Category Archives: Leucistic Red Tail Hawk

Little Bob is alive at LOTL, C1 taken by owl…Monday in Bird World

15 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

If we blink, it will be June. Seriously. I could not believe it when I went out to check on the garden Sunday evening and within the last week, there are little green tomatoes on the hanging vines, the lettuce is up and so are the climbing beans. All of the transplants are thriving. I have three peony bushes to plant and done. Oh, we love summer in Canada. It is a time for relaxing and being outside after the long winter. It is also nice to see the migratory birds flying through on their way north. The Harris Sparrows were here yesterday and some have Baltimore Orioles in their gardens now. I simply cannot stress how good for our souls nature is – even when the times are tough for our feathered friends. The air might not be as fresh as it could be, but it is so much better than having a furnace on all the time…going barefoot, having sunlight after 1630, clear skies and stars.

The worry has been at the Loch of the Lowes but, Laddie has brought in fish and by some miracle that first hatch – which appears to be the second egg – has survived. I am in tears. This is excellent news coming on the continuing sadness at Lake Murray.

Monday morning early. Is this the first hatch? Has it gotten any food?

It really is a miracle. Everyone thought that it was dead and dying but here is Laddie with a fish and Blue NC0 feeding that hatch. It turns out it was the paler second egg so if the next one hatches it should be the third so only two for Blue NC0 to deal with – that is a blessing. She does not do well with three..but two, yes!

Geemeff gives us an edited feeding over 15 minutes. Fantastic, and, yes, I am in tears.

Lucy brought in five fish to the osprey platform at Lake Murray on Sunday. No one went hungry!

Ricky was last seen on 9 May at 17:09 when he delivered this fish. Five full days. Please send your best wishes to Lucy and the two surviving osplets.

This post sadly gives us some confirmation that a dead Osprey has been found in the area of Lake Murray and I am going to presume that it was Ricky. I hope that LMO sends the body for testing. That said, Lucy has picked up the pace on fish deliveries and let us all continue to wish her well as she continues on this journey of raising these two osplets to fledge all on her own. She has lost a mate and a chick.

And then the sadness. ‘H’ and Kathryn report C1 was taken by a GHO last night at 0137. This nest is not getting a break and Lucy was doing so well. I am beyond words.

The osplets at Achieva were also eating a fish brought in by Mum at 17:38 on Sunday. They had an early fish brought in before 0700.

Everyone is alright at the nest of Big Red and Arthur. Everyone is fed. Arthur has found some nests to raid and I see at least a couple more squirrels in the pantry.

Angel’s baby RTH5 has been eating well at the nest in Tennessee on Sunday also. Tom has really grown into his role as Dad and not any time too soon. I thought this hawklet was a goner. No food and newly hatched for 30 hours.

RTH5 has black talons. it will be a normal coloured Red-tail Hawk not Leucistic like Angel.

Baby was to full to are if Angel brought in more prey Sunday night!

‘A’ found a cute little video by Ondabebe of RTH5’s birthday breakfast delivery.

When I checked there were three fish on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform in Naples, Florida. Victor has yet to fledge. It is 18:35 Sunday night.

The two hatches at Manton Bay are strong and loving their fish. Two more eggs to go for Blue 33 and Maya.

Blue 33 continues to come in and check on his family. Love this guy!

Aran and Elen are looking good at Glaslyn. Awhile to go for those eggs to hatch but life is fine on that nest in the Glaslyn Valley in Wales.

Louis has been hanging out with Dorcha at Loch Arkaig…gorgeous couple. Dorcha reminds me so much of Mrs G with that dark colouring. She is definitely good at the old ‘snake eye’.

CJ7 and Blue 022 have the switch off for fish and incubation exchange down. They are a lovely couple and it appears that Poole Harbour is planning ways in which visitors can view the nest from a hide without interfering with the birds.

For all of us missing E22 – and I suspect that is everyone reading this – s/he’s home! Must have gone for a little tour. Time: 17:23 Sunday the 14th.

Still no Ospreys at the Cape Henlopen State Park brand new Osprey platform but the Black Vultures continue to love it!

Murphy’s eaglet is all grown up and perched like Dad! Just look at that. We know the nestlings grow and watch and study everything their parents do. Then they do them! Just think if human parents realised this and only did what they wanted their children to emulate.

While Murphy’s b baby was getting to perch or ‘sort of branch’, one of the two eaglets at Duke Farms has officially branched.

It is one explanation for it – Jack at the Dahlgren Osprey platform places the stuffed animals as decoys so that if the owl attacks it takes a stuffy and not one of his and Harriet’s chicks. No chicks yet to take but the Owl got one of the dogs on the nest last evening.

This article on Svalbard is particularly disturbing. The focus is on climate change and the Polar Bear but Svalbard is home to the largest population of Pink-footed Geese that spend their ‘winter’ in the UK – in Scotland and in Norfolk. When it is getting too hot for the birds in the south and now in the north, where do they go and how do they survive?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/13/svalbard-the-arctic-islands-where-we-can-see-the-future-of-global-heating?CMP=share_btn_link

I have been reading about the Pink-footed Geese in Wintering. A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt. His book led me to get the one that had inspired him – A Thousand Geese by Peter Scott and James Fisher written in 1953. “The pink-footed goose is the most abundant of our British wild geese – and the wildest. Its winter flocks on the meadows by the great estuaries of England and Scotland have been the respected quarry of generations of wild-fowlers, and – today – watchers. Its breeding grounds are remoter from civilisation than those of any other grey goose” writes Scott. His tale was of the wonder and the banding of thousands of geese. For Rutt, his is a diary and he speaks to a need to ‘see’ the birds that we have at hand and appreciate them. With the change in weather, and the ice melting – what will happen to the pink-footed geese?

There they are in England and Scotland where they arrive at the end of September and stay through the winter. Did you know that the geese travel with their fledglings as a family? It is quite remarkable.

“Pink-footed Geese” by naturalengland is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

As I worry about geese – no matter the species that I have come to love because of our local geese and ducks that return in spring – others are working to try and breed captive birds to release in the wild. There was some success with Socorio Doves at the London Zoo! The author says, “Numbers have been rising slowly and the birth of a new chick raises hopes that the doves, which once thrived on Socorro island, 600km (373 miles) off the west coast of Mexico, before being eradicated, could be restored to their former homeland.” Wouldn’t that be fantastic?!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/14/london-zoo-team-save-doomed-species-rewilding-socorro-dove-wild?CMP=share_btn_link

Thank you so much for being with me today. Remember Dr Sharpe’s team are doing banding at the West End Eagle nest in the Channel Islands today. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, discussions, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Kathryn, Geemeff, LOTL, Nick Gordon and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project Lake Murray ospreys, Laurie Spender and osprey Friends, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Heidi McGru and Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park, World Bird Sanctuary, Duke Farms, Dahlgren Ospreys, and The Guardian.

Angel’s nest normalises…Thursday in Bird World

11 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, it was a scorcher on the Canadian Prairies on Wednesday and we are set for 28 degrees C in a few days as the heat dome moves towards us fromm the West coast. All I can say is it is hot!

It is now 1839 Wednesday evening. Hail is coming down so intense that it is covering the ground like it is snow. It is about the size of marbles pelting. I can only imagine the horror at the Fort St Vrain Bald Eagle nest and the other nests in the area of that storm that went through Colorado. I wonder where all the garden critters are. Some will have gone into the small shelters for the chopped wood.

Relief. As soon as the storm passed, everyone was back in the garden.

Your giggle for the day comes from SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons! Red steals the food but doesn’t know what to do with it! She will learn soon enough! Mum Annie has a lot of patience but does the siblings who are hungry for breakfast?

A first for me. Two storklets with a snake on a nest in Germany could have gotten tangled. The Fire Brigade came to the rescue and saved the day. How do you say enlightened in bold letters?

‘T’ sent me the following information – check out the age of the male. “After the long-standing breeding stork Anna died in the 2021 breeding season, we will accompany Gerome (25 years) and his new breeding partner Frieda (17 years) from the Hessian nature reserve Bingenheimer Ried in the Wetterau in the 2023 breeding season. Up to and including the 2021 breeding season, Gerome had bred 14 times very successfully with the long-standing breeding stork Anna. During this time, Anna laid 71 eggs, from which 65 stork chicks hatched and from these a total of 47 young storks fledged.”

‘T’ reports that this is the same nest of Anna, the female Stork who broke her leg and the community helped to feed her and her babies. This is Anna’s former mate, Gerome, with his new female of two years. What an enlightened and caring community!

Another timely rescue this time of little Red-tail hawk lets in Austin, Texas. Smile every time you see humans helping our wildlife and reach out and thank them!

There has been, apparently, a lot of concern expressed about how Murphy’s baby will learn to hunt and live in the wild. World Bird Sanctuary shared their strategy with us on FB.

Bravo! E22 caught its first fish…little one dropped it but, gosh, this is progress. Well done, E22. Thanks, Gracie Shepherd. It is so good to see how well 22 is doing.

One day E22 will be catching whoppers like Aran does in the Glaslyn Valley of Wales, we hope. Just look at the size of that fish that landed on that nest! Elen has no idea how lucky she is that she found this nest and stayed….

There has been some concern about M1 taking a peck at M2 at Big Red and Arthur’s nest. This is perfectly normal behaviour and absolutely nothing to get worried over. It is very different from the dangerous level of aggression we have seen on osprey and eagle’s nests where siblicide has occurred due to food insecurity. I do not expect this level of rivalry to continue, and Arthur never lets the pantry dry up. Last year you might recall, everyone worried about little L4. Well, that last hatch climbed over all the others and was the first to catch its prey, becoming the first real juvenile after fledging. L4 is still around the campus – as far as I know.

I would loved to have seen Big Red when she was young and had her first brood. Just look at those tired feet. So grateful Arthur is such a good provider.

Big Red and one of her famous feeding sessions filling up those crops.

Birds, rats, mammals were all part of the feast at the nest of Angel and Tom in Tennessee today. Wow! So happy this little one survived those first days when food was so terribly scarce and Dad wasn’t sure how to help.

At 1841 the little one is getting another meal!

Everyone was elated when Rose returned to the WRDC nest – to Ron and R4 and R5. She appears to be fine.

Kathryn reports that Lucy has brought in the only fish at Lake Murray Ospreys on Wednesday. She also notes that Mum consumed C3. This nest really needs fish! What is going on with Ricky? Kathryn recalls six fish being delivered on Tuesday. Ricky has only been heard and not at the nest at all on Tuesday as of night fall. Intruders?

In addition to losing C3 on the 9th of May, we also lost the second hatch, Golden Eaglet, at Bucovina in Romania, the second hatch at Fort St Vrain, Colorado in a tragic hail storm. One of the little hatchings at Utica Peregrine scrape in NY was stuck to Mum Ares’ wing when she flew out. It fell and did not survive. So sad. Condolences to all those nests.

‘H’ reports that we have some osprey eggs that continue to be laid. Skiff and Dory – they raised three adorable osplets last year – have their third egg as of 10 May. This nest, as ‘H’ aptly notes could be problematic. She observes, “8 days between egg 1 and egg 3, with 5 days egg 1 to egg 2.  Intermittent incubation for only about a day. (I may be wrong about that, we’ll know if they hatch closer together.)”. Last year we delighted in these two raising those feisty three. Let us hope that the outcome is equally as good this year but that is a huge difference -.

S Cape May Meadows in New Jersey has a second egg for Zeus and Hera on the 10th. Lots of eggs are going to be hatching at once! I have never watched the South Cape May osprey platform – let’s see how it goes. Are any of you avid fans?

Not clear how many fish came to the Achieva Osprey nest on Wednesday but, it looks as if it could have been two. Middle did get some fish around 1500 or a little after.

That cute little Decorah eaglet is huge. It looks like it is going to be a really big female! Look at the size of those legs and feet next to Dad. Wow, Hatchery Chick. Seriously, we blinked, and this happened. That cute baby turned into a Hulk?!

Chase and Cholyn’s eaglet is growing, too, but does not appear to be as ‘huge’ as DH2!

Iris has been fighting off female intruders and today a banded Montana intruder. She also accepted the reality of that egg and went off to feed herself. The Raven took the egg on the morning of 10 May. Iris will no doubt lay another and another and the Raven will also have those for breakfast.

As far as I know, at the time of writing, Victor has not taken his first flight. Abby flew for the first time on the 8th of May. Victor is working his wings.

Two beautiful ospreys…Sally and Harry were remarkable. With the heat domes, the impact of urban expansion, places could take a look at Moorings Park and start stocking the ponds for the ospreys! It is going to become more and more important as we create growing challenges for them.

Warblers and Baltimore Orioles are arriving in Manitoba along with White-throated Sparrows. In the UK, the Warblers are singing, too. Remember – sit outside, go for a walk, let the sun warm your face. It will make everything seem a whole lot better! Stay in the moment. We cannot bring back the feathered friends we have lost but we can enjoy the ones that are with us – live or virtually.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/10/birdwatch-the-erling-haaland-of-warblers-turns-up-the-volume-to-11?CMP=share_btn_link

The goal of 1500 GBP has almost been met with a fortnight to go. Thank you to all of the donors. Conservation without Borders is working hard to keep HPAI from killing more birds – and I am thinking of late summer/fall return down the flyway.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. The sun is out Thursday morning and we are looking forward to some pips and hatches at a couple of the UK Osprey nests. Take care all. See you soon and remember…13 May is Big Bird Count! More on that tomorrow.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘T’, ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘S’, Kathryn, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Starch Hochstadt, Candy Smith and Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, World Bird Sanctuary, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Lake Murray Ospreys, Audubon/Explore, Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, Achieva Credit Union, Raptor Resource/Explore, IWS/Explore, Montana Osprey Project, Moorings Park Ospreys, The Guardian, and Crowdfunder.

Rose is home, Abby flew on the 8th…Wednesday in Bird World

10 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for your notes and e-mails. Lewis and Missey are delighted you are not tired of seeing pictures of them! Right now, Lewis is looking out the conservatory window as a Chickadee flits back and forth to the table feeder. It is like having a movie screen’ for cats! They can look but not harm. Both of the kittens are now no longer ‘kittens’. No one told them that! They are huge and still growing! It will not be long before Lewis cannot fit in the cat house at all…and I notice more and more how tight that Big Dog Bed is getting! I wonder, with the summer heat now with us (yes, we have winter and summer only – spring is three days and fall about a week now), if they want to sleep in that fluffy bed together. We wait to see.

Lewis does not realise that he is now too big to roll up in the white lacquer tray.

They still fit. The lady who makes the crocheted blankets for our Humane Society is 99 years old. She works every day to make sure all of the rescues get their little security blanket. Lovely. A sweet soul.

First up, if you want to help select the name of Annie and Lou’s three chicks, get a move on it. Voting closes on Thursday with the name announcement on Friday. Type in the blue link in your search.

Look at those adorable babies…Thanks, ‘S’. I love the peach colouring that is coming in!

I had a great question today from ‘B’, and I wonder how many others have been wondering the same thing. “I watch the falcons at UC Berkley and wonder why there’s no evidence of bones or feathers clinging to the bone after they’ve finished a pigeon.” Falcons eat the whole prey item, including the fur, feathers (well, most of them – the others eventually get blown out of the nest, bones, teeth, all of the organs and, of course, the meat of their prey. This also includes the webbed feet of waterfowl, etc. Absolutely nothing goes to waste! What cannot be digested/processed in the crop before going down to the stomach will be cast in a pellet.

Rose is home. 16:32:03 according to ‘H’. What a relief for everyone. If you see this again, remember that Gabby also takes a spa break up at NE Florida, just about this time in the eagle development. So next year, remember that Rose might do this again! So happy she is well. The chatters are all in tears. It has been such a tumultuous year at this nest (well, everywhere). We needed a good ending on this one, for sure.

I was so busy watching C3 and the hatches at Big Red’s and just periodically checked on Abby and Victor. Abby was helicoptering. I caught that but, she took her first flight on 8 May at 0828! Well done, Abby. Many think that Sally should get Osprey Mum of the Year…she certainly gets my vote for US Ospreys! My goodness these two are eating like they were hatchlings…7 meals or so a day. She is always feeding them. Incredible. Wish we could have helicoptered C3 over to Sally! We have to thank Harry, too, for all the fish.

Murphy and his baby were caught and given a health check today at World Bird Sanctuary. That included weights and measurements and guess what? Murphy is confirmed to be a male and so is Murphy’s baby.

I am a huge fan of Mark Smith’s video and photography of Ospreys along the Florida coast. ‘R’ sent me a link to a FB video of this Osprey, pulled under three times (holy smokes), but he landed this enormous Pompano. Florida State Parks says, “The Florida pompano, part of the jack family, is a species of marine fish with a compressed body, short snout and deeply forked tail. Pompano fish often have a color variation of blue, green and yellow on their dorsal areas and silver and yellow on their body and fins. This species is popular for both sport and commercial fishing, and most that are caught weigh less than three pounds are less than 17 inches long, although some can weigh as much as 8-9 pounds and reach lengths up to 26 inches.”

Gracie Shepherd caught E22 trying to catch a fish in real time and slo-mo.

Idris has been out fishing, too. Telyn is shocked when he brings in a third Shad while she is eating the second!

Moving over to my favourite nest…Big Red and Arthur…no siblicide at this nest – ever. And there won’t be. (The majority of siblicide occurs in eagles, ospreys, Boobies, etc – not hawks and falcons).

It is such fun watching Big Red and Arthur’s Nest. M1 and M2 are quite perky, and Arthur has that nest lined with a variety of prey already. No one will go hungry, and I like that they store extra food if prey is short. Sibley, author of so many books on birds, says, “Any furred, feathered or scaled creature that is smaller than a groundhog and turns its back on a meal-minded Red-Tailed is very likely going to be returned to the earth as a pellet.”

‘A’ sent me a link to a marvellous feeding of the two with the M3 egg pipping early Tuesday. ‘A’ has been concerned about M3’s progress and the third has not hatched as of yet – Wednesday morning.

Now what is happening inside that egg with M3. Well, here is the answer from the Cornell chat: “About three days before hatching, the embryo’s head burrows beneath the right shoulder so the beak is positioned under the wing & against the two membranes separating the embryo from the air space at the large end of the shell. The beak pierces through the membranes into the air space & pulmonary respiration begins. About a day later, with a dwindling oxygen supply, the embryo begins to kick, to twist and thrust its head and beak.

Small cracks advance counter-clockwise by millimeters around the big end of the shell. A special “hatching muscle” on the back of the chick’s neck (see photo to the right)swells to several times its normal size with a great influx of fluid from the embryo’s lymphatic system. This swelling accentuates sensory signals sent through the neck, stimulating the embryo to further activity. Eventually, the cap of the egg is cracked enough. The embryo pushes it, unfolds from the tuck and escapes from the shell.”

Big Red is thanking Arthur for bringing more prey – this time; it looks like a duckling or gosling.

I always wonder how they can stay so clean!

There was some beaking around 0737 Wednesday morning. Big Red has been feeding very large pieces of prey and it looks like M1 decided to give M2 a beak hold and peak. A bit unusual. They do scrap the little hawk lets but there has never been any reason to worry in the past. The beak shows us M3 is still working away. It will hatch some time today.

At the nest of the other RTH, Angel, Tom is very slowly learning his role. He has brooded the baby Wednesday morning and has brought in breakfast. Angel has also flown in with a Meadowlark (live).

At 10:08 on Tuesday Angel had been hunting and has arrived back with a nestling for the chick to eat.

‘A’ tells me that there were five feedings for the baby Tuesday. Fabulous.

The last was 1947. The baby went to bed with a nice full tummy. Things continue to improve. Nice crop!

Things are so looking up at this nest. As ‘A’ observes, Tom tried to protect the baby from the Blue Jays while Angel was out hunting around 0709.

As the 81 wildfires in Alberta continue to cause issues for people and wildlife, the first egg at the Fortis-Exshaw Osprey platform near Canmore was laid on Tuesday at 17:13ish.

At the Utica NY Peregrine scape box, there have been two hatches so far!

Indeed, falcons are hatching everywhere!!!!!!

Wakefield looks to have four little fluff balls (feel free to correct me on the number!).

Cromer Peregrine Falcons have two eyases this year who enjoyed eating a Cuckoo on Tuesday. Oh, that is messy!

Four at Manchester NH:

The fluffiest in Japan grew up!!!!!!! Look at that sweet face and those incredible eyes.

‘A’ writes:

In happier news, listen to how happy SP is to see mum L again today after she had been gone for nine days of foraging out at sea. He is chattering the moment he sees her then begins wheeing away unceasingly. Such a very happy (rather large) albie chick he is.

One of the saddest things about some of the osprey’s nests is that we ‘expect’ that the third hatch might not survive due to the history of the nest. So far this year that has been held at Port Lincoln, where Zoe killed the younger siblings, and both Achieva and Lake Murray lost their third hatch. There were no hatches at Captiva, and Moorings Park is thriving with Abby and Victor and Venice Golf and Country Club with three. Many are on incubation duty, and those eggs will begin to hatch in a few days in the UK. I do not expect any issues at those nests unless it is LOTL. There could well be several problematic nests in the US where delayed incubation has not been employed. We wait to see. If you are aware of any osprey nests where there is an issue with potential siblicide, please make a comment or send me an e-mail: maryannsteggles@icloud.com I would like to monitor these nests. Thank you!

Will Big at Lake Murray take over and not let Middle eat? Can Lucy handle two osplets. I wish then she would only lay two eggs… C1 virtually tortured C3. Middle had to work hard to get some fish on Tuesday. No doubt Big will dominate every feeding and this one is going to have to be clever!

Middle finally got some food but look at Big. Big reminds me so much of Zoe at Port Lincoln in 2022. She ate almost the entire fish! Middle got some right at the tail. I hope that we keep another chick in this nest.

Charlie and Charlotte have their second egg of the 2023 season at Charlo Montana on Tuesday, 9 May around 1730.

‘S’ found some wonderful resources on monofilament line that I want to share with everyone. There is so much to do – and we can all help in memory of DH18!

This one is mainly about protecting seabirds. Have a read…I am always learning something new!

Protecting Seabirds from Fishing Line and Hooks

Thank you so very much for being with me. 11 April is pip watch at Loch of the Lowes in Scotland and at Manton Bay with Blue 33 and Maya. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to everyone for their notes, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘S’, ‘R’, ‘B’, Loretta, Kathryn, Cal Falcons, WRDC, Moorings Park Ospreys, World Bird Sanctuary, Mark Smith Photography, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Joan Brady and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, Fortis Exshaw, Melissa Richards and Falcon Watch Utica, Stamford All Saints Peregrine Falcons, Wakefield Cathedral Falcons, Cromer Peregrines, Karen Rjarks and Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Japanese Peregrines, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Lake Murray Ospreys, Charlo Montana Ospreys, and Native Animal Rescue.

Iris lays her first egg, C3 dies, Tom helps, Dorcha crashes…Tuesday in Bird World

9 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

As I write this, a gentle rain is falling on the garden. The Chickadees are at the tube and table feeders, the Starlings have been and gone, Mr Crow and Mr Blue Jay were here, and the Hairy Woodpecker. It is just turning 1330 on Monday. Life in the garden is good. The rhythm is so reassuring, knowing that everyone is here and safe. It is also my ‘go-to place’ when events on the nests get just too much. This has been a challenging year for many of our Raptor families. It is almost hard to imagine all that has happened.

Lewis and Missy continue to love the conservatory. Today, for whatever reason, they were not so interested in what was going outside.

The Starlings cooperated and ate together at the table once the squirrels had left. At one point there were five finding food.

Before we check in on all the action at the nests, two educational items in today’s blog: the first about monofilament line (with some images later from ‘B’) and the second about siblicide and the theories of why this happens.

First up, fishing line – any posting about this will be in tribute to DH18 whose life could have been spared had help been called immediately to come to the nest. All moderators of all chats must notify the proper authorities and local rehabbers immediately when a monofilament line or baling twine is seen on a nest. It is imperative, moving forward, no excuses.

It is not just Bald Eagles that get tangled…every kind of waterfowl has been seen dead or dying from this horrible stuff.

It appears that Iris has laid her first egg of the season. As I always say, we know how this will go so we should not fight it. At the same time, I would love her to feel the teamwork that Maya and Blue 33 have, to have Louis there with her with a celebratory fish and to have him help raise those chicks. Sadly, he cannot take care of two nests! So, Iris…lay the eggs, let the Crows get them, and spend your summer leisurely taking care of yourself.

The time was around 19:50-59.

Diane and her two surviving osplets from 2023 – Big and Middle. Aren’t they gorgeous? Everyone was so happy when Jack brought two fish to the nest. Let us hope that despite the drought, he and Diane will get enough fish to the nest for these two to fledge. They have gorgeous plumage, and they should have taken their first flights by June.

A short video clip posted by Heidi McGru on FB showed the Bald Eagle trying to snatch Middle at Achieva. I had wondered if it was after the fish but, no. He did not make it…I want to hope those osplets are too big. We wait. Everyone is now very vigilant on that nest.

Cowlitz PUD put up guards so the eagles cannot steal the osplets off the nest…maybe if this continues Achieva needs to think about that.

At the Moorings Park Osprey platform, the osplets are eating and they are helicoptering. We are right on the verge of fledge – it could come at any moment.

Our cuteness overload is coming from the nest of Big Red and Arthur. M2 hatched sometime around 0300 Monday. M1 is a strong feisty little hawk let, typical for Big Red’s chicks. Arthur has the pantry already full and we are already wondering if he will bring a nice Robin for Big Red for Mother’s Day. She loves Robins and will take them off the nest and eat them herself.

M1 is a very strong hawk let. It is already eating large morsels of prey. Look at that crop. Big Red has filled M1 up and will move to feed M2. Everyone at Big Red’s table gets fed if they want food and have that beak open. We have never lost a hawk let from siblicide or being hungry. Only one K2 had an issue with its beak and did not fledge…Big Red has been having chicks since probably 2005. That is an amazing record. She is 20 years old this spring.

Too Big!

There is a pip on that third egg…see image below the next one.

Early evening feeding…

There has been a significant change in the nest of Angel the Leucistic RTH and Tom in Tennessee. Monday morning, Tom gently preened the chick. He also brought in a lizard which Angel fed exclusively to the chick; she had previously delivered a nestling. Angel is more comfortable with Tom, and Tom is helping now with the nest by providing prey items. Progress.

At 10:17 Angel is feeding the nestling to her nestling.

Tom delivers lizard at 2:05:33.

At 2:05:42, the baby gets some lizard.

Beautiful Angel and her baby, the baby she is determined will live.

Big Red at Cal Falcons ran off with the breakfast prey this morning. It was finally retrieved and everyone ate but this gal is determined (and big).

With hawks and falcons, whose time in the nest is much shorter than eagles or ospreys, you can blink and they have gone from hatching to fledge!

Is Rose missing from the WRDC nest or is she just taking a break? The eaglets have not fledged! She was last seen at 0635 Sunday morning at the nest. If she has not returned by late Tuesday or Wednesday it is time to get really concerned.

Ron is bringing in fish to the two eaglets. Thankful they are older. This trend of single-parent nests this year is almost unnerving but Ron will manage as the eaglets are so much older than when M15 had to start caring for the Es.

There are three eggs for Tom and Audrey at Chesapeake Conservancy.

Idris has been working overtime with the fish coming to the nest for Telyn one after another!

Geemeff caught Dorcha crashing into the Loch Arkaig nest in the middle of the night…she is OK, thankfully.

Looks like Cape Henlopen has attracted some visitors but they are not Ospreys! They are Black Vultures. They feed almost exclusively on carrion but have a poorer sense of smell than the Turkey Vulture with its red head. You will often see Black Vultures following the Turkey Vultures to find prey. They roost in tall trees with unobstructed views…looks like this platform could be their roosting spot! ‘H’ writes that they are there every day. How lovely!

The tragedy with the three Osplets starving on camera when the male was killed and the female driven away (maybe injured) by a new couple was heartbreaking.

Zephyr and Bruce are at the Seaside Osprey nest near the Neawanna River in Seaside, Oregon.

Eggs being rolled at the nest of Jack and Harriet at Dahlgren.

Dad and Lady have been sleeping at the nest tree and they have also been working hard to repair the damage that the Ring-tailed Possums did to the nest. It is so lovely to see them! And to also know that both 27 and 30 are doing well in the wild after having been rescued and rehabilitated.

Thank you ‘B’ for sending me these images. More and more places are setting up containers for broken fishing line and hooks. Here is another example from the East Bay area near San Francisco. There should be educational programmes for children and adults on the dangers to encourage responsibility.

Much easier to see how big Murphy’s baby is…I wonder if Murphy will ever incubate another rock?

Look at those legs…wow. This baby is doing fantastic and thanks to Murphy, World Bird Sanctuary, and all the donors, Murphy’s baby will get to live wild. Please tell me that they are going to band this little one…er, big one.

World Bird Sanctuary has a Red-shouldered Hawk that is incredible in caring for more babies than you can imagine – and they are not hers! Some of the rehabs’ work is decidedly not high tech…here just gold old parenting skills. In others, the birds are enriched with paper flowers for their birthday to shred. I am trying to see if anything is being done with feathers other than having new feathers glued in place. Many wind up in care for at least a year until their new feathers grow in like the one below. We know this is the case with Connick from the Captiva Bald Eagle nest.

Before we move on to Lake Murray – which is, at present, one of two tense events (Rose missing being the other at WRDC), we need a bit of a laugh and it is thanks to Chase and Cholyn’s eaglet!

The weight of the size difference in the Osplets at Lake Murray is certainly worrisome. I have seen this once before and that was at the Foulshaw Moss nest of White YW and Blue 35 in Cumbria in 2021. That third hatch survived – for many reasons. Blue 464 was bloody clever and determined and Mum, Blue 35, made special attempts to make sure it was fed when the others were asleep. I have not seen that diligence at Lake Murray. Blue 35 actually flew away with prey and waited til the two big siblings were asleep and then feed 35. There was also not the level of aggression as is being shown at Lake Murray. I often wonder ‘why’ the UK Ospreys are so much more civil than the US ones?

I would like all of them to live but I am not hopeful. Just look at the difference in the first screen capture of the wing sizes.

C1 zealously attacked C3 most of Monday and unrelentingly close to 1700.

*distressing image*

C1 holds C3 down so that it cannot move at all…more or less suffocating its sibling. Then, by some miracle, C3 gets up and tries to get to Mum. The time is 19:27. C3 died on the 8th of May. It was 15 days old having hatched on the 23rd of April. Soar high little Peanut.

Another article on siblicide by Robert Simmons in Animal Behaviour.

siblicide-does-not-get-more-foodDownload

Kathryn has been helping me with the events on Lake Murray. She has found another article on siblicide. I will, as noted yesterday, continue to post several articles during the next week. We have lots of ospreys incubating eggs with many of those nests not practising delayed incubation. It is possible that there will be many more chicks die this year. We wait to see. In the meantime we can educate ourselves on all the ideas that scientists have.

Eldon-Greij-explains-why-some-birds-practice-siblicide-BirdWatchingDownload

In Canada, we have had ‘heat domes’ that have taken the lives of many raptors including the chicks at Osoyoos, others jumping out of their nests in the interior of British Columbia to get away from the heat…that was previous years. This is the lead up to what could be another tragic year in Canada. Send all those babies on nests in BC your most positive wishes along with all the other nests we are watching.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care…we should have a hatch for Big Red by the end of the evening or early Wednesday morning. See you soon!

I want to thank Kathryn, who helped me with the siblicide at Lake Murray. It is not easy monitoring a nest where there is anxiety, where there is a ten-day difference between the age of the hatches (laying + hatch). She stayed right in there and provided me with valuable information. I also want to thank ‘H’ for sending me notes also. These are sad events that are very difficult to observe.

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, pots, videos, articles, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures that helped to make my blog today: ‘B’, ‘H’, ‘A’, Geemeff, Kathryn, PC Clavier and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams, Montana Osprey Project, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Suzanne Arnold Horning and the Cornell Hawk Chatters, Window to Wildlife, Cal Falcons, SK Hideway and Cal Falcons, WRDC, Heidi McGru and Raptors of the World, Joan Brady and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, people’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Cape Henlopen State Park, Seaside Ospreys, Dahlgren Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles, East Bay Regional Park Department, World Bird Sanctuary, Jann Gallivan and CIEL, Lake Murray Ospreys, Animal Behaviour, Bird Watching, and @VladRadica.

Death by micro plastics, M2 is here…Monday in Bird World

8 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was an overcast day with the feeling that rain could start anytime. It didn’t. The garden feeders were busy! Unfortunately, the squirrels have figured out two different ways to get on the table feeder, causing issues with the birds. Still, they waited and watched. Mr Crow is also afraid of the feral cat that visits and, as a result, has not been quick enough to feed well today. Silly boy. Today they also marked the first day for the White-throated Sparrows to be in the garden this season. In a few days, there could be fifty or sixty of them. If all goes to plan after they arrive, the Orioles will eat oranges and Grape Jelly and pay no mind to Dyson and her gang.

So proud of itself!

Mr Blue Jay watched and waited til he could get a turn at the feeding table.

Your smile for the day…

So far it has been a good Sunday at the nest of Angel and the Baby. This was the posting of the prey delivery and feeding. It is windy and the weather could turn stormy. As I am writing this there has been a feeding at 12:53 with a partial piece of rabbit that Tom delivered. A second feeding began at 2:07:40. ‘A’ has sent me the entire time stamps for the action at the nest. Here they are: “Time stamps for today (7 May) at Angel’s nest. Spoiler alert: Tom brought in some food around lunchtime, which was enough to feed the hawklet three times. Okay, time stamps: 07 02 45 Angel up, wing stretch,head scratch,BJS buzzing her. 08 32 31 Angel up and spots something. And the BJs spot her. 08 39 44 She leaves. 08 41 01 She returns. 10 05 59 After a big wing stretch Angel leaves.10 15 42 PTZ camera Angel flies by on her way back to the nest. 11 46 25 Angel aerating the nest and some preening. 12 52 15 Tom in with part rabbit?. 12 53 30 PTZ feed starts. Some leftovers for later. 2:06:50 RTH5 falls over, gets up after a struggle. 2 07 40 PTZ Second feed starts. 12 51 Angel up.big wing and leg stretch and preening. RTH5 Preening itself. 3 22 00 PTZ Start of third feed. 3 41 44 Angel swallows a lump of fur/skin. 6 06 55 One For the PS fans. This chick is the most adorable little thing ever. The way Angel looks down at it with sheer unadulterated adoration is just precious. I love this chick way too much!”

Thank goodness for small miracles. Angel sure can use them. Let us hope that the storms and potential winds and tornadoes do not hit this nest. This couple needs to find prey and keep it coming so that the baby can develop properly. It sure looks like a hardy little one.

There is something magical about the way that Red-tail Hawks look at their chicks. Big Red is the same. You simply melt at the love in those eyes.

Arlene Beech caught the prey delivery for us.

The weather turned with heavy rain and thunderstorms. Angel is keeping her baby snug and dry.

The situation is also good at Achieva where Jack brought in two fish almost at once. Big Bob ate its own fish while Mum fed Middle. Smiling. Both osplets are safe and find and it is probably that the Bald Eagle wanted the fish and not the osplet! If it had been younger, yes.

Barbara Snyder reports on FB that Mum brought in one of her big catfish and Dad brought in another fish – so another double delivery – Sunday evening that is keeping this nest happy. This is wonderful news for Achieva. These two have their juvenile feathers and well, we don’t want to lose either one of them!

Sadly, the first delivery at Lake Murray did not come until late in the afternoon. Kathryn observed that Mum went out to possibly find fish several times but returned empty handed. Little Peanut did not get any food and this osplet does not look well to me. As Kathryn notes it is also not being clever. I think we should brace ourselves for a sad ending for this very tiny third hatch.

No food for Peanut this morning. It is so very slow and sad to see a sweet baby die of starvation. Only a miracle will help this wee one.

I will add a few articles, once in a while, or postings that discuss siblicide so that we educate ourselves. In 2012, Dr Erick Greene, the Professor at the University of Montana associated with the Osprey Research Project and Iris’s Nest, wrote this post for Montana Ospreys FB Group. It focuses on the amount of food brought to the nest. Other research studies suggest that the oldest or most dominant (usually the same) are getting the majority of food, so siblicide makes no sense. Hopefully, you will enjoy and learn from the articles coming up, and they will provide much to think about as you watch the nests that are getting ready for osprey hatches.

Siblicide – part IV

Siblicide occurs in MANY species of birds and other animals, including all hawks and owls, egrets and herons, kingfishers, pelicans, boobies, cranes and some others. Although it may seem cruel, it is an adaptation that allows the parents to raise the maximum number of healthy and vigorous young under fluctuating and unpredictable food supplies. When there is enough food to go around, all the chicks thrive; when food is limited, only the number of chicks that can be supported survive. So siblicide is a self-adjusting mechanism that matches the number of chicks with the available food.

This is what siblicide is and why it occurs. It is a completely natural part of Osprey biology (and the biology of many other species). However, this does not mean it is easy to watch – it is quite disturbing to watch a chick kill its sibling. Last year fishing was so tough that about 95% of the Osprey chicks starved to death around Missoula. While we were saddened and disturbed to watch the two chicks in the Hellgate nest die last year, we rejoiced that Iris and her old mate were able to raise one very robust and healthy chick in such difficult circumstances. This is something not many Osprey pairs were able to do. If there was not siblicide, all three chicks would have starved to death last year. Nature can be “red in tooth and claw,” even within a family. Even though siblicide may seem cruel to you, there is some sort of comfort in a system that allows the Osprey parents to raise healthy chicks even when times are tough. This is part of the reason we still have thriving Osprey populations.

Some of you may wonder why we don’t take the smallest chick from this nest and put it in the Dunrovin nest. We are not allowed to interfere with this natural part of the Osprey cycle. Our research permits and animal care permits (that are very strictly regulated) would not allow us to do this.

We are giving you this information to let you know about a natural and expected part of Osprey biology, and prepare you in case the smallest chick does not make it. So what can we expect at the Hellgate nest this year? The third chick is definitely running from the back of the pack, but the new male is a fantastic provider! I just watched carefully and saw the smallest chick get absolutely stuffed with part of the large trout the male brought in (Tuesday, 26 June 2012 about 1115). This is a good sign, and if the male continues to be such a good provider all three chicks may make it! Think pure thoughts.

Erick Greene of Project Osprey

That was 2012 and much has been learned since then. I hope to enlighten us more in the coming weeks.

Oh, I wish I could wiggle my nose and transport Peanut to the Moorings Park Osprey platform after Abby and Victor fledge…those two are helicoptering. Fledge (their first flight) could happen at any time!

Moorings Park has gone all out with good cameras and a split screen so we can see all the action.

Jackie and Shadow were bringing in sticks and working on their nest in Big Bear Valley on Sunday.

A little windy up at the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle nest where eggs are being incubated. Looks like some branches have been trimmed so that the camera view of the new nest (as of 2022) is much better. Thanks, Glacier Gardens.

Adults with nice crops keeping a watchful eye over the energetic Cal falcons. That big female sure likes to be out of the scrape. I do not envy Lou and Annie when these three start running around!

Annie has been chasing them about to feed them. SK Hideaways caught it for us.

The Decorah eaglet was really hot today, using panting to help stay cool. Little sweetheart. Doesn’t look like they have had any of those bad storms (yet). Hopefully not.

Whenever you see a nest with three equally healthy raptors on it, just smile. As you are all aware it is not easy. The three at Denton Homes are thriving.

The three at Dulles-Greenway are equally doing well. It is difficult to see if the river is flooding and hard for Martin to get fish but there does not appear to be a shortage of prey. There is also not a shortage of plastic bags! The one black one on the side fooled me one day…at first glance I thought it was one of the eaglets hanging on for dear life!

We have a reminder from Liz Bracken. You will recall that Blue NC0 and Laddie LM12 laid the first egg with Blue 33 and Maya quick on their talons. Well, we will be on hatch watch for both of those nests starting on the 11th…yes, that is 3 days a way.

Blue 33 keeping Maya’s he3ad dry in the drizzle.

It is my favourite nest and it always will be. Steady and reliable. Big Red and Arthur, the Red-tail Hawks calling the Cornell campus in Ithaca, New York their territory.

M2 working its way out of that shell.

If Big Red and Arthur’s kids go hungry there is something very wrong in the world.

Big Red tucking M1 in and we can see M2’s egg tooth working away.

Cuteness!

It started raining at the nest of Big Red and Arthur Sunday evening. Big Red seems to always know and she gets her chick/s fed to the brim and then plunks down on them so they are dry and warm.

M2 is here and already being fed! It is sitting in its shell!

Lots of baby falcons about these days….tis the season!

It is just a gorgeous landscape at the Charlo Montana Osprey platform of Charlie and Charlotte. One egg as of yesterday. Thanks, Loretta!

‘H’ reports sad news coming from Hob Osterlund in Kauai. Not large pieces of plastic, tiny micro plastic that will impact all the seabirds including the Royal Albatross, too…what a shame we cannot get a handle on this nasty stuff that is everywhere.

Murphy’s baby is continuing to do very, very well.

Chase and Cholyn’s eaglet at Two Harbours was so full today from eating half a considerable fish that it could hardly walk on the nest. Check out the last image of the three; Mum had a huge crop, too! It was a fish fest day!

‘H’ reports that there is a second egg at Kent Island Ospreys this morning. ‘H’ and I are keeping our eyes on the ospreys at Osoyoos in the hope of identifying them to see if it is Soo and/or Olsen or a new pair.

This sub-adult eagle got a second chance at life because of a rehabber!

For everyone who reached out to help on the Dale Eagle chat and felt shunned and ‘well, abused’, there are some changes coming.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Loretta, Kathryn, Terry Tempest Williams, Window to Wildlife, Arlene Beech and Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Lake Murray Ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, FOBBV, Glacier Gardens Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Dulles-Greenway, Liz Bracken and Friends of Loch Arkaig FB, LRWT, Cornell RTH, Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Charlo Montana, Hob Osterlund, World Bird Sanctuary, IWS and Explore.org, and Terry Carman and Live Nests and News.

M1 hatches, Eagle threatens Achieva…Sunday in Bird World

7 May 2023

Oh, goodness. It was just a gorgeous day on the Canadian Prairies. A little coolish for some but delightful. It was a good day to start on the planting boxes and it seemed it was none too soon to get the Vermillionaires for the hummingbirds. Only 12 plants left at the nursery. Gracious…it is only 6 May. Normally we do not plant until Victoria Day weekend, the third Monday in May, for fear of frost.

Before we go any further, our first giggle of the day.

And then..cuteness. More to come on M1 but just look at this cutie only 2 hours old.

As the hummingbirds are arriving from their migration (depending on where you live), it is imperative that if you provide the sugar water for them that you do so safely. Make it at home, do not purchase it at shops as it could harm them. Here is the recipe that is going wild over the Internet.

It is impossible to say how delighted I am to see Angel’s little one RT5 is so strong! That chick did not eat for over 30 hours…talk about some good DNA brewing in there.

Tom brought in some prey for Mum and the baby on Saturday. Progress. This along with the groundhog on the nest should keep them for a day or two. Had slipped out to the garden centre and returned to see this – thanks SK Hideaways! This made my day so much happier.

Angel’s baby had a nice big crop before going to sleep again tonight. Oh, how grand. Continue to send this nest your most positive wishes, please. Angel will need food tomorrow unless that Groundhog is still lurking about in the egg cup! I would like to hope that the visit by Tom with prey today was an indication that he will provide for his family but, that remains to be seen.

No food left on Sunday so Angel will have to go hunting if Tom doesn’t deliver. The Blue Jays are continuing to dive bomb.

‘H’ reports that a Bald Eagle was at the Achieva nest. Did it want to take Middle or was it after the fish Diane had? Diane flew off in pursuit, and both chicks are fine now. I am thinking it might have just wanted that big fish- regardless of what the motive is with a drought and fish scarcity, fish is needed and, of course, we want Middle safe. Gracious. Just when you think you can relax! This is all this nest needs and it could be Jack and Diane have been dealing with this predator for some time.

Loretta reports that the first egg of the season has been laid at the Charlo Montana nest of Charlie and Charlotte on Saturday at 14:30. The weather has been nasty up in Montana. The rivers are flooding and the ospreys are having to find places where the water is lower with fish so they can eat. I had so hoped this egg would wait..but, the osprey are never on our schedules.

Despite the flooding where Iris usually fishes on the Clark Fork River, she has definitely found a spot. She arrived at her nest in Missoula’s Hellgate Canyon with a large crop Saturday evening.

Iris has been on her nest – and please take a look at this nest as it is the finest osprey nest I have ever seen – and she is due to lay eggs shortly. The fence has been put around her platform in the parking lot to protect her. We all know how this will turn out, so take a deep breath, let it happen, and then wish our lovely Iris, the oldest living osprey in the world, a lovely summer fishing for herself and having a relaxing time. Star and Louis can be chasing after fish and chicks!

Kathryn reports that even though Peanut had a good feeding today at the Lake Murray Osprey platform, there is strife there since the older sibling began getting its Reptilian plumage. She reports, “Yes I was shocked to see this today because every feeding I’ve seen has usually just been mild but today the big one was really poking Little’s head multiple times. Every time little picked his head up, big struck him back down. Almost made me nauseous to watch.  Middle stayed away mostly and towards the end middle was picking on little as well. It looked like little had a crop and the parents are good at providing food. So hopefully this doesn’t continue.”

The Osprey nests are unpredictable. If there is going to be anxiety, it almost starts with the change of plumage at 8 or 9 days. Peanut is so tiny. We just have to take this nest a day at a time and hope.

Big Bob at Lake Murray reminds me a bit of Zoe. She is so large and is quite the dominant female. Just take deep breaths. She will always eat first. She will always have the most significant crop, and she will not care who else eats. She is the boss. Just look at her, and you will understand the problem entirely on this nest.

It looked as if Peanut might have had an eye injury yesterday. If he makes it he will sure be one tough character. Just look at her.

At 1333, this was the progress of the hatch for Big Red and Arthur.

All dry and ready to say hi to the world. Welcome M1!

Hello Mama!

There are three eggs at Cowlitz PUD in Washington State. The utility company put in metal bars to protect the osplets this year from the Bald Eagle. Maybe Achieva will need to do something, too! Last year all three of the healthy – and I want to say thriving babies – were taken within a 48 hour period by a Bald Eagle.

Everything is fine at the Moorings Park Osprey Platform in Naples, Florida. Both Abby and Victor are self-feeding as well as being fed by Sally. There is the split screen in preparation for fledging!

At the Dahlgren Osprey nest, Jack has brought in another large toy but I did not see any fish brought in for Harriet on Saturday. Do they also have a problem with flooding and intruders or murky water? Anyone know?

The golden glow of the sun on Audrey at Kent Island or Chesapeake Conservancy osprey Platform and her two eggs. Will the new ‘Tom’ turn out to be a good provider? We wait.

The little baby eaglet at Decorah is 29 days old today. It has its pin feathers coming in and is far from that fluffy bundle I was cooing about a few days ago. They grow so very fast.

Martin and Rosa’s triplets are simply adorable in their juvenile plumage. That ebony-espresso colour is divine.

We are going to be very busy when fledge watch arrives as Pittsburgh-Hayes is about the same age as Dulles-Greenway.

US Steel eaglet is so cute with its precious dandelion mohawk.

Megan McCubbin’s first book is getting ready to be released. There is an interesting conversation with her that forms an article for The Guardian, posted below. I have ordered the book and will keep you posted!

‘I-love-misunderstood-creatures-Megan-McCubbin-on-20-species-we-must-save-–-including-humans-WilDownload

I positively love Hen Harriers and could give a toss about a few people going out in the country with rifles grouse hunting – until they start having the gamekeepers of these hunting estates killing off the Hen Harriers. This makes me absolutely ill. It is, of course, highly illegal but the UK has to get ‘real’ about the fines and jail time if it is to have any impact.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to help clean up the HPAI outbreak in The Gambia. Total funds raised are 1050 GBP out of the desired 1500.

I wanted to have a blog that focused on many things wildlife rehabbers do today using technology. Due to using the computer for a limited time (I have another week to go to please my ophthalmologist), I am behind, but I will get there!

Thank you for being with me today. Send positive wishes to all the nests! And take care of yourself. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘H’, Loretta, Kathryn, Ali TD and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Hummingbird Whisperer, Window to Wildlife, SK Hideaways and Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Owl Research Institute and Explore.org, Montana Osprey Project, Lake Murray Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dahlgren Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, The Guardian, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, PIX Cams, and UK Raptor Persecution.