11 June 2024
Good Morning Everyone,
So far, the news is good, but I haven’t heard from ‘H’ yet, and I fear chicks in the NE at Forsythe unless a miracle happens on Monday. Several items have come in my inbox to share with all of you and we will look at them first. I had intended to share one reader’s trip to Manton Bay today, but I hope to add some more information and will include that either Wednesday or Thursday. I had some wonderful Ramen with my son today. It is nice to have him visiting. It has been a long time.
Letter 1: ‘M and F’ write: “Hello dear Mary Ann, we have just had an intruder at t the Sydney Sea Eagle nest, it arrived at 08:03 and stayed until about 08:40. Not sure what it is, but looking at its head I would say it was a Tina Turner Eagle.”
I ran and grabbed Penny Olsen’s book on Australian Birds of Prey and this is a Wedge-tailed Eagle. Isn’t it a beauty?
Letter 2: ‘J’ wonders: “Do you have the odds numbers for 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 chicks to compare? I probably am not the only one who would be really interested in that. I really want Tiny Field Farm to fledge, he’s so brave.”
Well, I didn’t, at first, think I had this. There are fewer four hatch nests so it is easier to calculate even manually, but, hey, it is in the forms. This is the information for 2023 for 340 eggs from around the world that we monitored. Our 4 egg nests had a slightly better survival rate than the US study that showed 1 out of 100 surviving. Ours was 50%. (I apologise that this is small. I hope you can blow it up on your screen. If you would like me to send it to you via e-mail, just send me a note: maryannsteggles@icloud.com).
Letter 3: EJ sent us a great article form Audubon on the challenges to our urban raptors.
Letters 4 and more: Thank you so much. I am so glad that you enjoyed the picture of Missey and Hugo Yugo in the basket. Your support and good wishes for ‘The Girls’ warms my heart. I cannot imagine my world without them. Of course, I might treasure a little sleep. So far, there are three piled in. The only one not on the duvet making me scrunch up in configurations I never dreamed possible is Hope!
I wish I could take in more, but I can’t. People are losing their homes, their apartments and well, just having a really rough time of it here in Canada. I don’t know what it is like where you live, but our Humane Society finds dogs, cats, rats, and all other species left at night at their door. People are ashamed they can no longer care for their precious pets. It is very sad. We are now feeding the two Boyfriends, a Grey Tabby with only one ear, and 4 Gingers. There could be others. These are the ones that come during the day. I am glad to be able to help these. Wish I could do more but one has to be realistic.
The Gold Medal nest this week has to be Poole Harbour. There are so many good nests with the males working overtime to bring in huge fish in the UK that it feels awkward to sort out one, but it is because there are four osplets. Just look at them. CJ7 and Blue 022 have been working overtime to make certain that there is fish and tranquility. When they ring them, I wonder if they are all little boys. We will have to wait and see.
I love the golden glow of the sun streaming down on these babies and Little Mini looking out towards us. It is getting to eat first.
Blue 022 is great at helping CJ7 with these four and is happy to top up Little Mini. One has to wonder if the males that are so eager to make sure the little late hatches are fed were also little late hatches themselves. Blue 022 is just amazing. When he landed on CJ7s platform three years ago we had no idea what a great Dad he would be.
Thanks for all the alerts about Smallie. That little darling is back in the scrape! What a smart little fella to get itself back where food will come. And just look at the plumage. I am certain that those watching this Peregrine Falcon nest in Amersfoort Netherlands are feeling huge relief. What a character. Smallie pulls at all our hearts.
‘PB’ sent a video clip and I took some screen shots of Smallie figuring out how to get back up to the scrape.
On Tuesday morning, Smallie wakes up and is hungry and leaves the scrape box calling for food.
He is looking for the parents and siblings. Send positive wishes for food for this little one – and not big siblings doing a steal at the grate!
N2 was so excited. Both of the eyases had been flapping and jumping while watching the traffic. N2 flew first. A magnificent flight right across Tower Road to the trees in front of Fernow. In the image below you can see those legs leaving as it gets its wings going. N1 is curious and should fledge soon.
And then – N2 flies!
Some more tweets from Cornell showing the adventures of N1 and N2 after fledging.
And the concern for the new fledglings as they fly back and forth across Tower Road to the nest and trees.
Both ‘branched’ at the Syracuse University Red-tail Hawk cam of Ruth and Oren.
Not returns to the tower.
Moon_Rabbit_Rising has some images of the Cal Falcon fledglings!
Thunder and Akecheta’s three fledglings are well and being the juveniles that they are. Fighting for food!
I am so hopeful that Iris and Finnegan will have one healthy chick. Just hoping not two unviable eggs. Fingers crossed. Finnegan is a great mate and he will be a superior Dad! He has been feeding Iris, bringing in cot rails, and some greenery. (More below)
Little Mini right up there at the beak at Field Farm. They are all lined up – three to one side and one on the other at Field Farm later in the day.
The third chick at Island Beach State Park hatched on Tuesday.
Fingers crossed for the three at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Mum has been feeding, often with her back blocking the camera so it is hard to see if everyone is eating.
Dad watches over many of the feedings at the Landscape Arboretum nest. Hopefully he is helping Mum to understand that she can’t eat all the fish and not feed the babies!!!!!!!
The two hatches at Sandpoint seem to be alright.
The two older hatches at Bridge Golf are so much bigger than the wee one. Fingers crossed for another nest.
Three at Cowlitz PUD looking’ good.
Only Bob at Boulder County is changing! Fat little bottom on this reptile. You can see the pin feathers coming through, too. What a joy it is to see these healthy Only Bobs.
Two beautiful fledglings return to the Venice Golf Course nest wishing for fish! Oh, I keep missing seeing the three of the juveniles together. What a great season!
Leave it to Harry and Sally to ensure that both Tuffy and Ruffie have fish on the nest. Wow. Doesn’t this make you feel wonderful? No wonder the fledglings form this nest never want to leave. Poor Victor had to be chased off. He must have wondered what in the world was going on!
Both Golden Eaglets in Estonia being fed! This nest is such a surprise. Could we have two fledges? Oh, I am hoping so.
Edith P posted a video of this feeding. Gosh, I just want to be so hopeful.
White-tailed Eaglets in their nest in the Lower Kama National Park doing well.
The two Eastern Imperial Eaglets in the RU nest are well taken care of by the adults.
‘A’ comments on Lake Murray, Iris, and the WBSEs: “As night falls at Lake Murray and Surviving Bob settles down to sleep, duckling-style, on that nest on its own, I cannot help but take a deep breath and hope we make it safely to dawn. It is alert and looking around – I am certain it hears something nearby that is making it nervous. It stands up for a little crop drop. Lucy has a massive crop. She is preening and those lights are shining brightly on her. I only wish they lit up the nest itself a lot better. Surviving Bob is restless at Lake Murray. S/he is standing, preening, looking around. It has a gigantic crop to match Lucy’s. She is awake too, on the perch, where she is of no help whatsoever to Middle Bob. It is infuriating to me that she doesn’t stay on the nest, knowing she has now lost all but one osplet from two seasons. That really confuses me. “
Fish dinner at nest #4 in Finland.
It is almost unthinkable to see an older sibling attacking a younger one on the UK nests. Yes, there were problems at the Loch of the Lowes but that was because of intruders and a lack of fish and then Louis’s short disappearance one year (prior to this year when he was found dead). But to imagine that the oldest Bob would be attaching Little Bob at Loch Arkaig when there is clearly enough fish to feed the entire family and another one, well, it is unthinkable. And yet it is happening. Geemeff chronicles the issue:
“The tab is open, and I know that if I hear Lucy alerting, we’ve lost our remaining osplet. Problem of course is the Hellgate tab is also open, and it is two hours earlier in Montana, where it is still light. So a vocal exchange between Finn and Iris can cause a momentary panic.
Around 18:43, Finn flies to the perch post with a HUGE fish. He has eaten at least a quarter of it from the head end and has a good crop but what is remaining is a massive amount of fish. He brings it to the nest. Iris vocalises and shifts on the eggs, standing and rolling them but then settling back down. She is very vocal as Finn stumbles around the nest, doing a little aerating and nearly stepping on Iris’s head! It is hard not to get the impression that she is being extra protective of those eggs and does not want to leave them right now, even for a massive fish dinner.
Around 18:47 Iris stands up again, vocalising continuously, and checks the eggs again. She is still reluctant to leave. Eventually, at 18:50:25 Iris flies off the nest, without the fish, and Finn inspects the eggs. He seems fascinated and carefully settles down to incubate. Hmmmm. Suspicious? I fear Iris may be able to hear a chick inside that first egg (the one laid on 5 May). could be pipping, or at least that Iris can hear the chick inside. I do hope not. If it hatches, we will have to wait in fear that a second chick may arrive a whole week after the first. That would be awful. Stressful in the extreme.
Iris is back at 19:58. Finn takes 30 seconds or so to move, then carefully stands up and allows Iris to inspect her eggs. She settles down and Finn takes the fish with him as he leaves. Iris does not have a crop and makes no objection when Finn grabs the fish. She is not interested in eating right now. That is not very Iris-like, is it? That was one of her favourite whoppers too, the type we so often see her eating on her favourite pole in her solo seasons. But she was not tempted. Why? “
“In Australia, it is 12.22 and both Dad and Lady have just arrived back on the nest at WBSE. They look extremely healthy this season. Their plumage is gorgeous and their crops are full. Dad is working hard on the outer kiddie rails. I cannot believe how close we are to egg watch here. It really could happen at any time now. Certainly, the bonding behaviour has given way to nesting behaviour over the past few days, with more time being spent at the nest, more food gifts, and more matings. Dad brought in a lovely fresh medium-sized fish to the nest soon after 07:35 this morning (7 June) and waited for Lady, looking around. She arrived a minute or so later to collect her breakfast, taking it up onto the branch behind the nest to eat it. At 08:16, a duet, then they headed off. They have now lined the nest bowl with fresh green leaves (just leaves, not twigs or sprigs). This nest is ready to receive two eggs, thank you. So, soon we will have eggs at WBSE.”
Someone left a fish on that nest!
At another nest in Australia, this time in Griffin, Queensland, George and Hope, have laid their second egg on the 10th of June. The first was laid on the 7th at the Osprey House Environmental Centre.
Wings of Whimsy gives us a video of the stunning fledglings form the West End Bald Eagle nest.
‘H’ reports on the nests she is monitoring and today we have the first sadness at Forsythe as her and I have been predicting.
“6/10 Forsythe osprey nest: There were six fish brought to the nest by Oscar, and none were very large. Big1 controlled the scene at all of the meals…the gatekeeper as to who was allowed to eat. Little3 beaked Mini4, Middle2 beaked Little3 and Mini4, and Big1 beaked everybody, including Mini4 at times. Little3 was allowed to eat now and then, and she managed to eat 153 bites for the day. Little3’s best meal was the third meal when she ate 95 bites of fish. Big1 just sat there and watched as Little3 ate, and kept the other two away from Opal. Mini4 tried many times, but could not get up to the table all day, and s/he had only eaten 36 bites of fish in over 48 hours. Mini4 passed away late on 6/10 or early on 6/11 at 16 days of age. S/he was a brave and strong-willed osplet, and we will miss him.
6/10 Captiva ospreys: Jack, had not been seen at the nest since 6/7. Edie had been doing a stellar job bringing fish to the nest to feed their two osplets. Well…on 6/10 at 18:22, Jack flew in and landed on the nest. He had an obvious wound to his left leg that did not appear to be fresh. He was bearing weight on the leg okay, and he otherwise seemed in good health, albeit a bit slim perhaps. His family was overjoyed to see him. He only stayed a moment and flew off. It seems as though Jack may have sustained an injury a few days ago, perhaps in a territorial battle. We are so glad Jack is alive, and that he seems to be on the mend.
6/10 Osoyoos osprey nest: There is a third baby at Osoyoos for Soo and Ollie. Let’s hope fishing is good there this summer, so that all three youngsters will thrive.”
6/10 Patuxent River Park ospreys: There were five fish and feedings for the day. Little was shut out of the first meal. For the second meal, Dad delivered a large whole fish at 1031. By 1048 Big and Middle had already moved aside, and that allowed Little to have a 25 minute private feeding from Mom. The third fish was smaller in size, and Little did not eat. Meal #4 was a very large Koi fish delivered by Dad at 1627. This fish fed everyone for nearly two hours. Little had a private feeding from 1750 to 1818, then Big and Middle went back to be topped-off. Little had the biggest crop of his young life! A small fish was brought in at 2013…and Little didn’t even try to get to Mom for that one.
Thanks, ‘H’. It is tough to lose those little ones.
People see them. Those gorgeous green parakeets that call the streets of London their home.
As I get ready to close, word has come from ‘BHA’ that Lucia was grounded again and returned to the scrape!
Thank you to everyone who sent in letters and thank you for being with us today. Please take care. Looking forward to having you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, queries, comments, videos, images, postings, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, BHA, EJ, Geemeff, H, J, M & F, PB’, Audubon Magazine, BoPH, Amersfoort Falcon Cam, Cal Falcon Cam, Cornell RTH, Cornell Hawks, SU-RTH Cam, Lady Hawk, Montana Osprey Project, Field Farm, Island Beach State Park, Friends of Island Beach State Park, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Sandpoint Ospreys, Bridge Golf Club, Cowlitz PUD, Boulder County, VGCCO, Moorings Park, Geemeff, Eagle Club of Estonia, Edith P, White-Tail Eagle Cam of RU, Lake Murray Ospreys, WBSE, Osprey House Environmental Centre, Wings of Whimsy, Forsythe Ospreys, Window to Wildlife, Osoyoos Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, and The Guardian.
