birds and weather – Mary Ann Steggles

Has Manaaki fledged? Saturday in Bird World

16 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

This is our last blog until we return on Monday 25 September. We hope that you have a great week while we are away!

Today it was cold and rainy. Not a great day for the annual open house at Wildlife Haven, our wildlife rescue hospital, in Ile des Chenes, Manitoba. Normally the grounds outside would be filled with people listening to speakers and visiting with the raptor ambassadors. Today, most huddled inside.

It was good to see so many parents with children aged 5 and up asking questions and being ever so curious about the animals.

One of the highlights of the tour was seeing the new home for Majestic. Majestic is a Bald Eagle that came to Wildlife Haven from Rainy River, Ontario ten years ago. She arrived as a juvenile and is believed to be between 10 and 12 years old. She was starving, dehydrated, and was suffering from an old fracture in her left wing at intake. She cannot live in the wild as she does not have control over her flight feathers but – now – she can fly about landing on various perches within her new enclosure safely.

Meet Una, a Great Horned Owl. Una had problems in the nest, according to the presenter. She was born with a missing right eye and a beak that was not aligned – he is small for the species. As a nestling, Una was neglected by her parents. Today, she is living the good life as an ambassador.

It felt ‘very odd’ holding the tail of an Osprey that was once very much alive.

Or a Red-tail Hawk.

There were tours throughout the surgical wing, the food preparation area, the big flight chambers, and special areas for clients such as otters and fox cubs.

Every wildlife rehab centre relies on donations and volunteers. It is amazing what they do with so little. You can normally find a ‘wish list’ at your local centre of items that are urgently needed and, of course, I will continually remind you about clean used towels and sheets, bleach, washing up liquid, laundry detergent, stainless steel bowls, small hand tools that work, pet food, vegetables from your garden, and items of enrichment such as toys. Clean kennels are particularly helpful in transporting animals or isolating them while they await intake or treatment. So before you bin it, think again. There is some wildlife rehab centre near you that might find those things useful – and they would be very grateful. Thank you!

Meanwhile – the kittens. I am guilty of taking way too many images of Hope. She is growing so fast and every day I can see subtle changes in her appearance.

Calico is getting very restless to get out of the conservatory and back into the house’s main part. The vet says ten days. Meanwhile, Hope is nothing short of energy in a small packet. She wants to play and runs from chair to table to tent and couch and then scurries under the covered area over the dining table and out again. Mamma is tired and, I think, growing weary of this big kid of hers. LOL.

Hope gets excited when anyone enters the conservatory – she wants to play with her favourite feather-dangling toy. She was introduced to healthy cat treats full of flax, cranberries, chicken, and other goodies. Her treats look healthy, like homemade human granola bars with extra protein. I made a line, and sure enough, she followed it to my lap. She is still very nervous, and I try not to breathe or move when this happens. She remains reluctant for me to hold her, so we are going every so slowly.

Lewis wants everyone to know that he is cuddly, adorable and a goof.

Lewis and Missey found a way to look out the window in the old office where Calico first stayed. Little birds were flitting about the apple tree. I am so glad that their closeness has not been jeopardised by the arrival of the two new siblings.

Looks like one of the things that we will be doing next week is building some insulated cat shelters. Winter will arrive on the Canadian Prairies before we know it. The Dark-eyed Juncos showed up in the garden today looking for Millet and Robins are passing through. There are still some hummingbirds being photographed along with Pine Siskins. Geese are everywhere, filling up on grass and grain left on the farmers’ fields before going south.

There is still concern over Hurricane Lee. There are reports that one beloved male Osprey adult, Swoop, is still near the nest at Hog Island in Maine. As I write this, the defined eye of the hurricane appears to have broken up, but this could still bring high winds and heavy rains to NE USA and Atlantic Canada.

Keep all of the wildlife in your thoughts as this system moves. We still have many fledglings and adult Ospreys in Atlantic Canada that have not left for migration.

Annie and Lou are bonding! How sweet. These are rare occurrences this time of year, but what is so good about this behaviour is that we can confirm that both are healthy and doing well.

In South Australia, Ervie is back fishing at Delamere, where he used to join Dad when he was just a youngster. Ervie is now two years old. Happy Birthday, Ervie!

It is always good to see Osprey platforms being replaced or installed for new couples. There are not enough old dead trees in situ for them near good fishing spots. This is a good solution and far superior to them building nests on power poles where they could be electrocuted.

Remember the two Royal Albatross chicks that failed in their first flight? Here is the story of their rescue. Thanks, Holly!

‘H’ brings us up to date on Barnegat Light and Date County:

Barnegat Light – “Duke is enjoying a few days of well-earned rest and relaxation since Dorsett left the area on 9/11. Duke can often be seen in one of his trees at the north tree line, and Thursday he was wading at the shoreline with some gulls. Friday Duke enjoyed a nice breakfish on his perch. Later in the afternoon, he was seen on his perch shaking his tail and drying out his wings. We love ya’, Duke.”

Dade County – “The juvie, R5, was back at the nest again on 9/15, and this time he was looking for food scraps. Ah, he is so mature looking! R5 has been at the nest 5 out of the last 6 days. There is still some time before nesting season begins for Ron and Rose, but as much as we love R5, some of us are hoping that he will be bitten by the wanderlust bug soon, lol. R5 is six months old on 9/16. Happy Birthday, R5 !!”

Flaco, the Eurasian Owl that escaped the Central Park Zoo is doing well despite initial worries some months ago! You can check out more of Flake’s adventures by going to Bruce Yolton’s website urban hawks.com

‘A’ reports: “At Collins Street, F22 had a large crop today when she left the nest at 10:36, and little M22 arrived by 10:41 to take over the incubating until the shadow covered the scrape. He was panting a lot, and both parents this morning were using the technique of standing over the eggs with wings outstretched to shade them, rather than settling down on the clutch. Little dad looks so cute when he does it! He works so hard at enfluffling the eggs. It’s hard work for him to cover them all. He’s going to have major problems when it’s four eyases aged, say, a week to 10 days, without thermal down and exposed to the rain and the direct sunlight.—Yes, I’m going to say it again. WHY OH WHY could they not have strategically placed two small squares of wood to shelter from above and to extend the shelter of the building on the far side!??? What will happen on the first wet day?”

‘A’ continues: “I am genuinely concerned that there is the real possibility of a tragedy at Collins Street this season. Last year was the third consecutive La Nina year. That is not a normal Australian summer. We are about to get back to our usual summers, which include days reaching as high as 43C and I shudder to imagine what that scrape will look like by the time the chicks are, say, 10 days old. There is going to be a period of up to a month when the chicks are very vulnerable to that heat and are unable to escape it along that gutter. Not only that, but dehydration is going to be a potential problem even if they are getting enough food.”

SE31 and 32 were very hot on Friday, too. They were panting to help cool their bodies.

‘A’ reports about breakfast: “Breakfast was something that had been feathered (it looked young, but its feathers may just have been wet – it lacked a head so identifying it was not easy), which Lady brought in at 06:40:35. SE31 was in the right place at the right time, so was already in perfect position for food when it arrived, and shortly after 06:41 tried to help herself to the prey. Lady waited a while for some reason, and SE32 joined SE31 waiting for food. Because he came up on his big sister’s inside, SE32 was in primary position when mum did begin feeding, so was fed first rather than his sister. But Lady is relatively even-handed and is feeding both. The blood appears to be nearly gone from her head. so it must have come from her talons,. perhaps while scratching herself, and there is no apparent sign of what yesterday looked like a wound on her left foot. This is really lovely juicy nutritious red meat, and a decent-sized piece of prey as well. Both eaglets are eagerly grabbing bites, some of them very large. Their manners are impeccable. Neither is being at all aggressive and each is happy to watch the other eat. When they lose a competition for a bite, they just wait for the next one. It is lovely to watch. Lady is doing her best to feed both, and it seems they will end up having roughly equal amounts of this meal.”

‘J’ brings news that there is a new camera at the Centrepoint Bald Eagle Nest.

Gabby and V3 have been very alert at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest on Friday.

The cameras will return to SWFlorida on the 30th of September.

At the Royal Albatross colony, ‘A’ reports: “Manaaki is hovering so high, he is out of camera shot. Twice, I have thought he has fledged, but he has landed far down the hill and walked back up. He may well go today, but he shouldn’t. He is still not in control of his flying and he still has too much fluff. Another three days is my guess, as he is still not tucking his feet and legs up confidently and is unable to surf the thermals with any real control. Still, he is getting great height on his hovers and staying airborne for increasing lengths of time. He is very serious about his practising, and cast another bolus at 01:40 this morning. So he is preparing to leave and it could be at any moment now. Literally.”

‘A’ returns later with what is ‘sad’ news: “Manaaki has not returned to his nest. UQ is waiting for him, in his new spot near Manaaki’s nest. The general consensus on the chat is that Manaaki has fledged, although we need to wait until the rangers do their walkaround and head count tomorrow to know whether he is elsewhere on the headland. Unless of course he returns to his nest during the night. It is agreed that he was last seen on camera at 16:39:45 and has not been seen since. Other sightings thought to be of Manaaki were in fact of UQ chick (whose hovering skills are way better than Manaaki’s). I am still sceptical because he really did not seem to be sufficiently balanced in the air and still looked very uncertain. Not to mention the fluff he still had. If he has fledged and landed on the water in the bay, he will be spotted and if necessary rescued. If he has fledged successfully, he has done so at 238 days of age. We wish him godspeed and all the luck in the world out there. We pray we (and he) will live long enough to see him return to his birthplace (some return as early as age three, others not until they are five or even older). One or probably both of his parents will visit the nest over the next few days to make sure their baby has fledged and is not hanging around nearby, needing to be fed. It is so bittersweet watching them wait. If their chick does not return to the nest to be fed, then all their devotion and hard work has paid off. They have done their job for the season, successfully raising a chick to fledge. But somehow, there is a pang as they wait. Sometimes, they come back more than once, just to be sure.

So now, a year after we watched QT fledge, we are waiting for her parents to return for the new season. Mum YRK and dad OGK. Of course, our hope that OKG will return is very slim indeed, but it does remain a possibility. They ring the bells at the colony when the first returnees arrive home, and then the bells ring out all over the area. They love the toroa.”

There is good news. While I do not know the number of butterflies in Canada this year, we have noticed a considerable number in the garden and the local parks. Others have mentioned this as well. In the UK, the record of butterflies has grown this summer – excellent news. This does not mean that there has been an increase in the number of insects – so vital to the lives of our songbirds.

Indeed, a group of residents at one of the condominiums in Winnipeg has noticed that the songbirds have disappeared from their property after the management had the grass treated by a firm claiming to be ‘Eco’. If it kills weeds, it will kill insects that the birds eat and often kills the birds. If you know of any well-researched articles on the issue of lawn treatments and songbirds, please send them to me. I hope to help some of my former students prepare a united front and argue against this practice in the future.

UK-butterfly-numbers-bounce-back-after-last-years-all-time-low-Butterflies-The-Guardian Download

Do you know the Island of Mull on the west coast of Scotland? It is notorious for its wildlife, and the White-tail Eagles are no exception. There are also dolphins and whales to be seen.

The-Sea-Eagles-That-Returned-to-Mull-Hakai-Magazine Download

While the Ospreys are away, want to watch a different table feeder in Scotland? Check out the one at RSPB Loch Garten. Here is the link. You might see some of those adorable red squirrels.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to seeing you on the 25th of September when we return from a brief break.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A, H, J’, Geemeff’, Wildlife Haven, NOAA Hurricane Centre, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, PLO, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info, Holly Parsons and Albatross Lovers, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, WRDC, Bruce Yolton, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sydney sea Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, The Guardian, and Hakai Magazine.

Guess who’s still home…Thursday in Bird World

14 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

The happenings in Bird World – in terms of our beloved Ospreys – are getting thin. Most have left their nests and are returning to their winter destinations. It has been a privilege to watch these amazing families struggle in some very challenging conditions to survive. The joy that even a single survivor on a nest brought to us – seeing Dorsett catch a fish and hang out by the beach after fears that the entire clutch would be lost. Witnessing the loss of the Lake Murray osplets to a GHO or others die for mysterious reasons like those at Marder’s. And then seeing a survivor like Mini – . It was like being on a roller coaster – the 2023 Osprey breeding season.

Thank you for your really good wishes for Calico. She is healing nicely. We have not resorted to the Victorian Collar – well, I tried it when I saw her licking but she was not having that and in the end the stress and her trying to tear it off might have caused more damage. I learned from Geemeff that Olive Oil will keep skin around the incision from drying out which is the root cause of the licking -when that skin dries it pulls. I also picked up some antibiotic cream. Calico is such a lovely girl – she rolled on her back and let me apply those as if she completely understood that I was trying to help her. I cannot tell you how much I adore this cat.

Hope is a live wire and wants only to play. Missey wants to play with her but Calico is not so happy to share so we are going to wait. Hope is also beginning to lose that ‘fat’ little face of a kitten. She is 74 days old – nearly 11 weeks. She has such big legs! She is cute, quick, and fun and is less and less afraid of people every day.

Hope loves this feathery teaser that her Auntie in Scotland got for her. It brings her out of her hiding spots in an instant!

Hope is a whirlwind. She must just make Calico tired. You might be able to tell that the conservatory has been turned into a cat play room complete with the table being turned into a hiding spot with thick comforters on the floor and heavy quilts and Rajasthani block prints as cover. It is hopefully a happy safe plade for these two as they acquaint themselves to life indoors. I got a giggle this morning. Geemeff sent me a saying, “Dogs have owners, cats have staff.” Isn’t that the truth? I am getting ready to go and do ‘maid duty’ after having already done ‘room service’. I would not change anything.

Calico has discovered that from the little house on the cat tree she can control Hope having access to that tummy tum.

This old cattier has been fun for more than a dozen cats since a couple of local men – a carpenter and an upholsterer – made a few of these around 2006. They are heavy duty – 3/4″ plywood construction and the carpeting can easily be replaced in the bits that get the. most use.

Missey and Lewis grew too big to run and play in the lime green tunnel. Hope loves it and the crinkle sound the fabric makes.

‘H’ has a surprise in her three reports this morning…a wonderful surprise.

Osoyoos – What a surprise … After the livestream was down for 14 days, it went live on 9/13 … for 4.5 hours, then the feed went down again. So, what did we learn? The fledgling is still there. She was on and off the nest several times. And, she looks fabulous! She is quite plump and healthy looking. That is just wonderful. We did not see either of her parents.

Kent Island – Audrey made an appearance early in the morning when she landed on a pole at a nearby dock. She stayed perched there for some time, but we are not sure how long, as the camera panned back to the nest. We did not see her the rest of the day, which was somewhat unusual of late. The past several days, Audrey had been seen a few times in Joe’s tree or on the dock. We will monitor, but it is possible that we may have seen Audrey for the last time this season.

Barnegat Light – Duke was seen in a couple of different trees throughout the day. Dorsett was not seen or heard. There were no significant live streaming issues on 9/13, so technical difficulties cannot be blamed for the lack of Dorsett sightings. The last time we saw Dorsett was the morning of 9/11. There was a beautiful sunset over Barnegat Bay … a poignant moment in time … missing Dorsett. “You be safe out there, girl.”

Visitor at Loch Arkaig! Not an Osprey. Beautiful.

More visitors to Louis and Dorcha’s nest at the midnight hour.

A fledgling having a wonderful fish meal on the Kallavesi Osprey nest in Finland! These sightings are getting rare as the urge to leave the natal nest and breeding grounds grows stronger.

Keo brought Coco three fish today at Sandpoint. T here was no sign of Keke and she might have begun her migration.

Mum was eating a nice fish on the perch at Boulder County Fair Grands Osprey nest. No sign of the fledglings while I was checking.

The Patchogue Nest is empty. Locals have seen ospreys but they have not come to the nest and there is no confirmation that they are Mini or members of her family as there are other nests in the area. I did find this short video clip showing Mini having dinner with her siblings. A nice memory.

The Osprey platform at Seaside is quiet.

Caught Swoop on the nest at Dunrovin.

Now that Pat has been released from being in rehab, is it possible that all three fledglings from the Dulles-Greenway Nest were home?

Is there anyone that isn’t excited about what is going to happen on the Sw Florida or the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest this year?

M15 has his new beautiful lady.

Gabby and V3 are going to try and raise a family together this season. It is exciting – new beginnings for two of our favourite eaglets who lost their mates last year.

The most beautiful sunsets come from the Superbeaks Bald Eagle nest in Central Florida.

Checking in NZ and Australia:

Royal Albatross Colony, Taiaroa Head, NZ: ‘A’ notes: “In New Zealand, there are strong onshore winds currently and the chicks are taking this perfect opportunity to practise their flying. UQ is doing wonderfully well but Manaaki really does have some way to go when it comes to technique. He is currently down the hill, out of sight, having hovered out over the edge and down a bit. He really has little control over his skills yet, unlike UQ who looks very close to departure. And as I said, Quarry has not been seen on the hilltop for several days. We will get another report tomorrow on who has left the colony. There are currently two fledged chicks who have landed on the water in the bay. The rangers are keeping a close eye on these two, as if they become waterlogged they will be unable to take off again and will eventually drown. The rangers will rescue them for a second take-off attempt if this becomes necessary.” She continues, “Manaaki is still there, as is UQ, though it appears Quarry has left. We are not sure whether she was at the chick count yesterday so she may be elsewhere on the headland but we suspect she has fledged. Heart in my mouth every time I turn that tab on. It won’t be long now for Manaaki. He is 236 days old today (average age at fledge 240 days). I presume you are aware that this is the only mainland northern royal albatross breeding colony in the world, so it is a very special privilege to be able to watch them and to know the rangers are doing everything possible to protect this magnificent species. I will be interested to see the contents of the boluses this season, especially Manaaki’s of course. I suspect they will be largely the same, though it could vary based on where the parents have been foraging.”

‘A’ brings another update: “They have rescued the two fledged chicks who landed in the bay. They picked them up from a boat and took them back to their nest areas, from which they can make another attempt at fledging.’

Alison

367 Collins Street: ‘A’ knows someone who works near the Falcon’s scrape and she writes: “They can hear the Collins Street falcons all day at work, and the screeching noise is becoming very familiar. Any city dwellers would have been woken early this morning, as F22 was up and calling loudly for food before 05:55, leaving the ledge and presumably heading for the food stash. She has a large feather stuck to her face, on the right side of her beak, which looks so funny. The falcon version of bed head I think. The eggs were left unattended for just over 62 minutes before M22 arrives to incubate. He hardly has time to settle before mum is back, still with the facial feather and still shrieking. Dad does a classic GCW dive off the ledge and mum settles down. It’s 08:40 and M22 is back on the eggs at the moment. He has been for nearly an hour now, and he is breathing through his mouth already in the morning sun. Remember that in a couple of weeks’ time, it will be only 07:40, with daylight saving starting on 1 October (clocks will go forward one hour at 2am on the Sunday morning). It is currently 17 degrees and I can hear F22 arriving back on the ledge. She is noisy. Dad dives off the ledge, probably to get away from the ear-splitting screeching.”

“After leaving M22 to look after the eggs from around 10:30, F22 did not return until nearly 12.20. During that nearly two-hour period, little dad took a very short break of perhaps two or three minutes but that was well after the shade had completely covered the scrape. There were times when he was panting so fast, his little body looked like it was vibrating. If the parents are suffering like this at this time, what will it be like in six weeks, when the temperatures will be up to 8C higher and the shade won’t cover that scrape until well after midday. (Remember daylight savings puts the clocks forward an hour, so what is now 11am will become 12 noon, which is the last thing that scrape needs.) And of course the sun is moving further south, meaning the shade will take longer and longer each day to reach that scrape. It is worrying me a month before the eggs hatch….”

Like ‘A’, so many wish that a sun shade was placed over the end of the ledge where the eggs are like the other side because of the escalating heat in Melbourne at this time of year.

Orange Peregrine Falcons: Cilla Kinross has published the prey deliveries and a comparison to earlier times so that we can see that the drop off in deliveries this time of year is natural.

In New Zealand, the mainland colony of Kakapo is growing. These are historic moments -. Let us hope that the Kakapo will once again thrive – as in both numbers and quality of life – on the main island of New Zealand where they once lived. For those who do not know the history of the Kakapo and their extinction, here is a brief article to acquaint you with that sadness.

History-Kakapo-Recovery Download

I have included this before but, let’s all remember! Don’t let those pumpkins go to waste. Tell your family and friends. All those pumpkins turned into Jack-O-Lanterns are great food sources for wildlife. It can make a difference in their lives – food. Life saving food.

You can do something to help lots of wildlife with your pumpkins, old apples, etc -.

I checked on Karl II’s family – all are still travelling, but there is no transmission yet from Karl II, and there is also no transmission from Tweed Valley’s Poul. Keep them in your most positive thoughts.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, postings, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Osoyoos, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Sandpoint Ospreys, Boulder County Fair Grounds, D Lambertson and PSEG, Seaside Ospreys, Dunrovin Ranch, Sassa Bird and Bald Eagles I the USA, Ana Boone and SWFL Eagle Ca, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, NZ DOC, Holly Parsons and Albatross Lovers, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Cilla Kinross and Orange Peregrine Falcons, and Kakapo Recovery.

Migration…Wednesday in Bird World

13 September 2023

Good Morning,

Tuesday was a very ‘difficult’ and, at the same time, rewarding and joyous day. Two beautiful Calico cats are off the streets and out of the cycle of producing feral kittens. Needless to say I did not sleep well Monday night. It is the ‘alarm clock syndrome’. Difficulty sleeping for fear of sleeping through the alarm.

Calico’s surgery went well. The vet phoned to say that Calico was ‘very strong’ and a gentle, sweet ‘kitten’. The staff spent much time with her when she was recovering – her story and that of Hope finding us -touched each and every one of them. It still makes me weep at all the things that had to ‘work’ for this to happen. I am indebted to those individuals that reached out to help me find ways to track Calico, who helped by providing the kitten trap for Hope, and to each and everyone whose experience with community cats helped us to have a successful ending to their story.

The biggest issue at the vet’s was the advice to keep Calico and Hope separated overnight. Of course, if Calico insisted, the stress being separated from Hope would be worse than Hope trying to suckle. The distance between the little office door and the one for the conservatory is approximately 65 feet. Calico made it very clear that she was not staying in that room. Lewis and Missey were contained in another room with the door to the conservatory open. Calico bolted the instance the office door opened. Hope came running! For a few seconds, there was a lovely little conversation between Mamma and baby. Thankfully, the only kitten that Calico will ever have is healthy and safe and with her Mamma tonight.

Calico is still in a bit of a haze, but Hope is so happy! Mamma is home. Just look at that round little belly on Hope. Poor Calico. She is just so wee…she weighs 2.3 kg or 5.03 lbs. Hope may weigh that much. Calico will start to put on weight and become healthy.

It is a secret. Hope spent the entire day playing with Missey!!!!!!!!!! They are super friends but don’t tell Mamma.

What fun it was to sit and watch these two with the new scratch post. They took turns with Hope watching every move that Missey made carefully and then imitating it.

Hope really loves this new scratch post with the feathered ball.

Before lights out, Hope got in some playtime while Calico rested. She forgot about where she was and wound up on my lap with the feather teaser. It was too funny – the startled look on her face when she realised that I had reached over and started petting her. Things are coming together. She is no longer 100% afraid of me scurrying off to hide in a corner. Humans mean food, cuddles, treats, and playtime!!!!!!!

What is happening in Bird World? One word: migration. Cornell Bird Lab and BirdCast are predicting that 348 million birds will be on the move as I am writing this Tuesday evening 12 September.

What needs to be done to protect migrating birds?

For-Migrating-Birds-Its-the-Flight-of-Their-Lives-The-New-York-Times Download

The National Wildlife Federation gives these ten tips for helping migrating birds – these are things we can initiate that can give instant success.

1. Keep your cat indoors—this is best for your cat as well as the birds, as indoor cats live an average of three to seven times longer. Even well fed cats kill birds, and bells on cats don’t effectively warn birds of cat strikes. For more information, go to http://www.abcbirds.org/cats.

2. Prevent birds from hitting your windows by using a variety of treatments to the glass on your home—check out ABC’s tips at http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/collisions/glass.html

3. Eliminate pesticides from your yard—even those pesticides that are not directly toxic to birds can pollute waterways and reduce insects that birds rely on for food.

4. Create backyard habitat—if you have a larger yard, create a diverse landscape by planting native grasses, flowers, and shrubs that attract native birds. You will be rewarded by their beauty and song, and will have fewer insect pests as a result.

5. Donate old birdwatching equipment such as binoculars or spotting scopes to local birdwatching groups—they can get them to schools or biologists in other countries who may not have the resources they need.

6. Reduce your carbon footprint—use a hand-pushed or electric lawnmower, carpool, use low energy bulbs and Energy Star appliances. Contact your energy supplier and ask them about purchasing your energy from renewable sources.

7. Buy organic food and drink shade-grown coffee—increasing the market for produce grown without the use of pesticides, which can be toxic to birds and other animals, will reduce the use of these hazardous chemicals in the U.S. and overseas. Shade coffee plantations maintain large trees that provide essential habitat for wintering songbirds.

8. Keep feeders and bird baths clean to avoid disease and prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

9. Support bird friendly legislation both locally and in the U.S. Congress.

10. Join a bird conservation group—learn more about birds and support important conservation work.

According to ABC, birds need our help now more than ever. In addition to the ongoing threat of loss of habitat that is becoming magnified by global warming, millions of birds are directly killed due to a number of different human-related causes.

Scientists estimate that 300 million to 1 billion birds die each year from collisions with buildings. Up to 50 million die from encounters with communication towers. At least 11 million die from car strikes. Another 1 million may die each day from attacks by cats left outdoors.

Some of these deaths occur year-round but many occur during the peak spring and fall migrations. Some studies suggest that perhaps as many as half of all migrating birds do not make it back to spring and summer grounds, succumbing to various threats on either end of the journey.
14 April 2010, NWF newsletter

There is great news coming out of Cal Falcons. Zephyr (2022) has been sighted more than once! Thanks, ‘B’ for the head’s up!

‘H’ brings us her report on Kent Island and Barnegat Light:

Kent Island – “Audrey was seen a few times throughout the day. In the morning, she was seen in ‘Joe’s tree’, and she was obviously scoping out the water below for fish. Both Audrey and Tom have previously been seen diving from that tree. The video went to ‘highlights’, and when the livestream returned, Audrey was seen on a dock eating her catch. Later, Audrey was seen in the same tree in the afternoon. There are times when the camera is focused on the nest, and an osprey can be heard nearby, but the cam does not pan in that direction. Many bird nest cams online do not have PTZ capabilities or a dedicated camera operator. No matter what nest we are watching online, we are always grateful for what we are able to observe. We only know what we can see, and we learn what we can.”

Barnegat Light – “There were significant livestreaming issues once again on 9/12, especially during the afternoon and evening. In the morning, Duke was seen in his tree at the north tree line for a while. There were a few hours in the morning without livestream glitches, and during that time we did not see or hear Dorsett. Because of that, it is thought that Dorsett may have left the area. We will continue to follow today, and hopefully the livestream will behave. Dorsett is the only chick to have survived the storm in late June. I am sharing a photo from 6/8/23.”

Gabby and V3 were at the nest early on Tuesday. Later Gabby had to deal with the female intruder that has been showing up – she ushered her out of the territory (or so it seems). Wouldn’t it be nice if this nest could just be quiet and boring this year?

These two were chortling back and forth. A chortle is a form of communication between Bald Eagles. It is a series of short rapid chirps which might mean several things. You have to look at the context. In the image below it is a greeting between Gabby and V3. It could, at other times, signal that eagles are going to engage in a dispute.

At the nest of Anna and Louis in the Kistachie National Forest, Louis has brought Anna the first fish gift on camera of the season. This is the couple’s fourth year together. The nest that they use was vacated in 2013. They did not have any chicks for the 2019-20 season. In 2020-21, they fledged Kisatchie in 2021-22, a female, Kincaid. What a great moment it was when Kisatchie hatched – the first eaglet in the forest for 8 years.

M15 and his new mate are working hard on the Fort Myers nest on the Pritchett Property that M15 shared with Harriet for 8 years.

Checking on Australia:

367 Collins Street: It is hard to get those four big falcon eggs tucked. Gosh, this ledge in the CBD of Melbourne is going to be busy in about a month. The nice thing about incubation is it gives Mum time to rest up before caring for the four – and Dad will be able, nearing the time of hatch, to stock up the pantry.

Sydney Sea Eagles: Breakfast was served early – followed by some nice wingersizing. The eaglets are getting stronger and stronger, standing for longer, and walking with much more confidence.

‘A’ was watching adding, “The sea eaglets had a good early breakfast (around 06:07 I think). It was feathered, minus its head, and a really good size. It looked afterwards as though SE31 had the larger crop but both ate enough breakfast. It was a large piece of prey. SE32 was like a toddler teething this morning. He nibbled at mum’s face and beak when she was aerating the nest in front of where he was lying. He nibbled at her wings. He nibbled at her breast. He nibbled at her underfluffies. Then, he turned around and began nibbling SE31. I have no idea what he was doing, but it was too cute. No-one else objected – it was exploratory and perhaps some level of allopreening was involved, but certainly it was not aggressive. The parents continue to be obsessed by the need to bring in more big sticks (kiddie rails, not just sticks) and lots and lots of greenery, as well as dry leaf material to lay on top of the greenery. They are very diligent in their nest work……Oh those eaglets are GORGEOUS. They are starting to get that beautiful russett colouring on their breasts, shoulders and wings. Lunch came in at 14:21, and both eaglets were interested in the food, which looked like another of the large eels (Dad brought it in and Lady quickly came to manage it). SE32 was first at the table, and got the early part of the feeding, but there was plenty of meat on that eel and both eaglets ate well. They were, as is always the case these days, perfectly behaved at the table, patiently waiting when the other was eating, with no beaking or intimidation or acts of submission or fear. It was a lovely thing. These two are doing so well and they are rapidly beginning to look like juvenile sea eagles. Their colouring is just exquisite. The perfection of their camouflage is amazing. They are truly beautiful at this age are they not?”

Port Lincoln: Dad2 brought in at least three fish before 1400. He took turns incubating so that Mum could eat. Ask me how much I am liking this new male.

‘A’ adds: “At Port Lincoln, dad brought three or four fish today and mum had some or all of two of them. She is doing the vast majority of the incubation time. Interestingly, the eggs were left unattended for just 1% of the 24 hours on Tuesday (and incubated for 99%) but on Wednesday were left alone for 19% of the time (incubated 89%). This may relate to the weather, but I found it interesting. “

Orange Peregrine Falcons: Xavier brought in a nice chunk of prepared prey for Diamond at 06:27. At the time I am writing (14:14 Australia time) no other prey items had been delivered that I could confirm.

What a little sweetie Xavier is…I love this gleeful way he rushes over to incubate those eggs in the morning.

Like so many, ‘A’ has been missing Manaaki, the Royal Cam chick since he began to get his juvenile feathers. Now..he is ready to fly she adds, “Here is the evidence that we are about to lose Manaaki to his destiny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghTGyX8-ADg. I know it is what he is born for and I know it represents a fabulously successful season for everyone at Royal Cam and for parents L and GLY. But oh how I am going to miss this gorgeous creature, with his adventurous mischievous personality and his obsession with gardening and excavating and exploring.

Now he has cast his bolus (or boluses), he is pretty much ready to leave. There is little fluff left now, and the next windy spell should see him on his way. Treasure these last hours. We may never see him again. I am so sad, but happy too.”

One of those lovely happy endings – a successful rescue of an Osprey caught in fishing line posted on The Joy of Ospreys by D Lambertson.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A, B, H’, BirdCast, NYTimes, Cal Falcons, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, NEFL-AEF, Tonya Irwin and KNF E-1, Real Saunders Photography, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, NZ DOC, and D Lambertson and the Joy of Ospreys.

Bon Voyage Mini…Sunday in Bird World

10 September 2023

Hello Everyone!

Saturday was the most gorgeous fall day. It was about 16 degrees C with a beautiful blue sky and some soft puffy white clouds as I travelled north from the City. You could see the geese overhead flying in their standard ‘V’ formation swirling around the fields that have been recently harvested – wheat and flax, mainly. There is something so magical about the rhythm of their lives. They come in late March or April and being heading to their winter homes in September-October. At one of the local nature centres, they fly in by the thousands at dusk (on a good day). Their black silhouettes filling the horizon as the sun begins to slowly set in the West.

One of the best places to see the geese in the afternoon is at Oak Hammock Marsh.

A lone American White Pelican and a Trumpeter Swan with all the geese landing at a small pond by the road.

On the way home there was a beautiful Red-tail Hawk hunting in one of the fields. What a magnificent raptor. No photo…just watched it for a bit and left quietly — we must always remind ourselves that their lives are overtly challenging and any opportunity for a meal should be respected and we should ‘disappear’.

Oak Hammock Marsh is run by Ducks Unlimited and the Province of Manitoba and is an extensive wetland. Being there reminded me that ‘R’ had sent me an article several weeks ago and our discussion about how we need cooperation to protect the birds. What he sent me was about the Excise Tax in NJ – how that comes from the sale of hunting equipment, firearms, permits, etc. goes to help with the conservation of the birds, such as our beloved Ospreys, in the state of New Jersey. We talked about how this could be a blueprint for the future if we want our birds to thrive – and as much as I hate killing of anything, it makes sense. Ducks Unlimited is working across Canada with various groups including some in the province of Alberta to purchase huge tracts of land to protect and restore for wildlife. It is something to think about. In NJ it is called the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Does your state or province promote such a scheme? If not, it might be worth a good conversation!

Wildlife-and-Sport-Fish-Restoration-Program-Fish-Wildlife-Download

All of the kittens behaved themselves. Missey and Lewis continue to be in the main house and Calico and Hope in the conservatory annex. Hope has been enjoying her new rich foods a little too much or it is that plus the stress of coming inside…but the poor little darling is now on kaolin probiotic granules for running poop shots. Hoping she is over this very quickly…she was fine when she arrived! A few images from today…Hope insists on doing everything that Mamma does. She resisted her own little dish of organic chicken and sauce to try and eat with Calico, was on the cat tree and it seems that Calico is an excellent pillow.

Giggles all around today – the cats are eating well and their rooms are disinfected and cleaned twice a day – everything. Gosh, the laundry in making those tents…Calico is off for her surgery on Tuesday and Hope will be, by then, surely she will, friendly!

Thank you Jeff Kear – I had not heard about Alyth putting in battery storage units right under the nose of Harry’s Osprey Nest! Does the need to constrict the use of fossil fuels mean that we should not consider the environmental impact and the location? Was any study done? It is not clear when it comes to the ospreys or other wildlife.

Alyth-BESS Download

‘A’ reports on what is happening ‘down under’ – that is where most of the action is currently!

Sydney Sea Eagles: “Dad brought in a very nice fish at 08:33:22 this morning and Lady was quickly shimmying down the perch branch to take control of it. Lady and Dad have a little chat and seem excited by the fish but the eaglets (especially SE32) are more interested in what’s going on in the tree around them this morning. SE31 is first to the table, while SE32 is looking up and around at everything in his expanding world. The view is somehow different from up on his feet perhaps! At 08:39 he finally moves up to the table and his sister courteously moves aside so her brother can have some breakfast! This is so civil, it’s ridiculous. Someone remind these kids they are apex predators! Just before 08:40 Dad flies in with a stick (the parents have been busy building another level of cot railing over the past five or six days, as the two get up onto their feet and start moving around the nest a lot more – now SE32 has joined his sister up off his tarsi). Dad is very engaged in his stick placement and spends considerable time perfecting the front of the nest. So cute. Lady continues feeding SE32, though SE31 is momentarily fascinated by Dad’s manoeuvrings.”

Royal Albatross: “In New Zealand, Manaaki is on his nest and there is very little wind today, so I am not anticipating a fledge this morning. The wind may pick up during the afternoon. We will see.”

This video is from the NZ DOC. It shows our young prime hovering nicely! This was three days ago.

Melbourne Peregrine Falcons: “At Collins Street, F22 takes a break shortly after 9am (that time stamp is SO hard to read) and little M22 is soon in to take over incubation. He settles down in his customary jerky manner and then finds he has a spare egg he has failed to cover. So he has to start his enfluffling all over again. Such a sweetie. I love these falcon dads.”

Port Lincoln: “No third egg at Port Lincoln and I certainly hope there won’t be, given the gap between the first two eggs is 74 hours. A third egg could therefore be as far away as Tuesday. I do hope there isn’t another one. I’m not looking forward to the huge gap between the first two. A third hatch would be so nerve-wracking. We really don’t need that sort of stress.”

There are still only 2 eggs at Port Lincoln.

I certainly agree with ‘A’. A third hatch at Port Lincoln does not need that kind of stress! But then again, we have a new Dad and a new season and anything is possible.

Thanks, ‘A’.

Let us go and check on Diamond and Xavier – Xavier flew in with a nice prey for Diamond’s breakfast, and he then worked hard rolling the three big eggs and trying to fit them under him. He was successful, but gosh, it is a good thing there are not four of them.

‘A’ writes about the intruder that has been bothering Xavier and Diamond: “That intruder is still worrying at Orange, although Diamond and Xavier have things sorted. This morning, the intruder was spotted. Diamond called Xavier to come and mind the eggs. He arrived and took over incubation. Diamond dealt with the intruder (visible from tower cam) and returned to the nest box. All is well. I am SO glad they have this routine. Diamond is twice Xavier’s size and makes short work of an intruder. Any injury to Xavier at this point would be a disaster for the clutch. They know this. We are grateful. But I do wish this intruder would move on. I do keep wondering whether it is Izzi, as the males do tend to move no more than 50 km from their natal nest, from what I have read, whereas the female fledglings spread much further away. It is so funny that Indigo, too, proved impossible to persuade it was time to leave home, so that Diamond and Xavier had to physically bar him entry to the scrape! At least they got rid of him before the eggs were laid, which was only just the case the year Izzi was there. He was persistent in the extreme. I think it was early August before they gently told him “grow up and find your own territory, son!” and moved him on.”

So do we think that this might be Izzi? That would be interesting. (Note that raptors normally engage other raptors of the same gender).

‘H’ sent me a quote today from one of David Gessner’s books on Ospreys. It is so appropriate and she believes it is form the Return of the Osprey but neither of us had the time to dig through the book to find the right page:

“To love the Osprey is to be constantly open to loss.”

Mini was not seen at the Patchogue nest after she flew off in the early morning. It is now 2100 nest time, and she has not flown in. Mini, you taught us to persevere, not give up hope, be smart, and figure things out. Safe travels – good winds, a full crop, a good life.

‘H’ brings us up to date on the last two nests she has observed for me. She officially monitored ten nests, but it was always more than that. Over the course of osprey season, the number of eggs grew to over 350 that were monitored. I am very grateful for her help and keen eye and instincts – thank you, ‘H’. You came to Ospreys, naturally.

Kent Island – It seems that Molly may have already started on her journey. September 9th was the fourth full day without a sighting of our precious Molly. Both Tom and Audrey were seen in ‘Joe’s tree’ during the day. At 1800 Audrey came to the nest for a while to dry off after her bath. And, Audrey flew to the nest at 2300 to spend her third straight night on the nest.

Barnegat Light – There were intermittent periods of live stream buffering throughout the day. We did not observe Duke delivering a fish to Dorsett at the nest, but Dorsett was seen a few times at the nest and on Duke’s perch.

Louise and Banff are no longer at the Fortis Exshaw Nest. As the sun sets Saturday evening near Canmore, Alberta, not far away from Lake Louise, they have had snow on the 6th! By vehicle, it is 5 hours through the mountains, according to Google. The girls will happen to be sunning themselves in the south.

The two surviving chicks at Osprey House in Brisbane, Australia are doing well.

There is extremely sad news coming out of Big Bear Valley today – confirming losses from several years ago.

I am attaching the article.

Color-Banded-Bald-Eagles-in-Southern-California-UPDATE-—-Bloom-Biological-Inc Download

How has the earthquake in Morocco impacted Ospreys migrating from Europe and the UK? Certainly transmissions might be garbled but what about the environment where they are fishing, living, or flying through?

Morocco-earthquake-at-least-2000-dead-and-thousands-more-injured-Earthquakes-The-Guardian Download

A lovely Red-tail Hawk – juvenile – visited the WRDC nest of Rose and Ron yesterday. ‘H’ was the first to alert me and Pat Burke has posted an image.

That’s a wrap for Sunday, September 10. Thank you for being with us. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for the notes, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, Jeff Kear’, Alyth, Sydney Sea Eagles, NZ DOC, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, PSEG, Snow Seekers, Osprey House, Tonya Irwin and Raptors of the World, Pat Burke and Eagle Nest Watchers, Bloom Biological, and The Guardian.

Three for Diamond and Xavier…Friday in Bird World

8 September 2023

Gosh, another week has flown by. Honestly, I do not notice unless I have an appointment. All of the days blur together, and that is perfectly fine. It was nice to put up the watch and not have the calendar overflowing with appointments once I retired. As one former student says, ‘My days are busier and fuller,’ but my choice is what they are busy or full with. Garden animals, birds, and kittens…

When my grandmother could no longer make the elaborate patterned quilts of her youth -because her arthritis in her fingers was so bad in her 90s- she started making strip quilts. [The woman could not sit still for long. S he was gardening, raising chickens, doing embroidery or quilting til the day she died. She was an incredible role model.] That is what she called them – long strips of material pieced together. Sometimes, she would tie the layers together with bright embroidery thread that ‘tickled’ my children. They became known as ‘tickles’. Calico was sleeping on one of those today – a tired Mamma!

To see this little kitten follow its Mamma or to peek around the corner and see them sleeping together still brings tears to my eyes. Honestly, I did not think this would happen.

Both Calico and her daughter have a black tear on their left tear duct.

The sunlight is so crazy often the pair are bleached out in the images and no adjusting will help! Calico spends a lot of time washing her little one. There are so many kittens in the lost kitten postings and Hope is so healthy compared to them. S he has no eye problems, her fur is in incredible condition and she is ‘fat’.

Missey and Lewis are doing brilliantly. Today Calico wanted out of the conservatory, and when she was in the main part of the house, Lewis was friendly! I almost fell over. In fact, Lewis and Missey are back to their old selves – confident that there is lots of food and love – enough to go around to four. It reminds me of Ospreys and little eaglets in the nestHoping to have the kitten integrated by the end of the weekend as Mamma goes in for her surgery on Tuesday.

I was away for part of the day, and when I got home, the first nest I checked was Mini, and there she was. Mini arrived at 18:47. The left leg is still held – and may always be – out at an odd angle. It does not look any worse in my humble and non-wildlife rehabber/vet/vet technician-trained eye. Her crop was not as full as it often is, but it was still a gift to see her, and I hope she gets an evening fish or one first thing in the morning.

Mini was on the nest in the evening. It was good to see her resting her leg.

At 22:59 she raised herself up – it made me ache a bit to see her with that left leg still causing issues but, she did quite a normal looking ps. Thick and well projected over the edge. She is eating. Who is getting the fish is unknown.

At Alyth, Harry has been busy feeding Chirpy some really nice Flounder and other fish every single day, sometimes several times a day. Today Harry arrived with a fish and no Chirpy. Has Chirpy migrated? We wait to see but it certainly looks like it. That third hatch never wanted to miss a meal!

Swoop is still delivering to Crackle at Dunrovin.

‘H’ tells us what is going on with Molly and Dorsett – they are still home!

Kent Island, 9/7 – For the second straight day, we did not see the fledgling, Molly. Some believe that Molly may be exploring a wider area, perhaps catching her own fish, and that we may see her again. In the meantime, Tom was seen dining on a nearby dock, and we saw either Tom or Audrey perched in a tree. The most pleasant surprise was when Audrey arrived at the nest around 9 pm, and spent the night on the nest. It has been a very long time since she did that.

Barnegat Light, 9/7 – There were at least two fish brought to the nest by Duke for Dorsett. Dorsett was a little conflicted as to where to eat her breakfish at 0645. She first took the fish to the 22nd street pole and ate a bit, then she flew to the 24th street pole and ate some more, and then she changed her mind once again … back to the 22nd street pole with the fish, lol.

Tweed Valley’s Poul is now in central Algeria. Ah, he didn’t stay in Morocco like Glen. Curious path. We wait to see where he goes next.

Xavier and Diamond were right on schedule with their third egg on Thursday. I am going to say something that will be wildly unpopular and then I will forever hold my peace – I actually hope that only one egg hatches. Diamond does better with a single chick that grows to be big and strong like Izzi than she does when there are two. I can’t even begin to imagine three ——and I adore Diamond. Just my own personal observation which, in the world of nature, doesn’t mean a heck of a lot!

SE 31 and 32 are growing like crazy! 31 has become an expert self-feeder.

‘A’ reports: “SE31 is really getting serious about self-feeding, which is so funny, because we thought SE32 would master this skill first and of course during that week or so when he was being intimidated, he did make some early attempts but did not have the weight to hold down prey. Now, it is SE31 who is waiting for food while SE32 gets fed, and she is getting impatient enough to start self-feeding while she waits. This eel is perfect for the purpose, long enough for Lady to feed SE32 from one end while SE31 self-feeds from the other. She starts off having some problems opening the eel but soon works it out and is doing a great job of using her right foot to hold down the food. The eels can be difficult, and Lady sometimes has to work really hard to separate the flesh from the skin, so I am really impressed by SE31’s effort on this one. It has only been opened at one end, the end from which Lady is feeding SE32, so SE31 is doing great work. Check her out from around 15:40! Quite the professional. Well done SE31! SE31 is much more balanced on her feet than SE32 and is practising her walking and her wingercising with vigour. She is really starting to look more like a juvenile than a nestling, with her beautiful feathers growing in by the day. Two absolutely exquisite sea eaglets. How lovely it is to see them getting along so nicely again. This nest really does have something special, as according to my reading, many authors consider this an obligate siblicide species. Fledging two happy eaglets who get along well season after season is quite an achievement if that is the case, and one can only assume it has something to do with the parenting on the nest. It is not because we have single-gender clutches here (especially two males). As far as I can recall, the last three seasons have seen a female first hatch with a younger brother. So unless there’s something genetic that makes the offspring of this couple particularly laid-back, it seems to be more nurture than nature as it were.”

There should be another egg arrival at Port Lincoln.

At Collins Street, Dad brought in a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike for Mum. Wow. Way to go Dad!

These Shrikes range in size from 32-34 cm and mostly feed on insects, seeds, and some fruits. They are stunning birds in terms of their plumage. The body is a soft pearl pale gray often paler on the belly. Their face has a very distinctive ebony black mask and throat. If you look carefully there may be some white edges at the wing and feather tips. The eye is black blending in with the mask while the sharp bill is a deep charcoal. The bird is really a study in greys -. Gorgeous. They live in wooded areas as well as urban habitats and farmland in a large area that reaches from Indonesia to Australia.

“Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike” by jeans_Photos is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

So are there two or three? We wait for the reveal at Collins Street.

At the Royal Albatross Colony, Manaaki is losing all of that fluffy baby down and starting to look like a juvenile who will soon embark on a journey so long and for so many years that it is hard for this human to fathom it.

Oh, wow. Good news from SWFlorida coming from ‘A’: “We have lovely news from SWFL, with M15 and his new lady love having been observed bonding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHlwSU3y4uA&list=TLPQMDgwOTIwMjPQFEwHlsRyRQ&index=3 Does this not gladden your heart? What a loss it would be if the best eagle dad of all time did not get the chance to be a dad again.”

Checking on Karl II and his family:

Kaia is in the Ukraine near some fish ponds. Nice.

Waba is also in the Ukraine.

Bonus is alive, but the transmitter is only sending out an alive signal not a location.

Kalvi is in Bulgaria.

There has been no data available for Karl II, the patriarch of the clan. I have not but am hoping to find an update somewhere for today.

Pharmaceuticals kill birds that forage. India, one of the largest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals for humans and non-humans, is banning two veterinary drugs that have proven to kill vultures – Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac- can no longer be manufactured, sold and distributed throughout India. Are these being used in your country?

Bans-on-two-more-veterinary-drugs-linked-to-vulture-deaths-in-India-BirdLife-International Download

BirdLife International has launched a Seabird Conservation Handbook for West Africa. Have a look at what is being done in the latest press release.

Press-Release-BirdLife-launches-Seabird-Conservation-Handbook-for-West-Africa-BirdLife-Internatio Download

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Hoping to see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, PSEG, Sue Wallbanks and Friends of Loch Arkaig Osprey Cam, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Deborah Victoriana and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, PLO, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, NZ DOC, Maria Marika, Looduskalender Forum, and BirdLife International.

SE30 and Poul…Great News…Sunday in Bird World

3 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

There is so much good news and, of course, some worrisome – worrisome that appears to be unsolvable at the moment.

First, the kittens are fully integrated into the house. It was initially believed that Missey would be the dominant and could cause issues but, it turned out that Lewis was insecure. After spending time on the streets and being so little, Calico has some ‘smarts’, which include always being up higher and never responding to Lewis. It was brilliant! One more night separated and then we will see how they do together unsupervised during the ‘wild time’. I am just dizzily gleeful.

Calico has spent her day looking out the windows to the world where she used to live. Everyone has eaten together, separated by about 1.75 metres. Hopefully, like osplets and eaglets, there is enough space, love, attention, and food that they will each feel secure and thrive.

The stand off.

Calico’s fur is getting much better.

Watching.

Of course, it was too good to be true. Lewis decided to attack Calico at the end of the day. One hiccup – it was stopped before it started. Hoping Lewis has this anxiousness out of his system by Monday. Wish us luck~!

I had not seen it yet and ‘H’ sent me the good news first thing this morning from the Australian Raptor Care and Conservation!

It is gorgeous. These are a couple of images from VisitNSW.

Our hearts all sank. Mini arrived at the nest to everyone’s great delight at 17:44. But immediately thoughts went to her leg which she is really having trouble with – again, at the end of the day. It made us ache for her. At 18:42 she was seen to be hobbling. At the same time, she was actively fish calling. We have observed a good PS every day and her crop is still not appearing concave so we can deduce that she is either being fed or she is fishing and being lucky.

There appeared to be some green algae/plant material ?under her right wing and on her leg when she landed.

The bottom line is you are loved and everyone is worried about your quality of life, Mini.

I wish we could see who she is calling…hopefully, Mini will rest her leg at the nest tonight. She has more difficulty at the end of the day than at the beginning. She also has a somewhat rounded crop – it is not concave – she is being fed (said twice, but we need to remember that just because we do not see fish delivered to the nest does not mean any of the ospreys are not getting food).

Everyone wants Mini to be whole and perfect and live an extraordinary life. If we could have had that leg mended when the injury first occurred it would have been grand. We wish her the very best…she is showered with positive hope and love. Now we need some luck and ingenuity.

Let’s skip to ‘H’s reports for this morning:

Kent Island – There was only one fish delivered to the nest. Tom brought a whole menhaden to Molly for her supper. And, while we haven’t seen Audrey at the nest since 8/29, it was reported that Audrey was seen on a neighbor’s dock on 9/2.

Barnegat Light – Duke brought at least three fish to the nest for Dorsett. Whether she is perched on her favorite utility pole, on top of a flag pole, or on her dad’s perch, Dorsett doesn’t miss a thing. In the afternoon, Dorsett had been standing on Duke’s perch for a while, when she suddenly took off, flew in a big circle, and landed on the nest one second before Duke landed with a fish. Nice timing!

Osoyoos – The Osoyoos osprey cam has been offline for four days. The fledgling is 69 days old, and fledged on 8/21.

Thanks so much ‘H’.

The big news in migration comes from the sat-packed Tweed Valley youngster Poul who is now in Morocco! Congratulations Di Bennet and gang. It looks like he was fitted with a jet pack at the same time. What a good time to get to Africa.

Seiont hit the century and is still home-fed by Dad, Idris, or Daddy Longlegs. What a handsome osplet Seiont is. Will we see him in 2 years coming by the Dyfi nest to say hello? I sure hope so.

Meanwhile, Aran was finally getting to enjoy one of those lovely trout that he has been bringing in to the nest – alone, in quiet, on a branch. Elen is gone…both juveniles were still around – OH1 and OH2. One got to enjoy a Garfish on Saturday.

Maya was still at Rutland. I have not seen Blue 33 for a couple of days. it would be highly unusual for him to depart before Maya. I wonder if he is feeding kids off the nest and allowing Maya to have time to eat her big catches in peace?

Fledgling still at Alyth with Dad.

CJ7 and Blue 022 have both been seen at Poole on Saturday.

Sharon Leigh posted some super information on the migration patterns and the timing of migration for the US Ospreys from Montana.

At the Richmond Ship Yards, Rosie is still home. Richmond will remain for the winter near the nest while Rosie will go and have some fun in the sun.

Iris is still with us in Missoula!

The Bald Eagle couples are returning and working on their nests. Gosh, that just makes me get so excited. It is the worry of who will return and who won’t but right now we have —

M15 and his new lady holding the fort at Southwest Florida.

Louis and Anna at Kistachie Nest 1:

V3 and Gabby at NEFlorida. The AEF stated on FB “We believe that Gabby is about 9 years old based on her feather coloration and behavior when she first arrived at the nest in 2018/2019. V3 we believe is a mature eagle but probably young – maybe between 5 – 7 years old.”

Pepe and Muhlady are on and off the nest at Superbeaks. Look at that beautiful majestic eagle:

Shadow and Jackie are at Big Bear. Will be checking on the others as the end of osprey season progresses.

‘A’s reports from ‘down under’ – where spring is arriving!

“In Orange, both Xavier and Diamond appear to have eaten, and the two are spending a lot of time together. Xavier is once again sitting on the ledge, keeping her company, which he has been doing sometimes for hours at a time. It is so sweet. Sometimes, they chat quietly but usually they just sit together in silence.”

At Sydney, “Still no breakfast at WBSE. It is after midday and the eaglets are waiting patiently and behaving nicely. SE32 has done a very healthy PS (haven’t seen SE31 do so yet but I’ve been busy this morning. Cats. The kitchen. You know the sort of thing. Lady has been on the nest a bit with the eaglets. She has been aerating the nest and generally spending time with her babies. Keeping them reassured. Both eaglets are now sleeping up at the table, ready for food to arrive.”

It was nice to be watching and catch the arrival of a nice fish!

September 1.

A remarkable bird surviving on the Isle of Man away from the persecution of the driven grouse estates.

Country-diary-An-all-white-hen-harrier-ghosting-along-the-cliffs-Birds-The-Guardian Download

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send positive energy to dear Mini. See you soon – and stay safe out there.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, G, H’, Australian Raptor Care and Conservation, VisitNWS.com,PSEG, Kent Island, Osoyoos, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Tweed Valley, Dyfi, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, LRWT, Alyth, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info, Sharon Leigh and Montana Osprey Cams, Pam Krute and SF Osprey Cam with Rosie and Richmond, Montana Osprey Project, Sydney Sea Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Linda Russo and NEFL and SWFL Eagle Watchers Club, Tonya Irwin and KNF Eagle Cam Fans, the AEF, Superbeaks, J & R Aquatic Animal Rescue.

V3 arrives back at NEFlorida!…Friday in Bird World

1 September 2023

Good Morning,

Calico had her vet appointment and I cannot possibly describe the relief. No HIV, No Feline Leukaemia, her teeth and ears are perfect. She is between 8-10 months old so the vet let us choose a ‘birth’ date for her and we picked 2 November, the day Lewis and Missey arrived. Calico does have mastitis and is on an antibiotic and she will have ‘the’ operation and be microchipped on the 12th at 0800. Everything is good. She was cleared to join Missey and Lewis but she is so tired from it all that she is sleeping and sleeping. I have to add that while Lewis howls like you are pulling his toe nails out when he is in the car, Calico was polite and sweet during each and every event this morning. What a sweetie she is.

Lewis and Missey will get to meet their new sister tomorrow now that she is all clear for any issues – how lucky are we? No obvious fleas, ticks, parasites, etc. And all tests came back negative.

On the way to the vet.

Here are some interesting facts about Calico cats taken from the Website All about the Calico Personality:

Calicos are one of the subjects of “The Duel,” a popular children’s poem by Eugene Fields. The poem describes a fight between a “calico cat” and “gingham dog.”
Because of their rarity, Calico cats are considered lucky by many around the world. The Calico cat is thought to bring good luck and fortune to the homes and families that adopt them. They are also considered to be a little magical because of their three colors.
In the 1870s, Calico cats were named the official symbol of fortune in Japan. They’re sometimes called “money cats” here and elsewhere.
The Calico cat became the official cat of the state of Maryland in 2001. The Calico cat was chosen because the colors of its fur are similar to that of the Baltimore Oriole, which is the official state bird.
According to Irish folklore, if you have a wart that you want to get rid of, just rub it against a Calico cat’s tail.

You will recall that I have been feeding and cuddling with Calico for months and months outside. She was brought into the house at 1900 last Saturday, the 26th. After that, extensive effort was put in by the neighbourhood to find any kitten or kittens. One of the neighbours ran over to tell me that the kitten had been found late Thursday. Well, it turns out that ‘a kitten’ was found and turned in to the Humane Society. It was processed through their intake the morning of Friday, the 25th – thirty-four hours before Calico moved in. I am not convinced it is Calico’s kitten because the posting said 2 weeks old. But if it is, it is a beautiful white kitten that someone is going to love. Calico’s kittens would have been approximately 54-55 days old. Still, it tells me that people know what to do if they see a lost kitten! No other sightings that I am aware of currently.

‘H’ report at Fortis Exshaw is fantastic, “Overall, it was an extremely quiet day. The female intruder flew to the nest alerting at 0646, and after twelve minutes she flew away. We did not see her on cam the rest of the day. The male intruder has not been seen since the afternoon of 8/30. We would occasionally hear an osprey call, but not often. The highlight of the day was a surprise visit by Banff. At 1130, Banff casually flew in and landed on the right side of the T-perch. We were absolutely delighted to see her. She was calm. The intruders were not around, and Banff knew that. She exuded confidence and maturity. She appeared regal. She shifted her position once in a while. She preened a bit. She roused once. She surveyed the entire area. Was she reminiscing? After all, she had spent her entire life there. Of course, I know she wasn’t reminiscing, ospreys live in the moment. But while I watched Banff on that perch, I was reminiscing. Everything that had transpired over the past few months, good or bad, happy or sad, flashed before my eyes. After twelve minutes, Banff gracefully and majestically flew away toward the river. Was that ‘Goodbye’? We did not see her or hear her for the rest of the day. We will continue to look for her, just in case. Banff has made it. She is ready. “Well done, Banff.”

Thanks, ‘H’. You have done. great job reporting on this nest. It is so wonderful to see Banff thumb her nose at the intruders but, at the same time, allow all of us to see that she survived it – she survived it all. Go Banff!

Mini did a good PS at 0602 before flying off the perch at Patchogue. It is impossible to tell what happening with her left leg. She does not return to the nest during the day like she used to, and from the size of the PS she is being fed off-camera or catching her own – my bet is on the former.

I would give anything to have GPS tracking on Mini. After watching and worrying for so long, she has become so big a part of so many people’s lives it is difficult to let go and not know how her life is unfolding like we do that of Poul.

Tweed Valley’s sat packed fledgling, Poul, is in Spain. Great time!

The main camera has not returned to the Sydney Sea Eagles cam. ‘A’ has been watching: “Dad brought breakfast for the eaglets (I presume a fish) at around 07:37. Lady had flown in and taken control of it within 10 seconds. She is impressive. I can’t see any heads so I don’t know who is in front and whether both are being fed, but she is feeding eaglets, so based on yesterday and the four days before that, I am sure all is well.”

Update: “As of about ten minutes ago, the nest camera came back up at WBSE. The time stamp says 23.32:12 when the screen changes but the time just before the screen changed was 21:27:27 (which wasn’t the correct time either). It is currently 21:41 in Sydney (1 September). Lady is on the nest with the babies, who are sleeping peacefully. SE32 looks even bigger than last time I saw him! “

Mum and Dad2 at Port Lincoln. Still hoping.

Dad2 is a really good provider for Mum.

There was one super large fish that arrived on the Boulder County Fair Grounds nest. One happy osplet and one wishing and hoping some will be left!

At Sandpoint, Coco had at least one fish delivery part of which she left on the nest and there was also an intruder. Everything is fine. Coco is getting fed well.

There is at least one of the two fledglings coming to the nest at Collins Marsh. I did not see any fish deliveries to the nest on Thursday.

Gorgeous fledglings getting some nice fish at the Dunrovin Ranch Osprey Platform in Colorado.

These female Ospreys can fish. Just look at the catch Maya pulled on the nest! Now, where is Blue 33? He flew off on Wednesday. Was he checking the territory to make certain that the fledglings were all dispersed before he leaves? He is always there until they are gone and this year Maya is still there with him.

‘H’ other reports:

Barnegat Light – Dorsett is still enjoying her life at the bay, and her dad, Duke, continues to provide fish for his girl.

Kent Island – I didn’t see a single fish brought to the nest for Molly on 8/31, but perhaps she had a meal or two off the nest.

Osoyoos – The livestream has been offline for the past two days.

Thanks, ‘H’.

The big news is that the AEF is 99% certain, based on physical markers, that V3 is back on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle Nest near Jacksonville on 31 August! We wait for the arrival of Gabby.

Muhlady and Pepe are both at Superbeaks!

The beautiful view of the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle Nest.

David Abram writes what the salmon were like in 1988 – the eagles in Alaska have historically lived on salmon.

I got up and walked over to the water’s edge; the stream, I now saw was thick with salmon, boiling with salmon, all jostling and surging against the current in fits and starts – it was as though the stream was made of salmon! I gazed and gazed for a couple hours, then went back to my tent and tried to sleep, but couldn’t. So I hiked back into the middle of the night and stood staring into that moon-illumined river of fish, and then I waded out into that mass of sparkling, silvery muscles, all shoving and lunging against the water’s flow. In the middle of the stream, I was up to my knees in salmon, but they didn’t care – didn’t even notice; they bumped into my legs and then plunged on past with a single-minded determination I’d never encountered before, nosing aside their dying cousins who were floating back downstream on their sides, too exhausted to swim, with their mottled skin starting to peel off. Yet the vigorous salmon around me just nudged me out of the way, wholly intent on making their own way upstream to reach the remembered place of origin – their spawning place – so they might deposit their eggs, and fertilize those eggs, before they too began to fall apart and die.
D. Abram, ‘Creaturely Migrations on a Breathing Planet’, Emergence Magazine, vol. 4, pg. 146.

Pat, one of Martin and Rosa’s trio this year from the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest, has been released. How wonderful!

M15 and his lady seem to be quite the couple. So happy that he has kept his territory – M15 certainly deserves it after the stunning year he gave us following Harriet’s disappearance in early February.

How long will our changing climate support the Chum Salmon that eagles like Hope depend on for their food?

Xavier gets some precious egg time while Diamond takes her break.

A prey delivery at 12:31 (off camera) got Diamond off the eggs and Xavier some more incubation time. Oh, what a character he is!

At The Campanile, Lou and Annie are bonding – something they continue to do since the eyases fledged.

The Black Stork nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia is quiet. All three fledglings of Karl II and Kaia have now left the natal nest and begun their journeys south towards Africa. Kalvi flew first and has the satellite tracker. This is the information at the time of my writing.

This is the area where Kalvi is foraging.

This short video shows the last time that the storklets of Karl II and Kaia were together.

The last data:

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, PB’, All About the Calico Personality, PSEG, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO. Boulder County, Sandpoint, Collins Marsh, Dunrovin, LRWT, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, Glacier Gardens, Linda Russo and NEFL and SWFL Eagle Watcher’s Club, Emergence Magazine, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, SK Hideaway and Cal Falcons, Maria Marika, MadliaA, Fortis Exshaw, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Kent Island, Looduskalender, and All About Black Storks.

Is Mini’s leg worse?…Thursday in Bird World

31 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

There is only a little action in Bird World. The Osprey nests in the Northern hemisphere are becoming rather quiet as they empty around the world and birds begin their journeys to their winter homes. As I write this, there are no eggs at Collins Street or Port Lincoln. A storm has taken out the main camera in Sydney. Diamond laid her third egg. Mini appeared to have more difficulties with her left leg on Wednesday. Those are a few nests that we are watching.

We will begin with ‘H’s report of Fortis Exshaw: “First an update to 8/28: Janet Preston, one of the local cam watchers, was at the nest in the evening and managed to find Banff standing on a log on a hillside. Banff was safe, she looked good, and she had a crop! This was particularly welcome information for us, on a day where Banff had been chased and attacked by the intruders a few times. Attached are a few of Janet’s photos from 8/28.

8/30 – For the second consecutive day, Banff was not seen at the nest. The intruder pair was in the nest briefly at times, just enough to remind other ospreys (and one young osprey in particular) that they still ruled the nest. Tiina Moore, one of the local viewers stopped by the nest area at 1600, and she managed to find Banff sitting on a utility pole toward the east end of the pond. Tiina stated that Banff was apparently fish-calling to an adult in a tree across the river (possibly Louise). Banff stayed on the pole for about 45 minutes, then she flew over the river. Thanks to Tiina’s efforts, we had been reassured that Banff was okay. Later in the evening from 2009 to 2011, we heard Banff’s distinctive chatter, the call that she makes while flying. She was very close to the nest and getting closer. We were on the edge of our seats, hoping that Banff would not intend to land on the nest, because we knew what would happen to her if she did. Banff, with her newfound wisdom, did not attempt to land. Someone else was also hoping that Banff would not try to land on the nest, and that was the big ol’ female intruder. The intruder landed on the nest at 2010 alerting, and for the next minute or so, her head was literally on a swivel, watching Banff showing off her courage in the face of the intruder. Banff was flying high above the nest for a couple of minutes and she was saying: “You can have that old nest, I don’t need it any more, I am a big girl now, my name is Banff, and you did not defeat me !!!” I believe that by staying away from the nest the past several days, Louise has taught her youngster another lesson: ‘Discretion is the better part of valor’. (Attached is Tiina’s photo from 8/30)”

Mini is on the perch. It is impossible to see how she is clutching or if she is able to tighten her feet around the perch.

Her leg does not appear to be giving her much difficulty as she stands on the nest, but it will be apparent that there are some issues. Did she have a tug of war with a fish and someone? We may not see Dad on the nest, but he is feeding his girl. H er crop is not deeply concave.

Mini reminds me of Blue 33 and his ‘snake eye’ in the image below.

Everything looked OK with Mini until early evening. She landed on the nest at 1808. By 1943, Mini appeared to have trouble getting up from her duckling position due to the swelling in her left leg. It is worse by 2100. Thanks ‘L’ for alerting me to this issue.

Mini is not sleeping entirely duckling style but standing up on the nest slightly with her head tucked in her wing after midnight.

At 0449 Mini is on the perch before flying off.

The situation in terms of care remains the same. It is dangerous to try and catch a flying bird – dangerous to Mini. Traps do not normally work with Ospreys like they do with eagles, hawks, falcons, etc.

A ‘myth’ is spreading: ospreys do not do well in care. This is not true and it is troubling. Go to the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida. Visit them, write them. Read their reports. They cared for Smedley and Bailey, who thrived in their centre. Bailey is still there; Smedley sadly passed away last year. He was at least in his mid-twenties at the time. Audubon has had many other ospreys pass through the facility over the decades. They have had some miraculous clients, including one that was electrocuted. Indeed, they have – along with other centres on the East Coast – much more experience than the rest of the US put together simply because so many Ospreys live permanently in Florida. There are other centres, of course – the one in Colorado that cared for the Pitkin Country nestling that got pulled off the nest by its Mum with some nesting material (its sibling died). It is in flight school and has been in care since 27 June 2022. If Ospreys did not do well in care, this bird would have died long ago. That bird will be released soon if it hasn’t already been. There is much work being done with ospreys in Idaho as well – to name three places.

What is wrong with Mini’s leg or her long-term prognosis is unclear. That would require that she be in the care of a wildlife rehabilitation centre or a vet who could do x-rays, scans, or an ultrasound. The DEC office over the Patchogue Region has been clear – no help unless the bird is grounded. I had hoped that some local publicity would bring attention to Mini. Instead, the writer had a photo of Dad – not Mini – and did not address what such an injury would do to the quality of life for an osprey. It was disappointing because it did not get the audience overly sympathetic with our girl that I could tell.

So, back to the drawing board. Rehabbers need clear images of an injury. They need short video clips – the emphasis is on short – that demonstrate the issue the raptor is having. They do not have the time to weed through unnecessary material. Remember. Most people who help are volunteers – including many vets. They need the name of the nest and its exact location – even if you think they should know this. They need the name and phone number of who is in charge of the platform and the camera. Do not assume that they know this information. Always be polite and to the point. Get all the required information in a single-page document. If you saw what caused the injury, tell them. Include an image. Cut and paste this information into e-mails to all the nearby wildlife rehab centres, the local USFWS or the DEC, the platform owner, etc. To find the nearest clinic, go to : https://ahnow.org

Fledgling was still at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest on the 30th.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-555-1365x823.png

All three continue to fish call at Boulder County.

Four fish for Coco arrived at the Sandpoint Nest on Wednesday. Gosh, this is wonderful.

At least one juvenile still at Oyster Bay came to the nest on Wednesday, hoping it just might get a fish delivery. Like other nests, the males are feeding the chicks mostly off the nest now, so it is rare to see them with fish where they hatched.

Hurricane Idalia did not weaken as some weather and news stations predicted, but she passed through Florida. Some raptors checked on their nests in Florida – and all is well. Dad reportedly did this at the Achieva Nest in St Petersburg.

Muhlady was at the Superbeaks nest in Central Florida on the 30th!

It was a beautiful sunset at Two Harbours, too. No Chase and Cholyn, however.

Thunder visited her old nest with Akecheta at the West End on Wednesday afternoon. What a stunning place to watch the sunset. Wouldn’t you love to be sitting there with her?

I did not see Jackie and Shadow on the nest on the 30th but they were spotted recently together in the tree.

Windy at the NE Florida nest of Gabby. No one home – yet.

There were reports of a big storm in the Sydney, Australia, area that could have impacted the nest of the WBSE in the Olympic Park. One of the cameras was on the flick, but we caught Lady feeding two little heads. What a relief! It looks like the only thing that was bothered was the camera. Relief. The main camera is out of action. Will we miss these eaglets growing up until they are big enough for us to see from this view?

A video of an eel being fed to SE32 during the storm (before the camera went down)!

Diamond is tired and for good reason. She laid the third egg in the wee hours of the morning. Get ready for over a month of incubation exchanges between her and Xavier!

Diamond has been the female at Orange since 2015. She is at least ten years old.

There is still no egg at Port Lincoln. With the main cam down at Sydney, and no eggs at Collins Street yet, I remain hopeful that we might have little osplets to watch even if they do fight over fish.

There is, however, hope for Port Lincoln. The first egg was laid at Turnby Island yesterday.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Stay safe wherever you are. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, L’, Fortis Exshaw, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Boulder County, Sandpoint, Barbara Snyder and Achieva Credit Union, Superbeaks, IWS/Explore, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Sydney Sea Eagles, Faxinating and Sydney Sea Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons and Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcons, PLO, and Friends of Sth Australia Ospreys.

CK7 dies in Wales…Wednesday in Bird World

30 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for being with us today. Summer is winding down. People are taking the last of the holidays and our Osprey nests (among others) are almost going quiet. The hummingbirds and Blue Jays continue to come to the garden so neither has started their southern journey and soon, many more species will join them. The house is quiet as the kittens continue to learn the smell and sound of one another. Despite fall nipping at our heels, it is expected to be 34 degrees in southern Manitoba on Saturday.

Calico has settled into a routine and is playing more and more. Tonight, for the first time, she went onto the Ladybird blanket and fell asleep before I finished reading. She goes to the vet on Friday, and I hope for an all-clear to allow her into the rest of the house. Lewis is curious but a wee bit jealous, and Missey is pretending she doesn’t notice anything. We will see. Missey is the Alpha cat.

Calico’s book of the month recommendation. [I took the rug out because of putting cat food down, and neither Calico nor I like this bloody old floor – a remnant of long ago.]

Anyone want to play?

Nite, nite.

There is good news coming out of the meteorologists regarding Idalia. She is now degraded to the strength of a category 2 hurricane. But the new track has changed and the eye is headed decidedly northwest and will not hit Fort Myers or St Petersburg as a category 3 or 4 hurricane. There will still be lots of water but the sustained winds are no where what was earlier predicted. This does not mean that Idlia is not dangerous – every storm is dangerous!

Notice how far that white cone area extends northward. We want all our migrating birds to sit quiet. And to all my friends in the path of this storm, please stay safe. You are on our minds and we are sending out positive wishes.

Hurricane Franklin’s cone will veer east and should be no threat.

The winds of Idalia can clearly be seen impacting the Bald Eagle nest of Connie and Clive at Captiva on the Barrier Islands.

Let’s check on Fortis Exshaw since it has been one of the problem nests. Thanks ‘H’ for your report! “Fortis Exshaw – The intruders were on the nest or perch a few times throughout the day, but most of the time, the nest was empty. We did not see Banff. She did not come to the nest, and we did not see her being chased around. We may have seen less of the intruders today due to the fact that they had not been concerned with Banff. There were a couple of brief osprey chases seen in the distance, but they could have involved the intruders and another osprey. Some thought that they heard Banff’s voice in the distance a couple of times, just briefly, but it was difficult to say. It seems that Banff may have finally learned to stay away from the nest, and the entire area that had become hostile and dangerous for her. This is a good thing, and a necessary lesson for her to learn. It seems as though Banff has received a year’s worth of education since she fledged on 8/13. The last time we saw Banff on 8/28, she was well. We will be watching and listening for Banff today. “

Today I wanted to see who was home in the UK, but first, let us deal with a tragic death. CK7 was an eleven-year-old osprey from Tweed Valley who died in Wales. His tracker indicated that he had stopped. The search in difficult terrain has not revealed the corpse, but people will continue to search. Our hearts go out to Di Bennett and the team at Tweed Valley. CK7 had been in the wildlife hospital after being trapped in netting. He was released on the 10th of August at St Mary’s Loch. Everything looked perfect, and it appeared that he had set off on his migration. Then something strange happened, and he reverted course and headed to Wales. His tracker indicated a stationary position on the 18th of August.

Here is the latest news from Di from Tweed Valley.

29th-August.docx-Google-Drive Download

Tweed Valley: Poul is making excellent progress!

Rutland Manton Bay: Both Maya and Blue 33 were on the nest and it looked like they still had some intruders.

Dyfi: Cannon is 98 days old and Seiont is 96. Everyone is wondering if both of them will be home to mark a century. It would be the first time for this nest that both fledglings stayed 100 days before making their departure.

Glaslyn: Aran and the two fledglings, OH1 and OH2 were home.

Poole Harbour: I observed both Blue 22 on the nest and Mum, CJ7, who had delivered a fish. 5H3 was also there. There could be other fledglings about and I just did not see them – indeed, I imagine all three are home. CJ7 may leave first.

Llyn Brenig: I caught a glimpse of one fledgling -7B5-and another on the perch but I cannot confirm if they are one and the same.

At Patchogue Mini flew in at 0619 screaming for a fish and promptly flew off towards the lake.

Here she comes!

Gorgeous. One of the reasons that I advocate for Darvic rings and trackers on special birds like Mini is to find out how their lives unfold – good or bad. This young lady is simply beautiful. She is being fed off nest by Dad. The latest n

Category Archives: birds and weather

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CK7 dies in Wales…Wednesday in Bird World

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