Egg at Big Bear, Hatch at JBS, late Wednesday in Bird World

22 January 2024

Hello Everyone,

It has been a very emotional week with the arrival of Gabby’s first baby with Beau. Now, just what? 36 hours later or thereabouts we have the first egg for Jackie and Shadow. The news was too good not to share with you immediately. I am all teared up – again! These raptors are all part of the fabric of our daily lives. We share in their happiness and sadness.

Jackie and Shadow. Start sending all the love you can to them. This darling couple. And don’t stop sending it.

One reader wrote ‘Yay’ and another, “Please, any god that will listen, please give this eagle couple one strong healthy eaglet this year!”

Shadow was there!

SK Hideaways sent me the news right away and they immediately set about getting a video ready. Keep your eyes open for it.

I spent Wednesday afternoon doing what three Grey Squirrels are doing – hibernating! Despite warming to -17 C, it felt cold to the bone. The snow crunches underfoot. Even the cats didn’t care if they woke up for food. It was nice.

The first eaglet has hatched at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands nest near Dallas. Congratulations!

Here is the latest posting from the IWS. There will be, as far as I understand, no interference in whatever happened to Akecheta. We must wait til the camera feed returns and hope.

F23 at SW Florida has proven herself to be an amazing mother. https://youtu.be/62TJWWVM4Os?

E25 looks like s/he is self-feeding. https://youtu.be/d2Zub3m1SLg?s

At the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau, miracles continue to happen. A tandem feeding on Wednesday! Seriously. Beau is incredible.

Great video. Can we get enough of 31? https://youtu.be/dEgksFmx1v8?

Tomorrow we learn the names of C12 and C13, Connie and Clive’s little ones at the Captiva Eagle nest. Wasn’t it just yesterday they were tiny like 31?

Chase was observed flying close by the Two Harbours nest on Wednesday. With this cam running, I checked on the West End, but it is still down.

A surprise visitor to the UK in the winter – a chiffchaff.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/22/country-diary-a-chiffchaff-has-swapped-north-africa-for-this-icy-reedbed?CMP=share_btn_url

“Chiffchaff and berries” by Mibby23 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

The RSPB describes the Chiffchaff thusly: “The Chiffchaff is a small olive-brown warbler which flits through trees and shrubs, with a distinctive tail-wagging movement. Chiffchaffs usually (though not always) have dark legs and a pale eye stripe. They’re easily confused for the Willow Warbler which has pale legs and a yellow eye stripe. Listen for the song which gives it its name, no other warbler makes that chiff-chaffing tune. Chiffchaffs eat insects, either picking them out from trees or snapping them up in flight.”

At presentm the Chiffchaff is of Least Concern Environmentally.

The news is wonderful with the exception of concern for Akecheta. There is nothing we can do but send him love and good wishes. If he turns up well, this will be the most incredible week ever in Bird World.

Thank you so much for being with me for this short post. I will see you again on Friday. All the best to each of you. Stay warm, stay safe.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, SP’, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, Saunders Real Photography, IWS, IWS/Explore, John Bunker Sands Wetlands Centre, Morningstar, The Guardian, OpenVerse, RSBP, Androcat