Hatches and Intruders…Friday in Bird World

22 Mark 2024

Hi Everyone,

It was a gorgeous sunny day on the Canadian Prairies. There was blue sky, little wind, and it wasn’t a bad temperature.

There was a wonderful surprise in the garden – Hedwig appeared! I tried to be ever so careful as to not scare her away. Hoping for bunnies under the peony plant again.

The Little Reds continued to store peanuts while the Chickadees flitted from branch to feeder eating seed. Dyson has been at the table feeder several times a day. She is looking food. I cannot think of anything more relaxing. Calico was on my lap sleeping, Missey was on the wicker having a nap, Hugo Yugo was on top of the cat tree, and Baby Hope was on my bed. The world seems just right with itself.

As I write this there is a hatch happening at Moorings Park! How fantastic. Harry has been checking in on Sally and the progress anxious to see the first baby of 2024.

The hatch at Kansas City is with us! It feels like a really good day – full of joyful news. The little one at the Kansas City Bald Eagle nest is strong! Congratulations to Ellie, Harvey, Farmer Derek and his family.

We were concerned about the talon of the Bald Eagle female at the J Bunker Sands nest in Texas. I mentioned how raptors adapt to the events that cause them injury. One of the first that comes to mind is Ma Berry of the Berry College Eagle Nest. Today, ‘ MC reminded me of an informative article by Roy Dennis on White-tail Eagle 646, who lost a leg. It is a good read and one that provides much hope to us who worry when we see injured raptors.

Make a note that pip/hatch watch for the second clutch at Berry Eagles is this weekend.

The third egg arrived Thursday morning for Lucy and her new mate at Lake Murray. Time: 08:24.

There have been several attacks on Osprey females. Edie at the Captiva Nest – she is incubating four eggs – was attacked by another Osprey. (more images later in the blog)

Blue NCO was attacked by a Tawny Owl. She returned to the nest seemingly unharmed. Sorry Laddie. I don’t think you are going to come home…can someone please send Blue NCO a nice great fishing young male?

Here she is later working on her nest and looking beyond the horizon for her mate.

For the fans of Glacier Gardens Bald Eagles, Liberty and Freedom, they are home!

At Rutland, Maya and Blue 33 both have the old snake eye on Friday. Is Maya getting a little eggy?

No one at Glaslyn yet.

Llyn Brenig. They will make quick work out of those sticks. No one home as yet.

I would like to have some of the rain that is falling at Llyn Brenig and at Llyn Clywedog. No sign of Dylan or Seren 5F yet.

No one has checked in at Alyth.

Windy up at Loch Arkaig with precipitation during the night. Waiting for Dorcha and Louis.

The Osprey nests in the UK have the most beautiful natural settings. Poole Harbour is no exception. Waiting for CJ7 and Blue 022 to return.

One of the big differences—besides the sheer number of Ospreys—is how many in the UK get to enjoy the landscape and the rivers away from urban settings. So many of the ospreys on the streaming cams in the US live in towns, villages, and cities with pavement under them instead of rolling hills and trees.

Pip watch starts for Chase and Cholyn on the 29th at Two Harbours.

The Thunder babies are doing very well, indeed. Akecheta is an incredible Dad that takes part in the feedings more often than not. Some varied prey and well, Mama Thunder is one of the best.

The little one crawls out of the nest bowl hoping to get some of that nice fish before its siblings!

‘A’ adores this nest like I do. “

At West End, I really didn’t need the long shot of the nest on the face of a cliff that we were given at 16:21 yesterday – I am now absolutely terrified of what might happen when those three become mobile because it’s a long, long fall down that sheer cliff face. Very scary indeed. Now, when they go near the edge, I’ll know exactly what they’re looking down at!!! I do hope it scares them as much as it did me. 

Hopefully, Akecheta and Thunder will keep that nest as full of fish and those chicks as stuffed to the gills as they have been thus far. These three are just gorgeous fluffy little bundles. The older two have their moments, but wee WE tends to steer clear of them and manages not to antagonise its older siblings. Somehow, it always seems to end up in the middle of the line at feedings, waiting back until the others have eaten a bit and then pushing forward and stretching for some bites. All three are getting fed. 

At about 16:20, with the older pair in food comas, Akecheta takes the opportunity to give the youngest a private feeding. The little one is bold, and even when one of the others wakes up and dad tries feeding it too, baby stands up and grabs for the bites (and gets them). By the time its siblings fully wake up around 16:28, wee WE has a good crop (though continues to eat, maintaining front position and reaching for bites without any fear whatsoever of its older siblings behind. It never looks either in the eye, and this largely seems to keep the wee one out of any trouble. 

These two parents are able to fledge three chicks because they are dedicated in the extreme. They don’t get bored with feeding. They feed until there are no beaks left open (or the fish is gone). They feed frequently to ensure that if one misses out a bit at a feeding, it makes up for it at the next. And Akecheta definitely keeps an eye out for wee WE. I know we keep saying it, but in general, a lot of these males definitely DO take special care to look after the youngest eaglet more than the mums do, though of course there are some exceptions). “

E23 was high in the nest tree overlooking the Pritchett Property in a beautiful heraldic pose. Mum and Dad continue to provide lots of different prey and still enjoy feeding their only eaglet of 2024. What a precious one s/he is to them.

Sadly, the food deliveries at Bluff City have been few and far between. On Thursday late there had been nothing but a small fish and that arrived on Wednesday morning. Oliver continually attacks Willow. Hunger is a terrible thing. I am concerned that Willow will not survive.

The situation at Johnson City looks alright.

Things appear to be fine and the chicks are doing well and practising flapping their wings at Duke Farms.

Pepe and Mahludy’s eaglets, Dixie and Mason, are over a month old. Both are doing exceptionally well.

Swampy and Meadow survived their early ‘play fights’. They are now good buddies, and we are all going to miss them when they fledge. What a joy it has been to watch the nest of Blaze and Abby.

Cal may look out over Captiva Island, but he still enjoys being fed by one of his parents, Connie or Clive. I can only imagine that as time nears, when Cal will go his own way for a while, they also want to spend much time with him.

At the Captiva Osprey nest, Edie and Jack have had to protect their nest repeatedly by other Ospreys attacking. They are incubating four precious eggs.

Caught an Osprey for a second on the South Cape May Meadows nest. Last year Mum lost her mate and all three osplets due to the storm and starvation. It was a sad event to watch. We hope that the situation is better for 2024.

PA Farm Country Eagles have their second hatch! Seems like they just had the first. This is good news.

Bonnie and Clyde of Cardinal Land Conservancy have their first hatch! Gosh, there will be a lot of little eaglets in the nests by the end of the month. They are hatching fast and furious now. Let us hope for nest success.

A lovely image by Lloyd Brown of Rita in her new home. Grateful she will have a life of fish and clean baths, but wish she was flying free.

Darling Shadow continues to bring Jackie her breakfast in bed at Big Bear.

Big Red and Arthur continued to do a lot of incubation shift changes on Thursday.

There will now be legal safeguards for the birds of prey in Scotland – an attempt to protect them from the killing and shooting of the grouse moors. But will it be enough? I tend to think that the archaic practice of beaten grouse hunting should be obliterated altogether.

The weather will play a significant factor in the lives of our beloved feathered friends this year. It is dry in Winnipeg. We had little snow compared to some years and we desperately need rain. There could be many more wildfires across my country this summer and record-breaking temperatures that will test even the best raptor families.

Our raptors would be in the funeral line, too. Not enough trees, not enough platforms, not enough fish in some regions. They need our help. The Earth needs our help.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. We hope to see you again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, MC’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Farmer Derek Bald Eagles (Kansas City Bald Eagles), Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, SPO, Lake Murray Ospreys, Heidi McGrue, Geemeff, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Glacier Gardens, LRWT, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, Llyn Clywedog, Alyth SS, Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour, IWS/Explore.org, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, Duke Farms, Superbeaks, Eagle Country, Window to Wildlife, SCMM, PA Farm Country Eagles, HDonTap, Lloyd Brown, SK Hideaways, Cornell RTH Cam, and The Guardian.