23 October 2024
Good Morning Everyone!
I had a lovely vacation, but it was so nice to be home and to wake up with Hugo Yugo cuddled under my chin Tuesday morning.
It is Wednesday morning now and Baby Hope is watching ‘The Boyfriend’ eat his breakfast. All is right with the world. It is 1 C.
Most of the leaves are gone on the trees at the back. The lilacs have some. The memorial tree to our cat Abigale is bare, and it feels like the end of fall with the temperatures plummeting at night. We have gathered up kindling and logs and will have some nice fires in the wood stove in the late afternoon. I might even bake some of that Nova Scotia Oatmeal Molasses bread this week. It looks like we are into comfort food weather!
When he is ready to leave, The Boyfriend always stops and looks in the house for about ten minutes before he leaves. We have put out the little container with straw, but I believe he sleeps under the deck of the house where Calico had her kittens.
Gosh, I really missed The Girls!
The biggest news that I read while I was away was that Nox was released into then wild….and then is back in care!
Nox has to be the cutest peregrine falcon in the world!
Garramma plays with the Starling! https://youtu.be/f0exX9lkdfc?
Yija and Garramatta are losing their baby down. Notice the fluff disappearing around the eyes.
The triplets at 367 Collins Street are growing and growing – Mum keeps them stuffed! https://youtu.be/1rsWUOf_LZ8?
And they also are playful and want to escape her attentions! This poor Mum she has her hands full with this bunch! https://youtu.be/Igt2Dndy74c?
If you haven’t watched this peregrine family, you should. They are hilarious and it is even going to get more exciting as these chicks lose their down.
Bubba at Growing Home is working its wings and walking around the nest. 38 days old. Oh, the joys of being the Only Bob. Eating and eating without any anxiety or strife.
Wilko and Kasse are well into the reptile stage. Poor things. So many pin feathers coming out. So far two fish have been brought in at the time I am writing this. It is early in the day; hopefully there will be more.
After eating some of it on the ropes, Dad brought in a super fish right around 1800. Wilko and Kasse had a great dinner along with Mum!
They are beautiful and their interactions are so cute. They could fly any day and yet they are still with us – thankfully. Many believe (or hope) that SE33 and SE34 will remain on the nest observing their parents ignoring the Currawong and when they fly will head to the river. I hope for the same!
At 1102, the pair had full crops. They are both restless.
Birds attacking the Sea Eaglet nest. https://youtu.be/8FBkKCDmneE?
Geemeff sent us some startling news!
“Shocking to hear these gamekeepers plotting to kill Hen Harriers, and actually shooting one, not knowing the RSPB investigations team were filming them.” https://youtu.be/l4dRN1L_X6Y
The slaughter of raptors in the UK…
I love Hen Harriers and this article in The Guardian builds on the reports from Raptor Persecution UK.
More hen harriers killed in UK during 2023 than in any other year, RSPB sayshttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/22/more-hen-harriers-killed-in-uk-during-2023-than-in-any-other-year-rspb-says?CMP=share_btn_url
One of my long time readers is really wanting people to understand ‘why’ people should not purchase budgies. I know that many of you could also talk about people not purchasing pure bred dogs or cats and, instead, taking rescues. I promised ‘J’ that I would alert all of you and I ask that if you know of anyone thinking about buying a budgie, please educate them! Share this information. Thank you.
‘J’ writes: Could you please put this in your blog and ask people to send it to anyone considering buying a budgie?
It’s a fantastic FREE ebook with everything a budgie caretaker should know and should read before taking a budgie into their home.
If only one person reads it before buying, it’s a win.
I found it through this very good post about why we shouldn’t breed/buy parrots and examples of everything we do wrong:
Had to check on Gabby and Beau. They have both been working on the nest
Hawk Mountain’s migration report. Those numbers for ospreys are truly troubling.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J’, UC Berkeley News, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Liznm, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Growing Home, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Olympic Park Eagles, Nesting Bird Life and More, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, Pamela Clark, NEFL-AEF, Hawk Mountain Migration Chart.
Welcome back Mary Ann! It’s so nice to get this newsletter today!
So glad you had a good vacation and I know the kittens were just as glad to see you as you were them! Thanks for all their cute pictures and updates ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for all their cute pictures and updates and links today! I’m so glad to hear the Port Lincoln operate doing so well! The beautiful seawaters too. Hopefully the Carrowangs will leave them alone! ❤️❤️
Have a Blessed day and see you soon here Mary Ann!
That bread sounds so good!
Linda
Oh, thank you so much, Linda. It is always lovely to be away, but even better to be back home again. Thank you so much for your kind wishes…and yes, let’s all send positive energy to SE 33 and 34. They are doing good. I watched as long as I could today and the Curras were horrible but the sea eaglets were up on the branches and in the nest. I hope that they follow Lady or Dad one day out of the forest and not fly off when the parents aren’t there.
If the osprey numbers are troubling, what word would we use in reference to the red-tailed hawk numbers? Not to mention the turkey vultures and American goshawks. It’s indeed a very sad read.
It is an incredibly difficult year in terms of numbers migrating south. I am hoping that the hawk numbers and turkey vultures are because they are still here with us in the north. I saw lots of hawks and two turkey vultures in Nova Scotia last week.