birds that died – Mary Ann Steggles

Sunday in Bird World

4 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I want to thank everyone who has sent in names of nests with three or more osplets and to those who have helped to get each bird’s name on the Memorial Wall that we have lost this year. We are at #50. If you know of a nest or see I am missing a nest on a streaming cam that had a loss, including a parent, please let me know. You can e-mail me at maryannsteggles@icloud.com OR add a comment. Thank you! And thank you to ‘T’, who helped me with some of the Golden and Imperial eagle nests today.

It was hot and humid on the Canadian prairies and the storms that were brewing showed up in the late afternoon. The lilacs and the garden are the richest British Racing Green. Stunning. I did not do a comprehensive check of all the nests today. Sometimes we all need a break and it has been a tough week. Spending time with little ducklings sure helps the spirit! These little ones were running all over the place. Hard to count!

Someone at the park must have tossed birdseed (millet?) into the gravel by the pond’s edge. The ducklings are keen on finding it.

Andy N Condor always puts a smile on my face. Some great news – an adoption!

Please send all your positive wishes to Cal Falcons. We know what intruders can do and Annie appears to have had a fight with someone.

The IWS (Dr Sharpe and colleagues) have a dedicated page to the Bald Canyon eaglet that swallowed the fishing hook. Yes, if you do not know about this, it is terrible. Here is the story and the link for future updates. Thanks, ‘B’.

Please contribute to the rehabilitation of Eagle 45/D from the Bald Canyon eagle nest on San Clemente Island. He swallowed a fishing hook attached to a fish on 6/1/23. We rescued and transported him to a rehab facility near San Diego on 6/2/23. Donations made to IWS for 45/D’s care using the Donate button below will be forwarded directly to the rehab facility. We will provide updates below as we receive them.

Status Updates:

6/3/23: The fish hook is in the lower GI tract and “free-floating”. The veterinarian was unable to remove it endoscopically. A specialist will be examining 45/D on 6/4 and a plan will be developed for the hook removal.

https://www.iws.org/45d

There has been lots of wishful thinking that E22 might just stay at the Fort Myers nest. S/he certainly feels comfortable and has enjoyed the pond. Well, on Saturday, E22 catches its first fish on camera. Heidi McC shows it in real time and then in slow-mo. My goodness. Happiness.

The Pritchett Family website for the SW Florida cam has confirmed this…and I have seen the image blown up. It is not pond debris – it is a fish!

I sure would like to see Big and Middle over at the Achieva Osprey nest catching their own fish. Some chatters believe that Diane is back bringing in some fish after injuring a foot. That would be fantastic as the dust-ups are getting pretty rough. They remind me of Ervie and his sibling, Bazza, at Port Lincoln.

At 1625 both are eating fish but Big always seems to get the largest. Another fish comes in later and Big gets it as well. That time is 1937. It could be the last delivery from Jack of the day.

1627:

The 1937 delivery:

Send some good wishes for these two. They need some fish to get strong and then go on their own way. There will be no love lost between the two of them!

As I look at all of the struggling osprey nests, I often see the term ‘survival of the fittest’ in the chat comments. In his book, Reconnection. Fixing our Broken Relationship with Nature, Miles Richardson says that Charles Darwin in his Descent of Man regularly used the term ‘love’ instead of the survival of the fittest. He argues that Darwin moved away from the term stating that he was not referring to the “victory of one over the other”. Einstein suggests that we are all part of something larger, just a piece of nature where we all belong together and survive by cooperation – as many Eastern religions have stressed since their origins. Watching Big and Middle at Achieva it is hard to think about love and cooperation. Once animals became objects – for example, in modern farming – our connectedness to them ceased to exist. Richardson believes we need to get this back – to realise that it is not a competition but that we must cooperate for our planet’s survival. I wish to travel and return to a place pre-human, pre-industrial, to see our ospreys. They have been here for more than 60 million years.

At Patchogue, Mini has been eating but Big has also been beaking at times. Very unpleasant because that older sibling is just so much bigger. Mum is very much aware of her tiny baby though and makes sure it gets under her and I also believe that she makes certain it gets fed. We can only hope that the huge fish that are coming on this nest continue so that the three big ones are full and Mini gets fed and none of the others notices! or cares.

Where’s Mini? Big sibs are full. Three is eating. Is Mini on the other side?

Mum tucking in Mini carefully.

The last feeding of the day and Mini is up there having some good fish. After being fed for a bit, one of the bigger sibs seems to take exception but Mini went to bed after doing a full crop drop. No major aggression – the Big ones just have to stand tall and ‘look’.

1906: Really nice crop. Everyone else sleeping except for big whose head you can see above Mum’s. She wants some more fish but Mini has a nice crop.

We take this nest and be joyful – one day at a time. If Mini survives, I have a tiny bottle of champagne sitting and waiting.

Early Sunday morning, Mini waits and gets a private feeding. Do you get the distinct impression that this wonderful Mum keeps some food back form the Big ones for Mini? It sure seems like it!

Three preening after breakfast. Big goes up for more. So far so good. A day at a time.

The trio at the other PSEG nest at Oyster Bay seem to be doing alright as well. Gosh, they are so much closer in size.

At Severna Park, Middle waits and watches rather than engaging with Big. If there is fish left or Big is full, Middle eats. Middle has gone without on Saturday for all feedings. This is the 0807 feeding.

13:59. You will notice that the fish deliveries are down. Big got all of this fish, too.

1558 Feeding. “Middle started out in submission, but worked his way around the other side of Olivia, and managed to get bites for 6 minutes, then Olivia moved! So, big attacked. Olivia pulled the fish to the other side of the nest and fed Big. Middle snuck around and got a few more bites. Ended up with a small crop.” Thanks, ‘H’.

‘H’ reports that the feeding at the Patuxent I Osprey platform was super. No aggression at the feeding observed and both ate well.

At the Patuxent II nest. “A slightly different story, there is aggression by Big. At 1317 they all ate harmoniously for the first 10 minutes, then Big decided s/he wanted to dine alone, and beaked Middle and Little, so they were out. After several minutes, Middle worked its way back to the table, but it took quite a while longer for Little to get back. Big decided it was OK, and dropped out shortly thereafter anyway. The net result is that all were well fed. It was 40 minute feeding.”

As far as I am aware, the other nests are doing alright. We have no other deaths on Saturday.

Iris’s nest, full of leaves, tells it all but Iris is a survivor and amidst the floods and droughts, she knows where to find the fish. Here she is on Saturday with one of her ‘whopper’s on the Owl Pole. It is unfortunate that she did not have a reliable mate after Stanley. She certainly has good DNA on her side of the genetic markers – she knows how to build the best osprey nest I have seen and wow, can she fish…she is as good as it gets.

Just look at that fish!

At the UK nests, everything is going well for Idris and Telyn and their two Bobs at the Dyfi nest. Those kids have grown fast and as you can see, we are in the Reptile phase. They are 10 and 12 days old today.

Aran and his new mate Elen are keeping the two Bobs at Glaslyn well fed.

CJ7 and her mate Blue 022 have three beautiful and healthy osplets at Poole Harbour. No issues!

Condensation on the Manton Bay nest and the way that Maya stands to feed the Bobs tends to obscure what is happening. That said, there is nothing to worry about on this nest. The wee Bobs of a few weeks ago are now getting their juvenile plumage!

Loch Arkaig – the home of Louis and Dorcha – is doing just fine with its Onoy Bob. Louis is right there for a deliver for his mate and wee one.

Except for Llyn Brenig where the third hatch died, all of the other UK nests appear to be doing well.

The two Dulles-Greenway eaglets that fell from the collapsing nest of their parents, Martin and Rosa, are together again in rehab – . That is wonderful news. They can work those wings and get to be strong fliers.

Poor Flora. Earlier she was up on a high branch with one of the adults but tonight a strong wind is blowing and she is all alone and the branch is very thin. You can see that this eaglet is frightened in the storm.

I do not know if it is the same storm system or not but Daisy is holding on for dear life at the Barnegat Light osprey platform in New Jersey. She has two osplets under there that hatched on the 31 May and 1 June that can’t be fed due to the high winds. I do not know if Duke can even fish. there is a coastal flood advisory for Barnegat Light and the winds are blowing at 31 kph. ‘H’ reports that the third egg hatched at 05:13 for Daisy and Duke. Let us wish them good weather and calm winds.

All the nests along this coast will be impacted.

There is something to smile about. Look at this beautiful White-tailed eaglet that was banded on Saturday in Tatarstan region of Russia near the Volga River. Isn’t it adorable! Just look at that big beak! It is a boy! Thanks ‘T’ and thank you for letting me know that this area is rich in prey for the eagles. Let us hope that Sarpike moves her nest to this region!

As I say often, every nest can change on a ‘dime’. They need habitat, strong old trees, birds and mammals to eat, fish to catch, and clean water without toxins. Begin at home. Help when and where you can. Educate others. Build a web of caring people. Everything helps. If you see an animal in need, stop and observe. Have the number of the wildlife rehabber in your phone. Call them! You will feel better for every life you save.

And one more thought. Do you grow a garden? do you have extra produce? do you know someone who does? Our wildlife rehabber has just asked for donations of fresh veggies or for people to grow a row in their garden for the animals – kale, carrots, lettuces, beans….I suspect that every rehab centre needs fresh veggies. Check it out.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care all. See you soon.

A special thanks to those who sent notes, created videos, wrote FB posts, articles, or run streaming cams that helped to create my blog this morning: ‘B’, ‘H’, ‘R’, ‘T’, Andy N Condor, Cal Falcons, IWS, Heidi MC and SWFlorida Eagle Cam, Achieva Credit Union, PSEG, Severna Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Montana Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, LRWT, Geemeff and Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Loudontimes.com, Dulles-Greenway, Barnegat Light and NJ Conservancy, Tartasan WTE.

Saturday in Bird World

3 June 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Middle got it! Thank goodness.

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

Middle ate lots and left a bit for Big.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At 0838.

Another delivery at 11:35.

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

Middle goes to bed with a bulging crop.

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

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

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

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

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

Oh, this baby is such a cutie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the link to Sarpike’s camera:

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

Here is a link to that camera in Romania:

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

The beautiful adults, Ella and Elmar.

They had one egg and one beautiful chick hatch.

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

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

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

To warm your heart:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Angel’s baby doing great, Oldest Red Kite dies…Saturday in Bird World

20 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

It is Canada’s first long weekend of the ‘summer’ season. Victoria weekend – also known as Bank Holidays in the UK. It is considered the safe time to plant your tender annuals in the garden or the first time to head to the cottage and turn the water on. Of course, it has been warmer and we are all ahead of this schedule but, it is a long weekend for people who are working and hopefully, a fun and safe time.

First up, one of the first raptors in the reintroduction scheme in the UK has died. Red Kite, Aragon, was 29 years old. First we lost Pale Male and now Aragon who was named after the area in Spain who donated him to help the UK with their project.

One-of-the-first-red-kites-released-into-Thames-Valley-dies-BBC-News Download

This is absolutely hilarious…for the smile we all need today, thanks, Heidi McGrue!

Here is another one…Talk about a feeding frenzy…have a look at what it is like for Annie and Lou at Cal Falcons with Rosa, Zephyr, and Luna! Goodness.

Victor Victoria finally fledged at the Moorings Park Osprey Park at 0809 on Friday the 19th of March, 11 days after her sibling. You will notice that I am using the pronoun ‘her’ and ‘she’. Vic flew to the Purple Martin bird house in the middle of the pond and from there had a few short flights and then was seen soaring, being escorted by the parents. One of the highlights for me was Abby landing on the bird house next to Victor!

It is always a worry til they return, and Victor returns to the nest at 1734 to the relief of everyone involved and all of us watching.

Victor was hot and hungry! A Red-winged Blackbird serves as an escort. I had gone to check on Angel seconds before – thanks for the alert, ‘H’. — And just a correction to some information that I have mentioned earlier. Moorings Park does not stop their pond. Thanks, ‘SD’!

It appears that the fourth hatch at Manton Bay in Rutland has died. A large fish was delivered right when it was hatching and sent its shell flying along with flapping all four osplets hard. The fish covered Mini-Bob and when Maya was finally able to get it off, the little one was very weak. Mini had a feed in the afternoon but later, there were only three heads eating. Maya was seen later covering it with grasses so no predator would get her baby.

There were four in the image below but you can see Mini…so frail and not moving. Later in the evening, only three heads could be seen. So sad for Maya and Blue 33.

Geemeff caught the last feeding and the lack of Mini Bob…taking a deep breath. Happy to have three osplets. That fish could have done more damage – so grateful it didn’t.

A plaque has gone up to Harriet near to her nest on the Pritchett Farm. It is a beautiful tribute to a much loved Bald Eagle.

Have a look at this little beauty – Chase and Cholyn’s baby from this year.

All continues to go well at Lake Murray for Lucy and C2. Tonight, I noticed that Lucy is not on the perch but is down in the nest with her baby. Weather? GHO? or both? She was on the nest til dawn when she went fishing.

Diane, Big and Middle all had fish today at Achieva in St Petersburg, Florida. Diane brought in a big fish around 1900 and Big had her own to self-feed and Diane fed Middle.

Little RTH5 wasn’t so welcoming to Tom when he arrived on the nest with empty talons. She went after them! Too funny. RTH5 ate so well on Friday. Had at least one crop drop and was so full once it could hardly move on the nest with its big crop. Details of the feedings and more images later in the blog, too. I love this little nestling.

“Oh, just one more bite!”

Thank goodness for the wildlife rehabbers who take care and try desperately to return to the wild every life that comes into their clinic. Here are two stories for today to put a smile on your face.

If you live near Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, sometime, if you can, take the opportunity to visit there during the migration counts in the spring and fall. Here are the recaps so far this year.

The counts reveal a shark decline for our dear Ospreys.

Angel’s RTH5 has eaten very well today and these are the details that were posted, not available earlier. These are the prey deliveries and feedings up until 1700 Friday: “9:25:51 Angel back with a young Meadowlark. 9:26:20 Feed1.12:49:08 Tom in for a visit. 1:26:29 Angel back with a young Meadowlark. 1:27:33 Feed2. 3:09:52 Angel with a young Meadowlark. 3:10:40 Feed3.” We will really be able to see changes in the plumage of RTH5 which are beginning now but next week, the look of this adorable baby is going to be sooooo different.

The arrival of the Meadowlark and feeding 3.

Preening her baby!

It is a windy morning in Ithaca, New York at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. The cam operator gave us some lovely images of the eyases.

E22 was at the pond this morning looking out and probably thinking about fish and a good swim. Everyone is treasuring each moment and wondering what will come next.

A-SWFL-Eagle-Cam-season-to-remember-—-might-it-be-the-last-WGCU-PBS-NPR-for-Southwest-Florida Download

For those of you that followed Louis and Aila at Loch Arkaig, you will recall that they used what is known as nest 1. When Aila did not return from migration two years ago, Louis took another nest site with Dorcha. The old nest has been vacant. Sue Wallbanks reports that there is hope that a new couple might move in – LV0 and Blue 152. That would be fantastic. Too late for eggs this year but for bonding and planning…absolutely!

Bruce Yolton caught up with Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo. He was hunting at the Compost Site – far nicer than an earlier construction site and the dumpsters. He had caught a rat!

A UK man was sentenced for putting out poison bait – along with other offences – to protect his exotic birds. I am glad that the instigator was punished, but I wonder about the sentence. Cris Packham calls the sentence ‘pathetic’. I totally agree. What will it take for humans to understand that they do not have the right to kill wildlife indiscriminately? (or at all!!)

Man-sentenced-for-poisoning-protected-wild-birds-BBC-News Download

It is, of course, not just planning in the UK that is causing havoc with wildlife. Plans for a tidal barrier along with some entertainment and economic plans for Norfolk and Lincolnshire are drawing a lot of criticism from environmental and wildlife groups for good reason. The coast along Norfolk is one of the most beautiful attracting waterfowl from the tundra to the UK for the winter. Politicians believe that economic concerns trump anything to do with the environment but have they lost touch? Does the area really need more cruise ships? Perhaps nature reserves and eco-tourism?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/19/tidal-barrier-proposal-for-lincolnshire-and-norfolk-sets-off-wave-of-opposition?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. There is lots going on and many nests not covered. We are awaiting for hatches and monitoring chicks but so far all appears to be going well. Take care everyone. Have a lovely weekend. See you soon!

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Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘M’, ‘SD’, BBC News, Heidi McGrue and the WRDC, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Geemeff and LRWT, Cornell RTH, Lisa Russo and the NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watchers Club, IWS/Explore, LMO, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, Wild Bird Sanctuary, The Raptor Centre, Hawk Mountain, WGCU, Sue Wallbank’s and Friends of Loch Arkaig, Bruce Yolton and urban hawks, Chris Packham, and The Guardian.

Iris lays her first egg, C3 dies, Tom helps, Dorcha crashes…Tuesday in Bird World

9 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

As I write this, a gentle rain is falling on the garden. The Chickadees are at the tube and table feeders, the Starlings have been and gone, Mr Crow and Mr Blue Jay were here, and the Hairy Woodpecker. It is just turning 1330 on Monday. Life in the garden is good. The rhythm is so reassuring, knowing that everyone is here and safe. It is also my ‘go-to place’ when events on the nests get just too much. This has been a challenging year for many of our Raptor families. It is almost hard to imagine all that has happened.

Lewis and Missy continue to love the conservatory. Today, for whatever reason, they were not so interested in what was going outside.

The Starlings cooperated and ate together at the table once the squirrels had left. At one point there were five finding food.

Before we check in on all the action at the nests, two educational items in today’s blog: the first about monofilament line (with some images later from ‘B’) and the second about siblicide and the theories of why this happens.

First up, fishing line – any posting about this will be in tribute to DH18 whose life could have been spared had help been called immediately to come to the nest. All moderators of all chats must notify the proper authorities and local rehabbers immediately when a monofilament line or baling twine is seen on a nest. It is imperative, moving forward, no excuses.

It is not just Bald Eagles that get tangled…every kind of waterfowl has been seen dead or dying from this horrible stuff.

It appears that Iris has laid her first egg of the season. As I always say, we know how this will go so we should not fight it. At the same time, I would love her to feel the teamwork that Maya and Blue 33 have, to have Louis there with her with a celebratory fish and to have him help raise those chicks. Sadly, he cannot take care of two nests! So, Iris…lay the eggs, let the Crows get them, and spend your summer leisurely taking care of yourself.

The time was around 19:50-59.

Diane and her two surviving osplets from 2023 – Big and Middle. Aren’t they gorgeous? Everyone was so happy when Jack brought two fish to the nest. Let us hope that despite the drought, he and Diane will get enough fish to the nest for these two to fledge. They have gorgeous plumage, and they should have taken their first flights by June.

A short video clip posted by Heidi McGru on FB showed the Bald Eagle trying to snatch Middle at Achieva. I had wondered if it was after the fish but, no. He did not make it…I want to hope those osplets are too big. We wait. Everyone is now very vigilant on that nest.

Cowlitz PUD put up guards so the eagles cannot steal the osplets off the nest…maybe if this continues Achieva needs to think about that.

At the Moorings Park Osprey platform, the osplets are eating and they are helicoptering. We are right on the verge of fledge – it could come at any moment.

Our cuteness overload is coming from the nest of Big Red and Arthur. M2 hatched sometime around 0300 Monday. M1 is a strong feisty little hawk let, typical for Big Red’s chicks. Arthur has the pantry already full and we are already wondering if he will bring a nice Robin for Big Red for Mother’s Day. She loves Robins and will take them off the nest and eat them herself.

M1 is a very strong hawk let. It is already eating large morsels of prey. Look at that crop. Big Red has filled M1 up and will move to feed M2. Everyone at Big Red’s table gets fed if they want food and have that beak open. We have never lost a hawk let from siblicide or being hungry. Only one K2 had an issue with its beak and did not fledge…Big Red has been having chicks since probably 2005. That is an amazing record. She is 20 years old this spring.

Too Big!

There is a pip on that third egg…see image below the next one.

Early evening feeding…

There has been a significant change in the nest of Angel the Leucistic RTH and Tom in Tennessee. Monday morning, Tom gently preened the chick. He also brought in a lizard which Angel fed exclusively to the chick; she had previously delivered a nestling. Angel is more comfortable with Tom, and Tom is helping now with the nest by providing prey items. Progress.

At 10:17 Angel is feeding the nestling to her nestling.

Tom delivers lizard at 2:05:33.

At 2:05:42, the baby gets some lizard.

Beautiful Angel and her baby, the baby she is determined will live.

Big Red at Cal Falcons ran off with the breakfast prey this morning. It was finally retrieved and everyone ate but this gal is determined (and big).

With hawks and falcons, whose time in the nest is much shorter than eagles or ospreys, you can blink and they have gone from hatching to fledge!

Is Rose missing from the WRDC nest or is she just taking a break? The eaglets have not fledged! She was last seen at 0635 Sunday morning at the nest. If she has not returned by late Tuesday or Wednesday it is time to get really concerned.

Ron is bringing in fish to the two eaglets. Thankful they are older. This trend of single-parent nests this year is almost unnerving but Ron will manage as the eaglets are so much older than when M15 had to start caring for the Es.

There are three eggs for Tom and Audrey at Chesapeake Conservancy.

Idris has been working overtime with the fish coming to the nest for Telyn one after another!

Geemeff caught Dorcha crashing into the Loch Arkaig nest in the middle of the night…she is OK, thankfully.

Looks like Cape Henlopen has attracted some visitors but they are not Ospreys! They are Black Vultures. They feed almost exclusively on carrion but have a poorer sense of smell than the Turkey Vulture with its red head. You will often see Black Vultures following the Turkey Vultures to find prey. They roost in tall trees with unobstructed views…looks like this platform could be their roosting spot! ‘H’ writes that they are there every day. How lovely!

The tragedy with the three Osplets starving on camera when the male was killed and the female driven away (maybe injured) by a new couple was heartbreaking.

Zephyr and Bruce are at the Seaside Osprey nest near the Neawanna River in Seaside, Oregon.

Eggs being rolled at the nest of Jack and Harriet at Dahlgren.

Dad and Lady have been sleeping at the nest tree and they have also been working hard to repair the damage that the Ring-tailed Possums did to the nest. It is so lovely to see them! And to also know that both 27 and 30 are doing well in the wild after having been rescued and rehabilitated.

Thank you ‘B’ for sending me these images. More and more places are setting up containers for broken fishing line and hooks. Here is another example from the East Bay area near San Francisco. There should be educational programmes for children and adults on the dangers to encourage responsibility.

Much easier to see how big Murphy’s baby is…I wonder if Murphy will ever incubate another rock?

Look at those legs…wow. This baby is doing fantastic and thanks to Murphy, World Bird Sanctuary, and all the donors, Murphy’s baby will get to live wild. Please tell me that they are going to band this little one…er, big one.

World Bird Sanctuary has a Red-shouldered Hawk that is incredible in caring for more babies than you can imagine – and they are not hers! Some of the rehabs’ work is decidedly not high tech…here just gold old parenting skills. In others, the birds are enriched with paper flowers for their birthday to shred. I am trying to see if anything is being done with feathers other than having new feathers glued in place. Many wind up in care for at least a year until their new feathers grow in like the one below. We know this is the case with Connick from the Captiva Bald Eagle nest.

Before we move on to Lake Murray – which is, at present, one of two tense events (Rose missing being the other at WRDC), we need a bit of a laugh and it is thanks to Chase and Cholyn’s eaglet!

The weight of the size difference in the Osplets at Lake Murray is certainly worrisome. I have seen this once before and that was at the Foulshaw Moss nest of White YW and Blue 35 in Cumbria in 2021. That third hatch survived – for many reasons. Blue 464 was bloody clever and determined and Mum, Blue 35, made special attempts to make sure it was fed when the others were asleep. I have not seen that diligence at Lake Murray. Blue 35 actually flew away with prey and waited til the two big siblings were asleep and then feed 35. There was also not the level of aggression as is being shown at Lake Murray. I often wonder ‘why’ the UK Ospreys are so much more civil than the US ones?

I would like all of them to live but I am not hopeful. Just look at the difference in the first screen capture of the wing sizes.

C1 zealously attacked C3 most of Monday and unrelentingly close to 1700.

*distressing image*

C1 holds C3 down so that it cannot move at all…more or less suffocating its sibling. Then, by some miracle, C3 gets up and tries to get to Mum. The time is 19:27. C3 died on the 8th of May. It was 15 days old having hatched on the 23rd of April. Soar high little Peanut.

Another article on siblicide by Robert Simmons in Animal Behaviour.

siblicide-does-not-get-more-food Download

Kathryn has been helping me with the events on Lake Murray. She has found another article on siblicide. I will, as noted yesterday, continue to post several articles during the next week. We have lots of ospreys incubating eggs with many of those nests not practising delayed incubation. It is possible that there will be many more chicks die this year. We wait to see. In the meantime we can educate ourselves on all the ideas that scientists have.

Eldon-Greij-explains-why-some-birds-practice-siblicide-BirdWatching Download

In Canada, we have had ‘heat domes’ that have taken the lives of many raptors including the chicks at Osoyoos, others jumping out of their nests in the interior of British Columbia to get away from the heat…that was previous years. This is the lead up to what could be another tragic year in Canada. Send all those babies on nests in BC your most positive wishes along with all the other nests we are watching.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care…we should have a hatch for Big Red by the end of the evening or early Wednesday morning. See you soon!

I want to thank Kathryn, who helped me with the siblicide at Lake Murray. It is not easy monitoring a nest where there is anxiety, where there is a ten-day difference between the age of the hatches (laying + hatch). She stayed right in there and provided me with valuable information. I also want to thank ‘H’ for sending me notes also. These are sad events that are very difficult to observe.

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, pots, videos, articles, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures that helped to make my blog today: ‘B’, ‘H’, ‘A’, Geemeff, Kathryn, PC Clavier and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams, Montana Osprey Project, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Suzanne Arnold Horning and the Cornell Hawk Chatters, Window to Wildlife, Cal Falcons, SK Hideway and Cal Falcons, WRDC, Heidi McGru and Raptors of the World, Joan Brady and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, people’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Cape Henlopen State Park, Seaside Ospreys, Dahlgren Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles, East Bay Regional Park Department, World Bird Sanctuary, Jann Gallivan and CIEL, Lake Murray Ospreys, Animal Behaviour, Bird Watching, and @VladRadica.

Bitty dies, Tom brings prey…Thursday in Bird World

4 May 2022

Hello Everyone,

It has been a rough evening. As ‘J’ reminds me, there is something to celebrate in all the sadness, “DH17 is alive on the nest and would not be if it had not been for the intervention of the AEF.” Both eaglets were tethered together, and yes, we must never forget that one is alive because of your efforts. I want to bring you the latest news, and if you do not recall all the ins and outs over the past week, some are here. We will try to find some good in this tragic mess and move forward. Unless there is any other communique from the AEF, we will now work to change the law.

This is the latest communique from the AEF:

Terry Carman (founder of Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams on FB) once said that she wore her emotions on her sleeve when it comes to the eagles. I am so glad that she does and so many of you do also. Empathy.

You will find numerous definitions for empathy is you do an online search. There are three forms of empathy. They are cognitive empathy where we try to put ourselves in someone else’s position so that we can understand what they are thinking and feeling. Then there is emotive empathy where we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. This is more than just thinking; it is feeling with them. “When we see someone being sad, for example, our mirror neurons fire and that allows us to experience the same sadness and to feel empathy. We don’t need to “think” about the other person being sad – we experience it firsthand.” The last type of empathy is empathic action. This is what the term says – action. This involves various levels of helping, including getting help or simply doing nothing if that is what the individual desires. What keeps me going – instead of screaming and saying ‘the heck with it’ is being part of such an amazing empathetic community with each of you.

As the AEF requested, we mourn today, but tomorrow, let our outrage turn to action in DH 18’s name. The law has to change. No one owns the raptors. We are stewards, and we are responsible for observing, caring for, getting help when needed and following the law. As ‘B’ said when he wrote to me, “Mary Ann — I, too, am just beyond words for the sadness of poor DH18’s fate. This poor eaglet was doubly hurt by humans, first by the fishing line that caused the initial injury, and then by the resistance to letting 18 be helped.”

Anyone who has followed this story knows precisely what happened at Dale Hollow. Some of the comments were ” “The issue with fishing line brought to nests probably occurs at non-camera nests all the time, but we just don’t know about it. This is nature.” That is true, but that is not an excuse when we see the problem before our eyes and know the dangers! Besides, it is legal under USFWS regulations to intervene under these circumstances. One reader notes, “Just because it happens at nests that we cannot monitor should not preclude us from helping when we are aware of the problem.” Another excuse given on chat was: “The monofilament line on the nest does not necessarily mean that it is a man-made problem. The line could have snapped with the hook in the fish’s mouth. That is not the fault of the fisherman.” The reader wonders if it is then the fault of the fish! Another observation from ‘H’, “I think part of the problem with some human’s approach to helping wildlife is that many people simply do not really respect the animal’s right to life. They apparently feel that the lives of animals in the wild are not as valuable as ours, or even of our domesticated pets.”

It is time to modernise the laws regarding intervention. The USFWS articles need to allow for accredited wildlife rehabbers to immediately attend to any nest that has monofilament or baling twine on it – to be removed or to assist in untangling the eaglets. A blanket permit so that people do not have to wait over the weekends to get the permissions. It really is that simple.

Dale Hollow posted a short statement above the official notice of the AEF.

The AEF’s comment:

Wildlife has rights. There will be other crises, but let us not step back from the work needed to ensure that a situation like the one that unfolded at Dale Hollow never happens again.

As of Wednesday, Angel is having to be everything to the little chick. She left the nest to find prey for both of them and was away for thirty minutes. She did return with lunch. She is fortunate that the weather is dry and warmer so that the little eaglet does not get too cold or wet. It really is unclear what is the matter with Tom. There are many theories. Angel needs help – that is the main thing!

These are the time stamps on Wednesday from the moderators of the chat: Mouse [TOM] Feeding1 at 7:06:00 am. At 7:36:57 Feeding2, with the leftovers. Seen on PTZ. 1:23:26 Angel returns with Prey. Set aside. 1:35:40 Tom brings prey. Angel ate half. 2:37:41 Feed3 SEE PTZ. This makes things hopeful. Tom needs to bring prey! So twice so far on Wednesday. Progress.

Arlene Beech captures the prey deliveries by both adults on Wednesday.

There have been some questions as to whether or not Angel is at a risk of being Leucistic – a risk of not getting a suitable mate. I am just beginning to explore the research papers on this topic. I have come across a good study from South America about a population of Leucistic birds, the Southern Caracaras, that have an advantage over their darker-plumaged relatives. You might want to have a read. I will continue to pursue this topic in the days ahead.

Leucitism-in-a-costal-raptor-population Download

Look at Murphy’s Eaglet. My goodness s/he has really grown!

Llyn Clywedog’s KA7 is giving some grief to Dylan and Seren. Nice to see you KA7! Oh these youngsters without mates or nests…or sometimes with them but roaming around causing some mischief.

In Winnipeg, Ella and Pip now have four falcon eggs on top of the Radisson Hotel. Fantastic!

Glen’s transmitter has pinged and all is well with the Tweed Valley osprey spending its first year in Morocco. This is great news for Sasha Dench and the Flight of the Osprey team. With HPAI running rampant in The Gambia, it is a very good thing that Glen Blue 708 stayed in Morocco!

Kids – you and old – join in sending in names for the Cal Falcons!

We know that there are eagles and now a Condor is living in the wild and surviving with one leg. I always think of WBSE26 when I see a posting like this.

Big Red and Arthur. Got a good look at the eggs. Are there little cracks or pips? The back one still looks suspicious. May 4th is circled in red for Big Red and that is today. Will we get a pip?

At 1957 Big Red called Arthur. She wanted a break. He was there in a couple of seconds!

I am not clear on the fish deliveries at Achieva today. Diane brought in a fish at 1745 and Middle Bob is waiting his turn hoping some is left.

Middle got no fish. Big is an open pit. Maybe another fish will come in…the case of the big sister and the little brother.

M15 brought in two dinners for E22 today! He is still feeding this precious fledgling.

Together. Beautiful.

Beautiful Bitty.

SKHideaways caught the day in video…I hope we have many more of these! It is impossible to think of a day without hearing E22’s squeegeeing. Can we get a ringtone?

Iris is a superstar. She is not a youngster but right now she is battling several things – a flooding river so it is completely difficult to get fish and a very aggressive much younger female attacking and wanting her nest and her fish. Louis is no help. Despite the conditions with the river, Iris did manage to get another whopper. But, please keep Iris in your heart. She really doesn’t need to have to deal with all of this.

Monty is not going to let anything endanger the eggs that him and Hartley are incubating – including one from last year.

I just checked on Angel and her precious baby. She was feeding the little one. All is well. Nothing sweeter than a little round fluffy nestling…this one is a cutie pie.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning and for reaching out to help the Dale Hollow eaglets. It was a long rant on the issues at Dale Hollow and I won’t do it again. It was reassuring to see the AEF tackling the problem of the rescue at the core. Every living being matters. We are all interconnected in ways that many do not fully understand. Keep little DH18 in your heart, and continue to send good wishes to Angel. Let’s work to get the intervention law on manmade objects in a nest changed! Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘J’, ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘B’, AEF, DHEC, Window to Wildlife, Arlene Beech and Window to Wildlife, ResearchGate, World Bird Sanctuary, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Clywedog Osprey Group and John Williams, MB Birding and Dennis Swayze, Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys and Mary Cheadle, Cal Falcon Cam, Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell RTH, Achieva Credit Union, SK Hideaways and SW Florida, Montana Osprey Project, Sk Hideaways and San Jose City Hall.

WBSE 30 is released!…Thursday in Bird World

6 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

The snow stopped and it is now 1816 and it is starting up again with huge flakes. They are dancing about like large cotton balls or marshmallows. Lewis is having quite the time hoping that he might be able to catch one of them. Of course, he does not want to pose for a photo!

Just think. A few days ago everyone on the Canadian Prairies was sure winter was gone, and spring had arrived. I bet that early-arrival Canada Geese wish they were somewhere else. Mind you, maybe they flew north fast to miss those US storms.

Thursday morning. It is beautiful. No snow falling. Woodpeckers busy at that the suet. Photos tomorrow of them and the kittens.

Taken with the iPhone.

A reasonable guess would have been over 400 birds visited the feeders today. They were mostly House Sparrows and Finches with the regular woodpecker visits and Blue Jays. I know the Black-capped Chickadee has been around because I heard them, but they are quick to flit about, and I have yet to see them getting seed. Mind you, I was not watching them all day.

My head continues spinning with all the news coming out of Bird World. Almost immediately, one new hatch is negated by another nestling dying in a nest, Oklahoma, simply disappearing at collapse or, as at Bartlesville night.

So I hope to bring us a few lighter moments as we begin the blog for the next little while. Stress is not good. Then I plan to put in the golden moment of the day and today it comes from Sydney, Australia!

We are going to start with Murphy, ‘Rock Daddy’. He has now been incubating his ‘rock egg’ for some time and has become overly protective of the territory. So, he is being moved. They are not giving him his own hatchling because they are not certain that he would feed it regularly. Too bad, he could be a great Dad!

M15 does not get away without a giggle. This guy has been through so much! Gets his two kids home and all they want to do is fight!

He has brought 21 a fish and 21 spent some time resting in the nest. 21 was away for 5 days. It reminds me of Legacy from the NEFL nest of Gabby and Samson – flew out, away six days, finally found the nest and didn’t leave again for nearly a month (or so it seemed).

The surviving WBSE (White-bellied Sea Eagle) from last season’s Sydney Olympic Forest hatchings has been released. Jump up and down. She has been in care for such a long time, and we are ever so grateful to everyone who helped transport her and care for her so that she could live in the wild. Here is that great news. What a beautiful moment.

The news is that Connick is going to be alright after his slip and fall. Here is that moment on 4th of April caught by Deb Stecyk (you can go to 4:55):

Message from Window to Wildlife:

This is the latest message…older ones are below. It appears that dear Connick could be impacted by rodenticide poisoning. His two half-siblings died two years ago of rodenticide. It broke Joe’s heart, and he left the nest. This is just tragic. CROW and all their volunteers need to spread the word and find a way to prohibit this nasty poison from Captiva. In many ways, it was a real blessing that Connick fell out of the nest so he could get help.

There is a FB fundraiser for Connick’s care. Just look at him at CROW. He is in such good hands. If anyone can save him from this dreaded designer poison, CROW can!

There have been some further tragedies due to the winter storms pouring through the US. The eaglets at Standley Lake Regional Park have died from a nest collapse. Another nest in Minnesota has collapsed.

One of the eaglets at Bartlesville, Oklahoma got out of the egg cup and could not get back and appears to have gone over the edge of the nest. Today, the third egg hatched. So some good and bad for Oklahoma.

As storms continue, it is likely there will be further deaths, sadly. As we mourn, new eaglets are hatching and eggs being laid. Nature does not stop.

I wrote congratulations yesterday but now little DH1 has died. ‘A’ left me a note for when I woke up. So sad for the hatchery parents. As Paul Kolnik points out, the second egg is pipping. Perhaps this family will get one healthy chick. Send good wishes.

Congratulations Decorah. DH1 arrived in the early morning of 5 April 2023.

US Steel has only one egg. There is a hatch in progress. USS6 hatched at 23:58 on 5 April. Congratulations!

While we were delighted to see E21 back at the nest, landing right beside Dad on the 5th of April, E22 wasn’t quite so sure.

Until now 22 has had the area around the pond and nest tree all to himself. He had a right dust up with 21 over ‘bathing rights’.

The iconic image of the day comes from Dulles-Greenway where there are currently three very healthy eaglets. Baby has a really nice crop.

DH19 continues to self-feed to stay alive at Dale Hollow. A survivor – send all your good wishes. River has her hands full.

This was at 1006 Wednesday morning. You can see the huge crop on the two larger eaglets. DH19 fed itself last evening and got a big crop and is now picking away at this carcass. This little one wants to live.

‘A’ reports that D19 had no food later and that it is raining hard and she is worrisome for this baby. It is not good at Achieva either. We will all hold our breath. These two nests may only have two to fledge. Send good wishes.

In the UK, there are two male Ospreys waiting for their mates to return from migration. One of those is Louis at Loch Arkaig who is looking for Dorcha and the other is Aran at Glaslyn looking for Mrs G. As many will know, Mrs G is not a youngster. Glaslyn Osprey Group reminds us ospreys that reach breeding age have a life expectancy of eight years. Mrs G is the oldest living osprey in the UK. We know that Mrs G has been raising chicks for 19-20 years. We do not know how old she was when she began. Glaslyn is preparing everyone for her not to return just in case that is what happens.

Of course, everyone is also waiting for the return of Iris who is approximately 28-29 years old this year and has her nest at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. Her favoured date to return is 7 April – tomorrow.

Wind, rain, encased in ice…nothing stops Big Red from keeping her eggs warm. Her and Arthur now have three they are incubating. Last year, Big Red surprised us with her very first clutch of four since she has been on a streaming cam.

Gabby and V3 were at the nest. At times they were vocalising. Intruders in the area?

Victor is over at Sally’s beak. Just look at Abby standing on those beautiful strong legs! And, yes. My friend ‘R’ believes that juvenile Osprey plumage is the most gorgeous in the world. I totally agree.

There are still three growing osplets at the Venice Golf and Country Club. The camera is, like Achieva, not good, and it is difficult to tell what is happening in the nest. As a result, I do not monitor it closely.

The two eaglets at Pittsburgh-Hayes are doing well. There are a lot of flies in that nest, though. Terrible. I hope that this does not do anything to cause the eaglets distress. (We have seen raptors jump out of nests to escape flies in the past).

I found this entry by Elfruler this morning, and I thought it might shed some light on this year with the bald eagle hatches. They clarify that the eaglet at Bartlesville would have died of hypothermia/falling out of the nest. It is so sad when the eaglets get out of the egg cup. I marvelled at how Harriet had ‘rolled’ one of either 21 or 22 (I cannot remember which now) back under her after pondering the situation for some time. Harriet had experience, many don’t, and their babies die. Their beaks are so big that picking them up would injure, if not kill, them also.

They are so cute. I wish they were not so terrible to our eagles….those GHO chicks. Bonnie and Clyde’s owlets are out in the sun this morning.

And some good news. People like David Attenborough can convince people that birding is not a silly, useless hobby and guess what? Birding can be good for the local economy! Tourists are willing to pay top dollar to have their tours organised, their hotels and meal plans arranged so they can get up at dawn to go and see Puffins! Or in the case of Ferris Akel recently – Sand-hill Cranes in Iowa. It is time other locations stepped up and cleaned up their wildlife habitats. In several locations, ponds and lakes stocked for fishing have made their owners more profit by having people with cameras taking photos of ospreys fishing!

What a wonderful world it would be!

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/02/tourists-arrive-skomer-attenborough-wild-isles-wales?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so much for being with me. I wish I had news about the eggs in the Channels Islands. We wait to see if they are viable. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their observation notes, their posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘A’, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams along with the World Bird Sanctuary, Harley Jeffery Thames and SWFL Eagle Cam-Harriet and M15, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, CROW, Sutton Centre, Paul Kilnik and Bald Eagles 101, Raptor Resource Centre and Explore.org, US Steel, Dulles-Greenaway, Cornell RTH, NEFL-AEF, Moorings Park Ospreys, VOCCO, PIX Cam, Elfruler, Farmer Derek, and The Guardian.

Louis is home, Tragedy at MN-DNR nest…Sunday in Bird World

2 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

First up, thanks to ‘MC’, just a correction. I had understood that both ospreys were back at Llyn Brenig but the unringed female on the nest Friday/Saturday is not LM6. She did, indeed, lose her coloured band but MC tells me she still had her BTO band so this bird is not her.

This is how I began my blog yesterday – the paragraph below. Sunday morning reveals how devastating the storms are that went across the US. Besides the winds, the heavy snow has caused nests to collapse. The toll will get higher than the three mentioned in my report. Our thoughts are with those touched by that strong weather system, and our hearts are breaking for the loss of the eaglets.

Saturday was a very stressful day because of the Es. E22 is now back on the nest tree, and M15 has been in and out of the nest trying to lure him up to get the fish. When I write this, nothing has been seen of E21. Any time a fledgling flies off the nest and does not return, it is a concern. So, to keep my mind a little calmer, I had Ferris Akel’s Tour in the background. Thank goodness for calm!

E22 below the nest. This is the same place that he was a night fall and it is a good location because he is not so out in the open for the GHOs to hit. ‘A; asks why he doesn’t just fly up to the nest. I am not a bird – there are times I wish I was! But my understanding that he needs to fly off the branch, circle a bit and then fly to the nest. Just flying ‘up’ doesn’t appear to be working for him. That said, this is not a good three-dimensional image of the nest to determine the proper path he would need to take to get to the nest.

M15 trying to lure 22 down to the nest.

M15 even made Southern Living Magazine! If only these stories could generate a change in attitude by the public at large against loss of habitat, banning lead in every form, legislation against rodenticide and the 30 or more other ways in which humans impact the lives of our raptors…I would be happy.

https://www.southernliving.com/southwest-florida-eagle-cam-m15-sleeps-away-from-nest-7369595?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons

Here is E22’s adventure caught by Vicky/Wiskernwings. I love how she talks to the eaglets. HeidiMc recommends starting at 23:50 (the video is long). It shows our Bitty having some goofy times on his first outing.

Real Saunders Photography shows the Butcher birds annoying our Bitty that drives him off the tree after the owl strike. Oh, Bitty get up in that nest! That is all you need to do now for Dad to take care of you. You certainly can fly!

Of course, on top of everything, the house is a building site. Lewis and Missy have been sequestered in the conservatory for their safety today. The workmen have just left – 1400. There might be a new shower in the bath on Monday!

They are not too happy but aren’t misbehaving, just taking it all in stride. The looks they gave me were priceless.

I do not know about you but I have needed a diversion today. There is too much happening including the disappearance and death of elderly Bald Eagles, tornadoes ripping raptor nests out of trees, and of course, the Es. I lurked during Ferris Akel’s Saturday tour and turned to watch when I heard he had found some ducks…

Ferris did turn up lots of waterfowl. It was a great Saturday. Ospreys, Northern Shovelers, a Sandhill Crane, some Canadian Geese and Snow Geese, Ring-necked ducks, Trumpeter Swans, eagle nests waiting for their owners, Common Mergansers and herons, tonnes of herons in their nests!

The Osprey was at quite a distance.

A male Shoveler. Note the size of their bill and its shape like a ‘shovel’ – hence the name. You cannot mistake the male Shovelers.

Common Merganser, male:

Common Merganser, female:

Canada Goose and a Trumpeter Swan:

Snow Geese feeding in the fields from the grain left from the fall:

A Dark Morph Snow Goose:

The lone Sandhill Crane:

A lone Cardinal:

Heron nests – they were everywhere with more herons flying in.

More destruction on the boundary between Tennessee and Kentucky to another eagle nest. How many have been destroyed during the recent thunderstorms and tornadoes besides this one and the Mississippi Flyway nest of the Trio? Have you heard of any others?

Thankfully, River did not have to deal with a tornado. Since Obey disappeared on Tuesday, she has lots to do to secure the nest and take care of the three eaglets. Dale Hollow Cam said that River ‘cried’ Tuesday evening for Obey. We should never underestimate the grief of our wildlife. River has no choice, just like M15. She has to carry on. She has a nest of youngsters to try and feed and raise. So far, she is doing splendidly. Let us hope as they age that, it gets easier for her. She is no spring chicken. Sadly, many of our beloved raptors have lived longer than many imagine. Send positive wishes to her and all the nests. At one time, I learned that there were 25-28 Bald Eagle nests around River and Obey’s nest. That is an enormous number of raptors wanting the same resources. Again, let us hope she can keep the precious fish she catches so she and her babies can eat.

The top two pictures are from early Saturday. The others later in the day. The mate’s absence has to have been so stressful for River and M15. I say this because the kittens were upset about the workmen in the house. That is peanuts compared to what these two Bald Eagles have to go through. M15 persevered against all the odds. Good wishes out to River so she can do the same.

The intruder is still around the nest of River and Obey. It is this intruder that might have injured or killed River. Please go away.

‘A’ sent in a good report of what is happening at this nest:

“River is really doing so much work. The intruder/s is/are landing in the nest tree, forcing River to literally defend her eaglets, who spent a lot of time pancaked yesterday. All three knew what to do and instinctively did so, which helped mum concentrate on what she was doing. I worry that she is getting tired, though the fish she is bringing in are so large that two a day, or even one on occasion, is plenty for both mum and the eaglets. All three eaglets continue to thrive and are constantly dragging giant crops around the nest. They get along famously when food is removed from the equation and DH19, although it respects is position in the pecking order, still has confidence to eat right beside its older siblings once DH17 has eaten its fill. Neither of the older two prevent DH 19 from eating, and although 17 occasionally beaks it, the submission is usually voluntary and not reactionary, with 19 just automatically taking up the submissive pose to wait for its turn.

The situation is one day at a time, as I said yesterday, but so far, River is doing an amazing job. She is one big mama, and she is very protective – of her nest and her babies and their food. She is fantastic to watch in full throttle, as it were. It would be a very brave, very stupid or very hungry eagle that chose to try and tackle her directly. This of course is where she has an advantage over M15, who usually has been dealing with female intruders, who are (sometimes much) larger than he is. River is bigger than most of the females and all the males. But three mouths are a lot to feed on her own, so we watch and we wait and we wish her and her eaglets all the luck in the world.”

River keeping her babies close to her Saturday night.

The Obey River that runs by the nest of River and Obey and their eaglets. If you did not know how the adult eagles got their name, there is your hint. Isn’t it beautiful?

The three at PA Country Farms continue to thrive.

In the beginning I had doubts about how Rose would do as a new mother. It was sure fortunate that Ron got in there and helped, but now, Rose has really come into her own. Those little fluff balls of hers – OK, not so fluffy anymore – are doing fantastic, and R5 always leaves the table with a nice crop. The screen captures are from HeidiMc who watches this nest diligently. It is unfortunate that so many people do not watch the feedings all the way through. Spread the word. R5 is fine.

Heidi Mc confirms that Audrey is back on the Osprey platform at the Chesapeake Conservancy. No sign of Tom yet. Audrey was first reported being back on the 17th of March.

Blue 33 is very good to bring in the fish and oh, is he lucky. Rutland stocks that water right by his nest! Often he brings in a whopper that is still alive and he did that precise thing Saturday morning. Maya finally got control of it and flew off. They have been seen mating and we await eggs.

Blue NC0 has been at the Loch of the Lowes nest all day Saturday. It was like Big Red hanging around the day she finally laid her egg. Expecting an egg for Laddie and NC0 right away! She looks to be in top form. This is good. I love the shine of her beak and those beautiful feathers. What a gorgeous necklace she has. Good luck this year.

John Williams posted a really good image of Dylan and Seren at Llyn Clywedog today. Super couple.

Victor sometimes causes grief. A late fish came in, and he was up and eating. Abby went up to eat, and then Victor gave her a little peck, and, of course, they looked directly into one another’s eyes. It is rule number 1, Victor – do NOT look your beaking sibling in the eye. It makes them mad. And, of course, it did. Otherwise, they are a month old and doing well.

It is generally recognised that around 35-36 days the amount of daily weight gain levels off for male ospreys while that amount continues to grow for the females who need to add another 30-33% of mass and feathers. It is the reason that male ospreys sometimes fledge first because they have finished developing long before the females. We should be able to see in about 10 days time if Abby’s growth takes off and she gets larger than Victor – confirming that she is potentially a female.

Nancy survived the snow storm and so did her precious eaglet. Thank goodness. You may remember that Nancy lost her young male mate last year, Harry. She was left with two eaglets. E1 killed E2 by pushing it off the nest. It was quite tragic as they were all feathered. Nancy was just not able to get the food on the nest fast enough for them. Again, think of River now and send her all your good energy.

Sadly, these could be the last images of the little eaglet at MN-DNR. The nest has totally collapsed due to the storms.

There is going to have to be a concentrated effort – because of the sheer number of Bald Eagles and the lack of nests – to start building artificial nests for the eagles in the US due to the weather conditions caused by

Those storms hit Illinois and Indiana as well. Thankfully the Bald Eagle nest at St Patrick’s Park in South Bend, home to Little Bit ND17, is in tact. No eggs this year. Mum disappeared and there is a young female with Dad.

It was an osprey nest but the geese have taken over and today, with snow on the ground, the first egg for the Canada Geese was laid at Charlo Montana.

Arlene Beech has it for us on video.

Beautiful Mama Goose at her nest at Decorah, Iowa. Fingers crossed that no bad weather disturbs her. There should be 7 or 8 eggs today.

It is windy at the nest of Iris at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. Iris’s favourite day to return to her nest is 7 April. Let’s see if her migration clock works this year. Here is the link to Iris’s streaming cam – and if you don’t know her, she is the oldest known Osprey alive in the world. Are we kissing 30 this year?

On Sunday, Louis arrived home at Loch Arkaig. Thanks Geemeff for the note and the video. As you say, no one is going to sleep for six months now!

Karl II and Kaia are still moving a bit and foraging along the return route to their nest in Estonia. Waba continues to stay in Sudan.

Karl II is in Moldova.

Kaia remains in Turkey.

She is feeding here near this water basin in the area.

The fear is that more nests will fail as the trees have been weakened and will fall after the horrific storms that spread across half of the US. It is now time to start building artificial platforms. I have said that twice. Too many eagles are looking for suitable tress and the number of those trees is being diminished. This is only April and the tornado season is not over. Send all of the nests your best wishes.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, announcements, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, HeidiMc, Geemeff, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam Watcher’s Club, Southern Living, Vicky/Wiskernwings, The Real Saunders Photography, Ferris Akel Tour, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, PA Country Farm, WRDC, Chesapeake Conservancy, LRWT, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, The Clywedog osprey Group, Moorings Park Ospreys, MN-DNR, Terry Carman and Bald Eagle Live Nest and News, ND-LEEF, Charlo Montana, Decorah Goose Cam, Arlene Beech and Charlie Montana, Montana Osprey Project, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Akraig and the Woodland Trust, and Loodeskalender Forum.

2nd egg for Chase & Cholyn, Tico forced to fledge, and more…Sunday in Bird World

5 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It was a beautiful day on the Canadian prairies on Saturday, and I did not stay as alert to what was happening on the nests as I might usually. Sometimes that is a good thing! It gave me some time to spend with the kittens in the conservatory, which I enjoy doing. Lewis is a particularly hyper kitty. It is no surprise. He chased toys all over an aquarium the first time we saw him. Missy was quiet like she is now. Indeed, she hardly ever meows but has the sweetest purr. She leaves all the haggling for food and treats to Lewis, a task he particularly enjoys. In early November, both kittens could fit with room to spare on the top spot of the cat tree. No more! Lewis even hangs off the edge.

Lewis enjoys being a dare-devil!

He certainly has a great view of the garden!

Missy was too busy watching birds out of the window to worry if Lewis was going to fall down.

They had a lovely day. Missy even got to see Mr Woodpecker!

M15 continues to bring in prey items. E22 got the first on Saturday which appeared to be a squirrel, bunny, or roadkill. After that, E22 continued to mantle and got the fish. E 21 would steal it from between 22’s legs. You must dig those talons in, 22! Both are eating well, and there is no cause for concern unless something catastrophic happens at the nest.

At 12:06, M15 came to the nest and broke a fish into two pieces (or what it looked like) so each eaglet could eat. He fed one, and the other ate. It seriously doesn’t get better than this. He is an incredible dad who has made several deliveries to his 8-week-old eaglets on Saturday. They will be on the nest for 10-11 weeks til they fledge. At that time, M15 will help them get their flight muscles strong and their flying good while providing prey and teaching them to hunt. I know that we did not ever think we would see this day a month ago but wow. Isn’t it grand?

Each has been working on and off again with the head of an Armoured Catfish that came in around 15:20:41.

E22 mantled the fish head, but then E21 took it.

Around 1700, E22 was still chewing on that old catfish head while 21 had found a dried fish tail hidden in the rim of the nest. Then 21 got excited and started jumping and flapping! 22 could care less. He continued eating!

Good Night M15, R23-3, E21 and 22. Sweet Eaglet Dreams.

There have been two deliveries at the SW Florida nest before 1100. They came around 10:00 and another nice fish at 10:43.

Both eaglets have been spending time on the rim of the nest.

Our great Dad.

Word has come from ‘H’ this morning that Pearl flew to the nest on Saturday and landed on Tico, forcing him to fledge. He has not been seen at the nest since.

Tico was seen across the street with his foot caught in a vine upside down last night. He freed himself. There have been boots on the ground looking for him. They believe he could be in the woods.

If you have been watching the Bald Eagle nest at Camp Margaritaville in Auburndale, Florida, CM2 has passed. This little one was harassed and hurt from the time it hatched for no obvious reasons, as there was plenty of food in the nest. (There is a stocked pond). Whether it died on Friday or Saturday is unknown, but the cause was siblicide. The eaglet suffered greatly. Sometimes we must be grateful that the suffering ends for these precious little ones. Thanks, ‘H’ for alerting me to this tragedy.

Annie arrives to incubate her and Lou’s first egg of the season…talking to it! How precious. Time 08:39:37 4 March.

Cal Falcons tells us when to expect the next egg.

This is a view of Bald Canyon. Thank you, Gracie Shepherd. If you want to see all of the IWS streaming cams from the Channel Islands, go to iws.org and click on the name of the nest in the listings on the left.

Gabby and V3 continue to put a smile on my face. V3 is a good provider and a fantastic security guard. Have you noticed that there are seemingly no more intruders coming to the nest except for the odd fly through juvenile?

V3’s talons have had a rough time lately.

The two eaglets at Duke Farms are growing and eating and are such cute fuzzy little bobbleheads. They look like miniature teddy bears. Did you know that their Dad, A/59 is 23 years old? He is! There is lots of food in this nest!

Jackie and Shadow are spending less time on the eggs. Right now, I wish the Ravens would come and take them so the eagles could move forward. They did visit today. It must be difficult for the eagles to destroy their own eggs.

They might have another clutch, but they might not. If those eggs weren’t in the nest, it would give them some closure. So sad for these two. Amazing parents who gave us Spirit – 1 year and 1 day since her hatch.

At the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and Beau, one egg remains. One broke after Nancy worked hard to protect the two eggs during a strong winter storm. The songbirds are announcing spring is coming. You can hear them in the background of the streaming cam. It is lovely.

Cholyn and Chase are still incubating a single egg at Two Harbours in the Channel Islands. Folks were watching for a second egg and Cholyn did not disappoint. That egg arrived around 18:14:24 Saturday 4 March.

Maria dk caught the moment on video:

Everyone is holding their breath and sending the most positive wishes to Jak and Audacity who are still incubating egg #7 after the eighth egg broke.

‘H’ had me laughing and well, anytime there is siblicide, we look to find the joy in the birds. Dear Angus loves to stand on the back of Florence. Poor thing!

Harry and Sally are doing a fantastic job of being first-time parents. Their osplets both hatched on 3 March. The oldest at 01:29 and the youngest at 20:03. Now, if every female raptor (osprey or eagle) could manage their delayed incubation so that the hatches were this close or closer, the world of raptors would be a much more equitable place.

Seriously, how much more cuteness do we need? Just look at those two lined up so nicely for fish.

We are still some days before pip watch at Achieva in St Petersburg, Florida. The first egg is 25 days old today – so 10-11 days from now, probably making that the 15th of March.

Rosie and Richmond were both on the Whirley Crane today. It seems to take them a few days to get re-acquainted each year but, for us, it is nice to have both of them safe at home.

The Welsh take their ospreys seriously. The final touches to the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn were put into place as the team awaits the couple’s arrival from their winter migration. Ospreys were seen over Suffolk today, heading north!

The Patuxent River Park Osprey platform cams are streaming, and the first bird arrived on Saturday. It is happening – everything is starting at once!!!!!!

Small and lost Atlantic Puff is saved from highway collision in New Brunswick, Canada.

Little-Atlantic-puffin-rescued-on-busy-N.B.-roadway-CBC-News Download

Happy Hatch Day! Another Kakapo celebrates. This is so wonderful. 55 hatched in 2022 and they are still alive!

What should and what can we do to stop the destruction of nature on our doorsteps? There is a new word for it, ‘ecocide’.

This wholesale demolition of nature is described as ecocide – a term put forward by the Stop Ecocide Foundation as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts”. Although no law has yet been passed, we know ecocide when we see it. It is a moral red line that is being crossed.

While this is about a particular acerage being taken over in the UK, the concerns extend to the entire globe.

“The dismantling of nature’s complexity can no longer be seen as acceptable fallout to maintain the way we have become accustomed to living, and to support the “growth” agenda to which we have become addicted. The planet is perilously close to ecosystem collapse. Humanity created the problem. It is our job to fix it – now.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/02/we-must-call-out-the-ecocide-on-our-doorstep?CMP=share_btn_link

Big Red has been at the Fernow Light stand nests. Progress is really being made and we are within 9 days of what could be the first egg laid.

Did you watch Bonnie and Clyde raise Lily and Tiger on the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s Property in 2021? Well, their eggs are getting closer to hatching this year. Egg 1 is 33 days old, and egg 2 is 30 days old. The incubation period for GHOs is normally 30-37 days….so guess what? We are there.

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Thank you, ‘A’ for the link. Sweet Pea is a proficient gardener. Watch out for the squiggling in the nest and those paddles!

Last but certainly not least is a march and a call to end rodenticide poisons. We must all band together to stop these deadly toxins that kill rodents, our beautiful raptors, and other mammals! Raising awareness helps.

It is so nice to have you with us in Bird World. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their tweets, their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams that help make up the news in my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Camp Margaritaville Bald Eagles, Lady Deeagle55 and Superbeaks, Maria dk and IWS and Explore.org, Cal Falcons, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, NEFL-AEF, Duke Farms, FOBBV, MN-DNR, IWS and Explore.org, Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, Golden Gate Audubon, Patuxent River Park, CBC.ca, Kakapo Recovery, The Guardian, Cornell RTH Cam, Farmer Derek, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Terry Carman Bald Eagle Live Nest Cams and News.

Category Archives: birds that died

Sunday in Bird World

Status Updates:

6/3/23: The fish hook is in the lower GI tract and “free-floating”. The veterinarian was unable to remove it endoscopically. A specialist will be examining 45/D on 6/4 and a plan will be developed for the hook removal.

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Saturday in Bird World

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Angel’s baby doing great, Oldest Red Kite dies…Saturday in Bird World

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Iris lays her first egg, C3 dies, Tom helps, Dorcha crashes…Tuesday in Bird World

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Bitty dies, Tom brings prey…Thursday in Bird World

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WBSE 30 is released!…Thursday in Bird World

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Louis is home, Tragedy at MN-DNR nest…Sunday in Bird World

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2nd egg for Chase & Cholyn, Tico forced to fledge, and more…Sunday in Bird World

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Status Updates:

6/3/23: The fish hook is in the lower GI tract and “free-floating”. The veterinarian was unable to remove it endoscopically. A specialist will be examining 45/D on 6/4 and a plan will be developed for the hook removal.

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