Latvian Wildlife – Page 4 – Mary Ann Steggles

Loch Arkaig’s chicks will go to Spain!…Monday in Bird World

1 July 2024

Good Morning,

It is 2129 in Winnipeg and this is what my family is watching. Hurricane Beryl. My daughter in law is barracaded in a safe room in their house in Grenada ready to ride out the hurricane which is expected to hit the island with no less than 100 mph winds. Sending good wishes to everyone in its path including the beautiful ospreys that I watch at the mangroves, the egret, the herons, and all the little songbirds around the island.

It is the earliest hurricane of this magnitude to hit the islands. The last major one was Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

We are just holding our breath and waiting for the hurricane to pass and to get some word that all is well.

Moving on to our beloved birds.

Louis and Dorcha’s two osplets for 2024 from the Loch Arkaig 2 nest are heading to Spain. Geemeff sends us the latest posting from The Woodland Trust.

Good evening everyone.

Having kept the situation under review again today it has been decided that the chicks will be removed from the nest tomorrow morning and handed on to the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation to be translocated to Spain.

The nest will likely be visited around 10am depending on how the weather turns out. The chicks will be given another good feed on the nest before being taken out of the tree.

I know you will have lots of questions about every last detail of this procedure but I don’t have much of that at the moment.

They will go to a specialised aviary in Inverness where they will be hand fed and looked after over the following days. Beak swabs will be taken to test them for avian flu and some other infections required before they embark overseas. Assuming all is well with that, they will be flown out to Spain on July 10th likely with ten other Scottish chicks.

This programme was already planned and in motion and it has been incredibly fortuitous that the timing fits with the emergence of our crisis on the nest at Arkaig.

We have had a number of tough decisions to take in the last week but actually this last one has been quite easy. There seems to be something wrong with Louis, possibly compounded by poor fishing conditions. The rate at which he has been fishing is just not enough to give the chicks a reasonable chance of survival. Even if they struggled through to the end of the summer it is felt very unlikely they would survive migration, which calls for considerable reserves of energy.

We are fairly certain at least one of the chicks would have died by now had there not been supplementary feeding on Friday and this morning.

When Louis was absent after Wednesday we wanted to at least wait to see if he would return before stepping in. Even though he returned on Saturday, there is something not right with him and we cannot have confidence he will return to form in time to stop the chicks from perishing. Before his disappearance he perched for most of Wednesday after bringing in one fish. Today he perched up for eight hours again after bringing one fish. The family needs more than that if it is to build up enough strength to survive migration.

The window of opportunity to enter the chicks in this translocation is brief and we did not want to be in the position of hanging on longer to see if the situation improved for our family. By removing them we hopefully take the pressure off the adults and allow them to replenish themselves in the coming weeks.

Continuing to feed them ourselves at Loch Arkaig is just not a feasible option. There are risks every time we go in. If the family is not viable on its own efforts its best the chicks get a chance in Spain.

Louis and Dorcha will almost certainly stick around with the nest as the centre of their partnership before migrating a bit earlier than usual so we will hopefully see them for a good while yet.

As I said previously – Scotland currently enjoys a population of beavers, red kites and sea eagles because other countries gifted us some of theirs. It is marvellous that Scotland is giving this gift to Spain and I think we should be proud that the Arkaig pair are going to be part of it. They will be ringed as having fledged in Spain but their highland heritage will be on record. My understanding is they are going to be GPS tagged so we should be able to receive updates about them.

I am sure some people will post for or against what is happening, which is fine, but please don’t get into rows about it. There is absolutely no point. The decision has been made. It was our decision to make and we did so in consultation with osprey experts. I hope that even those who don’t like what is happening will acknowledge that we have given thorough and honest consideration of all the options before coming to this conclusion.

We were driven at all times to do what is best for the ospreys – both our family and the species as a whole. Our two chicks will get a better chance to survive. The species’ range will be increased making it more resilient in the years ahead.

We’ll miss them of course. But then we would have been parting with them in a few weeks time anyway.

And as some of you say at the end of every season – “Don’t be sad to see them go. The journey is their purpose.”

Please enjoy the last few hours of them on the livestream.

We will keep you updated on how things go tomorrow.

Beautiful Dorcha and her chicks. George is certainly right. Without the supplementary fish we could have lost one chick and maybe two. The decision they have taken is a good one. We wish Dorcha and Louis all the best – a fast recovery for our great fisher and good health for all. In years to come we will look forward to hearing about these two breeding in Spain!

Thank you Fish Fairies!

This is Geemeff’s summary for The Woodland Trust for Loch Arkaig:

Daily summary Sunday 30th June 2024

Today brought news of a bittersweet ending to the season. The carefully researched and calmly thought out decision has been made by Woodland Trust Scotland to remove the two chicks and put them into the translocation programme in the care of Roy Dennis. They will ultimately help to found a new breeding population of Ospreys in Spain. Today’s videos have a certain poignancy as we know that this is the chicks’ last evening on the nest – they leave Loch Arkaig tomorrow. However with Louis only able to provide half of one fish today, this is the best outcome for our family. Louis will have time to recover, and he and Dorcha can spend the rest of the season pairbonding before leaving, probably a bit early, on migration, and then we expect to see them return next year to start again. The fish tally effectively ends today at two hundred and fifty four, but doubtless statto Steve will continue to record any subsequent fish brought to the nest by either of the adults. The fish brought by the ‘fish fairies’ ie the licensed raptor experts only counts in that it almost certainly saved the lives of the two chicks. No action on Nest One, weather reasonably settled today with the odd moment of sunshine, but tonight’s forecast is for light rain and light winds, and more rain tomorrow. They’re off to sunny Spain, Viva España!

Woodland Trust Scotland’s statement in full:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15225467

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.20.20 (03.19.51); Nest Two 23.23.29 (03.56.16)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/vD6PgwUW6c0 N2 Dominant chick attacks submissive one despite all the fish available 08.16.00

https://youtu.be/i3mLfTb3FCk N2 Intruder or Dorcha grabbing some free fish? Looks like Dorcha 09:16:48

https://youtu.be/DOl24pZXxzo N2 Louis arrives with his first delivery of the day, headless big trout 09.35.33

https://youtu.be/ShR7Kb12D_c N2 Submissive chick gets a calm exclusive feed 19.25.27

https://youtu.be/W7mIANPajv4 N2 The chicks enjoy their last dinner with Dorcha 20.22

https://youtu.be/6Q7UEkwIG5M N2 Chicks spend a calm final evening together with mum 20.58.35

Bonus read – info on the Spanish translocation project which is the outcome for our chicks:

https://lamarinaalta.com/en/llegan-a-su-nueva-casa-en-la-marjal-pego-oliva-doce-polluelos-de-aguila-pescadora-desde-escocia

This is information on the start of the translocation project from Scotland to Spain last year. Thanks, ‘JK’:

Osprey-Reintroduction-Project-Valencia-Birding-Guided-Bird-Watching-in-Spain Download

Finnegan just continues to prove that he is one Super Star Dad. He brought in a fish to challenge everyone.

Finn removed the fish, flew about, returned with it to the perch where he ate before turning it back to Iris – who ate and fed the kids – and then Finn had some more. What a lovely way to end the day in Montana. I cannot imagine a more loving – more perfect – year for Iris.

Mummy is melting at Hellgate Canyon (Iris).

Good Night, Iris.

How much fish does an osprey need to eat per day? Have you been wondering this seeing nests thrive and others fail?

“Three separate studies estimated that an adult Osprey needs approximately 400 g (0.88 lb) of fish meat per day to meet its energy needs.”

All-about-Osprey-hunting-and-feeding Download

The ospreys do come and visit the nest platform at Lake Norman in North Carolina. What a beautiful setting for a nest.

The video of Lady and Dad’s second arriving.

It is difficult to assess how much fish Little Three is getting at Blackbush. Mum often blocks the feeding. The two big ones did get full crops.

The two osplets in the Kurzeme Forest area of Latvia are looking quite good.

Both chicks at Finland’s #1 nest are enjoying some really nice fish dinners on Sunday.

It is a beautiful day on the Muonion nest where the chicks are tiny compared to those at #1.

Three gorgeous babies at Janakkala.

The 26 day report for Rosie and Richmond’s nest in SF.

There are some crab shells on Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home osprey nest. Two surviving osplets are gorgeous, big, fully feathered and will be looking forward to flying soon.

A nest full of beautiful osplets at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn.

What a beautiful view. Kiedler nest #7 and its three chicks. Mum is Blue KX7 and Dad is KM18. They have been bothered by an intruder, a fledgling form Dumfries, over the past couple of days.

Oh, one of the chicks is being a big ‘grumpy’ over on the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Elen. Aran had just delivered a nice fish! Wanting to make sure Little Bob knows who eats first!

Gosh, the trio at Great Bay are looking good, too. So many great nests with three feathered chicks.

‘H’ reports:

6/30 Patuxent River osprey nest: The three gorgeous teenagers (ages 55, 54, 51 days) are preparing themselves for flight. All have been practicing some wingers, even Little. I’ve seen some hop-wingers from the two older chicks, but so far no hovering that I am aware of. Last night, chick #1 was standing to sleep most of the night for the first time.

6/30 Forsythe osprey nest: This nest is unsettled, even though the two remaining chicks are 41 and 40 days old. After Mini and Little died from siblicide/starvation, things started to settle down, and there was peace in the nest for about a week. Then the live stream went down for a few days. When it resumed, we noticed that Big was back to being aggressive, and was preventing Middle from eating, indicating that not enough fish had been brought to the nest during the cam downtime. The aggression is ongoing, and Middle does not get very much to eat. On 6/29, Middle ate for a total of about 11 minutes during 5 meals. 6/30 was a bad day with stormy weather almost all day long. There were two fish delivered, one each from Oscar and Opal. And surprisingly, Opal pulled a tiny fish out of the rail sticks at 1740. Middle ate approximately 31 bites of fish all day. Today should be better for fishing… sunny, high 82 F, winds gusting to 16 mph.

6/30 Bridge Club osprey nest: Almost two weeks ago, chatters of the live stream noticed something was wrong with the middle chick’s left leg. S/he was not able to use the leg. The chick propelled itself using its good leg and its wings to ‘walk’ on the nest. However, its range of movement was only several inches in any direction, and for that reason, some thought it may have been entangled by fishing line. There was a great deal of talk on the chat regarding the chick’s injury, and some viewers contacted the nest owners and various entities that might be able to perform a rescue. In response …the chat was shut down. The osplet was still able to eat as long as Mom fed close by, and she usually did. Mom also tried to provide shade for the chick. It was apparent to viewers that the osplet was never going to be able to fledge, and would eventually die in the nest. Communication was taking place amongst osprey nest-cam-watchers via other chats, that didn’t mind some off-topic conversation, and in Facebook groups. Over the next several days, a few persistent viewers continued to reach out to find someone to help this poor chick that was suffering. On 6/30, the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center arranged a rescue of the osplet, and it was removed from the nest early in the morning. The chick was examined and evaluated. Here is the statement from a representative from the Rescue Center:

“Thank you for your concern. An Osprey chick was rescued at the Bridge Golf Course in Bridgehampton, Long Island NY on Jun 30 at 7am this morning. The chick was then transferred to the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue center where it was determined by x-ray showing an open fracture as well as a bone infection that had made the chick’s left leg unusable. X-Rays were shared with two local veterinarians who concurred with the diagnosis. The chick was transported to one of the Vets to be euthanized this afternoon. Given the nature of Ospreys, who need fresh fish for survival, even if amputation was successful, captivity for this migratory sea bird is truly not an option This is of course not the ending to the story that anyone wanted, but many times in nature a compassionate end of life scenario is what is best for both the bird and the bird family remaining in the nest.”

We all wonder what might have been the ending to this story if the nest owners had been proactive ten days ago, before bone infection set in, instead of ignoring the chatters. Perhaps the result would have been the same, but it would have ended the suffering of this young osprey a lot sooner. But, there is also another scenario involved here… Little chick #3 at the Bridge Club nest died of starvation during this period of time, after chick 2’s leg was injured. If chick 2 had been removed from the nest sooner, it is possible that Little 3 may still be alive.

This reminds me of the sad story of the eaglet, DH18, from the Dale Hollow nest in 2023, where refusal to acknowledge responsibility, indecision, and procrastination, lead to the rescue of DH18 that came too late for him to be saved.

‘A’ reports: “July 1: Now there are two eggs on the nest, full incubation starts. Before the second egg was laid, the first egg was uncovered for a total of 30 hours, with 22 hours total on those four cold nights. As we see most of the time, Lady alone incubated last night, leaving in the morning after a couple of early duets, with Dad coming in for his first shift at 6:37am. Both have shared incubation today, with Dad spending longer for 6:17 and Lady 5:22. The eggs were only uncovered for short periods – a total of 21 minutes. Dad returned late afternoon, though with no prey – nothing was brought in today for Lady, though she was away long enough to catch her own. Lady was on the eggs at dark, with Dad roosting close by.”

A correction. The Crooked Lake Nest is in Columbia, Indiana. I have the correct location in our data forms, but I said Iowa in my blog when noting the predation by the GHO of the three osplets. I’m sorry for any confusion.

A second note. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest. They had many storms as we did in Winnipeg. The cities are 8 hours apart but sometimes experience similar weather if the system is large. Viewers were concerned that the camera might have been ‘shut off’ when the weather was terrible and the chicks died. My observer believed that was what happened. As it turns out, the storm took the camera offline because there were outages in the area at the time. It happens here, too. Just want to make that correction. Everyone in Minnesota does a great job monitoring the nests in the area and we live in hope that the only surviving osplet at MN ARB will fledge this year.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, H, PB’, National Hurricane Centre, Geemeff, George and The Woodland Trust, Vallencia Birding, Montana Osprey Cams, Avian Report, EarthCam, SK Hideaways, Blackbush, LDF, Finnish Osprey Foundation, SF Bay Ospreys, Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home, Dyfi Osprey Project, Kielder Forest Nest 7, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Great Bay, Patuxent River Park, Forsythe Ospreys, Bridge Golf Club, and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam..

Louis returns to the nest with a fish…Saturday in Bird World

29 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

First. We thought for sure he was no longer with us and well, here is the good news from Geemeff:

“Louis the Loch Arkaig Osprey makes a triumphant return

08.26.37 The two chicks alone on the nest look up and start squeaking. Then Louis lands, with a fish. Wonderful to see him back looking magnificent with a nicely rounded crop. Where has he been? What happened to him? We’ll probably never know, but right now, this is the most wonderful sight. The two chicks immediately go over and take the fish off him. 08.26.55 Dorcha returns, and immediately looks for the fish 08.27.00 Louis departs – please return soon! Dorcha moves over and takes the fish away from C1 and starts dishing up. Normal service has resumed!”

https://youtu.be/eNupYkdkQ8w

Everyone is overjoyed…my inbox is full.

The Girls are anticipating the big birthday party on the 2nd. They have found a few little boxes but they can’t open them! Calico was hiding – but Hugo Yugo, Missey, and Baby Hope, the birthday girl were out playing.

Goodness, it is almost July. Hard to believe. The ‘bad’ news in Bird World generally tapers off this month and that is a good thing. It was pitching down rain in Winnipeg and much cooler than it has been. It was a good day to go to our biosphere, The Leaf. For some reason, I was fascinated by the flowers. Enjoy. The iPhone didn’t do too bad!

There was a special exhibition of plants used in traditional healing. Camomile, Cedar, Sage, Sweetgrass…

The koi pond through the mist of the water fall.

It was a lovely quiet day.

‘H’ is taking some time. We will look forward to her reports when she returns.

We are still hoping that Louis will return to Loch Arkaig. Plans are being made if this doesn’t happen. This is the latest news from George at The Woodland Trust.

Dorcha comes home to well fed-osplets.

The family cuddles together wondering where Dad is.

In all her sadness, Geemeff is still able to send out her daily report for The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Friday 28th June 2024

There is no easy way to say this: Louis is still missing, not seen since Wednesday evening. We still hope to see him safe and well, but as the chicks were beginning to suffer from the incessant rain and lack of food despite Dorcha’s heroics with catching an eel yesterday, Woodland Trust took the unprecedented step of approaching NatureScot for permission to intervene. They are the Scottish Government’s lead adviser on wildlife management. In this case, using the evidence of Steve Quinn’s meticulous fish stats showing Louis’ decline and first hand observations of Louis’ unusual behaviour by LizB, permission was granted. Intrepid licensed raptor experts Lewis and Henry braved the climb to the top of the very tall nest tree and hand-fed the chicks with mackerel, leaving some on the nest as well as on a specially built platform below for Dorcha. Not a moment too soon as Lewis observed the second chick was approaching the stage of being too weak to eat. Luckily, after the initial strangeness, both chicks fed well and downed a whole mackerel each. Dorcha returned soon after they left and fed herself and the chicks from the fish left on the nest. Whatever your opinion about intervention, it’s good to see the chicks with full crops again. In other news, Garry LV0 paid a visit to Nest One and returned bringing nesting materials. Tonight’s forecast for the nest area is light rain showers and a gentle breeze, but the sound of the wind and the movement around the nest suggest otherwise.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.48.40 (03.30.52); Nest Two 23.19.18 (03.59.43)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/6maD-9zG5xk N1 Garry LV0 visits twice and brings nesting materials 10.06.18 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/9HYxpRU-hjY N2 Dorcha returns when the fish fairies leave after feeding the chicks 15.25.02

https://youtu.be/c2oZrwNXbvI N2 Dorcha and the two chicks huddle together on a dreich night 23.38.35

Bonus read – Morphometric sex determination of young Ospreys: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233013597_Morphometric_sex_determination_of_young_Ospreys_Pandion_haliaetus_using_discriminant_analysis

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

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

I wrote to Dr. Greene to find out if Iris’s osplets will be banded. The answer is “no”. The camera and the nest are only for education, not research purposes.

‘A’writes: “Darling Finn slept on the perch all night, as he has taken to doing every night, watching over his family. He is such a sweetie. He left on a fishing trip to get breakfast very early indeed – it was still dark just after 05:30 – but for once, he had left fish on the nest and Iris got up at 05:35 and grabbed a large headless fish to feed the osplets. The pair as always lined up at the table and were beautifully behaved, as mum shared out the food to both. Oh my goodness, Big has had a growth spurt!

Little is slow to get up but makes his way to the table. Mum welcomes him with half a dozen bites. These two are just so sweet together. I saw one short, minor early episode of very half-hearted beaking and that was it. I still believe it could easily have been as much about curiosity as anything else, as there was no real aggression involved in it. More like checking what this small thing was. I am not entirely convinced it could even be classified as real bonking. Certainly, Little Bob did not interpret it as such, as hsi behaviour subsequently did not alter in any respect whatsoever. So it was not even worthy of being considered an act of establishing ‘pecking order’. Little Bob is harder for Iris to feed – he needs to move forward a step so she doesn’t have to reach as far forward and down to reach his beak. She makes the effort, but it means that when the two are side by side and competing for bites, Little Bob generally loses because of its greater height and reach. It’s surprising that Little doesn’t move forward – he normally does in this situation but sometimes makes mum really stretch. He is first to turn away from the table too, his little crop bulging.

So far, Iris hadn’t had a single decent bite for her own breakfast – she will always ensure that the babies have had a decent amount to eat before she starts sneaking in the odd bite for herself. This is truly one incredibly devoted mum. I love watching Iris with her chicks. The way she shades them, shelters them from the rain, keeps them warm at night, righted Little Bob when, early on, his little balloon body ended up flailing on its back – these osplets are the centre of her existence and she prioritises their welfare above everything else in her world. Watching her, you feel genuine joy for her.

Finn is back with a fresh headless fish just before 06:02. Good on your dad. There is still half a fish leftover from last night (and this morning’s first breakfast). He spends a bit of time trying to work out whether to choose the fish he’s just brought in or the half-fish left on the nest. He stands beside Iris for several minutes, reaching out at one stage as if to gently touch her with his beak. He adores her. Eventually, he decides on the fresh fish and flies to the perch with it just before 06:04. Ten minutes or so later, he returns the leftover fish to the nest. Good man! At 06:15 he tries to feed Iris, offering her a bite of fish several times before she accepts a small piece. She then stands up and grabs the leftover fish from the early breakfast (not the one Finn caught this morning) and begins feeding Big Bob while Little Bob backs up for a tiny PS.

Little Bob appears to have entered his own reptilian stage this morning, his little head starting to look oily. Big Bob is definitely a woolly oily teenager but perfectly laid-back and well behaved. He eats far better now, though still does not comfortably manage large pieces and still has trouble finding the right angle to get food from mum’s beak. He experimented with some self-feeding yesterday.

Finn watches breakfast feeding number two for a couple of minutes, then takes the leftovers of his morning catch and flies back up to the perch with them.

I wrote this yesterday – but I will send it anyway. Iris really is looking absolutely exhausted to me. I worry about her. She is putting everything into this season – she adores her babies – but you may well be right. If this is how she spends her last year, she would have wanted it this way. She is such a natural mum. She is in her element. I have come to love her a great deal.

I continue to believe Finn is literally heaven-sent. Just the sweetest guy. His loyalty has been fantastic. Louis never stood a chance against Finn’s determination to win Iris. I worried so much about him, but just look at the mate he has turned out to be. And what a handsome catch he is! I actually don’t hear them chat together at all – I hear Iris doing a lot of chatting but I never hear him answer. He just listens, learns and obeys. “

Osoyoos: It is 77 degrees F and 4 mph winds.

Olsen brought in a tiny whole fish at 0446. Each chick and Soo had some bites. She fed, stopping on and off, until 0453:10.

At 0800:53, Olsen brought in a very alive nice sized headless fish! Thank you for eating, Olsen. You and Soo have to eat in order to care for the babies.

Everyone got fish. Little walked away and the feeding stopped at 0818:25.

Olsen brought in the third fish of the day at 1131:49. It was a really nice size.

All of the chicks already had big crops when this big fish arrived! I am so glad that today was my day to monitor. It has been terrific. Soo fed the chicks and was still eating off the fish herself at 1158. Tears.

Little turns around and looks like it is trying out for the role of Hulk at 1157. Kids are too full to eat anymore.

At 1610 the chicks still had big crops. Did I miss a fish?

At 1728, Olsen brought in a large headless fish. Everyone has eaten well all day. The cooler temperatures and no wind must be helping. This is tremendous for this nest. Please send positive wishes every day to this family. They certainly deserve it. So was still feeding everyone an hour later and still had fish left. Sweet dreams babies…

I will check later but this nest doesn’t need any more fish today to survive but gosh it would be good for all of them if they ate and ate.

From now on I will add the temperature and wind conditions, where possible, on nests we are closely monitoring.

That tiny third hatch at Blackbush seems to be breaking hearts! It is a cutie. ‘MP’ adores this little one for being “persistently motivated, resilient and goal-driven in the face of challenges and difficulties of the parent’s predicament. Dad is lovingly family-oriented.”

‘PB’ has been monitoring the Cowlitz PUD nest and reports: “Cowlitz, little had around 115 bites. Excellent feeding and you can see a crop! This is a spunky little one that knows how to get to mom and be safe from big ones. When big one approached, little scooted closer to mom for protection and was able to feed again.Add 50 mote bites for Cowlitz little 3=165 total so far. Little found a gap between mom and dad to be fed 50 more bites!

You might remember that Challenger had cataract surgery. ‘J’ writes that it went well and sent us the link. He is now back home!

If you missed the June Condor chat, here it is!

David and Betty welcomed osplet three to the Colonial Beach nest on Friday.

Fledglings continue to return to the Venice Golf Course osprey nest for fish dinner. How lovely.

Family portrait at Oyster Bay. All is well.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Only Bob is alive and Mum is feeding it – looks OK.

It was really windy and rainy at the nest of Beaumont and Hope in Newfoundland. Hope is feeding the baby better than she has done in past years. 12 C with winds gusting to 40 km/h. Not good for fishing those winds.

Gorgeous day in Colorado. Charlie and Lola are doing really, really well. What a beautiful trio. Did you know that Lola is Charlie’s new mate replacing Charlotte? And she is 14 years old and was banded in Lola, Montana? She must have lost her mate, too. Glad these two found one another – they are a beautiful family.

Two beautiful osplets in Latvia!

A nest full of big beautiful osplets in Poole Harbour.

All is good for the Dyfi kids of Idris and Telyn.

The Dorsett Hobbies have three eggs.

Gorgeous eaglets at the Estonian nest #2. Walking stronger. Eating well. Both of them.

Goshawks abandon their nest after hearing shots.

Goshawk-nest-abandoned-in-Cairngorms-National-Park-after-shotgun-attack-–-Police-Scotland-appeal-for Download

Well the persecution of raptors continues and now there is a Taskforce. I hope it does something besides having meetings — something good for the raptors.

Police-launch-National-Hen-Harrier-Taskforce-to-tackle-illegal-persecution-on-grouse-moors-–-Raptor-Download

A large number of my readers live in the UK. Here is a great article – for those times you are going out to find wildlife – on where to go, who to spot, etc.

Puffins-catsharks-and-sea-squirts-how-to-spot-wildlife-on-the-British-coast-Environment-The-Gu Download

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, MP, PB’, George Anderson and The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Montana Osprey Project, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Blackbush, Cowlitz PUD, American Eagle Foundation, Ventana Wildlife Society, VGCCO, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Newfoundland Power, Charlo Montana, LDF, BoPH, Dyfi Osprey Project, Dorsett Hobby, Eagle Club of Estonia, Raptor Persecution UK, and The Guardian.

Darling Fledges…Thursday in Bird World

27 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, the solar-powered fountain for the bird bath has arrived. It is not as hot today, only 20 C. I will see if anyone enjoys it. – Well, not so far. I think they are afraid of the shower.

It is nice to wake up and converse with people thousands of miles away about Ospreys and their lack of food. I am specifically speaking of Menhaden in the Northeast US but, of course, warming water and pollution plus overfishing in other areas cause huge problems as well for our beloved fish eating raptors. What the folks at Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal and I hope to do is bring enough attention to bear on the issue of Osprey population decimation due to lack of fish that we can cause a ban on commercial fishing and get all of the authorities involved in cleaning up areas and restoring them as clean natural habitats. I am certain that those in the 1970s calling for a DDT ban faced similar challenges and the Osprey, at the time, was the canary in the mine. They certainly are again. It would be fantastic if each of us could add a voice and make a huge difference. We would all sleep better at night.

Our Ospreys in the NE USA depend on the Menhaden. Educate yourself with what is happening. This is one FB group that will. I will also post articles in the coming days.

So today I am reaching out to those watching osprey nests anywhere along the eastern coast of the US or on the Mississippi. If you have seen a nest fail, a nest where there has been a lack of food and chicks die, please send me the name of the nest and the link to the camera or web page, if possible, and anything you can remember. If you know what kind of fish they were primarily eating, even more better. Dale Neal writes to me, “Thank you, if we can show there are issues in other places along the coast, that could be large. I know herring forage fish populations are also an issue in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, not sure how many of the osprey problems further north may be related to that.” Any information will help, no matter how small and even how insignificant you might think it is. Every piece adds up to the big picture of depleted fishing stocks. Thank you so much – from the tip of my tiny little toe.

My first thought is that inland osprey nests are doing better than those along the East Coast and up in Washington and BC. This has to be proven – or disproven. If it is true (except for severe weather issues) then why? Is it a lack of fish? warm waters? over commercial fishing? or all of the above?

Let’s go with the bad news first and that comes from ‘PB’ who has been watching the Cowlitz PUD nest and Steelscape. The third hatch at Cowlitz PUD is starving to death. It has had little food for the past 2 days. It sounds cold. It is no longer trying to eat, even if a big fish is there. Poor thing. Their organs begin to go and something like cancer patients, the desire to eat leaves them. It is terrible. And it is happening repeatedly at nests we cannot see due to a sheer lack of food. I have yet to learn precisely what is happening in this area this year. Still, historically, it has been difficult because of competition with eagles who take the fish from the Osprey, according to Cowlitz PUD staff.

Electra is off the nest and may have gone fishing. Send this nest your positive energy.

In the UK, attention is coming to the plight of the Golden Eagles and the Peregrine Falcons with some good news coverage of the people who protect and help find evidence to convict.

South-Scotland-golden-eagles-peregrines-feature-on-BBCs-Countryfile-and-Landward-programmes-–-Rap Download

On Tuesday Finn had a tough day fishing. Only two came to the nest – very early morning and late evening. Iris was very anxious when he came in with a whole fish on Wednesday morning and she wanted to feed her babies and not let him take that fish. Finn was hungry, too and you can bet Iris was as well.

Everyone on the nest and kids still eating after 10.

Iris and Finn had a good meal with the kids.

Finn brought in another whopper! Is anyone going to be hungry?

Finnegan’s fish is huge. Iris called and he brought it to the nest. Oldest chick eating first, but we know that this fish is so big that both chicks will be filled to the brim with even some crop drops and Iris will have some nice fish, too. Finn ate the head.

Iris makes certain her smallest chick eats.

‘R’ sent us a great little clip from a local radio show about Iris and Finnegan. Thanks, ‘R’. I was so impressed with Dr Greene’s excitement. By now, Iris must be like his own daughter and he is cheering Finnegan on!!!!

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/26/nx-s1-5009211/followers-of-iris-the-osprey-celebrate-her-chicks-hatching

‘A’ comments on Finnegan and his fish: “No-one is going to go hungry on this nest. They ate last night from a fish Finn brought in around 6pm and they ate until they couldn’t eat any more and then Little Bob took a break and Big Bob kept eating, until Little Bob finally snapped out of his food coma and came back for seconds. There were still leftovers, which Finn claimed later.

This morning, that fish came early and it was huge! Absolutely massive. Finn had removed the head, having gone fishing very early this morning. He’s being a really good dad. These chicks are going to make very little dent in this monstrous fish. It really is the biggest of the season so far I think. Again last night, he spent the whole night on the perch, protecting his family. He has been doing this for several consecutive nights now – perhaps a week.

You could be right that he HAS done this before, but I still think he was very clumsy around the nest early on and has been learning quite a lot during the season. He is a quick learner, and his fathering is continuing to improve. So if he has, he is still very young. I cannot get over how handsome he is. Just a magnificent osprey. “

Oh, you have been waiting and they are back! The Dorset Eurasian Hobbies!!!!!!! They are incubating three eggs. There is a new basket for the birds and a new camera with IR. There is also a chatHere’s the link:

Precious osprey chicks in Latvia. It is estimated that the osprey population in Latvia has doubled since the 1990s with there being approximately 200 nesting couples in the forests. They make their nests on the tops of the tallest trees.

That second hatch at the Golden Eagle nest #2 in Estonia is truly brilliant. It is not having any difficulty self-feeding as compared to the #1 hatch who occasionally has problems. Both are doing well and this nest will really help inform studies on Golden Eagle behaviour. Plenty of food, good parenting – there does not have to be siblicide.

Great Bay Trio look fantastic.

At Field Farm, even Mini Little is getting some nice juvenile feathers.

Four beautiful civilised Bobs at the Poole Harbour nest of CJ7 and Blue 022. If you ever get to Poole Harbour, go for the Osprey cruise. You might get to see one of these amazing ospreys.

‘MM’ writes: ” found a new nest today but I’m sure it’s already on your radar but If not there are two more of the cutest chicks to add to your list. They are so little and absolutely adorable 😍 I only had a chance to watch one feeding today but will keep an eye on them as much as time allows me. From what I learned through a quick Google search the nest is on a horse ranch in Montana. Attacking a pic of the two cuties. Have a great day.” I haven’t had a chance to check on Swoop and Winnie. I am so glad that ‘MM’ did. Aren’t they adorable!?

Loveland Colorado osplets doing really well, too. Gosh they are lovely in those juvenile feathers.

Gorgeous babies at the Mashpee NWR MA osplet platform. There are three of them- oh, they are feathered and appear to be really healthy.

Did anyone follow the Pleasant Hill Osprey Platform in Perrysville, Ohio?

Two beauties at the Blackwater Refuge in Cambridge, MA.

We are sadly up to 86 on the Memorial Wall. The second osplet at Terrapin Cove in New Jersey died from lack of fish on Wednesday. Fell off nest.

The surviving chick at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum looks pretty good.

At the Allin’s Cove East nest, the adults continue to make adjustments to the rails. Will there be a hatch soon? Let’s hope!

LGL returns to feed the Royal Cam chick a squid smoothie.

Columbia science create an artificial tropical rain forest to try and save the Harpy Eagle.

In-Colombia-a-long-perilous-romance-to-save-the-harpy-eagle Download

USS Steel Fledgling Lucky is believed to have been spotted after many worried about whether or not he had survived. Such good news.

The trio all lined up at Charlo Montana!

Once in awhile, Hope feeds her first hatch at the Newfoundland Power nest in Snow Lane.

‘H’ reports:

6/26 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: The chicks are 12 and 8-days-old, and have been named “Harbor” and “Gray.” From AudubonGloria (Mod): “These names come from the two year-round seal species that are found in Maine, which can be frequently spotted right in Muscongus Bay off the Hog Island docks and Boat House.” Young ‘Harbor’ has started to express its dominance over ‘Gray’, with some serious beaking and biting (aww, poor lil’ Gray!). So far, this aggression has not seemed to prevent Gray from eating.

6/26 Forsythe osprey nest: Sometimes one can try to piece together some missing nest history after a live stream has been down for a couple of days. It seems as though fishing in the area has become difficult for Oscar and Opal. There were only four fish delivered to the nest by Oscar today… two were small, one was tiny, and one was a good size fish. I noticed that the dominance by the older sibling has returned after the nest had been peaceful for at least a week. Big was aggressive and was trying to prevent Middle from eating. Middle ate for five minutes at the longest meal, and only had five bites of fish at another meal. Opal left the nest for a couple of extended periods, so she may have tried to fish as well. The osplets are 36 and 35-days-old.

6/26 Osoyoos osprey nest: They had a very good day. There were only six fish brought to the nest before the live stream went down in the evening. But, one fish was large and another fish was officially considered an Osoyoos Whopper! The kids were all bug-eyed…they had never seen such a large fish. Nicely done, Olsen! Since there were no fish with tough skin, you can judge the mass of the fish by the duration of the meal times. The first five meals took Soo 8, 10, 12, 8, and 22 minutes to feed (there were no minnows today). And, at 1715 Soo fed 1/2 of the whopper for 28 minutes! That’s fantastic for this nest.

6/26 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: It was banding day for the osplets…they all got their silver Federal bands. They were banded in the morning, and there were no complimentary fish left on the nest by the banding crew. So, their feedings got off to a late start, and perhaps due to the stress of banding, Big resumed her aggressive ways toward Little. Nevertheless, they all ate very well today.

6/26 Captiva Osprey nest: Some viewers are a little disappointed at this stage in the osplets life, because the oldest, Ding, acquires (sometimes after fierce battles) most of the fish brought to the nest. This is fairly typical however, and Darling is not starving. Darling did eat 1/2 catfish in the morning, and a small part of a catfish later in the day. Jack is doing a fantastic job, and brought five fish for his youngsters today. We also witnessed what appeared to be Ding making her first dive today!

But, the really BIG NEWS: DARLING FLEDGED at 63 days of age! Well, it wasn’t exactly planned…the siblings had been in a prolonged epic battle for the last fish of the day. Then, trying a different tactic, Darling was playing it cool, trying to act all nonchalant, and sort of casually walked around Ding (but Ding was on to him, lol). When Darling went for the grab, Ding made a big wing slap at Darling, and in order to avoid the strike, Darling propelled himself off the nest. It was actually a nice take off, and he immediately flew! Darling flew two circuits around the nest area. Darling did not return to the nest in the evening.

Sydney Sea Eagles, Lady laid her first egg. ‘J’ adds: “27th June, 2024 – 17:28 Lady finally laid her first egg of 2024! Dad joined Lady in the nest bowl, till he realised he wasn’t going to be able to help. Lady then got down to business and a few minutes later, one big push and SE33 arrived.”

https://www.facebook.com/Sea.EagleCAM

Thank you, Heidi. My goodness that is good news at Osoyoos! Congratulations Darling and well, the season has begun down under!

Geemeff brings us her report for all the activities at Loch Arkaig:

Daily summary Wednesday 26th June 2024

Well, there’s not a lot to say – Louis seems to be having a rest as he only delivered one fish to the nest, and that was merely the remains of his large meal, and then spent the rest of the day perched nearby. Dorcha fed it to the chicks and got very little herself. She kept calling over to Louis without response – will he spring into action and go catch a fish before the day ends? His all-time late delivery record, set just a few days ago on the 23rd, is 23.45.37 so there was still time but no fish appeared. That one fish takes his tally to two hundred and fifty. No action on Nest One today, there was a bit of light rain overnight, and more expected tonight with a forecast of light rain showers and a gentle breeze.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.09.10 (02.06.06); Nest Two 23.34.54 (03.49.01)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/AITavG2FXxw Fish number one, small trout remnant, Dorcha gets very little 11.51.50

Bonus read – BTO history of ringing (you might be surprised at how long it’s been carried out):

https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/bird-ringing-scheme/about-ringing/history-ringing

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

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

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, MM, PB, R’, Dale Neal, Raptor Persecution UK, MontanaOsprey Project, npr.org, Dorset Hobby Camera, LDF, Eagle Club of Estonia, Great Bay, Field Farm, BoPH, Dunrovin Ranch, Pam Breci, HDonTap, Ildiko A Pork, MN Landscape Arboretum, Allin’s Cove East, Cornell Bird Lab, pays.org, Gracie Shepherd, Charlo Montana, Newfoundland Power (Snow Lane), Audubon Boat House, Forsythe Ospreys, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Patuxent River Park, Window to Wildlife, Sea Eagle Cam, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust.

Wednesday in Bird World

26 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that the first half of the week has treated you well. Thank you so much for your notes and the news that you sent that arrived in my Inbox this morning (Wednesday). I will put those great items in for tomorrow! So appreciated.

I could not believe the number of Blue Jays in the garden Tuesday afternoon. A pest control person would say we have an ‘infestation’ of Blue Jays – there were 16 in the garden at once. No, not some flying in and out and being counted twice, but sixteen! What an amazing feeling to see so many. Ever since I was luring Calico into the house and met people from another street near where I live, I realised that many people were feeding the birds and the feral cats. It has helped to increase the population numbers.

Below are some lousy images taken through the conservatory windows with the iPhone.

Too many choices!

This one loved digging in the plant pot.

This Blue Jay really wanted a peanut, but one of Dyson’s kits was on the table feeder. This one is also moulting but have a look at those beautiful markings especially around the eye. Looks like it has been practising the latest look with the kohl markers.

The markings around the eye are entirely different on this one. Gosh, I love Blue Jays. These images will go in the file form last summer to see if I can identify any of the birds.

Hope is almost ready for her first birthday and she has the most beautiful eyes. She has only to stare at me and I melt – not beautiful Baby Blues but Baby Greens.

Hugo Yugo has the most beautiful tail. It is as big as she is!

While Omega is taking record catches of Menhaden (its quota), the Ospreys in the Bay area are noted to be having difficulty finding food. This is the saddest thing I can think of. The ASMFC makes the quota and every state is represented. IF we want our ospreys to have food and not have their population completely decimated then the people that make quota decisions need to understand that commercial fishing of Menhaden needs to stop and stop now. The list of those decision-makers is below.

I also learned this: “The Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay are two separate ecosystems.Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) uses ocean only survey data from NOAA on Menhaden to set an Ocean and Bay quota. No wonder the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is on the verge of collapse – the 112M lb Bay quota is set by throwing darts.” (Brain Collins, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal FB).

Commissioners-Atlantic-States-Marine-Fisheries-Commission Download

‘EJ’ sent me some great news about the intentional release of balloons. In Florida, it is now against the law. You can still have balloons, you just cannot intentionally let them fly free. But what about those accidents? Now can we get an all out ban on the use of balloons for anything? Just ban them. People who leave them tied to the gate posts on their drive cause as much trouble as those who release them into the air. They still get into the environment. Just take the big step and ban them.

DeSantis-signs-law-banning-intentional-release-of-balloons-Fox-News Download

A Himalyan Vulture has been photographed in Armenia for the first time.

Western-Palearctics-first-Himalayan-Vulture-photographed-in-Armenia-BirdGuides Download

England is getting another protected area in Cumbria. It may be baby steps to some but any success is worth the effort!!!!!

Englands-largest-rainforest-becomes-protected-reserve-BirdGuides Download

Waiting for hatch at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

All is well with CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour and their four osplets. One is wanting to nibble and get that fish away from Dad!

The two Golden Eaglets at Estonian nest 2 Kaljukotkas are the sweetest things. Yes, you read that right! Prey was brought in and older sibling left some for the younger. Seriously it doesn’t get much better than that!

Aran and Elen’s trio at Glaslyn are marvellous. I can’t wait til they are ringed. What an idyllic spot to hatch! The sound of cows and sheep, the beautiful green of the Welsh countryside. They will be ringed shortly.

The two surviving chicks at Maryland’s Western Shore nest are really wanting to self feed. Mum still likes to control those fish!

They are very loud – oh, that beautiful sound of an osplet fish crying. And they are the size of their parents.

Nox and Annie – you might want to turn down the volume!

‘PB’ reports that in the late afternoon the third hatch at Steelscape finally had a crop! The little one has had trouble getting any food. We are concerned.

The baby had a tough time at Cowlitz PUD today, too, but ‘PB’ counted 50 nice sized bites of fish at the last feeding. That is not good but might be survivable providing more fish comes in early on Wednesday. A confirmed late evening large fish has arrived. The two older chicks ate their fill. Little three had nothing.

Marders Only Bob is doing very well.

I have to remind myself that those tiny third hatches can survive when I look at Blackbush. I am thinking of Tiny Little Blue 464 at Foulshaw Moss, Tiny Little at Achieva in 2021, Little Mini aka Tiny Dancer at Patchogue…but they have to have spunk and a bit of creativity to get to that fish.

Looking at the two osplets at Bridge Golf Course you might not notice that there is concern for the leg of the second hatch.

Geemeff sends us the Loch Arkaig Daily Summary – thank you, Geemeff!

Daily summary Tuesday 25th June 2024

A day with few fish but plenty of good manners, and confirmation of two chicks on the Bunarkaig nest (thanks Chaddie), whose parents may or may not be Prince & Affric 152. Louis only delivered three fish today, none of them especially big, so Dorcha gave the two chicks, who queued up politely and took turns, most of the fish and only took a little for herself. Louis’ tally rises to two hundred and forty nine (249), although judging by his bulging crop, he may well have caught more than three today. Dorcha took out her hunger on some sticks and the chicks paid close attention making sure to keep out of her way. Garry LV0 paid several visits to Nest One, bringing nesting materials and doing housekeeping as well as perching quietly and preening. The weather was settled today, and more of the same tonight with a forecast of light clouds, light winds and a low of 12 °C.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.18.32 (03.29.13); Nest Two (04.08.47)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/K3WvjHDOV-M N2 Fish number one, not much left for Dorcha 09.29.00

https://youtu.be/Z_3zm3AQWgc N1 Garry LV0 brings bedding but only stays a short time 12.04.22

https://youtu.be/Y2Gv_Oh4iNk N1 Garry returns and does some nest prep 14.45.25

https://youtu.be/dFLYF7Ayh0E N2 Fish number two, chicks queue politely 16.44.47

https://youtu.be/ySDyxYVtZpw N2 Personages with long sticks 17.17.01 (Classic Ospreys – Saint-Saëns)

https://youtu.be/4vw_4rNXK2g N2 Fish number three, small headless trout, Dorcha gets hardly any 20.02.23

Bonus shopping – bag a bargain in Woodland Trust’s sale – every purchase made from WT’s shop funds vital work to plant and protect trees and woods across the UK: https://shop.woodlandtrust.org.uk/summer-sale

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

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

Oh, look at my guy. Blue 33! He is delivering fish #10 at 20:18 for Maya to feed their Only Bob. Oh, there are nests that could only dream about this number and size of fish. So what is the difference? Rutland has a stocked pond.

Blue 1H0 has the same ‘snake eyes’ as Daddy Blue 33. Just gorgeous.

Oh, Iris. You are looking tired to me. But you are taking such good care of those babies.

On Tuesday, it appeared that Finn had trouble fishing with only this very early morning fish. Will there be another? What is the problem?

Darling Finn brought in the second fish of the day for Iris and their babies. Thanks, ‘PB’. Was he on security duty all day? or was fishing particularly difficult? That was a huge gap in time.

SF Bay Ospreys are giving us a 26 day report – that is the age of the oldest of the two chicks of Rosie and Richmond. It is now half way to fledge. Gosh, time passes so quickly.

Anna and Andrew’s Beautiful Lesser Spotted Eaglet at Zemgale, Latvia, Ieva. Several voles coming in for food. I wonder how many small mammals are available in the forest for food? Have the population of small mammals changed in the area?

Selgas and Svinga have at least one miracle little osplet in that nest in Latvia. I strained my eyes to try and see if there were two of them on Tuesday.

And yes, it was a second little head. Thanks, ‘J’.

In Newfoundland, the first egg has hatched at the nest of Hope and Beaumont in Snow Lane.

It’s raining and it is unclear to me if the baby has been fed.

‘A’ keeps us up to date on what is happening with Dad and Lady in the Sydney Olympic Forest: “Meanwhile, an egg is surely just around the corner at WBSE: June 25: After some time on the nest, standing and keeping us in suspense, Lady went to her sleeping branch and slept quietly for the rest of the night. Both woke early, with several early morning duets and finally mating at 6:25. Both were away just before 7am. Dad returned with a small bream, head eaten, and left it on the nest at 7:13. Both eagles were seen from the river at 7:50, one at River Roost, the other near Ironbark Roost in the forest. Dad returned and took the fish himself just after 9am. He brought a stick in just before 10am, followed by Lady, and left again after a little work. Both returned just before 11am, Dad with another stick. Both left again, no prey. Dad was back again an hour later, followed by Lady – no prey – and off again. Then he brought a leafy twig, again followed by Lady – then she was off again. Dad returned with a big whiting at 16:19, quickly claimed by Lady and taken off to eat at Ironbark Roost. She returned the last scrap to the nest at 16:48. Later, at last light, both were on the nest, then moved to nearby branches for the evening. Will tonight be the night?

Syracuse University confirms that Oren and Ruth’s two Red-tail Hawklets fledged.

‘H’ sends her great reports!

6/25 Colonial Beach Osprey nest: Yay! Betty and David now have two lil’ babies. Their second baby hatched at approximately 17:48. One more egg to go.

6/25 Fortis Exshaw: Things are going very well for this family…Harvie brings in so much fish, that there is no feeling of food insecurity by the osplets. Two years ago, Louise and Jasper fledged three chicks. Last year, Jasper disappeared early in the season, and Louise had a difficult time fishing for her three young kids, while at the same time dealing with some really mean intruders. Louise had some assistance for a few weeks by another male, Mr. O. He brought fish and helped with nest security, but I fear that Mr. O may have also been a victim of the intruders. Only one osplet of three fledged. That was Banff. Fingers crossed for Louise and her new family this year.

6/25 Osoyoos osprey nest: In my mind, fish size is relative to any given nest. A ‘whopper’ at Osoyoos would be considered a medium sized fish at many other nests. Olsen mostly brings tiny, small, and medium sized fish to the nest, and rarely is he able to catch a large fish. There are variables such as: is the fish headless, is the fish thin or thick (fish mass)? I like to judge by how long it takes Soo to feed her three kids from any given fish. From my observations: A feeding from a tiny fish only takes Soo 3-4 minutes to feed, 5-7 minutes for a small fish, 8-10 minutes for a medium sized fish, and 11-15 minutes for a large fish. This is not a perfect system by any means…a tough fish will take longer to feed, and if Soo becomes distracted for a bit, that will prolong a feeding. There were ‘only’ five feedings for the osplets today, down from their average of 7-9 meals per day. No aggression was observed during any of the feedings. The meals lasted (in minutes of duration): 5, 11, 5, 8, and 15 minutes. The chicks are growing rapidly, and their appetites are increasing. Due to the size of the fish, Olsen needs to catch a whole lot of fish for this hungry brood in order to prevent any food insecurity. Fingers crossed.

6/25 Forsythe osprey nest: The live stream had been down for 2.5 days, and upon return of the stream just before noon today, we saw one of the osplets self-feeding. And, after a while, the other chick stole the fish and also self-fed. The self-feeding is a new development. The 35 and 34-day-old osplets are looking good.

6/25 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest: Della and Warren are doing a great job, and this family is doing well. The 29 and 28-day-old osplets are simply gorgeous (this is one of my home nests…so I’m a little biased, lol).

In Oklahoma, excessive heat is killing songbirds. Many Robins found dead. Some people are putting frozen gel packs in their water bowls and bird baths to help keep the water cool. Please put out water for all the feathered friends and critters! Shallow dishes with pebbles help. Food if you can, but water is so important. Thank you and thank you to everyone who sent me a note to say they are doing their part with providing water. You are saving lives. Smile. Every little bit helps.

It is about that time. 1 July in Canada and the 4th in the US. And I am sure there are celebrations elsewhere. I continue to imagine celebrations without things that harm the wildlife – like balloons and fireworks. Just think what the money spent on fireworks could do to help non-humans and humans.

Persuade your community that there are alternatives – that might even include a free picnic for everyone. Anything but fireworks and balloons.

Final note: The little one at Cowlitz had no fish from the first feed at Cowlitz PUD and the same at Steelscape. So sad.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: A, EJ, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Brian Collins, ASMFC, FOX News, BirdGuides, Trent University, BoPH, Eagle Club of Estonia, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home, SK Hideaways, Steelscape Osprey Cam, Cowlitz PUD, Marders, Blackbush, Bridge Golf, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, LRWT, Montana Osprey Project, SF Bay Ospreys, LDF, Newfoundland Power, Sea Eagle Cam, SU Hawk Nest Cam, Colonial Beach, Fortis-Exshaw, Osoyoos, Mispillion Harbour, Forsythe, and Spay-Neuter Coalition of NM,

2 kg female osplet ringed in Wales…Tuesday in Bird World

25 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

‘The Girls’ and I are sitting in the conservatory despite the high temperature. It is 29 C. We have gotten hotter in the summers, but everything feels strange – like a big storm coming. The trees are twirling around and the clouds are moving quickly covering up the sun and yet, there is no prediction of anything happening. Cold water has been put out for the birds and more food for the Corvids as they are feeding babies and fledglings are coming to the garden now. I hope to get some good images of them one day.

I am not complaining. I understand from ‘MM’ that it is 96 F with a heat index of 101 in North Carolina. This is why all those osprey babies (and eagles) should hatch in the winter. So much better!

The garden is a shady paradise in the lilacs and the tunnel created with the vines and other trees. There is also shade on the deck in the late afternoon. The birds come out to feed again after having a siesta.

Junior wants a peanut but Dyson is there.

So he decides to have a bath.

It is hot everywhere. Please remember to leave out shallow bowls of water for the animals. You will save their lives. Water is more important than food when the heat is so high. Even pie pans with water – put try and put them in the shade. Thank you.

This just puts a smile on my face. Someone doing something to help birds. Enter mosquitoes to the Hawaiian Islands.

Millions-of-mosquitoes-released-in-Hawaii-to-save-rare-birds-from-extinction-Hawaii-The-Guardian Download

Idris and Telyn have set a record at the Dyfi nest in Wales. One of the females broke the weight record for a chick ringed in Wales. She came in over 2 kg. Here is the announcement with the names of the osplets!

That is incredible. ‘Daddy Longlegs’ Idris has really been hauling in the fish. Even that male has a nice healthy weight.

‘MM’ sends news that we have the first hatch at Colonial Beach. It is hot there. 31.3 C or 88 F. Chick has already had its first feeding! Well done, Betty and David. See also ‘H’s report below on this nest.

Iris’s oldest chick is rather precocious. It is already nibbling on the fish!

‘A’ comments on something magical: “Finn brought in a leftover chunk of fish at about 18:44 and just stands with it on the nest for about 25 minutes. Finally, he starts nibbling at it and Iris stands up, but Finn just keeps eating himself. Baby Bob spots who has the fish and is promptly over to dad, although both chicks already have good crops. It takes dad a while to stop feeding his face (and giving the odd bite to Iris) and start feeding Little Bob, and then he looks the wrong way when dad offers him fish, but around 19:16 a feeding of sorts begins. Soon, Big Bob sees what is happening and lumbers up behind Little Bob but does not interfere. Dad leans over to feed the older chick and at this point, he gives up on eating and starts feeding the two osplets in turn. It is wonderful to watch. This guy really is a keeper. He has a bit to learn about leaving leftovers on the nest and if he is only going to catch two or three whoppers a day, to bring them back more than once so they represent more than one feeding, but none of that will matter shortly, when they are big enough to handle fewer, larger feeds.

Finn has been an amazing first-time dad, guarding his family and the territory with great dedication and bringing in enough fish to feed the family (albeit his delivery schedule needs a little adjustment – see above). He has fed Iris on several occasions when she is tired or when it is wet, and now, he is feeding the osplets as well. This is one fantastic dad in the making. And Iris has chosen well. “

‘B’ writes that we have fledges! “Fledges at both Fraser Point and Bald Canyon this morning — the second FP chick (usually referred to as Reign) at 8:32:09 and Selene at BC at 10:07:54. Reign was back on an adjacent branch at 10:38:06 and on the nest proper within a minute…So all the Channel Islands eaglets that are on nest cams have now fledged.” Congratulations everyone. A wonderful year!

‘B’ also sent us a link to an article in The Washington Post. Do you think the Bald Eagle is the official bird of the United States? Have a read!

Opinion | You probably think this is our national bird. Think again.

‘TU’ has sent us some news. A pair of Egyptian Geese took over a stork nest. Their chicks took the leap this morning. Video below.

In Montreal, Peregrine Falcon chick Polo fledges! Beautiful flight. Oh, how I hate those windows.

Let’s catch up with the news from ‘H’:

6/24 Colonial Beach Virginia osprey nest: Congratulations to Betty and David on the hatch of their first baby!

6/24 Barnegat Light osprey nest: Even though Daisy and Duke did not have any eggs this season, they continue to hang out together in the bay area. We are delighted when they grace us with their presence on camera. Theirs is a love story.

6/24 The Osoyoos osprey nest had another nice day. They had nine feedings, and all three of the osplets had good crops. Meal times remained peaceful, but I did catch a pretty good beaking battle in between meals, and that kerfuffle was started by Little!

6/24 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Capt Mac’s fish House): Okay now…I am starting to be impressed. June is keeping her leftover fish, saving it for more feedings, and she is feeding longer. Just look at the crop on that lil’ 10-day-old osplet. Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

6/24 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: It was a veritable fish-feast-day. There were a total of six long meals throughout the day . Something really cool happened in the afternoon… At 1410 Mom brought a large fish to the nest (first fish for her this season), and two minutes later Dad landed in the nest with a large fish. A dual feeding took place, with Dad primarily feeding the two older siblings for 1/2 hour before he left with half his fish. And, Mom primarily fed Little. She continued to feed everyone from her fish after Dad left, and her fish lasted an hour.

6/24 Captiva ospreys: The day started off with a surprise for Ding and Darling when they had a visitor in the middle of the night…a young heron landed in the nest for a short period of time. The kids maintained their cool, but we’ve never seen their eyes so big! Jack brought three fish to the nest today, and Darling had his very own hardhead catfish. He was able to unzip it, and ate the whole fish. Edie was last seen on cam on 6/23, but there have been sightings of an adult osprey landing in a nearby tree, and some believe that they have heard Edie. It is believed that Edie is taking a short break, and that her absence from the nest has nothing to do with the fishing line incident of 6/21. After the fishing line incident, Edie delivered fish to the nest on 6/21, 6/22, and 6/23, and she seemed just fine.

Thanks so much, ‘H’. That Fenwick Island baby is too cute – and oh, so full! Love it.

That little osplet in Kurzeme Latvia is also so cute. OK. They are all cute little dinosaurs.

Four hot ospreys at Field Farm. Little Mini is getting its feathers.

Birds of Poole Harbour Fab Four are deliriously wonderful. CJ7 and Blue 022. I can’t tell you how much I adore them.

And then there is Louis at Loch Arkaig that brought in a fish at midnight to Dorcha. Yes, midnight. Do ospreys hunt in the dark? how light was it in Scotland at midnight? Oh, I just wish I could send one of those fish over to Osoyoos.

Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig: Monday 24th June 2024

The day started out a bit soggy but soon improved, and Louis had a bit of a lie-in after yesterday’s midnight fish, not turning up until lunchtime with today’s first fish. He followed it up with three more, taking his tally to two hundred and forty six. Dorcha had fun with a stick but was left hungry as the growing chicks devoured most of the fish, however the arrival of a large 11pm fish supper meant she didn’t end the day hungry. The nest seems to be getting a little crowded now that the chicks are mobile and stretching out their suddenly long wings, perhaps that’s why one chick took a pop at the other and a short sharp fight broke out. There was much discussion on the forum about which chick is which as it’s getting very difficult to tell them apart. Garry LV0 turned up on Nest One again today, bringing nesting materials and doing a bit of nest scraping. Is this a frustration eyrie? Whatever his motives, it’s good to see him. Tonight’s forecast is light rain and light winds, luckily although the chicks are too big to fit under Dorcha, their preen glands are coming through and they’re starting to get some waterproofing.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.15.51 (02.48.23); Nest Two (03.32.32)

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

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

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/Alfrd7novqE N1 Garry LV0 arrives early and does some nest prep 06:15:01

https://youtu.be/fs7pwvQ359g N2 Fish number one, small whole trout, chicks queue politely 12.45.07

https://youtu.be/iQA9jIPeDsE N2 Fight! Is the nest getting too crowed? Chicks have a pop 13.01

https://youtu.be/opTBHM-Q3jk N2 Dorcha brings a stick and hangs it round Chick1’s neck 14.28.44

https://youtu.be/ryxHF_M71io N2 Fish number two, big whole trout, Dorcha gets hardly any of it 15.30.25

https://youtu.be/45KVDHPY0x40 N2 Fish number three, headless small trout, soon finished, Dorcha’s still hungry 17.08.47

https://youtu.be/Ijm7ts7aZGk N2 Fish number four, whole trout, Dorcha tucks in immediately 23.05.25

Bonus read – Flights, Camera, Action! Postcode Lottery discuss their sponsorship of the nest cam:

https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/postcode-hub/news/flights-camera-action

Blackbush. Sometimes dual feedings. Sometimes Dad feeding Mum who feeds babies. Send this nest hope. We have seen these little ones before survive. Tiny Dancer. Tiny Little. Blue 464. It depends on the amount of prey and the willingness of the parents to work hard to keep all of them alive – just like CJ7 and Blue 022 are doing.

Beautiful fledglings back on the VIMS nest.

Once in awhile you will catch a fledgling on the Frenchman’s Creek nest. These kids are gorgeous. Look at that clean nest!

Looks like Tuffy had a couple of nice fish today on the Moorings Park nest. These kids of Harry and Sally are gorgeous.

It was 26 C in Osoyoos today. Tomorrow will be 27 – and believe me, it is hotter on the top of an osprey nest than it is at ground level. Then there is to be rain. Oh, please give these babies some fish – some big fish because Soo and Olsen have to eat, too!

My goodness. The plumage on that baby at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is dark. Very pretty little osplet. The image shows Mum feeding the little one from the whole fish that Dad brought in around 1400. There had at least been one earlier fish. It is hot on that nest!

Oh, look at those fat little bottoms at Charlo Montana!

Winnie and Swoop have their second baby at Dunrovin on the 24th.

It is hot in Colorado. Pitkin County Mum is the perfect mumbrella keeping her babies cool. She fluffs her own feathers to keep herself cool as well.

I sure would like to see more fish in the heat at Cowlitz PUD but there are still three osplets that appear to be alright.

Beautiful baby at Clark PUD.

Boulder County Mum keeping their Only Bob cool and fed!

No love lost when it comes to food amounts San Jose fledglings!

Many of us are hoping to find out what happened to Redwood Queen and Zenith’s chick in the Big Sur Redwood Forest. We are joining the Ventana Wildlife Society’s Condor Chat which is on the last Thursday of the month. Very informative.

Got to the Ventana Wildlife Society website to sign up. The Condor chats are also archived and you can view them on YouTube.

Educate yourself about California Condors and the acute challenges they face. The Ventana Wildlife Society led the way in giving their flock vaccines for HPAI. Now they are helping others.

We have another Condor baby. Fingers crossed.

Decorah North continues to thrive despite the nest collapse.

Gorgeous Black Storks in Portugal.

Beautiful Mum at Port Lincoln Barge on the nest and eating a fish she caught and brought back quickly.

‘PB’ has been keeping an eye on Cowlitz PUD and Steelscape. She writes, “I just checked both Cowlitz and Steelcase since they are both in the same area. Fish seems to be coming in slow and far apart, keeping #1 grouchy and getting most of the food. Steelcase is worrisome to me for #3. It’s is constantly bullied by #1 when food arrives. Even bullies away #2. #3 Steelcase could use more fish. #3 managed to bravely grab a few big pieces of the tail section on ladt fish but is hungry. Cowlitz little baby ate a good breakfast but not much after that. Last fish there was 4 hours ago. Still light out so hoping for a late fish but both places need larger fish to feed 3 mouths.”

Smile. Canada Geese enjoying the grass by an airport in Alabama. Thanks, ‘L’. It seems so odd seeing them with palm trees! Oh, I love the Canada Geese – and guess what? They are not the national bird of Canada. The Gray Jay is. Go figure.

And another smile. Ospreys rescued and in care. Thanks, ‘J’.

Menhaden are the primary fish of the Ospreys in the NE USA. If you want to know how bad the commercial fishing industry is impacting these life-giving little fish, you only have to go to the FB page – Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal. here is a post from this morning. This is seriously concerning and the commercial fishing needs to stop before the Osprey are completely wiped out. Of course Dophins and Whales eat Menhaden, too, and they are practically disappeared from the area.

Our friend Hob in Kauai sends us news of the first moli fledge for 2024. how wonderful!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. If it is super hot where you live, drink lots of fluids. Consider putting water out for the animals even if you can’t see them – we have visitors during the night that eat and drink. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, letters, comments, questions, videos, images, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J, L, MM, MP, PB, TU’, The Guardian, Dyfi Osprey Project, Colonial Beach Ospreys, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cams, Pam Breci, The Washington Post, Fenwick Island, Patuxent River Park, Osoyoos, Wildlife Conserve of NJ (Barnegat Light), Window to Wildlife, HorstsHorst, Montreal Falcon Cam, LDF, BoPH, Geemeff, Blackbush, VIMS, Frenchman’s Creek, Moorings Park Ospreys, Osoyoos Ospreys, MN Landscape Arboretum, Charlo Montana, Ashley Wilson, Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails, Clark PUD, Boulder County, SK Hideaways, Ventana Wildlife Society, Lady Hawk, Tajo International, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Polk County Animal Control, Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal FB, and Hob Osterlund.

Monday in Bird World

24 June 2024

Oh, good morning. We are celebrating today. We have a late hatch baby osplet in Latvia!!!!!!!! Oh, tears and jumping up and down. Oh, please let this little one be safe. It appears the second egg has a hole in it. Just overjoyed. Ospreys are so rare in Latvia. Everyone must be celebrating. Congratulations Selgas and Svinga.

The Estonian Osprey nest of M1 and IIris has sadly failed. The ospreys continue to visit the nest on occasion. M1 has covered the egg on and off. The camera is now offline.

There is sad news coming from the Finnish Osprey nest at Seili. First two eggs did not hatch. The third did hatch and was predated by a Crow.

Look at those two beautiful osplets, fully feathered, in Napiwodzko-Ramucka in Poland.

The two Golden Eaglets in Estonia nest #2 are doing so well. It is late on Sunday and no food has arrived yet. They had good ‘ps’ early in the day.

The name given to the only Golden Eagle on the Estonian nest #1 is Diana.

The two gorgeous Eastern Imperial Eagles in Tatarstan RU are doing so well.

The Lesser Spotted Eaglet, Ieva, in Zemgale, Latvia is so cute. It is beginning to get its feathers. Mum Anna spends much time preening her little one. One thing I have found interesting is when Ieva casts a pellet, Anna will often share that pellet with Ieva as food again. There were lots of frogs on the menu for the 23rd, Sunday. After so many, many frogs, Andris shows up with a vole. I have not seen him on the nest recently so this is fantastic.

The first time the chicks in the Tweed Valley nest of Mrs O have seen the sun in 21 days. It must feel wonderful and it will dry out that nest. So many lost to weather. Glad to see these three nicely feathered and surviving!

The three osplets at the Oxford, MA nest (camera run by Oxfordma.us) look to be almost completely feathered and extremely healthy. A little older than the ones in Tweed Valley.

The four osplets at Field Farm are drying out after heavy rains.

Dad got the fish in and Little Mini is at the beak at Field Farm!

At Bridge Golf, both osplets had a nice fish lunch.

Fish on the nest at Moorings Park and Ruffy watches the water.

At the US Steel Bald Eagle nest of Irvin and Claire, their only eaglet, Lucky, fledged on Sunday! Congratulations everyone.

And now there is concern for Lucky. Send positive wishes.

Three babies at Blackush so far looking good. Weather is off and on miserable.

Last breeding season, the lovely Marders nest failed. All the chicks died for no apparent reason. The owner of the property followed all advice and protocols and had them picked up for a necroscopy. It is possible they were too decomposed. This year, the family has one two week old osplet and two DNH eggs.

Two beautiful fledglings returning to the nest for fish at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science platform.

Mum at Pitkin County working hard to keep her three osplets cool in the rising heat of Colorado.

Rainy, hot, and humid at Great Bay. It finally dries up. Three gorgeous osplets.

‘H’ hasher reports for us!

6/23 The Osoyoos osprey nest continues to do well. The 13, 15, and 16-day-old chicks are looking good. There were 8 feedings that I saw. There was no sign of sibling rivalry or aggression. Some of the fish were tiny, but some were medium in size. Little missed out on the first meal that consisted of a small fish, because he was sleepy and waited to approach…”He who hesitates….” Little only ate two bites of fish at the second meal, because the fish was so tiny. Later, Little ate his/her share at the other meals, right up at Soo’s beak, side by side with the big kids.

6/23 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest: Harvie is an excellent fisher, and he delivered three whoppers and a smaller fish today. There were 8 meals, some of which consisted of leftovers from the whoppers. There was no sign of aggression at the meals. Little is handicapped…well, by being little, lol. S/he simply cannot reach as far toward Louise’s beak as the bigger kids, but he manages to get fed, especially toward the end of the meals. Little did not eat at the last meal of the day, simply because the fish was small. All is good at this nest.

6/23 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Capt Mac’s Fish House): There were six meals provided for the 8-day-old babe, which was an improvement. The meals were also a little longer in duration. Male ospreys usually wisely remove leftover fish from the nest to avoid enticing predators, and Johnny is very diligent about that. At 1350, it had been 5.5 hours since the last meal, and June fed from a nice sized fish. This time, June prevented Johnny from taking the leftover piece of fish. June fed the osplet again in an hour, and the kiddo had a very nice crop! In fact s/he had a nice crop a couple of times today. Good. Now, if Johnny could just deliver more fish…

6/23 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: The 9 and 5-day-old siblings are doing well. There is never a shortage of fish provided by Skiff. And, Dory is a great mom, always ensuring that both of her youngsters are fed.

6/23 Captiva Osprey nest: This family had a very good day. The new fledgling, Ding, made several flights off the nest, and she made some very nice landings back on the nest, and also onto the perch. Darling performed her first hover high enough that s/he was out of our view. And, Darling walked up onto a perch for the first time. There were five fish delivered to the nest, and Jack brought four of them. Overnight 6/24, the kids had a

There has been an accidental fledge at the Avon Lake Bald Eagle nest with three eaglets. More information to follow.

Even rehabbers, especially rehabbers, need to remember. IF you can PICK UP a Peregrine Falcon and hold it and you are not doing that to put on its bands, then THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BIRD. It truly is that simple. You don’t want that raptor rendering your arm useless.

Oh, Monty and Hartley’s chicks are soooooo cute.

Iris and Finnegan have their hands full with these two osplets. You can immediately tell the difference in development just looking at them. But, oh, so cute! Finnegan spent Saturday night on the perch protecting Iris and the babies. Gosh, I love this guy.

‘PB’ reports that some bonking/dominance is taking place between Iris and Finnegan’s chicks. The oldest is in the Reptile Stage. Maybe it is a female. Iris is good, though. She makes sure both of those babies get stuffed to the top!

Bless his heart. Finnegan just keeps bringing in the fish for the family!

Cute little babies at Charlo Montana.

The camera is not great but we can now clearly see three osplets on the Collins Marsh nest on top of a relocated Wild Fire Watch Tower in Wisconsin.

Cowlitz PUD is looking good!

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

Daily summary Sunday 23rd June 2024

Calm was the order of the day, the weather was settled and the two chicks behaved impeccably. Dorcha had a bit of fun with an unwieldy stick which, after causing chaos, was lost overboard. Garry LV0 paid a flying visit to Nest One and a little bird did a quick flit round too. The star of today was Louis, who loomed up out of the darkness at 14 minutes and 23 seconds before midnight with a record-breaking latest delivery fish, to take his total for the day to five fish and his season’s tally to two hundred and forty one. Tonight’s forecast for Inver Mallie which includes the nest area, is partly cloudy and light winds. Perhaps Louis will do a spot more fishing – it will be interesting to see what time he delivers the first fish tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.09.26 (03.09.37); Nest Two 23.30.31 (03.43.42)

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

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

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/Mw1wYciPyBg N2 Fish number, one live trout, chicks line up politely 06.28.23

https://youtu.be/NiluW_gKrG0 N2 Fish number two, headless trout, chicks still polite 08.26.17

https://youtu.be/e1DJpaL8Dlo N2 Dorcha causes chaos with a stick, tbut it soon goes overboard 11.02.20

https://youtu.be/e3oZRUuHIzs N1 GarryLV0 visits for just seven seconds 13.31.19 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/gZDgFJrJfMo N2 Fish number three, smallish headless trout, Dorcha doles out evenly 13.47.14

https://youtu.be/0yXwS1_ft18 N2 Fish number four, whole flatfish, chicks are not very enthusiastic but queue up anyway 15.48.34

https://youtu.be/kqS35fIdnn8 N1 A little bird makes a brief flit around and underneath 20.38.30

https://youtu.be/35Zn71fWiCg N2 Fish number five, headless trout – breaks all-time latest delivery record! 23.45.37

Bonus watch – Woodland Trust’s video for World Rainforest Day 2024:

Oh, wonderful news coming from ‘AM’ and Port Lincoln: “Ervie arrived at the nest at 11:42 in Port Lincoln! He was kicked out by his mother at 12:17:43!”

I was just able to rewind. Ervie on the nest and then on the perch. There is some suspicions that Ervie is a female because Mum kicked ‘her’ out. Mum did not respond that way to Calypso (2019 hatch) who was believed to be female but turned out to be a male. The pair mated on the nest.

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

Thank you to the following for their posts, notes, comments, pictures, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AM, Geemeff, H, J, PB’. LDF, Eagle Club of Estonia, Seili Osprey Cam, Pybolowy Online, Tatarstan Eastern Imperial Eagle Cam RU, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Oxford MA Ospreys, Field Farm, Bridge Golf, Moorings Park, Deb Stecyk, Blackish, Marders, VIMS, Pitkin County, Great Bay Ospreys, Iowa Bird Rehabilitation, SK Hideaways, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cam, Charlo Montana, Cowlit PUD, Window to Wildlife, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos Ospreys, Kent Island, Fenwick Island, Greemeff and The Woodland Trust, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Collins Marsh.

Too many deaths…Wednesday in Bird World

19 June 2024

Hello Everyone,

As I wake up, sadness has just drifted over Bird World again. Dear Luna is gone and so are Zeus and Hera’s chicks. Bless his heart, our little sweet Smallie is gone, too.

It feels like a day for quiet reflection and to give thanks for those little ones that are surviving this year. They are VERY special!

I am writing this sitting at the nature centre eating a lunch-type breakfast and sipping Moroccan Tea. The Woodpeckers and the Red-wing Blackbirds are pecking away at the feeders. I find it interesting that the Blackbirds are not out foraging. Is it our horrific weather? It rains every day. I am surprised my house is not covered in mould and creepers! And then there is Steve, the resident Muskrat. Steve lives under the deck of the nature centre and loves eating bird seed~. The forecast is for yet another thunder storm this evening. This has been weeks with some breaks. The water in the river is very high making it difficult for the eagles and ospreys to fish. Our wildlife and raptors are suffering like they are elsewhere. We certainly needed the rain after our dry winter and it has stopped all of the wild fires but it is time to let somewhere else that needs the moisture have it. Famous last words. Our rain gauge can’t even keep up!

I am so glad that I have ‘The Girls’, the garden animals, and my walks. They help me to keep balanced in a Bird World that is decidedly unbalanced this year.

These two had been taking turns washing one another when they turned around and ‘sort of’ looked up.

Such an angel when she is sleeping.

Calico and Hope had been on the top snuggled together, too. Of course, I went to get the phone camera and look what happened.

Little Red was the first to find the new seed cylinder!

This is the season that just keeps on gifting – and the gifts are grief. Luna, the only surviving eaglet of Liberty and Guardian at the Redding nest in California on the Sacramento River, is dead. Her brother Sol died on the nest on 14 June.

Are these deaths related? or not? Is it possible that this is HPAI? Hopefully the necroscopy will tell those that need to know. Condolences to Liberty and Guardian who faced a challenging year with rising water and a nest tree that was very frail and to all the Friends of the Redding Eagles.

I will start with Heidi’s reports.

Last year, Hera lost her chicks to the weather We thought she had lost her mate, Zeus, too. This year dramatic sadness:
“6/19, South Cape May Meadows osprey nest of Hera and Zeus: There is no night light at the nest, and it was very dark. It sounded like a GHO knocked Hera off the nest at 0359. The GHO then landed on the perch, and went to the nest for a short time. The owl returned to the nest at 0420. There is no sign of the babies or Hera this morning. The osprey nestlings were 8 and 5 days of age.”

Hera came to the nest at 0906, she was dirty and disheveled, but she otherwise seemed (physically sic) okay.

6/18 Osoyoos osprey nest: There were six feedings that I saw from 5 fish. A few of the fish were medium in size, some smaller. All of the osplets ate well at each meal, except meal #5, during which Little decided he’d rather sleep! I did not see any aggression during the feedings. The osplets are looking good. The osplets are 11, 10, and 8 days of age.

6/18 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House): Johnny and June have one baby this year (the remaining egg will not hatch). I’ve been concerned that the 4-day-old chick may not be getting enough to eat. I tried to follow their activities more closely today. There were five feedings that I saw, and the feedings seemed to go well between mom and baby. Usually the young osprey babies require small, but more frequent feedings. Johnny is not bringing fish to the nest very often, and he removes leftovers. The baby looks okay, though. I will continue to monitor.

6/18 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: Congratulations to Dory and Skiff on the hatch of their second baby!

6/18 Forsythe osprey nest: Oscar brought six fish to the nest, all were at least medium sized, and a couple of them were quite large. The osplets both ate well, and there was no aggression. Very hot temperatures are predicted in the upcoming days, so keep plenty of fish coming in if you can Oscar.

6/18 Patuxent osprey nest: We saw the ‘return of the whopper’, and Little had a much better day today. The first meal was from a small whole fish, and Little didn’t get any of that. At 0730, Dad delivered a medium sized partial fish, and Little started to eat first. Dad turned right around and brought a medium whole fish at 0737, and a dual feeding took place, with Dad primarily feeding Big and Middle. Little had a mostly private meal and ate for 17 minutes. Little ate for a total of about 27 minutes at the following three meals. At 1659 Dad delivered the whopper.. a huge whole fish, that would feed the family for the next two hours! Each osplet had a few meals, and Little ate on and off for approximately 33 minutes. Dad showed up with a huge goldfish at 1806, and his family was still eating from the whopper fish, so he left with it. At 2020 Dad returned with the headless version of said goldfish, and he barely got a nod from anyone. They were all zonked out with their huge crops, so he left with the fish again.

6/18 Captiva osprey nest: Captiva had a wonderful day. Edie brought three fish to the nest, and Jack contributed one. Poor Jack was swarmed by Edie, Ding and Darling when he brought in his fish, and he could barely escape from the nest, lol. So, there was plenty of food to go around. The really big news of the day was the incredible hovering by Ding, as she took advantage of a brisk breeze. On one of her hovers in the morning s/he found herself hovering over the right perch, and landed on it. Ding enjoyed being on that perch so much that she landed on it a few more times throughout the day. Ding was on the perch at the time of one of Edie’s fish deliveries, and it took a while for Ding to gingerly make it back to the nest by shuffling her feet along the perch brace. The osplets are 56 and 55 days old.

Polo 7422 caught some wing action Hope was doing at Lake Murray. She is our fledgling, the Middle Chick, that survived the GHO attacks.

The female at MN Landscape drives me nuts. She now has only one chick to feed. The male is bringing in big fish. There is no excuse. She requires the chicks, little ones, to move to her wherever she decides to feed and she takes about 25 bites to their one. I hope this last one survives. It is damp and cold and it needs to be warm and well fed.

In comparison, you have several osprey families that are fantastic and can feed and care for four. Think Field Farm and Poole Harbour. I am holding my opinion of McEuan Park right now. I want to see how Little Mini does in a week.

So the question is this: Is it the female behaviour at Minnesota? The male is bringing big fish? or is it a lack of resources? weather?

Field Farm.

Poole Harbour.

McEuan Park also has four and the difference between Big and Little Mini is very noticeable. Let’s hope Little Mini can make it.

Janis Kruze rings the storklets. Liznm caught it.

At Loch Arkaig, C1 (I think he is a male) is starting to react to protect itself and eat.

Geemeff’s Daily summary from Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Tuesday 18th June 2024 Today was all about fish and the situation between submissive older chick C1 and dominant younger chick C2. Louis brought six fish to the nest including a late night snack-sized one, taking his tally to two hundred and sixteen. C1 is learning some strategies to deal with C2 including the odd lunge at its sibling then beating a hasty retreat to tuck down and await the swift retaliation, but the most successful one is waiting when fish arrives then sidling round the side of Dorcha and getting some mouthfuls from her – in one case, getting a ten minute exclusive feed from her while C2 was resting its bloated crop. C1 even took a cheeky nibble which is very encouraging – the sooner C1 starts self-feeding confidently, the better. As today ends, both chicks have full crops. On the anniversary of Dorcha removing the sad remains of 2022’s Bob3, body disposal was a topic of discussion on the forum as it was observed that dominant C2 attacked the body of C3 several times with some vigour. Was it just attacking, or attempting to feed? Will the body gradually be subsumed into the nest or will Dorcha remove it? Meantime, it is still clearly visible. In other news, Garry LV0 visited Nest One and stayed for over an hour, bringing nesting materials and doing some nest-scraping. What this means in terms of gaining residents remains to be seen, his visits are infrequent enough to assume he’s nesting somewhere in the area with a mate, but with Garry, nothing is certain. The weather was settled and set to continue tonight with a clear sky and light winds, and sunshine tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.20.14 (03.16.26); Nest Two 23.34.57 (03.45.34)

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

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

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/WZyXxYRAsfo N2 Fish number one, C1 self-feeds 04.47.10

https://youtu.be/bB9Dwon2I3o N2 Fish number two, C2 attacks C1 09.30.47

https://youtu.be/Wxu_Vl1wvlw N2 Fish number three, C2 seems to have prevented C1 eating.. 10.50.06

https://youtu.be/tZeYWxBU94U N2 ..But cunning C1 waits, and gets an exclusive feed 11.11.54

https://youtu.be/tGKhmichhqo N1 Garry LV0 visits with nesting materials and does housework 11.50.26

https://youtu.be/U-tu9Y00WH0 N2 Fish number four, younger chick attacks older chick 13.47.43

https://youtu.be/JeleU0HE-Iw N2 Fish number five, headless trout, C1 sidles round and gets some 20.54.59

https://youtu.be/wYOfQq2c0dg N2 Fish number six, snack-size trout, C1 gets nothing 22.41.54

Bonus read – who knew you could put a backpack on a beetle? Woodland Trust, that’s who!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz55jm0m80ro

It will not be long til we have White-Bellied Sea Eagle eggs in the Sydney Olympic Forest!

The weather has been one of the leading causes of death of osplets. Today, it is pouring at the nest of Iris and Finnegan. Not good for newly hatched osplets or for feeding – they can’t thermoregulate yet – and for fishing.

‘A’ comments: “Iris has been trying to feed it but then clears up what look like the bites it was fed, so at yesterday’s feedings, I am not sure it actually ended up swallowing much at all. And the weather is not helping, with a very wet day. Iris is hunkered down on the kids, looking soaked. It is 17:31 and despite the rain, Finn has brought in a nice-sized fish. Iris is telling him that she wants the fish but it is too wet to feed the babies at this moment so he should leave the fish and she would grab the next break in the weather. (At least, that’s what I would be saying to Finn, and Iris is a girl of like mind.) She is VERY chatty. He as always just stands quietly, the strong silent type. She gets up though and dad hands over the fish.

Big Bob turns and watches dad, so Little Bob is the only one in the feeding line. Mum tries to feed him but dad’s tail keeps bonking him in the head! Nevertheless, he gets a bite and Iris tries with another. Another tail bonk! And again! But she finally manages to give him the second half of the bite. He takes it but it gets stuck on his beak! By now, Big Bob has worked out where mum and the food are and has turned around. Feeding Big Bob is much easier for Iris, who may be a little stiff and resents having to lean over and down to a young chick (she was like that when Big Bob first hatched too), so she feeds him. Little Bob is not offered food, as he is still not entirely sure which direction to face and is also getting an occasional tail bonk from dad, knocking him down onto the nest. He pops straight back up though – he is a lively little chick and seems healthy and active. Iris has obviously got some food into him. (At this stage, I am assuming Big Bob is a feisty girl and Little Bob is a younger brother, because that is the usual nest order apparently, but of course it could be the other way around, which would be wonderful.)

So far, things are going well in the sense that Finn is providing enough fish and the chicks are eating when they are given food. I am a little concerned that Iris seems tired, and perhaps even a little lazy. She is sometimes reluctant to feed for long enough and finds it hard to reach down to the little one. Only time will tell. At this stage, both are looking healthy and active and that is the best we can hope for. “

‘A’ continues, “Finn was in early as usual to say good morning to Iris. She packed him off to get breakfast around 7am, and was far from pleased when he arrived back nearly 45 minutes later with a giant stick but no fish! She has a great deal to say about it and she does NOT sound at all happy. She has two hungry osplets who are becoming slightly unruly beneath her, it’s nearly 8am and she has nothing to feed them. And Finn thinks it’s a good time to consider baby rails?

Now, as Finn continues rearranging the nest structure, Iris keeps nagging at him constantly. He does not appear to have a crop, though his underfluffies do appear to be wet. They could merely be a little messy. Finally, shortly before 07:47 he flies off again.

Iris is hunkered back down as if it was raining. She could simply be tired. She tends to lay her head down on the nest and literally pass out, rarely if ever sleeping tucked. She does seem to have been particularly tired for a couple of days following each hatch, which makes a lot of sense, as she got little or no sleep on those nights the chicks were hatching (two nights of disturbed sleep per chick, with a third night at the beginning when she was not so restless because she was not constantly moving but was aware of movement and peeping inside the egg, so was awake and listening to the chick the night before the outer pip was visible).

She is an elderly osprey, and it is lovely to see Finn doing things like feeding her on the nest. She had to work very hard yesterday afternoon to get the fish off the remaining skin (Finn had returned a fish that by then had largely been eaten and was feeding the last remnants to the younger chick, Big Bob having passed out in a food coma some time earlier). It was a shame really because it meant she fed very slowly, so that Big Bob eventually woke up and got food that should have gone to the little one.

So far, it seems to be growing well and eating enough. It had a dear little round crop yesterday afternoon – its first one (you know how when they’re really young, they don’t really eat enough at each feeding to get noticeable crops – they just don’t look sunken). Of course its older sibling had a very large one, as it usually does nowadays.

My heart sank yesterday when the older one started bonking the baby. The good part about it was that the little one had no real clue what was going on. It is not quite able to see properly (it’s still a little vague about where things are and who is what) and can’t really tell the difference between being bonked by dad’s tail feathers and being beaked by Big Bob, who is not at all vicious in his pecks. They’re tokenistic at this stage but definitely intended to make the pecking order clear to Little Bob.

So far, there has been no attempt to stop Little Bob from eating or from lining up for food. It was simply boredom, I think, and maybe a little frustration. There was no food involved. We will wait and see what happens today. I was pleased to see that Iris was making an obvious effort to feed Little Bob, both after she has filled up Big Bob and also when she gets the chance at a private feeding, such as when Finn returned the remnants of that fish when Big Bob was asleep.

So I remain hopeful that dad will bring enough fish of a really good size to ensure there is enough for everyone, though his tendency not to leave leftovers on the nest is a bit of a worry. He doesn’t seem to realise that these chicks need half a dozen feedings off that big fish he brings in for breakfast (remembering of course that he has usually eaten the head off this gigantic fish, so has had a seriously large amount of food himself). Both Finn and Iris have voracious appetites, and although Iris is definitely prepared to sacrifice some of her own share to her osplets, Finn takes any remaining fish off the nest with some alacrity, sometimes despite loud protestations from Iris.

At 08:03 she is still waiting for Finn and a fish.”

Not a bad day for Boulder County and its Only Bob.

The Decorah North eagle family is surviving without their beloved nest. They hang around the old nest and it is simply beautiful.

‘PB’ has been monitoring the Cowlitz PUD nest and shares concerns that Little Bob might not getting enough food and he is being bonked. Send positive wishes for them. This is a difficult area because of all the competition for food. The Eagles like to steal from the Ospreys.

Lucille Powell caught both of the osprey fledglings on their Sun Coast nest.

Look at Aurora!

Things are looking OK for the surviving fans at San Jose.

Beautiful Only Bob at Rutland is ringed. It is a boy!

We need a big smile and here it is – this is what happens when a community comes together and feeds the osplets on a nest so that they can grow and thrive. Thank you, Port Lincoln, you are a role model!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, photos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Toni Hoover and Amersfoort Falcons, FORE, SCMM, Forsythe Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Osoyoos Ospreys, Audubon Boat House, Fenwick Island, Polo7422, MN Landscape Arboretum, Field Farm, BoPH, McEuan Park, Liznm, Geemeff, SK Hideaways, Montana Osprey Project, Boulder County, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Pam Breci, Lucille Powell, SK Hideaways, Rutland Osprey Project, and Port Lincoln Osprey.

Tragedy at Minnesota…Tuesday in Bird World

18 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I had a wonderful Monday with my son. The rain did not come until 1600 and now the sun is trying hard to peek out from the grey clouds. ‘The Girls’ have all come out of hiding now that he has returned to his sister’s house. They really do not like company!

Early morning news from ‘IB’. MN Landscape nest back up and yes, two babies have died. Soar high little ones.

‘PB’ wrote early that Smallie had gotten himself into some mischief by landing in the city’s moat. He was rescued by the Animal Ambulance – the staff seem to know Smallie rather well by now – dried off and sent on his way. They note that his flying is not that good yet. But he is safe and back with the big sisters fighting for food or getting a private feeding. It is likely we won’t see much more of the falcons on the ledge but maybe Smallie will spend the night inside the scrape.

‘PB’ reports that Smallie has not been seen since he was rescued in the canal. Sisters have. Send him good positive wishes this little fellow.

The fledglings are still around the Campanile! Good news for us to grab a view. Maybe not for a tired Annie.

Iris and Finnegan welcomed their second hatch Monday morning.

Both are getting a nice fish dinner as a drenched Dad, Finnegan, looks on as Mum Iris feeds. The water in the Clark Forke River has cleared up and Finnegan is really doing some marvellous fishing. He is just the best thing that could have come into our beloved Iris’s life.

‘A’ comments: “At the 16:43 feeding (medium-sized whole fresh fish courtesy of Finn) our rapidly growing osplet (who looks like a mini dinosaur already) it is easy to see the tiny second hatch, its beak open, initially with its back to mum and the food, but it turns around, albeit behind its sibling so without much chance of getting fed in this position. I have no idea what time this little one hatched (I’ve been so busy today, this is my first chance to check the nests and it’s nearly 8.30pm here in Melbourne).

Iris is doing a great job of feeding Big Bob, who eats well and holds his head up perfectly, as s/he has done since it hatched. The little one is facing the wrong way. Its little beak is open but it cannot see mum. Mum is going to have to move if she is to feed the baby. It is probably not particularly hungry yet, but that depends on what time it actually hatched. That was a large hole I saw, so it could have produced a hatch by dawn, which would definitely make it time for a feeding. I am unsure whether it has been fed earlier in the day.

By 16:46 the baby is facing the right way, Iris considers offering it a bite but changes her mind and continues feeding Big Bob. Little Bob is right beside its sibling but further from mum, who is already reaching to feed Big Bob. At 16:46:53 she gives it the first tiny flake of fish. At 16:47 she feeds it a larger piece, which it seems to manage. And another at 16:47:15. She is now feeding one bite to Big Bob and one to Little Bob but quickly reverts to feeding the larger chick. Periodically, she carefully gives Little Bob a mouthful of fish. It is begging for food, keen to eat, and it seems to be doing pretty well with the bites it is being given by Iris. She is a good mum – filling up the larger osplet and then starting to offer bites to the little one. There is no bonking at this early stage from the larger chick.

At 16:49:30 Iris has a bit of fish for herself, returning to feeding at 16:50:16. Mum has moved the fish, and Big Bob has turned to his right to accommodate the change in position, but Little Bob turned to his left, so now his back to the feeding again. Iris continues feeding Big Bob, who has eaten a LOT of fish in the past ten minutes.

Iris takes a bite of fish and carefully moves all the way around the nest to Little Bob’s side, where she appears to be preparing to offer him the fish, but then eats it herself and begins cleaning up the dropped pieces from around the chicks (suggesting that Little Bob failed to swallow much of the fish he was given). Finn immediately flies onto the nest as if to take the remaining fish Iris has temporarily deserted, but then he seems to be considering feeding the chicks. Instead, he waits for Iris to finish eating the leftovers so that he can offer her the bite. Eventually, having waited some time, he swallows it himself. Iris retrieves the fish and at 16:53 resumes feeding Big Bob.

Little Bob is again facing the wrong way. Big Bob is eating and eating. Iris moves the fish around the nest, as if intending to feed Little Bob, but instead decides to try and hork the tail down. It is still attached to quite a bit of flesh and Iris has to work to try and get it down. She tries twice, failing both times, and eventually returns to feeding Big Bob with it! Finn watches on. Little Bob is right beside Big Bob now, facing mum and begging for food, but mum has not offered him any. Big Bob refuses a bite and at 16:54:45, Iris leaves the last piece of fish and decides to brood. I would like to think that Little Bob had at least a couple of bites of fish that he didn’t drop. Finn flies to the perch, waits until Iris is settled and flies in to retrieve the tail piece of fish. “

Fab Four at Field Farm are doing fantastic. Looks like they are going to beat the odds.

The Quartet at Poole Harbour are equally as fabulous. They are managing with four mouths to feed splendidly. Such calm. I still think the majority are little boys if not all of them!

‘J’ sent me something that I think you will enjoy. The Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS) with Dr Sharpe and the people who care for the Channel Islands eagles released the reasons for the names given to the eaglets in the Adoption Challenge. I don’t think they would mind if I share it with you. ‘J’ compiled the information from their individual posts on FB. Images of the eaglets are on the IWS FB page.

The second Pinnacle Rock eaglet has been named Sean ‘Olol ‘Koy after the Institute for Wildlife Studies San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike Project lead! These siblings celebrate Sean and Nicole’s effort to rescue the Bald Canyon eaglet earlier this spring. From the donor, ” ‘Olol ‘Koy is Chumash for dolphin. The Chumash Creation story is that Hutash, Earth Mother goddess created the first Chumash people on Limuw Island (now Santa Cruz Is.) When the island became too crowded she created a rainbow bridge to send half the people over to the mainland. Some looked down and fell into the ocean to drown. Hutash saved them by transforming them into dolphins. Chumash consider dolphins their brothers and sisters.”

One of the two chicks from the Pinnacle Rock nest has been named Nicole Tauri! From the donor, Tauri is a Native American name for Young Eagle, and “We all know our New Hero, Nicole! Thank you for your service Nicole!”. The photo is of a pair of chicks from 2014.

The Los Pinos chick has been dubbed Kāwika (Kaa-vee-ka), Hawaiian for Dave. From the donor: “For appreciation of all the awesome views, experience and knowledge of the Channel Islands Nest. His dedication speaks for itself. Our friend goes back all the way to 2006! He was a IWS Chat Mod back in the early 2000 and then the CamOp after Dr Sharpe. The first and Head IWS CamOp for Explore and Mod for IWS YouTube. “

The second chick at Twin Rocks has been named! No ‘Nah Me is named after the donor’s grandparents, and a street in Quartzite Arizona. “In 1965 [my Gramma and Grampa] bought property in Quartzsite, AZ along with 5 other couples. The other people argued about what to name the street. All wanted their last name used! My Grampa quietly left and went to the recording office and submitted No-Name Street. It was granted. I went to Quartzsite in 2020 to visit their resting place. I talked to the lady at City Hall and told her that story. The lady said ‘Really, we’ve been pronouncing it No ‘Nah Me!’”

The two eaglets from the Seal Rocks nest on Santa Catalina Island have been named! They are “Milo” and “Merida Jane” in honor of two beloved pets who have recently passed.

The second Fraser Point eaglet has a name- Reign! This bird was adopted and named by a group of seven friends who call themselves the Cruzors gave this name because “Cruz is royalty herself being the first natural hatch on the islands since the bald eagle restoration project. Therefore, it is only fitting that her offspring embody her legacy.”

One of the two eaglets at Empire nest on Santa Catalina Island has been named Charley!

The story behind this name, in the words of the IWS supporter adopting this nest:

“The first name of my beloved ex-husband. We had a relationship that spanned nearly 20 years & after our divorce we eventually became nearest & dearest friends. At the end of his life he battled 2 different cancers over 3 years & I was his caregiver through both. When he was diagnosed with the 2nd cancer (Stage IV pancreatic) he asked me, “Will you help me get ready to go to Heaven?” I, of course, said yes. His last wish was to travel with a friend to their cabin in the woods to see the wildlife. On the trip we came across a Bald Eagle perched where it could be clearly seen in an unusual area near a well-traveled highway. We stopped & our friend got a great picture. The eagle was one of the last of earth’s creatures Charley saw–he died at the cabin less than 24 hours later. That was coming up on 13 years ago this November & to this day I keep a framed picture of that eagle nearby.”

We have a drawing winner who named the eaglet from the Middle Ranch nest on Santa Catalina Island. This eaglet will be named Avalon, in honor of the city where they were married in 1990. Congratulations on getting to name an eagle, and on 34 years of marriage!

The first Fraser Point eaglet has been named Manini, the adopter’s family name, and an homage to the advisor and doctor to King Kamahamaha I who brought plants, including pineapples to the Hawaiian Islands.

I am reposting the announcement for our first Fraser Point eaglet because I misplaced the title “King.” The first Fraser Point eaglet has been named Manini, the adopter’s family name, and an homage to the advisor and doctor to King Kamahamaha I and who brought many plants, including pineapples to the Hawaiian Islands.

We have names for the Bald Canyon eaglets! Hatched on the day the moon covered the sun, the older sibling is named Eclipse, and the younger Selene after the Goddess of the Moon in Greek Mythology.

The proverbial West End middle eaglet has been named Treasure. From the adopter: “Well, each of these eaglets is a treasure, and, with full respect to his/her siblings, I would like this one to carry that name: Treasure.”

The eldest eaglet from the West End has been named Koa. From the Level 1 Nest Adopter who gave this eaglet its name “WE1 is the offspring of Akecheta and Thunder. Akecheta means “fighter” in Native American language. As the eldest triplet, WE1 will carry on its father’s legacy as the protector. Koa is the Hawaiian word for warrior. Koa warriors served to protect lands, natural resources, and the ruling chiefs. They were seen as brave, bold, fearless, valiant & courageous.”

We have a new name! The youngest of the West End chicks has been named Sterling in honor of the adopter’s late father.

We have our first named chick! Pimu, from the Twin Rocks nest on Catalina Island, named “to recognize and honor the Tongva People who were the indigenous custodians of the Southern Channel Islands, including Catalina Island, over 7000 years ago. The Tongva called Catalina Island ‘Pimu.’”

The weather is bad at Charlo Montana. Not good for newly hatched chicks.

There is bonking starting at Osoyoos and the fish that I have seen have been small. This nest really needs a good supply of food to feed five. Not Olsen’s fault. He is doing the best that he can in a tough situation. ‘H’ might have a further report.

The Loch Arkaig is difficult to watch. C1 now goes after C2. I did not see a lot of fish deliveries. This is really sad. C3 reminds us how fabulous nests can change. It takes one ferocious, normally female, oldest sibling and a day or two without a lot of food deliveries and mayhem can occur – the result, the loss of one or more babies.

Geemeff’s Daily summary Monday 17th June 2024

After yesterday’s sadness at the loss of little Chick3, today was calmer all round, both for the family and for the watchers. Louis brought three fish to the nest, taking his tally to two hundred and ten. He put on a sprint between leaving the nest after delivering the first fish and returning with the second fish, and achieved a remarkable Nest to Nest time of 9 minutes 37 seconds. However, this doesn’t beat his all-time N2N record of 5 minutes 23 seconds on 31st May 2020. The third fish was basically just a tail end, and as with the earlier fish, dominant C2 got most and wouldn’t let submissive C1 have any. C1 is looking very hollow-cropped while C2 has the usual golfball – so it was heartening to see C1 suddenly decide to stand up to C2. Several attempts were made in quick succession, none lasted long and inevitably C2 soon subdued C1, but this bodes well for the future. There was discussion around the fate of the sad bundle of feathers that was C3, it’s possible Dorcha will dispose of it in the forest as she’s done before, or bury it within the nest vegetation, or it might even get eaten. C1 had the odd peck at it today, right before Dorcha had to deal with an intruder Osprey overflying the nest. No activity on Nest One, the weather was much more settled, and tonight’s forecast is a dry night with light cloud and light winds.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 00.03.50 (02.54.38); Nest Two 23.19.46 (03.48.07)

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

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

Today’s videos, all Nest Two:

https://youtu.be/rcFGjw9ggH8 Fish number one, very small whole BT, C1 gets none 04:27:10

https://youtu.be/IVqA6qiQegI Fish number two, small whole trout, arrives <10 mins Nest-to-Nest time! 04.37.12

https://youtu.be/vxpIhe93244 Chick1 pecks at Chick3’s body, Dorcha deals with intruders 14:29:47

https://youtu.be/sAFaD-IV1No Fish number three, just a tail-end but C2 stops C1 getting any 17.48.52

https://youtu.be/UVmvmdGrrgo Chick1 finally makes an attempt at standing up to C2 18.10.01

Bonus watch (not for the faint-hearted) – LizB talks about Ospreys eating their dead chicks. Warning: graphic content.

Rosie and Richmond continue to construct their new nest on the light stand now that two chicks have hatched.

Challenger, the Eagle that soared to fame during the Super Bowl and has served as an ambassador for decades is to undergo cataract surgery today at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Send this amazing eagle good wishes for a full recovery.

Even-Eagles-Get-Cataracts-Discover-Magazine Download

Siblicide is horrible to watch. ‘H’ and I can predict some nests where it will occur because we are aware of the weather and food availability. Others we can’t. Loch Arkaig threw us a curve ball. A perfect nest where there is fish and good parenting. Weather sets in. Things go sideways. We are watching several nests at the moment and hoping they might turn around.

There is some concern over Little Bob at Cowlitz. It ate at breakfast but had only a handful of bites of fish from the second feeding due to the eldest keeping it away. Smart little one went on the other side of Electra to eat. We wait to see how this unfolds. There is plenty of competition in the area for fish and the eagles there do steal from the ospreys when they fly to their nests with fish.

I have concerns about the osprey nest at the Bridge Golf Club. We lost Little Mini and we could lose Little. Big is hampering it eating.

One of the things that touches my heart is seeing the fledglings return to the nest to eat their fish. We see this at University of Florida-Gainesville and I am sure it is happening there while the camera is down. We see it at Moorings Park with Ruffie and Tuffy and also at Venice Golf Club. I would, however, dance around the room if all three fledglings showed up at the nest at once – just to know all are safe and sound.

Split screen shows both at Moorings on Monday having fish like the two above.

Change in date for the ringing of Rutland’s Only Bob.

In Scotland, the Golden Eagle Recover Programme is working hard.

Golden-Eagle-recovery-continues-in-southern-Scotland-BirdGuides Download

Good night Lake Murray. I hear predator grates like the ones at Cowlitz PUD will be installed if the Cowlitz chicks are once again saved from any predation this year like they were in 2023.

‘H’ reports:

6/17 Forsythe osprey nest: It was another good fishing day for Oscar. There were only five fish, but three of them were quite large. The first meal of the day lasted for 75 minutes, and both of the osplets ate three times. As you might expect, sibling rivalry was quelled today.

6/18 Kent Island (Chesapeake) osprey nest: It looks as though egg 1 of Audrey and Tom’s second clutch is not going to hatch. It is at 41 days, and had been pecked by a crow over a month ago. Egg 2 broke at laying. Egg 3 remains, and will be 33 days old later this evening.

6/18 The Boathouse osprey nest: Dory and Skiff’s lil’ babe is four-days-old already, and is cute as a button! Egg #2 is at 37 days today, with no pip seen at the time of this note.

6/17 Patuxent osprey nest: The three osplets are 37, 40, and 41 days old. There were seven fish brought to the nest. Little ate nothing of the first small fish. Meals two and three were sort of combined, as there ended up being two fish in the nest at the same time. Little ate very well at those feedings, and both of the older siblings tried a little bit of self feeding. Little did not eat again until the last meal of the day, and ate 32 bites of fish plus the fish tail. My impression over the past two days is that Little needs to have more to eat. The temperatures will be very warm in the upcoming days, and I hope Dad will bring in some whoppers so that Little will have enough to eat.

6/17 Captiva osprey nest: They had another splendid day. There were five fish brought to the nest, two from Edie and three from Jack. There were feedings and self-feedings. Darling has become quite adept at self-feeding, and s/he was able to maintain possession of a fish or two when Ding attempted to steal it. Progress! Ding was doing some major helicoptering, including a few times completely out of sight for several seconds.

And how wonderful. A Black Stork nest and the chicks getting ringed in Latvia!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H, IB, J, PB’, MN Landscape Arboretum, Amersfoort Falcons, SK Hideaways, Cornell Bird Lab, Montana Osprey Project, Field Farm, BoPH, IWS/Explore, Charlo Montana, Osoyoos Ospreys, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, SF Bay Ospreys, Discover Magazine, Cowlitz PUD, Bridge Golf Course, VGCCO, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Forsythe, Patuxent River Park, Lent Island, Audubon Boat House, Window to Wildlife, BirdGuides, Lake Murray Ospreys, and LDF.

Weather related deaths…Sunday in Bird World

9 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday was a blue sky sunny day (for the most part) on the Canadian Prairies. It was 22 degrees C with a bit of a breeze. A perfect day to be working in the garden. With all the rain and heat the little grass and the few weeds about have caused me to wish I had a goat!

Today, I promised myself that I would never purchase anything that needs to be assembled. All of the new planter boxes are together, but the so-called privacy screens’ that attach to the back are a bloody nightmare. The easiest thing today was picking up the new trees at the Re-Leaf Programme. Hackberry and Pin Cherry were the order of the day. Someone in the future will benefit from the shade of that Hackberry, and I hope the birds in my lifetime will enjoy the berries from both.

The Girls are all back to normal after my mini-break. The lilac bushes are full of leaves, and it is difficult for them to see the birds sometimes – and for me, too! It was late, but Baby Hope was particularly inquisitive about the ivy plant on the island. She is gorgeous. The girls are all back to normal after my mini-break. The lilac bushes are full of leaves, and it is difficult for them to see the birds sometimes – and for me, too! It was late, but Baby Hope was particularly inquisitive about the ivy plant on the island. She is gorgeous.

The Girls are thinking of birthday parties. Baby Hope will be a year old on 2 July, and Missey will be two on the 15th of July. Parties are in the making, complete with sardines, special tin cat food, and, of course, some new toys.

At the Florida-Gainesville Osprey nest, Middle fledged on Saturday and did a beautiful return flight. Mum was on the best waiting. She did a stupendous job this year. We could have lost all the osplets when Talon went missing, but this one survived thanks to Mum overcoming her brooding hormones and going out to fish!

The Lesser Spotted Eaglet that hatched in Zemgale, Latvia, succumbed to obligate siblicide on 8 June 2024. It had hatched the day before.

If you are unfamiliar with Cainism and siblicide, you might like to read the following when you have the time.

1-PDF-On-Cainism-in-the-Lesser-Spotted-Eagle-Aquila-pomarina-and-a-possible-Explanation-for-th Download

We often wonder why nests do not cooperate and why the adults do not stop siblicide. The following article gives us some insight into this question.

Siblicide-An-Inextricable-Behavior-in-Birds-Explore Download

No issues with fish deliveries at Loch Arkaig. Louis is a master!

There is something very special about that third hatch at Loch Arkaig. I love how ‘she’ (seems too aggressive to be a third hatch male) makes herself bigger when the pecking order battles begin. Little is on the left.

Border Ospreys wonders if any eggs of Samson and Ursula might hatch? Well, we were surprised to see three at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum after the first egg had been left unattended for some hours in the rain. We have also watched as Milda the White-tail Eagle had to leave her eggs in quite cold weather to feed when her mate died. The two eggs hatched. Oh, and just this year, we witnessed this same phenomena at the NTCT nest of Bella and Scout. The eggs hatched but the eaglets, very healthy, were sadly killed by Scout.

So maybe Border Ospreys. Just maybe! We will wait and see.

WHAT-IF…-–-Border-Ospreys Download

There are two hatches at Sandpoint Osprey Cam. That second one came along quite quickly!

To the delight of everyone, the Minnesota Landscape Mum is feeding her chicks! This is a difficult nest. Caution advised.

Keeping our eyes on Iris and Finnegan’s nest in Montana. Dr Green’s post:

The Only Bob at Boulder County is turning into a reptile!

‘A’ brings us up to speed on Field Farm. “This is an amazing nest. This afternoon, dad brought in another monster fish, this one whole and very fresh. Mini Bob and Little Bob were at the right place at the right time and made up the front row of the feeding line. Mum fed Mini and Little, with the two older siblings making up the second row, behind their two younger siblings and apparently quite happy to wait their turn. Mini is adorable. Absolutely the cutest little osplet. S/he is just SO much smaller than its siblings, it is sometimes hard to find it on the nest (hint: it likes to stay near or underneath mum if it can). They are all sweet, with their round little bottoms and their bandit stripes, and these parents are working hard to ensure all four get full crops several times a day.

With the size of the fish being brought onto this nest, I would venture a guess that none of these osplets has experienced that unpleasant sensation known as hunger. And in the absence of that experience, the older osplets are confident they will get plenty to eat even if they are left until last. Perhaps most of these osplets are male (only one of them behaves like a female and even then, it’s pretty rare and not prolonged). Whatever the reason, it is at this point a very peaceful nest and an absolute joy to watch.

We are all too aware that these nests can literally turn on a dime, with a prolonged spell of bad weather impacting fishing or intruders causing distractions that limit fishing time or even end in the loss of a parent. So it is unwise to speak too soon or to assume that things will continue to run as smoothly as they have done so far. Talons crossed for this little band though. They are just lovely and I couldn’t help but mention the afternoon feeding.”

Turn on a dime it might. Little Mini got itself upside down with its head stuck under an older sibling and is fiercely trying to right itself. Sadly it will die if it can’t.

What a glorious relief. After what seemed an incredibly long time, Little Mini is upright! (No timestamp, very frustrating).

‘A’ observes, “Mini Bob at Field Farm IS OKAY. It finally managed to get back onto its front, although it was hindered by a sibling that would not get off it and was holding down its head, as well as by a long thin stick that was laid right across the chick, over its neck and literally holding it down, no matter how hard it struggled. Eventually, the arrival of a second parent caused a general milling about, which both got the sibling off Mini Bob and also moved the stick pinning him down. And he finally struggled over and onto his feet. He is okay. There is a feeding now occurring (about six hours ago) and Mini is at the back of the feeding line by the time he has righted himself and got to the table, but there is a big fish, I think, and it is not shy about finding a way to mum’s beak. Its little tummy was very full when it was stuck on its back (I think it was so fat, it was actually hindering its efforts to right itself), so I’m not concerned about that. It will be fed.

It has a survivor’s temperament and there is not much bonking on this nest, for some reason. I still think the spreading around of the aggression rather than its being c oncentrated on a single (third) hatch may make the four-chick nests a better siurvival chance for the younger hatch/es than a three-chick nest. I am interested in that theory, as you have probably gathered by now. “

‘A’ also brings in another one of our four clutch nests, Poole Harbour! “Just a quick update on Poole Harbour. There is a feeding underway right now at Poole Harbour (7 June, 12:39). Mini is front and centre of the feeding line and Blue CJ7 is feeding the little one along with two of its siblings, one on either side. Little Bob, on Mini’s left, is also doing very well at this feeding. The oldest is still lying down behind the other three, not bothering to participate in the feeding until about 12:42, by which time it is standing behind Mini Bob, leaning over him a little but not being at all aggressive or even stealing bites. All four are waiting their turns. There is no bonking as yet at this feed, although the older siblings are in the reptilian phase. Mini Bob is a confident little osplet and seems to have no fear of its siblings. Mum is feeding it some bites that are way too big for it, but it is struggling valiantly to swallow what it can, and is doing well and getting some good pieces. This is an impressive nest indeed to have a fourth hatch looking as good as this wee osplet is.

As the feeding continues and all four osplets have joined in, CJ7 doles out the food relatively evenly, though Mini is too small to compete for bites with its much taller siblings so relies on CJ7 specifically leaning down to offer it bites, which she does, periodically giving the wee one two or three bites in a row. They are all waiting their turn, politely holding their positions and allowing their siblings to eat without intimidation or interference. This is a truly lovely thing to watch. It is a huge fish, so the only thing that will leave anyone with room for more will be mum getting tired of feeding the osplets. Four little open beaks are hard work! Mum is not neglecting her own needs, though, tucking in to some very very large chunks of fish herself in between feeding bites to her chicks. She really does seem to make a huge effort to share the food around to all of them and to ensure that each is being fed. She really does take extra care. Mini Bob, being so much smaller than its siblings, finds it very hard to reach mum’s beak in any competition. But mum leans right down to Mini Bob’s beak, turning her head to ensure he can take the food easily. Sometimes the piece is too large and she feeds part of it to a sibling, then turns back and gives the remainder to Mini Bob.

I would hazard a guess that this is a mainly male nest – if this lot were females, there would be a lot more aggression than what we are seeing (none at all). The youngest is very confident indeed and has no fear of its siblings whatsoever. If this continues, and there is no intruder problem or fish shortage, this nest is almost certainly going to fledge four osplets if Blue CJ7 has anything to do with it. It is just lovely to watch, and how often do you say that about a four-osplet clutch?”

Hats off to CJ7 and Blue 022. This is one of the finest four chick nests I have ever observed! Little Mini gets to eat with the group or is fed separately at every feeding on Saturday. Gold medal nest.

‘H’ reports on some of the nests she is monitoring:

“8, Forsythe NJ osprey nest: The chicks are 18, 17, 16, and 14 days old. It is uncanny how much the dynamics of this nest remind me of last year. It feels as though I have been transported back in time to June of 2023. The reptilian phase of osprey growth has hit this previously tranquil nest with potentially dire results (I pray not). Chicks number 1 and 2 are generally very mellow (just like chicks 1 and 2 last season). Little Mini4 is mellow. And, chick 3 has become very aggressive (just like chick 3 of last season). Chick 3 has found out that the easiest target for her to take out her aggression is Mini4. So, chick 3 has been severely beaking poor lil’ Mini4 many times during meals, and sometimes outside of meals. On occasion, chick 1 takes it upon himself to beak chick 3 after chick 3 beaks Mini4…just like chick 1 would do last year! Oscar delivered 5 fish to the nest, and most were on the small-ish side. There was one large fish, from which Mini4 was fed 17 bites of fish. Mini4 had fewer than 90 bites of fish in five meals on 6/8. I am very worried about Mini4. I’m sure Oscar is doing his best to provide his family with fish. The nest platform is in a very expansive marsh, and is located at least 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. There are a couple of shallow-water bays nearby.”

“
6/8, Patuxent River Park osprey nest: Dad delivered five fish to the nest for his family. The first fish of the day was of medium size, and of course everyone was hungry. Little could not get to the feeding line, and was shut out of that meal. At meal two, Little only managed three scraps of fish off the nest fed to him by Mom at the end of the meal. Hang in there Little, things usually improve for you later in the day! Well now…Dad delivered a huge live fish at noon. At 1220 Little was fed his first bite of fish. Little had a mostly private feeding for the next 34 minutes, and ate approximately 246 bites of fish! At 1500 Dad brought a large headless fish. Little ate a few bites at 1505, but was beaked by Big. Little soon resumed eating on the other side of Mom from Big, and ate an additional 46 bites of fish, before Middle returned to the table and pushed Little aside. Little was able to grab a bite intermittently, and by the end of the meal had eaten 61 bites of fish. The last fish of the day was a partial fish at 2040. Little made no attempt to eat…he was still stuffed from his earlier meals!”

There are three osplets at the Crooked Lake osprey platform (Timothy Dygert Live Stream). They are 9, 8, and 6 days old today.

Ruffie and Tuffy on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform in Florida. Each hoping to win that prize fish dinner.

The trio at Goitzsche-Wildnis are great!

At the Golden Eagle nest, chick 1 had a huge crop. Chick 2 waited, very intimidated, and was fed! I want to be hopeful.

The oldest sibling is starting aggressive attacks on the younger. Golden Eagles – like the Lesser Spotted Eagles – practice obligate siblicide. It is, however, late for this to be happening. The only way now might be to push the younger sibling off the nest which appears to be what is being attempted in the image below.

The older didn’t manage and I find this very interesting. Both fed – oldest first and then second.

One of the reasons that I have such huge respect for the communities, groups, individuals that maintain the Osprey nests in the UK is that they do not have this:

The weather in the UK has been really bad in the region of the Kielder Forest in the north. Many healthy chicks and some struggling third hatches have died due to the horrific wind, hail, and rain. Condolences go out to everyone at Kielder. I will slowly be adding these to the Memorial Page along with Little Bob from the Seaside nest who died in a severe storm on June 2.

On 8 June around 1300, Smallie, the youngest of the Peregrine Falcons at Our Lady Tower in Amersfoort Netherlands fell off the scrape. The youngster was rescue and we await news to see if he will be returned to the scrape. Thanks, ‘PB’ for alerting me to this event. We all care so much for this little guy. Smallie has been returned to an area near the scrape. Meanwhile the big sibs have food fights on the scrape!

Lots of visitors to The Campanile on Saturday! These are seriously beautiful fledglings.

Remember: The juveniles have vertical banding on their chests while Annie has horizontal as an adult. Those kids sure have nice crops. Annie and Archie are incredibly protective parents. What an amazing year it was.

Fledge watch on for the Red-tail Hawks of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell Campus is approaching.

It is heating up in Orange as Diamond and Xavier are bonding in the scrape! Seriously is it really time for the Australian nests?? Unbelievable.

The streaming cam at Colonial Beach is back on line.

I am still seeing two babies at the Imperial Eagle nest of Alton and Nova in RU.

Nesting Bird Life and More captured a feeding at the nest with both of the Golden Eaglets.

Osplets that hatched on 21 and 22 of May in the Ramuka Forest in Poland are doing well.

Three osplets at Finlands #4 nest.

There are two osplets in the Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails in Colorado.

News of the San Jose Falcons!

‘PB’ reports that Smallie has been heard. We cannot see if it gets food but I plan to assume that since Mum came into the scrape to feed Smallie that she will try and make certain he has food outside. Fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Tomorrow I hope to cover some of the nests not touched upon today. There are so many events – hatches, fledges and, sadly, deaths, that is especially hard to keep up sometimes. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, observations, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J, MP, PB’, University of Florida-Gainesville Osprey Cam, LDF, ResearchGate, ExploreBlog, Geemeff, The Woodland Trust, Border Ospreys Blog, Sandpoint Osprey Cam, MN Landscape Arboretum Osprey Cam, Montana Osprey Project, Boulder County, Field Farm, BoPH, Time Dygert Live Stream, Moorings Park Ospreys, Fischadlerwebcam, Eagle Club of Estonia, Lake Murray Osprey, Forsythe Osprey Cam, Patuxent River Park, Amersfoort Falcon Cam, Cal Falcons, Cornell RTH Cam, Cilla Kinross, Colonial Beach Osprey Cam, Imperial Eagle Cam RU, Nesting Bird Life and More, Ramuka Forest Osprey Cam, Finnish Osprey Foundation, SK Hideaways, and Pitkin County.

Friday in Bird World

7 June 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for all of your holiday good wishes. I had a wonderful time. It is amazing how just a wee break can revive one’s batteries! ‘The Girls’ survived the 54 hours I was away. Missey and Hugo Yugo did well with the cat sitter, but Calico and Baby Hope did not. They hid. While I am certain that they came out when the individual left, it did take them twenty minutes to show their precious faces when I got home. Six hours later and all is well.

On Tuesday, the skies driving north were churning black. Torrential rain had been predicted, but by the time I got to Hecla Island the sun was coming out. A lone Tundra Swan swam with some Common Goldeneyes in the marshy areas. Eight-five Canada Geese flew in a huge formation overhead while American White Pelicans were fishing while Red-winged Blackbirds flitted around trying to catch – I hope – all of the mosquitoes that I would be complying about later. What an amazing welcome!

83 Canada Geese flying in. They will feed on the grass that you see in the images.

American White Pelicans.

The Red-wing Blackbirds were everywhere. Lots of insects for them to feast on.

Nature is such a healer.

The Girls and I are reading a new book, Wild Service. Why Nature Needs You edited by Nick Hayes & Jon Moses and published by Bloomsbury. The illustrations are stunning woodcuts (Lino?) by Nick Hayes. The author is a member of the Right to Roam Action Group in the UK. While I might not totally embrace some of the politics in the book, I want to read it again quietly after we finish the first ‘go’ and try and absorb more of what the pair are advocating. What did strike me, right at my heart, is the notion that we are stewards of nature and that we must care for it, not exploit it.

Sitting on the rocks or on the porch of the cottage and listening to the waves as the sun set over the horizon, I was struck by some of the ways in which people are so alienated from the natural world. We know that being in the forest, taking walks, or stroking our pets or someone else’s helps our mental and physical well-being. On average, 94% of the population spends their time indoors in front of a screen! This includes children.

There will be more about the book in the coming days, but I want to challenge you to get outside more. I know this is very difficult for some of you, but I suggest you use your creative mind to see how you might get out for half an hour each day. Listen to nature. If you are in a wheelchair, get someone to take you for a walk. It will benefit them, too. If you are in the City, find a safe little spot to sit. Perhaps take a friend or family member. If you have a garden, spending thirty minutes a day 5, days a week, is as beneficial as having a gym membership. All that bending, pulling, and lifting is really good exercise. This challenge includes spending less time in front of your computer watching the birds — yes, you heard that right. I am not saying stop altogether – of course not, but when the weather is good, and you have the opportunity, spend it with nature. (There are far too many articles from various academic and medical sources on the Internet on this topic. To find them search for ‘The benefits of being outside in nature’.)

My second day on the island was full of crashing waves and more birds including another ‘V’ of Canada Geese, more Common Goldeneyes, the Swan, American White Pelicans, a Bald Eagle and, yes, a Grey Wolf running across the road that caused us to stop dead in our tracks.

These are Common Goldeneyes.

The Pelicans fascinated me. It seems that they are a good marker for where fish are located and some of the local fishers pay close attention.

It was hard to say goodbye to the island. The little ducks and the Pelicans became my good friends while sitting on the rocks listening to the roar of the water. It is always good to be away and it is always good to get home!

TWO DAYS UNTIL PIP WATCH AT THE MONTANA OSPREY NEST AT HELLGATE OF IRIS AND FINNEGAN! MARK YOUR CALENDARS. FINGERS CROSSED. THIS COULD BE AN AMAZING SEASON.

Geemeff sent us a real treat. “BBC Springwatch 2024 episode 8 with Osprey hero Roy Dennis – I’ve recorded it for any overseas viewers who can’t access BBC IPlayer:

This is a must-see for anyone remotely interested in Ospreys and Eagles and raptors in general. Roy Dennis is an absolute legend in conservation, and at 80+ years old, is still working. This episode of Springwatch with Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams features an in-depth interview with Roy Dennis. Copyright BBC, but they do allow recordings, like this one, to be made.”

I hope to bring you a few highlights of the week; many through the eyes of those who kept tabs on your favourite nests. I really appreciate the kindness and the help – all of these reports allowed me to have such a nice serene break!

‘B’ was delighted when all of the Cal Falcons fledged! He writes: “All four of Annie and Archie’s chicks have now fledged. I have been out hiking this morning (Tues), so all my info is from the Cal Falcons FB posts. It sounds like Sol was the next to go after Eclipse, following Eclipse off the runway when he went for a morning flight (from the time of the post, maybe about 8 or 9 am) and landing near Eclipse on a neighboring building. Then Aurora was next, perhaps at 11 am or noon, landing near Sol on that same neighboring building (which makes it sound like Sol had stayed in place on that building). And then Nox (the last to hatch) finished off the morning, flying off the runway perhaps not long after Aurora. No report yet on where he has landed. Congrats to Annie and Archie and their fabulous four young ones!!” That is certainly wonderful news.

The third hatch at Patuxent, with the protrusion that had made a hole in the chick’s neck/throat area, was removed from the nest and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation centre on Tuesday. Thanks to all the chatters—our citizen scientists—who monitor these nests so closely and those who alerted Patuxent of the initial concerns. Thank you, Patuxent River Park, for your diligence in caring for your ospreys. We wait to see if Little can be returned.

Little Mini at Field Farm was tucked in under its much larger older siblings Tuesday.

The size difference is the same at Pool Harbour for Little Mini who got a really nice private feeding. My goodness.

Tuffy was hungry!

As of Wednesday night, Middle is still safe in the nest at Lake Murray.

Both Golden Eaglets in Estonia and both of the Imperial Eaglets in RU are still alive. (This is part of a thread that I will continue while I am away).

My goodness. Hartley and Monty have four lively eyases. Just check out how much bigger those girls are than Dad who is trying to feed them! Don’t you love how their eyes look around. What a grand family!

Fledge is coming soon at the nest of the Ns on the Cornell Campus.

Jackie and Shadow never give up hope. We could learn a lot form them and their struggles to have a family in the high mountains of Big Bear Valley.

Smallie has been eating – looks like leftovers from the big siblings, but what the heck? It is food. Perhaps not the best quality but Smallie’s feathers are coming and his crop was somewhat full.

The oldest Golden Eaglet at the Kaljukotkas 2 nest has been attacking, as predicted, the younger sibling and it has an injury. Caution should be exercised if you are watching this nest as obligate siblicide is the norm for Golden Eagles.

Many of you will remember the saga of Golden Eagle Spilve and her chick, Klints, who died of starvation in their nest in Latvia a few years ago. It was a tragedy that struck many people. It appears Spilve did not return to use that nest but has been in the area. She has been caught a couple of times on camera on the nest where she tried to raise Klints alone.

Little Mini still with us Wednesday evening at Field Farm.

We need to send good wishes to Little Minis – both at Field Farm and then also at Poole Harbour. These two are so much smaller than their siblings!

Frederick and Betsy’s two osplets are doing alright despite the size difference. Enough food and the second sibling seems to almost always have a crop.

Still fighting for ‘Top Chick’ at Loch Arkaig.

First hatch at the Minnesota Arboretum Landscape Osprey Platform on Wednesday 5 June. This appears to be egg #3. Egg #1 was left uncovered and it got wet. It would have been 42 days old today with the second being 39. Egg 3 was 36 days.

Three sweet babies at Bridge Golf. Wishing for lots of fish this year.

On Wednesday, ‘B’ wrote and brought us up to speed on two California nests: Cal Falcons and the West End.

“No new fledges since Tuesday noon at the various falcon and eagle (and a few osprey) nests I have watched.

Cal Falcons had another Q&A session today (Wednesday) at noon on youtube, featuring Bridget Ahern (moon_rabbit_rising), who takes those great photos of the Cal Falcons. They answered general questions, in addition to the photography questions directed to Bridget. They report all four fledglings are doing well. Eclipse (who fledged four days before the others) seems to be doing particularly well, chasing the parents at times and making longer excursions than the others.

One tidbit that I found interesting from Lynn and Sean is that they said that, in the cases of some falcons elsewhere who were taken in for care for specific reasons that were NOT avian flu, antibodies for avian flu were detected in the birds. Which they took as evidence that some birds have been building resistance to the avian flu without being known to have the flu.

There may not be any fledges at the IWS nests, but there has been some mild drama at West End. I mentioned when I wrote midday Tues that Treasure and Sterling were preventing Koa from re-entering the nest. Koa tried again mid afternoon on Tuesday and got very firmly chased off in a big kerfluffel of flapping wings, but once Koa was gone Treasure kept being aggressive to Sterling, to the point that Sterling went into submissive posture and kept his/her distance. (I suggested last time that the sense was that both T and S were female, but now I am hearing some thinking Sterling could be male.) Then, late in the afternoon, maybe 5 pm, Koa managed to land in the “basement” of the nest when Akecheta delivered food to the nest, which distracted Treasure and Sterling. Treasure grabbed the fish and ate nearly all, as Koa watched closely but knew he couldn’t approach without drawing Treasure’s ire. It is not clear if Koa had eaten at all since fledging early Monday. As soon as Treasure turned and took a step away, Koa jumped on the remaining fish and ate ravenously. And then picked up scraps around the nest. When done, Koa drifted down to a rock adjacent to the basement, keeping his distance from his siblings, seemingly not trusting them to be aggressive again. Then Thunder flew in with a fish at 8:08, and we were all amazed that Koa flew/leaped up to mantle on the fish. Treasure was probably still full and didn’t threaten, and Sterling was interested but was not assertive to try for it. Then just four minutes later, Akecheta flew in with a fish, and Koa grabbed that one, too. So our boy ate very well late Tuesday. Some were saying Koa was now the new alpha. Not clear to me, but he has regained his “right” to be on the nest without aggression from his sibs.

When done with the fish, Koa again drifted down to his rock next to the basement and spent Tuesday night there. He was quick to get up to the nest for at least some share of the breakfish today (according to reports — I did not see this one), and I saw him getting a good share of an evening fish today. Koa has more confidence, even if still wary of his sibs, is asserting himself, and is flying very well. Oh, yes — Koa did a ps right in Treasure’s face in the afternoon. Like right at point-blank range — Koa’s rear was right on Treasure’s head. Chatters called it “payback”, but I don’t think they are that scheming. But it was funny, given Treasure’s past aggression.

Thunder and Sterling both look like they could fledge soon. Maybe tomorrow.”

The big news on Thursday was the return of Little Bob to Patuxent Nest 1 after a clear check from the wildlife rehabber and a few great meals!

‘A’ sends us news of the Sydney Sea Eagles: “June 4: Our eagles were awake early, with duets and mating in the morning mist– great to hear them. Both were away and brought in a couple of early sticks. The nest now has a good leafy lining. Dad brought in a good-sized fish, headless, just before 11am. Lady was there quickly to take it to eat. Then both were off somewhere – not seen from the river at 12:40pm. They both returned before 4pm, with more sticks and leaves. Then Dad brought another fish, a whiting, again claimed by Lady, while he arranged a few sticks on the nest. When she had finished, she left the rest of the fish on the branch and settled nearby. A busy day with lots of sticks and two fish.”

June 5: A cold, misty morning, with early duets and mating. Dad delivered leftover fish to the nest at 5:22am, which Lady took to eat. He brought in the first stick of the day at 6:52am, then both brought more, placing them just so. They were gone from around 10:30am. We heard that there were two eagles at Burns Bay and that they have been visiting around midday for the past couple of days. Both returned around 4:15pm, with sticks. After a while, with a few soft squonks, Lady bowed forward, inviting mating, with a duet at 4:33pm. Lady then spent time arranging sticks, with Dad chewing in the base to settle leaves and twigs. There was another mating at dusk. Dad brought eight sticks today and Lady also brought eight, with several matings seen.

It is nearing time to turn our attention South and ‘A’ also reminds us of the two wonderful falcons at the Orange scrape: “Speaking of Diamond, she is as I type (it’s nearly 1am on 6 June in southeastern Australia) sleeping on her usual place on the ledge of her scrape. When she turned up at the scrape shortly before 4pm this afternoon (5 June) she had the most MONSTROUS crop. I’m not sure whether that came courtesy of Xavier or whether she did her own hunting this afternoon, but certainly, she is looking happy and healthy. I wonder whether the peaceful life at Orange with the smorgasbord of bird species on the menu has helped Diamond live a long and healthy life. She has gradually laid fewer and fewer eggs as the years progress, so we will see how this season goes. She is a true matriarch of the falcon world. I love that these two not only stay together and maintain their territory throughout the year but actually use their scrape on a daily basis. I wonder how rare that actually is. Cal Falcons springs immediately to mind. I presume there are others and we just don’t see them. I wonder what happens at Collins Street in the ‘off’ season. I must ask Jonathan whether he sees or hears them at the moment. He has not done so over the past six months so they obviously don’t live where they breed.

Here is the latest post from Cilla at Orange:

As winter has arrived, courtship displays start to ramp up. We have already had two matings (a week earlier than last year) and other activities, such as scrape preparation, prey bringing and pair bonding displays, are also starting to increase in duration and frequency. Here the pair bonding lasted 22 minutes.. Video: https://youtu.be/SEsXle_iMy8“.

And, of course, everyone is getting excited for Iris and Finn: “At Iris’s nest, we must be approaching hatch watch for that first egg, laid on 5 May. I continue to be incredibly worried that there is a second (or technically third) egg laid on 12 May – that gap is HUGE. One hatch only, please! I do not want either Iris or this new partnership to have the stress of more than one osplet. I would prefer a spoiled and well-fed Only Bob here and truly hope this first egg does not hatch. We will know one way or the other within a week. I am nervous for them.

This morning, Finn arrived as usual to say good morning, this time with empty talons. Iris flew straight off the nest at 05:44:35 to stretch her wings. Finn settled down carefully on the eggs. He has really become a lot more gentle around the eggs – he was very clumsy early on and continually threatened to accidentally trample on the eggs, but now he has worked out that he needs to tread delicately. Iris is back around 06:09. She does not appear to have eaten. I do love the way they chat quietly to each other. Iris really does seem very happy. Let’s hope Finn proves worthy of this very special lady. Finn has gone fishing – we see shots of the river, Finn perched beside the river on a tall pole, then Finn diving and returning wet to his pole but with empty talons. The river appears to be moving fast, and there is a small section of waterfall where the water flows over a rocky outcrop right across the river. This should provide a good fishing area, though when the water is moving this fast and looks this dark, it may be hard to see the fish. (from ‘A’)” NOTE: EGG IS 33 DAYS OLD TODAY. PIP/HATCH WATCH WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY.

At San Jose, the Fab Four are thinking of flying.

Hartley has to break up the food fights that are now constant between the four.

The Forsythe Four are also doing very well. Much better than I expected after the dismal season last year. Fingers crossed.

They should be giving out awards to raptors. Louis would certainly get one for his fishing abilities!

You just gotta love Little Bob at Loch Arkaig.

The Dyfi Trio are doing fantastic.

Aran and Elen are coping well with their three as well. So far, almost all of the nests in the UK are doing well.

Both Golden Eagles at Kaljukotkas 2 are still alive and are getting their juvenile feathers. Is it possible both will survive? We must wait. It would be unusual.

I would really like to see some more big fish come to the MNSA Jay Koolpix Osprey nest.

CJ7 makes sure that Mini Little Bob gets some fish dinner.

Maya with her Big and Only Bob at Manton Bay. She was unwell and nature was kind with just one chick to look after.

What a gorgeous sight. Three healthy storklets! The torrential rains have caused so many nest deaths this season.

And also at Bociany.

In Latvia,

A nest full at Bolewice.

One healthy storklet at Mlade Buky.

On Thursday, the Ns were a little wet at the Red-tail Hawk nest on the Cornell Campus. The average day of fledging at Cornell is 46 days. Keep your eyes open next week.

Concerns for the Osprey nests in the NE.

I also want to share with you the newsletter from Knepp Farm with the trailer for the Wilding movie!

Wilding-movie-in-cinemas-soon Download

For those following the remaining members of Karl II’s family, Waba continues to travel north but is going through Russia – thanks ‘T’ for that news!

As of Friday morning, Middle is still with us at Lake Murray! S/he is getting so big. Let’s hope the GHO cannot lift this beautiful only surviving osplet.

Thank you so very much for being with me today as we did a brief catch-up on some of the nests we have been monitoring. Looking forward to some more fledges and hatches in the coming week. Take care! See you soon.

Thank you so much to the following individuals who so graciously and generously sent me comments and links for these updates as well as those who created videos, made FB and Chat postings, and, of course, to the streaming cams where I took my screen captures: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J, PB, T’, Geemeff and BBC Springwatch, SK Hideaways, Field Farm, BoPH, Heidi McGrue, Lake Murray Ospreys, Eagle Club of Estonia, Cornell RTH, Amersfoort Falcon Cam, LDF, OBX Osprey Cam, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Bridge Golf Club, IWS/Explore, Patuxent River Park, Sea Eagle Cam, Cilla Kinross, Montana Osprey Project, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, Dyfi Osprey Project, MNSA Jay Koolpix Osprey Cam, LRWT, Kirchzarten Stork Cam DE, Bociany Carne Online, Bocian Czarny Online, Mlade Buky, Diane Lambertson, and Knepp Farms.

Category Archives: Latvian Wildlife

Loch Arkaig’s chicks will go to Spain!…Monday in Bird World

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Louis returns to the nest with a fish…Saturday in Bird World

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Darling Fledges…Thursday in Bird World

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Wednesday in Bird World

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2 kg female osplet ringed in Wales…Tuesday in Bird World

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Monday in Bird World

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Too many deaths…Wednesday in Bird World

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Tragedy at Minnesota…Tuesday in Bird World

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Weather related deaths…Sunday in Bird World

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Friday in Bird World

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