Category Archives: climate change

Jersey eats more, hatches, arrivals…Thursday in Bird World

28 March 2024

Good Morning!

Hugo Yugo seems to be doing fantastic. She is extremely lovable and continues to sleep on my head or chest at night. All you have to do is whisper her name and she is there.

I just remembered that I needed to add ‘enchanted’ before Missey. ‘J’ thinks Missey belongs in the ‘Magical Kingdom of Landover’ and ‘she should be able to talk’. Now don’t tell anyone, but I think she does! Missey has now taken Baby Hope under her arm and is proving to be a good second Mum to her if I could only train Missey to clean Hugo Yugo’s eyes.

Good news is coming in from the nests, but we must start with a magical image of a rainbow coming over Telyn at the Dyfi Osprey nest she shares with her mate, Idris, in Wales. Totally enchanting! Now come on Idris, come home.

Irish poet WB Years reminds us: “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

Seren Blue 5F arrived home from The Gambia this morning. Now we wait for Dylan to get to Llyn Clywedog in Wales! She might be wishing for that West African sun.

Isn’t this one a cutie? Liberty and Guardian’s first hatch at Redding.

I am always happy to have egg on my face. It appears that darling Laddie did survive and has now returned to his nest with Blue NCO to start another season. Let us all send good wishes and hope that he is up to the task at hand and this lovely pair at the Loch of the Lowes do not have any intruders to harm them or cause harm to their babies this year. I can hardly believe it. Fantastic.

Thanks, Geemeff.

Laddie wastes no time getting reacquainted. Is there a competition between him and Blue 33 for first eggs laid?

I have spent a greater proportion of my post for the last couple of days on the situation at Duke Farms. There is a clear reason for this – the detailed study of the eagles’ behaviour when food becomes in short supply and the reaction of the eaglets to one another. We are only seeing the second hatch, Jersey, gain more confidence today. Jersey is self-feeding, and Mum seems to have figured out how to manage the situation in the nest. The situation here is no different than it would be on an osprey nest when the eldest has perceived insufficient food for all and begins attacking its sibling/s. It could wind up being siblicide, but, I am hopeful that unless there is another dramatic reduction in prey, we will have two fledges at the Duke Farms nest in 2024.

On Wednesday at 11:26, Mum finds an old fish tail in the rim of the nest. She feeds Leaper. Jersey is obviously interested but afraid. The little one moves around the rim of the nest to get closer to the feeding area. At the point where Leaper has a full crop, Jersey moves up and begins to self-feed on the fish tail. Leaper goes to sleep. At this point Mum begins to feed Jersey who has a nice crop by 12:03. Mum literally stuffs Jersey with all the remaining fish taking advantage of Leaper being in a food coma. The feeding ends at 1212 when there is no longer any food on the nest.

We now wait to see if more food will come to the nest. The good news is that food did arrive.

‘A’ notes, “Jersey lined up mum and did a large and very healthy-looking PS straight at Mum from a distance of only inches (17:54:33). He hit her squarely on the top of her head (she was working on getting bites off the remaining prey – that giant fish has now become a very long spine. It looks amazing. Jersey has eaten today. This is one extremely good mother. She has worked very hard to keep these two alive. When it rained this afternoon, she was the perfect mumbrella, keeping both her growing eaglets warm and dry, She is devoted and smart. I am starting to become very attached to her. But both chicks will go to bed with full tummies and good crops tonight.”

Dad came in with a headless fish and little Jersey ate and ate….that sweetie pie was so full it turned away from the fresh fish at 17:54. Reports are that the the Raritan River is low and not as muddy as it was. In addition, the State of New Jersey is putting the trout back into the rivers so let us hope that fish will be plentiful on the nest.

Getting a late night snack. Jersey has an enormous crop.

How cute is little Jersey?

Jersey had a good morning on Friday so far.

Friday morning at Duke Farms with ‘A’: “

Mum was absolutely saturated after sheltering her eaglets overnight, and had the biggest flap of her wings to try and get the water off – then repeated the exercise three more times. Poor mum. It was a long, wet night, but Jersey got the best of it in terms of shelter, staying pretty dry for most of the night. 

Jersey has had a lovely morning. He missed out on the first feeding, which mum gave him from the leftover torso (or whatever that was), but there was no bonking whatsoever before or after the first breakfast, just a lot of snuggling and preening, including a little allopreening from Leaper to her little brother. She is very sweet to him when she’s not thrashing him. 

When mum returned to feed a smallish whole fish lying on the side of the nest, Jersey went into submission and Leaper began eating, but was full fairly quickly and turned away. Jersey got to the table relatively quickly and began his snatch and grab style of eating. Mum was so patient, even ensuring that when he dropped a piece and she went to pick it up, she moved slowly and carefully near Jersey so that he didn’t get startled or cringe away from the food. She waited for him to take each bite, offering it as many times as necessary. Jersey downed some large pieces, but one was too big for him, even on the second or third attempt, and turned away, so mum ate that bit herself. Jersey had managed the tail, with attached flesh!! He actually ate so much that he had had enough and ended the feeding as a result. He had a large crop. 

After breakfast number two, mum broods her eaglets again. So cute. They are probably a bit damp still, and it has been raining lightly on and off through the morning. She is such a devoted mum and she is having a terrible hair day. 

Just before 08:46 dad flies in with a large whole fish. Is this the first food delivery from dad in five days? I think it may well be. It’s a lovely big fish and he leaves it on the edge of the nest for mum to manage. The babies are too full to bother, so she gets up and flies off the nest. At 08:53:31 dad is back with a talonful of damp grasses, which he spreads about the place. He then takes hold of the fish, drags it closer to the cuddle puddle of eaglets, and offers a bite to Jersey. Despite being literally entwined in Leaper, Jersey is not too scared to accept the bite!!!

This is massive. Normally, he would not have had the courage and would have cringed away from dad’s beak, probably going into a submissive tuck. But now, he takes the bite without hesitation. He is not interested in the second bite offered so dad starts hoeing into the head of the fish himself. Leaper at this stage decides to stand up and stretch. Jersey stays where he is, not cringing or tucking. Leaper lines up for her second PS of the morning (Jersey too has done a very large and healthy PS earlier this morning). 

Leaper now moves up to the table beside Jersey, who is a little nervous and pulls away just slightly but still remains up at the table, his head up. Leaper does nothing to intimidate or hurt him. Dad continues to eat. Leaper watches. So does Jersey. Eventually dad gives Leaper a bite. Jersey stays where he is. He considers leaning towards dad but thinks better of it. Still he is up at the table, wary but not in submission. Dad continues to feed Leaper. There is NO bonking. There has been none all morning. 

Suddenly, at 08:59:30, Jersey reaches across in front of Leaper to take a bite from dad. Leaper is fine with this and does nothing to stop Jersey eating. Dad is doing pretty well out of this fish head himself, feeding the occasional mouthful to Leaper. Jersey remains beside and slightly in front of Leaper, watching carefully. It is 09:03. Just after 09:04, dad offers a bite to Jersey, who accepts it, without any reaction from Leaper. This is SO good to watch. 

Jersey takes another bite. And another. Dad doles out the tiniest pieces. A very different feeding technique to mum’s (I haven’t watched dad feed these chicks at all in the past week). Both chicks are still full from their earlier breakfast, and turn away from the table to snuggle up together again. 

We will see what the rest of the day brings, but so far, this has been the best morning on this nest in about a week. Little Jersey has eaten very well already, with a very large crop, as has Leaper, and there has been not one incident of aggression from Leaper at all. Nothing. Perhaps the food insecurity has gradually abated and Leaper has calmed down. We will see. CertaInly, it was wonderful to see dad bring in a nice big fish this morning.”

There is word of a possible pip at the Centreport Bald Eagle nest on Long Island, New York.

R6 does not want us to forget how handsome he is! Ron and Rose at the WRDC nest agree along with all his fans.

It will not be long til these beautiful eaglets leave their natal nest area. Clearly M15 and F23 have E23 in training. I had to laugh. I thought Hugo Yugo was very loud when she protests that she is ‘starving to death’ on the kitchen counter. Well, E23 sure is loud! it was a good year for M15. This amazing dad deserved it.

Not only are the Osprey having great challenges due to the overfishing of shallow swimming fish like the Menhaden, but now there are different issues with the salmon industry – and they are, as Geemeff, describes, sounding ominous.

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At the same time, I would draw your attention to these two articles that outline the severe impact that the fish shortage because of commercial fishing is going to have on the Atlantic and Gulf Ospreys in the US.

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I will continue to call for individuals that have the access and authority to set aside a pond for the birds of prey so that they can eat. For all of us to call for a moratorium on commercial fishing of Menhaden and for the curtailing of fishing by long line trawler regardless of where they are fishing in the world. There are not too many Ospreys in the US. What is happening is a steep decline right before our very eyes. The population is anything but stable. ‘H’ and I found this in comparing the data from the US and the UK in the 2023 nests that we observed.

Somewhere there is a Bald Eagle nest struggling, just like we saw when an adult is injured, dead, or missing for a few days. This time it is due to the frolicking killing by a human.

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Checking in on Monty and Hartley and their incubation.

Hartley lays her third egg!

Archie is so cute. These males are so tiny and trying to get four big eggs under them is sometimes a bit of a challenge.

The Black Storks are beginning to arrive in Latvia! Oh, how I wish Karl II was going to be flying into Estonia. What a loss he will be.

Is Mrs O back at Tweed Valley?

Warren and Della are back at Mispillion Harbour working on their nest. Della is notorious for loving ‘yellow’ things – she brings them to make the nest more beautiful! Kinda’ like dear Jack did with his stuffies at Dahlgren.

The trio at Frenchman’s Creek are doing well. The third hatch does have to wait in line, but sometimes manages to get a private feeding.

The triplets at the West End are doing exceptionally well. As I have said, Thunder sat on them when they acted up and they didn’t get to eat then. Food is a great motivator!

Harry came in with a couple of big fish for Sally and the two osplets. Looks like the other egg is not going to hatch – no problem! Two healthy osplets are just fine.

Mark your calendars. We are 3 days and 11 hours from ‘Iris Watch’. For those who do not know who Iris is, she is believed to be the oldest osprey in the world. Her nest is in a parking lot at the Riverview Health Centre at Hellcat Canyon, Missoula, Montana. Her first mate, Stanley, and her were very happy. Her second mate, Louis, has another nest and life has been rough. There have been no chicks for at least five years and many would like to see Iris have another mate. Louis would have to give up the territory and his domination of Iris despite having Star on the nest at the Baseball Park. For me, I hope she has another wonderful summer fishing and catching those big whoppers she is known for. Iris gets her name from the flecks in her right eye.

In San Francisco, Richmond and Rosie will have more rain which is delaying their nest building – and it looks like they have a lot of materials required. Do you remember the year the Crows kept taking all of their sticks when they would bring them in? Oh, goodness. Maybe they will leave the ospreys alone this year!

Many of you have asked about Mr President and Lotus. The AEF has posted the following information today. Unfortunately, it appears that we will not even get updates on their breeding season.

Thank you for being with me 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: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, Michael Academia, SP’, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, FORE, Geemeff, Duke Farms, Centrepoint Eagles, WRDC, Misqually Valley News, frontiers, AOL, SK Hideaways, Maria Marika, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Heidi McGrue, Frenchman’s Creek, IWS/Explore, Moorings Park, Montana Osprey Project, SF Ospreys, and the AEF.

Eagle Country welcomes second chick…Saturday in Bird World

3 February 2024

Good Morning and Good Gracious.

It was a marvellous Friday. The temperature rose to +5 C in some areas while at others it stayed around +3. The two degrees didn’t matter. The sky was blue and the sun was shining bright. People were happy!

Missey and Baby Hope looking out the window.

Missey and Hope had finished their lunch. If you are wondering ‘why’ Hugo Yugo grew so much in a month, well, ….She finished her dish and then decided to go around and eat anything left in her sisters’ bowls while they are busy watching birds!

It was not clear what would happen when Baby Hope discovered Hugo Yugo eating her food….Nothing. The older ones seem to tolerate anything that Hugo Yugo does. It is astonishing.

Then Hugo Yugo showed that she is capable of problem solving. There was one piece of food on the opposite side of the dish. She could not get at it very well. She tried her paw. That didn’t work.

So, what did she do? She went around to the other side of the dish. Ate every last nibble. Well done, Hugo Yugo!

2 February was not just Ground Hog Day or the day that Flaco escaped from the Central Park Zoo, but it was also the day we said goodbye to Harriet, the matriarch of the SW Florida Bald Eagle Nest on the Pritchett property in Fort Myers. Today, marks the beginning of M15 doing the amazing – he raised two one-month old eaglets to fledge all by himself while fending off numerous unsuitable female eagles! 

It was a scary time for everyone and no one knew how this story would end, but M15 showed himself to be worth of the top spot of Top Dad for 2023 easily. E21 and E22 thrived. 

M15 had multiple options, and he chose well. F23 has turned out to be a wonderful mate, and E23 is a healthy, happy eaglet. Look closely and see the colour around the mandible changing to yellow.

Too cute.

I am in tears. The other eagle family that we are so desperate to have chicks this year is at Sauces, and Audacity laid her first egg on Friday. That nest is lined with soft materials (compared to Big Bear). Oh, please, let them have a chick this year! Parachute one in if you have to, Dr Sharpe! Surely there is an orphan eaglet somewhere.

The snow at Big Bear appears to have stopped, but it isn’t melting. Shadow took a turn incubating and then flew around the nest getting a nice stick for the railing. He must be calculating how many new sticks he has to bring in if there could be three eaglets!

It took a bit to get Shadow to get up off the nest!

Both eagles of Abby and Blaze look fantastic – soft dandelion heads and that deep nest bowl keeps us wanting to see more of them!

Swampy hatched on the 31st of January and Meadow hatched today. There was some bonking and Swampy is getting the majority of the food. Fingers crossed that Meadow will be resilient!

The surviving eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands appears to be doing fine. Being fed well, but goodness, I wish that support was transparent!

At the Captiva nest, Lusa is now self-feeding!

11:42:08 AMLusaANOTHER MILESTONE!Can now SELF FEED.

The clean up crew is working hard on the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. The lads were off early in search of fish.

‘A’ reports on the Royal Albatross: ”At Taiaroa Head, the wee one at BOK and WYL’s nest needed to eat this morning, and so far, new mum BOK has not managed to do this. So the rangers swapped little TFT (Top Flat Track) chick with TF chick, putting TF under BOK and bringing TFT chick to mum LGL. Immediately, foster mum LGL fed the chick, which will presumably now be switched back to its own nest. A close eye will be kept on the weights of both chicks, with twice-daily weighing for TFT chick and daily checks for rapidly growing TF chick.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKbM5HBesZ0. “

And she also brings us the news from yesterday at the Parramatta River: “February 2: Last evening (1 February) at 7:39pm an eagle flew from the island area and across the wetlands. With poor light, it was impossible to identify. Shortly after, an osprey was seen with a fish, heading back to Concord. Early this morning, our team reported SE31 at the river, first at Juvie Roost then closer to River Roost. She was seen later attempting a catch from the river, but it seemed nothing edible. The juvenile was confirmed as SE31, as she was using her favourite roosts and flight paths. During the day, the adults were seen at Goat Island, then flying west together at 4:30pm. Ospreys were active on the river in the late afternoon. Then, the adults were seen back at Goat Island again.”

They are watching for the first egg at Dulles-Greenway with Rosa and her new mate.

Everyone at the WRDC nest is alright. They survived the drought of prey items and the nappy and R6 looks to be in fine health.

Enjoying some shade!

We are about 3 weeks from the first egg at Denton Homes with Mum and Beau. (Yes, another Beau).

Some activity over at Decorah North, too – and a fish gift!

The Hatchery Eagles were at the nest, too.

Your eyes are not fooling you if you look at the amount of water around the nest of Liberty and Guardian in Redding, California. ”Sacramento River’s water flow triples…” – this is due to the latest heavy rainfall in the area.

More bad weather is expected with mudslides…

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SE 31 has not gone anywhere!

Everyone should be serious about plastic and demand alternatives just like the lead in fishing, hunting, and military use. This is for the UK, but maybe it should be international.

I want to give a big shout-out to Mary Cheadle. Mary handles all the fundraising projects for The Friends of Loch Arkaig. When Jean-marie Dupart was asked what he needed, he answered he needed a new pair of binoculars to count the UK and European Ospreys in West Africa. We are so grateful for Dupart’s sightings and photographs. Mary undertook the challenge of raising funds, and today, she announced that she had “raised £1085 for Jean-marie’s binos.” That is amazing. Thank you, Mary! And thank you, Jean-Marie, for always informing us of the Osprey counts and the sightings of ringed birds.

Cranes were made extinct in the UK in the 16th century. This past year they bred in record numbers.

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Wetlands are positively essential to our feathered friends. Did you know that 1/4 of North America’s wetlands are in Canada? 

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The following article has a map showing the Boreal Forest and more information about its importance to our planet, not just our feathered friends.

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You know Flaco, the escapee Eurasian Owl in Central Park. He is celebrating a year of freedom. It is highly unlikely Flaco will ever have a mate. Today I found this – a bonded pair of Eurasian Owls in Estonia. Have a peek.

They are Hugo and Hanna. She is on the nest platform and he is on the tree branch.

The Peregrine Fund reminds us of some facts about Eurasian Owls:

  • Eurasian Eagle-owls combine fast and powerful flights with shallow wing beats and long, fast glides. They also soar on updrafts, displaying a type of flight similar to that of soaring hawks like the Red-tailed Hawk.
  • Eurasian Eagle-owls are among the world’s largest owls.
  • Their pumpkin orange eyes and feathery ear tufts make them one of the most striking owls in the world.

“Eurasian Eagle-owl, Bubo bubo, Uhu” by Sonja & Roland is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

They also state, “Eurasian Eagle-owls are found throughout much of Europe and Asia and in parts of northern Africa. They live in a variety of wooded habitats. They are more commonly found in areas with rocky outcrops and cliffs, but they also live in open habitats that have some trees and rocky areas like taiga, farmlands, steppes, semi-arid areas, and grasslands.

Eurasian Eagle-owls seem to do well in most types of habitat if there are available nesting spots and adequate prey. These large, beautiful owls have even been documented living in city parks. One owl showed up at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland. This potential fan spent time hanging out on the goal post, causing the game to be delayed for several minutes!” 

Eurasian Owls are under threat. ”During the first half of the 1900s, Eurasian Eagle-owl populations declined drastically. Humans hunted and poisoned them and they had a hard time surviving. Happily, local governments have begun to increase their protection of these owls, and some reintroduction programs have taken place. Thanks to these efforts, the Eurasian Eagle-owl is recovering in Europe although their numbers still haven’t returned to what they were before the mid-1900s. Electrocution and collisions with cars continue to be a problem for this extraordinary raptor.”

The latest announcement about the West End camera in the Channel Islands:

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, photographs, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, J, MC’, Nancy Babineau, SW Florida Eagle Cam, info visual.info, Lady Hawk, IWS/Explore, FOBBV, Eagle Country, JBS Wetlands, Window to Wildlife, PLO, Dulles-Greenway, WRDC, Denton Homes, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, FORE, The Guardian, Bozena Isia, The Mercury News, Sea Eagle Cam, @ChrisPackham, Audubon, The Government of Canada, The Peregrine Fund, Open Verse, and the IWS. 

John Bunker Sands Eagles have first hatch, hunger at the WRDC…Saturday in Bird World

27 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday, the 26th, I ate a very special cake for my late Dad. It is his birthday. He had two favourite cakes – a fresh Coconut and, the other, a fresh Orange Cake. Some who live in the Southern US might be familiar with these – a nice white layer cake (sturdy and only handmade) filled with either freshly grated coconut with a buttercream frosting or freshly grated oranges mixed with some sugar, spread liberally between 5 or 6 layers, and let to sit.  If anyone is responsible for my feelings for abandoned animals, it is certainly him. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Hugo Yugo would have loved to have some of that cake. My goodness that little cat can get into the most trouble without even trying. She is sooooo curious. This coming week, she goes back to Dr Greene for her check-up. I think the vet will be pleased. 

Watching bird videos with Hope.

Hope is very patient with her little sister.

‘The Boyfriend’ enjoyed the Friday evening feast of organic roast chicken. The neighbourhood rallied around and showed their love for him – and the others – when it appeared that one individual would call the pound. I am joyful and grateful to live in an area with such compassion for animals.

Congratulations to the John Bunker Sands Wetland eagles on their first hatch of the season!

‘M’ sent me the video of Mum joyously calling Dad to tell him about the egg.

Jackie has been taking good care of the first egg at Big Bear laid on Thursday the 25th. Shadow brings his gal a nice fish lunch at 11:01. Mark your calendars for a Leap Year pip/hatch. Shadow actually brought in three fish on Friday for Jackie. Way to go….the reason nearly 10,000 people love this couple and wish them success this season. They are adorable.

If Gabby’s egg is to be the miracle of the breeding season, it should show signs of a pip Friday and hatch on Saturday or Sunday.

There seems to be a prey problem at the WRDC nest. For unknown reasons hunting seems to be difficult. Ron has not brought prey for a week, and Rose seems to be having a prey drought the past couple of days herself.  Both parents seem healthy, but I’m sure they are hungry.  We have not seen Rose with a crop, and Ron ate some of the fish on the nest yesterday.  They have run out of scraps for Rose to feed R6. The eaglet ate well Thursday, and had a small crop after a morning scrap feeding early Friday. PS are still okay.

Late afternoon on Friday. There is still no food delivery and everyone is getting worried, even if they are not saying it. Something is very much amiss here. 

Rose flew in after dumpster hunting with a child’s pull-up nappy and what appeared to be a piece of red meat (an organ) attached. R6 was fed. We must remember that eagles are carrion eaters. Their stomachs are made to digest the most horrible dead, maggot-eaten prey. Hopefully, this will keep R6 from starving, but imagine that the eagles have to eat garbage in one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Florida. Rose was plucking the plastic off the nappy. Then Ron flew in with a partial fish at 1730. What a relief. It was left on the nest and rightfully so – Rose doesn’t know when the next meal will come and R6 did eat – whatever it was.

We all need to learn something from Port Lincoln. They dared to provide fish for the family during the crucial period when one or both of the osplets might have perished. Their plan worked. It did not stop the adults from bringing fish to the nest. Five fish have been arriving daily, on average, for the fledglings, Gil and Brad. Three individuals with big hearts realised that it was time to help – so I say to those who are the administrators of the WRDC nest: the feral cats in my neighbourhood have more empathy and food than these beautiful eagles at the WRDC. Tonight ‘The Boyfriend’ had his normal organic chicken dinner. So, please, Help the eagles! Get them over the hump.

When we know there is a crisis, it is our duty, if we can in any way, to help the animals through the rough patch. Weather, overfishing, loss of habitat and thus loss of prey can now be linked to humans. There is your cause for intervention.

Rose appears to be feeding R6 some of the fish. Remember – these parents are hungry, too. They will protect the territory, feed themselves, and then feed the eaglets. Let us hope that tomorrow is a much better day and that the wind, or someone, gets this nappy and its plastic off this nest.

Here is the incident in question in video.

It appeared that R6 ate some of the plastic from the nappy…those stomach acids should do the trick. At the same time, the darling almost choked. 

We know that our beautiful birds around the world hunt in landfills. The storks of Western Europe, the General Adjutants in Assam, etc. What a testament to our mismanagement of the land that the animals and fish they need to survive are not abundant. One of the big threats to all of our birds, eagles included, is the growing abundance of plastic – as trash, as microplastics, fishing lines, etc. and now nappies.

The live stream went down at 2050 Friday night and returned at 0915 Saturday morning. The plastic has been removed from the nest with permission from USFWS. I hope that some fish were delivered as well. 

It appears that Ron has been able to deliver a fish Saturday morning. Let us hope that the dry spelling in prey at this nest is over. And then Rose brought in a big fish. Lovely!

Royal cam chick is being fed and weighed. 

Unfortunately, the amount of food the Royal Cam chick is getting is not sufficient and the Rangers – doing great diligence – have switched chicks with another family. They do amazing work, the NZ DOC rangers – everything they do is to ensure that these chicks survive to fledge. Swooping chicks, supplemental feeding, misting, you name it, they do it. Let us hope this attention to the care of these endangered seabirds spreads to other nests throughout the world.

The Royal cam chick was returned to the nest!

No shortage, so far, of prey items at SW Florida. E23 does get impatient and wishes Mum would get those bites a bit quicker to its beak!

Clive keeps the fish coming in at Captiva. These two are adorable, Cal and Lusa. Some think the plumage patterns on their backs look like turtle shells while others see them as bulls eyes.

Do you know what Doris Mager’s contributions to Bald Eagles was? If you do not know the name, have a read – and even if you do, refresh your memory!

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Here is Condor Chat in case you missed it on Thursday. The missing birds will be added to the Memorial Page for 2023 in the new few days.

Dr Sharpe is out fixing cameras at the Channel Islands nests! Retired? Doesn’t seem so.

Please join various wildlife groups – such as Cornell and Audubon – for the great Bird Count on the 16th of February. The more that count, the more we know about the declines and gains in bird populations.

Bird Count is on this weekend in the UK and will there be winners such as the Waxwing? We wait to see.

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Concern for the population of seabirds in the United Kingdom is growing.

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Want to know more about the winter bird visitors to Scotland and their migration? Have a read!

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We are 7 weeks and counting til the Ospreys return to the UK.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send positive wishes for a good prey day at the WRDC and if you can produce a miracle for Gabby and Beau, please do so! Take care everyone. See you soon.

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Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, zoom chats, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, M’, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, FOBBV, Marylu Pitcher, WRDC, Eagle Goddess, NZ DOC, Lady Hawk, Sharon Dunne, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Saturday Evening Post, Audubon Magazine, Ventana Wildlife Society Condor Chat, Gracie Shepherd, National Audubon Society, and The Guardian.

Gabby lays her first egg and Captiva has two!…Wednesday in Bird World

20 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

My inbox lit up like the Christmas tree in New York City right after 18:16 Florida time. Gabby laid her first egg of the 2023-24 Bald Eagle season! (It looks like the official time of egg laying was around 1806 with the first sighting at 1816). The world cheered just like the champagne glasses clinked the other day when V3 and Gabby successfully mated on the nest. We will all hope that egg is fertilised and that there is another – with two precious eaglets on this nest, NE28 and NE29, in mid-January.

Gabby started the soft chirping that she does when she begins labour around 1800. Congratulations Gabby and V3.

V3 sees his egg for the first time.

The Winter Solstice is one day away. For those who celebrate Christmas, Christmas Eve is 4 days away, with the big day only being 5 days off. Hanukkah is over and 2024 is less than a fortnight off. Kwanzaa is from 26 December, ending on New Year’s Day. My goodness, the year has flown by! May all your celebrations be full of love, joy, laughter, and companionship.

Last night, Calico brought me to tears. She entered the bedroom when I was reading before lights out and climbed onto my chest, nuzzling my chin. She stayed for over an hour being petted while I read some chapters out of of Spark Birds. Calico always loves a good story, and this reminded me so much of those early days when she came to live in the house. What a gentle soul she is. Every day, I remind myself how lucky I am that she found me.

Baby Hugo continues to sneeze, which bothers me immensely. She eats well, her eyes are pretty clear and she is playing like a wild little tiger. She continues to be the tiniest little kitten I have seen for such a long, long time. Will she grow? Her and Baby Hope just ran through the house so fast it was like their tails were on fire. 

Missey is determined to pull all the white fluff off the twinkly tree. Thank goodness she is not eating it, but rather, putting it on the tablecloth once she pulls it off.

Beautiful Baby Hope loves to be in the basket on a chilly December afternoon.

As I write this they are all playing with the interactive robot toy that flashes a laser light on the ground in various directions. Hope and Hugo get a lot of exercise chasing it!

The second big news item coming out of Bird World Tuesday night is the pending hatch at Captiva of C11, Connie and Clive’s second eaglet of this breeding season.

Clive is a great provider! C11 arrives around 0524 Wednesday morning.

Close to Connie and Clive’s nest, there appears to be an Osprey couple claiming the platform at Lori Covert’s house. They have names – Ruby and Jack. (My first thought was Jack Ruby having been a youngster when President Kennedy was assassinated).

Incubation continues at SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23. Bobbleheads before the end of the month!

Incubation continues for Rose and Ron.

Can you help? There is a movement to turn the area around the Centreport Bald Eagle’s nest into a nature reserve that would protect the raptors. Here is the information and the opportunity to add your voice for change.et’s help Bob Schwartz get twice as many signatures as he wants!

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At Port Lincoln, Dad brought in the first fish of the day at 0945. Mum made sure she had complete control of it!

Mum feeding her two lads. How much longer will she get to do this? It must be bittersweet for her, too, when they fly away from the natal nest to find their independence.

Giliath continues to show off his flying skills. It is not going to be long before Brad joins in.

It might be dry in Port Lincoln, but it is raining in Orange.

It was a foggy day at Big Bear Valley, too. I did not see Jackie or Shadow on the nest on Tuesday.

At the Kisatachie National Forest nest of Alex and his deceased mate, Andria, Alex continues to incubate the eggs Tuesday night. This breaks my heart.

Alex was up and gone in the morning.

White-tail eaglet in Latvia.

‘A’ found us some current news coming out of Sydney at the Parramatta River: “December 20: An early observer reported an adult and SE31 flying up and down between their usual roosts, with SE31 squeeing. Then, at 7:55am, Lady was reported eating on Mangrove Island. She then flew to River Roost, where SE31 appeared, still squeeing– however, the juvenile then watched the adult eating but made no attempt to take any of the prey herself. A rainy day today – a cool relief from previous hot days. No more observations at this stage.”

This is a sombre read. The impact of humans is twice as high as believed on species extinction.

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Because it is a time of various holidays with many celebrations, including gift giving and eating, it is also a time to reflect on how we might cut down waste now and throughout the year. Do we need all this stuff? All that food?

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Baby Hugo reminds me that clean sheets and towels are needed by all the vet clinics and wildlife rehab centres along with cleaning supplies, working used tools, pet food, and toys, yes, toys, for enrichment. Think about our feathered friends this season!

Thank you so much for being with us this morning. 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 blog this morning: ’A, H, J, L, SP’, Denise W Starr, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Goddess, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk, Lucille Powell, Navy Babineau, Move On, PLO, Bart M, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, FOBBV, KNF-E3, WRDC, LDF, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

Thursday in Bird World

23 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you so much for your kind get-well messages for Hope. She was at the clinic at 0730 and home at 1645. Hope was terrific on the way and home but she was so frightened by the entire experience. I find that Hope and Calico are different from Missey. Those Maine Coons are nothing but ‘chill’. Hope is in the little office with soft blankets, a hiding tent, a heated bed, food, litter and toys – plus heat. I have turned the lights off. When she got home, she smelled like the vet clinic, and that started Missey and Calico hissing, so, to allow Hope to have some peace and calm, I may keep her in there overnight. Everything went well. She was just unnerved by the entire event, which is understandable. She only knew ‘the wild’ with Calico under a dark porch and our house, so it was all new. — Well, fast forward five hours. Despite being hungry – Hope is a good eater – she would not touch her food or treats. She continued to cower in the corner, so I said enough. I fixed all the food and treats on a tray called my usual ‘Calico, Kitty Kitty’ and escorted Hope into the conservatory with her Mamma, where there was a bottom sniff and lots of rubbing between the pair. I could feel the happiness. Hope was hanging like a monkey from the cat tree when I looked back, which she should not have been doing within minutes. She had shown some interest in the packet that the food was in but would she eat? We will see. Happiness and contentment are being with Mamma! That will help her heal if my little busy body doesn’t rip those stitches out! Hopefully, she will stay lower to the ground but a final peek and there she is on the top rung of the cat tree with Calico in the chair below. She looks very content.

I am very grateful to everyone at Fixing Feral Felines, the staff, and Dr Torske at the Tuxedo Animal Hospital. They took such excellent care of Hope. I discovered that Fixing Feral Felines spayed or neutered over 300,000 cats in Manitoba in 2023, and it isn’t even the end of the year—my goodness. That is a huge effort to get these needy fur balls into loving homes.

More Canada Geese were flying over as I drove to the clinic. Perhaps another 50 or 75. It looked like they were headed towards the nature centre. We have no snow. Not a speck anywhere, even in the shade. It is -6 C, so chilly. Tomorrow, the high is forecast to be 0 C (32 F) with a low of -9 C. We get progressively colder during the rest of the week. It was wonderful to see a Blue Jay at the feeder. It looks like Junior is the only one that is staying here. I cannot imagine the others – 13 at my corner in the two nests – all succumbing to demise. They do migrate, but they don’t always. Junior has stayed in previous years, while the others have left to return in April. The Starlings were eating furiously at the peanut cylinder, and Dyson and one of the kits were frantically stuffing seeds into their cheeks.

And before I forget, to everyone celebrating Thanksgiving in the US on Thursday, have a wonderful day with friends, family, and colleagues – take the time just to be thankful to be alive and be smiling. We have so much to be grateful for – I am thankful for your empathy and compassion for the non-human living souls that occupy our planet with us. I wish we could spread that love and understanding worldwide like the seeds of a dandelion blowing on a windy day.

Lady and Dad were soaring over the Parramatta River. Beautiful footage.

SeMcGregor posted another image of the juvenile on the banks of the Parramatta River. Fantastic to see them. So grateful to those on the ground for sharing the images which are so reassuring.

At the Port Lincoln barge, Mum flew off and in a blink – or that is what it felt like – she returned with a fish. The time was approximately 12:48. The kids were pretty happy! Beak cleaning at 13:22.

There was some chatter about Dad. Mum clearly sees a fish in a special place and quickly goes and hooks it with her talons. Maybe Dad fishes in a different place. Clearly we do not know but, if this is ‘original’ Dad as we now assume, it is possible that the seizure type behaviour he exhibited in an earlier year has impacted him. The dives for fish are strenuous. What we do know is that the Fish Fairy has saved this nest and Mum’s contributions are also critical to the success.

The fish fairy delivered another partially prepared Trevally and a Red Mullet – what a nice treat for Mum -.

These babies are getting so steady on their feet! Looks like there will be lots of fish left for everyone.

The eating times have not been recorded on the observation board but the time and notes of the two fish deliveries so far have been. No doubt there will be other entries. The observation board information can be found under the streaming cam information if you haven’t located it.

Lovely images of a juvenile at Orange taken by Cilla Kinross.

Gosh, it is pretty quiet in the nests. Imagine, if you can, that 4 or 5 nests might lay their first egg on the same day. No one appears to be rushing to take over that 4th spot although eyes are still on the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23.

Gabby is serious!

Rose and Ron are getting friendly.

There is officially a second egg for Alex and Andria. Thanks, ‘H’ for the heads up. First seen at 1806.

In California, at The Campanile, Lou finds himself with a female floater. Annie would certainly help this young lady find her way out of her territory.

Oh, no. There are concerns for Milda, the White-tail Eagle’s mate, Voldis, from the Durbe County nest.

It is the holiday season for many, many people of various faiths. It is also the time of year when so many are reaching out for donations. At the same time, it is a challenging year for many people worldwide. The cost of groceries is estimated to have increased by 28-30%. Many cannot afford to make a donation or take on an adoption. But remember, if you know someone who wishes to help, there are many other ways! Our vet centre just called for clean old sheets (well, of course, they could be new). Sheets, clean old towels, you name it…it can be used. Putting out that water bowl will help many animals live – a cup of cat kibble helps the feral cats.
Volunteer to drive injured animals to the wildlife rehab centre, help with a fundraiser – and share your talents in other ways. It isn’t always money. If you are creative and want to teach your children how to help birds while having fun, gather some pine cones on your walks (if it is possible). Find a source of suet (local butcher, perhaps). Melt the suet. Dip the pine cones in the suet and roll them in birdseed. Safely attach them to a branch so your children (and cats) can watch the birds enjoy the food. Missey will help me find some recipes for homemade bird treats this weekend…stay tuned.

Lots of adoption notices are being sent out as fundraisers this time of year. Do you love Kakapo? Do you want to help with their care? You can adopt a Kakapo.

Look what showed up in the Shetland Islands and it isn’t a film crew.

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Decorations are just an unnecessary problem for wildlife—all those balloons, the Halloween netting, and now holiday lights. I would love to see signs that said I donated to the wildlife rehabilitation clinic or a charity helping the homeless feed their pets instead of putting up decorations that will be up for 6-8 weeks max. Think about it.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care…

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, posts, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, SeMcGregor, PLO, Cilla Kinross, Carol Shores Rifkin, Gracie Shepherd, HeidiMc, KNF-E3, SK Hideaways, Biruta Papa, Kakapo Recovery, BirdGuides, and Greenwood Wildlife.

Saturday in Bird World

14 October 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for your outpourings of love for Lewis and for sharing the stories of your beloved pets. It all meant so very much to me and was very comforting.

The house was so quiet without Lewis tearing around, jumping over all the furniture with one toy or another. Oh, that big, beautiful boy brought such love and laughter to our lives. He is really missed and I treasure every moment we had together from the time I first laid eyes on him when it was ‘love at first sight’.

Lewis’s short life teaches us to take full advantage of the present. There is absolutely nothing promised. Lewis went in for his annual jabs, and in less than a week, he had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Treasure all those around you. Tell them how much you love them. Settle any conflicts. Make the most of every moment that you have. You never know if it is the last.

The girls have done better than I expected. Missey called for Lewis and searched for him, and then in the early evening hours of Friday, she began to play. She ran from one end of the house to the other, with Hope and then with Calico joining in sometimes. It was ‘music’ to my ears to hear them skidding and sliding with things falling or rattling.

Calico and Hope moved into the main part of the house, and Missey could then be back in her much-loved conservatory watching the birds and squirrels. Hope has had the biggest adjustment. Feeding stations have been moved, and her little world got much bigger. She is doing much better than I anticipated. Calico is no longer nursing Hope and Hope has figured out who brings the food!!!!!!!!

These photos are not so good. The light was bright and they were taken with the phone camera.

Calico loves her baby blankie.

Odd that. This showed up on FB as an ad for a tea towel.

Today is the fall migration count. Please go out and check your garden or your park. Participate. Help and be a community scientist. Go to Cornell’s bird.org/octoberbigday for information if you have not already take part in bird counts.

Despite Mirvac turning off the cameras at 367 Collins Street, F22 and M22 returned to their eggs and were incubating them at the time the switch was pulled. Our hearts go out to them. An injury changed their entire breeding season. Was it a good thing because of El Niño this year? Would those chicks have baked in the sun? We will never know.

SK Hideaways put their last day on view for us in a video. Let us all wish them a safe year until we see these two again and let us, at the same time, see if we can figure out a way to get a screen over that scrape box. If Dave Hancock can build eagle nests with sun shades in Canada surely that same empathy can apply to falcons in Melbourne!

The names of the two fast growing and ever so sweet chicks of Diamond and Xavier will be revealed on Sunday. They are growing so fast and there seems no discrepancy on who gets fed – both are pretty equal with the second hatch stretching to get that prey!

Xavier keeps the family well fed.

Xavier and the chicks.

The chicks are way too big to fit under Xavier — and Diamond now! They are both thriving!

It is late Thursday night but it is Friday in South Australia and everyone is waiting to see if there will be a pip in the first egg at Port Lincoln.

Don’t know about anyone else but at 1354 it sure looked like there was a pip in one of those eggs. It could have just been the light or the marks…but, gosh, we are close if it isn’t.

The Sea Eaglets have had a bit of a tug o war with a piece of prey.

It won’t be long til these two beauties fledge.

In the land of Bald Eagles, nestorations continue.

Gabby and V3 are testing out the nest and egg cup constantly.

Thunder was at the old East End nest.

Baiba caught Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear.

Lady Hawk gives us some gorgeous images of M15’s new mate F23. She is a fierce beauty. Look at those eyes! Formidable.

Some articles I have been reading -.

Merlins. The small falcons are thriving in Northumberland at a wind farm!

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My son looks out his office window and sees the coral bleaching because of the hot sea in the Caribbean. What is happening in Florida? Don’t be fooled – this is happening in many, many other places not just Florida and the Caribbean.

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Coins with nature.

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For Karl II’s family, there is no new data from either Kaia or Karl II. I am trying not to be concerned telling myself that they could be in an area where there is no coverage.

Waba is in Israel.

Kalvi is in Bulgaria.

Migration continues to be on everyone’s mind and Mary Cheadle posted this talk by Tim Mackrill on FB and I know that there I much you know and much you can learn. Have a listen.

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Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Please take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog today: The Radical Tea Towel Company, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Elain, PLO, Sea Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, IWS/Explore, Baiba, Lady Hawk BirdGuides, Hakai Magazine, The Guardian, Looduskalender Forum, Mary Cheadle and ShareScreen Africa.

The menace that is Malta, Collins Street female injured?…Saturday in Bird World

7 October 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you so much for your comments and letters. I appreciate hearing about your pets and your experiences with feline teeth – thank you for sharing and caring. I am pleased to report that the pain medication has helped Lewis, and he is eating well again. At this very moment, Lewis and Missey are glued to the living room window. A Hairy Woodpecker is going after one of the corner cedar shakes!

Hope and Calico are oblivious to everything going on with Lewis. They are just happy – loving watching the birds, playing and having stories. We are certainly going through novels!

It is interesting to watch Calico get settled for ‘a story’. She now expects this and curls up on my lap. The little one watches carefully from the edge of the chair as she is doing below. It is certainly one way to plough through books that have been sitting waiting to be read! It is wonderful.

Calico is putting on weight. Talk about a gentle soul. You can see that the dining room table in the conservatory is still their ‘safe dark’ spot…with its duvets piled on the floor for warmth and layers and layers to cover the top and the sides. It is getting cooler at night now that we are into October and the girls get the heat turned on once the sun goes down.

We punched the holes in a small pumpkin and filled them with peanut butter. It sits on the log Little Red uses to jump to the table feeder. Let’s see if this pumpkin treat works! Clearly will not win any awards for beauty but we will wait to see if it is something that the squirrels will enjoy.

In Canada, this is Thanksgiving weekend. The celebration is on Monday and coincides with what was traditionally the end of harvest and giving thanks for the land’s bounty. (Quite different than the American Thanksgiving).

I am so grateful to the garden animals that they will get special treats on Monday.

We are going to Australia right away. It is hot and the wind is really blowing. ‘A’ has already pointed out an interesting problem. M15’s mate at SW Florida has been named F23. We have F22, a falcon, at Collins Street. We are both hoping that there will not be another F23 this year anywhere or it will get confusing.

‘A’ has been watching the Sea Eagles and reports, “SE32 won the fish Dad brought in late this morning (6 October) at WBSE. He held onto it, mantled it, protected it from SE31 and self-fed most of it, before allowing SE31 to take the final piece. The head and tail had been removed from what was originally a medium-large fish, so with the fish unzipped, SE32 was able to get in some wonderful practice, and by the end, he was doing really well. He did get the majority of the fish, finishing with a very nice crop. He was obviously hungry, as he was simply fearless in claiming and hanging onto that food. At one point, there was some serious fighting over the fish (lunging with beaks was involved, along with much flapping), but SE32 fought his sister with great determination while hanging on tightly to his fish. He was NOT letting go. I was so proud of him. After watching that self-feeding, and the consequent boost to SE32’s confidence, I am way less concerned now than I was yesterday. Even though the food supply at this nest has not been as good as I would have liked over recent days, at least SE32 is not now missing out on his share of what there is. Both are doing a lot of wingercising and are looking strong and steady on their feet, with excellent balance. SE32 is doing more hopping than his sister, bounding across the nest like a small wallaby. 

There has been little or no sound or sign of crows or currawongs this season, though I don’t remember seeing them much or at all in previous seasons either until fledge day arrived. I remain hopeful that these two, with their strong relationship, will return to the nest after fledging, if only to be together. I do wish Dad and Lady would spend more time over the next week or two imprinting this nest in the eaglets’ minds as a smorgasbord of delicacies to which they will definitely return once they take the plunge. I think back to last year – in particular, the way SE29, after fledging, came back to sleep at the nest with SE30 each night and what may have happened had SE29 not gone into care the day before SE30 fledged. These two have a very similar relationship to the one between SE29 and SE30 last year, so there is a chance their bond will again help them survive after fledging this year.”

Please keep the female at Collins Street, F22 in your warm thoughts. ‘H’ just sent me the latest posting by Victor Hurley that explains why we have seen M22 incubating the eggs so much!

What a delight it is to watch Diamond and Xavier with the two eyases. The closeness in time of the hatch has made all the difference. These two are developing well – each getting their portion of food. You can see a slight difference in size but this is not hampering the second hatch at all. Xavier is working hard to get prey to the scrape and is doing a fantastic job despite some high winds that have been in the area. The temperature remains around 18-20 C.

Diamond got upset. A Currawong flew past the scrape!!!!!!!!!!! She is not going to let that bird get near her precious babies.

If you missed Dr Victor Hurley’s talk on Peregrine Falcons in Victoria Australia, here is that link.

Gabby and V3 continue to make restorations at The Hamlet. V3 has certainly won the heats and minds of everyone for his staunch protection of the territory around the nest. We are all hoping for little eaglets this year!

Anna’s injury is really improved. You might recall she even had problems landing. Well, that wasn’t the case on Friday when the landed on the nest with a nice fish and began chortling. How wonderful! Nice to see this improvement.

Osprey Season is over in North America, the UK, and Europe. Jeff Kear has posted a very informative article by the Scottish Wildlife Trust about their feathers that you might still find useful as we prepare for hatch at Port Lincoln.

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Please keep your positive thoughts going for the migrating ospreys. Things in West Africa are changing and the once pristine habitat is being altered – either by climate or by habitat loss due to human expansion.

This is tragic. As you will remember from yesterday’s blog, there are Ospreys who navigate a route from their spring/summer breeding area in the UK to the precise concrete pillar. Our dear Seren 5F is being impacted. So what happens to those birds when the water and fish dry up or are irreparably flooded?

Countries do listen especially if tourists decide not to travel. Let those that allow poaching – Malta and Cyprus – know how you feel by travelling elsewhere – to places that value nature and wildlife.

Malta has long been a place that is renowned for its illegal songbird poaching.

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The fact that Malta lies on the flyway that links Europe with Africa and the winter home of these migrating birds is particularly problematic.

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Owls. I have a love-hate relationship with them – and get bloody upset when they start knocking M15 off the perch or fly in and take our precious osprey babies. Did you know that there are 234 different species of owls living around the world, from the ice-cold Arctic to the tropics and the deserts? Their keen eyesight and hearing and specialist feathers help them hunt at night – they are the silent killers.

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Thank you so much for being with me today! We will be planting trees later today. It is Re-Leaf day and there are three Azur Maples arriving to add some more colour to the garden. Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, pictures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my newsletter this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Liznm, Victor Hurley, NEFL-AEF, Tonya Irwin, Jeff Kear, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Chris Wood, Geemeff, Conservation Science and Practice, Responsible Travel, Google Maps, Cambridge Core, and Cornell Bird Lab.

Thursday in Bird World

5 October 2023

Dear Readers, Good Morning!

I hope that this newsletter finds each of you well and happy.

Thank you so much for your continued kind wishes. Your warm thoughts and notes are always appreciated.

Wednesday. It had been on my calendar for several weeks. It was the day that the three older kittens had to go in for their shots, and Missey and Lewis had to have their annual check. My vet is very busy and I so hoped that my Covid test would show negative and the clinic would allow me to come with the babies. They did. It all worked but it turned out quite differently than I anticipated. I am hoping that soon things will become ‘calm’ – boring. Gosh, boring would be so nice.

Off we went – three cats – one huge hard carrier for Lewis and two soft-sided ones for Missey and Calico. They were all darlings, thankfully, on the way in and out of the car and to the clinic.

Lewis peeking out.

Calico is in there!

Missey’s eyes are always so expressive. She was allowed to wander freely around the examination room.

Calico passed her check-up with flying colours. She has healed nicely and is the proper weight with nothing untoward. The vet said she can continue to nurse Hope as long as she wants -it wouldn’t hurt either. Eventually, Calico will have enough and stop it all but it could be some time. I do not care as long as they are healthy. Missey was a tad ‘pleasantly plump’ – the problem associated with her still eating kitten hard food, which is being corrected. Nothing major. Missey’s teeth were sparkling white with good, strong gums. She had her shots and explored the room – a confident, dominant female cat. Quiet, confident, secure. Lewis, on the other hand, is insecure and quite frightened. As it turns out, he was so stressed that the vet did little with him besides checking his teeth and giving him his shots.

But Lewis had a serious problem, and I did not even notice. Lewis’s gums are swollen and red. Lewis, poor dear darling Lewis, needs all his teeth, but the canines, pulled. Cats are able, I was told, to live fine eating soft food.

Lewis was not tested for AIDS when he was adopted. The Humane Society used to test for the disease but stopped when the costs skyrocketed. So, we do not know if he has AIDS, which could cause his body to respond this way. If he has AIDS, is there any point in agreeing to have the surgery – which, according to the vet – is major? So, all of these things begin to twirl through your head. Is Lewis in pain? How long? Why didn’t I notice? But he is still eating. So, is this an issue of over-treating? or good sound vet advice? Too many things to think about. Tomorrow, I will walk in the park and sit with the ducks. Perhaps an answer will rise to the surface.

It took the wind out of me and so, this newsletter is shorter.

Geemeff sent me the most amazing article on Godwits, weather, and migration. We know about the extreme distances that Godwits fly to get to their winter homes but this is the tale of the return trip due to weather. Incredible story!

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All of the Royal Cam chicks have fledged at Taiaroa Head. We now wait to see which adults will return for the upcoming breeding season. I am particularly interested to see if there is any remote possibility that OGK might appear. He has not been seen since the 19th of May 2022.

The joy and love continue to radiate out of the scrape at Orange. Two beautiful eyases. Both are fed well, both are a good size to one another. It is all good.

‘A’ remarks, “Those eyases are just darling. When isn’t a scrape containing fluffy chicks the most wonderful thing? Those sweet little squeaks (before they become ear-splitting shrieks) are the cutest sound, and I love the noise they make when their squeak is suddenly cut off by a mouthful of meat). Not to mention mum’s adorable chups to get them to open their little beaks. So cute. One chup and the little mouths automatically spring open. Both the chicks appear to be healthy, strong and eating well. Today, they were fed seven times through the day, and Diamond appears to be feeding both of them at each feed. She is carefully making sure that each chick is getting fed and she is being very patient in doing so. This is helped by the lack of a significant size difference, although of course chick two is a little less stable than chick one in terms of knowing which direction is front. It can, however, hold its little head up very well and is pretty stable when it does so, meaning it is able to eat when it eventually works out how to face mum (which it usually does within a couple of minutes of the feeding beginning). Xavier is not getting nearly as much chick time as he would like (of course) though Diamond is very tolerant of him remaining on the ledge if he wants to, sometimes even when she is feeding the chicks. She is especially okay with him being there very early in the mornings, when he was coming for lengthy periods before the chicks came along (and he was there for a couple of hours before both hatches). This is new, as was Diamond actually allowing Xavier egg/chick time when chick two was only halfway out of its egg! Now that’s something I never thought I’d see. So these two lovebirds are very comfortable with each other now, in season seven or eight or whatever this is for them (Xavier arrived in 2016, I believe, but they weren’t his chicks that year, so although Xavier raised three chicks with Diamond in 2016, their first season breeding together would have been 2017).” 

Want to take part in the naming of the chicks? Holly Parsons tells us how.

There is a bit of excitement going on in Surrey at the Hancock Wildlife Foundation with the arrival of this Bald Eagle couple.

An owl attacked the juvenile at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest Wednesday night. Thankfully the fledgling returned to the nest seemingly unharmed. Time: 1957.

Gabby and V3 were at the nest on Wednesday. We are all hopeful.

This gave me a chuckle!

Everything is good at SW Florida with M15 and F23. Lots of bonding!

Contentment at Collins Street. It is supposed to be very hot for these falcons because it is an El Nino year. So thankful they have a reprieve for a few days and wish that a shade would be put in place above them.

El Nino is heating the oceans, too, and our seabirds might be seeing some change to their ability to find food. In the Caribbean where my son lives, outside his office, the coral is bleaching because the ocean is so hot. “The symbiotic algae inside the coral can not take hot water for a long time and die. The algae provide energy for the coral and without it they will die also.”

The Sea Eaglets continue to get more beautiful each day but as ‘A’ remarks there is some concern about the level of prey deliveries, “

I am far more concerned about the food situation at WBSE. There was one day this week when I saw no food brought to the nest at all. I may have missed something small, but certainly nothing large enough to feed them both. (It is possible for example that I missed a small fish that was immediately claimed and horked down by SE31, but I don’t think so – I certainly scanned through the footage incredibly carefully). So I am a little concerned. The parents don’t seem to be worried about it, sitting in the nest tree and not heading off to hunt for most of the day. At 07:46 this morning, they were mating on the branch behind the nest (within full view of the children, too!). So their minds are perhaps on other things. The wind this morning was extremely strong and worsened as the morning went on. Around 09:28, it was blowing a gale when Dad flew in, The kids were very hopeful, lining up at the table, but although it appeared Dad had been fishing, as he was shaking water from his feathers, he had no food in his talons. Lady flew in around 09:33 and took up a submissive position, though Dad decided not to mount her. This is bonding behaviour, I presume, though I’m wondering why it’s being considered necessary at this point of the season. Fishing would be more useful, though in that wind, it would definitely be difficult. The whole tree was tossing wildly today. Shortly before 09:58 both parents flew off, first one then, a moment later, the other. At 10:03:45 Dad flies in with a smallish whole fish. SE32 immediately claims and mantles the prey be can he keep it? SE32 is not good at unzipping a whole fish but he is trying. SE31 watches for a chance to steal the fish. SE32 is not giving her one. At 10:07, he still has the fish. Whether he is getting any bites off it is another question (and impossible to answer, as the eaglets have their backs to the camera and we cannot see much of what is happening, only who is in possession of the fish, currently still SE32). SE32 is doing a great job of mantling the fish and seems to be getting some bites from it, but about a minute later, SE31 succeeds in stealing the fish, and we can see that SE32 has got very little from it at all. He waits for a chance to steal the fish back but gets no chance until about 10:20, when he makes a frantic grab for the last piece, realising he is about to miss out altogether. SE31 responds to this by horking the remaining food down in one go. She has had a very nice breakfast. SE32 has eaten nothing. During the self-feeding by SE31, SE32 twice backed up for a PS, on one occasion trying three times, and I saw nothing come out on any of these tries. So it appears likely that food is being brought very irregularly to the nest and what food there is largely gets eaten by SE31, as SE32’s self-feeding skills simply aren’t good enough and he is not getting a chance to practise them much! When those large eels are brought in, as happened two days ago, I think, there is probably enough food to keep them going for that day and the next, and I think there had been a late afternoon eel the day before the (probably) food-free day, but perhaps Lady and Dad are encouraging these two to fledge. Surely not. Perhaps it’s just the bad weather the whole southeast of Australia has been having, with lots of rain and quite heavy winds at times too.”

The pair made another milestone on their way to fledging. They did sleep standing up just like Lady and Dad.

At the same time incubation continues at Port Lincoln with an average of two fish coming in per day for Mum.

Thank you for being with me this morning. Please send your good wishes to our dear Lewis today. Take care all.

Thank you to the following for their notes, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, C, Geemeff, H’, BBC Royal Albatross Centre, Charles Sturt University, Holly Parsons, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, MN Landscape Arboretum, NEFL-AEF, Carol S Rifkin, SW Florida Eagle Cam, lady hawk, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, and PLO.

Gabby is home…Saturday in Bird World

2 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is the ‘long weekend’ in Canada. It is the last weekend before the schools reopen, and the children return from their summer holidays. Despite being almost three weeks until the official beginning of fall, it is the marker for the end of summer. The weather stations tell us it will now be 35 degrees DC today. Even so, it will not be long until everyone thinks about tidying their lawn and garden for winter. This year, please constrain yourselves. Leave the Leaves!

The insects need the leaves, and the following article that ‘R’ sent tells what we should be doing to increase the number of insects in our environment. Want fewer bugs biting you? Then you need more insects!

Many years ago, my tutor, Dr Klaus Klostermaier, and I had a long conversation. I had been to Germany, where he grew up, and returned amazed at the lack of insects. No screens on the windows. Meanwhile, on the Canadian Prairies we were being eaten up by mosquitoes. Dr Klostermaier (one of the most brilliant individuals I have ever met with a surprising biography) told me how said my statement was. Industry in Germany had killed off the insects. Yes, of course, I had been to the area around Duisburg and Dusseldorf…and that area worked hard to clean up its rivers since that time and stop some of the pollution from industry. That conversation always stuck with me.

The author says in summing up the following article, “In other words, the problem isn’t that we have too many bugs in cities and suburbs; the problem is that we don’t have nearly enough. We’ve been so successful at vanquishing the little critters that the entire insect world is in big trouble — and so are we if we don’t help them to recover.” Thanks, ‘R’.

Please talk to your friends, your family, your neighbours. That pristine chemically kept perfect law should not exist! Don’t bag the leaves. Please leave them til May. It will help the entire food chain and our songbirds will thank you in the spring!

Opinion-Removing-bugs-from-our-habitats-is-coming-back-to-bite-us-The-Washington-PostDownload

Cornell Bird Lab explains how the Royal Albatross chicks are getting ready to take their maiden voyage which will last 5-6 years before they set foot on land again. I wish we could guarantee them a sea full of fish and no bycatch.

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The RSPB explains what can be done to prevent bycatch. It is a good read and if you adore Manaaki and all the other little Royal Albatross chicks then you should read this and educate yourself. You might boycott fish!

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Getting over to the nests, I can hardly contain myself. V3 flew in to the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest yesterday and Gabby is home Friday evening. They even gave one another beaky kisses. Relief. Elation. I cannot wait to see these two raise some eaglets in this nest after the sadness of last year when Samson went missing.

The pair went right to work assessing the needs of the nest signalling their determination to have a family together this year. Get the tissues out! Joyful tears.

Mini flew to the nest much to the delight of everyone. What a relief it was to see her flying and landing with both legs extended. She is strong. Mini has shown us since the day she hatched that she adjusts, thinks, solves problems well. No, we do not like seeing her look at her leg as if she is in pain – is she? is she not? I do not know. She has won all of her hearts because she was so tiny and persevered on a nest when it seemed impossible that she would. We must remember that going forward.

The DEC is hanging up on anyone that phones them. They are the ones that issue permits under the Migratory Bird Act. It is clear no permits are going to be given. Locally, Mini’s situation is know and one of the locals on the chat checks for her. Boots on the ground is essential. That said, she is flying strong and eating. Dad is still feeding her but maybe someone will also see her fishing. She is dearly loved.

I also want to add something here, in case you are wondering. I strongly believe in intervention if the bird or animal can be helped. The Mini is not grounded. She is flying. She is not 100%. But this is what worries me. While we do not know her injury, she is injured in a way, unlike WBSE26. When WBSE flew to the balcony of the condo and was ‘rescued’, it was determined that 26 would not have a quality of life and was euthanised. It broke the hearts of thousands of people. I do not want that to happen to Mini. For however long or short her life is, I hope she lives it free. She has proven she can adapt to anything thrown at her – at least from what we see on cam – and I think she can then adjust to almost anything, including picking up and eating fish off a beach.

Mini flies in both feet extended from her legs.

While she still favours that left leg, she landed fine.

Gosh, she is gorgeous. Her eyes are bright.

Off she goes eleven minutes later.

In Australia, the main cam for Sydney Sea Eagles came back to life and the joy that came with that could not be measured. It seemed that the little sea eaglets had grown twice as big in a single day. It wasn’t true, of course, but there they were, SE32 with a huge crop! They are both thriving and it will be interesting to see which is the largest as they develop between now and fledge.

Gracie Shepherd caught one of the sea eaglets peeking over the nest when the camera was down. T hey are so big.

‘A’ has been watching the sea eaglets closely and she is a tad concerned stating, “Breakfast never arrived at WBSE this morning. Smart little SE32 has taken to spending much of his waiting time sleeping on the table, right there in prime position for any food that arrives on the nest. The eaglets were not at all pleased when Dad arrived shortly after 12:11 with a large spray of gum leaves! As I type, it is nearly 12.40 and they are now waiting for lunch! I have been worried this morning because while SE32 got up this morning and did a small, thinnish PS, when SE31 got up a few minutes later, she appeared to make three definite attempts over about two minutes to have a PS and produced nothing. On each occasion, she wiggled her little tail as if she had just done her PS but nothing had emerged. I have not watched their every minute this morning, but I have been over the footage relatively closely, and I have not seen her do a PS (one of them did stand up a while ago – it may or may not have been for a PS – but I am keeping a close eye on things in that regard right at the moment, especially since your vision of the eel feeding just as the storm began. I am starting to get concerned that SE32’s newfound confidence is resulting in SE31 not getting enough food. SE32 has had a larger crop than his sister for the best part of a week now. Is this causing a problem? Or did SE31 have a problem to begin with that allowed SE32 to become dominant..So it is possible that there is some reason she is not pushing for food…I could be worrying about nothing, but until I see a healthy PS from SE31, I will continue to be concerned. I don’t like to see a chick trying and failing to manage a PS, especially first thing in the morning.” 

Food finally did arrive and A has the report: “The food took until around 15:30 to arrive. We saw Dad on a branch in the nest tree spot something and fly off with a purposeful look, and I thought he had finally decided it was time to feed the kids (I’m sure these occasions are deliberate lessons for the eaglets – sometimes, food doesn’t arrive like clockwork). Sure enough, it wasn’t long before he was back with a fish, panting slightly. 

He waited a couple of minutes for Lady to appear, but when she didn’t, he rather reluctantly set about doing the feeding duties himself. First to the table was SE31, who ate for the first two minutes before SE32 approached the table beside her. He was soon given a bite (around 15:37:30) but then Dad resumed feeling SE31. So not being in the favourable position (side by side but with SE31 between him and Dad), SE32 moved himself several inches forward. Dad then proceeded to feed SE32 while SE31 watched patiently and waited for her next bite. 

Soon, Dad started feeding them even-handedly, a bite for one, a bite or two for the other. Both ate well, with the feeding lasting for well over half an hour. If anything, SE31 may have done slightly better than SE32 but it was a close-run thing. The prey itself was hard to identify but appeared to be red meat rather than fish, though I could not see feet. (You know how bad I am at prey IDs but I am trying to learn). 

The main news, though, is that they have both been well fed. It was a VERY late brunch, however. “

Xavier and Diamond are taking turns with the incubation and Diamond is, sometimes unhappily, accepting the Starling meal – prepared or not.

They are adorable. Xavier never wants to give up his ‘egg’ time. We all wonder how he fits those three big eggs under him. Will there be one hatch? Two? possibly three? Personally, I do not want the third one to hatch. For the past years, in my humble opinion, Diamond has struggled at times if the chicks vary too much in size. One healthy fledgling with all its feathers fully developed is a priority for this writer.

“Oh, please, Diamond, just a few more minutes.”

‘A’ loves them, too – like we all do, adding, “At Orange, Diamond had pigeon for breakfast and rejected a starling just before noon. There has been a half-hour sleepy early morning bonding session and several changeovers, giving Xavier some egg time (not enough in his opinion, but of course it’s not his decision (although the other day, when he protested “just another five minutes dear”, Diamond stood on the ledge for 47 minutes – a very rare occurrence indeed). We thought Xavier was going to try and feed the eggs again! (It’s not the first time.) I just adore the way he talks to them every time he settles down to brood. Just how incredibly adorable are these tiny falcon dads?” I totally agree – Peregrine Falcon dads are the best! 

They are an adorable couple at Port Lincoln.

Ervie was photographed at Delamere where he used to fish with Dad. So wonderful to see you!

Calypso, Ervie’s full sister, might have found herself a platform. Will Mum become a grandmother this year? or next?

‘A’ reports that the Royal Albatross had a busy day. “All four of our headland albie chicks were fed today. The boys (UQ and Manaaki) had their mums come in, while the girls (NTF chick and Quarry chick) were fed by their dads. At one stage, there were three parents coming and going around noon. It was chaos. At this moment, Manaaki is on his nest practising his cute sky calls. He has a full tummy after mum’s visit and he is a happy albie today. The wind has been very light the past couple of days and it seems all the parents have chosen today to come in and feed their offspring.”

Lady Hawk has it all in a 49-minute video! Oh, I love the wheeing when the chicks smell and see their parent arriving to feed them.

Flipping through a few of the other nests:

Dad is still delivering to at least one juvenile at the Alyth Osprey platform. Just look at that crop. I think this is three.

It is entirely possible that Maya and Blue 33 are still at Rutland and Blue 022 is still at Poole Harbour. I did not catch the Poole Harbour male on the streaming cam but others have or he was sighted locally.

These are the dates for Poole Harbour as posted under their streaming cam:

5H3 fledged – 19th July ———–5H4 fledged – 21st July ——–5H5 fledged – 22nd July CJ7 migrated —— 27th August 5H4 migrated —– 27th August 5H5 migrated —– 27th August 5H3 migrated – 29th August

OH1 had a fish on the nest and it or OH2 was eating a fish on a nearby tree branch on Friday at Glaslyn.

Idris is taking catching fish at Dyfi, too. Lots of activity there on Friday, including the clean-up crew finding all those wonderful morsels of fish left behind.

Seiont you are truly handsome.

I did not see anyone at Llyn Brenig – others might have.

Viewers counted 7 fish being delivered to Coco at Sandpoint today and that was only until late afternoon!

The nest at Steelscape has really taken a beating. his season! The fledglings flying to the nest look good.

At least one fledgling still at Collins Marsh and fish are still being delivered.

The fledglings are now doing what ospreys do – fight over fish deliveries. This was Snap and Crackle at Dunrovin Ranch today.

Have you seen the new nest for Ron and Rose at the WRDC in Miami?

I did not catch Iris at the Owl Pole on 1 September but Lucille Powell and Marlene Harris both did on the 31st. The Queen of North American Ospreys has not left Missoula yet. Each sighting is a blessing.

Heading to ‘H’s reports on three Osprey nests:

Fortis Exshaw – The intruders were back at the nest several times on 9/1.  We had not seen the male for a day and a half, and we thought he may have started his migration, but he is still around.  We still call them the ‘intruders’, but they did successfully complete a nest takeover, against a single mom and her kid.  To the osprey pair, other ospreys are the intruders.  They alerted and defended the nest when they felt threatened.  At 1442 the female flew up from the nest toward an approaching osprey and chased it away.  The other osprey was carrying a fish, but we could only see the legs and a bit of the wings at a distance.  It was impossible to say if it was Banff or Louise, and there may be other ospreys in the area.  It would be cool to think it was Banff, and that she had caught her own fish.  But, Banff is already used to eating at locations other than the nest, and she probably has a favorite spot to dine.  It would be unlikely that Banff would try to bring a fish to the nest, especially while both of the ‘angry birds’ were standing on the nest.  Later there was an incomplete mating between the pair.  And, at one point the male landed on the empty nest with a fish, chirped a while, then flew off with his fish.  We won’t know until next year, but these two adult ospreys may be the new residents.  Many of us hope that Louise will arrive back in the area early next spring, find a new mate, and win the nest back.  Well, one can only hope.”


Kent Island – Molly finally got her wish. Her dad brought a lovely whole fish to her at the nest.

Barnegat Light –  Dorsett is looking lovely in the evening sunlight as she finishes her dinner fish.

Thank you, ‘H’ – things are winding down!

For all the stork lovers, this is excellent news.

Our smile for the day comes from Brusse TTirzah and those fantastic eagles, Jackie and Shadow:

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself – stay safe this long holiday weekend. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H, R’, The Washington Post, Cornell Bird Lab, RSPB, PSEG, Sydney Sea Eagles, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Alyth Ospreys, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, llyn Brenig, Sandpoint Ospreys, Steelscape Inc, Collins Marsh, Dunmrovin Ranch, Lolita Ozolina and Bald Eagles in USA, Lucille Powell and Montana Ospreys at Hellgate, Marlene Harris and Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, Fortis Exshaw, Wildlife Conserve Foundation of NJ, Kent Island, Birdguides.com, and Brusse TTirzah and FOBBV.

Eggs, migration, the impact of hurricanes on raptors…Tuesday in Bird World

29 August 2023

Greetings Everyone,

It is 28 degrees C on the afternoon of the 28th of August on the Canadian Prairies. On Saturday, it is expected to be 34 degrees C. That is hotter – by several degrees Celsius than where my son lives in the Caribbean.

Our summer weather began to change 5-6 years ago. I joked and said it was time to put in a swimming pool – “If it is the shot next year, I am getting a pool!”. Before 2017, people would have laughed at the thought of a pool. Our summers never got hotter than 20 degrees C, and they were short, with the first frost normally in August, sometimes early August. The last snow might have been 15 May. Well, it is all different. I didn’t put in the pool, but I might build a pond for the birds and small mammals late next spring. Remember – water is essential to their lives. Leave out containers of water. Ensure they are topped up at night – many critters are nocturnal.

The weather has caused so many problems this year for the Ospreys. The storms and flooding led to starvation at many nests. The overfishing of Menhaden was another, but the weather has just thrown everyone for the proverbial loop. It has led to the infamous wildfires and played with the birds’ arrival and departure dates. In Manitoba, we have had the type of weather that I grew up with in Oklahoma as a young child. Large hail, winds ripping trees out, and tornadoes. The displacement of wildlife from the affected wildfire areas will have a lasting impact for decades until those old, big, beautiful – trees can regrow.

Missey, Lewis, and Calico continue to do well. The biggest shock has been Lewis. I know to open the office door – enough for cats to put their noses through. Whenever Lewis gets close to Calico’s nose, he leaps backwards. It is hilarious. Missey is more reserved, preferring to sit on the top of the wood stove playing with pussy willows and acting like she is not interested in her new sister. We have moved Calico’s appointment date to this Friday, 1 September. That way, she can be integrated into the family a little earlier. Today, she has been playing with me and with toys by herself. Perhaps she can recapture some of her lost kitten hood.

Our giggle of the day comes from Osprey House in Australia posted by Linda McIlroy. Wouldn’t we love to see crops on all the osplets like this one?!

A blast from the past!

A recorded Webinar from Cornell Bird Lab on the race to save our vanishing birds.

As many of you are aware, there is a category 3 or 4 hurricane heading towards the western shores of Florida that is expected to cross the entire state. Weather systems such as hurricanes can cause such harm to raptors and other wildlife. We have celebrated in the past when we discover they survived Hurricane Ian, for example. Lost nests but not lost birds! Here is some information if you are wondering how hurricanes can impact our beloved feathered friends.

How-do-hurricanes-affect-migrating-birds-All-About-Birds-All-About-BirdsDownload
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Fledglings getting fed well at the Dunrovin Ranch Osprey nest of Harriet and Swoop. Indeed, fledglings continue to be well fed around the world as the adults – mostly but not exclusively the males – fatten them up for migration.

Idris continues to fill the fledglings to the brim at the Dyfi nest in Wales.

At Glaslyn, Aran is bringing in the fish. His new mate, Elen, has left. She took the place of Mrs G, the oldest osprey in the UK, this year. Mrs G was 21-24 years old (unringed so not known for sure how old she was) and did not return from migration. Elen proved she was a very worthy successor taking amazing care of the two fledglings this year.

Dad has not delivered fish to the Patchogue nest for either Sunday or Monday. It is 1730 nest time there. Everyone is missing seeing Mini. Maybe she will come and rest her leg. She is, no doubt, being fed off nest like many of the other families are doing.

Mini flew in at 1800. Oh, what a strong flyer she is and she did not look like she was starving even thought she was really doing a lot of fish calling!

You can see her coming in near the top left.

‘H’ gives us her report on Fortis Exshaw: “The action started early.  At 0614, we heard Banff calling as she approached the nest.  Two minutes after Banff landed, she was buzzed three times by the male intruder. The intruder flew to the tall pole, and then landed on Banff twice.  Then the intruder stood on the nest, and proceeded to jump on Banff three times, then flew away.  But the intruder wasn’t done, he soon returned and hit Banff on the fly, and Banff was knocked overboard.  For the next several hours the intruders were on and off the nest, the horizontal nest perch, and the lookout post.  The male even brought in some nesting material.  At 1306 Banff was calling, then she flew under the left side of the nest toward the pond, turned toward the road, and then flew back east, and all the while she was being chased.  At 1654 Banff landed on the nest and was immediately dive bombed then jumped on by one of the intruders.  Banff managed to fly away.  Banff was involved in another chase at 1858, and she briefly landed on the nest for a few seconds, but was not hit.  At 1918, Banff flew over the nest being chased.  At 1948 Banff flew toward the nest being chased and she immediately diverted rather than land on the nest.  She seemed to clip her right wing on the nest as she passed by.  At 2054 Banff was again being chased.  She touched down on the nest and was immediately hit by an intruder, then she was dive bombed, and Banff flew off the nest.  Are you noticing a pattern here?  Banff is definitely eating, and is most likely still being provided fish by Louise.  If Banff has managed to catch some fish, it may be supplemented by Louise.  We do not see Louse on camera.  Louse knows that the entire area around the nest has become hostile.  It seems that young Banff has yet to fully come to that realization.  I wish Banff would stay completely away from the nest area, hang out near Mom, and perhaps practice fishing.”

‘H’ catches up with some other nests:

Forsythe – The last remaining fledgling, Ollie, has not been seen since early on 8/27.  On 8/28 Oscar landed on the nest briefly at 11:11.  He made a quick survey of the nest, and then he flew away.  That was our only osprey sighting of the day.

Osoyoos – There were at least four fish brought to the nest by Soo and Olsen. They and their fledgling are doing well. 

Barnegat Light – Duke continues to provide fish for his hungry fledgling, Dorsett.  Daisy was last seen on the nest the night of 8/27.

Kent Island – Audrey was at the nest on 8/28.  She helped Tom with nest defense, and she brought a fish for Molly.”

Thank you so much ‘H’ – we appreciate your continuing reports on these nests knowing that FortisExshaw is a very difficult nest to observe.

There should be no more concerns about SE32 at the Sea Eagles nest. 32 appears to have caught up in size to 31 and the meals are very civil. Both eaglets stuffed at the morning feed. It is a wonder they could even move.

‘A’ remarks: “The civility continues at WBSE. The breakfast fish (another nice large one, minus Dad’s breakfast) around 07:45. SE32 was slow to get up to the table, but started his breakfast first. SE31 was busy organising her morning PS. When she eventually dealt with that, she was keen to practise her walking. Her balance is improving and she got up to the table, then flopped down. She soon got a bite, though Lady was concentrating on feeding SE32, giving SE31 a bite here and there. SE31 is happy to sit beside her little brother and watch. Once again, no bonking or intimidation. Just two happy eaglets in the morning sun, knowing there’s plenty of fish for both.”

“Oh my. Just look at the size of the thighs on those sea eaglets! And those extra-round little bottoms. Just darling!! And those tails are really coming along now – especially SE31’s. It looks like lace. Dad and Lady are doing one of their raucous duets around 13:33:30 (usually reserved for around 6am). “

“SE31 is getting much steadier on her feet. She seems to enjoy practising her walking. She sits up looking very pleased with herself afterwards. Both these two have really large crops. Lady coaxed each of them to eat until they could eat no more. Somehow that big fish has been devoured. Have a look at their relative sizes now. It is as though SE32 has caught up to SE31 in size. I presume he is still the smaller of the two but not by much. I am now wondering whether the genders I had assumed all along are in fact correct. Maybe we have two males here, one of which was younger and went through a state when it was more nervous than the other. Unfortunately, as they do not band these eaglets, we won’t know unless they end up in care (which I suppose is highly likely, based on previous seasons). But certainly, SE32 has grown quite dramatically over the past three or four days, since he began eating his fill several times a day. Just lovely to see how healthy and happy they look, with their gorgeous feathers sprouting on their shoulders and wingtips and their little tails growing. “

‘A’ also checked on Xavier and Diamond for us. “At Orange, Xavier has just come bouncing into the nest box with a starling, which surprisingly, Diamond takes and flies off with. This buys Xavier some precious egg time, and as always, he chats to his eggs as he settles down to brood. Oh he is the sweetest little falcon. These little males are adorable, aren’t they? Like Alden and then Lou at Cal Falcons, both similarly small but gorgeous. Diamond and Xavier had another of their lengthy half-asleep bonding sessions this morning, from 04:54:52 to 05:39:08. These two are SO cute. “

‘A’ also adds: “We are worried about an intruder at Orange. There has been an unknown falcon upsetting Diamond and Xavier at exactly the worst possible time. Of course they would not desert their nest box and their eggs. This is their territory and they will defend it. But of course the very last thing this scrape needs is the loss of a parent. Diamond is a very large, powerful female, but we would not want her risking her safety. And Xavier is essential to the provisioning of this scrape, so he too cannot be injured. There are suggestions that this might be a previous fledgling – Indigo or even Izzi! These two have tended to have male eyases and it is the males who return to the natal nest area, is it not? So far, the intruder is not causing major problems, but s/he is hanging around. If it is a female, of course, the problem could become more serious. “

Thanks, ‘A’.

There are no eggs at Port Lincoln, but I quite like the new male. He is good to bring Mum fish, and they are trying. Let’s all send them a wink, nod, and some good positive energy. We might be surprised! I cannot think of anything nicer than this Mum having a nest full of osplets but also full of fish – and everyone living to fledge!

It is to be noted, as ‘A’ reminded me this evening that none of the other Osprey nests in South Australia have eggs either – so either they are all late (at least historically) or we won’t see any osplets this year! I prefer to think that they know something we don’t and the eggs are just late.

There are no eggs at 367 Collins Street yet. This is the latest update.

The death of a single Kakapo rattles the world. There are now only 247 of these gorgeous green non-flying parrots alive in the world.

It is that time of year when window collisions are happening more frequently. Here is a good little article to help you or someone you know understand how to deal with a bird that has hit a window.

We are experiencing Hummingbirds on their migration from the north to the south. If you are also, please provide sugar water for them. Do not purchase this at the shop with the dye…make your own. The recipe is simple: 4 cups of water to 1 cup of white sugar. Heat to dissolve the sugar only. Cool before putting in your hummingbird feeder. These little ones need all the energy they can get, and right now, some of the flowers no longer have nectar. They are dried up due to the summer heat!

Thank you so much for being with me today. For everyone in the area of Hurricane Idalia, please take care. We hope to see everyone with us soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H, PB’, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Susan Butler and FOBBV, Cornell Bird Lab, ATV, Dunrovin Ranch, Fortis Exshaw, Kent Island, Osoyoos, Forsythe, Wildlife Conserve Foundation of NJ, Ian Dragnet and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, PSEG, Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Nazz Derbz and Peregrine Falcons Melbourne, Kakapo Recovery, and Maureen Eiger.