Category Archives: Karl II

The osplets are ‘itchy’…Sunday in Bird World

5 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday was a day that fluctuated between blue skies and grey. It was also the day I learned all there is to know about making insulated homes for the feral cats that come to my feeder. Our winters are cold and can be wet with heavy snow. I often long for the dry snow that used to blow across the country roads, creating ‘whiteouts’ on the highway. Most often, I was told when I first arrived on the Canadian Prairies, people would go off the road and into the ditch but on the other side. Whiteouts are precisely that – solid white – opaque milk glass. You quickly get disoriented when you are driving, and the snow is blowing across the highway.

The insulated boxes mean ‘The Boyfriend’ and another friend (wonder who that will be?) will have warm and dry places to stay if they choose – under the deck. That horrid old carpet that needs to be replaced will remain til spring. It will keep the snow from falling between the decking onto the ground below. Hopefully, they will have a nicer winter.

Calico can watch them from inside, snug and warm. Gosh, I love how that cat finally came to trust me. The three girls are such wonderful gifts. They are creatures of ritual and the story reading one is very precious. It reminds me of the time when my children were small and cuddled in for their bedtime stories. Now they nestle on the scrap quilt my grandmother made beside me – Calico and Hope – with Missey either on the table or the cat tree. I am so lucky. If petting a cat removes stress, my life should be completely stress free!

Today I did put a little post in FB seeking out a very young male kitten, a little brother for them. I am looking for a little boy younger than Hope, perhaps 6-8 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Calico trying to catch a ‘cat nap’. Hope does sleep but rather than eat or sleep, she would much rather play!

In keeping to my promise to try and get out to the park for a walk at least 5 days out of 7, I headed off to check on the Wood Ducks, the Mallards, and the Canada Geese that were at Kildonan Park a week ago. There is an area by the ‘Witches Hut’ where people come to feed them seed.

There were no ducks in sight, but there were twenty-five Canada Geese.

Squirrels who are getting their thick winter coats were chasing one another all around the park, up and down the trees, and across the snow. Isn’t this one adorable with his paw across his chest? I bet he thought I might have a peanut. Sadly, I did not – which reminds me that I must get some peanuts for the feeders. They must be rationed because of Little Red, who will take them all and not share. Dyson and Gang, along with the Blue Jays generally eat the nuts this time of year.

‘H’ knows how much I love ducks and geese, and she checks on the Barnegat Light streaming cam regularly. Today, she sent me such a treat – a short video clip of the Brandt Geese. You should check out that streaming cam! Oh, I would love to be sitting in those dunes listening to them.

Wikipedia gives us the following information: “The brant is a small goose with a short, stubby bill. It measures 55–66 cm (22–26 in) long, 106–121 cm (42–48 in) across the wings and weighs 0.88–2.2 kg (1.9–4.9 lb).[4][5][6][7] The under-tail is pure white, and the tail black and very short (the shortest of any goose).The species is divided into three subspecies:[8]

  • Dark-bellied brant goose B. b. bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pale-bellied brant goose B. b. hrota (Müller, 1776) (also known as light-bellied brent goose in Europe, and Atlantic brant in North America)
  • Black brant goose B. b. nigricans (Lawrence, 1846) (sometimes also known as the Pacific brant in North America)”.

Audubon describes their migration. It is possible that ‘L’ spotted one in Mobile Bay today!

“Long-distance migrant, travelling in flocks. Birds from central Canadian Arctic move down east side of Hudson Bay, then may make nonstop flight overland from southern James Bay to central Atlantic Coast of USA. In Alaska, large numbers gather at Izembek Lagoon and then depart almost simultaneously for long overwater flight to wintering areas on Pacific Coast. Migrating flocks may fly very high. Wintering birds may linger later in spring than most geese, as coastal breeding areas in high Arctic remain unsuitable for nesting until summer.”

“Brant Geese” by flythebirdpath > > > is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

“Brant Geese” by Andrew_N is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

In her book, The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl says, “The world will always be beautiful to those who look for beauty.”

In the garden, it was damp and grey today. The snow is melting and everything looks ugly. I’m not too fond of this time of year. When you leave your garden to be messy to help the birds and insects, there are some weeks when everything looks so dishevelled, so rotten, in such a mess. I must remind myself that all of this is for the greater good and hope that a large dump of snow will come and cover it with a winter blanket until spring!

The European Starlings flew in and out, and a Blue Jay has been searching through the Black oil Seed to see if the Sparrows left him anything. It is time to go and get some food just for the Blue Jay, but, of course, that will not work as the others will want to share in the goodies, too.

This is Junior, the Dad. He was at the feeder with the youngest of the fledglings the other day. Several appear to have moved on. Often Junior will stay for most of the winter.

It has been especially difficult to get a good image of the Starlings when they come in during the day. They are fond of the solid suet and have consumed many large cylinders this past week in their attempt to keep warm.

Now if I misspell names, tell me! Bazz not Bazza, Giliath. I put an ‘a’ in there. It is Barru and Marri. Apologies all around. My fingers sometimes go faster than my brain!!!!!!!

At the beginning of the season at Orange, my wish was for one healthy eyas. Instead, we have two. Double happiness for Diamond and Xavier this year. And that second hatch is quite the character. Barru and Marri have their ongoing tug-o-wars for prey and then, in a wink, sit there and pull off pieces, sharing their lunch. What great siblings!

It has been a glorious year at Orange.

Just look at how much soft white down is coming off the backs and wings of these two. Imagine if you will that it might well be all gone, flying about the scrape along with the feathers from the prey being plucked. Marri and Barru are turning into ‘falcons’.

‘A’ reports: “There was much wingercising, eating and screeching, along with zoomies around the scrape. THOSE EYES! Oh how gorgeous are those sidelong glances? So very cute. And we’re only a week from fledge watch!! Surely not. Already? Here are today’s time stamps: PREY 07.02 04, 08.16.37, 09.50.37, 17:10:18, 19.09.00, 19.18.35 FEED 07.02(M,D,B), 09.52(M,D,B), 11:57(X scrap from floor), 17:10 (M&B), 19.09(M&B), 19.19 (M,D). HIGHLIGHTS: 17:18 Barru takes the prey! 18:05:46 Marri shows off her giant wings but 18:07:18 Barru wins the winger competition. 18:08:23 they discuss it with beakies. 19:18:38 tug-o-war between Barru and Marri. Barru wins the tug-o-war at 19:18:49. We will miss this pair. What huge personalities they both are. As always, Diamond and Xavier do raise one male chick each year who is a very memorable eyas indeed. Izzi. Yurruga. Rubus. And this year, Barru. I do think this is their first female chick in many many years – Marri is definitely female IMO, as she is as big as her mum (bigger with all that fluff) and towers over poor little Xavier.” 

The water at Port Lincoln is choppy. Will Dad get a fish in? How will the boat ride be for Fran and Bazz as they head out to get fish for the nest on the barge?

Giliath and #2 are getting almost too big to fit under Mum comfortably. You will be able to notice the pin feathers coming in if you look carefully.

The kids are preening. Feathers are itchy!

It is 1244 and no fish has arrived at Port Lincoln yet – not from Dad or the fish fairy. Thinking they need a tank!

It is mid-afternoon. Dad appears on the ropes. Mum and kids in the nest waiting for fish. I hope the fish fairies are not having difficulty finding the catch of the day.

‘A’ reports: “At Port Lincoln, dad brought in only one small fish for the entire day (at 10:07:20), which fed both osplets a small snack. So it was indeed fortunate that the fish fairy delivered an extra large whole trevally (709 grams) at 14:51. This fed both kids to their gills (the feeding lasted 69 minutes), and there was another feeding from the same fish at 16:27 which was listed on the Obs Board as small but apparently lasted for 29 minutes. Either way, both osplets had full crops at bedtime.” 

It is raining in the Sydney Olympic Forest home to the Sea Eagles and the two fledglings SE31 and 32.

Several years ago, a dear ‘late’ friend, Phyllis Robbins, introduced me to Cathy Cook. Cathy lives near the Discovery Centre, and you might remember that she has helped spot the sea eagle fledglings when they are grounded. She has helped on more than one occasion to get help for them, even riding with them in the van to the rehab clinic. I so admire her dedication to these beautiful raptors. Today, Cathy has some news for us that will make you smile.

Then there is more great news!!!!!!!!!!!! Just tape that smile on your face. Look at this sea eaglet.

‘A’ sends the report from Sydney: “November 5: Rain and wind this morning. No action on the nest during the day, but great observations from our ground team again. One juvenile, we think SE32, was seen with the parents across the river in the mangroves, possibly eating as well. Both appear to be still in the area. The watching and listening continues.”

Gracie Shepherd caught Irv and Claire at the US Steel Bald Eagle nest in Pennsylvania. Bravo! I keep missing them. So glad they are both home safe and planning for a new season.

Gabby and V3 continue to work on their nest near Jacksonville. Have these two ever mated? ‘A’ has been sceptical for some time. Now, I am starting to wonder. Why would V3 be camera-shy?

And at Duke Farms…

There are beautiful eagles in the trees with their fall leaves at Decorah.

It was a stunning morning at Big Bear, but I did not see Jackie and/or Shadow at the nest (yet). Don’t you love the way the sun rising creates those beautiful diamonds?

Pepe and Muhlady are taking such good care of that precious egg. Look for another soon!

The situation at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23 – or is it the nest of the GHOs – is worrisome. Whose nest is it? M15 and F23 have not been sleeping at the nest. Do they know that the owls are staking it out as their own?

Some news from around the world:

A growing colony of terns! Oh, I do love terns. My friend ‘S’ has some terns living in her garden on the Hawaiian islands, and they are so pretty. We also have terns in Manitoba during the spring and summer breeding seasons.

Recently-discovered-Sandwich-Tern-colony-is-thriving-BirdGuidesDownload

Banana noses????

Short-tailed Albatross incubating eggs on Midway.

The Black Stork migration continues. Maria Marika reports that many are flying over Egypt. They are almost to their winter homes. I hope Kaia is with them and she is safe. It would be grand if Karl II was by her side – hard to imagine we lost him.

The Royal Albatross continue to return to Taiaroa Peninsula to find their mates and start the process of nest building and egg laying!

Do you know this nest cam with squirrels and songbirds in Nagano?

Please share. Once, when we were trying to protect some Cooper’s Hawk nests in my city, I was told repeatedly, that the hawks had been carrying away the local dogs! The gentleman who told me this was busy trying to locate all the nests in the area so he could destroy them. It took great effort and one of the local wildlife officers to deter his actions.

Thank you so much for being with us today in Bird World. Please stay safe. I hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, photographs, videos, graphics, articles, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog today: ‘A, B, H, L’, Wikipedia, Audubon, Openverse, Margaret Renkl, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Cathy Cook, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd, Rohan Geddes, NEFL-AEF, Duke Farms, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, FOBBV, Superbeaks, Androcat, Bird Guides, The Petrel Station and Seabird Tours and Research, Holly Parsons, Maria Marika, Lady Hawk, Nagano Songbird Cam, and The Medina Raptor Centre.

Saturday in Bird World

4 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that finds you all well and that your weekend will be a lovely one.

‘M’ sent me an image of Bald Eagles along our river. A gathering of eagles is called an aerie or a convocation. There were apparently hundreds of eagles, of various ages, yesterday along the Red River.

The raptors are coming down from the far north, feeding at our rivers in the south. The Partridge and Grouse are about and lots of small mammals.

The girls are recovering from their big day on Thursday. They mostly slept but I was delighted to see that Missey and Hope were playing on the big cat tree and chasing one another around the house. Missey has been eating lots of organic chicken and I do hope that she is on the mend from missing Lewis. He was her best friend. He was always with her. I know that she has been lonely and missing that companionship.

I did not have my camera when they were together but here is Missey watching Hope on the floor getting ready to pounce and run!

It could be a better image. All of these used the phone camera, but here they are on the same cat tree- Calico and Missey. Who is the boss?

The day hovered right around freezing and then in the late afternoon the temperature began to rise a tad. It is -6 C at 2130 Friday night and tomorrow our high will be -1 C. I hope the wind is not bad. I am wondering if any ducks or geese remain anywhere. Hoping to get out to check on Saturday.

In the meantime, ‘EJ’ wrote to me about a book. It is called The Comfort of Crows. A Backyard Year. by Margaret Renkl. This is an incredible read. The girls and I began, and we are now halfway through. Renkl digs deep into her soul as she looks out at the birds in her garden and her new year’s bird, which happens to be a Crow. She closely examines all things – flowers, weeds, the vines climbing up a tree, the knots in the wood to help us appreciate the natural world even though we are destroying it.

Renkl has a wonderful way with words. Writing of winter she says, “Even the most ideologically stubborn amongst us have finally come to understand how fragile winter truly is. It is only the first week o February, but the daffodils have already begun to bloom. There can be no reasonable argument about what is happening to the planet, now that daffodils so commonly bloom in February.” In another chapter, “I’m not trying to hide from the truth but to balance it, to remind myself that there are other truths, too. I need to remember that the earth, fragile as it is, remains heartbreakingly beautiful.”

Renkl addresses the need to leave our leaves: “An unkempt garden offers more than just food for the birds. The late offspring of certain butterflies, like the black swallowtail, spend fall and winter sealed away in a chrysalis clinging to the dried stems of what’s left of a summer garden…These days we don’t drag fallen limbs out to the street for the city chipper service to clean up, either. A good brush pile is a boon to ground-foraging birds, who eat insects from the decomposing wood, and to all manner of small animals hiding from predators or sheltering from the wind and snow.”

“According to birding tradition, the first bird you see on the first day of the new year sets the tone for your next twelve months.”

I love how she describes the beauty that surrounds her – asking us to look at what is near, to notice what we might not have seen, to treasure what is before us now – staring us in the face – before it is gone.

Moving on to a quick check around Bird World.

Where is Smitty? Are there more battles? Is Smitty healing or injured and cannot return to the nest? We know that he has been away in the past for periods of time – some so long we fear his demise. What will happen at the NCTC nest this breeding season?

We almost lost an eyas at Orange. How many times did we worry about the chicks falling off the ledge at Collins Street in Melbourne? Well, during a tug-o-war, we almost lost Barru at Orange.

Early morning recap at Orange:PREY 06:43:16, 06:49:48, 07:34:38, 10.37.35 FEED 06:43(M&B), 06:49(M), 07:35(D), 09.22(D earlier juv star), 10.37(M) RECAP 06.47.40 Barru slips off ledge & recovers

SK Hideaways catches that fall for us:

Besides the fright of Barru almost being lost to us, a huge storm went through the area. Hail came flying into the scrape! Barru and Marri were both curious and afraid but look at Diamond’s eyes as she takes cover in the corner.

I want to – for a second or third time – thank Fran, Bazza, and Janet for their foresight in providing fish for the Osprey family at the barge. It would be possible to gather the stats on the fish provided at various osprey nests over the past several years – nests that have fledged 2 or 3, sometimes four chicks. I hope to see Dad bringing 4-5 nice-sized fish to this nest for this family of four daily. Indeed, I would like for it to be more. That is not happening regularly. His average appears to be about two fish. The supplemental fish are keeping the bonking down and the family fed. I fear what would happen if this were not the case.

Galiath’s little wings.

More copper-red feathers coming in.

Hoping for fish.

It is nearing 1100, and there has been no fish at Port Lincoln. It is now 1158. Dad has been in the shed on the barge and is now on the nest. No fish. The fish fairy cannot come soon enough. The chicks are being good, but it is clear that they are hungry, and so are the adults.

‘A’ gives us the report: “That half fish dad brought in at 16:16 was the last for the day, and there was a short feeding from it, largely going to Giliath because Little Bob was not really interested. Both were still full from the feeding that had not really ended after the visit of the fish fairy at 15:38. The interesting part was the osplets waiting until 12:27 for breakfast, with the bonking incident that resulted more from boredom than from hunger I think. When breakfast/lunch finally came, it was huge and the feeding lasted for 42 minutes. Both also ate extremely well at the 38-minute feeding that followed the fish fairy’s visit. So fewer feedings (only three really) but larger ones.”

And then there was this from ‘A’s Australian report that really put a smile on my face!

“I’ve left the best till last. I know this is clutching at straws but the news from WBSE is marginally (okay, I know, but just a tiny bit) better than the two days before. Here is tonight’s report from Ranger Judy:

November 4: neither parent was seen on the nest overnight, but were seen down on their river roost in the morning and later during the day. Our ground team found SE31 and watched her for about 3 hours. She then flew off strongly and was seen again later several times. Earlier, one of the parents caught a fish and then the other had bird prey – both flew with prey over the wetlands, as if encouraging a juvenile to approach. We have not definitely seen either juvenile feeding though the ground team are fairly confident they have seen or heard both today. Whenever either has been seen, other birds have been swooping still. Late in the afternoon, Dad brought in a large bream which he then ate himself. It is a pity neither juvenile was there to get it. All is more positive though.

‘A’ recalls, “I know, but remember two things. First, SE32 definitely had a crop when he arrived at that nest nearly three days after fledging. Before he rested on the nest most of the day and ate the fish his dad brought him. He had definitely eaten since fledging. And second, on the occasions SE32 was seen being harassed by smaller birds on the ground, he flew off strongly, with good lift, each time. “

Dr Sharpe retired. Really? He is out helping set up new cameras. One at the West End for Thunder and Akecheta at their new nest and now at Frazer Point for Andor and Cruz. So looking forward to eagle season on the Channel Islands.

The behaviour of the GHOs at the nest of M15 and F23 is continuing to worry some.

Baiba gives us a few minutes with V3 and Gabby on the nest.

This is the tower where Karl II was electrocuted. Someone asked me if Kaia would know if he died. They were flying in a flock. She is the pink line, and Karl II is the blue in the image below. You can see where their paths diverge.

This is a new tower. Why were safety measures for raptors and storks not put in place?

Here is the news for Kalvi – and fingers crossed.

I reviewed Carl Safina’s lovely book the other day about Alfie, the Owl, that he rescued. Here is a short article in the garden about what Safina learned. Enjoy.

What-raising-an-orphaned-owl-taught-me-about-our-broken-bond-with-nature-Environment-The-GuardiaDownload

As Bonfire night approaches in the UK, here is a reminder! Oh, how I love hedgehogs. They would eat the fruit in the orchard at the end of our garden and sometimes come for water at the back door. Warning, though. Do not pick one up. They are full of fleas ordinarily. Seriously. Adorable. Full of fleas.

All of the other nests appear to be doing well. That is excellent news coming out of Sydney. Fingers crossed for images of 31 and/or 32.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, graphics, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, EJ, M’, Amazon, Deb Stecyk, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, IWS, Lady Hawk, Baiba, The Guardian, and Maria Marika.

Karl II has perished in Turkey…Tuesday in Bird World

31 October 2023

Hello Everyone,

We had snow squalls. Friends report that the ducks – Mallards and Wood Ducks – were still at the park along with geese and Wilson’s Snipes, Crossbeaks, and Pine Siskins. At the garden feeders, there were double the amount of birds feeding while ‘The Boyfriend’ came and ate roast chicken. He has taken up residence in the heated insulated house under the deck and can hear me when I go out with food. Smart guy!

Hope has taken over Missey’s basket. Missey does not seem to mind at all. Little sleepy head. Hope is an absolute gem. I wonder if her ‘black’ will change. Calico’s is black mixed with white making her look like she is charcoal or ‘salt and pepper’.

When Bird World gets ‘sad’ and when I get so angry that humans with all our so-called progress kill birds every day through negligence, these cats calm the mind. They have given me much more than I will ever do for them. Today, was one of those days when their purring and insistence on story time helped me get through.

Calico has a fascination with the herbs drying in the basket. Caught her just before she jumped down. Oh, what a gift she gave to me – her trust and Hope.

Missey and Hope watching ‘The Boyfriend’ eating his chicken dinner.

Hope is truly gorgeous. She knows how to pose!

The saddest news. The most amazing Black Stork Dad, the male at the Karula National Forest in Estonia, has perished – most likely from landing on an electric pole. It appears that he was part of a flock flying through that also included Kaia. His transmitter indicated that he died on the 2nd of October.

He had flown 3318 km on his journey south to his winter home after raising the storklets almost single-handedly this past season. He made use of Urmas’s fish baskets in dire times to make sure that his babies lived and, for the first time, he also had to purge one of the storklets on the nest due to insufficient food. Kaia left the nest and fed herself knowing she did not have enough for herself and the storklets. Karl II was an amazing father. He will be missed..

You were incredible feeding those babies so they would live…summer 2023.

Gutted. The death of the amazing stork has hit hard. After worrying for several years

In great respect to Urmas and his colleagues and all those who worked so hard to keep Karl II and his family alive during difficult times in Estonia, my blog will be short today. I worried so much about him when he was in Ukraine foraging and he lived only to die unnecessarily on a power pole that should have had protections.

Remember the decoys and the fish baskets placed in the drying streams for the past few years. The rescue of Jan and Jannika’s storklets after Jan disappeared and the experiment by Dr Madis to raise them at the Vet School. Bonus could not have had a better role model than Karl II. If Karl II were human, he would have won awards for community service and for being an exemplary role model. For us now, stop and think about him for a moment. What a great loss.

I have a love-hate relationship with owls. Unlike my neighbours, I do not think the GHO that terrorises our neighbourhood is cute. The Crows come in mass to usher it out and away and are condemned for doing so. “Isn’t the owl cute?” The Corvids are only trying to protect their young – the Crows and the Blue Jays. I have been known to yell at Mr Crow when he took a Grackle hatchling out of the nest and ate it on the top of the roof looking rather smug as I told him he could have had roast chicken! Honestly. But here we are with the too frequent visits by the GHOs that live on the Pritchett property and have a nest not that far from M15 and F23.

M15 and F23 don’t seem to be bothered. They are preparing for their first family together.

Today, Goliath is 16 days old and #2 is 14 days old.

The morning behaviour of #2 on the 31st at Port Lincoln is puzzling. Lovely fish brought in at 0636. Very difficult to see if #2 got any fish as Mum was blocking the way but it appeared that #2 did not eat and was under the wing of Galiath. Is something amiss with the second hatch? or is it just sleepy?

The fish fairy arrives.

‘A’s report on Port Lincoln: “At Port Lincoln, it’s 18:54. Little Bob just did a healthy PS and both osplets look well-fed and happy. Little does a couple of crop drops. After the fish fairy’s four medium fish were fed to the osplets and eaten by mum over the course of the afternoon, with the chicks sleeping and growing in between snacks, a whole medium-sized fish was brought in by dad at 16:13. Both chicks ate well at the subsequent feeding, with giant crops on each of them. There appeared to be no bonking at any of the feedings today. The last feeding is listed on the Obs Board as small, but it certainly wasn’t. Both ate a lot. Giliath’s crop was enormous and Little Bob’s was large as well. It was interesting to watch the pair. Sometimes, mum would feed three or four consecutive bites to one, then eat some herself, then feed three or four bites to the other. As each chick ate, the sibling watched and waited its turn. There was not even competition for bites let alone aggression. Giliath is getting more to eat than Little Bob but then Giliath is bigger and so needs more food presumably. Little Bob is certainly not going without. Any bonking that does occur (and most days, there is none) is just as likely to be started by Little Bob, though if he persists, it is generally finished by Giliath (or just abandoned by both). And I still have not seen any aggression whatsoever at a feeding or in relation to food. The worst Giliath has done is use her little brother to lean on while she eats some more. She is not doing this to stop him eating. She is just making use of the available furniture to hold up her enormous crop. And if he wants to do so badly enough, he will eventually squirm out from beneath her wing. All ate well at Port Lincoln today. It will be light there for at least another hour or so, but I don’t think anyone could eat any more tonight! “

It was really windy in the Sydney Olympic Forest early on Tuesday. Lady and Dad came to the nest right around 0530 with breakfast for either one or both of the eaglets. So far no one has showed up. This concerns me.

No one slept at the nest.

They arrive around dawn.

The adults stay for forty-five minutes before flying off after eating the prey.

Xavier arrives with prey and Marri gets it. Barru would surely like some. More prey deliveries and feedings after. Xavier continues to be an excellent provider. His two eyases are changing every day and Marri is bigger than her Dad now. Just look at her mohawk and those tail feathers. She is a big girl. What a wonderful year it has been with these two this year at Orange.

‘A’ reports “

Here are the time stamps for Orange so far today (it is 7pm local time). PREY 07.26.47, 08.48.11, 11.17.07 (giant pigeon), 14.01.39; 18:53:41. FEEDINGS: 07.27(M&B), 08.06(X), 08.48, 11.19(X+D), 14.03, 18:54 (M takes from X and self-feeds); 18:54 D returns but watches M try to unzip the starling; B watches. 1856:13 D tries to retrieve starling from M and can’t, so starts to eat herself. B joins in and all three self-feed! 19:56:45 D grabs the starling and begins plucking it. 19:57 Diamond starts feeding B; 18:57:40 D turns to feed M. HIGHLIGHTS: 7.26.58 B bites X, 9.13.41 B nips D, 9.55.55 D eats leg, 13.04.40 Cilla in the tower, 13.10.42 Cilla opens cam chicks react, 13.12.30 D close up, 14:01:17 Ledge Cam X aborts landing; 14.45.13 D sideswiped by another ps; 14:52:06 & 14:52:35 D doing two ‘rouses’ in fairly close succession; 16:33:05 M ‘attacks’ D; 18:37:51 M balances on one leg to scratch her head. Diamond had a HUGE crop all afternoon, as is usual for Madame.  After that gigantic pigeon, the chicks slept a lot this afternoon, with occasional stretches and a lunchtime snack, followed by the early evening starling. All ate very well today. Xavier is just wonderful. “

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

Thank you to the following for their letters, posts, videos, articles, graphics, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog this morning: ‘A’, Eagle Club of Estonia, Maria Marika, Looduskalender, Lady Hawk, SK Hideaways, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, and Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam.