Category Archives: loons

Tuesday in Bird World

3 December 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Well, goodness me. It is Wilko with the pink and green ring! I thought it was Kasse- thinking female here. Apologies. Kasse is red and white. So it was Wilko, not Kasse being bold as it normally was. Thanks, Heidi! I should also add that Heidi mentioned she did not get some posts since she usually catches the blog on FB. FB does not like my titles and I had PLO has a boy and a girl. FB removed that post. I am on Bluesky, too. They do not do that! Thank goodness.

Gosh, hasn’t the year flown by? It feels like yesterday we were watching M15 and F23 raise their first eaglet together, and now we are waiting for their two eggs to hatch in 2024. Time flies.

The garden animals enjoy a few treats as the days get shorter and colder. There are new nut cylinders with mealworms, and I have added some cat kibble to the Black Oil Seed supply. We are in the process of gathering up special nuts and seeds, along with some cubed pears and apples. We will be making the birds and squirrels a basket for the solstice. I suspect we will need two – one for the Crows and Jays and another for the squirrels and smaller songbirds. We want to capture some special moments with them on a Reolink Wildlife camera. The thing to remember is that I need to be IT savvy and I am not very so fingers and toes crossed. We will see if this is as easy to install and operate as they say the camera is! We can get colour images day and night without disturbing the animals and birds to show you. Of course, the feral cats will have treats, too. Today, they dental kibble and enjoyed it on top of their wet food and water. It is incredible how thirsty the feral cats can be – so please leave out water if you can. It is life-saving!

Mr Crow was pounding away on the suet today and ignoring the peanuts. The fat in the suet really helps the birds to stay warm on the cold days – and when it is sunny, the temperature is usually colder.

Brock has been around twice today and just left. It is 1536, and the sun is getting low on the horizon. It is -11. The temperature is warming, and we will have snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. I lucked into finding someone reliable who does a great job clearing our snow this year. I am so thankful.

I continue to be thankful for my beautiful life – for the joy these fantastic animals and birds bring to us, the cats, our friends and family, and you. We need a few material things, but we certainly need love and community and the hope that as we move forward, we can, in each of our ways, make a difference, whether it is that clean used towel to the rehabber, a bowl of water for a feral cat or the birds, or a donation. Together, we can move mountains.

Now let us get on to these birds and other news items that are happening.

Breaking News: YRK, the mate of the late OGK, has a new mate and a fertilized egg! Oh, my goodness. This is wonderful news.

‘MP’ has sent news that Jack was on the Achieva nest on Monday. He had been MIA for several days, and that caused considerable concern among viewers of the nest. Another osprey was there in the morning and is seen below. It wasn’t Jack or Diane. I had hoped that it was Tumbles all grown up, but the marking on her head was not the same as hers. This adult looked down at the mess on that nest – it was a mess!

Jackie and Shadow always amaze us with their hope. They never give up, and as Hob Osterlund points out, neither do these two female Laysan Albatross.

Oh, this is a huge milestone! Congratulations.

Smile. Black bears enjoying watermelon.

Wilko is 59 days old today, and Kasse is 56 days old. They are incredibly gorgeous osplets. I’m so glad that they are ringed and both have trackers.

Many of you have written to find out about the other fledglings at the PLO nest and especially Ervie. My goodness, Ervie must be one of the most beloved osprey fledglings ever. I have sent Bart a note to see if the tracking for Ervie, Bradley, and Giliath might be posted weekly. Bart is looking into it with no promises. Another firm handles the monitoring and PLO doesn’t have direct access. I have no doubt Bart will try as hard as he can. He knows how much we love those birds!

Oh, gosh, it is nearly 11 and no fish yet. After a lot of hovering, Wilko is getting peckish.

The fish fairy arrives to save the day!

Wilko did more hovering! Remember, Wilko is a male and would naturally fledge first.

It was a beautiful morning at the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau. Waiting for that first egg – rather impatiently as I assume everyone is!

Hello Annie!

F23 calls as she sees M15 arriving with a nice fish for her! Best to turn the volume down. https://youtu.be/vUqFK4wehI8?

Jackie and Shadow were busy having a detailed conversation! https://youtu.be/pTOkP3aWC9Q?

Fran Solly just posted a recap of Roy Dennis’s time in Port Lincoln. What a treat for everyone who was able to have dinner with this dedicated individual.

In Estonia, there was a juvenile White-tail eagle that came to visit the nest of Milda and Zorro in Durbe County. Gorgeous bird. https://youtu.be/gEv2-TERZ3c?

The Glen Turret Estate is giving up bean Grouse Shooting in favour of a dramatic ecological restoration of the land. This is part of this report:

“Regular blog readers will know that Strathbraan is dominated by a number of estates with driven grouse moors and the area has been identified in a Government-commissioned report as being a hotspot for raptor persecution. It’s also the area where NatureScot (formerly SNH) licensed a controversial raven cull in 2018 (see here) but then came under fire from its own scientific advisory committee who stated the scientific rigour of the licence was “completely inadequate“. 

Glen Turret Estate has been at the centre of police investigations into alleged wildlife crime over a period of many years (no prosecutions or General Licence restrictions, natch) so the news that it is under new management and no longer operating as a driven grouse moor is very welcome indeed.

This should mean an end to the use of things like crow-cage traps, commonly deployed [legally!] on grouse moors in all seasons, where non-target species like this Long-eared owl can no longer be caught and held for over 24 hrs in appalling weather conditions (photo by RSPB).”

Glen Turret Estate under new management – ecological restoration is in, grouse shooting is out – RapDownload

WIRES reports the miraculous save of a tiny Flying female pup (Australia). WIRES does some amazing things including providing vet care for sea eagles!

Did you know that Wood Ducks like acorns? Just look what happened at Port Louisa Wildlife Refuge in Wapello, Iowa. I wonder if some of those migrating Wood Ducks didn’t come from Manitoba.

Male (brighter with hood) and female (white teardrop behind eye) Wood Ducks at our local duck pond.

As climate change impacts the planet, there are opportunities for conservation and a cranberry farm in Massachusetts is being returned to the wetlands it once was with ducks! quacking wildly!

Cranberry farmers are now turning their bogs into wetlands – The Washington PostDownload

Benedict Cumberbatch gives us a 2 minute BBC presentation on the Kakapo! https://youtu.be/E3a88_SjJR0?

Calico’s Tip of the Day: For those celebrating Christmas and putting up a real tree, do want to keep it fresh? or do you want dry needles sticking in everyone’s socks? Well, follow these simple instructions to keep that tree fresh: Do not water your tree! First, bring the water to a boil. Then let it stand for 5 minutes, and fill the container for the trunk. This will stop the sap from getting hard and allow the water to go up the trunk. If you use cold water, it will clog the openings, and the tree will die quickly!

Smile! Baby Hope pretends she is Mamma Calico, stopping the invaders from pulling the duvet off!

‘J’ reports that the Loon Preservation Society reported no mortalities or rescues during November. That is fantastic.

Another possible sighting of Yira around the tower, but no positive confirmation as there are other birds in the area. Where is she being fed if this is her?

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP’, Sharon Dunne, Achieva Credit Union, Hob Osterlund, Kartong Bird Observatory, Bear with Us Center for Bears, Port Lincoln Osprey, NEFL-AEF, Cal Falcons, Androcat, SK Hideaways, Fran Solly, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, liznm, The Washington Post, Raptor Persecution UK, Port Louisa Wildlife Refuge, BBC

Saturday in Bird World

3 August 2024

Good Morning!

Well I am in tears this morning. One good and one bad. One of the beautiful fledglings at Russell Lake in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia has been electrocuted. We have talked about these poles and the responisiblity of the power companies on my posting many times. It is an easy fix and if the power company knows the poles that the birds use – they do tend to go to the same ones – then they should be required to do the necessary modifications.

The good tears is for a Black Stork. BONUS is alive!!!!!! Jan and Janikka’s beautiful Black Storkling, adopted by Karl II and Kaia when Jan died – hence the name Bonus – has been transmitting. This might tie with Iris being a mother again for the number of tissues used. Thank you ‘PB’ and ‘TU’ for catching this great news and sending it to me. I don’t know if I will stop crying all day.

We have the second fledge at Niagara Bee.

We hope that you are enjoying your weekend. For Canadians, it is a ‘long’ weekend. Is it a Bank Holiday in the UK? Another holiday somewhere else? If so, enjoy! It is still hot here, but it is going to begin to slowly cool off. It feels like a good day to check on ducks and geese this evening.

In fact, it was so warm in the garden that the Crows are starting to come to the bird bath. They have been drinking water but not splashing. I can’t wait to see which one of them will be the first to take the plunge.

Because of the heat I have been going through all the forms for the 438 eggs out ogf 151 nests. In fact, I am still adding nests from Nova Scotia with 16 more to go! But it has also given me a chance to take a peek at what is happening and to check on some nests to try and find out about fledges.

The pie chart shows that nearly half of all osprey eggs laid this year did not hatch. Siblicide was the next highest cause of mortality at 17% and weather events at 14%

For some nests there is little information. Some have videos on YouTube but no real data elsewhere. So it is a bit of a mystery hunt. I hope to cover a few of those nests that are not regularly reported.

Two growing chicks of Blue 330 and PYO from Nest 10 at Kielder Forest are a welcome sight after all the heart break and loss at other nests.

Seriously. This puts a smile on my face. A Loon that is 38 years old? (Thanks, J)

On Finland nest #1 Utu fledges on August 2. Returns to the nest! Congratulations.

Both chicks on nest #1.

Parent is on the nest feeding only surviving osplet on nest #4 in Finland. Parent also comes and goes as if monitoring the forest situation. We know that the eagle lives in that area.

Three gorgeous osplets at Janneniemi, Juurusvesi, Finland.

At the Kuopio nest, we have had a fledge with another one pending. Chicks are Eero (1), Victoria (2), and Amanda (3).

Cowlitz fledgling is still coming to the nest for fish! It is a good day.

Amazing Iris is getting some nice fish after her chicks are fed to they are full and then more full.

It is almost that time. Iris and Finnegan’s chicks will take to the sky. They will hone their flying skills and be fed by Finnegan – and maybe Mum – til it is time to migrate south. I hope that Finnegan continues with the great deliveries so that Iris can get herself fit after a grueling summer so that the migration is not too hard on her this year.

I cannot get enough of Iris and her chicks Sum-eh and Antali.

‘RP’ sent us an X but the age of Antali that Hellgate Osprey posted is incorrect. It is 46 days.

All three chicks survived at Bar Harbour despite some early worries for the small third hatch. We are expecting fledgling shortly.

The two ospreys at Balgravies Loch fledged in mid-July.

Geemeff’s Daily Summary of Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Friday 2nd August 2024

Another day with no sign of any Ospreys on either nest. Dorcha was last seen on nest cam – Nest One! – on 27th July, has she headed south already? Perhaps she’ll appear soon, but as always it’s a case of wait and see. Louis was last seen more recently, on 30th July, on his own nest, and the only thing that’s certain is that many pairs of eyes are on the lookout for any sightings of any Ospreys. HelenG’s keen eyes spotted bats swooping around Nest Two in the early hours, that and a juvenile Robin on Nest One was the extent of the action today. The forecasted rain materialised and continued until about 7pm. Tonight’s forecast is dry conditions with light clouds and light winds but back to wet tomorrow with thundery showers throughout the day until late evening. 

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.55.33 (04.33.24); Nest Two 23.03.47 (04.38.24)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/kTYhjh-Rrxg N2 Bats fly around the nest 02.22.40(super slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/vgs5NO-r20w N1 One of the under-nest residents pops up for a quick visit 08.34.07

Bonus video – from Scotland to Africa as the Osprey flies:

Blast from the past, this day in 2020

https://youtu.be/LEq2B4U9j-k  N1 The Fishtail Waltz: Loch Arkaig Osplets in quickstep (Classic Ospreys – Strauss) 

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

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

We are never too young or too old to watch the birds. Read the latest from Audubon.

https://cbop.audubon.org/news/eaglewatch-volunteer-shares-joy-nest-monitoring-assisted-living-residents

More Ospreys going into care. The Juveniles are fledging and having their own difficulties flying nevermind finding food and coping with the intense heat.

Bolton Castle has the only known Ospreys in Yorkshire at Wenslydale. The couple raised three chicks to fledge in 2024! There are 2 males and 1 female. I have yet to get the proper Darvic ring numbers and weights but I am trying!

The only chick at Clark PUD has fledged and returned to the nest.

A whopper of fish for the kiddo.

Two of the three chicks at Collins Marsh in Wisconsin have fledged. Congratulations!

The first of the Eschenbach trio of ospreys fledged on the 11th of July. Now all three are flying and returning to the nest for fish.

Friday was a windy day for Hope and Beaumont and the two chicks. I never thought I would live to see another osplet fledge from this nest and it looks like we will have two this year. Everyone in Newfoundland must be over joyed.

At the Lipka Forest nest in Poland, the osplets have fledged and are doing great flying. One of them is eating a huge fish on the nest with the other waiting its turn when a goshawk comes out of the forest to attack. Because the osplets can fly strong, they get away!!!!!!!!

At Field Farm, the Fab four have all fledged and everyone returns to the nest rushing as fast as they can to try and get some fish dinner!

At the SF Bay nest of Richmond and Rosie, Tully continues to hover. She now holds the record for being the longest osplet to fledge!

It will not be long until our chick at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum flies. What a gorgeous osplet.

‘H’ reports:

8/2 Colonial Beach:  It’s a good thing that 39-day-old Cobey ate well yesterday, as there were no fish brought to the nest today.  It was quite warm (96 F), and it was a bit windy… not a good day for fishing.  It was also very concerning that Cobey was left alone in the hot sun for 9.5 hours straight.  Poor lil Cobey.  We assume that Betty had been trying to catch fish, and she would have had to eat if she did catch one.  It should also be noted that the area is known to have many osprey nests, and the possibility of fish thievery exists.  Betty did not have much of a crop when we saw her at 1850, and we noticed that she was wet.  David has been inconsistent with fish deliveries even in nice weather, and we did not see him today.   Weather forecast for 8/3:  Partly cloudy, chance of thunderstorms, high temp 90 F, winds gusting to 22 mph.

8/2 Osoyoos osprey nest:  At 0556 Olsen delivered a large headless fish.  Soo fed her osplets for about 3 minutes before she decided to take the fish off nest.  She returned with the slightly smaller fish about 9 minutes later and fed for an additional 19 minutes.  Olsen dropped off a small headless fish at 0942, that provided for a 4-minute meal for the siblings.  He brought another small partial fish at 1512, and Soo fed for 6 minutes.  It was a hot day, with a temperature of 102F/39C at 1700.  The last fish of the day was brought by Olsen at 1906, and it was a very small whole fish.  There was a tug-o-fish between the siblings, and Chick 1 gained possession.  When Chick 2 tried to take the fish from Chick 1, Chick 1 bit him on the nape of the neck.  Chick 1 ate the fish in 6 minutes.  The osplets are 56 and 55 days old, and they were both doing some nice wingers in the evening.  News Flash:  Chick 1 was hovering high out of our view a few times!  Weather forecast for 8/3:  Partly cloudy with smoky air, high temp 100F/38C, winds 13 mph.  The Facebook group Admin reminded us that it is a long holiday weekend, and there may be increased watercraft activity on the lake, potentially hindering ospreys attempting to fish.

8/2 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  Everything is going well for this family.  Johnny is contributing at least one fish per day.  And, June was catching those huge striped bass every evening for the last two weeks.  Well, that seems to have ended. For the past few days, June has been catching the large striped bass in the morning, haha!  ‘Fen’ is 49 days old and has been wingercising a bit.

8/2 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  We haven’t been able to see the nest for a couple of weeks due to the camera being soiled with PS.  News from the Facebook group:  A local viewer, ‘YH’ was at the nest on 8/2, and was able to make a short video recording showing the presence of three osplets!  Yay!  So, we know that Harvie and Louise have been able to provide enough fish for their family.  Thank you ‘YH’.  Sorry, no images to share, the video is private.  The ‘kids’ are 52, 50, and 48 days old on 8/3.  There is a chance for an afternoon shower, which may help clean the camera.

Choughs breed in Kent England for the first time in 200 years! Smile.

“A young pair among eight birds released last year defied expectations to successfully breed this summer, making a nest on Dover Castle and rearing one chick, which fledged in June.”

Choughs look like a very trendy Mr Crow. They have glossy ebony plumage but it is the legs and bill that are a bright orange-red that mark them as different! Prior to this they were only known to breed along the West coast of England according to the RSPB. Aren’t they gorgeous?

“File:Red-billed Chough Sikkim India.jpg” by Dibyendu Ashis licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/02/choughs-breed-in-kent-for-first-time-in-200-years?CMP=share_btn_url

At Steelscape, the osplet that was injured has returned to the nest and appears to be healing. Send good wishes.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB, RP, TU’, Maria Marika, Pam Breci, Kielder Forest, New Hampshire Loons, Nesting Bird Life and More, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Cowlitz PUD, Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Hellgate Osprey X, Bird Cams, Doreen Mann, Balgravies Loch Ospreys, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Raptor Centre of Tampa Bay, Bolton Castle, Clark PUD, Collins Marsh, Eschenbach Osprey Cam, Newfoundland Power, Lipka Forest Ospreys, Field Farm, SF Bay Ospreys Golden Gate Audubon, MN-LA, OpenVerse, The Guardian, RSPB, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, and Colonial Beach.

A hatch for Connie and Clive…Tuesday in Bird World

10 January 2022

Good Morning,

Lots of eagle parents busy feeding eaglets – from those a month old at Superbeaks to newly hatched. It is ‘egg citing’.

Making News: Hopefully all manner of organisations and individuals will keep a very focused light on the gaming estates in the UK. Will the judiciary finally give sentences to gamekeepers that are appropriate for all the laws that they have broken? Will they give sentences and fines long and large enough to deter this horrific behaviour. Sue Belcher wrote a poem about snares. Read it. If you don’t live in the UK but love our raptors and other wildlife, it will help you to understand what the fight is about. I am happy to spread the word on the plight of wildlife caught in these medieval devices. Thank you Sue!

Checking on some of the nests we are watching:

At 11;22, Connie and Clive have their first hatch at the Captiva Bald Eagle cam. It is to be really celebrated. Connie and Joe lost their two beautiful hatches, Peace and Love, to rodenticide secondary poisoning in 2020. No eggs in 2021. Then Hurricane Ian came and tore down Connie and her new mate’s nest, Joe. Congratulations Captiva!

Jackie often lays her eggs in March. Generally egg laying is timed to the availability of prey items. Despite that historic fact, Shadow and Jackie have been mating on the nest today and Jackie continues to check out the nest bowl. Will we have eggs early at Big Bear Valley?

It started off as another f/soggy day at the Kisatchie Forest nest of Alex and Andria. ‘A’ was the first to alert me to the fact that the weather is often very different on one side of the lake from the other. Andria dig a really good job keeping those feisty little eaglets with their clown feet underneath her so they would stay warm and dry. No thermal down yet so this is important. It is coming!

More chair rails, Alex!!!

E3-02 was so full that he could hardly get himself up and over to the dining table for the next meal.

As the sun set Monday night in Alexandria, Louisiana, two very full eaglets tucked in tight under Mum sleeping. Beautiful.

Eaglet E1-03 is a cutie pie! Louis is filling the nest with Coot and fish already. Anna has changed so much since her first hatch, Kisatchie. He didn’t know what to do and Anna didn’t know how to feed an eaglet. Of course, they got it together but, we sat at the edge of our seats. Now Anna is experienced and this little one is simply a cutie who loves its fish and Coot. Look at those precious wings.

Oh, such a chubby little baby. Cute. So cute.

If you have not watched the nest of Louis and Anna, it is a good one to have on your list. Here is the link:

This is the status of the pip for Connie and Clive at 17:41 Monday evening.

Both Gabby and V3 were in the nest at 06:51 Monday morning.

V3 was last seen at the tree at 1531. There had been an adult eagle land on the nest tree with an injured eye and talons but it would not have been V3.

At 18:05, Gabby waits on Wallenda. She is still tucked on Wallenda and waiting for V3at midnight.

At Superbeaks, Pearl appears to be doing some self-feeding.

And, oh, goodness. Every eaglet or osplet should know that you NEVER look your sibling directly in the eye. It is definitely not a good idea.

Big PS before bed.

At the nest of Harriet and M15, the two eaglets, E21 and E22, are doing grand. E21 is 6 days old today and E22 is 3.5 days old. That is actually a big difference. Both are eating well and Harriet is feeding them as much as each needs. E22 does not need as much food as E21 – so don’t panic and count the bites and worry if they are not equal! It is all good in Fort Myers on the Pritchett property.

Harriet gave E22 a private feeding while 21 slept – Harriet is experienced and smart! Lady Hawk put it on video for us.

Martin and Rosa have been doing restorations at the Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam in W Virginia on Monday. Oh, those talons make me ache. Send some very soothing hand cream to the nest, please!

Indigo had a very interesting day. Check out Elain’s video:

So what is up with Annie and the ‘new guy’? I am not sure. He was till working on his prey deliveries the other day.

Book Review: Loon Lessons. Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver by James D Paruk (2021, University of Minnesota Press).

Loons. Who doesn’t love a loon? Anyone spending time in the forest and lake areas of Canada or Minnesota – or other places – has memories of their calls -the tremolo, yodel, or wail. I have tried hard to ‘see’ them because I have listened to those calls for years but, did not get sight of the diving waterfowl. I finally did. I will not tell you that I love loons more than big bad raptors – I don’t. But they are iconic for the province that I live in and I want to know more about them so I can appreciate their life, its blessings, and challenges more. This book really helped me on all accounts. The book is full of 30 years of experience by today’s leading expert on loons.

As a former academic, ‘scholarly’ articles can be a bit dry and daunting especially if they are in any of the fields of science (sorry). What I noticed immediately was that Paruk’s friendly and accessible writing style immediately drew me in. What a wonderful way to open a preface by saying, “To appreciate any organism, I am convinced we do not need years of training – all we need to do is watch our children marvel at a deer or a squirrel from a window. A sense of wonder and our innate curiosity can lay the foundation for developing and maintaining an appreciation for the natural world.” Excellent. The volume is divided into 12 chapters moving from biology, courtship and nesting behaviour, migration, conservation threats, and how loons are adapting to a changing world. The book is printed in black and white and at first you might ask, “where are the photographs of this magnificent bird with its black and white plumage”? You will find those images in the middle of the book – and I learned, looking through those images – that some loons have other coloured plumage such as the Red necked Loon!

Besides behaviour, one of the things that I was most interested in reading first were the challenges that loons face and what is being done to help them. You may have seen the artificial floating nests with avian guards (a bit of a camouflage cover over the top) on some loon streaming cams. These help the loons protect their nests and keep them safe from predators. The floating nests also keep the eggs out of harms way in times of flooding. It was very clear to me that the Bald Eagles who nest on the shore near Hecla Island and whose nests were destroyed by the 2022 flood might benefit from some floating platforms of some sort. There are other ways that we can help.

The threats to the loon sound like a broken record for all birds including raptors – mercury affects the central nervous system and it is present at very high levels in many of the ponds and lakes in the northern part of my province. As a natural occurring material, it was released into the water when the land was dredged for the many hydro-electric dams. Lead. Oh, what a culprit lead is – and please tell me why, knowing what it does to all birds and wildlife – has it not been banned? I clearly believe that humans that have the power to stop painful deaths or long term rehabilitation must wear bloody blinders. It is making me angry and I wonder how they would feel dying of lead poisoning? On page 173, Paruk states, “In recent decades, the EPA and USFWS failed to pass further measures to reduce the use of lead in hunting and fishing gear despite mounting evidence of its toxicity in the environment”. He continues by adding that six states took it upon themselves to pass legislation curtailing the use of certain levels of lead in fishing equipment. Those states are New Hampshire (sinkers 1 ounce or less), Massachusetts (lead sinkers on two reservoirs loons use for breeding), Maine, New York, Vermont banned “the sale of lead sinkers of one-half ounce or less and restarted their use as well.” Washington State banned the use of lead tackle on 12 of the 13 lakes used for breeding by loons. Since 2010, no additional state has done anything to ban lead ——–that was 13 years ago. It is time our American friends reading this blog get busy lobbying for the end of lead – the end of it period. Not just certain amounts. All lead. Paruk states, “I am left wondering how many more eagles, loons, condors, cranes, and swans have to die before a change in policy is warranted. The EPA was designed to protect the health of humans and the environment…acknowledges that lead is toxic to wildlife but not enough to warrant a national ban of lead tackle. Despite the mounting evidence that ingested fishing tackle leads to numerous wildlife deaths, the EPA refuses to recognise that there is a serious problem nationally. Because the federal government has failed to act on banning lead tackle, the responsibility shifts to state governments to take action” (174-75). If you want to do something to help the wildlife in the US, then US citizens reading my blog should carefully craft a letter to their state environmental officials copying them to the EPS and the USFWS demanding action now. Mercury and lead but there are also serious environmental threats to loons and other wildlife – including oil and its spillage such as The Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf. The other day I posted a copy of a Tweet indicating that licenses to drill for oil and natural gas off the coast of Alaska – pristine waters – were being accepted and had one application. Are they serious? Of course, monofilament fishing line is a source of painful injury or death. Other polluted waters, habitat loss, etc. The list is endless.

It is a really good read. You can learn so much just about loons, their behaviour and their migration but you can also get in deep with the challenges they face and how these might be rectified. Price in Canadian dollars: $34.95.

(Disclosure: I do not receive free books to review. If I see a new book that interests me, I buy it and am very happy to spread the word on those that will educate us, cause us to be curious, raise our awareness.)

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, posts, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: @Belcherspoems, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, KNF-1, KNF-3, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, Lady Hawk and SWFL Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle Cam, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Cal Falcons, and Amazon.

It’s Love…Saturday in Bird World

Good Morning Everyone! It’s Saturday. We hope that each of you had a good week. For those going back to school, it must have been a bit of a shock after the holiday break. Have a good weekend. Get outside if you can – even if it is only for a few minutes. Makes all the difference in the world smelling the fresh air, feeling the sun on your cheeks, and I hope seeing a bird!

The kittens have a new ‘enrichment’ activity toy.

They have had so much fun and have spent so much time figuring out things. Lewis can now use both paws. It is past midnight and Missey is working on her technique. Cute.

My top story is yet another death by lead. As long time readers will recognise, I am a big fan of all the work that the Ventana Wildlife Society and the LA Zoo do for the California Condors. So, today, when I received the link to this Twitter feed from Geemeff, I was once again saddened beyond belief. Lead in hunting and fishing equipment needs to be banned from being manufactured and used. Pull it off the shelves. There are alternatives – copper and stainless steel. Yes, at the moment because their production numbers are not as high as lead, they are a bit more expensive. About $1.50 US a box of cartridges for shooting I was told (not sure the size). So, the use of lead is not necessary. It is also not necessary by the military. Ban lead! Just do it.

First feathered friend for the 2023 Memorial Wall. So sad. It is so unnecessary that I just want to stand in the middle of the street and scream but that won’t help. So today I am going to write my Member of Parliament, the Honourable Web Kinew. He is Indigenous and has a good chance of being our next Premier in Manitoba. He might just care enough to do something when he has the power and the people. Clearly our current government in Manitoba will do nothing. But it needs to be a federal law here, in the US, everywhere-!!!!!!! So make a resolution to write to your Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Interior in the US, your Congress member, and your Senator. Their e-mail addresses will be published. Then why not write your President.

BTW. The Ventana Wildlife Society is hiring a lead specialist for outreach to ranchers in the area of Big Sur and Pinnacles. Know anyone that fits the description? Please forward.

I always wonder if the DNR puts up a few bird cams to make us feel soft and fuzzy towards them. They derive huge income from selling hunting licenses. The specific amount is published. Check it out and then get mad. But don’t donate to their cameras until they take a stand against lead. A serious one. For those of you living in other parts of the world, check out the use of lead in your country and let me know what you find out. It would be appreciated.

While you are at it, how do you think about selling licenses to drill for oil and natural gas in pristine waters that could easily impact wildlife? aren’t we, as an international society, telling those folks in power that it is time to invest in renewables? not fossil fuels?

Have a look at this 1:39 minute video on the birds and the land in Alaska – and imagine an oil spill. Please help them by writing to your politicians pressing them to stop licensing for oil and natural gas – anywhere.

Hello Everyone! You cannot have my prey!!!!!!!!! Got that, Mum. I am telling everyone so they know – you cannot have it!

Elain’s great video for 6 January shows us the many visits of Indigo and the interactions in the scrape box at Orange on Charles Sturt University’s water tower! And, of course, it begins with Indigo arriving with prey screaming his head off!!!!!!

Well, it’s love. No other pictures of the sweetie pie E21 and Harriet needed. Just look at the love in a mother’s eye to her recently hatched wee one. Precious. Who says eagles do not have feelings?

Meanwhile, it is after 1700 on Friday and E22 is working away with its tooth visible trying to get out of that shell. Soon!

Oh, goodness. If you were watching, Harriet went to roll the egg and E21 got stuck on her talon and went out of the nest cup. The little ones cannot move to get back under Mum and they cannot regulate their temperature. Thankfully Harriet saw what had happened and within 10 minutes had E21 back under her by rolling it with her beak!!!!!!!!! It was a little tense watching it as Harriet had to stop a couple of times but she managed to get the job done. E21 had its first adventure!

Welcome E22! I saw you for the first time at 07:06.

A little later. You are more dried off and E21 is no worse for his adventure.

At 09:36:03, V3 flies in and meets Gabby on the nest. She sees him coming before he lands and begins calling.

The couple begin working on the nest. — I think that it is time to recognise that V3 is the ‘main man’ now. Whether or not this new pairing will produce eggs and eaglets this year is unknown. Will V3 be around next year if they do not have eaglets now? Who knows. For now, it is time to enjoy the two of them together and be happy for Gabby.

The couple get an entire five minutes together before V3 is off protecting the realm. I am thinking about getting him a Superman suit.

Both appeared back together on camera at 13:47. Give V3 a big hand of applause. He is keeping everyone else away from the natal nest. Bravo.

They are both constantly vigilant. Each one watching from different sides for intruders that could attack the nest. It has to be very stressful.

Gabby flew in with a huge crop and V3 flew in after her with a large crop, too. They dined together it seems.

They are a couple. They are together in the morning, during the day, and at night. No doubt about it. And who says they aren’t mating at their ‘special’ spot off camera??? Or maybe they aren’t. Who knows???

Superbeaks. Pearl is 28 days old today and Tico is 27 days. Let us examine the pair more closely through a few images. That is Pearl closest to the rails and little Tico at the back by Mum.

What do you notice about these two eaglets immediately? There could be several things.

Let’s work on some terms and the one I want is not in the image below!!!!!!!! Their rictus or smile is now yellow. This happens during week 4. Their eyes are the best 90% chocolate you can purchase! When they get older their eyes will lighten to that celadon colour that can be white, lightest of watery blue, or very light grey-green. Their cere is still black. Their Maxilla is black. These will change to chrome-yellow as they age. Now look. Dandelions on the top of the head with thick grey down. Those dandelions will begin to look like ‘Mohawks’ very soon. The blood feathers are growing in. This thick down will remain under them to help the eagles regulate their temperature. Now it covers all of their body.

Pearl is getting much more stable on her legs and was seen flapping her wings.

I thought I had a screen capture. One of the eaglets, Pearl, was flapping her wings building up some muscles. They are both developing just fine. There is so much food! Some chatters noticed a bit of bonking by Pearl to Tico and that Pearl had eaten most of one meal but, they are both fine. The last time I checked Tico was being fed.

Now just imagine. In 28 days time, Little E21 is going to look like the eaglet in the image above. Hard to get around that, isn’t it? They grow so fast.

Jackie and Shadow have been on and off their snowy nest all day.

Thunder and Akecheta were perched on Tor together today. Time 16:02.

Anna and Louis are not giving us any hints. For the past two years, this Louisiana Bald Eagle couple whose natal nest is E1 at the Kisatchie National Forest have had only one hatch. Will it be the same this year? Egg 1 is 38 days old today and egg 2 is 34 days old. The average hatch time in Louisiana is 35-39 days. So things are going to happen shortly. Wish them luck! This is their third breeding year together and both are nicely equipped to raise two healthy eaglets. Louis will just pile more fish on the nest. Can you imagine? He was so excited the first year, 18 fish (Anna brought in some to equal 20) on the nest at once!

The wee ones at the E3 nest of Alex and Andria are ‘lanky teenagers’ now. Not round little cuddly eaglets. They are growing their feathers and getting bigger and bigger. E3-01 was out of the nest cup the other day and E3-02 made that leap today.

Oh, precious. Notice. They do not yet have yellow smiles!!!!! But they do have black specks and those black specks indicate grey wooly down and feathers!!!!!!

Both eagles were at Decorah today. When you look at that image, I want to give a shout out to the Raptor Resource Project and Explore. They have done an amazing job – with the quality of the images – and their ability for close ups and pans. Just beautiful.

The juvenile was back at Decorah North.

Good news for Achieva Osprey fans. Barbara Snyder reports on FB that there was a successful mating attempt today. Diane’s leg must be getting better. Cannot think of more joyful news. Thanks Barbara!

Bird sightings in Dulwich. I could hug the author…they even like to see Sparrows. I wish so much that people who dislike sparrows would stop to think that not only do they need to eat but they are in rapid decline in certain locations. I love my sparrows. Each has a different face and some you come to recognise as they reappear daily.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/06/country-diary-a-flock-of-seagulls-and-a-lesson-in-resolve?CMP=share_btn_link

Everyone reading my blog knows that habitat loss, climate change and the sheer impact of the human population is killing both wildlife and our planet. An article in The New York Times discusses the impact on various species. Save it and read it when you have time. But read it so that you can talk about this with others. Thank you.

animals-are-running-out-of-places-to-live-the-new-york-timesDownload

My blog is mostly about raptors. But, I love all birds (and other wildlife) and I am absolutely entranced by Loons. As many of you know, I have wanted to get a good look at them and have travelled throughout my province trying to do so. I did finally see ‘two at a great distance’ in 2022. There is a new book out about loons. Stay tuned!!!!!!!! It has received rave reviews. I hope to have it read in a couple of weeks.

Thank you so much for joining me. I expect we will wake up to E22 with all of us holding our breath and hoping that E21 is a ‘darling’ of a big sib. Tomorrow one story I will be following is the loss of wildlife due to outdated farming and farmland practices in the UK. Don’t ever think it is just the UK. All I have to do is drive to the nature centre for my walk to see all the farmland given over to large housing developments. No birds there. Hardly a tree! There is more bad weather with more record breaking rainfall coming to California from the 9-14th. Jackie and Shadow could see lots of snow while our falcons and eagles in the Channel Islands will have rain. If you live in an area that has the potential for flooding and mudslides, please do take extra precautions. Everyone take care. Winter weather can be very hazardous. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their Twitter feeds, their announcements, postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Geemeff, Ventana Wildlife Society, GoGreen, Cornell Bird Lab, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, Birdie Cam, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, FOBBV, IWS and Explore.org, KNF-E1, KNF-E3, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Barbara Snyder and Achieva, Achieva Credit Union Osprey Cam, The Guardian and Amazon.ca