All is well in Bird World

8 January 2025

Hello Everyone,

Gosh, it is going to warm up to 0 C. The ice build up that was causing so many people issues, including myself despite heating tape, etc., is melting! The sun is shining and the sky is a light baby blue. Toby is off on his walk with Ellen and right now our world feels calm. Cardamon buns are rising in the kitchen in preparation for a visit from Don’s cousin.

In Bird World, there is no news of Akecheta. I never give up on him. I like to think he is off looking for Thunder and didn’t take too much to Haku, preferring to keep his life and limbs intact rather than fighting all out.

The baby eaglets are growing like bad weeds – most of them do not have to share food, which is only a plus. Only Ron, Rose, Gabby, and Beau have to contend with the bonking sessions. I do love Gabby. When she gets fed up with the pair of them, she just sits on them. Mind you, they are pretty evenly matched, and from watching the cats in the house, it is good to get some ‘play fighting’ in before one gets lost in the world without the safety of the nest.

​​NE32 hatched at 1:00 am on December 31st 2025, NE33 hatched at 7:54am on January 1, 2026 according to the bot on chat.

Girri is doing just fine -. I don’t know about you but this is the happiest I have felt about the fledglings at the Orange scrape in years. Girri is going to triumph.

Well, the news coming out of the UK on the illegal sale of peregrine falcons to the Middle East should get everyone in an uproar.

‘A’ sends their commentary from the heat of Melbourne: “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn6uMhgdwro&list=TLPQMDUwMTIwMjZJCtxYfy21yQ&index=2

He is panting heavily when he brings this monstrous catch up to the tower scrape. Darling Gimbir. He is such a sweetie. Look at those eyes. Diamond really does seem to attract some special males, doesn’t she? I do miss our precious Xavier a great deal, but I am very happy that Diamond has a devoted and very young mate. It shows that somewhere relatively nearby (presumably within 50km), there is a scrape successfully fledging young peregrines. Now that is a lovely thought, is it not?

Meanwhile, that pair at NEFL are outrageous. Lots of exercise at least. Poor Gabby and Beau – getting bonked by their own offspring. Feisty is the appropriate word at this age I suppose. But I really do hope they cut it out pretty soon and settle down.

At Chez A in Melbourne, it is 39C today and the temperature still climbing at 2.30pm (the forecast is for 42C) and it’s as much as anyone can manage. I do worry about the garden birds on days like this. I tell everyone that the best thing they can do for the birds (apart from growing trees and also nectar-producing shrubs for all our honeyeaters and parrots and so on) is provide them with fresh water in summer. When days are above 40C, everything in the garden needs water, including all the pollinators and other insects. It’s not just the birds and the cats. We’re all praying that no-one throws a cigarette butt out of a car window anywhere rural today – the fire danger is rated extreme. We lost over 100 people in a single day on the last really bad bushfire day.”

Big Red spotted. It is always a good day. She hatched in 2003 seven miles from her nest at Ithaca. She was ringed in October of 2003. She will be 23 years old this year.

A good news story.

The Royal Albatross are partying like it’s no tomorrow at Taiaroa Head in New Zealand! They are looking for future mates, dancing, and sky calling. It is fantastic. https://youtu.be/P5SyyM-f6rs?

All other eaglets that have hatched are doing well. No problems that I am aware.

Thank you for being with us today. We are doing exceptionally well. The sunshine brings both happiness and hope! Take care of yourself. I will be back with you probably on Saturday.

Thank you to those individuals who created videos or took photos and posted them online so that I might share them with you on my blog. Thanks, ‘A’, for your comments – stay cool! Thank you Raptor Persecution UK for bringing us the news uncensored when it concerns our raptors.