Category Archives: behavioural ecology

Tuesday in Bird World

26 December 2023

Good Morning!

Thank you for all your holiday wishes. They are so appreciated. 

We had a very simple Christmas Eve and morning, which was blissful. Christmas Eve saw the party with the girls, our meal, and the socks. Christmas morning welcomed two presents for the girls along with the opening of the annual wicker. Slowing Down, not trying to have everything perfect, and not falling into the deep hole of consumerism rushing around to buy ‘stuff’ added a layer of joy and restfulness that was magical.  The girls certainly brought abundant laughter – the energy they have including Calico was infectious. 

After a breakfast of French toast with Wild Plum and Berry jam, it was off to the English Gardens to leave nuts and seeds for the birds and squirrels. Others do this as well. A long stroll amongst the paths was invigorating in the crisp, -6 C air. The sky was a bright blue! The Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and squirrels were enjoying their feast to the delight of all. I feel blessed to be able to be outside often – . It changes everything.

Seeds and nuts were placed along the barrier and on the pedestals of the statues and the sundial.

In my garden, there were many visitors, including Junior and the Baby Blue Jay (now grown). Oh, how wonderful it was to see both of them flying in and out getting peanuts and eating off the suet cylinder. They are safe, and that is all that matters. What a wonderful present they gave me by their visit. It really is this type of simple pleasure that means so much.

The squirrels – I suspect Little Red – kept knocking this big hunk of suet off its holder so I laid it on top of the large table feeder in the hope that someone would enjoy it. As it happened, the Downy Woodpeckers were chipping away as were the Chickadees and the Blue Jays!

‘The Boyfriend’ was here for more chicken dinner! He is looking pretty good.

Inside the girls were exploring another toy.

Hugo is growing. Just look at how long she is. When she arrived three weeks ago, she was the length of her tail. Now we are more than double in weight with clear eyes and nostrils. She is precious. And what an attitude.

Missey pulled the pompom off the toy and took it under the Chinese dresser much to the dismay of Hugo and Hope.

In this game, the orange and yellow pompom goes in and out of the hole for the cat to try to fetch or guess where it will be. They love it.

Calico is there in the background. She is not yet as playful as the other three, but she is getting more so each week. She is much more a longer than the other three – maybe it is because she had to survive outside by herself for 8 or 10 months before coming to live inside with others. Calico does love her chew toy.

Thank you so much for enjoying the kitties and garden animals that share my life. As the Osprey season picks up in a few months, there will be less cat and more bird.

Bird World continues with some nest drama, wet weather, and waiting…waiting for those two eggs at SW Florida to hatch. Gabby’s second egg might have problems…we wait to see. I hope she gives up on it and moves on. Here is a quick check…as eggs hatch and Ospreys return (yes, my calendar is on countdown, and I am looking at the middle of March for Big Red to lay eggs and my heart to start beating fast as Rutland Manton Bay and Blue 33 and Maya return and also Laddie at Loch of the Lowes. We lost Blue NC0 last year, so will there be a new mate there?

Now, moving on to Bird World….

Monty is legendary in Osprey World. The male from Dyfi in Wales, the foundation stone that gave us legendary fledges. Why am I posting this? First, Ospreys are on my mind. Second, Margaret Blakely posted her wonderful poem to Monty and has allowed me to share it with you. Margaret says it is best sung to the tune of While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night. Thanks, Margaret!

Why do I like the UK ospreys? Records are kept so that we can understand and appreciate these dynastic families! Colour-coded. There is Monty and now we have Idris who is fantastic, too. Apologies for that ‘share’ tab on the side. I could not get rid of it. Those are the official sightings of offspring that returned after 2 years. One of my favourites is Z1, Tegid, who is breeding in Wales. Tepid the White Egg as he was known at the time.

Boxing Day Report on the WBSE: ”One adult was seen early down on River Roost and one was reported at Goat Island. Our juvenile was seen on the island at 9am. Later, one adult and the juvenile were at River Roost; it is not known if SE31 had eaten. River traffic was busy on this public holiday. Later in the day, both parents were seen at Burns Bay. In the evening? No late reports. “

The first Christmas egg was laid by Abby at Eagle Country in Florida at 16:59:44. Congratulations Abby and Blazer.

LadyDeeagle55 caught the moment:

We are four days away from pip watch at SW Florida and M15 and F23’s first clutch together! How excited are you getting?

M15 brings his new mate a great prey item for Christmas.

Things are getting a little tense at the KNF-E3 nest of Alex.

Really hoping that Alex is moving along.

Connie and Clive kept C10 and C11 dry when both stayed on the nest during the recent torrential downpour. It was a miserable soaking day throughout most of Florida.

Ondabebe caught some touching moments on the Captiva nest.

At Port Lincoln, the lads are looking good. There is going to be an early fish and Gil is gonna get it! Mum brought in a large one at 07:20:47. There is enough for all if Gil will share.

Aren’t they handsome?

But Bradley wants it.

Bradley is still staring down that fish at 0824! There isn’t going to be much left Bradley…

At 0839, Mum wants some fish, and Bradley wants some, but it looks like Gil might finish the lot. Brad, you gotta learn to steal to survive.

At 0848 a scuffle but Gil hangs on to the fish.

Then Mum decides if she is going to get a single bite, and if Brad is going to get anything, she needs to move in. Mum and Brad will get a little – not much.

Here is the weekly summary from Port Lincoln:

Three nice fish on the 26th at Port Lincoln.

There is cheering amongst South Australian Osprey fans as Calypso brings a potential new mate to the Tulsa platform nest! You might remember, with sadness, that Calypso’s former mate died from dangling upside down on a hydro pole.

Rain in the afternoon at NE Florida. Gabby on incubation duty with V3 on guard.

Marri on the Tower and ‘A’ reports on Boxing Day at Orange: ”And at Orange, we had a bonding incident.  today (26 December): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1p4R5_eCew, and here is a clip from Christmas Day, with Marri chasing Xavier around the tower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHIGGIJdLJ0. “

Solutions for the major waterways in the Western US required and growing to help the birds.

Momentum-Gaining-on-Important-Water-Work-to-Benefit-Birds-and-People-in-the-West-AudubonDownload

The final count at Hawk Mountain for the 2023 migration. Ospreys down.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Remember – send me the events in Bird World in 2023 that really brought some joy to your life! I will list them on 1 January. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Margaret Blakely, Dyfi Osprey Project, Eagle Country, Lady Deeagle55, Lady Hawk, KNF-E3, Window to Wildlife, Ondabebe, PLO, Bart M, NEFL-AEF, Helen Match, and Hawk Mountain.

Monday in Bird World

25 December 2023

Good Morning all! 

The best of the holiday season to those who are celebrating Christmas. We hope that you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

There was a light dusting of snow on Friday morning. When I went out to feed the birds, I looked up to the sky, and let a few of the falling flakes dance across my face. It was glorious. A single simple moment brings such joy.

‘The Girls Thought for the Day’: Any ordinary day can become extraordinary – stop, breathe, and look for the beauty.

Late Thursday night, I put out a ‘Bug and Nut’ suet cylinder, hoping to entice any Blue Jay in the neighbourhood. I was not quick enough with my camera this morning, but one deep in the lilacs took a nut and flew off. I didn’t scream for joy because Hugo was nestled in my arms, but oh, how wonderful it was to see the flick of those beautiful Indigo feathers. Dyson was there, too, eating peanuts along with both Little Reds. About 75 sparrows came for some festive seed, and various community cats, including ‘The Boyfriend’, had roast chicken and dry kibble.  It is a lot of work and I am behind in my shovelling of shells, but the happiness that these animals bring cannot be measured. 

The girls will have a table set just for them. Now will they really perch on the chairs and eat their chicken like nice little male osprey chicks? Or will they snarl and fuss? We will see.

The toy of the season has been this interactive one. It has a rotating laser light, a feather toy at the top that moves and little balls they can move with their paws. By far they have played with it the most.

Baby Hugo would rather play with Baby Hope sometimes.

I have mentioned that Hugo is fearless, right? She is so tiny compared to the others but playing rough is just what she wants to do. She is like a little orange tiger.

Now she has decided it is time to play with Missey!

Calico gets out of the way quickly when Baby Hugo is tearing around the sitting room.

Calico was so thin at the end of the summer after raising the kitten/s. She did an amazing job with Baby Hope compared to other stray cats and kittens I have seen. Calico is always worried about food, having lived on the streets, and I am afraid she is the ‘clean up’ kitty. She has gotten a little ‘pear-shaped’ since August when she moved into the house, and we are now working on a bit of a diet plan. 

The girls enjoyed their little party. First up to check it out was Missey followed by Hugo. Calico and Hope opted to eat in their usual spots. Each got their favourite treats along with some ‘dental toys’ and another new toy to alternate – keeping them active and away from ‘boredom’. Did we worry about cats being bored decades ago? or that their nails required trimming? or their teeth brushed?

Around the table are their bowls and favourite treats. Missey prefers the Churu Pops while Calico loves anything to do with Catnip. Baby Hope gets the Wilderness Salmon and Cranberries while Baby Hugo loves the Greenies Dental (I have to break them up for her). Sardines all around, dental chews, gnomes big and small to drag on the floor and a cat toy. All in all I would say that Santa did quite well by the girls.

They will have roast chicken in the pink dishes later. For now it is tinned food. 

See that package of sticks with tassels? They are supposed to help keep their teeth clean. They have certainly chewed on them all evening. Fingers crossed. The cleaning of teeth has been one of the biggest expenses for families with felines I am told by the vet techs. 

As the end of the year approaches, it is good to reflect on all the extraordinary events in our lives and Bird World. What were the 2 or 3 events with our feathered friends that touched you this year? If you feel like it, drop me a line and tell me so that I can share. I want to see how many overlap so I will also rank the top 5. I plan to publish them on the 1st of January to kick off the year. You can add them as a comment or send them to me as an e-mail – thanks, ever, for sharing: maryannsteggles@icloud.com

At NE Florida. Gabby. Will she have to do it all? This nest concerns me. I adore both of them and would like nothing more than to see Gabby become a mum again, but…she cannot do it alone. 

The learning curve is high. Instinctual does not mean parents (raptor or otherwise) get it right. Stop and think about the males that have either done something accidentally to harm their chicks or something silly. Tom and the first hatch for him and Angel, the Leucistic RTH, this year. The feeding of so many eggs, including that at the scrape of Monty and Hartley. Many females prefer to eat and not feed their chicks. We will never know what drove V3 to bury the first egg, and we will sit at home and scream at the screen for him to bring prey to Gabby. I would prefer that this egg fails than to see an eaglet starve. Again, Gabby cannot do it alone – she might be a super Mamma, but she will still require help. — Please prove me wrong! You can all throw rotten tomatoes at me! 

‘H’ sent me the most recent news on Gabby: ”Gabby was not in the nest for a while, and Beau flew to the Wallenda.  He stayed there for a long time, finally going to the nest at 165025.  He started pulling up moss again, and looked like he may have intended to perhaps do what he did to egg #1…but every time he started to do something, Gabby hollered at him from a nearby tree.  So, he eventually flew to the Sunset branch.  The egg was inadvertently moved to the edge of the bowl (not that there is much of a bowl) from Beau’s actions.  Now, Gabby just returned to the nest….she resumed incubating the egg from its current location.  550 people were holding their breath.”

Thanks so much, ‘H’. 

It is raining at the nest of Alex in the Kisatchie National Forest. Alex is trying to keep those eggs dry tonight. Just ache for him…gosh, I wish I could send you Gabby and her egg!

The John Bunker Sands Eagles are incubating two eggs and the area has already had over two inches of rain.

Now that it is the 25th of December, you can start getting excited because we are going to be on hatch watch at the nest of M15 and F23 in Fort Myers soon. There has been great success at Captiva with Connie and Clive and I am looking forward to M15 and his new mate raising their first clutch together. 

Great photos coming out of the Parramatta River from Chang-Le Dong of SE31. Thank you!

‘A’ gives us a good report on the sea eagles: ”December 25: Early, all three eagles were down on the river and SE31 was eating a fish. Around 7am, the parents were duetting with the juvenile squeeing a ‘Happy Christmas’. Again, after 8am, when our juvenile had finished eating, there was another chorus. Then she seemed to stay out of sight, with no more views. Late in the afternoon, at 5:30pm, the storm was approaching and only one adult was to be seen. There was a great sighting of the critically endangered Eastern Curlew earlier, flying over the wetlands. Very exciting.” 

‘A’ also says “At Orange, all three of our falcons have been sighted today, with both parents visiting the scrape (Diamond several times during the day, and she is there now, while Xavier visited for a bonding session at 18:26). Marri was sighted (and heard!!) atop the tower more than once, chasing poor Xavier off the roof on one occasion. There was a big storm, with hail, in the middle of the day, but it fined up later on and all falcons were sighted after the storm, so none of our precious falcons was harmed. “

Checking on Port Lincoln:

Gil and then Brad share in the last fish delivery that is recorded before I call it night’s out. It was a nice big fish to complement an earlier delivery by Dad.

The Arno Bay Ospreys in South Australia have been given names!

At Redding, Guardian is bringing in the prey and building up Liberty’s strength for eggs! 

At the Royal Albatross Colony:

Scary times for Anna and Louis?

Monty and Hartley have a brand new scrape box. Listen to them discuss its potential!

Some images today from the Captiva nest:

The nest is sure nice at Eagle Country. Waiting for eggs.

Jackie was hard at work Sunday morning moving some sticks around on her nest at Big Bear.

Occasionally, I see a posting about an extraordinary young person getting involved to help save the birds and their habitat. I know that there are lots more out there, but kudos to this young man on his second fundraising project for the albatross.

On Christmas Eve, the girls and I slowed down. My friend in Paris suggested I take a nice chunk of chocolate and put it into a mug with heated 10% cream. Stir. Drink. Just like one of the stalls makes in Shakespeare and Company. It was lovely. Try it! And if you want to give it a hint of Mexico – stir with a cinnamon stick. Then, we wrapped ourselves in my grandmother’s quilts and continued reading about Red-tails in Love – the story of Pale Male – in the quiet of the conservatory with the full moon hovering overhead. Blissful. Truly one of the nicest moments of the year.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H’, NEFL-AEF, KNF-E3, Tom Fleming, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Brandy Adams, Chang-Le Dong, PLO, Fran Solly, FORE, Sharon Dunne, Tonya in NO, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Holly Parsons, and Eagle Country.

Gabby lays the second egg…Sunday in Bird World

24 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

To those celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – and Boxing Day – have a wonderful holiday. Have lots of laughs, good food, make memories!

As we near the end of the year, I also want to thank everyone for your empathy, interest, and dedication to the planet’s wildlife (and domesticated pets). Pictures of your fur babies or birds visiting your feeders are always welcome, and I am so grateful for your letters and comments. It is heartwarming to know that a huge community of caring souls exists. Together, we have wept, and we have celebrated. Most of all, we have marvelled at this wonderful world we are a part of. So, here is to 2024 – may it be a blessed year for our birds and our families- no matter how many legs they have!

My year has been full of joy and utter sadness. I am so grateful to the girls that have enriched my life well beyond anything that I could have even dreamed about. There will, however, always be a tear shed and a little hole in the heart because of Lewis. What a great guy he was. Each one of them is their own person – their own character with their story. I feel lucky to be a part of that journey with them. 

Dear little Hugo decided to confront Calico head on. Seriously. Confronting Calico?! Calico normally takes off to get out of Hugo’s path. It is simply too funny. Notice how her eyes are so much better. And her face is getting a little round. It looks like we will make it!

In the garden, the squirrels are thriving in the warm weather. They have some treats, too – in the form of a big bag of in-the-shell peanuts. Dyson could not be happier! The Blue Jays have not returned and so it must be assumed that they have made their way to warmer climates south of here. I cannot fathom all of them having an untimely demise. Today, there were five Black-capped Chickadees in the apple tree in the front garden. Tomorrow they will get a special ball of seeds just for them. Oh, it would be grand if they made their nest in their in the spring! It is away from where the community cats normally visit so should be safe. 

In Osprey World, it is about 83 days until the first birds begin returning to the UK from West Africa or the Iberian Peninsula. Keep them in your thoughts as they make this perilous journey. 

‘H’ sent me to a posting by Elfruler that is truly a good read and a great way to sit down and contemplate what is happening over at the nest of Gabby and V3. Thanks, ‘H’. 

I am not an eagle expert. But, if Ospreys know who the eggs belong to and if the male even twitches that they arrived a little too early since the pair’s mating, you will see that Osprey kick those eggs over to the next lach! So if Ospreys know, then why wouldn’t Bald Eagles? 

Around 17:13 Gabby went into labour and laid the second egg. She was sooooo tired after. Beau was on a branch looking down. He could hear her. Now. Let us see how this plays out. 

Quick reveal – white spot under feathers near centre.

Tired Mamma. 525 people watching and excited for Beau and Gabby.

I have missed several of the Ferris Akel tours on Saturday and today was a reminder that we really need to slow down and enjoy life. I miss those tours!  Ferris found both Big Red and Arthur, Mourning Doves, and some geese and ducks today along with Bald Eagles! 

Beautiful Big Red hunting.

Arthur on the throne.

So many Doves and they kept flying in! 

Sandhill Cranes flying in and landing.

And then after gathering at their stop, they left.

Kids still being fed well by Connie and Clive. The pantry is absolutely full thanks to Clive’s amazing hunting skills. No need for C10 to be intimidating C11 but it is – dominance. 

I love in when Clive comes in to check on the eaglets and when he feeds them while Connie is away like now.

Connie returns.

‘A’ comments on the activities at Connie and Clive’s nest: ”Meanwhile, at Captiva, yesterday’s feeding record was broken today, with 13 feedings. Yes, you read that right. Thirteen. Here are the time stamps: 6:57:55 Feed1, 8:19:14 Feed2[CE10], 8:52:45 Feed3, 9:47:42 Feed4, 10:57:05 Feed5, 11:37:15 Feed6, 12:33:50 Feed7.1:51:25 Feed8,3:33:15 Feed9 [Clive]. 3:59:34Feed10[CE10] 4:29:25 Feed11, 5:11:15 Feed12, 5:55;20 Feed13.

These two are so adorable, though the bonking has definitely begun. You will note that at feed 2, for example, little CE11 puts its head up to participate, gets bonked once, and is down for the count. That happens at another feeding later in the day too (feed 10). But both are getting more than enough to eat, with Clive keeping fish scattered about the nest and around a dozen feedings a day. I would so love it if there was no bonking, but then I remember that’s why we watch peregrines and RTHs.”

SE31 and family at the river.

A look at Gil and Brad from the egg to the fledge. Thank you Fish Fairies for ensuring that these two were well fed and fledged!

Can the Black-footed Albatross be saved? And is this island free of cats? and rats? A good read from Audubon. Please cut and paste the link to Audubon for the article below the photo credit.

“Black-footed albatross pair. Photo credit: Dan Clark/USFWS” by USFWS Pacific is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

A-Single-Mexican-Island-May-Be-Our-Best-Hope-for-Saving-Black-footed-Albatrosses-Audubon

Want to make a wreath with your family for the birds? Find some suet – grab your bunt pan and read the article. Away you go!

Help-Feed-the-Birds-With-a-DIY-Wreath-AudubonDownload

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

I am so grateful to the following for their notes, articles, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, NEFL-AEF, Elfruler, Paul K, Ferris Akel Tours, Window to Wildlife, Chang-Le Dong, PLO, Bart M. Openverse, and Audubon.

Saturday in Bird World

23 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Friday was a day of ‘hoar’ frost in Southern Manitoba. It was foggy and beautiful – and again, sadly warm for this time of year. It is nearing midnight and it is -1 C. It was a nice day for a brisk walk through the park, but it felt cold to the bones because everything was melting and damp. Oh, how I am longing for winter! Or Spring! But not this.

It was an interesting morning with Calico. She perched on the new cat tree and watched ‘The Boyfriend’ eat at the close feeder. It was eerie. I often wonder if he wasn’t a litter mate of hers instead of just being her friend outside when she was living rough. He has come to the garden door when the bowls needed replenishing, but he shows no signs of wanting to be friendly like Calico did so that he might work his way to joining us in the house.

Beautiful Calico.

Baby Hope (yes, she will always be a ‘baby’ just like Hugo) watched him as he went under the back gate.

Missey looks lovely in that soft morning light filtering through the garden door. She loves watches the birds flit in and out of the vines dangling down from the gutter.

Baby Hugo is so much better. The antibiotics have helped. She is no longer sneezing, and her eyes are hardly drooling. We also had a major milestone – she ate her Royal Canin Kitten Kibble. What a relief. So, she is eating well – her kitten tinned food and now the kibble and water. She had some sardines today as well. She is more than 14 weeks old and is considerably small for her age – about the size of an 8-week-old kitten. She is lively- what a character. I keep saying she is fearless, and she is. She is unafraid to lunge at any of her sisters, and she will leap on Calico without thinking. Calico is normally shy, shocked she doesn’t know how to respond. She is always ready for a good game of hide and chase! She is also very curious about food. Tonight, her interest was on a samosa, then a cup of pomegranate tea – and finally, oh boy, she found a small individual butter dish that did not have its top. She is getting very long, and I expect she is now more than three times the size she was when she arrived. We will know how well she is doing on the 4th of January when she goes in for her check. She is too wild to sit on the scales now!!!!!!!!

I am hoping to get a decent photo of her for you! Saturday morning. These are better. I have not cleaned Baby Hugo’s face yet – there is only a little muck from the night. Yippeeeee. Calico wanted her photo taken and everyone is happen. It is 0 degrees C and it is so nice and toasty in the conservatory! They love it out there – watching the entire outdoor world around them.

Hugo having a look at Calico!

Hope looking at Hugo taking her toy.

Missey getting ready to leap to the top of the post before Hugo and Hope come roaring around again.

In Bird World, only a singular event today caught people’s attention. Gabby left the nest, and V3 came and buried the egg deep into the cavity. Gabby returned and tried to make things right to no avail. Of course, the big question on everyone’s mind is why did V3 do this. 

When male Ospreys come to the nest and find eggs, believing them not to be their own, they kick them like crazy out of the nest in a rage. So, do Bald Eagles bury their eggs? Was this egg not V3’s?  Or is V3 just confused by the egg because he is so young? That is an interesting proposition, but I return to some very young male eagles (younger than V3) who became excellent mates and fathers like Harry at MN-DNR. He was probably between 4 and 5 years old when he fathered his clutch, and he did magnificently. Others did not do so well. ’J’ reminded me that it took Akecheta three seasons to get ‘fatherhood’ right! And then he turned out to be brilliant. So we wait to see what will happen.

‘J’ sent this note from Naturechat: ”Debra NatureChat: It took Akecheta the mate of Thunder on the West End Eagle nest… 1 season of failure because he wouldn’t incubate…Ist season no incubating at all, 2nd season he did incubate up until the day of hatch, and then flew off the nest, and the ravens came and got all 3 eggs. The 3rd season he incubated throughout the time and did a Great job, feeding the hatchlings was all new to him but he got the hang of it. “

Beau and Gabby returned to the nest and were making some restorations and being affection, but not mating. V3 might have been interested, but Gabby wasn’t. 

Friday night and Gabby is in the nest – is she in labour with a second egg?

The only bobbleheads to hatch are C10 and C11, Connie and Clive’s kids over at Captiva. They are doing well and despite some bonks, C11 seems to be able to hold its own.

The pantry is full and brimming over. and these are two very strong beautiful eaglets. Such a blessing in a year that has gone sideways for our eagle families. There is some beaking. C11 goes into submission pretty quick sometimes. There is a daily activity log for the nest. Check on the link within the chat for the Google Spreadsheet. Both ate well on Friday.

Was so pleased to see that Alex has moved on from incubation duties at KNF-E3. He is recovering.

Beautiful Jackie looking out over Big Bear Lake.

Hope and Chandler were doing some nest work at Port Tobacco.

Guess what? There is another Beau! At Denton Homes. So – MN-DNR and NEFL-AEF and Denton Homes. Any more that you can think of?

Pepe and Muhlady are thinking about a second clutch!

At Port Lincoln, the lads have been flying around and the parents have been delivering fish to their lads. It was a good day at the barge.

There was a prey transfer at Orange!

Jack and Diane are bringing in bark for their nest on the grounds of the Achieva Credit Union in St Petersburg. 

OK Owl People. Hoots was in the new nest Friday morning!

Here is the link to their live camera:

I know some of you missed it. Geemeff sent me the link to the latest video of “at least 73 year old” Wisdom, the oldest banded Laysan Albatross in the world, dancing on Midway Island. 

Sunnie Day posted the link to a PBS video on the impact of Lead poisoning.

https://www.pbs.org/video/lead-poisoning-DjicIx/

2500 studies prove what we knew…

After-2500-Studies-Its-Time-to-Declare-Animal-Sentience-Proven-Op-Ed-Live-ScienceDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care – there are lots of cases of flu and Covid out there. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, Geemeff, H, J’, NEFL-AEF, Mary B.L. Tung, Window to Wildlife, KNF-E3, FOBBV, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, Denton Homes, Superbeaks, PLO, Bart M, Falcon Cam Project, Angela Edwards, USFWS Midway Atoll Sunnie Day, and Live Science.

Bradley fledges, SE31 catches a fish? …Friday in Bird World

22 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

You would not think it was the end of December in Winnipeg. The weather is so warm that people are pulling off their sweaters under their winter jackets in favour of t-shirts. Or, at least, that was the case at the nature centre today at noon. I began to wonder if the young people were going to do some winter tanning the sun was so intense!

There is a very large wasp nest right in the middle of the photograph.

The toboggan (or sled) run that will be used once the ice gets thick enough on the lake.

Dear friends of mine are spending their holidays in Paris and today, I was sent a photograph of Cormorants sunning themselves in one of Paris’s canals. Richard Holden is a Canadian photographer who is researching the history of the Irish Famine and its images. It is so nice of him to allow me to share his image with all of you.

Richard comments, ” They’re in the canal just across from our place, and seem to love getting up on those yellow bollards. They even get into little fights to see who gets which one!”

What fun! Thank you, Richard.

At Port Lincoln, Bradley flew to a perch at 07:07. Nice one, Bradley! And then he flew over to the ropes. Some might want to call the first flight ‘branching’ if they are used to eagles, but clearly the flight to the ropes was a fledge – a first flight.

HeidiMc got all of Brad’s flying on video and check out the music – Brad is the conductor!

This was the observation board before I turned the lights out. That flying energised Brad to go after that fish!

Port Lincoln’s Ervie has been moving about. Ervie is 2 years old plus. Like Calypso, both male, and both have stayed within the vicinity of Port Lincoln. Let’s see what Brad and Gil do.

‘A’ brings us news from the Parramatta River – exciting news: “

December 22: A fine day again. Early morning, SE31 was flying back and forth, then at 7:07am our observer saw her catch a fish. She flew to a branch with it, but may have dropped it on landing, as she was seen empty-taloned nearby shortly after. Two ospreys were seen circling over the boat ramp nearby around 8am. One of the adults flew in with prey at 8:31 with the ospreys following. Prey was delivered to our juvenile and both disappeared into the mangroves. SE31 was then seen eating on the ground at Mangrove Island. No further reports during the day, though both adults were seen at Goat Island, both with a fish. Our juvenile was seen on her home patch, flying over the bay, her usual roost places, then off over the wetlands towards Homebush Bay it seems. A day of firsts. Then she appeared again over the river and was in the mangroves at the end of the day. A sunset photo of their patch from yesterday.”

At Captiva, Ruby and Jack have been working on the nest and mating over Thursday.

At the nest of Clive and Connie at Captiva, the two eaglets are still bobbing their heads! Soon, those necks will be strong and their eyes will focus clearly. Clive is keeping the pantry full of a variety of prey for the family. How many times will I say it? Clive is a great provider.

‘A’ reports: Meanwhile, there were 11 feedings today at Captiva, with little CE10 and CE11 both eating well and Clive keeping the pantry extremely well stocked with a nice variety of food items. This pair really are an experienced pair of parents. So far, there has been little bonking – I do hope we get a pair of males on this nest, laidback and fraternal.”

Lady Hawk has all of the 11 meals on one video.

What a guy! M15 brings in dinner for two.

For those wondering about the egg at NE Florida, here is a great explanation by the AEF.

Images of Gabby today. I live in hope that this will work out.

Beau delivers moss but not a fish…The second egg is due today.

I have not spent much time checking on Anna and Louis because of what is happening at the nest of Alex and the late Andria. F1 has been rather amazing. I totally agree. She is protective and a fierce defender of the nest. Keep thinking how lucky Alex was that she came along right after Andria’s death and is such or seems to be an acceptable mate to him.

Alex on the eggs Thursday night.

Annie and Lou were at The Campanile celebrating the solstice together.

Thursday at Barnegat Light:

The view from Tom and Audrey’s nest on Chesapeake Bay on Solstice.

The view from Swoop and Harriet’s nest at Dunrovin. Can you tell I am really missing the ospreys?

Monty and Hartley are feeling happy!

Quarries turned into havens for nature? 

The-quarries-in-which-nature-grows-BirdLife-InternationalDownload

If you missed it, the Red List of Birds in the UK gives us a glimmer of hope for 2023.

The-2023-Red-List-update-reveals-hope-for-birds-in-crisis-BirdLife-International-1Download

Humans are cruel. Please note the wish list for Seaside. Remember these things are needed at every wildlife rehabilitation clinic!

This fall’s ‘State of the Everglades’ report if you are interested.

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They are scattered about my neighbourhood thanks to Dyson and her growing legacy. Do you have any dreys near you?

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H’, Richard Holden, PLO, Bart M, Lucille Powell, Judy Harrington, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk, AEF, NEFL-AEF, Kelleigh Lynn, KNF-E3, SK Hideaways, Wildlife Conservation Foundation of NJ, Explore.org, Dunrovin Ranch, BirdLife International, Diane Lambertson, BirdLife International, Audubon, and Birds in Helping Hands.

Osprey eggs!!!!!!…Thursday in Bird World

21 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Happy Winter Solstice! 

The girls are pretty good. Baby Hugo continues to baffle me with her runny eyes and sneezing. Tomorrow, we pick up the antibiotics if the sneezing doesn’t stop. We continue on the Polysporin for Pink Eye. Does she have an allergy? Or will this be a respiratory issue all her life due to her poor beginning? The latter is what the vet thinks. She does have a good appetite if I sit with her and turn the dish. She is playing but not as much as the other day. Hence, I am feeling the need for a little help here. 

Baby Hope is perfect. No problems, not even a weight one. And her temperament is that of a very gentle soul. She loves to get right up to the camera and will sometimes still do those Famous High Fives.

Hope loves to pose for me. Just pull out the camera and she gets ready.

Missey is beautiful. Lots of brushing! 

Calico has one thing on her mind – Hugo. Where is Hugo?

The days are cloudy but warm for Winnipeg, aka Winterpeg, in December. -2 C. It was slushy out by the bird feeders. My phone tells me we are +5 degrees C higher than the norm for this time of year. It was nice enough to clean up the shells from the Black Oil Seed. I have cut the seed down in half, and the birds are still not eating it all. I said I was concerned that the numbers have dropped significantly at the feeders. This normally does not happen in the winter. I have not seen the Starlings for nearly a week and the Blue Jays for a bit longer. Dyson and Gang, along with Little Red, are taking advantage! They are getting the peanuts.

The Boyfriend was here several times today, too. He loves that Kitten Kibble!

V3 at NE Florida has been given a name. ‘H’ sent me the link to the AEF FB page. It tells us why they chose the French name, Beau, to go with the French Gabriella. Be careful. ’L’ said it teared her up!

But remember, there are two. One at NE Florida and the other with Nancy up at the DNR-Minnesota nest.

https://www.facebook.com/AEFNestCams

Beau guarding Gabby and their first egg. The question now is: will he help Gabby incubate? will he bring her prey items? will he feed the eaglets? We wait. I love the couple together but he seems to lack the instincts that other young male eagles have had. I am thinking of Harry at Minnesota as one of those. 

V3 brought in a fish for Gabby, but will he help her? I worry. Let us hope that his instincts kick in!

Oh, I get excited when there are Osprey eggs. Sorry, eagles. Sunnie Day posted the first on a streaming cam in Naples, Florida. Check them out – cut and paste the link to the live cam if you cannot click and connect.

OK. C10 and C11 are really cute and C11 looks like it will be able to hold its own against its older sibling! Still…..I dream of that little stripe and the black eye liner of the little osplets.

Gil and Brad on the nest at Port Lincoln waiting to squabble over the first fish delivery. If you haven’t noticed, Mum has really been pulling the weight of the fish deliveries since the fairies stopped providing.

That Brad is sure handsome. Look at that crest – and it looks like some whitecaps in the background. Hope the fishing isn’t bad today. Maybe Mum has a good spot.

This is how the day went so far. Most agree that Brad is going to get pretty hungry if he doesn’t step up and snatch that fish! Gil got the first one and is still eating the one that Mum brought in at 12:57.

Look at all the fish…there were many feeding times!

How exciting! Marri visits the scrape at Orange but gets frightened by the pump!

These are some great screen captures of Marri during her visit. Marri is gorgeous. You could confuse her for Diamond if you didn’t look carefully at the chest bands.

Mr President and Lotus were at the National Arboretum Bald Eagle nest in DC. Oh, how nice to see them.

Abby and Blaze were at Eagle Country.

Lots of hay being delivered to the nest at SW Florida – getting it nice and cosy for those little eaglets when they hatch.

Dad and the new female F were working on the nest at ND-LEEF in South Bend, Indiana, on Wednesday.

Eagles at Decorah North on Tuesday.

Egg rolling at Berry College with Pa and Missy.

‘A’ brings us the wonderful report of the WBSE at the Parramatta River:

“December 21: A cooler start to the day and more rain. At 7am, SE31 was on the island and both adults were on River Roost. A little later, the juvenile was seen flying from behind the island to land on the other side, then going into the mangroves. Adult was seen with fish in the morning and then again at 2:28pm. The juvenile possibly took the fish, but was hidden in mangroves behind River Roost. Wind was strong today at times, affecting their flight.

‘J’ recommended a lovely little book to me. It is Peterson’s Birds. The Art and Photography of Roger Tory Peterson. It was published in 1994, thirty years ago, the year at Peterson died. Full of biographical information on what led Peterson to his love of birds along with pages of his gorgeous and skilful sketches and photographs. Mine is an ex-library copy in mint-condition. It is only available ‘used’ but worth the effort to find a copy for yourself or someone special.

I like the size of it and Calico will approve. Perfect for petting a cat on the chest while holding and reading!

Bald Eagle released at our local wildlife centre includes a short mention of the eagle’s importance to my province’s indigenous people.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, photos, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, H, J, L’, AEF FB, NEFL-AEF, Judy Harrington, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife, PLO, Bart M, SK Hideaways, Helen Matcham, National Arboretum Eagle Cam, Eagle Country, Lady Hawk, ND-LEEF, Raptor Research Project/Explore, Berry College Eagles, Peterson’s Birds, and Wildlife Haven.

Gabby lays her first egg and Captiva has two!…Wednesday in Bird World

20 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

My inbox lit up like the Christmas tree in New York City right after 18:16 Florida time. Gabby laid her first egg of the 2023-24 Bald Eagle season! (It looks like the official time of egg laying was around 1806 with the first sighting at 1816). The world cheered just like the champagne glasses clinked the other day when V3 and Gabby successfully mated on the nest. We will all hope that egg is fertilised and that there is another – with two precious eaglets on this nest, NE28 and NE29, in mid-January.

Gabby started the soft chirping that she does when she begins labour around 1800. Congratulations Gabby and V3.

V3 sees his egg for the first time.

The Winter Solstice is one day away. For those who celebrate Christmas, Christmas Eve is 4 days away, with the big day only being 5 days off. Hanukkah is over and 2024 is less than a fortnight off. Kwanzaa is from 26 December, ending on New Year’s Day. My goodness, the year has flown by! May all your celebrations be full of love, joy, laughter, and companionship.

Last night, Calico brought me to tears. She entered the bedroom when I was reading before lights out and climbed onto my chest, nuzzling my chin. She stayed for over an hour being petted while I read some chapters out of of Spark Birds. Calico always loves a good story, and this reminded me so much of those early days when she came to live in the house. What a gentle soul she is. Every day, I remind myself how lucky I am that she found me.

Baby Hugo continues to sneeze, which bothers me immensely. She eats well, her eyes are pretty clear and she is playing like a wild little tiger. She continues to be the tiniest little kitten I have seen for such a long, long time. Will she grow? Her and Baby Hope just ran through the house so fast it was like their tails were on fire. 

Missey is determined to pull all the white fluff off the twinkly tree. Thank goodness she is not eating it, but rather, putting it on the tablecloth once she pulls it off.

Beautiful Baby Hope loves to be in the basket on a chilly December afternoon.

As I write this they are all playing with the interactive robot toy that flashes a laser light on the ground in various directions. Hope and Hugo get a lot of exercise chasing it!

The second big news item coming out of Bird World Tuesday night is the pending hatch at Captiva of C11, Connie and Clive’s second eaglet of this breeding season.

Clive is a great provider! C11 arrives around 0524 Wednesday morning.

Close to Connie and Clive’s nest, there appears to be an Osprey couple claiming the platform at Lori Covert’s house. They have names – Ruby and Jack. (My first thought was Jack Ruby having been a youngster when President Kennedy was assassinated).

Incubation continues at SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23. Bobbleheads before the end of the month!

Incubation continues for Rose and Ron.

Can you help? There is a movement to turn the area around the Centreport Bald Eagle’s nest into a nature reserve that would protect the raptors. Here is the information and the opportunity to add your voice for change.et’s help Bob Schwartz get twice as many signatures as he wants!

Save-The-Bald-Eagles-of-Centerports-Territory-Turn-the-nesting-area-into-a-preserve-MoveOnDownload

At Port Lincoln, Dad brought in the first fish of the day at 0945. Mum made sure she had complete control of it!

Mum feeding her two lads. How much longer will she get to do this? It must be bittersweet for her, too, when they fly away from the natal nest to find their independence.

Giliath continues to show off his flying skills. It is not going to be long before Brad joins in.

It might be dry in Port Lincoln, but it is raining in Orange.

It was a foggy day at Big Bear Valley, too. I did not see Jackie or Shadow on the nest on Tuesday.

At the Kisatachie National Forest nest of Alex and his deceased mate, Andria, Alex continues to incubate the eggs Tuesday night. This breaks my heart.

Alex was up and gone in the morning.

White-tail eaglet in Latvia.

‘A’ found us some current news coming out of Sydney at the Parramatta River: “December 20: An early observer reported an adult and SE31 flying up and down between their usual roosts, with SE31 squeeing. Then, at 7:55am, Lady was reported eating on Mangrove Island. She then flew to River Roost, where SE31 appeared, still squeeing– however, the juvenile then watched the adult eating but made no attempt to take any of the prey herself. A rainy day today – a cool relief from previous hot days. No more observations at this stage.”

This is a sombre read. The impact of humans is twice as high as believed on species extinction.

Human-driven-extinction-of-bird-species-twice-as-high-as-thought-study-says-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

Because it is a time of various holidays with many celebrations, including gift giving and eating, it is also a time to reflect on how we might cut down waste now and throughout the year. Do we need all this stuff? All that food?

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Baby Hugo reminds me that clean sheets and towels are needed by all the vet clinics and wildlife rehab centres along with cleaning supplies, working used tools, pet food, and toys, yes, toys, for enrichment. Think about our feathered friends this season!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, H, J, L, SP’, Denise W Starr, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Goddess, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk, Lucille Powell, Navy Babineau, Move On, PLO, Bart M, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, FOBBV, KNF-E3, WRDC, LDF, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

Tuesday in Bird World

19 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Baby Hugo has been sneezing. Dr Greene gave her a really good check-up and a thumbs up. Hugo might always have some issues. She is nearly 5 months old and is the size of an 8-week-old kitten. She still retains her baby teeth. She has almost doubled her weight from when we got her (860 grams). She is now 1.54 kilos! It is, however, unclear how much more she will grow.

At the vet. Hugo is a force – she dashes at Calico and Hope and they go flying. Fearless is the constant word I use to describe her.

The girls had a lot of fun playing today. The idea of hiding toys and bringing them out works perfectly. They had so much fun with this tiered ball toy today.

Missey watches and joins in.

It has been so quiet in the garden – the squirrels are all here safe and sound. But only about a third of the sparrows with no sight of the Blue Jays. Where has everyone gone?

The new male at the NCTC nest has been named Scout out of a choice of Beau or Scout.

The brotherly love is over at Port Lincoln just as predicted. Dad brought in a small fish at 813 and Gil and Brad scrambled to get it. Gil won, Mum tries to take it and Brad gets it later. Both eat. Whew.

Read Bart M’s running commentary. It will make you tired!

‘A’ remarks about the two osplets: ”They’re very evenly matched. Giliath is a little stronger but Brad is more determined. Poor mum nearly lost a talon in the struggle (thanks, Giliath). She tried several times to grab her fish back but in the end, left it to the boys to struggle over it for a while. There is still no real aggression between the siblings. A tug of fish, most definitely. Mantling, quite a lot of it, especially from Bradley. But actual aggression, none that I have seen. This pair have been adorable to watch. I have loved every minute of this season at Port Lincoln. There have been no deliveries from the fish fairy for three days, since the fish that were left after the banding process, and of course we have seen both parents, but particularly mum, step up the fishing to make up for it. They are ‘monitoring the situation’, so that if there is hunger on the nest, they will step in and use the same barge they used when the left the post-banding fish. (Thank you – I believe that barge has been moved to its current position thanks to your suggestion.) So we are confident that there will be too healthy fledglings at this nest this season, bar unforeseen accidents of course, always a possibility as Orange has shown.”

Yesterday, Mum caught a huge fish and brought it to the nest. She has done the same today. “Once again, mum is the fisher, bringing in a HUGE fish at 10:52:29. It takes her over 20 minutes to get it back!” 

How many of you couldn’t stay away from the Captiva cam? Isn’t that little bobblehead just the cutest thing? Proud father, Clive, has that nest full of fish! 

It looks like there could have been another successful mating at The Hamlet around 1742 Monday evening.

Lady Hawk caught it on video.

At Centrepoint, Mum and D3 try and rid the nest of squirrels.

Failed mating attempt between Bella and new male at the NCTC nest.

At the KNF-E3 nest, Alex was incubating the eggs Monday night. Incredibly sad. I had hoped that he would move on…he will, but it is going to take a little longer. If Andria had lived, those eggs would be hatching right about now. Samson incubated eggs for 80 days at Big Bear with Jak incubating for 86 days at Sauces. I hope that Alex stops sooner than that and maybe has a chance for another clutch with the new female.

‘A’ sends the latest news from Ranger Judy about the sea eagles at the Sydney Olympic Forest. Just look at that beautiful juvenile!

“December 18: Early morning at 7am, all three were down on the river. SE31 was flying up and down the home stretch and begging at times. We could hear her squeeing. At 9:20, Lady flew off River Roost and caught a nice bream, watched by SE31 and delivered fresh to the island mudflats. SE31 was quick to claim it and then eat, with both parents nearby. No more observations from today.”

At The Campanile – female is attracted to Lou but Annie wins out!

It’s a daily joy to read these reports, with SE31 getting stronger and more confident. Cannot wait for her to catch her first fish! She’s obviously watching mum carefully. 

Surviving winter as a bird!

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How much do you know about the Ruffled Grouse?

Why-Mister-Grouse-Is-the-Friendliest-Bird-in-the-Forest-The-New-York-TimesDownload

BirdGuides Review of the Week.

Review-of-the-Week-11-17-December-2023-BirdGuidesDownload

Sadly, Bird Flu is not going away.

Bird-Flu-Is-Still-Causing-Havoc.-Heres-The-Latest.-The-New-York-TimesDownload

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, PLO, Bart M, Window to Wildlife, AEF-NEFL, Lady Hawk, Centrepoint Bald Eagles, Deb Stecyk, KNF-E3, Judy Harrington, SK Hideaways, BTO, The New York Times, and Bird Guides.

Captiva Hatch…M15 protects F23 and eggs during heavy rain…Sunday in Bird World

17 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It was -2 C on Saturday. At one point, it was -8 when I was at the Nature Centre. Yes, I put on the super warm boots and heavier long coat and, with Possum hat in hand, went for a 2km walk. Lots of families were out enjoying the day. I saw only a few Black-capped chickadees flitting around with the woodpeckers and the squirrels. The crisp air was lovely.

This time of year, I like to pop in and check out the new bird books on the shelves. I found one that might interest you – for yourself or a friend. If you need just a little motivation to sit and watch outside or want to record your sightings, this book is for you. It is large enough you won’t be cramped on filling in information yet small enough to stick in your bag along with a pen for your walks. I usually record my findings on eBird, but I will also start to use this diary instead of scribbling on the pages of my Manitoba bird book! 

When I got home, the little boy across the street ‘Teddie’ and his dad had been doing some snow sculpture. Cute!

The girls are fantastic. Well, I think they are. Calico might tell you differently. She was trying to have a nice snooze after breakfast – Calico loves to sleep upside down. Well, Hugo thought Calico’s tummy was the perfect bullseye to jump on. Hugo wanted to play. – Calico wanted to sleep. Dear Calico was so startled that she ran as fast as she could the opposite direction after giving out a hiss!

Missey quickly hid in the large tunnel toy while the commotion was going on.

Baby Hope decided that the safest place was in the basket.

Hugo, of course, was not bothered by any of this. She just went over and started playing with the other tunnel toy! Hugo is utterly fearless. I wonder what the dynamics are going to be in a year?

Baby Hope eventually came out and posed. I cannot take my eyes off her. She is the most precious kitten. I will still be tearing up when she is ten years old marvelling at how she found us after the entire neighbourhood looked and called ‘hoping’ to reunite Calico and her kitten. 

Despite the mishap with Calico, Missey, Hope, and Hugo are having fun together. They are not bored but are getting vast amounts of exercise. The flow of the house from the conservatory through the kitchen, around the island, past the library and into the sitting room is a perfect race track for them to exercise those leg muscles. 

The kittens want to give you a big giggle to start your day off right.

It is so quiet in Bird World that it is actually eerie. There are storms moving through Florida and along the Carolina coast. In the midst of those, Connie and Clive have their first pip. The couple had piled grasses into the nest prior to the arrival of the storm and those eggs are nice and dry. Mum and Dad are soaking! Good luck Connie and Clive. Bird World needs a little bobblehead right now especially since Gil has fledged and Brad is thinking about it!

Video of hatch in progress. If this chick makes it, it will be the first successful hatch of the 2023-24 Bald Eagle season on streaming cam! Fingers and toes crossed.

https://www.youtube.com/live/z5nu6LL74P0?si=jDKWC0HGcSKBdTel

Clive is staying right there with Connie. Both of them are getting soaked, just like M15 and F23.

The hatch came at 0614 Sunday the 17th.

At Southwest Florida, M15 is protecting F23 and their two precious eggs from the storm. What a guy…F23 does not know how lucky she is…yet.

More sightings of SE31 and Lady and Dad providing food down by the River Roost. Also I am reposting information from an earlier post in case you missed it. SE31 had been taken into care and released in the area by the parents.

This has been the most wonderful year at the Parramatta River. To have one sea eaglet survive to be trained by its parents to live a successful life in the wild just makes me tingle all over. We have all shed tears for this nest in the past and I have longed for Lady and Dad to be able to finish what they began as an egg. Let us all hope that 32 is out there someone living their life, too. 

Marri flew up to the ledge of the scrape on Saturday in Australia. Oh, wonderful. 

Xavier has been testing out the new pebbles in the clean scrape.

At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ gives us an update: ”Giliath went on a second flight – only about 90 seconds, from 11:58:29 until 11:59:54, when he demonstrated an impressive backward-flying landing manoeuvre. Brad was very impressed and a little surprised. It’s all happening with this pair. I still think Brad is a couple of days away from fledging. He has not done anything like the amount of wingercising that Giliath did pre-fledge. But we will see. It probably depends on the wind. “

Mum, Gil, and Brad waiting for fish mid-afternoon.

All of us remain hopeful for Gabby and V3 this year.

At the KNF nest, Alex is still doing incubation duty while F1 stands guard and protects the nest! This was Friday but he was still on the eggs on Saturday.

Saturday night and Alex is roosting elsewhere. Maybe with F1. I wonder when his hormones will shut down or he will realise the eggs are not viable? Was it Shadow that incubated for 80 days? Does someone remember?

If there is time for Pepe and Muhlady to have a second clutch, maybe this will work out for Alex and F1. If not, may their bond grow stronger. She is surely a fierce eagle!

Meanwhile, Bella gets friendly with the new male.

Elfruler.com has an article with a lot of data from their research on why Bald Eagle eggs fail. This might give some good insight into what is happening this year on some nests.

LOST-EGGS-AND-FAILED-FIRST-CLUTCHES-OF-EGGS-Bald-EaglesDownload

There is more good news coming for the Albatross. We have Moana returning to NZ and we have the central character of Kalam’s Journey returning to Kauai – and she is not yet 7 years old! She survived! Tears.

Incubation changeover at Taiaroa Head at the Royal Albatross Colony. Get ready for beautiful sky calls.

Cockatoos alter their food to make it easier to eat – looks like my Crows and my Blue Jays!

Polly-Wants-a-Cracker-but-She-Wants-to-Make-It-Easier-to-Chew-The-New-York-TimesDownload

My rescue girls certainly think that this would be the best thing that could happen!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care – and if you are in the path of the storms, stay safe. We want to see you back with us soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Cat’s Diary, Gracie Shepherd, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Chang-le Dong, Sydney Eagle Cam, Helen Match, SK Hideaways, Jerinelle Wray, Carol Shores Rifkin, KNF-E3, Deb Stecyk, Elfruler.com, Holly Parsons, NZ-DOC, Lady Hawk, and The New York Times.

Friday in Bird World

15 December 2023

Hello Everyone,

Good Morning to all of you. We are just two weeks and a day away from a brand new year – and sometime, between now and then, I hope that we have two healthy hatches at the SW Florida Eagle nest of M15 and F23. They could be the first successful nest of the year with two eaglets.

Before we move on to the other birds and the scant news, I have some more information about Hugo. When you adopt a kitten in Winnipeg, you should be given a file folder of information. That was missing when Hugo was picked up. It came in the post today. So, here are some things that were gleaned.

Hugo was born at the beginning of September. The folder says 5 September, but other information on line said 2 September, and my vet thought that because of her size and teeth development that this had to be the beginning of October. From what I understand, the original family wrote down 5 September as the date the stray cat they took in had her kittens. This original foster family took in a very malnourished stray cat, a Tortie, on the Peguis Reserve north of Winnipeg so that the cat would have a safe place to have her kittens. The family named the cat Grace and she had seven kittens. It is unknown if this was her first litter, but she was very tiny. Hugo had trouble eating. The kittens were surrendered to the adoption agency on the 11th of November. All were very tiny for their age. 

It is not clear what health issues the original situation with the Mum will have on Hugo’s development, overall health, or life expectancy. Right now Hugo is enjoying eating her kitten food, the kitten kibble, and loves the thick kitten milk. She loves to play and is sleeping on one of her favourite teaser toys. She likes being wrapped tight in a blanket and held close. Like all the others, I would not give her up for anything. Today she weighed 1384 grams before her evening meal. On Thursday, she weighed 860 grams so that is a gain of 524 grams or more than a pound. She looks like she might be long. Her eyes are still a little drippy so more Polysporin for Pink Eye. She will have her second round of vaccinations on 28 December and be spayed on the 15th of March -. The vet might be in for a surprise since all the paperwork still indicates that Hugo is a ‘he’ and that ‘he’ will be neutered.

Hope watching Hugo play with the red pom-pom on the tunnel.

It was Hope that first took over Missey’s basket with the little granny square blanket she was given when she was adopted. Now it is Hugo that is moving in on Hope’s territory! I did say that little Hugo is fearless, right?

Missey sits on the back of the sofa or on the wicker and watches them all. More than half the time she is now playing with Hope and Hugo. So nice to see her back to her normal self.

Hugo looking outside to ‘The Boyfriend’ who came for breakfast.

Beautiful Calico. I tear up every time I think about what she went through and how healthy little Hope was. What a miracle.

It was +4 today and what a nice day for a short brisk walk at the nature centre. The squirrels were running everywhere and watching them made me think that they thought spring had arrived. The chickadees were out at the feeders along with a male and female Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch. The entire place feels empty without the ducks and the geese, though. 

There is good news coming from the Sydney Olympic Forest area for our WBSE family – Mum, Dad, and one fledgling presumed to be SE31.

“December 13: Early morning, both adults were seen at River Roost and SE31 was seen going into the mangroves and heard calling. Then again, at 07:45, SE31 was heard but not seen. Then at last, just after 9am, an adult was seen catching a large fish – grabbing it with one foot – in front of River Roost. SE31 flew out to claim it with loud squeeing, then all three were out of sight in the mangroves. No further observations during the day. 

December 14: Early morning, SE31 was spotted at Mangrove Island – then moving to River roost. This seems to be her home patch now, moving back and forth and sheltering in the mangroves lining the river. It has been a really hot day again. We have no more observations for today – hopefully, our eagles were keeping as cool as they can by the river.”

And the last report from Sydney: ”December 15: Early morning report at 07:30 of SE31 and one adult at the water’s edge at River Roost, then joined by the other adult. Then, at around 09:20, SE31 was seen flying over the wetlands, venturing further and flying right up high, before returning to River Roost – feeling her wings for sure. At around 4pm in the afternoon, SE31 was seen at River Roost, a parent arrived, then shortly after she flew to Mangrove Island. Later, she was seen flying high again, before returning to the River Roost mudflats.”

At Orange, Diamond still is not too pleased that the scrape box was cleaned. Wonder what the rush was? Does anyone know if Marri has returned to the scrape since the cleaning?

At Port Lincoln, it is Gil and Brad on the nest. Both now have names. It has been such a good year at Port Lincoln thanks in full to the foresight and tenacity of Janet, Bazz, and Fran who insisted on an intervention. We can all agree that the research coming off this nest opens up new avenues for thinking when it comes to Ospreys. Give them an international round of applause. For my friend ‘A’, she is overjoyed at the success of this nest. In the past she was hesitant to even go on line to check on the osprey family. Today she wrote, “I just adore this pair SO much. Goliath in particular is wingercising with great concentration. He has been getting air, with some impressive hovering yesterday. I know it’s a wonderful achievement and I should be pleased, and it is and I am, but I will miss these two. I do hope that they do an Ervie and hang around Port Lincoln at least sometimes. I still wonder what on earth caused Zoe to head inland into the desert. It made no sense. But then, much of her behaviour made no sense.”

At the time I am writing, Dad has delivered a partial fish to Mum and the boys. That is fantastic.

They are gorgeous – Gil and Brad.

These are the comparison weights provided by the observation board, Bart M for the PLO chicks:

Giliath (male) –   1445 grams

Bradley (male –  1390 grams

In comparison:

Zoe (female    –   1700 g

Ervie (male)    –   1380 g

Bazza (male)   –  1280 g

Falky (male)    –  1230 g

At Osprey House, George has delivered two fish – one for each fledgling!

‘H’ reports: ”Broken shell overnight first noticed around 0310 (very poor visibility).  Muhlady appeared to move the shell.  When cam view improved, it was evident.  No eaglet seen.  Maybe they will reclutch.  They have been mating.”

The question is this: why are these shells breaking? Is it humidity? were they viable to begin with? 

We should watch for Connie and Clive at Captiva Bald Eagle nest. The wind is picking up. Storms with heavy rain are expected over the weekend on the Barrier Islands in Florida. Let us hope that there is no hatch during this time. Renee posted this information on chat: “PIP WATCH: Starts Saturday Dec. 16, 2023. Due to some delayed incubation, we may not see a PIP until Sunday 17th or Monday 18th.” I would like for this to wait until nice weather not during a thunderstorm.

There are many nests without any eggs yet. Duke Farms is one of those. Dad went missing in the spring, and there is a new male.

The other is NE Florida, ‘The Hamlet’ home to Gabby and V3. These two were busy working on the nest and alerting against intruders.

Indeed, of the streaming cams, there are so many without eggs yet. We might enjoy the spacing this year and get to see those little bobbleheads developing at all stages.

Anna and Louis laid their first egg on the 9th of December. There has not been a second egg. It would have been laid on the 12th. Fingers crossed that this egg is good – especially because of Andria’s death and the loss of the two eggs at KNF-E-1. 

Alex continues to incubate his and Andria’s eggs. The female continues to bury them, and he digs them up. My heart aches for him. At the same time, please do not let these eggs hatch. The only way these eaglets could survive would be if the female visitor fully embraced motherhood. Remember, Harriet and M15’s chicks were at month old when Harriet disappeared last February at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest.

Suzanne Arnold Horning is always looking out for Big Red and Arthur. This spring, Big Red will be 21 years young.

Plans to genetically engineer the Dodo back to life! Location: Mauritius.

Bird Guides announces, “An audacious plan between geneticists and conservationists to bring back the extinct Dodo has been announced.

Attempts to bring the species back to its former habitat in Mauritius are set to be led by US-based biotechnology and genetic engineering company, Colossal Biosciences, which is pursuing the ‘de-extinction’ of various other species.”

De-extinction-plan-to-bring-dodo-back-BirdGuidesDownload

If you missed the latest Condor Chat with Ventana Wildlife, here you go!

Could you fish in these conditions? Albatross do it every day in the roaring Southern Ocean.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. See you on Saturday!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J, L’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Karen Long, PLO, Bart M, Heidi Mc, Osprey House, Superbeaks, Window to Wildlife, Ann Penury, Duke, NE Florida-AEF, KNF E-1, KNF E-3, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Bird Guides, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Holly Parsons.