Is it Thanksgiving in the US? I think so. So for all of you celebrating, have a wonderful, wonderful day.
We had snow on Tuesday night that started at midnight. Hugo Yugo and I were up watching the delicate flakes fall, but then the rain came. On Wednesday morning, the sky was icy gray and gloomy. Three girls were watching the squirrels scurry about outside waiting for me to dispense the peanuts.
Over coffee, I re-arranged my list of things to do citing the most important at the top going down to the least. There was another section of things to do for fun when life gets overwhelming.
On Wednesday, we set about getting Don a new ID (he can no longer drive so has no license) and passport pictures, as his passport needs to be renewed. Those were the two most critical items on the list. Then, it was time for some fun, so we went to find some things to decorate the window by my grandmother’s dining room table.
My grandmother was the most special person in my life next to my father. I don’t need her table or her quilts or her needlework to remind me of her. She is always present. Her family was from Switzerland where her grandfather was the Regierungsratspräsident or local government council president of Chur, a canton in the northeast. His job was to preside over meetings – not nearly as glamorous as it might sound! We have travelled to see the family home – a traditional house with an attached barn with the vineyards behind the house going up the mountain. It was incredibly beautiful. I am often asked why my great-grandfather left. It was very simple. Simeon was not the first son; Johannes was. All of the other boys would need to find their way as the oldest would inherit everything. So, at the age of fifteen, Simeon crossed the Atlantic alone, first settling in Virginia and then taking a wagon train to West Texas before finally settling in Oklahoma. He had intended to set himself up as a watchmaker, but all of his tools were stolen on that fateful journey to Texas. Instead, he became a cattle rancher.
The table originally belonged to Simeon and my great-grandmother, Caroline. It is unclear when and where they acquired the quarter-cut oak table with its heavy pedestal. At one point, it had several leaves that could be added or removed depending on the number of people dining. I found it buried in a blackberry patch, where it had been for who knows how long, and it only had two leaves left. For more than half a century, this table has accompanied my family, adding to its rich history. If only tables could talk!
We are creating a little woodland scene on that table. Right now, the focus is on placing little felt birds around the pine cones and candle. No telling what it will look like at the end of the week.
Our fun today was attaching little lights that hung down all across the window along with glittery paper snowflakes. Hopefully, Hugo Yugo will not chew on the little lights of the felt birds.
Missy moved in to watch from the sitting area.
Later, Hugo Yugo plunked herself down in front of the wood stove where she refused to move. (It is 0 C outside, but inside the register is reading 25 C – toasty!)
We now have story time before the fire, and everyone agrees that Olivia Laing’s book, In Search of a Common Paradise. The Garden Against Time is not too bad. I’ll let you know more about those later.
Bazz Hockaday has confirmed that the light installed on the barge has allowed Mum to see and catch the fish in the water just below the nest. She did not fish in past years and this is the reason for the change this year. Wilko, Kasse, and Mum enjoying a very early morning snack.
Just a beautiful osprey family. Chicks self-feeding.
So far…
Precious Mum having a nap. She has brought in all three fish on Thursday at the barge and it is now 1330 nest time. Help us out Dad or fairies…Mum is more than pulling her weight. Gosh, golly. She is gold.
When asked about Yira, Cilla Kinross replied on the chat: “I have seen her once in the field (no photos) and several probable sightings via ledge and tower cam. Some videos available on the Youtube channel FalconCam Project.”
The photograph of this bird has been making the rounds. I am unclear now who took it, but it was taken in Puerto Rico. A dark green band could be an osprey ringed in either France (Corsica) or Portugal. Enquiries have been sent out. It reminds me of Blue KW0 discovered in Barbados two years ago. I will let you know what I discover. spotted in Barbados who was a UK osprey. They do sometimes get ‘carried away’ by the winds.
I love owls, but not when they bother osprey chicks (or any other chicks for that matter). Please eat the mice! There are plenty of them. Barn owls are particularly gorgeous.
All About Birds says: “Ghostly pale and normally strictly nocturnal, American Barn Owls are silent predators of the night world. Lanky, with a whitish face, chest, and belly, and buffy upperparts, this owl roosts in hidden, quiet places during the day. By night, they hunt on buoyant wing beats in open fields and meadows. You can find them by listening for their eerie, raspy calls, quite unlike the hoots of other owls.”
Their call sounds like they have a sore throat and need a lozenge. I mostly see GHOs and Snowy Owls. The Snowys are starting to arrive for the winter in Manitoba and can be seen sitting on poles or hay bales in the empty fields.
Checking in on the Black Stork migration. This was the last news. Gosh, I hope Waba kept on going!
Ducks Unlimited Canada is partnering with an Adjunct Professor and others to determine what is happening to the Eider population. One discovery is that their traditional breeding grounds, the Gulf of Maine, is warming and warming. It is one of the fastest warming places on the planet. Where are they going? What is happening?
A beautiful person sent me this. If you can, please feed the birds this winter.
Thank you so very much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: Bazz Hockaday, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and PLO Obs Board, Ospreys FB, Little Miami Conservancy, NEFL-AEF, Window to Wildlife, IWS/Explore.org, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Denton Homes, Toronto Wildlife Centre, The Guardian, Live Owl Cam, All About Birds, Openverse, Looduskalender
It was sunny and windy on Thursday morning. There were about 500-600 Canada Geese on a nearby golf course when I drove past. The water in the ponds providing swimming for some and no doubt safety for others later.
All of the feral cats have been to the feeders this morning: Squishy, a grey tabby with a flipped over ear, the Orange Ginger family pet that is let loose during the day, the grey tabby, and The Boyfriend. The need is growing. Of course, everyone thinks that prices of things will drop, but in my lifetime I have never seen this happen. Pet food appears to be soaring. My heart breaks for the families who have to surrender their pets, but not for those that dump them. They need care and surely there is someone to take them home and love them rather than leaving them to the freezing cold of a Winnipeg winter. On Saturday we will take all the wood out of the wood boxes, load them with straw and put a light bulb in there and close in three and a half sides. It will help some.
There is still concern about Avian Flu and bird feeders. ‘R’ sent us an article from The Washington Post that might answer some of your questions. The author says, “While avian flu is widespread among wild bird species, less than 2 percent of cases have been in songbirds and other typical visitors to bird feeders. Health officials have not recommended taking down bird feeders except for people who keep domestic poultry as part of a backyard flock. (In such cases, the USDA says poultry owners should take down feeders for wild birds or keep them well away from their captive flock, and to make the captive flock’s food and water inaccessible to wild birds.)
People should clean bird feeders and bird baths regularly. Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after touching the feeders. Avoid direct contact with birds, and do not handle sick or dead birds.”
M15 and F23 working diligently every day on their nest in Fort Myers, Florida.
M15 checks out the nest for suitability for F23 and their eggs.
Chandler flew in to the Port Tobacco Eagle Nest for a few seconds!
Haven’t seen anyone so far on Thursday at Big Bear.
Ron and Rose were at the WRDC nest despite the very windy conditions on Thursday.
Connie and Clive visit the Captiva Eagle nest on the Barrier Islands in Florida on a breezy day. Nice crops! Good to see these two after Milton tore through the island.
Eagles working on the Denton Home nest and sleeping together at the nest. What a wonderful sight.
Wednesday they worked on the West End cam of Thunder and Akecheta, Thursday it was Two Harbours nest of Chase and Cholyn, Thunder’s parents.
They were flapping and waiting for breakfast at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
Prey delivery at Collins Street.
‘A’ remarks: “Suddenly, the trio at Collins Street are rapidly approaching fledge. Two of them are now running along the ledge, flapping their wings vigorously, which is nerve-wracking in the extreme. There is almost no fluff left on the older two, except a few dandelions on their heads. The youngest still sports some fluff on its wings, but suddenly, these three are looking very much like juvenile falcons. We will not have them for much longer. I cannot believe how quickly that triple-headed fluffball of an eating machine has become three juveniles who are potentially within days of fledging. Omigod, I am going to miss them SO much. It seems like only yesterday that we saw our first gutter stomp. “
Yira and Gammata share morning prey. Diamond feeds, too.
‘A’ comments: “At Orange, the pair still have quite a bit of down on their heads and wings. They are about a week behind the Collins Street trio, are they not? At least the Orange fledglings do often/usually return to the scrape after fledging (we remember those occasions when the parents literally had to bar the door from their adult offspring, with a not so gentle hint relating to the concept of dispersal). But we do generally get to see a bit more of them once they fledge. At Collins Street, we essentially wait until someone finds one of them injured, dead or starving on the streets of Melbourne’s CBD. We get little or no information on them post-fledge (although the Facebook group may have some BOTG – I’ll be relying on you for info from that source). But watching the Collins Street kids today has left me flabbergasted at how time has flown and the fact these chicks are already about to do the same. I’m sad now. “
Dad is off his perch and Mum is calling for food. There was not much on Thursday and Kasse got nothing. There was some beaking. This provoked the fish fairies into action.
‘A’ reports: “The most important news of the day is that there was a four-fish delivery from our beloved Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln this morning (09:38). A day too late unfortunately to prevent the two incidents of bonking yesterday that for the first time occurred during a feeding and was definitely done in order to prevent Kasse from eating. Not a good thing, and I’m glad the FF stepped in straight away. I would have preferred it to happen two days ago, when I was worrying about the lack of food deliveries and the potential for aggression this presented, but I suppose they were trying to avoid it altogether. And dad had been stepping up his fishing efforts – successfully, up until the last three or four days. So it was probably weather-related. But whatever the reason, the nature and timing of yesterday’s aggression made it essential that the Fish Fairy step in asap. I’m glad they didn’t delay. “
Thank you, Fish Fairies! I will sleep better Thursday night in Canada knowing you are there.
Heidi’s video of the Fish Fairy!!!!!!!! They included this information below the video: “Wilko is 33 days old, and Kasse is 30 days old. There were only two fish delivered to the nest yesterday, and as a result there was significant sibling aggression due to food competition. This morning, the ‘Fish Fairy’ placed four fish on the nest. It was the first time the supplemental fish were necessary this season. Ospreys are endangered in South Australia, and last season they instituted an officially authorized program of supplemental feeding for this nest. The supplemental feeding program is intended to help increase the survival rate of the osprey nestlings. Last year’s Fish Fairy program was a success, and both osplets fledged! For more information on the supplemental feeding program, please see this statement dated 10/27/23: https://portlincoln-osprey.com/portli…
Elizabeth Grey, National Audubon said on Thursday that Audubon vows to: “Strengthening Local and State Initiatives: While federal policy may shift, our commitment to local and state conservation efforts remains steadfast. We will work with communities to build resilience, ensuring that conservation continues regardless of changes at the federal level.” Just as I see my City taking every piece of land and building 3-4 story apartment buildings instead of 35 stories, each of us needs to lend a hand to help wildlife. You can do that in your own garden.
I needed a smile today and seeing Seren 5F at her winter home in The Gambia does it. She is a great mate to Dylan at Llyn Clywedog and a fantastic mother. She wasted a lot of years being courted by Aran but, in the end, he stayed with Mrs G. Great choice! But glad 5F found a great mate, too. Dylan is amazing. This is her biography from Glaslyn Wildlife.
Seren Blue 5F will be thirteen years old during the 2025 breeding season.
“Hatched at the Rutland Site K nest in 2012. Her mother is the satellite tagged female Yellow 30 (hatched at the Rutland Site B nest in 2005) and her father was the translocated Rutland male Red 08 (2001).
In December 2013, Blue 5F was photographed by Chris Wood at Tanji Marsh in Gambia, she was 18 months old at the time and would not yet have made a return journey to the UK. In December 2014 Chris returned to Tanji Marsh and he again found 5F settled for the winter there. She had not been spotted back in the UK during the summer, although it is likely she would have travelled north as a two-year old. On 9th April 2015 Blue 5F was captured on camera again, as she landed on the perch of the Glaslyn nest, this was the first sighting of her in the UK as an adult. She remained in the Glaslyn area during the summer and intruded at the Glaslyn nest on several occasions. By the middle of October we heard the news via Fansu Bojang and Chris Wood that 5F was back in her wintering quarters in Tanji Marsh.
On 29th March 2016 Blue 5F landed on the perch at Glaslyn once again. Two days later she was in a skirmish with her cousin Blue 24 at the Dyfi nest. Glesni, another cousin, who was the resident female at Dyfi, had not yet returned. Before long, 5F was back on a favourite nesting platform in the Glaslyn area. Aran was spotted mating with her on several occasions and for a while she appeared to be incubating eggs. The nest failed however and 5F soon resumed her regular intrusions at the Glaslyn nest.
During the winters of 2016 to 2019, 5F was once again settled in her wintering quarters in Gambia, where Chris Wood photographed her for the fourth and fifth consecutive years. During the winter of 2018 she spent the majority of her time in the Tujereng Beach area of Gambia, although she was spotted at Tanji again in autumn 2019.
On 1st April 2020, 5F appeared on the camera that had been installed by NRW at the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest in mid-Wales. On 3rd April she also appeared on the Glaslyn nest, before being seen off by Mrs G. The following day she returned to Clywedog and was soon joined by the resident male, Dylan. The original female, Delyth, failed to return and 5F became Dylan’s new mate. Together they raised three male chicks and all three successfully fledged. A very happy outcome – Congratulations 5F!”
There are still Ospreys in the Netherlands that have not migrated – along with several in the UK. Maybe they know something we do not? Is it possible not to migrate in an age of climate change? Last year was the hottest on record for our planet.
A 25 year old German Osprey has been seen in Sardinia. Blue Ring OD. Amazing. Its experience, after surviving those first years after fledgling, have kept this bird alive. Incredible.
The last information I could find on the migration of the Black Storks from Estonia. Apologies for the small size. I cannot enlarge but perhaps you can.
Calico wonders if you would like to make someone feel warm and fuzzy? Lucille Powell has provided the address for the residents of the Riverview Care home next to Iris and Finnegan’s nest. Have a card and a stamp? Want to include a note about yourself and how much you love the ospreys? Or anything else. Here is the information. Think about spreading the love!
I do not know if they are taking any further orders but here is the information about the Iris and Finnegan pins. These are made out of sticks brought to the nest by the ospreys and collected by Dr Greene. They are carefully lathed and assembled by Sharon Leigh and her husband. I have enjoyed mine for years and you can get find new ink cartridges almost anywhere.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, R’, The Washington Post, Androcat, chickiedee64, NEFL-AEF, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, FOBBV, WRDC Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Denton Homes Eagle Cam, Trudi Kron and Bald Eagles 101, Deb Stecyk and NCTC Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Nesting Birdlife and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, Heidi McGrue, Judy Harrington, SK Hideaways, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Valerie Webber and The Clywedog Osprey Group, Yale Climate Connections, Ecology and Evolution and PMC, Jeff Kear and Friends of Loch Arkaig FB, H Lorm and Looduskalender Forum, Montana Ospreys at Hellgate and Lucille Powell, Montana Osprey Cams.
Thank you so much for being with us. It is nearly the end of October! Tomorrow is Halloween. The following day is All Souls Day, and when I lived in England, we were preparing to celebrate Guy Fawke’s Day on the 5th of November. I have lots of beautiful memories of ‘Guys’ in wagons, bonfires, and jacket potatoes in the back garden with friends. It marked fall. The back garden of our house on Gorse Road in Grantham had fruit trees, mostly apples and plums. They were delicious and by the beginning of November all had been picked and eaten or given to friends and neighbours. The ones that had fallen were left for the hedgehogs to eat. Shallow bowls of water were always left on the back step for them, too. When we first moved to the UK, hedgehogs were the stuff of children’s stories. Our son decided to bring one inside the house. Yes, those of you who are British will know what happened next! Fleas flew everywhere. It was a solid cloud. Our dear little friend quickly found its way back to the orchard – and if memory holds, not a single other hedgehog made its way into the house.
The past several years have been really challenging. I never know if I am waking up to a toddler or a teenager. It is difficult navigating through life with a partner whose Lewy Body Dementia is getting worse. I have learned more about dementia in the last couple of years than I ever imagined. Well, to begin with, I never imagined caring for a person with dementia a decade younger than I am, but it happens more often than you might think. There are beautiful moments, and then, in a blink, his world and mine change. I have learned to grasp onto those times and hold them tight. Thank you for bearing with me through these transitions. My reports are not as long and do not include as much academic information – Bird World is relatively quiet right now (thank goodness) and my real focus is always the ospreys. Thankfully, the Northern Hemisphere’s breeding season is not here yet and will not be in full swing until the new year. In the meantime, I am so grateful for the garden animals and The Girls and for the fact that I can go for long extended walks in the parks and forests near to where I live. It all helps keep my mind in balance!
I did have a laugh. One long time reader and friend thought that Missey had done Calico in. No, Calico was not eaten by Missey! Yes, I know Missey looks huge in the images. She is large; she is a Maine Coon, but she is also mostly fur. Missey does look formidable, something out of a medieval forest lurking with magical creatures. Calico is, however, very much alive and well. Both Calico and Missey like to think that they are the boss, but the real boss of the house is Hugo Yugo. She is the tiniest, bossiest little ginger female I have ever met. She will rush to finish her food dish and then leap off the counter and run to push Calico away from her dish so she can eat it. That single fact has helped Calico lose all that weight. Just look at how trim she is. The vet will be pleased when she sees her in November for her annual check up. When we brought Calico in from the cold outdoors, we did not know when she was born. The vet guessed how old she was and based on that we picked November 2 for her birthday. This, of course, means that we will be having another one of those wild parties on Saturday.
Sadly, as The Girls have now all passed the year mark, they do not run and play at night like they used to. I surely miss that!
The real boss of the house! And if you are wondering, Hugo Yugo did run and jump on Calico to get that spot in the purple chair.
I have said it once and I will say it a million times, Baby Hope is nothing short of the sweetest thing around. Look at her staring at Hugo Yugo as HY is getting ready to leap to the top of the cat tree.
Calico and Baby Hope never cause an instant of trouble. It is always Hugo Yugo and Missey. If things are falling down in the middle of the night, you can count on it being those two.
Two Crows were at the big tray feeder. I counted. This one carefully took six peanuts including this one, the seventh, in his beak. Incredible. The Crows are ‘off’ the cheesy dogs. I also find that very interesting. They started wanting only peanuts in early September. We start out with huge piles on the tray feeders – big and small – and scattered on the deck for the squirrels. They will be gone within an hour! I am not kidding you.
Junior and the Mrs were also after those peanuts. Just look at that pile of peanuts on both those feeders. These Corvids are busy! They are in competition with three grey squirrels and two red ones.
Just a quick note. Yesterday I included the day’s sightings at some of the Bald Eagle nests. I did not mean to imply that eagles had not visited ETSU-Johnson City. I had just not seen them yesterday. Boone and Jolene have been regularly visiting the nest and refurbishing it!
Wildlife groups and rehabilitation clinics continue to plead with people not to use the fake spider webs. Here is another one:
What is going on in Bird World? Well, the focus is on the Sea Eaglets at the Olympic Park in Sydney. And the questions that are on everyone’s mind are these: Are the eaglets eating (either being fed or getting their own prey? OR Will they wind up grounded near the Discovery Centre and wind up in care – which if they are not so emaciated, would not be so bad. As far as I can tell the only bad scenario is that these fledglings are not seen fed and are not grounded by the Discovery Centre so they can be rescued. So fingers crossed. I will post all the news that I can find.
“October 29: Eagles were seen on the river around 7:30 –then shortly after on the mangroves – one with a fish. While doing surveys in the wetlands nearby between 7am and 8:30, there was no sign of either eaglet. Around 8:15, an eaglet was seen flying across the Armory grassland, being chased by the usual swoopers. It was seen on top of one of the old Navy-era mounds, then flew off again. One eaglet was reported by a member of the public along one of the pathways, but was gone when we investigated. We think this is SE34 and it is flying strongly and moving about. There were more sightings during the day, and one of the eaglets was seen from the ferry, flying along the river. Early evening, Dad was seen with a bird, taking it to River Roost. Neither eagle returned to the nest today. At dusk, the adults were at River Roost. The picture is from a sighting yesterday.”
‘A’ remarks: “I can hear those damned currawongs from the open WBSE tab, which I check regularly in the hope that one time, I will see an eaglet back on the nest, eating some fish. But all I hear are currawongs. It’s worrying, and oh so sad. I really thought this year might be different, due to the lengthier time the youngsters spent dealing with the swoopers while still having the nest as their ‘safe spot’. But it seems not. And what is really worrying to me is that it seems to be the parents who are letting the eaglets down. I was hoping that, like last season, the parents would help the eaglets by feeding them and showing them where the fish were. Watching their parents hunt would surely have helped immensely. But apparently this is not happening. “
In the Central Business District of Melbourne, there is a peregrine falcon scrape. Everyone held their breath as one of the chicks got a little too close to the ledge. https://youtu.be/0nKnS5II4rU?
They are getting their juvenile feathers as you can see clearly in the images below. They will be walking soon, tall and strong. They are learning to pluck by watching the parents who are bringing the prey to the nest and plucking it before them.
‘A’ remarks: “At Collins Street, the littles are self-feeding, and at least from dad’s point of view, it may well have reached the dump and depart phase. He brought some prey early, about 06:12, but one of the humongous fluffballs grabbed it from him and dad considered, then thought better of trying to retrieve it. The triumphant chick took its prize down into the gutter to eat it in peace, so dad retrieved what looked like a very long leg (or perhaps a piece of wing) from the scrape and began feeding it to one of the others.
The third chick sat motionless, intently watching the scene unfold, from the back corner of the scrape. Eventually, it moved forward and into the feeding line. When dad responded by offering it food, it stole the entire piece and took it back into its corner of the scrape, where it proceeded to self-feed. Dad continued feeding what was left of his leftovers to the remaining chick.
So in the end, everyone ate breakfast, but it was hardly the most organised or coordinated of feedings. Everyone ate in their own place and in their own time. Dad just went with the flow, handling the situation with aplomb. These three are already a massive handful for their parents, especially poor little dad, who is dwarfed by his offspring. This family is just TOO funny. “
These kids at Collins Street are so precocious. They are developing right where they should and one decided to take the prey from Dad and high tail it to the other end of the ledge!
Oops. Dad arrived Wednesday morning on the ledge and those triplets let him know that he can only come with his talons full! https://youtu.be/ej47XnKN9JE?
At Port Lincoln, Wilko eats first but Kasse wants some fish and gets some! He scoots up and Mum notices. ‘A’ comments: “At Port Lincoln, there was a bit of bonking at 06:32, but dad brought in a small whole fish at 06:41 and everyone was happy. Kasse is up off hisd tarsi and onto his feet today. He seems to have a fascination with feet that reminds me of a sweet girl called Lindsay. She too had to be reminded that other people’s toes were not toys. But Kasse is playing with Wilco’s toes and with mum’s. Just adorable. “
Diamond feeds Yira and Garramma their second breakfast. Xavier had a good go for a few minutes!
Black Stork Migration. Here is the Bird Map chart for the 30th of October. Waba still appears to be in the very south of Egypt at his last transmission.
Despite the fact that ospreys are what make me wake up in the morning, I love all birds and there are some that pull at my heart strings more than others. Jackie and Shadow are one of those couples. Jackie was at the nest looking at it and out over the territory while Shadow was finding the best sticks for cot rails. This couple lives in hope – the eternal hope that maybe this year they will be able to raise another eaglet together.
Polar Bears. The Canadian province where I live is often called the world’s Polar Bear capital. At our local zoo, three live in a large open space with pools and dens built a few years ago. In the north, in Churchill, the bears are hungry. If they come into the town three times, they are shot. Not tranquilized, but killed. They are hungry. The sea ice has retreated, and there are fewer seals they rely on for food. It is hot in Churchill and parts of the Arctic. It is unclear when the entire ecosystem that supports them will collapse, but there is evidence to show that it is beginning to happen sooner than expected. So what about captivity, like our zoo? What are the pros? And cons?
This is a good read. It asks a lot of important questions.
What a great post from Connie Dennis in Nova Scotia. How often do we hear people say or read that our dear feathered friends, mammals, and fish do not have feelings? They are sentient beings; their behaviour towards these beautiful creatures will surely change once people recognize this. For a good read on animals and birds as sentient beings look no further than Marc Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals.
The trailer for the documentary on California Condors from the Ventana Wildlife Society: https://youtu.be/dgCVAA-NNig?
Geemeff sends us some really good news. Don’t we wish we could get together and buy the Chesapeake Bay and stop the fishing? They say, “One more parcel of land for nature, one less for the #IdiotsWithGuns who like to kill in the name of so-called ‘sport’.
While that is a good thought-provoking read about polar bears, we are going to close today with a good news story about a juvenile rescue. We need these good stories!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. Stay safe out there.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, SA’ Valerie Wright , Judy Harrington, Kerry Allen, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Deborah Victoriana, SK Hideaways, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Falcon Cam Project, NEFL-AEF, Androcat, Charter Group Birdcams, The Guardian, Connie Dennis, Ventana Wildlife Society, Tamarack Wildlife Centre.
Sunday was a bit nippy. 9 C. The 40 kph winds were whipping the trees about with the leaves falling at an alarming rate. It is now 1100 and everyone is in the garden. Three Crows eating peanuts and suet. Three Blue Jays doing the same. Then there are the 18 or so European Starlings trying to grab some mealworms in between the Jays and the Crows. At least in our garden, they are not bullies. Everyone seems to wait their turn like planes lined up on a runway. Since the spring we have not been able to see the little birds very well as they have been hidden in the lilac bushes with their thick leaves. Soon all of those lilacs will be bare.
The bird feeder workshop was quite fun. The young woman leading the few of us that dared to show we lacked some essential skills was wonderful. She discussed every aspect feeding birds from seeds to feeders and for me, how to breed my own meal worms. Yes, we will call it Hugo Yugo’s Meal Work Farm!!!!! I don’t think Calico would want anything to do with bugs and worms! You need a transparent plastic bin (ugh, plastic), some paper towels, bran, and some starter meal worms. This tub has apparently been going at Oak Hammock Marsh for fifteen years. There are hundreds and hundreds of meal worms. I will keep you posted – I have everything but the breeding stock of worms.
Then we had a tray that showed us what to feed birds, different seeds for different species. Two things she noted should not be fed: bacon grease and peanut butter. Both of them will stick to the feathers of the birds and prevent them from flying. The bacon grease melts at a lower temperature than suet which should only be used in the winter. So don’t be tempted to use it. Popcorn – do not salt or butter – and best not on strings. Just air pop it and put it on your tray feeder! Some seeds can only be purchased at specialty bird shops while others can be bought at your local feed and seed stores. Calico says to always check prices -. We get some seed from a local farmer and others at the feed and seed. Our specialty bird feed store is at least twice as expensive. With the number of birds we feed, we need to find good quality food at reasonable prices.
And like magic…another feeder for the garden!
In the fields adjacent to the marsh, the geese were feeding. There were all four species that come to this area of the Canadian Prairies present – Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, White-front Geese, and Canada Geese.
Florida hasn’t cleaned up after Hurricane Helene and already Milton is on its way to hit Fort Myers. Again, we can only be thankful that the raptors do not have any eggs or chicks in those nests. This will be the largest evacuation of Florida sine 2017 as Milton prepares for landfall. Milton appears to have the potential to impact all of the nests in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville. Stay safe everyone.
A different view of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles from cam 4. Lady is hunting for lunch! https://youtu.be/UIO6-eJBsGA?
Lady worked hard for prey.
Xavier tried to feed his chicks! Poor Guy. He is such a sweetie. Diamond is one protective falcon female!!!!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/rSGA_ATc7IE?
‘A’ reports that it is time to name the chicks at Orange! “Thought you would want this info in your blog as soon as it dropped. Here is the link for voting. They will choose the top two names from the voting (and the third egg, if it hatches, will get the third most popular name).
So did Mum tell Dad to go and get a fish or put in a phone call to the fish fairies? He flew out right after a little chat. 🙂
OMG. Ervie’s little brother or sister is so cute…and Mum had such a time getting it back under her after its feeding!
Heidi reports: “The second hatch at Port Lincoln occurred prior to 15:19 on 10/7. The second baby was first seen out of the shell for a split second in a very fuzzy cam view at 15:19 (screenshot).”
Lukin is the name of the little White-tail eaglet at Port Lincoln. He is 50 days old today and is standing and walking on the crane nest quite steadily.
Beau was on the LOP and Gabby was there, too. They are in the area of Milton. Send them good wishes – like I know you will to everyone.
It is raining in Fort Myers. The ground is absolutely saturated.
The nest is really a beauty. F23 and M15 have been working particularly hard and those cot rails are getting perfect. I wonder what it will look like after this hurricane? https://youtu.be/mOMRW5Ff8yw?
Brown Pelican caught on the Captiva Osprey cam where it is also raining and winds are gusting. Milton is not set to make landfall til Tuesday.
As most of you are aware, my husband has Lewy Body Dementia. Getting out in nature is essential not only to HIS mental health, but also mine. Taking part in simple activities, like building a bird feeder, is also key to one’s well being. It was not rocket science. Pre-drilled holes, but it helped with confidence. So if you know of someone who needs a boost, see what is happening at your local wildlife centre and take them! Sign up for a morning bird walk, build a bird house, learn to identify raptors. Life is truly beautiful – live it! Our dance card is full – every day there is something even if it is a trip to the local farmer’s market for their final event. The local honey is divine. Fantastic in tea or on toast.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Send warm wishes to everyone in the path of Milton as Florida prepares to get hit again.
Bird World is so exciting with all the new babies. Watch the cams, check them out, rewind to see the wonderful feedings. Watching falcons is so much different than ospreys. Now that we know that the fish fairies will visit Port Lincoln, we can relax. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, Oak Hammock Marsh, CNN Weather, Olympic Park Eagle Cam 4, SK Hideaways, Falcon Cam Project, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Heidi McGrue, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, BirdMap, and The Guardian.
My inbox is full: There is finally a hatch at Port Lincoln and a pip in a second egg. Fish fairies get ready!!!!!!!!!
There is really good news coming out of West Africa. Blue 5F, Seren, the mate of Dylan from Llyn Clywedog in Wales, is right on her favourite stump in Tujering, The Gambia. She has arrived safely. Oh, that just puts a smile on my face and makes me feel warm and fuzzy. What a distance they have to travel and with the Sahara expanding every year, it can be even a more treacherous journey.
Autumn is such a bittersweet time of year. It is my favourite season because of the chill in the air, the crunch and smell of the orange, red, rust, and espresso-coloured leaves under my feet. As a young girl, there was something about walking through the University of Oklahoma campus when there was a home game that was energizing. At the other end, all of the leaves are falling off the trees, the vines on the woodshed are dead, and most of the songbirds are gone. Soon, everything will be only grey and brown. The geese leaving daily remind me that winter will be here sooner than one desires. Even so, the little sparrows are having baths today, while the Starlings hope that I will give in and put out more mealworms. Of course, I did! They are now busy gobbling them up. Yes.
A very unusual thing happened. The Boyfriend showed up at 1500 wanting his evening meal. The birds were eating at all of the spots ferociously. It is not 1515. The winds have picked up. Dark clouds have covered the grey sky and the phone now tells us to expect rain within the hour. Wind gusts are 40-68 km/h. The lilacs are beginning to whip around like mini-tornadoes and the leaves are flying about the yard. It seems that the garden animals are so in touch with the weather. They do not need an iPhone or the telly to tell them what is happening. They know precisely. I am always so amazed at how smart wildlife is and how so many people think they are just ‘bird brained’ and have no feelings. Silly people.
The Farmer’s Almanac: “Did you know that bird behavior can help us predict the weather? Closely observe nature and your feathered friends—you might be surprised by what you learn!
One of these days, take a moment to look up. Watch birds in flight. Birds flying high in the sky usually indicate fair weather. As the adage goes …
Hawks flying high means a clear sky. When they fly low, prepare for a blow.
Geese fly higher in fair weather than in foul.
Air pressure does indeed affect birds. For example, swallows have sensitive ears; when the barometric pressure drops, they fly as close to the ground as possible, where air density is greatest. Low-flying birds are generally a sign of rain, while high-flyers indicate fair weather.”
One of our readers, ‘B’ sent us a great article about the heavy impact that Avian Flu is having on Bald Eagles. The situation is far worse than imagined.
Waba is the 2022 hatch of Karl II and Kaia from the Estonian Black Stork nest in the Karula Forest. For many of us, he is very precious and we hope that he will live long and carry on the legacy of Karl II who was so tragically killed on a power pole in Turkey last year. Waba is now in Romania making his way down to Africa where he will spend the winter.
Two are already in Africa, Timmu and Kergu.
You can monitor their progress by following the bird migration map or checking in on Maria Marika’s very informative and up to date FB page.
Everyone is anxiously awaiting for that crack in the egg at Port Lincoln to give way to a very feisty little osplet! Heidi called it this morning for us.
Mum is snoozing. She needs all the rest she can get before these three eggs hatch. Those chicks will keep her and Dad super busy for the next 100 days.
Omega is fishing on the weekend at the boundary between Virginia and Maryland ensuring that they get every last Menhaden in the Bay.
Raining on Gabby Saturday. She is still alone at the nest. We have no idea what is happening elsewhere to either Beau or 24E1.
Gabby is here and moderators have confirmed that Beau is on the LOP.
Weather and migration.
So cute. The parents at 367 Collins Street are doing an amazing job with those three chicks. Remember that the falcon chicks cannot see for a few days. Their open eye is just a slit. This will change around day 5 to being fully open and round. As they begin to focus, they will be better able to aim and grab that prey!
‘A’ loves F23’s technique: “At Collins Street, mum’s garage door technique is working a treat, with all three well sheltered by her body and wings. Clever mum. You have no idea how relieved it makes me to see that she has a preference for this brooding position. It really is by far the best for sheltering chicks from rain in particular – a larger area stays dry. I have watched it on eagle nests and osprey nests so many times, and this is definitely the most efficient position. So much so that I wonder why all birds don’t use it pretty much all the time.””At Collins Street, mum brought in a large fresh catch around 18:37, which she then prepared and fed to the three littles. At 18:41, dad came trotting down the ledge with a freshly caught bird in his beak. Mum and dad had a good discussion about the prey situation, and dad took his offering to stash somewhere for later. Mum continued with the feeding. Her bird is massive compared to dad’s, and the debris left on the ledge is impressive.
The Collins Street parents are working so well together to raise these three chicks. I am looking forward to this nest. I am confident these two are going to do a great job. And the pigeons have returned to the CBD it seems – I saw several in Fitzroy (a suburb right next to the CBD) today – they looked plump and healthy and a passerby laughed when he heard me encouraging one such plump pigeon to go for a sightseeing flight over the CBD because our baby falcons in Collins Street might need a feed. (Most Melburnians know about our falcons.) “
Breakfast at Orange. Will that third egg hatch?
‘A’ remarks: “Oh my goodness Xavier! He brought in a piece of prey at 09:25 this morning that was SO big, I have no idea how he managed to fly with it. I am notoriously bad at identifying prey but it was gigantic. Maybe a duck? I don’t know so never quote me on prey types. But this was half the size of Xavier! No, as I watch him struggle to take it away to a stash spot, I see that it is in fact MORE than half Xavier’s size. Seriously. Rewind the fotoage at Orange and have a look at this. Xavier really is stepping up his prey deliveries as the number of beaks in that scrape increases. We now have three little bobbleheads and we all know how much falcon chicks like their food. After all, they tell us so, very very loudly.”” Xavier has really stepped up his hunting since the chicks hatched, and today, he brought in an impressive array of sacrificial birds, including a duckling I’m pretty sure (there was a lot of discussion about the possible sources of duckling on the chat, suggesting that my guess re the ID of that gigantic piece of prey Xavier brought to the scrape was in fact correct. Surprise! It really was huge though. I have no idea how he managed to fly with it. Falcons are obiviously significantly stronger than they look.”
A beautiful family portrait at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest.
Jumping and flapping!
‘A’: “October 6: All early awake, with duets and all joining in. Dad brought leaves in a couple of times. The eaglets were waiting all morning until Lady brought a mullet at 12:26 and fed both. Just before 4pm, Dad brought in a small portion of fish and fed both – it didn’t last long, and SE33 grabbed the last scrap from SE34. Late afternoon, SE33 was standing right on the front rim, flapping and moving sticks about. Looking back, we noticed that on Friday, SE33 was seen on the lower part of Perching Branch – venturing out. At dark, both finally settled down.”
Look at all the little kestrel chicks having a feeding! Goodness me they are the cutest. https://youtu.be/AYGXwCBmOU0?
The Achieva nest is a real mess. Maybe a big wind will come and blow the entire lot of it down on the ground.
Florida will be hit again by Milton. It might clean up the Achieva nest, but let us hope that all stay safe.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. Enjoy the end of your weekend. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Heidi’, The Farmer’s Almanac, The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The Washington Post, Maria Marika, Port Lincoln Osprey, William Dunn and Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal, NEFL-AEF, Meterologist Chris Vickers, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Nesting Bird Life and More, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Charter Group Bird Cams, Achieva Credit Union, and Sunnie Day.
The rain has continued but without the forecast storms. It just feels cold to the bone and yet the temperature doesn’t indicate that. Strange. A deep damp. All of the girls are curled up sleeping. The only one that is missing is Baby Hope. She is in hiding.
We have had rain and more rain and after it was time for a nice walk. As a consequence, I have been listening to birds outside (highly recommended) instead of watching them on a screen. I do urge you strongly to listen to the presentation by Rob Domenech. Take an hour to learn much about migration and migration patterns and challenges. Executive director of Raptor View Research Institute. This man is passionate, and he knows about his Ospreys. If your time is short, skip over to about 30 minutes. Then go back when you have a chance. It is that good. Did I say that more than once? https://youtu.be/lFQUgAXcF88?
It is a fantastic presentation and if you are at all wondering about the mortality rates, the migration patterns of the young fledglings towards the older more experienced ospreys, then you must take the time and watch this! I promise you will be sorry – he even gives some of the best reasoning behind banding!
The latest from Dr Greene via ‘PB” – thanks!:
Iris and her family made the telly, ‘The remarkable summer of Iris the osprey comes to a close’. I don’t know about you, but the departure of our beloved miracle family has left me feeling bittersweet. https://youtu.be/iKSGv30eaDc?
Reminds me of the American painter, Edward Hopper’s 1920-40s paintings.
Just look at EquiNOX. What a handsome falcon and he has done so well – getting leaned up for flight. NOX sure looks all grown up in his helmet. My goodness, Annie and Archie will be proud of him as he trains for the skies.
The two juveniles and Beaumont were at the Snow Lane nest in Newfoundland on Thursday. Beaumont delivered a fish to both of them.
In the top image, it is raining. There is an osplet on the perch on the far right bottom eating a fish.
News of the Wells-Fargo Osprey is contained in the post below from SOAR:
Some Bald Eagles are working on nests such as M15 and F23 SW Florida! What a team they are. https://youtu.be/lyX6U4F3pAc?
Others, like NE Florida, are giving people indigestion that had grown fond of Beau. Just because ‘the visitor’ is sitting next to Gabby does not mean that Gabby will pick this male at the end of the day. We simply will have to wait and trust her judgment.
This is Gabby and the Visitor. This male was at the nest for part of last year, confirmed by the AEF. They certainly look intent on cleaning this space up!
Thunder and Akecheta have been trying to make nestorations at their West End Bald Eagle nest in the Channel Islands. https://youtu.be/q3RKk3eEb2I?
I heard lots of waterfowl, but did not see Jackie or Shadow at the Big Bear nest on Thursday.
Calico’s Tip for the Day is a tip and an article. When it is really damp outside, you might want something warm and spicy to take that chill off. Calico suggests getting a large saucepan and fill it with cold water. Place 3-4 Orange Pekoe tea bags or 3-4 T of tea leaves in a tea ball into the pan. Bring to a simmer. Add cloves, a cinnamon stick, and some slices of orange, and sugar to taste. Let it simmer. Your house will have the aroma of fall and you will have a nice spiced tea. Sip the tea while reading the following article. The very first Wandering Albatross has been seen in Ireland. There was also a Black-browed. She thought it was interesting. How do these birds get off course? or does she think they are searching for new breeding and foraging grounds. Have a read and see what you think.
Thank you for being with us today. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘PB’, HMANA, KPAX-TV, California Raptor Center, Newfoundland Power Snow Lane Ospreys, SOAR, Sharon Dunne, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, Netflix Memories, FOBBV, PIX Cams, Marika Solo, BirdGuides, Nesting Bird Life & More, Olympic Sea Eagles, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Androcat, and The Guardian.
I hope the week has been good for you and that you have some plans to be outside this weekend. We will be off searching for cranes and watching for geese landing at night.
Do you put off things? I have and it was time that I did something about a few extraordinary things waiting for attention. Sitting safely in a fireproof box were several beautiful letters by ‘KM’. They include stories of birding decades ago when she was a child. Eagleman Charles Broley would visit their house.
Broley was a bank manager for RBC in Winnipeg, where I live. The branch was on Corydon Avenue. Broley is also more well-known for being a bander of eagles and more. The Lower Beverley Lake website, where Broley also lived, states:
Eagle Platform, Location: Blue Heron Point
Many prominent people have resided on Lower Beverley Lake, and Charles Broley was one of them. It can actually be said that he “soared with the eagles”! The Broley family lived at one end of Whiskey Island where we can still see the white cottage Charles Broley acquired in 1913 when he was a banker in Delta. Following his retirement in 1939, Charles Broley became widely known in Canada and the United States as the “Eagle Man” when he began to band and study bald eagles: by the age of 80 he had banded over 1000 of these birds, climbing by rope ladder up lofty trees to reach their nests, It was he who first sounded the alarm about DDT, realizing that this widely used pesticide was responsible for the increasing sterility of the mature birds. Most of his work was done in Florida, but he also dealt with several eyries in the Lower Beverley Lake area. Life Magazine ran a full photo feature on Charles Broley and the National Geographic produced a documentary on his impressive work with eagles. His wife, Myrtle, was a well-known author and his daughter, Jeanne Broley Patric, still summers on the lake and publishes stories and poems.
Why am I mentioning Broley today (I have previously posted about him)? Several reasons. The first is that we are now in the ‘between’ season. Most ospreys have begun their migration. Most, not all. A few dads or wanna-be mates in the UK are still providing fish; it appears that the entire family of Iris are still in Missoula. Dr Green saw four ospreys soaring together – Iris, Finnegan, Antalia, and Sum-eh. So, the oldest had not begun her flight south; she was getting fish elsewhere or fishing for herself. What a joy to see them all. The eagles return to check on their nests and make some restorations, clearly marking their nest in their territory for any would-be takers. The only active nest with chicks right now is the Olympic Park Eagles. Diamond and Xavier are incubating eggs with Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln and M22 and F23 at 367 Collins Street. The long and short of it is that this is a good season for reading!
I highly recommend Eagle Man. It gives such good insights into the life of eagles. You can only purchase it used. This is the cover for one advertised on ABE books.
Amazon does not have any copies, but this is a reasonable synopsis of the book’s contents.
Check your library and all the used book sellers if you want a copy.
I was honoured to receive a photograph of Charles Broley in the garden of the head of Michigan’s Audubon Society in the 1950s and an eagle feather. The framer did a wonderful job. I asked for a thick envelope attached at the back to include letters and articles about Broley.
The frame is a beautiful walnut – the image wasn’t straight, so it appears cropped. Our Eagleman Broley has his hat of the day and overcoat. My husband looked down and thought it was my Dad. Yes, they sure do look alike! My Dad loved birds and was the first to introduce them to me, but his life was with other things with wings (planes), and he was not a birder. Oh, how I wish he had been.
Could you look closely at the colours in the feather? I apologise for the strange green reflection from the ceiling! There is a beautiful shimmer of a pinky apricot in that feather that is hard to see. Perhaps it is better in the image above. The apricot kisses the white and charcoal feathering on both edges. So kind of ‘KM’ to think of me.
The eagle feather will hang next to a very special Osprey feather, from a juvenile that got to fly, but sadly not for long. She was electrocuted. Thank you, ‘CD’.
Again, I want you to notice the colours. The walnut frame was picked specifically because of the tip of Heidi’s feather. The deepest black espresso bleeds into a marvellous orange, then ochre and cream at the tip.
The two birds were very special, and I hope that by framing them and including all of the documents associated with them, someone will appreciate them after I have spread my wings and flown.
‘SP’ sent us a link to an article on the research on wind turbines by Audubon. They categorically note that painting one blade black, something that has been known for some time, will save the lives of our feathered friends. It is simple. The real question is why don’t these companies do the right thing and fix the issue? We have, for example, wind turbines in Manitoba right in one of the major migration routes for raptors. You would be sick if you visited that place because of all the beheaded eagles. No one has done anything and I suspect the company doesn’t care!!!!!!!! It is a huge issue because these enormous turbines – and they are enormous – are getting installed everywhere. I have yet to see a black blade on one of them.
At the Hellgate Canyon nest, Antali was persistent in coming to the nest in hope of fish. It paid off. Poor Finnegan could lose his talons.
Johnny is still at the Fenwick Island nest feeding his juvenile!
There is at least one fledgling getting fish at the Newfoundland Power nest of Beaumont and Hope. I cannot confirm the presence of the other fledgling or adult. Some of you might know.
C16 is still getting fish deliveries at Charlo Montana. Yum, yum.
The fledgling at Cowlitz is 100 days old on 5 September (or as I write this). We know from the Dyfi Osprey Project that the longest a fledgling has stayed at the nest was 109 days. That was Padarn in 2022. Hopefully, this miracle youngster, who the Bald Eagle did not take as itsre, two siblings we will flourish – and it looks like it could be well prepared for migration just like Beaumont and Hope’s two kiddos.
I did not see any activity at the Fortis Exshaw’s Osoyoos nest on Thursday.
Harvie is busy delivering fish at Fortis Exshaw’s osprey platform near Canmore Alberta. It appears that both fledglings are still in town.
At the Sandpoint nest, River is still home. River flies off with fish from perch. Cannot confirm if Keke is still present. Keo is delivering.
It looks like CJ7 and Blue 022’s family might have finally departed for migration. What a wonderful year it has been with that little 4th – 5H6 – turning out to be such a formidable sibling on that nest. That tiny, tiny little thing not only survived amongst much bigger siblings, but thrived. I really look forward to seeing him return in 2026!
There are still two juveniles from the Kurzeme nest in Lativia at home! Both are wearing Red Darvic rings – difficult to read the numbers. They have survived any other larger raptors living in the forest.
We are all fascinated when Bald Eagles raise Red-tail Hawklets as their own. This is the story of a 14 year old California youth that photographed a family of eagles raising a hawklet. A lovely read! And, yes, you ,ight have guessed – this is the story of Tuffy2 (not Tuffy from 2019).
If every monument, every building in every city would turn off their lights during migration, the lives of billions of birds would be saved. Imagine. Thanks, ‘PB’ for spotting this. Gosh…imagine. Contact your City Hall and make them aware of this important undertaking, your Councillor or anyone who will listen. You CAN make a difference!
Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Thursday 5th September 2024
No avian activity as is the norm now, but the weather has perked up and blazing sunshine with positively tropical highs of 25°C is forecast for the next two days. A pity our family didn’t get to enjoy similar weather before the chicks had to be removed in order to save them via a translocation programme – Louis was able to bring a final fish for breakfast which Dorcha served up on that last morning together before the chicks left the nest on 1st July, link to that video: https://youtu.be/Q_HakxODigs
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.53.24 (05.35.20); Nest Two 20.50.26 (05.44.14)
Today’s videos: none
Bonus recipe from our very own Woodland Trust Scotland George – make some bramble whisky!
And some other interesting stories that caught Geemeff’s eye to share with us. Was it humans that took that nest??????? My money is on the power company coming to change the light bulbs. We have seen this before. Remember when the men put the two chicks in the woodchopper? It was sickening. They could have waited a month. This is very disturbing.
And a mystery – where’s the nest gone? If weather, there should be evidence of the nest remains at the base of the pole. The two fledglings sitting on top of the pole are probably fish-calling rather than distress calls, I would imagine:
Waba, the Black Stork, son of Karl II, is feeding in a beautiful area as he makes his way to Africa for migration.
When I travel to visit my son in Grenada, the mangroves are places of peace and tranquilty. They are home to many species of birds including our beloved ospreys. Like wetlands, they are important habitat. El Salvador could be losing some of theirs.
Gorgeous Gabby. Will she finally have chicks again with Beau after her beloved Samson disappeared?
Those cute little falcons in Orange. Diamond wants food, Xavier wants to cuddle with his ‘eggies’. Adorable. https://youtu.be/Kvf6sYH-qnM?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care! We hope to have you with us again soon.
Thank you so much to the following whose notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams helped me to write my post this morning: ‘CD, Geemeff, KM, PB, SP’, NEFL-AEF, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Project, @Hellgate Osprey, Heidi McGrue, Looduskalender, fairfaxconnection.com, eastgreenwichnews.com, wchstv.com, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Audubon, Gateway Arch FB, LDF, BoPH, Sandpoint Osprey Cam, Fortis Exshaw Canmore, Alberta, Fortis Exshaw Osoyoos, Cowlitz PUD, Newfoundland Power, Charlo Montana, Audubon.org, Lower Beverley Lake News, Amazon, ABE Books, SK Hideaways, Save our Menhaden.
You will now notice links to videos within the blog. Just click on them, and they will take you to YouTube. Geemeff helped me figure out how to save that precious space to include more images without using up all my media allowance! Thanks, Geemeff.
Friday was another scorcher in Winnipeg. It will be 31 C today but the heat index is reaching to 39 or 40 C. Even the English Gardens were so sultry that it was difficult to enjoy the beautiful foliage.
I continue to smile and tell The Girls how fortunate they are. What we are seeing is a growing number of cats, beautiful ones, coming to the feral feeder. People continue to dump their pets because they cannot afford to feed or care for them. It is so sad when these darling animals bring so much joy to one’s life. There was a steady stream yesterday – ‘The Boyfriend’, a Ginger Male, and a gorgeous long-haired ‘sort of’ Calico (photo below). ‘The Girls’ alert us to their presence. ‘The Boyfriend’ mostly comes during the night – between midnight and 0400. I catch him on the front video camera. But there is also ‘something’ coming and eating all the food and pushing the dishes about and upsetting the birdbaths. I do wonder if it is the fox or a raccoon or, perhaps, a big dog. They must come in through the back because they are not seen on the front camera.
Missey watching from inside where it is cool. They are telling everyone to please put out water because the heat index today was 38 C. The outdoor animals are having a very difficult time.
Remember those storms that hit Missoula with hurricane-force winds? We worried and teared up because of dear Iris and her family. Amy Moore tells us more about the devastation to other osprey families in her article in The Pulp. Thankfully, Iris, Finnegan, Sum-eh, and Antali were not injured.
‘J’ reminds us that Bobby Horvath keeps himself busy saving Ospreys and geese that get hit by golf balls on courses! He picks them up and puts them back together so they can live in the wild. Our fledgling ospreys can get into much mischief thanks to us and our fishing gear. Please tell people to take care of themselves and try to clean up after themselves, or stop fishing.
I have talked to you about the issues related to Osprey starvation and the industrial fishing of Menhaden in Chesapeake Bay. ‘H’ found this article that demonstrates clearly that the fish that our ospreys need to survive in the region can make a come back. New York put in regulations. Have a listen!
Hawk Mountain is located in Pennsylvania and is considered to be the world’s first sanctuary for raptors. It began during a time when people were paid to kill raptors – in 1929, $5 was a lot of money and if you turned in a goshawk that was what you received. A dead goshawk that is. Hawk Mountain was where the shooters lined up on top of the ridges when the birds migrated to kill them. Just think of that – thousands of bodies lying on the ground in the forest. A man by the name of Richard Pough began to take photographs of the autracities and eventually those images caught the attention of Rosalie Edge. Edge went to Hawk Mountain, and she came back in 1934, leasing 1400 acres. She created a safe place for the raptors. The killing ceased. In 1935, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was opened to the public. Edge eventually purchased the property, creating a non-profit organisation to look after the sanctuary. You can visit there today – you can even go and help do a count!
They have just published its first migration count for this season.
Little Ringed Plovers nest successfully for the first time in Cornwall.
CROW reminds everyone – baby Squirrel season is starting in some parts of North America. What should you do? Read below.
Migration season for Ospreys in the UK is underway (as it is in other parts of the world). I will keep track, once in awhile, of who is home and who is not.
Gorgeous Friday in Missoula and there are some ospreys on that hellgate Canyon nest.
FORE (Friends of Redding Eagles) has given us an update about the necroscopy of Luna and discussions on what to do about the nest tree of Liberty and Guardian. Thanks, ‘J’ for sending this in!
Update on Liberty & Guardian’s Nest & Nest Tree 8/22/24:
We just wanted to give you an update on our progress this Summer! We haven’t been posting much because It’s actually been a very busy Summer! We’ve been working non-stop on finding a way to help Liberty & Guardian any way we can next season. We’ve heard several of you suggest we simply “Cut down the Nest Tree” or “Remove the Nest”. After what happened to our Luna & Sol last season we completely understand how you feel! None of us want to experience something like that ever again! But, there are several Federal Laws protecting Bald & Golden Eagles so we have to abide by those laws at all times.
We’re still waiting on the Final Report on Luna’s Necropsy, but I have been in touch with Krysta Rogers frequently these last few months & she has been very helpful. She has answered several questions we asked her after the preliminary report was released & she reviewed a few videos I sent to her of Luna on the Grassy Island. Krysta said she will share the FINAL REPORT with us as soon as it is ready. We would all like to know what the cause of death was for our Luna & Sol & we really hope the final necropsy report will give us those answers. We have to let you know that there are times when the necropsy results are inconclusive, but we remain hopeful!
We’ve also been in touch with the California State Avian Conservation Coordinator Shannon Skalos regarding what we can & can’t do about Liberty & Guardian’s Nest & Nest Tree. Shannon was very helpful & understanding & she put us in touch with our local Fish & Wildlife Supervisor John Perrine who we’ve been working with to come up with a plan. Since we are not Biologists ourselves, we work under the guidance of our local Fish & Wildlife Biologists. We’ve been discussing what we can do within the constraints of the Federal Laws protecting Bald Eagles & their Nests & Nest Trees.
Back in June, Shannon informed us that we cannot do anything to the Nest or Nest Tree without a Federal “Take Permit”. She said those permits can take quite a while to obtain & she didn’t think we had enough time to go that route(6-12 months). She said US Fish & Wildlife generally tries to “let nature take its course”, but they will always consider things on a case by case basis.
Shannon let us know we would NOT need a permit to do something in any of the nearby trees as long as we don’t touch the Nest Tree. So, we immediately reached out to our dear friend & Eagle Biologist David Hancock from British Columbia who has a lot of experience & success in this area. David has been consulting with us & now we are in the process of making a plan which we will complete in September. We will share more details on our plan as we get closer!
Our Project Manager Joe will be coming to Redding in September to replace parts & overhaul the entire Eaglecam System. So, we still have a lot of work ahead of us! But, we are determined to do whatever we can to help our beloved Redding Eagles Liberty & Guardian! And, we are also determined to do whatever we can to make it a great viewing experience for all of our wonderful followers & incredibly generous Donors who make this all possible!
We could not do this without YOU!
Stay tuned!
~Terri & the FORE Team
Here is some helpful information with us from the US Fish & Wildlife Eagle Management Plan:
“Eagle Nest Protections
Along with protecting eagles, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act also protects eagle nests. Eagle nests are protected at all times, not just when the nests are in use by eagles. This means eagle nests can never be removed, destroyed, moved, tampered with, or obstructed, no matter what time of year it is, without a permit.
An eagle nest is defined as “any assemblage of materials built, maintained, or used by bald eagles or golden eagles for the purpose of reproduction. An eagle nest remains an eagle nest until it becomes so diminished, or the nest substrate upon which it is built fails, that the nest is no longer usable and is not likely to become usable to eagles, as determined by a Federal, Tribal, or State eagle biologist” (50 CFR 22.6).
The following are all considered eagle nests and are protected (unless the nests are determined by a Federal, Tribal, or State eagle biologist to no longer be usable):
Any nest constructed by an eagle, even if the nest is never finished or used.
A nest built by another bird that is subsequently used by an eagle for reproduction.
A nest constructed by an eagle that is subsequently used by another species, such as owls or osprey.
Note that if nest take removes all available nesting substrate from an eagle pair’s territory, this can lead to abandonment and loss of the eagle territory, which constitutes a form of disturbance take.laws”
Is Mum looking a little eggy at Port Lincoln?
Seabirds sang a tribute to the Penguin Icon, Sphen, as they mourn his death.
Our smile for the day comes from ‘SP’. Most of you know the Crawley Falcons that hatch their chicks on the balcony of a high rise in Australia. Apparently neighbours decided peregrine falcons were too noisy and asked that the plant pots where the falcons laid their eggs be removed. Well…Here is the story in pictures from their FB page. Oh, they now have at least two eggs.
Turtles are starting to arrive at the Kistachie National Forest E-1 nest…oh, geez. If this eagle keeps this up, there won’t be a turtle within 5 miles of the park! This male loves his turtles.
Karl II’s son, Waba, is in the Ukraine where he continues to feed as he works his way back to Africa. Fingers crossed that Waba will return to Estonia and take over his natal nest next year! Yes! Waba can continue the great example of his father, Karl II, who sadly was electrocuted on an unprotected pole in Turkey last year.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 23rd August 2024
More rain overnight last night with strong winds, and a misty morning today. No Ospreys appeared on either nest, just a pair of Great Tits on Nest One, but we were treated to footage from Spain of our one surviving chick, 1JW, looking magnificent and defending his fish with a short sharp warning nip to another Osprey who attempted to get some of it. This all bodes well for his upcoming migration journey, and explains his informal nickname of ‘Jaws’. Also sent through by Fundación Migres were photos of Pean JH3, the Loch Arkaig Osprey who fledged from a private nest in 2017 the same year that Aila & Louis fledged their first chick, Lachlan JH4. Pean’s untimely death on a faulty power line in 2018 inspired Itziar Colodro Sainz from the Fundación to campaign successfully for modernisation of the local grid at the translocation area of Marjal Pego-Oliva Nature Reserve, which has subsequently saved many birds. More here: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15815194 and here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-46952452. The wet weather will continue all week, with the possibility of thundery showers tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.32.40 (05.19.49); Nest Two 21.24.56 (05.26.39)
‘H’ posted on Fenwick Island….little Fen. Dad is smart. Just drop those fish in when flying by. Don’t risk those precious talons with a hungry juvenile.
SE33 was aggressive towards its little sibling today. Despite there being plenty of fish on the nest, it would not allow the baby to eat but a few bites before starting to bonk it. SE33 goes into a food coma and Dad comes along and saves the day giving little 34 a really nice feeding. That baby was full. Love you, Dad!
‘A’ writes more of these current issues with sibling rivalry: “This morning, Lady went out early and brought back a large fresh whole fish. She started feeding SE33 at around 06:49 and continued to do so until just before 06:58, when SE34, who had had his head down on the nest, finally accepted a bite. But even though it had been eating large chunks of fish for nearly ten minutes, SE33 was not happy about SE34’s inclusion in the feeding and immediately beaks him in the back of the head. SE33 grabbed a beakful of head feathers and shook SE34 for some time. A moment or so later, when SE34 dared to move, he was attacked again. Once again, the shaking lasted some time. SE33 has an enormous crop by this stage and has been eating large pieces of fish uninterrupted since 06:50.
The fact that SE34 had stayed down for so long, cringing violently away when Lady leaned near him to pick up a dropped piece of fish (she had dropped it, not SE34), was worrying enough in itself, but when after eating so much fish and SE34 showing deference for so long, SE33 instantly retaliated for the one mouthful SE34 had been given, it really depressed me. I thought we had got beyond this on this nest, but obviously, we haven’t. In fact, over the past week or so, it seems SE33 is getting more aggressive rather than less.
Lady is still looking out for him, and there is still plenty of fish (Dad added a second fish to the breakfast spread this morning – there always seems to be food ready for when Lady wants to feed the eaglets) but it is a worry that he is obviously intimidated by SE33 to the extent that he is sometimes scared to eat. The question is whether he is still getting enough once SE33 has eaten all it can.
By 7am, SE33 is getting more and more reluctant to accept bites. (It had already been rejecting them when SE34 dared to accept his first mouthful but that didn’t stop SE33 from attacking.) But SE34 is still not brave enough to lift his head. At 07:02, SE33 is STILL eating. SE34 dares to move – he is monitoring proceedings. By 07:02:40, SE33 is refusing food and Lady eats the bite herself. At 07:03, SE34 lifts his head cautiously.
There are two fish on the nest – one whole and one that Lady is finishing off. SE33 gets a second wind but this is a good thing, as it stops an attack on SE34 for lifting his head. Lady pauses the feeding. She surveys the eaglets and takes stock of the situation. She waits. SE33 is full, so I think she is waiting for it to turn away or lose interest in attacking SE34. She is certainly planning what to do next.
Just after 07:04, SE33 does in fact turn away. SE34 sits up a little further. His head is up. At 07:04:25, Lady offers a bite to SE34, who takes it without retaliation from SE33. Lady then steps closer to SE33 and persists in offering it a bite for nearly half a minute until eventually it is accepted shortly before 07:05.
Although SE34 has his head up, Lady does not offer him food. She continues feeding SE33, although it is reluctant and slow to accept bites. 07:06:20 and Lady moves some nest material, which strikes SE34 and causes him to turn away, fearing he is being attacked. Lady ends the feeding at this point, returning to brooding the eaglets, even though SE34 has not had any breakfast while SE33 is stuffed to the brim. There is a whole fish still on the nest, plus some leftovers from the other fish, and yet she has abandoned the effort to feed SE34. He is obviously intimidated and scared to eat, but with SE33 so full, it is unusual that Lady did not persist in her efforts to feed SE34. She made very little effort to feed him, and did not offer him bites with the same patience and persistence she used to push more and more food onto SE33. So it was all in all a worrying and disappointing breakfast feed.
I am assuming Lady is going to let SE33 fall into a food coma and then go back to the fish to feed SE34. I certainly hope so. Otherwise, we are going to have problems at this nest. I am encouraged by the fact that the size gap between the two appears to have narrowed over the past four or five days, so talons crossed. “
There is more news from Australia. ‘A’ sends us the news of a rare white Rhino calf born – no feathers, but we will celebrate with them!https://youtu.be/QaPgf26-WYE?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Have a wonderful weekend everybody! See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, articles, images, summaries, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB, SP, TU’, The Pulp, Return of the Menhaden, Hawk Mountain, BirdGuides, SK Hideaways, CROW, RSPB Loch Garten, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint, Pitkin County, Saaksilvie, Whistler Osprey Cam, FORE, PLO, The Guardian Crawley Falcons Instagram, Tonya Irwin, Looduskalender, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Heidi McGrue, and Olympic Park Eagles.
Be sure to read all the way down. There is some terrific news waiting for you today.
Oh, Friday started out with a trip to the wildlife rehabilitation centre for this little fellow. The baby is one of the Blue Jays with a nest in a tree across the lane. He was in the garden trying to eat a cheesy dog. He appears to have a problem with one eye, and his tail seems to have some issues as it was turned to the side, not straight. He could not fly. The rehabilitation centre said they would happily take him into care as they agreed on both issues after seeing a photograph. Send him good wishes!
It is not clear what caused the issues/injuries or how he will do but it was unsafe for him to be hopping around on the ground with the feral cats and the hawk about.
Next was a visit to check on the American White Pelicans at Lockport. There were a few there along with about forty Double-crested Cormorants on the other side of the dam. (Taken with iPhone at a great distance so not the best!)
Since it is now the 10th of August, the Pelicans will be making their move to go south in about a month or five weeks.
Bird World is fairly quiet. It is a good thing. As the weeks went by ‘H’ and I got wearier and wearier and at times just couldn’t wait for osprey season to end.
I was very grateful for a comment by ‘DV’ on my blog post on FB. They write: “Discussing the rescue of the chick of Saaksilive #4 nest on the chat of #1 nest, I thanked them for responding so quickly, and was told, “It’s in the law in Finland, you need to help an animal who can’t keep up or is struggling”. In view of the procrastination of the ‘permission authority’ in the Colonial Beach rescue, maybe we should do something about such a law, here. No wonder Finland is rated the ‘happiest’ country in the world….they seem to be the most sensible, as well.”
What do you think about trying to get the laws changed for immediate intervention like they do in Finland in Cobey’s name? I am certainly willing to lend a hand to try and get the archaic Bird Migration laws changed in North America – and attitudes around the world. Thank you ‘DV’.
The person who might be able to help is:
Mr. Jerome Ford, Assistant Director, Migratory Birds Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240. Via Email: jerome_ford@fws.gov
Paraphrased from a letter regarding the Dale Hollow Nest to Ford in 2023: Citing article 50.CFR.22.76-22.80 of the Migratory Bird Act, a “take” anticipates a rehabilitation permit will authorize the rescue, or take, and further expects the temporary possession of and/or transportation of an eagle and/or eaglet to an authorized and permitted rehabilitation facility. The guidance from USFWS advises take permits will not be issued to address “interference with the natural course of events at the eagle nest”, however, a take would be authorized if such a take “is necessary to protect an interest in a particular locality. The Dale Hollow situation had to do with harm done to the eaglet through manmade materials – fishing line. In the instance of Colonial Bay and other nests in the region, I believe it can be argued that the lack of restrictions on the taking of Menhaden hgas caused the ospreys to starve to death. That coupled with an extreme heat situation – also caused by human activity – should be grounds for an emergency ‘take’ in the instance of starvation, etc. Something can be argued. Evidence can be gathered.
That adorable Dorsett Hobby is about to fledge. What a darling.
Nox (Annie and Archie’s 4th hatch that got himself into a bit of mischief has some company).
Tuesday was a special day for our Heidi (aka ‘H’) as she got to Mispillion Harbour. She runs the Mispillion Harbour Osprey Nest FB group and reports on Warren and Della whose platform is at the DuPont Centre.
Richmond and Rosie’s two chicks have now fledged. Pax on July 24th and Tulley on 7 August.
The late Toni Costello and I used to banter back and forth about which were the most beautiful juveniles of the raptors. Her pick was always the White-bellied Sea Eagles. They sure are cute as little bobbleheads, too.
Antali isn’t a little fuzz ball any longer and is getting those wings working towards fledging. Iris is such a proud Mamma.
Antali is one handsome boy with that pure white chest just like Finnegans’.
Iris just looks so proud.
The Dyfi Osprey Project posted a video of Idris delivering a fish and all of the chaos ensuing when the fledglings each want it! It was on the Dyfi Osprey Project FB page. Here are a few screen captures. There is no love lost when it comes to a much wanted fish and fledgling siblings. Reminds me of Ervie, Bazza, and Falkey.
In New Zealand, the Royal Cam chicks were ringed.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust.
Daily summary Friday 9th August 2024
Same as yesterday – except it was some Great Tits and Coal Tits taking advantage of the absence of Ospreys and spending time on Nest One. Nest Two had zero activity again. However, we did get some news and a photo of 1JW in Valencia – he’s doing well and enjoying exploring the Pego Oliva marshland, link below. The rain and wind continued as forecast today, with thundery showers expected overnight changing to light rain showers tomorrow. Both nest cams went down shortly before 21.00 and are still down now (23.45).
Season highlights for the Lodze Bociany Black Storks in Poland.
The trio at Blackbush at Old Tracadie wishing and hoping for fish.
At Charlo, Montana, C16 is really working its wings. Fledge is near. The chick ate all the fish Charlie brought in but lost the tail over the edge – and didn’t share a morsel with Mum Lola.
Two beautiful well-fed osplets at the Newfoundland Power platform in Snow Lane. Mum Hope and Beaumont have done a commendable job this season!
If your pet is treated for fleas and then gets to have a swim in a pond, a river, a stream, or a lake, the toxins in the treatment are killing wildlife.
The Storks are on the move, both Black and White -. This Polish stork is already in Egypt.
I promised to include some of the memories that were forgotten with the first listing. Have some more smiles!
‘B’: “hi Mary Ann — Thanks for compiling the wonderful list of birds and nests and events that made us all smile. There are so many things that have touched the followers of your blog and these nests, and we all clearly share many of the same happy experiences. If there is one that I kick myself for not remembering it is the SW Florida nest of M15 and his new mate F23 and their eaglet E23. It was so nice to see life go on for M15 with a wonderful new mate and the lively and joy-inspiring E23. I apologize to M15 for totally forgetting them when my eagle attention moved on to the midwest and western eagles — it’s inexcusable!
SE31 also definitely makes my list, and I even thought of him, but it was so long ago that I thought the fledge and remaining in the area must have all been before the first of this year.. It brought so much joy to see one of Lady and Dad’s sea eagles be able to stay in the area and remain with parents for a very reasonable amount of time. I still am sad (and mad) about the chick of several years ago who was euthanized after she had worked so hard to fledge in spite of their injured leg. I forget the number — SE26 or 25?
And I agree with “L” that pictures and stories of your “girls” — Missey, Hope, Calico, and Hugo Yugo — and your garden visitors always bring a smile.”
‘R’: “Thank you for all the memories today. Sorry I did not get my email to you sooner, my fav was Flaco 🦉🥲❤️ and of course, Iris’s prayers being answered by Finn 💕💞”
‘J’ : “Just read the newsletter and it made me smile, laugh out loud and cry. What a wonderful (can’t think of the correct word, “habit”) to do an “what made you smile” to end the season.
I thought of two more moments that really made me laugh.
M15, F23 and E23 all down by the pond. E23 flew away, both parents followed him with their heads, then, at the same time, lowered their heads and looked at each other. Precious!
Made me think of when Harriet and M15 were perched next to each other, Harriet looking at E15 from behind M15, and someone captioned it “honey, what are we going to do about our kid?” (that didn’t want to leave).
The other moment was Archie feeding his chick, trying to be all stealthy and then scampering out of there before Annie could have a go at him.
I have more great moments to share:
On the way back from the pond I watched a beautiful (as opposed to mangy and thin, which often is the case in the city) fox.
Unfortunately when I had no camera with me, all four swallow chicks were on the nest, next to each other and all four looking out. So my view were 4 little faces in a row. MELT!
Yesterday just before I left the cemetery, on the bench were I usually take off/pull on my shoes, was a squirrel eating a eh, what’s the word, pine cone? He made rapid work of it. Beautiful bushy tail, he was very small, so I think it was a baby.
I went to a hardware store that also sells garden stuff, and it always makes me smile that birds are flying about inside. But this time I laughed out loud, to see a pigeon stand in front of a sack with bird feed. I have no doubt that he’d managed to open it.”
‘V’: “OMG. I forgot M15 and his new lady! How could that happen?”
A miracle? Is it possible that these are the two osplets from Cowlitz PUD? Thanks, ‘PB’.
No words from ‘H’ this morning. We all remember last year and the intruders at Fortis-Exshaw with Jasper and Banff.
The intruder is now on the perch.
And at Osoyoos!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to everyone who sent a comment, a note, to others for their posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘AM, AMW, B, Geemeff, J, H, PR, RP, V’, SK Hideaways, California Raptor Centre, Heidi McGrue, SF Osprey Golden Gate Audubon, Cornell Bird Lab, Montana Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Sharon Dunne, Lady Hawk, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Polish Osprey Cam Highlights, Blackbush at Old Tracerie, Charlo Montana, Newfoundland Power, The Guardian, SOS Tesla-Save the White Storks, Raindancer Wild Bird Rescue, Fortis Exshaw, and Osoyoos Ospreys.
We hope that you had a really lovely weekend. I have been busy taking photographs of the six Blue Jays in the garden along with Dyson and family and all the baby sparrows. And today, there will be time to go and get a new cable to connect the camera to the computer so I can show you this week. All of the garden animals are fine. The Girls are actually enjoying a new furniture arrangement in the conservatory and today they are waiting for a family birthday party where they will get some treats!
I want to start with some really good news from the Los Angeles Zoo, which was reported in The Guardian. A record number of condors have hatched in captivity. This is just the best!
Question from ‘RP and VS’ – Crows and Cheesy Dogs. What are they? Where do I get them? As I answer this, a Blue Jay is jumping around near a huge plate of cheesy dogs and chicken weiners and Mr Crow is flying in to get his share as well.
Well, Crows like meat. It is a bad thing if you are Vegan or a Vegetarian which seems to run in my family. So we giggle when we are in the check out line at the shops – hoping no one sees us. We have a very discounted grocery near us. They sell chicken hotdogs in 3 kg packages. These are just plain ones, and the Crows love them. We slice them into thin disks and pile them on a big plate. The Crows devour them. They have a very strong smell – . The Blue Jays love them, too, and so do the Starlings. Now for the cheesy dogs – they are a smoked sausage like weiner with cheese injected in them. Sometimes, they even have Jalapeno pepper flakes. They love these. Again, sliced thin. Some places call these Smokies. They remind me of European hot dogs or sausages. The Crows also love hard-boiled eggs, Chinese chicken balls, etc. BUT they won’t touch chicken strips from certain companies. It is like they are too processed. How could that be different from the chicken hot dogs? We also put out small pieces of fruit for them. I know that your specific question was about the cheesy dogs, but we keep leftovers and I have places that keep their food at the end of the day that can’t be given to humans. That is how I know they love Chinese chicken balls with sauce! They will also eat pizza (the local shop is good to save the food) and we cut it into small pieces. I don’t like giving them bread. It reminds me of the ducks and geese that get Angel Wing. Perhaps it is alright for the songbirds and Crows – I should do some research!
Oh, I do love these garden visitors. We have also discovered that the songbirds like different types of seed and suet. Sometimes you have to experiment. Brands may lok the same but the birds in my garden will not touch a certain brand of suet and they prefer, above everything else, Black Oil Seed. Some won’t eat millet while the Dark-eyed Juncos devour the stuff. Just get a little bit at first and test it on who is coming to your garden.
Be sure to clean your feeders and bird baths regularly. I have been using a vegetable brush on the bird baths because of the hot and the algae issues.
Today was a particularly quiet day. I did not spend much of it watching the nests. The last couple of weeks took the wind out of my sails. Instead, I continued to enter data into the forms for the nests in Nova Scotia, some in Norway, and a handful from my own province. I had hoped to get us up to 500 eggs that were monitored during the 2024 osprey season and it looks like we are going to make it! Tragedies in one region are off-set by successes elsewhere. I wonder how 2024 will compare to 2023? We wait to see.
A quick run through of some nests:
Dorsett Hobby: The only surviving eyas is just rather wet today! There is some concern for the little Hobby. ‘SP’ follows this nest closely and says that it has little attention form Mum in the last 36 hours. She has made Dorsett Hobby aware of the concerns – let us hope Mum brings in more food and stays with the little one although she could be perched on a nearby tree and we are not seeing her.
#1 Finland. Everything is OK.
#2 Nova Scotia. Both of Ethel and Oscar’s chicks, Skylor and Heidi, have now fledged. Heidi flew on Sunday with Skylor taking his wings on Saturday. (Photo by Don Dennis)
Right now the temperature in Nova Scotia is 30 degrees C. They have just finalised their listing of ospreys and they have sixty (60) this year. That is a fantastic survival rate per nest – in fact, most nests I am told, did not lose a single chick! Well done, Canada.
Hellgate Canyon: Just look at how big that oldest chick is? Almost as big as Mama Iris! The question is – where is Finnegan? where are the fish? Did I miss deliveries in the morning, at noon, in the afternoon? It looks like Iris has gone out on her own. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Check out the snake eyes on these two kids of Iris and Finn! These are just the most gorgeous osplets. Finn and Iris have made two beautiful babies.
Finn apparently chased Louis off the Owl Pole and it appears he told him in no uncertain terms to ‘get out of Dodge’. And then Iris and Finn defended the nest against an intruder which was possibly Louis checking out what was going on. Since his chicks fledged, it seems he has some time on his hands. Let’s hope he stays away.
Finn eating a much wanted fish by Iris and the kids.
Iris and her train.
Finn got that whopper, minus its head, to Iris and the kids. She waited rather impatiently.
They are having a feast!
It took some time to get fish on the nest today and the oldest has decided to be a bit of a ….. No worries. There is enough fish for three or four nests. That was a whopper. Iris will make sure both are fed.
And she did!
Llyn Brenig: Emrys fledged on Sunday!
Poland Black Stork Nests: Maria Marika has posted saying that none of the four Black Storks fitted with a transmitter in 2023 and ringed are alive. Sad day for their community. Details on individual storks will be provided on the Memorial Wall in coming days.
‘H’ reports on Patuxent River Park happenings:
Patuxent River Park:
Rewind: On 7/25, two significant events happened less than 20 minutes apart. At 1444 there was an adult intruder on the nest when one of the resident juveniles flew in and attempted to land. The intruder jumped up to intercept the juvie and struck her just as her talons hit the nest. The younger osprey was knocked backwards and fell down below the nest. The nest is only ten feet higher than the level of the marsh. We soon knew that the juvenile osprey had been Big. The intruder flew away after that assault. Nineteen minutes later, Middle was in the nest when Dad flew in with a large goldfish. The intruder landed almost immediately behind Dad and tried to grab the fish. Dad attempted to defend, but to no avail. The intruder had possession of the goldfish with Middle still attached and the intruder fell/flew off the nest. Middle returned to the nest. Soon after that, we started to intermittently hear rustling and flapping coming from below the nest. There was obviously an injured osprey below the nest. Hours passed, and as high tide approached, the flapping sounded like it was in water rather than just the vegetation. Who was down there? Was it Big? Was it the intruder? We have never seen Big again after she was knocked off the nest that afternoon. By late evening, we no longer heard the flapping. At 1100 am the following morning, the park staff searched, but did not find an osprey below the nest.
Fast forward to 7/28: Middle was the only fledgling that we were still seeing at the nest. Oh boy, did Dad ever take care of his girl today! Dad brought six fish to Middle. There were five fish delivered to the nest between 0641 and 0846! We didn’t think she could do it, but Middle ate all of those fish. Have you ever seen an osprey grinning from ear to ear?
Middle was in and out a bit, enjoying her day. An adult intruder landed in the nest at 1220, and Middle soon arrived to shoo the visitor away. At 1338 a visiting juvenile osprey arrived at the nest. After several minutes, Middle flew in, there was a fight, and they both went overboard. The wayward juvie returned to the nest. Middle soon arrived and literally gave the juvie the boot, with a karate kick! After that, the visiting juvie decided not to return.
Dad delivered a huge whole fish to Middle at 1650. Middle ate and ate, but she had to take breaks to rest and digest, so her fish meal was lasting a long time. At 1851 Middle was still in possession of a large piece of fish when she was dive-bombed by an adult osprey. A couple minutes later the intruder landed in the nest, but was repelled by Middle. We could tell that the intruder kept landing on the camera, and at 1856 it dive bombed Middle again. But then, things seemed to calm down, and by 1914 Middle resumed eating her fish. At 1922 and 1923 the intruder returned and landed in the nest, but was forced off both times by Middle. At 1924 the intruder flew in very fast, grabbed Middle on her upper back and dragged her backwards off the nest. We heard her hit the marsh 10 feet below. We did not see middle for the rest of the evening. We did not hear any rustling or flapping coming from below the nest. Please come home Middle, so that we know you are okay.
I have video recordings of all of the attacks on 7/25 and 7/28, and I have reviewed them carefully. Based on head and chest markings, I believe that this is the same adult intruder that attacked Big, and shortly thereafter dragged Middle off the nest on 7/25. It was the very same adult that attacked Middle today. So, now there is no question who the osprey was below the nest on 7/25. It was Big, and she was likely carried away by the tide, and may have drowned. I would love to be wrong about Big’s demise. We loved you Big. Fly high.”
Steelscape: ‘PB’ watched the intruders trying to take over this nest earlier on Sunday. One of the fledglings appears to have sustained an injury.
It has been a rough day.
Decorah North: Eagle eyed Deb Stecyk has noticed something a miss with one of the adults on the Decorah North nest. Deb wonders if it is an old injury? scar? It is the first time I have seen this dark line. Please note that all Decorah cameras will be shut down for annual maintenance on 2 August.
Other images make it look like a nasty cut to both sides of the mandible with dried blood on the left side of the neck. But is this insect bites and could Dad have scratched them? Just wondering. PB’ says they are terrible in the MidWest right now.
Gosh, I feel like I am the writer of doom and gloom today. There is just so much going on, and there are a lot of nest takeovers and intruders this time of year wrecking havoc with stable avian homes.
HWF-BBCentral: Blue is looking better today. More alert. He was seen doing some wingers and had a crop. Let us hope this eaglet gets its mojo and fledges off that nest to the shock of everyone.
Charlo Montana: Still hot. Nest still doing alright. Those funny balls that Charlie brought in have been used as a pillow by the rapidly growing chick.
Sandpoint: River is looking in excellent form!
The Bridge Golf Club: Fledgling returns to the nest for fish and is sleeping there Sunday night. All is good.
Port Lincoln Barge: Mum is on the nest waiting for Dad!
Olympic Park Eagles: Incubation continues. Cathy Cook writes that we will be on pip watch starting on Monday.
I want to add a note -. This nest has not had failures every year. Things happened once the eaglets fledged. The Currawongs chased WBSE 25 out of the area, and sadly, WBSE 26 had to be euthanised. 26, the much loved little eaglet, had injured its leg within its first 48 hours. 25 was good for supporting, caring, and encouraging its younger sibling. 26 did fledge and did return to the nest after several days, where it spent considerable time before. Sadly, it was chased out of the forest, winding up – during a storm – on a high-rise balcony. The wildlife rehab team decided that 26 could not be successfully put back together and was euthanised. In fact, the Currawongs are the biggest problem! Eaglets have been rescued, and two of them, if I remember correctly, were fitted with transmitters after rehab and released in another area. They had been tracked for some time. Last year was amazing. It was the first year we could fully appreciate how Lady and Dad cared for their young as they fed and trained WBSE 31. It was incredible, and the images provided by the community photographers that were posted warmed our hearts. Cathy confirmed that 31 stayed in the area till February. Let us hope that these two hatch, all goes well, and we will see them flying over the Parmatta River and eating fish at the River Roost.
Cathy also informed me that there are ospreys fishing in the area, too. How wonderful.
Geemeff sends her daily report for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Sunday 28th July 2024
No sign today of Louis, last seen on 25th July, or Dorcha, last seen yesterday, and no activity of any sort on Nest Two. Over on Nest One, Garry did some early morning sky-dancing with a fish, which may have been why Affric 152 arrived on the nest and stayed long enough to take the fish from him when he landed. The fish was an unusual one, a Perch, first time seen on the nest and possibly a cause for concern as they shouldn’t be found in this area. Link below to WTS George’s comment about this. Affric flew off with the perch – perhaps she was taking it back to her chick on the Bunarkaig nest. A bellowing of Bullfinches visited the nest before Affric returned at lunchtime but was disappointed when Garry joined her without bringing her another fish. The weather was settled and sunny today, but drizzle is forecast for tonight, with more rain tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.56.03 (04.13.18); Nest Two 22.45.47 (04.23.40)
7/28 Osoyoos osprey nest: This family had a good day. There were nine fish brought to the nest, including one from Soo. Four of the fish were tiny, but the others provided meals that lasted 13-19 minutes. There was very little aggression from Big toward Middle today. There were a few meals where Big ate more, but there were also feedings where it was obvious that Middle had more to eat than Big. Weather forecast for 7/29: Cloudy with chance of showers, high 77, light winds. Warmer temperatures will gradually return by the end of the week.
The BBC covered the Alyth Ospreys and the construction of their nest. Lovely interview with Roy Dennis about the move of the nest.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, questions, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘CC, Geemeff, H, MM, PB, RP, SP, TU, VS’, The Guardian, Dorsett Hobby, Llyn Brenig Osprey Project, Finnish Osprey Project, Connie and Don Dennis, Montana Osprey Project, The Weather Network, Maria Marika, Patuxent River Park, Heidi McGrue, Steelscape, Raptor Research Project, Deb Stecyk, HWF-BBC, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint, Bridge Golf Course, PLO, Olympic Park Eagles, BBC, and Osoyoos.
