Category Archives: Florida wildlife

M15 saves E23, Pips, eggs…Sunday in Bird World

14 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Hearts were breaking. The worry beads were out. E23 had something stuck in its mouth. Was it a fishbone? Both M15 and F23 tried to get it out. Finally, around 0910, M15 got it out and that little eaglet was fed the RK Rabbit. (Thanks, ‘H’ for the great captures). Thousands of people breathed a little quieter. M15, you are amazing. Let us all send good wishes to this little one with the hope that there was no injury. 

It is a cold -25 C as I write this – with the wind chill it is -45 or -50 C in areas with cold weather warnings not to go out. Postings are up for people to please keep their pets inside. Winter has come. We will have several more days of -25 C and then it is going to warm up to -8 C. The weather has done this before and those little reprieves were great help – just to get outside and get some fresh air and go for a walk. 

Extremely cold temperatures. How could I not worry about this adorable Tuxedo?  He won’t come inside but will tell me when his dry kibble bowl is empty by banging on the garden door. ’The Boyfriend’ now has a heated bed in his insulated home. It all worked out. Calico gifted hers to him, and I crawled under the deck and got it all hooked up. Yes, he is in there! He should be very toasty. His insulated house has straw bales surrounding it on the top, the back and the sides. Only the front is open. There is straw inside and now a heated cat bed. He might never leave! I wonder if he will be wanting room service.

Calico is gorgeous. I love how the sun gives her a soft, golden look. On Monday, I will have ‘known’ Calico for a year. On 26 January, we will start the 7th month of Calico living inside. So far, she has not wanted to go out, but she has looked on occasion. 

Missey washed Hugo Yugo for over 30 minutes. I wonder if she is going to clean that eye! Notice how she is really holding that little one down. Hugo Yugo’s fur is getting very frizzy. 

Baby Hope is watching Missey clean up Hugo Yugo – she is also hoping she is not going to be next. Calico still holds her down and cleans her, too, despite the fact that she is almost as big as Mamma.

‘H’ is overjoyed and has sent me a close up of the pip at the WRDC nest of Rose and Ron. This egg is 38 days old today, I believe. The chatters have been wringing their hands in anxious anticipation. Now the wait for hatch!

Another view of that pip.

Rose on Sunday morning. Hatch in progress.

Over at Superbeaks, Muhlady has laid the first egg of her and Pepe’s second clutch. Congratulations! The time I was given was 1437.

No confirmed pip at Berry College at 1510 but chatters note some ‘suspicious’ spots.

We can clearly see the pin feathers coming in on the wings of E23 at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23.

You can see the ear. See the ‘hole – like a black dot’ in line with the corner of the beak. It will be covered with feathers as the eaglet develops.

C10 and C11 have not quite lost all the dandelions that make up their Mohawks, but the time is coming. There is lots of dark thermal down covering their bodies now and C10 was doing some standing today. Clive is keeping the nest full of prey. 

Lori Covert is looking for names for C10 and C11. Here is that announcement so you can take part. 

*NAMING* Time to name CE10 & CE11! The landowner is taking name suggestions. Around 1/19/2024 the land owner and her family will pick 2 names from the suggestions. If you’d like to submit names you can direct message Lori on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/C2A0dTTpZr8/) or you can email her at lcovert@covertmarketing.com

Beau continues to help out with incubating the egg at NE Florida. Gabby and him have a short conversation at the last turn over of the day Saturday night.

Snow continues in Iowa. It looks wet and heavy. You can really hear the wind. Compare the top image with the bottom captured later in the evening.

Raining in Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest.

Chat moderators are reminding us that the first mating of the 2024 eagle season for Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear was 31 December. Some are thinking we could have eggs soon. I wonder. It is really windy Saturday night at the nest. I did not see the eagles there today, but I might have missed them.

At Port Lincoln, the day has started off good for both Brad and Gil have had a fish breakfast.

Report from WBSE, thanks, ‘A’: ”January 13: The first observation for the day was of one adult at River Roost at 11am, shortly joined by the other. Then, at 11:45am, what appeared to be a subadult was seen circling overhead, though neither adult seemed to take any notice. At 12:25pm, our juvenile was seen circling higher and higher, out of sight. Shortly afterwards, at 12:50pm, she was seen at Juvie Roost. More tomorrow if there’s any action.”

And here is that report: ”

January 14: Our juvenile was spotted on Mangrove Island at around 8:20am, though no parents were seen by our river watcher. Shortly before, one eagle was seen to fly to the Goat Island area and catch a huge fish, which it sadly dropped. SE31 was spotted flying high over the river, over the Homebush Bay area, for a good 30 minutes, returning to Mangrove Island at 10:20am with a raven escort. At around the same time, an adult was reported at Goat Island. Heavy rain began at around 4pm, steaming up our cameras. SE31 was seen at around 5pm taking a short flight around the island, watching the water intently. “

Nice to see Sally at the nest at Moorings Park on Saturday.

The Sauces Cam in the Channel Islands of Jak and Audacity is now live.

Hartley and Monty are flirting…. I wonder when we will have eggs. Any thoughts?

Ever since the discussions of Beau’s ‘missed opportunities’ at the NEFL nest with Gabby, there have been more and more postings of young males ‘missing their mark’. D3 at Centreport is one, and in ‘Red-tails in Love’, it was pointed out that Pale Male, the resident RTH in Central Park, was amorous with a head as well. They learn. But then you have the shock of the egg to the first time Mum (and/or Dad) and then that chick screaming for food. It has to be as overwhelming for them as it is for us.

Parrots. I recently posted a short blurb about the parrots in the UK. There are also parrots all over Stuttgart, Germany. I am including this because these are our feathered friends, but it also demonstrates how a small action can make a big difference to the lives of the birds we love so much. It does not take thousands of people just a few informed, dedicated, and persuasive individuals to get to the right government departments. They need to be organised and convince these people that helping the birds is also helping humans!  

So where did the parrots in Stuttgart come from? Bianca Han writes in the Stuttgart Amazonian: ”It all began in 1984, when a yellow-headed amazon (Amazona oratrix), presumably escaped from a private enclosure, was repeatedly spotted on the grounds of Wilhelma in Stuttgart. Apparently there were several unsuccessful attempts to catch the amazon and it is rumored that animal rights activists took pity on the lonely amazon and bought another one and set it free. The two parrots found each other as a pair and raised three young in 1986. The population has grown steadily ever since. In 1995, 16 were counted and a further 10 years later as many as 38 parrots. At the end of the 1990s, two ringed blue-fronted amazons joined the population. It is not known where they came from. One disappeared after a short time, the other became a long-term partner for the yellow-headed amazon “Thea”. The population is growing very slowly. It stagnated for many years and even declined in some cases. Some years it fluctuated between 50 and 60 Amazons. In the winter of 2017 to 2018 and the following year, the population grew to 65 amazons each year (including one amazon that was in care to recover from injuries). In January 2021 I was able to count 62 parrots.” An organisation was formed to save the parrots. ”Regularly from February, the wild parrots begin to eat tree hazelnuts on the ground. Unfortunately, in recent years many places frequented by parrots have been thoroughly cleaned by the Stuttgart City Cleanup. On a smal strip of green just under two meters wide, the parrots have found their way. On one side runs the tram and on the other side runs a busy road. At the beginning of 2023, we were able to register many accidents. We were able to see some collisions with vehicles, which luckily turned out glimpse. Two Amazons had to be treated by veterinary surgeons. One remains permanently incapacitated another could return to the flock after 5 weeks. We miss some Amazons, who regularly visited the place for food intake. We have become aware of the urgent need to create alternative safe feeding grounds for them and to maintain existing ones. For this reason we have now established the association “Freundeskreis Stuttgarter Amazonen”. Hahn adds, “You can support the unique wild population of the Yellowhead Amazon by becoming a member of our association, by making a donation or by purchasing our annual calendar. More information at www. stuttgarter-amazonen. de

The first success of the Association Freundeskreis Stuttgarter Amazonen e.V. was the planting of two Hazelnut Trees by Netze BW Wasser GmbH. They also agreed to protect the Stuttgart Amazons. “On Thursday, November 23, 2023, the replanting of two tree hazel trees took place on a Netze BW site. Especially in the fall, the Amazons spend some days in this protected and inaccessible area, as there are already fruit and walnut trees here. It is to be hoped that the newly planted hazel trees will become a focal point for the Amazons in the winter months in the medium term.”

Parrots have been in the Hesse region of Germany for millions of years. ”Fossil finds have shown that around 50 million years ago, in the Eocene period, parrots lived in Hesse. Their remains can be found today in the sediments of the Messel Pit near Darmstadt. Parrot bones from the so-called Miocene (around 29 million years ago) have also been found in France and Germany. After that, Europe was long considered the only continent on which no free-living parrot species could be found. The colorful birds could only be admired in private holdings, bird parks or zoos.”

It is fascinating. I hope to learn more. Thank you to ‘J’ for bringing this to my attention after the UK posting and for translating the information from German to English using the free version of DeepL.com

Saturday is Ferris Akel’s tour around the area of Ithaca, New York. Of particular interest today were a lovely Red-headed Woodpecker and a pair of Mute Swans that are not local. Mute Swans are identified by their orange bill, and the know between their eyes at the top of the bill.

This would be true for all our wildlife.

Thank you so very much for joining me today. Please take care. See you soon!

Subscribing is free. You get the blog in your inbox daily. You can unsubscribe at any time!

Thank you to the following for their notes, information, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, WRDC, Lloyd Brown, Superbeaks, Berry College Eagle Cam, Lisa Kitchens Simms, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, PIX Cams, FOBBV, PLO, Bart M, Eagle Cam, Moorings Park, Gracie Shepherd, SK Hideaways, Teresa Rose, Ferris Akel Tours, and Animal Welfare Watch.

Saturday in Bird World

13 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Hugo Yugo and I are in the conservatory. She is tearing up a napkin – no one told her she isn’t a budgie! The male Downy is at the suet cylinder, Dyson is getting peanuts out of the small table feeder, and about 50 sparrows of various types are going after Black oil seed. It is -21 C. The sky is a light baby blue – some haze – and the sun is beginning to shine. I am so grateful that the booster on the furnace vent and the little space heater are doing their jobs today so that we can stay out in this wonderful place. Mr Crow has been here and returned just now to get some peanuts. Life is good.

As of this morning, egg #1 at WRDC is 38 days old. We are on pip/hatch watch at both WRDC and Berry College. 

Missey is watching a Crow getting ready to fly down for peanuts. Hugo Yugo wants to get up and catch a glimpse!

Hugo Yugo is like a miniature tiger. She is fearless and loves to play fight with Hope. Typically, Hugo Yugo will attack by running about 3 metres and leaping on Hope’s back. Hope really enjoyed the play and is ‘gentle’ with Hugo Yugo.

I am reminded that we have the power over how our day will go simply by waking up and finding the beauty in the ‘world’ around us. For me, it is the girls and the garden animals. I continually say that I cannot image life without them. Do you have a place to put out a water bowl for the birds? Or a feeder? I promise you that the single act of providing for the animals will bring you much happiness. (LOL. For me, the wildlife is so much better than playing pickleball).

Blue Jays carefully select their peanuts trying them out to make sure they get the heaviest one. This is the Baby from the summer and he will fly over to a branch where he will use the branch to break the shell of the nut.

Now s/he is going to try their luck with the pile of peanuts on the big tray feeder.

They used the side of the feeder to break open the shell this time.

The rain did come to The Hamlet. Gabby and Beau taking turns incubating their only surviving egg (the first was buried by Beau and could not be retrieved by either eagle from the nest).

Beau came in to give Gabby a break. Oh, I am so hoping this egg is viable. That is a 180 degree turn for me. They are working together now. Let’s hope.

Nothing seems to be happening with the eggs at the WRDC as of noon Friday.

Neither Ron nor Rose are giving anything away.

We are on pip and hatch watch for Berry College, too. Gosh, the waiting for Berry and the WRDC nest are getting folks weary….

No rain for Abby and Blazer at Eagle Country.

Rabbit for breakfast for E23 at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23.

SK Hideaways caught it -. Oh, poor F23.

As Saturday night’s storm approached the nest of M15 and F23, both were on the nest. Later, F23 really showed that she can be a huge mombrella.

C11 really chowed down on that fish that came to the nest around 10:36 on Friday. It was wonderful seeing that little eaglet eating well. Both had hilariously big crops!

Gracie Shepherd caught Chase at the Two Harbours Outlook on Friday.

Lady was doing some ‘teaching’ for SE31 on Saturday in Australia.

At Port Lincoln, Dad brought in a small fish and Mum took it. Brad and Gil have not had any fish and it is early afternoon. The water is a little choppy – look at the white caps behind the nest. I wonder, too, when Mum and Dad will be hoping these two try their luck at fishing.

Today I received a special edition of BirdLife International, the Jan-March 2024 issue, that examines the changes in the Red List of Birds. One of the species that has been ‘downlisted’ to Near Threatened from Threatened status. 

Animalia describes the Lesser Adjutant: ”A large stork with an upright stance, a bare head and neck without a pendant pouch, it has a length of 87–93 cm (34–37 in) (outstretched from bill-to-tail measurement), weighs from 4 to 5.71 kg (8.8 to 12.6 lb) and stands about 110–120 cm (43–47 in) tall. The only confusable species is the greater adjutant, but this species is generally smaller and has a straight upper bill edge (culmen), measuring 25.8–30.8 cm (10.2–12.1 in) in length, with a paler base and appears slightly trimmer and less hunch-backed. The skullcap is paler and the upper plumage is uniformly dark, appearing almost all black. The nearly naked head and neck have a few scattered hair-like feathers. The upper shank or tibia is grey rather than pink, the tarsus measures 22.5–26.8 cm (8.9–10.6 in). The belly and undertail are white. Juveniles are a duller version of the adult but have more feathers on the nape. During the breeding season, the face is reddish and the neck is orange. The larger median wing coverts are tipped with copper spots and the inner secondary coverts and tertials have narrow white edging. The wing chord measures 57.5–66 cm (22.6–26.0 in) in length. Like others in the genus, they retract their necks in flight. In flight, the folded neck can appear like the pouch of the greater adjutant. Males and females appear similar in plumage but males tend to be larger and heavier billed.”

The success in protecting the Lesser Adjutant and its habitat and its downgrading is due to “Community efforts have been key to raising awareness and conserving these attractive birds, their nesting sites and habitats. While numbers are still declining in several locations, the rate of the population’s decrease on a global scale is estimated to be slowing” according to Birdlife (29).

“Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)” by Koshyk is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

One species that has sadly been uplifted is the Palm Cockatoo. Cockatoos make their nests in the holes of old trees – just like my local squirrels and woodpeckers. Those trees are being cut down at a tremendous rate for logging. At the same time fires are also destroying habitat while trapping illegally for the international pet trade is another threat.

Animalia describes our bird, “The Palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) is a large parrot of the cockatoo family native to New Guinea, Aru Islands, and Cape York Peninsula. “Palm cockatoo” has been designated the official name by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). The species was named the “Goliath Aratoo” in Wood’s Natural History (1862). It is also sometimes given the misnomer “black macaw” in aviculture although the macaws are unrelated New World parrots.” ”The Palm cockatoo is a black or smoky-gray parrot from the cockatoo family. It has a distinctive appearance, having a large crest and one of the biggest beaks of any parrot, a beak unusual in itself, as the upper and lower mandibles do not meet along much of the length, which allows the bird’s tongue to hold a nut in place against its top mandible while its lower mandible does the work to open it. Between the eyes and the beak, there is a patch of bare skin, red in color. There is also a distinctive red patch on the cheek that changes color if the bird is excited or alarmed. In young birds, their underfeathers are lined with pale yellow, and in birds under the age of 18 months, the tip of the beak and the ring around the eye are white.”

“Palm Cockatoo Nimbokrang” by Garima Bhatia is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

You know about the parakeets in London, right?

Country-diary-Parakeets-on-my-feeder-while-Im-on-the-fence-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

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

Subscribing is free. You can unsubscribe anytime!

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: NEFL-AEF, Carol Shores Rifkin, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Country, Berry College Eagle Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Gracie Shepherd, Chang-le Dong, PLO, Bart M, BirdLife International, Animalia, Openverse, and The Guardian.

Friday in Bird World

12 January 2024

Good Morning,

We had an ‘Alberta Clipper’ hit southern Manitoba overnight on Wednesday, and when we woke up Thursday morning, all of the main roads surrounding the city were closed. They reopened at 0845, but many city streets were blocked. There is not a vehicle moving where I live. It is wonderfully quiet. What was different, also, was the traffic at the bird feeders. The Crows arrived – two of them – for peanuts. They were joined by five woodpeckers, 4 Chickadees, and 2 Blue Jays, the usual cohort of squirrels and sparrows.

I have been talking about the Crows and how I noticed that they have not been around the neighbourhood. It was worrisome. The other day, I saw one at the corner waiting for a neighbour to put out food. They were not coming to the garden. Today they are here. Oh, tears. Joyful tears.

Our City has marked diseased trees and sadly, their nesting trees are due for cutting. We are all hoping that they will find another tree. These trees were planted in 1902. They are huge and made a beautiful canopy once the leaves were fully out in the spring. It is so sad to see them needing to be taken down. There are others being planted in their place but it will be a decade or more before they are even a decent height, never mind 60 for 70 feet in height.

The Blue Jay in profile is the baby that slept with the ornamental birds in the garden last summer. It is here with its dad, Junior. These seem to be the only two Blue Jays still in the neighbourhood that did not migrate (or die).

The male Downy. Notice the red patch at the back of the head near the nape.

This is the male Hairy Woodpecker.

One of Dyson’s kits was enjoying peanuts, too!

It is one of the female Downy Woodpeckers eating the suet on the big table feeder.

As a result of the activity in the garden, I spent much time in the conservatory watching rather than on the computer – something that I ask all of you to do! It was so nice. There is no hatch news so it is simply the status quo so far.

Iowa got some snow, too, and the eagles at Decorah North were doing a bit of cleaning up.

The Hatchery Eagles stayed in the trees.

Sunny Florida on Thursday. At the nest of Gabby and Beau, Beau is really coming into adulthood. He is helping Gabby and has incubated twice on Thursday. As the hatch approaches, let us all send positive messages that this egg is viable and that Beau begins to bring prey to Gabby and their chick.

We do not ever have to worry about E23 not getting enough prey!

E23 tried to yank that rabbit out of the nesting material to eat it today. Our little eaglet is getting pin feathers and will soon have some dandelions as the thermal down comes in. You can also now see the ear.

Rose is not giving any hints at the WRDC nest on Thursday.

At Captiva, C10 and C11 are sleeping with the fishes.

Shadow brought in the first fish of this season on Wednesday!

Heavy rains caused flooding at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest on Wednesday.

SE31 continues to put smiles on our faces. 

Changeover at the Royal Albatross Colony. Everything is OK.

Marri’s return to the nest and – some memories thanks to SK Hideaways.

In California, Monty and Hartley want one another’s breakfast!

The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland – one of our favourite wildlife rehabilitation centres – released its 700th eagle into the wild! This is where Bailey, the Osprey, is an ambassador and where Connick was cared for before going off to the Smithsonian as an Ambassador.

Audubon-Center-for-Birds-of-Prey-Celebrates-700-Eagle-Release-Milestone-Audubon-FloridaDownload

Why is the Jackdaw the most beloved Corvid in the UK?

Birdwatch-why-the-jackdaw-is-Britains-most-endearing-crow-Birdwatching-The-GuardianDownload

Why is the population of Winter Finches in decline? Audubon gives us some answers. 

A-Beloved-Winter-Finch-Is-In-Decline—and-Scientists-Want-to-Know-Why-AudubonDownload

You are looking at the only breeding pair of Short-tailed Albatross at the Midway Atoll and they are feeding a chick. They also breed on Mukojima, Ogasawara Islands, Japan.

Pesky intelligent Kakapo do not like staying in their enclosure.

New comes about one of the Hancock Eagles from British Columbia.

Thank you so much for being with me today. We are anxiously awaiting a pip or hatch at both the WRDC and Berry College. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Raptor Research Project, NEFL-AEF, Jan Lester, SW Florida Eagle Cam, WRDC, FOBBV, Duke Farms, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, The Guardian, Audubon, Friends of Midway Atoll, Robyne Hocking, and Hancock Wildlife Foundation.

Jack blown off nest…Wednesday in Bird World

10 January 2024

Good Morning,

Oh, that -21 C was a bit brisk yesterday! It was still cold, -15 on Tuesday, but it didn’t seem quite so bitter. The Blue Jays and the Woodpeckers were out feeding alongside the squirrels and the sparrows. It is always reassuring to see them!

The male and female Downy Woodpeckers come and go to the feeder. They are enjoying that hunk of suet. This is the female. I could see the red feathers at the nape of her neck. Looks like a smudge in the image but you can see it, too. 

‘J’ told me that they do not have Blue Jays in Germany. She loves them and I am thrilled that she ‘met’ these amazing Corvids through this blog. ’J’ found a video of a Blue Jay shovelling snow. I have seen the ones in the garden do this same manoeuvre to get to seed.

‘The Boyfriend’ was outside. Seriously. How could you not feed this lovable guy?

Missey was staring at him from the Conservatory table.

An affectionate moment between Missey and Hugo Yugo.

Another adorable face. Yes, she has me wrapped around her tiny, tiny paw.

Calico has signalled it is story time and Baby Hope is getting ready to jump up!

Calico is ready to hear about Pale Male.

If you do not know who Pale Male was, then get your detective hat on! You should be able to find the documentary for free. Thelegendofpalemale.net

Indeed, this is what the two Blue Jays have had to do for a few days in southern Manitoba.

In the UK, Swans ring bells for food!

C10 does seem to get the bulk of the food at the Captiva nest despite not being aggressive (lately) to C11. Regardless, though, both eaglets appear to be doing extremely well.

‘A’ sent in some observations of Captiva – warning some beaking discussion: “CE10 had a large breakfast this morning while little CE11 didn’t manage to get up to the table for quite some time, and when he did, he was ignored by Clive, who at that stage stopped feeding the kids and ate a large meal himself!! However, interestingly, CE11, who at that stage had prime position, CE10 having gone into a food coma, began to attempt to self-feed on the side of the fish Clive was eating. The fish had not been unzipped along that side, so CE11 had to peck through the skin, but there was a distinct dent in the side of the fish by the time he finished (he was quite persistent, continuing to attempt to self-feed for a minute or two, and getting some flakes of fish from the exercise, so it was an excellent first effort – he may need it, as ever since the slightly hungry day three days ago, CE10 has been a little more aggressive in ensuring first position at the feedings and CE11 has become a little less confident. Eventually, though, he generally gets fed, as this nest sees a large number of speckled trout thanks to Clive (he has already brought in a nice very big trout this morning, and of course there were nestovers there already). CE11 did get fed at the second feeding, shortly after 8am, and I’m sure will get plenty to eat later on as well. CE10 woke up with a large crop, which was refilled at the first feeding. CE11 had one too, but crop dropped fairly early on, waiting for some breakfast that didn’t come until the second feeding, and he could have eaten a fair bit more there as well. CE11 does start a lot of the bonking – it is worth noting, though, that CE11 has some avian form of restless legs syndrome. Since the earliest age, little CE11 has been flapping his tiny wings in his sleep. And now, for some reason, CE10 has started objecting to being woken up by CE11’s dreams of flying. Several recent bonking episodes have been started this way, with poor little CE11 getting woken from sleep by an attacking CE10, who has been annoyed by a random wing slap in CE11’s sleep. In one such episode early this morning, CE10 had hold of the front of CE11’s throat and was really twisting and tugging at it. I was quite concerned about the potential damage, given that it was the front of the neck rather than the scruff that was being twisted by a pretty sharp, vicious-looking beak, albeit a relatively small one.”

M15 and F23 prepared for the upcoming storm. Squirrel and fish on the nest to keep E23 well fed and they will hunker down if it gets bad.

There was a beautiful and tender time at the SW Florida nest when M15 joined F23 in feeding their only eaglet, E23.

Here it comes.

I am continuing to track the storm that is hitting Superbeaks harder than at Fort Myers. There is some concern that Muhlady has gone into labour and is laying the first egg of their second clutch. Here is the weather map. It is 1855 in Florida.

This is at Superbeaks.

Muhlady flew off the nest around 17:43.

The wind is blowing hard up at The Hamlet with Gabby incubating as the rain starts. You can hear the howling wind.

Later. The winds have picked up and Gabby is still protecting that egg. The nest tree is really starting to sway.

This is Fort Myers at the same time. It is windy there, too, but the rain has not come. It will be there soon enough but it looks like the bulk of the storm hit the central and NE areas of Florida.

Still rather quiet a few hours later for F23 and E23 in the nest at Ft Myers.

This is Abby at Eagle Country at the same time. The cam focused on the nest tree shows that rain is starting to fall but it does not appear to be too windy yet.

Abby hunkered down but things are a little quieter at Eagle Country.

The winds were blowing hard in the morning at the Achieva Osprey Nest. Jack and Diane had even lined the egg cup with bark and then…the strong winds blew Jack and part of the nest off! Those winds had calmed by evening.  There were no chicks and no eggs and – well, that is sure a relief.

Thanks B. Snyder for capturing that horrific moment.

Cali Condor Jackie and Shadow at the nest. Oh, don’t we love the couple. I really hope they get to raise an eaglet or two this year.

Rotating eagles in the Kisatchie National Forest E1 nest.

At Port Lincoln, both Brad and Gil have had some fish before noon. The supplementary fish yesterday appears not to have been the one on the nest but one that got dropped in the water from the information on the obs board. My error. Apologies. Thanks ‘VS’.

‘A’ sends the report on SE31: ”January 10: No parents were seen on the river early when our watcher was there shortly after 7am. At 8am, SE31 appeared, flying from behind the island to move to River Roost. She may have been eating earlier – hopefully – though not seen. In the attached photo from early in the morning, she is possibly clutching something. At around 2pm, one adult was seen near Goat Island. No more day reports. In the late afternoon, at 5:10pm, one adult was reported at Burns Bay, honking away. The other may possibly have been there as well, and was confirmed shortly after. Then, at 5:30pm, SE31 was seen on the island.”

My addition: Just look at this magnificent sea eagle!

“At Orange, Marri was seen and heard today and Diamond was in and out of the scrape a lot as usual. Time stamps for the day are as follows: BONDING 06.06.36 X arrives for brief bonding RECAP 07.23.46, 15.42.00-15.42.15 Marri heard; Diamond was watching 14:41:16 fly down, 14:41:39 fly up & short scream, 14:49:03 another fly up & short scream; Marri involved?; 14.49.03 (?) Marri fly up; Marri screaming outside until 15:42:19; 17:37:50 Marri heard in the distance, then D flies out. Diamond was most recently back in the scrape around 20:35:28 and left at 20:42.” Thanks, A.

Humans. What can we say? Why would anyone do this?

We are getting closer and closer to the hatch of the Royal cam chick/s. This is what you can expect in the coming days.

There is a book coming out that I am very interested in because I spent much time at Belvoir when I lived in the UK. Simon Curtin has written, If You Build It, He Will Come – about the ospreys return to Belvoir after 200 years. Geemeff says, “In particular, the story of Blue4K, fledged at Rutland in 2013, who found a mate and bred for the first time in 2022 at the late age of nine years old. He was sat-tagged in 2018, and followed by Sacha Dench on the Flight of the Osprey expedition and successfully sighted in his winter home in Dobire, Guinea. The author adds “all my profits from the book will be donated to conservation charities so anything you can do to spread the word will help sell more copies when it is published on 27th February, and raise more money for good works.“ More to come when it is released.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, Geemeff, H, J’, SPO, Our Blue Planet, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, Weather Tracker, Superbeaks, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Country, Achieva Credit Union, B Snyder, FOBBV Cam, Cali Condor, Tonya Irwin, PLO, Bart M, A Place Called Hope, Kakapo Recovery, Ventana Wildlife Society, Simon Curtin, Sea Eagle Cam, and Holly Parsons.

Tuesday in Bird World

9 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is -21C on the Canadian Prairies. The cold weather has arrived. It was a good day to wake up to hot coffee and warm cardamon rolls out of the oven. LOL. The girls didn’t care! They wanted breakfast and story time before I started my day. Calico now ‘walks’ me out to the conservatory sofa to read. It is too funny. The cats have me fully trained. 

As you know, if you have read my blog over the summer of 2023, a large family of Crows lives in my neighbourhood. They bring their fledglings to the garden to get peanuts and for the bird bath, where they dunk their food and have baths. The numbers have decreased since the end of autumn, and I am worried about them. Today, I was happy, but simultaneously sad, to see a single crow at the corner waiting for another person who feeds birds. I know she specifically feeds the crows, but where are the others?

I have also been reading more about Crows, and if you are interested in the intelligence level of the members of the Corvid family include Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays, I have a book for you! It is called Bird Brains, and it is by Candace Savage. This is the latest edition from 2018. 

I was impressed by the writing that drew me in and made the new findings on this amazing species’ intelligence level relatable. The photographs are top-notch. (Sorry about the glare from the light)

The introduction included mention of anthropomorphism. Put simply it is ascribing human traits to animals. if, however, you study the behaviour of animals, the apologies of individuals such as many on chat for doing just that will more than irk you. 

Savage discusses the ‘ascription of meaningful intelligence to nonhuman creatures’ as problematic. She notes that at a point, scientists and researchers into behaviourist psychology who looked into memory, insights and thoughts stopped looking at nonhumans. Some had been tricked, and she noted that no one wanted to be embarrassed. It paused the subject of knowledge and intelligence…She notes that anyone who dared to state that nonhumans were intelligent was accused of the dreaded anthropomorphism. Savage’s entire book bunks the notion of ‘dumb animals’, stating that humans ‘have a lot invested in keeping animals dumb’ (19). Think about it – humans can treat animals any way they want if they believe they do not feel pain, have feelings, share emotions, solve problems, etc. Savage points to the research of many, including Irene Pepperberg from the University of Arizona, who concludes that Corvids are superbly intelligent, capable of identifying items by name, able to distinguish similarities and differences in objects, as well as ‘capable of acquiring complex vocal and nonvocal behaviours that many scientists believe are co-or prerequisites for referential communications’. Pepperberg, in her research, discovered that Corvids have the same cognitive capacities as primates. Indeed, their superior powers might be higher than primates (18).

If you are interested in avian behaviour and love the Corvid family or want to learn more about the intelligence of our feathered friends, this is an excellent book. It is well-written, wonderfully illustrated, and at a good price point. 

One of my favourite Corvids, the baby Blue Jay from the summer, came to visit the feeder on Monday. Delighted to see it!

The girls are doing great. The plumbers were here again today – they will be finishing up tomorrow – and I could not ask for better behaviour. They all stayed out of the way of any danger!

Missey has a new sleeping spot. It is on top of one of the tallest cabinets – almost touching the ceiling – next to a carved cat on a skateboard that my late friend, Charlie Scott, made. Missey is very smart. What a safe place and out of the way of Calico. They do not always get along. I would say they tolerate one another.

Hugo Yugo and Calico slept on the cat tree together, ignoring the workers who dumped the vanity behind them piled with anything and everything.

I was so delighted when ‘AM’ sent me some beautiful images they had taken of Blake Kites near their home in Japan.

Nature Japan gives us some information on one of the country’s most beautiful raptors: ”The Black Kite or “Tobi” トビ as it is known in Japanese is a common sight in the skies throughout Japan. This raptor is thought to be the world’s most abundant bird of prey. Its numbers are healthy and is under no threat.

This bird can be mainly found in Eurasia, Australasia, Oceania and is a year-round resident here in Japan. You can see this powerful looking bird often soaring in the thermals high above coastal areas, rivers and lakes. I’ve also seen them in farming areas throughout the Kansai region of Japan. They are very graceful flyers that soar with ease and turn with precision.

Male and female Black Kites look very similar and are very opportunistic hunters. They prey upon fish, rodents, and other birds. They are also known to scavenge which is one of the reasons they are so successful a species. I have watched them dive towards the ocean plucking fish from the water and I have also seen them dive-bomb people at highway rest stops trying to steal their rice balls and bento box lunches.” Their only predator is the Eurasian Eagle-owl. “This powerful owl can easily pick off even adult Black Kites and can sometimes be found in northern parts of Hokkaido (common throughout Europe and other parts of Asia).”

Wilde Nature gives us the size variations for these birds of prey: “The Black-eared Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey, measuring about 45–55 centimetres in length with a wingspan of up to 150 centimetres. The distinguishing feature of this subspecies is the black patch of feathers on the sides of the head, located behind the eyes, which gives it its name. Its eyes are dark brown; its bill is short and hooked. The outer wing feathers are black, with dark crossbars and a mottled base. The underparts are pale brown and become lighter towards the chin. The body feathers have a dark shaft, giving it a striped appearance. The corner of the mouth is yellow, but the bill is black. Male and female birds look the same, but females are slightly longer with a larger wingspan.”

Black-eared Kites are opportunistic hunters and feed on various prey such as small mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles. They are often seen soaring high in the air on thermal updrafts, effortlessly gliding while searching for potential prey on the ground.

Thank you ‘AM’ for allowing us to share these beautiful images of the kites.

Look at this beautiful White-tailed Eagle that visited one of Finland’s Osprey (Selli Island) nests on Monday. Gorgeous.

Connie with C10 and C11 today. Note more dandelions are missing! There are pin feathers coming in along the wing tips.

‘A’ comments on these little eaglets: ”Speaking of having enormous appetites, so does CE10, who is absolutely massive in comparison to baby brother CE11. I am still not entirely sure that CE10 has the temperament of a female, but certainly she has the physical characteristics of one. Little CE11 seems to eat his fill most of the time, but she can eat SO much more. Today, both of them had very big crops mid-afternoon (of course CE10’s was larger), and then Connie came in and CE10 was fed the majority of a good-sized speckled trout! CE11 lifted his head from his afternoon nap and initially decided not to bother, but about 20 minutes later, he eventually got up and made his way to the table, by which stage you might have expected CE10 to have long since fallen into a food coma, but no, she was continuing to eat, so that CE11 still had to wait some time to get perhaps a dozen mouthfuls out of the entire fish. CE11 is definitely getting enough to eat, but CE10 is bottomless. She is making no specific effort to prevent CE11 from eating, and has not really done so at any point in their development. She eats and eats and eats, while CE11 is a confident eater but not a pushy eaglet at the table. Occasionally, when big sibling is asleep, CE11 gets a quiet private feeding, usually from Connie, but the size differential continues to grow between the two eaglets. Fortunately, there has been no real food shortage (except one day where there was an inkling of ‘hungry’ experienced on the nest). The bonking has been minimal throughout (and instigated often by CE11, who has been prepared to look his older sibling in the eye from an early age, despite the inevitable results). “

‘J’ has a reminder: Today is also Connick’s first birthday. Connie and Clive’s 2023 hatch will be the Ambassador at the Smithsonian. Maybe you will be able to travel to see him!

Changing before our eyes. Thanks for the close-ups, cam op.

Faxinating caught the whole fish drop to F23 for her and E23 today – we all cheer when the Dad doesn’t eat the head, but we also cringe when the fish flops everywhere. Not to cause alarm, but these live fish have killed eaglets and Osplets. (more on SW Florida below)

Tonya Irwin reports on the action at the Kistachie National Forest E1 nest that Louis shared with his late mate, Anna.

Not a lot of action at the nest of Beau and Gabby. I really hope Gabby is getting to eat enough. It looks like Beau is busy with the defence of their territory.

All is well with M15, F23, and E23 at the SW Florida Eagle nest after the earlier fish delivery. Dad stopped in before bedtime to feed the cutie pie some fish.

The Great Horned Owls are nesting at the Hilton Head nest it seems.

On their social media page, the Hilton Head Island Land Trust posted a short video of the male bringing prey and being in the nest with the female. You can see the two eggs.

Meanwhile at the nest of Bonnie and Clyde on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas, it is snowing. No sign of the owls.

Just northeast of Kansas, in Iowa, the snow is coming down in Decorah, home to the Decorah North Bald Eagle family as well as the Hatchery Bald Eagle Family.

Snow was also coming down on the Denton Home Nest.

Baiba caught Blazer going after a squirrel coming up to the Eagle Country nest where he is incubating his and Abby’s eggs.

At Port Lincoln, Gil got himself a really nice fish off the nest. This is not just any fish – this is a delivery by the fish fairy at 0938.

The lads have been fighting for the fish and today Gil was the clear winner until…

Mum came in with a really large fish at 1344. The lads struggled. Gil had a nice crop – come on, Gil. Let Brad eat! Brad was hungry and got that fish and really enjoyed it. Well done, Brad.

‘A’ sends the report for the WBSE: “January 9: Early this morning, just one eagle was spotted at the river, moving between roosts. Just before 9am, SE31 was finally seen soaring high above the wetlands and the river. Then, at 9:15am, she was at River Roost with Lady, both flying back and forth a bit. At 9:20am, SE31 took flight, followed by Lady, up high, circling then off over Homebush Bay. Neither had returned at 10:15am. Just after 12 noon, SE31 was seen at River Roost, but no parents. But then we heard that at 11:06am, she had been seen catching a fish shortly after returning from her flight with Lady. At 4:30pm, one adult was seen at River Roost, and it then flew off to the west. Shortly after, at 5pm, both adults were spotted on the island, then SE31 was seen there as well.” 

BirdGuides review of the week for the UK, including some unusual finds.

Review-of-the-Week-2-7-January-2024-BirdGuidesDownload

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretative Centre is closed for renovations, but they have some online events for people living in my province. Want to know where to go birding? Check this virtual information session on the 14th of January from 1300-1400.

Virtual-Birding-Hour-Where-to-Find-Birds-in-Manitoba-Oak-Hammock-MarshDownload

Thank you so much for being with me. Please take care everyone. See you soon.

I would like to thank the following who also helped me with my blog today: ’A, AM, J’, Nature Japan, Wilde Nature, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Window to Wildlife, Faxinating, Tonya Irwin, Carol Shores Rifkin, Hilton Head Island Trust, Farmer Derek, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Baiba, PLO, Bart M, Eagle Cam, Bird Guides, and Oak Hammock Marsh Wetland Centre.

Monday in Bird World

8 January 2023

Hello Everyone,

We hope you had a wonderful weekend, could breathe in fresh air, and maybe hear birds. I was at the nature centre on Friday and Sunday – the air was crisp, and there were Nuthatches, Chickadees, Woodpeckers, and a few Sparrows. And, of course, lots of squirrels – Red and Grey – running everywhere. Temperatures went down to -14 C Saturday afternoon.

The girls kept me on my toes at all other times!

Hope listens to the story about Red-tails in Love (about Pale Male in Central Park) from the top of the chair.

Missey was listening to story time from the top of the tansu or Japanese step chest.

Hugo Yugo and Hope were playing in the twinkle tree.

Afterwards, someone got a good washing from their Mamma! Hope follows Mamma Calico around and copies everything she does, including stretching out her back right leg when she gets up. It makes my heart skip a beat seeing them together and not worrying about them being out in the cold snow.

The news from Bird World is rather thin this Monday. There’s not a lot of drama as compared to December. Maybe this is a good thing!

‘A’s continued news of WBSE31 brings us all great joy: ”

It’s watching her soaring high in the sky that brings tears to my eyes. She seems to be doing so very well, and hearing of her first observed fish catch last week was just brilliant. I cannot imagine how Lady and Dad feel about all this – I suppose it’s just natural for them, but it’s a new experience, and they seem to be continuing to take good care of their girl. That, too, makes me so very happy, though of course we cannot know what it does mean to them. 

Here is today’s report – there’s been a lot of rain in southeastern Australia over the past week or ten days, so most birds are keeping dry and the fishing would have been difficult I suspect. 

January 8: Our early watcher reported one adult and the juvenile nearby on River Roost at 7:30am – then again later. A quiet morning. Both moved a little between roosts, but there was no hunting or feeding seen. Some light rain. Around 3:30pm, SE31 was on Mangrove Island but there were no adults in sight. A quiet day. The picture of SE31 in flight is from yesterday . A gull is “yelling” at her in protest as she passes.

Isn’t she just glorious? Look at that wingspan. And look at that gull – so close to her, harassing her. Whether it’s crows, currawongs or sea gulls, there are always smaller birds accompanying her when she flies, and she has simply learned to ignore the irritating little buggers. That’s a huge relief, knowing that she is above it all and can handle their presence.” 

Deb Stecyk, a fellow Canadian that used to work with the Dave Hancock Wildlife Foundation, wrote a summary of the events at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty.

“The post season was going well for Bella and Smitty, both looked well rested after a busy nesting season. Jefferson had been gone for a couple of months and the adults were spending time on restorations and getting the nest ready for winter. Things were good at the NCTC nest. 

Unfortunately, on Sept 22 Smitty went missing for an extended period of time, which brought various young males to the nest. There was fierce competition for this nest, which was common at this nest. The NCTC eagles have a long history of defending the nest from intruders. The area is rich in resources with the nearby Potomac River and forested area, attracting lots of attention from other eagles. The first floater/intruder male showed up on September 23. The intruder was the first of many that showed up at the nest. Bella and Smitty did their best to defend their territory but Smitty’s extended absence created an opening for other males. Smitty did return for brief periods in October and November and on one occasion he returned with what looked like blood stains on the left side of his face. It looked like Smitty had been in a fight with another eagle. There were four or five different males that visited during the fall all demonstrating interest in Bella and this nest. Sadly, Smitty was absent for weeks and/or days at a time providing the opportunity for displacement. We do not know what happened to Smitty it is a question that will stay with us for a long time. We assume he was injured and that is why he could not return to his Lady Bella.

After a few months one male stood out and his persistence paid off with Bella accepting him as her new mate. The new young male was later named Scout. Scout is recognized and identified by a patch of dark feathers at the back of his head. Based on plumage we think he is about 5 years old. The patch of dark feathers blends in with his mostly white head feathers. Eventually those dark feathers will be “flushed” out and replaced with white feathers. 

Our hearts continue to miss Smitty, we watched him grow and mature over 13 seasons. There were many firsts at this nest as Smitty grew and matured into a handsome mate. A loving and devoted partner to Belle (2011 to 2018) and Bella (2018 to 2023), and an amazing loving Dad to his eaglets. Smitty you are forever etched in our hearts 💔 Thanks for the memories Smitty you are missed!

As the nesting season approaches we keep our fingers crossed that Bella and Scout will have a successful nesting season. Many firsts are once again underway for this new young male, which rings so many bells for those cherished past seasons with Smitty. It truly is bittersweet …. it’s the life cycle after all  💔❤️😢

+ many photos

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1690426617860075/?mibextid=HsNCOg

Thanks, Deb, for that great report. Smitty is seriously missed, but we hope that Bella thrives with her new mate.

Some do not think that the eaglets are so cute when they have their Mohawks, when only a few dandelions are left on top of the grey thermal down, and when their feet and beaks seem to be disproportionately large – but, gosh, aren’t they gorgeous?

Jackie and Shadow are working in earnest on their nest in the Big Bear Valley. I wonder if we might be expecting eggs later this month?

Beautiful Gabby. Looking for Beau. Needs a Break. She has, save for a period of less than three hours, single-handedly incubated her precious second egg. How much has she eaten? How could she hunt in the short time she is off the nest? Is Beau stashing prey for her? If the egg hatches, will he help her? Too many questions.

Seriously. Too cute.

The egg tooth that E23 chipped out of the shell is still there. Soon – as the fuzzy natal down gives way to the thermal down – it will disappear.

A post showing the change in E23. How quickly we forget. Happy one week birthday.

An eagle in the trees at the Decorah Hatchery nest. Is snow on its way to Iowa?

At Port Lincoln, Dad came in with a fish at 0718. Brad took that one. Gil took the fish from Mum at 0948. Those were the only fish delivered to the nest up to 1400. The pair are on the nest at 1414 wishing and hoping.

At Orange, beautiful Diamond has been in the scrape sleeping on the Cilla Stones and looking out at her domain.

‘A’ adds: “At Orange, there has also been a lot of rain – Diamond came into the scrape today absolutely sodden and headed for her Cilla Stones. Marri was seen flying past the scrape this afternoon at 15:51:32 and was heard, squeeing very loudly, seconds beforehand, and again for several minutes from 20:37:39. There was also a gorgeous bonding session between Xavier and Diamond at 06:32 this morning. So all appears to be well for our girl at Orange and her wonderful parents. “

“Finally, at Taiaroa Head, the first hatch is approaching and ranger Sharyn Broni has given a little blurb on what to expect. 

‘We are now 10 days away from visual checks of LGK and LGL’s egg at Top Flat. When hatching begins, the developing embryo moves into the air cell of the egg. Sometimes, sounds like scrunching can be heard as the membranes are broken through. There may even be a chick call. When the shell has a crack or pip in it for the beginning of hatching, we will remove it to the incubator. We hold the parents on the nest with a dummy egg until the chick has hatched. The nest will be sprayed with Avian Insect Liquidator* to ensure that flies are not living in the nest when the chick is returned.’

The live streaming camera for Milda, the White-tailed Eagle from Durbe County in Latvia is now operational. There could be eggs the end of March! Fingers crossed. Milda and her mate Voldis fledged two eaglets in 2023.

The decline of birds of prey, including vultures, in Africa could lead to human deaths. Why? Have a read.

Birds-of-prey-in-Africa-experiencing-population-collapse-study-finds-Endangered-species-The-GuaDownload

Introducing the Gray Partridge and their winter feeding habits.

Gray-Partridge-Audubon-Field-GuideDownload

Do you travel to Aruba? Here is a reintroduction story and a reminder to be mindful when seeing birds in the wild.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, streaming cams, and articles that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, J’, Deb Stecyk, NEFL-AEF, Window to Wildlife, BaiBai, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Laura Davis Nelson, Explore, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Biruta Lap, Aruba National Park Foundation, NZ DOC, The Guardian, and Audubon.

Sunday in Bird World

7 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It was a sunny day albeit a little cooler today and the temperatures will be slowly dropping to the inevitable -27 or more C at the end of next week. There was a nice dusting of snow and if I had a wish it would be that we had a huge blizzard that stopped everything for a day. Snow is a good thing and we need it.

The girls had story time, and everyone was off in their little hiding spot, having a long afternoon nap. As it gets colder outside, Calico and Missey are sleeping more. Today, Hope and Hugo were piled in together. They tend to come out for several good romps now and then. Couldn’t live without them!

Hugo Yugo only ‘stops’ when she is asleep. 

If Calico is by the end of the sofa, then you can bet that Missey is under it. It is hard to determine which one is afraid of the other. They seem to take turns. It is, of course, ridiculous – just like all that beaking or bonking by the little raptors. Lots of food, love, cat trees, perches and one thinks they have to be the boss. Can you hear me growling? Of course, Hugo Yugo is going to come flying through and scare the wits out of Calico. Go figure.

Calico is doing pretty good on her weight loss programme. When spring comes – hoping for snow but wanting winter to end in March and not May – Calico will have a padded halter and we are going to go for some walkies. 

Another really good report coming about SE31: ”January 7: SE31 was seen early flying from behind to her favourite branch on the island, in the morning sun. Then at around 9am, she went for a long flight to the south, over the Sydney Olympic Park area, for about 20 minutes – exploring further each day. As always, she is escorted by chasers like ravens – the lot of a raptor. Later in the afternoon, at 6pm, she was on her favourite perch on Mangrove Island, with no adults seen. Then she took off again, towards Juvie Roost and out of sight from our observer at the boat ramp.” Thanks, ‘a’.

‘A’ reports on the falcons At Orange, “there was a late afternoon bonding session at 17:55:08. Marri was not seen or heard today (or yesterday). The last time she was positively identified was on 5 January, when she was seen and heard flying past the scrape. Of course, the same applies to Marri as to SE31 – the longer they are out there, the more invested we become in their longer-term survival. So with two days since Marri was last seen, we start to worry (at least, I do). There has been so much rain in southeastern Australia over the past couple of weeks, and there have also been storms at Orange, I believe. As I type, beautiful Diamond is preening on her ledge, preparing for bedtime.”

At SW Florida, F23 is finishing up the remnants of the Armoured Catfish and feeding E23.

M15 joins them while F23 eats some fish. Is M15 on alert?

This is one strong eaglet. At only six days old, E23 is out of the nest bowl!

Connie and Clive protect C10 and C11 amidst a big storm that hit the Barrier Islands on Saturday.

That storm hit the Eagle Country nest of Abby and Blazer, too.

It got rainy at Port Lincoln, too. Brad and Gil are soaked. Mum delivered a breakfast fish at 0733 but Gil dropped it. Mum retrieved it and took it to the old barge to eat all by herself. Good lesson!

There will be a total of five fish brought to the nest.

It is getting windy up near Jacksonville at Gabby’s nest with V3.

The second egg which Gabby is incubating was laid on the 23rd of December. Looking for a pip around the 27th of January at 35 days?

What the AEF mod at the NEFL Eagle cam said today re Samson: “RaptorLvr_AEF​Samson has not been seen or found. He was by all accounts healthy when he disappeared. However, since they were so close to egg laying, we think something prevented him from returning to the nest.” More comments followed. ”RaptorLvr_AEF Samson and Gabby were a strong bonded pair with 3 successful clutches – very unlikely he would decide to abandon his nest.RaptorLvr_AEF ​While we never saw any other eagles in the area prior to Samson’s disappearance, eagles did show up within a day or so. They could have been out there out of cam view and we don’t know what went on.”

Guardian is at the Redding nest in California he shares with Liberty – restorations are being made. Wishing these two a much better year in 2024.

I want to go back to Anna and Andria for a moment. We will never know for certain what happened to Anna. It is a shame that Cody and Steve went to so much trouble to retrieve her – first to get help for her and second, to find out why she died – and she was incinerated and the cause will not be known. As ‘H’ reminds me – it isn’t for us, it is for the area. Is there something there. ’M’ is involved in veterinary medicine and is a technician. This is their thoughts on what MIGHT have happened to Anna. ”I thought the bird named Anna wasn’t acting like she had avian influenza. I think she was either poisoned with a metal like lead, etc. or had a neurologic disease like Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM). It affects water birds as well as raptors, including the bald eagle. It was first documented in eagles and American coots in Arkansas in 1994. In the field, affected raptors have difficulty landing on perches and will fly into objects. It is believed to be caused by a toxin produced by a cyanobacterium (a blue-green alga). This bacter–ium grows well on aquatic plants such as Hydrilla verticillata. Eagles become affected after consuming water birds, especially coots, which have fed on this plant. I noticed someone in chat at the nest cam said a coot was brought to the nest and consumed. This disease is often observed during the fall and winter months on or near water bodies with invasive aquatic vegetation. The only way to positively confirm AVM is by examining the brain for the presence of the characteristic vacuoles in the myelin sheath of the brain.”  

Tiger Mozone says it is 70 days til the Ospreys arrive in the UK. We are on the countdown.

Raptor Persecution continues in the UK. I will be so joyful on the day that I can quit posting these monstrous intentional injuries and killings.

Buzzard-suffers-shotgun-injuries-in-Essex-–-the-8th-known-raptor-persecution-victim-in-this-county-iDownload

Translocation Project of Black-footed Albatross to try and stop their extinction.

A recent good book has arrived. The Backyard Birdwatcher’s Bible. 413 pages with illustrations that include gorgeous photographs, textiles with birds, drawings by Audubon amongst others, maps, diagrams. There is the Introduction which includes good tips on how to use the book to its full advantage along with an excellent glossary. Four chapters include Chapter One that discusses the origins of birds, various specie profiles along with feeding and attracting birds to your garden. Chapter Two says it is for beginners but it is full of detailed information from egg to fledge, migration, conservation, the history of bird watching. Chapter Three is specifically on how to attract birds including creating a bird-friendly back yard, making a bird bath, a bird cafe, nesting boxes, etc. Chapter Four is all about birds and their history in art, painting, sculpture, photography, design, and craft. At the end is a long list of additional resources and further reading. It is hefty and would be a welcome addition to anyone’s library.

I have to say that I am particularly impressed by the variety of illustrations that include the females. They are often difficult to identify in the garden because some books do not even acknowledge them. The information is concise and accurate with some fun things to try to bring birds into your life.

Thank you so much for being with me. Please take care. We hope to see you again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, H, M’, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, Window to Wildlife, Gracie Shepherd, Eagle Country, SK Hideaways, PLO, Bart M, NEFL-AEF, Carol Shores Rifkin, FORE, Raptor Persecution UK, Holly Parsons, Amazon, and The Backyard Birdwatcher’s Bible.

Moorings Park is up and running…Saturday in Bird World

6 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that the start to your weekend is a good one!

It was only -5 on Friday at the nature centre. It was a really good day for a walk. The Chickadees, the squirrels, and the woodpeckers were all out looking for food and enjoying the mild weather before – next week – when it is forecast to be -29 C. There were so many going for walks today. Happy. They were smiling and taking photographs. Sometimes, when it is frigid, we don’t want to get outside! So Friday was a good opportunity to walk in and have that quiet, peaceful time in the woods. Nature is healing.

Not a great shot of the woodpecker upside down at the feeder.

Snowshoes. The Ontario Heritage Trust gives us a good history of the snowshoe in Canada: ”Snowshoes are a practical mode of winter transportation, and they are also a symbol of practical ingenuity representing thousands of years of cultural history and adaptation to the country’s snowy winters. It is believed that snowshoes arrived in Canada during ancient migrations at least 10,000 years ago from eastern Siberia over the Bering Strait. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain provided the first written account of the First Nations using snowshoes to walk across the deep winter snow. Recognizing their value, Europeans used snowshoes for hunting and trapping, and for exploring the rugged landscape. In the mid-1800s, snowshoeing became a popular recreational activity, with clubs meeting for hikes and competitive races.”

The girls are fantastic. Every day – many times a day – I profess my great astonishment that these four girls are safe and sound. They bring me such happiness I cannot imagine life without them.

Today, my daughter sent me an article form the local news. Apparently feeding stray cats is illegal in my city. Well, who would have known? If I had not been feeding strays, I would not have Calico or Hope and the Boyfriend would be thin. My entire neighbourhood would be fined. Now how ridiculous is that? It seems that someone has thought so too so there is a move to strike that law and allow people to care for these needy animals. The girls and I intend to write in support of lifting the law that prohibits the feeding of feral cats.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-considers-allowing-care-for-feral-cats-1.7074944

Missey is rather ‘wild’ looking. ’J’ thinks she comes from a magical forest full of unicorns. I could not agree more. She is now 22 lbs. and is 16 months old.

Storytime and Baby Hugo decides which of the treats everyone is going to receive.

Calico listening to a chapter about the establishment of The Ramble in Central Park and all the birds that migrate there twice a year.

After story time, Baby Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope wrestle and run.

Hugo Yugo knows that Baby Hope is hiding under the tablecloth, ready to pounce.

There would not have been enough fines in the world to get me to stop feeding Calico — and I am so glad that someone rescued Missey and took her as a week-old kitten to the Humane Society – and that some kind heart took pity on Baby Hugo Yugo’s mother and brought her in to have her 7 kittens safely. These four beautiful souls are what rescue is all about. 

There is not a lot of action in Bird World. In some ways this has turned out brilliantly for all of us as we can enjoy three little eaglets – both clutches at such different stages of development – without having to spend much time decided on which streaming cam to watch.

There is much relief at watching the SW Florida nest – no bonking! Just one very special little eaglet who has the complete attention of its parents – the super dad M15 and his new mate F23.

E23 is an eating machine…and F23 and M15 are fantastic parents. Food coma after a great feeding from Dad!

The variety of food coming to the SW Florida nest this year is quite incredible. Today it was an Armoured Catfish – but there has been rabbit, egret, fish. F23 is very grateful for the fish!

A nest full of fish and eaglets looking out to a beautiful world at Captiva.

My goodness the nest was really rocking for Rose at the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Dade County. Thinking pip in a week?

It is always a good day when Jackie and Shadow are in the nest at Big Bear.

At Port Lincoln, it is wet. Bradley took the first fish delivery from Mum. Giliath had to wait for food today until dad brought in a headless fish at 18:09.  He ate the entire thing in 15 minutes. 

Look at Gil’s tracking! We all wish Brad could have had that extra tracker. It would have been fantastic to compare the two brothers.

At Orange: ”At Orange, Marri was seen and heard flying past the scrape yesterday (5 January). Diamond and Xavier had two bonding sessions this morning (05:39:30 and 07:24:45). Diamond spent a lot of the day surveying her territory from the ledge of the scrape.”

WBSE news of 5 January: “SE31 appeared from River Roost at 6:40am, then flew to the island. She flew around the bay then, just before 7am, attempted to catch a fish, with a splash. Shortly after, she was not eating, so must have missed (or dropped it). Neither parent was seen earlier, but at 7:45am, one adult was seen at River Roost with SE31, who was whining continually for food. Around 11am, we saw SE31 soaring way up high and one adult on River Roost. Then, at around 12:05pm, the juvenile returned, past the adult and into the mangroves below the adult. Lady took off from River Roost, then the other adult appeared from behind the island. Both then set off, hunting hopefully, at 12:22pm. We did not see SE31 or either adult when we left at around 1:30pm. Then, at around 5pm, SE31 was seen again, and set off on a long flight, over the river to Homebush Bay and over Meadowbank, then back to more familiar territory.”

The latest news from WBSE: ”January 6: Early in the morning, our observer reported one adult and  the juvenile upstream of River Roost. Being Saturday, river traffic was very noisy. They were still there some time later. Then, at around 12:30pm, one adult was seen flying with a big fish, followed by an eager SE31. Around 40 minutes later, SE31 was seen sitting on a low branch on the island – had she eaten? Later in the afternoon, after a very hot day, none of the eagles could be seen from the boat ramp. Plenty of fish were jumping – come on SE31! “ Thanks, ‘A’.

At the Royal Albatross Colony near Dunedin, New Zealand:

Now this is the kind of news we want to read.

Oh, oh, oh. Moorings Park Ospreys are live!!!!!!!! Didn’t we have a great year last year with Harry and Sally. Look who is home. Oh, talk about a fluttering heart.

It is time to have some fun with some of those strange ‘bird terms’….Gorget, anyone?

Birdword-An-Illustrated-Guide-to-Some-Tongue-Twisting-Ornithological-Terms-All-About-Birds-All-AbDownload

How can we help our urban birds? An article in the latest Living Bird Magazine from Cornell Bird Lab has some answers.

A-Fifth-of-All-Bird-Species-Occur-in-Cities.-Could-Urban-Living-Be-Made-Easier-All-About-Birds-AlDownload

Results of the Christmas Bird Count in Canada. Now, please make sure that you join Cornell and other groups for the Big Bird Day coming up in February. I will remind you again and again of the date as it approaches. All of this helps us understand what species are in decline, which are flourishing, and where. Then, we can ask why.

The-123rd-Christmas-Bird-Count-in-Canada-AudubonDownload

If you live near Threave, you might want to join in the fun! This sounds like a great experience…wish I was in Scotland.

Two more book reviews coming for Sunday, 7 January.

Thank you so much for being with me today. We should have a few more eaglets in a week and hopefully some more eggs. We are looking for hatches at the WRDC and Berry College. Take care all. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, SK Hideaways, Vija, Window to Wildlife, Jenna Dorsey, WRDC, FOBBV, PLO, Bart M, Sea Eagle Cam, Ron Young, Fran Solly, Moorings Park, Living Bird Magazine, Audubon, and the National Trust for Scotland.

Bird Flu in Polar Bears…Friday in Bird World

5 January 2024

Good Morning,

Hugo Yugo went to the vet on Thursday and she had an excellent report. Not a single problem and she is now a good weight for her age and she is getting some adult teeth. Vet Kate thinks she is going to be a super small kitten. It was nice to see Hugo Yugo with lots of energy while she was at the clinic – she is awesome.

Wrestling in the conservatory with Hope. Look at Calico’s face. She is so glad not to be a part of this action.

The plumbers were here all day. They are terrific and got all new drains and vents and a new WC installed, etc. Hugo found a pile of old towels destined for the clinic and she snuggled in. I think the vaccinations made her a little tired. All of the cats were so good. They were sequestered so as not to get outside and the best of the lot were Calico and Hope. Missey and Hugo Yugo were their curious selves. Hugo Yugo is getting nice little ginger tufts of fur on the tips of her ears.

All had a special late dinner to thank them for being so patient during the plumbing ordeal.

You need to be part of the Big Bird Count. Go to the Cornell Lab or Audubon and sign up! We need accurate counts of birds in winter to help understand declines and increases in populations. Thank you!

Looks like M15 brought in an Egret for lunch after the family had finished the rabbit.

Here is that Egret delivery by Faxinating.

F23 catches her own fish and brings it to the nest. M15 removes the Egret carcass. E23 is doing fantastic.

From the behaviour, it sure looks like C10 is a female at Captiva. She still rears her long neck and head and C11 still plummets down on occasion. Little male?

Gabby is on territorial protection duty it seems. Gabby is doing all the incubating as far as I can tell on Thursday.

Ravens and Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear. Video of the busy day at the nest at the end.

Looks like Mum at Pittsburgh-Hayes.

At Port Lincoln, Brad found some leftover fish in the nest and had a nice breakfast. Gil was not bothered.

They see Dad.

The day so far at Port Lincoln. 

‘A’ sends us good news from the Parramatta River. We can all sleep easy. SE31 is really catching fish and providing for herself. It really is OK to sit there and cry your eyes out. We have been waiting for years to see this miracle happen.

Here is the latest: “January 4: The first report of our juvenile today was just after 7am, flying into Juvenile Roost. Then at 9am, she was seen catching a fish, then eating it. Wonderful sighting. At around 10:30am, she took to the air, joining an adult circling above, higher and higher and over Ermington. Then back again when a parent, we think Lady, brought in an even bigger fish – with the young one squeeing eagerly when going to take it from the adult. SE31 has eaten well today. Our juvenile is growing and gaining in experience, flying and soaring strongly, and now has been observed catching her own fish. Late in the evening, both adults were seen at Goat Island.”

The video of WBSE31 catching a fish!

‘A’ also reports: ”Thought you would want to know that BOK came in today (4 January) to relieve WYL. Such a relief to all. I am not sure whether they will replace the dummy egg with the real one again now – I presume they will.”

Diamond looking out as a falcon flies down from the tower. You can see them if you squint! (light grey form half way down Diamond’s chest in green area).

BirdGuides Review of the week:

Review-of-the-Week-18-December-2023-1-January-2024-BirdGuidesDownload

If you have cried over the plight of the Manatees in Florida, a new report is giving hope. Not raptors but I know many of you are concerned. We will take all the good news we can get the beginning of 2024!

Seagrass-resurgence-offers-ray-of-hope-for-Floridas-hard-hit-manatees-Marine-life-The-Guardian-1Download

Some good news I you are not a fan of wind turbines killing our birds.

“In Petit-Pressigny, in South Touraine, the PROJECT FOR EIGHT WIND TURBINE MASTS WAS REJECTED by the Versailles administrative court of appeal DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF A BLACK STORK’S NEST NEARBY.”

We close on a bit of a sad and confusing/conflicting note.  Anna’s body should not have been incinerated without being signed off. Also it only takes 2-3 days to get the HPAI rush results so what is going on? The author is right to be frustrated…good gracious. 

Bird Flu has now been detected in a Polar Bear. 

First-Case-of-Lethal-Bird-Flu-in-Polar-Bears-Reported-in-Alaska-The-New-York-TimesDownload

On the plus side – we will soon be on pip watch for Dade County with Ron and Rose and Berry College with Pa and Missey! ’H’ reports that Superbeaks looks promising for a second clutch. Fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Cornell Bird Lab, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Faxinating, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baibai, PIX Cams, PLO, Bart M, Eagle Cam, NZ DOC, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Bird Guides, and The Guardian.

Thursday in Bird World

4 January 2023

Good Morning,

It is almost the last of the warm weather. We are beginning to dip. It is -12 C. Next week the forecast is for -23 on Friday. I know you will be wondering how on earth we stay warm, but we do! Insulated houses, jackets, boots, warm mitts/gloves, warm hats, triple pane windows, etc. It is, of course, bloody cold! And I tend to find it much nicer to have lots of story times with the girls than go out. 

As I am writing this, Hope and Hugo are chasing one another all over the place. They are the best of playmates. When you look remember that both were the kittens of strays. Baby Hope, the Calico, was born on 2 July 2023 and Hugo Yugo was born on 2 September 2023. There is only two months separating them. Hope is almost as big as her mother. Hugo is very, very tiny. You can see this better in the second image. Still, Hugo Yugo is not afraid of anything and she loves nothing better than a play fight and tumble with Missey or Hope.

Hope likes to pose. She is so beautiful.

Precious Mamma.

Awhile ago I played with names. Never did change her name from Hugo because she was a girl but I have found myself calling her Hugo Yugo and she comes running even when she is busy in the twinkle tree when she hears it. 

You can get an idea of how tiny Hugo Yugo is from comparing her head to the ornament below her. 

We don’t have any new snow but Baibai caught the first snow for Jackie and Shadow on Wednesday. It is so beautiful.

The eaglets are eating, sleeping, and growing at Captiva. They are really at that ‘awkward’ moment, but so cute with those full crops. ‘Oh, just have one more bite!”

Beau did not completely bury the second egg when he was incubating and aerating. Beau will learn – he is learning. Gabby is back on deck.

Here is a video of that three hour incubation shift.

There is what all the fuss is about in Fort Myers! That little fuzzy cutie-pie of an eaglet of M15 and F23—-E23. They are finishing up that rabbit on Wednesday. This chick and its first time Mum have no idea how lucky they are…’Harriet-trained M15′ as a dad and partner. Wow.

M15 feeding F23.

M15 feeding his only eaglet.

Dad and the new female at the ND-LEEF have that nest that collapsed when Little Bit ND17 went overboard in tip top shape for a new season. They are north so the eggs will come later than the ones in Florida and the other parts of the south.

The female at Duke Farms is working with the new male on their nest. There are a lot of new pairs this year, did you realise this?

Pepe and Muhlady have a beautiful nest. Will there be a second clutch?

Abby and Blaze continue incubation at Eagle Country.

Liberty is so gorgeous in the sun at the Redding nest she shares with Guardian.

Some action at the NCTC nest of Bella and Scout.

It was a good day for Gil and Brad at Port Lincoln and that was just up to early afternoon!

One of my favourite Osprey couples is Blue 33 and Maya at Rutland Water. Blue 33 is Maya’s second partner. She how now broken Osprey history at Rutland by fledgling 37 chicks. Her and Blue 33 are considered to be a Super Couple because they have also successfully raised several clutches of four!

Annie and Lou were not impressed when humans entered ‘their’ territory.

Because I see the rivalry at my bird feeders, this article coming out of Audubon on the birds that win at getting seed turned out to be very interesting. I think you will be surprised, too.

Who-Wins-the-Feeder-War-AudubonDownload

Did you know?

The Midway Atoll has some hatches.

A study to determine if painting a wind turbine blade black will help stop bird deaths.

Can-Black-Paint-Help-Birds-Avoid-Wind-Turbines-AudubonDownload

Of course, there can sometimes just be too many studies and not enough action. A Norwegian study from four years ago -.

Paint-it-black-Efficacy-of-increased-wind-turbine-rotor-blade-visibility-to-reduce-avian-fatalitiesDownload

Iberdrola is already undertaking this action because of previous research.

Iberdrola-is-painting-wind-turbine-blades-black-and-applying-vinyl-shapes-resembling-eyes-to-protectDownload

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, H, J’, Baibai, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, ND-LEEF, Duke Farms, Superbeaks, Eagle Country, NCTC, Meredith Gertz, PLO, Bart M, Rutland Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Audubon, Projeto Albatros, USFWS, Wiley Online Library, and Iberdrola.