The European Starlings are really enjoying the meal worms. The Blue Jays are sorting through the peanuts for the best ones, and everyone wants a bath. It was a glorious fall morning in the garden with the animals and birds that I love so much.
Birds having a bath; Starlings eating meal worm treat.
Hope watching the Starlings.
Starlings devouring the meal worms.
Missey watches them, too.
Calico doesn’t care.
There is a hatch, on Wednesday, at the Melbourne CBD 367 Collins Street scrape. The penthouse falcons! Congratulations! We should be seeing the other two little fluff balls shortly.https://youtu.be/VRfLhA-E7cg?
And then there were two! Close together in hatch times. Fantastic.
Those two little fluff balls are getting some breakfast bits.
The other big news is that a bit of a ragged Beau has returned to the NE Florida nest after having been away for a fortnight and a day. 24E1 has not been seen since Tuesday morning at the nest. Gabby was there at 1000 on Wednesday morning. It is 5:34pm on the cam and as far as I know, Gabby has not been at the nest since his return. Oh, dear.
Beau made it through the hurricane. Are the missing feathers because of that along with the fresh blood on his tail or has he been in a fight? and with whom?
Gabby did return and she did find Beau. His feet are not in as bad a shape as the rest of him. They were down in the nest together working away. It is better than anything on Netflix. But, let us hope that this nest calms, that whichever of the males Gabby picks is up to the task of fatherhood this year, and that all hatchlings fledge.
I don’t think I have ever been so mad. See the post by Brian Collins below. Forestry England has observed ospreys at Llyn Clywedog for years. John Williams has kept accurate records on the fish delivered, and we now understand that a family of two adults and three osplets eat on average 480-525 fish, medium ones, from time of egg laying to migration. Ospreys cannot carry huge fish – think a Brown Trout. Of course, many other people keep track of fish deliveries, type and size and amount. This information should be clearly available to all. But, Goodness me. That is only about 1000 lbs of fish. A drop in the bucket compared to Omega’s takings. We also know that adults died and that starvation deaths were regional. So that the starving osplets in the Bay are specific to the overfishing of the Menhaden.
Geez. This ASMFC smells fishy.
Collecting data on our nests can be very overwhelming. For Heidi and me, because we were looking at mortality rates and causes, the emotion connected with watching ospreys starve to death when help could come has often been simply ‘too much’. Right now I have data on more than 60 nests that need to be entered except that it is lacking key information – the day the eggs were laid, the hatch dates, details on weather or dates of death, even fledging days. I am getting there slowly and hopefully we will have a good indication of the % that died from starvation and/or siblicide or predators in 2024 from over 566 osprey eggs. Bear with me. My goal is to get this together before the end of November!
I will put out a call early for information for the 2025 season. I am looking for detailed information on the nests that Heidi and I do not normally cover including those in Europe and in particular, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Germany. If you watch a particular nest on a regular basis, we would appreciate hearing from you as to dates the adults arrive, the date eggs are laid, hatch, and the date of the first flight. If chicks die or eggs do not hatch, all information is important. Thank you!
Elfruler has sent out a posting that they will be cutting back on what they are posting in terms of nests for similar reasons – being overwhelmed and nests with poor cams and little information. This is part of the letter that they sent out to readers: “
After reflecting long and hard over the last few months, I have determined reluctantly that it is time to retire the yearly Nest Watch page on my website. I began that page with the 2019-2020 season as what seemed like a logical extension of my comprehensive collection of statistics on eggs, hatches, and fledges on eagle nest cams since 2011. But I am finding that maintaining the page has become exhausting.
Is Ervie out scouting for a female? And how many female are there? Do we need a translocation for all these males??? Ervie was everyone’s all time favourite – the little third hatch that took on big Bazza and Falkey to be kind of the Port Lincoln territory til Mum and Dad thought he might need to move a little further away.
I found some old video footage of Ervie having a dust up with Bazza and another of Ervie catching his infamous puffers. At one time we thought they might seriously injure one another. Enjoy.
We wait and hope for Xavier and Diamond at Orange.
Judy Harrington is bringing us up to date on those cutie pies.
Looking at that wing span!
Smile. This osprey patient was returned to the wild!
Thank you to everyone for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘J’, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Brian Collins and Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, Elfruler, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Falcon Cam Project, NCTC Bald Eagle nest, IWS/Explore.org, Androcat, Nesting Bird Life & More, Judy Harrington and Olympic Park Sea Eagles, and Florida Wildlife Hospital.
Don’t forget to send me a note or a long list with your favourite moments of the 2023-24 season (every bird counts, no matter the species). I will publish these on Wednesday, August 8th. We need to have some smiles and I just know that there are some surprises lurking out there that have not been mentioned! You can put the list in the comments or send me an email: maryannsteggles@icloud.com Make sure I get this before midnight CDT on Tuesday August 7. Thank you so much!
Another hot day. 32 C. The bird baths needed filling continually. The Crows and Jays kept quiet during the high heat of the afternoon and are just coming into the garden. Dyson should be joining them soon!
We are nearing the time when every osplet should be fledgling. They will then have time to gain their muscle strength and get lots of practice. Some very precious osplets might even catch their fish before they leave on migration, but most will depend on their parents and, in particular, Dad as Mum will be departing well before anyone else. The females lose from 10-15% (some even have been found to lose up to 30%) of their body weight, and it takes them extra time to build up for their long journeys.
The University of Toronto reminds us of the simple facts, “There are two distinct populations of osprey with respect to lifestyle, the Residents and the Migrants. Residents are the ones, which breed in the subtropical latitudes in winter; they either stay in the same area all year round or move only locally during the non-breeding season. The other ones are the Migrants, which nest in the temperate latitudes and fly off each autumn to spend the winter in the tropical regions. North American ospreys start migrating south to their wintering grounds in Central America and in the northern parts of South America, around mid-August. By early September, most nesting colonies in the northern latitudes are empty. The numbers of migrating ospreys observed at selected watch points along their southward route are at their greatest during mid-September and early October. They reach their wintering grounds by late November. During winter, the only thing an osprey does is to eat, rest, recover from the stress of the previous breeding season and prepare for the next breeding season. It has been observed that during winter, they become more tolerant of each other as they congregate in loose flocks and are even known to hunt together in small groups, a few birds hovering over water, looking for fish might also stimulate others to join in the frenzy. Adult ospreys start leaving their wintering grounds in early March, by late March, more than half of the wintering ospreys have left the wintering areas, for their natal nesting grounds. Yearling ospreys stay on their wintering grounds for another eighteen months, returning to their natal nesting grounds at the age of about two years. Two-year-old ospreys however, leave the wintering grounds much later than the adults, and may reach their natal nesting grounds as late as June, by then; they are already too late to breed. However, pre-adult ospreys may become a nuisance to the breeders, because they try to take over nest sites and may interfere with the breeding pairs, as they explore and search for nesting sites of their own. They are also sometimes known to replace a partner in a breeding pair if it dies or is incapable of performing its duties. Ospreys arrive back at their natal nesting grounds by early May.”
If you are looking for interesting books on Osprey migration, here are my top two.
Soaring with Fidel by David Gessner is not your typical academic book and that is why it is my favourite choice for anyone wanting to understand the migration of ospreys and, in particular, those on the NE coast of the US. Gessner follows Fidel down the coast, to Cuba, and into South America. I promise you that you will want to travel to the mountains near Manzanillo, Cuba to see the hundreds if not thousands of ospreys that fly over heading south. It is the top of my bucket list. And I will get there!
The second choice is more for older chidren but Heidi expressly told me that it is not just for children, adults can enjoy it, too, and I agree. Belle’s Journey. An Osprey Takes Flight will touch your heart. It is the true story of a GPS tracked osprey. Rob Bierregaard takes us from Belle’s fledge, to her first successful fish catch, through a tumultous trip down the coast of the US to South America.
Which leads us into these amazing birds that are hopping, jumping, and hovering and will soon spread those wings with confidence and fly for the first time.
Oldest chick fledges from Saaksilvie nest #1 while the remaining chick gets some high hovers!
I haven’t reminded anyone about the benefits to birds of shade grown coffee for awhile. It is time to do that as we examine, on occasion, agricultural practices that can benefit not only humans but wildlife. The Snithsonian certifies ‘bird friendly’ coffee. They even sell it. In Canada, it is Birds and Beans. Yes, it is more expensive than brands where the tree canopy has been clear cut but, compared to other high quality small roasters in Canada, it is only about $3 more per 454 grams (one pound). It is discounted if you get a subscription. And no, I don’t get a commission! But I do support every effort to rewild and to make our planet more inhabitable for all living creatures so I cut back on the amount of coffee that I drink so I can purchase the bird friendly brand.
Ventana Wildlife is not all about Condors. They are a Species Recovery Programme. This is a recent video about the success of the restoration of the Bald Eagles in Central California. It is beautiful and short, 1:27 minutes.
Some news about Blue and a lot of flapping at Boundary Bay.
Food deliveries for Blue:
‘CG’ sends her report on Blue’s Day: Mere. Ha, ha. I’ll bet she was the twitterer I kept hearing yesterday. Blue knew she was there and was squeeing at her. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen before.
Blue greeting the day from her favorite spot. Wonder what she thinks of the fog.
I thought she had a pretty good day. She was very active all day long and did quite a bit of squeeing. I wondered if a parent was around but didn’t hear any adult twittering until later in the day. She spent the morning wingercising, hopping, and dancing across the nest. It was so cute that they put together a video.
Great Flapping From Blue on YouTube with a message from Hancock Wildlife regarding concern about Blue.
There was a food delivery of fish around 1000 hours. Blue pounced on it, and there was a struggle to release it from Mere’s talons. I’d called it a medium sized piece, and it was all gone by 1018 hours.
,During the afternoon, she spent time moving around the nest, looking out, preening, wing stretching, and more dancing, skipping, and flapping across the nest. She lay down a few times today but not for long except when she lay down in her favorite spot in the late afternoon. I think she was dozing.
There was another food delivery at around 1830 hours, and she accomplished a good clean snatch. It was a large piece. It looked like moist fresh meat, a little more work than fish, but she did a good job of holding it down and pulling pieces off and all the time was squeeing while eating. After dinner, she stood for a while, and after squeeing, she was answered by a lot of twittering. Someone asked about Pere. He is still around. In fact, it looked like he delivered the last meal. When chicks become “exuberant” trying to grab food when delivered, dads tend to retreat. All chicks are bigger than dad, especially the females. Poor Akecheta delivering food to his 3 eaglets at the West End Territory ended up on his back in the melee.
At 2200 hours, Blue was up and started doing a lot of preening. I had seen a lot of moths on previous nights, but tonight, as well as the moths, there were lots of tiny flying insects. Had to be annoying.
I checked in at 2244 hours, and she was asleep lying down with her head to one side. She looked so adorable. Funny, the flying insects and moths were gone.
WEATHER: Thursday, 8/1, at 1715 hours, it is 82F, mostly sunny, wind 8 mph, humidity 63%, feels like 90F, low tonight 61F.
Friday, 8/2 through Monday, 8/5: Highs ranging from 79F to 82F with lows ranging from 50F to 62F.”
If you missed it, Finnegan and Iris’s chicks were named. This article includes the overwhelming numbers of people who voted and how many chose the winning names.
Iris, Sum-eh and Antali see Finnegan coming in with a fish!
This nest just makes me smile. Thank you and good night Iris, Finnegan (wherever you are), Sum-eh, and Antali.
‘RP’ found this on X. So cute.
When fish deliveries come, everyone wants in on the action and some of that nice dinner! Fledglings who have been civil to one another on the nest take on a new energized stance as they prepare to live independently in the world.
Dyfi Osprey Nest.
It is precisely the same at every nest.
Glaslyn.
The baby, 5H6, claims the fish at Poole Harbour!
Later, other siblings want some fish, too.
At McEuen Park, the fledgling is enjoying a fish dinner all by itself.
It feels like things are finally settling down in the nests. The last of the osplets will be fledging and then they will need to eat and fatten up a bit – so will Mum and Dad – before they begin their migrations (if they migrate, some don’t). What a year it has been.
Annie and Archie are finally getting some quiet time after successfully fledging four! Dear Nox, the fourth hatch that landed in the water at the marina is improving. Great news. If I had a list for cutie pies this year I bet Nox and Smallie would tie. Interesting that they are both Peregrine Falcons!!!!!
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Thursday 1st August 2024 Not much action today but after a quick pop in on Nest One from a pair of Warblers, we did have the pleasure of seeing an Osprey – Garry LV0 arrived and spent a few quiet minutes looking around and preening before flying off again. Chaddie 14 gave us the exciting news that the chick at Bunarkaig has fledged, this chick is thought to be the offspring of Affric 152 & Prince. Link to his update: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15536809. WTS George says we would really appreciate people signing our Living Legends petition to protect our ancient trees: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15532685. The weather was settled today, but tonight’s light cloud and light winds will change into heavy rain tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.32.55 (04.30.46); Nest Two 22.32.34 (04.38.42) Today’s videos: https://youtu.be/9LKihnfJAjo N1 A pair of Warblers visit 10.31.12https://youtu.be/QTRqeePpg8I N1 Garry LV0 arrives, stays a while, and preens 13.07.21
Bonus watch – Soar with a Golden Eagle as it flies over Scotland wearing a go-pro eagle cam:https://youtu.be/JDmgtkaKx6c
Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:
Royal Cam Chick is loosing all his baby down and transforming into a beautiful albatross that will be fledging in another 5-6 weeks. Isn’t he lovely?
Everyone is still home at Blackbush.
Morning rained stopped. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum chick is certainly ready to begin some great hovering and flapping. My goodness, I hope some fairies bring some soft material to this nest next year to help the ospreys get a head start.
Fledgling at McEuen Park waiting for Mum to bring some fish! This is actually a bit of a miracle, too. It is hard enough for a single parent to take care of chicks in a perfect world. Then imagine a single parent with four chicks, intense heat, and babies not able to thermoregulate. I think we are lucky that we had one survive on this nest in Idaho this year.
My goodness. The two chicks at the Latvian osprey nest in Kurzeme seem to have grown even more overnight! Look at the wing spread and look at that healthy ‘ps’. Another miracle nest and congratulations to Singa and Svings. The chicks were ringed on the 30th of July. The oldest is Red 59T, a female weighing a whopping 1750 grams. The second is Red 59V, a male weighing 1400 grams. The third egg DNH.
It’s very windy there.
Dorsett Hobby scares everyone by climbing to the rim of the nest. Is chick hungry?
Chatters have expressed some concern over what appears to be a wing problem with the chick on nest #1 in Finland.
Many of you will know that the largest wildfire in California history is burning and could be a threat to many nests. Here is an update on Liberty and Guardian.
Russian Imperial Eagle fledglings waiting at the nest for prey deliveries.
‘A’ sends the latest posts from Australia if you have not seen them:
At the Olympic Park, we are very close to hatch:
August 1: The 35th day since the first egg was laid. Early duets, and then Dad came in and took the fish tail off himself. He returned and sat for a short while. Lady returned after only 31 minutes. Another shortish shift each, then Lady came in at 9:20 with leaves and incubated again. During the morning, both were in for short shifts, with calling and duets. Later, both took their turn at incubating during some light rain. Late afternoon, Dad relieved Lady briefly, until she returned for the evening at 5:20. Lady spent some 7 hours on the eggs today, and they were uncovered only briefly during changeovers. No prey was brought to the nest.
August 2: A cold wet night for Lady. After a few calls, Dad came in at 6:30, and Lady was off for a break but heard close by. She returned after only 33 minutes – a quick break for her. There was some rain in the morning, and several changes. Lots of calling off the nest. Some rain on and off. Dad had a long (two-hour) shift from just before 9am, and again in the afternoon. Is Lady out getting prey for herself? Both brought some greenery in today, though again, no prey was brought to the nest. Lady was home from 15:35, and other than a few short stretches and rolls, she sat on the eggs until evening- though there was quite some muttering from the nest. A few late ups and downs, then settled. Both parents spent a similar time on the eggs today, with the eggs only uncovered for brief periods.
‘H’ sends her reports:
8/1 Osoyoos osprey nest: Breakfast consisted of the large leftover fish from yesterday. Soo fed her youngsters for about 18 minutes. The first new fish of the day did not arrive until 1221, when Olsen dropped off a very large partial fish. That fish provided for a 46-minute feeding for the osplets. I did not see any more fish brought to the nest the rest of the day, but I noted that the chicks both still had large crops late in the afternoon. It was a very warm day, with the temperature reaching 101F/38C. Soo was acting as Mombrella to help shield her big kids from the sun most of the afternoon. Weather forecast for 8/2: mostly sunny, high temp 102F/39C, light winds.
8/1 Colonial Beach osprey nest: It was a better day for this nest. Four fish were brought to the nest, three of from Betty. And, David delivered a fish after he had not been seen on cam for three days. So, little Cobey ate pretty well today. Betty was even seen acting as Mombrella for a while to shade Cobey from the hot sun…that’s progress! Forecast for 8/2: mostly sunny, high 95, winds 16 mph.
8/2 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest: There is a patch on the ground at the very top of our nest-cam-view where the marsh grass is thinned-out a bit, and I have seen both fledglings fly to that spot on occasion. There’s something they like about being on the ground, and they think they are hidden by tall grass. It was getting dark, and at 2030 in the evening on 8/1, I saw both of the fledglings fly from the nest to that spot. I could make out one of their heads, while the other one was just out of view. I have not seen a fox this season, but I have in the past. They roam the marsh at dusk. I didn’t like the fledglings being on the ground at that time of day. How would they learn to stay up high out of harm’s way from ground predators, especially as darkness approaches? Shouldn’t it be instinctual? Or, is it something that they would somehow learn from their parents? Certainly learning from experience doesn’t sound like a very good idea. Well, I worried all night, and I was very grateful to see those silly juvies fly to the nest early this morning. I wonder where they actually spent the night.
If you happen to be near St Louis, Missouri, there are celebrating Murphy at the World Bird Sanctuary (Thanks, J)
And they continue…Omega will be there til they get the very last Menhaden. Perhaps it is time for a world wide boycott of Omega!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their wonderful reports, posts, pictures, videos, articles, books, and streaming cams that helped me write my post today: ‘A, CG, Geemeff, H, J, PB, RP’, Amazon (book covers), David Gessner, Rob Bierregaard, Nesting Bird Life & More, Oxford Brookes University, Ventana Wildlife Society, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, All About Birds, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, BoPH, Pam Breci, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Blackbush Beach Ospreys, MN-LA, McEuen Park, LDF, Finnish Osprey Foundation, FORE, Imperial Eagle Cam RU, Olympic Park Eagles, Sharon Dunne, Montana Osprey Project, DancinLionHeart, and Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal.
Tomorrow is the first of August! The summer is absolutely flying by. Today’s report from my end – not those great folks that send me news on specific nests they are monitoring – is a bit brief. I spent a lovely afternoon in the park yesterday despite the 31 C heat. There was a lovely breeze and it was simply wonderful to hear the sounds of children’s voices splashing in a pool. A grandfather and his two grandchildren asked to share my picnic table. The children were so cute. One asked if I would like one of their ‘Bear Paws’ – a soft chocolate cookie. Yummy.
The correct cable arrived and now we can have some images of the garden friends from the better camera.
Is this just the most gorgeous Crow? I am finally beginning to be able to tell the new babies – not baby size – by their shape and personalities.
Its sibling was down on the top of the Weeping Caragana.
One of the siblings is very ‘tall and thin’ compared to the others.
They seem to have very different personalities, too. Gosh, they are wonderful. As are the Blue Jays!
There are six baby Blue Jays. Three were on the big tray feeder.
One wasn’t sure it would like beets and rice as much as the Crows!
The other two were on the deck amidst the seeds and sparrows.
There are hundreds of lively sparrows everywhere.
The squirrels habe been busy both Dyson kits and the Reds.
‘J’ wrote to ask me if the Tortilla Bird counts for happy moments. Yes, every bird counts! Every one of them. Put them on your happiness list. They don’t need to be on streaming cams.
Yesterday, a question from another reader : “So where is the food? Why aren’t the parents delivering food like we have seen on other nests? I wish that the there was a forum that would discuss this.” should have appeared at the top of CG’s report on Blue at HWF-BBCentral as a lead into their story. It remains unclear to me how this worked its way into that report! ‘CG’ certainly knows there is a forum. Apologies all around for any confusion or angst.
Here is CG’s report for Blue for 30 July (Thanks, CG):
Blue started the day by being a wet bird. Rain had been forecast for today.
She started out by working on some old food and came back to it about 4 hours later. She spent her day doing eaglet things like wingercising a number of times, stretching, preening, standing around, and poking around.
Blue looking pretty sleek here. It was around 1200 hours and she was surveying the scene and preening on and off.
Looks like getting some height here with her wingercising.
Food delivery by parent around 1630 hours. Blue, by the way, is good at mantling.
Half an hour later, another food delivery. One of the larger deliveries. She left only a small piece.
At about 2000 hours, she was lying on the nest. I left her looking out over the countryside at 2117 hours.
Weather forecast for Delta for the rest of the week. I have come to appreciate cams that show the weather in a corner.
Geemeff brings us some really good news from Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust (Thanks, Geemeff):
Daily summary Tuesday 30th July 2024
The highlight of today was the welcome return of Louis, last seen on the 25th. He spent over two hours on Nest Two, perching on Dorcha’s perch then flying down to do some nest cupping, before departing. Nest Two had another visitor – Affric 152 made a surprise visit, just a brief touchdown really before flying off again. No sign of Dorcha, last seen on the 27th, or Garry LV0, last seen yesterday. No visitors to Nest One although a Wood Pigeon did a fast flypast caught on nest cam. Itziar Colodro from Fundación Migres gave us an update on 1JW and safety measures in the translocation area, see bonus section. The weather was settled, tonight’s forecast is a pleasant partly cloudy with a gentle breeze and a low of 9°c, and tomorrow promises to be dry and sunny with a high of 19°c.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.54.55 (04.12.32); Nest Two 22.52.04 (04.27.02)
Bonus info on safety measures for Ospreys in the Spanish translocation area, and update on 1JW (thanks Itzy):
Update on 1JW:
I have received lovely updates from Itziar Colodro about our surviving chick 1JW. She works for the Fundación Migres but has a much earlier connection to Loch Arkaig – a chick from a nest on private land, ringed JH3 in 2017 and named Pean (‘cousin’ if you like to our first Arkaig chick from new pair Aila & Louis, ringed JH4 and named Lachlan), didn’t migrate very far and took up residence in her area in Spain. There were a lot of photographers in that area and he became quite famous until sadly he was electrocuted on a faulty power line in 2018. Itzy was instrumental in getting the utility companies to act to ensure the safety of the birds.
After Itzy posted on Adam’s site Walking With Daddy / Osprey, I mentioned her work with the utility companies after the loss of JH3, and got this response:
Your words have really moved me🥹, because I have not forgotten JH3 either, that wonderful animal did not deserve that ending. Thanks to him, hundreds of electrical towers were corrected and are now safe for all birds of prey. In fact, we have built a nest for Ospreys since the entire power line was gone. Now it’s a very good and safe place for Ospreys.
Updating: 1JW is adapting great to the environment. It is an honor to be able to take care of him (and his brother 1JR). Loch Arkaig has meant a lot to me for many years you know. I hope I will soon visit that area, where I feel united with all my heart since many year ago. Thanks to you and your support and effort for the conservation of this wonderful species🦅🫂
‘H’ brings us up to date on a few of the nests she is monitoring (Thanks, H):
7/31 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest: The camera view became partially obscured about two weeks ago from PS (forceful elimination) from the chicks, and our view has been almost totally obscured for the last week. The camera is positioned low, and it has a history of being hit with PS. Last year we got lucky, and Banff’s and JJ’s aim was off, and they couldn’t manage to hit the camera! The chicks are 49, 47, and 45 days old. Occasionally a chatter will remark that they think they see some wingers being performed, or we can listen for screaming and watch for moving shadows indicating that a fish may have arrived at the nest. Prior to the camera becoming soiled, we knew that family life was going very well. There were plenty of fish being brought to the nest, mainly from Harvie, but some from Louise as well. There had not been a lot of sibling rivalry and aggression, and the chicks all looked very healthy. A chatter that lives nearby has visited the nest a couple of times, and reports seeing the heads of two chicks each time she has visited. Should we be worried that only two have been seen? Or is it just the limited view when our BOG has been there? The BOG spotter has not been able to get a good elevated view of the nest due to restricted areas nearby. There have been reports that river and lake levels are low in Alberta, due to a significantly reduced snowpack last winter, and because of the heat and drought this summer. Is it possible that Harvie and Louise have not been able to catch enough fish to support three growing chicks? We simply do not know. The chicks are approaching an age where they will be ready to fledge soon. Pray for rain to help relieve the drought and clean the camera !!!
7/30 Captiva osprey nest: Even though live streaming from the camera has ended for the season, the Mods and others continue to have viewing access. Yesterday Ann P. reported seeing Jack at the nest. He still has the ‘spike’ going through the skin of his left leg, but he is alive and looks well. Jack was a phenomenal mate and dad this season. We are thrilled to see him. Photo courtesy Ann P. NOTE – FOR SOME REASON THE IMAGE WILL NOT ‘STAY’ ON THIS PROGRAMME. IT KEEPS DISAPPEARING.
7/30 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: Mom stopped at the nest for just a few seconds. We had not seen her since 7/18, the day before the cam went down for 5 days.
7/30 Osoyoos osprey nest: We had a short viewing day, as the cam went offline at 1215. Olsen brought the first fish at 0536, and he just so happened to drop it right at Middle’s feet. Middle strongly mantled over his/her prize and probably could not believe his good fortune. Big did not make a strong bid to take the fish from Middle. Middle ate for 20 minutes before s/he relinquished the fish to Big. Dad dropped off another fish at 0557. Big abandoned the fish she was eating to join in on the feeding from Soo. Both siblings were fed during that 10-minute meal, and then Big resumed eating her earlier fish.
‘PB’ brings us up to date on what is going on at The Port of Ridgefield (Thanks, PB).
‘PB’ also caught two of the fledglings on the Steelscape nest that has been so harassed. Hoping to see the fledgling with the injuries.
‘PB’s other report is that the McEuen female was feeding her hick with a male at the nest. The male has been missing for over a month and during that time three of the four chicks died from starvation. Is this the mate of the female or another male? It is unclear.
Good news coming out of Steelscape.
I remain so excited for the two osplets growing up in Latvia. They are not quite ready to fledge, but the two osplets on the Latvian nest in the Kurzema Forest are doing splendidly. It is believed there are approximately 200 osprey couples breeding in the forests of this beautiful country.
Gorgeous fledgling at the Mlade Buky nest of Bety and Bukacek.
Snow Lane, Newfoundland. Hope and Beaumont. Incredible season with this family. I never thought it would happen – checking on Hope and finding her often feed her chicks. Amazing, in fact.
It is raining at Hellgate Canyon. Iris and her two osplets look beautiful even soaking wet. Iris and her family are not out of the woods from the heat. It is going to return but they have ‘made it’ through several weeks of scorching weather and a huge storm and they have survived. It is at the top of my happiness list for sure. The image below is, to me, simply a miracle. I never thought I would live to see Iris raise a family again. But it happened. Miracles do happen.
Finnegan is working hard for his family!
That is a gorgeous osplet at Charlo, too. What is their weather going to be like? Ah, the same as Iris! A bit cooler and then gradually getting hotter.
It has been raining on the only chick at Dunrovin Ranch, too.
At Collins Marsh in Wisconsin, there are three well-fed, healthy, fully feathered osplets wanting to fly and they are going to do it any day now!
Family portrait at Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum. That chick is like the ones at Collins Marsh – ready and wanting to fly.
A fledgling with a fish meal and a Hooded Crow hoping for some leftovers at the German nest, BUND Goitzsche-Wildnis.
Marder’s Osprey Platform on Long Island has a chick that wants to fledge, too. It likes to still be fed, too.
At Manton Bay, Blue 33 has been bringing fish to the nest and sometimes Maya is there or flies in to grab them. Sometimes the fledgling is there. Nice to know that all three are still in the area.
It was a sad year for the Loch of the Lowes nest in Scotland. To be sure, though, we were blessed and so was Blue NCO, that the eggs did not hatch before Laddlie LM12 was killed. She has been at the nest with the dark osprey male. We will have to wait and see what transpires next March – but it looks like Blue NCO has, for now, held on to her beautiful nest.
Waiting for fish at Llyn Brenig!
Idris has been working over time at the Dyfi Osprey Platform feeding his chicks. He brought four fish to the nest in less than an hour.
You might be used to the Bald Eagles cutting back on prey but the osprey parents will keep this food coming so that the chicks can bulk up for migration. They are not yet fishing. Indeed, many will only catch their first fish while they are travelling south to their winter grounds. The parents, mostly the male, will work hard to get them in top shape for this journey. Then the male will remain for a few days to get strong, too (sometimes not – they leave right about the time of the kids) while Mum left earlier.
Well, if this doesn’t make your heart race!!!!!!!! We should never count the ospreys ‘out’. We might not ‘see’ them but this doesn’t mean they have met their demise. This is a great story.
‘J’ sent me the following image of the Centreport Eagles. It comes from the Bald Eagles 101 FB page she notes (Thanks, J).
It looks like theya re trying to take every last fish that an osprey could eat in Chesapeake Bay. This makes me so angry. If you take Omega supplements, or eat farmed/battery chickens or farmed salmon – that is where these fish so vital to our ospreys – are going!
It is your last day to vote on the names for Iris and Finnegan’s kids. Go to the Montana Osprey Cams FB and click on the image. Please vote.
And ‘J’ sends us the latest update on NOX:
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their observations, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘CG, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, CG and HWF-BBCentral cam and Forum, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, H and Fortis Exshaw, Patuxent River Park, and Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Pam Breci and Port of Ridgefield, Steelscape, and McEuen Park, LDF, Mlade Buky Stork Cam, Newfoundland Power, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cams, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Collins Marsh, MA-LN, Goitzsche-Wildnis, Marder’s, LRWTm The Scottish Wildlife Trust and LOTL, Llyn Brenig, Dyfi Osprey Project, Faye Hill, and J and Centrepoint Eagles,Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, and The California Raptor Centre.
Thursday. Hot. Windy. 25 C. It is hard to believe that it was raining so much a few days ago. Everything has dried up. Meanwhile, ‘A’ writes from Melbourne where it is the middle of the night and it is 2 C. What a difference! I did make it to the nature centre for the 4.8 k walk. It was a lot of fun today. There was a pack of about five little boy, oh, they were probably 8, doing a scavenger hunt. So we’re standing by the hide, on the path, next to a bench and they are wondering if we have seen anything ‘manmade’. Oh, and they also needed a sign. Oh, help me, I almost rolled on that manmade path laughing my head off. They actually didn’t understand the word. I wondered why it said ‘man’. So we pointed to the hide then to the path then to the bench and told them where the sign was and off they went. ‘I found it, I found it’ – could be hurt ringing through the Aspen trees.
It is the end of the school year in Manitoba. The zoos, museums, nature centres are all full of school children that are so anxious for a summer break that they can’t sit still in their seats. They have taken their exams and are just counting the days til summer break.
It is the summer solstice today – which is actually the 20th of June when I am writing this and you will be reading it tomorrow. So summer is officially here and it is coming in with a blast. We will have temperatures of 28 degrees this week. I am contemplating a fountain for the birds. Meanwhile, Calico is blissful as she stretches out in front of Mr Dysons cooling fan. She thanks him daily!
The great folks at Border Ospreys hoped beyond hope that Augusta and Samson’s eggs would survive the weather and the lack of incubation at times and well, sadly, they didn’t. The nest failed this year. The eggs did not hatch.
After such sadness, the three little osplets at Charlo Montana are just the cutest things. I mean these three are seriously cute. If you are not watching this nest, you should be! Link is provided below.
Iris and Finn are incredible parents! They talk to one another. Finn works hard getting those fish on that nest. Just look at those two bundles of happiness for Iris.
At first glance, Mum seems to be doing alright by the only surviving chick at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. BUT the chick has to constantly find Mum, then get right up to the beak, and hope to get more than a couple of bites of many large fish that come. I do love how Dad supervises. And he should. This is her second year, Dad is much older. He wants his chicks to live!
Sadly I disagree with the individual that writes the Twin Cities Metro Osprey FB. This Mum is not great. The chick is hanging on. The weather is going to get hot and intense. We will be very fortunate if it fledges – and I do hope it does.
The nest does look marginally better. Maybe the local community could help this family and make some wired twig rails like they have at Glaslyn and get them some nice nesting material for next year. I would imagine a ‘Landscape Arboretum’ could come up with something wonderful that would feel like a down duvet and chicks would fall down holes or get their legs twisted in the twigs. Just a thought.
The other problematic female is Hope at the ‘Hopeless’ nest in Newfoundland. She is incubating eggs. Beau is there with her.
At Cowlitz PUD, it is a different story.
Little Mini at Field Farm is still hanging in there. It sometimes has a difficult time getting right to be the beak but Mum just keeps feeding.
The parents with four chicks have to work so much harder and the Mums have to feed chicks almost the entire day to make sure they are growing and healthy. Blue 022 and CJ7 are doing just that.
Mum and Dad are equally busy at McEuan Park in Idaho.
Smile. Summer is here! Jackie and Shadow are full of hope for the next season. They are fixing up their nest. I continue to hope that their great spirit rubs off on us, each one of us.
We are all attached to the place that we consider to be our ‘home’. It is the same for the Decorah North eaglets whose nest tree failed. They are having the time of their life eating prey by the banks of the river, having baths in the water, and hopping around and roosting on their nest tree. That is what they were doing on Thursday before the heavy rain began.
The two chicks at Llyn Brenig are doing fabulous.
Family photo at Patchogue. Two gorgeous fathered osplets!
‘MP’ writes of Patchogue: “I went to take a look at the PSEG nest and dad was bringing in a fish. What a whooper it is and without a head too. Look at the girls/boys with mom alerting as if to say alright father!”
That is a great image. This is the dad with the nest of four osplets in 2023, one of them Little Mini aka Tiny Dancer. That minuscule osplet survived because of these great parents. It was an incredible year, 2023, on this nest. And now it is great to see these two lovely big fully feathered birds.
Three gorgeous osplets at the Oyster Bay nest.
Those three chicks of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi in Wales are looking so good.
Geemeff sends us the daily log from Loch Arkaig 2 and The Woodland Trust.
Daily summary Thursday 20th June 2024
Everything including the weather was settled today – the two chicks shared food amicably, Louis brought four fish, taking his tally to two hundred and twenty seven, and Dorcha took a few short breaks away from the nest. Nest One had two little songbird visitors, but no sign of Garry LV0 or any other Ospreys. The sad bundle of feathers that was Chick 3 is still visible but rapidly shrinking in the warm weather, and is starting to disappear into the nest. Tonight’s forecast is light winds and light rain, which has already started as night cam cam on, and on the day of the summer solstice the day cams were on for about twenty hours.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.44.24 (03.17.03); Nest Two 23.04.41 (03.41.28)
Watch the livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:
Today I was reading about the 52C temperatures in the Middle East and wondering what the impact will be on raptors in the area. I recall being in Delhi, eons ago, and it was 46 C. It did not take long to understand the reasons the old Raj government went to Simla in the summer. My heart goes out to any and all of you that are enduring these horrific temperatures. And to our wildlife.
My garden is a cool paradise in a city that is concrete. I quietly plucked the dead blossoms off the climbing roses while bees went about gathering nectar from the opened roses. There are now more than 30 trees on my 100 x 50′ property and that does not include the 8 metres of tall thick lilac bushes or the dozen trees at the back. It is shady. The birds are all in the branches being quiet. Not using their energy. The vines also offer a cool spot – or a safe place where the raptor cannot see them. Water is out for the feral cats along with wet and dry food. The bird baths were cleaned and filled. More shrubs and a large oak will be planted in the fall. I will not live to see that Oak but I hope that squirrels in the future will benefit from its presence. I know that the little contribution that I make to our planet is nothing but a drop in the bucket but I would still like to dream that if half the people on our planet changed their behaviour (please read the article above), collectively we might instigate some huge changes. I know you care. You wouldn’t be reading my post if you didn’t.
Leaving a bowl of water outside for birds can save lives! Mr Crow is cawing and saying cheesy dogs, too!!!!!!!!
Now that the Ns at Cornell have fledged, Ferris Akel has some early evening tours. He caught up with both of our fledglings Thursday evening.
There is concern for the chicks at the Bridge Golf course. It is extremely hot. C2 appears to have a problem with one of its legs. I understand that a rescue team is ready to check the situation but they require permission from the landowners. My concern is also with food despite the fact that C3 is getting some fish. Sadly, it appears that C3 might have died during the night.
On the other hand, unless there are predators, the Only Bob at the Port of Ridgefield is looking good.
Now – those great reports from ‘H’:
6/20, Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: Around 7 a.m., Skiff dumped a large amount of seaweed in the middle of the nest, on top of the babies and the egg. Dory wrangled with the mass of seaweed for a long time to get the babies out from under, but she never got the egg out. Just prior to that, we thought we saw a possible pip in the egg, which was at day 36. The egg remained under the seaweed and was most likely stepped on many times throughout the day. In the evening, the egg was partly uncovered, and we had a view of the egg. The shell was completely crushed, but there was movement seen from inside the shell. The baby was trying to push its way out. Unfortunately, this baby may die in the shell. 6/21 morning update: The egg is once again buried, and cannot be seen. Dory and Skiff’s two lil’ babies are 7 and 3 days of age.
6/21 Colonial Beach osprey nest: David and Betty have been incubating three eggs. Today is day 35 for egg #1, and they are on pip watch.
6/20 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest: Almost two years ago at the Boathouse nest, we witnessed a herring gull attack the fledgling, Sloop, on the nest three separate times to steal Sloop’s fish. Today, at the Mispillion Harbor nest, Della was feeding supper to her two youngsters when she was suddenly attacked by a herring gull who was interested in stealing the fish. There was a brief, but intense battle, and the gull eventually flew away. Fortunately, none of the ospreys were hurt. The fish went overboard. It makes one wonder what happens at the river or bay after Warren catches a fish. How many of his catches are stolen from him? Warren and Della will need to do some nest repairs, starting with replacing the rail sticks that were lost, as their curious osplets have recently begun migrating about the nest.
6/20 Captiva ospreys: There were five fish brought to the nest. Jack delivered the first, and Edie delivered the next four. There were feedings and self-feedings. Jack also briefly stopped at the nest in the evening, just to check on his family. Ding may fledge at any time. S/he was doing high hovers many times, including hovering off the perch and landing back on the perch. Oh my!
6/20 Forsythe osprey nest: Things have been going quite well at this nest for several days. Oscar has been delivering enough fish so that there is hardly any aggression between the 29 and 30-day-old siblings.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, articles, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, J, H, MP, PB’, Border Ospreys, Rosie Shields, Charlo Montana, Montana Osprey Project, Explore.org, MN Landscape Arboretum, Newfoundland Power, Cowlitz PUD, Field Farm, BoPH, McEuan Park, FOBBV, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Llyn Brenig, PSEG, Dyfi Osprey Project, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Birdlife International, The Guardian, Ferris Akel Tours, Bridge Golf Course, Audubon Boathouse, Mispillion Harbour, Forsythe, Window to Wildlife, Colonial Beach, and Port of Ridgefield.
Everything is just fine in Cat World. The girls had to be separated because the electrician came to work on the heating in the conservatory. Calico had been snippy yesterday, and I wondered how she would be after I opened the door. The three had their chicken dinner, and Missey settled in Calico’s chair for a nice after-supper nap. Calico went over and noticed where Missey was, and I held my breath. Then Calico proceeded to go to another chair, which was softer actually. Hope went on her little placemat, and the world smiled. I felt proud of my girls and much relieved.
Everyone says it is making sure there are enough places to nap, enough places to get up high, enough spots to hide, toys, cuddles and food – oh, yes, and litter boxes. Well, the three have lots of choices. Anyone visiting me would notice two things – an enormous amount of books and the house being more or less a kitty daycare. So, hopefully, that will do it.
Geemeff came through for me when Calico had her surgery with the suggestion of an antiseptic cream and using olive oil to keep the area moist enough so that the skin did not get taut while healing. It sure worked. Calico never licked, and she healed up nicely. Today, Geemeff suggested Omega 3 oil for Calico and her arthritis. We are going to go for it and see if it will help. So reluctant to put any of them through a visit to the vet after seeing how traumatised Hope was.
Tonight, the profile of a rabbit eating under the feeders was seen. Thank goodness for a nearly full moon. Oh, it is terrific. Not all of them have been killed by cars or cats.
There is not much time to sit! And we saw the rabbit when we were getting ready for storytime. These girls know everything that happens in the garden. Nothing slips past them! They are enjoying The Meaning of Geese the second time around. Like a good film or book, what you miss the first time is often revealed the second. I would love to be on a bicycle going around Norfolk looking for Pink-footed geese.
A few seconds before, Hope was trying to get in the basket with Calico. She does not realise how big she is! On Saturday, Hope will be 5 months old.
Oh, and one last thing. Remember I purchased some bird seed specific for Blue Jays (Sparrows eat anything)? Junior, the Dad, had been the only one at the table feeder. It seemed that all the others had migrated as many do. Well, I looked out this morning, and there was Junior and the baby of the summer’s clutch! That baby nestled with the two little clay bird figurines on the deck looks the same, just bigger. So happy to see it, along with over 35 Starlings and possibly 100 Sparrows. I did not get a photograph of the two jays…maybe today. But it was priceless to see the two.
‘H’ was busy keeping me up to date today. Thank you! She sent the first item. The big news of the day comes out of Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey. Our friend, Lisa, mentioned earlier in the year that it was planned that Connick would be released in the summer. Then there were issues with a couple of his feathers. It turns out that Connick would not have been able to live in the wild – he will always have feather growth problems. So, Connie and Clive’s 2022 hatch from Captiva will spend the rest of his life as an ambassador at the Smithsonian.
Secondly, ‘H’ solved my riddle of what the acronym MW at Orange stood for – and then SP sent me an entire listing of acronyms used at Orange. I know she will not mind my sharing! Perhaps some of you are as baffled as I am – and do not have time to spend on chat sorting these out. So grateful. Thanks, H and SP!
Acronyms from SP:
“SP = short pole on the slant of the roof by the hatch window
LR = lightning rod
MW = round microwave communications dish
MWB = MW bracket
LHC = left-hand corner of roof top”
Photo of MW with explanations and falcon from ‘H’:
Gris grabbed a screen capture of a juvenile on the LHC (?).
Holly Parsons grabbed a screen capture of a juvenile flying by Xavier sitting on the ledge. We know there is one juvenile still in the territory. It is believed to be Barru. There have not been two juveniles seen ‘together’. Because banding has never been approved for this research project, it is impossible to tell if there is only one or two. That said, it is reassuring to see one flying so well. That is a feat getting to the top of that tower. Perhaps soon they will be in the scrape. Wouldn’t that be grand? Screaming for prey like Izzi?
It is nearing noon and Mum and Giliath and #2 (gosh, it will be exciting to find out its name) are waiting for some fish.
It is nearing 1530 and still no fish. Janet Forster has just posted on chat that the fish are being weighed. It won’t be long Mum!
The weather has not been good for some days with wind and choppy water making it difficult for Dad to fish – and maybe even the fairies.
The fairy arrives! Will promise not to mention it too many more times, but I would like you to contemplate what would have happened to these two beautifully feathered and unique osplets without the supplemental fish.
Chicks pancaked as the fairy approaches.
V3 and Gabby were working away at their nest. They are a gorgeous couple. Let’s hope there are well fed eaglets on this nest for our darling Gabby this year.
M15 is taking very good care of F23. We would expect nothing less.
Tired F23.
So, so tired from laying that second egg. Dear F23. I have been busy with many things the last few days, but I have heard no news of GHOs. I shouldn’t say anything, but did I miss something?
At the WRDC, Rose is getting serious.
Pepe and Muhlady were the first to lay their eggs and today, we are only 8 days away from hatch!
The rangers at the Kisatchie National Forest are getting excited as are all the fans. Waiting for Louis and Anna to provide some eggs for that nest – Alex and Andria thankfully laid theirs early so that we will be able to completely enjoy and learn as we watch the eaglets develop.
Thunder and Akecheta were at there nest today working away!
Wow. Liberty and Guardian were both at the Redding, California Bald Eagle nest on Tuesday.
Jackie and Shadow visited the nest to move some sticks and then went to perch together on the Roost Tree. Jackie appears to have a full crop, while Shadow seems to have some prey blood on his beak. It could be the camera angle and my poor eyes – still hoping they both had a lovely meal before settling down for the night.
For Royal Cam Watchers, if you missed the news, here it is again. Video below.
Tumanako is home and looking for a mate. Will this former Royal Cam chick become a dad this season?
Kakapo might not be able to fly, but they are sure causing issues for those trying to contain them in the nature area in New Zealand! We are always reading about how smart our feathered friends are. This is very interesting – figuring out how to evade the fence!
When thinking about end-of-the-year donations, do not overlook some of those rehabbers who depend on donations and volunteers to save our wildlife, including many of the raptors that we grow to love.
A recent rescue form one of my favourite rehabbers in the US, A Place Called Hope.
If I were that squirrel, I would have been terrified.
This monstrous thing is a pole trap that was baited. There are times that I simply cannot stop fantasising about using them on the people who set them. They cause such harm (mental and physical) and death to our beloved wildlife in them.
One person commented, “The use of the pole trap was prohibited ONE HUNDRED and NINETEEN years ago. There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to possess one and as we clearly cannot trust those who do, it’s time their possession became a crime.”
The problem is complex. These hunting estates are enormous. Even if not on a hunting estate, the natural areas are vast and difficult to monitor. Then there is a judicial system that is often part of the group that frequents the hunting parties on some of the estates. At what point will killing animals stop? In the last series of The Crown, Prince William bags his buck and gets bloodied. Everyone is proud and pleased. It is those hunting traditions traced back hundreds and hundreds of years that need to come tumbling down. Will the Scottish government pass the necessary legislation? Are people sick to their stomachs about reading about another endangered species being killed? (Here I am thinking of the recent Golden Eagle…it is time to stop.)
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘EJ, Geemeff, H, SP’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Gris Adriana, PLO, NEFL-AEF, Trish Rawlings, HeidiMc, Superbeaks, US Forestry Service, FORE, FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, Lady Hawk, Holly Parsons, Kakapo Recovery, APCH, Outdoors.com, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and Audubon Vermont.
It was a crisp -15 this morning and has warmed to a balmy -10 C. The sky is ‘baby blue’, and the European Starlings have filled the bare branches of the lilacs. A new seed – especially for Jays – has massively attracted the Starlings.
The girls are napping after lunch. They have a pattern. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Then 2130 comes, and it is ‘party’ time.
I am going to put this right up front. Many of you are living in areas where it is getting cold. The mice are coming in. Lots will decide to poison them. Please don’t. There are many reasons, and here is one recent study that might help you convince others not to use poison. I had a darling, sweet three-year-old cat that I had raised on a bottle die from eating a mouse that had consumed poison in one of my neighbour’s houses or sheds. It is a tragic way for any animal to die.
SW Florida’s M15 and his new mate F23 have their second egg right on schedule. Now the two can begin hard incubation and we might be expecting a New Year’s baby!
The Pritchett’s will post the official time.
SK Hideaways caught the joyous occasion on video.
Checking the nest at Pittsburgh-Hays, Mum and the new male.
V3 delivered a food gift to Gabby. Well done you! But, if you were watching, V3 finally ate the squirrel.
Too funny not to include!
Eagle at Redding bringing in sticks….
Meanwhile in Louisiana, eggs are being rolled at the KNF-E3 nest of Alex and Andria.
Nine more days til hatch at Superbeaks. Gosh don’t you wish that cam was fixed just a little different for that side view? I can’t imagine only watching the tops of their heads.
It was a warm day for Connie and Clive at Captiva.
It was a bright day in Iowa with the snow still clinging to the ground and the nest at Decorah North.
It is chucking down rain in Port Lincoln, South Australia.
The rain appears to have stopped or slowed down at Port Lincoln.
Getting stronger on those legs, and look at how much those tail feathers have grown. 959 people watching. Fish fairies can be lucrative in the sense that any funds generated go directly back into the project which is fantastic – new platforms, satellite trackers, and fish!
At Orange, chat mentioned that a juvenile was seen flying at 08:32:51 to the MW (I haven’t got a clue what that refers to).
Diamond watching from the scrape.
Cilla made a video with music of a juvenile chasing Diamond at the tower. Oh, how grand.
Rohan Geddes got some shots of our White-bellied Sea Eagle juvie yesterday. Nice flying.
The two osplets at Osprey House really go after the fish when Dad arrives. It is a wonder he has any talons left.
Raising condors to save the species.
Looking at this lovely Condor baby! A little bit bigger than Hope but doing the same thing – following Mamma and copying her.
Ospreys in Spain in the winter. The Biosphere at Urdaibai.
Golden Eagle believed to have come to harm — another beaten grouse hunting estate. It is time this stopped. Can a bill – the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill – be passed in Scotland and not be watered down so that the culprits continue to get by with this senseless killing? Or will the bill get passed, and then the penalties for continuing to kill the birds be so small that it is laughable, and the gamekeepers will continue to stomp on chicks and shoot these beautiful adult raptors? Despicable. While leaf blowers get my friend ‘R’ really worked up, the stomping of chicks in a ground nest and the unnecessary shooting of raptors or the mass killing of ducks and geese at ponds makes my blood boil.
Sharon Dunne brings us news from the Royal Albatross Colony.
Looking for some new nature books? Mark Avery just published Stephen Moss’s list for 2023. Have a look. You might find something interesting. Many of the books that I love have been recommended by Avery. This is my first time to see Moss’s list.
These are the 47 books and their reviews of Avery during 2023. The Meaning of Geese continues to be one of my all-time favourite reads of this year, alongside The Comfort of Crows.
Pink-footed geese are part of the flocks that Nick Acheson so desperately wants to see in Norfolk. And just look at this:
How many of you have that ‘bucket list’? Or do you have a Copy of 1000 places to visit before you die? I have only two events on my bucket list – to see the ospreys fly over Cuba near Manzanillo in the mountains during migration and to travel to Norfolk and see the geese before the climate changes so much. They stop spending the winter in the UK. Perhaps next year for both!
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. Look forward to having you with me again soon.
I wish to thank the following for their notes, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, Tufts Now, Carol Martucci Smith, SK Hideaways, PIX Cams, NEFL-AEF, FORE, KNF-E3, Superbeaks, Window to Wildlife, Raptor Resource Project, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, Osprey House, USFWS, Tim Huntington, Alan Petrie, Geemeff, Sharon Dunne, Rohan Geddes, Carol Shores Rifkin, Mark Avery, and Jake Fiennes.
In North America, it is almost Halloween. Children still go door to door and hear screaming ‘Halloween Apples’ or ‘Trick or Treat’. I always feel sorry for them when it is cold and you can hardly see their costumes. We are all set – packaged goods only – lots of combinations of dried fruit. Presumably, they will eat their candies first and sigh when they see the fruit, but I won’t feel guilty about their teeth. I had a friend once who handed out toothbrushes.
Decades ago, it became clear that ‘incidents’ happen and children should not eat treats from people they don’t know unless they are fully sealed, etc. I often wonder why the community centres, schools, and families do not just have a local party for the children. When we lived in England, Halloween was not a ‘thing’. I understand it is now. We had Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November – jacket potatoes on the barbecue or bonfire. Sometimes called Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night. Effigies were burned. It always depended on whose side you were on, I was told (please correct me). Fawkes was part of a plot to burn down the Houses of Parliament; he was a Catholic in 1605. So, the effigy is sometimes considered the Pope, and some burn a figure of Fawkes in support of the monarchy. The holiday became official in 1859. It was all new to us and great fun – friends from the cup de sac at the foot of the gorse joined to celebrate. Gosh, I miss them!
The girls will be safely stowed away in the conservatory while treats are handed out. I still do not trust them not to run out the door – although I have to say that Calico has not even ventured near the door to do that. She will look out at the birds and, on occasion, at the cats visiting the feeding station, but she is mostly uninterested. The three girls still love story time. It is a ritual that prescribes I sit on the floor with a pile of blankets beside me. The little portable heater needs to be on. I must have a bag of treats. Calico will sit on my lap or the blanket. Missey is on the couch, and Hope is under one of the chairs. Treats were distributed, and then, today, we reached the end of H is for Hawk. If I do not do precisely as I have done since Calico first came into my life, she appears to get stressed. Ritual. I love it, too. We all know what to expect, and I get time to read some very good books.
Hope has decided to move into Missey’s basket. Missey doesn’t seem bothered. If I look for Hope and cannot find her, she will be in the basket! Just look at that bushy tail. Hope is a really sweet kitten. Missey loves playing with Hope (not so much Calico).
Calico has taken over the couch. We are so glad so many of your enjoyed seeing Hope and Calico with ‘Lewis’s’ pillow. It was a wonderful surprise – so thoughtful. Thanks, Auntie.
Other images from Saturday – cats lounging, the snow, Missey watching the birds.
Calico seems to have decided that she still needs to provide milk for Hope. She was bursting this afternoon…Hope is very well fed!
Now, one thing. Pumpkins and peanut butter. The squirrels are too well-fed to bother. I saw some little birds pecking, but the deer is like the pumpkins in Canada. I have discovered that pumpkins are dangerous to hedgehogs, so don’t put them out if you live where there are hedgehogs. We don’t wish to kill them. I loved the ones who came to the orchard at the end of our garden to eat the fruit that had fallen on the ground.
Before we check on Australia, M15 is getting really serious about his new mate and the potential for a family with her. He brought in two fish gifts on Saturday. She, of course, might know that she won the Bald Eagle lottery when they met and bonded. F23 could not have a better mate and provider for her and their babies.
At Port Lincoln, Goliath and Little are really into the Reptilian Phase. The Reptilian Phase generally begins around Day 12. Between the plumage of the newly hatched, that light down with the dark eye line and the slightest hint (or more) of the dark stripe on their back and their juvenile feathers. In the Reptilian Phase, the chicks look like they have been dipped in a pot of old motor oil. They are dark, scaly, slick, bald, ebony black heads with little copper-red feathers coming in at the back of the nape. Those coppery-red feathers will begin to appear elsewhere as well. The chicks become itchy as their blood feathers begin to grow. The feathers grow out of ‘blood quills’ if you did not know. If these are broken, they can die if the blood does not coagulate. It is the same with eaglets, and some of you will recall the season 2021 at Captiva when Joe and Connie’s two eaglets died of rodenticide poisoning. One directly from the poison and the eldest from its blood feather breaking, and because the blood did not coagulate (due to the rodenticide to kill mice/rats), it bled to death on the nest). From my observations over the years, this is the time when the chicks also begin bonking.
They are right in terms of development. Goliath is 12 days old, and Little is ten days old. The size difference can reflect the two days between hatch and gender, with the female being much larger than the male. You will notice that Goliath is darker with less down – it is the age difference. Little is just entering the new itchy phase. They will appear thin and ‘lean’. As this phase and the juvenile feather phase take over, their flight feathers, both the primaries and secondaries on the wing and the tail feathers, will come in. The largest and longest of the feathers take much longer to come in. Once all their feathers are in, they are ready to fly! No worries. We are a long way from fledge!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I write, Dad has brought in a whole fish at 0747 which lasted for two feedings an hour apart.
It is hard to tell how much fish Little received at the feeding. He got tangled with Goliath. Dad returned to fetch the fish at 0809. He will return it, but – he will have some breakfast, too. The fact that the parents can now eat will give them strength. It was physically hard on Mum during the last season with Zoe when she demanded so much fish that neither her siblings nor Mum had some at times. This year is going to be so very different. Hoping for the best for all of them. This family deserves a ‘break’.
All of the positive comments on the Port Lincoln Osprey FB feed must be heart-warming to those who fought hard for this intervention to happen.
The fish fairy arrives with four really nice size fish. Mum and Goliath and Little feast as does Dad.
PLO posts: “Dad the first one back and takes 1 fish. Mum feeds the 2 babies. Both babies full. Dad back for a 2nd fish and leaves the fish tail.”
‘A’ gives us her report: “There were several good feedings for both osplets at Port Lincoln today. Dad brought in a big whole breakfast fish at 07:47. and the ensuing feeding continued until 08:12. At 12:45, the fish fairy delivered four medium-sized whole fish. This fed everyone – dad was first to the nest after the delivery and grabbed one for himself. Mum then arrived to feed the kids. Neither parent is at all perturbed, it seems, by the aunty door dash and seem to be getting very used to it. It’s a race between them to get to the nest after the fairy leaves, given they know what they will find there. The feeding from those gift fish lasted for 37 minutes and, like the morning feeding, left both osplets with very very full crops. Another half fish was brought in by dad for dinner, at 18:42. So everyone went to bed with full tummies. And again today, there was no bonking and no signs of aggression between the osplets.”
‘A and H’ mention that there is really sad news coming out from Turnby Island, the Osprey nest of Partney and Marrum.
Calypso, the 2019 Port Lincoln Hatch, has been exploring the area. Everyone is hoping she will find a mate and raise chicks so Mum and Dad can be grandparents. Port Lincoln will build a platform for her if she does not settle on one of those available.
Port Lincoln has found another osprey nest with chicks that they did not know about! Check out that nest. Off the ground and away from predators.
At the nest tree in the Sydney Olympic Forest (the old Ironwood Tree), SE 32 decided to stay home. S/he had many meals and time with Lady and Dad – which brought joy and tears to all of us. SE31 was also seen. No one has seen 31 fed on camera but the eaglet is flying strong — send every positive wish you have for the eaglets as they persevere against the Currawong who would like to drive them from the forest!
Earlier News.
Currawongs harassing 31.
As soon as the adults flew off the nest (they had stayed with 32 overnight), the Currawongs came and pestered 32 til it flew off. Later, the parents are looking over the forest for their eaglets.
All is well at Orange. It looked like something other than a Starling arrived for breakfast at 0728. The two are really getting their primary and secondary wing feathers in as well as the tail feathers. The faces are changing and every day they get stronger and stronger on their legs. Diamond makes them stretch their necks to get their prey – strengthening those muscles that will become so valuable to them in the future.
‘A’ gives us the prey report from Orange: “At Orange, mum arrived home for the evening about ten minutes ago. The two eyases are asleep in their usual cuddle puddle, on the near side wall of the scrape (so largely invisible from the Box Cam). They are gorgeous. Here are the day’s time stamps: PREY 06.12.06 M takes, 07.27.50, 08.19.23, 10.42.06, 13:35:02, 17:10:05 FEEDING 06.13+, 07.22 M+B self feed, 07.28, 07.43( leftover starling), 09.08, 10.43, 13:37, 17:10 (M self-feed). HIGHLIGHTS: 06.07+ zoomies, 07.25.50+ B+M plucking, 12:58:10 Barru ‘broods’ Dudley. 12: 58:57 Marri’s turn, LEDGE CAMERA 10.09.20 M puts wing over B, 13:36.35 + Barru nipps at Xavier’s tail feathers.”
Did they? or didn’t they? Gabby invites V3 to mate.
The first confirmed case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza reaches the Antarctic. So, it’s not just melting sea ice but now H5N1 that is a massive threat to all species including the Penguins.
Everyone thought he retired – of course, Dr Peter Sharpe can never retire. He has Bald Eagle blood flowing through his veins and today he was fitting a camera so that Thunder and Akecheta’s breeding season can be viewed at their new nest. Of course, they could choose the old nest – thankfully there is a camera there. Thanks, Dr Sharpe!
Territorial disputes continue at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty.
Always grateful to the kindness extended to our wildlife in trouble – normally created by us like fishing line! Completely tanged and the kind soul took the time – and great patience – to free this osprey.
In the UK, Babet, the storm that hit and caused extensive flooding and damage, also caused some birds to wind up in very unusual places.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, Lady Hawk, PLO, Rohan Geddes, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Denise W Starr, SK Hideaway, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, British Antarctic Survey, The Telegraph, Down to Earth, Dave Gallivan, Deb Stecyk, Rachel Stevenson-Thomas, and Bird Guides.
Oh, good morning everyone! Friday turned out to be just a fantastic day in Bird World with the return of 32 to the nest and the delivery of fish from the parents. More on that later.
We woke up to more snow – heavy, wet snow – on Friday. The back trees were full of European Starlings, and Fox Sparrows were dancing on the deck along with the House Sparrows and the Dark-eyed Juncos. There were more at the feeders as food in the wild is often hard to find.
The Baby Blue Jay – the one that sat with the little clay birds when it first fledged. All of the Jays are still here. Sometimes, they come in pairs. I am careful to check out the white on the base of their tail to ensure all are safe.
Fox Sparrow. It was so wet and miserable. Some songbirds insist on foraging on the ground or the deck, so there is always some seed for them, bit it makes it so messy. As winter sets in, I will begin only to have seed suet, solid suet, and Black Oil seed for them. It’s less messy to clean up but good for them for the winter. The European Starlings particularly love the solid suet, while all of the birds will eat the seed suet and sunflower seed.
Calico and Hope curled up on Calico’s blanket – staying warm inside. Thanks Auntie ‘H’ for the beautiful pillow of our brother. We promise to keep it clean!
Calico working her way up the cat tree where Missey is currently ‘The Queen of the Castle’.
Missey watching the birds fly over the conservatory.
Ospreys do well in care – do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Another great rescue and rehabilitation story. Full story below the posting. Notice how large the Osprey is!
The GHOs at the Southwest Florida Pritchett Property are visiting the eagle nest and the male is bringing food gifts to the female! Let’s hope they have their eye on their own nest and not M15s and F23s.
The first fish of the day at Port Lincoln was large. Mum fed both osplets well and had some for herself before Dad took it away. One thing to notice is that Little is up front and eating well and ignoring Galiath who did not do any beaking during the meal!
Dad taking the fish when the feeding was over. Remember, Dad has to eat too and so does Mum but no worries this year. The Fish Fairies from Port Lincoln will be around.
The fish was returned at 0801 and both chicks ate well. Little was stuffed and Galiath got more this feeding.
‘A’ brings us up to date with some later events at Port Lincoln: “Around 09:20 this morning, seven small fish appeared on the nest. Mum quickly downed a couple herself, then fed the Bobs. There had been an earlier feeding, when dad brought in a very large whole fish at 07:20, and both already had respectable crops. Mum ate very little from the earlier fish. So now she is tucking in, and moving on to the third fish. Dad ate well from the breakfast fish before bringing it back for a second feeding around 8am. So all have eaten well at Port Lincoln and there has been no bonking. It is worth stressing in regard to yesterday’s incidents that Little Bob started several of the fights and also fought back strongly once or twice when Giliath started the melee. This osplet is not going to simply lie down and take it. He is very feisty indeed. This may be a good thing (Giliath is not shaking his confidence one iota) but it could easily do the reverse – forcing Giliath to use increasing force to get her message across. We will as always have to wait and see. But so far, Giliath is not ramping up the aggression but is actually tending to leave Little Bob alone today. It is noteworthy that the visit of the fish fairy this morning hardly ruffled a parental feather, with mum back on the nest in about two minutes. I suggest that being the highly intelligent creatures they are, these ospreys have quickly worked out that these visits are brief, non-threatening, and involve lots of fish. I think they will soon get so used to the fish fairy that the interventions should not carry a major risk of the parents deserting the nest and chicks. As the chicks get older, the risk of spooking them into a fludge will presumably be much higher, though they too may get used to the fish fairy and to watching their parents being unphased by her visits. Just a hopeful thought.”
Those little sweeties looking out to the big world they will too soon be a part of…
HeidiMc has the fish fairy on video!
‘A’ continues with the day at Port Lincoln, “At Port Lincoln, after the excellent feeding from the breakfast fish and the fish delivered by the fish fairy, the Bobs were very full and spent much of the afternoon sunbaking, sleeping and preening. Then, at 15:51 dad brought in a headless medium-sized fish, and although the feeding was largely obscured by mum, it went on for 20 minutes, until 16:11, and both osplets ate. The important thing as far as I’m concerned was that there was no bonking today as far as I could see. Both got along well at the table and Little Bob did not appear to be intimidated or reluctant when it came to getting fed. He was up and waiting, beak open, and confident enough to compete for bites. He fought back a lot yesterday when his sister tried to exert her dominance, and although Little is smart enough to keep an eye on her at times, once he is up at the table, he ignores her altogether and is not fearful of being pecked in the head during a feeding.”
‘A’ reports: “At Orange, the giant fluff balls are so cute. The feathers are growing in along the edges of their wings and the ends of their tails and they are getting very steady on their feet. Two very active eyases are now really filling up that scrape, which suddenly seems very small indeed. Here are the time stamps for the day so far: PREY 08.31.38 (eastern rosella), 12.46.01, 17:36:11 Xavier with prey, Diamond comes and takes. FEEDINGS 08.32, 12.46, 17:37. HIGHLIGHTS 08:35:14 Marri falls over in tug-o-war with Barru, 08:40 Marri tries to snatch the prey from Diamond, 12.14.10+ Barru and Marri demand food; 16:40:55 Barru and Gabuda (that’s what Cilla has named Dudley). “
‘M’ sent me a link to Twitch and there was some news on the sea eagles for Thursday. Thanks, ‘M’
Of course, the biggest news for the season – perhaps – with the exception of the supplementary feeding at Port Lincoln, was WBSE32 being on the nest today. It flew in chased by Currawongs and honking at them. The parents came and brought a fish which, the famished eagle, ate in about an hour.
And here is that homecoming!
The forest was silent at 10:55:47. Then you could hear the Currawong. There was honking. It could not have come from 32 as its beak was closed. There was more honking and more calling from the Curra at 56:11, 56:14, at 12:09:13, again at 12:28 and periodically. WBSE 31 was someone near the natal nest. It had to be him!!!! Tears all around. Thanks, SK Hideaways, for hearing my call to listen and capture this for us.
SE32 and Lady later in the day at the nest.
‘A’ sends the official report of the day from Sydney: “October 28: fine again early and heard the parents’ usual duet. Our ground team was out early searching, hearing calls. One fledgling, possibly SE31, was seen sitting high in a tree fairly close to the nest. Then another message that both have been seen and best news, SE32 flew to the nest at 9:09 with currawong escort. Shortly after, at 9:23, both parents came in and delivered a bream, which 32 pounced on, though he did seem to have a full crop already. 32 then spent a long time near the nest, though swooped by a currawong relentlessly at times. Just before 5pm, 32 flew a short distance to a nearby branch – all quiet though. Lady delivered a big fish at 17:37, ate herself and was joined by 32. Lady fed 32 for 10 minutes, then 32 left and moved up the branch. Lady kept eating the fish herself. Then more, when Dad brought a bird carcass at 19:02. This time 32 snatched the prey and started eating straight away. When 32 was finished, Dad ate the last scraps. During the day our ground team reported finding SE31 as well. And at last light, we received news of SE31, seen flying strongly. Lady, Dad and 32 were settled close for the night.”
There was an eagle at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest today.
Martin and Rosa working on the Dulles-Greenway Nest on Friday.
Shame on me for thinking that pigeons are only meant to be food for peregrine falcons!
Here is the recording of the October 26 Ventana Wildlife video chat! Great up to date information on the status of the California Condors.
It’s a wrap. I am just so overjoyed to see SE32 on the nest and hear 31 that I can hardly sit still. That with the fish fairy at PLO just starts this weekend off in such a positive way.
I hope that each of you are well. Stay safe. Go outside and smell the fresh air and listen for the birds. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, B, H, SP’, Wild Care, Lady Hawk, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagles, HeidiMc, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways, Pix Cams, Dulles-Greenway, The Guardian, and Ventana Wildlife Society.
That is not a permanent change – ‘cat’ – World but, I think that the cat I kept seeing and thinking was Hope’s father is, indeed, just that – the father.
Now, look carefully. This cat has short, stocky legs and a square jaw like Hope, but he also has that teardrop that Hope has. Remember, Calico has that teardrop, too. Even his paws look like Hope and Calico’s, and that single patch of a few white hairs is also on Calico and Hope. It has to be him. The shape of the eyes gives it away, too…So is this big lad both Hope’s father and grandfather? Or could he be a brother to Calico? One way of finding out is if I can get a blood sample and compare it to both Calico and Hope, aka Bushy Tail.
I can tell you his days of fathering kittens all over the neighbourhood are ending quickly. There is a chicken dinner waiting for him and the vet will perform the magic tomorrow. There is a nice heated garage, too! And if we are lucky, two others will join him. Fingers crossed. It gets dark so early and sometimes it is difficult to coordinate things. Calico watched him eat out the garden door. She didn’t hiss or anything. Just sat on the island looking out. I hope she was glad to be inside as it was wet and cold out there!
Whenever I see a house with these fake cobwebs that kill the birds and insects, I go ballistic. It is time to stop using these fake cobwebs. There are other things that can be used to decorate without injuring or killing wildlife.
It isn’t about birds but it is about saving our precious wildlife. Amazing what a simple change can do! Spread the word if you live where boats, motors, and Manatees try to coexist.
There were protests, and many decided not to donate to Cornell Bird Lab when they did not directly fund the collision blinds for Big Red’s fledglings. Now, they will build a building where Big Red has her nest! Seriously? Other places need donations, and I can live without Living Bird Magazine.
Want to help our feathered friends during a Tropical Storm or a Hurricane? Here are some tips! Thanks, Sunnie Day.
Osprey doing very well in rehab! Another one to add to the list. Please do not let anyone tell you that ospreys cannot handle being in care. The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, the Raptor Centre, and here is another will tell you differently – CROW. They handle many Ospreys. Thank goodness for wildlife rehabilitation clinics and the kind people who operate them and the volunteers who assist. What would our wildlife do without them?
Just look at this beautiful buzzard that flew to the Loch Arkaig nest. Gorgeous creature.
Port Lincoln has posted the information about the research project and the feeding of the Ospreys at the Barge. Let us all wish them luck! I have been flooded by letters from viewers telling me they will now return to watch this nest, one that they quit watching years ago due to the siblicide. Please remember to send Fran Solly a note of support! (Thanks ‘H’ for getting this to me. I had not gone to check this morning!)
Heading to Australia, Dad had a really nice size fish on the nest for Mum and the chicks at 0629.
The kids had a little feed, Mum had some good bites and Dad took the fish. He returns it later for a second feeding!
0733: #2’s crop is really not that large.
0741:
More fish for the kids left from that one. Giliath eats and then # 2 gets fed. Mum is very good to check on #2 as long as his beak is up. She is doing so well with these two.
‘
I continue to be relieved that fish will be provided if necessary. And I hope that the compassion and interest shown at Port Lincoln will spread to other nests that could be in trouble of losing all their chicks during a storm – supplementary feeding for a couple of days can be a good thing. It would have made all the difference at a nest such as Barnegat Light that got hit hard by Duke missing for days, the stormy weather, and the decline in Menhaden due to humans overfishing.
Mum was not home and Galiath took the opportunity to give #2 a right going over -. Notice that Galiath has started going into the Reptilian Phase, the time when the beaking begins most often. What we want is for this to stop and not to continue. The little one was noticeably not as aggressive wanting food and Galiath had her body over it later in the day. Sad to see this beginning.
Standing over the little one displaying sheer dominance – with a full crop.
At ten days old, you can see Galiath’s plumage changing.
By noon, both chicks are hungry again. Only one fish in from Dad and that was early. More fish needed! Please, Fish Fairy. Galiath is ‘itchy’ from the pin feathers coming. in. Little one is hopeful for some fish. He has not had a lot this morning despite the large fish brought in early.
Waiting for fish.
A’ gives us a later rundown on nest happenings, “By 13:49 we see that dad has flown onto the side of the nest to babysit. Around 13:52 a shadow passes over the nest, the chicks immediately pancake, and dad starts alerting. Mum is back at 14:06:40 with a nice whole fish. The osplets immediately line up. Giliath has front position so Little, to Giliath’s left, scrambles a bit closer to mum. As mum feeds Giliath, Little tries pecking at the fish in mum’s talons!! Go, Little! Now, under the current evolving circumstances, that is a great skill to practise at any opportunity. Mum has to work hard at trying to get bites to Little, due to its feeding position, which is not ideal (at the wrong angle to make it easy for mum) and also because Giliath is leaning across in front of Little and grabbing many of the bites intended for her younger sibling. Little is not at all intimidated by its sibling, and is sitting up at the table as normal, competing for bites and sometimes stealing morsels from its sibling’s face or beak. Mum is really trying to get bites to Little, but Giliath is getting two or three bites to every one of Little’s. Note that during most of this feeding, Giliath is in perfect position to beak her brother in the back of the head but this does not disconcert Little, who is behaving completely normally. There is no bonking. This interests me – Giliath was not hungry at 09:11 and now that she is, and there is competition for the available food, she displays zero aggression. I presume this indicates that the attack had nothing to do with food insecurity and everything to do with establishing an agreed pecking order. We will see. At 14:19, Little turns away. Mum finishes feeding Giliath at 14:33 and dad removes the remainder of mum’s fish. At 14:50 dad is back with what’s left of the fish. This feeding quickly turns into a private feeding for Little. It gets fed well, as Giliath is largely in a food coma, and Little finishes with a big crop by the time the feed ends with mum horking down the tail at 15:01. Mum broods Little. Giliath remains out, sunbaking and preening. She does a PS on mum, then takes a nap. Little wakes up and at 16:01 does a PS on Giliath, which wakes her up. It’s all getting a bit messy. Giliath perhaps didn’t appreciate being pooped on and bonks Little. She soon settles down though and the pair return to being friendly.”
HeidiMc catches that fish going overboard at Port Lincoln -.
At Orange, the chicks are starting to look like sheep that can walk on two legs!
More from ‘A’: “Here are the time stamps for the day for our favourite falcon chicks, who are now running across the scrape. How quickly these hawklets and falcon chicks grow up. PREY 06:30:48, 07:20:06, 09.05.42, 14.24.49, 16:42:56, 18:19:54 FEED 06:31 (self-feed & D), 09.07 (X), 14.25, 16:43, 18:21. RECAP 6.25.53 Barru wingers, 6.30.31 ledge cam X aborts landing w/prey, 6.30.53 ledge cam D aborts landing, 06.32.24 Barru kekking, 08:23:34 ledge cam X glides out, 14.31.55 Marri struggles with a wing. Diamond and Xavier really do make this look easy, although we know it is anything but that. Xavier did one of the feedings, and at that feeding, the younger one, Barru, was particularly well fed. (Not that it was exactly fading away before that!) These two are adorable to watch. Just gorgeous. And those naughty little sidelong glances – those eyes just melt your heart. “
At the Sydney Olympic Park, Lady and Dad are looking for their babies.
Yesterday was the same. My heart aches for the two of them. According to the postings no one has seen the eaglets being fed since they did not return for prey on the nest. I hope that they are eating elsewhere but the history of the nest would leave me to think otherwise. Hoping for an update from the BOGs!
At Taiaroa Head, the mate of OGK, the gorgeous YRK has flown in and is socialising with those coming in for breeding. ‘A’ wonders if she knows that OGK is no longer with us?
At the nest of M15 and F23, the new female occupant is bringing in air plants to decorate the nest! Gorgeous.
There is wonderful news coming from the Fraser Point nest!
Pepe has been making some fish deliveries to Muhlady as they both continue to monitor the territory and work on their nest.
An eagle on Tor at the West End Bald Eagle Nest and a gorgeous sunset over the Channel Islands.
‘H’ loved those skinny jeans of Liberty!
Hoping to change some minds about the driven grouse moor hunting in Scotland.
Malta is not the only country that turns an eye to poaching. Lebanon. Poland. Today, The Guardian published an article on trapping wild birds in France. The malicious killing of birds (and all wildlife) is a global issue. It needs to stop – politicians need to know that ordinary people demand protections for our natural world. Vote. And watch those purchases you make and the trips of a lifetime – try to support those who are trying to make a difference. Stay at a cottage on a farm that is working towards biodiversity through rewilding. Buy your tuna from pole and line fishers (see below).
I asked ‘H’ about the type of tuna she is finding and she gave me the following information. It is certified to be pole and line – not long line trawler that beheads our precious albatross as bycatch.
‘H’ sent me to the Wild Planet page where you can find all manner of sustainable products.
The same sustainable brands are available in Canada. You can check on Amazon’s site and then compare it with other retailers. I just might go back to having a tuna sandwich once in awhile BUT now I must begin to research the food the girls eat. Right now it is organic chicken from a local farmer, some dry food, and some tinned. But where does this tinned food originate?
Thanks so much for being with us. Two of the male cats will be ‘fixed’ in about fifteen minutes and hopefully live a healthier and safer life in the future. Take care all!
Thank you to the following for their notes, graphics, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Ruth Thomas, Birds in Helping Hands, Ellen Miller, Sunnie Day, Audubon, Jane Dell, Geemeff, PLO, HeidiMc, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Lady Hawk, Laura Davis Nelson, IWS, Superbeaks, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and Amazon.
It was a grey drizzly day on the Canadian Prairies. All of the garden animals are present and accounted for. None of the Blue Jays appear to be thinking about leaving on migration. The Chickadees have been out in force and as I am writing, Little Red is busy stocking away all the peanuts he can get his little hands on and the duvet is out – signalling that it is beginning to feel a little hippy in the evenings now. There is a tinge to the top of the trees, just a hint of chartreuse with a soft yellow in places that signals a change of season is on us..
For all those wondering…I found Calico’s hiding spot with her kitten or kittens. Ironically it was the first spot where I believed she was- it was ideal – lots of piled up things and a huge deck that was difficult for anyone to get under – including any dogs or foxes (yes, there is a fox that lives in a garden of Tiger Lilies in the summer near to where Calico is hiding). A neighbour had informed me that a raccoon was living under that deck, but that was untrue. It was Calico! The young man who owns the house has given me full permission to come and go in his garden. Sadly, I cannot get under the low part of the deck to get to her, and there is no access to the higher part without cutting into the structure. So we wait to try and lure this kitten out. It will not be for lack of trying, but one day that kitten will play with the laser pointer, see the fluffy feather toy, smell the sardines and come walking out. It is certainly in a safe place – and I am no longer worried except for car traffic. Calico comes to eat and scurries back – quick as a wink she is away. Patience and more cunning than her mother will be required…and I am not sure the latter is possible. Calico is one smart Mama. The score is now Calico 10- Mary Ann 2.
The storm in California has passed. Checked on four nests. Just because I did not see the eagles on the streaming cam does not mean there is a problem. I have not seen eagles often at the West End or recently at Fraser Point. The amount of rain and flooding has been considerable, but the nests and the trees appear to have survived fine. I hope that is the case and that they have not been weakened.
Jackie and Shadow are safe.
Chase & Cholyn are alright.
Did not see Andor or Cruz.
The West End Cam at the ‘old’ nest is now up and running. Did not see Akecheta or Thunder.
Did not see anyone at Sauces.
Beautiful Mini. She was not bothered when Three (Sneezy) joined her on the nest except when Sneezy was trying to rearrange ‘Mini’s nest and move her cardboard. Mini did give her sibling ‘the look’ a few times. Mum even stopped in. We have not seen her for a bit. Did she come to check on Mini and say goodbye as she leaves on migration?
Mini had at least three fish on Monday and when my friend ‘R’ writes that he is now ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Mini, the smile goes across my face from one ear to another. Like many of us, he has noted that Mini is using her right foot to hold down the fish and eat them quickly, a tool she will need to survive in the wild. No more fiddling around the nest. I love the term ‘R’ used – ‘she was able to rip through them’. ‘R’ also noticed that the swelling in the left knee is “diminishing, and at times she even bears weight on it” adding that the rest on the nest has meant that she has been caring for her leg very well. We hope that this young lady is one of the luckiest osplets in the world. She is certainly one of the most strong-willed ones I have met. ‘R’ says it is too early for any prognosis but she appears to be healing. — What a wonderful note to wake up to. Thanks ‘R’ for keeping an eye on our gal.
Mini had a bit of a crop and one good ‘ps’ was observed.
Mini had a good breakfast and was flexing that left talon this morning. Keep sending your good wishes. As I finish writing this, two fish have been delivered by Dad!
The fledgling at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is doing very well. Flying around, returning to the nest to rest and eat.
Dyfi Osprey Project: Telyn has not been seen since Saturday. She ‘might’ have started her migration. Sometimes she takes some time and returns to the nest before departure. We wait to see. Lots of nice fish coming for the fledglings -Seiont & Cennen. Idris is doing a fine job fishing.
Glaslyn: OH1 and OH2 have been on the perch and in the nest eating fish from Dad Aran. The weather is raining and it is thought that Elen might have started her migration Monday morning. We wait to see.
Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 are still home and providing for all three fledglings who also remain – coming and going off the nest for fish. What a great year it has been at Poole!
Rutland: Blue 33 found himself defending the nest against intruders and Maya was on the nest too – at times – helping. .
Time for ‘H’s reports –
Fortis Exshaw: “Oh, what a splendid day! Banff woke up hungry, having only eaten a small part of a fish the previous day. So, she did not take any long flights away from the nest in the morning, instead opting for a few quick out and back flights. Banff did not want to take a chance on missing breakfast! But, starting at 1021, it seemed as though Banff was on to something. She was calling, she resumed taking several short flights from the nest, and she always flew off in the same direction. At 1027 Louise landed with a large headless fish and Banff flew to the nest right on her tail! Aha, Banff had known that her Mom was eating a fish, and Banff had been telling Mom to save some for her. A very hungry Banff ate ravenously. Throughout the afternoon Banff was quite vocal, calling for more fish, and she also seemed to be warning unseen intruders not to mess with her! The ‘I’ word (intruder) was conspicuously absent from the chat . . no one wanted to jinx Banff. At 1407 Louise delivered a medium-sized whole fish to the nest, and Banff grabbed Louise’s left foot with her beak, and would not let go. So, Louise attempted to fly off, and in the process they were both dragged overboard, lol. Within seconds, Banff circled around to the nest to claim what she had originally intended . . the fish. After eating her second fish, and having an intruder-free day (thus far), Banff was feeling pretty good. She seemed relaxed, bright, and ‘happy’ for a change (and the chatters were too!). Liberated by an intruder-free day, Banff took several more short flights around her neighborhood. And, again we learned that she had been keeping an eye on her Mom. At 16:33 Banff flew to the nest just five seconds ahead of Louise who had a partial fish in her talons, “Thanks a lot, Mommy!” Banff had a lovely evening, she took a couple more quick flights, and all was right with the world!!! SOD’s, Banff.”
Osoyoos – “The Osoyoos chick fledged at 0624 on 8/21, at 56 days of age. Congratulations to Junior, Soo and Olsen! Junior returned to the nest at 1124, and she was hungry. It would be a while before her first meal of the day however, so s/he took another short flight at 1344. At 1439 Soo brought a very large fish to the nest, and Junior feasted! A juvenile visitor landed on the nest at 1530, and Junior found it quite interesting. Soo however, was less intrigued, and she gently persuaded the young fledgling to go home, lol. It was a fine day, indeed.”
Barnegat Light – “Duke and Daisy both delivered fish for Dorsett. Dorsett seems to always take her meals to her favorite utility pole to dine.”
Severna Park – “Oscar delivered a nice fish to the only fledgling that has been coming to the nest for several days.”
Gosh, those are good reports, ‘H’. Thank you so much!!!! It is nice to see these fledglings doing so well and no bad news.
Lou and Annie are bonding in the scrape. They are staying close to their home, The Campanile, on the grounds of U-California-Berkeley. It has been lovely to see them along with Monty and Hartley when they are not raising chicks.
Diamond and Xavier are also bonding at Orange and they fell asleep during an extremely long bonding session!
Karl II continues to bring fish and frogs for his three fledgling Black Storklets. What a devoted Dad. When he begins his migration, Karl II will eventually arrive at his destination near Chad where Kaia spends the winter.
Did you know there is a stork rehabilitation centre in Lublin in northeastern Poland? Look at the beautifully woven baskets for these sweet babies on top of the barn roof. Oh, these precious ones are treasured by so many people in Europe.
In many ancient traditions, when someone died their soul would go into a bird – most often a stork. The soul of the dead would travel for 40 days before it reached the underworld or paradise inside the stork. The birds would return in the spring when life was reborn. In other traditions, any home that had a stork nest on top of the house would have harmony and peace. Every type of calamity would beset someone who would deliberately harm the storms in any way.
“The stork rehabilitation center is run by the “Chance for Stork” Association in Kozubszczyzna near Lublin. Storks injured in various types of accidents find help here. They are treated, rehabilitated and released here. However, some storks, due to their injuries, are not able to get up in the air, so they stay in the Asylum until the end of their days. There are 14 such individuals here.”
Kate was at the nest of her parents, White-tailed Eagles Milda and Voldis, in Durbe County. Isn’t she beautiful? The couple fledged two this year – so over the moon happy for Milda!
There is good news about the Kakapo that were reintroduced on the mainland of New Zealand after being made extinct there. Before we arrived, Kakapo, these adorable green flightless parrots, were abundant across New Zealand. There are now only 248 birds living on four tiny NZ islands. The cause of their demise was hunting, predation, and loss of habitat. Today there are 248 Kakapo. The reintroduction project is the first to try and bring them back to the mainland. It took place in 2023. They are critically endangered.
At Port Lincoln, everyone has been watching the nest and wondering what is going. n. ‘A’ often comments to me that the mating has been sporadic and often not successful. Odd for an experienced male such as Dad. So is there a problem? or has the male been misidentified and this is a new one this year? PLO says it won’t be for lack of trying that there are no eggs! PLO has a fantastic obs board and chat under the streaming cam. ‘H’ sent me the following note from the chat last evening. Question: Has anyone seriously compared the head plumage of this male with the Dad from previous years? I have to admit that we were quite worried about him last year when he had what appeared to be seizures.
Checking on the Sydney Sea Eagles, ‘A’ reports: “Dad brought in a small whole fish (bream perhaps) at 15:46:09. Both eaglets sat up, but it was little SE32 who headed up to the table first. Dad had a couple of bites and then offered one to SE32, who took it. Instead of offering him another, Dad had the next bite himself, and before he could finish it and give a second bite to SE32, SE31 beaks her little brother in the back of the head and twists and pulls at the beakful of fluff. She puts him down but he is still between her and the fish so she repeats the dose. She then proceeds to eat the entire fish, with SE32 remaining in submission throughout (and for a while after Dad left). At one point, SE31 circled around SE32 and went right up to Dad, leaving separation between herself and SE32, but that didn’t help his confidence at all. He remained submissive and motionless. He is hungry, hence his dash for the table, which was a brave move from him and not one we would have seen two days ago. Yesterday was such a good day for the little one that he did actually gain some confidence from it but all it takes is one of SE31’s attacks (as opposed to the single beak to the back of the head, which he usually quickly brushes off) to restore his victim mentality. It is most discouraging. For his self-feeding abilities to help him, there need to be some leftovers on this nest. Apparently, there were some overnight but of course SE32 was not at all hungry and was not ferreting around on the nest looking for food overnight. Mum and Dad found all the nestovers on the WBSE nest while the IR lights were still on this morning and SE31 got them all. But SE32 did get the breakfish – nearly all of it – and has had a good crop all day. Hoping another fish (this time, a big one) comes onto the nest before nightfall.”
Sightings of M15 at the nest site are being reported in Fort Myers!
Thank you for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Look up and listen for the birds!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: “A, H, R’, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, LRWT, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Eagle Club of Estonia, LizM, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Severna Park, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagles, SK Hideaways and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, and the Kakapo Recovery.
By elfruler on 10/02/2024
