4 October 2024
Hello Everyone,
‘A’ writes: “At 14:27 mum gets up a little and allows us to see the third egg shell completely cracked in half. There is a very damp chick still squashed inside the eggshell as mum tucks the hatching chick underneath her. So the official hatch time will be very shortly afterwards. By 14:30:30, the shell is completely separated and we can see two distinctly separate halves. So I would probably put the official hatch time at around 14:30 on 4 October. And then there were three on the ledge. “
Heidi caught their feeding! https://youtu.be/RAg7mEspJzo?
‘A’ sent this video – very short – when there were two! https://youtu.be/DWdRwiDYyPU?
Several of you are traveling on some great adventures right now. My family and I wish you wonderful times and a safe return to your home.
Thursday was a bright sunny day but it was decidedly fall with the nip in the air. It is a time for apple galette, pumpkin loaf, robust stews – comfort food. The birds in the garden seem to be eating more as the days get colder. Certainly the solid suet is not sitting too long til it needs to be replaced! ‘The Boyfriend’ stares at me while he waits for his dish to be filled!!!!!!
Missey didn’t care. She just wanted lots of brushes on Thursday and some chicken and rice.
One of the most exciting sightings in Manitoba is that of a family of Red-headed Woodpeckers. Seen last year for the first time and again this fall- it is quite the rarity. They must be breeding up north somewhere. No one is saying the precise location for their protection.
“Red-headed Woodpecker” by Greg Schechter is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
All About Birds describes the Red-headed Woodpecker: “The gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,” with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers: they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. This magnificent species has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply.”
Their territory is here. I notice that the breeding grounds are in the Southern part of our province. So the woodpecker family is locating itself north. That is interesting. I need to find out more!
Here are some Cool Facts from All About Birds:
- Cool Facts
- The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts, and under roof shingles. Grasshoppers are regularly stored alive, but wedged into crevices so tightly that they cannot escape.
- Red-headed Woodpeckers are fierce defenders of their territory. They may remove the eggs of other species from nests and nest boxes, destroy other birds’ nests, and even enter duck nest boxes and puncture the duck eggs.
- The Red-headed Woodpecker benefited from the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease outbreaks of the twentieth century. Though these diseases devastated trees they provided many nest sites and foraging opportunities for the woodpeckers.
- The striking Red-headed Woodpecker has earned a place in human culture. Cherokee Indians used the species as a war symbol, and it makes an appearance in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, telling how a grateful Hiawatha gave the bird its red head in thanks for its service.
- The Red-headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board.
- Pleistocene-age fossils of Red-headed Woodpeckers—up to 2 million years old—have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, and Illinois.
- The Red-headed Woodpecker was the “spark bird” (the bird that starts a person’s interest in birds) of legendary ornithologist Alexander Wilson in the 1700s.
- The oldest Red-headed Woodpecker on record was banded in 1926 in Michigan and lived to be at least 9 years, 11 months old.
We have hatches in Australia and some new excitement on the screens.
If you missed it, the hatch for Diamond and Xavier. Such a cutie pie with its little pink beak open for some food. https://youtu.be/hh-GWZg5z00?
Breakfast for Diamond and Xavier’s wee one.
Xavier ready with more prey!
Pigeon dinner at 367 Collins Street.
M15 and F23 are working hard on that nest. Reliable. Not drama. Or let us hope not. https://youtu.be/juoU94qAxA8?
With the return of Beau, work on the nest at NE Florida seems to be stalling. Let’s hope that changes. The chat moderator notes: “Beau returned on 8/24 and Gabrielle on 9/1. Last year’s “visitor” 24E1, showed up mid-Sept and Beau disappeared for just over 2 weeks. Beau reappeared yesterday, a bit scuffed up but lookng good.”
Gabby followed Beau to the nest Thursday evening. Looks like they are settled for the evening.
It is raining at Port Lincoln. Mum is really wiggling around in that nest. We should have a hatch anytime. Gosh – we are going to be busy. Hatches at Melbourne, Orange, and then Port Lincoln with the sea eaglets getting their legs and wing flapping.
There was a hint of a hole in one egg but nothing confirmed.
Heidi has been monitoring PLO and writes. “All night on 10/4 we were observing for a possible pip. There was a dark spot showing up on one of the eggs in IR lighting. But, the spot never changed in size or shape, there was no cracking around it, or edges of shell seen. So, it may just have been a spot of dirt. No pip could be confirmed during the daylight hours of 10/4. They are now in darkness w/IR lighting in the evening 10/4. I’m going to continue to monitor throughout their nighttime hours 10/5.”
Heidi and I both agree that it is not looking good for egg 1 and that could be the case for egg 2 as well according to the historical hatch of 34-36 days. Here are the dates of the eggs:
Egg 1 laid 8/26, 0357. 10/5 = 40 days.
Egg 2 laid 8/29, 0547. 10/5 = 37 days.
Egg 3 laid 9/1, 0529. 10/5 = 34 days.
Just look at how big the Growing Home osplet is today!
I hope that all of the albatross chicks on the headland have fledged. There was at least one still there a couple of days ago. Please keep everyone in this area of New Zealand in your warm thoughts.
What does it feel like to see the last few birds before they head off on an epic migration?
Oh, my goodness, what fun. Feeding time at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Toronto. You can sign up and watch all the action! https://youtu.be/rPUrZascFnE?
Do you know what a Loon’s foot waggle is all about?
Weather is causing some havoc as the winds are blowing at such a speed the migrants cannot cross The Straits into Africa.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Make Halloween Safe for Everyone. A lot of children have allergies. Many have weight problems. Calico suggests that instead of giving out candies that you check out options like stickers, glow sticks, fancy erasers, funny pencils and cute things that you find or collect over the year.
Calico also reminds everyone against decorating with the fake spider webs. Birds get caught in them as do other wildlife. Please ask your friends and neighbours to be kind to our feathered friends during this time of fun. Thank you!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J’, Heidi McGrue, Guardian Australia, Openverse, All About Birds, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Androcat, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, The Royal Albatross Centre, The Guardian, Toronto Wildlife Centre, Loon Preservation Society, SOS Tesla.
