Sad news has come in this morning. As you were aware, it appeared that only one sea eaglet was seen around the parents. WBSE34 found itself far, far from home and blinded. We have also received word that WBSE33 is in care. This could be very good news if her condition is good. Oh, these poor babies. Thanks, Heidi.
Hugo Yugo is fine. It could, however, have ended badly. She ate a shoelace with a knot at one end! I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say that the ‘evidence’ arrived in the middle of dinner with my ‘bestie’. Hugo Yugo is back to her cheeky self and is now cuddled under my left arm, making it difficult for me to keyboard. Her sisters might well wish she was still under the weather as they had quite a bit of peace while she was under the weather. We are all relieved, and to think we thought she was trying to pass a fur ball!!!!!!! Not our girl. Where in the world she found this shoestring is beyond me; none seem to be missing. Gracious. I thought only dogs did things like this!!!!!!
Quickly skipping to our birds…
As anticipated, the second egg arrived for M15 and F23 around 6:15 PM. F23 experienced some intense contractions, which made me feel uncomfortable! I don’t expect a third egg, so we should be entering the hard incubation phase. A hatch is expected in mid-December.
We might have at least one fledge at Collins Street when you read this. The eyases are hungry, the parents are teasing them, and they can fly – they don’t know it yet! https://youtu.be/lauS5ZxHfaw?
Still there, but not for long.
Gosh, they are cute. SK Hideaways caught two on the perch and beaky kisses, too. We are so going to miss these three! https://youtu.be/xTzR2lhGCh8?
The family is waiting for breakfast at Port Lincoln. One fish arrived at 0924, and another at 1018. Mum brought them both to the nest, but as you will see from the images, she is not wet, so it is assumed that she picked them up from Dad. Unless, of course, she dried really quickly before returning to the nest.
Yesterday, Dad delivered four fish. He will probably do that again today. He is off to a good start! Kasse and Wilko can eat all the fish that comes to the nest – guaranteed.
.These fish counts and observations are absolutely critical in understanding osprey behaviour and the fish demands of a nest. I am still collecting data for the people working in Virginia to end the commercial fishing of menhaden. Yesterday, I received a fish count from ‘SD’ who counted 579 deliveries at Glaslyn. Counts vary due to the weather, the nests close proximity to good fishing, competition from other ospreys, eagles, gulls, etc. (More about the overfishing of Menhaden and need for accurate counts like they do at Port Lincoln below).
Morning images from the scrape of Diamond and Xavier. They might not have the runway that the Collins Street triplets have, but there is a whole lot of flapping going on with downy feathers flying everywhere! These two are more than adorable. Diamond and Xavier are demonstrating their flying skills and showing the kids how much fun it is to be a bird outside the window of the scrape.
Lots of food at Orange. The down is disappearing with only a few dandelions left. This year I have spent more time watching this scrape than Melbourne. Oh, how I hope that Yira and Garrama triumph without any issues soaring high above the tower chasing Diamond and Xavier for prey and getting it! With no bad weather when they fledge. Yes, let’s wish – all of us for sunny days and no rain!
Lots of activity at the nest of Gabby and Beau on Monday.
In migration news, Blue 511 appears to have flown with the good winds south out of Poole Harbour Monday morning. There is news of an osprey still in The Netherlands that has not left on its migration.
If you missed part 1 of the five part series on what CJ7 and Blue 022 got up to in raising four osplets to fledge in 2024, then here it is. There is a new release every Friday so do subscribe. (It’s free). The first episode is ‘The Arrival’. https://youtu.be/IlySzcfTh3c?
Isn’t it about time that all power companies need to be respectful of wildlife and amend and erect new poles or place them underground so no bird gets fried? Eighteen swans found dead. Please read about their unnecessary deaths here: https://bbc.com/news/articles/cew2nzvdyklo
The posting below addresses Stripped Bass; if you look closely, you will see that this was over a year ago. Never mind the date – everything still applies. I want to add that the osprey chicks and some adults starved to death because of Omega’s industrial fishing of Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. Not just a few, nearly every chick hatched and not just in Virginia! This has to stop. For precious little Cobey and all the Cobeys that hatch in the future, please help. If you do not live in Virginia, write to their Governor. Let’s flood his office from around the world. You can get a digital form by searching for Governor Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia and clicking the ‘Contact’ link at the top.
Wild Justice has just sent out its report on the Rodenticide Stewardship Report. Did the efforts to create less harm to wildlife work? Have a read – you can really educate yourself on these commercial killers and the harm that they do.
So that you know, I will no longer be posting on X but will be moving the blog to Bluesky this week. The best way to receive the blog is by e-mail subscription. There is no fee, and I have vowed that there never will be a charge for my blog or ads. You can unsubscribe at any time quickly.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please stop and go outside and be near plants and birds. Each of us needs to take care of ourselves. It is an anxious time. Tomorrow I will have some images of the geese and ducks that remain at my local pond for you. It was soothing – yes, soothing is a good word – to spend time with them on a crisp sunny day.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, MP’, SWFlorida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, NEFL-AEF, Birds of Poole Harbour, CBCN, Wild Justice, BTO, Facts that will Blow Your Mind FB, livescience.com
Thank you for your good wishes for Hugo Yugo. As I write this, she is pretty sick. She ate a little food on Saturday night and drank water on Sunday morning. She was able to keep it down. I am preparing to feed her with a syringe with ground-up kibble mixed with kitten milk to keep her going until she can see the vet on Wednesday. I will feed her every 1.5 hours. It is now late Sunday evening. Hugo Yugo had another feeding and instead of going straight to hide in my room on my pillow, she plunked herself down on the foot stool to watch her sisters. It feels like an improvement. And yes, we fed her with a syringe until nearly midnight when she ate on her own. Tears.
She is now cuddled with her Missey. This is fantastic.
I am really, really tired of hearing about our wildlife being killed unnecessarily. It has been a week that just keeps on giving!
New research shows that skyscrapers are killing millions of birds annually during migration. It doesn’t have to happen. What is wrong with people?
It just seems there have been so many deaths associated with humans where I live lately. There were the eight bald eagles in the field (COD pending), then the two local foxes whose den was destroyed at the site of new condos – the one being hit by a car on a busy street last night and the other on a busy bridge. My fear is that they were targeted – the driver of the vehicle either baiting them or driving around til they saw them out and speeding up. I am worried about Dyson and her kids who now run across a street that has nothing to slow down the would be Formula 3 drivers since their trees were cut down. We went to get Hugo Yugo more kitten milk and noticed the large tree at the intersection where the Blue Jays nest has a vast orange circle on it this morning, indicating it is now destined to be cut down. When they are finished, we will not have a tree anywhere in sight higher than a meter. Our street was fully canopied two years ago after the leaves came out. It was gorgeous. Looks like the barren moonscape now. The trees the City planted will take 25 years even to become a size for animals to use. The ones being cut down were planted in 1902. If I could scoop up all the garden animals and The Boyfriend and move them, I would leave.
Oh, enough of my rant. The animals are so used to me that I can now sit on the upper deck and photograph them while they forage.
Just look at Dyson. She is not young. She is a real Senior citizen in the squirrel community, but, more important, she is the matriarch.
It is not a great image, but look at that strong back leg of Dyson’s as she gets ready to jump down with her precious peanut.
One of Dyson’s three kits. Isn’t it cute?
And another kit. The three of them were running around the garden with their Mum. They don’t mind me at all. I feel so privileged – and, of course, these are the reasons that I could never leave here – just vacation elsewhere. There is no natural food or not much for them anymore. The Squirrels used to eat the ‘helicopters’ (the seeds) of the Maple Trees but there are no more Maples and no one had the foresight to plant Oak trees!!!!!!!!!!! So no acorns. I did catch Little Red at the very top of the crab apple tree getting the little apples, though. That is not enough to sustain even him, however.
This is how it starts out in the morning. Today, I discovered that the Blue Jays get busy pecking the peanuts and shooting the ones they don’t like off the feeding tray! Dyson & Co thank them for sure. Junior is also stuffing peanuts down its throat like Mr Crow – like a pouch as in pelican. :))
Both Crows visited today.
Oh, the joy they bring! Just look at that face on the Crow above. I cannot imagine anyone harming them.
Isn’t this a gorgeous image? Don Dennis photographed this Bald Eagle couple on Russell Lake, Nova Scotia on Saturday, 9 November 2024. Many more will be coming to our prey-rich Atlantic province for the winter! Don is an excellent photographer. It looks like these two were deep in conversation. I love the evergreens and then that touch of autumn foliage.
At Port Lincoln, breakfast came early. Kasse ate last, but the milestone reached was by Wilko who stood up to eat! He is becoming a ‘big boy’.
Wilko stands up tall part way through the feeding to eat! Way to go, Wilko.
Now it is Kasse’s turn for some fish!
At Collins Street, the parents want the triplets to fledge. They deliver prey and take it away flying by to tease them to use those wings and chase them! It is all coming far too soon for Melbourne and Orange. https://youtu.be/l-xDYFIszYQ?
Diamond and Xavier are not withholding prey!
No news really for the fledgling WBSE. It kind of worries me. The one was in the bushes the other day. Will someone check? I wonder. One had their wing caught eons ago in branches down low and couldn’t get away.
At Hilton Head Bald Eagle nest, we have a takeover (or potential take over bid) by the GHOs. The nest was battered by Hurricane Milton. Wonder where the eagles will nest? https://youtu.be/5WqBTRFWqZ4?
Meanwhile at NE Florida, Gabby and Beau worked tirelessly on Sunday getting that nest ready for those precious eggs (fingers crossed).
It rained in Iowa. I did not see any eagles working on the nest at Decorah North. Rain started later in the afternoon.
Eagles were present at Denton Homes.
Beautiful sunset over the Captiva Bald Eagle nest of Connie and Clive.
I hope they don’t mind. Karl II was the most amazing Black Stork father and he deserves to always be remembered on ‘Father’s Day in Estonia’ and every where around the world where he was loved.
The latest from Sharon Dunne on the Royal Albatross chicks and their flight to the waters off Chile.
Rita the Eagle Monday Facts.
Live in Vancouver? There is a fundraiser for The Nest Companion Bird Car & Rehabilitation Society.
There are still hundreds if not thousands of Canada Geese in Winnipeg who have not migrated. In SW Manitoba, the Sandhill Cranes are still flying south. It is the middle of November!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, posts, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, Connie and Don Dennis,H, J’, Heidi McGrue, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Judy Harrington, Hilton Head Land Trust, NEFL-AEF, Raptor Resource Project/explore.org, Denton Homes, Window to Wildlife, Heidi McGrue, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cali Condor, ETSU-Bluff City, ETSU-Johnson City, Raptor Persecution UK, Madli Allsoo, Sharon Dunne, Rita the Eagle, The Nest Companion Bird Care & Rehabilitation Society
It was sunny and windy on Thursday morning. There were about 500-600 Canada Geese on a nearby golf course when I drove past. The water in the ponds providing swimming for some and no doubt safety for others later.
All of the feral cats have been to the feeders this morning: Squishy, a grey tabby with a flipped over ear, the Orange Ginger family pet that is let loose during the day, the grey tabby, and The Boyfriend. The need is growing. Of course, everyone thinks that prices of things will drop, but in my lifetime I have never seen this happen. Pet food appears to be soaring. My heart breaks for the families who have to surrender their pets, but not for those that dump them. They need care and surely there is someone to take them home and love them rather than leaving them to the freezing cold of a Winnipeg winter. On Saturday we will take all the wood out of the wood boxes, load them with straw and put a light bulb in there and close in three and a half sides. It will help some.
There is still concern about Avian Flu and bird feeders. ‘R’ sent us an article from The Washington Post that might answer some of your questions. The author says, “While avian flu is widespread among wild bird species, less than 2 percent of cases have been in songbirds and other typical visitors to bird feeders. Health officials have not recommended taking down bird feeders except for people who keep domestic poultry as part of a backyard flock. (In such cases, the USDA says poultry owners should take down feeders for wild birds or keep them well away from their captive flock, and to make the captive flock’s food and water inaccessible to wild birds.)
People should clean bird feeders and bird baths regularly. Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after touching the feeders. Avoid direct contact with birds, and do not handle sick or dead birds.”
M15 and F23 working diligently every day on their nest in Fort Myers, Florida.
M15 checks out the nest for suitability for F23 and their eggs.
Chandler flew in to the Port Tobacco Eagle Nest for a few seconds!
Haven’t seen anyone so far on Thursday at Big Bear.
Ron and Rose were at the WRDC nest despite the very windy conditions on Thursday.
Connie and Clive visit the Captiva Eagle nest on the Barrier Islands in Florida on a breezy day. Nice crops! Good to see these two after Milton tore through the island.
Eagles working on the Denton Home nest and sleeping together at the nest. What a wonderful sight.
Wednesday they worked on the West End cam of Thunder and Akecheta, Thursday it was Two Harbours nest of Chase and Cholyn, Thunder’s parents.
They were flapping and waiting for breakfast at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
Prey delivery at Collins Street.
‘A’ remarks: “Suddenly, the trio at Collins Street are rapidly approaching fledge. Two of them are now running along the ledge, flapping their wings vigorously, which is nerve-wracking in the extreme. There is almost no fluff left on the older two, except a few dandelions on their heads. The youngest still sports some fluff on its wings, but suddenly, these three are looking very much like juvenile falcons. We will not have them for much longer. I cannot believe how quickly that triple-headed fluffball of an eating machine has become three juveniles who are potentially within days of fledging. Omigod, I am going to miss them SO much. It seems like only yesterday that we saw our first gutter stomp. “
Yira and Gammata share morning prey. Diamond feeds, too.
‘A’ comments: “At Orange, the pair still have quite a bit of down on their heads and wings. They are about a week behind the Collins Street trio, are they not? At least the Orange fledglings do often/usually return to the scrape after fledging (we remember those occasions when the parents literally had to bar the door from their adult offspring, with a not so gentle hint relating to the concept of dispersal). But we do generally get to see a bit more of them once they fledge. At Collins Street, we essentially wait until someone finds one of them injured, dead or starving on the streets of Melbourne’s CBD. We get little or no information on them post-fledge (although the Facebook group may have some BOTG – I’ll be relying on you for info from that source). But watching the Collins Street kids today has left me flabbergasted at how time has flown and the fact these chicks are already about to do the same. I’m sad now. “
Dad is off his perch and Mum is calling for food. There was not much on Thursday and Kasse got nothing. There was some beaking. This provoked the fish fairies into action.
‘A’ reports: “The most important news of the day is that there was a four-fish delivery from our beloved Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln this morning (09:38). A day too late unfortunately to prevent the two incidents of bonking yesterday that for the first time occurred during a feeding and was definitely done in order to prevent Kasse from eating. Not a good thing, and I’m glad the FF stepped in straight away. I would have preferred it to happen two days ago, when I was worrying about the lack of food deliveries and the potential for aggression this presented, but I suppose they were trying to avoid it altogether. And dad had been stepping up his fishing efforts – successfully, up until the last three or four days. So it was probably weather-related. But whatever the reason, the nature and timing of yesterday’s aggression made it essential that the Fish Fairy step in asap. I’m glad they didn’t delay. “
Thank you, Fish Fairies! I will sleep better Thursday night in Canada knowing you are there.
Heidi’s video of the Fish Fairy!!!!!!!! They included this information below the video: “Wilko is 33 days old, and Kasse is 30 days old. There were only two fish delivered to the nest yesterday, and as a result there was significant sibling aggression due to food competition. This morning, the ‘Fish Fairy’ placed four fish on the nest. It was the first time the supplemental fish were necessary this season. Ospreys are endangered in South Australia, and last season they instituted an officially authorized program of supplemental feeding for this nest. The supplemental feeding program is intended to help increase the survival rate of the osprey nestlings. Last year’s Fish Fairy program was a success, and both osplets fledged! For more information on the supplemental feeding program, please see this statement dated 10/27/23: https://portlincoln-osprey.com/portli…
Elizabeth Grey, National Audubon said on Thursday that Audubon vows to: “Strengthening Local and State Initiatives: While federal policy may shift, our commitment to local and state conservation efforts remains steadfast. We will work with communities to build resilience, ensuring that conservation continues regardless of changes at the federal level.” Just as I see my City taking every piece of land and building 3-4 story apartment buildings instead of 35 stories, each of us needs to lend a hand to help wildlife. You can do that in your own garden.
I needed a smile today and seeing Seren 5F at her winter home in The Gambia does it. She is a great mate to Dylan at Llyn Clywedog and a fantastic mother. She wasted a lot of years being courted by Aran but, in the end, he stayed with Mrs G. Great choice! But glad 5F found a great mate, too. Dylan is amazing. This is her biography from Glaslyn Wildlife.
Seren Blue 5F will be thirteen years old during the 2025 breeding season.
“Hatched at the Rutland Site K nest in 2012. Her mother is the satellite tagged female Yellow 30 (hatched at the Rutland Site B nest in 2005) and her father was the translocated Rutland male Red 08 (2001).
In December 2013, Blue 5F was photographed by Chris Wood at Tanji Marsh in Gambia, she was 18 months old at the time and would not yet have made a return journey to the UK. In December 2014 Chris returned to Tanji Marsh and he again found 5F settled for the winter there. She had not been spotted back in the UK during the summer, although it is likely she would have travelled north as a two-year old. On 9th April 2015 Blue 5F was captured on camera again, as she landed on the perch of the Glaslyn nest, this was the first sighting of her in the UK as an adult. She remained in the Glaslyn area during the summer and intruded at the Glaslyn nest on several occasions. By the middle of October we heard the news via Fansu Bojang and Chris Wood that 5F was back in her wintering quarters in Tanji Marsh.
On 29th March 2016 Blue 5F landed on the perch at Glaslyn once again. Two days later she was in a skirmish with her cousin Blue 24 at the Dyfi nest. Glesni, another cousin, who was the resident female at Dyfi, had not yet returned. Before long, 5F was back on a favourite nesting platform in the Glaslyn area. Aran was spotted mating with her on several occasions and for a while she appeared to be incubating eggs. The nest failed however and 5F soon resumed her regular intrusions at the Glaslyn nest.
During the winters of 2016 to 2019, 5F was once again settled in her wintering quarters in Gambia, where Chris Wood photographed her for the fourth and fifth consecutive years. During the winter of 2018 she spent the majority of her time in the Tujereng Beach area of Gambia, although she was spotted at Tanji again in autumn 2019.
On 1st April 2020, 5F appeared on the camera that had been installed by NRW at the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest in mid-Wales. On 3rd April she also appeared on the Glaslyn nest, before being seen off by Mrs G. The following day she returned to Clywedog and was soon joined by the resident male, Dylan. The original female, Delyth, failed to return and 5F became Dylan’s new mate. Together they raised three male chicks and all three successfully fledged. A very happy outcome – Congratulations 5F!”
There are still Ospreys in the Netherlands that have not migrated – along with several in the UK. Maybe they know something we do not? Is it possible not to migrate in an age of climate change? Last year was the hottest on record for our planet.
A 25 year old German Osprey has been seen in Sardinia. Blue Ring OD. Amazing. Its experience, after surviving those first years after fledgling, have kept this bird alive. Incredible.
The last information I could find on the migration of the Black Storks from Estonia. Apologies for the small size. I cannot enlarge but perhaps you can.
Calico wonders if you would like to make someone feel warm and fuzzy? Lucille Powell has provided the address for the residents of the Riverview Care home next to Iris and Finnegan’s nest. Have a card and a stamp? Want to include a note about yourself and how much you love the ospreys? Or anything else. Here is the information. Think about spreading the love!
I do not know if they are taking any further orders but here is the information about the Iris and Finnegan pins. These are made out of sticks brought to the nest by the ospreys and collected by Dr Greene. They are carefully lathed and assembled by Sharon Leigh and her husband. I have enjoyed mine for years and you can get find new ink cartridges almost anywhere.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, R’, The Washington Post, Androcat, chickiedee64, NEFL-AEF, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, FOBBV, WRDC Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Denton Homes Eagle Cam, Trudi Kron and Bald Eagles 101, Deb Stecyk and NCTC Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Nesting Birdlife and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, Heidi McGrue, Judy Harrington, SK Hideaways, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Valerie Webber and The Clywedog Osprey Group, Yale Climate Connections, Ecology and Evolution and PMC, Jeff Kear and Friends of Loch Arkaig FB, H Lorm and Looduskalender Forum, Montana Ospreys at Hellgate and Lucille Powell, Montana Osprey Cams.
It is Halloween. It is also Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Will you be celebrating either of these holidays? In years past, we used to get at least 75 children at the door wanting treats, and that all changed. I am thrilled that some of the streets in our neighbourhood are being blocked off so that the children can run from house to house and cross the street without worry of being hit by a car. On Saturday, there was the walk at Bird’s Hill, and CPAWS put on all the games and treats. There have been events at many of the community centres. Everyone is trying to make it safe for the little ones to be outside. The biggest Diwali party took place at our convention centre a couple of weeks ago.
I remember several years spent celebrating this holiday on the Indian Subcontinent eons ago. The food was delicious! It was the same later in Singapore. We have put up extra lights in the garden this year and will be thinking of our friends in India and Singapore as they celebrate good over evil and light over darkness.
National Geographic Kids gives this information on Divali: “Diwali, or Dipawali, is India‘s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.
Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that’s also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali as well.”
Now, ‘The Girls’ are wondering how much you know about Halloween. They consulted Good Housekeeping and it says, “If you think Halloween is a uniquely American tradition, grab a mini Snickers and settle in, because you’ve got some learning to do. Dressing up in a creative costume, traipsing around in the gathering dusk to collect the best candy or throwing a monster bash with friends are all time-honored holiday traditions. But Halloween didn’t start stateside at all.
In fact, the origins of Halloween go back thousands of years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”), a festival that marked the end of the harvest season and ushered in a new year. During Samhain, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was thought to be especially thin, so people could communicate with loved ones who had passed on.
Whether or not you buy into the supernatural, it’s still fun to learn a little something about the meaning behind your favorite Halloween traditions before you head out trick-or-treating. Turns out, the holiday has a much more interesting (and sometimes even spookier!) backstory than many people realize. Travel back in time with us to learn what some of the very first celebrations of Halloween looked like, including throwback ghoulies and ghosties, what people used to carve in place of pumpkins and even the elements that Valentine’s Day and Halloween have in common. We can guarantee there wasn’t a glitter pumpkin or superhero costume in sight.”
Calico urges you to keep your kitties inside during Halloween. (She thinks they should be inside all the time and Calico should know – she lived on the street!)
The best news in the world is that Lady and Dad are feeding SE33 and SE34 over away from the river from the moment and while they might be getting harranged by Currawongs and other small birds, they appear to be flying strong and eating well as of the time I am writing. Seeing the eaglets and their parents together just made me shed tears of joy. I hope you did, too!
I will continue to post all of the news that I can find. Some might overlap with earlier reports.
It is really, really hot on that ledge in Melbourne. The temperature ready for lower down is 16 C. I wonder what it is on that ledge. Just look at Mum.
News from New Jersey says that Ospreys are staying later this year. In Manitoba, there are still lots and lots of geese and ducks. Perhaps this is the reason for the low migration numbers of raptors below. I sure hope so. The Red-tail Hawk count makes me cry. Let’s hope this is just a late season or these raptors are in trouble.
It seems that we take one step forward and one or two backwards when it comes to protecting wildlife and habitat. More news from Geemeff:
This is a damning report on the state of the environment and rewilding just after we read about huge swaths of land being put into trust and not into grouse shooting.
Osprey accepted the platform that had to be removed and rebuilt in South Australia. Wonderful news. Now if we can get Ervie a mate and a platform with a camera all of our dreams will come true. Little Envies!!!!!!! Think about it.
Breakfast at Port Lincoln. Gosh, Dad is doing a good job this season. Would love to give him a pat on his feathered back. Keep up the good work!
Beau and Gabby continue to work in their amazing nest. As we enter November, we can hope that fertilized eggs will appear by the end of the month with a hatch on Samson’s hatch day (24 December).
‘H’ sent me some sad news this morning regarding the cameras at NE Florida: “We’ll be lucky if we get to see any of Gabby and Beau and their family this season. As you know, cam 2 is down all season due to a broken cable. Well, now the cam 1 issues have been diagnosed: a partially broken cable. Not all the strands within the cable at the nest are being used to transmit to the server… meaning that some of the cam 1 cable fibers are broken. Cam 4 is still okay so far.”
I cannot imagine know knowing if Gabby and Beau have babies this year. Was it the hurricane that damaged the cables (Milton)? Do the cameras get an annual check up here? I wonder.
It was raining at the West End, too. Thunder was looking out over the territory.
This is a very good use of funds. They will get to the bottom of all the questions about Menhaden and quotas and surely to goodness will help save the Osprey in the same way that the warnings from Rachel Carson issued about DDT did in the 1970s. There are many species at risk because of the commercial fishing of Menhaden being allowed by the State of Virginia. It needs to stop before they are wiped out entirely and there are no more ospreys, not even starving ones.
Scotland is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. It is home to so many raptors. So why not rewild 33% of Scotland. This film asks that question. Our narrator is a 26 year old who has eco- anxiety. Take some time to watch. It isn’t just Scotland. There are some gorgeous images and thought provoking questions. Even a good comparison between Scotland and Norway, the Oder Delta between Germany and Poland, and other sites that have rewilded. Happy ecosysystems and biodiversity link to the nature and climate crisis. https://youtu.be/FFypWj1bjPk?
Missing story time with Calico and the other three girls is not a good thing. I apologized this evening profusely and we settled down with treats and a good book. It got Calico’s Ten Golden Paw Award and she thinks you might want to put it on your holiday list for those special children in your life. It is not about raptors, but about seals and comes to us from Wales. The main characters are the seals that come to the island to have their pups and to rest. The other central character is Tina, a little girl who lives on the island where her Mum is the local vet. It is summer holiday season and Tina is determined to make the holiday goers that come to the island understand how to respect the seals. The book is: Rescue at Seal Bay by Gill Lewis. The only colour illustrations are on the front and back covers. All others are black and white drawings, just in case you wanted to know. The story is really good and Calico didn’t mind not seeing images in colour! It is listed at $14.99 CDN at the online retailers.
Calico found a lot of books written by Gill Lewis. We just ordered another one for her birthday – Sky Hawk. It is about Hen Harriers! I can’t wait to read it.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, OpenVerse, National Geographic for Children, Eagle Cam, Judy Harrington, Rohan Geddes, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Hawk Mountain Migration Chart, pressreader.com, Fran Solly Coffin Bay Community Notice Board, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Nesting Bird Life and More, Elain, NEFL-AEF, Androcat, Raptor Research Project/Explore.org, PIX Cams, FOBBV, IWS/Explore.org, Joanie Millward, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, The Scottish Rewilding Alliance, Gill Lewis, Harley Thomas White.
Thank you so much for being with us. It is nearly the end of October! Tomorrow is Halloween. The following day is All Souls Day, and when I lived in England, we were preparing to celebrate Guy Fawke’s Day on the 5th of November. I have lots of beautiful memories of ‘Guys’ in wagons, bonfires, and jacket potatoes in the back garden with friends. It marked fall. The back garden of our house on Gorse Road in Grantham had fruit trees, mostly apples and plums. They were delicious and by the beginning of November all had been picked and eaten or given to friends and neighbours. The ones that had fallen were left for the hedgehogs to eat. Shallow bowls of water were always left on the back step for them, too. When we first moved to the UK, hedgehogs were the stuff of children’s stories. Our son decided to bring one inside the house. Yes, those of you who are British will know what happened next! Fleas flew everywhere. It was a solid cloud. Our dear little friend quickly found its way back to the orchard – and if memory holds, not a single other hedgehog made its way into the house.
The past several years have been really challenging. I never know if I am waking up to a toddler or a teenager. It is difficult navigating through life with a partner whose Lewy Body Dementia is getting worse. I have learned more about dementia in the last couple of years than I ever imagined. Well, to begin with, I never imagined caring for a person with dementia a decade younger than I am, but it happens more often than you might think. There are beautiful moments, and then, in a blink, his world and mine change. I have learned to grasp onto those times and hold them tight. Thank you for bearing with me through these transitions. My reports are not as long and do not include as much academic information – Bird World is relatively quiet right now (thank goodness) and my real focus is always the ospreys. Thankfully, the Northern Hemisphere’s breeding season is not here yet and will not be in full swing until the new year. In the meantime, I am so grateful for the garden animals and The Girls and for the fact that I can go for long extended walks in the parks and forests near to where I live. It all helps keep my mind in balance!
I did have a laugh. One long time reader and friend thought that Missey had done Calico in. No, Calico was not eaten by Missey! Yes, I know Missey looks huge in the images. She is large; she is a Maine Coon, but she is also mostly fur. Missey does look formidable, something out of a medieval forest lurking with magical creatures. Calico is, however, very much alive and well. Both Calico and Missey like to think that they are the boss, but the real boss of the house is Hugo Yugo. She is the tiniest, bossiest little ginger female I have ever met. She will rush to finish her food dish and then leap off the counter and run to push Calico away from her dish so she can eat it. That single fact has helped Calico lose all that weight. Just look at how trim she is. The vet will be pleased when she sees her in November for her annual check up. When we brought Calico in from the cold outdoors, we did not know when she was born. The vet guessed how old she was and based on that we picked November 2 for her birthday. This, of course, means that we will be having another one of those wild parties on Saturday.
Sadly, as The Girls have now all passed the year mark, they do not run and play at night like they used to. I surely miss that!
The real boss of the house! And if you are wondering, Hugo Yugo did run and jump on Calico to get that spot in the purple chair.
I have said it once and I will say it a million times, Baby Hope is nothing short of the sweetest thing around. Look at her staring at Hugo Yugo as HY is getting ready to leap to the top of the cat tree.
Calico and Baby Hope never cause an instant of trouble. It is always Hugo Yugo and Missey. If things are falling down in the middle of the night, you can count on it being those two.
Two Crows were at the big tray feeder. I counted. This one carefully took six peanuts including this one, the seventh, in his beak. Incredible. The Crows are ‘off’ the cheesy dogs. I also find that very interesting. They started wanting only peanuts in early September. We start out with huge piles on the tray feeders – big and small – and scattered on the deck for the squirrels. They will be gone within an hour! I am not kidding you.
Junior and the Mrs were also after those peanuts. Just look at that pile of peanuts on both those feeders. These Corvids are busy! They are in competition with three grey squirrels and two red ones.
Just a quick note. Yesterday I included the day’s sightings at some of the Bald Eagle nests. I did not mean to imply that eagles had not visited ETSU-Johnson City. I had just not seen them yesterday. Boone and Jolene have been regularly visiting the nest and refurbishing it!
Wildlife groups and rehabilitation clinics continue to plead with people not to use the fake spider webs. Here is another one:
What is going on in Bird World? Well, the focus is on the Sea Eaglets at the Olympic Park in Sydney. And the questions that are on everyone’s mind are these: Are the eaglets eating (either being fed or getting their own prey? OR Will they wind up grounded near the Discovery Centre and wind up in care – which if they are not so emaciated, would not be so bad. As far as I can tell the only bad scenario is that these fledglings are not seen fed and are not grounded by the Discovery Centre so they can be rescued. So fingers crossed. I will post all the news that I can find.
“October 29: Eagles were seen on the river around 7:30 –then shortly after on the mangroves – one with a fish. While doing surveys in the wetlands nearby between 7am and 8:30, there was no sign of either eaglet. Around 8:15, an eaglet was seen flying across the Armory grassland, being chased by the usual swoopers. It was seen on top of one of the old Navy-era mounds, then flew off again. One eaglet was reported by a member of the public along one of the pathways, but was gone when we investigated. We think this is SE34 and it is flying strongly and moving about. There were more sightings during the day, and one of the eaglets was seen from the ferry, flying along the river. Early evening, Dad was seen with a bird, taking it to River Roost. Neither eagle returned to the nest today. At dusk, the adults were at River Roost. The picture is from a sighting yesterday.”
‘A’ remarks: “I can hear those damned currawongs from the open WBSE tab, which I check regularly in the hope that one time, I will see an eaglet back on the nest, eating some fish. But all I hear are currawongs. It’s worrying, and oh so sad. I really thought this year might be different, due to the lengthier time the youngsters spent dealing with the swoopers while still having the nest as their ‘safe spot’. But it seems not. And what is really worrying to me is that it seems to be the parents who are letting the eaglets down. I was hoping that, like last season, the parents would help the eaglets by feeding them and showing them where the fish were. Watching their parents hunt would surely have helped immensely. But apparently this is not happening. “
In the Central Business District of Melbourne, there is a peregrine falcon scrape. Everyone held their breath as one of the chicks got a little too close to the ledge. https://youtu.be/0nKnS5II4rU?
They are getting their juvenile feathers as you can see clearly in the images below. They will be walking soon, tall and strong. They are learning to pluck by watching the parents who are bringing the prey to the nest and plucking it before them.
‘A’ remarks: “At Collins Street, the littles are self-feeding, and at least from dad’s point of view, it may well have reached the dump and depart phase. He brought some prey early, about 06:12, but one of the humongous fluffballs grabbed it from him and dad considered, then thought better of trying to retrieve it. The triumphant chick took its prize down into the gutter to eat it in peace, so dad retrieved what looked like a very long leg (or perhaps a piece of wing) from the scrape and began feeding it to one of the others.
The third chick sat motionless, intently watching the scene unfold, from the back corner of the scrape. Eventually, it moved forward and into the feeding line. When dad responded by offering it food, it stole the entire piece and took it back into its corner of the scrape, where it proceeded to self-feed. Dad continued feeding what was left of his leftovers to the remaining chick.
So in the end, everyone ate breakfast, but it was hardly the most organised or coordinated of feedings. Everyone ate in their own place and in their own time. Dad just went with the flow, handling the situation with aplomb. These three are already a massive handful for their parents, especially poor little dad, who is dwarfed by his offspring. This family is just TOO funny. “
These kids at Collins Street are so precocious. They are developing right where they should and one decided to take the prey from Dad and high tail it to the other end of the ledge!
Oops. Dad arrived Wednesday morning on the ledge and those triplets let him know that he can only come with his talons full! https://youtu.be/ej47XnKN9JE?
At Port Lincoln, Wilko eats first but Kasse wants some fish and gets some! He scoots up and Mum notices. ‘A’ comments: “At Port Lincoln, there was a bit of bonking at 06:32, but dad brought in a small whole fish at 06:41 and everyone was happy. Kasse is up off hisd tarsi and onto his feet today. He seems to have a fascination with feet that reminds me of a sweet girl called Lindsay. She too had to be reminded that other people’s toes were not toys. But Kasse is playing with Wilco’s toes and with mum’s. Just adorable. “
Diamond feeds Yira and Garramma their second breakfast. Xavier had a good go for a few minutes!
Black Stork Migration. Here is the Bird Map chart for the 30th of October. Waba still appears to be in the very south of Egypt at his last transmission.
Despite the fact that ospreys are what make me wake up in the morning, I love all birds and there are some that pull at my heart strings more than others. Jackie and Shadow are one of those couples. Jackie was at the nest looking at it and out over the territory while Shadow was finding the best sticks for cot rails. This couple lives in hope – the eternal hope that maybe this year they will be able to raise another eaglet together.
Polar Bears. The Canadian province where I live is often called the world’s Polar Bear capital. At our local zoo, three live in a large open space with pools and dens built a few years ago. In the north, in Churchill, the bears are hungry. If they come into the town three times, they are shot. Not tranquilized, but killed. They are hungry. The sea ice has retreated, and there are fewer seals they rely on for food. It is hot in Churchill and parts of the Arctic. It is unclear when the entire ecosystem that supports them will collapse, but there is evidence to show that it is beginning to happen sooner than expected. So what about captivity, like our zoo? What are the pros? And cons?
This is a good read. It asks a lot of important questions.
What a great post from Connie Dennis in Nova Scotia. How often do we hear people say or read that our dear feathered friends, mammals, and fish do not have feelings? They are sentient beings; their behaviour towards these beautiful creatures will surely change once people recognize this. For a good read on animals and birds as sentient beings look no further than Marc Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals.
The trailer for the documentary on California Condors from the Ventana Wildlife Society: https://youtu.be/dgCVAA-NNig?
Geemeff sends us some really good news. Don’t we wish we could get together and buy the Chesapeake Bay and stop the fishing? They say, “One more parcel of land for nature, one less for the #IdiotsWithGuns who like to kill in the name of so-called ‘sport’.
While that is a good thought-provoking read about polar bears, we are going to close today with a good news story about a juvenile rescue. We need these good stories!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. Stay safe out there.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, SA’ Valerie Wright , Judy Harrington, Kerry Allen, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Deborah Victoriana, SK Hideaways, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Falcon Cam Project, NEFL-AEF, Androcat, Charter Group Birdcams, The Guardian, Connie Dennis, Ventana Wildlife Society, Tamarack Wildlife Centre.
Cams are down in Florida. We have yet to determine what happened. ‘PB’ sent the following images to me from Barb Henry. All is well at SW Florida in Fort Myers. We are waiting for the word of Clive. And I am presuming that Achieva platform is alright. It was still holding in the worst winds as the far eye wall went through last night.
This report is a kind of mixed-up stream of consciousness following of Milton and the nests. In particular, I focused on Captiva, Achieva, and SW Florida. Thursday was quite the day and many of the other nests got simply overlooked – brief mentions at the tail end. So many of you watched Clive and stayed with him til the cameras went out at Captiva. He is my hero! Let us all hope that there is some word from Window to Wildlife on his status on Thursday since power to the cameras appears to be out there.
This is the wall of the hurricane after Milton made landfall hitting the Achieva Osprey platform. Notice the surge of water in the street below.
Milton has made landfall. So far, M15 and F23’s nest is holding. Some of the upper branches might break off.
At 36 minutes to landfall…cameras went out at Captiva at 1934 or thereabouts. At that time, Clive was in the nest.
Achieva. 89 mph wind gusts at the moment. Achieva had 5 inches of rain in an hour and had more than 7 inches prior to that. Lots of flash floods. The worst of the winds seem to hit Achieva after 2100 and you could see the streets filling up with water. See second image below.
This was 24 minutes til landfall near Achieva nest.
M15 visited his nest in Fort Myers, Florida before a tornado was at Cape Coral moving towards the Fort Myers area. They are expecting that tornado to hit the area of the nest within a few minutes as I write this. This is a PDF tornado, a monster tornado with life-threatening winds. They are saying that these are some of the biggest tornadoes ever seen in Florida. There is significant damage on the north side of Fort Myers. The cells are moving to the east and the nest should be alright for now. It is 1317 at the nest.
Lots of water when that system went through but M15’s tree is still standing.
Twisting M15’s tree around. Not sure those top perches are going to survive this.
There are huge tornadoes all over the area of the nests that are covered on the streaming cams – and, of course, all those wildlife that are not covered on cam. What a horrible day this is going to be.
One of the Bald Eagles is in the nest at Captiva! Look at the time. We are within 1 hour 48 minutes of Milton making landfall. Maybe this eagle knows something we don’t. They are thinking the hurricane is going to hit Sarasota instead of Tampa Bay. That would include Fort Myers and, of course, Captiva is in that path.
Lots of power line flashes going on at Captiva.
Osprey nest at Captiva. The storm surge is hitting the island. Milton is 1 hour and 3 minutes away and the osprey nest is losing sticks and rocking but holding in there.
Cameras off at Captiva now. Clive was still at the nest, hunkered way down as the hurricane went right over Captiva on its way towards St Petersburgh and Sarasota.
‘PB’ sent the migration map. Notice how smart those birds were to avoid Florida.
In other news…
Wilko and sibling, halfway around the world, only have one thing on their mind – fish! *
Every crop is full at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
‘A’ reports. “Those three are voracious eaters, and mum is kept very busy indeed filling those three endlessly open beaks. The youngest is very good at getting fed – it begs ceaselessly and loudly and always has its beak wide open. When it turns forward to face mum, it does not do as well as when it has its back to her in the tripod configuration I have been talking about. When the three beaks are gathered together in the centre of the tripod, it is very easy for mum to put food into all three, even though the heights vary. So the youngest has the best access to food in this position, which it has quickly realised. Smart little eyas. Getting fed is its number one priority after all and it is working that out fast.
These little snow people are beyond adorable. Fluffy wee falcons are the cutest things. Little dad is working hard and doing a great job. From soon after 16:24, we can hear him chirping away from the northern end of the ledge. Mum is brooding the trio, who are sprawled in front of the open garage, sleeping in a pile. Dad is eager to get mum’s attention, but she remains with the chicks, It certainly interests the chicks, who wake up at the sound of dad e=chupping. He then begins his kak-kak-kak vocalisation, loudly. He repeats it once or twice. No move from mum. “
The two little falcons appear to be doing just fine at Orange.
All is well with the Olympic Park Sea Eaglets.
Everything is good at Port Lincoln!
Thank you to everyone for being with us. Continue to send positive wishes to everyone as heavy work begins cleaning up after Milton. Take care. See you soon.
*It was reported that Mum removed Comet from the nest. This was an error. The second hatch was fed to the two other chicks as we saw at Niagara Bee.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, PR’, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Google Maps, BirdCast, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.
Sunday was a bit nippy. 9 C. The 40 kph winds were whipping the trees about with the leaves falling at an alarming rate. It is now 1100 and everyone is in the garden. Three Crows eating peanuts and suet. Three Blue Jays doing the same. Then there are the 18 or so European Starlings trying to grab some mealworms in between the Jays and the Crows. At least in our garden, they are not bullies. Everyone seems to wait their turn like planes lined up on a runway. Since the spring we have not been able to see the little birds very well as they have been hidden in the lilac bushes with their thick leaves. Soon all of those lilacs will be bare.
The bird feeder workshop was quite fun. The young woman leading the few of us that dared to show we lacked some essential skills was wonderful. She discussed every aspect feeding birds from seeds to feeders and for me, how to breed my own meal worms. Yes, we will call it Hugo Yugo’s Meal Work Farm!!!!! I don’t think Calico would want anything to do with bugs and worms! You need a transparent plastic bin (ugh, plastic), some paper towels, bran, and some starter meal worms. This tub has apparently been going at Oak Hammock Marsh for fifteen years. There are hundreds and hundreds of meal worms. I will keep you posted – I have everything but the breeding stock of worms.
Then we had a tray that showed us what to feed birds, different seeds for different species. Two things she noted should not be fed: bacon grease and peanut butter. Both of them will stick to the feathers of the birds and prevent them from flying. The bacon grease melts at a lower temperature than suet which should only be used in the winter. So don’t be tempted to use it. Popcorn – do not salt or butter – and best not on strings. Just air pop it and put it on your tray feeder! Some seeds can only be purchased at specialty bird shops while others can be bought at your local feed and seed stores. Calico says to always check prices -. We get some seed from a local farmer and others at the feed and seed. Our specialty bird feed store is at least twice as expensive. With the number of birds we feed, we need to find good quality food at reasonable prices.
And like magic…another feeder for the garden!
In the fields adjacent to the marsh, the geese were feeding. There were all four species that come to this area of the Canadian Prairies present – Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, White-front Geese, and Canada Geese.
Florida hasn’t cleaned up after Hurricane Helene and already Milton is on its way to hit Fort Myers. Again, we can only be thankful that the raptors do not have any eggs or chicks in those nests. This will be the largest evacuation of Florida sine 2017 as Milton prepares for landfall. Milton appears to have the potential to impact all of the nests in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville. Stay safe everyone.
A different view of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles from cam 4. Lady is hunting for lunch! https://youtu.be/UIO6-eJBsGA?
Lady worked hard for prey.
Xavier tried to feed his chicks! Poor Guy. He is such a sweetie. Diamond is one protective falcon female!!!!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/rSGA_ATc7IE?
‘A’ reports that it is time to name the chicks at Orange! “Thought you would want this info in your blog as soon as it dropped. Here is the link for voting. They will choose the top two names from the voting (and the third egg, if it hatches, will get the third most popular name).
So did Mum tell Dad to go and get a fish or put in a phone call to the fish fairies? He flew out right after a little chat. 🙂
OMG. Ervie’s little brother or sister is so cute…and Mum had such a time getting it back under her after its feeding!
Heidi reports: “The second hatch at Port Lincoln occurred prior to 15:19 on 10/7. The second baby was first seen out of the shell for a split second in a very fuzzy cam view at 15:19 (screenshot).”
Lukin is the name of the little White-tail eaglet at Port Lincoln. He is 50 days old today and is standing and walking on the crane nest quite steadily.
Beau was on the LOP and Gabby was there, too. They are in the area of Milton. Send them good wishes – like I know you will to everyone.
It is raining in Fort Myers. The ground is absolutely saturated.
The nest is really a beauty. F23 and M15 have been working particularly hard and those cot rails are getting perfect. I wonder what it will look like after this hurricane? https://youtu.be/mOMRW5Ff8yw?
Brown Pelican caught on the Captiva Osprey cam where it is also raining and winds are gusting. Milton is not set to make landfall til Tuesday.
As most of you are aware, my husband has Lewy Body Dementia. Getting out in nature is essential not only to HIS mental health, but also mine. Taking part in simple activities, like building a bird feeder, is also key to one’s well being. It was not rocket science. Pre-drilled holes, but it helped with confidence. So if you know of someone who needs a boost, see what is happening at your local wildlife centre and take them! Sign up for a morning bird walk, build a bird house, learn to identify raptors. Life is truly beautiful – live it! Our dance card is full – every day there is something even if it is a trip to the local farmer’s market for their final event. The local honey is divine. Fantastic in tea or on toast.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Send warm wishes to everyone in the path of Milton as Florida prepares to get hit again.
Bird World is so exciting with all the new babies. Watch the cams, check them out, rewind to see the wonderful feedings. Watching falcons is so much different than ospreys. Now that we know that the fish fairies will visit Port Lincoln, we can relax. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, Oak Hammock Marsh, CNN Weather, Olympic Park Eagle Cam 4, SK Hideaways, Falcon Cam Project, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Heidi McGrue, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, BirdMap, and The Guardian.
Gosh, Tuesday was a bit nippy on the Canadian Prairies. Fall blew in, literally, Monday morning and is hanging around. The low temperature overnight was 5 C and 15 C is our high. Picture this: A wool jumper from Sweden, heavy wool socks, and some dense denim and the furnace is on. Tomorrow, some Birch will be delivered for the wood stove to drive off the chill of these early fall evenings. This morning it is rainy and damp. The Starlings are pecking at the solid suet feeder while I sneeze and cough – the first of the ‘seasonal change’ colds that happen annually. No sign of ‘The Boyfriend’. He is hunkered down somewhere warm and dry.
Tuesday was the day that I finally got the letter off to EarthJustice about the Menhaden industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. It introduced the problem to see if they are interested in taking on a legal challenge to stop the fishing. It was nice to have the respite time to sit and think through this and do some data entries of osprey nests that are not on streaming cams. So tomorrow will be a good day to head off to the nature centre for a walk. So much nicer than those hot humid days of summer.
Those Canada Geese are probably flying in to sleep earlier each night as the days get shorter and the temperatures get chillier. We are set to go back and check on the geese on the evening of the 5th of October – and then I signed us up to build birdhouses on the Sunday. That should be fun!
The latest news in cat world is that The Boyfriend has either trained me or I have trained him to be ready for breakfast at 0900. He is always waiting. Sometimes peeking in the garden door (staring at Baby Hope) or sitting on a stump. Today, he got an extra treat since it was so cool – a big tin of sardines. ‘The Girls’ do not like them! Of course, Calico loved them when she was an outdoor kitty and a big dish of those very stinky fish is what lured Baby Hope into the trap to come inside. Think they would go near them now? Not on your life. Too funny. Too spoiled. And very much adored.
All of the garden animals are caching food in a frenzy now. Little Red even jumped on the back of a Crow today! They are brave those reds – the greys not so much.
The Florida Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers are overcome with birds and other animals in need. It is the same for Tennessee.
Continuing on with the Menhaden…some agencies are just useless.
An unusual patient in The Netherlands.
I am seeing an Osprey at Captiva, but there does not appear to be that fish bone in the leg. Not Jack?
At the NE Florida Nest of Gabby and 24E1, the couple are working tirelessly on getting that nest sorted!
One of the questions on the NE Florida chat had to do with eagles bonding for life. Do they break up? Now sit back and think about this. Ma Berry left the Berry College nest. She was seen in Alabama. Pa then took Missey as his mate. What others can you think of? Send me your list!
Still waiting to see if Holly Parsons caught a glimpse of a pip at Orange or if it was something from the nest attached to the egg. We are in hatch range, 34-36 days. Oh, I so hope we have a lively little one this year. One is good.
Lady came down from her branch to join SE33 and SE 34 in the nest. Looks like they might be getting a wee snack.
One eagle working on the Duke Farms nest on Tuesday.
Poor thing. Its toes are caught in the shell of the turtle.
32 year old Bald Eagle Ambassador Dies.
As many of you are aware, there have been concerns about the Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platform in St Petersburgh, Florida for a number of years. This past winter the hatchling slipped through a hole in the nest that was part of a drainage system and died. Hurricane Helene has caused much damage in Florida and this nest is not a priority. For many of us, it is because there are no eggs and no chicks yet. It is not clear what work the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre undertook in the winter of 2024, if any. The platform needs a real overall – the drainage system needs to be amended so that no eggs or chicks fall through. There needs to be two perches. A predator baffle needs to be installed. The adjacent tree must be trimmed or critters can climb it and get on the nest. That is just a beginning. I was informed today that the Audubon Society erected the original platform. They are at Clearwater. This is their e-mail address:
If you feel so inclined, please write to them. There are many, many priorities in Florida right now, but this platform needs to get on their radar because of the timing of the breeding season coming up. Maybe someone will be hear by and can lend a hand. I always say it is worth asking. All they can do is say ‘no’, but they might say ‘yes’. I will be sending them a note today or tomorrow. Thank you.
Ospreys do rebuild nests. So do Bald Eagles and they can do it in record time. It is the overall structure of the nest and the issues of predation that need to be addressed not the mess on top, but that would be nice, too.
We have also seen PSEG clean out the nest at Patchogue. The ospreys did the best they could with the upside-down material they were left with.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Achieva Osprey platform looked like the one on Lori Covert’s property on Captiva? I wonder if Window to Wildlife might like to take the Achieva platform on as a project of theirs?
Connie and Clive were both at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest Tuesday.
Frances and Franklin are working on the Bluff City nest. Boone and Jolene lost their tree but this tree and nest seem in pretty good shape.
Migration count to date at Hawk Mountain, PA. I wonder how much Hurricane Helene impacted the weekly total??
Vinny, the Black Vulture, has been hanging out at the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle nest.
Black Vultures are large raptors. They are exquisitely black, with just the tip of their under wings clad in a gorgeous silver.
How big a problem are Black Vultures to cattle ranchers? Purdue University did a study.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Do you love crusty bread? We love it and Mark Bittman’s No Knead Bread is often baking away in my great grandmother’s cast iron lidded pot. The problem is cutting it. Calico will tell you that it seems every time I bake bread or bring a baguette home from the boulangerie, crumbs get all over the kitchen floor. She knows that it happens right after I clean the floor, invariably. My Japanese knives do not cut the bread correctly – they cut everything else so thin but make a mess of bread. So, Calico has been reading Wirecutter again and we now have a very inexpensive knife with a serrated edge that has made my life so much easier!
Calico says you can thank her later, but remember – crusty bread!
Thank you for being with us today. Take care. Stay safe. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘MP, Dierenambulance Den Holder, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Nesting Bird Life & More, Duke Farms, Missouri Department of Conservation, Back to the Wild, Castilia, Ohio, Achieva Credit Union, ETSU-Bluff City, Hawk Mountain Migration, Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle Nest Cam, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal, and Purdue University.
I am starting to put all of the things that excite me or late updates here at the top. On Friday evening 24E1 brought Gabby her first fish gift of the season. She devoured that fish. I know that many have been cheering for Beau. Beau is not at the nest. 24E1 is and Gabby appears to be more than happy with him. His toes are ‘not that bad’ and actually appear to be healing. He is perfectly capable of protecting the nest, taking care of Gabby, and we hope providing for her and their eaglets, if that happens.
Gabby was working on the nest. She knows he is coming. Look at the delight on 24E1’s face when Gabby accepts the fish!
Friday was the most glorious day. There was a clear blue sky. Not a hint of a cloud! There was a nice breeze and the temperature was 22 C. As I write, the European Starlings have come in to try and get as many meal worms out of the nut cylinder as they can. Little do they know that I ordered them 22 lbs of meal worms. They will be here on Sunday.
Mr Crow got into the action, too!
It was Open House at Wildlife Haven. The Director said they wondered if they were taking a huge risk having the event so late in the month, but, no. It was fabulous. Last year it was 15 September and wet and cold. The vet who is doing her internship for a year as part of a project through the University of Guelph was amazing. I learned so much! And I asked a lot of questions for all of us!!!!!!!!!
First up a little bragging. I never win anything. And today, by putting the feather to the raptor (12 different ones), I won the book prize. It is a marvelous volume that I will enjoy.
We got to visit with one of the GHO ambassadors. It was found at the bottom of the nest. The parents would not feed it and then it was discovered why. It was born with only one eye and its beak was crooked so it could not hunt or survive in the wild.
Isn’t this owl a sweetie?
The volunteer with the GHO sent me over to Rick who was hosting a display on Kestrels. He does videography as well as taxidermy. I learned so much about how long it will take to get my Cooper’s Hawk approved for ‘stuffing’.
That is the female Kestrel on the top. She is larger than the male. Rick has a blind and monitors a small population of these raptors. He says the females are ‘fierce’. The males not so much. Want the territory protected? Call the female!!!!!!
Patients are brought to Wildlife Haven by Conservation Officers, Volunteers, and the general public. At intake, they try to get as much information as possible so that the patient can be returned to its territory on release. The goal is always to get them back to the wild. Next is the examination room where there is a host of machines such as an x-ray to try and determine what is needed.
Tess said that the centre is lucky. It has all of the facilities needed including a surgical centre so that raptors with broken wings can be put on the mend and not euthanised.
There are oxygen rich incubators if needed.
Cages for animals awaiting diagnosis. They are using stuffies so that the real animals do not get stressed.
A stuffie stands in for the Bald Eagle who did have wing surgery and is in one of the larger areas awaiting transfer to the flight pens.
The sub-adult Bald Eagle that had the surgery.
You have all heard about imping. Replacing a missing feather with another which is glued in place. According to Tess, you can only imp 2-3 feathers if you want success. Most of the raptors have many more feathers missing either their primaries, tail feathers, or both. She did say that in Manitoba, most of the hydro poles are insulated so that the birds are not electrocuted. She has not seen an electrocution from a power pole.
As I walked around I took notice of all the things that are needed in case you are feeling like making a donation. Those clean old towels are needed all the time! Dawn detergent. Bleach. All manner of stainless steel or plastic container that could be used for feeding animals. Look on the shelves below! If you clean out a house for someone moving (or otherwise), please consider donating items to your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic. They go through gallons of bleach and Dawn!!!!!!
Those old clean towels and sheets are always needed. If you are feeling ‘flush’, a good laundry set is always wanted.
One thing we haven’t thought of – bees wax paper. They use it for bandages for turtles! You can put the beeswax paper on the incision or wound and it actually keeps it from getting infected. They can use these for a fortnight without changing them and they are removed easily with a tongue depressor.
There is a turtle in there with a beeswax bandage under that leaf.
Majestic, the Ambassador Bald Eagle.
It was a great event. The new vet tech is fantastic. I said that at least twice. Her goal is for every animal to live in the wild. She said that the area of wildlife rehabilitation veterinary science is relatively new compared to large animals or domestic pets. One aspect that she is keenly interested in is the resilience of the animals. Can a turtle live in the wild with only three legs? Why not try it? Monitor them. The answer is, ‘Yes, they can’. What about a raptor with one leg? It was not that long ago that the wildlife would be euthanised. Now, some wildlife vets are ‘sticking their necks out’ to see precisely who can live with what injuries and thrive. I highly recommend that you seek out your local clinic and find out when they have Open House!
‘MP’ suggests that it is the right time to get that platform at Achieva fixed before the new breeding season starts. I sent a note to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre to see if they could help. It is possible that there are so many animals in need that this could still be low on the priority list. The platform needs a new perch if not two of them. The dish needs proper drainage but with the ability to not allow eggs or nestlings to fall down and die or break. Was the tree trimmed to stop raccoons? What about other predators?
Oh, goodness. Falcons are the cutest! Don’t you love how they talk to their eggs?!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/qjh2vn1-vh4?
The Royal Cam chick’s name is Kiwa. Just lovely and the meaning is perfect.
Gabby was in the nest on Friday.
No one at the Newfoundland Power nest…it seems they have all headed south.
‘J’ reports that both eagles have been seen at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands eagle nest.
The Bluff City Bald Eagle streaming cam is up and running. The nest appears alright.
The wind is still blowing reasonably strong at Pa and Missey Berry’s nest in NE Georgia.
If you missed the live Ventana Wildlife Chat live, here is the recording. https://youtu.be/yLBrKSws3Zg? This month focuses on “…the Condor Crew highlight the arrival of our condor “rookies” in San Simeon, while our new interns, Rachel and Griffin, offer a glimpse into the developing personalities of these young birds. We also share some exciting nesting and flock updates, including a video of wild-hatched condor chick 1315 being fed by his dad, and Bucky (1087)’s release date from Oakland Zoo.“
What an adorable family. The Olympic Park Eagles in Sydney.
You still have time to guess the day and time the first egg will hatch at Port Lincoln. Put it under the streaming cam in chat! A big thanks to Brad M for keeping us great historical records and organising all the information including the daily log of nest happenings. It is invaluable. The link is at the top of the chat.
‘PB’ reports that the Seaside Bird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida, suffered substantial damage due to flooding.
Time for Fun Fact Friday! Enrichment for good health! It is very important for any facility that takes care of birds and other animals to provide an environment with lots of enrichment to help them thrive. For a raptor, like Rita, having various perches of different heights with different materials covering them helps to keep her feet healthy, and the wood provides a good surface for her to “feak” her beak to keep it clean and sharp. Being able to bath in her bath tub and having a water mister helps with feather conditioning. A variety of prey items, some of which can be placed in containers that require her to use her foraging skills, is very stimulating. A few examples that simulate foraging in the wild are to place prey items in a floating bowl in the bath tub to be “fished out” or to freeze the prey in ice blocks, or put it in egg cartons or cardboard boxes with holes cut out so the prey is still visible are all great ideas. This allows the eagle to “hunt” and tear at the container to get to the prey. Another idea was to provide a sisal rope toy that the eagle could flip around and stomp on like it would do with sticks or prey in the wild. There are lots of ideas for enrichment online. When researching ideas, I came across a YT video of an eagle that was given a carved out pumpkin! That’s a great idea since Halloween is coming up and the stores will have pumpkins! Those caregivers carved holes in it and stuffed it with prey items sticking out so the eagle could forage for its food. With that idea in mind, I brought a ball for Rita, and Kelly and Laura put fish in for her to pick out! She had such a funny expression when she first saw the ball. Kelly and her team are always striving to provide the best of care for Rita with enrichment in her environment and diet that can help her thrive. They are the bestn and your support can help provide some stimulating enrichment for Rita! Thank you! JK #ritathebaldeagle
The Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from the Hen Harrier brooding scheme!
Friday evening we took a quick spin over to The Mint. On our way to Wildlife Haven, we noticed hundreds of geese feeding on the grass at The Mint. I wondered if they would return to the pond at night for its security.
That did not happen. There were a few geese in the pond along with some ducks, but not many.
Is it because of this?
Calico’s Tip for the Day comes from ‘Everything Gardening’. Get yourself a nice cuppa and sit back and leave the leaves alone.
Missey and Hugo Yugo wish you a fantastic weekend. They want you to take care of yourself. Get outside if you can. Listen for the birds. Pet a cat! And be back with us as soon as you can.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP, PB’, Wildlife Haven, SK Hideaways, NZ-DOC, NEFL-AEF, Newfoundland Power, Achieva Credit Union, Berry College Eagle Cam, ETSU Bluff City, Olympic Park Eagles, Raptor Persecution UK, The Canadian Mint, Winnipeg, and Everything Gardening.
Gabby is in the nest this morning. She is OK. The hurricane is in Georgia. Send good wishes to Pa and Missey Berry at the Berry College Eagle nest.
First up. A few weeks ago, Sharon Pollock sent me the name of an organization that fights for the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves. Earth Justice is taking those who seek to trawl Alaska’s coral reefs to court. I want Earth Justice to represent the Menhaden of the Chesapeake Bay and the dying Ospreys. When I take my little mini break, I will be working on my presentation to them. A copy of it will go to those behind the fight in Virginia. If you have any articles on the dire consequences of the Menhaden commercial fishing in the Bay, please send them to me? I want a comprehensive bibliography. Let me know if you were part of any groups observing or dealing with osprey nests that had chicks starve to death. I need details and details.
It is to be 29 C today. Blue clear skies. A breeze. And it was a lovely day but the winds were really gusting. The sand was blowing in the countryside north of the City when we went to see if there were any geese feeding. None. The ones we saw were at a golf course. Beautiful green grass and a pond! Smart geese.
At 0915 Thursday morning, the European Starlings returned to the garden. Oh, it was so good to see them! They left the garden in the late spring. They share the large flat feeder with the sparrows and the Blue Jays while crunching down on the seed cylinder. One is having a bath! They have been away for a few months and look ‘thin’ to me. They will now stay over through the winter. These are non-breeders. See all the silvery white lines on their breast and heads!
With the hurricane winds bearing down on Florida, look what happened to migratory patterns! Who says birds aren’t smart????????
As I write this, the hurricane is 5 hours from making land fall and I am really concerned about our birds in Florida and in the area north of the Florida panhandle as Helene is still set to be a strong cat 2.
Connor turned on the Captiva Osprey cam so that we can see the impact of the storm. That said, at the time, Helene is north of Captiva and the Barrier Islands.
Gabby is on her nest in NE Florida south of Jacksonville hoping it stays put. The only way that you can tell what is happening with the storm is to view the nest using cam 4.
Gabby is still there.
Gabby is decidedly hunkered down in that nest.
Will check in on Gabby now and again. Stay safe, sweetie!
She left the nest at 1723.
It is really whipping and twisting Gabby’s nest tree at times.
Winds are much stronger.
Helene is a cat 4 and the eye will be 150 miles west of Jacksonville.
Pretty gusty at SW Florida.
M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest with sticks ahead of Helene making landfall.
The SW Florida pair left the nest at precisely the same time as Gabby – 1723! That is the most exciting thing to come out of watching this storm so far.
Tornadoes, gusts of wind, heavy rain. Perhaps all of the nests in Florida will dodge this hurricane.
The arrival of the Pink-footed Geese to the UK is pretty close to the top of my bucket list.
Connor talks about the new cameras at Captiva and shows us the fish bone in Jack’s legs and how, eventually, it will dry and shrink and come out! Go to 7.29. https://youtu.be/AhgcJ23s9Fo?s
Geemeff sends us an article on starving ospreys due to the overfishing of Menhaden. Thank you to everyone who sent in a letter. Hopefully this issue will not die until the situation in the Bay has changed!
I did not see anything but rain at the Newfoundland Power Osprey platform at Snow Lane. Have they all left?
I don’t know what it is about the two little sea eaglets this year. My all time favourites were SE25 and 26 because 25 took such good care of its sibling, teaching it how to do things with 26 rising to the occasion regardless of its foot/leg injury.
The whole family is soaking wet. Gosh, that nest must smell!!!!!!!
Heidi has been following the Growing Home Ospreys in Australia. Just look at that cute little osplet. Are you feeling osprey withdrawal? Check out their streaming cam!
Egg 1 is 33 days old today at Port Lincoln. I am thinking Mum should be resting all that she can because in another week she won’t be able to! Have you put your guess as to the hatch date and time in the Port Lincoln chat?
Gary brings us up to date on what is happening with the Redding Eagles, Liberty and Guardian. https://youtu.be/6sNco6LgaJw?
In the UK, Wild Justice is filing a formal complaint against Waitrose and the high street chain, Marks & Spencer for using toxic lead ammunition to kill the gamebirds they sell in their shops!
There is nothing that makes me madder than someone with a camera stressing out wildlife to get the perfect ‘shot’. I have seen individuals with their long lens (600 mm) standing underneath a tree with a Bald Eagle only to have that eagle leave the nature centre for good. Or the dozen or more that rushed the Great White Egrets when they landed on their tree to roost at night. Seriously. Humans poison the ocean, destroy habitat, leave garbage everywhere, put out rodenticide to kill rats that harm the entire food chain and another forty or more despicable actions that harm our beloved animals and feathered friends. It needs to stop!
‘The Girls’ are getting into some kind of hibernating mode despite the hot weather. Hugo Yugo can almost always be found in the little house at the top of the cat tree. Baby Hope is in the basket, Calico is hiding somewhere resting so no one pounces on her, and Missey loves to pose!
Hugo Yugo still sleeps like a little child. She has to have her head on my left arm, under my chin. Slightly uncomfortable and causes insomnia!!!!!! Oh, but do you think I move? Of course, not! She is my adorable tiny little Ginger with the weepy eyes.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: We came home with a small bag of apples right off a tree and a bag of caramels for making caramel apples. They just scream fall to me! Have you tried to make them and the caramel fell off the apples? Calico doesn’t want me to be sad this year so she has found the solution!!!!!!! If you purchase apples they will have had a wax coating applied to help preserve them (unless you pick them off a tree). You can soak the apples in very hot water or dip them in boiling water to remove the wax. But that is not all, you then need to make certain that they are thoroughly dry before you dip them in the caramel.
Calico also suggests that if you haven’t had a caramel apple for years, make some. Be a kid again!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Today, we will be attending Wildlife Haven’s Open House. Stay tuned for some images of their raptor ambassadors including dear Majestic, the Bald Eagle. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff’, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife’s Captiva Osprey Cam, NEFL-AEF, Jacksonville Weather, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, RSPB England, Window to Wildlife, Daily Progress, Newfoundland Power, Olympic Park Eagles, Heidi McGrue, Port Lincoln Ospreys, PIX Cams, Gary’s Eagle Videos, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and OpenVerse.
