It was a real workday around the house – the girls helped. Of course, they helped! Hugo Yugo, Missey, and Hope were climbing all over everything. Meanwhile, Calico found a toy and decided it was much more fun. In the process, we found a couple of hand-felted ‘cat rocks’ that had belonged to previous cats. Baby Hope was very interested in this one.
Oh, I do adore this beautiful girl, the only surviving baby of Calico. She loves to relax on the wicker and she will pose. It is her eyes that always ‘get me’.
The Black Oil Seed shells have gotten out of hand. They were too frozen to be shovelled today. If the forecast holds, it will be +5 next week and they can be cleared up. It is the worst part of feeding the birds in winter. Today, Little Red and Dyson called a truce with Little Red on the feeder and Dyson eating peanuts below.
We listened to Ferris Akel and his tour and were delighted that he saw Arthur while hunting for probably his last meal of the day. I remember everyone being shocked when Big Red picked Arthur – he didn’t have his red tail yet – to be her mate and replace Ezra. Well, Big Red picked a good one!
Big Red was spotted on Saturday, too!
There have been a lot of tributes to various feathered personalities this week, and the New York Times even covered Flaco.
In California, Jackie continues to carefully incubate the three eggs. Just watch Shadow and Jackie change turns and you will see how very careful these two are. Even when rolling the eggs, they are so delicate. They are determined to have an eaglet this year…let’s send them all the love and positive wishes we can.
I was concerned about Jackie and not seeing her eat. She had a big meal! Thank goodness.
Jackie and Shadow make the CBS news.
The bowl is deep at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta. There should be two eggs in there now. Dr Sharpe and his team at the IWS got that camera back up and working!
There is plenty of food at Eagle Country. The oldest is doing fantastic and can stretch its neck out and get food from Abby. So why am I so worried about the second chick?
I wish that nest bowl was not so deep! Is Meadow getting fed?
Frustration has set in. There are a lot of feedings at this nest and Abby is experienced, but is Meadow getting any of that prey?
Lucky R6 doesn’t have any worries. S/he is growing and getting their thermal down – changing before our eyes. The top picture with its leg stuck out just reminds me of the legs of the prey they have been munching on all day.
R6 is going to be able to use that crop for a pillow Saturday night.
Across the state, E23 likes his Lapin for dinner.
Cal and Lusa are both self-feeding at Captiva. Lusa is doing better than Cal so far. Will Connie come in and save the day?
Yes!
No egg yet at Dulles-Greenway.
Food gifts coming into Pittsburgh-Hayes.
They may be thinking about eggs but not one is on the nest at Moorings Park – yet.
Diane has been incubating two eggs. Will she lay a third Saturday night? We wait – and I hope not~. The third chick does not fare well here. Best no egg.
The only surviving Eaglet at J B Sands Wetlands is doing fine.
Gosh, the water looks high at the Redding Eagle nest. Is it an illusion? or is the area really flooding that much due to the Atmospheric River that hit the area?
‘A’ sends us the report for WBSE 31 at the Parramatta River in Sydney:
“February 3: Early in the morning, no eagles were seen by the river or at Goat Island. Then around 9am, SE31 was seen hidden in the mangroves near River Roost. Later, just after midday, she was seen in flight checking the river west of River Roost and on the western side of the wetlands. Then she was lost to sight, up very high over the prison. She flushed waterbirds from the wetlands as she flew over. No further reports at the end of the day – maybe update in the morning.”
At Farmer Derek’s, Bonnie was in the nest bowl most of the day. Rain came late and it looks like there is no egg. Owl up on branch. Nest empty. Look hard. She is there!
The owlets at SW Florida are cute. I just wish their parents weren’t so protective and would leave M15 and F23 and their chicks alone…Knock on wood.
At The Campanile, Annie was in the scrape calling the new male. Is he shy?
Someone was home at Monty and Hartley’s new scrape at the San Jose City Hall.
It is always a pleasure to see either Diamond and Xavier and a real gem to see both together after fledging. Diamond looks out over the landscape in the early morning light. I understand that Marri is still seen in the area chasing the parents for food. Fabulous.
At Taiaroa Head, the TF Royal Cam chick is adorable. The parents come and go and have not gone far to forage. The chick’s weight is good.
These gentle giants of the Southern Ocean need us to protect the fish that they depend on for their lives and to muster the world to make the long line fishing factories responsible – by using safe measures to bait their hooks so that no albatross is beheaded!
Do you eat canned tuna? Here is an article to make certain that you are selecting sustainably caught fish. Please note that ‘Dolphin Safe’ does not mean that the fish were sustainable caught!!!!!!!
It is not just albatross that get caught in these long lines – in fact, maybe long line fishing should just be banned. This article is a few years old, but it is well-written and really can open your eyes to the threat those huge boats have on the mammals and birds that depend on the sea for their lives.
It is a topic that really rubs me the wrong way. To save the albatross is an easy fix (which many refuse to do!) but what about the other animals?
One of our favourite eagle dads, Murphy! He sure looks happy in that bath.
Apparently New York and Verizon do not want Ospreys nesting on their cell towers.
Still watching Diane at Achieva and hoping that she will only have two eggs, but is she laying another?
Thank you so much for being with me today. I do hope that you find something worthwhile in my blog! Take care. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tours, videos, photographs, tweets, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, Geemeff, J, R’, Ferris Akel Tours, @Cornell Hawks, The New York Times, FOBBV, Cali Condor, @CBS, IWS/Explore, Eagle Country, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Dulles-Greenway, PIX Cams, Moorings Park, Achieva Credit Union, JB Sands Wetlands, FORE, Eagle Cam, Farmer Derek Owl Cam, Cal Falcons, San Jose City Hall, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, Seafood Watch, The Guardian, Raptor Persecution UK, WIVBTV, Trudi Kron, and Achieva Credit Union.
Everything is just fine in Cat World. The girls had to be separated because the electrician came to work on the heating in the conservatory. Calico had been snippy yesterday, and I wondered how she would be after I opened the door. The three had their chicken dinner, and Missey settled in Calico’s chair for a nice after-supper nap. Calico went over and noticed where Missey was, and I held my breath. Then Calico proceeded to go to another chair, which was softer actually. Hope went on her little placemat, and the world smiled. I felt proud of my girls and much relieved.
Everyone says it is making sure there are enough places to nap, enough places to get up high, enough spots to hide, toys, cuddles and food – oh, yes, and litter boxes. Well, the three have lots of choices. Anyone visiting me would notice two things – an enormous amount of books and the house being more or less a kitty daycare. So, hopefully, that will do it.
Geemeff came through for me when Calico had her surgery with the suggestion of an antiseptic cream and using olive oil to keep the area moist enough so that the skin did not get taut while healing. It sure worked. Calico never licked, and she healed up nicely. Today, Geemeff suggested Omega 3 oil for Calico and her arthritis. We are going to go for it and see if it will help. So reluctant to put any of them through a visit to the vet after seeing how traumatised Hope was.
Tonight, the profile of a rabbit eating under the feeders was seen. Thank goodness for a nearly full moon. Oh, it is terrific. Not all of them have been killed by cars or cats.
There is not much time to sit! And we saw the rabbit when we were getting ready for storytime. These girls know everything that happens in the garden. Nothing slips past them! They are enjoying The Meaning of Geese the second time around. Like a good film or book, what you miss the first time is often revealed the second. I would love to be on a bicycle going around Norfolk looking for Pink-footed geese.
A few seconds before, Hope was trying to get in the basket with Calico. She does not realise how big she is! On Saturday, Hope will be 5 months old.
Oh, and one last thing. Remember I purchased some bird seed specific for Blue Jays (Sparrows eat anything)? Junior, the Dad, had been the only one at the table feeder. It seemed that all the others had migrated as many do. Well, I looked out this morning, and there was Junior and the baby of the summer’s clutch! That baby nestled with the two little clay bird figurines on the deck looks the same, just bigger. So happy to see it, along with over 35 Starlings and possibly 100 Sparrows. I did not get a photograph of the two jays…maybe today. But it was priceless to see the two.
‘H’ was busy keeping me up to date today. Thank you! She sent the first item. The big news of the day comes out of Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey. Our friend, Lisa, mentioned earlier in the year that it was planned that Connick would be released in the summer. Then there were issues with a couple of his feathers. It turns out that Connick would not have been able to live in the wild – he will always have feather growth problems. So, Connie and Clive’s 2022 hatch from Captiva will spend the rest of his life as an ambassador at the Smithsonian.
Secondly, ‘H’ solved my riddle of what the acronym MW at Orange stood for – and then SP sent me an entire listing of acronyms used at Orange. I know she will not mind my sharing! Perhaps some of you are as baffled as I am – and do not have time to spend on chat sorting these out. So grateful. Thanks, H and SP!
Acronyms from SP:
“SP = short pole on the slant of the roof by the hatch window
LR = lightning rod
MW = round microwave communications dish
MWB = MW bracket
LHC = left-hand corner of roof top”
Photo of MW with explanations and falcon from ‘H’:
Gris grabbed a screen capture of a juvenile on the LHC (?).
Holly Parsons grabbed a screen capture of a juvenile flying by Xavier sitting on the ledge. We know there is one juvenile still in the territory. It is believed to be Barru. There have not been two juveniles seen ‘together’. Because banding has never been approved for this research project, it is impossible to tell if there is only one or two. That said, it is reassuring to see one flying so well. That is a feat getting to the top of that tower. Perhaps soon they will be in the scrape. Wouldn’t that be grand? Screaming for prey like Izzi?
It is nearing noon and Mum and Giliath and #2 (gosh, it will be exciting to find out its name) are waiting for some fish.
It is nearing 1530 and still no fish. Janet Forster has just posted on chat that the fish are being weighed. It won’t be long Mum!
The weather has not been good for some days with wind and choppy water making it difficult for Dad to fish – and maybe even the fairies.
The fairy arrives! Will promise not to mention it too many more times, but I would like you to contemplate what would have happened to these two beautifully feathered and unique osplets without the supplemental fish.
Chicks pancaked as the fairy approaches.
V3 and Gabby were working away at their nest. They are a gorgeous couple. Let’s hope there are well fed eaglets on this nest for our darling Gabby this year.
M15 is taking very good care of F23. We would expect nothing less.
Tired F23.
So, so tired from laying that second egg. Dear F23. I have been busy with many things the last few days, but I have heard no news of GHOs. I shouldn’t say anything, but did I miss something?
At the WRDC, Rose is getting serious.
Pepe and Muhlady were the first to lay their eggs and today, we are only 8 days away from hatch!
The rangers at the Kisatchie National Forest are getting excited as are all the fans. Waiting for Louis and Anna to provide some eggs for that nest – Alex and Andria thankfully laid theirs early so that we will be able to completely enjoy and learn as we watch the eaglets develop.
Thunder and Akecheta were at there nest today working away!
Wow. Liberty and Guardian were both at the Redding, California Bald Eagle nest on Tuesday.
Jackie and Shadow visited the nest to move some sticks and then went to perch together on the Roost Tree. Jackie appears to have a full crop, while Shadow seems to have some prey blood on his beak. It could be the camera angle and my poor eyes – still hoping they both had a lovely meal before settling down for the night.
For Royal Cam Watchers, if you missed the news, here it is again. Video below.
Tumanako is home and looking for a mate. Will this former Royal Cam chick become a dad this season?
Kakapo might not be able to fly, but they are sure causing issues for those trying to contain them in the nature area in New Zealand! We are always reading about how smart our feathered friends are. This is very interesting – figuring out how to evade the fence!
When thinking about end-of-the-year donations, do not overlook some of those rehabbers who depend on donations and volunteers to save our wildlife, including many of the raptors that we grow to love.
A recent rescue form one of my favourite rehabbers in the US, A Place Called Hope.
If I were that squirrel, I would have been terrified.
This monstrous thing is a pole trap that was baited. There are times that I simply cannot stop fantasising about using them on the people who set them. They cause such harm (mental and physical) and death to our beloved wildlife in them.
One person commented, “The use of the pole trap was prohibited ONE HUNDRED and NINETEEN years ago. There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to possess one and as we clearly cannot trust those who do, it’s time their possession became a crime.”
The problem is complex. These hunting estates are enormous. Even if not on a hunting estate, the natural areas are vast and difficult to monitor. Then there is a judicial system that is often part of the group that frequents the hunting parties on some of the estates. At what point will killing animals stop? In the last series of The Crown, Prince William bags his buck and gets bloodied. Everyone is proud and pleased. It is those hunting traditions traced back hundreds and hundreds of years that need to come tumbling down. Will the Scottish government pass the necessary legislation? Are people sick to their stomachs about reading about another endangered species being killed? (Here I am thinking of the recent Golden Eagle…it is time to stop.)
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘EJ, Geemeff, H, SP’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Gris Adriana, PLO, NEFL-AEF, Trish Rawlings, HeidiMc, Superbeaks, US Forestry Service, FORE, FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, Lady Hawk, Holly Parsons, Kakapo Recovery, APCH, Outdoors.com, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and Audubon Vermont.
I hope that you had a chance to get out for some time and enjoy yourself. Breathe in the fresh air and listen to some birds! It was nippy in Winnipeg. No snow but a crisp wind. So, keeping the vow to continue ‘moving’, I headed off to Assiniboine Park to the recently opened Leaf.
But before we get to the Leaf, awhile ago, I mentioned leaf blowers. My friend ‘R’ explained to me – the choir – how much he dislikes them. ‘R’, you are not alone! As the girls and I neared the end of The Comfort of Crows, Renkl’s chapter ‘How to Rake Leaves On a Windy Day’, reminded me of that conversation with R. She says, “Leaf blowers are like giant whining insects that have moved into your skull. They are swarming behind your eyes, drilling down Ito your teeth. Leaf blowers have ruined autumn with their Insistent drone and their noxious fumes, and they are everywhere. You may believe it is futile to resist then, but you can resist them. In almost every situation where something is loud, obnoxious, and seemingly ubiquitous, resistance is an option. Head to the toolshed in your backyard and fiddle with the rusty padlock until it finally yields. Reach into the corner where you keep the shovel and the posthole digger and the pruning shears. From that jumble of wonderful tools requiring no gasoline, pull out a rake…Leave the leaves lie everywhere it is possible to let the leaves lie. You aren’t trying for clean lines; you are trying only to pacify the angry neighbour who complained because some of your leaves blew into their yard. Leave the leaves in the flower beds. Leave them close to the house…When the birds return in springtime, these insects will be a feast for their nestlings. Whatever it might feel like on a damp November day, remind yourself that spring is coming.” She continues, “The leaves you let sit today will colder and rot through the winter, generating their own heat and protecting large trees and small creatures alike. Think of your desultory raking as a way to feed the trees, as an investment in an urban forest. If your neighbour complains again, tell them that you are feeding their trees.”…”Before you go inside, take a leaf into your head. Put it on your desk or next to your bed. Keep it nearby, through whatever troubles the long winter brings. It will help you remember that nothing is truly over. It will help you remember what the wind always teaches us in autumn: that just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there”. (241-43)
Moving to another Leaf.
So, today we are going to start off with something different. I am going to take you for a walk around The Leaf. It is at our zoo!
This is the Parks Department description of the four areas inside the glass building with some commentary running through by yours truly.
Hartley and Heather Richardson Tropical Biome
Visitors become immersed in the warmth and vibrancy of the Hartley and Heather Richardson Tropical Biome, where exotic plants and a balmy environment creates an oasis, particularly during the winter months. This rainforest-like paradise is brimming with tropical plants, bold textures and lush green colours. The largest of The Leaf’s planted spaces; it is home to Canada’s tallest indoor waterfall, a peaceful koi pond, and lush plant material from tropical regions of the world.
It was hot! Thank goodness the reception area recommended that everyone remove their heavy winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves! People were happy, enjoying themselves. Looking at wonderful or sitting in quiet contemplation.
There was a time when everyone seemed to have a Prayer Plant in their collection of house plants.
Some of the very best Cacao I have ever tasted comes from the island of Grenada where my son lives. Deep, rich, and earthy chocolate.
The Chinese Hat Plant.
The Koi seem to have a wondrous pond.
Mediterranean Biome
The Mediterranean Biome is home to plants from regions known for their superb fruits, fine wines and abundant crops. Visitors are surrounded by plant life from climatic zones characterized by moist, cool winters and hot, dry summers including Greece and Italy, as well as South Africa, South West Australia, Central Chile and California. This biome hosts a memorable mosaic of colour, texture and fragrance that reaches its peak during the winter months. A welcoming seating area invites visitors to relax and enjoy the sights and smells of these fascinating plants.
This area turned out to be my favourite because it was cooler than the Tropical area and also because they had the plants identified more clearly. As you enter, there was a long area (see below) of the herbs that grew so well in my garden this past summer – thyme, rosemary, mint.
What a gorgeous hibiscus this was. The one I have in the house – that goes in and out during the seasons – is pink. You can collect the flowers and make a very nice Hibiscus syrup or I have often added them to cakes – tiny chopped up bits of Hibiscus.
There are two other areas. One is a place for special floral displays and the other is the butterfly garden.
No one saw a single butterfly in the Butterly Garden. There are rumours that they flew out of the building by accident in the early fall. Perhaps, the call of migration was powerful.
The flower area was small but pretty. Would love to see it lit up at night!
It was a very nice afternoon.
We continue to wait to hear if little Greyish is available. We are approved for adoption but…the girls have slept most of the day. I caught Hope licking her incision. That is bad but, there is no way that she will wear a cone and unlike her Mamma, Calico, she will not let me get near enough to put antiseptic cream on the incision and olive oil. The trip to the vet caused her to go back weeks in terms of socialisation. It really did scare the wits out of her. Next time, when she needs her booster shots (in 3 weeks), the mobile vet will come to the house. The need for some cream on that tummy might mean that I have to toss the blanket on her and grab…I try not to do that because it is also stressful but, there is no way she is going to get an infection!!!!!!!!!
M15 got to see the first egg for him and F23. Today, he was caught bringing in a huge stick. He is going to make sure these babies do not fall out of that nest!
I know that each and every one of you is thrilled that M15 is going to get a chance to be a Dad again.
Pa Berry and Missey are working hard on their nest. Is it possible they could be next?
Gabby and V3 seem to have lined the entire nest with Spanish Moss. Just look at it. Think comfy. Now…let’s talk eggs.
There is good news coming from ND-LEEF. Lovely to see both Dad and the new female at the nest!
Looking for treats at Eagle Country…
Happy to see some stick moving at the nest of Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear on Saturday. Always good to see one or both at the nest.
Good night, Anna, and your two precious eggs at Kisatchie National Forest E-3.
Good night, Connie, at Captiva.
Good night, Muhlady. Just think. We are 12 days away from hatch!
At the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty, Smitty has not been seen on the nest for 66 days – since 21 September. Feeling so sad for Bella. This nest has attracted many intruders with physical injuries over the past few years.
The Hancock Wildlife Foundation held its eagle count and the total was 1066 Bald Eagles. Wow.
Just look at the geese in New Jersey near the Barnegat Light Osprey nest! Oh, goodness. I would love to be there to listen to all their honking – or just to see them. I miss all the migrants once they leave Canada for their warmer winter homes.
Kestrels renewing their pair bonds in Germany.
The water at Port Lincoln looks quite calm. Mum and chicks are waiting for fish! Sometimes it seems that the life of a raptor is simply that – a life of waiting. Waiting for eggs to be laid, incubation, waiting for fish deliveries…waiting for it all to begin again.
The Fish Fairy arrives and saves the day with three fish. We get to see Giliath self feeding! They are growing up fast. Remember 8 December (that is Australian calendar/time) will be ringing, weighing, and putting on trackers. #2 will get its name.
Heidi Mc caught the fledgling/juvenile of Diamond and Xavier and its aborted landing in the scrape yesterday for us in video.
Falco, the Eurasian owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo nine months ago, has made The Guardian in a story questioning whether or not the owl can survive in the Big Apple.
Sadly, Glaslyn has lost one of its oldest female Ospreys. Blue 8C was the daughter of Ochre 11 (98), the last chick from the original male of the translocation project. Blue 8C fledged from Rutland at 53 days on the 8th of July 2014. She was almost ten years old when Jean-Marie Dupart found her injured, and when he returned to the beach area where she was to retrieve her, she had died. Condolences. She knew her route well between the UK and Senegal…so sad to hear of her passing.
One lucky falcon. So many injuries, rescues, and will be free again soon. Magnificent.
The crimes against raptors in the UK are largely linked to the large land estates associated with shooting parties. Will a younger generation turn on this medieval tradition amongst the aristocratic classes?
Roger Tory Peterson’s first painting was of a Blue Jay! And it was his favourite bird. His seventh grade teacher brought a portfolio of The Birds of New York State by bird painter Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Each kid was given a small box of water colors and a color plate to copy. Peterson got the Blue Jay.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Enjoy your Sunday — or whatever day it feels like. When you are retired, the days roll into one another! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for the comments, notes, videos, articles, screen captures, and posts that helped me to write my blog this morning: “J”, Margaret Renkl and her book, The Comfort of Crows, The Leaf, Janet Gray, Nancy Babineau, Berry College Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Philippe Josse, Eagle Country, FOBBV, KNF-E3, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Wildlife Conservancy of NJ, Michael Raege, The Guardian, Mary Cheadle and Jean-marie Dupart, Robin Stockfelt, and Raptor Persecution UK.
November is always a very challenging month for me. Do you have those months when good and bad events are all clumped together? My mother was born on the 26th of November, and my beloved grandmother died on the 26th. My mother died just shy of the 26th – on the 24th. I had flown down for a big birthday bash. It had been less than two months since I had seen her, but I was in for a shock. She knew things were not going well, so instead of having all her still-living friends meet us for a big birthday bash at her favourite restaurant, she asked me to cancel and get her a burger and fries from Sonic. We spent the afternoon of the 20th writing her holiday cards, putting on the stamps, and getting them in the post. She always said she wanted to live to be a 100 – she died two days shy of 90 years. Reflecting back. Congestive Heart Failure was a blessing. No pain. Just a slow slipping away. She was an interesting woman. It took me til recently to fully appreciate her. I would love to sit down and have a long conversation with her. She was not like the mother of any of my friends. IT would be much later that I would hear the term ‘Tiger Mum’. My mother was that – and I am eternally grateful, although I don’t think I appreciated it then. I went off on a tangent. Apologies. Our parents profoundly impact us, and we all recognise that there are days or months we think of them more than others. Today (I am writing this at 18:24 on the 20th), twelve years ago, she and I were writing cards to all her friends. We never said anything but we both knew they would be the last ones she ever sent. We made sure they were gorgeous and sparkly.
Well, here we are so far! Superbeaks. Captiva. Kistachie National Forest E-3. So now, who is going to be next?
Oh, there is such good news. Karl II’s offspring, Waba, made it through the kibbutz in Israel and is in the Sudan!
Alex and Andria, the Bald Eagles at the Kisatchie National Forest E-3 nest, have their first egg. So – Superbeaks, Captiva, and Kistachie E-3!
The camera was down so we did not know when Andria laid the first egg. Tonya Irwin had a poll on the chat and I missed it altogether. Remember I said do not place bets on things like I do – I am usually wrong. Well, here we are in the pitching rain and it looks like Andria has laid the second egg at 18:51:24 or close to it. The eggs are four days apart just like last season according to Irwin.
The other good news is that Nancy and Beau were on the MN-DNR Eagle Cam by the old nest tree. You might recall that Nancy was the mate of Harry who is presumed dead. She bonded with Beau. They had a single surviving eaglet that was killed when the nest collapsed last year due to heavy snow.
Mum and the Osplets are waiting for Dad or the fish fairy! The chicks were digging in the nest early. Did they find a leftover?
They are still waiting but gosh, golly. These osplets are so cute and standing so well on that uneven stick nest!
Itchy.
Still waiting.
The osplets are so well-behaved. Still waiting.
Dad arrives with a headless fish at 13:24. Good for you, Dad.
Wow. Then the fish fairy shows up with a monster size fish and it has been slit so that the osplets can practice their self-feeding. Great insights, Fish Fairy! Mum is munching away – letting the kids nibble.
Mum is getting a good feed. This is wonderful.
Heidi Mc got the feeding on video – check it out. Much better than stills!
‘A’ sends us the observation board from Port Lincoln:
If you have wanted to donate money for the Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln and have had difficulties, there is now a PayPal button to make this easier.
There is also news of Ervie although there were no photographs. So reassuring that he is flying around fishing and continuing to come into Port Lincoln! Go Ervie!!!!!
At Orange, Diamond slept on the ledge of the scrape. Xavier came in later. Maybe for a rest after a prey delivery? Talons look bloody.
There was some lovely bonding in the scrape with Diamond and Xavier.
‘A’ gives us some sad news: “The important news comes from Orange, where big sister Marri has not been sighted for nearly a week now. I kept saying that there was no definite ID of the juvenile that has frequently been seen on the roof of the water tower, often with a parent nearby. I believed that juvenile to be Barru. So it seems I was right about that, though I am not happy about it. I was hoping that we were seeing both juveniles, sometimes one, sometimes the other. But no. Apparently Cilla has not seen Marri since the day after she fledged, which is horrible news. I cannot countenance the theory that she has ‘already left the area’ because she has not learnt to hunt, and hunting for a peregrine is not a matter of finding some road kill! So I have been super worried about Marri for a week. It surprises me though, given how strong she was and how well she was flying. We can only hope she is smarter than we think and has somehow been able to get food for herself. Still, it is more likely that she has come to a sticky end – we never found Rubus’s body either, so that’s no indicator. Now we have to pin our hopes on Barru. Perhaps female chicks are never going to come out of this scrape. “
At the Parramatta River, there was a sighting of an eaglet.
Rohan Geddes just posted these images from the other day. I have still not seen any indication that both juveniles have been seen simultaneously. So the question is: Like Orange, is there only one?
The latest news from Kielder of Blue 432 in Senegal:
Sunday night was apparently ‘owless’ at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest…isn’t that wonderful? I do hope I got the gossip right. Here M15 has brought his lady a lovely meal.
M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest tree and are both in the nest. Will they thwart the GHOs?
Some of you will remember Bonnie and Clyde that took over the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property. Here is a video of them this month with a juvie at that same nest.
V3 and Gabby have been at the nest tree. V3 was caught on one of the cameras chasing off an intruder. Wouldn’t we all love it if all the eagles – young and old – would leave Gabby and V3 alone? I do not recall this happening when Samson was king of his natal nest. Does anyone?
They always seem tense – either alerting or watching for intruders. Does it cause difficulties for breeding? Stress?
Rose and Ron have a nice nest coming at the WRDC. Just look. A little Greenery, too.
Bella at the NCTC Bald Eagle Nest. Where is Smitty? Was he here? Bella was doing chortles.
Bella had to defend her nest alone on Monday.
An eagle at Decorah Hatchery.
Did Louis and Anna hope to be Alex and Andria laying the first egg? Sorry you two!
It was windy at the NTSU nest of Boone and Jolene in Johnson City, Tennessee. I am certain they love the wind more than humans would rocking around in a nest high above the ground. LOL.
Gosh, isn’t that setting sun on Big Bear Lake simply gorgeous? Jackie and Shadow came to the nest to enjoy it and check on needed improvements.
Want to see Condors released into the wild? Here is the information to catch all the action and find out what is happening with the Big Sur and Pinnacle colonies. You will have to go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign-up for the Zoom chats. They happen every month.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.
I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, streaming cams, posts, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Maria Marika, Joanna Dailey, Tonya Irwin, KNF-E3, KNF-E1, Trudi Iron, MN-DNR, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Sharon Pollock, HeidiMc, Kathryn Palmer, Lady Hawk, Androcat, Woodsy Wisdom, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, NCTC Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, NTSU Eagle Cam, FOBBV, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.
Right now it is 16:20 Tuesday afternoon in the NEFlorida Eagle Cam and V3 is in the nest on full alert! I have heard such speculation about him ‘not being up to the job’ (maybe he isn’t), but Gabby and him sure make a good tea and he risks his life to protect their territory like any bonded mate would. Welcome home. Tears flowing.
V3 and Gabby were at the nest tree and on high alert Wednesday morning.
Now for other news. Tuesday was the glorious day that was promised. The wind was a little nippy, but to be outside in the fresh air, to turn the heating off, and to clear the deck by pushing and not lifting the shovel is a blessing.
I went to the zoo. The purpose was to see the Snowy Owls and the Stellar’s Eagle. I will not tell you what I said quietly in my head after I paid the entrance fee. All I will say is I wonder how families can afford to go to the zoo! But never mind…the Snowy Owls were ‘somewhere’ not to be seen. The road to the Stellar’s Eagle enclosure was blocked for tree trimming. I won’t give it 5 stars for a great day, but I sure did get that long walk in.
The birds in the Toucan Building were lovely. The Roseate Spoonbills were high on the ledges preening. The Toucan had posed for a group of school children and was ready for a break…some of the ducks were bothering one another.
Eurasian Reindeer – the kind that are found in Lapland.
There were several Emu. Australian Birds. They are the second largest bird after the Ostrich. They cannot fly. They have two sets of eyelids – one for blinking and the other for keeping dust and other particles out of their eyes.
A beautiful Reeve Pheasant.
This is an Inukshuk. “The word “inukshuk” means “in the likeness of a human.” For generations, Inuit have been creating these impressive stone markers on the vast Arctic landscape. Inukshuks serve several functions, including guiding travellers, warning of danger, assisting hunters and marking places of reverence.”
At home, Hope and Missey have been playing on the large cat tree.
I am a little worried about Calico. She is on the waiting list to get in to see the vet. She is just not herself.
At Port Lincoln, Mum was doing the toe dance in anticipation of the arrival of Dad with a fish and he did not disappoint. There was a nice headless fish brought in around 08:40.
Giliath is 29 days old and #2 is 27. They are doing so well.
Everyone ate. Notice how quick that fish disappears!!!!!!! We have two hungry youngsters in a big growth spurt.
Huge crops. Thanks so much, Dad!
Fish fairy arrives at 13:15.
Mum removes the fish from the nest to eat the head on the ropes, ensuring that Mum gets some fish. She ate for more than half an hour.
The ops report at Port Lincoln:
Diamond showed up at the scrape at Orange. No word on either Marri or Barru yet but I will keep checking.
Later Diamond and Xavier were bonding in the scrape. Hope should give them a ‘High Five’ for the great job they did raising Marri and Barru.
Cilla Kinross stated that she saw Marri flying about on her way into work and that the fledgling was doing well. She did not have time to grab her camera.
‘H’ sent a note that Cilla had more recent news on the Orange Australia FB page:
Here is Cilla’s video:
M15 defending the nest against the GHO Monday night – if you missed it.
M15 has had to defend the nest again on Tuesday night. Please send all your positive energy. This is a very tense situation and bald eagles and GHOs fighting for territory can result in a tragic end. Stay safe M15!
M15 stayed in the nest last night.
A lot of disinformation is coming out about the SWFlorida and NEFlorida Bald Eagle nests. We wait for things to settle down at both. V3 is still defending the territory near The Hamlet nest against other eagles, and M15 has his hands full with the GHOs.
Looks a little stormy at Captiva. Connie is keeping that precious egg nice and dry.
The second egg was laid Tuesday evening early. Clive was nearby.
I love Martin and Rosa at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. They can raise more eaglets easier than you can blink your eyes. If you do not have them on your watch list, I highly recommend you put them there.
Looks like someone is interested in the Captiva Osprey cam!
A lesson raptor ID.
The New York Times has a great story on how intelligent Vultures are! Thank you to my good friend, ‘N’, for spotting this and sending the link to me so I could share it with you.
Want to know more about hummingbirds? I love seeing them in the garden but the speed with which they move is so incredible making it nearly impossible for an amateur like me to catch their likeness with my camera. Those beautiful little bullet shapes with the most amazing wings and iridescent colours to rival any eye shadow pallet this season – read on.
Love Albatross? Looking for an excellent children’s book? Chile Bird. The true story of a Royal Albatross is a wonderful choice, beautifully illustrated – touches the hardships that our Royal Albatross face in their daily lives and the heroic efforts of people to save them. I ordered my copy from the Royal Albatross Visitor’s Centre on Taiaroa Head. (Apologies for the glare).
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H, N’, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, Gracie Shepherd, Androcat, Window to Wildlife, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Phil Hayne, The New York Times, Hawk Mountain, Bird Guides, The Guardian, and Diane Miller.
It drizzled again today. There were so many birds at the garden feeders that sometimes it seemed like a solid wall of wings fluttering about. The Starlings ate at the suet cylinders and the table feeder, but I also noticed that they were cleaning out the bowls of kibble for the stray cats my neighbour leaves near her garage. Everyone was hungry! Everyone ‘is’ hungry. The cat’s outdoor feeder has now been positioned so that it is covered, and the dishes stay dry from the rain and snow. Tomorrow will be another shelter for another stray – a huge demand. Every shelter in our city is full and cannot take any more cats, yet there is a constant list of new finds. People struggle to feed themselves and their children to pay rent or mortgage. I have said this before, but it is so worrisome – that which gives us joy and comfort is thrown out to the street, hoping that someone else will take it in or that our ‘best friend’ will find food somewhere and stay alive. It is the beginning of winter. This breaks my heart.
A lovely chat over tea and cardamon buns this afternoon with my granddaughter revealed that the homeless in my city with mental health problems are also struggling. There is no affordable housing. A young man who cannot live alone and whose father died recently was lucky to find a placement, but many do not. She says that they are put on the street and have to try and find a place to sleep in the homeless shelters – people are no different than the cats and dogs, the family pets, that are abandoned. My goodness, what a world we live in. We can delight in discovering that a thirty-something singer now has over a billion dollars in net worth while families struggle to feed themselves on a few hundred dollars a month. Sorry. There is a point to all of this.
Donations to help wildlife are way down. Ordinary families that used to donate to their local wildlife centre – either in the form of cash, volunteering, or wish list items can no longer afford to do so. If they cannot afford to keep their family pet, we know they cannot afford to feed the birds and other animals in their garden. It is a vicious circle, and I have no answer. There is so much waste, and with some ingenuity, a couple of individuals can arrange to collect the food waste and find a suitable place to deposit it for the birds that would happily devour it. Of course, I am thinking about the Crows. (I did find a spot to feed the local ones, but it is a secret to protect their safety because of local health regulations).
Many of you reading my blog will find that the increase in food prices – what? 30% plus – has impacted your way of living. Remember, one thing you can do is to put out water. Water is life. Every animal and every bird needs water to survive. If you are up to it, you can remind your friends and neighbours that the wildlife rehab clinics much need those clean, used towels and sheets. If someone dies and their friends and family do not know what to do with their things and are simply going to ‘get rid of them’, ask if you can check if there is anything that might be useful to the local rehab clinic near you or the animal shelters. You have yet to learn how valuable your actions can be for the shelters and clinics that are now struggling. So, thank you in advance!
My girls are spoiled. Today, Hope spent much time sleeping in Missey’s basket. I think Missey has decided to ‘give it’ to Hope. Hope is a little sleepy head in the image below. Hope and Missey spent much time watching their bird video while Calico tried to find a place to sleep ‘without Hope’. I can promise you that will never happen!
Things are a little out of order because I am so excited about what is happening on the Parramatta River that I have brought it up between the day’s events with the kittens.
I am still so excited about seeing the sea eagles flying around the mangroves near the River Roost of Lady and Dad that I can barely sit still. I can only imagine the joy the adults have in raising their eaglets from egg to fledge to freedom, knowing that they have taught them everything to survive – something that they have not been able to do in past years.
These images were taken by the BOGs and posted on the Sydney Sea Eagle cam, and shared all over FB. They are marvellous and show how strong the fledglings are! It is very reassuring.
‘A’ has some more news this morning: “Tuesday 7: early morning, during the last of this season’s annual Bird surveys, several of us saw both adults and we assume SE32 over on the mangroves across the river. After 10am, we also saw one adult fly across the Nature Reserve Wetlands and then back to the river. Later at around 3:15, the juvenile was seen eating on the ground under the mangroves, after one of the parents brought prey in. Wonderful to see it eating. We have not spotted the second juvenile today. The juvenile osprey from a few bays away is returning to eat near the nest high on a light tower in a playing field. It is interesting to compare the post-fledge behaviour of the 2 species.”
This news, along with the extremely robust eyases at Orange and the Fish Fairies at Port Lincoln, means that the Australia streaming cams have had a good year – not 100% – but an amazing year nonetheless. I would love to have seen the CBD raise their falcons, but that is something to look forward to next year and let us all continue to hope that the Collins Street Mum is well.
It rained on Sunday and it rained a little today. The snow is melting revealing bright green grass. It is a nice surprise – welcome when everything else is grey or brown. The girls have been hanging out in the conservatory enjoying the warmer weather and several chapters from Margaret Renkl’s new book. Tomorrow we pick up another feral winter home for the outdoor kitties.
Hope is a big beautiful girl – almost as big as Mamma. She loves to pose.
Calico’s favourite perch. Missey likes the top and Hope loves the house and bothering Missey’s tail so they all can share and get along – which they are doing, thankfully.
Missey is getting quite ‘woolly’ for the winter. She gets brushed five or six times a day, which is still insufficient for her liking.
The December birdseed order has been delivered from the local farmers. One only handles Black Oil Seed, and the other does a mixture of millet, corn, safflower, and sunflower seeds. It seemed as if the Blue Jays were not so happy with just the Black Oil Seed, so now they have a choice along with the Dark-eyed Juncos, who are still here. If you feed birds, check out local farmers who bypass all the middle handlers and sell directly to those who feed the birds.
Moving on to check our active nests…
At Port Lincoln, Mum cleaned the nest and found some fish.
Meanwhile, Mum is waiting for Dad to get off the ropes and go fishing.
So grateful for the fish fairies. These chicks might not have made it to this age. They are 23 and 21 days old today. Mum waiting with Giliath and #2 for a fish delivery. Mum leaves. Dad remains on the ropes. Thank goodness for those scraps in the nest, too!
At 11:50, the chat says “Fish Fairies on their way”. Relief. Giliath and #2 are so precious. So is Mum.
A large Trevally lands on the nest. Oh, goodness. This will make some nice meals!
Dad will take the fish after the first feeding. He will have a good feed and return it to Mum, who will feed the osplets again and hopefully finish off the tail herself. I hope Dad will get out and bring another fish to the nest before evening.
‘A’s report is always welcome. She tells me that today is the Melbourne Cup and everyone stops everything for the horse race! “The osplets are hungry today, with nothing brought to the nest by either parent, although mum did discover some nestovers very early this morning (about 05:48) and fed a fish tail to the two chicks. We are told by the mods that the fish fairy is on her way as I type, so a large feeding is about to occur. The current joke is that mum and the osplets will be meeting the boat! Certainly, mum is gone for no more than two minutes when fish are delivered. She knows Janet by now and I think she is well aware no harm is meant by the fishmonger. Looking forward to watching this pair eat. I love them both but Little Bob is such a feisty lad, his sister being far more laid-back. Perhaps Giliath is also male. I have thought the size discrepancy made that unlikely, but even when both eat their fill, Giliath is definitely eating at least twice as much as its younger sibling at a lot of the feedings. So it’s hard to tell, but I would still have my money on Giliath being the big sister to younger brother Little Bob. The temperaments seem to be the reverse of what gender would suggest. “
‘A’ and I spend a lot of time discussing the Port Lincoln Osplets and we both wonder – as I have in this post earlier – what would have been the fate of this nest this year without the fish fairies: “Today was a day to wonder what may have happened in the absence of the fish fairy, whose single giant trevally (13:07) was the only fish of the day. There were two monster feedings from the fish, and of course mum ate a lot of fish herself (as always), plus dad took it away for a bit and then brought it back for the second feeding. What interested me the most was how confident Little Bob was – lining up first, getting the prime position, and then reaching for bites in front of his huge sister, who did not object in any way or at any stage. These two are the best of friends, and I would suspect two males were it not for the massive size discrepancy between them. There are times when Giliath does get fed a lot more than her brother because mum for some reason concentrates on her, but mostly Little Bob is eating as much as Giliath, and at all meals, he seems to eat as much as he is able to. (He turns away from feedings, too full to continue, then returns to rejoin the feeding or gets pursued by mum attempting to smother him in fish.) So I have to believe their difference in size represents a gender difference, though we won’t know until banding of course. I do love to watch this pair though. They are so amicable and it is just a wonderful nest to watch as a result. I wonder whether dad feels the pressure has been lifted by the fish fairy or whether fishing conditions were simply bad today. “
At Orange, Marri is beginning to look like a falcon, bigger than Diamond. Both share in the prey and continue to look out to the wide world. The parents will soon turn to doing flying demonstrations with prey in their talons in front of the scrape as fledge approaches.
Diamond appears to be smiling all over. Look at those eyes as she stares at her daughter, Marri.
Barru is a cutie-pie but not match for Marri in a tug-o-war. Thank goodness they get along brilliantly.
The Bald Eagles are either laying eggs, thinking about eggs, or working on nests in preparation for eggs in the US.
Martin and Rosa have made great progress on their brand new nest!
We are expecting at an egg with Missey and Pa Berry at Berry College any time.
Smitty is still missing.
The most recent visit of the male with Bella at the NCTC nest is caught by Deb Stecyk.
Poor Bella. She continues to work on her nest with no news of Smitty.
Gabby and V3 are checking out the nest bowl at NEFlorida.
An owl goes after V3 (for the second time in as many days).
The rails are high and the one camera is set low but Muhlady is in the nest at Superbeaks incubating those two eggs.
More GHOs looking for nests and thinking of those that belong to Bald Eagles! This time at the nest of Abby and Blazer.
Fingers crossed for this pair of Black Storks.
Had to check on the only storklet fledgling of Karl II’s to have a transmitter this year – Kalvi. He is now in southern Turkey. Stay safe, Kalvi!
Wonderful news coming out of Kielder from Joanne Dailey and from Jean-marie Dupart in Senegal:
As we know from the Black Storks flying together (Karl II and Kaia) as well as others, Audubon’s recent report supports the notion of flock migration.
As you might be aware, the names of American birds are about to be changed. Here is a good read on why this huge task of removing names related to individuals is taking place.
Thank you so very much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you with us again soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog for today: ‘A’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam and the BOGS, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Gracie Shepherd, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Berry College Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Paul Kolnik, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, Superbeaks, Eagle Country, Maria Marika, Looduskalender, Joanne Dailey and Jean-marie Dupart, Audubon, and The Guardian.
I hope that the weekend was good and that the beginning of the week is even better for each and everyone.
It was a damp Sunday in southern Manitoba. It rained. Not enough to melt all the snow but enough to make you worry if you went out if the temperature drops quickly and turns that rain into ice. Still, I wanted to get to the nature centre for some suet and walk around checking on the geese and ducks.
But, before we even start on that…Pepe and Muhlady have their second egg of the Bald Eagle season at Superbeaks!!!!!!!! 32 days til hatch watch. Write that in your calendars. 7 December 2023.
Now back to the nature centre. I spotted 27 Hooded Mergansers. Others have seen more. There were Ring-billed gulls, Downy Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, a Rusty Blackbird, two American Coots and 8 Mallards. I did not see a single Canada Goose.
You might remember that earlier in the summer, there were lots of young Hooded Mergansers being cared for by two pairs of adults. I believe that these might be those same waterfowl all grown up!
These are female Hooded Mergansers.
I saw two Males. You can tell them immediately by the white on their hoods and neck.
A małe Downy Woodpecker was really enjoying the suet. Remember when it gets cold suet provides wonderful energy for the birds with all the added fat.
It is the same little Red Squirrel hoping that one of the birds would cause some seeds to drop from the feeders.
Every time I go for a walk in the nature centre, I rub the Buffalo Stone.
In the winter, kids of all ages – seniors, too – will take their sleds to the top of the run and go down the ramp on to the ice of Devonian Lake below. Of course, the lake is frozen solid by then.
Devonian Lake. The only leaves left on the trees are brown. The branches are so bare. The sky is a light dove grey while the lake is a little darker. Everything here in the winter turns into blacks, espressos, deep browns and beaver brown, and a range of greys. I miss the colour of spring! And fall.
At Pork Lincoln, the waters are not as calm as Devonian Lake, but they are calmer than yesterday. Dad will bring in a fish at 08:08 and another one around 13:00 at the time of writing this blog. There could be more and there will also be the fish fairy delivery. There has been no real beaking of any consequence.
Look at the feathers and the down feet. #2 often stars Giliath right in the eyes. It is never the thing to do. One beak by #2. Giliath says not doing that to me. Returns the beak and all is over.
The osplets are getting stronger on their ‘feet’. Just look at Giliath.
Looking out to the world beyond. Those beautiful feathers coming in on the hand and at the tail.
Mum is telling Dad to get on with the fishing. The chicks are going to be hungry.
Mum has flown off the nest. It is nearly 1300. Babies are panting and are hungry. Dad will arrive with a fish shortly. Everyone will get their fill.
‘A’ gives us the remaining report of the day at Port Lincoln: “The fish fairy arrived late this afternoon and delivered five medium-sized fish, mainly red mullet. This was greatly appreciated by mum, Giliath and Little Bob, who ate and ate and ate. For over an hour. Even dad benefitted, because when he caught a fish at 17:39, he was able to eat most of it himself on the ropes. When he brought the remainder to the nest, mum deigned to eat a little before returning to the red mullet. Mum does love her fish, but she tries so hard to fill up those osplets. She feeds fast, and she is always conscious of both chicks, feeding them alternately most of the time (one bite for Little Bob, two or three bites for mum, two bites for Giliath, more bites for mum, three bites for Little Bob, and so on). Oh they are sweet. An osprey nest without undue aggression is a beautiful thing. Rare and wonderful. I have never truly enjoyed an osprey nest until now. “
This is the weekly summary report from Port Lincoln:
They have discovered another nest in South Australia with a wee Osprey babe and an egg.
At Orange, the eyases were looking out of the scrape in the golden glow of morning, waiting for Xavier to bring in the breakfast. Look at how much of the down is now gone. They are developing so fast. Yes, we could have a fledge in a week. That is hard to believe.
These are a series of images from the scrape. Marri and Barru spend a lot of time looking out of the window at the great big world beyond the scrape. The feathers on the bottom of the scrape box not only belong to prey but also have been shed from their back, wings, and head. You can clearly see the falcon head and shape appearing. At times, the pair look like they are on a haute couture runway in Paris with the latest layered satin capes with fine feathering designs. They are simply beautiful although a big bedraggled. In a few days we will not remember what they looked like with their baby down.
There is nothing earth-shattering about these images. They are not fabulous for any reason. I love the state that their plumage is in at the moment. The feathers appear to have a quilted pattern in the first image, with the fine little pieces of down being the ties. The down on their heads is confined to a mini-mohawk. Look at the drape of the cape at the back and imagine a winter wonderland.
‘A’ remarks: “At Orange, little Barru is ADORABLE. Okay, they both are. With their tufts of fluff rapidly disappearing and their feathers coming through, and most importantly those gorgeous eyes. Oh they are so beautiful. Mum and dad are almost reluctant to enter the scrape at this point, as they are immediately mobbed by the eyases, and Xavier needs to count his talons after delivering prey. Mum still feeds the chicks when they let her, but usually, they grab and self-feed, The tugs of prey are risky, as Marri’s near-tumble the other day demonstrated. She really did fall out of the scrape – it was very lucky she got a talon-hold on that tiny ledge beneath the ledge, as it were, and then that she had the strength to flap her own weight back up and into the scrape. It was very dramatic for a few seconds there. But as I said, she learned absolutely nothing from the experience and returned immediately to exactly the same activity in precisely the same spot. Food, food, food!! “
SK Hideaways gives us the video of Diamond not wanting to be in the scrape with the two eyases anymore! Watch those little dandelion feathers go flying…my goodness. This scrape got so small with these two! https://youtu.be/aOZRU7A-Epw?si=Zccfxse3FC1Jh9on
News from Sydney. Images of Rohan Geddes in my blog of for Sunday the 5th of November.
And from Jen for the 6th November, 2023 – As promised, news on SE32 from yesterday. SE32 is with Dad and Lady at river roost! Another thanks to ground obs team – Jen, for the awesome video of SE32 flying with parents. More from the team later on what they saw today. How do we know, which one? SE32 has a high pitched squeal, easily heard over the river and evident when parents were feeding (in mangroves).
And even better news from ‘A’: “November 6: Again all was quiet overnight. Ground crew was down by the river early – and reported both adults and what we think is SE32 in mangroves near River Roost. During the morning I actually spotted SE32 hidden away in the mangroves -superb camouflage and heard it calling. After I left, at around 13:20 SE32 was seen eating under the mangroves, with prey delivered by one of the parents, standing guard nearby. So one of the juveniles at least is with the parents and has been delivered prey, which is wonderful news. Later in the afternoon I again saw both adults in the mangroves in a similar spot, Lady eating a fish and then a juvie possibly eating as well, out of sight. We have possibly heard 2 juveniles calling from that area during the day as well. I went for a walk through the forest, though saw no eagles this time, nor currawongs warning of the presence of a juvenile.”
We are so delighted with SE31 and 32 and knowing they are with Lady and Dad, being fed, getting their flying skills even stronger and learning to hunt. But could you stop for a moment? In recent memory, Lady and Dad have not been able to enjoy these moments either. The eaglets were either lost or taken into care. This must be the most glorious year for these sea eagle parents. Smile. Shed tears. How many years have we waited to see these wonderful fledglings living their lives and being fed without the onslaught of the Currawongs…it is beautiful.
Connie has spent an inordinate amount of time in the nest she shares with Clive on Captiva. Will this be the second eagle couple to lay an egg this season?
Moving sticks and beaky kisses with Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear!
At NE Florida, Gabby is determined to get her nest just right. Now we need eggs!
On Sunday, Smitty had been gone from the NCTC nest for four days. We wait to see what will happen. The young male intruder was seen at the nest on Sunday.
‘A’ gives us a report from the Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand: “At the albatross colony, OGK’s brother has been confirmed as an arrival this season. And as we know, YRK has returned, seemingly aware that OGK will not be coming home. Discussion on this led to someone posting this: https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-55416365. What an amazing photo. There is so much we assume about birds and their emotions (or lack of them) and we actually KNOW so very little. So far, there has not been an egg laid at the colony, but as eggs begin to hatch in the second half of January after an average incubation period of about 11 weeks (77 days), that means we should be expecting eggs to start being laid within the next two or three weeks. They will candle all of the eggs to ascertain which are fertile before deciding on this year’s Royal Cam family. It is a very long period of dedication from the parents – nearly three months of incubation, then eight months of feeding their chick before it fledges. That’s the best part of a year! Now that’s parental devotion.”
The GPS tracking systems on the migrating birds are so good that you can locate the precise pole that the bird was killed on. Indeed, some of them will change the image on the transmission to a skull and crossbones when the bird dies. This is where Karl II took his last breath.
This was sent to me this morning by my friend, Sassa Bird. We had been talking about the great loss that Karl II’s death has done to the people who work so hard for this endangered species to grow in Estonia (and Latvia). We remembered Urmas. He has to be more gutted than any of us will ever know. He has worked tirelessly for the Black Stork families in Estonia.
“NFO BIRDMAP: An adult Black Stork, tracked with support of BAltCF project. Breeding in webcam nest of Karula National Park since 2019. Karl II owned the nest after the previous male stork Karl died during the spring migration in Syria. In the spring of 2020, the former female stork Kati did not return from her migration, and a young female, whom observers began to call Kaia, appeared belatedly in May. Kaia laid two eggs, but left the hatching unfinished. After the breedind appeared unsuccessful we got a chance to capture Karl II and install a transmitter on him. So we know that in the previous two autumns, Karl II made a long migration stop on the Black Sea coast between Kherson and the Crimea, and from there flew west around the Black Sea to Africa. During the 2022 migration, this area was a war zone, and Karl II’s data was cut off on September 4 before reaching the occupied area. The next data transfer took place only on September 22, when Karl II reached the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, in the Dniester River delta. Then we saw that Karl II had flown to his usual stop over area on the Black Sea coast at Perekop Bay by evening September 5th, but the next day he flew away from there, 80 km north to the Dnipro river flood plaines, while checking the feeding places of previous years. In 6-19 September, Karl II stopped at the floodplains of the Dnipro river, in a militarily sense rather hot place between Kherson and Kahovka. On September 19th, Karl II went to see if the conditions on the Black Sea coast had calmed down, but turned back to the Dnipro river and from there in morning of September 20th, he flew further to the northwest, looking for suitable feeding places. In two days, without finding a good place to forage, Karl II reached the border of Moldova, in the delta of the Dniester River (by the evening of September 22). We will see if that will be a longer stop over or only for a single night. When he arrived in Africa, the connection with Karl II disappeared, as it does every autumn. But at the beginning of March 2023, Karl II started flying towards Estonia from his wintering place (from the border of the Central African Republic and DRC). Karl II made a migration stop over on April 1 due to rainy weather, but the rain turned to snow on April 4, and according to the forecast, the snow will not melt until a week later. The north is free of snow, but Karl II probably doesn’t know that. Nevertheless, Karl II breeds successfully in season 2023. There grow up three chicks of four eggs. Last is Karl II to leave for autumn migration. He doesn’t know that it will be his last one. Between 1st and 2nd October Karl II lands on electric pylon for night, but got electrocuted. Turkish colleagues searched and found dead body, took away the transmitter.”
If you are in Malta, please read this and help.
North Ronaldsay is in the Orkneys. It has broken its own record with more than 226 species observed on the island.
We have Wild Turkeys in Manitoba. I remember with some disgruntlement when eBird told me that I was incorrect in spotting and hearing a Wild Turkey at Fort Whyte Alive in the spring. Well, turns out I was right and several others saw the turkeys, too. Want to know more about their behaviour? Have a read.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: “A, H, Sassa Bird”, PLO, Fran Solly, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways, Rohan Geddes, Jen, Cathy Cook, Inatra Veidemane, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, AEF, Sassa Bird, Maria Marika, Birdlife Malta, Bird Guides, and Cool Green Science.
Thursday was a gorgeous day. The temperature hovered around 0 C. So it was damp and the wind was a little nippy but it was still a good day for a walk in the park and a party for the girls!
I did not touch the colour. This really was a ‘grey’ day! There is a skim of ice over most of the pond but not all of it.
The gardeners have left everything for the birds that winter there and the birds in the spring when all those insects come to life. Remember that if you see Cedar Waxwings in groups on the sidewalks or lawns looking dead, they have been eating fermented berries and are drunk. They will come around!
I had hoped to get the girls to wear those decorative collars and all sit nice around their cake and food dishes but…well, cats do not cooperate! They are independent with minds of their own. Too funny. Looking forward to many more years with these three. Oh, and ‘the boyfriend’ also got a special plate of food.
Missey licking her lips after some nice chicken.
Missey looked at the little cake with its raspberry icing and thought about tasting it. But Missey is too polite to do that – she only rushes and grabs if it is chicken! or butter.
Hope thought the best thing was the six different types of treats.
The vet might have something to say about ‘little’ (LOL) Hope.
Calico was all excited – she enjoyed the chicken, two plates of special tinned food and then to top it off, she wasn’t shy about checking out the raspberry icing! Happy first birthday, Calico!
It is official. Pepe and Muhlady at the Superbeaks Bald Eagle nest in Central Florida have the first egg of the season. It arrived on the 2nd of November. Congratulations!
Tonya Irwin reminded everyone on the KNF chat of last year’s egg laying: “That’s what happened last season. Superbeaks on 11/2 then KNF E-3 on 11/19, then Metro, then back to Florida at SWFL, then KNF E-1.”
It was a good morning at Port Lincoln. There were two early feedings!
With the chicks full, Mum gets to enjoy some nice fish.
The report for the day:
In other Port Lincoln news,
Parent feedings and self-feeding at the scrape of Diamond and Xavier early morning.
The down is quickly coming off those heads!
Lady and Dad were at the old Ironbark Nest in the Sydney Olympic Park early in the morning.
‘A’ sends the report from Sydney: “November 2: Last evening late (November 1) at 19:27, Dad brought in a good-sized fish. As no juvenile turned up, Lady ate it. This morning, both eagles came to the nest early, moving a few sticks before leaving. All was quiet on the nest during the day. Then, late in the afternoon (17:14), Lady was escorted into the nest area by the currawongs and was seen up high above the camera. Neither juvenile has been seen here today . Later, both parents came in, were seen on the nest and looking down below, before settling in.
November 3: Both parents were seen at the nest early and later down on the river. Otherwise no sightings during the day – all quiet. I went for a walk in the forest again, searching, and could not see either of the juveniles. I did find lots of gull feathers under the nest – remains of prey – though no fish bits. Maybe a fox has cleaned them up? There were also clumps of possum fur here and there and a few furry remains – maybe signs of Powerful Owl prey? The picture is from the forest in the ironbark roost area and shows our original hide. We used to watch the original oldest nest from there. This was BC – Before Camera.”
There are Bald Eagles at Decorah and in Manitoba, where I live, they are gathering along the river – juveniles, sub-adults, and adults. They will almost all begin their migration soon although some are choosing to remain here in the winter.
Clive and Connie were at Captiva. (I wonder if we should check the osprey cam soon?)
At Dulles-Greenway, Martin brings Rosa a rabbit lunch!
Looks like Ron and Rose are thinking eaglets, too! Let us hope their second season together at the WRDC nest is fantastic.
Ahhhhhh….love is on the minds of all the eagles. Louis and Anna, both recovering from some injuries, were working diligently on their nest in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana.
M15 brings a huge fish and for the first time, his new mate, F23, eats it on the nest!
Jak and Audacity always hopeful – at Sauces in the Channel Islands.
Graceful. Beautiful. The Sandhill Cranes feed on the farmer’s fields here in Manitoba in the spring and the fall. Ferris Akel captures some video of the ones near Ithaca, NY this past weekend that are undertaking migration.
The National Wildlife Foundation provides the following information on the range of the Sandhill Crane: “Sandhill cranes spend most of their lives in freshwater wetlands, including marshes, wet grasslands and river basins. Three subpopulations of sandhill cranes are migratory: the lesser, greater, and Canadian sandhill cranes. All of these subspecies spend winters in the south and summers at their breeding grounds. The cranes winter in Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. In the early spring, they begin the migration to their breeding grounds. Throughout the spring, the cranes can be seen resting and feeding along rivers and wetlands throughout the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest. The largest congregation of sandhill cranes occurs from February to early April along the Platte River in Nebraska. During the late spring, summer, and early fall, sandhill cranes can be seen at their breeding grounds. Some breed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Others breed in Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Three subpopulations of sandhill cranes are non-migratory. The Mississippi sandhill crane is found on the southeastern coast of Mississippi. Florida sandhill cranes occur in many inland wetlands of Florida. The Cuban sandhill crane lives exclusively in savannas, wetlands, and grasslands in Cuba. Mississippi and Cuban sandhill cranes are critically endangered.”
New records were set for counting on Big Bird Day! How wonderful.
As the weather gets cooler in the Northern Hemisphere, people worry about mice and head to the shops to get rodenticide. Please don’t.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. I hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for the notes, posts, articles, videos, graphics, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, Tonya Irwin, Superbeaks, Sassa Bird, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, KNF-E1, National Wildlife Federation, Lady Hawk, Ferris Akel, BirdLife International and BirdGuides.
It is 1600 on the Canadian Prairies, Tuesday 31 October, as I begin to write. In about an hour before children will begin screaming ‘Trick or Treat’ or ‘Halloween Apples’. I am ready! Let’s hope that I am not too scary.
If you are trying to read the apron, it is from the Hanoi Cooking Centre and if you are ever in Hanoi and want to take cooking classes, I highly recommend it as an option.
The water was not completely frozen at the park near to where I live Tuesday morning but the hundreds of Canada geese and ducks are gone leaving a pair of Mallards and about a dozen Canada Geese. It was quiet except for the occasional honk.
In the garden, there were lots of Sparrows at the feeders along with many Dark-eyed Juncos and Red Crossbills. The Starlings came to visit as did Mr Crow and, of course, the squirrels.
The nest in the Sydney Olympic Park, home to Lady and Dad, and SE 31 and 32 (this year) is eerily quiet.
No one slept on the nest and no eaglets have been seen so far in at least 36 hours.
‘A’ gives us the official report: “October 31: A very hot windy day. Both parents were at the nest early, moving a few sticks, then away. During the early morning bird survey over in the nearby wetlands, I could see both parents over on River Roost. During the afternoon, we think there was a sighting of one juvenile flying into the forest. We went for a walk in the forest searching, but everything was very quiet with the heat. Both parents were in the forest around 3pm and then seen again down on River Roost. Looking under the nest, we did find the dried remains of a puffer fish and the tail of the little ringtail we saw them eat previously. Also lots of silver gull feathers and a couple of eagle feathers. Around 5pm, both adults were heard down on River Roost. We shall keep watching and listening for signs of our fledglings.”
‘A’ reports to me that there are bush fires around Sydney. We are both worried about the sea eaglets and, in particular, SE31.
At the Port Lincoln barge nest of Mum and Dad, Mum was waiting and flew off for either a comfort break of to try and get breakfast.
Mum hoping for a fish and Galiath and #2 ready!
Gave up.
Dad got the fish to the nest at 08:56:30. Everyone was ready! And thrilled. Dad had eaten before the delivery – so a fish.
At some point in the morning, #2 beaked Galiath and Galiath retaliated…#2 became submissive. All appears to be well. Galiath is substantially larger than #2 and we can only assume that Galiath is female and little 2 is male since there is only two days difference between them in terms of hatching.
Then the fish fairy came.
Just look at that crop on Galiath. I hope that #2 got some fish!
11:24
2 tommies and 2 red mullet supplemental fish delivered!
Sup. Fish (M,Whole)
11:24 2
Mum’s back in the nest much more quickly than yesterday. Giliath’s on the left and chick #2’s behind Mum. Both chicks eats some. 2 whole tommies and 1 partial red mullet and 1 red mullet tail remain for now.
12:02 3
Mum’s back on the red mullet. Giliath’s on the left and chick #2’s behind Mum. Giliath eats som
‘A’ comments, “Everyone ate well at Port Lincoln today. As usual, dad brought in a nice breakfast fish, the fish fairy arrived with lunch, which fed the whole family throughout the afternoon, and dad is currently on dinner duty (it’s nearly 5pm there now). The osplets ate a huge meal from 08:56 and their crops were topped up repeatedly during the day, with the fish fairy delivering four nice fish. Once again, I saw no bonking whatsoever on the nest, and feedings were peaceful and fraternal. Big sister sat and watched little bro get half a dozen bites in a row, without objecting or getting aggressive. At one point, after Little Bob had been eating uninterrupted for a couple of minutes, Giliath did shuffle slightly to indicate she was getting slightly impatient, at which point mum promptly gave her a bite. But that was as exciting as things got. Both osplets are well into their reptilian phase and are looking as if they’ve been dipped in a bucket of dirty sump oil. Gone are the cute fluffy creatures of only a few days ago. These slimy-looking black chicks have fat tummies and very round little bottoms. When their crops get too big to stand up to eat, they sit like plump little ducklings to feed. Of course there is a lot of preening occurring and the first wingercising has begun. Although Giliath did faceplant once or twice in the process, she soon worked out how to operate her wings today, doing some very impressive and energetic flapping. Little Bob was in awe. “
Xavier brought in a Starling for Marri and Barru.
Diamond came to the rescue so that both would have some breakfast.
Migration Count from Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, USA.
There are a few ospreys staying in places that humans think they shouldn’t. Some in Colorado and some in the UK.
San Francisco is one of those places where some ospreys migrate like Rosie while others stay like her mate, Richmond. Here is another pair – are they the only bonded pair that are staying behind in California together?
Can you help monitor the Condor cam in search of #171 California Condor named Traveler who has been missing from the feeding stations at Big Sur has caused concern. They are asking for our eyes. Thank you.
Bella and Smitty are reunited at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest. Please send warm wishes that all the intruders and injuries are now past.
Gabby and V3 continue to work on their nest. No on-camera mating that I am aware. ‘A’ is worried that V3 might not be up to the job. We will wait and see. I am hoping he is camera shy!
Jackie and Shadow were working at their nest despite the fact that they will be the last ones to lay their eggs, most likely.
Work continues on the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive, parents of Connick. No word yet on Connick’s release. Will let you know when I hear some news.
The pair at Duke Farms have a beautiful nest and I do mean gorgeous. Look at the rails and the grasses!
These are two updates from Duke Farms: “June 25 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection update: The nest collapsed in several sections. This is not an uncommon occurrence with eagle nests. Nests that are used for many years get very large and heavy. Every year a few nests fall or, in some cases, the entire nest tree falls. Depending on what time of the nesting season this occurs, it can result in chicks being injured or killed. The fact the nest collapsed after the juveniles fledged is a good thing. They have been fledged for over a month, haven’t been seen at the nest as frequently and will soon be going off on their own. We’ll have to wait and see what will happen with the nest. The adults could try and rebuild the nest or move to a new nest tree. August 11 NJDEP update: A volunteer has been keeping an eye on the cam. Two adult eagles have been seen at the nest – it looks like the eagles are a male and female based on the size, but it’s not clear if one of the eagles is A/59 or a new male. It’s indeterminable if the pair will return to the nest. In many cases, pair rebuild nests in the same location or close by if a collapse has occurred. Sometimes, if there is a new bird in the bird, they will move nest locations. The identity of the male in the pair is a contributing factor in the situation. The fact that two adults are together at the nest may lead to the possibility of rebuilding in the same spot or close by.”
Martin and Rosa checking out the skies over their nest at Dulles-Greenway.
Mr North, Mrs DNF, and a lovely Red-tail Hawk were at the Decorah Eagle nest on Tuesday. Looks like there is snow in Iowa, too!
Aerial battles over Loch Arkaig??????
Any time our feathered friends make the news, it is good. Someone new will learn something and maybe they will spread the word about how we are trying to help!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care! Looking forward to having you with us again soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Hawk Mountain, BarbandBob Larsen, Jeff Kear, SF Bay Ospreys, Ventana Wildlife Society, Deb Stecyk, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenway, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Geemeff, TCD, BirdGuides and Sassa Bird.
In North America, it is almost Halloween. Children still go door to door and hear screaming ‘Halloween Apples’ or ‘Trick or Treat’. I always feel sorry for them when it is cold and you can hardly see their costumes. We are all set – packaged goods only – lots of combinations of dried fruit. Presumably, they will eat their candies first and sigh when they see the fruit, but I won’t feel guilty about their teeth. I had a friend once who handed out toothbrushes.
Decades ago, it became clear that ‘incidents’ happen and children should not eat treats from people they don’t know unless they are fully sealed, etc. I often wonder why the community centres, schools, and families do not just have a local party for the children. When we lived in England, Halloween was not a ‘thing’. I understand it is now. We had Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November – jacket potatoes on the barbecue or bonfire. Sometimes called Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night. Effigies were burned. It always depended on whose side you were on, I was told (please correct me). Fawkes was part of a plot to burn down the Houses of Parliament; he was a Catholic in 1605. So, the effigy is sometimes considered the Pope, and some burn a figure of Fawkes in support of the monarchy. The holiday became official in 1859. It was all new to us and great fun – friends from the cup de sac at the foot of the gorse joined to celebrate. Gosh, I miss them!
The girls will be safely stowed away in the conservatory while treats are handed out. I still do not trust them not to run out the door – although I have to say that Calico has not even ventured near the door to do that. She will look out at the birds and, on occasion, at the cats visiting the feeding station, but she is mostly uninterested. The three girls still love story time. It is a ritual that prescribes I sit on the floor with a pile of blankets beside me. The little portable heater needs to be on. I must have a bag of treats. Calico will sit on my lap or the blanket. Missey is on the couch, and Hope is under one of the chairs. Treats were distributed, and then, today, we reached the end of H is for Hawk. If I do not do precisely as I have done since Calico first came into my life, she appears to get stressed. Ritual. I love it, too. We all know what to expect, and I get time to read some very good books.
Hope has decided to move into Missey’s basket. Missey doesn’t seem bothered. If I look for Hope and cannot find her, she will be in the basket! Just look at that bushy tail. Hope is a really sweet kitten. Missey loves playing with Hope (not so much Calico).
Calico has taken over the couch. We are so glad so many of your enjoyed seeing Hope and Calico with ‘Lewis’s’ pillow. It was a wonderful surprise – so thoughtful. Thanks, Auntie.
Other images from Saturday – cats lounging, the snow, Missey watching the birds.
Calico seems to have decided that she still needs to provide milk for Hope. She was bursting this afternoon…Hope is very well fed!
Now, one thing. Pumpkins and peanut butter. The squirrels are too well-fed to bother. I saw some little birds pecking, but the deer is like the pumpkins in Canada. I have discovered that pumpkins are dangerous to hedgehogs, so don’t put them out if you live where there are hedgehogs. We don’t wish to kill them. I loved the ones who came to the orchard at the end of our garden to eat the fruit that had fallen on the ground.
Before we check on Australia, M15 is getting really serious about his new mate and the potential for a family with her. He brought in two fish gifts on Saturday. She, of course, might know that she won the Bald Eagle lottery when they met and bonded. F23 could not have a better mate and provider for her and their babies.
At Port Lincoln, Goliath and Little are really into the Reptilian Phase. The Reptilian Phase generally begins around Day 12. Between the plumage of the newly hatched, that light down with the dark eye line and the slightest hint (or more) of the dark stripe on their back and their juvenile feathers. In the Reptilian Phase, the chicks look like they have been dipped in a pot of old motor oil. They are dark, scaly, slick, bald, ebony black heads with little copper-red feathers coming in at the back of the nape. Those coppery-red feathers will begin to appear elsewhere as well. The chicks become itchy as their blood feathers begin to grow. The feathers grow out of ‘blood quills’ if you did not know. If these are broken, they can die if the blood does not coagulate. It is the same with eaglets, and some of you will recall the season 2021 at Captiva when Joe and Connie’s two eaglets died of rodenticide poisoning. One directly from the poison and the eldest from its blood feather breaking, and because the blood did not coagulate (due to the rodenticide to kill mice/rats), it bled to death on the nest). From my observations over the years, this is the time when the chicks also begin bonking.
They are right in terms of development. Goliath is 12 days old, and Little is ten days old. The size difference can reflect the two days between hatch and gender, with the female being much larger than the male. You will notice that Goliath is darker with less down – it is the age difference. Little is just entering the new itchy phase. They will appear thin and ‘lean’. As this phase and the juvenile feather phase take over, their flight feathers, both the primaries and secondaries on the wing and the tail feathers, will come in. The largest and longest of the feathers take much longer to come in. Once all their feathers are in, they are ready to fly! No worries. We are a long way from fledge!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I write, Dad has brought in a whole fish at 0747 which lasted for two feedings an hour apart.
It is hard to tell how much fish Little received at the feeding. He got tangled with Goliath. Dad returned to fetch the fish at 0809. He will return it, but – he will have some breakfast, too. The fact that the parents can now eat will give them strength. It was physically hard on Mum during the last season with Zoe when she demanded so much fish that neither her siblings nor Mum had some at times. This year is going to be so very different. Hoping for the best for all of them. This family deserves a ‘break’.
All of the positive comments on the Port Lincoln Osprey FB feed must be heart-warming to those who fought hard for this intervention to happen.
The fish fairy arrives with four really nice size fish. Mum and Goliath and Little feast as does Dad.
PLO posts: “Dad the first one back and takes 1 fish. Mum feeds the 2 babies. Both babies full. Dad back for a 2nd fish and leaves the fish tail.”
‘A’ gives us her report: “There were several good feedings for both osplets at Port Lincoln today. Dad brought in a big whole breakfast fish at 07:47. and the ensuing feeding continued until 08:12. At 12:45, the fish fairy delivered four medium-sized whole fish. This fed everyone – dad was first to the nest after the delivery and grabbed one for himself. Mum then arrived to feed the kids. Neither parent is at all perturbed, it seems, by the aunty door dash and seem to be getting very used to it. It’s a race between them to get to the nest after the fairy leaves, given they know what they will find there. The feeding from those gift fish lasted for 37 minutes and, like the morning feeding, left both osplets with very very full crops. Another half fish was brought in by dad for dinner, at 18:42. So everyone went to bed with full tummies. And again today, there was no bonking and no signs of aggression between the osplets.”
‘A and H’ mention that there is really sad news coming out from Turnby Island, the Osprey nest of Partney and Marrum.
Calypso, the 2019 Port Lincoln Hatch, has been exploring the area. Everyone is hoping she will find a mate and raise chicks so Mum and Dad can be grandparents. Port Lincoln will build a platform for her if she does not settle on one of those available.
Port Lincoln has found another osprey nest with chicks that they did not know about! Check out that nest. Off the ground and away from predators.
At the nest tree in the Sydney Olympic Forest (the old Ironwood Tree), SE 32 decided to stay home. S/he had many meals and time with Lady and Dad – which brought joy and tears to all of us. SE31 was also seen. No one has seen 31 fed on camera but the eaglet is flying strong — send every positive wish you have for the eaglets as they persevere against the Currawong who would like to drive them from the forest!
Earlier News.
Currawongs harassing 31.
As soon as the adults flew off the nest (they had stayed with 32 overnight), the Currawongs came and pestered 32 til it flew off. Later, the parents are looking over the forest for their eaglets.
All is well at Orange. It looked like something other than a Starling arrived for breakfast at 0728. The two are really getting their primary and secondary wing feathers in as well as the tail feathers. The faces are changing and every day they get stronger and stronger on their legs. Diamond makes them stretch their necks to get their prey – strengthening those muscles that will become so valuable to them in the future.
‘A’ gives us the prey report from Orange: “At Orange, mum arrived home for the evening about ten minutes ago. The two eyases are asleep in their usual cuddle puddle, on the near side wall of the scrape (so largely invisible from the Box Cam). They are gorgeous. Here are the day’s time stamps: PREY 06.12.06 M takes, 07.27.50, 08.19.23, 10.42.06, 13:35:02, 17:10:05 FEEDING 06.13+, 07.22 M+B self feed, 07.28, 07.43( leftover starling), 09.08, 10.43, 13:37, 17:10 (M self-feed). HIGHLIGHTS: 06.07+ zoomies, 07.25.50+ B+M plucking, 12:58:10 Barru ‘broods’ Dudley. 12: 58:57 Marri’s turn, LEDGE CAMERA 10.09.20 M puts wing over B, 13:36.35 + Barru nipps at Xavier’s tail feathers.”
Did they? or didn’t they? Gabby invites V3 to mate.
The first confirmed case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza reaches the Antarctic. So, it’s not just melting sea ice but now H5N1 that is a massive threat to all species including the Penguins.
Everyone thought he retired – of course, Dr Peter Sharpe can never retire. He has Bald Eagle blood flowing through his veins and today he was fitting a camera so that Thunder and Akecheta’s breeding season can be viewed at their new nest. Of course, they could choose the old nest – thankfully there is a camera there. Thanks, Dr Sharpe!
Territorial disputes continue at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty.
Always grateful to the kindness extended to our wildlife in trouble – normally created by us like fishing line! Completely tanged and the kind soul took the time – and great patience – to free this osprey.
In the UK, Babet, the storm that hit and caused extensive flooding and damage, also caused some birds to wind up in very unusual places.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, Lady Hawk, PLO, Rohan Geddes, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Denise W Starr, SK Hideaway, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, British Antarctic Survey, The Telegraph, Down to Earth, Dave Gallivan, Deb Stecyk, Rachel Stevenson-Thomas, and Bird Guides.
