As promised, a quick round-up of what is happening at our nests today. I hope this finds you all well. It is nearly the end of the week and now it also is beginning to feel like July will fly by.
Cowlitz PUD: The fish are coming. I wish a few great big ones would land on this nest. The chick is growing like a bad weed and if you look carefully you can tell that this little one is nearly the size of Mum.
Collins Marsh: Everything is fine at Collins Marsh. Two nice growing osplets.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: The chick has lost its fluff and that head is pure Reptilian. A nice early fish came in and Mum fed the wee one after it scrambled to get up to the rim of the nest. At first I thought, oh, no, she is going to eat it all and not feed the chick. Wrong.
Boulder County Fair Grounds: These two parents continue to work together to feed and shade their three growing chicks. What a great nest this has become after the initial sidelining of the third hatch.
Patchogue: Big was on the perch and it looks like everyone is doing alright. Mini has been eating and eating and doing some wing flapping along with the others. ‘M’ mentioned some concerns in chat that Mini was sneezing between 0757 and 0800 and was concerned if this was true. As it turns out Mini was being fed by Mum the entire time (and at least 15 minutes prior). Mini seemed to just eat and eat today. She is growing but needs that tail longer to fly and from the look in her eyes, she really wants to fly when she sees Big hover to the perch!
The Fabulous Four from Patchogue!
Sandpoint: The second egg did not hatch and the first is a right little reptile! Seems to be doing quite well.
Outerbanks: Doing great. Fledglings return to the nest. Just perfect! I was, however, horrified, when ‘A’ sent me an image from the 4th of July where fireworks went off near to the nest…on the water under??? I do not know anything about fireworks regulations but this should not be allowed. The area should be restricted so as not to disturb the nest.
On behalf of all of us, I will write to the individuals that run the camera and see what they know and if this behaviour can be stopped. I understand from ‘L’ that it is possible in the tourist areas along the coast to have fireworks once a week, not just on holidays. Can you see me shaking my head?
‘L’ asked me if there was a way to send donations from outside RU to Dmitri who rescued the little fifth stork and cared for it so that it is big and strong. As you might recall, Dmitri has prostrate cancer and is looking for assistance to get the surgery quickly. It is scheduled for 12 July. This is the link that I was given for donations to be sent: https://www.donationalerts.com/r/storks40
There is some more sadness. The last of the three osplets of the Great Bay nest has died. That storm just keeps on giving and it isn’t good.
But there is also good news elsewhere…after the third hatch died of siblicide at The Bridge Golf Club, the camera went offline. It was feared that the storms that caused such deaths at other nests such as Great Bay also impacted the two older chicks here. Well, guess what? Just look at those two older ones! Isn’t that wonderful? I can hardly believe my eyes.
Here are the nests that ‘H’ has been monitoring – thanks so much, H.
Dahlgren – Jack and Harriet’s kids are doing great. There were at least 5 fish delivered by Jack on 7/5, and both chicks are doing some self feeding (49 and 45 days old)
Osoyoos – There is a good supply of fish coming to the nest, and the little ones are being well cared for by Mom and Dad (Soo and Olsen ?). Ages 10 and 9 days old.
Forsythe – They had 11 fish delivered to the nest on 7/5, and Opal delivered 4 whoppers. A little joke is that Oscar fishes from the ‘kiddie pool’, lol, but Oscar did deliver a pretty big fish at 1344. The chicks are 45 and 44 days old.
Barnegat Light – Life is good for Duke, Daisy and 09/N. Daisy brought a smooth dogfish shark to the nest, yummy! We are still awaiting a name for their 36 day old youngster.
Kent Island – There were at least 6 fish delivered by Tom that I saw. Audrey and Tom’s little kiddo is 24 days old, and would like to have a name!
Audubon Boathouse – The sun finally shone brightly at the nest of Skiff and Dory after several gloomy days. At 26 days old, little Skipper is growing like a weed.
Severna Park – Olivia and Oscar sure did haul in some large fish on 7/5 Big did not fledge on 7/5, perhaps today is the day. Ages of the sibs: 59 and 58 days old.
The UK nests are fine and I will look closer at them tomorrow. We will close with a video by Gracie Shepherd of Thunder, Akechets, Scout, and 39D soaring. Enjoy.
Thank you so much for being with me this evening for this quick check on some of the nests. Take care. See you soon!
I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this evening: ‘A, H, L, M, T’, Cowlitz PUD, Collins Marsh, MN Landscape Arboretum, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys, PSEG, Sandpoint Ospreys, Outerbanks 24/7, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Bridge Golf Club, Dahlgren Ospreys, Osoyoos, Forsythe, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Kent Island, Audubon Boathouse.
I went out in nature again today to clear my head about the Newfoundland Nest. The second chick has died, and Hope is brooding it tonight the DNH egg ton. Hope became the resident female in 2019, for those who do not know. Before this time, this nest had fledged many osplets. In 2019, Hope demonstrated that she rarely fed her chicks, forcing them to crawl to the edge to get fed. Two died of starvation; one fledged that year. None of the chicks survived in 2020, 2021, 2022, and now again in 2023. This year Hope showed a little more instinct to care for the chicks than in previous years. It is just extremely sad and now this season is over for the ‘Last Hope’ nest and we must move forward because many things are happening.
I do want to start with a positive note from the FortisExShaw nest as I know it has been difficult lately with all the tragedy. ‘H’ notes that Louise, the female at the FortisExshaw nest, did a really clever thing yesterday. She fed the two big ones til they passed out but had fish remaining. Then she stopped the feeding and did some nest work. Once the big ones were sound asleep, she fed Little. Brilliant! Now this has been seen at other nests where the third hatch was having problems – Tiny Tot Tumbles at Achieva in 2021 and Foulshaw Moss in 2021. Great strategies and both of those tow chicks survived to become the dominant bird on the nest.
My blog is short this morning. Instead, I will also have an update on some of the nests I monitor and those of ‘H’ in the early evening on the 6th. Then things will be back to normal!
These are a few of the birds from the Oak Hammock Marsh from the morning of 5 July. The Red-tailed hawk soared in the thermals above me for about 20 minutes. I left and it was still up in the clouds. What an incredible sight – so peaceful.
A Killdeer.
There was an explosion of Barn Swallows around the pavilion. Are they curious about humans? They are such cuties and look, it is banded.
A Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk who was loving flying.
The oldest sibling at the Outerbanks 24/7 fledged on the 4th of July. It returned to the nest, so all is well, but there were fireworks near the nest on the 4th. Everyone reading my blog knows that fireworks are dangerous to our domesticated pets. Imagine the raptors – all the birds and wildlife- living in the urban centres. Why should they be subjected to this trauma? It is a lot of money just for a little bit of satisfaction when so many other causes could use those funds for the long-term benefit of many. While we work on our less use and purchasing of plastic, we can write to those individuals in our communities that plan events and ask them not to use fireworks or balloons or anything that could harm our precious animals. People do have power and we can guide positive change but we have to let the right people know that these events are no longer acceptable.
Here is an informative article for the CBC in Calgary, Alberta, that addresses the issue of harm to humans and animals froj fireworks. This will help you get started on the logical argument and the science of why we should now stop these loud displays, including the debris left for animals to get entangled, birds abandoning their nests, anxiety, and loss of hearing..There are many similar articles on the Internet also.
At Patchogue today, one of the two oldest siblings hovered magnificently and flew to the perch at 12:26. It flew to the opposite side of the nest at 16:53. For Eagles, we would call this branching so I am not officially saying this osplet fledged but we are ever so close.
One, Two, and Little Mini were all at the rim flapping like crazy today! Maybe they are all males and the Three that pecked at Mini is a female. We will never know! The females tend to fledge after the males but there are always exceptions. Mini has eaten well today even snapping fish bites away from Big at the 18:10 feeding.
You know those lumps in your throat you get…well, Mini is just too curious about this flying business and I thought goodness, this osplet is going to fledge soon. I am not ready for Little Mini to fly! And it looks like she is missing a vital feathery her right wing tip, one of the primaries (it looks like with this image).
Here is an image illustrating the feathers of an osprey that was supplied by Dr Erick Greene of the University of Montana at Missoula several years ago.
Can you pick Tiny Little out of the chicks below? She appears to have surpassed Three in size…Three with is great necklace! So in order from left to right – Big, Third, Tiny Little, Second. Incredible.
This nest is amazing.
There are only 7 breeding pairs of ospreys in Denmark. Today marks a very historic event – the ringing of the first osplets in Danish history. The trio were from the Grim Skive nest wish is the 4th largest forest in Denmark in Northern Zealand. The nest is in a beautiful live tree. The link to the camera is below. Go and check this out!
You might be aware that there are growing concerns with the food supply for the Bald Eagles, which is normally Chum Salmon (the Salmon who have spawned and then die). Here is a good article and it shows us how the Eagles and farmers are adapting in Washington State – something that could be a solution elsewhere if the trend continues with the salmon.
The article comes from the last Living Bird Magazine from Cornell Bird Lab.
Oh, Ervie, it is so nice to see you! Our 2021 third hatch from the Port Lincoln Osprey barge is looking good. I wonder if he is still fishing with Dad at Delamere sometimes? It will not be long til we will be checking on that Port Lincoln nest for eggs as the Australian season begins!
I love the fact that they mention Ernie’s necklace — do not ever judge a bird to be a male or female by its necklace alone!!!!!!!
Checking on another Australian male that we love – Xavier – he brought a grebe as a gift to Diamond on the morning of July 6 and she accepted it! For those of you who do not know this darling falcon couple in Orange, Australia, Diamond is very particular about her prey and she does not like Starlings! A Grebe or parrots are tasty treats.
These lovely images of the Ms out and about on the Cornell campus were taken by Suzanne Arnold Horning on 5 July. They all seem to be doing very well as they navigate trees, buildings, birds, and squirrels. Thank you Suzanne for allowing me to share your wonderful images.
A new nest recommendation for all my falcon and hawk lovers – The Dorest Hobby Falcons is highly recommended by my colleague SP! Their first hatch with two more, hopefully, soon. Have a look at this incredible manmade nest – modelled after that of a crow – and these parents feeding this just-hatched chick.
They are correctly called Eurasian Hobby. They are a small raptor, like a kestrel. You might look at them first and think of a Peregrine Falcon. They eat insects and small birds often caught in flight by the talons and then transferred to the beak. They are capable of very sophisticated “high-speed aerial manoeuvres”, according to the RSPB.
We try to do what we can for our beloved feathered friends. That help takes many forms, from donations to bird feeding stations, bowls or bird baths holding water, volunteering for bird counts, and lobbying our politicians to improve their lives. Sometimes there are also simple fixes that we can make in our homes and gardens. Many are urging that all new buildings be bird-friendly. This includes collision-proof glass or Swift bricks in the UK.
Thank you so much for being with me. Take care, everyone! Check back later for the nest round-up with me and ‘H’.
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, videos, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog for this morning: ‘SP, T’, CBC Calgary, PSEG, Erick Greene, Naturstyrelsen DK, Cornell Bird Lab, Buxx Hockaday The Guardian, Wildlife Windows, and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus.
I spent most of early Sunday doing some clerical work. The joy of finding new osprey nests with healthy chicks like Loch Don raises my spirits. Hopefully, by today I will have caught up with everything Claudio needs me to do. His programme for monitoring the nests for my research is exceptional, and I am so grateful to him and to ‘H’ for helping track quite many nests for me. Now it is time for me to get all the details of the nests I am following cleaned up and updated! As a result, this blog could be a mishmash. Still, there are always good things that come out of tidying.
My need for additional information allowed me to reconnect with Diane and others at the Tweed Valley Ospreys. Tweed Valley chicks will be ringed and fitted with satellite trackers soon. Last year they had three lovely males. Sadly, it appears that two perished, but Blue 708 Glen is still alive and loving his life in Morocco as of 14 June.
First up I reported that the osplet at Snow Lane in Newfoundland died on 1 July. That poor little one is still suffering and dying on the 2nd. Meanwhile Mum Hope is eating away and sometimes feeds the other chick. (Wishing someone would go up and retireve that baby and foster it).
The situation at the nest of Hope and Beau grows more dire as it appears that the healthy chick was injured with sticks being brought in on Sunday. The poor little one that was dying on 1 July does seem to have passed.
Did I say someone should have rescued this healthy first chick and fostered it? There is something ‘wrong’ with this female.
The second chick is lodged at an angle this morning in Newfoundland. Hope is feeding it but it appears to have been injured with those stick movements. This nest is so sad – it makes you wonder about the female’s presence of mind.
The Mum at MN-Landscape Arboretum sure likes to eat her fish, too. I wonder what that 21 year old male thinks??? The female is doing better and she is shading the chick much of the time as well as feeding. It is extremely hot in our region (32 C in Winnipeg and this nest is about 8 hours south of me). The wee two week old is losing its down and getting its black oily head and turning into a Reptile. Oh, I so hope this baby survives!
There is good news coming in my mailbox about Soledad from ‘SP’. “Soledad slept on the rotunda across from City Hall and then flew to the top of an apartment building this morning, where her parents met her for breakfast. By all counts, so far, she’s a strong flyer. Now talons crossed that she avoids all those mirrored buildings downtown.” ‘B’ reports that Soledad was brought back to the area around the natal nest and that it is quite hot in San Jose. After a bit of a loaf, she was running along the ledge and flying off. Hopefully, she saw one of the parents with prey! The latest report from ‘B’: “At 8:10:10 pm that Soledad took off. About a minute and a half later, a falcon landed on the ledge where she took off, and I thought at first she was back — juvie coloring — but I think it was Monty, because I saw no bands. He stood there for a few minutes, scanning about, then took off in the direction Soledad departed.” Like ‘B’, I hope that there was prey being delivered by Hartley and that all three are together at night. Here is a video of Soledad’s adventures on Sunday.
‘SP’ and I have also been keeping a worried eye on the Evergy third hatch. It “hopped/flew to the roof above his perch. I did not see it happen, only the resulting move of the camera. I learned about his move when I inquired on their FB page. They said the camera angle was changed “in case he passes by the area”. What? I reviewed yesterday’s stream and just reviewed it again. I did not hear or see any sign of him.” ‘SP’ and I strongly felt that this chick should have been taken into care early on and wrote and wrote when the others fledged. No one seemed to care! How sad is that?
At the Patchogue nest on Sunday, Dad was fishing overtime. Lots of fish coming on the nest. Little Mini gets fed some and misses out on others but the nest is so civil! All four are doing well because these parents work so hard for them. Just look at the four today. It is worth noting that Little Mini is continuing to grow and with lots of fish she could easily be as big as 3 if she is not already. Having trouble recognising her? She is the third from the right, nearest the rim of the nest.
‘M’ writes that there was a milestone at the nest today. Big had a fish and walked away when it was full and Mini went over and ate the rest, self-feeding. Then Mum came and fed Mini a fish! Excellent news. Looks like we are going to have four fledges at this amazing nest. — Mini had lots of feedings on Sunday, too, including 0801.
Mini self feeding.
Mini on the far right but being fed some fish, too.
Mum feeding Mini.
There is so much fish and so much wing-flapping on the Patchogue nest on Sunday that it is hard to keep up!
At least two have fish, Mini look directly at us from the back.
Mini continued to get fed, continued to self-feed, and was finding scraps in the side of the nest. What a character – and a survivor. Always alert now for opportunities for fish in case she gets locked out from the Bigs.
Mini finds a fish tail in the rim of the nest.
Mum feeds Mini again.
Lots of flapping from the older siblings. Look at the wing span on this one and those long skinny legs…my bet would be a male despite the necklace (yes, some males do have necklaces) – and some females leave their nests and do not return when terrible things happen but are not dead – as my friend ‘T’ reminded me today. Think Florence at Captiva.
Mini self-feeding. Good night Mini…Your tail is getting longer. You are growing…we never thought we would see this day and that is why we are paying so much attention to you – a fourth hatch!
All three osplets at Boulder County Fair Grounds are getting their beautiful juvenile plumage. All three are thriving – and again we thank the wonderful work of these two adults. They have consistently made sure that the smaller third hatch was fed.
The fish are small and slow to arrive but the only chick at Cowlitz PUD is still doing alright.
The three osplets at Dunrovin Ranch are doing splendidly.
Betsy feeding her three ‘great big’ chicks at the Outerbanks 24/7 nest. She doesn’t mind and remember, it always allows the females to have some fish, too.
There are so many three chick nests this year! The ones at Alyth SSEN substation are starting to flap their wings and get some air. The nest is too high for ringing, sadly. These are sure beautiful birds.
Two beautiful big Bobs of Dylan and Seren. This is one of my favourite nests. I love how the Reservoir is stocked – yes, probably more those fishing but, I would like to think it is for the wildlife, too. Much ask John Williams unless someone knows.
Dylan and his first mate (he ousted the very popular Dai Dot), Delyth, from 2016-2020 have had 4 chicks return. They were KS7 and KS8 (both 2018) and KA6 and KA7 (both 2019). Dylan and Seren have been together for three years, 2020-23) and they have had 2 of their chicks return, 550 and 551 (both 2020). Of those six returns, four were male and two were female. Thanks, John Williams for your great blog and all those stats!
Idris and Telyn have two beautiful chicks at Dyfi, too – another favourite couple. Idris replaced Monty at Dyfi in 2020. There were sightings of his 2020 chick Teifi KC6 in Santander, Spain in 2022 but the chick has not been seen in Wales. This does not mean that others have not returned. They have to have verified sightings to be recorded. Many males do return to their natal nest.
That chick of Louis and Dorcha continues to amuse. What a feisty independent osplet!
It looks like ‘H’ has some good reports for the nests she is monitoring today!
“Barnegat Light – This little family of three is doing quite well. There has not been a name announced as yet for 09/N, who is 33 days old on 7/3.”
“Audrey, Tom, and the Babe at Kent Island had a good day. Tom delivered 5 fish that I saw. I wonder if the youngster will be given a name? Three weeks old on 7/3.”
“Severna Park – Life is good. Oscar and Olivia are great providers for their two good looking kids, ages 56 and 55 days on 7/3. There’s a lot of wingersizing taking place on that nest.”
H loves the foster at Patuxent! “I can’t say enough about this young foster Osplet. She was placed in this nest by park personnel on 6/29. Her behavior is unique to this viewer. ‘Foster’ is so polite and reserved. I would love to have known the dynamics between her and her siblings at her nest on the “tower” from which she was rescued. Perhaps she was an only ‘child’. Dad delivered a fish at 1828 on 7/2, and they had not eaten for about 5 hours. ‘Foster’ looked just as eager as the others when the fish arrived, and for a brief second, it looked as though she might take the fish from Mom, but she didn’t. We have seen her self-feed. Instead, ‘Foster’ stood patiently and stoically on the rim and watched Mom feed her own two kids. It’s almost as if ‘Foster’ wants to respect her hosts, by not being intrusive, but of course we cannot ascribe those thoughts to her. Typically the fish brought to this nest are huge, but this fish wasn’t that large. In the end, ‘Foster’ only received a few bites, and that was the last fish of the day. I felt a little sorry for her, but she did eat two nice meals earlier in the day.’Foster’ often flaps and exercises her wings, and manages to get a little lift. She is almost able to go from rim to rim. But, ‘Foster’ is a big girl, and she has a lot of weight to lift.”
Foster fledged at 08:26:24! Congratulations!
“The Forsythe nest of Oscar, Opal, and their two surviving kids are doing great. There were at least five fish that I saw. Opal brought in a huge live fish at 0934 that lasted for three long meals. What a Gal! The kids are 42 and 41 days old.”
It was a rainy day at the Boathouse nest for Dory, Skiff, and little Skipper. Skipper sought his/her Mom’s protection from the weather, but Dory can no longer cover her growing nestling. Skipper is 23 days old on 7/3.”
This year is particularly interesting at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. Normally, Big Red does not like to feed her fledglings at the natal nest. This year, with the construction across the street, she is delivering more prey there. The little one was on the nest when she arrived at 13:29:50 and mantled quickly but was accosted by what appears to be its oldest sibling. Big Red took note of who got the prey and quickly left the scene.
Maria Mariko reports that history has been made in Poland. Seven Black Storks have been ringed and fitted with trackers.
We always worry about fledglings. Always. We watch the eggs, we wait up for the hatch, we bite our nails when there are problems, we cry, we jump for joy, and then they fledge – and we often do not see the fledglings or hear them. Two other nests with recent fledges are the Decorah Hatchery and the Cornell RTHs, who we know are safe from the posting above.
DH2 has been located.
‘A’ reports on the Sydney Eagle nest of Dad and Lady: “Dad is presumably doing fine at this stage, as he is hunting normally and doing his incubation shifts. July 3; a few possum visits in the night, Lady up and down many times, but eggs uncovered for only short times. Early duet as usual & Dad relieved her at 6:40. After a flight away she finished off the fish leftover from last evening. During the day both were in and out a lot, but eggs only uncovered briefly. Dad brought in a coot just after 2pm, which he plucked & de-gutted away from the nest, ate most himself & brought her a few scraps. By dusk, both were settled for the night as usual. Today she spent slightly longer on the eggs than he did As per the report, Lady did longer on the nest than Dad today, which is unusual, but she is probably doing a bit of hunting for herself at this stage until Dad is 100% again. He can still do a perfectly good job of sitting on the eggs, even with an injured leg. I have not seen any signs of injury over the weekend, so let us hope that all is now well.”
Sadly, another bird with fishing line and hook. Do you ever just wonder how many there are that die with this situation – never seen? How sad that we cannot find a way to clean up the shores and all the dead trees in the water and rid the waterways of human debris.
Oh, my goodness, P20 shows up at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest to get some food from Mum today!
The only surviving eaglet at the Fort Vrain Bald Eagle nest in Colorado fledged today. Congratulations!
Thank you so very much for being with me today. All of the UK nests are doing fantastic! While I continue to worry about Little Mini at Patchogue, I am much more optimistic that this survivor will fledge. The worrisome nests are Newfoundland Power and MN Landscape at the moment. So rest assured that the nests are doing well, some better than others. Having a good location is key. Having a good location with a stocked source of fish is paramount to success. So send your best wishes to all the nests. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, SP, T’, Newfoundland Power, MN-Landscape, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall Ospreys, PSEG, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Cowlitz PUD, Dunrovin, Outerbanks 24/7, Alyth SSEN, CarnyXWild, John Williams, Dyfi, Geemeff and The Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Cornell RTH, Maria Marika, Laura Rose and Decorah Eagles love nest, Kathleen Moore and Nor Cal Birding, Pix Cams, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Kent Island, Severna Park, Patuxent River Park I, Forsythe Ospreys, Explore/Audubon, Sydney Sea Eagles, and Fort St Vrain.
Friday was tough. A GHO wiped out a nest of 37-34 day old osplets at Moraine Park, PA, beginning around 0135. What a tragedy. These three were doing fantastic. When the totals come in for the season, how high will the percentage be for predation by raptors? It hit me hard…because I enter those deaths three times: here in the blog, on the Memorial Wall, and in the data forms. I am ‘sick and tired’ of entering ‘Died’. To top it off, a feral cat took one of the baby Blue Jays that got too low…Not a good morning so I cannot promise you that this blog will be even intelligent today! Apologies beforehand.
Other good news…The Tom and Angel mugs arrived today and they are cute and super. Coffee in them tonight! Thanks Windows to Wildlife for the fundraiser to upgrade your camera for this beautiful RTH family in Tennessee. Tom brought Deyani a lovely meal today. She must perch and watch for the adults to fly in with prey. Deyani was hot on Dad’s heels.
The other good news is that two other things arrived in the post. One were some new window markers. With the fledgling Blue Jays it is not too soon- and all the fledgling sparrows and now little Crows – to redo all the squiggles. Remember to always put the decals and do the window painting on the OUTSIDE – not the inside of the windows. The other was David Gessner’s new book, A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World. Gessner inspired me by his early books on Ospreys along the Cape and to travel to Cuba to see the Osprey migration over the mountains in September which I hope to do soon.
The really good news is that Mini did eat – and she is not being so aggressive today. Hunger can change a chick’s behaviour. If they think they are dying they have nothing to lose if they attack to test their chances. Mini even wound up with a crop today. That was a fantastic lift to the spirits!
‘R’ sent me a running list of events at Patchogue for which I am terribly grateful. It was a busy day today and I could not keep up. Please read this carefully there are a couple of surprises in there.
“Here is what has happened so far today. 0556 – Mini working on scrapes. 0627- 0638- Mum pulls out a large chunk of fish and feeds Mini over 100 bites! Nothing left for the Bigs. 0853-0857 – Mini and 3 are fed by Mum. Both get equal portions. 1201 – large fish delivered but Mum sits on perch while Bigs eat the whole fish. Nothing for Mini. Despite this she has a nice crop in the afternoon. 1549 – Big stands up and has been laying on a large fish! Can’t find when it was delivered, but Mini gets nothing, nor do 2 or 3.1606 – Bigs eating away. Mini watches. 1728 – Dad delivers another fish. Mini and 3 watching as 1 and 2 gorge themselves!” Now follow the images below and see what happens at 1741. Thanks so much, ‘R’ – so grateful for your eyes on this nest.
Mini has a crop at 0950.
1015. Mini eating. Mini is on the right side of Mum and had a good 14 minute feed.
1137: Nice crop.
1233. Big got the next fish. Mini did not get any.
‘3’ got the 1738ish fish. Mini would like some fish.
‘R’ reports: “1741. Mini eating from tail of large fish while 2 eats from head. Still going strong at 1756! Sneaky!” That is so brilliant of our Little Mini.
The other good news is that with the sibling rivalry happening in the Borders nest, Juno, the female, took matters into her own hands and went. fishing. Read this blog post. It will give you a smile because now there is hope that the third hatch will survive. Way to go Juno!
Then Jackie and Shadow were up in Big Bear and that couple lives on hope..the failed seasons and then the beautiful eaglet, like Spirit. They make me happy and help the sad go away!!! This couple loses brood after brood to crows and DNH and yet they continue to love one another and are now at the nest waiting for the next season. Let us all hope it is a good one for them!
‘MP’ wrote to me about the MN Landscape Arboretum nest and the band on the male. We could tell a certain alphanumeric. ‘MP’ went on to find this information. “Black MS – was banded in 2002 at the nest off of Kings Point Road just north of HWY 7 and Carver Park Reserve in Hennepin County.” The only other possibilities were bands with combinations of green and black so it appears that the male at this nest is 21 years old. Is this a new female? I wish we knew more. As a male he would certainly know what to do after surviving for more than two decades —- that just makes me happy and washes some of the sadness of the day away. Thank you ‘MP’.
Mum has fed and shaded the little one better today. The grassy materials brought in are not flying away either but hardly any sticks are staying on the nest. This couple needs a pile of nesting material! But, just seeing this chick alive today is good. Very good.
Twin Cities Metro was really happy with the National Arboretum nest today too, so she went to check on another nest. Please read it all..you will recognise yourself in that post.
Our ‘not so little’ Cowlitz chick is doing well. Please, please let those metal grids hold so that this nest is not attacked by the eagles and this baby taken. If this works, every nest should put up similar grids. We would then not lose 3 precious babies to a GHO at Moraine, or at Lake Murray…well, I could go on and on.
Geemeff wonders if ospreys can have a brain freeze? Do birds go crazy? or have fogs? What is up with Elen when she repeatedly attacks Aran at Glaslyn? I am bewildered by it all. Aran was just sitting on the perch minding his own business.
I am so upset with Patuxent River Park that has the osprey nests. These are the reasons that I will not promote this nest at all in any of my blogs next year and I urge people to boycott their streaming cam.
First, Patuxent nest 2 was the site of tourist boat encroaching in the area of the nest that left the adult birds stressed and away from the chicks for several hours. Then the third hatch on Patuxent 1 was ill (lack of food?) and placed in another nest where it died the following day. Now why was this chick not taken to rehab and then returned to a nest – either its own or another? That was 1 June. The chick died on June 2.
But this is really getting to me. Yesterday, nest 1 received a foster chick from a nearby tower with its Darvic ring and metal band. Today, they ringed the two chicks from nest 1 – Big and Middle. The individuals retrieving the chicks out of the nest did not cover them with anything. Instead – well, you can see the images but because the chicks were stressed, their bodies were ‘yanked’. If the chicks had been covered with a cloth, they could have been removed easily. We have seen this many times – at Barnegat Light recently and at Dale Hollow when DH18 was rescued. Oh, but that wasn’t all – the bangers caused the forced fledge of the foster chick.
Removing second chick for ringing. Why not a towel to cover them so they are not frightened? And ouch! Geez. I don’t want anyone grabbing me like that.
At the end of the ringing, as is customary, no fish were placed on the nest. Seriously they can probably hear me screaming in Maryland.
Foster chick returned wet. I am sure that you can come to your own conclusions but I prefer slow, kind, and compassionate when dealing with our raptors.
The female at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Osprey platform is a sweetie.
The Outer Banks is doing great….I wonder how many of these amazing nests have GHOs around?
Oyster Bay continues to thrive.
The WDNU Tower camin South Bend, Indiana, is back on line. This is the nest where two chicks died on the 14th of June for unknown reasons. Then the camera was taken offline so viewers did not see the dead bodies…they are now more incorporated into the nest and the third chick is thriving. It is the oldest and has been named Huey. This is wonderful news.
The two chicks at Island Beach, NJ have been banded by Ben Wurst. They are Red 24N and Red 25N. They are part of the RedBand Project which is “A citizen-science based banding and re-sighting project on Barnegat Bay that is menat to engage locals and visitors to the New Jersey coast in osprey management and conservation.”
It is worth posting what NJ is doing and why this project is so important. Here is the information from the website so that you can see how funding cuts can lead to citizen science.
Ospreys have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey. Over the past 40 years we have seen the population grow from only 53 pairs in 1973 to over 700 in 2022! Over that same time funding needed for their management has declined. Today their population is not in jeopardy of being extirpated as it was in the early 1970s. As funding is being directed towards species that are in decline, we move to utilize our citizen scientists and volunteers to help monitor and manage the population.
To help engage citizen scientists and for the first time in over 20 years, young ospreyshave been marked with an auxiliary band in New Jersey. The new band, which is a red anodized aluminum rivet band bears an alpha-numeric code. This allows birders, osprey watchers and wildlife photographers the ability to identify these individual birds by their bands — when they are alive!
This new project is being focused on ospreys that nest in the Barnegat Bay watershed from Point Pleasant south to Little Egg Harbor. The main goals of the project are to engage the public in osprey management and conservation along the Jersey Shore. At the same time, while collecting data from re-sightings, we will learn about their dispersal, foraging habits, site fidelity, migration routes, and their life span.
Project Redband
#4 Finland: All three accounted for – and doing well.
#3 Empty. Let us hope that there is a couple and chicks here in 2024.
#5 LS: Two chicks only. Doing fine.
Nest #3 in Finland appears so lonely after the Mum was killed and one chick died with the other two taken into care. Likewise South Cape May Meadows, lost the male and all three osplets during the extreme weather system that hung over the area. The camera is back on. No one home. No, I was wrong. ‘H’ tells me that Hera visited yesterday. It must be so sad for her – no mate, no chicks. Zeus has been missing since the storm and did not return like Duke at Barnegat Light.
‘H’ reports that all is well at FortisExshaw near Canmore, Alberta: “Another good day. The older two chicks, (both aged 12 days on 6/30) have been climbing up to the edge of the nest cup and checking out the local landscape. I observed two feedings. Louise always makes sure that ‘Little’ gets fed (age 10 days). There was a little bonking squabble between the three nestlings in the morning that appeared to have been started by Little. There was no parent on the nest at the time. When Louise landed, Little scooted right up to her and appeared to be explaining his innocence, lol.”
The following reports also come from ‘H’-
“Osoyoos: The little chicks are doing well, ages 4 and 3 days on 6/30. Egg #3 will be 37 days on 7/1.”
“Severna Park: Lots of flapping going on, with a little lift!. Ages 53 and 52 days on 6/30.”
“Dahlgren: Those two Osplets are doing great, and they are practicing their wingers (especially ‘Big’). Ages 43 and 39 days on 6/30”.
‘Forsythe: Things have really settled down at this nest. The fish are usually small, but they are plentiful. There were 11 fish delivered to the nest. The siblings are 39 and 38 days old on 6/30.”
“Barnegat Light: Duke, Daisy, and their surviving chick are doing quite well. I just can’t quite get some of the recent sadness out of my mind, and am still grateful that Duke was able to make it back after the storm. We tend to take the adults for granted . . until one day they don’t return. Oh, and Duke loves the new perch installed by Ben! ‘Big’ is 30 days old on 6/30, and no name has been given to Big as yet.”
“Kent Island: Tom continues to provide for his family and delivered five fish that I saw. Tom and Audrey’s only chick is 18 days old, and lovin’ life on the Bay.”
“Audubon Boathouse: Dory and Skiff’s 20 day old nestling is also lovin’ life on the Bay!”
Thanks, ‘H’. So grateful for your monitoring these nest and your daily reports!
Now what is happening in the world of storks?
The three storklets in the nest in Tukums, Latvia are growing so much they could become confused with the adults soon.
Karl II and Kaia are keeping close watch on their three storklets in Estonia.
The four storklets of Bety and Bukacek will definitely be ready for fledging and migration. They are big and strong.
Dmitri’s fostered storklet is doing wonderfully.
Checking on that nest of Imperial Eagles in Tartan Russia…both have survived, and they are getting so big.
There is so much prey on the nest of Golden eagles Lucina and Caliman in Romania. This chick is very lucky.
Ventana Wildlife has released the recording of the June 2023 Zoom chat on the state of California Condors. Have a listen.
Suzanne Arnold Horning found the Ms around the Cornell Campus Friday night. Gosh, she must have a ‘hawk eye’. They are doing fine and so very grateful for that protective curtain on that glass building and walkway that a few have hit and injured themselves or died. It is important that humans be pro-active in caring for our wildlife.
This is the latest update on the Sydney Sea Eagles from them but ‘A’ tells me that while Dad is flying he still seems to be unsteady on those legs:
There is also a worrisome update about Tuffy, the RTH in the Eagle’s nest. It sounds like the eagles are starting to think that Tuffy is prey.
The latest edition of the Journal of Raptor Research – volume 57, no 2, June 2023- is all about kestrels. I love them but know little about them. The stated fact is that there is a “widespread, long-term decline of American Kestrels that persists across North America” (152). The studies were attempting to discover the causes. They include an increase in Cooper’s Hawks, habitat loss, habit loss while nesting, the emergence of anthropods and grasshoppers, rodenticides, the use of neonicotinoids, and climate change. For my purposes, the study that Claudio and I and ‘H’ are conducting studies just Ospreys. The predation by other raptors is of real concern – more than twice the number of chicks killed by predators than siblicide. We will know after all the chicks have migrated, but it is becoming worrisome.
Want to see some nest repairs? Check out what is happening in the Kistachie Forest, home to the nest of Anna and Louis, Alex and Alexandria.
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Today is Canada Day and the Fourth of July is coming up along with Bank Holidays and all other celebrations as summer begins so take care. I hope that you live in an enlightened community and are not having fireworks as they do so much damage and stress out the urban wildlife…See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, reports, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, Geemeff, MP, R’, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife, PSEG, Border Ospreys, FOBBV, MN Landscape Arboretum, Twin Cities Metro Osprey News, Cowlitz, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Patuxent River Part, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Outerbanks 24/7, WDNU, Island Beach, Project Redband, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Severna Park, Dahlgren, Forsythe, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Audubon/Explore, Latvian Fund for Nature, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlady Buky, Dmitri Storks, Imperial Eagle Cam, Bocina Wildlife, Ventana Wildlife, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Sydney Eagle Cam, Nor Cal Birding, Tonya Irving and the US Forest Services, and JRR.
Did you miss June? It seems to have flown by. In Canada, school holidays are beginning. The nature centres will be full of young people learning about their environment, kayaking and canoeing, and, of course, the dreaded ‘fishing’. Still, we want them outside appreciating what Mother Nature offers and learning how to be good stewards of the land. If fishing increases the need for stocked ponds albeit with cleaning up line and hooks and using non-lead equipment or if duck hunting helps create more wetlands and places for the waterfowl, then I can live with that…not my best option but better than the alternative.
It is hot and humid and there is going to be rain today. That is grand. We need it. The rivers in the city are very low. There could even be a thunderstorm which means that Lewis will be quite anxious. And guess what? They were right. We had dark swirling clouds and a heavy and longish downpour. The garden turned even more emerald green than it was and the flowers perked up. The squirrels and Blue Jays have planted sunflowers everywhere. I had no idea that they could root in almost no soil…I will get some photos for you. Last year there were a few and in the fall the birds ate the seeds! Oh, it was magnificent. I love my ‘Gone to the Birds’ garden.
Missey and Lewis have been helping with the flower arrangement. They seem to prefer the asymmetrical look.
Of course, when I came to check they were snuggled up in the chair together not saying who did what! Precious rescue kittens. We are starting our 9th month together. According to Missey’s file, she will be a year old around the middle of July while Lewis will be a year old the following month.
One of Dyson’s babies. Isn’t it sweet?
Everyone was busy eating before and after the storm.
I am having a fun dinner party for an old friend that I have not seen in so many years…so I am starting early on Thursday and today’s blog will be much shorter than normal.
Let’s get started with Little . Of the four chick nests, there are now only a couple that still have four chicks and I want to be confident in Mini fledgling. It is looking better every day. Did Mini get the breakfast fish? That has to be the question for every day. The answer is YES! Mini ate for ten minutes from 0521-31 until Big took the fish. Mini was pecking at the leftovers at 0646. Another fish lands on that nest at 0825, and Little Mini is being fed until at least 0839 – Mini is sleeping with the bones at 0902, no doubt concealing that precious fish from the big siblings. Another giant fish lands on the nest at 0954. A Big Sib is trying to self-feed but is not having much luck unzipping that hard-headed fish…I have no worries that Mini will find a way to get some fish, even if it is scraps from that fish.
Loving how Mini is looking so healthy and standing up strong. Mini can move around the nest really quick too especially if there is fish.
Mini found scraps. Mini can self-feed better than Big!
Mini being fed from the 0825 fish. Chick 1 is really an enormous female. Just look at the size of that bird. We have to be thankful that Dad really kept the fish coming on the nest so the chicks never felt that there was a severe issue with food, Mum looks out for Mini. Wondered about that for a couple of days but, yes, Mini gets its fish. The big first hatch is a gentle soul. We have fretted over Mini but for a nest with four chicks in an urban area this has been an incredible experience.
If there is fish around, Mini is lurking or standing right up front. I don’t know how many scraps Mini got of the 0954 fish, but he was right up front when the 1137 fish landed. The kid ate, ate, and wound up with a nice big crop that could still be seen at 1346. Now Mini is funny. There was some leftover fish, and at 1250, Mini decided to cover it up under him! Clever. Love this little osplet…let us continue to hope that he survives (this has to be the world’s tiniest female or a tiny, tiny male).
1147: Mini having a great big feed. Way to go Mum!
1220: Mini ‘sniffing out’ the fish that one of the Bigs has. Mini will later hide that fish.
“If I just get up close and slide my wing over this piece of fish those big siblings will never miss it!”
“Fish? What fish?”
Look at Mini sitting up tall with its big clown feet. That sure does look like some necklace developing on Mini!
20:43. Mini is eating scraps off the nest…did we say ‘SURVIVOR’? This is from the 2018 fish…it is raining.
Our beautiful Mini with the skinny neck tonight…watch this one change. The chick behind Mini to the right has long legs like a male. Looks like 3. The other one to the left has thick stocky legs like a female.
Mini’s tail is growing.
Thursday morning did not start well for Mini. It missed the breakfast fish which was taken by one of the Bigs (#2). Mini found some old fish skin and was pulling on it. His crop is sunken…let us wish for a lot of fish today.
There is growing concern over the fate of the 21 year old male White-Bellied Sea Eagle, Dad, from the Sydney Olympic Park nest. He had two falls and has not been seen in more than 22 hours. Lady is incubating two eggs.
The latest reports on Dad are: “12:45pm BOTH eagles have been seen and heard – flying and duet. Ground obs have not been able to get a good look at Dad, other than he is flying ok. He had been high up in a tree not too far from nest when they started looking.” THEN: “1:30pm – Dad returned to nest, he is currently incubating. He doesn’t seem himself. While he remains in the treetops there is nothing we can do but monitor.” Gosh, isn’t this a relief! I hope Lady gets some much needed food.
More dual feedings at the Boulder County Fair Grounds – thank you, Dad. This nest is doing well because these two adults work so well together to make sure all three – including that little third – get fed. It reminds me of some of the UK nests in that regard. Lots of fish came on this nest today and everyone ate very well.
Deyani is growing up and she brought prey to her nest – and Tom and Angel’s – on the 27th. Growing up successfully!
Mum at Mn Landscape Arboretum fed the chick at 0551 and 0956. Much of the time Mum stands at the edge and eats – seemingly waiting for the wee one to come over. I was glad to see that twice Mum went to the chick. Maybe. Hard to hope.
‘M’ has noticed a ring on the male at this nest. If you are watching, keep an eye and please let me know if you get all the numbers. We know there is an MS or M5. Thank you. This pair have tried to bring in sticks and the minute they get on the nest, they fly off. I hope they bring some more fish. This wee one needs to be shaded and brooded! It does not have its thermal down so it can regulate its temperature…asking for small miracles.
From the observers of the MN LA nest:
The camera remains offline at Bridges Golf. This image is from Tuesday.
Lots of fish coming to the Boulder County Fair Grounds nest today. Everyone is eating well!
Slow fish delivery at Cowlitz PUD but…the little one got a good feed.
The chick, however, continues to have a hollow crop meaning it is hungry. Dad brought in a little mud puppy, but Mum is so hungry she might eat it all – her crop is hollow, too. It is regrettable…I wonder how many eagles are in the area taking Dad’s fish.
Boy, if we could only FedEx some of that nice fish at Seaside up to Cowlitz. Goodness.
Oyster Bay is great.
There had been some concern for Tom as in Tom and Audrey on Kent Island but ‘H’ reports that “Tom arrived with a large fish around 0630, some 20 hours after the last fish. Our view of the actual feeding was blocked, but you can see that the chick’s crop after the meal was much improved. Audrey and her baby polished off that entire fish!” That is excellent news.
At the Patuxent 1 nest, ‘H’ reports: “We will never know why the chicks appeared so starved the other day when the live stream returned. It was days after the stormy weather had passed. But all is well at this nest. There were 5 large fish delivered that I saw.”
At FortisExshaw, the report is good. ” Jasper delivered 5 good sized fish that I saw. And there were also feedings from leftovers. The kids do not seem to mind eating leftovers, lol.”
Everything’s settling down at Forsythe! Thank goodness. ‘H’ counted ten feedings with Middle sometimes getting to eat alone! What a turn around. Food security is back.
‘H’ has also been monitoring the Osoyoos nest and says no pip seen in the third egg and the other two chicks are doing well.
All of the other nests -Severna Park, Dahlgren, Boathouse, and Barnegat Light-are reported by ‘H’ as doing well.
A 19 year old male Osprey is getting much needed help at A Place Called Hope, one of my favourite rehab centres in Connecticut. Send all your positive energy his way! He has a family somewhere…let us hope his mate can care for the kids and that those osplets are old enough to leave so she can go fishing.
The ‘Grey’ Storklets are thriving in Germany.
M3 is still in the nest at Cornell and has not fledged yet. Big Red brought meals for M3. Meanwhile, Big Red and Arthur are making food drops and feeding M1 and M2 over on Rice.
Ferris Akel is on the Cornell Campus with Big Red and family on the day that M1 fledged, a week ago:
‘A’ reports on Diamond and Xavier’s scrape in Orange: “At Orange, there is a lot of bonding behaviour occurring, with Xavier bringing prey for Diamond (whether or not she ends up eating it is another question – her crop was HUGE this morning when she arrived in the scrape) and the pair of them having undisturbed bonding in the scrape twice today. Xavier is looking particularly healthy this season. Diamond is SO much larger than Xavier. She does look like a grand dame. I do hope they don’t have more than two chicks this year, and a spoiled only chick is quite okay with us. Diamond is getting older and we don’t want to see her overly stressed by parenting. She is a gorgeous bird and many people love her dearly. She is definitely approaching old age in wild peregrine terms, so we do worry about her. At least, I do.”
Things are so much better at the nest of Karl II and Kaia. The storklets are big and healthy with all the good little fish and frogs that are coming in.
The White Storks in Tukums, Latvia are also doing so well. What a relief for everyone.
We should all be concerned about the ocean and its fish and the need for their protection for all of the wildlife that depend on the seas. Birdlife International discusses this and the need for protections – as well as the UK and the EU working together.
The wildfires from Canada that have been spreading acrid smoke have cost the environment.
Did you know that British Columbia has more Bald Eagles than anywhere else? Yes, that American symbol loves living in Canada – for the salmon! Hancock Wildlife has a couple of new eaglets with names. They have not fledged yet. Check out their camera and all the timely things that Hancock is doing – including building eagle nests with shade features and fighting the removal of eagle nests from parking lots.
Please remember to put out water for the birds and wildlife. You never know who might come to thank you.
Ringing continues to take place on the UK nests. I’ll let you know more about that as information comes in. BTW. How are you doing trying to cut plastic out of your life? It isn’t easy…I hope you won’t give up.
Thank you so much for being with me today as I touched on just a few nests that ‘H’ and I have been monitoring. Please take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to create the content for my blog today: ‘A, H’, PSEG, Se McGregor and the Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Boulder County Fair Grounds Osprey, Lady Hawk and Window to Wildlife, MN Landscape Arboretum, Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, Bridge Golf Course Ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside Ospreys, Kent Island, Patuxent River Park, Osoyoos, Forsythe, A Place Called Hope, @CornellHawks, @ProfBillMcGuire, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Liznm and Must-Toonekurg, Latvian Fund for Nature, The Guardian, Ferris Akel, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Janice Betts and UK Bird Lovers, BirdLife International, and Frank Neufang.
Gosh, it was rainy and cool and just a lovely day. The vines that grow every year increasing the depth over the woodboxes, are having a tremendous growth spurt. The heat, humidity, and recent rains have contributed nicely. These are also where the birds have their nests, hide from predators, and escape from the rain and snow. Right now, the depth is about 45 cm or 18 inches – reminds me of the Sparrows living in the base of Mini’s nest at Patchogue.
Thought for the Day:
First up there are heat waves everywhere but the southern US is getting hit hard. Please leave out water for all the animals and birds and remember to change it and add fresh cool water often! Please feed the birds if you can.
Today was a better day for the nests on the streaming cams. Because of that, I include other news of birds that we might have forgotten with all the recent trauma.
We have an excellent update on Connick, who is in care at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida. Just look at this handsome boy. Thank you, Audubon, for taking such good care of Connick and feeding him those tasty non-fish meals he loves so much! Just think…an eagle in Florida that doesn’t like fish. That is too funny.
Oh, it is always good to have some interesting news in Bird World and today’s news comes from ‘T’ about a pair of storks in Germany. “When the white stork Heinrich and his new partner, a black stork, moved into the nest on a meadow belonging to Wolfgang Schulze in Lüder two months ago, an ornithological sensation was in the offing. In the meantime, this has become a joyful certainty. About a month ago, two young storks were born, and now an expert has ringed the animals, which could symbolically be called “grey storks”.”
Speaking of storks, there is a stork in a location that is entirely unexpected.
More good news from that Eagle nest in Redding, California that has the foster Red-tail Hawk. The female had been a little aggressive towards Tuffy and there was fear that Tuffy might become the next meal. Well, things are fine! Here is the latest report:
I honestly don’t know if it is good news or not…The female at the MN Landscape Arboretum nest has fed her only surviving osplet Tuesday morning. Poor little thing. What a horrible nest and a parent that appears young and so inexperienced.
Another feeding later. Do we dare hope?
Little Mini at Patchogue got some early fish and then was shut out. It has been going around the nest finding scraps and eating. It found an old piece, not too bad, at 1335 and yanked it out of the nest material and ate it. Our baby is very hungry but it reminds me of Tiny Tot Tumbles at Achieva in 2021. That chick ate old bones – anything it could find – and she survived. So send good thoughts to our dear Mini.
Well, Mini was determined to eat and wasn’t going to let anyone stop her. The fish arrived at 1555 and she was fed until 1648! She ate the entire fish…the others had scraps from earlier fish they were feeding on or just not interested. Tears of joy!
Mini sees the fish.
Mini moves to the other side.
Our beautiful Mini.
Two osplets, nice and healthy hatches, from the Belleville, Ohio Osprey platform that was predated on the 24th of June and the second taken on the 25th of June. So sad.
I have missed telling you about Osoyoos. ‘H’ reported the first hatch to me yesterday (2 days + today) and now we have the second. Soo is an excellent experienced Mum and that second hatch was eating not long out of the shell! Let us all wish them cooler weather and more and bigger fish this year.
The three osplets at Boulder are hot but are getting fed nicely. Little is doing OK.
The two surviving osplets at the Bridges Golf Club are hungry.
Rain at Outerbanks but it doesn’t stop the fish coming to the nest.
Seaside is doing great!
Being an Only Bob can be a very good thing. The little one at Sandpoint is getting all the fish!
There are still two growing osplets at Collins Marsh in Wisconsin.
Great Bay is following its name – the chicks are doing ‘great’.
Patuxent 1 news from ‘H’: “The live stream came back online around 10:15 am, after being down for four days. The first fish came at 1458, a large whole fish. The Osplets both had hollow crops going into that feeding. Both chicks were very hungry, and Big displayed some dominance. There was nothing severe, but many times Big would stand tall and give Middle ‘the look’, and Middle would step aside. The feeding lasted from 1458 to 1542, and Middle only had a small crop after the meal. The next fish and feed 1627 to 1706. More dominance displays from Big. When Big finally quit eating at 1654, Middle had a decent meal. View was blocked, but I’m sure Middle’s crop was much bigger after that meal.” (There is later news below).
‘H’ is still watching the Forsythe situation carefully as Big is continuing aggression towards Middle. “Oscar was MIA for awhile and Opal brought in 2 fish on Tuesday.”
At Barnegat Light, ‘H’ reports: “Daisy managed to remove Middle’s body yesterday. We did not actually witness her doing so, the cam was focused on a close up of the chick at the time. When the cam zoomed back out, the body was not there, and Daisy was seen on the beach. Banding took place this morning at 0745. Red band 09/N on right leg. Ben (Conserve Wildlife NJ) also installed a new perch for the adults. Ben will come up with a name for the chick later today.”
‘H’ reports that both of the chicks at Severna Park are now self-feeding.
At Patuxent 1, ‘H’ says “Update from yesterday. After the cam came back on yesterday from being offline for 4 days, the chicks looked starved with hollow crops. I already reported on two fish seen yesterday. There was a later fish at 1830, a large partial fish brought by Dad. Dad waited a bit for Mom to return, but he eventually fed the two chicks. There was no aggression, although Big ate first. Both chicks had a nice meal. Mom returned later. And, Dad also delivered a huge headless fish at 2041 and again, both chicks were stuffed.”
At FortisExshaw, ‘H’ notes that “There were at least four large fish delivered that I saw, and at least three feedings from leftovers.”
All is well at the Boathouse…don’t we just love Little Skipper? Only Bob, healthy Bob. Thanks, ‘H’ for keeping an eye.
Blue NC0 sees Laddie flying in with the evening tea fish and she is calling and calling. The chicks are older and so excited and calling with Mum. All is good on the nest since the ringing.
Bonus and Waba are on the move and that direction is ‘North’! Just look at those Black Storks – just one year old – fly!
Our Manitoba Peregrine Falcon family has its Darvic rings.
We are so used to seeing human-made platforms for Ospreys that we forget what an osprey nest in the wild might look like. So here is the nest of Samson at the Borders in the UK.
The weather has not be conducive to getting lots of fish on the nest. Rosie Shields has some excellent images in her latest newsletter. Sadly, the weather has turned and Samson is having some difficulties getting fish on the nest resulting in some pecking by the older chick to the younger and some apprehension of the little one to get up and eat. Samson is working hard but there is also an intruder…oh, what a year this has been. Send this nest your good wishes.
The Borders nest reminds me of Iris’s Owl Pole. She has been having a rough time with all the intruders. Stay safe, Iris! On the 26th with one of her big catches. Dear Lady, we love you…
When we get down, remember that there are good people everywhere helping the raptors when they can.
Thank goodness, the Duke Farms nest collapsed after the two eaglets had fledged! There have been a number of nest collapses this breeding season. Goodness.
Big Red continues to bring prey to the nest for M3. Wondering what the ‘M’ is all about? In 2012 when the cam was installed, Big Red had already had a couple of successful years that were known. (She hatched in 2003 and has probably had chicks since 2005 or 2006). So they began with the letter ‘C’. We are now up to M for this season. Chicks are not named.
If you are a long-time reader of my blog, you will recall that I am highly interested in how ospreys do when admitted to care. There is a belief which seems erroneous that they do not do well. Last year in June, the female at the Emma Lake Pitkin County Open Space and Trails nest accidentally pulled the two chicks off. One died. One went into care.
This is the latest news I have seen on that chick that survived and went into care.
This year there are three osplets on that nest and they are doing fantastic.
Ron and Rose are still at the nest with their eaglets R4 and R5. Here is a glimpse of one interaction.
The membership fees for the Friends of Osprey (South Australia) are going to erect platforms all over the region. Several have gone up in the past month. Here is another. Many have had to rear their young on nests on the ground, which is highly susceptible to predation.
Newfoundland Power has two osplets! Send them your best wishes.
The Clark PUD chicks are entering the Reptile phase.
The third hatch at the Evergy Topeka Falcon scrape is making great progress in getting feathered. Adults are leaving prey items.
Six fish were delivered to the Crooked Lake Osprey nest today. Chicks are really looking good with those juvenile feathers.
The camera at Charlo Montana was hit by lightning but I can now report that there are two osplets. It appears that the hatch dates were the 14 and 16 of June.
Those two beautiful Glaslyn chicks of Aran and Elen have been ringed and have names. The first hatch is a big female at 1910 grams. She is Blue 7B3 and is named Cennen. The second hatch is a male weighing 1515 grams and is named Seiont.
Thank you so much for being with me today. So many nests, never enough time! Take care of yourself…see you soon! And remember – head outside and listen for the birds.
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘H, T’, Anthony Douglas Williams, The Guardian, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Maria Marika FB, Michael Winger and Polar Educators International, Doug Gillard and Nor Cal Birding, MN Landscape Arboretum, PSEG, Osoyoos Ospreys, Boulder Fair Grounds ospreys, Bridge Golf Club, Outerbanks 24/7, Seaside Ospreys, Sandpoint ospreys, Great Bay Ospreys, Patuxent River Park 1, Forsythe Ospreys, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Severna Park, Patuxent River Park, Fortis Exshaw, Audubon Boathouse, Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Dennis Swayze and MB Birding, Rosie Shields and The Borders, Montana Osprey Project, Celia Aliengirl and Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, The Patch, Cornell RTH, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Heidi McGrue and the WRDC, Colin Phil Cook and Friends of ospreys Sth Bus, Newfoundland Power, Clark PUD, Evergy Topeka, Crooked Lake Ospreys, and Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn.
It is a hot and humid day on the Canadian Prairies. The Blue Jays were out early wanting peanuts and cool water in the bird bath. It is 26 C but feels much hotter and the heat means no visits to the nature centre today.
We need so much to be able to have a good laugh and today, as Geemeff said to me, we require some madness after all the sadness. We have it thanks to Louis, Dorcha, and a stick.
Now to start with some nests that are just a wee bit of a worry alongside a few that are simply tragic – Bridges Golf and MN Landscape. Many are thriving.
A video of a feeding Monday at Cowlitz PUD. ‘B’ and I are wondering why so few large fish are in this nest. A letter has gone out making enquiries and we are so grateful that a reply has come back from Amanda -Here it is, “Thank you for your interest in the OspreyCam. This nest is located on a slough off of the Columbia River. The male osprey could be fishing in the slough area and not in the river. There are quite a few bald eagles in the area that may be stealing their larger catches as well. Fish numbers appear to be average for this year in the area. On average there are normally 4-5 fish deliveries from sunrise to around 5pm and I observe at least one large fish during these feedings, in which the chick turns away from the food before the fish is gone.”
That is encouraging and shows that there is local interest in this nest. I have missed many of those feedings but the presence of the eagles is a problem. Let us hope that the protector screens help this year.
Nice feeding around 1745 at Cowlitz.
I am still cautiously optimistic about Mini. On Monday morning, Mini got right up by Mum and demanded to be heard and fed – and it was! Nice to see an expanding crop. Little Mini is growing; this time, Three is on the other side, and Mini is getting the fish. Talk about happiness. Because of the size of Big – Mini, it will need to be a little assertive and get itself up there, even if it is just a big feed first thing in the morning. Mini also has to demand that Mum feed it!
Our beautiful Mini next to its big sib…that has to be one big female! Look at those short stocky legs. Mini might well just be a little female. S/he loves to move sticks around.
Mini was feeding on a little bit of a scrap when a big fish came in…I found myself screaming at Mini to forget the scrap and get over to the big fish that Mum was feeding. ‘L’ reports that one of the big sibs took the scrap and Mini did get some of the end of the fish. Now, Mini. Next time get up to the table.
‘L’ sent me a screen capture of Mini pulling hard on that tough fish, just like Mum. Thanks, ‘L’.
Mini reminds me of Dyson. S he is finding nestovers in the twigs and eating them. A survivor.
There is no nest cup at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the Big chick, the first hatch, died overnight of exposure. Mum is trying to brood the Middle chick. The youngest died of exposure and getting caught in the corner on Sunday. Perhaps the individuals at the site could provide nesting material for them! This nest is pitiful. I note that many do restorations at sites and put in new material. Some groups even provide nice railings for the ospreys.
I have no doubt that the third chick will perish also. The parents are not feeding them! Nor did they provide adequate nesting material and care. Must be young and very inexperienced. So sad.
A nice big fish lands on the Bridges Golf Club – quite a surprise but this nest probably had issues with the storm that caused all the deaths at the end of last week – the big ones will not let three eat!
The Middle chick was unrelenting in its killing of Little even though the little one made no move to eat. At 1206 on 26 June, it appears this poor babe finally passed.
The Bridges Golf Club should stock ponds for the Ospreys if there is not enough fish. it is time we help the wildlife.
So those are our worrisome or ‘serious’ problem nests in the US that I am watching. Hopefully, those that were in trouble will calm down but there is a system of thunderstorms heading to the NE. I hope it is a fast moving storm.
Heading to the UK, they are banding the two chicks of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi Monday evening. It is over. Telyn is back at the nest right after the ringers leave..and it looks like another record set. A colossal female broke nest records weighing in at 1910 grams, with the second, a lovely male, at 1515 grams. Wow. Speculation is high that if the ringing occurred on Tuesday, the female would weigh a kilo!
Loch Arkaig Nest 1 – Louis’s old nest with Lila has a love triangle. Have you been watching? Geemeff brings us up to date! “All three members of the love triangle turned up on Nest One yesterday within 15 minutes – but it does seem as if Garry (Blue LV0 newly named after his natal nest at Loch Garry) has the upper hand, as Prince left the nest in a hurry when he saw Garry approaching. Affric (named after her natal nest at Glen Affric) arrived around the same time as Prince, already clutching a fish. Did he give it to her, or was it Garry? all eyes on that nest to watch the saga unfold – our very own soap opera ‘Lochenders’ “.
Oops. Out of order but…nevermind. It is fun. The storklets from Belarus are so full after a good meal they are in a frog and fish coma.
Foulshaw Moss chicks are growing and Big Bob – OK, this is a female, right? – is wingercizing.
Glaslyn: All is fantastic. Aran brings so much fish. The chicks are full and Elen is eating.
Just look at that beautiful nest of CJ7 and Blue 022. And the fish that arrive. Thriving chicks.
I am on a bit of a soapbox today about nests after seeing that Minnesota Arboretum specimen of something and Osoyoos….seriously there are no twigs that could be tossed up there. Look at Poole Harbour, and now look at Llyn Clywedog. If there are so many ospreys in the US and so few trees, then people – humans – need to help out. We did after all destroy their habitat. So, let us see if we can all work to get the nests cleaned out after the breeding season and stocked with nice nesting material.
Two beautiful boys ringed on the 24th.
Llyn Brenig is doing great. Lots of nice feathers on those two chicks. Also, another nice nest!
The chicks at Loch Garten had so much fish on Monday that they weren’t even interested sometimes. More fun to move sticks!
The beautiful day turned to rain at Loch Arkaig. Lots of fish. Louis is an excellent provider.
Look at that adoring look Louis gives to his chick.
All is good at the Loch of the Lowes. Blue NC0 with her two beautiful chicks.
Threave Castle: This is the home of Black 80. He is the 2006 male hatch of Mrs G and 11 (98). Talk about good DNA. This is the second year that he and his mate have raised four chicks. Today, this second group of four osplets and they were ringed today, Monday 26 June. Hopefully more information will be released tomorrow.
Sometimes when I get very upset, I remind myself that we want the strong osplets, the ones with really good DNA to survive. Mrs G and both her partners, 11 (98) and Aran provided just that. I am also fond of White YW (2008), also a male of Mrs G and 11 (98) who heads up the family at Foulshaw Moss and consistently raises successful broods.
SSEN Alyth: Seven fish were delivered to the nest today. I imagine what seven nice fish would do for a few of the struggling nests in the US! Three nicely feathered almost ready to fledge osplets.
The portrait of the surviving family members at Barnegat Light – Duke, Daisy, and Big. Duke is 17 years old…I am so glad he is home safe.
At 1455 Daisy tried to move the dead osplet and doing so prompted the Big one to think it was food. I believe she was going to take it off the nest but it is too big or is stuck. Sad. Perhaps she will bury it in the nest.
‘H’ reports that there were 8 fish brought to Barnegat Light on Monday. Heidi adds nothing the attempt to move Middle, “Daisy seemed to be intent on flying off with Middle’s body a couple of times, but it must be too heavy. Then she tried to cover Middle with moss. So, the body is a sad reminder. But, they are at least a family of three. And we are thankful that Duke returned. We won’t forget Middle and Little . . they enriched our lives.” The sadness of the storm just continues giving to these families as they continue to cope with their daily lives and mourn their dead.
Fortis Exshaw: ‘H’ reports “There were at least three large fish deliveries that I saw, and Louise stashed the leftovers for additional meals. Due to the deep nest cup, it is difficult to see if all are getting fed, but all of the Osplets appear to be thriving. The older two, that hatched on the same day, participate in little bonking battles at off meal times, but they seem well behaved during feedings (from what I can see).”
Dahlgren: ‘H’: “There were at least 6 fish delivered by Jack. This nest remains quite tranquil. Both Osplets are doing wingers, especially ‘Big’, and Big is practicing self feeding. They are 39 and 35 days old.”
Kent Island: ‘H’ notes, “The early days of family life were a bit worrisome, but Audrey and (new) Tom are doing great. It seems that the little one’s crop is almost always full . .14 days old on 6/26.”
Audubon Boathouse: ‘H’ notes that life for the only Bob is rather “idyllic”.
‘H’ reminds us that fledge watch could be coming in about a week at Severna Park. Both of those osplets are doing well after a very rocky start.
The three at the Boulder Country Fairgrounds nest are hot today. Mom is doing a really good job covering them. The little one also had some fish. So things are alright on this nest.
Little Bob at the Boulder Fair Grounds looks like he swallowed an egg he is so full. He will have sweet osplet dreams tonight.
Great Bay: Started as a good day, and the wind and rain are showing up Monday night.
Outer Banks: All is well at the nest of Betsy and Frederick and their three beautifully feathered osplets.
Seaside: It is all good. I think they might have had salmon today.
Collins Marsh: Rainy day. Mum trying to cover the two surviving osplets. They are getting their feathers. but both look ‘thin’.
McEuen Park: Three gorgeous healthy osplets.
Forsythe: ‘H’ reports: That Big started out being very aggressive towards Middle first thing in the morning. She notes that this has become a pattern since the storms and then Big settles down later. Oscar delivers lots of fish – no fewer than 10 yesterday although some were small. Send good wishes. That storm really caused ‘mental health issues’ with these chicks in the nests.
Finnish Osprey Nest #1: All three osplets hungry for breakfast and doing well.
Finnish Osprey Nest #4: All three are fine.
Finnish Osprey Nest #LS5: Beautiful morning for the two chicks.
Urdaibai: All three big osplets are doing fantastic.
Deyani continues to return to the nest in Tennessee. ‘A’ writes, “Deyani is doing so well, returning frequently to the nest and showing real skills with her flying and self-feeding and generally acting like a big girl now. I love that she’s sleeping perched next to mum. I love that mum is still no doubt preening her hawklet. She just loved preening Deyani, and I bet she still does if she gets the chance. She came in today around 12:12, played with a stick for a while, flew off, returned about an hour later, then stayed until 3pm, pancaking for a while and doing some preening. Angel arrives with a small morsel at 12:13:26 but we can’t see what it is because of Deyani’s mantling. PLEASE tell me if you have ever seen another hawk do that quivering thing when mantling. I haven’t seen it before. Deyani is the only bird I’ve ever seen mantle like that. Anyway, she has been fed – something, today.”
The big storm that is heading eastward hit the Cornell campus. The Ms are drenched but safe. Two of them are on the end of the nest light tower and the third is on the tower next to the nest. Aw..poor babies.
Whew! That isn’t nearly all of the nests but a quick check on those doing great with a little commentary on the worrisome ones.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care and remember to put out bowls of water. The birds and other wildlife will thank you.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, and streaming cams that helped to create my blog today: ‘B, Geemeff, H, L, T’, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Cowlitz PUD, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Bridges Golf Club, Dyfi Ospreys, Belarus Stork cam, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour ospreys, CarnyXWild, Llyn Brenig, RSPB Loch Garten, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, LOTL, Threave Castle, SSEN Alyth, Conserve Wildlife F of NJ, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys, Great Bay Ospreys, Outer banks 24/7, Seaside Ospreys, Collins Marsh, McEuen Park, Forsythe Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Dahlgren Ospreys, Kent Island, Audubon Boathouse, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Urdaibai Biosphere, Window to Wildlife, and Cornell RTH.
Thank you for your wonderful notes and your cheerful suggestions on what you do when you feel stressed. Gosh, what a wonderful ‘Bird Family’ I have! so caring and compassionate. ‘M’, I will watch those sparrows netting under the Ospreys at Patchogue! Every time I get mad at Big for raising its head when Mini has a chance to eat I promise I will seek those birds out!
There is some good news coming in from Sunday. I have already posted it but everyone is so thrilled that Duke has returned to Daisy at Barnegat Light. Gone a little over 72 hours. Not sure if he has eaten. Duke looks thin and was interested in Daisy’s fish. Daisy has done magnificently as a single Mum for a few days despite losing two of three chicks…she could ahve lost them all. It is sad to see a big healthy Middle, a fat little osplet, on the nest dead. What a few days it has been in osprey World.
Happiness is a walk around a duck pond or through the forest when the sun is warm on your face and at every turn there is a new surprise. Today it was in the form of little ducklings and goslings and all the birds enjoying the bird bath or the fledgling Blue Jays trying to crack a peanut so that it is the right size to eat.
The Canada Geese or moulting. There will be feathers all over the area around the pond for the next 4-6 weeks. T hey undergo an entire moult and cannot fly during this time.
This lucky family had five goslings. Dad was behind being security guard.
A juvenile Mallard.
Proud Mum had several of those little fuzzy duckling juveniles.
Coming home, the fledgling blue Jays were having a wonderful time in the bird bath!
Our top tip of the day comes form Amy Tan and it is great advice – costing around $1-$5 – to keep birds from colliding with windows and being injured or dying.
Now see the spider webs.
For the first time, Ospreys are breeding in an area of Germany where there were none! The ringing of the beautiful osplets today. Talk about happiness.
It is only 1515 at the Barnegat Light nest of Daisy and Big Bob. Daisy has already brought in four fish on Sunday. Big is eating well and Daisy is eating, too. They will be fine unless another catastrophic event happens. Daisy adjusted quickly to being a single Mum providing for the nest – the weather did not cooperate but she will get to raise one healthy chick to fledge, hopefully.
Daisy protecting her only surviving osplet. Big is 26 days old today.
Well, of course, the good news is that Duke has returned to Daisy and their nest. He looks thin. He was gone over 72 hours.
‘H’ notes that Daisy hid the body of Middle on Duke’s arrival. Poor Mum. She did her best and we have no idea what Dad went through…just glad they are together with one chick. ‘H’ also confirms that Duke did steal the fish that Daisy had but went fishing and brought another one in for the family. Poor guy. He was so hungry. Wonder where he had been?
The other great news is that Little Mini at Patchogue lucked out and had two good meals so far on Sunday. The first was at the crack of dawn at 0500 and the second came at 13:28. Little Mini ate the entire fish! No one else was interested. This is what will save our Mini…and it is Sunday. So good going!
Oh, thank goodness. Mini got a little more fish from the 1707 delivery. How much before the big ones come to the table…well, unknown. Mini is so hungry it is not leaving the table but is increasingly intimidated by the bigger siblings.
Mini stays and starts getting fed again at 1812. What a relief. Nope. The Bigs come back! Mini needs to grab that fish. Mum offers and he keeps his head down.
Mini has a tiny mini crop.
Mini did really well Monday morning. Right up there with Three eating! This is a really good break through for our wee one who is getting so many feathers it is hard to tell 4 from 3.
Thanks Stephen for this great photo of another survivor at South Bend.
Continuing to be grateful to the Finnish Osprey Foundation for removing the surviving chicks from nest 3 for care.
At the Forsythe Nest, ‘H’ confirms that Oscar brought in 13 fish on Sunday. Big was extremely aggressive and almost pushed Middle over the edge. That aggression died down a bit and Middle did eat. Let us hope that this all stops. Big is 34 days old and Middle is 33.
Osoyoos: ‘H’ was then that called the pip! Sunday 23:21. Oh, I hope this nest has a good year without the heat domes of past.
Boulder County Fair Grounds is sometimes not an easy nest to watch. There is plenty of fish but Little sometimes appears to get shut out. It had a couple of reasonable feeds by 1600 on Sunday.
Cowlitz PUD: Did not see any fish deliveries up to and including 1330 nest time. Where are the fish?
Seaside: Those two chicks are really growing! Would love to ship the Cowlitz baby over to them some days!
RVA Ospreys, James River: Two Ospreys on the nest on Sunday. No clutch this year. Maybe next.
Great Bay Ospreys: LOTS of fish. Some dominance issues with the Big sibling but the second hatch got some fish!
Moraine Preservation Fund: Trio are doing well and this is a nest where the Dad steps up to feed the chicks! We need more of that wired into their system!
Outerbanks 24/7: Chicks are well fed. Betsy flew off with a fish at 1431 when kayakers came too close to the nest. The osplets pancaked. There need to be barriers around the nests and notices to people in boats, motorised or not.
Oyster Bay: Everything is good.
Maryland Western Shore for Old Town: Fantastic day!
The Bridge Golf Club Ospreys, Noyack, NY: Trio on the nest. Larger two siblings will not let the very tiny third hatch eat. To be fair, the second hatch is quite thin and the little one is so tiny and so hungry. This nest is not thriving.
Sandpoint: Chick hatched on 22 June. Eating well.
Cape Henlopen: No ospreys and the Black Vultures have come to use it as a spot to rest and scope out the area.
White Stork Nest, Tukums, Latvia: Since the rain this nest has been doing fantastic. Storklets growing and appear to be very healthy.
The construction of the new nest for Martin and Rose is now finished. Thank you Window to Wildlife. Pi and Pat were apparently watching from a distance. It is approximately 6 ‘ x 3’.
‘A’ is worried about some events at the nest of Angel and Tom and Deyani. She writes, “at Angel’s nest, there was no food brought to Deyani today (Sunday). She visited the nest several times during the day, attacked the nest a little, pancaked for an afternoon rest for a while, but left late in the afternoon and did not return. There were early evening storms in the area, and about an hour ago, there was very heavy rain and thunder. Then, about 15 or 20 minutes ago, and once more as I type this, there were several shots fired. They were about 30 seconds or so apart and there were three or four of them. Then, as I said, about a minute ago, another shot rang out. It was pitch dark when the first shot was heard. They were fairly close to the microphone (which is in a tree at least 100 metres from the nest). I have no idea what anyone would be shooting at out there in the dark, but I sure hope it’s not Angel. The others would not be visible to a shooter. I am presuming all is okay, but it’s always worrying. Deyani is unlikely to be starving, and could easily have been fed off-nest today, but we will see what happens tomorrow. She is a strong flyer and seems able to manoeuvre around the trees well, so I am fairly confident she will be fine.” Lamping is the term for hunting at night with lights. I really hope that nothing untoward has happened to anyone in our hawk family. This is one reason the location of nests is often not disclosed. — Angel is sleeping on a branch Sunday night so is OK.
Window to Wildlife has a fundraiser to upgrade Angel’s camera for next year. Information is under the streaming cam above the live chat. There are lots of worthy fundraisers out there….
In the mailbox: ‘D’ shares a photo from her holidays. An osprey nest above a Go-Kart track in a busy shopping mall in North Carolina. She was surprised that the ospreys were not bothered by all the humans and the noise and adds that when asked the people at the mall and track said that the osprey return every year.
Ospreys have had to adapt based on humans taking over their natural habitats and cutting down dead trees. Ospreys prefer the top of a dead tree with a clear view in every direction. This differs from eagles that like to build their nest on the tops of conifer trees. Both have suffered good nesting sites due to our increasing demand for land, and artificial nests and platforms are being constructed in almost every country. Living around humans is a high cost compared to a nice site near a lake. “The Ospreys’ ability to adapt to and prosper within urban and suburban areas, combined with their recent reproductive success and thriving populations, has resulted in conflicts between Ospreys and the electric utility, communication, and transportation (e.g., aviation) industries. Human–Osprey conflicts vary widely in scope and scale, ranging from minor conflicts, such as an individual Osprey nest built on a human-made structure (e.g., cellular tower), to major problems, such as local populations of Ospreys directly or indirectly impacting human safety near civilian airports and military airfields through nesting and movement activities. Creative, mutually beneficial management and mitigation practices for both people and Ospreys are needed to allow for the successful coexistence of Ospreys and humans, especially in landscapes highly altered by humans.” Here is the full article from the Journal of Raptor Research:
Thank you so much for being with me. I hope to cover more of the international Osprey nests tomorrow and in particular, the UK ones where ringing is taking place. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to everyone that sent notes, videos, tweets, posts, and operated streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A, D, H, M, T’, Amy Tan and Nor Cal Birding, Gregarious Joris Toonen and Ospreys, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, PSEG, Stephen M Basly, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside Ospreys, RVa Ospreys, Great Bay Ospreys, Moraine Preservation Fund, Outerbanks 24/7, Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home, Bridge Golf Club, Sandpoint Ospreys, Cape Henlopen State Park, Latvian Fund for Nature, Window to Wildlife, Forsythe Ospreys, Osoyoos Ospreys, and the RRP.
The Finnish Osprey Foundation sent a team out to Nest #3. The female has been missing and presumed dead for several days. The male continued his duty of bringing fish to the nest – fish stacked up so high but osplets too young to self feed.
The osplets and many of the fish were removed Sunday. The camera was shut down at 10:48. The youngest had died. The two older will go for care and we hope that they survive. They are young and it is difficult circumstances.
My colleague ‘H’ tells me that storm system over the NE US was the ‘gift that just kept giving’. And it did. Now that the skies are clear all of the volunteers can go out and get a sense of what has happened at the unmonitored nests. The loss was significant but now it is time to pull up our proverbial ‘boots’ or socks and wish those nests that did have survivors the absolute best. Watch them and cheer them on, please! They went through an awful time.
Today has been the worst day for me. The sheer toll of the loss has only sunken in, and the after-effects on the nests will linger – the chicks worrying that it could happen again. I am so grateful to have the garden animals and Lewis and Missey. Dyson is looking so much better these days.
We have a couple of giggles/surprises for the morning. The first one comes from the Glaslyn nest in Wales. If you are a Crow, do not, under any circumstances, land on the nest of Aran and Elen. You might live to regret it. Here is Aran flying in with a fish. Elen has been vocalising since the Crow landed on the perch. Aran took the Crow ‘out’ with the fish and even kept hold of it to take to the nest…ah, isn’t he wonderful?
The second is from Mary Cheadle who has the most extraordinary screen capture of Louis and Dorcha’s osplet.
In the UK, the word on everyone’s lips is ‘ringing’. All of the chicks are getting their bling right now. Let’s take a look and see what happened.
Llyn Clywedog: It is hardly a surprise to say that those two beautiful osplets of Dylan and Blue 5F Seren are boys. Seren has had 8 boys and 1 girl.
Manton Bay: Blue 33 and Maya had three chicks this year – two girls and a boy. The first hatch is a girl and is 3H3. The middle hatch was a boy, 3H4, and the third hatch was a girl, 3H5. They said they would release more details later. There they are with their new bling. What beautiful babes.
Family portrait at Rutland:
Looking for another Osprey nest to watch in the US? The Iowa nests are currently doing well. The weather so far (although there are storms brewing tonight) has been favourable.
This is the Wells Fargo DNR nest in Des Moines. Go to iowadnr.gov
Conner at Window to Wildlife is helping rebuild the Dulles-Greenway Eagle Nest. Way to go!
Two of our favourite Black Stork fledglings, Waba and Bonus (the foster chick of Jan and Jannika on Karl II and Kaia’s nest in 2022) are on the move:
The latest news on Tweed Valleys Glen:
Good news is coming in from South Bend, Indiana.
News about the 2 chicks that fell out of the Great Bay Osprey nest:
The current sadness is Finnish Osprey Nest #3 where the Mum is missing and the Dad has loaded the nest with fish but he is not feeding the chicks. They are hungry and fish crying and are not old enough to self feed. It is hard to watch three healthy chicks starve to death on a nest full of fish.
At Patchogue, Mini has eaten. There are rumours abounding that Mini is not being fed. It is true that Mini is not getting the amount of fish it did a week ago. The Big ones are self-feeding and are up at the beak but Mini has eaten. We just have to wait and see how it pans out. Mini ate from 1330-1336 and then again beginning at 1418 for an unspecified time. He had some fish in the early morning. Again, how much I cannot tell because Mum blocked the view. Please send good positive energy to this nest! Mini is growing. Look at the feather development below. Mini is flapping its wings after eating!
We just must wish for lots of fish.
Mini is eating at 0511!
There have been expressed concerns about the female’s behaviour at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Osprey nest. I am copying the posting made on FB. Also, we have seen first time mothers – regardless of the species – struggle to figure out their new role. Fathers, too. At the falcon nest, Monty wanted to feed the egg! We worried about Soledad…well, she was an only eyas and the three of them certainly managed to figure it out. Let us all hold our breath and hope that this new Mum does, too. She has three little ones on the nest.
I was also reminded by Geemeff today of the phrase ‘wildlife commodification’. Earning money off the wildlife. There is a set of nests that will not be in my blog net year – I will follow them for the data but will not promote them – because of their actions recently. Nests are not to be disturbed. Taking tours to see nests should only take place at a great distance using a scope. You will know the nest I am talking about and the circumstances if you have read my blog in the last couple of days. Animals and raptors have rights. We must respect them.
OK. Off the soap box. A whirl around the nests!
Seaside: both osplets are well fed, growing and doing wonderfully.
Great Bay: A few dominance issues.
Severna Park: some rain, fish, and self-feeding. The two chicks are doing well.
Outerbanks 24/7: Three beautiful osplets, nice fish. All is good.
Chesapeake Conservancy, Tom and Audrey: There were early concerns about new Audrey feeding her chick. She figured it out. ‘H notes that Tom brought six fish to the nest on Saturday.
Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home: Two beauties flapping their wings. Gorgeous sunset.
All is well at Boulder County Fairgrounds. The two adults appear to work so well together making sure that Little gets fed.
Moraine Preservation Fund: Seems to be quite enough fish and all three doing well.
Cowlitz PUD: Doing great! Chick is getting its feathers…
Forsythe: Oscar is on a mission. Huge fish at 17:15 along with all the others. Two surviving chicks out of four but, despite this, as ‘H’ notes: “ I saw this once yesterday, and so far twice today. Big has started to push Middle, to the point that Middle has very nearly gone overboard a couple of times.” The stress of the days without food and seeing your siblings die around you has a profound impact on these birds.
Barnegat Light: Daisy continues to hope and wait for Duke’s return. Even then, she is out fishing for her and her only surviving Bob. She has removed the body of Little but brooded Middle. I cannot imagine the sadness that these females are feeling or the sheer mental stress of them and the chicks. So sad but so proud of Daisy and her determination to keep herself and this one chick alive.
Many of you have expressed sheer exasperation about the plight of the ospreys during the storm not least of all Barnegat Light. K notes, “
I was just thinking about Barnegat Light and how initially I was happy to watch a nest be monitored by a nature CONSERVATION. Key word conserve. They are meant to preserve not slowly watch them all suffer to death for online views and not provide them assistance when they are suffering. We vow to protect these animals and we are not helping them in the easiest way we can – providing food. There is a responsibility when setting up a camera and we should take it seriously.
‘L’ was heart broken beyond words.
Dahlgren: ‘H’ reports that all is well.
Fortix Exshaw: ‘H’ observed “I found fish delivered by Jasper at 0543, 0631, 1041, 1638, and 1821. There may have been others. There were more feedings however. Louise does save leftovers, she hides them inside the nest cup, and pulls them out for additional feedings. The nest cup is deep, and Louise lays the leftover fish vertically down the side. She broods her leftovers, lol. I have seen her do this several times. At 0631, there was a dual feeding! I want to follow this nest more closely, to make sure Little is getting fed. The visibility varies from day to day.”
The wait is finally over! After wondering what was happening on the Durbe nest of Milda and Voldis (the camera was totally covered), we now see that there are two beautiful White Tail Eaglets on the Latvian WTE nest. I am so happy for Milda! She lost her earlier mate and suffered two unsuccessful years of breeding. Now success! This is a cause for celebration. Look at those two beautiful eaglets.
Kathryn asked me about intruders and the harm that they might do. Here is a good example.
Intruder storks attacking a nest in Germany.
In Tukums, Latvia, the three white storklets are doing so well now that the rains came and there is food.
Look at the crops on the three storklets of Karl II and Kaia! My goodness. Was so worried about this nest.
Bety and Bukacek’s four are so big and so healthy looking. They will be ready for migration, no problem.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send your positive wishes to all of the nests so that those that have suffered or are suffering might get some relief today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘Geemeff, H, K, L, L, T, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Mary Cheadle and Friends of Loch Arkaig osprey FB, CarnyXWild, LRWT, Iowa DNR/Wells Fargo, Window to Wildlife, Maria Marika FB, @Jane Dell, WNDU, Carol Craig and Osprey Friends, Finnish Osprey Foundation, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Seaside Ospreys, Great Bay Ospreys, Severna Park, Outerbanks 24/7 Chesapeake Conservancy, Maryland West Shore for Old Town Home, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Moraine Park, Cowlitz PUD, Forsythe Ospreys, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Dahlgren, Fortis Exshaw, Sassa Bird, Storchennest Kirchzarlen, Latvian Fund for Nature, Eagle Club of Estonia, and Mlady Buky Stork Cam.
