15 May 2025
Good Morning Everyone,
Morning Update: It is raining hard as I finish up the blog this morning. Oh, I hope that this will help the wildfires raging throughout my province – and, hence, save the lives of the wildlife and people.
Toby is sleeping on his little pink blankie next to me. He has had his pain medication and his ear drops but, honestly, I do not know if he is any better. I hope so.
I dipped his pain pill in peanut butter and he opened his mouth wide. Then gave him 80 ml of water with a syringe. After the pain medication took effect, he ate his kibble and played some. It was nice to see. Tomorrow I will get another two days of pain pills and have them check that ear. It is so tender – more than it was! Gosh, it just breaks our hearts when one of our pets (or one of the raptors on the screen) is unwell.
He is just not his sweet little energetic self – please send your good wishes for him to get well.
The very hot weather broke and you can feel the cold wind pouring down – a wind that is going to drop temperatures from 38 C to 3 C. All of our plants must come inside. The conservatory will be full of tomatoes and peppers. The delicate herbs are already on the kitchen counter.
There are new birds arriving daily. Yesterday we watched three Blue Jays and today the Crows are arriving for their cheesy dogs. If there are not little ones in the nest, they will be there soon. The Chickadees are coming to a new tiny feeder and the various sparrow species are pecking about. The lilacs are blooming somewhat early and the beautiful crabapple tree that we planted in memory of our Blue Abyssinian cat, Abigale, is full of the most gorgeous pink blossoms. Brock even had a nap under it today!
Migration is in full swing!
Take all the precautions that you can: turn out the lights, encourage others to turn out the lights including your town and city, leave out water, and if you can supply some food. Water is life-saving and shallow bowls can save many, many lives. I love ‘The Girls’ but it is time to keep the cats indoors!
Heidi’s osprey news:
South Cape May Meadows, 5/14: Hera and Zeus have been caring for three eggs. Zeus hasn’t been seen since 5/11. Hera finally left the nest a couple of times today to take care of herself. And, at 18:24 she left the nest to roost. It is looking like Hera will not have any fledglings for the fifth straight year.
Dewey beach Lions Club: Their first baby hatched on 5/14.
‘VV’ brings us the report for some undisclosed location nests near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland:
“The good news: Ethel, that trollop of the neighborhood, finally settled back down into her original 2020 nest (N1) with her original partner (M1) – after they’ve spent the past 3 years and start of this one fighting & teasing one another. She’s incubating in N1 for the first time since 2021 and M1 has been feeding her for what I think is the first time ever. He was a very poor mate and dad in ’21.
Across the creek, in Nest 9 – a tall box nest on the shore, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Roland are still incubating and the same for Nest 16, on a much lower piling in the creek bed.
From what I can tell that’s it. Even Nest 5 with it’s accurately named Mr. & Mrs. Perfect, who have been incubating since late April abandoned their eggs in advance of the rains early in this week. This appears true of all the other nests I can observe on Island Creek, except possibly #12, which is difficult to judge
Now what would have that many nests abandoning incubation around the same time?
In Nest 5, the Perfects have nested there easily for a decade, with one successful male replacement. She has sat through terrific storms and hatched chicks, she has incubated way beyond hatch dates not giving up despite ultimate failure. She is an excruciatingly pragmatic mom. So WHAT moved her, and other experienced females off their eggs it would seem within the same week?
In Nest 5 I watched a gull eat the eggs – the gull would repeatedly lift one whole egg aloft in his beak – it was so shiny I would have said it was wet. But each time he put it down and then lifted it again it was still shining. He also held aloft a broken egg shell, and maybe it was just a very slimy nest by then – but even the broken shell looked shinier than I’ve ever seen an egg on the cams.
We have not had the intruders of past years – we had the one new pair ultimately settle, but they stopped mating perhaps a half-week or so before N5 abandoned their eggs. [I think I’d seen both at N5 the day before.]
Also of note: 2 unattached males with nests attracted no females while females at Nest 5 a few years ago and Nest 11 this year replaced males within the season of their previous mates’ disappearances. These 2 unattached males left the neighborhood shortly after the new pair stopped mating and the same week N5 was abandoned. Neither Mr. or Mrs. Perfect have been back to the nest. Some of the other nests still have osprey occasionally perched on their edges.”
Sadly, the two eaglets at the Surrey Reserve Eagle nest in British Columbia, SR10 and SR11, have died. It is possible that since this happened so suddenly that it is HPAI.
The two eaglets at the White Rock Bald Eagle nest in British Columbia, being cared for by the single Mum, appear to be doing well. They had a nice fish dinner on Wednesday!
Trempeauleau Bald Eagles: Mum caught a single fish and the male took half of it off the nest. Looks like she flew in with a bigger fish later.
FOBBV: A reminder of the importance of writing to get changes to the Migratory Bird Act changed.
“We are requesting public assistance & asking you to comment on the proposal that aims to nullify the Endangered Species ACT (ESA) & remove habitat protections from it: https://bit.ly/4dhLsWT“
Sunny and Gizmo are so anxious to fly and we are so anxious for them to stay.
Duke Farms: The trio are ready to take to the skies, too!
In Wales at the Glaslyn nest, it appears that Aran has lost his nest and mate, Elen, to Teifi KC6.
Kielder Forest: The most recent news release.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Incubation continues. Blue 022 and CJ7 have been putting up with an intruder at the nest. Send positive energy. We do not need either of these incredible adults injured.
Dyfi: Telyn has been leaving fish at the cot rails of the nest. We are expecting pips in the next days. Egg 1 will be 37 days old on Friday. I cannot wait. Idris and Telyn are incredible parents.
Foulshaw Moss: We are expecting the first hatch for White YW and Blue 35 this coming weekend!
San Jose Falcons: SK Hideaways has the banding video for us! https://youtu.be/D1RlvHE804o?
Remembering Annie at Cal Falcons. Such a touching tribute. We miss you so much, Annie.
I have wondered what has happened to Annie and Grinnell’s offspring, Lawrentium, who was raising eyases on Alcatraz. This is what I have been able to determine in my search for answers about the impact of HPAI in the San Francisco Bay area. HPAI has had a significant effect on falcons in the Bay Area. We are aware of Annie, but recent studies indicate that 40% of the peregrine territories in the area are unoccupied. This includes Annie and Grinnell’s offspring on Alcatraz, Lawrentium, whose scrape Cormorants are now using.
Worcester Cathedral Falcons: More saddness. It almost feels like the falcon population is being wiped out everywhere. The latest post reads:
“We have made the decision to shut down the Livestream, not a fault this time. As many have noticed the chick has not been fed today, this is a deliberate act by the adults. From 5am it became clear the chick was not well, not calling for food & acting lethargically, the adults know this & will not normally attempt to feed ill chicks. Avian Flu could be a cause here as the chick has exhibited 3 or 4 symptoms. 10 minutes ago, no interest was shown when the female landed with prey & proceeded to eat it the box. This would also explain why the chick stumbled backwards onto the ledge yesterday. If by any chance there is a recovery we will restart but highly unlikely. A sad end to this year’s season but looking for positive results next year. We will post another update when events here become clearer.”
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 14th May 2025
Intruders caused Louis to fly off and defend the nest but they were only seen in the far distance, while the intruders who actually landed on the nest were much smaller and less of a threat – a Jay intruded on Dorcha, a Tawny Owl and a Great Spotted Woodpecker paid a visit to Nest One. Aurora did a little gentle nest prep while waiting for Garry to bring fish, he obliged twice, and his tally rises to fifty three. Louis skipped breakfast and brought Dorcha elevenses instead, but made up for it with a further two deliveries – those three fish take his tally to eighty eight. As predicted, the weather was settled and sunny today, tonight’s forecast is clear skies with a gentle breeze and sunny tomorrow with a high of 23°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.10.05 (03.50.42); Nest Two 23.34.36 (04.17.09)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/o_ES4CRH3LM N1 A male Tawny Owl visits 01.16.22
https://youtu.be/xZrjpYMESsU N2 A Jay (Garrulus Glandarius) pays a visit to Dorcha 07.14.10 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/KdoqMsKxDfY N2 Breakfast’s late but very fresh: a lively flapper 11.51.34 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/lzo2elmyrE8 N1 A Great Spotted Woodpecker pays a flying visit 12.02.36 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/46A6Z1S0HfQ N1 Aurora grabs Garry’s fish, nibbles it, takes it away 13.48.48
https://youtu.be/dFz4DDAOzOY N2 Louis arrives with a second fish 14.52.25
https://youtu.be/x8Eyx_HduCo N1 Aurora does nest prep while waiting for Garry with fish two 18.02.38 (zoom)
https://youtu.be/VGy_u8YhYXQ N2 Dorcha’s delighted to see a third fish arriving for her 18.30.12
Bonus – first watch, then take action and join Woodland Trust’s call to Restore Our Forgotten Forests:
https://campaigns.woodlandtrust.org.uk/page/166361
Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/FlMmlJjYav0 N1 Aila’s attacked again by an owl 2019
https://youtu.be/a82-7I-dU0A N1 Musical nests: Aila & Louis hop on and off the nest 2020
https://youtu.be/d-HM-pAELtE N1 Sleepy Aila manages an afternoon nap 2020
https://youtu.be/SbgWzXqVX2g N1 Ghostly apparition? 2020
https://youtu.be/UQsvtAT9sAI N1 Blue 152 pays a dawn visit to the nest 2021
https://youtu.be/V1vbOK3ewwc N1 The Newsome Twosome are getting better at it! 2021
https://youtu.be/zsPVChFoZ88 N2 Dorcha and the big stick 2023
https://youtu.be/j4RTRS0Yni8 N2 Intruder Blue PU0 invades Nest Two 2023
https://youtu.be/bSxkqptK4Eg N1 Louis mantles at an unseen intruder 2023
https://youtu.be/B_R0BHuZaZg N1 Is it a Tree Pipit dashing across the cam view 2024
https://youtu.be/WPtsG8MRD6k N2 Does an egg move by itself? 2024
https://youtu.be/r6nJXvhKANo N2 What time do you call this? 2024
Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam
It is very easy to get very sad (or worse) when our raptor families are sick, missing, or dying. They are like family to so many. We have known them for years and shared their hopes and dreams. Sometimes we need to find other outlets and have a break. One of our readers has done just that and they sent some good news, “There are three sites that I still check daily, because they usually make me smile: – Follow The Feathers: the cutest parrot flock around, with Bruce in the berry dome and Chester the budgie with the big hairdo and Sonny the elderly Amazon and the other cuties- The Cascadia pet shop with Paula the 65 year old stripper (Cockatoo)- Wild Heart Ranch. The good news story is that Skylar the bald eagle has been released!!!
https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartRanch/videos/1206311474323270
Skylar was the one that started my Wild Heart Ranch journey, the one that got the boots fitted and was expected to become an ambassador, you might remember the video of Annette losing her cool when she saw that Skylar could live normally. Skylar is back in the wild, hurray!!!”
Hellgate Canyon: A note from Dr Greene: ” Hello everyone, We would like to remind folks that nest cameras allow us an intimate view of the lives of wild creatures – with all the trials and tribulations they face. Just because what we are lucky enough to watch is on a small screen, it does not mean that these are “feel good” movies. These wild creatures are doing their best to thrive, and they are operating according to their own rules.
Although it may be worrying, scary and frustrating to watch, these wild creatures are not operating according to human etiquette, and we should not project our values on them.
We all may have strong feelings and responses to what we are seeing, but PLEASE refrain from attacking each other, and attacking the behavior of the ospreys. Instead we urge you to appreciate and marvel at the difficulties and challenges that Iris and other ospreys face, and their resilience to keep on keeping on!
Sincerely, Erick Greene and the Montana Osprey Team”
Let’s close with a look at Big Red and Arthur’s two fluffy little chicks at the Fernow Tower nest on the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, J, VV’, Ross Ellett, SCMM, Dewey Beach, Undisclosed Maryland location, HWF, Trempeauleau Eagles, FOBBV, Duke Farms, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Kielder Forest, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Cal Falcons, The Pioneer, Worcester Cathedral, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Dr E Greene and the Montana Osprey Cam, SK Hideaways, Cornell Bird Lab
