1 February 2025
Greetings Everyone!
It rained in a rain forest. No surprise there! We meandered into the small area of shops and found a lovely little restaurant overlooking the marina. The food was delicious. The coconut pie was out of this world – the best I have ever eaten and that is saying something coming from the southern US, originally.
Deshaies offers everything we wanted in a break from the Canadian winter. The hummingbirds fill the garden area flitting from flower to flower. There are three or four different types. Then there are Bandicoots, Red Jungle Roosters, hens, and chicks, and today we heard a woodpecker along with many others serenading us that we could not identify and neither could Merlin ID (only 65% of the birds on Guadeloupe are in their identification system). The National Forest is about 50 yards away on one side.
We are enjoying paradise.
The view to the marina.
Mostly fish items – freshly caught but also spaghetti and curry.
The finest coconut pie with homemade ice cream.
I had hoped for relaxation, and that is what we found. The puppy waits for us at the gate or comes running if she hears our voices wanting pets and more pets. Don’t tell The Girls! She has melted our hearts.
The trip is already more than I could ask for in a holiday. My dear husband has managed so well—often better than I did when things got anxious. He is excellent at spotting hummingbirds and helps watch for the roosters, hens, and their chicks on the road. They are everywhere. It almost seems like everyone has them for eggs. The weather has been warm; being outside in a forest melts any woes. It is forest bathing in a way so different from home – and we love it. I feel so privileged to travel and stay in such a serene place. Feeling grateful.
Checking on our bird friends…
There is now a second hatch for Alex II and Andria II at the Kistachie E3 nest in Louisiana. Oh, these bobbleheads are cute and strong! Go and check them out.
CROW has put out a statement answering some Questions and rumours that have been filtering through the airwaves. ( I hope this shows up in its entirety. Please search on CROW FB if it isn’t. Very informative information).
M15 and F23 have both been seen around the Pritchett Property.
The Royal Cam chick is doing quite well under the care of its father, RLK. Ranger Sharyn did a weight check. https://youtu.be/aU4-uKEgY4k?s
E31 is likely to be the most spoiled eaglet in the entire state of Florida this breeding season. Talk about a dad! Beau has embraced fatherhood like he read the manual from Shadow or M15. Gabby did really well. Oh, I know that we growled at Beau at times, but she kept the faith and for good reason.
Up at the food table. Can you see little 31?
Beau is feeding NE31 – again. Gosh, he loves taking care of this eaglet. https://youtu.be/EQapL5_-Z6M?
Kids climbing over one another to try to get priority at feeding at John Bunker Sands.
Three fish gifts for Jackie from Shadow – one for each egg? https://youtu.be/aTcHAYxfDRs?
Dasher and Dancer enjoying a nice meal.
Looked like a fish dinner for R7 and R8 and it also looked like R8 got its tank filled up! Nice.
More groups should band together to buy up huge tracts of land like the RSPB before developers get their hands on it and wildlife declines.
‘It’s incredible, the place just swarms with birdlife’: inside England’s biggest bird sanctuaryhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/01/its-incredible-the-place-just-swarms-with-birdlife-inside-englands-biggest-bird-sanctuary?CMP=share_btn_url
Two other news items. Tom and Angel have been seen at the nest and Window to Wildlife says that the cam will be turned on soon. Dr Sharpe is also planning to make a trip to the West End to see about the camera and hopefully to have some news of the eagles, Thunder and Akecheta for us.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care! See you in a few days – it could even be Tuesday or earlier if there is news.
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: Kistachie National Forest E3 nest, CROW, NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, NEFL-AEF, AEF, John Bunker Sands, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, The Guardian
Thank you Mary Ann for these updates and pictures and links!
The vacation looks like it’s been wonderful! I’m so glad you and your husband went. Enjoy yourselves and relax and take care!
Thanks again and have a good Saturday evening
While disinfecting surfaces can be challenging when not wiped down first, it still can be done with little effort. Picking up all the physical gross organic material and then using a safe disinfectant would kill any viruses. Lysol spray can kill rodent viruses by simply spraying mouse droppings without any clean up before hand. I know first hand by spending the first 10 years of my professional life cleaning and disinfecting veterinary hospitals.
Speaking of JBS Wetlands, the chicks were also climbing out of the nest bole to find shade since mom wouldn’t shade them. Dad was seen providing shade though. I like when dad comes in to help feed. They look like a real caring family.
They look like they are both doing well. Relief at JBS.