Ding Fledges…Saturday in Bird World

22 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I had a wonderful visit with my son. It was topped off with a great family lunch in my daughter’s garden on Friday before saying goodbye. So, this posting might be a little thin with my contributions. This post is going to be a little sobering because we, meaning all those studying osprey populations, are seeing how the 2024 season is unfolding. It is not pretty. Every single chick that survives and fledges should be wrapped in gold.

This has simply been a challenging year. One of the hardest things is watching little ones so eager for fish, their parents not finding enough to feed them, and then dying in the nest. Osoyoos is causing my stomach not to feel very well. Olsen tries. He can’t help it if there is nothing for his family. He brings home what he can find. It reminds me of stories from my mother of the shelves during The Depression.

We must begin immediately – well, we should have last year when the Nor’eastern wiped out almost every chick in every nest in the NE US. There is something happening in the lake at Osoyoos. So what is it? Lack of fish? heat? Why can’t someone stock it with fish? I will happily start a GoFundMe for Soo and Olsen (yes, his name is Olsen) to get fingerlings to go in there in the fall. I would do the same if someone would put fish in that nest. Where are the fish fairies in Osoyoos? Maybe we need to tell the authorities about Port Lincoln!!!!!!!!!!!! It is going to be too late if we fail to act for a couple more years. The laws need changing! NOW.

Look at the size of the fish that Louis brought to Loch Arkaig. Now I want you to imagine that this fish landed on the Osoyoos nest. It would feed all the family for two or three days – that is the difference in nutrition that is coming to the nests!

I also have concerns for Little Bob at Cowlitz today. It was always in the wrong place when a feeding was taking place. Too close to the beak, so not in eyeshot of Mum, or just shut out. Perhaps you saw something different. I am hoping for an early evening full crop. It needs it.

I am so very grateful for those who are watching and reporting on nests. Once I finish entering data into the forms, which will be this weekend now that my social life is quiet, we will be monitoring nearly 400 eggs. My fear is that the failure rate this year will hit over 30%. Survival in 2023 was 76%, or a failure rate of 24%. It is growing every year. 2022 was 18%.

The Memorial Wall is now at 82 and climbing. June is always a hard month. It just keeps giving out heart ache after heart ache. We lost so many Osprey hatchlings and so many near-or-fledged eagles, hawks, and falcons. Things will begin to quiet down but, oh, it has been a challenging and tearful year from the onset in the fall.

One of my citizen scientist observers monitors nests right up in the area that is being hit the hardest, the NE USA. For the safety of the Ospreys I am not giving detailed locations. ‘VV’ sends in her report. It is eye opening:

Here’s the brief update going into the upcoming extra hot temperatures:

Nest 4 – two hatches – 6/9 & 1

Nest 5 – hatch(es?) – 6/10 – can only today verify a head btwn twigs

Nest 10 – two (pretty sure) –  @ least 1^st hatched by 6/6 – have seen 2 bobs since

Nest 11 – two (pretty sure) – @ least 1^st hatched by 6/3 – have seen 2 bobs since

Nest 12 – hatch(es) – cannot see enough of this nest to always be able to see when both adults are in; have seen feeding behavior into nest. These could have hatched even earlier than 6/3, this pair only March return.

This looks to be the total hatches in the 19 nests I have been tracking. I only feel certain that 3 nests (of the 14 w/o hatches) did lay eggs.

Nest 2 (1^st uneasy year w/ new female; egg(s?) laid; M stopped incubation, then F, then geese stomped

Nest 3 probably laid a clutch between  5/12-18, rolled out of nest..

Nest 9 (experienced pair) laid eggs no earlier than 5/4; many intruders; possible failed hatch around 6/10;  by 6/12 incubation sporadic; by 6/18-19 both away from nest for hours

Irregularly observed Nests 17, 18, & 19, (SMECO nests like 9, 10, 11, & 12); seems all pairs returned; N17 observed switching egg incubation duties. Nothing suggesting clutch on others; not obs indication of hatchlings on 17, 18, or 19.  

Nest 4 is the only one of the hatch nests I can monitor effectively at this stage – Big Mama brilliantly feeding both Big and Little, neither of whom have I seen today which is worrying me a bit. But I think the actual issue is a feud between M&F over her returning to fishing duties. He’s always been broody.

. Nest 5 I can finally confirm one hatching through movement between sticks. There could be two. Mrs. Perfect keeps a very, very deep nest, which is not a SMECO nest, in fact does not look deep at all. But the nest cup is deep and she keeps her chicks in it.

As I fret over Big Big and Little Big – I hope the osprey week looks up around the cams too. Our rains had been heavy but never to the scale other places are getting. And now there’s not a drop anywhere. Fishing had appeared very good – except for the windy days of course. But slowing down now. I imagine as the water warms up.

It doesn’t seem that Big Daddy is alone, a few of the males in the no-hatch nests are encouraging the females to fish for themselves.

I have been predicting a huge decline in osprey numbers for the past two years, signalling a further long-term decline. It is happening before our eyes. The numbers are now below what they were than when DDT was killing the Apex Raptors. That is a little hard to swallow but, yes. And it is again, our fault.

It is now time to face this reality and do something about it. It was Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and a few others observing Ospreys on Long Island that first sounded the alarm of the declines due to DDT. Now, we have a collective voice and the numbers of ospreys is less than when the environmental issues of DDT practically wiped all of them out. We need to stop the Menhaden commercial fishing – period. End it. We need to stock ponds and we need to provide supplementary fish to nests that are struggling. We owe it to them for destroying their habitat. This might help until they can begin to adapt with the growing temperatures and storms by moving out of their normal habitats.

Now Menhaden are washing up dead on the coast. What is causing it?

‘H’ sent me the latest offering from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ and they even say it is an ‘unusual’ year.

There is a pip at Dunrovin Friday afternoon.

There is a big crack in that egg Friday night.

Most of you had your heart in your throat Friday as Iris’s second chick went upside down twice. The first time Iris righted the little one but the second time, we held our breath. It got over.

I do not know about anyone else, but I would love to hear your thoughts. IMHO Iris is so happy being a Mum again. She is fortunate to have a great mate. Finnegan is right up there for me with Blue 33, Blue 022, Idris, Dylan, Aran, Louis. If this is Iris’s last year, I am glad she got to feel loved and to have the joy of raising chicks again. That is why this nest is so precious. Everyone wants those babies to thrive and fledge. I hope Dr Greene rings them!

Finnegan loves being with Iris when she feeds their two babies.

Cornell did a video of the kids before the feeding.

‘A’ recalls, “When Finn brought the fish back (10:55) mum fed both chicks to the tops of their crops. Baby Bob is so small. The size gap between them seems to have increased significantly since the second hatch but that’s probably just proportional. He has the cutest little round bottom. And mum fed both of them as much as they could eat before she even started to take bites herself. She also keeps a close eye on Big Bob during feedings, so that if she is giving Baby Bob several bites in a row, she knows just when Big Bob is reaching the limits of her patience and might be about to feel resentful. She checks to see that Big Bob is happy before downing a bite herself. It is almost as if she is supervising. But since that one occasion I documented a few days ago, I have seen nothing resembling aggression. No bonking. No attempt at intimidation. Nothing to try and stop the wee one from eating or from getting to the table. And Baby Bob is totally confident to sit up beside his sibling and open his tiny beak. He is still not that great with direction or with his balance. He fell over a few times during the feeding and turned the wrong way a couple of times too. 

Big Bob is getting woolly – she is a strong chick. I am actually wondering whether they may be both males. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? They do both seem very laid back. And even on that one occasion, as I mentioned it could easily have been more based in curiosity than in malice. What is this thing in the nest, I wonder? It seemed to lack any viciousness even at the time. Finn was obviously hungry this morning and had not eaten the head – in fact, he hadn’t touched a scale on it. I’m not sure whether he was showing it off to Iris or whether he thought he should eat first on the nest. But he was very aggressive in his attempts to pull it away from Iris – using his wings for additional leverage and really pulling hard, while Iris not only managed to retain the fish but continued feeding as she fought for it!! What a mum. It was as if she knew he would win eventually but she was going to get some bites into those babies before he did. And she managed that. Both chicks got at least a decent snack before dad removed the fish. When he brought it back, he had eaten at least half of it. I suspect he was eating the entire 55 minutes he was gone with it. Still a young male at heart. At least he brought Iris and the kids half a fish, at nearly 11am. He doesn’t understand that the kids need something early, even if it’s leftovers. But Iris did manage to at least ensure they got some sustenance and some liquid before he finally flew off with it. Iris got up several times during the 55 minutes to loudly let him know she thought he had eaten plenty and where was that fish! She is a powerfully devoted mother, as shown by her determination to ensure both her chicks were well-fed before she even thought about a bite for herself. Yes, she has the luxury of an adult-sized crop but even so, it was endearing to watch as she didn’t even have a nibble until she had taken care of the littles. “

The second hatch at Hellgate has been having trouble staying upright. Three times on its back on Friday. Is it the crowded egg cup, twigs, something wrong with the chick? Let’s hope it stays more upright. It would be the best to have two fledges for Iris and Finnegan.

‘H’ reports:

6/22 Captiva ospreys:  The eldest of the two siblings, Ding, fledged this morning at 60 days of age.  Congratulations to Ding, and the proud parents Jack, and Edie.

6/21 Dahlgren osprey nest:  Some sad news to report… The little osprey baby that was rescued six days ago after it was stuck in a hole in the nest…has died.  The 18-day-old osplet died in the morning, after having been lethargic for several hours.  The cause of death is unknown.

6/21 Patuxent osprey nest:  Things are still going well at this nest, and the 45, 44, and 41-day-old osplets are growing up…even Little!  Eight fish were delivered by Dad, and although there is still some occasional intimidation by Big toward Little, it is rare these days.  Crops were stuffed!

6/21 Captiva ospreys:  It was a slower fishing day, and there were only three fish brought to the nest, and Jack delivered two of them.  But, the major news of the day: We witnessed Edie dive for a fish and get caught in fishing line.  Then, she was dragged through the water behind a boat.  We worried all afternoon, and feared the worst.  Then, seven hours later Edie landed in the nest with a fish!  There was no sign of the fishing line.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/8wSwIuol7IU

6/21 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  All is well for this family.  The 9, 7. and 5-day-old osplets are well fed, and so far there is minimal sibling rivalry.

Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Friday 21st June 2024

Today started with atrocious weather not matching the overnight forecast. The ‘light winds’ ended up blowing poor Dorcha completely over, showing off her underfluffies and giving her a bit of bother righting herself again, while the ‘light rain’ soaked the chicks too big to fit completely underneath her now. But things looked up when Louis arrived with a tiny breakfast and proceeded to feed one chick while Dorcha fed the other from last night’s remnant, giving a cosy scene of domestic harmony. After Louis had had a quick go at removing the remains of chick3, Dorcha succeeded, flying off with the sad bundle and disposing of it in the forest. Bye bye little bob3 – gone but not forgotten. Louis brought four fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and thirty one. The Hooded Crows were interested in the nest but Dorcha scared them off with her special crow voice. No need to scare off the little Robin who visited Nest One today as there were no other vistors. Tonight’s forecast is light rain and a gentle breeze – let’s hope it turns out that way as the family could use an undisturbed night tonight with the prospect of disturbance by the Red Arrows doing a flypast tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.47.27 (03.12.07); Nest Two 23.10.54 (03.55.16)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/WERbYCv-hTw  N2 A gust of wind blows Dorcha completely over 02.50.08

https://youtu.be/gXy_08Aum1E  N2 Fish number one, trout tail-end 05.36.12

https://youtu.be/hHXYtXsSXnQ  N2 Simultaneous feeding by both parents 05.44

https://youtu.be/oE5jRyFGIpg  N1 A cheeky Robin visits 05.47.13 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/DDlOGyMil1A  N2 Warning – graphic: Dorcha removes the dead body 08.50.30

https://youtu.be/DahvNKRdcZk  N2 Fish number two, large live trout – C1 refuses to be prevented getting a share! 14.48.00

https://youtu.be/QLyDm0Wwygw  N2 Fish number three, large headless trout, the chicks share happily 17.39.58

https://youtu.be/Gd2KYCoS5YY  N2 Dorcha uses her crow-voice on a nearby Hoodie 19.23.00 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/cuMv-BAPvxQ  N2 Fish number four, tiddler snack, Dorcha wolfs it in 4 minutes 19.55.54

Big Red’s N visits the natal nest looking over to the Rice Building where Big Red and Arthur often drop off prey items for their fledglings.

Want a smile? Well, go to the West End Bald Eagle nest of Akecheta and Thunder, and look at those magnificent fledglings. One of them has an enormous crop. I wish I could tell you which one.

Two of them together.

Both eaglets, Manini and Reign, are over on the Fraser Point nest of Andor and Mama Cruz waiting for dinner.

Mr and Mrs North and the two fledglings are all fine. What a wonderful family. Doing so well after the collapse of their nest.

Gorgeous babies at Radord University.

Four osplets at Field Farm are fine.

The Fab Four at Poole Harbour are fantastic, too. These nests are making me smile – big smiles.

Gorgeous falcons in San Jose.

Kakapo Adoption News!

Thank you so much for being with us this morning. Congratulations to Captiva! What an amazing year they have had – full of challenges like a roller coaster but they will have two babies fly. Bravo! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, photographs, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB, VV’, Osoyoos, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, Cowlitz PUD, Debbie Campbell, Marina Pierce, Conserve Wildlife Blog, Diana Lambertson, Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Window to Wildlife, Mary Wenz, Patuxent River Park, Fortis Exshaw, Cornell RTH, IWS/Explore, Raptor Research Project/Explore, Radford University, Field Farm, BoPH, SK Hideaways, and Kakapo Recovery.