Tuesday in Bird World

3 December 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Well, goodness me. It is Wilko with the pink and green ring! I thought it was Kasse- thinking female here. Apologies. Kasse is red and white. So it was Wilko, not Kasse being bold as it normally was. Thanks, Heidi! I should also add that Heidi mentioned she did not get some posts since she usually catches the blog on FB. FB does not like my titles and I had PLO has a boy and a girl. FB removed that post. I am on Bluesky, too. They do not do that! Thank goodness.

Gosh, hasn’t the year flown by? It feels like yesterday we were watching M15 and F23 raise their first eaglet together, and now we are waiting for their two eggs to hatch in 2024. Time flies.

The garden animals enjoy a few treats as the days get shorter and colder. There are new nut cylinders with mealworms, and I have added some cat kibble to the Black Oil Seed supply. We are in the process of gathering up special nuts and seeds, along with some cubed pears and apples. We will be making the birds and squirrels a basket for the solstice. I suspect we will need two – one for the Crows and Jays and another for the squirrels and smaller songbirds. We want to capture some special moments with them on a Reolink Wildlife camera. The thing to remember is that I need to be IT savvy and I am not very so fingers and toes crossed. We will see if this is as easy to install and operate as they say the camera is! We can get colour images day and night without disturbing the animals and birds to show you. Of course, the feral cats will have treats, too. Today, they dental kibble and enjoyed it on top of their wet food and water. It is incredible how thirsty the feral cats can be – so please leave out water if you can. It is life-saving!

Mr Crow was pounding away on the suet today and ignoring the peanuts. The fat in the suet really helps the birds to stay warm on the cold days – and when it is sunny, the temperature is usually colder.

Brock has been around twice today and just left. It is 1536, and the sun is getting low on the horizon. It is -11. The temperature is warming, and we will have snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. I lucked into finding someone reliable who does a great job clearing our snow this year. I am so thankful.

I continue to be thankful for my beautiful life – for the joy these fantastic animals and birds bring to us, the cats, our friends and family, and you. We need a few material things, but we certainly need love and community and the hope that as we move forward, we can, in each of our ways, make a difference, whether it is that clean used towel to the rehabber, a bowl of water for a feral cat or the birds, or a donation. Together, we can move mountains.

Now let us get on to these birds and other news items that are happening.

Breaking News: YRK, the mate of the late OGK, has a new mate and a fertilized egg! Oh, my goodness. This is wonderful news.

‘MP’ has sent news that Jack was on the Achieva nest on Monday. He had been MIA for several days, and that caused considerable concern among viewers of the nest. Another osprey was there in the morning and is seen below. It wasn’t Jack or Diane. I had hoped that it was Tumbles all grown up, but the marking on her head was not the same as hers. This adult looked down at the mess on that nest – it was a mess!

Jackie and Shadow always amaze us with their hope. They never give up, and as Hob Osterlund points out, neither do these two female Laysan Albatross.

Oh, this is a huge milestone! Congratulations.

Smile. Black bears enjoying watermelon.

Wilko is 59 days old today, and Kasse is 56 days old. They are incredibly gorgeous osplets. I’m so glad that they are ringed and both have trackers.

Many of you have written to find out about the other fledglings at the PLO nest and especially Ervie. My goodness, Ervie must be one of the most beloved osprey fledglings ever. I have sent Bart a note to see if the tracking for Ervie, Bradley, and Giliath might be posted weekly. Bart is looking into it with no promises. Another firm handles the monitoring and PLO doesn’t have direct access. I have no doubt Bart will try as hard as he can. He knows how much we love those birds!

Oh, gosh, it is nearly 11 and no fish yet. After a lot of hovering, Wilko is getting peckish.

The fish fairy arrives to save the day!

Wilko did more hovering! Remember, Wilko is a male and would naturally fledge first.

It was a beautiful morning at the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau. Waiting for that first egg – rather impatiently as I assume everyone is!

Hello Annie!

F23 calls as she sees M15 arriving with a nice fish for her! Best to turn the volume down. https://youtu.be/vUqFK4wehI8?

Jackie and Shadow were busy having a detailed conversation! https://youtu.be/pTOkP3aWC9Q?

Fran Solly just posted a recap of Roy Dennis’s time in Port Lincoln. What a treat for everyone who was able to have dinner with this dedicated individual.

In Estonia, there was a juvenile White-tail eagle that came to visit the nest of Milda and Zorro in Durbe County. Gorgeous bird. https://youtu.be/gEv2-TERZ3c?

The Glen Turret Estate is giving up bean Grouse Shooting in favour of a dramatic ecological restoration of the land. This is part of this report:

“Regular blog readers will know that Strathbraan is dominated by a number of estates with driven grouse moors and the area has been identified in a Government-commissioned report as being a hotspot for raptor persecution. It’s also the area where NatureScot (formerly SNH) licensed a controversial raven cull in 2018 (see here) but then came under fire from its own scientific advisory committee who stated the scientific rigour of the licence was “completely inadequate“. 

Glen Turret Estate has been at the centre of police investigations into alleged wildlife crime over a period of many years (no prosecutions or General Licence restrictions, natch) so the news that it is under new management and no longer operating as a driven grouse moor is very welcome indeed.

This should mean an end to the use of things like crow-cage traps, commonly deployed [legally!] on grouse moors in all seasons, where non-target species like this Long-eared owl can no longer be caught and held for over 24 hrs in appalling weather conditions (photo by RSPB).”

WIRES reports the miraculous save of a tiny Flying female pup (Australia). WIRES does some amazing things including providing vet care for sea eagles!

Did you know that Wood Ducks like acorns? Just look what happened at Port Louisa Wildlife Refuge in Wapello, Iowa. I wonder if some of those migrating Wood Ducks didn’t come from Manitoba.

Male (brighter with hood) and female (white teardrop behind eye) Wood Ducks at our local duck pond.

As climate change impacts the planet, there are opportunities for conservation and a cranberry farm in Massachusetts is being returned to the wetlands it once was with ducks! quacking wildly!

Benedict Cumberbatch gives us a 2 minute BBC presentation on the Kakapo! https://youtu.be/E3a88_SjJR0?

Calico’s Tip of the Day: For those celebrating Christmas and putting up a real tree, do want to keep it fresh? or do you want dry needles sticking in everyone’s socks? Well, follow these simple instructions to keep that tree fresh: Do not water your tree! First, bring the water to a boil. Then let it stand for 5 minutes, and fill the container for the trunk. This will stop the sap from getting hard and allow the water to go up the trunk. If you use cold water, it will clog the openings, and the tree will die quickly!

Smile! Baby Hope pretends she is Mamma Calico, stopping the invaders from pulling the duvet off!

‘J’ reports that the Loon Preservation Society reported no mortalities or rescues during November. That is fantastic.

Another possible sighting of Yira around the tower, but no positive confirmation as there are other birds in the area. Where is she being fed if this is her?

Thank you for being with us 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: ‘J, MP’, Sharon Dunne, Achieva Credit Union, Hob Osterlund, Kartong Bird Observatory, Bear with Us Center for Bears, Port Lincoln Osprey, NEFL-AEF, Cal Falcons, Androcat, SK Hideaways, Fran Solly, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, liznm, The Washington Post, Raptor Persecution UK, Port Louisa Wildlife Refuge, BBC