Category Archives: Iowa Wildlife

SW Florida gets its second egg…Tuesday in Bird World

28 November 2023

Hello Everyone,

It was a crisp -15 this morning and has warmed to a balmy -10 C. The sky is ‘baby blue’, and the European Starlings have filled the bare branches of the lilacs. A new seed – especially for Jays – has massively attracted the Starlings.

The girls are napping after lunch. They have a pattern. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Then 2130 comes, and it is ‘party’ time.

I am going to put this right up front. Many of you are living in areas where it is getting cold. The mice are coming in. Lots will decide to poison them. Please don’t. There are many reasons, and here is one recent study that might help you convince others not to use poison. I had a darling, sweet three-year-old cat that I had raised on a bottle die from eating a mouse that had consumed poison in one of my neighbour’s houses or sheds. It is a tragic way for any animal to die.

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SW Florida’s M15 and his new mate F23 have their second egg right on schedule. Now the two can begin hard incubation and we might be expecting a New Year’s baby!

The Pritchett’s will post the official time.

SK Hideaways caught the joyous occasion on video.

Checking the nest at Pittsburgh-Hays, Mum and the new male.

V3 delivered a food gift to Gabby. Well done you! But, if you were watching, V3 finally ate the squirrel.

Too funny not to include!

Eagle at Redding bringing in sticks….

Meanwhile in Louisiana, eggs are being rolled at the KNF-E3 nest of Alex and Andria.

Nine more days til hatch at Superbeaks. Gosh don’t you wish that cam was fixed just a little different for that side view? I can’t imagine only watching the tops of their heads.

It was a warm day for Connie and Clive at Captiva.

It was a bright day in Iowa with the snow still clinging to the ground and the nest at Decorah North.

It is chucking down rain in Port Lincoln, South Australia.

The rain appears to have stopped or slowed down at Port Lincoln.

Getting stronger on those legs, and look at how much those tail feathers have grown. 959 people watching. Fish fairies can be lucrative in the sense that any funds generated go directly back into the project which is fantastic – new platforms, satellite trackers, and fish!

At Orange, chat mentioned that a juvenile was seen flying at 08:32:51 to the MW (I haven’t got a clue what that refers to).

Diamond watching from the scrape.

Cilla made a video with music of a juvenile chasing Diamond at the tower. Oh, how grand.

Rohan Geddes got some shots of our White-bellied Sea Eagle juvie yesterday. Nice flying.

The two osplets at Osprey House really go after the fish when Dad arrives. It is a wonder he has any talons left.

Raising condors to save the species.

Looking at this lovely Condor baby! A little bit bigger than Hope but doing the same thing – following Mamma and copying her.

Ospreys in Spain in the winter. The Biosphere at Urdaibai.

Golden Eagle believed to have come to harm — another beaten grouse hunting estate. It is time this stopped. Can a bill – the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill – be passed in Scotland and not be watered down so that the culprits continue to get by with this senseless killing? Or will the bill get passed, and then the penalties for continuing to kill the birds be so small that it is laughable, and the gamekeepers will continue to stomp on chicks and shoot these beautiful adult raptors? Despicable. While leaf blowers get my friend ‘R’ really worked up, the stomping of chicks in a ground nest and the unnecessary shooting of raptors or the mass killing of ducks and geese at ponds makes my blood boil.

Just look at that beautiful eagle.

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That missing Golden Eagle was discovered to be from a very important estate in Scotland.

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Sharon Dunne brings us news from the Royal Albatross Colony.

Looking for some new nature books? Mark Avery just published Stephen Moss’s list for 2023. Have a look. You might find something interesting. Many of the books that I love have been recommended by Avery. This is my first time to see Moss’s list.

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These are the 47 books and their reviews of Avery during 2023. The Meaning of Geese continues to be one of my all-time favourite reads of this year, alongside The Comfort of Crows.

Pink-footed geese are part of the flocks that Nick Acheson so desperately wants to see in Norfolk. And just look at this:

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How many of you have that ‘bucket list’? Or do you have a Copy of 1000 places to visit before you die? I have only two events on my bucket list – to see the ospreys fly over Cuba near Manzanillo in the mountains during migration and to travel to Norfolk and see the geese before the climate changes so much. They stop spending the winter in the UK. Perhaps next year for both!

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. Look forward to having you with me again soon.

I wish to thank the following for their notes, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, Tufts Now, Carol Martucci Smith, SK Hideaways, PIX Cams, NEFL-AEF, FORE, KNF-E3, Superbeaks, Window to Wildlife, Raptor Resource Project, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, Osprey House, USFWS, Tim Huntington, Alan Petrie, Geemeff, Sharon Dunne, Rohan Geddes, Carol Shores Rifkin, Mark Avery, and Jake Fiennes.

KNF-E3 has its second egg, Waba is in Sudan…Tuesday in Bird World

21 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

November is always a very challenging month for me. Do you have those months when good and bad events are all clumped together? My mother was born on the 26th of November, and my beloved grandmother died on the 26th. My mother died just shy of the 26th – on the 24th. I had flown down for a big birthday bash. It had been less than two months since I had seen her, but I was in for a shock. She knew things were not going well, so instead of having all her still-living friends meet us for a big birthday bash at her favourite restaurant, she asked me to cancel and get her a burger and fries from Sonic.
We spent the afternoon of the 20th writing her holiday cards, putting on the stamps, and getting them in the post. She always said she wanted to live to be a 100 – she died two days shy of 90 years. Reflecting back. Congestive Heart Failure was a blessing. No pain. Just a slow slipping away. She was an interesting woman. It took me til recently to fully appreciate her. I would love to sit down and have a long conversation with her. She was not like the mother of any of my friends. IT would be much later that I would hear the term ‘Tiger Mum’. My mother was that – and I am eternally grateful, although I don’t think I appreciated it then. I went off on a tangent. Apologies. Our parents profoundly impact us, and we all recognise that there are days or months we think of them more than others. Today (I am writing this at 18:24 on the 20th), twelve years ago, she and I were writing cards to all her friends. We never said anything but we both knew they would be the last ones she ever sent. We made sure they were gorgeous and sparkly.

Well, here we are so far! Superbeaks. Captiva. Kistachie National Forest E-3. So now, who is going to be next?

Oh, there is such good news. Karl II’s offspring, Waba, made it through the kibbutz in Israel and is in the Sudan!

Alex and Andria, the Bald Eagles at the Kisatchie National Forest E-3 nest, have their first egg. So – Superbeaks, Captiva, and Kistachie E-3!

The camera was down so we did not know when Andria laid the first egg. Tonya Irwin had a poll on the chat and I missed it altogether. Remember I said do not place bets on things like I do – I am usually wrong. Well, here we are in the pitching rain and it looks like Andria has laid the second egg at 18:51:24 or close to it. The eggs are four days apart just like last season according to Irwin.

The other good news is that Nancy and Beau were on the MN-DNR Eagle Cam by the old nest tree. You might recall that Nancy was the mate of Harry who is presumed dead. She bonded with Beau. They had a single surviving eaglet that was killed when the nest collapsed last year due to heavy snow.

Mum and the Osplets are waiting for Dad or the fish fairy! The chicks were digging in the nest early. Did they find a leftover?

They are still waiting but gosh, golly. These osplets are so cute and standing so well on that uneven stick nest!

Itchy.

Still waiting.

The osplets are so well-behaved. Still waiting.

Dad arrives with a headless fish at 13:24. Good for you, Dad.

Wow. Then the fish fairy shows up with a monster size fish and it has been slit so that the osplets can practice their self-feeding. Great insights, Fish Fairy! Mum is munching away – letting the kids nibble.

Mum is getting a good feed. This is wonderful.

Heidi Mc got the feeding on video – check it out. Much better than stills!

‘A’ sends us the observation board from Port Lincoln:

If you have wanted to donate money for the Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln and have had difficulties, there is now a PayPal button to make this easier.

There is also news of Ervie although there were no photographs. So reassuring that he is flying around fishing and continuing to come into Port Lincoln! Go Ervie!!!!!

At Orange, Diamond slept on the ledge of the scrape. Xavier came in later. Maybe for a rest after a prey delivery? Talons look bloody.

There was some lovely bonding in the scrape with Diamond and Xavier.

‘A’ gives us some sad news: “The important news comes from Orange, where big sister Marri has not been sighted for nearly a week now. I kept saying that there was no definite ID of the juvenile that has frequently been seen on the roof of the water tower, often with a parent nearby. I believed that juvenile to be Barru. So it seems I was right about that, though I am not happy about it. I was hoping that we were seeing both juveniles, sometimes one, sometimes the other. But no. Apparently Cilla has not seen Marri since the day after she fledged, which is horrible news. I cannot countenance the theory that she has ‘already left the area’ because she has not learnt to hunt, and hunting for a peregrine is not a matter of finding some road kill! So I have been super worried about Marri for a week. It surprises me though, given how strong she was and how well she was flying. We can only hope she is smarter than we think and has somehow been able to get food for herself. Still, it is more likely that she has come to a sticky end – we never found Rubus’s body either, so that’s no indicator. Now we have to pin our hopes on Barru. Perhaps female chicks are never going to come out of this scrape. “

At the Parramatta River, there was a sighting of an eaglet.

Rohan Geddes just posted these images from the other day. I have still not seen any indication that both juveniles have been seen simultaneously. So the question is: Like Orange, is there only one?

The latest news from Kielder of Blue 432 in Senegal:

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Sunday night was apparently ‘owless’ at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest…isn’t that wonderful? I do hope I got the gossip right. Here M15 has brought his lady a lovely meal.

M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest tree and are both in the nest. Will they thwart the GHOs?

The GHO attacked with talons out!

Why do GHOs attack Eagles?

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Some of you will remember Bonnie and Clyde that took over the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property. Here is a video of them this month with a juvie at that same nest.

V3 and Gabby have been at the nest tree. V3 was caught on one of the cameras chasing off an intruder. Wouldn’t we all love it if all the eagles – young and old – would leave Gabby and V3 alone? I do not recall this happening when Samson was king of his natal nest. Does anyone?

They always seem tense – either alerting or watching for intruders. Does it cause difficulties for breeding? Stress?

Rose and Ron have a nice nest coming at the WRDC. Just look. A little Greenery, too.

Bella at the NCTC Bald Eagle Nest. Where is Smitty? Was he here? Bella was doing chortles.

Bella had to defend her nest alone on Monday.

An eagle at Decorah Hatchery.

Did Louis and Anna hope to be Alex and Andria laying the first egg? Sorry you two!

It was windy at the NTSU nest of Boone and Jolene in Johnson City, Tennessee. I am certain they love the wind more than humans would rocking around in a nest high above the ground. LOL.

Gosh, isn’t that setting sun on Big Bear Lake simply gorgeous? Jackie and Shadow came to the nest to enjoy it and check on needed improvements.

Want to see Condors released into the wild? Here is the information to catch all the action and find out what is happening with the Big Sur and Pinnacle colonies. You will have to go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign-up for the Zoom chats. They happen every month.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.

I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, streaming cams, posts, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Maria Marika, Joanna Dailey, Tonya Irwin, KNF-E3, KNF-E1, Trudi Iron, MN-DNR, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Sharon Pollock, HeidiMc, Kathryn Palmer, Lady Hawk, Androcat, Woodsy Wisdom, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, NCTC Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, NTSU Eagle Cam, FOBBV, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Sea Eaglet photographed near River, V3 protects nest…Friday in Bird World

17 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Missey and I sit at the table (under the twinkling tree) in the Conservatory, watching the birds flit about at the feeder. There are Sparrows and European Starlings, and it looked like a few Crossbills and Junior, the Blue Jay. One of Dyson’s kits was here earlier. The big cotton ball flakes of snow have now stopped. The lilac bushes and shrubs look like they have been flocked like the old twinkle tree. Missey tried climbing into the branches. Last year, she and Lewis fit in there nicely – not this year!

Missey is very woolly and highly determined to lie down inside the container with the tree. It is ‘not’ going to happen.

Hope. Darling Hope.

Mamma goes to the vet tomorrow. Fingers crossed that there is nothing wrong. Calico just has not been herself…anyone who has a pet knows that each one is an individual, and you can usually sense when something is amiss. I did not with Lewis…I knew he wasn’t himself but did not know what was wrong. Continue to feel bad for that sweet little fellow. Miss him terribly. He was an energetic breath of amazing air racing through the house like his namesake, Lewis Hamilton.

Thanks to one of our readers, ‘EJ’, who wrote to me about their cat and the solution for its arthritis. Calico will get a heated cat bed, but to be fair to the other two, they will get heated beds, too. Indeed, that heating pad will make Calico’s legs feel much better. Thank you, EJ!

Oh, and Little Red is here, too. I can see him perched on the back fence, eating some snow. Fantastic. I always feel better when all the garden animals are accounted for…they made it through another day. With the City cutting down all the diseased Maple trees, the squirrels now have to cross the street using the pavement. They used to be able to go up one tree on one side and down a tree on the other. No longer. Soon, the Crows will lose their nesting tree, and the Woodpeckers will not have any old trees for their nests or to find insects. I do understand about diseases spreading from the trees. I wish there was a solution besides slow-growing replacements. Any ideas?

The best news of the day comes from Cathy Cook and Pam Allan, who filmed one of the sea eaglets on a branch near the Parramatta River! Tears. Just wonderful, joyous tears. What an incredible sight.

And another…

Jackie and Shadow were up early Thursday morning working on their nest. They usually lay their eggs in January and sometimes later. What will happen this year? They are the couple I am cheering for, along with Jak and Audacity. Yes, there is Gabby and V3 – those who did not get to raise eaglets last year. M15 and his new mate…all those with new mates. Send warm, warm wishes to them, but for those who were impacted by DDT and who tried so hard to raise a family like Sauces and Big Bear, my heart goes out to them.

SK Hideaways caught Jackie and Shadow working on Wednesday, too.

M15 stayed in the nest all night again trying to deter the GHOs.

Not sure where M15 is but the GHOs were back at the nest Thursday night.

V3 and Gabby were at the NE Florida nest. My goodness, they are pulling on those sticks! Then it started to rain.

V3 soaking wet protecting the nest he shares with Gabby.

Abby and Blaze were also moving sticks about at Eagle Country. Who is going to be nest after Superbeaks and then Captiva?

At the WRDC nest, a squirrel has its eye on the real estate. Ron doesn’t think that is going to happen!

Eagles working at Duke Farms.

Muhlady and Pepe are wet but they are keeping the two precious eggs set to hatch in three weeks warm and dry in Central Florida.

Some nesting at Decorah.

Cameras at KNF down until Monday so that they might recharge their batteries.

There is a contest on the chat at PLO to guess the gender of Giliath and #2. I am the odd one out of most…to me their behaviour is like the year we had Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie. A little bit of grief at the beginning and then settling down. Clearly the fish fairy has helped keep the ospreys alive – Mum and Dad, too – but I will stick with them both being male and accept lots of egg on my face when it is revealed they are both female! (Or will that change later when they see the osprey with a known female bird like Calypso???). Only DNA is 100%.

Banding will take place either the 5th, 6th, or 7th of December. #2 will get a name and one or both will hopefully get a satellite tracker.

The PLO kids are itchy with those feathers and they are anxiously awaiting breakfast.

10:14. No fish yet. Their legs are getting strong! There was some chatter about the colour of the leg bands. They are not red and blue for gender – the colour will depend on what the bander has in their box and could be different from any previously used. Remember, Falky had a yellow one, Bazza a bright red one, and Ernie’s was a very dark, almost black-green. The colour can peel off, sadly.

Nearing 2pm and no fish deliveries form Dad. The chat says that the fish fairy is on their way. Thank goodness! The chicks are amazingly civil despite hunger. I wonder if Dad has enough fish to give him the energy to go out and look for fish for the family sometimes. It is hard to know precisely what is happening. Is it weather? lack of fish? a combination of both? These are beautiful babies….incredible. They so remind me of the year of Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie. Gentle little souls.

The fish fairy arrived with 5 supplementary fish. Mum took the Red Mullet first! Everyone ate. Dad came and took a fish. He is hungry, too. Fishing for ospreys is a physical feat often requiring 13 or 14 dives (on average according to experts who have closely observed the raptors fishing) to get a single fish. The males require much energy. I am glad to see that Dad got a fish! He requires this to keep up his strength if he is to find food for the family.

Osplet nibbling on fish.

By 15:15 all the fish appear to be gone.

Ah, ‘A’ adds her thoughts on the gender of the osplets: “It’s hard to tell isn’t it? I’ve been saying for ages that from size, it looks like Giliath is a female and Little Bob is a male, but the temperaments are the exact opposite – Little Bob is the pushy one who starts nearly all of the (very limited) bonking that occurs on this nest and Giliath is SO laid back. Therefore, I would not be at all surprised to find that they are both male – Giliath is just older and can fit more food in. I don’t think they take any DNA when they band them, so we’ll still be guessing.”

Here are the times from the observation board. Note that Dad brought in no fish at all yesterday. Again, so thankful for the fish fairy. I think we all can imagine what this nest would be like without the food security of the fairies.

At Orange, feedings are taking place on the roof. This is awesome. That is some feat flying ‘up’ to the ridge! Impressed.

‘A’ sent us the time stamps from Orange: “RECAP 6:46:46 ledge-kangaroos; 8:27:24, 13:02:48 bond; 8:49-9.17 juvie calls; 8.55.21 ledge-adult flyup w/juvie; 16:27:43 D w/pigeon, quickly leaves with the prey. 17:27:06 D returns with a HUGE crop. TOWER: 12:29:31 juvie on roof, 13:18:01 roof walk to adult, 14:58:13, 15:57:23, 16:30:34 prey; 17:08:15 prey and feed. Query if prey at 15:24:49; 18:00:03 ridge walk.” 

How exciting is THAT news? If at least one of the juvies at Orange has the strength to now fly up to the roof of the water tower (it’s Marri on the roof btw), then all they now have to perfect is landing on that small ledge. We may see a juvie back in the scrape within a week. Indigo made it back to the scrape relatively quickly (only about four days, from memory), and Marri sure is a big strong girl who may very well get up there soon. 

Ever get a tingle in your arm from something so wonderful you can barely believe it? Spix Macaws breeding! They are known as the Blue Macaw and they are critically endangered.

“In 1995, conservationists and scientists embarked on a desperate attempt to save the world’s rarest bird, a blue-gray parrot called the Spix’s macaw. The bird had scarcely been spotted since scientists first described it in the early 19th century, and it had taken on an aura of mystery, making it irresistible to parrot lovers—and to poachers. “For well over a century we just had this very, very weak information that there was this kind of mythical, rather beautiful blue bird,” says Nigel Collar, a conservationist at BirdLife International. By the mid-1990s only a single individual remained alive in the wild, close to this dusty, small town in northeastern Brazil.”

“Spix’s Macaw” by Tim Green aka atoach is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Deer Hunters in New York are opting for non-lead ammunition.

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My son tells me that many fishers are switching to tungsten fishing equipment instead of lead. Yahoo! Everyone switching over helps our wildlife.

Two calls for help in Winnipeg but – both could also apply to your local community! So please ask around. (Remember – clean sheets, old clean towels, bleach, laundry detergent, working tools…..all of these things the wildlife centres appreciate!). Keep this in mind if you are doing spring cleaning (or winter) or clearing someone’s home.

Check your cupboards. Did you buy food that your pet doesn’t like? This is your chance to help someone who cannot afford to get food for their beloved companion. Please help if you can.

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

Thank you to the following for their comments, notes, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, EJ’, Cathy Cook, Pam Allan, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Country, Duke Farms, Superbeaks, Tulsiducati, Darleen Hawkins, PLO, Penelope Clarke, Openverse, BirdGuides, Science, Cornell Chronicles, and Feed the Furbabies Canada.

Connie and Clive come in 2nd…Sunday in Bird World

12 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Damp, coldish, grey day on the Canadian Prairies. The temperature has warmed up and will be a balmy +7 C on Tuesday, they tell us. It felt like the chill went down to the bone today, however.

The Starlings were particularly beautiful today. Look at their chest. It looks like a lovely handmade sweater with white stitching. The emerald green feathers with that lovely straw-coloured tip looks like an upside down candle in places (notice it is yellow and then a touch of white at the very end)…and then on the wings it tapers into a teal blue. The yellow beaks during breeding season have now turned to black while the head and nape sport silver and gold plumage over black. I would think the designers in Paris should take inspiration from this bird’s plumage in their new couture designs.

In an effort to keep up with the walking – despite the snow, ice, and a brisk little wind – I headed off to the English gardens. There were White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays calling in the pines, and Black-capped Chickadees flitting about. It wasn’t the most pleasant of days, but I did take an image of one of the sculptures in the Leo Mol Sculpture Park that I wanted to share with you.

The information provided by our City on the sculptor is as follows: “Leo Mol (Leonid Molodoshanin) was born in 1915 in Polonne, Ukraine. He studied in the Leningrad Academy of Arts, Kunst Academy in Berlin, Germany, and the Academy of Arts in The Hague, Netherlands. In 1948, he made his home in Canada. He passed away in 2009, after receiving multiple honorary degrees and being inducted into the Order of Canada.Mol created his sculptures using the Lost Wax method. In this process, clay is modeled on a rebar and wood structure then covered in liquid rubber to form a mold. Plaster is layered over the mold, creating a cast. ​The cast and mold are separated from the model and melted beeswax is pressed into the rubber mold. A cement mixture is then poured inside the wax layer. After the cement hardens the molds are removed, leaving a wax model with a solid cement core.”

The plaque below commemorates the 50th anniversary of the repeal of the Act in May 1947. Mol created it in 1997. It features images related to the Chinese who worked to open up the Canadian West while working for CP Rail.

Parks Canada states, “In the early 1880’s contractor Andrew Onderdonk brought thousands of labourers from China to help build the Pacific Railway through the mountains of British Columbia. About three-quarters of the men who worked on the section between the Pacific and Craigellachie were Chinese. Although considered excellent workers, they received only a dollar a day, half the pay of a white worker. Hundreds of Chinese died from accidents or illness, for the work was dangerous and living conditions poor. Those who remained in Canada when the railway was completed securely established the basis of British Columbia’s Chinese community.”

The Asian Heritage Society provides more information on the history of the Chinese workers and the discrimination that they faced.

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The kittens are so smart. They curl up in their own little spots and sleep the cold afternoon away. It does so seem that they have their ‘spot’. Hope has completely taken over Missey’s basket. Calico prefers to sleep on the hard seat of a Danish chair, and Missey prefers to the highest spot on a wicker. If I am looking for them and the house is quiet – that is where they will be.

My beautiful, sleepy heads.

Then there was bird video time.

Finding pinecones.

Hope has already figured out that she is too cute for words. She has me totally wrapped around her paw. She is 4 months and 9 days old.

Saturday night Missey and Hope ran from one end of the house to the other and back again…what incredible energy they have!

The big news is – Connie has laid the first egg of the 2023 season in the nest she shares with partner, Clive, at Captiva. Congratulations!

Well, that was a surprise. The time was around 13:43ish. Wasn’t expecting this! Wonder who will be next? Many are hoping it will be M15 and F23 to stop any thoughts by the GHOs.

https://www.youtube.com/live/4jzwIkUn14g?si=G0cK-3SiJXFiSlQY

You asked about Valor II. This is the latest news that I have seen. His eye looks worse to me. Send your best wishes out to Valor II and the team trying to get him so that he can go into care.

Skipping now to the two main nests we are watching – Orange and Port Lincoln…

Diamond and Xavier have been busy bringing in prey to the scrape as well as trying to feed the babies and Diamond slept on the ledge night before last. She knows that her two beautiful babies will fly soon. Why bring the prey to the nest? To get them to remember to fly to the scrape for food! It is a no brainer…let us see if they do. Izzi certainly did!

In Richard Sale’s book, Falcons, there is not much information about fledging but he does say, “Even when they have begun to fly the young Peregrines stay close to the nest site at first, often roosting with siblings (and occasionally with adults if roosting spots are few), but eventually choosing their own roosts. The fledglings are also fed close to the nest site by the adults, though the latter begin to teach the rudiments of prey capture by making food transfers I mid-air, the youngsters catching dropped prey or taking it from the adult’s talons. Prey dropping seems to occur too frequently to be a chance event… (170-71).

On Sunday, the adults spent much more time in the scrape with their chicks than they have done in recent memory.

Here is the day in video.

These are two of the most patient – sweet – osplets I have ever seen. They deserve a gold medal for waiting for the fish to arrive without tearing into one another.

No fish yet.

Heidi Mc got that feeding on video.

There is news of Sydney Sea Eagles. Thanks, ‘A’. “November 12: Both parents and a juvenile were sighted 9.45 this morning in the same area roughly opposite the weir. Ground crew assumed food was brought in to the ground, with lots of squeeing. The juvenile flew down to the ground where the parent went, then all was quiet. Observer was unable to see where they landed or what the prey was. Later during the day, there were no more sightings reported. The picture shows an adult in the mangroves across the river, which is quite wide there. The shadows under the mangroves make it very hard to see a juvenile or confirm which it is. Then around 5:30pm, a parent and juvenile were seen there again, before the young one flew back into the mangroves.” ‘A’ continues, “Doesn’t that just make your heart sing? Oh it must be a wonderful experience for Lady, who dotes on her eaglets. This must be thrilling for them. Every day that passes is another day of flying experience and the chance to learn how to fish for those monster eels mum always seems able to find (Dad rarely brings one in, but Lady must have a secret eel pond somewhere in those mangroves). And every day, they get more adept and confident at dealing with those bloody currawongs. It will be the hottest summer in 100,000 years, they are saying, and a deadly bushfire season. We can only hope the areas along the coastal rivers are spared. South Australia will see temperatures of up to 50C (no, not a typo) up in those central areas, which are largely just miles of desert in all directions, with the occasional stream or river, though they are drying up.” 

Superbeaks. Today we are 25 days from hatch watch.

Gabby and V3 seemed to miss one another on Saturday. V3 came with a turtle…was it a gift and Gabby missed it?

Anna visits the E1 nest in the Kistachie National Forest.

Alex and Andria were together on the E-3 nest.

An eagle around the Decorah North nest on Saturday.

An adult in the trees near the Dulles-Greenway nest on Saturday.

Jackie and Shadow were at their nest on Saturday, too. Everyone who writes to me wants this couple and Jak and Audacity to have chicks this year. So send out all the positive energy. Both of the areas are plagued by the residue of the DDT that was sprayed in the 1940s.

Beautiful eagle at Centreport!

As you are aware, the GHOs have been exchanging food gifts in the same nest as M15 and F23. The GHO has come in and knocked F23 off the branch Saturday evening. It appears that F23 might be favouring her right leg. Let us hope not. This situation could get quite tense. There have been many territorial and nest disputes between Eagles and GHOs over the years.

Is there an alternative eagle nest on the Pritchett Property? Does anyone know?

M15 on the branch above the nest protecting his lady.

They have now discovered what we know – that the GHOs have been coming to the nest they have been preparing for their eaglets. Send positive wishes. Please.

F23 in the nest. Hoping she is alright.

Were you aware that there are this many species of Crow?

I wonder if Murphy will start incubating a rock this year or if one year as a parent was enough? Parenting is stressful. We wait.

It is not about our feathered friends but the quality of the water ways and the amount of fish or lack thereof will certainly impact their lives.

‘Shocking-and-sad-photographers-project-reveals-wildlife-lost-to-pollution-in-Yorkshires-River-WDownload

‘R’ sent me a wonderful podcast on raking leaves. I will post the link. I always learn something and if you have a big lawn with a heavy cover of leaves, you do not want to leave them on the lawn. Rake them to the side. If you have large Oak or Magnolia leaves that do not decompose, move them to the side. Leaves are wonderful for covering up flower beds for the winter. They decompose over the winter and will provide you with lovely mulch. When to rake and not…

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/11/1212465760/to-rake-or-not-to-rake-the-case-for-letting-leaves-lie

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H, R’, Parks Canada, Asian Heritage Society, Window to Wildlife, Dennis Becht, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, SK Hideaways, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Heidi Mc, Superbeaks, NEFL-AEF, KNF E1, KNF E3, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Mike J Dakar, World Bird Sanctuary, SW Florida Eagle Cam, and The Guardian.

Eagles are busy…Thursday in Bird World

9 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Hope ‘hopes’ that everyone has a wonderful day! This morning she decided to be contrary and not pose!!!!!!! Go figure.

Oh, the temperatures climbed to a balmy +2 C on Wednesday and all the snow melted. Sunset happens at 1630. It is dark. Did I say that I hate winter? And now as 2300 approaches, it is snowing rain. The feral feeder is filled and I have attempted to make it a little weather proof. Those poor cats that live outside. Let’s see if we have a resident in the shelter tonight.

The girls had a lazy day. Hope and Missey continue to watch their favourite cat/bird video. And, yes. It is true. Miss Hope, the Queen of the ‘High Five’ taps on the screen until I come and turn her video on. I am well trained. Missey went to sleep on the wicker only to look up and see a male Northern Cardinal, and she immediately bolted right back with Hope. In other news, Hope got caught in ‘the act’ when I went to find Calico. She is certainly a robust young kitten! I do not know how Calico managed to keep this kitten so safe and well-fed out in the wild.

Hope is a perfect example of why you try to socialise the kittens of community cats. She is simply lovely. Thankful every day that Calico trusted me and wanted to come inside and that Hope has joined us.

Missey’s eyes look like they will pop out when the Cardinal is on the screen…she is getting ready to leap!

Hope’s ‘guilty’ look. Calico still produces so much milk…she waddles around the house!

Will these three have a little brother after all? Wait and see! We certainly could use a male influence here in Cat World. :))).

At Port Lincoln, Dad is in the shed and Mum and the kids are wishing he would go fishing.

Waiting.

Mum and chicks are still waiting for breakfast and Dad is still perched in the shed.

Dad left and Mum took a break…still no fish. It is nearing 1300.

Dad came through with a fish, and a man and his three-year-old son provided four supplementary fish for the family! Thank you. You are helping to keep this family alive.

Meanwhile….Xavier has delivered two breakfasts to Marri and Barru.

Check out this video of the storm a few days ago!

Remember. We are getting so close to fledge that you might as well go and purchase the tissues and have them ready. What a great year it has been at Orange. How delighted for Xavier and Diamond. Now…there are bushfires in some areas of Australia along with a drought. I just do not want it to pour down rain in Orange for the entire fortnight following their fledge. Cross your fingers and toes with me, please.

So what is happening at the Parramatta River in Sydney? I am not seeing any updates for two days now. All was well then. Let us hope it stays that way.

Now to the US and the Bald Eagles readying for the 2023 season.

At NE Florida, Gabby and V3 continue to be hopeful and work on their nest near Jacksonville, Florida.

Lady Hawk catches two mating attempts.

Near Fulton, Illinois on the Mississippi River, there is concern for Valor 2 – once part of the infamous Lover’s Trio Bald Eagle family. Dennis Becht has gone out to try and find Valor 2 and get him help.

Here is the latest update on Valor 2 from Dennis Becht.

Connie and Clive are working diligently on their Captiva nest – parents of Connick. No word on Connick’s release from the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey at Maitland. He could not have better care. They were waiting til all of his feathers grew in to release him. What a great facility!

Eagles at Decorah.

New nest building at Decorah Hatchery?

Alex flew in to the KNF-E3 nest to do some nestorations.

Checking out the nest bowl at the E-1 nest of Louis and Anna in the Kisatchie National Forest.

Eagles were working at Dulles-Greenway.

It is always a beautiful view at Big Bear Valley – but it is always better when Jackie and/or Shadow are there!

Franklin and Frances have been busy at Bluff City.

D3 was at Centreport today.

29 Days to hatch watch at Superbeaks!

Black Vultures checking and cleaning the NCTC nest of Bella and ________.

Audubon’s report on the 2023 Eagle breeding season in Florida is here.

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Check out the size difference between genders in these raptors.

It is that time of year when all that lead that went into the animals that were hunted and killed gets eaten when the eagles and other carrion eaters find the innards left in the field. That lead is toxic just like all of the fishing equipment that continues to be used that is lead. Time to switch!

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For those of you that still have fall, remind everyone –

Please tell everyone you know not to celebrate with balloons. There are beautiful alternatives. Use safe biodegradable paper. OR let’s ditch the decorations altogether and celebrate by donating to shelters for animals or humans! Just imagine.

All of our wildlife have emotions.

John Love is responsible for reintroducing the White-tail Eagle in the UK. He dedicated his entire life to these magnificent feathered creatures. Go to roydennis.org to see the video tribute.

The Ventana Society announces that the quarantine pens for HPAI – to save the California Condors – are now on their way!

Because things are at the end does not mean they are any less important than those at the beginning. Indeed, it is often the reverse. Humans cannot survive without insects. So every time someone puts chemicals on their lawn to make it look beautiful, the insects get poisoned and then the birds that eat them. Let us all begin to re-think our attitudes before it is too late. This is a grim report.

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From ‘H’ for all of us – thank you! We do what we can with what we have.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, Sassa Bird’, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sharon Pollock, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, Dennis Becht, Window to Wildlife, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, KNF-E3, KNF-E1, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Baiba, Sara A, Centreport Live Cam, Superbeaks, NCTC, Audubon Eaglewatch, Elite Falconry, Science of the Total Environment, Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew, Sassa Bird, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Ventana Wildlife, The Guardian, and Emily Dickinson.

Superbeaks wins the first egg of the season…Friday in Bird World

3 November 2023

Good Morning,

Thursday was a gorgeous day. The temperature hovered around 0 C. So it was damp and the wind was a little nippy but it was still a good day for a walk in the park and a party for the girls!

I did not touch the colour. This really was a ‘grey’ day! There is a skim of ice over most of the pond but not all of it.

The gardeners have left everything for the birds that winter there and the birds in the spring when all those insects come to life. Remember that if you see Cedar Waxwings in groups on the sidewalks or lawns looking dead, they have been eating fermented berries and are drunk. They will come around!

I had hoped to get the girls to wear those decorative collars and all sit nice around their cake and food dishes but…well, cats do not cooperate! They are independent with minds of their own. Too funny. Looking forward to many more years with these three. Oh, and ‘the boyfriend’ also got a special plate of food.

Missey licking her lips after some nice chicken.

Missey looked at the little cake with its raspberry icing and thought about tasting it. But Missey is too polite to do that – she only rushes and grabs if it is chicken! or butter.

Hope thought the best thing was the six different types of treats.

The vet might have something to say about ‘little’ (LOL) Hope.

Calico was all excited – she enjoyed the chicken, two plates of special tinned food and then to top it off, she wasn’t shy about checking out the raspberry icing! Happy first birthday, Calico!

It is official. Pepe and Muhlady at the Superbeaks Bald Eagle nest in Central Florida have the first egg of the season. It arrived on the 2nd of November. Congratulations!

Tonya Irwin reminded everyone on the KNF chat of last year’s egg laying: “That’s what happened last season. Superbeaks on 11/2 then KNF E-3 on 11/19, then Metro, then back to Florida at SWFL, then KNF E-1.”

It was a good morning at Port Lincoln. There were two early feedings!

With the chicks full, Mum gets to enjoy some nice fish.

The report for the day:

In other Port Lincoln news,

Parent feedings and self-feeding at the scrape of Diamond and Xavier early morning.

The down is quickly coming off those heads!

Lady and Dad were at the old Ironbark Nest in the Sydney Olympic Park early in the morning.

‘A’ sends the report from Sydney: “November 2: Last evening late (November 1) at 19:27, Dad brought in a good-sized fish. As no juvenile turned up, Lady ate it. This morning, both eagles came to the nest early, moving a few sticks before leaving. All was quiet on the nest during the day. Then, late in the afternoon (17:14), Lady was escorted into the nest area by the currawongs and was seen up high above the camera. Neither juvenile has been seen here today . Later, both parents came in, were seen on the nest and looking down below, before settling in.

November 3: Both parents were seen at the nest early and later down on the river. Otherwise no sightings during the day – all quiet. I went for a walk in the forest again, searching, and could not see either of the juveniles. I did find lots of gull feathers under the nest – remains of prey – though no fish bits. Maybe a fox has cleaned them up? There were also clumps of possum fur here and there and a few furry remains – maybe signs of Powerful Owl prey? The picture is from the forest in the ironbark roost area and shows our original hide. We used to watch the original oldest nest from there. This was BC – Before Camera.”

There are Bald Eagles at Decorah and in Manitoba, where I live, they are gathering along the river – juveniles, sub-adults, and adults. They will almost all begin their migration soon although some are choosing to remain here in the winter.

Clive and Connie were at Captiva. (I wonder if we should check the osprey cam soon?)

At Dulles-Greenway, Martin brings Rosa a rabbit lunch!

Looks like Ron and Rose are thinking eaglets, too! Let us hope their second season together at the WRDC nest is fantastic.

Ahhhhhh….love is on the minds of all the eagles. Louis and Anna, both recovering from some injuries, were working diligently on their nest in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana.

M15 brings a huge fish and for the first time, his new mate, F23, eats it on the nest!

Jak and Audacity always hopeful – at Sauces in the Channel Islands.

Graceful. Beautiful. The Sandhill Cranes feed on the farmer’s fields here in Manitoba in the spring and the fall. Ferris Akel captures some video of the ones near Ithaca, NY this past weekend that are undertaking migration.

The National Wildlife Foundation provides the following information on the range of the Sandhill Crane: “Sandhill cranes spend most of their lives in freshwater wetlands, including marshes, wet grasslands and river basins. Three subpopulations of sandhill cranes are migratory: the lesser, greater, and Canadian sandhill cranes. All of these subspecies spend winters in the south and summers at their breeding grounds. The cranes winter in Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. In the early spring, they begin the migration to their breeding grounds. Throughout the spring, the cranes can be seen resting and feeding along rivers and wetlands throughout the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest. The largest congregation of sandhill cranes occurs from February to early April along the Platte River in Nebraska. During the late spring, summer, and early fall, sandhill cranes can be seen at their breeding grounds. Some breed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Others breed in Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Three subpopulations of sandhill cranes are non-migratory. The Mississippi sandhill crane is found on the southeastern coast of Mississippi. Florida sandhill cranes occur in many inland wetlands of Florida. The Cuban sandhill crane lives exclusively in savannas, wetlands, and grasslands in Cuba. Mississippi and Cuban sandhill cranes are critically endangered.”

New records were set for counting on Big Bird Day! How wonderful.

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We have Lesser Scaup in Manitoba during the spring and summer breeding seasons but not the record numbers they are seeing in Cornwall that I am aware.

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As the weather gets cooler in the Northern Hemisphere, people worry about mice and head to the shops to get rodenticide. Please don’t.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. I hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for the notes, posts, articles, videos, graphics, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, Tonya Irwin, Superbeaks, Sassa Bird, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, KNF-E1, National Wildlife Federation, Lady Hawk, Ferris Akel, BirdLife International and BirdGuides.

Eagles are Busy…Wednesday in Bird World

1 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

It is 1600 on the Canadian Prairies, Tuesday 31 October, as I begin to write. In about an hour before children will begin screaming ‘Trick or Treat’ or ‘Halloween Apples’. I am ready! Let’s hope that I am not too scary.

If you are trying to read the apron, it is from the Hanoi Cooking Centre and if you are ever in Hanoi and want to take cooking classes, I highly recommend it as an option.

The water was not completely frozen at the park near to where I live Tuesday morning but the hundreds of Canada geese and ducks are gone leaving a pair of Mallards and about a dozen Canada Geese. It was quiet except for the occasional honk.

In the garden, there were lots of Sparrows at the feeders along with many Dark-eyed Juncos and Red Crossbills. The Starlings came to visit as did Mr Crow and, of course, the squirrels.

The nest in the Sydney Olympic Park, home to Lady and Dad, and SE 31 and 32 (this year) is eerily quiet.

No one slept on the nest and no eaglets have been seen so far in at least 36 hours.

‘A’ gives us the official report: “October 31: A very hot windy day. Both parents were at the nest early, moving a few sticks, then away. During the early morning bird survey over in the nearby wetlands, I could see both parents over on River Roost. During the afternoon, we think there was a sighting of one juvenile flying into the forest. We went for a walk in the forest searching, but everything was very quiet with the heat. Both parents were in the forest around 3pm and then seen again down on River Roost. Looking under the nest, we did find the dried remains of a puffer fish and the tail of the little ringtail we saw them eat previously. Also lots of silver gull feathers and a couple of eagle feathers. Around 5pm, both adults were heard down on River Roost. We shall keep watching and listening for signs of our fledglings.”

‘A’ reports to me that there are bush fires around Sydney. We are both worried about the sea eaglets and, in particular, SE31.

At the Port Lincoln barge nest of Mum and Dad, Mum was waiting and flew off for either a comfort break of to try and get breakfast.

Mum hoping for a fish and Galiath and #2 ready!

Gave up.

Dad got the fish to the nest at 08:56:30. Everyone was ready! And thrilled. Dad had eaten before the delivery – so a fish.

At some point in the morning, #2 beaked Galiath and Galiath retaliated…#2 became submissive. All appears to be well. Galiath is substantially larger than #2 and we can only assume that Galiath is female and little 2 is male since there is only two days difference between them in terms of hatching.

Then the fish fairy came.

Just look at that crop on Galiath. I hope that #2 got some fish!

11:242 tommies and 2 red mullet supplemental fish delivered!Sup. Fish (M,Whole)
11:24 2Mum’s back in the nest much more quickly than yesterday. Giliath’s on the left and chick #2’s behind Mum. Both chicks eats some. 2 whole tommies and 1 partial red mullet and 1 red mullet tail remain for now.
12:02 3Mum’s back on the red mullet. Giliath’s on the left and chick #2’s behind Mum. Giliath eats som

‘A’ comments, “Everyone ate well at Port Lincoln today. As usual, dad brought in a nice breakfast fish, the fish fairy arrived with lunch, which fed the whole family throughout the afternoon, and dad is currently on dinner duty (it’s nearly 5pm there now). The osplets ate a huge meal from 08:56 and their crops were topped up repeatedly during the day, with the fish fairy delivering four nice fish. Once again, I saw no bonking whatsoever on the nest, and feedings were peaceful and fraternal. Big sister sat and watched little bro get half a dozen bites in a row, without objecting or getting aggressive. At one point, after Little Bob had been eating uninterrupted for a couple of minutes, Giliath did shuffle slightly to indicate she was getting slightly impatient, at which point mum promptly gave her a bite. But that was as exciting as things got. Both osplets are well into their reptilian phase and are looking as if they’ve been dipped in a bucket of dirty sump oil. Gone are the cute fluffy creatures of only a few days ago. These slimy-looking black chicks have fat tummies and very round little bottoms. When their crops get too big to stand up to eat, they sit like plump little ducklings to feed. Of course there is a lot of preening occurring and the first wingercising has begun. Although Giliath did faceplant once or twice in the process, she soon worked out how to operate her wings today, doing some very impressive and energetic flapping. Little Bob was in awe. “

Xavier brought in a Starling for Marri and Barru.

Diamond came to the rescue so that both would have some breakfast.

Migration Count from Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, USA.

There are a few ospreys staying in places that humans think they shouldn’t. Some in Colorado and some in the UK.

San Francisco is one of those places where some ospreys migrate like Rosie while others stay like her mate, Richmond. Here is another pair – are they the only bonded pair that are staying behind in California together?

Can you help monitor the Condor cam in search of #171 California Condor named Traveler who has been missing from the feeding stations at Big Sur has caused concern. They are asking for our eyes. Thank you.

Bella and Smitty are reunited at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest. Please send warm wishes that all the intruders and injuries are now past.

Gabby and V3 continue to work on their nest. No on-camera mating that I am aware. ‘A’ is worried that V3 might not be up to the job. We will wait and see. I am hoping he is camera shy!

Jackie and Shadow were working at their nest despite the fact that they will be the last ones to lay their eggs, most likely.

Work continues on the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive, parents of Connick. No word yet on Connick’s release. Will let you know when I hear some news.

The pair at Duke Farms have a beautiful nest and I do mean gorgeous. Look at the rails and the grasses!

These are two updates from Duke Farms: “June 25 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection update: The nest collapsed in several sections. This is not an uncommon occurrence with eagle nests. Nests that are used for many years get very large and heavy. Every year a few nests fall or, in some cases, the entire nest tree falls. Depending on what time of the nesting season this occurs, it can result in chicks being injured or killed. The fact the nest collapsed after the juveniles fledged is a good thing. They have been fledged for over a month, haven’t been seen at the nest as frequently and will soon be going off on their own. We’ll have to wait and see what will happen with the nest. The adults could try and rebuild the nest or move to a new nest tree. August 11 NJDEP update: A volunteer has been keeping an eye on the cam. Two adult eagles have been seen at the nest – it looks like the eagles are a male and female based on the size, but it’s not clear if one of the eagles is A/59 or a new male. It’s indeterminable if the pair will return to the nest. In many cases, pair rebuild nests in the same location or close by if a collapse has occurred. Sometimes, if there is a new bird in the bird, they will move nest locations. The identity of the male in the pair is a contributing factor in the situation. The fact that two adults are together at the nest may lead to the possibility of rebuilding in the same spot or close by.”

Martin and Rosa checking out the skies over their nest at Dulles-Greenway.

Mr North, Mrs DNF, and a lovely Red-tail Hawk were at the Decorah Eagle nest on Tuesday. Looks like there is snow in Iowa, too!

Aerial battles over Loch Arkaig??????

Any time our feathered friends make the news, it is good. Someone new will learn something and maybe they will spread the word about how we are trying to help!

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The Rare Bird Report issued its rises and declines in bird numbers for 2021. Gosh, two years ago. I wonder how much has changed since then!

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Thanks, Sassa Bird, for this post.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care! Looking forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Hawk Mountain, BarbandBob Larsen, Jeff Kear, SF Bay Ospreys, Ventana Wildlife Society, Deb Stecyk, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenway, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Geemeff, TCD, BirdGuides and Sassa Bird.

Monday in Bird World

23 October 2023

Hello Everyone!

Sunday continued as a grey day with some drizzle. It did warm up a bit but we are now definitely into layers and toques (knitted hats). No gloves or mitts required – yet.

The fall colours are sensational.

There are still Mallards paddling in the ponds and there were approximately a hundred geese at mid-afternoon on the big lake. More will fly in at dusk.

At home, something wonderful happened on Sunday. All the girls were in the conservatory. Hope climbed up the big cat tree to play with Missey’s bushy tail while Mamma Calico was below on the floor. No problems. Everyone got along! Hope and Missey played for almost an hour. I was in tears. Missey has missed having someone to play with. I know the Feliway doesn’t work for all cats, but it has brought peace of mind to our house.

Hope is growing. Sometimes I have to look twice to see if it is her or Calico.

Hope also decides that she wants to share the same chair with Mamma.

About 1730, the garden came to life. The Blue Jays had been pecking at the seed on the big tray feeder. Then, the Dark-eyed Juncos arrived along with the little woodpecker. Dyson showed up with her three kits, and then Little Red had to come and push its weight around. He is a bully to all the grey squirrels. I think this is the opposite of what happens in the UK, but Little Red is decidedly ‘the boss’ and lets everyone know it. I find it unsettling when there is always plenty of food for everyone, and territory is not an issue.

The Dark-eyed Juncos are one of my favourite migrating visitors to the garden.