Category Archives: Dale Hollow Eaglet Rescue

Pip for Big Red and Arthur?… DH18 fights infection…Wednesday in Bird World

3 May 2023

Good Morning to Everyone,

I hope that the week has started off well for each of you…that the old saying, ‘April showers brings May flowers’ has given you sunshine and some time to be outside appreciating the beauty around you.

I picked up the book Slow Birding again yesterday to try and locate the research materials on how many nests had been discovered to have chicks raised by a male, not the biological dad. That book, plus the two on the geese – that migrate from the Siberian Tundra and Iceland/Greenland to the UK – continue to press that we need to look at what is close at hand, what we might take for granted that is so beautiful, just outside our windows. In The Meaning of Geese, Nick Acheson says, “Wild geese were simply always there, the sound and spectacle of my winters…” Then he moved away to South America and got caught up in the beauty of the Amazonia, and “I was so enraptured by it all that geese slipped into the background of my mind.” Acheson returned to the UK and found a project. He would “follow Norfolk’s geese all winter, I would write about them, and the many people whose lives they touched.” The book is a diary of how the geese impacted Acheson’s life, but it is also a reminder that each of us, everyone reading my blog, is part of an annual renewal. It is spring, and the birds are building nests and raising chicks (depending on where you live), and the grass and trees are waking up. In summer, those chicks will strengthen their wings and fly away. The geese that arrived a month ago will depart in the fall, and the trees will go dormant…winter will come, and then the cycle will repeat itself. There is something so reassuring about the seasons coming and going no matter what happens in our human lives.

We do not have exotic geese where I live. Canada Geese are everywhere and because of that, I want them to be special. So this spring and summer, you are going to hear an awful lot about the geese where I live. Hold on! I want to learn everything I can about them and share it with you.

This goose has chosen not to make her nest in one of the baskets provided but, rather, on a small island in the pond. Is this safe? If we get a lot of rain, it will flood and the eggs will ruin.

This male was doing ‘his job’ – keeping anyone and everyone away from the nest he and his mate have established.

Today was a good day in the garden. A problem was solved…not the one I was trying to resolve but another I had set aside. Mr Crow is having a difficult time with the squirrels. So, a table feeder was set up, especially for him. He looked at it when he came for his cheesy dogs and thought differently. Then…around 1800, the Chickadees appeared, and they headed straight for the table feeder filling their beaks! Nine of them came to feed over a half hour – waiting for their turns in the lilacs (which is how I got to count them). Nine. The entire gang lives in the Blue Spruce tree across the road.

It is almost possible to set my watch on the arrival of the birds in the garden. If they do not appear, I wait and worry like a parent when their teenager has taken the car out for the evening for the first time. The joys they have brought over the years is boundless.

Every year the Grackles have a nest in the garden. Mr Crow took the chicks one year but another year, the Grackles had a fledge. The entire Grackle community came – I am sure I have told you this story before – to celebrate the fledge. Fingers crossed, we have success this year with chicks. Mr Grackle is on guard! Here he is getting some food during his break from sentry duty.

Dyson’s gang are getting pesky and right now they are loving chasing the birds from the lilac branches. Silly little ones.

So I have decided to keep a diary this year beginning this week, showing how the ordinary can be the most extraordinary. Why don’t you join me with observations from your walks, garden observations, trips to the nature centre or places more exotic? Let’s do it for a year. If you can draw – I can’t! – even better. Feel free to share with me what you have learned!

We are now only two days away from the banding at Cal Falcons! It will fly by in a wink!

DH18 is stable after his procedure on Monday. Stable is good. We wait to hear if his infection clears up. Waiting is hard.

Are you a teacher? a leader of a youth group? We need inspiring ways to get children involved in learning about our feathered friends in order to be the stewards of their future. These lucky children got to name the Manchester peregrine falcons!

CIEL has posted images of the nests with the eaglets on them for comparison.

That egg continued to bother Hartley. I wonder how long they have been thinking about it? Well, today, Hartley moved that egg from last year into her clutch of four eggs! SK Hideaways caught this precious gesture for us. The wonders of nature never cease to amaze us.

There is still concern for Angel and her eaglet. The situation remains precarious. Tom was on a branch being bombarded by Blue Jays and did not bring any prey to the nest on Tuesday. The eaglet ate leftovers from Monday Tuesday morning but as far as I know, had nothing the rest of the day. Tom was only there at 1415. He arrived and was off again. Angel left, presumably to have a break and try and find food.

This nest will need food tomorrow…for sure for the little one. 24 hours between meals is not good. Let us hope the weather is good. Angel cannot hunt and leave the chick as it cannot regulate its temperature. It is very tense. Let us all take a deep breath and send good wishes.

Oh, thank goodness. Tom brought a mouse! Angel fed most of it to the baby but ‘A’ notes there was a little left for Mum. More prey needed!

Ondabebe caught that mouse delivery and what happened….Thanks ‘A’.

So far no pip for Big Red and Arthur. The target date is 4 May.

Is there a bit of a crack or pip in one of the eggs Wednesday morning for Big Red and Arthur? We wait to see if that is it in the back egg to the right.

Tuesday was a good day at Achieva Credit Union’s Osprey platform in St Petersburg. Six fish!

Abby and Victor are still at the Moorings Park Osprey platform in Naples, Florida. Sally doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to have her babies fledge. She just keeps filling them up with fish!

The third hatch at Lake Murray is still with us! My goodness that osplet is tiny compared to those big sibs that are now getting their reptilian plumage. Let’s collectively hope that their tempers stay muted.

We are so fortunate to still have E22 at home. He was in and out of the nest, up and down on the branches, and sure hoping that Dad would bring in a whopper on Tuesday.

If there was anything left on that old catfish head, E22 would find it. He was ravenous. I wonder if M15 is hoping he will go down and try some fishing?

‘H’ reports that the WRDC nest is doing well. She says, “Dade County is wonderful, there is no longer any aggression from R4 toward R5 during meals, which is quite a relief.  A parents can actually feed the eaglets with them standing side-by-side.  On occasion R5 still has a pre-conditioned knee-jerk reaction to be submissive briefly, even though there is no threat from R4.  But R5 behaving like that is becoming less often as s/he is becoming more relaxed with the ‘new and improved R4’.  Speaking of feeding, R5 does not need to be fed at all, just drop a (preferably unzipped) fish on the nest and R5 will consume it.  The eaglets are becoming huge, and there is some dueling hop-flapping going on.  We are waiting for the results of testing to determine R5’s gender.”

The two GH owlets of Bonnie and Clyde are flying from branch to branch but still being fed by Mum at times. So cute…

Decorah eaglet is not a baby anymore! Clown feet and pin feathers coming in. What happened to that cute little fluffy eaglet of a couple days ago?

The three eaglets at Denton Homes in Decorah, Iowa are doing great as well.

The trio at Dulles-Greenway have their juvenile plumage and, at least one, is standing on the rim of the nest. Did you know that the parents, Martin and Rosa, are named after Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks? ‘A’ reminded me that she didn’t know the other day and I wonder how many others do. This is a good Bald Eagle nest to watch. Put it on your list for next season if you haven’t got it there already.

The two eaglets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Eagle nest are doing really well. Large fish have been brought to the nest for the past couple of days.

At the White-tailed Eagle nest in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland, there are two eaglets. The eldest is the most dominant and demands to eat first. when its crop is about to pop, the second cautiously makes its way up to the beak to be fed. Hopeful for both to fledge.

Murphy worked on the nest a few days ago. On Tuesday, the not-so-little-eaglet began rearranging the sticks. This is precisely why it is so good that Murphy got to have a ‘real baby’. (sorry the screen capture is terrible- the eaglet is in the nest raising up a large stick) Learning through observation.

A reminder of the absolute vandalism that happened at the Llyn Brenig nest in Wales in 2021. A good interview with Lolo Williams and a discussion about the importance of Ospreys – a rare bird in the UK. The perpetrators were never found but it could have been someone upset about the platforms in North Wales. — The pair did not return to lay another egg. there is now a protected nest at the site. Thanks, Geemeff, for this historic reminder of this tragedy.

At the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Elen, Aran waits for Elen to want her break so he can take over incubation. What I wouldn’t give if our dear Angel, the RTH, had a mate like Aran! There are two eggs this year for this newly bonded couple. Fingers crossed for good weather and lots of fish with no injuries.

I love the new split screen at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn. Here we can see Idris incubating while Telyn is enjoying her nice fish – at least for a few moments. It is, sadly, going to slide off and land on the ground where it will stay.

It was a close call the other day when Blue 33 got a stick stuck in his BTO leg band. He managed to get it out but no before we all had a huge lump in our throats with Maya incubating four eggs. It all ended well, thankfully.

It’s 0513 and Dorcha is waiting for Louis to come and relieve her and bring her a nice breakfast fish.

Connor from Window to Wildlife discusses what a crazy year it has been at Captiva. Have a listen! Thanks, ‘H’.

There have been a lot of events since the beginning of the year with many donations being requested by various rehabilitation centres. As one of you said, they felt a bit ‘bird poor’. It can indeed happen. I certainly know the feeling. My goodness, I have to sit back, and it is hard to imagine that Connick was one of the first who needed help this year, with DH18 being the last. Today, I will challenge everyone who belongs to an organisation associated with birds in the UK to give Sasha Dench and Conservation without Borders the cost of a coffee – through a Twitter Feed. Give up the coffee for one day. 810 GBP out of 1500 GBP has been raised to help clean up the HPAI outbreak in The Gambia. Going through the UN will take too long…in late August and September, the UK Ospreys will be heading back to The Gambia and other parts of West Africa to their winter homes. The dead and dying birds need to be cleared! Do people think 2 GBP is too little? I sure hope not! Wish us luck!

Geemeff just posted a thank you from the people of The Gambia doing the clean up.

Thank you for being with me today. Please continue to send your good wishes to DH18 who is fighting for its life and to Angel and her chick – that Tom will be an uber food delivery dad. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, ‘A’, Geemeff, Cal Falcons, AEF, Anne Pardo and the Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Jann Gallivan and CIEL, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Osprey, Lake Murray Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam, WRDC, Farmer Derek, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Dulles Greenaway, PIX Cams, Tucholskie Forest WTE, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, BBC, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, LRWT, and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s PostCode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Geemeff and Conservation without Borders.

Osprey eggs, DH18 update…Tuesday in Bird World

2 May 2023

Good Morning!

The sky is blue, and the sun is bright this Tuesday morning on the Canadian Prairies. By tea time it will be 15 degrees C. This should really bring on the budding of the leaves and hopefully, we will be seeing some green shortly. Everyone in the City is preparing for the arrival of the Baltimore Orioles – stocking up on grape jelly (they like any flavour, actually) and oranges to help them after their long journey. They fly what is known as an ‘ancestral route’ through the Central Plains of the US down to Florida, the Antilles, and then to their final destination in the marshes of Southern Brazil returning to us in May. It is a long journey, 8-11,000 km (5-6800 miles). They are meeting many challenges due to the changing patterns in agricultural production and irrigation, loss of habitat, and climate changes. These guests will be a welcome addition to the garden family. They stay for about 8 or 9 days and fly north to their breeding grounds for the summer.

Your first smile for the day is brought to you by the students of the Hurst Lodge School in Montana – we missed Osprey Week but we can still enjoy their performance!

Monday evening a moth has gotten into the house. This gobsmacks Missy and Lewis. Lewis got so tired of jumping up and down chasing it that he had to nap…all stretched out. Earlier in the day, Missy and Lewis had also been napping in their Big Dog Bed..always together except in the ‘cat tree’ house. There is no longer room for both of them inside!

First, the latest update on DH18. I am so saddened to hear that an infection has been found but, glad it was and is being treated. We wait to see how our warrior is doing in a couple of days. I know that none of us will give up on DH18. His young life was full of tragedy that none of us would want to go through – lost his dad, lost his sibling, was beaked and starving at times, and then trapped with monofilament line cutting through its legs and causing tremendous pain.

If you see wildlife whose lives are endangered by monofilament lines or baling twine, you must contact the proper authorities immediately. Do not hesitate. We will never know why those watching at DH denied that the fishing line injured the eaglets. All we know is that through dedicated hard work and the efforts of hundreds of people, these two eaglets have a chance – one on the nest with River and the other with the AEF. We hope that DH18 will be released and live in the wild…along with its sibling DH17.

We all know the captivating story of Murphy and the Eaglet. ‘B’ sent me an article out of The New York Times today and it is a good one about Murphy. It isn’t long and I urge you to read it til the end. I can gift articles so please copy and paste the link. The author says, “We fail to understand the creatures who share our ecosystems because we assume they are nothing but bundles of instincts.” I wish more humans understood that all living things are sentient beings. The world would be very different, indeed.

tps://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/opinion/murphy-eagle-rock-baby.html?unlocked_article_code=C0NC7KXrItFJ3nP31LqrjicRndEnDVp9sfIua3biiLRQ155Rauw3gBdy1rU7V-QZkhEcamsCx3ZwdP6fAzngaXNAqQcdoRgVQw-hS306a1NHlys2x1G0uDsqatuHWANg2d4qxWknvedOg8DX3sE26d1_z4FvKEZr2pxrFPwmlvhMk9AEauVyVVxlwUBIH4zXJTmn93T3r-STgABY8WCnRb2PlXZi1HWWiEqepcHNNR-Jjijq12d4eMXSHMbEo1vMGm7KlarRk39uWdanOOPk8bcrtI2GB4P1YeIUZBl97r29_4hKZ-brILDoG4nxglajP7u9fvF8UdCyoR0_8KkIeQ&giftCopy=0_NoCopy&smid=em-share

Thanks to those great BOGs we still get to see what E22 is up to around the Fort Myers Bald Eagle nest on the Pritchett Property. The departure of E22 will be so bittersweet.

Bella and Smitty’s only eaglet is doing fine. Smitty brought in four big fish for them on Monday.

‘H’ reports that Kent Island has its first Osprey egg of the season!

‘H’ also reports that Dory up at the Boathouse might be sitting on her first egg. This is exciting! And there is that egg.

Over in the UK, the third egg has arrived at Loch Garten.

Aran continues to deliver his huge fish to Elen at Glaslyn. Oh, you are so handsome, Aran – but, what is important is that you can catch big fish!

Sasha Dench and her team from Flight of the Osprey have been in The Gambia and are driving through Morocco trying to find Blue 4K. He was located earlier and should now be in the UK breeding but where is he?

‘A’ remarks about Tom and the new baby…”Tom returns to the nest around 2.06 pm this afternoon (1 May) – check out the darling little baby from 2:04:12 onwards. Again, Angel is forced to leave the baby on its own. Tom later brought a small opossum to the nest and Angel made it very clear to him that he was not to touch the baby at this point, just bring it food! So Tom has done well today. He has managed not to kill or injure the hawklet and he has brought food. Now that’s what I call progress”. Let us all hope that this progress continues.

‘A’ continues: “Based on his actions this afternoon, I think Tom has got the message. He is delivering prey, and he has watched Angel feeding the baby. I think he is learning fast. And yes, it is a precious darling little thing (and so was its sibling). Angel is being super protective of her baby. When Tom brings the second opossum, she vocalises constantly until he leaves the nest. She remains firmly on top of the chick. She is teaching him. Gee that second opossum is huge. No wonder it provided four feedings and still there are nestovers. “

Excellent news. I am so glad there is food and that Angel is being super protective Mum although the possum family might not be happy about losing its babies. This single surviving hawk let deserves the best of care by Mum and Tom needs to keep that pantry filled – to try and ensure this one survives regardless of its DNA.

There were several fish brought to the nest at the Achieva Credit Union today. The one around 1800, which Diane brought in, was a blessing. Big Bob self-fed off another fish while Diane fed Middle. Oh, this is grand! Today was a good day on the Achieva Nest. With the drought, we can be grateful.

Harry is such a great provider and he also has the advantage of a stocked pond at his doorstep – compared to Achieva. Abby and Victor have been well cared for…is it possible they might never ever want to leave home?! It seriously feels that they are always eating fish! That pond is going to need a good restocking.

Talk about beautiful osplets. I wish the plumage would stay the same when they are adults.

Remember Friday, 5 May. The banding of the Cal Falcons. They are so cute and are getting pin feathers…flapping cotton balls. Thanks SK Hideaways.

At San Jose City Hall, Hartley found the leftover egg from last season and thinks maybe it should be incubated too – in addition to the four he is already incubating! Our giggle of the day. Thanks, Hartley and SK Hideaways.

Missy Berry flew to the nest with a fish for B16. She wasn’t there…they must have found one another because B16 returned to the nest with the fish. Well done! Lots of training going on out there for these fledgling Bald Eagles. Thanks Bel-A-Dona.

The DNA testing has returned for Ron and Rita’s eaglets at the WRDC. R4 is a male and the testing was inconclusive on R5 and will be re-done. Thanks, ‘H’.

Did anyone else notice Big Red looking down, listening, and moving slightly differently at 1838 Monday evening? Pip watch is coming!

Big Red got up and left the eggs around 2000. No pip yet.

This morning at the change over…I am getting excited.

And a bit of a giggle – Big Red getting that egg cup just right.

In Latvia, the two White-tail Eaglets of Milda and Voldis continue to thrive. Wonderful!

‘L’ sent me a photo of the Canada Goose family that lives hear her in the Carolinas. Look how protective they are. Geese are amazing parents. Thank you, L.

The two books I am currently reading are about geese, particularly Pink-footed Geese, Barnacle Geese, Greylags, Brants, and Bean Geese. They are The Meaning of Geese. A thousand miles in search of Home by Nick Acheson and Wintering. A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt. I must admit that I find Wintering quite a delight to read. Rutt’s writing style sucks you into his burgeoning love for these large flying creatures. It is his discovery and fascination that keeps you turning the pages. Acheson’s book is excellent, too. It is a diary of his year spent with the geese weaving in their history, the science, the challenges of climate change for our feathered friends. Both, however, deal with the migration from the Siberian Tundra or Iceland and Greenland of these beautiful creatures who land in Scotland or Norfolk beginning in September to spend their winters in the UK. Highly recommended.

“grey lag and pink footed geese” by Nick Goodrum Photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, pictures, videos, posts, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog this morning: ‘B’, ‘L’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘S’, Geemeff, Hurst Lodge School, AEF, The New York Times, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NCTC, Explore.org, RSPB Loch Garten, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Conservation without Borders, Geemeff and Conservation without Borders, Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Bel-A-Dona and Berry College Eagle Cam, WRDC, Cornell RTH, Latvian Fund for Nature, and Openverse.

Monday in Bird World

1 May 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was a beautiful day on the Canadian Prairies albeit quite windy. It was quiet in the garden this morning but the action picked up as 1700 approached. Thank goodness. I simply cannot imagine a world without birdsong. I wouldn’t want to live in it!

It has also been a very stressful weekend because of the events at the nest of Angel and Tom in Tennessee. Angel is the Leucistic Red Tail Hawk with a new mate, a young male, Tom. The first chick that hatched was unattended by Angel and Tom mistook it for something on the nest and killed it. That is the only explanation I can find, and then, of course, he realised what he had done. He has now been missing for some 36 hours. I believe that the sheer magnitude of what he did is keeping him from the nest, but that does not help Angel, who now has their second hatch to raise. That is nearly impossible. We are also waiting for news of DH18; since there was no update on Sunday, we can assume that DH18 is stable in its subsequent surgery today. This gives me hope. Thank you to everyone who donated to the AEF to help with DH18’s medical treatment. The sheer volume of funds is an excellent indication of the public support for intervention. We need to care and show it sometimes with our wallets or actions – your phone calls, e-mails and screams for someone to help these two eaglets.

We are awaiting word on the condition of DH18. He will have additional surgery today but, it appears that his condition remained stable over the weekend as there were no further communiques from the AEF.

Looking to do some good in the world? Where you donation fully supports the operation? Then look no further than helping the folks in West African clean up the birds that are dying of HPAI. If you go to the crowd funding site and cannot find this project, please go to Sacha Dench’s Twitter feed, find this and click on the image. Anything helps…5 GBP or 24 GBP for a boat to help move the cleaners and the dead birds.

Sasha Dench tells us why it is vital that we chip in now…I can add another one. Even though HPAI is around lurking and can rear its ugly head, this outbreak in West Africa needs to be curtailed well before the Ospreys and other birds return in September. That seems like a long time away. It isn’t. This affects everyone. It is not just Gambia’s problem.

‘A’ writes: “We have a hatch at 1:22:43pm. There’s a good view of the chick at 3:15:59.. Still no sign of Tom. He has not been seen since 3.24 yesterday afternoon. Will he return? Or did Angel’s anger with him when he killed the chick so extreme that he is scared to return? We wait.” This is extremely unfortunate and it may mean the demise of this relationship and nest as Angel cannot take care of herself and protect and feed the little one…well, that is what we would think. We wait as ‘A’ suggests but it is not looking good. The baby cannot thermoregulate and unless it is really warm in Tennessee, which it could be, leaving it would be problematic. ‘A’ notes that it is very out of character for Tom who was there to incubate within a few seconds of when Angel needed a break. So what is going on? Does he feel so guilty about the death of the other baby? In his grief for his actions he chose to leave? or did something happen to him? Let us hope he returns.

Typically, RTH nests are easy to watch but, sadly, this is simply making me ‘ill’.

Lady Hawk captured the hatch on video for us.

By night fall, Tom has not appeared. Angel was said to have dropped her crop. She will be hungry. The little one will need to eat Monday morning.

On Monday morning Angel went to find food, Tom returned and saw the chick. Then Angel appeared quickly..so far. Tom seems not to know what the chick is. Will he realise when Angel feeds the baby? We wait.

Arlene Beech caught Tom’s first sight of the second chick when Angel was away. Tom needs to delivery prey to this nest. Angel is brooding the little one and it does not appear injured by the encounter with Tom.

Arthur was young, like Tom, at the Cornell nest of Big Red when he fathered their first clutch but, that went smoothly as have all the other clutches in subsequent years.

Heavy rain began on Sunday at the Cornell Campus. Big Red was soaked.

The rain got heavier. We should be keeping a close eye on this nest.

SK Hideaways gives us some great close ups of Big Red and Arthur as we are now on pip watch.

So far there does not appear to have been a fledge at Moorings Park. It was windy on Sunday and I thought there might be some good hovering but there was some wing flapping.

Cute little Decorah hatchery eagle has quite the crop.

We worried at times but the trio at Dulles-Greenway are getting the final bits of their juvenile plumage. They are doing some self-feeding. Martin and Rosa did great.

The two at Pittsburgh-Hayes are fine also. They are a little soggy this morning.

USS6 is wet too!

We haven’t checked in on them for some time but the two eaglets at Duke Farms are now standing on the rim of the nest and at least one, if not both, are up around the base of the branches.

‘R’ reports that Bob 2 at Achieva ate fine earlier in the day but only had a few bites later and then got a good throttling from Bob 1 just because she felt like it. Both have been pecking around the nest for food and both are getting more steady on their feet even on that twiggy nest. Bob 2 or Middle had a ps at 18:10. Not a great one but alright. — ‘R’ reports that despite all of the attacks on Middle, Diane did get a reasonably good feed into Middle later. ‘R’ also confirms that there is a significant drought going on in the St Petersburgh area and there is fear for wild fires there. I had heard that the canals where the ospreys fish are drying up and this would be a major contribution to the lack of fish on this nest this year. Hopefully Diane’s place for catfish is alright.

Jack has delivered two fish in a row Monday morning – at 0855 and at 1013. Bob 1 controlled the food. Middle needs to figure out how to get around to the other side and eat but it is very frightened from the beatings it took yesterday.

SP chick at Taiaroa Head had two feedings. One was by Mum L who had been away for a fortnight. This is fantastic.

This is the latest update on Connie and Clive’s little eaglet, Connick, that fell out of the tree on Captiva Island. Connick is in really good hands down at the Audubon Centre for Prey.

It is hard to imagine but World Bird Sanctuary is showing us Murphy’s baby then and now. Way to go Murphy! Again, thank you to everyone who reached out to help World Bird Sanctuary.

B16 with his parents, Pa and Missy Berry. What a gorgeous juvenile she is! Always so grateful to all the BOGS on the ground for their images and videos…the things we miss that never make it on the streaming cams.

The two surviving eaglets from the Bartlesville, Oklahoma Eagle nest are doing great. They are about 28 days old today.

Keeping an eye on Lake Murray…

Kathryn has introduced me to a new nest – a pair of challenged Griffon Vultures who get to act as foster parents every year! She adds, “Both of these vultures were born with rickets and they have their own accessible nesting box. They do lay their own eggs but they have so far been infertile. They do a great job of raising chicks though. They are locally endangered there and they have two additional cameras on their feeding stations (where a lot of vultures go) so they can have food that is free of any poisoning.” I wonder how many others are fostering little ones. How grand!

They feed the chicks by regurgitation just like the Albatross.

As we prepare for big Bird Day on May 13th, there are other bird counts going on around the world. Here is a chart by The Bird Nature guide showing how bird sightings are going around the world.

There is a big celebration going on in Finland this year and other areas might want to copy what they are doing. It is BirdLife Finland’s 50th anniversary. Reports indicate “that almost half of Finlands needing species are nationally Red Listed, with significant declines occurring across nearly all of the country’s habitats, owing to various threats, including intensification of agriculture and forestry, eutrophication of its wetlands and peatland drainage.” (BirdLife International April-June 2023, 58) In order to help half this, Birdlife Finland set about to install a passion and connection amongst the people. They had birdwatching trips, bird ringing days, and grew their membership to 27,000 members. One of the most interesting things, however, began in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence. The government encouraged people to celebrate the year by recording 100 birds. Today, thousands of people take part in this traditional exercise noting that it has caused “growing public support for habitat protection in recent years”. We should all try this!

There is a man going to prison for killing a Bald Eagle. His sentence is two years.

Perhaps the UK Raptor Persecution groups should cite this when individuals who have killed many more raptors get off with a slap on the wrist! Just a thought.

One of the most exciting things this week is the hatch of Big Red and Arthur’s three eggs. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to this annual event. My goodness, we sure do need some joy in Bird World – and I hope it comes in the form of three healthy hatches and the news from the AEF that DH18 is going to make a full recovery! Mark on your calendars the 5th of May. That is the banding day for the Cal Falcons! We will find out their gender, there will be some name contests, and we will see the kids with their bling. Loretta is watching Charlo Montana for us for eggs. that might happen as well. Then there must be a fledge coming up at Moorings Park this week. So lots of exciting things coming our way. Send your positive wishes to Angel that her mate Tom returns to help her and please spread the word about Sasha Dench’s appeal for funds to help fight HPAI in the Gambia (watch her short video and educate yourself).

Thank you for being with me. I hope to have some images of the kittens this week. It is nearly 2300 Sunday evening and they are “just waking up”. Nocturnal. Eat and sleep all day! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, posts, videos, and streaming cams that help to make up my blog this morning: ‘A’, Kathryn, ‘R’, AEF, Sasha Dench, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, SK Hideaways and Cornell RTH, Moorings Park Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project, Dulles-Greenway, PIX Cams, Achieva Credit Union, NZ DOC, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, World Bird Sanctuary, Bill Cameron and B3 Branch Buddies Berry College Eagles, Sutton Centre, Lake Murray Ospreys, The British Nature Guide, Live Griffon, and Terry Carman.

DH18 is stable, E21 farewell?…Sunday in Bird World

30 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It was an overcast Saturday on the Canadian Prairies with a few raindrops. Everyone is itching to get out and clean up their gardens, but it is best to wait another couple of weeks to benefit the insects and birds. Instead, the conservatory got its windows cleaned to the delight of Missy and Lewis who seemed to think they could vaporise through the panes of glass and be outside with the birds!

Missy gets the award for being naughty. Oh, if she only knew how much trouble my friend in British Columbia went to sending me her dried hydrangeas! In the post no doubt. Missy!!!!!!!!!

There are still thirty-five or forty Dark-eyed Juncos in the garden and now a couple of Brown Thrashers kicking up everything looking for insects. The Starlings have been in, 23 of them, and out throughout the day, but there is a noticeable decrease in the number of House Sparrows. I hope that they are feeding elsewhere. Mr Woodpecker came around his usual time and if everything is alright with the world, the other two Downeys along with the Chickadee will appear within the hour. Ah, no sooner than I said it, the Chickadee appeared. Then the Downys and along came a Hairy who arrived with a single Grackle.

One of a handful of House Sparrows in the garden. They are so loud. I miss their songs.

I could almost set a watch by the woodpeckers. They come to eat suet every six hours during the day. Today, there were five different woodpeckers in the garden. I could hear a sixth, the Pileated, in the distance.

The female Downy waits at the tree til the male is finished before going to the suet log. If he returns, she flies away immediately.

The second male arrives when the female leaves. This male is a Hairy Woodpecker, larger than the Downy. You can see how much of the log its body covers compared to the little Downys.

The Starlings are gorgeous. These are full breeding colours. Notice how the white spots on the breast are almost entirely gone.

Dyson is enjoying the fresh water in the bird bath. Water is so essential and the birds and mammals eat the snow during the winter but there is nothing like a big drink!

It is really important that we take are of our environment beginning right at home and then moving out into the greater community. This article on these Blackbird chicks states, “To have been born at all in this place at this time when so many millions of birds perish through casual ecocide is miraculous. Environmental justice is not just about the survival of species, it’s about care for these birds, right here and now, and to see them is such a privilege.”

Here is this short article. I imagine each of you could watch and write your own story! The joy the birds bring cannot be denied. So many of you write and tell me that you have found new life in the lives of the birds, both on the streaming cams, and outside in your garden and at the parks. Many of us find being with the birds often more productive and calmer than being with humans!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/29/country-diary-the-blackbird-chicks-are-out-and-up-against-it?CMP=share_btn_link

On Saturday, at 1319, E21 took flight and left the nest area and has not returned. It is ‘assumed’ that s/he has started on their life of independence. E22 spent the first night alone in the nest with a major thunderstorm raging. Vija caught it for us.

Earlier, E22 had spent time down at the pond – gosh, this eaglet loves that pond and chasing dad with a fish dinner. Thanks, Lady Hawk.

We have seen a similar photo before of Ervie and Mum and Dad on the pine tree at Port Lincoln. This one was taken on Sunday. I find it so interesting how they hang out together. We know, for sure, that two of the PLO fledglings have survived – Calypso (2019) and Ervie (2021). Both have stayed reasonably close to Port Lincoln instead of venturing out at a distance.

There is a pip at the nest of Angel and Tom and let us all send the best wishes that the second baby thrives. The trauma of Tom not recognising his own chick and killing it must have been horrific for both him, when he realised, and Angel.

Status of the pip at 1924. You can see the egg tooth. Oh, please…let this little one survive.

Otherwise, it is quiet in Bird world, which is nice…we sure could use some down time. This year started off in a whirlwind and has not stopped. It was crisis-central. It would be nice if there was a 30 day lull between the eagles and the ospreys…but, no. Never.

Good news. The AEF issued their statement on DH18’s condition on Saturday. It is beautiful to hear that the AEF are both “grateful and overwhelmed” with public support for the medical care for our little warrior. Send positive wishes for his surgery on Monday. He is a fighter and a survivor!

So how did Nick Dwyer climb that tree to rescue the Dale Hollow eaglets? Gosh, smile…with an incredibly simple tool – a sling shot!

Freya wasn’t a raptor (she could have easily been) but a furore over officials who euthanised the Walrus in Oslo last summer resulted in a bronze statue to her memory – and, just perhaps, a reminder that humans should reconsider their actions.

In my past, I studied the commemoration of Britons in SE Asia and, in particular, the Indian sub-continent. Statues go up and they come down mostly due to the political nature of the human memorialised. Let us hope that the presence of Freya will remind us to be ‘human and caring’ to all wildlife even if they ‘inconvenience’ us. We did take over their land and poison their oceans, after all. We owe it to them.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/29/sculpture-walrus-freya-unveiled-oslo-norway?CMP=share_btn_lin

All is well with the two hatches at First Utility Ospreys.

Ever since Middle forged its way to Diane’s beak and made it clear that it was going to eat and survive, the Achieva Osprey nest seems to be much more balanced.

Beautiful Decorah Hatchery family.

DH Mum and Dad spent some time on Saturday putting up some more crib rails for DH2. That little one is getting big and they do not want their precious baby to go overboard. Michelle Celeste caught the action on video for us.

On the Cornell Campus, Big Red and Arthur continue to incubate their eggs on Saturday.

At the same time, E3, the fledgling of Big Red and her former mate, Ezra, is celebrating its 9th hatch day! Just look at that face.

Geemeff catches Louis delivering a nice fish supper to Dorcha at Loch Arkaig.

A nest to watch is Moorings Park Ospreys. Abby and Victor are 8 weeks old and helicoptering and first flights are imminent. Florida Ospreys typically fledge at 55 days.

Abby is on the right and Victor on the left – Victor’s head has much more white on it.

It has been a great year at the Moorings Park Osprey Platform and I urge you to put this nest on your watch list for next year but, if you haven’t checked in this year, now is a good time to do so. Helicoptering by pre-fledge ospreys is incredible. Perhaps not as good as the Royal Albatross chick will do but, still, it is remarkable. I sure can’t hover! Gosh, don’t we all wish we could grow feathers and fly, just once?

The trio at Dulles-Greenway were a little soggy early Saturday but the day ended with some sunshine and all eating well.

‘S’ wrote and asked why we see two of the eaglets at Dulles-Greenway together almost all the time with the other one separate. It is believed that this is a gender separation issue – the two together are the same gender with the other one alone, the opposite. Oh, if they were to band them we could find out for sure in this case!

On 5 May, Annie and Lou’s eyases will be banded. They will be measured, weighed, and DNA will also be taken. Today, you can see that the plumage on the two older chicks (look around the eyes) is beginning to change.

This video is too funny…Thanks SK Hideaways…Lou eats but what about the chicks?

Beautiful Iris.

There are three little osplets at Lake Murray. Take a deep breath and hope that Ricky gets lots of fish to this nest. That third hatch is so tiny.

Aran and Elen are expecting their third egg at the Glaslyn nest today -if there is to be one. Aran stayed with Elen in the nest during one of Wale’s downpours. It rains in Wales – or so it seems – like it does in Ireland – and everything is continually green and lovely from the nest.

There could be only two eggs this year. That would be just fine..a nice way to ease into motherhood for Elen.

Glaslyn posted this reminder. It was on the 30th of April 2015 that a very handsome young male osprey landed on Mrs G’s nest. Here we are 8 years later…you were a keeper, Aran.

Dad GLY has been in to feed South Plateau chick at the Royal Cam nest on Taiaroa Head on Saturday. The little one was weighed this past Thursday and their weight was fantastic despite the fact that Mum L has not been in for a feeding for nearly a fortnight now. Send good wishes. We hope she is alright.

Lots of eyes on the nest of Big Red and Arthur as pip watch is fast approaching! Indeed, some are counting on a hatch for tomorrow…we will see.

In Latvia, Milda and Voldis have their hands full with the roaming little white-tail nestlings. Liznm gives a glimpse into their lives through a feeding.

In The Czech Republic, Betty and Bukacheck continue to incubate their five White Stork eggs.

And last but never least, my daughter sends us an article on the Peregrine Falcons at the University of Montreal! And the people who protect them. Thank you!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/peregrine-falcons-universite-de-montreal-livestream-1.6825643

We are awaiting the hatch for Angel and Tom, fledge at Moorings Park and more eggs at other nests.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning – it is sunny with a blue sky today. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Geemeff, Jaine, The Guardian, Vija and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk and SWFlorida Eagle Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Bass Hockaday and Friends of Sth Bus, Cornell Bird Lab, AEF, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams, First Utility Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, Raptor Resource and Explore.org, Cornell Raptor Program, Suzanne Arnold Horning and Cornell Hawk Dam Chatters, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles Greenway Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Montana Osprey Project, Laurie Spence and Osprey Friends, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, NZ DOC, LixnM, Ziva Camera, and CBC.

DH18s rescue continued, Bonus is alive, Horror at Angel’s nest…Saturday in Bird World

29 April 2023

Good Morning All,

It is Saturday. The weekend started for many yesterday afternoon…and for some of us, it is always the weekend! I hope whichever is the case for you, it is all good.

It is almost the end of April. The calendar might say spring began 5 weeks ago, but here on the Canadian Prairies, it does not always feel that way. Today it did, even with some grey skies until late. In the garden, a younger crow has just flown down to check out the cat kibble at my neighbour’s because ‘Calico Cat’ is outside eating the kibble on my deck. It is always a busy time in the garden from 1800-1900. Everyone wants to eat something before they go to roost for the night. Mr Younger Crow must be hungry. He is now below the feeders picking up some of the Butter Bark that the Starlings tossed out of the feeder when they were picking out the Meal Worms. It is not easy for urban birds. As he settles to eat, another fat (literally) cat with a collar darts out…it is pretty sad. The time that the birds need to be eating is also the time that humans get home from work and let their cats out. It is against the law. But no one will enforce the bylaw. There are not enough workers to do that, and it has never seemed there was a will. The goal when the bylaw was passed was to reduce the feral cat populations in the City.

But, never mind. Everyone got something tonight to eat, and that is what matters. Soon I will not be able to see them so quickly as the buds are getting ready to pop open. Green. Seriously, it is time for the green in the garden.

Read to the end of the blog today for some info on a new video of DH18’s rescue.

Your first smile of the morning comes from the Two Harbours nest of Chase and Cholyn…poor baby has such a big crop it can hardly move!

Our giggle of the morning is a short 3-minute video from the Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam. Have a smile to start your day!

And then there is the sheer joy of the morning. Bonus is a Black Stork. He was one of the Estonian nestlings of Jan and Jannika that were removed to be raised by Urmas and Dr Madis when Jan went missing. Bonus was fostered by Karl II and Kaia. In his migration, Bonus’s transmitter stopped working in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Yesterday, that transmitter started sending signals again. Bonus is alive! Bonus is flying north and is at the Israeli-Jordanian border. He must have spent the winter in Sudan with Waba! Now. Jump up and down. And realise that transmitters can go ‘off’ – I am thinking of some UK Ospreys, including Glen. If the administrators turn the transmitter completely off, you will never know if they are alive in seven months. Just a thought. Thank you, ‘T’ for letting me know. Over the moon!

The latest news on DH18- I am so glad to hear he is eating well and is bright and alert. Hopeful. Continue to imagine a new buffet for him full of succulent morsels carefully prepared.

Many of you will not have seen this quick action by Bella at the NCTC nest in 2021. I am so glad that Deb Stecyk posted it again. Fishing line as we are well aware is a huge hazard to the well-being and lives of our raptors. As humans we need to do better in cleaning up the messes we leave and also those that others make. Good bi-annual clean-ups of shorelines – rivers, lakes, streams, small ponds, all help. Sadly, one of the biggest dangers is the fish that break the line, hook in their mouth, and go on to be caught by the eagles and ospreys. These are brought to the nest to feed the chicks only to have the line bet in the chick’s mouths and tangled amidst nesting material, legs, wings, and necks. This is what happened to DH17 and 18.

There is something else that should be done. A blanket permit to the licensed wildlife rehabilitation centres allows them to approach a nest that has a monofilament line on it that is or could endanger the life of the eaglets. It is a no-brainer. Not randomly, but to the centres that can organise the rescue. This would save many lives and a lot of injury or death to the raptors. This should be our next effort – in honour of Dale Hollow 18 whose life could be seriously compromised because of the delay. Letters would go out to the USFWS as well as the licensing agent in each State.

Flo comes to the platform to mourn the loss of her babies.

‘A’ sends news of a hatch underway Friday morning at the nest of RTHawks Angel and Tom!

Angel and Tom have a hatch! Thanks, Gracie Shepherd. Notice how Angel preens the little one. so sweet.

It should have been wonderful…it wasn’t. *DISTRESSING* ‘A’ writes, “I cannot believe what has just happened at Angel’s nest. Tom arrived for morning duty at around 07:42 and saw his chick for the first time. It is an absolute darling – fluffy white little sweetheart, yawning and looking up at dad. He looks startled and spreads his wings as if he is mantling. He has his back to us, but we hear the chick’s distress sounds. Angel lands on a branch behind the nest at 07:44:48, at which point she can see what is happening in the nest. Tom leaves a few seconds later, at which point we see that the chick is dead. Tom has killed it. Angel is very distressed. She has already vocalised her displeasure at him as he left the nest and she is now very uncertain. She tries to allopreen her baby. She is vocalising constantly. She broods the second egg, her dead baby in front of her on the nest. She leaves the nest around 08:07:14. Tom returns at 08:07:47 and looks down at the nest. Angel can be heard in the background, still angrily vocalising at Tom, who looks up, then back down at the dead baby. He may be realising what he has done. He is obviously confused. He is touching the baby with his beak. I cannot keep typing right now. This is the saddest and most unexpected thing I have seen.”

‘H’ sends news of the third egg at the Osprey platform of Duke and Daisy at Barneyghat Light in New Jersey.

Both Es on the branches of the nest tree at Fort Myers on a grey Friday morning.

There are lots of osprey intruders flying about in the UK at the moment. They do not have nests or mates yet. Some of these turn out to be very interesting ospreys. In this case, it was a grand chick of Mrs G at Glaslyn.

You can see the moss in the nest above at Aran and Elen’s nest at Glaslyn. You will also see it in other nests. Here is a statement on what the Ospreys are doing as they incubate eggs and prepare for hatch.

The little eyases at Cal Falcons are two weeks old. They will be banded on 5 May. Mark that in your calendars. Thanks Cal Falcons for showing us how much they have grown in two weeks with all those prey deliveries! Great job Annie and Lou.

The first venture out of the scrape was to be about a week away but one of those pesky little ones decided to tumble out. SK Hideaways caught it for us.

A question came in the e-mail from ‘N’ who wonders how the little falcons in Rome who lost their mother, Vergine, are doing. Here is a link to the camera. The chicks appear to be fine. Alex is feeding them and doing the best he can.

https://www.youtube.com/live/wIin45_sXz4?feature=share

Sunnie Day reminds us that in some areas, the twine used to hold hay or straw bales together is as dangerous to the raptors as is the fishing line. They have sure pulled a lot out of Montana nests with some chicks dead in unmonitored nests. So sad.

I am so glad that Murphy and his eaglet are still making news. It is a good feeling story. Murphy may never feel the urge to incubate a rock again but, he was noticed and thoughtful individuals gave him and the eaglet needing a parent a chance. It worked. Joy all around.

We have a first egg today for Karl II and Kaia at the Black Stork Nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia.

Condor chat by the Ventana Wildlife Society for April! Avian Flu Update. Rebuild. Population Status. Nesting. Reducing lead poisoning in Condors.

Everything is alright with the little eaglet at Decorah Hatchery.

There is more news coming out of the Raptor Resource Project and the six goslings that jumped. They have reviewed the footage and discovered what happened to the sixth baby.

Wow! ‘R’ sent me some exciting time lines for the Achieva Osprey platform. Middle Bob is doing really great thwarting Big Bob from both attacking it and getting to the fish. Fantastic. What a change in behaviour!

Speaking of Achieva. I do not know why that chat attracts people who not only supply disinformation but also like to be extremely hostile and have no knowledge of Osprey’s behaviour. Call them out if you know they are wrong! Block them. Whatever it takes.

As you are aware, the Kakapo are one of the world’s most endangered Species. The New Zealand Government and the Kakapo Recovery have done everything they can to increase the numbers and protect and assist the Kakapo if sick or injured. A single stoat made its way on to one of the uninhabited islands where the Kakapo live. It could have killed every non-flying parrot. Luckily that Stoat was found!

What is a stoat? The stoat is a small predator with a long, low-slung body that makes it particularly well-suited to hunting small rodents and rabbits. I think they look like weasels. Stoats can quickly kill an adult rabbit, which is much larger than itself, with a bite to the base of the skull. 

It is that time of year. Everyone is finding bunnies and baby birds and worrying what to do about them. Sassa Bird posted a reminder for us from Audubon. You might not find yourself in this situation but, guess what? A friend or family member might so have a read so you can help if required.

It is also time for a few other information sheets. Spread the word. People want to do the right thing. Do not feed the ducks and geese bread. They love the stuff. It is sugary and salty and it will stop them from eating the plants that are good for them. In addition, it could also cause deformities such as Angel Wing – we saw this at my local park pond last year – and the ducks had to be euthanised.

Many of you are wanting to help the birds with materials for their nests. It is important not to put out anything that could harm them. This includes dryer lint if you have used detergents with fragrance or any softener or dryer sheets. Dryer lint also contains microfibres. Do not put out pet hair if your pet has had any treatment for fleas and ticks like Revolution. It kills birds! Do not put out human hair as it can cut the legs of the birds just like monofilament line. String and yarn if the pieces are too long can be deadly.

So what can you offer to the birds? Here is the information from the David Suzuki Foundation. Please pass it along to others!

How-to-offer-birds-nesting-material-David-Suzuki-FoundationDownload

Get the tissues out. On the AEF Twitter page, there is a new video of the rescue of DH18 – from an entirely different view. The boat to go to the site, the climb, and our dear DH18 getting care at the bottom of the tree. Go over and have a look. Grab the tissue..and then look at how big DH18 was.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Continue to send your best wishes to DH18 who is healing from its surgery and who will have more surgery in the coming days. We continue to be grateful to everyone who rescued this eaglet in need. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘R’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘S’, IWS and Explore.org, Dulles-Greenway, Birdmap.it and Looduskalender, AEF, Deb Stecyk and NCTC, HeidiMc and Window to Wildlife, Cornell Angel Hawk Cam, Conserve Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Birdcam.It, Sunnie Day, CBS Sunday Morning, Eagle Club of Estonia, Ventana Wildlife, Raptor Resource Project, Achieva Credit Union, Kakapo /recovery, Audubon, David Suzuki, and the AEF.

DH18 in guarded condition…Friday in Bird World

28 April 2023

Oh, good morning to everyone! Have you been checking Twitter or FB for a recent update on DH18? So have I! I want to imagine the little fellow recovering from surgery in a lovely soft nest where he is warm with a vast crop, having filled up on a gourmet quail dinner. You deserve it, 18!

News has come that DH18 is in ‘guarded’ condition. Please send all your positive wishes to this little warrior. I am not a violent person, but this whole situation has me imagining a human with a fishing line wrapped so tight around their ankles that it cuts the skin to the bones for a week. How would they feel if people said they couldn’t be helped?

While you look at the image of DH17 standing on the rails today, please smile. Look at that sweet face and those legs now free of monofilament line and looking forward to a beautiful future in the wild. I keep saying thank you to each of you because that rescue yesterday was only possible because you cared because you believed that intervention was necessary and were willing to work to make that happen. So look in those beautiful eyes and remember never to give up, to keep trying.

There is some great news coming out of Achieva. ‘R’ writes, “At Achieva, Mum brought in a fish and 2 positioned himself at the rail so 1 could not get to him.  I thought she was going to knock Mum and 2 off the nest, but her attempts were futile!  Mum fed the whole fish to 2!  After awhile, 1 just backed off and watched.  I couldn’t believe 2 actually had a crop.  Then…..just before your email, Dad brought in a fish which Mum fed to 1.  After most of it was finished 1 tried to self feed and 2 walked over, grabbed the fish from 1 and finished it whole.  Looks like his survival skills are improving. There is hope!”

If you are interested, the t-shirt fundraiser for this year at Cal Falcons is open for four more days.

As we all know, the falcons grow up so fast and are gone so quickly into the wild. Here is a condensed day in the life of these lovely eyases of Lou and Annie captured by SK Hideaways.

Oh, this one is cute…close ups of these darling chicks.

Have you been wondering how the PA County Farm Eagles are doing? Have a look! All three are really growing their juvenile feathers. Bravo!

‘H’ reports that banding took place at the WRDC today. They did measurements and weighed the eaglets R4 and R5 including taking DNA samples. Here those babies are with their new bling.

R5 is working away at its self-feeding skills as R4 looks on.

It is very true. M15 is going to need a holiday after this breeding season. He is continually trying to feed his babies while fending off intruders that literally come to the nest to grab the food! Today he was plucking a bird for them when he had to turn into security guard and territorial protector.

Earlier M15 had brought in a squirrel, a small one. E22 got it – and worked the entire thing to his complete delight while 21 watched. Gracie Shepherd caught it on video!

Kathryn reports on the Lake Murray Osprey nest. She says, “Every time I check on these osplets that are so stuffed they can’t even move! I love how the mom, Lucy, goes out of her way to make sure C3 eats well. Such a nice nest so far. There has been minimal bonking and the mom just puts food in her beak between them when they did bonk each other but I only saw that in the beginning.” This is wonderful news!

We are so lucky that there are BOGS that keep up with some of the fledglings. Just look at Ringo from the Webster Texas Bald Eagle nest. Perfecting that flying like the Es and B16 and the kidlets down in the Kisatchie National Forest.

Loretta is keeping eyes on the First Utility District Osprey platform for me. The first of the three hatched yesterday. The adults are Ricky and Lucy. Nice fish coming in to feed the little one. It started raining later in the day and Lucy could not risk feeding the baby so, Ricky fed Lucy her dinner. I thought maybe he would incubate/brood but, Lucy didn’t want to give up the responsibility. They are a cute pair and I hope that you will put this nest on your list to watch. It is in a really beautiful setting and it looks like the lake has some good fish. (This will be my first time keeping tabs on this nest).

The Decorah Goose nest had some visitors today but it is empty as I begin writing for tomorrow’s blog. News has come in that the sixth gosling that had trouble swimming and was believed to have temporary paralysis in its leg did not make it. That is very sad. The other five are doing splendidly and have taken to the water like ‘ducks’. LOL.

We are all concerned with the impact that the current strains of HPAI will have on our raptor populations. I know that many of you, like myself, scream when one of the adults brings a shorebird or a duck into the nest to feed to the chicks. Cal Falcons held one of their fantastic Q & A sessions with Dr Victoria Hall of The Raptor Centre in Minnesota. This is an hour’s presentation, and it is excellent. I urge you to listen even if you do it in hits and spurts. You will learn a lot – and that is what we are all doing – learning.

Lots of great questions. Is there a vaccination? How complicated would that be? Where is the highest outbreak now? How does HPAI impact trade? When might this outbreak stop soon? How might this impact zoos? Is this a risk to humans? Are Bald Eagles more susceptible than Peregrine Falcons?

HPAI has having a global impact. ‘R’ sent me this very informative article. Have you seen it?

https://www.doximity.com/newsfeed/3d5bde14-eeeb-4fa6-a4d1-8102ec73449c/public

The UK appears to be particularly hard hit with birds at the wetlands and ponds and along the coast dying in ever increasing numbers.

One of the biggest concerns in the US right now are the Condors, carrion eaters who are particularly susceptible to HPAI.

I will continue to post some of the latest stories on this influenza that is tragically impacting our wildlife. In doing so, I want to remind you to do something you might think is silly. If you go for a walk like I did today, you need to bag your footwear and disinfect it. I do not know if that is even enough. There are geese all around the parking lots of our parks and nature centres. Do they have HPAI? We don’t know. They could be carriers. If so, it is possible that their ‘ps’ could get on my tires, and I could spread the disease. In the Q & A session with Cal Falcons, the measures taken to ensure that HPAI doesn’t spread have been thoroughly considered. Let’s listen again so we know what we could do to help stop the spread.

Two well-fed little eaglets. The Decorah Hatchery eaglet and Two Harbours eaglet.

Decorah Hatchery chick. Losing its baby down. Getting that mohawk and that lovely dark charcoal thermal down growing in so that it can regulate its own temperature.

As the eaglet ages, the pink ‘mouth’ turns yellow.

Chase and Cholyn’s only eaglet gets special attention, too. Just look at that crop. Both the Hatchery eaglet and Two Harbours can now eat all the parts of the prey and their crop will process this material. Anything that cannot be fully digested will form into a hard pellet or a ‘cast’ and they will ‘cast it off’.

The three eaglets on the Denton Homes Bald Eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa are slightly older than the ones at the Hatchery. Look at the two images and see the difference a week can make.

The three eaglets at Bald Canyon are fantastic. What a great rescue that was by the IWS on Tuesday. So grateful to Dr Sharpe and his team who take such good care of these Channel Islands Bald Eagle families.

Thank you so very much for being with me this morning. Please continue to send your best wishes to DH18 this morning, who is in guarded condition after the surgery to remove the dead tissue from his legs yesterday. DH18 has the best care. We wait. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘R’, ‘S’, ‘J’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘L’, Kathryn, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Cal Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, PA Game Commission, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lake Murray Ospreys, Jon Truman and Webster TX Eagle Watchers, First Utility District, Decorah Goose Cam, The New York Times, @Mark Avery, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, IWS and Explore.org, and Denton Homes.

Rescue Video of Dale Hallow Eaglets

27 April 2023

Please watch. Great video giving you a good insight into the rescue of the Dale Hollow Eaglets.