16 November 2023
Good Morning Everyone,
I hope this blog/newsletter finds you well.
It has been a quiet day not only in Bird World but in Cat World, too.
Missey and Hope continue to play together and enjoy one another’s company. It is not the cuddle-up type of comfort Missey had with Lewis, but she has a friend, and that is important. Hope loves to play, and Calico is not often in ‘the mood’. I still think Calico has arthritis in her back legs, and the damp outside provokes her not feeling well. We have an appointment to see about this, but for now, I rub her legs several times during the day.
They watched bird videos together for awhile.
Missey is such a gentle soul.
The girls have their twinkle tree up. It needs some TLC. Missey and Lewis destroyed it last year! They pulled on the branches, tried to eat the flocking off the needles and attempted to eat all the little felt birds. It had to be packed away so they did not harm themselves.
I need twinkle lights and candles along with Lingonberry Sauce in the winter…this tree may be up til summer (if the girls enjoy it without trying to eat it for lunch). It is partly the dark of the winter and the comfort of the soft light, the smell of the wood stove, and the soft blankets and slippers. While my Scandinavian ancestry is not the most significant % of my DNA, it certainly comes through in winter! Candle holders now have glass domes so the cats do not catch their fur on fire. The wood stove has a protective top that does not get hot, so they will not burn their paws if they accidentally jump there. These are the nicest parts of winter for me. If you have never tried Lingonberry Sauce, it is marvellous. It’s like cranberry, only the berries are much smaller.
Calico’s nose has been out of joint. So, drawing on what I know about raptors, I realised it could be because I cut back on 2 of their wet food feedings. They always have water and hard food (which should be limited…shame on me). Did Calico perceive insufficient food for the three of them when I cut back? I wonder. So they get a single tablespoon of wet food 5x a day instead of 3x. It is not a lot, but the day has been quite civil. The Feliway was about ready for a new cartridge, so I replaced it. Fingers crossed. Calico goes to the vet on Friday. They found a spot for my girl!
Tomorrow, we will switch toys – the current bunch will go in the box, and the old ones will come out, and the cats will think they are new. Enrichment. Just like raptors require. Just like the tree.
I hope to find solar-powered twinkle lights for around the conservatory’s perimeter and some toys that are not quickly torn apart with that white stuffing that causes so many pets to go to the vet if they eat it. I will hang the little toys on the tree so the girls can find them and take them off for play. They will not know they are supposed to do that!!!!!! It will be such fun watching them. Calico would prefer treat bags. Oh, having to eat out of the garbage and at the feeder stations in the neighbourhood saved her life last winter, but like all rescues that have lived on the streets ‘homeless cats’, she is always thinking about food.
Baby Hope is on Mamma’s blanket because…
Missey decided she wanted to sleep in her basket.
It’s a good thing Calico prefers the hard cane seating of the dining chair. Of course, she is the closest to a heating vent! She is so sweet when she is asleep. LOL. I adore this cat. Just the thought of her spending last winter outside, either having been dumped or being lost, puts tears in my eyes. Well, for all the pets. There are simply pages and pages of kittens to be adopted, and all the shelters and volunteers who foster are packed to the brim. It is like an epidemic.
After playing and running with Hope for almost an hour, Calico slept under the tree. Hope loves to wrestle, and Calico doesn’t make it easy for her. They get rough! I remind myself that she is teaching her daughter survival skills.
As you know, I have been worried about this girl. She makes me ache when she walks and has just not been herself. So it was with great joy that I watched her run and play. Hopefully, she just had an upset tummy. Still, she will see the vet on Friday and find out for certain (I said that twice…it has been hard to get an appointment).
The Sea Eagle Nest is empty and so is Orange. We wait for Marri and/or Barru to come to the scrape for prey items. It takes a few days for their wings to get strong enough to fly up – flying up is much more difficult than going down. So we have Port Lincoln with little ones. Two nests incubating eggs – Captiva and Superbeaks. Owl strikes at various other nests.
Wondering about SE 31 and 32. Rohan Geddes caught a photo of one of the juveniles today.
Both Diamond and Xavier were in the scrape at different times.
The most recent post from Cilla Kinross:
“NEWS 15th November 2023 Cilla Kinross Marri (I think) spotted about 200 m from the tower this morning. She was on the ground and while I turned my back on her to take a photo, she took off and disappeared. So all is well. And tonight about 6 pm I’m pretty confident I saw Barru in a tree with Xavier. I was several hundred metres away, so this is a rather shaky video: https://youtu.be/LYPoMN0cnhE FIRST FLEDGE 09:38:43 Marri(at 43 days) fledges; lovely straight, followed by one of the parents. VIDEO https://youtu.be/A1UhaFqvuuk SECOND FLEDGE 1536 h Barru (at 42 days) follows his sister, also a great fledge over the trees https://youtu.be/Be9JKIP_GHY They may return to the box after a few days (or not) . Either way they stay in the area for a month or two learning to hunt. And the parents still feed them during this period if needed. Tower cam was replaced TODAY. It will provide much clearer images with better zoom and pan capabilities. BUT there are a few technical hiccups, so bear with us for a day or two.”
Great screen capture of Diamond on the Tower Cam.
At Port Lincoln, Dad flew in with a small headless fish at 08:50. Both chicks had a small meal and Mum had some fish, too. As I write this it is nearing noon. I am hoping that the fish fairy will arrive in the next couple of hours. Look at the osplets faces when they know Dad is coming with breakfast. Precious. Absolutely precious.
A little fish does not last very long!
A huge supplementary fish arrived at 1449. I am not sure that Mum is going to save any for Dad (he is watching and wanting). She is busy feeding herself and her two growing chicks.
Dad was hungry, too and he kept persisting but Mum kept feeding the kids and herself. Dad did eventually get some fish. Read all about it from the obs board.
Fish Fairy, we love you!
V3 was a little battered. He has spent much of today vocalising and protecting the nest at The Hamlet. I wish the Eagles would leave them alone this year so Gabby can raise Eaglets.
The AEF confirms that this is V3.
So many write to me about where to donate. It was refreshing to see a post by Miami-Dade County -the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose and R4 and R5 last year -stating what they used the donations for during the year.
It was windy and pitching down rain at the nest of Ron and Rose on Wednesday but that did not stop Ron from coming in to work on his sticks.
It was blustering in the Big Bear Valley but it did not dent Jackie and Shadow’s enthusiasm for moving sticks!
Connie was just soaked at Captiva keeping her two precious eggs warm and dry.
At the SW Florida Eagle nest, F23 showed that she can fish! Wow. This new couple sure needs a break.
M15 defended the nest around 0300 against the GHO who left. It appears they might have locked talons. M15 we need you to stay safe.
It is blowing and wet at the SW Florida nest Wednesday night, but M15 is in that nest, determined to protect it from the GHOs. So intelligent. So determined. We already know what a great Dad he is, but he is also an incredible mate. F23 probably doesn’t know yet how lucky she is.
Speaking of Owls, they are hatching in a nest in NY right now.
Eagles were at Dulles-Greenway.
Anna and Louis have been doing some bonding at the Kistachie National Forest E-1 nest on Wednesday. Might we be looking at the first egg in about a week?
I did not see any eagles at the ND-LEEF nest in South Bend, Indiana, today, but Phillipe Josse caught Dad at the nest! I wonder if there is any news on the new female? Has anyone heard anything? And speaking of missing, I have no new news on Valor II. Waiting.
I think it was Blaze (please correct me) at the Eagle Country nest working with the sticks. His mate is Abby.
There was some work being done on the Bluff City Bald Eagle nest.
I did not see any eagles at the NCTC nest of Bella (and Smitty?) after 0800. Again, I could have missed them. Will try and find out if Deb Stecyk has any news on Smitty.
Good information coming out of A Place Called Hope if you have a raptor hit your window.
Oh, do you love Cedar Waxwings? I do, and I hope that when my trees bear berries in a couple of years, they will be in my gardens in the dozens. These folks look like they are going to be lucky this winter.
This should put a smile on your face. What a great post!
Thank you so very much for being with us today. We truly love having you here and we hope that you are all well and getting outside in order to hear the birds singing or seeing geese. Take care of yourself. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, images, photos, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Se McGregor, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, Fiona Reilly, PLO, NEFL-AEF, Lalita Rodriguez, WRDC, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk Gracie Shepherd, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Birdy Isac NY, Dulles-Greenway, KNF-E1, Phillipe Josse, Eagle Country, Bluff City, NCTC, A Place Called Hope, The Guardian, and Betty Teller-Peters Fagan.