Category Archives: birds

Fluff balls and a possible pip at PLO? ..Saturday in Bird World

5 October 2024

Hello Everyone,

Update: ‘H’ notes a possible pip at Port Lincoln.

Friday was gorgeous. It was 14 C, with no wind and a clear blue sky. The lake at the nature centre had more than 500 Canada Geese, various ducks, and seven American White Pelicans. The songbirds seemed to have left except for those cute little flitty Black-capped Chickadees. It was a great day for a long walk!

I am happy to include Florida Audubon’s magazine. I hope that you find some interesting ‘bird’ information in there!

naturalist_fall2024_web_v6_1Download

It is pitching down rain on Port Lincoln’s Osprey Mum. Will any of those eggs hatch? She has been quite incredible over the years. Thanks to the ‘fish fairies’ her two osplets from 2023-24 survived.

The rains have stopped. Mum has been fish calling but as of 0853 none has appeared. It is unclear how strong the winds are in Port Lincoln.

Eggs are: Age (eggs): #1 : 41 days, #2 : 38 days, #3 : 35 days.

I wonder how many will be viable? Fingers crossed.

‘A’ remarks: “At Port Lincoln, we are hopeful of a wonderful season, thanks to our confidence in the fish fairy (and I’m pretty happy about the IR light they’re using to help with night-time fishing, which as I have said appears to have been very helpful to the night heron who was using the barge as a base for a few nights last week – the fish gleam silver in the lights). Dad has brought two partial fish in for mum so far today (which is not a great deal and certainly won’t be nearly enough to feed chicks). The chat has finally worked out that there was no pip three days ago. However, we are looking at eggs that are 34, 37 and 40 days old, so we would want to be seeing a pip in at least one and possibly two of those eggs within the next 36 hours. There should be a pip at any moment really. Again, I would be happy if only two of those eggs hatched. Three is always a worry with ospreys. We don’t tend to see sibling rivalry on the sea eagles nest at Olympic Park but I have always put that down to Lady and Dad. Here, with ospreys, I have little confidence that we won’t see a potential aggressive nest, which I always find impossible to watch without stress. So I remain hopeful that the first egg laid is gradually creeping beyond the hatch window (36 to 42 days according to the literature). We would need to see a pip on the first egg laid by tonight really, wouldn’t we? And the chatters are desperate to see a pip – I can’t see anything, even at the time stamps people have suggested. We wait – but as I say, all the eggs are within or very close to the hatch window and one is only a couple of days from slipping beyond it. So I am very hopeful that at least one of those eggs is not going to hatch. “

Xavier and Diamond are proud parents! Two chicks now.

Xavier wants to feed his chicks!!!!!!!!! How precious is that?

Breakfast at Orange.

‘A’ catches breakfast at Orange and other notes: “Mum headed off to get food for the littles at Orange and quickly returned with a starling. Yes, she is happy to feed starling to the chicks, she just doesn’t like eating it herself, which is great news for the chicks. There was an earlier feeding very early but I didn’t see the new chick getting any bites because Diamond was in the way. So this feeding may be the first one for the new chick.

It is a very short feeding, and Diamond is gone with the leftovers shortly after 9am. While she is gone, Xavier sneaks in for a little chick time, but Diamond is back only a minute later and he doesn’t argue for long when she does. Both of the chicks look very healthy and strong. They are so close together in size that we will have trouble telling them apart I suspect, and I am SO hoping that third egg won’t hatch. 

Do you notice that the remaining egg appears to have quite a lot more colour on it than the empty half shell of chick number two? It is my understanding that the eggs are given colour on the way down the tubes, and there is gradually less and less of it, so that each egg laid should have slightly less colour on it than the one before. To me, this possibly indicates that the unhatched egg is not the third egg at all but the second or even the first egg laid. What do you think? Of course this is what I want to see, so obviously, I am probably wrong. 

Diamond and Xavier use at least three stash spots of which we are aware – one a little higher up the building from the nest, another on the rooftop and a third in the trees visible from Ledge Cam. There may be more. But we think Diamond retrieved the starling for the 8.56am feeding from one of the stash spots not only because she was back so fast but because the prey appeared partially prepared (and certainly did not look as though it had been alive in the preceding five minutes). “

Video of the pair at Orange: https://youtu.be/heHgQjap1wQ?

Three cute little eyases at 367 Collins Street having breakfast. Heidi kept track of the ages of the eggs at hatch:

Chick 1 – 10/3, 0451 (time per Mods), at 38 days.  

Chick 2 – 10/3, 0631, at 36 days.

Chick 3 – 10/4, 1427, at 35 days.

A: “the little Collins Street eyases are SO cute. Watch the lunchtime feeding today (12:22 on 5 October) for three little bobbleheads. Mum is patient with them, and all three are strong and begging for food, beaks open, little heads up. The third hatch is noticeably smaller than its two siblings and its little beak is a lot harder for mum to reach. I do hope it gets its share. I’m not convinced that it did at this feeding. It seemed to become something for the others to lean on. It is very difficult early on when it’s hard for them to hold their heads up or face the right way. As I said, they all appear strong and healthy so we’ll just have to hope mum is patient enough to keep feeding the chicks until the older two have had enough so that number three gets a chance to eat. “

Lots of prey (or a good pantry or both) at Collins Street.

‘A’ remarks: “So we are awaiting the second (and third) hatch at Orange, with the first chick doing well. At Collins Street, we have all three. I have not yet had a good look at number three but can report that the first two appear active and healthy and both have eaten well today. I have been impressed by mum, who made certain that the younger hatch did not miss out on the food. She is patient and appears practiced at feeding newly hatched chicks. That’s is a great relief. Dad has been great, sometimes bringing prey along the ledge to the scrape and at other times giving mum a break by delivering the food higher up the building. Such a sweetie. I can’t wait to see him brooding all three of these chicks. Mum has her positioning perfect as I mentioned. I do like the garage door technique. I find it by far the most effective (especially with one chick too many for comfort). It will sure help with these three when they have doubled in size and are rapidly doubling a second time! “

Life in the world of Australia’s Peregrine Falcons appears to be good. ‘A’ adds: “The second chick at Orange finally managed to escape its little tomb about three hours ago (05:30 on 5 October) but it had to work long and hard to do so. It is tired, sweet baby, but seems well. Oh I am hoping we have a Dudley. I really don’t want that third egg to hatch at Orange. The pair at Collins Street appear to be working very well together to care for their brood. I have to admit that I have not been paying overly much attention to the Port Lincoln nest, although I believe it should be a safe watch this season, as it is obvious that the powers that be have determined the fish fairy will make a return appearance this season if she is required. That is such a relief. “

Holly Parsons posted a really information on the development of the falcon chicks.

Peregrine Chicks Week-to-Week Development | Outside My WindowDownload

SE33 and SE34 are walking very well on their nest in the Olympic Forest. Both are self-feeding and their wings are huge. They sing the duet with the parents in the morning, just precious. The next step is for them to branch. And then it will not be long until they fledge. They are the cutest pair.

Growing Home Osprey Family. What a darling threesome.

‘J’ reports that the WRDC cam fell into Ron and Rose’s nest on Friday. No one was injured.

A beautiful summary of an extraordinary season at Newfoundland’s Snow Lane nest of Beaumont and Hope! https://youtu.be/1n3-K_d7djg?

The Dyfi Osprey Calendar of Idris and Telyn and chicks will be available on line soon. They do ship internationally – just ask if you can’t indicate that on checkout.

It won’t be long til we have news of the swag available for Iris and Finn, Antali, and Sum-eh. I understand the nest sticks are on their way to be made into pens. Watch their FB for notices of notecards, etc.

The Canadian Highways Network FB posted an amazing image of Canada Geese setting off Friday morning after having a good feed on their field. Please make them welcome everyone south of us! They are not the Canadian bird, but many think they should be. (The Canada Jay is).

Send good thoughts to Gabby at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest. Since Samson went missing, her life has been nothing but chaotic. No solid mate, no eaglets. She arrived at her nest alone Friday night. No Beau. No 23E1.

What a lovely sight.

Calico’s Smile for the Day:

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. Have a wonderful weekend. We hope to see you soon!

Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J’, Audubon Florida Naturalist, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons and Outside My Window, Olympic Park Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Osprey Stories, Heidi McGrue and Growing Home Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, Animal & Nature, Maria Marika, and WRDC.

Falcon chicks everywhere…Friday in Bird World

4 October 2024

Hello Everyone,

‘A’ writes: “At 14:27 mum gets up a little and allows us to see the third egg shell completely cracked in half. There is a very damp chick still squashed inside the eggshell as mum tucks the hatching chick underneath her. So the official hatch time will be very shortly afterwards. By 14:30:30, the shell is completely separated and we can see two distinctly separate halves. So I would probably put the official hatch time at around 14:30 on 4 October. And then there were three on the ledge. “

Heidi caught their feeding! https://youtu.be/RAg7mEspJzo?

‘A’ sent this video – very short – when there were two! https://youtu.be/DWdRwiDYyPU?

Several of you are traveling on some great adventures right now. My family and I wish you wonderful times and a safe return to your home.

Thursday was a bright sunny day but it was decidedly fall with the nip in the air. It is a time for apple galette, pumpkin loaf, robust stews – comfort food. The birds in the garden seem to be eating more as the days get colder. Certainly the solid suet is not sitting too long til it needs to be replaced! ‘The Boyfriend’ stares at me while he waits for his dish to be filled!!!!!!

Missey didn’t care. She just wanted lots of brushes on Thursday and some chicken and rice.

One of the most exciting sightings in Manitoba is that of a family of Red-headed Woodpeckers. Seen last year for the first time and again this fall- it is quite the rarity. They must be breeding up north somewhere. No one is saying the precise location for their protection.

“Red-headed Woodpecker” by Greg Schechter is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

All About Birds describes the Red-headed Woodpecker: “The gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,” with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers: they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. This magnificent species has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply.”

Their territory is here. I notice that the breeding grounds are in the Southern part of our province. So the woodpecker family is locating itself north. That is interesting. I need to find out more!

Here are some Cool Facts from All About Birds:

  • Cool Facts
    • The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts, and under roof shingles. Grasshoppers are regularly stored alive, but wedged into crevices so tightly that they cannot escape.
    • Red-headed Woodpeckers are fierce defenders of their territory. They may remove the eggs of other species from nests and nest boxes, destroy other birds’ nests, and even enter duck nest boxes and puncture the duck eggs.
    • The Red-headed Woodpecker benefited from the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease outbreaks of the twentieth century. Though these diseases devastated trees they provided many nest sites and foraging opportunities for the woodpeckers.
    • The striking Red-headed Woodpecker has earned a place in human culture. Cherokee Indians used the species as a war symbol, and it makes an appearance in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, telling how a grateful Hiawatha gave the bird its red head in thanks for its service.
    • The Red-headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board.
    • Pleistocene-age fossils of Red-headed Woodpeckers—up to 2 million years old—have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, and Illinois.
    • The Red-headed Woodpecker was the “spark bird” (the bird that starts a person’s interest in birds) of legendary ornithologist Alexander Wilson in the 1700s.
    • The oldest Red-headed Woodpecker on record was banded in 1926 in Michigan and lived to be at least 9 years, 11 months old.

We have hatches in Australia and some new excitement on the screens.

If you missed it, the hatch for Diamond and Xavier. Such a cutie pie with its little pink beak open for some food. https://youtu.be/hh-GWZg5z00?

Breakfast for Diamond and Xavier’s wee one.

Xavier ready with more prey!

Pigeon dinner at 367 Collins Street.

M15 and F23 are working hard on that nest. Reliable. Not drama. Or let us hope not. https://youtu.be/juoU94qAxA8?

With the return of Beau, work on the nest at NE Florida seems to be stalling. Let’s hope that changes. The chat moderator notes: “Beau returned on 8/24 and Gabrielle on 9/1. Last year’s “visitor” 24E1, showed up mid-Sept and Beau disappeared for just over 2 weeks. Beau reappeared yesterday, a bit scuffed up but lookng good.”

Gabby followed Beau to the nest Thursday evening. Looks like they are settled for the evening.

It is raining at Port Lincoln. Mum is really wiggling around in that nest. We should have a hatch anytime. Gosh – we are going to be busy. Hatches at Melbourne, Orange, and then Port Lincoln with the sea eaglets getting their legs and wing flapping.

There was a hint of a hole in one egg but nothing confirmed.

Heidi has been monitoring PLO and writes. “All night on 10/4 we were observing for a possible pip.  There was a dark spot showing up on one of the eggs in IR lighting.  But, the spot never changed in size or shape, there was no cracking around it, or edges of shell seen.  So, it may just have been a spot of dirt.  No pip could be confirmed during the daylight hours of 10/4.  They are now in darkness w/IR lighting in the evening 10/4.  I’m going to continue to monitor throughout their nighttime hours 10/5.”

Heidi and I both agree that it is not looking good for egg 1 and that could be the case for egg 2 as well according to the historical hatch of 34-36 days. Here are the dates of the eggs:

Egg 1 laid 8/26, 0357.   10/5 = 40 days.

Egg 2 laid 8/29, 0547.   10/5 = 37 days.

Egg 3 laid 9/1,  0529.    10/5 = 34 days.

Just look at how big the Growing Home osplet is today!

I hope that all of the albatross chicks on the headland have fledged. There was at least one still there a couple of days ago. Please keep everyone in this area of New Zealand in your warm thoughts.

What does it feel like to see the last few birds before they head off on an epic migration?

Country diary: The last redstart till spring | Birds | The GuardianDownload

Oh, my goodness, what fun. Feeding time at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Toronto. You can sign up and watch all the action! https://youtu.be/rPUrZascFnE?

Do you know what a Loon’s foot waggle is all about?

Weather is causing some havoc as the winds are blowing at such a speed the migrants cannot cross The Straits into Africa.

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Make Halloween Safe for Everyone. A lot of children have allergies. Many have weight problems. Calico suggests that instead of giving out candies that you check out options like stickers, glow sticks, fancy erasers, funny pencils and cute things that you find or collect over the year.

Calico also reminds everyone against decorating with the fake spider webs. Birds get caught in them as do other wildlife. Please ask your friends and neighbours to be kind to our feathered friends during this time of fun. Thank you!

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

Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J’, Heidi McGrue, Guardian Australia, Openverse, All About Birds, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Androcat, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, The Royal Albatross Centre, The Guardian, Toronto Wildlife Centre, Loon Preservation Society, SOS Tesla.

Two Hatch in Melbourne!…Beau Returns…Thursday in Bird World

3 October 2024

Good Morning,

The European Starlings are really enjoying the meal worms. The Blue Jays are sorting through the peanuts for the best ones, and everyone wants a bath. It was a glorious fall morning in the garden with the animals and birds that I love so much.

Birds having a bath; Starlings eating meal worm treat.

Hope watching the Starlings.

Starlings devouring the meal worms.

Missey watches them, too.

Calico doesn’t care.

There is a hatch, on Wednesday, at the Melbourne CBD 367 Collins Street scrape. The penthouse falcons! Congratulations! We should be seeing the other two little fluff balls shortly.https://youtu.be/VRfLhA-E7cg?

And then there were two! Close together in hatch times. Fantastic.

Those two little fluff balls are getting some breakfast bits.

Wiggly Dad takes care of the chicks! https://youtu.be/TxPGlZ6lBWc?

The other big news is that a bit of a ragged Beau has returned to the NE Florida nest after having been away for a fortnight and a day. 24E1 has not been seen since Tuesday morning at the nest. Gabby was there at 1000 on Wednesday morning. It is 5:34pm on the cam and as far as I know, Gabby has not been at the nest since his return. Oh, dear.

Beau made it through the hurricane. Are the missing feathers because of that along with the fresh blood on his tail or has he been in a fight? and with whom?

Gabby did return and she did find Beau. His feet are not in as bad a shape as the rest of him. They were down in the nest together working away. It is better than anything on Netflix. But, let us hope that this nest calms, that whichever of the males Gabby picks is up to the task of fatherhood this year, and that all hatchlings fledge.

The AEF welcomes Beau back to the NE Florida nest: https://youtu.be/fl13dy61pMs?

I don’t think I have ever been so mad. See the post by Brian Collins below. Forestry England has observed ospreys at Llyn Clywedog for years. John Williams has kept accurate records on the fish delivered, and we now understand that a family of two adults and three osplets eat on average 480-525 fish, medium ones, from time of egg laying to migration. Ospreys cannot carry huge fish – think a Brown Trout. Of course, many other people keep track of fish deliveries, type and size and amount. This information should be clearly available to all. But, Goodness me. That is only about 1000 lbs of fish. A drop in the bucket compared to Omega’s takings. We also know that adults died and that starvation deaths were regional. So that the starving osplets in the Bay are specific to the overfishing of the Menhaden.

Geez. This ASMFC smells fishy.

Collecting data on our nests can be very overwhelming. For Heidi and me, because we were looking at mortality rates and causes, the emotion connected with watching ospreys starve to death when help could come has often been simply ‘too much’. Right now I have data on more than 60 nests that need to be entered except that it is lacking key information – the day the eggs were laid, the hatch dates, details on weather or dates of death, even fledging days. I am getting there slowly and hopefully we will have a good indication of the % that died from starvation and/or siblicide or predators in 2024 from over 566 osprey eggs. Bear with me. My goal is to get this together before the end of November!

I will put out a call early for information for the 2025 season. I am looking for detailed information on the nests that Heidi and I do not normally cover including those in Europe and in particular, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Germany. If you watch a particular nest on a regular basis, we would appreciate hearing from you as to dates the adults arrive, the date eggs are laid, hatch, and the date of the first flight. If chicks die or eggs do not hatch, all information is important. Thank you!

Elfruler has sent out a posting that they will be cutting back on what they are posting in terms of nests for similar reasons – being overwhelmed and nests with poor cams and little information. This is part of the letter that they sent out to readers: “

Bald EaglesNest Watch UpdateBy elfruler on 10/02/2024

After reflecting long and hard over the last few months, I have determined reluctantly that it is time to retire the yearly Nest Watch page on my website.  I began that page with the 2019-2020 season as what seemed like a logical extension of my comprehensive collection of statistics on eggs, hatches, and fledges on eagle nest cams since 2011.  But I am finding that maintaining the page has become exhausting.

Is Ervie out scouting for a female? And how many female are there? Do we need a translocation for all these males??? Ervie was everyone’s all time favourite – the little third hatch that took on big Bazza and Falkey to be kind of the Port Lincoln territory til Mum and Dad thought he might need to move a little further away.

I found some old video footage of Ervie having a dust up with Bazza and another of Ervie catching his infamous puffers. At one time we thought they might seriously injure one another. Enjoy.

We wait and hope for Xavier and Diamond at Orange.

Diamond isn’t getting up for Xavier’s prey offering! https://youtu.be/hw8kTwnYso8?

Holly Parsons is hearing cheeps…maybe by the time I get ready to post this blog Thursday morning there will be a visible pip for Xavier and Diamond.

A look at the eggs at Port Lincoln. We could have a pip any day.

Bella and Scout have been working on the platform below the NCTC nest.

Foggy morning at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta.

M15 and F23 are working diligently on their nest. https://youtu.be/0NTNNvhzgDY?

Our favourite GHOs, Bonnie and Clyde, are back at work, too. Clyde is busy delivering food to Bonnie! https://youtu.be/ZO9dQSqPinM?

More fish for those adorable sea eaglets for breakfast. https://youtu.be/ht8N6kMNlKg?

Judy Harrington is bringing us up to date on those cutie pies.

Looking at that wing span!

Smile. This osprey patient was returned to the wild!

Thank you to everyone for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘J’, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Brian Collins and Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, Elfruler, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Falcon Cam Project, NCTC Bald Eagle nest, IWS/Explore.org, Androcat, Nesting Bird Life & More, Judy Harrington and Olympic Park Sea Eagles, and Florida Wildlife Hospital.

Eagles returning…Wednesday in Bird World

2 October 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, Tuesday was a bit nippy on the Canadian Prairies. Fall blew in, literally, Monday morning and is hanging around. The low temperature overnight was 5 C and 15 C is our high. Picture this: A wool jumper from Sweden, heavy wool socks, and some dense denim and the furnace is on. Tomorrow, some Birch will be delivered for the wood stove to drive off the chill of these early fall evenings. This morning it is rainy and damp. The Starlings are pecking at the solid suet feeder while I sneeze and cough – the first of the ‘seasonal change’ colds that happen annually. No sign of ‘The Boyfriend’. He is hunkered down somewhere warm and dry.

Tuesday was the day that I finally got the letter off to EarthJustice about the Menhaden industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. It introduced the problem to see if they are interested in taking on a legal challenge to stop the fishing. It was nice to have the respite time to sit and think through this and do some data entries of osprey nests that are not on streaming cams. So tomorrow will be a good day to head off to the nature centre for a walk. So much nicer than those hot humid days of summer.

Those Canada Geese are probably flying in to sleep earlier each night as the days get shorter and the temperatures get chillier. We are set to go back and check on the geese on the evening of the 5th of October – and then I signed us up to build birdhouses on the Sunday. That should be fun!

The latest news in cat world is that The Boyfriend has either trained me or I have trained him to be ready for breakfast at 0900. He is always waiting. Sometimes peeking in the garden door (staring at Baby Hope) or sitting on a stump. Today, he got an extra treat since it was so cool – a big tin of sardines. ‘The Girls’ do not like them! Of course, Calico loved them when she was an outdoor kitty and a big dish of those very stinky fish is what lured Baby Hope into the trap to come inside. Think they would go near them now? Not on your life. Too funny. Too spoiled. And very much adored.

All of the garden animals are caching food in a frenzy now. Little Red even jumped on the back of a Crow today! They are brave those reds – the greys not so much.

The Florida Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers are overcome with birds and other animals in need. It is the same for Tennessee.

Continuing on with the Menhaden…some agencies are just useless.

An unusual patient in The Netherlands.

I am seeing an Osprey at Captiva, but there does not appear to be that fish bone in the leg. Not Jack?

At the NE Florida Nest of Gabby and 24E1, the couple are working tirelessly on getting that nest sorted!

One of the questions on the NE Florida chat had to do with eagles bonding for life. Do they break up? Now sit back and think about this. Ma Berry left the Berry College nest. She was seen in Alabama. Pa then took Missey as his mate. What others can you think of? Send me your list!

Still waiting to see if Holly Parsons caught a glimpse of a pip at Orange or if it was something from the nest attached to the egg. We are in hatch range, 34-36 days. Oh, I so hope we have a lively little one this year. One is good.

Lady came down from her branch to join SE33 and SE 34 in the nest. Looks like they might be getting a wee snack.

A good look at that nice fish Dad brought to the eaglets yesterday. https://youtu.be/M5T5dQOG_PM?

One eagle working on the Duke Farms nest on Tuesday.

Poor thing. Its toes are caught in the shell of the turtle.

32 year old Bald Eagle Ambassador Dies.

As many of you are aware, there have been concerns about the Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platform in St Petersburgh, Florida for a number of years. This past winter the hatchling slipped through a hole in the nest that was part of a drainage system and died. Hurricane Helene has caused much damage in Florida and this nest is not a priority. For many of us, it is because there are no eggs and no chicks yet. It is not clear what work the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre undertook in the winter of 2024, if any. The platform needs a real overall – the drainage system needs to be amended so that no eggs or chicks fall through. There needs to be two perches. A predator baffle needs to be installed. The adjacent tree must be trimmed or critters can climb it and get on the nest. That is just a beginning. I was informed today that the Audubon Society erected the original platform. They are at Clearwater. This is their e-mail address:

cas@clearwateraudubonsociety.org

If you feel so inclined, please write to them. There are many, many priorities in Florida right now, but this platform needs to get on their radar because of the timing of the breeding season coming up. Maybe someone will be hear by and can lend a hand. I always say it is worth asking. All they can do is say ‘no’, but they might say ‘yes’. I will be sending them a note today or tomorrow. Thank you.

Ospreys do rebuild nests. So do Bald Eagles and they can do it in record time. It is the overall structure of the nest and the issues of predation that need to be addressed not the mess on top, but that would be nice, too.

We have also seen PSEG clean out the nest at Patchogue. The ospreys did the best they could with the upside-down material they were left with.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Achieva Osprey platform looked like the one on Lori Covert’s property on Captiva? I wonder if Window to Wildlife might like to take the Achieva platform on as a project of theirs?

Connie and Clive were both at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest Tuesday.

Frances and Franklin are working on the Bluff City nest. Boone and Jolene lost their tree but this tree and nest seem in pretty good shape.

Migration count to date at Hawk Mountain, PA. I wonder how much Hurricane Helene impacted the weekly total??

Vinny, the Black Vulture, has been hanging out at the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle nest.

Black Vultures are large raptors. They are exquisitely black, with just the tip of their under wings clad in a gorgeous silver.

How big a problem are Black Vultures to cattle ranchers? Purdue University did a study.

Black Vulture Ecology and Human-Wildlife Conflicts – Dr. Pat ZollnerDownload

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Do you love crusty bread? We love it and Mark Bittman’s No Knead Bread is often baking away in my great grandmother’s cast iron lidded pot. The problem is cutting it. Calico will tell you that it seems every time I bake bread or bring a baguette home from the boulangerie, crumbs get all over the kitchen floor. She knows that it happens right after I clean the floor, invariably. My Japanese knives do not cut the bread correctly – they cut everything else so thin but make a mess of bread. So, Calico has been reading Wirecutter again and we now have a very inexpensive knife with a serrated edge that has made my life so much easier!

Calico says you can thank her later, but remember – crusty bread!

Why We Love the Mercer Millennia Wide 10-inch Bread Knife | Reviews by WirecutterDownload

Thank you for being with us today. Take care. Stay safe. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘MP, Dierenambulance Den Holder, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Nesting Bird Life & More, Duke Farms, Missouri Department of Conservation, Back to the Wild, Castilia, Ohio, Achieva Credit Union, ETSU-Bluff City, Hawk Mountain Migration, Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle Nest Cam, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal, and Purdue University.

Pip for Xavier and Diamond?

1 October 2024

Holly Parsons has just posted a screen capture of a possible pip in the egg of Xavier and Diamond at Orange, Australia.

Average incubation is 34-36 days. Egg 1 is now 34 days.

Get the popcorn out!

Is Diamond listening or napping?

Tuesday in Bird World

1 October 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

There was a ‘stand off’ at the garden door between Baby Hope and ‘The Boyrfriend’ yesterday morning. I had not been out to replenish his dish and he was telling us that it was time for breakfast! Baby Hope was not impressed.

My goodness. Fall arrived with a surprise on the Canadian Prairies. It had been so warm, and then strong winds came during the night, and now – it is crisp, like a lovely fresh apple! The skies on Sunday morning were a golden pinkish apricot. The Starling flooded the big tray feeder scattered with mealworms, and there were THREE Blue Jays – Mr and Mrs Junior and this summer’s fledgling with the crooked tail. It survived! What a joy to see – it was like my eyes were fooling me. There were two, and then there were three. What happiness.

We continued our decluttering on Sunday while, at the same time, switching out summer clothes for winter ones. The house was built in 1902 at a time when closets were either tiny or non-existent. The Japanese cabinets are 1.2 metres or 4 feet; they do not hold a lot. But, in truth, how much do we really need?

Meals will switch now to more comforting things. Tonight we are going to try and remember how to make sweet potato slices with Maple Walnuts and Goat cheese. It is simple – if I remember it correctly – and delicious. Cut the sweet potato into thick slices and baste with margarine, olive oil, or butter while baking at 350 degrees until tender. Meanwhile, take the walnuts (or pecans) and toss them with a bit of cinnamon, sugar, and maple syrup. Put on a try preferably lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool. To serve, put the tender potatoes on a plate. Scatter with the candied walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. Enjoy!

The farmers are harvesting and, traditionally, they would be finished for our Thanksgiving, which is the second Monday in October. Nothing to do with pilgrims, etc. – it is a day of thanksgiving for the bountiful crops of the land.

Bird News is thin today.

Gabby and 24E1 were at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest and then heavy rains began. I do adore this male. Gabby obviously does, too. I also really liked Beau, but it seems that Gabby, for the moment, feels that he is the one to protect her and her babies and to take care of them. I hope nothing happens to him!

Posted by the AEF Monday evening:

In Port Lincoln, all eyes are on the eggs of Mum and Dad as pip watch approaches.

There are no confirmation pips on the cam at Xavier and Diamond’s yet.

Sea Eaglet spreads its incredible wings at the Olympic Park Nest. https://youtu.be/Lp2w8wyD28g?

Nice fish lunch for the Olympic Park sea eaglets! https://youtu.be/K8ovnAeaKPY?

Jackie and Shadow made a brief visit to the nest in Big Bear. https://youtu.be/A_pQRMQBcSM?s

There is a little eyas in that flower pot!!!!

Geemeff sent some news items – some will make you smile while others will simply make you more than angry.

G: This still has me gritting my teeth:

https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/man-kills-osprey-idaho-retaliation

but more stopping off spaces for Ospreys makes me happy:

https://www.devonairradio.com/news/exeter-and-east-devon/ospreys-fly-in-one-year-on-from-otter-estuary-breach

And this is something to smile about:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgl3p877njo.amp

At one time, the use of feathers in millinery and in haute couture, caused birds to become nearly extinct. Did you know that feathers are still be used in the fashion industry? One designer is working to stop the practice!

Stella McCartney preaches Peace and Dove in mission to save birds | Stella McCartney | The GuardianDownload

Is it possible to have a town with more parrots than human residents? Have a read!

Parrots overwhelm Argentinian town with screeching, poo and power outages | Argentina | The GuardianDownload

Calico’s Tip of the Day: Wash that Pumpkin. Do not put any bleach on the pumpkins. It is harmful to wildlife. Deer, squirrels, even some birds love to eat the pumpkins. Keep them healthy!

This is what our Ospreys need – Menhaden. Little fish for ospreys and stripped bass, not supplements!

MenhadenDownload

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, stories, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff’ NEFL-AEF, American Eagle Foundation, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Eagle 22, Nesting Bird Life and More, Nazz Debz and Orange Peregrine Falcon FB, The Guardian, BBC, Devon Air News, Brian Collins, Chesapeake Bay Programme, and Family Fun.

Boone and Jolene lose their nest tree…Monday in Bird World

30 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Please mark your calendars. It isn’t stripped bass – they, too, need the Menhaden and so do our ospreys. Remember Cobey from the Colonial Beach nest and let them see that people care. Thanks, ‘PB’.

Thank you so much for all your lovely letters and comments. You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing from you. I don’t always answer quickly, but I will answer. I promise. For everyone who has raked their leaves in the corner of their lot and left them, thank you. The key is to not mow them, to not blow them (who invented those noisy machines?), and to not stuff those leaves in bags. Just contain yourself and leave them alone. The insects will thank you and the songbirds in the spring will thank you even more.

Most of you are aware that my ‘right hand’ person is Heidi. I simply could not make it through all that data without her — or all the deaths. We try to prop one another when we just can’t stand another little one losing its life because there was not enough fish. A few weeks ago, Heidi attended the Hawk Watch Migration count at Cape Henlopen. Heidi has permitted me to share her day with you. In doing so, I hope that you might get so excited that you will head out to learn about migrating birds and how to identify them! It is an exhilarating experience.

I had a blast at the Hawk Watch platform at Cape Henlopen, Delaware on Saturday.  The platform is built on top of an old WWII military bunker located at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware on the Atlantic Ocean.  It is just south of the mouth of Delaware Bay, and almost directly south of the infamous Cape May New Jersey Hawk Watch platform on the other side of the bay. 

There was a lead hawk spotter-counter there, named Jen.  Jen has 25 years experience, and lives in Colorado.  She relocates to the area each fall to lead the hawk count.  There were also several other experienced spotters arriving throughout the day, some of whom were also from out of state.  The spotters all had binoculars and scopes, but they primarily used their binoculars.

I was pleased with my binoculars.  I had been worried that I may not be able to find the birds when the spotters called them out, but I did very well in being able to get most of the birds into my view.  Haha, except for the Merlins… they were so darn fast, I was only able to see a few of them before they flew southwest behind some trees.

The weather was nice, with a light NE wind.  Some spotters had hoped for a little less bright sun for enhanced viewing.  But, the hawk watch had their highest total hawk count, and the highest osprey count to date this season.  I picked a great day to go there.

I remember what Gessner said in his book “Soaring with Fidel.”  It was when he was on the Cape May platform, that he was apprised of the hawk spotting technique:  GISS = ‘general impression of size and shape’.  The other folks at the platform were very helpful in giving me tips.  

Ospreys were fairly easy for me to identify, except when they were very far away and were headed straight for the platform.  To my eye, at that distance and aspect, they could have been a large gull.  Those folks were so good though, they could still tell it was an osprey even that far away. 

The ospreys made me smile.  There were so many of them (298).  Some ospreys flew high and were off to our left or right, but some were lower and flew right over us.  Many were already carrying a fish when we spotted them.  I was told that on average (depending on the wind of course), it might take an osprey only about 20-25 minutes to fly over the water from Cape May to Cape Henlopen.

I’m guessing that the viewing platform is less than 500 feet from the Atlantic Ocean.  I saw several ospreys diving and fishing.  If they missed, they would simply rise up and dive again.  Most were successful in catching their lunch.  I was told that sometimes the ‘O’s would find a tree to perch and eat, but that many of them would simply just hang on to their catch and keep on flying.  Indeed they did… I saw many ospreys carrying fish that just kept on going, and I suppose they knew they had a ready meal when they decided to stop.

I also did pretty well at identifying the bald eagles, even the juveniles.  At one time, Jen modified someone’s sighting and said that a particular bald eagle was not an adult, but a sub adult.  Wow.  Jen also pointed out an adult ‘baldie’ that was missing a couple of primaries on the right wing.  I could see that the feathers were missing through my binoculars.   

They counted a record number of sharp-shinned hawks.  I got to know their shape and their pattern of wing flapping (thanks to Jen’s tutelage).  I didn’t have the confidence to call any of them out when I saw them… but, I would smile a little to myself when the spotters would call out “sharpie.”  The spotters could spot peregrines, and state if it was a juvenile.  They knew ‘cooper’s’ from ‘sharpies’ based on their different styles of wing flapping.  And, they spotted several kestrels.  

One of the spotters alerted us to an adult bald eagle chasing an osprey holding a fish out over the ocean.  So, I quickly found the scene in my binoculars and watched as the eagle was directly upon the osprey.  The ‘O’ dropped the fish, and the two birds parted ‘amicably’, lol!  Another spectacular scene happened over the ocean… After we were alerted, I quickly viewed it with the naked eye… A previously identified peregrine stooped to try to catch a merlin, but the speedy merlin got away just in the nick of time!  Wow again!

Oh, gosh… I was simply blown away by this experience.  It was fantastic.  After seven hours on my feet, turning around and around, and straining my neck to look up, I was exhausted, hurting, and sunburned (note to self… don’t forget the sunscreen next time).  I have a lot to learn about hawk watching, and I am looking forward to it.

Heidi sent us some images:

Thank you Heidi for sharing this awesome experience with us! I am so happy that you got down to Cape Henlopen.

Where did the time go? I remember this wee one eating and now it had its fledgling flight. What a beautiful chick. 64 days old. S/he is stunningly gorgeous. I suspect a ‘she’ with that amazing necklace – the only one to survive of the three that hatched at this nest this year.

That ‘other’ Australian osprey is now a dark little reptile!!!!!! Growing Home’s Only Bob is thriving. In a few weeks, this little dark pesky osplet will look like the one above.

At the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam in Orange, Australia, we are preparing to get out the popcorn and watch Xavier and Diamond’s first eyas of 2024 hatch!

In Ithaca, Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with Arthur. Big Red and Arthur traditionally start checking on their nest in November (if my old memory and notebooks serve me correctly).

I did not know this!

Monty and Hartley are at the San Jose scrape. https://youtu.be/RH_D9M-FGVQ?

Gabby and 24E1 spent the night at the nest tree.

Heavy rain arrived late on Sunday.

Audacity is working on the nest in the Channel Islands that she shares with Jak in the hope that they might have even one single egg to hatch this year. https://youtu.be/MVtTqzgcVhc?

Lady slept with her babies on the nest. One is more interested in what is happening off the nest while the other is self-feeding. Oh, these babies are growing up just a little bit too fast.

‘A’ comments: “Still waiting for my sea eaglets to leave, and so are the currawongs. As I mentioned in an email last week, the currawongs have been particularly bothersome this season, swooping the parents and generally attacking the nest way more than I have seen in previous years. It is not a great sign, is it. We can but hope, but we have to admit that past experience does not suggest a good outcome. I am worried. 

At WBSE everything was very civilised at lunch, with mum feeding the half half of a fish to both eaglets fairly even-handedly. The two are, as you mentioned in your blog, the best of friends, and they have been getting along famously for a while now. In fact, I continue to insist we have a pair of brothers in these two. There is no female aggression between them. They had a minor period early on where basic pecking order was established based on age, and SE34 was fairly confident fairly soon, so there was only a relatively short period where SE34 was even vaguely intimidated by his older sibling. 

The pair have been an absolute joy to watch, as is usual with this nest. I give the credit to the parents, of course, who are like a well-oiled machine at this point. Dad has kept food on the nest very reliably and Lady has doled it out, making sure her younger son was never overlooked. These two gorgeous nestlings are the result of their dedication. Now, we watch with extreme apprehension to see whether they can be the fledglings that beat the currawongs and manage a successful life as juveniles. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? 

Every year I grow to love the two eaglets at this nest and every year, we have a tragic outcome because of those damned pesky small birds. I get why they do it, and I can’t help but admire their courage and their teamwork when I see variants of it in my own garden and in mum’s, but when it impacts our eaglets year after year, it becomes very depressing indeed. These guys prefer fish to currawong anyway! I wish the currawongs would work that out. How many currawongs have been eaten on that nest? I haven’t seen a single one. ” “I’ve been watching my gorgeous sea eaglets this afternoon. Mum has been feeding the pair a fish mid-afternoon. They are well-behaved. Lady is still feeding them although it appears both are very capable of self-feeding at this stage. Mum slept with them on the nest last night, at the back of the nest, near the perch branch, but still, very near to her babies and keeping close watch over them. We don’t even have GHOs here, and I am unsure whether any of our owls are predators for the sea eagles. Which reminds me, that GHO you showed in your blog is adorable, and I know that they are mortal enemies for bald eagles and ospreys but to me, they are still the cutest creatures. Those legs are SO strong (as are their feet) and the silence of their flight is quite eerie. I told you about the gorgeous large Powerful Owl that flew within a metre or two of me in the back yard a few months ago. It flew so close and it was so large and yet it was virtually silent. There was no sound of beating wings, just a very slight rustling as the wind passed through the feathers. I felt so privileged.”

Beautiful fall footage of Boone and Jolene’s nest tree taken before the tree and nest were destroyed by Hurricane Helene. https://youtu.be/tzrHesJqNNA?

Talk about cute. This reminded me to put out some apple pieces for the garden squirrels!

Holly Parsons is getting way too excited about the pip watch coming up for Xavier and Diamond. She is so excited she posted a video about how chicks get out of eggs to show us how much hard work it is for them. No wonder they are soooooo tired after hatch! https://youtu.be/Ptr-kS09H4w?

Melting glaciers in Europe are causing some countries to stop measuring their depth because they no longer exist. Others are having to redrawn national boundary lines. Water will have a huge impact on humans, but also on our beloved raptors.

Melting glaciers force Switzerland and Italy to redraw part of Alpine border | Climate crisis | TheDownload

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Ditch the toxins and embrace white vinegar. Calico is constantly bugging me about the gallons of white vinegar. Now this brilliant cat has found a beautiful chart with everything we can use it for and help save the environment!

Take Calico’s Quick Quiz. How many uses of white vinegar did you know about? And did you learn something? I had no idea about perfectly peeled eggs! We are going to try that tomorrow for our picnic.

Thank you for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, blogs, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog: ‘A, H, J, PB’, Virginia Osprey Foundation, Osprey House Environment Centre, Heidi McGrue and The Joy of Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Lisa Dulany, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, NestFlix Memories, Olympic Park Eagles, Wildlife Haven, Holly Parsons, The Guardian.

Sunday in Bird World

29 September 2024

Hello Everyone,

Sunday morning. Baby Hope is the protector of the realm this morning! She decided that there was no way that The Boyfriend would come into the house after he had breakfast. He now arrives at 0900 and 1700 for ‘wet’ food. There are two of them. One has white on both sides of its nose – this one – and the one who is quite skitterish has white only on the right side.

Greetings from a sunny and HOT Saturday on the Canadian Prairies.

Every bird spent some time having a bath today! Water is so essential when it is hot even more so than food! And it has to be changed and filled lots of times a day.

Years ago we had a neighbour, Alf. Alf kept a journal throughout his life, no matter where he was, including being in a British submarine during World War II around Sri Lanka. He always included everything about the weather, who he saw, what he did, and the major news events. Alf was amazing. Every morning, he went swimming with the high school team at 0700. He rode his bicycle up and down the lanes near our town, often picking blackberries and bringing us a pail. Many years after he retired, he started studying German and Russian. On New Year’s Eve, he was always at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. Alf taught us so much during the time I lived near him while reading at the University of Leicester. The fates worked in my favour in 2003. I was able to visit with Alf a few weeks before he died. He began to feel unwell during the morning swimming and died peacefully in the ambulance en route to the hospital. Alf never married. I think his neighbours were his family and he certainly treated us that way. I want to take a page out of Alf’s playbook and start tracking the garden animals in a properly bound journal. I might even force myself to learn how to draw!

Lately, the digital world has been giving me a headache. The sorting of the photographs, information. While I cannot imagine not being able to find information quickly compared to ordering articles and books through inter-library loan, I want to slow down and pick up a journal and see what was happening in the garden last year on this date. Analog. Today, I would write that the European Starlings returned. Did you know their beaks are not correctly shaped for eating most seed? They like unshelled peanuts, meal worms, and soft suet. On Saturday we picked up the Starlings’ favourite suet and today their meal worms should arrive. What perturbs me is the fact that so many people are highly selective in the birds that they want to feed. Yes, Starlings are an ‘invasive’ species. They can’t help that some humans introduced them into North America. And personally I think they are stunningly beautiful and they are not more aggressive in the garden than the Jays or the Sparrows. In fact, the most aggressive animals are the squirrels. There are more entries on a search engine for bird food to prevent Starlings from wanting to eat at your feeder than what they like to eat. Oh, that irks me.

Saturday evening was amazing. It was so warm. The geese were busy feeding at the fields on the way to Oak Hammock Marsh. They had a presentation on the geese that come to the marsh and then we went out to see the murmurations of the Rusty and Brewer’s Blackbirds (the Red-Wing and Yellow-heads left on migration several weeks ago). We get Canada, Cackling, Snow, White-fronted, and Ross’s geese and the morphs. Tonight there were Blue-winged Teal, two Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese and a speckled breast White-front juvenile. Tens of thousands of geese did not fly in at once like they would have had the weather been colder. They need to eat more than they need to sleep. Most will come to the safety of the marsh at 0100 or 0200 and go out feeding again around mid-morning.

Oak Hammock is a combination of wetlands, the marsh, and the Tall Grass Prairies.

What is unusual at the end of September are the number of mosquitoes!

The Trumpeter Swans at a distance. One overwintered about 2 km north of the wetlands at the site of an Artisan spring.

The colours were so beautiful and the water was as smooth as glass.

It was just the perfect night.

In the UK, those amazing Pink-footed Geese are arriving from Iceland and Greenland.

Country diary: The annual spectacular of noisy, feathered visitors | Birds | The GuardianDownload

We need to know as much about Menhaden as we can. They are critical to keeping the ospreys in Chesapeake Bay alive. https://youtu.be/2Tvq8W8QtLM?

After Helene. Gabby and 24E1 continue work on their nest.

Still wet at SW Florida.

It is raining in Ithaca, New York at the nest of Big Red and Arthur.

It is always nice on a Saturday listening to Ferris Akel’s tour. Today, there were some excellent waterfowl, including gorgeous Great White Egrets, Blue Herons, and Gallinue.

And some female Wood Ducks!

It was the start of a beautiful day at Big Bear Valley.

The cameras picked up a person walking their dog close to the nest tree.

A sub-adult Bald Eagle is working on the US Steel nest of Claire and Irvin in Pittsburgh. https://youtu.be/zmF87AzhDPU?

WingsofWhimsy caught the visit on video. https://youtu.be/mdcE0Oq_A_M?

There was an adult Bald Eagle at the Duke Farms nest on Saturday!

Boone and Jolene’s nest in Johnson City, TN was destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Let’s be grateful no eggs or chicks were in that nest.

Do you know about the streaming cam to the nest of the Sooty Falcon? https://www.youtube.com/live/mhZtCdEuRe4?

eBird describes the Sooty Falcon thus: “Slim, long-winged, long-tailed falcon that is built for long-distance migration. Adults are all gray, while juveniles have pale, spotted underparts. Breeds on cliffs along the coast or in the desert. During migration and winter, spends most of its time on the wing, and can be seen over any habitat. Quite social, and often seen in loose flocks of dozens or more. Adult is very similar to the dark-morph adult Eleanora’s Falcon, but Sooty is paler gray. Immatures also very similar, but immature Sooty has an unbarred tail without a rufous tip. Much longer wings and tail than Peregrine Falcon. Larger and lankier than other falcons.”

They are seriously cute.

“Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor), Allée des Baobabs near Morondava, Madagascar” by Frank.Vassen is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Peregrine Fund describes the challenges these falcons have: “The Sooty Falcon is categorized as Vulnerable. Some of the threats this lovely falcon faces including habitat destruction, especially in the form of human developments cropping up at important breeding sites, and disturbance. Feral cats also pose a threat to this falcon.”

Those cute little Olympic Park Sea Eaglets had some fish for lunch! Not a bird. Gosh, these two are little darlings. https://youtu.be/JiVqBbKBKX0?

Pip watch for Xavier and Diamond!

Thankfully these two are not going to fledge in the next week!

The first pair of White-tail Eagles are breeding in Northern Ireland in 150 years.

White-tailed eagles: First breeding pair confirmed in Northern Ireland in over 150 years – Raptor PeDownload

There are no plans for anything to happen to the Achieva Nest. I wrote to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre and bucket trucks are in high demand right now and the ospreys will need to rebuild their nest on their own.

It is relatively quiet in Bird World right now. Instead of taking a full break, I will be writing a shorter blog until we get the hatches in Australia.

Take care of yourselves. We will see you in six days.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J’, Oak Hammock Marsh and Ducks Unlimited, The Guardian, The New York Angler, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Ferris Akel Tours, FOBBV, PIX Cams, WingsofWhimsy, Duke Farms, eBird, CarnyXWild, OpenVerse, Nesting Bird Life & More, Ildiko Pokk, ETSU-Johnson City, and Raptor Persecution UK.

Saturday in Bird World

28 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I am starting to put all of the things that excite me or late updates here at the top. On Friday evening 24E1 brought Gabby her first fish gift of the season. She devoured that fish. I know that many have been cheering for Beau. Beau is not at the nest. 24E1 is and Gabby appears to be more than happy with him. His toes are ‘not that bad’ and actually appear to be healing. He is perfectly capable of protecting the nest, taking care of Gabby, and we hope providing for her and their eaglets, if that happens.

Gabby was working on the nest. She knows he is coming. Look at the delight on 24E1’s face when Gabby accepts the fish!

Friday was the most glorious day. There was a clear blue sky. Not a hint of a cloud! There was a nice breeze and the temperature was 22 C. As I write, the European Starlings have come in to try and get as many meal worms out of the nut cylinder as they can. Little do they know that I ordered them 22 lbs of meal worms. They will be here on Sunday.

Mr Crow got into the action, too!

It was Open House at Wildlife Haven. The Director said they wondered if they were taking a huge risk having the event so late in the month, but, no. It was fabulous. Last year it was 15 September and wet and cold. The vet who is doing her internship for a year as part of a project through the University of Guelph was amazing. I learned so much! And I asked a lot of questions for all of us!!!!!!!!!

First up a little bragging. I never win anything. And today, by putting the feather to the raptor (12 different ones), I won the book prize. It is a marvelous volume that I will enjoy.

We got to visit with one of the GHO ambassadors. It was found at the bottom of the nest. The parents would not feed it and then it was discovered why. It was born with only one eye and its beak was crooked so it could not hunt or survive in the wild.

Isn’t this owl a sweetie?

The volunteer with the GHO sent me over to Rick who was hosting a display on Kestrels. He does videography as well as taxidermy. I learned so much about how long it will take to get my Cooper’s Hawk approved for ‘stuffing’.

That is the female Kestrel on the top. She is larger than the male. Rick has a blind and monitors a small population of these raptors. He says the females are ‘fierce’. The males not so much. Want the territory protected? Call the female!!!!!!

Patients are brought to Wildlife Haven by Conservation Officers, Volunteers, and the general public. At intake, they try to get as much information as possible so that the patient can be returned to its territory on release. The goal is always to get them back to the wild. Next is the examination room where there is a host of machines such as an x-ray to try and determine what is needed.

Tess said that the centre is lucky. It has all of the facilities needed including a surgical centre so that raptors with broken wings can be put on the mend and not euthanised.

There are oxygen rich incubators if needed.

Cages for animals awaiting diagnosis. They are using stuffies so that the real animals do not get stressed.

A stuffie stands in for the Bald Eagle who did have wing surgery and is in one of the larger areas awaiting transfer to the flight pens.

The sub-adult Bald Eagle that had the surgery.

You have all heard about imping. Replacing a missing feather with another which is glued in place. According to Tess, you can only imp 2-3 feathers if you want success. Most of the raptors have many more feathers missing either their primaries, tail feathers, or both. She did say that in Manitoba, most of the hydro poles are insulated so that the birds are not electrocuted. She has not seen an electrocution from a power pole.

As I walked around I took notice of all the things that are needed in case you are feeling like making a donation. Those clean old towels are needed all the time! Dawn detergent. Bleach. All manner of stainless steel or plastic container that could be used for feeding animals. Look on the shelves below! If you clean out a house for someone moving (or otherwise), please consider donating items to your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic. They go through gallons of bleach and Dawn!!!!!!

Those old clean towels and sheets are always needed. If you are feeling ‘flush’, a good laundry set is always wanted.

One thing we haven’t thought of – bees wax paper. They use it for bandages for turtles! You can put the beeswax paper on the incision or wound and it actually keeps it from getting infected. They can use these for a fortnight without changing them and they are removed easily with a tongue depressor.

There is a turtle in there with a beeswax bandage under that leaf.

Majestic, the Ambassador Bald Eagle.

It was a great event. The new vet tech is fantastic. I said that at least twice. Her goal is for every animal to live in the wild. She said that the area of wildlife rehabilitation veterinary science is relatively new compared to large animals or domestic pets. One aspect that she is keenly interested in is the resilience of the animals. Can a turtle live in the wild with only three legs? Why not try it? Monitor them. The answer is, ‘Yes, they can’. What about a raptor with one leg? It was not that long ago that the wildlife would be euthanised. Now, some wildlife vets are ‘sticking their necks out’ to see precisely who can live with what injuries and thrive. I highly recommend that you seek out your local clinic and find out when they have Open House!

‘MP’ suggests that it is the right time to get that platform at Achieva fixed before the new breeding season starts. I sent a note to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre to see if they could help. It is possible that there are so many animals in need that this could still be low on the priority list. The platform needs a new perch if not two of them. The dish needs proper drainage but with the ability to not allow eggs or nestlings to fall down and die or break. Was the tree trimmed to stop raccoons? What about other predators?

Oh, goodness. Falcons are the cutest! Don’t you love how they talk to their eggs?!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/qjh2vn1-vh4?

The Royal Cam chick’s name is Kiwa. Just lovely and the meaning is perfect.

Gabby was in the nest on Friday.

No one at the Newfoundland Power nest…it seems they have all headed south.

‘J’ reports that both eagles have been seen at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands eagle nest.

The Bluff City Bald Eagle streaming cam is up and running. The nest appears alright.

The wind is still blowing reasonably strong at Pa and Missey Berry’s nest in NE Georgia.

If you missed the live Ventana Wildlife Chat live, here is the recording. https://youtu.be/yLBrKSws3Zg? This month focuses on “…the Condor Crew highlight the arrival of our condor “rookies” in San Simeon, while our new interns, Rachel and Griffin, offer a glimpse into the developing personalities of these young birds. We also share some exciting nesting and flock updates, including a video of wild-hatched condor chick 1315 being fed by his dad, and Bucky (1087)’s release date from Oakland Zoo.“

What an adorable family. The Olympic Park Eagles in Sydney.

You still have time to guess the day and time the first egg will hatch at Port Lincoln. Put it under the streaming cam in chat! A big thanks to Brad M for keeping us great historical records and organising all the information including the daily log of nest happenings. It is invaluable. The link is at the top of the chat.

‘PB’ reports that the Seaside Bird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida, suffered substantial damage due to flooding.

‘J’ sends us Rita’s Fun Fact Friday: Rita the Bald Eagle

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Time for Fun Fact Friday! Enrichment for good health! It is very important for any facility that takes care of birds and other animals to provide an environment with lots of enrichment to help them thrive. For a raptor, like Rita, having various perches of different heights with different materials covering them helps to keep her feet healthy, and the wood provides a good surface for her to “feak” her beak to keep it clean and sharp. Being able to bath in her bath tub and having a water mister helps with feather conditioning. A variety of prey items, some of which can be placed in containers that require her to use her foraging skills, is very stimulating. A few examples that simulate foraging in the wild are to place prey items in a floating bowl in the bath tub to be “fished out” or to freeze the prey in ice blocks, or put it in egg cartons or cardboard boxes with holes cut out so the prey is still visible are all great ideas. This allows the eagle to “hunt” and tear at the container to get to the prey. Another idea was to provide a sisal rope toy that the eagle could flip around and stomp on like it would do with sticks or prey in the wild. There are lots of ideas for enrichment online. When researching ideas, I came across a YT video of an eagle that was given a carved out pumpkin! That’s a great idea since Halloween is coming up and the stores will have pumpkins! Those caregivers carved holes in it and stuffed it with prey items sticking out so the eagle could forage for its food. With that idea in mind, I brought a ball for Rita, and Kelly and Laura put fish in for her to pick out! She had such a funny expression when she first saw the ball. Kelly and her team are always striving to provide the best of care for Rita with enrichment in her environment and diet that can help her thrive. They are the bestn and your support can help provide some stimulating enrichment for Rita! Thank you! JK  #ritathebaldeagle

The Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from the Hen Harrier brooding scheme!

Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from hen harrier brood meddling sham – Raptor Persecution UKDownload

Friday evening we took a quick spin over to The Mint. On our way to Wildlife Haven, we noticed hundreds of geese feeding on the grass at The Mint. I wondered if they would return to the pond at night for its security.

That did not happen. There were a few geese in the pond along with some ducks, but not many.

Is it because of this?

Calico’s Tip for the Day comes from ‘Everything Gardening’. Get yourself a nice cuppa and sit back and leave the leaves alone.

Missey and Hugo Yugo wish you a fantastic weekend. They want you to take care of yourself. Get outside if you can. Listen for the birds. Pet a cat! And be back with us as soon as you can.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP, PB’, Wildlife Haven, SK Hideaways, NZ-DOC, NEFL-AEF, Newfoundland Power, Achieva Credit Union, Berry College Eagle Cam, ETSU Bluff City, Olympic Park Eagles, Raptor Persecution UK, The Canadian Mint, Winnipeg, and Everything Gardening.

Eagles are OK…Starlings return to the garden…Friday in Bird World

27 September 2024

Good Morning,

Gabby is in the nest this morning. She is OK. The hurricane is in Georgia. Send good wishes to Pa and Missey Berry at the Berry College Eagle nest.

First up. A few weeks ago, Sharon Pollock sent me the name of an organization that fights for the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves. Earth Justice is taking those who seek to trawl Alaska’s coral reefs to court. I want Earth Justice to represent the Menhaden of the Chesapeake Bay and the dying Ospreys. When I take my little mini break, I will be working on my presentation to them. A copy of it will go to those behind the fight in Virginia. If you have any articles on the dire consequences of the Menhaden commercial fishing in the Bay, please send them to me? I want a comprehensive bibliography. Let me know if you were part of any groups observing or dealing with osprey nests that had chicks starve to death. I need details and details.

It is to be 29 C today. Blue clear skies. A breeze. And it was a lovely day but the winds were really gusting. The sand was blowing in the countryside north of the City when we went to see if there were any geese feeding. None. The ones we saw were at a golf course. Beautiful green grass and a pond! Smart geese.

At 0915 Thursday morning, the European Starlings returned to the garden. Oh, it was so good to see them! They left the garden in the late spring. They share the large flat feeder with the sparrows and the Blue Jays while crunching down on the seed cylinder. One is having a bath! They have been away for a few months and look ‘thin’ to me. They will now stay over through the winter. These are non-breeders. See all the silvery white lines on their breast and heads!

With the hurricane winds bearing down on Florida, look what happened to migratory patterns! Who says birds aren’t smart????????

As I write this, the hurricane is 5 hours from making land fall and I am really concerned about our birds in Florida and in the area north of the Florida panhandle as Helene is still set to be a strong cat 2.

Connor turned on the Captiva Osprey cam so that we can see the impact of the storm. That said, at the time, Helene is north of Captiva and the Barrier Islands.

Gabby is on her nest in NE Florida south of Jacksonville hoping it stays put. The only way that you can tell what is happening with the storm is to view the nest using cam 4.

Gabby is still there.

Gabby is decidedly hunkered down in that nest.

Will check in on Gabby now and again. Stay safe, sweetie!

She left the nest at 1723.

It is really whipping and twisting Gabby’s nest tree at times.

Winds are much stronger.

Helene is a cat 4 and the eye will be 150 miles west of Jacksonville.

Pretty gusty at SW Florida.

M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest with sticks ahead of Helene making landfall.

The SW Florida pair left the nest at precisely the same time as Gabby – 1723! That is the most exciting thing to come out of watching this storm so far.

Tornadoes, gusts of wind, heavy rain. Perhaps all of the nests in Florida will dodge this hurricane.

The arrival of the Pink-footed Geese to the UK is pretty close to the top of my bucket list.

Connor talks about the new cameras at Captiva and shows us the fish bone in Jack’s legs and how, eventually, it will dry and shrink and come out! Go to 7.29. https://youtu.be/AhgcJ23s9Fo?s

Geemeff sends us an article on starving ospreys due to the overfishing of Menhaden. Thank you to everyone who sent in a letter. Hopefully this issue will not die until the situation in the Bay has changed!

https://dailyprogress.com/colonial-beachs-osprey-season-was-a-disaster-birds-starved/article_8ddda70a-e8bc-5b50-8c16-f5b94c5647f3.html

I did not see anything but rain at the Newfoundland Power Osprey platform at Snow Lane. Have they all left?

I don’t know what it is about the two little sea eaglets this year. My all time favourites were SE25 and 26 because 25 took such good care of its sibling, teaching it how to do things with 26 rising to the occasion regardless of its foot/leg injury.

The whole family is soaking wet. Gosh, that nest must smell!!!!!!!

Heidi has been following the Growing Home Ospreys in Australia. Just look at that cute little osplet. Are you feeling osprey withdrawal? Check out their streaming cam!

Egg 1 is 33 days old today at Port Lincoln. I am thinking Mum should be resting all that she can because in another week she won’t be able to! Have you put your guess as to the hatch date and time in the Port Lincoln chat?

At the US Steel nest of Irv and Claire, a subadult had to be asked to leave! https://youtu.be/QhlhE6F3e04?

Gary brings us up to date on what is happening with the Redding Eagles, Liberty and Guardian. https://youtu.be/6sNco6LgaJw?

In the UK, Wild Justice is filing a formal complaint against Waitrose and the high street chain, Marks & Spencer for using toxic lead ammunition to kill the gamebirds they sell in their shops!

Wild Justice lodges formal complaint to Competition & Marketing Authority about Marks & Spencer & WaDownload

There is nothing that makes me madder than someone with a camera stressing out wildlife to get the perfect ‘shot’. I have seen individuals with their long lens (600 mm) standing underneath a tree with a Bald Eagle only to have that eagle leave the nature centre for good. Or the dozen or more that rushed the Great White Egrets when they landed on their tree to roost at night. Seriously. Humans poison the ocean, destroy habitat, leave garbage everywhere, put out rodenticide to kill rats that harm the entire food chain and another forty or more despicable actions that harm our beloved animals and feathered friends. It needs to stop!

‘You could single-handedly push it to extinction’: how social media is putting our rarest wildlife aDownload

‘The Girls’ are getting into some kind of hibernating mode despite the hot weather. Hugo Yugo can almost always be found in the little house at the top of the cat tree. Baby Hope is in the basket, Calico is hiding somewhere resting so no one pounces on her, and Missey loves to pose!

Hugo Yugo still sleeps like a little child. She has to have her head on my left arm, under my chin. Slightly uncomfortable and causes insomnia!!!!!! Oh, but do you think I move? Of course, not! She is my adorable tiny little Ginger with the weepy eyes.

Calico’s Tip for the Day: We came home with a small bag of apples right off a tree and a bag of caramels for making caramel apples. They just scream fall to me! Have you tried to make them and the caramel fell off the apples? Calico doesn’t want me to be sad this year so she has found the solution!!!!!!! If you purchase apples they will have had a wax coating applied to help preserve them (unless you pick them off a tree). You can soak the apples in very hot water or dip them in boiling water to remove the wax. But that is not all, you then need to make certain that they are thoroughly dry before you dip them in the caramel.

Calico also suggests that if you haven’t had a caramel apple for years, make some. Be a kid again!!!!!!!!!!

“caramel apples” by divadea is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Today, we will be attending Wildlife Haven’s Open House. Stay tuned for some images of their raptor ambassadors including dear Majestic, the Bald Eagle. Take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff’, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife’s Captiva Osprey Cam, NEFL-AEF, Jacksonville Weather, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, RSPB England, Window to Wildlife, Daily Progress, Newfoundland Power, Olympic Park Eagles, Heidi McGrue, Port Lincoln Ospreys, PIX Cams, Gary’s Eagle Videos, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and OpenVerse.