6 July 2024
Good Morning,
As I write, it is 25 degrees C in Winnipeg, and it is mid-morning. The birds in the garden are taking advantage of the water, having had their seeds, peanuts, and cheese dogs put in dishes very, very early. I am hoping that the shaded tunnel areas we have created will help keep the birds and small mammals cool. I cannot imagine what it is like in the Pacific Northwest where temperatures will be as high or higher than 100 F.
Yesterday, with that horrid medication, I had a bit of a brain freeze. Smedley was at the Audubon Centre with Bailey – a long-term resident. Don’t tell me that ospreys don’t do well in care! Ridiculous. Sorry, I am on a rant. There is so much disinformation on the chats associated with the streaming cams. That, along with people who cross over into hyper-hyper-hyperbole, causes much damage and frustration in our understanding of avian behaviour.
The sunhine of the day was the first sunflower, a gift of the birds and animals. Every year they miss some seeds and the gift is a garden full of sunflowers blooming from now until the fall.
Everyone wants water or peanuts – or cheesy dogs. Notice this one is missing its crest. The adults are moulting. The new babies have their crest!
Mr Crow is watching me and wanting more dogs before the Starlings come and take them. He can see me. He knows I am sitting here taking his photo – and then he waits and the cheesy dogs appear! On Friday night we had eight crows visit for food.
Hugo Yugo says she prefers flowers.
Thankfully, the Hibiscus is in a place where The Girls cannot get to. Poison for cats, but oh, so beautiful.
It is a work in progress. The path to the feeder is now planted with bee and butterfly friendly perennials and a huge hosta! Can’t wait to see what it looks like at the end of the summer. Mulch will be going in this weekend!
It’s hot. And it will get hotter. Here is a message about the impact on songbirds. I will have a fan out tomorrow and we continue to top up the water!
I really want to give a shout-out to one of our readers, ‘EJ’. We can make a difference, and ‘EJ’ made a bold business move to save the raptors. She told me – “I used to be a co-owner of an agricultural sales business. I did not know about the harm rodenticides did to raptors until I read about it in your blog. At that point, we stopped selling rodenticides and explained to the farmers why. I don’t know if they stopped using them or not, but I wasn’t going to be responsible for the deaths of any raptors, like little Flaco.” Wow. Thank you, EJ. If everyone would do this, the world would be a better place.
We have a fledge at the Patchogue nest on Long Island. Patches made flying look easy and her return to the nest could not have been any better. Congratulations!
It is 80 degrees F with 2 mph winds and a 63% chance of rain. Babies you need to stay on the nest and not try any bold moves when the raindrops fall. Wet feathers don’t do well with a first or second or third flight. You need practice for that.
I love the look on the siblings face as Patches flies! They are going to want to join in the fun. Keep watching. Both chicks are more than ready to fly.
Fledgling rewarded with a nice big fish!
Patchogue adults sure make beautiful healthy osplets.
Patches took off again at 12:47. Oh, the other one is itching to fly. Wouldn’t be surprised if they go today, too.
Good news coming about Louis and Dorcha’s chicks in the Spanish Translocation Project:
I have been monitoring the Snow Lane nest of Hope and Beaumont and here is some interesting observations posted by Ian Winter who lives in the area on the FB page. Hope is also fishing and feeding her two babies.
I did not take screen captures of Hope’s head in last years and would be the last person to say that I could recognise her but, the behaviour of the female on this nest is very unlike the Hope that has been with Beaumont for past years where chicks have starved. So, please, I am not starting a rumour of a new female; just wondering what’s up. But happy no matter what the answer is! The chicks look good. Let’s hope the weather stays great for fishing.
There is also great news coming through Lucille Powell’s post about the second hatch chick at Hellgate Canyon and its eye.
Tuffy on the nest at Moorings Park before the heavy raindrops begin. Cam will stay on until Monday the 8th of July.
The four osplets at Field Farm are difficult to tell apart now. Little Mini grew and is probably a female – all that feist and sass that kept it alive – with those big siblings could only be a girl. They are now working on those wings and dreaming of flying like Patches.
Rain has come to Poole Harbour and the Fab Four of CJ7 and Blue 022. Oh, dripping wet osplets. Ever wonder what a really wet fish laden osprey nest actually smells like?
The rain and gale gusts have stopped at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn in Wales.
It’s nice at Glaslyn, too. That nest is getting quite full with those big chicks!
All is calm at Clywedog.
Dad has delivered a tiny little teaser and a Starry Flounder (I think) to the Clark PUD nest on Friday before noon. Will watch for other deliveries. It is going to be hot there…Clark PUD could get to 98 degrees F. The heat warnings continue through Monday in the area of Clark PUD, Cowlitz PUD, Osoyoos, and other nests along the Pacific Northwest.
This is the fish that I think is the Starry Flounder.
There is good news coming from Kielder Forest after so many disappointments this breeding season.
‘MM’ reminds me today that Keilder Forest Nest 7 has a streaming cam. It was offline when I checked but here is the link.
https://www.youtube.com/live/-1xNy-elK0Q?si=ESBdYq6o0Iy5Hx1N
The second nest at Llyn Clywedog Reservoir in an area maintained by Forestry England has just ringed two chicks – the first for the adults at this new nest! One girl weighed 1680 grams, and a boy weighed 1410. Congratulations! (They are not on streaming cam only the original Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren is live streaming).
Dad is bringing in some nice fish at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 74 degrees F. 10 mph winds.
Chicks at the Iowa DNR nest in Des Moines are doing fantastic. Lots of fish! How wonderful.
Cute little babies of Swoop and Winnie are enjoying their fish meal in Colorado. Looks like we have Reptiles. For those learning about Ospreys, the soft natal down gives way to the ‘Reptile phase’. Notice the black oily heads, the beautiful copper feathers at the nape of the neck. This is normally the time when they get ‘cranky’ and get serious about bonking if it is going to happen. Then you begin to see their pin feathers grow in along the wings and at the little tail and it won’t be long til they begin to look like juvenile ospreys. This stage they are growing very fast and often appear ‘lanky’.
Three cuties for Charlie and Lola at Charlo Montana. Little Three needs some more food – send good wishes.
Three much older osplets at nest #4 in Finland are doing fantastic.
White Storks for the London, UK metropolis?
Protecting Falcons. Thanks, ‘SP’ for the link.
Great news from the Oakland Zoo – a treated and released Condor.
Prey in the form of several voles and a Raccoon Dog have been delivered by both adults at the Estonial Golden Eagle nest 2. While the oldest gets the majority, the youngest has mantled the remains of the Raccoon Dog, after the oldest ate some, and has eaten. This is good. The oldest still attacks. The eaglets are hungry but now that both parents are delivering again we will wait and watch – with hope.
Another sunrise and two Golden eaglets at Estonia nest 2 alive. Hoping for another Racoon Dog for them today along with a basket of small voles.
‘PB’ is “mpressed with Steelscape! Dad just delivered a lunch fish 1230pm nest time and it’s 88 there high 95 today. All 3 babies look good!” This is fantastic news. Steelscape is in the heat area, too!
Learn all you can about Menhaden – the Osprey fish of choice in the NE US. Why they are important and then learn what is decimating the numbers and why coastal osprey in specific areas are suffering nest loss repeatedly.
I am hoping that Little Mini at McEuan Park is still with us. Mum shading and I can only see three big ones but baby could be on the other side. No, sadly, Little Mini has passed at McEuan Park sometime during the late evening of Friday or early Saturday morning.
The kids at Grand Lake want fish. Just look at that nice meal Dad just brought in. They were telling Mum to hurry up and quit messing about. “We want fish!”
What a gorgeous evening in Colorado at the Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails Osprey Nest. One of those successful osprey rescues took place at this nest two years ago. The chicks were accidentally pulled off the nest with some straw. One died and one survived and was in care for awhile because the chick needed to get well before it could learn to fly. Yes, one of those ospreys who testifies that they do well in care! Saying that they don’t is an excuse not to rescue and try.
‘H’ reports:
7/5 Osoyoos osprey nest: This family ended up having a pretty good day. The temperature was predicted to hit 35 C. After two very early fish, there was not another fish brought to the nest for the next eight hours, and I was starting to worry. But, Olsen resumed his deliveries at 1446, and brought three more fish by 2032. There were no ‘whoppers’ today. The meal durations were: 10, 26, 9, 5, 7, and 8 minutes in length. The osplets were all little angels, and they ate side-by-side as Soo fed them.
7/5 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: It was very warm at this nest, at least 97 F. But, Dad was able to provide ample fish for his family, and everyone ate well. The chicks are 55, 58, and 59 days old. Chick #2 continues to be the leader in the race to fledge, showing off with a few mini-hovers.
7/5 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Capt Mac’s Fish House): The little 21 day old osplet is doing well. There were six fish meals provided, with one long stretch of six hours between meals. Because the chick was ‘hangry’, I caught the lil’ one taking its frustration out on Mom. S/he stretched and sat up as tall as it could and repeatedly tried to beak June in the face. “I want fish, Mom!”
7/5 Colonial Beach: Betty and David’s 10 and 11-day-old chicks are doing well. For the most part, there is harmony and both are getting fed.
7/5 Captiva Ospreys: We do not have a report from CROW as yet regarding the condition of Darling, since he was rescued from the water on 7/4. Ding had two fish meals brought to him by Edie on 7/4, but we did not see Edie on 7/5. Ding is trying his best to learn how to catch a fish. She made at least eight attempts to fish from the platform on 7/5, with no luck so far. Fingers crossed that Ding has a meal today, either from Edie, or perhaps when Ding catches her first fish.
Geemeff’s Daily Report for Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 5th July 2024
Louis and Dorcha are still around, and reaffirming their bond – he coy-mantled and attempted mating, she rejected his advances, and later he brought her a fish. At the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, their chicks are settling in and WTS Jill gives us this update: RDWF reported yesterday that both birds are feeding well and seem to be settled in the lovely dry aviary. But it’s still too early to say they are out of the woods entirely. The final vet screening will happen early next week, we’ll get more concrete news after that. Nest One had a visit from Garry LV0 bringing moss and doing a bit of housekeeping, several songbirds also visited and a Hoodie preened on Dorcha’s perch for a while. The weather was reasonably settled after a wet night but more rain is forecast for tonight, with thundery showers tomorrow. The chicks are missed but the consensus on the forum is that in the circumstances, they’re better off in the translocation programme.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.06.53 (03.35.23); Nest Two 23.45.16 (03.43.32)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/zakv38LnsXI N2 Dorcha’s not impressed: no fish and Louis tries mating 08.00.12
https://youtu.be/EamXrQ5Z1TYN1 Four little birds flit around investigating the nest 09.15.32
https://youtu.be/KM9WDj8AjRk N1 Does Garry notice the two birds chasing each other? 09.36.18
https://youtu.be/rX4DKIlw6dM N2 Louis brings a lunchtime fish for Dorcha 13.20.39
https://youtu.be/kzKHN0llDEE N2 A solo Hoodie flies onto the side of Dorcha’s perch and preens 20.24.30
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/KmKrmLCYAdk N1 The chicks Bring Jollity doing flight prep quick time 2020 (Classic Ospreys – Holst)
Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
Both White-tailed eaglet fledglings on the nest resting in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland.
Bety and Bukachek’s only storklet is gorgeous.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. Stay cool if you are in parts of Canada and the US. Remember to hydrate and for those feeling a little cooler down under, stay warm! Hope to have you with us again soon.
Thank you to the following for their letters, notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, EJ, Geemeff, H, MM, PB’, PSEG, Native Songbird Care and Conservation, Mary Cheadle, Ian L Winter, Lucille Powell, Moorings Park Ospreys, Field farm, BoPH, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, LLyn Clywedog, Clark PUD, Kielder Forest, Minnesota Landscape Arobretum. Iowa DNR, Dunrovin Ranch, Charlo Montana Osprey Cam, Finnish Osprey Foundation, The Guardian, Oakland Zoo, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender, Steelscape, The Fishermen, McEuan Park, Grand Lake Ospreys, Pitkin County Osprey Cam, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Bielik On Line, Mlade Buky White Storks, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach, Patuxent River Park, and Window to Wildlife.
