30 May 2024
Hello Everyone,
Today’s posting is very short. I got to spend all day Wednesday with my grandson, Zak. It was just marvellous – way too long since we connected. Oh, he has grown into such a lovely young man. (We seem to be having a big spontaneous family reunion!) We spent a lot of time walking the Chickadee Trail at the provincial park near where I live. Of course, I was busy telling him how the birds would land on your hand to take seed. I don’t think he believed me. The foliage is all out, and the birds have enough natural food. They don’t need birdseed. We could hear them and saw one while getting eaten by mosquitoes. Still, what a great day with blue sky and sun.
It is that time of year. Graduations, weddings, birthdays and just general family and friend get togethers. Please do not use balloons to mark your property, to give to children, or to decorate. They are absolutely deadly for our wildlife and, like fireworks, there is no need for them. There are many wildlife-friendly environmentally friendly options.
This albatross was lucky.
The OntarioSPCA says: “Balloons are also hazardous to wildlife, because balloons can float into their habitat as well. When wildlife is scavenging for food, balloons (especially Mylar) can resemble other food sources, such as fruits, berries or bright flowers. Rodents and rabbits can be browsing for dandelions or greenery and consume bits of balloon wrapped up in their regular food source and eat it accidentally. The string or ribbon tied on a balloon also presents a risk to wildlife. An animal can get its legs or wings caught, essentially trapping the animal and making it unable to get back to its nest or safe place. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices and change our behaviour in order to protect companion animals and wildlife. While you enjoy summer celebrations, remember to use balloons indoors and never release balloons outside to keep critters safe.”
Help our wildlife by educating your friends and neighbours. They will thank you as do we!
I got a tip off from ‘MP’ and I will be keeping an eye on the MNSA Osprey nest with its trio. If you are watching this nest, please send me notes on any feedings that you see, etc. Always helpful.
Much concern for the third hatch at Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home. The little one slipped in and got quite a bit of fish earlier but did not get up to the beak after the two big siblings ate an evening fish despite fish being left. I was a little bewildered. We will see if this Little Bob makes it.
The earlier feed. Big ones ate. Little one to the right of Mum eating. Got much fish, thankfully.
Shut out of this feeding.
CJ7 got fed up with that black bin bag on the nest at Poole Harbour. During a feeding she took it off the nest! Yeah!
As I head to bed, the fourth egg at Poole Harbour for CJ7 and Blue 022 has a little egg tooth pecking away. It looks like there will be four of them! My goodness.
First hatch at The Bridge Golf Course on Wednesday 29 May.
I am also keeping a wee bit of an eye on Radford University’s trio for any mischief.
At Loch Arkaig, Dorcha is very careful to make sure that Little Bob gets enough fish!
Telyn is doing the best she can with three little ones and the Welsh rain.
We are on hatch watch at Cowlitz PUD for the third egg. Electra has been doing a gallant job keeping the two little bobbleheads on the nest happy. Let us hope those metal grids hold for another year.
There is a cute little chick at the Port of Ridgefield. You can just barely see it because it still has its egg tooth. One egg was broken and I believe the other to be non-viable. But we wait to see.
Outer Banks doing alright.
Hard to tell if Balgavies Loch has one or two osplets but there is definitely one!
‘H’ reports:
“5/30 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: Dory quickly flew off the nest at approximately 02:30, and a GHO landed on the nest. After a minute or so, Dory dive-bombed the GHO. Dory and Skiff’s only chick was predated by a GHO last July.
5/29 Patuxent-I osprey nest: Things were looking rather bleak for Little. Little was shut out of the first two meals, and was only able to eat 16 bites of fish at the third meal. Then at 1833 Dad arrived with a very large headless goldfish. Little stayed tucked and did not even attempt to approach the feeding line for 45 minutes. Big and Middle were finished eating, Dad had arrived back in the nest, and Mom walked away from the fish. Little was slow to go to Mom, and we feared that Dad was getting ready to remove the large leftover fish. Little made his way over to Mom, and she got the message. At 1930 Mom picked up the fish again and fed Little! At that point our view was blocked by Dad. At 1942 we could see Little lie down. Was the fish all gone, or did Little stop eating voluntarily? We waited…all of us waiting to see the size of Little’s crop. Finally, Little stood and we saw that he had a huge crop, yay! Dad removed the large leftover piece of fish from the nest. At 2044 Dad returned with a small fish tail and Mom fed Big and Middle.
5/29 Forsythe osprey nest: This family is doing well…Oscar is providing plenty of fish, and Opal continues to impress with her feedings, ensuring that all four of the osplets are fed. There is some bonking, but so far it does not seem to be during meals.”
“5/29 Captiva ospreys – All was good for this family, and Edie delivered two of the eight fish brought to the nest. Darling and Ding were practicing some wingers, and Ding even threw in a couple little hops!”
‘PB’ wrote with questions and observations about the Achieva osprey nest. Diane has had to leave the eggs to go and get food for herself. The first egg of the second clutch was (sadly) laid on the 30th of April. Jack has not been seen for some time. Is he MIA? is he no longer with us? Hard to say. But it was very late for a second round of osplets in an area that had drought last year and is very hot now. I am thrilled for Diane that these eggs will not hatch. I hope the Crow will come and get them.
‘J’ writes that the second egg at the Russian Imperial eagle nest has hatched. We have had two eaglets survive due to lots of prey deliveries. We wait and see.
Keeping an eye on Smallie. Some worried he would be lunch for an older sibling. Should not happen! ‘A’ writes: “I think the parents will return to feed Smallie, and I’m looking forward to a couple of those giant sisters fledging and giving him a chance at the food. He is so determined, and works so hard on those leftovers. He is getting some quality food from some of them – it just takes him a long time. But at other times, he’s literally eating feathers and bones. My hope lies in his aggressive determination when it comes to food. I think he will beg loudly and continuously for food, and the parents will feed him. I am hopeful of that, though they do seem to be having problems feeding these four at the moment.”
The single eyas at Evergy Energy in Kansas is doing well.
I haven’t been lucky checking on Larry’s eyases at Alcatraz. They are never in view!
Monty and Hartley raise very energetic and sometimes wonderfully aggressive little eyases. Think Soledad! Check out the four this year.
Have you been watching the falcon scrap in Kansas City called Shook? Oh, those three are cuties. Link to streaming cam below.
https://www.youtube.com/live/grylXMT82Yc?si=FT5YaP8EyHUaGlZ2
Oh, no! Annie and Archie’s chicks are thinking about flying.
Someone started a rumour that Gigi at the ND-LEEF nest is now missing along with Dad. It is not true. She is doing everything – security, hunting for the babies, feeding, and caring. You might not see her on the nest all the time because she has to be both Mum and Dad and – hunting is not easy! Gigi has fish on the nest, too, for the eagles to peck at and self-feed. Gigi is doing a good job as a single Mum.
The middle osplet at Lake Murray is still with us!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please feel free to report any news or concerns with the osprey nests. It is always appreciated. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J, MP, PB’, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, Ontario SPCA, MNSA Jay Koolpicks Osprey Cam, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, BoPH, Bridge Golf Course, Radford University, Achieva Credit Union, Superbeaks, Forsythe Ospreys, Audubon Boathouse, Patuxent River Park, Window to Wildlife, Russian Imperial Eagle Cam, Geemeff, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cowlitz PUD, Port of Ridgefield, OBX Osprey Cam, Balgavies Loch, Amersfoort Falcon Cam, Evergy Energy, ParksConservancy, SK Hideaways, Shook Falcon Cam, Lake Murray Ospreys, and ND-LEEF.
