Category Archives: California Eagles

Friday in Bird World

23 February 2024

Hello Everyone,

It was +4 C. The nature centre was full of people. There were two bus loads of young students and at least three groups having meetings. Oh, but they missed being outside – those at the meetings. It is February. It smells like spring and this should not be happening. The open water in Devonian Lake is bigger; I swear there was a duck there when I drove in. Not a migrant duck, but one that stays here all winter. I wonder when the time will come when the eagles and all the songbirds, the shorebirds, and the ducks never leave us to go south. Will this happen in my lifetime?

Turns out it was the Bald Eagle. you can barely see the white head on the edge off the open water to the lower right of the blue area, top image (under the word area).

This is highly cropped and so it is pixellated but now you can see the eagle with its white head.

The birds were not out so much. Squirrels were running around and I did not see any deer. It appears that they don’t humans. LOL. I don’t blame them.

The Girls are doing great. The light is different – the days are longer and they spend so much time in the conservatory. It is nice and warm in there. Hugo Yugo is over whatever ailed her to the point that Calico might wish she was sick again! Hugo Yugo loves to jump on Calico. The newest thing is that Calico will actually play with her. Calico is losing weight – but she is embarrassed because I showed everyone her curvy physique. So today, she would not get up!

Hugo Yugo can be an angel – when she is sleeping. Her battery is otherwise always charged, and she is in sixth gear. There is no low speed on Hugo Yugo. It is a manufacturer’s defect! She is the most curious cat and is fearless. Can you imagine? A kitten 1/6 the size of Calico – well, maybe 1/8, running straight at her? That’s HY.

She fits in a shoe box…and the girls have fun playing with the paper.

They enjoy boxes and paper more than any toy ever purchased! If you have cats that love paper bags with handles, Hugo Yugo says to remember to cut the handles so they don’t slip over the necks of your pets and choke them!

I wrote about the impact that tree cutting has had on my neighbourhood and the concern for the canopy loss. It has, until now, allowed the squirrels to cross the road – above the road – jumping from branch to branch. I fear that many of the garden friends who, for whatever reason, feel it necessary to cross the road will be killed by the fast drivers that come down the lane trying to find a shortcut to avoid the traffic jams on the main road. Sometimes, it helps not to feel alone. I am a great fan of Dani Connor Wild and her photographs, and I care for the squirrels in Sweden, where she lives. One of those was a little one whose mother was killed crossing the road near her house. She rescued, cared for, and released Roo. This is the story’s last episode (so far), with a dramatic turn about the trees and the road near her. Get some tissues for the end -.

I was away for most of the day. I am so grateful for your notes and those posting information on the various FB groups. It helps when I can’t keep my eyes on those nests! Much appreciated. There are many nests missing today, but I will get caught up in the next couple of days.

Hartley and Monty certainly feel spring-like! Does anyone recall when the first egg was laid last year?

Ah, and spring at Anacapa….

Best check in on what is happening with Newmann at Great Spirit Bluff. He is in need of mate!

Newman in the early morning.

Lisa was at the nest this morning also.

There is no doubt that Julie has her eyes and talons set on Newmann. I wonder what will happen…we wait.

At The Campanile, Archie shows up with a prey gift for Annie. She comes out of the scrape, flys off, returns and grabs. Archie sure looks like a ‘keeper’.

Arthur checked out the nest bowl and Big Red flew in for a quick glance Thursday morning. Big Red flies off and Arthur continues to check on what is needed.

It was a good day at Eagle Country. Meadow had a private feeding by Blaze right at bedtime. (They are behind Abby on the other side of the nest). Meadow is stuffed! (A few other images during the day – kids out of the egg bowl).

Jak and Audacity’s egg is still holding! Let’s hope it is viable.

R6 is walking! He crossed the entire near 2 m of the nest!

Ron and Rose with their gorgeous son.

‘H’ has identified that ‘gold’ fish that was brought to the WRDC nest the other day as a Midas cichlid. Thank you! I could not find it on the normal Florida ID listings. Apparently it is an evasive species prevalent in SE Florida.

Pepe and Muhlady have both of the two eggs of their second clutch hatched. Dixie and Mason. They appear to be healthy and robust. So happy.

We are six days away – six – from pip/hatch watch at Big Bear. Jackie and Shadow have been ever so careful around the three eggs this year. It is incredible to watch them as they strive to have one – at least one – of those eggs hatch this season. Will we have another Spirit? or will there be siblings?

They should catch some sleep now…they are going to be super busy if more than one hatches. Can you imagine? Three?? I hope Shadow has a special fishing spot!

Jackie was ever so happy when Shadow delivered her a nice fish meal. They say turn the sound down, but turn it up and listen to this amazing couple talk to one another.

‘J’ captured the eggs.

Too cute not to post. The way to Jackie’s heart? or to get her off the eggs? Shadow knows the answer: fish!

Wings of Whimsy has the video of Baker and Bette’s second egg at the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle nest in Ohio. This happened on Thursday after 1600.

Want to know who is currently incubating? Wings of Whimsy has that too -.

They also did a tribute to Lusa.

Wings of Whimsy – do you know this YouTube site? If not, check it out. You might find it works well for you. Here is the link to the channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@WingsOfWhimsy/videos

There are a couple of great folks in South Bend that keep us informed of what is going on at the ND-LEEF nest. Thanks SB for your images today.

There have been no fish deliveries on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest since the 17th when Mum brought one fish in that Bradley got. Later that day Bradley brought his own Puffer to the ropes. Giliath made a quick fly to the nest and then the cleaners arrived. It seems that nest deliveries are now stopped and I am going to assume that Mum and Dad are in ‘retirement’ from this season with Gil and Brad providing their own meals.

Thanks to the Fish Fairies ‘ foresight, it was a great season. Thanks again, Janet, Fran, and Bazz, for your persistence and care.

The Government of India appears to working towards conservation for migratory birds. BirdLife International reports, “Today at the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS COP14), governments along the Central Asian Flyway have committed to secure the passage of migratory birds in 30 countries from Siberia all the way to the Maldives. https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/02/17/the-government-of-india-leads-a-new-era-for-bird-conservation-in-central-asia/

https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/02/17/the-government-of-india-leads-a-new-era-for-bird-conservation-in-central-asia

It is nearing migration. As spring comes, birds wintering in warmer climates will return to their breeding grounds in the north. Migration does connect and should concern all of us – and we need to do everything we can to help them. From feeding, to making sure that our windows are bird strike free, to slowing down when geese are crossing the road. If you missed this article, here is a little reminder of how we are connected.

Bird-Migration-Connects-Us-All-BirdLife-International-1Download

The devastation caused by H5N1 has been huge and continues to decimate our Bird community.

Please keep your eyes on the JB Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest. It appears that one of the adults might be missing. I have just been alerted to this situation by ‘M’. Normally you will see both adults at the nest several times during the day. This is quite worrisome as there has been no sign of both of them together for at least 1.5 days. We know form experience that a single adult can raise a chick if it is a month old. M15 is a good example of this. We now need the adult at the nest to realise that something is happening and go hunting for JBS20.

At SW Florida, E23 is getting a little nippy!

Love and devotion…

Many of you would have provided the same answers and we watched the devastation last year. Will it change this year or be worse?

Noreaster-and-Prey-Shortage-Impacts-Nesting-Ospreys-in-2023-Conserve-Wildlife-Foundation-of-New-JDownload

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We look forward to seeing you soon! Oh, apologies. There is a pop-up that asks you to subscribe. I have no idea how it got there, but I am trying to remove it. I hate these things!

Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, screen captures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, M, SP’, Dani Connor Wild, SK Hideaways, Ashley Wilson, Cal Falcons, Cornell RTH, Gracie Shepherd, WRDC, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Lady Hawk, Eagle Country, Michelle Hillman, Wings of Whimsy, Stephen Basly, PLO, BirdLife International, Ben Wurst, and JBS Wetlands.

Liberty lays another egg, Thursday in Bird World

22 February 2024

Hello Everyone! Hugo Yugo hopes that everyone is going to have a super day today. She wants you to look closely. Despite missing a whisker or three, her eyes are clear. She now has the face of a cat on a kitten’s body, and all she wants to do is sleep, play, and cuddle – not necessarily in that order. I love waking up at night and finding her sleeping under my chin or on top of my head…seriously, it just makes me so happy. Then there is her constant ‘purr’. She does this when she gets her needles, too. The happiest little kitten, nearing six months old.

The eggs in Eagle World are really starting to come. I will not be able to keep up with them so if you see something, let me know! Thanks, so much.

The Centerport Eagles have their first egg of the season.

Mum and the new male at Pittsburgh-Hayes have their first egg. She turned so quickly there was just a quick glimpse of the egg at 2016 Tuesday night, the 20th.

The video:

Denton Homes has its first egg.

And then, there were two. He is named Mason. Is this a nod to the Mason-Dixon Line?

At Big Bear, Jackie has the most determined look. Those eggs are going to hatch! Well, at least one of them we hope. We are now one week away from pip watch for Jackie and Shadow. Hold your breath. Send good energy their way and to Jak and Audacity who still have one egg they are incubating.

I clearly would not want to break Jackie’s focus..look at those eyes.

SK Hideaways did an amazing job capturing Jackie and Shadow and the weather – protecting those eggs!

Twenty-five year old Liberty just laid the third off for her and mate, Guardian, at the Redding Eagle nest in California. The local time was 1642.

After having quite a beating by Swampy, Meadow still managed to get a nice crop at a feeding. Dear Swampy, don’t you think you could just let it up now…geez. We know you are the boss and so does Meadow.

This video will put a smile on your face – Meadow full to the top!

Their intentions were good. PSEG responded to a reader, alerting them to the fishing line in the Patchogue nest of Mini. They cleaned it, but to everyone’s dismay, they turned the nest upside down. This has created a huge mound. The eagles will not be able to build up the sides sufficiently enough – those rails would have to be super high – to avoid the eggs or the chicks rolling out. If you feel so included, let PSEG know that you are grateful they cleaned the nest, but if they could get back and turn it right side up, that would be fantastic. This is the e-mail to contact (please be polite – we will need them all season, but this needs to be fixed!): pseg-li-customerservice@pseg.com

All appears well at the WRDC nest. A ‘gold’ fish was brought into the nest. Could anyone possibly identify the fish? I tried Florida Fish ID and came up with too many options!

Big Red and Arthur were both working on their nest on the Cornell Campus on Wednesday.

Water, water everywhere. This is the map showing the 41 affected areas of the vast flooding in Wales. Let us hope that all is back to normal, not only for the people of Wales but also for the wildlife and the raptors that will be returning.

Around the Ospreys nest at Glaslyn in Wales.

I have not been able to log on to all the nests.

Rain and wind at Llyn Brenig.

The Egyptian Geese have been checking what they hoped would be their nest at Rutland, but the use of a simple bin lid and bricks seems to have encouraged them to seek another site. I don’t think Maya and Blue 33 would take too kindly to their home being occupied when they return fro migration.

It is going to be one fantastic view at Dyfi. They are testing the camera, and it will be online soon.

One of the words on people’s minds today is ‘branching’. I was taught – of course, eons ago, that ‘branching’ was when the eagle (various species) flew from the nest bowl to the branch. That definition appears to have changed according to some American source.

Audubon: A pre-fledge milestone is an activity called branching when the eaglet takes short hops/flights to branches within the nest tree. The young eagles normally branch for up to 7-10 days before fledge, exercising theirs wings and legs, taking short flights to branches in the nest tree.

National Eagle Centre: Branching: When eaglets move from the nest to a branch and flap their wings before jumping off. This common behaviour serves to strengthen flight muscles and acclimate the eaglet to life outside the nest.

Loudon:  Branching means both feet are off the nest bed onto a nearby branch or trunk.Branching is a critical developmental step on the path to independent flight. Prior to branching, an eaglet spends time jumping, flapping, and actually “hovering” off the nest, learning to get wind under its wings.  When branching, an eaglet will perch on a branch in their home tree. From there, they can flap their wings, jump off and land on a lower branch or back at the nest. This behavior strengthens their flight muscles and improves their agility and landing skills. The adults may encourage this behavior by withholding food. Eaglets may be observed exercising their wings, but they may also be perched on a branch out of camera range.Branching typically lasts seven to 10 days, when it is especially vital to keep the nest free from any human disturbance that could cause premature fledging. An eaglet that leaves the nest too soon may need to be cared for by the parents on the ground, where they are at greater risk of predation. But if all goes well, branching will help the eaglet take its first successful flight and spend the next few weeks honing its flying and landing skills and learning to forage for food.

Of course, the focus of all this ‘branching’ discussion is Cal at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest who apparently walked up the branch but left a talon on the nest and did not branch.

Cal has certainly found his way to sitting on the rim of the nest, but he has done this before. Lusa’s body is deteriorating and soon the feathers will be blown off the nest and what remains will become part of the history of this nest.

Mum at Duke Farms is out of the snow!

No eggs yet at Three Bridges.

I am not convinced that this will be a successful year at Dulles-Greenway. Lewis doesn’t seem to fully understand what his role is…yet. Just like Beau at NE Florida.

Just like Cal, E23 is looking out to the wider world beyond the nest. Standing on the rim and flapping wings. What a great year for F23 as a first time Mum and M15. E23 is doing fantastic.

It was windy and the structure was shaking at times at JBS Wetlands. It did not seem to bother the Bald Eagles one bit.

It is Pip Watch at Johnson City!

Some of the non-breeders are causing mischief at the Royal Albatross Colony.

This note arrived for members of the VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY today from Kelly Sorenson. I did mention some of the issues with images, but in case you missed it. These California Condors are precious. There were 21 condors lost in Arizona last year to HPAI. Ventana has worked diligently, including getting pens for vaccinations to stop harm to the California group

I have received a few notes from individuals that did not know anything about the California Condors and some that knew a little. I will provide some good information on their history and current numbers and the challenges in the days ahead just as part of my desire to educate us on their importance and the horrific hurdles in trying to build up the colony numbers.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, M, SP’, Rob Schwartz, PIX Cams, Trudi Kron, Superbeaks, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, FORE, Eagle Country, Lady Deeagle, PSEG, WRDC, Cornell RTH Cam, Wales Flood Alert, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Project, Audubon, National Eagle Centre, Loudon Wildlife, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, Three Bridges Eagle Cam, Dulles-Greenway, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JBS Wetlands, Rollin’ Rag, Sharon Dunne, and VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY.

And his name is Archie and her name is Dixie…Wednesday in Bird World

21 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

The City put up the signs and cleared all the diseased Elm trees on my block. It is so sad to see these 122-year-old trees cut down, but…I understand they had to go. I wish there had been some foresight, and smaller trees were planted some time ago in anticipation that these might have to be cut down. The beautiful canopy that covered the streets in my neighbourhood once the leaves come in the spring is now gone for the most part. I feel like I live on a barren moonscape. Thankfully, my little plot has trees and shrubs that shelter the animals. There will be more planted this spring. I wonder what options the City will give us for species.

Congratulations to the New Guy who has a name – Archie Williams. Apparently it was a no brainer. We hope that you and Annie have a great season and a long life together.

He isn’t ‘Whatshisname’ anymore! And yes, he was lucky to be picked by Annie…his entire life changed. The ‘King’ of the Campanile.

So many books were written during the pandemic as people worldwide were required to stay ‘put’. So many of those books talk about nature’s glory right before us or the healing power of birds and trees. The book that I am just finishing, 12 Birds to Save Your Life by Charlie Corbett, is one of those. (Priced between $10-21.99 CDN.). No beautiful coloured images but a good solid read to make you look again at the life around you.

Corbett’s mother dies of cancer. He falls apart. The 12 birds in the book bring him back to life. One of those is the House Sparrow.

Long-time readers of my blog will know that I love House Sparrows. they will also know that I disdain people who set up bird feeders only to resort to everything possible so that they do not have to provide seeds for these little songbirds. How reckless. Why they are gone, and their numbers are declining significantly, we will not get them back. In my garden, it is the songs of the sparrows that can be heard halfway down the lane not those of the Blue Jays or the European Starling, the Woodpeckers, or the Pine Siskins. Sometimes it is the Crows, but it is always the sparrows. Here are some quotes from Corbett about his relationship with Sparrows.

“Male House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus)” by foxypar4 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

“Not that long ago, the house sparrow- that most important, nay saucy, of characters, – provided the background music to the life of town and country dweller alike; the cheerful chirruping never ceased. But no more. They have vanished form our streets, and even from large tracts of the countryside, too. The silence is deafening….I wander the silent sparrow-free streets and lanes. Some people blame loss of habitat, while others blame overpredation from sparrow hawks and cats. Some people even blame unleaded petrol. Personally I think it is a mixture of the first two theories. Sparrows used to thrive in town and country because in the old days our houses were more tumbledown affairs, with gardens full of grass, flowers, and seed. Sparrows like to nest in cracks in the wall, under broken tiles or tucked into a loose brick, and they eat grasses, grains, and seeds. We no longer tolerate this sort of idiosyncrasy in our houses. Our gardens, more often than not, are lifeless low-maintenance lawns. Green deserts….We have left no room for nature. Put simply, there is nothing for them to eat. We’ve evicted them from our lifestyles without even realising that we’ve done it.”

He continues, “From these sparrows, I learned an incredibly important lesson: just to live. To take solace in the everyday. Even in the grey skies of an empty Tuesday afternoon – a prime time for endless thinking and creeping melancholy. But a sparrow doesn’t know it is Tuesday afternoon. They get on with what needs getting on with, oblivious to my inner struggles. As the philosopher Alan Watts once said: ‘The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.’ ” (173-75).

In North America, the population numbers of House Sparrows has, according to Cornell Bird Lab, declined by 84% since 1966. In Europe and the UK, the numbers are also declining dramatically. These declines are significant enough for me to beg you to feed them at your feeders. Don’t try fancy trips of aluminium foil or whatever, but embrace them for their lovely song and let’s see if we can help get their numbers up.

House-sparrow-population-in-Europe-drops-by-247m-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

The House Sparrow is on the Red List of Birds in the UK. They are cited as being ‘Globally Threatened’. As my Great Bird Count suggests, the number of House Sparrows in my garden has dropped dramatically since last winter. Instead of counts in the hundreds, there were maybe 45 tops.

Egg collectors still threaten endangered species. Convicted for the third time what will they do with this man?

Serial-egg-thief-Daniel-Lingham-convicted-for-third-time-–-Raptor-Persecution-UKDownload

We had the first hatch at Superbeaks and the next egg is showing signs of an eaglet being here by the time I hit ‘publish’ tomorrow morning, the 21st. Superbeaks confused me. They kept saying they could hear the chick in egg #3. Well, egg three when you also 1 and 2? That was my thinking, but Superbeaks counts differently – thanks, ‘H’, for that. The third egg is the first egg of the second clutch. Egg one and egg two from the first clutch did not hatch. OK. I get it now.

Cheeping heard from egg 4 so it won’t be long. First chick of second clutch at Superbeaks has been named Dixie.

Meadow did alright on Tuesday after the rain at the weekend and Swampy having her nose out of joint. Thank goodness. So much food and super parents – it just didn’t seem possible we could lose an eaglet. Things seem to be on the mend.

Oh, the weather was quite nasty in Big Bear Valley when I checked on Jackie and Shadow earlier. I worry about them slipping on wet sticks and puncturing the eggs that are now 8 days away from pip.

And then the snow came. I really am on tender hooks as to what is going to happen at this nest. Note: “Tenters and tenterhooks were commonly used from the fourteenth century, both as an important part of the process of weaving woolen fabric. Starting sometime in the eighteenth century, the phrase “on tenterhooks” came to mean “in suspense,” the way a piece of cloth is suspended from tenterhooks on a tenter.” That suspense is going to turn into a full blown anxiety attack in a week if we don’t get some decent weather on this nest.

Still snowing.

Horrible wind and little pelts this morning on Jackie.

Jak and Audacity still have their one precious egg at Sauces Canyon. Fingers and toes crossed for them as well.

Is there a second egg for Pa and Missey at Berry College? Sure looked like Missey was in labour when I checked, but she wasn’t giving us any peeks so I cannot say for sure.

Yes, that egg did arrive, but not until later! Congratulations Pa and Missey on the 2nd egg of your second clutch!

The Royal Albatross chick was weighed on the 20th. It didn’t look like it was going to fit in that sack, but it did!

Royal Cam chick slept partially alone.

Two nice fish came to the Captiva nest. Adults appeared to eat one of them while Connie fed the other to Cal. Perhaps Clive or Connie will move Lusa’s remains off the nest soon.

Is there going to be a bonded couple on the Captiva Osprey platform, finally? Jack and LO7??

So grateful to Ildiko Pokk for getting those screen captures of two little osplets at Pelican Bay.

At SW Florida, it looks like M15 and F23 are keeping E23 well fed. That eaglet is huge! And yes, some mysterious meat appeared on the nest on Tuesday.

The American Eagle Foundation is reminding people that we may see Gabby and Beau only occasionally. They have now abandoned the egg and since they do not need “the nursery tree”, we will likely not see them much. They are still in the area and will not migrate til later. Gabby normally returns in September.

Ron and Rita seem to be enjoying every minute they can with R6. What a big eaglet! Goodness, when HE stands up, you can see those beautiful strong legs and that fat little bottom…love the colour combo of light greys and espresso brown/black with that pop of white on the top of the head! This is a guy with good taste! — And yes, R6 is a ‘guy’.

The JB Sands Wetlands eaglet is getting bigger too…It is so nice to be able to ‘see’ this little one as it develops. Thermal down now.

They are on egg watch at Pittsburgh-Hays. Nothing so far on Tuesday the 20th.

News from Ventana Wildlife Society after the big storm that hit – they got all that rain and wind, too.

Iris’s cam is lie at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana. We are not expecting her back for 5 weeks, but she could fool us.

For those that have concerned themselves with Flacon and his living in the wild to the point of being ill that something might happen to him in the Central Park/Manhattan area, this post should help you get some peace. Flaco is in less danger than many of the raptors in the area for some of the reasons listed – and is at the same level of danger as the hawks and others that eat mice/rats due to rodenticide.

There is a new study on these designer rodenticides that has come out. Each of us should create a web of individuals and businesses that will spread to other individuals and businesses to stop the use of these dangerous toxins.

New-Study-is-First-to-Find-Exposure-to-Neurotoxic-Rodenticide-Bromethalin-in-Birds-of-Prey-Tufts-NDownload

Milda and H492 have been visiting their nest in Durbe County, Latvia. I am so looking forward to little White-tail eaglets this year.

Arthur visited the nest at Cornell – Big Red was there on Monday. We are not expecting eggs for at least another three and a half weeks.

The earliest that an Osprey on a streaming cam has arrived in the UK was Maya on the 12th of March at Rutland. That was early. Using that as a marker, we are 21 days from a possible arrival. Wow. I am getting Osprey fever! Thank goodness those eggs of Jackie and Shadow will have hatched by then!!!!!!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, screen captures, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: The City of Winnipeg, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, 12 Birds to Save Your Life, Openverse, The Guardian, Raptor Persecution UK, Superbeaks, Eagle Country, FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, Cornell Bird Lab, Sharon Dunne, Window to Wildlife, Iloilo A Pork, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, Lloyd Brown, JB Sands Wetlands, PIX Cams, Ventana Wildlife Society, Lucille Powell, @urbanhawks, David Lei, Tufts Now, LDF, and Cornell RTH Cam.

Tuesday in Bird World

20 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Monday was a holiday – Louis Riel Day – in Manitoba. Oh, everyone loves a long weekend especially when the weather is fine.

LouisRielDay.com-–-Remembering-Manitobas-Founding-FatherDownload

It was gorgeous weather, and loads of people people were at the nature centres making bannocks, at the Festival du Voyageur, and at many other celebrations across my city. My blog is ‘thin’ today because I wanted to spend as much time outside as I could! Walking is so much easier when the sky is blue and you don’t have to wear a jacket rated to -40 C!

After doing the daily ‘cat and bird chores’, I headed off to the nature centre for a long walk in what snow remains. It was -2 C, and lots had melted. There were so many people that the birds and deer had escaped to quieter parts of the park! Then, it was home to clean the cat’s teeth, check on the nest at Eagle Country, and see if ‘The Boyfriend’ was about. He has been missing since Friday. There he was this morning – he must have gotten locked in someone’s garage or found a steak dinner elsewhere. What a worry. When I left the nature centre, I did not feel very hopeful for little Meadow.

As I write this, I am closely watching the Eagle Country Nest of Abby and Blaze. It is true – we cannot ever take anything for granted. Our friends and family have heart attacks and die quickly and we didn’t even know they were having issues. Meadow went from a lovely eaglet on a nest where both were being fed nicely to a full 24 hours of rain on the nest, little food, and an irate Swampy. Meadow has not had much to eat for at least 24 hours at the time I am writing this and then, the miracle we all hoped for. Swampy got full and Meadow was fed – from roughly 4:32pm to 4:55 pm. This is a huge relief. I really thought we might lose this little eaglet.

Swampy eating.

Meadow being fed after Swampy goes into a food coma.

Thank goodness, Meadow had a good meal. Swampy was back bonking hard at 1734.

Ah, I am just not a fan – a believer that the species should cooperate to thrive.

Still, Abby and Blaze are amazing parents and Meadow had at least two good feedings on Monday. Tears of joy.

Hatch is in progress at Superbeaks. That great microphone has picked up the cheeping of the eaglet. The banner says it is coming from egg 3. As I write this, we are 37 hours since the pip was first seen. Will there be an eaglet when I wake up? And will only one egg hatch? We wait…there is a lot of waiting with raptors!

And that little one was free of that shell this morning. Congratulations Pepe and Muhlady – you have a baby! We hope it thrives.

At Little Miami Conservancy in Ohio, Bette has laid her first egg of the 2024 Bald Eagle Season. The time was around 15:35ish.

It was a relief to see Gabby and Beau both on the nest at NE Florida Monday afternoon. I had started worrying about Gabby.

Not sure what to do about that egg. Looks at it, incubates for a bit, and then goes up to the Sunset branch.

No eggs for Talon and Stella at the University of Florida-Gainesville campus.

Annie is feeling the love at The Campanile.

At Great Spirit Bluff, Julie might be wanting to win the affection of Newmann since Savannah is no longer with us.

It is difficult to watch Cal with Lusa’s body still on the Captiva Eagle Nest. On Monday, Connie arrived early, at 0717 with a nice whole fish, which her and Cal shared. Clive arrived around 0900 with another fish that Connie fed to Cal around 10:35. Nice to see fish coming in on the nest…stay away from the birds and the rights, alright?

Part of the day was spent exercising those big wings.

Liberty and Guardian have two eggs and the streaming cam is back on line!

It looks like Harry did such a good job last year that Sally thinks they can go for three in 2024!

Good news for Albatross lovers.

Hatch is in progress at Superbeaks.

Cameras are up and running in the Channel Islands.

Fraser Point: Home to Andor and Cruz.

West End: Home to Akecheta and Thunder. It is a little wet there on Monday. Incubating three eggs.

Two Harbours: Home to Chase and Cholyn. Still on Highlights.

Sauces Canyon: Home to Jak and Audacity. Incubating one egg. Still looks good. Raining there. Lots of nesting material!

Let’s move over to Big Bear Valley with Jackie and Shadow. Pip watch is now 9 days away…that’s right. Thursday the 29th. Will there be 10,000 people watching?

I don’t know about you, but I hold my breath every time I see those eggs. Send all positive energy – every bit of it, please.

Rain started. Jacki only takes a second to get a stretch and back on the eggs. They are being ever so careful.

The eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands can easily be seen now. Thermal down is appearing along with the mohawk!

At Port Lincoln, both fledglings are doing well. Here is today’s posting of Giliath’s tracker.

An article in The New York Times asks if the demise of the dinosaurs allowed our feathered friends to flourish.

An-Asteroid-Wiped-Out-Dinosaurs.-Did-It-Help-Birds-Flourish-The-New-York-TimesDownload

We are expecting egg 3 at Farmer Derek’s Bald Eagle nest if it is to happen and egg 2 at Berry College today.

The Girls wish everyone just a fantastic day!

Thank you for being with me. Please take care! We hope to 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: ‘H, J’, LouisRielDay.com, Eagle Country, Little Miami Conservancy, NEFL-AEF, UF-Gainsville, SK Hideaways, Ashley Wilson, Window to Wildlife, Sharon Pollock, Moorings Park, Holly Parsons, Superbeaks, IWS/Explore.org, FOBBV, JBS Wetlands, PLO, and The New York Times.

Monday in Bird World

19 February 2024

Hello Everyone,

Thank you, again, for your kind wishes for Hugo Yugo. She is fine. She is more than fine. Flying around the house and getting into trouble – back to her usual self. I have no idea what made her tummy upset or why she was vomiting and refusing to eat. There are no poisonous plants in the house or fresh flowers – nothing I could tell she might have eaten. Today, however, that slick little one flew onto the kitchen counter behind me (a gallery kitchen) and ate at least one mouthful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese before I caught her. So, of course, I will be watching out tomorrow. She has certainly tried to make up for any food that she missed as well and has been romping and running with Baby Hope, to the delight of her younger sister, who had no one to play with while Hugo Yugo was not herself.

Calico doesn’t understand ‘why’ she doesn’t get the little extra meals the two younger ones get, but she is on a diet and doing well. She was so thin from feeding Hope and living in the street. The calming medication she was given caused her to blow up like a whale in a few weeks. I took her off it. The Feliway diffuser helped, and finally, she and Missey live mostly harmoniously. On occasion, Calico gets cranky, not just at Missey but at Hugo Yugo, too! Now it is taking months and months to get that weight off. I have a padded harness for her, and when the weather is better, we are adding walks to the regiment.

I love the golden light on Calico and the paper Peonies.

A few more pics of ‘The Girls’ on Sunday.

Yes, Hugo Yugo got caught under the plant stand. I have no clue how she managed to get herself under there. It is 2 inches clearance, but she did.

Their evening ritual in the Swan chair…Calico wakes me up at 0830, and twelve hours later, she is in this chair with Baby Hope. You could set your watch by her.

It is raining in Florida on Sunday, pitching down rain at a time when it should be ‘dry’. The forecast is for it to rain for the next 24 hours.

Abby and Blaze have been particularly attentive to little Swampy and Meadow. There is plenty of food on the nest and they are being fed quickly and Abby is taking good care not to let them get wet.

At Captiva, Cal looks so wet and lonely.

Food had been scarce. Cal was hungry. It was late on Sunday when prey finally arrived. Around 1645, Clive and Connie flew in with a nice fish for Cal. He had a lovely feeding and then got the fishtail all to himself. He was so excited when that fish dinner landed on that nest.

It is raining at NE Florida and there is no sign of Beau or Gabby. The egg, which was nearing its 48th or 49th day today, is uncovered. I hope that they have given up on it hatching and are out doing eagle things. I am not expecting a second clutch here this year, but….the eagles can surprise us.

I would say Gabby has abandoned the egg. Smart girl. Glad she did not incubate it for any longer…

Still raining…we are on pip/hatch watch for the first egg of the second clutch for Pepe and Muhlady and what terrible weather they have for this.

That hatch is now in progress. Thanks, ‘H’.

E23 was wet. F23 came in and fed him/her a nice fish meal and tried as hard as they could to warm that little one. Oh, I wish Connie would come in and snuggle with Cal.

The weather is nice at the JB Sands Wetlands near Dallas. JBS20 is being left alone more and more as s/he gets older.

We are on egg watch at Denton Homes in Decorah, Iowa.

Thank you ‘J’ for the laugh. Yes, Sally certainly does have a ballgown instead of underfluffies! She is working hard today to keep her two precious Osprey eggs warm and dry.

The weather is good at Big Bear. No wet sticks for the eagles to slip on…and the three eggs look good. Gentlest of changeovers from Jackie to Shadow Sunday morning. We are now 10 days away from pip watch.

At 1300 nest time, there were 6328 people watching Jackie incubate the eggs. Those numbers will soar when those eggs hatch. Wonder which news station will launch the story first?

Someone needs to make Dr Sharpe a Superhero costume. Qualifications: quick thinking on one’s feet, the ability to make something out of nothing, no fear of heights, able to climb cliffs, no fear of Bald Eagles, can carry more than one’s weight, not afraid to jump out of a helicopter with eaglet in hand — sounds like a comic strip character. — So you are wondering why I am writing this – well, Dr Sharpe went out in a helicopter to find out why the cameras are not working. Gracie Shepherd posted the adventure:

R6 goes back into the nest after banding and after all dangerous materials are removed. Thanks Lloyd Brown for the video!

R6 is in the grey/brown bag.

Xavier and Diamond are empty-nesters having raised Marri and Barru to fledge. While we will never know what happened to Barru (perhaps nothing but an early exit from the territory although I do doubt that), we do know that Marri was well trained by her parents and hopefully she will thrive raising her own chicks in a few years.

Cilla Kinross posted this image of Xavier catching some rays at sunset.

The fishing line and lure in the E3 nest at Kistachie National Forest have caused concern. On camera, the female was seen with what ‘appears’ to be a fishing lure in her mouth. She moves to the edge of the nest, but, to my eye, it is not clear what happened to the lure after that. There are no eaglets in the nest. There are not even eggs. Any remaining fishing line in the nesting material to the left and that lure could cause future harm or even harm to the two adult eagles attempting to claim this nest. So my question is very simple – why not clean up the nest? Surely to goodness the evidence is there of manmade materials and the potential future harm to warrant a green light to do some housekeeping for the raptors.

Now there is a GHO visiting the nest that could get injured if any manmade objects are still in that nest like fishing line, hooks, and lures.

Looks like Rosa is doing the heavy lifting at Dulles Greenway. Will Lewis bring her something to eat? Two eggs now.

At Decorah North, Mrs DNF laid her second egg of the 2024 season on Sunday.

Liberty has now laid the first egg of the season for her and Guardian 15 February at 1607. Was there a second egg on the 18th. Should have been. Will find out!

‘J’ and I have been discussing the age of some of the female eagles and she sent me the following information on Liberty. You might find it as interesting as I did. (I do not know the author of the material, perhaps you do and can tell me so I can credit them).

Congrats Liberty & Guardian 1st egg laid this season Happy about their 1st egg laid!  
Guardian  loves his sticks Liberty wasn’t happy about his sticks!
“Our fellow creatures can tell us the most beautiful stories”
Redding Eagles CA. 02 15 24 407pm laid this season
LK *To see Video in the comments* Nest info below
© 2023-24 Friends of the Redding Eagles
02 16 24 POSTED BY:
Friends of the Redding Eagles-FORE
Guardian got his first look at his new egg when he
flew into nest this morning at 0624am
Liberty went onto her landing post as Guardian seen his new egg
Liberty watched from her landing above the nest.
Liberty flew out of nest for her first break since laying her egg.
While Guardian incubated his new egg
2023-24 New Season
Liberty is here for her 19th Season
Liberty(f) is 25 years old, Guardian(m) is 10 years old.
02 15 24 1st egg laid at 407pm
Per Terri Lhuillier:
This is the latest date Liberty has laid her 1st egg!
She also did this in 2010 & 2016
Liberty & Guardian both returned back to their home nest for a new season
and had been working hard on getting nest ready
Liberty has spent her life successfully raising 26 eaglets
from egg to fledgling with 3 different mates!
2022-2023 Season
02 14 23 1st egg laid 02 14 23 at 643pm
*02 17 23 1st egg as broken
1st egg broke apart On 02 17 23 about pm
At 10:45am the egg looked fine. However,
at 12:10:17 it appeared to be broken.
Seems which ever one took that shift might have broken
the egg.
*2021-2022 Season INFO:
Two Eaglets E1 Sentry &  Eaglet E2 Star both fledged
02 09 22 1st egg at 319pm
03 20 22 1st eaglet hatched at 924pm
02 12 22 2nd egg laid at 242pm
03 23 22 2nd eaglet hatched at 847am
02 15 22 417pm 3rd egg was laid * Sadly one of the 3 eggs got broken *
2020-2021 Nesting Season:
Three Eaglets #1 Honor #2 Glory #3 Rebel
1st eaglet hatched 03 21 21 545pm .
2nd eaglet hatched 03 22 21 130pm.
3rd eaglet hatched 03 23 21 150pm.
1st Egg laid 02 10 21 at 324pm
2nd egg laid 02 13 21 at 213pm
3rd egg laid 02 16 21 at 321pm
2019-2020 Season
fledged one eaglet named Hope
History:
Liberty has spent her life successfully raising 26 eaglets from egg to fledgling with 3 different mates!
As of 2022 Liberty has raised 26 offspring from egg to fledging, including 4 sets of triplets
2009 -2010 -2015 2021.
Liberty has built 5 nests since 2005: 2 at Turtle Bay Area in Cottonwood Trees
(current nest 90 feet up), 3 at Riverview Golf Course in Gray Pine Trees (alternate nest site).
Guardian is Liberty’s 3rd mate, they first paired up in February 2019 after 2nd mate disappeared.
Liberty’s Mates: 1st mate~ Patriot 2004-2013, Sadly, Patriot was run off by an intruder male eagle in 2013
and eventually fell to his death during an aerial battle.
A necropsy was done & they found that Patriot had Rodenticide or Rat Poison in his liver when he died and
had bled out in mid-air & was dead before he hit the ground.
Her 2nd mate~ Spirit 2013-2019, Liberty & Spirit raised 8 offspring together, only losing one(Solo) to
extreme dehydration on June 25, 2017 after Liberty laid a 2nd clutch of eggs in mid March after losing
her 1st clutch when their nest fell during a powerful Storm in February 2017.
Her 3rd mate Guardian 2022-present.
2020 Liberty & Guardian returned to the old nest at Turtle Bay area along the Sacramento River.
and started working on the nest where as of 2021 they are now using the nest there
Liberty has raised 26 offspring from egg to fledging, including 4 sets of triplets ’09 -’10 – ’15 -’21.
Liberty has built 5 nests since 2005: 2 at Turtle Bay Area in Cottonwood Trees
(current nest 90 feet up), and
3 at Riverview Golf & Country Club in Gray Pine Trees(alternate nest site).
*Eggs are due in early to mid February! Hatching is usually around the 20th of March
*Thank you Terri Lhuillier and everyone for all of your work to
make this a reality for all of us to enjoy watching our beloved Liberty & Guardian….
*This live feed is owned and operated by Friends of the Redding Eagles,
a 501c3 nonprofit Community Organization in Redding, California.
***Donations can be made to: Redding Eaglecam GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/e9ed4b63
****Checks can be mailed to:
F.O.R.E 1857 Trumpet Dr. Redding, CA 96003
* Video to distinguish Liberty from Guardian: https://youtu.be/R0neo17SawE

I should not have said anything the other day about the Duke Farm’s Mum and snow. This is her on Sunday. I know they handle the snow, but goodness my heart aches for them regardless.

Monty and Hartley must protect their territory from pesky juveniles!

Here is the weekly video summary for the Port Lincoln Ospreys, Giliath and Bradley.

At Port Lincoln, Bradley is reminding me more and more of Ervie. At 0735 he had his first puffer on the ropes. Mum and Dad are over on the old barge hoping their restaurant delivery days are over for this season!

Nice close up of Gil.

Seán Ronayne is out to record every bird in Ireland – to compel people to hopefully understand and empathise with what is happening to nature. Well written, captivating article.

An excerpt: Ronayne’s passion for wild birds, and the precious but dwindling habitats that support them, has struck a chord in Ireland at a moment of late-dawning awareness of the seriousness of the country’s ecological crisis. “It’s an outrage, but many people still don’t realise how bad it is,” he says, sounding uncharacteristically angry. “Ireland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe. We have lost 90% of our wetlands, more than any other country in the world, and have just 1% of native tree cover, the lowest in Europe.”

The core issue is intensive farming, with more than 60% of the land given over to what, in government-speak, is called improved agricultural grassland. “It means that everything has been removed except rye grass for animal feed,” Ronayne says. “Fields are now cut maybe three of four times a year for silage, whereas there used to be traditional hay meadows that would have been host to nesting species like the corncrake, skylark, lapwing and curlew.”

‘Total-immersive-obsession-meet-the-man-on-a-mission-to-record-every-bird-in-Ireland-Birds-TheDownload

News has come that ‘America’ – the Dollywood Bald Eagle – has died.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, streaming cams, videos, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H, J’ Eagle Country, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JB Sands Wetlands, Denton Homes, Moorings Park, FOBBV, IWS, Lloyd Brown, Cilla Kinross, Tonya Irwin, Dulles-Greenway, Sharon Lee, FORE, Duke Farms, SK Hideaways, PLO, Bart M, and The Guardian.

First egg second clutch for Missey and Pa Berry…Sunday in Bird World

18 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for all your good wishes for Hugo Yugo. She was fed with a syringe every 30-60 minutes until 1300 on Saturday when we went for our long walk at the nature centre. The sky was blue but, strangely, the temperatures had risen to a lovely -4 C. It was a fantastic day to be in the woods – and it really helped take away the worrying for the little ginger kitten for a bit.

Instead of going through the regular paths, I cut in and out of the forest area. There were lots of people doing things – tobogganing, sitting by the outdoor fire pits, ice skating, bike riding – because of the good weather. Even so, it was so quiet in the trees.

On the way home, we stopped and got special cat food – a gentle chicken and rice. I was curious to know if Hugo Yugo would eat. She has refused food – except for about a Tablespoon on Friday morning. I hoped the ground-up kibble and kitten milk syringe feeds would strengthen her and create an interest in food – and play. — And it worked. She ate. 2 T for the first feeding, which increased to the point where she ate three small portions of the chicken and rice food. I was literally in tears.

Ah, the one that causes all the worry. Ragged and missing whiskers, curious about everything, and getting better. She will cause all my hair to fall out!

But, oh, she is so adorable. I would do anything for this little one. She is the life of the party – the heart beat of our house.

Baby Hope’s face is changing a bit. She looks more and more like a cat and less like a kitten. She is a real little sweetheart. This girl is big and strong.

Missey found another high hiding spot. She seems to be able to plot where to get away from Calico if Calico is cranky.

As I finished checking on the birds at midnight on Sunday morning, Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo were playing. It is the first time now since Thursday that Hugo Yugo has played.

Sunday Morning Update: Hugo Yugo ate all of her chicken and rice food and drank her kitten milk. Then her and Baby Hope proceeded to ‘clear’ the island. I think she is now fine!!!!!!!!!!!

So on to these birds…

Please go and vote for the name for New Guy at Cal Falcons! ‘B’ did some searching and found some very interesting information about one of the nominated names in addition to the information circulated the other day by Cal Falcons. This is for the name Archie. The high school in Marin County that was named after this Archie is known as the “Home of the Peregrine Falcons”, the name for their athletic teams.  And their logo features a peregrine falcon with aviator goggles (Archie Williams was a pilot who during WW II was an instructor at the school where the Tuskegee Airmen trained, and himself flew missions in WW II and Korea):

I am not suggesting one name over another but I do love that logo!

Everyone at Berry College is more than excited. Pa and Missey have worked on their nest since their first clutch failed. Nothing was going to deter them from having a family this year. On Saturday the 17th around 1911, Missey laid the first egg of their second clutch for 2024. Let’s wish them well. Congratulations!

The cams were down, and during that time, the folks at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose took the opportunity to band R6. He or she is fitted out with the normal green and black band for the nest with “the sequential number 5/6 green/black”. ‘H’ tells us that a feather sample was taken to do DNA sequencing. By the end of the week, we will know whether R6 is male or female.

In the second photo, look at R6 standing tall and strong!

Ron Magill posted some images that he took of Rita during the opening celebrations of her enclosure at Marathon. Notice Rita’s green and black band also.

In Florida, band colours can be confusing. The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey uses this: “The band color indicates the type of nest the young eagle hatched in: green for nests in trees and black for nests on artificial structures.” So what if they have a black and green band?

Blue is also a colour used in Florida.

But the Green over Black in Florida is for Brian Mealey, the bander. See PDF below.

Eagle-Band-Colors-The-Center-for-Conservation-BiologyDownload

Swampy and Meadow continue to do well, also. They are growing leaps and bounds. At the moment you can easily tell Swampy because of its darker plumage, darker and more shiny black bill, and s/he has fewer dandelions on their head.

Someone asked how birds hear. You can clearly see Swampy’s ear in the top photo. Look at the corner of the mouth and go straight back…that is the ear. It will be covered with feathers eventually.

Swampy and Meadow being fed before the rains begin.

29 February is officially pip watch for Jackie and Shadow. That is 11 days away. The eggs look good. Jackie rolls them ever so gently…she is completely aware of what could happen. 11 days. We are all so anxious for this loved couple…imagine a hatch. The news agencies around the world will be celebrating.

Bonnie and Clyde have their second egg at the Cardinal Land Conservancy Nest.

It’s raining at Superbeaks – and we are now on hatch watch for Pepe and Muhlady and their second clutch.

We will be looking for egg 2 at Decorah North on Monday.

There might be a problem at the Dulles-Greenway nest of Rosa and Lewis. Rosa calls Lewis to incubate the egg. Will he? There is snow, and it is cool. The leg has been left on and of for periods of time so Rosa could eat and have a break.

Egg 2 is due today. Will this new partnership work out? We wait.

The egg has been left several times. Rosa is an experienced female with a new inexperienced male (or not the same male at all). We will just have to wait and see how this turns out but best it be eggs that become non-viable than eaglets on the nest suffering.

And then, Rosa laid her second egg, right on time.

I have been looking for studies about the life expectancy of the males versus the females in terms of Bald Eagles living in the wild. I haven’t found anything good to post for you – the answer to whether the males live longer than the females is unclear. We do have some older females this year – Gabby, Rosa, and Ellie (below)- who have younger mates. We know that M15 has a younger female partner. Maybe we should start keeping a list and come up with our own data.

There is a new Bald Eagle couple on Farmer Derek’s land in Peabody, Kansas. They have a nest now with their first two eggs. The banded female is Ellie and she is ten years old. The male is named Harvey. He was there with her on Saturday when she laid the second egg at 13:39:52.

Dad and the new female at the ND-LEEF nest have been very busy.

The first female Bald Eagle I ever saw buried in snow as this same female at Duke Farms. She has a new mate this year. Wishing her the best.

If you are watching the new couple at the Kistachie National Forest nest E-3 (Alex and Andria’s old nest), there is a fishing line and lure tangled in the moss bedding of the nest. Neither eagle is tangled. There are no eaglets on the nest. But does this pose enough of a threat to the birds for USFWS to allow Cody to remove it? Let’s hope so – before there are eaglets.

We still have only one egg at the nest of Jak and Audacity (Sauces) in the Channel Islands. The track record is dismal for this super pair of eagles – all due to the continuing presence of DDT after what? 75 years?

The following material is intended for classroom use for students ages 11-12. However, I find it really informative about the impact of DDT on the Eagles in the Channel Islands. If you are not aware of why Jak and Audacity continue to have difficulties – as well as Jackie and Shadow – have a read. (Note: Many areas of the US were sprayed with DDT including Big Bear Lake).

ClassroomStudyGuide-ChannelIslandsDownload

There are many articles.

COLUMN-ONE-DDT-Ills-Still-Haunt-the-Coast-Years-after-scientists-thought-threat-from-pesticide-hDownload

Osprey fever is beginning to happen. Geemeff sent me a link to an Osprey nest in Mallorca that I did not know about! And also an Osprey chat space for the off season. Have a look! Thanks, Geemeff.

To the live feed camera:

To the Osprey Fanatic chat page. Adam has two young daughters…you might enjoy this space.

https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey

Harry and Sally laid their third egg of the Florida Osprey season at their Moorings Park Nest in Naples at 10:59 on Saturday, the 17th! If anyone can raise three, these two can.

Sally obliged cam watchers by showing us her labour…She raises her back slightly and spreads her wings out. Like eagles, ospreys will allow the egg to cool and harden after laying. Sally will surely being hard incubation now.

The Peregrine Falcons are getting busy. It is almost egg time in California.

She certainly has beautiful under fluffies. The third egg is shiny and wet. All three appear to be darkly speckled.

Bolivia rehabilitates three Harpy Eagles so they can return to the wild.

After-Years-in-Captivity-These-Rescued-Harpy-Eagles-Are-Flourishing-in-the-Wild-AudubonDownload

Everything you need to know and more about the world’s largest eagle, the Harpy.

Harpy-eagle-guide-where-these-strange-but-iconic-eagles-live-how-they-hunt-and-why-they-are-calledDownload

Thank you so much for being with me and for all your positive energy for Hugo Yugo. She is doing so much better. We hope to see you soon! Take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, screen captures, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J, SP’, Cal Falcons, Berry College, WRDC, Ron Magill FB, The Centre for Conservation Biology, Eagle Country, FOBBV, V, Superbeaks, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Dulles-Greenway, Gracie Shepherd, Duke Farms, KNF-E3, Farmer Derek Eagle Cam, Phillip Josse, Return Flight, Column One, SEO Birdlife, Walking with Daddy, SK Hideaways, Moorings Park, and BBC Discover Wildlife.

Saturday in Bird World

17 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is never a good morning after we lose a raptor, and waking up on Friday and finding that Lusa had died during the night was incredibly sad. Indeed, all went to bed after seeing her/him eat feeling much more optimistic about the situation at Captiva.

At the same time I was reading a note about Lusa, Hugo Yugo was vomiting, had diarrhoea, and was lethargic. She was fine when she went to bed but, by morning, he was not playing and didn’t want any treats – sure signs that something was not right. We spent the afternoon at the vet. It is a long weekend in Canada, the vet clinics are packed, and we have to go to a different vet than we usually use. After tests for any poisons (they came back negative), she had an IV for hydration and an injection to calm her stomach and had the Flora-Flora powder to sprinkle on her food. If she does not improve, then we move to X-rays, etc. The diagnostic end of it all. For Hugo Yugo to not eat is unsettling, just like with Lusa. For her not to play is just not right. Again, the same goes for the eaglet. Our condolences go out to Lori Covert, the folks at Window to Wildlife, but most of all Clive, Connie, and Cal.

When Connie and Joe lost Hope and Peace to rodenticide poisoning in 2020-21, it was a real tragedy. The parents knew what had happened. They stood over the dead body of their second eaglet in quiet disbelief. The eaglets had consumed less than a whole rat, but it was a designer poison, and Lori has spent years trying to get people to stop using rodenticides on the island. Joe never returned to the nest after the mourning period. And I will say it clearly and loud – he felt guilty for bringing that rat to the nest that killed their kids. Ask Marc Bekoff, Professor of Avian Behaviour at the University of Colorado at Boulder – animals have feelings. They care. They are sentient like we are.

So far, Cal looks good. They cannot, for safety and legal reasons, remove the body of Lusa. The adults might try to shove the body off the nest, even carry it and drop it in the ocean, or Lusa might wind up as part of the nest. There is no fear of Cal eating its sibling (yes, I have had multiple questions about that). I would have concerns if Lusa had highly pathogenic avian influenza. But that seems highly unlikely because Cal is doing so well. We saw siblings die close together on other nests if it was HPAI.

Connor stated that getting on a nest after four weeks is hard because the other eaglet might get spooked and jump off. That is the last thing we want to happen to Cal. So keep sending positive energy to this nest – it would be grand if Connie and Clive fledged an eaglet this year. With Connick having issues and falling off the nest last year and now going to the Smithsonian, it has been a while since Mum Connie saw a baby fly free.

Angel and Tom are both at their nest. The Blue Jays are apparently not bothering Tom but are aggravating Angel. If they continue to come to the nest, the camera will go live.

I have not done a lot of nest checking today so this post could be ‘slim’. I did head to Eagle Country to check on Swampy and Meadow. Indeed, all of the eaglets that have survived on the nests this year are a miracle. There were so many incidents of DNH…

Blaze was on the nest feeding his eaglets and did a splendid job of it. Both got lots and lots to eat! Gosh, Dad was very even-handed in that feeding. Those two are getting their thermal down. See how dark they are getting, and the soft, fluffy baby down is coming off., Darlings. Just little darlings.

A little bit of a mohawk coming.

E23 is looking good at SW Florida. Just keep all good wishes coming to every nest with babes – we never know what can happen. I am not saying this to worry you, but rather to appreciate those who are healthy and to stay vigilant should something be amiss.

It is very hard to see the eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands, but there are many watching and fingers crossed for this one to fledge. JBS20 certainly does take up more nest space than it did a few weeks ago! Only eaglets have the advantage of having all the food to themselves.

The only eaglet at WRDC continues to grow and thrive, but only after we had to hold our breath a few times. What a year it has been! We will not forget it soon, for all the wrong reasons. That said, the streaming cam is down, and, of course, right before that happened, R6 was fed another pigeon with bands on its legs. ‘H’ tells us, “The cams went down about 4.5 hours ago.  R6 ate another pigeon band this afternoon, and we are supposed to be on pellet-and-band watch!  Not only that, but the pigeon had a band on each leg, and we were also waiting to see which eagle would eat the other band!  Rose ate a pigeon band on 2/11.’

I don’t know about anyone else but seeing these healthy eaglets eat leg bands and nappies and possibly poisoned rats is getting to me. We have so few eaglets this year…ah. Each is precious.

We are a day away from hatch watch at Superbeaks. Pepe and Muhlady should be hearing their chicks inside the shell. Oh, let us hope these eggs are viable. They are such good parents and just got on with life and had a second clutch. Fingers crossed along with toes.

Jackie and Shadow are looking pretty confident. We are now 12 days away from the hatch at Big Bear. You best get the worry beads, the stomach upset medicine, or whatever works for you. This will either be the day we leap out of our roofs in happiness or sit and fill a bucket full of tears. I am thinking of eaglets this year…the champagne is ready.

A look at how Friday went for Jackie and Shadow.

You need to get your votes in! This is the news from Cal Falcons about naming The New Guy.

“After over 200 suggestions and hundreds of votes, we have our four finalists:

Archie, after Archie Williams
Galen, after John Galen Howard
Morgan, after Julia Morgan
and
Mulford, after Walter Mulford

Vote for the winner here before Monday at 5pm:

https://bit.ly/NewGuy2024

Here’s a little more about each of our candidates:

Archie Williams was a successful Cal athlete and engineer. He won gold in the 400m race at the 1936 Olympics, became a highly decorated pilot and instructor, and was an influential teacher in California High Schools. Archie Williams High School is named in his honor.

John Galen Howard was one of the most influential architects at UC Berkeley. He designed many of the most iconic buildings on campus, including the Campanile, where Annie and New Guy live! He also designed Sather Gate, California Memorial Stadium, and many other buildings.

Julia Morgan was the first woman to earn a degree in Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley. She became a prolific and celebrated architect. You can see her work on campus in the form of the Greek Theatre. However, her most well-known design is Hearst Castle.

Walter Mulford was a long-time forestry professor at UC Berkeley, serving as the first Dean of the School of Forestry (now a part of the College of Natural Resources). He encouraged students to gain hands on experience outdoors and founded the Forestry Field Camp in Plumas National Forest.”

Please go and vote. Thanks SP for all that great information!

Wow. Talk about a miracle. Have a look at what happened to this crushed falcon egg! We see these when there is high humidity…and we hold our breath. This gives hope.

When I get sad, I always head to the Royal Albatross Colony. Why? Because I know that the NZ DOC Rangers do everything in their power to ensure that these chicks fledge!

Look at this cutie.

The two osplets at Pelican Bay appear to be doing rather well.

Thunder and Akecheta taking turns incubating their three eggs. Oh, I so hope that this nest is full of little eaglets just like at Big Bear.

One egg at Sauces. Dr Sharpe will be conducting a survey of the nests on the Channel Islands on the 24th according to the moderator of chat. We should be able to find out more about the other nests that we cannot see on cam after that visit.

No egg at Two Harbours for Chase and Cholyn, yet.

Andor and Cruz were both working on the Fraser Point nest – between the camera going on and coming off.

I missed this great video shot with the Centreport Bald Eagle Mum a few days ago. Stunning footage!

At Redding, Liberty proudly stands above her egg delaying incubation and awaiting the arrival of the second egg.

Fireworks. Anyone reading my blog knows that fireworks are dangerous for wildlife as well as for domestic pets. Why we as a society continue to allow millions of dollars to literally go up in smoke is beyond me when there is so much to be done for the environment, wildlife, human health, education, and housing. So, the fact that there are plans for a firework display in a nature reserve in Spain is incomprehensible.

‘Incomprehensible-Madrid-plans-huge-firework-display-on-nature-reserve-Spain-The-GuardianDownload

For a smile, a close up of that Puffer Fish that Bradley was eating on the ropes on the 16th at Port Lincoln.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send your good wishes to all the nests and, also, to little Hugo Yugo. She is just not herself yet. She ate a few bites of food and then wanted in her carrier to be alone and sleep. I do worry about her so much. After losing Lewis, I am perhaps a bit sensitive, but Hugo Yugo has had such a rough start in life and she is so tiny – well…I am concerned.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, screen captures, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J, SP’, Window to Wildlife, Heidi McGrue, Jenna Lynn Dorsey, Eagle Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JBS Wetlands, WRDC, Superbeaks, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Cal Falcons, Elite Falconry, Royal Cam Albatross/NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, Ildiko A Polk, FORE, the IWS/Explore.org, PLO, and The Guardian.

First eggs for Liberty and Guardian and Mr North and Mrs DNF…Sadly, Lusa has died…Friday in Bird World

16 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Goodness, it turned cold on the Canadian Prairies on Thursday. The temperature is currently -16 C and will drop to -19 C overnight. We have become very spoiled by those -4 C temps that allow us to go outside. The one difference was waking up to a bright blue sky and sunshine – always an indicator of a cold day. ‘The girls’ have decided it is a good day to sleep. Indeed, they had their breakfast and piled into my bed and now, at mid-afternoon, they are still there. No meowing for food or anything. Just a cuddle puddle to keep warm. The central heating is working – but, I made the decision to roast them a chicken and the heat from the little oven is so close to the thermostat that the unit thinks the house is warmer than it is. They will survive and so will I!

Many of you have pets, and I know dog owners are always so excited when their dogs wag their tails and are eager to see them. It is, indeed, the same with ‘The Girls’ who scurry to the middle of the kitchen first thing in the morning to say hello and remind me of ‘cat food’ (gosh, I hate wet cat food). They are so precious to me. I still tear up, looking at Calico and Hope. Hugo Yugo is entirely another story. Having wished for a miniature cat all my life, the last one is! She is nothing short of an adorable bag of energy. If you are looking for mellow, however, you cannot beat a Maine Coon. Whoever lost Missey lost the calmest and most patient cat I have ever met. I continue to marvel at my luck at having all of them with me – just like you do with your pets. They keep us sane.

Thank you for your notes after hearing about Rita being in her new enclosure. Please know that you are not alone when you say that you feel she is alone or that it is also sad knowing that Ron does not know what happened to his beloved mate of so many years. I agree. I have argued that if a Canada Goose is injured, it should go into rehab with its partner, not be left alone in a parking lot, which has happened in Winnipeg. It is more difficult to capture a Bald Eagle, and I am not sure what the response should be, but we know it is stressful on the mate who does not know what happened. Ron has moved on with Rita, and they have now raised three beautiful eaglets together. He seems quite content.

Moving on to bird news – not as much today as yesterday!

Redwood Queen (190) is one of my favourite California Condors. The way she defended Iniko during the Dolan Fire in 2020 was incredible. Now, she has lost Phoenix, her partner after King Pin died in that fire of 2020.

I really encourage you to add the Condor cams to your viewing list. They are so endangered, and we need to know their plight so that we can fight for the use of non-lead in all hunting, fishing, and military uses, as it is one way they die a slow and horrible death if not found and treated.

‘B’ sent me word that Amber at the IWS (she climbs those cliffs with Dr Sharpe and puts on tags) is taking a break and Dr Sharpe is stepping in as her replacement. While I adore Dr Sharpe and his sheer dedication to the Channel Islands Bald Eagles, I do hope that there is nothing untoward with Amber and that she will be back soon!

Just look at this new platform. How do you spell wowzers?

There are now three eggs at Port Tobacco Bald Eagle nest. Wow. Three eggs! Is this a norm for this year? Congratulations Chandler and Hope.

Lots of activity with Bella and Scout but no eggs yet at the NCTC nest.

While we are waiting for eggs at some of the eagle nests still, Arthur is really stepping up the pace at the Cornell nest preparing for the Ns with Big Red. We are one month away from egg watch.

The following two images are screen captures form Heidi Mc’s video of R6 celebrating his/her one month milestone on Valentine’s Day.

Adorable family portrait.

UPDATE: Lusa died around 0322. I am keeping what I wrote yesterday evening here.

Both Cal and Lusa appeared to eatThursday afternoon. This is a very good sign as there were worries over Lusa’s foot injury. Keep sending positive energy to this nest.

Connor did a video discussion about Lusa, what might be going on, and the legal and logistical issues regarding an intervention.

Connor’s video:  https://youtu.be/0f8S8cQZRzE?feature=shared

Connor is Not concerned about the toe. The amount of blood is not concerning but, his worried about Lusa’s not eating and their lethargy. Please go to YouTube and watch this presentation. It is very informative. As you can see above, Lusa has eaten, so this is good. The video was recorded at 1000 EDT on the 15th so well before Lusa ate.

Just look at Swampy and Meadow! Thank you Cam Op for getting us these fantastic close-ups of this wonderful feeding. Both are going to pop. Isn’t this wonderful. I so worried about Meadow and all got sorted thanks to the hunting abilities of Blaze and the steadfastness of Abby.

We are 13 days away from hatch at Big Bear.

The eggs look fine. We are, as I reminded you, 13 days away from hatch. Jackie and Shadow should begin to hear their little one pecking away around the 27th. Meanwhile, continue with positive wishes while we hold our breath for these two. The world is watching and hoping for these loved birds in the Big Bear Valley.

Good gracious. An intruder landing on the nest tree is all Jackie and Shadow need right now.

Isn’t she beautiful? Mrs DNF? She is positively glowing. The first egg of the season was laid at their nest in Iowa on the 15th. Mr North came to check it out. Congratulations Iowa!

Here is the video of the first egg at Decorah. The Raptor Resource Project says: “Congratulations to DNF and Mr. North! DNF laid her first egg of 2024 today at 2:12 PM CT. She tends to lay her eggs about 72 hours apart, give or take a little, so we’ll be watching for egg #2 on Sunday, February 18 at about 2:12 PM – although it could be a little earlier or a little later. As you watch the video, listen for her soft chirps and look for egg labor beginning at about three minutes.”

The first egg for Liberty and Guardian was in the nest – and the camera stream was down.

Gary came back to show us the action on video!

The Bald Eagle streaming cam and the eagles are back for their 8th season at Lakes Folsom and Natoma. The lakes are located in Sacramento County, California.

Here is the link to the streaming cam:

Whitetail eagles are busy fixing up their nest in Rasene, Latvia.

Newmann is home at Great Spirit Bluff. Last year he finished the hob of raising the eyases alone. Marvellous Dad!

Beau and Gabby. A beautiful couple destined, it seems, to wait another year for a family together.

This makes me sick just like the raising of the ducks at the ponds and then allowing people to shoot them down as they stand. Seriously, why do we think we are so advanced over the other animals? We certainly don’t act like it!

The New Guy at Cal Falcons is yet to be named, but he showed up with some crop. Incredible. Let us hope he is as good a hunter when there are 3 or 4 mouths to feed!

More information and pictures of Rita in her new enclosure at Marathon comes from ‘J’. It is an exceptional space. I hope that those of you who live close will travel to see Rita and send back reports!

We are readying for the Great Bird Count and for spring migration to begin. Migration connects countries around the world by the flyways that the migrating birds use. We need to protect those flyways. Birdlife International looks at why nature and the flyways are important.

Bird-Migration-Connects-Us-All-BirdLife-InternationalDownload

Remember. Please get involved in the Great Bird Count. There are not enough scientists to count the birds. They need us! So take 15 minutes a day – that is all you need – to help count! It starts today and it is not too late for you to register. I will be counting the birds that come to my garden for the next four days – join me. Count your garden birds, too!

Oh, I love it. Bradley lands on the nest with a Puffer Fish at 10:48! He has been taking lessons from his big brother, Ervie, for sure. Isn’t this fantastic? Make sure you keep tuning in. I don’t know about anyone else, but it was a lot of fun watching Ervie with those Puffers.

Thank you for being with us today. What a perfect way to end the blog – a Pufferfish back on the Port Lincoln Barge. Oh, Bradley, you just put smiles on hundreds of faces. Take care everyone. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their comments, videos, articles, streaming cams and tweets that helped me write my post this morning: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, Ventana Wildlife Society, Wildlife at Osprey House, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, NCTC, Cornell Bird Lab RTH Cam, Heidi Mc and the WRDC, Window to Wildlife, Connor at W to Wildlife, Eagle Country, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Minette Murk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Vicki Jacques, Gary’s Eagle Videos, FOLFAN Eagle Can, NDF, Ashley Wilson, NEFL-AEF, Geemeff, Cal Falcons, Marathon Wild Bird Centre, Birdlife International, Cornell Lab, and PLO.

Thunder and Akecheta go for triplets…Thursday in Bird World

15 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that each of you had a very good Wednesday. That you found time to marvel at nature or read a book or connect with a friend, a family member, or even a stranger. ’The Girls’ and I thank you for your Valentine’s wishes and also for sharing your beloved pet friends with us and their stories. I marvel at how much love there is for wildlife and our fur families. I do not own a television and only get streaming channels I rarely watch. The news in the world is dire, so – it is time to just focus on the life around us, treasure the moments, find joy, and marvel at our feathered friends.

Gosh, there is a lot of good news in Bird World today. It just makes you feel the joy and love. So before even going anywhere near eggs, let’s talk about Ron’s former mate, Rita, at the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest. ’H’ wrote to tell me that she is now in her new enclosure at the Marathon Wild Bird Centre, Crane Point Hammock Museum, in Marathon, Florida. That is in the Keys. 

This is a stunning enclosure for Rita. Well thought out in terms of size and height. She can no longer fly wild and free, but she can move about easily and there is even a pond for her to have a refreshing splash on a hot day in Florida.

Here she is – isn’t this beautiful?

Wednesday was lovely. It was the perfect day to go to the provincial park for a nice walk amidst the Chickadees. The roads were snow-covered, and big flakes were dancing down. A few cross-country skiers were heading to the trails, but no one was feeding the birds. As a result, there were hundreds and hundreds of chickadees ready to hit your hand and take a seed! We went through four pounds of Black-oil Seed! Seriously. 

I will bore you with photographs of these amazing little songbirds that flit their way through a Canadian winter, just like some do with grandchildren and vacation pics. 

Look closely; you can see some in the bare branches, too. I only had my iPhone with me. For some reason, I have been leaving the big lens at home – cumbersome in the winter – so I do not have any good shots of the hundreds in the trees. Well, I have images, but you can’t see the birds…so that is why I am explaining the phone camera.

It was just a beautiful day. Several miles away, in a protected area, deer were feeding.

‘The Girls’ had a few more little treats and got to hear their Valentine Story again. I know they don’t like it nearly as much as the book we are currently reading, 12 Birds to Save Your Life. Nature’s lessons in happiness by Charlie Corbett. More about that later. They do, however, love treats. Those are very limited because of Calico’s need for a diet and you won’t see Missey there – she doesn’t like treats at all. Go figure. 

Calico’s nose was a tad out of joint – she gets overrun when Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope are together. They dive in after those little calorie-laden morsels.

Not a great image, but you can see that Hugo Yugo’s face is still that of a kitten and you can see her tiny paw. What you aren’t seeing is a lot of whiskers. Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope play so rough that the whiskers get broken off! 

And, gosh, it is time to get into the news from Valentine’s Day. There is so much, and I might miss something! Rita is just such good news. It took a long time to build that enclosure for this very special eagle, but thankfully they made our home safe and large so she could move about. 

In California, Thunder and Akecheta are going for triplets.

Trudi Kron has it on video…the first sighting when Akecheta was rolling those eggs. We know this pair can do it – still remember that remarkable year with the trio. Akecheta was amazing. 

Congratulations to Rosa and Lewis at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle Nest on the Potomac River. Their first egg arrived in the late afternoon on Valentine’s Day.

Sally and Harry at Moorings Park have their second egg – right on time on Valentine’s Day, too. Will they go for three?

I you missed the ABC news broadcast on Jackie and Shadow, here it is:

It is nice to see the weather has dramatically improved for our much-loved Bald Eagle Couple. Today is the 15th of February. We are a fortnight from the hatch. I am holding my breath like tens of thousands of others. I think I told you. There is the tiniest bottle of champagne waiting for their hatch. I bought it last year, and sadly, there are no hatches here. My fingers and toes are crossed, but mostly, I am holding my breath and not breathing for fear that one of those sharp talons could nip one of those eggs or all of them. Can you imagine how careful these two must be with those wet twigs and the snow melting?

Everything you wanted to know about hatching and more from Elfruler. There are good reminders here as we twirl the worry beads for the next two weeks hoping that one or more of these eggs are viable and make it to hatch.

HATCHING-Bald-EaglesDownload

I love Pat Burke’s comparison captures of R6 and just how quickly those little eaglets grow once they hatch.

They put a lid on the Egyptian Geese at Rutland, starting a nest on Maya and Blue 33’s Osprey platform! We are seriously on a countdown for these two superstars of the UK Osprey World, and there will be no goose eggs there instead!

The latest publication on Ospreys will be released in precisely two weeks. Tim Mackrill is no stranger to the Osprey World in the UK. This will be his third major publication. I love the volume he wrote for the RSPB both for its thorough and excellent content and the price point. Will compare that one to this one when it arrives in Canada.

Annie is into the ‘new guy’. Wonder what his name will be? After not seeing them bonding in the scrape, it seems like that is all they do. So happy for Annie…but, missing Grinnell, Alden, and Lou. 

There has been some concern for Lusa in the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest. There are some cuts and blood on the Right Digit IV talon. It is unclear what has caused this but the eaglet has appeared lethargic on Tuesday and better on Wednesday. Rodenticide causes blood not to coagulate. This doesn’t look like that. If you look closely it appears to be an injury to the talon. Cause unknown. I hope that is what is happening. Window to Wildlife staff are monitoring the situation and ready to move into action if required.

In Canada, at the Surrey Reserve in British Columbia, a young intruder was looking for a free meal.

This is now going to be a quick run through a few of the nests before I call it lights out for today. 

Meadow and Swampy continue to do well at Eagle Country. I am not seeing any bonking. There is always big chunks of food and I suspect some of the old prey is hidden underneath the nest materials. It was nice to see Blaze on the nest checking on his chicks. He is a fantastic provider. 

The eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands is growing and so much easier to see.

Despite all the hope, not seeing an egg at Redding for Liberty and Guardian yet.

Kansas City eagle pair, Ellie and Harvey, have their first egg of the season.

Put your suggestions in for a name for Annie’s new mate in the FB thread for Cal Falcons. Who knows – you could just suggest a winner!

At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ sends us news of Bradley’s fishing efforts. ”

The boys at Port Lincoln were off doing their own thing today, with Giliath MIA. At 13:47, Bradley flew in with a monster live fish, which he then spent 67 minutes eating on the ropes. Did he catch it himself? It definitely appeared so as I watched him fly in over the water and land on the ropes with his fish. He did have some initial problems controlling it on the ropes, as it was pointed backwards, but once he got it the right way around, he had no difficulties in eating it. 

Are we not SO very proud of our wee lad? By the size of that fish, and the way he managed it, I suspect this was not Brad’s first catch, but it’s the first one we can definitely confirm. We can be very sure, I think, that Giliath is also doing some fishing, on his travels around the local fishing spots with Dad and Ervie. What a triumph for PLO this season after last year’s tragic outcome. We could make the observation that this nest definitely needs the help of the fish fairies.”

‘A’ also brings us news from Orange: ”We finally have a live stream nest camera back on line at Orange, which allows us to see that the beautiful Madame Diamond is sleeping in her scrape, on her Cilla Stones (she moved to the Cilla Stones around 10pm local time, when it started raining). Ah, Diamond is in her house and all is well with the world. She had a bonding session with Xavier at 16:43 – he is such a darling. Diamond spent last night sleeping on the Cilla Stones too. 

Report from Cilla: 

Both Xavier and Diamond have been seen hunting at night this week. Here is a clip: https://youtu.be/pLynezfGb6A. Marri has not been heard or seen now since early this month, so it looks as if she may have dispersed. It’s about the right time. I cleaned the nest box last month, retrieved and ‘candled’ the egg (held a torch underneath to see contents), and it appeared to be unfertilised.”

Birdwatch looks at the not-so-shy Albatross—a short, ‘nice’ article to give you a smile.

Birdwatch-On-the-trail-of-the-shy-albatross-in-Australia-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

Bird Flu has caused havoc amongst seabirds in the UK and the real numbers might never be known.

Bird-flu-causing-‘catastrophic-fall-in-UK-seabird-numbers-conservationists-warn-Bird-flu-The-GDownload

Some more news about the stolen Peregrine Falcons coming in from the RSPCA via Raptor Persecution UK.

SSPCA-press-release-on-conviction-of-part-time-gamekeeper-Timothy-Hall-his-son-Lewis-Hall-for-illeDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, screen captures, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, WRDC Chat, Lloyd Brown, Jann Gallivan, Trudi Kron, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, ABC News, FOBBV, Elfruler, Pat Burke, LRWT, Tim Mackrill, SK Hideaway’s, Window to Wildlife, Sandy Williams, Jerinelle Wray, FORE, Eagle Country, JBS Wetlands, Cal Falcons, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Raptor Persecution UK, and The Guardian.

E23 self-feeds…Wednesday in Bird World

14 February 2024

Hello Everyone,

It is the middle of the week. ’The girls’ hope that the week has been kind to you and that you got some nice little treats along the way. They were hoping that Valentine’s Day might have something special in store for them – and I did. It isn’t what they were expecting! Dental Wipes. Yes. Only Missey will let me trim her nails and brush her fur and teeth without bother. Brushing Calico’s teeth is like trying to kiss an enraged lion. So, Dr Green suggested dental wipes. The container reminds me of those Clorox cleaning wipes. You pull up a sheet, twist it around your finger, and attack from back to front. It was recommended that I cut one sheet in 4s and do all the girls – and it worked. Now, if this and the chewy stick toys keep us from having a dental cleaning in a year or two, it will be worth it. The wipes must taste good. No one complained! They got a few dental treats after as a reward and we have a special Valentine’s Day story for later today.

Meadow and Swampy are doing great. It appears we have gotten past the bonking stage. Abby fed those two so they couldn’t hold another fish flake. Mum managed to clean up some of that piled-up prey, as well. What a wonderful relief. Swampy and Meadow are lookin’ good.

Early morning and Jackie is calling to Shadow. There is prey on the edge of the nest and both continue to be ever so careful around those precious eggs. 15 days til hatch. Wonder how many people will be watching? 8500? 10,000? This is the most watched Bald Eagle nest – and people around the world are hoping for a big miracle this year that will test Shadow’s hunting abilities!

Jackie and Shadow continue to make the news!

The day for Bella and Scout started out with a blizzard on Tuesday. The snow tapered off during the day and began to melt at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest. The nest is 75 miles NW of Washington, DC, in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia along the Potomac River.

No eggs yet for Irvin and Claire at the US Steel Bald Eagle nest in Pittsburgh. Ever wonder how Irvin got his name? The nest is located at U. S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

They are on egg watch at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest. But no egg as of 1700 Tuesday.

Fish dinner all day long or R6 at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose.

R6 wants to play with Rose.

E23 self-feeds on the bunny after being fed by F23. E23 is six weeks and one day old today.

Getting a plucking lesson.

The little eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands still has most of its soft down. Growing thought. Much easier to spot in that nest!

Bonnie and Clyde, the Eagles not the GHOs, of the Cardinal Land Conservancy have their first egg!

The West End camera of Thunder and Akecheta is now up and running again.

Too much bonding? New Male has trouble getting out of scrape?

Hartley and Monty have eggies on their mind, too.

The Wakefield Peregrines are getting active.

The recent court cases in Scotland have made people sick beyond belief at the non-custodial sentences handed out for the killing, selling, and laundering of Peregrine Falcons and their eggs. People are fighting to save the species while those profiteering from it are laughing. 

The author of the article below remarks, “In early 2021, Police Scotland had begun an investigation of its own, after reports of a man bragging to friends about how much money he was making from taking wild peregrine falcon chicks.

High-status racing falcons can sell for up to £250,000 in the Middle East, according to the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The UK exports more live raptors than any other country, and the United Arab Emirates is the largest importer.”

‘Its-soul-destroying-to-find-nests-have-failed-inside-the-battle-against-Scotlands-falcon-thieveDownload

Giliath is all about town. He would do well to follow Ervie and Dad!

Lewis loves bones and he should be excellent at incubation and rolling those eggs once they arrive. Way to go Lewis!

At the Captiva Osprey nest, we have Jack and I think it is Lady Friend #7. But I could be wrong! It feels like a revolving door on this nest!

It doesn’t matter how big or old they are, eaglets still like to be fed by Mum. Cal and Lusa are not except at the Captiva Eagle nest of Connie and Clive.

The Dahlgren nest of Jack and Harriet is back .

Here is the link:

Arthur has been busy bringing sticks to the nest he is fixing up for Big Red. Expecting eggs after the middle of March.

‘L’ sent me a link to a great image of Flaco, the Eurasian Owl, venturing out around Manhattan.

This is making many uneasy. The lowest recorded number of wintering birds in Spain in 40 years.

Donana-records-lowest-wintering-bird-numbers-in-40-years-BirdGuidesDownload

For my parrot and budgie readers, here is a new article on some viruses that are threatening the health of one parrot, the Orange-bellied. They are considered to be critically endangered.

These gorgeous parrots live in the South of Australia and Tasmania but only breeds in Tasmania, as I understand it. Here is eBird’s description: ”Small grassy-green parrot that feeds on the ground. Bright green and yellow with blue wings and yellow lower belly with a central orange patch, yellowish throat, and thin mid-blue line between eyes. Compare Blue-winged Parrot (olive-green), Rock Parrot (duller olive-green) and Elegant Parrot (yellow-green, more distinct yellow patch in front of eye). Migratory, breeding in tree hollows on button grass moors in southwest Tasmania in summer, and wintering on saltmarsh in coastal Victoria and South Australia. Critically endangered and the subject of substantial conservation efforts. Calls include a soft buzzingchatter and a high-pitched, thin “ziiiit.”

The Government of Tasmania states : “The OBP is one of the most threatened birds in Australia. The wild population, measured at the start of each breeding season, did not exceed 35 birds between 2010 and 2018. According to the criterion of the Recovery Plan, the wild population is neither​ stable nor increasing. The wild population is not viable without supplementation from captive bird releases to the wild. Recent breeding seasons have provided some hope with 77 birds returning to Melaleuca in 2022, the largest ​number of returns recorded in over 15 years!.”

“The OBP breeds only within Southwest Tasmania, with the known breeding population concentrated in the Melaleuca region. Birds typically begin to arrive at Melaleuca in late September. Nests are occupied from mid-November and nesting occurs in artificial nest boxes, or where available, hollows of eucalypt trees (typically Eucalyptus nitida). Pairs do not mate for life. The female stays in the nest for several days before the first egg is laid and clutches average 4.6 eggs (range 1–6). Only the female incubates the eggs during the 21-day incubation period. After hatching, the female remains on the nest for 10 days, being fed by the male. After the 10 day brood period, the chicks are fed by both parents before fledging at four to five weeks of age. Fledglings are fed by both parents until the adults depart on the northern migration in February–March. The fledglings typically depart between March and April. Juveniles are also individually colour banded (using leg bands) from nest boxes each year which forms the basis of population studies.”

Orange-bellied-Parrot-faces-new-threats-BirdGuidesDownload

Sometimes, there are big bonuses for charities. Conservation without Borders is seeking your help to get them an injection of much-needed cash! Make sure you vote. I will post the link as soon as I have it available.

Thank you for being with being with us today. Take care. Have a wonderful day and we will see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, graphics, streaming cams, articles, and videos that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’L, J’, Eagle Country, FOBBV, Kristen Hulk, NCTC, PIX Cams, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Carol Shores Rifkin, JB Sands Wetlands, CLC, IWS/Explore, SK Hideaways, @wfldperegrines, The Guardian, Raptor Persecution UK, PLO, Gracie Shepherd, Window to Wildlife, Bridgette Schwurack, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, @CornellHawks, Manhattan Bird Alert, BirdGuides, Government of Tasmania, and Conservation without Borders.