good to see her. One of the kits from last summer and Little Red were here along with dozens of sparrows all eating as fast as they could. The animals are, more often than not, a good predictor of the weather – better than the human or computer forecasters. I did not see the Blue Jay/s or the Starlings or any of the other birds, but rest assured they slipped in for food while I wasn’t looking. Every feeder was empty as the sun began to set with the snow gently falling all over the garden.
‘The Girls’ didn’t care. They explored all of the pet items put out before a decision was made on what would be donated to raise funds to help feed the rescue Mamma cats and their soon to be kittens.
It turns out that the tent beds that Lewis and Missey used can be useful if you want to play hide and seek Hugo Yuko and Baby Hope style.
These two convinced me to keep the little tent bed! They played for over an hour. It was so much fun to watch them trying to figure out which way to go to out wit the other.
Will there be room for both of them?
Sometimes it is so nice when they are asleep.
I have finally figured out why I am so tired. It is Hugo Yugo. She has to sleep under my chin at night or on my head. She must have woken me 6 or 7 times during the night trying to get herself ‘fixed’. I am not complaining — just in need of a good sound sleep tonight.
Hope prefers to sleep on the wicker if she is by herself.
Osprey fever is hitting new heights with the spotting of birds flying over the Straits of Gibraltar and now a confirmed sighting at Leighton Moss!
Lancashire. Leighton Moss Nature Reserve…look north of Liverpool. Oh, aren’t you getting goose bumps?
A sighting in Scotland!
Jak and Audacity’s egg is still holding. Here is the lovely couple from the Sauces Canyon nest Sunday morning.
More sightings of ringed birds in Senegal. If you listened to Tim Mackrill’s presentation about his new book, The Osprey, you will have learned that the tagged UK ospreys taught researchers so much. After their first trip to West African or the Iberian Peninsula for the winter, they ‘learn’ from their trips. They will land at almost the exact, if not the exact, tree or post. We know that Seren has a favourite spot and now, Dismount Blue 215 has also been spotted in their location in the Saloum Delta. Very predictable. They learn where to forage and as they age they will fly longer but slightly safer routes away form the coast depending on the weather.
We have falcon eggs! There are two of them at the Peregrine Falcon scrape in Leimpde the Netherlands.
In California, Annie and Archie are working on that scrape!
Jackie just takes it all in stride. The weather does seem to be getting a bit better Sunday morning in Big Bear Valley.
The switch.
Are we looking at every spot? Seriously, it looks like a pip to me. I am happy to have egg on my face. Maybe there are even two pips.
Mum incubating one egg at Pittsburgh-Hayes this year with her new mate. He brings her a really nice meal! Let’s hope he is good at incubating, brooding, and providing for his new family when that egg hatches.
No one is precisely sure what is going on at Dulles-Greenway. Lewis appears to have returned to the nest, but no one is sure if Rosa is with him or another female. Too much drama this year. Turn down the volume Bald Eagles!
Both of the eaglets at Duke Farms are getting fed. Mum is incredible. The little one did not get as much as the oldest, but that is normal. They both seem strong and the second hatch seems much more feisty than the first who had that horrific ordeal with the shell while hatching.
Every time I look, from before dawn to dark, Jolene is feeding the two eaglets at the Johnson City ETSU nest. They are darlings.
Abby and Boone seem to be doing what all the others are – constantly feeding! Swampy and Meadow are so big compared to the little eaglets at ETSU or Duke Farms. Just think – in a couple of weeks those little bobbleheads will look like the eaglets at Eagle Country. Then in another few weeks they will be using the nest as a trampoline just like Cal at Captiva.
This video by Lady Hawk is now three days old. Cal is really, really getting the wind under those wings and fledge is at hand. Where did the time go?
For Pepe and Muhlady, their eaglets have clown feet, long legs and are getting all of their thermal down with some pin feathers, too.
E23 is not far behind Cal! S/he loves looking out over the territory from that branch and still likes to be fed. Such a good year for this new family on the Pritchett Property.
The eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands has a cute little mohawk now. sometimes when I check on the nest I cannot see it – and then panic sets in and there, right in front of me, is the eaglet. Has this happened to you?
RSPB Scotland needs our help. Please tell them no to putting telecommunications towers on these beautiful natural sites where the Golden Eagles live along with other wildlife. It would be so nice to leave some part of the world pure and free of a human footprint.
And, please, while we are at it encourage people out in nature to take off the headphones and ‘listen’ to nature not to a podcast or music. Please.
For those who enjoy the Alabama ospreys at Orange Beach, a Great Horned Owl appears to have taken over the nest.
Murphy made the cover of National Geographic Kid’s Magazine!
Bird Flu is wreaking havoc. It is an international problem that continues to devastate waterfowl and other birds. Alderney has lost 30% of its Gannets. We might expect similar numbers from other places…so the idea that the waterfowl population in certain areas is growing needs to be examined in light of HPAI.
A recent article in The Smithsonian Magazine wants you to leave that pedicured lawn back in the 20th century where it belongs and embrace ‘the natural’. It is a win-win for everyone. Forget about your neighbours, do what is right for the planet! Be an inspirational leader to those who doubt you. Talk about the benefits. Think of all those toxins not going into the soil to kill the insects that the birds eat that make them sick and kill their nestlings as well as them. Not only do you save the soil from all those toxins, you create a biodiverse garden that will being much joy to you.
I want to close with an article on Flaco and Flaco’s siblings that were also in captivity. It is very sad but also quite enlightening and is a must read. Written by Nancy Geary and it takes about ten very worthwhile minutes to open your eyes to the plight of these beautiful owls.
If you like the image of Flaco, the artist has said that she will make prints for sale on her Etsy shop. I will keep you informed in case you are interested when they appear.
Thanks so much for being with me as we wait for any word on what still appears to be a small crack/hole in one of Jackie’s eggs. Is it a pip? Or am I just driving myself crazy? Take care all!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Jeff Kear, Google Maps, RSPB Alan Petrie, IWS/Explore.org, Kielder Ospreys, Liempde Falcons, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, PIX Cams, Duke Farms, John City – ETSU, Eagle Country, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JB Sands Wetlands, RSPB Scotland, Orange Beach Osprey Cam, World Bird Sanctuary, BirdGuides, The Smithsonian Magazine, and Suburban Birds.
