The Girls are the sunshine that brightens my day, that makes my heart beat a little faster, their presence helps me get through the day.
I was extremely happy to see that Persephone Books (Bath, UK) included mention of Raising Hare. Despite the fact that the focus was not on a bird, it was for me as well the most inspiring book – and the most well written and readable – of 2024.
You can change the subject and have Dani Connor Wild care for three Swedish red squirrel babies or someone else nurture little songbirds. The story is about caring and how nature gives it back to us triple-fold if we open our hearts.
Monday was day 36. Gabby’s gestation period ranges from 36.5-38 days with Samson. We are all very anxious.
Is there a tiny pip?
Still waiting very anxiously at NE Florida.
One of my oldest and closest friends lives in New Zealand. I was told that Christchurch is culling 1000 Canada Geese. It is a nice name for killing them. How angry am I? And now Geemeff sends me this:
“Fined $6,000 NZ (£2,700 GBP) ($3,350 USD) for destroying an entire colony of supposedly protected birds. He repeatedly drove a digger through the colony, killing chicks, destroying eggs and nests leading to the adults abandoning the area. No custodial sentence, and only a derisory fine. Come on New Zealand, you can do better than that – otherwise your so-called species protection is worth nothing.
Boy, do I agree with that sentiment BUT we must all get better. I don’t want my heart to break as Claudio, my partner on the International Data Osprey Project, recently told me was going to happen. More birds, more wildlife are going to die. It is getting hotter, water, food, land – it is all diminishing.
They are the cutest little eaglets. Clive and Connie, you make gorgeous babies.
What a darling.
Full crops at SW Florida, too!
E24 has walked across the nest. What a milestone!
Oh, but we cannot forget what is happening at the WRDC nest…welcome you two cutie pies. https://youtu.be/H8yEaO_lhe4?
At Port Lincoln, Mum has consistently stepped up to feed her kids this year. Yesterday, she brought two fish to the nest, one for Wilko and one for Kasse.
Both had some fish! Yeah.
There is live streaming for Golden Eagles in Japan and the birds are coming to a snowy nest.
Jackie and Shadow have been adding soft materials for the egg cup in their nest. Can we send so much positive energy to this amazing couple in the hope that they have an eaglet to raise this year? https://youtu.be/dBqYv6Or7m4?
If there is anything I have learned from the raptors, it is that they ‘just get on with it.’ Adversity does not hold them up. Right now, it is easy to despair and feel huge eco-anxiety while we watch California burn. It leaves us feeling helpless. I like the spirit in this next article and I hope that it speaks to some of you. We do just need to get out there and do something! Who knows what might happen.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Join with Language Nerds and their poster and learn a new vocabulary this week related to birds. How many did you already know?
A reminder:
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Persephone Books, NEFL-AEF, Birdguides.com, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, The Guardian, Heidi Mc, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and the PLO, Eagle Cam, SK Hideaway, OpenVerse, Bird Kingdom, Language of Birds, Earthables
It was warm enough on the Canadian Prairies for me not to complain. The wildlife continue to come to the feeders – deer, rabbits, Crows, and all. It brings me much joy.
That first hatch for Ron and Rose is a cracker jack. I sure hope it is a male and the second hatch is – well, it would be perfect if it were another male. Precocious. Cute little button. By the time you read this in the morning, R8 will be out of that shell. Look at the progress at 1530. Wing out and mostly there.
Welcome R8.
They are now bobbleheads trying to get those eyes focused and get some fish. R8 looks like it is going to be a fine sibling.
SK Hideaways knows how much I adore Thunder and Akecheta. For a couple of years we wondered whether Thunder had picked a dud in that young male eagle. Now we know she knew better than us! He really is quite amazing. https://youtu.be/_q9mivhzDIw?
OK. It’s Monday and I am expecting to see some action at NE Florida!
F23 is leaving the kids alone more and more. They are way too big to fit under her to brood, but I hope with the GHO present she hangs around at night.
Check out that nest that Liberty and Guardian put together! Incredible team work when their nest tree finally collapsed.
Gosh. I wish I could give the nest at Captiva to Jack in St Petersburg! Hey Window to Wildlife. Would you like to make a deal with Achieva Credit Union to run the camera and maybe help the ospreys out with that mess? Jack and his new female would appreciate it. And, I consulted with my partner in crime and we both looked at our files and we are more than convinced that this is Tumbles from the head patterns. Remember the only two plumage patterns that do not change from pre-fledge til the osprey dies is the head and the underwing.
Poor Jack brings in sticks and the wind takes them off. He is trying to make crib rails and then there are those holes to deal with. My heart breaks for this potential family. I hope for a miracle.
More information has come in on SE’s 33 injury that led to him being euthanised.
We all miss Abby. Blaze is getting used to Skye.
The number of deaths of wildlife in the Southern California fires will never be known. It is a tragedy. They have also lost huge areas of habitat. The challenges that our raptors face in the future, including these Bald Eagles just hatching, is extensive. “The national symbol of the United States is projected to have only 26 percent of its current summer range remaining by 2080, according to Audubon’s climate model. However, it could potentially recover 73 percent of summer range in new areas opened up by a shifting climate. Its success isn’t guaranteed in the new areas—the majestic raptor will still have to find suitable food and nesting habitat.”
Eagles are adapting by hanging around industrial farming. We saw this in Nova Scotia where there are thousands of eagles eating the dead chickens from the farms in the Annapolis Valley.
Thank you so much for being with me while I sit on pins and needles waiting to see if we are going to have any eaglets at NE Florida! Take care of yourself. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Heidi, J, MP, SS’, WRDC, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Androcat, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, FORE, Window to Wildlife, Achieva Osprey Cam, Eagle Cam, Eagle Country, Bart M and the PLO, Audubon, Cornell Chronicle, Outside My Window, Port Lincoln Osprey, All About Birds, The Guardian
It is so nice to have you with us as we begin the final preparation of the solstice baskets for the garden animals. We should have a photo before they go out to the garden Thursday! I am hoping Brock’s arrives in time! It is a heated double bowl set that will solve water and wet food issues. If the snow cooperates, we will also be able to get across the City to fetch a bag of butter bark as the last ingredient to make those baskets a buffet for all the garden birds.
Our celebrations will be simple. A huge salad to accompany some homemade naan and a cashew and chickpea curry with lots of cilantro. It adds a freshness that tastes like a blend of pepper and yuzu. If you have never tried it chopped up in a salad, please do, stems and all. What to have for dessert when we have had far too many shortbread cookies and mince tarts already? So, the indulgence was two bars of the best chocolate, one a creamy Irish Cream and the other a Salted Caramel to go with a small basket of pears. There will be a warm fire for ‘The Girls’ and some special food for them. This year has been a time of discovering simple pleasures. The Solstice evening will be one of those.
Some news is coming in from Bird World while several eagle nests continue incubating.
‘PB’ writes that there is an osprey near Omaha, Nebraska. While the cold will not impact the raptors we have to remember that ospreys require fish and the water would have to be open. We had about 50 ducks fly over us the other day. They live on one of our rivers where the water is discharged back into the river and it stays open.
The New York Times has a very worrying article on climate coming from the Arctic. Its words ring true to those living in Manitoba and traveling north to see the polar bears or going there for work. The permafrost has been melting and falling into the sea! Please read. The impact is already impacting wildlife in the northern part of Manitoba and the Arctic. It will begin to impact our birds that we love so much and as the article says, “What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic.” Warming seas are going to have a huge impact on our birds as the fish die off. It is already happening in places.
It is past midnight on the Canadian prairies and is already Wednesday. I am reading a book, Feral, by George Monbiot. Bear with me as I copy a few paragraphs from this important book. I hope that those who are fighting the commercial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay are reading the post today! The subject is the introduction of wildlife and the economy.
“It took as its case study the country of Sutherland, a wide territory in the gar north of Scotland, covering 5200 square kilometres. Of this, the report reveals, 4000 square kilometres are in the hands of estates, which number just eight-one. In other words, three-quarters of one of the largest counties in Britain is owned by eighty-one families, or by their secretive trusts in tax havens. Across the ten it sampled, covering 780 square kilometres, it found 112 people in full time equivalent employment. Tat means that just one person is employed by the dominant industry for every seven square kilometres, an area five times the size of Hyde Park. The association’s figures suggest to me that the absentee owners and their monocultures of deer prevent not only the ecological regeneration of the region but also the economic regeneration. The report also revealed that the income generated by stalking on the estates throughout Sutherland is 1.6 million GBP. This is a tiny sum which spread across 4000 square kilometres. Their expenditure on deer management is 4.7 million GBP. In other words, stalking can be sustained there only because the bankers or oil sheikhs or mining magnates who own the land burn money on their expensive pastime. Even the tiny numbers of people employed by deer stalking are reliant on the irrational spending of absentee landlords, which could be terminated at any time. Compare these figures with a study from the Isle of Mull, which discovered that colonization by white-tailed eagles has brought 5 million GBP a year into its economy and supports 110 full time jobs. Thousands of people now travel to the island to watch the chicks hatching and fledging from the eagle hide at Glen Seilisdeir or to take an eagle cruise on Loch Shiel. The eagles now account for half the enquiries at the visitor desk at the island’s main ferry terminal. A study commissioned by the Scottish Government calculates that wildlife tourism in Scotland is already worth 276 GBP a year. Rewinding and the reintroduction of other missing species could greatly enhance this figure, generating many more jobs than deer-stalking does today.” (Feral, 102)
Why should we allow a foreign company to deplete the Menhaden population, which is contributing to the decline of whales and dolphins, the depletion of Striped Bass, and the starvation of Osprey chicks? Just imagine if the Chesapeake Bay were a thriving ecosystem. I wonder how much income and employment opportunities related to wildlife could be generated in that scenario.
The Cornell Bird Lab and Wild Birds Unlimited have a photo contest. I know that so many of you are very talented. Please check out the information below – I want to see your names for those winning prizes!
A week or so ago I mentioned to you that one of the Melbourne fledgling CBD falcons had been in care and was being prepared for release. That information came from someone close to the individual whose care the falcon was in. ‘J’ has just sent me a posting by Victor Hurley that gives us some additional information:
Now what is happening to those two little bobble heads at SW Florida?
Images from Tuesday. I hope that E25 gets strong fast as E24 is quite the strong older sibling.
You are going to need your worry beads. I don’t think this is because I am concerned. M15 always steps in to help the underdog eaglet! Or he has in the past. This nest has never lost an eaglet to siblicide. What you will see are two eaglets fighting it out for dominance. 24 began it began the minute 25 hatched. They will bonk and twist one another, and you will want to turn the screen off. — To my knowledge, 25 has not eaten since it hatched. I am worrying.
Age (chicks): Wilko : 73 days, Kasse : 70 days (10 weeks) Fish count: Mum: 0, Dad: 1 Fish times: 07:07Feed times:
06:02
Wilko messing with his sister in the early morning sun rise.
07:07
Dad’s in with a headless, breakfast fish.
Dad (M,Part)
07:07 1
Wilko gets the 1st fish as usual. Mum was hovering over the nest but decides to fly away instead. It was already grabbed. Kasse manages to get a bite for herself when she latches onto the fish in his talons! Wilko will finish the fish tail.
08:31
wilko and mum on the old barge
Feeding Times
Start
Finish
Duration
Fed Chick
Wilko
Kasse
1: 07:07
07:45
38 min
L
S
Another fish was delivered and it appears that Wilko got it as well.
The fish dinners improved at Port Lincoln Ospreys.
The worry about the Mum from Coobowsie who has been missing for several days continues.
Supplementary fish cannot be provided because of gulls and pelicans at Tumby Island.
Geemeff wonders if she can hijack my blog to ask for help for the Highland Tiger. Of course, you can! We are concerned mostly about ospreys but that season is not here save for South Australia so yes! Please help. They are an integral part to getting the Highlands back to the biodiversity there once was in that beautiful landscape.
Geemeff reminds us that saving the Highland Tigers also helps to save and protect the birds. Please read and write to the company Vattenfalls.
Judy Harrington brings news of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles. She speaks of the heat. The forecast is for 32 C at the Park by the weekend.
We have news from the Ventana Wildlife Society:
Calico’s Tip for the Day comes to us at one of the most intensive spending times of the year:
Thank you so much for being with us today. I hope that you are enjoying time with friends and family. 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 today: ‘Geemeff, J’ The New York Times, Raptor Persecution UK, lamarinaalta. Cornell Bird Lab and Wild Birds Unlimited, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Bart M and the PLO, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Dave Wetherall, Cornell Lab Bird Cams, Judy Harrington, Ventana Wildlife Society, 1 Million Women FB and Mari Copeny
Well, the joke is on me. You will get Thanksgiving wishes twice! Thankfully, ‘B’ reminded me that the holiday is the last Thursday in November. I should have known that as it was often on my mother’s birthday and the day my grandmother died – the 26th! Well, I am very thankful for all of you and when the day does get here, I hope you get to enjoy it with friends and family.
Brock’s house has been assembled and lo and behold, the cord is about 30 cm or a foot too short to plug into the outside plug. I am going to phone the company and see what they suggest. Otherwise, it isn’t much good – an insulated ‘heated’ house!!!!!! Other people must have this problem.
Hugo Yugo in the middle of food delivery and wanting to help set up Brock’s house.
The house is definitely insulated.
Finished. With legs. It has anchors to hold it in place due to wind. Thank goodness!
Today is wood delivery day which means my posting will be shorter – touching on some interesting articles and catching up with the Australian birds. We are waiting for a second egg for Connie and Clive at Captiva and incubation continues at SW Florida.
It has been 74 hours at the time I am writing this – 1600 Thursday afternoon, since the first egg was laid at Captiva.
I am posting an article form The Guardian about the catastrophic melting of permafrost in Canada’s Arctic region. This is going to impact much of the wildlife and the consequences are still not known.
‘B’ sent me a couple of good articles from The Washington Post. One is about the new camera at the MN-DNR site. They say it is a new couple that has been there four years. Sure sounds like Nancy to me with a new male. Feel free to correct me! https://www.youtube.com/live/5tECFd82AZQ?
The WaPo also had a wonderful article about all of the soap operas – such as Gabby’s ‘As the Nest Turns’ in May which ‘B’ included. I had not seen it and I wonder how many of you have.
Another great article from Raptor Persecution UK showing once again how ridiculous the people are trying to help the hen harriers. The article begins, “For new blog readers, hen harrier brood meddling was a 7-year conservation sham (2018-2024) sanctioned by DEFRA as part of its ludicrous ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and carried out by Natural England, in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England. In general terms, the plan involved the removal of hen harrier chicks from grouse moors, they were reared in captivity, then released back into the uplands just in time for the start of the grouse-shooting season to be illegally killed. It was plainly bonkers.”
In the wintry snow, Zorro, the male at the Latvian White-tail Eagle nest of Milda, has flown in to check on things. So nice to see him looking well. https://youtu.be/JI25leSBqa8?
Mum was fishing again at 0422 at Port Lincoln!
Mum is away. Has she gone fishing again?
If she did she did not catch anything. It is nearing 1400 on the nest and Wilko and Kasse have only had the small fish Mum brought in during the night. Fish Fairies!!!!!!!! Where are you? I am starting to think these are both males instead of Kasse being a female because they are so nice to one another! Believe me living with four female cats has taught me females do not get along with other females, normally! Hugo Yugo and Missey pair up and Calico and Hope. Missey and Calico just deplore one another.
Very quiet at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. They normally stop in to check sometime in November. We wait.
The bird photographed in Puerto Rico has been confirmed as “…a 2021 fledgling from a nest west of Billings, Montana, ringed by Marco Restani” (Jane Dell on Ospreys FB).
The band looked green to me!
No new reports on WBSE34. Adults were at Goat Island.
‘J’ sent us Rita the Eagle’s Friday news off of Rita’s FB page (mine was scrambled for some reason): “It has been two years since Rita’s accident in November 2022 and it’s been just over one year since Rita came to live at the Marathon Wild Bird Center in the Florida Keys. I spend a lot of time talking with visitors in front of her enclosure and have enjoyed meeting many people who all love eagles! The questions they ask are interesting. My favorite is which foot is she missing? Neither, I said her wing was partially amputated. Oh, right. And there are a lot of questions about what she eats and when. One of the stories I refer to often is that of her second night in her new enclosure. For the first time I had set up the trail camera inside Rita’s space. Let the learning about Ms. Rita begin! At 10:50pm on her second night the alert on my phone pinged. What had set off the camera? Little did I know that this brand camera was sensitive to night movements and, well, Rita was moving. Eating to be exact. Six minutes later she wandered off having eating the whole fish in the black of night. I contacted Jeanne Kaufman the next day and asked her if eagles ate in the dark? I’m pretty sure she said no. Rita eats whenever the mood strikes her be it in the afternoon or evening or, often, in the late evening under the cover of complete darkness. On the days her meal arrives early she will usually ignore it until at least the afternoon. Rarely does she leave any crumbs behind! (KG) #ritathebaldeagle
No new reports on any of the Melbourne triplets other than the return of the one who got itself into a bit of mischief the other day. Melbourne parents bonding! https://youtu.be/tiDm0uKlIF4?
There have been sightings of at least two different ospreys that continue to be in the UK and have not migrated.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘B, J’, Window to Wildlife, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Raptor Persecution UK, Trine and LDF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, NEFL-AEF, Falcon Cam Project, SK Hideawys, Raptor Resource Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Ospreys FB
Thank you for your good wishes for Hugo Yugo. As I write this, she is pretty sick. She ate a little food on Saturday night and drank water on Sunday morning. She was able to keep it down. I am preparing to feed her with a syringe with ground-up kibble mixed with kitten milk to keep her going until she can see the vet on Wednesday. I will feed her every 1.5 hours. It is now late Sunday evening. Hugo Yugo had another feeding and instead of going straight to hide in my room on my pillow, she plunked herself down on the foot stool to watch her sisters. It feels like an improvement. And yes, we fed her with a syringe until nearly midnight when she ate on her own. Tears.
She is now cuddled with her Missey. This is fantastic.
I am really, really tired of hearing about our wildlife being killed unnecessarily. It has been a week that just keeps on giving!
New research shows that skyscrapers are killing millions of birds annually during migration. It doesn’t have to happen. What is wrong with people?
It just seems there have been so many deaths associated with humans where I live lately. There were the eight bald eagles in the field (COD pending), then the two local foxes whose den was destroyed at the site of new condos – the one being hit by a car on a busy street last night and the other on a busy bridge. My fear is that they were targeted – the driver of the vehicle either baiting them or driving around til they saw them out and speeding up. I am worried about Dyson and her kids who now run across a street that has nothing to slow down the would be Formula 3 drivers since their trees were cut down. We went to get Hugo Yugo more kitten milk and noticed the large tree at the intersection where the Blue Jays nest has a vast orange circle on it this morning, indicating it is now destined to be cut down. When they are finished, we will not have a tree anywhere in sight higher than a meter. Our street was fully canopied two years ago after the leaves came out. It was gorgeous. Looks like the barren moonscape now. The trees the City planted will take 25 years even to become a size for animals to use. The ones being cut down were planted in 1902. If I could scoop up all the garden animals and The Boyfriend and move them, I would leave.
Oh, enough of my rant. The animals are so used to me that I can now sit on the upper deck and photograph them while they forage.
Just look at Dyson. She is not young. She is a real Senior citizen in the squirrel community, but, more important, she is the matriarch.
It is not a great image, but look at that strong back leg of Dyson’s as she gets ready to jump down with her precious peanut.
One of Dyson’s three kits. Isn’t it cute?
And another kit. The three of them were running around the garden with their Mum. They don’t mind me at all. I feel so privileged – and, of course, these are the reasons that I could never leave here – just vacation elsewhere. There is no natural food or not much for them anymore. The Squirrels used to eat the ‘helicopters’ (the seeds) of the Maple Trees but there are no more Maples and no one had the foresight to plant Oak trees!!!!!!!!!!! So no acorns. I did catch Little Red at the very top of the crab apple tree getting the little apples, though. That is not enough to sustain even him, however.
This is how it starts out in the morning. Today, I discovered that the Blue Jays get busy pecking the peanuts and shooting the ones they don’t like off the feeding tray! Dyson & Co thank them for sure. Junior is also stuffing peanuts down its throat like Mr Crow – like a pouch as in pelican. :))
Both Crows visited today.
Oh, the joy they bring! Just look at that face on the Crow above. I cannot imagine anyone harming them.
Isn’t this a gorgeous image? Don Dennis photographed this Bald Eagle couple on Russell Lake, Nova Scotia on Saturday, 9 November 2024. Many more will be coming to our prey-rich Atlantic province for the winter! Don is an excellent photographer. It looks like these two were deep in conversation. I love the evergreens and then that touch of autumn foliage.
At Port Lincoln, breakfast came early. Kasse ate last, but the milestone reached was by Wilko who stood up to eat! He is becoming a ‘big boy’.
Wilko stands up tall part way through the feeding to eat! Way to go, Wilko.
Now it is Kasse’s turn for some fish!
At Collins Street, the parents want the triplets to fledge. They deliver prey and take it away flying by to tease them to use those wings and chase them! It is all coming far too soon for Melbourne and Orange. https://youtu.be/l-xDYFIszYQ?
Diamond and Xavier are not withholding prey!
No news really for the fledgling WBSE. It kind of worries me. The one was in the bushes the other day. Will someone check? I wonder. One had their wing caught eons ago in branches down low and couldn’t get away.
At Hilton Head Bald Eagle nest, we have a takeover (or potential take over bid) by the GHOs. The nest was battered by Hurricane Milton. Wonder where the eagles will nest? https://youtu.be/5WqBTRFWqZ4?
Meanwhile at NE Florida, Gabby and Beau worked tirelessly on Sunday getting that nest ready for those precious eggs (fingers crossed).
It rained in Iowa. I did not see any eagles working on the nest at Decorah North. Rain started later in the afternoon.
Eagles were present at Denton Homes.
Beautiful sunset over the Captiva Bald Eagle nest of Connie and Clive.
I hope they don’t mind. Karl II was the most amazing Black Stork father and he deserves to always be remembered on ‘Father’s Day in Estonia’ and every where around the world where he was loved.
The latest from Sharon Dunne on the Royal Albatross chicks and their flight to the waters off Chile.
Rita the Eagle Monday Facts.
Live in Vancouver? There is a fundraiser for The Nest Companion Bird Car & Rehabilitation Society.
There are still hundreds if not thousands of Canada Geese in Winnipeg who have not migrated. In SW Manitoba, the Sandhill Cranes are still flying south. It is the middle of November!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, posts, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, Connie and Don Dennis,H, J’, Heidi McGrue, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Judy Harrington, Hilton Head Land Trust, NEFL-AEF, Raptor Resource Project/explore.org, Denton Homes, Window to Wildlife, Heidi McGrue, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cali Condor, ETSU-Bluff City, ETSU-Johnson City, Raptor Persecution UK, Madli Allsoo, Sharon Dunne, Rita the Eagle, The Nest Companion Bird Care & Rehabilitation Society
Bald Eagles are still abundant in Manitoba. The climate creates good conditions for prey as their territories move northward, so many will winter here. But what I woke up to on Saturday could have been better, much better.
I want to thank Ruth Hiebert for allowing images and a narrative of the horror she found in a field in southern Manitoba. She immediately contacted the Conservation Officer. She checked on Saturday, and the eagle carcasses were removed. She hopes to discover what happened to them, and I will pass on any news.
I am going to speculate, and yes, an egg could come on my face, but I haven’t seen eagles die of Avian Flu at the same time in the same place as this. I haven’t seen it with poisoning, either. Perhaps you have. I have, however, seen it when shooting is the issue. If that is the case, we should know soon. If it isn’t, it will be a while. So many dead in the same place is beyond sad.
That was the first news that I woke up to on Saturday morning. The only way to shake off something like that is to go out in nature, to feel the wind and the warmth of the sun, to hear the song of the birds, and that is precisely what we did. We walked the entire 4km trail and more with no less than a hundred Black-capped Chickadees taking seed from our hands! What a day. Little wind. Nice sky. 15 C – the middle of November. Everyone on the trails, most walking their dogs, was joyful to the extreme because of the weather.
The Chickadees were caching some of their Black Oil Seed in the crevices of the trees like this one.
The White-breasted Nuthatch would not take seed from our hand, but wanted it on the path.
At home, there was also a celebration. For the first time in a long, long time, I saw Dyson and her three kits in the garden together. They are all alive. In an urban environment, with their trees cut down, they have to run across busy streets; this is amazing. Tears. Tears and more tears. Dyson is the equivalent of a Senior Citizen in the Squirrel World. She has survived being poisoned, run over, or trapped and removed from the area. We are so pleased to see her and the three kids. Photos on Monday!
A remarks: “Fledge watch formally begins on 12 November at Orange, I believe, which is Tuesday. I think they are a little further behind the Collins Street three than that but time will tell. Garrama is having difficulty getting fed now that he has to fight his giant sister for every mouthful, usually without parental intervention. Xavier is so much smaller than Yira that he doesn’t dare interfere once she has claimed a piece of prey, while Diamond does sometimes assert maternal authority and feed the chicks herself, under which conditions Garrama gets at least some food. Otherwise, he is reduced to finding leftover scraps around the scrape, and I suspect he will be somewhat relieved when Yira fledges and he gets the food to himself for a few days before it’s his turn to take the plunge. “
No fish yet at Port Lincoln. Mum, Wilko, and Kasse are waiting to see if Dad returns with a good breakfast. Otherwise, I bet those fairies are waiting in the wings to help.
Dad came through with a partial ‘flat’? fish at 10:34. Notice how big Kasse is – larger than Wilko!
Kasse still has the white stripe on the back.
Big stretch as Mum toe dances and calls as Dad is arriving with the fish.
‘A’ gives us the day’s run down at PLO: “At Port Lincoln, our osplets are SO cute and they’ve had a pretty good day. Breakfast was a large whole fish that arrived courtesy of Dad at 10:34. At 13:55, he brought in a small tidbit in the form of a fish tail. At this point, Mum decided to get involved and brought in an extra-large whole fish at 14:49. Impressive work, Mum! The resulting feeding lasted for NEARLY AN HOUR. Both osplets got plenty to eat today, and there is still plenty of time for another fish to be brought in before dark (it’s only just after 4pm at Port Lincoln right now). “
There are still three eyases on the ledge at 367 Collins Street in the Central Business District of Melbourne as of 1017 Sunday morning.
Latest sea eagle report:
‘
There are no other nests with eggs at the time of writing that I am aware.
Beau and Gabby were at the nest. Female eagles have three periods where they are fertile and will want to mate. Of course, Eagles bond at other times, but Saturday, Gabby was not in the mood. Sorry Beau!
That precious egg of M15 and F23’s is never left for very long without someone around.
Gracie Shepherd got the shift change! Watching the care and attention these eagles give to their first egg of the season is hugely moving. I cannot comprehend why anyone would ever wish to harm one of their species. They are parents who care and who are concerned for their young just like us.
Connick leaves the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey and heads north to the Smithsonian. Connie and Clive’s little one, who fell from the nest and had feather development issues, will live an excellent life without the fear of being shot or poisoned. Let’s hope he can educate people to care for wildlife including these majestic birds.
Take a look at this!
More sadness near the grouse hunting estates in Perthshire, Scotland.
Now a smile. This Sharp-shinned Grouse has all the right moves, ladies.
Lady Hawk posted information about Lucina, the female at the Wild Bucovina Golden Eagle nest in Romania. Lady Hawk’s take from the information that is current is that Lucina died of either lead or rodenticide poisoning. The font is small so please refer to Lady Hawk’s FB page.
Audubon Florida’s Eagle Watch report looks at the challenges, some new, and the successes of the 2023-24 season. Those challenges include nest removal!
Last, a learning experience from the Toronto Field Naturalists on hawk migration and raptors. https://youtu.be/hrQk8Dg1Ebo?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, Ruth Hiebert’, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Deb Stecyk, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, USFWS Columbia Pacific Northwest, USFWS, Lady Hawk FB, Audubon Florida, The Guardian, Toronto Field Naturalists.
It was sunny and windy on Thursday morning. There were about 500-600 Canada Geese on a nearby golf course when I drove past. The water in the ponds providing swimming for some and no doubt safety for others later.
All of the feral cats have been to the feeders this morning: Squishy, a grey tabby with a flipped over ear, the Orange Ginger family pet that is let loose during the day, the grey tabby, and The Boyfriend. The need is growing. Of course, everyone thinks that prices of things will drop, but in my lifetime I have never seen this happen. Pet food appears to be soaring. My heart breaks for the families who have to surrender their pets, but not for those that dump them. They need care and surely there is someone to take them home and love them rather than leaving them to the freezing cold of a Winnipeg winter. On Saturday we will take all the wood out of the wood boxes, load them with straw and put a light bulb in there and close in three and a half sides. It will help some.
There is still concern about Avian Flu and bird feeders. ‘R’ sent us an article from The Washington Post that might answer some of your questions. The author says, “While avian flu is widespread among wild bird species, less than 2 percent of cases have been in songbirds and other typical visitors to bird feeders. Health officials have not recommended taking down bird feeders except for people who keep domestic poultry as part of a backyard flock. (In such cases, the USDA says poultry owners should take down feeders for wild birds or keep them well away from their captive flock, and to make the captive flock’s food and water inaccessible to wild birds.)
People should clean bird feeders and bird baths regularly. Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after touching the feeders. Avoid direct contact with birds, and do not handle sick or dead birds.”
M15 and F23 working diligently every day on their nest in Fort Myers, Florida.
M15 checks out the nest for suitability for F23 and their eggs.
Chandler flew in to the Port Tobacco Eagle Nest for a few seconds!
Haven’t seen anyone so far on Thursday at Big Bear.
Ron and Rose were at the WRDC nest despite the very windy conditions on Thursday.
Connie and Clive visit the Captiva Eagle nest on the Barrier Islands in Florida on a breezy day. Nice crops! Good to see these two after Milton tore through the island.
Eagles working on the Denton Home nest and sleeping together at the nest. What a wonderful sight.
Wednesday they worked on the West End cam of Thunder and Akecheta, Thursday it was Two Harbours nest of Chase and Cholyn, Thunder’s parents.
They were flapping and waiting for breakfast at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
Prey delivery at Collins Street.
‘A’ remarks: “Suddenly, the trio at Collins Street are rapidly approaching fledge. Two of them are now running along the ledge, flapping their wings vigorously, which is nerve-wracking in the extreme. There is almost no fluff left on the older two, except a few dandelions on their heads. The youngest still sports some fluff on its wings, but suddenly, these three are looking very much like juvenile falcons. We will not have them for much longer. I cannot believe how quickly that triple-headed fluffball of an eating machine has become three juveniles who are potentially within days of fledging. Omigod, I am going to miss them SO much. It seems like only yesterday that we saw our first gutter stomp. “
Yira and Gammata share morning prey. Diamond feeds, too.
‘A’ comments: “At Orange, the pair still have quite a bit of down on their heads and wings. They are about a week behind the Collins Street trio, are they not? At least the Orange fledglings do often/usually return to the scrape after fledging (we remember those occasions when the parents literally had to bar the door from their adult offspring, with a not so gentle hint relating to the concept of dispersal). But we do generally get to see a bit more of them once they fledge. At Collins Street, we essentially wait until someone finds one of them injured, dead or starving on the streets of Melbourne’s CBD. We get little or no information on them post-fledge (although the Facebook group may have some BOTG – I’ll be relying on you for info from that source). But watching the Collins Street kids today has left me flabbergasted at how time has flown and the fact these chicks are already about to do the same. I’m sad now. “
Dad is off his perch and Mum is calling for food. There was not much on Thursday and Kasse got nothing. There was some beaking. This provoked the fish fairies into action.
‘A’ reports: “The most important news of the day is that there was a four-fish delivery from our beloved Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln this morning (09:38). A day too late unfortunately to prevent the two incidents of bonking yesterday that for the first time occurred during a feeding and was definitely done in order to prevent Kasse from eating. Not a good thing, and I’m glad the FF stepped in straight away. I would have preferred it to happen two days ago, when I was worrying about the lack of food deliveries and the potential for aggression this presented, but I suppose they were trying to avoid it altogether. And dad had been stepping up his fishing efforts – successfully, up until the last three or four days. So it was probably weather-related. But whatever the reason, the nature and timing of yesterday’s aggression made it essential that the Fish Fairy step in asap. I’m glad they didn’t delay. “
Thank you, Fish Fairies! I will sleep better Thursday night in Canada knowing you are there.
Heidi’s video of the Fish Fairy!!!!!!!! They included this information below the video: “Wilko is 33 days old, and Kasse is 30 days old. There were only two fish delivered to the nest yesterday, and as a result there was significant sibling aggression due to food competition. This morning, the ‘Fish Fairy’ placed four fish on the nest. It was the first time the supplemental fish were necessary this season. Ospreys are endangered in South Australia, and last season they instituted an officially authorized program of supplemental feeding for this nest. The supplemental feeding program is intended to help increase the survival rate of the osprey nestlings. Last year’s Fish Fairy program was a success, and both osplets fledged! For more information on the supplemental feeding program, please see this statement dated 10/27/23: https://portlincoln-osprey.com/portli…
Elizabeth Grey, National Audubon said on Thursday that Audubon vows to: “Strengthening Local and State Initiatives: While federal policy may shift, our commitment to local and state conservation efforts remains steadfast. We will work with communities to build resilience, ensuring that conservation continues regardless of changes at the federal level.” Just as I see my City taking every piece of land and building 3-4 story apartment buildings instead of 35 stories, each of us needs to lend a hand to help wildlife. You can do that in your own garden.
I needed a smile today and seeing Seren 5F at her winter home in The Gambia does it. She is a great mate to Dylan at Llyn Clywedog and a fantastic mother. She wasted a lot of years being courted by Aran but, in the end, he stayed with Mrs G. Great choice! But glad 5F found a great mate, too. Dylan is amazing. This is her biography from Glaslyn Wildlife.
Seren Blue 5F will be thirteen years old during the 2025 breeding season.
“Hatched at the Rutland Site K nest in 2012. Her mother is the satellite tagged female Yellow 30 (hatched at the Rutland Site B nest in 2005) and her father was the translocated Rutland male Red 08 (2001).
In December 2013, Blue 5F was photographed by Chris Wood at Tanji Marsh in Gambia, she was 18 months old at the time and would not yet have made a return journey to the UK. In December 2014 Chris returned to Tanji Marsh and he again found 5F settled for the winter there. She had not been spotted back in the UK during the summer, although it is likely she would have travelled north as a two-year old. On 9th April 2015 Blue 5F was captured on camera again, as she landed on the perch of the Glaslyn nest, this was the first sighting of her in the UK as an adult. She remained in the Glaslyn area during the summer and intruded at the Glaslyn nest on several occasions. By the middle of October we heard the news via Fansu Bojang and Chris Wood that 5F was back in her wintering quarters in Tanji Marsh.
On 29th March 2016 Blue 5F landed on the perch at Glaslyn once again. Two days later she was in a skirmish with her cousin Blue 24 at the Dyfi nest. Glesni, another cousin, who was the resident female at Dyfi, had not yet returned. Before long, 5F was back on a favourite nesting platform in the Glaslyn area. Aran was spotted mating with her on several occasions and for a while she appeared to be incubating eggs. The nest failed however and 5F soon resumed her regular intrusions at the Glaslyn nest.
During the winters of 2016 to 2019, 5F was once again settled in her wintering quarters in Gambia, where Chris Wood photographed her for the fourth and fifth consecutive years. During the winter of 2018 she spent the majority of her time in the Tujereng Beach area of Gambia, although she was spotted at Tanji again in autumn 2019.
On 1st April 2020, 5F appeared on the camera that had been installed by NRW at the Llyn Clywedog Osprey nest in mid-Wales. On 3rd April she also appeared on the Glaslyn nest, before being seen off by Mrs G. The following day she returned to Clywedog and was soon joined by the resident male, Dylan. The original female, Delyth, failed to return and 5F became Dylan’s new mate. Together they raised three male chicks and all three successfully fledged. A very happy outcome – Congratulations 5F!”
There are still Ospreys in the Netherlands that have not migrated – along with several in the UK. Maybe they know something we do not? Is it possible not to migrate in an age of climate change? Last year was the hottest on record for our planet.
A 25 year old German Osprey has been seen in Sardinia. Blue Ring OD. Amazing. Its experience, after surviving those first years after fledgling, have kept this bird alive. Incredible.
The last information I could find on the migration of the Black Storks from Estonia. Apologies for the small size. I cannot enlarge but perhaps you can.
Calico wonders if you would like to make someone feel warm and fuzzy? Lucille Powell has provided the address for the residents of the Riverview Care home next to Iris and Finnegan’s nest. Have a card and a stamp? Want to include a note about yourself and how much you love the ospreys? Or anything else. Here is the information. Think about spreading the love!
I do not know if they are taking any further orders but here is the information about the Iris and Finnegan pins. These are made out of sticks brought to the nest by the ospreys and collected by Dr Greene. They are carefully lathed and assembled by Sharon Leigh and her husband. I have enjoyed mine for years and you can get find new ink cartridges almost anywhere.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, R’, The Washington Post, Androcat, chickiedee64, NEFL-AEF, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, FOBBV, WRDC Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Denton Homes Eagle Cam, Trudi Kron and Bald Eagles 101, Deb Stecyk and NCTC Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Nesting Birdlife and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, Heidi McGrue, Judy Harrington, SK Hideaways, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Valerie Webber and The Clywedog Osprey Group, Yale Climate Connections, Ecology and Evolution and PMC, Jeff Kear and Friends of Loch Arkaig FB, H Lorm and Looduskalender Forum, Montana Ospreys at Hellgate and Lucille Powell, Montana Osprey Cams.
It is 1 C with ‘grey wintery skies, not unlike the colour of baby Osprey down. We are now at the beginning of the brown and greys of late fall. Today is Halloween, and the plan is to do the 4k walk at Bird’s Hill Park while feeding chickadees. Today is also a discount day at the Pet Stores, so we will stock up on the month’s food and get the prezzies for Calico’s party. After taking stock of what Calico likes, I must order dental ropes from the online retailer and get some nice treats. The cats have all the perches in the world they need, more tunnels than they should have, and I refuse to buy any small plastic toys because they don’t play with them anymore, and it just adds to the heap of junk our planet needs to get rid of. So special food and treats for The Girls and The Boyfriend and dental toys! Sounds good to me. We need another low basket for the floor. Tonight, Baby Hope waited patiently for Missey to ‘get out of her basket!’ It was rather sweet. Real estate on the floor is in high demand, so no. They can share.
There will also be another storybook, as Calico truly loves our time reading in the evening. For those who do not know, Calico lived on the streets. She was fed and talked to and finally came into the house five days later to be accompanied by her only surviving kitten, Baby Hope. My old office was cleared, and a place was made for her to integrate quietly into the family. Whenever she was fed or I went in, I read to her. Gradually, she came and listened from my lap. Calico has her likes and dislikes when it comes to books. I cannot read her mind, but she will walk away if she doesn’t like the sound of the words. Let’s see what I can find. Yes, Sky Dancer! by Gill Lewis. Calico will have a good birthday on Saturday.
Goodness me. Hugo Yugo could have posed for these pictures!
This is what those dental rope sticks look like after The Girls are finished. I rewind and tie the cord again and again sneaking some catnip in there so they last a long time.
The furnace was on all night, and it went down to -4 C. It is now time for gloves, toques, winter coats, warm socks, and jumpers. There is no question about it. My Birkenstocks can go in the drawer until next spring.
Happily by 1100, the temperature was climbing and reached 6 C. There was not a lick of wind. We did the 2k (not the 4k) walk at Bird’s Hill Park feeding chickadees along the way. It was so beautiful neither of us wanted to return home!
The view from the lookout tower was not as grand as when we were in Nova Scotia with all the gorgeous rust, yellow, and red-coloured leaves, but it was nice nonetheless.
This view was created 11,000 years ago when the glaciers that covered our province began to melt. The hill we are standing on is about 30 metres higher than the surrounding area and is one of the highest points within a 30 km radius. In other words, it is quite flat in this area of Manitoba!
There are still lots of Canada Geese in Winnipeg. Hundreds were on the golf course near the zoo yesterday, and another 200 or so at the soccer pitch. Today, we saw them flying overhead into the City, and there were flocks of them scattered about as we drove out to the park. ‘PB’ tells me that Canada Geese are just now arriving in Omaha. All of this could be a clue to the low numbers of migrants at Hawk Mountain. We will have to wait and see. Food is certainly still available, and that is, as you know, the driving force for migration, not weather.
At 1743, approximately 200 Canada Geese flew over the conservatory! I stood in awe. They were flying in the direction of our two rivers that converge for the night. To me, they are majestic. It is such a privilege to watch them raise their young during the summer. Fly safe!
‘A’ sent me a report that did not get into yesterdays blog. I will include it today and any others that come after regarding the sea eaglets. “Meanwhile, here is tonight’s WBSE report, posted a couple of hours later than usual. October 31: Last evening, both eaglets were seen together in the wetlands. Early this morning, both parents were seen down on River Roost. Around 7:30am, ravens and currawongs were heard in the wetlands – maybe fledglings were still there? Then squonking was heard as well. Shortly after, both eaglets were spotted in a tree, hunched down to avoid the swoopers. Early afternoon, at 2:20pm, Dad was circling overhead, and shortly after, one youngster was airborne from the wetlands, circling, then headed towards the river. One eagle was at River Roost at 3pm, and a fledgling was possibly behind, in the mangroves. Later, an eaglet was seen opposite River Roost. No eagles have returned to the nest. At around 5pm, an adult was circling over Mangrove Island with a fish and a juvenile was heard from behind the island. Finally, the adult began eating the fish itself. The watcher was unable to see if any juvenile was there. One of the juveniles was seen in the river, though fortunately, it managed to lift off again – attempting to catch a fish maybe? Late in the afternoon, rain started – hopefully, all sheltered somewhere for the night, and watchers thought both fledglings were over the river.
The sight of the two eaglets flying together does make me smile.” The latest from A and the ranger report: “Finally, at WBSE, I have been waiting for today’s report, literally with bated breath. And finally here it is, posted literally two minutes ago (spoiler alert: a good report):
November 1: The adults were down on the river early, seen on Mangrove Island. One was seen with a fish – apparently a catfish –then one of the juveniles was seen eating there – a first definite sighting for us. At around 1pm, a juvenile was on Mangrove Island and the parents were aware. When Lady brought in a bird just after 1pm, the juvenile was ready and squeeing – and eventually got to eat it, after some time spent de-feathering it, first by the juvie and then by Lady. Then at 4:30, Lady brought in another bird. Again, the juvie finally ate. Just one juvenile appears to be there on the island, but we believe both are doing well.”
We wonder if both eaglets have been seen eating. I mean they must be, but…
At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ and I have both noticed that Dad has upped his game. Yesterday he brought in five fish. FIVE. Dad brought in them, not fairies. Gosh, goodness, is he taking health supplements this year? The osplets need that fish as they grow bigger and bigger. A really nice fish came in for breakfast on Friday. Yeah, Dad. Delivery time: 0749
Everyone is being nice. What a pleasure it has been this year to watch this nest. Just wonderful.
Both kiddos were stuffed. I sure hope Mum got some nice fish, too. She has done an incredible job this year.
‘A’ remarks on Port Lincoln: “The osplets ate and ate and ate today at Port Lincoln, as did mum. After five fish deliveries yesterday (31 October), another five fish were brought in today, one by mum and four by dad. The littles ate until they were bursting and then they ate some more. Mum seemed to be on a mission to stuff both of them to the brim, and they were literally moving to the other side of the nest to avoid food at one stage! Perhaps fishing conditions are excellent at the moment or perhaps dad is just aware that he needs to work progressively harder on fish deliveries as the osplets grow.
Whichever is it, there has been no need for the Fish Fairy apart from that one day several weeks ago. These two are very active and look healthy and alert. The bonking is rare and short-lived, with Kasse running away from Wilco rather than tucking and ducking or retaliation. The important thing is that he does not appear to be intimidated at all when it comes to eating, although he does defer to Wilco, allowing his older sibling to eat first. Mum tends to make sure Wilco gets the first half dozen bites or so, just to ensure that pecking order is respected and there are no bad manners at the table.”
It is all about eating and sleeping at Orange. Yira and Garramatta are being fed well! And those white soft little feathers are soon going to be filling the scrape box as if someone had a pillow fight.
More prey.
The Collins Street triplets are nothing short of chaos. Up and down the gutter they go! And then they fall asleep as quickly once their batteries have run down. It is 0950 and I have not seen a prey delivery but I surely could have missed a very early one.
So full. No rushing the parent when a partial pigeon is brought in.
Heidi brings us up to date with Bubba at Growing Home in Australia.
M15 and F23 spent Wednesday checking their nest, testing it to see if it was just right. Today is the first day of November. Looking for eggs here and at NE Florida by the end of the month.
‘J’ remarks: “It strikes me again and again, doesn’t matter how oft I’ve seen it, I just go slackjawed when I realise anew how BIG F23 is.” Yes, she is a big girl, ‘J’.
Gosh, golly. What a time to have cam problems. On the NEFL chat there was a thought that they might be able to switch to IR during important moments such as hatch, fledge, etc. They said: “RaptorLvr_AEFAgain – emphasizing this is something we MIGHT try – not a definite. I have been misquoted before so want to be sure this is clear!!!”
As we all watch the migratory bird counts, the number of shorebirds is plummeting. We need to be concerned about what is happening along all of the major flyways. It is essential that protections are put in place.
“‘The perilous declines of migratory birds are a sign that the integrity of flyways is deteriorating. Losing the network of habitats that migratory birds depend on to rest and feed during their long journeys could have severe consequences for the millions of people that rely on these sites, as well as the birds.’’
‘J’ sends us the latest on Rita (Ron’s former partner at WRDC) who had an injury and was found and taken into care.
Thank you so much for being with us this first day of November. Just two months until the end of the year. Just two months until there will be baby eaglets on the nests. How exciting is that?
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Heidi, J’, Sea Eagle Cam Daily Report, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Heidi McGrue and The Joy of Ospreys, Growing Home, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SK Hideaways, BirdLife International, Raptor Persecution UK, The John Muir Trust, Marathon Wild Bird Centre.
It is Halloween. It is also Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Will you be celebrating either of these holidays? In years past, we used to get at least 75 children at the door wanting treats, and that all changed. I am thrilled that some of the streets in our neighbourhood are being blocked off so that the children can run from house to house and cross the street without worry of being hit by a car. On Saturday, there was the walk at Bird’s Hill, and CPAWS put on all the games and treats. There have been events at many of the community centres. Everyone is trying to make it safe for the little ones to be outside. The biggest Diwali party took place at our convention centre a couple of weeks ago.
I remember several years spent celebrating this holiday on the Indian Subcontinent eons ago. The food was delicious! It was the same later in Singapore. We have put up extra lights in the garden this year and will be thinking of our friends in India and Singapore as they celebrate good over evil and light over darkness.
National Geographic Kids gives this information on Divali: “Diwali, or Dipawali, is India‘s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.
Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that’s also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali as well.”
Now, ‘The Girls’ are wondering how much you know about Halloween. They consulted Good Housekeeping and it says, “If you think Halloween is a uniquely American tradition, grab a mini Snickers and settle in, because you’ve got some learning to do. Dressing up in a creative costume, traipsing around in the gathering dusk to collect the best candy or throwing a monster bash with friends are all time-honored holiday traditions. But Halloween didn’t start stateside at all.
In fact, the origins of Halloween go back thousands of years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”), a festival that marked the end of the harvest season and ushered in a new year. During Samhain, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was thought to be especially thin, so people could communicate with loved ones who had passed on.
Whether or not you buy into the supernatural, it’s still fun to learn a little something about the meaning behind your favorite Halloween traditions before you head out trick-or-treating. Turns out, the holiday has a much more interesting (and sometimes even spookier!) backstory than many people realize. Travel back in time with us to learn what some of the very first celebrations of Halloween looked like, including throwback ghoulies and ghosties, what people used to carve in place of pumpkins and even the elements that Valentine’s Day and Halloween have in common. We can guarantee there wasn’t a glitter pumpkin or superhero costume in sight.”
Calico urges you to keep your kitties inside during Halloween. (She thinks they should be inside all the time and Calico should know – she lived on the street!)
The best news in the world is that Lady and Dad are feeding SE33 and SE34 over away from the river from the moment and while they might be getting harranged by Currawongs and other small birds, they appear to be flying strong and eating well as of the time I am writing. Seeing the eaglets and their parents together just made me shed tears of joy. I hope you did, too!
I will continue to post all of the news that I can find. Some might overlap with earlier reports.
It is really, really hot on that ledge in Melbourne. The temperature ready for lower down is 16 C. I wonder what it is on that ledge. Just look at Mum.
News from New Jersey says that Ospreys are staying later this year. In Manitoba, there are still lots and lots of geese and ducks. Perhaps this is the reason for the low migration numbers of raptors below. I sure hope so. The Red-tail Hawk count makes me cry. Let’s hope this is just a late season or these raptors are in trouble.
It seems that we take one step forward and one or two backwards when it comes to protecting wildlife and habitat. More news from Geemeff:
This is a damning report on the state of the environment and rewilding just after we read about huge swaths of land being put into trust and not into grouse shooting.
Osprey accepted the platform that had to be removed and rebuilt in South Australia. Wonderful news. Now if we can get Ervie a mate and a platform with a camera all of our dreams will come true. Little Envies!!!!!!! Think about it.
Breakfast at Port Lincoln. Gosh, Dad is doing a good job this season. Would love to give him a pat on his feathered back. Keep up the good work!
Beau and Gabby continue to work in their amazing nest. As we enter November, we can hope that fertilized eggs will appear by the end of the month with a hatch on Samson’s hatch day (24 December).
‘H’ sent me some sad news this morning regarding the cameras at NE Florida: “We’ll be lucky if we get to see any of Gabby and Beau and their family this season. As you know, cam 2 is down all season due to a broken cable. Well, now the cam 1 issues have been diagnosed: a partially broken cable. Not all the strands within the cable at the nest are being used to transmit to the server… meaning that some of the cam 1 cable fibers are broken. Cam 4 is still okay so far.”
I cannot imagine know knowing if Gabby and Beau have babies this year. Was it the hurricane that damaged the cables (Milton)? Do the cameras get an annual check up here? I wonder.
It was raining at the West End, too. Thunder was looking out over the territory.
This is a very good use of funds. They will get to the bottom of all the questions about Menhaden and quotas and surely to goodness will help save the Osprey in the same way that the warnings from Rachel Carson issued about DDT did in the 1970s. There are many species at risk because of the commercial fishing of Menhaden being allowed by the State of Virginia. It needs to stop before they are wiped out entirely and there are no more ospreys, not even starving ones.
Scotland is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. It is home to so many raptors. So why not rewild 33% of Scotland. This film asks that question. Our narrator is a 26 year old who has eco- anxiety. Take some time to watch. It isn’t just Scotland. There are some gorgeous images and thought provoking questions. Even a good comparison between Scotland and Norway, the Oder Delta between Germany and Poland, and other sites that have rewilded. Happy ecosysystems and biodiversity link to the nature and climate crisis. https://youtu.be/FFypWj1bjPk?
Missing story time with Calico and the other three girls is not a good thing. I apologized this evening profusely and we settled down with treats and a good book. It got Calico’s Ten Golden Paw Award and she thinks you might want to put it on your holiday list for those special children in your life. It is not about raptors, but about seals and comes to us from Wales. The main characters are the seals that come to the island to have their pups and to rest. The other central character is Tina, a little girl who lives on the island where her Mum is the local vet. It is summer holiday season and Tina is determined to make the holiday goers that come to the island understand how to respect the seals. The book is: Rescue at Seal Bay by Gill Lewis. The only colour illustrations are on the front and back covers. All others are black and white drawings, just in case you wanted to know. The story is really good and Calico didn’t mind not seeing images in colour! It is listed at $14.99 CDN at the online retailers.
Calico found a lot of books written by Gill Lewis. We just ordered another one for her birthday – Sky Hawk. It is about Hen Harriers! I can’t wait to read it.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, OpenVerse, National Geographic for Children, Eagle Cam, Judy Harrington, Rohan Geddes, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Hawk Mountain Migration Chart, pressreader.com, Fran Solly Coffin Bay Community Notice Board, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Nesting Bird Life and More, Elain, NEFL-AEF, Androcat, Raptor Research Project/Explore.org, PIX Cams, FOBBV, IWS/Explore.org, Joanie Millward, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, The Scottish Rewilding Alliance, Gill Lewis, Harley Thomas White.
Cams are down in Florida. We have yet to determine what happened. ‘PB’ sent the following images to me from Barb Henry. All is well at SW Florida in Fort Myers. We are waiting for the word of Clive. And I am presuming that Achieva platform is alright. It was still holding in the worst winds as the far eye wall went through last night.
This report is a kind of mixed-up stream of consciousness following of Milton and the nests. In particular, I focused on Captiva, Achieva, and SW Florida. Thursday was quite the day and many of the other nests got simply overlooked – brief mentions at the tail end. So many of you watched Clive and stayed with him til the cameras went out at Captiva. He is my hero! Let us all hope that there is some word from Window to Wildlife on his status on Thursday since power to the cameras appears to be out there.
This is the wall of the hurricane after Milton made landfall hitting the Achieva Osprey platform. Notice the surge of water in the street below.
Milton has made landfall. So far, M15 and F23’s nest is holding. Some of the upper branches might break off.
At 36 minutes to landfall…cameras went out at Captiva at 1934 or thereabouts. At that time, Clive was in the nest.
Achieva. 89 mph wind gusts at the moment. Achieva had 5 inches of rain in an hour and had more than 7 inches prior to that. Lots of flash floods. The worst of the winds seem to hit Achieva after 2100 and you could see the streets filling up with water. See second image below.
This was 24 minutes til landfall near Achieva nest.
M15 visited his nest in Fort Myers, Florida before a tornado was at Cape Coral moving towards the Fort Myers area. They are expecting that tornado to hit the area of the nest within a few minutes as I write this. This is a PDF tornado, a monster tornado with life-threatening winds. They are saying that these are some of the biggest tornadoes ever seen in Florida. There is significant damage on the north side of Fort Myers. The cells are moving to the east and the nest should be alright for now. It is 1317 at the nest.
Lots of water when that system went through but M15’s tree is still standing.
Twisting M15’s tree around. Not sure those top perches are going to survive this.
There are huge tornadoes all over the area of the nests that are covered on the streaming cams – and, of course, all those wildlife that are not covered on cam. What a horrible day this is going to be.
One of the Bald Eagles is in the nest at Captiva! Look at the time. We are within 1 hour 48 minutes of Milton making landfall. Maybe this eagle knows something we don’t. They are thinking the hurricane is going to hit Sarasota instead of Tampa Bay. That would include Fort Myers and, of course, Captiva is in that path.
Lots of power line flashes going on at Captiva.
Osprey nest at Captiva. The storm surge is hitting the island. Milton is 1 hour and 3 minutes away and the osprey nest is losing sticks and rocking but holding in there.
Cameras off at Captiva now. Clive was still at the nest, hunkered way down as the hurricane went right over Captiva on its way towards St Petersburgh and Sarasota.
‘PB’ sent the migration map. Notice how smart those birds were to avoid Florida.
In other news…
Wilko and sibling, halfway around the world, only have one thing on their mind – fish! *
Every crop is full at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
‘A’ reports. “Those three are voracious eaters, and mum is kept very busy indeed filling those three endlessly open beaks. The youngest is very good at getting fed – it begs ceaselessly and loudly and always has its beak wide open. When it turns forward to face mum, it does not do as well as when it has its back to her in the tripod configuration I have been talking about. When the three beaks are gathered together in the centre of the tripod, it is very easy for mum to put food into all three, even though the heights vary. So the youngest has the best access to food in this position, which it has quickly realised. Smart little eyas. Getting fed is its number one priority after all and it is working that out fast.
These little snow people are beyond adorable. Fluffy wee falcons are the cutest things. Little dad is working hard and doing a great job. From soon after 16:24, we can hear him chirping away from the northern end of the ledge. Mum is brooding the trio, who are sprawled in front of the open garage, sleeping in a pile. Dad is eager to get mum’s attention, but she remains with the chicks, It certainly interests the chicks, who wake up at the sound of dad e=chupping. He then begins his kak-kak-kak vocalisation, loudly. He repeats it once or twice. No move from mum. “
The two little falcons appear to be doing just fine at Orange.
All is well with the Olympic Park Sea Eaglets.
Everything is good at Port Lincoln!
Thank you to everyone for being with us. Continue to send positive wishes to everyone as heavy work begins cleaning up after Milton. Take care. See you soon.
*It was reported that Mum removed Comet from the nest. This was an error. The second hatch was fed to the two other chicks as we saw at Niagara Bee.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, PR’, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Google Maps, BirdCast, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.
