Category Archives: Louisiana

Marri or Barru?…Thursday in Bird World

30 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is the last day of November and only another month til we officially enter 2024. It flew by.

It was only -1 C on the Canadian Prairies on Wednesday. The sun was shining. The sky was bright. It was pretty unbelievable. It was the day for my flu shot, and, as a treat, I had a very, very light lunch looking out over the duck pond at the zoo. The Black-capped Chickadees were flitting about while the pond had open water in the deeper areas with very thin ice at the edges. I dream of the day the geese come flying in, honking and pooping everywhere. After I gathered up a few things to add to some pine branches for the front door. Missey was right in there helping put things together!

She was rolling in the paper, and only later I caught her with a tiny bell that had been on one of the little blue birds. Calico slept in the chair by the table. She did not mind Missey getting all the attention and could care less about crafts. We decided to go with a blue and white theme this year with birds and a few things from different cultures for all the festivities in December.

Bird news is pretty scarce right now but there are a number of running jokes about trees and cats!

One for the girls – thanks ‘auntie’.

The latest news from Sydney sent by ‘A’:

“November 29: both adults and juvenile were at the River Roost early in the morning. Light rain and the juvenile was heard whining. Around 9am, one adult flew into the mangroves and towards the west, up- river. Around 2pm the juvenile was seen low on a mangrove branch at the juvenile roost. Neither adult was seen then by our observer. Later in the afternoon, a storm was approaching and cameras were then both down. No feeding has been reported. More rain in the evening.”

Look closely. The juvenile is in the centre of the image – a slight diagonal line between the adults and up a tad. This is fantastic.

‘A’ has the latest at Sydney: “November 30: early morning both adults were at Goat Island. At 8:44, the juvenile flew out from River Roost area, low over the water and in front of Mangrove Island, where she landed. Then she flew back to River Roost. At 12:30, the juvenile was at River Roost, where it was seen yesterday. Again, between 1230 and 1:30, juvenile was making low flights over the water and from branch to branch. 2:10 adult was at River Roost and juvenile as well, given away by its raspy squeeing. At 3:30 the adult flew off, returning with prey around 4pm – greeted with eager squeeing by the juvenile. She ate, with the adult watching close by.”

‘H’ has the up to date information at Orange as of this morning: “At 162308 a Juvenile landed on the corner of the roof next to the LR (lightning rod).  A few minutes later, Xavier landed on the MW (microwave).  Diamond was in the nest box at the time. Even though the tower camera is slightly closer to the MW than the corner of the roof, the juvenile on the roof still appears to be larger than Xavier (to my eyes).  We know that Marri was larger than Xavier.  Food for thought.”

“Cilla is going to check photos of Diamond and Xavier standing next to the LR for a size comparison to this juvenile.”

‘A’ writes about Orange: “At Orange, I’m sure you’ve seen the most recent (21 November, so 8 days ago) footage of the falcon juvenile we believe to be Barru (at least I do, for several reasons, though we are still unsure due to Barru’s long toes in one shot): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAeCZRh9k4Q&t=0s Since then, it has been raining for days around Orange (ditto here in Melbourne, where it’s been raining for a couple of days, including pretty much all day today, and the rain is forecast to continue). I do wonder what happened to poor Marri. who was strong and who flew with great control when fledging, so I am genuinely very surprised that she has not survived. I really did think she was the more prepared of the two, but when you watch the pics of this juvenile (both the footage in the above clip and the footage of him on the roof with Xavier, dropping the prey dad had brought), you can see that he is more than a little clumsy, both in relation to flying in and around that tree and in regard to keeping his balance on that rooftop, especially trying to turn around at one stage. To me, the slightly ragged plumage is also more like Barru than Marri, whose constant wingercising had removed pretty much all her down before she fledged. “

At Port Lincoln, Dad was on the nest with Mum waiting for the Fairy. Dad must be really hungry and he is thinking he wants to be in line, too.

Wings are getting bigger.

Waiting for fish. Dad has moved to the shed.

Fish delivery was late. Wonder if it was due to bad weather? 17:18.

A lot of disinformation and speculation is happening on some of the chats. It is one of the reasons that many of the streaming cams do not have a chat feature or others who post videos do not allow comments. I usually do not say anything, but sometimes, we have to ask ourselves many questions and explore the whole situation, and even then, we might be missing a critical piece of evidence. So before I get on my soapbox, to be transparent, I am almost always in favour of intervention to help wildlife. It is important to me because humans have destroyed the world for our feathered friends. We can no longer sit back and ‘let nature take its course’ because we have altered nature to the point it is hard to recognise. We have taken the habitat or our wildlife and continue to do so at an alarming rate. We dump our sewage into their water. We overfish. We poison. We burn. Need I say more?

We do not know why the PLO Dad is not fishing more. Some believe it is because of the fish brought to the nest by the fairies. But is this the case? We know that Dad had at least two seizures last year on camera. Did he have more off-camera and off-season? Does he have neurological issues caused by an accident or disease? We would only know this with an examination and necroscopy. What is happening with El Niño? With the warming of the water? With the commercial fishing in the area? With the tides and the lousy weather? Pollutants? The list of human-caused issues in any specific region, including South Australia, can be endless.

The PLO nest has suffered significant siblicide compared to other nests in other geographical regions. The individuals on the board running Port Lincoln Ospreys/Friends of Sth Australia fought hard and are determined to see if supplying fish will alter those statistics. It looks like we already have our answer in two strong osplets. As viewers, we will never know the ‘gestalt’ – the ‘whole’ situation at Port Lincoln. If you get the chance, encourage others to show respect and applaud the efforts of Fran, Janet, and Bazz to run this research project. It has saved the lives of at least one of the chicks, if not both. And the health of Mum and Dad. Those fish are lifesavers.

The fight for fish at Osprey House.

A gorgeous sub-adult spent some time on the natal tree on the Pritchett Property on Wednesday. Former fledgling coming to check out what is happening?

M15 gives F23 a break!

We are waiting for eggs at KNF-E1, the home of Louis and Anna in Louisiana.

What a gorgeous fall day at Barnegat Light. The geese are there along with a stunning sunset and mind-shattering colour!

At least one adult was on the Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburg, Florida.

At the Captiva Osprey platform, it looked like someone had given the entire landscape a pink watercolour wash. Will we have occupants this year?

They are not falcons but Bald Eagles of various ages near Newmann’s scrape at Great Spirit Bluff.

We have Common Goldeneye that come to breed in Manitoba during the spring and summer. They are incredibly beautiful – just look at those glowing yellow eyes! I still remember the first time I saw one at the pond in the St Boniface Industrial Park. Research indicates that if left undisturbed by humans, they are more successful during the breeding season. ——– This seems obvious. Did I miss something?

Breeding-goldeneye-thrive-following-reduced-human-disturbance-BirdGuidesDownload

Kelly Sorenson and his team at Ventana Wildlife Foundation rank right up there in terms of dedication. What they have done for wildlife in California is phenomenal. If you would like to learn more about the triumphs and challenges of reintroducing nearly extinct species, listen to the discussion with Kelly. (The link should take you to the podcast).

SOS-Reintroducing-endangered-species-1ADownload

The latest migration count by Hawk Mountain.

Your inbox has undoubtedly been full of calls for donations or fundraising. It is the time of year when our nature centres and wildlife rehabbers do their final push for much-needed funds. I am just going to use the following promotion as an example. Today I noticed that someone wished to purchase some of the merch from Glaslyn but felt that they couldn’t because they lived elsewhere. My experience is that almost every centre will make an effort to get items shipped anywhere in the world. Glaslyn is no exception. Dyfi ships also…many now have fixed their forms to include out-of-the-way places. The Royal Albatross Centre has sent me possum hats (they are so soft) and books over the years, and it takes about 18 days for parcels from New Zealand to arrive in Canada. So, if there are things that you wish for yourself or to gift to someone else, and you cannot see a way to have the items shipped to your location, find the contact information and ask them!

Take care everyone! Thank you for being with me today. We hope to have you with us soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, fun graphics, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Sydney Sea Eagles, Penny Albright, Metzger, PLO, Osprey House, Lady Hawk, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, KNF-E1, Bird Guides, Achieva, Explore.org, SOS, and Hawk Mountain.

Connick will go to the Smithsonian…Wednesday in Bird World

29 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Everything is just fine in Cat World. The girls had to be separated because the electrician came to work on the heating in the conservatory. Calico had been snippy yesterday, and I wondered how she would be after I opened the door. The three had their chicken dinner, and Missey settled in Calico’s chair for a nice after-supper nap. Calico went over and noticed where Missey was, and I held my breath. Then Calico proceeded to go to another chair, which was softer actually. Hope went on her little placemat, and the world smiled. I felt proud of my girls and much relieved.

Everyone says it is making sure there are enough places to nap, enough places to get up high, enough spots to hide, toys, cuddles and food – oh, yes, and litter boxes. Well, the three have lots of choices. Anyone visiting me would notice two things – an enormous amount of books and the house being more or less a kitty daycare. So, hopefully, that will do it.

Geemeff came through for me when Calico had her surgery with the suggestion of an antiseptic cream and using olive oil to keep the area moist enough so that the skin did not get taut while healing. It sure worked. Calico never licked, and she healed up nicely. Today, Geemeff suggested Omega 3 oil for Calico and her arthritis. We are going to go for it and see if it will help. So reluctant to put any of them through a visit to the vet after seeing how traumatised Hope was.

Tonight, the profile of a rabbit eating under the feeders was seen. Thank goodness for a nearly full moon. Oh, it is terrific. Not all of them have been killed by cars or cats.

There is not much time to sit! And we saw the rabbit when we were getting ready for storytime. These girls know everything that happens in the garden. Nothing slips past them! They are enjoying The Meaning of Geese the second time around. Like a good film or book, what you miss the first time is often revealed the second. I would love to be on a bicycle going around Norfolk looking for Pink-footed geese.

A few seconds before, Hope was trying to get in the basket with Calico. She does not realise how big she is! On Saturday, Hope will be 5 months old.

Oh, and one last thing. Remember I purchased some bird seed specific for Blue Jays (Sparrows eat anything)? Junior, the Dad, had been the only one at the table feeder. It seemed that all the others had migrated as many do. Well, I looked out this morning, and there was Junior and the baby of the summer’s clutch! That baby nestled with the two little clay bird figurines on the deck looks the same, just bigger. So happy to see it, along with over 35 Starlings and possibly 100 Sparrows. I did not get a photograph of the two jays…maybe today. But it was priceless to see the two.

‘H’ was busy keeping me up to date today. Thank you! She sent the first item. The big news of the day comes out of Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey. Our friend, Lisa, mentioned earlier in the year that it was planned that Connick would be released in the summer. Then there were issues with a couple of his feathers. It turns out that Connick would not have been able to live in the wild – he will always have feather growth problems. So, Connie and Clive’s 2022 hatch from Captiva will spend the rest of his life as an ambassador at the Smithsonian.

A-Patriotic-New-Chapter-for-Connick-Popular-Captiva-Island-Nest-Cam-Eaglet-Audubon-Center-for-BirDownload

Secondly, ‘H’ solved my riddle of what the acronym MW at Orange stood for – and then SP sent me an entire listing of acronyms used at Orange. I know she will not mind my sharing! Perhaps some of you are as baffled as I am – and do not have time to spend on chat sorting these out. So grateful. Thanks, H and SP!

Acronyms from SP:

“SP = short pole on the slant of the roof by the hatch window

LR = lightning rod

MW = round microwave communications dish

MWB = MW bracket

LHC = left-hand corner of roof top”

Photo of MW with explanations and falcon from ‘H’:

Gris grabbed a screen capture of a juvenile on the LHC (?).

Holly Parsons grabbed a screen capture of a juvenile flying by Xavier sitting on the ledge. We know there is one juvenile still in the territory. It is believed to be Barru. There have not been two juveniles seen ‘together’. Because banding has never been approved for this research project, it is impossible to tell if there is only one or two. That said, it is reassuring to see one flying so well. That is a feat getting to the top of that tower. Perhaps soon they will be in the scrape. Wouldn’t that be grand? Screaming for prey like Izzi?

It is nearing noon and Mum and Giliath and #2 (gosh, it will be exciting to find out its name) are waiting for some fish.

It is nearing 1530 and still no fish. Janet Forster has just posted on chat that the fish are being weighed. It won’t be long Mum!

The weather has not been good for some days with wind and choppy water making it difficult for Dad to fish – and maybe even the fairies.

The fairy arrives! Will promise not to mention it too many more times, but I would like you to contemplate what would have happened to these two beautifully feathered and unique osplets without the supplemental fish.

Chicks pancaked as the fairy approaches.

V3 and Gabby were working away at their nest. They are a gorgeous couple. Let’s hope there are well fed eaglets on this nest for our darling Gabby this year.

M15 is taking very good care of F23. We would expect nothing less.

Tired F23.

So, so tired from laying that second egg. Dear F23. I have been busy with many things the last few days, but I have heard no news of GHOs. I shouldn’t say anything, but did I miss something?

At the WRDC, Rose is getting serious.

Pepe and Muhlady were the first to lay their eggs and today, we are only 8 days away from hatch!

The rangers at the Kisatchie National Forest are getting excited as are all the fans. Waiting for Louis and Anna to provide some eggs for that nest – Alex and Andria thankfully laid theirs early so that we will be able to completely enjoy and learn as we watch the eaglets develop.

Thunder and Akecheta were at there nest today working away!

Wow. Liberty and Guardian were both at the Redding, California Bald Eagle nest on Tuesday.

Jackie and Shadow visited the nest to move some sticks and then went to perch together on the Roost Tree. Jackie appears to have a full crop, while Shadow seems to have some prey blood on his beak. It could be the camera angle and my poor eyes – still hoping they both had a lovely meal before settling down for the night.

For Royal Cam Watchers, if you missed the news, here it is again. Video below.

Tumanako is home and looking for a mate. Will this former Royal Cam chick become a dad this season?

Kakapo might not be able to fly, but they are sure causing issues for those trying to contain them in the nature area in New Zealand! We are always reading about how smart our feathered friends are. This is very interesting – figuring out how to evade the fence!

When thinking about end-of-the-year donations, do not overlook some of those rehabbers who depend on donations and volunteers to save our wildlife, including many of the raptors that we grow to love.

A recent rescue form one of my favourite rehabbers in the US, A Place Called Hope.

If I were that squirrel, I would have been terrified.

https://outdoors.com/watch-worlds-fastest-bird-dive-bombs-after-it-drops-its-lunch/

This monstrous thing is a pole trap that was baited. There are times that I simply cannot stop fantasising about using them on the people who set them. They cause such harm (mental and physical) and death to our beloved wildlife in them.

One person commented, “The use of the pole trap was prohibited ONE HUNDRED and NINETEEN years ago. There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to possess one and as we clearly cannot trust those who do, it’s time their possession became a crime.”

The problem is complex. These hunting estates are enormous. Even if not on a hunting estate, the natural areas are vast and difficult to monitor. Then there is a judicial system that is often part of the group that frequents the hunting parties on some of the estates. At what point will killing animals stop? In the last series of The Crown, Prince William bags his buck and gets bloodied. Everyone is proud and pleased. It is those hunting traditions traced back hundreds and hundreds of years that need to come tumbling down. Will the Scottish government pass the necessary legislation? Are people sick to their stomachs about reading about another endangered species being killed? (Here I am thinking of the recent Golden Eagle…it is time to stop.)

The whole story.

Peregrine-found-dead-in-illegal-pole-trap-in-Pentland-Hills-–-Police-Scotland-appeals-for-informatioDownload

How are nature and our beloved wildlife and the climate crisis linked together?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/29/10-ways-in-which-climate-crisis-and-nature-are-linked-aoe?CMP=share_btn_link

I stare at nests around my neighbourhood. Maybe this will help me figure out who made them!

Who-Built-that-Nest-Audubon-VermontDownload

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘EJ, Geemeff, H, SP’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Gris Adriana, PLO, NEFL-AEF, Trish Rawlings, HeidiMc, Superbeaks, US Forestry Service, FORE, FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, Lady Hawk, Holly Parsons, Kakapo Recovery, APCH, Outdoors.com, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, and Audubon Vermont.

SW Florida gets its second egg…Tuesday in Bird World

28 November 2023

Hello Everyone,

It was a crisp -15 this morning and has warmed to a balmy -10 C. The sky is ‘baby blue’, and the European Starlings have filled the bare branches of the lilacs. A new seed – especially for Jays – has massively attracted the Starlings.

The girls are napping after lunch. They have a pattern. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Then 2130 comes, and it is ‘party’ time.

I am going to put this right up front. Many of you are living in areas where it is getting cold. The mice are coming in. Lots will decide to poison them. Please don’t. There are many reasons, and here is one recent study that might help you convince others not to use poison. I had a darling, sweet three-year-old cat that I had raised on a bottle die from eating a mouse that had consumed poison in one of my neighbour’s houses or sheds. It is a tragic way for any animal to die.

New-Study-is-First-to-Find-Exposure-to-Neurotoxic-Rodenticide-Bromethalin-in-Birds-of-Prey-Tufts-NDownload

SW Florida’s M15 and his new mate F23 have their second egg right on schedule. Now the two can begin hard incubation and we might be expecting a New Year’s baby!

The Pritchett’s will post the official time.

SK Hideaways caught the joyous occasion on video.

Checking the nest at Pittsburgh-Hays, Mum and the new male.

V3 delivered a food gift to Gabby. Well done you! But, if you were watching, V3 finally ate the squirrel.

Too funny not to include!

Eagle at Redding bringing in sticks….

Meanwhile in Louisiana, eggs are being rolled at the KNF-E3 nest of Alex and Andria.

Nine more days til hatch at Superbeaks. Gosh don’t you wish that cam was fixed just a little different for that side view? I can’t imagine only watching the tops of their heads.

It was a warm day for Connie and Clive at Captiva.

It was a bright day in Iowa with the snow still clinging to the ground and the nest at Decorah North.

It is chucking down rain in Port Lincoln, South Australia.

The rain appears to have stopped or slowed down at Port Lincoln.

Getting stronger on those legs, and look at how much those tail feathers have grown. 959 people watching. Fish fairies can be lucrative in the sense that any funds generated go directly back into the project which is fantastic – new platforms, satellite trackers, and fish!

At Orange, chat mentioned that a juvenile was seen flying at 08:32:51 to the MW (I haven’t got a clue what that refers to).

Diamond watching from the scrape.

Cilla made a video with music of a juvenile chasing Diamond at the tower. Oh, how grand.

Rohan Geddes got some shots of our White-bellied Sea Eagle juvie yesterday. Nice flying.

The two osplets at Osprey House really go after the fish when Dad arrives. It is a wonder he has any talons left.

Raising condors to save the species.

Looking at this lovely Condor baby! A little bit bigger than Hope but doing the same thing – following Mamma and copying her.

Ospreys in Spain in the winter. The Biosphere at Urdaibai.

Golden Eagle believed to have come to harm — another beaten grouse hunting estate. It is time this stopped. Can a bill – the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill – be passed in Scotland and not be watered down so that the culprits continue to get by with this senseless killing? Or will the bill get passed, and then the penalties for continuing to kill the birds be so small that it is laughable, and the gamekeepers will continue to stomp on chicks and shoot these beautiful adult raptors? Despicable. While leaf blowers get my friend ‘R’ really worked up, the stomping of chicks in a ground nest and the unnecessary shooting of raptors or the mass killing of ducks and geese at ponds makes my blood boil.

Just look at that beautiful eagle.

Police-believe-satellite-tagged-golden-eagle-has-come-to-harm-in-south-Scotland-–-Raptor-PersecutiDownload

That missing Golden Eagle was discovered to be from a very important estate in Scotland.

‘Missing-golden-eagle-is-from-high-profile-South-Scotland-Golden-Eagle-Project-–-Raptor-PersecutionDownload

Sharon Dunne brings us news from the Royal Albatross Colony.

Looking for some new nature books? Mark Avery just published Stephen Moss’s list for 2023. Have a look. You might find something interesting. Many of the books that I love have been recommended by Avery. This is my first time to see Moss’s list.

Stephen-Mosss-2023-Round-up-of-Nature-Books-–-Mark-AveryDownload

These are the 47 books and their reviews of Avery during 2023. The Meaning of Geese continues to be one of my all-time favourite reads of this year, alongside The Comfort of Crows.

Pink-footed geese are part of the flocks that Nick Acheson so desperately wants to see in Norfolk. And just look at this:

This-blogs-Books-of-the-Year-2023-–-Mark-AveryDownload

How many of you have that ‘bucket list’? Or do you have a Copy of 1000 places to visit before you die? I have only two events on my bucket list – to see the ospreys fly over Cuba near Manzanillo in the mountains during migration and to travel to Norfolk and see the geese before the climate changes so much. They stop spending the winter in the UK. Perhaps next year for both!

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. Look forward to having you with me again soon.

I wish to thank the following for their notes, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, Tufts Now, Carol Martucci Smith, SK Hideaways, PIX Cams, NEFL-AEF, FORE, KNF-E3, Superbeaks, Window to Wildlife, Raptor Resource Project, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, Osprey House, USFWS, Tim Huntington, Alan Petrie, Geemeff, Sharon Dunne, Rohan Geddes, Carol Shores Rifkin, Mark Avery, and Jake Fiennes.

Thursday in Bird World

23 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you so much for your kind get-well messages for Hope. She was at the clinic at 0730 and home at 1645. Hope was terrific on the way and home but she was so frightened by the entire experience. I find that Hope and Calico are different from Missey. Those Maine Coons are nothing but ‘chill’. Hope is in the little office with soft blankets, a hiding tent, a heated bed, food, litter and toys – plus heat. I have turned the lights off. When she got home, she smelled like the vet clinic, and that started Missey and Calico hissing, so, to allow Hope to have some peace and calm, I may keep her in there overnight. Everything went well. She was just unnerved by the entire event, which is understandable. She only knew ‘the wild’ with Calico under a dark porch and our house, so it was all new. — Well, fast forward five hours. Despite being hungry – Hope is a good eater – she would not touch her food or treats. She continued to cower in the corner, so I said enough. I fixed all the food and treats on a tray called my usual ‘Calico, Kitty Kitty’ and escorted Hope into the conservatory with her Mamma, where there was a bottom sniff and lots of rubbing between the pair. I could feel the happiness. Hope was hanging like a monkey from the cat tree when I looked back, which she should not have been doing within minutes. She had shown some interest in the packet that the food was in but would she eat? We will see. Happiness and contentment are being with Mamma! That will help her heal if my little busy body doesn’t rip those stitches out! Hopefully, she will stay lower to the ground but a final peek and there she is on the top rung of the cat tree with Calico in the chair below. She looks very content.

I am very grateful to everyone at Fixing Feral Felines, the staff, and Dr Torske at the Tuxedo Animal Hospital. They took such excellent care of Hope. I discovered that Fixing Feral Felines spayed or neutered over 300,000 cats in Manitoba in 2023, and it isn’t even the end of the year—my goodness. That is a huge effort to get these needy fur balls into loving homes.

More Canada Geese were flying over as I drove to the clinic. Perhaps another 50 or 75. It looked like they were headed towards the nature centre. We have no snow. Not a speck anywhere, even in the shade. It is -6 C, so chilly. Tomorrow, the high is forecast to be 0 C (32 F) with a low of -9 C. We get progressively colder during the rest of the week. It was wonderful to see a Blue Jay at the feeder. It looks like Junior is the only one that is staying here. I cannot imagine the others – 13 at my corner in the two nests – all succumbing to demise. They do migrate, but they don’t always. Junior has stayed in previous years, while the others have left to return in April. The Starlings were eating furiously at the peanut cylinder, and Dyson and one of the kits were frantically stuffing seeds into their cheeks.

And before I forget, to everyone celebrating Thanksgiving in the US on Thursday, have a wonderful day with friends, family, and colleagues – take the time just to be thankful to be alive and be smiling. We have so much to be grateful for – I am thankful for your empathy and compassion for the non-human living souls that occupy our planet with us. I wish we could spread that love and understanding worldwide like the seeds of a dandelion blowing on a windy day.

Lady and Dad were soaring over the Parramatta River. Beautiful footage.

SeMcGregor posted another image of the juvenile on the banks of the Parramatta River. Fantastic to see them. So grateful to those on the ground for sharing the images which are so reassuring.

At the Port Lincoln barge, Mum flew off and in a blink – or that is what it felt like – she returned with a fish. The time was approximately 12:48. The kids were pretty happy! Beak cleaning at 13:22.

There was some chatter about Dad. Mum clearly sees a fish in a special place and quickly goes and hooks it with her talons. Maybe Dad fishes in a different place. Clearly we do not know but, if this is ‘original’ Dad as we now assume, it is possible that the seizure type behaviour he exhibited in an earlier year has impacted him. The dives for fish are strenuous. What we do know is that the Fish Fairy has saved this nest and Mum’s contributions are also critical to the success.

The fish fairy delivered another partially prepared Trevally and a Red Mullet – what a nice treat for Mum -.

These babies are getting so steady on their feet! Looks like there will be lots of fish left for everyone.

The eating times have not been recorded on the observation board but the time and notes of the two fish deliveries so far have been. No doubt there will be other entries. The observation board information can be found under the streaming cam information if you haven’t located it.

Lovely images of a juvenile at Orange taken by Cilla Kinross.

Gosh, it is pretty quiet in the nests. Imagine, if you can, that 4 or 5 nests might lay their first egg on the same day. No one appears to be rushing to take over that 4th spot although eyes are still on the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23.

Gabby is serious!

Rose and Ron are getting friendly.

There is officially a second egg for Alex and Andria. Thanks, ‘H’ for the heads up. First seen at 1806.

In California, at The Campanile, Lou finds himself with a female floater. Annie would certainly help this young lady find her way out of her territory.

Oh, no. There are concerns for Milda, the White-tail Eagle’s mate, Voldis, from the Durbe County nest.

It is the holiday season for many, many people of various faiths. It is also the time of year when so many are reaching out for donations. At the same time, it is a challenging year for many people worldwide. The cost of groceries is estimated to have increased by 28-30%. Many cannot afford to make a donation or take on an adoption. But remember, if you know someone who wishes to help, there are many other ways! Our vet centre just called for clean old sheets (well, of course, they could be new). Sheets, clean old towels, you name it…it can be used. Putting out that water bowl will help many animals live – a cup of cat kibble helps the feral cats.
Volunteer to drive injured animals to the wildlife rehab centre, help with a fundraiser – and share your talents in other ways. It isn’t always money. If you are creative and want to teach your children how to help birds while having fun, gather some pine cones on your walks (if it is possible). Find a source of suet (local butcher, perhaps). Melt the suet. Dip the pine cones in the suet and roll them in birdseed. Safely attach them to a branch so your children (and cats) can watch the birds enjoy the food. Missey will help me find some recipes for homemade bird treats this weekend…stay tuned.

Lots of adoption notices are being sent out as fundraisers this time of year. Do you love Kakapo? Do you want to help with their care? You can adopt a Kakapo.

Look what showed up in the Shetland Islands and it isn’t a film crew.

Rarity-finders-Western-Olivaceous-Warbler-in-Shetland-BirdGuidesDownload

Decorations are just an unnecessary problem for wildlife—all those balloons, the Halloween netting, and now holiday lights. I would love to see signs that said I donated to the wildlife rehabilitation clinic or a charity helping the homeless feed their pets instead of putting up decorations that will be up for 6-8 weeks max. Think about it.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care…

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, posts, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, SeMcGregor, PLO, Cilla Kinross, Carol Shores Rifkin, Gracie Shepherd, HeidiMc, KNF-E3, SK Hideaways, Biruta Papa, Kakapo Recovery, BirdGuides, and Greenwood Wildlife.

KNF-E3 has its second egg, Waba is in Sudan…Tuesday in Bird World

21 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

November is always a very challenging month for me. Do you have those months when good and bad events are all clumped together? My mother was born on the 26th of November, and my beloved grandmother died on the 26th. My mother died just shy of the 26th – on the 24th. I had flown down for a big birthday bash. It had been less than two months since I had seen her, but I was in for a shock. She knew things were not going well, so instead of having all her still-living friends meet us for a big birthday bash at her favourite restaurant, she asked me to cancel and get her a burger and fries from Sonic.
We spent the afternoon of the 20th writing her holiday cards, putting on the stamps, and getting them in the post. She always said she wanted to live to be a 100 – she died two days shy of 90 years. Reflecting back. Congestive Heart Failure was a blessing. No pain. Just a slow slipping away. She was an interesting woman. It took me til recently to fully appreciate her. I would love to sit down and have a long conversation with her. She was not like the mother of any of my friends. IT would be much later that I would hear the term ‘Tiger Mum’. My mother was that – and I am eternally grateful, although I don’t think I appreciated it then. I went off on a tangent. Apologies. Our parents profoundly impact us, and we all recognise that there are days or months we think of them more than others. Today (I am writing this at 18:24 on the 20th), twelve years ago, she and I were writing cards to all her friends. We never said anything but we both knew they would be the last ones she ever sent. We made sure they were gorgeous and sparkly.

Well, here we are so far! Superbeaks. Captiva. Kistachie National Forest E-3. So now, who is going to be next?

Oh, there is such good news. Karl II’s offspring, Waba, made it through the kibbutz in Israel and is in the Sudan!

Alex and Andria, the Bald Eagles at the Kisatchie National Forest E-3 nest, have their first egg. So – Superbeaks, Captiva, and Kistachie E-3!

The camera was down so we did not know when Andria laid the first egg. Tonya Irwin had a poll on the chat and I missed it altogether. Remember I said do not place bets on things like I do – I am usually wrong. Well, here we are in the pitching rain and it looks like Andria has laid the second egg at 18:51:24 or close to it. The eggs are four days apart just like last season according to Irwin.

The other good news is that Nancy and Beau were on the MN-DNR Eagle Cam by the old nest tree. You might recall that Nancy was the mate of Harry who is presumed dead. She bonded with Beau. They had a single surviving eaglet that was killed when the nest collapsed last year due to heavy snow.

Mum and the Osplets are waiting for Dad or the fish fairy! The chicks were digging in the nest early. Did they find a leftover?

They are still waiting but gosh, golly. These osplets are so cute and standing so well on that uneven stick nest!

Itchy.

Still waiting.

The osplets are so well-behaved. Still waiting.

Dad arrives with a headless fish at 13:24. Good for you, Dad.

Wow. Then the fish fairy shows up with a monster size fish and it has been slit so that the osplets can practice their self-feeding. Great insights, Fish Fairy! Mum is munching away – letting the kids nibble.

Mum is getting a good feed. This is wonderful.

Heidi Mc got the feeding on video – check it out. Much better than stills!

‘A’ sends us the observation board from Port Lincoln:

If you have wanted to donate money for the Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln and have had difficulties, there is now a PayPal button to make this easier.

There is also news of Ervie although there were no photographs. So reassuring that he is flying around fishing and continuing to come into Port Lincoln! Go Ervie!!!!!

At Orange, Diamond slept on the ledge of the scrape. Xavier came in later. Maybe for a rest after a prey delivery? Talons look bloody.

There was some lovely bonding in the scrape with Diamond and Xavier.

‘A’ gives us some sad news: “The important news comes from Orange, where big sister Marri has not been sighted for nearly a week now. I kept saying that there was no definite ID of the juvenile that has frequently been seen on the roof of the water tower, often with a parent nearby. I believed that juvenile to be Barru. So it seems I was right about that, though I am not happy about it. I was hoping that we were seeing both juveniles, sometimes one, sometimes the other. But no. Apparently Cilla has not seen Marri since the day after she fledged, which is horrible news. I cannot countenance the theory that she has ‘already left the area’ because she has not learnt to hunt, and hunting for a peregrine is not a matter of finding some road kill! So I have been super worried about Marri for a week. It surprises me though, given how strong she was and how well she was flying. We can only hope she is smarter than we think and has somehow been able to get food for herself. Still, it is more likely that she has come to a sticky end – we never found Rubus’s body either, so that’s no indicator. Now we have to pin our hopes on Barru. Perhaps female chicks are never going to come out of this scrape. “

At the Parramatta River, there was a sighting of an eaglet.

Rohan Geddes just posted these images from the other day. I have still not seen any indication that both juveniles have been seen simultaneously. So the question is: Like Orange, is there only one?

The latest news from Kielder of Blue 432 in Senegal:

New-post-432Eshells-seen-again-at-Somone-SenegalDownload

Sunday night was apparently ‘owless’ at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest…isn’t that wonderful? I do hope I got the gossip right. Here M15 has brought his lady a lovely meal.

M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest tree and are both in the nest. Will they thwart the GHOs?

The GHO attacked with talons out!

Why do GHOs attack Eagles?

Why-Do-Owls-Attack-Eagles-Woodsy-WisdomDownload

Some of you will remember Bonnie and Clyde that took over the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property. Here is a video of them this month with a juvie at that same nest.

V3 and Gabby have been at the nest tree. V3 was caught on one of the cameras chasing off an intruder. Wouldn’t we all love it if all the eagles – young and old – would leave Gabby and V3 alone? I do not recall this happening when Samson was king of his natal nest. Does anyone?

They always seem tense – either alerting or watching for intruders. Does it cause difficulties for breeding? Stress?

Rose and Ron have a nice nest coming at the WRDC. Just look. A little Greenery, too.

Bella at the NCTC Bald Eagle Nest. Where is Smitty? Was he here? Bella was doing chortles.

Bella had to defend her nest alone on Monday.

An eagle at Decorah Hatchery.

Did Louis and Anna hope to be Alex and Andria laying the first egg? Sorry you two!

It was windy at the NTSU nest of Boone and Jolene in Johnson City, Tennessee. I am certain they love the wind more than humans would rocking around in a nest high above the ground. LOL.

Gosh, isn’t that setting sun on Big Bear Lake simply gorgeous? Jackie and Shadow came to the nest to enjoy it and check on needed improvements.

Want to see Condors released into the wild? Here is the information to catch all the action and find out what is happening with the Big Sur and Pinnacle colonies. You will have to go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign-up for the Zoom chats. They happen every month.

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

I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, streaming cams, posts, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Maria Marika, Joanna Dailey, Tonya Irwin, KNF-E3, KNF-E1, Trudi Iron, MN-DNR, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Sharon Pollock, HeidiMc, Kathryn Palmer, Lady Hawk, Androcat, Woodsy Wisdom, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, NCTC Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, NTSU Eagle Cam, FOBBV, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Fish Fairy comes in with 4…Saturday in Bird World

18 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Before we blink, it will be 2024 and I think I have just gotten comfortable typing ‘2023’ without having to think about it! Where does the time go? And why does it seem to fly by so quickly?

Thank you for all your good wishes for Calico. As you know, I have a really warm spot for this cat that was probably dumped and had to live in the wild for last winter until she moved into the house in late August. I am so glad she became trustful. The good news is that Calico has an infection and will be 100% back to normal in a few days. It is the same as she had before when Hope was lost and the milk built up. She has a slight case of mastitis. But the bad news is she does have some arthritis in her legs or perhaps her health was compromised by having kittens and taking such good care of Hope when she was so young. You might recall that Calico was so very thin despite eating a lot of good cat food daily. For any of you who have arthritis (my gran did, and so do I), there are treatments but no real cure. Poor thing. That warming cat bed will be nice for her this winter and she has some vitamins now to help get her bones stronger. Geemeff has suggested adding Lysine and Cod Liver Oil and we will certainly do that. I suspect she will want to sleep in that warm bed year-round. There are anti-inflammatory medications she can be on, as well as feline acupuncture. Because she is very young (just a year and a fortnight), the vet is weighing the options and will get back to me on Monday with a plan for Calico. In the meantime, we will fight this infection! She is looking better already after 24 hours of antibiotics.

Hope and Calico on my grandmother’s quarter-cut oak round table. Hope quickly got on a plant stand that I had put a table mat on and has now claimed it as her own.

Mamma.

Hope stood up as if she were a model and then she did the contrapposto pose of the Ancient Greeks, almost. (It is when a person stands with their weight on one leg, allowing the other to be more relaxed and bent at the knee. It gives a rather relaxed pose). Oh, she is so cute I can’t stop taking photos of her…soon she will be a big girl.

Little Hope is being trained to go into the carrier so she can go for her operation this coming week. She is so easy. She loves treats! Thank goodness. Missey supervised!

The camera at Port Lincoln was able to get some beautiful close ups of Giliath early Saturday morning while the pair wait with Mum for a fish delivery. Gorgeous. Simply beautiful. Look at those lovely juvenile feathers growing in!

And #2.

They are exercising those wings!

Dad came through at 0903. Way to go, Dad!

The chat moderator and camera operator (and observation board), Bart, says that the Fish Fairies delivered close to 9 kg of fish on Friday to the nest. Way to go Fish Fairy!

The Fish Fairy arrived and left four really lovely fish at 1330 (the observation board says four, but I see three…where is the other one? under a chick?). What a nice feast they will have. Mum quickly got the fish and started feeding Giliath and #2.

So is it Giliath or #2 that went over to try and do some self-feeding? I am having difficulties telling them apart.

Mum finished feeding the first fish and started on the second – a red mullet. Despite the crops being full, the chicks are still eating. Surely, they will fill up, crop drop, and top up their holding tank again. This could be the last fish til Sunday, when the fish fairy visits again. That red Mullet must have been hiding.

Three down and one left. Mum is eating and is extremely hungry. They have stopped. The last fish is under one of the osplets. Will Dad come and have a meal? Surely he is easily as hungry – if not more – than Mum and the chicks.

Mum started on the last fish. She is eating most of it herself. She is obviously very hungry – she did a fantastic job feeding her youngsters now it is her turn for a really good meal.

Wow! Thank you to everyone supplying fish to this much-loved osprey family. This family and these chicks would not be what they are today without your empathy and generosity.

Note: Dad took one of the Whiting! So everyone had the best fish.

If you have considered donating, it could be an excellent time to show appreciation and help feed these osplets. If you are an international donor, you will do the stripe transfer. You will see a page with merchandise and amounts for donation. Once you begin the process, there is a place at check out to add ‘barge feeding’.

Fran Solly confirms (on FB comment reply) that ringing will occur the first week in December, and one of the osplets will get a satellite tracker. The dates that I have seen suggested are the 5-7th of December. I wonder who will get the tracker.

At Orange, the fledglings are being fed on the top of the tower!

Cathy Cook has been busy taking photographs and videos of the sea eaglets. You should check out the Sydney Sea Eagles FB page for the complete images. Lovely to see the youngsters flying strong and being heckled by the little birds but doing well. It has been a glorious year. Thanks, Cathy!

‘A’ sent the Ranger’s report:

“November18: Early the juvenile was down in the usual mangrove area, with Lady keeping watch above. Saturday morning the river is noisy with rowers training, much shouting and noise until 9am. Pleasing to see the juvenile fly a short way. At 12:30 the juvenile was on a mangrove branch in the shade and both adults on River Roost, no swooping or calls. 1:10 both adults took flight from River Roost and were away for some time. 1:20 juvie flew back again, then moved again a few metres and again, so hard to see. Later we were thrilled to see her make a couple of passes over the water, with talons reaching out- practising hunting? (see picture – ).The wind was very strong, hard for a young eagle. Then she was back again to the favourite patch. Not sure if a late feed was delivered.”

Let’s check that other Osprey nest at Osprey House with Atlantis and Kailani.

Gosh, Dad looks little delivering these fish. Gotta watch those talons.

An Osprey visitor at the Captiva nest in the Barrier Islands, Florida.

It was windy, stormy, and wet at the nest of Gabby and V3. Still V3 was on the branch being ever vigilant over their territory.

There is a lot of misinformation, and sometimes I get caught in it…this is the information from the AEF on who was at the NE Florida nest Friday night. Many still believe that V1 visited.

At the SW Florida Eagle Nest, Mr Hootie flew into the nest hooting for his mate with prey. He stayed in the nest, went up to a branch, and then returned to the nest calling. He left but he might come back. No sign of M15 while this was happening.

Then the eagles came! It was after midnight.

Lady Hawk shows us M15 giving a fish gift to F23.

It was a nice day on the other side of Florida at Captiva in the Barrier Islands. Clive and Connie have alternated incubation of their two eggs.

There is activity at Dulles-Greenway.

We are 19 days away from hatch at Superbeaks!

Late visit at Big Bear. It is sure windy there!

Looks like River is still at Dale Hollow. I wonder if she is still with the male that was there after Obey disappeared?

Some great images of Liberty at the Redding California nest. Wow. She is a beauty.

The Three Bridges Eagle Cam will go live shortly.

Did not die of lead poisoning. Someone shot this beautiful Bald Eagle, and it died. I have a hard time getting my head around the reasons that anyone would do such a thing.

Cody is still having some issues at the Kisatchie National Forest E-3 nest with the solar power…this time it is ants.

Osprey count from Gambia. 5F is Seren, Dylan’s mate, at Llyn Clywedog.

What species of birds live the longest in the UK?

New-longevity-records-set-for-11-UK-bird-species-BirdGuidesDownload

A win-win.

Join me in reading about Canada’s National Bird – the Canada Jay. Nicely written…a joy.

The-Naturalist-and-the-Wonderful-Lovable-So-Good-Very-Bold-Jay-Hakai-MagazineDownload

Ever wonder how far Peregrine Falcons fly from Europe to their winter homes? Check this Finnish bird out! Incredible.

Be kind to your friends with pets this holiday season. Do NOT give them any of these plants!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, PLO, Fran Solly, Holly Parsons, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Cathy Cook, Osprey House Environment Centre, Val Gall, NEFL-AEF, Linda Russo, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, Window to Wildlife, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Sassa Bird, FORE, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Carol Mandis-beadle, Cody Wayne, Jean-marie Dupart, Bird Guides, Brian Horne, and Atlas Obscurer.

Sea Eaglet photographed near River, V3 protects nest…Friday in Bird World

17 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Missey and I sit at the table (under the twinkling tree) in the Conservatory, watching the birds flit about at the feeder. There are Sparrows and European Starlings, and it looked like a few Crossbills and Junior, the Blue Jay. One of Dyson’s kits was here earlier. The big cotton ball flakes of snow have now stopped. The lilac bushes and shrubs look like they have been flocked like the old twinkle tree. Missey tried climbing into the branches. Last year, she and Lewis fit in there nicely – not this year!

Missey is very woolly and highly determined to lie down inside the container with the tree. It is ‘not’ going to happen.

Hope. Darling Hope.

Mamma goes to the vet tomorrow. Fingers crossed that there is nothing wrong. Calico just has not been herself…anyone who has a pet knows that each one is an individual, and you can usually sense when something is amiss. I did not with Lewis…I knew he wasn’t himself but did not know what was wrong. Continue to feel bad for that sweet little fellow. Miss him terribly. He was an energetic breath of amazing air racing through the house like his namesake, Lewis Hamilton.

Thanks to one of our readers, ‘EJ’, who wrote to me about their cat and the solution for its arthritis. Calico will get a heated cat bed, but to be fair to the other two, they will get heated beds, too. Indeed, that heating pad will make Calico’s legs feel much better. Thank you, EJ!

Oh, and Little Red is here, too. I can see him perched on the back fence, eating some snow. Fantastic. I always feel better when all the garden animals are accounted for…they made it through another day. With the City cutting down all the diseased Maple trees, the squirrels now have to cross the street using the pavement. They used to be able to go up one tree on one side and down a tree on the other. No longer. Soon, the Crows will lose their nesting tree, and the Woodpeckers will not have any old trees for their nests or to find insects. I do understand about diseases spreading from the trees. I wish there was a solution besides slow-growing replacements. Any ideas?

The best news of the day comes from Cathy Cook and Pam Allan, who filmed one of the sea eaglets on a branch near the Parramatta River! Tears. Just wonderful, joyous tears. What an incredible sight.

And another…

Jackie and Shadow were up early Thursday morning working on their nest. They usually lay their eggs in January and sometimes later. What will happen this year? They are the couple I am cheering for, along with Jak and Audacity. Yes, there is Gabby and V3 – those who did not get to raise eaglets last year. M15 and his new mate…all those with new mates. Send warm, warm wishes to them, but for those who were impacted by DDT and who tried so hard to raise a family like Sauces and Big Bear, my heart goes out to them.

SK Hideaways caught Jackie and Shadow working on Wednesday, too.

M15 stayed in the nest all night again trying to deter the GHOs.

Not sure where M15 is but the GHOs were back at the nest Thursday night.

V3 and Gabby were at the NE Florida nest. My goodness, they are pulling on those sticks! Then it started to rain.

V3 soaking wet protecting the nest he shares with Gabby.

Abby and Blaze were also moving sticks about at Eagle Country. Who is going to be nest after Superbeaks and then Captiva?

At the WRDC nest, a squirrel has its eye on the real estate. Ron doesn’t think that is going to happen!

Eagles working at Duke Farms.

Muhlady and Pepe are wet but they are keeping the two precious eggs set to hatch in three weeks warm and dry in Central Florida.

Some nesting at Decorah.

Cameras at KNF down until Monday so that they might recharge their batteries.

There is a contest on the chat at PLO to guess the gender of Giliath and #2. I am the odd one out of most…to me their behaviour is like the year we had Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie. A little bit of grief at the beginning and then settling down. Clearly the fish fairy has helped keep the ospreys alive – Mum and Dad, too – but I will stick with them both being male and accept lots of egg on my face when it is revealed they are both female! (Or will that change later when they see the osprey with a known female bird like Calypso???). Only DNA is 100%.

Banding will take place either the 5th, 6th, or 7th of December. #2 will get a name and one or both will hopefully get a satellite tracker.

The PLO kids are itchy with those feathers and they are anxiously awaiting breakfast.

10:14. No fish yet. Their legs are getting strong! There was some chatter about the colour of the leg bands. They are not red and blue for gender – the colour will depend on what the bander has in their box and could be different from any previously used. Remember, Falky had a yellow one, Bazza a bright red one, and Ernie’s was a very dark, almost black-green. The colour can peel off, sadly.

Nearing 2pm and no fish deliveries form Dad. The chat says that the fish fairy is on their way. Thank goodness! The chicks are amazingly civil despite hunger. I wonder if Dad has enough fish to give him the energy to go out and look for fish for the family sometimes. It is hard to know precisely what is happening. Is it weather? lack of fish? a combination of both? These are beautiful babies….incredible. They so remind me of the year of Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie. Gentle little souls.

The fish fairy arrived with 5 supplementary fish. Mum took the Red Mullet first! Everyone ate. Dad came and took a fish. He is hungry, too. Fishing for ospreys is a physical feat often requiring 13 or 14 dives (on average according to experts who have closely observed the raptors fishing) to get a single fish. The males require much energy. I am glad to see that Dad got a fish! He requires this to keep up his strength if he is to find food for the family.

Osplet nibbling on fish.

By 15:15 all the fish appear to be gone.

Ah, ‘A’ adds her thoughts on the gender of the osplets: “It’s hard to tell isn’t it? I’ve been saying for ages that from size, it looks like Giliath is a female and Little Bob is a male, but the temperaments are the exact opposite – Little Bob is the pushy one who starts nearly all of the (very limited) bonking that occurs on this nest and Giliath is SO laid back. Therefore, I would not be at all surprised to find that they are both male – Giliath is just older and can fit more food in. I don’t think they take any DNA when they band them, so we’ll still be guessing.”

Here are the times from the observation board. Note that Dad brought in no fish at all yesterday. Again, so thankful for the fish fairy. I think we all can imagine what this nest would be like without the food security of the fairies.

At Orange, feedings are taking place on the roof. This is awesome. That is some feat flying ‘up’ to the ridge! Impressed.

‘A’ sent us the time stamps from Orange: “RECAP 6:46:46 ledge-kangaroos; 8:27:24, 13:02:48 bond; 8:49-9.17 juvie calls; 8.55.21 ledge-adult flyup w/juvie; 16:27:43 D w/pigeon, quickly leaves with the prey. 17:27:06 D returns with a HUGE crop. TOWER: 12:29:31 juvie on roof, 13:18:01 roof walk to adult, 14:58:13, 15:57:23, 16:30:34 prey; 17:08:15 prey and feed. Query if prey at 15:24:49; 18:00:03 ridge walk.” 

How exciting is THAT news? If at least one of the juvies at Orange has the strength to now fly up to the roof of the water tower (it’s Marri on the roof btw), then all they now have to perfect is landing on that small ledge. We may see a juvie back in the scrape within a week. Indigo made it back to the scrape relatively quickly (only about four days, from memory), and Marri sure is a big strong girl who may very well get up there soon. 

Ever get a tingle in your arm from something so wonderful you can barely believe it? Spix Macaws breeding! They are known as the Blue Macaw and they are critically endangered.

“In 1995, conservationists and scientists embarked on a desperate attempt to save the world’s rarest bird, a blue-gray parrot called the Spix’s macaw. The bird had scarcely been spotted since scientists first described it in the early 19th century, and it had taken on an aura of mystery, making it irresistible to parrot lovers—and to poachers. “For well over a century we just had this very, very weak information that there was this kind of mythical, rather beautiful blue bird,” says Nigel Collar, a conservationist at BirdLife International. By the mid-1990s only a single individual remained alive in the wild, close to this dusty, small town in northeastern Brazil.”

“Spix’s Macaw” by Tim Green aka atoach is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Spixs-Macaw-breeds-in-wild-for-first-time-in-37-years-BirdGuidesDownload
Two-decades-after-it-vanished-the-stunning-Spixs-macaw-returns-to-its-forest-home-Science-AAASDownload

Deer Hunters in New York are opting for non-lead ammunition.

To-help-eagles-NYS-deer-hunters-can-choose-non-toxic-ammo-Cornell-ChronicleDownload

My son tells me that many fishers are switching to tungsten fishing equipment instead of lead. Yahoo! Everyone switching over helps our wildlife.

Two calls for help in Winnipeg but – both could also apply to your local community! So please ask around. (Remember – clean sheets, old clean towels, bleach, laundry detergent, working tools…..all of these things the wildlife centres appreciate!). Keep this in mind if you are doing spring cleaning (or winter) or clearing someone’s home.

Check your cupboards. Did you buy food that your pet doesn’t like? This is your chance to help someone who cannot afford to get food for their beloved companion. Please help if you can.

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

Thank you to the following for their comments, notes, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, EJ’, Cathy Cook, Pam Allan, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Country, Duke Farms, Superbeaks, Tulsiducati, Darleen Hawkins, PLO, Penelope Clarke, Openverse, BirdGuides, Science, Cornell Chronicles, and Feed the Furbabies Canada.

Thursday in Bird World

16 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope this blog/newsletter finds you well.

It has been a quiet day not only in Bird World but in Cat World, too.

Missey and Hope continue to play together and enjoy one another’s company. It is not the cuddle-up type of comfort Missey had with Lewis, but she has a friend, and that is important. Hope loves to play, and Calico is not often in ‘the mood’. I still think Calico has arthritis in her back legs, and the damp outside provokes her not feeling well. We have an appointment to see about this, but for now, I rub her legs several times during the day.

They watched bird videos together for awhile.

Missey is such a gentle soul.

The girls have their twinkle tree up. It needs some TLC. Missey and Lewis destroyed it last year! They pulled on the branches, tried to eat the flocking off the needles and attempted to eat all the little felt birds. It had to be packed away so they did not harm themselves.

I need twinkle lights and candles along with Lingonberry Sauce in the winter…this tree may be up til summer (if the girls enjoy it without trying to eat it for lunch). It is partly the dark of the winter and the comfort of the soft light, the smell of the wood stove, and the soft blankets and slippers. While my Scandinavian ancestry is not the most significant % of my DNA, it certainly comes through in winter! Candle holders now have glass domes so the cats do not catch their fur on fire. The wood stove has a protective top that does not get hot, so they will not burn their paws if they accidentally jump there. These are the nicest parts of winter for me. If you have never tried Lingonberry Sauce, it is marvellous. It’s like cranberry, only the berries are much smaller.

Calico’s nose has been out of joint. So, drawing on what I know about raptors, I realised it could be because I cut back on 2 of their wet food feedings. They always have water and hard food (which should be limited…shame on me). Did Calico perceive insufficient food for the three of them when I cut back? I wonder. So they get a single tablespoon of wet food 5x a day instead of 3x. It is not a lot, but the day has been quite civil. The Feliway was about ready for a new cartridge, so I replaced it. Fingers crossed. Calico goes to the vet on Friday. They found a spot for my girl!

Tomorrow, we will switch toys – the current bunch will go in the box, and the old ones will come out, and the cats will think they are new. Enrichment. Just like raptors require. Just like the tree.

I hope to find solar-powered twinkle lights for around the conservatory’s perimeter and some toys that are not quickly torn apart with that white stuffing that causes so many pets to go to the vet if they eat it. I will hang the little toys on the tree so the girls can find them and take them off for play. They will not know they are supposed to do that!!!!!! It will be such fun watching them. Calico would prefer treat bags. Oh, having to eat out of the garbage and at the feeder stations in the neighbourhood saved her life last winter, but like all rescues that have lived on the streets ‘homeless cats’, she is always thinking about food.

Baby Hope is on Mamma’s blanket because…

Missey decided she wanted to sleep in her basket.

It’s a good thing Calico prefers the hard cane seating of the dining chair. Of course, she is the closest to a heating vent! She is so sweet when she is asleep. LOL. I adore this cat. Just the thought of her spending last winter outside, either having been dumped or being lost, puts tears in my eyes. Well, for all the pets. There are simply pages and pages of kittens to be adopted, and all the shelters and volunteers who foster are packed to the brim. It is like an epidemic.

After playing and running with Hope for almost an hour, Calico slept under the tree. Hope loves to wrestle, and Calico doesn’t make it easy for her. They get rough! I remind myself that she is teaching her daughter survival skills.

As you know, I have been worried about this girl. She makes me ache when she walks and has just not been herself. So it was with great joy that I watched her run and play. Hopefully, she just had an upset tummy. Still, she will see the vet on Friday and find out for certain (I said that twice…it has been hard to get an appointment).

The Sea Eagle Nest is empty and so is Orange. We wait for Marri and/or Barru to come to the scrape for prey items. It takes a few days for their wings to get strong enough to fly up – flying up is much more difficult than going down. So we have Port Lincoln with little ones. Two nests incubating eggs – Captiva and Superbeaks. Owl strikes at various other nests.

Wondering about SE 31 and 32. Rohan Geddes caught a photo of one of the juveniles today.

Both Diamond and Xavier were in the scrape at different times.

The most recent post from Cilla Kinross:

“NEWS 15th November 2023 Cilla Kinross Marri (I think) spotted about 200 m from the tower this morning. She was on the ground and while I turned my back on her to take a photo, she took off and disappeared. So all is well. And tonight about 6 pm I’m pretty confident I saw Barru in a tree with Xavier. I was several hundred metres away, so this is a rather shaky video: https://youtu.be/LYPoMN0cnhE FIRST FLEDGE 09:38:43 Marri(at 43 days) fledges; lovely straight, followed by one of the parents. VIDEO https://youtu.be/A1UhaFqvuuk SECOND FLEDGE 1536 h Barru (at 42 days) follows his sister, also a great fledge over the trees https://youtu.be/Be9JKIP_GHY They may return to the box after a few days (or not) . Either way they stay in the area for a month or two learning to hunt. And the parents still feed them during this period if needed. Tower cam was replaced TODAY. It will provide much clearer images with better zoom and pan capabilities. BUT there are a few technical hiccups, so bear with us for a day or two.”

Great screen capture of Diamond on the Tower Cam.

At Port Lincoln, Dad flew in with a small headless fish at 08:50. Both chicks had a small meal and Mum had some fish, too. As I write this it is nearing noon. I am hoping that the fish fairy will arrive in the next couple of hours. Look at the osplets faces when they know Dad is coming with breakfast. Precious. Absolutely precious.

A little fish does not last very long!

A huge supplementary fish arrived at 1449. I am not sure that Mum is going to save any for Dad (he is watching and wanting). She is busy feeding herself and her two growing chicks.

Dad was hungry, too and he kept persisting but Mum kept feeding the kids and herself. Dad did eventually get some fish. Read all about it from the obs board.

Fish Fairy, we love you!

V3 was a little battered. He has spent much of today vocalising and protecting the nest at The Hamlet. I wish the Eagles would leave them alone this year so Gabby can raise Eaglets.

The AEF confirms that this is V3.

So many write to me about where to donate. It was refreshing to see a post by Miami-Dade County -the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose and R4 and R5 last year -stating what they used the donations for during the year.

It was windy and pitching down rain at the nest of Ron and Rose on Wednesday but that did not stop Ron from coming in to work on his sticks.

It was blustering in the Big Bear Valley but it did not dent Jackie and Shadow’s enthusiasm for moving sticks!

Connie was just soaked at Captiva keeping her two precious eggs warm and dry.

At the SW Florida Eagle nest, F23 showed that she can fish! Wow. This new couple sure needs a break.

M15 defended the nest around 0300 against the GHO who left. It appears they might have locked talons. M15 we need you to stay safe.

It is blowing and wet at the SW Florida nest Wednesday night, but M15 is in that nest, determined to protect it from the GHOs. So intelligent. So determined. We already know what a great Dad he is, but he is also an incredible mate. F23 probably doesn’t know yet how lucky she is.

Speaking of Owls, they are hatching in a nest in NY right now.

Eagles were at Dulles-Greenway.

Anna and Louis have been doing some bonding at the Kistachie National Forest E-1 nest on Wednesday. Might we be looking at the first egg in about a week?

I did not see any eagles at the ND-LEEF nest in South Bend, Indiana, today, but Phillipe Josse caught Dad at the nest! I wonder if there is any news on the new female? Has anyone heard anything? And speaking of missing, I have no new news on Valor II. Waiting.

I think it was Blaze (please correct me) at the Eagle Country nest working with the sticks. His mate is Abby.

There was some work being done on the Bluff City Bald Eagle nest.

I did not see any eagles at the NCTC nest of Bella (and Smitty?) after 0800. Again, I could have missed them. Will try and find out if Deb Stecyk has any news on Smitty.

Good information coming out of A Place Called Hope if you have a raptor hit your window.

Oh, do you love Cedar Waxwings? I do, and I hope that when my trees bear berries in a couple of years, they will be in my gardens in the dozens. These folks look like they are going to be lucky this winter.

Country-diary-Willing-the-waxwings-south-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

This should put a smile on your face. What a great post!

Thank you so very much for being with us today. We truly love having you here and we hope that you are all well and getting outside in order to hear the birds singing or seeing geese. Take care of yourself. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, images, photos, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Se McGregor, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, Fiona Reilly, PLO, NEFL-AEF, Lalita Rodriguez, WRDC, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk Gracie Shepherd, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Birdy Isac NY, Dulles-Greenway, KNF-E1, Phillipe Josse, Eagle Country, Bluff City, NCTC, A Place Called Hope, The Guardian, and Betty Teller-Peters Fagan.

Connie and Clive come in 2nd…Sunday in Bird World

12 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Damp, coldish, grey day on the Canadian Prairies. The temperature has warmed up and will be a balmy +7 C on Tuesday, they tell us. It felt like the chill went down to the bone today, however.

The Starlings were particularly beautiful today. Look at their chest. It looks like a lovely handmade sweater with white stitching. The emerald green feathers with that lovely straw-coloured tip looks like an upside down candle in places (notice it is yellow and then a touch of white at the very end)…and then on the wings it tapers into a teal blue. The yellow beaks during breeding season have now turned to black while the head and nape sport silver and gold plumage over black. I would think the designers in Paris should take inspiration from this bird’s plumage in their new couture designs.

In an effort to keep up with the walking – despite the snow, ice, and a brisk little wind – I headed off to the English gardens. There were White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays calling in the pines, and Black-capped Chickadees flitting about. It wasn’t the most pleasant of days, but I did take an image of one of the sculptures in the Leo Mol Sculpture Park that I wanted to share with you.

The information provided by our City on the sculptor is as follows: “Leo Mol (Leonid Molodoshanin) was born in 1915 in Polonne, Ukraine. He studied in the Leningrad Academy of Arts, Kunst Academy in Berlin, Germany, and the Academy of Arts in The Hague, Netherlands. In 1948, he made his home in Canada. He passed away in 2009, after receiving multiple honorary degrees and being inducted into the Order of Canada.Mol created his sculptures using the Lost Wax method. In this process, clay is modeled on a rebar and wood structure then covered in liquid rubber to form a mold. Plaster is layered over the mold, creating a cast. ​The cast and mold are separated from the model and melted beeswax is pressed into the rubber mold. A cement mixture is then poured inside the wax layer. After the cement hardens the molds are removed, leaving a wax model with a solid cement core.”

The plaque below commemorates the 50th anniversary of the repeal of the Act in May 1947. Mol created it in 1997. It features images related to the Chinese who worked to open up the Canadian West while working for CP Rail.

Parks Canada states, “In the early 1880’s contractor Andrew Onderdonk brought thousands of labourers from China to help build the Pacific Railway through the mountains of British Columbia. About three-quarters of the men who worked on the section between the Pacific and Craigellachie were Chinese. Although considered excellent workers, they received only a dollar a day, half the pay of a white worker. Hundreds of Chinese died from accidents or illness, for the work was dangerous and living conditions poor. Those who remained in Canada when the railway was completed securely established the basis of British Columbia’s Chinese community.”

The Asian Heritage Society provides more information on the history of the Chinese workers and the discrimination that they faced.

AHSNB-Chinese-Labour-on-the-CPR_FinalDownload

The kittens are so smart. They curl up in their own little spots and sleep the cold afternoon away. It does so seem that they have their ‘spot’. Hope has completely taken over Missey’s basket. Calico prefers to sleep on the hard seat of a Danish chair, and Missey prefers to the highest spot on a wicker. If I am looking for them and the house is quiet – that is where they will be.

My beautiful, sleepy heads.

Then there was bird video time.