Sunday in Bird World

3 November 2024

Good Morning,

Calico thanks everyone for all the lovely birthday wishes! They made her day. She feels so special. The online retailer did not, however, come through. Her prezzies were due to arrive on Saturday so we could have her party on her ‘real’ birthday, but the party has been delayed until arrival – hopefully Sunday by 10pm. Everyone was ready today – even The Boyfriend!

I keep picture books hard copies, of the kitties. Calico tried posing for her birthday photo. Here were the possibilities. Which one do you like best?

Calico said she thought she looked like a Corgi and not a cat in the first one.

Calico decided to try for the movie star pose! She thinks this is the best look for the family album.

Happy Birthday, Calico! We will have your party tomorrow. You have brought so much joy! Thank you for agreeing to come and live with us. I cannot imagine my world without you.

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Saturday was a beautiful day. Inside the City, we spotted no less than 300 Canada Geese. In the country, returning home from a long walk at Bird’s Hill, we saw a skein of about twenty-five geese heading towards Winnipeg to spend a safe evening in the water. We will check Oak Hammock Marsh tomorrow to see how many geese are feeding in the adjacent fields.

This path is the quietest place. (We do the 2 or 4 km walk through this forest.) You will recall that I ‘used’ to spend much time at the nature centre. Because it is inside the City, many school groups visit, as well as the dozens who rent bikes or others who bring theirs to ride on the trails. It is often not the tranquil spot my mind seeks when I go to the forest for a walk.

There was a wet, earthy smell to the oak leaves lining many of the paths.

Today, there were four deer and a fox in my neighbourhood. The fox comes to our garden regularly to eat. It was heart-warming that people fed the deer pumpkins and didn’t want to harm the fox.

The report on the state of Canadian birds came out today. It is really pretty dismal for some species. Success is being seen in waterfowl and raptors while the long-distance migrants (Arctic Birds), shorebirds, and grassland birds are disappearing at an alarming rate. Have a read!

The destruction of habitat is one of the reasons we dutifully purchase coffee grown in the shade, so that the land is not cleared, and the trees are not destroyed. Think about it.

The Collins Street triplets are so cute and so energetic. They can’t wait to fly! https://youtu.be/s0fAxKZu0xY?

The latest news of the sea eagles:

‘A’ sends us the latest report from the ranger for the WBSE: “November 3: Again, no eagles spent the night at the nest last night, though ringtail possums passed by just before 8pm – including two young ones. Eagles were seen down on River Roost early – with lots of Sunday morning river traffic- water skiier, boats, ferries. Adults were then seen on Mangrove Island – and we felt that a juvenile was hidden there as well. Later, we saw one juvenile perched on a mangrove on the island – so hard to spot with its brown colouring. One of the adults then flew into the mangroves west of River Roost – out of sight and an unusual place for it to fly. Was the other juvenile in there? By early afternoon, it was a hot day, and only one adult was seen on the island. Later in the afternoon, both parents and a juvenile were on Mangrove Island. One spent a long time preparing bird prey, then a juvie was seen eating on the ground. No eagles still at the nest, though there were rainbow lorikeet visitors in the late afternoon.

I remain hopeful.- at least one of the eaglets was seen to be eating today. It is hard to be patient but as I said the other day, the BOTG at this nest are some of the best, so we just have to trust in their reports and hope for the best. The littles are strong and healthy – or were when they fledged – and hopefully their parents will get food to them.” 

At Port Lincoln, there is an early fish. Everyone is delighted. Wilko was 4 weeks old on Sunday in Australia.

In Orange, Xavier comes in with an envy of a prey item – looks like some kind of parrot to me, certainly not a Starling. Yira grabs it before everyone’s eyes. Diamond comes into the scrape and takes charge. Earlier (late Saturday night in Orange), in what could have been a terrible accident with Garramatta going off the ledge – we had a save, but Dudley flew out during the ordeal.

Aren’t these two just the cutest little eyases you have ever seen (OK, tied with Annie and Archie!)?

Dudley goes over the ledge: https://youtu.be/-YvE2GF7D88?

Gabby and Beau at the nest.

My goodness. They are beautiful – and powerful. Sea Eagles being returned to the Severn Estuary.

The New York Times report includes the following: “A Washington man who killed hundreds of eagles and hawks in Montana that he later helped traffic and sell on the black market was sentenced to nearly four years in prison on Thursday, prosecutors said.

From 2015 to 2021, the man, Travis John Branson, 49, of Cusick, Wash., traveled to the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana to help kill hundreds of birds in a “killing spree,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana said. In addition to his sentence of three years and 10 months in federal prison, Mr. Branson was ordered to pay $777,250 in restitution, prosecutors said.

“Branson went on self-described ‘killing sprees’ for thousands of eagles and hawks,” Jesse Laslovich, the U.S. attorney for the District of Montana, said in a statement. Mr. Laslovich added that Mr. Branson “butchered” the birds “and sold the parts and feathers for profit on the black market.”

Mr. Branson, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and trafficking charges in March, killed at least 118 eagles and 107 hawks himself, according to investigators who traced the killings to Mr. Branson through text messages. In total, Mr. Branson worked with others to kill about 3,600 birds, prosecutors said.”

‘L’ sent us the video about the man getting 4 years in prison for killing eagles. https://youtu.be/EH4YiIkYezo?

Reaction to the sentencing from the Couer d’Alene Tribe on whose land the eagles were killed. https://youtu.be/g695eLZYZI4?

Well, I am really glad that this is not about our dear Dyson!

Dyson is on the fence feeling a bit guilty. She has just chewed through the wire connecting my twinkly fairy lights and the solar panel that would bring those little twinkly globes to life. We love her regardless. Dyson is about the same age as Peanut. She has lived in the wild and come for peanuts and brought her kits to the garden. She is family.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Remember to turn your clocks back if you haven’t already. 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: ‘A, Geemeff, L’, Birds and Beans Coffee, SK Hideaways, Marilylu Pitcher, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Birdie Cam, NEFL-AEF, The Guardian, NBC Montana, KREM News 2