Jak and Audacity’s baby worked its way, a long time, out of that crushed shell to the joy of everyone who has cheered and cried for this couple.
Just look!
It is cold to the bone on the Canadian Prairies despite the hint of spring arriving. There were two beautiful Blue Jays in the garden along with the two crows so it appears that all is well with part of the garden family. Brock is eating as I write. The Girls are resting – waiting for their late night snack.
I am certain that most of you have checked on several Bald Eagle nests today including that of Jackie and Shadow, Jak and Audacity, and Beau an Gabby. Maybe you even went to see if the eaglets at Kistachie E3 have been fed.
There were still two eaglets at the nest of Jackie and Shadow on Friday. More Coot has come to the nest supplementing the usual fish. The snow on the water must be keeping the fish at bay.
In the feeding below both are up. Earlier they appeared cold and worry set in. We do not know the fate of the the other eaglet (I am not saying it was the third hatch – it looked to be the second to me but the experts can confirm). It has made our hearts drop and feel ever so sad. But let us wish these two a long and healthy life.
I am worried that one of the eaglets does not appear as well as the other.
‘PB’ reports that both eaglets were fed well at 17:28. The feeding lasted approximately 10 minutes for the eaglets and another five for the adult. I wonder if the one is ‘sweaty’ from the warm brood patch or damp from the nest???
Saturday morning and both eaglets are alive at Big Bear. We might never know which one perished.
Hatched! The last time I checked on Friday the eaglet at Sauces was still trying to break free of that membrane.
That eaglet is moving and moving and it looks like it is almost here. Pinch me please.
VH Hock caught it on video. This is a small capture form that FB video:
Dr Sharpe says:
So many are hoping so much, hoping beyond hope for this couple. Thanks, J.
The two eaglets at the Kisatchie E3 nest were fed yesterday and there was food on the nest today. Some relief there!
I believe you are looking at the only hatch at Moorings Park Osprey platform in Florida this season. The other eggs do not appear viable. Let us wish this one strength!
Was there a visitor at the nest of Gabby and Beau today? Or was i seeing double? Beau finally sent the visitor packing.
Milda and Zorro have two eggs in their White-tail Eagle nest in Durbe County, Latvia. Wonderful.
My heart leaps whenever it sees Blue 33. He has been flying around with fish hoping for his Maya to appear. We need her to come home healthy. She had a difficult year in 2024.
It happened last year. Everyone wants Blue 33! Geemeff writes, “Rutland Ospreys: resident male Blue 33 eventually gives intruder female Blue 25 his fish
And since I recorded this, there have been mating attempts- hurry home Maya and Blue 11!”
I am waiting for Blue NC0 to land on the Loch of the Lowes nest as well as well as all of the other UK ospreys. Oh, let them have a good season.
We have an egg at Lake Murray. ‘H’ writes: :3/14 – Well, the Lake Murray Osprey nest of Kenny and Lucy really has an egg now. We don’t know what to make of the fact that they have both been incubating an unseen egg for the past 6 days, which may or may not have been hidden inside of a glove, lol. We are calling this egg #1, and it was laid on 3/14 at 10:59.”
We can just see a wee osplet from under Mum’s breast at Frenchman’s Creek.
Maintenance on Big Red and Arthur’s cam at Cornell University.
From the nest it appears that Angel and Tom have been working on their nest. There is even a pinecone in the centre!
The eaglets at Hilton Head are getting their juvenile feathers!
Egg at Wolf Bay.
‘J’ asked me if I have purchased or read any books on Flaco, the Eurasian owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo. As it happens, I am reading the recently released book by David Gessner on Flaco. Half way finished. Will let you know the verdict soon!
Thank you so much for being with us today. I need to take a wee bit of a breath so the postings for the next couple of days might be quite short while we wait to see what happens at Big Bear and Sauces. Surely there will be more osprey arrivals as well. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, images, conversations, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB’, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore, VH Hock, Dr Sharpe, Kistachie National Forest E3, Moorings Park, NEFL-AEF, LDF, LRWT, Loch of the Lowes, Lake Murray Ospreys, Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys, Window to Wildlife, Hilton Head Island Trust, The Guardian, Wolf Bay Ospreys, Geemeff
Update: Hartley lays second egg and at Port Tobacco the first and second eggs are pipping! Nothing at Sauces yet.
It is +2 and sunny and oh, my goodness, spring is really in the air. No doubt I will write about some huge snow storm hitting us mid-April as it often did on my eldest son’s birthday, but, for now, there is a lovely sound in the garden – bird song!
The deck and gardens are getting cleaned. As you can see there is still some snow and ice. These two wanted a wee bath! But, the water is now out an the bath turned upside down in anticipation of snow arriving Thursday morning.
‘B’ writes that the weather is turning again. Poor Jackie and Shadow have a nest full and can’t get a break with the weather!
“The weather at Big Bear is looking better today (Wednesday) than I had expected, given the previous forecasts. But the bensweather.com prediction now shows the heaviest snow tomorrow (and snow continuing Friday), so still a good time to lay in supplies! ”
Bodie. Not so long ago, this magnificent juvenile eaglet was the size of those little bobbleheads. It is hard to remember. Bodie was our first miracle that gave us hope.
I have to admit that like many of you I have been so captivated by the triplets at Big Bear and Bodie that I have not checked on other nests today. This will be a short posting!
Meanwhile, on the Cornell Campus, Big Red and Arthur are busy working on their nest. We will have eggs in a fortnight! https://youtu.be/Ebb5ZPRcZTs?
White Storks are incubating eggs at Knepp Farm.
One egg has hatched at Moorings Park.
No eggs for Edie and Lloyd at Captiva yet. It is late. Maybe the nest will be empty this year.
Food is scarce or not existent at the Kistachie E3 nest. What in the world is wrong? Please send good wishes to them, please.
Important condor dies of lead poisoning. Please let us end this painful and needless way for our wildlife to die.
There is concern that the only surviving egg at Sauces is not viable. Still waiting at Port Tobacco and also for that second egg at the nest of Bonnie and Clyde. We had all hoped that Jak and Audacity would have a family this year. We will give it a couple more days.
‘L’ writes that the Bald Eagle Cam at the Sutton Centre in Bartlesville, Oklahoma is up and running with eagles on the nest.
‘J’ sent a note that Keke at Superbeaks had fledged and returned to the nest successfully.
The birds are migrating.
Howard was the Bald Eagle that the great folks at Wild Heart Ranch helped through a series of ‘boots’. Look at how well he is doing now.
Poachers being arrested that have been killing our beautiful storks. The Akkar region is in Lebanon.
The killing of migrant birds for fun in Lebanon (and other areas) has been of ongoing concern.
Thank you for being with me today. I hope you can get outside and smell the freshness of spring. See you soon.
Thank you to the following fort their notes, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘B, J, L’, IWS, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Cornell Bird Lab, Knepp Farm, Moorings Park Osprey Cam, Window to Wildlife, Kistachie National Forest E3 Bald Eagle Nest, US Weather Service Hastings Nebraska, Wild Heart Ranch, Soraya Z Mouawad, Research Gate
Oh, my goodness. Hello from what feels like the arrival of spring on the Canadian Prairies. For days I have worried about Dyson, the matriarch of the Grey Squirrel family. The three kits have been out, but not Mum. Well, Saturday morning there she was perched above the brand new suet cylinder way back in the lilac branches. She looks good. She ate 1/3 of the cylinder. Good old Dyson!!!!!! Living up to her name. The sparrows are singing and the Starlings have come and gone removing every last meal worm while leaving the pieces of butter bark. Surely someone will want those.
I am spring cleaning. The feral feeding station has been cleared, cleaned and left in a smaller state with the hope that no huge snow storms arrive before I can rush out and put a cover over things. Brock has already checked it out and approved.
If the nest of Jackie and Shadow has preoccupied me, I do not apologize. Just the idea that our much loved couple could have three chicks to hatch is well, just beyond my wildest dreams. It is all I can think about. As I said in Saturday’s post, I am so grateful for Bodie (who is now six weeks old and as big as Gabby) and these triplets after losing the Es and well, having Thunder and Akecheta MIA along with Annie and Alden.
A reader asked me not to put them on the Memorial Board. They said, “Don’t put their names into the list of those who we know is lot alive for sure. And then we will be always in hope to see them again one day.” If you have checked there is no Memorial Board for 2025. I simply have been too overcome to compile it. There are certainly others. The Memorial Board is really a testament to their presence in our lives and eventually I will simply put them as Missing in Action. Because that really is all we know.
I am happy to attach the PDF of the Los Angeles Times article on Jackie and Shadow. Thank you to the reader who sent it! You don’t need to subscribe.
As I am writing now, Junior is flying in and out getting peanuts an Dyson is back chomping on that cylinder. No one told her it should last a week!!!!!! The warm sunshine is so welcome here this year. My plan is to move the bird baths and fix the deck as a sanctuary for humans to bask in the sun as well. There will still be 3/4 of the garden devoted to things with wings or fur. :))))))))).
Everyone worried about the third hatch at Big Bear, but this little one is well, as big as the middle sibling and I am hoping that it is a really scrappy female like Jackie. It will do well on the nest with the two older siblings and I have a feeling that both Jackie and Shadow will be more than busy caring for these triplets.
Just look at that pantry.
One of the BB babies got caught and was dragged out of the nest cup. By a small miracle, it rolled off the snow and back into the nest. My heart stopped. https://youtu.be/n6lYn-zjdO4?
Some are concerned about what appears to be preferential feeding at the Duke Farms nest. Conserve Wildlife of NJ says that all the triplets are doing well.
‘A’ provides her observations, “At Duke Farms I am most heartened to see that the pantry is overflowing with fish (I can count seven) and mum is being very diligent about ensuring that all three of the littles get fed. The oldest got the best of one feeding, and at the next, mum circled around to the other side and concentrated on the younger two (the older one appeared to be in a food coma behind them). If dad keeps that pantry full and mum is patient enough to feed it to the chicks until there are no more begging beaks at the table, then these three have a very good chance at survival (assuming we don’t have a Zoe on the nest of course). We know that nests turn in an instant – the disappearance of a parent for example can change everything. But I still believe that the patience and dedication of the parent/s at feedings is the primary factor – can they be bothered with the hard work of carefully getting enough food into all those swaying little beaks? Some can’t, and only feed the closest ones. But the mum at Duke Farms appears to be patient and prepared to do her part in ensuring her chicks get fed. I hope this continues. They are SO cute at this age, before they decide to start bonking each other. I just love these first few days. Little masked bandits. They are certainly loud! “
The first sighting of an osprey in the UK – an so it begins. It is flying north! Wonder which one it is…Work continues on repairing nests
You might enjoy this talk from the Wildlife Trust at Rutland Osprey. George Smith is really knowledgable and I highly recommend this even if you live elsewhere. Lots of good information! https://youtu.be/7l6aOLlw0Vw?
In other news,
At the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest of Connie and Clive, Dancer has now branched. That was at 1508.
Nothing seems to be happening at Moorings Park Osprey platform yet.
Pip watch at Sauces starts on Monday! That egg is holding. Maybe there is something to having it wrapped with nesting material in a deep hole. The egg has been rolled an if it is fertile we just might have another miracle in California.
Bodie. What can I say? Our first miracle of the year. Looks like a big beautiful Gabby to me!
This may be the year for strange things happening. Take Lake Murray. Is it entirely possible that the egg of Kenny and Lucy has wound up in a glove? “The strangest thing… Lake Murray…
Lucy and Kenny have been obviously ‘incubating’ all day (I could not find egg lay time), but no one has seen an egg. There is a black glove in the bowl, and I had thought that the egg must be under the glove. There has been the shape of an egg under the glove, and they have been ‘aerating’ the glove. But, at 1719 Lucy picked up the glove and moved it, and the egg shape moved with it. I now believe that the egg somehow ended up inside the glove. “
Ferris Akel caught both Big Red and Arthur on camera on Saturday. It is so very, very good to see them.
Just look at all these gorgeous birds. Now imagine taking them from the wild for falconry. The licenses in the UK might be canceled. This will, of course, be controversial. There are many falconers around the world, and as a teenager, I was involved in falconry in Oklahoma. My older self shakes my head. I firmly believe that raptors need to live freely in the world unless they absolutely cannot.
Possible egg at the University of Florida-Gainesville platform.
We are awaiting our beloved geese. Some are also waiting for hummers. Here is a good timeline.
I hope to hear honking in the wind soon! After some more clearing tomorrow we will head out to Oak Hammock Marsh to check on any of those waddling poopers.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: It has nothing to do with a bird, but it could save someone’s life. Most, if not all of you, will have heard about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife. Hackman had very advanced Alzheimers while his wife, thirty years younger, was in good health and had been his only (it appears) caregiver. It reminds me of my situation with my husband except for the age difference – I am ten years older. No one would have predicted that the younger healthier caregiver spouse would have died of a very rare mouse virus. But she did leaving Mr Hackman at home alone – probably not knowing anything. A maintenance worker came to their door weeks before their fate was revealed. ———— This could happen to any of us. Calico wants you to develop a plan with your neighbours, friends, and family so that this does not happen to you or your loved one. Do not rely on landline phones or watches that are supposed to alert the police or necklaces with a panic button. My husband would probably not be able to find the landline phone or remember how to use it or what number to call. My Apple phone is not reliable. It often thinks I fall when I don’t and when I do, well, it did nothing the other day. So – get something old fashioned in place. Text friends and family on specific days to let them know that you are OK. That is all you have to send is ‘I am OK’. Don’t wait. Please get the ducks in a row.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, streaming cams, etc that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, The Los Angeles Times, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Dfyi Osprey Project, Rutland Water (LRWT), Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, Lake Murray Ospreys, Raptor Persecution UK, Knepp Farm, AccuWeather, Ferris Akel Tours
It is 2:35 in Big Bear Valley Wednesday afternoon and there are 12, 215 people watching Jackie and Shadow’s nest for any sign of a pip. Pip watch officially begins on March 1. Typically Jackie’s eggs hatch at 38-39 days.
‘B’ sends us all the latest on this internationally loved couple.
HPAI is a concern everyone including our garden. It has been +3 for the last few days. The snow is melting. There is standing water everywhere. The air is beginning to smell like spring. Most of the snow was cleared off the deck. All of the feeders were cleaned and disinfected. We will start a daily count to determine what is happening. When the European Starlings returned, there were 58 in the lilac bushes daily. There are now only 9. There were two Blue Jays, four Grey Squirrels, two Red Squirrels, and well, we were used to get at least 150 sparrows of various species. Might there be two dozen now? The Chickadees are here flitting, and there is a single female adult Downy Woodpecker. Two Crows. The loud songs from the birds in the garden could be heard more than half a city block away. There is still song, but it is so quiet.
It was extremely warm on Wednesday and we headed off to the zoo for a long and much needed walk before an Alberta Clipper is going to dump snow on us today. Five polar bears were sleeping on the snow! Just look at how clean its pads are!
I know that most of you are nervous about the upcoming breeding seasons whether it is the remaining eagles, the ospreys, or the hawks/falcons. I would also include the storks – oh, how I adore them! Throughout this posting and in many more to come, I want to encourage you to delight in the eaglets that have hatched and are healthy, for those eggs in nests, and for the storks and ospreys that are making their way home. Sending positive energy their way. In Manitoba, we are taking bets on the arrival of the first Canada Goose to the Oak Hammock Marsh. They could arrive within the week! I am so excited.
Let’s start with something nice and I cannot think of anything nicer than the miracle eaglet, Bodie, in Gabby and Beau’s nest.
NE Florida: That little cutie pie of Beau and Gabby’s now has a name! He is 5 weeks and 3 days old today.
I asked ‘AI’ to provide the meanings for the name Bodie:
The name Bodie has multiple meanings and origins:
Enlightenment: A respelling of the Sanskrit word Bodhi, which means “enlightenment” or “wisdom”
Messenger: From the German word bode or boden, which means “messenger”
Large-bodied: From the Old English word bodig, which means “trunk” or “chest”
Bold: From the French surname Beaudin, which is rooted in the old Germanic word bald
Sheltered: From the Germanic and Scandinavian name Boden, which means “sheltered”
Bodie is a gender-neutral name with origins in Sanskrit, German, French, Scandinavian, and Scottish.
In ancient times, messengers were vital to society, carrying news and information between communities and individuals. People with the name Bodie were associated with this role, and were often respected members of society.
Bodie has been on the rise in popularity in the United States, first entering the top 1,000 names in 2014. In 2022, it was ranked 484th in the top 500 names.
A turkey vulture came and sat on the nest of Bodie on Wednesday but the real question remains: where are Gabby and Beau? They have not been seen at the nest on Wednesday. This is concerning. Bodie is not self feeding but he did go to the pantry and attempt to get a nibble or two of the prey.
Where are Beau and Gabby?
Cal Falcons: In my last post with the long listing of the nest happenings, I pondered what was going on at the Cal Falcon scrape on The Campanile. The following day a notice was posted. It made my heart sink to my toes and tears pour out of my eyes. HPAI is everywhere. I believe it is even accounting for the lack of songbirds in the garden this winter. Cal Falcons is warning us that this could be the reason that we are not seeing Annie or Archie.
More news agencies are picking up on the loss of dear Annie and her mate. My heart is feeling very empty about this and I am hoping for a miracle.
We have to find hope and beauty in those birds that are surviving and those who are desperately trying to raise families in a very hostile environment. One of those is the new mate of Thunder, Makaio. He seems really good at caring for the eggs and protecting the nest. https://youtu.be/SexBFchvb-A?
These are short-tailed Albatross. Information on the volcanic island where they live states: “The Izu-volcano on Tori-shima is one of a chain of small islands about 600 km south of Tokyo. The island is one for the threatened albatross-birds, namely the short tailed albatross, and have been uninhabited by people since the Meteorological Institute drew back their scientists from an observatory in 1965, after a strong earthquake hit the area. About 30 people lived on the island before that, but they were evacuated after an eruption in 1939. In 1902 an eruption killed all the 125 people living on the island at that time.”
Located on Izu Island south of Tokyo and the main island of Honshu.
Here is a thorough article on the history of the short-tailed albatross in the area including ‘feather picking’.
Years ago we wondered what would happen to our much loved storks flying through war-torn Ukraine. Karl II had his favourite spots to stop and rest on the way to Africa. We always held our breath. Just how much wildlife has been impacted by this war?
PSEG Patchogue Osprey Platform, Long Island: There will be no camera for the PSEG Patchogue nest. ‘MP’ sent me the response this morning when he noticed that there was no streaming cam: “Thank you for your online inquiry. I have heard back from our Wildlife department: Due to construction in the immediate vicinity of the Patchogue osprey platform, PSEG Long Island has relocated this platform to a nearby location away from construction activities and human interference. However, we were not able to reconnect the osprey camera at this new location. Therefore, the Patchogue osprey camera will no longer be available.” PSEG further added, “”The camera was removed in order to provide the ospreys with a calmer living environment, at this point there are no plans to reactivate the camera. The websiteOsprey Cams – PSEG Long Island will be updated if and when the camera comes back online.”
Of course, being a power company we both wondered why on earth they couldn’t rig up a solar panel or something or is it another issue? Like all of us calling them when the nest is dangerously dirty? Who knows. I assume PSEG wants a calmer life since the ospreys wouldn’t care one way or the other about the camera! Ridiculous.
Frenchman’s Creek: Heidi confirms that the second egg was laid on the 25th of February.
Pine Island Osprey Platform: Looks as if the eggs are not viable. This is truly a blessing with the GHO in waiting for chicks.
Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platform, St Petersburg, Florida: As of Wednesday afternoon there remains only one egg for Jack and his new mate.
We are sitting in the conservatory monitoring the birds at the feeder. This morning I put out 1/4 of the amount of peanuts, Black Oil Seed, along with a large helping of Bark Butter and Meal Works (directed at the Starlings). There are approximately nine or ten Starlings. Where have all the birds gone?
I will be tracking HPAI in our region, and elsewhere, during 2025 as it appears to be having a large impact on some bird counts.
Little Miami Conservancy: Two eggs. 19th and 22nd of February.
Duke Farms: Cute little first hatch and now it has a little brother or sister.
WRDC: Both R7 and R8 doing fantastic. Look at all the fish on that nest!
Captiva: Dasher sleeps like an adult and we have branching at the nest on Wednesday!
MN-DNR: Two eggs being incubated. Laid on the 14th and 17th of February.
FORE: Liberty and Guardian do not yet have eggs. Everyone is worried. Maybe they will not have eggs this year. Maybe they will. We wait. But it is getting late because of the heat. Both of their eaglets died last year. They know and they grieve. It is alright if they chose to skip this year. Last year Duke and Daisy chose not to raise a family. The previous year Duke was missing in the storm and we thought he was lost. Daisy lost two osplets but was able to fledge one. Life is challenging – and it is going to get worse. Send Liberty and Guardian your love and support.
Abu Dhabi Osprey Platform: The triplets appear to be doing well.
Royal Albatross Colony News:
Cornell Red Tail Hawks: The camera should be back in operation for Big Red and Arthur in a week! Thank goodness.
Can you lend a hand to Hob, her friends, and the Moli?
Rita the Eagle’s History Monday:
I am going to look forward to a day when I read about the growth of the Hen Harrier population and not that rising deaths near driven grouse moor estates in Scotland!
Geemeff sends us some good news — remember, it is going to be up to us to do what is right for wildlife and that could include purchasing land, etc.
Happier news – the RSPB Geltsdale reserve is forging ahead after the successful land purchase. More funds needed of course, but as we all know, times are tough so people can support in ways other than donations eg by publicising on their social media feeds, buying from the online shop or better yet paying a visit to Geltsdale or any other RSPB reserve.
Thank you so much for being with today. We look forward to having you with us again soon! Take care of yourselves!
Thank you also for your patience with Calico’s cards. She had no idea what was entailed when she set out to help feral cats! The latest was securing proper mailing envelopes so the cards would not be bent when shipped! Those should arrive today or tomorrow. Then we can finalize the shipping! She told me she was glad we only do this twice a year. LOL.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, streaming cams, videos, and articles that helped me to write my post today: ‘B, EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, J, MP’, Berkeley News, American Eagle Foundation, Cal Falcons, KRON4, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, Japanese Albatross Cam, The Guardian, PSEG, Tartasan WTE Cam, Frenchman’s Creek, Heidi McGrue, Achieva Credit Union, Government of Canada, Little Miami Conservancy, Duke Farms, WRDC, Window to Wildlife, MN-DNR, Gary’s Eagle Videos, Nesting Bird Life and More, Abu Dhabi Osprey Platform, Sharon Dunne, Hob Osterlund, Rita the Eagle, RSPB, Raptor Persecution UK
We hope that you have had a lovely weekend and got to spend some time with friends or outdoors in nature OR both. Sunshine, the sound of the birds, or the laughter of others can elevate a slow sad day to one full of light. Try it, please.
The days are growing longer on the Canadian Prairie, with daylight stretching until at least 6:00 PM! This is a thrilling reminder that spring is just 27 days away. Ospreys will soon be returning to the UK, and by now, many nests in the US will already have eggs. We are all wishing for their safe return.
The Girls have really been enjoying the warmer weather and longer daylight hours, too. I have noticed that they will only sleep on the back and arms of the sofa if there is a wee blanket.
This year, I am particularly invested in a few remarkable birds—after all, we all have our favourites. I am eagerly anticipating the return of Louis to Dorcha at Loch Arkaig, and I hope he arrives healthy and revitalized. Maya faced challenges in 2024, and I am determined to see her once again partner with Blue 33 to raise a family. Even though Laddie is sadly no longer with us, there is hope that Blue NC0 will find a new mate and create a family at Loch of the Lowes.
I am also excited to see CJ7 reunite with Blue 022. Their incredible bond has allowed them to raise four extraordinary osplets in 2024. Additionally, let’s not forget about Iris and Finnegan! Together, let’s energize the flyways between the southern coast of Texas and Montana to ensure Iris’s safe return, with Finnegan there to protect her and support her in raising another brood of chicks. Join me in sending our heartfelt good wishes! Join me in sending our heartfelt good wishes!
As we turn our attention to the present, the anticipation of this year’s hatchlings fills me with hope—true little miracles waiting to unfold. You may have your own favourites, but for me, the joy of seeing Jak and Audacity finally welcome an eaglet after so many years along with Jackie and Shadow, would make this season unforgettable just like it was with Iris and Finnegan last year or even Beau and Gabby this year. I can already envision myself sitting there, overwhelmed with tears of pure happiness and soggy popcorn.
It is going to be a great year. Can you feel it?
Last week, I shared an article from The Guardian that a reader sent me. The article highlighted the polar bear fur trade and mentioned that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was actively involved in or supporting it. The reader, who had donated decided to reach out to the WWF to inquire about their position on polar bear fur and the claims made in The Guardian article. I am pleased to share the response from the WWF that they received.
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding a recent article in The Guardian about WWF’s position on polar bear conservation. We believe the story mispresents our position and we are actively raising inaccuracies with the publication directly. To be clear, WWF does not support or promote the polar bear fur trade, as you can see in our response to the article (https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?13500441/Guardian-response-polar-bears).
WWF remains steadfast in our mission to conserve polar bears and their habitat, while respecting the rights of Indigenous communities. Our funds are directed toward scientific monitoring of polar bear subpopulations, developing non-intrusive tracking methods such as eDNA, supporting research on the impacts of climate change on polar bears, and advocating for the protection of vital polar bear habitats. This work is essential to the long-term survival of the species.
We appreciate your passion for wildlife and for the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the conservation of polar bears and their habitat.
Regards,
Nirilis World Wildlife Fund
Donating is a very personal choice, and it can be disappointing when the values we care about conflict with the organizations we support. I’m glad to hear that our reader received a response to their inquiry clearing up the misinformation.
On another note, one of our readers has always dreamed of seeing polar bears in their natural habitat, and they are coming to Manitoba this November for that experience! That is so exciting.
Time to check on our nests. There is a lot happening! In fact, I will apologise for the long ‘list’ and I didn’t even begin to cover all of what is happening! Eggs are being laid everywhere. Just as soon as some of these eagle eggs begin to hatch, ospreys will be returning hoping to find their mates and get on with their breeding season.
I cannot find the live stream for Big Red and Arthur. Normally in the late fall they begin to check on their nest on the Fernow Light Stand. Is it the construction that is causing this? I must find out.
Cornell Red Tail Hawks: Ferris Akel caught Big Red on the scaffolding of the clock tower, one of her favourite spots on the Cornell Campus. It was 39 degrees F. Big Red will be 22 years old this year. She hatched 7 miles from the Cornell Campus in 2003 and was ringed that October. She has been raising chicks on the Cornell Campus for a long, long time. She was on streaming cam in 2012, but that is not to say that she did not start having chicks much earlier than that!
Ferris also found Arthur so all is well. Gosh, it is so good to see them.
Achieva Credit Union: Jack’s fancy nest attracted a new mate and their egg was laid Friday the 21st of February at 22:14. Congratulations!
Frenchman’s Creek: We have an egg! Now, it’s Sunday and we have two. Mum hit by a GHO over night. Can we send the owls on holiday this year?
Pine Island Ospreys: Egg 1 broke. Egg 2 is 40 days old. Looks like it is non-viable. With that audacious owl, I would be just as happy that those eggs simply break or turn into dried Dudleys.
Lake Murray: Resident pair have returned! Gosh, let us hope those strobe lights and mannequins do their job this year and are set up right when those eggs are laid to send a message to those owls.
Hilton Head Nature Conservancy: The two eaglets are doing very well.
Golden Gate Audubon: Richmond is looking for Rosie. She traditionally arrives between February 18 and March 9. Pray for her safe return.
Little Miami Conservancy: Betty laid her first egg with Baker coming to see on the 19th. Expecting egg 2 on Saturday. https://youtu.be/SuT8i49kEmo?
Sauces: The very first egg that Jak and Audacity is incubating is still holding. That egg was laid on our anniversary, the 2nd of the 2nd month. That means that today, that egg is 22 days old. We need another fortnight til pip watch. Oh, please make this their year!
31 continues to melt my heart. As far as I am concerned, 31 was a miracle eaglet. Let’s see if we can have a couple more at Sauces and Big Bear. Wouldn’t that make this a fantastic year?!
Standing on those feet!!!!!!!!!
Beau turned out just to be the best Daddy 31 could ever have wished to have….
Leucistic Red-tail Hawk: Angel has visited the nest in Tennessee.
Fay Slough Eagle Nest: Has collapsed with all the rain. Dr Sharpe recently installed a camera there. No eggs. Eagles were working on the nest.
Dataw Island Bald Eagle Nest: Skylar is doing well. Has been seen on camera really flapping its wings!
West End: Thunder and Makai have their second egg. It was laid on 20 February. A Raven took the first.
Durbe County nest of Milda: Milda, the White-tailed Eagle has been coming to the nest preparing for the next breeding season. Eggs should come in the next few weeks. Fantastic. https://youtu.be/YCxGI8aTJWA?
Gleeson’s South Australia Osprey Platform: Marie found herself inland and quite away any possible fish meals. The relief that spread through the Port Lincoln community when Marie turned and flew south to the coast could be felt in Canada. Even the fish fairies were ready with meals for Marie as she would have been super dehydrated.
Latvian Golden Eagles Spilve and Gristles: They are getting ready for an exciting breeding season. https://youtu.be/Faj0YrCBeOg?
University of Florida-Gainesville Osprey Platform: Stella has returned with a new mate. Talon disappeared with three osplets on the nest. Stella managed to keep one of them alive and Talon Jr fledged! Hoping for a better year for this new couple.
Big Bear Valley Eagle Cam: Already people from around the world are getting excited over the prospect of Jackie and Shadow having a wee eaglet this year. There are three eggs. https://youtu.be/u6LnJNYfmHc?
Jan 22, 25, and 28. Pip watch: 27/28th of February!!!!!!!! So what will you be doing on Thursday?????????????????????
Fraser Point: There are three eggs for Andor and Cruz, too! Eggs: 14, 17, and 20 on the Santa Cruz Island nest.
Bluff City ETSU: Franklin and Frances have two eggs being incubated. They were laid on the 26 and 29 of January. So let’s count. Egg 1 is 29 days old today. We should be expecting pip watch in a week – on 3 March. Mark your calendars.
Johnson City ETSU: Boone and Jolene’s first egg is three days older than that of Bluff City which means that we should be looking for a pip watch on the 28th of February or 1 March.
Port Tobacco: Chandler and Hope are another couple with a three egg clutch – 3, 5, and 9 of March! So many three egg clutches this year.
US Steel: Stella and Irvine again with three eggs. This is a first for this nest!!!!!!!!! February 13, 16, and 19.
PA County Farm: Oliver returned to the nest looking good. What a relief with growing concerns over HPAI.
Centreport Eagles: First egg on the 19th. Looking for the second on Saturday before posting this blog.
Notre Dame Eagles: Gigi and her new mate now have two eggs!
Duke Farms: Goodness me. Another three egg clutch. Is this an unusual year? Eggs laid on 17, 20, and 23 of January. Pip watch for the first egg is right now- Friday evening as I write this. Maybe by the time of posting we will have eaglets in New Jersey!
Decorah North: Mr North and Mrs DNF on the 11th and 14th of February.
Redding Eagles: Liberty and Guardian have no eggs yet in the new nest and many are concerned that the time envelope is running out due to the extreme heat of the spring.
It seems that there are a larger than average number of nests with three egg clutches for the Bald Eagle nests on streaming cams in 2025. What is it that determines clutch size?
Factors that affect clutch size
Age: The age of the female bald eagle is related to the size of her clutch.
Season: Cold weather and the time of season can affect clutch size.For example, clutches laid later in the breeding season may have fewer eggs.
Resources: The availability of resources, such as prey, can affect clutch size.
Contaminants: Legacy contaminants like DDT can suppress clutch size.
Clutch size of bald eagles
The average clutch size of bald eagles is just under two eggs.
Successful pairs of bald eagles usually raise one, two, or occasionally three young per nesting attempt.
Bald eagles may lay a second clutch if the first set is lost.
Other information about bald eagle clutches
The complete breeding cycle from the time of arrival at a nest to the period of fledgling dependency is about six months.
Bald eagles may move south in the fall in response to changes in weather conditions and prey availability.
The Peregrine Falcons are starting to pay attention to their scrapes and mates. At Wilmington, Stewart is impressing Bridgette with a nice dressed pigeon!
At Orange, Xavier and Diamond have both been to the scrape. Diamond hid a grebe and well, guess who found it? Cutie pie Xavier!
Where are our Cal Falcons?
At least one falcon seen at Great Spirit Bluff.
We need hope right now and Knepp Farm is giving us a good dose of it!
Bird says of these lovely geese: “Relatively small and short-necked goose with contrasting dark brown head and neck, small black bill with pink band near tip, and pink legs. In flight shows extensively pale silvery upperwings. Breeds in Greenland, Iceland, and Spitsbergen; winters mainly in coastal lowlands with farmland and marshy grassland. In main areas, occurs in flocks of hundreds or even thousands; elsewhere, singles or family groups can be found among flocks of other geese. Rare but increasing winter visitor to northeastern North America, almost always with flocks of Canada Geese.”
Pink-footed geese breed in remote areas of Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard during the Arctic summer. They nest on cliffs, rocky outcrops, and tundra hummocks.
Breeding grounds
Greenland: Remote areas of eastern Greenland
Iceland: Remote areas of Iceland
Svalbard: Remote areas of Svalbard
Novaya Zemlya: The Arctic Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya
One huge issue for these geese is the thawing tundra. Will this mean that they will spend all year in Iceland, Greenland, and areas of the Russian archipelago?
There are also threats to beloved parrots. What are they? Birdlife International says:
From the humid rainforests of South America to the deserts of Australia, parrots are found on nearly every continent – adding colour and life to ecosystems globally.
But, did you know that parrots are among the most threatened group of birds in the world?
Human activities pose the biggest threats to these colourful birds:
Agriculture is impacting 78 species like the near threatened Jonquil Parrot.
Exploitation by the pet trade is affecting 75 species like the critically endangered near threatened Palm Cockatoo.
Logging is affecting 62 species like the critically endangered Swift Parrot.
Climate change is affecting 32 species like the endangered Black-billed Amazon.
The count down clock to the arrival of the UK ospreys:
Calico is checking shipping rates for her cards and will have her fundraising page up by Tuesday or Wednesday. She is looking for good shipping deals for those who have written to request cards from Europe and Asia! It is incredible how complicated sending items to others can be. Some couriers are keen competitors, and we hope to have this ready to launch by Wednesday. Thank you for being so patient. Calico is very grateful to all those who have sent notes wishing to support her fundraising.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourself. Try to get outside. Read an uplifting book. Watch a silly romance-comedy. Whatever it takes. We look forward to having you with us again on Thursday.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, letters, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘EJ, Geemeff, H, J, SP’, WWF, Ferris Akel Tours, Achieva Credit Union, Frenchman’s Creek, Pine Island Ospreys, Lake Murray Ospreys, Golden Gate Audubon, Little Miami Conservancy, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, Window to Wildlife, Fay Slough Eagle Cam, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, Dataw Island, LDF, Fran Solly, University of Florida-Gainsville Osprey Cam, FOBBV, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, PIX Cams, PA County Farms, Centreport Eagles, ND-LEEF, Duke Farms, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, FORE, SK Hideaways, Elfruler, Wilmington Falcons, Falcon Cam (Orange), Cal Falcons, Knepp Farm, Openverse, UK Osprey Information, komu news, HDonTap
Thank you for being with us today. Many of you are experiencing cold, wintry weather, and I understand that those of you in the southeastern United States are particularly surprised by the chill! While we should be accustomed to the cold here, I must admit that I wish it would go away. We haven’t been able to spend as much time outdoors as we would like. We all need to engage with nature. It is so good for our mental health. Please be careful if it is snowy and there is ice. Nothing is important enough to fall and get injured.
While our friends in the UK hope spring might be just around the corner, we are still in an extreme cold warning on the Canadian Prairies. It is one of the most extended extreme cold spells I can remember in recent history. Thankfully, the triple pane windows also create heat, and ‘The Girls’ can pretend they are outside in the sun. Even the sun warms up the conservatory for about six hours, and then, as the sun begins to lower itself in the west, the cold sets in. They have to come into the main part of the house and not one of the four is happy about that. They love that glass box where it is like they are living outside, but are actually safe inside.
In this extreme cold, I am always fretting about the outdoor animals. One Crow has consistently come to the table feeder to eat nuts from the cylinder. You can see the sparrows all puffed up to keep warm. They love perching on the branches of the lilacs and getting warmth from the sunshine. They will leave the garden early as soon as they begin to go down. By 4:30 things are pretty quiet. I am, however, missing all the beautiful birdsong from the garden. The number of songbirds is in significant decline.
I am so glad that Calico and her kitten Baby Hope are inside and not out with Brock and Star. There appears to be nothing I can do to convince either of them to trust me despite Brock now sitting about 15 cm or 6 inches from me when I take out food. If there is any sudden movement, he is off. I do not want to stress them out, but something will be done come spring – it will be an enclosure with a heat lamp. (Right now, it is too much work and cold to begin dismantling the wood boxes…I wish I had done it earlier.) If Star has kittens, which I fear she might, we will trap them and make sure they have homes.
The mailbox brings me to the topic for this post: Darvic rings. A reader wrote, “I was wondering if you’d heard anything about the banding of the osprey at Abu Dhabi. I saw them being weighed, but they didn’t measure their wings. Yet they put blue bands on one of all of their legs. They put a silver band on the other leg of all of them too. Wouldn’t the blue band be for boys? Why put a blue band on at all?”
What are Darvic Rings? The Darvic rings are a plastic ring that is fitted to the Osprey’s leg. Normally you can see them from a distance with binoculars or a spotting scope. Different countries use different colours. In the United Kingdom, the bands are blue with white lettering. Scotland places the Darvic ring on the left leg while England and Wales put it on the right. In Spain the Darvic rings are yellow, in Germany they are Black, and in France they are orange. Over time the amount of numbers or letters has changed but there are registries of every bird that is ringed.
The birds are also fitted with a metal ring. It has a unique number and address and is more durable than the plastic ones which can, after several years, break.
Birds are ringed before they are 45 days old. The reason for this is so the specially trained banders do not frighten the birds and cause them to fledge prematurely. Also, the leg will have grown to its adult size. This prevents the ring from getting too tight and injuring the bird. Ringing often takes place when the Osprey chicks are in the 30s – such as 36 days old, etc. At the time of banding the chicks are weighed and measured. Indeed, everything about them is measured!
So for the United Arab Emirates where the Abu Dhabi nest is located this is the specific information on ring colour and placement. Nothing to do with gender:
There are online lists of the colours of the rings for each country. If you spot a bird with a Darvic ring, there are sites where you should submit that information. It is always good to be able to locate where the birds are and if they are alive.
Few ring the ospreys (or other raptors) in North America which is a real shame. The benefits of ringing the birds – whether they be a raptor or a songbird – are many. Here are only a few articles to help you understand why this process is important.
Captiva Eagle Cam: Dasher and Dancer are doing just fine.
Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platforms: No egg yet for Jack and his new mate. The chicks normally hatched the first week in March. It is getting late for a clutch. I worry about the heat of the summer just as I would if there was another clutch at SW Florida.
NCTC: Scout is getting into the action of incubation. Fingers crossed. The couple now have three eggs! https://youtu.be/SsMcuXsNUIE?
West End: In case you missed it, the first egg of Thunder and Makaio was taken by an opportunistic Raven. https://youtu.be/202j3SgZOwA?
Hilton Head: The two eaglets are doing well!
PA Country Farm: The male, Oliver, is showing signs of having HPAI. Please send your good wishes.
Little Miami Conservancy: The first egg is laid for eagle couple, Bette and Baxter, on Wednesday.
USS Steel: There is a three egg clutch for Irvine and his new mate, Stella, in 2025. She is a young mum, but Irv knows the ropes. It should be an exciting nest to watch this year. https://youtu.be/2mMml-j86cA?
Cornell Red Tail Hawk: Both Big Red and Arthur have been spotted on campus.
Moorings Park: Sally and Harry continue to incubate their three eggs.
Pine Island Ospreys:
Johnson City-ETSU: Eggs on January 23 and 26. Boone and Jolene should be expecting a pip by the end of February! Just think – 8 days.
There is also a new platform at Granville Island in Vancouver for eagles. It is a galvanized pole erected by one of my former students who was in charge of the rebuilding of the Market area. More information to follow.
Wildlife is truly under threat. Many of the nature centres and rehabilitation clinics are going to need your support and help. This is one of the latest postings.
Geemeff asks, “Stating the bleeding obvious- pesticides kill! Did we learn nothing from Rachel Carson? Silent Spring was written more than seventy years ago and sadly, not much has changed, if anything, things have got worse.” I agree. Humans have much to clean up and wildlife needs us more now than ever.
One of our next conversations is going to be about where your donation dollars do the most good. Many are abandoning the WWF because of this – and other large organizations where the staff take more of the donations than the wildlife!
.They are not birds, but at this stage, the balance and health of all wildlife has to be of our concern. That includes those adorable little European hedgehogs that populate the gardens. They were of least concern and now their existence is ‘threatened’. Habitat loss and pesticide use. It is a mantra that we are going to hear over and over again this year as animals die because of us. Please help them. No more green beautiful Home and Gardens lawns. Plant for pollinators without using pesticides. Urge your neighbours, your family, and your friends. ——– It looks like it is going to be up to use to take care of the areas around where we live. Imagine the power of the people of the world if we each dedicated our lives to making their lives better. Imagine.
I feel blessed to have so many talented and caring readers, many who are have become friends over the years. One is Juni Li, a New York artist, who has shared a drawing of Iris and Finnegan with us. Just imagine—within six weeks, Iris could be back with us. Wonder who will arrive first: Iris or Finnegan? Wish them good health, favorable winds, bountiful crops – and no interlopers.
I so wish Sum-eh and Antali had been ringed. Without Darvic rings, we will never know them if they return or if someone sees them in another area. We will also not know if they are found dead.
Iris always makes us smile and I hope this next story, sent to us by EJ, will, too.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We will see you again on Monday!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘EJ, Geemeff, H, J, MP, SP’, Heidi Mc, Hawk Conservancy Trust, The Journal of Raptor Research, The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Kistachie E3 Bald Eagle Nest, Nesting Bird Life and More, Gary Eagle Videos (FORE), SK Hideaways, Deb Stecyk, Little Miami Conservancy, Hilton Head Land Conservancy, American Eagle Foundation, univerise.byu.edu, Bronx Times, The Guardian, Vija, Pix Cams, American Eagle Foundation, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Cornell Bird Lab, Juni Li, Yahoo News, Raptor Persecution UK, Achieva Credit Union, Heidi McGrue and Pine Island Ospreys (Joy of Ospreys FB)
Calico is such an intelligent cat, and she is working hard to figure out the best way to provide help for feral cats. I wonder if she remembers living in the cold. She has created a line of five blank note cards on premium card stock with envelopes using my images. Her goal is to sell 500 cards. We have decided to do this directly instead of selling them through shops (who take multiple percentages from 40-60). It will mean more work for all The Girls and us, but in the end, those funds will provide much-needed food and help with spaying and neutering within our community.
I will post a separate page with information on how you can help Calico meet her goal on Monday!
Well, the joke is on me. You will get Thanksgiving wishes twice! Thankfully, ‘B’ reminded me that the holiday is the last Thursday in November. I should have known that as it was often on my mother’s birthday and the day my grandmother died – the 26th! Well, I am very thankful for all of you and when the day does get here, I hope you get to enjoy it with friends and family.
Brock’s house has been assembled and lo and behold, the cord is about 30 cm or a foot too short to plug into the outside plug. I am going to phone the company and see what they suggest. Otherwise, it isn’t much good – an insulated ‘heated’ house!!!!!! Other people must have this problem.
Hugo Yugo in the middle of food delivery and wanting to help set up Brock’s house.
The house is definitely insulated.
Finished. With legs. It has anchors to hold it in place due to wind. Thank goodness!
Today is wood delivery day which means my posting will be shorter – touching on some interesting articles and catching up with the Australian birds. We are waiting for a second egg for Connie and Clive at Captiva and incubation continues at SW Florida.
It has been 74 hours at the time I am writing this – 1600 Thursday afternoon, since the first egg was laid at Captiva.
I am posting an article form The Guardian about the catastrophic melting of permafrost in Canada’s Arctic region. This is going to impact much of the wildlife and the consequences are still not known.
‘B’ sent me a couple of good articles from The Washington Post. One is about the new camera at the MN-DNR site. They say it is a new couple that has been there four years. Sure sounds like Nancy to me with a new male. Feel free to correct me! https://www.youtube.com/live/5tECFd82AZQ?
The WaPo also had a wonderful article about all of the soap operas – such as Gabby’s ‘As the Nest Turns’ in May which ‘B’ included. I had not seen it and I wonder how many of you have.
Another great article from Raptor Persecution UK showing once again how ridiculous the people are trying to help the hen harriers. The article begins, “For new blog readers, hen harrier brood meddling was a 7-year conservation sham (2018-2024) sanctioned by DEFRA as part of its ludicrous ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and carried out by Natural England, in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England. In general terms, the plan involved the removal of hen harrier chicks from grouse moors, they were reared in captivity, then released back into the uplands just in time for the start of the grouse-shooting season to be illegally killed. It was plainly bonkers.”
In the wintry snow, Zorro, the male at the Latvian White-tail Eagle nest of Milda, has flown in to check on things. So nice to see him looking well. https://youtu.be/JI25leSBqa8?
Mum was fishing again at 0422 at Port Lincoln!
Mum is away. Has she gone fishing again?
If she did she did not catch anything. It is nearing 1400 on the nest and Wilko and Kasse have only had the small fish Mum brought in during the night. Fish Fairies!!!!!!!! Where are you? I am starting to think these are both males instead of Kasse being a female because they are so nice to one another! Believe me living with four female cats has taught me females do not get along with other females, normally! Hugo Yugo and Missey pair up and Calico and Hope. Missey and Calico just deplore one another.
Very quiet at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. They normally stop in to check sometime in November. We wait.
The bird photographed in Puerto Rico has been confirmed as “…a 2021 fledgling from a nest west of Billings, Montana, ringed by Marco Restani” (Jane Dell on Ospreys FB).
The band looked green to me!
No new reports on WBSE34. Adults were at Goat Island.
‘J’ sent us Rita the Eagle’s Friday news off of Rita’s FB page (mine was scrambled for some reason): “It has been two years since Rita’s accident in November 2022 and it’s been just over one year since Rita came to live at the Marathon Wild Bird Center in the Florida Keys. I spend a lot of time talking with visitors in front of her enclosure and have enjoyed meeting many people who all love eagles! The questions they ask are interesting. My favorite is which foot is she missing? Neither, I said her wing was partially amputated. Oh, right. And there are a lot of questions about what she eats and when. One of the stories I refer to often is that of her second night in her new enclosure. For the first time I had set up the trail camera inside Rita’s space. Let the learning about Ms. Rita begin! At 10:50pm on her second night the alert on my phone pinged. What had set off the camera? Little did I know that this brand camera was sensitive to night movements and, well, Rita was moving. Eating to be exact. Six minutes later she wandered off having eating the whole fish in the black of night. I contacted Jeanne Kaufman the next day and asked her if eagles ate in the dark? I’m pretty sure she said no. Rita eats whenever the mood strikes her be it in the afternoon or evening or, often, in the late evening under the cover of complete darkness. On the days her meal arrives early she will usually ignore it until at least the afternoon. Rarely does she leave any crumbs behind! (KG) #ritathebaldeagle
No new reports on any of the Melbourne triplets other than the return of the one who got itself into a bit of mischief the other day. Melbourne parents bonding! https://youtu.be/tiDm0uKlIF4?
There have been sightings of at least two different ospreys that continue to be in the UK and have not migrated.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘B, J’, Window to Wildlife, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Raptor Persecution UK, Trine and LDF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, NEFL-AEF, Falcon Cam Project, SK Hideawys, Raptor Resource Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Ospreys FB
15 C with blue skies and sun on Friday but it is nippy Saturday morning reminding everyone that fall is certainly here. We have wind and the dry leaves are dancing off the branches of the trees today. The Starlings arrived early for their suet and the little birds are eating seed and having baths. I am perplexed that we have, or seemingly have only one little Red Squirrel, when in the spring there were at least five. Dyson and the three kits are here as are the Blue Jays and Crows. Mind you, the Crows caw for cheesy dogs but are really wanting peanuts right now!
The Girls have been checking the cat food drawer. It is getting stocked up for our week away along with the food for the outdoor kitties and other garden animals. It feels a bit like getting ready and having a dormitory of teenagers to feed. It is definitely taking longer to get them organised than it will me.
The trip is going to be a little different. One of my former teaching and research assistants when I was at Acadia University lives in the area and after a couple of decades we are going to have coffee and goodies and catch up. Another potter that I wrote about several years ago, Susan Delatour, lives near Lunenburg and we plan to catch up and see the birds around the island where she has her studio. Hopefully there will still be migrants and some eagles will be on hand. The Maritimes are gorgeous this time of year. People travel from all over to see the changing colour of the leaves in mid-October. I hope to have some nice images for you.
There is not a lot happening in Bird World which is why it is a good time to take a wee break. The little falcons are growing like crazy. The Sea Eaglets need to get on with their branching and it appears that Wilko and Kasse, the osplets at Port Lincoln, are going to be a bit of a handful and a joy to Mum and Dad. Many of the cameras are still down including Captiva Eagle cam and NE Florida where the residents of the area are without power, tens of thousands of them. It could be some time before the cam is running again and we find out what is happening in ‘As the Nest Turns’. Maybe this year it will stop turning and Gabby and Beau will settle and raise some eaglets. I sure hope he is up to the task!
Isn’t this sad. No Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. None. Zippo. This is precisely why a moratorium is needed.
Let’s hope Clive kept his tail down in that nest as it is OK!
Ron showed up at the WRDC nest looking like he had had some prey. He is looking good. Now, where is Rose?
This was on the Loch Arkaig FB page. I am posting it here so you can see how remarkable these ospreys are. Look at that distance flown in a short amount of time!
Karl II’s son (2022) Waba making progress to Chad.
I wonder if your local wildlife rehab clinic could use any hollow logs you have in your garden? We keep ours so they disintegrate and we have insects for the spring birds but maybe you don’t do that…
News from Ranger Judy Harrington and the Olympic Sea Eagles.
And more from Olympic Park: A says, “At WBSE, we still have our two eaglets, settled in for the night side by side, duckling style, exactly as they have done for the past week or ten days. Here is today’s ranger report:
October 12: A cooler morning with all awake early and all joining in a chorus. Mating at 7:06 (in front of the children, too, and certainly recreational rather than procreational), then both were off. Good hunting this morning, as both returned with gull nestlings just after 7am. Lady fed both eaglets – a long feed with some self-feeding as well. SE33 managed to swallow the leg scrap at one stage. Later, both eaglets were flapping and jumping in the wind. Around 8:30am, SE33 was up onto the branch – so close to branching? Later, SE34 spent time on the rim as well. Then later, after 2pm, definitely branching – SE33 in the ninth week since hatch, at 67 days . More food arrived when Dad brought a fish piece in at 13:26 and Lady fed both eaglets. She brought in another bird herself at 15:37 – a good prey day again.
These two eaglets are the best of friends and are really enjoying lounging about the house without their parents. It’s a wonder they don’t throw a teen party. But please, stay as long as you like – we are in no hurry to see you go. “
Wilko and Kasse wanting fish. It is now past 1200 and no fish! Mum has sat on them to keep the peace. There were four the day prior. This is not good and underlines the importance of the fish fairies at this nest. It is not clear why there are fish some days and not others. See discussion of osprey fishing later in the post. We know, however, that the survival of the two chicks last year rested entirely on the fairies and the dedication of the Port Lincoln Osprey committee.
A small partial fish came in quite late, around 1243.
Perfectly behaved. Beautiful little osplets. Aren’t they the most adorable things you have ever seen?
‘A’ and her unique remarks: “Dad brought in a big, very much alive perch at 19:09:37 and it was very floppy indeed, knocking both osplets for six. Both quickly regained their footing and were up for a feeding. Wilco got the early bites but mum was very careful to feed both osplets. The fish continued to flop about, escaping mum at about 19:14 and having to be recaptured. This helped Kasse, who had been behind Wilco but now got to the front. From this stage of the feeding, Kasse did slightly better than Wilco, so they ended up eating about the same amount. They are very strong little feeders, both holding their heads up, beaks open, and starting to handle bigger bites now. They love their fish and both quickly develop sizeable crops. This is a very large fish, so there’s plenty for the chicks and mum to eat, dad to remove the fish and have his share, and then return the remainder of the fish for another feeding. Everyone is going to go to bed with full crops at Port Lincoln.
Despite the very long wait for the first fish of the day today, there was no sign of bonking or dominant behaviour from Wilco when the food did arrive. The feeding was peaceful and amicable, with no aggression and no intimidation. Neither osplet appeared nervous of the other and both were keen to eat. This was a great relief to us all, I’m sure, because that really was the worry today with the kids getting pretty hungry before food arrived. Hunger is an experience that is very problematic on an osprey nest, as we know, so I think the osplets handled their first taste of not getting a taste (if you get my drift) in a very mature manner. I was proud of them.
They truly are the cutest little people, with their racing stripe and their cute little round bottoms. It will be nice to watch their individual personalities emerge over the days to come. Certainly, we already know that neither has a vicious streak and both love their mum and love their fish. So far, they love each other too and snuggle a lot. The only foolproof way I have found to distinguish them is the size of their egg teeth. Of course, Wilco’s is the smaller egg tooth. “
It is 11 C when this image of F23 and the triplets was taken. It will get to 19 C today in Melbourne and hotter with the sun bearing down on the ledge at 367 Collins Street.
A reports: “The sun is getting hot at Collins Street and our wonderful mum is shading her chicks, sprawled out in front of her in the shade she is providing. They have plenty of stretching room in the area she has protected with her body and wings. She stands a lot while shading them, and yesterday was working really hard, beak open, panting heavily. But her babies were totally comfortable and completely shaded. She has this down pat. She does the best mumbrella I have ever seen at Collins Street. As long as she is on the nest, we need not have a single worry this season about the chicks being broiled in the Melbourne summer sun. That’s a HUGE relief. We both know how concerned we have been on occasion at this scrape, waiting for that sun to cross the scrape and for some shade to come. Now, we need not worry about it any more, unless of course for some reason the chicks are left alone. She has not made that mistake thus far. “
Notice the eyes of Diamond and Xavier’s chicks, Yira and Garramma. They are no longer slits but are open and the chicks can now see.
‘A’ remarks: “Darling Xavier got the chance to start the breakfast feeding at Orange this morning – 06:50 or thereabouts and the kids were up and consuming food. Too cute. I do love it when Xavier is allowed to parent. He did a feeding yesterday and he is so careful (as I said the other day, honey I choked a chick is not a sentence Xavier ever wants to utter. It’s funny how he keeps checking over his shoulder in case Diamond arrives and he gets into trouble. TOO adorable. This morning, he gave up his position without an argument when Diamond’s hefty frame loomed in the doorway of the scrape.” And later, “At Orange, little Xavier popped in shortly before 11:40 to find the chicks alone, so he quickly settled in for some quality brooding time. (I love the way he tiptoes across the scrape.) Even with only two, he is still so tiny that he broods them standing up. So tiny compared to Diamond. The chicks are hopeful of food and reach up towards dad’s beak and Xavier reaches down and touches one of the chicks with his beak. Sweet.
But Diamond was gone for only a couple of minutes. When she returned to the scrape at 11:42, poor little Xavier knew any argument was pointless, though he put in a token protest before getting up. I do adore the way Diamond peers around Xavier to see the chicks, as if checking that they have not come to some harm since she left them a couple of minutes ago.
Xavier does not leave the scrape – he simply moves to the ledge, where he continues to perch, looking out. Aww. Family time. Too cute. Xavier is such a sweetie, though I do fear that he will choke a chick one day with all the feathers he feeds the babies. He prepares the food so well at times, and then at other times he brings in something with virtually complete plumage and starts feeding it to the chicks. “
At Growing Home, Bubba is doing really well. Just look at the transition now to the juvenile feathers.
At Achieva, Jack looks down at the mess that Milton made of the nest in St Petersburgh that he shares with his mate, Diane.
Beautiful fall day at the nest of Duke and Daisy at Barnegat Light. Bald Eagles have been passing through on their migration and stopping at this site. It is gorgeous.
Gorgeous day on the Cornell campus home to Red-tail Hawk couple, Big Red and Arthur. Sadly, both of their chicks died after fledging. One from a window collision and the other from West Nile Virus.
What do you think the biggest threat is to eagles? We will be looking at this as two bills are set to be passed by the US Congress that will impact the Migratory Bird Act.
“Humans are the biggest threat to bald eagles. Much of the bald eagles’ habitat was lost, many of the birds were shot, and they were exposed to widespread contaminants. Between 1917 and 1952, for example, a bounty was placed on bald eagles in Alaska.”
There has been some questions about how often ospreys are successful in catching fish. That is a very loaded and complicated question. It depends on the time of year and the availability of fish. It depends on the water and wind speed. Ospreys only dive down approximately 1 metre or 3 feet tops. They need clearer shallow water. It depends on the temperature of the water. If the water is very warm, the fish dive down to stay cool. That is one of the issues for Olsen at Osoyoos. If we sit and think of the Chesapeake Bay and the fact that Omega could find no Menhaden, it would mean that the ospreys could fish all day and not catch anything. All About Birds says the success rate is 1 in 4 dives. Again, it is complicated and not that straight forward. Observers in the UK note that it often takes 13 dives for an osprey to get a fish.
Dyfi’s findings on success rate vary greatly from those of others published. The Dyfi Osprey Project put out some facts on Osprey fishing:
Fact 31
Ospreys have two main ways of catching fish:
The wet method: Soaring or hovering above the water’s surface from between 10 – 30m, the osprey will dive head and talon first into the water at great speed after identifying a suitable fish prey. After plunging up to a metre under the water, the osprey will surface, position it’s wings above the waterline and with great strength, become airborne from a half submerged position from a stationary position.
The dry method: Rather than hunting at altitude, an osprey will fly almost parallel to the waterline and pluck any surface feeding fish straight out of the water getting only its legs wet. This method is usually used in warmer countries where the fish live near the water’s surface.
Fact 32
Ospreys will catch anything from tiny minnows weighing only a few grams to fish that weigh up to the size of the osprey itself – up to 2Kg or 4½ pounds. Most however, are around a pound in weight or less.
Fact 33
Because ospreys live on all continents on earth except Antarctica, they have a huge variation of fish species they catch. The old English name for osprey is ‘Mullet Hawk’ which gives us a pretty good idea what their main fish prey species in the UK was (and actually, where they nested) before they were persecuted to extinction by 1916.
Fact 34
Ospreys won’t catch a fish at every attempt. Young fledglings have a very poor success rate, around 5% to start with. However, as they acquire more experience, this success rate shoots up considerably. A recent study (2010) of ospreys fishing on an estuary in the northern Iberian Peninsula showed an average success rate of 69%. Young birds caught fish around two times in every five attempts (40%) whilst more experienced adults caught a fish nine times out of ten attempts (92%)!
Fact 35
In the last few years, ospreys breeding in Scotland have started to catch mackerel where historically they had not. This could either be as a consequence of more ospreys choosing nest sites nearer the sea, or a change in the feeding behaviour of the ospreys. Or both!
Fact 36
Every year at the Dyfi we check carefully the areas underneath the osprey nest and various perches. We find loads of ‘opercula’. The operculum is a hard flap covering and protecting the gills of a fish, it’s made out of fused bones. They look a bit like your Granddad’s big toe nail! This is the only part of the fish that the osprey can’t eat.
Fact 37
Every year, we record what species and size of fish the Dyfi ospreys catch. Roughly speaking, around half are grey mullet, 20% are flounder and 20% are trout. The other 10% consist of other fish like sea bass, garfish and perch.
Fact 38
Nora had a great dislike of flounders (or to be more scientific – had a least preference for flounders). There may be a good reason for this. Of all the fish caught by Monty, flounders not only have the highest water content and the least calories, but they are also very tough and take more calories to eat. Think of all those neck muscles straining to tear bits off. This is very hard to prove scientifically but is based on our (anecdotal) observations. A bit like the celery story – it takes more calories to eat celery and to digest it than there are in it!
Fact 39
Monty has on a couple of occasions caught a ‘twaite shad’ – an extremely rare fish in UK waters belonging to the Herring family. So rare in fact, you need a licence to catch one. Monty, now has all the relevant paperwork in plaice.
Fact 40
Ospreys typically catch fish that weigh between 150–300 g (5 –11 oz) and measure about 25–35 cm (10–14 in) in length, but the weight of fish they catch can range from 50 g (2 oz) to 2 kg (4.5 lb).
Wind tunnels are helping us understand about birds and their migration.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Do you own a dishwasher? Do you know what Tang is? Well, they have something in common – clean dishes! Calico got some tips from the Maytag factory and she is passing them along to you. First, do not rinse your dishes. Scrape them. Always use the automatic setting on your dishwasher. Once a month put in a packet of those orange drink crystals – Tang. It will clean and freshen your dishwasher!
Thank you for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you tomorrow!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A’, William Dunn, Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, West Midlands Birding and the Friends of Lock Arkaig FB, Maria Marika, West Wildlife Rehab, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagles, wskrsnwings, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Growing Home Osprey Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Cornell RTH Cam, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Cali Condor, Audubon, USFWS, All About Birds, All About Eagles, Dyfi Osprey Project, The New York Times.
Please mark your calendars. It isn’t stripped bass – they, too, need the Menhaden and so do our ospreys. Remember Cobey from the Colonial Beach nest and let them see that people care. Thanks, ‘PB’.
Thank you so much for all your lovely letters and comments. You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing from you. I don’t always answer quickly, but I will answer. I promise. For everyone who has raked their leaves in the corner of their lot and left them, thank you. The key is to not mow them, to not blow them (who invented those noisy machines?), and to not stuff those leaves in bags. Just contain yourself and leave them alone. The insects will thank you and the songbirds in the spring will thank you even more.
Most of you are aware that my ‘right hand’ person is Heidi. I simply could not make it through all that data without her — or all the deaths. We try to prop one another when we just can’t stand another little one losing its life because there was not enough fish. A few weeks ago, Heidi attended the Hawk Watch Migration count at Cape Henlopen. Heidi has permitted me to share her day with you. In doing so, I hope that you might get so excited that you will head out to learn about migrating birds and how to identify them! It is an exhilarating experience.
I had a blast at the Hawk Watch platform at Cape Henlopen, Delaware on Saturday. The platform is built on top of an old WWII military bunker located at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware on the Atlantic Ocean. It is just south of the mouth of Delaware Bay, and almost directly south of the infamous Cape May New Jersey Hawk Watch platform on the other side of the bay.
There was a lead hawk spotter-counter there, named Jen. Jen has 25 years experience, and lives in Colorado. She relocates to the area each fall to lead the hawk count. There were also several other experienced spotters arriving throughout the day, some of whom were also from out of state. The spotters all had binoculars and scopes, but they primarily used their binoculars.
I was pleased with my binoculars. I had been worried that I may not be able to find the birds when the spotters called them out, but I did very well in being able to get most of the birds into my view. Haha, except for the Merlins… they were so darn fast, I was only able to see a few of them before they flew southwest behind some trees.
The weather was nice, with a light NE wind. Some spotters had hoped for a little less bright sun for enhanced viewing. But, the hawk watch had their highest total hawk count, and the highest osprey count to date this season. I picked a great day to go there.
I remember what Gessner said in his book “Soaring with Fidel.” It was when he was on the Cape May platform, that he was apprised of the hawk spotting technique: GISS = ‘general impression of size and shape’. The other folks at the platform were very helpful in giving me tips.
Ospreys were fairly easy for me to identify, except when they were very far away and were headed straight for the platform. To my eye, at that distance and aspect, they could have been a large gull. Those folks were so good though, they could still tell it was an osprey even that far away.
The ospreys made me smile. There were so many of them (298). Some ospreys flew high and were off to our left or right, but some were lower and flew right over us. Many were already carrying a fish when we spotted them. I was told that on average (depending on the wind of course), it might take an osprey only about 20-25 minutes to fly over the water from Cape May to Cape Henlopen.
I’m guessing that the viewing platform is less than 500 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. I saw several ospreys diving and fishing. If they missed, they would simply rise up and dive again. Most were successful in catching their lunch. I was told that sometimes the ‘O’s would find a tree to perch and eat, but that many of them would simply just hang on to their catch and keep on flying. Indeed they did… I saw many ospreys carrying fish that just kept on going, and I suppose they knew they had a ready meal when they decided to stop.
I also did pretty well at identifying the bald eagles, even the juveniles. At one time, Jen modified someone’s sighting and said that a particular bald eagle was not an adult, but a sub adult. Wow. Jen also pointed out an adult ‘baldie’ that was missing a couple of primaries on the right wing. I could see that the feathers were missing through my binoculars.
They counted a record number of sharp-shinned hawks. I got to know their shape and their pattern of wing flapping (thanks to Jen’s tutelage). I didn’t have the confidence to call any of them out when I saw them… but, I would smile a little to myself when the spotters would call out “sharpie.” The spotters could spot peregrines, and state if it was a juvenile. They knew ‘cooper’s’ from ‘sharpies’ based on their different styles of wing flapping. And, they spotted several kestrels.
One of the spotters alerted us to an adult bald eagle chasing an osprey holding a fish out over the ocean. So, I quickly found the scene in my binoculars and watched as the eagle was directly upon the osprey. The ‘O’ dropped the fish, and the two birds parted ‘amicably’, lol! Another spectacular scene happened over the ocean… After we were alerted, I quickly viewed it with the naked eye… A previously identified peregrine stooped to try to catch a merlin, but the speedy merlin got away just in the nick of time! Wow again!
Oh, gosh… I was simply blown away by this experience. It was fantastic. After seven hours on my feet, turning around and around, and straining my neck to look up, I was exhausted, hurting, and sunburned (note to self… don’t forget the sunscreen next time). I have a lot to learn about hawk watching, and I am looking forward to it.
Heidi sent us some images:
Thank you Heidi for sharing this awesome experience with us! I am so happy that you got down to Cape Henlopen.
Where did the time go? I remember this wee one eating and now it had its fledgling flight. What a beautiful chick. 64 days old. S/he is stunningly gorgeous. I suspect a ‘she’ with that amazing necklace – the only one to survive of the three that hatched at this nest this year.
That ‘other’ Australian osprey is now a dark little reptile!!!!!! Growing Home’s Only Bob is thriving. In a few weeks, this little dark pesky osplet will look like the one above.
At the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam in Orange, Australia, we are preparing to get out the popcorn and watch Xavier and Diamond’s first eyas of 2024 hatch!
In Ithaca, Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with Arthur. Big Red and Arthur traditionally start checking on their nest in November (if my old memory and notebooks serve me correctly).
Audacity is working on the nest in the Channel Islands that she shares with Jak in the hope that they might have even one single egg to hatch this year. https://youtu.be/MVtTqzgcVhc?
Lady slept with her babies on the nest. One is more interested in what is happening off the nest while the other is self-feeding. Oh, these babies are growing up just a little bit too fast.
‘A’ comments: “Still waiting for my sea eaglets to leave, and so are the currawongs. As I mentioned in an email last week, the currawongs have been particularly bothersome this season, swooping the parents and generally attacking the nest way more than I have seen in previous years. It is not a great sign, is it. We can but hope, but we have to admit that past experience does not suggest a good outcome. I am worried.
At WBSE everything was very civilised at lunch, with mum feeding the half half of a fish to both eaglets fairly even-handedly. The two are, as you mentioned in your blog, the best of friends, and they have been getting along famously for a while now. In fact, I continue to insist we have a pair of brothers in these two. There is no female aggression between them. They had a minor period early on where basic pecking order was established based on age, and SE34 was fairly confident fairly soon, so there was only a relatively short period where SE34 was even vaguely intimidated by his older sibling.
The pair have been an absolute joy to watch, as is usual with this nest. I give the credit to the parents, of course, who are like a well-oiled machine at this point. Dad has kept food on the nest very reliably and Lady has doled it out, making sure her younger son was never overlooked. These two gorgeous nestlings are the result of their dedication. Now, we watch with extreme apprehension to see whether they can be the fledglings that beat the currawongs and manage a successful life as juveniles. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Every year I grow to love the two eaglets at this nest and every year, we have a tragic outcome because of those damned pesky small birds. I get why they do it, and I can’t help but admire their courage and their teamwork when I see variants of it in my own garden and in mum’s, but when it impacts our eaglets year after year, it becomes very depressing indeed. These guys prefer fish to currawong anyway! I wish the currawongs would work that out. How many currawongs have been eaten on that nest? I haven’t seen a single one. ” “I’ve been watching my gorgeous sea eaglets this afternoon. Mum has been feeding the pair a fish mid-afternoon. They are well-behaved. Lady is still feeding them although it appears both are very capable of self-feeding at this stage. Mum slept with them on the nest last night, at the back of the nest, near the perch branch, but still, very near to her babies and keeping close watch over them. We don’t even have GHOs here, and I am unsure whether any of our owls are predators for the sea eagles. Which reminds me, that GHO you showed in your blog is adorable, and I know that they are mortal enemies for bald eagles and ospreys but to me, they are still the cutest creatures. Those legs are SO strong (as are their feet) and the silence of their flight is quite eerie. I told you about the gorgeous large Powerful Owl that flew within a metre or two of me in the back yard a few months ago. It flew so close and it was so large and yet it was virtually silent. There was no sound of beating wings, just a very slight rustling as the wind passed through the feathers. I felt so privileged.”
Beautiful fall footage of Boone and Jolene’s nest tree taken before the tree and nest were destroyed by Hurricane Helene. https://youtu.be/tzrHesJqNNA?
Talk about cute. This reminded me to put out some apple pieces for the garden squirrels!
Holly Parsons is getting way too excited about the pip watch coming up for Xavier and Diamond. She is so excited she posted a video about how chicks get out of eggs to show us how much hard work it is for them. No wonder they are soooooo tired after hatch! https://youtu.be/Ptr-kS09H4w?
Melting glaciers in Europe are causing some countries to stop measuring their depth because they no longer exist. Others are having to redrawn national boundary lines. Water will have a huge impact on humans, but also on our beloved raptors.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Ditch the toxins and embrace white vinegar. Calico is constantly bugging me about the gallons of white vinegar. Now this brilliant cat has found a beautiful chart with everything we can use it for and help save the environment!
Take Calico’s Quick Quiz. How many uses of white vinegar did you know about? And did you learn something? I had no idea about perfectly peeled eggs! We are going to try that tomorrow for our picnic.
Thank you for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, blogs, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog: ‘A, H, J, PB’, Virginia Osprey Foundation, Osprey House Environment Centre, Heidi McGrue and The Joy of Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Lisa Dulany, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, NestFlix Memories, Olympic Park Eagles, Wildlife Haven, Holly Parsons, The Guardian.
Sunday morning. Baby Hope is the protector of the realm this morning! She decided that there was no way that The Boyfriend would come into the house after he had breakfast. He now arrives at 0900 and 1700 for ‘wet’ food. There are two of them. One has white on both sides of its nose – this one – and the one who is quite skitterish has white only on the right side.
Greetings from a sunny and HOT Saturday on the Canadian Prairies.
Every bird spent some time having a bath today! Water is so essential when it is hot even more so than food! And it has to be changed and filled lots of times a day.
Years ago we had a neighbour, Alf. Alf kept a journal throughout his life, no matter where he was, including being in a British submarine during World War II around Sri Lanka. He always included everything about the weather, who he saw, what he did, and the major news events. Alf was amazing. Every morning, he went swimming with the high school team at 0700. He rode his bicycle up and down the lanes near our town, often picking blackberries and bringing us a pail. Many years after he retired, he started studying German and Russian. On New Year’s Eve, he was always at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. Alf taught us so much during the time I lived near him while reading at the University of Leicester. The fates worked in my favour in 2003. I was able to visit with Alf a few weeks before he died. He began to feel unwell during the morning swimming and died peacefully in the ambulance en route to the hospital. Alf never married. I think his neighbours were his family and he certainly treated us that way. I want to take a page out of Alf’s playbook and start tracking the garden animals in a properly bound journal. I might even force myself to learn how to draw!
Lately, the digital world has been giving me a headache. The sorting of the photographs, information. While I cannot imagine not being able to find information quickly compared to ordering articles and books through inter-library loan, I want to slow down and pick up a journal and see what was happening in the garden last year on this date. Analog. Today, I would write that the European Starlings returned. Did you know their beaks are not correctly shaped for eating most seed? They like unshelled peanuts, meal worms, and soft suet. On Saturday we picked up the Starlings’ favourite suet and today their meal worms should arrive. What perturbs me is the fact that so many people are highly selective in the birds that they want to feed. Yes, Starlings are an ‘invasive’ species. They can’t help that some humans introduced them into North America. And personally I think they are stunningly beautiful and they are not more aggressive in the garden than the Jays or the Sparrows. In fact, the most aggressive animals are the squirrels. There are more entries on a search engine for bird food to prevent Starlings from wanting to eat at your feeder than what they like to eat. Oh, that irks me.
Saturday evening was amazing. It was so warm. The geese were busy feeding at the fields on the way to Oak Hammock Marsh. They had a presentation on the geese that come to the marsh and then we went out to see the murmurations of the Rusty and Brewer’s Blackbirds (the Red-Wing and Yellow-heads left on migration several weeks ago). We get Canada, Cackling, Snow, White-fronted, and Ross’s geese and the morphs. Tonight there were Blue-winged Teal, two Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese and a speckled breast White-front juvenile. Tens of thousands of geese did not fly in at once like they would have had the weather been colder. They need to eat more than they need to sleep. Most will come to the safety of the marsh at 0100 or 0200 and go out feeding again around mid-morning.
Oak Hammock is a combination of wetlands, the marsh, and the Tall Grass Prairies.
What is unusual at the end of September are the number of mosquitoes!
The Trumpeter Swans at a distance. One overwintered about 2 km north of the wetlands at the site of an Artisan spring.
The colours were so beautiful and the water was as smooth as glass.
It was just the perfect night.
In the UK, those amazing Pink-footed Geese are arriving from Iceland and Greenland.
We need to know as much about Menhaden as we can. They are critical to keeping the ospreys in Chesapeake Bay alive. https://youtu.be/2Tvq8W8QtLM?
After Helene. Gabby and 24E1 continue work on their nest.
Still wet at SW Florida.
It is raining in Ithaca, New York at the nest of Big Red and Arthur.
It is always nice on a Saturday listening to Ferris Akel’s tour. Today, there were some excellent waterfowl, including gorgeous Great White Egrets, Blue Herons, and Gallinue.
And some female Wood Ducks!
It was the start of a beautiful day at Big Bear Valley.
The cameras picked up a person walking their dog close to the nest tree.
A sub-adult Bald Eagle is working on the US Steel nest of Claire and Irvin in Pittsburgh. https://youtu.be/zmF87AzhDPU?
eBird describes the Sooty Falcon thus: “Slim, long-winged, long-tailed falcon that is built for long-distance migration. Adults are all gray, while juveniles have pale, spotted underparts. Breeds on cliffs along the coast or in the desert. During migration and winter, spends most of its time on the wing, and can be seen over any habitat. Quite social, and often seen in loose flocks of dozens or more. Adult is very similar to the dark-morph adult Eleanora’s Falcon, but Sooty is paler gray. Immatures also very similar, but immature Sooty has an unbarred tail without a rufous tip. Much longer wings and tail than Peregrine Falcon. Larger and lankier than other falcons.”
The Peregrine Fund describes the challenges these falcons have: “The Sooty Falcon is categorized as Vulnerable. Some of the threats this lovely falcon faces including habitat destruction, especially in the form of human developments cropping up at important breeding sites, and disturbance. Feral cats also pose a threat to this falcon.”
Those cute little Olympic Park Sea Eaglets had some fish for lunch! Not a bird. Gosh, these two are little darlings. https://youtu.be/JiVqBbKBKX0?
Pip watch for Xavier and Diamond!
Thankfully these two are not going to fledge in the next week!
The first pair of White-tail Eagles are breeding in Northern Ireland in 150 years.
There are no plans for anything to happen to the Achieva Nest. I wrote to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre and bucket trucks are in high demand right now and the ospreys will need to rebuild their nest on their own.
It is relatively quiet in Bird World right now. Instead of taking a full break, I will be writing a shorter blog until we get the hatches in Australia.
Take care of yourselves. We will see you in six days.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J’, Oak Hammock Marsh and Ducks Unlimited, The Guardian, The New York Angler, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Ferris Akel Tours, FOBBV, PIX Cams, WingsofWhimsy, Duke Farms, eBird, CarnyXWild, OpenVerse, Nesting Bird Life & More, Ildiko Pokk, ETSU-Johnson City, and Raptor Persecution UK.
