Category Archives: animal rights

Friday in Bird and Cat World

27 October 2023

Hi Everyone,

More snow!

That is not a permanent change – ‘cat’ – World but, I think that the cat I kept seeing and thinking was Hope’s father is, indeed, just that – the father.

Now, look carefully. This cat has short, stocky legs and a square jaw like Hope, but he also has that teardrop that Hope has. Remember, Calico has that teardrop, too. Even his paws look like Hope and Calico’s, and that single patch of a few white hairs is also on Calico and Hope. It has to be him. The shape of the eyes gives it away, too…So is this big lad both Hope’s father and grandfather? Or could he be a brother to Calico? One way of finding out is if I can get a blood sample and compare it to both Calico and Hope, aka Bushy Tail.

I can tell you his days of fathering kittens all over the neighbourhood are ending quickly. There is a chicken dinner waiting for him and the vet will perform the magic tomorrow. There is a nice heated garage, too! And if we are lucky, two others will join him. Fingers crossed. It gets dark so early and sometimes it is difficult to coordinate things. Calico watched him eat out the garden door. She didn’t hiss or anything. Just sat on the island looking out. I hope she was glad to be inside as it was wet and cold out there!

Whenever I see a house with these fake cobwebs that kill the birds and insects, I go ballistic. It is time to stop using these fake cobwebs. There are other things that can be used to decorate without injuring or killing wildlife.

It isn’t about birds but it is about saving our precious wildlife. Amazing what a simple change can do! Spread the word if you live where boats, motors, and Manatees try to coexist.

There were protests, and many decided not to donate to Cornell Bird Lab when they did not directly fund the collision blinds for Big Red’s fledglings. Now, they will build a building where Big Red has her nest! Seriously? Other places need donations, and I can live without Living Bird Magazine.

Want to help our feathered friends during a Tropical Storm or a Hurricane? Here are some tips! Thanks, Sunnie Day.

Hurricane-Disaster-Relief-for-Birds-What-to-Expect-and-How-to-Help-AudubonDownload

Osprey doing very well in rehab! Another one to add to the list. Please do not let anyone tell you that ospreys cannot handle being in care. The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, the Raptor Centre, and here is another will tell you differently – CROW. They handle many Ospreys. Thank goodness for wildlife rehabilitation clinics and the kind people who operate them and the volunteers who assist. What would our wildlife do without them?

Just look at this beautiful buzzard that flew to the Loch Arkaig nest. Gorgeous creature.

Port Lincoln has posted the information about the research project and the feeding of the Ospreys at the Barge. Let us all wish them luck! I have been flooded by letters from viewers telling me they will now return to watch this nest, one that they quit watching years ago due to the siblicide. Please remember to send Fran Solly a note of support! (Thanks ‘H’ for getting this to me. I had not gone to check this morning!)

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Heading to Australia, Dad had a really nice size fish on the nest for Mum and the chicks at 0629.

The kids had a little feed, Mum had some good bites and Dad took the fish. He returns it later for a second feeding!

0733: #2’s crop is really not that large.

0741:

More fish for the kids left from that one. Giliath eats and then # 2 gets fed. Mum is very good to check on #2 as long as his beak is up. She is doing so well with these two.

‘

I continue to be relieved that fish will be provided if necessary. And I hope that the compassion and interest shown at Port Lincoln will spread to other nests that could be in trouble of losing all their chicks during a storm – supplementary feeding for a couple of days can be a good thing. It would have made all the difference at a nest such as Barnegat Light that got hit hard by Duke missing for days, the stormy weather, and the decline in Menhaden due to humans overfishing.

Mum was not home and Galiath took the opportunity to give #2 a right going over -. Notice that Galiath has started going into the Reptilian Phase, the time when the beaking begins most often. What we want is for this to stop and not to continue. The little one was noticeably not as aggressive wanting food and Galiath had her body over it later in the day. Sad to see this beginning.

Standing over the little one displaying sheer dominance – with a full crop.

At ten days old, you can see Galiath’s plumage changing.

By noon, both chicks are hungry again. Only one fish in from Dad and that was early. More fish needed! Please, Fish Fairy. Galiath is ‘itchy’ from the pin feathers coming. in. Little one is hopeful for some fish. He has not had a lot this morning despite the large fish brought in early.

Waiting for fish.

A’ gives us a later rundown on nest happenings, “By 13:49 we see that dad has flown onto the side of the nest to babysit. Around 13:52 a shadow passes over the nest, the chicks immediately pancake, and dad starts alerting. Mum is back at 14:06:40 with a nice whole fish. The osplets immediately line up. Giliath has front position so Little, to Giliath’s left, scrambles a bit closer to mum. As mum feeds Giliath, Little tries pecking at the fish in mum’s talons!! Go, Little! Now, under the current evolving circumstances, that is a great skill to practise at any opportunity. Mum has to work hard at trying to get bites to Little, due to its feeding position, which is not ideal (at the wrong angle to make it easy for mum) and also because Giliath is leaning across in front of Little and grabbing many of the bites intended for her younger sibling. Little is not at all intimidated by its sibling, and is sitting up at the table as normal, competing for bites and sometimes stealing morsels from its sibling’s face or beak. Mum is really trying to get bites to Little, but Giliath is getting two or three bites to every one of Little’s. Note that during most of this feeding, Giliath is in perfect position to beak her brother in the back of the head but this does not disconcert Little, who is behaving completely normally. There is no bonking. This interests me – Giliath was not hungry at 09:11 and now that she is, and there is competition for the available food, she displays zero aggression. I presume this indicates that the attack had nothing to do with food insecurity and everything to do with establishing an agreed pecking order. We will see. At 14:19, Little turns away. Mum finishes feeding Giliath at 14:33 and dad removes the remainder of mum’s fish. At 14:50 dad is back with what’s left of the fish. This feeding quickly turns into a private feeding for Little. It gets fed well, as Giliath is largely in a food coma, and Little finishes with a big crop by the time the feed ends with mum horking down the tail at 15:01. Mum broods Little. Giliath remains out, sunbaking and preening. She does a PS on mum, then takes a nap. Little wakes up and at 16:01 does a PS on Giliath, which wakes her up. It’s all getting a bit messy. Giliath perhaps didn’t appreciate being pooped on and bonks Little. She soon settles down though and the pair return to being friendly.” 

HeidiMc catches that fish going overboard at Port Lincoln -.

At Orange, the chicks are starting to look like sheep that can walk on two legs!

More from ‘A’: “Here are the time stamps for the day for our favourite falcon chicks, who are now running across the scrape. How quickly these hawklets and falcon chicks grow up. PREY 06:30:48, 07:20:06, 09.05.42, 14.24.49, 16:42:56, 18:19:54 FEED 06:31 (self-feed & D), 09.07 (X), 14.25, 16:43, 18:21. RECAP 6.25.53 Barru wingers, 6.30.31 ledge cam X aborts landing w/prey, 6.30.53 ledge cam D aborts landing, 06.32.24 Barru kekking, 08:23:34 ledge cam X glides out, 14.31.55 Marri struggles with a wing. Diamond and Xavier really do make this look easy, although we know it is anything but that. Xavier did one of the feedings, and at that feeding, the younger one, Barru, was particularly well fed. (Not that it was exactly fading away before that!) These two are adorable to watch. Just gorgeous. And those naughty little sidelong glances – those eyes just melt your heart. “

At the Sydney Olympic Park, Lady and Dad are looking for their babies.

Yesterday was the same. My heart aches for the two of them. According to the postings no one has seen the eaglets being fed since they did not return for prey on the nest. I hope that they are eating elsewhere but the history of the nest would leave me to think otherwise. Hoping for an update from the BOGs!

At Taiaroa Head, the mate of OGK, the gorgeous YRK has flown in and is socialising with those coming in for breeding. ‘A’ wonders if she knows that OGK is no longer with us?

At the nest of M15 and F23, the new female occupant is bringing in air plants to decorate the nest! Gorgeous.

There is wonderful news coming from the Fraser Point nest!

Pepe has been making some fish deliveries to Muhlady as they both continue to monitor the territory and work on their nest.

An eagle on Tor at the West End Bald Eagle Nest and a gorgeous sunset over the Channel Islands.

‘H’ loved those skinny jeans of Liberty!

Hoping to change some minds about the driven grouse moor hunting in Scotland.

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Malta is not the only country that turns an eye to poaching. Lebanon. Poland. Today, The Guardian published an article on trapping wild birds in France. The malicious killing of birds (and all wildlife) is a global issue. It needs to stop – politicians need to know that ordinary people demand protections for our natural world. Vote. And watch those purchases you make and the trips of a lifetime – try to support those who are trying to make a difference. Stay at a cottage on a farm that is working towards biodiversity through rewilding. Buy your tuna from pole and line fishers (see below).

France-accused-of-flouting-EU-rules-on-trapping-of-wild-birds-France-The-GuardianDownload

I asked ‘H’ about the type of tuna she is finding and she gave me the following information. It is certified to be pole and line – not long line trawler that beheads our precious albatross as bycatch.

‘H’ sent me to the Wild Planet page where you can find all manner of sustainable products.

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The same sustainable brands are available in Canada. You can check on Amazon’s site and then compare it with other retailers. I just might go back to having a tuna sandwich once in awhile BUT now I must begin to research the food the girls eat. Right now it is organic chicken from a local farmer, some dry food, and some tinned. But where does this tinned food originate?

Thanks so much for being with us. Two of the male cats will be ‘fixed’ in about fifteen minutes and hopefully live a healthier and safer life in the future. Take care all!

Thank you to the following for their notes, graphics, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Ruth Thomas, Birds in Helping Hands, Ellen Miller, Sunnie Day, Audubon, Jane Dell, Geemeff, PLO, HeidiMc, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Lady Hawk, Laura Davis Nelson, IWS, Superbeaks, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and Amazon.

Thursday in Bird World

26 October 2023

Oh, good morning everyone!

I hope you are well!

It is dark outside. The time is 1800. In another month, it will be dark at 1630. The long days of winter will be upon us. There were small flakes of snow falling a little bit ago. Dyson was eating at the table feeder, and a couple of Blue Jays and some Dark-eyed Juncos were persistent in their search for seed. Earlier, sparrows and Starlings had been having bird baths!

Behind the birdbath, look closely. There are still tomato blossoms, you can see a red grape tomato and clusters of green ones. I ran out quickly and picked them all!

Lots of sparrows. You can hear their songs at least a half block away on a typical day. Hundreds stay in the lilacs – feeding and resting, resting and feeding.

Then the heavier snow came. The trees in the garden, particularly the conifers, look like someone sprayed that white ‘snow’ on their limbs. It is quite beautiful – and quiet.

Calico has decided that it is time to stop nursing Hope. Missey could not be happier. This means that Hope is hanging around with her more!!!!!!!! Calico seems to be enjoying the break in parenthood and not having Hope follow and copy everything she does. I have not observed a mother with a kitten for many decades, which has been an enlightening experience. Every day I am grateful that Calico trusted me enough to turn her life over to me and come inside and that little Hope found us. All I have to do is look at that snow, and I smile seeing them inside on their blankies.

Standing on the deck looking into one of the garden doors and there is Hope looking outside.

The benefit of Calico wanting to wean Hope is that Calico is no longer bothered if Hope wants to play with Missey! Missey loves the company and knows that if she moves her tail, Hope will pounce! The house is very peaceful with the girls except for the kitten version of a Formula 1 race from about 2130 to midnight!

While these two are in the conservatory, Calico is trying to get her beauty sleep on her blanket in the sitting room.

At Port Lincoln, Mum was still waiting for a fish to come to the nest. It was after 0900. The osplets had a good feed with those fairy fish last night (thanks Fran, Bazza, and Janet) and there will be more if the wind and weather prove to be too much for Dad. The chicks are 7 and 9 days old today – we are approaching the Reptilian Phase.

That really nice fish arrived. Thanks, Dad! It was 10:58. Mum and the kids waited a bit but look – Dad came through and it has its head on it. (Note to self: Dad has to eat, too! – as does Mum)

It is a really nice feeding.

Eighteen minutes later and Mum is still feeding but the crops of Galiath and chick 2 are growing and growing.

It’s 11:26. Dad might be hoping some fish is left for him. Let’s see.

Mum is making sure that those two osplets are full to the top of their heads before she lets go of any fish. “Here have one last bite!”

Dad flies off with a nice fish tail. Did Mum get enough to eat?

Look at the size difference between the two chicks in the image below. What do you think? Nice big girl and little boy?

Later, some nest work by Mum.

‘A’ sends us detailed observations of when the fish fairy arrives to help! PLO supplied an additional 7 slender fish to the nest. “Mum is fish calling…Dad delivered no more fish, and the chicks presumably got hungry as the day wore on. And then, visible to all observers, the fish fairy arrived at 16:44:19, delivering seven supplemental fish. She was gone again by 16:44:37 – a total of under 20 seconds. Little and Giliath do not even wake up. (They sleep half a metre apart, with Little out of the nest bowl.) By 16:47, both parents had returned to the nest. Dad immediately grabs one of the fish in his beak and flies away with it, while mum eats her way through a second. The chicks are watching her closely and eagerly. Dad returns at 16:48:17. Little’s sleeping position means he is much closer to mum than is Giliath, and around 16:49, mum picks up fish number three and begins feeding Little. Giliath reaches the table around 16:50 but is still behind Little. Mum gives Little a few more bites, then begins to feed them alternately. I know I repeat this often, but watching how this mum works hard to ensure both are fed is wonderful. I was very interested to see the fish fairy arrive today with so many fish. Perhaps the one huge fish dad brought in mid-morning and the feeding from it would have been considered enough to keep the osplets alive for another day, making supplemental feeding unnecessary, But no. They obviously intend to ensure that the older chick does not go hungry and learn that food is finite and so anything its sibling does eat is effectively stolen from it. The discovery that food is a finite resource can turn a nest in a few hours, as we both know. Avoiding aggression on a nest does actually depend on the oldest osplet never discovering the existence of a thing called hunger until it nears fledge and the younger chicks are large enough to look after themselves. Mum keeps feeding both osplets until fish number three is gone, then at around 16:51, she starts on fish number four. (She is eating many bites herself as she feeds the osplets.) Dad is still standing beside mum, watching her feeding the pair. At 16:55:45  mum finishes off that fish and moves on to what I believe is fish number five (unless dad brought back part of fish number one). This is a really good feeding, with mum feeding and feeding and feeding both chicks pretty equally, giving them big bites of juicy fish. They eat and eat. So does mum. By 16:58, Little can no longer fit another mouthful. He starts to turn away from the table. Mum keeps feeding Giliath, and herself. At 17:07, she finally stops feeding and settles down to brood. There is yet another feeding, at 18:06, at which both osplets ate a few bites but were generally not very hungry. Mum ate a bit herself and settled back down to brood at 18:16. That was it for the night. I think there might be a couple of part fish left on the nest, though it’s hard to be sure. I find it hard to believe all seven were eaten but dad may have removed a second fish from the seven. Other than that, mum and the osplets ate the other five (and this morning’s fish from dad was large and whole). So all in all, today should give Little a boost in growth. He has not yet really gone hungry on this nest, and of course nor has Giliath. They both look extremely healthy, with Giliath due to turn into a small dinosaur any day now. Talons crossed.”

Mum and the chicks were hungry. Thank you, Port Lincoln, for recognising that additional fish is required to get these two to fledge. We might never know the reason – is it a lack of fish for Dad to catch? El Niño and warming waters? overfishing by the commercial fisheries that are plentiful in the area? is it old Dad, and he is just worn out? What we do know is that this nest will now survive by the compassion and understanding of the people at Port Lincoln who supported intervention.

This was posted on the ops board:

16:42Mum flies off in a hurry as 7 Supplemental fish are delivered by the fish fairies (the process visible for all to watch). More information on the how and why will be put in the news section this evening, or tomorrow

It was no small feat to convince the board that manages the building of the platforms and care of the ospreys in South Australia to agree to an intervention at the barge in Port Lincoln. We can thank Fran Solly, Bazza Hockaday, and Janet Forster for studying the issues and being able to speak to the positive benefits of supplementary feeding. I would urge all of you who support this decision to send them a note, and you can do so by searching for Fran Solly on FB. This is the cover page. I know they will appreciate the support.

To those that have already sent me notes saying that they are now happy to watch Port Lincoln having stopped because of the past history, please send Fran a note. These folks need all the support that they can get!

I went to check on the sea eagles and my heart sank. There was an adult on the same branch that Dad perched on looking for SE26 when she was flailing around in the bush being pursued by the Currawong – pecked and dive-bombed! It broke back all the memories of that very sad year when 25 was driven out early to the salt marshes, never to be seen again and 26 to be eventually euthanised. Oh, let us hope this year is different – there is still a chance!

‘A’ sent us the report from Sydney: “October 26: neither eaglet was seen last night and parents were off early. Dad returned at 6:49 with a fish, which Lady took and flew off with. Is she searching for the eaglets? She appeared later to have eaten it herself and from about 8:30 was sitting above the nest –at times currawong swooping. It was a much colder and windy day today. The adults and probably fledgling have been heard calling at times, but not seen. One of our team did see the osprey catch a fish near River roost –which was then possibly pirated by Dad –the first interaction between them that we have seen. Much honking and flying about. Around 5:30 of our observers saw one of the fledglings on a path, surrounded by ravens and currawongs – it flew up onto a tree fortunately and back towards the forest – flying strongly and lifting well. At dark, we heard calls, adults were nearby, at least one fledgling in the forest somewhere – and the search goes on –and it was raining.”

This is the latest posting that I could find form Ranger Judy:

Meanwhile, all is well at Orange. The chicks look like they are getting goggles. Look at their heads. The wisps of down will be gone soon, and we will see the beginnings of their juvenile plumage bursting through.

They are both getting much more sturdy on their feet and they move around that scrape box like Hope running a marathon in the house. They are fast!

I wondered if Diamond was going to kick Dudley out of the scrape.

Full.

There is some self-feeding going on! Always be sure to check out the ledge cam, especially since these two are spending so much time over on the Cilla stones.

Redding Bald Eagle Dad, Liberty. He buys his beautiful black jeans at the same shop that Samson did! Each just needed an electric guitar.

Guardian. She isn’t young, but she is sure beautiful. We adore you, Guardian. So are Guardian and Cholyn the two oldest breeding Bald Eagle females on streaming cams? Give me names of others that are at least 25!

Liberty and Guardian! Another video by Gary.

More food gifts are coming to the nest from M15 to F23. Did he get it from the Publix store? Notice the European Starlings. Remember that the white dots on their plumage mean they are ‘non-breeding’.

Beautiful Gabrielle at the NE Florida nest.

Lots of moss coming in to line that nest! Come on Gabby and V3. We have been waiting for a year…

Lady was at the Superbeaks nest working diligently early this morning.

Intruders being chased off at The Campanile by Lou and Annie. Everyone wants the best penthouse in the City.

The latest migration figures coming from Hawk Mountain in PA.

Want to join the Ventana Wildlife Condor Chat? Last Thursday of every month. There is one on today. Here is the information to join.

There is not a lot going on in Bird World. Eating and growing at Orange and PLO. Hoping at Sydney. Nest building elsewhere while millions and millions of birds continue to migrate. It is a good time to learn some new things or read a good book – or, get out for a walk, call a friend, drink a nice mug of something warm.

This is a video you should watch. It is about Conservation without Borders, Sacha Dench, the Flight of the Osprey — and many other interesting things you might not know about. I really enjoyed it!

I also want to recommend an inspiring book about the rescue rehabilitation and release of a tiny Screech owl. Like Calico and Hope, that owl gave Safina and his family much more than they gave it. The book details the two years that Alfie was part of the family, but it is more than that. It is about how humans relate to the natural world and what we receive when we open ourselves to the possibility of understanding and connecting with another species. It is well-written and personal, and it warmed my heart. Safina put into words some aspects of rescuing Calico and Hope that I wasn’t – and it made me look at their presence in my life differently. I can tell you that I am much richer by their presence and all that they have taught me. Safina learned from Alfie in the same way.

There are good discussions on governments that have given legal standing to rivers and trees as well as the beautiful creatures trying to survive us and our oceans – dolphins, amongst others. There is a frank presentation on the need to cooperate with various agencies for the greater good.

Alfie & Me is another of several wonderful books (and some not so great) written during the pandemic when each of us had time to reflect on our relationship or lack of relationship with nature.

Last, to give you a giggle. I have been surveying the feral male cats that had the potential to be Hope’s father. Hope has the colouring of Calico but her build is definitely not that of Mamma. There are four possibilities: a Ginger, “the boyfriend” – the Black cat with the white boots, a very large White cat with black spots, and a huge tabby. It is silly and trivial but it is amusing me…and, of course, I will never know if I am right or wrong unless there would be a DNA test. I have images of two of the cats – but it is the big white one with the squared-off jaw and busy tail and stout legs – that stands out. He is here at the feeding dish most days. I just have to have the camera ready.

Of course, some of you with studies in genetics might be able to help me figure the out better!

Thank you so much for being with me. Take care, please. I hope that you will be back with us another day.

Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagles, Judy Harrington, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, FORE, Gary and FORE, Lady Hawk, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, SK Hideaways, Hawk Mountain, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Conservation without Borders.

Good news at Port Lincoln…Wednesday in Bird World

25 October 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is currently -1 C on the Canadian Prairies and snow is expected to arrive later today. And so…it begins. Hopefully, we will have spits and starts to winter with some beautiful days full of blue skies and sunshine before the depth of winter sets in.

The news at both Port Lincoln and Sydney is a bit scattered. I put the latest decisions by PLO first and the other news later. It is all good.

I am on a bit of a rant today – leaf blowers. Today, when I travelled to the marsh and then to my daughter’s and home again, at least a third of the homes I saw had people blowing leaves with those noisy machines. It made me go ‘wild’ for a few minutes. What is wrong with having leaves? If someone doesn’t like them scattered over the lawn, then rake them gently into a pile in the corner until next May. You will have benefited the environment and the life of our songbirds. Those noisy leaf blowers – so the leaves under the shrub will move so that the owner can have the ‘perfect’ lawn. Why? And what with the noise?

It is a small way that you can aid in conservation. It costs nothing – not even your energy – to let the leaves sit until the spring! So I am thinking that if the fashion magazines can go from having only 00 models to having real people – young and old – smooth skinned and those with wisdom lines – then maybe those home magazines can go from having flat green lawns aided by toxic chemicals to look healthy and green – to having lawns full of bushes and leaves and no grass (or hardly any). Can you hear me quietly screaming?

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Please spread the word. Let us all work together for a healthier planet for all living things. Thank you!

The fear of snow sends everyone outside on the Canadian Prairies if it is a sunny day – and Tuesday was sunny. There was a bit of a brisk wind, and I had my down jacket and toque on, along with a turtle neck sweater hiking boots and big woolly socks. Quite comfy.

The geese are still flying in. There were Canada Geese, Ross’s Geese, Cackling Geese, and Greater White-fronted Geese. There were a number of species of ducks including Gadwalls, Green-wing Teals, Redheads, and Ruddy Ducks.

There were also four Black Terns flitting about one of the ponds, which had hundreds of geese and ducks.

I took my 70-200 mm fast lens – of course, I wish I had taken the big heavy long lens but never mind – you will need to squint. My apologies.

It was simply a fantastic day. There is nothing better to lift one’s spirits after a string of damp grey days than being outside with the birds.

So what is the good news at Port Lincoln? This is going to be out of order but it should put a smile on everyone’s face who reads my blog. You will know that for years we have been calling for supplementary fish at Port Lincoln barge when needed. Much information was sent to various members last year that was collected by myself and I am certain by many others. Well, the response has been positive. ‘H’ put together the chat roll for us:

Fran & Bazz:  “After a review of the latest scientific research we have decided this year to provide a small amount of supplementary feed. Generally nest location would make that hard but we have a unique opportunity here. Fish numbers and size are being monitored and we will record any supplementary fish. We know some will disagree with this stance. So today we have taken the failed egg to have examined, removed the plastic and left some fish. Today was unusual in that we had to go on to the barge (5 minutes) for the egg and the plastic that would not normally be the case. Supplementing will be “when we feel it necessary” “

Port_Lincoln Osprey:  “This is a difficult decision. Some people are very happy about it, some are not, but we are in an ideal situation where we can feed daily if needed. It will be interesting to see the result.”

This action might have saved Middle’s life last year. We cannot go backwards but this is excellent news moving forwards. Thank you Fran and Bazza.

“Watch carefully. This is how you pluck a Starling.”

At Port Lincoln, the chicks had an early breakfast and what appeared to be a snack a couple of hours later. Dad was over on the ropes and Mum is wanting more fish.

Many have been wondering why Giliath has a name and the second hatch does not. Here is the answer from Bart M, one of the nest/chat moderators:

“We are all waiting for number 2 to be named. Unfortunately that might not happen soon. The process of naming the chicks is very important to Janet: It gives her the chance to honour a person who has contributed to the well being of this nest, or who is just important to her. The name has meaning for the person who she asked to name a chick and is usually gender specific. So sometimes it makes sense to wait until the gender is determined and we are assured the chick has survived.. and that happens at banding in a few weeks. Giliath is a genderless name and therefor it could be given at once, but in hindsight it might have been better to name at a later moment.. and we are sorry if this leads to any confusion.
The number 2 chick won’t mind not being named yet though. So.. It could be that a name is decided on before banding, or it could as well be possible that we as a viewer, will have to wait until banding has occurred. I hope you understand and respect this decision.
Until then.. we will call it #2, number 2 or Two. Thanks, Bart”

‘A’ sent us a round up of the day’s feedings and a visit from the fish fairy who left gifts when they removed the plastic bag and Dudley: “Little at PLO ate very well today. Dad brought in a whole medium-sized breakfish at 06:36. Little was in front position and mum fed the two chicks alternate bites. Both had a good breakfast. Mum finished off the fish at 06:48. Dad brought in a second fish at 09:12. Mum obscured the beginning of the feeding but when we can see, Little is again in front position and mum is feeding the two alternately. Again, both eat well. At 09:22 Little is tired and takes a break. Mum finishes off the second fish. There are then no fish delivered until a convenient pan of the harbour area shortly before pm. When we return to the barge at 14:58, we see that Dudley and the plastic bag have disappeared from the nest and a feeding is underway. There is a fish in mum’s talons and two dead fish to her right. It seems the ‘fish fairy’ has visited the nest. At this meal, while Giliath remained asleep for the first part of the feeding, Little got really well fed, eating bite after bite. Mum feeds hiim first. He has a build-up of fish on his face by 14:59 but is undeterred and continues to eat. Finally, Giliath wakes up and gets to the table at 15:09. Mum finishes off the third of the supplementary fish at 13:17. At 16:36, Dad brings in his third fish of the day (the sixth, including the three supplementary fish). Yet again, Little has the front position and mum feeds the two osplets alternately. The feed ends at 16:49 with Little in a food coma, and takes away the remainder of the fish. At 16:59 he brings back the leftovers from his dinner and mum starts yet another feeding. AGAIN, Little has front position but is still in a food coma from the previous meal, so Giliath has to eat over the top of it! Eventually,it wakes up but is stuck beneath Giliath and take a while to get out. When it does, it has a few more bites. Both are absolutely stuffed. Mum finishes feeding at 17:11 but hangs onto the fish tail. They still haven’t filled in details on the Obs Board after this time, so it will be worth checking to see whether anything exciting happened in the three hours between 5pm and 8pm. According to the chat, I missed nothing important in this period. At 20:08, dad brings in a piece of fish and mum gives the kids a bit of supper before setting down for what will be a chilly night (the temperatures have suddenly plunged in southern Australia, from 30 degrees two days ago to 14/15C yesterday and today, with commensurately cold overnight temperatures). This pair has had a wonderful eating day, and thanks to the decision regarding the role of the fish fairy this season, it is likely that will continue. I wonder whether the total lack of bonking thus far will last – the reptilian phase approaches rapidly.”

My heart still sinks when I think of the Sea Eaglets but inside all this news is some rays of sunshine – at least for SE32..

‘A’ found the latest news for us (earlier news below): “Wednesday 25 October: more adventures. Neither was seen near the nest on camera in the morning. While searching about in the area for either fledgling, we saw an adult fly in over the nest with prey at 11:13 – circled then left – chased by ravens. Alarm calls indicated one under casuarinas just before that –near where we saw one yesterday, then it flew off. We saw one in the forest, just behind the DC at 11:28, sheltering in the leafy canopy, with lots of swoopers. It flew off strongly – and was then seen flying over Silverwater jail at 11:41. Just before that at 11:40 an adult flew over Silverwater jail as well. We assume we have seen at least one eaglet in that time – flying strongly and seeming to be in contact with parents. Lady brought in a bird to the nest at 12:24 and Dad a fish at 12:57 – both ate their own catch. At 2:14, as I approached the nest tree quietly, thinking no eaglets were there, I saw one sitting on the adjacent camera tree -and backed straight out. We feel this is SE32. Then we were able to capture it on camera, sitting below the nest. Late at 18:19, dad brought in a mullet, which was taken by Lady. We have not seen the eaglets being fed yesterday or today but it is pleasing to know that at least one of them has returned to the nest area. . At dark, both parents were near the nest and we are unsure where the eaglets were.”

Image of eaglet in the branches of the nest tree:

Earlier images.

SP just sent me the latest from Ranger Judy. We are both taking this as good news – the fact that the adult knows where one of the eaglets is!

“We saw an adult fly in over the nest with prey at 11:13 [on 25 Oct], circled, then left – chased by ravens. We thought [there was an eaglet] under casuarinas just before that – then flew off. We saw one in the forest, just behind the DC at 11:28, behind the fire hydrant; flew off strongly, then seen flying over Silverwater jail [at] 11:41. Just before that at 11:40, adult [flew] over Silverwater jail as well. We assume we have seen one eaglet in that time flying strongly and seems to be in contact with parent.”

Gabby and V3 continue to work on their nest.

At the Southwest Florida Eagle Nest of M15 and F23, there appears to be a rush to finish the nest. Will they be the first to lay eggs this season?

Just look at that nest. Quite different than I recall Harriet’s nursery.

Pepe was working at Superbeaks. Gosh, any thoughts on who will have the first egg? Superbeaks or SW Florida?

It is so good to see things getting back to normal with Smitty and Bella after Smitty’s 29 day absence from the nest.

The girls have decided that the house is a good race track for playing chase! No more clear photographs unless they have completely stopped and are asleep or falling asleep. Point the camera and they run!!!!!!!!! Hope then Calico and Missey who stops for a minute to look out the window.

Thank you so much for being with me today. I am over the moon with the change of heart at Port Lincoln. Did the fact that the ospreys are so endangered in Southern Australia and the election of the Green Party to power with its mandate for protecting wildlife not help this situation, along with the tonnes of information sent to PLO after Middle died? Whatever it was – thank you. We can rest assured that the two osplets this year have a fighting chance to get to the fledge line.

Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, SP’, Baltimore County Master Gardener, USDA, Environment, David Suzuki Foundation, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Sassa Bird, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, Superbeaks, and Deb Stecyk.

Marri self-feeds…Friday in Bird World

20 October 2023

Hello Everyone!

Friday was beautiful. 16 degrees C. No wind. It was the perfect day to go birding. Indeed, it was so perfect it was hard to remember that this is the third week in October. If you looked in one direction, the geese fed on green grass in the fields and on the other the farmers were harvesting the flax, everything brown, the Poplar trees in the distance a sunny yellow edged by a lovely bronze-brown. It was delightful to be outside. Calming to the mind – tranquil would be the correct word. Sitting and listening to the geese honking as they flew in at a distance, it took me back decades to when I first moved to Canada and discovered the geese. Then it was April and they were the harbinger of spring. They always arrived around the time of my first son’s birthday. We knew winter was on its way out. Their departure in the fall signals the opposite…I hate for the last ones to leave when the sky goes silent.

The first images are from one of our lovely City parks – Kildonan – on the way to Oak Hammock Marsh for me. The Marsh is closing the first week of November for extensive renovations to their Interpretative Centre. We will still be able to walk the trails. It will not reopen until the summer of 2024, and I will miss snooping around amongst the displays. The area around Oak Hammock is a haven for migrating geese and ducks. They are still flying in by the thousands. I had a giggle. The lady at reception said, “As long as geese are flying in, we know winter is not near.” She is right. When we see them high-tailing it out of the City, we know something ‘bad’ is coming. Sometimes, a few are still around when the first snow falls, but they quickly get in the mood for a winter holiday!

At Kildonan Park there is a little pond that is fed by a creek that runs through the park. There were at least 75 Mallards and another 35 Wood Ducks along with about 400 Canada Geese this morning.

The pond is by the Witches House and people come throughout the day and feed the geese and ducks. They are overly friendly if they think you have a bag of seeds.

Oak Hammock Marsh is a joint venture between the Province of Manitoba and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). It is one of those partnerships that has created vast wetlands that benefit both the ducks and geese and sadly, those that like to hunt them. ‘R’ and I chatted about this and it appears that the way forward to saving our wildlife is to partner with groups that might have seemed unthinkable in the past. I do not like shooting ducks but if it is the duck hunters that are creating all of the wetlands throughout North America that benefit all manner of waterfowl – some hunted and some not – then I am going to sit down and be relatively quiet in the hope that someday there will be huge wetlands and people might be dissuaded against killing animals.

Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese, and Canada Geese in the fields feeding near to Oak Hammock Marsh.

These are rosehips. Many collect them and make rosehip jelly or syrup. It is delicious. Rosehips are the fruit of the rose plant.

A Northern Shrike. They are a large songbird. These birds unusually feed on small birds, all manner of rodents including mice and voles, as well as insects. They are also known to eat frogs. They live in my area during the winter.

The range for the Northern Shrike.

At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ was watching and left me this note, “Watch the feeding at Port Lincoln from around 18:13 to see how very carefully mum is working to ensure that the younger osplet gets fed. Her awareness of it and her efforts to ensure it gets fed really are very encouraging indeed. The eldest has been in the front position and getting all of the food to this point of the feeding, and has a large crop by now. So mum turns to the younger chick to ensure that it gets fed. She moves the fish over to the younger osplet, who is behind the older, but the older one turns around so the two chicks are facing each other. Mum moves again, so she can make sure she is directing each mouthful to the second hatch. She gives it some fairly decent-sized chunks, which it manages to swallow. It is a determined small person and is getting steadier by the hour. And dad did bring in another fish, albeit a late one. Both chicks will go to sleep with full tummies and mum has eaten well during the day. I suspect that mum’s dedication is going to be extremely important to the survival of this second chick. If the fish supply is low, then it will probably be the factor that determines whether or not two osplets survive.”

Heidi caught a good feeding, too.

The second chick is definitely getting stronger. The third egg is not hatching or cracking. It is nesting material stuck to the shell. You can really see the egg tooth clearly in the image below.

‘A’ gives us the run down on the feedings at PLO: “There were three fish brought in today, all large and all by dad. The first one was huge at 06:34, the second was large at 15:50 and the last at 19:50. There were at least nine feedings between 06:38 and about 20:00 and perhaps more after dark (I haven’t checked). The younger chick ate at all but two of those feedings, though it only had a small amount on each occasion (sometimes just a bite or two). But it is getting better at the whole eating thing (facing the right way, seeing well enough to correctly time the grab, managing to deal with larger pieces) and will be much better at all of those skills tomorrow. So far it is getting enough to eat, though not nearly as much as its sibling. At least mum is looking for it once the older chick is fed and is being relatively patient with it, offering the food two or three times if it misses on the initial grab. She is still giving pieces that are too large but the little one is struggling manfully with them and managing most. Such a sweetie. So far, dad has stepped up his game with the fishing to make sure mum and the kids are getting properly fed (today’s fish were all a good size and one was super-large) and mum is well aware that she has two osplets that both need to be fed. So that’s an excellent start. Talons crossed that these two actually decide to skip the bonking phase altogether. Is that even possible? I’m also interested in dad’s response to the offspring – he seems extremely interested and perhaps wants to get involved. Does this suggest/confirm that he is as we believe a new dad at this nest and learning the ropes as it were?”

Marri and Barry are ‘scooting’ around the scrape. They are adorable, interested in their surrounds, the feathers all over the floor of their home, and one another.

The soft fluffy down is going away. Look at how different Marri is – as she is changing. Notice the pink beak has given way to a soft dove grey. Pin feathers are appearing. The beak is much more raptor-like. They are still adorable and their individual personalities are beginning to show along with – the clown feet!

“Have some delicious feathers”.

Marri passed a major milestone – she is self-feeding. Thanks Heidi!

‘A’s observations: “Meanwhile, at Orange, that pair are little eating machines. (Why is it that falcon chicks are the most voracious eaters of all? Even hawklets and eaglets and osplets don’t attack the feeding process – as opposed to their siblings – with such incredible gusto and energy. Falcon eyases take it to a whole new level. As with their screeching to demand sustenance.) At today’s mid-afternoon feeding, Marri downed an entire grebe leg, complete with attached foot. Seriously grown-up now. They are climbing onto the Cilla Stones, exploring their expanding world as they start to get up off their tarsi and onto their feet. They compete for every bite, usually getting alternate mouthfuls most of the time so that the food ends up being relatively equally shared between them. They are beyond adorable, sleeping together in a pile and today getting into some allopreening (little Barru allopreened his older sister Marri). Both chicks PS’d on mum this afternoon (Marri at 12:03:39 and Barru at 13:24:36, so poor Diamond had a difficult lunch hour today). All in all, Xavier is keeping the prey coming as this little pair eat increasingly voraciously with every passing day. The feeds are getting bigger (they are consuming a lot of food in a relatively short time at each meal now) but less frequent (they are getting about four or five feeds a day compared to the six or seven they were getting for the week or two before that). They are also starting to attempt some self-feeding, with limited success, but they will learn quickly. “

As I write this, SE32 has still to fledge. Both have been bombarded by the little Boobook Owl at one time or another and parents are bringing in food. It feels like a good year. Still hoping.

The summary from WBSE: ” October 20: a quieter night, and both eaglets slept in the nest. Early morning at 5:33 a smaller owl swooped Lady, starting their early chorus. 31 was not disturbed though sitting beside Lady. Dad brought in a fish part at 7:35, snatched and eaten by 32. When Lady brought a fish later at 11:27, 31 was there first with 32 hanging about trying – nothing left for 32 though other than a few scraps. Then both stayed around the nest area, on a hot windy day, 31 below the nest camera and 32 in the nest. Both magpie and currawong were swooping Dad up high above the nest mid-afternoon. The eaglets finally moved after 4 and were jumping about and flapping – 31 slipped and nearly fell at 16:22, but recovered well. 32 was very quick to get to the nest to grab the juvenile gull that Lady brought at 17:36 – then was de-feathering it alone, with 31 watching on. Then 31 took over, Lady came closer, both ate a bit, Dad came in with a fish, a great scrabble on the nest, Dad left, Lady still there, 32 still defending the bird – where is the fish? Confusion. Then 32 was eating the fish on the edge – all ate in the end, except Dad. Both eaglets were on PB at dusk, back and forth a little close by.”

The Real Saunders Photography gives us some dynamic images of M15 and F23 flying!

These two are bonded and building a home for their babies. I cannot wait to see them as a couple together!

Last year was a very sad season for Ospreys breeding in some areas of NE United States. It is heart warming to read that the breeding season in Italy was so successful.

There is news on how well the re-location of the Kakapo back to mainland New Zealand is doing.

New-insights-gained-from-kakapo-translocation-Media-release-17-October-2023Download

Hope would like everyone to leave the chipmunks and squirrels alone. They are her friends in the garden and she has been watching them for more than a month storing up their seeds and nuts. Her Mamma watched them before that and Lewis and Missey have enjoyed their garden buddies for a year. Don’t trap them and move them far away just because you don’t like them around. Hope will tell you why after she shows off her beautiful busy tail. Perhaps – with the exception of Missey – who has the most gorgeous and expected fan tail – I have never seen a cat with such an exaggerated tail as Hope. It looks like something pinned to her body that might have adorned an old children’s hat. When she decides to ‘puff’ it up, the crazy thing could dust all the furniture its diameter is so large, we could hang it on a pole and it could tell us which way the wind is blowing like a wind sock. Seriously this tail is enormous.

More rare sightings in Norway.

Rarity-finders-Dark-sided-Flycatcher-in-Norway-BirdGuidesDownload

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, Vail Gail, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Heidi Mc, Sydney Sea Eagles, Real Saunders Photography, Gracie Shepherd, Gregorious Joris Toonen, Progetto Falco Pescatore, Sirocco Kakapo, NZ DOC, For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue, and Bird Guides.

Made my Day! Seren Blue 5Fs mother is seen in Senegal

11 October 2023

Good Morning,

It is Wednesday, and today is the day that Lewis has his test. I am touched – you will never realise how much – by the outpouring of concern and care for this big goofy, lovable cat. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget your kindness.

I took him off his pain meds thinking that they might have been the cause of his distress. His vomiting returned in spades in the middle of the night on Monday. He had little reprieve. He has plenty of water and is drinking, but regardless of the food – thin broth with babyhood, pulverised chicken and broth, tinned food – he cannot keep it down. An ultrasound will be taken to see if there is an obstruction and, of course, fluids for any dehydration – all providing that the HPI test comes out negative. Send warm thoughts to our big guy!

Pets are our children. These cats are mine now that my children are all grown.

I have had cats since I could crawl – as a toddler, my playmates were the strays my dad fed and a three-legged dog. Those strays were very gentle. It was a different time. Did anyone talk about HPI? No. Teeth problems? No. Cats going to a vet? Not really. My Dad had his own ‘home remedies’. Gosh, I would love to have a chat with him now.

Of course, he was not always right about their gender. Or was he? A big brown tabby came to our porch one day. Oh, it was a sweet soul. “Could I have it? I asked. My dad dutifully checked under the tail, pronouncing it was a boy, and said “yes”. My grandmother always said that the cat was “sweet”. She declined comment when I insisted that it was the most beautiful cat. “She sure is sweet” was a constant. Of course, she had kittens a few weeks later and lived another ten years with us. A girl! Maybe my Dad knew but didn’t want to alert my mother. Who knows! I mean seriously could he not have known the difference? Those kittens were gorgeous. Each one was a smokey blue-grey colour with yellow eyes…yes, like Burmese. Being my dad, we kept them, too. ——– The point of all of this is that it is hard to deal with the members of our animal family when they are ill. They are family. They bring us joy in the same way that the birds do. We want to heal them when they are sick or injured. It is like we wanted to reach out and mend Little Mini’s leg at Patchogue or make F22 at Collins Street well so she could incubate her eggs.

For now, I am waiting to see if Lewis can be helped. It is the waiting that is hard. Watching him suffer eats away at my soul. If love could heal him, Lewis would be thriving. There are 15 more hours of waiting as I write this – waiting to find out if he is HPI negative or positive. The result of that test will determine the outcome. I have just given him his sedative and will give him another in the morning. A long walk in the park helped me clear my head and realise that whatever the result is – this is all about Lewis. Not me. Lewis. His quality of life is all that matters.

There were lots of geese and some ducks plus Dark-eyed Juncos everywhere, various types of sparrows flitting about, and a couple of hawks. Gulls, too. It was a beautiful clear, crisp fall day.

As I was walking through the park, it was World Mental Health Day. One thing I have learned by being out in the forests and the parks and spending time with the animals in my garden, the birds, and the cats – trees and nature in all its glory is a place where we can settle our troubled minds. Just find a bench and sit in the sun. Close your eyes and listen to the birds. Or listen to the stillness. It is gold.

Migration is in full swing in southern Canada. In the eastern US, Hawk Mountain gives us their most recent count. The birds follow the thermals over the mountains. The Broad-winged hawks are certainly doing well.

There was a lot of sadness in Osprey World last season and when good news comes it just makes you tingle. Well, it doesn’t get much better than this. Last week Blue 5F Seren, the female from Llyn Clywedog and mate of Dylan, was spotted on her normal concrete post in The Gambia. I posted those images just the other day. Well, look, at this – it is Seren’s mother!!!!!!! Yellow 30. Is she the oldest breeding female in the UK now that Mrs G is no longer with us?

My friend Tiger Mozone and I have chatted often about the Ospreys and how two things go into making success – good DNA and a heck of a lot of luck. Yellow 30 certainly has both and she passed that on to her daughter, Blue 5F Seren. I hope that continues down to Seren and Dylan’s fledglings, too.

Jean-Marie Dupurt counted 222 Ospreys in Senegal yesterday including ‘his old friend Yellow 30.’

Sadly, many migrating birds continue to be lost as they cross the border into Malta on their way to Africa. It is time to figure out how to help those in Malta deliver a message to the politicians that humans care about these birds and indiscriminate slaughter for sport needs to be banned.

GPS-Tracked Protected Birds Disappear As They Make It To Malta: https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/pets/gps-tracked-protected-birds-disappear-as-they-make-it-to-malta/

In Australia, the oldest 2023 chick, SE31 did branch – real branching! Congratulations. A bittersweet moment as this leads up to fledgling too soon.

Here is the video of that historical milestone for SE31.

SK Hideaways gives us another look!

Oh, gosh, Xavier is so tiny compared to Diamond! Here he is arriving with prey for the babies and Mum. Adorable isn’t a big enough word.

The chicks can now see. Consequently, they are also snatching morsels of food out of their parent’s beak. A milestone.

Doesn’t this image just make you melt? Notice the pin feathers coming in and you can clearly see the crops when they are full. Their eyes are bright and focused and their beaks and feet are losing that pink baby colouring.

This is Cilla Kinross’s latest blog on the 7 and 8 day old chicks of Xavier and Diamond and, as we can expect, it is a great report on these two healthy chicks. Gosh, golly they can take the gloom out of any day.

Week-old-chicks-thriving-–-FalconcamDownload

Martin and Rosa visit the brand new nest at Dulles-Greenway. They fledged three last year – fantastic parents – and one chick the year prior. Let us hope this new nest serves them well for years to come. They are an incredible couple. Watching them raise the three eaglets in 2023 was inspirational. Be sure to put this nest on your watch list.

Lady Hawk gives us some gorgeous images of F23 at SW Florida.

Pip watch officially begins today at Port Lincoln.

Victor Hurley has stated that the camera feed at 367 Collins Street will only be on for a few more days. For those who might be playing catch up, it appears that Mum, F22, was injured. Precisely what the problem was or what caused it is not known. she abandoned the eggs. The male tried to incubate them, and then Mum came for a few hours, but they are considered unviable by Victor Hurley, who monitors this and many other nests throughout Victoria.

Some really good information in the form of an easy to understand chart on Bald Eagle nesting. It is a great resource to keep you informed as to what is happening state by state.

Jolene and Boone have been working on the Johnson City, TN nest for the past day.

Checking on Jackie and Shadow. Did you know that their nest is one of the highest in terms of elevation in the US? It sits on top of a Jeffrey Pine Nest (145 feet up) at 7100 ft.

Did Jack go fishing and fly to the Achieva nest that he shares with Diane to dry off on Tuesday?

In New Zealand, YRK, the mate of OGK, has been seen on the headland! I am going to wish for a miracle – to see OGK waddling over a bumpy hill!

Help get snares banned in Scotland!

Call-for-Scotlands-Environment-Minister-to-ban-all-snares-including-the-cynically-renamed-‘humane-Download

Following Karl II’s family. There remains no transmission from the beloved patriarch Karl II. Kaia, his mate, has reached the Sudanese border. This is fantastic news. Kalvi is till in Bulgaria.

Thank you so much for being with me and for all your notes and good wishes for Lewis. As someone reminded me today, if love could heal my dear Lewis, he would be in top form. I do want you to know how much I appreciate your kindness. Please take care. Stay safe!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me with my short report today: Woodland Trust, Hawk Mountain, John Williams, Jean-Marie Dupurt, Se McGreger, Sydney Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Cilla Kinross, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Dulles-Greenway, Lady Hawk, PLO, Linda McIlroy, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Baiba Grausting, Johnson City Bald Eagles, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Royal Albatross Centre, Raptor Persecution UK, and Looduskalender Forum.

Tuesday in Bird World

10 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Monday was such a gorgeous day. So many people were out at the park having a picnic. The sun was glorious, as was the blue sky. Canada Geese started flying onto the pond around 1530. Some had been eating on the cricket fields earlier. Several Mallards and some Wood Ducks were still in the park. It is to get cold tonight, down to 0 C. Will everyone leave soon?

A male wood duck in transition. He will not normally begin migration until he has all of his new feathers.

I went to the park to clear my head. Lewis, as you will know, has some health issues – specifically, his immune system appears to be attacking his gums, causing them to swell up with intense inflammation. He was given painkillers but, ironically, taking them coincided with his inability to keep food down. I stopped the painkillers on Monday around noon. Lewis ate mushy tinned food this evening, and so far, he has kept it down – and then he didn’t. He was ‘starving’ at midnight, and I gave him soft, mushy food with broth. He couldn’t keep it down.

But, for a few moments, he managed to be his silly self. I brought in the herb pots from the garden for fear that frost would get them tonight. Lewis immediately curled up with the chives after I watered them.

When he and Missey were little, they had this habit of wanting to lay on the wet soil of the plant pots. One of their little idiosyncrasies. I never knew what was so attractive, and now, look, he is so big he can’t wrap around the pot anymore!

Missey spent the day watching the Dark-eyed Juncos out of the window. They were all over the garden.

We wait to see about Lewis and to see if he is HPI positive or negative. I will also have an ultrasound done to make sure there is no blockage that is causing his regurgitation. Thank you for your continued good wishes for our darling boy.

I am attaching the latest news from Birdlife Malta. It will show you the challenges that people face trying to protect the raptors that migrate over that country.

BirdLife-Malta-October-2023-NewsletterDownload

I did not spend a lot of time checking on the nests. The Bald Eagles are coming and going to their nests in the United States preparing for the upcoming breeding season.

V3 was guarding the nest while Gabby was trying it out!

Clive and Connie were on the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest. Their 2022 chick, Connick, remains in the care of the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey at Maitland, Florida. He will be released as soon as all of his feathers are grown in. I will let you know as soon as Audubon has provided release details.

Beautiful night at Superbeaks. Pepe and Muhlady have been diligent in getting their nest ready.

In Australia, we now have only one Peregrine Falcon family: Diamond and Xavier on the streaming cam. The two chicks are doing fantastic. Both are well fed – and always are ready for more prey. Xavier has had time feeding them but they are too big for him to brood. They are even getting too big for Diamond!

The feeding after 1430. Adorable…just adorable.

‘A’ adds: “At Orange, Xavier is doing his usual sterling job of keeping the scrape well provided with food. Diamond is doing a much better job now that the little one can fight with his sibling on a relatively equal basis for the food. Oh, but that little one is demanding. It NEVER stops begging for food unless its beak is full. I’m not even convinced he doesn’t squeak in his sleep as he dreams of food! I adore this chick. (Yes, I know I adore all of them, but this one is SUCH a personality. Xavier and Diamond certainly do produce some feisty eyases, do they not? Here is a feeding from this morning (Tuesday 10 October): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLXfdZT5C64&list=TLPQMTAxMDIwMjOq7dYrqDV9Tw&index=4. See how well our little one is doing. And doesn’t Xavier look even more dashing and handsome than usual?”

Only a miracle could save an egg in Melbourne. F22 was on the eggs for a bit and was at the north end of the scrape. She looks ‘rugged and ragged’ according to ‘A’ – her feathers dishevelled. She also appears to have some pain but is looking a wee better.

The Sydney Sea Eagles will be branching soon. Branching is specifically flying from the nest to land on a branch. It is not walking up a branch. They are gorgeous eaglets. Lady and Dad have done a superb job. I hope – for once – that they get to train these two to hunt prey and help them with their flying! I know the odds are against this but – I would like to hope.

31 has been on that branch for some time.

We are awaiting the pip watch at Port Lincoln. Some think this will happen on the 12th so we are only a couple of days away. I want to see if this new Dad can pick up the pace with the fish and get at least 7 or 8 on that nest daily until those chicks are a month old. We might see another three fledge again like the year of Bazza, Falky, and Ervie. Wouldn’t that be something?

There are eggs at Turnby Island that will hatch in the next few days. Eggciting news for South Australia.

Lady Hawk has highlights for the Royal Cam family at Taiaroa Head. We will never forget you, beautiful Prince Manaaki. We wish you safe travels, prevailing winds and a tummy full of squid. And we wait for the day we will see you again. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pwa0U4O0X8&list=TLPQMTAxMDIwMjOq7dYrqDV9Tw&index=3.

Another California Condor has fledged! The champagne bottles must be popping in Big Sur!

In the UK, the battle for licensing or revoking gaming licenses and the persecution of raptors continues.

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It looks like the GHOs might want to claim that beautiful nest at Skidaway Island this year.

On the way to the park Monday afternoon, my mind was boggled at the sight of leaf blowers, lawnmowers, and bags and bags of leaves so everyone could have a pristine lawn. There needs to be a blitz in every community, in schools, in the local paper to get people to stop – stop with the toxins to make the lawn green, stop with cleaning up. It is the least we can do! It costs nothing to leave everything alone. Stop trying to be ‘House Beautiful’. Please spread the word and be an advocate for our birds.

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Keep your eyes on Port Lincoln! I can’t wait – it has been too many months since there were little osplets to watch.

Thank you so much for being with me today. My report is short – I am exhausted worrying about Lewis and hopeful that calm will settle over us shortly.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, Birdlife Malta, NEFL-AEFR, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sydney Sea Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Fran Solly, Lady Hawk, Ventana Wildlife Society, Wild Justice, Darlene Hawkins, and Healthy Yards.

Monday in Bird World

9 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

To those in Canada celebrating Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving to you! And to everyone else reading this, I am thankful to all of you – what a beautiful community of empathetic, intelligent, bird-loving people you are! I feel truly blessed to be in your company. Thank you for all your good wishes for today.

Sunday was coolish – an incredibly gorgeous fall day full of yellows, reds, and oranges. The nature centre was full of people enjoying the fall foliage and the Canada Geese that were landing on the lakes and fields. There were a few Mallards about and some House Sparrows and a feisty squirrel at one of the feeders.

All of the garden animals were out. A few Dark-eyed Juncos visit the deck. I did remember, after a comment from ‘J’ to get out there and carve that pumpkin up a bit to see if the squirrels would get interested. Will keep you posted. Mr Crow was on the hydro line and I wonder if he saw the pumpkin and thought it might be tasty.

Little Red has been digging around in the old planting boxes. I haven’t seen him going in and out of the wood box and this worried me a bit so it was great to see him today.

Remember the chubby little baby Blue Jay, just fledged, that slept with the two clay bird ornaments? Well, look now! Beautiful.

The ‘girls’ are doing well. I am sad to report that Lewis took a turn for the worse. He has been unable to keep any food down – and believe me, I have tried everything. Broth, Baby food, tinned food with broth, pulverised chicken. We wait and hope that this situation will change. It is hard to deal with any suffering.

Hope is growing fast and continues to want to play more than she wants to eat.

Calico and I have almost finished our WWII spy novel by Cara Black. Wonder what she will want to read next? I am imagining putting my comfy chair by the wood stove in the dead of winter with Calico on my lap reading away.

These cats have taught me so much about the need for a safe space that is ‘their own’ and how stabilising a routine is – even for cats!

Lewis always feels better after he throws up. Sleeping on one of his favourite chairs. Poor little guy. The Gaviscon bottle is being emptied as my stomach churns repeatedly for him.

Missey was caught in Lewis’s carrier. Oh, if something happens to dear Lewis, Missey will be lost. They have been glued at the hip since they were both adopted as rescues on 2 November 2022. This evening she has been very motherly – washing and washing Lewis – over and over – and comforting him.

It is all about Peregrine Falcons – we have had falcons on our minds since the news at Melbourne. The clutch at Melbourne is believed lost for this year. We hope the female will recover from any injuries she has sustained. Our new dad, M22 – remember he was not the father of the chicks last year but came in and helped like Xavier did with Diamond years ago, is refusing to give up on those eggs. He flew in and incubated them on Monday.

There was a video posted by the Bondi Vet, Chris, in Sydney, Australia. Do you know this character? A Peregrine Falcon couple at the Westfield Mall came into his care. Oh, this is good – ten minutes long. Enjoy.

Meanwhile, Diamond and Xavier and the two little ones – who will have names on the 15th of October – are doing fantastic. Gosh, golly, they are so cute. I fear those pink beaks and toes and that fluffy white are giving way, and little feathers are popping in underneath. The first hatch is visibly larger than the second now…a female? Probably.

So cute!

In this video by Elain, Xavier feeds the babies and Diamond, too! Very special moments of our incredible family.

‘A’ writes, “Dear little Xavier had a brief period brooding the chicks late this afternoon (about 15 or 20 minutes), during which he made valiant but futile efforts to cover the chicks by sitting up and leaning over them. He was obviously concerned about being unable to fit the egg underneath him too, and tried several times (eventually successfully) to cover it. So sweet but not a chance of brooding the two chicks. He really is tiny. Check him out when he delivers prey to Diamond. She is gigantic, especially with all her broody underfluffies, whereas Xavier is very sleek, which accentuates how much smaller he is.”

 

At The Campanile, Lou is sunbathing. Nice to see these two are safe and sound. I worry about them because of the poisoning of pigeons, too. Stay safe you two!

‘N’ sent me a note asking what books I recommend on Peregrine Falcons. Here is my list – not in order of preference.

Richard Sals and Steve Watson. Everything you ever wanted to know about falcons and more. A monumental book – great reference.

J. A. Baker. The Peregrine.

Christie Gove-Berg. (especially for children)

Madeline Dunphy. The Peregrine’s Journey. Similar to Belle’s Journey that documents the migration of an Osprey.

Alan Tennant. On the Wing.

There are, of course, many, many books that mention falcons.

On Sunday, Thunder and Akecheta sunned themselves at the West End Bald Eagle nest. What a gorgeous couple. Wonder if they might reconsider their nest location this year. Nudge, nudge.

Gracie Shepherd caught more of Thunder and Akecheta.

Everyone is hopeful that there will be a clutch of eggs in that nice soft nest Gabby and V3 are working on.

The adults are on the nest in Webster, Texas on Sunday.

Connie and Clive have been working on their nest at Captiva on Monday.

Gosh, 1800. Start checking on Jackie and Shadow. These two love to come to the nest in the early evening. They are certainly doing a close inspection!

In Central Park, Bruce Yolton gives us the latest on Flaco and his adventures living in the ‘wild’ of the Big Apple. (Lots of videos in the blog below)

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Monday was the first time I heard Pied Currawongs in the forest while watching the Sea Eaglets SE31 and 32. Someone will tell me that I am a bit daffy, but there doesn’t seem to be an over abundance of prey being delivered to the nest.

At Port Lincoln, Dad brought three fish to the nest on Sunday. Both are doing incubation duty. Egg 1 was laid on the 6th of September. Depending on how you count, that would be 24 days in September plus 10 in October, making that egg 34 days old. Hang on, we will be on pip watch shortly!

Checking on the progress of Karl II and his family from both BirdMap and Looduskalendar Forum. The Birdmap check on all of the storks – not just Karl II’s family – is from the 6th. Please note the concern for Karl II who has not sent data from the 30th of September.

Kaia is making good progress towards her winter home in Chad.

Kaia continues and she I snow in the Eastern Desert.

Kalvi is still in Bulgaria.

Turkey is where Waba is currently foraging.

The second Condor chick in 2023 has fledged! Fantastic.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care – and please continue to send your best warm wishes to all the nests and to our dear Lewis.

Thank you to the following for their notes, questions, articles, posts, videos, photos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, J, N’, Bondi Vet, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Elain, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore, Gracie Shepherd, Carol Shores Rifkin, Webster TX Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Bruce Yolton, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Looduskalendar Forum, and Ventana Wildlife Society.

The sad and the glad…Sunday in Bird World

8 October 2023

Hello Everyone,

Good Morning. Thank you so much for the continued outpouring for Lewis. It is so appreciated. He had a reasonable Saturday. The inflammation medication that helps with his pain also causes him to be ravenous. Sadly he just ate so quickly at breakfast that he lost his meal but, after a few hours, I warmed up some of that very condensed chicken broth form the chicken bones and mushed it up with tin food and he had a really good meal and kept it down. So happy! Of course, the girls all had their share of warm broth, too!!!!!!!!

It was chilly at 6 C on Saturday and damp with some drizzle. The three Amur Maples from our City’s tree-planting programme will be lovely! They are so healthy. Today is planting day.

So far, the squirrels have not touched the pumpkin. There were a few Dark-eyed Juncos on the deck today, and they inspected it. Too funny. Dyson was out with her gang, Little Red was around, and the Blue Jays – all four of them – made an appearance. There are still Wood Ducks at the park and I plan to go and see them tomorrow. Soon, they will leave. I think I will cut bigger holes in that pumpkin to help them get started.

We are going to start with some fantastic news coming in from Geemeff. LY7, Ludo, the 2023 fledgling from Loch Arkaig, has been photographed in France!!!!!!!! Oh, what wonderful news. As Geemeff points out, these are now the fledglings from Loch Arkaig – Louis’s kids (with Lila and Dorcha) – that have been spotted after leaving the nest: “Doddie JJ6 twice! Somerset (2020) and Shetland (2022), Willow LW5 (France 2022), Rannoch JJ2 (Senegal 2022), and now Ludo LY7 (France 2023). Jump up and down. Tear up. Great news. That feisty kid is doing great.

My Saturday newsletter alerted us to concerns at the Collins Street scrape in Melbourne. The news continues to be sad – sad that the four eggs that were laid might not hatch, but as I wrote to ‘H’ when she sent me the news – I am glad there were not four little fluff balls waiting on the ledge for food and Mum being injured or unable to care for them.

The four eggs have been left since 0559 except for two brief periods shown below in screen captures when the male returns to incubate three – one of the eggs is off to the side (or so it appears).

There were at least two times that the eggs were incubated for a short time.

This is the latest news coming from the FB Admin.

The Melbourne Falcons are the most popular in terms of streaming cam numbers of all the Falcon cams internationally. Everyone has a very heavy heart today. The male has been incubating on and off. From experience with eagles, the eggs can, in cool temperatures, be left for more than five hours and still hatch. Such was the case with Milda the White-tail Eagle. It would be desperately hard for the Dad to provide all the duties – incubation, territorial defence, food, and feeding and protecting the hatchlings. The chicks cannot regulate their temperature, and food is required. We have seen falcon males take on full-time duties, such as Newmann at Great Spirit Bluff, this season, but those eyases were much older (at fledge).

It now appears that the female might have returned to the ledge and is incubating the eggs. It is not 100% certain. We are going to have to wait and see how this plays out.

This is Dad M22 rolling the eggs with his talons. Little Dad – what a guy – working hard to try and keep things going while Mum is healing.

‘H’ gives a very detailed communique on the happenings at the nest over the past few days. This is followed by the latest dispatch from Victor Hurley.

“Melbourne / Collins Street Falcons, October 8 –   F22 returned to incubate the eggs during the overnight of 10/8.  At 0619 she flew out, and then from 0648 to 0702 she hung out at the north end of the ledge (the opposite end from the nest).  F22 has obvious injuries to her head with several patches of missing feathers, but there is no evidence of blood-stained trauma.  Her right eye does appear slightly puffy and she sometimes attempts to hold it closed.  Her disposition was a little ‘off’, and she seemed to be in a slight daze.  Dr. Victor Hurley has stated: ”I wouldn’t be surprised if her injuries included some concussion.”

The eggs were left unattended for over 4.5 hours.  Finally, at 1039 M22 landed at the south ledge and immediately began to incubate the eggs.  He only stayed for 38 minutes, however.  He later returned at 1212, and this time he stayed on the eggs until 1324.

At 1341 F22 landed on the north ledge.  She seemed a little more alert, and she was doing a bit of squawking and rapidly looking around.  She left at 1358, without going to the eggs at all.  At 1359 M22 landed and began to incubate three eggs.  The fourth egg had been inadvertently cast aside at his last departure, but he did not make an effort to gather it at this time.  There were a few times when M22 rose to roll the three eggs.  This time M22 did a long incubation stint of 4.5 hours, and at some point, he did gather the fourth egg to join the other three. Curiously, while M22 was incubating the eggs, F22 landed on the north ledge at 1430, and there was some light chatter between them.  She did not approach the nest, and she flew off after 11 minutes.  

At 1827 F22 returned to the north ledge, and that’s when M22 ended his incubation stint and flew off from the south end.  F22 departed the north ledge at 1942, and once again, she had avoided the south ledge and the nest.  F22 has not been at the nest with the eggs since 0616.  At 2009 F22 landed on the north ledge and went straight to the perch.  The time is now 2200 and F22 remains on the north perch.  The four eggs at the opposite end of the ledge are looking so very cold and lonely.  The current temperature in Melbourne is 9C/48F, and predicted to be 6C/43F overnight.

The eggs have been left unattended for extended periods over the past few days.  Has F22 come to believe that her eggs are not viable causing her to abandon them?  We won’t ever know what happened to our beloved female, F22, but we are very glad that she is alive, and we wish her continued healing.  We need to remind ourselves every single day just how challenging and difficult the lives of all of our feathered friends are.  We must not take a single moment with them for granted.”

  

This is the latest dispatch from Victor Hurley on the situation on the ledge. Thanks so much ‘H’ for keeping tabs on the correspondence coming out of Melbourne!

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Thankfully everything is absolutely perfect at the scrape of Diamond and Xavier at Orange.

The older chick is a little larger now (female probably) and she often gets the first of the food. ‘A’ notes a cute event yesterday, ” Xavier managed somehow to avoid Diamond’s watchful eye and sneak in to do a feeding today, which lasted for 13 minutes and included the younger chick in a big way (he was constantly checking to see if she was about to storm into the box, not at all happy with his ‘interference’). See from about 15:28 – after a bonding session with Diamond, Xavier returns to the box to brood the chicks but as he settles down, the chicks tell him they are hungry (especially the younger one), so Xavier retrieves some stashed prey from the front corner of the scrape and proceeds to feed the pair. His back is to the camera, obscuring the majority of the feeding, but based on what we can see (and hear), the younger chick is getting fed much more at this feeding than it normally does at a Diamond feeding. “

Dad taking one of his incubation times so Mum can have a break at Port Lincoln.

The observation board at Port Lincoln for the 7th of October.

Gorgeous Sea Eagles. Hoping that they’re going to get some more prey! Check out the interest in walking up the branch.

They are nothing short of gorgeous.

And now for some really good news! We can all use it after the worry for Melbourne and, of course, the shooting of the Condor in California recently.

A new ambassador Osprey.

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The two surviving ospreys at Osprey House in Australia are doing very well. Gosh, I wish they had a streaming cam to bridge the gap between the end of the season in the US and the hatch at Port Lincoln! Miss those little grey fuzzy balls of energy! Soon….soon. The beaking will begin.

There is good news coming out of the E-1 nest at the Kisatchie National Forest. Anna is on the nest! No question. It is her.

Everything appears to be alright at the NE Florida Bald Eagle Nest of Gabby and V3.

Gabby and V3 are quite loud…Gabby was biting V3’s bottom today! Affection Eagle Style.

What do you know about Bird Island? First, (don’t peek) do you know where Bird Island is located? Secondly, what are the major bird species that still populate Bird Island? And what are their challenges?

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The more educated we are about the challenges that all our birds face the better equipped we are to advocate for their protection!

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, The Woodland Trust, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Leigh Stillard, Victor Hurley, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, The Peregrine Fund, Key News, Osprey House Environmental Centre, Tonya Irwin and KNF E-1, NEFL-AEF, Lady Haw, Google Maps, British Antarctic Survey, and the Albatross Task Force.

Friday in Bird World

6 October 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you so much for all your good wishes for Lewis. We are taking it all one day at a time. After many consultations with vets (5 this morning), Lewis is on anti-inflammatory pain relief and will be tested for feline FIV on Wednesday. This is a holiday weekend and this is the earliest booking we could get. All decisions will be made based on the results of that test. Feline FIV is like human AIDS. Many feral cats have FIV. Our Humane Society used to test for this at intake but the explosion of pets during Covid – and their subsequent dumping – meant they could not keep up and the lab cost of each test also soared. ‘Feline immunodeficiency virus, or cat FIV, is a retrovirus infection first discovered in cats in the U.S. The virus is often referred to as cat HIV or cat AIDS because it has a similar effect on felines. FIV-positive cats may have the virus in their system for years before showing signs of illness.’ One of the signs is the gums and teeth so we are waiting for testing with Lewis.

One reader’s grandmother advised her never to do anything but to wait…wait until you have all the answers. That is what I am doing. I have found all manner of mobile vet clinics that do specialised care. What a blessing as Lewis was simply overwhelmed with anxiety when he was at the clinic. He is such a sweet boy. To my knowledge, he is only a danger to Hope. Missey is FIV negative and has been vaccinated and so is Calico. Hope cannot have her vaccinations until she is spayed in three weeks. So they are separated and Calico remains separate, too. Lewis and Missey have always been together and she brings him a lot of comfort.

The vet advised that he only have soft food but, I decided, in the end, to put out his favourite hard food, some soft food from a tin, and a lovely bowl of roasted organic chicken for his supper. He ate a little from all the bowls. Poor fella. The girls had some as well. One day at a time. He also had some breakfast. Sadly there is no cure for this disease and sometimes you never see the cat’s activation of the disease til they are much older. Your warm wishes for him are much appreciated.

Lewis and Missey looking out the little window together this evening.

Lewis votes for ‘Wallander’ as one of the best TV shows on BritBox.

The winner of Australia’s Bird of the year for 2023 is –

Looking at the birds. Today brought a single story that just made me so joyful. Tearful.

There are many amazing Ospreys. This is about one amazing female Osprey. She flies more than 4500 km from her nest in Wales to Africa, landing on the same concrete post yearly. Those living in The Gambia wait to see her arrive. What a comfort to know that Llyn Clywedog’s Blue 5F Seren arrived at her winter home safely again this year. It does just bring tears to your eyes. Ten years. A decade.

Migration is the single most perilous event in the lives of the ospreys. Many never make it their first year to a winter abode where they will live, maturing for the next two years. This amazing female – the fantastic mate of Dylan – has been doing this repeatedly. What an amazing bird she is. Let us all hope that her winter home continues to exist amidst much habitat loss for the birds in the region. Send positive wishes that she avoids Avian Flu and returns in April to her nest to raise more amazing chicks. She lost one this year to the goshawk – taken while feeding them. Such a tragedy.

Here is an article form Natural Resources on Seren.

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Some information on Osprey migration to remind you of the reasons and perils these magnificent birds (and all other migrating birds) undertake.

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The migration map for all species for 5 October in North America.

Checking on the migration status of Karl II and his Black Stork family for 5 October.

Kaia is in Israel!

Last data from Karl II he was in Turkey.

Kalvi is in Bulgaria.

Little Waba is in Romania.

Bonus’s tracker quit transmitting some time ago. His status is unknown.

Please go and vote for names for the two falcons at Orange. This year the choice is from local mammals that live in the area.

Gabby and V3 are thinking about eggs. Moss came in to line the nest bowl today. Looking good in The Hamlet!

The Pritchetts have ended the wait and all the anxiety surround ‘a name’ for M15’s new female. Like him, she has a gender designation and the year she came to the nest. F23.

One of the pair flies away. You can see that in the images 2/3. Going to get more moss!

At Orange, ‘H’ caught Xavier delivering breakfast to his lovely family. These two chicks are doing so well. They are being fed equally, and there are no problems with their size, etc. It is wonderful to see!

At Port Lincoln, Dad has been delivering fish. Here is the daily observations from yesterday.

Imncubation continues at Collins Street.

The Sea Eagles are beautiful. They are growing up too fast, and we should be looking for branching shortly. Too soon they will fledge. Just look at those beauties.

The NZ DOC ranges had their best year ever. 33 chicks Royal Albatross chicks fledged off Taiaroa. Congratulations!

Here is the complete story:

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The heating planet and seas will have a direct impact on the ability of our beloved Royal Albatross (and all other sea birds and those that rely on fish from the sea, rivers, and lakes) to survive. What are some scientists saying?

‘As Carbon Brief has pointed out, it makes three main points. The first is that some important clean energy tech – solar energy, electric cars and battery production – is now being rolled out at a record pace, in line with what is needed to reach global net zero emissions by 2050. Under the IEA’s pathway to zero, solar and EVs could provide one-third of the global emissions cuts needed by 2030. This tells us that rapid change is possible. In the case of solar, it suggests that it can leapfrog fossil fuels as a primary energy source in the developing world, if influential countries tailor their support in that direction.’

This could be one of the solutions for our birds – solar power is growing in many industries, including fishing boats. Now, if we could get them to limit their catch, set their lines at night – or even have a 5-year moratorium on any fishing – might the seas recover?

Feeding cats is a problem and I must be much more diligent to ensure that my family of felines only eats sustainable products. I will keep you informed as I work my way through this process of Dolphin Friendly, no bycatch brands. If you have been studying this, please let me know what you have discovered!

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From ‘H’ this morning – a wonderful thought to share with all of you.

We know that leaving our gardens for the winter is the best thing we can do for the insects, the animals, and the birds. One of the elders in our province tells us, ‘We don’t cut into Mother Earth with metal blades; we cover her with a blanket and tuck her in for the long sleep.’ Wise words.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, photographs, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘B, H, K’, Birdlife Australia, Jane Dell and UK Osprey Info, Natural Resources Wales, Birdfact, RSPB, SAVE, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Sunnie Day, Looduskalender Forum, Donatella Preston, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Heidi M, PLO, NZ DOC, The Guardian, Holly Parsons, and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam.

Second hatch for Xavier and Diamond…Tuesday in Bird World

3 October 2023

Good Morning!

Thank you so much for your good wishes. The cats are very good healing therapy and I am getting there. Indeed, I thought Covid was over til last evening when the dizziness and nausea returned. Hopefully in the next couple of days.

We woke to lightning and heavy rain this morning. The conservatory was lit up like a Halloween pumpkin. It did not bother the kittens as much as it did me!

Missey and Lewis have been enjoying a ‘cat video’ with squirrels and birds!

Hope and Calico prefer watching the ‘real’ things when they are not napping!

Lewis has been having fun with some new little crochet toys full of catnip. He remains the sweetest thing except for Missey’s food or Calico!

There is a second hatch in progress at Orange as I am writing this! That first little one is sure strong. Remember: the chicks will not be able to ‘see’ clearly until about 5 days from hatch. Oh, if there are to be three let them all be strong and healthy with lots of prey this summer so Xavier doesn’t have to work so hard! Will it be a year for Cicadas? Does anyone remember Izzi and his ‘Cicada popsicles’?

Poor Xavier. He has come in with breakfast for Diamond and wee eyas one. Now he is wondering if he will have to sit on the ledge all day?? How is that second hatch progressing?

There it is and already the new hatch is being encouraged to take a bite of prey.

Diamond is tired. She has been going at this for 48 hours – rubbing the eggs around in the pebbles helping to get that shell off a little quicker, if possible, without hurting the little one. So happy these two are close in the time they hatched. Now, the big question is: will there be three?

There is much hope for these two hatches at orange. Both of the chicks are very, very strong this year – each reaching up and wanting food right away when offered. Isn’t it lovely? A remarks, “Oh my goodness! Number two isn’t even dry yet and it’s up and begging for food. And EATING several mouthfuls. It’s not even half an hour old. I’m so glad this one is a strong one. I like a strong younger chick. Now we hope the third egg remains as a pillow and football! Amazing. Such a strong chick.”

V3 has been at the nest tree in The Hamlet waiting for Gabby. Are those new battle wounds?

‘A’ remarks, “V3 spent a lot of the morning in the nest tree this morning. Later in the day, both V3 and Gabby spent the early evening doing nest work together. See from about 06:40pm onwards. According to our BOTG, they are perched and tucked together again tonight in the lumber yard. It is so good to see them working together on the nest. V3 is showing quite a few fresh wounds on his feet, so has obviously been defending Gabby and their territory whether or not he has been at the nest tree. Over the past two days, he has spent the majority of the time on or near the nest tree and has obviously decided the time has come to make a stand. It may be that he has been successful in persuading A2 and A3 to move along. We do hope so. These two need to get on with their season.” 

At the nest of M15, our fabulous dad and his new mate are getting on with things – restorations and bonding!

Lady Hawk catches the action between M15 and his new lady.

Shadow and Jackie were up at the crack of dawn working on their nest.

A new male has been coming around Bella at the NCTC nest. Smitty has been missing since the 21st of September.

Tonya Irvin has some concerns about Anna at the KNF-E1 nest.

WBSE 31 and 32 – oh, so adorable. Getting bigger and stronger by the day.

Looks like that promised rain in Melbourne is going to materialise and help keep our falcons a little cooler! Sure liking those temperatures for the coming week.

Liznm gives us a good look at one of those magnificent prey deliveries at Collins Street!

Mum is still waiting for Dad to bring in a fish for breakfast at Port Lincoln. I find this a bit discouraging – it is after 1000. Let’s hope the pace and quantity of the fish drastically improves once those eggs hatch.

This month’s Condor Chat from Ventana Wildlife Society.

Audubon has released its study of summer heat and shorebirds.

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Thank you so much for being with me today! Check out the two new hatches at Orange. If you are feeling ‘blue’, they will put a smile on your face.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, streaming cams, and articles that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A’, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Deb Steyck and the NCTC, Tonya Irvin and Raptors of the World, Sydney Sea Eagles, Lizmn and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Audubon Florida.