Category Archives: CROW

Wednesday in Bird World

2 April 2025

Good Morning,

Jackie and Shadow’s kiddos have been named: Sunny for the oldest and Gizmo for the youngest. Thanks 3rd graders!

Loch Arkaig: Gemeff writes that Louis and Dorcha might be home. Just waiting for confirmation from the Woodland Trust.

Ospreys are like buses – wait for ages and then two come along at once!

This is how Dorcha’s arrival happened:

13.58.57 An Osprey call is heard off camera – is it Louis? Sounds like him. I boosted the audio the better to hear the call.

14.04.19 An Osprey lands with a chirp – but it’s Dorcha, not Louis! Welcome home!

14.06.20 She departs, flying lochwards and disappearing into the distance. She’s quite hollow-cropped, I imagine she’s gone fishing. Perhaps already made an attempt judging by the green gunk on her right foot.

https://youtu.be/0at1Hn1OO68 (zoomed)

Think he is home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And earlier, we had the first Osprey visit – the Really Dark Female (RDF) who’s visited before.

https://youtu.be/GdxCrcgFs9w (zoom)

Louis video coming now – he stayed a few secs then flew off lochwards

I had not planned on sending out a post this morning, but Geemeff drew my attention to something and I think that it is something that we have to prepare ourselves for – the fact that Louis and many other beloved ospreys might not return this year.

I know that readers sometimes do not click on links and you might have missed this one in my Tuesday blog. Geemeff suggested that I pin it in print because people are concerned about whether or not Louis (or any of the others not already home) will return. George writes for the Woodland Trust:


“It is clear that Louis suffered some kind of illness last year that saw him perched in a tree for days on end when he would ordinarily have been fishing. While he did recover before the end of the summer it is likely that when he migrated he was not as fit as he has been in past years.

We believe he was two or three years old when we first saw him in 2017 so that means that while by no means ancient he is now getting on in years. There are a few individual outliers that live to 20 and beyond but the typical lifespan seems to be 10-15 years. He is in that zone now.

Migration is tough in either direction, We do need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that Louis might not make it back this year.

It is also important for everyone to process the fact that wild lives don’t tend to end neatly. If Louis does return this season he may be vulnerable to another younger male kicking him off the nest. Or his fishing abilities may go into decline. Remember that the beginning of his breeding career with Aila began with chick mortality because the pair were inexperienced. His middle years have seen him mature into an excellent father, but we can expect a tough time for chicks hatched in his declining years.

That is just how these things go. While it is upsetting for us to see chicks fail, it is natural.

It could be that he arrives back in fine fettle in the next week or two and we have a successful season. But we have to accept that might not be the case.”

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=24047912

We hope that they all return. We wait and see.

Geemeff also sent this announcement that has a stale date. There is going to be a great Q & A on Eagles this Thursday. So check it out.

Thank you, Geemeff!

CROW is asking for your help.

‘RP’ sent us another cute little bird nest idea! Thank you.

We have some ospreys arriving and we have some that need their mates to come home NOW!

Kielder Forest: W6 is home!

W6 arrives, with fish offering! _ Kielder OspreysDownload

Cowlitz PUD:

Llyn Brenig:

Mispillion Harbour: Heidi keeps a close eye on these Delaware ospreys.

UFlorida-Gainesville: Sadly, that sinking hole we noticed has resulted in the loss of all three of Stella’s eggs with her new mate. Here is the announcement:

“April 1 2025: Hello Osprey fans! I have sad news to report. From the recent heavy rains, a hole opened up in the bottom of the nest and all three eggs fell through and were lost. Tragic and I am truly sorry this has happened to the osprey pair. This event happened once before at the old location of the osprey cam at the original UF ball field. We will keep the camera on in April to see if they repair the nest. I don’t think Stella will lay more eggs this season as she has laid four already. Ospreys are resilient and most likely will be back again to nest.”

Fraser Point: The intruders in the Channel Islands just don’t seem to let up. What a worry especially with two little ones on the nest. Stay safe Mama Cruz. And below is the announcement of the name for one of the nest’s eaglets!

High Spirit Bluff: Poor Newmann. He is a fantastic Dad and now he has yet another mate.

Kisatchie E3: ‘MP’ sends some news: “Today, three nice size fish came in so far… The eaglet is doing a good job tearing food apart as long as dad zips it open. The problem is mom comes in and interrupts her/him and takes it away which the eaglet isn’t happy about. I guess mom has to eat too. So, at eight weeks and five days it’s one day at a time. “

NEFlorida: Just look at Brodie! Isn’t she amazing? I don’t want her to fledge just yet.

NCTC: Scout and Bella’s triplets appear to be doing quite well.

Little Miami Conservancy: The kids are doing very well.

John Bunker Sands Wetlands: They are still on the nest, but they are itching to fly. The winds on this nest will certainly pick them up and send them off to soon. It has been a very special nest to monitor this year.

Foulshaw Moss: Blue 35 has returned to her mate White YW at their nest in Cumbria. I can’t wait for the season to start.

Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: Heidi writes:
3/1 – Maryland Western Shore osprey nest: Marilyn and Arthur have their second egg, which was laid shortly before 10 pm on 3/1.

Cornell Red Tail Hawks: Oh, grand. Big Red laid egg 3 this morning!

Spring is coming! The arrival of certain birds signals the awakening of the land, the trees, the bushes, the flowers. For me it is the arrival of geese but for others, it is the Redwing.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/01/country-diary-twittering-squalling-redwings-speaks-only-spring?CMP=share_btn_url

Thank you for being with me. I am very grateful for all the news that was sent in today. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me send this blog off to you today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, MP, RP’, The Woodland Trust, Raptor Resource Project, CROW, Elaine Buckner, Pam Breci and Cowlitz PUD, Jeff Kear and UKOsprey Info FB and Llyn Brenig, Heidi McGrue and Mispillion Harbour, Gracie Shepherd and IWS/Explore (Fraser Point), Diane Lambertson and High Spirit Bluff, Kistachie E3 Bald Eagle Nest, NEFlorida-AEF, Little Miami Conservancy, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, The Guardian, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, Cornell Bird Lab

Very late Saturday in Bird World

1 February 2025

Greetings Everyone!

It rained in a rain forest. No surprise there! We meandered into the small area of shops and found a lovely little restaurant overlooking the marina. The food was delicious. The coconut pie was out of this world – the best I have ever eaten and that is saying something coming from the southern US, originally.

Deshaies offers everything we wanted in a break from the Canadian winter. The hummingbirds fill the garden area flitting from flower to flower. There are three or four different types. Then there are Bandicoots, Red Jungle Roosters, hens, and chicks, and today we heard a woodpecker along with many others serenading us that we could not identify and neither could Merlin ID (only 65% of the birds on Guadeloupe are in their identification system). The National Forest is about 50 yards away on one side.

We are enjoying paradise.

The view to the marina.

Mostly fish items – freshly caught but also spaghetti and curry.

The finest coconut pie with homemade ice cream.

I had hoped for relaxation, and that is what we found. The puppy waits for us at the gate or comes running if she hears our voices wanting pets and more pets. Don’t tell The Girls! She has melted our hearts.

The trip is already more than I could ask for in a holiday. My dear husband has managed so well—often better than I did when things got anxious. He is excellent at spotting hummingbirds and helps watch for the roosters, hens, and their chicks on the road. They are everywhere. It almost seems like everyone has them for eggs. The weather has been warm; being outside in a forest melts any woes. It is forest bathing in a way so different from home – and we love it. I feel so privileged to travel and stay in such a serene place. Feeling grateful.

Checking on our bird friends…

There is now a second hatch for Alex II and Andria II at the Kistachie E3 nest in Louisiana. Oh, these bobbleheads are cute and strong! Go and check them out.

CROW has put out a statement answering some Questions and rumours that have been filtering through the airwaves. ( I hope this shows up in its entirety. Please search on CROW FB if it isn’t. Very informative information).

M15 and F23 have both been seen around the Pritchett Property.

The Royal Cam chick is doing quite well under the care of its father, RLK. Ranger Sharyn did a weight check. https://youtu.be/aU4-uKEgY4k?s

E31 is likely to be the most spoiled eaglet in the entire state of Florida this breeding season. Talk about a dad! Beau has embraced fatherhood like he read the manual from Shadow or M15. Gabby did really well. Oh, I know that we growled at Beau at times, but she kept the faith and for good reason.

Up at the food table. Can you see little 31?

Beau is feeding NE31 – again. Gosh, he loves taking care of this eaglet. https://youtu.be/EQapL5_-Z6M?

Kids climbing over one another to try to get priority at feeding at John Bunker Sands.

Three fish gifts for Jackie from Shadow – one for each egg? https://youtu.be/aTcHAYxfDRs?

Dasher and Dancer enjoying a nice meal.

Looked like a fish dinner for R7 and R8 and it also looked like R8 got its tank filled up! Nice.

More groups should band together to buy up huge tracts of land like the RSPB before developers get their hands on it and wildlife declines.

‘It’s incredible, the place just swarms with birdlife’: inside England’s biggest bird sanctuaryhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/01/its-incredible-the-place-just-swarms-with-birdlife-inside-englands-biggest-bird-sanctuary?CMP=share_btn_url

Two other news items. Tom and Angel have been seen at the nest and Window to Wildlife says that the cam will be turned on soon. Dr Sharpe is also planning to make a trip to the West End to see about the camera and hopefully to have some news of the eagles, Thunder and Akecheta for us.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care! See you in a few days – it could even be Tuesday or earlier if there is news.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: Kistachie National Forest E3 nest, CROW, NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, NEFL-AEF, AEF, John Bunker Sands, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, The Guardian

Late Thursday in Bird World

30 January 2025

Hello Everyone,

When we left Canada, it looked like this at the Montreal airport. There was heavy snow in the area that hit both Ottawa and Montreal. We wondered if we would take off. Thankfully, we did!

The learning curve upon arrival in Guadeloupe was high. I have to admit that my French is not that good! Renting a car might take only minutes in North America, but after a long day, it was a three-hour wait in 28-degree heat. Then, it was an arduous drive up and around the mountains to our cottage on the grounds of the Old Botanical Garden near Deschaines. The anxiety was worth it!

This is the view off the terrace of the cottage.

Complete with a dog that adopted the owners of the property – a Guadeloupe rescue. She is sweet. They even have cats!!!!!!! Who said we would be homesick?

It is Paradise. We are way up on the mountains in the rain forest and while it is 28 C, the breeze is vibrant, and we are not hot. Today was a wee trip into the small village to pick up a baguette and acquaint ourselves with what is available here. The nearest large supermarket is in Sainte-Rose. That is about 11 km away on a very winding road up and down and around the mountain. We opted to stay local. Tomorrow we will venture out to find one of the many restaurants that our host has recommended.

Now, skipping briefly to Bird World News:

The news has come that both E24 and E25 tested positive for HPAI. I do not know the strain but there is a new one in California, H5N9. I was also sent this information from my sidekick: “To the best of my knowledge… no one (bog’s) has reported seeing M15 today. F23 was recently seen at the pond, and looked okay.  I’ll let you know anything I can find out. Crow made an announcement at the nest tree, and the vet said we should possibly be concerned about the parents for up to two weeks.  They also said that HPAI is relatively new to the SWFL region.”

I found CROW’s press conference. It is here: https://youtu.be/BJelOrdk6P0?

Please send this amazing couple your best wishes. It is not easy seeing the two children you cared for so much die before you and you are helpless. I still remember Joe (Connie’s former mate at Captiva) mourning over the loss of Peace and Hope (rodenticide poisoning several years ago). It haunts me – that figure of him looking down as the last one, apparently healthy, broke a blood feather and bled to death.

Barb Henry posted a screen capture of F23 down at the pond.

Wings of Whimsy’s tribute to the SW Florida Eagle family and to E24 and E25. Get the tissues. https://youtu.be/YcEUG9mZJKI?

We have the first egg at Moorings Park Osprey nest for Harry and Sally.

Jackie and Shadow have surprised us with three eggs. My goodness if this is a year for a miracle at their nest, is this an extra one for luck? What if all three hatch? Shadow will be busy!!!!!!

Fishey eagle love at the nest before the third egg at Big Bear: https://youtu.be/tsKskF0ue-g?

All is well at the nest of Gabby and Beau. Beau loves being a Dad!!!!!! He has really picked up on feeding NE31. Gabby joins him in this video: https://youtu.be/_rpYDa8AW6w?

OGK’s son, RLK, got to meet his newly hatched chick at the Royal Albatross Colony in New Zealand.

NZ DOC image shared by Sharon Dunne on the FB group:

There are some wonderful events to celebrate. Please send all of the nests your most positive wishes for success. They have many, many challenges to over come – both the wee ones and the parents.

Thank you for being with us for this brief recap of what has been happening. There is lots more news out in Bird World. We will be back with you later on Saturday from what can only be called ‘Paradise’ – Guadeloupe. Take care everyone.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write this post today: ‘H, J, PB’, CROW, Barb Henry and the NEFL and EFL Eaglecam Watchers, Wings of Whimsy, Moorings Park, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne