Category Archives: eagles

Inside a Harpy Eagle’s nest, Captiva Ospreys, pips and more…Wednesday in Bird World

28 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for your good wishes for the holidays. I always do appreciate your notes and the beautiful images of your pets, garden animals, and arrivals in your gardens. It is so very kind of you to think of me. It means the world to me.

We have news from Captiva, V3 returning to Gabby’s nest, little eaglet heads popping up at Superbeaks, and more today including a call for help with moving and temporary accommodation for a person who cares for emotionally abused Cockatoos. Please do not buy a Cockatoo. Tell anyone who is considering it not to as well. They live a long life and well, they can be like badly-behaved toddlers. They require care, attention, training, and the ability of the owner to commit to a lifetime of vet bills (even trimming beaks is very costly), food, enrichment toys, and proper enclosures. Many who have owned parrots for a long time are calling for a ban on the sale of birds. I heartily agree. So many wind up caring for those disposed of by others simply because they did not understand the demands made on them by birds. I would also suggest that many of the ‘cute’ videos on YouTube have driven these sales. As ‘J’ says, it might be cute to hear a parrot swear 10 times but for an entire life time, ‘no’. Parrots that swear are also less likely to be adopted if their owner dies or can no longer keep them. Please pass this along. OK. That is my rant for the day!

It is a warm day here on the Prairies considering what it has been like. -5. That means that I am off for a walk at the nature centre for sure. I wonder if there will be any birds? Will let you know tomorrow! It will be so nice to be outside for an extended period of time in the fresh air. It is one of the most dire things of living where it is cold – being stuck inside. I plan to try the Merlin Sound ID to test it at the winter feeder. Will let you know how it works.

Geemeff sent the link to the final episode in the radio series for Flight of the Osprey this morning. Oh, thank you, Geemeff. Looking forward to the film!

BBC Earth takes us into the jungle, up a tree and into a Harpy Eagle’s nest!

Come back to this one – but try your luck at guessing some of the environment’s top stories from The Guardian (the emphasis is on the UK wildlife and environment but give it a go anyway!).

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/27/take-a-wild-guess-the-environment-quiz-of-2022?CMP=share_btn_link

Things are really going to start to perk up in the US. There is a pip for Connie and Clive at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest! Congratulations. Their first egg was laid on 3 December. We will be watching for M15 and Harriet around the 3rd of January but, tonight there could be a pip at Kistachie National Forest at E3. With the humidity, that strong first hatch took 29 hours, 49 minutes and 07 seconds to hatch. Then, of course there is Missy and Pa Berry…and before we blink, the Florida Osprey season will start.

Thankfully Clive and Connie took a break from incubation so the camera could pick up that pip.

In addition, the Captiva Osprey Cam is now up and streaming. It is unclear who will claim the platform nest for this upcoming year. There is a new female FO and the male MO. There have been three ospreys flying around this platform. Lena is apparently fine. It is my understanding that with Andy not returning, she left the area. It is completely unclear what happened to Andy but he could have been lost during Hurricane Ian. We know Lena was seen after the hurricane so she survived but, of course, her platform nest did not. Might she return? I wonder. Andy will, sadly, be added to the Memorial Wall for the year.

Gorgeous Gabby on the morning of 27 December wondering what her fate will be for this year, possibly. The visitor that has been coming and going flew in with a squirrel today (the 27th). He is confirmed by the AEF to be V3.

V3 flew in with a squirrel to the nest. It looked like he intended to share it with Gabby.

Here is he. Gabby is obviously giving them a second look or three!!!!!! I hope this fellow measures up. He is rather handsome. At the end of the day, I don’t care who she chooses as long as they can try to match up to Samson.

The latest announcement from the AEF:

At the WRDC, Rose has brought in what looks like a gull for lunch. She is beautiful. Let us wish her and Ron a long life together and many successful fledges!

Despite the PS that hit the camera along with the pine branch obscuring our view, we can see the two eaglets at Superbeaks today! They appear to be thriving. What a wonderful sight!

These eaglets are semi-altricial. This means that when they hatch they have a very thin layer of down. They cannot regulate their own temperature. Their eyes are open or partly open but they cannot focus. That is why they are bobble heads. They are entirely dependent on their parents for food, for warmth, and for teaching them how to be eagles. The two eaglets at Superbeaks are getting their second coat of natal down which begins growing in about a week after hatching.

Alex and Andria seem to be doing very well. Alex is really keeping a lot of food and a variety of items on the nest – I cannot identify all the fish species but there are several different ones and the remains of that Coot.

That little eaglet seems to grow right before our eyes! Let us hope that it is a cracker of a big sibling to the one that should be trying to hatch tomorrow. There is lots of food and Andria and Alex are doing an incredible job.

The Bald Eagle nests at Kincaid Lake benefit from a stocked lake right out their doorstep. And the males continue to fish even if there is a pile of fish on the nest. It is wonderful to watch but, oh, can you imagine the smell after awhile??????

The eagles were at the nest at Decorah, Iowa today. One was even having their lunch on one of the main branches to the nest. What a beautiful winter setting on a farm. Like a postcard.

Oh, a correction. It was a Musk Lorikeet that Indigo had for lunch on Boxing Day! It remains unclear if Indigo caught the bird or if it was a prey transfer from the parents. He sure wasn’t going to share it and he found a way to eat the entire bird….nothing left for Mum to snatch.

I have been concerned about Big Red, Arthur, and L4 since the temperature plummeted in the Ithaca region during the big weather bomb. This morning @CornellHawks posted images of L4 hunting. Much relieved. Now for Arthur and Big Red! Maybe tomorrow.

This is a great little clip from Montana about the dangers of lead poisoning. Please pass it along to those you know who hunt or fish (if you feel you can). They need to know that the raptors can be killed by secondary poisoning and toxins and that there are alternatives to lead. Thank you.

Migration News for Karl II’s family. There has been no transmission from Bonus since he crossed the Eastern Desert in Egypt nor from Kaia since she arrived in Chad nor from Karl II since he flew southwest from the Nile. We believe Karl II and Kaia are well in their winter homes and hope that Bonus is, too. We will look forward to transmissions in the spring.

First up, little Udu from 2021 has sent a transmission!!!!!! He has left Italy and is now in Turkey!

Yes, Udu is always late and sometimes does things backwards but, he is alive and for this we are thankful. This is the pond near to where Udu is foraging.

Waba is also alive and well and remains in the Sudan foraging at the Nile River. I suspect he might well just spend the winter here. Why not?

Dan Scott – the Chloe Sanctuary -has put out a call for assistance. This year the 501k charity that looks after traumatised and sick cockatoos lost their home due to flooding and their benefactor to dementia. He is looking for help packing the flock of 11 up for their move as well as temporary accommodation until they can get settled in their new home in Nevada. He is not asking for funds but, if anyone knows anyone that could assist, he would be grateful (directed to persons in California, Arizona, or Nevada).

Chloe Sanctuary call for help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZKfq8jLV3s

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, announcements, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: The Guardian, BBC Earth, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, Superbeaks, KNF-E#, Raptor Resource Centre and Explore.org, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, @CornellHawks, Looduskalender, ‘J’ and Dan Scott.

Little E3 eaglet is strong!…Ron is settled but how about Gabby? and other news in Bird World

27 December 2022

Good Morning,

We are out of the freezer but it is a dull day. -11 but getting warmer – up to -7. Grey. It is so nice to get up and not feel cold even when the furnace is blasting. Thoughts for all those people without power and who have been hit with relentless bad weather as well as for our bird friends who are getting hit by these weather bombs. To our friends in Australia who will be hit with +37 C temperatures today – stay cool!

I had a letter from ‘J’ the other day asking how on earth we manage when it is so cold, like -26 or -35 C. I will try and answer it but, first, a little story. When I first moved to Canada, it was entirely possible to have several months where the weather did not vary during the winter. It was always colder than -25, always. With climate change, we no longer have those very long stretches of being in such dire cold weather. The majority are, however, equipped for it. Our houses are well insulated from top to bottom. The window panes in my home are triple paned with argon gas between the panes and a coating that absorbs the sun for warmth in the winter and sends it back out for the heat of the summer. There are now companies who make nice looking winter clothing rated to -40 C. That includes coats and boots. The majority of cars also ‘plug in’. There is an electric heater to keep the oil warm. —– It is not so bad. Today, we are going to have a warming streak where the temperature will be only -7 C. It is those days that you want to get out and go for those walks in the forest and that is precisely what I hope to do on Wednesday!

A couple in Perthshire have a nesting Brown Honeyeater on their high-rise balcony! Oh, how super. Such an adorable little bird. They are abundant throughout Australia.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-24/brown-honeyeaters-on-perth-high-rise-balcony/101799364?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

To bring a sense of excitement to your day, stop and watch this incredible video by Mark Smith of a young Brown Pelican trying to ‘eat’ an Osprey! Who will win?

Rare leucistic. Red-tail Hawk seen in Mystic, Connecticut. What a beauty!

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Rare-leucistic-Red-tailed-hawk-Mystic-ct-17675710.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=share-by-email&utm_medium=email

Shadow and Jackie were there at sunrise —-continuing to do some tidying up on the nest. Must admit that I am getting really excited and hopeful that this wonderful couple can pull off another highly spirited eagle like Spirit who hatched in 2022. They are an incredible eagle couple. Wishing them the best.

No obvious eagle activity on the nest today in Minnesota but it looks like Nancy and her new man might have been around at sometime.

There is, however, lots going on at the E3 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest since the first eaglet hatched after 0300 on the 26th. Dad Alex has brought in a Coot and several Crappie. Adorable. The second egg is expected to hatch on the 28th.

A video of one of the feedings. Gosh this little eaglet is a cutie.

Pepe and Muhlady have been busy bringing in fish and feeding the eaglets but, those two are the best kept secrets. The parents seem determined for us not to get even a peek of them!

PePe brought in a nice catfish and Muhlady took a moment to look down at her growing youngsters.

Indigo had a green parrot today. Did he catch it? was it a prey drop from Dad or Mum? It is not clear but he did jump all around the scrape and guess what? Indigo ate every bite of that prey so when Diamond came in to check the corner for leftovers —- there weren’t any! It seems Indigo likes a parrot as much as his mother does. I wonder if Diamond would have searched if it had been a Starling?

You might well recall an image of Izzy with a green parrot (I think his was a Supreme Parrot) in quite a similar position as Indigo today.

In San Jose, another male was in the scrape box. This time it was Sequoia, the son of Grinnell and Annie, bonding with his mate. Oh, we will have another falcon scrape to watch with little eyases this year. This is wonderful.

It was Annie at The Campanile today. Where was the new guy? I might have missed him!

So who is visiting Gabby today? Your guess is as good as the next person. No one can keep up and there are so many marks that are similar with perhaps new eagles coming in, that it is impossible to keep up. And, last night, I went to sleep thinking this revolving door at NEFlorida was ending. Guess not.

Has she made a choice? Will he stay?

It has not been that long since the male at the Centrepoint Bald Eagle nest died. Mum, however, has a visiting ‘friend’ and she is warming up to this suitor.

The Bald Eagle couple at Fort St Vrain in Colorado lost one of their beautiful eaglets to a raccoon last year and fledged the other. Since then measures have been taken to prevent the raccoons from climbing up to the nest. How wonderful! The eagles are now working on their nest and were there today. Eggs are usually laid in mid-February.

Can you imagine heading out on a nice walk on Boxing Day and finding a river full of dead pheasants? What a horrible sight that must have been. Raptor Persecution UK is investigating. It is believed that the birds are ones that were killed as part of a shooting party on one of the nearby game estates or did they come from a pheasant farm. You can find the entire story at Raptor Persecution UK.

Of course some worry that the birds might have Avian Flu. Surely the proper authorities after having been notified of this travesty will investigate thoroughly.

It does look like Ron has made a choice with V2 female named Rose by the AEF. Heidi followed their courtship in a series of videos that you might enjoy watching. Thank you ‘H’.

A prey gift from Ron on Christmas Eve:

Nestorations and Bonding:

Ron and Rose’s relationship Blossoms:

Keeping your fingers crossed for Gabby!!!!!!!!!!! Ron certainly appears to be settled. Pip watch for Harriet and M15 is 3 January. Second egg at Kisatchie National Forest is the 28th. Must check on the dates for Connie and Clive as well as Missy and Pa Berry.

Take care everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. Stay safe and warm or cool depending on where you are. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their questions, announcements, postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures in my blog: The Guardian, Mark Smith, News Times, FOBBV, MN-DNR, KNF-E3, Superbeaks, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, San Jose City Hall Falcon Cam, Cal Falcons, NEFL-AEF, Centreport Eagles, Ft St Brain, Raptor Persecution UK, ‘HM’ and her videos of the WRDC.

Hatch for Alex and Andria, Ervie is fishing, L3 is flying… and more…in Bird World

26 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

For those that celebrated Christmas, I hope that you had a wonderful day surrounded by friends and family. For those celebrating the end of Hanukkah, chag Hanukkah sameach and for all preparing for the New Year and especially our friends in Japan, we are cleaning our house with you and looking forward to eating lots of mochi.

I have so many fond memories of living in the UK. I wonder how much it has changed? Those of you who live there can tell me. We lived on a lovely cul-de-sac on Gorse Road and the gorse was about six houses (semi-detached) from ours. We spent so many hours wandering those fields. But, back to the point. Milk was delivered by the person driving the milk float. But they also had a brochure with all of the holiday hamper offerings for the next year. You could pay for your Christmas feast by the week and it would be delivered on time. It was a fantastic way of budgeting for some truly remarkable things. But, at the time, the children got two presents. A sock filled with little treats and one big present, normally a new bike. That was it and it was wonderful. No flurry, no regrets, no big bills to look forward to. The most important thing was everyone stopping to share a truly nice meal with one another.

As we see the end of 2022 approaching, let us hope that joy, compassion, empathy for all living things, and peace will be with us in 2023.

I want to introduce you to someone who is a wildlife conservation photographer who moved to looking at the birds in her back garden. It is just a great little video clip and some of you will remember we also had the General Adjutants in the blog one year. Time to go back and visit the energy the women of Assam India had in trying to protect this terribly endangered species. Enjoy!

Making News: A golf course in the UK is being turned into a park and the only holes made will be by badgers and woodpeckers. Isn’t that fantastic – rewinding?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/25/frodsham-cheshire-golf-course-transformed-woodland?CMP=share_btn_link

Happenings in Bird World:

Things are starting to happen in Bird World with the first pip and quickly the progression of the hatching of their first egg for Alex and Andria at the E3 Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana. Indeed, I am writing this at 2200 Sunday evening and by Monday morning, there could well be an eaglet for this lovely couple. They are named after the closest city, Alexandria, to the forest. Many thanks to Tonya Irwin who has kept everyone up to date on the progress and who so carefully explains below how humidity impacts hatching. I learn something new every day. Thank you Tonya.

The latest news to describe how the difference in humidity (80%) in Alexandria, Louisiana impacts hatching.

First feeding – a Coot. Look how big and strong that little eaglet is. Unofficial full hatch time is 0341 on the 26th of December.

Meanwhile, in Central Florida, PePe and Muhlady are keeping the two eaglets well fed. I have to say – the position of the camera at this nest is excellent. Yes, yes, I can hear you screaming at me but let me explain. We cannot see a thing at Superbeaks. The eaglets are slowly being revealed to us as they grow taller. It certainly saves a whole lot of stress. There are two of them. Sometimes you only get sight of one.

Great news regarding Big Red and Arthur’s L3. Oh, gosh, we have waited to hear if this darling would ever fly again and there she is. So very relieved and happy. She sure looks like her formidable mother, Big Red!

In the meantime, Ithaca, home to Big Red, Arthur, and L4 is in the grips of that bomb cyclone weather with a temperature of -9 C and it is predicted to get as low as -13 C. Please send your warm wishes to our favourite RTH family as they battle to stay alive in these unusually frigid temperatures that are seeing many Americans in the area die. The cameras are down but Buffalo, which is, as the Ithaca Report said, “A low pressure storm system is expected to rapidly intensify, a process known as explosive cyclogenesis or “bombogenesis,” as it crosses the Lower Great Lakes west of Ithaca and Tompkins County. This storm will be extremely powerful, with forecasted core pressure more typical to oceanic lows and hurricanes than a continental storm system. The National Weather Service Buffalo office is describing it “as a once-in-a-generation type of event.”

Ervie was over at Delamare wishing for a fish! What a handsome fellow he is. I wonder if he is still fishing with Dad?

I have not kept as close an eye on Ernie’s sister, Zoe. The parents are still bringing her fish. Today, Mum brought in a small piece for her daughter at 1405. Zoe did seem to have a crop prior to that delivery. Wonder where she ate? and who brought it? or did she catch it? I would not be surprised if Zoe is not fishing but we wait to see if those attempts are successful. Perhaps she will join Dad and Ervie over at Delamere soon (her tracker will tell us? Now that would be sensational!!!!!!!

Zoe’s crop three minutes before Mum delivers her a small piece of fish. Don’t you think her crop looks full? and what about that necklace? It is pretty awe-inspiring.

Mantling that snack from Mum.

While Alex and Andria were celebrating the pip and hatching in their first egg at the E3 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest, Ron and V2 are still working on their nest.

Someone was with Gabby at the nest early in the morning. Is it V11? Will this nest settle down in the new year?

It looks like V11 is still there tonight. Send positive wishes! Maybe the revolving door of suitors and intruders is coming to an end. If V11 can keep them away and get food on the nest, wow. Wouldn’t that just be sensational? I don’t know about you but I am growing weary and if I am, can you imagine how Gabby feels after losing Samson? and then having seen mostly dire prospects come to the nest? Everyone has gotten a good education in widowed eagles finding new mates from watching both Gabby and Ron. (Ron is not widowed per se but he is alone as Rita will not ever return to the nest).

At the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the snow has all melted and our eagle couple are there checking on things today right before noon. — And my goodness, how could I not put Shadow right up there at the top with Akecheta now that our dear Samson is no longer with us? Sorry Shadow. I do adore you.

The sun setting on Fraser Point Bald Eagles nest, home to Andor and Cruz, is simply stunning. The eagles were not there – do not be fooled if you see one working on the nest – it is a highlight. There was, however, a visit by a Raven or a Crow.

No one home today at Two Harbours, the home of Chase and Cholyn. It certainly is a rather spectacular place for a nest – this and the West End nest of Cholyn’s daughter, Thunder and her mate, Akecheta.

The Red List 22. Red-backed Shrike

“Red-backed Shrike” by Andrej Chudy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

The Red-backed shrike is only slightly bigger than the House Sparrows that visit my garden. The male is striking with its black mask earning the male birds of this species the nickname, ‘the bandit’. They have a grey head, that really dark black eye line going over their cere and running to the nape. Their underparts are white. They have the most gorgeous rust or shall we use the 2022 colour, Redwood, to describe their back and primary feathers. Their tail is black while their other wing feathers are black with white edging. Their beak is black and it is hooked. I really hate it when writers describe the female (image below) as being dull. They are not dull at all! Is it not possible to see the variety of browns and rusts in the upper parts, the lovely grey in the rump along with the upper tail coverts. Instead of an all black tail (very boring), the female’s is an espresso brown with white edging and tips. Their mask is subtle as if they have been trained in the fine art of using an eye liner brush compared to the male who has taken a Sharpie marker!

Matt Shardlow says of the Red-backed Shrike in his essay for Red Sixty-Seven: “Victoria shrikes watched over the land from Durham to Devon and Kent to Conway; eyes alert for burly bumblebees, dumpy dung beetles, well-fed wasps, even delicious lizards. with a pounce and swoop the animal was dead in the shrike’s little raptorial bill.” Shardlow reminds us that by the Beatles became the pop music hit of the 1960s, the Shrikes were in rapid decline and that decline continues. “In 1989, it was down to one heath, with one nest in one short lonely lolly-pop tree…” (80).

“Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)” by gilgit2 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

While many believed it was the weather that caused the near extinction of the bird, it was, in fact, a loss of food with large moths decreasing by 2/3 in population since 1948. The same was true for the bees and the beetles. Change in farming and the use of pesticides has been key to its demise. Imagine all the birds gone and left to only two pairs to raise young to keep the population going. Imagine now if this were all the birds. The use of pesticides is entirely unnecessary. Indeed, my City was ripe to spray all living flying things to get rid of mosquitoes only to discover that Dragon Flys do a much better job and cause no harm to the environment. It was time for a change to save the Shrike and it seems that some changes in the UK in terms of rewinding and the cessation of pesticide use in certain areas, since the publication of Red Sixty-Seven in 2019 (just 3 years ago), have had an impact. We can change things but we must just dig our heels in and get on with it. No excuses. The RSPB still counts only three resident mated pairs of Red-backed Shrikes living in the UK; the remainder are migratory. Let’s see if that number can be raised ten fold in the coming years. Wouldn’t that be grand?

Thank you so very much for being with me today. When I think of all of you, I get all giddy. So many people who care so much for our feathered friends. Sheer joy and a huge smile comes on my face. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for the letters, their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Beneath the Feeder, The Guardian, Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam Fans and Tanya Irwin, NF-AEF, Ron and Roses Eagle Nest Watchers and Pat Burke, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters and Suzanne Arnold Horning, Superbeaks, Openverse, Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org.

Is it a new couple at the WRDC? has Gabby finally settled on her mate?…and more in Bird World

25 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

From all of us on the Canadian Prairies, we wish you good health, joy, some laughter, and much love at this time of the year.

The kittens hope that you have some good tasty treats. Lewis would love some turkey but, sadly, he will only see it coming from a tin! I wonder what he will think of tofu with Tamarind sauce? I will let you know.

Missy hopes that you have a friend to share some time with – she especially is grateful to have Lewis for a little brother to play with and cuddle when it is chilly.

Dyson hopes that you have a lot of nuts and seeds!

The Starlings think a Bark Butter pie would just be the best ending for a special celebration. They would certainly not want it to be a ‘Black Bird’ pie in case anyone mistook them. Did you know that in medieval times they really did put birds in pies? They would fly out of the pies during the vast banquets on the estates and then the men would go and shoot them? It is true! One of the best books on medieval falconry is, Robbin S Oggins’s The Kings and Their Hawks. Falconry in Medieval England. Oh, so many stories.

My Starlings say make it a ‘Vegetarian’ pie!!!!! or a mincemeat one.

Mr Blue Jay reminds us that we need to take care of one another and all the animals. He wishes you a wonderful 2023!

A friend sent me this lovely image and I don’t think ‘S’ would mind if I share it with you. What a beautiful illustration of all the animals and I do love badgers! It is perfect.

So from all of us, good joy and good cheer! We are so glad that you are part of our big family.

M15 is, by far, the most favourite male Bald Eagle according to my readers. Samson was my heart throb but Akecheta comes up a close second and, then, of course, there is Shadow. And, yes, of course. I adore M15. Not only is he a softie when it comes to feeding the eaglets especially one that might get left out a bit but, he also takes great care of Harriet as Lady Hawk shows us in this video:

This version of the Twelve Days of Christmas was posted on the SWFL Eagle cam chat by Marie Chism. It is wonderful and a whole lot of fun.

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A nest in a pine tree

On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the seventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Seven starlings singing
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eight stalkers stalking
Seven starlings singing
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Nine fish a dancing
Eight stalkers stalking
Seven starlings singing
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Ten horns a blowing
Nine fish a dancing
Eight stalkers stalking
Seven starlings singing
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the 11th day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eleven crows a crowing
Ten horns a blowing
Nine fish a dancing
Eight stalkers stalking
Seven starlings singing
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

On the 12th day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
12 beak kisses
Eleven crows a crowing
Ten horns a blowing
Nine fish a dancing
Eight stalkers stalking
Seven starlings singing
Six ducks a playing
Five nose bling (five nose bling)
Four cameras watching
Three screamin squee’s
Two little eggs
And a nest in a pine tree

One of the nice things about the end of the year is that very talented people put in a season summary of their favourite nast. My very first love were the hawks and falcons and my heart still melts when I see Big Red on her nest with Arthur. It is remarkable. She will be 20 years old this spring having hatched in Brooktondale, New York (about 7.5 miles away from Ithaca) in the spring of 2003.

Today it is snowing. There is a ‘bomb cyclone’ that caused all manner of disruption for a 2000 mile stretch. It is terribly cold with a strong wind in Ithaca. There is fear for millions because of the storm and the cold. These are caused by “a collision of cold, dry air from the north and warm, moist air from the sout,” according to The Guardian. Hopefully Big Red, Arthur, and L4 are tucked in safe and warm and that all are safe – humans and wildlife as there are power outages just when warmth is required.

Big Red and Arthur working on their nest in the snow in 2022. Big Red laid her first egg on the 14th of March. 9 days later she laid her 4th egg – unprecedented for Big Red. All of the erases fledged.

L4 is in the middle. It is ‘Cutie Pie’ L4 that remains on the Cornell campus with Big Red and Arthur. L3 is in care. L1 was killed striking a window on the campus shortly after fledgling. L2 has dispersed.

L4 was not the first to fledge but that little one, who clamoured over its siblings not afraid of anything, was the first of the four to catch its own prey. It is still doing that and Mum and Dad do not seem to mind sharing the space with L4. And why should they? It is a large plentiful spot and L4 is a very special little one. No one thought there would be four and no one thought that the 4th would be as vivacious as he was…just look at that crop. L4 as the first up to the beak. He reminds me of Ervie, the 2021 hatch at Port Lincoln. Nothing phased Ervie either and he is still living in his parent’s territory, too. Gosh, I will never forget the dustups up Bazza….those three males at PLO were quite the characters.

It is a beautiful winter wonderland at the Deborah Eagle nest in Iowa today. The eagles have been around during the last week. There is, however, no sign of the Deborah North eagles, yet.

The death of the much loved male at the Centreport Bald Eagle nest on Long Island made the news:

I do not want to link the death of Dad at Centreport with Avian Flu but it has to be something that is considered when they do the necropsy. There are dire warnings coming that stress the deaths to our avian world will be akin to those of DDT before it was banned. They are calling it the second Silent Spring. We must prepare ourselves that we will see Avian Flu raise its head with a vengeance as we move into the new year and spring. ““The last time we experienced such large-scale and rapid losses of wild birds in the UK would be the impacts of DDT on birds of prey in the 1950s and 1960s associated with the Silent Spring narrative, or the widespread declines of farmland birds during the 1970s and 80s as a result of agricultural intensification, ” says the author of the article below that appears in The Guardian today.

And, yes, we must do something about it – and that something could mean the closing of the large factory farms that supply poultry around the world. A return to buying local from small farms where the birds are allowed to run freely and have a decent life before they are killed. Or giving up poultry (and meat) altogether. We must be prepared to pay more to help end this vicious cycle of bird flu if we really care about those feathered friends.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/23/deaths-thousands-wild-birds-avian-flu-new-silent-spring-aoe?CMP=share_btn_link

In Australia, everyone is wishing Zoe a happy 14th week birthday today.

Zoe being her best self – screaming for fish!

In Northeast Florida, everyone is wishing the revolving door of potential mates for Gabby would come to an end. V11, according to the AEF, was in the nest moving sticks around this morning shortly after 0803. (The other day it was Gabby and V9).

At 0823, Gabby was in the nest helping V11. This looks promising. Fingers crossed. Gabby needs a mate that will keep the other intruders out of the territory. Come on V11 – show us your stuff. Can you deliver huge fish? can you feed eaglets til their crops burst? can you bring food for Gabby and protect her? You have big talons to feel since Samson is not here. We need to know you are up to this — but, most of all, Gabby needs a strong male partner.

They were together after 1700.

Good night Gabby.

At the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty, Smitty has been at the nest today. No sign of Bella today.

Gosh, I don’t know what I would do if Elain stopped posting her daily summaries of the Orange scrape. I certainly look forward to them and seeing what has happened at the scrape of Diamond, Xavier, and Indigo!

Just giggle when you see Indigo with his prey!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, just about the time you think that you might get a better glimpse at the two eaglets at the Superbeaks nest, the parents, PePe and Muhlady, notice that there is a hole in the side of the nest that a chick could fall from. So what do they do? Stuff it with a pine branch blocking our view. There are two of them, little grey bobbleheads — and there is quite a lot of fish. No one is hungry on this nest.

Oh, just look with its soft feathers on the top of its head all stuck up straight. Adorable.

You can see both heads. Look carefully.

You can see the fish stacked up and look how well they fixed that hole. They must have heard us worrying about the little ones falling out. Well done you two. What great parents you are!

News of Ron and V2 comes to us from Pat Burke. Please note that it is Ron on the right.

V2 and Ron might be dreaming of eggs and eaglets but, Alex and Andria are getting ready any day for them! Now, how many days is it til we will have pip watch for M15 and Harriet….a week? Must check the dates.

Wishing all of you the very best that the season has to offer. Thank you so much for being a part of this great community of bird lovers. It is so reassuring to know that there are so many kind souls working to make the world a whole lot better for our feathered friends. Take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Darleen Hawkins and the Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam Fans, Pat Burke and Ron and Rita’s Nest Watchers, Superbeaks, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NCTC Bald Eagles, Port Lincoln Osprey, NEFL-AEF, Long Island News, Cornell Bird Lab, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Marie Chism, Lady Hawk and SWFL and D Pritchett, and ‘S’ for that lovely image.

Annie and the ‘new guy’, Gabby arrives home with an injury…and more for Saturday in Bird World

24 December 2022

When the sun is out and it is incredible cold, we get ‘sun dogs’. The Manitoba Weather Network posted this lovely image today and I want all of you to see what they look like. We love the ‘sun dogs’ but, it would be nice if they happened when it was not soooooo cold.

Wikipedia says, “A sun dog (or sundog) or mock sun, also called a parhelion[1] (plural parhelia) in meteorology, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun. Two sun dogs often flank the Sun within a 22° halo. The sun dog is a member of the family of halos caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere. Sun dogs typically appear as a pair of subtly colored patches of light, around 22° to the left and right of the Sun, and at the same altitude above the horizon as the Sun. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but are not always obvious or bright. Sun dogs are best seen and most conspicuous when the Sun is near the horizon.

In contrast, my daughter in law sent me a photo of an Egret that was seen on her travels in the Caribbean today. Oh, gosh. I miss those warm mornings waking up to the sound of the Tropical Mockingbirds. Look closely and you will see a very large Iguana!

The kittens are doing well. Lewis has decided that he prefers looking at birds and flowers on the laptop screen! He has offered to be my official helper this season. Meanwhile, Missy prefers to look at real birds outside.

The male eagle at the Centreport Bald Eagle Nest on Long Island, New York has died at 0347 on the 23rd of December. Him and his mate known only as Mom fledged 5 sets of eaglets. Dad did not appear to feel well during the past week. I do not know how old he was and no one is sure of the circumstances. He was rescued by Bobby Hovrath of WINORR but, nothing could be done. I believe a necroscopy will be performed to find out the cause of the death.

This leads me to a question by ‘A’ in the post: What are the latest thoughts on Avian Flu and its impact this year? (I am not saying that the male at Centre Port died of Avian Flu but, it is a possibility and we need to brace ourselves for more deaths this year due directly to H5N1).

Clearly, Avian Flu is on everyone’s mind. France and the UK are trying to implement strict protocols to fight this so that there is not another instance of millions of birds dying from the spread of H5N1, highly pathogenic Avian Flu. Here is one article from Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03322-2

The CDC (Centre for Disease Control) in the US is extremely worried about what might happen in 2023. Here is their latest announcement:

“November 3, 2022—As bird flu outbreaks in wild birds and poultry continue across the U.S., the country approaches a record number of birds affected compared to previous bird flu outbreaks. Since early 2022, more than 49 million birds in 46 states have either died as a result of bird flu virus infection or have been culled (killed) due to exposure to infected birds. This number is nearing the 50.5 million birds in 21 states that were affected by the largest bird flu outbreak that occurred in 2015. Even so, the number of states affected in 2022 is already more than double the number of states that were affected in 2015. Although the overall risk to the general public from the current bird flu outbreaks remains low, it is important that people take preventive measures around infected or potentially infected birds/poultry to prevent the spread of bird flu viruses to themselves or to other birds/poultry and other animals, including pets. This applies not just to workplace or wildlife settings but potentially to household settings where people have backyard flocks or pet birds with potential exposures to wild or domestic infected birds”.

This article entitled ‘The World is Addicted to Chicken and so is the Avian Flu Virus’ is rather enlightening:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-19/bird-flu-epidemic-and-farm-culls-will-make-eggs-chicken-turkey-expensive?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy

Continuing on with Bald Eagles, the E3 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest is now on Pip Watch! I can hardly believe it. Time flies as fast as the Concorde flew!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At Gabby’s nest near Jacksonville, Florida, there were two visitors today. V2 and V9. Looks like V9 was there towards the end of the day. Did he stay? what have him and Gabby been doing off camera? (if anything). V9 is certainly handsome and his resemblance to Samson has not escaped anyone. But -. We wait to see.

One of my fondest memories of Samson was his stepping in and feeding the eaglets especially the second hatch if the first had dominated a feeding. He was an incredible Dad.

Sadly, Gabby has been at the nest this morning with what looks like a puncture on her head. Send her your warmest wishes. It should heal on its own but, I hope this does not mean that there is a territorial fight with females for the nest. Poor Gabby. What a season she has had.

The WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Miami seems to be settling down. It looks like Ron and V2 have been spending much time together on and off the nest. Fingers crossed! Now if we can just get Gabby settled in with a new mate of her choice.

PePe is really trying to get the award for most fish in a nest in Florida. If you look the nest is already full of fish and he comes in with a huge shark. Everyone is eating well at Superbeaks. Incredible. Muhlady is really excited.

Elain’s wonderful video summary of the comings and goings at the scrape on the campus of Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia beings with a warning kek-kek-kek from one of the adults.

Oh, I couldn’t catch it. Watch closely. Annie and the ‘New Guy’ beak kiss near the beginning of their bonding session. We will have to see but this looks serious.

For all of the Iris fans out there, Montana is now counting down the days til the oldest Osprey in the world returns to her nest at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula, Montana in the spring.

Iris is seriously gorgeous.

Getting anxious for Osprey season? I sure am so with the end of the year approaching, Richmond can be thinking about Rosie’s return. She is usually there by Valentine’s Day, the 14th of February.

If you are a fan of the Threave Ospreys, then you will be pleased to hear that one of the 2022 fledglings has been seen safely spending its winter in Senegal! Migration is so arduous and so many of the first year birds never make it to Africa. Just heart warming when they do.

Tim Mackrill has put together a really informative one hour talk on UK Ospreys and migration. You don’t have to listen to the talk all at one time, you can stop and start. However, if you are a huge osprey fan then I urge you to listen. Mackrill has been working with Ospreys for some time and is now head of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation after working at Rutland Water and writing their ‘huge’ and beautiful book on the Rutland Ospreys.

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

Thank you to the following for their letters, their posts, their videos and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: The Osprey leadership Foundation, Friends of Threave Osprey, Golden Gate Audubon, Hellgate Osprey Twitter, Cal Falcons, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Superbeaks, WRDC, NEFL-AEF, Raptors of the World, the CDC, the Guardian, Nature, and to ‘A’ who asked about Avian Flu.

Sparrows, Samson, Rita and more in Bird World

23 December 2022

Oh, good morning to everyone!

What a blistery week it has been. The garden animals are all poofed trying to keep warm in the chill winds and -21 degree C temperatures. It has gotten a little warmer!!! And by next week, it will be absolutely balmy at -2 on Wednesday. Crazy. We can adjust our clothing and footwear. These poor babies.

We have called Dyson the ‘monk’ for a long time. When she comes to the window with her little paws folded, it is a sign that all of the food for her is gone. Time to refill! No pressure, right? Just look at that sweet face.

I continue to be impressed with the book, Slow Birding. The chapter on House Sparrows really opened my eyes. They live where we live and the first sentence of the chapter asks, ‘Who Doesn’t Love House Sparrows’? I surely do and get quite irked at those who try specifically to feed other prettier birds (to them) and thwart the sparrows. Like falcons, they exist on every continent but, Antarctica. There are fossils dating back 400,000 years in the Middle East where the sparrows followed the progress of agriculture. They would eat the seeds left in the plowed fields. Today, the planting seasons have turned topsy turvy and they are on The Red List. They were traditionally planted in the fall not in the spring and that single change would help the birds survive in the UK. To add to that, the cessation of using pesticides and herbicides would benefit the ability of the parents to feed their young. No insects, no food for the little ones. Did you know that once they hatch, the chicks need 3000 to 4000 thousand insects to eat til they fledge. This is approximately 200 to 300 trips a day, in and out of the nest, to feed the wee ones. This will continue for two weeks. Today, in North America we are lucky to have them and their beautiful songs in our gardens. Feed them! And don’t use chemicals on your lawn. Promote insects by leaving your leaves in the fall. Help these wee ones out whenever you can!

I know that many of you will remember that one or the other of Diamond and Xavier have brought in a Green Parrot to the scrape at Orange. Here is an interesting story from The Guardian about them and the numbers that have flown to Tasmania for breeding season.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/20/record-numbers-of-critically-endangered-orange-bellied-parrots-in-tasmania-for-breeding-season?CMP=share_btn_link

Please do not think that birds are ‘bird brained’! Just trying getting a Rowanberry from one of the lovely and fierce Redwings.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/22/country-diary-the-redwing-is-bird-brained-but-far-from-stupid?CMP=share_btn_link

Today, Samson would be nine years old ——way too early to be gone ——and a YouTube video honouring his hatch day is making the rounds. Thanks ‘J’ for bringing it to my attention.

It is so difficult to catch a peek of the two little eaglets at Superbeaks but, that said, everything seems to be going just fine. Food is plentiful and both parents, PePe and Muhlady, are extremely attentive.

Glad to have a final and definitive word on the status of Rita. Things get carried away in chats and on FB. Terry Carman gives us the latest:

Always so happy to have one of Elain’s videos of the Orange Peregrine Falcon scrape to share:

A brief look at one of the Audubon Center’s Ambassadors who lived their life in car for 31 years. Incredible. And still going strong. If you ever get near enough to Maitland, Florida – on the west coast near Fort Myers – stop in and visit the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. You will sadly not see Smedley but you could see Bailey, his long term Osprey mate. You might also see many of the other ambassadors.

So here is Francis from a wee nestling in care to being all grown up. Oh, I miss those little eaglets. Can’t wait for Harriet and M15’s two to hatch. Let the beaking begin!!!!!!! And it will. There is no doubt about it but, it will stop.

Oh, what a delight. Andor and Cruz were on the Fraser Point nest today. You might remember that these are the parents of Victor who went into care and Lillibet from 2022. So good to see you!

They refused to pose nicely but who cares. So lovely to see both of them together at the nest!

With that luck, I thought I would check on Thunder and Akecheta and there they were together! What a great day with our Channel Islands Bald Eagles. There they are, sitting together, looking out over the water into the sunshine on that high cliff to the left. I believe it is called Tor.

I ran out of luck at Two Harbours. No Chase or Cholyn when I checked.

The cams came back up at the Northeast Florida nest. V9 flew in and chortled but no Gabby. He waited for ten minutes and flew off. I wonder if they will both return to the nest tonight? We wait. Lady Hawk caught V9 flying in.

Gabby has been at the nest and she has brought some new greenery in. We wait, watch, and hope for our girl.

‘A’ sends word that there has been a changeover at the Taiaroa Head Royal Albatross nest. These two are doing so well. The sky calls are like nothing else. Oh, how I loved the little ones doing sky calls with OGK. Tears.

Zoe is certainly developing her diving skills and it is only a matter of time before an unlucky fish comes along and she snaps it up. It would be fantastic to see her bring one in to the nest that she caught right from the natal barge. Her love of fish will certainly be a motivator!

Speaking of fish, Dad is doing an amazing job feeding Zoe. Today she had no more than finished one fish than he flew in with another quite nice one. Her crop will pop!

You can see Zoe’s crop. I sure hope that Dad is eating himself!!!!!! He is really taking excellent care of his ‘little’ girl.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, their posts, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘J’ and ‘A’, Port Lincoln Osprey, NZ DOC and Cornell Bird Lab, NEFL-AEF, Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org, Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Superbeaks, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cam and News and Terry Carman, and The Guardian.

The Flight of the Osprey and more…in Bird World

21 December 2022

Oh, good morning to you. It is Winter/Summer Solstice depending on where you live. The shortest day/longest night OR if you are in Australia, the longest day and the longest night.

It is cold on the Canadian Prairies. The temperatures plummeted. Yesterday we had beautiful blue skies and sun but it is overcast today and still cold. It is -24 this morning as I write this.

Oh, I do love getting your letters and comments. I learn something new every day. In the mail, ‘V’ asks, “Are you aware that Blue Jays are rare in the PNW? I live in the Seattle area and we have scrub jays and stellar jays but, I haven’t seen a blue jay since I left the midwest.” I had no idea! So, as you are reading this, think about dropping me a line to let me know if you have Blue Jays where you live. I would be very interested to know!

It would be really nice to walk along with the dogs and see all the raptors, to be followed by a Red Kite. How grand!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/19/country-diary-raptors-are-always-the-most-visible-creatures-up-here?CMP=share_btn_link

Maybe what New York City needs is a lot more raptors. Raptors are proven to get rid of more vermin than any of the modern day rodenticides that if consumed by rats can cause huge secondary poisoning in pets and raptors. Just think of those lovely Red-tail Hawks living around Central Park seeing a slow moving rat because it ate rodenticide! I hope that the individual who has this position considers an alternative and if you live in New York City and love the birds and raptors, who take your pets for a walk, maybe you should write this new rat ridder a letter and let him know your views about using raptors.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/19/new-york-rats-eric-adams-meera-joshi?CMP=share_btn_link

K4 at his roost in Guinea

Thank you to geemeff, we have the final link on YouTube for the discussions with the Flight of the Osprey tem. Topics how important tagging is in conservation, finding out the challenges for the ospreys in their winter homes, and this wonderful bird, 4K from Belvoir Castle. Please take the time to listen. You will really enjoy the effort, the villagers, and then the spotting of 4K. You will learn much but, this entire programme sets out to help the conservation of the ospreys at their winter homes, their spring and summer breeding grounds and their migratory routes. It is so heart warming that the visit of Sasha Dench and others to the villages where the UK Osprey winter will help them appreciate the birds and the need to help them if they get caught in the fishing nets. Maybe someone – a kind resourceful individual will figure out a way to remove the garbage from Africa – the plastic bottles and the nets that are no longer useful so that they do not wind up in the rivers, the mangroves and the oceans. It can be done if there is a will to do it.

The Flight of the Osprey is about migration and conservation. Today, Hawk Mountain released its end of the year report for the migration over the mountains in Pennsylvania. Here is that count:

Elain can capture a day in the life of the Peregrine Falcons at Orange, Australia in a few minutes. Thank you! Your editing is so welcome and wonderful. It seems that Indigo is very loud and still at home. Diamond has been sneaking in and taking Indigo’s stashed prey out of the corner and eating it. There is a lesson there: eat everything you can when you can – you don’t know who will steal it and when your next meal will arrive!

At Port Lincoln, Zoe is developing her diving skills. Do not be surprised if she comes up with a fish one day!

Someone spread the word around Ron’s nest that he is now an eligible bachelor according to Sassa Bird and the females are coming from hither and yon to try and win his affections. The WRDC nest is turning out to be like Gabby’s. Who knew so many eagles wanted to be streaming cam stars?

She seems to like him! But does he like her?

At the NE Florida nest of Gabby, we await our ‘Queen of the Nest to return’ and guess who is on a branch waiting for her too? V9. It is nearing 1700 when Gabby returns to the nest. Fingers crossed.

Gracie Shepherd caught V9 and Gabby last night getting closer on the branch.

In Louisiana, it has been pitching rain. Louis came to the nest to protect Anna. What a darling.

Except for Zoe, it is all about the eagles right now. There are so many nests. At this time of year as many worry if Gabby will have a mate, if Ron will settle with one of the females, or if you are worrying about Avian Flu, let us stop. I have posted this thirteen minute video before but, it is good to do it again so that we can be reminded that human intervention can save the lives of our birds and it can also help them in being able to return to the wild. We can make a positive difference!

Look at those faces. Oh, I can’t wait to see little eaglets and osplets again!

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their questions, posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘Geemeff’ and ‘V’, KNF A-1, Gracie Shepherd and the NEFL-AEF Bald Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Hawk Mountain, Conservation without Borders, The Guardian, and Stockholms Vildfågel Rehab.

The Rufous hornero wins the World Cup of Birds…more visitors to Gabby’s nest and news in Bird World

19 December 2022

Good Morning!

The fluffy snow is still here – thankfully the sun is going to try and come out today and it has stopped falling. The garden is beautiful – still a wonderland.

Dyson (bottom photo) has been stocking up on Black Oil seed while two of the three babies are going after the peanuts.

Dyson is so clever!!!!!! She sits on that perfect branch and eats for hours!!!!!! Her own automatic vending machine for seed. The sparrows will never bother her.

The Starlings arrive every day around 1330. They will sit on the top branches and if it is sunny you can see them turn their little bodies around warming every side.

Mr Crow has been in a bit of a mood. The wee squirrels are taking ‘HIS’ peanuts!

Of course, the House Sparrows are always around. The way the light was falling made this one look blue in spots. He is quite a handsome male with that little white collar and blue-black bib.

It is now official. The Rufous Hornero has beaten the Gallic Rooster in penalty kicks! What a close pair these two were. Who would have thought?

Note the curve of the beak, the dark eye, and the white throat. The female is much the same as the male while the juvenile’s have lighter plumage.

“Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus), nesting pair” by Allan Hopkins is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

“Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)” by berniedup is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Wikipedia gives this description, “The rufous hornero is a medium-sized ovenbird in the family Furnariidae. It occurs in eastern South America, and is the national bird of Argentina. Also known as the red ovenbird, it is common in savannas, second-growth scrub, pastures and agricultural land and is synanthropic.”

It not only lives in the countryside. It can be found in urban areas too. It is a rusty red above with buff plumage underneath, a white throat and a tiny little eyebrow. Note the dark rust coloured tail feathers. This bird builds its nest out of mud on trees as well as buildings and any other human structure it can find that is suitable.

It was a pretty quiet Sunday in Bird World – thankfully. We can still use some of these days to recuperate and prepare for all the eagle eggs and hatches that will be coming soon enough.

I was delighted to see Thunder and Akecheta on the West End nest. Checking often with little results or seeing the pair in the distance on those two big outcrops but…today came up gold!

It was a beautiful sunrise on the Northeast Florida nest of Gabby.

It wasn’t even 0700 and there was a suitor waiting to see if he had any chance with our Gabby.

Gabby flew off at one point seemingly tired of the youngsters appearing. She even kicked some off the nest! Some worry that Gabby will leave – this is her nest. She just needs a good mate.

Well, Gabby did return and she is telling this one on the branch to ‘get going’! It is pretty clear she is NOT happy! The looks get more and more stern.

He is not leaving!!!!!!! Notice that they are sitting pretty close together. When Gabby and Samson became a bonded pair, Samson was 4 years old. They had Romey and Jules the following year. Will Gabby pick a younger male? Remember. We have no idea how old Gabby is. Nothing is known about her. She could be nearly as old as Harriet for all we know! This ale is being called V4. Apparently, V5 was a female. Gabby booted her. She hasn’t booted this one, yet. Now if he would bring her a good sized fish.

He is not too young. Looks like a 4 year old like Harry at the MN-DNR nest. There have been other 3 and 4 year old Bald Eagles breed successfully, too.

The Stand Off with some vocals about a minute in:

Oh, dear. It seems Carole’s singing ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ scared V4 off. Or did he chase an intruder? Will he come back? Will Gabby stay the night? We wait.

Yes! Gabby is roosting and can be seen on cam 1. V4 can be seen on cam 2.

It was the 1.5 year old juvenile that has caused me wonderment. How many times did we look into your eyes, Legacy. I am pretty certain it is you! No one else. You gorgeous girl.

It was this side that gave it away that this visitor is not a suitor but Legacy.

At the nest of Ma and Pa Berry, Pa Berry wound up having to defend the nest and eggs against an intruder!

Otherwise, life in Bird World is very, very quiet.

Elain provided another of her good videos of the Orange scrape as a summary for yesterday. Thank you Elain! Indigo is still home!!!!!!!!

At the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, Zoe was over on the ropes. She made a couple of flights over to the shore. She certainly looks ‘wet’ in the image below like she might have been fishing but, what you should be noticing is that amazing necklace!

No worries. Ervie is still at Port Lincoln. He has been fishing at a place called Greyhound Road, according to Port Lincoln Ospreys.

In the mail, the book Slow Birding. The Art and Science of Enjoying the Birds in Your Own Backyard has arrived! It is going to be my project today – a cup of tea, a nice wool blanket, and this book. Hope to report back tomorrow.

Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: NEFL-AEF, Explore.org and IWS, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Berry College, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and OpenVerse.

Pepe brings in an evening snack, more visitors to Gabby’s nest…it is Sunday in Bird World

18 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone from a very snowy Manitoba! It has been a long time since we have seen so much snow dumped on the Canadian Prairies at one time. It is beautiful and a good way to slow down.

The Starlings showed up at their usual time for some of the suet.

The House Sparrows were here – mostly on the ground eating seed that Dyson & Company had dumped on the ground. You see the squirrels have found a way to empty one of the feeders entirely by shining on it!

Dyson is in her favourite spot. I always know where to find her. The other three – her babies from the summer – are doing well. She has taken good care of them.

It is a different story in the house. Lewis and Missey want to help with everything including the new images of Aran that have arrived from Glaslyn or the squirrel cards from DaniConnorWild.

Are they so innocent?

One or the other loves to get in this little basket. When they first arrived, both of them could fit in it. No longer! I am now calling them cats instead of kittens!

Lewis pretending he is an angel. I will not take my eyes off him or these candles while they are on. It is way too easy for a cat to burn their fur or start a fire. In fact, after sitting nervously for a few minutes, I have decided to only use candles if they are covered by a glass globe.

With the help of ‘J’, the memorial listing of the birds that we have lost is getting filled in much better. I have now returned to it with her help – while at the same time preparing a summary of Port Lincoln’s season for Claudio and the incredible International Osprey Data Bank he has created for me to track the Ospreys on the streaming cams. By the end of the first week in January, there will be a separate page with the Memorial Wall for 2021-22. If you have any additions (or corrections), please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. Let us all hope that 2023’s listing is much shorter.

I don’t always get to sit and watch Ferris Akel’s Saturday Tour but, it is often playing in the background. Whenever he is talking about an interesting bird – instead of just searching for them – I jump up. Today, there was a Belted Kingfisher. Isn’t it lovely? I have never seen one and they look like such unique characters with that long pointed beak and that ‘bed head’. Love the colour palette of the plumage, too. Lovely birds.

Several Bald Eagles were out in the fields near Montezuma. Ferris has a way of spotting them and I have no idea how he does it.

One of the most exciting moments for me was a Northern Harrier hunting in the fields and catching some prey!

It is hard to see but they have a face like an owl with plumage that captures the sounds. They fly low to the surface of the land to catch their prey unlike other hawks that might hover or sit on poles and wait.

I cannot imagine, for a single moment, not wanting to allow them to have a bird or a vole for their dinner. Beautiful creatures.

There were also Tundra and Trumpeter Swans. You could see areas with some open water while others were covered with ice or were slushy.

A Horned Lark had found some food and was eating it on the side of the highway. Silly one!

There were Snow Geese and Canada Geese, too.

They had been feeding on the fields of corn that had been harvested and then all of a sudden, they flew away. Ferris was happy. Last year at this very site someone shot a Snow Goose while he was broadcasting.

Ferris spotted Arthur and a juvenile Red-tail Hawk on the grounds of Cornell University. I would like to think that the juvie that was hunting is L4 who has decided to stay in its parents territory. Certainly Arthur and Big Red are not running it off!

Arthur is all poofed up. It is 0 degrees C and they are due for some more snow. Notice the very deep brown/black eyes of the adult Red-tail. Arthur does not have the majestic apron of Big Red on his chest so it is easy to tell them apart. Such a little cutie, Arthur is. Big Red was seen recently by Karel Sedlacek so I am not worried that Ferris did not see her. It is hard to imagine but in three months time we will be watching for Big Red to lay her eggs. She will be 20 years old this spring! Wow.

This is the juvenile that I believe to be L4. If you look carefully you can see the light celadon of the juvie’s eyes.

Ferris Akel is a wealth of knowledge who gives his time and shares the birds around the area of Ithaca with us almost every Saturday of the year. He has been doing this for more than ten years now. He is humble but, I learn something every time I stop to listen to his programme. You can subscribe to his channel on YouTube and there is a chat moderated by a fellow Canadian, Dolphin. I often lurk – but, everyone is grand and they will welcome you to chat if you say ‘hi’.

As night began to fall, Pepe flew into the Superbeaks nest with a huge prey for Muhlady and the eaglets. I am trying to figure out what it is – a Black duck with red? Anyone know what this might be? Is it a Red-legged Black Duck?

Muhlady certainly seemed pleased and what a nice time to bring the prey. A snack for everyone before bed and some breakfast in the morning. Lovely. This is my first time watching this nest – in fact, it is a new nest on streaming cams. One never knows what to expect but this eagle family seems to have a good source of prey and they are very smart – having their eaglets before it gets too hot! Can’t wait til we can see those wee ones a little more. You certainly can hear them if you tune in.

I had a giggle today. Lady Hawk called Gabby’s nest ‘As the Nest Turns’, too. And it certainly is a revolving door. Today there was a 4 year old and a juvenile less than 2 years which led me to want to think it was Legacy!

Legacy, I don’t know if this is you but, if it is, you are still as gorgeous as ever. It is those piercing eyes…I have looked several times at images of Legacy and it sure could be her. I sure wish someone would band these eaglets! And here is my reasoning. For the past several days, we have been receiving images of Siren 5F who is the mate of Dylan at Llyn Clywedog. She is perched in her regular roost in The Gambia where she winters. Easily recognisable. No guesses. That is how banding can help – amongst other things.

That 4 year old eagle sure has Samson’s legs!

A short video of V4 flying into the nest with V5. Someone mentioned Gabby abandoning this nest. The Bald Eagles are attached to the nest. I cannot see a reason for her to leave it unless she were ‘run out’ of the territory by a bonded couple intent on taking over the territory and the nest.

One of the resident Ospreys at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey is Bailey. She was the companion of Smedley who sadly died last year. Yes, Ospreys do well in care!!!!!

Wow. Look at this image from the scrape at Charles Sturt University in Orange today. The expression on Diamond and Indigo’s faces are amazing.

At the same time, Indigo can be just a darling.

Elain’s highlights of the day at the Orange scrape. Always welcome, Elain. You do a wonderful compilation! Thank you.

Ron is quite the catch. I sure hope some deserving female flies into his nest! He is doing a super job of working on it. Someone today wished that Ron and Gabby could get together. That would be one super couple.

Jackie and Shadow working on their nest. They were caught mating on the other camera today!

As we wait for eggs to be laid or hatch, for Gabby to get a new mate or not, there is not a lot going on in Bird World and for that, I am truly grateful.

Good news has come to us from the rehabilitation centre that has cared for WBSE27 and who is now training WBSE30. We know that 27 is flying free. We have seen her tracking. They did a marvellous job teaching her to fly and to hunt and they are now doing the same for 30. Let us hope that she, too, will be equipped with a tracker so that we can follow her movements.

The top image is 27 leaping off a perch while she was being trained before she was released. The bottom image is 30 being trained now. Warm wishes for her life to be as successful as her older sister’s.

30 is on the perch on the right.

I have not been able to find a recent update on WBSE 29. Lady and Dad have, however, visited the nest tree the other evening. So nice to see them!

And a quick check on Zoe at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. I caught Dad delivering either a small fish or a piece of a fish to Zoe at 1402. She spots him coming. My goodness, Zoe, you are loud! They could hear you across the lagoon.

So, with the lull, let us turn back to our Red List of Vulnerable Birds published in the UK.

No. 20 The Red List: The Smew

“Smew” by hmclin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The author, Ben Watt, calls this darling black and white diving duck, the ‘Karl Lagerfeld’ of the divers. Watt uses such terms as ‘vivid white crest, jet black shades, white tux, …moving elegantly’. What a grand description. Quite fitting.

The top image is of a male Smew. The bottom is of the female adult. Just look at that magnificent rusty head on the female. Quite striking and gorgeous.

“Smew – male” by Len Blumin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

“Zoo Smew” by hmclin is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

There are fossils of Smew going back 1.5 million years ago and yet this gorgeous little waterfowl is at risk of going extinct in our life time. Watt is on a crusade to save this bird that inhabited the wetlands near to his home. In 1956, there were 144 recorded wintering at the Brent Reservoir (Welsh Harp). It was a record! Today, there are 10. I did not keystroke that wrong – ten. So what is the problem? Climate change caused by humans. Milder winters, the increase of water sports and the pollution of waters. Watt says, ‘These days, the two inflowing rivers at the Welsh Harp are badly oxygen-depleted, and high in urban run-off, contaminated with silt, phosphates and micro plastics. Feeding grounds are suffering and the numbers of regular species are on the decline.’

We could of course say this for most of our waterfowl. Indeed, ‘A’ and I have been wondering about the silt flowing into the water at Port Lincoln due to flooding slightly north. Luckily, for the Smew, they can stay year round in various bodies of water near Amsterdam where they number close to 200 at a single count.

Last today, ‘J’ has been helping me with the memorial wall asks that we keep Victoria Cockatoo in our thoughts and prayers. Victoria is a 50 year old Cockatoo that had a very hard life before she was taken in by a kind owner, April. As a result of the treatment she received earlier in life, Victoria is battling significant health problems and is in hospice.  Yesterday she was eating April’s breakfast so there is some hope on improvement. Here is that link:

https://www.facebook.com/ParrotPlayhouse

Please also keep Alden, Samson, and Rita in your positive thoughts as well.

From somewhere in Australia, a tree full of Rainbow Lorikeets that used to come and wish our lovely little Black Pacific Duck Daisy nesting on the big WBSE tree ‘good morning’.

Thank you so much for being with me today. It is lovely to have you here with us. Take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: OpenVerse, Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, FOBBV, Raptor Recovery Australia and Judy Harrington and Sea Eagle Cam, WRDC, NEFL-AEF, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Superbeaks, and Ferris Akel’s Live Tours.

Another male at Gabby’s nest? Pa and Missy Berry have 2nd egg…and more in Bird World

17 December 2022

It is a bit like a winter fairyland outside if you can stay in and not have to drive. The main City streets are clear but in the country cars have been sliding into the ditch all of Friday. Hopefully no one was injured and…everyone can stay home until the weather improves.

I am having a hard time getting over the fact that someone stomped four beautiful Hen Harrier chicks to their death. It is simply unimaginable. And, yet, cruelty to animals appears to be on the rise. What has happened to us? We pollute our planet til it is gasping for breath and then treat the wildlife that we share it with in disdain. I say ‘we’. Anyone who reads my blog does not harm anything but, how can we cause a sea change in the rest of humanity? Of course, those four chicks are only the tip of the iceberg as evidenced by the listing of 77 Hen Harriers killed or missing (those known) since 2018 when the persecution of the birds was to end. Humans can be very disgusting. One of the latest below. If you wish to follow Dr Ruth Tingay’s blog, Raptor Persecution UK, go to raptorpersecutionuk.org

While the UK is battling this intentional killing, there are serious persecutions of raptors happening throughout the world. No country is immune it seems. What a sadness.

This morning, we need something uplifting and I cannot think of a sweeter sound that little eaglets wanting more bites of prey and being fed by their mum. In this case, it is Muhlady at the Superbeaks nest. You can hear them and see them, finally. That nest bowl is deep! And a good thing. We will not worry about them falling over!

The soap opera continues at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest. It is surely a good thing that Gabby has not laid her eggs yet because it is a revolving door of suitors. Just when we think V3 is the winner – ‘behind door number 3’- he disappears and is missing for 24 hours and then V1 shows up! My question is: will V2 return?

According to ‘J’ who is watching this nest closely, Gabby was not too happy when V1 showed up instead of V2. (Rollin’ Rag is calling this one new but some have identified him as V1). ‘H’ says we need to buy more popcorn!!!!!! Yes, ‘H’, it is the best soap opera in Bird World at the moment. Indeed, I have not ever seen anything like it. Have you?

Here is another announcement – with another sub-adult visitor.

Gabby waits, looking off in the distance. Oh, I would give anything if Samson would fly in!

As Ron waits for Rita to return in the WRDC nest at the Miami Zoo, Rita is busy getting well in the clinic. Here is the latest news form Ron Magill:

The WRDC welcomes any and all donations to help with Rita’s care.

At the Bald Eagle nest on the grounds of Berry College in Georgia, Pa and Missey welcomed their second egg on Friday. Let hard incubation commence. Oh, I hope the snow and ice are not bad this year. Poor Missey is often buried, just like some of the other Mums.

Jackie and Shadow are used to snow and, as we all know, eagles prefer it cooler than hotter. The couple were caught working on their nest in Big Bear Valley today. Lovely to see you Jackie and Shadow.

This is the view of the MN-DNR Bald Eagle nest of Nancy and her new mate today.

There is also snow at our favourite US Osprey nest – of Iris in Missoula, Montana. She is the oldest living Osprey that we know of…And we can look forward to her return the first week of April. While it is doubtful there will ever be osplets fledged off this nest again, it is always good to see Iris. Reassuring that everything is right with the world.

Good news coming out of San Jose City Hall. Annie and Grinnell’s 2020 hatch Sequoia is bonding with her mate! on camera!!!!!!!! It doesn’t bring sweet Grinnell back but his amazing personality will hopefully live on in his children and grandchildren!

Grandmother Annie’s ‘new guy’ sure does like to scrape! He’s hoping she will choose him. Let’s wait and see!

In Port Lincoln, Zoe remains on the natal nest and Dad continues to feed his big girl. She flew off the nest to get that fish! Look at that plumage. Zoe is rather magnificent.

A short but very precious video of Indigo lekking.

In the UK, the banning of certain fishing might help to keep some birds from extinction~including the darling Puffin. This is very good news. Now let us just hope that there will be oversight. Perhaps more and more governments will begin to take seriously the needs of our wildlife for food and habitat and begin restricting other fishing and building permits to help protect the sea birds.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/16/uk-may-ban-sandeel-fishing-in-move-to-save-threatened-seabirds?CMP=share_btn_link

There is, however, other disturbing news and that is the decline in the number of insects – vital to the health of many birds – and humans, too!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/15/flying-insect-numbers-plunge-64-since-2004-uk-survey-finds?CMP=share_btn_link

Ever wonder what Ospreys do after they fly from their spring and summer breeding grounds to their winter homes? Well, apparently they don’t do much! I became particularly interested in 4K because of Belvoir Castle (pronounced ‘Beaver’ Castle). When I was studying at Leicester University, Belvoir Castle and the Benton Estate were frequent haunts of mine when I needed to clear my head. There were no Ospreys back then so this is very exciting!

Tim Mackrill is giving a free talk on Ospreys. Here is the information:

When I was a student of Dr Klaus Klostermaier, I visited Germany for the first time. It was eons ago. I returned commenting on being able to open the windows and have no ‘bugs’. Manitoba is always awash with mosquitoes. Well, my tutor set me down and gave me a good talking to – you see he grew up in Germany before heading to Rome to become a priest and then to India where he was disavowed. It seems I was quite ‘wet behind the ears’. Germany’s industrial pollution had killed the insects so vital to life. That said, Germany spent considerable effort cleaning up its rivers and I wonder today about the insect population. So a world without insects biting us is not a good world at all!

It is now a week until the Christmas holiday celebrations for some of my readers. Others are celebrating Hanukah which ends on 26 December – right when Kwanza beings. It is a busy time of year.

I have been overwhelmed by the urge – the sheer panic – I see in so many when I go out. They are scampering about like starved mice to buy and buy. In keeping with the notion that the world has too much stuff, we are cancelling presents this year and from now forward. Instead ,we are opting for a simple Vegan pot luck. Today, I also got a fantastic idea to make that potluck even more fun from my friend, Sassa Bird. She is going to teach her friends and family to make bird seed ornaments. What a delightful idea. She is happy for all of us to join in the fun! It is a win-win.

Here is an easy recipe for that very expensive Bark Butter that my garden birds love: 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal, 1/2 cup of oatmeal (either quick or original, it doesn’t matter), 1/2 cup of lard (you need real lard not shortening and you can ask your butcher if you cannot find it), and the last ingredient is 1/2 cup of peanut butter (either smooth or chunky). It should be a wee bit sticky so it doesn’t crumble. I add more peanut butter if I need to. You can smear this on the trunks of trees, you can dip the tops of pine cones in it. One clever way I saw was to roll it in a log and chill it. Then roll it in cranberries. Cut in shapes and place in suet holders. I promise your guests will learn something and all the birds will be grateful. There is not a visitor to my garden that doesn’t love this mixture.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. I hope that all of you are well. I wish you good friendships, some good food, and lots of smiles and laughs as we bring 2022 closer to an end. We are all hoping in Bird World that it will be a better year. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their videos, their posts, and their streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘H’ and ‘J’ for all the news on NEFL and the giggles, Sassa Bird for the great holiday idea, The Guardian, Tim Mackrill Twitter feed, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, San Jose City Hall, Cal Falcons, Montana Osprey Project and Cornell Bird Lab, MN-DNR Bald Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Berry College Eagles, Ron Magill and the WRDC, NEFL-AEF, Rollin Rag, and Superbeaks.