Category Archives: Big Red and Arthur

Mini self-feeds…Saturday in Bird World

10 June 2023

Good Morning, Everyone!

I am, as usual, starting my newsletter/blog on Friday, and Friday doesn’t ‘feel like Friday’. Does that happen to you sometimes? The garden has been unusually quiet for the past week – and when I say quiet, I mean quiet. One or two Crows, maybe. One Blue Jay. A few House Sparrows and a couple of squirrels. Their absence makes me nervous. There was always a feral cat, a Calico, but a week ago, she went MIA along with the other cats that came to try and catch a bird. It is just odd…And then, to my horror, a dead grey Squirrel was on the lane in front of my house. I moved the poor thing off the road but could not tell if it was Dyson – or another large squirrel. Dyson showed up Friday evening around 1930 for peanuts, to my great relief. She has babies somewhere…Tears of joy.

Also, to my delight, on Thursday evening, there were Ladybirds on the hanging tomato plants, and this morning, there were more than a dozen Honey Bees on the climbing roses. Taken with my phone from a bit of a distance, so not so clear…but they are there! Feeding and pollinating!

It has been quiet at the ponds in town, too. There is not the number of Canada Geese that I counted last year. So why? Well, the geese (and ducks) that have no goslings – no parental responsibilities – are taking off for the north of my province where there is more space, more food, and it is cooler!

It is known as the second migration. Why are so many geese failing to reproduce this year? Why so many singles? Or couples who did not have eggs? Or unviable eggs? I do not know the answer….but they sure have left town!

Your giggle for the day comes from Geemeff and that rambunctious osplet of Dorcha and Louis at Loch Arkaig.

This just about gave me a heart attack at the Oyster Bay PSEG nest. Please cut every loop and handle on anything that you dispose of! And tell everyone you know to do the same.

The adult worked and got that packing strap material from off its neck and is putting it into the rim of the nest. If you observe this nest and see this loop or another around the head of any occupant of this nest, I want you to phone PSEG immediately, as I might miss it! 1-800-490-0075 OR 631-755-6000. I was more successful with the second number when complaining about human rubbish in the Patchogue Nest than the toll-free line, but try them both. Don’t take no for an answer. Bobbie Horvath can be contacted on FB as well. Take a screen capture and make sure they see it! They need to contact USFWS immediately to get permission if the osprey’s life is in danger from human rubbish. But be sure it is when you call. This time the adult worked that packing material off.

There were several nice fish on the Oyster Bay nest today and it appears that all had a chance to eat fish.

The mystery of the Carthage TN Osprey nest may have been solved thanks to Sunnie Day. The lake has small trout, which were brought in for the osplets to eat. Fishers there are told to cut the line when they catch the trout – meaning that the little fish swim about with a tiny hook inside them and line. Two points: Sunnie Day continued to look through the footage and saw choking in both osplets trying to expel the hooks. Second, we know that the zinc hooks can cause toxicity, which killed Alo from the Bald Canyon nest. We observed zinc toxicity in Victor from Fraser Point (did he also have a hook that was expelled after the zinc made him sick? What about Molate? Sunnie’s observations, “The parenting is excellent, many fish delivered. After reviewing so much recorded video, I was wondering about the cam pole being treated; it was not. It is a light pole in the park. I reviewed more and have recorded videos of both choking. First was the youngest, at 6 days, I have footage of its death. The second was the oldest, 9 days old, and was struggling to eat in the last feed before dark, shaking to expel something. The next morning, that nestling too expired. The last 8 fish were small trout. I tried to see if there was a small hook in one, but my guess, with catch and release both succumbed to small hooks fed, you see this, head shaking to expel with this…Pretty much, I have determined it was very probable to be fish hooks consumed from small trout. They tell you to cut the line, and Osprey young are so vulnerable to that/ even older birds, few survive the surgery to remove.” Thanks, Sunnie.

Of course, no one should be told to cut the line and return the fish to the lake. Could the line and hook be in the fish, could they take them home? Tossing them back into the water to grow bigger so they might be caught later is only a means to harming the wildlife that feeds off the fish. Can you imagine the suffering? This is very sad and a great explanation.

Checking in on Mini at Patchogue before the day begins. At least three fish by 1009. The first arrived at 0513 and Mini was seen with a crop at 0651 so it got some fish. Hard to see through Mum!

The second fish arrives at 0756. Mini was caught at the back.

Trying to get up to eat at 0806 by stretching its neck – geez…that is a long neck.

By 0811 Mini is at the beak and is still eating at 0819. But Mini is nervous of Little. Mini has a little crop.

Fish three arrives at 1009. The male drops the fish on the nest and Mum makes no effort to get it – they are trying to see if anyone will self-feed. Well, guess who did? If you said Mini, you would be right!

Mum takes the fish and feeds and Mini is up there at 1042.

Is there another fish around 11:42. Mini is sitting on it and I wonder if it is left overs from before but…there is lots of fish. Mini gets to eat a lot! Feeling relieved.

1227. Mini and its crop.

More fish at 1300 and 1524. Mini has a huge crop at 407 and was under Mum and getting fed at 1541. Mini has not gone hungry – it is determined to get up to the fish and has no problem standing up and looking the third hatch, Little, right in the eye. Mini rarely backs down in that situation but it will go into submission if Big ‘looks’ at it.

At the 2012 feeding, Mini was beaked by one of the older siblings when he tried to get to the table. Head of big sib beaking Mini behind Mum’s tail.

Mini went into submission. It is not a giant fish. Mini still has a crop. Holding my breath, hoping this does not become a pattern. When Mum finished, Mini was still at the back in submission despite raising its head to see once in a while. No worries. Mini did eat well, but we don’t want a pattern to begin!

Mini eating breakfast on Saturday. Always a relief. That private feeding lasted from 0539-0616 when Third came up and Mini left.

At 0616, Third comes and Mini knows to leave.

But, at 0636 (it was a big fish!), Mini is back up at the table wanting more. Good for Mini. He missed out on the next small fish at 0922.

Just look at Dmitri’s storklet!

The second Red-tail hawklet at the Bald Eagle nest is alive!

‘H’ report on Severna is great for today: “At the earlier feedings the chicks were well fed. Oscar brought a whole fish at 1536, and seemed to want Olivia to show up to feed, so he waited.  Eventually he began to feed at 1542.  OMG, it was like pulling teeth, what a slow (or reluctant) feeder. At one point Big got impatient and grabbed the fish and attempted to self feed.  Oscar took the fish back after a couple of minutes and continued to feed.  While Oscar was still feeding, Olivia landed with a whole fish, and both parents were feeding for a few minutes.  At 1711, while Olivia was still feeding, Oscar landed with another whole fish.  So, the siblings literally had a fish feast from 1542 to 1740.” Isn’t this fantastic news?! This nest really deserves a break.

At Patuxent 2, ‘H’ reports: “Feeding at 1050 was peaceful and all ended up with good crops.  Big beaked Little after the feeding, I believe simply because it wanted to head in a certain direction and Little was in the way.  They hardly have any room to get around each other in that deep, narrow bowl.”

The Dahlgren nest appears to be harmonious while there is still trouble with the third hatch, Little, at the Forsythe Nest, and Mini. Because there are four -like Patchogue – we are paying particular attention to the Forysthe nest.

‘H’ reports on Forsythe:

Feeding 0623 to 0641, partial fish: Same general scenario, lined up [2,1,4,3], Little beaked Mini a couple of different times.  Big beaked Little after one of those times, and Big even gave Middle a couple of bonks, but I don’t know why.  Total bites for Mini = 2.

Feeding 0837 to 0915, large whole fish: Lined up [2,1,4,3], and later on [1,2,3,4].  Mini doesn’t realize h/she needs to get away from Little.  Again, same scenario, Little beaked Mini intermittently (more severely a couple of times), so MIni spent a great deal of time in submission.  By 0859 Middle had dropped out, and Big was in between Little and Mini, and Mini finally got bites.  Eventually both Little and Big dropped out and Mini had quite a long private feeding.  Total bites for Mini = 98.  

(You know I count very conservatively, if there is any doubt, I discount it as a bite).  It’s nice when the fish is large, so Mini can wait for the others to be sated.  Opal was able to eat a bunch too.

Feeding 1037 to 1102, whole fish: Mini started with a pretty good size crop.  When Mini had Middle or Big as a buffer, then Mini got bites, but positions do get shuffled around, and then Little will attack Mini.  By 1047 Mini started to get bites, and it lasted until Big and Middle dropped out and Mini was exposed to Little again.  Total bites for Mini = 18, but s/he had a big crop.

Feeding 1350 to 1411, large fish: Sounding like a broken record, but positioning is everything. Little had many opportunities to beak Mini.  At one point Mini was in back, and Little turned to beak Mini, but beaked Middle by accident, so Middle beaked Little, Big beaked Little and Middle and Big beaked each other, then Middle beaked Mini.  Goodness!  Long story short, Mini got 15 bites.

Feeding 1526 to 1612, large whole fish:Mini was behind the other three, but eventually squeezed between Big and Little [2,1,4,3].  Why always next to Little?  Mini did not get bites and was beaked by Little intermittently.  At 1534 Big took it upon himself to beak Little out of the way for a bit, so Mini was able to eat until 1540, at which time Little returned.  By 1544 Mini was back at Mom’s beak and ate a ton until 1551.  Total bites for Mini = 97.

‘H’ mentions something very important – the position of the smallest to the sibling that might attack is paramount. This is also true of Patchogue.

Rosa has gotten awfully aggressive…poor Annie!

At Moorings Park Abby is still around as she was seen a couple of days ago. S he is being fed off-camera, most likely. Victor enjoys the whole fish and the nest to himself!

A report from Audubon on the end of the 2023 Florida Bald Eagle nesting season. You might find this to be of some interest. In addition, please be advised that the camera at the SW Florida Eagle nest of M15 and E22 will be turned off at the end of June unless it is taken out by a storm earlier. When it is safe, camera maintenance will be undertaken. Please check the SWFlorida FB pages for the local photographers and their information after.

Eagle-Nesting-Season-Ends-Audubon-Center-for-Birds-of-PreyDownload

Vijay has a short clip of what appears to be E22 flying, and if you look carefully towards the end at the bottom right in the grasses by the pond you will see an adult.

Two teeny fish and one red nice one before the rains started at Cowlitz PUD.

Dulles-Greenway’s Flora was caught flying around the wetlands and over the creek. Gosh, she is looking good!

Meanwhile, Dulles-Greenways Pat is being moved.

Have you peeked at Dayani lately? ‘A’ reports: “Dayani is the same size as Angel, so I think the gender is fairly obvious at this stage…I am astounded at how large the local vole population must be, considering how many Deyani eats each day. Dayani is SO close to fledging. I am not ready for her to go. Her wingspan appears to be the same as that of her parents now – those wings are gorgeous – and she is jumping and really flapping those wings, feeling the air and the lift under them. She is really testing out her power-to-weight ratio and her parents will probably reduce the food supply a bit this week. Her chest is pure white like her mum’s, with just a little colouring on her tummy. Apparently, two of Angel’s three 2021 chicks had the same colouring as the Ms while the third looked like Deyani, so it must be an individual thing.”  

Big Red and Arthur’s Ms will be getting ready to fledge soon…M1 is already flapping and jumping. Oh, these hawklets and falcons grow up way too fast.

There is also good news about L3, last year’s fledgling.

Eyas at San Jose City Hall gets banded and this fearsome eyas is a girl!

One healthy falcon…oh, if every nest could be so lucky…these two young parents figured it out… look at this fearless gal. Congratulations Monty and Hartley.

Banded Baby was starving or she thought so by the time Monty and Hartley arrive with food! Gracious. You have to watch this! They both have food. turn the volume up for the full effect!

Kathryn reports some energetic beaking at the Barnegat Light nest today. Let us hope that it is just playful fun. They can sure be angels when they want to be!

For those wondering about Dale Hollow 17, the new male continues to bring food to the nest for the fledgling. Super! The UK nests are doing fine, although concern continues about the visits of the Tawny Owl to the Loch Arkaig nest of Louis and Dorcha.

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

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Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that help to make up my newsletter today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Kathryn, Sunnie Day, CTV News, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, PSEG, Dmitri’s Storklet Cam, Doug Gillard, Severna Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Forsythe Ospreys, SK Hideaway and Cal Falcons, Moorings Park Ospreys, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Vijay and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cowlitz PUD, Dulles-Greenaway Eagles, Bald Eagles Naturally and Dulles-Greenaway Eagles, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, Jenn Johnson Graff and Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, SJCH Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways and SJCH Falcon Cam, and Barnegat Light.

Middle is doing good…Friday in Bird World

9 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

To put a smile on your face – this is our Ervie eating a fish on his favourite light pole. Thanks, Bazz Hockady for posting on Friends of Osprey Sth Australia! You just made our day brighter.

As I start writing the blog for Friday on Thursday afternoon, I have to say that my heart has sunk just a little bit. I received an e-mail that Middle was looking ‘good’ Wednesday evening from the rehabbers and then, there was a post on the Achieva FB page that Middle is in ‘guarded’ condition.

This is the latest update that I have seen on Middle – and it is good news. What a relief. Middle might not be out of the woods yet, so continue with your best wishes, and please send a big thank you to Birds in Helping Hands. They have an online form…no donation is required. We need more people willing to go the extra mile (literally), and these folks sure did.

There were supposed to be more thunderstorms in our area but they did not materialise. A visit to one of the local areas to count goslings/ducklings turned into a wonderful experience – one of those moments when the worry of Middle vaporised for a bit. When I opened the car door, an osprey flew overhead – about 7 metres. It was fishing. The time was 1930 and it would have been looking for the last meal for it, its mate and any chicks that could be on a nest. Perhaps she is still incubating. The osprey nest that is normally near the tennis courts at the University is not there this year so I do not know where this couple reside.

No photographic awards for these silhouettes…remind me of cutting out black construction paper as a child and putting it on white paper! But there, this beautiful osprey is looking for food right above me.

The American White Pelicans preening…last year there were some huge fish in this tiny urban pond. The water is so clear compared to some of the parks. An ideal spot for an osprey to fish, too.

Goslings with their parents up on the hill above the Pelicans.

Do you know the band, The Cure? Started in the UK eons ago and morphed along the way doing The Lost World tour in the US? What captured my eye is that their poster for Thursday night’s gig in Minneapolis shows two Ospreys.

My constant obsession appears to be Mini at the Patchogue nest. The three larger siblings get larger – yes, Mini is growing, but the size ratio issue continues. Thankfully, Mini is spunky. Thursday started with the female being wholly preoccupied with intruders. A fish arrived at 0606, but she flew off, leaving most of the fish and Mini fish begging. He did not understand why Mum would not feed him when he was at the beak. Mini was shut out several times despite being upfront. He managed to get some food from the 11:43 delivery. At the 1320 delivery, Mini got himself up, and finally, at 1330, Mum fed her tiniest baby. Mini was shut out of a later feeding, and I am now quite worried about him. The coming days will be critical as Mum always appeared to care and hang back fish for Mini.

At 1647 everyone ate but Mini.

Just an observation at the Patchogue Nest. The raptors often pile up together by gender. This may be why there is little aggression to Mini. Are Big Bob, Second Bob, and Mini all males? And is Third Bob a female? (the more aggressive one). Or are Big, Second, and Mini all females and Third a male?

It was a frustrating day at the Patchogue nest but then a huge fish landed a little after 1930. Thank goodness. At 1944, Mini, who had been in line moves over to avoid Big but in less than a minute is back up in line determined to finally get some fish. And Mini eats – Mum feeds her tiny baby and he is still there at 20:06 when he walks away with a huge crop. Relief.

1835. Mini wants some fish.

1740. All lined up and eating that huge trout.

At 1945 Mini lets Mum know it is hungry and wants food! This time she listens and feeds Mini. Now look at the fish that is left. Mini is going to get all of this except for what Mum ate. Fantastic. He needs the food. He is in a big growth state. Indeed, Mini needs to eat more than the others to reach its peak size.

1948. Mini is being fed!

All the others are away and Mini is still being fed.

2006. Big Crop for Mini!

‘H’ reports on Severna Park: “The cam was down until 10:30.  I could not find a fish delivery until 1524, Olivia brought a monster fish.  Surprisingly Middle ate first, with Big holding back.  Wow.  Then at 1528, Middle peeked over at Big, and got ‘the look’, so Middle moved aside and cowered.  Big commenced eating, and at the first fish-feeding position, there really wasn’t anywhere for Middle to go to get fed, so s/he just waited, and Big gave Middle ‘the look’ a few other times. After Big was sated, Olivia decided to move the fish to the other side of the nest, and resumed the feeding, primarily feeding Middle.  Both Osplets were stuffed.  It was a 55 minute feeding.” Well, that is good news coming out of that nest. A key to the smaller one’s survival on the nest is not to ‘look’ directly in the eye of the larger sibling especially if it has been abusive. It just seems to set them off.

‘H’ also reports on the Patuxent River Park nests which she observes for our data collection.

Patuxent I: “Feeding from 1538 to 1611, from a huge live fish.  Very peaceful, both were full.”

Patuxent II: “What a strangely shaped bowl, deep and elongated.  Mom positioned herself so she could only feed two at a time.  Big and Middle started up close to Mom.  #3 displayed the patience of Job, and waited a very long time for his turn.  They all were well fed.  They all were up at the table several times.  I only saw two bonks: At 1433 Big was behind and wanted to get back up front so beaked #2, #2 simply obliged.  And at 1537 Middle bonked Little once, just for good measure. I had expected to see slightly more aggression from these three as I had seen previously, but it just didn’t happen.”

All lined up nicely at Oyster Bay. Did they all get fed? Hard to tell.

The ‘Only Bob’ at Cowlitz PUD did an incredible PS mid-day on Thursday while waiting for Mum to feed it. And she did…

CJ7 feeding the chicks before bed and Blue 022 brings in another fish, just in case.

The two Bobs at Llyn Brenig appear to be doing just fine.

Geemeff caught Dorcha and Louis’s little one trying to self-feed. Dorcha was preoccupied – with an intruder? – during the meal and the wee Bob didn’t think those fish flakes were coming fast enough!

Louis delivers fish 3 at Loch Arkaig for Dorcha and Only Bob. It was a whopper!!!!!!!

Elen feeding two healthy osplets at Glaslyn.

Aran gets to feed his chicks again, too. These two make a great couple. so happy for Aran since Mrs G, his long term mate, did not return from migration.

Telyn is feeding the Bobs at Dyfi while Idris is preparing another fish for them! Sure would have loved to have seen this at Achieva!

Maya and Blue 33 and their three are doing fine at Rutland Water. It is hard to see because of the condensation on the cam but, lots of fish coming in.

There was a good feeding at Barnegat Light early on Thursday morning.

‘H’ reports that the two later feedings were also good at Barnegat Light. Fantastic. “Feeding 1427 to 1438, Little was up front.  All got bites. Short feeding at 1515, was almost entirely a private feeding for Little.  The other two were too sleepy, lol.”

Lovely image of E22 taken on 7 June.

Big Red looks so good to be 20 years old and well, she has been raising chicks for at least 17 years of that. Never waivers. Always takes the best of care with them!

‘L’ remarked that Iris had a ‘boyfriend’ the other day in comments. I waited to see if Louis would come and chase him off. There have been rumours of her hanging about off-camera with a few younger males. Louis is busy with Star and their babies, so this could be a perfect time for a nest takeover. Keep delivering fish to Iris! Yes, we know she can beat them all but, Louis hardly ever brought a fish…

I love this!

It will not be long until Murphy and his ‘Rock Baby’ Eaglet will be separated so that Rock Baby can get the flying skills it needs for release into the wild. What a story this has been – a beautiful one.

Are you a fan of the Royal Albatross. Voting is on for the name for SP! Here is the information so you can take part.

And last that scrappy little falcon on top of San Jose City Hall of Monty and Hartley’s. Getting banded today…

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to construct my newsletter today: ‘H’, ‘L’, Bazz Hockaday and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, #Chris Packham, PSEG, Severna Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Cowlitz PUD, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Bwywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, LRWT, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Carol S Rifkin and NEFL and SWFL Eaglecam Watcher’s Club, Cornell RTH, Diane Lambertson and Montana Ospreys at Hellcat, Susan Dimitrakopoulos and Montana Ospreys at Hellcat, Louis Matteau and Montana Ospreys at Hellgate, ABC7 Southwest Florida, World Bird Sanctuary, Holly Parsons and Albatross Lovers FB, and SK Hideaways and SJCH Falcons.

How some Osprey parents avoid siblicide…Thursday in Bird World?

8 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, it has been relatively quiet in the garden. In fact, eerily quiet. There has been no sign of the feral cats that visit this end of the neighbourhood, the birds have seemingly disappeared, and only Dyson and Co. have been coming for peanuts, along with a few Sparrows and Wrens. Is it the heat? I wonder. Lewis and Missey ‘decided’ that they would no longer allow me to trim their nails without putting up a big fuss. Well, guess what? Both carriers out; they went in out of curiosity and zipped up and off to the nail trimmer! They were both in such shock. Lewis howled as if I was pulling those toenails out, and Missey was a darling then, on the way home, they were both angels. No more nails for scratching one another – well, til they grow out.

We will start with some sad news that Alo, 45D, from the Bald Canyon Eagle nest has died. This eaglet swallowed a fish hook and line and underwent surgery under the care of the IWS. Completely unnecessary.

I thought that would be the only death but, no…sadly I woke up to news from ‘H’ and ‘SP’ that Rosie and Richmond have lost their only osplet this season to unknown causes. Our hearts go out to this devoted couple.

And then there are balloons…seriously. This one has a happy ending, thankfully.

As all of you are aware, Osprey nests can be a feast or famine. One day there will be six or seven fish deliveries and the next day, it might be only one. Weather and intruders contribute to these fluctuations. We remain grateful to the wildlife rehabbers that rescue and give the little ones a second chance (sometimes third and fourth).

One nest that is flourishing with four Osplets on it is PSEG’s Patchogue platform on Long Island. It is remarkable because of the difference in size between the first two hatches and the fourth, little Mini. Somehow I doubt if anyone seeing this nest for the first time believed there was any hope for little Mini and yet, here we are on the 7th of June and little Mini is growing and growing. What is the secret?

As we have seen, osplets get brooded and ‘normally’ have their last fish delivery about an hour before the sun sets. Yes, there are exceptions – the midnight feedings at Moorings Park in Naples, Florida, taught us that this year. But imagine, four osplets full or partially full at bedtime waiting for another 8 or 9 hours before another meal. They are hungry!

On the Patchogue platform on the morning of 7 June 2023, the male delivered four fish before 0850. Those deliveries were at 0545, 0642, 0711, and again at 0850. I do not know how much fish little Mini got at 0545 feeding but at the 0642 feeding, Mini was right up there and there was fish left for Mum. At 0711, Mini is eating alone, a private feeding from Mum. By 0725, Mini has a huge crop and Mum moves the fish over to the other side of the nest to feed the others if they want to eat. Mini is first up at the table at 0850 and is still eating at 0934. Then the others eat some.

0725 and little Mini has a big crop.

Private feeding. Fish 4. Mum has fed chicks for more than three hours with all these deliveries.

At 1004 others eat.

1043. Little Mini is preening.

1114: Little Mini and the bulging crop.

1204. Little Mini in food coma. What a lovely sight.

There has never been an attempt not to feed little Mini despite its small size in relation to the others. Everyone gets fed and Mum makes an extraordinary effort to check and see and moves the fish around the nest to assist in feeding all.

‘M’ sent me two really cute screen shots of Little Mini standing up to one of the big Bobs. My goodness, this fourth hatch has got nerve!

1549. Mini is right up there eating!

1856 and Little Mini is up there with a huge crop! Oh, the haze from the fires burning in Canada. Dreadful for all.

There is another fish at 1936. Little Mini gets itself right up under Mum’s beak and intercepts a piece of fish meant for Big. Now Little Mini already has a big crop – Big took exception and beaked Mini who went into submission. Mini did not need to eat and did not need to create the aggravation. All big ones and Mum enjoyed that nice big trout. Nite Mini!

One thing that is happening is that little Mini is in a period of rapid growth that requires much more food while the older chicks are beginning to taper off. They eat more but less often. This might help little Mini. What does appear to be working is that fish are getting on the nest in plenty early in the morning – perhaps the fishing is easier? – and this appears to have a calming effect on the older siblings causing them to be food secure and less aggressive (not that they have ever been very very aggressive on this nest with all the fish Dad brings in and the equitable feeds by Mum).

A nest that has a problem with differentiation in feeding is Achieva (and Severna). As of Wednesday afternoon Middle has been rescued by Birds in Helping Hands. He was underweight and well…I can only imagine how good that fish is going to taste to him.

Big eating the fish on the nest..Big was very aggressive – the nest lost one chick to siblicide/starvation and Middle was on the verge. So thankful to those people who helped — you know who you are.

Want to thank Birds with Helping Hands? Send them a donation. That is how they manage to stay afloat.

Middle grounded.

Middle in the carrier on the way to rehab and a second chance at life. What a shame it would have been for this beautiful bird to starve to death. It was noted that Middle was not critically endangered of starving to death as so many are and he should be back and fit – having enjoyed meals without having to fight big.

Shelley Vickery contacted me Wednesday evening. Penny, the rehabber, says that Middle “should be just fine”. Isn’t that fantastic news?!

Please consider a donation – every dollar helps, no matter how small. We must support those that get out there and answer our calls for help.

Go to: birdsinhelpinghands.org

‘H’ sends me word from a view nests that we have been monitoring. At Severna, Big got all of the early fish. Then “The next fish was brought at 1330, and feeding commenced 1333.  Middle was on the other side of Olivia, and Olivia maintained her position for once.  It was a 16 minute feeding and Olivia distributed bites evenly.” Thank heavens! Middle had another good meal at 1438. Oh, keep it up Mum!

At the Patuxent II nest, H reports, “This is the nest of three osplets where there had been some aggression, although no bird has been kept from eating at the feeds I have observed. Feeding from 1316 to 1434.  I observed no aggression at all.  All were very well fed.  #2 had to wait his turn simply because of the strange configuration of that nest bowl.  Mom just couldn’t reach #2.  But at 1341, #2 started to get fed as others dropped out.”

‘H’ sent a good report on some of the changes at Forsythe Osprey nest and the new aggression towards the small osplet during meals – something that has not happened previously. “Fish 0912, feeding 0913 to 0927.  Mini in front row beside Little.  All got bites, no one touched Mini.  Mini ended up in a food coma. 1011 fish, feeding from 1013-1052.  Prior to the start of the feeding, Little beaked Mini and Middle, Mini tucked, Middle beaked back.  Little beaked Big, and Big beaked back.  At the start of the feeding Little beaked Middle again, Mini was still in submission.  Mini had a hard time getting up to the food line through the wall of the three older siblings, went around the other side away from Little and waited.  By 103842 Mini got its first bite, Big and Little dropped out, soon followed by Middle.  So Mini had a private feeding until 1047 when the others started to come back.  By 1048 Mini was in a food coma. 1222 fish, feeding from 1223 to 1232.  When the fish arrived, before the feeding started, Little beaked at Mini pretty roughly.  After the feeding started, Mini stayed back, nevertheless, Little turned around and beaked Mini on 4 different occasions.  Mini never made it to the food line.  After that feeding was over, Little beaked Mini at 1350, 1355, 1358 and 1403.  I don’t know why Mini stayed close to Little and didn’t seek a safe spot beside Big or Middle.”

The feedings really depend on Mini being able to stay away from Little who appears to be a very aggressive third-hatch female. ‘H’ notes that Mini got ’52’ bites on the Thursday morning feed because it was buffered by Big and Middle away form Little.

The latest report from ‘H’ on the Forsythe platform is really interesting. “All lined up  [3,2,4,1], so I thought, good, Mini stay away from Little.  But due to the sheer size of Middle and Big reaching for bites with Mini in between, Mini got squeezed out to the back row (nothing intentional).  When Little saw Mini, Little went on a mission to punish Mini.  Little went to the back row, and beaked Mini intermittently from 1449 to 1454.  Finally Big saw what was going on and reached back and beaked Little, so Little moved away!  Finally at 1500 Mini was up between Big and Middle again and was able to eat.  At 1503, Little tried to get back into the feeding and Big beaked Little, keeping it away, seeming to protect Mini, I kid you not.  So, Mini got fed, and probably ended up with more bites than Little.  If Little had just stayed in the original feeding line and not focused on beaking Mini, she would have been better off.”

Laddie LM12 delivered a whopper of a fish to the Loch of the Lowes Nest – late. Finally Middle gets to eat. Both osplets had full crops at the end of the feeding and even Blue NC0 got some fish.

Only osplet at Cowlitz PUD is still looking good. I sure hope some big fish come to this nest…that water area needs to be stocked!

Needed to check in on Victor and Abby. I think this is Victor screaming for a fish and then chowing down on one…talk about fantastic parents!

Oyster Bay osplets look like they are doing OK.

The trio at Outerbanks also look healthy with clear shiny eyes. I have not been able to ascertain about the equity in feeding but right now, each looks healthy.

Two babies at Seaside are looking good, too.

How much food the third hatch is getting at Barnegat Light is unclear. The two big ones did not allow it near to a nice big fish at the late feeding and I have not watched this nest closely but it did eat well at an earlier one.

Oh, just look at that Bob stand up for its fish at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn!

At Glaslyn, Elen is feeding the chicks and Aran is on the branch with another fish!

Two years ago, CJ7 of Poole Harbour only dreamed of having a mate and osplets. Then a very young Blue 022 stopped by the nest. It was too late in the season and everyone hoped he would return. This is their second year for raising chicks and they have three adorable little osplets.

Tucked in tight for the night.

Big Red and Arthur are starting to get the Ms to be interested in self-feeding. M1 took on a chippie today and did well. The others will not go hungry during this period. Big Red will continue to feed them. Very different than an osprey nest!

All done.

San Jose City Halls little falcon sure is loud. Had a nice meal in the morning and – well, I don’t blame it – I didn’t see later prey. Screaming for food at noon! Hopefully a later meal.

Still screaming at 1525.

Locations of Waba and Bonus on 6 June.

Dmitri’s Storklet is growing and doing well…gosh, there is good news out there in Bird World.

Pi, one of the trio at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest, was doing so well, she was released back into the wetlands to be fed and trained by her parents, Martin and Rosa. The metal you see around the tree is a raccoon protector.

Angel and Tom’s surviving hawklet now has a name – Deyani (Great and strong). Beautiful. ‘A’ writes: “Great name for RTH5. It was lovely to see Tom feeding Deyani yesterday – as I mentioned, it was more a matter of Tom pulling bits off that squirrel and Deyani grabbing them. Tom looked a little shocked the first time the hawklet grabbed dad’s bite from him, but then Tom continued with his work on the squirrel and eventually actually deliberately gave the hawklet some bites. I felt like a proud auntie.”

Fires are raging. No Arctic ice. Temperatures are rising and the situation at nests such at Achieva who are suffering from a severe drought are set to see this pattern continue. Nests burned, raptors dead…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/06/too-late-now-to-save-arctic-summer-ice-climate-scientists-find?CMP=share_btn_link

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One of my favourites, Bill McKibben on the haze…Thanks ‘B’!

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Thank you to everyone who has sent e-mails worried about me and the wildfires. That was so sweet and so very kind. We have haze but it is not nearly as bad as other parts of Canada and the US. So far the recent rains have helped.

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Send your good wishes to our nests. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to create my blog today: ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘H’, ‘L’, ‘SP’, IWS, SF Bay Ospreys, Holly Parsons and The New Zealand Herald, PSEG, Achieva Credit Union, Birds in Helping Hands, Severna Ospreys, Forsythe Ospreys, LOTL, Cowlitz PUD, Moorings Park, Outerbans 24/7, Seaside Ospreys, Conservancy Conservation of NJ, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Cornell RTH, SJCH Falcons, Bird Map, Dmitri’s Storklet Cam, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

Featured Image: Chicks being fed by Daisy at Barnegat Light.

Wednesday in Bird World

7 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Today’s nest report is a little scattered. Lots of information on birds in rehab, some funny moments, and some sad ones.

Let’s start with something fun. That little eyas at the San Jose City Hall scrape broke free today!

The Bald Canyon Eaglet with the hook and line in its GI tract will be undergoing surgery today. Please send your warmest wishes to Alo and continue to educate people on the dangers of fishing tackle – line, hooks, and lead weights.

Then there is the human rubbish…

We need to educate people..not just children. Air guns have no place in animal cruelty. This poor Osprey had, “It had three airgun pellets in its body, a fractured le wing, a ruptured right eye and flesh wounds.” Parents have to teach kindness but they also have to model it.

Osprey-put-down-after-being-shot-with-airgun-in-Washington-BBC-NewsDownload

Sometimes I take a deep breath and hold it when I can’t see Mini on the Patchogue nest immediately. But there he was eating and flapping its little wings and walking on its feet, not its ankles today.

0801 – eating

And a PS. Mini is trying to anticipate the next fish delivery and be up close to Mum. It has been a few hours and he is hungry.

There were not as much fish at Patchogue today but Mini did eat in the morning and at 1902 was up there getting fish as well.

Right up at the beak!

There was another fish delivery after this one. I cannot tell who got what…Mum was blocking the view. It was 2006. Still, the Big ones kept eating and I could not see Mini. Then after the fish was finished, Big went ‘over’ Mini. I continue to say this is ‘not good’. Mini remains too small and the Big sibling is really showing its dominance as it requires more and more fish. I remain very concerned for Mini – but always hopeful of a miracle.

There are plenty of fish at PSEG Oyster Bay but is the little one getting its share? The oldest is moving into the reptile phase. I hope this nest stays calm!

There is nothing sweeter than a newly hatched osplet – and nothing worse that a hungry Osprey fledgling (like Big and Middle). The three at Barnegat Light are doing fine so far. But they are small and cute.

The Only Bob at Cowlitz appears to be doing well. How many times do I wish there was only one spoiled, well-fed chick at each nest?

‘A’ asked me if there are more than three and four chick osprey nests this year, and the answer is yes. When all of the ospreys have migrated or fledged and left their territory (September), Claudio and I will crunch the numbers. At that time, we can tell you the % of 2, 3, and 4 chick nests, % that fledged, the % that died and how they died. We will also know the DNH rates. I will share that information with you, but there are more nests with larger broods. I cannot say if the death rate is higher, but it ‘feels’ like it is.

At Glaslyn, Aran has been feeding the chicks under the watchful eye of Elen.

The trio on the nest of CJ7 and Blue 022 in Poole Harbour are thriving. Lots of fish. Lovely kiddos.

The Achieva Osprey platform is simply heartbreaking. The first hatch, Big Bob has taken all of the fish and Middle is hungry – so hungry that calls have been made to the local wildlife rehab clinic. It is difficult – or as ‘R’ says, ‘it breaks your heart’ to watch one bird eat and eat and eat and one get nothing.

At the Severna nest, Big is also exercising its right to all fish but Middle is getting some – because Mum is still feeding. She does not always do what I want her to and turn around and feed her second hatch but he is getting some fish.

On Tuesday, the third hatch osplet at the Patuxent River Park I nest in Maryland died in care after being removed from the nest for sibling aggression/starvation.

Laddie LM12 has delivered a big fish to the Loch of the Lowes nest and Blue NC0 and the two chicks went to bed with full crops. Relief. I do so worry about this nest that should be thriving -. He had earlier delivered two fish. The eldest ate the first and then the second got some of the second delivery.

Ferris caught a Doe and her fawn on video…not a raptor but lovely.

What impact does the haze and fine ash from the Canadian wildfires have on ponds and fishing for the Osprey? This article in The New York Times talks about the fires and their impact outside of Canada but…what about our birds?

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Big Red has ‘something feathered’ she is plucking. I really do not want to think about it but, it looks like a small Blue Heron. Don’t hold me to that. Chicks are excited and Big Red is looking good. (All of the cameras are hazy from the fires in Canada).

It is 2041 and Big Red is just beginning to feed the trio. They have grown so much and we will be waiting for fledge watch far too soon.

SK Hideaways caught the trio chowing down! Big Red’s kids are never hungry. They all eat – you will never see the type of food rivalry that you would on an Osprey nest.

If you have been watching the story of the two Red-tail hawklets in the Bald Eagle nest, there is a sad update. I am so glad that these eaglets were not RTH5 or any of the Ms.

Angel and Tom’s RTH5 is growing and you can see similar plumage to the eyases of Big Red and Arthur. This little one will be fledging shortly, too. RTH5 will also have a name in the morning when I post this blog. Angel brought in a small Cotton-tail bunny for a late night dinner for her and the chick.

Angel has arrived with the prey and RTH5 spots her on a branch below.

Confirmation of the prey item when Angel flies to the nest.

Tom was on the nest earlier, feeding RTH5. He has turned into a good mate and parent.

E22 might never leave the Southwest Florida Bald Eagle nest. S/he is right at home having hatched in the nest, played in the pond, and caught its first fish there. Why would it leave? Right now there is no pressure from M15 or any potential mate of his. But, we never know and every second must be appreciated as if it were the last —- precisely the way that we should live our lives. Nothing is promised. So enjoy this amazing fledgling…you might remember that, at one point, we worried E22 would get enough to eat! M15 was an incredible parent. He did well by his last two eaglets with Harriet…better than many nests with two adults to care for the young.

Kathryn has been helping me observe osprey nests this season and sadly, the first two did not do well. She is also aware that I am looking for examples of osplets going into care, surviving, and fledgling – to try and convince some organisations that intervention can help, that Osplets do well in care – at least in the US. Seaside Seabird Sanctuary showed a short clip of two little osplets doing well…Thanks ‘K’. Know of any others? Have you seen any posts? Please let me know. Thanks, everyone.

Right now I would like to see Middle at Achieva having a big bowl of fish.

Karl II and Kaia looking after their four storklets in Estonia.

Oh, I love storks…the four of Bety and Bukachek were wanting some fish! or worms.

The chicks learn from their parents and mimic their behaviour. Sadly, Murphy’s eaglet is hopping and not trying to fly so, the pair will need to be separated and the eaglet placed with an adult who can fly. Thanks, Murphy! You were a great Dad. Gosh, he is going to miss his eaglet.

‘H’ reports that R5 has returned to the WRDC nest! Fledged/fludged on the 4th and returned on the 7th. Lovely. Great video of that reunion with Mum and R4. Love the squeeing and the chortling.

‘H’ reports on several other nests: “Patuxent 1:  1156 fish delivery, Big almost immediately launched an attack on Middle, but it didn’t last that long.  But surprisingly, when the feeding began, it was entirely peaceful.  Go figure, another nest with some aggression, but not at the feedings.  Also surprising, #1 didn’t really try to eat very much, laid down part of the feeding, even though it did not have a big crop and they had not been not recently fed.  Middle’s crop was 3x the size of Big’s at the end of the feeding.  After the feed, Middle remained alert, and Big laid down.”

Patuxent 2: Difficult to see feedings as view is often blocked. “Feeding from 1610 to 1731, huge fish.  Little was intimidated by ‘the look’ and stayed back. Middle and Big ate.  At 1619 Little tried to approach and was bonked.  At 1624 Little started to eat with Big’s blessing.  1628 Big and Middle backed away, Little had a private feeding to 1636.  At 1638 Little beaked Big, big mistake, lol.  But that brought out the beast in Big, and Big then went after Middle, and came back and went back after Little again.  By 1646 Little was back at the table.  All three ended up with large crops.”

Thank you for being with me…for all the nests that continue to struggle with aggression or lack of fish, send your positive wishes their way. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my newsletter today and a big shout out to ‘L’ who kept in touch with the rehabbers in St Petersburg on Tuesday about Middle at Achieva. ‘A’, ‘H’, Kathryn, ‘SK’, SK Hideaways and SJCH Falcons, IWS, The Friends of Island Beach State Park, BBC news, PSEG, Barnegat Light and Conservancy C of NJ, Cowlitz PUD, SW Florida Eagles, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union Severna Park Ospreys, Ildiko A Polk and Patuxent RP Osprey Nest, LOTL, Ferris Akel, The New York Times, Cornell RTH, SK Hideaways and Cornell RTH, Birds of Prey and Doug Gillard, Window to Wildlife, SK Hideaways and SWFlorida, Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlade Buky, Patuxent River Park, World Bird Sanctuary, and Heidi McGru and the WRDC.

Monday in Bird World

5 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for all of your weekend wishes. I did have a lovely weekend, celebrating my granddaughter’s birthday and her upcoming graduation with her Masters of Social Work. She has worked with the level four homeless addicts in the core area of our City – . I am so very proud of her. My daughter has always been the ‘baker’ of the family and she passes along this tip to everyone. The original chocolate cake was delicous but it is equally delicious Vegan.

No balloons here…just as much fun without them. Teach your children early. They can educate their friends on the harm they can do to birds and other wildlife!

I promised you some pictures of the kittens. Lewis wants you to know that if you notice scratches on each side of his face – Missey did it! He says she looks ‘sweet’ but she is ‘deadly’! He adds, “Just like big sisters if you are a little osprey male!!!!!”

There is the evidence!

Big and fluffy and can convince you she is the sweetest thing on the planet…but, she has this ‘wildness’ about her. Lewis just gets himself into trouble all the time.

Missey is too big for the top of the cat tree, too! Look at that tail! Hours of brushing required.

Starting off with a pair of Black Storks that fledged in 2022, Waba and Bonus. They fledged from Karl II and Kaia’s nest. Bonus is the only surviving storklet of Jan and Janikka. He was MIA for a long time after flying over the Eastern Desert of Egypt and then, to the delight of all, his transmitter came back on and he wasn’t dead but, very much alive. Here are their current locations. Thanks so much ‘T’.

Bonus has flown 7216 km since he fledged.

Karl II feeding his three little ones. The youngest downs a whole fish!

Black Storks in Italy defending their nestlings against an intruder! TY Maria Marika FB.

Flora has fledged at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle Nest! Her siblings Pi and Pat are in rehab after falling out of the collapsing nest of her parents, Martin and Rosa. We know that Martin and Rosa have been providing prey to Flora and they will continue to do so as she improves her flying – as long as she stays in the area. Just like E22. Sadly the nest is getting worse but it is still a good platform for a delivery. Send your good wishes.

The IWS is doing everything it can to help with the fishing line and hook that was swallowed by one of the Bald Canyon eaglets, 45D. Here is the latest update:

The 11:04 fish at the Achieva Credit Union was claimed by Middle to the delight of all watching. Middle has had to become quite scrappy to survive. Keep it up! Because we know that Big is a fish eating machine…

At around 1712 a fish was delivered. Middle got it but then the adult went, pulled the fish out from under the fledgling, and flew off with it. Another fish appears at 1839 or thereabouts and Big gets it. Middle had a small fish in the morning and then Big gets this later one. Are the canals dried up? are there too many intruders and parents are defending the nest to the detriment of the fledglings?

1713. Adult pulls the fish out from the hungry fledgling and flies away with it. This was disturbing to both me and ‘R’ who is keeping an eye on this nest. Everyone is hungry, adults and fledglings alike.

1732

The battle for the fish at 1839.

I watch Big Red and her Ms all the time but often do not report. They are fantastic. At this stage, like RTH5, they are interested in what is happening beyond the nest.

We may not see Arthur much since he is Daddy Door Dash but he is playing an important role – providing lots of prey for Big Red and the Ms and he will teach the Ms flight training and hunting once they fledge. In the meantime, he will also put on aerial displays, along with Big Red, to show the Ms that they are birds and they, too, can fly!

Sunnie Day reports that all three of the osplets at the Crooked Lake osprey platform are doing well – each is fed to the brim and all are healthy.

At the Severna Park Osprey platform, Middle missed out for the most part on Saturday. A nice fish came in at 0922 and Middle is getting some food.

Middle is being smart and staying on the opposite of Mum but making himself known! It is 1248 and Mum is feeding him but, the majority of the fish went to Big.

The late evening fish came into Severna. Both were lined up but Big took exception and Middle backed off. He tried to come up the side and finally was fed when Big was full. Why doesn’t the female just shift a big when these little ones come up to the side? They know they are there. Time 1903. ‘H’ confirms that there were four feedings at Severna and it seems Middle came out alright for the day. Relief.

Mini at the Patchogue nest has done well on Sunday and that really goes down to Mum paying attention to her little baby and watching out that it gets fed.

Mini is right up there at 1559.

Monday Morning. 0538. Mini is right up there at the table. What a wonderful way to start the week. Tears. This is just such an amazing nest. One day at a time but Hopeful.

Mini has a fat little bottom.

By 0854, Mini had dropped its crop. Another fish was in and at 0902 Mini was up eating again.

Four little angels lined up at the Forsythe Osprey platform. Opal seems to have good control with no beaking during meals although ‘H’ reports that some of the chatters have seen some angst in between feedings. We live in hope.

Outerbanks 24/7 is doing great, too.

Cowlitz PUD has one osplet (thank goodness). Is it just me, or are the fish deliveries really thin again this year?

R5 at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose has fludged again…He is having a difficult time of it. To the delight of all, ‘H’ reports that R5 was seen perched in a tree near the nest and flying freely. Well done!

Maybe it is just me but the deliveries at the Loch of the Lowes nest in Scotland – the home of Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 – just do not seem to be that plentiful still. Am I wrong?

The reason appears to be linked to intruders. Dad can’t fish if he has to protect Mum, the kids, and the territory continually.

The two surviving osplets at Llyn Brenig were having their fish breakfast when I checked in early Monday in the UK. Gosh the storms did so much damage to those trees…just look at it.

It was 04:49 and CJ7 was feeding the three osplets at the Poole Harbour nest. This is what I would have liked to have seen at Loch of the Lowes!

There was a bit of a fright late Sunday when CJ7 caught her leg in human debris on the nest – a black bin liner. Thanks, ‘M’ for letting me know. I will always alert those associated with the camera. That does not, however, mean that help will be given. The bin liner got loose, thankfully!

Despite the rain, the three osplets at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Osprey platform in Longmont, Colorado, appear to be doing alright. They are 11, 10 and 8 days old today. The fish look nice. The oldest is losing its soft natal down and entering the Reptile phase. All three need to be kept warm and dry, still. They cannot thermoregulate their temperatures and they could get hypothermia.

This is my first year observing this nest. I began because of the baling twine, but the county will not do anything about it. Hoping that all is well with full fledges. The fish look good! Here is the link to their camera:

Daisy and Duke’s three little ones look alright, too. It is so hard to tell how things will work out at this stage. The winds appear to be howling – hoping the weather does not hinder Dad’s ability to fish.

There is beaking at Patuxent II – so caution. ‘H’ reports that at the end of a meal she observed, all did wind up with a crop despite the aggression.

Flora, the last of the Dulles-Greenway eaglets, fledged from the collapsing nest on Sunday. They have it on video.

‘H’ sent me a note that moon_rabbit_rising (Instagram) has tonnes of images of the Cal Falcons and a possible reason for Annie’s superficial injury. Be sure to check out her amazing photographs of Annie, Lou, and the fledglings!

Angel and Tom’s little RTH5 is not so ‘little’ anymore. That nest, all of a sudden, seems to be quite small.

Are you a fan of Mrs G? Believed to be the oldest UK Osprey. she did not return from migration in 2023 and Aran now is mated with Elen. A memory board is up at the Glaslyn Visitor’s Centre and it will soon become a poster you can purchase.

E22 is still with us at Fort Myers. Check out the beautiful juvenile face!

The only chick at the San Jose City Hall Peregrine Falcon scrape of Hartley and Monty will be banded on Tuesday!

There appears to be a shortage of food in so many places, including at Karl II’s nest in Estonia. Send your best wishes to all the birds. When tasked with being good stewards of our planet, humans have received a failing grade and, sadly, our wildlife is paying for it.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. I am off to make sure that what little grass there is in my garden (lots of trees and shrubs) does not turn into hay! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘ H’, ‘J’, ‘M’, ‘R’, ‘T’, Eagle Club of Estonia, Maria Marika FB, Celia Aliengirl and IWS, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH, Sunnie Day and Crooked Lake Ospreys, Severna Park Ospreys, PSEG, Forsythe Ospreys, Outerbanks 24/7, Cowlitz PUD, Heidi McGru and the WRDC, LOTL, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Llyn Brenig, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Barnegat Light and Conservancy of NJ, moon_rabbit_rising, Window to Wildlife, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, SW Florida Eagle Cam, and San Jose City Hall Falcon Cam.

Saturday in Bird World

3 June 2023

It is 32 degrees, with the promise of thunderstorms later today. The garden grew like RTH5 into a wild wilderness overnight with the humidity and the rain we had a couple of days ago. The heat is making it a jungle! I owe you pictures of kittens and the garden animals! This weekend. Lewis and Missey are doing well. Dyson and the gang continue to entertain them when they run onto the deck to get their morning and evening peanuts but it is getting harder and harder to see the birds in the foliage. Yesterday I decided to clear some branches and, to my dismay, felt quite ill after being out in the heat for just about 30-45 minutes. So learn from my mistake – stay inside when it is hot outside! Stay cool. Stay hydrated. At the same time, we hope that each of you has a lovely weekend.

Your morning smile comes from the Patchogue nest where Mini is up there having breakfast! Mini is turning into a Reptile..and growing. Indeed, the older ones will begin to slow while Mini will be at its peak growth period. We get a good comparison in the image below of just how different the older siblings are in size from Mini.

Let’s get the bad over with first. The youngest chick from the Patuxent I nest that was removed and fostered has died. One of the chicks at the Llyn Brenig platform in Wales has also died.

One brave eaglet, Flora, on the Dulles-Greenway Nest that is collapsing; the other two are in care. Flora has had two feedings and is doing well despite their small space! The other two are doing well in care – neither had any injuries from their fall.

The three falcons in Topeka’s Evergy scrape were ringed today. The little one was deemed to be fit BUT has anyone ever seen feathers stay in the quill/shaft like this?

Congratulations to Rosie and Richmond of the Whirley Crane nest in SF Bay by the Richmond Shipping Yards. Their first hatch of the season on Friday 2 June.

What a Friday morning it was. ‘R’ reported that Big was attacking Middle at the Achieva nest, and Big certainly was, but, it did not stop Middle from snagging the 10:50 fish delivery.

These two are not siblings but rivals for food and survival now.

Middle got it! Thank goodness.

Middle intent on eating as much of that fish as it can before Big gets it.

Middle ate lots and left a bit for Big.

The later fish went to Big after another battle. ‘R’ reports that Middle almost fell off the nest again. Ironically, so did R5…almost, again. Is it the heat? dehydration?

Patchogue Osprey nest had four fish deliveries before 11:08. Mini got some fish at the 0802 feeding but had nothing from the catfish at 0927. That is alright because a nice fish arrived at 1108, and the three big siblings were full and uninterested. Mini got a private feeding, and then, in the end, Mum fed Dad some fish. It was very touching.

Too far back to get up to the beak at 0927.

Private feeding for Mini at 11:08. All is well with the world.

Mum feeding Dad at Patchogue at 11:25. This is an amazing male…this family is so lucky!

There was more fish at Patchogue. This dad is amazing. I watched the two late feedings – one around 15:30 and then the 17:28 one. Mini was right up front but Big ‘looked at’ Mini and he went into submission. Mini ate last but he wound up with a huge crop before bed. Mini is now losing his baby down and going into the reptilian phase while the three older chicks are getting their juvenile feathers. This could help Mini. We continue to live in hope for this amazing little osplet.

Smart Mini. Keep your head down. Watch but don’t leave the table. Your turn will come – so much fish is coming to the nest. Look at those crops on the big ones. Just sit them out, Mini.

The male at Severna hauled in four fish before noon. Times were 05:41:46, 07:49, 08:26:00, and 11:35:45. Everyone ate well!

Mum fed Big and then she turned around and fed Middle!

At 0838.

Another delivery at 11:35.

So many more fish deliveries. The one at 18:21 was very civil.

Middle goes to bed with a bulging crop.

The female at Carthage TN is not interested in the egg or in incubation any longer. This is a good thing. something has gone terribly wrong at this nest in 2023. Some believe it is the same female from previous years with a new male. This female does not ‘act’ experienced…Sadly, we will not have the answers to so many questions about her behaviour. Both osplets dead.

‘H’ reports on the Forsythe Nest: “1255 to 1316, Third feeding of the day, the nestlings were sitting in a diamond shape, Mini at the point, Big and Middle at the sides, Little at the rear.  Little waited the longest to get fed, just couldn’t reach.  By 1304 Mini was in her first food coma, and that’s when Little started getting bites, reaching over Mini. Everyone except Little eventually was in a food coma, and by then Little got a short private feeding.  So they all did pretty good.  No aggression during the meal.  In between feedings, I did see some bonking between the oldest two at 0910, but Middle started it, lol.”

Dalgren gets a good report as well: ” 1156, Third feeding of the day.  Very smooth.  Both had good crops, no aggression.  I am pleasantly surprised by this nest.  I feared the worst when they hatched 4 days apart.  Fingers crossed that the harmony continues.”

Kathryn has been observing the Outer Banks 24/7 nest at Carova Beach and those three are doing well. So happy that she has a lovely family to watch after Carthage and Lake Murray…I always tell people to have a box of tissues if they watch osprey nests – for the bad times and for the good.

In the UK, Louis delivers a huge fish to Dorcha and the wee and only babe late Friday and that fish gives the chick a whacking…Thanks, Geemeff and thank goodness, all is well.

Oh, this baby is such a cutie.

There are cute babies everywhere! Aran looks on as Elen prepares to feed their duo from his fish delivery at Glaslyn.

Polly Turner caught White YW bringing a fish to Blue 035 to their nest at Foulshaw Moss.

You would not need an alarm clock if you had Blue 33 as a mate. 0500 fish…

Not to be outdone by Rutland, Idris was out fishing early, too.

Louis delivered early at Loch Arkaig as well. Gosh, they are all fishing at 0500!

Dylan was at the nest with fish at Llyn Clywedog, too! I am impressed with all of these UK males. Notice the reservoir in the image above the nest. It is the one that is annually stocked with 40,000 fish. Just think. 40,000 fish.

It appears that River now has a suitor at the Dale Hollow nest who is delivering fish to DH17! Now isn’t this wonderful! Thank you Celia Aliengirl for the FB posting. I had missed it. Three days in a row….beautiful.

At the Golden Eagle nest of Sarpike and Hevel, the second eaglet has died. ‘T’ reports that a shortage of small mammals caused by a lack of farming in the area might have caused the eldest to be aggressive to the second hatch. The baby wound up on the rim of the nest and died of hypothermia. This was on Wednesday the 31st of May. One chick remains. Let us hope that there is enough food for it. People moving from the rural areas or the change in farming methods are causing havoc to the lives of some of our beautiful raptors.

This is the link to Sarpike’s camera:

The Bucovina Golden Eagle nest appears to have food for the eagle. There are at least two roe deer or parts of on the nest of adults Lucina and Caliman.

Here is a link to that camera in Romania:

The chick of Ella and Elmar at the Estonian White-tail Eagle nest in the Matsalu National Park appears to be doing well. You might recall that in 2021, the couple on this nest were Eve and Eerik. Their two adorable eaglets died of H5N1, the first two eaglets known to have died of Bird Flu in the spring breeding season. That event had profound implications for the virologists who predicted Avian Flu would not die during the next winter. They were correct. This nest fledged 30 WTE from 1996-202. No breeding in 2022, and now we have a new couple.

The beautiful adults, Ella and Elmar.

They had one egg and one beautiful chick hatch.

Estonian Black Storks Karl II and Kaia welcomed hatch 1 and 2 on the 1st of June!

The four White Storklets of Bety and Bukacek in Mlady Buky The Czech Republic are doing fantastic.

An update on the little storklet rescued by Dmitri in Russia. It is doing fantastic. Have a look! It has really grown. My goodness and this baby looks ‘happy’. What a nice safe enclosure and lots of frogs and little fish and worms to eat without a sibling or parent pecking it to death.

To warm your heart:

There is a problem with the storklets in Spain this season; they are dying. The water that runs off of the huge garbage dumps forming little areas with frogs and little fish is full of toxins that people have placed in their bins. It goes to the dump, the rain falls and the poisons accumulate in the pools of water. The storks feed they’re going to the nest and regurgitating to feed their storklets. The storklets die. There are reasons that specific items to not go to landfills…please be aware. This can happen anywhere because more and more of our beautiful raptors and storks are losing their habitat and having to eat garbage. If you want to see a Bald Eagle in Winnipeg, go to the Brady Land Fill. How sad is this?

The Cromer Peregrine Falcons are doing fantastic…you might want to turn your volume down!

The Cal Falcons are doing fantastic! What a joy to be able to continue to see them this year. Adorable.

RTH5 waiting for breakfast. This little one is fed constantly by Tom and Angel. ‘A’ is thinking RTH5 is a female ‘eating machine’. What do you think?

And, last, but always at the top of my list – Big Red and her Ms and Arthur.It is all good!

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Please take care. See you soon! — Continue to send your most positive wishes to all the nests. They need it.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, Geemeff, ‘H’, Kathryn, ‘R’, ‘SP’, ‘T’, Dulles-Greenway, Evergy Topeka, Lucille Powell and Raptors of the World, Achieva Credit Union, PSEG, Severna Ospreys, Carthage TN, Forsythe Ospreys, Dahlgren, Outer Banks 24/7, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Geemeff and Loch Arkaig, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Polly Turner and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, LRWT, CarnyXWild, Celia Aliengirl and DHEC, Sarpike WTE, Bucovina, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlady Buky White Storks, Dmitri Stork Cam, SK Hideaways and Cromer Peregrine Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Window to Wildlife, and Cornell RTH.

Friday in Bird World

2 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

It has been one of those weeks. Thankfully, it is ‘baby’ season and an excellent reason to get out amongst the ducks and the geese and count the newly hatched. Three duck mamas were quacking away, trying to keep the little ones together. It was hilarious. Those ducklings are so fast, darting hither and yon, enough that Mum just can’t keep track of them. It was adorable. I could see no goslings – yet. Not at this park, but there were 9 male Wood Ducks and not one female in sight. Perhaps they were on the island incubating eggs. At any rate, it was lovely. The day’s heat had cooled, people were smiling, and everyone seemed to want to chat.

As Father’s Day nears, I am eternally grateful that mine taught me the beauty of nature, the happiness of sitting quietly in the garden, that feeling of joy when a Cardinal lands on your upturned hand and takes a seed but, most of all, a responsibility to make the lives of animals and birds better, if I could. He helped me connect to nature and to something far bigger than myself.

‘H’ sent me a link to a TED talk this morning. She knows me well – I get very upset when humans on chats apologise for ‘anthropomorphising’ animal feelings. She knows I am a big follower of Marc Bekoff at the University of Colorado and Jane Goodall and their studies of animals and emotions. She knows that I watch adult raptors grieve when their children die. So she sent me a talk by Ron Magill. Some know Ron Magill as ‘the Eagle Guy’ from the Miami Zoo. The nest that Ron and Rose have was the brainchild of Magill. But, he is more than just eagles, and in this 18-minute talk (please listen to all of it as you will miss the best parts if you don’t!), he tells us the story of Quasi, an orphan lion cub at the Miami Zoo. Keep the link. When anyone on a chat tells you animals don’t have feelings – don’t get mad; educate them! Thanks, ‘H’.

How many Osprey nests had four eggs and four hatches? Blue 80 over at Threave Castle has four in the nest, too. It will be interesting to see how that plays out compared to the US nests. For awhile, the monitors of this nest (there is no streaming cam) thought there to be only three but up popped the fourth head. So far so good.

Yesterday, I said that “If there is a nest that gives me hope, it is Patchogue on Long Island.” Thursday was a pretty good day for Mini so let’s go through it.

This Mini-Bob has attitude! Please look at it below with those three enormous siblings lined up behind it. Mum looks down directly into its eyes. She is good to feed that baby if it gets its beak up close to hers. This Mini has to be a female…oh, how I wish we would know for sure.

Four osplets, one little Mini – and yet so civil. Fish come on the nest – nice ones – every couple of hours and the kids line up and eat if they are hungry. Mini was right up there at 1507 and was still going strong until he was so full – and hot – and got under Mum’s tail for shade at 1531.

I want to give a shout out to this great Dad who just keeps bringing in the fish! I did not count the number today but it certainly makes a difference when you have a nest with chicks spread like this one…just monster sized big siblings and there, in the centre of the nest, Mini – who is just starting to get into the Reptilian phase.

‘L’ writes that a delivery at 1600- a small gold fish – resulted in Little Bob being a little aggressive to Tiny – who did not get any food then.

Dad just delivers fishing – Daddy Door Dash Supreme. He should get some 5 star rating in TripAdvisor! A late fish came on the nest and I could not find Mini. Well, he was right up on the right side of Mum and he did get fed. Mini did not have a huge crop – or he did a crop drop which could have happened – but he did get fed for a period of time (about 15 minutes). I am astonished by this baby on this nest of ‘huge’ siblings.

At the 0930 delivery, Mini did not get any fish. And now I am beginning to worry about Mini’s survival. The big siblings are now bashing one another. Mini got up to the beak and could have eaten but was submissive. He should have snatched those few bites…they all add up. So this nest is far from being out of the woods. A s the three larger siblings grow and require more food, it might be impossible for Mini to get up there. Let us wait and see if he can figure this out.

At the Severna nest, a big fish came on the nest at 10:08:37. Big already had a huge crop from an earlier fish but, she still had to get up front. By 10:33 Middle is eating having previously moved up under Mum’s tail. Middle is still eating at 10:49!

At 16:31, a massive fish comes on the nest. It is big enough to feed both chicks and Mum to the brim!

Big will go first regardless of its already huge crop – Middle still has a crop from an earlier feed, too.

By 1654 Middle has positioned himself on the opposite of Mum and is getting fish. This chick has come a long way in figuring out how to survive on this nest! Bravo Middle.

At the Forsythe nest of Opal and Oscar, Oscar keeps bringing on the fish just like the male at Patchogue. Little Mini is right up there eating. All appears to be well with the world here with so many deliveries on Thursday.

This is Mini getting fed, not Little! Mini is stretching its neck to make it really long.

‘H’ notes the following times at Forsythe: “Forsythe:  1052 feeding, Mini in the back, got two bites (smallish fish).  No bonking.  1225 feeding, Mini worked its way up to the front and got at least 32 bites, again it was peaceful. There was a pretty significant beaking match between the two oldest at around 0929, but not at a feeding.”

No bullying at the Dahlgren Osprey nest. The two are both enjoying being side by side eating fish.

There are two osplets for Duke and Daisy at the Barnegat Light Osprey platform on Thursday! Thanks ‘H’.

So far the only Bob at Cowlitz PUD is doing fine…perhaps the other two eggs will be DNH.

The team at Patuxent River Park went to Nest 1 and removed the youngest osplet, and fostered it with another family. They did not, however, go to Patuxent II where it is believed that Mini died at least a day ago.

The eyas at the San Jose City Hall continues to do well. ‘M’ asked me about the shiny black area on the crop. This is nothing to worry about. The crop gets full, the chick goes into food coma and rolls on the stones/gravel of the nest rubbing the feathers off. Those will grow in and be beautiful before fledge!

The eyas at the Evergy Topeka Falcon Cam is getting some more feathers. Notice, however, that the wing and contour feathers have not broken out of the quills. ‘SP’ contacted the administrators of the nest about the condition of Little, and she was delighted with this response: “I have been in contact with our wildlife biologist . We’ll be banding the chicks on Friday and wildlife personnel will check on the viability of the smaller bird. If it needs to be rehabbed or needs any special attention, we’ll learn that on Friday and ensure that it gets the help it needs.” Now that is the kind of response we want from those in charge of these streaming cams. This is fantastic news.

Checking on some Canadian Osprey nests. There are three eggs at Newfoundland Power. If it is a typical year, there will be no fledges. I hope it isn’t for a change.

At Osoyoos, Soo and Olsen laid their eggs on the 21, 23, and 25th of May so we have a ways to go til fledge.

Fortis Exshaw has had to endure much smoke from the wildfires. Eggs laid on May 9, 12, and 15.

The Dulles-Greenway trio have been named!

At the UK, nests there is often all manner of information available. For example, look at this fish delivery table for Llyn Clywedog! Dylan does not quite double his deliveries from last year but, almost.

When asked where the fish came from, this was Alastair’s reply. Please note the amount of fish that are put in the Reservoir each year. Imagine how that might impact some of the US nests positively!

Alastair Cameron: “based on observations by John Williams the perch seem to come from the shallower “fingers” of the reservoir as it merges into smaller gulleys at the edge of the reservoir. Dylan certainly seems to go to perch when the weather is wet (perhaps easier to see when there is rain on the surface) or hot, when the trout are swimming deeper. John has also observed that at least some of the brown trout seem to come from another reservoir called Nant y Moch, a few kilometers away. Llyn Clywedog Trout fishery stock the reservoir with around 40,000 trout per year, mainly rainbows but some browns as well.”

It is difficult to image – my goodness do you ever wonder where time goes? – but the eldest osplet on the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn is now turning into a reptile. The soft downy is gone from the back of its head and that oil spot is starting to come!

Elen and Aran seem to be doing fine. the wee Bobs got covered with grasses and Aran spent some time uncovering them while Elen had her tea.

Louis and Dorcha’s only Bob having some fish supper before the sun goes down at Loch Arkaig. Some are ‘hearing’ chupping from the second egg. Could we really have another hatch? I doubt it.

CJ7 was busy feeding her two Bobs at Poole Harbour before dusk as well..fill them up and maybe they won’t wiggle all night! gosh, these Mums must get tired…and by morning, CJ7 and Blue 022 had their third!

Geemeff brings us Scottish Osprey nest real estate news. Louis’s old nest at Loch Arkaig is currently occupied by Affric & Prince. The couple keep returning to Nest One, and even had two mating attempts there last night. No idea why their own nest failed, but this one’s available and we’d love to have a resident pair again.” That is fantastic news. Louis is busy with Dorcha and the Only Bob at nest 2 so, perhaps, he will give this couple a lease!

There has also been a hatch at Kielder Forest, nest 5A. Mr and Mrs UV.

What about Angel and Tom’s little RTH5? ‘A’ gave me a big giggle – which one needs after some of the nest sadness, when she told me, “I woke up this morning (it is 9am) and immediately checked my darling Angel and RTH5 and suddenly, there was this strange hawk in the nest. It stands up all the time and looks upwards instead of down. It swallows voles, mice, birds, lizards and every other small thing that moves. It had six feedings before noon today, and then continued on eating in the late afternoon. It just eats and eats and eats. I had no idea a RTH could consume so much in such a short time. They are hunting and eating machines (or at least RTH5 is insatiable). She (I do think we may have a female here, though it is still too early to tell, and the hawklet is still way smaller than mum, but I wonder about the sturdy legs) is even more adorable.” 

We could say the same for Big Red and Arthur’s Ms…simply adorable. Walking eating cutie pie machines. The advantage that Big Red’s kids have is the long ‘runway’ for them to strengthen their legs and wings.

Wetlands are one of the most important aspects of biodiversity. We are seeing them destroyed around the world and yet, they might hold part of the secret for revitalising our planet. Around the world, these wetlands are under attack by industry wanting mining and now a huge area near Lake Victoria could fall to agricultural development. The area is the largest wetlands in Kenya, Yala Swamp. What are humans thinking? and why are there individuals who are not trying to fix our relationship with nature instead of harming it?

Irreplaceable-Kenyas-Yala-swamp-complex-BirdLife-InternationalDownload

Not a great image – really cropped – but look at Murphy’s Baby flapping its big wings! Smile. Murphy and Baby doing fine. Nest not so much!

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

I am very grateful to the following individuals and groups for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to make up the information in my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Geemeff, ‘L’, ‘M’, ‘SP’, TED Talks, PSEG, Severna ospreys, Forsythe Ospreys, Dahlgren Ospreys, new Jersey Conservancy, Cowlitz PUD, Patuxent River Park, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Everay Topeka Falcon Cam, Newfoundland Power, Osoyoos, Fortis Exshaw, Dulles Greenway, Alastair Cameron and Llyn Clywedog Osprey Group, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, Birdlife International, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, and World Bird Sanctuary.

Thursday in Bird World

25 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you have had a fabulous first half of the week. It is the end of May. The lilacs are blooming and the garden is so fragrant. The Baltimore and Orchard Orioles ‘flew the coop’. I have not seen one in the garden since late Monday evening. The Cowbirds are gone and the Grackles have arrived. Mr Crow was here for peanuts along with his mates and Mr Blue Jay, Dyson and family but, other than those, it was rather quiet. And cooler. Down to 11 C tonight – Melbourne weather. It feels cold.

I wish I could send a big bouquet to everyone. The lilacs were planted 24 years ago. They were just sticks that autumn. Now they are so tall – of course, the big bunches of blossoms are at the top. These are lovely, and a tiny little sprig in the conservatory makes the entire space smell grand.

As I am writing this, Bobby Horvath of WINORR who cared for Pale Male in his last hours, told me he would happily go and clean up the Patchogue nest if a bucket truck can be obtained. People are willing to help. Let us hope that permits come through. Bobby said, “It’s a matter of resources. A bucket truck capable of reaching the site and if there’s live electric involved or not. Then permission is a whole other issue. If a truck can be secured I offer my assistance removing any material I can.” I am so grateful, and there are others..it is getting all of this in place that is the issue. Fingers crossed. Thanks, Bobby!——— The power company is telling callers that they ‘will take care of it’…..let’s hope that someone does. I have to say that I worry about that little osplet but so far so good. Look at them lined up like so nicely having fish…is it possible that they are all males like Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie and this Mini will survive? One day at a time. One day at a time. I live with hope. Bib Bob is at least six times the size of Mini and the older two are just entering the Reptilian Phase. It makes monsters out of them for a short time…not sure why. Would love to see the hormone levels in their blood – the aggressive ones.

Thank you to everyone who reached out to get help to this nest. You are fantastic.

Mini-Bob looks unwell this morning and may be dying/dead. It is difficult to tell – deep sleep. Mum has been looking curiously at the poor little thing while she was also trying to remove some rubbish earlier.

This should put a big smile on your face! Wonderful, generous people really made a differ