Spring really has arrived. It was a balmy 14 degrees C here on Tuesday with a clear blue sky and bright sun. The same weather promises for today. Yipppeeee. When the weather is good, I encourage all of us to get outside. Even if you sit on a chair and let the sun warm your face. It is all beneficial. Make a habit of it!
The snow is melting and causing some local flooding, the geese, Cormorants, and pelicans fly overhead and it is a great day to be outside and appreciate all the effort the migrants have made to get here. A bald eagle flew low on the road, banked and landed on the ice at one of the lakes. I stopped and found it had spotted some carrion, likely a dead goose.
Other geese were finding open areas of water.
Geese are very territorial as they begin to prepare for nesting. I did not have my long, long lens on the camera. I am about 10 metres away, and he is still warning me off!
The staff have all of the goose and duck boxes full of fresh straw just waiting for new occupants.
Meanwhile, at home, all Lewis can do is dream about another Dove landing on the roof! Lewis makes Missy tired…he is still very much a kitten!
Missy prefers the Japanese snacks!
Ospreys move nests. Yes, they do. In fact, at Kielder Forest some have kept people guessing as to whether they would stay or go. The male at nest 1A White YA disappeared last year. Now the female has left that nest and moved to another. Kielder is putting out a call for female ospreys! Know anyone?
The remarkable story of a rock, an eaglet, and Murphy! From World Bird Sanctuary continues in the most positive way:
There is good news coming out of CROW. After treatment, Connick’s blood is clotting normally. Now they are trying to figure out why he had the loss of so many primary feathers. Thanks, CROW!
Annie and Lou’s little eyas is such a cutie pie. Cal Falcons caught the first feeding on video for us.
As I write this, it is 19:14 at The Campanile. Annie is giving us a good look at her sweet baby.
Lou meets his baby.
Annie even allows Lou to have a couple of incubation duties. Fantastic. Thanks SK Hideaways!
Ah, thank you, Annie for showing us the two little ones!
DHM and DHD have a precious little one, too – DH2.
At Dulles-Greenway, Martin and Rosa are doing such a fantastic job raising the three. ‘A’ comments today: “The three at Dulles Greenway have the most GIGANTIC crops. Three chicks in total food comas, mama looking down at her babies. She has fed them and fed them and I have rarely seen larger crops in my life… The youngest is just a firecracker. Always has the biggest crop on the nest. Always front and centre at meal times. Just the sweetest little eaglet. I have seen little or no bonking on this nest. The three just lie around, growing and playing, and eating like small peagles (pigs/eagles).”
The eaglets were fed several times in a row always crop dropping. This is a wonderful nest to watch. If you haven’t checked in on them, please do.
There are terrific storms hitting the UK. It was particularly windy and rainy in Wales so much so that Idris and Telyn at the Dyfi nest took to the ground instead of staying in the trees or nest. Poor Telyn. She was readying to lay her first egg.
The weather in Wales is very wet. The new female at the Glaslyn nest beat Aran there on Wednesday. Mrs G is now well past her return date, sadly. She left a fantastic legacy of ospreys and will always be remembered and loved. Glaslyn will no doubt be issuing a lovely memorial once they are sure Mrs G is not returning.
‘T’ writes: “What a wonderful day for the cameras and watchers in the Baltic countries! Karl II is back! Kaia is not too far. Osprey Teo is back in Latvian nest. And!! A new camera is already installed on Kergu’s nest. So more black storks we will see in Estonia. Kergu is on a bird map with Karl and others.” This is wonderful news. So many storks have been slaughtered in Malta and Lebanon- such sadness. Now will cute little Teo get a mate this year?
Karl II wasted no time getting from Moldova to his home! Fantastic.
Here is the video of Karl II’s arrival!
Welcome home, Teo!
Everyone loves SP chick in New Zealand. I have promised ‘A’ to put in this cute video and I kept forgetting amidst the drama of the hatch at Cal Falcons. Here we go! What a cutie pie. Life is good with our little gardener.
Everyone reading my blog knows I love ducks and look forward to their arrival. Here is a lovely short article on the Gadwall and why we should appreciate these little non-flamboyant ducks more.
Checking on Dale Hollow and Achieva: River brought in at least three nice fish for DH17 and DH18 and herself. Everyone ate well. Still, River had to warm off intruders while feeding her babies. She is doing well. Continue with your best wishes.
There also appears to be an issue of a possible nest takeover at Dale Hollow. Intruders have been about and landing. A floater? A take over? We can only watch and wait.
When I last checked, Jack had delivered two flounder to the Achieva nest in St Petersburg and both osplets as well as Jack and Diane had eaten well. Relief. Again, like Dale Hollow, send positive positive wishes to this nest also.
In fact, my count was wrong. Jack brought in five fish today!
This is a short report on what is happening in Bird World. All nests are good except those I worry about – Achieva and Dale Hollow. We take them one day at a time. Shadow continues to get in the nest cup, hoping for a spring miracle – the first male eagle to lay an egg! While he and Jackie are otherwise as affectionate as ever. Eggs are being incubated, eaglets fed, and Ospreys in the UK are either incubating or working on nests. Send them all your good wishes as we wait to see if either of the remaining two eggs will hatch at Cal Falcons.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘T’, Kielder Forest, Wild Bird Sanctuary, CROW, C White and the Captiva Island Eagle and Ospreys, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Dulles-Greenaway, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Estonia Eagle Club, Latvian Fund for Nature, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, The Guardian, Dale Hollow and Barbara Snyder and Achieva Credit Union.
Thank you for all your letters and holiday wishes. Each was very much appreciated. It is so kind of you to think of me!
It is 1800 Sunday evening, and my garden is teeming with Dark-eyed Juncos and House Sparrows. Mr Blue Jay has been for a visit, as has Little Red and Dyson & Gang. I can hear the Crows in the distance as gulls fly overhead. It is remarkable how spending time in the light or stepping away from a nest for 24 hours can refresh your mind and body. Missy and Lewis have voted that I write the blog in the conservatory where there is light! It was not that long ago that 1800 would have meant darkness. Twenty-six Ring Billed Gulls flew over like they do every dusk from spring through to fall when they depart. On the Red River Flyway, more than 400 American White Pelicans flew north. Spring is wonderful!
Both Mr and Mrs Downy came to the garden several times today. They always come right before dusk, no matter how many visits they have made earlier. I am a wee bit sloppy about getting the suet into the holes, but, hey, they seem not to be annoyed.
e-Bird reports from Saturday said that the Dark-eyed Juncos were arriving in our province. On Sunday, more than two dozen were in the garden flitting about. Oh, how grand. Just love these little ones.
The first Hibiscus blossom of the year arrived yesterday! So far, Lewis and Missy have left it alone. They often like to sleep in this pot after I water them. I never knew cats loved the water so much!
Correction: The GHO strike on the Es took place NOT during the day. Lady Hawk’s time fooled me and ‘A’. Thanks, ‘H’ for the head’s up! It seemed so unlikely but, there have been battles with eagles and owls during the day time. The first that comes to mind is Bonnie and Clyde taking the nest from the young eagle couple at Farmer Derek’s three years ago.
We are one day away from hatch watch at Cal Falcons and only Annie and Lou know if they can hear those little eyases chirping away getting ready to burst out of those shells. Mark your calendar! While we have been told that the 11th is probably hatch day here are some figures from Cal Falcons based on past hatch times.
Annie and Lou have made the LA Times! Well done.
Remember! There will be the annual Q & A session and celebration on YouTube with Cal Falcons on the 11th. Here is the information.
Wonder what it feels like to lay that first egg? A very young male still has his juvenile plumage and probably a first-time young female falcon at San Jose City Hall. SK Hideaways caught their reaction to their first egg! Please watch this super-edited video. It gives us some insight!
The female appears to later ‘shade’ the egg.
The young couple bond in their scrape. We wait to see how all this plays out.
Our young dad is ready to feed his baby – even in the shell! This is going to be very interesting!
There were two fledges on Sunday. B16 from Berry College and Ringo from the Webster Texas nest. Congratulations!
There are five eggs at the Manchester, New Hampshire, scrape! The couple has been together for 9 years, and last year they hatched and fledged five. ‘SP’ says the chicks are banded but the male and female are simply known as Mum and Dad. Here is the link to their camera and there are the five from last season. Adorable.
There is nothing more adorable than little pink beaks reaching up from white fluffy bodies to be fed.
Ringo flew strong and in the video on FB by Paul White, you could see her fly way out into the background near the water feature. Brilliant.
‘JL’ asked: “I was wondering if you could comment on aggressive/submissive behaviour sometime. On the SWFL nest, I’ve watched E22 become the aggressor, and E21 turn submissive. It was almost an overnight change (even before E21 left). I suppose the question is, why did 21 allow the change to occur? I noticed the same with the Sea Eagles (29 and 30), with 30 becoming more assertive before 29 left.”
We have all witnessed various levels of aggression on the nests. This ranges from the bobbleheads fighting it out in those first few days to the extreme aggression where a sibling is killed. Dominance ‘play’ is often seen but is not dangerous to any of the nestlings. It is when there is fear for survival that really aggressive behaviour comes in. Research reveals that deadly aggressive behaviour can happen on a nest that is full of prey. Just what causes one bird to turn against another in that situation is a matter of conjecture. Is it DNA? is it toxins that drive aggressive behaviour? is it a particular growth stage that spurs the attacks?
A sibling has never died of siblicide on Harriet and M15’s nest. Never. They have beaked each other, making chatters concerned, but that was dominance play. Both eaglets, E21 and E22, are now similar in size and have fledged. 22 gained confidence and, if I am correct, grew a little while 21 was away. We do not know their genders, although I thought they were the same sex because the fighting and dominance/submission has not been extreme. 22 had control of the nest when 21 returned and wanted to keep that position. ‘E21, you are not going to boss me around anymore!’ In the end, we know that they became beak and branch buddies. All is fine. M15 took good care of them; amazing. You will begin to see how remarkable his parenting was as the saga at Dale Hollow unfolds.
WBSE 29 and 30 were both females. Females are much more aggressive towards little males. So again, it could have been a confidence matter, testing the ‘waters’ of who is dominant at WBSE like it was when 21 returned. In neither case, there was never cause for any concern over the health and welfare of the other eaglet in these two instances.
Concern continues to grow for Mrs G as she is ten days late from her normal arrival time to Glaslyn.
Meanwhile, Aran has been sky-dancing for an unringed female that came to the Glaslyn nest. He has fed her a fish in the nest and he must be understanding that Mrs G is not returning. A new era at Glaslyn could be starting.
Meanwhile, Dorcha has returned to Loch Arkaig and is waiting for Louis to return from his adventure around the loch so they can begin their 2023 breeding season.
Dorcha begins work on the nest just like Louis did last week. Hey, Louis, come home!
Louis home. Both arrive at the nest with a fish as the wind blows strong. And do I hear ice pellets?
In Latvia, a Mallard attempted to land on the nest while Voldis is incubating his and Milda’s eggs. That duck didn’t even get a chance to land! Hatch watch coming soon. Hoping this will be a good year after two tragic ones for our beautiful WTE Milda whose nest is near Durbe in Latvia.
In Decorah, precious DH2 gets a feeding.
Martin and Rosa’s three eaglets continue to do very well at Dulles-Greenway.
There are three eaglets at Bald Canyon. I have noticed a tiny bit of beaking between 1 and 2. 3 was out of the way and did get fed. Relief.
One much adored eaglet at Two Harbours that will be well fed and loved by parents, Chase and Cholyn. For those that do not know, Cholyn is Thunder’s Mum. (Thunder is the mate of Akecheta at the West End).
Everything looks A-OK with Big Red and Arthur!
‘T’ sent her vote for photo of the day…Bluff City eaglet with a crop the size of a tennis ball!
Maya has laid her third egg of the 2023 season at Manton Bay! Blue 33 has been by her side. What a couple!
Yesterday Iris arrived home to her nest at Hellgate Canyon, Missoula, Montana. She is the matriarch of American ospreys and is believed to be the oldest living osprey in the world.
Her first mate there was Stanley and they raised multiple chicks to fledge. Then Stanley passed and Louis came on the scene. Louis has always had another nest at the baseball park. It has been nothing but sadness for Iris and Louis. Lin Lawson gives us the history, in case you did not know it. This will provide some background as to why people get upset when Louis comes to the nest with Iris. Things will not change so do not get upset. They will mate, Iris will lay eggs, the eggs will get eaten by the Crows, and then Iris will spend her summer eating fish and growing strong. There will be no starving osplets on the nest to worry about. And that is a good thing.
DH17 and DH18 ate well and went to bed with full crops. River is trying the best she can. She is followed to the nest by intruders that land and stay there. DH17 is 38 days old, and 18 is 39 days old. DH19 was 32 days old when it died of starvation. We send good positive wishes to River. This situation is tough, and there is no guarantee that any of the eaglets will survive. Diane and Jack were both at the Achieva Nest. Diane fed Big Bob and left Middle Bob in submission without any fish. Later Diane went fishing and brought in one of her nice catfish, and Middle ate for at least 30 minutes. There is a drought in the St Petersburgh area, and all of the water is very low, causing fishing to be difficult. Send your best wishes to this nest.
Reports are coming in that the much loved Finnish Osprey, Salli, has been electrocuted in Iraq on her way home from her winter grounds.
Thank you so very much for joining me today. Take care, everyone. Have a great beginning of the week. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘T’, ‘SP’, ‘JL’, Geemeff, Cal Falcon Cam, LA Times, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Peregrine Networks Live, Colleen Hayman Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, Paul White and Webster TX Eagles, Jackie Morris and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Dailypost.co.uk, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Latvian Fund for Nature, Raptor Resource Project, Dulles Freeway, IWS and Explore.org, Cornell RTH Cam, Bluff City Eagle Cam, LRWT, Montana Osprey Project, Lin Lawson and Osprey Friends, and Dale Hollow Eagle Cam.
The big news of Saturday was the return of Iris, the oldest Osprey in the world, to her nest at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. 13:48.
Well, this is really something to celebrate. She looks good. No doubt she is off catching a whopper that she will have on the Owl Pole – and yes, that is precisely what she did although she ate it somewhere else and came back with a nice crop.
Oh, Iris. It is so nice to see you.
We have been waiting for two specific mates to appear in the UK. Mrs G at Glaslyn (she is pretty late) and Dorcha. Dorcha arrived this morning. Louis will not be lonesome! Thanks, Geemeff. But where is Louis? He has been making restorations since his arrival and has not been seen since yesterday morning (Saturday). Send best wishes! Maybe Dorcha’s voice will call him to the nest! (Oh, this doesn’t feel right).
I am receiving news from ‘T’ that Karl II has landed at his nest in Estonia. As of early morning him and Kaia were only 203 km apart in their flight. Waiting for images! How wonderful.
Happiness in the form of two fledglings at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15. On the branches together, in the nest together, doing some nice little beak kisses, playing at the pond. All calm until Dad brings in the evening meal, and we know what will happen if that does happen.
Meanwhile, M15 is still getting attacked when he brings food to the Es.
‘A’ notes that ever since the three GH owlets played on the Es nest they are taking liberties. Now attacks during the day caught by Lady Hawk.
An excellent (and frank) presentation by Connor on what happened to Connick and what the future might hold for him.
Jackie and Shadow continue teasing us about whether there will be a replacement clutch. It would be nice, but it is also good to see them. Both look very healthy!
Oops…no, we don’t hide the Osprey eggs, Florence! Some people colour eggs from the store and try and hide them, but, no, Florence, not Ospreys! Sadly, one of the eggs stuck to Florence when she got off the nest at Captiva and was out of the egg cup. Angus tried to roll it back in but to no avail. It is just fine. One of the other eggs will be viable, if not both. Young couple. Honestly, they do not need three to look after the first time! Thanks, ‘H’, for alerting me to this incident.
Blessings happen in mysterious ways. Not sure which egg is outside the nest cup, and this will impact the pip watch if it is the first one laid. They still have two! Two is plenty. Two is more than enough for a young first-time couple.
Mrs G is quite late, and the hope of her returning to her mate, Aran, and her nest at Glaslyn, where she is the matriarch of the UK Ospreys, is dwindling.
Aran needs a good mate. I hope the sky dancing he has been doing attracts one.
I often get asked for nest recommendations. There are so many favourites, but I also look for stable nests with rewind and good cameras that are on YouTube. I also highly recommend UK Osprey nests. The only incidence of siblicide was last year at Loch of the Lowes. Mrs G has not returned as of today. That takes Glaslyn off my recommendation list for first time watchers. Then there are the goshawks and that takes away Poole Harbour. I love Foulshaw Moss but there is no rewind and you have to go to another site. I also love Llyn Clywedog but, my top three would be Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland Manton Bay. This couple has raised two sets of four osplets. They are a super couple! The pond is stocked. Last year they raised three big females. The second is Maya’s daughter, Telyn, who has her nest in Wales with Idris at Dyfi. She is also a super Mum. Third, and these are in no particular order, is Loch Arkaig with Louis and Dorcha. There are many others but, I would start with those three.
So far the three at Bald Canyon are doing well. Send out positive wishes. It is hard raising three.
Nice crops for the two eaglets at Pittsburgh-Hayes.
Mum at Pittsburgh-Hayes had to defend the eaglets against a racoon. Have you noticed how raccoons are increasingly becoming a problem? Some nests might require baffles. Thanks, ‘A’.
Only eaglet at US Steel, USS6, is doing well too. What a little cutie.
DH2 at the Decorah Hatchery appears to be fine. What a little cutie.
All three lined up like little angels at Dulles-Greenway. Reminds of Bazza, Falky, and Ervie. Wonder if Martin and Rosa have three little boys?
Two happy eaglets at Duke Farms!
One precious little eaglet for Bella and Smitty at NCTC doing well.
Like US Steel, NCTC, Chase & Cholyn have one perfect little nestling at Two Harbours.
Rose and Ron worked together and Rose is growing into being a fantastic Mum for R4 and R5. Just look at the two of them with their really dark thermal down and wisps of white Mohawks. And, we can’t leave out the clown feet!
The new Peregrine Falcon residents at San Jose City Hall have an egg! As ‘H’ points out, the male still has his juvenile plumage!
Mother Goose is beautiful first thing in the morning and as the sun sets on Decorah, Iowa.
Abby and Victor can make a lot of noise. When they see Harry coming, they can get so loud. This is what makes Sally so wonderful. She feeds those babies – during the day and at night. An incredible Mum. This made a difference for Victor!
The owlets of Bonnie and Clyde are huge. ‘P’ asked me what type of tree the nest is in. It is an Oak tree. I am just not 100% certain of the variety of Oak.
It looks like they are having a great conversation.
We have been expecting the sadness at Dale Hollow and Achieva. As many chatters aid, the two little ones are no longer suffering. That is surely a blessing.
Yesterday, the third hatch at the Achieva Osprey nest of 2023 was added to the 2023 Memorial Wall. He died at 15:52:03. Thanks Barbara Snyder for a picture from when we were hopeful. I have listed the cause of death as starvation/parental neglect. Yes, it happens.
The third chick at Dale Hollow passed. Cause of death starvation/siblicide. It is unclear if DH18 will survive. It has not had food for a couple of days. Thank you ‘AM’ for letting me know.
‘H’ reminds me that we are awaiting the arrival of Tom at the Chesapeake Conservancy Osprey Platform. The latest he has returned is 31 March. This could be worrisome.
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. There is much good news to celebrate today. It is hoped that the two nests, Dale Hollow and Achieva, will stabilise. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘AM’, ‘T’, ‘A’, ‘H’, Geemeff, Montana Osprey Project and Cornell Bird Lab, Geemeff and Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Looduskalender Forum, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Terry taipan and Bald Eagles 101, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Jackie Morris and Glaslyn Osprey Group, Dyfi, IWS and Explore.org, PIX Cams, Decorah Eagles, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, Duke Farms, NCTC, WRDC, San Jose City Hall, Goose Cam Decorah, Moorings Park Ospreys, Farmer Derek, Barbara Snyder and Achieva Credit Union.
There are many holy days that some of you will be celebrating. As I write, this is Good Friday. Both Ramadan and Passover are with us, and Easter is on Sunday, with Eid al-Fitr on 20-21 of April in Canada. Whatever holiday is yours – even if none of them is – I hope you have had time with loved ones or outside listening to birds. Whatever it is that makes you peaceful and happy.
I promised some images of Missy and Lewis. They love water! The new shower is very exciting. They want to walk all over the wet floor and lick the water from the walls. They are simply fascinated!
Missy is growing. This is a bed for a very large dog. The two are usually inseparable, and to be able to sleep together, they required this 4′ x 4′ bed. Missy’s legs are thick and stocky, and her fur is about 7.5 cm long or 4 inches. She takes up a lot of room in that bed!
‘A’ commented that I had not been my usual jovial self. Oh, she knows my every mood! I haven’t been so happy. Is it the storms and the worry over whether or not any good tress will be left for the Eagles? Is this the beginning of a long series of events that will ultimately destroy their habitat? I worry about the raptors and the impact of humans over the past fifty years of their lives.
At the same time, I try to find the same joy that the Bald Eagle parents at Decorah did. Their first chick hatched and dead in the nest, and a solid second hatch burst into the world. Mum standing there with prey ready to feed it. Life goes on just like spring follows autumn and winter.
Life outside my conservatory window is teeming. Mr Woodpecker has been here around his usual time with the regular troop of sparrows and squirrels. Later, Mr Blue Jay and Mr and Mrs Woodpecker will arrive for their evening meal, and then the Chickadees will come. It is reassuring. Even Little Red is paying more visits, having discovered the suet. Everyone, including the sparrows, needs the fat and head there before going to the Black Oil Seed.
Then this image of Spirit and Jackie popped up on the screen. Oh, what a fantastic eaglet! Watching Jackie, Shadow, and Spirit last year was a blessing. If we get another chance this year, fantastic. If not, I am so glad they are visiting the nest so we can see they are alright. Maybe with HPAI, it is a blessing. We never know. My grandmother used to tell me there is a reason for everything; you might never know why things went one way instead of another.
A link to an exciting moment was sent to me by ‘MB’. Last year a Tawny Owl fostered chicks, but this year, one of her own eggs hatched. Luna is away and we get to see that little owlet come into our world and then Mum arrives. So exciting.
But my mood is also curtailed because of the growing impact of HPAI, now confirmed to be the cause of three condor deaths in Arizona.
Here is a copy of the 2022 UK Report on HPAI – what to expect and what can be done. This terrible disease continues to impact the raptors and it is good to know a little bit about it and what we can continue to expect.
Then there are the two struggling nests: Dale Hollow and Achieva and the realisation that the egg Jak and Audacity have been incubating could not be viable. So sad for these two. I continue to wish they could somehow be foster parents. Put DH19 in there and see what happens! Of course, that is sheer lunacy getting an eaglet from Tennessee to California. No one would do it, but I do like to fantasise sometime.
In Canada, the Geese and Raptors are returning to their spring and summer breeding grounds. Sometimes, they pick unusual spots to lay those eggs.
In the UK bird enthusiasts are celebrating the return of the Bittern, thought to be on the edge of extinction.
It is so hard to imagine the difficulty that single raptor parents have in finding food and defending their nest. River has had to deal with fishing tournaments and bad weather amongst having at least 25 other bald eagle nests in the area. Today, Friday, has so far been a bad day for the nest with a piece of road kill coming in and DH17 being the only one fed with 18 and 19 pecking. Oh, how I wish she could get a big catfish on that nest. Or two of them but I fear the holiday weekend will hamper any fishing she might do. My heart breaks for her. How long have her and Obey been mates? She is grieving hard and now she is left with three eaglets, not one or two but, three, to care for in very difficult circumstances. I understand that a few from Dale Hollow will go out and search again for Obey.
River will feed 17 first. She needs one of the three to survive, and 17 is big and strong at the beak. She is not allowed the luxury of being able to bring in enough food, perhaps, to keep all three alive. We wait and hope for a miracle. 17 ate again tonight and has a crop. 18 and 19 had nothing that I could see.
It is unlikely that the searchers will find Obey. ‘A’ and I chatted about where birds go to die and what happens after Harriet disappeared. Birds die for many reasons – old age, injury, and disease. Injury would include all manner of collisions with human structures and also with attacks by other birds. I was told once that raptors if they know they are dying, will see secluded places like forests, dense bushes, and tree hollows – just like my cat Duncan wanted to hide when she had rodenticide poisoning. They want to be alone and quiet. Many hoped Harriet would be found injured and taken care of, but her body was not found, and neither has Obey’s. There are reasons for this. Birds are light in weight. Their bodies decompose very quickly if scavengers do not get to them first. We know that carrion eaters quickly find dead animals and consume them – that is their job. Other animals also eat birds and raptors. Even the feathers are eaten by rodents and insects or used for nesting material. I had no idea til I looked at this question carefully that feathers contain calcium that is good for the food chain. That is why we hardly ever see a dead bird unless it collides with our window or vehicle at a specific moment.
I can see that the third hatch at Achieva has not been fed. Chatters say Diane is ignoring it. This is typical behaviour for Diane, who did the same thing in 2021. The difference was Tiny Tot Tumbles, who went without food for 12 days (not straight, but hours added up) and survived to become the dominant osplet on the nest. This little one is not as strong and feisty. Eventually, Diane had to give in, and she fed Tumbles after dark lots of catfish while the others slept. That got Tumbles strong and kept her alive. Sadly, I believe we are in for heartbreak today at this nest. Despite terrible beaking, the third tries to get to Mum, but nothing…nothing.
So if I knew I would be an osplet and could pick a US Mum, it would decidedly be Sally at Moorings Park who feeds til everyone is full and even gets up and feeds the osplets in the middle of the night to help stop the beaking. Sally is a marvel!
Here is Victor stretching. How beautiful. Two osplets, Abby and Victor, will fledge from this nest if nothing untoward happens between then and now. At one time we worried for Victor but, the great parenting meant all the difference to this little one. Look at his cute talons! Can talons be cute?
Blue NC0 is incubating two eggs at Loch of the Lowes. She does well with two osplets. Hoping no more eggs! We lost the third hatch at this nest last year to siblicide. As far as I know, it was the only instance of this behaviour in the UK.
Maya and Blue 33 also have two eggs at Rutland’s Monton Bay Osprey platform.
One of our readers is visiting Rutland today. Oh, how I hope they get to see the ospreys!
Idris and Telyn continue to work on their nest at Dyfi in Wales.
With the death of DH1 and the arrival of strong DH2 everyone waited to see if Deborah Hatchery Mum (DHM) would feed her baby and – of course – she did! What an excellent feeding.
A little fluffy treasure. What a loving image.
Chase and Cholyn’s only surviving egg has hatched! Congratulations Two Harbours!
Fishing line at the nest of the Es in Fort Myers. Will wait to see how this plays out.
Tonight, E21 and E22 are sleeping together in Dad’s spot at the nest tree. What a beautiful sight.
There was concern that the two siblings would be attacked by the GHOs and that is precisely what happened. Here is the report.
‘H’ reports that there were three hits. Despite this, both Es were seen flying around the pasture Saturday morning. All is well.
Everything is A-OK at Duke Farms, too. Gorgeous juvenile feathers and huge feet on those eaglets sleeping next to Mum.
Everything is also fine at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest of Martin and Rosa. This would be a good eagle family to be a part of!
One good place to find solace is watching birds incubate eggs. (It can also be terribly boring). They are so dedicated. Big Red and Arthur are no exception and this will be one nest you will want to watch when the pips begin!
The only anxiety I have ever had is the weather, and Big Red can be encased in ice and it is okay. She is incredibly devoted. Three eyases…four eyases. No one goes hungry. She has had only one eyas not fledge and that was K2 who had a beak/jaw issue. She was taken into care but did not make it. That was in 2021. Last year, Big Red and Arthur raised four. L4 is still living and hunting in their territory. (L1 died when it hit a glass breezeway at Cornell and L3 is in care to be released. L2 left the territory and as noted, L4 is still there).
Catching up with Karl II and Kaia. Karl II has crossed over in Ukraine. His battery is only operating at 16%. They are working their way home to Estonia. Safe travels as you enter Ukraine.
Kaia also has a low battery. She has just crossed into Moldova. Waba continues to be in Sudan. No transmissions from Bonus and I am fearing he is lost to us.
Heidi Mc has worked hard on the Mispillion Harbour FB Group, videos, and the history of the nest. The goal was to increase awareness of the ospreys living along the coast of Delaware. Unfortunately, the recent storms have knocked out the camera. Heidi is hoping that the staff will be able to repair it before the Ospreys nest. So, keep checking!
We are still waiting for Iris to return to Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. Star returned to the Baseball Park the other day, and Louis arrived today. Come on, Iris! We hope you made it through winter. In the UK, Aran and Louis continue waiting for their mates, Mrs G and Dorcha. Mrs G typically arrives before 1 April, but Dorcha often doesn’t arrive until 11 April. Mrs G is the oldest UK Osprey and may no longer be with us.
Louis is working on the nest but Aran has been seen sky dancing so there could be a potential female mate in the area for him. That would be lovely. He is a fantastic mate!
The latest on Murphy and the foster eaglet.
11 April is pip watch for Annie and Lou. Please mark your calendars for the Campanile Peregrine Falcons.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘MB’, ‘H’, CBC London, Heather Calk and FOBBV, Robert Fuller, Ventana Wildlife Society, fws.gov, BTO, The Guardian, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Moorings Park, LOTL, LRWT, Dyfi, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, CIEL, Marti Lord and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Carol S Rifkin and NEFL and SWFL Eaglecam Watchers Club, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenaway, Cornell RTH, Looduskalender Forum, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Terry Carman Live Nest Cams and News.
First up, thanks to ‘MC’, just a correction. I had understood that both ospreys were back at Llyn Brenig but the unringed female on the nest Friday/Saturday is not LM6. She did, indeed, lose her coloured band but MC tells me she still had her BTO band so this bird is not her.
This is how I began my blog yesterday – the paragraph below. Sunday morning reveals how devastating the storms are that went across the US. Besides the winds, the heavy snow has caused nests to collapse. The toll will get higher than the three mentioned in my report. Our thoughts are with those touched by that strong weather system, and our hearts are breaking for the loss of the eaglets.
Saturday was a very stressful day because of the Es. E22 is now back on the nest tree, and M15 has been in and out of the nest trying to lure him up to get the fish. When I write this, nothing has been seen of E21. Any time a fledgling flies off the nest and does not return, it is a concern. So, to keep my mind a little calmer, I had Ferris Akel’s Tour in the background. Thank goodness for calm!
E22 below the nest. This is the same place that he was a night fall and it is a good location because he is not so out in the open for the GHOs to hit. ‘A; asks why he doesn’t just fly up to the nest. I am not a bird – there are times I wish I was! But my understanding that he needs to fly off the branch, circle a bit and then fly to the nest. Just flying ‘up’ doesn’t appear to be working for him. That said, this is not a good three-dimensional image of the nest to determine the proper path he would need to take to get to the nest.
M15 trying to lure 22 down to the nest.
M15 even made Southern Living Magazine! If only these stories could generate a change in attitude by the public at large against loss of habitat, banning lead in every form, legislation against rodenticide and the 30 or more other ways in which humans impact the lives of our raptors…I would be happy.
Here is E22’s adventure caught by Vicky/Wiskernwings. I love how she talks to the eaglets. HeidiMc recommends starting at 23:50 (the video is long). It shows our Bitty having some goofy times on his first outing.
Real Saunders Photography shows the Butcher birds annoying our Bitty that drives him off the tree after the owl strike. Oh, Bitty get up in that nest! That is all you need to do now for Dad to take care of you. You certainly can fly!
Of course, on top of everything, the house is a building site. Lewis and Missy have been sequestered in the conservatory for their safety today. The workmen have just left – 1400. There might be a new shower in the bath on Monday!
They are not too happy but aren’t misbehaving, just taking it all in stride. The looks they gave me were priceless.
I do not know about you but I have needed a diversion today. There is too much happening including the disappearance and death of elderly Bald Eagles, tornadoes ripping raptor nests out of trees, and of course, the Es. I lurked during Ferris Akel’s Saturday tour and turned to watch when I heard he had found some ducks…
Ferris did turn up lots of waterfowl. It was a great Saturday. Ospreys, Northern Shovelers, a Sandhill Crane, some Canadian Geese and Snow Geese, Ring-necked ducks, Trumpeter Swans, eagle nests waiting for their owners, Common Mergansers and herons, tonnes of herons in their nests!
The Osprey was at quite a distance.
A male Shoveler. Note the size of their bill and its shape like a ‘shovel’ – hence the name. You cannot mistake the male Shovelers.
Common Merganser, male:
Common Merganser, female:
Canada Goose and a Trumpeter Swan:
Snow Geese feeding in the fields from the grain left from the fall:
A Dark Morph Snow Goose:
The lone Sandhill Crane:
A lone Cardinal:
Heron nests – they were everywhere with more herons flying in.
More destruction on the boundary between Tennessee and Kentucky to another eagle nest. How many have been destroyed during the recent thunderstorms and tornadoes besides this one and the Mississippi Flyway nest of the Trio? Have you heard of any others?
Thankfully, River did not have to deal with a tornado. Since Obey disappeared on Tuesday, she has lots to do to secure the nest and take care of the three eaglets. Dale Hollow Cam said that River ‘cried’ Tuesday evening for Obey. We should never underestimate the grief of our wildlife. River has no choice, just like M15. She has to carry on. She has a nest of youngsters to try and feed and raise. So far, she is doing splendidly. Let us hope as they age that, it gets easier for her. She is no spring chicken. Sadly, many of our beloved raptors have lived longer than many imagine. Send positive wishes to her and all the nests. At one time, I learned that there were 25-28 Bald Eagle nests around River and Obey’s nest. That is an enormous number of raptors wanting the same resources. Again, let us hope she can keep the precious fish she catches so she and her babies can eat.
The top two pictures are from early Saturday. The others later in the day. The mate’s absence has to have been so stressful for River and M15. I say this because the kittens were upset about the workmen in the house. That is peanuts compared to what these two Bald Eagles have to go through. M15 persevered against all the odds. Good wishes out to River so she can do the same.
The intruder is still around the nest of River and Obey. It is this intruder that might have injured or killed River. Please go away.
‘A’ sent in a good report of what is happening at this nest:
“River is really doing so much work. The intruder/s is/are landing in the nest tree, forcing River to literally defend her eaglets, who spent a lot of time pancaked yesterday. All three knew what to do and instinctively did so, which helped mum concentrate on what she was doing. I worry that she is getting tired, though the fish she is bringing in are so large that two a day, or even one on occasion, is plenty for both mum and the eaglets. All three eaglets continue to thrive and are constantly dragging giant crops around the nest. They get along famously when food is removed from the equation and DH19, although it respects is position in the pecking order, still has confidence to eat right beside its older siblings once DH17 has eaten its fill. Neither of the older two prevent DH 19 from eating, and although 17 occasionally beaks it, the submission is usually voluntary and not reactionary, with 19 just automatically taking up the submissive pose to wait for its turn.
The situation is one day at a time, as I said yesterday, but so far, River is doing an amazing job. She is one big mama, and she is very protective – of her nest and her babies and their food. She is fantastic to watch in full throttle, as it were. It would be a very brave, very stupid or very hungry eagle that chose to try and tackle her directly. This of course is where she has an advantage over M15, who usually has been dealing with female intruders, who are (sometimes much) larger than he is. River is bigger than most of the females and all the males. But three mouths are a lot to feed on her own, so we watch and we wait and we wish her and her eaglets all the luck in the world.”
River keeping her babies close to her Saturday night.
The Obey River that runs by the nest of River and Obey and their eaglets. If you did not know how the adult eagles got their name, there is your hint. Isn’t it beautiful?
The three at PA Country Farms continue to thrive.
In the beginning I had doubts about how Rose would do as a new mother. It was sure fortunate that Ron got in there and helped, but now, Rose has really come into her own. Those little fluff balls of hers – OK, not so fluffy anymore – are doing fantastic, and R5 always leaves the table with a nice crop. The screen captures are from HeidiMc who watches this nest diligently. It is unfortunate that so many people do not watch the feedings all the way through. Spread the word. R5 is fine.
Heidi Mc confirms that Audrey is back on the Osprey platform at the Chesapeake Conservancy. No sign of Tom yet. Audrey was first reported being back on the 17th of March.
Blue 33 is very good to bring in the fish and oh, is he lucky. Rutland stocks that water right by his nest! Often he brings in a whopper that is still alive and he did that precise thing Saturday morning. Maya finally got control of it and flew off. They have been seen mating and we await eggs.
Blue NC0 has been at the Loch of the Lowes nest all day Saturday. It was like Big Red hanging around the day she finally laid her egg. Expecting an egg for Laddie and NC0 right away! She looks to be in top form. This is good. I love the shine of her beak and those beautiful feathers. What a gorgeous necklace she has. Good luck this year.
John Williams posted a really good image of Dylan and Seren at Llyn Clywedog today. Super couple.
Victor sometimes causes grief. A late fish came in, and he was up and eating. Abby went up to eat, and then Victor gave her a little peck, and, of course, they looked directly into one another’s eyes. It is rule number 1, Victor – do NOT look your beaking sibling in the eye. It makes them mad. And, of course, it did. Otherwise, they are a month old and doing well.
It is generally recognised that around 35-36 days the amount of daily weight gain levels off for male ospreys while that amount continues to grow for the females who need to add another 30-33% of mass and feathers. It is the reason that male ospreys sometimes fledge first because they have finished developing long before the females. We should be able to see in about 10 days time if Abby’s growth takes off and she gets larger than Victor – confirming that she is potentially a female.
Nancy survived the snow storm and so did her precious eaglet. Thank goodness. You may remember that Nancy lost her young male mate last year, Harry. She was left with two eaglets. E1 killed E2 by pushing it off the nest. It was quite tragic as they were all feathered. Nancy was just not able to get the food on the nest fast enough for them. Again, think of River now and send her all your good energy.
Sadly, these could be the last images of the little eaglet at MN-DNR. The nest has totally collapsed due to the storms.
There is going to have to be a concentrated effort – because of the sheer number of Bald Eagles and the lack of nests – to start building artificial nests for the eagles in the US due to the weather conditions caused by
Those storms hit Illinois and Indiana as well. Thankfully the Bald Eagle nest at St Patrick’s Park in South Bend, home to Little Bit ND17, is in tact. No eggs this year. Mum disappeared and there is a young female with Dad.
It was an osprey nest but the geese have taken over and today, with snow on the ground, the first egg for the Canada Geese was laid at Charlo Montana.
Arlene Beech has it for us on video.
Beautiful Mama Goose at her nest at Decorah, Iowa. Fingers crossed that no bad weather disturbs her. There should be 7 or 8 eggs today.
It is windy at the nest of Iris at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. Iris’s favourite day to return to her nest is 7 April. Let’s see if her migration clock works this year. Here is the link to Iris’s streaming cam – and if you don’t know her, she is the oldest known Osprey alive in the world. Are we kissing 30 this year?
On Sunday, Louis arrived home at Loch Arkaig. Thanks Geemeff for the note and the video. As you say, no one is going to sleep for six months now!
Karl II and Kaia are still moving a bit and foraging along the return route to their nest in Estonia. Waba continues to stay in Sudan.
Karl II is in Moldova.
Kaia remains in Turkey.
She is feeding here near this water basin in the area.
The fear is that more nests will fail as the trees have been weakened and will fall after the horrific storms that spread across half of the US. It is now time to start building artificial platforms. I have said that twice. Too many eagles are looking for suitable tress and the number of those trees is being diminished. This is only April and the tornado season is not over. Send all of the nests your best wishes.
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, announcements, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, HeidiMc, Geemeff, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watcher’s Club, Southern Living, Vicky/Wiskernwings, The Real Saunders Photography, Ferris Akel Tour, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, PA Country Farm, WRDC, Chesapeake Conservancy, LRWT, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, The Clywedog osprey Group, Moorings Park Ospreys, MN-DNR, Terry Carman and Bald Eagle Live Nest and News, ND-LEEF, Charlo Montana, Decorah Goose Cam, Arlene Beech and Charlie Montana, Montana Osprey Project, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Akraig and the Woodland Trust, and Loodeskalender Forum.
The sun is bright, and the temperature is only -2 C, but a 22 kph wind makes it chilly! I have not seen them, but others have witnessed 45 Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle arriving from their winter migration. First American Robin seen, also. Amazing. Last year many of the eagles who make their nests on the ground and the ducks’ and geese’ nests were ruined by overland flooding. Hoping that does not happen this year!
For me, the delight of the day came when about half a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos landed in the lilac bushes at about 1630! They’re back. Mr and Mrs Downy had just departed when they arrived. Do you know what this means? A trip to the bird food store for millet tomorrow.
‘H’ reports that it was quite the day at the WRDC nest. There was a feast with Rose bringing in 2 fish and Ron delivering 7 fish and a duck. Goodness. There was even one feeding. Needless to say neither chick was hungry! Incredible.
Gosh, that fish on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform has been there a long time. Sally started feeding Abby and Victor and Abby took great exception to Victor wanting food. Not that behaviour is any surprise. Poor little Victor. He did wait it out and watched and got over and Mum Sally fed him until he had a nice crop. There is still fish left.
Little Victor finally getting some fish.
Around 1640 Sally ‘decided’ to feed Abby and Victor before they got ravenous. Great idea. They both ate little civilised cherubs. Each got fed a nice meal.
There was even fish left for Sally.
Victor had a nice crop as the sun was setting over the nest. Harry was not around much today. Chasing off intruders? Sally caught one fish herself. Saw it from the nest and went and got it. Don’t think she cared much for that other fish that Harry brought in. Perhaps it was too bony.
Sally and the osplets sound asleep…Victor tucked in under Mum.
There is fish hiding all over the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. The triplets are doing just fine. Martin and Rosa seem to managing them well.
This is the listing of the UK Ospreys that have returned. Thanks, Mary Cheadle!
Seren Blue 5F is an amazing fisher. Here she is with a huge trout – too large to finish in one meal. She will have the rest for breakfast.
There is still some rumbling on FB about Gabby ‘being missing since Wednesday’. Gabby has returned from her spa days. The AEF has confirmed this with the following post on the 25th of March.
Here are some images:
Meanwhile Jackie and Shadow keep us guessing at Big Bear.
They certainly have been bringing in more railing!
Our big girl Jackie on the left and Shadow on the right. A great image to see the difference in scale between male and female Bald Eagles.
Shadow provided Jackie with several fish on the nest Saturday. The perfect gentleman…oh, Shadow, you really do want those eggs!
‘A’ sent news that all three GH owlets at the Corona California nest have now branched.
Bonnie and Clyde’s owlets on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas are enjoying some sun and from being out from under Mum!
E21 is 79 days old today. The average age of fledge at South West Florida is 83 days. Oh, what a bittersweet moment this is all going to be.
Sometimes you can only see a few talons!
They track Dad when he is incoming with prey and get themselves in that nest!
On Saturday, M15 brought in no less than five fish for the Es.
M15 and the kids did defy the odds…fledge watch! We should all be jumping up and down with joy but, the moments are so bittersweet. What an amazing season and what a pleasure to watch M15 rise to every occasion. We do not know what his fate will be after the Es leave the area. Will M15 get a mate and keep the nest? Will he leave on his own for a more quiet life elsewhere after Harriet? We wait.
The miracle at the SW Florida nest this year has made the Naples news.
Mum and Dad eating on the nest at Duke Farms along with the two eaglets. These two are so easy to watch!
Three eggs laid on February 20, 23, and 26 at Denton Homes. We will be on pip watch next week.
There is a possible pip at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty Saturday night.
There is a pip at Pittsburgh-Hayes, which was confirmed at 16:44 on Saturday. Hatch is now in progress. Oh, the wind is really blowing and it feels cold just watching Mum trying to get some sleep, hunkered down.
Did we not think everyone would have a hatch at the same time. Oh, goodness.
At the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest near Houston, Ringo has branched!
Beautiful Mama Goose and her two eggs at the Decorah Goose Cam in Iowa. The second laid on Saturday the 25th at 1000.
Eggs covered with nesting material and down while Mum has a break.
If you are into wading birds, do you know about the Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam in St Augustine, Florida?
Ferris Akel had the most extraordinary images of the Sandhill Crane migration. These images were taken in Nebraska. Ferris said the tour was 1000% worth it! Even getting up at 0400 for the fly off.
Ferris Akel is a gem. He has a streaming tour of the Ithaca area every Saturday. You can see it later archived on YT. He also shares so much and taking us with him on this amazing tour was very special.
There are upwards of 400,000 Sandhill Cranes in this area migrating right now. They expect 600-650,000 at peak migration, according to Ferris.
This is a gathering place. They will gather around marshes often surrounded by prairie forest feeding and then flying off at dawn. Every crane set off at the same time to continue its travels north.
Those Sandhill Cranes will be flying into Southern Manitoba any day now!
Ferris has this fantastic spectacle – with the sound of the cranes – now on YT. Thank you, Ferris Akel!
This is why we need everyone to stop using lead in hunting and fishing equipment (and military).
Conservation without Borders are heading back to West Africa to see if they can find Tweed Valley Osprey Glen whose tracker says he is still in Morocco. I hope he is there for their arrival and not on his way back to the UK. Go Sasha Dench and Crew!
Meanwhile, we are going to band together and try to locate Glen’s brother, Kirk 707 beginning this week!
Good Morning, gorgeous. Big Red and Arthur have sure been trying out that egg cup. All eyes are on the 20 year old Red tail Hawk, the Queen of the Cornell Campus.
On the Canadian Prairies, people are just getting ready for gardening season. With the high cost of food, many are converting lawns into gardens or, if they have a small space, container gardens. This article in The Guardian challenges us to reconsider our garden because it should be a vital place for wildlife. Have a read, get some ideas! Send me some pictures if you join in. I would love to see what you are doing to help everything from a small insect, songbirds, beavers, deer, and waterfowl!
Missy is going to help us review a new book for next week. It is Water Babies. The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds by William Burt. Oh, just in time for the new season!
She has already started evaluating the images!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Remember to get outside and take in some fresh air, even if it is on your balcony or front step! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, streaming cams and videos that helped make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenway, Mary Cheadle, Carnyx Wild, AEF, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, Corona Owl Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, Denton Homes, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Eagle Cam, Pix Cams, Paul White and Webster Texas Eagles, Decorah Goose Cam, Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam, Ferris Akel Live Tour, Terry Carman Bald Eagle Live Nests and Cams, Conservation without Borders, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.
So Tiger Mozone sends me a message saying, ‘Your bird has been identified’. Yes, Blue KW0 has been identified. The news is exciting. Tim Mackrill found the information on the ring number and the history of the bird. He has asked that this be kept confidential so as to publish it on the Roy Dennis Wildlife blog. When that happens, I will give you all the information. What I will say is that we were correct. It is a Scottish bird that was blown off course last summer and found itself in Barbados. Thank you to everyone who helped in this discovery.
Wednesday was one of the most beautiful days on the Canadian Prairies so far. Blue sky, little wind, -3. The first Canada Goose arriving in our City has been spotted. Mallards are coming in. Spring really might be coming…but, I will not say that too loudly. We have been known to have blizzards in May.
Lewis loves to pose! Today he got to help with more spring cleaning. How much fur can accumulate in corners when there are two large kittens? When do they stop being kittens and become cats? Lewis also believes that any surface in the house, especially in the conservatory, is his.
It is always nice to wake up to a good news story. Thank you, ‘MB’. Another osprey was saved after being tethered to its nest with a monofilament line. Can you imagine how that would cut through their legs and toes? Remember. Call your nearest wildlife rehabilitation centre if you see a raptor (or other bird species) tangled in a fishing line. Don’t know who they are? Take a few minutes to find out and put that information in your phone so that you can call them quickly! It could save a life.
Congratulations to Angus and Florence who have their second egg at Captiva. 22 March 2023. Looks like it was around 11:13.
‘H’ reports that Rose is now doing approximately half of the daily feeds at the WRDC nest in Miami. She is gradually easing her way into being a confident mother. She is more patient and the prey items are better for the eaglets who can, now, eat bigger bites. Great news. Thanks, ‘H’.
Since last summer, I have received many letters wondering what happened to Malala, the Red-tailed Hawk raised by the Bald Eagles on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. I had a running list to respond to everyone on my old computer but sadly, that list went with the computer when it caught fire. So apologies. Here, however, is the news we have been waiting for. Yesterday I spotted a posting by the head of GROWLS, and in her list of items she addresses is Malala, who was seen with the Bald Eagle parents fishing and hunting. Terrific news.
It has been a tough time for GROWLS. They received donations for a new camera because of the attention paid to Junior and Malala. Then the property owners decided they did not want the camera on their land. People have that right, and I can only imagine the level of invasion they felt when the eagles adopting the RTH made the news. It is entirely understandable that they had enough. This has left GROWLS looking for another site. They cannot do anything until fall, so please have patience if you were one of the donors.
PA Farm Country has a second hatch on Tuesday.
The Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons now have three eggs. Way to go!
Speaking of falcons, news has come that Shasta, the mate of Sequoia, at San Jose City Hall did, indeed, have HPAI, when she died. I have changed this in the memorial wall. Thanks, ‘H’ for drawing my attention to the announcement.
I am also going to add Sequoia to the memorial board as MIA. Like Sue and Otto, the Syracuse University Red-tail Hawks, if one of a pair dies of HPAI, generally the second does, too. All we know is that Sequoia went missing after Shasta passed. Unless Sequoia is spotted and he does have a band, we might never know what happened. Hence, the MIA designation.
I have also decided to add Zoe to the memorial wall. We may never know what happened to the Port Lincoln first hatch and the only surviving osplet from the Port Lincoln barge 2022 season. Did she fly out to sea, get on a boat, and is in an exotic location? Did she land on a hydro pole and get electrocuted? Is she happily fishing? Without a transmission for some 2 months, we do not know. If she turns up, I will joyfully remove her.
Robert Wright took the following photo and posted it on Port Lincoln Ospreys. It is believed that it is Mum, Dad, and Ervie – yes, Ervie – in one of Ernie’s favourite trees waiting for the fish to run—an incredible image of the three of them. Great timing.
You can really see the change in the Duke Farms eaglets. They now have little dandelion Mohawks and a lot of dark thermal down on their bodies. They can now regulate their own temperatures but Mum and Dad will still brood them and keep them dry and warm if the weather turns.
So civilised. Will they band the pair? I will love to see if they are two little boys if they do DNA sampling.
Jackie and Shadow continue to come to the nest to have a meal and work on bringing in sticks despite the snow.
Even if they do not have a replacement clutch, Jackie and Shadow and their antics and behaviour towards one another will continue to melt our hearts as long as they are visiting the nest!
It was tough to gauge how much food Victor had today. Often Sally had her back to us, and you could not see any of the feedings. Still, both Abby and Victor had crops at various times of the day and nice long feedings. The osplets can now consume an entire fish without even thinking about it. They are in a period of great growth and change. Fewer feedings but more fish. It is an adjustment for everyone.
We can tell that both are progressing nicely and have been fed. Their eyes are clear and shiny and their plumage is developing as it should.
Our little E22 is coming into its own and as Lady Hawk says, he is having some revenge for all that previous beaking by 21!
E22 has been the bravest in terms of reaching higher branches. Let us just hope that he gets himself down in the nest so the GHO does not cause him to fledge early!
There is ‘branching’ at the Corona California GHO nest.
Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot cuddled up together in the nest.
Lou has joined a long line of fantastic male falcons that want to feed their eggs! Xavier and the male at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne come to mind.
We have covered the hatch days of the Kakapo so why not some of the California Condors?
We are getting closer and closer to the first egg at the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell campus. Her earliest was the 13th of March, but the norm appears to be the week of the 23rd of March. Fingers crossed.
Big Red just after having breakfast on the nest. 22 March 2023
We all get excited about rare birds in our area – or, well, I get excited about the ordinary, everyday ones that return from migration. There are some birds – Alpine Swifts -getting folks in the UK really, really joyful!
A book of Elizabeth Gould’s drawings will be released in October 2023.
Some sad news is coming out of the Channel Islands. One of the eggs of Chase and Cholyn at Two Harbours was broken during a storm a day or so ago. The good news at Sauces Canyon is that egg 7 is still intact! Oh, let us all hope that egg is viable and Jak and Audacity have a little one to care for – they sure deserve it. Eight eggs! I have no idea how Audacity managed that. No word on Thunder or Akecheta, Andor or Cruz as their new nests do not have cameras. Best wishes to all of them.
There is, of course, so much news out there. Waiting for more arrivals of ospreys in the UK. Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care.
Thank you to the following for their notes, announcements, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up the information in my blog today: ‘H’, ‘MB’, San Diego Humane Society, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, GROWLS and Pam McCartney, PA Farm Country Eagle Cam, Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Bart Molenaar and Friends of Osprey, Robin Wright and PLO, Duke Farms, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Live Owl Cam, Julie Krizmanich and Raptors of the World, Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.
The first spring day saw the first Peregrine Falcon return to Winnipeg from its winter migration! On top of that, an e-Bird submitter apparently ran into 150 Mallards at one of our parks yesterday. Let the fun begin.
Well, Michael St John and I are inching our way to discovering how the mystery Osprey, Blue KW0, came to be in Barbados! First, I want to thank everyone who reads my blog and to all the folks who don’t but who answered our calls to find out about this stunning bird. Today, I decided to write to John Williams. Many of you will know of John and his work in Wales for Llyn Clywedog. Why did I decide to write to John? Well, first of all he is curious. Second, he is tenacious. He once set out to figure where Dylan was getting his Brown Trout. Talk about a spy operation! So, it cost me an e-mail and did I learn some valuable information.
John Williams (Llyn Clywedog) says the K rings were only used in 2018/19. Great information. If this turns out to be accurate, this would make Blue KW0 five years old. Secondly, John said that Dylan was ten days late returning to Clywedog last year because “Last year around this time we in Britain had quite strong storm force winds from the northeast, in a south-westerly direction. Many birds were delayed or lost, including Dylan, who was 10 days later than the previous year. I wonder if KW0 was blown off course and out to sea and found a passing ship.” So grateful; thank you, John! I also learned that the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation gives out the Scottish bands, so Tim – who did not work for them then – should be able to discover the bander and location when he has time.
Of course, Blue KW0 may, sadly, spend his life as a bachelor (or her) on Barbados. Should we put an ad in the papers for a mate? Like they did with the domestic goose in the Iowa cemetery? Just kidding. There are plenty of Ospreys on Barbados for KW0 to find a mate and he is young.
I did not look at many of the nests in depth on Monday. Sometimes it is good to take a little break, and re-stocking the kitten’s pantry was a priority today! That said, I did check on little Victor; he was my priority. The news is good. No, the beaking has not stopped, and no, Victor has not learned to stop provoking Abby, but Victor ate well and is up at the table, as you can see in the images below. On occasion, Abby is in a food coma, and Victor gets an excellent private feeding. As long as Victor is eating, I am not concerned. It is worrying when the eldest sibling can prevent the younger ones from eating. Sally is an excellent Mum – quite amazing for this being her first year to raise osplets. She appears to be negotiating this well.
Sally fed both Victor and Abby at least once during the night and finished off the fish early in the morning. Too sleepy to fight in the early hours?
There were periods when Victor went into submission, but there were good feeds, too.
At 13:35, Sally is between us and the chicks. It is impossible to tell who gets what when she blocks the view.
At 15:54, both are up at the table and both have crops.
At 17:31, Sally is between the osplets feeding them. Victor got a really nice feeding this meal.
Victor having a private feeding at 20:51.
Victor is still eating at 21:06 and has a very nice crop! This is what we want to see. Victor had fish first thing in the morning, at least one very good feeding during the day (if not more), and he is eating again at the end of the day, getting his entire tank filled. It is all good.
Sally is feeding them again at 10:55. That is Victor eating!
Congratulations Lisa and Oliver on the first hatch of the 2023 season at PA Farm Country. The couple has four eggs again this year! This lucky first hatch on the first day of spring is getting a tandem feeding from these two delighted parents.
At SW Florida, M15 keeps up his campaign to feed the Es well and have two fabulous fledges. We have seen E21 branch but not 22 and even 21 is not doing a lot of branching. One answer was provided by one of the FB groups – the rebuilding of the nest resulted in a deeper cup, farther away from the branches! Great explanation.
They may love one another but not when a fish is concerned.
The two eaglets at the Duke Farms nest continue to do fine.
There continues to be ample food on the nest of Ron and Rose in Miami but, there is something wrong with the camera or is at the time I am writing this.
‘H’ reports that the eaglets at WRDC were fed ten times on Monday. Out of the ten, Rose only fed the eaglets four times. I am thankful that Ron is feeding his babies. He is much better at caring for them. Is this because Rose is so young?
Martin and Rosa have three eaglets to look after at the Dulles-Greenway nest. They are adorable.
Today, ‘L’ asked me if I ever checked in on the First Utility District Osprey cam. I didn’t even know this nest. Thanks, ‘L’. It looks like they have two eggs for the first day of spring, and what a gorgeous location.
Here is the information about their platform from the information below the streaming cam: “These Osprey built their nest on a dangerous power line in 2018. In response, First These Osprey built their nest on a dangerous power line in 2018. In response, First Utility District operations staff built a nesting platform for the Osprey. The Osprey relocated to their new home within 24 hours, and we have enjoyed their presence ever since. They return yearly to nest. Intermittent breaks in broadcast may occur due to weather conditions. The camera is solar powered and depends on good weather for a successful charge.”
The 7th and only egg in the nest of Jak and Audacity is holding firm at Sauces Canyon. Fingers and toes crossed.
‘H’ sent me a note confirming that Daisy arrived at the Barnegat Light osprey platform in New Jersey on the 19th at 14:44. Now we wait for Duke!
Peregrine Falcon lover? There are now lots of streaming cams. One of those is at Salisbury Cathedral in the UK. There are now two eggs!
Meanwhile, Annie and Lou continue incubating their four eggs at The Campanile. Hatch watch beings on the 11th of April.
I don’t always report on them, but this is for ‘A’ since I have been more than neglectful – the three surviving GHOs at the Corona California basket nest are doing fantastic. They are filling up the space.
Their names are Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot.
I am a huge fan of Knepp Farm who chose to step outside the box and rewind their property in the south of England. Those courageous efforts are paying off!
If you want to read more about the history of Knepp Farm, the issues related to traditional agricultural practices and biodiversity in the UK, and the moment that a decision was made to rewind the land, pick up a copy of Wilding. The Return of Nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree. If you are in the UK or visit the area, go over, show your support, take a tour!
Darling Big Red and Arthur continue to work on their nest…
It is certainly looking like it is ready for eggs!
If you are wondering about Bird Flu, it remains within the environment and things are not looking well. Here is the report from the UK that indicates that 18 different species have tested positive so far.
Thank you so much for being with me as we did a quick spin around some of the nests. The storks are arriving in Europe so there should be much to report just like the ospreys over the next week. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘L’, John Williams, Manitoba Birding – Bird and Wildlife Photography, Michael St John, Moorings Park Ospreys, PA Farm Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, WRDC, Dulles-Greenway, Sunnie Day, First Utility District, IWS and Explore.org, Barnegat Light and the Nature Conservancy, Salisbury Cathedral and Peregrine Falcon Group, Cal Falcons, Corona California owls, @Knepp Wilding, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, gov.uk.
Happy First Day of Spring! Bird World is already buzzing with Ospreys rushing from their winter homes to their spring and summer breeding grounds. Arrival reports come from the US, the UK, Sweden, and Norway. This is such an exciting time! We hope that each couple arrives home safely.
Of course, it is not just Ospreys. All the other raptors that have migrated along with the shorebirds, the waders, and the songbirds are also on the move. Soon, my garden will be teaming up with new visitors.
For Lewis and Missy, the arrival of warmer weather has meant a return to the Conservatory. Today they got to help with some spring cleaning and furniture moving. Specifically, the tansu stepped chest moved from the living room to the conservatory. Aeons ago, someone in Kyoto told me that these portable units that hold everything from tea ware to kimono were also used to access other home areas without building a permanent staircase that would be taxed. It is not clear if this is a myth or fact. What I do know is that they are ingenious pieces of furniture meant to hold specific shapes of boxes in a very orderly manner. Missy and Lewis think they are another part of the jungle gym!
They especially liked playing around the tansu until the drawers went in.
Today, the kittens saw Dyson and her three little ones from last summer and Little Red came to visit, too. This is a very poor-quality image of Dyson having just dumped the Mt Fuji bowl with the peanuts in it. So nice to see they all survived the winter. She is not bothering to take the peanuts but is, instead, eating them right there making a big mess with the shells. LOL.
We are going to start the day with a surprise. Florence, the mate of Angus, at the Captiva Osprey platform of Lori Covert, has laid an egg. ‘H’ sent me the news this morning. The happy event happened last night, Sunday the 19th, at 23:23:18. Thanks, ‘H’.
It is quite true that little Victor starts some of the fights on the Moorings Park Osprey cam. For so long, he could spar with Abby at an equal pace. Now things have changed, and he might not even realise how dangerous it is for him to ‘wake up the lion’ in his older, dominant sibling. Abby was particularly brutal at 12:20 on Sunday, going after Victor’s head and twisting his neck and body. Victor went into submission and watched and waited. When Abby entered a food coma, he got up to the table at 13:15 and had a good feed until 13:29, when Abby decided to join him. Her ferocity of Abby is making me nervous.
Victor managed to eat on Saturday. He had lots of fish late in the day. The key is for Victor to get food, any amount of food, every day. Victor – be smart! Don’t antagonise your sister. You will not win!
0832 feeding. Sunday.
Abby’s attack on Victor at 12:51. It began around 12:20 and lasted for about half an hour, on and off.
Abby in food coma. Eat up, Victor!
At 13:29 Abby is up again at the table. Victor continues to be fed.
At 16:13, Victor was getting a crop. He has figured out how to eat and crop drop to hold more.
The rain is coming down in Naples late Sunday night. Sally is keeping the little ones warm and dry. Also – and this is great – there is a fish waiting on the nest to feed them to the left.
The Duke Farms eagle nest is simply a pleasure to watch. such little fluffy butterballs! Everyone eats. Dad has tonnes of fish in the nest, which should comfort everyone.
Both eaglets at the WRDC were up and being fed on Sunday so no significant problems. Rose appears to be getting better at feeding, and there is a fish feast on this nest in Miami. No food worries here – just getting that nice fish in the beaks of those babies.
Oops. I spoke too soon. Around 19:22, for no apparent reason it could, the eldest started beaking the youngest on the WRDC nest. Oh, goodness. There is a lot of food. I wish Rose would feed these eaglets more often!
Maya seems to have held off as long as she could and has ‘forgiven’ Blue 33 any indiscretions he might have had with Blue25. That is good news. Maya is such a fantastic osprey. She has been raising osplets since 2010 – 34 of them. That is an average of 2.6 chicks fledging in a year. Incredible. Her and Blue 33 have had two clutches of four eggs hatch and fledge – which is remarkable. As I have said several times in the past few days, some nests struggle with two osplets. Just imagine caring for and feeding four!!!!!!!!!! Last year they had three large female hatches. Blue 33 is a fantastic provider and they are an amazing team. Glad to see Blue25 off that nest and away from this family.
There was a successful mating!
Ever wondered how that played out between Maya and Blue25? How about aerial combat? It looks like Maya won…but check out what Blue 33 is doing all the while!!!!!!!!!
Maya and Blue 33 are not the only ones bonding and anticipating a nest of eggs. Shadow is working diligently on the nest at Big Bear and him and Jackie have been caught on camera trying for that replacement clutch.
There are Coots winding up on Eagle nests from Miami to California!
On Saturday night, Trey, the eaglet of Anna and Louis on the KNF-E1 nest was hit 16 times by the GHO in the area. We all wondered where Anna and Louis were. Tonya (chat moderator) offered some possible explanations for the adult’s behaviour.
M15 provided no less than four fish deliveries to the Es on Sunday. I stopped counting at the 4th fish delivery at 13:13. M15 made six deliveries on Saturday. These two are spoiled for food. Nice.
Both are up on the rim of the nest and each has been wingersizing.
This is one of the best videos of a fish delivery I have ever seen. M15 flies into the nest with a Tarpon. I want you to look at his muscular legs as he lowers the fish into the nest for the Es and then gets out. Wow. My son catches Tarpon. They live in the mangroves in the Caribbean. Look at the size of this fish and imagine M15 dragging it out of the water and flying!
‘H’ writes that the second hatch at Achieva Osprey has arrived safely. Time around 13:09 Sunday, 19 March.
Big Red and Arthur continue to mate and prepare their nest. Meanwhile, their feisty fourth hatch, L4, remains in the territory. It appears that she is carving out an area for herself despite the parents wishing she would move on to another spot!
L4 is gorgeous. She is not called a mini-Big Red for anything. Gorgeous redhead and belly band. She also has her red tail now!
And now for something light-hearted, thanks to SK Hideaways…Lou settling in on the four eggs!
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. So far, two Osprey couples are back in the UK at the time of writing this: Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 at LOTL and Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland. Take care, everyone. Happy Spring! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, Duke Farms, WRDC, LRWT, @Geemeff, @Jskdell, FOBBV, Tonya Irwin and KNF-E1, SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, Real Saunders Photography and SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, Achieva Credit Union, @CornellHawks, and Cal Falcons.
If you live in the United Kingdom, Happy Mother’s Day! And what a fantastic day it is with Maya landing on the nest. Blue 25 is there, and our guilty male, Blue 33, comes in with a fish! Thanks, Geemeff, for the head’s up!
Look at Blue 33’s eyes – like, oh gosh, what do I do now? Too funny. Go home, Blue 25. You just wanted free fish anyway!!!!!!! This is such a relief!
Oh, you can almost ‘smell’ spring on the Canadian Prairies. The snow is melting, and we have reached the balmy temperature of -5 C. Incredible. the Pileated Woodpecker has decided the garden is a good breakfast stop, and I must remember to fill up the suet logs for him. The Sparrows are singing and one Blue Jay has returned. Meanwhile, the Chickadees are busy in a tree in the front where I cannot see them. Are they making a nest?
Lewis has loved watching the squirrels and birds out the garden door! So happy he enjoys looking outside and not getting into mischief 24/7. He has only been inside the fridge twice now, and I have discovered that the loose tea packets sound like cat treats. I could not imagine what was making him so crazy. Of course, then he just had to have some treats. LOL. Thankfully he runs it all off during the day and night. Meanwhile, Missy lets Lewis get into trouble. She waits til the middle of the night for her turn when no one is looking!
After all the running around watching the birds and squirrels from room to room, Lewis is exhausted! Guess who takes up the entire big dog bed? and who has to sleep in the little basket?
The first hatch of the 2023 season for Jack and Diane at the Achieva Osprey Platform in St Petersburg, Florida came Saturday morning! 10:22:21 seems to be about the time. These are Tiny Tot Tumbles parents and there are two more eggs to hatch. Congratulations to everyone at Achieva.
Jack looks down at his new baby – proud dad.
M15 seemed to be entered into some speed fishing derby this morning. He brought four fish to the nest for the Es, nice size fish, from 0927-12:54. I stopped watching after that, knowing that the pair were good to go for another 48 hours if necessary! M15 didn’t stop with those four deliveries, he kept on going! Are you trying to impress the new lady, M15, like you have impressed us this year?
So many fish and birds were landing on the nest today that 22 was eating one and had a spare! And 21 was so full he didn’t want it. My last count of deliveries was six.
At 17:54, M15 came down from his branch and fed the eaglets the bird that he had brought. Talk about sweet.
Lady Hawk gives us some close ups of the female and in the background you can hear E22 squeeing very loudly – if he didn’t we would think something was wrong, right? Gosh, I am going to miss that sound!
M15 has already brought in food to the Es on Sunday morning as I prepare to publish this blog. Amazing Dad and Mum.
We all love Indigo. We also know that Diamond and Xavier do, too. Alas, they are trying hard to suggest to Indigo that he is now old enough to strike out and find his territory, and it isn’t their scrape box! Poor Indigo. Oh, this reminds me of life with Izzi!!!!
Cute little Xavier. He will let Diamond take care of Indigo!
If you have been watching the Moorings Park Osprey platform, the beaking is sometimes very difficult. Abby is quite the aggressive young lady when she wants to be, and she signals to Victor she is the boss. You need to watch the feedings because Victor is getting fed. That is what we want to see. Victor eating. And he is!
The key is for the one being beaked and being submissive to never look the dominant chick in the eye. It seems to set them off. The feedings below were at 11:26 and 14:21.
The dominant chick needs to be reassured that they will get food. The younger ones learn, if necessary, to give in to that and wait their turn. Abby now has a darker, blacker head.
Victor does not always get fed at every meal. The key is that he is eating and this phase should pass. There is plenty of food and both Harry and Sally are good parents. It is part of growing up on an osprey nest. At the 1654 feeding, Victor was in an awkward position. I presume he wanted to stay out of Abby’s way. He did get some fish.
That is Victor up at Sally’s beak. He is getting some bites of the fish before Abby attacks. She is being extremely aggressive despite there being enough fish for both. Let us hope that Abby goes into food coma and Victor gets some more.
Abby leaves the feed with a nice crop and Victor wants Sally to keep feeding. Where is the fish, Mum?
Victor is fish-calling. There is nothing left. What we need, is for Harry to fly to the nest with another great big fish for the last meal. Fill Abby up, and then Victor can have a good old feed. That is what he needs.
The one thing I like about eagles is that they leave prey on the nest for the Mum to feed the babies. Ospreys do not do that. They do not leave anything that will attract predators or insects. So Sally and the chicks are heavily reliant on Harry for prompt deliveries. Any break in the pattern will set the dominant chick off into survival mode where they worry that food is in short supply.
These images are from an earlier feed in the afternoon.
If you were watching the Moorings, Harry came in right on time with a nice chunk of fish. It was 19:12. Abby was still full and Victor was right up at the table! Victor is the one that is lighter and with the more copper head.
Victor is still getting fed at 1937 – so a 25-minute dinner. Note that Abby is in a food coma and does not care what is happening. This is how you keep a nest from falling into siblicide. Good management of deliveries when things get ticklish. Over the years, I have seen the female remove fish from the nest and return with it to feed the little one once the dominant pass out. (A good example was Blue35 at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria 2 years ago).
Victor is still fed at 19:45. Abby is now at the table. No worries for our little one tonight. He just ate a huge amount of fish!!!!!!!!!!! Throughout, Victor continued to do crop drops to hold more food. Smart.
Even with Abby there, Victor has not backed down and continues to be fed. This is all good. It is 19:48. There is also a lot of fish left. Thanks, Harry!
R4 and R5 each had nice crops when I checked in on a late-feeding Saturday. Rose is getting there. Just have patience. There is plenty of food for these two, and she has Ron as a backup as she learns her new role.
Ron giving them an early morning feed.
Rose feeding in the afternoon.
Evening meal compliments of Dad, Ron. I did not see one of the eaglets eat. Full from an earlier meal? Issues? We would expect both to have their beaks up. It has been difficult to see how much prey the little ones get on the one camera as the adult’s back is to us, blocking the view.
Jackie and Shadow are still taunting us with the thoughts of a replacement clutch. Jackie was in the nest bowl yesterday and both were at Big Bear again today. We wait.
Jackie wasn’t the only one to check out the egg bowl. Shadow joined in the action, too. Now we need something to fill that ‘egg’ cup!
At the nest of Martin and Rosa at Dulles-Greenway, the third hatch was underway Saturday night as the sun was setting. Last year they raised a single super-eaglet. This year the pair are going to be triply busy!
Worried about the two eaglets at Duke Farms? Don’t. They are both doing fantastic.
Sometimes you get lucky, and today was one of those days. Tico and Pearl were up on their nest at Superbeaks, getting fed by Muhlady! They are doing precisely what eaglets are supposed to do. Remember this. When they fledge, they should return to the nest where the parents feed them while they, the eaglets, get their flying and hunting skills perfected. This can be a month or a little longer.
Connick is no longer ‘little Connick’. Clive and Connie continue to sit on the branches on the natal nest showing Connick where he will branch.
At the nest of Trey, KNF-E1, the GHO attacked all night! Poor little eaglet. Listen and watch how well Trey protects itself.
Oh, how I miss seeing the action at the nest of Thunder and Akecheta. What a blessing it is that they come to the old cliffs and nest so that we can see they are alright. Both eaglets were there on and off today, early morning and at dusk.
What an amazing eagle. I would love to see you with those little ones this year, Akecheta. You were incredible with the trio last year!
As we all know, it has been a turbulent season at the Centreport Bald Eagle nest on Long Island. Dad is no longer with us and there were a number of suitors vying for Mum and the nest. There was even a death spiral between two of then – D4 and D5. Neither died. The winner appears to be D3! Now, it looks like there is an egg.
Why is Mum not incubating the egg 24/7? It is called delayed incubation. This helps all eggs laid to hatch closer together and ultimately helps stop siblicide on nests!
A visitor was at the nest of Gabby and V3 in St Petersburg, Florida. An Osprey! According to Gracie Shepherd, this osprey is a regular visit to this nest. His name is Bogey, and he is waiting for his mate, Bacall. Someone liked the movies that named these two! Time 16:57.
Big Red and Arthur have been mating and continue to work on their nest on the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York. L4, the feisty little hatch from 2022, remains in or near the territory of her parents. They have tried to suggest she move but it looks like L4 is staying put.
The storks are back in Germany. These storks are in Chemnitz-Wittgensdorf and have their nest on an old industrial factory’s chimney. The nest is approximately 28 m off the ground. Here is the link to their camera which is part of a research project with the Saxon State Foundation for Nature and the Environment (LANU Sachsen).
BirdLife International does not want us to give up. Their scientists want us to understand that there are conservation efforts that are being rewarded. The following articles remind us of this, “For example, in 2005, the Azores Bullfinch was Europe’s most threatened bird, with a population of just 40 pairs. SPEA (BirdLife in Portugal) helped to restore its native laurel forests, and it now numbers more than 1,000 individuals. On the other side of the globe, the Tahiti Monarch is recovering from just 19 birds through the hard work of SOP Manu (BirdLife in French Polynesia), who have managed to control not one, but nine invasive species.” We have to get out there and do what is necessary. What is good for our birds is also good for us! and our planet.
Migration is so dangerous. It is so hard to imagine the distance travelled in such a short time and the challenges that all the birds face. The other day the news carried a photograph of a kestrel that had flown from the southernmost part of Africa up to Northern Europe. Incredible. I am starting to use the other maps available to track the Black Storks of the Karula National Forest in Estonia as well as following the news on Looduskalender.
Still no news from Kaia or Bonus.
Remember to do what you can to protect their habitat, to save them from rodenticides, fly traps, song bird traps, shootings, monofilament line, lead ammunition and fishing gear, galvanised items, and the more than other 4o or more things that impede their lives.
We will be watching many places for a hatch, but Bella and Smitty at the NCTC nest – who have been fending off intruders – should have a pip on the 22nd of March. Getting ready for pip watch with Liberty and Guardian at Redding, too.
There continues to be no transmission from Zoe.
Thank you so much for being with me today and to those who wrote in hoping to help find out who banded Blue KW0. It is a considerable mystery with no records in Scotland, Canada or the US, but we hope to locate a bander in the Caribbean who did. Keep your fingers crossed. I will let you know if we are lucky! Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, Geemeff and LRWT, Achieva Credit Union, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, WRDC, FOBBV, Dulles-Greenway, Window to Wildlife, Tonya in NO, IWS and Explore.org, Lisa Schwartz and the Bald Eagles of Centreport, NY, NEFL-AEF, Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, LANU Sachsen, BirdLife International, Looduskalender Forum, and FORE.
