Category Archives: geese

Iris is still home…Monday in Bird World

16 September 2024

Hello Everyone,

Well, after three irritating days, the end of the ads is nigh. Thank you again to everyone who helped me spot those pop-up ads. WordPress assures me there should not be any, but…

At 1900, 38 Canada Geese flew over the conservatory in a line, not a wedge or V. Normally, geese fly in a V or wedge to conserve energy. When the leader gets tired, s/he falls back, and the next one takes its place. Being the leader is hard work; they are breaking the wind – creating a slipstream – for the other geese so that they can fly without expending so much energy. As they flap their wings, each bird helps to create a ‘lift’ for all the other geese in their formation. Research shows that flying in this type of formation also allows the group to communicate better. Talk about teamwork and cooperation. Humans have something to learn from our honkers.

Those V formations are quite extraordinary. You can’t tell from the ground, but the lead goose is the lowest of the bunch. Each goose behind is slightly higher than the one in front of it, all the way to the last goose, which is flying the highest. They do this because of the aerodynamics of their wings. The only goose that is using all its wing power is the lead goose… the point-man, so to speak. When that goose flaps its wings, it causes a certain turbulence of the air that’s following the wing. The next goose in line benefits from this swirling air, and doesn’t need to apply 100% of its wingpower. The next goose, again benefits from that one, and so on down the line. Flying in formation this way adds 71% more distance that they can fly than when flying alone!

So who gets chosen to be point-man? You’d think the one with the map! Or the leader? Or the new-guy? No. None of these. They actually take turns. When one gets tired, he will drop back so he can rest a bit and benefit from another goose’s turbulence. When migrating in good weather with favorable winds these guys can make up to 1,500 miles in a single day! That’s crazy, man! Hard to imagine, but it’s been done. They are migration masters.

So the flying at night thing … I’ve already touched upon one of the reasons they prefer the night. It has to do with that turbulence I just mentioned. You see, many other large birds (and these are large birds!) use thermals to gain altitude and to soar on. Raptors do this. Hawks, eagles, etc. During the day, the landscape is riddled with all kinds of thermals rising from the ground, all depending on what the surface looks like below; how much heat was absorbed and stored from the sun; if it’s dark or light … or even water. These thermals are great for raptors! Lots of vertical air movement all over. But geese don’t soar, and they don’t have need to fly in circles. They have somewhere to go. And all those daytime thermals are a pain in the butt; they don’t make for smooth sailing. Plus, they interfere with the aforementioned wing turbulence that they use to keep from tiring. At night, several hours after sunset, the Earth cools and those pesky vertical thermals disperse.

So that’s one reason they like the night. Another reason for night flight is to prevent over-heating (makes sense, right?) Nights are cooler, so birds that expend a lot of energy with constant flapping (as opposed to soaring) take advantage of the cool of the night.

A third reason is also something I’ve already mentioned. Hawks! And eagles! And falcons! All those guys are diurnal hunters, meaning they hunt during the day. Which goose in its right mind would want to share the not-so-friendly skies with something called a “raptor”? Now, if you’ve ever seen flocks of geese on the ground and tried to get among them or feed them or something, you may already know how mean and nasty they can get. People have used geese instead of watch-dogs. They are tough! Especially on the ground. But falcons, hawks, and eagles, hitting them from the air often spells doom. In other words, their goose is cooked. During the day, they often rest and feed and rejuvenate in the water where they are safe from raptor attack. As long as they stay in the water.

So given the choice, they take the red-eye.

Why Do Canadian Geese Fly At Night?, Forbes Magazine, 1 March 2018 (updated).

So why were the geese flying in a straight line over my house? I can’t find an answer. Maybe you know. Perhaps they were readying to land at Fort Whyte or at the river a few blocks away???

The other day Calico and Baby Hope watched ‘The Boyfriend’ as he ate at the feeder. I wonder what Calico was thinking. This was her little friend when she lived in the wild. They would come and eat together, but he always let her eat first. They would often rest under the lilac bushes. He will not come into the house; he runs away. I have tried frequently to get him to soften to me. So we make sure his food is out by 0900 and, again, at 1700. He also comes at other times, including in the middle of the night. Another animal, a raccoon, comes at night, eating everything still available and dumping the water from the bird baths. That means we must ‘jump’ in the morning to prepare everything for The Boyfriend’s arrival.

Dr Erick Greene and others around Missoula are keeping a close eye on Iris, Finnegan, Sum-eh, and Antali. It appears that all four are still fishing in the Clarke-Fork River. As far as I am aware, this is the latest that Iris has ever remained in the area. Her usual date for departure is 8 September. She must relish being a mum again to two such fine fledglings and having a mate like Finnegan.

Iris came to the nest at 0838 without fish. I did not see a delivery at the nest by 1100 on Sunday despite Antali’s persistent calling.

This person had a first hand view of Iris and family — have a read!

Hellgate Canyon Osprey Nest · iNaturalist United KingdomDownload

From Dr Greene:

Iris was at the nest at 0738 Monday morning. She was calling loud and seemed to have a piece of fish in her talons (??). She is looking for Antali and he did not come. She waited three minutes and when Antali did not arrive, she flew off towards the river.

At Charlo, is C16 catching its fish? Our fledgling observes the water below the nest and has returned wet, once, perhaps, with a fish. This is one gorgeous fledgling! That full crop sure makes me think he had an excellent breakfast.

C16 is always watching that water – unless he is sleeping! Can’t see those stunning eyes.

When I checked on the nest of Junebug at Dunrovin Ranch – which was several times including re-wind – I did not see anyone. Did you?

Just look at the fish that Beaumont delivered at the Newfoundland Snow Lane nest. Good gracious. There is enough for both of the fledglings. Will the winner share?

Still eating three hours later!

Niagara Bee Dad still delivering!

River was at the Sandpoint nest, but I saw no fish deliveries from Keke. Perhaps Keke is feeding River off the nest. River has been seen ‘wet’, and he flies back and forth to the river. Is s/he catching their fish dinner?

At the Golden Gate Audubon nest in SF Bay, Tully was last seen on the 14th of September.

Here is the video of the fly off: https://youtu.be/9MJdNDRKcEM?

Some more great information from the Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales, home to Idris and Telyn.

Hartley and Monty continue to bond – and then bond again – at the San Jose City Hall scrape. Love is in the air. https://youtu.be/pjskOK2DcNc?

Xavier. What can we say? Isn’t he the cutest little Peregrine Falcon? He always wants time to incubate his eggs, but…Diamond often has different ideas. They have been together for nine years. Today, he demanded squatter’s rights on those eggs!!!!!! https://youtu.be/fygxtkCjkwA?

Beautiful Sea Eaglets.

‘A’ remarks: “Both chicks did well out of that breakfast, and afterwards, they settled down together, side by side, to rest their giant crops (especially SE34!) and do a bit of preening. They are very companionable, the best of nest mates, and even when food is around, they have been behaving beautifully. Observing the pecking order seems to ensure peace at meal times – Lady is aware of the need to feed SE33 first if both chicks are at the table, although SE34 is now confident enough to accept food before its sibling has eaten if their relative positions create this situation. They are pretty much equal in size now and SE34 is confident and able to get himself fed. He moves forward if he needs to get closer to mum’s beak and he is not showing any behaviour that suggests that he feels intimidated at meal times. So all is going swimmingly at WBSE. “

And more from the morning of the 16th from ‘A’: “Lady was up early this morning (05:29). She found a substantial piece of feathered prey on the nest, so started feeding the littles, who roused themselves and got to the table despite the fact that it was still dark. Lady started by feeding a bite to SE33, as per pecking order, while SE34 found which direction the table was in (he had his back to it and turned around very clumsily, inconveniencing SE33 in the process). Once both eaglets were settled in their places, breakfast proceeded peacefully, with both nestlings behaving beautifully. 

Oh, I adore these two. I love what good nest buddies they have become, sometimes even allopreening and nibbling gently at each other’s facial feathers. They are so cute. I love these few short weeks on the nest, being cared for by doting parents and having little to do other than eat, sleep, grow and play. Their lives will be very hard, and their chances of successfully managing as juvenile sea eagles are not great based on previous years. Although of course they don’t realise it yet, these peaceful days in the nursery, as it were, probably represent some of the happiest of their lives. It is lovely to share them. “

I love storks. Even if you can’t speak German, you can enjoy the amazing images in this documentary. Click on the link above the image or copy and paste into your browser.

Beautiful sounds from the forest despite the Line Fire…it is now downgraded. https://youtu.be/pTw5X8U-ktg?

There is news from Portugal. I have signed up, but this file is thanks to UK Osprey Information and Jeff Kear, who kindly attached a translated version. Please scroll down and see the map showing where the ospreys have their spring and summer breeding grounds and travel to Portugal for the winter.

English translation Osprey News #8Download

Real Saunders Photography has posted some images of M15 and F23. There is action at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest. The streaming cameras are to be operational on 1 October. https://youtu.be/3wJeooaW6oI?

‘A’ comments on the Royal Cam chick: “At Taiaroa Head, both TF and TFT are still there, though TFT in particular has been moving around a lot, going down the hill and perhaps seeking out a suitable spot from which to fledge. He may just be exploring – he’s always done a lot of that. No parents came in today, as far as I am aware, but of course the chicks will be emptying their stomachs before their big take-off. (That doesn’t make sense to me – surely they would want to keep any remaining nutrients they were given by their parents, as they have never done any fishing of their own and the next meal they get once they do fledge may be some time away – I have no idea how they understand where and how to find their own food, having never been taught how to do so nor even witnessed the adults doing it. So to leave home with an empty stomach seems to me a risky thing to do. I suppose getting and staying airborne is the most important thing, and that, too, they will be doing for the first time. It’s an awful lot of difficult things to be doing for the first time when their survival depends on getting it all right on the first try essentially. The thought of it worries me terribly.”

I caught a feeding. How wonderful!

‘A’ also checks on the falcons incubating on the ledge of 367 Collins Street in the CBD of Melbourne: “At Collins Street, Mum left the eggs just before 11:17 for a morning break, but she is back quickly, at 11:18, and repositions herself on the eggs. Dad flies up to the middle of the ledge, chupping as he arrives, soon after 12:47. He has not brought food, though he may have stashed some for her somewhere nearby. He’s such a cutie and so chatty. F24 chats back as she gets up from the eggs, so hopefully, he is telling her where he has left her breakfast. But no. He dives off the ledge, which she watches with some shock it seems, gazing after him for a while before settling back onto the eggs. I’m still not sure about food deliveries at this scrape, tbough mum does not appear to be starving so there must be some (or, more likely, she is eating off camera from a stash spot where dad is depositing food). 

Dad is back at 14:46 to relieve mum, who flies off the ledge. Again  though, he brings no food. He doesn’t settle down to incubate, instead flying off the ledge at 14:46:30. The eggs lie uncovered in the mid-afternoon. sunlight.”

Calico’s got two Tips for the Day: Help Stop Bird Strike and if you find a bird that has hit a window, helpful tips on how to help them.

Migration is a time for bird strike, sadly. Calico wants everyone to protect the birds from breaking their necks on windows. The most economical way to do this is by using window paints available where crayons, markers, etc. are sold. We found the white worked the best. Just scribble. After migration season, you can easily clean the window paint with white vinegar. We purchased Feather Friendly dot strips. The company says they last ten years. Calico wonders about that but they have been very effective in preventing any birds hitting our conservatory or the windows in the sitting room.

Calico asks that you read this helpful advice:

The Geese that have been breeding in northern Canada and in Winnipeg are starting to migrate. They face many challenges but the other one is BREAD. Do not feed waterfowl bread!!!!!!! It causes ducks to get ‘Angel Wing’ and that also impacts Geese. If you see others feeding ducks and geese bread, be kind, but educate them. There is nothing more fun for children than feeding bread to ducks and geese, but that is not what they should be eating! It will kill them in the end. So, please help my beloved geese. Thanks, ‘PB’ for this article. It is so timrely.

Geese are developing a fatal deformity after being fed too many carbs, park officials sayDownload

If you have the time, please check out Amy Tan’s talk on line about backyard birds. I have so enjoyed her book and her journey to learning about the feathered friends that visit her garden and her creation of special areas for them.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Have a fantastic week! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, reports, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J, PB’, Forbes Magazine, Montana Osprey Cam, Montana Osprey Project, iNaturalistUK, Owl Research Project, Dunrovin Ranch, Newfoundland Power, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Golden Gate Audubon SF Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Olympic Sea Eagles, SOS Tesla Maria Marika, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Information, Real Saunders Photography, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Virginia Wildlife, Kelli Knight LeVan, NZ DOC, and Amy Tan.

Sunday in Bird World

15 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you to those who sent me screen captures of the ads they received when they read my blog. Hopefully, everything is fixed so that they do not appear again.

Oh, what a day it was. The goal was to finish a few small and manageable tasks since it was so hot outside. Well, nothing was easy. The lights that Wirecutter had given their top rating (for both inside and outside) would only work with a W two-prong outdoor extension cord. Think you could find one in Winnipeg? No. The desire to have lights around the conservatory did not leave my head or Hugo Yugo’s. She loves fairy lights. Consequently, we came home with three boxes to go around the perimeter. Now, attaching the cords to the conservatory was another matter. It turns out those picture frame thingamabobs that you nail into the wall (the brass ones) will slip over a part of the conservatory. Bingo. We have lights. The next was to pick a paint to colour block a section of the wall behind my desk to match the feathers in the oak frames. Done. There was a light switch that needed a cover plate. Done. This weekend was the time to put out unwanted but good-quality items for others to rummage through on the boulevard. Partly through. We did not get the painting done, but we did pick up a delicious pumpkin pie!!!!!!!! Oh, it helped with all the annoyance from the lights. Missey loves the whipped cream.

I would to start with a very sad story coming out of Baltimore. It has to do with starving fledgling ospreys and the decline of Menhaden. It is impacting these birds to such an extent that they get wiped out in the area completely if the industrial fishing of Menhaden is not stopped. If you have not written to your Senator and your Congressperson, then do so. Even if you live elsewhere. Here is the latest article. Imagine 80 starving osplets at one wildlife rehab center. Imagine.

[Baltimore Sun] Osprey starvation in the Chesapeake Bay spurs renewed debate about fish harvest – ThDownload

Many years ago I told the story of how a very large female Sharp-shinned Hawk changed my life. All of a sudden the frantic pace of the work world I lived in didn’t matter. Only her. Today, I read an article in The Guardian of another woman working in a high-powered position whose life was changed by a baby Hare. It is moving and the images are gorgeous. Have a read.

I was addicted to a high-pressure job when a baby hare came into my life. How would raising it change me?https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/sep/14/raising-a-baby-hare?CMP=share_btn_url

In another article, I felt gutted to learn that any elephant has to be killed because there is no food. Wars, famine, habitat loss, drought caused by climate change – what will be the eventual impact on all our wildlife unless we find ways to protect it?

“Zimbabwe orders cull of 200 elephants amid food shortages from droughthttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/14/zimbabwe-orders-cull-of-200-elephants-amid-food-shortages-from-drought?CMP=share_btn_url

So, what is happening in Bird World? Very little. All nests in Australia except for the Olympic Park Eagles are incubating eggs. The Royal Cam chick is set to take to the skies and oceans any moment. Will Partney and Marrum be able to save any other eggs from the Ravens? That is anyone’s guess, but I would put my dime on ‘no’. Diamond and Xavier continue to entertain us as does M22 and F23 in Melbourne. Dad is doing a pretty good job delivering fish to Mum at Port Lincoln. I would like to hear more news and see more images of our dear Ervie.

What is happening at Hellgate Canyon? Finnegan is just a master angler. He would win every fishing award for the season. It is hard to check on the Hellgate streaming cam without seeing Antali with either a huge crop or a fish delivery or both. Finnegan is working over time to make sure that his second hatch is well prepared. These kids are not starving like those in the area of Chesapeake Bay! The Ospreys inland have done well this season save for the heat and some bizarre nest accidents.

The latest news first: Iris and Sum-eh are still home with Finnegan and Antali. Thanks, ‘PB’ for that message!

Antali’s constant screaming for fish explained by the Dyfi Osprey Project. https://youtu.be/w3_WT9456-k?

At Charlo, it appears that C16 is trying his own luck at fishing. He is often on the nest or perch shaking off the water. There are fish deliveries, but they are certainly not as frequent as those of Finnegan for Antali.

Both juveniles are still at the Newfoundland Snow Lane nest where it was windy with some rain on Saturday. There are still fish deliveries. It was impossible for me to tell if Hope is still in the area.

River has a bulging crop at Sandpoint.

Junebug is home at Dunrovin.

No one is home at Foulshaw Moss.

There is good news coming from Big Bear. The evacuation order has been lifted. Jackie and Shadow should be safe but the area around their nest is full of heavy smoke at times.

The cams at SW Florida are getting their maintenance, so they are ready for the start of Bald Eagle season on 1 October. https://youtu.be/aeeH7EzNV5E?

I love geese. How many times have you heard that? Sometimes Calico thinks that I like geese more than cats. It seems that I am always reading books about things with feathers and never cats. Maybe she has a point. :)))))) Decorah Goose Cam is playing season highlights!!!!!!!!! Oh, you can see the goslings jump again! https://www.youtube.com/live/4FB6bLI39lo?

There are highlights at Decorah North, too, but it is snowing and Mrs DNF is covered! https://www.youtube.com/live/ZFuWYnuu9I8?

The NCTC nest of Bella and Scout is live. Bella and Scout were in the nest earlier in the morning.

Thunder and Akecheta were caught on camera during large parts of Saturday.

Wondering what is happening at NE Florida with Gabby and Beau? Looks like we have to wait until the 18th!

Didn’t see E1-M2 at the Kistachie National Forest nest, but his turtle shells are all there! Wonder if the kiddos will have turtle meals this year instead of fish?

One of the highlights of Ferris Akel’s Saturday Tour was a Gallinago or a Snipe. Just look at the plumage.

Ferris was also at the Open House of the Cornell Raptor Centre. It is not clear if the Red-tail Hawk Ambassador was E3, Big Red’s kiddo.

The Peregrine Falcon was very loud and caused Calico some anxiety.

Open Houses are excellent opportunities to learn about the raptors, their needs, and challenges and to just get up close with them. Check out your local wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is normal for the Open Houses to take place in the fall so, you just might be in luck! If not, save the date for 2025.

The RSPB describes the Gallinago or Wilson’s Snipe, “Snipe are medium sized, skulking wading birds with short legs and long, straight bills. Both sexes are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes on the back, dark streaks on the chest and pale under parts. They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK, with particularly high densities on northern uplands but lower numbers in southern lowlands (especially south west England). In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds. The UK population of Snipe has undergone moderate declines overall in the past twenty-five years, with particularly steep declines in lowland wet grassland, making it an Amber List species.”

All About Birds has some Cool Facts about the Wilson’s Snipe:

  • Cool Facts
    • Wilson’s Snipe look so stocky thanks in part to the extra-large pectoral (breast) muscles that make up nearly a quarter of the bird’s weight—the highest percent of all shorebirds. Thanks to their massive flight muscles this chunky sandpiper can reach speeds estimated at 60 miles an hour.
    • Wilson’s Snipe feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for insect larvae, worms, and other invertebrate prey. The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed. Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil.
    • Because a Wilson’s Snipe’s eyes are set far back on its head, it can see almost as well behind as in front and to the sides. This arrangement makes it difficult for a potential predator to sneak up on a feeding snipe—it almost literally has “eyes in the back of its head.”
    • The word “sniper” originated in the 1770s among British soldiers in India who hunted snipe as game. The birds are still hunted in many countries, including the U.S., though their fast, erratic flight style means they are difficult targets.
    • Although only the female tends the eggs and nestlings, Wilson’s Snipe parents split up the siblings once they’re ready to fledge. The male takes the two oldest; the female takes the younger two with her. After they leave the nest the mates have no further contact.
    • Researchers have done wind tunnel tests with Wilson’s Snipe feathers to try and duplicate the “winnowing” sound that’s made as birds fly with their tail feathers fanned. They found that it’s the outermost tail feathers, or rectrices, that generate the sound, which apparently happens at airspeeds of about 25 miles per hour.
    • The oldest known Wilson’s Snipe was at least 9 years, 3 months old, based on a band recovered from a bird that was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in 1973.

‘A’ brings us up to date with the Olympic Park eagles: “Dad brought breakfast (feathered) at WBSE at 06:18 this morning. Of course Lady was there immediately to take charge of the food, and the littles roused themselves from their cuddle puddle for the occasion. They both stand up on their feet to stretch, leaning forward and spreading their wings. Such pretty plumage, changing from one day to the next, and from one striking design to another. SE34 has no hesitation about joining SE33 at the table, moving up beside his older sibling. SE33 is not bothered. 

Lady begins by feeding SE33, as per pecking order, but initially it is distracted by Dad on the perch branch so Lady has to offer the bite a second time. Meanwhile, SE34 backs up for a PS anyway. I don’t think SE33 accepted the bite because SE34 was no longer beside him (implying that SE33 was intimidated by the proximity of SE34) but simply because his attention had been diverted when Lady first offered it. I certainly don’t believe SE33 has suddenly become nervous of his younger brother. 

By 06:20, SE34 is back in his position at the table, beside SE33. and he shuffles even further forward, taking prime position closest to Lady’s beak. He is soon rewarded with a couple of consecutive bites of red meat. Lady then begins feeding the eaglets alternate bites. I do love the way she does this. Occasionally, one nestling or the other will get a couple of consecutive bites, but she maintains an even-handed approach until one eaglet or the other starts to slow in its eating and indicates it is getting overly full. She is a very attentive mum, and I continue to believe that her experience in feeding and managing her chicks is the reason this nest fledges two every season despite being an obligate siblicide species. In the end, I keep coming back to the wisdom and dedication of these parents. They are a closely bonded pair and when it comes to raising their family, they work as a tight-knit team to provide for and protect their eaglets. I believe they are both in their mid-20s, which is not quite elderly but it’s certainly extremely experienced, and that experience really counts when it comes to keeping the eaglets safe and warm and dry, and ensuring that both eaglets get enough food. Lady has always looked out for her younger hatch when it comes to food. Every season, she ensures it gets food, whether she has to give private feedings early in the morning or late at night, or put her own body between the eaglets, or even to feed the younger chick through her legs or under a wing. And of course Dad is particularly hard-working when it comes to ensuring there is nearly always food on the nest. If Dad is not bringing in food. there is a good reason for it. . “

Calico’s Tip for the Day: No one can be accused of causing cats to run through the house like a Formula 1 circuit. They will do it and defy you. But if you have a new puppy, Calico has found a suggestion for you to make certain you have a ‘calm’ dog.

The dog trainer: playing too much with your puppy

The important thing many owners fail to do with their dog is encourage it to calm down. There is so much emphasis on playing and running. People think they have to play with their puppy because it wants to, but this encourages the dog to be constantly active. It then doesn’t settle well and its behaviour can quickly become problematic. Spending time teaching dogs to walk calmly on a lead and rest at home should be a priority. To learn how, go to a class or follow online advice.
Ben Marsh of Balanced Dog

Thank you for being with us today. We are always so happy to have you with us. Take care!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, PB’, The Baltimore Post, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Cam FB, Montana Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Sandpoint Ospreys, Newfoundland Power, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Debbie Shores, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, NCTC Eagle Nest, AEF, KNF-E1, Ferris Akel Tours, The Guardian and the Balanced Dog, Olympic Park Eagles.

Saturday in Bird World

14 September 2024

Hello Everyone,

The weather is still warm and will continue to be. The air was heavy Friday morning. We headed out to the nature centre to see how many geese were on the lake and check on the Mallard family with the two small ducklings. The sky was black, and it looked like rain could start any minute. In the forest, we could hear the Black-capped Chickadees and the American Goldfinch. The Goldfinches migrate, but the Chickadees stay all winter!

We found the Mallard family, but we could only see one duckling. I hope the other one was hiding in the reeds. The tiny duckling has grown but is still not large enough to migrate. Our weather is supposed to stay warm through October, so it should be fine to take off then.

At the hide, a female Downy Woodpecker was at the peanut feeder while another Mallard looked for seed in the grasses. Honking was constant overhead as the winds grew stronger, and the dark clouds gathered.

Even with the impending rain, it was a good morning to be outside for a walk. Always makes our day!

I was just so happy to see Annie! Annie is loafing!!!!!! Oh, it is so good to see you, Annie. https://youtu.be/3Vcnr3Fg9yU?

In Bird World, Hartley and Monty are back at the scrape in San Jose, too!

https://youtu.be/bg-SeoBSjDc?

Please tell everyone to please store their sports nets (of any kind) but especially soccer when they are not in use. Look what happened to this owl!

West Nile Virus killed the only surviving, of two, hawlets of Big Red and Arthur this year. It is also having an impact on all of our feathered friends including ospreys.

What is West Nile Virus and how is it impacting birds? Sadly, the most common in Canada are my beloved Crows and Blue Jays.

West Nile and Dead Birds | West Nile Virus | CDCDownload

“As of September 2003, West Nile Virus has been identified in 11 Page 2 species of native owls, 4 species of falcons, and 15 native species of diurnal raptors, including osprey, vultures, and bald and golden eagles.”

This document from the Cascade Raptor Centre is particularly good:

West-Nile-virusDownload

Heidi reports that Harvie and the two juveniles at Fortis Exshaw Canmore Osprey Platform are still home. You can see the wildfire smoke spreading through the valley behind the nest. Yesterday, Heidi saw five fish delivered in a short period of time to the fledglings at the nest after a period of rain.

Heidi checked on Fenwick Island and Johnny is still bringing Fen fish.

At the Hellgate Canyon nest, Antali had a very late night fish. I can’t rewind but he is holding it at 22:46 and is till eating in the wee hours of the morning. Antali has an enormous crop. It seems Finnegan wants to fill his fledgling up and hopefully get him on his way south.

Antali’s crop was still huge at 0741 when he was fish-calling. No delivery. Antali flew off after Dad (or so it would seem).

Finn sits on the nest with a lunch fish looking around and Antali comes flying in! He is not going to miss that fish dinner.

Finnegan takes good care of his boy. Another headless fish is delivered at 1644. Antalia has not had a sunken crop all day!

Now I love geese and on my ‘Bucket List’ has been a trip to see the Pinkfooted Geese that breed in Iceland and Greenland and then travel with their fledglings to the UK to winter arriving sometime after September 1. In the 1880s, the birds did not come to the UK til the last week of October. Now, to the astonishment of all, a pair of Pink-footed Geese have bred in Lancashire!

The concern was with climate change and the melting tundra that the Pinkfoots might not migrate to the UK. So this is very interesting.

Look at the image below. The heads are the colour of a cafe lait. This dark to medium brown head fades into a boey that is blue grey. The lowest part of the neck is pink! The goose has fluffy white underparts. The legs are, of course, pink matching the lower neck which gives these geese their name.

The female lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs. It takes 26 or 27 days for the wee ones to hatch. At that moment, both the male and the female will lead the clutch to wetlands to feed. In Iceland, they also eat crowberries, which makes their ‘ps’ pink!!!!! Their main enemies in Iceland are foxes and gyrfalcons.

“Pink-footed Geese” by naturalengland is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Pink-footed Goose pair breeds in Lancashire – BirdGuidesDownload

Some absolutely gorgeous closeups on this video by Cornell Bird Labs of the Royal Albatross chick. https://youtu.be/PsUNmjyrOFU?

The area of Shadow and Jackie’s nest is under voluntary evacuation for the Line Fire that is scorching parts of San Bernadino County. Shadow was spotted at the Snag and Roost Tree despite the wind and smoke by Eagle22 on the 12th of September. https://youtu.be/VNOQ7VrBTXc?

They say Jackie and Shadow are safe from the Line Fire (as of 9 September).

Are eagles Jackie and Shadow safe amid California fires? | Raleigh News & ObserverDownload

Connie Dennis reports that Oscar is still feeding Skylor at the Russell Lake nest in Nova Scotia. So no migration other than Mum, Ethel, so far.

Skylor you crack me up!

Dad is still providing fish at Niagara Bee.

Charlie is still supplying fish to C16 at Charlo. Interesting that it is the males staying behind at the nest and having Dad fish and fish and fish!

No love is lost at the Newfoundland nest of Hope and Beaumont between fledglings when a much-desired fish dinner arrives at the nest. That was the only delivery I saw at the nest – fish could be provided elsewhere, I do not know.

Juveniles in Latvia fight over dinner! https://youtu.be/eh85H6lpaW8?

A juvenile at the Kurzeme Osprey nest in Latvia gets a goldfish dinner. https://youtu.be/E-Bm_C8mv4E?

There was an odd break in the transmission from Sandpoint. Keke is still delivering fish. River was on the perch and then mysteriously on the nest with a nice fish. It was the camera. River is not catching fish – as far as I know, none of the males at these nests are getting their own food. Gorgeous wingspan on this fledgling.

At Orange, a Willy Wagtail comes to visit Diamond.

https://youtu.be/fl7TSd-6KiU?

Incubation continues at 367 Collins Street.

Still no breakfast at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest by 1130. Lady found a few scraps in the nest.

Do you love seabirds and Puffins? Dani Connor Wild has some amazing images in her recent video. https://youtu.be/IJi4vnEk1do?

Calico’s Tip for the Day: When the sisal on the scratch post cylinders is ragged, and you are ready to toss the entire thing in the garbage, don’t. First, could you check your online retailers for replacement sisal disks? They are about half the price of a replacement post where I live. The package we ordered also contained new hardware and an Allen key. Calico knows that I am the least ‘handy person’ in the neighbourhood, so if I can do this, so can you!

The Girls had really scratched up that sisal!

New cylinders to compare. Note the small bag with the hardware and Allen Key. We used our handy dandy cat fur remover and tried to get the old scratch post in near new condition.

What do you think? You can see that we got it all finished. Make sure that the Allen Key has everything secure. Gosh, I even amazed Calico and she gave the new sisal cylinders her Golden Paw Award – because they had a small bag of hardware with the Allen Key so I didn’t have to go rummaging around trying to find one!

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. We hope to have you with us soon!

Thank you to the following for their posts, notes, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: SK Hideaways, Farmer’s Way, Diana Lambertson and The Joy of Ospreys, the CDC West Nile Virus, Cascade Raptor Centre, Fortis Exshaw Canmore, Heidi McGrue and The Joy of Ospreys, Montana Osprey Project, Openverse, BirdGuides, Cornell Bird Lab, Eagle 22, News & Observer, Connie Dennis and Ospreys of Nova Scotia, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Charlo Montana, Newfoundland Power, Sandpoint Ospreys, Liznm, Holly Parsons, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac,

Tuesday in Bird World

3 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is our area’s first day of school – always the day after Labour Day and, for parents and children, it marks the end of summer. The weather certainly doesn’t indicate the end of summer and crisp air. It was a sunny, hot 26 C on Monday. Everyone was enjoying the last holiday before our Thanksgiving, which is in mid-October (unlike the American one, which is in November).

We went to check on the fields north of the City. Migrating birds depend on leftover grain from the harvest. In the evening, these fields could be full of Canada Geese and gulls fattening up for their long trips. Twenty-five flew over our garden this evening at 1930.

In this same area are quarries—old and new. The old ones, now long deserted, have filled with water and are home to ducks, geese, the local deer, which are here year-round, and all other types of wildlife. They are quiet spaces away from humans, leaving the animals to ‘do their thing’.

It doesn’t look very secure, but there are security guards around 24/7 that can arrive quickly if notified.

‘The Girls’ had their party. The marking of having Calico and Baby Hope as part of our family for a full year still brings tears to my eyes when I think of dear Calico living in the cold winter, having been dumped by her former family. It just hurts me to my core, even though I know she is happy, healthy, and much loved now. She is also safe, and we are triple-checking that garden door so that she doesn’t run out until the locksmith can get here. The four have brought more joy to us than can be imagined. Hugo Yugo will be a year old, and in late November, we will celebrate her year with us. She is not the tiny kitten that arrived. She is still the smallest but also the ‘boss’ of everyone else.

There were hard treats (some healthy for teeth), squeeze treats, catnip, several small new toys with a Halloween theme, and a new scratch post. The top hits were: catnip, squeezy treats, and the scratch post. They can certainly make a mess of things very quickly!

Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo were the first to check out all the goodies. Within seconds, Hugo Yugo had claimed the catnip that was inteded for Calico!

Missey was over at the new scratch post marking it before you could blink while waiting for the squeezy treats.

Calico decided that the catnip was truly hers and Hugo Yugo needed to scat!

Then Hugo Yugo wanted the scratch post!

Baby Hope didn’t like all the bother on the table and preferred playing with the stick toy and little frilly things.

Calico was the last to leave the party enjoying the reclining aspect of the scratching post and the catnip.

They seemed to have a good time. They have given such joy and comfort this past year. Life could never be the same without them and I thank my lucky stars every day (many times a day) that fate sent them my way. ‘J’ says, “Happy Einzugstag!!. That’s what I call it, “move-in-day“. Congratulations to all of you for finding each other to build a new family!!!”

Calico Approved: With four cats and a complete dislike for cat hair and cat food (it almost makes me sick), I am always on the look out for the perfect thing to remove cat hair. I think I found it today! It was my present from the party!!!!!!

It worked so well. 10 Paw Prints!

Moving on to our birds – eagles continue to arrive, geese are flying south, falcons are incubating in the Southern Hemisphere along with the Ospreys.

Heidi has worked really, really hard on this video summary of Mispillion Harbour in Delaware. These summaries are so difficult. Hours and hours of footage and no professional equipment. So bravo, Heidi.

Please go and watch her efforts, give her a thumbs up and subscribe to her channel. She deserves every like she gets! This nest, and it is a wonderful one, has been overlooked until she started monitoring it. Thank you so much. https://youtu.be/IOTOSegZTsU

Moving over to Montana –

Video on how they track the Montana Ospreys that are ringed:

https://youtu.be/lFQUgAXcF88?

Poor Diamond tried to get in the scrape and the wind was horrific. Xavier watched his mate struggle. https://youtu.be/SMFeIZ1hrM8?

Geemeff has created a summary of the entire season at Loch Arkaig for The Woodland Trust – and us! Thank you, Geemeff, for all the video summaries and your dedication to this nest and sharing all with us. We look forward to another season next year with dear Louis an Dorcha!

Daily summary Monday 2nd September 2024

Back to wet and windy weather so no activity on either nest, no change expected tonight or tomorrow. The nights are lengthening rapidly, today’s cam switchover times are: Nest One 21.04.58 (05.43.42); Nest Two 20.57.16 (05.51.13)

Here is the synopsis for Loch Arkaig’s 2024 roller coaster Season Eight: 

Louis arrived at 15.18.38 on Thursday 28 March 

Dorcha arrived at 14.21.27 on Saturday 30 March 

First Egg laid 11.13.47 Sunday 14 April 

Second egg laid 05.55.52 Wednesday 17 April

Dorcha is injured in an Eagle attack 11.08 Friday 19 April

Third egg laid 02.26.08 Saturday 20 April

First chick hatched 06.16.48 Wednesday 22 May

Second chick hatched 22.26.15 Wednesday 22 May

Third chick hatched 16.36.10 Friday 24 May

Sad death of little Chick3 approx 19.02 Sunday 16 June

Louis last seen Wednesday 26 June 

Louis returns with fish, uninjured but definitely not himself Saturday 29 June

Chicks 1&2 are removed to a translocation programme Monday 1 July

Chicks ringed with Spanish yellow Darvic rings: C1 – 1JW & C2 – 1JR  Thursday 11 July

Sadly 1JR started having seizures and succumbed to a heart condition Tuesday 23rd July

FLEDGE! The surviving chick 1JW found his wings and flew 3pm Thursday 25 July 

Dorcha last seen on camera on Nest One 11.19.43 Saturday 27 July

Louis last seen on camera on Nest Two 13.31.18 Tuesday 30 July

And the regular visitors:

Garry LV0 last seen 13.35.57 Wednesday 22 August (first seen 9 April)

Affric 152 last seen 15.09.07 Saturday 17 August (first seen 10 April)

Prince last seen 09.24.01 Saturday 29 June (first seen 1 April)

Today’s videos: none

Bonus guide – Meteorological Autumn started yesterday, WT explain the tell-tale signs showing nature gearing up for the next season:

https://woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/08/first-signs-of-autumn

I mentioned Finnegan as new Dad of the Year and, of course, forget another amazing Dad who helped raise four. Archie! ‘B’ writes, “You know, I have to agree with you that Finnegan gets a “New Dad of the Year” award.  It has been so amazing to see Finnegan arrive at Hellgate, completely displace Louis, and be such a wonderful mate for Iris and super dad to Sum-eh and Antali.  But what is also amazing is that in any other year Archie would be the runaway New Dad of the Year, showing up for Annie at Cal and being such a great dad to Aurora, Eclipse, Sol, and our dear Nox.  It has just been a really good year for new dads all around!”

It is hard to believe but those little sea eaglets are doing wingers and have pin feathers. What is it with time? It is passing so quickly! Soon they will be scampering all over the nest! https://youtu.be/trE2K9UQTSA?

There is some really sad news coming out of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. There is a possibility that the entire family is no longer with us. I had thought that I had seen Dad on the nest, but it turns out it was the intruder as there was no federal band (that was the Wednesday). This is so very, very sad.

Black MS – was banded in 2002 at the nest off of Kings Point Road just north of HWY 7 and Carver Park Reserve in Hennepin County, Minnesota. In 2024, he is 22 years old.

Both juveniles and at least one adult (if not two – both Beaumont and Hope) are at home on the Newfoundland Power nest on Snow Lane.

Want to know how important it is that fishing be regulated to support wildlife and not industry? No Menhaden came into the Potomac. Few, if any, of the Colonial Beach ospresy survived. They starved to death. It is a sobering read and please do sit down with a cuppa and write to people in power and let them know that you care before the ospreys are starved out of existence.

Virginia is fighting for its wildlife. The contacts are in the file below. Please help them!

The Osprey Flyer, Volume XXVI, September EditionDownload

Iris is still with us. She was on the nest fish calling a couple of times on Monday. Antali was fish calling late afternoon.

Nesting Bird Life and More caught Finnegan delivering a magnificent fish to Antali. https://youtu.be/0UiClVDZq2c?

Aran is still delivering fish to two fledglings at Glaslyn. Elen and one juvenile have departed for migration.

News from the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross at Orange. Mark those calendars!

I did not catch them on rewind but Pa and Missey were at the Berry College Eagle nest making nestorations Monday morning.

Jolene and Boone were caught by Sara A making nestorations at Johnson City: https://youtu.be/bFvDiI8-HIY?

Beau has been at the nest. Observers have noted some scratches, etc., to his feet due to territorial protection. Gosh, I wish him and Gabby could cut a break this year.

Annie and Archie have been courting around The Campanile. https://youtu.be/wS94ETIf-14?

At the Dunrovin nest, beautiful Junebug on the perch and a huge fish comes to the nest!

C16 at the Charlo nest with a huge crop later in the day.

At Sandpoint, River has been on and off the nest all day according to the local observers. The camera is offline.

Pam Breci caught up with Niagara Bee ospreys:

White YW is still at Foulshaw Moss but all fledglings and Blue 35 have departed. He should be heading south shortly.

Thank you so much for being with us today. We are glad to have you here. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, Heidi Mc, Montana Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Olympic Park Eagles, Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, Newfoundland Power, Virginia Osprey Foundation, Nesting Bird Life and More, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Holly Parsons, Sara A, Dunrovin Ranch, Charlo Montana Ospreys, Sandpoint Ospreys, and Pam Breci.

Wednesday in Bird World

28 August 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Morning Update: Second egg at Collins Street. https://youtu.be/vm5solPjnqI? Waiting for Orange and Port Lincoln!

Tuesday was cooler—21 C. Visiting the nature centre required a windbreaker and it was just so much more excellent walking. There were lots of Canada geese, wood ducks, and mallards at the pond, as well as a single Solitary Sandpiper – the first time I had seen one at the park!

All About Birds describes them: “The natty Solitary Sandpiper, with its olive-gray wings, black-and-white tail, and bold eyering, is a distinctive exception among the many lookalike sandpipers. Its helpful habit of bobbing the back half of its body or trembling its tail (and often feet) while foraging make it instantly recognizable. In flight, look for blackish underwings against a white belly, a pattern unique among North American shorebirds. As the name suggests, this species is normally seen singly. On migration, it turns up very widely, even in very small or temporary wetlands.”

From the map below you will see that this little bird is on its migration. What a distance it will go!

There is a small flower garden, and every blossom seemed delighted that the heat had passed. It feels like fall and even some of the leaves are changing colour.

It was a great walk!

News of fledglings from the UK in the Iberian Peninsula on their migration are reaching us. Threave’s 4B9 was seen and photographed on a stork nest in Portugal! These youngsters are making good progress. This is the first confirmed sighting of a fledgling from a public nest this year.

Geemeff sends us her daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Tuesday 27th August 2024

A lot of rain, a bit of sun, and no visitors to the nests – the season appears well and truly over. However, LizB reports: “One osprey spotted flying west to east along Loch Arkaig yesterday afternoon. Possibly the Bunarkaig male heading back to the nest but no way of knowing.” Perhaps we may yet have a final Osprey visitor before this comments page closes to end this eventful season.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.22.18 (05.34.50); Nest Two 21.20.17 (05.44.14)

Today’s videos: None

Bonus opinion: State-sponsored environmental vandalism or a good idea? What does WTS think?

https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2024/08/highland_phone_masts_-_conservationists_call_for_government_rethink-73774

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/TT9PseXWqGM  N1 Dangerous intruder: a Pine Marten visits! 2020

https://youtu.be/R-KhzHiFgLw  N2 Willow’s wonderful wings 2022 (slo-mo with zoom)

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

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

At Dunrovin, Junebug was knocked off the nest by a GHO. This caused great fear amongst avid watchers. Junebug did safely return to the nest and Mum Winnie rewarded the bravery of her little one with a nice fish!

Antali had an early breakfast fish on the nest and then Iris is fish calling. Finnegan flies around the nest once and returns with her dinner! Iris flies off. Iris is now taking care of herself – as is Finnegan – so she can prepare for her migration.

Iris and her family have suffered through the most extreme heat for long periods of time, hurricane force winds, and now some are saying the earliest snows are on their ways. We wait to see.

Some concern that the juveniles had not been seen on the Newfoundland Power nest at Snow Lane. Here they are. One had a nice fish! And then Beaumont came in at another time with fish for both! Things are going so well this year.

In Wales, everyone has departed the Dyfi Osprey nest, but Idris, the male, who is keeping his oldest daughter Gwenlais, Blue 6B1, full of fish.

All three fledglings were seen on Tuesday the 27th at the Glaslyn nest. Not sure Elen is still here but Aran is still delivering fish. Will try and find out!

All three fledglings at Fortis-Exshaw along with Dad.

The fight against Omega’s industrial fishing in Virginia waters. Write your Senator to stop this. Our Osprey depend on these little fish to live.

Look at the amount. 112 million pounds. An Osprey family of five needs, on average, 500 fish a season – let’s be generous 750 pounds. Come on!

The antics of Xavier and Diamond are endless. If you are not familiar with Diamond, she does NOT like European Starlings for her dinner! or breakfast. or lunch. or for a snack. Nope. Not a Starling.

‘A’ writes, “The first egg at Orange was laid around lunchtime today (timestamp 12:08:07. TOO exciting. Now we all get to watch Xavier bargaining for egg time (I don’t think starlings are going to cut it, Xavier) and talking to his egg. (He is the CUTEST falcon dad of  them all – he has even been known to try and feed the egg!!!) I do LOVE these two. I hope Diamond only lays one more egg. She is not getting any younger and I don’t want her to be overly stressed, though unlike our precious Iris, she doesn’t have to suffer the stresses of migration. She gets to live here in her scrape with Xavier all year round, which is a huge bonus for them and for us! I am SO excited. “

Watching at Poole Harbour to see who is home. Three of the four juveniles along with Blue 022 and CJ7 were seen on the nest on Monday.

Collins Street Falcons are waiting for their second egg at which time hard incubation could start. They might lay one or two more eggs. It has happened at this nest. Until hard incubation begins, the egg will be left unattended now and again.

We have rejoiced at four hatchlings and cried last year when the female was injured and the eggs were not incubated. There are high hopes for this year as this article in The Guardian discusses.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/27/melbourne-peregrine-falcons-collins-street-breeding-season-cameras?CMP=share_btn_url

Here is the link to the south camera at 367 Collins Street where the scrape with the egg is located.https://www.youtube.com/live/VLLNNTjaSEA?

Holly Parsons is a wonder of information. She has included a video with David Attenborough on how eggs are made. I think you might be interested. https://youtu.be/PcI72ldPvx8?

Great photographs of Mum and Dad’s Calypso and her mate, Bradley, on the Tulka platform in South Australia. They have survived quite a wind storm.

Fledglings are still at Llyn Brenig!

‘AR’ sends us some news items…when will the shooting stop? Don’t people realise that eagles (all living souls) have emotions, feel pain, have families, partners and deserve respect?

https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-u-s-news/ap-a-bald-eagle-was-shot-in-the-beak-a-care-team-in-missouri-is-hopeful-it-can-be-saved

https://www.komu.com/news/state/bald-eagle-thought-to-be-injured-later-deemed-too-fat-to-fly/article_4408bf00-634a-11ef-a3d8-d76a490d0a06.html

‘AR’ also brings us up to date on the stunning project to try and eradicate the mice that are eating albatross alive – young and adult. This is the plan:

“It is a joint endeavor between the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and the environmental NGO BirdLife South Africa—is to deploy helicopters to drop 600 tons of pesticide-laced pellets across the island.”

Here is the complete story: https://www.newsweek.com/mice-free-marion-project-south-africa-albatross-seabird-1944856

A young eagle has a glorious bath in Goose Creek near the Dulles-Greenway nest. https://youtu.be/FHmjk5UszCo?

I am still seeing SE34 being submissive and sometimes not eating because of SE33. The pin feathers are coming in, and surely SE33 will settle shortly. Dad and Lady are great parents.

The first egg for Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge was 26 August. Today is the 29th in Port Lincoln. You know what that means – egg #2 is expected!!!!!!!

Dad has been making enquiries as to when this might happen!

And both juveniles are still at Osoyoos being fed!

‘The Girls’ and I have started a new book. It is a bit of a how to, but since they enjoy watching the birds and we want to make their lives in the garden as good as we can, there are some interesting ideas. These include making suet, plantings, upcycling items as bird houses and feeders, etc. Calico did listen to the beginning. She tends to like longer narratives so we will see, but for anyone interested in creating a wonderful spot for birds in their gardens, it is a good read. I plan to work on the various birdbaths and ponds next year! When I start you can follow my progress – or lack thereof.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, observations, videos, articles, books, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AR, Geemeff, J, PB’, All About Birds, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Montana Osprey Project, Dunrovin Ranch, Newfoundland Power, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Heidi McGrue and Fortis Exshaw, Brian Collins and Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal, Holly Parsons, Birds of Poole Harbour, The Guardian, 367 Collins Street Falcons, Bazz Hockaday and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Brenig Osprey Project, Newsweek, Olympic Sea Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Dan Rouse, komu.com, thehill.com.

Thursday in Bird World

22 August 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

We hope that you are well. The end of summer (or winter, depending on where you live) is soon coming to an end! Already some children are heading back to school. Here it is the day after Labour Day. That really does mark the end of the summer for many.

It continues to be hot, and the garden birds are spending more and more time in the baths. It looks like another host of House Sparrows has appeared in the garden. I even ‘thought’ I saw a couple of new baby red squirrels the other day, but I am not sure. I feel very sorry for them and all of the eagles and ospreys we have been monitoring who are caught in this extended heat wave. Please put out water for all the animals and change it regularly, and if you can afford it, feed them. If billions of people joined together, the lives of our feathered friends would be much improved.

Wednesday is our local Farmer’s Market. It has grown over the years to have some exceptional vendors as our neighbourhood community grows and grows in population, attracting many young professionals who like the vibe. From the original stalls selling produce, organic meats, and local honey, we now have artisan ice creams, flowers, organic breads, the most amazing dumplings, empanadas, and Japanese baking. The temperature was not so hot making it that much more congenial to mingle with friends and neighbours this afternoon.

Oh, I hope they continue to come to the market. Their handmade dumplings are delicious. And look at the price!

A mother and daughter grow fields of flowers right outside the City for the bouquets. They are lovely. Just the right size.

I wanted to show you all of the goodies, but Hugo Yugo got on top of the table before I could blink. She is always the first to be curious, quickly followed by Missey! For some reason, Hugo Yugo was not interested in dumplings. Could it have been that they were tofu and cabbage? I could easily be completely Vegan if it were not for dairy. I am trying, but ice cream and cream for my coffee get me every time.

Yes, there she is! Missey first tried the tofu cabbage dumpling and loved it. Then she moved on to the Ube Melon roll! Both got her thumbs up!

Calico and Hope are curious and sweet, but they prefer watching the animals in the garden instead of human-related ‘things’.

Before we went to the market, we stopped in at the duck pond. What a surprise. The Canada Geese were feeding on the Cricket grounds and, for the most part, the ducks had the pond all to themselves. OK. There were about twenty geese at the pond compared to hundreds feeding on the pitch. Most ducks were the sweetest little Wood Ducks – tiny compared to the Mallards. Some of the images are pretty dark despite lightening them…apologies.

I am ready for some rain. For an afternoon, curling up in a chair and reading a book, the stack on the bedside table grows, and by the time I get myself tucked in, I am too exhausted to read. I am not complaining! How many of us wish there were at least 36 hours in a day?

And to my great joy, ‘The Boyfriend’ showed up during the daylight hours. I catch him on the video cameras coming in the middle of the night, but had not seen him during the day. He looks to be in good form.

You might have noticed that we are not hearing from Heidi regularly. She is having a much-deserved break after a season of great sadness. The osplets on all the nests she has been monitoring have fledged (or died). Please give her a big round of applause so she can hear it! Thanks, Heidi, for your outstanding contributions and for taking care of all that data for me on those nests. You will never know how much I appreciate it. Thank you is hardly adequate.

I received a letter today from a family on the Potomac River that put up an osprey platform. They attracted a family that fledged two chicks. They wrote to me to enquire about siblicide occurring after fledge. What happened was that the older sibling prevented the younger one from getting any fish, and the younger one died on their lawn. Years ago, when we thought of siblicide and indeed, until a couple of years ago, the older sibling (usually) killed the younger one on the nest before the age of 21 days. With the heat domes and the lack of fish during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, we are seeing more and more competition between the fledglings of a nest and various intruders for local resources such as food.

Siblicide happened at Port Lincoln several years ago, pre-fledged at 65 days. The chick was pushed off the nest into the water and died. So there is a range. As the planet heats up and more fish dive deep or are lost to commercial fishing trawlers (unless that dire practice can be stopped), we will likely see many more deaths on the nests than we have seen this year. I regret painting a gloomy picture, but I would rather be entirely wrong than write as if we live in Disneyland where everything ends beautifully. Oh, how I wish it were so.

The Ospreys are leaving. The Storks are migrating. Shorebirds are flying south from the Arctic to their homes in South America. The move is on. Bald eagles return to check out their nests’ condition and lay claim to them again. The Eastern Ospreys are preparing to lay eggs like the falcons in Australia. We already have baby sea eaglets. For the next few months, the action will be coming to us from Australia, and then the eagles in the US will begin to lay their eggs.

We will start with a good news story about wind turbines sent to us from Geemeff. I was starting to think there was nothing good about the darn things. One of the things I hate about wind turbines is the refusal of so many factories to paint one blade black. What a simple solution someone found Let’s see what is happening here to protect the sea eagles in The Netherlands.

https://www.dutchnews.nl/2024/08/zeeland-wind-farm-activates-sea-eagle-protection-system

It is fantastic to see the fledglings return to the nest months after their first flight. Today, Alma visited the San Jose City Hall scrape to the delight of all. SK Hideaways caught it.

Xavier arrives with prey. Diamond prefers bonding to eating! https://youtu.be/STISiz5bv34?

This is nothing short of animal cruelty. Do people think birds have no feelings? Help spread the word about the use of birds and include balloons when you ask friends to protect wildlife. Thank you.

The dark eye lines on Hope and Beaumont’s osplets are wide and magnificent. Dark beauties they are! There is a rumour that the second chick fledged on Wednesday the 21st. I did not see it and there is nothing on the FB group. Will confirm later.

Dad arrives to much enthusiasm at the Royal Albatross colony to feed the Royal Cam chick.https://youtu.be/3as5kXIFb18?

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

Daily summary Wednesday 21st August 2024

Nest One had a few little songbird visitors today despite the wet and windy weather, but otherwise no activity. Garry LV0 was last seen briefly on Sunday 18th and seems to have left the area, so with increasing reports of final sightings from UK Osprey projects, tonight’s bonus is the excellent webinar on Osprey migration by Dr Tim Mackrill.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.35.33 (05.14.32); Nest Two 21.27.36 (05.19.35)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/08N3dt1mD6k N1 A Warbler & Coal Tits visit 09.34.52

Bonus info – Osprey migration webinar with Tim Mackrill: 

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

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

Iris brings fish to the nest. Sometimes there is a fledgling there to nab it! The chicks are looking good and no doubt being fed at the nest and elsewhere as Iris, we hope, is packing in the calories, too, for her long flight.

Beautiful fish arriving on the nest for C16 at the Charlo Montana nest.

Junebug on the perch at Dunrovin waiting for fish.

River has been on and off the nest all day at Sandpoint getting fish! She had a big morning brekkie to help start the day.

One lucky chick at Blackbush has a fish dinner.

I did not see anyone at home at Cowlitz. Maybe I missed our fledgling.

At Saaksilvie #1, ringed and unringed are getting some fish dinners.

Clean up crew at the Seilli nest in Finland.

I saw no activity at nest #4 on Wednesday in Finland.

Both fledglings on the nest in Latvia having some nice fish with Mum.

‘A’ reminds us: “We are on egg watch at Orange. As I mentioned, Diamond laid her first egg on 26 August last season, so we are nearing that time. There is lots of bonding and mating taking place. 

22 Aug BONDING 05:50:59, 10.30.59, 14:47:34, 17:30:42 PREY 07.02.32 X takes; 07.04.12 X stashes; 09:15:07 D takes; 13.23.42 D takes

TOWER MATING 07.05.16 LR 17s, 07.06.27 LR 18s, 07.10.49 LR 15s, 07.56.23 LHC 15s, 09:46:48 MW 12s, 13.53.31 MW 10s, 13.54.48 MW 6s

Diamond and Xavier are both looking healthy, unlike the starling Xavier stashed in the front corner of the scrape this morning – Diamond has treated it with the disdain it deserves but it will be recycled in the morning. Nothing is wasted here. There is discussion on the site about the worth of maggots in starlings. Of course we know from bald eagle nests that there’s good protein in maggots. Perfectly edible. “

Always good to see Jackie and Shadow. As a couple they spell, HOPE.https://youtu.be/UCkug0-kyW0?si=XbT6zm2FPZkbCkH8

A big shout out to Mary Cheadle who organises all of the fundraisers for the Lock Arkaig FB group. Thousands of pounds go to The Woodland Trust each year from viewers and fans. Thanks, Mary, for all you do!

There is one more fundraiser. For a donation of 3 GBP or more, you have a chance to win some expensive books on Ospreys, totes, etc. Check out the Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys FB if interested. The deadline is 30 August. It is the last fundraiser of the year.

Blue 1RO was 100 days old on Wednesday. Does anyone else think s/he looks exactly like their daddy Blue 33?

It was rainy and looked like a gale was blowing at the Glaslyn nest. The fledglings still think that Aran can pull off a miracle fishing for them! Two came in early in the day but no late fish to keep those crops full during the night.

It was windy with some rain at Dyfi but the wind did not appear to be blowing as strong as it was at Glaslyn. (Maybe just me…)

It was blowing hard at Llyn Brenig – the two fledglings were holding on tight to their nest!

Juveniles at Poole Harbour screaming their heads off for fish at Poole Harbour.

Fledgling still at Mlade Buky. Nice.

New Zealand is rushing to vaccinate its native birds ahead of what they believe will be a huge outbreak of H5N1.

New Zealand rushes vaccination of endangered birds before deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu arrives | NDownload

Studying Petrels and Albatross…what have they found out over the last decades of research?

Decades of Data, Diverse Discoveries | Friends of Midway AtollDownload

Thank you so much for being with us today. It is always a pleasure!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, letters, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff’, dutchnews.nl, SK Hideaways, Birds in Helping Hands, Newfoundland Power, Cowlitz PUD, Cornell Bird Lab, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Sandpoint Ospreys, Blackbush at Old Tracerie, Saaksilvie, LDF, Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, LRWT, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, BoPH, Mlade Buky Stork Cam, The Guardian, and Friends of Midway Atoll.

More deaths…Saturday in Bird World

13 July 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is 40 C in Winnipeg with the heat index. So humid! We did our morning walk at the nature centre regardless packing a big container of watermelon bites and an insulated jug of water. The rain has caused everything to grow tall and the forest is cool. The breeze off the lake and the shade from the trees actually made the walk very tolerable. The delight was turning the corner and seeing a little duck, listening to the songbirds, and having a parade of over 50 Canada Geese of varying ages. I thought, for a moment, they wanted some watermelon!!!! Apparently, the pigs at the nature centre’s farm love it.

The geese came in groups, some juveniles mixed in with the adults. Everyone moving through the paths to get to the stream behind where I was sitting.

Not babies anymore. They will be ready to migrate when October arrives.

At home, Hugo Yugo decided that the perfect toy was my sun hat. She wold get under it and move towards Calico like she was going to bulldoze her down while she was drinking?

Dyson knows when I come home from the nature centre with new seed cylinders. She must have them on speed dial! I no more than get the new cylinder on the spike and she appears. I am so glad that Dyson is in such good condition. She is elderly by squirrel standards. We adore her and her kits.

Everyone is hot and wanting in the bird bath. I ‘thought’ that the Brown-headed Cowbirds had managed to sneak only one egg into the sparrow nest, but I was mistaken. There were three cowbird babies in the bird bath at the same time this afternoon. Those poor House Sparrows feeding those big things. And they are probably still feeding them.

On the far left is a baby Sparrow. You can see the size difference between the Cowbird. Both are ‘babies’.

Reets asked me if I tried the ice in the bird baths. Yes, I did. It is fantastic. I am thinking about embedding peanuts in one of the forms. Meant to take some photographs and forgot and by the time I remembered everything had been chipped away or melted. The birds did love the ice.

I am just getting news from ‘AM’ that one of the osplets was taken by an owl at nest #3 Finland. Mum tried to fight it off but to no avail.

Menhaden. I want you to dream about that word. It is those little fish that the Ospreys need in the NE United States to stay alive. I am embarrassed that Omega, a Canadian company, is taking millions of tonnes of this fish out of the Chesapeake Bay. The Ospreys are only one part of this. Heidi sent me this post by the son of the owner of Captain Mac’s Fish House. That is Fenwick Island. We are watching their osprey. He is also the manager of the fish house. This was two years ago – even the fish could not survive without Menhaden. Neither can the whales. It is time to stop them. I wonder if anyone is brave enough to do it — or will it take us, demanding a stop because of the destruction of the entire bay? The impact on the ospreys is worse than DDT, and they were almost completely wiped out then.

Note to everyone: Omega sells fish oil for humans. They are taking the krill from the Arctic that the whales and seals need. Do humans need supplements? My doctor says ‘no’.

Today’s message from Brian Collins at the Little Fish-Big Deal FB page. If you live in the US, read the notice by the Audubon Society below and write to your representative to save our ospreys.

These were the Omega ships on Thursday.

The other huge risk this year has been dehydration. Gary that does the FORE videos has put together an hour long informative video about the impact of dehydration in light of the deaths of Luna and Sol. But it is not only eagles that are at risk due to dehydration – it is ospreys and all the other animals!

Blue 8B3, the first hatch at Llyn Clywedog, a male, fledged on Friday the 12th of July. It was a beautiful flight off the nest banking to the right over the forest. Blue 8B3 returned safely to the nest.

The third hatch at the Janakkalan Nest in Finland died on the 7th of July from siblicide/starvation (as far as I know). The surviving two were ringed on Friday the 12th.

Video of the ringing by the 85 year old bander.

Beautiful chicks being fed at Saaksilvie 1 in Finland:

Sunnie Day posted a very interesting rescue of an Osprey. Very interesting, indeed.

Community-Rallies-to-Rescue-Entangled-Osprey-in-Orange-BeachDownload

Doing a bit of a roll call on some of the nests we have been watching:

Niagara Bee: All is well with the trio!

Hellgate Canyon, Iris and Finnegan: Might be a good name because of the heat! Iris is doing everything she can to protect her two precious babies in the searing heat wave.

Charlo Montana: Sad news this morning. Little fell over the edge of the nest and died. Please, please help the ospreys by secring their nests for them if you own a streaming cam! You need to do annual maintenance on the cameras so put up a secure railing, high, around the nest! Others in Wales do this for their birds. Their babies don’t fall overboard! Two babies this week lost because of a lack of a railing.

So sad. You were so healthy with such promise, little one.

Like Finnegan, Charlie is trying to get fish on the nest for Lola and the three osplets. Hot, hot.

McEuan Park, Idaho: Mom is off the nest fishing. Chicks not covered with shade. It is unclear what has happened to Dad, if anything. This nest really needs fish, several deliveries close together so #2 can get enough fish to survive. Two chicks already dead.

Later. Both chicks appear to have crops at McEuan Park.

‘PB’ caught a good ‘ps’ out of Two. It has to be eating. Relief.

Minneapolis Landscape Arboretum: 87-90 degrees F. Rain forecast for tomorrow.

Snow Lane, Newfoundland: Some fish are larger than others. The little one sometimes looks like it could use a little extra fuel. Tiny compared to Big sibling.

Field Farm: All is well with the Fab Four. This nest amazes me along with the few others that have four. Little Mini made it! Can you pick them out?

Outerbanks: ‘H’ reports that the names for the chicks are Bonker and Dodger. Quite fitting! Dodger fledged on Friday!

Sandpoint: Keo is getting some fish to the nest for Keke and River. Hot there as well – the general condition at most of the nests in the Pacific Northwest.

Clark PUD: Dad is getting fish on the nest and the Only Bob is good.

Dunrovin: It’s a cooker. Swoop is working hard for Winnie and remaining chicks.

Moraine Park: Heidi reports that the Only Bob is good.

Cowlitz PUD: Two Surviving chicks are still on the nest after the Bald Eagle took Little on Friday morning the 12th. Dad had delivered a fish and Electra was feeding the two larger siblings. Little was at the top of the nest. The eagle possibly followed Dad to try and get the fish. When it couldn’t, it took Little. An opportunistic moment on the eagle’s part. I was somewhat disheartened that the eagle came through the place where there is no fish grid. Let’s hope it doesn’t return.

Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have three beautiful osplets, Gwenlais, Coron, and Senni. They could fly any day. My money is on the only male, Senni, to go first to get away from his big sisters!

Poole Harbour: A beautiful family portrait – CJ7 and Blue 022 and the Fab Four.

News from Cal Falcons:

Geemeff reports on Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Friday 12th July 2024

Today’s main story is seeing footage of the Spanish aviary where our two 2024 Arkaig chicks are now living, and the big thrill of having 1JR walk right in front of the camera giving us a good look at him. He looks in great condition and holding his head up, not thin, weak and submissive as he was before removal, and ready to play his part in helping establish a thriving Osprey population in Valencia. Nest One had some little visitors before Garry LV0 arrived bringing nesting materials and doing a bit of housekeeping. Over on Nest Two, Louis did the same, bringing nesting materials and doing a bit of nest-scraping, although Dorcha let him know she would much rather have fish. The weather was settled and should remain so with tonight’s forecast of light cloud and light winds, continuing through tomorrow. 
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.31.09 (03.36.57); Nest Two 23.17.57 (03.38.38)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/Nb4V8EKa_os  WTS tweets and footage of our chick 1JR in the Spanish aviary
https://youtu.be/6qeyNmLWYWc  N1 Little birds visit – Great Tits and juvenile Robins, possibly 06.34.00https://youtu.be/Zv55S0PD-T0  N2 Dorcha arrives fish-calling, Louis arrives but brings no fish 09.02.36

https://youtu.be/WnoPi5nkNGY  N1 Garry LV0 brings nesting materials and keeps a lonely vigil 09.29.21

https://youtu.be/VpDVwAJsY_A  N2 Dorcha does her exercises before leaving 12.16.37

https://youtu.be/2XLYBfvjFLo N2 Louis brings nesting materials and does some housekeeping 16.25.52

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

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

‘H’ gives us her reports: “7/12 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The live stream was once again offline from 0300 to 0915.  We probably missed Olsen’s first couple of fish deliveries.  At 0918 Olsen dropped off a small whole fish.  Middle beaked Little, and Big beaked both of its sibs.  It was a 6-minute feeding, and Big was the only one that ate.  The next meal was a tiny fish at 0959 that lasted 3-minutes.  Little managed 10 bites of fish before being beaked.  Middle was not able to get to the table.  Olsen brought another ‘tiny’ at 1022.  There was more beaking by Big.  Middle managed to grab 2 bites of fish before being beaked by Big…and Little had nothing to eat during the 3-minute meal.  At 1037 another tiny fish was delivered by Olsen.  Little had squeezed around the right side of Soo and ate approximately 16 bites of fish.  Big was eating at Soo’s left, and Middle could not get into position.  It was another 3-minute feeding.  So far, of the four feedings we viewed this morning, Middle has had 2 bites of fish, and Little has eaten 26 bites.  

It was a warm day with light winds.  Temp at 1500 was 97F/36C.  Olsen did not make another delivery until 1505, and it was a large whole fish.  Middle was the primary aggressor toward Little.  Big and Middle ate, one on each side of Soo.  There was only room for two at the table, and each time Little tried to approach s/he was intimidated.  It was a 12-minute meal and Little did not eat.  The final fish arrived at 2002, and it was a large partial fish.  Once again, Middle beaked Little.  But, Middle stayed back, and Little managed to get a few bites on the other side of Soo, that is until Soo moved the fish.  At 2006 Soo flew off with the fish, but returned 15 seconds later.  At that point, Middle was right up at Soo’s beak and ate a few bites, until it decided it would rather beak Little.  When Middle did that, Big took that spot at the table.  By 2009 Little was eating at Soo’s right side for a couple of minutes, until s/he was beaked by Middle, and then Middle took that spot at Soo’s beak.  It was a 23-minute meal, and Big ate well.  Middle and Little both ate ‘some’, but I could not tell how much.  Middle had a moderate sized crop, and Little’s crop was small.  It will be another hot and sunny day on Saturday, with the high temp predicted to be 99F/37C, and 12 mph winds.

7/12 Colonial Beach osprey nest:  It was a rainy day at the nest.  We were worried about Little, because s/he seemed to be chilled and shivering a lot.  Perhaps Betty could have kept her littles a bit drier.  There were three meals today, and it was concerning that Little did not want to eat at the first two meals.  Finally, at around 1930 David brought a large headless fish, 8 hours since the last fish.  Little was eager to eat…good!  Both kids ended up with good crops.  Little was still shivering though, and it was quite a while before Betty provided them with some warmth from her body.”

A Woodpecker comes to check on the Dorsett Hobbies when Mum is away.

The White Stork Project at Knepp Farm has been deemed a huge success this season.

What is the Golden Eaglet doing with its dead sibling?

Humans and Wildlife. India’s Flamingoes are facing great challenges.

“This migration season has been particularly deadly for migrating flamingos in India, and these collisions are highlighting the ever-increasing tensions between human development and wildlife. “

-https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/06/21/flamingo-deaths-highlight-development-tensions/

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourselves. Stay cool! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, letters, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AM, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Nesting Bird Life and More, Matt McGuigal, Brian Collins, Audubon, William Dunn, FORE, Gary’s Videos, Llyn Clywedog, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Sunnie Day, OBA, Niagara Bee, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, McEuan Park Osprey Cam, MN-LA, Newfoundland Power, Field Farm, Outerbanks, Sandpoint, Dunrovin Ranch, Heidi McGrue, Cowlitz PUD, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, White Stork Project, Nesting Birdlife and More, Birdlife International, SK Hideaways, Osoyoos, and Colonial Beach.

Second chick for Iris and Finnegan…Monday in Bird World

17 June 2024

Hello Everyone!

We hope that you had a lovely weekend. Sunday was beautiful in southern Manitoba. Blue skies with lots of wind to keep the mosquitoes away. We did the 10 km walk, the long path, around Oak Hammock Marsh. The Red-winged Blackbirds followed us. There were songbirds, ducks with ducklings, goslings, Pelicans, and Swans. There was even Killdeer. It was a glorious afternoon spent outside.

They were clearly ‘white’ but, for the sake of saving my arm today, I went with my phone and not the long lens. Bad decision. They look like Snow Geese or Swans to me and not Pelicans, but they were approximately 30 metres away. Please feel free to disagree! The image when cropped and blown up is too faint to tell accurately.

I really hope that you got to spend some time outside, away from the computer screen. Hearing the birds, listening to the wind, feeling the sun – it all makes everything better and it has been a particularly rough week in Bird World.

First news for Monday: We have a second chick at Hellgate for Iris and Finnegan!

I am going to start with the sadness so we can move on to the gladness.

Geemeff sends us the report for The Woodland Trust and the Osprey nests at Loch Arkaig:

Daily summary Sunday 16th June 2024

Sadly, there’s only one story today – the death of little bob3 at 24 days old. The youngest chick succumbed to weather, lack of food, and stress from aggression by the middle chick. Although s/he did get some fish today, it was too little too late and two days of cold wet weather plus being left uncovered in a downpour this morning when too weak to crawl under mum was too much for the chick to overcome. It will be interesting to see how the other two chicks react to having one less competitor, but it looks like chick1 is already working out strategies to prevent chick2 getting all the food. Louis brought five fish to the nest today, taking his tally to two hundred and seven. No activity on Nest One except for a little songbird who pootled around for a few minutes. It was very dreich today but tonight’s forecast of partly cloudy with light winds and 9°C temperatures is slightly better. 

RIP little chick three: 24th May – 16th June 2024

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.42.37 (03.13.33); Nest Two  23.20.40 (03.51.29)

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

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

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/kT2dGq0-2zs N2 Fish number one, small whole trout – C3 is looking weak  05.06.42

https://youtu.be/hlazHmk6Q64  N2 Fish number two, headless large trout – C3 gets a few bites 05.52.19 

https://youtu.be/boDKXOe820U N2 Fish number three, headless large trout – C1 gets a good feed, C3 doesn’t move 09.40.52

https://youtu.be/n7QT7THpK3M N2 Fish number four, whopper headless trout – has C3 lost its fight? 13.44.49 

https://youtu.be/zW4F9G1h224 N1 A little songbird visits 14.03.50 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/zN-GUwN08iM  N2 RIP Little bob3: the last day of Chick Three 05.54 – 19.02

https://youtu.be/ElWA0SIE6yM N2 Fish number five, whopper trout. C2 immediately moves in 21.29.27 

https://youtu.be/dCQU4Mrm4F0 N2  N2 Chick1 has a cunning plan to thwart C2 21.40.45

A thesis on osprey nest mortality.

rettew-thesis-Osprey-aggressionDownload

Geemeff’s tribute to little C3 at Loch Arkaig.

And now for the giggle of the day which comes form ‘A’:

In Sydney, the eagles have been on the nest this morning (in fact, Lady is there at the moment). The magpies chose Saturday to start mating all over Melbourne. Nature strips, medians, backyards. It’s avian pornography wherever you look. Even the noisy mynahs are joining in (not with the magpies, obviously!) so it seems it is about a week or two until egg-laying begins in southeastern Australia. We are keeping an eye/ear out for our falcons in Collins Street – they must be around their scrape by now if they are planning to use it this year. 

It is time for some good news! Smallie is flying. ‘PB’ reports that he was seen sitting on a bicycle and was flying back and forth to the nest. Smallie was the much loved Amersfoort tiny, tiny falcon with the humongous siblings. Many thought Smallie didn’t have a chance. The parents kept feeding and Smallie, by his/her own nature didn’t give up. She/he got out on that scrape and ate anything they could. Now Smallie is flying! Tears.

‘PB’ reports that Smallie flew off the ledge like a pro! There he goes!

Another tragedy that has turned out alright. Both Decorah North eaglets are flying. Their nest collapsed Sunday morning and it was feared one might be grounded and couldn’t get up. But now they are together on a branch – the last news that I had. Mr and Mrs DNF are incredible parents and they will make sure these two are well looked after! No worries there.

The power on the camera at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum went down at 0530 on Sunday morning after the storms and rain went through the area.

All four osplets at Field Farm are doing great.

And smile. All four at Poole Harbour are doing fantastic, too. Little Mini is turning into a Reptile!

Reports from ‘H’:

6/16, Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  The third baby hatched at approximately 14:04.  Louise’s new mate, Harvie, has taken good care of her this season, helping with security, providing fish, and incu-brooding.  We know that he’ll be a great Dad.

6/16, Patuxent osprey nest:  There were six fish brought to the nest.  It wasn’t the best day for Little, but he still did okay.  There was no ‘whopper’ fish that would allow for a prolonged private feeding for Little.  S/he ate well at 0752 and 1237, but was only able to eat for about 9 minutes at the last four meals of the day.

6/16 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest:  Della and Warren, and their two 21 and 20-day-old chicks are doing great.  Warren is a fishing machine, and it seems like these two osplets are always eating. 


6/16, Captiva osprey nest:  It was another fish-filled day…and as you know, fish make ospreys happy…so everyone was happy!  There were seven fish brought to the nest by Edie and Jack, and Jack delivered five of them!  Oh, my goodness, what a great Dad…tirelessly providing for his family despite being injured.

We are on fledge watch for the last of the San Jose falcons! And SK Hideaways shows us how silly these kids are.

Food fight at San Jose!

Three beautiful babies at Cowlitz PUD protected by those fish grates by the PUD.

Three beautiful babies enjoying a fish dinner at Osoyoos.

More good news. The two Eastern Imperial Eaglets of Altyn and Nova in the RU nest appear to be very healthy.

I continue to hope that the two Golden Eaglets in the Estonian nest 2 will survive. They appear to both being doing well, also.

There was some concern about the osplet of Iris and Finnegan. It had gotten itself upside down in the nest, but that drama, thankfully, has passed and the chick is right side up again!

‘A’ comments: “Finn is still the perfect partner, feeding Iris and bringing in fish for her and the youngster. He just loves being on the nest when Iris is feeding the chick, which he is absolutely besotted with. He is fascinated and delighted by the little one and takes every opportunity to see it. He is very careful around the chick now, using his wings to keep his balance and ensure that he does not stumble or step on the chick – a major improvement on his initial clumsy clomping around the nest. 

Iris was a lot better today, feeding the osplet more often and generally looking a lot more alert and active. I wonder whether she was very tired from the first hatch,she had three nights (two that were particularly disturbed) when she was awake for much of the night while the first chick was hatching. She was aware on that first night of the activity beginning in one of her eggs, and over the following two nights she had a hatching egg, and then on the third night, a just-hatched chick. She had very little sleep, and she really did appear lethargic to me over the past couple of days. But today, she appeared much more energetic 

Meanwhile, that osplet is MONSTROUS. Surely it cannot possibly be only five days old. It looks twice that age, and it is growing so fast, it appears to be entering the dinosaur phase already. I am extremely nervous about a potential second hatch. This size discrepancy is ridiculous. Surely a hatch as tiny as this second one is likely to be has absolutely no chance against a sibling literally ten times its size. And I am not entirely sure Iris has the energy to give a new very tiny chick. Certainly, Finn will do his best to support Iris, and I love the way he feeds her on the nest. She sure is demanding! I never saw her with Stanley, but if he also fed Iris, then perhaps it is Iris who is dictating the behaviour of the males in her life. It is most unusual behaviour in my experience. Certainly, we have seen males occasionally offer a mouthful to a female on the nest, but I have never seen feeds of this length and this regularity. She is being feted by this handsome young man. Our Iris sure is an impressive cougar. “

And the news is still good. Richmond of SF Golden Gate Audubon is a Grand -Dad. Robin B caught Lassen and his family on video for everyone.

Sharon Dunne reports that both Royal Cam chick parents were in today! What luck!

Sara and Sota at the Sun Coast Osprey nest had two fledges this past week. Congratulations! (screen capture by Lucille Powell)

The two chicks at the WDNU Tower in South Bend, Indiana appear to be doing well. No rewind so it is hard to catch a great image of the entire family!

Charlie and his new mate at Charlo Montana have three beautiful osplets. Mum is not too happy with the delivery of ‘something’ – it certainly wasn’t a fish! She uses her beak to push it to the rails.

There are many benefits to having only one osplet to feed. Parents do not use up as much energy. There is normally enough fish for three. The Only Bob usually grows big and strong. Boulder County is a good example.

Only Bob at Manton Bay is doing fantastic. ‘She’ – seriously I believe this is a nice big female – will be ringed this week. Blue 33 and Maya doing well after Maya’s earlier sickness. (I still owe you the entry for Manton Bay. I have not forgotten. The deaths and tragedies seem to have overtaken everything lately).

After the issues at the Dahlgren nest, Sandpoint’s platform is starting to worry me. Old fish, new fish. Baby gets fed.

There are growing concerns for C3 at the Bridge Golf Club. We have already lost Mini Little to siblicide and it looks as if we could lose Little on this nest. It would appear that the supply of fish might only be enough for two chicks, not four and maybe not three.

The two osplets at Ferris State University have all their beautiful juvenile plumage. One egg DNH.

The trio at Radford University are at the same stage as those at Ferris in their plumage development. Aren’t these babies beautiful?

Two little sweeties at Blackbush. Hoping those eggs continue to be DNH.

Is it dangerous to be a fledgling eagle parent? Ask Akecheta!

There are so many people who have helped wildlife. At the moment I am completely behind Isabella Tree and rewinding. I am hopeful that what she has done at Knepp Farm might translate into urban and suburban gardens. After adding more trees to our property, we added more annuals to attract the pollinators. Every little bit helps. You can do it with a single pollinator friendly potted plant!

Conservationist-Isabella-Tree-‘Rewilding-is-vital-for-the-UKs-agricultural-future-Food-The-GuDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. Have a great week. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, MP, PB’, Geemeff for The Woodland Trust, Sea Eagle Cam, Amersfoort Falcons, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, MN Landscape Arboretum, Field Farm, BoPH, Patuxent River Park, FortisExshaw, Window to Wildlife, Mispillion Harbour, SK Hideaways, Cowlitz PUD, Osoyoos Ospreys, Eastern Imperial Eagle Cam RU, Eagle Club of Estonia, Montana Osprey Cams, SF Bay Ospreys, Robin B, Sharon Dunne, Sun Coast Ospreys, Lucille Powell, WDNU Tower, Charlo Montana, Boulder County, LRWT, Sandpoint Ospreys, Bridge Golf Club, Ferris State University, Radford University, Netflix Memories, and The Guardian.

Cal Falcons Fledge, Sad news out of Border Ospreys…Sunday in Bird World

2 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday was a beautiful warm day and no time was wasted inside. My legs still needed a good work out. Is it possible one can get out of shape completely in four or five days? Everyone was happy so it was nice to be at the nature centre. There were five goslings but a host of songbirds in the forest. The 1700 rains have now started! So glad to have been outside earlier.

I am a little ‘upset’ at the garden birds. The European Starlings appear to have taken over the cheesy dog distribution centre to the woe of Mr Crow and family. I didn’t put any more hot dogs out late today. Will wait and see what happens tomorrow. They sure did love the leftover quiche from yesterday – the Starlings, that is. Yesterday at 1730, a Sharp-shinned hawk flew over the little weeping, curved back south and went straight into the trees at the back of the property. I have no idea if it had any luck getting dinner but it was a very focused flight pattern like the raptor had been doing this for some time. Oh, geez. Everyone knows when the babies are hatching.

There were some cute goslings, only five of them and these four found the only puddle big enough to stand in.

For all Dyson fans, here she is. I put out a new nut cylinder and Dyson quickly appears. She leaps form the lilac branches on to the big table feeder and begins getting the tasty nuts. She is doing really well. This iPhone image is not very good. Dyson is moulting and is a little ragged but in a week she will look so nice without that heavy winter coat.

Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo were too tired from playing to pay any attention to Dyson. They have been enjoying all the Starlings hopping around and eating all those cheesy dogs!

‘R’ sends us an article from the Washington Post – . It is what we do, we watch streaming cams and goodness, gracious, it can get pretty rough out there. Osplets beaking the whatever out of one another. Mothers killing their chicks and feeding them to their siblings. Nature is not Disney Land.

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‘R’ also reports some concerns about Big at the University of Florida-Gainesville campus. He ponders, “Big appears to have injured her left knee.  Hobbling around the nest.  This seems to be a fairly frequent injury around this time in development!  I think in most cases they heal?  Frustrating nest this year! Wonder if the injuries are related to early attempts to hover/fly?  They are growing so fast their legs may be their “weak” point?”

‘R’ raises a good point. I have not been watching this nest closely as Stella has done a stellar job taking care of her only surviving osplet since losing her mate, Talon, early on after the three chicks hatched. Let us all hope she gets a super mate for 2025 – and that Florida stocks a pond for them. Now wouldn’t that be nice?

The wonderful news is that it looks like two of Annie and Archie’s four eyases have now fledged! Eclipse and Nox.

Pigeons falling from the sky?!

‘B’ sends us an image that a visitor to The Campanile took of Eclipse – he paused long enough to have his picture taken before landing and getting a meal with his siblings. What a fantastic fledgling. None of us have seen this happen before.

You might recall that a few days ago, ‘B’ wondered if nature tree nests were more prone to predation than human-made platform nests. ‘VV’ has been keeping close tabs on a group of ten osprey nests in the NE US for decades. She wrote to me about her observations of the nests she is monitoring. I thought it would be good to share with you – and she gave me permission to do so.

She wrote: “Keep meaning to send this, re query on  your blog, the osprey made vs  man-made nests. Here all osprey-made are in trees w/in copses, and some man-made platforms. Those w/in the trees and growth have not produced clutches down here. The two osprey-made nests I can see made gallant attempts last year and early this year but if they made it to eggs, varmints & probably crows got them. It seems too hard to defend the on-land nests., especially those in the trees.

The successful clutches (from what I can see this  year and extrapolate) are on the boxes made by our local electric company. The two shots below are Nest 9 on my chart. (hard to see but F9 incubating)  I hate them because I can’t see in, but they line the creek heading north. The two clutches I know that survive the April 28-30,2023 storms were both on these styled nests. Nest 9 fledged 2 last year.” Thanks, ‘VV’ for that very informative information.

Nest 9:

image001.pngimage002.pngNest 2

Llyn Clywedog is in a beautiful area of forests near a reservoir that is said to be stocked with 45,000 trout annually. Dylan and Seren have their nest there and this year they have three little Bobs. This nest has been subject to goshawk attention and last year one of the chicks was taken when Seren was doing a feeding! The nest is in a tree.

Hoping for luck to hold at Lake Murray tonight for Middle. ‘PB’ reports that there appear to be more lights out tonight under the nest. Send your best, best wishes for dear Middle.

As was sadly predicted, we lost Little Bob at the Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home late Friday night (around 2320). There was simply not enough large fish coming on the nest. The male is new. His name is Arthur. His fishing and understanding of the demands of a nest of triplets will hopefully improve – IF AND ONLY IF – there is enough fish in the area to begin with. Fly high Little Bob. We now must watch and see if there is enough for two on this nest as the osplets begin to really grow.

This quick rescue of osplets from a nest that had been hit by bad weather will make you smile. This is precisely what we want to read!

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All babies at MNSA nest had nice crops Saturday morning.

Radford University osplets are doing really well.

Well, Louis isn’t going to let anyone on the Loch Arkaig 2 nest starve. Three fish in less than 24 minutes. My goodness. Some of the US nests would just like to have one of those in a day – the fish are just so much better in size and quality.

Ah, elevenses are always the nicest of breaks. I am sure Dorcha agrees.

Cute Little Bob begging for food at Loch Arkaig. Mum steps in and fills its tank.

Looks like Clark PUD and Port of Ridgefield are destined to have only one chick this year on each nest. Gosh, golly. Those will be blessed little osplets.

Mum had better rest because she knows that there is a hatch happening as I write this at Llyn Brenig in Wales.

There are two little cuties for Aran and Elen at Glaslyn. When Aran goes fishing Sunday morning, there will be a third! That little one is just about out of its shell right after midnight Sunday).

Idris and Telyn’s osprey nest at Dyfi in Wales has three and they are doing well.

Our friend ‘A’ writes, “I blame you entirely for this, but I somehow found myself on the Dyfi livestream today – so much to love about this nest. Idris (Daddy Long Legs, as I believe he is known) is a wonderful provider – the moment there is less than half a large fish on the nest, he heads off for more. And I love that he is happy to feed the chicks himself, even when mum is on the nest. If she is not feeding and he has brought food, he will start feeding the kids. Lovely. 

Also adorable is the youngest chick, who is still white and fluffy and SO cute. There appears to be minimal bonking on this nest, despite there being a couple of mini dinosaurs in the brood, and any bonking there is seems to be between the two elder hatches, who leave the little one alone altogether. Mum is careful to feed the youngest, often beginning a feeding with the little one. All three get along well and snuggle up together – that wind sounds freezing despite the sunshine. 

Oh they are sweet, and I am aware that there are two or three other UK nests that are similar to this one in that there are three well-behaved and well-fed Bobs with experienced parents. And some of those fish are HUGE, even after Idris has eaten his fill of the head end. No wonder it is easier to keep the bonking down. The only bonking I did see was minor and provoked by the second hatch staring down the oldest, who quite obviously had no choice but to remind it of the nest pecking order. Baby Bob does not need reminding – it just ignores everything but the adult with food, and waits with open beak for a parent to reach it, which inevitably it does.”

Idris and Telyn are incredible parents!

‘H’ reports on Patuxent: “6/1 Patuxent – Dad brought six fish to the nest for his family, and most of the fish were a pretty good size.  There were a few meals where Little was prevented from eating by Big, or he was only able to eat a few bites of fish.  Little was able to eat 89 bites of fish at the second meal.  But, Little’s big feast of the day came during the last meal.  Dad brought a large headless fish at 1908, and 30 minutes later Little began a long private feeding that lasted 17 minutes.  Little ate 121 bites of fish at that meal, and at least 272 bites of fish for the day.  Fingers crossed that Dad can keep up his excellent fish deliveries to this nest.”

Dylan and Seren have three Bobs at Llyn Clywedog. Sometimes you can’t see all of them for those wings that are getting longer and longer.

CJ7 makes certain that Mini Little Bob (#4) gets a fish meal – often when the others are full and in a food coma.

The outpouring of love in my ‘inbox’ and in Messenger for Smallie, the tiny Amersfoort falcon, is quite incredible. Concerns grow as the older siblings grab prey on the perch. Will Smallie survive? Perhaps the question is – will someone in Amersfoort ensure that Smallie survives if the oldest ones take all the prey? Do we know?

Smallie looks like he has crop in the images above. ‘PB’ reports that Smallie was busy self-feeding when Mum was feeding one of the older siblings. Bless its heart.

Iris and Finnegan taking turns incubating. If those eggs are viable, we should be looking at pip watch for an egg laid on 5 May around the 11th of June. (Our data form average is 36.5 days but it could be a little longer, up to 38 days).

We have what is believed to be the first hatches in the Finnish Osprey nests at nest #4 on Saturday. It is the nest of Nuppu and Nemo. Welcome little ones.

Three eggs waiting at nest #3.

Babies are fighting at the Imperial Eagle cam in RU.

Tragic news coming out of Border Ospreys this morning.

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My friend ‘S’ sent us an article on the havens that we can create to help wildlife not harm them. “We cry habitat loss, but it’s theft, really – no one is so careless as to lose their home. We call it progress, but how dare we? How many people, throughout the planning process, will have thought of or cared about hedgehogs? Or considered any of the other residents, both human and wild? The management company would have conducted an ecology survey, no doubt. But, as is often the case, it was probably done in winter, when the hedgehogs were hibernating. Did any residents other than Choel and me know there were hedgehogs on that estate? Did anyone care? The council paved over the gardens to save money on maintenance. The trees and park were lost because the car parks that replaced them can be a source of income. The residents placed there by the council would not necessarily have known or thought about those habitats, making them so much easier to destroy.”

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Birding Tourism benefits everyone. Wonder why more countries do not do this

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While some protect, there are others that destroy. Unbelievable. This man destroys more shorebird eggs in an instant.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2024/05/31/egmont-key-state-park-helicopter-landing-birds

Thank you for being with us this morning. Take care! Send positive wishes to all our birds!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, PB, R, S, VV’, The Washington Post, University of Florida-Gainesville, Sharon Pollock, Cal Falcons, VV, LLyn Clywedog, Lake Murray Ospreys, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, MNSA, Radford University, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, Clark PUD, LLyn Brenig, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Patuxent River Park, BoPH, Amersfoort Falcon Cam, Montana Osprey Project, Finnish Osprey Foundation, The Guardian, TampaBay.com, and Border Ospreys.

Tuesday in Bird World

7 May 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

UPDATE: FALCON CHICKS IN OMAHA ARE DECEASED NOT OSPLETS! THEY HAVEN’T HATCHED YET.

Gosh. I wish I could tell you that we have blue skies here on the Prairies, but no, it is heavily overcast and windy and I suspect some more rain is coming. The rain we had last week while I was so very sick made the grass green and the heat has really popped the leaves.

On Monday Mr or is it Mrs? I think Mr Crow was in and out all day long getting pieces of cheesy dogs. I didn’t clock his comings and goings but it was consistent throughout the day to see him on the railing of the fence flying down to get a piece of food. There have to be babies in the nest for him to be coming and going so often. So, imagine, in a month, there could be baby crows pecking at the ceiling of the conservatory for more food! We become foster parents to them and the little Blue Jays that will hatch about the same time. Oh, I can’t wait.

There was no one at the duck pond when I walked around. To my great surprise, it appears the first two goslings have hatched.

There were Wood Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, Mallards, and Canada Geese. Phone photos from a distance are not great. Below is the female Common Goldeneye. She is knockout gorgeous with her ruffled light-espresso head tinged with a bit of auburn or henna, that piercing yellow eye, and a body of shades of brown-black, white, and grey—like practising hues and shades from design class only using brown touched with black instead of pure black. They are diving ducks that feed of pond plants, tubers, leeches, frogs, and small fish.

I was surprised at the lack of ducks. I wonder if there just isn’t enough plant food or them. There were only two male Wood Ducks. This was just sitting quietly by one of the incubating geese.

I left the park and headed to the nature centre. My body needed to walk out in the fresh air! There were bus loads of students doing things far away from the trails. The American Goldfinches have arrived along with the Harris Sparrows. I did not see any goslings but a few geese incubating. What struck me at both sites was the lack of geese incubating eggs. I hope they are just hiding.

The daffodils are just beginning to open and if you look closely you can see the canopy turning green.

It just felt so very good to be outside – walking. I am feeling a bit better every day, little by little. It isn’t COVID and keeps reminding me that this is probably a really bad case of food poisoning that is lingering. Thank you over and over for your good wishes.

At home, Hugo Yugo has been playing ‘cheese hockey’. This cat loves cheese. She also likes one big piece to bat all over the floor like a small soft toy. Oh, goodness, she has fun.

‘H’ is over the moon excited. It was a very sad year for Louise and her mate, Jasper, in 2023. Then we had to endure the intruders harming Banff, the only surviving chick, knocking her off the platform, etc. We think Banff survived all of that and it is good to have Louise. Oh, let this nest be peaceful in 2024. Louise deserves it.

The other excitement comes from the Osprey nest at Captiva where Jack got to get involved in a dual feeding with Edie. Way to go, Jack.

‘H’ comments:

Things can get pretty rambunctious between the siblings at meal times.  CO7 is older, bigger, and more dominant, but CO8 starts a few of the skirmishes as well.  CO7 will beak CO8 occasionally during a feeding, and cause him to be submissive, but there are also times when the chicks eat peacefully side by side. The fish have been plentiful and large, and at most meals, CO8 will receive at least one private feeding.  At this point in time, the dominance by CO7 is not so severe that it prevents CO8 from getting plenty to eat. 

Thanks, ‘H’.

There are always those nests that just make you happy. Annie’s has always been that way. Even through the loss of the mates – each one a darling – those chicks just make us smile even when they are covered in pin feathers.

One of the chicks is already wanting to climb out of the scrape. Gracious me.

Little hawklets with pinfeathers are also adorable. Like Annie, Big Red would never let one of her babies go to sleep hungry. At the Cornell, they not only get a fur lined egg cup but they can sleep on their own squirrel dreaming about having it for breakfast the next morning.

We have a name for the new female at Dunrovin.

The new gal at Charlo Montana has two eggs and her name is Lola.

Dorcha isn’t new and we do love you with your deep dark plumage, but there is a very soft spot in our hearts for Aila. Many of you started watching streaming cams during the pandemic. I imagine most of you found the nest of Louis and Aila at Loch Arkaig. 400,000 people did. We fell in love with that trio. At least one of them Doddie was spotted in 2023 up in the Shetland Islands as a returnee. I hope Little Captain and Vera are out there, too. You were much loved, Aila.

Iris gets a whole fish dinner while New Guy incubates the second egg.

Nesting material has been arriving at Sandpoint where there are already three beautiful Osprey eggs. Now imagine. Look to the left to that little pond. Think fish. Wouldn’t you like to stock it with about 400 fish (yes, we would have to feed them) for the ospreys? Keke and Leo would like that. Fish at the ready.

Ah, thank you ‘MP’. I am so glad to hear that the male at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is bringing fish even if they are sunfish!

All three at Little Miami are looking good but, just look at how big the baby is!

Kansas City Eaglets are fine.

Working through the fish at Frenchman’s Creek. If you had told me a fortnight ago that these two osplets would be healthy, being fed on a bed of rotting fish, I might not have believed you.

Maya sleeping. Best do it now. Those eggs could hatch any time.

Rolling the eggs at Dyfi with Idris and Telyn.

Look at that nice railing on the Glaslyn nest. Imagine there are people who fix this every year! I would love to have the rail fairies help out Superbeaks and Moorings Park.

Beautiful Poole Harbour.

Like everyone else, incubation continues at Llyn Brenig.

Hope has arrived home at the Snow Lane osprey platform in Newfoundland. She might have to fight for the nest.

Pigeons are more than falcon food. But, they deserve not to be poisoned. In both World Wars they helped. Here is a new story that ‘EJ’ found and sent to us -. Enjoy.

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‘PB’ reports that all peregrine falcon chicks at the OPPD nest are deceased. She reports that they were not fed after hatching and it appeared the parents had no interest in feeding them. Could this be HPAI?

I loved it when ‘R’ recognised that I was a little ‘heated up’ when I wrote about the murder of Laddie. People get by with murdering birds because the legal system will not do a thing. Why does the judicial system not take things like stealing birds eggs – that wiped out entire populations -seriously? This is outrageous.

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Shooting One to Save another? Thanks, ‘SP’.

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Heart broken for Blue NCO who listens and waits for her Laddie.

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, reminders, streaming cams and images that helped me to write my post today: ‘PB, EJ, Geemeff, H, MP’, Heidi McGrue, Window to Wildlife, SK Hideaways, Cornell RTH Cam, Celia Osprey, Charlo Montana, Geemeff, Montana Osprey Project, Steelscape Ospreys, Little Miami Conservancy, Kansas City Bald Eagles, Frenchman’s Creek, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Osprey Project, Llyn Brenig, Gerard Hickey, GOOD, Raptor Persecution UK, The New York Times, and Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL).

*Disclaimer. Every effort is made to give credit to those that contributed to the post. If I have made an error or omission, please let me know so it can be corrected. Thank you.*