Category Archives: Eastern Osprey

Emergency approval for HPAI vaccine for California Condors…Thursday in Bird World

18 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

The skies have been weirdly overcast. The ‘look’ is partly from the wildfire smoke infiltrating Manitoba. It has, however, been drizzling for part of the day, making it a bit cooler at 22 degrees. They say our air quality poses a ‘low’ risk today because of the rain. I wonder about the poor birds and mammals in Canada’s western provinces. How are they doing amidst this outbreak of fire?

Lewis has taken over one of the chairs. Claudio tells me that I can clear up his hair stuck to the wool with washing up gloves. I need to try this!

Several times a day, Missy and Lewis take turns washing one another’s faces. My goodness, they are such a delight. The sheer joy animals bring our lives is so difficult to describe. Hold them close.

Just a note for all those Canada Goose fans. Decorah Goose Cam is shutting down. The new couple do not seem interested in using the nest. We will look forward to another successful year in 2024.

The loss of Pale Male, Central Park’s notorious Red-tail Hawk, who died at the age of 33 years in the loving care of Bobby Horvath took the birding community by surprise.

Thirty-three years. What a long life flying between high-rise apartment buildings in the area of New York City’s famous park. It was a long life and yet, of course, the loss is felt. Just like friends and relatives who have lived to ‘a ripe old age’, it still leaves a hole. For me, the death of Pale Male made the presence of Big Red and her three hawklets on the Cornell Campus much more significant. We didn’t get to watch Pale Male’s life play out – unless you happened to be living in NYC or visiting – but, since 2012, Big Red has been the star of one of the few Red-tail Hawk streaming cams in the world. She is the ‘Queen’. She is not young. So every day with her is simply precious.

Kelly Sorenson of the Ventana Wildlife Society writes that the use of the HPAI vaccine was approved on the 16th of May as an emergency measure to try and save the Big Sur and Pinnacle Condor Colonies in Central California from H5N1. The resolve to save these beautiful birds has made news around the world.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/17/vaccine-california-condor-avian-influenza-near-extinction?CMP=share_btn_link

The quarantine pens resulted from a huge fundraiser of the Ventana Wildlife Society. They raised 85,000$ to build them to enclose the California Condor community against the avian flu that is killing the condors in Arizona.

The total number of condors in Central California is currently 91 since the Dolan Fire of 2020. Ventana Wildlife continues to rebuild from that horrific fire that took so many lives.

Let us hope that the protective measures that are being employed will help during this tragic outbreak of H5N1 in the region. Arizona lost 20 of their flock this spring. Incredibly sad.

R5 fell out of the WRDC nest and was quickly rescued. On Wednesday, he was returned to the nest successfully without any alarm to R4. Well done, WRDC.

Lucy was vocalising during the late afternoon at the Lake Murray Osprey platform. LMO has done an incredible job of trying to keep the GHO from any further attacks after the predation of C1. Looks like the strobe lights, golf carts, picnickers and loud music are working. Other osprey nests with predation by GHOs should take notice – and also, check out the metal barriers installed by Cowlitz PUD against Bald Eagle attacks at their osprey nest in Washington like that which happened last season.

Lucy is fishing and taking good care of C2 who has a huge crop as best she can with these daily and night intruders at her nest.

We are on pip watch at the Dahlgren Osprey platform of Harriet and Jack.

I woke up to news form ‘H’ that the pip hatched early morning on the 18th.

Angel and her baby continue to do well although Tom either has trouble hunting or is a little unreliable. There was lots of food on Tuesday with a single delivery of a bird by Tom on Wednesday (please correct me!). As ‘A’ notes, Angel left the little one for several hours and either was unsuccessful in hunting or ate all the prey herself. Hopefully today there will be lots of food. The difference in this nest and Big Red’s is striking including – the eyases at Cornell are hardly ever left alone. Still nervous as there is a ways to go for Angel and Tom and RTH5.

The third osplet hatched at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya. Oh, goodness, there is five days difference between Big Bob and Little…with one egg left to hatch!

So far, so good at Loch of the Lowes.

Louis brought in three really nice fish for Dorcha today. Gosh, he has always been such an extraordinary mate.

Dr Sharpe is really out there working to get all of the eaglets banded and, I presume, to say goodbye to the nests that he has so lovingly taken care of for many, many decades on the Channel Islands. These two beauties belong to Andor and Cruz.

More pictures from when Dr Sharpe banded Thunder and Akecheta’s eaglets the other day.

E22 is still at the SW Florida Eagle nest in Fort Myers. There are some incredible images being taken by the photographers on the ground. Oh, how I wish someone would make a book about this year!

This beautiful image came from the streaming cam. E22 is such a beauty and how wonderful to continue to see you.

B16 is 116 days old and fledged 38 days ago. She continues to come to the nest at Berry College in Georgia and her loving parents continue to provide prey for her. What a beauty!

Our dear Ervie, the 2021 third hatch at Port Lincoln osprey barge, continues to get photographed in the area that he has called home since he fledged. I wonder if he is still fishing with Dad?

Lou and Annie’s chicks are awfully precocious this year. Rosa has already been looking out of the windows, a behaviour seen a week or so before fledge. Now all three of them have been caught glimpsing at the world that will soon welcome them.

Luna has also joined Rosa in trying to catch moths! Oh, the legacy that was Alden…his spirit, not his DNA, lives on at The Campanile.

Iris may or may not have any eggs in her nest. One was laid, are there two? Hopefully the Corvids will be there to claim them while Iris is off catching whoppers like the one today. It is incredibly sad that after 2018 – that was five years ago – that Iris did not have a reliable mate. She would, as we can see, be an amazing mother with good DNA.

As it nears midnight in Canada, Blue NC0 is awaiting the first fish delivery of the day to the Loch of the Lowes from Laddie for her and the two little bairns. There was a nice late fish by Laddie on Wednesday evening. It looks like Mum still has a crop but those little ones will be ravenous.

Maya is waiting for her delivery from Blue 33 at Manton Bay also.

My last check on the Moorings Park Osprey platform for the day shows Victoria eating away whenever he can. He has not fledged yet. Abby fledged ten days ago! It is so nice at home with Mum Sally, Victor just might want to stay forever. I don’t blame him. It has to be one of the most stable osprey platforms in the US.

Keep sending all of your good wishes to every nest. They need all the help that we can muster for them.

Thank you for being with me today. So much going on! Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, The Legend of Pale Male, Cornell RTH Cam, The Guardian, Ventana Wildlife Society, Heidi McGrue and R Nest Eagle Nest Watchers, LMO, Sheila Staley and Osprey Friends, Window to Wildlife, LRWT, LOTL, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, IWS/Explore, Jann Galliva and CIEL, SWFL Eagle Cam, Rebecca Dawn and SWFL Eagles, Berry College Eagle Cam, PLO, Fran Solley and Friends of Osprey Su Bus, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Montana Osprey Project, and Moorings Park Osprey Platform.

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

30 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful Decorah Hatchery family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful Iris.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First egg for Louis and Dorcha, Lou feeds the kids…Friday in Bird World

21 April 2023

Good Morning everyone,

It is 2 degrees C with snow and blowing snow and a weather warning going from Thursday evening until Friday morning, which will be extended to Saturday. Possibility of 10-20 cm of new snow accumulation. The snow in the garden had melted, and as of the time I am writing – it is 1922 Thursday evening; only a few Dark-eyed Juncos are left on the branches and hopping about looking for Millet. The European Starlings have been here in great numbers today, and you could feel that ‘something’ was coming, and it has now arrived in the form of heavy snow.

The second Hibiscus bloom of the year. If you live where the grass is green and the flowers are blooming it is hard to imagine how much people living in the snowy wintery areas crave flowers and greenery! It has been such a delight to see this Hibiscus survive for the past several years. It goes out in the summer and then comes in before the first frost. That used to be in August but now it might not happen until late September or October.

Missy and Lewis believe in ‘looking up’. You never know what is going to fly over the glass ceiling! Today they have been watching low-flyin Ring-billed Gulls.

Lewis thinks the best thing to do on a snowy day is to have a nice long nap!

The European Starlings have emptied the Meal Worm and Bark Butter feeder three times today. They are so beautiful, and despite rumours to the contrary, they get along quite nicely with all of the other birds in the garden including the House Sparrows.

Always grateful when a kind person makes an effort to care for our wild birds migrating here for their spring and summer breeding grounds.

Coming out of the UK is news that will make you weep. At the same time, the individual who tore down the trees and demolished the ecosystems along the river on his property will pay for the damage dearly as will all the wildlife and birds for his actions. The message is clear: You cannot destroy the planet even if you own the land. We are, after all, only stewards, and we need to do a better job caring for our planet.

This is the most unbelievable idea I have ever seen and it could decidedly endanger the adult ospreys as well as the hatchlings. The nest of Audrey and Tom at Kent Island is covered with sticks with yellow and blue in support of Ukraine. My problem is not the support but the plastic and the fact that it is in the nest. The plastic can break off, entangle the osplets and do all manner of destruction to the environment. It isn’t cool.

There are some very strange things going on around the world these days including a proposal by the NZ Government to have children kill feral cats. It was revoked because of public outrage but who would ever consider such a thing?!

Moving on to things more delightful. Louis and Dorcha have their first egg. Thanks, Geemeff, for sending me the good news. Nice to wake up and see something positive these days! That egg arrived at 05:44:19. Louis was there to support Dorcha during the entire event. He brought her a nice fish at 06:31:05. What a great guy!

Oh, those nice fish gifts. Sweet, Louis!

Annie and Lou’s little fluff balls are getting ‘to that stage’ when only a mother and dad can love them. Ahhh…no, I am wrong. We love them regardless. They will look more like their dinosaur ancestors for a few days as those pen feathers come in .

These babies are beginning to explore the scrape box and flap their little wings.

And just look at this feeding by Lou- 5 minutes! Really, watch it…those babies are soooooooo cute.

The little one has a nice crop – and still wants to eat. These three are always hungry!

There were at least three fish brought to the Achieva Osprey nest on Thursday. Two in the morning and another at 18:20. Both osplets are doing splendidly and had huge crops and I am hoping Diane got some fish, too. It was large, the last one, and Jack had taken the head.

Let’s all hope that the wind calms down, that Mother Goose gets a good meal, and that the weather is perfect for the hatch on Saturday (or Friday if it is early)! Following their Mum, the goslings will remain in the nest for 24-48 hours before they leap to the ground and then swim in the stream. This is the most fantastic sight. You will never forget it.

Murphy and the Eaglet update:

There is continuing concern over R4 at the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Miami. Alison writes: “I am worried about R4 at WRDC. There is definitely something wrong. With the two feedings I watched, R4 seemed to be dropping or spitting out the bites of food. It made me very fearful of trich. If he does have it, swallowing will be becoming very painful, which could account for the way he was dealing with the food he was being given. He was hungry, and still trying to intimidate R5 and stop it from eating, so it wasn’t that. But according to chatters, he ate little or nothing all day, and his eating has not been ‘quite right’ for up to three days. Some suggested he may have a pellet, others that he has suddenly become a picky eater (as we know, there is no such thing with bald eagles – there are preferences, but very little they will actually refuse to eat if they are hungry, and R4 is hungry). But there is consensus that something is not right. R4 is hungry but not eating.”

R4 is 38 days old and R5 is 36 days old today. R4 had a big crop yesterday. I hope that it is just a bone injury and his mouth is a little sore but, sadly, all we can do is wait to see what is happening.

‘H’ reports that, “R4 did eat this morning, has a decent crop, still was spitting out some bites though; and, R5 is getting a good feeding!” This is Friday morning reports so this is good. It seems that R4 is trying to cast a pellet, according to ‘H’ and this could be the issue. Fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Second hatch at Lake Murray on the 20th!

I have to admit to having a really soft spot for the nests with single hatches. That little one at Decorah Hatchery is adorable. Just love the delicate way the huge parents feed this little baby.

Soft dry nesting material was brought in for the baby today. At one point it was covered like it was a blanket!

Another little cutie pie belongs to Chase & Cholyn at Two Harbours. Today, for awhile I could not locate that little one on the nest and almost panicked. I began to think about Lancer going over the edge but, no, there this one was! Can you spot the eaglet?

A third cutie pie is at US Steel. USS6 is adorable. They are all about the same age (I think USS6 is just a day or so older, must check my charts). Lots to look forward to as they develop.

Good view of USS6’s ear! It will be covered with feathers but right now appears as a black dot behind the beak. This little one is eating well. Note the feet beginning to turn yellow and the area around the mouth.

River has brought in fish and there is still a nice piece on the nest for DH17 and DH18 to peck at. Where is the monofilament line of DH18? I cannot tell. I can, at times, still see that raccoon pelt with what appears to be line tangled in it.

Update: Both eaglets may now be entangled in the line. Let us all hope that this resolves itself without either eaglet being injured.

Sally and Harry continue to feed Abby and Victor lots of fish with Sally staying on the nest with the youngsters at night. They have all their juvenile feathers and are getting really steady on those gorgeous legs.

Tom did not return to the Chesapeake Conservancy nest and Audrey has finally chosen another Tom to replace her mate from last year. Good luck!

With Kaia’s arrival on Thursday, Karl II is busy working on the Black Stork nest in Estonia’s Karula Forest. Karl II looks like he is smiling today!

The climate crisis might be changing where some birds choose to live. See what is happening with the Alpine Swift in the UK. We will also begin to notice changes in North America.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/20/once-rare-alpine-swift-uk-soon-stay-breed-climate-crisis?CMP=share_btn_link

Bazz Hockaday provided some images of Calypso and Ervie going about their lives as osprey in South Australia. Here are two of the photos of Ervie from the Friends of Osprey S Aus FB.

Wondering what is going on with Connick from the Captiva Bald Eagle nest? Deb Stecyk reached out to Lori Covert the land owner and this is the response she received:

Thank you so much for being with me today as we stop in at a few of the nests we have been monitoring. The only concerns are with R4 at WRDC and the eaglets at Dale Hollow. Everyone else seems to be doing alright at the moment. As we all know everything can change so quickly. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, videos, tweets, photos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Alison, ‘H’, Geemeff, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Pembina Valley Hospital, Dr Amy-Jane Beer, Chesapeake Conservancy and Explore.org, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Achieva Credit Union, Decorah Goose Cam, World Bird Sanctuary, WRDC, Lake Murray Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, IWS and Explore.org, PIX Cams, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, Carol Craig and Osprey Friends, The Guardian, Eagle Club of Estonia, Bazza Hockaday and Friends of S Aus Ospreys, and Deb Stecyk and Bald Eagles 101.

First hatch for Annie and Lou, Ervie, Murphy… Tuesday in Bird World

11 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, Monday was a gorgeous day on the Canadian Prairies. The boots went on and off I went in search of American White Pelicans with a stop at Oak Hammock Marsh to check on the geese and swans and then on to the Red River to see where the pelicans were. I did not get a picture because I was driving but about 200 American White Pelicans flew over as I drove through an area of our city called Elmwood. They were heading to the open waters of the Red River that I had passed about ten minutes prior. What a sight. There were about 12 Canada Geese at the wetlands, along with 2 Tundra Swans and a Bald Eagle, and a host of Dark-eyed Juncos. Oh, yes, and always the Ring-billed Gulls. It was a lovely day to be outside!

It was also a delight to check on the birds. Except for the two concerning nests, all others appear to be doing well. That is a nice change from the reports last week during the storms.

Our first giggle of the day. Ervie. Our dear darling Ervie has been eating well. Look at his ps! Oh, isn’t it nice to see him.

Ospreys are hilarious. Having decided that it is good for us to start out with a positive event or a giggle, this one is sheer laughable and it is from Kielder. Please read the entire short report. you will not regret it. Click on the link below.

New-post-Nest-7-funny-businessDownload

More great news. B16 has returned to his nest at Berry College after fledging. Yes! She is a magnificent eaglet. Pa Berry and Missy did a great job with this little one!

Bel-A-Donna caught that return flight on video for us.

The other good news is that Ringo has also returned to the Webster, TX Bald Eagle nest and is hanging around with the parents. Wow. This is great news along with B16 and the Es.

Update on Murphy and the eaglet from World Bird Sanctuary. Fingers crossed! It looks like things are going very well, indeed. How glad are we that they gave Murphy a chance to prove he can be a parent! Lucky little eaglet. Now that it is nearing ‘baby season’ in the northern areas, let us hope that other wildlife rehab centres might have good ambassadors to foster orphans.

Oh, there is more good news coming from World Bird Sanctuary. Murphy is no longer protecting his ‘rock baby’ but has changed his behaviour and is protecting the baby eaglet! Looking good.

The eaglet is doing well with it feedings! Hoping for a win-win everyone. Just look at his strong this eaglet is getting and note the eagle toy. I mentioned ‘baby season’ above. Many wildlife rehab centres are asking for donations for all the baby wildlife they will be getting in the coming months. We are having a fundraiser and an open day at our centre. Check our your local wildlife agency and see if you have anything they might need. You might be surprised at the range of items required including shallow wading pools! And soft plushies.

Rose is also doing a fantastic job with the eaglets. They had huge crops Monday morning to go along with their clown feet and those hilarious white Mohawk hair styles.

There is no shortage of fish or water at the Moorings Park Osprey nest. Abby and Victor are really getting their tail feathers. Gorgeous osplets. Put this nest on your list to watch for next year, too.

The iconic image of the season. E22 on the branch with M15.

Later 22 with M15 at the pond.

I think it is E22 swimming in the water. Remember he thinks he is a duck! But he also might think he can land on water like he can on the perch. Don’t think so, little one. Can’t wait to see either E try and pull a fish out of the pond for the first time.

Blue NC0 is not going to let Maya lay more eggs than her. On Monday 10 April both of our gals laid their third egg. Maya is the only one of the pair to ever lay four – she did that twice – and fledged four. We wait.

How many remember Lancer at Two Harbours last year? Look at its cute little sibling. So loved. I have a soft spot for these little eaglets that look like teddy bears with wings.

Annie and Lou had their first hatch in the late afternoon on Monday, 10 April. Wonder how quickly the other three eggs will hatch?

Annie is eating some of the eggshell. It will help her replenish the calcium her body lost in producing those four eggs.

Before hatch, Annie was talking to the chicks chirping inside the eggs!

Annie is not giving away much of that chick for viewing!

And then, Lou comes in with breakfast!

Jack and Harriet have their first egg at the Dahlgren Osprey platform in Virginia.

At Achieva, jack brought in a flounder and both of the osplets ate til they were full. Barbara Snyder notes that he was chased to the nest by an intruder wanting that fish. It is difficult with the fishing areas drying up and mouths to feed.

Despite intruders trying to steal her food and bad weather, River was able to bring three fish to the nest on Monday for DH17 and DH18. They were fed nicely. River has a huge job to do – there are lots of eagles around that will take the food she gets and she also has to guard the nest. Send positive wishes. A day at a time. She is trying her best!

And now for a bit of a change. One of our readers, ‘MB’ travelled to Rutland today and has graciously shared her photographs with all of us along with some very interesting news. Thank you so much, MB.

This is the view of the perch and the nest of Rutland’s Blue 33 and Maya who now have three eggs in their nest.

Maya and Blue 33 are both on the nest.

Just look at that amazing perch next to the nest provided for the ospreys.

There is also a perch directly above the nest. My goodness. There are so many osprey nests without one perch. This is wonderful.

This is Mum Maya taking a break in the water below her nest.

image12.jpeg

Blue 33 returns to the nest after chasing off an intruder. Even here, where there is much water, the ospreys can get harassed.

MB’ reports: “There are two hides offering views of the Osprey (plus loads of other hides).  There’s video of the Osprey nest in the main visitor centre, and in the first of the Osprey view hides.  There’s also a dedicated “Osprey warden”, working in shifts between sun up and sundown, monitoring the behaviour you can’t see on the cams, and supporting visitors. The wider nature reserve has some stunning hides.” If you live in the UK or are travelling there, put Rutland Water on your list of things to do. You will not regret it!

Megan also mentioned a local fish hatchery. She said, “The Osprey warden also mentioned this place – unaffiliated with the project. It’s a local trout fishery that was losing significant stock to the osprey. They covered most of their ponds, but have left one open for the osprey and installed a photographic hide – so they are making income from photographers to make up for income lost to the osprey’s fishing. Good example of working in combination with nature.” It is the River Gwash Trout Farm. Isn’t this wonderful. More places around the world including the fish farms in South American, during the winter migration, might benefit from such a cooperative stance.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, photographs, tweets, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘MB’ for so generously sharing her trip to Rutland, Christine Georgillu and Friends of Osprey Sth Australian, Kielder Forest, Bel-A-Donna and Berry College, Paul White and Webster TX Eagles, World Bird Sanctuary, WRDC, Moorings Park Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida and D Pritchett, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, IWS and Explore.org, Cal Falcons, Barbara Snyder and Achieva Osprey, and Dale Hollow Eagle Cam.

2nd egg for Captiva, news on KW0?…Thursday in Bird World

23 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

So Tiger Mozone sends me a message saying, ‘Your bird has been identified’. Yes, Blue KW0 has been identified. The news is exciting. Tim Mackrill found the information on the ring number and the history of the bird. He has asked that this be kept confidential so as to publish it on the Roy Dennis Wildlife blog. When that happens, I will give you all the information. What I will say is that we were correct. It is a Scottish bird that was blown off course last summer and found itself in Barbados. Thank you to everyone who helped in this discovery.

Wednesday was one of the most beautiful days on the Canadian Prairies so far. Blue sky, little wind, -3. The first Canada Goose arriving in our City has been spotted. Mallards are coming in. Spring really might be coming…but, I will not say that too loudly. We have been known to have blizzards in May.

Lewis loves to pose! Today he got to help with more spring cleaning. How much fur can accumulate in corners when there are two large kittens? When do they stop being kittens and become cats? Lewis also believes that any surface in the house, especially in the conservatory, is his.

It is always nice to wake up to a good news story. Thank you, ‘MB’. Another osprey was saved after being tethered to its nest with a monofilament line. Can you imagine how that would cut through their legs and toes? Remember. Call your nearest wildlife rehabilitation centre if you see a raptor (or other bird species) tangled in a fishing line. Don’t know who they are? Take a few minutes to find out and put that information in your phone so that you can call them quickly! It could save a life.

https://fb.watch/jqQxC9cByH/

Congratulations to Angus and Florence who have their second egg at Captiva. 22 March 2023. Looks like it was around 11:13.

‘H’ reports that Rose is now doing approximately half of the daily feeds at the WRDC nest in Miami. She is gradually easing her way into being a confident mother. She is more patient and the prey items are better for the eaglets who can, now, eat bigger bites. Great news. Thanks, ‘H’.

Since last summer, I have received many letters wondering what happened to Malala, the Red-tailed Hawk raised by the Bald Eagles on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. I had a running list to respond to everyone on my old computer but sadly, that list went with the computer when it caught fire. So apologies. Here, however, is the news we have been waiting for. Yesterday I spotted a posting by the head of GROWLS, and in her list of items she addresses is Malala, who was seen with the Bald Eagle parents fishing and hunting. Terrific news.

It has been a tough time for GROWLS. They received donations for a new camera because of the attention paid to Junior and Malala. Then the property owners decided they did not want the camera on their land. People have that right, and I can only imagine the level of invasion they felt when the eagles adopting the RTH made the news. It is entirely understandable that they had enough. This has left GROWLS looking for another site. They cannot do anything until fall, so please have patience if you were one of the donors.

PA Farm Country has a second hatch on Tuesday.

The Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons now have three eggs. Way to go!

Speaking of falcons, news has come that Shasta, the mate of Sequoia, at San Jose City Hall did, indeed, have HPAI, when she died. I have changed this in the memorial wall. Thanks, ‘H’ for drawing my attention to the announcement.

I am also going to add Sequoia to the memorial board as MIA. Like Sue and Otto, the Syracuse University Red-tail Hawks, if one of a pair dies of HPAI, generally the second does, too. All we know is that Sequoia went missing after Shasta passed. Unless Sequoia is spotted and he does have a band, we might never know what happened. Hence, the MIA designation.

I have also decided to add Zoe to the memorial wall. We may never know what happened to the Port Lincoln first hatch and the only surviving osplet from the Port Lincoln barge 2022 season. Did she fly out to sea, get on a boat, and is in an exotic location? Did she land on a hydro pole and get electrocuted? Is she happily fishing? Without a transmission for some 2 months, we do not know. If she turns up, I will joyfully remove her.

Robert Wright took the following photo and posted it on Port Lincoln Ospreys. It is believed that it is Mum, Dad, and Ervie – yes, Ervie – in one of Ernie’s favourite trees waiting for the fish to run—an incredible image of the three of them. Great timing.

You can really see the change in the Duke Farms eaglets. They now have little dandelion Mohawks and a lot of dark thermal down on their bodies. They can now regulate their own temperatures but Mum and Dad will still brood them and keep them dry and warm if the weather turns.

So civilised. Will they band the pair? I will love to see if they are two little boys if they do DNA sampling.

Jackie and Shadow continue to come to the nest to have a meal and work on bringing in sticks despite the snow.

Even if they do not have a replacement clutch, Jackie and Shadow and their antics and behaviour towards one another will continue to melt our hearts as long as they are visiting the nest!

It was tough to gauge how much food Victor had today. Often Sally had her back to us, and you could not see any of the feedings. Still, both Abby and Victor had crops at various times of the day and nice long feedings. The osplets can now consume an entire fish without even thinking about it. They are in a period of great growth and change. Fewer feedings but more fish. It is an adjustment for everyone.

We can tell that both are progressing nicely and have been fed. Their eyes are clear and shiny and their plumage is developing as it should.

Our little E22 is coming into its own and as Lady Hawk says, he is having some revenge for all that previous beaking by 21!

E22 has been the bravest in terms of reaching higher branches. Let us just hope that he gets himself down in the nest so the GHO does not cause him to fledge early!

There is ‘branching’ at the Corona California GHO nest.

Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot cuddled up together in the nest.

Lou has joined a long line of fantastic male falcons that want to feed their eggs! Xavier and the male at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne come to mind.

We have covered the hatch days of the Kakapo so why not some of the California Condors?

We are getting closer and closer to the first egg at the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell campus. Her earliest was the 13th of March, but the norm appears to be the week of the 23rd of March. Fingers crossed.

Big Red just after having breakfast on the nest. 22 March 2023

We all get excited about rare birds in our area – or, well, I get excited about the ordinary, everyday ones that return from migration. There are some birds – Alpine Swifts -getting folks in the UK really, really joyful!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/22/birdwatchers-elated-as-alpine-swifts-flock-to-britain-and-ireland-in-rare-numbers?CMP=share_btn_link

Do you like historical illustrations of birds? These images of Australian birds by Elizabeth Gould are quite remarkable.

Birds-of-Australia-Elizabeth-Goulds-stunning-illustrations-–-in-pictures-Environment-The-GuardDownload

A book of Elizabeth Gould’s drawings will be released in October 2023.

Some sad news is coming out of the Channel Islands. One of the eggs of Chase and Cholyn at Two Harbours was broken during a storm a day or so ago. The good news at Sauces Canyon is that egg 7 is still intact! Oh, let us all hope that egg is viable and Jak and Audacity have a little one to care for – they sure deserve it. Eight eggs! I have no idea how Audacity managed that. No word on Thunder or Akecheta, Andor or Cruz as their new nests do not have cameras. Best wishes to all of them.

There is, of course, so much news out there. Waiting for more arrivals of ospreys in the UK. Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, announcements, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up the information in my blog today: ‘H’, ‘MB’, San Diego Humane Society, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, GROWLS and Pam McCartney, PA Farm Country Eagle Cam, Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Bart Molenaar and Friends of Osprey, Robin Wright and PLO, Duke Farms, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Live Owl Cam, Julie Krizmanich and Raptors of the World, Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.

Valentine and Nugget back in the nest, Annie has 4 eggs, Peanut dies…Sunday in Bird World

12 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you for all your good wishes. I am having a delightful time. It is fun to be in a different city. Toronto is a beautiful place to visit. For someone from a small Canadian city, to be able to walk through neighbourhoods that are entirely Greek, Korean/Japanese, or Italian is fantastic. The little privately owned shops and cafes with no big box store in sight make for a lot of nice window shopping. I love beautiful fountain pen inks and cannot find them where I live. I have ordered them from a small shop near the University of Toronto for years. What a pleasure it was to visit the store! Bottles of the most amazing colours of ink, all made in Kyoto. The young lady who helped with my ink purchase made that visit more special, telling me of a nearby Japanese coffee shop with custard cream dorayaki. They are not precisely like North American pancakes but similar, filled with custard cream, strawberry cream (Lewis’s favourite), or red bean paste. Delicious. Blocks of Japanese restaurants – not just sushi – . Decades ago, fewer Japanese restaurants in Winnipeg served more than sushi and ramen. Those gave way to sushi shops and now to a few Japanese fast food-type restaurants. How extraordinary to sit down and have a full meal of seasonal plates! LOL. I did not get to the park with the ducks!!!!!!!!!! That will come either tomorrow or Monday. The snow is heavy and very damp, and is difficult to walk. Still, there were over 16 kilometres of walking. It was marvellous.

A mural of an owl staring dow at Bloor Street West.

That heavy snow is also in Ithaca, New York, the home of Big Red and Arthur. They visited the nest on Saturday afternoon.

Ferris Akel had his regular Saturday tour, and it was a magical landscape at Sapsucker Lake near Ithaca. That Cardinal on the snowy branch is gorgeous.

When I got back to my room, there was a great joy. Annie had laid her fourth egg. Is Lou going to be able to get four big red-speckled eggs under his little body? He will surely be busy if all four of those eggs hatch!!!! Remember Melbourne. Gosh, golly.

There was other good news. After its fludge, Valentine has made it back to the nest. Now we wait for Nugget to get itself up there! It sure helped having a hungry eaglet and a fish on the nest!

Oh, tears. ‘B’ just wrote. At 17:17:43 Nugget is back in the nest. Whew! All is well. Nugget flew on to the nest like a pro and mantled that prey! Valentine looked and knew he was coming!

Look at Valentine – a look of sheer surprise as Nugget hones in on that fish dinner! Nugget, you earned it. So happy to see you both back on the nest.

You may remember the Bald Eagle family that adopted the Red-tail Hawk, Mahlala. Remember Mahlala had to work herself back up to that big old nest, too. Nugget, you can do this!

The intruders are causing issues for M15 and delivering prey to the Es. By 1200 noon on Saturday, they had no deliveries, nothing. Poor M15. He has had to be a security guard and mum and dad lately. What happened to R23-3? She had kept these other female eagles away?

Glad to see that M15 got some food. He has to be strong to protect the Es and to take care of them. We are getting close to fledge for these two. On the 2nd of February did we believe we would see this miracle?

That new female is a big gal!

Besides the intruders preventing M15 from feeding the eaglets today (so far I have not seen any prey drops but I could easily have missed one today), other sad news is coming from the Corona Owl cam. ‘A’ writes that little Peanut, the fourth hatch, died at 25 days. 11 March at around 10:00. Cause unknown.

Warning: Deceased owlet in image 2 down. As is a practice amongst some raptors, the deceased was considered prey, not a living eaglet, and fed to the others.

‘A’ wonders if this nest is not problematic for smaller owlets due to its shape. It reminds me of some deep egg cups in eagle’s nests that have caused the tiny ones to be trampled and unable to get up high to eat.

The two osplets at the Moorings Osprey platform in Naples Florida are growing…notice they are starting to take on that ‘long and lean’ look to their necks as they approach the Reptilian Phase.

The Duke Farms eaglets are fine, too.

Pip watch at the Dulles-Greenway Nest of Martin and Rosa right now – as I keyboard these words in!

Ervie has been fishing!!!!!!!! Would love to see some recent photos but, isn’t it such a relief that his tracker is working?

The last of the 55 Kakapos that hatched in 2022 has been named.

And last, trying to track down information on an Osprey seen in Barbados on 09 March. Blue Darvic Ring on left leg KW0. Do you recognise this number? USFWS? Passing through? or local?

Thank you so much for being with me on the day that Nugget flew back to the nest. So much joy! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their questions, notes, postings, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘MSJ’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘B’, Cornell RTH, Ferris Akel Live Stream, Heidi Mc and Cal Falcons, KNF-E3, Rhonda A and KNF-E3, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Corona California Owls, Moorings Park Ospreys, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenway, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Kakapo Recovery.

Intruder takes leftovers at SW Florida, Nugget and Valentine on the ground?…Saturday in Bird World

11 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

Greetings from Toronto – where, on my arrival yesterday, there was a winter storm! It is, of course, nice in Winnipeg. You can’t win them all. I am, however, looking forward to seeing ducks as the temperatures are relatively mild, and there is open water most everywhere. Let’s see if I can get some good images for all of us.

‘H’ sent me a note to tell me that the two osplets at Moorings Park in Naples, Florida, have been named. It is a bit of a giggle. So many nests try for gender-neutral names because no one knows if the chicks are males or females. It doesn’t matter. The eldest at Moorings Park is Abby, and the youngest is Victor. What matters most is that two beautiful little osplets – and these two are – with amazing parents and plenty of fish – fledge and live long and productive lives. That is ‘the’ most important thing. So far, this osprey platform has been calm this season.

I have mentioned how much I adore Harry. He is right in there – feeding, bringing in lovely fish, and watching his babies being fed by Sally. Harry is nothing short of amazing. Many Osprey males deliver the fish and get out of the nest! Of course, there are exceptions, several of whom are in the UK. I am thinking of Idris, Blue 33, and Louis, but there are others.

It is a damp day in Hillsborough, New Jersey. I believe they are getting part of the weather system that is hitting Toronto.

At the Southwest Florida Eagle nest, E21 is 65 days old on Saturday, and 22 is 63 days old. On Friday, there were at least two prey deliveries. I could not determine the nature of the first one, but the second was a very nice fish. Intense mantling by both eaglets. It appears that 22 got the first delivery at 10:56:24, with 21 getting the fish delivery at 10:02. As you are probably aware, M15 has had issues with prey deliveries due to ongoing disturbances by new female intruders.

22 was hungry and looking for ways to steal that first delivery from 21. Good for Dad getting another meal on the nest quickly.

The 10:56 delivery. Just look at 22 mantle that prey.

SW Florida Eagle Cam caught the 10:56 delivery and 22’s amazing mantling!

On the rails, 16:42. Time to really get the worry beads out!

Lady Hawk captured the two feedings for us on video.

One of the intruders flew into the nest and took all of the leftovers. Some of the folks at SW Florida believe that this is 23-1, the other female with the injured foot. She was sure fast taking that fish tail and the Es were not impressed!

It is wet at the SWFlorida nest Saturday morning. Let’s hope Dad can get some good fish for the kids without being antagonised by this female.

Valentine and Nugget are causing everyone to be anxious. Valentine is jumping to the branch above the cam, and Nugget has jumped to the branch below the cam. Some news is that Alex and Andria have been down to the ground. Is one eaglet there? Are they delivering prey? Is one of the eaglets grounded? We wait to find out.

Rhonda shows us the action.

Here is the latest news from Rhonda. Please send your most positive wishes to Nugget getting home to the nest.

Another posting for the KNF-E3 nest.

Big Red and Arthur are getting the same heavy wet snow falling in Greater Toronto.

There is pip watch for two nests this weekend that we have been watching – the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose in Miami and the nest of Martin and Rosa in Virginia, Dulles-Greenway.

Ron and his new mate, Rose, have two eggs. This is a very late clutch. We will have to wait and see how the eaglets do in the extreme heat of south Florida.

Word has come that the eggs at WRDC have been left for three hours. We wait and watch to see if they are viable.

Ron is back on the eggs.

There is some rain falling at Dulles-Greenway as we await pip!

If Annie is going to lay four eggs, which she could do, that last one will come around midnight scrape time, Friday night/Saturday morning.

Cal Falcons has designated the 11th of April as pip watch for her and Lou’s eggs. Also, check out their fundraiser. Sean Peterson’s partner, Lynn Scofield did the design for this year’s t-shirt.

Do you love California Condors? Do you want to learn more about this extremely endangered species and what is being done? I would like you to attend the live online chats every month. They are so informative. Often there are videos of the Condors and releases. They also do an archival posting on YouTube the following day for those unable to attend live.

‘H’ and ‘A’ sent me news. It is a map showing the cell coverage area of the Eyre Peninsula. It is believed that Zoe is in the white area on the bottom left where there is no coverage but excellent feeding for Ospreys. Fingers crossed everyone.

Do you watch David Attenborough’s programmes? If so, you might be outraged to discover that the BBC has cancelled one of the episodes of his last series. What we do not need are more lies about the state of our planet. We need the facts and the areas where we can make positive changes. We certainly don’t need a cover-up of information!!!!!!!

There is a lot going on. Please send your positive wishes to Nugget and Valentine! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos and streaming cams that help make up my news today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Duke Farms, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Rhonda A and KNF-E3, Cornell RTHs, WRDC, Terry Carman and Bald Eagle Live Nest and News, Cal Falcons, Ventana Wildlife Society, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and @MarkAvery.

M15…the man of the Hour…Tuesday in Bird World

7 February 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Before I begin, I just wanted to bring you some news to put many of your minds to rest: “The photo of Harriet purporting to show fishing line and sinker has been shown to be a mucus stream from a cast pellet. The lady who took the photo said it was ejected, and she watched Harriet for several hours before she disappeared, and there was nothing hanging from her mouth.” I found this on a stream in FB and it makes perfect sense now. So, now fishing line or lead sinker. Good. It is also known that “When she left the camera view (heading ENE) she had been vocalizing at intruders in the area.”

Now to the big news of the day and M15 continues to be my Man of the Hour.

I have to admit that I did not watch many of the other nests on Monday like I would normally. On Sunday, M15 began to figure out how to keep 21 at bay so he could feed 22. Yesterday, he came in with two super fish and yes, 21 might have been a stinker but, it did not prevent 22 from eating. 22 did not get as big a crop at the first feeding – understandably since 21 would have been flat out empty over night. This afternoon at 1646 E22 starting eating…and when all was done, even with M15 distracted by an intruder, 22 had a nice crop. Good job, Dad. As ‘B’ says, you should be ‘Eagle of the Year’.

The fish appears to be a Ladyfish. They are long slender fish found in the Gulf of Mexico. They are abundant around reefs and mangroves. (Please let me know if you think this is the wrong ID – not easy to tell seeing only half of a fish but trying!) Some people call them Skipjacks.

Thanks ‘J’ for this screen capture.

Two happy well fed and much loved eaglets, E21 and E22.

M15 had no more than fed the eaglets and had some bites himself than he was up on the branch keeping vigil over the territory, protecting his kids.

Screaming out to those that dared to enter his territory.

We may never know what happened to Harriet. ‘H’ and I started making a list of all the things that can happen to raptors, most of them human caused. It was quite long and it would be wrong to speculate.

I remember many years ago someone asking me if I knew Harriet. Who didn’t know Harriet? She was an extraordinary Bald Eagle, perhaps 30 years old now, the Matriarch of the American Bald Eagle Family in Florida if not everywhere. People around the world watched her raise her children with much love and affection. We felt like we knew her and joked when she would kick M15 telling him ‘the eggs are ready’. We live in the hope that some miracle may bring her home all the while watching the wonderful care that M15 is giving their eaglets.

Posters are up and everyone is looking.

The problem with humans is that we want to help. We feel helpless in a situation like this. Everyone loved Harriet and they want to help M15 have food and to be able to feed the eaglets. Some people are leaving food believing it is the right thing to do despite being told it is illegal and dangerous to the eagles. The other day we saw a vulture eating something on the ground near the nest tree. M15 had to take precious time and energy and chase it off the territory. What if there had been a fight and M15 got injured? These acts are being investigated. Chat comments about ‘fish fairies’ do not help the situation at all. That also implies illegal acts but, it puts ideas in people’s minds. None of this is good.

https://news.wgcu.org/section/environment/2023-02-06/unauthorized-feeding-at-north-fort-myers-eagle-nest-investigated?_ga=2.119338825.1332564065.1673883405-1168945520.1673028514

M15 is doing great without us. Yes, it took him a couple of days but, imagine that he is grieving for his mate while also caring for their children. The crowds of people around the nest tree can keep him from hunting, take away his attention and energy for the things he needs to do. He is fishing successfully and by 1030 nest time, he had already been out and about, to the nest with some roadkill which 21 ate. No worries 22 is fine and when M15 gets his fish on the nest he will be fed.

‘H’ sent me a note about Zoe and we can all relax. She is back on the Australian coast apparently near some good salmon fishing. As she gets closer and closer to the tip of the Eyre Peninsula, I wonder if she is going to go and tell Mum and Dad about her adventures all the while wanting to sleep in her own bed and be fed by them for a few days resting up for Zoe’s next adventure!

Zoe’s epic journey of more than a 1000 km is making the news in Australia!

There is also a recent posting for our Ervie. Look at where he is going! Isn’t it fantastic?

It was very nice to see that Gabby is back with V3 in the nest before roosting on the tree for the night. Stability. Gabby was giving V3 little eagle kisses, too.

The other nests are doing fantastic with the exception of Jak and Audacity at Sauces Canyon in the Channel Islands. The thinness of the eggs is caused by residual DDT (as DDE) in the area. They have lost their second egg to breakage. So sad for them.

Rachel Carson called attention to the decline in raptor populations due to DDT in her book, Silent Spring. This pesticide, introduced after WWII, was recalled but not before long lasting damage was done. There are areas of high concentrations of DDT or DDE that continue to harm the Bald Eagle population. One symptom of this is egg thinning.

This is a recent article on DDT and declining bird populations by the EPA.

The-Case-of-DDT-Revisiting-the-Impairment-US-EPADownload

So a quick run through..

When I last checked there are still no eggs at either the Achieva Osprey nest or Captiva. That could change in an instant!

Indeed, Diane is staying at the nest tonight. Might we wake up to an egg Wednesday morning?

Angus is getting excited and has brought in a huge amount of nesting material this morning. Does this mean an egg is near?

Connick has a mohawk, a cute little tail, is covered with wooly thermal down and gets feed well. It is nice to be the only baby on the nest.

Superbeaks. Pearl and Tico are fully feathered in their juvenile livery. They are such gorgeous eaglets.

Ringo at the Webster Texas Bald Eagle nest is growing and getting up right to the fish! Big bites today! Like Connick, Ringo has that wooly thermal down and a dandelion mohawk.

Cutie Pie B16 at Berry College has been exercising its little wings. Oh, this little one is such a sweetheart. No wonder Pa and Missy just cannot help but be on the nest watching this chick.

Sometimes Anna continues to incubate Dudley on the KNF-E1 nest, sometimes the ‘to be named this coming Friday E1-03’ eaglet does the honours. This eaglet is huge…do we think we are looking at a female?

There are still a few fish on the KNF-E3 nest of Alex and Andria. It does look like Valentine and Nugget have made quick work out of them…oh, and yes, the parents, too! Getting harder to tell the two eaglets apart. You have to look closely at the development of the juvenile feathers on the back and wings. It is Nugget that is hoping to get fed by the parent. Notice its back compared to Valentine.

Could not help but stop in to see Jackie and Shadow. It is early Tuesday in Big Bear Valley and we are 8 days away from pip watch. You can hear the crows in the background once in awhile. Oh, I wish they would go away! Jackie and Shadow have been vigilant and Jackie is vocalising at them this morning around 06:22.

Yesterday, Shadow had an intruder after his fish! Oh, sometimes there is hardly any peace for some of the nests.

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

If you would like to receive our daily blog from Bird World, we would love to have you join our big family of people who love raptors. No ads, no fees, just a look at what is happening at the nests around the world. You can subscribe below and you can unsubscribe at any time. I try not to fill your inbox but, on some days there is significant news that should not be left to the following day.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, posters, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that make up my blog: SWFlorida and D Pritchett, WGCU, Fran Solly and Friends of Osprey, ABC Eyre Peninsula, NEFL-AEF, Sassa Bird and Bald Eagles in the US, EPA, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, Paul White and the Webster TX Eagle Watchers, Berry College Eagles, KNF E-1 and KNF-E3, FOBBV, and Cali Condor and FOBBV.

Name the Eagle, Connick’s Crop Popping, and the Es eat…Friday in Bird World

3 February 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Remember to head over to the streaming cam of Kistachie National Forest Bald Eagle Nest E3 to vote on 02’s name! Here are the choices…let’s make sure little one gets a great name!

I saw this and simply had to share it with everyone. Or maybe it isn’t that funny. I do love Condor humour!

Making News:

Little Boots is 20 days old today. He looks so young. With good care and good food, he will catch up we hope.

Just look at that sweet face. Little Boots is in care. As everyone noticed, he was extremely weak in the nest. Let us hope that he can be stabilised and that apparent feet and leg deformities can be repaired by the loving folks down in Houston at the Wildlife Center of Texas.

Here is the posting. I would like to draw your attention to “nest cam footage showed him to be struggling to sit up and move around in the nest, impairing his chances for survival.” There is the perfect wording to get help for an eagle on a nest that is not thriving. I am impressed. Nothing caused by a human just good old compassion and perhaps some monofilament line in that egg cup.

If you are interesting in donating for little Boots care, please do so. Here is the information. I went on line and went to their website: Wildlife Centre of Texas. It was quick and easy. Go Boots!

A British Columbia juvenile Bald Eagle got itself into some mischief and is being flown to OWL.

Continuing with the issues raised in the movie The Albatross, young people are doing amazing drawings. Will this make them better environmental citizens? How many of us can take a pledge to stop using plastic? Let’s try it. Maybe it will catch on like a bad cold.

‘A’ wondered what it would take to get rid of those plastic gyros in the oceans. Certainly people have tried various methods. And we know from The Flight of the Osprey that countries are having a hard time dealing with plastic…so, let’s just not buy anything with plastic. Do it a day at a time. It is frightening what we have done with our oceans. I remember when I first moved to Southern Manitoba eons ago and I wanted to purchase a cream separator. People laughed. They were hard to clean and they just shoved them down the river bank. I kid you not. Out of sight, out of mind — like the oceans.

In my province, groups are joining forces around Brandon to build nesting boxes for Bluebirds! Wow. What a great idea.

Groups join forces to build nesting boxes

Some of you will remember that the adult Ospreys were chased off their platform at the Cape Henlopen State Park last year. The male was killed. The female appears, from the announcement, to be alive. The three osplets starved to death on the nest in front of viewers and were carried off by the intruders. It was a tragedy that tore our hearts out. Well, there is a new platform going up!

And yet another story about lead poisoning. Seriously lead is something that could happen rather quickly if there was a will. Continue to lobby everyone you can. Take 15 minutes or 30 minutes one day and send an e-mail to your elected officials. Get others to join in. Tell them no more lead. And how about adding plastic to that, too?

Now something to give us hope. A good news story about a Bald Eagle in rehab for 6 months being released. YES!

Zoe continues to explore the area around Mt Hope. She has also started heading south…will she return to the barge? That would be a bit crazy. Let us all hope she is finding her wings and some fish!

Checking on the nests:

I do not see any Osprey eggs at either Achieva or Captiva on Thursday.

At the Captiva Eagle nest, little Connick is such a darling.

Oh, just look at these later images. Connick really likes to spread out and sleep….and two proud parents!

What a great image of the three – Clive, Connie, and Connick.

At 16:55 Connick had a huge crop!

It looks like the parents are smiling at Connick with his almost ready to pop crop. Their baby has grown and thrived.

There must be a fishing contest at the lake near Superbeaks. It is only mid-afternoon and PePe has brought in 8 fish! Yes, you read that correctly. 8 fish to the nest for Pearl and Tico (and of course, the rest of the family, Mum Muhlady). PePe you better eat some of these fish if you aren’t eating the heads!

It’s a gorgeous day out in California at Jackie and Shadow’s nest. The question of the day was: What was the name of Jackie’s former mate? Do you know? It was Mr B. Shadow landed on the nest and wanted the nest and Jackie and wouldn’t leave — Shadow got them both! That was 2018 after Jackie and Mr B’s fledgling, Stormy, had flown. The three of them could not persuade Shadow to leave…oh, you gotta love this guy.

Do you realise that pip watch will begin on 15 February? That is only 12 days away!!!!!!!!!!!

Are Harriet and M15 moving E21 and 22 into another phase of training to be an independent eagle? No good food left on the nest just what looks to be pieces of a dried up catfish. 22 was pecking on that. Then sadly, 22 got up to the table first with 21 moving up and 22 went into submission. Things seem terribly wrong on this nest but, it is Harriet and M15. They are pros and they want their eaglets to thrive. So are we to think of this lack of food and little pieces as a teaching moment? Not every day will see a full crop. But, let’s do keep an eye. It is worrying a lot of people.

You can see the primary feathers coming in on that outstretched wing. Note the milky transparent tube – the quill – that holds the blood feather. One of the reasons that eaglets preen so much is to release the feather from that transparent quill.

Now we all know that 22 is a bit of a stinker…let’s watch and see what Harriet and M15 do tomorrow. Certainly no peace today and 22 was crying for food and hoping to get some that M15 brought in. In fact, every time that 22 even tried to eat that old dried fish, 21 started beaking its younger sibling. 22 is quick to go into submission. So what has set 21 off? Is it the lack of food on the nest? Again, let us see what tomorrow brings. Harriet has never lost an eaglet. Never. In fact, there could be a windfall of food on the nest tomorrow – just like there is in the wild – some days there is too much food and for many others, nothing.

Ah, there is food this morning, Friday. Both Es have a crop. 21 ate first with 22 in submission and then 22 was fed and had a nice crop. Let us all take a big sigh of relief.

Lady Hawk caught 22 walking Thursday – hey, a giant step!

Gabby and V3 are a gorgeous couple. 18:24 Thursday evening on the nest together.

And last another Canadian story but not about Bluebirds this time…it is from David Hancock and the Surrey Bald Eagle Nest. Two new bonded eagles working with a meal and a stick. Have another laugh as we wait to hear how Boots is doing.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: ‘A’ Sherri van Syckel and California Condor Recovery Group, KNF, Wildlife Centre of Texas, Heather Simms and the Webster Texas Eagle Watchers, Terry Carman and the Bald Eagle Live Nest Cams and News, Joyce Hartmann and the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels, Brandon Sun, Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park, MLive.com, JET/FOX/YourErie, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, FOBBV, SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, NEFL Bald Eagles and the AEF, and the Dave Hancock Wildlife Foundation.

Zoe is fine!

1 February 2022

Since the posting of my blog earlier this morning, good news has come in for Zoe. She is in phone range and her transmitter is working. She is on Flinder’s Island off the west coast of South Australia.

Flinder’s Island is Connect with nature in the wildlife haven that is Flinders Island. The Woolford family has owned the island for generations where they operate a Merino sheep farm and they also harvest abalone. There is apparently an Osprey nest there with chicks so we will see how welcome Zoe is. She might be on the move again!

Thanks to Friends of Osprey and Port Lincoln Osprey for the posting and the tracking map.