It is Canada’s first long weekend of the ‘summer’ season. Victoria weekend – also known as Bank Holidays in the UK. It is considered the safe time to plant your tender annuals in the garden or the first time to head to the cottage and turn the water on. Of course, it has been warmer and we are all ahead of this schedule but, it is a long weekend for people who are working and hopefully, a fun and safe time.
First up, one of the first raptors in the reintroduction scheme in the UK has died. Red Kite, Aragon, was 29 years old. First we lost Pale Male and now Aragon who was named after the area in Spain who donated him to help the UK with their project.
This is absolutely hilarious…for the smile we all need today, thanks, Heidi McGrue!
Here is another one…Talk about a feeding frenzy…have a look at what it is like for Annie and Lou at Cal Falcons with Rosa, Zephyr, and Luna! Goodness.
Victor Victoria finally fledged at the Moorings Park Osprey Park at 0809 on Friday the 19th of March, 11 days after her sibling. You will notice that I am using the pronoun ‘her’ and ‘she’. Vic flew to the Purple Martin bird house in the middle of the pond and from there had a few short flights and then was seen soaring, being escorted by the parents. One of the highlights for me was Abby landing on the bird house next to Victor!
It is always a worry til they return, and Victor returns to the nest at 1734 to the relief of everyone involved and all of us watching.
Victor was hot and hungry! A Red-winged Blackbird serves as an escort. I had gone to check on Angel seconds before – thanks for the alert, ‘H’. — And just a correction to some information that I have mentioned earlier. Moorings Park does not stop their pond. Thanks, ‘SD’!
It appears that the fourth hatch at Manton Bay in Rutland has died. A large fish was delivered right when it was hatching and sent its shell flying along with flapping all four osplets hard. The fish covered Mini-Bob and when Maya was finally able to get it off, the little one was very weak. Mini had a feed in the afternoon but later, there were only three heads eating. Maya was seen later covering it with grasses so no predator would get her baby.
There were four in the image below but you can see Mini…so frail and not moving. Later in the evening, only three heads could be seen. So sad for Maya and Blue 33.
Geemeff caught the last feeding and the lack of Mini Bob…taking a deep breath. Happy to have three osplets. That fish could have done more damage – so grateful it didn’t.
A plaque has gone up to Harriet near to her nest on the Pritchett Farm. It is a beautiful tribute to a much loved Bald Eagle.
Have a look at this little beauty – Chase and Cholyn’s baby from this year.
All continues to go well at Lake Murray for Lucy and C2. Tonight, I noticed that Lucy is not on the perch but is down in the nest with her baby. Weather? GHO? or both? She was on the nest til dawn when she went fishing.
Diane, Big and Middle all had fish today at Achieva in St Petersburg, Florida. Diane brought in a big fish around 1900 and Big had her own to self-feed and Diane fed Middle.
Little RTH5 wasn’t so welcoming to Tom when he arrived on the nest with empty talons. She went after them! Too funny. RTH5 ate so well on Friday. Had at least one crop drop and was so full once it could hardly move on the nest with its big crop. Details of the feedings and more images later in the blog, too. I love this little nestling.
“Oh, just one more bite!”
Thank goodness for the wildlife rehabbers who take care and try desperately to return to the wild every life that comes into their clinic. Here are two stories for today to put a smile on your face.
If you live near Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, sometime, if you can, take the opportunity to visit there during the migration counts in the spring and fall. Here are the recaps so far this year.
The counts reveal a shark decline for our dear Ospreys.
Angel’s RTH5 has eaten very well today and these are the details that were posted, not available earlier. These are the prey deliveries and feedings up until 1700 Friday: “9:25:51 Angel back with a young Meadowlark. 9:26:20 Feed1.12:49:08 Tom in for a visit. 1:26:29 Angel back with a young Meadowlark. 1:27:33 Feed2. 3:09:52 Angel with a young Meadowlark. 3:10:40 Feed3.” We will really be able to see changes in the plumage of RTH5 which are beginning now but next week, the look of this adorable baby is going to be sooooo different.
The arrival of the Meadowlark and feeding 3.
Preening her baby!
It is a windy morning in Ithaca, New York at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. The cam operator gave us some lovely images of the eyases.
E22 was at the pond this morning looking out and probably thinking about fish and a good swim. Everyone is treasuring each moment and wondering what will come next.
For those of you that followed Louis and Aila at Loch Arkaig, you will recall that they used what is known as nest 1. When Aila did not return from migration two years ago, Louis took another nest site with Dorcha. The old nest has been vacant. Sue Wallbanks reports that there is hope that a new couple might move in – LV0 and Blue 152. That would be fantastic. Too late for eggs this year but for bonding and planning…absolutely!
Bruce Yolton caught up with Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo. He was hunting at the Compost Site – far nicer than an earlier construction site and the dumpsters. He had caught a rat!
A UK man was sentenced for putting out poison bait – along with other offences – to protect his exotic birds. I am glad that the instigator was punished, but I wonder about the sentence. Cris Packham calls the sentence ‘pathetic’. I totally agree. What will it take for humans to understand that they do not have the right to kill wildlife indiscriminately? (or at all!!)
It is, of course, not just planning in the UK that is causing havoc with wildlife. Plans for a tidal barrier along with some entertainment and economic plans for Norfolk and Lincolnshire are drawing a lot of criticism from environmental and wildlife groups for good reason. The coast along Norfolk is one of the most beautiful attracting waterfowl from the tundra to the UK for the winter. Politicians believe that economic concerns trump anything to do with the environment but have they lost touch? Does the area really need more cruise ships? Perhaps nature reserves and eco-tourism?
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. There is lots going on and many nests not covered. We are awaiting for hatches and monitoring chicks but so far all appears to be going well. Take care everyone. Have a lovely weekend. See you soon!
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Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘M’, ‘SD’, BBC News, Heidi McGrue and the WRDC, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Geemeff and LRWT, Cornell RTH, Lisa Russo and the NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watchers Club, IWS/Explore, LMO, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, Wild Bird Sanctuary, The Raptor Centre, Hawk Mountain, WGCU, Sue Wallbank’s and Friends of Loch Arkaig, Bruce Yolton and urban hawks, Chris Packham, and The Guardian.
If we blink, it will be June. Seriously. I could not believe it when I went out to check on the garden Sunday evening and within the last week, there are little green tomatoes on the hanging vines, the lettuce is up and so are the climbing beans. All of the transplants are thriving. I have three peony bushes to plant and done. Oh, we love summer in Canada. It is a time for relaxing and being outside after the long winter. It is also nice to see the migratory birds flying through on their way north. The Harris Sparrows were here yesterday and some have Baltimore Orioles in their gardens now. I simply cannot stress how good for our souls nature is – even when the times are tough for our feathered friends. The air might not be as fresh as it could be, but it is so much better than having a furnace on all the time…going barefoot, having sunlight after 1630, clear skies and stars.
The worry has been at the Loch of the Lowes but, Laddie has brought in fish and by some miracle that first hatch – which appears to be the second egg – has survived. I am in tears. This is excellent news coming on the continuing sadness at Lake Murray.
Monday morning early. Is this the first hatch? Has it gotten any food?
It really is a miracle. Everyone thought that it was dead and dying but here is Laddie with a fish and Blue NC0 feeding that hatch. It turns out it was the paler second egg so if the next one hatches it should be the third so only two for Blue NC0 to deal with – that is a blessing. She does not do well with three..but two, yes!
Geemeff gives us an edited feeding over 15 minutes. Fantastic, and, yes, I am in tears.
Lucy brought in five fish to the osprey platform at Lake Murray on Sunday. No one went hungry!
Ricky was last seen on 9 May at 17:09 when he delivered this fish. Five full days. Please send your best wishes to Lucy and the two surviving osplets.
This post sadly gives us some confirmation that a dead Osprey has been found in the area of Lake Murray and I am going to presume that it was Ricky. I hope that LMO sends the body for testing. That said, Lucy has picked up the pace on fish deliveries and let us all continue to wish her well as she continues on this journey of raising these two osplets to fledge all on her own. She has lost a mate and a chick.
And then the sadness. ‘H’ and Kathryn report C1 was taken by a GHO last night at 0137. This nest is not getting a break and Lucy was doing so well. I am beyond words.
The osplets at Achieva were also eating a fish brought in by Mum at 17:38 on Sunday. They had an early fish brought in before 0700.
Everyone is alright at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. Everyone is fed. Arthur has found some nests to raid and I see at least a couple more squirrels in the pantry.
Angel’s baby RTH5 has been eating well at the nest in Tennessee on Sunday also. Tom has really grown into his role as Dad and not any time too soon. I thought this hawklet was a goner. No food and newly hatched for 30 hours.
RTH5 has black talons. it will be a normal coloured Red-tail Hawk not Leucistic like Angel.
Baby was to full to are if Angel brought in more prey Sunday night!
‘A’ found a cute little video by Ondabebe of RTH5’s birthday breakfast delivery.
When I checked there were three fish on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform in Naples, Florida. Victor has yet to fledge. It is 18:35 Sunday night.
The two hatches at Manton Bay are strong and loving their fish. Two more eggs to go for Blue 33 and Maya.
Blue 33 continues to come in and check on his family. Love this guy!
Aran and Elen are looking good at Glaslyn. Awhile to go for those eggs to hatch but life is fine on that nest in the Glaslyn Valley in Wales.
Louis has been hanging out with Dorcha at Loch Arkaig…gorgeous couple. Dorcha reminds me so much of Mrs G with that dark colouring. She is definitely good at the old ‘snake eye’.
CJ7 and Blue 022 have the switch off for fish and incubation exchange down. They are a lovely couple and it appears that Poole Harbour is planning ways in which visitors can view the nest from a hide without interfering with the birds.
For all of us missing E22 – and I suspect that is everyone reading this – s/he’s home! Must have gone for a little tour. Time: 17:23 Sunday the 14th.
Still no Ospreys at the Cape Henlopen State Park brand new Osprey platform but the Black Vultures continue to love it!
Murphy’s eaglet is all grown up and perched like Dad! Just look at that. We know the nestlings grow and watch and study everything their parents do. Then they do them! Just think if human parents realised this and only did what they wanted their children to emulate.
While Murphy’s b baby was getting to perch or ‘sort of branch’, one of the two eaglets at Duke Farms has officially branched.
It is one explanation for it – Jack at the Dahlgren Osprey platform places the stuffed animals as decoys so that if the owl attacks it takes a stuffy and not one of his and Harriet’s chicks. No chicks yet to take but the Owl got one of the dogs on the nest last evening.
This article on Svalbard is particularly disturbing. The focus is on climate change and the Polar Bear but Svalbard is home to the largest population of Pink-footed Geese that spend their ‘winter’ in the UK – in Scotland and in Norfolk. When it is getting too hot for the birds in the south and now in the north, where do they go and how do they survive?
I have been reading about the Pink-footed Geese in Wintering. A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt. His book led me to get the one that had inspired him – A Thousand Geese by Peter Scott and James Fisher written in 1953. “The pink-footed goose is the most abundant of our British wild geese – and the wildest. Its winter flocks on the meadows by the great estuaries of England and Scotland have been the respected quarry of generations of wild-fowlers, and – today – watchers. Its breeding grounds are remoter from civilisation than those of any other grey goose” writes Scott. His tale was of the wonder and the banding of thousands of geese. For Rutt, his is a diary and he speaks to a need to ‘see’ the birds that we have at hand and appreciate them. With the change in weather, and the ice melting – what will happen to the pink-footed geese?
There they are in England and Scotland where they arrive at the end of September and stay through the winter. Did you know that the geese travel with their fledglings as a family? It is quite remarkable.
As I worry about geese – no matter the species that I have come to love because of our local geese and ducks that return in spring – others are working to try and breed captive birds to release in the wild. There was some success with Socorio Doves at the London Zoo! The author says, “Numbers have been rising slowly and the birth of a new chick raises hopes that the doves, which once thrived on Socorro island, 600km (373 miles) off the west coast of Mexico, before being eradicated, could be restored to their former homeland.” Wouldn’t that be fantastic?!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Remember Dr Sharpe’s team are doing banding at the West End Eagle nest in the Channel Islands today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, discussions, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Kathryn, Geemeff, LOTL, Nick Gordon and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project Lake Murray ospreys, Laurie Spender and osprey Friends, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Heidi McGru and Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park, World Bird Sanctuary, Duke Farms, Dahlgren Ospreys, and The Guardian.
It is a good morning, indeed. Angel caught a huge prey item, very late on Friday, and she and the baby ate. Yes, I peeked. I could not help myself. Tears. The little falcons were banded, Middle got a nice fish lunch at Achieva, and we will take it. We wait for the first hatch for Big Red and Arthur. That is a near perfect day in Bird World!
It was also a good day in the garden. I am enjoying watching the birds adapt to the new table feeder. Once the lilacs have their leaves, it is nearly impossible to see when they are at the feeders. In addition, I am trying to get them to eat the Bug and Nut suet and all the items on the tray instead of just Black Oil Seed. Dyson and her gang cannot clear up all the waste – and it is waste. So, fingers crossed. Every day more and more get comfortable and approach the table.
In addition to the European Starlings, Mr Crow, Mr Blue Jay, the Chickadees, and some Sparrows took items.
The Starlings prefer the Meal Worms. They are now in their full breeding colours, which makes them look like a fantastic night sky.
Seven Chickadees were flitting about this evening. You can see the leaves getting ready to burst open. We should have the most fragrant blowers in about three weeks!
It is the Hairy Woodpecker (male).
It took awhile to get a decent image of this female House Sparrow. Isn’t she lovely? So quietly beautiful in her greys, browns, rusts, with a little taupe.
The sun setting gives Big Red a beautiful glow. Tomorrow we will welcome M1. You could see Big Red’s demeanour change today once the pip had started. She loves being a Mum and taking care of little chicks. I cannot wait! Arthur will be such a good help.
The pip at 19:02 Friday evening.
Saturday morning at the nest of Big Red and Arthur.
Let’s start with Avian Flu. We know it is out there and we cannot ignore it. Right now in The Gambia, one of the major migratory flyways, we have to help. In the UK, the number of birds estimated to have died is more than double what was initially thought.
Geemeff and I are asking everyone who can match our donations of 24 GBP, which will supply a boat to help rid an island of dead and dying birds in The Gambia. All of the money goes directly to the project being headed up by Sasha Dench of Conservation Without Borders; there are no hidden administrative fees, etc. Every penny goes to help eliminate those dead and dying birds and protect the workers out in the field. And just for the record, donations of 2 GBP are welcome. Every penny matters. We know that people are strapped and that many good causes already exist. Every penny helps…so please do not baulk at the cost of a cup of coffee and think it doesn’t matter. It does! Thank you so much and please pass the information around.
Here is the video discussion by Sasha Dench on why this is so important to all of us.
The Q & A by Cal Falcons was excellent. Here it is if you did not see it live.
This year there are two females and one little male in the scrape of Annie and Lou. This is an historic first for this nest as Annie has always had more males than females!
This is also the first year that Annie was really aggressive towards the banders so hard hats will not be required in the future. Even that sizeable first-hatch female was very aggressive. They do not know if the other female is the second or third hatch.
In the image below, the male has a yellow band. That is the big female with the red band and the smaller female with the blue.
How did Annie and Lou react after? Well, SK Hideaways caught it all on video! Watch it all. Very interesting! Love the humour. Annie and Lou continued for 3 hours on their vigilant patrols. Meanwhile, the chicks were fast asleep half an hour after the banding.
Here is a great article on the banding with links to the naming contest. There are two, one for adults and one for children…
Manchester New Hampshire Peregrine Falcon has two hatches and a pip. Oh, how quickly those little pink beaks and toes change.
There were some questions about bird strike an Lynn said that she gives her son Window Markers. They are washable and he can draw to his heart’s content and there has been on window strike at all! Spread the news! If you use decals, my nature centre says they must go on the outside to be effective.
There has been great interest in the advantages and disadvantages that Leucistic birds have because of Angel and her nest in Tennessee. I have not been able to do as much on line research on this topic as I had hoped. ‘M’ found an article by the RSPB that might be of interest to go along with the earlier South American document posted earlier. It would appear that Angel is having problems hunting – whether it is her eyesight, hearing, colouration or all three or simply a lack of prey in the area is not clear.
Angel is staying away longer and longer trying to find food for both her and the baby. She has been unsuccessful and everyone was. concerned. The chick had not eaten for 30 hours. Then at 17:57:26, Angel brings in a large prey item, not certain what it is..a muskrat? Groud Hog? Angel and the baby will be able to feast. Tears! Absolute tears.
Angel fed her baby again at 1933 so it had a full tummy before night set in.
Angel is committed to keeping this baby alive and providing for it and herself. Send them your most positive energy. They will need it! — I cannot remember a year where we have had so many nests with single parents on live streaming cams.
This Ground Hog should keep then fed for at least another 36 hours, I hope…Angel will make sure nothing is wasted. We need to remember that she has also gone without and needs her strength to care for the baby and to hunt and be security guard.
Angel and Baby after their breakfast this morning. Angel is spending time keeping her little one warm and fed. I hope that Groundhogs rain from the sky!
An extremely large fish arrived on the Achieva Osprey nest Friday morning and both osplets, not just Big Bob, ate. Fantastic.
At the Moorings Park Osprey platform, it was gusty on Friday. Victor was working his wings and got his feet a little off the nest for less than a minute! Caught it for us.
The little one at Lake Murray is still hanging in there. Look at the size difference between the two older sibs and this sweetie. Fingers crossed. I have this secret hope that the two older siblings are males and this third hatch is a female.
A good look at the two osplets on the First Utility District platform.
Akecheta paid a visit to the old West End nest! So nice to see you!
The first Condor egg has hatched for the 2023 season.
At the SW Florida Eagle Cam, M15 and E22 were enjoying time together at the pond. Dad is later going to bring his ‘baby’ a nice big fish head – after he eats the body of the fish in the nest!
E22 is learning by observing M15. He was even pecking at the water trying to get a fish so he knows that fish are in ponds!
Gracie Shepherd got it on video.
‘H’ reports that the Osoyoos Osprey platform is still in a state of question. Are either of the birds there Soo or Olsen? are they both new? We wait.
The AEF has posted the following statement today; see below. We all understand that the Marina Association had no direct involvement in halting any rescue attempt of the eaglets. I have no comment on a couple of the statements other than if anyone sees anything on a nest, such as that at Dale Hollow, to alert USFWS and all wildlife rehabbers in the area. Do not wait for someone else to do it, and never let the comments of a moderator stop you.
I have made other suggestions (annual clean up at lake and change in the law) and if you have further ideas on how to not let DH18’s death not go in vain, send them to the AEF. This is their e-mail: webmaster@eagles.org
Murphy and his eaglet are doing well. It is so difficult to get a good grab from their videos to show you. The eaglet has its wings raised up and is stretching. Murphy is watching it.
This was Murphy’s eaglet several weeks ago when it first came into care.
What a difference a donation can make!
Let us all hope that Angel continues to catch large prey items for her and the baby. Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to everyone for their notes, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘S’, Geemeff, ‘H’, Cornell RTH, The Guardian, Conservation without Borders, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Berkeley News, Manchester NH Falcons, Amazon/Crayola, RSPB, Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, Lake Murray Ospreys, First Utility District Ospreys, IWS, The Condor Cave, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, the AEF, World Bird Sanctuary, and Osoyoos City Hall.
Wednesday was a tough one. Thursday was better, but there are still two worrisome nests – Achieva’s and Angel’s. When it gets too much – and it does for everyone, we need to step back and change what we are doing. There has been no food for the little one at Angel’s for a day, and the little one has only had a few bites. I do not expect it to survive and, as of this morning, I, too, will step back.
It is true – go out and spend some time in nature, go for a walk, say hello to people you don’t know…at the end of all, you feel better. That is precisely what I did – a spin or two around the pond, stopping to chat with everyone along the way. The Wood Ducks are back.
Not in any great numbers, about five males and a couple of those sweet little females. There were a handful of Mallards and several hundred Canada Geese. It was sunny and dry, and everyone was happy to be outside.
There is green grass coming and some vegetation growing quickly so they can feed.
In the garden, Dyson sees me. She knows that I am taking her photo. Isn’t she lovely?
The table feeder is becoming more popular as the birds get used to seeing it in the garden.
While Dyson and the Starlings were eating peanuts, the Crows were assembling in the big tree in front of my house. It was planted in 1902 so 121 years old. I will not start about our City’s tree trimming policies! Normally when the Crows gather they are here to escort the GHO out of their neighbourhood!
Specific events tell me spring is here, and hopefully, there will not be any more snow. The first is the arrival of the Canada Geese, then the Dark-eyed Juncos and Blue Jays. The second is the opening of the local farmer’s market. There are a few ingenious farmers who have built greenhouses, not to grow flowers like the Dutch arrivals in our area in the 1950s but, to grow – strawberries. The farmer’s market opened yesterday, and those berries had not only the aroma of a ripened berry in a field but the most delicious flavour. Well done to those trying to figure out how to grow things locally that might be otherwise flown in from thousands of miles away – and have no taste and be polluting the planet. The third is the arrival of all the annual flowers and herbs to be planted in flower boxes or gardens. Today was a celebration of all of those – the geese at the pond, a trip to the farmer’s market and a box full of herbs and, instead of a hanging basket of flowers, a Tiny Tom Hanging Tomato vine. How will it do? All of this helped to wash away the anger and some of the sadness over the death of DH18.
In celebration of these spring rituals, the kittens and I will enjoy a lovely little Japanese sponge cake with strawberry buttercream filling.
Do you know Aldo Leopold? He was talking about biodiversity and stewardship of land before any of the more recent environmental movements. He died in a fire in Wisconsin helping a neighbour in 1948. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin but loved escaping to his weekend refuge without modernisation. I love his sense of humour. One time during a flood – and you have to understand that his cabin is the family escape from the world of humans, Leopold writes, “There are degrees and kinds of solitude. A n island in a lake has one kind; but lakes have boats, and there is always the chance that one might land to pay you a visit..I know of no solitude so secure as one guarded by a spring flood; nor do the geese, who have seen more kinds and degrees of aloneness than I have. ..So we sit on our hill beside a new-blown pasque and watch the geese go by. I see our road dipping gently into the waters, and I conclude with inner glee that the question of traffic, in or out, is for this day at least, debatable only among carp.” (27)
Leopold observes, “Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with out Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” (xviii) I highly recommend his little book, A Sand County Almanac. Essays on Conservation from Round River. Written like a diary, Leopold says of March, “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.” (19) Leopold takes you through the months, and he loves his spring geese. It is more than just Leopold’s close observation and love of all things wild. He stops to make us think about the value of our land and why some, like trophy hunters, will never be able to understand those of us in the minority who see the word of living things connected and sacred. “…our bigger-and-better society is now like a hypochondriac, so obsessed with its own economic health as to have lost the capacity to remain healthy. The whole world is so greedy for more bathtubs that it has lost the stability necessary to build them, or even to turn off the tap…Perhaps a shift of values can be achieved by reappraising things unnatural, time, and confined in terms of things natural, wild, and free”. That was written on the 4th of March 1948 right before his death. It could have been written yesterday. Today, the situation with DH18 continues to weigh heavy on my mind and I would substitute in much of the quotes of Leopold the term wildlife instead of land…we think we own it, it is a commodity that we can abuse…that kind of thinking has to stop.
Our smile for the morning comes from the Cal Falcons and the food tug-o-war caught by SK Hideaways. Then marvel at how well falcons tend to feeding three chicks! Most of the time (Angel and Tom excluded) falcon and hawk nests are incredibly energetic and full of laughs.
Right now we need all these precious joyful moments that we can garner. It has been a ‘depleting week emotionally’ for all of us.
Check your clocks. Banding is taking place at Cal Falcons between 0830-0900 Pacific Time. The cameras will be off during the banding. A video of the event will be uploaded after. There will also be the annual Q & A session with Sean and Lynne (see further down for details) tomorrow.
The Australian Raptor Care and Conservancy has provided an update on SE30! Oh, she is doing well. This is the kind of news we want and need. Thanks, ‘H’.
George Smith gives us an update on the Rutland Ospreys. Quite a good read and happy to see that Maya and Blue 33 are attempting to raise their fourth set of four osplets. Wrap your head around that one. Some nests cannot manage even two! But four sets of four. Super couple! Some of their fledglings are out chasing down nests and mates. Have a read!
Thanks for posting some successful rescues. We all know about Dr Sharpe but there are also other rescues for monofilament line as well as non-human caused issues. CROW was at Captiva last year with the Osplets. CROW intervened when E17 and E18 at SW Florida had conjunctivitis. There are so many more. In the incident below, the eaglet appeared to have half its body ‘stuck’ to the nest. It was removed because it was weak..information below. It was successfully released after this 4 May 2012 intervention. Thanks, Deb.
M15 still gets my vote for ‘Dad of the Year’ for Raptors. E22 knows precisely when there is a food delivery and is on it!
There are a lot of Peregrine Falcons hatching in the world and the first one at Cromer Peregrine Falcons is here.
You can watch this white little fuzzy with its pink beak and toes here.
Today is banding day at Cal Falcons. There is a Q & A scheduled. You can go to YouTube and search for Cal Falcons 2023 Banding Q&A. You can get a notification to watch it live and they always archive the event if you miss it. For me, it looks like it is at 1300 but if you live in California, I bet that time is 1100.
We are all aching for Angel and her baby. Tom has not provided any prey today. He has not been seen. Angel has left the little one for long periods of time – once an hour – to go hunting but came back to the nest empty taloned. Whether or not Tom is still around or if the prey in the area is so limited is unclear. The little one cannot thermoregulate its temperature, and it should be fed much more often than is happening. At the same time, Angel is also hungry. The chick’s last meal was Thursday morning.
It is dusk and Angel has left the baby again to go hunting. I hope she finds some food for them. The possums and other creatures often come out at dusk. Oh, I hope she finds some food. Remember, I told you that this situation is very dire and it is. Unless Tom steps up and begins to deliver prey regularly it will be difficult, if not impossible, for Angel to feed the two of them and provide security and warmth. The area is obviously not prey rich like that of Big Red and Arthur. It is heartbreaking.
Angel did not have any food when she returned. Many believe Angel is at a disadvantage as the prey can see her coming since she is leucistic rather than camouflaged. This creates a huge problem if that is the case. Tom is not helping. Please send your good wishes…I wish some food would drop from the sky. The forecast does not look good. Rain for 5 days in a row at the nest…we could easily lose this baby. Personally, if I owned the land this nest is on, I would put out a prey table now!
If this year has already been too much for you, you might want to step away from this nest. Come back on Monday and see how things are going.
We are really waiting for a pip and a hatch at Big Red and Arthur’s nest on the Cornell campus. The changeovers have been swift. These two work like a well-oiled and cared for machine. There is little time to even get a glimpse of those eggs.
When Big Red lost her mate Ezra, everyone thought she was ‘nuts’ picking such a young mate as Arthur. Well, she wasn’t. He is an uber hunter and wooed her with the number of squirrels he could catch! I know there is a lot of chatter about how young Angel’s mate Tom is but, I just don’t think it is that. There is either hardly any prey to be had in the area, he is not the father of the chick so really has not much interest, or he is just a dud.
Cute little Arthur.
Big Red.
You may recall that a group at Cornell University worked diligently to get the windows on campus fitted so that bird strikes do not happen. Several of Big Red’s fledglings have been injured or died. Now there is movement in other places to ensure that birds are safe. Thanks, ‘S’ for sending me the latest news on what is happening in Washington, DC. This needs to go international.
This is the weather at Big Bear Valley today for Jackie and Shadow.
The eagles did a nest check.
Looking for a US Osprey nest to watch? You cannot get any better than Moorings Park. Victor and Abby still have up to seven fish meals a day. Neither has fledged although they are spreading their wings!
Achieva is a tough Osprey nest in the US to watch. It is on my list of not recommended nests. At the present time, food is also scarce and Big Bob, number 1 is acting like Zoe at Port Lincoln. Jack delivers the fish, Big takes it and neither Diane or Middle get anything to eat. As we know, there is a drought in the area that is causing canals to dry up and fears of wildfires. This means that all those Ospreys are fighting for little fish.
These beautiful osplets have their juvenile feathers and they need more fish. It is always a problematic nest but with climate change and so many ospreys in the St Petersburgh area, the competition for fish could become ruthless and many ospreys might not survive. They might have to move further north. Let us hope that both survive to fledge.
Little Decorah Hatch – DH2 – is doing fantastic. What a crop…the joys of being an only nestling.
The crop on Chase & Cholyn’s only eaglet is equally as large at Two Harbours. And check out those thighs!!!!!!!!
Precious trio to Martin and Rosa continue to thrive at Dulles-Greenway.
There is good news coming out of SF Bay Ospreys!
The winds at Loch Arkaig were so intense on Thursday that Louis was literally blown off the nest while incubating. Thankfully, he returned, unharmed. Geemeff caught it on video:
There is some concern and a little bewilderment at the Osoyoos Osprey platform in British Columbia. The nest was that of Soo and Olsen. ‘H’ sent the history of the nest in terms of egg laying: “Egg laying history for Osoyoos Osprey Cam: 2016- Apr26. 2017- May 14 (late because they had to wait for Canada Geese goslings to exit the nest) 2018- Apr 28. 2019- May 5. 2020- May 2. 2021- Apr 29. 2022- May 6.” No one knows for certain if the male at the nest is actually Olsen. Some believe it is a new male. It is now 4 May and I actually wondered, last season, if Soo and Olsen might lay their eggs earlier to try and avoid the sheer magnitude of the heat in the area. That is certainly not the case and, as of this evening, the nest is not ready.
Fellow Canadian, Deb Stecyk who administers the Bald Eagles 101 FB Page has posted the following call for action following the death of DH18. Many of you will recognise our request for simple emergency numbers under the streaming cams. Some of you will recall the sheer panic two years ago when the foster osplet fell off the Patuxent River Park platform. ‘S’ and I phoned – her halfway around the world to try and get help. The park office was closed but thankfully a staff member checked and returned with a canoe – just in time as the tide was going to start to go out. Deb’s is a good plan and a good protocol. We need to work towards finding a rapid response for all the raptors that are on streaming cams now – and it needs to be universal.
One of the two eaglets at Duke Farms has ‘officially’ branched on Thursday. Congratulations! They have both done so well this season.
Tom and Audrey at the Chesapeake Conservancy Nest have their second egg. It was laid 74 hours after egg 1.
As the coronation of King Charles III approaches, Australia’s gift is a donation of 10,000$ to help save a beloved parrot of South Australia. “The government has pledged $10,000 to help conserve the critically endangered “shy and rarely seen” species in honour of the monarch, on behalf of the people of Australia.” Will the king’s views on conservation influence any changes towards wildlife, biodiversity, land management, etc in the UK? We wait.
There is lots of good news out there in Bird World. I am getting so excited to see the Cal Falcons banded and to see the list of names the children select so we a vote. Of course, waiting for Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch of 2023 is agonising. So, all of the nests are doing well but Angel’s and Achieva where Middle really needs some fish and so does Mum, Diane. Again, Angel’s baby needed feedings every few hours, not a few bites in a day. Angel is extremely hungry as well. Send her your love.
Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you so much for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘S’, ‘H’, ‘A’, Geemeff, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, George Smith and the LRWT, Deb Stecyk, MN Bound Eagle Family, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cromer Peregrine Falcons, Window to Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, American Bird Conservancy, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, IWS and Explore.org, Dulles-Greenway, SF Bay Ospreys, Geemeff and Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Duke Farms, The Guardian, and the Australian Raptor Care and Conservancy.
It is 2 degrees C with snow and blowing snow and a weather warning going from Thursday evening until Friday morning, which will be extended to Saturday. Possibility of 10-20 cm of new snow accumulation. The snow in the garden had melted, and as of the time I am writing – it is 1922 Thursday evening; only a few Dark-eyed Juncos are left on the branches and hopping about looking for Millet. The European Starlings have been here in great numbers today, and you could feel that ‘something’ was coming, and it has now arrived in the form of heavy snow.
The second Hibiscus bloom of the year. If you live where the grass is green and the flowers are blooming it is hard to imagine how much people living in the snowy wintery areas crave flowers and greenery! It has been such a delight to see this Hibiscus survive for the past several years. It goes out in the summer and then comes in before the first frost. That used to be in August but now it might not happen until late September or October.
Missy and Lewis believe in ‘looking up’. You never know what is going to fly over the glass ceiling! Today they have been watching low-flyin Ring-billed Gulls.
Lewis thinks the best thing to do on a snowy day is to have a nice long nap!
The European Starlings have emptied the Meal Worm and Bark Butter feeder three times today. They are so beautiful, and despite rumours to the contrary, they get along quite nicely with all of the other birds in the garden including the House Sparrows.
Always grateful when a kind person makes an effort to care for our wild birds migrating here for their spring and summer breeding grounds.
Coming out of the UK is news that will make you weep. At the same time, the individual who tore down the trees and demolished the ecosystems along the river on his property will pay for the damage dearly as will all the wildlife and birds for his actions. The message is clear: You cannot destroy the planet even if you own the land. We are, after all, only stewards, and we need to do a better job caring for our planet.
This is the most unbelievable idea I have ever seen and it could decidedly endanger the adult ospreys as well as the hatchlings. The nest of Audrey and Tom at Kent Island is covered with sticks with yellow and blue in support of Ukraine. My problem is not the support but the plastic and the fact that it is in the nest. The plastic can break off, entangle the osplets and do all manner of destruction to the environment. It isn’t cool.
There are some very strange things going on around the world these days including a proposal by the NZ Government to have children kill feral cats. It was revoked because of public outrage but who would ever consider such a thing?!
Moving on to things more delightful. Louis and Dorcha have their first egg. Thanks, Geemeff, for sending me the good news. Nice to wake up and see something positive these days! That egg arrived at 05:44:19. Louis was there to support Dorcha during the entire event. He brought her a nice fish at 06:31:05. What a great guy!
Oh, those nice fish gifts. Sweet, Louis!
Annie and Lou’s little fluff balls are getting ‘to that stage’ when only a mother and dad can love them. Ahhh…no, I am wrong. We love them regardless. They will look more like their dinosaur ancestors for a few days as those pen feathers come in .
These babies are beginning to explore the scrape box and flap their little wings.
And just look at this feeding by Lou- 5 minutes! Really, watch it…those babies are soooooooo cute.
The little one has a nice crop – and still wants to eat. These three are always hungry!
There were at least three fish brought to the Achieva Osprey nest on Thursday. Two in the morning and another at 18:20. Both osplets are doing splendidly and had huge crops and I am hoping Diane got some fish, too. It was large, the last one, and Jack had taken the head.
Let’s all hope that the wind calms down, that Mother Goose gets a good meal, and that the weather is perfect for the hatch on Saturday (or Friday if it is early)! Following their Mum, the goslings will remain in the nest for 24-48 hours before they leap to the ground and then swim in the stream. This is the most fantastic sight. You will never forget it.
Murphy and the Eaglet update:
There is continuing concern over R4 at the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Miami. Alison writes: “I am worried about R4 at WRDC. There is definitely something wrong. With the two feedings I watched, R4 seemed to be dropping or spitting out the bites of food. It made me very fearful of trich. If he does have it, swallowing will be becoming very painful, which could account for the way he was dealing with the food he was being given. He was hungry, and still trying to intimidate R5 and stop it from eating, so it wasn’t that. But according to chatters, he ate little or nothing all day, and his eating has not been ‘quite right’ for up to three days. Some suggested he may have a pellet, others that he has suddenly become a picky eater (as we know, there is no such thing with bald eagles – there are preferences, but very little they will actually refuse to eat if they are hungry, and R4 is hungry). But there is consensus that something is not right. R4 is hungry but not eating.”
R4 is 38 days old and R5 is 36 days old today. R4 had a big crop yesterday. I hope that it is just a bone injury and his mouth is a little sore but, sadly, all we can do is wait to see what is happening.
‘H’ reports that, “R4 did eat this morning, has a decent crop, still was spitting out some bites though; and, R5 is getting a good feeding!” This is Friday morning reports so this is good. It seems that R4 is trying to cast a pellet, according to ‘H’ and this could be the issue. Fingers crossed for a good outcome.
Second hatch at Lake Murray on the 20th!
I have to admit to having a really soft spot for the nests with single hatches. That little one at Decorah Hatchery is adorable. Just love the delicate way the huge parents feed this little baby.
Soft dry nesting material was brought in for the baby today. At one point it was covered like it was a blanket!
Another little cutie pie belongs to Chase & Cholyn at Two Harbours. Today, for awhile I could not locate that little one on the nest and almost panicked. I began to think about Lancer going over the edge but, no, there this one was! Can you spot the eaglet?
A third cutie pie is at US Steel. USS6 is adorable. They are all about the same age (I think USS6 is just a day or so older, must check my charts). Lots to look forward to as they develop.
Good view of USS6’s ear! It will be covered with feathers but right now appears as a black dot behind the beak. This little one is eating well. Note the feet beginning to turn yellow and the area around the mouth.
River has brought in fish and there is still a nice piece on the nest for DH17 and DH18 to peck at. Where is the monofilament line of DH18? I cannot tell. I can, at times, still see that raccoon pelt with what appears to be line tangled in it.
Update: Both eaglets may now be entangled in the line. Let us all hope that this resolves itself without either eaglet being injured.
Sally and Harry continue to feed Abby and Victor lots of fish with Sally staying on the nest with the youngsters at night. They have all their juvenile feathers and are getting really steady on those gorgeous legs.
Tom did not return to the Chesapeake Conservancy nest and Audrey has finally chosen another Tom to replace her mate from last year. Good luck!
With Kaia’s arrival on Thursday, Karl II is busy working on the Black Stork nest in Estonia’s Karula Forest. Karl II looks like he is smiling today!
The climate crisis might be changing where some birds choose to live. See what is happening with the Alpine Swift in the UK. We will also begin to notice changes in North America.
Bazz Hockaday provided some images of Calypso and Ervie going about their lives as osprey in South Australia. Here are two of the photos of Ervie from the Friends of Osprey S Aus FB.
Wondering what is going on with Connick from the Captiva Bald Eagle nest? Deb Stecyk reached out to Lori Covert the land owner and this is the response she received:
Thank you so much for being with me today as we stop in at a few of the nests we have been monitoring. The only concerns are with R4 at WRDC and the eaglets at Dale Hollow. Everyone else seems to be doing alright at the moment. As we all know everything can change so quickly. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, videos, tweets, photos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Alison, ‘H’, Geemeff, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Pembina Valley Hospital, Dr Amy-Jane Beer, Chesapeake Conservancy and Explore.org, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Achieva Credit Union, Decorah Goose Cam, World Bird Sanctuary, WRDC, Lake Murray Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, IWS and Explore.org, PIX Cams, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, Carol Craig and Osprey Friends, The Guardian, Eagle Club of Estonia, Bazza Hockaday and Friends of S Aus Ospreys, and Deb Stecyk and Bald Eagles 101.
Tuesday was a very long day, with Victor having a monofilament line wrapped around his tarsus. The ordeal began during the night when it was pitching down rain. ‘A’ gives us a great narrative of Sally’s reactions after she discovered the line: “Fingers crossed that you are right, and the line is a long one that extends across the nest, so whether an eaglet is currently entangled or not, it does definitely need to be removed. So yes, I hope they go ahead and remove it regardless. You should have seen Sally in the middle of the night, digging and working so hard to free the pair. She got Abby free, and she got Victor partly free, at least to the point where he can move around the nest relatively freely. She is such a wonderful mother. She tried so hard and so long. And watching her analysing what to do and where to dig was amazing. They teach us more about themselves every day.”
These things always take longer than we would like! This is the latest news:
Moorings Park management have lined up a 60 foot man lift with flotation tires for Thursday morning sometime between 7 and 9 AM. The Country Club of Naples has granted us access thru their property. To free the nestling from the fishing line it’s entangled with. Unfortunately, this is the earliest this highly specialized equipment is available.
Victor, Moorings Park Osprey chat moderator, 28 March
‘H’ has been monitoring Victor’s leg closely, and it might just be that the line wrapped around the tarsus has come off by itself. This would be fantastic, even though it often doesn’t happen. Indeed, because the machinery arrival would be so long, it would now be desirable, very desirable, if the line came off but if they would still clean the nest.
At 1651:
Victor has been fed all day. Sally is keeping them full and calm. She has been on the nest almost the entire time shading and caring for the babies.
Around 1842 a fish came on the nest. Our eagle-eyed ‘H’ noticed that Victor got up, walked around Abby, and went up to get his fill. It would appear that he is no longer tethered to that monofilament line. Still, it is a worry and should be removed.
Just look at that crop – both have one. Just hard to see the second chick. Sally and Harry are amazing. Victor zoomed the camera in and will do so again tomorrow morning to see if any monofilament line can still be seen. Sunnie Day thinks it is under the nesting material. I do hope that they can come and clean the nest while there is no threat of the osplets flying off the nest.
‘A’ believes that line could still be attached to Victor. Help will come on Thursday. We wait.
So sad for Liberty and Guardian. Their second egg that was nearing hatch has broken. It appears that it did not develop normally.
Dr Sharpe is back to the rescue! We now have a camera on Chase & Cholyn at Two Harbours!
Blue KW0 will continue to cause an interest for a long time. Early this morning, Tim Mackrill was on the BBC. If you have an iPlayer you can go back and listen to the programme (I understand).
Michael St John has sent a link that is apparently good for 24 hours to watch/listen to the programme. Thanks, Michael!
Falcon season is on us! Annie and Lou will be looking forward to hatch in a fortnight while the Manchester NH falcons now have two eggs!
I have received so many notes about the third hatch at the Achieva Osprey nest. This little tyke isn’t afraid to get itself right up there in front to get some fish. Gosh, I sure hope it stays that way! Reminds me of L4 at the nest of Big Red and Arthur last year.
They are sure working to get that nest finished at Patuxent!
Sassa Bird and Terry Carmen remind us of the sadness that swept through the Iowa nests last year when Avian Flu hit.
Both eggs have now hatched at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest. Welcome H19 and H20! Just look at those cuties having a meal.
It appears that the fourth egg at PA Country Farms will not hatch. That is just fine. There are three energetic eaglets in that nest and that is quite enough for Oliver and Lisa to handle!
There is confirmation of at least one eaglet for Mr President and Lotus at their new nest in the National Arboretum. There could possibly be a second.
It is quite impossible to even begin to imagine how much we will miss M15 and the Es after the eaglets have fledged. They are so close. 22 was up on the attic branch today!
They shared.
Lady Hawk has 22 branching to the attic on video! — Now I know I must record E22 squeeing to hear it after he is far away. What a familiar sound we have grown accustomed to.
‘H’ just wrote and Duke has landed right on the Barnegat Light Osprey Platform in New Jersey. Thanks for the images, ‘H’. Now we wait for Daisy.
Over the moon. Satellite tracking of Karl II and Kaia indicates that Karl is moving northward out of Turkey! Kaia is in Israel. Send them your warmest wishes for safe passage to their home in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. Waba continues to forage in the Sudan!
Karl II and Kaia could be home by the weekend.
Is this Betty returning to the nest she shares with her mate Bukachek in Mlade Bury, The Czech Republic?
It is snowing on the White Stork nest on the chimney of a restaurant in Pribor, The Czech Republic. The snow is quite beautiful but the storks might like to return to nicer weather! Here is the link to their camera if you do not know this nest.
Incredible news coming out of the UK. It is amazing what we can do together when we try!
News has come that Aaron Z2 is at Port Cresor in Wales and confirmation of Dylan at home with Seren at Clywedog. Excellent!
Thank you so very much for being with me this morning. We continue to watch and hope Big Red will lay an egg on the Cornell Campus. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Michael St John, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sassa Bird and Bald Eagles in the US, Jan Gallivan and CIEL, IWS, @TimMackrill, BBC, Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Achieva Credit Union, Ashley Wilson and the Putuxent River Park Osprey Nest, Sassa Bird and Terry Carman and Denton Homes, Pix Cams, Lisa Yen and Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams, NADC-AEF, SW Florida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida and D Pritchett, Barnegat Light, Looduskalender Forum, Blade Buky White Stork Cam, Skarab, s.r.o., and @Wildmoors.
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day in the Canadian Prairies. The wind was brisk, but bundled up like one was heading to outer space, it is possible to walk through the woods and by the lake without getting too much wind burn. There were few birds and squirrels out, oddly. Perhaps it was all the schoolchildren. Four buses of laughing and sledging young ones. Brilliant. We must start getting them to love nature when they are little!
In the distance but almost in the centre of the middleground, you can see the Bald Eagle nest.
The trees that make up the forest are mostly Aspens and Birch.
The Chickadees were the only birds at the feeders with a single Red Squirrel hoping they would spill some seed!
The Bison were closer today.
Lots of owl action lately. Valentine got hit Tuesday night at the KNF-E3 nest of Alex and Andrai. As cute, fluffy, and ‘intelligent’ these ‘wise’ owls are, they are at the top of the Apex Predators, and they can do a lot of damage with their silent approach and razor-sharp talons.
Construction work near Central Park is causing some urban hawks to abandon their former nesting sites. Flaco, the escaped Eurasian Owl, has discovered that these building sites are good places to catch rats. Oh, Flaco, we sure hope that rat you ate had not consumed rodenticide! For the latest action, please go to Bruce Yolton’s urbanhawks.com
Most everyone was focused on the scrape of Annie and Lou on Wednesday. According to Cal Falcon’s chart, Annie was due to lay the egg around 1600, but by 1230, ‘H’ had sent me a note saying Annie looked like she was uncomfortable. She was! That third egg could be seen at 13:47:15. Most surprised was Lou, who is tiny and wondered what to do to get three under for incubation! Lou was adorable in his effort.
The reveal.
Annie was quick to get up for a break and give Lou a chance to see the three eggs.
Cal Falcons posted a video of the third egg being laid.
Peregrine Falcons are arriving at their scrapes all around the world. In Montreal, Eve and Miro, are thinking about spring on their scrape on the 23rd floor of one of the buildings of the University of Montreal. That scrape faces the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery. A great place for hunting.
Shadow visited the nest near Big Bear Lake he shares with Jackie at 10:23 on Wednesday, the 8th.
Shadow spent more than two hours at the nest just looking out to the beyond.
Now we wait to see if the couple will have a replacement clutch or they will come back in the fall and begin working on nesting for 2024.
Little osplets do not like to wait to be fed! When this happens they will often start cavorting and this usually ends up in some beaking. “Feed us!” Thank goodness Sally arrives. Poor Harry needs some instructions in feeding and a little more confidence.
Harry loves being on the nest with Sally and the kids. They are doing great. Beautiful Thursday morning in Naples, Florida.
These two at Moorings Park eat very well. Harry is an excellent provider. That there is a stocked freshwater pond also helps! No problems, even though they might like you to think there are! Harry is always good with fish deliveries and is trying to do a little feeding. Sally will let him do more when they are older.
E22 might want some of the fish at the Moorings. Today there was one delivery to the nest and it seems 21 got the most of it.
22 loves being on the rails, but 21 almost pushed him off accidentally on Tuesday. Thankfully 22 was alert!
As the sun set, the intruder female settled alongside M15 on the branch. Has this female fought with R23-3 and driven her from the territory? R23-3 has not been seen since Sunday and Marti Lord reports three new females hanging around.
M15 ate well! Look at his nice crop.
The female.
Marti Lord shares some incredible images of the new female with us.
M15 is a good catch. We all want him to find – or have her find him – a strong, fierce, protective, funny, ‘kissable’ mate like Harriet was for eight years. Isn’t it amazing how protective we have become of this amazing Dad?
The two eaglets at Duke Farm are doing fine. There has been some concern about beaking, but this is an experienced nest with lots of food. Enjoy!
Rosie has delivered the first stick of the 2023 season to the Whirley Crane. Poor thing. They must rebuild that nest again this year! I always think of Richmond and Rosie and then recall those lovely platforms all fixed with twigs and railings, waiting for some of the Welsh Ospreys. Still, R & R surprise me with what they can whip up in a short time.
Congratulations to Valentine who has flown to a branch and to Nugget who is up on a branch, also! Nugget is 70 days old today! Well done, you two.
At 0648 both eaglets were on the nest looking for leftover prey.
Alex and Andria are preparing for their eaglets to fledge. In Ithaca, New York, Arthur and Big Red are preparing the nest for their first eggs, which could arrive within a few days. The earliest Big Red has laid an egg was the 13th of March.
Arthur was in and out, and Big Red flew to the nest for a private inspection!
For something a little different. A Great Egret bathing…
Happy Hatch Day to two little Kakapo!
Oh, those gorgeous White-bellied sea eagles. As humans take over more of their territory, where do they go to make their nests? To the tall telecom towers in Malaysia! The telecom companies have been working with Birdlife International in Malaysia to find a solution for wildlife and communications companies. This should interest everyone as storks, eagles, and ospreys also use towers in other countries.
Quite honestly, I do not know what is wrong with humans. There is not a morning that I do not read about a raptor being poisoned in the UK or a Bald Eagle being shot in the US. The fines in the US are high, so impose them – $100,000 – and the individual gets a criminal record. So why are people still killing the raptors? Respect for all living beings must be instilled in children the minute they are born, and as adults, we must be role models so they can see how this plays out in real life – respect, compassion, and empathy.
Last, a shout out to ‘B’. I had listed and discussed the Channel Islands nests and some changes there. At the time I did not know what had happened to FP. Thanks ‘B’ for updating me.
Andor and Cruz have established a new nest area. Dr Sharpe might be able to get a camera there for 2024. So, the best thing to do this year is to check the website for the Institute for Wildlife Studies for updates on West End and Fraser Point.
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, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘B’ Tonya and KNF-E3, Cal Falcons, Falcoun UdeM en direct, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Heidi Mc and Moorings Park, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Terry Caman Bald Eagle Live Nest Cams and News, Marti Lord and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, KNF-E3, Cornell RTH, Native Bird Boxes, Kakapo Recovery, Birdlife.org, the Courier Herald, and the IWS.
I hope that the beginning of the week started well for you. We are so happy to have you with us today. There is just too much going on at the nests! Osprey cams are coming online because the ospreys are arriving in the US! The eagles have returned to their nest in Glacier Gardens in Alaska, eggs are being laid, and it is getting hard to remember everything that is going on. And, yes, the beaking has started at Duke Farms for no reason other than dominance. This behaviour will probably start at Moorings Park, too. Just hold your breath.
Monday was an interesting one with the kittens. Missy and Lewis have shown that they have a keen interest in ‘things’ in packets. Missy loves savoury Japanese snacks. Lewis will eat anything, and I mean anything, but he is especially fond of sweet things such as Japanese strawberry-filled crepes. Lewis will carry the little packets away while Missy is the ‘opener’. She would be great at unzipping fish for the Es. Today, a small pack of Madelines was on the island. Madeleines are delicate cakes that are the size of a cookie and in the shape of a shell. The French bakeries in my City make delicious ones. They were meant to go with Monday night’s after-dinner coffee. At 1900 the Madelines were nowhere to be found. Did I put them up, and did I forget? A thorough look in all of the drawers and cupboards turned up nothing.
Missey: ‘I didn’t take the cookies!’ [Any Mum who believes that has her head stuck in the sand!!!!!!]. Just look at that sweet face.
Lewis is now in a ‘cookie coma’.
It took ages to find the cookie packet! With Lewis practising opening doors, it seems the only safe place for any bags of treats – human or feline – is up high under lock and key!
Lewis did get another cupboard door open, too. Inside was a small vase with a handful of Canada Geese feathers picked up at the park over the summer when the geese were moulting. He was running all over the house and having such a time! Sort of playing ‘hockey’ with that feather batting it around. Such energy and agility.
Oops!
Next to boxes with paper wrapping or paper bags (cut the handles), the feathers proved to be great toys.
Lewis is often a very bad influence on Missy! He is not afraid of anything, and his battery never dies. Some of the cell phone companies should find out what his secret is! (He seriously makes me tired just watching him most days).
Missy waits for Lewis to get the paper out of the box. They will play with it for hours.
What joy these two rescue babies have brought. I cannot imagine life without them!
In the Mailbox:
‘N’ writes: Are ospreys born blind? I just saw this on a chat.
Oh, thanks, ‘N’ for sending in that question. Ironically, I saw that and a few other statements on a streaming chat today, too, and was puzzled by it. The leading authority on Ospreys in the US is Alan Poole.
The chicks are born with a furry down that is tan in colour with the distinctive black stripe down the back and the dark eye line to help them with the glare. This is not down as we think of it but it is “actually made up of feathers, simple unbranched feathers” (Poole, 97) – forming what looks like a fuzzy appearance. This helps them regulate their temperature. Now this is the important part to the answer of your question and I want to quote Poole. “Osprey hatchlings are known as ‘semi-precocial’ which means they are a step back in the development from the precocial young of chickens or ducks” (98). “Osprey hatchlings are a step ahead of their altricial young of songbirds, which are born largely naked and barely able to move much of anything beyond their heads or necks to beg for food.”
Two key terms are the thrust of the answer to the question. Precocial. The goslings and ducklings jump out of the nest after 24 hours and can care for themselves. They walk and feed. They turn to their parents for warmth and security. Altrial hatchlings are entirely dependent on their parents. So, what about Ospreys? Well, they are in the middle. They are not born blind like owlets. [A 2010 article from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey says they are “born semi-altricial, or blind, feathered, and completely helpless.”] It does take a few days for their eyes to focus completely, but they are semi-Precocial, not semi-altricial. This is the bobblehead phase. They see a ‘beak’ and think of food. It could be their sibling!
Ospreys do not normally leave fish in the nest because it attracts predators or intruders. Normally the female will feed the begging chicks before she feeds herself. The new hatchlings can eat 10 small meals a day, the female taking the fish down to the open beak of the osplet.
Here is a good talk by Poole about Ospreys on YouTube. You can watch it in chunks:
If you are looking for a really good book with great images of the behaviours and development of Ospreys, I recommend Alan Poole’s book, Ospreys. The Revival of a Global Raptor. It also includes a section on threats and solutions. It is currently priced at $54 CDN or about $40 US on Amazon. You can also check any of the used book sellers, such as Abe Books or Thrift Books. I have this one and his earlier addition and both were purchased used.
There are many good volumes on Ospreys and over the course of the nest month I will be mentioning my favourites from the UK. Osprey season is starting – learn as much as you can!
At the Nests:
At the KNF-E3 nest, Nugget has branched at 67 days old! Congratulations everyone. Way to go Nugget.
At the nest of Connie and Clive, Connick is perching (standing on the rim of the nest like E21 and 22 at SW Florida).
I love the hatchling ospreys. However, those two little fluff balls at Duke Farms are adorable. However, the beaking has started. Thankfully, they are both about the same size, and hopefully, all of this will end soon.
Fan of Liberty and Freedom at Glacier Gardens in Alaska? Well, the streaming cam is back on early because the beloved couple was on the nest together on Monday.
And guess what? the Ospreys are back at Dahlgren!!!!!! Oh, I wonder how many stuffies will land on the nest with Jack and Harriet this year?
Here is a video that HeidiMc did of the afternoon feedings at the Moorings Park Osprey nest. Sally sure does love her fish! Notice that the chicks are not yet screaming for food when she is eating! Their necks will get stronger, so they do not flop around. They need to hold their heads steady and have those beaks wide open. Otherwise, Mum does not think they are hungry!
The beak that is open is going to get the fish.
Wow, what a Dad. Harry brought in a late fish for Sally and the Bobs. Time 20:09. The Bobs were hungry. Just fantastic.
Turn around little ones!
The first GHO owlet hatched around 05:44 at the nest of Bonnie and Clyde on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas. Apparently, the name already chosen is Butch Cassidy. After the event, Bonnie and Clyde were vocalising loudly, and Clyde flew to the nest tree.
Clyde is directly below Bonnie on another branch.
The voting has begun for the Corona Owlets of Owlvira and Hoots. If you go to the YouTube live cam page for the Corona Owls, click on the tab at the top to vote. The names have been organised in groups of four possible choices, with ‘Peanut’ appearing multiple times!
M15 brought in a squirrel and 2 fish to the SW Florida nest today despite the presence of a sub-adult at the nest tree. Doing good, Dad.
This was the 16:14 fish that M15 dropped and flew. Those eaglets are quick and it was a scramble. At one point, each appeared to have a piece of fish.
E21 and 22 are perching and working their wings (21 more than 22 with the wings).
M15 appears to have been alone all day. No sightings of R23-3. Everyone is wondering where she is. Does her absence have anything to do with the intruder? This morning, a posting from SW Florida indicated three eagles around the property yesterday. I presume it was M15; we know the sub-adult and, most likely, R23-3.
Good Night, Dad. You are amazing. Your kids are perching and flapping. Today 21 is 60 days old, and 22 is 58 days old. It is hard to imagine that they could take their first flights in less than three weeks. You have put us all to shame because we doubted you…no one will ever forget your great efforts. When someone asks: can a single parent Bald Eagle raise one-month-old eaglets on their own? The answer will be, ‘Of course, M15 did it!’ *
Question: Who (or what) is on the branch below towards the road?
The IR seems to be picking up two figures on the other cam. I do not believe it is R23-3. She would most likely be on the same branch close to M15.
Annie and Lou are taking turns incubating the eggs at The Campanile on the campus of UC-Berkeley. Looks like a bit of delayed incubation. Will we see a third egg on Wednesday?
At the nest of Big Red and Arthur, something caused Dad to work frantically on the nest today. Does he know something we don’t?
On March 4th at 19:15:49 that Jackie looked down at her eggs, reflecting on them before leaving them and the nest. Shadow was flying off, and she paused. A woman on FOBBV wrote that she believes eagles have feelings after seeing Jackie’s behaviour. Of course, they do. Of course. We collectively grieve with Jackie and Shadow as their hope for a family this year dissolved on a cold winter’s day in Big Bear Valley.
Making News:
Oh, I love this. We see so many lonely widowed Canada Geese in my city. These are domesticated geese, but how wonderful…a romance ad answered for a goose! Single mingles for Geese.
Speaking of geese…remember the Canada Goose couple that took over the old Decorah Bald Eagle nest last year and raised those goslings? They could be back!
This article came in the mailbox from Geemeff. It would be fantastic if every organisation controlling an area where our waterfowl breed would close the space off during breeding season. All too many – at least here in Winnipeg – chase the geese and ducks or send their dogs running. It is horrible treatment and causes great stress to the birds.
After at least eight years in the making, The High Seas Treaty has passed. This treaty will protect 30% of the high seas. While not everyone agrees about every point, most biologists believe this will go a long way to helping with climate change. It will also help our seabirds!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care! See you soon.
My sincere thanks to the following that sent me notes, posted announcements, videos, and stories or have streaming cams that formed part of my blog today: ‘L’, ‘A’, ‘N’, ‘H’, ‘Geemeff’, Alan Poole, Amazon.com, Rhonda A and the KNF-E3 Eagle nest, Window to Wildlife, Ondabebe and Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, Glacier Gardens, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Heidi Mc and Moorings Park Osprey, Moorings Park Osprey, Farmer Derek, Corona California Owls, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Cal Falcons, Cornell RTH, FOBBV, CBC Radio, Laura Rose and the Decorah Eagles Love Nest, kpax.com, and The Guardian.
NOTE: A few single-parent bald eagles have successfully raised their entire clutch to fledge. I am thinking of Decorah, who had three eaglets in the nest. You might know of others. Let me know!
Lewis and Missy hope you have had a wonderful start to the week. They are enjoying a new ‘dog bed’. It is so soft, and with their own blankets, they both decided that it was ‘OK’. They are way too big to share the small basket, and neither one will be alone!
They had to do everything together from the moment they came to their forever home. It is like synchronised living. Sleep, eat, drink water, poop, look out the window, play – it is always in tandem.
My goodness. Most of the time we think of a pip and then a wait to see how long it will be until hatch. Well, the first eaglet of the year has blasted out of the egg at Duke Farms. This is one strong eaglet. Want to bet she is a fierce formidable female?
Dad was on the nest checking on the progress.
The reveal came around 14:06.
Well, hello! Aren’t you amazing? Such a strong eaglet! Dad sees his chick for the very first time.
One strong eaglet! A nice fresh fish on the nest for Tuesday morning breakfast!
The first breakfast for Monday came in at 10:28:45 at the SW Florida nest of M15 and the Es. It was very difficult to see what that prey item was, actually. E22 mantled it and got a huge chunk. M15 found some small bits and kept 21 busy feeding him.
Another delivery came at 13:47:05. This time it was a small fish, not tiny but not huge. E21 was up at Dad’s beak first but 22 did his usual work around and got up to the beak to get some of that fish. E22 exhibited no fear as he touched beaks with 21 trying to get some fish. Meanwhile, the female is down in one of the trees not bothering what is going on at the nest. It appears that 21 and 22 play around trying to eat the skin and some bits and bobs.
E22 is the fastest eaglet on this nest and the best at self-feeding. He learned those traits early on when we all thought he might not survive. What a great eagle you will be 22.
M15 came in with another prey item at 14:54:14. It was difficult to tell which eaglet was which, but both got something to eat. I think it was 22 at the end who also had the bone and was chewing on it. Perhaps you held your breath seeing the adult above the nest, but thankfully, it was M15 just getting off the nest at 15:01:36.
I believe it is 21 on the left and 22 on the right by the tail feathers but, I could be so wrong.
M15 came in with another fish for the eaglets at 16:23:21. E21 got some first bites but E22 was quick to get itself into a position to snatch and grab from the right to the left!
E21 is on the left and E22 is on the right.
He just grabbed a big piece of fish!
22 pushes 21 back while keeping his beak up to get the fish.
The fish went back and forth, but E22 got it and finished it off quickly. Dad was back up to the branch at 16:28:38.
That might be the last feeding of the day. It has gone well. Thank you, M15.
They both look a little tattered. Harriet was M15’s first mate. She was a fierce eagle as we know and no one would mess with her chicks, her nest, or her territory. We wait to see how this goes.
I am warming up to her. Injuries, stress, hunger. They all trigger behaviours that might not otherwise take place. Yes, she has pecked and winged but, she has not injured E21 or E22. As we know she did, voluntarily or feeling forced, feed 21. She has protected the territory. M15 will need a ferocious mate to take on this popular territory together.
M15 brought a squirrel into the nest at 093215 for 21 and 22. He did some feeding but, in the end, it seems that 21 took some of it to self-feed. That is 22 getting fed by Dad below.
There appears to be, sadly, a territorial dispute going on at the Redding Bald Eagle nest of Liberty and Guardian. Guardian returned to the nest where Liberty is incubating their single egg for the season injured on Sunday. Injuries appear to be the left eye, the top of the head, and some frayed tail feathers.
A short time in Ron and Rose’s nest, a shift change. I love the chortling.
Everyone is counting down the time to eggs and I am thinking that it is two weeks. Around 13 March for Big Red and Arthur. So happy they are back at the nest on the Fernow Light Stand so that we can watch them raise their eyases.
Meanwhile, L4 is still with the young hawk and still on Mum and Dad’s territory as far as I am aware.
The heavy snowfall promised to hit the northeastern US is now falling on Big Red and Arthur’s nest in Ithaca, New York.
Indigo is still home! And he is loud. Missy and Lewis always want the volume off. For some reason, Indigos’ screeching scares them.
If you want to glimpse the four owlets at the Corona Owl Nest, you need to watch during the night or do a good rewind. There are four of them, and voting will begin on naming the four on March 6. Check out the chat with the live stream: Corona Owls on YouTube.
At Taiaroa Head, home to the Royal Albatross Colony, Sweet Pea does her very first sky call. Lady Hawk caught it for us!
Jackie and Shadow made the news in Greece. I keep saying if love could fill that nest with little eaglets, that nest would be spilling over. Fingers crossed for a successful second clutch and hatch in the future. If you are wondering, yes, it is possible. When Harriet and M15 lost Sassy Pants, M15 wanted another clutch of eggs. Those two eaglets hatched and were named Miracle and Grace.
Making News:
I brought you the news from CROW about a GHO owlet that had fallen out of a tree and was placed in a laundry basket hoping the parents would feet it. The story gets quite amazing. A wellness check was done, the original nest located, a sibling and lots of food in the nest – and even more special, the adults welcomed the ‘lost’ baby back into the family! Thank you, CROW.
They stopped the fireworks in the UK not to disturb this amazing walrus named Thor. Today, he was discovered in Iceland!
Please don’t tell any gamekeepers on those moors!
‘EJ’ sent an article to me explaining it isn’t the type they usually send. It is hard to believe that some individuals take shotguns and are called ‘removers’. They are culling one owl species for another. Honestly, I think humans should leave nature to nature. Do we actually understand what we are doing to wildlife and the planet? — Sorry, I am ‘getting started’. Nothing has convinced me that we are proper conservators of our home and theirs or that we have insights that make us superior. I wish it were different.
The author says: “Remover” was an accurate term for what Hunt did. But it was a euphemism. Hunt is one of the best in the business at shooting barred owls out of trees with a shotgun. The twenty-eight-year-old, slightly-built wildlife management specialist from Belmont, New York, had spent five winters tracking barred owls and systematically blasting them from the canopy with a twelve-gauge. The goal was to reduce the barred owl population enough to relieve the pressure on spotted owls. It was a divisive study generating high emotions on all sides. But Hunt loved the work. “I’m kinda sad the removal part is over,” she said.”
This is wonderful news. I am certain that when Rita was injured, we wished this might have been the outcome. It was not to be but, for this couple, it was the perfect ending. Congratulations to all!
Some bird humour compliments of the Webster Texas Eagles FB page.
The season’s first egg is at one of the Peregrine Falcon’s nests in Japan. Congratulations! For those who would like to watch this scrape, I have messaged the site to get a link. The scrape fledged four little eyases in 2022.
A former student ‘CD’, now teaching her university-level science classes, posted this today. Do you know about these women who saved the birds?
Thank you so much for being with us today! Take care, everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their tweets, notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog: ‘CD’, ‘EJ’, Duke Farms, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Gary and FORE, @Cornell Hawks, Valerie Valicento and Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Corona Owls, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Maria Grigoriadou and FOBBV, Heidi Mc and WRDC, CROW, BBC, Google Maps, Yorkshire Post, Salon.com, Sydney Wells and Bald Eagles Live Nest Cam and Nests, Webster Texas Eagle Watchers, Ashai Falcon Kirara, Women Who Saved Birds.
