Channel Islands Eagles – Page 13

Hatch at Achieva…Blue 33 is home…Thursday in Bird World

14 March 2024

Good Morning,

It’s damp and grey but warming up on the Canadian Prairies. I hear that Melbourne got some much-needed rain and cooled off as well. After wishing for winter I am now hoping spring is on its way. There are certainly more and more Canada Geese flying overhead, thinking their timing is right, and the garden centres are encouraging people to get their orders in for late May planting. I am already dreaming about the trees that will arrive and considering getting another one or two very large older trees to add to the mix to benefit the birds and squirrels now.

Latest news: Bravo to those who believed that the third egg at Achieva was laid the morning of the 8th – ‘MP and H’ you were so observant! That third egg hatched today so there will be one little one for Jack and Dianne this year. That is a good thing as far as I am concerned! Jack seemed delighted when he found out.

There is also a second egg at White Rock and one of the Port Tobacco eggs has broken. No embryo seen in that egg.

Missey wishes everyone a wonderful day!

I listened to Dr Alan Poole’s talk on Wednesday. There were four areas that he concentrated on. I will only mention one today and go on to the others tomorrow as I want to find some images. One big problem for Ospreys is food, and their only food is fish. They are the only raptor that exists solely on fish. Poole went directly to the Manhaden ‘problem’. The overfishing of Manhaden in the Chesapeake Bay Area resulted in only three young being produced out of 100 nests last year. Indeed, many ospreys have stopped reproducing. Poole noted that the ‘bottom fell out of Osprey population growth’ in the mid-1990s in the Chesapeake Bay Area due to overfishing. According to Dr Poole, one large net taken by a boat could feed 10,000 ospreys. The Chinese are raising havoc in West Africa, where the UK and European osprey winter. They are given commercial fishing licenses because they provide funds to the various governments of West Africa. The wintering ospreys depend on these fish.

The locals also fish, but that was never an issue for the ospreys. It is the large commercial vessels that use huge nets. They pick up the surface schooling fish that the ospreys like, such as Mullet. Guess where that fish goes? TO FEED CHICKENS AND FARMED SALMON FOR GROCERY STORES. Did you know that most Ospreys die due to being shot by people running fish farms? This is happening at all fish farms, but ospreys are being wiped out in Poland because of the shooting and in various areas of Central and South America. Poole maintains that more ospreys die at fish farms than by any other cause. I have campaigned against the eating of tuna, and now, please avoid farmed salmon. Put the large trawlers out of business. Just stop. We don’t need to eat salmon!

The other three topics were Problem Nests, Restoring Osprey Populations, and using Streaming Cameras for research. I will cover those tomorrow with some comments of my own. Most of us are aware of the overfishing problem and the storms that hit the Northeast US in 2023. Indeed, I am certain that many of you were overwhelmed with the loss of both adults and nestlings, just as I was.

There was a lot of news in Bird World on Wednesday. First, Cal fledged from the Captiva Bald Eagle nest of Connie and Clive in Florida, if you missed it. Lori Covert has said, “I have spotted Cal flying around several times this afternoon. He seems to be doing well! Connie and Clive are both staying nearby as well! Clive is just a few trees away, and Connie is on top of the watch tower of the beach home across the street, keeping a very close eye on Cal!” Well, that is good news.

The other great news is that Blue 33, Maya’s mate at Rutland Manton Bay, returned home to find his gal fixing up their nest on Wednesday afternoon. Edie lays her second egg at the Captiva Osprey nest as I write this. Thanks, ‘H’!

I suspect that the bobbleheads at the West End are bonking away. Thunder will put an end to it by sitting on them. I am having some big worries Some about the third hatch there. We will wait and see. The nest is certainly different in configuration than when they raised the Three Amigos. This nest cup is small – a real estate agent would call it ‘cosy’.

Tears for Maya and Blue 33. After the Bald Eagle season in the US, there needed to be some gold glimmering down. Blue 33 lands and looks around for his lady.

Maya touches down with a fish at 1536, less than a minute later. She opts not to share.

Oh, he is handsome with those devilish eyes! What a grand provider. These two make a great super osprey team. In 2023, Blue 33 arrived home on the 16th of March and had a bit of friendliness with Blue25 before Maya sent her packing. He is three days earlier in 2024.

Blue NCO works on the nest and scans the skies for the arrival of her mate, Laddie LM12 at Loch of the Lowes.

A pair of gulls decided to rest on the Llyn Brenig Osprey platform in Wales during the rain on Wednesday. In 2023, LJ2 arrived on 31 March with LM6 arriving on 4 April.

It was a beautiful day at Loch Arkaig. Not looking for Louis or Dorcha to arrive yet. In 2023, they set down on 2 April (Louis) and a week later on the 9th Dorcha flew in.

At Poole Harbour, Blue 022 arrived on 26 March with CJ7 returning on 31 March in 2023. Let’s see if this couple arrive early!

The area around Glaslyn is still partially flooded from all the rain they have been having. The cam operator gives almost a 360 view. You can hear the rain hitting the camera! Aran and Elen arrived at the nest on the 3rd of April in 2023.

At the Dyfi nest in Wales, Idris came home on 30 March with Blue 3J Telyn arriving three days earlier on the 27th. We know that Blue 5F Seren has left West Africa. She is always on her same post and has not been seen for about a week. Seren arrived home on 25 March in 2023 with Dylan arriving at Llyn Clywedog on the 27th of March.

There has been some commotion at the Dahlgren nest in the US. Some believed that the bird that had landed on Tuesday was Harriet. Some of us did not think that was the case based on a very close inspection of the head and breast feathers. Today there are three on the nest and what a bit of a fight it was! I guess we wait to see who the resident female will be.

Checking on Eagle Country, Blaze came in with a nice fish for Meadow and Swampy. Meadow did a lot of snatch and grab moving over to protect its head from Swampy. It was interesting to watch. These two have almost completed getting their juvenile feathers.

At SW Florida, E23 is ready to fly. Mum has been filling her baby up today. It felt like every time, he got high in the tree, a prey item was brought to the nest.

It is mostly cloudy in Fort Myers and hot at 28 degrees C. I cannot see any rai he got higher in forecast. That first flight—the fledge—could come this evening.

At the JB Sands Wetlands Eagle nest, JBS20 got a lesson in plucking today. What a magnificent eaglet – huge! Are you thinking a female, too? Look at those legs. My goodness.

I am not even going to speculate as to who ate what and when at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta. There is plenty of fish thanks to Dad. That nest cup is small. I am going to give it a few days to make sure I am seeing three beaks open and being filled.

Trudi Kron got this great montage for us of the triplets at the West End.

At Duke Farms, Jersey did stretch its neck to get some nice fish. Both Jersey and Leaper were fed. Both look fine to me, but when the parents were both off the nest, the oldest decided for no reason to tear into the younger sibling.

At Bluff City, both eaglets, Willow and Oliver, had a rabbit breakfast. There was at least one other feeding before 1300 and it looks like Oliver was the only one that ate.

Many are wondering if Jackie and Shadow will have a second clutch. Eagles are only fertile three times a year and for Jackie, the latest this would be is probably April. In order to lay that second clutch, she would have to stop incubating the three eggs in the nest currently.

A trusted observer believes the third egg at Achieva was laid late on the 7th or early on the 8th. If this is the case, the egg is 35 days old today. We should be looking for a pip starting Friday. The egg will be 40 days old on Tuesday and that would mean it is unviable like eggs 1 and 2.

‘M’ tells me that the Venice Golf and Country Club Osprey platform now has three eggs. Thank you and congratulations. I missed it! This is why I need everyone’s eyes!!!!!!

Here is the link to the VGCCO Cam:

Big Red and Arthur were at the Cornell RTH nest today. Arthur bringing in materials and Big Red also bringing in bark. Arthur also brought a prey gift and Big Red put down her nesting materials and took off for a late breakfast. Gosh that egg cup is deep this year!

Lots of mating and nest preparation going on with Angel and Tom, too.

A rare Black-beaked Spoonbill shows up in Hong Kong! There are believed to be fewer than 6000 in existence.

Birdwatch-rare-black-faced-spoonbill-turns-up-in-Hong-Kong-wetland-Birds-The-Guardian Download

Ever seen the sky dancing of the Buzzard when mating? Enjoy this quick read.

Country-diary-Breeding-buzzards-in-a-stylish-choreographed-dance-Environment-The-Guardian Download

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J, M’, Achieva Credit Union, Alan Poole, Window to Wildlife, Erica Crowley, Lori Covert, LRTWT, Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Llyn Brenig, The Woodland Trust (Loch Arkaig), Poole Harbour Osprey Project, Brywd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Eagle Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JB Sands Wetlands, IWS/Explore (West End), Trudi Kron, Duke Farms, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH Cam, and Lady Hawk.

Cal fledges…Maya is home…Wednesday in Bird World

13 March 2024

Good Morning,

‘The Girls’ hope that your week has really started off nicely. They are enjoying all the warm weather because it means there is more squirrel and bird activity in the garden. They have a panoramic view and seem to stay out there most daylight hours.

Hugo Yugo was supposed to have her surgery on Friday at noon. It’s been on the calendar for months, but it was a ‘maybe if the vet surgeon has room’ date. So, I am waiting to hear tomorrow to see if there is space on Saturday. We wait. It is a universal problem: too few vets. Clinics are booked months in advance. Those who do reduced-cost work for the rescues take the rescue kittens when they have an open slot only.

Of course, Hugo Yugo needs her eye wipes. We use them several times a day and she still gets those little crusties. She is the loudest. Her meow could be heard in Toronto if they had their windows open! The smallest with the voice that lets you know she wants ‘something’ (normally kitten milk) and the biggest one that never makes a peep. What a group – love them to bits.

Calico does try to get away from Calico Kitty Kitty. Doesn’t she look exasperated and tired?

More Canada Geese are arriving! We can hear them honking over the conservatory as they fly into the city heading for the open water in parts of the river. People have spotted crocus coming up and they are saying that spring is really here. Having seen far too many blizzards around the beginning of May, I remain a little sceptical.

Somehow there always seems to be several small bags of bird seed in my pockets or in the car. These two have flown a long way to find the Duck Pond frozen solid at the zoo. I felt very sorry for them.

I am terribly grateful for the eaglets that we have this year. There have been many failed nests, many new dads, and many missing from major nests. Like so many others, I am grateful for Jackie and Shadow and their comic love in Big Bear. For Gabby and Beau who have had two years without eaglets but continue working on the nest. I hope Scout continues to work out for Bella….and that all the bobbleheads in the nests now fledge and thrive.

Top news of the morning. Cal, the only surviving eaglet of Clive and Connie at Captiva, fledged this morning, Wednesday the 13th of March at 0912. Thanks, ‘H’ for that great incoming news. Congratulations! Please return to the nest!

There is great news coming out of the UK. Blue NCO arrived and went fishing and caught a super Brown Trout on Monday. Another ‘queen of the nests’ arrived today in very good physical shape.

Maya, the favoured osprey to arrive first, arrived second. She appeared on the nest she shares with Blue 33 at Rutland Water’s Manton Bay on Tuesday.

Unringed Maya and Blue 33 are considered to be a super osprey couple. They have successfully raised two clutches of four to fledge and no less than 20 chicks. She had 11 chicks with her previous partner, and at least 5 of them are known to have returned from their migration. Great DNA and luck.

Here is her bio from Rutland Water. Please note that recent hatches and fledges and returns do not seem to appear.

About-the-Rutland-Ospreys-Leicestershire-and-Rutland-Wildlife-Trust Download

On Monday, the two eaglets at Bluff City, tiny little bundles, were alone. it caused worry amongst watchers. They also did not get dinner until late. Was it intruders? Certainly, the eagles are alerting.

Oliver and Willow continued to enjoy the rabbit that Franklin brought to the nest. Oliver did bonk Willow some, but the little one did manage to get a good feed.

At Johnson City, Jolene has had good control and both of the eaglets have eaten well without a lot of anxiety. ‘J’ wonders when they got so big!

Thunder and Akecheta have high-spirited and healthy eaglets. This year Thunder is 15 years old. She hatched at the Two Harbours nest in 2009. Akecheta is 8 years old and comes from Los Pinos Nest.

I don’t know who said it first but name suggestions for the trio at the West End include: Rock’em, Sock’em, and Good Luck. I laughed til I cried.

The first two hatches are the strong-spirited chicks these two raise. They would rather bonk one another than eat. Do you remember the wonderful job Akecheta did when they had three before? Those triplets grew and thrived under his watchful care, along with Mum, Thunder. They were the 2022 hatches Sky, Ahote, and the group’s female, Kana’kini. I love how Thunder sits on them and stops feeding when they continue to act up. She will have then quiet and lined up to eat before you know it.

Gracie Shepherd caught it – all three at the West End lined up eating nice.

Lady Hawk has a montage of all the bonking battles.

Jak and Audacity continue to hope for a hatch from their single egg at Sauces.

As does Chase and Cholyn, Thunder’s parents, at Two Harbours.

At the Captiva Eagle nest, Cal really wants to spread those wings and fly. Remember that most fledges take place in the early morning or evening. Not on rainy days normally and not when the chick is overly full with a huge crop. There are always exceptions, however.

E23 is a kindred spirit of Cal. He spends more time on the branches, looking out to the wide world, and wants to fly soon. Mamma F23 might want to keep filling her first baby up to the brim to try and get him so heavy he can’t take off! Hopefully, E23 will spend much time at the nest after fledging like M15’s other fledglings with Harriet, so we can enjoy watching him grow into the eagle he will be. (No one has said he is a he…I am going by the length of the mouth in relation to the eye).

Dreaming of flying.

I have not consistently watched the Duke Farms nest. The eaglets are Leaper, the oldest, and Jersey. It looked like they were both fed today. Fingers crossed this continues. Each is using its little wing tips to balance and you will see the two spread the wings as if they want to flap them.

R6 had a nice fish meal around 1100. He is certainly spending a lot of time sitting on the rim of the nest. Branching will come soon enough.

Oh, just look at Swampy and Meadow. They are the richest 90% pure chocolate brown. Beautiful babies…well, not babies anymore. Note that deep chrome yellow colour to their feet. These two are very healthy eaglets! Very healthy.

Latvian White Tail Eagles. Mr H is bringing Milda fish gifts. I get the feeling that eggs will be here soon.

The ladies are fighting over Newman at Spirit Bluff. Lisa and intruder fought in nest box. It was not a pretty sight. Imagine those sweet eyases who do not bonk and then see the fight to the death (sometimes) for a mate and territory.

On Wednesday morning, Big Red and Arthur were actively checking out the nest bowl and the construction going on across Tower Road. We could have eggs anytime!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, photographs and screen captures along with the streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, SP’, Geemeff, LRWT, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, IWS/Explore, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Gracie Shepherd, Lady Hawk, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, WRDC, Eagle Country, Biruta Lapa, Helen Matcham, MLizGrindstaff, and Cornell RTH Cam.

Three for Thunder and Akecheta…Tuesday in Bird World

12 March 2024

Hello Everyone,

Oh, my goodness. Monday was one glorious day. Blue skies. +10 temperatures. Happy people everywhere. What more could you ask for? Well, feeding deer and Black-capped Chickadees by hand while, overhead, a skein of 17 Canada Geese were arriving.

Several decades ago, I would be waiting for this arrival in mid-April. Saw one goose in a puddle by a major highway and more deer. Today’s outing certainly boosted the spirits – or as some say here – ‘it sure got the sap running’.

I had to back up as this one kept coming right towards me…I did have a deer once eat part of a wool jacket. It was one of the deer in the park at Nara, Japan, that loved cookies. Many vendors in front of the Todaiji Temple sell the deer’s favourite snacks. They are entirely protected and can even go inside the shops!

Before we go further into Bird World, there is a pip on Monday afternoon in Thunder and Akecheta’s third egg. This little bobble will join two very feisty siblings who know the ropes in that small nest. Wow. Things could get very interesting.

At 0410, Thunder gets rid of the shell from the third hatch! The first two continue to ‘play fight’ while they are trying to be fed. Oh, bless this new one.

As far as I know, there is no pip or hatch at either Two Harbours, Big Bear, or Sauces. I am having, what most people call, a bit of hope-frustration. Not for me, but for these lovely eagle families.

A pile, literally a stack, of new bird books arrived today. One of them is Tim Mackrill’s The Osprey. I will keep you posted as I compare this book with the one he wrote for the RSPB and his PhD thesis at the University of Leicester. Tim is one of the world’s experts on Ospreys. His name is associated with so many reintroductions and it seems that despite having a life, he is always there to help when someone needs it if it involves our beloved fish hawks.

The book that I am most looking forward to reading is one on its way. It is My Summer with Ospreys. A Therapists Journey into Hope, Community, and Healing our Planet.

The one that I am reading is Simon Curtain’s, If you build it, he will come. I lived in the market town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. My two haunts were Belvoir Castle and closer to home, Belton House. The book is the story of the reintroduction of Osprey into the UK after their demise. It specifically tells the tale of 4K, the male Osprey that settled on one of two platforms built at Belvoir raising two chicks in 2022. It is a love story to that singular bird that was the focus of Sacha Dench’s Flight of the Osprey. 4K did not return to breed in 2023. He sadly died on his way home in February 2023 somewhere near Dobire, Guinea.

It is a page-turner when you get to the part where Curtin wonders, after so many years, if 4K will have a mate, lay eggs, and have chicks! His excitement was infectious and Calico and I were up way past our bedtime reading his diary.

Ospreys-make-triumphant-return-as-breeding-pairs-spread-across-UK-Birds-The-Guardian Download

Most everyone who reads my blog knows that I believe nature has the power of healing. I spent at least four days a week outside for numerous hours. I do not wear headphones as I smell the fresh air and walk through familiar paths in the forest. Even though I do this repeatedly, each day is different. There are times that I long to live the life I did when I was twenty, on a small treed average, miles from anyone. Chickens, sheep, Roosevelt the Pig, horses, cows, cats, rabbits, and Guinea Fowl. Sometimes urban spaces ‘get to me’. But living sustainably was a lot of hard work – rewarding but hard, from morning to night. So now the forested areas around the City are my refuge.

Which brings me back to this book. I will keep you posted when it arrives.

Things are really starting to pick up with the Ospreys with reports coming in from near and far.

We discovered that the osprey photographed in San Diego did not originate in Montana. There is a mystery about this bird: the band and the lack of a federal band. The band reads Blue 61. But there is another white line. I am contacting everyone I know who bands Ospreys and has records of them. The news from the federal banding programme takes time. If you know anyone that bands ospreys, ask them if they recognise this band. Notice the line that goes all the way around. It is unique:

That egg at Captiva. It made its way back to the centre of the nest. Jack has delivered a nice fish to Edie and takes a breath. Everything seems fine for now. Lesson learned. Too much bark and objects in a nest can be dangerous for eggs! I am sure glad these two do not like stuffed toys.

‘H’ reports that Jack injured his foot early this morning but he has delivered a fish and seems to be much improved.

At Dahlgren, Jack and Harriet have been reunited.

No matter what happens…we love them.

A lovely video of Jackie and Shadow with those diamonds raining down on Jackie – oh, the bond these two have. I so wished this year had been theirs.

At Berry College, Missey and Pa Berry’s second clutch of eggs was laid on February 17th and 20th. Today, the oldest egg is 24 days. We have 12 days til pip/hatch watch.

My goodness. Francis must be a fast feeder. I blink and she is finished. It looked like the little one did get some nice bites on Monday, regardless, at Bluff City.

There were issues with prey deliveries at both nests – Bluff City and Johnson City on Monday. Franklin brought a garter snake to the nest in Bluff and it was nearly 1700 when Boone brought in a fish.

Kids at Johnson City were a little antsy. They are little to be waiting so long for food to arrive. It was after 1700. They did get a fish dinner.

Check out E23. Goes from the nest to the branch to hovering high in the wind.

Cal is doing some serious hovering, too!

It is hard to see Dixie and Mason the Superbeaks nest. They blend right in with the Spanish Moss. Three weeks old today – Dixie is.

Ron and Rose’s R6 celebrates his 8 week birthday. Check out Heidi Mc’s video for the celebration at this title on YouTube: 3/10/24 Dade County Eagles: Happy 8-Week Birthday, R6 !!

R6 is standing strong on the rails. Wonder when he will get interested in the branches?

Both eaglets at Duke Farms are doing well. Each fed nicely on Monday and the pantry was full.

Swampy and Meadow got a delivery of a huge fish. Both eating well and getting those juvenile feathers with no problems at this time.

Meadow is self-feeding!

I sure miss Diamond and Xavier. Here is the latest news:

Here is that video:

Kielder is preparing for the upcoming season as their ospreys fly home from West Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.

Preparing-for-the-season-Kielder-Ospreys Download

Are we getting ready for eggs for Rasene and Akacis at their nest in the Kemeri National Park in Latvia? Lots of time spent in that nest on Monday!

The latest from Janet Shaw at Chichester Peregrine Falcons.

Tom and Angel continue to work on their beautiful nest. Pine boughs and pine cones are adding a special touch – and we know that the pine helps to keep insects away!

Black Storks are arriving back in Poland!

No sign of any hatch action at the Achieva Osprey cam. The precise date that the third egg was laid is not known. It is seen on the morning of the 8th of February. If that is the correct date of it being laid, then it is only 34 days old today. Give it a few more days to hatch.

Could Rutland be home to more than Ospreys – like bears and wolves? They are hoping for this type of transformation!

Extravagant-plans-for-Rutland-nature-reserve-BirdGuides Download

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

Thank you to the following for their comments, posts, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, IWS/Explore, The Guardian, Pamela Lowell, F Borja, Window to Wildlife, Dahlgren Osprey Platform, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Berry College Eagle Cam, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, WsperWings, Sylvia, Superbeaks, WRDC, Duke Farms, Eagle Country, Holly Parsons, Kielder Ospreys, LDF, Janet Shaw, Arlene Beech, Achieva Credit Union, and BirdGuides.

Jack tries to save the egg at Captiva…Monday in Bird World

11 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was just the most gorgeous day. Blue sky and a warm +5. Great to get outside as much of that ice is now gone.

It was a great day to go for a walk, weather-wise. When we got to our destination, there were approximately nine deer, several of them quite young, in front of us. Then, an individual with a Golden Doodle let their dog off the lead, instructing them to chase the deer. The dog began barking loudly and running at the wildlife, at which time I stood and spread my arms, and told it to go back. This was not before the deer were quite frightened and began to run across a road in the park that was rather busy today. Now, why on earth would someone do this?

The feeders were busy. There were a couple of Pine Siskins and a Dark-eyed Junco, along with the normal group of sparrows, the two Blue Jays, and a female Downy Woodpecker. The Crows could be heard but not seen. Little Red and more Little Reds were eating peanuts along with Dyson. It is always so good too see her.

Dyson looks good!

Sunday’s news is that Jack and Edie have their first Osprey egg together at Captiva. That egg and all that bark have caused a bit of an issue.

‘H’ reports: “Well, at 14.49.39 both Jack and Edie left urgently due to an intruder, and Edie accidentally kicked the egg out of the bowl when she flew off (that’s exactly what Flo did to egg #1 last season). Jack had been trying to roll the egg back to the center for a while, and finally had to move some bark, then rolled the egg toward the center by 17.08.38, but the egg was still on top of palm fiber. Jack sat on the egg to incubate at 17.10. Then a short while later Jack stood to move a bothersome stick, and since the egg was on the fiber, it rolled outward again.”

The egg rolled out again and ‘H’ reports that Edie is incubating palm fibre with the egg being covered by the material to her right. If they could get that egg under Edie by the time she gets to hard incubation of her other eggs, I wonder if it would be viable.

The saga of the egg continued during the night as Edie and Jack tried desperately to get it back to the middle of the nest. ‘H’ reports that the wind finally took the covering off. Now the egg is free! Wonder what will happen now.

We have a first egg at the Decorah Goose Cam!

Thunder and Akecheta welcomed their second hatch. This makes my heart beat a little lighter. Of all the Channel Islands eagles, these two have the best luck with eggs and raising chicks. They will need it this year. These two are already bonking furiously. Thunder appeared to get fed up with this and went back to brooding the pair.

Thunder makes sure they both get fed. Gosh, these two produce feisty chicks. It is a bonk fest.

Everyone continues to root for Jak and Audacity and Jackie and Shadow. The positive energy and love going their way is tremendous. If only it could produce eaglets.

Audacity.

Jackie.

‘A’ reports on Tom and Angel: “That nest of Angel and Tom’s looks very much ready to receive a brace of eggs (not three yet Angel – Tom is a bit inexperienced still to feed a family of five, I fear).”

The battle for the nest at Dulles-Greenway continues. Rosa’s mate, Martin, disappeared in December. They had raised three eaglets – Pi, Pat, and Flora in 2023 to fledge and the nest collapsed. It was rebuilt. Rosa’s new mate, Lewis, did not help and she quit incubating the two eggs she had laid on the 23rd of February, 9 days after she laid the first egg. Did she just leave? was she killed by another female wanting the nest? Currently, Lewis is on the nest with a new female according to the latest reports. I have now placed Rosa on the Memorial Page for 2024.

Lewis and new female in nest.

‘As-the-Nest-Turns-Viewers-riveted-by-latest-Greenway-eagles-saga-1local-loudountimes.com_Download

It looks like Swampy and Meadow have a possum to practice their self-feeding. Later, a parent helps them. They are now in training! These two just about gave me a heart attack today when they were both leaning way over the edge of the nest!

E23 wants to fly and is doing really high hover moves.

More fish stacked at the Duke Farms nest. This new dad is fantastic! There has been some concern about Jersey, the smaller eaglet. Leaper is the oldest. Comments on the chat seem to indicate that Jersey has had some good feedings on Sunday.

Very windy at the nest of Jolene and Boone in Johnson City, TN on Sunday. Eaglets are Little John and JC. I have had some concerns here, but that little one came back to eat after some pretty good bonks.

It is not clear how much food the second hatch is getting at Bluff City yet. Yesterday, Franklin made sure that BC 25 was fed. The chicks are Oliver, the oldest, and Willow, the youngest. Their parents are Franklin and Frances.

Isn’t this Osprey beautiful? Frank Borja took it while watching a Saturday track and field meet in San Diego. We are looking for more information. Osprey has a blue colour band on the left leg, with a numeric, either 61 or 19, depending on which way it is to be read. Do you know this osprey number? We are searching and have sent a query to USFWS and reported the band sighting. The osprey looks to be in very good condition with a nice fish dinner.

‘J’ sent news that Ojai is banning glue traps! This is great news if the stops and on line retailers will stop selling them! Despite a ban in my city, I continued to find these for sale in big retail chains.

Sharon Dunne reporting on the TF chick and its visit with Mum.

Love TF chick? His parents? All the other albatross and seabirds? PLEASE stop using plastic. It is bad for humans (you can find endless articles about forever toxins used in plastic), and it is deadly for Royal Albatross chicks whose parents forage in the sea and fill their babies with plastic! What a garbage dump we have created on our planet. It is time to do something about this. Refrain from purchasing plastic items. Do not use plastic in your microwave. Tell your shops to stop buying cheap imported plastic items that are thrown away. Start investing in buying less but better. The world will thank you.

Toroaalbatross-chick-dies-from-swallowing-plastic-Media-release-11-March-2024 Download

A National Geographic article on the forever chemicals hiding in your kitchen.

‘Forever-chemicals-are-hiding-in-your-kitchen.-Heres-where—and-what-you-can-do Download

What Kills An Albatross?

“What kills albatross” by Tatters ✾ is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Milda and Mr H are working fast and hard to get that nest ready for eggs! I am thinking around the 25th.

I honestly cannot get enough of the Port Lincoln Lads hanging out together. This is pretty awesome.

Arthur was working on the Cornell nest for a few minutes before the snow started Sunday evening.

Off he goes over Tower Road.

We love seeing our falcons out and about the urban areas staying safe.

Olivia and Oscar are now both back at Severna Park’s Osprey Platform.

Dr Sharpe has cancelled his retirement. Please note his comment about the build-up of DDT in the older eagles in the Channel Islands – and this would apply to other areas such as Big Bear Lake where DDT was sprayed extensively.

As many as half a million barrels of DDT were discovered leaking in the Channel Islands in 2020. Leaking. Hidden at a depth of 3000 feet so that no one could discover them – the ocean and inlets are garbage dumps used by humans. Out of sight but not out of mind and certainly harming the wildlife.

Imagine. 500,000 barrels. Leaking.

How-the-waters-off-Catalina-became-a-DDT-dumping-ground-Los-Angeles-Times Download

We love Jackie and Shadow. Everyone sat and hoped that with three eggs one of them would be viable. As we close in on the final days that egg #3 might be, let us all applaud this couple who have laid 14 eggs together with 5 of those eggs hatching. It is known that 2 or 3 of that 5 have survived into adulthood. One of those most of you will remember as Spirit from two years ago. I hope that Jackie and Shadow will have another opportunity to raise an eaglet, but if they don’t, they can sure teach us much about getting on with life in the face of adversity. Send them your love!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, FB, H, J’, Window to Wildlife, Decorah Goose Cam, IWS/Explore.org, FOBBV, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Loudoun Times-Mirror, Eagle Country, Lady Hawk, Duke Farms, Sylvia, Johnson City-ETSU, Bluff City-ETSU, Rollin’ Rog, Frank Borja, Ojai Raptor Center, Sharon Dunne, NZ DOC, National Geographic, Open Verse, Biruta Lapa, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Linda McIlroy, Lucille Powell, Dr Sharpe, and The Los Angeles Times.

Blue NCO returns, Hatch at West End…Saturday in Bird World

9 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Goodness me. Things are starting to heat up. By next week, our heads will be spinning. The voting for which streaming cam osprey in the UK would arrive first is now over. The leader was Maya. She was beaten out by the arrival of Blue NCO at Loch of the Lowes. Blue NCO is the mate of Laddie LM12, and I, amongst others, feared that her early departure on July 15th last year meant she was no longer with us. There had been a lot of intruders around the loch. Well, here she is! Not dead but looking really good, back home and ready to begin another season. (Note: Last year she arrived on the 17th of March.)

Laddie cared for the remaining fledgling while having untold issues with intruders last year after NCO’s departure. He seemed exhausted at the end of the season. I hope he makes it back safely.

The video of this happy arrival captured by Geemeff. She looks around to see if Laddie has arrived.

Blue 5F, or Seren, is not on her usual perch in West Africa. She has not been seen for a few days. It is assumed that she is on her way home to Llyn Clywedog to be reunited with Dylan when he arrives.

Mid-afternoon Friday. A hatch is in progress at the West End nest of Akecheta and Thunder! Oh, my gosh. Do you think they will have three eaglets again this year? Something to look forward to after what looks like sadness at BB.

Thunder and Akecheta are hilarious.

They were feeding a chick Saturday morning. Congratulations.

More than 32,000 people were watching Jackie right after 0900 on Friday, hoping, like the rest of us, that one of those last two eggs is viable.

Jak and Audacity’s egg has held. It is 36 days today. Can we start dreaming of a pip?

Just look at how deep that egg cup is at Sauces. I wonder if this is why the egg has stayed intact this year.

New bark at the Achieva Credit Union Osprey platform. No sign of a chick, but Diane isn’t showing us much either!

No sign of a pip later on Friday at Achieva.

As Bella incubates, Scout has proven himself to be a fantastic new mate. He not only incubates and provides food, but he also had to protect Bella from a GHO attack.

Lewis is actively courting the new female at the Dulles-Greenway nest.

Dr Andrew Digby is an expert on Kakapo. He has done several podcasts and this one is really interesting. Have a listen!

https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-t8xag-15a03c1

If you missed it, both of the Royal Cam chicks are males.

If you miss see Brad and Gil on the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, rest assured that they are both fine. They are hanging out with Mum and Dad and enjoying learning to fish!

Look are out swimming together – Ervie and Giliath. Just think. All boys. Ervie, Brad, and Gil. They could all hang around Port Lincoln. Wouldn’t that be awesome. Best be finding places for platforms!

I mentioned several days ago that the GHOs had taken over the Wolf Bay Osprey Platform in Alabama. Today, they have two eggs in the nest.

Rosie Shields posted the story from Bird Life South Africa of a phenomenal migration by an Osprey.

I am wondering how extensive and detailed these daily cam updates will be.

Daily-Cam-Updates-Now-Available-On-Mastodon-Cornell-Lab-Bird-Cams-Cornell-Lab-Bird-Cams Download

The US Ospreys are arriving faster than I can enter all of the data into my research forms. Lucy arrived at Lake Murray on the 25th of February, Frederick arrived at Carova Beach on 1 March with his mate Betsie arriving on Friday the 8th. Jack appears to gotten to his Dahlgren Nest on Friday the 8th while the couple at Danville arrived on the 7th.

Jack at Dahlgren. Just wonder what toys he will bring to Harriet this year. I really hope none. Those poor eggs that have gotten lost in that nest and the potential for chicks to get entangled in those ‘stuffies’ drives me daffy.

I expect more flurries of arrivals in the US, UK, and Europe this coming week. If you are watching an Osprey nest and see birds arriving, please write to me and let me know so I can put in the correct data in the ongoing International Osprey Data Bank Project. Feel free to add this as a comment (I am behind in answering and apologise) or send me an e-mail at maryannsteggles@icloud.com. I appreciate all of the information sent to me. Anyone who watches a specific nest – one of your favourites – consistently, please alert me to hatches, fledges, and any possible siblicide. Again, I am very thankful for all of your ‘Osprey eyes’. ‘H’ and I could not complete this ongoing and extensive research project on siblicide and, now, more generally, causes of death on Osprey nests without your help. Thank you.

Have you ever heard a million cranes gathered during migration?

Turning back to the eagles for a minute. Swampy has that Buddha-like stance today. Few dandelions left on the top of his/her head. Gosh, these eaglets of Abby and Blaze are big.

Quite the expressions.

The Dukies seem to be doing fine. Nice big chunks of fish on that nest at Duke Farms.

Things seem to be alright at Johnson City with Jolene and Boone and their two eaglets.

There are two at Bluff City, and they are cute and tiny. Congratulations, Franklin and Frances, on your second successful hatch for 2024.

At Captiva, Cal wasn’t going to let Clive (I think it’s Clive) steal his fish. Oh, no! Any pretence of aerating the nest to get closer to that fish caused Cal to grab it and take it to the rails for a meal. — It is hard to train a single eaglet to protect their food. As we all know, it is very different when two eaglets are on the nest the age of Cal and a fish arrives. They fight for it like they will have to do in the wild. So we have all these single eaglets this year needing parents to get ‘tough’.

Look how Dad creeps up on Cal…

‘H’ reports that Ron and Rose are working on R6’s self feeding. “R6 had a very good experience self-feeding on 3/8. He had nothing to eat all day except a few bites of a leftover squirrel, then at 1805 Ron delivered a headless bluegill. R6 grabbed the fish and mantled, so Ron left him to it. R6 was doing a much better job of pulling and tearing off pieces of fish. Then, as a test, Ron returned at 1817 and tried to steal R6’s fish. Ron briefly had the fish but R6 put up a good fight. He bit his Dad on the talon, took the fish back and dragged it over to the other side of the nest where he continued to eat. He couldn’t finish it all, so he still had some fish saved for breakfast. R6 woke up in the middle of the night (0230ish) and began to eat from the fish piece again!”

JBS20 has been pecking at the nest as if looking for leftover fish. Mum was on the nest with her eaglet and Dad was seen there, too. I am unclear who did the feeding at 1700.

Gabby and Beau are protecting their nest. They were caught mating on another tree today. How nice it is to see them together after their clutch failed this year. We have something to look forward to for next year.

Tula, the White-tailed Polish Eagle, has laid her first egg for the 2024 season.

White Tailed Eagle Nest Cam

Roof Sealant. Another potential bird killer.

Gorgeous sunset over the Sandpoint Osprey platform.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Tomorrow, Saturday the 9th, promises to be another day for Osprey arrivals! We will also have some new eaglets in the US. We might even have an osplet at Achieva. Time will tell. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post: ‘EJ, Geemeff, H, J’, Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Mary Kerr, Geemeff, John Williams, IWS/Explore.org, Tonya in N.O., FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Deb Stecyk, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Sharon Dunne, Bazz Hockaday, PLO, Wolf Bay, Rosie Shields, All About Birds, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Explore, Eagle Country, Duke Farms, Rollin’ Rog, Johnson City-ETSU, Bluff City-ETSU, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, JB Sands Wetlands, NEFL-AEF, Wildcat Creek Wildlife Centre, SPO, and Sandpoint Ospreys.

Hatch at Bluff City…Thursday in Bird World

7 March 2024

Good Morning,

It is 1747 on the Canadian Prairies and we have been in the midst of a blizzard for five hours now. We got all of the donations to the kitten charity and rushed home. Thank you so much for your wishes on bountiful donations. People are generous and it is a good time since many are doing some spring cleaning. I feel so sorry for those people who cannot keep their pets because they cannot afford to feed them.

The wind was really gusting. The snow had piled in where ‘The Boyfriend’ and other feral find their food. There were no birds in the garden and the squirrels had completely disappeared to their dreys or tree homes.

The girls were all asleep. As for me, I was glad to get off the City streets as they got slicker and the wind picked up to the point that in places you could not see. As Dorothy says, ‘There is no place like home!’ When I did look at the kitties, I was drawn to Calico who, this time last year, would have endured several big storms. I am so glad this gentle soul (she is except for the ongoing snit with Missey) is inside this year, safe and warm.

There is no news coming out of Big Bear Valley about a pip that I have seen. Indeed, despite the good response to the auction, I have been rather muted and sad today. It is unrealistic, but I wish an ‘Eagle Egg Fairy’ existed. Or someone who had an orphan eagle that needed two great parents. If they could drop that little one into the Big Bear nest, Jackie and Shadow would be elated. That eaglet, like Calico, would have won the ‘so-called lottery’ – a home with loving parents and food. On the other hand, I would love it if that third egg would hatch for Jackie and Shadow. I feel like I am losing hope. The impact of DDT has been horrific on wildlife decades later.

The camera isn’t even going in close. Feeling gutted for them. Egg 1 is 42 days old and I presume it to be non-viable. Egg 2 is 39 days old. Has it begun pipping? No visible pips seen. Egg 3 is 36 days old. Please send positive wishes for that egg to be viable for these two so hopeful eagles.

Jak and Audacity’s single egg clutch looks good. But will that egg be fertile? Oh, please.

Still waiting at Achieva, also.

No eggs, but Milda and her new mate are working on their nest in Latvia. I am expecting eggs right before the end of March.

Red Wing captures all the drama at the Spirit Bluff Peregrine Falcon scrape – who will Newman choose?

It is always a relief when a mate returns from migration. It is always a heart ache when they do not.

Rosie has been home for a few days and Richmond is bringing in the fish gifts.

Annie and Archie are fine. Starling is on the menu.

We are on a countdown for the UK returnees as well as those in Europe – all of the migrating birds, including the storks and ospreys.

Observers of the JB Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest report that Mum’s leg appears to be slowly healing. She is not missing. She was on top of the tower and flew down and took a fish from Dad and even fed the eaglet. Dad fed the eaglet as well. It was quite the scene with the live fish. thank you ‘MP’ for this encouraging report! That eaglet is big and is really feeling its wings, too!

Rainy at Duke Farms. Mum fed the eaglets, but less close in feedings than you might have seen at some of the other eagle nests with little ones. It seems to have gotten wetter throughout the day.

The Duckies seem fine.

My dear friend, the late Phyllis Robbins, who loved the Sea Eagles in Sydney also loved Eagle Country. I have to say that at the beginning of this season I really worried for Meadow. Well, just look at Swampy and Meadow today. Abby and Blaze are incredible parents. Despite their age and size, those two eaglets are being constantly fed. They are so well provided for that this eagle nest has quickly become one of my favourites, too.

As the rain came, Swampy and Meadow got a little wet. No problem. They have their thick thermal down and their juvenile feathers are coming in. The little ones like those at Duke Farms must stay dry.

The little ones of Jolene and Boone at Johnson City-ETSU did get wet on Wednesday. I really hope that they do not get a chill. They have to eat and it is difficult for the adults to feed them without them getting some rain.

Close by at the other ETSU Bald Eagle nest at Bluff City, Franklin and Frances have a pip, and it is raining.

And they have a hatch! It is BC24.

At Ron and Rose’s WRDC nest, R6 attempted to eat some fish that Rose had left on the nest. He did manage to get some of it. Unlike Cal, R6 seems to be behind in his self-feeding.

At the ND-LEEF nest in South Bend, Indiana, Dad’s new mate has been named Gigi.

While all the attention was the on the death of Flaco, another owl, this time an Eastern Screech Owl, died. The little one had been an ambassador for 15 years at the Raptor Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota. Unlike Flaco, who could fly and hunt, Warner suffered from lack of vision caused by an early head trauma. She spent 15 years educating people about owls.

This is news from the 5th of March. Sorry for the delay in birthday greetings to two very special Kakapo.

Nothing needs to be said anymore about the trauma and death caused by fishing line. We need to clean up our act if we fish.

I never saw one when I was growing up in Oklahoma, but these lucky birders were so fortunate to see this leucitic Red-tail Hawk there! She is even whiter than Angel.

A-white-Red-tailed-Hawk-from-Oklahoma-–-Red-tailed-Hawk-Project Download

Over 400,000 songbirds were trapped in Cyprus so people could eat a delicacy. This really makes me ill. Can it be stopped? And in what other countries is this happening?

More-than-400000-songbirds-killed-by-organised-crime-in-Cyprus-Birds-The-Guardian Download

There are many birds that actually winter in the UK. They are now preparing to migrate back to their spring and summer breeding grounds in the far north. Let us all hope that they are not trapped somewhere, but make it home safely.

Country-diary-The-sound-of-water-up-in-the-trees-Birds-The-Guardian Download

Your feel good moment. An osprey in care for 10 days for a soft tissue injury is freed! Remember – some people said ospreys do not do well in care. Others said not to supplement their feeding and look what happened positively at Port Lincoln! So smile…they do well in care most of the time like any animal.

Thank you so much for being with me today as we sit on our hands waiting for several pips or hatches. It’s not easy, especially when they are Jackie, Shadow, Jak, and Audacity.

Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, screen captures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP’, FOBBV, IWS/Explore.org, Achieva Credit Union, Heidi McGrue, Latvian Fund for Nature, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, SK Hideaways, Lucille Powell, JB Sands Wetlands, Duke Farms, Eagle Country, Johnson City-ETSU, Bluff City-ETSU, WRDC, ND-LEEF, The Raptor Centre, Kakapo Recovery, Lin Lawson, The Red-tailed Hawk Project, The Guardian, and Wild Florida Rescue.

Shadow rolling the eggs …Monday in Bird World

4 March 2022

Hi there,

First, no hints this morning from Jackie. We wait. There is a second egg at Fort St Vrain in Colorado and the NCTC nest of Scout and Bella.

The storm hit north of Winnipeg where a former student of mine described the winds so high that the ‘birds were being thrown out of the trees’. There was some rain that turned to ice. The snow arrived later than predicted. It is now nearing midnight and the beautiful clean white adorning the branches of the spruce trees makes it look like we are preparing for Christmas, not spring. Oh, it was so dirty and grey. Tomorrow will be so gorgeous!

Today I saw Dyson. She was eating at the small feeder. It was so good to see her. One of the kits from last summer and Little Red were here along with dozens of sparrows all eating as fast as they could. The animals are, more often than not, a good predictor of the weather – better than the human or computer forecasters. I did not see the Blue Jay/s or the Starlings or any of the other birds, but rest assured they slipped in for food while I wasn’t looking. Every feeder was empty as the sun began to set with the snow gently falling all over the garden.

‘The Girls’ didn’t care. They explored all of the pet items put out before a decision was made on what would be donated to raise funds to help feed the rescue Mamma cats and their soon to be kittens.

It turns out that the tent beds that Lewis and Missey used can be useful if you want to play hide and seek Hugo Yuko and Baby Hope style.

These two convinced me to keep the little tent bed! They played for over an hour. It was so much fun to watch them trying to figure out which way to go to out wit the other.

Will there be room for both of them?

Sometimes it is so nice when they are asleep.

I have finally figured out why I am so tired. It is Hugo Yugo. She has to sleep under my chin at night or on my head. She must have woken me 6 or 7 times during the night trying to get herself ‘fixed’. I am not complaining — just in need of a good sound sleep tonight.

Hope prefers to sleep on the wicker if she is by herself.

Osprey fever is hitting new heights with the spotting of birds flying over the Straits of Gibraltar and now a confirmed sighting at Leighton Moss!

Lancashire. Leighton Moss Nature Reserve…look north of Liverpool. Oh, aren’t you getting goose bumps?

A sighting in Scotland!

Jak and Audacity’s egg is still holding. Here is the lovely couple from the Sauces Canyon nest Sunday morning.

More sightings of ringed birds in Senegal. If you listened to Tim Mackrill’s presentation about his new book, The Osprey, you will have learned that the tagged UK ospreys taught researchers so much. After their first trip to West African or the Iberian Peninsula for the winter, they ‘learn’ from their trips. They will land at almost the exact, if not the exact, tree or post. We know that Seren has a favourite spot and now, Dismount Blue 215 has also been spotted in their location in the Saloum Delta. Very predictable. They learn where to forage and as they age they will fly longer but slightly safer routes away form the coast depending on the weather.

Another-sighting-of-215Dinmont Download

We have falcon eggs! There are two of them at the Peregrine Falcon scrape in Leimpde the Netherlands.

In California, Annie and Archie are working on that scrape!

Jackie just takes it all in stride. The weather does seem to be getting a bit better Sunday morning in Big Bear Valley.

The switch.

Are we looking at every spot? Seriously, it looks like a pip to me. I am happy to have egg on my face. Maybe there are even two pips.

Mum incubating one egg at Pittsburgh-Hayes this year with her new mate. He brings her a really nice meal! Let’s hope he is good at incubating, brooding, and providing for his new family when that egg hatches.

No one is precisely sure what is going on at Dulles-Greenway. Lewis appears to have returned to the nest, but no one is sure if Rosa is with him or another female. Too much drama this year. Turn down the volume Bald Eagles!

Both of the eaglets at Duke Farms are getting fed. Mum is incredible. The little one did not get as much as the oldest, but that is normal. They both seem strong and the second hatch seems much more feisty than the first who had that horrific ordeal with the shell while hatching.

Every time I look, from before dawn to dark, Jolene is feeding the two eaglets at the Johnson City ETSU nest. They are darlings.

Abby and Boone seem to be doing what all the others are – constantly feeding! Swampy and Meadow are so big compared to the little eaglets at ETSU or Duke Farms. Just think – in a couple of weeks those little bobbleheads will look like the eaglets at Eagle Country. Then in another few weeks they will be using the nest as a trampoline just like Cal at Captiva.

This video by Lady Hawk is now three days old. Cal is really, really getting the wind under those wings and fledge is at hand. Where did the time go?

For Pepe and Muhlady, their eaglets have clown feet, long legs and are getting all of their thermal down with some pin feathers, too.

E23 is not far behind Cal! S/he loves looking out over the territory from that branch and still likes to be fed. Such a good year for this new family on the Pritchett Property.

The eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands has a cute little mohawk now. sometimes when I check on the nest I cannot see it – and then panic sets in and there, right in front of me, is the eaglet. Has this happened to you?

RSPB Scotland needs our help. Please tell them no to putting telecommunications towers on these beautiful natural sites where the Golden Eagles live along with other wildlife. It would be so nice to leave some part of the world pure and free of a human footprint.

And, please, while we are at it encourage people out in nature to take off the headphones and ‘listen’ to nature not to a podcast or music. Please.

For those who enjoy the Alabama ospreys at Orange Beach, a Great Horned Owl appears to have taken over the nest.

Murphy made the cover of National Geographic Kid’s Magazine!

Bird Flu is wreaking havoc. It is an international problem that continues to devastate waterfowl and other birds. Alderney has lost 30% of its Gannets. We might expect similar numbers from other places…so the idea that the waterfowl population in certain areas is growing needs to be examined in light of HPAI.

Bird-flu-kills-30-of-Alderneys-Northern-Gannets-BirdGuides Download

A recent article in The Smithsonian Magazine wants you to leave that pedicured lawn back in the 20th century where it belongs and embrace ‘the natural’. It is a win-win for everyone. Forget about your neighbours, do what is right for the planet! Be an inspirational leader to those who doubt you. Talk about the benefits. Think of all those toxins not going into the soil to kill the insects that the birds eat that make them sick and kill their nestlings as well as them. Not only do you save the soil from all those toxins, you create a biodiverse garden that will being much joy to you.

Meet-the-Ecologist-Who-Wants-You-to-Unleash-the-Wild-on-Your-Backyard-Science-Smithsonian-Magazi Download

I want to close with an article on Flaco and Flaco’s siblings that were also in captivity. It is very sad but also quite enlightening and is a must read. Written by Nancy Geary and it takes about ten very worthwhile minutes to open your eyes to the plight of these beautiful owls.

If you like the image of Flaco, the artist has said that she will make prints for sale on her Etsy shop. I will keep you informed in case you are interested when they appear.

On-Flaco-The-light-that-burns-twice-as-bright-burns-half-as-long…Download

Thanks so much for being with me as we wait for any word on what still appears to be a small crack/hole in one of Jackie’s eggs. Is it a pip? Or am I just driving myself crazy? Take care all!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Jeff Kear, Google Maps, RSPB Alan Petrie, IWS/Explore.org, Kielder Ospreys, Liempde Falcons, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, PIX Cams, Duke Farms, John City – ETSU, Eagle Country, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JB Sands Wetlands, RSPB Scotland, Orange Beach Osprey Cam, World Bird Sanctuary, BirdGuides, The Smithsonian Magazine, and Suburban Birds.

E23 branches…Saturday in Bird World

2 March 2022

Hello Everyone,

It was +5 degrees on Friday. The day was so beautiful at the nature centre. The ice was melting on the smaller ponds. It was a good day for a very long walk. The thought of more snow and being inside instead of out in the fresh air was inspirational to getting that 5 km completed. It really is one foot in front of the other and before you know it you have accomplished something you didn’t think you could do! I still remember the first walk at the nature centre and thinking about how far 2 km was. It was daunting…and now, it feels like nothing. When my mother broke her hip, the doctor told her – because she didn’t want to walk because of the pain – that if she “didn’t use it, she would lose it”. It has motivated me beyond belief – that single thing that doctor said.

Our weather alert reads: “A strong winter storm is poised to affect southern Manitoba this weekend. This system will likely bring snow, rain, freezing rain and even a few rumbles of thunder. Snow will begin in southern Manitoba Saturday evening…snow may change to freezing rain before switching back to snow Sunday night. Strong winds gusting up to 60 km/h Saturday night and Sunday may produce reduced visibilities.” Remember. I did wish for winter. Be careful what you wish for!

That forecast has now changed to gusts up to 70 km/h for the Montana Low that is moving in with 2-5cm of snow.

There were five young deer near the hide. They did not notice me.

Hugo Yugo is just cute. An order has been placed for a kitten onesie from Amazon. Let’s hope it works! Thanks Auntie ‘J’.

Missey often looks for high places to take a nap, far away from Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope when they wake up and tear through the house.

Before I left for the nature centre, 27,235 people were watching Big Bear Eagles Jackie and Shadow incubate their eggs. Is there some Guinness World Record for the number of people watching a Bald Eagle streaming cam? Surely, this must be the winner. Its 1020 nest time.

The eggs before sunset at Big Bear. Good night, Jackie and Shadow.

It is a miserable morning in Big Bear.

The big news of the morning is that E23 has officially branched. S/he made it look easy! There was no question of those two feet being solidly on that branch and whether or not the eaglet flew to the branch. Lovely milestone for M15 and F23’s first eaglet together.

While we wait….it is day 29 for Jak and Audacity’s egg at Sauces. We are a week away from pip and hatch watch if this egg is viable.

One of the three eggs at Fraser Point has broken.

It is difficult to imagine that we once worried that Meadow was going to starve to death at the beak of Swampy. These two are huge – like so many of the other eaglets this year.

Meadow was trying to hork a possum tale. It is caught in this video. The sequence begins at 10:38 if you want to fast forward.

Another look at what fishing line can do to our beloved raptors. Just look at the feet and talons of this poor hawk. It makes me ache.

Geemeff spotted the little Duke Farms eaglet moving at 0859 Friday morning. That one is now looking good and the other is pipping fast.

Ondabebe got the little one on video.

Bella and Scout now have two eggs. Scout is very attentive when he watches Bella rolling those precious little white ‘things’.

Sylvia caught Scout figuring out incubation – he is a good observer!

Oh, my goodness, they’ve grown. They are so cute. Dixie is 11 days old and Mason is 9. They are all over the nest. Did I blink? What is it about time that it seems to go by so quickly? Pepe and Muhlady are going a fantastic job.

Meanwhile, at the WRDC nest, R6 would have loved to have been fed a nice fish meal by Rose or Ron. They seemed to leave fish on the nest to see if he would go for it. He tried. “Needs more practice”, says the adults.

The eaglet, JBS20, at John Bunker Sands Wetlands is huge. That nest doesn’t give this little one much room to move about. Thanks, ‘MP’ for this great capture!

First egg at Fort St. Vrain in Colorado!

Claire and Irwin have their first egg at the US Steel Plant nest. Friday night.

You might have followed the Lover’s Trio of Starr, Valour I and Valour II, whose nest was along the Mississippi Flyway near Fulton, Illinois. Dennis Becht found her, and Starr is currently on eggs. (I must catch up and find out who her current mate is – not either of the Valour’s that I am aware of).

Ospreys are beginning to return to their nests for the upcoming breeding season in the UK and Europe.

Thinking of Iris. In case you have been wondering how old she might be.

Frederick has arrived at the Outer Banks Osprey nest in North Carolina (Carova Beach) on Friday afternoon around 13:13. Welcome home. Betsy will be back soon!

The streaming cam at Loch of the Lowes has gone live. We await the return of Laddie LM12 and we will see if Blue NC0 does return. Did she leave for migration early in 2023? or did something more sinister happen?

Rutland Water, Manton Bay, has remained live. The lid and bricks are to thwart the Egyptian Geese from making a nest before Maya and Blue 33 arrive. We could be less than two weeks away from arrival.

In Latvia, female White-tailed Eagle, Rasene, and her mate Akacis, are preparing their nest in the Kemeri National Park. They will join four other couples this year raising eaglets. You can easily see why they are called ‘White tailed’ eagles.

Acacias is helping prepare the nest when he arrives at the end of January. He has been working for a month.

Another beautiful Latvian raptor streaming cam to follow:

As spring approaches each year, I see posts telling people to save their dryer lint or pet hair and put it outside for the little songbirds. Please do NOT do this, and please DO tell anyone you know why. Laundry soap and dryer sheets have toxins in them. Pet hair. The cat or dog might have been treated for fleas or ticks. This is also toxic to little birds.

We should all want a Bald Eagle as a neighbour. But why? I hope you have a read.

Raptor-Resource-Project-Bald-Eagle-and-Bird-of-Prey-Cams Download

If you missed the Condor Chat on the 29th, here is the archived zoom chat.

Tim Mackrill talks about his new book, The Osprey. (My copy is on the way from the UK and I will compare it to his earlier version for the RSPB in April).

Thank you for being with me today. We still have our eyes glued to the Big Bear nest of Jackie and Shadow as we move towards the more realistic dates for a first hatch based on the nest’s history. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to everyone that sent me news, ‘AE, Geemef, H, J, MP’, and those that posted on FB, wrote articles, made videos, or ran streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning. They include: FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, D MorningStar, Eagle Country, Joseph Trotter, WINORR, Ondabebe, Sylvia, Superbeaks, WRDC, JB Sands Wetlands, Lisa Levesque, PIX Cams, Dennis Becht, Jane Dell, Lin Lawson, Carova Beach Ospreys, Toni Hoover, LOTL, LRWT, LDF Forum, Sassa Bird, For Fox Sake Rescue, Raptor Resource Project, the Ventana Wildlife Society, and the Osprey Leadership Foundation.

Tuesday in Bird World

27 February 2024

Good Morning,

It is so nice to have you with us today. Thank you for all of your notes and comments. I am catching up on my replies – and apologies for taking a few days.

We woke to beautiful white snow blanketing the garden Monday morning and again on Tuesday. What a sight! It was -4 C, but today, Tuesday, it is -18 C. The gusts have blown the snow in covering the Boyfriend’s feeder and the Starlings are back in the lilacs. They seem to arrive on snow days. Interesting. There were 17 of them along with 60 or so House Sparrows and one of the Blue Jays.

The table feeders had to be cleared yesterday and will need it again today. I did say I wished for snow, right?

One of the Memorial Trees. This one is for Melvin named after the Jack Nicholson character in As Good As it Gets (1998). Melvin didn’t like patterns either! Every cat and family member has a tree.

This Weeping Caragana is gorgeous in the summer. Planted in memory of my adorable Red Abyssinian, Honey.

Mamma Calico and Baby Hope cuddling. They are quite inseparable. I love how Calico is still so gentle with her only ever kitten. Baby Hope will be eight months old on 2 March.

Missey is showing off her new ‘registration tag’.

Missey continues to serve as Mamma Missey for Hugo Yugo. They still love that quiet place in the store room with all the blankets.

Someone wrote asking – does Hugo Yugo really just fit in a shoe box? The answer is yes. She is that tiny! It is so hard to tell scale in images but Dr Green continues to say that she will probably remain the size of an 8 or 10 week old kitten the rest of her life. It is tragic how her mother nearly starved to death carrying seven babies. We feel blessed to have Hugo Yugo – she really is a ray of sunshine.

Calico watches ‘The Boyfriend’ from the conservatory. He is just leaving after having his lunch.

Have to get out and clean his feeding area!

I have included many articles and posts about Flaco. One of the best I have read is an Opinion piece in The New York Times by Carl Safina. A number of his books sit on my shelf and have been read by me, and ‘The Girls’, including his book about the rehabilitation and release of Alfie, the Owl, he mentions in this article. I hope you enjoy it.

Opinion-What-Flaco-the-Owl-Can-Teach-Us-About-Risk-The-New-York-Times Download

Cal officially branched – the whole meaning of branching – Monday at 0643. Remember – both feet on the branch. Should fly to branch rather than shuffling those talons. Cal did a good job. Congratulations!

R6 turned six weeks old! These are captures from Heidi Mc’s video diary. Did I mention that R6 is trying out for the role of Hulk in a new movie? (And I thought Calico was pleasantly plump – look at this eaglet!)

Lots of good feedings going on at Eagle Country. No one is left out! Swampy and Meadow looked like they were ready to burst a few times on Monday.

Abby loves to feed her babies!

JBS20 had a huge crop Monday at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands eagle nest.

The eggs at Duke Farms late Monday morning. We are on hatch watch. It is day 36.

That little eaglet at Johnson City is strong. My goodness. It was eating right after hatching and it can hold that neck up high and straight. Oh, goodness, I feel for that second hatch!

9667 people were checking on Jackie incubating the three eggs Monday morning. We are now TWO days away from pip/hatch watch on the 29th.

It has started raining at the nest Monday afternoon. Oh, please, don’t let those talons slip!

Milda and her new mate continue to provide nesting materials for their nest in Latvia.

Milda on the left and her new mate, H492, right.

When I think of Milda it draws me to the beautiful Black Storks in both Latvia and Estonia. What will it be like without Karl II this year? Will Kaia return? Will there be storklets in the nest in Karula National Forest? or has the drought decimated the population – along with that horrible bird flu? We must wait with hope tempering our saddened hearts.

If you missed it, Ervie is back on line. His tracker began to work again on the 23rd. Much relief if you didn’t know. Thank you, PLO!

Annie says ‘meet me on the ledge’. Archie obliges.

I love it – Eat, Pray, Love! Monty and Hartley style.

Newmann is a ‘hot’ commodity. Which female will he choose? It looks like there are at least three candidates, but are there more?

Around the world, Peregrine falcons are feeling ‘springlike’. The Norwich scrape streaming cam will go live shortly.

There are ‘definitely two’ ‘R’ says in the screen capture at the UFlorida-Gainesville osprey platform of Sheila and Talon. This is a new nest. The original one was on the light stand and those lights were replaced last year. ‘R’ has monitored the ospreys around the Campus and there were 9 couples, if I remember correctly, last year.

Dixie and Mason appear to be doing just fine under the watchful eyes of Pepe and Muhlady.

Gorgeous Mom at Centreport. She laid her second egg on the 25th of February.

Chase & Cholyn and their egg at Two Harbours. All the guys love to incubate…must be nice to have a soft spot to rest! It looks like it will be only one egg this year for this pair – this is day 4. Let’s hope for them it is viable. They have been together for what? 25? 26? years.

The first egg was laid at Standley Park in Colorado.

Bette shocked everyone when she laid her third egg at the Little Miami Conservancy on the 25th of February!

At Decorah, it seems that there is some competition amongst the Canada Geese for the abandoned eagle nest. Goodness.

Richmond is expecting Rosie to arrive any day and he is getting their home ready!

Many are saying that Flaco was thin and malnourished, suffering from being in the wild. It is always good to read official sources if you can to sift the truth out of a lot of disinformation. So if you missed it, the necroscopy on Falco indicated he was in good health when he collided with a building and subsequently died of trauma. “Flaco had been in good physical shape, the necropsy found, succeeding in catching prey even though he had no experience hunting because he came to the zoo as a fledgling 13 years ago. According to the necropsy report released on Saturday, the owl weighed 1.89kg (4.1lb), just 2% less than when he was last measured at the zoo.”

New-York-Citys-Flaco-the-owl-died-from-a-traumatic-impact-zoologists-say-New-York-The-Guardian Download

A new book by Isabell Tree will be released in North America on the 7th of May. Its title is Wilding. How to Bring Wildlife Back. An Illustrated Guide. The Guardian has a review. Tree is one of my heroes. She dared to take part of the estate of Knepp Farm and create an ideal location for wildlife to return. As a result, the first White Stork hatched in the UK in 600 years on the property in Sussex.

‘Does-rewilding-sort-climate-change-Yes-UK-expert-says-nature-can-save-planet-and-not-harm-farmi Download

One of my favourite rehab clinics is asking us to please, please fight against the use of rodenticides. Tell your neighbours, your friends, your family, and speak to those in power where you live. There are alternatives. Imagine…Cal, E23, Meadow, Swampy — all those dear bobbleheads dying because their blood will not coagulate from a designer poison.

We need to get rid of rodenticide and come up with some solution for fishing line and all that lead in fishing and hunting equipment. This is a good news story. We always need them.

Vagrant-White-billed-Diver-rescued-after-tangling-in-fishing-line-BirdGuides Download

There have been sightings of Bradley and Ervie as well as others in South Australia.

In other news, Lewis and Rosa have left the Dulles-Greenway nest. It is not clear what has happened to them. A new couple have taken over the nest. The Bald Eagle pair in Bartlesville, Oklahoma at the Sutton Centre have two eggs. Indeed, it is raining eagle eggs as my friend SP said and it is hard to keep track.

‘J’ has a list of hatch dates for us to watch for -. Some have already hatched!

Ventana Wildlife Society’s Condor Chat will be held on the 29th, Leap Year Day. Here are the details. Go to the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign up!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, photographs, charts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J, R’, The New York Times, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Eagle Country, JB Sands Wetlands, Duke Farms, Johnson City Eagles, FOBBV, LDF, PLO, SK Hideaways, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Norwich Cathedral, Florida-Gainesville and RM, Superbeaks, Centerport Eagles and Liz Schwartz, Jeni McDaniel, IWS/Explore.org, SF Bay Ospreys FB, The Guardian, A Place Called Hope, BirdGuides, Brooke Copp, and The Ventana Wildlife Society.

Hatch watch for Duke Farms…Monday in Bird World

26 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

The sky was blue on Sunday and the temperature was -5C. Not as warm as it was on Saturday, but still nice. It meant a trip north of the City to check on eagles and, wow. We lucked out. Sitting there quietly in a tree minding its own business was an adult Bald Eagle. The second image is heavily cropped. All taken with my iPhone from a distance.

People were ice fishing on Lake Winnipeg at Gimli. The marina where the Osprey fishes from spring to fall was silent today. Everything awaiting the thaw.

‘The Girls’ did not get into too much mischief on Sunday. Hugo Yugo held her own and kept command of the top of the smallest cat post. Baby Hope was on her favourite sofa. Calico was no where to be found and Missey was by her window on arrival home. It looked like it was a lazy Sunday afternoon for them. No one wanted to pose and neither of these two were particularly happy that I was bothering their nap.

The Bald Eagle nest in Johnson City, TN is blowing so hard. I was afraid the tree was going to go down…This was during pip watch and then…

The eaglet hatched! Congratulations Jolene and Booth on this feisty new born.

The egg at Duke Farms is 35 days old. We are officially on hatch watch. Did you know that Duke Farms “is located on 2,700 acres near Hillsborough, New Jersey” and “is one of the largest privately-owned parcels of undeveloped land in NJ state.” Isn’t that fantastic! (For clarification, 600 acres is a square mile to give you an idea of the size).

We are THREE days away from pip/hatch watch at Big Bear Valley with Shadow and Jackie. Eggs are still in tact as of Sunday afternoon. Their nest is in a Jeffrey Pine, some 145 feet from the ground. It is one of the highest Bald Eagle nests in the US in terms of elevation at 7100 ft above sea level.

Watchers of the Captiva Osprey nest are hoping that Jack and F07 will have their first egg on Sunday.

No egg yet on Sunday.

It is not all smooth sailing at the tower of Diamond and Xavier. Cilla Kinross notes some altercations with the Kestrels. The falcons have also been hunting at night! You might recall that Annie’s mate, Alden, was a great nocturnal hunter.

Will Newmann pick Julie? There is some action at the Great Spirit Bluff scrape on Sunday that might suggest romance is finally in the air.

Archie and Annie spent Sunday in and around the scrape at The Campanile.

Clive delivered a large fish to Cal on Sunday. Dad demonstrates ‘unzipping’ the Pompano for Cal and leaves the fish for his youngster to self-feed after he gets some good bites.

Sunday morning at Flaco’s roost tree in Central Park. I have to admit that I am captivated by the outpouring of love for this owl and how his plight of being in a small cage resonated around the world. People wept for his death and also for the joy they believed he felt in the year that he was free. Flaco spoke to something deep in our own souls. Can YOU imagine sitting in a cage watching life walk by? or fly by? Or flying yourself? Is this the heart of what is happening?

You can see and listen to Flaco’s ‘hoot’ here:

https://twitter.com/birdcentralpark/status/1761549232769581213…

I will only mention products that really work in my post and that I have either used or, in the case of books, read. I do not get a penny for mentioning Feather Friendly but it works. So do Crayon Window Paints. The key is to put these on the outside of your windows (decals and all other items, too) including the window paint. The lines for the window paint need to be 2 inches a part in every direction. You can clean the paint off at the end of migration season with White Vinegar that does not harm the environment. The Feather Friendly are expensive but they are supposed to last a number of years. The window markers are the cheapest of anything you could use.

I use the Feather Friendly on the Conservatory. We can watch it save lives.

A lovely article on birds and aging. It is two years old and still a good read. Found it on a FB feed this morning and wanted to share. Please note that Wisdom is now 72 years young! She was dancing on Midway Atoll but did not get a mate and is back foraging at sea.

Why-Birds-Are-Anti-Aging-Superstars-Audubon Download

Preparing the nest in Durbe County, Latvia – Milda, the White-tailed Eagle and her new mate. The first year I watched Milda she laid her eggs the third week of March.

It looks like an almost two-and-a-half-year-old eagle landed on the nest of Beau and Gabby late Sunday afternoon. What a beauty! The only hatches from this nest that might come close would be Jasper or Rocket. The larger amount of hot chocolate brown could account for the slight difference from the image below.

Beau wasn’t happy and chased the youngster off.

Two successful GHO fledges on the SW Florida property of the Pritchett’s that is shared with M15 and F23.

Meadow and Swampy were both well fed on Sunday…no problems here except for the flies.

Everything looks good at Superbeaks. That little one is right up there in front. Pepe and Muhlady have a catfish and is it a bird? in the pantry.

Thunder was attacked by a hawk while incubating her three eggs at the West End on Saturday. My heart sank.

The first Cahow has hatched in Bermuda.

“bermuda petrel, cahow, pétrel des bermudes” by Miguel A Mejias, M.Sc. is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

They are the Bermuda Petrel – known on the island as a Cahow. They are also the national bird of Bermuda and are one of the rarest seabirds on Earth according to the Cornell Bird Lab.

Meet-the-first-chick-of-202324-Cahow-nesting-season-—-The-Nonsuch-Expeditions Download

Here are some facts about the Cahow that you might want to know.

Amazing-Cahow-Facts-The-Endemic-Bermuda-Petrel-—-The-Nonsuch-Expeditions Download

Thank you so much for being with me today. We hope to see you soon – take care everyone!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A’, Duke Farms, Sara A, Gracie Shepherd, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, Holly Parsons, Cilla Kinross, Ashely Wilson, Cal Falcons, Birgit Nanette, @BirdCentralPark, Marion Savelsberg, Feather Friendly, Audubon, LDF, Biruta Papa, NEFL-AEF, Lisa Russo, Eagle Country, Superbeaks, Janntonne, Nonsuch Exhibitions, and OpenVerse.

Category Archives: Channel Islands Eagles

Hatch at Achieva…Blue 33 is home…Thursday in Bird World

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Cal fledges…Maya is home…Wednesday in Bird World

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Three for Thunder and Akecheta…Tuesday in Bird World

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Jack tries to save the egg at Captiva…Monday in Bird World

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Blue NCO returns, Hatch at West End…Saturday in Bird World

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Hatch at Bluff City…Thursday in Bird World

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Shadow rolling the eggs …Monday in Bird World

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E23 branches…Saturday in Bird World

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Tuesday in Bird World

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Hatch watch for Duke Farms…Monday in Bird World

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