There was a frightening situation at the nest of E21 and E22 this morning. I felt that it deserved its own post.
M15 flies in with the breakfast fish for the two eaglets at 08:26:52. The female withail feathers the black talon is hot on his t. It is easier for me to correctly identify her using that term instead of a number. She enters the nest. A tug-o-war ensues. The adults chase one another over the property. The female returns to the nest. She chases M15 off and proceeds to eat the fish. E21 is hungry and grabs some bites. At one point, the female appears to give the eaglet a couple of bites but do not mistake this for a caring Mum. She quickly pecks at 21 also. E22 stays out of the way.
Everyone appears to be fine, although the eaglets have had no further breakfast (or at least not until now). This female is large and determined, and the fight goes from the nest with the eaglets present to the air. I felt that M15 was in some danger, rightly or wrongly. He cannot afford to get injured; his responsibility continues to keep himself healthy and fed so that he can care for the eaglets til they fledge and leave the territory.
Thank you to SW Florida Eagle Cam and the Pritchett family for their streaming cam, where I took my screen captures and video clip.
As I write this, it is 1900 on the Canadian Prairies, and the temperature has risen to -20 C from -29 C this morning. Frigid temperatures such as this will prevail into late Sunday. With the strong winds, this Arctic front is bringing us wind chill temperatures of -45 C. Did I mention that humans should hibernate? Or that I am thrilled to have central heating? And fluffy warm socks?
First up, the name of the new male falcon at Cal Falcons is Lou! It makes perfect sense!!!!!!!!! A woman and a scientist, and Annie’s partner in life. Let’s hope that Lou will be around for some time so that Annie can stop having to break in a new partner. She has had 3 in a year. Berkeley Edu explains the connection!!!!!!!!!
“Lou is the current mate of Annie, Berkeley’s longtime female falcon, who lost her previous mates — Grinnell and Alden — in 2022. The name is a nod to Louise Kellogg (1879-1967), a Berkeley alumna who was the partner of Annie’s namesake, Annie Alexander (1867-1950). Alexander was an explorer and naturalist who founded the UC Museum of Paleontology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.”
Good Morning Everyone from the Es…. look at them. How adorable and healthy. ‘A’ mentioned to me the sharp beaks and that these sweet innocents could take my arm off if they wanted. True. The Es should be the size of nice turkeys by now thanks to the persistence of M15.
Still, couldn’t you just stare at those sweet faces all day? Now we have to watch carefully as it will get much more difficult to know who is who.
M15, you are incredible. Working hard to prepare these babies to fly free.
Watching Dad fly over?
There were several food deliveries at the SW Florida eagle nest by M15 on Wednesday up to mid-afternoon at 14:06. There was the first one at 08:27 when 22 figured to walk around to the left side of Dad so he could eat some fish. Good strategy. Then at 11:13:28. It looks like another around 12:54 when 22 grabs half a fish and spends the next ten minutes horking it. Then there was the 14:06. All in all, both have eaten well, and we should applaud 22 for figuring out some good strategies to go along with his very proficient snatch-and-grab technique.
At 12:57, 22 gets the last of the tail down.
At the same time, it must be pointed out that E22 wing flapping ON THE RAILS at 11:44. Yes, seriously. Can we use the word ‘dare devil’?
22 eating at the end of the 14:06 delivery. He gets a lot of fish during this meal. M15 obliged by moving the fish about as well, which always tends to help 22. At the same time, M15 is trying to get 22 to step up and eat. He will need to be brave, really brave, out in that world of eagles.
M15 knows what goes on at the nest. He watches and he must be proud of 22 today.
Prey item 6 came in around 17:03:19, and the ‘black-taloned’ female was above watching. She had already eaten an entire fish that M15 brought in around 16:12. She landed in the nest, gave M15 a flap to leave, and ate the entire fish. It took about half an hour. The Es stayed submissive but kept on about their business. She ate and ate and had a huge crop after. She did not harm the eaglets. Meanwhile, Dad went to get another meal for them. M15 and R-23-3 may be forming a partnership. We will wait and see. I hope, if this is the case that she is strong and formidable.
16:39. Finishing up.
At 16:42, after eating, look at her crop! She is an opportunist.
This time she only hovered over M15 while he fed the eaglets. Both 21 and 22 got food. She did not get in the nest, and M15 seems to have dismissed her. She flew away.
17:03
She returned. There is a lot of confusion over the identity of this female and whether or not it is the ‘black talon’ one or the one without an inury. The angle makes it difficult to see the top of the toe but, there does appear to be damage to a toe if you look carefully…the black park looks like the flesh part not the black talon.
And is this an attempted mating? M15 is no stranger to mating. Remember Harriet kicking him all the time? This female does not move her tail over, and M15 is near the head. There appears to be no connection. It looks like he just jumped on her back for a second. Perhaps to get her moving? I wonder.
Guarding the territory together.
Humans are still dropping off food at the nest or hiring courier services to pick up fillets of salmon and leave them at the base of the nest tree!!!!!! Can you believe this? No wonder the additional raptors – that could put the family in harm – are hanging around the nest tree!!!!!!!! Salmon. Gracious. This food has also drawn carrion eaters to an area they did not know existed. Now they do. Donate the money to CROW but do not put the SW Florida Eagle family in long-term danger. Killing with Kindness.
Everyone knows I love cats and I am a day late because of the time difference. My apologies to our friends in Japan. Yesterday was ‘National Cat Day’ in Japan. I have seen these cats at the stations. They are marvellous. So today, I am slipping in a little ‘cat’ to the newsletter in celebration.
In Brittany, they are topping off trees to encourage Osprey nesting! What a concept – helping our raptors instead of tearing their nests down. Love it.
A new phase has arrived at the Royal Cam nest on Taiaroa Head. SP chick has been left alone in the nest, with no parent, today. It is the post-guard phase. It is also raining. I found that this always made my heart sink, and yet they do so well. I wonder how much gardening SP will do? And let us all hope that no visitors torment the wee one.
SP will now wait for the parents to return with food. If there are issues, it is comforting to know that Ranger Sharyn and her team do supplemental feedings!
The little one did not have to wait long until Mum was home with a meal. Easing Sweet Pea into the post-guard stage. Brilliant. L fed her chick, stayed with her, left, returned, and left again. She is easing her baby into being alone. Letting SP know she will return.
The weather at Big Bear continues to be cold and windy. Jackie is rolling and keeping the eggs warm—no indication of an official pip call. My heart is beginning to ache for these two, and wanting to be wrong. Wanting a pip.
Such commitment. Everyone is hoping for a miracle.
Happy Hatch Day to two Kakapo!
Decoys can also be used to lure waterfowl to safe enclosures!
Angus and Florence could give us some funny moments during the 2023 breeding season. So far, Angus has shoved Florence off the nest, making her dangle from one talon. Then he worried about what he had done and tried to help, or so it appeared. Then there are eight fish…I wonder what else is coming our way?
Gary gives us an update on why there might be only one egg for Liberty and Guardian this year at the Redding Eagle nest.
Sunnie Day posted one of those good news stories, and I wanted to share it with you. They saw they got help when they couldn’t untangle the eagle, and then 50 lbs of fish came in to help feed the raptor. The generosity of kind people. It exists.
Do you live within driving distance of the Kistachie National Forest in Louisiana? Would you like a guided tour of the area and a chance to see the nests with a scope? Check it out!
The voting has closed for the name of Annie’s ‘new guy’. Annie has even voted. Which name did she choose? Well, of course, it had to be Lou.
Thank you so very much for joining me today. Take care! See you soon.
If you want to join our Bird World family, please subscribe. I try to only fill your inbox with one newsletter a day. You can unsubscribe at any time!
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, observations, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that make up my newsletter today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Cal Falcons Cam, Berkeley.edu, SWFL Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, WGCU, Japan: The Government of Japan, Francebleau.fr, NZ DOC, FOBBV, Kakapo Recovery, Archipelago Research and Conservation, WRDC, Gary and FORE, Sunnie Day FB, Blackland Prairie Raptor Centre, and US Forestry Service.
I hope today’s newsletter finds all of you well – and warm. It is -30 C on the Canadian Prairies. Consequently, it is a good day to catch up on my reading and drink nice hot tea all day! As I write late Tuesday evening, the wind will be fierce, just like it is for Jackie and Shadow. It seems that winter has come with a vengeance. Payback for some of those lovely days in January, I suppose.
There continues to be a lot going on at the nests. It is often difficult to hold back and not include every one of them. As far as I am aware, everything is fine at the nests. Things are settling down at the Captiva Osprey platform. All of the eaglets are eating well. The Es did have crops, but their pickings today were slimmer than normal. Perhaps a lesson in what it is like for real eagles in the wild from Dad. The lingering question: Is there a pip at Big Bear? Certainly, many of us have thought so, but no official word has come. So we wait. Waiting can be rather painful. Then there is the question of Annie’s new man’s name. We will know soon. The Ospreys should be thinking about packing up and heading north shortly from their winter homes in Africa. Oh, goodness. Then our heads will be spinning!
In the Nests:
There are eggs on three Osprey nests with streaming cams in Florida currently. Everyone has been waiting to see what will happen at Captiva. It has certainly been a tumultuous year beginning with Hurricane Ian practically destroying everything standing on the island. The brand-new platform and camera were lost within weeks of them being finished. The original couple, Lena and Andy, are no longer in the nest. Andy disappeared during Hurricane Ian, and Lena left after seeing her nest destroyed and no Andy. Then came Mabel and Angus, the new couple. Mabel is now gone, and there is Florence, ‘Flo’ for short. These two are finally sealing a deal that will make them both bonded mates. Angus brought Flo 8 fish on Tuesday! He wants to have her as his mate. Did he have time to eat anything himself? Thanks ‘HMc’ for putting together this excellent compilation and confirming that on the morning of Wednesday, 22 February, Angus and Flo successfully mated twice. There could be eggs at Captiva. Just think. All it took was a basket of fish!
PA Farm County Bald Eagle Nest has done it again – a clutch of four eggs. While it is rare for eagles to lay clutches of 1 or 3 eggs, having a clutch of four is extremely rare. So why is this happening at this nest twice in a row? The factors determining the number of eggs laid depend on the age and health of the mother, the amount of food available in the area, and the population of other birds needing that food in the territory.
Tuesday morning saw E22 mantling a piece of leftover prey on the nest and horking that old food scrap. E22 is getting so good at cleaning the nest and finding food. It was 07:43:55.
M15 is looking better. He flew in with a piece of a rather large fish at 09:47:01. E22 was right there, and then 21 exerted its dominance. But never mind. 22 is figuring out ways to avoid 21. In this case, Dad is in the middle with one eaglet on each side. Brilliant. 22 is up to its old snatch-and-grab. And what does 22 snatch? A nice big piece of fish at the end to eat by himself while 21 merely looks on. Dad flies off at 10:17:37. That was a half-hour feeding!
The eaglets are six weeks old. We have worried about 22 for most of its life because of 21’s aggression. 22 is a survivor, giving each of us hope that he will do well in a world where the competition among eagles and other species is rampant. He steals fish and parts of fish and is unafraid to eat old prey pieces. So, when you get sad about another nest, remember how much SW Florida has changed and for good! Celebrate 22’s victories.
21 shows off its wings.
22 says he can do that, too!
There was a nice breakfast at 0952. At the end of it, at 10:19:22, E22 is self-feeding on a large chunk that he took right out from under Dad and 21’s nose. Will he pay for this later?
22 working away at that big piece of fish he snagged.
At 10:40, 22 is finished tearing at that fish. He goes over to the rim.
21 is going to eat off that piece of fish on and off until it finishes all of it around 12:58. Down goes the tail!
21 did the clean up.
M15 came in with the head on a well-eaten Armoured Catfish carcass for the eaglets at 14:59:42. E22 was up first, then 21 pushed it out of the way. 22 tried to snatch and grab, but 21 winded up with most of this fish. At 15:17:46, E22 is up and wants some fish, but it is gone. Dad leaves the nest.
22 on the left spent a bit of time ‘watching, waiting, and being careful’ when he was not in a good position to snatch-and-grab.
Two smaller pieces of ‘something’ came in at 16:24:48 and again at 18:36. E21 got the lion’s share, meaning 99%. For some reason, 22 was shy, and 21 did peck at it to stay away. We need a couple of big fish in the nest. Tomorrow – by the time you are reading this – 22 should be hungry enough to risk going for it. Fingers crossed.
18:45 and E22 is getting some bites.
Hello there!
Both Es had crops at one time during the day or another. M15 had a couple of dips in the pond. He sure needed it! Good night, Super Dad.
Breakfast arrived on Wednesday the 22nd at 08:24:42. E22 got it right this morning, and he slipped right up to the left side of Dad. It appears that both ate and had something to nibble on after. M15 you get my vote for ‘Super Dad’ of the Year.
There is an interview that sheds some light on which female has been on the branch with M15 the last couple of nights and they say it isn’t the one with the black talon!
I have just, by accident, found this book about Harriet and M15. This 483-page story chronicles the unexplained death of Sassy Pants and a second clutch from which two eaglets fledged. It looks interesting, and a copy has been ordered. I will keep you posted! (Note: Harriet and M15 have never lost an eaglet to siblicide that I am aware)
Just as M15, Anna, Louis, Alex, and Andria are doing, Connie and Clive also leave chunks of prey on the nest for the eaglets to perfect their self-feeding skills. The nest at Captiva is so dark. Peer hard. Connick has a big crop!
Elain’s highlights from a very thundery and rainy day at the Orange scrape of Diamond, Xavier, and Indigo.
The falcons in Manchester, New Hampshire feel spring arriving!
Jackie and Shadow continue incubation and the rolling of the eggs. If it is egg 2, will it pip on day 40? They can go to day 43. Did you also know that this beautiful nest is 7100 ft in elevation, making it one of the highest Bald Eagle nests in the US? It certainly explains the weather, which can go like calm and clear in the image below to blowing ice pellets in the afternoon!
Egg 1 is 42 days old today, and egg 2 is only 39 days. For Jackie and Shadow, I just want to hope that a pip is in that second egg! They deserve it but, it could take a second clutch.
No official pip confirmation yet on the FOBBV recap but…image was taken around 0742 Tuesday nest time (really blown-up image).
Is Jackie listening and rolling?
The weather turned quite windy with the sound of ice pellets (?) flying about. Jackie is tucked in tight over her precious eggs. Jackie’s beautiful white feathers are blowing about on the crown of her head. Jackie and Shadow roll the eggs and shimmy over them to get the brood patch in the right spot to transfer the warmth from the adult body to the egg.
There is an extreme weather warning for the area of the nest. Tuesday night the winds were fierce at the nest.
The wind whipped and blew and even flipped Jackie off the eggs as snow came down during the night. She has rolled the eggs and kept them warm and dry. It is day 39 today for egg 2 and day 42 for egg 1.
Pearl and Tico are learning to fly. They are also returning to the nest for food. There is now an image-within-an-image so that you can follow them as they fly on and off the natal nest in Central Florida.
It seems that Big Red is still making up her mind where to have her nest this year. Time is coming soon for eggs!
Arthur and Big Red are still working on the Fernow Light stand this morning. I hope our darling RTH has changed her mind and will raise her eyases here in 2023.
The pace of killing of raptors in the UK has not decreased. Indeed, it is now making the popular news. Recently, the sentencing of the gamekeeper, Paul Davis, in Dorset who pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, many articulated in earlier blogs this year, was laughable and will do nothing to stop these heinous crimes against raptors.
That is a short summary of the nests that I have been watching a little closer than others.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams where my screen captures originated today: ‘H’, Window to Wildlife, HMc and Window to Wildlife, PA Farm Country Bald Eagles, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, News-Press, SWFlorida Eagle Cam FB, Amazon, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Manchester NH Falcon Fans, FOBBV, Superbeaks, @Cornell Hawks, The Mirror.
Oh, it is nippy cold on the Canadian Prairies. The weather people got everything turned upside down, leaving us thinking that the holiday weekend was to be warm and delightful. We also received a good bit of snow that is causing havoc over the snow that melted and turned to ice. It is currently -19 with brisk 15 kph winds. I am beginning to wonder why humans don’t hibernate! It is to be -29 C tomorrow morning. We are more than back in the deep freeze.
Today I will hop around a lot of nests. They have been neglected because my almost full attention has been on M15 and his eaglets. I will say again that he is doing a tremendous job. There have been enormous hurdles for him, including losing Harriet. I hope she doesn’t mind. My friend ‘A; says that the eaglets gave M15 something to live for after Harriet. It took him a few days for it all to sink in, but he has come about and, quite honestly, is one of the most democratic adults feeding eaglets I have ever seen. ‘A’ reminded me of what I already knew but had lost in the density of it all – that M15 always took care of the underdog on the nest even when Harriet did not. Looking at the history of the SW Florida nest, it was fascinating how many eaglets those two had fledged since 2015 when M15 became the man of the hour. What also interested me was that these eaglets survived…the prior history with Ozzie is not nearly as good. There was good DNA, with Harriet and M15 producing strong, independent, healthy eaglets. What M15 looks for in his next mate, his second by all accounts would be a fierce female like Harriet. As much as we waffle on our feelings about the female with the black talon, she may be precisely what he is looking for in a future mate.
Making News:
Ervie. Our dear Ervie. It is so nice for someone to take and post photos of you living the good life in Port Lincoln. There is no word from your sister, Zoe. Indeed, they are having problems with many of the satellite trackers. Let us hope that is all that is wrong…Glad you are safe!
When you think of Ospreys, do you think of Bahrain?
We all watched and held our breaths, hoping that Karl II and his Black Stork family – mate Kaia, offspring Waba and foster, Bonus – would not travel through Ukraine on their way to Africa. Many asked what the cost to wildlife is. An article in The Guardian examines the cost to nature.
Two of the 55 Kakapo chicks hatched in 2022 are celebrating one-year-old hatch day. They get their names today. Well done, everyone.
Did you know that the USFWS believes there are now 316,000 Bald Eagles in the US? Many in Florida are making their nests on the old NASA site during the winter.
Richmond is looking for Rosie to arrive any day! He has arrived at the nest as he will do from now until she returns from her migration.
Staying in San Francisco. There might still be time to vote on Annie’s mate.
All of the eaglets are growing up fast. E22 is so good at stealing fish from Dad and then feeding himself. Nugget was doing the same thing…but, what did Nugget eat?
Connie and Clive are also beginning to teach Connick to self-feed. They dropped a fish into the nest that was unzipped and watched from the upper branches til Connick was interested and pecking and getting some fish. After he gave it a good try, Mum flew down and fed the entire fish to her baby!
At the KNF-E1 nest of Anna and Louis, that eaglet – this has to be a beautiful female – is now self-feeding, too. They are all progressing just as they should.
Meanwhile, B16 is being filled up to the brim by Pa at the Berry College Eagle nest.
Well, I missed it watching M15 and the Es but, it seems that Pearl and Tico have fledged!!!!!!
Gary seems to think things at the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian are returning to normal. Guardian brings a Coot to Liberty. Liberty loved that meal. The first egg collapsed and the couple have incubated the second egg nearly fully time.
Some great highlights of the 20th in Orange Australia. Indigo is still with us!
At noon on 20 February, 8868 people were watching to see if Jackie and Shadow will have a pip in their eggs today.
Still waiting and hoping.
‘H’ sends word that Angus has brought two fish to Florence today at Captiva. She has also caught one of her own. August has also only kicked her out of the nest once! Courtship after losing a mate is interesting, complex, and often confusing.
E21 and E22 are turning six weeks old. M15 has to be given many awards for his dedication to raising these two. He is quite amazing.
The eaglets at SWFlorida had a nice big fish on Monday morning at 10:50:18.
Both ate, but 22 is getting so darn good at snatching and grabbing. He got some of the fish – a nice big piece and then the tail – and put them down with one gulp. 22 is so far ahead in this area of learning. It is grand. This nest is preparing them for anything and everything that could meet in the outside world.
E21’s large wings!
Two fish came in the late afternoon. One was around 15:55, and the other was at 16:54. E22 got the best of those meals. 21 did a bit of nipping at 16:11:45 so that he could eat! Meanwhile, E22 did his famous snatch-and-grab and wound up with a rather great ending to the day regarding food.
22 appears to ‘hork’ another tail. 22 might move away from 21 at times but, he is determined and is really able to deal quickly if a piece of food presents itself. Well done, 22.
At one point, the camera had M15 on the nest tree.
The female with what appears to be a large crop is down by the pond.
At another time, both were at the pond. I will imagine that M15 caught that last nice fish here. It is 14:16. M15 is on the right. He looks like he has eaten and has a nice crop.
Here is a video by Eagle Goddess of the pair at the pond.
Who’s guarding? Who’s sleeping?
The day went without incident on the nest, which is all that matters. And then came the GHO strike at 21:24:40. M15 cannot get a break. Sara McDavid caught the auction for us.
Minnesota had some of the snow that swept through this area. Nancy woke up with no snow, and then it came on Monday, and then it was gone again. If there is to be a third egg, it should arrive today for Nancy and Beau.
The eagles at Pittsburgh-Hayes welcomed their second egg on Monday. Congratulations, everyone. The time was just after 17:17. Mum seed to have about a three-minute labour.
The Majestic’s Mum at the Denton Homes nest in Iowa laid her first egg with a new mate, Beau, on the 20th. Dad and the three eaglets died of Avian Flu last year. It was so sad.
There is also the first egg at Decorah North for Mr North and DNF. Happened around 2000.
It appears that Big Red has not decided where the 2023 nest will be but she has definitely rejected the Fernow Tower Light stand potentially because of the construction work across Tower Road. Today Suzanne Arnold Horning found the couple delivering sticks to the smoke stacks.
There is just too much happening all at once in Bird World, which is what we thought when the other Bald Eagle nests came into play. All in all, it was a good day.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, news, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that make up my newsletter today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Sandra Wallace and Friends of Osprey, Howard King @BirdsofBahrain, The Guardian, Golden Gate Audubon, Cal Falcons, Tonya Irwin and KNF-E3, Window to Wildlife, KNF-E1, Berry College Eagles, Superbeaks, Gary and FORE, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, FOBBV, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, MN-DNR, Pix Cam, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, and Suzanne Arnold Horning and the Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters.
There is lots of news in Bird World. My focus continues to be on the nest of Bald Eagles M15, E21 and E22 in Fort Myers, Florida, at the moment. There is drama going on at the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest in South Bend, Indiana and the Osprey nest on Captiva. Keeping an eye on those as well.
‘M’ sent me an excellent article from The Guardian on the ten birds that most changed the world. Please have a read! We can all learn something…I did. And it was nice to see that the Sparrow made it to the list along with some of your favourites, such as the Eagle.
Big Red seems unhappy with the building works across Tower Road from the Fernow Light Stand. She is moving sticks to another light tower that may not have a streaming cam. This would be a source of great sadness and anxiety among the thousands of people who look forward to this twenty-year-old RTH laying eggs and raising her eyases.
An image of the Fernow Light Tower nest. You can see some of the building equipment at the Rice Building.
CROW continues to monitor the situation. M15 is doing a fantastic job protecting and feeding the eaglets. I hope that he can keep it up; it is so much better if they are raised by him and fledge their nest. I don’t like how the female eagle looks at the two eaglets in the first image below. Her presence is now concerning and could be very dangerous to the eaglets. I once thought this was not the case, but her actions yesterday changed my mind.
If you missed my report on Sunday, the female Bald Eagle, VF3, with the necrotic talon, kicked M15 off the nest and attacked E22 three times when it tried to get food. Here is a video containing those terrifying 11 minutes and 52 seconds.
The female was on the nest tree earlier with prey. Some believed she might feed the eaglets. She did not; she flew off with it after plucked the fur off the item. The situation is growing dangerous as this female is now emboldened to treat M15 with contempt. It is essential for the Es that Dad not get injured so that he can continue to provide food for them. If you are wondering why he does not fight her, this is the reason. She is also much larger than he is, and despite her injured talon, she is strong. I do not think she will go away quickly, if at all.
M15 flew in with another Armoured Catfish at 15:42:21. While he is vocalising to the female who is identified as FV3, Dad just carries on. Perhaps we are the ones worrying and he isn’t! Both eaglets ate, with 22 getting some nice bites.
M15 appears nervous when he is in the nest feeding the eaglets.
At 1700, M15 flew in with a nice morsel, a leftover from his good evening meal. E22 claimed it and ate it! Well done, E22.
M15 did eat well. He had an enormous crop.
The Es are waiting for breakfast on Monday. 21 is on the right, with 22 on the left. Please take a look at the difference.
The Es had a nice big fish for breakfast. M15 brought it to the nest at 10:50:18. 21 eats first, then 22, and then 22 gets a touch insisting that 22 move away. 22 goes into submission. There is nothing to fear. 22 turns around and does the snatch-and-grab that will help him survive in the wild.
Is it another Armoured Catfish?
22 is doing clean-up duty.
Should birdwatchers be afraid? are we vermin?
Some good news regarding Sequoia and Sasha at San Jose City Hall.
Speaking of egg laying, Gabby fooled me with all that nesting behaviour.
They are a gorgeous couple together. Gabby is just smitten by V3.
V3 keeping guard.
No egg!
Annie has been hanging around the scrape.
Here are the names for final voting for the new male. We should know soon!
Jackie and Shadow are still incubating eggs, and the Ravens remain around the nest tree, making a nuisance out of themselves. The eggs are probably not viable – I have thought that since the first day – that Saturday – they stayed away when the earthquakes were in the Valley. I ‘want’ to be fooled by their behaviour. Last year Spirit hatched on day 40.
Shadow.
The male has been incubating the eggs at Metro Aviation Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana. The female flew in today and taloned one of them. They are not viable and this might allow the pair to move forward.
Do you watch the Golden Eagles in Romania? Lucina and Caliman were in the nest in the forest today! I love these Golden Eagles, but this nest is not for the faint-hearted. The oldest eaglet in a Golden Eagle nest will almost, without exception, kill its younger sibling. This is called obligate siblicide.
The causes of obligate siblicide in specific eagle species are discussed in this academic paper. Some of the conclusions are below. This will help explain some behaviour that you have seen on nests previously. The observations also apply to Golden Eagles.
These observations suggest that the availability of food does not affect the chances of survival of the second chick in those species in which it never, or very rarely survives. The critical factor appears to be the interval between hatching, which is clearly variable. If, at the hatch of the second chick, the first is already skilful at taking pieces of flesh offeredby the parent, then the younger sibling exerts little influence on the behaviour of the adult. At feeding times, it is offered fewer pieces of food and these, moreover, are proffered only briefly and in an inadequate fashion. The second chick soon dies of starvation. Attacks on it by its sibling are, by comparison unimportant.
If, on the other hand, the interval between hatching is short, then the second chick can develop normally so long as it is protected from its sibling’s attacks by the brooding female parent. As soon as brooding is interrupted, the younger chick is subjected to the attack of the older. It is intimidated, no longer participates in feeding and flees to the edge of the eyrie. This process of the acceptance of intimidation, observed in the Lesser Spotted Eagle, quickly leads to the elimination of one chick, even when two of equal size are experimentally placed together, and explains why two chicks cannot normally be reared.
Bernd-Ulrich Meyburg, Sibling aggression and mortality among nesting eagles
These particular species of eagles are one reason that so many people turn to the gentle Albatross for respite.
Of course, if you are ‘into Eagles’ like most of us are (as well as the Albatross, the parrots, the budgies, the terns….), single chick eagle nests from the start normally bring a lot of joy. Just like little B16 at the Berry College Eagle nest in Georgia.
Zoe. What can we say? According to the Friends of Osprey FB group, Fran Solly and Buzz Hockaday have been up to where Zoe last sent a transmission. That place was Point Drummond near Mount Hope. On all occasions, they did not see her. If she is out of cell coverage range, it ‘feels’ unusual as she was so quick to fly about previously. Let us hope it is a faulty transmitter and that nothing has happened to Zoe.
Point Drummond. This was the site of the last transmission from Zoe. Is it at all possible she flew out over the sea?
Lori Covert has already named the new female at Captiva with Angus. The name is Florence. According to ‘H’, Angus has provided fish, has tried mating unsuccessfully with the new gal, and then has kicked her off the nest. The relationship is a bit topsy-turvy. We wait to see how this works out.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you with us again in Bird World.
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Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, and streaming cams which make up my blog today: ‘M’, ‘H’, The Guardian, Cornell RTH Cam, @CornellHawks, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, @Geemeff, Karen Enright and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons FB, NEFL-AEF, Cal Falcons, Berkeley News, FOBBV, Tonya Irwin and Raptors of the Word, Golden Eagle Nest Bucovina, Research Gate, Cornell Lab and NZ DOC, Berry College Eagles, Friends of Osprey FB, Google Maps, and Kakapo Recovery.
