20 July 2024
Good Morning Everyone,
Update: I have gotten my Littles mixed up. Thanks, Heidi. “Little from Colonial Beach passed away overnight on the 18th. Little at Osoyoos passed away on the 15th, Monday afternoon.”
Toronto. 25 C. Sunny skies. It was a great day, and my faith in humans increased. Walking down Wellington Street West, there was a small area with trees amid the financial district skyscrapers. I looked, and someone had put up a suet feeder and spread seed on the ground for the birds. My heart grew!!!! A shout out to whoever is doing this for their kindness and generosity of spirit.
It might feel a little bit like ‘cat world’ this morning. The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) had an exhibition of wild felines and also cats in art. It was fantastic. If you are ever in Toronto, go on line and check out the museum’s programming. In the late winter and early spring, the wildlife photography is on exhibition. The museum has two places to grab food – the lower level makes the best sandwiches and they are huge, quite sharable! They also have another place for coffee and dessert on the main level. The cake is delicious. Both are VERY affordable.
Isn’t this just the cutest stuffed animal you have ever seen? A Bay cat? from Borneo?
Cat Naps.
Maneki-neko.
What is the story of the Japanese lucky or welcoming cat? Do you know?
Many wild cats were killed for their claws or their fur. Tiger claw necklace.
British shot tigers in India. Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, was no exception.
Royal Stool.
Prestigious cat with claws. I could not find out if the owner had killed the animals and the cap was a display of their hunting skill.
There was also an excellent video display about human destruction of wild cats by hunting, collecting skins, and now the destruction of their habitat. They suggest that one way to save the habitat is to stop using products that contain Palm Oil.
It was a fun day!
Just how rare do you think Ospreys are in Poland?
When I read the article above that Geemeff sent to me, the first thing I thought of was stock the lacks with fish. Or as Geemeff states, why not pull a Gwash? So what is Gwash, you ask.
“As far as fish goes, we need more people to follow the example of Gwash Trout farm – after losing significant numbers of trout to Ospreys, they un-netted their biggest pond, built a hide, and charged photographers a fee. Now they make more money from those fees than the value of the fish taken by the Ospreys. What a result! Surely others could do the same?”
https://www.rivergwashtroutfarm.co.uk/horn-mill-osprey-hide/
There are many other osprey platforms that could bank on osprey tourism to help the birds. The first one that comes to mind is Osoyoos where a former student of mine used to watch Olsen fish in the local lake when she lived there. Why not stock that lake area? Put up a hide? The family needs 525 fish a year according to John Williams who has monitored the Llyn Clywedog osprey platform for years. That is nothing! We could raise $5000 to purchase commercial fish for the ospreys on line with a GoFundMe. Spread the word, get these platform owners on line, change the laws now before the heat get to the point that all of them die before the nests even get started. Yes, I am serious.
At HWF-BBCentral, Blue’s crop looks pretty flat to me and it appears to be hot on that nest. Need some fish tossing! Blue had fish meals on the 18th according to the Hancock Wildlife Forum.
One of the worksheets on this nest includes this information:
Finnegan continues to take as good a care of Iris and their two osplets as he can in the raging heat that continues to hit parts of Canada and the US.
Charlie got an early fish on the nest for Lola and the two remaining chicks at Charlo Montana on Friday. Every nest in this area needs as much fish as the males can muster. I would really hate to lose them all after they have endured this high heat for more than a week now. Temperatures should break in a full week – seriously – but it will get hotter for Iris before it even begins to cool down. My concern for these ospreys grows and grows.
Keeping an eye on McEuan Park. Weather is set to improve. Mum is off the nest a lot. Is she fishing? No rewind. Hoping she is safe and delivering fish and I am just missing seeing her. Only Bob had a feeding thanks to the hawk eyes of ‘PB’ – the cam is terrible.
Worst breeding year for Kielder Ospreys ever.
Fledge watch is on for the chicks of Aran and Elen at Glaslyn.
I am thinking the last two at Poole Harbour might be taking to the skies soon, too.
‘H’ reports:
7/19 Osoyoos osprey nest: The heat wave continues, and Olsen and Soo are having difficulty finding fish. There were five fish brought to the nest today, compared to only one small fish yesterday. That was certainly an improvement, but the fish were small, and unfortunately only one chick benefited. At 0800 Olsen delivered a partial fish, and Soo fed for 7 minutes. Big prevented Middle from eating. Soo brought a tiny fish at 0926, for a 3-minute meal, and once again, Middle did not eat. At 1223 Soo arrived with another tiny fish for a 3-minute feeding. Middle was only able to eat the small fish tail. Soo brought fish #4 at 1236, and I couldn’t see the fish, but Soo fed for 5 minutes. Big prevented Middle from eating at that meal. By 1600 the temperature had reached 100F. Olsen arrived with a nice-sized partial fish at 1701. He waited for Soo to arrive, but when she didn’t show, Olsen removed the fish. Olsen returned with the fish at 1710, and again waited for Soo. But after a couple of minutes, he once again left with the fish. Olsen returned with the same partial fish at 1723, and this time he let Big take it. Olsen stayed on the nest and waited. Big was not able to do much with it, and after a few minutes, Middle tried some self-feeding. Middle was actually able to pull off a few pieces of flesh, and I crossed my fingers that Middle would be able to continue eating. Middle became frustrated though, and soon quit. The siblings took turns trying to eat some of the fish, but by 1810, they had both abandoned the fish. At that point, Olsen removed the fish from the nest, and it looked about the same as when it first arrived. Each chick had only eaten a few bites of that fish. By nightfall, Soo had not been seen since the afternoon. The situation for Middle is dire. Middle has not had much to eat since 7/17, and with the scorching heat, that is especially worrisome. Weather forecast for 7/20: Sunny, high 101F/38C, winds 12 mph.
7/19 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House): For several days it has seemed as though little ‘Fen’ has been ‘hangry’ most of the time, due to too few fish brought to the nest. And, today there was still only three fish delivered to the nest, but two of them were massive… one at 0930 from June, and another large fish from Johnny at 1405. June and Fen were literally eating all day from those two fish. At 1955, June and Fen were still eating part of June’s morning fish. Fen seemed satisfied!
7/19 Colonial Beach osprey nest: This nest has one surviving osplet out of three. Chick #3 died at just a little over one-day-old from unknown causes. Chick #2 passed away on 7/18 at 22 days of age, from siblicide/starvation. At the time, the area had been suffering from a heat wave, and David was not providing enough fish. David and Betty are believed to be first-time parents. And while Betty has been a stellar Mom, David seems to not fully understand his responsibilities as a provider. The heat wave has subsided, but, David’s fish deliveries are still way down. Betty has had no trouble catching fish the past few days. Some of the fish that Betty has caught are huge…that gal can fish! There were five fish brought to the nest today, and four of them were delivered by Betty.
The Patuxent River Park osprey nest live stream was offline on 7/19. We certainly want to continue to observe the family to see how the fledglings are making out…and in particular our hero, Little #3.
The Fortis Exshaw osprey nest camera has been covered with PS for several days. Way to go kids! We are hoping for some rain to clean the cam.
Geemeff’s summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 19th July 2024
The day started with a temperature inversion and a spider in the mist gave a ghostly feel to Nest One, which was visited a bit later by a Wood Pigeon. Louis and Dorcha spent time on Nest Two, she was fish-calling and he was coy-mantling, there were a couple of half-hearted mating attempts and a comedy moment when Dorcha landed on Louis’ wing. After they departed, a pair of Hoodies checked out the nest but they were out of luck as there weren’t any scraps to be had, it’s been several days since Louis brought fish to the nest, the last time was on the 15th. The weather improved somewhat after the damp start but more rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.11.08 (03.33.21); Nest Two 22.57.26 (04.00.34)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/OD_RwDg4LUA N1 Spider adds to the eerie misty morning scene 03.59.18
https://youtu.be/6SBcqw1oX38 N1 A Wood Pigeon visits 07.24.06
https://youtu.be/wp5mZUIOlQU N2 No fish and a failed mating attempt 13.23.38
https://youtu.be/1GsH538qZJs N2 A pair of Hoodies check out the nest 15.07.55
Bonus action – Woodland Trust guide to helping wildlife in summer:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2023/06/10-ways-to-help-wildlife-in-summer
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
Spoonbills have returned to Cambridgeshire after centuries.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Stay cool. Take care. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams: ‘Geemeff, H, PB’, ROM, The Conversation, Imperial & Global Forum, Wodny Spawy, River Gwash Trout Farm, HWF-BBC, Montana Osprey Project, The Weather Network, Charlo Montana Ospreys, McEuen Park, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, BoPH, BirdGuides, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Guardian, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach, and Fortis Exshaw.
I put this up on our FB page and copy to you. I think Soo may have abandoned the nest and Dad is not feeding the chicks. I didn’t see Soo in the vicinity of the nest yesterday and the chicks are at risk right now. The sweltering heat is affecting so many nests in the south Okanagan.
As upsetting as it is the heat has been a major factor on a lot of nests. I went and checked on quite a few other nests I know of yesterday and it seems a few the parents have abandoned the nests for their own survival.
I called SORCO and OWL rescue for any advice I could get to save our nest in Osoyoos, basically the info I received there are many nests that have been abandoned due sweltering temperatures. Basically too many nests for them to intervene..SORCO is dealing with the owls and Burnaby rescue is at capacity.
This may not be good news for our nest as Mum hasn’t been seen and Dad is not feeding the chicks.
Thinking of you all and as Ann-Mo said take care of your own mental health.
I am taking a break after yesterday’s heartbreaking visits to the nests I went too. So much wildlife is suffering right now. 🥲😞.
The BBCentral and RoseA in the comment section are all lying. If any food gets to Blue it’s from some good samaritan shooting sections of fish up to the nest. More bites are misses than hits. A parent sits on the perch and now never brings food. So, what if Blue fledges? Will the parent let Blue have food even if s/he follows her/him around begging? Really? You think they will? No, not at this point. The best outcome here is for Blue to fall off the nest so s/he can be rescued. Or knocked off. Or even maybe just let him/her go on out naturally. I do know one thing, they won’t go and rescue this bird as long as s/he is still on the nest. I have written comments that they will not post and now I’ve been banned from commenting at all. I’ve even been banned from sending a PM to RoseA. They’ve now accused me of putting in a comment a pirated or illegal link which I did not do. I sent NO links at all. Why and what links would I use? But, none of this is about me so enough about that. The people at BBCentral stated that Blue is getting good height in wingersizing. Well, maybe, but the reason is because s/he is losing weight. They mentioned that the leg feathers continue to grow in. No, the leg feathers are continung to fall out. There are feathers all over the bird that are falling out. The body lets go of what it doesn’t necessarily need to live, breath or keep the heart beating. Like a frostbitten person’s extremities. The reason they freeze is because the body stops warming them to conserve the central warmth. Eventually, you will lose both arms and legs. Feathers need nourishment to survive but the bird’s body doesn’t have to have them to survive the famon. The parents are seen by the ground crew in the AREA not necessarily on the perches or feeding the eaglet because they are no longer feeding the eaglet just as they stopped bringing in much of any food when both eaglets were living causing one to die. Which eaglet is it Blue or Bowen? On the 17th of July they said it was 80 days old well that would be the younger one hatch day 5/28/24. The oldest was hatched on 5/26/24. So, Blue is the younger one and I saw on the site that Blue was the oldest but evidently not. I’m sorry to ramble on but it’s very, very upsetting. This bird looks shameful for the world to witness. Look at all of us doing nothing.
No apologies for rambling. It is very difficult to tell what is real and what is not real on any of the chats and forums. Someone is tossing fish chunks up to the nest. I have seen it but, hardly enough to live on and it worries me. I posted what they said on the forum along with that very sunken crop. I do not believe anyone cares, MP. I am disappointed in humanity — that disappointment has grown over the eagle breeding season and now well into osprey season. I am extremely worried about Blue as well. ———– I am just home from my trip and did not get a chance to check things today but an adult delivered a reasonable fish to Blue at 2:58ish and he had a crop early in the morning.
Hi Ann-Marie. I am glad to hear from you but I wish the circumstances were different. I remember you with great fondness providing a little burial rite for the osplet at Osoyoos a couple of years ago. It touched my heart. I know from years past that you love these osplets. I would stock that lake with fish if I lived there and intervene by doing something to get fish up there. H wondered if Soo had gone off like she did last year but I had a report that she delivered a fish and feed the chicks. Is this correct?
I wonder if you might help me. When you get a chance could you send me an e-mail with a note of where the nests were and how many were abandoned. I am trying to get an accurate account of how many ospreys died due to the weather and starvation. It would be greatly appreciated. Even an approximation.
Hello and good to hear from you too. I still follow your posts. I know H gives you updates and since working full time I don’t get as much time to write on your posts. Osoyoos nest always has my heart though.
Apparently Soo and Olsen returned to the nest today maybe before noon. Both had a partial fish, I’m thinking Soo went off to hunt and cool down, I honestly don’t think she would not be the mombrella for the two chicks yesterday. I have not watched the camera today as needed a break. Things are not looking good for the chicks but if enough fish comes in middle might have a chance. The older chick seems to be getting fed more. The heat is intense and will be for days to come.
I did a little ceremony for the littlest chick yesterday near the nest, I was quite heartbroken it passed away.
I will get back to you about the nests I saw yesterday but need a break for a few days.
Thank you so much. Yes, Heidi keeps an eye but we both know that there is nothing better than local knowledge so anything you can add always helps. It is difficult working full time and trying to keep up – and sometimes we need to take a step back because it is just so heart breaking. I would love to know the status of the fish in that lake and what might be done to help the stock if needed or if it is just the heat driving the fish down deeper, too deep for the ospreys.
I did ask the town of Osoyoos and the lake is well stocked. I don’t know the numbers but fish are going deep as too hot. Even the local fishermen told me this.
Thank you! Precisely what we needed to know…I am so glad you got the right person to answer your question.
Thank you Mary Ann for all the updates and pics! The exhibit looks very interesting! Enjoy yourself there. Sorry to hear about the little ones who have passed away. The heat is indeed a lot different and very hot this summer.
Praying for Blue. There are some who have concerns today saying he is hungry and hasn’t been fed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day forBlue.
Thanks for all you are doing for us and keeping us posted. Have a good evening and see you here again soon,
Linda
You are so welcome. So many praying for Blue. I wish they would remove him and take him into rehab.