First up, before I forget. The Great Back Yard Bird Count is taking place from tomorrow through the 17th. Here is all the information you need to participate with Cornell and Audubon.
The Girls have asked me to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. They want you to know they are grateful for your letters and how you care about them. Sadly, they cannot send you any candies! My best friend left a box for us, and I was going to share it with all of you. That beautiful little box was left on the dining table, lid secured. This morning, those little red balls of chocolate were all over the floor. They had a hockey game during the night!!!!!!!! I heard nothing. Thankfully, they did not eat any of the candy – it is, however, not in a state to share. I wonder which team won? Team Calico vs. Missey-HY.
The temperatures have been in the -32 C range. The sun has been out and strangely the conservatory has been warm. It is a joy to be out there watching all the animals who continue to grow in number as they discover that food is available once again. Their survival is phenomenal. Brock and Star were here today eating kibble under the feeder which was left for the Starlings along with their other food. Both seem to be doing alright despite the frigid weather. Still, it is hard not to ache for them and their circumstances.
Star is very pretty. She is on the bird feeder to get the sunshine and keep her feet warm. She was not interested in killing our feathered friends, thank goodness.
There has been one big worry in Bird World since my last post on Sunday. An owl (Barred?) visited the nest of Beau and Gabby, just like the visits at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23. Gabby quickly flew down to the nest to protect 31. Still, this is not something that we even want to fathom.
While Ospreys are not a match for GHOs (their claws are meant for carrying fish and fighting with one another over fish), they are not meant for battling these larger raptors. The Eagles are another story. Even our local Crows gang up on the GHO that lives on the nearby golf course. They usher that owl right out of the neighbourhood. But, as you know, the owls are silent, and that little 31 sleeping alone in that big nest is problematic. Please send me some positive wishes.
This little 31 is a cutie with its dark charcoal thermal down and dandelion head. Look at the length of that beak!!!!!!! It was a magical moment when that egg hatched, and our joy just helped us get through the sadness at SW Florida.
Others shared my concern with the mailbox full of worry for 31. ‘A’ wrote: “Gabby returned to the nest soon after 4am – perhaps she realises that the pre-dawn is probably the most dangerous time of all, based on my observations of the GHO nests. They usually bring home something laor rge shortly before dawn to feed their owlet/s. Or that’s what I have seen. So presumably Gabby is aware of that too. She was on the nest for that vital 90 minutes or so before dawn, which was interesting, and of course we still have our wee one. Mind you, it’s not so wee – if I hadn’t seen those GHOs knock the parents from their perches, I’d even wonder whether NE31 is too big to carry off now. But we know how strong those feet and legs are. They are phenomenal. Scary. So I will be watching with fear and trepidation for another week or two at least with that baby alone on that nest. It’s such an expanse too – like a damned football field – so that the owl would have plenty of room to swoop and then lift NE31 and spirit it away. There are no branches to interfere with its path or slow it down – it would have no obstacles at all. I hope I am worrying unnecessarily but seeing that GHO scoping things out was terrifying.”
That owl has returned and Beau and Gabby jumped into action. I just wish they would remain on the nest with 31 until it is large enough that the owl will go away and leave them in peace. https://youtu.be/ExITfywEw9M?
I am not as concerned if it is a Barred Owl and this is the reason: “Barred Owls are comparable in size to a Great Horned Owl (21″versus 22″) but their weight is considerably different as the average weight of a Barred Owl is 1.6 pounds, roughly half of the weight of a Great Horned Owl.” It would not have the flight capacity of the GHO.
‘A’ remarks: “Again this morning, Gabby has gone down to the nest shortly before 4am. The only explanation I think is that she is obviously aware that this pre-dawn period is the most dangerous time, so she is going to the nest early each morning. It does give me a little bit of comfort, though I still worry all day (I’m on the other side of the world, remember, so as it is 4:11am at NEFL it is 8:11pm here). Since lunch time, I have had the NEFL screen open and I check li’l nugget regularly – mainly to see whether that little lump of fluff is still on the nest or whether one time I will look in and see that nest empty. It is terrifying, especially with both the GHO and the barred owl aware of the nest and prepared to attack the adults let alone NE31. That is a very tempting meal, I suspect, well fattened, young and tender. Just right for a growing owlet or two. It terrifies me. Poor wee eaglet. It looks so helpless and alone. Gabby is there now, as I said, and baby has woken up for yet another preen. Beau is nearby, perched above the nest.”
We are all concerned about the levels of lead contamination in our raptors, and, in particular, carrion eaters such as Bald Eagles, Condors, and Vultures. There is currently a study in the UK to ban the use of lead ammunition. the following file has a video attached, ‘The Toxic Restaurant’ that is extremely enlightening.
At the Hilton Head Bald Eagle nest, George and Gracie now has two eaglets to feed!
The two eaglets at John Bunker Sands – JBS 22 and JBS 23 -are the sweetest little things.
As mentioned in my earlier post, it appears that F23 and M15 are going to be alright. It has been a fortnight and the two adult eagles have been seen at the pond and at the nest. I know that this is a huge relief for all of you.
The couple working on their nest on Wednesday.
It is certainly going to be easy to fall in love with these two little cuties at the Kisatchie National Forest nest of Alex and Adrian II. Just look.
R7 and R8 are growing like weeds at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose.
Gosh, look at the size of Dasher and Dancer! Clive and Connie have been working so hard for these babies.
Angel and Tom have been working on their nest. Love the pine cone.
It was a duck dinner so very French at the nest of Michigan Bald Eagles, Harry and Harriet. https://youtu.be/Hch_Q9oZs6U?
In five weeks we will be watching Ospreys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait.
For now, you can also watch deer! ‘H’ reminds us of the Brownsville, Maine deer pantry – and, yes, I do love these folks. They have 12 acres and my goodness how kind they are.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We will be delighted to have you with us again on Monday.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, NEFL-AEF, NestFlix Memories, Raptor Persecution UK, NCTC, FORE, Farmer Derek, Raptor Research Project/Explore, Buddy’s Mom, FOLFAN, IWS/Explore, Duke Farms, Rita the Eagle FB, Birdlife Malta, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Cornell Bird Lab, Root and Wing, World Bird Sanctuary, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Kisatchie National Forest, Window to Wildlife, Great Lakes Bald Eagle Cam
It rained in a rain forest. No surprise there! We meandered into the small area of shops and found a lovely little restaurant overlooking the marina. The food was delicious. The coconut pie was out of this world – the best I have ever eaten and that is saying something coming from the southern US, originally.
Deshaies offers everything we wanted in a break from the Canadian winter. The hummingbirds fill the garden area flitting from flower to flower. There are three or four different types. Then there are Bandicoots, Red Jungle Roosters, hens, and chicks, and today we heard a woodpecker along with many others serenading us that we could not identify and neither could Merlin ID (only 65% of the birds on Guadeloupe are in their identification system). The National Forest is about 50 yards away on one side.
We are enjoying paradise.
The view to the marina.
Mostly fish items – freshly caught but also spaghetti and curry.
The finest coconut pie with homemade ice cream.
I had hoped for relaxation, and that is what we found. The puppy waits for us at the gate or comes running if she hears our voices wanting pets and more pets. Don’t tell The Girls! She has melted our hearts.
The trip is already more than I could ask for in a holiday. My dear husband has managed so well—often better than I did when things got anxious. He is excellent at spotting hummingbirds and helps watch for the roosters, hens, and their chicks on the road. They are everywhere. It almost seems like everyone has them for eggs. The weather has been warm; being outside in a forest melts any woes. It is forest bathing in a way so different from home – and we love it. I feel so privileged to travel and stay in such a serene place. Feeling grateful.
Checking on our bird friends…
There is now a second hatch for Alex II and Andria II at the Kistachie E3 nest in Louisiana. Oh, these bobbleheads are cute and strong! Go and check them out.
CROW has put out a statement answering some Questions and rumours that have been filtering through the airwaves. ( I hope this shows up in its entirety. Please search on CROW FB if it isn’t. Very informative information).
M15 and F23 have both been seen around the Pritchett Property.
The Royal Cam chick is doing quite well under the care of its father, RLK. Ranger Sharyn did a weight check. https://youtu.be/aU4-uKEgY4k?s
E31 is likely to be the most spoiled eaglet in the entire state of Florida this breeding season. Talk about a dad! Beau has embraced fatherhood like he read the manual from Shadow or M15. Gabby did really well. Oh, I know that we growled at Beau at times, but she kept the faith and for good reason.
Two other news items. Tom and Angel have been seen at the nest and Window to Wildlife says that the cam will be turned on soon. Dr Sharpe is also planning to make a trip to the West End to see about the camera and hopefully to have some news of the eagles, Thunder and Akecheta for us.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care! See you in a few days – it could even be Tuesday or earlier if there is news.
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: Kistachie National Forest E3 nest, CROW, NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, NEFL-AEF, AEF, John Bunker Sands, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, The Guardian
We woke up to a little more snow Friday morning after the rain and snow mixed on Thursday. It is quite cool at 0 degrees C today compared to other days, and it is quite windy. That snow continued on and off during the day and has now accumulated late Friday night. I feel for the birds who do not know if it is winter or spring. They do better in the snow than in the rain as some of the food does not get sloppy and wet. There were hundreds and hundreds today and south of where I live, people had hundreds of Robins on their lawns pulling up worms!
I should introduce new readers to some of the garden animals so they know who I am constantly mentioning.
Dyson is the matriarch of the Grey Squirrel family. She is named after the inventor of the famous vacuum cleaner because of her skill in ‘sucking up peanuts’ faster than anyone! She is at least five years old; my diary tells me seven. Last year, she had three kits. They still come to the garden. She is much adored and has her own fan club! She is extremely healthy this spring. I love how her little fingers cup the small Black-oil seed and peanuts.
Little Red lived in our garden shed until it had to be torn down for the conservatory two years ago. I tried to build him a new house. Then we purchased a special squirrel house from Finland – Little Red didn’t like it and then Dyson ate the wood around the hole so she could get in and eat the peanuts I had placed in there to lure Little Red. Little Red was always alone. Then Miss Little Red arrived and well, now we have at least four Reds living in and about the garden.
A baby?
There are also Mr and Mrs Blue Jay, who are the parents of Junior, who had his little jays starting two years ago. He does not migrate, and last summer, we had two Blue Jay families living within 10 metres of the garden. The fledglings arrived and ate at the feeders. There are currently six Blue Jays around. I cannot wait for this summer. The garden could be filled with Blue Jays!!!!! Their colours are so magnificent, and the white pattern on the tip of their tails is different for each one – that is how I identify them. Junior’s feathers are a bit of a mess right now. It looks like he has been in a fight, as it seems a bit early for moulting. Indeed some of the feathers appear broken.
Then there is Mr and Mrs Downy, Mr and Mrs Hairy, and Mr Pileated that come throughout the day. I caught Mrs Downy on the suet this afternoon.
The European Starlings are having a feast in the large table feeder. Today they seem to be attracted to the suet while the squirrels – both Dyson and the three kits from last summer – and the two little Reds – forage for peanuts. I have not seen the Blue Jays so far and it is 1322 Friday afternoon.
Four cats bring me more joy than anyone could ever imagine. Missey arrived with Lewis on 2 November 2022; they were adopted from the Humane Society, which takes in stray cats and kittens. Sadly, we lost Lewis in September 2023. Calico lived in the garden and was dumped as a kitten (or so it seems). I lured her into being friends in the winter of 2023 and then once she had her kittens – only one survived (Baby Hope) – they moved into the house. It was quite the ordeal tracking her and then hoping the kitten would find us (it had left their nest and was eight weeks old). The most recent addition is Hugo Yugo, who is a rescue. Her mother was starved when she was carrying her seven kittens. As a consequence, Hugo Yugo continues to be the size of an 8-10 week old kitten despite the fact that she is now eight and a half months old. She was supposed to be a male but turned out to be a Ginger Female (only 20% of Gingers are female). She is a character. I would not part with any of them. They create a life around me that is like a symphony.
Missey has been talking to the Dark-eyed Juncos through the window and Hugo Yugo along with Calico and Baby Hope went into a food coma and have yet to surface.
Mamma Calico and Baby Hope. They posed. I could not believe it. My heart just stops every time I see them together – and they are like this most of the day unless eating or playing. Inseparable. Calico raised Hope. She would come and eat and run back to take care of her quickly. Hope was the healthiest feral kitten I had ever seen. Calico did a superb job. Cannot imagine them living on the streets.
And for those wondering who I am, well, I am a Retired Professor who has undertaken a long-term study of siblicide on Osprey nests. Last year, I increased the number of eggs observed to 341 with ‘H’. This year, we are aiming for 500. The results will be published when we have good annual comparisons – starting with 2 years and then moving next to 5 years. In 2023, many chicks were lost due to a Nor-eastern in the Chesapeake Bay Area and overfishing of the Menhaden. Perhaps that will not happen this year. I am not desensitised to the tragic events on the nests that have deaths – I take each one pretty hard. It is the joy of seeing the chick we might believed would perish thrive – to wonder at their perseverance, determination, and cleverness. Ultimately, I would like to see if these beaten chicks that do survive the nest to fledge have a higher return rate in the second year. Sadly, due to the fact that so few nests band their osplets, it is impossible to determine.
I want everyone to enjoy nature. To marvel at how beautiful the world is right outside our own windows and to realise how important it is to get out and breathe the air and listen to the birdsong. Life is stressful and it is one proven way to calm ourselves down!
Friday was a day for egg laying…I continue to tell everyone to mark their calendars. That third week in May is going to be a very busy one.
On Friday afternoon, 19 April, Dorcha was injured in an encounter with a large raptor—a golden eagle or a Sea Eagle—at Loch Arkaig. According to Geemeff, Ravens were escorting the large raptor out of the area when Dorcha got involved. Dorcha returned to the nest at 1501 with scratches, blood, and an injured leg.
The injuries to the right leg – it looks like a large puncture to me – can clearly be seen when Dorcha gets up from incubating her egg when Louis brings her a fish.
Poor Dorcha. She was due to lay her third egg and she did at 02:26 Saturday morning, the 20th of April. Hard incubation should begin.
I am expecting the third egg if there is to be one at Loch of the Lowes today, the 20th.
All eyes are on the eggs of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell Campus anxiously awaiting the sign of the first pip.
Positively nothing at the nest of Angel and Tom. Is Tom missing? ‘A’ seems to think he is.
At Eagle Country, Swampy is going higher on the natal nest tree. S/he will fledge shortly. What a seemingly strong and healthy eaglet.
Tuffy had a Good Friday. Harry delivered a huge Tilapia at 0941 at the Moorings Park nest on Friday. Tuffy was in and out of the feeding, but by 1055 was finished and had a nice crop!
Tuffy has had big crops all Friday. This little one is eating well.
Later than the image above, after another fish. Harry must have an excellent spot to land these whoppers…
A fish arrived at 1423. Tuffy had a nice crop at the end of that meal, too!
Tuffy had a crop when the 1602 fish arrived. He looked but didn’t bother to go over and eat. He was full already.
A little bit of a fish came at 1831..Tuffy even got some!
It ‘feels’ like Tuffy and Ruffie have done nothing but eat all day. Each time I go and check Tuffy is up at the beak. If this little one continues to eat this much fish per day, we will have to change the middle letters of its name from ‘F’ to ‘B’. Sssshhhh. Don’t say it out loud. We don’t want to give the second hatch a complex. All kidding aside, Tuffy did really well on Friday. In fact, both were so full that Sally got to finish off a nice fish as the sun was setting on the nest.
First egg for Cowlitz PUD is 18 April! Love these folks. They put up metal fish grates to protect the osplets from being taken by the Bald Eagles!
Egg #1 or Bruce and Naha at Seaside on the 18th of April, too!
We have an egg at Oyster Bay on Long Island.
‘H’ reports: “Opal did it again…she laid the 4th egg at 17.46.” I caution new observers that this is a tough nest to watch if all eggs hatch and fish deliveries are few. Siblicide warning.
All three chicks at the Venice Golf and Country club platform look fine.
The camera has gone black again at Frenchman’s Creek. Now it is only listed as Private so I presume residents only that wish to sign up. We will sadly never know the fate of the two older osplets. I hope that they continue to self feed and that someone from Frenchman’s Creek will let us know if they fledge.
All three eaglets at Little Miami Conservancy have nice crops on Friday.
Snow on Finland’s Osprey nests.
Egg three at Llyn Clywedog nest of Seren and Dylan arrives on the 19th as well.
‘L’ reports: “New female at Charlo is OJ (Wakati) from 2018 Dunrovin nest. She’s got her leg banded.” This might get interesting. Happy for you Charlie if Charlotte does not show up!
Lucy and Kenny’s three eggs at Lake Murray Ospreys. For new viewers, a GHO took all three chicks off this nest in 2023. Former mate, Ricky died and difficult for Mum to feed, hunt, and offer security.
Iris was at her nest in Missoula, Montana on Friday.
It is hard to believe that these two are Liberty and Guardian’s little eaglets.
Lots of soft bedding for the two tiny eaglets at Fort St Vrain – and a good thing, too, as the snow began to fall Friday evening.
Port Tobacco’s only eaglet appears to be doing just dandy!
Do you have a dream to see the geese that winter in the UK? Before the climate changes so much that they stay in Greenland and Siberia? Here is a file to help you identify them. It is on my bucket list!
To my knowledge, all nests are doing well. The snow has again started, and I am behind in my data entry. I will check on some of the eagle nests tomorrow, along with what is happening at our hawk and osprey nests. Take care everyone. Thank you for being with us today.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, L, PB’, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Cornell RTH Cam, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Country, Moorings Park, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside, PSEG, Forsythe Osprey Cam, VGCCO, Little Miami Conservancy, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Llyn Clywedog and CarnyXWild, Charlo Montana, Lake Murray Ospreys, Montana Osprey Project, FORE, XCel Energy, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, BBC Countryfile, and Audubon.
*Disclaimer: Every effort is made to acknowledge those that provide information and material for my posting. If I have failed to credit someone, please do let me know so that I can correct this. Thank you,’
Spring is here and the geese continue to fly in. The songbirds are quickly following! The Prairies are waking up from a not-so-bad winter.
This pair of Geese kept their eyes on me while I read my book and sipped some mint tea at the nature centre. It was a perfect afternoon to fall asleep in the warm sunshine.
The Blue Jays – now six – are coming to the garden and have difficulty deciding which peanut to take when there is a big pile! It is incredible how long they ponder the selection if Dyson is not rushing them. The squirrels and the Blue Jays have arranged to take turns at the feeder.
This is the one!
After the other birds and squirrels are gone, the Black-capped Chickadees arrive for seeds. They are making a nest in a Blue Spruce tree in the front garden to my sheer delight.
Dyson and the kits are now moulting. Everyone survived the winter. It feels so good to see all of them.
‘The Girls’ are fantastic and I will get some new images tomorrow for you.
Did Tuffy figure it out? Did Mum Sally position herself so that her little one could get on one side away from Ruffy? We won’t know, but both happened and Tuffie got most of the breakfast on Tuesday!
‘H’ reports: “At 0820 Harry brought a whole fish to the nest. The usual feeding scenario took place between the siblings. Tuffy got a couple of quick bites, then was beaked by Ruffie. Over the next 20 minutes or so, Ruffie made sure that Tuffie could not eat. Tuffie had been slowly moving around to the other side of Sally, and at 0845 Tuffie started to receive more bites from Sally. Ruffie appeared to be thinking about acting tough, but ultimately decided to let Tuffy eat. Tuffy had a private feeding for the rest of the meal. There was a break for a minute as Sally was alarming due to an intruder, and both osplets pancaked, but then the feeding of Tuffy resumed. Tuffy had eaten at least 110 bites of fish by 0901, and then he moved away from Sally. Sally finished the fish.”
Harry brought in a second headless large fish at 11:24. Tuffy was in a bad position and did not move up to eat at the beginning. Sally was hungry and fed herself and Ruffy. At 11:28 after scooting around, Tuffy got in position and Sally gave him a bite of fish. Tuffy moved a bit and returned, had some more bites before Ruffy approached and Tuffy backed away afraid of being beaked.
‘H’ reports: “Harry brought a headless fish at 1122. Tuffy automatically moved away instinctively to avoid being attacked by Ruffie.. Ruffie was fed. Tuffy did try to approach the feeding a few times, but shrank away after getting the ‘stink eye’ from Ruffie. At 1130 Ruffie backed up to PS, and Tuffie got one bite. Ruffie returned to eat. At 1132 Ruffie went out of her way to move across the nest and beak Tuffy even though Tuffy was nowhere near Sally. Tuffy got a bite of fish at 1135. At 1136 Ruffie was full and moved away from the table. Then Tuffy ate until 1142, when he started refusing Sally’s offerings. Tuffy was crop dropping at 1145, then he ate some more. More crop dropping by Tuffy at 1147, and by 1148 Tuffy was just too full to eat any more and turned away. At 1150 Ruffy returned for a few more bites, but quit at 1153. Sally finished the fish. Tuffy ate at least 53 bites of fish at this meal.
At 1514 Harry delivered a small-ish whole fish. Tuffy did not initially make a great effort to get to the table, nevertheless, Ruffie beaked and harassed him. And, while Ruffie was eating she took the time to pivot and harass Tuffy a few times. By 1532 the fish was gone. Zero bites for Tuffy.”
Tuffy is aware of Ruffy’s every move and chooses not to be beaked. Instead, Tuffy will move away. He will return and get a nice private feeding.
‘H’ catches us up at Moorings Park: “At 1602, less than an hour after Harry delivered the last fish, he dropped off a headless fish. Ruffie should have been full from her last recent meal, which would have favored Tuffy’s chances of eating…but, it didn’t work out that way. Ruffy blocked every attempt made by Tuffy to get up closer to Sally’s beak. The fish was gone by 1624. Tuffy did not eat.Wow, good for Harry, he brought the third fish in two hours time… a nearly whole fish at 1715. Tuffy started to get bites at 1718, and ate a total of 14 bites before Ruffie beaked him. By 1724, Tuffy was back at the table, and was eating freely beside Ruffie. Tuffy ate 59 bites by the end of the meal and then Sally found 5 scraps to give to him. Total for Tuffy = 64 bites.
Total bites for Tuffy so far today: at least 227 bites of fish.
That was not the end of Harry’s fishing. ‘H’ has a last report for us unless Harry brings in another fish!
“At 1822 Harry delivered a large headless fish (6th fish of the day). The osplets ate side by side for the entire meal. I did not count bites for Ruffie, but it really seemed that Tuffy had more to eat than Ruffie. Total bites of fish for Tuffie at this meal = at least 121.
Total fish bites to Tuffie so far today = 348.”
Tuffy having bites of fish this morning:
‘A’ brings us news of Angel and Tom: “After a no-show day on 8 April (related to the eclipse?), we were graced with a brief afternoon visit from Angel and Tom today. She arrived at 4.41.39pm, with Tom flying in soon afterwards (4.42:22pm). Interestingly, neither brought any nesting material with them. Angel just stood in the middle of the nest, surveying her surroundings. Tom stood on the side of the nest, watching her intently. She clears any fallen debris out of her nest bowl. Tom seems fascinated by that nest bowl. She then moves a couple of sticks. Again, Tom watches her every move, giving her actions his absolutely total attention. After Tom flies off at 4.43:39. Angel remains until shortly after 4.45pm, flying off at 4.45.1The behaviour was interesting today. There was no nest-building material brought in, and the only nest arrangement that was done (by Angel) involved moving a couple of items that had fallen into or over the nest bowl since their last visit on 7 April. Before she left, Angel did a big rouse, which began with her feathers slowly standing up a bit, until she look like she was wearing a puffer jacket. Then the rouse. Then the gradual lowering of the feathers back to their usual ‘flat to the skin’ positioning. It was fascinating to watch. Searching as we are for any sign that Angel is going to give us an egg at any moment, I am wondering whether this puffed-up eggy’ look she has is just my imagination, and whether the fact that they have finished the building phase and are only lining the nest bowl with bark etc (6 April and 7 April) or moving things that have blown or fallen down over the nest bowl. So that should mean that eggs MUST be nigh. Surely. We wait, talons crossed. Speaking of which, how absolutely exquisite are Angel’s ‘nails’? She must be at the nail salon every week to have them looking like that. So perfect. She is such a miracle of nature. I give thanks every time I get to see her on cam. And what a handsome, healthy falcon Tom looks this season. I cannot wait to see him being a mature dad this time around. “
How many would have liked to have transported either or both of the NCTC or Hanover eaglets to the nest of Shadow and Jackie?
Morning diamonds pouring down on the dreams of these two Big Bear Eagles.
Jackie partially buries the eggs Tuesday morning.
The time passes so quickly and Lady and Dad are working on that nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest!
Meanwhile, in the UK, Threave is wishing for their first egg.
At Dunrovin, Swoop arrived and Harriet was not there. She is late. Will she return this year?
Swoop waits…
Geemeff writes excitedly: Now all three, Prince, Garry LV0 and Affric 152, are back – the Lochenders soap opera continues! —– This is the old nest of Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig.
We need to be ever so thankful for those little eaglets that did survive this year. So many nests failed alongside the many tragic moments. ‘J’ has been keep track of the Bald Eagles and this is the tally this morning:
Overview Chicks: 111 eggs 67 chicks 2 died 1 got killed by sibling 2 got killed by dad 1 rescued 3 fledged
No chicks this season: Big Bear still incubating 3 non-viable eggs Chippewa Falls both eggs did not hatch Dulles Greenway abandoned Hanover died within hour, killed by it’s dad KNF E1 abandoned due to Anna’s death KNF E3 abandoned due to Andria’s death NEFL one lost in nest, one abandoned Pittsburgh Hayes crushed egg Sauces crushed egg Two Harbors nonviable egg
Deb Stecyk and what happened on Monday.
Thankfully everything is positively fine with Claire and Irvin’s new arrival at US Steel.
So far all is well at Fort St Vrain and their new arrival in Colorado, too.
The pair at Decorah North have thermal down and don’t look anything like those little cutie pies in the golden sun last week – and thank goodness for that. They are growing and doing well.
The trio at Little Miami Conservancy are – so far – doing fantastic. Quietly think of the effort these parents have to make to feed a family of five!
Viper at Bluff City is huge! Mum Frances protects the only surviving chick (siblicide) in the rain and is well-fed as it gets its juvenile plumage.
Franklin flew in with a big fish dinner around 1831 for Frances and Viper.
Leaper and Jersey are doing well. How long ago was it when we worried that little Jersey would survive? Well, a change of fortune at Duke Farms certainly changed that – juvenile feathers coming in nicely now.
A comments: “Watch the 10.45am (9 April) feeding from Duke Farms today. Mum brings in a nice fresh whole fish and Jersey is at the table when she arrives. He stays there without any sign of submission. He just sits up at the table, waiting for mum to prepare a bite. Leaper lumbers up beside him and he does not move. He does not duck his head or even lean away. He just waits for his food. Leaper sits nicely beside him. When the first bite is ready, mum offers it to Jersey (she has moved the fish slightly to one side so that Jersey is favoured) and he takes it without any hesitation. Not even a glance to check on Leaper’s mood or position. It was MAGNIFICENT. This nest is a triumph for our wonderful mum. It made me SO happy. “
Just look at those crops!
In Scotland, Louis is making certain that Dorcha is well fed and strong for the new breeding season.
Good thing for all that fish – watch this stick display in fast motion.
News coming from Paula in the Forum at San Jose City Hall Falcons from ‘AE’:
Incubation time has been going smoothly most days with an occasional floater coming thru but nothing of a concern so far. :-). Monty has really matured into a really great mate for Hartley. He comes in fairly early to give Hartley a break from all those overnight hours of incubation duty. Hartley takes full advantage of her breaks and at times is very hard to find taking her breaks. This morning I was lucky enough to capture her as she flew up to the cam 2 bar that attaches it to the roof of the City Hall building. Sometimes we will find a bit of her tail feathers to let us know she is up there OR finding the shadow of the full bar may give us a clue.
Have a wonderful day! — Paula A. Forum Moderator
Archie’s has a nap while waiting for his turn to incubate the eggs at The Campanile.
At the Achieva Osprey nest, it has been noticed that one of the eggs has collapsed and is now bean-shaped. We will have to wait and see if any of the eggs are viable and what will happen to this one. My understanding is there is no obvious pip – the shell just began collapsing over the course of the day.
That egg is clearly crushed this morning.
Everything and more you wanted to know about Osprey eggs. I had hoped to find more information on these collapsing eggs. Is it humidity or is it something else?
There is a new streaming cam at the Port of Ridgefield Osprey platform. It is run by Clark Public Utilities in Washington State.
Good news at Abernathy.
The water is beginning to thaw in Finland. Ospreys returning soon.
Bradley and Mum were seen eating fish together at Delamere. I continue to marvel at this wonderful year at Port Lincoln and the fact that brother Ervie is often seen with Bradley, Gil, Mum, and Dad, too.
Congratulations E23. You have now passed the 100 day mark and are 101 days old! What a fabulous season you, your Dad M15 and your new mum, F23 gave us.
Fraser Point kiddos have so many bugs in their nest but they are doing fine.
Maya continues to be monitored at Rutland Water. Please send her positive wishes.
We are in agony when any of our little raptors die. Imagine the beautiful Hen Harrier chicks stomped to death in their nest or shot from the sky after fledging. This happens consistently near the grouse moor hunting estates in the UK. When will society have enough of this killing simply to protect the sport of grouse hunting?
New laws are coming into place, but will they be enough? And will the law provide the kinds of sentences and fines to finally deter this medieval practice?
I want to close with a rescue. You might have seen it, but it makes our hearts warm and glad when a human reaches out and gives a second chance to one of raptors and that is precisely what happened to a Bald Eagle.
The news comes from World Bird Sanctuary: On 3/23/24, a fisherman noticed 2 Bald Eagles floating in the Mississippi River. One was making its way to shore and flew off once it reached land. The other appeared to be drowning, struggling to keep her head above water. The fisherman was able to haul the bird up onto a bank and called Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for help. MDC picked up the exhausted eagle and transported her to our hospital for care. Upon arrival, the eagle, now patient number 24-120, appeared near death. She was limp when picked up from the transport box, unable to even hold her head up. She was suffering from hypothermia and was soaked down to the skin from her swim in the river. Her breathing was wet and heavy. In this condition, the stress of being handled for an exam could be enough to kill her so our only treatment option was to provide her with heat and oxygen support and hope she survived the night.
24-120 was placed into our eagle oxygen therapy unit and propped up in a support of dry towels to both absorb some of the moisture and put her in a more comfortable breathing position. In the morning, we were delighted to find her standing and alert. An exam showed bruising to her left wrist as well as to the top of her head and her face around both eyes. The pattern of bruising makes us suspect that it was from impact with the water and that head trauma from the impact likely contributed to her inability to swim to shore.
24-120 recovered quickly and was ready for release after 2 weeks in care! It was windy at release time but 24-120 was up for catching the breeze to gain altitude. The MDC officer who picked her up was able to be there to open the door and send her on her way back to the skies! We are so grateful to fellow organizations and individuals who care about our bird species and help make our mission possible. This bird would not have survived without the fisherman who pulled her ashore and the MDC officer who rapidly responded and transported her to our hospital.
Thank you to everyone for being with us today. It was certainly a good day for Tuffy. I hope that you, like me and ‘H’, are beginning to feel that this nest is turning around and that the little one who longs to live so much will thrive!
As always, a first big thank you to ‘H’ for her diligence in keeping up with Tuffy. Thank you also to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AE, Geemeff, H, J, MP’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Gaye Kelly, Threave Ospreys NTS, Kitty Carlyle, Red Wing, Deb Stecyk, Gracie Shepherd, Jenna Dorsey, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Little Miami Conservancy, Bluff City-ETSU, Duke Farms, Geemef, Paul-San Jose City Hall Falcon Cam, JB Sands Wetlands, SK Hideaways, Osprey Camera Blog, Clark PUD, Jeff Kerr-Abernathy, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Port Lincoln Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore, Oakhum Nub News, World Bird Sanctuary, and The Guardian.
It was a sad day in the garden on Saturday morning.
Everyone always talks about a Spark Bird. There can be several of these significant birds throughout our lives. As a child in Oklahoma, it was the Blue Jays and Cardinals that my dad fed out of his hand. As a teenager, it was the Red-tail Hawks. Then, decades later, there was the most magical moment. It changed my life. It was a winter morning in the garden when my eyes connected with those of a female Sharp-shinned Hawk within half a metre of me. Since that day, hawks have been visiting the garden in search of a “Sparrow Blue Plate Special”. Now, to have an Immature Cooper’s hawk die in my garden is simply heartbreaking. The carcass is going for testing for HPAI, as there were no obvious signs of trauma. However, I suspect the hawk flew into the garage belonging to the house next door or somehow broke its neck, colliding with the thicker branches trying to catch a songbird.
The happy ending to this, if there could be one, is that the hawk’s body is going to our local museum as part of their specimen collection. If you find a bird whose carcass is in good condition, check with your local natural history museum or wildlife centre to see if they would be interested in having it as part of their specimen collection.
It was 14 degrees C Saturday afternoon at the nature centre. The Canada Geese had moved from the main lake to the smaller ponds and fields to forage. There were hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos, several dozen Chickadees, Woodpeckers, and House Sparrows enjoying the warmth as a huge hawk flew overhead.
Meadow is at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey and is getting the first-class care this rehabilitation centre is known for!
Meadow being weighed.
An ambassador celebration at Audubon!
Two little eaglets being fed at the ND-LEEF nest. Looks like the new Mum has been named Gigi.
There has been some concern for the One eaglet in the nest at Tremplealeau, Wisconsin. The male disappeared and the female is alone.
UPDATE: Dad has returned to the Trempealeau Nest and two fish have come in already – Saturday! Yeah.
The situation at Moorings Park improves for Tuffie bite by bite.
Tuffie had some of the leftover fish early and it appeared that he might have had some other bites. It was when I returned from my walk at the nature centre, that Tuffie had a nice feeding. After Ruffy ate, Tuffie was fed and then both of them ate together.
‘H’ gives us a more detailed day’s report for our little one at Moorings Park. “Tuffy ate at least 54 bites at the first meal of the day; 1109 headless fish, Tuffy was attacked by Ruffie, Tuffy moved away to the rail and never went back to eat. Harry removed the leftover fish;1156 Harry returns with what appeared to be the leftover fish. Tuffy is beaked several times and was not able to eat;1455 Harry in with whole tilapia, Tuffy is beaked and intimidated several times while Ruffie is fed. At 1526 Ruffie moves away, and Tuffy is finally able to eat. At 1533 Ruffie returned to the table, Tuffy was intimidated and turned away. Ruffie ate until 1538, then Tuffy moved up and the two ate side by side until 1540, when Tuffy was beaked again. Ruffie finished the fish. Tuffy ate at least 66 bites at this meal.”
With my bad math, that would seem to be at least 120 bites of fish for Tuffie today – more than the two previous days counts.
Oh, the size difference between these two! So glad that third egg didn’t hatch.
Last instalment from ‘H’ – what a good day for Tuffie all things considered. “1710 large headless fish – Tuffy got 3 quick bites, was intimidated and turned away, later got 3 more bites and was beaked. Ruffie ate until 1722 then moved away. Tuffy had a short private feeding until 1726, then was beaked by Ruffie. Ruffie ate some more, then Tuffy got a few more bites starting at 1730. Ruffie quit the feeding again at 1736. Tuffy voluntarily moved away from Mom from 1738 t o 1740. Tuffy ate a few more bites at 1740, and then Tuffy went and laid down at 1742. Total bites for Tuffy at this meal = at least 77 bites.Total bites to Tuffy for the day so far = 197”.
The crop is almost as big as Tuffie!!!!!!! Get the tissue box.
The little bottom sticking out from under Sally belongs to Tuffie who, all in all, had a reasonable day. Each day is getting better in terms of food intake for Tuffie.
Over the past seven years, turning points come on nests like this one. Whether or not it is the change from the Reptilian Phase into the period when juvenile plumage is coming, or if the weather shifts and the fishing gets better, or if the female ‘decides’ that the little one is going to live and begins to feed it, we should be watching and waiting to see what it is on this nest.
Many of you will have shed tears of joy for little Tuffie today. He is hanging in there and all that good energy from the Tuffie Fan Club must be helping!
The second egg was laid at the Patchogue Osprey platform on Long Island Saturday morning around 0858.
In the UK, Storm Kathleen is hitting areas hard. Dorcha was just blown off the perch at Loch Arkaig.
The storm is not blowing so hard at Loch of the Lowes, yet.
The winds were howling at Alyth, where Harry and Flora have their nest.
Storm Kathleen is kicking up waves at Rutland as Maya and Blue try to protect their eggs.
Idris holding on to a huge fish while the gale blows at Dyfi.
Telyn is soaked.
What a great screen capture of Idris and Telyn.
Extremely gusty at Glaslyn.
Same gusts at Llyn Brenig where there was a fish delivery. You might recall Blue 372. She was over at Glaslyn with Aran and flitting from nest to nest. She is trying to find a mate…well, this is her! And this is what is happening in the image below: “LJ2 has been joined on the nest by Blue 372 this afternoon.Blue 372 is a 3 year old Scottish female translocated to Poole Harbour in 2021, she has been seen on a number of Welsh nests over the past week or so and is now braving the winds up at Llyn Brenig. LM6 our regular female has not yet returned from migration.”
She is determined. Will this be her nest?
‘H’ reports that the Mum at Carthage laid the season’s first egg. Saturday the 6th of April at 10:17:10.
Confirmed pip at US Steel’s nest of Claire and Irwin – and now it is a hatch. looks like another crushed egg hatch. Little one alive and squiggling this time!
Darling Big Red never seems to age except for her feet and legs. She and Arthur continue their dedicated teamwork to hatch those four little hawklets.
Iris might have wished she had waited a few days to return to Montana.
Do not get upset if you check on the little owlet at Wolf Bay. They are both fine. There is a prey item currently on the nest, Saturday evening, that is white.
JBS20 is getting those wings strong. Adult in to fed but JBS20 is good at self-feeding!
Was it a quail lunch at the Redding Eagle nest? or a Guinea Fowl? Both eaglets are doing very well.
E23 gets a fish delivery from Mum. It must have been delicious. The fledgling ate all of it.
A family portrait at the West End nest of Akecheta and Thunder.
Little heads pop up for dinner at the Fraser Point nest of Cruz and Andor.
All is well at Denton Homes.
Happy eaglets at Decorah North.
Diana Persinger recorded a video for FB of a very messy meal for these two at Decorah North.
Everything is good at Little Miami.
Little fluff balls at the ND-LEEF nest.
Worried about Angel? She was on the nest with Tom on Friday.
There are no worries about Leaper and Jersey. They had crops most of Saturday and were about to burst late in the day and Dad had a fish in his talons and Mum had one, too!
The fortune of a nest can shift from good to bad to good. Let us hope this is what is happening at Moorings Park.
Hatch watch has begun for the Fort St Vrain Eagles in Colorado.
There is some thought that the ‘original’ Dad at Pittsburgh-Hayes has returned to the nest after being gone for a very long time. (I would have to check my Memorial Page). Is it possible he was in care, rehabilitated, and released and came home?
This was posted by WingsOfWhimsy with the photos below. They sure look alike.
“WingsOfWhimsy 20 hours agoA little bit of interesting news to share. I will say right up front that I have VERY little personal knowledge to go on here, so I will direct you to either the live cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l95k-… or the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/36054… for additional info. There is a theory that the original “Dad” from the Pittsburgh Hays nest has returned. Dad has been away for quite some time, and HM2 has bonded with Mom, although their egg failed to hatch this season. (I believe mom was first seen with HM2 in September.) Recently a visitor has been on the scene, and I have to admit… even I see the similarities! Could it be that Dad has returned? This is certainly exciting, but also a bit concerning. If this is Dad, both he & HM2 likely consider Mom and the nest to be theirs. These comparison photos were shared by a FB Group user: Lynda Philips, comparing Dad and the recent visitor. This is all I know right now, but I will update as best as I can. The folks in the group or on chat are surely more familiar than I am, though. Please consider checking in with them for more details!”
Yesterday I included a video by DaniConnorWild to show you the penguins in Antarctica. Today, here is a sobering article on the unprecedented heat rise on that continent and the fears that it has for the penguins and for humans. The author says with the rise to 38.5 C, “These events have raised fears that the Antarctic, once thought to be too cold to experience the early impacts of global warming, is now succumbing dramatically and rapidly to the swelling levels of greenhouse gases that humans continue to pump into the atmosphere.”
Thank you so much to the following who sent me comments, news, their pictures, screen captures, videos, articles, and those who operate the streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Stephen Basly, Tremplealeau, Moorings Park, PSEG, The Guardian, Geemeff, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Alyth SS, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Project, Marissa Winkle, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, DTC, PIX Cams, Cornell RTH Cam, Montana Osprey Project, Wolf Bay, JB Sands Wetlands, FORE, IWS/Explore, Denton Homes, Raptor Resource Project, Diana Persinger, Little Miami Conservancy, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, and Sassa Bird.
UPDATED CORRECTION: IT IS LIBERTY AND GUARDIAN’S FIRST CLUTCH. ONE EGG BROKE. I APOLOGISE FOR ANY CONFUSION WHEN I SAID IT WAS THEIR SECOND. REMEMBERING WRONG! THANK YOU SP.
We are starting with Big Red. Many of us watched and wondered about Big Red. Several reported seeing a limp before eggs arrived including myself. It appears that our much beloved Red-tail Hawk at the Cornell Campus has sustained an injury to her foot. Please read the article below for all the information and send positive energy to Big Red, Arthur, and their four eggs.
The warmth of the sun is pouring into the conservatory. Hugo Yugo is asleep in the blue chair while Missey eyes the top of the cat tree. A woodpecker is at the square suet feeder while the Blue Jays flit back and forth from their nest tree to the feeder loaded with peanuts. Dyson and the last year’s kits have already been to eat and Little Red is still scurrying about.
There is something comforting and stabilising about nature and the change of the seasons. No matter what happens in our lives, life outside of ‘us’ continues. That natural rhythm gives me hope every year as life returns to the garden. The soil warms, the first Crocus will appear, and then the tulips. The leaf buds will pop open on the lilac bushes, and the fragrance of the flowers will envelop the entire space around the third week in May. This year also brings new promise as the Black-capped Chickadees are making a nest in two trees in the garden. It is a first. Normally, they nest in the very large Blue Spruce across the road. If deemed safe, Junior and his mate will bring the new Blue Jay fledglings this summer, and we will also have a deck full of baby Crows. Seriously, I cannot wait. That reminds me – both ‘Boyfriends’ have been to the feeding station today. Are they brothers?
The top is the ‘original’ Boyfriend that came to the deck with Calico. He has 2/3 of a white bow tie.
This one has only a part of a bow tie. The one below is actually the friendlier of the pair.
The central heating is off, and nothing made me think I needed a jumper or socks this morning. Today will be a day for a trip to the country or time spent whipping the deck into shape. It is getting there. This year, I will put up privacy screens to become a trellis for climbing flowers for the hummers and bees. Everything is going to be red – hopefully, it will be inviting. There is a new outdoor carpet to replace the old soiled and faded one. I dislike them immensely, those carpets. Most are plastic. This one is made out of recycled fizzy drink bottles, but the energy consumed in manufacturing the original bottles and now this carpet is probably much. I should try and find out. I have the carpet for a single reason – the feral cats. It covers the spaces between the boards and keeps the snow and rain from going under the deck where the outdoor cats often sleep.
It all feels different today – like spring really is coming. It was something we would only dream of on 1 April several years ago.
Megan Boardman spent Easter weekend at Rutland Water, where she took some amazing images of the Ospreys. Megan has happily and generously allowed me to share these with you. She holds the copyright. Do not share them with anyone – just enjoy them here. Thank you, Megan!
Maya in the nest with Blue 33 on the perch.
Megan caught the moment that the intruder arrived at the nest as Maya was laying her first egg. Blue 33 went into action to chase them away!
The first chase.
The intruder comes for the second time. Megan says that it was ‘an action filled day’.
Megan writes, “After things calm down (and first egg laid during the chaos), 33 brings fluff to the nest and Maya flies to wash her talons.”
I am a sap for Blue 33. Here he is protecting Maya again today.
Maya laid their second egg at Rutland this morning.
Sadly, intruders can cause damage and on Monday one of those caused Mother Goose to lose one of her eggs at Decorah.
As you will note from Alison’s terrific commentary, Leaper and Little Jersey are doing quite well at Duke Farms. There has been a big turnaround in food deliveries and life has settled back to being civilised. It is the ‘cherry’ on top of the sundae when life returns to normal without an eaglet being lost in the process.
‘A’ stayed up til the middle of the night (she lives in Australia) to give you this morning round up at Duke. “
Another fish came in at Duke Farms, courtesy of dad, just before 08:05. It is whole and medium in size. There is still half of the breakfast fish left nearby on the nest. Mum is brooding the eaglets and doesn’t get up. Dad leaves again 30 seconds later, knowing better than to attempt to take any fish with him. It is raining this morning, and mum shelters the eaglets, doing her best mumbrella. Just before 08:11, dad is in with ANOTHER fish, a little smaller than the last one but whole. Dad stands there for a bit, periodically looking down at his fish, then flies off the nest at 08:11:50. At 11:04:35, dad is in with yet another whole fish. This is getting ridiculous. He surveys the fish buffet in front of him – three whole fish and a half fish left over from breakfast – actually looking from one to another, to another. I think even he is astonished. Dad leaves at 11:04:49.
At around 11:20, mum finally gets up and shakes her wings to get rid of the water, while the chicks scramble to get up from beneath her. This leaves Jersey front and centre at the table, and as mum flaps her wings to remove the water, one of her wings strikes Leaper, who immediately grabs Jersey by the back of the nape, though she quickly lets go and herself goes into submission. She is quickly up again while Jersey remains tucked. Mum surveys the brunch selection and chooses the smallest of the three whole fish to begin feeding Leaper. Jersey remains tucked though facing the table. Leaper interrupts her eating to back up for a huge PS (11:21:26) then returns to the table. Jersey remains tucked until 11:23:25, when he lifts his head and turns away from the food. Mum is now eating herself. She is hungry. She downs the last third of the fish, including the tail, as a single mouthful.
She then moves to a second whole fish. Leaper, who had left the feeding and sat down on the far side of Jersey, who had finally turned towards the table, suddenly changes her mind, turns around and heads back towards mum. This causes Jersey to turn away from the table again. Seeing that mum is offering bites to Leaper, who is refusing almost all of them, Jersey gains the courage to turn around and move up to the table beside his sister, though he is still nervous. Mum ignores both of them, continuing to eat herself. She appears very hungry. It’s a while since I’ve seen her eat fast and greedily like this. She sure deserves it. When Leaper shakes her head, Jersey leans away slightly. He remains nervous.
Finally, mum reaches out towards Jersey with a bite. He shuffles a couple of paces closer to mum, half-turning away from Leaper as he does so, and grabs the bite. It is his first of the feeding. (Leaper has eaten about half a fish at this feeding so far.) Mum continues to feed Jersey big juicy fishy bites with no objection from Leaper, who is full, so sits watching her brother eat. He is still a bit slow to take bites, nervous of his sister, and is still grabbing at the food rather than eating in a leisurely and relaxed manner. At 11:27:20 Leaper moves towards mum, causing Jersey to turn away, but she is just changing position and has finished eating, so Jersey immediately looks over his shoulder and grabs the next bite. He then eats and eats, and some of the bites are very large. It is a lovely juicy fleshy fish.
Around 11:29, he refuses a bite – he is too full (he started the feeding with a crop from breakfast), so does a crop drop and accepts the next bite offered. She is very patient with him, offering pieces several times, moving slowly and carefully around him so as not to startle him, turning her head to make a bite easier for him to access – she really is a special mum. I have grown to love and admire her so much over the past week. She has been amazing. Jersey is still eating at 11:30 but is looking as though he cannot fit much more. There is still one whole fish and two half fish (one large, one smaller) left on the nest. Both eaglets have gigantic crops. Again. He refuses a big bite at 11:30:30. Mum waits for a bit, and at 11:31:16 Jersey accepts the next bite she offers and then continues to eat. At 11:32, having refused a bite, Jersey crop drops but still cannot fit in the next bite mum offers either.
After a short period where he was too full to take the proffered bites, Jersey resumes accepting food. Mum is stuffing him to the brim. A couple of crop drops shortly before 11:35 don’t make enough room for more food, so Jersey refuses some bites but then accepts a very large piece, and another bite, around 11:35:30. Mum is working on the last of this second fish now. The rain, which has never entirely stopped, is now getting steadily heavier and the eaglets are starting to look more than a little damp. By 11:36 mum is eating virtually all of the mouthfuls herself. She tries hard to persuade him to take just one more bite around 11:37 but he says no, eventually underlining his point by backing off and then turning away. The feed officially ends.
Jersey is full and being soaked by the rain, so he heads for the centre of the nest and tries to dive headfirst under his sister, but is thwarted by her immense crop. He tries again, and there is some general shuffling of eaglets, after which he succeeds in tucking some of his head under Leaper’s crop He keeps trying to find a way to burrow under his sister, and eventually, at 11:40, mum comes over from where she has been standing on the rails, does a little aerating behind the two eaglets, and then settles down to shelter the pair from the continuing rain. What a wonderful mum.
There is still one medium-large whole fish and one large part of another fish on the nest, along with a scattering of leftovers from the two fish that have already been almost completely demolished this morning (mum has left the second one as a skeleton with something that looks like a jawbone attached to one end and perhaps part of a tail at the other – slim pickings from that carcass I suspect). So there is lunch and dinner on this nest already, regardless of how busy an afternoon the parents have. Now that the rain appears to have set in, that may be a very good thing.
At 12:26, mum stands up and flaps her wings, sending sprays of water in all directions. Another burst of flapping, and she leaves the nest soon after. The eaglets snuggle up together – it is still raining steadily, though not too heavily. As I type this, it is 13:10 and Jersey is sleeping with his head tucked as far under his sister’s right wing as possible. Both are in food comas, even as they are being soaked by the continuing rainfall. They have their thermal down now – this is the world of grown-up eaglets. (I think they’d prefer being brooded by mum over youthful independence just now.) I hope their mumbrella is back soon. I do hope she is not out fishing!!”
Monday morning and that beautiful peachy orange of the sun is waking up the land at Decorah North.
Those babies are kissed by its rays and Mum is ready with breakfast.
Guardian and Liberty laid a second clutch. They so wanted a family and here they are with two little bobbleheads at Redding. Doesn’t it feel nice?
The breakfast fish seems to be coming in around 0900 or 1000 at Moorings Park. Perhaps I am missing an earlier delivery. Little Tuffie did not seem interested in the first feeding but caught up during the second. The fish was nice and big and there was still much good flesh left for the third meal.
Both osplets are scooting out of the egg cup but Ruffy is the real expert so far.
Due to Ruffy’s long neck and bigger size, Tuffy has to work a bit harder to get food.
Look closely. They are changing. The back of their heads. The feathers are disappearing and that black oily tar colour is appearing as the two softly enter the Reptilian stage.
Notice the difference in plumage at Frenchman’s Creek Osprey nest. These three are getting their juvenile feathers. A really big fish is on the nest for breakfast Monday and the little third hatch is up at Mum’s beak getting first bites.
It looks like the third hatch got a bit of a private feeding later.
‘AE’ sent some images of the Patchogue Osprey platform. Mum and Dad have worked hard to repair the disturbance caused when the nest was flipped upside down. The egg area is quite small compared to last year but it appears that the eggs will not roll out. Might we hope for only two? And as ‘AE’ notes, the plastic bags continue to be brought to the nest.
She also sent us a screen capture of the eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands. Just look at how big s/he is! Dad did a fine job caring for the eaglet and Mum just like Arthur is doing for Big Red. Look at those gorgeous wings!
‘MP’ writes that Barbara Walker, the Manager of the Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue, has undertaken to put up the necessary deterrents out of ‘high quality’ materials at the Achieva Credit Union Osprey nest of Jack and Diane who lost their eggs and two-day old chick. The precise reason for the eggs to be found under the nest and the demise of the little osplet has never been determined. Thank you, Barbara! – from all of us.
Watching for Iris to return to Hellgate Canyon.
The Owl Pole where Iris loves to eat the whoppers she pulls out of the local river.
Iris’s nest. It will be the best nest on the continent – Iris does an amazing job of keeping it in tiptop condition. Her ‘train’ is also waiting. When she arrives you will hear my scream all the way to Rio! Or Melbourne.
LJ2 working on the nest at Llyn Brenig.
Libby and Branson have returned to their nest at the Lochter Activity Centre in Scotland.
Today there were four eagles at the Dulles-Greenway nest.
The couple at the Wetlands Institute Osprey nest (there are five and this is one of them) are back working on their nest this year in hopes of raising a family.
There is a pip on Monday afternoon at the ND-LEEF nest! Congratulations!
Is there a second hatch at Centreport?
At the NCTC nest of Bella and Scout, the rain is coming down. Bella is protecting her precious eggs in the hope of fledging eaglets off this nest this year.
Chicks doing well at Little Miami Conservancy. And another one hatched this morning, LM3. Now there are three.
A lovely radio interview on BBC Radio Scotland about Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig.
Dorcha and Louis make the BBC news.
Louis pretending he is a penguin delivering Dorcha a fish!
The Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society has put up a new nest for Ollie and his mate at Norwalk. It is a beauty. His nest often got washed out to sea with the high tides. They hope this will help. Ollie has returned home and is waiting for his mate. There is also a new camera. I am trying to locate the link for you.
Note the lovely mesh below the frame.
This was a storm that hit Ollie’s nest in 2022. The nest is on Long Island Sound.
Many have asked about Dmitri. You will recall he rescued the little storklet – the one Mamma Stork was killing – and raised it to fledge. Then Dmitri required surgery. He is well and fixing the stork nest for this year! Thank you to all who helped. He says he is “so happy to be alive and for the birds arriving back from Africa”.
At Utica, Astrid has laid her fourth falcon egg of the season!
Which brings me to Angel and Tom. Our dear ‘A’ is very worried about them and the fact that there are no eggs. I wonder if it is possible that they have another nest this year? or are they just a little late?
The latest word on R6:
The White Storks in Goggling Germany now have 5 eggs!
I love gulls and I purchase chips for them whenever I am at the beach or at Lockport by the dam. Do you feed gulls chips?
Did I ever tell you how marvellous it is to still have story time with the girls? At least once a day, and always at 1900, we gather in the conservatory and I read to the cats. It all began with Calico and her needing to recognise my voice and to trust me. She was in a little room, my old office, and I would go in with a book and her meal. She would eat, cuddle on my lap (yes I sat on the floor) and I would read to her. She has a preference for certain author’s voices. It has been a wonderful way for me to keep up with my reading and for all four of them to gather together. I now know that volunteers at the raptor centres read to the ambassador birds. They are no different than humans – all living things need stimulation and love. I ordered a number of books before the end of 2023 because part of my year was a promise to cut down on the book orders. I have ordered three books so far which has to be an all time low for me during the winter when there is time to read! So, ‘The Girls’ and I are working through that stack of books during story time. Next up is Chris Packham’s Birdwatching From Beginning to Birder. Will keep you posted as we finish up Tim Mackrill’s The Osprey. Review coming up later this week.
Missey looking at the bookshelf to see if she can find a book for story time.
It was a delight to see that animal skins and feathers are being banned from fashion week in Copenhagen. It could be the start of something special. No more animals bred and kept for the fashion industry!
Thank you so much for being with me today. All of the nests appear to be doing fine with the exception of Big Bear and Two Harbours where disappointment at a lack of hatch touches all of our hearts. All of the eaglets in the nest and all eggs being incubated appear to be in good order this Tuesday morning. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, photographs, videos, screen captures, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, AE, Geemeff, H, J, MB, MP, SP, TU’, Cornell Bird Lab, Megan Boardman, LRWT, SK Hideaways, Duke Farms, Raptor Resource Project, FORE, Moorings Park Ospreys, Frenchman’s Creek, AE-PSEG, MP-Achieva, Montana Osprey Project, Llyn Brenig, Lochter Activity Centre, Dulles Greenway, Wetlands Institute, ND-LEE, Centreport Eagles, Little Miami Conservancy, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC, Geemeff, LRWT, Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, @Stork40, Utica Falcon Cam, Windows to Wildlife, Jeanne Kaufman, The Guardian, Goggling Germany White Storks and SPO, and Amazon.
Sunday was quiet. After Saturday that was a good thing. As far as I can tell all of the eagle nests are doing well and there have been no new arrivals at Osprey nests at the time I am writing this, Sunday evening.
It was a good day to spend time with the girls. Calico did not enjoy the dip in temperatures and spent a lot of time in front of the small portable heater in the conservatory. She likes her creature comforts and that little heater is one of them. I figure she deserves it having had to live outside in the winter last year.
Hugo Yugo spent her time in the basket spinning before settling down to sleep behind Calico. She is either on or off – there is no in-between. I wonder what Dr Green will think about her on Wednesday. She is very tiny but getting ‘long’ lime a limousine.
Baby Hope took advantage of everyone’s absence to play the game of finding treats in little green tubes. She is very good at it!
Missey decided to stay out of everyone’s way most of the day!
Oh, I am so glad to have these four! And it was so nice to just stop everything and pay some really good attention to them before osprey season kicks in.
At Cal Falcons, Annie laid her second egg this morning.
Can you please help? Write, research, contact others to help. Once again the developers want to build near Jackie and Shadow’s nest in Big Bear. Please read the following and – because we all love Jackie and Shadow so much and owe them so much (the DDT problems), then we need to fight to protect their pristine home. It is the least that we can do!
The following appeal is from Sandy Steer: “…Update on Moon Camp…this nearby parcel, proposed for development is so close to Jackie and Shadow, it can be seen from the nest camera. Any development in that area would greatly impact their nesting site and could make them leave the area. FOBBV won an environmental lawsuit in 2022 against the County’s approval of this project. That put the project on hold, but now the County has released a new partial environmental impact report to move toward another approval. We will, of course, be submitting public comments (due 3/18) on this new, but still inadequate study. And when it comes before the County for another approval, we will be asking all of you for letters or calls to assist in stopping it. In the meantime, we are also pursuing getting this 62-acre parcel purchased for conservation, by the Forest Service, or by anyone else willing to conserve it as open space. If you happen to know any superheroes who might like to step up and buy this parcel to save Jackie and Shadow’s habitat plus more than 17 acres of endangered plants on the property, please contact us at fobbvinfo@gmail.com. We’d love to talk with you!”
Everyone continues speculating on what made Diane and Jack’s two eggs and chick disappear. One FB group noted that this happened in 2022 also and there was a second clutch. It was assumed they went down the hole made by the squirrel in the nest. Many would like to see work done on the nest so the couple does not lose more eggs and chicks in the future. Some note how restless Diane was that evening, and it is hoped that security camera footage shed some light on what happened. We know that the nest shook quite a bit at one point. I had one individual contact me, thinking it was possible that a person or persons shook that nest and caused the damage. If that were to be the case – and I am not saying it is – hopefully, their faces will be seen on the security cameras. Regardless of the cause – and I will suggest we will never fully know unless someone excavates that nest – there needs to be substantial work done on the nest itself to fix the hole that everyone knows about and a baffle for any future predators trying to climb up. An IR light would be great.
The big news in Bird World on Sunday was, for me anyway, the first egg of the season for Big Red and Arthur.
Arthur seemed quite delighted as Big Red flew off and let him take over incubation duties.
SK Hideaways has it on video.
Angel and Tom have an impressive nest. Wonder if we will have their first egg this week? Many think that will be the case!
E23 recovered from the GHO hit, but it was quite scary. I hope that this will be the end of it, but probably not. It is, as so many of you have pointed out, ‘that time of year’ – the annual occurrence when we hold our breath and wish that GHOs and eagles got along.
We are still 7-8 days away from pip watch at Berry College for Pa and Missey’s second clutch.
Swampy and Meadow. Gorgeous. Aren’t they wonderful? They look like they are wearing Morning Suits.
Dixie and Mason have their thermal down. Before we know it, they will look like Swampy and Meadow.
No worries about food at the Johnson City nest. Boone certainly had a great day fishing on Sunday! The kids have eaten so much and their crops are so big – old coma.
The snow is melting at Big Bear. Jackie and Shadow have not give up on the eggs yet.
The kids at Bluff City had squirrel for Sunday’s meals. They both seem to be hanging in there.
The Dukies are fine. Mum just keeps feeding them and feeding them. That is one good way to stop the worry about food.
The camera is back up and running at Redding for Liberty and Guardian.
A beautiful day at Captiva’s Osprey platform. Edie and Jack are incubating three eggs.
At the Captiva Eagle nest, Connie and Clive continue to feed Cal well after his fledge. A nice Sheepskin came in during the afternoon.
They are flying into Winnipeg and they are laying eggs at Decorah – Canada Geese. There are five eggs so far. Dad is up there helping keep guard as one of the Decorah eagles has been landing in the branches of the tree near the top.
The two hatches at Venice Golf and Country Club appear to be doing quite well. Waiting to see if third egg will hatch.
We are waiting for Dylan and Seren 5F to arrive at Llyn Clywedog Reservoir in Wales.
Blue 33 and Maya continue to work on their nest at Rutland. As far as I am aware, at the time of this writing, they are the only couple to have reunited at the UK streaming cam nests.
Next news from ‘H’:
I first saw the female from previous seasons on 3/7, but now have not seen her since 3/13. I first saw the male from previous seasons on 3/9, and I have seen him at the nest every day except 3/14. A new female first showed up at the nest on 3/17. She and Dad were in the nest together quite a bit on 3/17, but each time Dad seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder.
Carthage Mum is now back on the nest after having been MIA for a few days.
I am a great fan of Isabella Tree who is the author of several books on rewinding including Rewinding. Knepp Farm took a leap of faith and decided to change from traditional agricultural practices and begin rewinding and reintroducing species to their property in Sussex. White Storks were one of the goals – to being them back. You can read about the history of the White Stork in the region and how Knepp worked to establish the breeding pairs on their property.
In Belgium, at the nature park there are six occupied stork nests. Can you find them?
Storks have arrived at some of the Germany nests including Lindheim.
Waiting for Bette and Bukacek to arrive in Mlady Buky.
Milda. One year she laid her first egg on my birthday…I am hoping she is early this year. Mr H is adorable. Hoping he is a good father. Their nest in Durbe County is looking fantastic.
For those that have life lists, you will be very impressed by this gentleman who has recorded 10,000 birds.
That is just a hop, skip, and jump checking on some of the nests. We are now on pip watch for Port Tobacco Bald Eagles. Eggs are 38 and 35 days old as of Sunday the 17th so it looks like egg 1 might not be viable. Meanwhile egg two is hatching Monday morning fast!
Thank you for being with me today. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, discussions, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, L, SP’, Cal Falcons, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH Cam, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk, Berry College Eagle Cam, Eagle Country, Superbeaks, Johnson City-ETSU, FOBBV, Bluff City-ETSU, Duke Farms, FORE, Raptor Research Project/Explore, VGCC, Llyn Clywedog Osprey Cam, LRWT, Dahlgren Ospreys, Carthage Ospreys, Knepp, ZWIN, Lindheim Stork Nest, Mlady Buky, Biruta Lupa, The New York Times, and Port Tobacco Eagle Cam.
Oh, my goodness. Monday was one glorious day. Blue skies. +10 temperatures. Happy people everywhere. What more could you ask for? Well, feeding deer and Black-capped Chickadees by hand while, overhead, a skein of 17 Canada Geese were arriving.
Several decades ago, I would be waiting for this arrival in mid-April. Saw one goose in a puddle by a major highway and more deer. Today’s outing certainly boosted the spirits – or as some say here – ‘it sure got the sap running’.
I had to back up as this one kept coming right towards me…I did have a deer once eat part of a wool jacket. It was one of the deer in the park at Nara, Japan, that loved cookies. Many vendors in front of the Todaiji Temple sell the deer’s favourite snacks. They are entirely protected and can even go inside the shops!
Before we go further into Bird World, there is a pip on Monday afternoon in Thunder and Akecheta’s third egg. This little bobble will join two very feisty siblings who know the ropes in that small nest. Wow. Things could get very interesting.
At 0410, Thunder gets rid of the shell from the third hatch! The first two continue to ‘play fight’ while they are trying to be fed. Oh, bless this new one.
As far as I know, there is no pip or hatch at either Two Harbours, Big Bear, or Sauces. I am having, what most people call, a bit of hope-frustration. Not for me, but for these lovely eagle families.
A pile, literally a stack, of new bird books arrived today. One of them is Tim Mackrill’s The Osprey. I will keep you posted as I compare this book with the one he wrote for the RSPB and his PhD thesis at the University of Leicester. Tim is one of the world’s experts on Ospreys. His name is associated with so many reintroductions and it seems that despite having a life, he is always there to help when someone needs it if it involves our beloved fish hawks.
The book that I am most looking forward to reading is one on its way. It is My Summer with Ospreys. A Therapists Journey into Hope, Community, and Healing our Planet.
The one that I am reading is Simon Curtain’s, If you build it, he will come. I lived in the market town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. My two haunts were Belvoir Castle and closer to home, Belton House. The book is the story of the reintroduction of Osprey into the UK after their demise. It specifically tells the tale of 4K, the male Osprey that settled on one of two platforms built at Belvoir raising two chicks in 2022. It is a love story to that singular bird that was the focus of Sacha Dench’s Flight of the Osprey. 4K did not return to breed in 2023. He sadly died on his way home in February 2023 somewhere near Dobire, Guinea.
It is a page-turner when you get to the part where Curtin wonders, after so many years, if 4K will have a mate, lay eggs, and have chicks! His excitement was infectious and Calico and I were up way past our bedtime reading his diary.
Most everyone who reads my blog knows that I believe nature has the power of healing. I spent at least four days a week outside for numerous hours. I do not wear headphones as I smell the fresh air and walk through familiar paths in the forest. Even though I do this repeatedly, each day is different. There are times that I long to live the life I did when I was twenty, on a small treed average, miles from anyone. Chickens, sheep, Roosevelt the Pig, horses, cows, cats, rabbits, and Guinea Fowl. Sometimes urban spaces ‘get to me’. But living sustainably was a lot of hard work – rewarding but hard, from morning to night. So now the forested areas around the City are my refuge.
Which brings me back to this book. I will keep you posted when it arrives.
Things are really starting to pick up with the Ospreys with reports coming in from near and far.
We discovered that the osprey photographed in San Diego did not originate in Montana. There is a mystery about this bird: the band and the lack of a federal band. The band reads Blue 61. But there is another white line. I am contacting everyone I know who bands Ospreys and has records of them. The news from the federal banding programme takes time. If you know anyone that bands ospreys, ask them if they recognise this band. Notice the line that goes all the way around. It is unique:
That egg at Captiva. It made its way back to the centre of the nest. Jack has delivered a nice fish to Edie and takes a breath. Everything seems fine for now. Lesson learned. Too much bark and objects in a nest can be dangerous for eggs! I am sure glad these two do not like stuffed toys.
‘H’ reports that Jack injured his foot early this morning but he has delivered a fish and seems to be much improved.
At Dahlgren, Jack and Harriet have been reunited.
No matter what happens…we love them.
A lovely video of Jackie and Shadow with those diamonds raining down on Jackie – oh, the bond these two have. I so wished this year had been theirs.
At Berry College, Missey and Pa Berry’s second clutch of eggs was laid on February 17th and 20th. Today, the oldest egg is 24 days. We have 12 days til pip/hatch watch.
My goodness. Francis must be a fast feeder. I blink and she is finished. It looked like the little one did get some nice bites on Monday, regardless, at Bluff City.
There were issues with prey deliveries at both nests – Bluff City and Johnson City on Monday. Franklin brought a garter snake to the nest in Bluff and it was nearly 1700 when Boone brought in a fish.
Kids at Johnson City were a little antsy. They are little to be waiting so long for food to arrive. It was after 1700. They did get a fish dinner.
Check out E23. Goes from the nest to the branch to hovering high in the wind.
Cal is doing some serious hovering, too!
It is hard to see Dixie and Mason the Superbeaks nest. They blend right in with the Spanish Moss. Three weeks old today – Dixie is.
Ron and Rose’s R6 celebrates his 8 week birthday. Check out Heidi Mc’s video for the celebration at this title on YouTube: 3/10/24 Dade County Eagles: Happy 8-Week Birthday, R6 !!
R6 is standing strong on the rails. Wonder when he will get interested in the branches?
Both eaglets at Duke Farms are doing well. Each fed nicely on Monday and the pantry was full.
Swampy and Meadow got a delivery of a huge fish. Both eating well and getting those juvenile feathers with no problems at this time.
Meadow is self-feeding!
I sure miss Diamond and Xavier. Here is the latest news:
Here is that video:
Kielder is preparing for the upcoming season as their ospreys fly home from West Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
Are we getting ready for eggs for Rasene and Akacis at their nest in the Kemeri National Park in Latvia? Lots of time spent in that nest on Monday!
The latest from Janet Shaw at Chichester Peregrine Falcons.
Tom and Angel continue to work on their beautiful nest. Pine boughs and pine cones are adding a special touch – and we know that the pine helps to keep insects away!
Black Storks are arriving back in Poland!
No sign of any hatch action at the Achieva Osprey cam. The precise date that the third egg was laid is not known. It is seen on the morning of the 8th of February. If that is the correct date of it being laid, then it is only 34 days old today. Give it a few more days to hatch.
Could Rutland be home to more than Ospreys – like bears and wolves? They are hoping for this type of transformation!
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their comments, posts, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, IWS/Explore, The Guardian, Pamela Lowell, F Borja, Window to Wildlife, Dahlgren Osprey Platform, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Berry College Eagle Cam, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, WsperWings, Sylvia, Superbeaks, WRDC, Duke Farms, Eagle Country, Holly Parsons, Kielder Ospreys, LDF, Janet Shaw, Arlene Beech, Achieva Credit Union, and BirdGuides.
It is 1747 on the Canadian Prairies and we have been in the midst of a blizzard for five hours now. We got all of the donations to the kitten charity and rushed home. Thank you so much for your wishes on bountiful donations. People are generous and it is a good time since many are doing some spring cleaning. I feel so sorry for those people who cannot keep their pets because they cannot afford to feed them.
The wind was really gusting. The snow had piled in where ‘The Boyfriend’ and other feral find their food. There were no birds in the garden and the squirrels had completely disappeared to their dreys or tree homes.
The girls were all asleep. As for me, I was glad to get off the City streets as they got slicker and the wind picked up to the point that in places you could not see. As Dorothy says, ‘There is no place like home!’ When I did look at the kitties, I was drawn to Calico who, this time last year, would have endured several big storms. I am so glad this gentle soul (she is except for the ongoing snit with Missey) is inside this year, safe and warm.
There is no news coming out of Big Bear Valley about a pip that I have seen. Indeed, despite the good response to the auction, I have been rather muted and sad today. It is unrealistic, but I wish an ‘Eagle Egg Fairy’ existed. Or someone who had an orphan eagle that needed two great parents. If they could drop that little one into the Big Bear nest, Jackie and Shadow would be elated. That eaglet, like Calico, would have won the ‘so-called lottery’ – a home with loving parents and food. On the other hand, I would love it if that third egg would hatch for Jackie and Shadow. I feel like I am losing hope. The impact of DDT has been horrific on wildlife decades later.
The camera isn’t even going in close. Feeling gutted for them. Egg 1 is 42 days old and I presume it to be non-viable. Egg 2 is 39 days old. Has it begun pipping? No visible pips seen. Egg 3 is 36 days old. Please send positive wishes for that egg to be viable for these two so hopeful eagles.
Jak and Audacity’s single egg clutch looks good. But will that egg be fertile? Oh, please.
Still waiting at Achieva, also.
No eggs, but Milda and her new mate are working on their nest in Latvia. I am expecting eggs right before the end of March.
Red Wing captures all the drama at the Spirit Bluff Peregrine Falcon scrape – who will Newman choose?
It is always a relief when a mate returns from migration. It is always a heart ache when they do not.
Rosie has been home for a few days and Richmond is bringing in the fish gifts.
Annie and Archie are fine. Starling is on the menu.
We are on a countdown for the UK returnees as well as those in Europe – all of the migrating birds, including the storks and ospreys.
Observers of the JB Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest report that Mum’s leg appears to be slowly healing. She is not missing. She was on top of the tower and flew down and took a fish from Dad and even fed the eaglet. Dad fed the eaglet as well. It was quite the scene with the live fish. thank you ‘MP’ for this encouraging report! That eaglet is big and is really feeling its wings, too!
Rainy at Duke Farms. Mum fed the eaglets, but less close in feedings than you might have seen at some of the other eagle nests with little ones. It seems to have gotten wetter throughout the day.
The Duckies seem fine.
My dear friend, the late Phyllis Robbins, who loved the Sea Eagles in Sydney also loved Eagle Country. I have to say that at the beginning of this season I really worried for Meadow. Well, just look at Swampy and Meadow today. Abby and Blaze are incredible parents. Despite their age and size, those two eaglets are being constantly fed. They are so well provided for that this eagle nest has quickly become one of my favourites, too.
As the rain came, Swampy and Meadow got a little wet. No problem. They have their thick thermal down and their juvenile feathers are coming in. The little ones like those at Duke Farms must stay dry.
The little ones of Jolene and Boone at Johnson City-ETSU did get wet on Wednesday. I really hope that they do not get a chill. They have to eat and it is difficult for the adults to feed them without them getting some rain.
Close by at the other ETSU Bald Eagle nest at Bluff City, Franklin and Frances have a pip, and it is raining.
And they have a hatch! It is BC24.
At Ron and Rose’s WRDC nest, R6 attempted to eat some fish that Rose had left on the nest. He did manage to get some of it. Unlike Cal, R6 seems to be behind in his self-feeding.
At the ND-LEEF nest in South Bend, Indiana, Dad’s new mate has been named Gigi.
While all the attention was the on the death of Flaco, another owl, this time an Eastern Screech Owl, died. The little one had been an ambassador for 15 years at the Raptor Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota. Unlike Flaco, who could fly and hunt, Warner suffered from lack of vision caused by an early head trauma. She spent 15 years educating people about owls.
This is news from the 5th of March. Sorry for the delay in birthday greetings to two very special Kakapo.
Nothing needs to be said anymore about the trauma and death caused by fishing line. We need to clean up our act if we fish.
I never saw one when I was growing up in Oklahoma, but these lucky birders were so fortunate to see this leucitic Red-tail Hawk there! She is even whiter than Angel.
Over 400,000 songbirds were trapped in Cyprus so people could eat a delicacy. This really makes me ill. Can it be stopped? And in what other countries is this happening?
There are many birds that actually winter in the UK. They are now preparing to migrate back to their spring and summer breeding grounds in the far north. Let us all hope that they are not trapped somewhere, but make it home safely.
Your feel good moment. An osprey in care for 10 days for a soft tissue injury is freed! Remember – some people said ospreys do not do well in care. Others said not to supplement their feeding and look what happened positively at Port Lincoln! So smile…they do well in care most of the time like any animal.
Thank you so much for being with me today as we sit on our hands waiting for several pips or hatches. It’s not easy, especially when they are Jackie, Shadow, Jak, and Audacity.
Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, screen captures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP’, FOBBV, IWS/Explore.org, Achieva Credit Union, Heidi McGrue, Latvian Fund for Nature, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, SK Hideaways, Lucille Powell, JB Sands Wetlands, Duke Farms, Eagle Country, Johnson City-ETSU, Bluff City-ETSU, WRDC, ND-LEEF, The Raptor Centre, Kakapo Recovery, Lin Lawson, The Red-tailed Hawk Project, The Guardian, and Wild Florida Rescue.
Well, it is a beautiful blue sky sunny afternoon on the Canadian Prairies. The white snow from the other day is glistening. It looks like diamonds have been scattered everywhere. It is a little chilly today at -8 C but is warming up to +5 tomorrow or the next day. This means we come back to the icky beige puddles from the salt and sand they use on the roads.
It feels like spring, though. You might recall that we had one little red squirrel living in the garden shed, and he found a friend. Today, a brief count indicated that there are now four red squirrels. Unfortunately, they live in the tree across the lane on the property of a not-so-gentleman who doesn’t like squirrels because they chatter. How many there will be at the beginning of the summer? Somehow, I doubt that they are either all male or all female!
Hugo Yugo is ‘wild’ this morning. She had her ‘jet pack’ on and wanted to play fight with everyone!
Missey tried to stay out of the way.
Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo ran from one end of the house to the other play fighting in every room.
Calico was so happy she was out of their path! These two did not stop for over an hour!
Baiba caught what appears to be at least one pip. I am ever so hopeful. The one egg with the arrow pointing at the crack that came also seemed to have other cracks on the opposite side. As far as I know, at the time of writing this, FOBBV has not called a pip.
These are the ages of the eggs, and from this, it appears that egg 1 is not viable unless it is the one that is pipping. Egg 1 day 41, egg 2 is 38 days, and egg 3 is 35 days.
The view of the eggs Wednesday morning.
Waiting at Achieva. There are three eggs – one really blends in with the nesting material and is hard to see.
It is a beautiful day at Sauces Canyon. One precious egg set to be ready for pip watch on Saturday the 9th of March. It was laid on 2 February.
The West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta also has an egg laid on the 2nd of February. Could we have a hatch at both nests on the same day?
Swampy and Meadow are fantastic. Getting those beautiful dark, dark espresso feathers on top of that soft charcoal grey thermal down. Just look at that grey fluff being hidden by the incoming feathers. Of course, these two are itchy!
At the Johnson City ETSU nest there is bunny and fish on the menu. Maybe some other surprises hidden in that nesting by Jolene. These two little bobbleheads are not going hungry!
There was rain at Duke Farms. Mum kept the kiddos warm and dry feeding them quickly when there was a break. Lots of nice fish on the nest. These two bobbleheads seem to be doing just fine.
At the Captiva nest, Cal is quite a bit larger than those little bobbleheads above. Ready to fledge, but loving having the adults feed him and I am certain they enjoy it too. He should be around for a month after fledge to get those wings strong and learn how to hunt from Mum and Dad.
Window to Wildlife is hosting a fundraiser to replace the current camera at the Captiva eagle nest and to create a memorial at the base of the tree for Joe, Hope and Peace, and Lusa. Information on the merch that is up for the fundraising is below in a link on the streaming cam. There are various mugs and a mousepad available. Here is an example:
We know that Pepe and Muhlady are feeding eaglets, but we sure can’t see them! And we have no idea if there is one or two! There should be two. I really dislike not having that overhead camera for this nest!
The eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands is huge! Look carefully. The adult has been feeding the eaglet periodically throughout the day. I presume this is Dad. If a parent is injured or dies – which is always so sad – it is better that the eaglet/s is/are older so that a single parent can care for them.
E23 is dreaming about flying.
US Steel eagle nest of Clair and Irwin now has 4 cameras!
Video of that third egg for Claire and Irwin that was laid on the 5th of March.
Three eggs for Scout and Bella.
Rosie is always beautiful. Looks so rested from her winter vacation.
Big Red was testing out the egg cup on Tuesday! We could be within a week of the first eggs for her and Arthur to kick off the Red-tail Hawk season.
Tom and Angel were both seen working on their nest today in Tennessee.
Peregrine Falcons hatching in Japan. Spring and the cherry blossoms are arriving along with these little ones.
Field notes on Florida’s Bald Eagle season from Audubon Birds of Prey:
Oh, this is precisely the type of action that we have been calling for. As my friend ‘R’ says who gifted me this article, ‘For years, officials asked people to crush invasive spotted lantern flies. But as the pest continues to spread, some researchers say it’s time to send in the birds.’ Let’s add to that – send in the raptors to get rid of the mice! No toxic poisons required.
Water is essential for life, and it is imperative for migratory birds, especially shorebirds and waterfowl. Lake Abert in Oregon USA is only one area that is drying up and will have major consequences for several species. Lakes, rivers, and wetlands are important to every living thing.
I often get upset at the thought of duck hunting. As my friend ‘R’ has pointed out, sometimes we must partner up with others on the opposite side to protect our beloved feathered friends. In Canada, Ducks Unlimited is increasing the area of wetlands. They do a wonderful job regarding environmental education at Oak Hammock Marsh, near where I live. They also hunt ducks. The important thing is that they want duck numbers to increase, and by protecting and enlarging the wetland areas, it is also good for other waterfowl such as Canada Geese, Plovers, Great and Lesser Yellow Legs, Swans, etc. Perhaps, one day, we will only shoot ducks with our cameras.
Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘B, J, R’, Baiba, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, IWS/Explore.org, Eagle Country, Johnson City-ETSU, Duke Farms, Window to Wildlife, Superbeaks, JB Sands Wetlands, SW Florida, PIX Cams, Deb Stecyk, SF Bay Ospreys, Cornell RTH, JPN PF, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, The Washington Post, The Guardian, MB Government, China Dialogue, and Audubon.
