Category Archives: animal rights

Boone and Jolene lose their nest tree…Monday in Bird World

30 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Please mark your calendars. It isn’t stripped bass – they, too, need the Menhaden and so do our ospreys. Remember Cobey from the Colonial Beach nest and let them see that people care. Thanks, ‘PB’.

Thank you so much for all your lovely letters and comments. You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing from you. I don’t always answer quickly, but I will answer. I promise. For everyone who has raked their leaves in the corner of their lot and left them, thank you. The key is to not mow them, to not blow them (who invented those noisy machines?), and to not stuff those leaves in bags. Just contain yourself and leave them alone. The insects will thank you and the songbirds in the spring will thank you even more.

Most of you are aware that my ‘right hand’ person is Heidi. I simply could not make it through all that data without her — or all the deaths. We try to prop one another when we just can’t stand another little one losing its life because there was not enough fish. A few weeks ago, Heidi attended the Hawk Watch Migration count at Cape Henlopen. Heidi has permitted me to share her day with you. In doing so, I hope that you might get so excited that you will head out to learn about migrating birds and how to identify them! It is an exhilarating experience.

I had a blast at the Hawk Watch platform at Cape Henlopen, Delaware on Saturday.  The platform is built on top of an old WWII military bunker located at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware on the Atlantic Ocean.  It is just south of the mouth of Delaware Bay, and almost directly south of the infamous Cape May New Jersey Hawk Watch platform on the other side of the bay. 

There was a lead hawk spotter-counter there, named Jen.  Jen has 25 years experience, and lives in Colorado.  She relocates to the area each fall to lead the hawk count.  There were also several other experienced spotters arriving throughout the day, some of whom were also from out of state.  The spotters all had binoculars and scopes, but they primarily used their binoculars.

I was pleased with my binoculars.  I had been worried that I may not be able to find the birds when the spotters called them out, but I did very well in being able to get most of the birds into my view.  Haha, except for the Merlins… they were so darn fast, I was only able to see a few of them before they flew southwest behind some trees.

The weather was nice, with a light NE wind.  Some spotters had hoped for a little less bright sun for enhanced viewing.  But, the hawk watch had their highest total hawk count, and the highest osprey count to date this season.  I picked a great day to go there.

I remember what Gessner said in his book “Soaring with Fidel.”  It was when he was on the Cape May platform, that he was apprised of the hawk spotting technique:  GISS = ‘general impression of size and shape’.  The other folks at the platform were very helpful in giving me tips.  

Ospreys were fairly easy for me to identify, except when they were very far away and were headed straight for the platform.  To my eye, at that distance and aspect, they could have been a large gull.  Those folks were so good though, they could still tell it was an osprey even that far away. 

The ospreys made me smile.  There were so many of them (298).  Some ospreys flew high and were off to our left or right, but some were lower and flew right over us.  Many were already carrying a fish when we spotted them.  I was told that on average (depending on the wind of course), it might take an osprey only about 20-25 minutes to fly over the water from Cape May to Cape Henlopen.

I’m guessing that the viewing platform is less than 500 feet from the Atlantic Ocean.  I saw several ospreys diving and fishing.  If they missed, they would simply rise up and dive again.  Most were successful in catching their lunch.  I was told that sometimes the ‘O’s would find a tree to perch and eat, but that many of them would simply just hang on to their catch and keep on flying.  Indeed they did… I saw many ospreys carrying fish that just kept on going, and I suppose they knew they had a ready meal when they decided to stop.

I also did pretty well at identifying the bald eagles, even the juveniles.  At one time, Jen modified someone’s sighting and said that a particular bald eagle was not an adult, but a sub adult.  Wow.  Jen also pointed out an adult ‘baldie’ that was missing a couple of primaries on the right wing.  I could see that the feathers were missing through my binoculars.   

They counted a record number of sharp-shinned hawks.  I got to know their shape and their pattern of wing flapping (thanks to Jen’s tutelage).  I didn’t have the confidence to call any of them out when I saw them… but, I would smile a little to myself when the spotters would call out “sharpie.”  The spotters could spot peregrines, and state if it was a juvenile.  They knew ‘cooper’s’ from ‘sharpies’ based on their different styles of wing flapping.  And, they spotted several kestrels.  

One of the spotters alerted us to an adult bald eagle chasing an osprey holding a fish out over the ocean.  So, I quickly found the scene in my binoculars and watched as the eagle was directly upon the osprey.  The ‘O’ dropped the fish, and the two birds parted ‘amicably’, lol!  Another spectacular scene happened over the ocean… After we were alerted, I quickly viewed it with the naked eye… A previously identified peregrine stooped to try to catch a merlin, but the speedy merlin got away just in the nick of time!  Wow again!

Oh, gosh… I was simply blown away by this experience.  It was fantastic.  After seven hours on my feet, turning around and around, and straining my neck to look up, I was exhausted, hurting, and sunburned (note to self… don’t forget the sunscreen next time).  I have a lot to learn about hawk watching, and I am looking forward to it.

Heidi sent us some images:

Thank you Heidi for sharing this awesome experience with us! I am so happy that you got down to Cape Henlopen.

Where did the time go? I remember this wee one eating and now it had its fledgling flight. What a beautiful chick. 64 days old. S/he is stunningly gorgeous. I suspect a ‘she’ with that amazing necklace – the only one to survive of the three that hatched at this nest this year.

That ‘other’ Australian osprey is now a dark little reptile!!!!!! Growing Home’s Only Bob is thriving. In a few weeks, this little dark pesky osplet will look like the one above.

At the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam in Orange, Australia, we are preparing to get out the popcorn and watch Xavier and Diamond’s first eyas of 2024 hatch!

In Ithaca, Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with Arthur. Big Red and Arthur traditionally start checking on their nest in November (if my old memory and notebooks serve me correctly).

I did not know this!

Monty and Hartley are at the San Jose scrape. https://youtu.be/RH_D9M-FGVQ?

Gabby and 24E1 spent the night at the nest tree.

Heavy rain arrived late on Sunday.

Audacity is working on the nest in the Channel Islands that she shares with Jak in the hope that they might have even one single egg to hatch this year. https://youtu.be/MVtTqzgcVhc?

Lady slept with her babies on the nest. One is more interested in what is happening off the nest while the other is self-feeding. Oh, these babies are growing up just a little bit too fast.

‘A’ comments: “Still waiting for my sea eaglets to leave, and so are the currawongs. As I mentioned in an email last week, the currawongs have been particularly bothersome this season, swooping the parents and generally attacking the nest way more than I have seen in previous years. It is not a great sign, is it. We can but hope, but we have to admit that past experience does not suggest a good outcome. I am worried. 

At WBSE everything was very civilised at lunch, with mum feeding the half half of a fish to both eaglets fairly even-handedly. The two are, as you mentioned in your blog, the best of friends, and they have been getting along famously for a while now. In fact, I continue to insist we have a pair of brothers in these two. There is no female aggression between them. They had a minor period early on where basic pecking order was established based on age, and SE34 was fairly confident fairly soon, so there was only a relatively short period where SE34 was even vaguely intimidated by his older sibling. 

The pair have been an absolute joy to watch, as is usual with this nest. I give the credit to the parents, of course, who are like a well-oiled machine at this point. Dad has kept food on the nest very reliably and Lady has doled it out, making sure her younger son was never overlooked. These two gorgeous nestlings are the result of their dedication. Now, we watch with extreme apprehension to see whether they can be the fledglings that beat the currawongs and manage a successful life as juveniles. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? 

Every year I grow to love the two eaglets at this nest and every year, we have a tragic outcome because of those damned pesky small birds. I get why they do it, and I can’t help but admire their courage and their teamwork when I see variants of it in my own garden and in mum’s, but when it impacts our eaglets year after year, it becomes very depressing indeed. These guys prefer fish to currawong anyway! I wish the currawongs would work that out. How many currawongs have been eaten on that nest? I haven’t seen a single one. ” “I’ve been watching my gorgeous sea eaglets this afternoon. Mum has been feeding the pair a fish mid-afternoon. They are well-behaved. Lady is still feeding them although it appears both are very capable of self-feeding at this stage. Mum slept with them on the nest last night, at the back of the nest, near the perch branch, but still, very near to her babies and keeping close watch over them. We don’t even have GHOs here, and I am unsure whether any of our owls are predators for the sea eagles. Which reminds me, that GHO you showed in your blog is adorable, and I know that they are mortal enemies for bald eagles and ospreys but to me, they are still the cutest creatures. Those legs are SO strong (as are their feet) and the silence of their flight is quite eerie. I told you about the gorgeous large Powerful Owl that flew within a metre or two of me in the back yard a few months ago. It flew so close and it was so large and yet it was virtually silent. There was no sound of beating wings, just a very slight rustling as the wind passed through the feathers. I felt so privileged.”

Beautiful fall footage of Boone and Jolene’s nest tree taken before the tree and nest were destroyed by Hurricane Helene. https://youtu.be/tzrHesJqNNA?

Talk about cute. This reminded me to put out some apple pieces for the garden squirrels!

Holly Parsons is getting way too excited about the pip watch coming up for Xavier and Diamond. She is so excited she posted a video about how chicks get out of eggs to show us how much hard work it is for them. No wonder they are soooooo tired after hatch! https://youtu.be/Ptr-kS09H4w?

Melting glaciers in Europe are causing some countries to stop measuring their depth because they no longer exist. Others are having to redrawn national boundary lines. Water will have a huge impact on humans, but also on our beloved raptors.

Melting glaciers force Switzerland and Italy to redraw part of Alpine border | Climate crisis | TheDownload

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Ditch the toxins and embrace white vinegar. Calico is constantly bugging me about the gallons of white vinegar. Now this brilliant cat has found a beautiful chart with everything we can use it for and help save the environment!

Take Calico’s Quick Quiz. How many uses of white vinegar did you know about? And did you learn something? I had no idea about perfectly peeled eggs! We are going to try that tomorrow for our picnic.

Thank you for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, blogs, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog: ‘A, H, J, PB’, Virginia Osprey Foundation, Osprey House Environment Centre, Heidi McGrue and The Joy of Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Lisa Dulany, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, NestFlix Memories, Olympic Park Eagles, Wildlife Haven, Holly Parsons, The Guardian.

Saturday in Bird World

28 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I am starting to put all of the things that excite me or late updates here at the top. On Friday evening 24E1 brought Gabby her first fish gift of the season. She devoured that fish. I know that many have been cheering for Beau. Beau is not at the nest. 24E1 is and Gabby appears to be more than happy with him. His toes are ‘not that bad’ and actually appear to be healing. He is perfectly capable of protecting the nest, taking care of Gabby, and we hope providing for her and their eaglets, if that happens.

Gabby was working on the nest. She knows he is coming. Look at the delight on 24E1’s face when Gabby accepts the fish!

Friday was the most glorious day. There was a clear blue sky. Not a hint of a cloud! There was a nice breeze and the temperature was 22 C. As I write, the European Starlings have come in to try and get as many meal worms out of the nut cylinder as they can. Little do they know that I ordered them 22 lbs of meal worms. They will be here on Sunday.

Mr Crow got into the action, too!

It was Open House at Wildlife Haven. The Director said they wondered if they were taking a huge risk having the event so late in the month, but, no. It was fabulous. Last year it was 15 September and wet and cold. The vet who is doing her internship for a year as part of a project through the University of Guelph was amazing. I learned so much! And I asked a lot of questions for all of us!!!!!!!!!

First up a little bragging. I never win anything. And today, by putting the feather to the raptor (12 different ones), I won the book prize. It is a marvelous volume that I will enjoy.

We got to visit with one of the GHO ambassadors. It was found at the bottom of the nest. The parents would not feed it and then it was discovered why. It was born with only one eye and its beak was crooked so it could not hunt or survive in the wild.

Isn’t this owl a sweetie?

The volunteer with the GHO sent me over to Rick who was hosting a display on Kestrels. He does videography as well as taxidermy. I learned so much about how long it will take to get my Cooper’s Hawk approved for ‘stuffing’.

That is the female Kestrel on the top. She is larger than the male. Rick has a blind and monitors a small population of these raptors. He says the females are ‘fierce’. The males not so much. Want the territory protected? Call the female!!!!!!

Patients are brought to Wildlife Haven by Conservation Officers, Volunteers, and the general public. At intake, they try to get as much information as possible so that the patient can be returned to its territory on release. The goal is always to get them back to the wild. Next is the examination room where there is a host of machines such as an x-ray to try and determine what is needed.

Tess said that the centre is lucky. It has all of the facilities needed including a surgical centre so that raptors with broken wings can be put on the mend and not euthanised.

There are oxygen rich incubators if needed.

Cages for animals awaiting diagnosis. They are using stuffies so that the real animals do not get stressed.

A stuffie stands in for the Bald Eagle who did have wing surgery and is in one of the larger areas awaiting transfer to the flight pens.

The sub-adult Bald Eagle that had the surgery.

You have all heard about imping. Replacing a missing feather with another which is glued in place. According to Tess, you can only imp 2-3 feathers if you want success. Most of the raptors have many more feathers missing either their primaries, tail feathers, or both. She did say that in Manitoba, most of the hydro poles are insulated so that the birds are not electrocuted. She has not seen an electrocution from a power pole.

As I walked around I took notice of all the things that are needed in case you are feeling like making a donation. Those clean old towels are needed all the time! Dawn detergent. Bleach. All manner of stainless steel or plastic container that could be used for feeding animals. Look on the shelves below! If you clean out a house for someone moving (or otherwise), please consider donating items to your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic. They go through gallons of bleach and Dawn!!!!!!

Those old clean towels and sheets are always needed. If you are feeling ‘flush’, a good laundry set is always wanted.

One thing we haven’t thought of – bees wax paper. They use it for bandages for turtles! You can put the beeswax paper on the incision or wound and it actually keeps it from getting infected. They can use these for a fortnight without changing them and they are removed easily with a tongue depressor.

There is a turtle in there with a beeswax bandage under that leaf.

Majestic, the Ambassador Bald Eagle.

It was a great event. The new vet tech is fantastic. I said that at least twice. Her goal is for every animal to live in the wild. She said that the area of wildlife rehabilitation veterinary science is relatively new compared to large animals or domestic pets. One aspect that she is keenly interested in is the resilience of the animals. Can a turtle live in the wild with only three legs? Why not try it? Monitor them. The answer is, ‘Yes, they can’. What about a raptor with one leg? It was not that long ago that the wildlife would be euthanised. Now, some wildlife vets are ‘sticking their necks out’ to see precisely who can live with what injuries and thrive. I highly recommend that you seek out your local clinic and find out when they have Open House!

‘MP’ suggests that it is the right time to get that platform at Achieva fixed before the new breeding season starts. I sent a note to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre to see if they could help. It is possible that there are so many animals in need that this could still be low on the priority list. The platform needs a new perch if not two of them. The dish needs proper drainage but with the ability to not allow eggs or nestlings to fall down and die or break. Was the tree trimmed to stop raccoons? What about other predators?

Oh, goodness. Falcons are the cutest! Don’t you love how they talk to their eggs?!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/qjh2vn1-vh4?

The Royal Cam chick’s name is Kiwa. Just lovely and the meaning is perfect.

Gabby was in the nest on Friday.

No one at the Newfoundland Power nest…it seems they have all headed south.

‘J’ reports that both eagles have been seen at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands eagle nest.

The Bluff City Bald Eagle streaming cam is up and running. The nest appears alright.

The wind is still blowing reasonably strong at Pa and Missey Berry’s nest in NE Georgia.

If you missed the live Ventana Wildlife Chat live, here is the recording. https://youtu.be/yLBrKSws3Zg? This month focuses on “…the Condor Crew highlight the arrival of our condor “rookies” in San Simeon, while our new interns, Rachel and Griffin, offer a glimpse into the developing personalities of these young birds. We also share some exciting nesting and flock updates, including a video of wild-hatched condor chick 1315 being fed by his dad, and Bucky (1087)’s release date from Oakland Zoo.“

What an adorable family. The Olympic Park Eagles in Sydney.

You still have time to guess the day and time the first egg will hatch at Port Lincoln. Put it under the streaming cam in chat! A big thanks to Brad M for keeping us great historical records and organising all the information including the daily log of nest happenings. It is invaluable. The link is at the top of the chat.

‘PB’ reports that the Seaside Bird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida, suffered substantial damage due to flooding.

‘J’ sends us Rita’s Fun Fact Friday: Rita the Bald Eagle

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Time for Fun Fact Friday! Enrichment for good health! It is very important for any facility that takes care of birds and other animals to provide an environment with lots of enrichment to help them thrive. For a raptor, like Rita, having various perches of different heights with different materials covering them helps to keep her feet healthy, and the wood provides a good surface for her to “feak” her beak to keep it clean and sharp. Being able to bath in her bath tub and having a water mister helps with feather conditioning. A variety of prey items, some of which can be placed in containers that require her to use her foraging skills, is very stimulating. A few examples that simulate foraging in the wild are to place prey items in a floating bowl in the bath tub to be “fished out” or to freeze the prey in ice blocks, or put it in egg cartons or cardboard boxes with holes cut out so the prey is still visible are all great ideas. This allows the eagle to “hunt” and tear at the container to get to the prey. Another idea was to provide a sisal rope toy that the eagle could flip around and stomp on like it would do with sticks or prey in the wild. There are lots of ideas for enrichment online. When researching ideas, I came across a YT video of an eagle that was given a carved out pumpkin! That’s a great idea since Halloween is coming up and the stores will have pumpkins! Those caregivers carved holes in it and stuffed it with prey items sticking out so the eagle could forage for its food. With that idea in mind, I brought a ball for Rita, and Kelly and Laura put fish in for her to pick out! She had such a funny expression when she first saw the ball. Kelly and her team are always striving to provide the best of care for Rita with enrichment in her environment and diet that can help her thrive. They are the bestn and your support can help provide some stimulating enrichment for Rita! Thank you! JK  #ritathebaldeagle

The Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from the Hen Harrier brooding scheme!

Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from hen harrier brood meddling sham – Raptor Persecution UKDownload

Friday evening we took a quick spin over to The Mint. On our way to Wildlife Haven, we noticed hundreds of geese feeding on the grass at The Mint. I wondered if they would return to the pond at night for its security.

That did not happen. There were a few geese in the pond along with some ducks, but not many.

Is it because of this?

Calico’s Tip for the Day comes from ‘Everything Gardening’. Get yourself a nice cuppa and sit back and leave the leaves alone.

Missey and Hugo Yugo wish you a fantastic weekend. They want you to take care of yourself. Get outside if you can. Listen for the birds. Pet a cat! And be back with us as soon as you can.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP, PB’, Wildlife Haven, SK Hideaways, NZ-DOC, NEFL-AEF, Newfoundland Power, Achieva Credit Union, Berry College Eagle Cam, ETSU Bluff City, Olympic Park Eagles, Raptor Persecution UK, The Canadian Mint, Winnipeg, and Everything Gardening.

Tuesday in Bird World

24 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Monday was a whirlwind day for us. There were many joys, including seeing Canada Geese feeding on field after field of grain that had just been harvested! They were flying in and landing around 10:00. I did not stop and get any images, but just the beauty of fall and the geese feeding on those golden fields made my day!

Then we went and picked out a cemetery plot! I am going to make a point here – really, I am. It isn’t as morbid as it seems although the emotion of death can creep in. It was nice to have my daughter with us. We got reacquainted with a place that was always ‘home’ in my heart – the tiny hamlet of Graysville. New people purchased my fifteen acres, painted the horse barn recently, and I saw two beautiful Quarter Horses in the fields. They had lined the long lane with willowy Poplar trees from the road to the house on both sides. The property looked loved – and that made me very happy.

You might recall that my friend’s husband died quickly. Thankfully they had time to discuss matters, but they did not have the time to get all of the paperwork in order. That is why we were at the cemetery along the river just south of Graysville. My attitudes toward cemeteries and golf courses has changed immensely as the City I live in concretes every square inch of grass that it can. Our birds need safe, quiet places, and no better place than a cemetery or a golf course. Of course, the geese don’t bother the cemetery residents, but I wonder if golfers love them! Still, keeping that in mind, instead of flying my children around the world to deposit some of those ashes in various beautiful places, they will seep into the soil near the edges of the Boyne River. A Gull flew over while we were there. Everything felt good. As my former neighbour said, ‘Pick your neighbours!’ and I did – those who lived near me in life will keep me company in death. So SW1/4 of plot 187 Riverside Cemetery is it. Now, to get on to a proper marker – something creative in the form of an osprey? Surely, with a big fish!

So boxes ticked off. The point is not to put off what you can do today whether that is telling someone how special they are to you, going for a quiet walk to help get over some of modern life’s anxieties, or phoning a friend. One never knows what tomorrow will bring, so do it now. Thinking of a birding holiday, go for it! Register if you want to take up that painting class you always wanted to. Live life.

A new book arrived while I was away. Bird Migration. A New Understanding by John H. Rappole. Calico and I will keep you posted!

‘J’ sent news that two of the small Kakapo population have died.

Two other deaths involve White Storks that were fitted with trackers. They have both died as they made their way to Africa for their migration. One in Egypt and the other died in Turkey. I hope to have more news later. Thanks, ‘T’.

There are still fledglings at Newfoundland Power’s Snow Lane osprey platform. Beaumont is really rejoicing in having chicks to feed this season. What an amazing father he has been. The second chick got one at the nest and the first chick ate a fish on a building. It appears that Beaumont is now delivering fish elsewhere.

The Royal Cam chick fledged and Cornell Bird Labs caught it on video. Watch this gracious seabird take its first flight. Wonder what the wind under the wings feels like? https://youtu.be/JEPh2WFtij0?

At the NE Florida Eagle Cam, Gabby woke up to a bright morning with 24E1.

Please note that not all of the cameras will be operational at the NE Florida nest as per this post:

Omega is destroying Chesapeake Bay. The Bunk are gone. The whales and dolphins need the Menhaden as do our beloved Osprey. Many of us hope that with the attention that the issue is getting, Omega will be ordered to halt its operations! Yesterday they had 8 boats out!!!!!!!! Stay tuned.

Want to get the latest updates on the condor fledglings? the status of the flock? Thursday is the monthly Condor Chat with Ventana Wildlife.

Oh, oh, I love it when those little beaks join in with Lady and Dad. Have a listen as the sea eaglets join in the morning duet! https://youtu.be/48EjAMoLuCA?

Gorgeous closeups. These are the sweetest eaglets! https://youtu.be/gCTsigfyYTg?

More sea eagle cuteness. https://youtu.be/WyC-YClWSqI?

Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln barge enjoying a quiet morning. In a fortnight they will be very busy – and so will those fish fairies!

More fish need protecting.

These are some of the issues fish in Canada are facing:

Noxious fish have been introduced internationally. George is feeding Only Bob a Tilapia. This beautiful osplet is doing so well.

The ‘baby’ is now two months old!

Jackie and Shadow are back! At the nest. https://youtu.be/o9uAdniPNMU?

Thank you so much for being with us today. In a few days I am going to take a wee break before we have hatches at Port Lincoln, Melbourne, and Orange. It will be some time before our eagles have eggs! I will keep you posted when my mini-break is taking place! Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, T’, Kakapo Recovery, Newfoundland Power, Cornell Bird Lab, NEFL-AEF, Lisa Russo, William Dunn and Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal, USFWS, Ventana Wildlife Society, NestFlix Memories, Nesting Bird Life and More, SK Hideaways, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Canadian Wildlife Society, and Osprey House Environment Centre, and WingsofWhimsy.

Sunday in Bird World

15 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you to those who sent me screen captures of the ads they received when they read my blog. Hopefully, everything is fixed so that they do not appear again.

Oh, what a day it was. The goal was to finish a few small and manageable tasks since it was so hot outside. Well, nothing was easy. The lights that Wirecutter had given their top rating (for both inside and outside) would only work with a W two-prong outdoor extension cord. Think you could find one in Winnipeg? No. The desire to have lights around the conservatory did not leave my head or Hugo Yugo’s. She loves fairy lights. Consequently, we came home with three boxes to go around the perimeter. Now, attaching the cords to the conservatory was another matter. It turns out those picture frame thingamabobs that you nail into the wall (the brass ones) will slip over a part of the conservatory. Bingo. We have lights. The next was to pick a paint to colour block a section of the wall behind my desk to match the feathers in the oak frames. Done. There was a light switch that needed a cover plate. Done. This weekend was the time to put out unwanted but good-quality items for others to rummage through on the boulevard. Partly through. We did not get the painting done, but we did pick up a delicious pumpkin pie!!!!!!!! Oh, it helped with all the annoyance from the lights. Missey loves the whipped cream.

I would to start with a very sad story coming out of Baltimore. It has to do with starving fledgling ospreys and the decline of Menhaden. It is impacting these birds to such an extent that they get wiped out in the area completely if the industrial fishing of Menhaden is not stopped. If you have not written to your Senator and your Congressperson, then do so. Even if you live elsewhere. Here is the latest article. Imagine 80 starving osplets at one wildlife rehab center. Imagine.

[Baltimore Sun] Osprey starvation in the Chesapeake Bay spurs renewed debate about fish harvest – ThDownload

Many years ago I told the story of how a very large female Sharp-shinned Hawk changed my life. All of a sudden the frantic pace of the work world I lived in didn’t matter. Only her. Today, I read an article in The Guardian of another woman working in a high-powered position whose life was changed by a baby Hare. It is moving and the images are gorgeous. Have a read.

I was addicted to a high-pressure job when a baby hare came into my life. How would raising it change me?https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/sep/14/raising-a-baby-hare?CMP=share_btn_url

In another article, I felt gutted to learn that any elephant has to be killed because there is no food. Wars, famine, habitat loss, drought caused by climate change – what will be the eventual impact on all our wildlife unless we find ways to protect it?

“Zimbabwe orders cull of 200 elephants amid food shortages from droughthttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/14/zimbabwe-orders-cull-of-200-elephants-amid-food-shortages-from-drought?CMP=share_btn_url

So, what is happening in Bird World? Very little. All nests in Australia except for the Olympic Park Eagles are incubating eggs. The Royal Cam chick is set to take to the skies and oceans any moment. Will Partney and Marrum be able to save any other eggs from the Ravens? That is anyone’s guess, but I would put my dime on ‘no’. Diamond and Xavier continue to entertain us as does M22 and F23 in Melbourne. Dad is doing a pretty good job delivering fish to Mum at Port Lincoln. I would like to hear more news and see more images of our dear Ervie.

What is happening at Hellgate Canyon? Finnegan is just a master angler. He would win every fishing award for the season. It is hard to check on the Hellgate streaming cam without seeing Antali with either a huge crop or a fish delivery or both. Finnegan is working over time to make sure that his second hatch is well prepared. These kids are not starving like those in the area of Chesapeake Bay! The Ospreys inland have done well this season save for the heat and some bizarre nest accidents.

The latest news first: Iris and Sum-eh are still home with Finnegan and Antali. Thanks, ‘PB’ for that message!

Antali’s constant screaming for fish explained by the Dyfi Osprey Project. https://youtu.be/w3_WT9456-k?

At Charlo, it appears that C16 is trying his own luck at fishing. He is often on the nest or perch shaking off the water. There are fish deliveries, but they are certainly not as frequent as those of Finnegan for Antali.

Both juveniles are still at the Newfoundland Snow Lane nest where it was windy with some rain on Saturday. There are still fish deliveries. It was impossible for me to tell if Hope is still in the area.

River has a bulging crop at Sandpoint.

Junebug is home at Dunrovin.

No one is home at Foulshaw Moss.

There is good news coming from Big Bear. The evacuation order has been lifted. Jackie and Shadow should be safe but the area around their nest is full of heavy smoke at times.

The cams at SW Florida are getting their maintenance, so they are ready for the start of Bald Eagle season on 1 October. https://youtu.be/aeeH7EzNV5E?

I love geese. How many times have you heard that? Sometimes Calico thinks that I like geese more than cats. It seems that I am always reading books about things with feathers and never cats. Maybe she has a point. :)))))) Decorah Goose Cam is playing season highlights!!!!!!!!! Oh, you can see the goslings jump again! https://www.youtube.com/live/4FB6bLI39lo?

There are highlights at Decorah North, too, but it is snowing and Mrs DNF is covered! https://www.youtube.com/live/ZFuWYnuu9I8?

The NCTC nest of Bella and Scout is live. Bella and Scout were in the nest earlier in the morning.

Thunder and Akecheta were caught on camera during large parts of Saturday.

Wondering what is happening at NE Florida with Gabby and Beau? Looks like we have to wait until the 18th!

Didn’t see E1-M2 at the Kistachie National Forest nest, but his turtle shells are all there! Wonder if the kiddos will have turtle meals this year instead of fish?

One of the highlights of Ferris Akel’s Saturday Tour was a Gallinago or a Snipe. Just look at the plumage.

Ferris was also at the Open House of the Cornell Raptor Centre. It is not clear if the Red-tail Hawk Ambassador was E3, Big Red’s kiddo.

The Peregrine Falcon was very loud and caused Calico some anxiety.

Open Houses are excellent opportunities to learn about the raptors, their needs, and challenges and to just get up close with them. Check out your local wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is normal for the Open Houses to take place in the fall so, you just might be in luck! If not, save the date for 2025.

The RSPB describes the Gallinago or Wilson’s Snipe, “Snipe are medium sized, skulking wading birds with short legs and long, straight bills. Both sexes are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes on the back, dark streaks on the chest and pale under parts. They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK, with particularly high densities on northern uplands but lower numbers in southern lowlands (especially south west England). In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds. The UK population of Snipe has undergone moderate declines overall in the past twenty-five years, with particularly steep declines in lowland wet grassland, making it an Amber List species.”

All About Birds has some Cool Facts about the Wilson’s Snipe:

  • Cool Facts
    • Wilson’s Snipe look so stocky thanks in part to the extra-large pectoral (breast) muscles that make up nearly a quarter of the bird’s weight—the highest percent of all shorebirds. Thanks to their massive flight muscles this chunky sandpiper can reach speeds estimated at 60 miles an hour.
    • Wilson’s Snipe feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for insect larvae, worms, and other invertebrate prey. The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed. Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil.
    • Because a Wilson’s Snipe’s eyes are set far back on its head, it can see almost as well behind as in front and to the sides. This arrangement makes it difficult for a potential predator to sneak up on a feeding snipe—it almost literally has “eyes in the back of its head.”
    • The word “sniper” originated in the 1770s among British soldiers in India who hunted snipe as game. The birds are still hunted in many countries, including the U.S., though their fast, erratic flight style means they are difficult targets.
    • Although only the female tends the eggs and nestlings, Wilson’s Snipe parents split up the siblings once they’re ready to fledge. The male takes the two oldest; the female takes the younger two with her. After they leave the nest the mates have no further contact.
    • Researchers have done wind tunnel tests with Wilson’s Snipe feathers to try and duplicate the “winnowing” sound that’s made as birds fly with their tail feathers fanned. They found that it’s the outermost tail feathers, or rectrices, that generate the sound, which apparently happens at airspeeds of about 25 miles per hour.
    • The oldest known Wilson’s Snipe was at least 9 years, 3 months old, based on a band recovered from a bird that was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in 1973.

‘A’ brings us up to date with the Olympic Park eagles: “Dad brought breakfast (feathered) at WBSE at 06:18 this morning. Of course Lady was there immediately to take charge of the food, and the littles roused themselves from their cuddle puddle for the occasion. They both stand up on their feet to stretch, leaning forward and spreading their wings. Such pretty plumage, changing from one day to the next, and from one striking design to another. SE34 has no hesitation about joining SE33 at the table, moving up beside his older sibling. SE33 is not bothered. 

Lady begins by feeding SE33, as per pecking order, but initially it is distracted by Dad on the perch branch so Lady has to offer the bite a second time. Meanwhile, SE34 backs up for a PS anyway. I don’t think SE33 accepted the bite because SE34 was no longer beside him (implying that SE33 was intimidated by the proximity of SE34) but simply because his attention had been diverted when Lady first offered it. I certainly don’t believe SE33 has suddenly become nervous of his younger brother. 

By 06:20, SE34 is back in his position at the table, beside SE33. and he shuffles even further forward, taking prime position closest to Lady’s beak. He is soon rewarded with a couple of consecutive bites of red meat. Lady then begins feeding the eaglets alternate bites. I do love the way she does this. Occasionally, one nestling or the other will get a couple of consecutive bites, but she maintains an even-handed approach until one eaglet or the other starts to slow in its eating and indicates it is getting overly full. She is a very attentive mum, and I continue to believe that her experience in feeding and managing her chicks is the reason this nest fledges two every season despite being an obligate siblicide species. In the end, I keep coming back to the wisdom and dedication of these parents. They are a closely bonded pair and when it comes to raising their family, they work as a tight-knit team to provide for and protect their eaglets. I believe they are both in their mid-20s, which is not quite elderly but it’s certainly extremely experienced, and that experience really counts when it comes to keeping the eaglets safe and warm and dry, and ensuring that both eaglets get enough food. Lady has always looked out for her younger hatch when it comes to food. Every season, she ensures it gets food, whether she has to give private feedings early in the morning or late at night, or put her own body between the eaglets, or even to feed the younger chick through her legs or under a wing. And of course Dad is particularly hard-working when it comes to ensuring there is nearly always food on the nest. If Dad is not bringing in food. there is a good reason for it. . “

Calico’s Tip for the Day: No one can be accused of causing cats to run through the house like a Formula 1 circuit. They will do it and defy you. But if you have a new puppy, Calico has found a suggestion for you to make certain you have a ‘calm’ dog.

The dog trainer: playing too much with your puppy

The important thing many owners fail to do with their dog is encourage it to calm down. There is so much emphasis on playing and running. People think they have to play with their puppy because it wants to, but this encourages the dog to be constantly active. It then doesn’t settle well and its behaviour can quickly become problematic. Spending time teaching dogs to walk calmly on a lead and rest at home should be a priority. To learn how, go to a class or follow online advice.
Ben Marsh of Balanced Dog

Thank you for being with us today. We are always so happy to have you with us. Take care!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, PB’, The Baltimore Post, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Cam FB, Montana Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Sandpoint Ospreys, Newfoundland Power, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Debbie Shores, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, NCTC Eagle Nest, AEF, KNF-E1, Ferris Akel Tours, The Guardian and the Balanced Dog, Olympic Park Eagles.

Wednesday in Bird World

11 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, it is the middle of the week! The days are getting shorter. I noticed this evening when, after celebrating the grandson’s 16th birthday, I started home just after 1930. It was already getting ‘dark’. By the time I was half way home, it was. What happened to those beautiful evenings when we still had light at 2200? And have you had an ice cream cake? I must be the only person in the world that hadn’t until last night. It was so delicious, but the best thing is spending time with almost the whole family. Treasured moments. Everyone is so busy. Some of you will remember Elysha, the granddaughter who came with her environmental checklist more than two decades ago and changed my world. She is heading off to Paris on a European tour in a couple of weeks. I am so proud and happy for her and all of them. The birthday kiddo is in all the school choirs – they are outstanding. I am looking forward to some beautiful concerts this year.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the afternoons when I have ‘respite’ care come to my house. As a consequence, you might find that the posts are Wednesday and Friday are somewhat shorter. A big shout out to ‘A’ who covers the Australian birds for us!!!!! She is in Melbourne and has a particular interest in those CBD falcons. Today she is thinking about the available prey for them. So even thought it is shorter today, I hope that there is a smile and some valuable information in there somewhere!

At the feeder was Mrs Downy today. No photo, sorry. I am so glad I saw her along with the Blue Jays, Crows, and other songbirds. Fall migration is in full gear, and we will be heading north to the Icelandic River up near Arborg, Manitoba, to see the fall migration of waterfowl. We have several reservations for goose flights and will be helping out with the cleanup of the shore near Delta Marsh. It looks like the next three weeks are going to be quite busy – delightfully so.

Have you ever wondered about the cost of keeping animals in rehab? Each of you has seen the request for donations when a bird comes into care. Please have a look at what Raptors in Rehab posted in 2022. I would love to see an up-to-date cost breakdown as we all know – everything has increased by at least 25% since then.

The biggest question on most of your minds is: ‘Is Iris still in Hellgate Canyon or has she left on migration?’ Let’s check in and see what is happening there. Here is the latest posting from Dr Green who is keeping a close eye on our family at Missoula:

There is a second posting by Dr Greene that might get you really excited. As you read further down you will see mention of the ‘Iris’ pens. I have had mine for several years since the last time Sharon Leigh’s husband made them. It is wonderful. Could that have been 2020? 2021?

What we have to realise is that Iris is like Dr Greene’s daughter. I think Finnegan has moved into son space – he is so excited about the family this year that a new camera is going up in hopes we have a re-run next season.

Antali had fish deliveries at 0856 and 1013. He was on the nest crying for fish and expecting a delivery at 1413, but nothing came. Both deliveries were from Finnegan. And then Finnegan could not let his lad go to bed hungry, he brought another fish at 1936.

The Owl Cam is showing Antali at the nest or sitting on the nest perch.

The last delivery of the day. Can you just hear Antali fish calling – probably as far as the train tracks. That delivery was at 1936.

If you missed it, you really need to check out the most amazing colours in the sea eagles plumage! https://youtu.be/LRiIuOhlu9g?

From FOBBV, an update on Jackie and Shadow and the Line Fire that is raging through San Bernadino County, California. https://youtu.be/j-lRBiHko6M?s

C16 had a really nice fish delivery from Charlie! Looks like the day got hotter as C16 is panting. The temperature in the area was 27 C or 81 F. The hydration in that fish is essential as ospreys do not ‘drink’ water.

Gosh C16 is one beautiful juvenile.

Xavier and Diamond are the favourites of so many of you. Their antics can keep us laughing our heads off. Diamond doesn’t like Starling, and Xavier always wants more ‘eggie’ time. We all know that Diamond is the ‘boss’, but we always shout and cheer for that tiny little male falcon. For those of you who don’t know, Xavier is exceptional. His name means ‘Saviour’, and he saved Diamond and her chicks when her old mate did not return. Xavier brought food for Diamond and the hatchlings, ensuring they were well-fed and protected. That was eight years ago. The pair have been together ever since.

Diamond trying to get Xavier up off the eggs. Meanwhile, Xavier appears to be asking for extra time.

‘A’ remakes: “At Orange, Xavier has been sitting on the ledge, keeping the incubating Diamond company, for about 90 minutes now. (He came into the scrape at about 09:02.) As I have mentioned in previous emails, he really has been doing this quite regularly this year. It is so sweet, and he is the sweetest little male falcon of them all (okay, I may be biased, and some of Annie’s partners have been adorable, but Xavier has been there since about 2016, so he is a long-term resident of our hearts here in Australia, especially considering the circumstances in which he came into Diamond’s life, supporting her and her chicks after mate Bulla disappeared. (I was unaware until recently that Diamond was only in her second season here when that occurred, so she has been with Xavier for all but one of the many seasons she has lived at this scrape.) 

Diamond and Xavier are very deeply bonded, and companionable behaviour like this is becoming more frequent each season, based on my observations. I honestly think these two get closer and closer – yes, they work well as a team when it comes to raising chicks, but it is more than that.  Xavier simply keeping Diamond company is so very ‘human’, but what else could he be doing? Waiting for egg time? He knows that bringing in a nice pigeon or a plump duckling would give him far more chance of some incubation time than simply sitting there, so that surely cannot be the aim of this exercise. It seems to me that companionship is the only rational explanation for the behaviour. Thoughts? Am I anthropomorphising yet again? But oh how we love little Xavier. “

‘A’ brings up a very good point about the availability of prey in areas abandoned during the pandemic including the CBD in Melbourne: “Speaking of cute little male falcons, the way M22 sings to his eggs at Collins Street just makes me smile every time. He is such a sweetie, but again, as with all new couples, I would prefer that only two of those eggs hatch. Three is a big ask for a new couple, given how rapaciously hungry little falcon eyases are. Let’s hope this pair is up to the task of providing for three chicks. The same of course applies at Orange, where chatters are all hoping for two while you and I are deeply concerned about the welfare of a third hatch at this scrape. Diamond has been very lazy with her second hatches over the past couple of seasons and I cannot even imagine what she would be like with three. Xavier might be allowed to step up and doing some feedings, of course, but wow, he would be working pretty hard. Diamond has a huge appetite (the size of her crop yesterday after her lunch, probably of pigeon, had to be seen to be believed – it was so gigantic, it simply HAD to be uncomfortable, surely) and having to provide for her plus three chicks would really put Xavier to the test. 

The Melbourne CBD has not recovered from COVID. Too many office workers got a taste of working from home, and the overseas students who lived in one-room apartments in the CBD (the only real resident community there – it’s otherwise offices and department stores) are only just starting to return in large numbers. My sister lives one suburb away from the CBD, in Fitzroy, and she said that since COVID, they (and other suburbs next to the CBD, such as Richmond) have had a major rat problem. Rats moved out of the CBD because without office workers and shoppers and residents providing rubbish for them to eat, they moved rather than starve. Now they are comfortably settled in Fitzroy and Richmond, of course, no-one has emailed them to tell them that people are back in the city and they can move back to their city digs so they have stayed where they are. 

I presume a new generation of rats is growing up in the city, but my point is that the pigeons would also have depended for food on those visitors and residents, so they too would have moved into the parks and suburbs around the city, and would see no reason to move back now. (although they would be way more mobile than the rats and may be aware that the food supply has started to return to the CBD).

The COVID-related changes,though, are presumably going to radically affect the food supply for falcons in the CBD this year. I am very worried that it may be difficult to provision a scrape containing three eyases right now. Time will tell, but I haven’t seen/heard any prey deliveries to the ledge over recent days. It seems mum (whom they are finally correctly referring to as F24 – at least on the videos I have seen) is finding her own food, flying off for a break and being relieved on incubation duty by M22. He does love his eggs, and we love listening to him talking to them. His enfluffling technique is a good one, and three eggs is about perfect for him. Four would be a stretch. “

The University of Toledo says this about the amount of food a falcon requires per day: “How much does a peregrine falcon eat in a day? An adult peregrine will eat about 70 grams (2 1/2 ounces) of food per day. This is equal to about two blackbirds.”

And the Young People’s Trust for the Environment says – if you didn’t know: “Birds are the peregrine’s favourite prey, ranging from small meadow pipits to larger birds such as red grouse and pigeons, although birds as big as a Brent goose may be tackled. In winter, estuary birds are often preyed on, such as ducks, gulls and waders. The falcon may also hunt rabbits and bats. Most victims are caught in the air; the peregrine circles high in the air, keeping a sharp eye out for prey. It can spot prey on the ground from a height of 300 metres. When a victim is spotted, the hunter suddenly snaps back its wings and plunges down in a dramatic ‘stoop’. It can reach speeds of up to 180mph (290 km/h). If the attack is successful, a blow from the peregrine’s sharp talons breaks the neck or back of the flying prey.

Birds on the ground and in hedges may be flushed out as the falcon flies over vegetation, and then they are pounced on. The catch is immediately taken to a plucking post such as a tree branch or rocky crag, and the feathers are pulled out. The whole carcass is eaten and any indigestible material is regurgitated in the form of pellets, usually near the peregrine’s nest. A peregrine eats about 100g of food per day. “

That gives you some idea of what the birds eat in an ideal environment. Falcons like catching the birds in the air so I am not worried about the rats – leave those to the owls and the hawks!

‘A’s final report for the day, “Finally, an update on our albatross chicks. There is good news on the contents of TF’s bolus, expelled I believe on 6 September. It contained three small pieces of plastic, a bottle top, and nothing else but squid beaks and more squid beaks, plus a few extra squid beaks. I was SO happy to see that. Yes, three pieces of plastic and a bottle top, but they made up a tiny percentage of the total (it weighed 75 – about 2.5 ounces in imperial measurements I think). There is a photo of it on the site. https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/albatrosses/royal-albatross-toroa/royal-cam/royal-cam-discussion/

We are on fledge watch, I think. It will be a matter of when the winds are favourable and the mood takes them. Lilibet’s fledge was a bit of a shock, and I fear it may have been a fludge – she was one of the younger chicks in the colony but fledged very early, into a storm. I worried about her so much. But the look of intense joy on her face in those final seconds before she launched into the winds of that storm, I will never forget. This was a creature about to embark on the epic journey that was her destiny. It was a highly emotional moment, and yes, I sobbed like a baby. I hope this year, they wait until they are physically stronger than Lilibet, as Manaaki did last year. But we could have fledges any day now. 

One of the reasons we are not getting weekly weigh-ins now is that the rangers are doing daily head counts so they know whether any chicks have left – the chicks will often move away from their natal nests to find a suitable launching place (based on the winds, obviously) for their fledge. Rangers keep a close eye out so that any chicks who don’t make it (ending up on a beach or ditching in the bay itself) can be rescued for a second attempt at fledging. “

I am posting it again if you did not see Geemeff’s season highlights video from Loch Arkaig. This year was sadly bittersweet with the death of Little Bob due to siblicide/starvation when food deliveries dropped and weather was bad. https://youtu.be/DO7XJOA6OEs?

This reminds me. If I am missing any bird from our streaming cams that died, let me know. Thanks so very much.

‘PB’ has been contacting Niagara Bee to no avail. They were to check the video feed and determine what killed one of the fledglings in the nest.

J’ sends news about the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest:

The Bald Eagle nest that everyone is watching is NE Florida. The necrotic toe male was at the nest early Tuesday, cuddled up with Gabby on the branch. Beau was there later and appears to be keeping any other ‘intruders’ away.

The Osprey translocation project in Italy is doing well.

There must be a lot of exasperated people in the UK when it comes to the mysterious deaths of raptors. Laws do not seem to stop the shooters. The penalties when they go to court are laughable. What a sad situation and now eight more dead or missing – beautiful Hen Harriers.

These owl faced small raptors are one of my favourites. They live in the heather on the moorlands in Scotland and make their nests on the ground. They are one of the most endangered raptors in the UK. They feed on grouse and other small birds which puts them in peril near the grouse moor hunting estates. It is there they are shot or their innocent chicks trampled to death in the nest.

Eight more hen harriers for the dead_missing list – Raptor Persecution UKDownload

“Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)” by gilgit2 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Last, but never least, checking in with Skylor in Nova Scotia’s Russell Lake area. If you haven’t seen this FB group, do. What a laugh. Connie and Don Dennis have managed to get everyone in Nova Scotia watching and reporting on their local nests. It is incredible. More than 30 of them! I bet camera and binoculars – oh, gosh, scope sales soared, too, like the ospreys.

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Leave the Leaves. Don’t Bag them. That could injure the insects. If you must, rake them carefully into a corner. Put away that noisy leaf blower. It is annoying to everyone that has sensitive ears. Just constrain yourselves. Leave the leaves alone. Take that time to read a good book or go for a walk OR pet a cat!

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, PB’, Raptors in Rehab, Montana Osprey Cams, Montana Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, Owl Research Project, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, University of Toledo, YPET, NZ DOC, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, NEFL-AEF, Gregorious Joris Toonen, Raptor Persecution UK, Open Verse, Ospreys of Nova Scotia, and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.

Tuesday in Bird World

10 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is a scorcher, but thankfully, there is a good breeze. Clear blue sky, sun beating down, 30 C. We have filled the bird baths twice, and they require more water. It is 1341. Most of the little songbirds stay in the shade of the lilacs and that deep tunnel we created between them and the trees at the back. Two Blue Jays are getting peanuts off the big table feeder. I have yet to see the squirrels.

We had a bit of a fright Monday morning. All of the doors were locked and secured. Like many of you, I have a particular alarm if those doors are opened. It did not go off. Baby Hope did not come for breakfast. She always comes, but she never eats wet food. She did not come. I know precisely how quickly one can go from calm to hysterical – about 15 seconds! The storage room was emptied, and all appliances, cupboards, etc. were checked. No Hope. Eventually, she was found ‘terrified’ under the sitting room sofa. We had checked, and she wasn’t there, but she was this time. She was very skittery. She came out after four hours and nosed Calico, and they had a bit of a tumble. She is not herself. Quite frightened. I cannot imagine what has scared her so much. I wait in the hope that she will be herself soon. And, by 1600 she was fine. Very strange. It did force me to clean the storage room, though. Lots of things on the boulevard that others might want or need!

In Bird World, Antali and Finnegan are at the Hellgate nest. The image below is Iris who is also still home and who visited the nest shortly after noon on Monday. Iris has a necklace and Finnegan is white breasted like Antali. She needs a fish!

It will not be long til Antali is prepared to take flight and then Finnegan will probably eat up for a day and take off. In normal circumstances, the male will never leave a fledgling. They do not normally catch their own fish until they are on their way away from the nest, although some have been known to be precocious and do fish.

Antali was on and off the nest and the perch. Finnegan brought him a headless fish at 1240.

And away Finnegan goes!

At Charlo Montana, C16 is on the nest wanting fish. His chest is quite sunken – the kiddo needs a fish. It is very windy there. C16 got some fish!!!!!

The nest cleaners – European Starlings – were at Dunrovin.

‘H’ tells me that this camera at Osoyoos has been frozen for a number of days. It came back on Monday morning. ‘H’ identifies this juvenile as #2 or Middle. Soo delivers a fish on Monday, too. Mum is still home.

At Newfoundland Power Snow Lane’s nest, Beaumont and Hope are both home along with at least one juvenile. I did not see a fight for fish which makes me wonder if one of the fledglings has left the area.

Keo is still delivering fish to River at the Sandpoint Osprey platform.

Harvie is delivering fish to the Fortis-Exshaw nest also.

There is at least one juvenile hanging around the Blackbush at Old Tracadie Harbour osprey platform hoping for some fish. I did not see a delivery and I cannot tell you if it is a single osplet coming and going or more than one. No one is banded! And I have not studied the head patterns of the chicks at this nest.

I did not see any Ospreys at the Cowlitz PUD nest on Monday.

Some may be concerned about the Line Fire in San Bernardino County and Jackie and Shadow. Sharon Pollock posted news from Big Bear:

Jackie and Shadow are very experienced and they can fly and we must presume they will do so to get out of harm’s way should the fire spread to the area of their territory in Big Bear Valley.

Didn’t see any eagles at the WRDC nest when I checked. It is the home to Ron and Rose.

The latest migrator bird count as posted on the Loch Arkaig FB page! Only 36 ospreys so far.

This is Geemeff’s closing daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust. Enjoy! She will be back with us in the spring after our osprey family arrives.

Final daily summary Monday 9th September 2024

Quoting WTS George: As the dried up flounder tail of time finally descends into the expectant crop of autumn, I notice it’s nearly the end of our season… I’m sorry I haven’t an Osprey, but here’s one I prepared earlier: A rollercoaster season in 2024: triumph, tragedy, and plenty more! Season’s highlights captured from Nest Cam Two, I’ll be doing a separate highlights video for Nest One in due course which will be on my YouTube channel and I’ll also post it on Adam’s site,  

https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey/  To keep in touch over winter, Adam welcomes everyone to his site, it also uses Hyvor, and for those on Facebook there is the Friends of Loch Arkaig. It has been an eventful season, all part of nature in the raw, and it will be interesting to see what next year brings. Hoping for two resident families next year.

Many thanks to everyone for their company during the season, special thanks to George for this forum, and Woodland Trust for allowing me to clip bits off their livestreams for my own amusement, Steve Q for the fish stats, Liz B for the wonderful off-nest reports, Beverley for the overnight reports, and Postcode Lottery for funding the nest cams. Extra special thanks to Brenda J for keeping me up to date when I’m away by sending me frequent fishmails, much appreciated.

I look forward to Spring 2025 and Season Nine for the Loch Arkaig Ospreys.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.39.55 (05.57.58); Nest Two 20.35.01 (06.05.38)

Today’s videos: 

https://youtu.be/DO7XJOA6OEs A rollercoaster season in 2024: triumph, tragedy, and plenty more! Season’s highlights 2024

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/XUYF6OEpQ88  N2 Sarafina does a fly-by before landing 2022

https://youtu.be/sUpzBM54QHY  N2 Thief! A Raven arrives and steals a stick 2022

https://youtu.be/PLOmU0AJ8nM  N2 Several little birds come and go on the empty nest 2022

https://youtu.be/BQC_B1pN3tk  N2 Lights at night near the nest – deer management team 2022

https://youtu.be/5LK7YZ2CtZ8  N2 Confirmed – final sighting of Sarafina LW6 2022

https://youtu.be/6h4T2QWS_68  N2 Three Bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) visit 2023

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

The White-tailed eagle at Port Lincoln is growing. There were high winds the other day and some were concerned. It is still there – that little white bundle in the straw.

Tweed Valley’s Teddy (oh, just adorable as a youngster in the nest) is in Portugal. He made it!!!!!!!!!!

At Nova Scotia’s Russell Lake osprey nest, Oscar and Sylor are still home.

Beautiful close-ups of the Olympic Park sea eagles. The gorgeous rust is coming in at the tip of the espresso-black juvenile feathers. My goodness talk about gorgeous on that snow white! https://youtu.be/LRiIuOhlu9g?

‘A’ remarks, “Just TOO cute this morning was SE33, who tried to join in when Dad and Lady were doing their 05:39 morning duet. The tiny little honks were the most adorable thing I’ve heard in days. I couldn’t quite believe my ears, so I rewound and could see SE33’s little body vibrating with the honking it was doing. 

SE34 is growing very nicely and looking active and healthy. SE33 is fed first at most feedings, by mutual agreement, but SE34 is almost always able to eat enough once SE33 has eaten enough. And of course Lady is keeping an eye on him.

The eaglets did a lot of preening while waiting for their meal this morning. They must both be itchy, with feathers emerging everywhere! SE33’s tail feathers are becoming visible now too. Breakfast arrived courtesy of Dad shortly before 06:25. Again, it was young and feathered. SE33 was closest to the table and as usual was fed first. (SE34 still appeared to have a reasonable crop from the night before!) 

Shortly before 06:29, SE34 shuffles forward so that the two eaglets are side by side. He is rewarded with his first bite of breakfast. SE33 is unbothered until Lady goes to give SE34 a second consecutive bite, at which point SE33 leans in front of SE34 and steals the bite from Lady’s beak. Remember the pecking order, mum! Lady gives SE34 the next bite, and again there is no objection from SE33 until mum goes to give SE34 a second bite, and again, SE33 leans in to take what it believes to be rightfully its mouthful. 

Lady resumes feeding SE33 only, with SE34 a step further back from the table, waiting his turn. SE34 definitely appears larger than its older sibling as they sit side by side at this morning’s feeding. It may be extra fluff, but it may also be because SE34 is female or because SE34 has been getting the better of the feedings over the last few days (which I don’t think is the case – at least not on a regular basis). So I will be fascinated to know (if we ever do find out) what gender these two are. I do so wish they would band and sex these nestlings. It would really help SO much in establishing where they are dispersing to and whether they are breeding successfully in their new territories. That surely would be worth knowing. But obviously not. “

At Port Lincoln, Heidi caught Dad delivering the morning fish.

.’A’ brings us up to date on Xavier and Diamond, “At Orange, Xavier had nearly two hours of egg time this afternoon, though Diamond has now resumed her rightful position as incubator in chief. Diamond was swooped four times in the middle of this afternoon by a black-shouldered kite but sustained no damage. All is well between them of course, with bonding early this morning and Xavier spending quite a bit of time just standing next to Diamond as she incubates the eggs. He is such a darling. He adores Diamond…..Diamond and Xavier had a particularly early bonding session in the scrape this morning (04:36:50), after which Xavier remained in the nest box for about an hour, just hanging about and keeping Diamond company. He has been doing this quite a lot over recent days. He is just SO sweet and he really does adore Diamond. She is doing most of the incubating, but Xavier did get a half-hour of egg time shortly after 11am (Diamond has just resumed her position on the eggs). These two are just SO endearing, and we have watched them together for several years now, 24/7 all year round, so they are like family to us and we know their little habits and routines so well. Of course it makes us all experts! We like to think we understand these two, but of course we don’t. We only get a glimpse of their lives. We’ll never know what it feels like to go into a stoop at 100 miles an hour for example. We see only one part of their lives really – their relationship with each other and with their chicks. But I sometimes wish they could equip a falcon with a tiny camera that gave us a vicarious version of their true lives… At Orange, a persistent visitor today was a willy wagtail, who repeatedly landed confidently on the ledge. Such cute little birds, so well known in the Australian bush. Very brave and determined little creatures. Xavier bought himself some egg time when Diamond headed off for lunch, returning with an absolute monster of a crop. The general consensus was that it contained a luncheon pigeon and would sustain her until morning. It was so gigantic that it appeared almost as large as Xavier. All of him. He took one look at the gigantic Diamond on the ledge and made no protest at all – left the eggs and the scrape in double quick time for him. These two really make me laugh. They are so ‘human’ in their interactions, or perhaps they just make it easy for us to anthropomorphise. Hatch watch begins some time in the first week of October. I really hope there are only two hatches and that they are not too far apart. And a Dudley to lean on or to use as a pillow is always useful for the younger chick when trying to reach Diamond’s beak. Many chatters are hoping for three chicks but I don’t think they’ve watched Diamond closely enough!  We both know how lazy she can be, even with two, and the younger chick in her scrape really has to work hard for its food. Mind you, it does usually end up pretty proficient at getting fed, like darling Rufus. Such a sweet little falcon. I loved him dearly. He was such a personality for one so small, and so very determ”

There is sad news coming out of Kakapo Recovery. Thank you, ‘J’ – Ranger was my adopted Kakapo!

‘A’ sends news of the Royal Cam chick: “We are getting so close to fledge at Taiaroa Head, where TF chick was 231 days old today and TFT chick about a week younger. Neither was weighed today, as the rangers are concentrating on chicks requiring supplementary feeding (one is being fed five days a week, which is most unusual). Last week, TF chick weighed 9.7kg (average for male chicks of that age at this colony) and he has been fed by both parents in the week since. He produced a bolus on 6 September, so was obviously ready to fledge, and has been really working his wings over the past couple of days. Probably all it will take are favourable winds to launch him on the lonely journey that will be his life. When I switched on the albatross tab for a quick chick check tonight and could see no signs of TF sleeping on his nest, my heart literally skipped a beat. Is he gone? No-one on the chat is indicating that there has been a fledge but I cannot see either of the chicks (TF or TFT) right now. (It is a particularly dark night and TF’s new nest is not in the circle of light provided by the IR light on the camera.) But both chicks were still on the headland late this afternoon (around 17:30), so I doubt they have departed quite yet. I am unsure whether TFT has produced a bolus as yet, but TF has been fed by both parents since producing his on 6 September so will probably produce another before fledging. I have read nothing about the contents of the bolus he has expelled.”

Calico wants to give everyone some ways to make their phone last longer. Our reading time Monday night was an article in The New York Times. She was surprised when we read that you should not plug your phone in and charge it overnight every night – that you should check your settings and only charge your phone to 80%. The battery will last longer! There are other tips and she hopes that they will help you. Calico wants you to use Merlin when you go for a walk or go to the park and check for birds!

Wirecutter: You Don’t Need a New Phone. Here’s How to Make the One You Have Last Longer.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/how-to-make-your-phone-last-longer

One of our heroes is Bob Horvath and this year the Centreport Eagle family is donating all of the proceeds of their 2025 calendar to WINORR – Horvath’s organization that rescues and rehabilitates raptors including many of our beloved ospreys. Here is the information:

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, streaming cams, annual summaries and daily synopsis: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Montana Osprey Project, Owl Research Project/Explore, Fortis-Exshaw Osoyoos Osprey Platform, Newfoundland Power, Fortis-Exshaw Canmore Osprey Cam, Sandpoint Osprey Platform, Blackbush, Cowlitz PUD, Sharon Pollock, FOBBV, WRDC, Loch Arkaig FB Page, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Connie Dennis and Ospreys of Nova Scotia FB, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, and Heidi McGrue and Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Kakapo Recovery, and The New York Times.

Wednesday in Bird World

4 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It was 29 C on Tuesday in Winnipeg. Hot. Ice cream weather. There was a hawk high on a pole near to a grain elevator just outside the city. Skeins of geese flew into the City as the sun began to set. Migration is truly on. I look forward to heading out to the marsh for the geese landing later this month and at the nature centre. These can be amazing moments with hundreds, sometimes thousands, flying in and landing on the water. It is so beautiful.

I was with my best friend today. She lost her husband a little over a week ago. So today’s blog is a little thin. Events in Bird World are also very thin! It is that in-between time except for the Australian streaming cams.

We are going to start with Geemeff’s summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Tuesday 3rd September 2024

A damp day with occasional fogging of the camera lenses but with the prospect of a dry night tonight and a few sunny patches tomorrow. A Raven flying near Nest Two being carefully watched by the Mistle Thrushes perching on the nest was today’s only activity. 

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.15.35 (05.31.19); Nest Two 21.28.54 (05.43.26)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/SANdIv1GZKc N2 A pair of Mistle Thrushes visit, and a Raven flies nearby 13.42.31 (zoom)

Bonus action – plenty of time to select your favourite and vote for Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year:

https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/these-are-all-the-shortlisted-trees-for-tree-of-the-year-2024-090324

Please note one of the candidates, the Darwin Oak, is under threat from development, link to the petition to save it:

https://www.change.org/p/save-the-darwin-oak

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Oscar and one fledgling are still at Tweed Valley.

The Melbourne Ospreys are having to fight off intruders. Stay safe, Dad! We don’t want a repeat of 2023. https://youtu.be/zOGHyN6snQ8?

Dad not only defends the Melbourne scrape, but returns to relieve Mum from incubation duties! What a guy. https://youtu.be/XvTDg9J8OIg?

Ron and Rose were at the WRDC nest!

Antali was on and off the nest most of Tuesday. Breakfast was a smaller whole fish around 10:39.

Finnegan supplied a nice headless fish later in the day to his screaming juvenile!

Rose Shields gives us the latest news from Border Ospreys. Thanks, Jeff, for posting it!

WELL, WELL, WELL – Border OspreysDownload

Pam Breci posts the last sighting of Mum Winnie at Dunrovin Ranch.

Dad not only defends the Melbourne scrape, but returns to relieve Mum from incubation duties! What a guy. https://youtu.be/XvTDg9J8OIg?

You might have heard about the kerfuffel about renaming 150 birds that was instigated by the American Ornithological Society. Mark Avery from the UK has his say:

Mark Avery: it’s not all in a name – BirdGuidesDownload

Tulley, Rosie, and Richmond were still at the SF Golden Gate Audubon Osprey nest on 3 September. https://youtu.be/X2YoikLzBnU?

Dad LJ2 and Mum 372 were still at the Llyn Brenig nest with the two fledglings on Tuesday.

Blue 33 has not been seen on the Rutland Manton Bay nest since the 2nd of September. It is presumed he has begun his migration. Maya was last seen on the 30th and Blue 1R0 last seen on the 29th.

Ospreys are really moving down from the UK to their winter homes in West Africa.

There is an eagle on the Dulles-Greenway nest on Tuesday. https://youtu.be/UIC9KOR70hw?

Olympic Park sea eaglets are growing and growing. Enjoy them in their lovely white down, because all of those pin feathers are going to be gorgeous feathers very soon.

Both Sea Eaglets had full crops at the Olympic Park Eagle nest. https://youtu.be/1W5VeBHOI98?

These additions to the UK Red List of Birds make me sad. The Arctic Tern. I read, during the dark winter months, a book about a woman who followed what she believed would be the very last terns to fly from the Arctic to the Southern Hemisphere and she followed them. It was incredibly moving. The book was Migrations. And this is a note about it, “Migrations follows Franny Stone’s journey following the last of the Arctic terns. The time is in the not too distant future and almost every bird, fish, and wild animal is extinct. Almost all domestic and farmed raised fish, birds, and other animals are raised for food.”

This is the article in The Guardian about the addition of the two birds to the Red List. Again, said twice, this breaks my heart. The future is at our doorstep.

Arctic tern and common gull join red list of UK species in crisis | Birds | The GuardianDownload

From Geemeff: Sad news – anglers, PLEASE take your rubbish home!

https://www.birdguides.com/news/kingfisher-found-dead-in-fishing-line/

For all you SW Florida fans, ‘J’ sent a historical summary by Wskrsnwings to us:

Season 1 2012-2013 Videos link: http://bit.ly/1wJAphi

Season 2 2013-2014 Videos link: http://bit.ly/1U9p0Av

Season 3 2014-2015 Videos link: http://bit.ly/1FlPEjc

Season 4 2015-2016 Videos link: http://bit.ly/1Nqaxz8

Season 5 2016-2017 Videos link: http://bit.ly/2cSOUcL

Season 6 2017-2018 Videos link: http://bit.ly/2w7FeqH

Season 7 2018-2019 Videos link: http://bit.ly/2Nthd2w

Season 8 2019-2020 Videos link: http://bit.ly/2lvqYnC

Season 9 2020-2021 Videos link: https://bit.ly/3iGSmI5

Season 10 2021-2022 Videos link: https://bit.ly/3h6Hmow

Season 11 2022-2023 Videos link: https://bit.ly/3qFa6sQ

Season 12 2023-2024 Videos link: https://bit.ly/3sVHAaT

Season 13 2024-2025 Videos link: https://dickpritchettrealestate.com/videos/

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘J, Geemeff’, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Gracie Shepherd, Montana Osprey Project, Rosie Shields and Border Ospreys, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Mary Cheadle and Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, SK Hideaways, Charlotte McConagy, Migrations, The Guardian, Dulles Greenway Eagle Cam, Geemeff and BirdGuides, ‘J’ and Wskrnwngs.

Saturday in Bird World

31 August 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

We went to the zoo today. The weather was a little cooler. What we did differently was we took the tram and had a great chat with the driver about how much the zoo has changed over the decades – from a zoo focused on the people visiting the animals to a focus solely on the welfare of the animals. Everyone used to love the petting zoo, but probably not the animals petted and pulled. Today, there are lots of goats doing silly goat things, a couple of llamas, and a pair of pigs. Our feathered friends are really no longer visible. Years ago the zoo was full of owls and peacocks – everywhere. Bird flu put an end to that. The geese and other waterfowl that had Avian Flu kept the birds inside and some could not be…I didn’t ask what happened to the, but I will. The birds were my favourite and I do miss them. Now, we rely on the polar bears and their antics. Most of the animals were outside today including the Tiger because of the cooler weather. More pictures next time!

Some of you will recall the Norwegian osplets that were translocated to Ireland. Well, guess what? A couple built a nest and fledged a chick this year! Bravo.

The oldest chick, a female, Glenwais, is still having Idris bring fish to the nest at Dyfi. She has not departed! Idris has been in Wales for 5 full months now. His talons must be itching to get to Africa!

Then she was seen soaring in the thermals at 11:16 Friday. It is believed it will be the last sighting and she is on her way South at the age of 102 days. Idris shows up with a fish waiting for a taker and no one is there.

Idris will feed up and leave. He will rejoin his mate Telyn at the nest late March or early April of 2025 if all goes well. What a wonderful year they had.

Blue 022 is still delivering to the nest at Poole Harbour. I checked late (so little rewind before dark) and caught him and one of the fledglings.

If you missed the August Condor chat of the Ventana Wildlife Society in California, which highlighted filmmaking and storytelling to get people interested in and concerned about the Condors, they have hired a staff member for videography, storytelling, and media. The full chat is in the link below. Meredith Evans is the new team member. Digital Communicator is the official title. Listen and see what they are doing! VWS Condors if their film channel on YouTube and they have a long range of videos including those about Red Wood Queen and at least two award winning films for you to watch. So check that out, too. This group is incredible and we need those condors!

https://youtu.be/PpkI6y-wpJs?

Geemeff sends her daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust. Looking forward to her year summary which will be coming up!

Daily summary Friday 30th August 2024

Same as yesterday – wet and windy, no birds of any size or species. However, from Ian at the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation comes an update on our chick 1JW who’s in the care of Fundación Migres in Valencia: “The birds are all doing well. JW is still on the marsh with all the other chicks. They’ve settled into a routine now where they are feeding by taking fish from the feeding stations and flying off with it to eat on perches. They are starting to make longer flights and it won’t be too long before one of them leaves, but at the moment they all seem happy enough. Migration starts later in southern Europe so we would expect them to be around for a couple of weeks more.” Surprisingly, tonight’s weather forecast is clear skies and light winds, and sunny tomorrow with a high of

  20°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.31.39 (05.39.07); Nest Two 21.30.23 (05.44.50)
Today’s videos: none
Bonus watch – Woodland Trust’s vital work to provide habitat our wildlife needs to survive and thrive, and support some of our most vulnerable species, including bats:https://youtu.be/VKkrnBYRcQA   (watch to the end for the delightful bat soundscape)
Compare and contrast our two resident females past and current:
https://youtu.be/_23wRVnATc4 Golden goddess: Aila 2017 – 2020 (Classic Ospreys – Chopin)
https://youtu.be/1syQj_jjjxw Golden variation: Dorcha 2021 – (Classic Ospreys – Bach)

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

At the Olympic Park Sea Eagle nest, the camera operator gave us a good look at SE33. Notice the down away from the front top of the head and the pin feathers coming through. This eaglet is changing before our eyes! They are both growing. We need SE34 to just get a little braver.

SE34 got a good feeding right before bedtime! Yippee.

https://youtu.be/IML6YGxgCOk?

‘A’ comments on the action at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest: “This morning, it was a super early breakfast at WbSE, too early for SE33, which meant SE34, although initially nervous because he could feel SE33 moving against him (stretching and changing position and so forth), ended up being fed a personal breakfast. He was starting to feel more comfortable by the time Dad flew off the nest tree shortly before 6am. He is still eating at 06:07, his sibling lying beside him but facing in the opposite direction and looking around, alert and very interested in its surroundings. By 06:09 Lady is really having to coax SE34, with SE33 repeatedly moving beside him, standing up and stretching its wings. By 06:10, SE33’s preening is spooking SE34 somewhat but he is nevertheless continuing to eat. By 06:11, SE33 has flopped back down again, appearing to still have a crop from last night. Lady is being very patient indeed with SE34, who keeps eating. At 06:12, SE34 is having difficulty swallowing a previous bite, but eventually does so and accepts another. 

Lady is having a hard time getting bites off this carcass and at 06:13 gives a bite to SE33. And another. SE33 has clown feet and her head looks sleek without its fluff. Lady offers another bite to SE34, who accepts it. But that’s it. Breakfast is over, and by 06:14 Lady has flown off. Both eaglets have visible crops but SE34 did by far the best out of that feeding. He has a healthy crop and is looking very healthy. SE33 is sporting growing feathers along her wing. 

As I type, Lady and Dad are again dueting, although we all wish they wouldn’t. Another egg is expected at Orange tomorrow lunchtime, apparently (Sunday Australian time, so in about 22 hours). I do NOT want a third egg for Diamond. That would not be at all good. I don’t have to elaborate to you on my reasons for that opinion but I would be surprised if you did not agree. 

At 06:14:35, SE34 is sitting up, as is SE33, and the younger chick looks the older one in the eye. Oh dear. The resulting beak to the head is predictable, but SE34 quickly pops back up again.This annoys SE33, who repeats the beak to the back of his head, and gives him a third for good measure, leaving SE34 with his head tucked under. Lady flies down to check on the kids and ensure they are playing nice, but with nest hierarchy restored, things quickly return to normal, with both eaglets’ heads up and the pair interacting peacefully. She leaves them to it. 

At 06:20, Lady flies down to the nest with a tiny morsel of leftover something. This causes SE33 to beak SE34, who ducks down but is still beaked a second time, so stays there. Lady feeds the older eaglet the few bites she can get off this piece, with SE34 remaining cautiously tucked throughout. By 06:27 mum is gone and the mini-feeding is done. 

After this, the two eaglets were left alone for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon (although with parental supervision from above for much of the time). At 14:57 Dad flew in with more nest material. The eaglets immediately line up at the table but there is nothing to eat. When Lady and Dad start dueting shortly after 13:00, SE34 appears to be attempting some sort of vocalisation to mimic his parents. Aw, too cute. 

I have no idea what they are discussing but it could be the need for a late lunch, as the littles have not been fed since before dawn and it is now after 3pm. It will be starting to get dark in about two hours, and will be completely dark by 6pm. So unless the eaglets are to go without a second meal today, one of the parents needs to go fishing. So I would suspect this is what their conversation is about. We shall see. The key thing here is that Lady is looking after SE34, coaxing him to eat and being very patient in ensuring that he does. This morning’s breakfast was a real demonstration of  that. Further, SE34 himself is taking more responsibility for getting himself fed. He was braver today and made efforts to ensure he was close to mum’s beak. He even grabbed a bite from in front of his sister at one stage, which was encouraging. Also, I notice that the size gap between these two, which shrank after they hatched and then blew out again over the past fortnight, again appears to have got a lot less noticeable. I am now starting to wonder once again whether we may in fact have two males on this nest. Certainly, SE33 does not have the full-on aggression we often see with females, though there has been some bonking in the interests of maintaining nest hierarchy, that has been all it is, with no unnecessary or prolonged acts of violence and no determination to prevent SE34 from eating. So It may well be that their similar sizes may indicate brothers, which could be a hopeful sign for the post-fledge period when we hope both will return to the nest to be fed. “

Gorgeous Mum at Port Lincoln incubating the two osprey eggs. Will there be a third?

Gorgeous Diamond doing the same. We have a few weeks to go – watching incubation is worse than watching paint dry. LOL.

Peregrine Falcon eggs are gorgeous. It is one of the problems. They were collected and that along with DDT drove the birds to the brink of extinction.

Diamond rejected the first Starling on Saturday morning but took the second then mated with Xavier on the roof of the tower.

Brink of Extinction: Climbers Help Bring Peregrine Falcons Back to El Capitan — Access FundDownload

There are three eggs in Melbourne at 367 Collins in the CBD.

If you missed it, Dad’s first look at the three eggs on the ledge of 367 Collins Street. https://youtu.be/GObVI1DHQ_A?

Also, you might have missed this article. The Collins Street falcons made The Guardian!

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/27/melbourne-peregrine-falcons-collins-street-breeding-season-cameras?CMP=share_btn_url

The new dad at Collins Street loves to incubate, just like Xavier! SK Hideaways catches his enthusiasm!

https://youtu.be/ujt09ZzSEOw?

At Hellgate Canyon, Antali was waiting on the perch when he sighted Finnegan flying to the nest with a lovely fish.

Antali and Sum-eh both at Hellgate Canyon Friday.

And again after lunch! Finnegan is quite amazing. He is making sure that his kids are fed and fed well so they are fit for migration. Most people wonder why the osplets don’t catch their own fish. In fact, it is very rare for fledglings to catch their own fish before they leave for migration. 61 million years of DNA teaches them – their instincts – they know how to fish.

A wide shot of C16 eating at the platform with the adult on the perch.

Junebug sleeping on the perch at Dunrovin.

Both osplets on the Newfoundland Power platform at Snow Lane.

The Omega ships ran out of Menhaden to catch.

On Thursday, August 29, Maya was still in the nest at Manton Bay. I didn’t get an image, but one is on the Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys FB group.

Blythe’s Reed Warbler breeds in the UK for the very first time. https://youtu.be/IML6YGxgCOk?

Fishing line showing up again and again this year as one of the worst thing impacting the lives of our birds (besides domestic cats). You can help by spreading the word to people to clean up after themselves when they go out for the day. Recepticals can be found at many fishing places now, use them and why not set up a clean up the shore day?

Kingfisher found dead in fishing line – BirdGuidesDownload

If you live near Winnipeg, it is the fun and frolicking Open House at Wildlife Haven coming up! Great time to see all of the facilities and meet all the ambassadors including Majestic, the Bald Eagle.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, Geemeff’, O Tuathall, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, Ventana Wildlife Society, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Olympic Park Eagles, Nesting Bird Life and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Access Fund, 367 Collins Street Falcon Cam by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Newfoundland Power, Wm Dunn- Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB, and Wildlife Haven.

Friday in Bird World

30 August 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

What a day it was in the garden. A former student -now great friend- is moving and came to spend the afternoon with us. The Crows certainly put on a show, but, at first, we didn’t know what was happening! Then we saw him swoop through and land on the large bird feeder after having spent time on the fence – a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. He had everyone being cautious including ‘The Boyfriend’. Crows and Jays were alerting loudly. Dyson was flat as a pancake!

According to my neighbour, this hawk comes every day around 1800. Isn’t it lovely?

I hope you enjoyed Geemeff’s story of their adventures at Poole Harbour and the Birds of Poole Harbour tour. How exciting! It is on my bucket list for next year.

On Thursday, the New York Times published an article on changes at the Grand Teton National Park (and other parts of the US). All of this will impact our raptors from dying forests to no water, meaning no fish and fewer and fewer small mammals for the birds to eat. I am becoming more and more concerned as weather-related events are driving the starvation of our ospreys and eaglets.

Climate Signs of change in the Grand TetonsDownload

At Hellgate Canyon, Finnegan feeds his second chick, Antali, at the nest. What a whopper it was, even with the amount that Finnegan took for himself on the owl pole. What a glorious year this has been. Finnegan really gave us a different outcome than we had come to expect when Iris returned from migration. I bet she was blown off her talons, too!!!!!!!

Antali knew Dad had a whopper and really wanted him to hurry up!

Late evening fish delivery to Antali who flies off the perch to get his meal.

Two fish at the Charlo nest at the same time -. Nice.

Will Gwenlais break the record for a fledgling staying on the nest before migration?

Some news about Giliath (Bradley’s brother from the 2023 Port Lincoln nest)!

There is also good news about the sea eaglet! It is still with us and appears healthy. Fantastic news.

And there are the markings for the second egg at the Port Lincoln osprey barge. Lovely.

Congratulations to those who work so hard and care so deeply for the ospreys in South Australia!

Last year, donations helped with platforms and the purchase of fish for the fish fairies—just look at Bradley and Giliath and smile. Those fairies saved their lives. Membership is only $20, which has big dividends for the ospreys. It doesn’t go to administration fees!!!!!!

The new couple at 367 Collins Street are adorable.

https://youtu.be/BKv6RJSPd_Y?

The Northern Ibis has been brought back from extinction, but it needs help figuring out migration.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/28/northern-bald-ibis-bird-back-from-extinction-now-scientists-in-a-glider-are-teaching-it-to-migrate-aoe?CMP=share_btn_url

Some videos of the birding tour at Poole Harbour from Geemeff:

Peregrine chases Black-Tailed Godwits seen from Birds of Poole Harbour Osprey cruise 28 Aug 2024:
https://youtu.be/fa-q7SiBiys

Osprey in 40x super slo-mo seen from Birds of Poole Harbour Osprey cruise 28 Aug 2024:

Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Thursday 29th August 2024

Tonight’s summary is fast becoming the norm – nothing to report except rain, wind, and no avian activity. Forum friends are drifting off and promising to return in spring, and season highlights videos are nearing completion. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season, but one chick did fledge successfully in Spain, and we hope for another update on his progress soon.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.21.06 (05.34.42); Nest Two 21.10.24 (05.35.23)

Today’s videos: none!

Bonus update on the Irish Osprey translocation programme:

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/0eefa-minister-noonan-releases-osprey-chicks-back-into-the-wild

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/gYLmi9ILHEo N2 Cocky Corvid tweaks Sarafina’s tail and steal her fish 2022

https://youtu.be/Ni3VtPGi4Pw N2 Harassing Hoodies eventually cause Sarafina to flee the nest 2022

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Monty and Hartley are bonding in San Jose. https://youtu.be/PJC3V_5kyoQ?si=j2v8HZaqBYsoHNZ2

Fledglings fighting for fish in Omaha. Still at home.

Both juveniles at the Osoyoos Osprey platform. Nice crop on one. It looked like a couple of small fish delivered on Thursday.

At Minnesota Landscape, an adult visitor has been coming on and off to the nest on Thursday and was also seen there on Wednesday. No sign of the juvenile or Dad. The visitor has no federal band (Dad does).

Ospreys coming and going at Field Farm. Decidedly hard to identify.

Androcat caught M15 and F23 at the SW Florida Eagle nest doing some work. https://youtu.be/Uf1_4gVEByY?

It is almost time to say goodbye to the Royal Cam chick who will spend from 5-6 years on the water looking for food before ever setting their webbed feet on land again! Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

https://youtu.be/FbHi83z8k_A?

Some information on the life of the Northern Royal Albatross from the NZ DOC.

Life Of The Northern Royal | Royal Albatross CentreDownload

Beautiful sea eaglets. Both had a crop after the morning breakfast.

‘A’ remarks: “Little SE34 had to wait until nearly 01:28 for breakfast, although SE33 ate a little a lot earlier. At the second feeding, SE33 ate first, then turned away, full. SE34 got fed from about 13:28 until SE33 rejoined the feeding about 13:38. There was am incident of bonking before SE33 turned away but SE34 didn’t stay down for long. He was shuffling closer and closer to mum during her feeding of SE33 and for the first time, he was brave and determined about getting himself fed. I was overjoyed to see this, because it has, as you know, been seriously worrying me that his drive to live does not seem strong enough. But today, it was. He was hungry and he was brave.  When his sister rejoined the feeding and Lady turned back to feed SE33, SE34 leaned in and stole the bite from in front of his sister’s nose. It was very reassuring to watch. 

I am hoping that this will represent something of a turning point for this nest. Once the attitude changes, the behaviour normally follows. So perhaps SE34 is going to be a bit more proactive about his own existence, which would be a huge relief. 

The two are looking adorable. Their head shape and faces are so different from one another. Little SE34 is the prettier of the two, with more delicate features and cranial bone structure. “

This week’s migration statistics from Hawk Mountain, PA, USA:

Handsome Beau waits for Gabby to return. Her return dates have been 1 September, 8 September, and several times on the 12th. I am hoping for the 1st!

One of our Big Bear eagles with a large crop!

‘J’ notes the following eagles present in the last few days at their nest: At Duke Farms both of the adults were seen on the nest. Boone and Jolene were at Johnson City while Scott and Bella were at the NCTC nest. Beau returned to NEFL and we await the arrival of Gabby. Both adults at Trempealeau with two adults at Kistachie nest E-1.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, summaries, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J’, The New York Times, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Jeff Kear and the Dyfi Osprey Project, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Fran Solly and Friends of Ospreys Sth Aus, 367 Collins Street Falcons, The Guardian, Geemeff, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SK Hideaways, Pam Breci, Field Farm, Androcat, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, NZ DOC, Olympic Park Eagles, Hawk Mountain, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV,

Diamond lays second egg…Thursday in Bird World

29 August 2024

Hello Everyone!

Update: Diamond laid her second egg at 23:57 on the 29th. Thanks, ‘H’ for the news!

Oh, it started off much cooler Wednesday, but by 1500 was 25 C. Hugo Yugo was busy looking out the window at all the birds while all the others were having siestas.

This is Hugo Yugo’s favourite pose. She is often caught watching the telly leaning over the arm of the sofa.

She can be an angel.

The look of Calico when she is enjoying a good scratch!

Baby Hope (aka Calico Kitty Kitty) is just about as big as her mother. She is going to be 14 months old on 2 September.

My day is very hectic and it is possible that this could be the shortest posting ever! Things remain quiet with nothing untoward happening at any of the nests other than fledglings frantically fighting for fish and getting their talons caught or eagles returning to nests that require improvements. We have the second egg at Collins Street. These two are both apparently new falcon parents to this ledge. It goes to show you just how difficult life is within the world of tall buildings compared to Diamond and Xavier. The history of that couple at Orange is as follows and comes from the information below the streaming cam: “Diamond took over from the older Swift in 2015 and Xavier replaced Bula in 2016 (who in turn replaced our first male, Beau, in 2015). Xavier arrived just as the eggs were hatching and saved the season by providing for Diamond and her three chicks. Assuming that they were at least two years old when they arrived, Diamond is at least eleven years old and Xavier nine (in 2024).”

Most cite the average age of a peregrine falcon being between 12-15 years with the average maximum life span being 16-20 years. Research has shown that older female falcons lay fewer eggs and they are less fertile. According to Birds of North America‘s peregrine falcon article: “Female age has a significant effect on all measures of reproductive success: clutch size, fertility, hatchability, brood size, nestling survivability, and number of fledglings. In all but nestling survival, the data best fit a quadradic model, reflecting an initial increase in performance followed by decrease with age.”

The Raptor Resource Project has a good article on life expectancy of falcons:

Raptor Resource Project: Bald Eagle and Bird of Prey CamsDownload

Charles Sturt University and Dr Cilla Kinross have a page of questions and answers and they include this information: “Sadly, the mortality rate for juveniles in their first year is as high as 60% with accidents while learning flying skills a major contributor. Survival improves with each year of life thereafter, with a general six-year life expectancy for peregrines in the wild. There are exceptions of course, with Diamond and Xavier being prime examples, and wild falcons can live up to 19 years. Fertility in a female peregrine will decline with age. In effect, fewer eggs will be laid with some being infertile and others not hatching resulting in fewer fledglings.”

So we wait to see. Diamond might be considered a senior citizen in the falcon world. Will this couple have more eggs? will any of them hatch? We will have to wait and see.

Geemeff has taken a break to see ospreys and she says that the ospreys are catching fish and the white-tail eagles are coming out of the sky to steal then and then they are getting mobbed. Everyone wants free food. Don’t think for a second that life is easy for our feathered friends. it is anything but.

The Crows are clamouring for the cheesy dogs while the squirrels, Little Red and Dyson, work hard for their peanuts. It is a grey overcast day. The temperature was cool this morning, and they might feel, as I do, that fall is in the air. There is a notable change, just in a couple of days, with the colours of the leaves in the trees. A chartreuse, an ochre, and a russet weren’t there at the weekend.

Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn released a video showing Aran delivering a whopper of a fish to the nest. Two fledglings, 6M8 and 6M9, there anxious. One grabs the fish and the other gets towed away by Dad! The comment was on how strong Aran was to lift that chick and carry it. No osprey was injured. I wanted you to see where the nest on the top of the tree is and imagine that the camera is refreshed annually along with the cot rails, if needed.

It looks to me like it was Antali and Iris on the Hellgate Canyon nest and then a rare appearance from Sum-eh (I could be wrong). If so, all four family members are still in the area and have not begun migration.

Feel free to correct me – looks like Sum-eh’s head markings.

Yes, Sum-eh was at the nest and her and Antali had a big fight for a fish! https://youtu.be/3iUo5CqrxwQ?si=PVTVat6Kp_EBp0Gq

Sum-eh won that round but Antali got a delivery of a live fish later! https://youtu.be/QuRL-7eaeOM?si=UmDZcq6tSEqtd7pb

At Port Lincoln, Mum is right on time and has laid egg #2 early Thursday morning. She holds her position and doesn’t give anything away letting the egg cool and harden before beginning incubation again.

PLO has a video of the second egg’s arrival. https://youtu.be/SoBhoQrwGWw?

Our new Mum at Collins Street. Gosh, let’s hope this family has good luck on this ledge. Life is difficult enough. They have a good spot save for the scalding heat that will come down on them. Hopefully Mum will move the chicks to the north end where it has shade.

There has been bonding and mating at Orange. Xavier would like another egg hedging his bets on not all eggs hatching.

SE33 asleep and SE34 watching for an adult to arrive with food at the Sydney Olympic Forest. SE34 did not have a lot of food yesterday so it was a great relief that it began the 29th with a nice big crop! The little one is still very skitterish around 33.

‘A’ gives us her narrative of events for the Olympic Park Eagles: “Although Lady and Dad were up and awake, dueting, at 6am, the littles were still waiting for breakfast at WBSE at 8am, and by 08:11 they were starting to bicker. SE33 stood up and leaned forward to stretch her wings. This impinged on SE34’s personal space so he bonked his older sister who immediately retaliated. Both then get stuck into some preening, as it is obvious they are itchy (just look at those feathers growing along the bottom edge of SE33’s wings, and a second line appearing higher up her wings, near her shoulders. Even SE34 is starting to preen relentlessly. Of course being this itchy always seems to make the eaglets a little antsy. 

Yes, the bonk from SE34 was foolish behaviour and got what it deserved, but the key thing here for me was that SE34 had the confidence to attack his older sister in the first place. He was not scared for long, though, going straight back to his preening without ducking and tucking. He just pulled away and then went about his business. That was a plus for me, as I have been wanting to see signs of a bit more of a feisty attitude from SE34. Perhaps this is the start of it. 

Both parents arrive around 08:42, one with a fish, pestered by a couple of smaller birds, who appeared to be dive bombing and otherwise harassing Lady and Dad. But Both parents are distracted and alerting, sometimes lunging towards the intruder birds. Eventually, with Dad on the perch branch fending off the smaller birds, Lady began feeding breakfast to the littles at 08:46. There is a black band around Lady’s round leg that I have not noticed before. What is it? Where did it come from and when? SE34 is offered the first four  bites of the feeding and takes them without any signs of intimidation. He is slightly closer to mum than is SE33. But the fifth bite is a bridge too far, and at 08:47:24 SE33 stands up. SE34 cringes away from his sibling and ducks his head/. Lady decides this would be a strategic moment to offer fish to SE33. Good call, mum. SE34 refuses the next bite, so mum feeds it to SE33. The same thing happens with the next bite. As Lady continues to feed SE33, SE34 is shuffling closer to mum, peeking at her as he does so. Lady keeps feeding SE33. At 08:49 SE34 lifts his head a little but is still too scared to eat. There is plenty of fish, so hopefully SE34 will get his turn to eat. 

Around 08:50 he dares to lift his head a little. He is watching mum closely but not asking for food. Lady is leaning across SE34 to feed SE33. This continued contact of SE33 from behind keeps SE34 on edge and very nervous to eat. At 08:50:50, he raises his head just a little too far, causing SE34 to beak him in the back of the head. He turns away and puts his head down on the nest again. Lady continues feeding SE33. He is not down for long though, and soon, SE34 is again watching Lady. Soon after 08:53, head still tucked, SE34 turns his back on the table. He has not had any breakfast so far. As Lady feeds SE33, SE34 is very carefully and slowly turning back around, until he is again facing the table. 

Lady pauses the feeding, with the fish rapidly disappearing, and SE34 continues to creep closer to her. 9am and SE33 eats and eats and eats. SE34 waits. By 08:46 SE34 is eatihng, his confidence growing with each bite he takes for which he is not punished by SE33; Lady returned about 40 minutes later and again fed SE34, so that eventually, both eaglets had good crops and had eaten well. “

Keep the Menhaden on your radar and the Canadian corporation Omega right beside them. If you live in the States, write to your Senator and the Senators from Virginia and get them to end the industrial fishing of Menhaden and create a clear three-mile distance from the mouth of the Bay! By doing so, you will help save the lives of the Ospreys who call Chesapeake Bay their home.

Suzanne Arnold Horning (and Woody) continue to find Big Red and Arthur at the Cornell Campus even though students are arriving back for classes.

LGK shows up to feed the Royal cam chick! It will not be long until their little one takes to the seas, returning in five or six years. It is so amazing. https://youtu.be/c8DPhmweuQI?si=ZYARzkZ6ipw4MyzX

Hope and her two beautiful fledglings on the Snow Lane nest.

Charlie and Lola at the nest and C16 holding on. There is snow in parts of Montana. Hopefully it will not land on any of the osprey nests!

At Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest, Dad is home and so is the juvenile. I have not see the female. Perhaps she is on migration?

At Boulder, it appears that Dad and the fledgling are still coming to the nest. No sign of the female.

A news alert from the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Geemeff sends us the daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Wednesday 28th August 2024
Wet but not too windy, a few dry spells allowing the nests to show off their beautiful scenery. No activity other than Penelope spider on Nest One. WTS George reminds us that Woodland Trust receives wonderful support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, including at Loch Arkaig and it will be much appreciated if social media users like, share and comment on a little film showing ‘some of the ways we are working together to create a better future’:
https://x.com/WTScotsocial/status/1828704104136249416https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=493071810106235&ref=sharing
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One ( 05.31.07); Nest Two (05.43.01)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/9raQZmSsDdE N1 By day and by night: Penelope the magic weaver 

Bonus opinion – public sector pay matters. But what if Nature went on strike?https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/24545182.public-sector-pay-matters-nature-went-strike/

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, The Raptor Resource Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Montana Osprey Project, Nesting Bird Life and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Collins Street Falcons, 367 Collins Street Falcon Watchers, Olympic Park Eagles, Brian Collins – Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Cornell Bird Lab, Newfoundland Power, Charlo Montana, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Ospreys, Boulder County, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Geemeff and the Woodland Trust.