Sunday was a bit nippy. 9 C. The 40 kph winds were whipping the trees about with the leaves falling at an alarming rate. It is now 1100 and everyone is in the garden. Three Crows eating peanuts and suet. Three Blue Jays doing the same. Then there are the 18 or so European Starlings trying to grab some mealworms in between the Jays and the Crows. At least in our garden, they are not bullies. Everyone seems to wait their turn like planes lined up on a runway. Since the spring we have not been able to see the little birds very well as they have been hidden in the lilac bushes with their thick leaves. Soon all of those lilacs will be bare.
The bird feeder workshop was quite fun. The young woman leading the few of us that dared to show we lacked some essential skills was wonderful. She discussed every aspect feeding birds from seeds to feeders and for me, how to breed my own meal worms. Yes, we will call it Hugo Yugo’s Meal Work Farm!!!!! I don’t think Calico would want anything to do with bugs and worms! You need a transparent plastic bin (ugh, plastic), some paper towels, bran, and some starter meal worms. This tub has apparently been going at Oak Hammock Marsh for fifteen years. There are hundreds and hundreds of meal worms. I will keep you posted – I have everything but the breeding stock of worms.
Then we had a tray that showed us what to feed birds, different seeds for different species. Two things she noted should not be fed: bacon grease and peanut butter. Both of them will stick to the feathers of the birds and prevent them from flying. The bacon grease melts at a lower temperature than suet which should only be used in the winter. So don’t be tempted to use it. Popcorn – do not salt or butter – and best not on strings. Just air pop it and put it on your tray feeder! Some seeds can only be purchased at specialty bird shops while others can be bought at your local feed and seed stores. Calico says to always check prices -. We get some seed from a local farmer and others at the feed and seed. Our specialty bird feed store is at least twice as expensive. With the number of birds we feed, we need to find good quality food at reasonable prices.
And like magic…another feeder for the garden!
In the fields adjacent to the marsh, the geese were feeding. There were all four species that come to this area of the Canadian Prairies present – Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, White-front Geese, and Canada Geese.
Florida hasn’t cleaned up after Hurricane Helene and already Milton is on its way to hit Fort Myers. Again, we can only be thankful that the raptors do not have any eggs or chicks in those nests. This will be the largest evacuation of Florida sine 2017 as Milton prepares for landfall. Milton appears to have the potential to impact all of the nests in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville. Stay safe everyone.
A different view of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles from cam 4. Lady is hunting for lunch! https://youtu.be/UIO6-eJBsGA?
Lady worked hard for prey.
Xavier tried to feed his chicks! Poor Guy. He is such a sweetie. Diamond is one protective falcon female!!!!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/rSGA_ATc7IE?
‘A’ reports that it is time to name the chicks at Orange! “Thought you would want this info in your blog as soon as it dropped. Here is the link for voting. They will choose the top two names from the voting (and the third egg, if it hatches, will get the third most popular name).
So did Mum tell Dad to go and get a fish or put in a phone call to the fish fairies? He flew out right after a little chat. 🙂
OMG. Ervie’s little brother or sister is so cute…and Mum had such a time getting it back under her after its feeding!
Heidi reports: “The second hatch at Port Lincoln occurred prior to 15:19 on 10/7. The second baby was first seen out of the shell for a split second in a very fuzzy cam view at 15:19 (screenshot).”
Lukin is the name of the little White-tail eaglet at Port Lincoln. He is 50 days old today and is standing and walking on the crane nest quite steadily.
Beau was on the LOP and Gabby was there, too. They are in the area of Milton. Send them good wishes – like I know you will to everyone.
It is raining in Fort Myers. The ground is absolutely saturated.
The nest is really a beauty. F23 and M15 have been working particularly hard and those cot rails are getting perfect. I wonder what it will look like after this hurricane? https://youtu.be/mOMRW5Ff8yw?
Brown Pelican caught on the Captiva Osprey cam where it is also raining and winds are gusting. Milton is not set to make landfall til Tuesday.
As most of you are aware, my husband has Lewy Body Dementia. Getting out in nature is essential not only to HIS mental health, but also mine. Taking part in simple activities, like building a bird feeder, is also key to one’s well being. It was not rocket science. Pre-drilled holes, but it helped with confidence. So if you know of someone who needs a boost, see what is happening at your local wildlife centre and take them! Sign up for a morning bird walk, build a bird house, learn to identify raptors. Life is truly beautiful – live it! Our dance card is full – every day there is something even if it is a trip to the local farmer’s market for their final event. The local honey is divine. Fantastic in tea or on toast.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Send warm wishes to everyone in the path of Milton as Florida prepares to get hit again.
Bird World is so exciting with all the new babies. Watch the cams, check them out, rewind to see the wonderful feedings. Watching falcons is so much different than ospreys. Now that we know that the fish fairies will visit Port Lincoln, we can relax. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, Oak Hammock Marsh, CNN Weather, Olympic Park Eagle Cam 4, SK Hideaways, Falcon Cam Project, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Heidi McGrue, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, BirdMap, and The Guardian.
Friday was gorgeous. It was 14 C, with no wind and a clear blue sky. The lake at the nature centre had more than 500 Canada Geese, various ducks, and seven American White Pelicans. The songbirds seemed to have left except for those cute little flitty Black-capped Chickadees. It was a great day for a long walk!
I am happy to include Florida Audubon’s magazine. I hope that you find some interesting ‘bird’ information in there!
It is pitching down rain on Port Lincoln’s Osprey Mum. Will any of those eggs hatch? She has been quite incredible over the years. Thanks to the ‘fish fairies’ her two osplets from 2023-24 survived.
The rains have stopped. Mum has been fish calling but as of 0853 none has appeared. It is unclear how strong the winds are in Port Lincoln.
I wonder how many will be viable? Fingers crossed.
‘A’ remarks: “At Port Lincoln, we are hopeful of a wonderful season, thanks to our confidence in the fish fairy (and I’m pretty happy about the IR light they’re using to help with night-time fishing, which as I have said appears to have been very helpful to the night heron who was using the barge as a base for a few nights last week – the fish gleam silver in the lights). Dad has brought two partial fish in for mum so far today (which is not a great deal and certainly won’t be nearly enough to feed chicks). The chat has finally worked out that there was no pip three days ago. However, we are looking at eggs that are 34, 37 and 40 days old, so we would want to be seeing a pip in at least one and possibly two of those eggs within the next 36 hours. There should be a pip at any moment really. Again, I would be happy if only two of those eggs hatched. Three is always a worry with ospreys. We don’t tend to see sibling rivalry on the sea eagles nest at Olympic Park but I have always put that down to Lady and Dad. Here, with ospreys, I have little confidence that we won’t see a potential aggressive nest, which I always find impossible to watch without stress. So I remain hopeful that the first egg laid is gradually creeping beyond the hatch window (36 to 42 days according to the literature). We would need to see a pip on the first egg laid by tonight really, wouldn’t we? And the chatters are desperate to see a pip – I can’t see anything, even at the time stamps people have suggested. We wait – but as I say, all the eggs are within or very close to the hatch window and one is only a couple of days from slipping beyond it. So I am very hopeful that at least one of those eggs is not going to hatch. “
Xavier and Diamond are proud parents! Two chicks now.
Xavier wants to feed his chicks!!!!!!!!! How precious is that?
Breakfast at Orange.
‘A’ catches breakfast at Orange and other notes: “Mum headed off to get food for the littles at Orange and quickly returned with a starling. Yes, she is happy to feed starling to the chicks, she just doesn’t like eating it herself, which is great news for the chicks. There was an earlier feeding very early but I didn’t see the new chick getting any bites because Diamond was in the way. So this feeding may be the first one for the new chick.
It is a very short feeding, and Diamond is gone with the leftovers shortly after 9am. While she is gone, Xavier sneaks in for a little chick time, but Diamond is back only a minute later and he doesn’t argue for long when she does. Both of the chicks look very healthy and strong. They are so close together in size that we will have trouble telling them apart I suspect, and I am SO hoping that third egg won’t hatch.
Do you notice that the remaining egg appears to have quite a lot more colour on it than the empty half shell of chick number two? It is my understanding that the eggs are given colour on the way down the tubes, and there is gradually less and less of it, so that each egg laid should have slightly less colour on it than the one before. To me, this possibly indicates that the unhatched egg is not the third egg at all but the second or even the first egg laid. What do you think? Of course this is what I want to see, so obviously, I am probably wrong.
Diamond and Xavier use at least three stash spots of which we are aware – one a little higher up the building from the nest, another on the rooftop and a third in the trees visible from Ledge Cam. There may be more. But we think Diamond retrieved the starling for the 8.56am feeding from one of the stash spots not only because she was back so fast but because the prey appeared partially prepared (and certainly did not look as though it had been alive in the preceding five minutes). “
Three cute little eyases at 367 Collins Street having breakfast. Heidi kept track of the ages of the eggs at hatch:
Chick 1 – 10/3, 0451 (time per Mods), at 38 days.
Chick 2 – 10/3, 0631, at 36 days.
Chick 3 – 10/4, 1427, at 35 days.
A: “the little Collins Street eyases are SO cute. Watch the lunchtime feeding today (12:22 on 5 October) for three little bobbleheads. Mum is patient with them, and all three are strong and begging for food, beaks open, little heads up. The third hatch is noticeably smaller than its two siblings and its little beak is a lot harder for mum to reach. I do hope it gets its share. I’m not convinced that it did at this feeding. It seemed to become something for the others to lean on. It is very difficult early on when it’s hard for them to hold their heads up or face the right way. As I said, they all appear strong and healthy so we’ll just have to hope mum is patient enough to keep feeding the chicks until the older two have had enough so that number three gets a chance to eat. “
Lots of prey (or a good pantry or both) at Collins Street.
‘A’ remarks: “So we are awaiting the second (and third) hatch at Orange, with the first chick doing well. At Collins Street, we have all three. I have not yet had a good look at number three but can report that the first two appear active and healthy and both have eaten well today. I have been impressed by mum, who made certain that the younger hatch did not miss out on the food. She is patient and appears practiced at feeding newly hatched chicks. That’s is a great relief. Dad has been great, sometimes bringing prey along the ledge to the scrape and at other times giving mum a break by delivering the food higher up the building. Such a sweetie. I can’t wait to see him brooding all three of these chicks. Mum has her positioning perfect as I mentioned. I do like the garage door technique. I find it by far the most effective (especially with one chick too many for comfort). It will sure help with these three when they have doubled in size and are rapidly doubling a second time! “
Life in the world of Australia’s Peregrine Falcons appears to be good. ‘A’ adds: “The second chick at Orange finally managed to escape its little tomb about three hours ago (05:30 on 5 October) but it had to work long and hard to do so. It is tired, sweet baby, but seems well. Oh I am hoping we have a Dudley. I really don’t want that third egg to hatch at Orange. The pair at Collins Street appear to be working very well together to care for their brood. I have to admit that I have not been paying overly much attention to the Port Lincoln nest, although I believe it should be a safe watch this season, as it is obvious that the powers that be have determined the fish fairy will make a return appearance this season if she is required. That is such a relief. “
Holly Parsons posted a really information on the development of the falcon chicks.
SE33 and SE34 are walking very well on their nest in the Olympic Forest. Both are self-feeding and their wings are huge. They sing the duet with the parents in the morning, just precious. The next step is for them to branch. And then it will not be long until they fledge. They are the cutest pair.
Growing Home Osprey Family. What a darling threesome.
‘J’ reports that the WRDC cam fell into Ron and Rose’s nest on Friday. No one was injured.
A beautiful summary of an extraordinary season at Newfoundland’s Snow Lane nest of Beaumont and Hope! https://youtu.be/1n3-K_d7djg?
The Dyfi Osprey Calendar of Idris and Telyn and chicks will be available on line soon. They do ship internationally – just ask if you can’t indicate that on checkout.
It won’t be long til we have news of the swag available for Iris and Finn, Antali, and Sum-eh. I understand the nest sticks are on their way to be made into pens. Watch their FB for notices of notecards, etc.
The Canadian Highways Network FB posted an amazing image of Canada Geese setting off Friday morning after having a good feed on their field. Please make them welcome everyone south of us! They are not the Canadian bird, but many think they should be. (The Canada Jay is).
Send good thoughts to Gabby at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest. Since Samson went missing, her life has been nothing but chaotic. No solid mate, no eaglets. She arrived at her nest alone Friday night. No Beau. No 23E1.
What a lovely sight.
Calico’s Smile for the Day:
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. Have a wonderful weekend. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J’, Audubon Florida Naturalist, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons and Outside My Window, Olympic Park Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Osprey Stories, Heidi McGrue and Growing Home Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, Animal & Nature, Maria Marika, and WRDC.
Gabby is in the nest this morning. She is OK. The hurricane is in Georgia. Send good wishes to Pa and Missey Berry at the Berry College Eagle nest.
First up. A few weeks ago, Sharon Pollock sent me the name of an organization that fights for the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves. Earth Justice is taking those who seek to trawl Alaska’s coral reefs to court. I want Earth Justice to represent the Menhaden of the Chesapeake Bay and the dying Ospreys. When I take my little mini break, I will be working on my presentation to them. A copy of it will go to those behind the fight in Virginia. If you have any articles on the dire consequences of the Menhaden commercial fishing in the Bay, please send them to me? I want a comprehensive bibliography. Let me know if you were part of any groups observing or dealing with osprey nests that had chicks starve to death. I need details and details.
It is to be 29 C today. Blue clear skies. A breeze. And it was a lovely day but the winds were really gusting. The sand was blowing in the countryside north of the City when we went to see if there were any geese feeding. None. The ones we saw were at a golf course. Beautiful green grass and a pond! Smart geese.
At 0915 Thursday morning, the European Starlings returned to the garden. Oh, it was so good to see them! They left the garden in the late spring. They share the large flat feeder with the sparrows and the Blue Jays while crunching down on the seed cylinder. One is having a bath! They have been away for a few months and look ‘thin’ to me. They will now stay over through the winter. These are non-breeders. See all the silvery white lines on their breast and heads!
With the hurricane winds bearing down on Florida, look what happened to migratory patterns! Who says birds aren’t smart????????
As I write this, the hurricane is 5 hours from making land fall and I am really concerned about our birds in Florida and in the area north of the Florida panhandle as Helene is still set to be a strong cat 2.
Connor turned on the Captiva Osprey cam so that we can see the impact of the storm. That said, at the time, Helene is north of Captiva and the Barrier Islands.
Gabby is on her nest in NE Florida south of Jacksonville hoping it stays put. The only way that you can tell what is happening with the storm is to view the nest using cam 4.
Gabby is still there.
Gabby is decidedly hunkered down in that nest.
Will check in on Gabby now and again. Stay safe, sweetie!
She left the nest at 1723.
It is really whipping and twisting Gabby’s nest tree at times.
Winds are much stronger.
Helene is a cat 4 and the eye will be 150 miles west of Jacksonville.
Pretty gusty at SW Florida.
M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest with sticks ahead of Helene making landfall.
The SW Florida pair left the nest at precisely the same time as Gabby – 1723! That is the most exciting thing to come out of watching this storm so far.
Tornadoes, gusts of wind, heavy rain. Perhaps all of the nests in Florida will dodge this hurricane.
The arrival of the Pink-footed Geese to the UK is pretty close to the top of my bucket list.
Connor talks about the new cameras at Captiva and shows us the fish bone in Jack’s legs and how, eventually, it will dry and shrink and come out! Go to 7.29. https://youtu.be/AhgcJ23s9Fo?s
Geemeff sends us an article on starving ospreys due to the overfishing of Menhaden. Thank you to everyone who sent in a letter. Hopefully this issue will not die until the situation in the Bay has changed!
I did not see anything but rain at the Newfoundland Power Osprey platform at Snow Lane. Have they all left?
I don’t know what it is about the two little sea eaglets this year. My all time favourites were SE25 and 26 because 25 took such good care of its sibling, teaching it how to do things with 26 rising to the occasion regardless of its foot/leg injury.
The whole family is soaking wet. Gosh, that nest must smell!!!!!!!
Heidi has been following the Growing Home Ospreys in Australia. Just look at that cute little osplet. Are you feeling osprey withdrawal? Check out their streaming cam!
Egg 1 is 33 days old today at Port Lincoln. I am thinking Mum should be resting all that she can because in another week she won’t be able to! Have you put your guess as to the hatch date and time in the Port Lincoln chat?
Gary brings us up to date on what is happening with the Redding Eagles, Liberty and Guardian. https://youtu.be/6sNco6LgaJw?
In the UK, Wild Justice is filing a formal complaint against Waitrose and the high street chain, Marks & Spencer for using toxic lead ammunition to kill the gamebirds they sell in their shops!
There is nothing that makes me madder than someone with a camera stressing out wildlife to get the perfect ‘shot’. I have seen individuals with their long lens (600 mm) standing underneath a tree with a Bald Eagle only to have that eagle leave the nature centre for good. Or the dozen or more that rushed the Great White Egrets when they landed on their tree to roost at night. Seriously. Humans poison the ocean, destroy habitat, leave garbage everywhere, put out rodenticide to kill rats that harm the entire food chain and another forty or more despicable actions that harm our beloved animals and feathered friends. It needs to stop!
‘The Girls’ are getting into some kind of hibernating mode despite the hot weather. Hugo Yugo can almost always be found in the little house at the top of the cat tree. Baby Hope is in the basket, Calico is hiding somewhere resting so no one pounces on her, and Missey loves to pose!
Hugo Yugo still sleeps like a little child. She has to have her head on my left arm, under my chin. Slightly uncomfortable and causes insomnia!!!!!! Oh, but do you think I move? Of course, not! She is my adorable tiny little Ginger with the weepy eyes.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: We came home with a small bag of apples right off a tree and a bag of caramels for making caramel apples. They just scream fall to me! Have you tried to make them and the caramel fell off the apples? Calico doesn’t want me to be sad this year so she has found the solution!!!!!!! If you purchase apples they will have had a wax coating applied to help preserve them (unless you pick them off a tree). You can soak the apples in very hot water or dip them in boiling water to remove the wax. But that is not all, you then need to make certain that they are thoroughly dry before you dip them in the caramel.
Calico also suggests that if you haven’t had a caramel apple for years, make some. Be a kid again!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Today, we will be attending Wildlife Haven’s Open House. Stay tuned for some images of their raptor ambassadors including dear Majestic, the Bald Eagle. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff’, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife’s Captiva Osprey Cam, NEFL-AEF, Jacksonville Weather, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, RSPB England, Window to Wildlife, Daily Progress, Newfoundland Power, Olympic Park Eagles, Heidi McGrue, Port Lincoln Ospreys, PIX Cams, Gary’s Eagle Videos, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and OpenVerse.
We hope that you are all well, and for those living in the path of Helene, please stay safe. We are thinking about you and keeping you in our warmest thoughts. Send your warm thoughts to all our feathered friends in the hope they have found their safe places. SW Florida streaming cam is down this morning. Swaying happening at NE Florida.
It is hard to believe it is fall. Gosh, golly. Wednesday was a beautiful morning. The sky was a clear blue, not a whisker of a cloud. No wind. No forecast for rain. The temperature is set to rise to 27 C. We have to remind ourselves that it is really the end of September and not July.
Mr and Mrs Junior were in the garden very early looking for peanuts. There are three Crows that come regularly together, nest mates. When there is a problem with other species, such as the GHO in their territory or a cat in our garden, there will be eight of them around the back of the garden. At one time, the combined count for the two families and their nestlings was eighteen. Did they disperse? I only saw one killed on the road. We must remember to have a small portable shovel in the boot of the car. If you see a dead animal on the road or street, take it to the boulevard so that the carrion eaters are safe to feed.
Junior has always stayed over during the winter. I have said that before, and we feed Crows all year along with the sparrows, woodpeckers, and chickadees (the others that remain). I wonder about their food sources outside of our garden. The area around me is getting denser and denser with little green, save for a few small parks. Indeed, the loss of habitat for our wildlife is truly concerning.
Speaking of food sources, we were shocked when we went to the country on Monday. Next to our acreage, there are now two HUGE reservoirs. They are about three stories tall, 1/6 of a mile by a 1/6 of a mile. The flood waters from the Boyne River are pumped into the holding ponds to irrigate the potato crops in the summer. There was no need for irrigation a few decades ago, and now the potato farmers have to store water. What happens if the rain and the snow in the Pembina Hills that feed the river dry up?
I have spent part of the day working in the containers on the deck. The pepper plants that show no sign of any more produce are in the compost pile. The soil is now heaped around the cherry tomato plants that are loaded – heavily laden – with tomatoes. The Curry leaves and Sage need to be dried along with the mint and the Rosemary. There is enough celery for everyone to have some for their Thanksgiving dinner that lives in earshot of me. It wasn’t a great year, but it was a good one. Now, we will try to grow lettuces, boy chop, green onions, etc. in the house for the winter. I sure hope Hugo Yugo stays out of that grower!!!!!!!! She is into everything these days. Is it because she is so tiny? Baby Hope sleeps atop the highest cabinet to see what everyone is doing—her private spot. Hugo Yugo cannot get up there! And neither can Calico—just Missey.
It is market day. Will the dumpling lady be there or will we be disappointed again? I must learn how to make these! At one point in my life I did know, but I need a refresher course. The last market day is approaching soon and it would be nice to have some more of the local honey. It is delicious – and, thankfully, the vendor was there.
Calico gave each jar of honey her ‘sniff’ test and voted on the honey from the downtown hives. How interesting.
Speaking of Florida…
The weather in Florida is going to be bad for all the nests with Helene potentially plowing through the State as a cat 3 storm. Everything is set to intensify beginning today. It will hit Captiva and Fort Myers first and make its way northeast hitting the nest of Gabby. Send good positive energy to all the birds and let us be thankful that there are no eggs or chicks in the nests.
Evacuations are now underway in various areas of Florida.
Jackie and Shadow have ousted the Ravens from the nest as they make plans for the 2024-25 season. https://youtu.be/5WxWE0iweQg?
Looking out over their territory of Big Bear.
You need to know that your voice can make a difference. If you believe strongly about our wildlife and their quality of life, then we cannot be silent. As a child, I love the little circus and all the animals. I cannot imagine, for a second, supporting any or watching any animal do tricks for humans! How barbaric. Disney has now stopped its animal shows.
I hope that our voices will also ensure that any company, no matter its country of origin, will never be allowed to conduct industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Can you imagine seeing the little ospreys eating lots of fish instead of starving to death? That is what you are fighting for! I was notified today that my letter has been received and will be read to the Committee meeting today. I made it short and to the point – commercial fishing of Menhaden has, according to the research that has been conducted on nests on either side of the Bay, in both Virginia and Maryland, seen only osprey deaths. ‘H’ and I are still entering the statistics but there will be more than 100 nests recorded – every osprey chick perished. Every one. I compared that to heat in other areas including Osoyoos where Olsen pulled a rabbit out of a hat and 2 out of 3 of his chicks lived despite the 40 C heat and lack of fish. That tells you how bad it was in the area of the Chesapeake. And the boats cannot be allowed to fish at the mouth of the Bay either. We will not give up and will continue to fight to stop Omega.
Despite the date passing, if you did not send a comment, but wish to do so, then please write to the individual below that acknowledged my letter:
‘MP’ writes that Jack is on the Achieva Osprey nest several times a day. Stay safe, Jack! Winds are beginning to pick up.
I really hope that Gabby and 24E1 will fill that egg cup sufficiently so that the eggs do not get lost or fall.
The pair at NE Florida flew off the nest as rain and wind began. Stay safe out there Gabby and 24E1.
At least one eagle at the SW Florida nest on Wednesday. M15 has seen many hurricanes. The nest that he shared with Harriet did not always survive the fierce winds, but they did! Let us see what happens in the nest few days.
M15 and F23 were working on the nest late Wednesday night.
‘MP’ caught one of the adults at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands nest on Wednesday near Dallas.
A really nice summary of a bittersweet year for two Newfoundland osprey nests by Ian Winter. Please pay attention to his comment about how Newfoundland Power refurbished the nest of Hope and Beaumont and the belief that this was the contributing factor in Hope caring for these two dark plumage osplets that lived to fledge. Years past I have wept as her chicks died early on. So, if this is true and that caused her maternal instincts to kick in, then I am suggesting that the people who care for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest get up there and fix the most beautiful nest that could be imagined! Then let’s see what happens there.
Eyes continue to be on Malta with all its illegal poaching right during migration!
A good news story! We need them all the time and a vet that can save a wing problem so a stork can fly again is gold.
A wonderful post from Dunrovin Ranch with a tiny summary of the successful year of the ‘JuneBug’ at the osprey nest with new female, Winnie.
Just look at how big that White-tailed eaglet is getting! And oh, so cute. 38 days old in the picture…39 days old today. It is so hard to tell how big it is. That crane is huge where the nest is located.
You might not have seen Tim MacKrill’s presentation on Osprey migration. I posted it in previous years. You can grab a cuppa and learn so much from this talented young man. https://youtu.be/JXWgoSF-Yrk?
Goodness. That Calico is smart. She heard me complaining about having 53,000 digital photos in my phone. She started reading ‘Wirecutter’ when an article about decluttering photos in your phone popped up. She even read it with having a ‘winkie’ in her right eye. Calico thinks that you likely have so many photographs in your phone that you won’t be able to find your favourite one of her! She says you can thank her later!!!!!!
Wirecutter: Your Phone’s Camera Roll Is a Mess. Here’s How to Clean It Up.
Thank you for being with us today. We will find out what Top Flat chicks name will be. Voting closed on the 26th. I wonder what it will be. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP’, noaa, Sunnie Day, The Weather Network, NEFL-AEF, The Guardian, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Rita the Bald Eagle, NestFlix Memories, PIX Cams, JBS Wetlands, Ian L. Winter, CABS, Maria Marika, Dunrovin Ranch News, Nesting Birdlife and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Osprey Leadership Foundation, Menhaden Defenders, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, and The New York Times.
If I had one wish, it would be for Jackie and Shadow to raise an eaglet this year to fledge. I am certain that you feel the same. Maybe we can send them the most positive energy. I cannot think of a more deserving couple – they are already working on that nest. They live in ‘hope’.
‘R’ wrote, concerned about me. It wasn’t me, it was one of my dear friends and reporters. I, on the other hand, worry that the albatross won’t survive the five to six years out on those rough seas with those long line factory ships. Or that the oceans, especially the Southern Ocean, are getting too acidic. I am far too cranky and will be cheering those albatross on and those ships to go extinct! Thanks, ‘R’ for worrying about me. And I am sorry if the cemetery plot got anyone weepy. It is a response to my best friend having to deal with all of the red tape attached to her husband’s death. I want things to be simple for my kids, like it was for me when my mother died. The real difficulty is which monument maker can create an osprey with a big fish? So don’t be sad. I will be kicking around for far more years than you might want!!!!!!!!!!!
Right now I am sitting over Devonian Lake. It is so quiet. The geese are out feeding. Only a few ducks and gulls remain on the lake. I did have a big of a giggle. One of the extraordinarily large homes had its drive way full of geese eating pebbles!!!!!!! Full. Packed in there like there was a Taylor Swift concert. It was a strange sight.
These moments have to be the most bittersweet in all of Bird World. The parent returns, waits and waits for the chick to feed them, and they are gone. They will never see one another again. The adults will not see one another again until they return to breed. What devotion. I wish their world is a safer place for them and for all our feathered friends so that these huge sea birds that can live longer than many humans return year after year to their mates to raise chicks.
‘A’ remarks: “Oh, our babies are gone. When I went onto automatic and checked the albatross tab, there were no chicks in camera view and TF’s nest and his play nest were both empty. I felt such a pang and tears prickled my eyes but I try to remind myself that he is on the adventure that is his lifetime and this was what he was born for. I just wish the human destruction of little TF’s world did not create so many hazards for our fledglings. And I also remind myself that darling YRK is home. The returning breeding birds are arriving steadily now, and it is wonderful to see them. These are our survivors.
Papa LGK came in to feed his son at lunchtime today (12:52:17) and called out for TF chick, just as mum LGL did when she came in yesterday after he fledged. We wish LGK a tummy full of squid and safe travels until his return. We hope to see him and LGL in about a year’s time. (Hopefully, their next egg will hatch in late January 2026 (one chick every second year).
You know that I love my Blue Jays! Now Mr and Mrs Junior are the only ones coming to the garden. Here are four things you might not know these things about Blue Jays! https://youtu.be/VndKdMKXY1c?
Junior does not migrate. Sometimes Mrs Junior does.
Speaking of migration, I think that you will like that book that Calico and I are digging into: Bird Migration. A New Understanding by J. H. Rappole. It is written in non-scientific language. Everything is crystal clear. I liked that the author went back and examined previous theories about migration. What he says will not be knew to you if you have been reading my blog. Birds migrate because of food – not weather! The Black-capped Chickadees live in my garden all winter as do the ones at Bird’s Hill Park – they have an abundance of food resources and do not require moving to a different geographical area. We have Bald Eagles that remain in Manitoba breaking open thin ice to catch fish. The Geese are migrating, following the harvest down to the US from Canada because there is a super abundance of food.
The error in past thinking is that it was weather than drove birds to migrate. Rappole talks about the innate clock, seasonal changes (such as the end of the growing season and harvest) that lead to migration. He discusses the fact that outside of their breeding grounds many of the migrants are highly vulnerable in territories occupied by other birds that are resident year round. You might want to order the book through your library – its price is $47 CDN from the on line retailers. If it were $20, I would say go for it, but this is for those really interested in the nuances of migration. For that reason, Calico gives it her 9 paw award.
Gabby and 24E1 were on the nest tree earlier on Tuesday. There is no way to know if Beau is in the area as the cameras, now only two of them, are focused on the nest tree.
There is flooding in areas north of the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest and the weather forecast is for bad weather in the area of the nest. The eagles will take cover during that tropical storm watch. At least six days of rain with thunderstorms are brewing for Gabby and 24E1.
Please note that I have cancelled out the city around the nest to avoid divulging its location.
There is an eagle at the NCTC nest.
Wings of Whimsy gives us the Bald Eagle nest round up for the week ending on the 22nd of September. Check it out to see who is at home and who isn’t. https://youtu.be/MFCzzzgMHoE?
Hawk Mountain’s count for the week in migration:
I was so happy to see so many of you talking about the sea eaglets and how cute these two are. They certainly are!
For those of you who remember Phyllis Robbins, she said she would appear as a ‘red leaf’. Look at that beautiful red leaf!
Incubation continues at Collins Street. ‘A’ writes: “Dear little dad at Collins Street is the funniest falcon. This morning around 11:09, mum got up and flew off the ledge. She was back after a mere minute, obviously aware that dad was nearby. He arrived on the ledge 15 seconds or so later with a scrap of food for mum. She grabbed it from him on the ledge and flew off to eat it. Dad hustled along to the scrape and settled on his eggs, chirping away to them as he did so. He has the cutest little chirps when he talks to the eggs. I love his chatting away to them. I’m sure those chicks will recognise dad as soon as they hatch. Such a cutie.
When mum returns at 11:27:34, Dad holds his ground and chirps for a little but his protests are short-lived. He soon gets up, and shortly before 11:28 he dives off the ledge and allows mum to resume incubation duties. “
Calypso, Ervie, Giliath, and Bradley are going to have some siblings soon. I wonder if we might get some females this year? Otherwise we might have to think about a translocation project to get these fellas a mate!
At the Growing Home osprey platform, a really nice fish dinner came in for that little one – and with both parents on the nest, they are keeping this baby ‘secret’ just like it was a famous film star’s children.
More on the topic of Menhaden and what must be done if we are to save the ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay. Brian Collins has really hit the proverbial nail on the head in this post. Please, please write your Senators and Congressional Representatives. Do it for Cobey, the Colonial Beach Osplet that starved to death before our very eyes.
Natural England’s report on Hen Harrier breeding across the UK:
Many of you enjoyed Margaret Renkl’s book, The Comfort of Crows. Renkl has published a hard copy journal for people to use as a weekly diary of what is happening in their own gardens. It is called Leaf, Cloud, and Crow. Lots of pages for writing, sketching and it all begins with the first week of winter in late December. It is a great follow up to The Comfort of Crows where we get a glimpse of how an accomplished author celebrates the ordinary which is extraordinary right outside her window. It is also a good follow-up to Amy Tan’s book The Backyard Bird Chronicles -Tan didn’t know how to draw and took classes. But who cares what your drawings look like? Do your own chronicles! Watch how the birds and animals, the foliage, changes from season to season. Then do it again the following year. By the time you start your third year, you will know instinctively when the Dark-eyed Juncos will arrive and you will have your bag of White Millet on hand.
I have been scribbling for years in my Manitoba Bird book, a gift from my grandson, Carter, eons ago. I think it is time to take it to the next level and record the daily happenings. Thinking about those new little instant cameras that print photos…that might be fun to add to the mix. I might have helped run a School of Art, but, I cannot draw! or paint. Photographs are good but increasingly I am getting frustrated with digital images. When you have 58,000 on your phone, how do you find the one you really want? Frustrating.
Our ordinary gardens then become extraordinary.
Calico’s Tip for the Day! It can save your life, and it comes from a former student.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, K, R’, FOBBV, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Cam Albatross FB group New Zealand, NEFL-AEF, Weather Channel, NCTC, Wings of Whimsy, Hawk Mountain, Olympic Park Eaglets, Nesting Bird Life & More, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Growing Home Ospreys, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, Margaret Renkl.
My goodness. Sunday was the most glorious autumn day. It seemed everyone was outside, eating ice cream, having a last picnic, watching the ducks and geese. There were Wood Ducks, Mallards, and lots of Canada Geese at the pond.
.This was the pond in the afternoon. I can’t describe how beautiful and crisp the fall day was.
In the evening, we were at the nature centre. At least 100 Cormorants perched in three trees between Elliot Lake and Devonian Lake. The gulls flew in first, perhaps 500 or more at the lake’s western end. The Geese arrived late. They will feed twice a day. They leave the lake around 1000 and return a few hours later to rest on the water. Then they go out to feed again, returning around dusk. Because the weather is so nice, they stay and feed at the fields later than usual.
The ‘Cormorant Trees’:
Some sounds of the geese coming in – kinda’ like ‘white noise’…the geese are flying in at a distance. You can see some…they landed at the lake to our left, not the one in front of us for the most part.
It was a great evening. Next week we will be at Oak Hammock Marsh for their goose flight and we hope to return to Ft Whyte before Thanksgiving (October 14).
‘A’ has just sent news that Top Flat Chick, the Royal Cam chick, has fledged: “We have just had the confirmation from ranger Sharyn. And of course, I am crying. I wish our sweet TF chick safe travels but doubt I will live long enough to see him return in five years. :Mum LGL has just been in and has been looking for TF to make sure her baby has really gone and no longer needs her to feed him. She has had a good look around and waited patiently on the nest for a while, just to be sure, but I think she knows he is gone. TFT fledged yesterday apparently.
This is always SO hard. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead, and these chicks have had no parental training in hunting or foraging for food. Of course with our eaglets and osplets, we often never see them again and never know what happens to them, especially here in Australia where we don’t band our eagles or falcons (though we do band some of our ospreys).
But this morning, 23 September, was the official fledge date for TF chick. I’ll go and have a little cry now. My sea eaglets are close to leaving too, and like the albatrosses, the world they will face out there is a very hard one for them. I would love to see Lady and Dad training these two to catch fish, as we did see with one of the fledglings last year I recall, but of course the smaller birds are relentless and this season seems worse than the last in that respect. “
‘A’: “Dear little dad at Collins Street puts such a smile on my face. He loves to chat to his eggs with a tiny high-pitched chirp. He is adorable. He has not been bringing food to the ledge this week – mum is heading off on her own to get food or to access one of the pantries. When M22 arrived to relieve her this morning, he had a huge crop. Meanwhile at Orange (speaking of falcons with large crops – yes, we’re looking at you, Diamond), the companionship between Diamond and Xavier is just a joy to watch. This season, Xavier has been spending quite a bit of time just hanging on the ledge, keeping Diamond company. It is just too sweet.// I love their 4.45am bonding sessions where both of them fall asleep in the middle, then wake up 45 minutes later and continue as if they hadn’t paused at all. TOO funny. They are a wonderful pair to observe year-round, as their relationship is hysterically funny to watch. “
Port Lincoln would like you to help guess when the first egg will hatch. Put the day and time you believe will be the winner in the chat under their streaming cam.
Geemeff and ‘SP’ found another article on the dire consequences of the Menhaden commercial fishing on Ospreys. This really does need to stop. Tomorrow I will gather information and provide you with the address to send a letter before 2 October if you feel so inclined. They should outlaw industrial fishing within 3 miles of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and anywhere in the Bay —- and if someone is brave, outlaw it altogether! Ospreys are starving to death at a rate in excess of the deaths of DDT (or so it is believed now). Remember the problem is Virginia. The other states have laws!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please examine the map and you will see how that mouth of the Bay must be protected. Can any Menhaden get to Maryland?
Anyone can write. What is crucial is that the Menhaden have to get through Virginia waters in order to feed the ospreys lower in the Bay. Check out the maps. Here is the information on who to write to – the deadline is looming. 25 September at 1000.
‘J’ sends news that the little eaglet who had yet to fly but had survived its nest collapsing has been killed by a coyote who breached the enclosure at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
I wonder how many males are still delivering fish to young osprey fledglings? Beaumont certainly is in Newfoundland!
Jackie and Shadow wanted to let everyone know that they are fine after the threats of the Line Fire. https://youtu.be/PacRB76JN4w?
It will be so wonderful to see Shadow with his sticks and beautiful Jackie at the nest in the morning’s diamonds!
Gabby and 24E1 were at the nest on Sunday.
M15 and F23 were busy at the nest in Fort Myers! Nice to see them again.
It was a bird breakfast for the Olympic Park Eaglets.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care! See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, J, PB, SP’, NZ DOC, Port Lincoln Ospreys, The Washington Post, Google Maps, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, Thomas Lilly, FOLFAN, Newfoundland Power, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Elain and Holly Parsons, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Olympic Park Eagles.
We went to the zoo today. The weather was a little cooler. What we did differently was we took the tram and had a great chat with the driver about how much the zoo has changed over the decades – from a zoo focused on the people visiting the animals to a focus solely on the welfare of the animals. Everyone used to love the petting zoo, but probably not the animals petted and pulled. Today, there are lots of goats doing silly goat things, a couple of llamas, and a pair of pigs. Our feathered friends are really no longer visible. Years ago the zoo was full of owls and peacocks – everywhere. Bird flu put an end to that. The geese and other waterfowl that had Avian Flu kept the birds inside and some could not be…I didn’t ask what happened to the, but I will. The birds were my favourite and I do miss them. Now, we rely on the polar bears and their antics. Most of the animals were outside today including the Tiger because of the cooler weather. More pictures next time!
Some of you will recall the Norwegian osplets that were translocated to Ireland. Well, guess what? A couple built a nest and fledged a chick this year! Bravo.
The oldest chick, a female, Glenwais, is still having Idris bring fish to the nest at Dyfi. She has not departed! Idris has been in Wales for 5 full months now. His talons must be itching to get to Africa!
Then she was seen soaring in the thermals at 11:16 Friday. It is believed it will be the last sighting and she is on her way South at the age of 102 days. Idris shows up with a fish waiting for a taker and no one is there.
Idris will feed up and leave. He will rejoin his mate Telyn at the nest late March or early April of 2025 if all goes well. What a wonderful year they had.
Blue 022 is still delivering to the nest at Poole Harbour. I checked late (so little rewind before dark) and caught him and one of the fledglings.
If you missed the August Condor chat of the Ventana Wildlife Society in California, which highlighted filmmaking and storytelling to get people interested in and concerned about the Condors, they have hired a staff member for videography, storytelling, and media. The full chat is in the link below. Meredith Evans is the new team member. Digital Communicator is the official title. Listen and see what they are doing! VWS Condors if their film channel on YouTube and they have a long range of videos including those about Red Wood Queen and at least two award winning films for you to watch. So check that out, too. This group is incredible and we need those condors!
Geemeff sends her daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust. Looking forward to her year summary which will be coming up!
Daily summary Friday 30th August 2024
Same as yesterday – wet and windy, no birds of any size or species. However, from Ian at the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation comes an update on our chick 1JW who’s in the care of Fundación Migres in Valencia: “The birds are all doing well. JW is still on the marsh with all the other chicks. They’ve settled into a routine now where they are feeding by taking fish from the feeding stations and flying off with it to eat on perches. They are starting to make longer flights and it won’t be too long before one of them leaves, but at the moment they all seem happy enough. Migration starts later in southern Europe so we would expect them to be around for a couple of weeks more.” Surprisingly, tonight’s weather forecast is clear skies and light winds, and sunny tomorrow with a high of
20°C. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.31.39 (05.39.07); Nest Two 21.30.23 (05.44.50) Today’s videos: none Bonus watch – Woodland Trust’s vital work to provide habitat our wildlife needs to survive and thrive, and support some of our most vulnerable species, including bats:https://youtu.be/VKkrnBYRcQA (watch to the end for the delightful bat soundscape) Compare and contrast our two resident females past and current: https://youtu.be/_23wRVnATc4 Golden goddess: Aila 2017 – 2020 (Classic Ospreys – Chopin) https://youtu.be/1syQj_jjjxw Golden variation: Dorcha 2021 – (Classic Ospreys – Bach)
Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:
At the Olympic Park Sea Eagle nest, the camera operator gave us a good look at SE33. Notice the down away from the front top of the head and the pin feathers coming through. This eaglet is changing before our eyes! They are both growing. We need SE34 to just get a little braver.
SE34 got a good feeding right before bedtime! Yippee.
‘A’ comments on the action at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest: “This morning, it was a super early breakfast at WbSE, too early for SE33, which meant SE34, although initially nervous because he could feel SE33 moving against him (stretching and changing position and so forth), ended up being fed a personal breakfast. He was starting to feel more comfortable by the time Dad flew off the nest tree shortly before 6am. He is still eating at 06:07, his sibling lying beside him but facing in the opposite direction and looking around, alert and very interested in its surroundings. By 06:09 Lady is really having to coax SE34, with SE33 repeatedly moving beside him, standing up and stretching its wings. By 06:10, SE33’s preening is spooking SE34 somewhat but he is nevertheless continuing to eat. By 06:11, SE33 has flopped back down again, appearing to still have a crop from last night. Lady is being very patient indeed with SE34, who keeps eating. At 06:12, SE34 is having difficulty swallowing a previous bite, but eventually does so and accepts another.
Lady is having a hard time getting bites off this carcass and at 06:13 gives a bite to SE33. And another. SE33 has clown feet and her head looks sleek without its fluff. Lady offers another bite to SE34, who accepts it. But that’s it. Breakfast is over, and by 06:14 Lady has flown off. Both eaglets have visible crops but SE34 did by far the best out of that feeding. He has a healthy crop and is looking very healthy. SE33 is sporting growing feathers along her wing.
As I type, Lady and Dad are again dueting, although we all wish they wouldn’t. Another egg is expected at Orange tomorrow lunchtime, apparently (Sunday Australian time, so in about 22 hours). I do NOT want a third egg for Diamond. That would not be at all good. I don’t have to elaborate to you on my reasons for that opinion but I would be surprised if you did not agree.
At 06:14:35, SE34 is sitting up, as is SE33, and the younger chick looks the older one in the eye. Oh dear. The resulting beak to the head is predictable, but SE34 quickly pops back up again.This annoys SE33, who repeats the beak to the back of his head, and gives him a third for good measure, leaving SE34 with his head tucked under. Lady flies down to check on the kids and ensure they are playing nice, but with nest hierarchy restored, things quickly return to normal, with both eaglets’ heads up and the pair interacting peacefully. She leaves them to it.
At 06:20, Lady flies down to the nest with a tiny morsel of leftover something. This causes SE33 to beak SE34, who ducks down but is still beaked a second time, so stays there. Lady feeds the older eaglet the few bites she can get off this piece, with SE34 remaining cautiously tucked throughout. By 06:27 mum is gone and the mini-feeding is done.
After this, the two eaglets were left alone for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon (although with parental supervision from above for much of the time). At 14:57 Dad flew in with more nest material. The eaglets immediately line up at the table but there is nothing to eat. When Lady and Dad start dueting shortly after 13:00, SE34 appears to be attempting some sort of vocalisation to mimic his parents. Aw, too cute.
I have no idea what they are discussing but it could be the need for a late lunch, as the littles have not been fed since before dawn and it is now after 3pm. It will be starting to get dark in about two hours, and will be completely dark by 6pm. So unless the eaglets are to go without a second meal today, one of the parents needs to go fishing. So I would suspect this is what their conversation is about. We shall see. The key thing here is that Lady is looking after SE34, coaxing him to eat and being very patient in ensuring that he does. This morning’s breakfast was a real demonstration of that. Further, SE34 himself is taking more responsibility for getting himself fed. He was braver today and made efforts to ensure he was close to mum’s beak. He even grabbed a bite from in front of his sister at one stage, which was encouraging. Also, I notice that the size gap between these two, which shrank after they hatched and then blew out again over the past fortnight, again appears to have got a lot less noticeable. I am now starting to wonder once again whether we may in fact have two males on this nest. Certainly, SE33 does not have the full-on aggression we often see with females, though there has been some bonking in the interests of maintaining nest hierarchy, that has been all it is, with no unnecessary or prolonged acts of violence and no determination to prevent SE34 from eating. So It may well be that their similar sizes may indicate brothers, which could be a hopeful sign for the post-fledge period when we hope both will return to the nest to be fed. “
Gorgeous Mum at Port Lincoln incubating the two osprey eggs. Will there be a third?
Gorgeous Diamond doing the same. We have a few weeks to go – watching incubation is worse than watching paint dry. LOL.
Peregrine Falcon eggs are gorgeous. It is one of the problems. They were collected and that along with DDT drove the birds to the brink of extinction.
Diamond rejected the first Starling on Saturday morning but took the second then mated with Xavier on the roof of the tower.
At Hellgate Canyon, Antali was waiting on the perch when he sighted Finnegan flying to the nest with a lovely fish.
Antali and Sum-eh both at Hellgate Canyon Friday.
And again after lunch! Finnegan is quite amazing. He is making sure that his kids are fed and fed well so they are fit for migration. Most people wonder why the osplets don’t catch their own fish. In fact, it is very rare for fledglings to catch their own fish before they leave for migration. 61 million years of DNA teaches them – their instincts – they know how to fish.
A wide shot of C16 eating at the platform with the adult on the perch.
Junebug sleeping on the perch at Dunrovin.
Both osplets on the Newfoundland Power platform at Snow Lane.
The Omega ships ran out of Menhaden to catch.
On Thursday, August 29, Maya was still in the nest at Manton Bay. I didn’t get an image, but one is on the Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys FB group.
Fishing line showing up again and again this year as one of the worst thing impacting the lives of our birds (besides domestic cats). You can help by spreading the word to people to clean up after themselves when they go out for the day. Recepticals can be found at many fishing places now, use them and why not set up a clean up the shore day?
If you live near Winnipeg, it is the fun and frolicking Open House at Wildlife Haven coming up! Great time to see all of the facilities and meet all the ambassadors including Majestic, the Bald Eagle.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, Geemeff’, O Tuathall, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, Ventana Wildlife Society, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Olympic Park Eagles, Nesting Bird Life and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Access Fund, 367 Collins Street Falcon Cam by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Newfoundland Power, Wm Dunn- Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB, and Wildlife Haven.
Update: Diamond laid her second egg at 23:57 on the 29th. Thanks, ‘H’ for the news!
Oh, it started off much cooler Wednesday, but by 1500 was 25 C. Hugo Yugo was busy looking out the window at all the birds while all the others were having siestas.
This is Hugo Yugo’s favourite pose. She is often caught watching the telly leaning over the arm of the sofa.
She can be an angel.
The look of Calico when she is enjoying a good scratch!
Baby Hope (aka Calico Kitty Kitty) is just about as big as her mother. She is going to be 14 months old on 2 September.
My day is very hectic and it is possible that this could be the shortest posting ever! Things remain quiet with nothing untoward happening at any of the nests other than fledglings frantically fighting for fish and getting their talons caught or eagles returning to nests that require improvements. We have the second egg at Collins Street. These two are both apparently new falcon parents to this ledge. It goes to show you just how difficult life is within the world of tall buildings compared to Diamond and Xavier. The history of that couple at Orange is as follows and comes from the information below the streaming cam: “Diamond took over from the older Swift in 2015 and Xavier replaced Bula in 2016 (who in turn replaced our first male, Beau, in 2015). Xavier arrived just as the eggs were hatching and saved the season by providing for Diamond and her three chicks. Assuming that they were at least two years old when they arrived, Diamond is at least eleven years old and Xavier nine (in 2024).”
Most cite the average age of a peregrine falcon being between 12-15 years with the average maximum life span being 16-20 years. Research has shown that older female falcons lay fewer eggs and they are less fertile. According to Birds of North America‘s peregrine falcon article: “Female age has a significant effect on all measures of reproductive success: clutch size, fertility, hatchability, brood size, nestling survivability, and number of fledglings. In all but nestling survival, the data best fit a quadradic model, reflecting an initial increase in performance followed by decrease with age.”
The Raptor Resource Project has a good article on life expectancy of falcons:
Charles Sturt University and Dr Cilla Kinross have a page of questions and answers and they include this information: “Sadly, the mortality rate for juveniles in their first year is as high as 60% with accidents while learning flying skills a major contributor. Survival improves with each year of life thereafter, with a general six-year life expectancy for peregrines in the wild. There are exceptions of course, with Diamond and Xavier being prime examples, and wild falcons can live up to 19 years. Fertility in a female peregrine will decline with age. In effect, fewer eggs will be laid with some being infertile and others not hatching resulting in fewer fledglings.”
So we wait to see. Diamond might be considered a senior citizen in the falcon world. Will this couple have more eggs? will any of them hatch? We will have to wait and see.
Geemeff has taken a break to see ospreys and she says that the ospreys are catching fish and the white-tail eagles are coming out of the sky to steal then and then they are getting mobbed. Everyone wants free food. Don’t think for a second that life is easy for our feathered friends. it is anything but.
The Crows are clamouring for the cheesy dogs while the squirrels, Little Red and Dyson, work hard for their peanuts. It is a grey overcast day. The temperature was cool this morning, and they might feel, as I do, that fall is in the air. There is a notable change, just in a couple of days, with the colours of the leaves in the trees. A chartreuse, an ochre, and a russet weren’t there at the weekend.
Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn released a video showing Aran delivering a whopper of a fish to the nest. Two fledglings, 6M8 and 6M9, there anxious. One grabs the fish and the other gets towed away by Dad! The comment was on how strong Aran was to lift that chick and carry it. No osprey was injured. I wanted you to see where the nest on the top of the tree is and imagine that the camera is refreshed annually along with the cot rails, if needed.
It looks to me like it was Antali and Iris on the Hellgate Canyon nest and then a rare appearance from Sum-eh (I could be wrong). If so, all four family members are still in the area and have not begun migration.
Feel free to correct me – looks like Sum-eh’s head markings.
At Port Lincoln, Mum is right on time and has laid egg #2 early Thursday morning. She holds her position and doesn’t give anything away letting the egg cool and harden before beginning incubation again.
Our new Mum at Collins Street. Gosh, let’s hope this family has good luck on this ledge. Life is difficult enough. They have a good spot save for the scalding heat that will come down on them. Hopefully Mum will move the chicks to the north end where it has shade.
There has been bonding and mating at Orange. Xavier would like another egg hedging his bets on not all eggs hatching.
SE33 asleep and SE34 watching for an adult to arrive with food at the Sydney Olympic Forest. SE34 did not have a lot of food yesterday so it was a great relief that it began the 29th with a nice big crop! The little one is still very skitterish around 33.
‘A’ gives us her narrative of events for the Olympic Park Eagles: “Although Lady and Dad were up and awake, dueting, at 6am, the littles were still waiting for breakfast at WBSE at 8am, and by 08:11 they were starting to bicker. SE33 stood up and leaned forward to stretch her wings. This impinged on SE34’s personal space so he bonked his older sister who immediately retaliated. Both then get stuck into some preening, as it is obvious they are itchy (just look at those feathers growing along the bottom edge of SE33’s wings, and a second line appearing higher up her wings, near her shoulders. Even SE34 is starting to preen relentlessly. Of course being this itchy always seems to make the eaglets a little antsy.
Yes, the bonk from SE34 was foolish behaviour and got what it deserved, but the key thing here for me was that SE34 had the confidence to attack his older sister in the first place. He was not scared for long, though, going straight back to his preening without ducking and tucking. He just pulled away and then went about his business. That was a plus for me, as I have been wanting to see signs of a bit more of a feisty attitude from SE34. Perhaps this is the start of it.
Both parents arrive around 08:42, one with a fish, pestered by a couple of smaller birds, who appeared to be dive bombing and otherwise harassing Lady and Dad. But Both parents are distracted and alerting, sometimes lunging towards the intruder birds. Eventually, with Dad on the perch branch fending off the smaller birds, Lady began feeding breakfast to the littles at 08:46. There is a black band around Lady’s round leg that I have not noticed before. What is it? Where did it come from and when? SE34 is offered the first four bites of the feeding and takes them without any signs of intimidation. He is slightly closer to mum than is SE33. But the fifth bite is a bridge too far, and at 08:47:24 SE33 stands up. SE34 cringes away from his sibling and ducks his head/. Lady decides this would be a strategic moment to offer fish to SE33. Good call, mum. SE34 refuses the next bite, so mum feeds it to SE33. The same thing happens with the next bite. As Lady continues to feed SE33, SE34 is shuffling closer to mum, peeking at her as he does so. Lady keeps feeding SE33. At 08:49 SE34 lifts his head a little but is still too scared to eat. There is plenty of fish, so hopefully SE34 will get his turn to eat.
Around 08:50 he dares to lift his head a little. He is watching mum closely but not asking for food. Lady is leaning across SE34 to feed SE33. This continued contact of SE33 from behind keeps SE34 on edge and very nervous to eat. At 08:50:50, he raises his head just a little too far, causing SE34 to beak him in the back of the head. He turns away and puts his head down on the nest again. Lady continues feeding SE33. He is not down for long though, and soon, SE34 is again watching Lady. Soon after 08:53, head still tucked, SE34 turns his back on the table. He has not had any breakfast so far. As Lady feeds SE33, SE34 is very carefully and slowly turning back around, until he is again facing the table.
Lady pauses the feeding, with the fish rapidly disappearing, and SE34 continues to creep closer to her. 9am and SE33 eats and eats and eats. SE34 waits. By 08:46 SE34 is eatihng, his confidence growing with each bite he takes for which he is not punished by SE33; Lady returned about 40 minutes later and again fed SE34, so that eventually, both eaglets had good crops and had eaten well. “
Keep the Menhaden on your radar and the Canadian corporation Omega right beside them. If you live in the States, write to your Senator and the Senators from Virginia and get them to end the industrial fishing of Menhaden and create a clear three-mile distance from the mouth of the Bay! By doing so, you will help save the lives of the Ospreys who call Chesapeake Bay their home.
Suzanne Arnold Horning (and Woody) continue to find Big Red and Arthur at the Cornell Campus even though students are arriving back for classes.
LGK shows up to feed the Royal cam chick! It will not be long until their little one takes to the seas, returning in five or six years. It is so amazing. https://youtu.be/c8DPhmweuQI?si=ZYARzkZ6ipw4MyzX
Hope and her two beautiful fledglings on the Snow Lane nest.
Charlie and Lola at the nest and C16 holding on. There is snow in parts of Montana. Hopefully it will not land on any of the osprey nests!
At Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest, Dad is home and so is the juvenile. I have not see the female. Perhaps she is on migration?
At Boulder, it appears that Dad and the fledgling are still coming to the nest. No sign of the female.
A news alert from the Ventana Wildlife Society.
Geemeff sends us the daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Wednesday 28th August 2024 Wet but not too windy, a few dry spells allowing the nests to show off their beautiful scenery. No activity other than Penelope spider on Nest One. WTS George reminds us that Woodland Trust receives wonderful support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, including at Loch Arkaig and it will be much appreciated if social media users like, share and comment on a little film showing ‘some of the ways we are working together to create a better future’: https://x.com/WTScotsocial/status/1828704104136249416https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=493071810106235&ref=sharing Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One ( 05.31.07); Nest Two (05.43.01) Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/9raQZmSsDdE N1 By day and by night: Penelope the magic weaver
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, The Raptor Resource Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Montana Osprey Project, Nesting Bird Life and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Collins Street Falcons, 367 Collins Street Falcon Watchers, Olympic Park Eagles, Brian Collins – Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Cornell Bird Lab, Newfoundland Power, Charlo Montana, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Ospreys, Boulder County, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Geemeff and the Woodland Trust.
You will now notice links to videos within the blog. Just click on them, and they will take you to YouTube. Geemeff helped me figure out how to save that precious space to include more images without using up all my media allowance! Thanks, Geemeff.
Friday was another scorcher in Winnipeg. It will be 31 C today but the heat index is reaching to 39 or 40 C. Even the English Gardens were so sultry that it was difficult to enjoy the beautiful foliage.
I continue to smile and tell The Girls how fortunate they are. What we are seeing is a growing number of cats, beautiful ones, coming to the feral feeder. People continue to dump their pets because they cannot afford to feed or care for them. It is so sad when these darling animals bring so much joy to one’s life. There was a steady stream yesterday – ‘The Boyfriend’, a Ginger Male, and a gorgeous long-haired ‘sort of’ Calico (photo below). ‘The Girls’ alert us to their presence. ‘The Boyfriend’ mostly comes during the night – between midnight and 0400. I catch him on the front video camera. But there is also ‘something’ coming and eating all the food and pushing the dishes about and upsetting the birdbaths. I do wonder if it is the fox or a raccoon or, perhaps, a big dog. They must come in through the back because they are not seen on the front camera.
Missey watching from inside where it is cool. They are telling everyone to please put out water because the heat index today was 38 C. The outdoor animals are having a very difficult time.
Remember those storms that hit Missoula with hurricane-force winds? We worried and teared up because of dear Iris and her family. Amy Moore tells us more about the devastation to other osprey families in her article in The Pulp. Thankfully, Iris, Finnegan, Sum-eh, and Antali were not injured.
‘J’ reminds us that Bobby Horvath keeps himself busy saving Ospreys and geese that get hit by golf balls on courses! He picks them up and puts them back together so they can live in the wild. Our fledgling ospreys can get into much mischief thanks to us and our fishing gear. Please tell people to take care of themselves and try to clean up after themselves, or stop fishing.
I have talked to you about the issues related to Osprey starvation and the industrial fishing of Menhaden in Chesapeake Bay. ‘H’ found this article that demonstrates clearly that the fish that our ospreys need to survive in the region can make a come back. New York put in regulations. Have a listen!
Hawk Mountain is located in Pennsylvania and is considered to be the world’s first sanctuary for raptors. It began during a time when people were paid to kill raptors – in 1929, $5 was a lot of money and if you turned in a goshawk that was what you received. A dead goshawk that is. Hawk Mountain was where the shooters lined up on top of the ridges when the birds migrated to kill them. Just think of that – thousands of bodies lying on the ground in the forest. A man by the name of Richard Pough began to take photographs of the autracities and eventually those images caught the attention of Rosalie Edge. Edge went to Hawk Mountain, and she came back in 1934, leasing 1400 acres. She created a safe place for the raptors. The killing ceased. In 1935, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was opened to the public. Edge eventually purchased the property, creating a non-profit organisation to look after the sanctuary. You can visit there today – you can even go and help do a count!
They have just published its first migration count for this season.
Little Ringed Plovers nest successfully for the first time in Cornwall.
CROW reminds everyone – baby Squirrel season is starting in some parts of North America. What should you do? Read below.
Migration season for Ospreys in the UK is underway (as it is in other parts of the world). I will keep track, once in awhile, of who is home and who is not.
Gorgeous Friday in Missoula and there are some ospreys on that hellgate Canyon nest.
FORE (Friends of Redding Eagles) has given us an update about the necroscopy of Luna and discussions on what to do about the nest tree of Liberty and Guardian. Thanks, ‘J’ for sending this in!
Update on Liberty & Guardian’s Nest & Nest Tree 8/22/24:
We just wanted to give you an update on our progress this Summer! We haven’t been posting much because It’s actually been a very busy Summer! We’ve been working non-stop on finding a way to help Liberty & Guardian any way we can next season. We’ve heard several of you suggest we simply “Cut down the Nest Tree” or “Remove the Nest”. After what happened to our Luna & Sol last season we completely understand how you feel! None of us want to experience something like that ever again! But, there are several Federal Laws protecting Bald & Golden Eagles so we have to abide by those laws at all times.
We’re still waiting on the Final Report on Luna’s Necropsy, but I have been in touch with Krysta Rogers frequently these last few months & she has been very helpful. She has answered several questions we asked her after the preliminary report was released & she reviewed a few videos I sent to her of Luna on the Grassy Island. Krysta said she will share the FINAL REPORT with us as soon as it is ready. We would all like to know what the cause of death was for our Luna & Sol & we really hope the final necropsy report will give us those answers. We have to let you know that there are times when the necropsy results are inconclusive, but we remain hopeful!
We’ve also been in touch with the California State Avian Conservation Coordinator Shannon Skalos regarding what we can & can’t do about Liberty & Guardian’s Nest & Nest Tree. Shannon was very helpful & understanding & she put us in touch with our local Fish & Wildlife Supervisor John Perrine who we’ve been working with to come up with a plan. Since we are not Biologists ourselves, we work under the guidance of our local Fish & Wildlife Biologists. We’ve been discussing what we can do within the constraints of the Federal Laws protecting Bald Eagles & their Nests & Nest Trees.
Back in June, Shannon informed us that we cannot do anything to the Nest or Nest Tree without a Federal “Take Permit”. She said those permits can take quite a while to obtain & she didn’t think we had enough time to go that route(6-12 months). She said US Fish & Wildlife generally tries to “let nature take its course”, but they will always consider things on a case by case basis.
Shannon let us know we would NOT need a permit to do something in any of the nearby trees as long as we don’t touch the Nest Tree. So, we immediately reached out to our dear friend & Eagle Biologist David Hancock from British Columbia who has a lot of experience & success in this area. David has been consulting with us & now we are in the process of making a plan which we will complete in September. We will share more details on our plan as we get closer!
Our Project Manager Joe will be coming to Redding in September to replace parts & overhaul the entire Eaglecam System. So, we still have a lot of work ahead of us! But, we are determined to do whatever we can to help our beloved Redding Eagles Liberty & Guardian! And, we are also determined to do whatever we can to make it a great viewing experience for all of our wonderful followers & incredibly generous Donors who make this all possible!
We could not do this without YOU!
Stay tuned!
~Terri & the FORE Team
Here is some helpful information with us from the US Fish & Wildlife Eagle Management Plan:
“Eagle Nest Protections
Along with protecting eagles, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act also protects eagle nests. Eagle nests are protected at all times, not just when the nests are in use by eagles. This means eagle nests can never be removed, destroyed, moved, tampered with, or obstructed, no matter what time of year it is, without a permit.
An eagle nest is defined as “any assemblage of materials built, maintained, or used by bald eagles or golden eagles for the purpose of reproduction. An eagle nest remains an eagle nest until it becomes so diminished, or the nest substrate upon which it is built fails, that the nest is no longer usable and is not likely to become usable to eagles, as determined by a Federal, Tribal, or State eagle biologist” (50 CFR 22.6).
The following are all considered eagle nests and are protected (unless the nests are determined by a Federal, Tribal, or State eagle biologist to no longer be usable):
Any nest constructed by an eagle, even if the nest is never finished or used.
A nest built by another bird that is subsequently used by an eagle for reproduction.
A nest constructed by an eagle that is subsequently used by another species, such as owls or osprey.
Note that if nest take removes all available nesting substrate from an eagle pair’s territory, this can lead to abandonment and loss of the eagle territory, which constitutes a form of disturbance take.laws”
Is Mum looking a little eggy at Port Lincoln?
Seabirds sang a tribute to the Penguin Icon, Sphen, as they mourn his death.
Our smile for the day comes from ‘SP’. Most of you know the Crawley Falcons that hatch their chicks on the balcony of a high rise in Australia. Apparently neighbours decided peregrine falcons were too noisy and asked that the plant pots where the falcons laid their eggs be removed. Well…Here is the story in pictures from their FB page. Oh, they now have at least two eggs.
Turtles are starting to arrive at the Kistachie National Forest E-1 nest…oh, geez. If this eagle keeps this up, there won’t be a turtle within 5 miles of the park! This male loves his turtles.
Karl II’s son, Waba, is in the Ukraine where he continues to feed as he works his way back to Africa. Fingers crossed that Waba will return to Estonia and take over his natal nest next year! Yes! Waba can continue the great example of his father, Karl II, who sadly was electrocuted on an unprotected pole in Turkey last year.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 23rd August 2024
More rain overnight last night with strong winds, and a misty morning today. No Ospreys appeared on either nest, just a pair of Great Tits on Nest One, but we were treated to footage from Spain of our one surviving chick, 1JW, looking magnificent and defending his fish with a short sharp warning nip to another Osprey who attempted to get some of it. This all bodes well for his upcoming migration journey, and explains his informal nickname of ‘Jaws’. Also sent through by Fundación Migres were photos of Pean JH3, the Loch Arkaig Osprey who fledged from a private nest in 2017 the same year that Aila & Louis fledged their first chick, Lachlan JH4. Pean’s untimely death on a faulty power line in 2018 inspired Itziar Colodro Sainz from the Fundación to campaign successfully for modernisation of the local grid at the translocation area of Marjal Pego-Oliva Nature Reserve, which has subsequently saved many birds. More here: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15815194 and here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-46952452. The wet weather will continue all week, with the possibility of thundery showers tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.32.40 (05.19.49); Nest Two 21.24.56 (05.26.39)
‘H’ posted on Fenwick Island….little Fen. Dad is smart. Just drop those fish in when flying by. Don’t risk those precious talons with a hungry juvenile.
SE33 was aggressive towards its little sibling today. Despite there being plenty of fish on the nest, it would not allow the baby to eat but a few bites before starting to bonk it. SE33 goes into a food coma and Dad comes along and saves the day giving little 34 a really nice feeding. That baby was full. Love you, Dad!
‘A’ writes more of these current issues with sibling rivalry: “This morning, Lady went out early and brought back a large fresh whole fish. She started feeding SE33 at around 06:49 and continued to do so until just before 06:58, when SE34, who had had his head down on the nest, finally accepted a bite. But even though it had been eating large chunks of fish for nearly ten minutes, SE33 was not happy about SE34’s inclusion in the feeding and immediately beaks him in the back of the head. SE33 grabbed a beakful of head feathers and shook SE34 for some time. A moment or so later, when SE34 dared to move, he was attacked again. Once again, the shaking lasted some time. SE33 has an enormous crop by this stage and has been eating large pieces of fish uninterrupted since 06:50.
The fact that SE34 had stayed down for so long, cringing violently away when Lady leaned near him to pick up a dropped piece of fish (she had dropped it, not SE34), was worrying enough in itself, but when after eating so much fish and SE34 showing deference for so long, SE33 instantly retaliated for the one mouthful SE34 had been given, it really depressed me. I thought we had got beyond this on this nest, but obviously, we haven’t. In fact, over the past week or so, it seems SE33 is getting more aggressive rather than less.
Lady is still looking out for him, and there is still plenty of fish (Dad added a second fish to the breakfast spread this morning – there always seems to be food ready for when Lady wants to feed the eaglets) but it is a worry that he is obviously intimidated by SE33 to the extent that he is sometimes scared to eat. The question is whether he is still getting enough once SE33 has eaten all it can.
By 7am, SE33 is getting more and more reluctant to accept bites. (It had already been rejecting them when SE34 dared to accept his first mouthful but that didn’t stop SE33 from attacking.) But SE34 is still not brave enough to lift his head. At 07:02, SE33 is STILL eating. SE34 dares to move – he is monitoring proceedings. By 07:02:40, SE33 is refusing food and Lady eats the bite herself. At 07:03, SE34 lifts his head cautiously.
There are two fish on the nest – one whole and one that Lady is finishing off. SE33 gets a second wind but this is a good thing, as it stops an attack on SE34 for lifting his head. Lady pauses the feeding. She surveys the eaglets and takes stock of the situation. She waits. SE33 is full, so I think she is waiting for it to turn away or lose interest in attacking SE34. She is certainly planning what to do next.
Just after 07:04, SE33 does in fact turn away. SE34 sits up a little further. His head is up. At 07:04:25, Lady offers a bite to SE34, who takes it without retaliation from SE33. Lady then steps closer to SE33 and persists in offering it a bite for nearly half a minute until eventually it is accepted shortly before 07:05.
Although SE34 has his head up, Lady does not offer him food. She continues feeding SE33, although it is reluctant and slow to accept bites. 07:06:20 and Lady moves some nest material, which strikes SE34 and causes him to turn away, fearing he is being attacked. Lady ends the feeding at this point, returning to brooding the eaglets, even though SE34 has not had any breakfast while SE33 is stuffed to the brim. There is a whole fish still on the nest, plus some leftovers from the other fish, and yet she has abandoned the effort to feed SE34. He is obviously intimidated and scared to eat, but with SE33 so full, it is unusual that Lady did not persist in her efforts to feed SE34. She made very little effort to feed him, and did not offer him bites with the same patience and persistence she used to push more and more food onto SE33. So it was all in all a worrying and disappointing breakfast feed.
I am assuming Lady is going to let SE33 fall into a food coma and then go back to the fish to feed SE34. I certainly hope so. Otherwise, we are going to have problems at this nest. I am encouraged by the fact that the size gap between the two appears to have narrowed over the past four or five days, so talons crossed. “
There is more news from Australia. ‘A’ sends us the news of a rare white Rhino calf born – no feathers, but we will celebrate with them!https://youtu.be/QaPgf26-WYE?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Have a wonderful weekend everybody! See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, articles, images, summaries, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB, SP, TU’, The Pulp, Return of the Menhaden, Hawk Mountain, BirdGuides, SK Hideaways, CROW, RSPB Loch Garten, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint, Pitkin County, Saaksilvie, Whistler Osprey Cam, FORE, PLO, The Guardian Crawley Falcons Instagram, Tonya Irwin, Looduskalender, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Heidi McGrue, and Olympic Park Eagles.
First up, if you would like the recipe for the Nova Scotia Brown Bread with oatmeal and molasses, send me an email (maryannsteggles@icloud.com), and I will happily send you the recipe that I used. It was delicious, especially after 24 hours! I did not use a bread machine (a few of you asked). Having spent a few decades as a potter, the kneading of bread is enjoyable. The bread slices nicely after it has a chance to sit for several hours (perhaps 6) and even better the next day. It was good with a curried chickpea filling as a sandwich today.
Oh, I thought the baby Cowbird had left the garden…Well, I should say that the House Sparrows raised three cowbirds in their nests in the lilacs and nearby trees. But, there, sitting on a lilac branch, big and bold, was a beautiful little Cowbird. It is making my day. I don’t like what they do to the other little birds – laying their eggs in their nests and having tiny birds feed those big hatchlings, but I like to know that all of them are safe. Despite knowing that the local hawk has to eat, I still have a big ache when I hear he had a Blue Jay for lunch or a little woodpecker.
It remains hot for Winnipeg – not in the 30s anymore, but a hot 27 C. The bird baths are busy and have to be filled constantly.
The peppers are ripening every day, and so are the tomatoes. I wish you were here so I could give you armfuls of herbs! Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope are playing Hungarian Sweet Pepper hockey tonight!
Mr Crow has left me some feathers from his moult. The squirrels are busy eating. In about a month, they will begin hoarding peanuts. Right now, they are eating them at their leisure. My neighbour finished my planter, and I put in three big gobs of grass. It is a little late. We will see if their roots take before winter. If this heat keeps up, we might not have winter until the new year. That said, a goose wedge (or skein) flew overhead around 1800, heading to the river. They will begin flying into the pond at the nature centre in a few weeks from the north (or that has been the historical practice). On the ground, they are called a gaggle.
It could be a better image – heavily cropped and taken with an iPhone through the conservatory windows – of either a Great Crested Flycatcher or an Eastern Kingbird – sitting on the lilac branches this morning. It is so tricky seeing the birds when the foliage is dense.
I wonder what else is lurking in those branches. When I set Merlin to listen, everyone becomes quiet. It is too funny!
I had hoped that we would not see any more osprey deaths this season, but such is not the case. The middle chick at the Osprey Environment Centre in Australia has died. The weather turned cold, rainy, and quite nasty and it was difficult for George to fish. The stronger sibling, the first hatch, did survive. Parents are George and Hope.
The fish deliveries and the anxiousness of Sum-eh and Antali are ramping up the action at Hellgate Canyon.
Just look at Antali’s crop!
There is good news about Yellow USU. Nothing wrong with the wing. It appears that the issue had to do with a bit of a lack of fish. USU is doing well in care and eating buckets of Bream. What a relief for this sole survivor of its nest in Finland.
There is a lot of fish coming to the nest of Eura and Eve (nest # 1). The fledglings have huge crops – there are three of them, two females and a male, but I cannot see the yellow Darvic rings in the images below.
Adult cleaning out the nest bowl at nest #4. He was sure working on that nest bowl – you would have thought there was another male’s eggs in there he wanted to get rid of but, it is just preparations for next year.
Two on the nest at Pitkin County fish calling!
Windy and one on the nest at Llyn Brenig. Three fledglings apparently at Clywedog, but I missed them.
All of the youngsters are still at Glaslyn.
Those fish that are coming in are a nice size to fatten these babies up for their long flight.
Kiddos of Idris and Telyn still wanting fish at Dyfi.
Xavier and Diamond are working on eggs for the 2024 season!
Do the Osprey (and other fish and mammals) a favour if you live in the US. Find your Senator on the list and write to them to push an end to the industrial fishing of Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay and at its mouth – we need more than a 3 mile ban.
Gabby is expected back at the nest in the NE of Florida within the next three weeks! It doesn’t stop many from checking in daily. When will Beau return? Will this be ‘their’ year?
Blue 5F Seren is still home at Llyn Clywedog and those fledglings are getting some whoppers for their dinners.
Mr North and Mrs DNF are getting a new nest after theirs collapsed during torrential weather this season.
Another Montana fledgling with a crop that is about to pop!
Juveniles eating fish at Allin’s Cove East on Long Island.
At Rutland, Maya, Blue 33, and 1R0 were all on the nest Monday morning. I caught 1R0 screaming for fish and Blue 33 obliged with a whopper for their Only Bob.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Monday 19th August 2024
No activity on the nests today bar a fleeting visit by a little Robin. Has Garry LV0 headed south? He only made a brief appearance yesterday, and with the wet and windy weather which is set to continue for days, he may have decided to seek out warmer climes. As always, nothing is certain so it’s wait and watch to see if he turns up again. If you’ve enjoyed watching the Osprey cams this season, the bonus section has the different ways you can support Woodland Trust.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.48.46 (05.20.05); Nest Two 21.37.58 (05.21.11)
Geemeff sent us some more very interesting news items. I am including all the links as I am certain there are several that will be of interest to you if not all!
The day old White-tail Eaglet is doing well according to PLO.
Jolene and Boone are visiting their nest in Johnson City, Tennessee. More and more eagles will be returning in the next month to get reacquainted and freshen up their nests.
Today’s special! A free copy of August Birdwatch Magazine!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, messages, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, PB’, Osprey House Environment Centre, Cornell Bird Lab, Pam Breci, Pyhtaan lintuhoitola, Saaksilvie, Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails, Llyn Brenig Osprey Cam, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cilla Kinross, SK Hideaways, Save our Menhaden, NEFL-AEF, Llyn Clywedog Osprey Cam, Raptor Resource Project, Allin’s Cove East Osprey Cam, LRWT, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, fws.gov, Sky Hi News, Country Times, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sara A,
