5 October 2024
Hello Everyone,
Update: ‘H’ notes a possible pip at Port Lincoln.
Friday was gorgeous. It was 14 C, with no wind and a clear blue sky. The lake at the nature centre had more than 500 Canada Geese, various ducks, and seven American White Pelicans. The songbirds seemed to have left except for those cute little flitty Black-capped Chickadees. It was a great day for a long walk!
I am happy to include Florida Audubon’s magazine. I hope that you find some interesting ‘bird’ information in there!
It is pitching down rain on Port Lincoln’s Osprey Mum. Will any of those eggs hatch? She has been quite incredible over the years. Thanks to the ‘fish fairies’ her two osplets from 2023-24 survived.
The rains have stopped. Mum has been fish calling but as of 0853 none has appeared. It is unclear how strong the winds are in Port Lincoln.
Eggs are: Age (eggs): #1 : 41 days, #2 : 38 days, #3 : 35 days.
I wonder how many will be viable? Fingers crossed.
‘A’ remarks: “At Port Lincoln, we are hopeful of a wonderful season, thanks to our confidence in the fish fairy (and I’m pretty happy about the IR light they’re using to help with night-time fishing, which as I have said appears to have been very helpful to the night heron who was using the barge as a base for a few nights last week – the fish gleam silver in the lights). Dad has brought two partial fish in for mum so far today (which is not a great deal and certainly won’t be nearly enough to feed chicks). The chat has finally worked out that there was no pip three days ago. However, we are looking at eggs that are 34, 37 and 40 days old, so we would want to be seeing a pip in at least one and possibly two of those eggs within the next 36 hours. There should be a pip at any moment really. Again, I would be happy if only two of those eggs hatched. Three is always a worry with ospreys. We don’t tend to see sibling rivalry on the sea eagles nest at Olympic Park but I have always put that down to Lady and Dad. Here, with ospreys, I have little confidence that we won’t see a potential aggressive nest, which I always find impossible to watch without stress. So I remain hopeful that the first egg laid is gradually creeping beyond the hatch window (36 to 42 days according to the literature). We would need to see a pip on the first egg laid by tonight really, wouldn’t we? And the chatters are desperate to see a pip – I can’t see anything, even at the time stamps people have suggested. We wait – but as I say, all the eggs are within or very close to the hatch window and one is only a couple of days from slipping beyond it. So I am very hopeful that at least one of those eggs is not going to hatch. “
Xavier and Diamond are proud parents! Two chicks now.
Xavier wants to feed his chicks!!!!!!!!! How precious is that?
Breakfast at Orange.
‘A’ catches breakfast at Orange and other notes: “Mum headed off to get food for the littles at Orange and quickly returned with a starling. Yes, she is happy to feed starling to the chicks, she just doesn’t like eating it herself, which is great news for the chicks. There was an earlier feeding very early but I didn’t see the new chick getting any bites because Diamond was in the way. So this feeding may be the first one for the new chick.
It is a very short feeding, and Diamond is gone with the leftovers shortly after 9am. While she is gone, Xavier sneaks in for a little chick time, but Diamond is back only a minute later and he doesn’t argue for long when she does. Both of the chicks look very healthy and strong. They are so close together in size that we will have trouble telling them apart I suspect, and I am SO hoping that third egg won’t hatch.
Do you notice that the remaining egg appears to have quite a lot more colour on it than the empty half shell of chick number two? It is my understanding that the eggs are given colour on the way down the tubes, and there is gradually less and less of it, so that each egg laid should have slightly less colour on it than the one before. To me, this possibly indicates that the unhatched egg is not the third egg at all but the second or even the first egg laid. What do you think? Of course this is what I want to see, so obviously, I am probably wrong.
Diamond and Xavier use at least three stash spots of which we are aware – one a little higher up the building from the nest, another on the rooftop and a third in the trees visible from Ledge Cam. There may be more. But we think Diamond retrieved the starling for the 8.56am feeding from one of the stash spots not only because she was back so fast but because the prey appeared partially prepared (and certainly did not look as though it had been alive in the preceding five minutes). “
Video of the pair at Orange: https://youtu.be/heHgQjap1wQ?
Three cute little eyases at 367 Collins Street having breakfast. Heidi kept track of the ages of the eggs at hatch:
Chick 1 – 10/3, 0451 (time per Mods), at 38 days.
Chick 2 – 10/3, 0631, at 36 days.
Chick 3 – 10/4, 1427, at 35 days.
A: “the little Collins Street eyases are SO cute. Watch the lunchtime feeding today (12:22 on 5 October) for three little bobbleheads. Mum is patient with them, and all three are strong and begging for food, beaks open, little heads up. The third hatch is noticeably smaller than its two siblings and its little beak is a lot harder for mum to reach. I do hope it gets its share. I’m not convinced that it did at this feeding. It seemed to become something for the others to lean on. It is very difficult early on when it’s hard for them to hold their heads up or face the right way. As I said, they all appear strong and healthy so we’ll just have to hope mum is patient enough to keep feeding the chicks until the older two have had enough so that number three gets a chance to eat. “
Lots of prey (or a good pantry or both) at Collins Street.
‘A’ remarks: “So we are awaiting the second (and third) hatch at Orange, with the first chick doing well. At Collins Street, we have all three. I have not yet had a good look at number three but can report that the first two appear active and healthy and both have eaten well today. I have been impressed by mum, who made certain that the younger hatch did not miss out on the food. She is patient and appears practiced at feeding newly hatched chicks. That’s is a great relief. Dad has been great, sometimes bringing prey along the ledge to the scrape and at other times giving mum a break by delivering the food higher up the building. Such a sweetie. I can’t wait to see him brooding all three of these chicks. Mum has her positioning perfect as I mentioned. I do like the garage door technique. I find it by far the most effective (especially with one chick too many for comfort). It will sure help with these three when they have doubled in size and are rapidly doubling a second time! “
Life in the world of Australia’s Peregrine Falcons appears to be good. ‘A’ adds: “The second chick at Orange finally managed to escape its little tomb about three hours ago (05:30 on 5 October) but it had to work long and hard to do so. It is tired, sweet baby, but seems well. Oh I am hoping we have a Dudley. I really don’t want that third egg to hatch at Orange. The pair at Collins Street appear to be working very well together to care for their brood. I have to admit that I have not been paying overly much attention to the Port Lincoln nest, although I believe it should be a safe watch this season, as it is obvious that the powers that be have determined the fish fairy will make a return appearance this season if she is required. That is such a relief. “
Holly Parsons posted a really information on the development of the falcon chicks.
SE33 and SE34 are walking very well on their nest in the Olympic Forest. Both are self-feeding and their wings are huge. They sing the duet with the parents in the morning, just precious. The next step is for them to branch. And then it will not be long until they fledge. They are the cutest pair.
Growing Home Osprey Family. What a darling threesome.
‘J’ reports that the WRDC cam fell into Ron and Rose’s nest on Friday. No one was injured.
A beautiful summary of an extraordinary season at Newfoundland’s Snow Lane nest of Beaumont and Hope! https://youtu.be/1n3-K_d7djg?
The Dyfi Osprey Calendar of Idris and Telyn and chicks will be available on line soon. They do ship internationally – just ask if you can’t indicate that on checkout.
It won’t be long til we have news of the swag available for Iris and Finn, Antali, and Sum-eh. I understand the nest sticks are on their way to be made into pens. Watch their FB for notices of notecards, etc.
The Canadian Highways Network FB posted an amazing image of Canada Geese setting off Friday morning after having a good feed on their field. Please make them welcome everyone south of us! They are not the Canadian bird, but many think they should be. (The Canada Jay is).
Send good thoughts to Gabby at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest. Since Samson went missing, her life has been nothing but chaotic. No solid mate, no eaglets. She arrived at her nest alone Friday night. No Beau. No 23E1.
What a lovely sight.
Calico’s Smile for the Day:
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. Have a wonderful weekend. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J’, Audubon Florida Naturalist, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons and Outside My Window, Olympic Park Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Osprey Stories, Heidi McGrue and Growing Home Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, Animal & Nature, Maria Marika, and WRDC.
