There are not a lot of images today. Apologies all around. You will recall that I have been battling the fact that my allocation of media is at its limit. I have just discovered that there are over – hold on – 50,000 unattached files starting in 2017. I have been deleting them 20 at a time. There must be a more efficient way to do that!
For now, though, most of us have only one thing on our minds and that is Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida and our beloved birds (and friends) there. They are watching and expect Milton to make land fall at Tampa Bay as a category 3 or 4. Despite this slow down, it is going to be catastrophic for this area of Florida that does not normally get hit directly.
Before we even think about Milton, we need a smile and that comes from Annie and Archie who have returned to The Campanile to bond! https://youtu.be/iwBATgGYDHg?
It is difficult to sit and watch knowing that Hurricane Milton is going to tear through Sanibel possibly destroying the Captiva Osprey and Bald Eagle nests. The only – and I do mean ‘only’ – silver lining to any of this is that there are no eggs or chicks on any of the Florida nests yet. The Barrier Islands will get hit first and no doubt, the impact of this hurricane might well be much worse than Ian a couple of years ago. Our thoughts today are with the people and wildlife of Florida as Milton changed quickly from a category 1 to a category 5 hurricane in the blink of an eye. https://youtu.be/AdTp1XgG4Rg?
Many of the wildlife rehabilitation centres have no place to take their animals. They have more than two hundred patients, some because of Helene. They are in direct line of Milton and their buildings will not take the 160-200 mph winds. Good people are staying with their clients and this is beyond sad. CROW is on Sanibel. There might not be anything left of the homes on the Barrier Islands, according to the discussions on many of the weather channels Monday evening.
It is raining at Fort Myers on Monday.
It is raining at Captiva. I am expecting Captiva to get hit by Milton about the same time or slightly before Fort Myers.
Wind and rain begins Monday evening at Captiva. It is coming down harder and harder.
Captiva Eagle Cam. Have a good look at both of them so we can compare after.
The winds are starting to pick up at Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburgh.
Gabby was at the NE Florida nest in the early morning hours of Monday. I do not know if Beau is on the LOP (Look Out Perch).
At the Olympic Sea Eagle nest, ‘A’ writes: “At WBSE, we still have two eaglets lying duckling style, side by side, on the nest. They are such adorable nestlings, soon to be fledglings. They are getting along famously as usual – I remain absolutely convinced that we have two brothers here. They have had virtually no bonking at all – a little enforcing of pecking order for a few days but nothing vicious and never anything that prevented either chick from eating. So as usual, Lady and Dad have done a sterling job of making a mockery of this ‘obligate siblicide’ rubbish that is written about WBSEs. Now, we await with great trepidation the post-fledge fate of these gorgeous eaglets whom we have come to adore. My heart just sinks at the thought. But be positive. This might just be the year. ” “Ooh, I hear honking. That must be the WBSE tab and yes, sure enough, a bird has been brought to the nest. Dad is calling for Lady, not wanting to feed the nestlings but not prepared to leave them to fight over the food. Lady is on the perch branch, not responding, and Dad is very confused about what to do. Eventually he begins preparing the food. Now, he has taken it to the bottom of the perch branch, from which vantage point he continues to glance at Lady. The eaglets have no clue what is going on. Nor do I. (I’m pretty sure I have the parental IDs correct – you know I’m often unsure about these two.) Dad sidles up the branch towards Lady and she moves away, further up the branch, and then flies off. Dad is left preparing the bird on the perch branch. We wait to see whether he feeds it to the eaglets, eats it himself, leaves it for the kids to fight over, or some combination of the above. “
Report from Sea Eagles sent by ‘A’: “ October 8: An early duet just after 5am, then several more. Both eaglets were flapping and jumping. At 6:58 Dad brought a gull chick, quickly grabbed by SE34 & mantled over. 34 fed until SE33 managed to steal it after about 20 minutes. Lady took over when she came in around 8am. She returned with a small fish at 8:43, followed by Dad with a gull chick. Lady took over feeding from both prey, with SE33 grabbing the gull wing and trying hard to take it, but Lady stood firm and kept feeding. A magpie was swooping them as well –with both eaglets alert and watching. At 12:38 Lady brought a gull chick, fed very briefly, then took it to de-feather on the branch, but dropped it as she fell off the branch. She managed to get it from the ground – most unusual – and at 13:22 fed a little more again. Lady brought a bream just before 5pm and fed both. Then more, when Dad brought another gull chick at 18:17, which Lady took off to de-feather. She was still eating it herself at 6:45…. They have had plenty though today.”
‘A’ was really hopeful that Diamond would leave that third egg out of the egg cup, but later, she moved it back and began incubating. Many of you will be screaming at Diamond – I know my daughter and ‘A’ are to get over and feed that second hatch. We have seen this before. The second chick’s neck seems to grow after a couple of days or it learns to jump to get that food. Fingers crossed. ‘A’ reports: “At some feedings, Diamond just cannot be bothered reaching for the younger chick’s beak, especially if it is behind its older sibling, and continues to encourage the older chick to eat and eat, even after it has collapsed once or twice, while the younger chick begs and begs for food, its little beak wide open. She is annoying. And then, while she waits for the older chick to snap out of its food coma, she eats herself! I am not overly concerned about this because there is plenty of food and eventually, at most feedings, the little one does get fed. But I am SO glad there is not a third chick, especially now there has been Ca time gap of over two days since the second hatch. I really would hate to see a tiny third chick try and attract enough attention from Diamond to get fed properly in its first five days or so. But they are getting frequent feedings so I am sure that both chicks will be adequately fed. I am merely reiterating what you and I know already – that Diamond really is not temperamentally up to raising three eyases. She should be perfectly fine with two, as she has been every other season I have watched. But the little one was still begging for more food at the end of that feeding, with Diamond ignoring it completely to eat for herself, then left the box with the remainder with the youngest still chirping for food the whole time she is gone.
This morning there were small birds on the branches of the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23. A pair of horses could be seen in the pasture. It was also relatively calm at Captiva as Milton moves in on Florida.
There are two at Port Lincoln. There has been some notice that the second chick has not eaten or did not eat as well as expected. Is it tired from hatching? We will just have to wait and see. The obs board shows that Wilko, chick one, has been fed twice and that the second hatch, once.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send all positive wishes to everyone in Florida. Take care yourself. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, KHOU 11, NEFL-AEF, Olympic Sea Eagle Cam, and Charter Group Bird Cams.
The rain has continued but without the forecast storms. It just feels cold to the bone and yet the temperature doesn’t indicate that. Strange. A deep damp. All of the girls are curled up sleeping. The only one that is missing is Baby Hope. She is in hiding.
We have had rain and more rain and after it was time for a nice walk. As a consequence, I have been listening to birds outside (highly recommended) instead of watching them on a screen. I do urge you strongly to listen to the presentation by Rob Domenech. Take an hour to learn much about migration and migration patterns and challenges. Executive director of Raptor View Research Institute. This man is passionate, and he knows about his Ospreys. If your time is short, skip over to about 30 minutes. Then go back when you have a chance. It is that good. Did I say that more than once? https://youtu.be/lFQUgAXcF88?
It is a fantastic presentation and if you are at all wondering about the mortality rates, the migration patterns of the young fledglings towards the older more experienced ospreys, then you must take the time and watch this! I promise you will be sorry – he even gives some of the best reasoning behind banding!
The latest from Dr Greene via ‘PB” – thanks!:
Iris and her family made the telly, ‘The remarkable summer of Iris the osprey comes to a close’. I don’t know about you, but the departure of our beloved miracle family has left me feeling bittersweet. https://youtu.be/iKSGv30eaDc?
Reminds me of the American painter, Edward Hopper’s 1920-40s paintings.
Just look at EquiNOX. What a handsome falcon and he has done so well – getting leaned up for flight. NOX sure looks all grown up in his helmet. My goodness, Annie and Archie will be proud of him as he trains for the skies.
The two juveniles and Beaumont were at the Snow Lane nest in Newfoundland on Thursday. Beaumont delivered a fish to both of them.
In the top image, it is raining. There is an osplet on the perch on the far right bottom eating a fish.
News of the Wells-Fargo Osprey is contained in the post below from SOAR:
Some Bald Eagles are working on nests such as M15 and F23 SW Florida! What a team they are. https://youtu.be/lyX6U4F3pAc?
Others, like NE Florida, are giving people indigestion that had grown fond of Beau. Just because ‘the visitor’ is sitting next to Gabby does not mean that Gabby will pick this male at the end of the day. We simply will have to wait and trust her judgment.
This is Gabby and the Visitor. This male was at the nest for part of last year, confirmed by the AEF. They certainly look intent on cleaning this space up!
Thunder and Akecheta have been trying to make nestorations at their West End Bald Eagle nest in the Channel Islands. https://youtu.be/q3RKk3eEb2I?
I heard lots of waterfowl, but did not see Jackie or Shadow at the Big Bear nest on Thursday.
Calico’s Tip for the Day is a tip and an article. When it is really damp outside, you might want something warm and spicy to take that chill off. Calico suggests getting a large saucepan and fill it with cold water. Place 3-4 Orange Pekoe tea bags or 3-4 T of tea leaves in a tea ball into the pan. Bring to a simmer. Add cloves, a cinnamon stick, and some slices of orange, and sugar to taste. Let it simmer. Your house will have the aroma of fall and you will have a nice spiced tea. Sip the tea while reading the following article. The very first Wandering Albatross has been seen in Ireland. There was also a Black-browed. She thought it was interesting. How do these birds get off course? or does she think they are searching for new breeding and foraging grounds. Have a read and see what you think.
Thank you for being with us today. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘PB’, HMANA, KPAX-TV, California Raptor Center, Newfoundland Power Snow Lane Ospreys, SOAR, Sharon Dunne, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, Netflix Memories, FOBBV, PIX Cams, Marika Solo, BirdGuides, Nesting Bird Life & More, Olympic Sea Eagles, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Androcat, and The Guardian.
The weather is still warm and will continue to be. The air was heavy Friday morning. We headed out to the nature centre to see how many geese were on the lake and check on the Mallard family with the two small ducklings. The sky was black, and it looked like rain could start any minute. In the forest, we could hear the Black-capped Chickadees and the American Goldfinch. The Goldfinches migrate, but the Chickadees stay all winter!
We found the Mallard family, but we could only see one duckling. I hope the other one was hiding in the reeds. The tiny duckling has grown but is still not large enough to migrate. Our weather is supposed to stay warm through October, so it should be fine to take off then.
At the hide, a female Downy Woodpecker was at the peanut feeder while another Mallard looked for seed in the grasses. Honking was constant overhead as the winds grew stronger, and the dark clouds gathered.
Even with the impending rain, it was a good morning to be outside for a walk. Always makes our day!
I was just so happy to see Annie! Annie is loafing!!!!!! Oh, it is so good to see you, Annie. https://youtu.be/3Vcnr3Fg9yU?
In Bird World, Hartley and Monty are back at the scrape in San Jose, too!
Please tell everyone to please store their sports nets (of any kind) but especially soccer when they are not in use. Look what happened to this owl!
West Nile Virus killed the only surviving, of two, hawlets of Big Red and Arthur this year. It is also having an impact on all of our feathered friends including ospreys.
What is West Nile Virus and how is it impacting birds? Sadly, the most common in Canada are my beloved Crows and Blue Jays.
“As of September 2003, West Nile Virus has been identified in 11 Page 2 species of native owls, 4 species of falcons, and 15 native species of diurnal raptors, including osprey, vultures, and bald and golden eagles.”
This document from the Cascade Raptor Centre is particularly good:
Heidi reports that Harvie and the two juveniles at Fortis Exshaw Canmore Osprey Platform are still home. You can see the wildfire smoke spreading through the valley behind the nest. Yesterday, Heidi saw five fish delivered in a short period of time to the fledglings at the nest after a period of rain.
Heidi checked on Fenwick Island and Johnny is still bringing Fen fish.
At the Hellgate Canyon nest, Antali had a very late night fish. I can’t rewind but he is holding it at 22:46 and is till eating in the wee hours of the morning. Antali has an enormous crop. It seems Finnegan wants to fill his fledgling up and hopefully get him on his way south.
Antali’s crop was still huge at 0741 when he was fish-calling. No delivery. Antali flew off after Dad (or so it would seem).
Finn sits on the nest with a lunch fish looking around and Antali comes flying in! He is not going to miss that fish dinner.
Finnegan takes good care of his boy. Another headless fish is delivered at 1644. Antalia has not had a sunken crop all day!
Now I love geese and on my ‘Bucket List’ has been a trip to see the Pinkfooted Geese that breed in Iceland and Greenland and then travel with their fledglings to the UK to winter arriving sometime after September 1. In the 1880s, the birds did not come to the UK til the last week of October. Now, to the astonishment of all, a pair of Pink-footed Geese have bred in Lancashire!
The concern was with climate change and the melting tundra that the Pinkfoots might not migrate to the UK. So this is very interesting.
Look at the image below. The heads are the colour of a cafe lait. This dark to medium brown head fades into a boey that is blue grey. The lowest part of the neck is pink! The goose has fluffy white underparts. The legs are, of course, pink matching the lower neck which gives these geese their name.
The female lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs. It takes 26 or 27 days for the wee ones to hatch. At that moment, both the male and the female will lead the clutch to wetlands to feed. In Iceland, they also eat crowberries, which makes their ‘ps’ pink!!!!! Their main enemies in Iceland are foxes and gyrfalcons.
Some absolutely gorgeous closeups on this video by Cornell Bird Labs of the Royal Albatross chick. https://youtu.be/PsUNmjyrOFU?
The area of Shadow and Jackie’s nest is under voluntary evacuation for the Line Fire that is scorching parts of San Bernadino County. Shadow was spotted at the Snag and Roost Tree despite the wind and smoke by Eagle22 on the 12th of September. https://youtu.be/VNOQ7VrBTXc?
They say Jackie and Shadow are safe from the Line Fire (as of 9 September).
Connie Dennis reports that Oscar is still feeding Skylor at the Russell Lake nest in Nova Scotia. So no migration other than Mum, Ethel, so far.
Skylor you crack me up!
Dad is still providing fish at Niagara Bee.
Charlie is still supplying fish to C16 at Charlo. Interesting that it is the males staying behind at the nest and having Dad fish and fish and fish!
No love is lost at the Newfoundland nest of Hope and Beaumont between fledglings when a much-desired fish dinner arrives at the nest. That was the only delivery I saw at the nest – fish could be provided elsewhere, I do not know.
There was an odd break in the transmission from Sandpoint. Keke is still delivering fish. River was on the perch and then mysteriously on the nest with a nice fish. It was the camera. River is not catching fish – as far as I know, none of the males at these nests are getting their own food. Gorgeous wingspan on this fledgling.
At Orange, a Willy Wagtail comes to visit Diamond.
Still no breakfast at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest by 1130. Lady found a few scraps in the nest.
Do you love seabirds and Puffins? Dani Connor Wild has some amazing images in her recent video. https://youtu.be/IJi4vnEk1do?
Calico’s Tip for the Day: When the sisal on the scratch post cylinders is ragged, and you are ready to toss the entire thing in the garbage, don’t. First, could you check your online retailers for replacement sisal disks? They are about half the price of a replacement post where I live. The package we ordered also contained new hardware and an Allen key. Calico knows that I am the least ‘handy person’ in the neighbourhood, so if I can do this, so can you!
The Girls had really scratched up that sisal!
New cylinders to compare. Note the small bag with the hardware and Allen Key. We used our handy dandy cat fur remover and tried to get the old scratch post in near new condition.
What do you think? You can see that we got it all finished. Make sure that the Allen Key has everything secure. Gosh, I even amazed Calico and she gave the new sisal cylinders her Golden Paw Award – because they had a small bag of hardware with the Allen Key so I didn’t have to go rummaging around trying to find one!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. We hope to have you with us soon!
Thank you to the following for their posts, notes, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: SK Hideaways, Farmer’s Way, Diana Lambertson and The Joy of Ospreys, the CDC West Nile Virus, Cascade Raptor Centre, Fortis Exshaw Canmore, Heidi McGrue and The Joy of Ospreys, Montana Osprey Project, Openverse, BirdGuides, Cornell Bird Lab, Eagle 22, News & Observer, Connie Dennis and Ospreys of Nova Scotia, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Charlo Montana, Newfoundland Power, Sandpoint Ospreys, Liznm, Holly Parsons, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac,
I have put a warning in one group of images and the report from Niagara Bee. I did not believe we could lose another osprey this late in the season and, yet, it has happened. So be mindful when you get to that spot if you are sensitive and move down to the next news item.
I can confirm that Cobey, the Colonial Beach osplet on the streaming cam, was not one of the three ospreys from the area that had a necroscopy. I can, however, confirm that Cobey was noticeably ‘malnourished’ when his body was examined. That will not be a surprise to anyone. Individuals from the area are speaking up to stop the commercial fishing for Menhaden that has impacted hundreds of osprey nests in the area.
It really does feel as if fall has come to Manitoba. The leaves are changing before my eyes, the squirrels and Blue Jays are busy storing peanuts for the winter, and the Crows are getting fat. How many will remain here during the winter? Junior finally has his crest, and he is back to his handsome self. He wouldn’t smile at me but there he is on the left, crest flattened, but there! It took more than two weeks to grow in.
This is one of the little Red Squirrels born in our wood shed in the summer. It has a lot of white and is simply tiny and adorable.
Hugo Yugo has a fascination with dry flowers! These came from our local market, but I am drying herbs in the utility room, and she would love to be taller!
Last evening, Hugo Yugo must have felt the chill of the changing seasons, and I found her cuddled under two duvets. She loves her creature comforts and still sleeps with her head draped over my left arm on my pillow. She prefers the satin pillowcase. What a girl.
We are all having withdrawals or are starting to fret and worry about our dear Ospreys – particularly Iris and her entire family, as they prepare for migration. My inbox contains letters from you sitting and wringing your hands and toes. We know that Iris has survived for nearly 30 years in the wild. She is eating well. Finnegan is helping with Antali, and it appears that Sum-eh might have departed. Of course, she could be somewhere along the Clarke-Fork River eating some enormous fish and not revealing her quite perky and independent self. These two fledglings have good DNA. Tiger Mozone told me once they need two things: good DNA and good luck. So, we know that they have great genes. Just look at Iris and how long she has lived. She has also had the best of luck (OK, maybe not with Louis) during her migration. Let us hope that she has given clear and concise instructions to her two juveniles, Antali and Sum-eh, so they have long and productive lives carrying on her gene pool when they are ready to start their own families.
Antali is undoubtedly handsome. He would like Dad to get a big fishie on that nest. Iris is still home and delivered a whopper this morning. Thanks, ‘PB”.
When I speak about luck, I mean staying away from the harm that much of modern human life causes. The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul describes many of those. One of the most formidable is ‘light’. “Ornithologists have known for generations that artificial light disorients birds; as far back as the 1800s, lighthouse keepers described huge bird kills on foggy nights, when migrating songbirds battered themselves against the glass” (144). Weidensaul continues, “Lighted skyscrapers remain a major cause of mortality during migration so much so that campaigns have been launched in many cities to convince building managers to turn off lights during the peak of migration…some 90,000 birds a year die from building collisions in New York City alone.” Weidensaul notes that the lights that are set up for the memorial to the 9/11 victims is in peak migration period. “Some years the heaviest flights have occurred on the same night as the tribute…Radar studies have shown that the twin beams concentrate migrants at 150 times the normal rate”. (144). Since 2005, if the migration detectors notice 1000 songbirds whirling in dismay in the lights, they are now automatically turned off to save the birds and allow them to get on their way without harm” (144).
The route that Iris and her family, along with other Montana birds, take when they migrate might not take them through large cities with tall skyscrapers. It depends on where they go and below is the map constructed by the Montana Osprey Project with the birds that have been tracked.
The odd bird seems to have had trouble and went north and then to Florida, but you will notice that the concentrated stream takes them over Colorado into Texas, Mexico, and Central America. Many believe that Iris winters in south Texas but with no tracker or distinctive Darvic Ring we will never know for certain.
I am reposting an article from one of the Hellgate Osprey groups on FB by ‘CW’ that you might find of interest. ‘Osprey Migration Explained’.
At Llyn Brenig, Bethan 8B9 was last seen Friday morning and is believed to have departed for her migration. LJ2 was at the nest in the evening.
News from Tweed Valley.
I caught ‘someone’ at the NE Florida nest on the branch but cannot confirm if it is Gabby or Beau. They were photographed in the LY tree together around 10:00 am. Thanks, ‘J’.
It is difficult to see eagles with injured talons. This particular one with its necrotic talons came and went and spent some time on the NE Florida nest. It has been identified as the same eagle that intruded on the nest last year. Oh, please leave Gabby and Beau alone! https://youtu.be/Pg8g_M3wrWc?
WingsofWhimspy notations sent by ‘J’ as the eagles return:
We know that Jackie and Shadow, Beau and Gabby, and M15 and F23 are here! (listed above, too)
Well, this is where we will be on the 22nd and then rushing back for the Goose Flights at the nature centre.
How clean energy can help save our birds. Audubon has some ideas.
It is hard to imagine how quickly our little ones grow and they are on their way to independence and trying to survive on their own. Dyfi reminds us!
Just look at those little faces wanting fish. That is why I love this species so much.
WARNING. DISTURBING NEWS AND IMAGE IN THIS REPORT FROM NIAGRA BEE. Before I check the nests, news has come in late Friday from ‘PB’ that something there is a dead osplet on the Niagara Bee nest. It’s body was there in the early morning. Was it killed? and if so, why was the prey that was hunted left? or did it die of a disease? In either case, the remaining two fledglings are in danger. (If it was a predator during the night I could not rewind enough to confirm it was an owl. Eagles hunt during the day.)
At 0802 one of the fledglings looks down to see its dead sibling.
Nestled by its sibling.
The body of the osplet was eaten by a raccoon that came to the nest after dusk.
At the Snow Lane nest in Newfoundland, Beaumont is still delivering amazing fish to the two fledgings. He arrived Friday afternoon with a nice crop after finishing the head. Both juveniles are still home. I cannot confirm if Hope is still in the area.
Look at the size of the wings on that fledgling. I ‘think’ it is the second hatch. The other has a really lovely crop so both are getting fed well. Yeah to Beaumont and Hope for a great year. Hope delivered a big fish to the nest on Friday and was hungry herself but the kiddos got it. Beaumont was delivering on Thursday. He could have been on Friday, too – it is hard to catch them they are trying to get off the nest without having their talons torn off. Who would have thought we would be witnessing this?! It is special. A miracle nest.
River at the Sandpoint osprey platform wanting fish. No deliveries by mid-Friday afternoon that I could see.
Juvenile on the nest at Cowlitz PUD wanting fish.
At Fortis-Exshaw, Harvie delivered a fish Friday morning and both juveniles were at the nest wanting it.
I did not see anyone for ever so long, but Heidi caught Soo delivering a fish on Friday. There were some leftovers and a juvenile, cannot tell which one, came in later and ate it.
There is at least one juvenile at home at Collins Marsh Osprey Platform receiving fish from Dad.
‘PB’ reports that the OPPD ospreys have left the Fort Calhoun nest near Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
‘PB’ also sent me the latest notice. I am thrilled that people are speaking up against the Canadian company, Omega, for wiping out the Menhaden fish stocks that the ospreys (and others) depend on for their survival. Please, regardless, of where you live, write your Senator if you feel strongly about this issue. Other States who have bordering the Chesapeake Bay have restrictions against this industrial fishing — all but Virginia. Do it for Cobey!!!!!!
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 6th September 2024
The promised sunshine materialised and tempted a Coal Tit out onto Nest One for a few moments. Another sunny day is forecast for tomorrow but then it’s back to cool and damp for the rest of the week. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.00.28 (05.32.42); Nest Two 21.07.49 (05.44.10) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/n85DjMBiPQY The unusual sunshine tempts a Coal Tit out onto the nest 17.12.42
Morning changeover at 367 Collins Street. ‘A’ comments: “I understand that Victor has identified the male as the same male we had here last year (M22) and the female as a new bird (neither F22, who was probably killed by an intruder last season, nor the intruder). So she is being called F23 (though surely it should be F24 – the whole thing is confusing me greatly). At both scrapes, hard incubation is well underway, with Xavier doing his usual adorable chatting to his eggs (though I have not yet seen him attempt to feed them so far this season – there’s plenty of time of course for him to do something typical of this cutest of falcons).”
I note that someone whom I trust explicitly and has detailed images of head patterns, etc. does not believe that this is M22, but a new male despite Victor Hurley’s statement that it is. Without Darvic rings, it is incredibly difficult to identify birds unless there is a peculiar identifying mark.
At the Sea Eagles cam, SE34 is still shy of 33. There is a quiet jerk, and the stance of his body indicates that the youngest hatchling always keeps a keen eye on him in case 33 is going to reach over and beak him. SE33 ate first, and even when 34 moved up to the beak, Lady kept feeding 33 for a bit.
‘A’ comments: “The more I watch WBSE, the more I wonder whether the temperaments of these two, combined with the lack of an obvious size difference, suggest that we may indeed have two boys on this nest. SE33, though the first hatch and therefore top of the ‘pecking order’, is certainly not a vicious chick in the manner of a killer like Zoe.
But SE34 definitely remains very intimidated at feedings, despite the excellent fraternal relationship the two nestlings seem to have the rest of the time. Usually, SE33 doesn’t even need to beak SE34, who cowers away at the slightest hint that SE33 is even considering moving in his direction. About ten minutes into the breakfast feeding, SE34 shuffled forward to get closer to the food, and for the next ten minutes or so, Lady seemed to concentrate on feeding him, so that he got the vast majority of the bites, just as SE33 had done early in the feeding.
After flying off this morning, Dad returned very quickly with breakfast, and Lady quickly took control of what looked like something furred, though it could have just as easily been slightly feathered (it was definitely red meat and looked very nutritious – probably someone else’s half-grown chick. As the feeding progressed, and each chick had been fed for about 10 minutes, Lady fed them both alternately for a while. SE34 appeared slightly wary but was relatively confident, even competing with SE33 for bites (and winning). At all times, though, SE34 was aware of SE33 and was monitoring its movements carefully, while still participating in the feeding.
It was a very lengthy feeding, and by its end (around 07:17), both eaglets had very healthy crops. Their exquisite white fluff is now decorated with rows of shiny blue-black feathers growing through, making the chicks look spectacularly beautiful (as opposed to the cutest little fluff balls). These sea eaglets really are exquisite as their juvenile plumage develops – and the camouflage it provides is extremely impressive (like red-tailed hawklets, these sea eaglets grow the most wonderfully effective camouflage). “
At the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam in Orange, Xavier is getting a lot of eggie time Saturday morning.
Xavier on the eggs.
Mum and Dad at the nest on the Port Lincoln barge.
Remember Ervie and then Bradley with their Puffer Fish? ‘L’ sent us a posting of another osprey enjoying that particular delicacy. It feels like that old saying ‘Shooting Fish in a Barrel’. These Puffers must be easy to catch!
Mark it on your calender. Cornell’s Big Bird Day (counting birds) is 12 October. Please register to participate. I will send reminders and links closer to the date!
Conservation without Borders with Sacha Dench is Crowdfunding for The Flight of the Vulture. Here is some information and below it is the e-mail about contributing to the Crowdfunder.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, comments, posts, tweets, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, L, PB’, Niagara Bee, Cornell Bird Lab, Thinura Nisal Bandara, Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collis Street by Mirvac, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Virginia Osprey Foundation, Collins Marsh Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw Osoyoos, Fortis Exshaw Canmore, Cowlitz PUD, Newfoundland Power Snow Lane Osprey Cam, Sandpoint Osprey Cam, Dyfi Osprey Project, Audubon, MB IBA, Wings of Whimsy, NEFL-AEF, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Knepp Farm, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Avian Report, Montana Osprey Project, The Global Odyssey of Migrating Birds, and Conservation without Borders.
It is our area’s first day of school – always the day after Labour Day and, for parents and children, it marks the end of summer. The weather certainly doesn’t indicate the end of summer and crisp air. It was a sunny, hot 26 C on Monday. Everyone was enjoying the last holiday before our Thanksgiving, which is in mid-October (unlike the American one, which is in November).
We went to check on the fields north of the City. Migrating birds depend on leftover grain from the harvest. In the evening, these fields could be full of Canada Geese and gulls fattening up for their long trips. Twenty-five flew over our garden this evening at 1930.
In this same area are quarries—old and new. The old ones, now long deserted, have filled with water and are home to ducks, geese, the local deer, which are here year-round, and all other types of wildlife. They are quiet spaces away from humans, leaving the animals to ‘do their thing’.
It doesn’t look very secure, but there are security guards around 24/7 that can arrive quickly if notified.
‘The Girls’ had their party. The marking of having Calico and Baby Hope as part of our family for a full year still brings tears to my eyes when I think of dear Calico living in the cold winter, having been dumped by her former family. It just hurts me to my core, even though I know she is happy, healthy, and much loved now. She is also safe, and we are triple-checking that garden door so that she doesn’t run out until the locksmith can get here. The four have brought more joy to us than can be imagined. Hugo Yugo will be a year old, and in late November, we will celebrate her year with us. She is not the tiny kitten that arrived. She is still the smallest but also the ‘boss’ of everyone else.
There were hard treats (some healthy for teeth), squeeze treats, catnip, several small new toys with a Halloween theme, and a new scratch post. The top hits were: catnip, squeezy treats, and the scratch post. They can certainly make a mess of things very quickly!
Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo were the first to check out all the goodies. Within seconds, Hugo Yugo had claimed the catnip that was inteded for Calico!
Missey was over at the new scratch post marking it before you could blink while waiting for the squeezy treats.
Calico decided that the catnip was truly hers and Hugo Yugo needed to scat!
Then Hugo Yugo wanted the scratch post!
Baby Hope didn’t like all the bother on the table and preferred playing with the stick toy and little frilly things.
Calico was the last to leave the party enjoying the reclining aspect of the scratching post and the catnip.
They seemed to have a good time. They have given such joy and comfort this past year. Life could never be the same without them and I thank my lucky stars every day (many times a day) that fate sent them my way. ‘J’ says, “Happy Einzugstag!!. That’s what I call it, “move-in-day“. Congratulations to all of you for finding each other to build a new family!!!”
Calico Approved: With four cats and a complete dislike for cat hair and cat food (it almost makes me sick), I am always on the look out for the perfect thing to remove cat hair. I think I found it today! It was my present from the party!!!!!!
It worked so well. 10 Paw Prints!
Moving on to our birds – eagles continue to arrive, geese are flying south, falcons are incubating in the Southern Hemisphere along with the Ospreys.
Heidi has worked really, really hard on this video summary of Mispillion Harbour in Delaware. These summaries are so difficult. Hours and hours of footage and no professional equipment. So bravo, Heidi.
Please go and watch her efforts, give her a thumbs up and subscribe to her channel. She deserves every like she gets! This nest, and it is a wonderful one, has been overlooked until she started monitoring it. Thank you so much. https://youtu.be/IOTOSegZTsU
Moving over to Montana –
Video on how they track the Montana Ospreys that are ringed:
Poor Diamond tried to get in the scrape and the wind was horrific. Xavier watched his mate struggle. https://youtu.be/SMFeIZ1hrM8?
Geemeff has created a summary of the entire season at Loch Arkaig for The Woodland Trust – and us! Thank you, Geemeff, for all the video summaries and your dedication to this nest and sharing all with us. We look forward to another season next year with dear Louis an Dorcha!
Daily summary Monday 2nd September 2024
Back to wet and windy weather so no activity on either nest, no change expected tonight or tomorrow. The nights are lengthening rapidly, today’s cam switchover times are: Nest One 21.04.58 (05.43.42); Nest Two 20.57.16 (05.51.13)
Here is the synopsis for Loch Arkaig’s 2024 roller coaster Season Eight:
Louis arrived at 15.18.38 on Thursday 28 March
Dorcha arrived at 14.21.27 on Saturday 30 March
First Egg laid 11.13.47 Sunday 14 April
Second egg laid 05.55.52 Wednesday 17 April
Dorcha is injured in an Eagle attack 11.08 Friday 19 April
Third egg laid 02.26.08 Saturday 20 April
First chick hatched 06.16.48 Wednesday 22 May
Second chick hatched 22.26.15 Wednesday 22 May
Third chick hatched 16.36.10 Friday 24 May
Sad death of little Chick3 approx 19.02 Sunday 16 June
Louis last seen Wednesday 26 June
Louis returns with fish, uninjured but definitely not himself Saturday 29 June
Chicks 1&2 are removed to a translocation programme Monday 1 July
Chicks ringed with Spanish yellow Darvic rings: C1 – 1JW & C2 – 1JR Thursday 11 July
Sadly 1JR started having seizures and succumbed to a heart condition Tuesday 23rd July
FLEDGE! The surviving chick 1JW found his wings and flew 3pm Thursday 25 July
Dorcha last seen on camera on Nest One 11.19.43 Saturday 27 July
Louis last seen on camera on Nest Two 13.31.18 Tuesday 30 July
And the regular visitors:
Garry LV0 last seen 13.35.57 Wednesday 22 August (first seen 9 April)
Affric 152 last seen 15.09.07 Saturday 17 August (first seen 10 April)
Prince last seen 09.24.01 Saturday 29 June (first seen 1 April)
Today’s videos: none
Bonus guide – Meteorological Autumn started yesterday, WT explain the tell-tale signs showing nature gearing up for the next season:
I mentioned Finnegan as new Dad of the Year and, of course, forget another amazing Dad who helped raise four. Archie! ‘B’ writes, “You know, I have to agree with you that Finnegan gets a “New Dad of the Year” award. It has been so amazing to see Finnegan arrive at Hellgate, completely displace Louis, and be such a wonderful mate for Iris and super dad to Sum-eh and Antali. But what is also amazing is that in any other year Archie would be the runaway New Dad of the Year, showing up for Annie at Cal and being such a great dad to Aurora, Eclipse, Sol, and our dear Nox. It has just been a really good year for new dads all around!”
It is hard to believe but those little sea eaglets are doing wingers and have pin feathers. What is it with time? It is passing so quickly! Soon they will be scampering all over the nest! https://youtu.be/trE2K9UQTSA?
There is some really sad news coming out of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. There is a possibility that the entire family is no longer with us. I had thought that I had seen Dad on the nest, but it turns out it was the intruder as there was no federal band (that was the Wednesday). This is so very, very sad.
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, Minnesota. In 2024, he is 22 years old.
Both juveniles and at least one adult (if not two – both Beaumont and Hope) are at home on the Newfoundland Power nest on Snow Lane.
Want to know how important it is that fishing be regulated to support wildlife and not industry? No Menhaden came into the Potomac. Few, if any, of the Colonial Beach ospresy survived. They starved to death. It is a sobering read and please do sit down with a cuppa and write to people in power and let them know that you care before the ospreys are starved out of existence.
Virginia is fighting for its wildlife. The contacts are in the file below. Please help them!
Beau has been at the nest. Observers have noted some scratches, etc., to his feet due to territorial protection. Gosh, I wish him and Gabby could cut a break this year.
At the Dunrovin nest, beautiful Junebug on the perch and a huge fish comes to the nest!
C16 at the Charlo nest with a huge crop later in the day.
At Sandpoint, River has been on and off the nest all day according to the local observers. The camera is offline.
Pam Breci caught up with Niagara Bee ospreys:
White YW is still at Foulshaw Moss but all fledglings and Blue 35 have departed. He should be heading south shortly.
Thank you so much for being with us today. We are glad to have you here. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, Heidi Mc, Montana Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Olympic Park Eagles, Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, Newfoundland Power, Virginia Osprey Foundation, Nesting Bird Life and More, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Holly Parsons, Sara A, Dunrovin Ranch, Charlo Montana Ospreys, Sandpoint Ospreys, and Pam Breci.
You will now notice links to videos within the blog. Just click on them, and they will take you to YouTube. Geemeff helped me figure out how to save that precious space to include more images without using up all my media allowance! Thanks, Geemeff.
Friday was another scorcher in Winnipeg. It will be 31 C today but the heat index is reaching to 39 or 40 C. Even the English Gardens were so sultry that it was difficult to enjoy the beautiful foliage.
I continue to smile and tell The Girls how fortunate they are. What we are seeing is a growing number of cats, beautiful ones, coming to the feral feeder. People continue to dump their pets because they cannot afford to feed or care for them. It is so sad when these darling animals bring so much joy to one’s life. There was a steady stream yesterday – ‘The Boyfriend’, a Ginger Male, and a gorgeous long-haired ‘sort of’ Calico (photo below). ‘The Girls’ alert us to their presence. ‘The Boyfriend’ mostly comes during the night – between midnight and 0400. I catch him on the front video camera. But there is also ‘something’ coming and eating all the food and pushing the dishes about and upsetting the birdbaths. I do wonder if it is the fox or a raccoon or, perhaps, a big dog. They must come in through the back because they are not seen on the front camera.
Missey watching from inside where it is cool. They are telling everyone to please put out water because the heat index today was 38 C. The outdoor animals are having a very difficult time.
Remember those storms that hit Missoula with hurricane-force winds? We worried and teared up because of dear Iris and her family. Amy Moore tells us more about the devastation to other osprey families in her article in The Pulp. Thankfully, Iris, Finnegan, Sum-eh, and Antali were not injured.
‘J’ reminds us that Bobby Horvath keeps himself busy saving Ospreys and geese that get hit by golf balls on courses! He picks them up and puts them back together so they can live in the wild. Our fledgling ospreys can get into much mischief thanks to us and our fishing gear. Please tell people to take care of themselves and try to clean up after themselves, or stop fishing.
I have talked to you about the issues related to Osprey starvation and the industrial fishing of Menhaden in Chesapeake Bay. ‘H’ found this article that demonstrates clearly that the fish that our ospreys need to survive in the region can make a come back. New York put in regulations. Have a listen!
Hawk Mountain is located in Pennsylvania and is considered to be the world’s first sanctuary for raptors. It began during a time when people were paid to kill raptors – in 1929, $5 was a lot of money and if you turned in a goshawk that was what you received. A dead goshawk that is. Hawk Mountain was where the shooters lined up on top of the ridges when the birds migrated to kill them. Just think of that – thousands of bodies lying on the ground in the forest. A man by the name of Richard Pough began to take photographs of the autracities and eventually those images caught the attention of Rosalie Edge. Edge went to Hawk Mountain, and she came back in 1934, leasing 1400 acres. She created a safe place for the raptors. The killing ceased. In 1935, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was opened to the public. Edge eventually purchased the property, creating a non-profit organisation to look after the sanctuary. You can visit there today – you can even go and help do a count!
They have just published its first migration count for this season.
Little Ringed Plovers nest successfully for the first time in Cornwall.
CROW reminds everyone – baby Squirrel season is starting in some parts of North America. What should you do? Read below.
Migration season for Ospreys in the UK is underway (as it is in other parts of the world). I will keep track, once in awhile, of who is home and who is not.
Gorgeous Friday in Missoula and there are some ospreys on that hellgate Canyon nest.
FORE (Friends of Redding Eagles) has given us an update about the necroscopy of Luna and discussions on what to do about the nest tree of Liberty and Guardian. Thanks, ‘J’ for sending this in!
Update on Liberty & Guardian’s Nest & Nest Tree 8/22/24:
We just wanted to give you an update on our progress this Summer! We haven’t been posting much because It’s actually been a very busy Summer! We’ve been working non-stop on finding a way to help Liberty & Guardian any way we can next season. We’ve heard several of you suggest we simply “Cut down the Nest Tree” or “Remove the Nest”. After what happened to our Luna & Sol last season we completely understand how you feel! None of us want to experience something like that ever again! But, there are several Federal Laws protecting Bald & Golden Eagles so we have to abide by those laws at all times.
We’re still waiting on the Final Report on Luna’s Necropsy, but I have been in touch with Krysta Rogers frequently these last few months & she has been very helpful. She has answered several questions we asked her after the preliminary report was released & she reviewed a few videos I sent to her of Luna on the Grassy Island. Krysta said she will share the FINAL REPORT with us as soon as it is ready. We would all like to know what the cause of death was for our Luna & Sol & we really hope the final necropsy report will give us those answers. We have to let you know that there are times when the necropsy results are inconclusive, but we remain hopeful!
We’ve also been in touch with the California State Avian Conservation Coordinator Shannon Skalos regarding what we can & can’t do about Liberty & Guardian’s Nest & Nest Tree. Shannon was very helpful & understanding & she put us in touch with our local Fish & Wildlife Supervisor John Perrine who we’ve been working with to come up with a plan. Since we are not Biologists ourselves, we work under the guidance of our local Fish & Wildlife Biologists. We’ve been discussing what we can do within the constraints of the Federal Laws protecting Bald Eagles & their Nests & Nest Trees.
Back in June, Shannon informed us that we cannot do anything to the Nest or Nest Tree without a Federal “Take Permit”. She said those permits can take quite a while to obtain & she didn’t think we had enough time to go that route(6-12 months). She said US Fish & Wildlife generally tries to “let nature take its course”, but they will always consider things on a case by case basis.
Shannon let us know we would NOT need a permit to do something in any of the nearby trees as long as we don’t touch the Nest Tree. So, we immediately reached out to our dear friend & Eagle Biologist David Hancock from British Columbia who has a lot of experience & success in this area. David has been consulting with us & now we are in the process of making a plan which we will complete in September. We will share more details on our plan as we get closer!
Our Project Manager Joe will be coming to Redding in September to replace parts & overhaul the entire Eaglecam System. So, we still have a lot of work ahead of us! But, we are determined to do whatever we can to help our beloved Redding Eagles Liberty & Guardian! And, we are also determined to do whatever we can to make it a great viewing experience for all of our wonderful followers & incredibly generous Donors who make this all possible!
We could not do this without YOU!
Stay tuned!
~Terri & the FORE Team
Here is some helpful information with us from the US Fish & Wildlife Eagle Management Plan:
“Eagle Nest Protections
Along with protecting eagles, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act also protects eagle nests. Eagle nests are protected at all times, not just when the nests are in use by eagles. This means eagle nests can never be removed, destroyed, moved, tampered with, or obstructed, no matter what time of year it is, without a permit.
An eagle nest is defined as “any assemblage of materials built, maintained, or used by bald eagles or golden eagles for the purpose of reproduction. An eagle nest remains an eagle nest until it becomes so diminished, or the nest substrate upon which it is built fails, that the nest is no longer usable and is not likely to become usable to eagles, as determined by a Federal, Tribal, or State eagle biologist” (50 CFR 22.6).
The following are all considered eagle nests and are protected (unless the nests are determined by a Federal, Tribal, or State eagle biologist to no longer be usable):
Any nest constructed by an eagle, even if the nest is never finished or used.
A nest built by another bird that is subsequently used by an eagle for reproduction.
A nest constructed by an eagle that is subsequently used by another species, such as owls or osprey.
Note that if nest take removes all available nesting substrate from an eagle pair’s territory, this can lead to abandonment and loss of the eagle territory, which constitutes a form of disturbance take.laws”
Is Mum looking a little eggy at Port Lincoln?
Seabirds sang a tribute to the Penguin Icon, Sphen, as they mourn his death.
Our smile for the day comes from ‘SP’. Most of you know the Crawley Falcons that hatch their chicks on the balcony of a high rise in Australia. Apparently neighbours decided peregrine falcons were too noisy and asked that the plant pots where the falcons laid their eggs be removed. Well…Here is the story in pictures from their FB page. Oh, they now have at least two eggs.
Turtles are starting to arrive at the Kistachie National Forest E-1 nest…oh, geez. If this eagle keeps this up, there won’t be a turtle within 5 miles of the park! This male loves his turtles.
Karl II’s son, Waba, is in the Ukraine where he continues to feed as he works his way back to Africa. Fingers crossed that Waba will return to Estonia and take over his natal nest next year! Yes! Waba can continue the great example of his father, Karl II, who sadly was electrocuted on an unprotected pole in Turkey last year.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 23rd August 2024
More rain overnight last night with strong winds, and a misty morning today. No Ospreys appeared on either nest, just a pair of Great Tits on Nest One, but we were treated to footage from Spain of our one surviving chick, 1JW, looking magnificent and defending his fish with a short sharp warning nip to another Osprey who attempted to get some of it. This all bodes well for his upcoming migration journey, and explains his informal nickname of ‘Jaws’. Also sent through by Fundación Migres were photos of Pean JH3, the Loch Arkaig Osprey who fledged from a private nest in 2017 the same year that Aila & Louis fledged their first chick, Lachlan JH4. Pean’s untimely death on a faulty power line in 2018 inspired Itziar Colodro Sainz from the Fundación to campaign successfully for modernisation of the local grid at the translocation area of Marjal Pego-Oliva Nature Reserve, which has subsequently saved many birds. More here: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15815194 and here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-46952452. The wet weather will continue all week, with the possibility of thundery showers tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.32.40 (05.19.49); Nest Two 21.24.56 (05.26.39)
‘H’ posted on Fenwick Island….little Fen. Dad is smart. Just drop those fish in when flying by. Don’t risk those precious talons with a hungry juvenile.
SE33 was aggressive towards its little sibling today. Despite there being plenty of fish on the nest, it would not allow the baby to eat but a few bites before starting to bonk it. SE33 goes into a food coma and Dad comes along and saves the day giving little 34 a really nice feeding. That baby was full. Love you, Dad!
‘A’ writes more of these current issues with sibling rivalry: “This morning, Lady went out early and brought back a large fresh whole fish. She started feeding SE33 at around 06:49 and continued to do so until just before 06:58, when SE34, who had had his head down on the nest, finally accepted a bite. But even though it had been eating large chunks of fish for nearly ten minutes, SE33 was not happy about SE34’s inclusion in the feeding and immediately beaks him in the back of the head. SE33 grabbed a beakful of head feathers and shook SE34 for some time. A moment or so later, when SE34 dared to move, he was attacked again. Once again, the shaking lasted some time. SE33 has an enormous crop by this stage and has been eating large pieces of fish uninterrupted since 06:50.
The fact that SE34 had stayed down for so long, cringing violently away when Lady leaned near him to pick up a dropped piece of fish (she had dropped it, not SE34), was worrying enough in itself, but when after eating so much fish and SE34 showing deference for so long, SE33 instantly retaliated for the one mouthful SE34 had been given, it really depressed me. I thought we had got beyond this on this nest, but obviously, we haven’t. In fact, over the past week or so, it seems SE33 is getting more aggressive rather than less.
Lady is still looking out for him, and there is still plenty of fish (Dad added a second fish to the breakfast spread this morning – there always seems to be food ready for when Lady wants to feed the eaglets) but it is a worry that he is obviously intimidated by SE33 to the extent that he is sometimes scared to eat. The question is whether he is still getting enough once SE33 has eaten all it can.
By 7am, SE33 is getting more and more reluctant to accept bites. (It had already been rejecting them when SE34 dared to accept his first mouthful but that didn’t stop SE33 from attacking.) But SE34 is still not brave enough to lift his head. At 07:02, SE33 is STILL eating. SE34 dares to move – he is monitoring proceedings. By 07:02:40, SE33 is refusing food and Lady eats the bite herself. At 07:03, SE34 lifts his head cautiously.
There are two fish on the nest – one whole and one that Lady is finishing off. SE33 gets a second wind but this is a good thing, as it stops an attack on SE34 for lifting his head. Lady pauses the feeding. She surveys the eaglets and takes stock of the situation. She waits. SE33 is full, so I think she is waiting for it to turn away or lose interest in attacking SE34. She is certainly planning what to do next.
Just after 07:04, SE33 does in fact turn away. SE34 sits up a little further. His head is up. At 07:04:25, Lady offers a bite to SE34, who takes it without retaliation from SE33. Lady then steps closer to SE33 and persists in offering it a bite for nearly half a minute until eventually it is accepted shortly before 07:05.
Although SE34 has his head up, Lady does not offer him food. She continues feeding SE33, although it is reluctant and slow to accept bites. 07:06:20 and Lady moves some nest material, which strikes SE34 and causes him to turn away, fearing he is being attacked. Lady ends the feeding at this point, returning to brooding the eaglets, even though SE34 has not had any breakfast while SE33 is stuffed to the brim. There is a whole fish still on the nest, plus some leftovers from the other fish, and yet she has abandoned the effort to feed SE34. He is obviously intimidated and scared to eat, but with SE33 so full, it is unusual that Lady did not persist in her efforts to feed SE34. She made very little effort to feed him, and did not offer him bites with the same patience and persistence she used to push more and more food onto SE33. So it was all in all a worrying and disappointing breakfast feed.
I am assuming Lady is going to let SE33 fall into a food coma and then go back to the fish to feed SE34. I certainly hope so. Otherwise, we are going to have problems at this nest. I am encouraged by the fact that the size gap between the two appears to have narrowed over the past four or five days, so talons crossed. “
There is more news from Australia. ‘A’ sends us the news of a rare white Rhino calf born – no feathers, but we will celebrate with them!https://youtu.be/QaPgf26-WYE?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Have a wonderful weekend everybody! See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, articles, images, summaries, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB, SP, TU’, The Pulp, Return of the Menhaden, Hawk Mountain, BirdGuides, SK Hideaways, CROW, RSPB Loch Garten, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint, Pitkin County, Saaksilvie, Whistler Osprey Cam, FORE, PLO, The Guardian Crawley Falcons Instagram, Tonya Irwin, Looduskalender, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Heidi McGrue, and Olympic Park Eagles.
We hope that you are well. The end of summer (or winter, depending on where you live) is soon coming to an end! Already some children are heading back to school. Here it is the day after Labour Day. That really does mark the end of the summer for many.
It continues to be hot, and the garden birds are spending more and more time in the baths. It looks like another host of House Sparrows has appeared in the garden. I even ‘thought’ I saw a couple of new baby red squirrels the other day, but I am not sure. I feel very sorry for them and all of the eagles and ospreys we have been monitoring who are caught in this extended heat wave. Please put out water for all the animals and change it regularly, and if you can afford it, feed them. If billions of people joined together, the lives of our feathered friends would be much improved.
Wednesday is our local Farmer’s Market. It has grown over the years to have some exceptional vendors as our neighbourhood community grows and grows in population, attracting many young professionals who like the vibe. From the original stalls selling produce, organic meats, and local honey, we now have artisan ice creams, flowers, organic breads, the most amazing dumplings, empanadas, and Japanese baking. The temperature was not so hot making it that much more congenial to mingle with friends and neighbours this afternoon.
Oh, I hope they continue to come to the market. Their handmade dumplings are delicious. And look at the price!
A mother and daughter grow fields of flowers right outside the City for the bouquets. They are lovely. Just the right size.
I wanted to show you all of the goodies, but Hugo Yugo got on top of the table before I could blink. She is always the first to be curious, quickly followed by Missey! For some reason, Hugo Yugo was not interested in dumplings. Could it have been that they were tofu and cabbage? I could easily be completely Vegan if it were not for dairy. I am trying, but ice cream and cream for my coffee get me every time.
Yes, there she is! Missey first tried the tofu cabbage dumpling and loved it. Then she moved on to the Ube Melon roll! Both got her thumbs up!
Calico and Hope are curious and sweet, but they prefer watching the animals in the garden instead of human-related ‘things’.
Before we went to the market, we stopped in at the duck pond. What a surprise. The Canada Geese were feeding on the Cricket grounds and, for the most part, the ducks had the pond all to themselves. OK. There were about twenty geese at the pond compared to hundreds feeding on the pitch. Most ducks were the sweetest little Wood Ducks – tiny compared to the Mallards. Some of the images are pretty dark despite lightening them…apologies.
I am ready for some rain. For an afternoon, curling up in a chair and reading a book, the stack on the bedside table grows, and by the time I get myself tucked in, I am too exhausted to read. I am not complaining! How many of us wish there were at least 36 hours in a day?
And to my great joy, ‘The Boyfriend’ showed up during the daylight hours. I catch him on the video cameras coming in the middle of the night, but had not seen him during the day. He looks to be in good form.
You might have noticed that we are not hearing from Heidi regularly. She is having a much-deserved break after a season of great sadness. The osplets on all the nests she has been monitoring have fledged (or died). Please give her a big round of applause so she can hear it! Thanks, Heidi, for your outstanding contributions and for taking care of all that data for me on those nests. You will never know how much I appreciate it. Thank you is hardly adequate.
I received a letter today from a family on the Potomac River that put up an osprey platform. They attracted a family that fledged two chicks. They wrote to me to enquire about siblicide occurring after fledge. What happened was that the older sibling prevented the younger one from getting any fish, and the younger one died on their lawn. Years ago, when we thought of siblicide and indeed, until a couple of years ago, the older sibling (usually) killed the younger one on the nest before the age of 21 days. With the heat domes and the lack of fish during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, we are seeing more and more competition between the fledglings of a nest and various intruders for local resources such as food.
Siblicide happened at Port Lincoln several years ago, pre-fledged at 65 days. The chick was pushed off the nest into the water and died. So there is a range. As the planet heats up and more fish dive deep or are lost to commercial fishing trawlers (unless that dire practice can be stopped), we will likely see many more deaths on the nests than we have seen this year. I regret painting a gloomy picture, but I would rather be entirely wrong than write as if we live in Disneyland where everything ends beautifully. Oh, how I wish it were so.
The Ospreys are leaving. The Storks are migrating. Shorebirds are flying south from the Arctic to their homes in South America. The move is on. Bald eagles return to check out their nests’ condition and lay claim to them again. The Eastern Ospreys are preparing to lay eggs like the falcons in Australia. We already have baby sea eaglets. For the next few months, the action will be coming to us from Australia, and then the eagles in the US will begin to lay their eggs.
We will start with a good news story about wind turbines sent to us from Geemeff. I was starting to think there was nothing good about the darn things. One of the things I hate about wind turbines is the refusal of so many factories to paint one blade black. What a simple solution someone found Let’s see what is happening here to protect the sea eagles in The Netherlands.
It is fantastic to see the fledglings return to the nest months after their first flight. Today, Alma visited the San Jose City Hall scrape to the delight of all. SK Hideaways caught it.
This is nothing short of animal cruelty. Do people think birds have no feelings? Help spread the word about the use of birds and include balloons when you ask friends to protect wildlife. Thank you.
The dark eye lines on Hope and Beaumont’s osplets are wide and magnificent. Dark beauties they are! There is a rumour that the second chick fledged on Wednesday the 21st. I did not see it and there is nothing on the FB group. Will confirm later.
Dad arrives to much enthusiasm at the Royal Albatross colony to feed the Royal Cam chick.https://youtu.be/3as5kXIFb18?
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Wednesday 21st August 2024
Nest One had a few little songbird visitors today despite the wet and windy weather, but otherwise no activity. Garry LV0 was last seen briefly on Sunday 18th and seems to have left the area, so with increasing reports of final sightings from UK Osprey projects, tonight’s bonus is the excellent webinar on Osprey migration by Dr Tim Mackrill.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.35.33 (05.14.32); Nest Two 21.27.36 (05.19.35)
Iris brings fish to the nest. Sometimes there is a fledgling there to nab it! The chicks are looking good and no doubt being fed at the nest and elsewhere as Iris, we hope, is packing in the calories, too, for her long flight.
Beautiful fish arriving on the nest for C16 at the Charlo Montana nest.
Junebug on the perch at Dunrovin waiting for fish.
River has been on and off the nest all day at Sandpoint getting fish! She had a big morning brekkie to help start the day.
One lucky chick at Blackbush has a fish dinner.
I did not see anyone at home at Cowlitz. Maybe I missed our fledgling.
At Saaksilvie #1, ringed and unringed are getting some fish dinners.
Clean up crew at the Seilli nest in Finland.
I saw no activity at nest #4 on Wednesday in Finland.
Both fledglings on the nest in Latvia having some nice fish with Mum.
‘A’ reminds us: “We are on egg watch at Orange. As I mentioned, Diamond laid her first egg on 26 August last season, so we are nearing that time. There is lots of bonding and mating taking place.
22 Aug BONDING 05:50:59, 10.30.59, 14:47:34, 17:30:42 PREY 07.02.32 X takes; 07.04.12 X stashes; 09:15:07 D takes; 13.23.42 D takes
TOWER MATING 07.05.16 LR 17s, 07.06.27 LR 18s, 07.10.49 LR 15s, 07.56.23 LHC 15s, 09:46:48 MW 12s, 13.53.31 MW 10s, 13.54.48 MW 6s
Diamond and Xavier are both looking healthy, unlike the starling Xavier stashed in the front corner of the scrape this morning – Diamond has treated it with the disdain it deserves but it will be recycled in the morning. Nothing is wasted here. There is discussion on the site about the worth of maggots in starlings. Of course we know from bald eagle nests that there’s good protein in maggots. Perfectly edible. “
A big shout out to Mary Cheadle who organises all of the fundraisers for the Lock Arkaig FB group. Thousands of pounds go to The Woodland Trust each year from viewers and fans. Thanks, Mary, for all you do!
There is one more fundraiser. For a donation of 3 GBP or more, you have a chance to win some expensive books on Ospreys, totes, etc. Check out the Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys FB if interested. The deadline is 30 August. It is the last fundraiser of the year.
Blue 1RO was 100 days old on Wednesday. Does anyone else think s/he looks exactly like their daddy Blue 33?
It was rainy and looked like a gale was blowing at the Glaslyn nest. The fledglings still think that Aran can pull off a miracle fishing for them! Two came in early in the day but no late fish to keep those crops full during the night.
It was windy with some rain at Dyfi but the wind did not appear to be blowing as strong as it was at Glaslyn. (Maybe just me…)
It was blowing hard at Llyn Brenig – the two fledglings were holding on tight to their nest!
Juveniles at Poole Harbour screaming their heads off for fish at Poole Harbour.
Fledgling still at Mlade Buky. Nice.
New Zealand is rushing to vaccinate its native birds ahead of what they believe will be a huge outbreak of H5N1.
Thank you so much for being with us today. It is always a pleasure!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, letters, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff’, dutchnews.nl, SK Hideaways, Birds in Helping Hands, Newfoundland Power, Cowlitz PUD, Cornell Bird Lab, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Sandpoint Ospreys, Blackbush at Old Tracerie, Saaksilvie, LDF, Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, LRWT, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, BoPH, Mlade Buky Stork Cam, The Guardian, and Friends of Midway Atoll.
Thursday turned out to be a great day for Bald Eagles, just when I thought that there were none to be seen until winter. The local chicken farms, which cover a large area of the Annapolis Valley, provide carrion for the eagles – all of them I am told as well as the other farmers. It made me smile. Not the chickens crunched up in tiny cages, but their lives do not go to waste when they die.
Eagles were soaring over the estuary and at Grand Pre National Monument, the site of the Evangeline memorial. I was walking through the gardens when I heard the distinct call of a juvenile, and I saw two adults flying overhead. Following the sound, I located the baby in a gorgeous pine tree by the potager (kitchen garden area). The minute the adults and a fledgling appeared, this one cried for prey. It was a beautiful juvenile doing what juveniles do when they do not hunt for themselves- tracking the adults. What a distinctive call so different from an osprey.
Taken with a 200 mm lens and cropped – oh, how I wish I had my larger lens with me!
The nest was on the grounds of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I think they are pretty lucky – quiet and protected. It is the memorial site to the Acadians forced to leave Nova Scotia by the British. The Acadians were farmers living in the 1680s in an intertidal area. The tides were over 11 metres, some of the highest in the world. They reclaimed land using dykes, wooden sluices, and a series of drainage networks creating a rich soil that enabled them to become excellent farmers.
The memorial site remembers not only the cultural legacy of the Acadians but it is also the site of the Great Expulsion. The deportation of the Acadians began in the fall of 1755 and continued through 1778. The first group was approximately 7000 individuals. In total, about 11,500 out of a population of 14,000 were deported. Why? Well, two reasons. The Acadians would not be loyal to the British, but the second was more economical. The British wanted their prime agricultural land.
Brochures state: “The Memorial Church expresses the Acadian’s strong attachment to Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada. Built in 1922, with funds raised from Acadian communities throughout North America, the Memorial Church symbolizes the spirit of Acadian nationalism and the deep-seated desire to commemorate the tragedy of the Deportation. Architect René Fréchet of Moncton, New Brunswick, drew up the plans for the church, which reflect Normandy-style architecture of the 1700s. The design does not duplicate the original pre-Deportation church whose appearance is unknown. “
The Memorial Church at Grand Pre.
On the path leading to the entrance to the Memorial Church is a bronze statue of Evangeline. She is the focus of Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline, written in 1847. “Almost immediately after its release, the poem obtained worldwide popularity. Millions of people were drawn to the story of a young Acadian couple from the village of Grand-Pré, Evangeline Bellefontaine and Gabriel Lajeunesse, who were separated by the events of the Deportation. Evangeline, being a faithful, pious woman, vowed to find her true love Gabriel, yet she always seemed to be two steps behind. More than a fictitious character, Evangeline became a symbol of the Deportation and the perseverance of the Acadian people.”
View over the Annapolis Valley from ‘The Lookout’ north of Canning.
There are orchards and vineyards everywhere you turn. Indeed, the local artisans have been invigorated by the steady stream of tourists coming to the wineries and the distilleries in the area. Small villages that were losing young people appear to be stabilising according to the young ladies at one of the many coffee roasters in the area.
Tomorrow I am heading out in search of some shore birds. The Noodle Guy’s food is too good to pass up so you will find me there again before leaving for home Saturday afternoon. The joy has been staying in the quiet farmlands of the valley away from the tourist areas – loud, crowded, and overpriced. The cat sitter says that ‘The Girls’ are doing fine. Calico has even come out from under the sofa for pets. It is good to get away, it will be great to be home. The trip has turned out to be a good one. erful
Cornell Bird Labs gives us a hint as to what to expect now that Iris and Finnegan are ’empty nesters’.
Concerns have been growing for Antali who has not been seen on camera. Thank you, Dr Green and than you ‘PB’ for seeing this alert and sending it to me. Postiive energy out there please to help find Iris’s second baby.
‘A’ comments: “It was an awful day at Hellgate, with driving rains. But despite this, Finn brought in a fish for Sumeh, which she demolished in short order, finishing with a large crop. Antali flew in late (it was nearly 9pm) followed by both mum and dad. Dad brought the fish, which Iris took charge of, despite Antali trying to wrestle it from her. She fed Antali, so that once again he did not get to practice his self-feeding. He was hungry, grabbing at the bites, and vocalised throughout the feeding. But despite the dreadful weather, both fledglings had a decent-sized fish of their own today, Sumeh’s self-fed, Antali’s fed by Iris. The winds were so strong, Sumeh was literally tossed about by them when she flew off the nest. She started off by lying duckling style on the nest after she finished her fish, but as the rain grew heavier, she decided to head elsewhere, and took off in the gusty conditions. It is good to see the parents looking after this pair, and both fledglings coming to the nest for fish (obviously keeping an eye out for any sightings of an incoming Finn, in particular – he has been doing such a great job for this family. I was a little worried about this stage, where the fledglings have such a high caloric requirement, but at least Iris can fish for herself now and so Finn is only providing for three. Iris is helping with that too, I presume – today, though, it was Finn doing the fishing.
I too worry about Iris. She is so devoted to her osplets. She goes without food herself if the chicks need it. She has been stoic in the heat, shading the osplets even once they were pretty much fully grown, and sheltered them through a very hot summer. She has been the best mumbrella in heavy rains with howling winds, keeping her babies warm and dry whilst being soaked to the skin herself. She has been the most dedicated of mums, and I do feel concerned to consider how much this season may have taken out of her, and whether she will have the time and the opportunity to rest and eat before she heads off on migration. I do wonder why there is a need for these ospreys to migrate as far as they do – surely southern USA would be far enough. Africa seems a little extreme (and unnecessarily dangerous).
Antali returns to the nest at 20:08, in time to meet dad with yet another fish. Iris turns up as well. Finn leaves her to it and Iris claims the fish. Antali tries to peck a little at the fish but then just waits to be fed by Iris. At least he is getting fed – I was very worried about whether he would be able to compete for food with Sumeh at this stage of their development, and although I do wish Antali would be left to self-feed a bit more, I am basically just pleased that both osplets are being fed, and apparently fed enough, to be growing and looking healthy. Both appear to be mastering this new flying skill, though the winds were very challenging today. “
‘H’ reports:
8/15 Osoyoos osprey nest: Chick 2 fledged on 8/14 at 67 days of age, and s/he returned to the nest in about a minute. The cam was frozen for about three hours, and we didn’t know if Chick 2 flew again during that period of time. But, after the live stream was restored at 1149, we did not see Chick 2 leave the nest again on 8/14. On 8/15, Chick 2 decided to take an early flight at 0552. For the next few hours, Chick 1 flew out and back to the nest several times, but we did not see Chick 2 return. Then the cam froze again for almost 2.5 hours, and resumed at 1230. At 1230, Soo was seen on the nest eating alone. Hours passed without seeing Chick 2, and we were worried. Finally, at 1649 Chick 2 landed in the center of the nest right on top of Chick 1, practically knocking him/her off the nest. It is entirely possible that Chick 2 may have returned to the nest during the cam downtime, but we were relieved to see Chick 2 return after 11 hours. The siblings were both hungry, and did a lot of fish-calling. Olsen brought a small whole fish at 1923, and it was grabbed by Chick 1. The cam froze again at 2020. (There is talk of setting up a fund to raise money for a new camera for next season.)
8/15 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest: We are lucky that we still get to see all three of the fledglings at the nest or the perches. Louise has not been seen since she provided feedings on the t-perch on 8/10 and 8/11. Harvie is continuing to bring fish to the nest. It may not seem as though he is delivering enough fish to the nest to feed three active and hungry juvies, but he may be providing meals for them at off-camera locations as well. The intruder is still around. She has not been a major problem, and has not stolen a fish from the juvies in three days. The intruder sometimes lands on the nest, or the nest perches or the t-perch. At 1502, the intruder was standing on the nest-pole, when an adult osprey flew in quickly and flushed her off the pole. Then there was a brief chase that occurred within our view. We assumed that other adult osprey was Harvie. The fledglings are becoming more confident and bolder around the intruder. At 1908, the intruder landed on the nest, and she was forced off by one of the juvies. Harvie delivered a fish at 2018, and the intruder landed on the nest at 2020. The intruder simply stood there while one of the juvies was eating, but then she was forced off the nest at 2033 by one of the juvies… Well that did it, now the intruder was mad, lol. Over the next 25 minutes, the intruder dive bombed the two juvies on the nest at least 14 times. It seemed that she was mostly trying to harass them. There was only some occasional minor contact with her talons on their backs, but nothing too serious. She was not trying to hurt them… if she had been, she would have. The fledglings are learning life lessons. Unwanted ospreys interfering in their lives will be a part of their world.
WYL arrives to feed the Top Flat chick at the Royal Albatross Colony in New Zealand.
SE33 and 34 are getting bigger. The wings are longer as are their necks and as you can see they are nearly the same size. Lady is feeding them a small bird.
‘A’ visits the sea eagle nest: “It was also another wet day at WBSE. It seems that both eaglets are getting fed. SE34 is not at all intimidated by SE33, and is quite capable of starting a bonking incident if it feels antsy. Lady is reaching across SE33 to feed SE34, and there seems to have been quite a bit of red meat on the menu. It looks very nutritious. It may be easier to catch small birds at the moment than to fish in the rain. As long as the eaglets are being fed, we are happy. There does however appear to be a distinct size difference appearing between the eaglets, with SE34 looking noticeably smaller than its older sibling. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about at this stage but it is worth keeping an eye on. I was worried about one or both of SE34’s eyes the other day but they appear to be normal now so it may just have been rain or fish juice. (There’s often a chunk of fish stuck to the end of his beak, skewer-style, so there’s bound to be fish juice on his facial feathers.) They do both seem healthy and they are both being fed. Dad is doing a great job of keeping food on the nest and Lady is making sure both eaglets are fed. So far, so good. “
C16 on the Charlo Montana nest screaming for fish!
Oh, just look at how big those little ones are at the Osprey Environment Centre in Australia! If you recalled that there were three, sadly, one has died, but two are well.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Thursday 15th August 2024
Plenty of action today as Affric 152 and Garry LV0 flew on and off Nest One over a period of several hours, ignoring a quick flypast by the RAF. She spent a lot of time fish-calling and was eventually rewarded with a fish – but it was a teeny tiny little tiddler which she demolished in about three minutes. She called for more, but Garry didn’t oblige. The weather wasn’t very obliging either, wet and windy most of the day, and same again expected tonight and tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.02.27 (05.12.15); Nest Two 21.52.38 (05.17.08)
Jack and Shadow continue to let us see them, returning to the nest and the roost tree often. It is fall. Oh, these two!
Growing concerns for the lack of insects in the UK. But, it isn’t just the UK. There appears to be an international decline. What is causing it? We should all be concerned because the insects are part of this great food chain. The small birds eat them – think of that little Hobby and all the Dragonflies it eats. The larger birds eat the Hobby – and, ultimately, we have our Apex Raptors. They are the measure of the health of a region – without the ladder of prey they do not survive.
Thank you so much for being with us today! Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, PB’, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cam FB, Hellgate Ospreys, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Fortis-Exshaw, Olympic Park Eagles, Living Bird Life and More, Charlo Montana, Cornell Bird Lab, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SK Hideaways, and The Guardian.
Hello from the Annapolis Valley where it is now day 4 of the holiday and today will see some ‘birding’. Yesterday was tourist time and today, with the fog rolling off the hills as the sun comes up, it will be a little more quiet. I am sitting here eating thick slices of a type of brown oatmeal bread laced with molasses that is popular in the area. It is delicious. The farmer’s markets are full of corn, strawberries, peaches, cantaloupes, and blackberries – all from the surrounding fields. Yesterday, driving down the highway we spotted a canal full of Cormorants. I have not seen a single Eagle! or Osprey. Maybe we can remedy that in the next couple of days. We are also checking out one of the best hidden gems in terms of restaurants – The Noodle Guy in Port Williams today.
I hope that all of you are having a good week.
The big news in Bird World when I returned to the animal sanctuary was that Antali had fledged. Thanks ‘B’ and Geemeff. I was out, I missed it, and what joy it was to see those subject lines. Iris and Finnegan now will train their two wonderful kids to live in the world safely. So happy. Just in tears.
Antali on the pole. The cam operator does a fantastic job looking over the landscape for the ospreys. And chicks landing on the nest and taking off again wanting fish.
A comments: “At 16:39 one of the osplets landed back on the Hellgate nest and although it looked a lot like Sumeh, the way it immediately flopped down onto the nest, duckling style, was more reminiscent of Antali. Sumeh rarely rests in that position. Antali usually does. Whichever it was, there was much calling for fish (in vain). Finn arrived soon after 17:00 with empty talons. Soon after 17:18 he flies off, presumably to acquire some fish. Soon after 17:28, our fledgling flies off the nest. At 18:56 the fledgling is back – the legs look like Sumeh but I honestly find these two increasingly difficult to distinguish in recent weeks, and when they’re not side by side, I’m useless and end up relying on behavioural cues. But the flying to and from the nest is more what one would expect of Antali today. He only fledged today, and he is probably hoping for a celebratory snack. “
Wednesday was a lot of driving. Manitoba is flat. Nova Scotia is hilly with winding roads, up and down. It seems to take longer to get anywhere. That said, I had to keep reminding myself that it is summer and people are on holidays and they love Nova Scotia with its rich history.
My first stop was Annapolis Royal. Annapolis Royal is one of the most interesting places for history buffs. Originally inhabited by the Mi’kmag, the area became increasingly important to European powers vying for positions in North America. The French arrived in 1605 to be followed by the English and Scots. The guidebooks like to remind visitors that Port Royal (what Annapolis Royal was called prior to 1710) has a longer history than any of the settlements in the Eastern US such as Plymouth and Jamestown and Quebec.
Fort Anne. Part of what remains of the first French fort.
The history of the Fort and the Europeans in the area. (It was too hard for me to condense all of this rich culture!)
All around the region, there are dykes like the ones below.
Port Royal was the capital of the Arcadian region – the name later dropped the ‘r’ and it became Acadian. The British wanted the rich farming land and when they took control of the region and shipped the Acadians ‘out’. Do you know the term Cajun? in Louisiana? They came from this region of Nova Scotia – from Port Royal to Grand Pre. They were magnificent farmers using the sod-covered earth dykes to keep out the very high tidal waters. They harvested the mud/rich soil left when the tides receded. Their crops flourished.
For humans to enter but not for animals (really?).
Garrison House. The brochure says, “Originally constructed in 1854 as “The Temperance Hotel,” Garrison House Inn occupies a land with a legacy that dates back to Annapolis Royal’s time as the capital of Nova Scotia from 1621 to 1749. Over the years, our inn has evolved, expanding in the 1880s to include a summer wing and spacious walk-in dormer windows on the third floor. This transformation earned it the new name of “The American House,” solidifying its reputation among the notable inns in Annapolis Royal NS. As the era of sail gave way to a new chapter, Garrison House Inn embarked on a unique journey. It became the cherished residence and medical practice for a visionary doctor and his prodigious family, breathing new life into the historic rooms until 1971. Later, a passionate hotelier took the reins, renaming the inn “The Garrison House” in honor of its illustrious neighbor, Fort Anne National Historic Site. This connection to the center of military conflicts between France and England in the 17th and 18th centuries adds to the allure of staying at one of the finest places to stay in Annapolis Royal.
Today, Garrison House Inn stands as a testament to the rich heritage and warm hospitality of Annapolis Royal. “
One of the most popular lunches in Nova Scotia in the summer, particularly in this corn growing area, is corn chowder. Corn chowder, scones, and a lemon tart. Perfect.
After lunch it was off to try and find out a little more about the folk artist, Maud Lewis.
This is the site of the original house she shared with Everett. The original frame house is in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. The house was 160 sq ft with a tiny loft that held the bed.
A welded steel building fabricated to the exact specifications of the original house.
People leave toys and painted rocks in tribute to Maud Lewis.
The house is now in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax.
A replica was built by the couple’s friend, Murray Ross, on his property, about 8km from the original site. There is also a shed behind the house like the one Everett had for his wood shop and storage area. Today, it is a gift shop, and one of the most popular and often sold-out items is a birdhouse designed after the house and painted like it.
Murray makes tourist items such as the ‘bank’ below or bird houses, tulips on wooden dowels, and painted scallops, and has laminated images of Maud’s work. In her lifetime, Maud sold her paintings for $5 or $6. Today, at auction, they are worth tens of thousands if not more, depending on the subject.
There are hidden little gems around each corner and old memories. Where we get our ice cream, you can go for a walk around a pond with ducks, visit the bunnies, and there is a playground around the second pond. I do love the lazy days of summer chatting to the goats, too. I wish they were wandering free like the ones at the sanctuary (or relatively free in big spaces).
Tourism and keeping local clients is key to the businesses in the area.
There is some news in Bird World besides Antali…
Chick #2 at Osoyoos (Middle, I believe) fledged on the 14th, too!
Jusr look at the wing span on the oldest of Beaumont and Hope’s osplets on the Snow Lane nest in Newfoundland. Hovering is going to come soon – and then fledge. We are a few days away. The second hatch is five days younger – the same spacing as Antali and Sum-eh.
Family portrait at Snow Lane. This is truly a miracle year for these two.
Fish dinner for River at Sandpoint?
Lots of waiting for fish deliveries! Lola and C16 at the Charlo Montana nest.
Second hatch at the Olympic Eagle nest is getting fiesty and giving back what it has gotten! Nothing but a bonk fest with these two well-suited chicks.
‘TU’ sent us a ‘lucky break’. This Magpie lands right by the Imperial Eagle on its nest. My goodness, it could have been lunch!
Nox is healing! What great news.
That despicable person who dumped dead raptors and bunnies (hares) – around a community shop has been identified and charged. I am waiting to see if the sentence will be worthy of 50 species and the horror it caused.
Geemeff’s summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Wednesday 14th August 2024
The promised sunny intervals put in a brief appearance this afternoon but it was mainly damp and windy. Putting in a longer appearance was Garry LV0, who spent some time on Nest One. He was joined by Affric bringing a half-eaten fish which she’d probably got from Garry off-nest. An unidentified bird flew across the cam view in the distance, and that was the end of the action on Nest One, with no action again on Nest Two. Tonight’s forecast for the Inver Mallie area is heavy rain, continuing for the next week.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.50.07 (04.49.23); Nest Two 21.44.15 (05.06.49)
Blast from the past – this day in 2022 gave us these delightful mindfulness moments beginning with a stunning sunrise on Nest One and ending with a gloriously colourful sunset seen from Nest Two. I recorded them in time-lapse and set to music, part of my Classic Ospreys series :
N1 Sunrise time lapse (Classic Ospreys – Schubert) 2022
N2 Sunset time lapse (Classic Ospreys – Bach) 2022
Annie and Archie are enjoying some time together and like all the other raptors, they are also molting.
Thank you for being with us today for this brief glimpse at a very joyful holiday and a few happenings in Bird World. Take care. Tomorrow I am heading to an old haunt, Hall’s Harbour and then to Grand Pre to look at more of the history of the Acadians. Friday will be along the South Shore in search of osprey platforms. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, PR, TU’, Hellgate Osprey, Montana Osprey Project, Murray Ross, Heidi McGrue, Newfoundland Power, Sandpoint Ospreys, Charlo Montana, Bird Life & More, @ewako252, California Raptor Centre, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SK Hideaways.
Some of our morning updates before we get to what is the real thrust of today’s news: SE33 has hatched at the Olympic Park Sea Eagle nest in Sydney. Congratulations Lady and Dad. What a beautiful strong little eaglet!
‘A’ remarks: “August 7 (Afternoon) After another shift for Lady, Dad was on incubation duties again for nearly an hour, though he left quickly when she returned. She then fed the chick again, with gentle, tiny bites offered, before settling again. She is restless, as you would expect with a chick and a pipping egg. Just before 2pm, Lady ate a little of the stored fish, and although she tried to feed the chick, she gave up because it was facing the wrong way. Shortly afterwards, she tried again and this time, SE33 ate a little. The pip on the second egg is more raised now. At 14:51, Dad brooded again, then went to the pantry but didn’t feed the chick. Lady was back after a 15-minute break. She was on the nest from just after 4pm, after a last short feed for SE33. Dad brought in a late fish at dark, and Lady ate a little before settling. She has spent longer on the nest today, though Dad has had a couple of shifts. He brought prey, and SE33 was fed four times. What will this night bring? Last season, the eggs hatched 32 hours and 46 minutes apart.”
‘H’ reports:
8/6 Osoyoos osprey nest: I had a busy day, so when I got home, I primarily rewound the stream to check for a possible fledge for Chick 2. S/he did not fledge today. And, when Chick 2 did his wingercizing, he was still only achieving what seemed to be a few inches of lift off the nest (cam view can be deceiving). A person very experienced with ospreys stated on a chat a few weeks ago, that ospreys typically need to do wingers and hovers for 10 days to build up their muscles for flight readiness. I’m not an expert, just a nest cam watcher… but, I have seen ospreys suddenly have the ability to perform some nice hovers, and then fledge in a day or two. Side note: Little died from starvation on 7/15, and his body has remained in the nest. This afternoon, a strong gust of wind lifted Little’s body and swept it off the nest. ‘AMW’, a very kind and caring viewer that lives nearby, drove to the nest to recover Little’s remains. She posted in the Facebook group: “Little is now buried in my yard … and I will plant a flowering annual plant in Little’s memory.” Thank you, ‘AMW’, from all of us.
8/6 – 8/7 Colonial Beach osprey nest: Cobey was awake early and at 0630 he picked up the old piece of fish and managed to pull off some pieces of fish-jerky. He worked on it now and again, and by 0800 he was still trying. David did not bring a fish for Cobey until 1348. It was a large whole fish. At the very young age of 43 days, Cobey has become quite the self-feeder by necessity. Cobey had managed to eat the head of that fish before there was an intruder issue. At 1415 David landed in the nest first, and it seemed that David may have been tangling with the intruder nearby. The intruder landed in the nest immediately after David, and stole the fish, despite David being on the nest. Oh no, no, no! Poor lil Cobey’s only meal of the day was gone! David did not bring another fish.
The nest owner, host of the live stream, is a very caring and avid osprey conservationist. She and others monitor many osprey nests in the Colonial Beach area. She stated that they are finding many dead ospreys, on the ground or in nests. It is thought that not only was fishing difficult when it was very hot, but that there may in fact be a shortage of fish for the ospreys to catch. Some ospreys are having to resort to kleptoparasitism to survive, or to feed their young.
Cobey’s mom, Betty, will have been missing for 4 days on the morning of 8/7. The cam owner provided a statement regarding a possible rescue of Cobey. “The VA DWR recommends that nothing be done at this time… we will continually monitor the nest, things may change.” Please note that the cam owner’s hands are tied, and she must follow the advice of the regulating authorities. Some comments on the chat were hurtful to her. Go easy on the chat. The cam owner is hurting as much, if not more, than you are. Colonial Beach weather forecast for 8/7: Cloudy with showers, risk of thunder storms, high temp 81.
8/6 Fortis Exshaw: There was a fledge today. It appeared to be the same chick that was doing the high hovering yesterday. We missed seeing them for about 3 weeks when the cam was dirty, and we still do not have a completely clear view. As a result, we were never able to learn how to differentiate the siblings. We know that the oldest chick in a brood does not always fledge first, but I suppose we will simply assume that’s the one that flew. The eldest chick was named BJ, and BJ initially seemed to only go as far as the camera at 0803, then returned to the nest at 0834. But, BJ made a true fledge at 0927. S/he made a nice landing on the T-perch at 1536, followed by a return to the nest at 1538. Well done, new fledgling!
‘CG’: “Blue branched this morning, and between the time she branched and the time she fledged, she was doing wingers, hopping, getting some good height, and went from the nest to the branch a number of times. She went to the back of the nest and totally surprised everyone at 1557 hours by fledging from the back north corner of the nest by the screen. One minute she was there then she was gone. She is 100 days old today.
They have been looking for her but haven’t been able to locate her on the cams. There is a ground crew out looking for her too.
Congratulations Blue! Way to go!!”
Geemeff’s Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Tuesday 6th August 2024
No activity at all on Nest Two, today’s action all came from Nest One, where Affric 152 turned up at dawn quickly followed by Garry LV0. However the pair fled the nest when a third Osprey appeared in the distance – Affric’s mate Prince, perhaps. Garry returned a little later with a stick but didn’t stay long. A few hours later birds were seen in the distance on nest cam and a Wood Pigeon overflew the nest. It rained pretty much throughout the day, and more rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.23.05 (04.07.43); Nest Two 22.22.22 (04.27.15)
Thank you so much for sending in the moments during the 2023-24 season that put a smile on your face. I really appreciate the time and thoughtful regard that you put into your choices and for sending them in. Most people will hesitate. Why do we think our voice doesn’t count? I hope that there are some surprises in here. I received 79 e-mails with the single word Iris along with what is posted below. So if you sent one of those in and I did not include your initials, my apologies. Just know that you counted in making Iris and her year with Finnegan, Sun-eh and Antali the top of the charts by a long mile. Also I didn’t ask for images but have included them if you sent them in!
‘MM’: “After a season filled with heartbreak after heartbreak it has made the happy moments even sweeter! One happy moment that happened early on in the season was when Beau finally figured out how to mate with Gabby and she was able to lay two eggs, unfortunately Beau got the mating mastered but that’s where the happiness ended, hopefully next season he’ll be ready.
Another happy moment was the successful fledge of two healthy osprey chicks from Port Lincoln thanks to the fish fairy and the generosity of so many who donated. The two happiest moments of the season for me are tied for first place. I was beyond thrilled when the season started in SWFL and M15 had taken F23 as his new mate after the loss of our beloved Harriet last session. The season got even happier with the hatch of the incredible E23 💜 And of course the other happy moment at #1 is sweet Iris finally getting sweep off her talons by the handsome Finn and their two amazing chicks 💙 ❤️ Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on the good after dealing with so much bad. Praying next season will be filled with many happy moments .”
‘H’: “As I understand it, you are asking for happy stories. Well, this makes me happy. This may sound strange. But, I am happy for Darling at Captiva. Darling fledged on 6/26 at 63 days of age. His post-fledge life was not easy. There was competition for the nest and food from his sibling, Ding. In addition, both of his parents may possibly have had issues with their health, and they stopped bringing food to the nest. Darling had not eaten for 3 days when he ended up in the water and was rescued and taken to CROW on 7/4. He passed away at CROW that night. We don’t know why things turned out the way they did, and we will never understand it. I wish it had not turned out that way. So, why does this make me happy? It doesn’t. The part that makes me happy is that Darling flew. I think of all the ‘littles’ we have known that died from nest accidents, or weather events, or starvation, or illness, or predation, and they never got a chance to fly. Darling was able to experience the sheer joy and exuberance of flying. And, I am so happy for him.”
‘SP’: Amongst all the turmoil of this year, there were more golden moments and miracles to celebrate. (Photos below in order of the list)
Cal Falcons Annie & her new mate Archie fledged four beautiful falcon chicks in Berkeley. This was the first time since Annie’s been a YouTube star that all 4 of her eggs hatched. We were entertained, enamored and completely enthralled with Aurora, Solstice, Eclipse, and Equinox.
San Jose City Hall couple Hartley & second year dad Monty also fledged four beautiful falcon chicks – all girls. Though we lost one, we enjoyed weeks of the girl power brought by Luna (RIP), Zoe, Lucia, and Alma.
Southwest Florida M15 and his new mate F23 fledged the ever-endearing E23, further mending the holes in our hearts left by the disappearance of Harriet the previous year. F23 proved to be a most nurturing and loving mother, while M15 continued his legacy of being provider extraordinaire. E23 was such a character and embraced being an only child with gusto. He proved to be an excellent flyer and at one point a protector of his natal nest.
Oh, thank you for the opportunity to revisit these wonderful moments!”
Cal Falcons.
San Jose.
SW Florida:
‘B’ writes: Too many sad stories, but always some nice ones, too. I liked how you said you think of all the miracles we have seen, to help offset the sadness of the sad stories. I had meant to write you a couple of weeks ago how I followed a similar strategy to help offset the sadness. I had a lower threshold than you, just thinking of the things that make me smile, rather than holding out for “miracles”. But my number one was the same as yours: the arrival of Finnegan, so that Iris has a real and proper (and wonderful) mate for the first time in years. Enough of that two-timing Louis!
In fact, two more of the top things that made me smile were also from Hellgate: the wonderful job Iris does as a mom when having chicks for the first time in years. Especially protecting those chicks in that awful heat. I swear, if “Mumbrella” were an Olympic event, Iris would be a medal winner. And the other is how peaceful and calm those osplets are when there started with such a huge difference in size. Part has to be what a great provider Finn is, and also how diligent Iris is in making sure each chick is served well. Gosh, the larger of the two would just stand and watch patiently if Little was served first, knowing his/her turn would come.
Also, Tuffy’s story always made me smile (even if hard to watch in earlier days), seeing him do what he needed to do to make it to being a beautiful and healthy fledgling in spite of the “Ruff” treatment from Ruffie.
And I couldn’t help but smile whenever I checked in on the Decorah eaglets after their nest (and branch) fell away, to see them happily perched on branches, as if to say, “we don’t need no stinkin’ nest, so long as we got our branch and our parents!”
In spite of all their hard luck getting a hatch, one can never help but smile to see Jackie and Shadow together. I have to hope for another Spirit next year.
And wonderful to see both Annie and Archie at Cal and Hartley and Monty at San Jose have four healthy hatches make it to fledge, even with the sadness of losing Luna at San Jose and the injury to Nox in Berkeley. I was so worried, especially for San Jose, what with the tough urban environment and seeing Lucia get rescued from the sidewalk and taking the elevator back to the roof twice before successfully fledging.
There’s more, but these are some of the stories that make me smile. (And, oh yes, of course there is Treasure and her siblings, also treasures.)”
CG: “My first thought was Tuffy. I watched this nest with trepidation. Tuffy was the underdog. How many times did we think he wouldn’t make it. He was so endearing, and I loved his sneakiness to try to get food. He never gave up. You always talk about the will to survive, and boy, his little body was bursting with it. The last time I saw him was just before they shut the cam down, and he was proudly standing on his nest.
Iris and Finnegan. I knew nothing about her until you talked about her. Finnegan came along and showed Louis the door. He has been a wonderful mate and provider for Iris and their osplets, and Iris has been a wonderful mum feeding and protecting her little ones the way she does. Just look at how they have turned out under their care. They look so healthy, and Big has been a wonderful big sib being so patient with his little sibling except for the one time little sib got uppity and boldly attacked big sib. That won’t be happening again! This has been a wonderful osprey nest to watch.
I could not fail to mention my peregrines Annie and Archie and Hartley and Monty, each pair with four chicks this year. Hartley and Monty went from newbies with one feisty Soledad last year to FOUR this year. What a jump! They handled it all with finesse. No nonsense Annie always handles her chicks with finesse, and her new mate Archie was a great provider and dad. Peregrines are a wonder and miracle every year. I wish all nests could be as calming as theirs with equal feedings, no shortage of food, no predators, and lots of chick shenanigans. “
‘BHA’: My smile of the year has to be Iris, Finnegan and family. (Along with you and probably everyone else.) What a miracle nest this year!!
Also, the San Jose falcons. The antics and shenanigans of the four girls were priceless! (Of course with a bit of sadness that we lost one of them…)
‘PB’: The bird that made me smile is Smallie. He was such a fighter especially how small he was up against 3 big sisters. I’m still sad about it. O18 became my favorite osprey, she was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Her personality matched her beauty. I miss her too! It’s making me cry thinking of them. But before them was a tie between Tuffy and Tiny D. They will all be in my memory forever.
‘J’ loves the Tortilla Bird. ” The photo of that tiny little babe in the tortilla just melts my heart (the feet! the feet!). That someone thought of wrapping it in a warm tortilla to keep it from getting cold is just brilliant – and hilarious at the same time. “
Geemeff: “But just want to say the names chosen for Iris & Finn’s miracle chicks are lovely and very suitable. In a season of sadness, they and the Poole Harbour Four have been some comfort. Iris’ success after so may years of being bullied by her ex, together with the unexpected success of saving one of Louis & Dorcha’s chicks to the point of successfully fledging, are my favourites of this season.”
‘TU’: My favourite article for a good mood is the one in The Guardian about the bird of New Caledonia. I loved it from the first sight.
‘L’: Iris finding Finnegan or vice versa. A wonderful memorable miracle. This nest brings pure joy! Iris is the best osprey mom I’ve ever had the privilege to watch and Finnegan is a precious gem.
Blue is amazing at the Boundary Nest. I think he’s a miracle for surviving erratic food deliveries.
The rescue of Rutland’s Little Bob. Golden moment.
The Purple Martins in Erie PA. All 5 fledged. Enjoyable to watch.
McEuen Park. One, out of 4, that survived to fledge after losing father.
Eagle Country-Tears for Meadow but Swampy lived and fledged.
Thunder, Akecheta and their 3 beautiful eaglets! Koa, Treasure & Sterling. A delight to watch. A stress free nest.
Cowlitz PUD- happiness, a survivor golden moment.
Osoyoos, losing Little which was sad enough. Thankful two will fledge. Happiness and a miracle in my book.
Little Miami Conservancy-All 3 eaglets fledged! Happiness.
Southwest Florida Eagles-One hatch, smart and accelerated in growth. An amazing first eaglet for M15 & F23.
BONUS!!!! Pure joy.
Challenger surviving his health issues.
Hugo Yugo, Calico, Hope & Missey and all the birds and squirrels that visit your garden.
(I could go on and on. So many more miracles and golden moments….The 2 miracle eaglets that definitely would have made my list were unfortunately killed by father Scout at the NCTC nest.)”
‘BA’: “The first time Lucia accidentally fell from the nest area and had to be rescued. First lots of worry about her, and then the smile moment when she was released on the rooftop. And then the chuckle: later watching SKHideaway’s video of it all. Lucia was just out of the box, looking around wide-eyed at all the contraptions and weird stuff, and SKH’s caption said, “She thinks she’s in Disneyland!” That cracked me up. It was such a tense moment, worrying about how frightened Lucia might be, and somehow we knew then she was going to be okay. (And then a couple of days later when she made it back down to the nest area and was reunited with her sisters – that was also a big smile moment.)”
LL: “Anything to do with Iris and Finn”.
JT: “The hatch of E23.”
PM: “Iris, Iris, Iris…West End nest. Those three eaglets were remarkable.”
‘A’: “Just before 09:32, there is a lot of thunder at Hellgate and Iris immediately flies to the nest. The rain really sets in, and Iris opens her roller doors and does her perfect mumbrella, managing to keep two fully grown osplets perfectly dry in the heavy downpour. What a mum she really is. Sumeh is the sweetest big sister ever, and little bro is adorable and such a feisty wee lad. This nest has been such a joy to watch. I could not have imagined enjoying watching a big sister/little brother osprey nest without a moment of stress or worry, but then along came Finnegan.”
I am with you – Iris has put everything into this season, and it may be costly. But it may also give her a reason to return no matter what it takes, as she now has Finnegan waiting for her. These two have bonded strongly and I am really hopeful that the strength of their relationship will give Iris what she needs to make it home again. She truly has been the most wonderful mother. What a waste – Louis truly is a cad.
BT: “Too numerous. 1. Fish Fairies at Port Lincoln. 2. Finnegan ousting Louis and winning Iris’s heart. 3. Annie and Archie raise four little falcons. Jackie and Shadow because they just make me smile all the time.”
RW: “The Fabulous Four at Poole Harbour ties with Iris and Finn.”
CB: “SE31 fledges and spends time with Lady and Dad on the Paramatta River learning to be an eagle. Iris and Finnegan because I never thought Iris would ever raise chicks again. The eagles at Decorah North because they survived so much and continued to be a family at their nest tree even when it had fallen over.”
CD: “I loved Smallie. The wee little falcon longed to live and it did get to fly.”
DDS:
Iris and Finnegan. Never thought this would happen.
Jackie and Shadow and their sticks and hopefulness.
M15 gets another chance to be a Dad.
They didn’t raise a family but seeing Gabby and Beau together made me smile.
The rehabbers that help.
The small Dutch falcon that died but got to fly.
The people who dared to provide fish to the osprey chicks at the barge in Australia.
Thanks to everyone who participated and to those who didn’t but sat and thought about what made them smile this year!
My list in a bit of a narrative and in no certain order:
The day I learned that Bonus was alive, I cried. Knowing that both Black Storks Waba and Bonus, raised by Karl II, are still flying gives me hope that there are others, too. I continue to be ever grateful for the work of Urmas in Estonia and his team in providing fish for the storks, ringing them, and checking on their well-being. It makes me smile to see the fish baskets that he sets up and fills to keep the storks alive. I wish that more people would engage with wildlife positively and constructively. I am grateful to the Roy Dennis Foundation and the Woodland Trust for removing the two chicks of Louis and Dorcha for translocation. Louis was not himself, and while I had an enormous smile when he reappeared after so many days, he needed to get his strength up, so it still felt like a good win-win. But knowing dear Louis is alive is a huge grin and a happy moment. The fish fairies at Port Lincoln took a stand and saved the osplets of Mum and Dad at the barge and I will forever think that this was a miracle that saved the chicks lives. Didn’t you just grin seeing the hand lay the fish on that nest? Whenever I checked on the nest at Poole Harbour, I smiled at the absolute dedication and great parenting of CJ7 and Blue 022. I remember the year they were courting, and it didn’t seem possible that CJ7 would get a mate, and now, to the astonishment of all, in their third year together, they successfully raised four to fledge. The California falcons will always make me smile: Larry at Alcatraz, Annie and Archie, and Monty and Hartley. Incredible families and, oh, our dear little ones that got themselves into some mischief, including Nox, who is recovering. That photo of him with his wing wrapped was lovely. I was happy when Smallie could come and go in and out of the scrape and got to fly and feel the wind under its wings despite its subsequent death. Big Red always puts a smile on my face as does Arthur when he lines the nest bowl with squirrel fur. They love being parents. And this year, because of the year that it was, I am grateful and smile whenever I see one of the nests have a fledge because they are just that much rarer. So many bird families lost so many of their offspring this year. To the delight and relief of many, Hope and Beaumont look like they will fledge two chicks this year from Snow Lane in Newfoundland – the first for many, many years. The Moorings Park nest just melted my heart when Tuffy overcame the abuse of the older sibling, Ruffie, and survive to become a gorgeous osplet that returned time and again to the nest so we could see that he was alright. What made me mad and also sick at times was the Frenchman’s Creek nest with fish after fish piled up and the poor osplets having to learn to feed themselves to survive – not from starvation but lack of parental attention. They triumphed, and somehow, the nasty fish disappeared. That made me smile big time. There were so many moments. Seeing SE31 flying over the Paramatta River with Lady and Dad, free of the harassment of the Pied Currawong, was simply one of the best moments ever, along with Flaco, the Eurasian Owl, who escaped from the Central Park Zoo and flew freely for a year. Perhaps I have said it more than once, but the resilience of Jackie and Shadow makes me smile every day.
The ultimate smile was Iris and Finnegan, though. I never thought I would see Iris raising chicks. Louis drove me nuts, and to see a young male osprey keep Louis on the other side of the territory made me grin every day, especially when Finn chased Louis off the owl pole. Iris is simply amazing. She is old (I have great empathy for her), raising chicks in that heat, and now Sum-eh has fledged. I also smile whenever I get a note or a letter from you. It makes my day, along with my garden animals, my family, and the girls, that much better. Thank you for being there.
Thank you to everyone who sent in their memories and for the images and videos thank you to ‘A, CG, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, NestFlix Memories, Osoyoos, Fortis-Exshaw, Colonial Beach, Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal, HWF-BBCentral, Heidi and Windows to Wildlife, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SK Hideaways for the images of the falcon families from San Jose, Cal Falcons, and SWFlorida Bald Eagles, Wildwest Rehabilitation Centre, Texas Monthly, SK Hideaways, and The Guardian.
