I really hope you enjoyed that video of the turtle escaping Liberty and Guardian’s nest in Redding, California that was in the post Friday morning. That was one lucky turtle!
It snowed in Winnipeg. Then it snowed some more! The measurement in the garden was 43 cm. Our young man was not around so we did the shoveling which really took a lot of time – and energy. It was also chicken Friday so ‘The Girls’ and Brock had their Friday chicken dinners.
‘J’ sent me some news that raises some interesting questions. A real mystery is happening at the Pittsburgh-Hays Bald Eagle nest. Long time ‘Dad’ disappeared last year and is in the Memorial Pages. A new male appeared. Now ‘Dad’ has returned after more than a year, according to reports!!!!!!!
Was he injured and in rehabilitation and released, returning home? How do we know he is the original ‘Dad’? There are no bands that I am aware. We have not been able to find out any further information.
Osprey News:
Russell Lake, Nova Scotia: Oscar has arrived safely home! YEAH.
Oak Tree Nest, Threave Ospreys: Both ospreys are on the nest and working hard!
Loch of the Lowes: Does Blue NC0 have a new mate?
Foulshaw Moss: White YW is very popular. His mate Blue35 has not yet returned, but there are two unringed unidentified females trying to get his affections! Thanks J Kear and UKOsprey Info for the post.
UPDATE: Blue 35 is back!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fort Calhoun: ‘PB’ is keeping a close eye and notes an arrival.
Hellgate Canyon: Iris and Finnegan will have a lot of work to do when they return to their nest in Missoula. Iris traditionally returns on the 8th of April.
Birds of Poole Harbour: No one is going to mess with CJ7 and ‘her’ nest!!!!!
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris and Telyn enjoying being back together.
HEIDI’S OSPREY REPORT:
3/29 – Moorings Park: Sally was struck by a GHO at 01:10, but she was not knocked off the nest. To my knowledge, there has not been a GHO problem at that nest before. Fingers crossed that Ozzie will stay safe. Little Ozzie is only 20 days old.
Bald Eagle News:
NEFlorida: The juvenile visitor that has been adopted by Beau, Gabby, and Bodie has been officially named ‘Juvie’.
NCTC: A bold owl sat near the nest while a meteorite flew by! Bella and Scout kept that owl at bay. https://youtu.be/UFfi8QFlj94?
Kansas Bald Eagles: Kanza is still the Only Eaglet. That egg is non-viable. Lucky Kanza! All that good prey just for you.
Big Bear Valley: Full crops for Jackie and Shadow’s kiddos. They are adorable. Little miracles. The two were having quite the little spat. Almost like Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo play fighting. Well, Daddy Shadow was on the nest. It was obvious he got tired of it, didn’t like them fighting, and went over and put an end to it. Yes, eagle parents to intervene. Some actually just sit on the eaglets (or osplets) to stop fighting/bonking.
Sauces Canyon: Betty Lou is the sweetest little eaglet.
Kisatachie National Park E3: ‘MP’ sends us good news: “The parents on this nest had some good luck today. They brought in a small fish first thing which chick got to tear a part. The second fish was a big bloody one without the head which dad eat, the head that is. Mom came in behind him and took it to feed chick and herself. Then, a great big Catfish was on the menu for the day. Although, no one in chat knew what it was because the parents brought it in bit by bit or piece by piece. Then, at the end of the day, the great big head was brought in which no one knew until she turned it over and then we could all see it was Catfish head. The pieces brought in were theorized as chicken filets up until then. Even the rangers thought that they had stolen them from some camp site.
Wishing all of the new little bobbleheads full crops and a safe fledge.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, news, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, MP, PB’, PIX Cams, Pittsburgh-Hayes Eagle Cam, UKOsprey Info, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Foulshaw Ospreys, OPPD Fort Calhoun, Osprey Research Project/Hellgate Canyon Ospreys, Birds of Poole Harbour, Dyfi Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, Little Miami Conservancy, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, Kansas Bald Eagles, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, Kistachie Forest E3 Eagle Cam, PIX Cams, Ventana Wildlife Society, Moorings Park
The predicted snow storm to bring 25 cm to our region began about ten minutes ago at 1616 on Thursday. Big flakes are blowing in the garden. The grey squirrels are still gathering peanuts and the Starlings are eating. The Crows, Jays, and a female Downy Woodpecker were here earlier along with Little Red – who has just appeared again – and the Sparrows.
At the end of the day, the ruler tells me that more than 35 cm of snow fell in the garden. We need the moisture and it is so beautiful and white!
Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam: Great News. Twenty-two year old Big Red, Cornell’s Iconic Red-tail Hawk, has laid her first egg of the season on Thursday.https://youtu.be/RCChvBTKMVs?
Osprey News:
Birds of Poole Harbour: National UK news reported on the presence of Maya’s daughter, 1H1 (2022) at the nest of CJ7 and Blue022. (Posted on UKOsprey Information)
Kielder Forest: Blue K13. She landed briefly on another nest. Hers is nest 6. All of her three chicks were sadly lost, along with so many other nests, to the unseasonal weather in 2024.
Loch of the Lowes: A male visits the nest of Blue NC0.
Geemeff comments: “NC0’s potential suitor is interesting – he’s not the Dark Intruder, but is he the Pale Male, or a new one? The action took place over 55 minutes, I condensed it into a 4 minute clip. This is what SWT says:
A male landed on the nest next to NC0 at 13:44 this afternoon, and spent around 55 minutes quietly sitting alongside her. After engaging in a spot of ‘nestorating’ and a failed mating attempt he flew off, leaving her alone to enjoy last night’s fish supper on the ‘Split Birch’. Weather conditions are making it hard to make positive comparisons with footage of various males from last year, however this bird does not look to be the osprey known as the ‘Dark Intruder’ who defended the territory last season after the death of her long term mate, LM12. It could be possible that it might be the ‘Pale Male’ who destroyed the eggs and tried to claim the territory as his own, or another male entirely- at this stage we can’t be sure and will need to watch to see how things play out. One things for sure, things are about to get exciting!
Boulder County Fairgrounds: The female has arrived home to the nest!
Dyfi Osprey Nest: Telyn has arrived home to her Idris! Geemeff says: “Idris was so happy to see Telyn, he brought her a fish and then mated with her while she was eating it 😃
In this heavily edited clip shortened from 53 minutes down to one minute: Telyn Blue 3J arrives at 12.40, looking in very good shape. Her mate Idris arrives with a fish at 13.15, and she grabs it eagerly. Idris leaves shortly thereafter, and Telyn takes her fish and flies up to the high perch. 13.33 Idris returns and flies up to join Telyn where she’s eating her fish on the high perch. But instead of joining her, he proceeds to mate with her! The cam operator zooms in and we see Telyn is clutching her fish determinedly while Idris goes to work. He flies away leaving her to her meal. Welcome home Telyn!”
Goitzsche Wildnis: JC comments: “Zeus is still waiting for his Fjona. He looks restless, scanning the horizon, as if his gaze were guiding his partner to reach the nest. There is a touch of melancholy and sadness in this solitude of Zeus. No other female has passed by the nest looking for an opportunity to nest. Hopefully this situation has its hours numbered. We’ll see how the day presents itself tomorrow 😀.”
Bald Eagle News:
NEFlorida: Bodie has learned so much from his nestmate. He has learned to steal food, to share food, and to let the juvie enjoy his own prey. He is now jumping up and down and flapping and soon Bodie will be flying with JV.
Thank you so much for being with us today. We love having you with us. Take care of yourself. Go outside and smell the spring air, listen for birds and geese, walk through the trees, and just sit still. We need to take care of ourselves, one another, and our wildlife.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: “EJ, Geemeff’, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Birds of Poole Harbour, Kielder Forest, Woodland Trust (LOTL) and Geemeff, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Dyfi Osprey Project, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, KCAL, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, PIX Cam, Little Miami Conservancy, White-Tailed Eagle in Nizhnyaya Kama National Park Russia, San Jose City Hall Falcon Scrape, The Guardian, Joan Castyner, Kistachie E3 Bald Eagle Cam, The Dodo
Thank you to everyone for sending in news items. It is much appreciated and it is all too easy for me to miss something which is important. So, we are going to put the news items in my inbox up front today.
‘J’ let me know that the much loved Latvian Golden Eagle Spilve, mother of the late Klints, has laid an egg. In 2020, Spilve laid her first egg on 29 March. It is believed that she has not been breeding since then – at least not at this nest. https://youtu.be/DOj7tYjk1j0?
“EJ’ sent me a wonderful news article. Imagine gold fish ponds everywhere ——–imagine ponds and large holding tanks, no deeper than 3 feet – full of koi. That sure would put an end to hunger on some of those osprey nests! I remember marveling at the adults at Collins Marsh one year. The normal fish were small and one day the adults found a koi pond. I wondered if it was a garden centre or a home. Their babies ate well then.
Port of Ridgefield, WA: ‘BHA’ writes: “Sorry the photo isn’t very good – this is on my t.v. New camera is great, complete with date and time this year (which doesn’t show in this picture). As you can see it’s a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. 🌞”. The couple laid three eggs last year with only one chick reaching fledge (2 DNH).
I think that image is very good and we so appreciate your sharing it with us. What a nice day for this couple to be home!
‘PB’ sent us the 2025 US State of the Bird Report and it shows numbers os birds are dropping significantly.
Patuxent River Park osprey nest (MD) – 3/26 the cam went live for the season, and I was delighted to see the same ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ at the nest. It’s good to see they both made it back.
Seaside osprey nest (OR) – Bruce returned on 3/24, and Naha arrived on 3/26. It’s always wonderful when a beloved pair are reunited after a long migration.
Crooked Lake osprey nest (IN) – An osprey pair is at the nest. The chat is referring to the male as Noble, and is referring to the female as ‘Mom’ (rather than Whitley), but I think it is the same female.
Moorings Park osprey nest (FL) – The chatters were fond of calling Sally and Harry’s only osplet ‘Solo’. But, on 3/26 the community bird club officially named the 17-day-old youngster “Ozzie.”
Other Osprey news:
Bassenthwaite/Blackgate Farm Ospreys: J Kear reports that both ospreys have returned to their nest.
Llyn Brenig: Blue 372 is eating a lot of fish and restoring her strength and health in time for breeding season.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Perhaps Idris is trying out for the Olympic pole vaulting team! Idris worked hard on that nest and now he can celebrate with his mate Telyn who returned today.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 got down to business and got rid of Maya’s 2022 daughter, Blue 1H1, and has been getting nicely reacquainted with her mate, Blue 022. These two raised four osplets to fledge – the little one won everyone’s heart for its tenacity!
Loch of the Lowes: Blue NC0 is some great fisher. She is going to be incredible shape.
Colonial Beach Ospreys: A mystery female appeared on the nest on Wednesday.
Sun Coast Ospreys: Sara and Sota have their second hatch.
Lake Murray: At least two attacks on the nest by other ospreys yesterday. Hoping resident ospreys, Kenny and Lucy, are safe.
Blithfield Reserve, UK: Male has returned to the nest.
It is possible that one of Bella and Scout’s eaglets is injured. Deb Stecyk reports that it could be puncture wounds. Please send good wishes. https://youtu.be/8KsYYqn5qOU?
Decorah North: Mr and Mrs DNF have a failed season. Their first eaglet tried for five days to free itself of a crushed shell before dying. The second egg is 41 days old today and deemed unviable.
Duke Farms: The triplets still doing very, very well.
Sauces Canyon Eagles: Betty Lou is growing and growing!
West End: The blood from the encounter off camera to save territory is drying on Haku as she stands proudly by Maiko.
Sutton Centre Eagles: They have their second hatch of the season.
Glacier Gardens: The male died last year. Mum was seen ‘eyeing’ a potential new mate in late December. Mum was at the nest on Wednesday.
Kistachie National Forest E3: E03 had at least one prey delivery today. I rewinded late in the day, but the eaglet did appear to have a crop earlier, too. 03 appears to have branched, slightly.
The nest appearance was an empty taloned adult.
Birds and their eggs were rescued from the California wild fires – what a nice ending for today!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to those who sent news, for comments, videos, articles, images, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘BHA, EJ, Geemeff, H, JK, LDF Golden Eagle Cam, Fox5Vegas, Port of Ridgefield, Birds & Blooms, OspreyInfoUK, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Colonial Beach Ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sun Coast Ospreys, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Duke Farms, IWS/Explore, Hilton Head Island Trust, Sutton Centre, Bartlesville, OK, Patuxent River Park, The Guardian, Crooked Lake, Seaside, Patuxent River Park, Lake Murray ospreys, Kielder Forest
There was quite the scare at Sauces Canyon Friday when a huge placenta was brought in that covered most of SC1. The wee one was shivering. The camera operator stayed and caught Audacity doing everything she could to save her little one. She was moving and shuffling and removing matter to free SC1. It took two hours. Everyone was holding their breath.
Meanwhile the nest is simply full of food including a dead seal pup and a lot of Mackerel.
SC1 standing up for a meal after its arduous ordeal. Another miracle. Poor little thing could use a bit of a wipe. But who cares – SC1 looks fine.
In other Eagle news, Bodie and the visitor at NE Florida are quite settled in with one another. Gabby even fed the other juvenile – and, of course, Bodie got fed as well. Many are hoping that the American Eagle Foundation will give the adopted eaglet a name.
Bodie did not go hungry! Look at this crop. It is a wonder she can stand upright.
The two at Big Bear Valley are doing so well. Look closely, the pin feathers are coming in. The little one is scampering around that egg cup wanting ‘out’. They are flapping their little wings and growing fast.
The eaglets at John Bunker Sands Wetlands are gorgeous.
The triplets at Duke Farms are doing well. Their mum was heroic in keeping them as dry as she could during the recent storm. They have their dark thermal down coming in which allows them to regulate their temperatures but, oh, what a lovely sight she was tucking them in as best she could. Just look today.
At the NCTC nest, Bella and Scout’s little one had its first feeding. It is fine. Scout was there to see it hatch and has brooded the wee one. This is good news. https://youtu.be/0aPqI9_OW5c?
Mr North and Mrs DNF have a hatch in progress or two at the Decorah North nest in Iowa.
Hancock Wildlife Foundation announced today that their Surrey nest of Brit and Rey has their second egg of the season.
We are keeping eyes on several other nests for pips that include Harvey and Ellie at the Kansas Eagle Cam on Farmer Derek’s land, the other egg for Bella and Scout at the NCTC nest, and US Steel.
Osprey News:
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris has arrived home. They just turned the camera on and as if by magic, there he was. So happy to see him home. It is nine days earlier than his usual arrival date of March 30th. Now let’s get his mate Telyn home soon – and safe.
Known as ‘Daddy Longlegs’, Idris is an excellent fisher. He must have been hungry. Look at those whoppers at the nest.
Kielder Nest 7: Female KX7 arrives! This is the earliest arrival ever of an osprey back at Kielder Forest. Her mate is KM18, yet to arrive.
Threave Castle: Blue KC has arrived on the nest to join her mate Black 80 on the 20th of March.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 that helped raise our fine osplets to fledge with its mate CJ7 has arrived home safely! He wasted no time in starting to work on their nest.
Glaslyn: Elen, Aran’s mate, arrived back on the Glaslyn nest this morning and then flew over to the PC nest which interestingly has a camera this year. Wonder who will get to watch it?
Meigs Point, Connecticut: The unringed male has returned on the 19th of March. He immediately began to work on the nest – cleaning out that egg cup.
Eschenbach: Hermine has not returned yet. The visiting female is getting more comfortable. Joan Castanyer writes: “Herbert follows the courtship rituals with the female, from gifts in the form of fish to displays of submission. In the video we can see him with his back to her, flapping his wings. Meanwhile, the female complains because he, instead of fish, has brought material for the nest. The candidacy of the new partner is strengthened, although there is still time for Hermine.”
Mark Avery has an update on Bird Flu in his latest news blast. I am cutting and pasting here for all of you. This is going to be a potentially catastrophic year for our feathered friends.
Bird flu 1: there are currently many UK cases of bird flu and the list of affected bird species has reached 31 for 2025: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Little Gull, Cormorant, Razorbill, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant and Starling. It might look as if gulls, wildfowl and raptors are particularly affected, and it’s possible that’s the case, but the flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme (negative tests not publicly reported, limited numbers tested, no systematic testing) mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here. An interesting gull list and just one passerine in the list!
Bird flu2: wintering Sandhill Cranes have been dying of bird flu in Indiana – 1500+ of them (click here). This link – click here – provides information from the USA on detections in wild birds but also in dairy cows (quite a lot) and there are some human cases including one death, it seems. Robert F. Kennedy, who was put in charge of health matters by Trump, has suggested letting the disease rip in order to find the resistant birds that could form the basis for building a resistant stock. Something similar was considered as a covid response in the UK. US scientists are quoted as opposing Kennedy’s suggestion because intensively-farmed chickens and turkeys are killed so quickly that they never (?) produce antibodies to the disease. I wonder what the death rate is in Wild Turkeys in the USA?
Bird flu3: a paper in British Birds (by Tim Birkhead and Ben Hatchwell) assesses the impacts of bird flu on the Guillemot colony on Skomer which has been studied for five decades. The 2023 outbreak of bird flu led to a higher-than-usual number of recoveries of (dead) ringed Guillemots that July and August and counts of ringed birds in 2024 suggested that about a quarter of the colony had been lost the year before. There were impacts on nesting success too which will take some years to work their way through. For a not very relevant comparison (perhaps), UK human covid deaths in 2020 numbered around 72,000, or 1 in 1000 of the population, or 0.1%.
In Manitoba, the Assembly of First Nations has issued a statement on Bird Flu. As you can see, the concern is world-wide. Please help by keeping your feeders and bird baths clean and follow any directives that you are given. So far no one is asking for songbird feeders to be taken down. The fear is for the migratory birds that are coming to their spring and summer breeding grounds.
‘PB’ loved Smallie like all of us. She sends news that there are three falcon eggs at Amersfoort. How grand!
At Robert Fuller’s kestrel nest, the couple, Apollo and Athena, are fighting to protect their eggs. https://youtu.be/qFeLnxjXT24?
The’ quiet’ was one of the best things about being on Hecla Island during the winter. (The hardest was being away from The Girls). Hardly anyone was there except for those ice fishing and the odd tourists. The snow was pure white – not dirty with salt and sand like the City. You could see the deer in the woods, the Crows and Eagles flying overhead, and some small birds murmuring. A few gulls were sitting on the top of the lighthouse and, of course, at least one very large grey wolf. Without the foliage, it was also easy to spot Crow nests, a few eagle nests and one osprey, one near Winnipeg Beach. It felt so good. As most of you know, I am not fond of the City. While I have dreamed of moving to ‘the middle of nowhere’, my heart is also with the animals that occupy our garden. So this summer, we must plant even more trees to enclose us; perhaps, it will be a buffer for noise and other humans. Yellow Warblers on the Galapagos Islands feel the same as I do about traffic noise!
Closing on a really upbeat note – Cornell’s Red Tail Hawk Big Red has been working on that egg cup on Friday. We could have eggs soon!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, articles, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, Duke Farms, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Dyfi Osprey Project, Kielder Forest Ospreys, Threave Castle, Meigs Point Ospreys, Eschenbach Ospreys, Joanna Castanyer, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Lynn Cracknell, Knepp Farm White Storks, Cultured Northeast, First Alert 6, Mark Avery, Robert Fuller, Town of Amersfoort Falcons, The Guardian, LRWT, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Manitoba Assembly of First Nations, Osp, Birds of Poole Harbour, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn
I always start my blog early in the day and add to it. As I ready for bed Thursday night it is with a very heavy heart that I tell you that KNF E3-04 passed Thursday evening after having only a few bites of food and the tiniest – one gulp – of fish on Wednesday – since Sunday. The eaglet was, as you know, battered by its older sibling. This nest began very hopeful with two beautiful eaglets, and ‘something’ changed that. Was it the adult’s inexperience, as the Rangers believe? Is there such a shortage of food? Why did things begin to go ‘sideways’ for this family last weekend? These eaglets were fully feathered? If the parents were inexperiened might not this have shown up much earlier with the eaglets dying before getting their juvenile feathers? It just feels odd. Kincaid Lake should be full of fish as it is stocked (or was) annually for the people who come for recreational fishing, so why isn’t this nest full? Ale II hasn’t been seen for a day and a half because there is no reason for him to come to the nest if he has no food to bring. We will never know the circumstance or the combination of circumstances that caused such a dramatic change on this nest, but let us now hope that the older sibling will have food and survive to fledge. It would be a tragedy to lose both and it could easily happen. (More later in the blog).
Just a note. I will be sending this out very late or early on Friday morning and I could miss news of hatches or osprey arrivals. If so, I will include them for Saturday.
Happier Times for the eaglets:
Yesterday was the spring equinox and our feathered friends are on the move. But how is a changing climate impacting some of them?
There is more sadness with the return of migrating birds in North America. ‘PB’ reports that numerous Canada Geese are dying of HPAI in Nebraska on their way to Canada. This horrible disease is spreading and spreading and no doubt we will lose many in various species as it continues to wreck havoc.
Heidi’s Osprey Report:
3/20 – Carthage osprey nest (Tennessee): Mom and Dad are back together! Dad arrived about 11 days ago and another female has had her sights set on him. Finally Mom arrived a couple days ago and had a serious talk with the ‘other woman’, lol.
3/20 – Lake Murray osprey nest (South Carolina): Congrats to Kenny and Lucy… Lucy laid their third egg early this morning.
Thanks, Heidi!
There are ospreys flying over every area of the UK, it seems.
Argathy Red Kites found themselves in need of a quick fix to their osprey nest that was destroyed in a recent storm.
“Crisis averted! Yesterday we headed to our osprey nest tree planning to quickly install a new camera before the birds return… unfortunately we swiftly discovered that recent storms had destroyed our old nest platform. Our legendary tree climber Keith had a mammoth job but built a beautiful new platform and got the camera installed. Now the long wait for the birds begins!”
River Gwash – Rutland female reaches age of 20 and is still returning to breed:
Dyfi: The camera will be live by the time you read this!
Balgavies Loch: Three ospreys, yet to be identified, have been seen flying over the loch.
Thanks Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Information or posting these news items.
Loch of the Lowes: Blue NC0 is bringing in moss in anticipation of eggs and having a marvellously soft nest for them and the osplets.
Bald Eagle Nests:
Pips at Decorah North! Yes, both eggs have pips.
NCTC Nest: Scout and Bella have their first hatch of the 2025 season at NCTC. The egg shell is the proof!!!!!!!
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ENTRY ON KISTACHIE E3 IS DISTURBING AND HAS DISTURBING IMAGES.
Kistachie E3: The younger eaglet, 04 has been beaten and was down in the centre of the nest bowl most of the day. It had one small fish. I was hoping for a miracle, but it appears the wee one is near death or has died as of 1828 there was no more movement Thursday evening. I am grateful if its suffering is ended quickly. This has been quite the nest to watch. At one point in time if you had asked me, I would have said it was like a Black or Golden Eagle’s nest where the death of the second hatch is enshrined in the DNA of the species. But this was a Bald Eagle’s nest. The real question is what went wrong to cause such a blatant siblicide?
To those on the chat who wanted an intervention, the Migratory Bird Act does not allow it unless there is a clear human-caused issue. Even then with another fully feathered eaglet on the nest, permissions would not be given (if there is staff to provide them with) because it could cause a premature fledge of 03 and its possible death.
Soar high and free little one.
Food must be very scarce as Andria II plucked 04 preparing it for dinner for 03 and then flew off. Why are they not bringing fish from Kincaid Lake?
I was asked if I am working on a Memorial Wall for 2025. Yes, I am. I had to stop with Akecheta and Thunder and just take a break. It was getting to be too much. And the deaths have continued. I hope to have the wall up honouring those souls by the end of March. If you know of a feathered friend to include, please remind me so I do not fail to include them. Thank you.
I do not want to end on a sad note. There is so much to be thankful for and so I am including our miracles!
A deep egg cup to keep a wee much loved and longed for eaglet safe and contained at Sauces.
The love and struggles of a mother desperately trying to keep her three eaglets dry during a bad storm in New Jersey at Duke Farms.
What might have been a problem is proving that eagles, too, can adopt! Check out Bodie with VJ.
Thank you for being with me. We have had a lovely time on Hecla Island, but are looking forward to being home with ‘The Girls’ tomorrow and will set up early. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to Heidi for the images of the E3 eaglets in a better time and to ‘PB’ for the news from Nebraska, The Guardian, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info FB, Argathy Red Kites, River Gwash Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, NCTC Nest, Kistachie National Forest E3 Bald Eagle Nest, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, Duke Farms, NEFL-AEF,
Oh, my goodness. Hello from what feels like the arrival of spring on the Canadian Prairies. For days I have worried about Dyson, the matriarch of the Grey Squirrel family. The three kits have been out, but not Mum. Well, Saturday morning there she was perched above the brand new suet cylinder way back in the lilac branches. She looks good. She ate 1/3 of the cylinder. Good old Dyson!!!!!! Living up to her name. The sparrows are singing and the Starlings have come and gone removing every last meal worm while leaving the pieces of butter bark. Surely someone will want those.
I am spring cleaning. The feral feeding station has been cleared, cleaned and left in a smaller state with the hope that no huge snow storms arrive before I can rush out and put a cover over things. Brock has already checked it out and approved.
If the nest of Jackie and Shadow has preoccupied me, I do not apologize. Just the idea that our much loved couple could have three chicks to hatch is well, just beyond my wildest dreams. It is all I can think about. As I said in Saturday’s post, I am so grateful for Bodie (who is now six weeks old and as big as Gabby) and these triplets after losing the Es and well, having Thunder and Akecheta MIA along with Annie and Alden.
A reader asked me not to put them on the Memorial Board. They said, “Don’t put their names into the list of those who we know is lot alive for sure. And then we will be always in hope to see them again one day.” If you have checked there is no Memorial Board for 2025. I simply have been too overcome to compile it. There are certainly others. The Memorial Board is really a testament to their presence in our lives and eventually I will simply put them as Missing in Action. Because that really is all we know.
I am happy to attach the PDF of the Los Angeles Times article on Jackie and Shadow. Thank you to the reader who sent it! You don’t need to subscribe.
As I am writing now, Junior is flying in and out getting peanuts an Dyson is back chomping on that cylinder. No one told her it should last a week!!!!!! The warm sunshine is so welcome here this year. My plan is to move the bird baths and fix the deck as a sanctuary for humans to bask in the sun as well. There will still be 3/4 of the garden devoted to things with wings or fur. :))))))))).
Everyone worried about the third hatch at Big Bear, but this little one is well, as big as the middle sibling and I am hoping that it is a really scrappy female like Jackie. It will do well on the nest with the two older siblings and I have a feeling that both Jackie and Shadow will be more than busy caring for these triplets.
Just look at that pantry.
One of the BB babies got caught and was dragged out of the nest cup. By a small miracle, it rolled off the snow and back into the nest. My heart stopped. https://youtu.be/n6lYn-zjdO4?
Some are concerned about what appears to be preferential feeding at the Duke Farms nest. Conserve Wildlife of NJ says that all the triplets are doing well.
‘A’ provides her observations, “At Duke Farms I am most heartened to see that the pantry is overflowing with fish (I can count seven) and mum is being very diligent about ensuring that all three of the littles get fed. The oldest got the best of one feeding, and at the next, mum circled around to the other side and concentrated on the younger two (the older one appeared to be in a food coma behind them). If dad keeps that pantry full and mum is patient enough to feed it to the chicks until there are no more begging beaks at the table, then these three have a very good chance at survival (assuming we don’t have a Zoe on the nest of course). We know that nests turn in an instant – the disappearance of a parent for example can change everything. But I still believe that the patience and dedication of the parent/s at feedings is the primary factor – can they be bothered with the hard work of carefully getting enough food into all those swaying little beaks? Some can’t, and only feed the closest ones. But the mum at Duke Farms appears to be patient and prepared to do her part in ensuring her chicks get fed. I hope this continues. They are SO cute at this age, before they decide to start bonking each other. I just love these first few days. Little masked bandits. They are certainly loud! “
The first sighting of an osprey in the UK – an so it begins. It is flying north! Wonder which one it is…Work continues on repairing nests
You might enjoy this talk from the Wildlife Trust at Rutland Osprey. George Smith is really knowledgable and I highly recommend this even if you live elsewhere. Lots of good information! https://youtu.be/7l6aOLlw0Vw?
In other news,
At the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest of Connie and Clive, Dancer has now branched. That was at 1508.
Nothing seems to be happening at Moorings Park Osprey platform yet.
Pip watch at Sauces starts on Monday! That egg is holding. Maybe there is something to having it wrapped with nesting material in a deep hole. The egg has been rolled an if it is fertile we just might have another miracle in California.
Bodie. What can I say? Our first miracle of the year. Looks like a big beautiful Gabby to me!
This may be the year for strange things happening. Take Lake Murray. Is it entirely possible that the egg of Kenny and Lucy has wound up in a glove? “The strangest thing… Lake Murray…
Lucy and Kenny have been obviously ‘incubating’ all day (I could not find egg lay time), but no one has seen an egg. There is a black glove in the bowl, and I had thought that the egg must be under the glove. There has been the shape of an egg under the glove, and they have been ‘aerating’ the glove. But, at 1719 Lucy picked up the glove and moved it, and the egg shape moved with it. I now believe that the egg somehow ended up inside the glove. “
Ferris Akel caught both Big Red and Arthur on camera on Saturday. It is so very, very good to see them.
Just look at all these gorgeous birds. Now imagine taking them from the wild for falconry. The licenses in the UK might be canceled. This will, of course, be controversial. There are many falconers around the world, and as a teenager, I was involved in falconry in Oklahoma. My older self shakes my head. I firmly believe that raptors need to live freely in the world unless they absolutely cannot.
Possible egg at the University of Florida-Gainesville platform.
We are awaiting our beloved geese. Some are also waiting for hummers. Here is a good timeline.
I hope to hear honking in the wind soon! After some more clearing tomorrow we will head out to Oak Hammock Marsh to check on any of those waddling poopers.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: It has nothing to do with a bird, but it could save someone’s life. Most, if not all of you, will have heard about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife. Hackman had very advanced Alzheimers while his wife, thirty years younger, was in good health and had been his only (it appears) caregiver. It reminds me of my situation with my husband except for the age difference – I am ten years older. No one would have predicted that the younger healthier caregiver spouse would have died of a very rare mouse virus. But she did leaving Mr Hackman at home alone – probably not knowing anything. A maintenance worker came to their door weeks before their fate was revealed. ———— This could happen to any of us. Calico wants you to develop a plan with your neighbours, friends, and family so that this does not happen to you or your loved one. Do not rely on landline phones or watches that are supposed to alert the police or necklaces with a panic button. My husband would probably not be able to find the landline phone or remember how to use it or what number to call. My Apple phone is not reliable. It often thinks I fall when I don’t and when I do, well, it did nothing the other day. So – get something old fashioned in place. Text friends and family on specific days to let them know that you are OK. That is all you have to send is ‘I am OK’. Don’t wait. Please get the ducks in a row.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, streaming cams, etc that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, The Los Angeles Times, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Dfyi Osprey Project, Rutland Water (LRWT), Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, Lake Murray Ospreys, Raptor Persecution UK, Knepp Farm, AccuWeather, Ferris Akel Tours
Oh, it is a balmy day on the Canadian Prairies. -1 C. The sky is a clear blue with no clouds and the sun is so bright it is blinding. Gosh. Feeling like summer. Just kidding, but after -28 C with winds, it feels pretty nice. I plan to do some cleaning up of the feral cat area today. This morning Brock greeted me at the garden door. I think he has been missing out on some full dishes of food thanks to Star. I saw her last night, but not this morning.
From the inbox, everyone is getting excited about Saturday. Most of you are nervous at the same time about Beau’s reaction to the potential hatchlings. We can only send them good wishes. Whatever happens at the nest, Gabby will take it all in stride. She is pretty amazing. As are all the eagles. I long to be more like them.
Cornell Bird Lab reminds us that the Big Bird Count is coming. Please mark your calendars and take part. We need a really good look at what is happening to the birds this winter! Or summer if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.
I am giving a loud shout out to a young man in Virginia who is going to attend an event where he can talk to the politicians of Virginia in a hope to get them to stop Omega’s commercial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Dustin Byler is a sportsman. He wants to see the Striped Bass and Rockfish populations return to the Bay. I want to see Ospreys fed. We are on the same side!
It will help him if anyone who has observed or cares for the ospreys that died around the coast of the Chesapeake Bay contact him. Do for it for Cobey at Colonial Beach.
Cold weather is heading to Florida and the Eagles know it often before the weather people. M15 and F23 are taking lots of grasses to the nest to help the Es stay warm, too – they are too big to get under Mum comfortably! https://youtu.be/kWt4JkJuiks?
It’s Friday. We are one day away from pip watch at this nest!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are the observations from Port Lincoln for Thursday:
Kasse on the nest after ousting Wilko on Friday.
Kasse grabbed that first fish delivery, the first one on Friday! In the image above she is enjoying that fish while Wilko is fish calling to Mum and Dad. Way to go Kasse.
The protests for more fish seem to fall on deaf ears. Hey! Where are the fairies? Are they still out of town?
Two well fed eaglets at Captiva. One really big sister and one tiny brother or so it appears.
Can’t take the eyes off that little one, C13. Just the cutest.
Scout and Bella at the NCTC nest on Thursday.
Eagle at Two Harbours on Thursday.
Harry and Sally are bonding and they have been making appearances at the nest at Moorings Park.
This is not the way to do this folks! Everything needs a plan and I am all for rewilding and reintroductions after careful consideration. Thankfully the lynx are safe.
Dyfi is working on a project and it is a hide. I am smiling.
Bird Flu has surfaced in Louisiana. Oh, please send your strongest wishes for our eagles (and for all birds) in that state.
An extremely rare sighting of a shorebird in the UK. “The least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) is a new world species, breeding in Alaska and Arctic Canada, before heading south to overwinter in warmer climes, from the southern states of the US to Brazil. In Britain they are a rare vagrant, with fewer than 100 sightings recorded, virtually all in autumn.”
These are tiny shorebirds, 13-15 cm, 5-6 inches. They have piercing eyes. Could you take a look at their bill? It is only slightly curved and very pointed to help them get food. Their greenish-yellow legs are almost as long as they are tall. The underparts of their bodies are white. They have a beautiful variegated plumage pattern that ranges from white, cream, taupe, darker brown and espresso brown. They are gorgeous little shorebirds.
They feed in the mud along the shores especially areas where the tide is receding. They also feed higher up on the ground. Do you remember the shorebirds that I saw when I was in Nova Scotia? Think of these little beauties.
The Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird in the world, weighing in at about 1 ounce and measuring 5-6 inches long. Males are slightly smaller than females.
Eastern populations probably fly nonstop over the ocean from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and New England to wintering grounds in northeastern South America, a distance of about 1,800 to 2,500 miles.
Researchers studying Least Sandpipers discovered a new feeding mechanism. While probing damp mud with their bills, the sandpipers use the surface tension of the water to transport prey quickly from their bill tips to their mouths.
Least Sandpipers hunt for food on slightly drier, higher ground compared to other small sandpipers. Although numerous worldwide, they usually flock in smaller numbers—dozens rather than hundreds or thousands—than some other shorebirds.
The oldest Least Sandpiper on record was a female, and at least 15 years old when she was recaptured and released by a Nova Scotia researcher in 1985.
This bird almost certainly crossed the Atlantic a few months ago, but was not discovered until early January when a couple of sharp-eyed local birders at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s Steart Marshes reserve spotted it.”
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J’, Cornell Bird Lab, Dustin Byler FB, Real Saunders Photography, NEFL-AEF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and the PLO, Window to Wildlife, NCTC Eagle Nest, Moorings Park Osprey Cam, Frenchman’s Creek Osprey Cam, LDF, Audubon, Sky News, Dyfi Osprey Project, Openverse, All About Birds, The Guardian
15 C with blue skies and sun on Friday but it is nippy Saturday morning reminding everyone that fall is certainly here. We have wind and the dry leaves are dancing off the branches of the trees today. The Starlings arrived early for their suet and the little birds are eating seed and having baths. I am perplexed that we have, or seemingly have only one little Red Squirrel, when in the spring there were at least five. Dyson and the three kits are here as are the Blue Jays and Crows. Mind you, the Crows caw for cheesy dogs but are really wanting peanuts right now!
The Girls have been checking the cat food drawer. It is getting stocked up for our week away along with the food for the outdoor kitties and other garden animals. It feels a bit like getting ready and having a dormitory of teenagers to feed. It is definitely taking longer to get them organised than it will me.
The trip is going to be a little different. One of my former teaching and research assistants when I was at Acadia University lives in the area and after a couple of decades we are going to have coffee and goodies and catch up. Another potter that I wrote about several years ago, Susan Delatour, lives near Lunenburg and we plan to catch up and see the birds around the island where she has her studio. Hopefully there will still be migrants and some eagles will be on hand. The Maritimes are gorgeous this time of year. People travel from all over to see the changing colour of the leaves in mid-October. I hope to have some nice images for you.
There is not a lot happening in Bird World which is why it is a good time to take a wee break. The little falcons are growing like crazy. The Sea Eaglets need to get on with their branching and it appears that Wilko and Kasse, the osplets at Port Lincoln, are going to be a bit of a handful and a joy to Mum and Dad. Many of the cameras are still down including Captiva Eagle cam and NE Florida where the residents of the area are without power, tens of thousands of them. It could be some time before the cam is running again and we find out what is happening in ‘As the Nest Turns’. Maybe this year it will stop turning and Gabby and Beau will settle and raise some eaglets. I sure hope he is up to the task!
Isn’t this sad. No Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. None. Zippo. This is precisely why a moratorium is needed.
Let’s hope Clive kept his tail down in that nest as it is OK!
Ron showed up at the WRDC nest looking like he had had some prey. He is looking good. Now, where is Rose?
This was on the Loch Arkaig FB page. I am posting it here so you can see how remarkable these ospreys are. Look at that distance flown in a short amount of time!
Karl II’s son (2022) Waba making progress to Chad.
I wonder if your local wildlife rehab clinic could use any hollow logs you have in your garden? We keep ours so they disintegrate and we have insects for the spring birds but maybe you don’t do that…
News from Ranger Judy Harrington and the Olympic Sea Eagles.
And more from Olympic Park: A says, “At WBSE, we still have our two eaglets, settled in for the night side by side, duckling style, exactly as they have done for the past week or ten days. Here is today’s ranger report:
October 12: A cooler morning with all awake early and all joining in a chorus. Mating at 7:06 (in front of the children, too, and certainly recreational rather than procreational), then both were off. Good hunting this morning, as both returned with gull nestlings just after 7am. Lady fed both eaglets – a long feed with some self-feeding as well. SE33 managed to swallow the leg scrap at one stage. Later, both eaglets were flapping and jumping in the wind. Around 8:30am, SE33 was up onto the branch – so close to branching? Later, SE34 spent time on the rim as well. Then later, after 2pm, definitely branching – SE33 in the ninth week since hatch, at 67 days . More food arrived when Dad brought a fish piece in at 13:26 and Lady fed both eaglets. She brought in another bird herself at 15:37 – a good prey day again.
These two eaglets are the best of friends and are really enjoying lounging about the house without their parents. It’s a wonder they don’t throw a teen party. But please, stay as long as you like – we are in no hurry to see you go. “
Wilko and Kasse wanting fish. It is now past 1200 and no fish! Mum has sat on them to keep the peace. There were four the day prior. This is not good and underlines the importance of the fish fairies at this nest. It is not clear why there are fish some days and not others. See discussion of osprey fishing later in the post. We know, however, that the survival of the two chicks last year rested entirely on the fairies and the dedication of the Port Lincoln Osprey committee.
A small partial fish came in quite late, around 1243.
Perfectly behaved. Beautiful little osplets. Aren’t they the most adorable things you have ever seen?
‘A’ and her unique remarks: “Dad brought in a big, very much alive perch at 19:09:37 and it was very floppy indeed, knocking both osplets for six. Both quickly regained their footing and were up for a feeding. Wilco got the early bites but mum was very careful to feed both osplets. The fish continued to flop about, escaping mum at about 19:14 and having to be recaptured. This helped Kasse, who had been behind Wilco but now got to the front. From this stage of the feeding, Kasse did slightly better than Wilco, so they ended up eating about the same amount. They are very strong little feeders, both holding their heads up, beaks open, and starting to handle bigger bites now. They love their fish and both quickly develop sizeable crops. This is a very large fish, so there’s plenty for the chicks and mum to eat, dad to remove the fish and have his share, and then return the remainder of the fish for another feeding. Everyone is going to go to bed with full crops at Port Lincoln.
Despite the very long wait for the first fish of the day today, there was no sign of bonking or dominant behaviour from Wilco when the food did arrive. The feeding was peaceful and amicable, with no aggression and no intimidation. Neither osplet appeared nervous of the other and both were keen to eat. This was a great relief to us all, I’m sure, because that really was the worry today with the kids getting pretty hungry before food arrived. Hunger is an experience that is very problematic on an osprey nest, as we know, so I think the osplets handled their first taste of not getting a taste (if you get my drift) in a very mature manner. I was proud of them.
They truly are the cutest little people, with their racing stripe and their cute little round bottoms. It will be nice to watch their individual personalities emerge over the days to come. Certainly, we already know that neither has a vicious streak and both love their mum and love their fish. So far, they love each other too and snuggle a lot. The only foolproof way I have found to distinguish them is the size of their egg teeth. Of course, Wilco’s is the smaller egg tooth. “
It is 11 C when this image of F23 and the triplets was taken. It will get to 19 C today in Melbourne and hotter with the sun bearing down on the ledge at 367 Collins Street.
A reports: “The sun is getting hot at Collins Street and our wonderful mum is shading her chicks, sprawled out in front of her in the shade she is providing. They have plenty of stretching room in the area she has protected with her body and wings. She stands a lot while shading them, and yesterday was working really hard, beak open, panting heavily. But her babies were totally comfortable and completely shaded. She has this down pat. She does the best mumbrella I have ever seen at Collins Street. As long as she is on the nest, we need not have a single worry this season about the chicks being broiled in the Melbourne summer sun. That’s a HUGE relief. We both know how concerned we have been on occasion at this scrape, waiting for that sun to cross the scrape and for some shade to come. Now, we need not worry about it any more, unless of course for some reason the chicks are left alone. She has not made that mistake thus far. “
Notice the eyes of Diamond and Xavier’s chicks, Yira and Garramma. They are no longer slits but are open and the chicks can now see.
‘A’ remarks: “Darling Xavier got the chance to start the breakfast feeding at Orange this morning – 06:50 or thereabouts and the kids were up and consuming food. Too cute. I do love it when Xavier is allowed to parent. He did a feeding yesterday and he is so careful (as I said the other day, honey I choked a chick is not a sentence Xavier ever wants to utter. It’s funny how he keeps checking over his shoulder in case Diamond arrives and he gets into trouble. TOO adorable. This morning, he gave up his position without an argument when Diamond’s hefty frame loomed in the doorway of the scrape.” And later, “At Orange, little Xavier popped in shortly before 11:40 to find the chicks alone, so he quickly settled in for some quality brooding time. (I love the way he tiptoes across the scrape.) Even with only two, he is still so tiny that he broods them standing up. So tiny compared to Diamond. The chicks are hopeful of food and reach up towards dad’s beak and Xavier reaches down and touches one of the chicks with his beak. Sweet.
But Diamond was gone for only a couple of minutes. When she returned to the scrape at 11:42, poor little Xavier knew any argument was pointless, though he put in a token protest before getting up. I do adore the way Diamond peers around Xavier to see the chicks, as if checking that they have not come to some harm since she left them a couple of minutes ago.
Xavier does not leave the scrape – he simply moves to the ledge, where he continues to perch, looking out. Aww. Family time. Too cute. Xavier is such a sweetie, though I do fear that he will choke a chick one day with all the feathers he feeds the babies. He prepares the food so well at times, and then at other times he brings in something with virtually complete plumage and starts feeding it to the chicks. “
At Growing Home, Bubba is doing really well. Just look at the transition now to the juvenile feathers.
At Achieva, Jack looks down at the mess that Milton made of the nest in St Petersburgh that he shares with his mate, Diane.
Beautiful fall day at the nest of Duke and Daisy at Barnegat Light. Bald Eagles have been passing through on their migration and stopping at this site. It is gorgeous.
Gorgeous day on the Cornell campus home to Red-tail Hawk couple, Big Red and Arthur. Sadly, both of their chicks died after fledging. One from a window collision and the other from West Nile Virus.
What do you think the biggest threat is to eagles? We will be looking at this as two bills are set to be passed by the US Congress that will impact the Migratory Bird Act.
“Humans are the biggest threat to bald eagles. Much of the bald eagles’ habitat was lost, many of the birds were shot, and they were exposed to widespread contaminants. Between 1917 and 1952, for example, a bounty was placed on bald eagles in Alaska.”
There has been some questions about how often ospreys are successful in catching fish. That is a very loaded and complicated question. It depends on the time of year and the availability of fish. It depends on the water and wind speed. Ospreys only dive down approximately 1 metre or 3 feet tops. They need clearer shallow water. It depends on the temperature of the water. If the water is very warm, the fish dive down to stay cool. That is one of the issues for Olsen at Osoyoos. If we sit and think of the Chesapeake Bay and the fact that Omega could find no Menhaden, it would mean that the ospreys could fish all day and not catch anything. All About Birds says the success rate is 1 in 4 dives. Again, it is complicated and not that straight forward. Observers in the UK note that it often takes 13 dives for an osprey to get a fish.
Dyfi’s findings on success rate vary greatly from those of others published. The Dyfi Osprey Project put out some facts on Osprey fishing:
Fact 31
Ospreys have two main ways of catching fish:
The wet method: Soaring or hovering above the water’s surface from between 10 – 30m, the osprey will dive head and talon first into the water at great speed after identifying a suitable fish prey. After plunging up to a metre under the water, the osprey will surface, position it’s wings above the waterline and with great strength, become airborne from a half submerged position from a stationary position.
The dry method: Rather than hunting at altitude, an osprey will fly almost parallel to the waterline and pluck any surface feeding fish straight out of the water getting only its legs wet. This method is usually used in warmer countries where the fish live near the water’s surface.
Fact 32
Ospreys will catch anything from tiny minnows weighing only a few grams to fish that weigh up to the size of the osprey itself – up to 2Kg or 4½ pounds. Most however, are around a pound in weight or less.
Fact 33
Because ospreys live on all continents on earth except Antarctica, they have a huge variation of fish species they catch. The old English name for osprey is ‘Mullet Hawk’ which gives us a pretty good idea what their main fish prey species in the UK was (and actually, where they nested) before they were persecuted to extinction by 1916.
Fact 34
Ospreys won’t catch a fish at every attempt. Young fledglings have a very poor success rate, around 5% to start with. However, as they acquire more experience, this success rate shoots up considerably. A recent study (2010) of ospreys fishing on an estuary in the northern Iberian Peninsula showed an average success rate of 69%. Young birds caught fish around two times in every five attempts (40%) whilst more experienced adults caught a fish nine times out of ten attempts (92%)!
Fact 35
In the last few years, ospreys breeding in Scotland have started to catch mackerel where historically they had not. This could either be as a consequence of more ospreys choosing nest sites nearer the sea, or a change in the feeding behaviour of the ospreys. Or both!
Fact 36
Every year at the Dyfi we check carefully the areas underneath the osprey nest and various perches. We find loads of ‘opercula’. The operculum is a hard flap covering and protecting the gills of a fish, it’s made out of fused bones. They look a bit like your Granddad’s big toe nail! This is the only part of the fish that the osprey can’t eat.
Fact 37
Every year, we record what species and size of fish the Dyfi ospreys catch. Roughly speaking, around half are grey mullet, 20% are flounder and 20% are trout. The other 10% consist of other fish like sea bass, garfish and perch.
Fact 38
Nora had a great dislike of flounders (or to be more scientific – had a least preference for flounders). There may be a good reason for this. Of all the fish caught by Monty, flounders not only have the highest water content and the least calories, but they are also very tough and take more calories to eat. Think of all those neck muscles straining to tear bits off. This is very hard to prove scientifically but is based on our (anecdotal) observations. A bit like the celery story – it takes more calories to eat celery and to digest it than there are in it!
Fact 39
Monty has on a couple of occasions caught a ‘twaite shad’ – an extremely rare fish in UK waters belonging to the Herring family. So rare in fact, you need a licence to catch one. Monty, now has all the relevant paperwork in plaice.
Fact 40
Ospreys typically catch fish that weigh between 150–300 g (5 –11 oz) and measure about 25–35 cm (10–14 in) in length, but the weight of fish they catch can range from 50 g (2 oz) to 2 kg (4.5 lb).
Wind tunnels are helping us understand about birds and their migration.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Do you own a dishwasher? Do you know what Tang is? Well, they have something in common – clean dishes! Calico got some tips from the Maytag factory and she is passing them along to you. First, do not rinse your dishes. Scrape them. Always use the automatic setting on your dishwasher. Once a month put in a packet of those orange drink crystals – Tang. It will clean and freshen your dishwasher!
Thank you for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you tomorrow!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A’, William Dunn, Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, West Midlands Birding and the Friends of Lock Arkaig FB, Maria Marika, West Wildlife Rehab, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagles, wskrsnwings, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Growing Home Osprey Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Cornell RTH Cam, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Cali Condor, Audubon, USFWS, All About Birds, All About Eagles, Dyfi Osprey Project, The New York Times.
Well, after three irritating days, the end of the ads is nigh. Thank you again to everyone who helped me spot those pop-up ads. WordPress assures me there should not be any, but…
At 1900, 38 Canada Geese flew over the conservatory in a line, not a wedge or V. Normally, geese fly in a V or wedge to conserve energy. When the leader gets tired, s/he falls back, and the next one takes its place. Being the leader is hard work; they are breaking the wind – creating a slipstream – for the other geese so that they can fly without expending so much energy. As they flap their wings, each bird helps to create a ‘lift’ for all the other geese in their formation. Research shows that flying in this type of formation also allows the group to communicate better. Talk about teamwork and cooperation. Humans have something to learn from our honkers.
Those V formations are quite extraordinary. You can’t tell from the ground, but the lead goose is the lowest of the bunch. Each goose behind is slightly higher than the one in front of it, all the way to the last goose, which is flying the highest. They do this because of the aerodynamics of their wings. The only goose that is using all its wing power is the lead goose… the point-man, so to speak. When that goose flaps its wings, it causes a certain turbulence of the air that’s following the wing. The next goose in line benefits from this swirling air, and doesn’t need to apply 100% of its wingpower. The next goose, again benefits from that one, and so on down the line. Flying in formation this way adds 71% more distance that they can fly than when flying alone!
So who gets chosen to be point-man? You’d think the one with the map! Or the leader? Or the new-guy? No. None of these. They actually take turns. When one gets tired, he will drop back so he can rest a bit and benefit from another goose’s turbulence. When migrating in good weather with favorable winds these guys can make up to 1,500 miles in a single day! That’s crazy, man! Hard to imagine, but it’s been done. They are migration masters.
So the flying at night thing … I’ve already touched upon one of the reasons they prefer the night. It has to do with that turbulence I just mentioned. You see, many other large birds (and these are large birds!) use thermals to gain altitude and to soar on. Raptors do this. Hawks, eagles, etc. During the day, the landscape is riddled with all kinds of thermals rising from the ground, all depending on what the surface looks like below; how much heat was absorbed and stored from the sun; if it’s dark or light … or even water. These thermals are great for raptors! Lots of vertical air movement all over. But geese don’t soar, and they don’t have need to fly in circles. They have somewhere to go. And all those daytime thermals are a pain in the butt; they don’t make for smooth sailing. Plus, they interfere with the aforementioned wing turbulence that they use to keep from tiring. At night, several hours after sunset, the Earth cools and those pesky vertical thermals disperse.
So that’s one reason they like the night. Another reason for night flight is to prevent over-heating (makes sense, right?) Nights are cooler, so birds that expend a lot of energy with constant flapping (as opposed to soaring) take advantage of the cool of the night.
A third reason is also something I’ve already mentioned. Hawks! And eagles! And falcons! All those guys are diurnal hunters, meaning they hunt during the day. Which goose in its right mind would want to share the not-so-friendly skies with something called a “raptor”? Now, if you’ve ever seen flocks of geese on the ground and tried to get among them or feed them or something, you may already know how mean and nasty they can get. People have used geese instead of watch-dogs. They are tough! Especially on the ground. But falcons, hawks, and eagles, hitting them from the air often spells doom. In other words, their goose is cooked. During the day, they often rest and feed and rejuvenate in the water where they are safe from raptor attack. As long as they stay in the water.
So given the choice, they take the red-eye.
Why Do Canadian Geese Fly At Night?, Forbes Magazine, 1 March 2018 (updated).
So why were the geese flying in a straight line over my house? I can’t find an answer. Maybe you know. Perhaps they were readying to land at Fort Whyte or at the river a few blocks away???
The other day Calico and Baby Hope watched ‘The Boyfriend’ as he ate at the feeder. I wonder what Calico was thinking. This was her little friend when she lived in the wild. They would come and eat together, but he always let her eat first. They would often rest under the lilac bushes. He will not come into the house; he runs away. I have tried frequently to get him to soften to me. So we make sure his food is out by 0900 and, again, at 1700. He also comes at other times, including in the middle of the night. Another animal, a raccoon, comes at night, eating everything still available and dumping the water from the bird baths. That means we must ‘jump’ in the morning to prepare everything for The Boyfriend’s arrival.
Dr Erick Greene and others around Missoula are keeping a close eye on Iris, Finnegan, Sum-eh, and Antali. It appears that all four are still fishing in the Clarke-Fork River. As far as I am aware, this is the latest that Iris has ever remained in the area. Her usual date for departure is 8 September. She must relish being a mum again to two such fine fledglings and having a mate like Finnegan.
Iris came to the nest at 0838 without fish. I did not see a delivery at the nest by 1100 on Sunday despite Antali’s persistent calling.
This person had a first hand view of Iris and family — have a read!
Iris was at the nest at 0738 Monday morning. She was calling loud and seemed to have a piece of fish in her talons (??). She is looking for Antali and he did not come. She waited three minutes and when Antali did not arrive, she flew off towards the river.
At Charlo, is C16 catching its fish? Our fledgling observes the water below the nest and has returned wet, once, perhaps, with a fish. This is one gorgeous fledgling! That full crop sure makes me think he had an excellent breakfast.
C16 is always watching that water – unless he is sleeping! Can’t see those stunning eyes.
When I checked on the nest of Junebug at Dunrovin Ranch – which was several times including re-wind – I did not see anyone. Did you?
Just look at the fish that Beaumont delivered at the Newfoundland Snow Lane nest. Good gracious. There is enough for both of the fledglings. Will the winner share?
Still eating three hours later!
Niagara Bee Dad still delivering!
River was at the Sandpoint nest, but I saw no fish deliveries from Keke. Perhaps Keke is feeding River off the nest. River has been seen ‘wet’, and he flies back and forth to the river. Is s/he catching their fish dinner?
At the Golden Gate Audubon nest in SF Bay, Tully was last seen on the 14th of September.
Some more great information from the Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales, home to Idris and Telyn.
Hartley and Monty continue to bond – and then bond again – at the San Jose City Hall scrape. Love is in the air. https://youtu.be/pjskOK2DcNc?
Xavier. What can we say? Isn’t he the cutest little Peregrine Falcon? He always wants time to incubate his eggs, but…Diamond often has different ideas. They have been together for nine years. Today, he demanded squatter’s rights on those eggs!!!!!! https://youtu.be/fygxtkCjkwA?
Beautiful Sea Eaglets.
‘A’ remarks: “Both chicks did well out of that breakfast, and afterwards, they settled down together, side by side, to rest their giant crops (especially SE34!) and do a bit of preening. They are very companionable, the best of nest mates, and even when food is around, they have been behaving beautifully. Observing the pecking order seems to ensure peace at meal times – Lady is aware of the need to feed SE33 first if both chicks are at the table, although SE34 is now confident enough to accept food before its sibling has eaten if their relative positions create this situation. They are pretty much equal in size now and SE34 is confident and able to get himself fed. He moves forward if he needs to get closer to mum’s beak and he is not showing any behaviour that suggests that he feels intimidated at meal times. So all is going swimmingly at WBSE. “
And more from the morning of the 16th from ‘A’: “Lady was up early this morning (05:29). She found a substantial piece of feathered prey on the nest, so started feeding the littles, who roused themselves and got to the table despite the fact that it was still dark. Lady started by feeding a bite to SE33, as per pecking order, while SE34 found which direction the table was in (he had his back to it and turned around very clumsily, inconveniencing SE33 in the process). Once both eaglets were settled in their places, breakfast proceeded peacefully, with both nestlings behaving beautifully.
Oh, I adore these two. I love what good nest buddies they have become, sometimes even allopreening and nibbling gently at each other’s facial feathers. They are so cute. I love these few short weeks on the nest, being cared for by doting parents and having little to do other than eat, sleep, grow and play. Their lives will be very hard, and their chances of successfully managing as juvenile sea eagles are not great based on previous years. Although of course they don’t realise it yet, these peaceful days in the nursery, as it were, probably represent some of the happiest of their lives. It is lovely to share them. “
I love storks. Even if you can’t speak German, you can enjoy the amazing images in this documentary. Click on the link above the image or copy and paste into your browser.
There is news from Portugal. I have signed up, but this file is thanks to UK Osprey Information and Jeff Kear, who kindly attached a translated version. Please scroll down and see the map showing where the ospreys have their spring and summer breeding grounds and travel to Portugal for the winter.
Real Saunders Photography has posted some images of M15 and F23. There is action at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest. The streaming cameras are to be operational on 1 October. https://youtu.be/3wJeooaW6oI?
‘A’ comments on the Royal Cam chick: “At Taiaroa Head, both TF and TFT are still there, though TFT in particular has been moving around a lot, going down the hill and perhaps seeking out a suitable spot from which to fledge. He may just be exploring – he’s always done a lot of that. No parents came in today, as far as I am aware, but of course the chicks will be emptying their stomachs before their big take-off. (That doesn’t make sense to me – surely they would want to keep any remaining nutrients they were given by their parents, as they have never done any fishing of their own and the next meal they get once they do fledge may be some time away – I have no idea how they understand where and how to find their own food, having never been taught how to do so nor even witnessed the adults doing it. So to leave home with an empty stomach seems to me a risky thing to do. I suppose getting and staying airborne is the most important thing, and that, too, they will be doing for the first time. It’s an awful lot of difficult things to be doing for the first time when their survival depends on getting it all right on the first try essentially. The thought of it worries me terribly.”
I caught a feeding. How wonderful!
‘A’ also checks on the falcons incubating on the ledge of 367 Collins Street in the CBD of Melbourne: “At Collins Street, Mum left the eggs just before 11:17 for a morning break, but she is back quickly, at 11:18, and repositions herself on the eggs. Dad flies up to the middle of the ledge, chupping as he arrives, soon after 12:47. He has not brought food, though he may have stashed some for her somewhere nearby. He’s such a cutie and so chatty. F24 chats back as she gets up from the eggs, so hopefully, he is telling her where he has left her breakfast. But no. He dives off the ledge, which she watches with some shock it seems, gazing after him for a while before settling back onto the eggs. I’m still not sure about food deliveries at this scrape, tbough mum does not appear to be starving so there must be some (or, more likely, she is eating off camera from a stash spot where dad is depositing food).
Dad is back at 14:46 to relieve mum, who flies off the ledge. Again though, he brings no food. He doesn’t settle down to incubate, instead flying off the ledge at 14:46:30. The eggs lie uncovered in the mid-afternoon. sunlight.”
Calico’s got two Tips for the Day: Help Stop Bird Strike and if you find a bird that has hit a window, helpful tips on how to help them.
Migration is a time for bird strike, sadly. Calico wants everyone to protect the birds from breaking their necks on windows. The most economical way to do this is by using window paints available where crayons, markers, etc. are sold. We found the white worked the best. Just scribble. After migration season, you can easily clean the window paint with white vinegar. We purchased Feather Friendly dot strips. The company says they last ten years. Calico wonders about that but they have been very effective in preventing any birds hitting our conservatory or the windows in the sitting room.
Calico asks that you read this helpful advice:
The Geese that have been breeding in northern Canada and in Winnipeg are starting to migrate. They face many challenges but the other one is BREAD. Do not feed waterfowl bread!!!!!!! It causes ducks to get ‘Angel Wing’ and that also impacts Geese. If you see others feeding ducks and geese bread, be kind, but educate them. There is nothing more fun for children than feeding bread to ducks and geese, but that is not what they should be eating! It will kill them in the end. So, please help my beloved geese. Thanks, ‘PB’ for this article. It is so timrely.
If you have the time, please check out Amy Tan’s talk on line about backyard birds. I have so enjoyed her book and her journey to learning about the feathered friends that visit her garden and her creation of special areas for them.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Have a fantastic week! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, reports, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J, PB’, Forbes Magazine, Montana Osprey Cam, Montana Osprey Project, iNaturalistUK, Owl Research Project, Dunrovin Ranch, Newfoundland Power, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Golden Gate Audubon SF Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Olympic Sea Eagles, SOS Tesla Maria Marika, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Information, Real Saunders Photography, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Virginia Wildlife, Kelli Knight LeVan, NZ DOC, and Amy Tan.
Thank you to those who sent me screen captures of the ads they received when they read my blog. Hopefully, everything is fixed so that they do not appear again.
Oh, what a day it was. The goal was to finish a few small and manageable tasks since it was so hot outside. Well, nothing was easy. The lights that Wirecutter had given their top rating (for both inside and outside) would only work with a W two-prong outdoor extension cord. Think you could find one in Winnipeg? No. The desire to have lights around the conservatory did not leave my head or Hugo Yugo’s. She loves fairy lights. Consequently, we came home with three boxes to go around the perimeter. Now, attaching the cords to the conservatory was another matter. It turns out those picture frame thingamabobs that you nail into the wall (the brass ones) will slip over a part of the conservatory. Bingo. We have lights. The next was to pick a paint to colour block a section of the wall behind my desk to match the feathers in the oak frames. Done. There was a light switch that needed a cover plate. Done. This weekend was the time to put out unwanted but good-quality items for others to rummage through on the boulevard. Partly through. We did not get the painting done, but we did pick up a delicious pumpkin pie!!!!!!!! Oh, it helped with all the annoyance from the lights. Missey loves the whipped cream.
I would to start with a very sad story coming out of Baltimore. It has to do with starving fledgling ospreys and the decline of Menhaden. It is impacting these birds to such an extent that they get wiped out in the area completely if the industrial fishing of Menhaden is not stopped. If you have not written to your Senator and your Congressperson, then do so. Even if you live elsewhere. Here is the latest article. Imagine 80 starving osplets at one wildlife rehab center. Imagine.
Many years ago I told the story of how a very large female Sharp-shinned Hawk changed my life. All of a sudden the frantic pace of the work world I lived in didn’t matter. Only her. Today, I read an article in The Guardian of another woman working in a high-powered position whose life was changed by a baby Hare. It is moving and the images are gorgeous. Have a read.
In another article, I felt gutted to learn that any elephant has to be killed because there is no food. Wars, famine, habitat loss, drought caused by climate change – what will be the eventual impact on all our wildlife unless we find ways to protect it?
So, what is happening in Bird World? Very little. All nests in Australia except for the Olympic Park Eagles are incubating eggs. The Royal Cam chick is set to take to the skies and oceans any moment. Will Partney and Marrum be able to save any other eggs from the Ravens? That is anyone’s guess, but I would put my dime on ‘no’. Diamond and Xavier continue to entertain us as does M22 and F23 in Melbourne. Dad is doing a pretty good job delivering fish to Mum at Port Lincoln. I would like to hear more news and see more images of our dear Ervie.
What is happening at Hellgate Canyon? Finnegan is just a master angler. He would win every fishing award for the season. It is hard to check on the Hellgate streaming cam without seeing Antali with either a huge crop or a fish delivery or both. Finnegan is working over time to make sure that his second hatch is well prepared. These kids are not starving like those in the area of Chesapeake Bay! The Ospreys inland have done well this season save for the heat and some bizarre nest accidents.
The latest news first: Iris and Sum-eh are still home with Finnegan and Antali. Thanks, ‘PB’ for that message!
At Charlo, it appears that C16 is trying his own luck at fishing. He is often on the nest or perch shaking off the water. There are fish deliveries, but they are certainly not as frequent as those of Finnegan for Antali.
Both juveniles are still at the Newfoundland Snow Lane nest where it was windy with some rain on Saturday. There are still fish deliveries. It was impossible for me to tell if Hope is still in the area.
River has a bulging crop at Sandpoint.
Junebug is home at Dunrovin.
No one is home at Foulshaw Moss.
There is good news coming from Big Bear. The evacuation order has been lifted. Jackie and Shadow should be safe but the area around their nest is full of heavy smoke at times.
The cams at SW Florida are getting their maintenance, so they are ready for the start of Bald Eagle season on 1 October. https://youtu.be/aeeH7EzNV5E?
I love geese. How many times have you heard that? Sometimes Calico thinks that I like geese more than cats. It seems that I am always reading books about things with feathers and never cats. Maybe she has a point. :)))))) Decorah Goose Cam is playing season highlights!!!!!!!!! Oh, you can see the goslings jump again! https://www.youtube.com/live/4FB6bLI39lo?
The NCTC nest of Bella and Scout is live. Bella and Scout were in the nest earlier in the morning.
Thunder and Akecheta were caught on camera during large parts of Saturday.
Wondering what is happening at NE Florida with Gabby and Beau? Looks like we have to wait until the 18th!
Didn’t see E1-M2 at the Kistachie National Forest nest, but his turtle shells are all there! Wonder if the kiddos will have turtle meals this year instead of fish?
One of the highlights of Ferris Akel’s Saturday Tour was a Gallinago or a Snipe. Just look at the plumage.
Ferris was also at the Open House of the Cornell Raptor Centre. It is not clear if the Red-tail Hawk Ambassador was E3, Big Red’s kiddo.
The Peregrine Falcon was very loud and caused Calico some anxiety.
Open Houses are excellent opportunities to learn about the raptors, their needs, and challenges and to just get up close with them. Check out your local wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is normal for the Open Houses to take place in the fall so, you just might be in luck! If not, save the date for 2025.
The RSPB describes the Gallinago or Wilson’s Snipe, “Snipe are medium sized, skulking wading birds with short legs and long, straight bills. Both sexes are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes on the back, dark streaks on the chest and pale under parts. They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK, with particularly high densities on northern uplands but lower numbers in southern lowlands (especially south west England). In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds. The UK population of Snipe has undergone moderate declines overall in the past twenty-five years, with particularly steep declines in lowland wet grassland, making it an Amber List species.”
All About Birds has some Cool Facts about the Wilson’s Snipe:
Wilson’s Snipe look so stocky thanks in part to the extra-large pectoral (breast) muscles that make up nearly a quarter of the bird’s weight—the highest percent of all shorebirds. Thanks to their massive flight muscles this chunky sandpiper can reach speeds estimated at 60 miles an hour.
Wilson’s Snipe feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for insect larvae, worms, and other invertebrate prey. The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed. Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil.
Because a Wilson’s Snipe’s eyes are set far back on its head, it can see almost as well behind as in front and to the sides. This arrangement makes it difficult for a potential predator to sneak up on a feeding snipe—it almost literally has “eyes in the back of its head.”
The word “sniper” originated in the 1770s among British soldiers in India who hunted snipe as game. The birds are still hunted in many countries, including the U.S., though their fast, erratic flight style means they are difficult targets.
Although only the female tends the eggs and nestlings, Wilson’s Snipe parents split up the siblings once they’re ready to fledge. The male takes the two oldest; the female takes the younger two with her. After they leave the nest the mates have no further contact.
Researchers have done wind tunnel tests with Wilson’s Snipe feathers to try and duplicate the “winnowing” sound that’s made as birds fly with their tail feathers fanned. They found that it’s the outermost tail feathers, or rectrices, that generate the sound, which apparently happens at airspeeds of about 25 miles per hour.
The oldest known Wilson’s Snipe was at least 9 years, 3 months old, based on a band recovered from a bird that was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in 1973.
‘A’ brings us up to date with the Olympic Park eagles: “Dad brought breakfast (feathered) at WBSE at 06:18 this morning. Of course Lady was there immediately to take charge of the food, and the littles roused themselves from their cuddle puddle for the occasion. They both stand up on their feet to stretch, leaning forward and spreading their wings. Such pretty plumage, changing from one day to the next, and from one striking design to another. SE34 has no hesitation about joining SE33 at the table, moving up beside his older sibling. SE33 is not bothered.
Lady begins by feeding SE33, as per pecking order, but initially it is distracted by Dad on the perch branch so Lady has to offer the bite a second time. Meanwhile, SE34 backs up for a PS anyway. I don’t think SE33 accepted the bite because SE34 was no longer beside him (implying that SE33 was intimidated by the proximity of SE34) but simply because his attention had been diverted when Lady first offered it. I certainly don’t believe SE33 has suddenly become nervous of his younger brother.
By 06:20, SE34 is back in his position at the table, beside SE33. and he shuffles even further forward, taking prime position closest to Lady’s beak. He is soon rewarded with a couple of consecutive bites of red meat. Lady then begins feeding the eaglets alternate bites. I do love the way she does this. Occasionally, one nestling or the other will get a couple of consecutive bites, but she maintains an even-handed approach until one eaglet or the other starts to slow in its eating and indicates it is getting overly full. She is a very attentive mum, and I continue to believe that her experience in feeding and managing her chicks is the reason this nest fledges two every season despite being an obligate siblicide species. In the end, I keep coming back to the wisdom and dedication of these parents. They are a closely bonded pair and when it comes to raising their family, they work as a tight-knit team to provide for and protect their eaglets. I believe they are both in their mid-20s, which is not quite elderly but it’s certainly extremely experienced, and that experience really counts when it comes to keeping the eaglets safe and warm and dry, and ensuring that both eaglets get enough food. Lady has always looked out for her younger hatch when it comes to food. Every season, she ensures it gets food, whether she has to give private feedings early in the morning or late at night, or put her own body between the eaglets, or even to feed the younger chick through her legs or under a wing. And of course Dad is particularly hard-working when it comes to ensuring there is nearly always food on the nest. If Dad is not bringing in food. there is a good reason for it. . “
Calico’s Tip for the Day: No one can be accused of causing cats to run through the house like a Formula 1 circuit. They will do it and defy you. But if you have a new puppy, Calico has found a suggestion for you to make certain you have a ‘calm’ dog.
The dog trainer: playing too much with your puppy
The important thing many owners fail to do with their dog is encourage it to calm down. There is so much emphasis on playing and running. People think they have to play with their puppy because it wants to, but this encourages the dog to be constantly active. It then doesn’t settle well and its behaviour can quickly become problematic. Spending time teaching dogs to walk calmly on a lead and rest at home should be a priority. To learn how, go to a class or follow online advice. Ben Marsh of Balanced Dog
Thank you for being with us today. We are always so happy to have you with us. Take care!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, PB’, The Baltimore Post, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Cam FB, Montana Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Sandpoint Ospreys, Newfoundland Power, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Debbie Shores, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, NCTC Eagle Nest, AEF, KNF-E1, Ferris Akel Tours, The Guardian and the Balanced Dog, Olympic Park Eagles.
