Category Archives: Eurasian Hobby

11 August 2024

Good Morning,

Gosh, it is almost the middle of August, and the French are well into their annual August vacation. The entire month is taken off with businesses in Paris closing and everyone (owners and staff) heading off to enjoy the countryside, time with their family and friends, and good food. I was fortunate to spend an entire month a few years ago in a pottery village (Le Borne) and it was there that the French taught me ‘really’ how to slow down and chase after the joy of life – finding a balance and not letting work take over everything. Sitting and tasting the best bread with a good cup of coffee in the morning in a garden could not have been matched by anything. Lunch with vegetables, local bread, and goat cheese could have come from a Michelin-star restaurant – it was that good. Walking through the forest, time to smell the wood burning in the kilns and touching centuries-old ceramics were simple but profound joys. Those memories and the people who I met have never left me. Calico suggests that everyone stop and smell the roses, turn off their cell phones, grab a good book, and pet a cat!

Hugo Yugo is precious. She continues to sleep under my chin during the night. She has grown some, but, in comparison to the others, she remains rather small.

Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope continue to play fight all day long. They keep their nice figures due to all the exercise. Hugo Yugo will have her first birthday on 2 September. Baby Hope came to live in the house on the 4th so we shall have a nice party to celebrate both.

Missey just loves parties. She wants lots of squeezy treats while Hope has ordered 5-grain bread with peanut butter, and Hugo Yugo wants a grilled cheese sandwich! Baby Hope will run you down for peanut butter. It makes me think that while she and Calico were living ‘wild,’ someone fed them bread and PB. Hugo Yugo loves cheese and every evening has to play ‘hockey’ with small pieces of a nice old cheddar. She knocks the piece off the countertop onto the floor and then knocks it about before eating it. I have always believed she needs calcium.

Yesterday I had images and for some strange reason, no text from ‘H’ despite her sending it in the same e-mail. It was like half of it was cut off on my computer and then, this afternoon there were 2 more e-mails with all the information. I am including the text now. It will give you good background on what is happening at the Fortis-Exshaw nest – which appears to be a repeat of last season’s dramatic and devastating year. ‘H’ did a great job in her report – apologies it is late.

“8/9 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  There have been some intruder issues the past few days, but today was the worst so far.  At 0700 Harvie delivered a fish and one of the three juveniles grabbed it.  The female intruder showed up early.  Initially she was passive, but by 0800 she started attacking the chicks.  Over the next couple of hours the intruder dive-bombed the chicks at least 30 times.  Sometimes she made significant contact with her talons, and a few times she was able to flip the chicks onto their backs.  She landed in the nest several times, and would jump on the chicks.  Only the two oldest osplets have fledged.  Nakoda has yet to fly, and we were worried that Nakoda was going to get pushed off the nest.  At 0851 the intruder flushed one of the fledglings off the nest and she gave chase.  The intruder was establishing control. The two remaining chicks in the nest stayed tucked in submission.  Any time they would so much as move a wing, the intruder would flap her wings at them.  At 1003 Harvie brought another fish and the intruder grabbed it.  Harvie jumped on her, the intruder flew out with the fish, and Harvie followed.  After eating her fish, the intruder returned. She was in and out of the nest a few times, and jumped on the chicks a few times.  At 1050 Harvie delivered another fish, a chick grabbed it, the intruder fought the chick for the fish, Harvie jumped on the intruder, Harvie left the nest and the intruder chased him.  The intruder returned and took the fish.  

At 1142 the intruder saw Louise approaching the nest and she immediately flew away.  Louise is the only deterrent for this female intruder.  Louse had brought a fish for the chicks.  Louise stayed for about 10 minutes, and then she left.  At 1154, the fledgling that had been flushed from the nest earlier returned to the nest.  For the next few hours the family had some peace.  Nakoda was practicing wingers, and getting some nice wind-assisted lift, and was even hovering.  The intruder returned at 1524, and started doing her usual thing… dive-bombing, jumping on chicks, and flapping at the chicks.  Harvie delivered a fish at 1621 and the intruder took it.  Harvie dropped off more fish at 1700, 1720, and 1817, and thankfully the osplets were able to eat those.  At 1843 the intruder was back, jumped on the chicks, and may have left with a piece of leftover fish.  With the glare of the afternoon and evening sun, it became increasingly more difficult to see because of the dirt on the camera.  At 1931 the intruder was back, and she appeared to arrive empty taloned.  But, she soon started to eat.  She must have found some more leftovers in the nest.  While she was eating, she was intermittently flapping at the kids.  Harvie brought another fish at 2006, and one of the chicks grabbed it.  Harvie and the intruder stared at each other for a while, then Harvie left.  The intruder continued to harass the chicks, but finally at 2127 she left for the night.  

What a terrible day this family had.  Louise’s presence is needed to keep this female intruder away.  But, we only saw Louise once today.  Is it possible that Louise is already curtailing her involvement with her family to begin her rest and recovery phase?  Would she do that before they all have fledged?  Well, we certainly hope to see more of Louise tomorrow.  “Your kids still need you, Mom.”

8/9 Osoyoos osprey nest:  Chick 2 was doing some nice wingers early in the morning, including some flap-hops going about 3/4 of the diameter of the nest. The first fish I saw was brought by Olsen at 1505.  It was a large partial fish, and Chick 2 acquired it first and ate for about 4 minutes before Chick 1 took it from him.  Chick 1 had the fish for a long time, finally leaving it at 1628.  There was still a good size piece remaining, and Chick 2 started to work on it.  By 1727, Chick 2 had accomplished all he could, because the remainder had a lot of dangling tough skin.  Soo took over and fed both of her juvies.  But, even Soo had a difficult time with the skin.  At 1927 Olsen dropped off a small whole fish.  Chick 2 grabbed the fish, and mantled strongly.  Chick 2 ate the fish, and was able to rebuff Chick 1 each and every time Chick 1 tried to steal the fish.  Nice moxie, Chick 2 ! “

Today’s post from ‘H’:

8/10 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  The intruder was still around today, but she wasn’t nearly as aggressive toward the chicks as she was yesterday.  She spent a few long periods of time at the nest.  She would flap at the kids now and again, but there were only a few times that I saw the intruder jump on them.  And, the intruder did not do all that dive-bombing like she did yesterday.  I have 6 pages of notes on the day’s events, and I will summarize to spare you the minutiae.  Harvie brought 9 fish to the nest, and the intruder managed to acquire 3 of them.  The chicks didn’t make it easy for her, they fought the intruder for those fish.  There were a couple of times when the intruder did not make a grab for the fish.  She would simply ‘let’ them have it, and then she would just stand there and stare at them while they ate.  Strange.  But, it seems that poor Harvie is fishing for four.  Sometimes when Harvie would make a delivery with the intruder on the nest, they would have a staring contest, and then Harvie would flap his wings at her, but he always flew away.  One time, Harvie buzzed the intruder on his way out and made her duck.  Harvie knows that he cannot afford to get hurt fighting her.  The fact that we saw the intruder less often today may mean that Louise is helping to monitor the airspace in their territory.  And, we did see Louise today.  At 1211, an adult carrying a fish landed on the t-perch beside one of the fledglings that was believed to be Peyto.  Then, the adult provided a nice long feeding to the juvie on the t-perch.  It had to be Louise.  The youngest chick, Nakoda, ate two whole fish today.  Nakoda is no push-over when it comes to battles for the fish.  

Nakoda branched today!  At 1003 Nakoda flew up to the nest perch…wow!  At 1040, after figuring out how to turn around on the perch, s/he hopped back down to the nest.  Later on in the afternoon, Nakoda did several hovers that were out of our view lasting several seconds each time.  Yesterday, those hovers by Nakoda were 90% due to the wind, but today the height and hang-time was 90% due to Nakoda’s skill.  Prediction:  Nakoda will fledge on 8/11, at 56 days of age.  The three siblings are very difficult to differentiate by their appearance.  We will do our best to determine when Nakoda fledges and when s/he returns to the nest.

In my opinion, it does not seem that this intruder wants to take over the nest.  She is hungry, and wants some easy meals.  Last year it was Louise against a male/female pair of intruders, and they definitely wanted to take over the nest.  This year, it is Louise and Harvie against one intruder.  Perhaps the intruder will decide to move along soon.

8/10 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The live stream was frozen for about three hours today.  But, we did see plenty of fish at the nest, including some really big ones.  Some of the fish were obviously recycled… that is, they had previously been removed after everyone was full, and those same fish made return appearances.  There were lots of feedings and self-feedings.  A couple of times this morning, Chick 2 was seen doing some flap-hops all the way across the nest, from rim to rim… that’s progress!  Unless I’ve missed it due to recent cam issues, I have not seen Chick 2 perform hovers with decent hang-times.  Chick 2 is 64 days old on 8/11.  Weather forecast for 8/11: partly cloudy with smoky air, high temp 90F/32C, winds gusting to 11 mph.

8/10 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  Johnny delivered two good sized fish today, and June did not disappoint when she caught her daily striped bass.  ‘Fen’ ‘branched’ to the perch this morning, and hopped back down to the nest after about an hour.  Fen will be 58 days old on 8/11, and I think he is ready to fly!

More than a few letters have come to the inbox about donations. We cheer, clap our hands, wish hard, pray, and jump up and down in support of our birds, especially those in distress. It is natural to want to rush and help fund their care and food. It just makes you the wonderful people who you are! This also happened after Meadow went into care and subsequently died. To begin, wildlife rehabilitation centres rely on donations. I know this because of our local rehabilitation centre, Wildlife Haven. They depend on volunteers and donations of all things, from bleach to large buildings, for flight training. But when to donate and what? This is going to depend on your personal circumstances. Having had many of you pour your hearts out after Meadow and Cobey passed, I think I have come up with a simple suggestion. If you wish to donate following a rescue, you might want to wait 48-72 hours. The wait period would allow insight into whether the bird might survive. Remember that anything can happen anytime – a bird looking as if it is improving might suddenly pass. We don’t have crystal balls. You might also want to save up and give to a rescue/rehabilitation centre at the end of the year. I like to watch what these centres are doing all year and like to help those that rise to the occasion to try and do anything to save the birds.

Speaking of rescues and rehabilitation, the Denton Homes fledglings are in flight training. Isn’t this marvellous. All survived. Thanks, ‘PB’.

The two osplets from the Green Ledge Light Preservation Society were holding on tight as the remnants of Debby hit Connecticut! I am waiting a post to see how they fared during that violent storm.

Geemeff’s summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Saturday 10th August 2024

Both nest cam livestreams were restored by 09.30 this morning after yesterday’s shutdown which was due to the internet connection for the local area going down. Actually, in such a remote area where it’s very challenging to provide services, being able to watch the nest cams is a bit of a miracle.  Therefore tonight’s bonus is about how the nest cams work with no wifi and no electrical plug points nearby. Today was wet and windy again with no sign of any Ospreys, but Nest Two did get some colourful visitors in the form of a pair of Crossbills. More rain is forecast for tonight, but there is the prospect of sunny intervals tomorrow. 

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.30.33 (04.45.22); Nest Two 22.23.05 (04.52.51)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/AfoAgZcxRZQ  N2 Colourful Crossbills visit 17.03.20 (zoom)

Bonus info – with no wifi and plug sockets, how do the nest cams operate?

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/behind-the-scenes

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

The menhaden overfishing issue seems to be getting more attention:

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/climate-environment/chesapeake-bay-osprey-population-reproduction-7MDNGMBNVZBNTGSDZVA5UAADVQ

Cute little sea eaglets!

A gorgeous image of Lady feeding her babies from the Olympic Park Eagle Cam:

As is typical, these little bobbleheads have begun to do some bonking. It will stop! It always does.

The Australian Museum describes the White-bellied Sea Eagle and how these fluffy little white nestlings will change: “The White-bellied Sea-Eagle has white on the head, rump and underparts and dark grey on the back and wings. In flight the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown. The legs and feet are cream-white, with long black talons (claws). The sexes are similar. As in other raptors (birds of prey), Males (2.5 kg – 3.7 kg) are slightly smaller than females (2.8 kg – 4.2 kg).The wingspan is about 1.8 m – 2 m. Young Sea-Eagles are brown as juveniles than slowly become to resemble adults in a patchwork manner, acquiring the complete adult plumage by their fourth year.”

Iris, Sum-eh, and yet-to-fledge Antali.

Finnegan is very busy catching and delivering fish – Uber Dad!

‘A’ remarks: “Little Bro is getting lonesome on his own on that nest, but it so far has not prompted him to copy big sister Sumeh, who has been flying confidently for nearly a week now. C’mon Antali, you can do it! He’s having a pleasant nap in the late afternoon sun. Around 19:32 he begins looking around, and at 19:32:45 Finn arrives with a nice fresh fish, Sumeh hot on his tail. 

Antali is fish begging and considering self-feeding but dad keeps moving the fish. He is looking around for Iris. Antali already has a noticeable crop and Sumeh is not asking for fish, so dad eats a bite or two himself. By 19:35, however, he has started feeding Antali. Sumeh just watches the feeding. She is very used to watching Antalia being fed, after all! He has always been completely confident about getting to the table and accepting bites of fish. I have never seen him intimidated at a feeding. Sumeh has been an amazing older sister. She is very laid-back indeed. Around 19:38 she begins to show some interest in the fish, but still waits to be offered a bite. 

Finn begins feeding Sumeh and Antali stands up as tall as he can, turning away from the table. He has very long legs, which is the most obvious proof that he is a male. He is too cute. It’s Sumeh’s turn. Antali has a good crop.”

It is mid-afternoon Saturday at Charlo Montana and C16 could fly at any moment. Got so much height on its hover you couldn’t see it on camera!

C16 has not fledged as I write this Saturday evening but he could still fly as there is some time difference. Charlie delivered a fish and C16 had a nice fish dinner.

It was painful. The wind was gusting around the tree below the nest and C16 kept hovering. The sticks in the nest aren’t helping the matter. C16, you are going to fly soon – probably today or Sunday morning.

River and Keke continue to return to the nest waiting for some fish – just like nests all around the world. Chicks wait and watch for Dad flying in with a fish and they have a singular focus – nevermind who gets in the way! In that instance, being an Only Bob has an advantage.

The fledgling comes and goes from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest wanting a fish dinner, too.

On the eve of the Inglorious 12th, there are more and more calls for regulations and the policing of the Red Grouse Moor shoots.

Call for tougher policing of Scottish grouse moors on eve of ‘Glorious Twelfth’https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/10/call-tougher-policing-scottish-grouse-moors-eve-glorious-twelfth?CMP=share_btn_url

Pam Breci brings us up to date on the Fort Calhoun osprey family:

It is always reassuring that fledglings returning to the nest to get their fish. The Fab Four at Poole Harbour keep Blue 022 very busy! CJ7 is also delivering fish and some are being fed off nest because they show up on cam with a huge crop but have not been seen eating on camera.

Osplets fledge, on average, at 55-56 days after they hatch. They should return to the nest over and over again as they remain dependent on Mum and Dad until they migrate. Many say they stay until they can fish for themselves, but much research in the UK indicates that they actually don’t normally (there is always an exception) catch their first fish until they are on their way which is generally in September. The Mum will migrate first leaving the Dad behind to do the fishing for the chicks. In one year, I forget which one, Monty (Dyfi Ospreys) remained until the 20th of September til his chick fledged! The Dads and fledglings generally leave 2-3 weeks after Mum.

Please remind everyone you know that fish to please try their best not to leave lines and hooks. I know that lines break and there are snags on trees on the shore – if that is the case then everyone should pitch in to do bi-annual clean ups to protect the birds.

White Storks continue to move south throughout Europe feeding on the seeds left after harvest in places such as Lithuania and Croatia. Some have already made it to Europe. Black Storks are moving as well. Waba continues to feed in Ukraine near the Moldova border.

‘A’ reminds us that Xavier is getting excited for the possibility of eggs at the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape in Orange: “We are getting ready for egg watch at Orange. Certainly, Diamond and Xavier are in parental mode, with Xavier bringing food gifts, and the pair doing lots of bonding and mating frequently. The first egg was laid on 26 August last year, so we still have over a fortnight to go. We would be very happy with just the one, Diamond. I don’t want this pair worn out – they are not young falcons. Xavier has just come into the scrape, chupping away. There is no sign of Diamond, who is no doubt perched on the microwave or along the roof. Xavier is looking his usual handsome self. Adorable little falcon that he is. What a man. Remember his first season? Saviour, he most definitely was. “

Xavier brings breakfast and it is not a Starling to Diamond’s delight.

The Dorsett Hobby branched Saturday afternoon but did not fledge. Look to the top left. That is coming swiftly. Such a strong, beautiful little Hobby! (see further below)

Fish deliveries at the Muonio Osprey nest in Finland.

Did you know that Rita has her own FB page? Rita of Ron and Rita and the WRDC Eagle nest? Thanks, ‘J’.

https://www.facebook.com/people/Rita-the-Bald-Eagle/61562017139998

Dorsett Hobby fledged.

There are no reported sightings of Blue at HWF-BBCentral area. We hope that s/he has found fish and will be heading north to Alaska to enjoy the salmon.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, questions, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Fortis Exshaw-Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Fortis-Exshaw, SOAR, Greens Ledge Light Society, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Sea Eagle Cam, Australian Museum, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint Osprey Platform, MN-LA Ospreys, The Guardian, Pam Breci, Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Looduskalender, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project, Nesting Bird Life and More, Osp, Rita the Eagle FB, Dorsett Hobby Cam.