Category Archives: Finnish Osprey Foundation

Fledge at Rutland, Dmitri’s stork gets a nest…Tuesday in Bird World

4 July 2023

Good Morning,

To everyone celebrating the Fourth of July – have a wonderful day! I remember the sparklers and those triangles ‘black things’ that grew like long snakes when lit with a match and made such a mess. There was always a picnic and a freezer full of homemade ice cream. There were also fireworks. Of course, now, we think of their harm to wildlife and to pets, not those dazzling colours in the sky. No one knew then, but we do now – so, instead of fireworks, give something to your local wildlife rehab – a bag of dog kibble, a gallon of bleach, old towels and sheets – whatever you can afford.

The theme of this year’s osprey season might well be the number of nests where the females have had to go and supplement the fish brought in by the males.

We will start with the sad bits and end on a high note with Soledad’s 3rd day in the wild world of downtown San Jose.

Monday was a bit of hard day – again. The third hatch at the Borders nest in Scotland died from starvation/not being able to get to eat/siblicide. There were mitigating circumstances and everyone hoped that things would work out for Samson and Juno’s little chick. Samson was gone for some 20 hours and did not deliver fish and for some strange reason, many of the males are not doing well at deliveries this year. Even Blue NC0 has been going fishing again at Loch of the Lowes. Juno went fishing and came in with some big ones, but the two older siblings took over, and the little one was left out. Fly high, sweetie.

The third hatch is on the far left being submissive.

The two chicks are in a sad state at Newfoundland Power. I hope when you read this that they have passed over that Rainbow Bridge. So many of you have phoned and e-mailed the power company and so have I. Unfortunately, nothing will probably be done. Humans need to become more empathetic to suffering. The first one appears finally succumb to starvation after more than two or more days of being injured and without food. The second one was injured with sticks by Hope on the 2nd. Hope tried to aerate the mud around the chicks and feed the chicks. I have great pity for her…she lost her all of her chicks, save for one in 2019. She appears not to understand how to care for the babies or why they are dying. ‘T’ and I are wondering if raptors can suffer mental illness.

It is raining in Newfoundland and poor Hope is brooding her dead and/or dying chicks. Did I say my heart just aches for this mother who just seems so unaware.

There is good news at another nest we have been concerned for, thankfully. The life of the only surviving chick at the MN- Landscape Arboretum nest is improving. The female had quite the turnaround, and this little one is growing nicely.

At the Patchogue nest, it looked like Big was going to fledge Monday afternoon. At 1518 s/he had its wings out almost knocking Mini off the nest. Lots of wing flapping and hopping and some very good hovers. All of this caught Mini’s attention and then later, the other two big siblings. Gosh, do you remember when we were reluctant to check on this nest for fear something had happened to Little Mini? or we went to bed worried about how much food Mini had. Well, now this nest is one that I turn to for hope. These parents have done an exceptional job. If osplets model their future behaviour by the way they were treated on the nest, then these four will have very successful families!

Siblings all lined up before Big gets really antsy. Oh, it could have been such a wonderful self portrait if not for the itchiness of feathers! But look at our Little Mini there with its smile and huge crop – a reminder that with the hard work of the parents and the determination of this tiny tiny chick – we can have success. Look at the size of Mini next to Big! Gracious.

The long skinny legs of Big make me think it is a male…a big male.

Big getting some height.

Mini of the ‘many’ faces today as she pondered all the flapping and hovering. Then every once in awhile Mini would get excited and flap its little wings, too.

Mini wanting Big’s fish.

There is a chance of a fledge at Patchogue today although it would be good if Big would continue the hovering practice.

Another site that makes me happy is Dmitri and his stork. If you remember he removed the beaten and battered fifth stork from the family nest before its mother could kill it. He cared for its wounds, fed it worms, and made a pen for it to grow and eat. Now look. Dmitri made a real stork nest for his not so little foster storklet, Pyatachok. ‘T’ tells me that the name refers to ” “the small coin 5 kopecks and also a piglet like the friend of Winnie the Pooh.” The five of course refers to this one’s birth order.

I understand that Dmitri has a very treatable cancer and that the community and wider community have rallied to gather funds for his after care and treatment. His operation is 18 July. Wishing him well. Anyone who rescues an abused animal and treats it with the respect that this man has is fantastic. Oh, my faith in humans does sometimes rise high. This same community helped with the materials and maybe even the camera for this kind man.

Missing all the squeeing from the WRDC nest…well, here is Rose delivering a fish and R4 and R5! Thanks Heidi Mc.

Sunnie Day gives an upclose and personal view of Whitley and Noble at the much loved Crooked Lake osprey nest.

The new couple at the Collins Marsh osprey platform in Wisconsin are doing fantastic. The two surviving chicks have grown like crazy and are doing so well.

I cannot confirm that the couple at the Cowlitz PUD are Electra and her mate. I can say that this single surviving osplet is being well fed when fish is available. It is growing and Mum is sleeping side by side with the chick in the nest which might help protect it from any predators.

You would be hard-pressed to pick out the tiny third hatch at the Boulder County Fairgrounds osprey nest today! Exceptional parenting, plenty of fish – this nest of three has thrived with that tiny one growing and catching up. This nest was once on my worry list – no more!

The Lipka osprey nest in Poland with its three osplets is doing exceptionally well, also.

The three at the Ramucka Forest osplet nest in Poland are also thriving!

The three chicks at Nest #1 in Finland are trying to work out what to do with a piece of bark (is it similar to Birch?) brought to the nest.

Elen and Aran’s chicks have been ringed at Glaslyn. We have two boys.

We have the first fledge of the 2023 season for Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland Water. Blue 3H3 took off at 0924 on the 4th of July. Congratulations.

‘H’s report on the nests she is monitoring:

FortisExshaw: “It has been difficult to view feedings at this nest, as our view is usually blocked.  But there was a feeding at 1734 on 7/3 that was easily seen.  Everything was going along great, and Little was in the front row receiving many bites of fish.  However, four minutes into the feeding, one of the older chicks, that I believe to be Big, unleashed a beaking attack upon Little.  Little didn’t do anything to instigate the attack.  After the attack, Little stayed crouched in submissive posture for the remainder of the feeding.  I cannot say that was the first time there has been aggression toward Little at a meal, but it was the first time I have seen it.  The kids are prone to bonking battles in between meals, and sometimes those battles are started by Little.  Pics attached are from the 1734 feeding.  (ages 16, 16, and 14 days on 7/4)”.

Osoyoos: “Osoyoos – The 8 and 7 day old Osplets are just little angels at meal times, but they do get into some bonking between meals.  Oh my, this nest is in dire need of some padding.  See the attached pic . . the kids are sitting in a hole below the level of the pole that the nest is built on! “

Severna Park: “Severna Park – These gorgeous teenagers are on fledge watch.  Ages 57 and 56 days on 7/4.”

Forsythe: “Forsythe –  The temperature was very hot with thunderstorms later in the day. The heat may have made for difficult fishing for the Ospreys.  There were two early fish, then Opal was MIA for several hours.  When she returned at 1411 she brought a very large fish with her, and at 1459 Oscar also landed with a large fish.  There were six fish in total.  This nest remains peaceful.  The Osplets are 43 and 42 days of age.”

McEuen Park, Idaho: Look at those beautiful osplets – all three of them! I hope they are not scared off their nest today by fireworks!

Dear Soledad. Oh, how we do worry about you! So good to see how you are doing.

Ferris Akel found all of Big Red’s family last night at Cornell. The three fledglings are doing exceptionally well.

A short and lovely article about a man who bought 35 acres of land in Ireland and began to rewind it. There is hope as each of us does what we can to help our planet. Maybe in your garden it could start with a single plant to help bees or butterflies.

‘The-result-was-amazing-one-mans-mission-to-reforest-a-barren-Irish-hillside-Rewilding-The-GuDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. Be kind to yourself. Take care and see you soon!

Thank you to everyone for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me create my blog today: ‘A’, Border Ospreys, PSEG, MN-Landscape Arboretum Osprey nest, Newfoundland Power Company, Sunnie Day and Crooked Lake Ospreys, Collins Marsh, Cowlitz PUD, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys, Lipka Osprey Nest, the Ramucka Forest Ospreys, Bywyd Gwywwd Glaslyn, Rutland O, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Severna Park, Forsythe ospreys, McEuen Park, SK Hideaways and SJCH Falcon Cam, Ferris Akel Live Stream, and The Guardian.

Saturday in Bird World

1 July 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is Canada Day.

Friday was tough. A GHO wiped out a nest of 37-34 day old osplets at Moraine Park, PA, beginning around 0135. What a tragedy. These three were doing fantastic. When the totals come in for the season, how high will the percentage be for predation by raptors? It hit me hard…because I enter those deaths three times: here in the blog, on the Memorial Wall, and in the data forms. I am ‘sick and tired’ of entering ‘Died’. To top it off, a feral cat took one of the baby Blue Jays that got too low…Not a good morning so I cannot promise you that this blog will be even intelligent today! Apologies beforehand.

Other good news…The Tom and Angel mugs arrived today and they are cute and super. Coffee in them tonight! Thanks Windows to Wildlife for the fundraiser to upgrade your camera for this beautiful RTH family in Tennessee. Tom brought Deyani a lovely meal today. She must perch and watch for the adults to fly in with prey. Deyani was hot on Dad’s heels.

The other good news is that two other things arrived in the post. One were some new window markers. With the fledgling Blue Jays it is not too soon- and all the fledgling sparrows and now little Crows – to redo all the squiggles. Remember to always put the decals and do the window painting on the OUTSIDE – not the inside of the windows. The other was David Gessner’s new book, A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World. Gessner inspired me by his early books on Ospreys along the Cape and to travel to Cuba to see the Osprey migration over the mountains in September which I hope to do soon.

The really good news is that Mini did eat – and she is not being so aggressive today. Hunger can change a chick’s behaviour. If they think they are dying they have nothing to lose if they attack to test their chances. Mini even wound up with a crop today. That was a fantastic lift to the spirits!

‘R’ sent me a running list of events at Patchogue for which I am terribly grateful. It was a busy day today and I could not keep up. Please read this carefully there are a couple of surprises in there.

“Here is what has happened so far today. 0556 – Mini working on scrapes. 0627- 0638- Mum pulls out a large chunk of fish and feeds Mini over 100 bites! Nothing left for the Bigs. 0853-0857 – Mini and 3 are fed by Mum. Both get equal portions. 1201 – large fish delivered but Mum sits on perch while Bigs eat the whole fish.  Nothing for Mini. Despite this she has a nice crop in the afternoon. 1549 – Big stands up and has been laying on a large fish!  Can’t find when it was delivered, but Mini gets nothing, nor do 2 or 3.1606 – Bigs eating away. Mini watches. 1728 – Dad delivers another fish. Mini and 3 watching as 1 and 2 gorge themselves!” Now follow the images below and see what happens at 1741. Thanks so much, ‘R’ – so grateful for your eyes on this nest.

Mini has a crop at 0950.

1015. Mini eating. Mini is on the right side of Mum and had a good 14 minute feed.

1137: Nice crop.

1233. Big got the next fish. Mini did not get any.

‘3’ got the 1738ish fish. Mini would like some fish.

‘R’ reports: “1741.  Mini eating from tail of large fish while 2 eats from head. Still going strong at 1756!  Sneaky!” That is so brilliant of our Little Mini.

The other good news is that with the sibling rivalry happening in the Borders nest, Juno, the female, took matters into her own hands and went. fishing. Read this blog post. It will give you a smile because now there is hope that the third hatch will survive. Way to go Juno!

FAMINE-AND-FEAST-–-Border-OspreysDownload

Then Jackie and Shadow were up in Big Bear and that couple lives on hope..the failed seasons and then the beautiful eaglet, like Spirit. They make me happy and help the sad go away!!! This couple loses brood after brood to crows and DNH and yet they continue to love one another and are now at the nest waiting for the next season. Let us all hope it is a good one for them!

‘MP’ wrote to me about the MN Landscape Arboretum nest and the band on the male. We could tell a certain alphanumeric. ‘MP’ went on to find this information. “Black MS – was banded in 2002 at the nest off of Kings Point Road just north of HWY 7 and Carver Park Reserve in Hennepin County.” The only other possibilities were bands with combinations of green and black so it appears that the male at this nest is 21 years old. Is this a new female? I wish we knew more. As a male he would certainly know what to do after surviving for more than two decades —- that just makes me happy and washes some of the sadness of the day away. Thank you ‘MP’.

Mum has fed and shaded the little one better today. The grassy materials brought in are not flying away either but hardly any sticks are staying on the nest. This couple needs a pile of nesting material! But, just seeing this chick alive today is good. Very good.

Twin Cities Metro was really happy with the National Arboretum nest today too, so she went to check on another nest. Please read it all..you will recognise yourself in that post.

Our ‘not so little’ Cowlitz chick is doing well. Please, please let those metal grids hold so that this nest is not attacked by the eagles and this baby taken. If this works, every nest should put up similar grids. We would then not lose 3 precious babies to a GHO at Moraine, or at Lake Murray…well, I could go on and on.

Geemeff wonders if ospreys can have a brain freeze? Do birds go crazy? or have fogs? What is up with Elen when she repeatedly attacks Aran at Glaslyn? I am bewildered by it all. Aran was just sitting on the perch minding his own business.

I am so upset with Patuxent River Park that has the osprey nests. These are the reasons that I will not promote this nest at all in any of my blogs next year and I urge people to boycott their streaming cam.

First, Patuxent nest 2 was the site of tourist boat encroaching in the area of the nest that left the adult birds stressed and away from the chicks for several hours. Then the third hatch on Patuxent 1 was ill (lack of food?) and placed in another nest where it died the following day. Now why was this chick not taken to rehab and then returned to a nest – either its own or another? That was 1 June. The chick died on June 2.

But this is really getting to me. Yesterday, nest 1 received a foster chick from a nearby tower with its Darvic ring and metal band. Today, they ringed the two chicks from nest 1 – Big and Middle. The individuals retrieving the chicks out of the nest did not cover them with anything. Instead – well, you can see the images but because the chicks were stressed, their bodies were ‘yanked’. If the chicks had been covered with a cloth, they could have been removed easily. We have seen this many times – at Barnegat Light recently and at Dale Hollow when DH18 was rescued. Oh, but that wasn’t all – the bangers caused the forced fledge of the foster chick.

Removing second chick for ringing. Why not a towel to cover them so they are not frightened? And ouch! Geez. I don’t want anyone grabbing me like that.

At the end of the ringing, as is customary, no fish were placed on the nest. Seriously they can probably hear me screaming in Maryland.

Foster chick returned wet. I am sure that you can come to your own conclusions but I prefer slow, kind, and compassionate when dealing with our raptors.

The female at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Osprey platform is a sweetie.

The Outer Banks is doing great….I wonder how many of these amazing nests have GHOs around?

Oyster Bay continues to thrive.

The WDNU Tower camin South Bend, Indiana, is back on line. This is the nest where two chicks died on the 14th of June for unknown reasons. Then the camera was taken offline so viewers did not see the dead bodies…they are now more incorporated into the nest and the third chick is thriving. It is the oldest and has been named Huey. This is wonderful news.

The two chicks at Island Beach, NJ have been banded by Ben Wurst. They are Red 24N and Red 25N. They are part of the RedBand Project which is “A citizen-science based banding and re-sighting project on Barnegat Bay that is menat to engage locals and visitors to the New Jersey coast in osprey management and conservation.”

It is worth posting what NJ is doing and why this project is so important. Here is the information from the website so that you can see how funding cuts can lead to citizen science.

Ospreys have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey. Over the past 40 years we have seen the population grow from only 53 pairs in 1973 to over 700 in 2022! Over that same time funding needed for their management has declined. Today their population is not in jeopardy of being extirpated as it was in the early 1970s. As funding is being directed towards species that are in decline, we move to utilize our citizen scientists and volunteers to help monitor and manage the population.

To help engage citizen scientists and for the first time in over 20 years, young ospreyshave been marked with an auxiliary band in New Jersey. The new band, which is a red anodized aluminum rivet band bears an alpha-numeric code. This allows birders, osprey watchers and wildlife photographers the ability to identify these individual birds by their bands — when they are alive!

This new project is being focused on ospreys that nest in the Barnegat Bay watershed from Point Pleasant south to Little Egg Harbor. The main goals of the project are to engage the public in osprey management and conservation along the Jersey Shore. At the same time, while collecting data from re-sightings, we will learn about their dispersal, foraging habits, site fidelity, migration routes, and their life span.

Project Redband

#4 Finland: All three accounted for – and doing well.

#3 Empty. Let us hope that there is a couple and chicks here in 2024.

#5 LS: Two chicks only. Doing fine.

Nest #3 in Finland appears so lonely after the Mum was killed and one chick died with the other two taken into care. Likewise South Cape May Meadows, lost the male and all three osplets during the extreme weather system that hung over the area. The camera is back on. No one home. No, I was wrong. ‘H’ tells me that Hera visited yesterday. It must be so sad for her – no mate, no chicks. Zeus has been missing since the storm and did not return like Duke at Barnegat Light.

‘H’ reports that all is well at FortisExshaw near Canmore, Alberta: “Another good day.  The older two chicks, (both aged 12 days on 6/30) have been climbing up to the edge of the nest cup and checking out the local landscape.  I observed two feedings.  Louise always makes sure that ‘Little’ gets fed (age 10 days).  There was a little bonking squabble between the three nestlings in the morning that appeared to have been started by Little.  There was no parent on the nest at the time.  When Louise landed, Little scooted right up to her and appeared to be explaining his innocence, lol.”

The following reports also come from ‘H’-

“Osoyoos:  The little chicks are doing well, ages 4 and 3 days on 6/30.  Egg #3 will be 37 days on 7/1.”

“Severna Park:  Lots of flapping going on, with a little lift!.  Ages 53 and 52 days on 6/30.”

“Dahlgren:  Those two Osplets are doing great, and they are practicing their wingers (especially ‘Big’).  Ages 43 and 39 days on 6/30”.

‘Forsythe:  Things have really settled down at this nest.  The fish are usually small, but they are plentiful.  There were 11 fish delivered to the nest.  The siblings are 39 and 38 days old on 6/30.”

“Barnegat Light:  Duke, Daisy, and their surviving chick are doing quite well.  I just can’t quite get some of the recent sadness out of my mind, and am still grateful that Duke was able to make it back after the storm.  We tend to take the adults for granted . . until one day they don’t return.  Oh, and Duke loves the new perch installed by Ben!  ‘Big’ is 30 days old on 6/30, and no name has been given to Big as yet.”

“Kent Island:  Tom continues to provide for his family and delivered five fish that I saw.  Tom and Audrey’s only chick is 18 days old, and lovin’ life on the Bay.”

“Audubon Boathouse:  Dory and Skiff’s 20 day old nestling is also lovin’ life on the Bay!”

Thanks, ‘H’. So grateful for your monitoring these nest and your daily reports!

Now what is happening in the world of storks?

The three storklets in the nest in Tukums, Latvia are growing so much they could become confused with the adults soon.

Karl II and Kaia are keeping close watch on their three storklets in Estonia.

The four storklets of Bety and Bukacek will definitely be ready for fledging and migration. They are big and strong.

Dmitri’s fostered storklet is doing wonderfully.

Checking on that nest of Imperial Eagles in Tartan Russia…both have survived, and they are getting so big.

There is so much prey on the nest of Golden eagles Lucina and Caliman in Romania. This chick is very lucky.

Ventana Wildlife has released the recording of the June 2023 Zoom chat on the state of California Condors. Have a listen.

Suzanne Arnold Horning found the Ms around the Cornell Campus Friday night. Gosh, she must have a ‘hawk eye’. They are doing fine and so very grateful for that protective curtain on that glass building and walkway that a few have hit and injured themselves or died. It is important that humans be pro-active in caring for our wildlife.

This is the latest update on the Sydney Sea Eagles from them but ‘A’ tells me that while Dad is flying he still seems to be unsteady on those legs:

There is also a worrisome update about Tuffy, the RTH in the Eagle’s nest. It sounds like the eagles are starting to think that Tuffy is prey.

The latest edition of the Journal of Raptor Research – volume 57, no 2, June 2023- is all about kestrels. I love them but know little about them. The stated fact is that there is a “widespread, long-term decline of American Kestrels that persists across North America” (152). The studies were attempting to discover the causes. They include an increase in Cooper’s Hawks, habitat loss, habit loss while nesting, the emergence of anthropods and grasshoppers, rodenticides, the use of neonicotinoids, and climate change. For my purposes, the study that Claudio and I and ‘H’ are conducting studies just Ospreys. The predation by other raptors is of real concern – more than twice the number of chicks killed by predators than siblicide. We will know after all the chicks have migrated, but it is becoming worrisome.

Want to see some nest repairs? Check out what is happening in the Kistachie Forest, home to the nest of Anna and Louis, Alex and Alexandria.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Today is Canada Day and the Fourth of July is coming up along with Bank Holidays and all other celebrations as summer begins so take care. I hope that you live in an enlightened community and are not having fireworks as they do so much damage and stress out the urban wildlife…See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, reports, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, Geemeff, MP, R’, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife, PSEG, Border Ospreys, FOBBV, MN Landscape Arboretum, Twin Cities Metro Osprey News, Cowlitz, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Patuxent River Part, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Outerbanks 24/7, WDNU, Island Beach, Project Redband, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Severna Park, Dahlgren, Forsythe, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Audubon/Explore, Latvian Fund for Nature, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlady Buky, Dmitri Storks, Imperial Eagle Cam, Bocina Wildlife, Ventana Wildlife, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Sydney Eagle Cam, Nor Cal Birding, Tonya Irving and the US Forest Services, and JRR.

Some Crazy Madness with a little sadness…Tuesday in Bird World

27 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is a hot and humid day on the Canadian Prairies. The Blue Jays were out early wanting peanuts and cool water in the bird bath. It is 26 C but feels much hotter and the heat means no visits to the nature centre today.

We need so much to be able to have a good laugh and today, as Geemeff said to me, we require some madness after all the sadness. We have it thanks to Louis, Dorcha, and a stick.

Now to start with some nests that are just a wee bit of a worry alongside a few that are simply tragic – Bridges Golf and MN Landscape. Many are thriving.

A video of a feeding Monday at Cowlitz PUD. ‘B’ and I are wondering why so few large fish are in this nest. A letter has gone out making enquiries and we are so grateful that a reply has come back from Amanda -Here it is, “Thank you for your interest in the OspreyCam. This nest is located on a slough off of the Columbia River. The male osprey could be fishing in the slough area and not in the river. There are quite a few bald eagles in the area that may be stealing their larger catches as well. Fish numbers appear to be average for this year in the area. On average there are normally 4-5 fish deliveries from sunrise to around 5pm and I observe at least one large fish during these feedings, in which the chick turns away from the food before the fish is gone.”

That is encouraging and shows that there is local interest in this nest. I have missed many of those feedings but the presence of the eagles is a problem. Let us hope that the protector screens help this year.

Nice feeding around 1745 at Cowlitz.

I am still cautiously optimistic about Mini. On Monday morning, Mini got right up by Mum and demanded to be heard and fed – and it was! Nice to see an expanding crop. Little Mini is growing; this time, Three is on the other side, and Mini is getting the fish. Talk about happiness. Because of the size of Big – Mini, it will need to be a little assertive and get itself up there, even if it is just a big feed first thing in the morning. Mini also has to demand that Mum feed it!

Our beautiful Mini next to its big sib…that has to be one big female! Look at those short stocky legs. Mini might well just be a little female. S/he loves to move sticks around.

Mini was feeding on a little bit of a scrap when a big fish came in…I found myself screaming at Mini to forget the scrap and get over to the big fish that Mum was feeding. ‘L’ reports that one of the big sibs took the scrap and Mini did get some of the end of the fish. Now, Mini. Next time get up to the table.

‘L’ sent me a screen capture of Mini pulling hard on that tough fish, just like Mum. Thanks, ‘L’.

Mini reminds me of Dyson. S he is finding nestovers in the twigs and eating them. A survivor.

There is no nest cup at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the Big chick, the first hatch, died overnight of exposure. Mum is trying to brood the Middle chick. The youngest died of exposure and getting caught in the corner on Sunday. Perhaps the individuals at the site could provide nesting material for them! This nest is pitiful. I note that many do restorations at sites and put in new material. Some groups even provide nice railings for the ospreys.

I have no doubt that the third chick will perish also. The parents are not feeding them! Nor did they provide adequate nesting material and care. Must be young and very inexperienced. So sad.

A nice big fish lands on the Bridges Golf Club – quite a surprise but this nest probably had issues with the storm that caused all the deaths at the end of last week – the big ones will not let three eat!

The Middle chick was unrelenting in its killing of Little even though the little one made no move to eat. At 1206 on 26 June, it appears this poor babe finally passed.

The Bridges Golf Club should stock ponds for the Ospreys if there is not enough fish. it is time we help the wildlife.

So those are our worrisome or ‘serious’ problem nests in the US that I am watching. Hopefully, those that were in trouble will calm down but there is a system of thunderstorms heading to the NE. I hope it is a fast moving storm.

Heading to the UK, they are banding the two chicks of Idris and Telyn at Dyfi Monday evening. It is over. Telyn is back at the nest right after the ringers leave..and it looks like another record set. A colossal female broke nest records weighing in at 1910 grams, with the second, a lovely male, at 1515 grams. Wow. Speculation is high that if the ringing occurred on Tuesday, the female would weigh a kilo!

Loch Arkaig Nest 1 – Louis’s old nest with Lila has a love triangle. Have you been watching? Geemeff brings us up to date! “All three members of the love triangle turned up on Nest One yesterday within 15 minutes – but it does seem as if Garry (Blue LV0 newly named after his natal nest at Loch Garry) has the upper hand, as Prince left the nest in a hurry when he saw Garry approaching. Affric (named after her natal nest at Glen Affric) arrived around the same time as Prince, already clutching a fish. Did he give it to her, or was it Garry? all eyes on that nest to watch the saga unfold – our very own soap opera ‘Lochenders’ “.

Oops. Out of order but…nevermind. It is fun. The storklets from Belarus are so full after a good meal they are in a frog and fish coma.

Foulshaw Moss chicks are growing and Big Bob – OK, this is a female, right? – is wingercizing.

Glaslyn: All is fantastic. Aran brings so much fish. The chicks are full and Elen is eating.

Just look at that beautiful nest of CJ7 and Blue 022. And the fish that arrive. Thriving chicks.

I am on a bit of a soapbox today about nests after seeing that Minnesota Arboretum specimen of something and Osoyoos….seriously there are no twigs that could be tossed up there. Look at Poole Harbour, and now look at Llyn Clywedog. If there are so many ospreys in the US and so few trees, then people – humans – need to help out. We did after all destroy their habitat. So, let us see if we can all work to get the nests cleaned out after the breeding season and stocked with nice nesting material.

Two beautiful boys ringed on the 24th.

Llyn Brenig is doing great. Lots of nice feathers on those two chicks. Also, another nice nest!

The chicks at Loch Garten had so much fish on Monday that they weren’t even interested sometimes. More fun to move sticks!

The beautiful day turned to rain at Loch Arkaig. Lots of fish. Louis is an excellent provider.

Look at that adoring look Louis gives to his chick.

All is good at the Loch of the Lowes. Blue NC0 with her two beautiful chicks.

Threave Castle: This is the home of Black 80. He is the 2006 male hatch of Mrs G and 11 (98). Talk about good DNA. This is the second year that he and his mate have raised four chicks. Today, this second group of four osplets and they were ringed today, Monday 26 June. Hopefully more information will be released tomorrow.

Sometimes when I get very upset, I remind myself that we want the strong osplets, the ones with really good DNA to survive. Mrs G and both her partners, 11 (98) and Aran provided just that. I am also fond of White YW (2008), also a male of Mrs G and 11 (98) who heads up the family at Foulshaw Moss and consistently raises successful broods.

SSEN Alyth: Seven fish were delivered to the nest today. I imagine what seven nice fish would do for a few of the struggling nests in the US! Three nicely feathered almost ready to fledge osplets.

The portrait of the surviving family members at Barnegat Light – Duke, Daisy, and Big. Duke is 17 years old…I am so glad he is home safe.

At 1455 Daisy tried to move the dead osplet and doing so prompted the Big one to think it was food. I believe she was going to take it off the nest but it is too big or is stuck. Sad. Perhaps she will bury it in the nest.

‘H’ reports that there were 8 fish brought to Barnegat Light on Monday. Heidi adds nothing the attempt to move Middle, “Daisy seemed to be intent on flying off with Middle’s body a couple of times, but it must be too heavy. Then she tried to cover Middle with moss.  So, the body is a sad reminder.  But, they are at least a family of three.  And we are thankful that Duke returned.  We won’t forget Middle and Little . . they enriched our lives.” The sadness of the storm just continues giving to these families as they continue to cope with their daily lives and mourn their dead.

Fortis Exshaw: ‘H’ reports “There were at least three large fish deliveries that I saw, and Louise stashed the leftovers for additional meals.  Due to the deep nest cup, it is difficult to see if all are getting fed, but all of the Osplets appear to be thriving.  The older two, that hatched on the same day, participate in little bonking battles at off meal times, but they seem well behaved during feedings (from what I can see).”

Dahlgren: ‘H’: “There were at least 6 fish delivered by Jack.  This nest remains quite tranquil.  Both Osplets are doing wingers, especially ‘Big’, and Big is practicing self feeding. They are 39 and 35 days old.”

Kent Island: ‘H’ notes, “The early days of family life were a bit worrisome, but Audrey and (new) Tom are doing great.  It seems that the little one’s crop is almost always full . .14 days old on 6/26.”

Audubon Boathouse: ‘H’ notes that life for the only Bob is rather “idyllic”.

‘H’ reminds us that fledge watch could be coming in about a week at Severna Park. Both of those osplets are doing well after a very rocky start.

The three at the Boulder Country Fairgrounds nest are hot today. Mom is doing a really good job covering them. The little one also had some fish. So things are alright on this nest.

Little Bob at the Boulder Fair Grounds looks like he swallowed an egg he is so full. He will have sweet osplet dreams tonight.

Great Bay: Started as a good day, and the wind and rain are showing up Monday night.

Outer Banks: All is well at the nest of Betsy and Frederick and their three beautifully feathered osplets.

Seaside: It is all good. I think they might have had salmon today.

Collins Marsh: Rainy day. Mum trying to cover the two surviving osplets. They are getting their feathers. but both look ‘thin’.

McEuen Park: Three gorgeous healthy osplets.

Forsythe: ‘H’ reports: That Big started out being very aggressive towards Middle first thing in the morning. She notes that this has become a pattern since the storms and then Big settles down later. Oscar delivers lots of fish – no fewer than 10 yesterday although some were small. Send good wishes. That storm really caused ‘mental health issues’ with these chicks in the nests.

Finnish Osprey Nest #1: All three osplets hungry for breakfast and doing well.

Finnish Osprey Nest #4: All three are fine.

Finnish Osprey Nest #LS5: Beautiful morning for the two chicks.

Urdaibai: All three big osplets are doing fantastic.

Deyani continues to return to the nest in Tennessee. ‘A’ writes, “Deyani is doing so well, returning frequently to the nest and showing real skills with her flying and self-feeding and generally acting like a big girl now. I love that she’s sleeping perched next to mum. I love that mum is still no doubt preening her hawklet. She just loved preening Deyani, and I bet she still does if she gets the chance. She came in today around 12:12, played with a stick for a while, flew off, returned about an hour later, then stayed until 3pm, pancaking for a while and doing some preening. Angel arrives with a small morsel at 12:13:26 but we can’t see what it is because of Deyani’s mantling. PLEASE tell me if you have ever seen another hawk do that quivering thing when mantling. I haven’t seen it before. Deyani is the only bird I’ve ever seen mantle like that. Anyway, she has been fed – something, today.”

The big storm that is heading eastward hit the Cornell campus. The Ms are drenched but safe. Two of them are on the end of the nest light tower and the third is on the tower next to the nest. Aw..poor babies.

Whew! That isn’t nearly all of the nests but a quick check on those doing great with a little commentary on the worrisome ones.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care and remember to put out bowls of water. The birds and other wildlife will thank you.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, and streaming cams that helped to create my blog today: ‘B, Geemeff, H, L, T’, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Cowlitz PUD, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Bridges Golf Club, Dyfi Ospreys, Belarus Stork cam, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour ospreys, CarnyXWild, Llyn Brenig, RSPB Loch Garten, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, LOTL, Threave Castle, SSEN Alyth, Conserve Wildlife F of NJ, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys, Great Bay Ospreys, Outer banks 24/7, Seaside Ospreys, Collins Marsh, McEuen Park, Forsythe Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Dahlgren Ospreys, Kent Island, Audubon Boathouse, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Urdaibai Biosphere, Window to Wildlife, and Cornell RTH.

Some good news…Monday in Bird World

26 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for your wonderful notes and your cheerful suggestions on what you do when you feel stressed. Gosh, what a wonderful ‘Bird Family’ I have! so caring and compassionate. ‘M’, I will watch those sparrows netting under the Ospreys at Patchogue! Every time I get mad at Big for raising its head when Mini has a chance to eat I promise I will seek those birds out!

There is some good news coming in from Sunday. I have already posted it but everyone is so thrilled that Duke has returned to Daisy at Barnegat Light. Gone a little over 72 hours. Not sure if he has eaten. Duke looks thin and was interested in Daisy’s fish. Daisy has done magnificently as a single Mum for a few days despite losing two of three chicks…she could ahve lost them all. It is sad to see a big healthy Middle, a fat little osplet, on the nest dead. What a few days it has been in osprey World.

Happiness is a walk around a duck pond or through the forest when the sun is warm on your face and at every turn there is a new surprise. Today it was in the form of little ducklings and goslings and all the birds enjoying the bird bath or the fledgling Blue Jays trying to crack a peanut so that it is the right size to eat.

The Canada Geese or moulting. There will be feathers all over the area around the pond for the next 4-6 weeks. T hey undergo an entire moult and cannot fly during this time.

This lucky family had five goslings. Dad was behind being security guard.

A juvenile Mallard.

Proud Mum had several of those little fuzzy duckling juveniles.

Coming home, the fledgling blue Jays were having a wonderful time in the bird bath!

Our top tip of the day comes form Amy Tan and it is great advice – costing around $1-$5 – to keep birds from colliding with windows and being injured or dying.

Now see the spider webs.

For the first time, Ospreys are breeding in an area of Germany where there were none! The ringing of the beautiful osplets today. Talk about happiness.

https://fb.watch/lohgZHspZq/

It is only 1515 at the Barnegat Light nest of Daisy and Big Bob. Daisy has already brought in four fish on Sunday. Big is eating well and Daisy is eating, too. They will be fine unless another catastrophic event happens. Daisy adjusted quickly to being a single Mum providing for the nest – the weather did not cooperate but she will get to raise one healthy chick to fledge, hopefully.

Daisy protecting her only surviving osplet. Big is 26 days old today.

Well, of course, the good news is that Duke has returned to Daisy and their nest. He looks thin. He was gone over 72 hours.

‘H’ notes that Daisy hid the body of Middle on Duke’s arrival. Poor Mum. She did her best and we have no idea what Dad went through…just glad they are together with one chick. ‘H’ also confirms that Duke did steal the fish that Daisy had but went fishing and brought another one in for the family. Poor guy. He was so hungry. Wonder where he had been?

The other great news is that Little Mini at Patchogue lucked out and had two good meals so far on Sunday. The first was at the crack of dawn at 0500 and the second came at 13:28. Little Mini ate the entire fish! No one else was interested. This is what will save our Mini…and it is Sunday. So good going!

Oh, thank goodness. Mini got a little more fish from the 1707 delivery. How much before the big ones come to the table…well, unknown. Mini is so hungry it is not leaving the table but is increasingly intimidated by the bigger siblings.

Mini stays and starts getting fed again at 1812. What a relief. Nope. The Bigs come back! Mini needs to grab that fish. Mum offers and he keeps his head down.

Mini has a tiny mini crop.

Mini did really well Monday morning. Right up there with Three eating! This is a really good break through for our wee one who is getting so many feathers it is hard to tell 4 from 3.

Thanks Stephen for this great photo of another survivor at South Bend.

Continuing to be grateful to the Finnish Osprey Foundation for removing the surviving chicks from nest 3 for care.

At the Forsythe Nest, ‘H’ confirms that Oscar brought in 13 fish on Sunday. Big was extremely aggressive and almost pushed Middle over the edge. That aggression died down a bit and Middle did eat. Let us hope that this all stops. Big is 34 days old and Middle is 33.

Osoyoos: ‘H’ was then that called the pip! Sunday 23:21. Oh, I hope this nest has a good year without the heat domes of past.

Boulder County Fair Grounds is sometimes not an easy nest to watch. There is plenty of fish but Little sometimes appears to get shut out. It had a couple of reasonable feeds by 1600 on Sunday.

Cowlitz PUD: Did not see any fish deliveries up to and including 1330 nest time. Where are the fish?

Seaside: Those two chicks are really growing! Would love to ship the Cowlitz baby over to them some days!

RVA Ospreys, James River: Two Ospreys on the nest on Sunday. No clutch this year. Maybe next.

Great Bay Ospreys: LOTS of fish. Some dominance issues with the Big sibling but the second hatch got some fish!

Moraine Preservation Fund: Trio are doing well and this is a nest where the Dad steps up to feed the chicks! We need more of that wired into their system!

Outerbanks 24/7: Chicks are well fed. Betsy flew off with a fish at 1431 when kayakers came too close to the nest. The osplets pancaked. There need to be barriers around the nests and notices to people in boats, motorised or not.

Oyster Bay: Everything is good.

Maryland Western Shore for Old Town: Fantastic day!

The Bridge Golf Club Ospreys, Noyack, NY: Trio on the nest. Larger two siblings will not let the very tiny third hatch eat. To be fair, the second hatch is quite thin and the little one is so tiny and so hungry. This nest is not thriving.

Sandpoint: Chick hatched on 22 June. Eating well.

Cape Henlopen: No ospreys and the Black Vultures have come to use it as a spot to rest and scope out the area.

White Stork Nest, Tukums, Latvia: Since the rain this nest has been doing fantastic. Storklets growing and appear to be very healthy.

The construction of the new nest for Martin and Rose is now finished. Thank you Window to Wildlife. Pi and Pat were apparently watching from a distance. It is approximately 6 ‘ x 3’.

‘A’ is worried about some events at the nest of Angel and Tom and Deyani. She writes, “at Angel’s nest, there was no food brought to Deyani today (Sunday). She visited the nest several times during the day, attacked the nest a little, pancaked for an afternoon rest for a while, but left late in the afternoon and did not return. There were early evening storms in the area, and about an hour ago, there was very heavy rain and thunder. Then, about 15 or 20 minutes ago, and once more as I type this, there were several shots fired. They were about 30 seconds or so apart and there were three or four of them. Then, as I said, about a minute ago, another shot rang out. It was pitch dark when the first shot was heard. They were fairly close to the microphone (which is in a tree at least 100 metres from the nest). I have no idea what anyone would be shooting at out there in the dark, but I sure hope it’s not Angel. The others would not be visible to a shooter. I am presuming all is okay, but it’s always worrying. Deyani is unlikely to be starving, and could easily have been fed off-nest today, but we will see what happens tomorrow. She is a strong flyer and seems able to manoeuvre around the trees well, so I am fairly confident she will be fine.” Lamping is the term for hunting at night with lights. I really hope that nothing untoward has happened to anyone in our hawk family. This is one reason the location of nests is often not disclosed. — Angel is sleeping on a branch Sunday night so is OK.

Window to Wildlife has a fundraiser to upgrade Angel’s camera for next year. Information is under the streaming cam above the live chat. There are lots of worthy fundraisers out there….

In the mailbox: ‘D’ shares a photo from her holidays. An osprey nest above a Go-Kart track in a busy shopping mall in North Carolina. She was surprised that the ospreys were not bothered by all the humans and the noise and adds that when asked the people at the mall and track said that the osprey return every year.

Ospreys have had to adapt based on humans taking over their natural habitats and cutting down dead trees. Ospreys prefer the top of a dead tree with a clear view in every direction. This differs from eagles that like to build their nest on the tops of conifer trees. Both have suffered good nesting sites due to our increasing demand for land, and artificial nests and platforms are being constructed in almost every country. Living around humans is a high cost compared to a nice site near a lake. “The Ospreys’ ability to adapt to and prosper within urban and suburban areas, combined with their recent reproductive success and thriving populations, has resulted in conflicts between Ospreys and the electric utility, communication, and transportation (e.g., aviation) industries. Human–Osprey conflicts vary widely in scope and scale, ranging from minor conflicts, such as an individual Osprey nest built on a human-made structure (e.g., cellular tower), to major problems, such as local populations of Ospreys directly or indirectly impacting human safety near civilian airports and military airfields through nesting and movement activities. Creative, mutually beneficial management and mitigation practices for both people and Ospreys are needed to allow for the successful coexistence of Ospreys and humans, especially in landscapes highly altered by humans.” Here is the full article from the Journal of Raptor Research:

JRR-OSPR-13-04.1Download

Thank you so much for being with me. I hope to cover more of the international Osprey nests tomorrow and in particular, the UK ones where ringing is taking place. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to everyone that sent notes, videos, tweets, posts, and operated streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A, D, H, M, T’, Amy Tan and Nor Cal Birding, Gregarious Joris Toonen and Ospreys, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, PSEG, Stephen M Basly, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside Ospreys, RVa Ospreys, Great Bay Ospreys, Moraine Preservation Fund, Outerbanks 24/7, Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home, Bridge Golf Club, Sandpoint Ospreys, Cape Henlopen State Park, Latvian Fund for Nature, Window to Wildlife, Forsythe Ospreys, Osoyoos Ospreys, and the RRP.

Rescue at Finnish Osprey Nest #3

25 June 2023

My faith in humanity just rose.

The Finnish Osprey Foundation sent a team out to Nest #3. The female has been missing and presumed dead for several days. The male continued his duty of bringing fish to the nest – fish stacked up so high but osplets too young to self feed.

The osplets and many of the fish were removed Sunday. The camera was shut down at 10:48. The youngest had died. The two older will go for care and we hope that they survive. They are young and it is difficult circumstances.

Thank you Finnish Osprey Foundation!