25 March 2024
Good Morning Everyone,
We hope that you have had a nice weekend. The sound of the geese coming into Devonian Lake today—where there was water for them—was like a choir singing. Sitting on the bench at the nature centre and listening to them was soothing on a day when calm was needed. More and more geese and ducks fly over each day, bringing us the hope that not only spring but some rain might come one day. It is still dry and dusty if the wind is whipping it up, and I still have issues sometimes.
Here the Canada Geese are arriving around noon on Sunday. There were hundreds and hundreds in the lake and more than that trying to find some grass over with the Bison at our nature centre.
The Girls continue to enjoy the warm weather. Well, I call it warm. It was -5. But next week the forecast is for +14 on Tuesday. No rain predicted. This is not good.
Hugo Yugo will be completely healed in 10-14 days but she is just so much better every day since she had her surgery. Calico is losing some weight very slowly. I am now adding warm water to her wet food to ‘fill her up’ a bit and she is eating her low calorie hard food. The others are just simply wild with spring fever.
Watching and waiting for Hugo Yugo to strike!
Missey who looks like she came out of the forest.
Calico who dared to give us a chance.
Gorgeous Hope.
Hugo Yugo. So sweet when she is asleep.
The second osplet hatched at Moorings Park Sunday morning. The second hatch is still quite unsteady and has fallen inside its shell. Hopefully, it will be up and steady soon.
Oh, that is so much better!
As of 15:45 Sunday afternoon, there has been no food delivery at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest since Friday at noon. Mum found an old bone and got a few bites off of it on Saturday. The first hatch, Leaper, is beating the crap out of the second. We are now at 50 hours without a substantial meal. Mum is ‘starving’, too. Is it possible that something has happened to the male? Mum will have to move in and against her instincts stop brooding and feeding and start hunting. I fear we are losing Jersey. Already they will be intimidated from eating and unless a huge fish or prey item comes and Leaper goes into a food coma, the feeding could be quite one-sided like it was at Bluff City-ETSU.
I last saw or heard the Dad several days ago. I read that the adults at Duke often exchange prey on the branches rather than Dad coming to the nest, but it would appear that this is more than that. He may be missing, injured or killed. As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, Mum is still in brooding mode with her hormones, but she will need to move swiftly into hunting mode. The eaglets are just a month old and have their thermal down, and while it is not ideal, they can be left. It is the same situation as M15 faced when Harriet died, only it was the Dad who had to take over full-time care, including security, hunting, feeding and brooding. Jersey did eat some scraps, and it can dig around the nest, but will it be enough? for leftovers, I continue to be reminded of the resilience of the third hatch at Achieva in 2021, Tiny Little I called her. She did just that and survived and became the dominant in the nest, defending it against adults when she was just 4 months old. These little survivors can achieve much – but they need to survive!
Prey arrived late at Duke Farms. Mum brought it in. Leaper ate. Jersey was too afraid. Mum ate. Nothing more to say unless a huge food item arrives.
Jersey did not get any of the food that arrived at 1800.
Jersey may try and chew on that little bony piece that is left. Look at the crop on Leaper. The Mum noticed Jersey trying to feed itself from the scraps. In the case of the third hatch at Achieva, Diane was able to bring in catfish late, when the older two were full and asleep, and feed the third – once she realised how determined it was to live. And it did live because of Diane’s actions.
This year has already seen several instances of siblicide in Bald Eagle nests in the US. As we move into Osprey season – and still have quite a number of eagle nests where eggs will hatch – it is a good idea to remind ourselves ‘why’ siblicide occurs.
Here is a longer Master’s thesis on siblicide.
Hope and Chandler have more than enough fish for their little one and them. That is a whopper.
The surviving eaglet at Bluff City has had plenty of fish and has been renamed ‘Viper’.
There is a pair of ospreys on the Patuxent 1 nest in Maryland Sunday morning when the cam came back on.
Frenchman’s Creek triplets are doing well.
In contrast to the weather in Maryland, the Decorah North Bald Eagles are experiencing heavy snow and high winds. They are forecast for 1-3″ of snow and then rain. There is a new hatch under Mrs DNF.
Welcome DN17.
The snow has stopped at the nest of Cornell Red-tail Hawks, Big Red and Arthur.
We continue to wait for eggs at the nest of Angel, the Leucistic Red tail Hawk, and Tom.
Baiba made a montage of the Eagle Country nest featuring Blaze, Abby, Swampy, and Meadow on the 23rd of March.
Swampy and Meadow had a lesson in plucking. They are magnificent. Those nests that successfully raise two eaglets to fledge in 2024 should get double gold medals.
R6 is older, and he could fledge at any time. He spends much time on the rim of the nest, looking out over Ron and Rose’s territory. gr8lakes suggests that R6 should just take his time. He is in the safest place he will ever be, and when he leaves that nest, life becomes a huge challenge.
Few could raise three gentle souls. Give Thunder and Akecheta a round of applause.
Trudi Kron catches the hatch at the Land Conservancy and the second hatch for Farmer Derek’s eagles.
Berry College was on the top of the list for this week’s hatches and they are right on time! BEL-a-donna caught it.
Both ospreys-Oscar and Olivia – have been spending much of the day at the Severna Park platform in Maryland.
It was windy at the Carova Beach (Outerbanks) Osprey nest of Betsy and Frederick.
The Oyster Bay resident ospreys have returned.
The couple have returned to the Boulder Fair Grounds. What a week this is going to be – eaglets hatching and ospreys arriving.
White YW, that incredible male at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve Osprey nest, has returned home safely from his migration on the 24th of March.
The remarkable Black 80 has returned from his migration from Africa to Threave Castle. What is the secret to his long life besides luck? He is the chick of Mrs G and her mate, 11(98), at Glaslyn. Great DNA.
First California Condor egg of the 2024 season. Something to celebrate and a brand new couple.
E23 is doing well and F23 and M15 are great teachers.
There was also a beautiful subadult visitor to the M15’s nest. Could it be one of M15 and Harriet’s fledglings returned?
More than that, though, is the touching relationship between F23 and her first eaglet. Sleeping together…this eaglet is going to be so missed if they ever encourage it to leave! (or when its instinct kicks in to seek the wider world)
It is officially hatch watch at the nest of Liberty and Guardian in Redding, California.
The weather has been miserable at many of the Bald Eagle nests and Kansas City is no exception. Ellie and Harvey and their family have been rocking and rolling Sunday night and there was, of course, rain. Harvey has the pantry full and is often with Ellie on the nest.
Hartley and Monty recovered from their intruder and are thinking more eggs!
Closing tonight with the cutest little Peregrine Falcon – soon to be a dad for the first time – Archie at the Cal Falcons nest. His mate Annie gave them four eggs!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. I very much look forward to having you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, questions, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, MP’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Duke Farms, Port Tobacco, Bluff City, Patuxent I, Frenchman’s Creek, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Cornell RTH Cam, Window to Wildlife, Baiba, Eagle Country, WRDC, gr8lakes, IWS/Explore, Trudi Kron, Berry College Eagle Cam, Severna Park, Outbanks 24/7 Osprey Cam, PSEG and Oyster Bay Osprey Cam, Boulder County Fairgrounds Osprey Cam, Cumbria Wildlife Trust (Foulshaw Moss Osprey Cam), Jeff Kear, Brian Taylor, Ventana Wildlife Society, Lady Hawk, Real Saunders Photography, FORE, SK Hideaways, and Cal Falcons.
