Category Archives: fireworks

Monday in Bird World

7 July 2025

Hello Everyone,

Before Ervie. The morning starts with some great saddness at Rutland Water. 3R6 is one of this year’s fledglings.

Posted on Rutland Ospreys FaceBook 7 July 2025:

We thank you for all your kind messages this morning at this difficult time. We wanted to share the timeline of events as it occurred last night (6 July 2025). At 21.31 we see 3R6 take off from the nest and shortly afterwards there is a splash and we see both Maya and 3R8 look towards that direction. At 21.41, with both 3R5 and 3R8 on the nest, we then see Maya take off from the perch and do a fly around the nest. At this point we see 3R6 in the water, making his way towards the shore. The decision was made to not intervene last night due to the challenging conditions and not wanting to disturb the other Osprey, particularly 3R8 who has yet to fledge. We checked at first light and subsequently Tim Mackrill sadly found 3R6 deceased on the shoreline with a wound on its left side below the neck. We are trying to organise a post-mortem to see exactly what might have happened.

Fledge at Loch Doon.

I want to start with Ervie. What a character. He paid the WBSE a visit!

Port Lincoln wrote: “

That wasn’t Ervie’s only adventure. He went and landed on Bradley’s ‘nest’ the other day! Bradley sent him packing. Ervie you need a nest and a girlfriend.

rvieErvie was also sighted at Delamere!!!!!!! He sure is making the rounds.

We had a glorious Saturday. The temperatures dropped a tad. There were blue skies and a wonderful breeze. Several weeks ago, when we were out at Pineridge, we visited one of the Farmer’s Market stalls, Oak Knoll Farms. The flowers were lovely, the eggs delicious. So, around midnight Friday, I looked them up and discovered that I could order berries, eggs, herbs, lettuces, all manner of in-season vegetables, along with fresh flowers. So I did! Toby jumped in his carrier and along with Don away we went to pick everything up. The young woman was fixing the bouquet and then heading out to pick our gallon of strawberries, so we got to wander around the property. We met the hens who had laid the eggs. They have a movable house that is changed three to four times a day. There are goats and pigs, an orchard, a beautiful old red barn, and a large field of strawberries and Hyskap. It was magical.

I am quite sick of living in the city – it was so quiet walking around that acerage.

Now, back to the birds!

‘PS’ sends the report from Seattle: “A good, and very interesting/thrilling Sunday. For one, saw dad twice in the span of ~90 minutes, each time with a Coho salmon, which mom and both nestlings devoured quickly. Also, on the second visit, dad came home to an empty nest because mom had just taken flight to intercept another Osprey that had wandered a bit too close! They cartwheeled through the air fairly close by and I grabbed what photos I could (none are great – birds in flight are so hard! – but they give the sense of the chase well enough) over the span of a few minutes before the intruder turned tail. Mom was very tenacious and watching her defend her nesting space was quite moving. She then came back to the nest, gave an angry call or three (seemed like she was still pretty charged up, understandably so!), and started feeding everyone the fresh fish. Couple pics here, rest in the album (https://www.flickr.com/gp/193514804@N08/w4u512hZe5). 

So good to see the family still doing well – the youngsters took turns flexing their wings here and there too. With some gusts of wind I bet they could feel some lift! “

Let’s start with a good thing – the first two osplets have hatched in East Anglia in centuries. Think about that. It could be the Virginia or Delaware coasts or Maryland or New Jersey — the first osprey couple to breed and raise chicks. Congratulations East Anglia! The Norfolk Wildlife Trust introduces these rock stars to us! The author of the article says, “We can confirm that an osprey pair has successfully hatched at least two chicks at NWT Ranworth Broad and Marshes, making the nature reserve the first known site in the region to make a home for breeding osprey in hundreds of years.”

First ospreys breed in East Anglia for centuries _ Norfolk Wildlife TrustDownload

I’ve included one of the recent comments here at the beginning of our discussions about what’s happening in Bird World. The type of empathy and kindness shown by this other species to the Dewey Beach osprey is what humans should strive to emulate. The comment by micpark reads: “The osprey who died at Dewey Beach was not alone, a faithful sparrow was with her and at one point showed his guarding stance of wings out and chirping at a likely intruder. He stayed with the young osprey through the end, and even when mom returned. His family lives beneath the nest, but he didn’t have to stay on top with her, but he did.”

Isn’t that beautiful?

Concerns about fireworks amongst those empathetic with the other living souls we share our planet with could be heard around the world and yet, there were still places that insisted that Canada Day or the Fourth of July would not be the same without them. ‘B’ sent us some articles that cement the fact that fireworks are simply destructive to both wildlife and people. Please have a read. Educate yourself and if you live somewhere that insists on burning up money, then arm yourself with the facts and get a discussion going before the next event takes place. Who knows. You could be the person to stop this practice in your town or city.

You may well have already seen this, but just in case not, I wanted to make sure you saw that there was a brief article today on the NY Times website on “The effects of fireworks on animals and people”.  It is good to see this issue getting visibility in such a prominent place.

Within that article there is a link to the abstract and bibliography of an extensive scientific article on “short and long term impacts of fireworks on the environment”.  

https://www.publish.csiro.au/PC/PC22040

Here is a link to the full text of this latter article:

https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/Fulltext/PC22040

Jackie and Shadow leaving their roost when the celebrations begin. https://youtu.be/YhUuytvPAZw?

The fledglings at San Jose City Hall were decidedly disturbed by illegal fireworks! https://youtu.be/0f7l5wJH7Es?

Not only falcons or eagles that were disturbed, my inbox was filled with notes from you telling me about your pets hiding under the beds or getting so anxious they ran around the house not being able to settle.

Speaking of fledglings, Betty Lou made a surprise visit to the nest at Sauces Canyon (I think it was Thursday).

Concern was growing on Friday when the fourth hatch at the Coeur d’Alene nest in Idaho was continually attacked. The neck was bleeding on the right side, and the little one had little to no fish for two days. The first hatch is a large female, and she is vicious. She reminds me of Zoe from Port Lincoln. Chick 3 also had a go at 4. If they were ever measured, I presume that chick 2 is a male or a rather intelligent female who stays out of the way. Then a small miracle happened. A fish came in, and little 4 got some fish and had a crop. But was it enough, and how damaged are its organs from not having any hydration for two days?

Before the feeding. I could not believe 4 had enough strength to stand up.

Older ones are preening later. They are huge. Little 4 in the back. I wonder if it will survive the night.

Mum knew there would be a late fish. It came, and it was a big one. Mum fed fast, and the feeding lasted a long time. Little four was there, but the big ones hovered over it and ate, shoving its body until it moved away. When they were full, there was still fish left, but four of them didn’t seem to get up there in a way that allowed them to get any food. This chick lacked the aggression of Tiny Tot Tumbles at Achieva, which had lived and proved to be a formidable female, protecting the nest when it was four months old with its dad, Jack. (Mum Diane had already left.)

Still feeding fast and still fish, but none for the little fourth hatch. It is understood that nests with four chicks struggle. Dunrovin is doing alright. A giant fish came in! And I do mean huge. All of the chicks that went down the crib rails were lucky to be rescued. These four will most likely live to fledge. Sadly, it doesn’t look like this Idaho baby will.

And then something happened. A big fish came in. The big ones are either full or still asleep (no rewind) and little four is right up there. It ate a good third of a large fish before being usurped by the bigger ones. Little four – maybe you will grow big enough and confident enough to win this battle.

It looks like 4 had some fish while we were away on Saturday. Not sure how much but looking a little perkier than yesterday.

I didn’t stare at the camera but baby 4 at Coeur de’Alene did get some fish, finally, after being attacked and losing feathers. It was #3 that did the attacking. Does that osplet worry that it will be next if it doesn’t get rid of #4?

It is around 2039 at the nest, and everyone appears to be anticipating the arrival of the last fish of the day. Four looks good – up close to Mum with its head up, not slumped in the corner. Let us hope that we have come out of a few bad days to civility here.

Cape Henlopen: It looked like a pretty good day for the two chicks.

Usk Valley: Only Bob gets ringed! This chick is the first to be ringed in the USK Valley in 250 years,

RINGING THE CHICK — Usk Valley OspreysDownload

Cumbria Wildlife Trust Nest 2: Team parenting skills on nest two! 💪

It’s fairly unusual (but not unheard of) to see male ospreys feeding their chicks. Mum usually takes on that role, and dad does the fishing. In this case, dad Blue 476 is passing food over to mum Blue 717 to feed their remaining chick.

Here’s some more insight from our osprey volunteer, Jenny:

‘476 has done this a few times and 717 seems to accept his help. He started off tentatively when there were three chicks on the nest a while ago. It was fascinating to watch as he was uncertain as to what to do and seemed to be more comfortable feeding fish to mum, who then fed the chicks. They continued like this after this short clip until the fish was gone and little chick was well fed.’

It’s so interesting being able to compare the two #FoulshawOsprey families this year! Really hoping they both”

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch ArkaigSunday 6th July 2025
The weather brightened up as promised this afternoon, and will remain dry overnight, partly cloudy with light winds and a low of 10

°C while tomorrow will have sunny intervals until early evening when full sunshine is forecast, with light breezes and a high of 17°C. Louis brought six fish to the nest today, taking his tally to two hundred and seventy. Most of those six fish were tiddler size, leading to fighting between the two chicks, but by evening everyone had fed well and settled down peaceably as darkness fell. There was also a bit of fish-related aggro over on Nest One – Aurora 536 was not happy when Garry LV0 arrived with twigs instead of fish and showed her annoyance by nipping him. He subsequently delivered two fish to her on the nest, whether as a consequence of the nip is unknown, and his tally rises to one hundred and twelve. The naming contest for the chicks closed at noon today and the outcome of the jury vote will be announced tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.41.26 (03.32.07); Nest Two 23.39.05 (03.45.32)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/TLoFjPHNwr4 N2 Breakfast arrives but it’s not very substantial 06.41.40

https://youtu.be/_dGg8oRAi00 N1 Aurora nips Garry when he arrives without fish 09.49.38

https://youtu.be/5Eh9bU7MLQ0 N1 Aurora’s long wait pays off as Garry brings a fish 14.33.04

https://youtu.be/SVcLcZO-MTg N2 Fish number two is so small the chicks fight each other 17.06.14

https://youtu.be/HpveXUQNg-E N2 Fish number three is big enough for everybody to share 17.40.31

https://youtu.be/7WU8lpATAbk N2 Fish number four is the third tiddler today, barely a  mouthful each 18.12.49

https://youtu.be/U4xuBTHaYncN2 Chick 7P7 gets all of tiny fish five 20.03.01

https://youtu.be/xdElscDq9L8 N1 Garry brings a second fish for Aurora 21.34.58

https://youtu.be/d3_BfLEkRhQ N2 Louis delivers a sixth fish, a small – medium trout 21.40.34
Bonus watch – check out Woodland Trust’s official highlights of the season to date:

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:
https://youtu.be/7KRmCdBb43o  N1 Aila steals the tail from her chick JJ0 2019

https://youtu.be/IJbN78plGes  N1 Aila brings an awkward stick and departs leaving the chicks to deal with it 2020

https://youtu.be/GPP6BnMS860 N1 Louis brings fish but everyone’s full 2020

https://youtu.be/DsSnlV5Rboo  N1 Tiny tiddler fish number seven arrives looking surprised 2020

https://youtu.be/TN3x2Q7o6-0  N2 Louis is bemused Dorcha’s not there to get the fish 2022

https://youtu.be/2lrzmpxBxeY  N2 Deep breath moment as the chick wingercises in strong wind 2023

https://youtu.be/vItPqUHe7oQ N1 Garry keeps trying his luck, more fish needed! 2023

https://youtu.be/CNrwPRe0qX4 N2 Louis brings a live mackerel 2023

https://youtu.be/fKAlAJUJQ0Y N2 Dyson & Henry arrive but there aren’t any scraps for them 2024

https://youtu.be/yCVDmwY87Ic N2 Dorcha pays a late evening visit and calls to no avail 2024

Geemeff’s  Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 5th July 2025

Another calm day where not much happened – the wet weather eased off this afternoon in a happy change to the forecast, giving the family a chance to dry out. But at the time of filing this report (23.45) mist is rolling in rapidly, about to envelop Nest Two and its occupants, and the rain has started again. The overnight forecast for Inver Mallie which covers the nest area shows light rain and light winds with a low of 12°C continuing until lunchtime tomorrow after which there should be sunny intervals with a high of 18°C. Louis brought three fish to the nest today, taking his tally to two hundred and sixty four, one of which was tiny and demolished in five minutes, with chick 7P7 downing the tail like an old hand. Aurora 536 received one fish from Garry today, and his tally rises to one hundred and twelve. The contest to name the chicks, males 7P0 and 7P7, closes at noon tomorrow so get your suggestions in if you haven’t already, details in the bonus section.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.38.51 (03.28.09); Nest Two 23.22.40 (03.42.36)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/NMSgZk6wQB0 N2 First fish – breakfast’s later than usual 06.08.52

https://youtu.be/IhFOsTWdiQ4 N1 Aurora grabs the fish, mantles, and departs 11.52.01

https://youtu.be/2R4kJqFGki4 N2 Titchy fish two is gone in 5 mins, 7P7 downs the tail 15.55.25

https://youtu.be/TShjk9aKvSA N2 The family’s very happy to see Louis with fish three 21.09.56

Bonus opportunity – name those chicks! Get your suggestions in by noon tomorrow (Sunday):

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=26302594

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/KmKrmLCYAdk  N1 The chicks Bring Jollity doing flight prep quick time 2020 (Classic Ospreys – Holst) 

https://youtu.be/2eRo86pV2Yg  N1 Newsome Twosome return to Nest One 2021

https://youtu.be/bP4bq94pHFE  N1 The Stranger Prince brings fish to Affric Blue152 2021

https://youtu.be/43ZWmA7jew4  N2 Fish number two arrives, departs, returns in under a minute! 2022

https://youtu.be/z2qG8vOwPeA  N2 RAF Hercules flypast caught on nest cam 2022 (slo-mo, zoom)

https://youtu.be/k8RWeFXwVIQ  N2 Chick 2 pecks Dorcha after a stick incident 2022

https://youtu.be/eZp5DKTAV5E N1 Garry brings furnishings and rearranges his nest 2023

https://youtu.be/Jt1e_FAyuxA  N2 Chick has a really good go at self feeding 2023

https://youtu.be/IT-cvTyR6YU  N1 Magical double rainbow with sparkles 2023

https://youtu.be/zakv38LnsXI N2 Dorcha’s not impressed: no fish and Louis tries mating 2024

https://youtu.be/KM9WDj8AjRk N1 Does Garry notice the two birds chasing each other? 2024

https://youtu.be/rX4DKIlw6dM N2 Louis brings a lunchtime fish for Dorcha 2024

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 4th July 2025
The weather was every bit as wet today as forecasted – the family spent most of the day looking like soggy bundles of feathers. The chicks did stand from time to time and give their wings a good shake, but although she does her best, Dorcha is unable to cover them as they’re just too big. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow is more of the same – light rain and gentle breezes with an overnight low of 13°C and only rising by two degrees to a high of 15°C tomorrow. However, despite the rain Louis delivered four fish for his family, and the chicks have full crops to mitigate against the wet weather. Louis’ tally now stands at two hundred and sixty one, while Garry LV0’s remains at one hundred and eleven as much to Aurora’s disappointment, he turned up not with fish but with a small stick. Things were more positive and lively among the nest cam watching community as name suggestions for the newly ringed male chicks 7P0 and 7P7 keep flooding in. If you haven’t posted your suggestion yet, there’s plenty of time – you have until noon this Sunday 6th July.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.41.15 (03.38.51); Nest Two 23.19.14 (03.45.04)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/Lv97nbd21-8 N2 The drookit family are very pleased to see Louis with fish one 07.50.01

https://youtu.be/fPOukvb6ZE0 N2 Weather’s not improved when Louis brings fish number two 13.38.32

https://youtu.be/PZt6YucaOgg N2 Not much is seen of fish three as the camera lens is fogged up despite its magic coating 16.07.10

https://youtu.be/SuU0oMctnhY N1 Garry dashes Aurora’s hopes by bringing a stick not fish 19.03.02

https://youtu.be/7_HoD7ep-Gg N2 Louis brings a fourth fish and stays to do some nest tidying 20.17.07
Bonus watch – ringing photo compilation on Woodland Trust’s social media:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=755712413543585&rdid=7ppRa44GZYD4ohoI

Our 2 #LochArkaig osprey chicks were measured and ringed by @btoscotland.bsky.social yesterday and deemed to be boys! We are looking for name suggestions so tell us what you think before Sunday when we will choose. #ArkaigOsprey Watch the livestream 👉 buff.ly/G60OR4f

— Woodland Trust Scotland (@wtscotsocial.bsky.social) 2025-07-03T09:50:29.535Z

Blast from the past,this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/JUBUmLPe35I N1 At 03.04.04 Louis brings a record early fish 2020

https://youtu.be/esStICLLZcU  N1 Avian antics on the nest: nipping and tucking  2020

https://youtu.be/-Rs4bXxthc4  N1 Chick huddle prevents Aila getting to the fish  2020

https://youtu.be/d4ts6sBxnVw  N1 Aila causes chaos with a stick until a chick helps out 2020

https://youtu.be/ZrutG-grqZM  N1 Doddie nips Aila when she stands on him  2020

https://youtu.be/4moO8dO8Avc  N1 As the light fades Louis delivers fish number six 2020

https://youtu.be/lmejeER58ik N2 After a cold wet night an early breakfast arrives 2022

https://youtu.be/tWKLeEeKIMA N1 Garry LV0 arrives with a headless fish 2023

https://youtu.be/UGq6LQrd_Lk  N2 Dorcha reacts furiously to an intruder alert 2023

https://youtu.be/mc8TIefie18  N1 Affric turns up too late and misses out 2023

https://youtu.be/73KK4iKeVGQ N2 Very enthusiastic wingercising, mum gets smacked repeatedly 2023

https://youtu.be/TZR8lcMqDZs N1 Garry LV0 returns with moss and does some housework 2024

https://youtu.be/mUwYTyBdkxU N2 Louis arrives fishless and coy-mantles for Dorcha 2024

https://youtu.be/rLoGqpsGXGQ N2 Dyson and Henry pay a visit 2024

https://youtu.be/i69C0tAgKxI N2 Dorcha pays a late afternoon visit 2024

American Bird Conservancy’s Bird of the Week is the James Flamingo. How much do you know about this beautiful water bird?

James’s Flamingo – American Bird ConservancyDownload

‘EJ’ sends us two smiles for the day:

A Teen Lifeguard Saw an Osprey Struggling in the Ocean. His Training Taught Him What to Do Next. – Garden & Gun
https://gardenandgun.com/articles/a-teen-lifeguard-saw-an-osprey-struggling-in-the-ocean-his-training-taught-him-what-to-do-next/

Video shows conductor stopping train, getting out and shooing young U.S. Steel eagle off the tracks – CBS Pittsburgh
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/bald-eagle-train-tracks-ocho-us-steel/

Newsletter 7 from Chichester catches up with their falcons.

Chichester Peregrine NewsletterDownload

Next time you pick up something at a shop, think twice. If you tire of it quickly or it is of low quality, it could be spoiling African wetlands!

Fashion lays waste to wetlandsDownload

Norwegian osplets at Ostfort are ringed! You can watch. The ‘girls’ were ringed and will be on their way to Ireland as part of the translocation project. https://youtu.be/2jXgCsOnHds?

Fru Rauer, Norway: Those two chicks couldn’t be more beautiful.

“Ringing of ospreys at Rauer (norway) in 2025 under the auspices of the Osprey Project in Østfold. Project Leader – Rune Aae. In the nest and ring marking: Sondre Krokeide. (the sound is a recording from the same time the ringing was taking place) 2 individuals ringed at Mrs. Rauer’s nest. There are 2 more nests on the island, making a total of 5 chicks across 3 nests. DNA sampled from both chicks at Mrs. Rauer – gender results will be available in autumn/winter 2025. They have been given the names 12L (Frøy) and 13L (Runi). White ring with black lettering. DNA results are likely to come at the earliest in autumn. The metal ring is unique and has an address to the Stavanger Museum, while the color ring is attached to the metal ring with large symbols to facilitate reading the ring with binoculars. This will provide us with more information about our birds. All scientific ringing in Norway is organized by the Ringing Center at Museum Stavanger.”

Charlo Montana: All three had nice crops on Saturday.

Dyfi, Wales: Idris continues to catch a lot of fish until late in the evening. That nest is sure getting full! The little male is hovering!!!!!!!!!!!

Dunrovin Ranch: All four continue to stay on the nest after those two troublesome days. Little four is a real reptile!

Santiam SCSD: Two lovely ospreys are doing well.

Boulder County: Two beauties there, too, and they are also doing well.

Trempeauleau Eagle Nest: Dad comes in with a fish and fledgling T3 flies down to the nest to get it! Beautiful. https://youtu.be/vnRcAfmCUvQ?

Russell Lake Ospreys, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia: Oscar and Ethel have two of the cutest osplets.

Green Ledge Light Preservation Society: The osprey nest is relatively low on the breakers to the lighthouse. There was a big storm the other evening. I have written to find out if the osprey family is OK. There are two fully feathered chicks since the image below was taken on 11 April. They hatched on 2 June.

Muonion Osprey Platform, Finland: Two chicks and lots of fish coming to the nest.

Juurusvesi, Finland. At least six large fish were delivered on Sunday to Mum and the two osplets. One is heavily feathered and looks like a juvenile while the younger retains some of that ‘look’ of being the second hatch. Kala Saaskia is responsible for the images captured in the video below.

SK Hideaways not only caught the arrival of the first WBSE egg but also that incredible morning duet. Toby sat still and listened! https://youtu.be/wNcpLqDi5DM?

Thank you for being with us. Please take care. We hope to see you soon!

Thank you so much for being with us today. I want to thank our notable contributors, ‘EJ, Geemeff, PB, PS’, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos, including SK Hideaways, and the authors of posts and articles including Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information. I am very grateful. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.

Friday in Bird World

4 July 2025

Hello Everyone,

First up. Calico has a question for you (answer at the bottom, don’t peek!)

What is this Blue Jay doing on our feeding table, and why is it doing this? If you are wondering about the weather, it is 31 degrees C, and this bird is in the direct line of the hot sun.

Just an update to start: FOBBV lost its bid to stop the fireworks in Big Bear Valley. I cannot imagine a more frivolous way to burn money and to harm wildlife and domestic pets. It is outrageous. And if anyone thinks Jackie and Shadow do not react, well, there is a video showing Jackie being frightened off the nest during fireworks at New Year’s (2025). The notes under the video read “Jackie and Shadow, two of the most famous bald eagles in the world, have returned to their nest in San Bernardino National Forest after a fireworks scare. The elegant eagles were startled during New Year’s celebrations. Jackie returned to the nest first, carrying a stick with her, calling out loudly to her mate to let him know where she was. “Even though eagles see very well in the day, they do not see well at night, so it can be dangerous for them to be flying around at night, especially in the panic of a crisis moment,” wrote the Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam. “It’s great to have them back and know they are safe after they flew off their roost tree in the middle of New Year’s eve night.” Jackie and Shadow have become internet celebrities thanks to their ongoing love story and their fierce dedication to their eggs, especially through extreme weather, including intense snowstorms. 2022 was the parents’ most recent success story, with “Spirit” successfully leaving the nest in May of that year.”https://youtu.be/3cibe6R5IUA?

Loch Arkaig: Name the two male chicks. Go to the Woodland Trust Scotland FB page and put in your two selections. Be sure to give a reason for you choice!

Ventana Wildlife: Their film Condor Canyon is available for $20 US. Free shipping in the US. Visit the Ventana Wildlife Society website for more information.

Washington not on camera nest monitored by ‘PS’. Sadly, the third chick has not survived and passed sometime during the evening of 2 July and was removed from the nest by Mum. Two healthy chicks survive.

We will begin with Heidi’s Osprey notes. One of the nests will be a repeat- it is just too sad not to mention twice.

Dewey Beach:  6/26 was the last good day for this family with one surviving osplet.  After that, Dad was not seen again for a few days, and we did not know if he was injured, or worse.  Mom had already been fishing for several days to supplement Dad’s deliveries, but suddenly she was having difficulty catching fish.  Mom was only able to bring in 1 fish on 6/27, 2 fish on 6/28 and 6/29.  Mom arrived late on 6/30 with a fish, and she fed her baby.  None of those fish had been very big, and since Mom was feeding the youngster, Mom ate some too. Then Mom stopped coming to the nest.  Dad brought in 1 small fish on 7/1.  The 48-day-old chick had very little self-feeding experience, and did not have any experience self-feeding from a whole fish, but by golly he got it done.  He unzipped and ate that whole fish.  Viewers had tears of joy.  On 7/2 the chick was alone the entire day…neither parent came to the nest.  On the morning of 7/3, the osplet died of starvation, at just under 50 days of age.  That beautiful chick’s Dad and Mom had been having a hard time finding fish, even though the nest is situated between the ocean and a large bay.  (note: Mom is okay, she has since been seen at the nest)

Cape Henlopen:  Miles and Hennie have two chicks, that are 21 days old on 7/4.  This nest has seen a few lean days recently.  Hennie had been fishing and bringing in some fish.  Miles was  seen dealing with intruders at times so he had also been protecting the nest.  The weather was generally very good.  But, it did seem as though Miles and Hennie were having difficulty finding fish.  There simply wasn’t enough fish to satisfy the oldest chick, so s/he became aggressive and made it very difficult for the youngest osplet  to eat for a few days.  On 7/3, Miles and Hennie brought 7 fish to the nest, and two of Miles’ fish were quite large.  By the time the third fish arrived, Chick1 had already been stuffed, and didn’t even mind if Chick2 ate.  Little2 had a full crop most of the day.  Tears of Joy!  There will be good days and bad days, for sure… but, we hope the good days far outweigh the bad ones.  

Thank you, Heidi. It has been more than a rough year for the nests you are monitoring.

A sadness that is hard to bear will be here, and then we will proceed to the good news. I continue to call for everyone to tell anyone who will listen and can broadcast what is happening in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey to their osplets. Parents abandoning eggs, or in this instance, abandoning a fully feathered, almost ready-to-fledge osplet on the nest to starve. It is not their fault. Sadly, they should have been forewarned and not even bothered to lay eggs or abandon their eggs like the ospreys on St George’s Island. This is a true tragedy, worse than what was seen in the era of DDT. Please take a moment to consider what that means. All species in the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding areas are dying and could become extinct in this region.

Of course, Heidi will also cover this tragedy. This chick, near to fledge, needs to be the poster boy of the tragedy that is taking over all the osprey nests. I cannot tell you that you need your voice heard. Don’t just sit there and say it’s so sad and turn off the camera – get mad. Do something. Find a politician who might listen, or even a radio host, a newspaper that has the backbone to cover this killing off of the fish hawk.

We have had a busy week, but we managed to get some fun in the midst of a massive declutter! The weather was very hot, reaching to 30 C, and there were many walks with Toby in the cool of the morning and evening. In the late afternoon we found shade and worked in the garden while Toby sniffed about trying to find hidden treasures in the soil. There was Baby Hope’s birthday party on Tuesday – she turned two and I still get weepy whenever I think of Calico being dumped, living outside in the winter, and then having only one of her kittens survive. Thankfully they are both safe inside now.

You will not see Baby Hope anywhere. She came to the table, noticed Anne was there and took off. She will not come out if anyone else is in the house. Oh, maybe one day.

There were walks in the English Gardens to see the beautiful flowers and Toby had his first doggie ice cream complete with bone on Wednesday!

Oh, the shade was so refreshing in the 30 C+ heat. This is what you get if you are a puppy! Toby said it was delicious.

Inside his pram, a wee bit of a mess but he licked it all clean.

Our garden is thriving. It’s hot and humid, and I could be fooled into thinking I was in the Southeastern US. My Latvian Dry Soup Peas have blossoms – pink with the most gorgeous burgundy centre. Whenever I see them growing so well, I think of Sassa Bird, a friend from Latvia, who used to post on FB. She sent me their traditional/national recipe for a dish using these dried peas.

The Snow Peas have white blossoms and the tomatoes and peppers are thriving.

Of course, I have excellent help with watering, thanks to Toby. Toby loves water, and his big floppy ears should not get wet. The other day, he ran right into the shower with me before I could get the door closed. Found a child’s swimming cap today for him. He can come in the shower anytime he likes now!

Confirmation has come from all the observers in the Big Bear Valley that Sunny and Gizmo have now left their parents’ territory. I am glad they do not have to endure the fireworks.

“Big Bear Lake Bald Eagles  · Following

Soodsptern0 tt:c6m0348845Mysa955t3Y1401t25r0afePa23 ad3ea 1h  · 

Today we are reaching the conclusion that most likely Sunny and Gizmo have left the Big Bear area of this mountain. We could be wrong, yet our history of sighting eagles in Big Bear indicates to us that they are no longer in this area. With the amount of solid hours we’ve dedicated daily to areas around the entire lake and to the areas we were observing Sunny and Gizmo in, there have been no solid confirmations using our photos (which we enlarged) or our binoculars since 6/27. The history of when Jackie and Shadow’s only other fledglings left the area also coincides with the timing of what we believe is the departure of Sunny and Gizmo from Big Bear. From our observations – Simba the eaglet from 2019 and Spirit the eaglet from 2022 each took 26 days to leave the area after fledging. On 6/27/25 it would be 25 days since Sunny fledged and 20 days since Gizmo fledged. When Owen had asked me before the two fledged how long I thought they would stick around Big Bear after fledging, I responded that I thought they may leave a bit sooner as they may depart together and they have each other so I didn’t think they would stay longer than a solo fledgling. That might be what has happened and if the two have left we should be glad that they had the solid foundation Jackie and Shadow gave them. There are many locations not that far from Big Bear that have lakes where plenty of food can be found. There have been at least four visiting younger eagles in the area this past month. It’s possible that Sunny and Gizmo followed one or more out of the area or they may have just left on their own. On 6/27 we observed the pair in flight going up quite high, most likely an altitude of 9,000 feet or more. They did come back down yet I said to Owen that I thought they were reaching a point that they may leave soon. We got our last photos of them right after we saw them doing higher altitude flight. We will still be doing eagle observations as usual and will definitely report any sightings we may have of Sunny or Gizmo. We’re at great peace knowing we witnessed them doing so very well on their own with flight, landings, take offs and having some stretches of time alone. Jackie and Shadow seem to also be indicating by our recent observations that the kids have gone on their longer distance journeys. We believe Sunny and Gizmo will revisit Big Bear yet it will be hard to know if it’s them once they have molted. Remember that young eagles are nomadic and they like to roam and travel in their first four to five years of life. Tourists are already arriving and we’re looking forward to a wonderful 4th of July holiday week here in the eagles neighborhood by Big Bear Lake. – Trish 🙂

P.S. More observations of a visiting eagle as well as more observations of Shadow and Jackie coming soon!”

Dunorvin Ranch had another rescue on Tuesday. Chicks 1 and 2 went off the edge and got stuck in the sticks. Out came the cherry picker and two great individuals who placed some wire garden fencing and worked on the twigs so that, hopefully, the osplets will now stay put! The osplets were continually misted. Two frozen fish were left. Swoop came and took one and returned it, headless. Winnie stepped up and ate and fed the chicks. Now, I want you to remember this. Ospreys will eat frozen fish. It is not required that the fish provided be fresh!!!!!!!! Myth busted right before our eyes.

Frau Rauer Osprey Platform in Norway: Mum and the two chicks excited about the arrival of Herr Rauer and a fish dinner

Contented chicks with their juvenile feathers being civil during the meal. So well behaved.

Plenty of fish for Mum to have a nice before bed dinner, too.

News from ‘PS’ on the Washington nest (no camera):. 

“Thank you for the notes below – great to know about dads feeding the young! Perhaps Harry here just didn’t feel like it on that particular day…and also, makes sense that as the young grow mom may fish more just given the caloric need.

An update for July 1 – some worrisome and perhaps unfortunate news today (will try to confirm tomorrow). When I arrived there was a feeding just getting started, with mom clutching a pretty nice sized Starry Flounder. The two largest osplets were arranged around her being fed but I noticed that #3 was in the foreground of the nest (relative to me) in the usual submissive pose I’ve seen it get bullied into before. However…it didn’t budge from this pose/position during my entire visit, and I never saw it move. I was there ~45 minutes or so. Osplets 1 and 2 had plenty of food from that flounder but I worry that #3 might no longer be with us. I wish I could have stayed longer – perhaps it moved once the feeding was over…I will try to visit again tomorrow to get a better idea of things. At any rate, 2 osplets still seem to be doing relatively well – sunny, warm, and not too windy weather due over the next week so fishing should be good. Few new pics up on Flickr.”

I love the nests in the UK and Europe and today, Dunrovin made gold by rescuing the oldest osplet of Winnie and Swoop who backed up and got caught in the twings of the crib rails (well, not much there). The quick rescue, a fix of the rails, and some fish saved the day. But, the US osprey population is in trouble and particularly those nests impacted by the commercial overfishing of Menhaden.

Latest post from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ:

There are individuals angry at Ben Wurst for not supplying fish to a nest where the third hatch died. This is the issue – there is no food. He said he could supply fish every day, but he would have to, because there would be no food for them if they fledged. Adults are dying. I continue to mention that they laid eggs and abandoned them. I wish that had happened at these other nests. Is it better to die at a young age than a fledgling?

Rutland Water Manton Bay: The first hatch of Maya and Blue 33, 3R5, fledges on 2 July! https://youtu.be/kII5xhl2Gwc?

Three of Maya and Blue 33’s chicks have now fledged as of 3 July 3:14 CDT. They are 3R5, 3R6, and 3R7.

Mixed news coming in from Kielder Forest:

Mixed news _ Kielder OspreysDownload

Alyth SS: The three osplets were ringed and the nest cleaned on the 2nd of July. Two females and a male. My nickel is on Oakley being the male. I’ll be sure to follow the details and let you know.

Birds of Poole Harbour (if you missed it): Chicks were ringed on the 29th.

5R3 – 1.75kg – female

5R4 – 1.44kg – male

5R5 – 1.45kg – male

5R6 – 1.35kg – male

Foulshaw Moss/Cumbria Wildlife Trust: The osplets of White YW and Blue 35 have been ringed. They are believed to be a female, the first hatch, 7K1. Two males, 7K2 and 7K0.

LS Finnish Nest: Three gorgeous osplets. Video captured by Mie shows Dad bringing in a huge stick. https://youtu.be/2V-5l0Yh8I4?s

Taipalsaaren sääkset: Two of the three eggs hatched. The osplets are approximately three and a half weeks old.

#1 Saaksilvie: A miserable wet day at the nest! Eura delivered a headless fish at 22:24:35.

#4 Saaksilvie, Satakunnan: It is a wet day for the three osplets. Nupu is trying to keep their little heads dry. It was nice earlier. Nemo brought a whole fish at 23:16:38. The camera was off, and a huge fish was delivered. N1 threw up at the last delivery but had a large crop from the previous meal. Hoping nothing is wrong with the eldest chick at this nest.

Paltamont Osprey Platform, Finnish Osprey Foundation: Two gorgeous chicks.

Juurusvesi Osprey Platform, Finland:  Fish deliveries at this nest were: 05:18, 11:49, 13:15, 16:26, 19:11, and 23:07. That is a nice delivery pattern for these three osplets. Note that the two older have their juvenile feathers while the last hatch still has its wide white stripe along its back and thermal down. All seem to be doing well.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Thursday 3rd July 2025
The day started with a celestial visitor which made its presence sufficiently felt that Dorcha noticed it from her high perch. A bright fireball made by a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere caused the night sky to light up with bright flashes which the chicks slept through but the nest cams recorded. As did many people throughout Scotland, and the BBC featured the meteor on tonight’s Reporting Scotland and included clips of the event caught on the Osprey cam. Today we also received the information that both chicks have been assessed as male: chick1 Blue 7P0 weighed 1320g and chick2 Blue 7P7 weighed 1270g. Now the fun begins as George WTS has opened the naming contest, full details in the bonus section. Enter as many suggestions as you wish but get them in by noon on Sunday 6th. In other news, no intruders were seen today, and both males brought fish to their respective nests. Louis brought four fish for Dorcha taking his tally to two hundred and fifty seven, and Garry LV0 brought one fish for Aurora 536 taking his tally to one hundred and eleven. T

he weather was wet and windy but did perk up with some sunny intervals, however there aren’t any sunny spells forecast for tomorrow, just heavy rain and a moderate breeze with a high of 16°C following tonight’s heavy rain and a gentle breeze with a low of 12°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.42.30 (02.30.21); Nest Two 23.34.25 (03.16.01)
Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/xN9zuuErLrs N2 Dorcha reacts to the meteor 00.50.15

https://youtu.be/U4LdDGVnkNg N2 Louis lands with fish one in a drift of discarded baby feathers 04.17.41

https://youtu.be/hTLzv3MnhXg N2 Louis waits patiently for someone to take fish two from him 05.09.39

https://youtu.be/WFB1RRgH2gw N1 Aurora arrives ahead of Garry with the first fish 10.14.06

https://youtu.be/8Coyp_RLkE8 N2 Dorcha descends from her perch to meet Louis with fish three 13.19.30

https://youtu.be/4XKzlgeaCjg N2 Tiddler little fish four disappears quickly, Dorcha calls for more 16.57.14

https://youtu.be/K8JIciavjGg N2 Loch Arkaig Osprey family star on BBC Reporting Scotland 7pm news

https://youtu.be/GoGJEamzmMw N2 Name those chicks! Contest now open, closes noon Sunday 6th Bonus opportunity – naming contest for the chicks now open, full details:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=26302594

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/Ez7olfMrWrI  N1 Vicious attack on Aila by the older chick 2019 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/oxqjbIS503w  N1 Aila brings a stick and stands on the chicks 2020

https://youtu.be/6Z0gTYpMdQo  N1 The chicks play pick up sticks 2020

https://youtu.be/_HPoEFUBjq8  N2 Chicks have a go at self-feeding 2022

https://youtu.be/Mcwe1E2Oa4I  N2 Louis delivers a fish straight onto a chick’s back! 2022

https://youtu.be/6Ap9Tva5Qg0 N1 Garry attempts mating, it appears to be tolerated 2023

https://youtu.be/aCMsNj40CRk N2 Fish number two, dumbrella dad attempts to shelter the chick 2023

https://youtu.be/Qy3R8Fld46U  N2 Despite wind and rain, Louis brings a third fish 2023

https://youtu.be/vpUK8HVFXCo N1 Garry LV0 chatters away to himself during an early visit 2024

https://youtu.be/LLCSoyakFkU N2 Dyson and Henry Hoodie visit the empty nest 2024

https://youtu.be/nkSCLuDYS2A  N2 Louis brings a fish for Dorcha then does housework 2024

https://youtu.be/8SVETWUeZOQ Sky TV interview with WTS Jill Donnachie about the translocation 2024

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Today was a significant one for the chicks – they were visited by the licensed raptor expert and ringed -their Darvic rings are Blue 7P0 and Blue 7P7, and in due course we’ll be given the rest of the information obtained today, including sex, weight, and measurements. Once that’s been received, George WTS will open the naming contest so if you’ve started thinking of names, please wait to post them until George gives the word. Unusually the chicks were removed from the nest and ringed on the ground as a safety measure due to the wind, then returned to the nest where they were seen pancaked when the nest cam was switched back on. Dorcha was perched nearby during the ringing process, Louis stayed away then turned up with a fish at 21.45 which the chicks were soon tucking into. Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and fifty three, and the nest cam was zoomed out ready for watching the chicks swoop about once they’ve fledged, which could happen in as little as ten days time. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 and Aurora 536 worked together to see off an intruder Osprey, after which he brought her three fish, and his tally now stands at one hundred and ten. The weather was settled today, and will continue overnight with light clouds, light winds and a low of 9°C, but changing tomorrow to light rain showers, with gentle breezes and a high of 15 °C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.39.16 (03.02.08); Nest Two 00.36.39 (04.05.36)
Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/REZhgRkSfXI N2 Fish number one, whole trout, still twitching 04.38.19https://youtu.be/lMDRnL3mKTM N1 Garry delivers a mid morning fish for Aurora 10.46.26https://youtu.be/UYMSGpVUQhY N2 One chick feeds the other prefers to preen when the second fish arrives 12.16.37 https://youtu.be/NASlzrW9tKc N1Garry stays and feaks his beak after Aurora leaves with the second fish 13.55.35https://youtu.be/vHsHP9HmhrI N1 Garry brings a fish, leaves and returns when Aurora’s there 16.39.29

https://youtu.be/gyZNAG8kjew N2 Meet 7P0 and 7P7 – the chicks have been ringed! 19.31.10 (zoom)https://youtu.be/TKGg7C2awVI N2 Dorcha looks a little wary, and keeps looking round while dishing up fish three 21.44.35   https://youtu.be/UTNch0cOXAk N2 The cam changes to the expanded view, ready to enjoy seeing the chicks flying about  22.32.29
Bonus info – interested in becoming a ringer? British Trust for Ornithology give the facts:

https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/bird-ringing-scheme/taking-part/learn-ring

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/QnUp0ySNSEc  N1 Ouch! chick plucks out one of Aila’s feathers 2019 (slo-mo) 

https://youtu.be/_CNzBPg2JAQ  N1 Folk arriving at the nest – it’s the ringers! 2020

https://youtu.be/ncw7cbwZo3c N1 The chicks show dad their new jewellery 2020

https://youtu.be/OksogGU5rUc N1 Unringed female Osprey visits Nest One! 2022

https://youtu.be/nmsla8-RSfQ  N1 Affric’s not happy as Garry arrives with a stick not fish 2023

https://youtu.be/aqSLp22W8Xo N2 The chick gets up close and very personal 2023

https://youtu.be/8tXeUJS5kWw  N2 Louis tries to get a fish tail but Dorcha grabs it off him 2023

https://youtu.be/VadFOWNYgfM  N2 Yet more food! Fish number five arrives 2023

https://youtu.be/xLYMFTjW5IQ  N1 Incy Wincy spider’s midnight visit 2024 (quicktime)

https://youtu.be/PcbM4KE7w-I  N2 Hooded Crow intrudes on Dorcha 2024

https://youtu.be/W32p5HJcb5A  N2 Garry LV0 intrudes in a rapid flyby 2024 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/Q9R-mWtaQiw  N2 Action involving Dorcha, Louis & Garry LV0 2024

https://youtu.be/lgNojG-NglE  N1 & N2 Garry LV0 brings a stick to N2 then takes it to N1 2024

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 1st July 2025
Darkness falls to end a dramatic day, but different in fundamental ways from the very dramatic events which took place on this day last year when the chicks were removed from the nest to join the translocation programme, an event so unusual it made the STV evening news (see blast from the past section). Today’s dramas involved Osprey intrusions on both nests. On Nest One, Aurora 536 had three separate events first with an unringed male attempting to land, then an unexpected visit from Affric 152 who did manage to land but only for a few seconds before a furious Aurora got rid of her, and finally a third intruder who couldn’t be seen properly by the nest cam watchers although clearly Aurora thought they’d come too close for her liking. On Nest Two, Dorcha had several flybys by an unidentified intruder Osprey, which prompted chick1 to join her in defending the nest – instead of staying pancaked like chick2, chick1 actually stood up and alarm-called! The ringers are probably coming tomorrow due to the poor weather forecast for the end of the week, and chick1 seems to be demonstrating how grown up and ready for the next stage s/he is. Aurora received no fish on the nest today so Garry’s tally remains at one hundred and seven, but Louis delivered five fish, and that fifth fish is his two hundred and fiftieth for the season to date – well done Louis! Tonight’s forecast is misty and light winds with a low of 8

°C, changing to sunny intervals tomorrow morning then light rain showers and a gentle breeze in the afternoon and a high of 17°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.21.55 (02.36.10); Nest Two 23.31.54 (03.40.36)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/Geboq3VRHHY N2 Early breakfast for the family, headless trout 03.45.59https://youtu.be/iP6PslO8bAA N2 second breakfast arrives about an hour after the first 04.51.00https://youtu.be/43FNAc0gycA N2 Louis’ been busy – a third fish arrives 10.34.30https://youtu.be/F5Ly29yKjxg N1 Aurora sees off an unringed intruder Osprey 13.07.05 (zoom)https://youtu.be/BWhcY08Ga7c N2 Dorcha gets fish four all to herself 15.53.53 https://youtu.be/ePsjwVzjmQU N1 Affric 152 pays an unexpected visit to Aurora 16.43.21https://youtu.be/px38MILZa9o N2 Chick1 joins Dorcha in defending against an intruder 20.14.24 

https://youtu.be/_dISmHuGfXc N1 Aurora defends against intruders for the third time today 20.29.28

https://youtu.be/7fAZDt8DN2I N2 Dorcha returns in time to get fish number five from Louis: fish number 250 for the season! 21.47.03 
Bonus action – Woodland Trust urges anyone with a garden to put out a bucket of muddy water:

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/garden/2075815/garden-put-out-bucket-of-muddy-water-july-august

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/ZRHifLlSzEI  N1 Avian hokey cokey 2019

https://youtu.be/Q2qqawpS5k8  N1 Little squirt! Osplet has good aim 2019

https://youtu.be/eRcI7aFhrQY  N1 Morning exercises by the three chicks 2020

https://youtu.be/NUUtpW6MwyM  N1 Dinner for dinos 2020

https://youtu.be/nnRoyL3yNCI  N1 Aila nearly gets nipped by restless wriggling Osplets 2020

https://youtu.be/5YqSPtDGXpU N2 Dances with branches 2022

https://youtu.be/8vsoUCLzfsA N2 Dad brings breakfast and mum and chick tuck in 2023

https://youtu.be/KpFFq5mAXZE N1 Skydancing heard before Garry arrives with a twig 2023

https://youtu.be/5XbTSiCgThM  N1 Affric holds on as a storm passes over Nest One 2023

https://youtu.be/hLJofyZpBWo N2 Dreich, drookit, and blowing a hoolie – the storm hits Nest Two 2023

https://youtu.be/Q_HakxODigs N2 Final family gathering for the 2024 Arkaig Ospreys 2024 (freezeframe)

https://youtu.be/OX4_U4q4U4U N2 Dorcha returns to the nest after the chicks have been taken away 2024

https://youtu.be/7EOiOedhNo0 N2 The chicks star on STV news 2024

https://youtu.be/12Pe__3E3eo N1 Garry LV0 arrives bringing moss 2024

https://youtu.be/y2RIy-5tqEQ  N2 Louis brings a fish but only Dorcha is there 2024

https://youtu.be/0v65YxWPJvw N2 Two Hoodies appear and steal fish from the empty nest 2024

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 30th June 2025 
On this day last year, the family were spending their final night together, although they didn’t know it – the following day the two chicks would be removed and placed on a translocation programme under the auspices of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Fundación Migres in Spain. Woodland Trust Scotland’s statement on the translocation in the bonus section. Despite today’s wet weather, conditions are nothing like last year’s  – Louis is healthy and providing plenty of fish, the chicks are developing on schedule, and all being well with both the weather and the ringers’ nest schedule, the chicks could be ringed on Friday 4th July. Despite the rain and the odd intruder alarm, Louis delivered four fish to Dorcha, taking his tally to two hundred and forty five, while over on Nest One Garry LV0 brought two fish for Aurora 536, smaller than she would have liked, and his tally now stands at one hundred and seven. Despite the overnight forecast stating partly cloudy and light winds with a low of 10°C, it is raining as I file this report (shortly after midnight) and Dorcha and the chicks are a huddle of damp plumage. Tomorrow’s forecast is for sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 19°C, fingers crossed it actually turns out that way.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.31.31 (03.16.30); Nest Two 23.02.15 (03.45.04)

Today’s videos: https://youtu.be/xnr-173Cos4  N2 Louis delivers breakfast and stays to feak his beak 08.46.45  https://youtu.be/MfaPg5DiFIk N1 Aurora gets a lunchtime snack size fish 13.42.39  https://youtu.be/3LLOq9ep3V0 N2 Chick1 downs the tail of the second fish like an old pro 15.29.13  https://youtu.be/bAadWUaPkMY N1 Garry’s second tiddler fish is polished off in under 5 minutes 17.11.45https://youtu.be/14h93EygN08 N2 Louis brings a nice big fish supper 19.21.22https://youtu.be/oE-zFlh-CpI N2 Dorcha gets a late night trout snack 21.06.07

Bonus read – Woodland Trust Scotland’s 2024 statement in full on the translocation programme:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15225467

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/YqWAn-A_hak  N1 Louis accidentally bashes his Osplets with a big stick! 2019 (slo-mo) 

https://youtu.be/Qa3rDc1yAMA N1 Synchronised squeaking as the family tuck into breakfast 2020 

https://youtu.be/ti4s_8NESx0  N1 Chick on chick aggression 2020

https://youtu.be/mhJADT2jbOY N2 A sticky situation! 2022

https://youtu.be/m5UUDLgZKww N2 Another intrusion by an unringed stranger 2022

https://youtu.be/vWMeMD2ouYk N1 Garry arrives with a headless trout, Affric grabs and goes 2023 

https://youtu.be/VqeiBS8t1kw N2 Fish number two,the chick eats the eyeballs 2023

https://youtu.be/xFT1WiVjWTA N1 Affric wants more fish, Garry has other ideas 2023

https://youtu.be/JmXsSd1g_o0  N2 Find the gap! 2023

https://youtu.be/vD6PgwUW6c0 N2 Dominant chick attacks submissive one despite all the fish available 2024

https://youtu.be/DOl24pZXxzo N2 Louis arrives with his first delivery of the day, headless big trout 2024

https://youtu.be/ShR7Kb12D_c N2 Submissive chick gets a calm exclusive feed 2024

https://youtu.be/W7mIANPajv4 N2 The last supper – chicks enjoy a final dinner with Dorcha 2024

https://youtu.be/6Q7UEkwIG5M N2 Chicks spend a calm final evening together with mum 2024

James Nesta’s post on All Eagles about the Tempeauleau Bald Eagle Nest, WI: My goodness. This will put a smile on your face.

Smile. We need a laugh. Now, in Winnipeg, we think of pigeons as ‘falcon food’. Interesting. Thank you SK Hideaways! https://youtu.be/0rh7orHI1J0?

Please, please do not use fireworks for celebrations.

Yeah for those inquisitive vets that save animals! This was one lucky Bald Eagle.

US vet uses cod skin to save bald eagle in time for Fourth of Julyhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/02/cod-skin-bald-eagle-fourth-of-july?CMP=share_btn_url

And to Dr Tess, who spent a wonderful year at Wildlife Haven in Manitoba, a fond goodbye. You experimented with various apparatus to save the animals under your care. We wish you well in your new position in Florida.

Golden Eagle, Latvia: Spilve and Grislis have been taking turns providing prey for Meldrs.

Did you miss the June edition of the Ventana Wildlife Condor chat? Here it is: https://youtu.be/fVvRAg1VfIs?

Answer to Calico’s Mystery Question:

Blue Jays flatten down, or “flop,” on the ground as a form of sunbathing, also known as “anting” or “sunning”. This behaviour helps them maintain their feather health and remove parasites. They might also open their beaks to pant, which allows them regulate their body temperature in the heat. 

Here’s a more detailed explanation:

  • Sunbathing/Sunning:Birds, including Blue Jays, spread their wings and body on the ground to expose their feathers and skin to the sun. 
  • Anting:This is a specific type of sunbathing where birds use ants to help clean their feathers.They might lie on the ground where ants are present or even pick up ants and rub them on their feathers. 
  • Feather Maintenance:The sun’s heat helps to remove parasites and spread preening oils throughout the feathers, promoting overall feather health. 
  • Temperature Regulation:In hot weather, Blue Jays might pant with their beaks open to help cool down. 
  • Other Possible Reasons:While sunbathing and anting are the most common reasons, some research suggests it might also be related to other behaviors, such as a bird feeling dizzy from flying or potentially even self-stimulation. 

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We will see you again on Monday! For those celebrating the 4th, have a lovely, safe, happy day.

Thank you, as always, to those darling individuals who consistently send me great news items: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, PB, PS’. I am grateful, as it is so difficult to keep up with all the news! To those individuals who posted news on FB or websites and whose names are highlighted in bold, thank you so much. To the streaming cams highlighted, we are all grateful that you allow us the privilege of watching the lives of these amazing birds as they raise their families in the most difficult of times. Thank you to all, as my post would be nothing without you.

Saturday in Bird World

17 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is never a good morning after we lose a raptor, and waking up on Friday and finding that Lusa had died during the night was incredibly sad. Indeed, all went to bed after seeing her/him eat feeling much more optimistic about the situation at Captiva.

At the same time I was reading a note about Lusa, Hugo Yugo was vomiting, had diarrhoea, and was lethargic. She was fine when she went to bed but, by morning, he was not playing and didn’t want any treats – sure signs that something was not right. We spent the afternoon at the vet. It is a long weekend in Canada, the vet clinics are packed, and we have to go to a different vet than we usually use. After tests for any poisons (they came back negative), she had an IV for hydration and an injection to calm her stomach and had the Flora-Flora powder to sprinkle on her food. If she does not improve, then we move to X-rays, etc. The diagnostic end of it all. For Hugo Yugo to not eat is unsettling, just like with Lusa. For her not to play is just not right. Again, the same goes for the eaglet. Our condolences go out to Lori Covert, the folks at Window to Wildlife, but most of all Clive, Connie, and Cal.

When Connie and Joe lost Hope and Peace to rodenticide poisoning in 2020-21, it was a real tragedy. The parents knew what had happened. They stood over the dead body of their second eaglet in quiet disbelief. The eaglets had consumed less than a whole rat, but it was a designer poison, and Lori has spent years trying to get people to stop using rodenticides on the island. Joe never returned to the nest after the mourning period. And I will say it clearly and loud – he felt guilty for bringing that rat to the nest that killed their kids. Ask Marc Bekoff, Professor of Avian Behaviour at the University of Colorado at Boulder – animals have feelings. They care. They are sentient like we are.

So far, Cal looks good. They cannot, for safety and legal reasons, remove the body of Lusa. The adults might try to shove the body off the nest, even carry it and drop it in the ocean, or Lusa might wind up as part of the nest. There is no fear of Cal eating its sibling (yes, I have had multiple questions about that). I would have concerns if Lusa had highly pathogenic avian influenza. But that seems highly unlikely because Cal is doing so well. We saw siblings die close together on other nests if it was HPAI.

Connor stated that getting on a nest after four weeks is hard because the other eaglet might get spooked and jump off. That is the last thing we want to happen to Cal. So keep sending positive energy to this nest – it would be grand if Connie and Clive fledged an eaglet this year. With Connick having issues and falling off the nest last year and now going to the Smithsonian, it has been a while since Mum Connie saw a baby fly free.

Angel and Tom are both at their nest. The Blue Jays are apparently not bothering Tom but are aggravating Angel. If they continue to come to the nest, the camera will go live.

I have not done a lot of nest checking today so this post could be ‘slim’. I did head to Eagle Country to check on Swampy and Meadow. Indeed, all of the eaglets that have survived on the nests this year are a miracle. There were so many incidents of DNH…

Blaze was on the nest feeding his eaglets and did a splendid job of it. Both got lots and lots to eat! Gosh, Dad was very even-handed in that feeding. Those two are getting their thermal down. See how dark they are getting, and the soft, fluffy baby down is coming off., Darlings. Just little darlings.

A little bit of a mohawk coming.

E23 is looking good at SW Florida. Just keep all good wishes coming to every nest with babes – we never know what can happen. I am not saying this to worry you, but rather to appreciate those who are healthy and to stay vigilant should something be amiss.

It is very hard to see the eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands, but there are many watching and fingers crossed for this one to fledge. JBS20 certainly does take up more nest space than it did a few weeks ago! Only eaglets have the advantage of having all the food to themselves.

The only eaglet at WRDC continues to grow and thrive, but only after we had to hold our breath a few times. What a year it has been! We will not forget it soon, for all the wrong reasons. That said, the streaming cam is down, and, of course, right before that happened, R6 was fed another pigeon with bands on its legs. ‘H’ tells us, “The cams went down about 4.5 hours ago.  R6 ate another pigeon band this afternoon, and we are supposed to be on pellet-and-band watch!  Not only that, but the pigeon had a band on each leg, and we were also waiting to see which eagle would eat the other band!  Rose ate a pigeon band on 2/11.’

I don’t know about anyone else but seeing these healthy eaglets eat leg bands and nappies and possibly poisoned rats is getting to me. We have so few eaglets this year…ah. Each is precious.

We are a day away from hatch watch at Superbeaks. Pepe and Muhlady should be hearing their chicks inside the shell. Oh, let us hope these eggs are viable. They are such good parents and just got on with life and had a second clutch. Fingers crossed along with toes.

Jackie and Shadow are looking pretty confident. We are now 12 days away from the hatch at Big Bear. You best get the worry beads, the stomach upset medicine, or whatever works for you. This will either be the day we leap out of our roofs in happiness or sit and fill a bucket full of tears. I am thinking of eaglets this year…the champagne is ready.

A look at how Friday went for Jackie and Shadow.

You need to get your votes in! This is the news from Cal Falcons about naming The New Guy.

“After over 200 suggestions and hundreds of votes, we have our four finalists:

Archie, after Archie Williams
Galen, after John Galen Howard
Morgan, after Julia Morgan
and
Mulford, after Walter Mulford

Vote for the winner here before Monday at 5pm:

https://bit.ly/NewGuy2024

Here’s a little more about each of our candidates:

Archie Williams was a successful Cal athlete and engineer. He won gold in the 400m race at the 1936 Olympics, became a highly decorated pilot and instructor, and was an influential teacher in California High Schools. Archie Williams High School is named in his honor.

John Galen Howard was one of the most influential architects at UC Berkeley. He designed many of the most iconic buildings on campus, including the Campanile, where Annie and New Guy live! He also designed Sather Gate, California Memorial Stadium, and many other buildings.

Julia Morgan was the first woman to earn a degree in Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley. She became a prolific and celebrated architect. You can see her work on campus in the form of the Greek Theatre. However, her most well-known design is Hearst Castle.

Walter Mulford was a long-time forestry professor at UC Berkeley, serving as the first Dean of the School of Forestry (now a part of the College of Natural Resources). He encouraged students to gain hands on experience outdoors and founded the Forestry Field Camp in Plumas National Forest.”

Please go and vote. Thanks SP for all that great information!

Wow. Talk about a miracle. Have a look at what happened to this crushed falcon egg! We see these when there is high humidity…and we hold our breath. This gives hope.

When I get sad, I always head to the Royal Albatross Colony. Why? Because I know that the NZ DOC Rangers do everything in their power to ensure that these chicks fledge!

Look at this cutie.

The two osplets at Pelican Bay appear to be doing rather well.

Thunder and Akecheta taking turns incubating their three eggs. Oh, I so hope that this nest is full of little eaglets just like at Big Bear.

One egg at Sauces. Dr Sharpe will be conducting a survey of the nests on the Channel Islands on the 24th according to the moderator of chat. We should be able to find out more about the other nests that we cannot see on cam after that visit.

No egg at Two Harbours for Chase and Cholyn, yet.

Andor and Cruz were both working on the Fraser Point nest – between the camera going on and coming off.

I missed this great video shot with the Centreport Bald Eagle Mum a few days ago. Stunning footage!

At Redding, Liberty proudly stands above her egg delaying incubation and awaiting the arrival of the second egg.

Fireworks. Anyone reading my blog knows that fireworks are dangerous for wildlife as well as for domestic pets. Why we as a society continue to allow millions of dollars to literally go up in smoke is beyond me when there is so much to be done for the environment, wildlife, human health, education, and housing. So, the fact that there are plans for a firework display in a nature reserve in Spain is incomprehensible.

‘Incomprehensible-Madrid-plans-huge-firework-display-on-nature-reserve-Spain-The-GuardianDownload

For a smile, a close up of that Puffer Fish that Bradley was eating on the ropes on the 16th at Port Lincoln.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send your good wishes to all the nests and, also, to little Hugo Yugo. She is just not herself yet. She ate a few bites of food and then wanted in her carrier to be alone and sleep. I do worry about her so much. After losing Lewis, I am perhaps a bit sensitive, but Hugo Yugo has had such a rough start in life and she is so tiny – well…I am concerned.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, screen captures, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J, SP’, Window to Wildlife, Heidi McGrue, Jenna Lynn Dorsey, Eagle Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JBS Wetlands, WRDC, Superbeaks, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Cal Falcons, Elite Falconry, Royal Cam Albatross/NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, Ildiko A Polk, FORE, the IWS/Explore.org, PLO, and The Guardian.

Ervie has a female friend, M2 dies…Wednesday in Bird World

2 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Before we get on with the news…I really want to put a smile on everyone’s face this morning. Ervie. Dear Ervie. A female was hanging out in Ervie’s territory. Now Ervie is visiting hers. Jumping up and down for joy and little tears…Can we even begin to imagine? Just remembering that tenacious little third hatch taking on big Bazza continues to bring joy…and of course, all the scraps with Falky. The puffers. The worry and now this!

Gosh, I thought I would not be adding to the Memorial Page at this time of year, but here we are at # 127. Three new additions in the last 24 hours. One of them is the second hatch of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell Campus, who was discovered in bushes under a roof, indicating a building or window collision. M1 and M3 had been spotted on Campus. Condolences…everything was just going so well, and it would not be long until they would be leaving the territory and finding their way.

Red-tailed-Hawk-Fledgling—Likely-22M222—Found-Deceased-On-Campus-Cornell-Lab-Bird-Cams-Cornell-Lab-B-1Download

The other two deaths were the Black Stork fledglings, Jola and Derek.

Just breathe. That seems to be the mantra this season. Just breathe because balancing out all the deaths are some very good things that are happening.

You might recall that the Friends of Big Bear Valley were petitioning to have Labour Day fireworks cancelled in the Valley because of the stress put on Jackie and Shadow. This year it was several days before they returned to their nest. FOBBV asked for and received many articles on the damage fireworks cause to wildlife and domestic pets. ‘B’ wrote me this afternoon to inform me that there will be no more fireworks in the Big Bear Valley. Isn’t this wonderful? It should give us the understanding that what we do can matter – that our actions can drive meaningful change. We cannot give up in despair.

Sandy wrote in her FB post on 31 July: “Thank you for keeping up with Jackie and Shadow even as they are enjoying their summer break. They would like to announce that all of us can now relax—they heard that the Labor Day fireworks show planned for September in Big Bear Lake has been cancelled. Hooray!! Sandy”

This is the latest news from Loch of the Lowes. Blue NC0 has not been seen since 15 July and PF5 has not been seen since 28 July.

More good people helping an Osprey!

Oh, these Osprey fledglings are getting themselves into some mischief. Another rescue.

Checking in on a few nests:

At Patchogue, Mini continues to fare rather well. On Tuesday a fish arrived at 0826. I believe it was Mini that took the fish and flew off the nest with it. If it wasn’t she was definitely on the nest at 1028 and received a smaller fish. At 12:53 she was on the nest watching for Dad to fly through with a fish.

At 1700, Mini was ready and waiting when Dad delivered a magnificent fish! Look at the size of that fish. Mini will not need a late night top up. Way to go Dad!

Mini flies off with that big fish!

It is difficult to measure just how well each of the three osplets is being fed at Steelscape in comparison one to the other but the third hatch is still with us.

Pont Cresor: Home to Aeron Z2 and Blue 014. Three chicks fledged – 11, 16, and 19 July. Congratulations!

Collins Marsh: This nest continues to do amazingly well. Nice fish and the two chicks growing – one already fledged.

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails: It is good to remind ourselves that the battles for fish on the nest are helping our fledglings learn how to survive in the wild when there are many more vying for that fish they have in their talons. We have to breathe. In order to live, the ospreys must eat and that often means being ruthless.

Imperial Eagles, Tatarstan RU:

Port Lincoln Osprey: Dad brings Mum a fish on the nest!

Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Orange: Loving Xavier and Diamond. Wishing for a good season.

Sydney Sea Eagles: So delicate how Lady gives the tiniest of fish flakes to SE31 and SE32. Dad is keeping the pantry nice and full. He even fed Lady while she was brooding.

“Dad brought in the customary fresh fish at 06:52:25 this morning. It was intact and relatively large for this area. A lovely breakfast for the family. Mum had already fed them a first breakfast about an hour earlier, but SE32 was not really over-interested in eating at that time of day (exactly as it did yesterday morning). By the end of the morning, both had eaten plenty of lovely fresh fish. Always a happy sight.” – ‘A’ reports.

‘PB’ has been keeping an eye with ‘H’ on Fortis Exshaw. In fact, I am pretty certain that many of you are checking in and sending your wishes to this nest that is struggling with intruders. ‘PB’ writes: “Small fish 18:16 that #1 gets (from Mr O?), then Louise with bigger fish 18:26 and she feeds 2 and herself, mom is on extreme alert.”

Fortunately that chick 1 was busy with the earlier fish so Louise and 2 could eat.

I noted another fish that came in at 19:55. Chick 1 got that one and is getting really good at self-feeding! It is a good thing that Louise and chick 2 had the fish that Louise brought in – they must have been very hungry! In fact, we often forget that the parents have to eat as well…not just the chicks on the nest.

Oh, another fish at 2128! Did 2 get this one? It was mantling the delivery.

And ‘PB’ writes that Louise brought another fish in right after this one. Well, that is one way to make sure the very hungry second chick gets fed – one fish right after another and then another and another til the big one is so full it doesn’t care.

Louise flew off the nest. Has she engaged with an intruder? Two cannot self-feed and is picking at the fish – chick on the left.

One eventually goes into a food coma, while Two really tries to figure out what to do with his fish. And bravo…self-feeding for the very first time. This is a good thing.

‘H’ was keeping track and she put it very well…I love how she says Louse went into high gear! “It was touch-and-go for a while at the Exshaw nest.  On 7/31, Chick #2 only had one meal, around noon.  Chick #1 has begun to rush Mom or Mr.O to grab the fish upon delivery.  #1 is quite capable of self-feeding an entire fish.  Chick #2 is not at that level as yet, in fact #2 is downright polite about it, and won’t even try to steal a piece from #1.  By 1800, there had only been two fish delivered, and #1 had claimed and eaten both of them.  We were very worried about #2.  Well, then Louise kicked it into high gear and delivered five fish between 1813 and 2137.  Oh, bless her!  Chick #1 grabbed the fish at 1813.  And for the first time, #2 grabbed the fish at 1825, and tried to self feed.  After a few minutes, Louise took the fish and fed #2.  Yeah!  Chick #1 claimed the fish delivered at 1955.  Then at the 2128 delivery, chick #2 grabbed the fish from Louise and mantled it!  Yeah!  Chick #1 had designs on that fish too, and she seemed quite taken aback at #2’s new confident behavior, lol.  There was one more fish brought by Louise at 2137, which was claimed by #1.  Chick #2 did a nice job self-feeding from his fish, and was still eating it well after dark.  I believe that Louise delivered all of the fish to the nest on 8/1.  There was a delivery at 1103 where we had a very limited view of the adult, but there was a brief view of Louise’s distinctive back-of-head markings (quite different from Mr.O).  Another questionable identification of the adult was at 2128, however both top and back head markings proved it to be Louise.  In my opinion, Mr.O did not make an appearance on camera on 8/1.  But, don’t worry, Mr.O was probably guarding the area so that Louise was free to do her thing.”

367 Collins Street: Not live yet. They were just testing the system! That said, it could be up and running right now.

Boulder County: ‘PB’ notes that the storm that swept through the area has taken out the camera on the Osprey nest. At the time all three osplets were on the nest. Let us hope that everyone is fine.

Cowlitz PUD: Everything appears to be just fine and the metal guards have protected the nest and not impeded any movement of the adults or the fledgling.

Hellgate Canyon, Montana: Everyone has a picture of Iris with her huge fish today on the Owl Pole. It is always good to see her here or on the nest! Looking’ good, Iris.

Osoyoos: There has been a question about removing the Middle chick’s body from the body. All of you have watched Osprey nests and chicks dying at various ages. Sometimes the adults remove the body of their dead chick while, at other times, it is left on the nest and becomes part of that historical object.

‘H’ reports: “Olsen brought 9 fish to the nest on 8/1, and a few of them were large.  Soo, and her remaining chick were well fed.  I have seen a few nests where a chick died from siblicide from aggression that was fueled by a lack of fish on the nest, and then the next day there were lots of fish.  Chatters would ask, “where were all those fish when they needed them?”  The weather conditions have not improved at Osoyoos . . it is still quite hot, and the air is smokey from the nearby wildfire.  One difference seems to be that Soo was missing the last 52 hours of chick #2’s life.  The Osoyoos osprey family of three carries on . . and we support them.  The youngster is 37 days old.”

‘H’s other reports:

Kent Island – The livestream returned after having been down for nearly four days.  It seems that Audrey and Tom’s 51-day-old chick may have grown a bit in those four days.

Severna Park – It was so nice to find both juvies on the nest in the afternoon.  Earlier, one of the fledglings landed on the nest carrying a partial fish.

Barnegat Light – News Flash: Dorsett went diving and swimming!  Dorsett spent a fair amount of time on a piling at the Bay beach, when at 1002 she decided to take the plunge into the Bay.  Later in the afternoon she waded in the water and took a bath at the shoreline of Barnegat Bay.

Dahlgren –  Members of this lovely osprey family are often seen at the nest.  It is always good to see them.

Forsythe – In a flurry of fishing, Oscar delivered six fish to the nest for his two fledglings between 0724 and 0920.  Owen and Ollie each received three fish.  There were no fish delivered to the nest later in the day.  The older sibling, Owen, seems to be spending the most time away from the nest.  

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. L ooking forward to seeing you again 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, PB’, Fran Solly and Friends of Sth Australia, Cornell Bird Lab, Maria Marika, FOBBV, Loch of the Lowes Visitor’s Centre and Wildlife Reserve, Laura Asbell Stansfield, Barbara Walker and Osprey Friends, PSEG, Steelscape, Inc., Nyth Pont Cresor, Collins Marsh, Pitkin County Open Trails and Spaces, Imperial Eagles RU, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Fortis Exshaw, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Cowlitz PUD, Montana Osprey Project, Osoyoos, Kent Island, Forsythe Ospreys, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, and Dahlgren Ospreys.

Falcons return to scrape, E22 gets some food and flaps wing at sib…Wednesday in Bird World

15 February 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is Valentine’s Day (as I begin writing Wednesday’s blog) and it would feel a lot more warm and fuzzy if fish started falling from the sky on the SWFlorida Eagle nest. The FFV has been protecting the area (photographs by local photographers confirm this). Her right foot has lots of injuries as if she has been in a recent fight during the last 2 or 3 days. She might need some time to heal before she is able to help bring in prey. I wonder how she is eating? M15 helped Harriet in 2015! The eaglet was E6. There are other examples of male or female eagles stepping in to help raise eaglets that are not theirs, also. There is a snow storm with high winds hitting Jackie and Shadow after three days of their on again-off again relationship with the two eggs they guarded so closely for over a month. It seems things are back to normal in Big Bear. If the earthquakes have significantly decreased, I am going to really think they might have had something to do with their behaviour for 3 days.

So, some good news was needed to mend my aching head and heart and it wasn’t, however, the third egg laid at the Achieva Osprey nest in St Petersburg, Florida on Valentine’s Day at 03:30. No, it came in the form of three pieces of news. The first one was a tweet from Geemeff Wednesday morning:

It is a huge beginning. Come on North America!!!!!!!!!!!

The second is form ‘H’ saying that all three of the falcons at Orange have been seen on the tower. Excellent.

The third is news about a small owl named Flaco that had been living at the Zoo at Central Park. Someone cut the wire to its cage and the owl escaped. Flaco has been seen eating and living nicely in the wild around New York City’s Central Park by a circus of curiosity seekers and residents. Zoo officials thought that Flaco could not live in the wild but he is proving them wrong. We learn something new every day from our raptors!

The New York Times reports for Valentine’s Day on Flaco…In the image below there is a bait tap but Flaco is not hungry!

“A major concern for everyone at the beginning was whether Flaco would be able to hunt and eat,” the society said in a statement, noting that zoo employees had observed him catching and consuming prey. “That is no longer a concern.” The officials from the Zoo also said, “In addition to proving himself as a hunter, the society said in its statement, Flaco had shown “a rapid improvement in his flight skills and ability to confidently maneuver around the park.”

The image above is a baited trap. Right now Flaco is full form his good hunting and is ‘not taking the bait’. The goal, according to the article, is to retrieve Falco and bring him back into the safety of the Zoo where he would not fall prey to rodenticide, GHO attack or killing, and collisions. Those are the risks of any urban raptor (or songbird for that matter). I find myself torn – while I believe in intervention, Flaco appears to be doing quite well living the ‘wild’ life.

Good news is also coming out of Orange. Xavier and Indigo have been back to the scrape. We wait and hope that Diamond was not too traumatised…Cilla says that Xavier will check and make sure it is safe and inform Diamond. Well done, Orange falcons.

Xavier made sure Indigo had a good breakfast. Look at that nice prey item that is in the scrape! (or am I wrong and this is Indigo’s great hunting?). The image was taken around 0849, the 15th of February in Orange.

Elain captured yesterday’s highlights.

I was so used to the Landings Nest near Savannah being an Osprey nest…then it was taken over by a GHO couple. Yes, those owlets are adorable. :)). I just wish they would leave the eagles alone!

An Osprey flew by this morning. Getting hopes up!

Heading to the SWFlorida nest..I am taking a bit of a breather today. E21 is 41 days old today and E22 is 39 days old. I am still concerned for E22 but, I want to be hopeful. Observers at the SWFlorida nest have posted this explanation as to what they think is going on at the nest. M15’s duty right now is to finish raising these eaglets. The female wants M15 and the territory ——she should be interviewed. There would be 100s of 5 year old female eagles wanting to match up with this super guy. I just wish she would prove her devotion by not just doing security but also becoming Mommy Door Dash.

This was also posted on the SWFL FB group this morning:

E22 is hungry. Dad jumped down first thing and fed the old fish tail to 21. Wishing for several big ones.

Bird with long legs and tail feathers came on the nest – it was a carcass. If the whole bird had made it, maybe 22 would have had some good food. I wonder what is going on. M15 ate, 21 ate, and 22 got some bites. Not many. Some by his quick snatch and grab out of 21 and Dad’s beak. Some up at the table when there was not much left.

On top of everything else, now there are drones. When will M15 cut a break?

At 1828, E22 got bold. Tired of having 21 get all the food for the day – and I do want to use the word ‘starving’, 22 went for it. M15 backed up a bit to help 22 and there was some quick snatch and grabs. It is unclear to me how much fish 22 got after 21 ate – 21 has a crop in the image below. The snatch and grab netted him a number of bites. And 22 was bold – he has to be. His life depends on it. I have seen statements that he got lots to eat. I would not characterise it as that but…he ate. And he had a ps that looked reasonable during the day. Someone got a screen capture of it.

It was frenzied for 22 who worked to get between Dad and 21 and grab every bite he could. Some were a nice size. We wait til morning. Again, the fish was not huge, 22 got some at the end.

After the feeding, M15 joined the FFV in the tree.

Wednesday morning M15 and the FFV were close on the tree.

M15 came in with a fish which 21 seems to have gotten the best of. 21 bonked 22 to keep it away. At 09:38 21 is self feeding on a leftover fish piece and 22 grabs it and takes it and wolfs it down. He is hungry.

To be clear, this is a small piece of fish and 21 will retake it, then 22 will get it back, and then M15 will fly down again. Someone said that in all of this 21 ate half a fish – if I had seen 21 eat half a fish I would be jumping on top of my roof for joy.

At 10:49, 21 is still eating and 22 is trying to find a scrap.

There is no shortage of food at many of the other nests. Still it helps to be ‘the one and only apple or Valentine of your parent’s heart’. Connick has an enormous crop! Looks like he is trying out for the role in some super hero movie with those amazing wings and big strong legs! Granted it is hard to take your eyes off that enormous crop to look at those wings and legs. He is one healthy eaglet…and I for one, wondered if he would make it early on. Well, no worries here. His smile is yellow and the black of his beak is shiny and healthy. Of course, nice clown feet, too, Connick…they go well with the mini-mohawk.

B16 is adorable. Notice the difference between B16 below and Connick above. Ask me if I would like to see 22 look like this? Of course.

There is something terribly ‘sweet’ about this little eaglet..I don’t know quite what it is but, something. Now look at B16’s wings. Consider for a moment how large they are.

The cameras have been on and off in the Kisatchie National Forest. The eaglets are fine and all of them are growing and developing those gorgeous juvenile feathers that we are going to see on Connick all too soon.

Gorgeous Trey. The IR camera really shows the thermal down and where the juvenile feathers are coming. Trey is incubating Dudley! She takes good care of that old unviable egg. Practice for the future. You can just see a little triangle of white almost directly under her beak. That is Dudley.

Anna and Trey with Dudley hiding underneath Trey.

Valentine and Nugget are simply developing into beautiful feathered eaglets. Valentine seems to have had a huge growth spurt…or is it the camera angle?

Jackie and Shadow have had at least one shift change today and they are both staying close to the nest and those two precious eggs. The storm system with snow and winds moving through is due to pass later today (Tuesday as I am writing).

The couple look much more settled.

At 11:06 Jackie called Shadow and he was there in a second to relieve her and incubate. Not leaving those eggs for a second longer than necessary. Am I thinking that we are back to normal and that pip watch is tomorrow? Hope.

Gabby and V3 were at the natal tree perched on the branches and in the nest bowl doing some work today. Gabby is in really good condition. Look at the colour of her beak and her feathers. Her eyes are clear. She is not tired and she is really healthy.

There are now three eggs at the Achieva Osprey nest. I mentioned it in yesterdays blog. So right now we have three osprey nests that have eggs being incubated in Florida: Moorings Park, Venice Golf and Country Club, and now Achieva in St Petersburg. We wait to see if there will be any eggs at Captiva this year for new couple Mabel and Angus.

Beautiful Diane will be doing hard incubation for between 38-43 days. Mark your calendars. Looks like 24-29 March. Later than 2021. (No eggs survived in 2022).

Most of you know that I am very fond of Diane and often get rather irked at Jack. Some of us even thought he had 2 nests in 2021 – the fish delivery was erratic and poor little Tiny Tot Tumbles, the third hatch, well…was deemed to be on death’s doorstep, literally, several times but, thanks to her Mum who saw her daughter want to live, fed her catfish after the two older siblings were sound asleep. In the dark, the little one ate and ate. TTT become the dominant bird on the nest staying long after the older two had fledged. She even helped her dad defend the nest and I want to add, as a juvenile having hatched in early March, she defended the nest many times by herself beginning in June. So….a warm soft spot for this Osprey Mum. I wish that third hatch had a band. Several times it looked like she visited the nest late in 2021 and in 2022.

Other Bird News:

Several months ago I added a note about two individuals that care for Cockatoos – sanctuaries for unwanted birds. One was April whose Victoria Cockatoo was believed to be dying and required urgent medical care. Individuals came to the rescue with their donations and now Victoria Cockatoo has gained weight and is doing extremely well.

The other was Dan Scott with Chloe’s Sanctuary. Funds are now in place for Dan and his flock of 11 ‘highly needy’ Cockatoos to take up residence in a new home in Nevada. Their old home in California was flooded. Thank you to all who answered their call.

Most people think Cockatoos are beautiful. So do I. We know that they are highly intelligent. Not Sulphur-Crested but Guffins have demonstrated that they can use tools!

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/10/goffins-cockatoos-use-toolset-complete-tasks?CMP=share_btn_link

People want one as a pet – that is what some of the YouTube videos do…make us want a pet bird.

Around the world, people go to pet stores and buy birds instead of going to sanctuaries. This means that the rescued or sanctuary animals could be euthanised if no home is found. I was sent a list of parrots, cockatoos and budgies requiring homes in one European city. It was huge. There is a growing call – by individuals that have ‘rescued’ parrots and budgies as well as animal right’s persons – to stop the breeding and sale of birds.

Two pet stores in North America that are getting a lot of attention because of their relationship to puppy mills, and other factory breeding programmes for animals, birds, and amphibians are PetSmart and PetCo. You may know these companies. Organisations that want the rights and lives of animals to be respected are asking customers to boycott those stores. Wallets do speak loud when profits are the only concern! There are a number of videos on YouTube that you can access showing dumpster divers finding fish and amphibians literally being tossed in to die. But there are just as many concerns for the dogs, cats, and birds as well. Our beloved feather friends often come from pet mills that are anything but caring and will do what they can to cut costs and maximise profits. So before you buy a bird from a pet store, think twice. Before you buy pet and bird food at a pet store, think about which store and what their policies are that you are supporting. Call your local organisations to see if your local humane society or rescue centre has any birds. Check out the reputation of the company selling the animal. A certificate saying an animal is a purebred does not mean that it came from a caring lovely small family breeder. Believe me I can tell you horror stories about cat breeders! Ask about surrenders and rescues. Give them a second chance at life. Parrots and Cockatoos live for a long time and many outlive their owners. Planning should be in place for all feathered friends just as you might do a dog or cat. Research the species. Every one of my contacts with Cockatoos warns that they are like tyrannical toddlers. I am also told that getting a beak trimmed can cost anywhere from $100-140 and the beaks must be trimmed.

‘J’ reminded me this morning that you can also adopt a ‘Cockatoo or a Parrot’ from a sanctuary which will help with their care. Many allow you to visit your adoptee. What an idea…a win-win for all. Some provide photographs.

Birds can be fantastic friends. My maternal grandfather had a Blue Budgie. My grandmother knew he adored that bird more than her! Think first! Thank you for listening…we need to be mindful, always, of the welfare of the animals and birds, both in our care and in the wild.

Thank you so much for being with me today. If you haven’t done so, do suggest a name for the new guy in Annie’s life. Go to Cal Falcons FB Page. I am not certain how long they will take potential names. Take care everyone. See you soon….please continue to send your good wishes to M15 and E21 and 22, our dear Diamond so traumatised by the fireworks, as well as Zoe who has yet to send in a transmission.

Thank you to the following for their notes, essays, articles, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures that form this blog: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘Geemeff’, and ‘J’, The New York Times, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Cornell Bird Lab, SWFlorida Eagles FB and Lisa Marie, Iris Schneider and the SWFL Eagles FB, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles 101 FB, Window to Wildlife, Berry College Eagle Cam, KNF-E1, KNF-E3, FOBBY, NEFL-AEF, Achieva Credit Union, Victoria’s Playhouse, and The Guardian.

View at Medium.com
View at Medium.com

Pip for Anna and Louis, hatching at SWFlorida…Wednesday in Bird World

4 January 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

The excitement has been growing with more than 2528 persons watching Harriet and M15 at the SWFlorida Nest as their first hatch of the 2022-23 season is trying to make its way into the world. It is now 1000 Wednesday morning. The little one has been working away for 26 hours and there could be much time to go. It is hard trying to get through those hard shells and often the wee babes are exhausted when they have finished hammering away with their egg tooth. It can take from 24-72 hours. Jackie is not giving away any peeks. There is a pip for Anna and Louis in Louisiana also. Things are beginning to happen….and they will begin to happen fast it seems.

On Everyone’s Mind:

At just after 0800 on Tuesday 3 January, SWFlorida announced that the pip on one of Harriet and M15’s eggs was official.

From pip to hatch can be 24-72 hours.

By mid-afternoon, the little beak could be seen moving inside the small hole. There are now cracks appearing that will radiate out from the pip hole.

Gracie Shepherd caught that little beak working on that shell.

No announcement of a hatch yet this morning.

Making News:

There is a pip for Anna and Louis at the Kistanchie National Forest E-1 nest this morning.

What does politics, friendships, old school ties, and hush ups have to do with the persecution of raptors and the use of illegal poisons in the UK to kill Corvids and other birds and wildlife? It would appear a lot! Despicable.

Check out the latest blog at raptor persecution.uk.org

To counter these horrific deaths in the UK, there is good news coming out of Minnesota. Remember the 10 eagles that survived (3 died) that had eaten euthanised pets at a landfill? Well, they are well enough to be released back into the wild. Well done Raptor Centre! What a great story for the new year.

Another good news story of a sub-adult eagle being rescued and then found to be suffering from some rodenticide poisoning. Thank goodness for the wildlife rehabbers that spotted the thinness and took blood tests and treated this beautiful boy.

No news on any charges being laid for those that dumped the dead euthanised pets.

The raptors have such a difficult time because of humans. Two of the leading causes of their misery can be eliminated easily: ban the use and use of rodenticides with heavy prosecution for any found using these designer poisons and ban the sale and use of lead ammunition and fishing equipment. Every wildlife rehabber in the world will be grateful.

Loving the Kakapo? and thrilled that there more living than ever before they were almost made extinct? The new ones are going to get names! Congratulations everyone. It has been a good year – a real indication of the efforts being made to keep the islands disease and pest free.

Let’s educate ourselves. The Audubon Society has put out a really informative article about feeding birds. It is not just about the food but how our actions can actually harm our feathered friends. Many of you wrote to tell me that you had Scrub Jays in your area but, have never seen a Blue Jay like Junior and Mr Blue Jay. Scrub Jays are a species under threat; they are on the IUCN Red List for endangered birds. How do you help?

Bird lovers quickly realized that Florida Scrub-Jays will come readily to the hand for peanuts. Unfortunately, studies have shown that jays fed by humans reproduce earlier in the year than those that are not. As a result, their fledglings hatch before the caterpillars they rely on for nutrition are available, leading to malnourishment and starvation. People also feed jays near roads, and collision with vehicles is a major cause of their death. Thus, it’s now illegal to feed Florida Scrub-Jays unless you have a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  

The Audubon Society, ‘When It’s Okay (or Not) to Feed Birds

Here is the entire article. It isn’t long but it is packed with good information.

https://www.audubon.org/news/when-its-okay-or-not-feed-birds

Nest News:

It was soggy in Louisiana as that weather system moved through the area. Andria was wet. The winds are quiet but there is a 95% chance of continued rain the area. It is 77 degrees F.

Andria took advantage of a dry moment to feed the two eaglets.

The eagles at Kincaid Lake are so lucky – a huge stocked area for them to get their prey. The eagles at Decorah, Iowa are lucky, too. A trout farm right across the road!

Images of Gabby at NEFlorida’s Bald Eagle nest at The Hamlet on 3 January. She is beautiful. Where is V3? At 1745 V3 is on the branch, he jumps into the nest alerting and flies off to the right alerting.

V3 is a very good defender of the realm. Some think he has new battle scars on his talons. Probably. He is wet but has a big crop. Been fishing?

V3 does have some cuts on his talons but the blood could also be from the prey that he ate. It does not have to be a battle wound with blood.

Before he takes off, we get a really good look at his crop. This eagle is a good hunter. He is quick to protect the territory keeping all intruders away. Just what Gabby needs.

Those darn mosquitoes and other bugs are not bothering Gabby and V3 as much tonight and both are on the nest. Probably guarding it, too.

Rose and Ron were working on their nest today. Gee, I wonder if we will have eggs there this year?? Apparently Ron and Rose had a visitor to the nest – V1, the first female to try and win Ron’s affections. And who says Eagles do not hold grudges and do silly things in revenge??? Apparently V1 did a ‘ps’ right in the nest bowl where Ron rests today!

Ron and Rose are a beautiful couple. They posed for the camera after the restorations.

Things are still going well at the Superbeaks Eagle nest in Central Florida. It is frustrating trying to get to see the eagles. Without a time stamp I cannot tell you when to rewind but, if you do rewind, you can catch glimpses as the sunlight on the camera lens changes throughout the day. A worrisome hole or a nest collapse where the rim meets the branch on the left has appeared. I hope PePe or Muhlady will bring in sticks to close it up!

It is wet in Louisiana and snow fell on the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and her new mate but, it is unclear how the weather forecasts for ice and snow played out (or will) in the US.

It is snowing and the wind is blowing hard at the nest of Jackie and Samson in Big Bear.

Guess who shows up even with the snow? Time 0644 for Jackie!

Baiba did a winter wonderland video of the visit of the Big Bear eagles today.

The camera operator found Thunder looking out over the water from her perch near her West End nest in the Channel Islands. Time 1518.

It’s raining in Pittsburg. At the US Steel nest, one of the eagles is perched watching the traffic below.

One of the hardest nests to watch in 2020 was the Achieva Osprey nest. The third hatch, called Tumbles by the chatters, was much loved and so very, very tiny. That little one had a will to live like no other osplet I have ever seen – before or after. Everyone counted the bites it got, sat up thinking tonight was the night Tumbles would die (at least 3 times). Adding up all the time in 6 weeks that Tumbles did not get any food equalled 12 days. 72 hours in one stretch was the most.

Well, Mum started catching her famous catfish and she realised that that this third hatch wanted to live and she fed it – sometimes in the dark after the others were full. Tiny Tot Tumbles began to thrive. Tiny Tot became dominant and stayed on the nest after fledge defending it against even adult ospreys. Sadly, today, Tiny Tot’s Mum is injured. It is possible that her leg is fractured. She still comes to the nest. Dad tried to mate but she cannot carry his weight. What will happen to her? Can she be retrieved (the nest is in St Petersburgh, Florida)? and taken into rehab? In the image below, she is calling when she sees Dad arriving with fish for her. He is taking care of her. Anyone reading this know a wildlife rehab in the area that can be asked what might be done? or should be?

The average for Bald Eagles is 35 days. Harriet and M15 are right on the dot. Is the first egg at Metro Aviation not viable? 39 days today. We know that eggs in the southern states where it is warmer generally hatch earlier than those laid in the north.

Everything you wanted to know about Bald Eagles and their eggs is in this simple one page read by AvianReport:

bald-eagle-eggs-appearance-egg-laying-incubation-and-egg-hatching-avian-reportDownload

Elain provides a great video of Indigo bringing his prey into the scrape. Always turn the sound up to get the full effect of this darling falcon!

This image came up on a feed. It is such an incredible photograph that it caught my eye. I want to send it out to all our friends in Japan who know there are osprey there but, might not have seen any. Isn’t this a gorgeous image? To get a shot like this you would be in a hide level with the water. There are actually sites that will sell you time to try and get your perfect image!

We are going to close today with an article in The Guardian on the dangers of fireworks to animals. Those reading my blog know this – but, now you have information that you can use to try and get others to cancel any loud fireworks displays.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/30/do-fireworks-harm-animals-we-ask-an-expert?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so much for being with me today. We could have a couple of hatchings the next time we meet! Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Gracie Shepard and SWFLorida Eagle Cam, SWFL and the D Pritchett Family, KNF-E1, Raptor Persecution UK, Lolo Williams Twitter Feed, The Raptor Centre, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles live Nest and Cams, Kakapo Recovery, KNF-E3, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, Superbeaks, MN-DNR, FOBBV, IWS and Explore.org, US Steel Eagle Cam, Achieva ospreys, Metro Aviation, Avian Report, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Birds of Prey, and The Guardian.

Sunday Morning in Bird World

6 November 2022

Good Morning All!

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. It is lovely to have you here. I want to say, right off the top, how inspiring each of you are to me. Osprey season, for me, begins in Australia and it has been a particularly devastating start after the great breeding year of 2021 that produced Bazza, Falky, and Ervie. Fortunately, I did not share that sadness alone and I thank you again for being such an empathetic and caring community.

As migratory season winds up in Manitoba, the wetlands and estuaries that were teeming with ducks, geese, swans are silent. There are no skeins of geese flying over my conservatory and already, I am missing their loud honks. Soon our time will ‘fall back’ and it will be dark by 1615. It appears, however, that the Blue Jays and Crows are staying on. Today, one of the Crows was able to tap hard enough on the bird bath to get some water. I must now find the water heater for them. It is very important to have water when you are giving seeds. Here, during the winter, the birds and squirrels will eat the snow but, they do not get the quantity needed so a heated source is very helpful.

It is 5 degrees. There are European Starlings in the trees in the back. Last year they came and ate and filled up before moving South. This year I wonder if they are intimidated by the Blue Jays. The weather report is for snow to arrive in three hours. It has been falling north of the City for hours.

Lewis and Missy are never apart. You would think they were litter mates. I just looked down and each was eating out of their hard food dish with Lewis straddling the water bowl so they could be parallel with one another. I have not seen kittens behave like this. It is literally like they are joined at the hip.

In the Mailbox:

‘C’ sent me a very long discussion with lots of good links from the Looduskalender English Forum about siblicide or cainism. I have skimmed some of the contents and have several parts thoroughly. The information provides good definitions and also alerts you to species that practice ‘obligatory’ siblicide. It is extremely stressful to watch a nest with two healthy chicks that have hatched knowing that the eldest will kill the youngest. If this troubles you, then please avoid those species or wait to start watching.

It is, perhaps, too early to read about this particular type of avian behaviour having lost Middle but, put the link aside and educate yourself.

cainismDownload

Making News:

This late summer, we were blessed with a Great White Egret in our City – indeed, eight or nine of them on a single tree at dusk. Here is a lovely story coming from the UK about walking in the marshes and discovering this amazing bird.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/nov/02/a-walk-on-the-wild-side-explore-the-avalon-marshes-somerset

It is unclear if was fireworks that frightened F22 at the 367 Collins Street scrape last week but, something loud that sounded like fireworks echoing between the tall buildings of the CBD in Melbourne, scared this first time Mum off her perch.

Today, The Guardian is carrying an article demonstrating how fireworks causes geese to become stressed.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/03/bonfire-night-fireworks-cause-major-distress-to-wild-geese-study-finds

Many are choosing to use drones to light up the sky but, has anyone looked into the direct damage hundreds and hundreds of drones might have on birds? If you see anything, please let me know.

Sharon Dunne has posted some information about the new season at Taiaroa Head. It is getting off to a great start!

Pentobarbital Poisoning. There is at least one Bald Eagle in the US struggling for its life because it found a euthanized prey. It laid unresponsive but not dead and was taken to a rehabber who is posting information and working hard. How did this eagle get in contact with the euthanized animal?

https://www.knowledgefun.com/pdf/secondary_pentobarbital_poisoning_of_wildlife.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3xBTkh1FlmePDXANfrSQAljI8f08LCDAwxsq-_qj83gPgjq0px38JXzVA

Here is an article about Bald Eagles surviving eating euthanized cats. Are the vets not responsible for properly disposing of the animals?

https://archive.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/bald-eagles-recover-from-eating-euthanized-cats-ns5ah7v-150542725.html/?fbclid=IwAR1vtNBYxADyL7PhOOTOGELhRLvPIISvcthjOSQnpbqmCqA2myfsk9137PY

Australian Nest News:

So far, it has been a relative quiet day in Bird World. Every nest had prey deliveries in Australia and the last time I checked there were still four eyases on the Collins Street ledge.

At the Orange scrape of Xavier and Diamond, it appears that Cilla Kinross has changed her mind and believes Indigo to be a male. Is this size? legs? lack of aggression? I have not seen her statement and only noticed this latest information when one of the chat moderators included it today.

An unplucked Starling was dropped off inside the scrape box. Indigo began plucking it. It appears that Indigo’s very active plucking frightened little Rubus for a few seconds. Rubus ran and stood on the Cilla stones and then, watching and well, Rubus is always hungry, s/he begins to think about helping.

Rubus decides s/he will go and help.

The chicks made a good effort. Indigo was very good at plucking and little Rubus helped her by holding down a part of the Starling with the talons. But they did eventually give up despite their early morning hunger.

Rubus was really working on that Starling’s head.

Rubus twisted and turned and pulled getting some bites.

Looks like Diamond came and saved the day! Both chicks reasonably aggressive but, squealing Rubus slightly more so.

When I finished watching 367 Collins Street today, there were still four eyases on the ledge.

Oh, this one wants to fly so much!

They have been watching the adults fly. It is to lure them off that ledge. ‘Hey, look, you are a bird. Flap those wings and fly’ – Mum and Dad are telling them. ‘You can do it!’

It is 12:21 and all of the Melbourne Four are accounted for – there is one that is blending in well with the scrape box and one in the gutter looking like a piece of prey!

Sometimes Mum – who is now slim and trim – can look like one of the eyases. To tell the difference between an adult and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon, look at the bars on the chest. If they are vertical, the bird is a juvenile. If they are horizontal, they are an adult.

All present and accounted for at 1417. Just look at how much the youngest one has changed. You can easily see which one or ones are hungry. See the sunken crop of the one on the ledge and the full crop of the one in the gutter. Falcons do not need to eat every day and…of course, all of us want them to have banquets but, a day will not harm them. These four have learned how to pluck and are preparing for what they are meant to do – fly! So proud of these first time parents. They overcame so much to be able to fledge these four healthy eyases – and that fledging will be soon. I hope they all wait and fly off together.

Here is a very short video of a pigeon delivery to the Melbourne Four. They are sooooo loud. Once you know that sound you will never mistake it for anything else! Poor parent. Besieged.

Mum and Big have been eating. All of the nests have had food – at least one prey drop or more.

Big is big.

Big had a monster sized crop.

Big is very aware of her surroundings and around 1322 pancaked in the nest. A few minutes later she was looking around as if there was ‘something’ or ‘someone’ about.

Mum got a chance to eat some fish on her own — in the middle of the night while Big slept. Thank goodness. Big will eat everything unless the fish is huge. We are now within 5-7 days of banding.

Brief Eagle News:

If you are a Decorah North fan, Mr North and DNF were working on their nest this morning! There is hardly a Bald Eagle nest in the US that is not now going through nestorations.

Muhlady laid her second egg. Pepe was there at the Superbeaks nest in Central Florida giving support. Muhlady was the first Bald Eagle to lay an egg this breeding season. She will have the clutch finished before most even consider an egg!

Migration News:

Waba is still in the Sudan feeding at the Nile River while Bonus remains in Turkey. There will most likely not be any transmissions from Kaia or Karl II as they were already at their wintering grounds. This is typical. In past years there has been no transmission from Karl II until he began his return journey to Estonia. This is the first year that Kaia has a transmitter.

Thank you for joining us today. I hope that your weekend has been good. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures today: Raptor Education, Royal Albatross Cam and Sharon Dunne, The Guardian, Looduskalender Forum, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Decorah North, and Superbeaks.

Godwits, owls, fireworks, and Aussie raptors…early Saturday in Bird World

29 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It was so nice to hear from so many of you. I am glad you enjoyed seeing some of the feathered friends at my local zoo. I have not been there for years and it was simply a delight to see how zoo management has changed. One of the big features is our Polar Bear Conservation Project. Children love them. The place was packed – that made me happy but, I wish more people would sit and watch the birds and not be so attracted to what they are told is exotic – aka, ‘the tiger’.

Making News:

Alaska to Tasmania in one 13,000 km epic journey?! It seems a Godwit has set a new record!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/godwit-migration-alaska-tasmania-record-1.6632658?fbclid=IwAR2Sq0cOfXqg3aJDFCdwk02a4ZkWRKpMZ9_tHLeMxImoeezDPpPXmrKjc5s

A wee owl being attacked by seagulls 100 miles out to see in Scotland was saved! This is a make you feel good read.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-63425826?fbclid=IwAR0vCiStXvVZWRNQl8sHjNA4faCQIeJ2Uob9VjW7gXlChlEWS95wSej_ZZU

Please don’t put all your leaves into bags. If you must, rake them and put them in a pile, Lovely Greens made this great poster to remind us that it is better for the birds if you just leave the leaves! Look at all the wonderous creates that will thank you.

The Kakapo Recovery Group – those great people that monitor, care for, assess, and generally make sure that as many of these critically endangered non-flying parrots live – have opened up adoptions for the next year. I can say as someone who waited too long – if you are intending to make a donation to the Kakapo by adopting one of the birds, do it now! Don’t wait. My Kakapo lives in one of my huge plants, often hiding, just like the real ones.

If you are looking to help out other wildlife groups or nature centres, many are busy making money selling their annual calendars now. Check out the individual websites.

Checking on the Australian Nests:

The takings at the Port Lincoln Osprey nest would not win any awards today. It is now 2100 on the Canadian Prairies on Friday night and it is 12:17 in Port Lincoln. There have been two deliveries: 061847 and 093829. Both were small! And I do mean small. The first appeared to be a chunk of fish and the second was simply a teaser. Let us hope something bigger comes on the nest soon. Still, it has been pleasant and that is fantastic.

Another fish, a little larger, came in at 131223. Big got the lion’s share of this fish. Middle is hungry and was doing a bit of snatch and grab but at 1315, Middle pulled away as if he was afraid Big would attack. Big continued to eat and at 1324, Big took the tail and ate it. This nest needs 2 big fish to come on it. Middle will be fine but both Middle and Mum need to eat, too.

Middle pulls away. He has had some bites but Big had domineered the feeding.

Middle watches Big eat the fish tail.

I don’t know if anything could get cuter than the antics of Rubus and Indigo. Particularly when prey is delivered. The pair of them seem to go after Xavier much more than Diamond – jumping, and pulling, and trying to take the prey out of Dad’s beak. I wonder if Xavier and Diamond have noticed that it is double the work taking care of these two than it was when they had only Yurruga last year or Izzi in 2020? Mind you those two were a little like energetic Rubus!

This scrape is the real winner in terms of prey deliveries. They had six deliveries yesterday of which 5 were Starlings. Today, there have been three deliveries already – a Starling at 060733, a parrot at 063831, and a Noisy Friar at 091333.

Here is a video of the earlier feeding:

It is getting much more difficult to tell when the Melbourne Four have been fed. They had a whole pigeon early and if you rewind you will not see any feedings. Still it is 1300 and, based on past performance, we know that the adults would have been in with prey. The sun is shining and so far there is no rain falling.

There is some serious concern over the Mum at 367 Collins Street. She was abruptly woken last evening and flew off the perch at 213426 and has not returned. It sounded to me like it was people partying in the CBD. Were there fireworks set off? Was it the Spring Carnival Fireworks? If that is truly the case, this is a very good reason not to have fireworks! It definitely disturbs the wildlife! I hope that Mum is perched somewhere safe. If you live in Melbourne and know what was happening around this time in the CBD, please send me a comment. Thank you!

‘H’ caught it all on video. Thank you ‘H’ for alerting me to this happening and creating this video for us. It is much appreciated. There are falcon sounds coming from the ledge above a few minutes later.

Continuing with the loud noises that happen when there are big gatherings, dozens of people were treated for cardiac arrest in Halloween celebrations last night. Perhaps it is time for civic leaders to recognize the harm to all by loud surprising noises bouncing off of tall buildings in urban spaces.

All of the Bald Eagles in the US are building their nests or renovating their old nests. Sometimes hearing that Xavier brought in another Starling can be like fingernails on a chalkboard. So ‘A’ and I have come up with something that we hope is fun and helps oil everyone’s brain! ‘A’ began making a list of the names of streaming cam birds that correspond to the alphabet. Then she sent it to me. Oh, it was fun trying to remember all the names and clear up the few missing bits. So, we both thought you might enjoy it, too. So, get a sheet of digital or real paper, get out your pen or your keyboard and put down all the letters of the alphabet. Then start adding the names of the birds next to them. Let’s give ourselves until Midnight Wednesday 2 November -CDT. I will give you a count down so you remember. I will post the results as soon as I can collate all of them. You can send them to me via e-mail: maryasteggles@outlook.com

To get you started. Can you think of a female Peregrine Falcon living at The Campanile whose name starts with an A. It is ____________________!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!

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

Thank you to the following for their posts and/or their streaming cams where my screen captures came from: ‘H’ for her alert and video of 367 Collins, ‘A’ for her fun game idea, Lovely Gardens, CBC Canada, BBC, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Kakapo Recovery, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.