None of us will forget the tragedy that struck the Barrier Islands off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Ian. Both Andy and Lena’s Osprey brand new Osprey platform was destroyed along with the new cameras. Connie and Clive had their nest tree torn apart along with all the new camera equipment.
Well, the Bald Eagle cam is up and working and guess what? Connie and Clive are incubating two eggs!
Here is the link to their camera:
At the NEFlorida nest of Gabby, V3 is working hard to impress her. Gabby appears to be cautious in making a decision as to who will be her mate since Samson has now been missing for more than a fortnight. Samson’s talons will be hard to fill and I am glad that Gabby is being careful.
Gabby was chortling with V3.
We wait. I would still like to see Samson fly in well enough to take on any intruders and keep his Gabby. It is difficult for everyone when there is such a huge unknown – what happened?
This is just a quick hello from the kittens to let you know about Captiva! The service is a bit sporadic. I do not see the Osprey nest cam up yet on Captiva. Take care everyone. See you soon. Thanks to Window to Wildlife for getting everything back working and to NEFL-AEF for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
Missed likes to pose and she doesn’t like Lewis interrupting her photo sessions. The second image shows her hearing him coming!
Lewis does not look like he could ever get into mischief, right? LOL
Oh, gosh, it is grey and dreary here in Manitoba. The sun did not break through at all today. There were moments when I wish we could ‘wiggle’ our noses and be transported elsewhere. I wanted to feel the warmth of the sun, see the green grass, and sit and just listen to the Tropical Mockingbird and Bananaquit.
At the same time, had I not been sitting where I was, I would have missed Sharpie’s visit! I know that he has been about or the larger female Cooper’s Hawk, but I had just not caught him landing. Today, he did!
It is so nice to see you, Sharpie. You are looking quite healthy with those chrome yellow legs.
At the same time, he caused the 31 European Starlings that were feeding to gather and form a murmuration. It was the first time I had seen these birds clustering and flying together to confuse a predator. It was not like anything I have seen when there are thousands of Starlings together forming intricate patterns. These 31 were a loose knit group but, they did manage to keep the hawk at bay with their flying formations.
Sunday morning and Sharpie is back trying to get a songbird feeding in the lilacs. The three Crows are all upset causing the songbirds to flit and fly away. I figure Sharpie is hungry. He is not giving up easily.
I suspect, like Diamond, Sharpie prefers something other than a Starling – perhaps, his usual House Sparrow. He is too small to go after a Crow but, the Crows get excited when anyone enters their territory. I never resent him taking one of the Sparrows. Everyone has to eat to survive. Sharpie just takes what he needs, eats it all but the feathers and even some of those, some days. He doesn’t waste – like humans do.
While I was away, one of our readers, ‘L’ sent me a photo of a hawk wondering what it was. I knew but I decided to ask Merlin and sure enough, Merlin photo ID said Cooper’s Hawk as opposed to the image above which Merlin IDed as a Sharp-shinned.
Which brings me to a point I want to make. At one time I was not happy with Merlin Bird ID. It drove me nuts. While I was on holiday, there were so many songbirds singing at the same time that I could not separate them. Additionally, they were tropical birds that are completely unknown to me. The Merlin Song ID was incredible. The only bird that it did not identify was the Carib Grackle which surprised me.
The other positive besides knowing all of the birds that are around you is that by using the app, you can learn the song of species that were originally unknown to you. By the end of the week, I was able to tell 8 Caribbean birds by their song. That is pretty good for someone who is tone deaf! Just imagine what you could do. It is free. I really do urge you to put it on your phones. Go out, take a friend, or a young person and teach them to hear the songs and identify the birds. Make an outing of it. It is really fun and it helps Cornell understand where birds are located even when they don’t think they should be! Like Sharpie. Once I sent them the image with all its meta-data, they quit telling me that there could not be a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Winnipeg at this time of year.
The final report has come in on Hesgyn, the last chick that Monty raised with Telyn, found dead this summer in Wales after living through his migration and returning to find a mate. The report is cumulative – meaning that that the most recent finding and autopsy report is at the bottom. It would appear that Hesgyn’s return coincided with the tremendous heat that Wales had during that singular week. The impact on the ability of this magnificent osprey to fish – after returning from Africa – could have been the natural cause of his death. No human cause.
It was nice to see Zoe with a great big fish delivery from Dad. At 0701:14, Zoe sees Dad arriving.
At 0701:20, Dad lands on the nest. Mum begins to fly over from the ropes to the nest.
It was a big fish, not a teaser. Mum seemed to hope there would be some left but, Zoe does love her fish! And has a history of being unable to share.
By 0735, Zoe has finished the entire fish!
At 0801, Zoe sits with Dad over on the ropes. He doesn’t seem to have budged a centimetre from the earlier image above.
At the scrape box of Xavier and Diamond on the campus of Charles Sturt University, Diamond was having a nice siesta in the afternoon sun. She is so beautiful. Her and Xavier must be very happy with Indigo’s progress.
Indigo arrives and thinks the ledge is a good place for an afternoon nap, too.
Elain has another great highlights of the Day for our Orange Falcon family.
The biggest news in Bird World continues to be the competition for Gabby’s heart and nest.
In order to try and keep the identification of the suitors separate and apart from one another and Samson, the AEF have gone to identifying the birds using their tail feathers.
Tail Comparison: Top Row L to R: Samson, V1. Bottom Row L to R: V2, V3
I have not seen V2 at the nest today. There is now the third male, V3, who has been working on the nest and Gabby has not chased him away. Gabby even got into the nest with V3 for a bit.
V3 has slept on the nest and is very alert.
There is very little known about Gabby including her age. She became Samson’s mate at this nest in 2018. She was an adult so she is at least 9 years old now. She has a nest in a good location and there are many suitors. To date, I do not believe we have noticed a brood patch on Gabby. A brood patch is the spot where the feathers do not exist – they fall out when it is time to incubate eggs. The skin of the adult touches the eggs and helps to keep them warm. If the feathers would there, the warmth of the parental body would not exist – so this brood patch has developed over eons to assist the eagles with incubation.
Wonder who Gabby will choose? There seems to be plenty of time so as the AEF suggests, get some popcorn and sit back and watch. It truly is a soap opera. Meanwhile, Harriet is only letting M15 have a little incubation time while Anna down at the KNF nest in Louisiana loves to give Louis plenty of time with their eggs.
M15 brought Harriet a tasty treat today, right off the Road Kill menu – rabbit. Harriet wanted it plain, not in a cassoulet.
Meanwhile at the Kistachie National Forest nest, Louis is getting another chance to incubate the eggs overnight. Wow! These young eagle mums are really sharing the whole experience with their mates. It looks there is some rain and a little lighting near the nest in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Congratulations to Superbeaks – the Central Florida Bald Eagle nest – on their second hatch as announced by Paul Kolnik on Bald Eagles 101.
‘A’ reminded me that Wisdom is not only the oldest Laysan Albatross in the world but she is also the oldest banded bird in the world. Incredible. There is a new announcement from the Midway Atoll. It seems that Wisdom has returned and was seen on the 24th of November but, her mate has sadly not. Will she get another mate? We wait to see. What an amazing seabird Wisdom is…incredible.
Remember that Ferris Akel has his live tour on Saturdays starting at noon Eastern on YouTube. Today, he didn’t catch big Red on the Cornell Campus, our queen of the Red-tail Hawks. Ferris did find her mate, Arthur – and it is always good to see either of them and extremely special when it is both.
Some thoughts from David Suzuki.
Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care everyone. See you soon! One last one to put a smile on your face – the ever loving Jackie and Shadow kissing in the nest yesterday while they did renovations.
Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: David Suzuki Foundation, Bald Eagles 101, Ferris Akel Tours, US Fish and Wildlife Services and ‘A’, Tonya Irwin and KNF Bald Eagles FB, Lady Hawk, SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, NEFL-AEF, the AEF FB, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab, and FOBBV.
Good Morning Everyone from a snowy, icy landscape – the Canadian Prairies. As many of you suggested, it was a huge culture shock going from bright sun and warm seas to frozen. It is always good to be away but, it is equally nice to get ‘home’. Thank you for all your wonderful letters and best wishes. I had an epic time!
The big news is still coming out of Samson and Gabby’s nest in The Hamlet near Jacksonville. Will there be a nest take over? will Gabby get a new mate? where is V2 this morning as I write this? did Samson appear? Wow. Everything else pales in comparison.
This is a short catch up on some news that we are following this morning.
I want to start with a disgusting arrogant display that has gone viral. It was posted by Geemeff, one of our readers.
What a disgusting individual.
Was it Samson visiting the NE Florida nest? We would have to see his toe – one is flattened. But, gosh, it sure looks like him.
Maybe the word is out and all of them know that Gabby is now single (sadly) and they are lining up for her to choose? They should try bringing her fish!
There was a musical nest. V2 was there and gone, then Gabby left and V2 returned, and then he saw Gabby and escorted her back to the nest.
Postings of a third visitor.
But where was V2 last night. It looks like Gabby spent the night alone – again!
Gosh, I love these daily videos that Elain posts of the highlights at the Orange scrape in Australia of Diamond and Xavier. That little Indigo reminds me so much of Izzi – chasing the parents out of the scrape in the morning, pair bonding, and snacking.
Why do I like them? Elain edits the entire day into a short video and includes the main highlights.
Now for a few smiles.
Falcons in the Middle East fly in their own 747s. Challenger the famous US Eagle in the care of the American Eagle Association likes to fly SW Airlines.
Have you been following the World Cup of Birds? Let’s see who is left standing! Pick your favourite bird out of those left and follow what happens. Morocco stunned everyone when they beat Brazil putting the Rufous Bellied Thrush out of action. So will Moussier’s Redstart take home the cup? England is playing France today – the Robin vs the Gallic Rooster! Stay tuned.
For all Osprey fans, there is an Osprey still in Londonderry today – at the Bann Estuary. Does this bird know something we do not know? I mean seriously shouldn’t he be sunning himself in Spain right now or Africa? or does he need to get out of town quick?
Zoe is flying over shallow water and getting those wings to work. Dad brought Zoe 3 fish yesterday and Mum brought her 1. They are taking good care of their daughter! Here is her most recent tracking release.
We haven’t done a check on Karl II’s family recently so let’s have a look and see where Waba and Bonus are today.
Waba is still loving Sudan and fishing at the Nile River.
Bonus started flying over the Eastern Desert. There has been no transmission since the 4th of December. We wait. Please send Bonus your best wishes.
Thank you for being with me for this quick look at what is the main story in Bird World – Gabby and her nest. Send out your warmest wishes to Rita who is healing nicely in Miami and to dear Alden and Samson – we wish you would still appear! Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, and posts which make up my blog this morning: NEFL-AEF, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project and Cilla Kinross and Elain, American Eagle Live Nest Cams, Southwest Airlines, Raptors of the World, Port Lincoln Ospreys FB, Looduskalender, and Geemeff.
It is hard to believe it is December for some reason. I am officially back on Canadian soil but not home yet. Lots of people traveling. If you are heading out over the holidays make sure that you allow plenty of time for everything to go wrong and then smile when it doesn’t!
One of my most favourite birds in the world is Wisdom who is now 71 years old. Can you believe this? The oldest Laysan Albatross in the world!
Can we even begin to imagine what she has experienced? Here is the latest news on Wisdom:
I am so grateful that ‘H’ kept me informed about Rita. Rita is angry and that means she is doing alright. Of course she wants to be with Ron at her nest and time will only tell if that is possible. She is now eating small mammals and they are trying to get the end of the wing tip to heal. What a great time. They are working so hard for Miami’s most famous female eagle, Rita.
Here is the announcement:
Elain’s wonder montages of the comings and goings at the Peregrine Falcon scrape at Orange, Australia keeps us up to date on Xavier, Diamond, and Indigo – who is just doing amazingly well.
Samson has now been missing for 2 weeks. V2 and Gabby have mated but V2 did not return to the nest last evening and has not been seen this morning. What does this mean for Gabby?
This is just a quick check this Saturday morning from Toronto’s Lester Pierson airport. Keep all of the birds and their nests in your thoughts. Send positive wishes out to Rita who is working hard to get well and get out in the wind, flying free.
Thank you for being with me this morning. I will have a more comprehensive look at what is happening tomorrow. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following whose videos and postings made up my screen captures this morning: Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project and Cilla Kinross, Ron Magill and the Miami Zoo Vet Team, NEFL-AEF, US Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region, and Superbeaks Nest Florida. Thanks, ‘H’ for the heads up on Rita! Much appreciated.
Thank you for all your comments and mail. I am very behind in responding and I apologise but, I will before the middle of next week! Keep them coming!
Oh, it is another beautiful day in the Caribbean. Hot. There was little wind and the water was as smooth as glass. It is hard to imagine huge traffic jams and security guards everywhere, that was what happened here today. The Cuban Diplomatic delegation is here to discuss all manner of things with the new Prime Minister of Grenada. There is also a medical conference with a lot of Cuban doctors. So, we spent the day away from the main area of St George’s at the ‘family friendly marina’, Le Share Bleau. The couple that run the restaurant are excellent chefs and they are from Manitoba! The young man grew up in the area of the city where I live.
At the same time I got to check on that Great Egret that has his own private pond!
Everything is cared for here and is beautiful to the eye as well as to the soul.
Christmas decorations began going up last weekend.
There is no reason for this Great Egret to ever leave. It has an entire pond with fish to itself!
An incredibly beautiful bird.
A Coconut Tree. One of the best ice creams on the island is Coconut. The second really good one is Nutmeg.
The Tropic Mockingbirds love to eat the fruit of the palm tree.
This Tropical Mockingbird sat still long enough for me to get a good photo!
It is a gorgeous island that is trying to be good stewards. Plastic bags were outlawed awhile ago but you can still see them. Plastic drinks bottles are a problem – what do you do in an area where the water is not always good to drink and there is a growing number of tourists? Do you put up water stations and everyone has their own recyclable bottle included in their ticket price? Plastic imports carry a higher import duty than other materials that can be recycled. The upmarket shops have lovely jute bags for their customers. Many groups work on shore clean ups. They are trying – there remains a lot to do like there is everywhere.
One of the biggest pollutants does not occur in Grenada but in Brazil where the fertilisers used in the fields runs off the land and into the ocean where it mixes with the seaweed. That seaweed finds its way to the Grenadian coast and then rots giving off noxious gases.
Coming out of the COP 15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal is the statement: “Humans are instruments of mass extinction”. There has been nearly a 70% decrease in wildlife since 1970. What will be the next Dodo bird? And why aren’t we ready to tackle this and start b being good stewards?
And another one on two birds that are now thought to be added to the extinct list – the Rook and the Swift. The number of birds added to the Red List – which I was including in all my blogs before the holiday – has doubled. This is just so sad. As a world population we need to stop what we are doing and have a reckoning with ourselves on what is really important to us – what is essential. Not a want but a need.
One of the good things that the hotels in Grenada do for the birds is maintaining beautiful gardens. The fruit from the trees and the nectar from the flowers feeds multitudes of birds. The ponds – if stocked – attract the herons. Off the beach this morning were a pair of Frigatebirds. The tourists like the birds and the flowers. While I was taking photos of the hummingbirds last evening, a big crowd stopped. They had not see the little one flitting around. Everyone had a smile. Now to spread this love elsewhere!
So tomorrow is my last day here. I will not be back in the cold of the Canadian Prairies until Friday afternoon. Oh, the cold. I am not looking forward to that but, having a week away was a gift.
So, let us see what is happening in Bird World.
Just look at that face. How incredibly cute! Just know that the only time you could cuddle with this little one is when it is not feeling well or is under anaesthesia. After you look at the eyes, move down to that killer beak and well, we can’t see the talons but Victor Hurley calls falls ‘all blood beaks and bloody talons’. The fastest flying predators in the world.
Oh, if they could only market a plush toy as cute as this guy. Hi sweetie.
First up is a question from ‘O’: ‘What is happening at the Melbourne Scrape?’
Well, nothing. The Melbourne Four all fledged. One was lost early in a flying accident and had to be euthanised. The little male was recently taken into care and released with a comment that he was really healthy. The parents lay the eggs and raise the eases to fledge at the scrape box on the ledge of 367 Collins Street. They will teach them to fly and hunt prey around the CBD area. The camera is normally turned off until the following breeding year. Whether or not the parents return with the chicks to the scrape is unknown because of this.
Here is the announcement from Wildlife Victoria:
Annie and Grinnell’s 2020 fledgling, Sequoia, is making news with his meetings with a female at San Jose City Hall, BA24. There is a streaming cam and all are hoping that the pair will form a bond and raise eases. But, will they?
News on Glen, the last surviving Osprey fledgling from Tweed Valley made the news:
Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk gives a look at Harriet and M15’s eggs for this year and some of the daily activity at their nest in Fort Myers, Florida.
‘D’ sent me this screen capture making the rounds. This is V2, the visiting male at the NEFlorida nest, who has mated with Gabby. Yes, he does have the most gorgeous soft blue eyes. ‘Celadon eyes’. Celadon was a 9th and 10th century glaze perfected in China for use on porcelain. Celadon glazes ranged in colour but one was like water…that is like the eyes of this eagle.
Some are wondering if there is any possibility that he could be another offspring of Romeo and Juliet and thus, Samson’s full brother. Samson hatched in 2013. The tragedy at the nest occurred in 2018. So, is there a possibility? Perhaps. Like males do, Samson returned to his natal nest so, could this be a 2017 fledgling?
V2 got introduced to the problems with owls.
Jackie and Shadow are working on their nest. They were there today. The California Big Bear Valley could do not normally lay their eggs until January and as late as March.
There have been many times that Indigo has not been able to finish his prey so, like a good little falcon, Indigo stashed it in the corner as he had seen his parent’s do. Well, Diamond has been snatching that prey! So Indigo has been staying in the scrape much longer keeping an eye on his lunch.
Zoe has been diving and flying. Dad delivered his beautiful girl a nice little fish this morning.
At last some intelligence about wind farms and how they impact birds — and a compromise in Tasmania.
For all the eagle lovers, ‘N’ sent me this image…it is perfect for all of us. Smile!
Thank you so much for being with me. My next blog will come out Saturday morning so there is a break on Friday. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their letters, questions, photos, videos, postings, and streaming cams included in my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear Valley, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Sharon Dunne/Lady Hawk and SWFL-Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, San Jose City Hall, STV News, Wildlife Victoria, ABC News, The Guardian, and ‘N’, D’ and ‘O’.
I hope that this blog finds you well. I know that all my neighbours on the Canadian Prairies are living through snow and blowing snow along with particularly low temperatures for this time of year. There is some promise of warmer weather arriving at the weekend.
In Grenada, it is 27 degrees C with a wonderful breeze. The time is passing by way too quickly. I want to soak up all the sights and sounds of nature – of flowers and green leaves – so that I remember them on the cold grey days that are coming.
More and more cruise ships stop at Grenada as Covid fears and restrictions have eased.
Sweet little Zenaida Dove looking for insects.
Another Zenaida Dove. Such gorgeous gentle birds.
This hummingbird comes to this plant at 1630 every day.
It is an Antillean Crested Hummingbird.
Lots of Tropical Mockingbirds enjoy the trees and flowers of the gardens. A large group came in around 1630.
Jackie and Shadow (who had been missing for a number of days when camera came back on) have been working on their nest. Yesterday, Jackie flew into the nest with an American Coot. A juvenile had chased her but, it appears that the juvenile actually took that coot. Thanks to ‘J’ we have a video of that very daring move!
A Juvenile steals Jackie’s Coot!
Cal Falcons is making the news. Oh, I had so hoped that the year would begin to stabilise. Thanks, ‘H’ for this article.
Rita is also making the news. Many of us expected that Rita would not ever fly again when the initial note that there was no circulation in her one wing. But, we hoped. ‘H’ just sent me the latest announcement and it is not good.
Wildlife Rescue of Dade County (Mod): “The bad news nobody wanted to hear. It is 99.99% certain that Rita will never fly again. I know previous messages have left everybody hoping for a miracle.”
“The chances for that miracle have diminished greatly. She is still alive and very angry. I will continue to try to make her fly.”
“Ron is on his own now and hopefully will meet up with another lady eagle.”
Jeanne_ FL (Mod): ” I share in everyone’s sadness that this is not the outcome we hoped for, but I’m thankful that WRDC is going to continue to work with Rita to give her the best life possible.”
WRDC
Ron waiting for Rita to return to their nest.
At the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest, Samson has not returned. He was last seen on the 25th of November. That was 13 days ago. As the days pass, my hope for Samson’s returns grows dimmer and dimmer. Coinciding with this, is the fact that Gabby is getting a little more friendly with the male that welcomed her with sweet chortles today.
Gabby and V2 have ow been seen mating on camera. I am happy for Gabby that she has a mate and will carry on raising eaglets on the nest where Samson hatched on the 13th of December 2013.
So far everything is fine at the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian who have been working on restorations.
Elain’s highlights of 6 December at the scrape box of Xavier and Diamond in Orange, Australia — the antics of Indigo!
Zoe surprised everyone watching at 10:58:04 by focusing and then diving into the water from the perch on the barge. She is obviously watching for fish and if she has not yet been seen catching a fish on camera, she has that potential to do so any time. She also flew to the other side of the lagoon and had a bath – just like Mum.
There she goes!
Albatross are so amazing. I am quite fond of all the different species. It is always nice when Hog Osterlund posts images of the beautiful Laysan Albatross that live on Kauai.
‘H’ sent me a news report that one of the Melbourne Four (then three after the death of the one) had been taken into care. The story came from Victoria Wildlife FB page.
Oh, gosh, isn’t this little male falcon just a cutie pie? Look at those eyes. He is so healthy other than his little bump and what a lucky fellow he is. And gosh, they followed a protocol!!!!!!!!
There was a follow up by Victor Hurley:
“A juvenile male Peregrine Falcon was found concussed on a building in Collins Street, Melbourne on Friday 2nd December, 2022. It was taken to Melbourne Zoo and quickly recovered from its injuries and was released in parklands close to Melbourne a few days later. It was last seen flying towards Melbourne’s CBD. Beyond the concussion and temporary inability to fly it was in good physical condition (weight 685gm, wing length 285mm). The measurements confirm it was a male and most likely the one male fledgling from 367 Collins this year. A lucky find and good outcome for this individual. I thought people in this group might be interested to know. See you all next August.”
Speaking of protocol, I had a chat with my son who teaches for the medical faculty but who also runs the Conservation Biology department. He said for all of us to remember: “If you can pick up a bird, something is wrong!”
If you are waiting for news for Glen from Tweed Valley, here is the latest that I can find.
Thank you so much for being with me today with this bag of mixed nests. I hope that you are well and I will look forward to seeing you again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, postings, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: ‘H’ for keeping me up to date on the CDB story and VW and Gabby, ‘J’ for sending me the link for the Big Bear snatch, Hob Osterlund, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Elaine and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Friends of the Redding Raptors FB, WRDC, AEF-NEFL, Big Bear Eagles, and Loch Garten and Other Ospreys.
Good Morning Everyone from the beautiful island of Grenada. I hope that you are well and are so glad that you are here with me today.
My Monday was lovely. How can you come to the Caribbean and not go and spend time in the sea or the pool when it is -30 C where you live!?! What fascinated me was that once again – no camera – I was surrounded with birds. The Bananaquit were busy catching insects climbing on the stems of the Hibiscus plants while the Hummingbirds were busy getting the nectar from the Firecracker Plants. Tropic Mockingbirds serenaded everyone from the trees and one couple from the back of a lounge chair!
The plan for tomorrow is to once again get up before the sun rises and check out the area from where I am staying all along Grand Anse Beach and the ponds in the gardens. A Blue Heron flew over the pool today and landed on top of a waterfall and I am told that there is a small pond where I will find them in the morning – hopefully. With all birding, we live in ‘hope’.
I adore Samson. It has been so difficult to concede that he might no longer be with us. He has been gone for 8 days. Others have been gone longer. There are so many eagles that have gone missing right at the beginning of nesting season when adrenalin must be running higher – amongst all the eagles in an area – than normal. I continue to think about all of the eagles who have been absent and returned – Shadow at Big Bear and Bella at NCTC amongst others, and Sassa Bird sent me another story today to remind all of us that there is still hope. Thank you Sasha Bird!
I want to continue to believe that Samson might fly in there and everything will return to what it has been for the past three seasons.
But as ‘A’ reminds me – Gabby has only 2 fertile weeks in a year. Would she give up raising eaglets and wait? or does she realise that Samson is not returning and has now transitioned to accepting a new mate? This is the latest news on the happenings at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle Nest, ‘The Hamlet’ near Jacksonville, Florida. And thank you ‘H’ for keeping my feet grounded.
This is an image of Gabby with V2 close to one another on the branch of the nest tree. He apparently mixed up the signals from Gabby about mating. So we will see what happens here and at the WRDC nest where we know that Ron will not have a mate this year. Going back to what ‘A’ said and remembering my old eagle friend, the eagles will move on with their lives much quicker than us humans can adjust to it – it is breeding season and the hormones and all drive them. They are faithful to the nests and if their mate does not return ‘in time’ then they will accept a new partner if they are available.
V2 chortles for Gabby. Now, I want to see him bring her a big – yes BIG fish! (The image above and the one below are, I believe, not VS with his sooty head).
Gabby and V2 spend time together in the nest.
This is the latest announcement from the AEF that I can find on the situation with Gabby and Samson:
It is congratulations to Anna and Louis at the E1 nest at the Kistachie National Forest in Louisiana. These two are a great young couple. This will be their third season together. Looking forward to that huge pile of fish that Louis is going to bring in once the eaglets hatch! If he carries on like past years, viewers will be amazed at his excitement. In 2020, there were so many fish on the nest that Louis could have fed all of the nests in Louisiana and Florida that are on streaming cams! Seriously. It was incredible.
I know that we have all been concerned about the GHOWs knocking Harriet and M15 about on their nest. Well, it appears that those GHOWs are actually using the eagle’s old nest as their own! All I want to say is oh, dear. Here is the reason. Last night the GHOW attacked M15 and knocked him off the nest. Harriet went into protective mode with those big wings of hers. Oh, send out your best wishes for the GHOW to get occupied with their own owlets and leave the eagles alone. I know precisely what you are thinking – yes, that is some big wish. Thanks, A!
In Orange, Diamond watches from the scrape box as Indigo flies by with a prey drop from Dad, Xavier.
Video highlights from the Orange scrape for 5 December.
Zoe is incredibly beautiful. It remains unclear to me whether or not Zoe had a fish delivery before I checked on her. She did have a Cormorant pay a visit and she has now flown off the nest.
I am reminded by all of the holiday decorations surrounding me in Grenada that this is the season ‘for giving’. Take a moment to consider the amazing birds on these streaming cams that have been returned to the wild by the generosity of the people who rescue them, take them to wildlife rehabilitation centres, and the people there who work tirelessly to save their lives. It has been an incredible year. I will never forget the virtual cheering when Little Bit 17 (Notre Dame 17) was returned to the wild after we had all assumed he was going to starve to death. Humane Indiana did an amazing job in training him to fly and making sure he was ready to live a life off the nest. Ojai Raptor Centre worked around the clock to make sure that Victor was returned to a life in the wild….the list is endless. Right now Rita is recovering from life-saving surgery at the WRDC. Fitting in with this is an opinion piece in The New York Times that ‘B’ sent me today. It is a great essay. And when you are considering, stop and consider those that helped the birds that we love so much. Thank you so much, ‘B’.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, their articles, postings, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: The New York Times, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcons, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Kisatchie national Forest Eagle Cam Fans, NEFL Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, Raptors of the World and Gracie Shepherd, SWFlorida Eagle Cam, and fox5dc.com. Thank you to ‘A’, ‘B’, and Sassa Bird who sent me wonderful stories or links. It is much appreciated.
Today was ‘outing day’. I did not take my camera with me thinking I would not see any birds. Now, how silly was that? Thankfully the phone did catch a few. The images are really cropped and blown up so not in sharp focus but, I want to share them with you anyway.
People on the islands begin celebrating and preparing for Christmas the first weekend in December. So many blow up Santas! This evening they are having a big party (islanders love an excuse for a party) with carols, turning on the Christmas lights and walking through an area of them, and bands and singers. One highlight I heard about is that Martha Stewart is flying in with Snoop Dog to promote their wine. If you purchase a bottle of their very expensive vintages, you get to have your photo taken with a celebrity. Ah…it didn’t appeal to me. An Osprey maybe!!!!!!! An Osprey with a Santa Hat.
The entrance to the Le Phase Bleu Marina. It is a fascinating place with cottages you can rent or buy and services for people who come in on their boats – like a restaurant, a laundry mat, a clothing store, and a delicatessen amongst others.
This is a Green-throated Carib. It is there below the big flower almost in the middle. These are smaller than some of the other species of hummingbirds in the Caribbean. They are green all over except for a patch of violet-blue on their breast and a violet-black tail which you can see if you squint! You will find them in gardens and in dry woodlands. They nest between March and June laying two white eggs in a down lined nest with grasses and lichens.
Of course, the Great Egret was just standing there in the pond on the opposite side of the walkway from the hummingbird. You might, by now, recognise how sad I was feeling at leaving my big camera at home!
Such a gorgeous bird. I don’t know if you can tell but, my son and I stood and looked in the little pond and you could see fish everywhere. This Egret is very smart! I wonder if the person who owns the Marina stocks the pond for the egrets?? I must find out!
So this is my idea for Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln. A shallow pond – Ospreys can only go down about a metre. Stocked at Port Lincoln. A little bigger perhaps but, it doesn’t have to be too big. The Ospreys that winter in Columbia are always stealing fish out of the tanks where they are fish farming. But would those pesky gulls take all the fish? Oh, maybe.
Later in the day, I ‘heard’ the birds but, could not see them. Merlin Song ID helped with the sound identification of a Lesson’s Motmot, a Gray Kingbird, House Wren, House Sparrow, Bananaquit along with more Tropical Mockingbirds.
These are not my photographs but, these are the birds I ‘heard’ that I really hope to see. Aren’t they incredibly beautiful?
This is the Lesson’s MotMot that was in the mangrove. What colourful plumage. He fits right in with the fantastic colours of the islands.
This is the Gray Kingbird. This bird is the largest of the Tyrant kingfisher family in the Eastern Caribbean. It is a lovely soft grey on top and all white underneath. If you look, that grey in the image below is kissed by a wee bit of brown with a white outline on the tips of the wing feathers. There is a black eye line that goes from the cere to the ear coverts. The bill is thick and pointed and black. They build a twig nest high in the trees where they lay 2-4 heavily splotched red eggs between March and July.
The Bananaquit is one of the most common birds across the Caribbean. They are called ‘Honeycreepers’. They have a short slim slightly curved bill. They have a distinguished plumage: The top half is black. They have a yellow-green underbody and rump. There is a distinctive white eye line that go from the cere to the nape in the adult birds. It is yellow in the juveniles.
They live on nectar and the juice of fruit such as mango and banana, seeds from herbaceous plants, and a variety of small insects. Breeding is from March to August. Their nest is a small mass of leaves and grasses with a small hole in the side in which they lay 2-3 heavily spotted white eggs.
This is an adult bird but notice that the yellow underpart is limited to the rump with the back and wings a more dark grey or sooty black with white tipped wings. In fact, the plumage of this common bird does vary slightly over the region.
When I returned from my adventure today, there was news from ‘H’ on Rita from the WRDC. This is really, really good news.
“Update from moments ago: Rita is recuperating. She ate a fish. She’s still attacking anyone who reaches into her enclosure (this is good). The flesh part of her wound has some healing (also good).”
“Still a very long way to go. She picked a bit at the wrap and pin, which surprisingly was also considered good news, but not enough to need a cone. Sorry I don’t have a pic but if I get one I’ll post.”
I continue to try and point out different incidents to help educate all of us. Rita had a trauma and almost died. She was so lucky she was rescued. Those rescuers had no problem getting Rita to care. She did not fight them BUT she is today and she is still in critical condition. It sounds like I am beating a dead horse but if you are ever in a situation where you can pick up a raptor with a blanket, then that bird needs immediate attention. You should have the name of your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic 24/7 phone number. Call them. Tell them the situation. Ask if they can help or if they can give you the name of a centre who can. Get the bird to care. It should be standard protocol everywhere for this to happen and those connected with streaming cams need to be sensitive and have their entire teams and anyone around the nest versed in what the protocol is. Emergency contact numbers should be posted around a nest but they should also be placed under the streaming cam clearly so people can find them. ‘S’ and I urged this to happen after incidents in 2020 at two nesting sites, Collins Marsh and Patuxent.
Indigo is doing exceptionally well. Diamond was looking out from the ledge of the scrape box at Orange when Indigo flew in with a small bird she had received from Xavier. The time was 09:49.
Diamond is looking out over her territory on the Charles Sturt University.
Diamond sees Indigo coming and she wants out of the way!
Indigo has the small bird but she is still mantling and telling everyone that it is his.
What a handsome fledgling. Strong and healthy.
Indigo is very good at plucking!
It is delightful to see this falcon family doing so well with Indigo proving himself to be a very strong flyer. Very reassuring. ‘A’ writes that the only thing Indigo hasn’t figured out is that Mum steals stashed prey. She sure does! Watch out Indigo!!!!!
The camera at Port Lincoln may or may not have been off part of today. There is news that Zoe has had at least one fish if not two during the time I am writing. Ah, ‘A’ has written this morning that there were 2 fish for Zoe yesterday.
The Port Lincoln Osprey group continues to add information below the observation board including fish counts and hatch and fledge days from 2015 to the present. They have also included images of the barge. All of this is very interesting stuff.
This is the barge with the nest. Isn’t it amazing?
To view all of the documents uploaded to Google Documents by PLO, you go to the streaming cam and then go below the image and click on the link. Here is the link to that streaming cam in Australia.
In New Zealand. L has returned to the nest to join her Royal cam mate much to the relief of all. Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk posted a video of their happy reunion. Don’t you just love skycaps?
I continue to wish for a reunion for Samson and Gabby but, it appears that Gabby may be giving up hope as she warms up a little bit to one of her suitors. Both returned to the nest with big crops – you can clearly see Gabby’s – and Gabby allowed V2 (Visitor 2) to move a few sticks in the nest.
In California, at The Campanile, Annie is still being courted. It is not breeding season so we will wait to see how she does with the male visitors. Oh, Alden, where are you?
Thank you so very much for being with me today. I am having a great holiday – what a wonderful battery boost. It is sadly cold and wintery in Canada where I live. They had a big storm yesterday and it is to get very cold. I am so glad I am here for a few days longer! Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to ‘H’ for the news about Rita and to ‘A’ for the news of PLO and Indigo and the following for their postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Albatross Cam and the NZ DOC, Cal Falcons, and OpenVerse.
The plan was for today, Saturday in Grenada, to be a full day of birding. Up at 0400 and off for the drive north getting there right before sunrise at 0600. If it rained, we would not go. So packed and ready to go — and the rain starts! We look at one another and decide to take a chance that the rain would stop and, it did! It was a glorious day. Cloudy initially which helped to see some birds and then hot and clear blue skies later. The best real estate on the island are those properties that have not only a beautiful view but also, lots of windows to open and wind to go with them!
The stairs down to the boardwalk at Levere National Park were slippery with the sticky clay. Some of the places between the wooden stairs had washed away. By the time we got to the bottom, the boardwalk was flooded. Those gum boots really came in handy. However, the water was higher than they were tall!!!!!! Still we made it to the little dock and the look out tower for birds.
Imagine silence. Not a human sound at all save for us. Just birds.
Mangroves. To me, these are very special places that I only see in the tropical areas where I have visited or lived. The trees – there are 80 varieties -that grow there only need low-oxygen soil and slow moving water. The soil will accumulate around their tangled roots. In fact, these enormous tangled roots make the trees look like they are being pushed out of the water. These wild looking trees stabilise the land and are home to fish, birds, and other aquatic life.
This is an aerial photo of Laverne National Forest where I spent the morning. The pond and surrounding mangrove area is ‘landlocked’. This is the very north of Grenada looking out to the Atlantic Ocean as opposed to the Caribbean Sea which is in the South.
St George’s is at the very tip of the island close to True Blue and The Lime. Because Grenada is an island created by a volcano, there is hardly a flat spot anywhere. The roads are narrow, windy, often with a straight drop into the sea and lots of pot holes. It takes about an hour, depending on traffic, to go from the southern tip to the most northern.
I am not an expert on bird vocalisations but, I am getting better with the help of Merlin ID. The ‘Sound ID’ function works much better than the ‘Photo ID’ and it helped me to pin point the first sounds at Leverne National Park. It was a Green Heron. The Green Herons actually flew back and forth in front of me, too close and too quick and unannounced to capture their image. But, what a marvellous quiet place – the only sound was birds!!!!!! Just think about it. Noise cancelling headphones with only sounds from a mangrove would take you to this place.
It has rained a lot. The images below are looking back to a small wooden boardwalk. The top photo is when it was dry last spring. The bottom one, covered with leaves, is from yesterday. In the distance the boardwalk was under water — the reason that I brought my gum boots. It was deeper than the boots were high. That was rather interesting. Have you ever been in a mangrove? They smell – lots of decomposition and sulphur.
The lake and mangrove are absolutely still. Not a ripple in the water except for when the Tarpons come up for air. I sat and watched the Green Herons fly into this area. The foliage is so thick you cannot see them once they are perched.
I missed the opportunity to record the vocalisations of the birds from the mangrove when we first arrived. A huge mistake because they became mostly silent as the hours progressed. You would catch glimpses of them flitting about. There is one flying across the grove.
This is a Great Blue Heron. There were several of them flying across the water. In the spring they made their nests about 1 metre or 36 inches above the water in the mangrove thickets. They lay from 4-6 very light blue-green eggs from March to July. Despite it being a well known area, my son tells me that the herons hatched their eggs near to the boardwalk without any problem – no human interference with their nests and their habitat is protected. It is a lovely safe spot for them.
Great Blue Herons are the largest of the ‘dark’ heron family in Grenada. They are approximately 106-132 cm or 42-52 inches in length
They have such beautiful form and are absolutely silent when they are flying.
There were Great Egrets, Green Herons, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, a Black crowned Night Heron, an American Woodcock, and a Smooth Billed Ani.
About 10 minutes away, there was a small pond at Mt Hartman. It has not been levelled and the area is so beautiful. The Chinese own the land and are saying they are turning it into a luxury resort, I hope it takes a zillion years. There is something so wonderful about places just being left!
Cows was tethered along the road. There is where you see the Cattle Egret. They get their name because they hang around the cows waiting for the insects and grasshoppers to be kicked up.
Notice how small these egrets are.
Did you know that until the 1930s Cattle Egrets were only seen on the continent of Africa?
They have a very stout yellow beak with beautiful white plumage, and yellow-green eggs.
There were a pair of Common Moorhens or Gallinules swimming in the pond near to the Cattle Egrets.
A Great Egret flew in and landed on the other side of the pond.
This is a Great Egret. We know this because of its size but, more clearly, its distinctive yellow bill and black legs. And the pure white plumage.
Talk about graceful.
The Great Egrets are large, measuring 85-107 cm or 34 to 42 inches. The Cattle Egret is only 48-64 cm or 19-25 inches. You can see the size difference in the image below.
On the off chance there were some shore birds around, we headed to the most northern tip of the island. No birds but fascinating flowers growing up out of the sandy soil.
The sea is very rough and it is not safe to swim here like it is in the South in the Caribbean Sea.
At the end of the day, a Broad Shouldered Hawk circled my son’s property. A perfect ending to a perfect day!
Tomorrow is a break – a wee one – from the birds. To kick off the Christmas Season, there is a huge event featuring carolling, a walk through light show, food and drinks. One of the things that I like best is that in December there is sorrel and you can make your own sorrel juice. In addition, following the idea of ‘no waste’, the simmer flowers of the plant are then used in Christmas cakes. They are delicious. I hope there are some tomorrow to take home!
A Quick Check at a ‘few’ of the nests we are watching.
Elain made a lovely compilation video of events of 3 December 2022 at the Orange scrape of Diamond and Xavier. Some bonding, some family time. Quite enjoyable. Thanks Elain!
These are the Day 3 highlights from the nest of Royal Albatross GLY. The rangers are keeping a close eye on all the albatross, especially GLY as he is waiting for L to re-appear and let him go and feed. Did I say that the albatross are easy to watch? Not when their mate does not return like it did to the Royal Cam family last year, YRK and OGK. OGK went missing in May after hatch. The Rangers will help – and that is what you need to know. They supplemental feed every chick and parent if necessary. How kind, how forward thinking. I really support their efforts!
This is the most recent announcement on Rita that I could find. Continue to send your positive wishes. Rita did so well with the surgery. Now let’s see if a miracle will happen and she will get some circulation in that wing.
Samson and Alden have not returned. I am starting to accept that Samson may not be with us. It is sad but, it is a reality that we might have to accept.
‘J’ sent me the most recent posting from the AEF on Gabby at he nest she shares with Samson who has now been missing 9 cays. Thank you ‘J’.
“Today at 12:19 AM AEF~NEFL Nest Cam~Gabby was perched on Sunset and V2 came to the nest, Gabby went to the nest to join. I didn’t edit much as I wanted to show the entire interaction between Gabby and V2. At first she seemed very tolerant. But after about 3 mins Gabby seemed less tolerant and there was a short tussle. V2 didn’t push it with Gabby. Gabby seemed to have enough and went off to roost. V2 stayed in the nest awhile and went to LOP where V2 is perched (not in video). I suspect they will both spend the night.”
V2 has extremely light eyes and a tint to his white head.
Meanwhile, Harriet and M15 are tending to their two previous eggs while continuing to work on their nest on the Pritchett Property in Fort Myers, Florida.
Jackie and Shadow were back in their nest at Big Bear Lake in California today. They are really getting those side rails nice and strong and high!
Jackie is gorgeous. And formidable. I would not want to be a person trying to get too close to her nest with an eaglet in it. No, not ever.
Anna and Louis have their second egg at the E-1 Bald Eagle nest in the Kisatchie National Park. Congratulations to everyone at KNF! This is fantastic news. For the past two years, Anna and Louis have fledged one eaglet each year. In 2020, it was the first time that a Bald Eagle family had used this nest and raised a fantastic eaglet – Kisatchie!
Our beautiful feathered friends, no matter what species, understand, care deeply, and grieve. The latest on a Moli Mum who has been ever so faithful to her chick that died in 2020. Hob Osterlund writes that she has chosen for a second time to lay her egg on top of that of her dead little one. Oh, how I hope that this year she is successful in raising a family.
Zoe had fish yesterday – Dad brought in 3 and Mum 1. thanks, ‘A’. You can check on Zoe’s day under the streaming cam. Click on the observation board. She has been flying about exploring her territory.
Both of the Australian fledglings, Indigo and Zoe, are doing well. We can relax!
Thank you so much for joining me today. It is always a pleasure to have you hear and to receive your comments and letters via e-mail. Always. I am a little late in responding but, please, do not hesitate to write. Take care of yourselves. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cam, videos, and postings which make up my screen captures: Hob Osterlund, Tonya Irwin and KNF Bald Eagle Nest, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Ron and Rita’s Nest Watchers, NZ-DOC and Cornell Bird Lab, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain. Thank you to ‘J’ who reached out to me with the latest announcement on Rita! And to ‘A’ who sent me all the time stamps and a review of what was happening. Much appreciated.
Oh, I continue to marvel at the flowers, the beautiful sky and the green grass — and the birds on this small island!
There are Hibiscus of every colour.
It is a gorgeous view. This is a far cry from the wind chills of -30 in Manitoba!
The Tropic Mockingbird was eating fruit off of one of the trees.
In Grenada no one likes the Carib Grackles. They are always around when people are eating, taking their food. Is it because they are hungry? Well, my breakfast companion was a Carib Grackle. You see, I don’t really eat a big breakfast but it is the same amount for coffee and fruit than for everything piled up 3x over. So, — sorry. You will never take me out to breakfast with you! I turned my camera so that the women working at the breakfast buffet could not see. Then I fed the Grackle. It felt good.
In return, that same Carib Grackle, I assume, brought me a gift – feather. He left it right in front of me on the table. How sweet. I have heard of Crows leaving trinkets for people who feed them but, not a Grackle. The colour is washed in this image from my phone. It is small – about 10 cm or 4 inches long – and black. Probably from a Grackle!
After breakfast, we went to the mangroves near Mt Hartman to check on the egrets and herons. Nothing there but some cattle and goats along with a huge termite nest. Will check again early in the morning on Tuesday.
I am really surprised with all the mud around the edges of the ponds that there are not more Shorebirds, like the Greater Yellowlegs out and about. Maybe they come earlier – or later – in the day. Maybe tomorrow.
There were no Ospreys today at St George’s University but, there were some Cattle Egrets in the distance on an island, some more Grackles and Mockingbirds, and then….the fisher cleaning his fish threw the heads into the water. Well, some big birds began to fly in. Apparently the fishers do this everyday – clean the fish and give the birds the parts they do not want. Can you imagine Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln if this were to happen? or Ervie?!!!!!!!
The sea birds after the fish parts were Magnificent Frigatebirds. The image below is the female. She has a beautiful white collar.
The Magnificent Frigatebirds are from 95-110 cm or 37-43 cm inches in length. The male is all black and the female, as mentioned earlier, is all black with a white collar. They soar and swoop on the surface of the water getting fish using a wing span of 2.5 metres or 98 inches. They make their nests in trees and shrubs and laying their eggs from October through December. Unlike Ospreys and other sea birds, the Magnficent Frigatebirds never land on the water as they would not be able to pull themselves out like eagles or ospreys.
This is a juvenile. Its white head and chest will turn black as it reaches adulthood. It is off finding fish with Mum. Being trained like Indigo is.
Their tail reminds me of a scissor tail flycatcher. Notice the beak. It is like an albatross.
You can just see the Cattle Egret flying by the island. They are the smallest of the ‘white’ egrets on the island. The other two are the Greater or Common Egret and the Snowy Egret.
The sweet little Zenaida Dove was around with the Tropic Mockingbirds over on the SGU Campus where the Frigatebirds were.
Look closely at the photo below. See the white eye ring and look above the beak and around the eye at the pink-violet colouring. Just beautiful.
Zenaida Doves grow to be approximately 30 cm or 12 inches in length. It is a grey-brown bird with cinnamon or pink areas appearing around the neck and breast. There are two eye lines, lighter towards the black beak and getting darker towards the nape of the neck. There is a tinge of violet kissing the area around the eye with a blue-grey ‘cap’ on the head. It has white tipped outer feathers. The inner wing feathers have two black spots, while there are also blue-grey feathers going ombre into beige-grey. It feeds mainly on seeds and fruit. The Zenaida Doves lay their clutch of two eggs between February and August in a flimsy nest – sometimes on a palm leaf!!!!!!
This dove is not injured. Their legs and feet are red. Also it closely resembles the Eared-Dove but that bird does not have white around the wing tips.
I thought it was a good day because included in the sightings was a Grenada Dove. I have no photo. They are very quick and live in the back trees – some thorny trees that remind me of the Mimosa growing in my parent’s garden when I was a child. But I did see one! Yippeeee.
Seriously, we all know that the members of the Corvid family are brilliant but here is a new study that just emphasises that even more!
And a new study on the level of self-awareness in crows.
Gabby has not given in to the uninvited guests at the NEFL Bald Eagle Nest that she shares with Samson. Our beautiful Gabby is waiting and we are waiting with her – and hoping just like she is.
That head is not pure white yet or he has had it stuck in suet somewhere. I don’t think he could attract our girl.
Just to remind everyone, Bella had quite the time early last season. She was injured and bleeding and was absent for 21 days while she healed so that she could come and boot any female intruders away from Smitty! This year Smitty and Bella are working on their nest together. Hope for Samson and Alden.
Highlights today from the scrape at Orange. Indigo is quite the character! Diamond and Xavier have very vivacious offspring!
Also in Australia, the Rare Honeyeater is still learning its breeding song even if there are so few they might never find a mate and breed. If I am not mistaken, one of the adults at Orange brought in a Honeyeater this year. If I am wrong, please let me know!
In Port Lincoln, at 11:20:37 Dad brought in a fish. Mum was once again too late. Zoe got it! She spots him flying in and starts doing that famous talon dance.
I think Dad needs fish. It looks like Mum has a good crop.
Zoe is doing well and so is Indigo. This is good news. I do not keep up with their feedings now…Zoe might soon start to do her own fishing. We wait.
Last but not least, Harriet and M15 have their second egg of the season which means that hard incubation will begin. Congratulations to Harriet and M15 (remember Harriet is 28 years old), the Pritchett Family, and all who love SWFlorida Eagles.
This is not a long newsletter today but I hope that you found something of interest and also learned something new. That is the most important thing. Tomorrow I am getting up at 0400 to head north to Levera National Park and Lake Antoine. I cannot find a decent map to show you so, fingers and toes crossed there are some nice birds for Sunday morning!
Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. Send best wishes to Samson, Alden, and Rita. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: My Modern Met, Port Lincoln Ospreys, SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett Family, abc.net.au, D Steyck and the NCTC Bald Eagle Cam, Falcon Cam Project and Elaine, Big Think.com and Manitoba Birding and Wildlife Photography, NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam and Watchers Group – and to my son, Cris, who chased birds all over for me today. It was great fun.
