Iris calls, no one answers…Tuesday in Bird World

17 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

It is Monday afternoon. 25 C. We are expecting a thunderstorm with heavy rain any moment. We have had rain on and off since dawn and it is ‘humid’. Did anyone say New Orleans? It is still raining Tuesday morning. The garden has been rejuvenated from all the moisture. It is the deepest emerald green. Beautiful.

Hugo Yugo wishes everyone the best Tuesday ever.

Well, there is something ‘changed’ at Hellgate Canyon. Iris was on the nest early Monday calling for Antali. She had a piece of fish. Antali was not on the perch. Antali did not come flying in tearing Mum’s talons off. Antali was not there. Antali was not there later in the day. You will understand immediately that this is not Antali’s normal behaviour. So the question is: 1) Is Antali with Finnegan and Sum-eh along the river fishing? OR 2) Has Antali left the area?

Iris calling Antali.

No Antali and no more Iris on Monday. I suspect that Antali is gone and that the sun is setting on the season at Hellgate Canyon.

I would say they are gone – the entire family of four. No doubt Dr Greene and his team will be out trying establishing for certain that everyone is on their way. Mark your calendars for the end of March 2025 and 8 April. We look forward to a re-run of the Iris and Finnegan Show.

The NE Florida camera has been fixed and is now streaming. Beau has been to the nest and there are some new wounds on his left leg. I did not see Gabby.

Gabby flies in at 1853. Her and Beau fly off together a minute later.

The SW Florida Bald Eagle streaming cams are up and running. If you have Osprey withdrawal, you can watch Gabby (we hope) and Beau and M15 and F23! https://www.youtube.com/live/fMum_nLPJqM?

Eagle 22 caught Shadow at Twin Pines. https://youtu.be/yzAO4lbtr9w?

Beaumont and Hope’s two dark beautiful fledglings are still at the Newfoundland nest screaming for fish! These chicks are beauties. What a great year.

I could show you a dozen images of C16 on Monday. What a gorgeous bird. She is trying to catch her own fish. She was rewarded by Charlie with a whole trout! A nice one.

Quiet at Sandpoint. I did not see River until the time of this screen capture.

Quiet at Dunrovin. I did not see Junebug up until the time of this screen capture.

Heidi says that it appears that Fen has now started his migration from the Fenwick Island osprey platform. The kids are starting to move south. Bless their wings, everyone. Full crops all around…safe trips, productive lives.

Still home at Niagara Bee.

Port Lincoln reports that the White-bellied Sea eagle chick is doing well.

Heidi discovered a new Osprey platform in Australia with a chick.

Please, please write your Senator, your Congressional Representatives and then flood those in Virginia. Another article about Osprey chicks (and we know adults died, too) from a lack of Menhaden. They starved to death. You saw it on your screen.

“The latest study surveyed data from 12 different sites this year in both Virginia and Maryland. Osprey young were struggling to survive at 10 sites in saltier waters where osprey primarily depend on menhaden for food. However, osprey young had much higher survival rates in two freshwater sites studied for reference, where they eat mainly catfish and gizzard shad.

Menhaden are a key component in the Bay food chain, serving as a food for striped bass, osprey, and whales. For years, the industrial harvest of menhaden in the Bay by Omega Protein and affiliate Ocean Harvesters, owned by Canada-based Cooke Inc., has raised concerns due to threats to other species. Last month, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted to form a workgroup to consider additional restrictions on the industrial harvest of menhaden, following a presentation of survey results showing low osprey nesting successThis year’s osprey data adds to the growing concerns about the number of menhaden in the Bay and the importance of a robust menhaden population for species that depend on them for food and Virginia’s economy,” CBF Virginia Executive Director Chris Moore said. “We must follow a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach to setting limits on the menhaden fishery. That approach must include the study of the industrial fishing impacts to the Bay, as well as considering seasonal fishing closures from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission…Often called “the osprey garden,” the Chesapeake Bay is home to the world’s largest breeding population of ospreys. “They’re an iconic bird,” said Remy Moncrieffe, marine conservation policy manager for National Audubon Society. “They’re one of the most approachable birds in the world. They’re historically everywhere. And they are a great indicator species.” With their distinctive cheep cheep cheep, majestic dives, and admirable work ethic, osprey—a tell-tale sign of summer on the Bay—are extraordinary birds. They mate for life and each spring return (often traveling thousands of miles from Cuba, Colombia, and other points south) to nest in the same area where they were born.”

https://www.gettysburgtimes.com/sports/article_bcba7b80-7166-11ef-af20-aba799f20f91.html?

Something must be done now and politicians only listen when their constituency seats are at risk.

Another article from Martha’s Vineyard on the importance of Menhaden to whales and dolphins, too.

Who won New Zealand’s Bird of the Year? Have you ever heard of this smelly penguin? Hoiho is its Maori name which means ‘nose shouter’. It has the most amazing yellow eyes! They are the most rare penguin in the world and only live in New Zealand. The Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust says, “That’s not the only thing that makes this a most unusual penguin. Hoiho are not as social as other penguins. Very shy, they prefer to nest often well away and out of sight of their neighbours.

Hoiho are dependent on both marine and terrestrial habitats. The land provides nesting habitat as well as loafing, roosting and moulting space. The sea provides food for hoiho and is essential for dispersal and movement between terrestrial habitats….Hoiho face a number of threats at sea and on land which impact their survival and ultimately lead to a population decline. They have become casualties of human activities – historically they were hunted for food, fires destroyed vast tracts of habitat and people arrived with predators. Today these predators still roam the countryside and we continue to share the coastal space occupied by penguins, putting their lives at risk.

Terrestrial impacts such as predation and land-use changes, can for the most part be managed. But even on offshore islands without terrestrial impacts, a decrease in the hoiho population is evident. This indicates that marine impacts are a major cause of decline.

Hoiho are considered to be ocean sentinels, helping us to understand the effects of pollution, over-fishing and climate change. They are highly sensitive to variation in the ocean, and sound the alarm on threats to marine ecosystems.

The cumulative impact of a range of different threats means that hoiho are less resilient to any additional impacts.”

“Hoiho/Yellow-Eyed Penguin, Porpoise Bay, Catlins” by flyingkiwigirl is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

National Geographic gives us a look at Emperor Penguins taking the leap.https://youtu.be/4PwDFddpo4c?

Please leave the leaves! Go bird watching with all that time saved!

Send good wishes to this little fella – his injuries were caused by steam! So we can add that to the list of things that ‘J’ just sent she had read about injuring our birds in a single day: “football netting, fishing line, lights at night, poison, and shooting.” I am going to toss in there habitat loss, industrial fishing, industrial fishing nets and then there are the other 35 that Heidi and I discovered one day!

This one also had burns to his legs along with feather damage.

At the Olympic Eagle nest in Sydney, the little sea eaglets are ‘friends’. Have a peek! So cute, but it is the closeups and that beautiful plumage. https://youtu.be/kR3g4p8qX7I?

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for the posts, comments, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, PB’, Montana Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, Eagle22, Charlo Montana, Newfoundland Power, Sandpoint Ospreys, Dunrovin Ranch, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Port Lincoln Ospreys, thegettysburgtimes.com, Heidi McGrue Raptors of the World, Martha’s Vineyard, The Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust, Openverse, The Guardian, National Geographic, Leaves for Life, Raptor Centre of Tampa Bay, and SK Hideaways.