Thursday in Bird World

19 December 2024

Hello Everyone,

It’s cold. The current temperature is -23 C, but it really feels much colder! Did I say I was already tired of winter? The garden animals are, too. Hugo Yugo is feeling quite herself. She and Baby Hope spent most of the day play fighting. Hope had the advantage today. She is much bigger and heavier than Hugo Yugo, but often Hugo Yugo wins because of her wit and lack of fear to do stunning manoeuvres.

I am always surprised at how rough they can get. Then after quite a few minutes they just walk away and go to sleep. Their sisters decided to simply stay away. I don’t blame them!

Missey insisted on being in the conservatory, pawing at the glass door til I gave in like a mother who spoils her children til they are rotten. You can see the sun shining bright behind her. It is most often that way on a cold, cold day here. The cloudy days are the warmest.

They are all good and I continue to be thankful for all your wonderful wishes for Hugo Yugo’s swift recovery.

It is hard to imagine a bird desiring only to fly free and have a meal and being shot dead by vast estate owners and their staff. Well, that is the plight of many Hen Harriers in Scotland despite the efforts to continue their population growth.

Hen Harriers are some of the most beautiful and graceful raptors on our planet. They raise their chicks in the heather on the ground. Their owl like face helps them to hunt birds on the ground. And that is the problem. They eat a few Red Grouse. Well, after reading how much these estates spend on deer management just to lose 3 million GBP annually, it seems to me they could spare a few of the over subscribed partridge or some of the Red Grouse the aristocrats hunt on a weekend. Quite honestly it makes me sick!

A big shout out to Port Lincoln Ospreys and The Friends of Osprey Sth Aus for realizing how important Ervie and all the chicks are to us and posting all of their tracking information. Thank you!

Marie the Foster Chick at Gleeson’s:

Gleeson’s male is on the move but staying close to the nest.

Gleeson’s female is not flying so far from home yet.

Fran says that Wilko is spending time going from perch to perch with one long flight.

Vincent at the Price Platform has fledged and doing well.

Fran says that “Kasse has cemented her position as the class clown” …but her flying is getting stronger every day.

I didn’t see anything for Ervie, Bradley, or Giliath. Hopefully soon!

Wednesday was a jam packed day at the Port Lincoln barge if you missed it.

No fish have come to the nest, but Wilko found one left over on the nest around 1033 and is still eating.

Kasse appears later to have a large crop. It is, perhaps, just the camera’s angle as no fish deliveries are recorded at the nest.

Fran Solly posted the information on the bands of the South Australia ospreys. If you missed it, I am posting it again.

‘A’ sends us a little more news of the Melbourne Falcons: “I had a long chat today about the peregrine juveniles… I told you they had six juvenile falcons admitted with various injuries (head, wing etc), all of which the vet (Peter) has managed to heal and nurse back to health and most of which have now been released. They were not noticeably hungry and certainly not emaciated, which was news I welcomed.”

Gracie Shepherd had a good post showing Connie incubating and the two eggs at Captiva.

Gorgeous images coming from SW Florida. M15 and F23 seem to have agreed – and M15 did feed both of the chicks – that keeping both of them full to the top of their little heads is the way to keep a quiet peaceful nest.

There has already been a beautiful dual feeding.

Nesting Bird Life and More shows us some more of the little eaglets. https://youtu.be/ewprFMnfTl8?

Guardian and Liberty seem to have accepted the nest built for them by the new camera last summer since their old nest collapsed. https://youtu.be/iXshKsQ3gpY?

It was a gorgeous day at the Eagle Country nest of Skye and Blaze. No eggs yet for this new couple.

We will be so delighted to see an egg (or two) hatch for Beau and Gabby.

‘MP’ writes that there is now a second egg at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands eagle nest. Congratulations!

I get such wonderful mail. ‘J’ wrote stating they knew they were ‘preaching to the choir’ by writing to me. She did not known who was the originator of the following posting, but it spoke to their heart. They felt that we need a reminder – and to softly remind others – of what it would mean to the wildlife rehabilitation clinics and all the volunteers if all the funds we spent on lavish and unnecessary gifts were instead donations to help the animals.

What It Really Means to Rescue:

There has been a lot of unnecessary and distracting drama in the rescue community lately. I wish that everyone could take a step back and consider what it actually means to run a rescue.

Every day, there are more in need than can be saved.

Every day, your doors are open 24/7 even when your bank account is in the red.

Every day, you spend hours coaching willing finders and would be fosters/adopters/ rescuers. You also spend hours begging finders to meet you half way. Put the bird in a box please. He won’t hurt you just pick him up. No I can’t dispatch someone to meet you immediately. Please walk the bird 3 blocks to the Humane Society so I don’t have to call on my friend to drive 30 minutes one way to do it for you (this actually happened to me and yes she did drive 30 mins to bring a bird 3 blocks.)
Every day you put patience and care at the forefront, even when you just want to rage at the world.

Every day you fund raise and write grants and pinch pennies and try not to have to say No. Every day, you ask “what is the price of a life (priceless) and how am I going to afford it?”

Rescue is also about loss. Not every animal you try to help can be saved. Not every animal, even ones found by caring people, lives in a place where the proper resources are available to treat them. We do what we can, always, but sometimes it isn’t enough. We grieve those losses and we remember them all. Every single one.

Every animal found/saved/loved/not saved that comes through a rescue is encased in a human and their feelings. Their joy is our joy and their grief is our grief. The finders, the fosters, the adopters – everyone who tried, everyone who cared is a part of that rescue story. These birds and these people live in our bones, forever. Success or failure, we must soldier on. We have to, because there are more waiting in the wings. Always more, waiting.

Rescue is as much about a network as it is about taking in animals. This work is impossible alone. To really help these beings, you must have a community: local, national and even abroad. Social media makes rescue easier and harder. Every amazing connection across the world equals more lives saved. And every moment of drama that isn’t actively helping an animal is taking time away from saving a life.

You are only one person and those in need are many. You have to be able to ask for help and to give help in return. You have to be kind even when you are exhausted. You have to find a way to accept defeat when your best isn’t enough and not let it crush you. Sadly, there will always be animal cruelty and exploitation. There will always be not enough money and not enough space. There will always be times when you are too late. But…if you keep going, your best will be enough for many, and for each of those animals, your best is EVERYTHING.

Thank you to all who help and care for these birds.

In Scotland, shenanigans are going on with the grouse moor licensing!

Thank you so much 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: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, MP’, Raptor Persecution UK, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Port Lincoln Osprey, Bart M and the PLO, Fran Solly, Gracie Shepherd, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Nesting Bird Life and More, Eagle Country, Raptor Persecution UK, Unknown author