The calm before the storm on Wednesday night. It is nearing 2000 and the blizzard that is to hit us is slowly beginning. Brock was outside eating, and I hope he filled up and will tuck himself in for the duration, wherever his bolt hole is. His heated mat is to arrive on Sunday, but with the weather, it and all other deliveries in the Canadian prairies could be disrupted. I really want to see if he will spend some time in that large dog kennel with the heated mat.
The lights on Melvin’s tree. The wind is calm but it will get up to 90 kph.
We will sleep nicely and wake up to find out what happened!
Do you know these oranges? The Satsumas. They differ from the easy-peel. A totally different shape with a thick, loose skin and the most delicious taste. They were initially only grown in Japan. Now, an area in California also grows them, as do other regions of the Pacific Northwest and Florida. When I was a little girl, we dreamed of having a big Navel Orange in our holiday stockings. Now I only dream of these!
About every three or four months I check to see ‘who is reading Bird World’. For a long time, the top two countries were the United States and the United Kingdom. Not so anymore. All the People’s Republic of China needs is 50 more viewers, and they will top the list!
Some of you will know that I spent several weeks each year teaching in China, outside Beijing. I have also travelled extensively along the Silk Road, from one end to the other. I love the people, the country, the art, particularly the ceramics and lacquer, and the food – most especially that from the North!
I hope to learn more about the raptors in Asia and to share that with all of you so please send links!
The big news is the perfect fledging of Girri. My goodness, that was one strong female falcon! I wondered if she saw either Gimbir or Diamond, or both, as she flew out because she was vocalising so loudly. Yesterday I identified the adult that brought the Galah in as Gimbir. Cilla Kinross says it was Diamond – so apologies. I am corrected.
The other news is that there is a pip at SW Florida.
That pip was getting bigger Thursday morning. Look close. F23 is very restless. She knows that baby is coming! You can see the beak. It won’t be long now.
For those new to my blog and new to watching Bald Eaglets develop, here is what you should expect to happen:
The baby eaglets will grow very, very quickly. From tiny helpless bobbleheads with fish and prey droppings all over their face to adult size in 10-14 weeks. You can almost see them grow right before your eyes and if you blink, they will have fledged!
The eaglets hatch with their eyes open (unlike peregrine falcons). They have some down but cannot regulate their body heat. They are entirely reliant on their parents (unlike ducklings). That white down will change to a woolly grey down, like thermal underwear, and they can then regulate their body heat. Pinfeathers will then begin to emerge on their back and on the wings. They will learn to feed themselves and perform wing exercises by hopping around the nest. Then they will branch – they will hop to a nearby tree branch before their first flight, which will take place anytime between 10 and 14 weeks. Fledglings should return to the nest and remain with their parents for approximately a month, during which they learn to hunt.
We are also keeping an eye on Dade County. Heidi noted in the chat, “1st eggs for Rose: R4 pipped at just under 36 days, R7 pipped at 37.75 days. R6 was deemed to be egg #2 of that clutch.” “Egg #1 is ~ 35days +20.5 hrs”
The blizzard came in a flurry overnight. The wind was so bad that the snow piled up in the strangest of places. Brock’s feeding area was completely covered with snow, up to the conservatory windows. The walkways are clear! It is still blowing, and some people do not have power. We are just fine.
I always worry about Brock because I do not know for 100% where he sleeps. Can he get out? Did the snow block him in? His food is waiting for him.
We have the second egg for Louis II and Anna II at KNF-E1 nest in Louisiana on Wednesday.
New Window to Wildlife streaming cam: Winter Park, Florida. Mum has only one eye. There are two eggs laid on the 4th and 7th of December. Check them out.
Boy, that looks like another deep nest bowl.
In Tuesdays Winter blog, I posted an article by Raptor Persecution UK about the suspicious killing of satellite tagged White-tail Eagles. The Police are now investigating. Will they discover the killers? Will the courts actually provide penalties that will stop the killing of innocent raptors in various parts of the UK?
“The RSPB is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. Dr James Robinson, RSPB chief operating officer, said: “The RSPB is shocked with this news, so much so that we are offering an overall reward of £10,000 for information that leads to a conviction in these cases. Eagle tag-data is so precise that the point of death and any subsequent movement of the tag will be known to investigators, so we urge the public to come forward with information. Raptor persecution has no place in modern society, let alone threatening such an important UK government-backed reintroduction scheme like this.”
We are beginning to slow down. The blizzard reminds you how nice it is to not go out in the crowds. Nellie arrives on Sunday! It is hard to believe that for those celebrating Christmas we are now one week away. I hope that you are having fun preparing and that you have heeded the call not to go out and buy and buy. Find something special you can do for someone – they will remember that generous gift of your time forever.
Take care everyone. We will see you again tomorrow. Just think. There will be a baby eaglet for M15 and 23. I cannot wait.
Thank you to Heidi for her great data collection, the owners of the streaming cams, Raptor Persecution UK, Elfruler, and The Guardian.
I hope that the beginning of the week was a good one for all of you. As the holiday season draws closer, even if you do not celebrate anything at all, you will feel the rush and the stress without knowing it. There is more traffic, the crowds are bigger, and people are not always polite. Everyone has forgotten to slow down, breathe, and have fun. Cranky might be an apt word for many others, but I hope it doesn’t describe you.
Look for the good and the beautiful, and do not let the bad and the ugly get you down; do not let them ruin your life. And don’t let the drive to have the cleanest house, the most perfect meal, and the most ideal table decorations, along with stacks of presents, ruin the moment. None of that really matters. Time with friends and family sharing laughter – and maybe a sandwich instead of a meal that took hours and hours to prepare and made you dead tired on your feet – is really what the holidays should be about.
It continues to be warmer on the Canadian prairies with temperatures on Tuesday around -9 C. Snow continues to fall and the young man who shovels for us will, no doubt, be coming again tonight as he did last evening. It is quite beautiful, but the roads are ‘greasy’ and someone even wrote to say it was raining on one side of our city. It is near the middle of December. This season is strange.
I took a very short video in the small front garden where the conifers are planted. The small tree is in memory of Melvin, one of our cats (a tuxedo like Brock). Melvin was a sweetheart. We put solar lights on his tree this year. There is a Scotch pine planted in memory of Don’s mother, a large Blue Spruce we planted in 1998 in memory of our youngest son, William, and an apple tree that was relatively small when we purchased the property. A family of chickadees lives in the Blue Spruce. Missey often sits atop a small dresser, watching them. Gosh, it makes me so happy to have a garden in the middle of a city where wildlife feel safe.
I tried to capture the snow falling, but the iPhone camera didn’t quite do it justice. Squint. You can see a bit of snow falling. LOL. If you have suggestions on the settings that will help me improve, by all means, please tell me! Please.
Ann took the boys out for a long walk in the snow. We will go out again tonight. -9 °C is simply the perfect temperature. Toby loves to romp. As I always try to mention, ‘The Girls’ do not have any desire to go outside. They easily find the closest vent with the heat pouring out – or their heated beds that ‘EJ’ recommended a couple of years ago. They still love them, especially when the floor is cold.
Everyone in the garden has been accounted for, except for one Blue Jay, missing for over a week. That leaves a sad hole in my heart. I wonder what happened. I hope that one is just off visiting the kids and will return. Stay tuned. You will be the first to know. The Crows are here, but they are not coming as often; as a result, only about half of the peanuts are eaten. The small birds have increased in number so that we will increase the amount of wild bird seed and Black Oil seed for them. They are fluffed up to stay warm.
This year, I have not ordered many books, simply because few interested me. One did entice me, though, and that was Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Journal.
You will never know which birds are visiting your garden or their seasonal patterns unless you keep a journal. This book is an excellent gift for you or for inspiring someone to look more closely at the natural world around them. You need to be sure to add the date and the year and I also recommend adding the temperature and wind conditions. Later, you can go back and do an annual comparison.
The Backyard Bird Journal is more than a journal if you let it be. Tan discusses how nature ‘saved her’ and how being outside in the natural world can reduce stress. Her ‘Introduction’ is very personal – read it. Think about how wildlife, being in nature and actually ‘seeing it’, can change your life. Her other book, Backyard Bird Chronicles, is beautiful and tells her journey to find happiness after the stress she felt when she began. I highly recommend both – especially now when you might be feeling there is no hope for nature.
The second eaglet has hatched at the Central Florida nest of Pepe and Muhlady and its name is Froto.
I mentioned issues with disclaimers at Superbeaks. I am so grateful that Heidi spoke up with what happened to her. This is the reason that I am very weary of covering this nest.
This is in the comments section of my blog, but, because many people do not read the comments, I want to include it here.
Heidi wrote:
“About 18 months ago I made 3 videos to show the fledges of the eaglets (Mason and Dixie) and their return to the nest. The videos were complex with transitions, overlays, and graphics, and took a lot of time to make. I gave credit to Superbeaks, and their logo was on the videos. My YT channel is not, and has never been monetized. SB/CF took my videos, cropped off my watermark, and posted them on their own channel. When I protested, they replied that the videos I made were their property. I filed copyright strikes with YT, I won, and YT removed the videos from the SB/CF site. Then, SB/CF filed a counter-strike with YT and threatened to sue me. YT washed their hands of it at that point, and told me that I had 15 days to show proof that I was suing SB/CF. Of course, I was not going to spend the money and go that far. It was after their issue with my videos that SB/CF posted their current legal language below their live feed. Their copyright statement is not new, it has been posted for about 18 months. There was no such language posted before I made the fledge videos. By the way… I was not, nor have ever been a ‘professional scraper’. Beware.”
For those of you who are capturing images and making videos, like Heidi, I recommend being careful.
One nest I do love is the Charles Sturt Falcon cam. Girri is getting so big. She is waiting for breakfast to arrive and in it comes!
Dad was on the nest of the barge at Port Lincoln in South Australia. Hello, Dad! So nice to see you again.
Hawk Mountain has posted their migration chart for the week of December 9:
Look over those numbers. Some birds have really increased in numbers – like the Bald Eagle. Others have had a sharp decline (so far). We still have eagles in Manitoba. I continue to say that they know more about the changes in weather patterns than we do. It is going to be a very interesting winter.
A close encounter with a Buzzard. The following commentary, “Six feet away, the buzzard crouched, as though preparing to leave if I came any closer, and I wondered what kept her there. Was she weak with hunger? Or sick? Or reluctant to waste energy against the cold wind? What remains with me now is the intensity of her eye, glossy black in the light, how the buzzard’s gaze drilled into mine, as if the world were simply endless calculation.” reminds me of my encounter with a very large female Sharp-shinned/Cooper’s Hawk years ago in my garden. Looking deep into her eyes changed my life. I have not experienced anything so powerful since that cold winter’s morning in the garden. This is one of those lovely little Country diary articles of 350 words or fewer. Enjoy.
The RSPB describes Buzzards: “Now the most common and widespread UK bird of prey, the Buzzard is quite large with broad, rounded wings, and a short neck and tail. When gliding and soaring, it will often hold its wings in a shallow ‘V’ and the tail is fanned. Buzzards vary in colour from all dark brown to much paler variations, but all have dark wingtips and a finely-striped tail. Their mournful mewing call could be mistaken for a cat.”
“Key features to look out for:
Not to be confused with the Honey Buzzard, which is a rare summer visitor to the UK. They glide with their wings held flat, tilting their tail like a kite. Their wings are not held raised in a ‘V’. They are neatly barred underneath, with a prominent small head.
Usually brown, with white undersides to the wings, but their plumage is quite variable
Adults have an obvious dark tail band and dark trailing edges to their wings
Long, broad wings with prominent ‘fingers’
Buzzards tend to hold their wings in a raised ‘V’ when soaring, whereas Red Kites hold their wings flat, or slightly downcurved
Short tail, often fanned in flight, which lacks the distinctive fork of a Red Kite’s
Yellow beak, with a black tip
Yellow legs
Often sits with a hunched posture”.
In the UK, Buzzards are on the UK Green List meaning they are doing well and have no conservation concerns. I love them. They remind me of Red-tail Hawks despite the difference in their plumage.
Calico sends everyone some love.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Thank you to Heidi for carefully explaining what happened to her when she posted a few of her videos. At the time, I was so taken aback by the way she was treated that I stopped covering this nest, and despite how much I admire Pepe and Muhlady as parents, other nests will get my attention and donations. Thank you to Hawk Mountain for providing their detailed charts and to Amy Tan for her new book. Thanks, Gracie Shepherd, for the FB post about the second hatch at Superbeaks. Thanks to everyone connected with the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape – Cilla Kinross and to Holly Parsons for being such a great FB group moderator. Once again, I want to thank The Guardian for its articles on wildlife and the environment and OpenVerse for images that can be used on various social media platforms if citations are included.
I am too excited and couldn’t wait til tomorrow to share the fantastic news. Gabby and Beau have their first egg at the NE Florida American Eagle Foundation nest! That egg arrived around 18:33. What a way to start the week!
I hope you had a remarkable weekend and spent some time outside, enjoying the crisp air of late autumn/early winter and getting those legs moving! Don went with Anne to the nature centre for a walk in the golden sunlight and to see if there are any geese on Friday. Toby and I have come in from our walk, and all the Girls, including Calico, are napping. Calico is doing well. Thank you for your kind notes. She is a very special girl to me, and I was so afraid we would lose her!
It has been quite warm. 8 or 9 degrees C on Sunday! We had such a lovely walk. The children were outside playing with only light jackets. We could tell which houses had birdfeeders by the song from their gardens, and many were taking the opportunity to put up fairy lights on a day when their fingers wouldn’t freeze. The time is speeding by. It was a blink, and a week disappeared.
Toby is getting his photo taken with Santa on the 29th. I will post it for you. I can’t imagine taking The Girls to the pet store to get their photo taken although it would be so cute and it is an excellent fundraising idea.
As I mentioned in earlier blogs, the raptors are still in Manitoba, along with hundreds of Canada Geese. It is hard to believe. What else is hard to believe is that for the past couple of weeks, we have seen Christmas trees decorated inside the homes as we go for our evening walk. The lights are gorgeous – I do appreciate them – but when did we start getting ready for the holidays (no matter which one/s you celebrate) right after Halloween?
Look what arrived in the post! (Our postal workers are on rotating strikes, and to receive any mail is rather remarkable.) I am so delighted. The Dyfi calendar is full of beautiful images and historical facts and those beanies will come in handy when winter does arrive.
I want to wish all of our readers who will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week a very special day to enjoy good food and the companionship of friends and family.
SK Hideaways Videos, week of 16 November 2025
Channel Island Bald Eagles Sauces Bald Eagles, Santa Cruz Island, CA: Jak & Audacity’s Stunning Habitat plus Roosting On the Night Perch (2025 Nov 21) Cam ops treated us to spectacular views of Santa Cruz Island before panning to the night perch, where Jak and Audacity roosted for the night. Video: https://youtu.be/G4Wa_vOuuYQ Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTsOesC6hE
West End Eagles: Haku Scarfs Lunch ~ Meets Akecheta on Tor + Night Perch Rendezvous(2025 Nov 18) After cam ops gave us a glorious tour of the area from the HD camera, they caught Haku devouring a nice, big vermilion rockfish on the nest before setting off to Wray’s Rock and then the far tor, where Akecheta met her. As evening approached, they rendezvoused on the night perch, much to the delight of fans. They don’t tend to spend the night on this perch and this night was no exception. But they did seem to spend much of the day together, and most likely roosted together out of prying camera eyes. Videohttps://youtu.be/dLIlDCq_DO0
West End Eagles: Akecheta on Sentry & Haku on Fish + Island Fox ~ HD Cam New Position (2025 Nov 16) The IWS re-positioned the West End low cam for better visibility of the nest (no more secret hideout), but it also provides excellent views of the tors. Here we see both Akecheta and Haku from the re-positioned vantage point. As a bonus, an island fox makes a cameo appearance. Seeing Haku devour a fish on the nest gave us the view we needed to get our bearings of the re-positioned camera. The cherry on top was seeing Akecheta and Haku meet up on the far tor, this time on the original West End camera (not HD, but a wonderful scene nonetheless). (2025 Nov 16; 7:12-15:02) Video: https://youtu.be/ILrE2CbmkoI Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14 Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmAzrAkKqI Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kad6O4nF6bg
Girri Burrows into Diamond for Cute Cuddles (2025 Nov 18) Girri got the cuddles they were craving from super mum Diamond. A mother-child connection at its sweetest. Video: https://youtu.be/aHzjeTDcHcY Girri Tries to Teach Gimbir to Brood ~ Detente is Achieved (2025 Nov 17) 12-day old Girri still likes to be under a parent, where it’s nice and warm. Gimbir, however, hasn’t yet learned how to brood. Despite Girri’s efforts to wedge under Gimbir, it is not to be. A side-by-side arrangement has, however, been achieved. Not to Girri’s full satisfaction, but it’s working. Video: https://youtu.be/vWzj5tnUWOs
FOBBV Eagles, Big Bear Valley, CA Jackie & Shadow Herald the Start of Stick Season ~ with Raven Cameo(2025 Nov 20) It was a 9 stick day in what might have been the beginning of stick season. Jackie and Shadow came and went from the nest throughout the morning with Jackie making a final visit just before dusk. It was all about delivery, but little placement. There’s plenty of time. During the day, Jackie and Shadow rested on Split Pine, a raven visited the nest, and there was a sprinkling of snow at day’s end. Video: https://youtu.be/GNMyJtB-Zbc Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz
Redding Bald Eagles Liberty & Guardian Have Some Branch Management Issues (2025 Nov 19) Liberty and Guardian performed some serious nestorations, some of which involved tricky branch placement. They each had a troublesome branch that we think will require ongoing tweaking before they’re content. Their new nest is coming along beautifully and will be ready for breeding time whenever they are. Video: https://youtu.be/5cl-uDFTq0I Courtesy of Friends of the Redding Eagles, Redding, California Livestream page: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsoftheReddingEagles/streams
SE35 Attacks Camera Parts ~ Tired of Paparazzi (2025 Nov 22) SE35 has had an ongoing rivalry with the nest camera that we fans cling to, day in and day out. With SE36 out exploring, SE35 has been the sole star of the show. On this day, SE35 put their talon down and went after the camera equipment, tired of being in the spotlight. They succeeded in pausing its operation for about 10 minutes, but when operation resumed, we were right there watching. SE35 has since realized that being the object of so many fans’ affections is really not so bad after all. Video: https://youtu.be/_U_eFdYLgec
SE35’s Quandary ~ Self-Feeding or Being Fed ~ Tricky Fish Skin/Bones (2025 Nov 21) When Dad delivered a fish, SE35 was somewhat conflicted between independence and the comfort of being nurtured. It was a pretty gnarly fish from a skin and bones perspective. Lady knew just what to do. She let SE35 stand on part of the fish while feeding the other part. Then she stood back and watched as SE35 practiced self-feeding before helping again. It was a very long meal with lessons learned along the way. Video: https://youtu.be/h0y6JphCKDY
The Tweed Valley Osprey Project has reason to celebrate and so should we. Blue 722.
The Raptor Resource Project wonders which eagles you are watching at Decorah?
Beautiful condors in heraldic pose captured by Tim Huntington.
Speaking of condors, did you catch the Condor chat with Kelly Sorenson and his team at the Ventana Wildlife Society? If you missed it, here is the link and as always, you will learn so much! https://www.youtube.com/live/XBZIu2i9l5s?
Here is the population update and, of course, it is only one page in the presentation. Please do check this presentation out!
‘A’ sends us her commentary on the Australian nests with a nod to Beau and Gabby:
“Just WONDERFUL news about Wisdom. You know my soft spot for albies – I’ve been watching the returnees at Taiaroa Head finding each other and laying eggs. The announcement of the Royal Cam family for this season is coming any minute now – literally. I will let you know when I hear. The educated money is on LGK and LGL, who are experienced parents and previous Royal Cam parents with a fertile egg this year.
Meanwhile, the WBSE story continues to be a happy one, with the eaglets doing fabulously well. They continue to sleep in or near the nest, with their parents nearby, and they continue to return to the nest to wait for food deliveries or follow their parents in to the nest when they see them returning from a successful hunting trip. Each day, they are bigger and stronger and more confident. We can only hope they are following their parents down to the Parramatta River – they have been spotted near River Roost – and learning to fish for themselves. But at least they are getting that chance this year. What was it, I wonder, that so convinced me that this would be the year? As you will recall, I have been saying this since they were far too young for it to be even an educated guess. This was just a ‘feeling’, a premonition if you like. But I did feel it, and you are my proof! I am SO happy to be right about this. There are no words. There has been so much hope with such beautiful eaglets in previous seasons, only for them to come to a tragic end or disappear altogether. But this is so special and so beautiful to watch. They are operating as a family group, and this is the secret to the success of this year’s fledglings.
Meanwhile, I have no news to report on the Collins Street fledglings, and this is good news. My sister tells me that there have been no fledglings brought into care so far – if there are, her husband will know because he will be the person they are likely to be brought to. So the absence of any word is wonderful. I spoke with her this afternoon, just to check, and so far, so good. I am annoyed that Mirvac turned off the cameras on 16 November, so we have no idea whether the chicks are returning to the ledge for food. I am hopeful that they may be, based on what we saw before the cameras went off. The parents both visited the ledge on that final day of footage – I told you about the behaviour in the scrapes – but we also know that all three did return to the ledge on the day of or the day after fledging, and the returnees foraged for leftovers and self-fed in the gutter. So I remain hopeful that they may be continuing to do so.
At Orange, Gimbir is really taking to the role of dad enthusiastically, but it is also true that the little one adores its dad. Watching it trying to get Gimbir to brood made me laugh so much, because of course despite the best efforts of father and chick, nothing was going to make Gimbir large enough to cover the fluffball. Still, both tried hard. Girri was SO determined. The wee one has also followed dad to the ledge more than once – heart in the mouth stuff – and on one occasion, nipped at his tail and wing feathers (playfully or perhaps thoughtfully might be a better description). But it really does seem like dad is a bit of a favourite with Girri.
As you might remember, I was a huge fan of Beau when he was V3 (I believe there were a total of 13 suitors for Gabby when Samson disappeared), and where all the others were pushy, V3 was quiet and loyal and took his time to respect Gabby’s grieving process and the time she needed to bond to a new male. I was always fond of the way he did his courting (yes, anthropomorphising to the max here but he really was the quiet devoted type when all his rivals were the exact opposite). It felt like Gabby needed to take whatever time it took her to process the loss of a long-term partner, and V3 was the only visiting male to recognise that. But whether or not that was the case, Beau certainly had staying power, and he is certainly doing his job with gusto this season. Just take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITiCBZwVQys&list=TLPQMjExMTIwMjVp9OEdcQ6I4Q&index=11. What a man!
Update from WBSE:
November 21: Early to wake and away from the nest before 6am. Dad brought a good-sized fish at 8:35, with SE35 in quickly to claim it. Lady followed soon after with the remains of a gull. SE35 was quick to grab that, a little tussle, Lady fed a little, then SE35 self-fed well, Dad calling in for the tail. Then, it was fairly quiet until mid-afternoon, when one eaglet was close by, with currawong swoopers close too, swooping enthusiastically. Late in the afternoon, the parents were seen down on the river. Then at 7pm, just one was there and one eaglet came in to the nest, hoping, and finding a little scrap. At 7:30pm, Lady and one eaglet were above the nest. The other adult joined them shortly after. The second eaglet was not to be seen. A late duet then. Now all settled?
November 22: Early duets and SE35 came to the nest. At 5:30am, Dad flew in apparently with a small fish which SE35 ate on the nest. Both adults were seen on River Roost. Meanwhile our other eaglet was heard and then seen closer to the river, but in the Armory area. Swoopers were chasing it, ravens and currawongs. SE36 was flying strongly and seen in a tree. Has it been fed during the past day or two when not seen? At 11:20am, SE36 was seen again being chased across parklands – both adults were on River Roost. SE35 was seen below the camera at 13:40, still near home.
So one of our eaglets, SE36, is being chased and harrassed but is apparently flying strongly and could, we know, return to the nest if it wanted to do so. Perhaps it is exploring the Armory area and the Parramatta River, watching its parents fish. It is healthy and strong, so we continue to hope both are doing well even if we don’t see both every day – the BOTG at this nest provide wonderful information for us all. As I type, SE35 is playing with the twine holding the microphone above the nest, having finished eating the fish that Lady brought in.
More when there is news at Taiaroa Head.
Much love to you (and a special chin scratch for Calico)”
And more from ‘A’ on Sunday: “There are some concerns about SE36. Last night, SE35 slept in the nest tree, but I saw no sign of SE36. This morning, SE35 was where it had slept, in the branches of the nest tree, and waiting for breakfast. Around 06:28, a parent flew in to the nest with a piece of leftover fish, and SE35 hurried down the branch, squeeing with excitement, to self-feed. Happy eaglet noises! The juvenile seemed to be begging to be fed but Lady (I think it was mum) was having none of that. You’re a grown-up eaglet now! Feed yourself! Eventually, SE35 settled down to eat very proficiently, gripping the chunk of fish tightly in its left talon. The currawongs were swooping but SE35 seemed unconcerned. The parent remained on a branch above the nest while SE35 ate breakfast. The rain was falling and the wind gusted up and Lady flew higher in the nest tree. SE35 responded by doing a bit of flapping of its own, whether to get the water off its wings or whether a burst of energy suddenly overcame the fledgling, I have no idea. But there was jumping and flapping in the rain. At one stage, SE35 took the chunk of fish halfway up the perch branch, where it ate the remainder of its breakfast, still gripping its fish tightly in its left talon. Very well done SE35. But there was no sign of SE36.
It is noteworthy that only one parent slept in the nest tree last night from what I could see. So the other parent could be with SE36. And it is worth remembering that the BOTG have heard SE36 and spotted it in the Armory area. I think it has also been seen and heard around River Roost. The question is whether SE36 is being fed. When it has been spotted, it has been flying strongly.but it has also been pursued by currawongs. So it is not being harrassed to the point that previous fledglings from this nest have been. However, it is critical that SE36 gets fed, wherever it is at the moment, and I have to wonder why it was not sleeping in the nest tree lasts night, if only because the nest and the nest tree have proved to be a reliable family-run restaurant for both juveniles since fledging. So it follows that if SE36 is healthy and hungry, it should be at or near the nest tree. The only reasons for this not being the case would be that it is injured or exhausted or that it is being fed elsewhere. We have to believe that the BOTG will report some sighting or audio of SE36 today (it is a Sunday in Australia so there should be people out there looking for these two today – and yesterday) and remember that when last spotted, SE36 was in good shape.
We know little or nothing about the dispersal of fledgling sea eagles in this area because there really hasn’t been any recorded, thanks to the damned currawongs. And we have no idea of the genders of these two. So we don’t know whether one or both of the fledglings will instinctively move to establish a territory away from the nest area, though I would be surprised if either has learned to hunt independently as yet. So there remains a concern that if SE36 is not returning to the nest tree, things are not proceeding as smoothly as they have been. I will of course get today’s ranger report to you asap. It should be posted in the next couple of hours, but with daylight savings, it could be as late as 8pm (it’s 5.22pm now and I would expect it by 6.30).
After breakfast, SE35 hung around in the nest tree, drying out its wings once the rain stopped, and occasionally vocalising when a currawong came too close. It was obvious that a number of them were above SE35 in the nest tree, but SE35 seemed confident that it was the boss. SE35 is the most exquisite creature, looking absolutely beautiful with its wings outstretched and the glint of the early morning sunlight on its plumage. After foraging around in the nest for any scraps, SE35 flew off the nest at 08:27.
Shortly after 3:05pm, an eaglet landed on the nest. I am not sure which one but I think it may have been SE36. They’re very hard to tell apart when they’re not together, and I could easily be wrong because the pics of SE35 from this morning were in quite heavy rain and its plumage was therefore looking different. This afternoon visitor was getting dive-bombed by currawongs, swooping low over the nest, and it stood in the centre of the nest, looking up at the currawongs and vocalising as they swooped past. It was definitely an aggressive response, not one of fear and intimidation. But the currawongs are certainly as relentless as they have been in every previous season. Certainly, this prolonged dive-bombing did not occur this morning when SE35 was on the nest, so I wonder whether that also suggests that this afternoon eaglet is SE36. If so, the currawongs are attacking it far more fiercely than they did SE35 this morning, which is concerning, but SE36 (if it is 36) is giving back as much as it can muster and is refusing to be cowed. No parent arrived with food, though the eaglet continued to hang around in the nest tree.
So SE36 has not been seen at the nest for the past two days, so we are starting to worry. SE35 is doing wonderfully well but I am concerned about SE36. “
“There was no ranger’s report for WBSE yesterday, which is why I didn’t send it to you, but I was hoping it would go up later. Not so. I fear they may have decided the season is over and ceased doing daily reports, which is frustrating because now is when we really need them. There has been no sign of SE36 at or near the nest for two days and two nights now, which is very worrying because it represents a sudden change from the routine the fledglings had established since leaving the nest. I can only hope for the best, and rely on the parents to do their job. At least SE35 is doing well and standing its ground against the currawongs. But I am very worried for SE36.
News from Taiaroa Head is that the RoyalCam couple for this year is BOK and WYL, who raised a chick in 2024 at Top Flat Track. These are experienced parents and are incubating a fertile egg.”
Thanks, ‘A’ – so glad there is no news to report on the Collins Street kids. It is as they say: No news is good news!
We are all concerned about what is happening to the osprey and other species due to industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay region – I say region because Omega goes out from the Bay since they have taken all of its Menhaden. Heidi found a really informative article from The Washington Post for us on this very subject. Please lobby to protect the ospreys!
Red Kites are one of the most magnificent raptors. The RSPB describes them thus: “This magnificently graceful bird of prey is unmistakable with its reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail. It was saved from national extinction by one of the world’s longest-running protection programmes. It has now been successfully re-introduced to England and Scotland. Red Kites are listed under Schedule 1 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act.” In terms of their conservation status, the RSPB states: “Back in Shakespeare’s day, Red Kites were really common, even in cities, where they acted as clean-up crews, catching rodents and scavenging on the scraps of meat that littered the streets. But attitudes changed and Red Kites became the victims of intense persecution. By the end of the 19th century, they were extinct in Scotland, England and Ireland, and just a few pairs were clinging on in Wales.
Thanks to reintroduction projects led by the RSPB and other organisations, Red Kites have made an astonishing comeback in the UK, with numbers increasing by 2,464% between 1995 and 2023. The UK is now home to about 17% of the world’s population.”
The study intended to shed light on the release of non-native gamebirds in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, which is proving problematic. Thank you, Raptor Persecution UK.
What a stunning image by one of our Manitoba photographers of a Northern Harrier.
Mark Avery brings us up to date in his 21 November blog on Bird Flu in the UK:
“Bird flu: Defra’s most recent update seems to cover the period up to 16 November and has a lot of positive records, especially of wildfowl, with Black Swan, four new duck species and Woodpigeon added to the 2025 list of affected species bringing the total to 52: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Black Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Eider, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Gannet, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Razorbill, Guillemot, Puffin, Black Guillemot, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant,Woodpigeon, Greenfinch and Starling. The flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here.
Notice, Woodpigeon is on the list. Maybe it would be helpful to know a bit more about those Woodpigeon movements at this time of year.
In Germany (1000+ birds) and France (maybe 10,000 birds) very large numbers of migrating European Cranes have died of bird flu. “
It’s not a bird or a plane, but just a bit of fun with fashionable dogs and a cat in Country Life! (I do think Toby fits the Spaniel – his ability to track the cats that come to the garden is undeniable!)
Toby has more winter outfits than I do! He loves his red turtleneck.
Adorable friends.
Dear Calico.
Toby and Hugo Yugo caught horsing around.
Thank you so much for being with us today! We hope that you have a marvellous week with lots of birdsong and fresh air – please do get outside if you can! It really does raise your spirits. We look forward to having you with us again next week.
I want to thank SK Hideaways and ‘A’ for their generous contributions to my blog. SK Hideaways’s videos are first-rate and I am so grateful that they create them out of love for the birds and not for subscription numbers. That said, please give them a like and share them with friends and family. I also want to thank ‘A’ for their lively commentary and observations of the Australian raptor families. To the owners of the streaming cams, the blogs and the FB groups that are indicated in bold throughout my blog, my post would not be the same without you, too. I am grateful to all of you!
Tuesday was a beautiful day in the Canadian prairies. Oh, you cannot know how grateful I am. We have been planning to take Anne to Bird’s Hill Park to hand-feed the Black-capped Chickadees. She has heard us talk about our walks there and how the wee songbirds land on your hands to take the Black oilseed. It is a pre-Thanksgiving ‘thank you’ to Anne. I could not survive without her help and support.
It was so warm that we had a wee picnic of sorts at Pineridge Hollow. Toby was so good, and I am certain that The Girls were happy to have a wee break from their brother for the afternoon. It was just a perfect day. Walking the trails among the tall pine trees was renewing!
The little birds did not disappoint!
It was a wonderful surprise Tuesday evening to see that the Dark-eyed Juncos have returned from the north and have stopped over in the garden to fatten up for migration! There were at least two dozen of them pecking away at the seed on the deck. I hope to get some decent images of them for the next blog. They are so cute!
Several have asked about Brock. He is still here despite Toby. Toby seems to know when Brock is around. So Brock and I have developed a method of getting his food to him without Toby knowing. Brock comes to the door and lets me know he is waiting for food. Once I see him, he goes under the deck and waits. I take out the food, sometimes with Toby, and then as I close the door and secure Toby inside, I call ‘kitty kitty’. Brock will come out to eat within five minutes.
Migration count is underway in West Africa, posted by Mary Cheadle:
Dyfi have posted a wonderful blog, and I urge each of you to read it. Mrs G is the ‘UK Iris’ equivalent who bred at Glaslyn. Her last mate was the adorable Aran, who was usurped this year by Teifi. Perhaps Aran will return and take his nest with Elen in 2026, as the nest failed this year due to all the drama. We will wait. Aran will need to return early and work to win Elen’s heart. Elen might be smart to breed with Aran again because his chicks (along with Mrs G’s great DNA) are returning!
Blue 497 -talk about a handsome bird!!!!!!!!! Just look at him. The first Glaslyn male known to be breeding in Wales. Two chicks this year, but one possibly fell out of the nest at 5 weeks, and the other disappeared at 7 weeks, possibly predated by a goshawk.
The cameras at Captiva’sWindow to Wildlife Bald Eagle and Osprey nests are going live today.
Ashley Wilson continues to find Newmann and Elaine at the scrape at Spirit Bluff. They will migrate soon.
The fledgling at the Selati Black Eagle nest has brought its first caught prey to the nest!
Meanwhile, like other Bald Eagles, Jackie and Shadow are returning to their nest to kick start the 2025-26 season at Big Bear Lake.
At the West End, the juvenile Bob returned to spend some time with Haku. https://youtu.be/Hlct5mJkthw? SK Hideaways caught it!
Gorgeous Haku on Tor:
Beau and Gabby are ready for a very successful season at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest.
The Majestics are working on their Denton Homes nest.
Andor with his blue wing tag at the Fraser Point nest on the Channel Islands. Cruz flew in, too.
The IWS is having its annual fall fundraiser. You could be a winner! At least one of my readers has named one of the eaglets at the West End nest (Treasure), and I was selected to name one of the other eaglets – Phoenix – at one of the other nests without a streaming cam. Many have won beautiful photographs and kit. We are eternally grateful to Dr Sharpe and his team for all the work they did to restore the Bald Eagle population to the islands after the DDT debacle.
There is much discussion over the female (or perhaps both) eagles at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands nest. Is this Mum? Or is it a new female? Is this even Dad??? Without definitive markings (the mark on the head could be an injury, prey blood, etc), it is impossible to know without Darvic Rings.
Checking on the Australian nests –
The 367 Collins Street adults are doing an incredible job feeding and taking care of their triplets in Melbourne.
Dad took over incubation so Mum could have his breakfast. She returned with a really full crop. Oh, hatch is coming so soon – seriously, I cannot wait to see a baby osprey. It seems like forever.
There have been at least nine different species of prey delivered to the kiddos at the 367 Collins Street falcon scrape in Melbourne since they hatched. Nothing short of adorable with their pink beaks and feet but now their eyes appear to be open (normally after five days).
ABC Science discusses the life of urban birds in Melbourne. Have a watch and a listen. They even mention the falcons! https://youtu.be/0EA3VNP2vJM?
Oh, how I love the Sydney sea eaglets. Lady and Dad are doing a magnificent job bringing in prey. Their plumage is stunning. About this time in their development, my stomach gets a little queasy. The mobbing of the eaglets as they fledge, causing them to bolt out of the forest, on occasion, or to be injured and hanging around the Discovery Centre, sends me running for the Gaviscon.
Calico urges you to help her and her feathered friends. Educate those you know who might be opting to get their lawns ‘greener’. The toxins kill the ‘food chain’.
‘PB’ asked me when I plan to publish the results of this year’s Osprey data. I hope to have finished entering my data by the end of October. Heidi is finished! I have the following to enter: 35 nests in Nova Scotia, 18 nests in Italy, and 15 failed nests from Maryland. There are, of course, hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of failed nests in Virginia and the surrounding area that will not be in the forms, sadly. We do not have enough information other than that there were no Menhaden for the adults, and the nests failed, resulting in no eggs, eggs being abandoned, or chicks starving to death on the nest.
The report from William & Mary University is below and paints the stark picture that Heidi and I have seen and predicted for a couple of years. I am embarrassed that this is a Canadian Company that is killing the entire ecosystem. It makes me so angry.
If the waters of New Zealand are warming up faster than we can blink, when will the impact hit the various seabird colonies? This article in The Guardian discusses the warming seas.
There is other good news – not just for us but for the birds. I am forever an optimist that we can change the way we live and, in turn, create better spaces for wildlife, including our feathered friends. For the first time, considering the international scene, renewable energy is powering homes and industries instead of fossil fuels. PRC is leading this change. China is rapidly expanding its solar and wind energy capacity, surpassing the total of the rest of the world combined. India has turned to renewables and is lessening their need for coal. Solar power is gaining momentum in Pakistan and various African countries, including Nigeria, Algeria, and Zambia. In fact, solar power provides more than 80% of the new energy.
It’s migration season. Some tips on when to help a bird from Wild Birds Unlimited.
Thank you so much for being with us today! Please take care of yourself. We will see you next Monday if not before! Looking for a hatch at Port Lincoln. Wonder when it will come?
Thank you to the individuals and owners of streaming cams and individuals posting for various FB groups listed in Bold. You keep us informed. A particular shout-out to SK Hideaways for their videos. The Guardian and Bush Heritage Australia continue to publish great articles on wildlife and the environment. We are grateful.
There was quite the scare at Sauces Canyon Friday when a huge placenta was brought in that covered most of SC1. The wee one was shivering. The camera operator stayed and caught Audacity doing everything she could to save her little one. She was moving and shuffling and removing matter to free SC1. It took two hours. Everyone was holding their breath.
Meanwhile the nest is simply full of food including a dead seal pup and a lot of Mackerel.
SC1 standing up for a meal after its arduous ordeal. Another miracle. Poor little thing could use a bit of a wipe. But who cares – SC1 looks fine.
In other Eagle news, Bodie and the visitor at NE Florida are quite settled in with one another. Gabby even fed the other juvenile – and, of course, Bodie got fed as well. Many are hoping that the American Eagle Foundation will give the adopted eaglet a name.
Bodie did not go hungry! Look at this crop. It is a wonder she can stand upright.
The two at Big Bear Valley are doing so well. Look closely, the pin feathers are coming in. The little one is scampering around that egg cup wanting ‘out’. They are flapping their little wings and growing fast.
The eaglets at John Bunker Sands Wetlands are gorgeous.
The triplets at Duke Farms are doing well. Their mum was heroic in keeping them as dry as she could during the recent storm. They have their dark thermal down coming in which allows them to regulate their temperatures but, oh, what a lovely sight she was tucking them in as best she could. Just look today.
At the NCTC nest, Bella and Scout’s little one had its first feeding. It is fine. Scout was there to see it hatch and has brooded the wee one. This is good news. https://youtu.be/0aPqI9_OW5c?
Mr North and Mrs DNF have a hatch in progress or two at the Decorah North nest in Iowa.
Hancock Wildlife Foundation announced today that their Surrey nest of Brit and Rey has their second egg of the season.
We are keeping eyes on several other nests for pips that include Harvey and Ellie at the Kansas Eagle Cam on Farmer Derek’s land, the other egg for Bella and Scout at the NCTC nest, and US Steel.
Osprey News:
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris has arrived home. They just turned the camera on and as if by magic, there he was. So happy to see him home. It is nine days earlier than his usual arrival date of March 30th. Now let’s get his mate Telyn home soon – and safe.
Known as ‘Daddy Longlegs’, Idris is an excellent fisher. He must have been hungry. Look at those whoppers at the nest.
Kielder Nest 7: Female KX7 arrives! This is the earliest arrival ever of an osprey back at Kielder Forest. Her mate is KM18, yet to arrive.
Threave Castle: Blue KC has arrived on the nest to join her mate Black 80 on the 20th of March.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 that helped raise our fine osplets to fledge with its mate CJ7 has arrived home safely! He wasted no time in starting to work on their nest.
Glaslyn: Elen, Aran’s mate, arrived back on the Glaslyn nest this morning and then flew over to the PC nest which interestingly has a camera this year. Wonder who will get to watch it?
Meigs Point, Connecticut: The unringed male has returned on the 19th of March. He immediately began to work on the nest – cleaning out that egg cup.
Eschenbach: Hermine has not returned yet. The visiting female is getting more comfortable. Joan Castanyer writes: “Herbert follows the courtship rituals with the female, from gifts in the form of fish to displays of submission. In the video we can see him with his back to her, flapping his wings. Meanwhile, the female complains because he, instead of fish, has brought material for the nest. The candidacy of the new partner is strengthened, although there is still time for Hermine.”
Mark Avery has an update on Bird Flu in his latest news blast. I am cutting and pasting here for all of you. This is going to be a potentially catastrophic year for our feathered friends.
Bird flu 1: there are currently many UK cases of bird flu and the list of affected bird species has reached 31 for 2025: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Little Gull, Cormorant, Razorbill, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant and Starling. It might look as if gulls, wildfowl and raptors are particularly affected, and it’s possible that’s the case, but the flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme (negative tests not publicly reported, limited numbers tested, no systematic testing) mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here. An interesting gull list and just one passerine in the list!
Bird flu2: wintering Sandhill Cranes have been dying of bird flu in Indiana – 1500+ of them (click here). This link – click here – provides information from the USA on detections in wild birds but also in dairy cows (quite a lot) and there are some human cases including one death, it seems. Robert F. Kennedy, who was put in charge of health matters by Trump, has suggested letting the disease rip in order to find the resistant birds that could form the basis for building a resistant stock. Something similar was considered as a covid response in the UK. US scientists are quoted as opposing Kennedy’s suggestion because intensively-farmed chickens and turkeys are killed so quickly that they never (?) produce antibodies to the disease. I wonder what the death rate is in Wild Turkeys in the USA?
Bird flu3: a paper in British Birds (by Tim Birkhead and Ben Hatchwell) assesses the impacts of bird flu on the Guillemot colony on Skomer which has been studied for five decades. The 2023 outbreak of bird flu led to a higher-than-usual number of recoveries of (dead) ringed Guillemots that July and August and counts of ringed birds in 2024 suggested that about a quarter of the colony had been lost the year before. There were impacts on nesting success too which will take some years to work their way through. For a not very relevant comparison (perhaps), UK human covid deaths in 2020 numbered around 72,000, or 1 in 1000 of the population, or 0.1%.
In Manitoba, the Assembly of First Nations has issued a statement on Bird Flu. As you can see, the concern is world-wide. Please help by keeping your feeders and bird baths clean and follow any directives that you are given. So far no one is asking for songbird feeders to be taken down. The fear is for the migratory birds that are coming to their spring and summer breeding grounds.
‘PB’ loved Smallie like all of us. She sends news that there are three falcon eggs at Amersfoort. How grand!
At Robert Fuller’s kestrel nest, the couple, Apollo and Athena, are fighting to protect their eggs. https://youtu.be/qFeLnxjXT24?
The’ quiet’ was one of the best things about being on Hecla Island during the winter. (The hardest was being away from The Girls). Hardly anyone was there except for those ice fishing and the odd tourists. The snow was pure white – not dirty with salt and sand like the City. You could see the deer in the woods, the Crows and Eagles flying overhead, and some small birds murmuring. A few gulls were sitting on the top of the lighthouse and, of course, at least one very large grey wolf. Without the foliage, it was also easy to spot Crow nests, a few eagle nests and one osprey, one near Winnipeg Beach. It felt so good. As most of you know, I am not fond of the City. While I have dreamed of moving to ‘the middle of nowhere’, my heart is also with the animals that occupy our garden. So this summer, we must plant even more trees to enclose us; perhaps, it will be a buffer for noise and other humans. Yellow Warblers on the Galapagos Islands feel the same as I do about traffic noise!
Closing on a really upbeat note – Cornell’s Red Tail Hawk Big Red has been working on that egg cup on Friday. We could have eggs soon!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, articles, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, Duke Farms, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Dyfi Osprey Project, Kielder Forest Ospreys, Threave Castle, Meigs Point Ospreys, Eschenbach Ospreys, Joanna Castanyer, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Lynn Cracknell, Knepp Farm White Storks, Cultured Northeast, First Alert 6, Mark Avery, Robert Fuller, Town of Amersfoort Falcons, The Guardian, LRWT, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Manitoba Assembly of First Nations, Osp, Birds of Poole Harbour, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn
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
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.
