Morning Update: Hellgate Canyon. The timing could not be more perfect since Finnegan did not return (or did he?). Iris laid her three eggs and poof – Ravens took them. Starr, Louis’s mate, will have her eggs and Louis will be busy providing Starr with fish. The battle of the nest took place on Monday and early Tuesday morning, Iris and the victor sat on her nest together. We wait to see what happens.
[On an Osprey, the only two markings that never change yearly are the head markings and the underwing markings. Remember that. Everything else could vary.]
Big Red and Arthur: O2 making its way. O1 eating well and Arthur is stocking up the nest! It is a Hawk Delight buffet!
Another ‘summer’ day at the beginning of May on the Canadian Prairies. It was a perfect day. Toby’s ‘godmother’ visited with a toy basket full of everything a tiny dog would love to chew. Toby is really feeling at home. He likes to play tug of war with the hem of my long linen dress, growling and hopping around. He had his first bath today. Didn’t seem to mind and loved the drying off with the towel. I hope he sleeps well tonight!
The Girls are fine. They are curious but not intimidating. They keep their distance trying to figure out what this ball of energy that is either wide awake with great energy or sound asleep ‘is’. Not a cat. None of them have ever seen a dog before. It is quite interesting.
Hugo Yugo thinks it is just a great day to sleep in the conservatory where the temperature is in the 30s.
I really would like to hear from you about those birds on the streaming cams that sparked your interest. So send them in! I will try and include one a day for the next few weeks!
‘LS’ wrote: “What sparked me was when I saw Harriet and M15 profiled on the nightly news in 2018. It intrigued me to hear that a camera was installed so the public could watch an eagle’s nest. I would watch occasionally and was fascinated with learning things about eagles I never knew. It was 2020, the year E14, died that really grabbed my heart and attention. When Harriet and M15 reclutched I fell in love with E16 and then E15 who didn’t leave the area until early November. I still miss those 2 eaglets.”
Thank you, ‘LS’.
The last time I checked there was a good size pip in O2’s egg at the Cornell Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur. Cornell Bird Lab has it on video: https://youtu.be/dJNVLRdb6Dc?
Hellgate Canyon: There was a lot of activity going on at the nest of Iris today. The third egg was taken by the Raven on Sunday. Today another male took on Lewis and appeared to want to be friendly with Iris. The situation is ongoing.
Xcel Fort St Vrain: Those two surviving eaglets that we worried so much about seem to be doing just fine. Always a relief.
Trempealeau Bald Eagle Nest: Things are going well despite Mr T’s theft of fish. Eaglet has its blood feathers coming in!
White Rock Nest: ‘PB’ writes that the eaglets eat well Monday afternoon. A lovely fish fairy. 🙂
San Jose City Hall Falcon Scrape:
Golden Eagle Nest, Latvia, Spilve and Grislis: Hatch is underway!
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: First egg for the new couple. Thanks, ‘MP’.
Glacier Gardens Bald Eagles, Juneau, Alaska: Two eggs.
Glaslyn: I posted about Aran Monday morning. What a wonderful osprey he is.
West Point Eaglets: A storm took down the nest and the eaglets have perished just like Scout and Bella’s triplets at NCTC.
Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Monday 5th May 2025
Today’s news is that Blue 536 has been given a name: Aurora. George WTS comments: Now that it looks like 536 is going to stick around we have decided to call her Aurora. This is a popular girl’s name in Scotland these days. Its root meaning is “dawn” which vibes well for her as a new beginning for Garry and Nest One. It is also a nod to the northern lights aka aurora borealis. Aurora strengthened her claim to Garry LV0 and his nest by bring some moss and a tiny twig and doing a little gentle nestoration. Garry on the other hand spent time mating but didn’t bring any fish, although we suspect he is providing fish to her away from the nest. His tally remains at thirty six. It was far busier on Nest Two, where Louis and Dorcha had at least two incursions by intruder Ospreys, and Louis spent much time fighting aerial battles. He still managed to find time to fish, and brought one fish to the nest, raising his tally to sixty eight. The overnight forecast is for a clear sky and light winds, and sunny intervals tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.39.32 (04:10.24); Nest Two 22.57.08 (04.21.44)
If you are a member of Ospreys of Nova Scotia, voting is now underway for three names for Ethel and Oscar’s 2025 chicks! Great names suggested! And voting made easy. Just click on the name.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care! We hope to see you again soon!!!!!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, Heidi, MP, PB’, Cornell Bird Lab Red-tail Hawk, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Cam, Trempeauleau Bald Eagle Cam, White Rock Eagles/D Hancock Foundation, LDF, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Ospreys, Glacier Gardens Eagles, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, West Point Eagle Nest, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Xcel Energy, Friends of Midway, The Guardian, Raptor Persecution UK
Yesterday was Earth Day. While we should, each day, try to protect our planet, did you do anything special? In Winnipeg, we will be having the opening of the new Buffalo Crossing at Fort Whyte on Sunday the 27th. It will mark the end of a week of events celebrating Earth Day. https://youtu.be/DQPIdqPi3TI?
Do you know the history of Earth Day? It is always on the 22nd of April.
Here’s are some facts:
1969:John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and peace, later sanctioned by the United Nations.
1970:Senator Nelson organized the first Earth Day, focusing on the United States.
April 22, 1970:The first Earth Day took place, with an estimated 20 million Americans participating.
Late 1970:The Environmental Protection Agency was created, and other environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act were passed.
1990:Earth Day went global, with over 140 countries participating, significantly expanding its reach and influence.
Present:Earth Day continues to be an international event, advocating for a cleaner, more sustainable world.
Morning Update: Kielder Forest: At 11.40 today KF13 laid egg 3 in nest 1A.
It is a heavy overcast day on the Canadian prairies. The birds flit in and out of the garden while a gentle rain descends. It doesn’t feel like spring. Much more like the end of autumn, but we need some good rain, so let it pour! That will help everything turn green. Still, the heaviest snows seen all year are falling in parts of northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
There really is not a lot going on with the ospreys right now. Many are incubating while others are fighting off intruders and trying to hold on to their nests. Some have simply not returned.
Tweed Valley Osprey Project: Well, this is marvellous. I hoped we would have a trio – two females and a male. Wouldn’t this be nice for Iris?
It is that age-old question—do we cooperate and thrive or compete and fail? Unfortunately, failure seems to be the order of the day for 2025 breeding osprey nests that have intruders.
Iris, Hellgate Canyon: Some are starting to look at that osprey that delivered the fish as if it could have been Finnegan. There was a more than 90% chance that it was due to the plumage and the fish gift. Thankfully, there continues to be no egg in the nest. The most we can hope for is that Louis gets busy helping with Star and their chicks, that Finnegan returns if Louis disappears to the baseball park, or that Iris does not lay a single egg this year. It is hard on her body, and for what? For Crow food?
Poor Iris was fish calling and calling. When you read that raptors ‘bond’ for life, after this year, I hope you don’t believe it! Male arrives with a stick. It looks like Louis to me. Brings a stick, not a fish and then wants to mate.
Iris did quiet little cheeps looking over to the owl pole and flew off the nest late Tuesday afternoon.
Rumour has it that a male was sky dancing. I would love it to be Finn or another young one willing to tackle Louis.
Glaslyn: Aran continues to try for his nest, but Teifi is there or about, and, quite honestly, I think this much-loved older male osprey, mate of Mrs G and then Elen, is losing his hold.
Elen in the rain.
Duke Farms: I honestly did not believe all three would survive to fledge, but here they are. Just look at those beautiful juveniles.
Redding Eagles: On Tuesday, Liberty and Guardian were working on their new nest, bringing in soft grasses.
Eagle Country: Blaze and his new mate, Skye, did not have any eaglets this year, but the couple continue to come to the nest with prey items.
Little Miami Conservancy: LM 8 and LM 9 are getting their thick thermal down, and those pin feathers appear. Sadly, there are problems with not having enough food. LM 8 from a small fish, and LM 9 got some scraps.
USS Steel: USS8 has had nothing but big crops. There is something extraordinary about being an only eaglet.
Port Tobacco: Riley and Teo appear to be doing well.
Golden Eagle Cam, Romania: Pip Watch. If you are queasy and the second egg hatches, please be advised that golden eagles practice ‘Cainism’. The older will kill the younger unless there is an extraordinary amount of food, and even then, the life of the second is not guaranteed.
Denton Farms: ‘PB’ writes: “Denton Farms little one is too cute…look at that crop!”
Raptor Resource Project reports on our single Mum and the only surviving eaglet and ‘PB’ adds: “Trempealeau mom just had her huge fish stolen from Mr T…this mom is trying so hard. Good thing the baby ate well. Now she needs to fish tomorrow before the rain starts.”
‘PB’ reports that Mum was up early for food for the two of them. The little T3 has a nice crop. They also report that huge storms with tornades are moving into the central area of the US. Stay safe everyone.
Fort St Vrain: The two surviving eaglets are getting their thick thermal down. They remain way too curious about the outside world, and those crib rails could use some reinforcement: they appear to be doing well.
Saaksilivie #1, Finland: It is located on the edge of a swamp in Satakunta, in the top of a pine tree about eight meters high. It is the home of Eura and Eve who fledged two chicks in 2024, Lumme and Utu.
Saaksilvie Satakunna, #2, Finland: No information on any occupancy or hatches since 2019. It is currently empty.
Saaksilivie Satakunnan, #3, Finland (Wind and Magic): This is the nest of Tuulos and Taika. They had three eggs in 2024. One did not hatch, one chick died right after hatching, and another was taken by an Eagle Owl.
Information on Nest #3: Nest #3 is located in the Satakunta region in Western Finland. Ospreys have nested there in 1997 and from 2002 to 2009. The man-made nest was rebuilt in 2016 but it wasn’t until 2019 when the current male, Ahti, discovered the nest and was soon joined by a female who was called Helmi. The young pair spent the summer in the vicinity of the nest but Helmi didn’t lay any eggs. The following year the pair returned and in the spring of 2020 Helmi laid 3 eggs. The first successful nesting at the site in 11 years resulted in two fledglings. In the spring of 2021 Ahti returned but Helmi didn’t. By the time Ahti returned the nest had been taken over by a new pair, but Ahti reclaimed his nest site and the female eventually stayed with him. The new female, who was named Nuppu, had a ring on her right leg. She was ringed as a nestling in 2018. In 2022, Tuulos and Tiuku were a new pair. They were there in 2024.
Saaksilivie #4, Finland: This is the nest of Nemo and Nuppu. In 2024, they had three eggs hatch. Chicks were URA, USU, and UPU. Upu was taken from the nest by a White-tail Eagle. Ura escaped from the nest when the White-tail eagle tried to take it. Usu fell from the nest and was rescued. USU was taken to the Pyhtää Bird Sanctuary for care but died later.
Saaksilivie #5 LS nest in Southwest Finland: Home of Sara and Roni who laid two eggs in 2024. Both were taken from the nest by Ravens when the nest was empty. They had two chicks fledge in 2023.
Geemeff sends us the daily summary for all things Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Plenty of excitement today after a quiet day yesterday! Dorcha laid her third and final egg this morning, and a few hours later was seeing off an intruder Osprey who buzzed her on the nest. Unfortunately the intruder didn’t allow us a proper look but s/he was wearing a Blue Darvic ring on the left leg, therefore a Scottish Osprey. Blue 536 and Garry LV0 are candidates, or it might have been an unknown newcomer to the area. It probably wasn’t
Affric 152, as Chaddie reports the Bunarkaig nest has a sitting Osprey on incubation duty, and we know that is Affric’s nest after LizB confirmed it via her long lens camera last year. Louis brought two fish to the nest, taking his tally to forty five. Over on Nest One, Garry LV0 brought Blue 536 an early afternoon fish but she wasn’t around when he brought a second fish at supper time. Perhaps he’s supplying her with fish off-nest, as their relationship seems to be building nicely. His fish tally rises to twelve. After a soggy night, today was dry and will remain so overnight and tomorrow morning, but rain is forecast for the afternoon. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.58.56 (05.03.55); Nest Two 22.17.01 (05.07.23)
Farmer Derek’s Owl Cam: Bonnie and Clyde’s Starr is growing and getting those gorgeous GHO feathers. Soon she will be hunting with her parents, practising on the ground. The adults will provide her with lots of food so she can thrive and teaching movements. Her initial hunting will be on the ground – after she fledges.
MN-DNR: Not an eagle! Look carefully and you will see the nesting duck.
Geemeff has found a new nest cam for a Great Gray Owl! “A new nest cam from explore.org: A Great Grey Owl
Geemeff has sent us some good information from Cornell’s Nestwatch about building bird houses and what to provide for birds when they are nesting. Enjoy!
Good night everyone! I moved the smaller light coloured cat tree into the conservatory. Hugo Yugo is the Queen of her castle!
Baby Hope likes the edge of the sofa. She has already created a bit of a dent!
Thank you so much for being with me. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams: ‘Geemeff, PB’, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Lab, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Duke Farms, FORE, Eagle Country, Little Miami Conservancy, Pix Cams, Port Tobacco, Wild Bucovina Association, Denton Farms, SK Hideaways, Saaksilvie #1, Explore.org, Farmer Derek’s Owl Cam, Cornell Nestwatch, Xcel Energy, Saaksilivie Nesting Information, MN-DNR, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust
I hope that your start to the week has been a good one! It was certainly nicer in Winnipeg on Monday. The sunshine, no wind, and a warmer temperature are really starting to make me think that spring is truly coming. There was a male House Finch at the feeder this morning with the normal garden characters.
I walked in and found these two on the sofa. When I see them together I choke up. Hope has the habit of not eating until Calico is finished. Even though I put down two separate dishes, she will wait. That appears to be something that Calico taught her when they were living rough under the deck of the house a few blocks away before Calico came in to live with us.
Star came to the feeder today. She looks like she is full of kittens. Oh, I hope they come here. The plan is to trap then, get them fixed so they can get out of the feral community, and get one of the cat rescues to help find homes for them. We posted images in all the local FB groups hoping to find out if either of these two belong to someone.
We had two new visitors today – a grey tabby and a solid grey. Are they lost? or were they dumped and hungry?
He is a beautiful British short hair. Not afraid. Ate two tins of food this morning. Just starving. Bless their hearts.
Brock has been visiting us for over three years now, and that’s a positive thing. However, he is looking pretty rough. I put dewormer in his food and always make sure he gets extra. We are turning the wood box into a heated home for him as he shows no sign of wanting to come into the house although he is more trustful.
Thank you SK Hideaways for giving us a memorial to Grinnell. I cannot tell you how overwhelming it was to remember Annie’s long time mate. It is hard to imagine that she is now gone, too. I don’t know about anyone else but I often check the Cal Falcons scrape and it makes me tear up seeing it empty.
As you might have noticed, the 2025 Memorial Page is not yet published. I had hoped to have it done by the end of March but it seems that things take at least four times what they used to! It is coming! It is coming because they deserve to be remembered, but it needs to be done correctly.
Geemeff has done a montly summary of happenings at Loch Arkaig and is sharing it with us. When the ospreys return, she will start her daily posts with videos. Thank you, Geemeff!
March 2025: monthly summary for Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust:
Welcome to season nine for the Arkaig Ospreys! George WTS opened the forum earlier this month and friends old and new have been coming to say hello and join in with this lively community. We’re more than ready for the return of our Ospreys, the nests have had a visit from the intrepid maintenance crew and everything is prepared for their arrival. Both nests have had a few non-Osprey visitors this month, see video links below. We were spoilt last year when Louis and Dorcha both returned in March, but April is more usually when they arrive and with luck we’ll see them any day now. Fingers crossed for a successful season this year, but check out the warning in the bonus section. The weather has been changeable, mainly wet and windy, but with spells of glorious sunshine. Here’s a reminder of last season:
‘J’ sent us one of those learning moments and will make you smile and feel good. She says, “Wild ranch heart helpline explains people what to do with young birds they find. This is one reaction that came in:
‘AM’ sent me a beautiful image of a Japanese White-eye sipping nectar. I need spring and these beautiful images from Japan certainly bring me hope. What a beautiful bird and a gorgeous image! Thank you, ‘AM’.
It is relatively quiet in Ospreyland and this means that if they are coming, it will be lots of fish hawks arriving around the same dates.
Black Storks:
Latvia’s first Black Stork to arrive home was Kergu who seemed to immediately attract intruders! https://youtu.be/ZV5ffh5UcXw?
Ospreys:
At the Eschenbach nest of Herbert the Germany osprey, mates are changing. Joan Castanyer writes: “The days pass and the new female seems to have everything under control: Herbert treats her as his partner and Hermine seems to have lost the dispute over the nest to a younger, stronger and more characterful rival. Nature is like that and Hermine will have her way. There is no point in looking down on the new female. We will end up giving her a name and loving her like we do with all the other fisherwomen.”
At Goitzsche Wildnis, Joan Castanyer comments: “Zeus is very fast and mates with Fjona like there is no tomorrow. The images in the video are a good example: in the middle of the afternoon and in three minutes he mates, leaves and returns with material for the nest and mates again. He only needs to bring a fish to be the male marvel.”
This means that the females at the two German nests, Fjona and Hermine have been replaced.
University of Florida-Gainesville: I am copying and pasting the information on the website. Stella is incubating three eggs.
“March 17-19 2025: Stella has laid a third and fourth egg! So currently, there are three eggs total that are being incubated. The first egg was accidentally buried by Stellas with a plastic piece and we think it is no longer viable as she stopped incubating this first egg before the other three eggs were laid.
March 10 Update 2025: Stella has laid a second egg today!
March 10 2025: Hello Osprey fans. Unfortunately Stella accidently buried the egg with some material on March 8th and has abandoned incubation of the egg because she cannot see it. We are hopeful that she will lay another egg. Stay tuned! Any questions, email me at hostetm@ufl.edu.
March 7 2025 Hello Osprey fans! Well, Stella has laid her first egg today! Keep watching to see what happens … Send me an email (hostetm@ufl.edu) if you have questions or want to share what you saw on camera (can send me photos!).
Feb 19th, 2025 Hello Osprey fans! It looks like Stella has found another mate! If you recall, Talon disappeared during the middle of raising chicks last year and one chick named Talon Jr (after the missing father) was successfully raised by Stella. This new male has been bringing fish to her and courtship is underway. Keep watching to see what happens … Send me an email (hostetm@ufl.edu) if you have questions or want to share what you saw on camera (can send me photos!). I estimate that we probably will see the first egg sometime in the first part of March. But who knows? This is Nature after all!”
Bald Eagles:
NEFlorida: Bodie really is up on that branch!
Two Harbours: Chase and Cholyn lost their first clutch this year. They have been caught on camera on their old nest mating. They are 27 years old and Cholyn is the mother of Thunder from the West End who is currently missing.
Fraser Point: Andor and Cruz busy themselves with feeding their beautiful little bobbleheads.
Big Bear: Today, we will learn the names of Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets. Shadow brings in so much fish – 9, 10, 11 a day – no wonder these two are growing like weeds.
Just look at that crop!
John Bunker Sands Wetlands: What a great year this nest has had. Two eaglets getting along so well, thriving under the watchful eye of devoted parents and now they are ready to fledge. ‘MP’ sent us a great screen capture.
Duke Farms: Early Monday morning two prey came in and all three of the eaglets – Harpo, Meechi, and Jupi (from oldest to youngest) – ate well. There was some initial bonking til the second fish came to the nest. There was a dual feeding. All is well.
Others:
Golden Eagle Nest in Estonia: Kalju and Helju have only one egg to incubate this year which will cause it to be much easier to watch this nest. The first egg was crushed leaving the second to survive. The adults make frequent shift changes and it appears that part of the prey brought in on Monday was a Greylag Goose. Beautiful eagles.
The top image is from Looduskalender.
Latvian Golden Eagle: Nest of Spilve and Grislis. Spilve has laid her second egg on 30 March.
Image is from Looduskalender.
Here is some good summary information on siblicide in Golden Eagles. I want to point out that in places where food is abundant and the female feeds the chicks equally as we have seen in certain nests last year, the second eaglet survives. This was, of course, not the case with some nests so it is wise to be cautious when watching.
In golden eagles, siblicide, also known as “Cainism,” is a phenomenon where a stronger nestling kills its younger sibling, often due to competition for food or resources, and is estimated to claim about 80% of second hatchlings in some areas.
Siblicide, sometimes known as Cainism, is the killing of a sibling. It is typically the older and larger of the clutch. In many cases, when testing is done, that eaglet turns out to be a female.
We always ask ourselves why does this happen? Why do the parents not intervene? Well, as mentioned above, it does not always happen. About 20% (an estimate) of second hatch eaglets survive normally because of a nest in a rich area of prey. When siblicide does occur, it is because of competition for food which can be scarce, asynchronous hatching leaving one chick much older and larger, and of course, there is, in certain eagle species something called ‘obligate siblicide’ where the younger chick is almost always killed by the first which is then rewarded with food by the parents. This is typical of a Golden Eagle nest. The older and stronger normally makes intense physical attacks on the younger sibling. In one case, researchers counted 1500 beakings in an hour. The older chick may combine physical aggression with pushing the younger one away from food causing it to starve. Older siblings have also been known to push the other one out of the nest causing it to die.
So the Estonian nest will surely be safe because there is one egg. We might expect obligate siblicide to happen on Spilve’s nest.
Geemeff sends some news:
Utility company trying to help nesting Ospreys find suitable nests and prevent electrocution and / or power outages:
Thank you for being with us today. There will be no news published on Wednesday. We are going to get to meet the Prime Minister of Canada today. See you on Thursday! Take care.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AM, Geemeff, J, MP’, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Sandy Richard, AM, Joan Castanyer,UFlorida-Gainsville Wildlife Extension, IWS/Explore, John Bunker Sands, Duke Farms, Eagle Club of Estonia, NE Florida-AEF, Butlereagle.com, capeCod.com
It was a bit of a cool Sunday on the Canadian Prairies, but we managed our first extensive walk at the nature centre of the spring. The trails were half snow and half ice with the geese gathering at Devonian Lake.
Goose prints on a small pond.
Nearer to home, there were ‘four’ grey squirrels announcing spring had arrived along with the two reds. Both Crows were present as were the Blue Jays. It felt good seeing them all in the garden filling themselves with cat kibble, peanuts, black oil seed, and cracked corn.
‘AM’ sent me this glorious image of spring’s arrival in Japan and graciously allowed me to share it with all of you. There is nothing more beautiful than the first blossoms of spring whether they are the cherry blossoms in Japan or the crocus popping its head up out of the snow in Manitoba. I cannot wait! Thank you so much, ‘AM’.
On the campus of Cornell University, Big Red laid her first egg of the 2025 season on the 27th of March and her second on on Sunday, the 30th. https://youtu.be/ZO-_WY0dmXA?
Big Red hatched in Brooktondale, New York, a mere seven miles from the Cornell Campus in the spring of 2003. She was ringed in October of that same year. It is not clear how many eggs Big Red has laid or chicks that have fledged. She has been ‘on camera’ since 2012 but she would have been breeding well before that – in fact, probably seven years prior she would have had her first fledge.
Her current mate is Arthur. When Big Red bonded with Arthur, he did not even have his red tail, but he proved to be a great provided wooing her with his squirrel deliveries. Cornell All about Birds says, “The male, Arthur, was named in honor of the founder of the Cornell Lab, Arthur A. Allen. He was first spotted on Cornell University campus as a fledgling in 2016. He is unbanded and has a paler chest, head, and nape than Big Red. The pair first spent time together in April 2017, after Big Red’s previous mate, Ezra, had died. The hawks completed their first breeding season together in 2018.”
Her previous mate was Ezra.
Big Red is internationally known. She is so loved.
Bald Eagles:
Big Bear Valley: They could not be cuter even with their blood feathers growing in. Two little miracles. Look at that chrome yellow gape (the corner of the mouth). You want to see a bright yellow-orange known as chrome yellow. Look at the feet of the adults, too. The deeper in colour, the more healthy the eagles. These two have their thermal down with the cutest of hints at their nestling life in the form of the dandelions still remaining on the top of their heads.
Little Miami Conservancy: There are now two hatches with some bonking going on within the nest!
WRDC: R7 fledged Saturday. BOGS caught sight of him/her later perched on a nearby pine tree.
News has come to me that the Bald Eagles in Alaska are starting to nest. We will be keeping an eye on the Glacier Gardens nest.
‘J’ writes: “The first of the three Centerport chicks hatched on the 29th.
Llyn Clywedog: Gorgeous Seren 5F sent Dylan into doing a loud sky dance on her arrival over the weekend. Geemeff comments, “Dylan arrived on the nest at 15.34, then must have seen Seren in the distance because he suddenly flew off and loud skydancing was heard nearby before she landed at 15.36.
Boulder County Fairgrounds: Mum and new male are on the nest.
Moorings Park: Ozzie is one of the cutest and sweetest little osplets. Feathers coming in. Full crop!
MNSA Koolpix Osprey Nest: First egg of the 2025 season laid on Sunday.
Collins Marsh Osprey Cam: Their FB posting says: “Osprey cam update…yes this is the current view of the camera…the inside of the tower! This past week the camera was brought down for maintenance, and in the coming days a new mount will be installed to help us maintain it for years to come. The birds will be back soon, last year they arrived on April 6th, so keep watching!”
Osprey House Environmental Centre, Australia: Parents George and Hope and their 2024 fledgling Marina were on the nest on Sunday together.
Rocky Lake/Waverley, Nova Scotia: Both ospreys are back.
Severna Park: First egg of the 2025 breeding season has been laid.
Balgavies Loch: An osprey has arrived. No confirmation of identity.
Wensleydale Osprey Platform: An osprey is there!
Heidi reports:
3/31 – Barnegat Light osprey nest: Duke arrived at the nest this morning, on the same date that he returned last year. Hey there, Duke!
Other Birds:
The Black Storks are reaching their nests in Estonia – and I hope they will also be arriving safely in Latvia, soon. Kergu is due to arrive at his nest today! Looduskalender Forum gives us the following information on this magnificent Black Stork: “Kergu Black Stork nest was found in 2022, but it has been there for longer. Probably even fallen down, and rebuilt again on the branches of the same aspen tree. During installation of camera I noticed that nest is only partly supported by the branches, so added some kind well visible exoskeleton to keep it more stabile (perhaps). In the end of March 2024 it seems quite good, but still, not fully safe.
Nest site is situated in Pärnu county, near wind farm development area. That was the reason to track Kergu, male stork who nested here last year, as well as reason to install webcam. There are proposed some mitigation measures, like preparing better feeding conditions in other sectors of home range. Hopefully results of those measures will be visible also through webcam in time. The measures are at the moment in planning stage, yet. So if somebody has ideas for mitigation measures in that situation, those would be valuable to analyse in current situation.
Kergu has rings (incl. left leg 7047) since childhood, he has been ringed in 2011 as one of three chicks in nest situated about 10 km of current Kergu nest. Three chicks fledged in Kergu nest in 2022 and they were in good condition during ringing. Female in this nest we did not know, most probably she was without of rings. In 2023, here we did not see female in nest. Kergu refreshed nest properly, few times neighbour male Nurme visited the nest as well as not ringed immature individuals. But in general Kergu was in nest alone, listening neighbour bird species, like woodland owls, passerines, etc.”
The nest is waiting! Pictures by Urmas.
Latvian Golden Eagle: Spilve laid her second egg on Sunday.
Port Lincoln Ospreys: “Ervie has been checking out the northern end of Boston Island but always returns to the main wharf to sleep.”
“Giliath obviously loves the town life as he just doesn’t want to go anywhere else.”
“Kasse also loves the town life of Tumby Bay”
Wilko is MIA. They are hoping he will check in soon.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AM, Geemeff, H, J’, Cornell Bird Lab, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, Little Miami Conservancy, Tweed Valley, UKOsprey Info, Geemeff, Llyn Clywedog and CarnyXWild, Montana Osprey Project, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Moorings Park Osprey, Looduskalender Forum, LDF, MNSA Jay Koolpix Cam, Collins Marsh Osprey Cam, WRDC, Port Lincoln Ospreys
It is 2:35 in Big Bear Valley Wednesday afternoon and there are 12, 215 people watching Jackie and Shadow’s nest for any sign of a pip. Pip watch officially begins on March 1. Typically Jackie’s eggs hatch at 38-39 days.
‘B’ sends us all the latest on this internationally loved couple.
HPAI is a concern everyone including our garden. It has been +3 for the last few days. The snow is melting. There is standing water everywhere. The air is beginning to smell like spring. Most of the snow was cleared off the deck. All of the feeders were cleaned and disinfected. We will start a daily count to determine what is happening. When the European Starlings returned, there were 58 in the lilac bushes daily. There are now only 9. There were two Blue Jays, four Grey Squirrels, two Red Squirrels, and well, we were used to get at least 150 sparrows of various species. Might there be two dozen now? The Chickadees are here flitting, and there is a single female adult Downy Woodpecker. Two Crows. The loud songs from the birds in the garden could be heard more than half a city block away. There is still song, but it is so quiet.
It was extremely warm on Wednesday and we headed off to the zoo for a long and much needed walk before an Alberta Clipper is going to dump snow on us today. Five polar bears were sleeping on the snow! Just look at how clean its pads are!
I know that most of you are nervous about the upcoming breeding seasons whether it is the remaining eagles, the ospreys, or the hawks/falcons. I would also include the storks – oh, how I adore them! Throughout this posting and in many more to come, I want to encourage you to delight in the eaglets that have hatched and are healthy, for those eggs in nests, and for the storks and ospreys that are making their way home. Sending positive energy their way. In Manitoba, we are taking bets on the arrival of the first Canada Goose to the Oak Hammock Marsh. They could arrive within the week! I am so excited.
Let’s start with something nice and I cannot think of anything nicer than the miracle eaglet, Bodie, in Gabby and Beau’s nest.
NE Florida: That little cutie pie of Beau and Gabby’s now has a name! He is 5 weeks and 3 days old today.
I asked ‘AI’ to provide the meanings for the name Bodie:
The name Bodie has multiple meanings and origins:
Enlightenment: A respelling of the Sanskrit word Bodhi, which means “enlightenment” or “wisdom”
Messenger: From the German word bode or boden, which means “messenger”
Large-bodied: From the Old English word bodig, which means “trunk” or “chest”
Bold: From the French surname Beaudin, which is rooted in the old Germanic word bald
Sheltered: From the Germanic and Scandinavian name Boden, which means “sheltered”
Bodie is a gender-neutral name with origins in Sanskrit, German, French, Scandinavian, and Scottish.
In ancient times, messengers were vital to society, carrying news and information between communities and individuals. People with the name Bodie were associated with this role, and were often respected members of society.
Bodie has been on the rise in popularity in the United States, first entering the top 1,000 names in 2014. In 2022, it was ranked 484th in the top 500 names.
A turkey vulture came and sat on the nest of Bodie on Wednesday but the real question remains: where are Gabby and Beau? They have not been seen at the nest on Wednesday. This is concerning. Bodie is not self feeding but he did go to the pantry and attempt to get a nibble or two of the prey.
Where are Beau and Gabby?
Cal Falcons: In my last post with the long listing of the nest happenings, I pondered what was going on at the Cal Falcon scrape on The Campanile. The following day a notice was posted. It made my heart sink to my toes and tears pour out of my eyes. HPAI is everywhere. I believe it is even accounting for the lack of songbirds in the garden this winter. Cal Falcons is warning us that this could be the reason that we are not seeing Annie or Archie.
More news agencies are picking up on the loss of dear Annie and her mate. My heart is feeling very empty about this and I am hoping for a miracle.
We have to find hope and beauty in those birds that are surviving and those who are desperately trying to raise families in a very hostile environment. One of those is the new mate of Thunder, Makaio. He seems really good at caring for the eggs and protecting the nest. https://youtu.be/SexBFchvb-A?
These are short-tailed Albatross. Information on the volcanic island where they live states: “The Izu-volcano on Tori-shima is one of a chain of small islands about 600 km south of Tokyo. The island is one for the threatened albatross-birds, namely the short tailed albatross, and have been uninhabited by people since the Meteorological Institute drew back their scientists from an observatory in 1965, after a strong earthquake hit the area. About 30 people lived on the island before that, but they were evacuated after an eruption in 1939. In 1902 an eruption killed all the 125 people living on the island at that time.”
Located on Izu Island south of Tokyo and the main island of Honshu.
Here is a thorough article on the history of the short-tailed albatross in the area including ‘feather picking’.
Years ago we wondered what would happen to our much loved storks flying through war-torn Ukraine. Karl II had his favourite spots to stop and rest on the way to Africa. We always held our breath. Just how much wildlife has been impacted by this war?
PSEG Patchogue Osprey Platform, Long Island: There will be no camera for the PSEG Patchogue nest. ‘MP’ sent me the response this morning when he noticed that there was no streaming cam: “Thank you for your online inquiry. I have heard back from our Wildlife department: Due to construction in the immediate vicinity of the Patchogue osprey platform, PSEG Long Island has relocated this platform to a nearby location away from construction activities and human interference. However, we were not able to reconnect the osprey camera at this new location. Therefore, the Patchogue osprey camera will no longer be available.” PSEG further added, “”The camera was removed in order to provide the ospreys with a calmer living environment, at this point there are no plans to reactivate the camera. The websiteOsprey Cams – PSEG Long Island will be updated if and when the camera comes back online.”
Of course, being a power company we both wondered why on earth they couldn’t rig up a solar panel or something or is it another issue? Like all of us calling them when the nest is dangerously dirty? Who knows. I assume PSEG wants a calmer life since the ospreys wouldn’t care one way or the other about the camera! Ridiculous.
Frenchman’s Creek: Heidi confirms that the second egg was laid on the 25th of February.
Pine Island Osprey Platform: Looks as if the eggs are not viable. This is truly a blessing with the GHO in waiting for chicks.
Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platform, St Petersburg, Florida: As of Wednesday afternoon there remains only one egg for Jack and his new mate.
We are sitting in the conservatory monitoring the birds at the feeder. This morning I put out 1/4 of the amount of peanuts, Black Oil Seed, along with a large helping of Bark Butter and Meal Works (directed at the Starlings). There are approximately nine or ten Starlings. Where have all the birds gone?
I will be tracking HPAI in our region, and elsewhere, during 2025 as it appears to be having a large impact on some bird counts.
Little Miami Conservancy: Two eggs. 19th and 22nd of February.
Duke Farms: Cute little first hatch and now it has a little brother or sister.
WRDC: Both R7 and R8 doing fantastic. Look at all the fish on that nest!
Captiva: Dasher sleeps like an adult and we have branching at the nest on Wednesday!
MN-DNR: Two eggs being incubated. Laid on the 14th and 17th of February.
FORE: Liberty and Guardian do not yet have eggs. Everyone is worried. Maybe they will not have eggs this year. Maybe they will. We wait. But it is getting late because of the heat. Both of their eaglets died last year. They know and they grieve. It is alright if they chose to skip this year. Last year Duke and Daisy chose not to raise a family. The previous year Duke was missing in the storm and we thought he was lost. Daisy lost two osplets but was able to fledge one. Life is challenging – and it is going to get worse. Send Liberty and Guardian your love and support.
Abu Dhabi Osprey Platform: The triplets appear to be doing well.
Royal Albatross Colony News:
Cornell Red Tail Hawks: The camera should be back in operation for Big Red and Arthur in a week! Thank goodness.
Can you lend a hand to Hob, her friends, and the Moli?
Rita the Eagle’s History Monday:
I am going to look forward to a day when I read about the growth of the Hen Harrier population and not that rising deaths near driven grouse moor estates in Scotland!
Geemeff sends us some good news — remember, it is going to be up to us to do what is right for wildlife and that could include purchasing land, etc.
Happier news – the RSPB Geltsdale reserve is forging ahead after the successful land purchase. More funds needed of course, but as we all know, times are tough so people can support in ways other than donations eg by publicising on their social media feeds, buying from the online shop or better yet paying a visit to Geltsdale or any other RSPB reserve.
Thank you so much for being with today. We look forward to having you with us again soon! Take care of yourselves!
Thank you also for your patience with Calico’s cards. She had no idea what was entailed when she set out to help feral cats! The latest was securing proper mailing envelopes so the cards would not be bent when shipped! Those should arrive today or tomorrow. Then we can finalize the shipping! She told me she was glad we only do this twice a year. LOL.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, streaming cams, videos, and articles that helped me to write my post today: ‘B, EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, J, MP’, Berkeley News, American Eagle Foundation, Cal Falcons, KRON4, SK Hideaways, NEFL-AEF, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, Japanese Albatross Cam, The Guardian, PSEG, Tartasan WTE Cam, Frenchman’s Creek, Heidi McGrue, Achieva Credit Union, Government of Canada, Little Miami Conservancy, Duke Farms, WRDC, Window to Wildlife, MN-DNR, Gary’s Eagle Videos, Nesting Bird Life and More, Abu Dhabi Osprey Platform, Sharon Dunne, Hob Osterlund, Rita the Eagle, RSPB, Raptor Persecution UK
Bald Eagles are still abundant in Manitoba. The climate creates good conditions for prey as their territories move northward, so many will winter here. But what I woke up to on Saturday could have been better, much better.
I want to thank Ruth Hiebert for allowing images and a narrative of the horror she found in a field in southern Manitoba. She immediately contacted the Conservation Officer. She checked on Saturday, and the eagle carcasses were removed. She hopes to discover what happened to them, and I will pass on any news.
I am going to speculate, and yes, an egg could come on my face, but I haven’t seen eagles die of Avian Flu at the same time in the same place as this. I haven’t seen it with poisoning, either. Perhaps you have. I have, however, seen it when shooting is the issue. If that is the case, we should know soon. If it isn’t, it will be a while. So many dead in the same place is beyond sad.
That was the first news that I woke up to on Saturday morning. The only way to shake off something like that is to go out in nature, to feel the wind and the warmth of the sun, to hear the song of the birds, and that is precisely what we did. We walked the entire 4km trail and more with no less than a hundred Black-capped Chickadees taking seed from our hands! What a day. Little wind. Nice sky. 15 C – the middle of November. Everyone on the trails, most walking their dogs, was joyful to the extreme because of the weather.
The Chickadees were caching some of their Black Oil Seed in the crevices of the trees like this one.
The White-breasted Nuthatch would not take seed from our hand, but wanted it on the path.
At home, there was also a celebration. For the first time in a long, long time, I saw Dyson and her three kits in the garden together. They are all alive. In an urban environment, with their trees cut down, they have to run across busy streets; this is amazing. Tears. Tears and more tears. Dyson is the equivalent of a Senior Citizen in the Squirrel World. She has survived being poisoned, run over, or trapped and removed from the area. We are so pleased to see her and the three kids. Photos on Monday!
A remarks: “Fledge watch formally begins on 12 November at Orange, I believe, which is Tuesday. I think they are a little further behind the Collins Street three than that but time will tell. Garrama is having difficulty getting fed now that he has to fight his giant sister for every mouthful, usually without parental intervention. Xavier is so much smaller than Yira that he doesn’t dare interfere once she has claimed a piece of prey, while Diamond does sometimes assert maternal authority and feed the chicks herself, under which conditions Garrama gets at least some food. Otherwise, he is reduced to finding leftover scraps around the scrape, and I suspect he will be somewhat relieved when Yira fledges and he gets the food to himself for a few days before it’s his turn to take the plunge. “
No fish yet at Port Lincoln. Mum, Wilko, and Kasse are waiting to see if Dad returns with a good breakfast. Otherwise, I bet those fairies are waiting in the wings to help.
Dad came through with a partial ‘flat’? fish at 10:34. Notice how big Kasse is – larger than Wilko!
Kasse still has the white stripe on the back.
Big stretch as Mum toe dances and calls as Dad is arriving with the fish.
‘A’ gives us the day’s run down at PLO: “At Port Lincoln, our osplets are SO cute and they’ve had a pretty good day. Breakfast was a large whole fish that arrived courtesy of Dad at 10:34. At 13:55, he brought in a small tidbit in the form of a fish tail. At this point, Mum decided to get involved and brought in an extra-large whole fish at 14:49. Impressive work, Mum! The resulting feeding lasted for NEARLY AN HOUR. Both osplets got plenty to eat today, and there is still plenty of time for another fish to be brought in before dark (it’s only just after 4pm at Port Lincoln right now). “
There are still three eyases on the ledge at 367 Collins Street in the Central Business District of Melbourne as of 1017 Sunday morning.
Latest sea eagle report:
‘
There are no other nests with eggs at the time of writing that I am aware.
Beau and Gabby were at the nest. Female eagles have three periods where they are fertile and will want to mate. Of course, Eagles bond at other times, but Saturday, Gabby was not in the mood. Sorry Beau!
That precious egg of M15 and F23’s is never left for very long without someone around.
Gracie Shepherd got the shift change! Watching the care and attention these eagles give to their first egg of the season is hugely moving. I cannot comprehend why anyone would ever wish to harm one of their species. They are parents who care and who are concerned for their young just like us.
Connick leaves the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey and heads north to the Smithsonian. Connie and Clive’s little one, who fell from the nest and had feather development issues, will live an excellent life without the fear of being shot or poisoned. Let’s hope he can educate people to care for wildlife including these majestic birds.
Take a look at this!
More sadness near the grouse hunting estates in Perthshire, Scotland.
Now a smile. This Sharp-shinned Grouse has all the right moves, ladies.
Lady Hawk posted information about Lucina, the female at the Wild Bucovina Golden Eagle nest in Romania. Lady Hawk’s take from the information that is current is that Lucina died of either lead or rodenticide poisoning. The font is small so please refer to Lady Hawk’s FB page.
Audubon Florida’s Eagle Watch report looks at the challenges, some new, and the successes of the 2023-24 season. Those challenges include nest removal!
Last, a learning experience from the Toronto Field Naturalists on hawk migration and raptors. https://youtu.be/hrQk8Dg1Ebo?
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, Ruth Hiebert’, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Deb Stecyk, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, USFWS Columbia Pacific Northwest, USFWS, Lady Hawk FB, Audubon Florida, The Guardian, Toronto Field Naturalists.
On Tuesday we woke to a hard frost all over the plants in the garden and the deck making it very slippery when delivering bird seed and cat food. There is now a new addition to the feral feeding line. The tiniest Jet Black kitten. I cannot get close enough to tell if it is a male or a female, but it is decidedly frightened. Thinking of trying sardines in a kitten trap so that it can get to a shelter before our cold winter sets in. Things did not thaw out until nearly noon. Oh, I dislike the deep cold and hibernation of winter!
All of the garden animals were present including Mr Woodpecker and the Chickadees. It is dark by 1700, or nearly dark and it is very cold. Jumper and Jacket weather along with wool socks. It will go down to -1 C tonight.
Let’s take a quick look at what is going on in Bird World.
The latest news on the Olympic Park Eaglets, Lady, and Dad:
‘A’ sends us the latest from Ranger Judy: “November 6: For the first time in a while, Dad was seen by the nest last night – with two ringtail possums passing, a flying fox visiting and a swooping owl. Lady was nearby early as well. Then a Black Duck and a flock of lorikeets. At 7:30am, both adults were down on the island. Then one juvenile was spotted, moving to get closer to the parents. Shortly after, it circled behind the island and out of sight. The parents were still there together. Later, both parents were seen, one on the island and one at River Roost around 2pm – on a hot day. A juvenile was seen again at 4:15pm on the island. Dad brought in a fish and tried to draw the juvenile out –it finally came to the branch to get the fish, but appeared to fall and was on the ground. Then Lady flew in with a fish as well and the juvie was seen eating the fish on the mudflats. It had finished feeding at 5:20pm.”
Breakfast at Port Lincoln filled Wilko and Kasse crops.
Don’t you love how all the chicks in a falcon scrape get fed? It is remarkable. Yira and Garrama are no exception even when one takes the prey initially.
At The Hamlet, Beau and Gabby both worked on the nest. Beau flew in with a really nice fish and waited, but Gabby didn’t show up. She missed her fish gift! Beau ate it.
M15: We really do not want you trying to impress F23 with your flying and hunting abilities over the main road! Stay safe young man. https://youtu.be/olnW6dI_HOA?
Every Monday on Rita the Eagle’s FB page, you can find out some history. Thanks to ‘J’, we have the latest!
There is still an Osprey in the UK on November 5. What do they know?
It doesn’t matter what happens to them, people still kill raptors on the hunting estates! It is time for the UK Government to instigate very strict laws like the one handed down to the man who killed all the Bald Eagles and hawks in Montana.
The battle for the Chesapeake Bay and commercial fishing will not go silent. I hope to have a document ready by the end of this week or the beginning of next that might help the folks in Virginia. For now, Omega continues to scoop up the fish that is the ‘lifeblood’ for our Ospreys. Without those little fish, we will have another breeding season 2025 in where almost all the chicks starved to death. And, of course, they use spotter planes to find the schools. What if this was disallowed? What if all technology were disallowed? That would be interesting. Maybe these commercial fishing companies should have to fish just like the Ospreys! Oh, I would love to see that.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: We are still talking about bird collisions. Calico wants you to read the information below carefully. Do not put your decals on the inside of the window. Everything must be on the outside. But did you know the other issues like distance that your bird collision decals can be seen?
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J’, Judy Harrington and the Olympic Park Eagles, SK Hideaways and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, NEFL-AEF, The Real Saunders Photography, Rita the Bald Eagle, Jeff Kerr, Dixie Rottler, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Persecution UK, William Dunn and Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal FB, On the Red Carpet, Wildlife Adventures North East Vancouver Island, World Bird Sanctuary.
Monday was a rainy grey day on the Canadian Prairies, but the weather wasn’t what weighed on my mind. While driving past what was once a vibrant golf course, I reflected on how the University of Manitoba is transforming it into a site for student and faculty housing, along with a grocery store. Although this project aimed to enhance campus life, it comes at a significant cost to our local wildlife. Once again, we are witnessing a concerning loss of habitat. Our city is rapidly becoming a place devoid of the natural spaces that our feathered friends depend on. Without grass for the Canada Geese to forage, trees for nesting, and adequate food sources, we risk the disappearance of these beautiful creatures. While there are a few ponds near housing developments, they lack the connectivity necessary to foster a thriving ecosystem. We must reconsider our development priorities to ensure that we do not sacrifice our local wildlife in pursuit of urban expansion.
Nearer to home, ‘The Boyfriend’ finally relaxed and ate his food out of a dish right outside the garden door! Yahoo.
Calico looked on and wasn’t so happy. “How come he gets more cat food than we do?” was what all the squawking was about.
Baby Hope was not bothered about our visitor this morning. Odd. I hope she isn’t feeling unwell. She is normally standing at the window watching ‘The Boyfriend.’
At the feeders, the European Starlings were eating suet as fast as they could before the rain came.
In my mailbox was a sad note from ‘J’. The beautiful female Golden Eagle from the Bucovino nest in Romania has died. Her name was Lucina and many of you will have watched her raise her annual eaglet for the past four years. Her mate was Calliman. Here is the announcement. On the Memorial Page, Lucina is #183 and 2024 is not yet over.
This is Lady Hawk’s video about the death and a warning – it shows the body of Lucina. https://youtu.be/J0eH1vIyKto?
Lucina and Calliman in February of 2024 working on their nest.
Condolences to all who loved this beautiful female who took such amazing care of her babies raising four to fledge in four years. Fly high, Lucina!
At Port Lincoln, a nice whole fish arrived on the nest. Was it Dad? or a fairy? The camera turned away right at the time of delivery. It doesn’t matter. What does is that Wilko and Kasse get the calories they need to develop properly.
Mum is such a treasure. Both are going to be full. Just look at how their tails and the beautiful juvenile plumage are growing.
Mum managed some bites of fish for herself and then the rains began. Both Wilko and Kasse tried so hard to get under Mum!
Mum wiggled and squiggled and got both her babies under her as the drops became heavier and heavier.
Dad flies in with a big crop and a partial fish for Mum and the kids.
The partial fish is completely gone in ten minutes.
With the heat heating the ledge at 367 Collins Street, F23 and the triplets take refuge in the cool shade of the North end scrape. They are quickly losing those baby feathers. My goodness. Soon these three will look like Mum and Dad.
The latest news from Sydney on the Sea Eaglets, SE33 and SE34.
‘A’ has the latest ranger report: “November 5: Both parents were seen down on the river early in the morning, and several more times. One juvenile was seen on the island at around 7:30am and it was quiet later, so may have been fed. There have still been no eagle visits back to the nest. I was watching from just before 1pm – both parents and one juvenile on the island. I saw the juvenile fly and change position and both parents took off. One returned with a fish at 13:10. It flew past the juvenile, ate some and spent some time, it seemed, trying to encourage the young one to take the fish or come closer. Finally, at 13:46, the juvenile stood beside the parent and was fed. It did not seem to try to grab the fish or feed itself. Just after 2pm, the adults flew off and the young one may have been self-feeding for a while. I did not see it perch anywhere else on the river, though it did fly about at one stage. When I left, before 3pm, both adults were out of sight. Swoopers have not bothered them much on the island today. Later in the afternoon, one adult and juvenile could still be seen on the island.”
It is precisely the same at 367 Collins Street where the chicks are similar ages. They are meeting milestones at both scrapes just as they should. Despite their determination, each Mum eventually takes the prey so that all chicks are fed. Beautiful. https://youtu.be/mNsKgks91lA?
‘A’ comments: “At Collins Street, the littles are very mobile, and currently we have two at the sheltered end, very much awake and looking mischievous, while the third sleeps in the unsheltered scrape at the other end. The three tend to sleep at the northern end but seem to like to move about between the two scrapes during the day. It is a great relief to mum and dad, who no longer have to worry about brooding or sheltering the trio. Feeding, on the other hand, is a loud and vigorous affair, the remnants of which are really starting to pile up in the gutter. I remember reading somewhere that a messy scrapeI r (full of feathers and streaked with PSs) was evidence of a healthy brood. Collins Street appears to support this view! The trio are SO adorable. Very active and exploratory. I wonder who will be first to fly onto the window ledges – the Collins Street equivalent of ‘branching’. I do so love the sound of gutter stomping in the springtime. “
At Growing Home near Sydney, Bubba is waiting for breakfast. S/he will not have to wait long.
The wind is helping move the mess of nesting material at the Achieva Osprey nest in St. Petersburg, Florida. I wish a colossal gust would just come and rip it off. We can see the large drainage holes where the chick from 2024 might have fallen to its death. (No one seems sure of the exact cause of its demise – was it a predator?). A predator baffle has been installed, but I do not believe the tree has been trimmed so raccoons can climb and jump to the nest. No organization has yet taken the holes seriously enough to want to help put stainless mesh to protect the chicks and eggs.
Ron and Rose were at the WRDC working to get their nest ready for this years breeding season that is set to begin with the first eggs begin laid in three weeks or less.
Poor E1 F3 picked a mate, E1 M2, that loves catching turtles. Tonya Irwin caught the moment that the ‘gift of turtle’ that the male had brought to Kistachie National Forest Nest E1 F3 bite and hung on to the female’s talon!!!!!!! Ouch.
‘J’ sends us news about the Kakapo and in particular, Kumi, who will be 20 years old next year. Isn’t he gorgeous? He is up for adoption as part of the fundraising efforts of the Kakapo Recovery. For details, see their website.
In Canada, many organizations are joining together to purchase land to create or expand wetland areas. One of the most active is Ducks Unlimited. Similar projects are helping internationally and this is one reason that waterfowl numbers are climbing while so many others, like Prairie Songbirds, are declining in population numbers rapidly.
We must educate our youth about the privilege of living alongside wildlife. At the same time, we need to guide them to understand the importance of protecting their habitat rather than destroying it!
Join the Ventana Wildlife Society on Wednesday for the release of the Rookies into the wild of Big Sur and Pinnacle. (Go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign up).
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, information, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J’, Lady Hawk, Bucovina Golden Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Judy Harrington and the Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Liznm, Charles Sturt Falcon Project and Cilla Kinross, Growing Home Osprey Cam, Achieva Credit Union, WRDC Eagle Cam, Tonya Irwin, Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam E1, Kakapo Recover, Suffolk Wilderness Trust, Friends of the SIBC, Ventana Wildlife Society.
Thank you to everyone for your lovely notes. We must continue to find the happiness, the miracles, and as ‘B’ says, ‘the treasures’ in this breeding season. And there certainly are miracles and the most amazing events happening. Iris and Finnegan continue to get top billing with managing to keep themselves alive during the heat and not having been blown off to Las Vegas during the winds! And we still have two chicks at Osoyoos despite the odds being so against Soo and Olsen. Fledges are happening. Take the smiles when they come and as one reader ‘J’ said, ‘I hope Blue falls off the nest’. (There is a rescue in place if he does)
It is hot and humid. 31 degrees. It rained just enough to make it more humid. The birds in the garden frantically ate their breakfast and it i snow after 1600 and they are starting on the last feeding of the day. Their behaviour makes me think a storm is coming despite the weather network saying ‘no’. One day they said ‘no rain’ and it was raining when I checked! They are not always very accurate, but the animals are. Frantic eating means a storm….And it did rain and a thunderstorm was predicted for today and tomorrow. Not bad for a ‘Murder’. They should hire Mr Crow!
What will he choose? Enchiladas? Cheesy Dogs? Peanuts?
I am so very, very sad. Both of the fledglings of Big Red and Arthur of 2024 are dead. N2 died from a window collision, and N1 died from an illness after being seen by BOGs behaving oddly.
A White-tail eagle has taken the smallest osplet, Yellow UPU, off the Finnish #4 nest, to the dismay of all of us that loved that osplet family. The time was 18:11:56. Thank you, ‘AM’ for alerting me. The Ilomansti chick was 55 days old.
Screenshot
The following morning, at 0510, the oldest osplet, Yellow, URA, a male, flew off the #4 nest and was chased by the Eagle as it flew. You could hear it calls. The Middle osplet, a female, is in the nest, scared to death.
There has been an incident at the Patuxent River Park. An osplet/osprey fell off the nest at 1445 and it was not until after 1100 that anyone went to check. Earlier flapping could be heard but high tide came in and all went quiet.
Feeling so grateful. Iris is the poster child of osprey miracles this year and if something had happened to her or her family, I think we would have crawled into a hole and stayed there. Thankfully, Iris and Finnegan and their kids survived category 2 hurricane force winds.
Please help name Iris and Finnegan’s chicks. The site where you vote gives the meaning of the two pairs of names to select from -.
Cornell gives us a fantastic video of Iris’s kids and their amazing juvenile eyes!
Welcome back, ‘A’ who is so happy to be checking on Iris’s nest and the WBSE for us: “I checked our gorgeous boys at Hellgate today – they are looking wonderful and Iris is so proud of them. They had a naming competition underway – I believe it ends on 31 July – so the time has come to name this pair. Fledging is on the calendar and we will soon lose our Hellgate ospreys until next season. I do hope that the bond between Iris and Finn will persist next season and that they will return to each other. This has been a love story for the ages, and I have adored watching his devotion to her.
Gorgeous boy brought in a large headless fish around 06:39 and there was something of a melee. Iris grabbed and took control of the fish. Finn did some arrangement of the baby rails, which are huge (as are the babies) and then flew to the perch while Iris arranged the feeding of breakfast. As usual, Baby Bob is given the first bites, with both osplets sitting up nicely at the table, side by side, without any aggression. I have adored watching the fraternal behaviour on this nest. Not once has there been any bonking or even any intimidation. Even direct eye contact has failed to prompt dominant behaviour from the larger sibling. The situation remains peaceful, although I sense we are about to enter the ‘fight for food’ period as the osplets begin to claim and mantle delivered prey from their parents. So far, though, Iris is maintaining control of the food distribution.
Baby Bob is fed for some time before Big Bob is offered a bite, but the older sibling is perfectly prepared to wait its turn. Based on size, I am again thinking that Big Bob is female, with a younger brother, but if that is the case, then the behaviour from both has been exemplary and civil at all times. If we do have a big sister and a little brother, then I can only put the excellent nest dynamics down to Iris’s control on the nest and Finn’s regular deliveries of huge fish to the nest. As far as I can see, the only logical explanation is that these two have not been hungry.
I do wish they were banding these two osplets, given how incredibly special they are – It is a long time since Iris raised a chick, let alone two. They are healthy and they have inherited some pretty special genes from both parents, it would seem. I would love to know their genders, for obvious reasons, and we would all love to know how they fare as juvenile fledglings and hopefully, later, as adult ospreys. I suppose we will never know for certain if and until they find a mate. But I have wavered backwards and forwards on the gender question, with the size indicator contradicting the behavioural one much of the time. “
July 26: After some rain overnight, it was fine for early morning duets. Lady was off at 6:36. Dad was in shortly after, then incubated for an hour and 25 minutes, giving Lady a good early break. Dad then left the nest, as Lady was close and returned to take over incubating. After a couple more changes, Lady appeared around midday with a good crop – she had caught her own prey it seems. Then she spent the afternoon on the nest, incubating for nearly three hours until Dad bought in a late fish. She grabbed it and took it to the branch to eat. The eggs were uncovered for some time as Lady ate, then dad incubated for a short while until she finished eating. She then settled for the night. Today she spent a total of 6h27m on the eggs, while Dad incubated for 5h7m.
I love to see how this pair shares the workload so evenly – check the daily division of incubation duties between them, giving each plenty of exercise and the chance to hunt, although Dad does sometimes bring prey to Lady on the nest. But they are a tightly bonded team and I am looking forward to seeing two small fluffy heads appear on this nest. Perhaps THIS year, we will get two successful fledges, with fledglings safely returning to the natal nest despite the attempts of the smaller birds to drive them from their nest and their forest.
They have not yet hatched and yet already, we are worried about their chances of successfully fledging at this location. I have no idea how we can protect them from this fate, but it is hard to watch season after season after season. Two cute, happy, healthy little sea eaglets are effectively sacrificed every year. It is a tragic waste, of the babies and of the devotion and time the parents put into raising their eaglets. “
Three healthy chicks at the Castle Bolton Estate in Yorkshire – two females and a male!
Kristel fledged, as predicted, at 81 days old on the 26th of July from the Golden Eagle nest in Estonia. You might know that this nest is in a military zone in Estonia where active military exercises take place daily. Many can hear the gunfire in the background. Despite this, the area is large and normal humans cannot enter it. It actually makes this forest area safer for the wild animals and raptors like Kristel and her family who are used to the military exercise sounds.
Richmond and Rosie’s PAX caught on video!
Everyone is home at Field Farm and hungry. Flying uses up a lot of calories!!!!!!!!
Geemeff sends us her daily report for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Friday 26th July 2024
The Lochenders saga continued today with a game of musical nests – after an absence of two days, Dorcha turned up paying a visit to Nest One while Garry LV0 was there, and then Affric 152 and Garry LV0 visited Nest Two, flying off very quickly when Dorcha appeared. Where were Louis and Prince while this was going on? Was Prince back at Bunarkaig looking after his and Affric’s chick? Was Louis having a leisurely fishing session? Is he still around? As usual, the only answer is ‘wait and see’. RAF jets did a flypast but both nests were empty at the time. More good news from Spain with a tweeted photo of our chick 1JW out and about exploring the neighbourhood, and the message “We are told all the birds are continuing to feed well after taking to the skies for the first time yesterday.” 1JW is certainly better off in sunny Spain – it rained throughout the day here, there’s a chance of rain tonight and tomorrow with a high of only 17°C.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.01.49 (04.04.45); Nest Two 22.58.14 (04.15.15)
Bonus tweet – photo of Loch Arkaig Osprey chick 1JW in Spain exploring his new neighbourhood:
It is so great to see #1JW looking strong and thriving in Spain, having fledged yesterday. it's been a strange sad season for the #ArkaigOspreys and many other nests here and in other countries too. Stay strong 1JW, all your fans are cheering you on. @RoyDennisWF@FundacionMigreshttps://t.co/SuCmVBVmW1
‘CG’ has been monitoring the Hancock Wildlife Nest at Boundary Bay. She sends us the following from the forum:
On 7/25, Blue received food and ended the day with a nice crop. She also received food Friday morning which she was eating. She has also been doing wingercises and reached a good height yesterday. PSs that were seen were good. There are pictures with the comments.
It is painstaking reading all the comments; you need lots of time on your hands. People are questioning the lack of food being brought by the parents (Pere and Mere). Apparently, there was plenty of food at the beginning. They are wondering if there is something in the surroundings that has changed. So, . . .
Link to site (press ctrl + click to follow link). This will take you right to afternoon of 7/25, and from there you can go backwards and forwards. Page numbers are at the top and bottom of the pages.
I haven’t herd from anyone one rescue of Blue. When, where, and how?
Judy B writes: At the moment, it does not appear that Blue needs to be rescued. The parents delivered two fish today – and Blue waited almost an hour before beginning to eat the first one, which suggests to me that Blue was not very hungry (which makes sense because Blue had quite a lot of food yesterday).
Blue is old enough that she or he would likely try to fly if anyone approached the nest with a lift to try to remove Blue from the nest – and so far I haven’t seen enough sustained flapping to think that Blue is ready to fly safely.
We do have plans in place if Blue ends up on the ground, and the local rescue/rehab organization is aware that there are concerns about Blue – but personally, after seeing two fish delivered today, I’m less worried than I was yesterday.”
‘H’ reports:
7/26 Osoyoos osprey nest: The high temperature was only about 84 degrees, and Olsen delivered 10 fish to the nest today! Soo started out very early in the morning trying to feed some of that leftover fish jerky skin. No one was able to eat very much of that. At 0617 Olsen delivered a nice sized fish that provided a 14-minute meal. The siblings ate from opposite sides of Soo, and Middle ate 71 bites of fish. Olsen came right back at 0635 with a similarly sized fish that Soo fed for 13 minutes. Middle did not have good positioning, with Big hovering over him the entire time, and was only able to eat 4 bites of fish. At 0944 Olsen arrived with a tiny fish. Middle had been fed 5 bites of that fish, then s/he grabbed it from Soo and spent the next five minutes eating the rest of it (and was not harassed by Big). The next fish at 1117 was another ‘Tiny’. Big bit Middle on the wing, ouch! Soo fed Middle for 3 minutes. Fish #5 at 1153 was also a ‘Tiny’. Middle was fed 20 bites before Big grabbed the fish and finished it. Fish #6 at 1205 was a bit larger, and Soo fed Big for 7 minutes. Middle did not make much of an effort to join in. At 1319 Olsen dropped off a medium sized whole fish. Big was not hungry, and Soo fed Middle for 11 minutes! Fish #8 at 1435 was a ‘Tiny’… Big gave Middle ‘The Look’, and Middle didn’t even bother to approach Soo, so that was just a small meal for Big. Fish #9 at 1448 was a large whole fish that provided a 26-minute meal. The problem was that neither osplet was very hungry. They ate peacefully on opposite sides of Soo’s beak, but after a few minutes, Soo was having difficulty finding an open beak. Both sibs would repeatedly back away, and then later they would somewhat reluctantly accept another bite or two from Soo. It reminded me of being at Grandma’s for Sunday dinner, and she just kept coaxing us kids to eat more! Middle ate 55 bites of fish at that meal, and Soo had a nice meal for herself as well. The last fish of the day was a small fish delivered by Olsen at 1531. Big was not interested in eating. Middle almost reluctantly ate 20 bites of fish, and refused many of Soo’s offerings. Everyone looked quite ‘croppy’. It was a good day. Weather forecast for 7/27: Mostly sunny, high temp 90F/32C, winds 9 mph.
7/26 Colonial Beach osprey nest: It has been a rough couple of days at this nest. David was last seen the morning of 7/23. Betty seemed to be on her own to care for 32-day-old Cobey. There was not any fish brought to the nest on 7/24, and only one medium-sized fish on 7/25. We did not think that fishing was difficult because of the weather, so we were perplexed. Well…today was a better day, and we witnessed the return of David. Four fish were brought to the nest, two each from Betty and David. Poor Lil’ Cobey was so hungry. At one point, he even tried to pick up a fish and eat it, but of course he was not able to. Forecast for 7/27: Mostly sunny, low 80’s, light winds.
7/26 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s fish House): This nest continues to do well. Johnny usually drops off a couple of fish each day. And…well then there’s Momma June…June has continued to bring in at least one massive striped bass (I think) every day, and they are usually alive and quite active. Watch out for those big flopping fish Lil’ Fen!
7/26 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: As mentioned yesterday… late in the afternoon on 7/25, we heard what we thought was an osprey in distress flapping its wings underneath the nest in the marsh. Obviously the bird was not able to fly. Many folks reached out for help to rescue the osprey. As high tide was approaching in the evening, the wing flapping was obviously in water. By late evening, we no longer heard any flapping. At 11 am this morning, we heard some men below the nest. Patuxent River Park later put out a statement that they had done a thorough search below the nest and did not find an osprey. You can read their entire lengthy statement in the description under the live video feed on Youtube. We believe the osprey may have been ‘Big’, the eldest fledgling from this nest. Yesterday afternoon, Big was knocked off the nest by an adult intruder. It could have been Big or Middle, but Middle has been back at the nest, and we have not seen Big since the attack. If Big was okay, we believe that we would surely have seen her back at the nest at some point. The other option is that it could have been the adult intruder that may have ended up in the marsh, after it went off the nest awkwardly after stealing a fish from Middle a little later that afternoon. Since a rescue was unable to be done in an urgent and timely manner, in all likelihood whatever injured osprey it was under the nest, was carried away with the tide.
Middle had a good day at the nest. Dad is supplying ample fish for the fledgling, and fortunately there were no intruder issues today.
We saw Little fledge and return to the nest on 7/18. Then the cam was offline for five days. We have not seen Little since the live stream resumed on 7/24. It’s too bad that we missed so much activity at the nest. There are some 70 osprey nests in the entire Patuxent River Park, and I believe at least 12 in the immediate Jug Bay area. I hope that Little has found a welcoming nearby osprey nest to care for him. We also have not seen Mom since the live stream resumed. She is most likely taking a well deserved break to restore herself to optimum health before heading south in a couple of weeks. At other osprey nests in the past, we’ve seen some of the Moms stop by the nest and even bring a fish before they depart. We may see Mom again.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust gives us the annual wrap up for the Foulshaw Moss Nest of White YW and Blue 35.
The naming contest for the Royal Cam chick has started. Please go and vote.
If you missed the July condor chat, here it is:
Hope and Beaumont have two beautiful feathered osplets.
Everything is good at Sandpoint.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their letters, posts, pictures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AM, CG, Geemeff, H, PB’, Saaksilvie 4 Finnish Osprey Foundation, Montana Osprey Cams, Cornell Bird Lab, Sea Eagle Cam, Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group, Eagle Club of Estonia, Golden Gate Audubon, Field Farm, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Lady Hawk, Ventana Wildlife Society, Sandpoint Osprey Cam, Newfoundland Power, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Patuxent River Park, and Colonial Beach.
Post Update: The second hatch at McEuan Park has died. The second hatch at Dorsett Hobby has died.
The heat produced some thunderstorms Friday night and some heavy rain. We are in another thunderstorm alert for the next few hours with loonie-size hail and 100 kph winds. The birds have been eating frantically all day. Their behaviour should have told me. Thankfully, it missed us.
It was a lovely evening at the park. Despite the signs around the pond, someone or many people were feeding the ducks. What they were feeding them was good bird seed—that is alright. And the duck population is good!
At home the little Blue Jay is having a wonderful time in the bird bath!
Little Blue Jay spent many hours playing in the bird bath. This is a very short clip.
One of the baby Cowbirds played in the water, too. It really helped to keep the birds cool on a hot day.
The shade tunnel at one side of the back garden for the birds and animals.
Being in the garden and spending time at the duck pond was a good way to step back for a few hours. It has been a tough week.
Seeing Jackie and Shadow together melts away anxiety. Ever hopeful, always loyal, these two never give up. When I get really low, they are the one raptor couple I turn to to make it all better.
Falcons help, especially soaring fledglings. Check out Alma and Lucia.
Bailey. She donates blood to help other raptors.
If you live in the United States, please read Audubon’s appeal for your help in getting the The Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act of 2024 passed. Everything helps.
One of the representatives in Virginia has a son who works for Omega. Flood him with letters. The House of Representatives name is Rob Wittman. I am sure you can see the problems that the State of Virginia is having and why. Let’s try and help Virginia be as successful as New York!
The following short presentation (below) has an 8 minute film on the history of Menhaden and why it is so important. It is a keystone fish. For those in the film, they mention whales and other fish species such as tuna and bass, but we need these fish for our osprey. Menhaden is what osprey eat in this area and the Chesapeake Bay is depleted. The ospreys are starving.
This is the Director’s message:
The Montana Ospreys eat other fish. Some of those fish are trout. When the rivers get too warm the trout die. The Osprey also cannot eat. The osplets get tangled in baling twine. They have their own issues including the heat.
The message seems to have been sent from Dunrovin and Charlo Montana. Finn worked on the rails at his nest with Iris and their two chicks Saturday morning. Now we know that Iris always has one of the best nests in ‘the West’ if anywhere. It has gotten a little ruffled with all the activity this season, but the couple continues to work on it to keep their babies safe. Look at their babies with all those gorgeous juvenile feathers. Dear Iris has taken the brunt of the heat, and Finn has fished his heart out.
Everyone is concerned about how the heat is impacting Iris who so loves being a Mum and who is so lucky to have Finn. She is going to have high temperatres for another week.
At the Patchogue nest, Dad brought in fish for both Patches and Rainer! We get to see them both eating on the nest. How wonderful.
The Middle chick Blue 8B4 has fledged at Llyn Clywedog on Saturday! There he is on the right looking at us. Gosh, what a gorgeous place to take a first flight.
Fledglings in Germany at the Goitzsche-Wildnis nest continue to return to be fed by Mum or self-feed.
No fledges yet at Poole Harbour.
The heat continues to hit the Pacific Northwest. This heat is persisting and the longer it continues our Osprey prospects become more and more dire unless there is plenty of fish coming to the nest. Otherwise, in these extreme conditions the ospreys have to use the energy from the fish they do get to try and stay cool.
McEuan Park on Saturday:
Charlo Montana:
Blackbush: All three are doing well.
Great Bay: All three osplets have fledged and have returned to the nest for some of those fish dinners while they get their wings stronger.
Field Farm is doing good. Osplets getting a little antsy. Wonder how small that nest is going to feel when they all start flapping and hovering?
Sandpoint: Looks good.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Things look great. Look at the wing span of that Only Bob.
Look at the big feet on the Arboretum chick’s feet.
Cowlitz PUD: Second could get some more fish. Both osplets are alive and the eagle has not been back. Holding our breath.
Clark PUD: Only Bob is doing very well despite the heat.
Port of Ridgefield. Cam is often down but ‘PB’ caught this. Chick and Mum look good.
An osprey rescue! Thanks ‘SD’ for posting this.
The Imperial Eaglets were ringed!
At the Estonian Golden Eagle nest 2, Kristel has not had any food since Mm delivered a wood pigeon on 11 July. Dad has not been seen since 7 July.
The oldest eaglet at the Boundary Bay nest in British Columbia is still alive!
Two beautiful osplets getting those gorgeous juvenile feathers in Latvia.
‘H’ reports:
7/13 Osoyoos osprey nest: The early morning was interesting. Soo was off the nest and Olsen had been fishing. At 0501 he dropped off a tiny fish, Little took it but was beaked, then Middle took the fish. At 0503 Olsen was back with another ‘tiny’, and Big grabbed it. (I don’t think any of the kids have experience in self feeding). Middle abandoned its fish, and took Big’s fish. Soo landed in the nest with a slightly larger fish at 0507. She quickly took charge of the rather comical scene. Soo picked up fish #1 and her own fish #3. Big had fish #2 at that point but dropped it. Soo started to feed Big and Middle. Meanwhile, Little picked up fish #2, took it over to the far northeast rails, and appeared to lose it overboard. Then Olsen returned at 0515 with another tiny fish. Soo finished feeding from fish #1 and #3, and Little had managed to eat a few bites, before s/he was beaked by Middle. Then Soo fed Big and Middle from fish #4.
Olsen brought a small fish at 1252. Big beaked both Middle and Little, and Big was the only chick to eat during the 5-minute meal. There were no other fish brought to the nest that I saw. I triple checked in rewind, so I hope I didn’t miss a meal. The high temperature was 100F/38C at 1700. Olsen came to the nest several times in the late afternoon and evening, and just stayed and hung out with the family for a while each time. I don’t know if they were concerned about nearby activities. There were a lot of cars parked below the nest.
When a particular osplet is in danger of not having enough to eat to survive, I try to quantify how much they are eating, by either counting bites or estimating feeding durations. It is particularly difficult at the Osoyoos nest to quantify how much Little is eating. Quite often, the view of Little eating is blocked. Also, the live stream has been offline a couple of early mornings when Olsen usually makes many of his fish deliveries. That being said… My impression over the past three days is that Little is definitely not getting enough to eat. I’m not even sure that Middle is getting enough to eat, but Middle does usually fare better than Little. Weather forecast for Sunday: High temperature 99F/37C, sunny with winds gusting to 17 mph.
7/13 Patuxent osprey nest: At 63 days of age Little still has not fledged, but has been getting more lift during his wingercising. Little cannot compete with the two fledglings for food. They are bigger, stronger and more aggressive. There were 6 fish brought to the nest. Big managed to acquire one of them. But, Middle got all the rest, and even flew off the nest with a small fish! There were no feedings from Mom. Little did not eat today, but fortunately he ate well the day before. Need more fish, Dad!
7/13 Fenwick Island (Captain Mac’s Fish House): Today was a better day. The previous two days, Johnny’s fish deliveries had dropped to just two per day instead of his normal 5-6 per day. Today, Johnny brought 4 fish to the nest for June and 29-day-old ‘Fen’.
7/13 Colonial Beach osprey nest: There were only two fish brought to the nest. They had some morning rain showers and another shower in the afternoon. David delivered the first fish at 1120. Over 8.5 hours later Betty brought a large whole fish. Both kids ate their fill, slept off their food comas, and then they ate some more! The osplets are 18 and 19 days old.
7/13 Audubon Boathouse: Everything is splendid for this family. 29-day-old Harbor, and 25-day-old Gray seem to be getting along well.
Geemeff’s summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Saturday 13th July 2024
Another day with little action, nothing on Nest One, and just a few early morning visits on Nest Two from Louis and Dorcha, neither seen on the nest after approximately 09.30. However, Louis spent some time sky-dancing before landing on the nest and making a couple of mating attempts with Dorcha along with coy-mantling. Of course, this is not to try for a second brood, it’s much too late in the season for that, but the mating attempts and the coy-mantling all reaffirm their pair-bond and is a healthy sign of the strength of their relationship, their fourth year together. In other news, Chaddie14 provides this update on the Bunarkaig nest: Lewis, our local raptor man, was up in the Bunarkaig nest today and found one dead chick and one healthy, possibly male, chick which he ringed. All just as was expected, so all good so far for the one chick. So success for the probable resident pair Affric 152 and Prince this year following the failure of that nest last year – we wish the surviving chick and his parents all the best. The weather was settled, and tonight’s forecast for the Inver Mallie area which covers the nests is light clouds and light winds, and sunshine tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.34.51 (03.31.49); Nest Two 23.22.11 (03.41.31)
There is sad news coming in this morning. The second hatch at Dorsett Hobby has died. Those who monitor falcon nests question the shape of the human made nest this year as it appears it was difficult for the Mum to feed or she was an inexperienced female. So sad. I wonder if there could have been an intervention early to save the chick that was obviously struggling.
‘J’ has put together the Memorial to Smallie for us. Please read through. Smallie was taken to a taxidermist and stuffed.
Summary of Seven Weeks Smallie =============================================
Hatched from the fifth egg, five days younger than his sisters, fifty days old.
Week 1
Smallie hatched on April 28, 2024, five days after the first three hatchlings. Since there are five eggs this year, it is most likely that the fourth egg did not hatch, and Smallie thus hatched from the fifth laid egg.
As an offspring, he is then much smaller than the three other hatchlings that are already five days older. This has a big disadvantage at feeding time, because Moe naturally fills the biggest mouths first. Only when there is something left will little Smallie get some bites. Miraculously, he manages to survive the first week anyway – the most crucial period. He gets just enough food not to die, but too little to grow normally.
Week 2
The first foreigners report to the chat at the webcams. Smallie immediately attracts attention because of his small size in relation to the three other hatchlings. Consequently, many think he is not going to make it, counting the number of bites he has received each day. But he turns out to be a smart and energetic little rascal who actively tries his best to get food – although it is not nearly enough to grow properly. In his attempts to get enough food he often stands close to Moe to (while she tears the prey to pieces) secretly try to pick some of the prey in her claws. But then one day when Moe shifts the prey (a pigeon) a little, Smallie ends up underneath. It remains unclear for some time whether Moe is not also tearing Smallie apart with the pigeon. Only after half an hour does he fortunately manage to get out of it in time and the viewers can breathe normally again.
Week 3
When the three oldest youngsters are ringed and turn out to be three sisters, Smallie is also measured. According to the chart, he would be 10 days old but in reality he is already 17 days – so he is 40% behind in growth development. He is too small to get a ring, and even his sex cannot be determined (due to his small size, it is only later assumed to be a male). He looks skinny and thin, but is otherwise healthy, so he is put back in the closet with the sisters to be given a chance.
Fortunately, the following days show that Moe now pays special attention to Smallie – she sometimes comes to feed him separately and at night she sits with him to keep him warm.
Week 4
The clever Smallie discovers a way to be the first to get food when Moe feeds from the grid : he crawls into the space between the grid and the nest box in the wide stone balustrade. He then sits in front and gets fed first. But unfortunately he does not manage to clamber back into the nest box after that. Suddenly he has mysteriously disappeared and everyone is extremely worried where he is and that he will not survive the night alone. It is only the next morning when he is checked that he is found safe and sound under the nest box and immediately put back in the box. The joy of his return lasted only a short time, because a few hours later he disappears in the same way. Fortunately, he returns by himself and now manages to clamber back into the hive.
He also provides some hilarious moments when he tries, for example, to pull food out of the mouth of a sister or Moe. When they raise their heads he holds on and is lifted up by his light weight.
Week 5
Moe no longer feeds individually, but on the roost gives the prey to the first one who wants it. The latter then takes it into the nest box and secretly (against the wall, with wings wide) feeds on it. The other two sisters often don’t notice this at first, but clever Smallie does. Because he is small, he will crawl under a wing and just join in.
Sometimes he is the first and only one to see that a prey is brought to the roost and then sees a chance to grab it. Hilarious is that he then tries to drag it into the nest box on his own – sometimes a pigeon almost as big as himself.
It is striking that the falcons always treat each other lovingly. The “fights” are purely about the food, not with each other. They prefer to sleep next to, on top of and against each other. When the other sisters are elsewhere, one sister often keeps Smallie company and she sleeps with him. Their greetings are very gentle and loving, with paws and beaks touching each other briefly.
Week 6
In the course of this week all three sisters fly out successfully, and Smallie ventures more and more on the grate, the walkway and to the shock of the viewers even already on the narrow edge : at 50m height and at an angle.
At the end of the week Smallie stumbles out of the railing at the grating and lands 50m down the street. Fortunately, an expert happened to be nearby, checking him : he had no broken legs or wings and was therefore brought back up immediately. It is a miracle that he survived that fall, because the small wings will have had little stopping power. It takes a day for him to get over the fright and show himself again.
Week 7
The sisters have been at the high offices near the station learning to hunt often this week, and few are seen on the tower. Only his favorite sister visits occasionally. So Smallie is alone a lot but apparently in no hurry to follow them. He often sits out of view of the cameras on the walkway. He has less and less down and is getting a beautiful plumage – though he seems on the small side even for a male.
At the end of the week he appears to be off the tower, because a little falcon is seen in the evening near St. George’s Church – sitting on a bicycle parked there. Someone took a picture of it and it does indeed turn out to be Smallie. But after the photo was taken, he disappeared again. A search the next day in the city center turns up nothing. Only in the evening is he discovered again, halfway up the tower. He manages to get to the nest box while fluttering up and is even visible again on the webcams. As a finale and last image of him on the webcams, he flies away from the roost. Against all odds, he has succeeded in achieving his first life goal : he too can leave the nest – he can fly.
Ode to Smallie
(page under construction)
This page is intended as an ode to the youngest and smallest peregrine falcon that managed to glue a huge number of viewers to the webcams daily for seven weeks in 2024 with his adventures. He stood out because of his small size, his constant fighting and his clever methods to get enough food, but also because of his mysterious disappearances, his loving scenes with his sisters, his fall from 50m high, and finally his last image on the webcams : flying away from the grid as an almost adult falcon.
He became “world famous”, because 2024 was the year that for the first time the webcams also managed to attract many viewers from abroad, with on the chats comments not only from Europe, but also from Canada, USA, Australia, India and even many from Japan, China, Korea and Russia with comments in their own language and script. The Japanese call him “Chibi-chan,” the Chinese “Xiaobao,” but most others have chosen “Smallie” (little one).
Part of the reason foreigners suddenly visited the webcams was a report on the international website “Bird Parenting.” If then only the usual four hatchlings would have been seen, most viewers would not return after a few visits. But the presence of the very small hatchling drew attention : how long would it stay alive ?
Smallie became for them the little brave hero of the daily story. Viewers sometimes forgot that it was not an expensive Disney movie, written by clever film writers, but simply conceived and performed on the spot by a family of peregrine falcons, with themselves as unpaid actors. Pure nature.
Yet the story contained many elements that appealed to people emotionally : possible death (which played a major role from the beginning), admiration (that despite his poor prospects, he continued to fight fiercely for his existence), frustration and pity (when Smallie had had another day of little food), great joy (when Moe stuffed him with a pigeon and he fell asleep while eating), excitement and uncertainty (when he was lost for hours), humor and amusement (when he once again outwitted a sister), sadness (when he was not to be seen for a long time), action (when he tries to conquer food in a clever but fierce way), fear (when he flutters on the narrow sloping edge), friendship (when his favorite sister comes to keep him company), tenderness (when he cuddles with his sisters), pride (when he finally comes to show that he can fly).
Local and national newspapers wrote extensively about the famous little falcon who had so many compassionate followers worldwide.
Unfortunately, just when he was ready to really fly out (he had already been flitting around town for a day), a fall into the canal near the OLV Tower proved fatal to him. Monday morning, June 17, he was fished out of the water there by bystanders, after which he was brought back to the second circulation with the help of the animal ambulance. Probably already shortly after this placement, he died there, as he was found dead Wednesday morning during a check on the spot where he had been put back on Monday.
Because he lay dead on the tower for a few days, the parents saw him and realized he was dead : he no longer responded to their presence, as hatchlings always do. If he had died somewhere else (at the bird sanctuary, for example, or on the way there) they would not have seen it, and would have spent days in town looking for him.
Smallie’s death was announced on the Amersfoort peregrine falcons’ own website at HetGroeneHuis, and on the chats at the webcams. Viewers could not believe it at first, but then loving and emotional messages poured in from all sides on the chats to comfort each other. He appears to have formed a tremendous emotional bond with many viewers during those seven weeks.
They also lamented the sight of the now empty nest box and the loss of seeing Smallie – although that would have been the case anyway if he had not fallen into the moat after his farewell, but had joined his sisters at the station : once flown away, the hatchlings rarely appear on the webcams.
The local and even some national media were shocked and paid attention to his death. He turned out to be a “world-famous little falcon” for good reason.
To give him a dignified end (and not just to be dumped or buried somewhere), it was decided to have Smallie stuffed and then added to the collection of stuffed animals of Bezoekerscentrum “HetGroeneHuis” in Park Schothorst in Amersfoort, so he will be permanently visible to the public. “
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB, SP‘, FOBBV Cam, SK Hideaways, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Debbie Campbell, Menhaden Defenders, Montana Osprey Project, PSEG, Llyn Clywedog, Goitzsche-Wildnis, BoPH, McEuan Park, Charlo Montana, Blackbush, Great Bay, Field Farm, MN LA, Cowlitz PUD, Clark PUD, Pam Breci, CBS News NY, Lady Hawk, Eagle Club of Estonia, HWF-BBC, LDF, Osoyoos, Patuxent River Park, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach, Audubon Boathouse, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Guardian, Amersfoort Falcons.
