Category Archives: conservation biology

Telyn home at Dyfi, Dylan at Clywedog??…plus eaglet hatches…Monday in Bird World

27 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was a beautiful day in the Canadian Prairies. Spring is arriving, and the small ponds around the City and parts of the river are melting. The Geese are beginning to return. I saw four this morning during my walk, and others have reported them returning on eBird.

There was one lonely goose on the open water at Fort Whyte Alive.

Several were in the sky, flying toward our Assiniboine Park and the River. It is exciting seeing the end of winter. Can’t wait to see ‘green’ as in grass and leaves!

We will start with an incredible video of M15 delivering a Bluegill to the eaglets at the SW Florida Bald Eagle Nest. Shot by The Real Saunders Photography, who are on the ground in Fort Myers. What a different perspective!

On Sunday, M15 brought three fish and a piece of ‘something’. I can’t be positive, but E22 got the majority, if not all, of the prey. He appears to continue to provide feast and famine days for the eaglets as he eases them into what will be living in the real world. There were no big dramas yesterday. M15 also found time to have a nice splash about in the pond. He has done it! Will the Es fledge this week?

The winds are blowing UK Ospreys onto their nests. Blue 022, the mate of CJ7 at Poole Harbour, flew on to the nest on the 26th of March. Other arrivals are being reported around the UK. The nest at Poole Harbour is part of the Roy Dennis relocation efforts to bring Ospreys back to the area after a more than 200-year absence. Last year CJ7 and Blue 022 fledged two historic osplets from this nest. Sadly, one was killed by a Goshawk.

Blue 22 was joined by an unringed female. Come on CJ7!

Telyn has arrived home at the Dyfi Osprey Platform in Wales just after noon on the 27th. Now we wait for her mate Idris to get home.

A second osprey has been seen on the nest at Clywedog, but the camera has gone down and no firm confirmation that it is Dylan. Sure hope it is!

The three osplets at the Venice Golf and Country Club in Florida appear to be doing quite well. They are certainly well camouflaged. You have to look carefully to tell the stripes on their backs from the sticks.

Arlene Beech reports that the first Osprey has arrived in Poland for the 2023 season.

It was so nice to check on Abby and Victor and find them both up eating Sunday morning. The average number of fish coming to the nest is 5-6 a day. Many of those are being brought in by Sally. It appears that on Sunday, Harry delivered one early fish. Thank goodness the water feature below the nest must be teeming with food. Sally has no trouble bringing fish to her, Abby, and Victor.

Everyone is preening and itchy. Look at the image above. The tail feathers are starting to come in also.

Sally keeping the osplets shaded. Where is Harry? He has been off camera for a couple of days. I am used to him being on the nest and there being a few more deliveries. Sally caught fish yesterday.

Abby and Victor were so full of fish they could hardly move and then Sally decided to feed them some more after the IR light came on. Just look at the crops on Sally and the kids.

‘A’ is a keen observer of the Moorings nest and she writes about Sunday, “Not only is Victor rapidly learning how to get to the beak, even if he has to go between mum’s legs or hide under her wing, and he seems to have renewed confidence. As I think I mentioned yesterday, he has developed a technique for not being beaked by Abby – as he becomes aware of Abby raising herself up to beak him from behind, he does the same himself, stretching his neck and standing literally on his tiptoes to get himself high enough to prevent her from being able to bring her weight down on his head. Abby retreats nearly every time. Victor has now learnt that, so he seems quite confident to continue eating even in Abby’s presence.” Thanks, ‘A’. There are no worries at this nest at the moment!

At the Achieva Osprey nest, Jack flew in with a huge fish around 0830. Diane has been busy feeding the trio. It is so difficult to see the behaviour on this nest this year without the camera zoomed in closer!!!!!!!! I cannot tell how the osplets are doing in terms of the feedings only that there are still three alive on the nest. The third hatch, despite being only four days younger than the eldest, is quite small.

Jackie and Shadow were at the Big Bear Valley nest early Sunday morning.

Shadow has been bringing in lots of nice fish. If those prey gifts could be eggs in that nest, it would overflow.

Congratulations to Bella and Smitty on their first hatch of the 2023 season at the NCTC nest.

Big Red was also on her nest early Sunday morning!

And the camera pans over to the Bradfield ledge and catches her trying to keep out of the wind. Is this a new improved zoom?

The three eagles of Martin and Rosa in the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest in Virginia continue to do well. What more can we ask when three are in a nest, and one is much bigger? They are doing well! There are, as of today, seven Bald Eagle nests in the US with three eaglets. Wow.

Ron and Rose continue to trade off duties caring for the two eaglets. Everything is going along splendidly.

A whole new meaning to ‘sleeping with the fishes’.

Rose indeed found an incredible mate when she landed on Ron’s nest! Lucky girl.

We are still waiting for a pip at the nest of Liberty and Guardian in Redding, California. I am not ready to give up on their only egg this season. Send them positive wishes, please.

Bella and Smitty had their first hatch on the 25th of the 2023 season. This is great news. The couple did not have any eaglets last season.

PA Farm Country now has their third hatch of the four eggs on the nest this season. Wow. They are going to be busy!

Pittsburgh-Hayes had their first hatch of the 2023 season at 12:03 on the 26th. Welcome H19!

Six hours old.

Congratulations to Nancy and Beau at MN-DNR on their first hatch of the 2023 season. Hatch occurred early Sunday evening.

https://www.youtube.com/live/l95k-iKfh8Q?feature=share

Bonding is happening at the scrape on top of San Jose City Hall. This new couple replaces Shasta, Annie, and Grinnell’s son, Sequoia.

Proud Owlvira standing with her three owlets in Corona, California. They have all ‘branched’ to the rim of the nest.

Pip, Tootsie, and Hoots must be full as each is ignoring the mouse in the nest that Mum delivered a few minutes earlier.

Here is that delivery:

Checking on Karl II and his family and their migration back to Estonia. Karl II’s last transmission was as he was almost leaving Turkey. No news today. Kaia had one ping in Chad and nothing since. That was several days ago. Waba remains in Sudan. Bonus’s last transmission was in the fall migration in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.

If you want to take part in voting at Cal Falcons for your favourite memes, go to https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu Click on either the FB or Twitter links, and you will find the ‘Vote Here’ link. Have fun!

There seem to be more cases daily, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, as so many never appear on the FB site. It is a simple fix. Imagine all the resources saved, never mind the pain and suffering of the carrion feeders. So explain to me why this is not happening. The EU has banned lead. You cannot hunt waterfowl in England, Wales, the wetlands of Northern Ireland and Scotland using lead but, the programme is not comprehensive. A voluntary initiative in the UK to stop pheasant hunters from using lead indicated that 94% of the pheasants tested had been killed with lead shots. It needs to be a mandatory ban on all lead in all hunting and fishing equipment. It is simple. Every news outlet is looking for a story. Give them one. Pepper the local papers and outlets with the reasons for not using lead then make it mandatory. It will take a few years but people will comply (for the most part). Just do it! And not piece meal.

Voluntary-UK-initiatives-to-phase-out-toxic-lead-shot-for-pheasant-hunting-have-had-little-impactDownload

Here is the link to the story about the EU banning lead that appeared about a month ago in The Guardian and in my blog at the time.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/15/ban-on-hunting-birds-with-lead-shot-in-eu-wetlands-hailed-as-huge-milestone-aoe?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so very much for being with me today. I hope to have another unique story from Barbados for tomorrow for everyone. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, announcements, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: Real Saunders Photography, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Ospreys of Poole Harbour, Dyfi, Venice Golf and Country Club, Arlene Beech, Moorings Osprey Park, Achieva Credit Union, FOBBV, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Eagles, Cornell RTH, Dulles-Greenway, WRDC, FORE, Pix Cams, MN-DNR, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Corona Owl Cam, Live Owl Cam, Looduskalender Forum, Cal Falcon Cam, Phys.org, Terry Carman and Bald Eagle Live Nests and News, and The Guardian.

Pips everywhere…Sunday in Bird World

26 March 2022

The sun is bright, and the temperature is only -2 C, but a 22 kph wind makes it chilly! I have not seen them, but others have witnessed 45 Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle arriving from their winter migration. First American Robin seen, also. Amazing. Last year many of the eagles who make their nests on the ground and the ducks’ and geese’ nests were ruined by overland flooding. Hoping that does not happen this year!

For me, the delight of the day came when about half a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos landed in the lilac bushes at about 1630! They’re back. Mr and Mrs Downy had just departed when they arrived. Do you know what this means? A trip to the bird food store for millet tomorrow.

‘H’ reports that it was quite the day at the WRDC nest. There was a feast with Rose bringing in 2 fish and Ron delivering 7 fish and a duck. Goodness. There was even one feeding. Needless to say neither chick was hungry! Incredible.

Gosh, that fish on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform has been there a long time. Sally started feeding Abby and Victor and Abby took great exception to Victor wanting food. Not that behaviour is any surprise. Poor little Victor. He did wait it out and watched and got over and Mum Sally fed him until he had a nice crop. There is still fish left.

Little Victor finally getting some fish.

Around 1640 Sally ‘decided’ to feed Abby and Victor before they got ravenous. Great idea. They both ate little civilised cherubs. Each got fed a nice meal.

There was even fish left for Sally.

Victor had a nice crop as the sun was setting over the nest. Harry was not around much today. Chasing off intruders? Sally caught one fish herself. Saw it from the nest and went and got it. Don’t think she cared much for that other fish that Harry brought in. Perhaps it was too bony.

Sally and the osplets sound asleep…Victor tucked in under Mum.

There is fish hiding all over the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. The triplets are doing just fine. Martin and Rosa seem to managing them well.

This is the listing of the UK Ospreys that have returned. Thanks, Mary Cheadle!

Seren Blue 5F is an amazing fisher. Here she is with a huge trout – too large to finish in one meal. She will have the rest for breakfast.

There is still some rumbling on FB about Gabby ‘being missing since Wednesday’. Gabby has returned from her spa days. The AEF has confirmed this with the following post on the 25th of March.

Here are some images:

Meanwhile Jackie and Shadow keep us guessing at Big Bear.

They certainly have been bringing in more railing!

Our big girl Jackie on the left and Shadow on the right. A great image to see the difference in scale between male and female Bald Eagles.

Shadow provided Jackie with several fish on the nest Saturday. The perfect gentleman…oh, Shadow, you really do want those eggs!

‘A’ sent news that all three GH owlets at the Corona California nest have now branched.

Bonnie and Clyde’s owlets on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas are enjoying some sun and from being out from under Mum!

E21 is 79 days old today. The average age of fledge at South West Florida is 83 days. Oh, what a bittersweet moment this is all going to be.

Sometimes you can only see a few talons!

They track Dad when he is incoming with prey and get themselves in that nest!

On Saturday, M15 brought in no less than five fish for the Es.

M15 and the kids did defy the odds…fledge watch! We should all be jumping up and down with joy but, the moments are so bittersweet. What an amazing season and what a pleasure to watch M15 rise to every occasion. We do not know what his fate will be after the Es leave the area. Will M15 get a mate and keep the nest? Will he leave on his own for a more quiet life elsewhere after Harriet? We wait.

The miracle at the SW Florida nest this year has made the Naples news.

https://www.news-press.com/picture-gallery/news/2023/03/24/e-21-and-e-22-swfl-eagle-cam-defy-odds-they-prepare-fledge-harriet-missing-since-feb-2/11535484002/

Mum and Dad eating on the nest at Duke Farms along with the two eaglets. These two are so easy to watch!

Three eggs laid on February 20, 23, and 26 at Denton Homes. We will be on pip watch next week.

There is a possible pip at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty Saturday night.

There is a pip at Pittsburgh-Hayes, which was confirmed at 16:44 on Saturday. Hatch is now in progress. Oh, the wind is really blowing and it feels cold just watching Mum trying to get some sleep, hunkered down.

Did we not think everyone would have a hatch at the same time. Oh, goodness.

At the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest near Houston, Ringo has branched!

Beautiful Mama Goose and her two eggs at the Decorah Goose Cam in Iowa. The second laid on Saturday the 25th at 1000.

Eggs covered with nesting material and down while Mum has a break.

If you are into wading birds, do you know about the Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam in St Augustine, Florida?

https://www.youtube.com/live/M4P_GzA6H80?feature=share

Ferris Akel had the most extraordinary images of the Sandhill Crane migration. These images were taken in Nebraska. Ferris said the tour was 1000% worth it! Even getting up at 0400 for the fly off.

Ferris Akel is a gem. He has a streaming tour of the Ithaca area every Saturday. You can see it later archived on YT. He also shares so much and taking us with him on this amazing tour was very special.

There are upwards of 400,000 Sandhill Cranes in this area migrating right now. They expect 600-650,000 at peak migration, according to Ferris.

This is a gathering place. They will gather around marshes often surrounded by prairie forest feeding and then flying off at dawn. Every crane set off at the same time to continue its travels north.

Those Sandhill Cranes will be flying into Southern Manitoba any day now!

Ferris has this fantastic spectacle – with the sound of the cranes – now on YT. Thank you, Ferris Akel!

This is why we need everyone to stop using lead in hunting and fishing equipment (and military).

Conservation without Borders are heading back to West Africa to see if they can find Tweed Valley Osprey Glen whose tracker says he is still in Morocco. I hope he is there for their arrival and not on his way back to the UK. Go Sasha Dench and Crew!

Meanwhile, we are going to band together and try to locate Glen’s brother, Kirk 707 beginning this week!

Good Morning, gorgeous. Big Red and Arthur have sure been trying out that egg cup. All eyes are on the 20 year old Red tail Hawk, the Queen of the Cornell Campus.

On the Canadian Prairies, people are just getting ready for gardening season. With the high cost of food, many are converting lawns into gardens or, if they have a small space, container gardens. This article in The Guardian challenges us to reconsider our garden because it should be a vital place for wildlife. Have a read, get some ideas! Send me some pictures if you join in. I would love to see what you are doing to help everything from a small insect, songbirds, beavers, deer, and waterfowl!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/25/garden-multilayer-forest-biodiverse-tom-massey-rhs?CMP=share_btn_link

Missy is going to help us review a new book for next week. It is Water Babies. The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds by William Burt. Oh, just in time for the new season!

She has already started evaluating the images!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Remember to get outside and take in some fresh air, even if it is on your balcony or front step! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, streaming cams and videos that helped make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenway, Mary Cheadle, Carnyx Wild, AEF, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, Corona Owl Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, Denton Homes, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Eagle Cam, Pix Cams, Paul White and Webster Texas Eagles, Decorah Goose Cam, Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam, Ferris Akel Live Tour, Terry Carman Bald Eagle Live Nests and Cams, Conservation without Borders, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.

Another egg for Captiva, Trey fledges…Saturday in Bird World

25 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The snow from our winter is melting. Ducks and geese are returning to the Canadian Prairies – not in huge numbers – but, the spring migration is upon us!

The first Canada Goose has been sighted in the City and this evening (Friday), one flew over the wetlands of Oak Hammock Marsh, my other haunt to see waterfowl. The Mallards are coming in, more than 200 of them now and the odd songbird. Everyone is excited to welcome our feathered friends ‘home’ until late September or October.

I spent the day in the forest at the nature centre. It was warm, there was some wind but not amidst the trees. On my way to the feeding station, I glanced to my left and there were seven deer.

They watched me closely as I sat down on a log across the trail. Later I learned that there are several fawns with this group but, I did not see them. They were well hidden.

The song of the Chickadee is a familiar and delightful sound in our parks all year. Years ago there was only a single Chickadee visitor to my garden, then there was a couple (obviously together), and now there is at least eight or nine that live in the Blue Spruce tree in the front garden. I have no idea how many reside in the forest but, definitely more than a dozen.

This White-Breasted Nuthatch has now read the manual. He was decidedly not facing downward!!!!!!!!

This little Red Squirrel was at the feeding station. There are lots of them. They are adorable and they are not afraid of humans. They will not leave their seeds for anything or anyone!

Penny Bowles left a lasting legacy not only for the birds but for all the people who walk the trails of the forest when she left a trust to provide food for the songbirds.

Blue 5F Seren is now home at Lyn Clywedog!!!!!!! Come on Dylan!

While we are waiting for the first egg of the season at Ithaca’s Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur, Angel, the Leucistic RTH and her mate, Rom, have theirs!

Some of you might have known that Gabby had been away from the NEFL-AEF nest near Jacksonville for a few days. Gabby returned from her spa date today! V3 flew in behind his gal, and Gabby quickly dismissed the intruder hanging around the nest! Way to go, Gabby.

It was a rough day for Dad at the SW Florida nest of M15 and the Es. The intruder that stole the turtle breakfast followed M15 later, and the pair engaged in a talon-to-talon battle. M15 appears to be alright, but this is what we have been afraid of all along. Send this nest your best wishes. Dad needs to get his babies fledged and then train them to hunt while they perfect their flying. He does not need the harm an intruder could do to him – or them. He went to the pond to get a drink and found some prey scraps in the pasture for the kids. What a guy. What he has had to go through this season! Meanwhile, 21 almost pushed 22 off the nest today. Get the worry beads out.

Vija caught the collision on video for us.

Despite having the breakfast turtle stolen by the intruder (M15 picked up as much as he could from the ground for the Es), having a talon battle with the same eagle, M15 did deliver no less than four prey items to the Es on Friday.

M15 locking talons with the intruder. Listen to the Es who are frantic! Thanks, Deb Stecyk.

Sally and Harry are handling Victor and Abby well. They are beautiful osplets. Just look at how their plumage has changed. Remember when they were a taupe with a dark stripe down their backs? Now, look. Sometimes the birds change before our eyes, and we don’t remember what they were like three weeks ago.

Harry is very good to stay on the nest and provide security while Sally feeds Abby and Victor.

At a late feeding, 1922, both osplets were up to Sally. Abby was insisting on eating first. Abby had a huge crop. It is unclear how much Victor had. In fact, throughout the day, Abby has been particularly aggressive so it is difficult to determine just how much fish Victor has had overall.

There appeared to be an intruder about that distracted Sally. All were tucked in shortly after.

Abby is finished and Victor is eating.

It looks like Abby has swallowed a small softball.

There is a huge fish left on the nest this morning. Are there intruders? Victor has had some food but Abby continues to be miserable. Let us hope that Victor gets several big feeds today!

Angus and Florence have two eggs and the third is expected today, Saturday the 25th. Then we should see Florence begin hard incubation.

As aggravated as I have been with Rose at the WRDC nest, I also find her and Ron delightful, and it is lovely to see the male taking such a huge part in raising the eaglets. I find myself going back to when we worried about lonely Ron after Rita had been injured and taken into care. We so wanted him to find a good mate. He had no idea Rita wasn’t returning and he continued to work gallantly on that nest. These two little eaglets are a real blessing for him.

It was a very soggy day at Dulles-Greenway.

The three eaglets of Martin and Rosa looked cold and miserable.

At the nest of Big Bear Eagles Jackie and Shadow, it looked like the beginning of a perfect day as the sun rose over the lake.

Jackie and Shadow were on and off the nest bringing in soft materials. I am afraid to get hopeful.

They began with this small bunch and look at the next image to see where they were late in the day. Is this a hint that they need a nest now? And cannot wait for the snow to melt? Did I say I want to get my hopes up?

Shadow even gets to deliver more sticks!

B16 at the Berry College nest is really getting those wings working! Not fledge time yet but, gosh, this is a strong eaglet.

Let’s have a look what is happening at the nest of Liberty and Guardian at Redding, California. We are ready for pip/hatch watch. Gary gives us a thorough look at what is happening on this nest along with some historical background.

At the nest of Anna and Louise, KNF-E1 03, Trey, has branched. Thanks, ‘H’. Look close to the left on the lower branch. There she is!

This is a bit of a short report today. There are lots of pip, and hatch watches – NCTC Smitty and Belly, MN-DNR, FORE are only a few. One thing I would like to alert you to is a new FB group that Heidi has organised for the Mispillion Harbour Ospreys. She has videos, and history, and will be travelling down for the opening at DuPont Nature Centre. There could be a new couple in the nest this year. Please go and check it out and support one of our keen readers as she works hard to bring attention to a Delaware Osprey platform!

Having established that a Scottish Osprey could be blown off course and wind up in Barbados, I will be turning my attention to Blue 707 Glen from Tweed Valley Ospreys who was last heard from on the 5th of September off the coast of Ireland. Glen could have gotten into the same robust system as Blue KW0. More to come tomorrow or Monday. We will need an army of sleuths for this one! More arrivals at other UK nests. Will put them all in tomorrow. Looks like Kielder has two arrivals now.

Thanks so much for being with me today. Take care. Have a fantastic start to your weekend. See you soon.

Thank you to the following whose notes, postings, videos, and streaming cams helped make up my blog information today: ‘H’, John Williams and the Clywedog Osprey Group, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Vijay and SW Florida Eagle cam, Deb Stecyk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Dulles-Greenway, Berry College Eagles, FOBBV, Gary and FORE, KNF-E1, and Mispillion Harbour Ospreys FB.

Blue KWO, Karl II’s family is on the move, hatch watch. It is Friday in Bird World

24 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Can you believe it is the end of the week? The days fly. It is so lovely that the weather is becoming milder here in the Canadian Prairies. The sky was blue again today, and the winds were brisk, but the temperature was quite nice. I hope to finish a survey of the nests in my neighbourhood before all of the appearing buds turn into leaves. It is an area – nests – that I am not entirely familiar with so I am hoping to learn and if I find anything useful, I will be sure to share it with you.

Four Chickadees were flitting about in the garden this evening about an hour before sunset. This one (above) was smart. It spent a lot of time at the suet cylinder instead of taking one Black oil seed, breaking it, and returning for another.

The chickadee was not the only one interested in the new suet cylinder. We can always count on Dyson! So, so good to see her out and about on a nice day. Dyson will probably finish that entire cylinder by Friday evening or Saturday morning!

The kittens were happy to ignore everything in the garden and play with one another on their big cat tree.

Tim Makrill, the Director of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, has tracked down all the missing information and some excellent images of Blue KW0, the female Osprey that found herself in Barbados, not Scotland. It is a great read. Thanks, Tim! And thanks, Geemeff, for sending the link to me. I might have missed it this morning.

A Transatlantic Flight

I am certain that each and every reader continues to check on the Es. You must be delighted at the change in confidence in E22 since he branched. On Thursday, the little one got the White Ibis that M15 brought at 0821. He plucked that bird like a pro!

E22 mantling his prey.

E21 will share some of that bird of 22’s.

Lady Hawk caught the delivery of the Ibis, the chase by an intruder, and E22’s amazing grab on video for us.

And then Dad arrives with a fish a few hours later. E22 is up on the branch but jumps into the nest, getting the fish before 21 can even figure out there is prey (well, almost).

The scramble for the fish.

22 is on a roll but, 21 is getting hungry. Hoping for prey for both equally, actually. They are in their 11th week. It will not be long until they fly.

E21 has made it to the porch. Oh, I hope that these two are careful with that GHO about.

The fourth fish delivery on the 23rd went to E21! M15 is really feeding the babies on Thursday! There will be at least two more deliveries before the day is over. M15 continues to amaze me.

Moorings Park Ospreys. Sally and Harry continue to be incredible parents for these three-week old osplets, Abby and Victor, who hatched 18.5 hours apart. Abby has not stopped beaking Victor or shaking him by the neck and Victor has not stopped getting his revenge. Both are eating and growing. That is what matters. There were six fish delivered on the nest on Thursday.

Looking carefully at the osplets, you will notice that Victor and Abby are getting the beginnings of feathers. They are not ready to do any self-feeding but the pair are starting to peck at the fish.

‘A’ reports that both Abby and Victor ate their Friday breakfast like little ‘eating machines’ especially Victor. Some dominance but Sally and Harry are incredible parents. Just incredible. This nest is good!

All three of the Dulles-Greenway eaglets are doing fine today. DG3 seems to have not suffered any ill effects from being out of the egg cup for over 5 hours on Wednesday.

Can you find the ear of DG3? That little black dot to the left of the mouth. It will be covered with feathers before fledge.

There is sad news coming out of Decorah, Iowa, today. This is the Decorah North nest.

A view of the Decorah nest later in the day.

It was a bit of a soggy day at Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest. Just look at the size of those two eaglets! They both have good thermal down and a few dandelions left. My goodness. Did we blink?

Clown feet time!

This has been a superb eagle nest to watch this year. Both eating well and growing. You can see their feathers starting to come in, too. They still have the white-lined mouth. Watch for this to change to yellow.

Today is hatch watch for Liberty and Guardian. Gary says the second egg at this nest should, based on past history, that the egg will hatch Saturday-Monday. Here is his explanation looking at the data for the Redding nest.

We are also on hatch watch for Nancy and Beau at MN-DNR and for Bella and Smitty at NCTC. We could have several hatches on the same day!

It is raining in Ithaca, New York and there are no eggs in Big Red’s nest – yet!

Oh, how I wish the Achieva Credit Union streaming cam had a better zoom on it. There are three little osplets being cared for and they all look to be faring rather well – from a distance!

Rose and Ron continue to take turns feeding the eaglets at the WRDC nest in Miami. They are both doing just fine. Indeed, if you watch carefully they are beginning to reach back and preen. Fat little bottoms and ute little tails. Ron is doing a wonderful joy keeping the fish coming to the nest and helping Rose feeding and brooding.

You may recall that Trey, the only eaglet of Anna and Louis, was struck 16 times by an owl the other evening. Here is a very informed response as to why this might have occurred from Steve Shively, one of the Rangers at the KNF.

A gorgeous sub-adult/juvie eagle visited the nest of Gabby and V3 today. Could this be Jules or Romey? The head development indicates a bird of approximately 2.5-3 years. Fledglings do return to their natal nests! Samson certainly did and we are happy with that result.

Thanks to everyone that joined in the Cal Falcons fundraiser. Oh, they surpassed their goal. Well done! Despite the fundraiser saying the funds go to the Regents, I understand they are then earmarked for the falcons. (It was the same way at the University where I was a professor and administrator).

Thanks to ‘L’ for her note another egg arriving at First Utility Osprey Platform today at 14:38:41.

Sunnie Day has the laying of the third egg on video. Apparently the first egg has failed, so after this third egg, there are two good eggs in the nest.

Ervie’s tracker is working. Here are his latest exploits. We know this great third hatch of 2021 is doing well. Indeed, if my memory holds, only two fledglings from Port Lincoln are confirmed to be alive and well – Calypso from 2019 and Ervie from 2021. Both are in the Port Lincoln/Eyrie Peninsula area. There could be others, not spotted but it seems strange that no one has seen Bazza or Falky or DEW.

It would be reassuring if all levels of government would make respect for the environment and all living things a priority. With that in mind, Audubon has published an article on the lobbying going on to stop the Willow project in Alaska. Every time I read about oil and gas in Alaska, I think of those beautiful Bald Eagles that go up there or live there for the salmon. Think Glacier Gardens. Please let your representatives know that you do not support this project before it is too late.

https://www.audubon.org/news/construction-days-away-groups-ask-court-halt-massive-willow-oil-project?ms=digital-eng-email-ea-newsletter-engagement_20230323_wingspan_&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engagement_20230323_wingspan&utm_content=

Ever wonder where the ‘Crossing over the Rainbow Bridge’ came from?

If you travel to areas of the Iberian Peninsula or Alsace, look up! The White Storks have the most enormous nests in some of the most exciting places!

There is good news coming from the Karula National Forest Black Storks. Karl II is in Turkey! He crossed the border. Kaia is near Khartoum and Waba continues his foraging in Sudan.

Karl II.

Kaia.

That is a mix and a mash of things happening in Bird World. We have a little more time with 21 and 22 before they fledge but not long. What a very bittersweet moment that will be. Let us all hope they visit the nest for 4-6 weeks, learning from their super day, M15, how to navigate the world. How can they not succeed?

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. Looking forward to having you with us again soon!

Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to form my blog today: Geemeff, ‘L’, A’, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Vijay and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenaway Eagle Cam, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Rose Swailes and Decorah Eagles Love Nest FB, Duke Farms, Gary and FORE, Cornell RTH, Achieva Credit Union, WRDC, Tonya Irwin and the KNF Eagle Cam Fans, Bird Cam Network and NEFL-AEF, Cal Falcons, First Utility Ospreys, Sunnie Day and First Utility Ospreys, PLO, Audubon.org, Lorig Basmaijan and New England Nature Enthusiasts, and Looduskalender Forum.

2nd egg for Captiva, news on KW0?…Thursday in Bird World

23 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

So Tiger Mozone sends me a message saying, ‘Your bird has been identified’. Yes, Blue KW0 has been identified. The news is exciting. Tim Mackrill found the information on the ring number and the history of the bird. He has asked that this be kept confidential so as to publish it on the Roy Dennis Wildlife blog. When that happens, I will give you all the information. What I will say is that we were correct. It is a Scottish bird that was blown off course last summer and found itself in Barbados. Thank you to everyone who helped in this discovery.

Wednesday was one of the most beautiful days on the Canadian Prairies so far. Blue sky, little wind, -3. The first Canada Goose arriving in our City has been spotted. Mallards are coming in. Spring really might be coming…but, I will not say that too loudly. We have been known to have blizzards in May.

Lewis loves to pose! Today he got to help with more spring cleaning. How much fur can accumulate in corners when there are two large kittens? When do they stop being kittens and become cats? Lewis also believes that any surface in the house, especially in the conservatory, is his.

It is always nice to wake up to a good news story. Thank you, ‘MB’. Another osprey was saved after being tethered to its nest with a monofilament line. Can you imagine how that would cut through their legs and toes? Remember. Call your nearest wildlife rehabilitation centre if you see a raptor (or other bird species) tangled in a fishing line. Don’t know who they are? Take a few minutes to find out and put that information in your phone so that you can call them quickly! It could save a life.

https://fb.watch/jqQxC9cByH/

Congratulations to Angus and Florence who have their second egg at Captiva. 22 March 2023. Looks like it was around 11:13.

‘H’ reports that Rose is now doing approximately half of the daily feeds at the WRDC nest in Miami. She is gradually easing her way into being a confident mother. She is more patient and the prey items are better for the eaglets who can, now, eat bigger bites. Great news. Thanks, ‘H’.

Since last summer, I have received many letters wondering what happened to Malala, the Red-tailed Hawk raised by the Bald Eagles on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. I had a running list to respond to everyone on my old computer but sadly, that list went with the computer when it caught fire. So apologies. Here, however, is the news we have been waiting for. Yesterday I spotted a posting by the head of GROWLS, and in her list of items she addresses is Malala, who was seen with the Bald Eagle parents fishing and hunting. Terrific news.

It has been a tough time for GROWLS. They received donations for a new camera because of the attention paid to Junior and Malala. Then the property owners decided they did not want the camera on their land. People have that right, and I can only imagine the level of invasion they felt when the eagles adopting the RTH made the news. It is entirely understandable that they had enough. This has left GROWLS looking for another site. They cannot do anything until fall, so please have patience if you were one of the donors.

PA Farm Country has a second hatch on Tuesday.

The Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons now have three eggs. Way to go!

Speaking of falcons, news has come that Shasta, the mate of Sequoia, at San Jose City Hall did, indeed, have HPAI, when she died. I have changed this in the memorial wall. Thanks, ‘H’ for drawing my attention to the announcement.

I am also going to add Sequoia to the memorial board as MIA. Like Sue and Otto, the Syracuse University Red-tail Hawks, if one of a pair dies of HPAI, generally the second does, too. All we know is that Sequoia went missing after Shasta passed. Unless Sequoia is spotted and he does have a band, we might never know what happened. Hence, the MIA designation.

I have also decided to add Zoe to the memorial wall. We may never know what happened to the Port Lincoln first hatch and the only surviving osplet from the Port Lincoln barge 2022 season. Did she fly out to sea, get on a boat, and is in an exotic location? Did she land on a hydro pole and get electrocuted? Is she happily fishing? Without a transmission for some 2 months, we do not know. If she turns up, I will joyfully remove her.

Robert Wright took the following photo and posted it on Port Lincoln Ospreys. It is believed that it is Mum, Dad, and Ervie – yes, Ervie – in one of Ernie’s favourite trees waiting for the fish to run—an incredible image of the three of them. Great timing.

You can really see the change in the Duke Farms eaglets. They now have little dandelion Mohawks and a lot of dark thermal down on their bodies. They can now regulate their own temperatures but Mum and Dad will still brood them and keep them dry and warm if the weather turns.

So civilised. Will they band the pair? I will love to see if they are two little boys if they do DNA sampling.

Jackie and Shadow continue to come to the nest to have a meal and work on bringing in sticks despite the snow.

Even if they do not have a replacement clutch, Jackie and Shadow and their antics and behaviour towards one another will continue to melt our hearts as long as they are visiting the nest!

It was tough to gauge how much food Victor had today. Often Sally had her back to us, and you could not see any of the feedings. Still, both Abby and Victor had crops at various times of the day and nice long feedings. The osplets can now consume an entire fish without even thinking about it. They are in a period of great growth and change. Fewer feedings but more fish. It is an adjustment for everyone.

We can tell that both are progressing nicely and have been fed. Their eyes are clear and shiny and their plumage is developing as it should.

Our little E22 is coming into its own and as Lady Hawk says, he is having some revenge for all that previous beaking by 21!

E22 has been the bravest in terms of reaching higher branches. Let us just hope that he gets himself down in the nest so the GHO does not cause him to fledge early!

There is ‘branching’ at the Corona California GHO nest.

Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot cuddled up together in the nest.

Lou has joined a long line of fantastic male falcons that want to feed their eggs! Xavier and the male at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne come to mind.

We have covered the hatch days of the Kakapo so why not some of the California Condors?

We are getting closer and closer to the first egg at the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell campus. Her earliest was the 13th of March, but the norm appears to be the week of the 23rd of March. Fingers crossed.

Big Red just after having breakfast on the nest. 22 March 2023

We all get excited about rare birds in our area – or, well, I get excited about the ordinary, everyday ones that return from migration. There are some birds – Alpine Swifts -getting folks in the UK really, really joyful!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/22/birdwatchers-elated-as-alpine-swifts-flock-to-britain-and-ireland-in-rare-numbers?CMP=share_btn_link

Do you like historical illustrations of birds? These images of Australian birds by Elizabeth Gould are quite remarkable.

Birds-of-Australia-Elizabeth-Goulds-stunning-illustrations-–-in-pictures-Environment-The-GuardDownload

A book of Elizabeth Gould’s drawings will be released in October 2023.

Some sad news is coming out of the Channel Islands. One of the eggs of Chase and Cholyn at Two Harbours was broken during a storm a day or so ago. The good news at Sauces Canyon is that egg 7 is still intact! Oh, let us all hope that egg is viable and Jak and Audacity have a little one to care for – they sure deserve it. Eight eggs! I have no idea how Audacity managed that. No word on Thunder or Akecheta, Andor or Cruz as their new nests do not have cameras. Best wishes to all of them.

There is, of course, so much news out there. Waiting for more arrivals of ospreys in the UK. Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, announcements, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up the information in my blog today: ‘H’, ‘MB’, San Diego Humane Society, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, GROWLS and Pam McCartney, PA Farm Country Eagle Cam, Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Bart Molenaar and Friends of Osprey, Robin Wright and PLO, Duke Farms, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Live Owl Cam, Julie Krizmanich and Raptors of the World, Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.

E22 branches, DG3 out of the nest for 5 hours, 3rd hatch at Achieva…Wednesday in Bird World

22 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It was simply a gorgeous day in the Canadian Prairies. The temperature worked up to -1; there was a cloudy sky and little wind. It was a perfect day for a walk at the nature centre until….DG3 decided to go walkies in the nest and found itself over by the rim! Needless to say…I didn’t go out but, stayed home, baked cookies, read your lovely letters, and enjoyed the kittens.

We have been shifting furniture. A bit of spring cleaning. Not sure the dried hydrangeas will survive. When the kittens first arrived, they enjoyed tearing them apart and eating the pinecones I had collected on my walks. In the winter, I smear suet over them and put them in the lilac bushes. Let’s see if these hydrangeas last! Not counting on it.

Missy and Lewis used to fit together on top of their climbing tree. No longer.

Dyson was here today eating peanuts. So lovely to see her and the three babies from last year. Little Red was running on the hydro wires on the lane and the lilacs were filled with birds, including Mr and Mrs Woodpecker. Life is good. Each survived the winter including Little Red who had to find another home after the garden shed was torn down to make way for the conservatory.

The woodpeckers love the logs with the drilled holes filled with suet.

Michael St John and I continue to track Blue KW0 and its adventures getting to Barbados from Scotland. Hopefully, Tim at the Roy Dennis Foundation will discover the owner of that mysterious band and where and when this lovely osprey was ringed in Scotland. This morning Geemeff sent me a really good article on birds – all manner of birds – hitching rides on the big ships. Geemeff asks an important question: do they land on the boats out of choice or necessity?

With Ships, Birds Find an Easier Way to Travel

Jackie and Shadow have far worse weather than I do. Glad Jackie isn’t buried under that snow. They continue to visit the nest and are seen mating on the tree.

The wind could not have been more perfect at the Southwest, Florida Eagle nest of M15 and the Es. E21 was on the rim of the nest, letting the breeze blow against its wings. E E22 was in the nest. Then E22 began to flap his enormous wings, and at 17:04:34, he branched. It was magnificent. E22 was 73 days old on Tuesday.

After making it to the spike, E22 explored other branches higher up. Our brave little one. Yahoo….22.

Poor 22 had another first yesterday. It got hit by the GHO while it was sitting on the rim of the nest. Thankfully 22 went into the nest and not over the side! Thanks, Heidi!

All three eggs have now hatched at Achieva Osprey in St Petersburg, Florida. The third was Tuesday, the 21 March around 10:00. The hatch dates for the three are March 18, 19, and 21 so there is only three days difference between one and three. Not bad. Jack and Diane will be particularly busy. Fingers crossed.

Moorings Park Osprey platform. Just look at Victor’s ‘ps’. Looks healthy! And he has a fat little bottom—time 0739, 21 March.

A considerable fish came to the nest at 10:48. It had its head and Sally worked away trying to get the flesh from the bones.

That time Sally took allowed Abby to get herself into a right state.

Victor and Abby are 19 days old today. You can still tell them apart by their heads but Abby is now bigger.

Abby remains aggressive. She demands to eat first. Victor, of course, doesn’t like it.

Victor goes into submission. Good lad. There is lots of fish left. Either Victor needs to wait or he needs to carefully move around to the other side of Sally.

You can see how Ally is working away at the head of that fish.

Victor is very hot. He has moved around the rim but Abby is keeping him at the side. Come on Abby! There is fish left and you have had lots.

Victor got up in the shade and Abby followed him.

At 12:02, Abby is in food coma. Victor is up in the shade of Sally and there is fish left. Come on Victor! Come on Sally. Now is the perfect chance.

Harry’s eyes remind me of Blue 33.

To the relief of all, Victor is eating!

Victor got some fish and Sally finished the tail at 12:34. That means that she fed Abby, Victor, and herself from 10:48-12:34. Remarkable.

Thank you, Sally, for shading the babies!

Of course, Victor does not know when to leave a good thing alone. He went on a ferocious attack on Abby. Victor, everything is fine. Leave Abby be! No revenge is necessary.

In Virginia, Martin and Rosa continue to do well with the three eaglets at Dulles-Greenaway.

I do not know about the weather but these little ones cannot regulate their temperature yet and the oldest has gotten out of the egg cup and over to the rim of the nest. It needs to get back! This happened around 11:00 on Tuesday.

The chick is still moving at 12:37.

The oldest was out of the nest cup for over 5 hours. At one point, Rosa went over to encourage it to get closer to the egg cup. It must be extremely hungry, and I hope it has not gotten a chill. And then, a miracle happened. All three are in the nest! Tears.

The female eagles are at a loss as to when this happens. Most will not help because they could harm the little one. You might remember that one of the Es got out of the nest cup this year, and Harriet did use her beak to roll it back under. That was a brilliant solution.

I cannot see DG3’s head in this image.

Then a few minutes later it is there and seemingly tired.

Now all three are back in the cup. Thank goodness.

DG3 feeling better a few hours later.

At 17:04, the trio were enjoying a meal.

I continue to have mixed feelings about Rose. Thankfully Ron is feeding the eaglets! Rose flew off early on Tuesday morning and Ron flew in and fed the little ones.

Rose returns and does a feeding. Did she bring the fish?

She’s gone again. Ron is looking after the little ones. No worries. Ron is really rather amazing and is having a wonderful time looking after his babies while Rose eases herself into motherhood.

‘H’ has sent me a note. Apparently Rose has done an amazing feeding of the eaglets. She is being patient and offering small pieces. It was 16:16. Thanks, ‘H’. I do hope that Rose gains more confidence. ‘H’ says there was no beaking and both left the meal with nice little crops that you can see in the image below.

Bravo, Rose!

The two eaglets at Duke Farms are older than those at Dulles-Greenway and WRDC. They hatched on the 27-28th of February and are 23 and 24 days old. Their thermal down is coming in and Mum and Dad do not brood them all day long.

They also have enormous crops. It is a wonder they can sit! or move.

The Latvian White-tail Eagles, Milda and Voldis, continue to incubate their eggs. Gosh, these are beautiful eagles.

Arthur and Big Red continue to work on their nest. It seems that Arthur is very much aware of the construction across Tower Road. Let us all hope that this does not cause issues for this Red-tail Hawk couple on the Cornell campus this year.

Meanwhile in Mlade-Buky, The Czech Republic, everyone is awaiting the return of White Storks, Bukachek and Betty.

Checking on Karl II and his family. Waba continues to forage in Sudan. There was a hiccup on the tracker, but it shows that Kaia is on the move north from Chad. Precisely where is unknown. Everyone feels that Karl II should be arriving in Estonia at any time but there is no tracking news. We wait.

How long does a Bald Eagle live when it is cared for? fed? Mrs B was at least 49 years old when she passed. Wow.

Flaco, the escaped Eurasian Owl from the New York City Zoo, thrives in Central Park. Check out the latest on Falco and other NYC urban hawks with Robert at urbanhawks.com

In Canada, especially in some of the most beautiful parts of our country, the developers are taking over land traditionally supporting Bald Eagles. Dave Hancock and his foundation are working diligently to replace nests in trees lost to developments, including parking lots! I have mentioned it before, but it is worth pointing out again in case you missed it, Dave is including a sunscreen because of the rising summer temperature in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

The geese are taking over some unused Bald Eagle nests in Iowa. This one in Decorah had goslings jumping last year to our delight. Now there are eggs again this year! Bravo.

Red Tide has come to the coast of the Barrier Islands in Florida. So what is Red Tide? NOAA says, “Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—plant-like organisms that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. While many people call these blooms ‘red tides,’ scientists prefer the term harmful algal bloom. One of the best known HABs in the nation occurs nearly every summer along Florida’s Gulf Coast. This bloom, like many HABs, is caused by microscopic algae that produce toxins that kill fish and make shellfish dangerous to eat. The toxins may also make the surrounding air difficult to breathe. As the name suggests, the bloom of algae often turns the water red.” In fact, not all of the waters are red but, this can be very deadly as you can see form the Plover below in the care of CROW.

How will this impact our eagles and Ospreys?

If you are watching the Loch of the Lowes nest and are confused because you cannot see the Blue Darvic ring for Blue NC0, it appears it has split and come off. I cannot emphasise how important these rings are in identifying the birds. The recent mystery surrounding Blue KW0 would not even exist without that ring!

Maya and Blue 33 continue to reacquaint themselves after their return to Rutland after their winter migration.

The Scottish Government is trying to come to grips with the illegal killing of the raptors because of the grouse-hunting community. They have now implemented a grouse shooting licensing bill. It is a first step. Still, the legal system must deal with those who defy the laws allowing gamekeepers to get off with little or no penalties for horrible crimes against these amazing birds, such as stomping on five Goshawk chicks in the nest!

Breaking news….Scottish Government introduces grouse shoot licencing bill

I want also to introduce you to a lovely Ukrainian tradition today. One of my former students from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, CD, teaches at a university in northern Manitoba. She posted that March 22 is the Day of the Forty Martyrs. Her baba (grandmother) would make bread (pasta) covered with little dough birds. Of course, I saw the post and thought how interesting. Here is the story from the Ukrainian Cultural Centre:

The importance of this day, which comes immediately after the spring equinox, pre-dates Christianity in Ukraine. According to folklorist Olexa Woropay, on this day the magpie puts forty twigs in its nest and forty larks migrate from south to north. Bird-shaped buns called zhaivoronky were baked – forty of them, of course – and were given to children so that the poultry breed well. Some traditions report the children playing with the forty bird-shaped buns, tossing them into the air to invite all the birds to return from their winter migrations.

What a marvellous tradition! Guess who is baking paska today?

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care all. Remember to get outside, even for a few minutes if you can! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘CD’, Hakai Magazine, FOBBV, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Heidi Mc and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenaway, WRDC, Duke Farms, Latvian Fund for Nature, Cornell RTH, Blade Buky, Bald Eagle Live Nest Cams and News, Urban Hawks, Hancock Wildlife, L Rose and Decorah Eagles Love Nest, Diane Lambertson Captiva Island Eagles and Ospreys, LOTL, LRWT, Raptor Persecution UK, and the Ukrainian Cultural Centre.

Blue KW0, 3 eaglets for Martin and Rosa…Tuesday in Bird World

21 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The first spring day saw the first Peregrine Falcon return to Winnipeg from its winter migration! On top of that, an e-Bird submitter apparently ran into 150 Mallards at one of our parks yesterday. Let the fun begin.

Well, Michael St John and I are inching our way to discovering how the mystery Osprey, Blue KW0, came to be in Barbados! First, I want to thank everyone who reads my blog and to all the folks who don’t but who answered our calls to find out about this stunning bird. Today, I decided to write to John Williams. Many of you will know of John and his work in Wales for Llyn Clywedog. Why did I decide to write to John? Well, first of all he is curious. Second, he is tenacious. He once set out to figure where Dylan was getting his Brown Trout. Talk about a spy operation! So, it cost me an e-mail and did I learn some valuable information.

John Williams (Llyn Clywedog) says the K rings were only used in 2018/19. Great information. If this turns out to be accurate, this would make Blue KW0 five years old. Secondly, John said that Dylan was ten days late returning to Clywedog last year because “Last year around this time we in Britain had quite strong storm force winds from the northeast, in a south-westerly direction. Many birds were delayed or lost, including Dylan, who was 10 days later than the previous year. I wonder if KW0 was blown off course and out to sea and found a passing ship.” So grateful; thank you, John! I also learned that the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation gives out the Scottish bands, so Tim – who did not work for them then – should be able to discover the bander and location when he has time.

Of course, Blue KW0 may, sadly, spend his life as a bachelor (or her) on Barbados. Should we put an ad in the papers for a mate? Like they did with the domestic goose in the Iowa cemetery? Just kidding. There are plenty of Ospreys on Barbados for KW0 to find a mate and he is young.

I did not look at many of the nests in depth on Monday. Sometimes it is good to take a little break, and re-stocking the kitten’s pantry was a priority today! That said, I did check on little Victor; he was my priority. The news is good. No, the beaking has not stopped, and no, Victor has not learned to stop provoking Abby, but Victor ate well and is up at the table, as you can see in the images below. On occasion, Abby is in a food coma, and Victor gets an excellent private feeding. As long as Victor is eating, I am not concerned. It is worrying when the eldest sibling can prevent the younger ones from eating. Sally is an excellent Mum – quite amazing for this being her first year to raise osplets. She appears to be negotiating this well.

Sally fed both Victor and Abby at least once during the night and finished off the fish early in the morning. Too sleepy to fight in the early hours?

There were periods when Victor went into submission, but there were good feeds, too.

At 13:35, Sally is between us and the chicks. It is impossible to tell who gets what when she blocks the view.

At 15:54, both are up at the table and both have crops.

At 17:31, Sally is between the osplets feeding them. Victor got a really nice feeding this meal.

Victor having a private feeding at 20:51.

Victor is still eating at 21:06 and has a very nice crop! This is what we want to see. Victor had fish first thing in the morning, at least one very good feeding during the day (if not more), and he is eating again at the end of the day, getting his entire tank filled. It is all good.

Sally is feeding them again at 10:55. That is Victor eating!

Congratulations Lisa and Oliver on the first hatch of the 2023 season at PA Farm Country. The couple has four eggs again this year! This lucky first hatch on the first day of spring is getting a tandem feeding from these two delighted parents.

At SW Florida, M15 keeps up his campaign to feed the Es well and have two fabulous fledges. We have seen E21 branch but not 22 and even 21 is not doing a lot of branching. One answer was provided by one of the FB groups – the rebuilding of the nest resulted in a deeper cup, farther away from the branches! Great explanation.

They may love one another but not when a fish is concerned.

The two eaglets at the Duke Farms nest continue to do fine.

There continues to be ample food on the nest of Ron and Rose in Miami but, there is something wrong with the camera or is at the time I am writing this.

‘H’ reports that the eaglets at WRDC were fed ten times on Monday. Out of the ten, Rose only fed the eaglets four times. I am thankful that Ron is feeding his babies. He is much better at caring for them. Is this because Rose is so young?

Martin and Rosa have three eaglets to look after at the Dulles-Greenway nest. They are adorable.

Today, ‘L’ asked me if I ever checked in on the First Utility District Osprey cam. I didn’t even know this nest. Thanks, ‘L’. It looks like they have two eggs for the first day of spring, and what a gorgeous location.

Here is the information about their platform from the information below the streaming cam: “These Osprey built their nest on a dangerous power line in 2018. In response, First These Osprey built their nest on a dangerous power line in 2018. In response, First Utility District operations staff built a nesting platform for the Osprey. The Osprey relocated to their new home within 24 hours, and we have enjoyed their presence ever since. They return yearly to nest. Intermittent breaks in broadcast may occur due to weather conditions. The camera is solar powered and depends on good weather for a successful charge.”

Here is a link to Ricky and Lucy’s streaming cam:

https://www.youtube.com/live/hqmP06kJ3F4?feature=share

The 7th and only egg in the nest of Jak and Audacity is holding firm at Sauces Canyon. Fingers and toes crossed.

‘H’ sent me a note confirming that Daisy arrived at the Barnegat Light osprey platform in New Jersey on the 19th at 14:44. Now we wait for Duke!

Peregrine Falcon lover? There are now lots of streaming cams. One of those is at Salisbury Cathedral in the UK. There are now two eggs!

Meanwhile, Annie and Lou continue incubating their four eggs at The Campanile. Hatch watch beings on the 11th of April.

I don’t always report on them, but this is for ‘A’ since I have been more than neglectful – the three surviving GHOs at the Corona California basket nest are doing fantastic. They are filling up the space.

Their names are Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot.

I am a huge fan of Knepp Farm who chose to step outside the box and rewind their property in the south of England. Those courageous efforts are paying off!

If you want to read more about the history of Knepp Farm, the issues related to traditional agricultural practices and biodiversity in the UK, and the moment that a decision was made to rewind the land, pick up a copy of Wilding. The Return of Nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree. If you are in the UK or visit the area, go over, show your support, take a tour!

Darling Big Red and Arthur continue to work on their nest…

It is certainly looking like it is ready for eggs!

If you are wondering about Bird Flu, it remains within the environment and things are not looking well. Here is the report from the UK that indicates that 18 different species have tested positive so far.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1142730/ai-findings-2023.csv/preview

Thank you so much for being with me as we did a quick spin around some of the nests. The storks are arriving in Europe so there should be much to report just like the ospreys over the next week. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘L’, John Williams, Manitoba Birding – Bird and Wildlife Photography, Michael St John, Moorings Park Ospreys, PA Farm Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, WRDC, Dulles-Greenway, Sunnie Day, First Utility District, IWS and Explore.org, Barnegat Light and the Nature Conservancy, Salisbury Cathedral and Peregrine Falcon Group, Cal Falcons, Corona California owls, @Knepp Wilding, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, gov.uk.

Florence lays an egg!…Monday in Bird World

20 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Happy First Day of Spring! Bird World is already buzzing with Ospreys rushing from their winter homes to their spring and summer breeding grounds. Arrival reports come from the US, the UK, Sweden, and Norway. This is such an exciting time! We hope that each couple arrives home safely.

Of course, it is not just Ospreys. All the other raptors that have migrated along with the shorebirds, the waders, and the songbirds are also on the move. Soon, my garden will be teaming up with new visitors.

For Lewis and Missy, the arrival of warmer weather has meant a return to the Conservatory. Today they got to help with some spring cleaning and furniture moving. Specifically, the tansu stepped chest moved from the living room to the conservatory. Aeons ago, someone in Kyoto told me that these portable units that hold everything from tea ware to kimono were also used to access other home areas without building a permanent staircase that would be taxed. It is not clear if this is a myth or fact. What I do know is that they are ingenious pieces of furniture meant to hold specific shapes of boxes in a very orderly manner. Missy and Lewis think they are another part of the jungle gym!

They especially liked playing around the tansu until the drawers went in.

Today, the kittens saw Dyson and her three little ones from last summer and Little Red came to visit, too. This is a very poor-quality image of Dyson having just dumped the Mt Fuji bowl with the peanuts in it. So nice to see they all survived the winter. She is not bothering to take the peanuts but is, instead, eating them right there making a big mess with the shells. LOL.

We are going to start the day with a surprise. Florence, the mate of Angus, at the Captiva Osprey platform of Lori Covert, has laid an egg. ‘H’ sent me the news this morning. The happy event happened last night, Sunday the 19th, at 23:23:18. Thanks, ‘H’.

It is quite true that little Victor starts some of the fights on the Moorings Park Osprey cam. For so long, he could spar with Abby at an equal pace. Now things have changed, and he might not even realise how dangerous it is for him to ‘wake up the lion’ in his older, dominant sibling. Abby was particularly brutal at 12:20 on Sunday, going after Victor’s head and twisting his neck and body. Victor went into submission and watched and waited. When Abby entered a food coma, he got up to the table at 13:15 and had a good feed until 13:29, when Abby decided to join him. Her ferocity of Abby is making me nervous.

Victor managed to eat on Saturday. He had lots of fish late in the day. The key is for Victor to get food, any amount of food, every day. Victor – be smart! Don’t antagonise your sister. You will not win!

0832 feeding. Sunday.

Abby’s attack on Victor at 12:51. It began around 12:20 and lasted for about half an hour, on and off.

Abby in food coma. Eat up, Victor!

At 13:29 Abby is up again at the table. Victor continues to be fed.

At 16:13, Victor was getting a crop. He has figured out how to eat and crop drop to hold more.

The rain is coming down in Naples late Sunday night. Sally is keeping the little ones warm and dry. Also – and this is great – there is a fish waiting on the nest to feed them to the left.

The Duke Farms eagle nest is simply a pleasure to watch. such little fluffy butterballs! Everyone eats. Dad has tonnes of fish in the nest, which should comfort everyone.

Both eaglets at the WRDC were up and being fed on Sunday so no significant problems. Rose appears to be getting better at feeding, and there is a fish feast on this nest in Miami. No food worries here – just getting that nice fish in the beaks of those babies.

Oops. I spoke too soon. Around 19:22, for no apparent reason it could, the eldest started beaking the youngest on the WRDC nest. Oh, goodness. There is a lot of food. I wish Rose would feed these eaglets more often!

Maya seems to have held off as long as she could and has ‘forgiven’ Blue 33 any indiscretions he might have had with Blue25. That is good news. Maya is such a fantastic osprey. She has been raising osplets since 2010 – 34 of them. That is an average of 2.6 chicks fledging in a year. Incredible. Her and Blue 33 have had two clutches of four eggs hatch and fledge – which is remarkable. As I have said several times in the past few days, some nests struggle with two osplets. Just imagine caring for and feeding four!!!!!!!!!! Last year they had three large female hatches. Blue 33 is a fantastic provider and they are an amazing team. Glad to see Blue25 off that nest and away from this family.

There was a successful mating!

Ever wondered how that played out between Maya and Blue25? How about aerial combat? It looks like Maya won…but check out what Blue 33 is doing all the while!!!!!!!!!

Maya and Blue 33 are not the only ones bonding and anticipating a nest of eggs. Shadow is working diligently on the nest at Big Bear and him and Jackie have been caught on camera trying for that replacement clutch.

There are Coots winding up on Eagle nests from Miami to California!

On Saturday night, Trey, the eaglet of Anna and Louis on the KNF-E1 nest was hit 16 times by the GHO in the area. We all wondered where Anna and Louis were. Tonya (chat moderator) offered some possible explanations for the adult’s behaviour.

M15 provided no less than four fish deliveries to the Es on Sunday. I stopped counting at the 4th fish delivery at 13:13. M15 made six deliveries on Saturday. These two are spoiled for food. Nice.

Both are up on the rim of the nest and each has been wingersizing.

This is one of the best videos of a fish delivery I have ever seen. M15 flies into the nest with a Tarpon. I want you to look at his muscular legs as he lowers the fish into the nest for the Es and then gets out. Wow. My son catches Tarpon. They live in the mangroves in the Caribbean. Look at the size of this fish and imagine M15 dragging it out of the water and flying!

‘H’ writes that the second hatch at Achieva Osprey has arrived safely. Time around 13:09 Sunday, 19 March.

Big Red and Arthur continue to mate and prepare their nest. Meanwhile, their feisty fourth hatch, L4, remains in the territory. It appears that she is carving out an area for herself despite the parents wishing she would move on to another spot!

L4 is gorgeous. She is not called a mini-Big Red for anything. Gorgeous redhead and belly band. She also has her red tail now!

And now for something light-hearted, thanks to SK Hideaways…Lou settling in on the four eggs!

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. So far, two Osprey couples are back in the UK at the time of writing this: Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 at LOTL and Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland. Take care, everyone. Happy Spring! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, Duke Farms, WRDC, LRWT, @Geemeff, @Jskdell, FOBBV, Tonya Irwin and KNF-E1, SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, Real Saunders Photography and SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, Achieva Credit Union, @CornellHawks, and Cal Falcons.

Maya’s home! hatch at Achieva, Egg at Centreport …Sunday in Bird World

19 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

If you live in the United Kingdom, Happy Mother’s Day! And what a fantastic day it is with Maya landing on the nest. Blue 25 is there, and our guilty male, Blue 33, comes in with a fish! Thanks, Geemeff, for the head’s up!

Look at Blue 33’s eyes – like, oh gosh, what do I do now? Too funny. Go home, Blue 25. You just wanted free fish anyway!!!!!!! This is such a relief!

Oh, you can almost ‘smell’ spring on the Canadian Prairies. The snow is melting, and we have reached the balmy temperature of -5 C. Incredible. the Pileated Woodpecker has decided the garden is a good breakfast stop, and I must remember to fill up the suet logs for him. The Sparrows are singing and one Blue Jay has returned. Meanwhile, the Chickadees are busy in a tree in the front where I cannot see them. Are they making a nest?

Lewis has loved watching the squirrels and birds out the garden door! So happy he enjoys looking outside and not getting into mischief 24/7. He has only been inside the fridge twice now, and I have discovered that the loose tea packets sound like cat treats. I could not imagine what was making him so crazy. Of course, then he just had to have some treats. LOL. Thankfully he runs it all off during the day and night. Meanwhile, Missy lets Lewis get into trouble. She waits til the middle of the night for her turn when no one is looking!

After all the running around watching the birds and squirrels from room to room, Lewis is exhausted! Guess who takes up the entire big dog bed? and who has to sleep in the little basket?

The first hatch of the 2023 season for Jack and Diane at the Achieva Osprey Platform in St Petersburg, Florida came Saturday morning! 10:22:21 seems to be about the time. These are Tiny Tot Tumbles parents and there are two more eggs to hatch. Congratulations to everyone at Achieva.

Jack looks down at his new baby – proud dad.

M15 seemed to be entered into some speed fishing derby this morning. He brought four fish to the nest for the Es, nice size fish, from 0927-12:54. I stopped watching after that, knowing that the pair were good to go for another 48 hours if necessary! M15 didn’t stop with those four deliveries, he kept on going! Are you trying to impress the new lady, M15, like you have impressed us this year?

So many fish and birds were landing on the nest today that 22 was eating one and had a spare! And 21 was so full he didn’t want it. My last count of deliveries was six.

At 17:54, M15 came down from his branch and fed the eaglets the bird that he had brought. Talk about sweet.

Lady Hawk gives us some close ups of the female and in the background you can hear E22 squeeing very loudly – if he didn’t we would think something was wrong, right? Gosh, I am going to miss that sound!

M15 has already brought in food to the Es on Sunday morning as I prepare to publish this blog. Amazing Dad and Mum.

We all love Indigo. We also know that Diamond and Xavier do, too. Alas, they are trying hard to suggest to Indigo that he is now old enough to strike out and find his territory, and it isn’t their scrape box! Poor Indigo. Oh, this reminds me of life with Izzi!!!!

Cute little Xavier. He will let Diamond take care of Indigo!

If you have been watching the Moorings Park Osprey platform, the beaking is sometimes very difficult. Abby is quite the aggressive young lady when she wants to be, and she signals to Victor she is the boss. You need to watch the feedings because Victor is getting fed. That is what we want to see. Victor eating. And he is!

The key is for the one being beaked and being submissive to never look the dominant chick in the eye. It seems to set them off. The feedings below were at 11:26 and 14:21.

The dominant chick needs to be reassured that they will get food. The younger ones learn, if necessary, to give in to that and wait their turn. Abby now has a darker, blacker head.

Victor does not always get fed at every meal. The key is that he is eating and this phase should pass. There is plenty of food and both Harry and Sally are good parents. It is part of growing up on an osprey nest. At the 1654 feeding, Victor was in an awkward position. I presume he wanted to stay out of Abby’s way. He did get some fish.

That is Victor up at Sally’s beak. He is getting some bites of the fish before Abby attacks. She is being extremely aggressive despite there being enough fish for both. Let us hope that Abby goes into food coma and Victor gets some more.

Abby leaves the feed with a nice crop and Victor wants Sally to keep feeding. Where is the fish, Mum?

Victor is fish-calling. There is nothing left. What we need, is for Harry to fly to the nest with another great big fish for the last meal. Fill Abby up, and then Victor can have a good old feed. That is what he needs.

The one thing I like about eagles is that they leave prey on the nest for the Mum to feed the babies. Ospreys do not do that. They do not leave anything that will attract predators or insects. So Sally and the chicks are heavily reliant on Harry for prompt deliveries. Any break in the pattern will set the dominant chick off into survival mode where they worry that food is in short supply.

These images are from an earlier feed in the afternoon.

If you were watching the Moorings, Harry came in right on time with a nice chunk of fish. It was 19:12. Abby was still full and Victor was right up at the table! Victor is the one that is lighter and with the more copper head.