Category Archives: Minnesota Ospreys

Sunday in Bird World

11 August 2024

Good Morning,

Gosh, it is almost the middle of August, and the French are well into their annual August vacation. The entire month is taken off with businesses in Paris closing and everyone (owners and staff) heading off to enjoy the countryside, time with their family and friends, and good food. I was fortunate to spend an entire month a few years ago in a pottery village (Le Borne) and it was there that the French taught me ‘really’ how to slow down and chase after the joy of life – finding a balance and not letting work take over everything. Sitting and tasting the best bread with a good cup of coffee in the morning in a garden could not have been matched by anything. Lunch with vegetables, local bread, and goat cheese could have come from a Michelin-star restaurant – it was that good. Walking through the forest, time to smell the wood burning in the kilns and touching centuries-old ceramics were simple but profound joys. Those memories and the people who I met have never left me. Calico suggests that everyone stop and smell the roses, turn off their cell phones, grab a good book, and pet a cat!

Hugo Yugo is precious. She continues to sleep under my chin during the night. She has grown some, but, in comparison to the others, she remains rather small.

Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope continue to play fight all day long. They keep their nice figures due to all the exercise. Hugo Yugo will have her first birthday on 2 September. Baby Hope came to live in the house on the 4th so we shall have a nice party to celebrate both.

Missey just loves parties. She wants lots of squeezy treats while Hope has ordered 5-grain bread with peanut butter, and Hugo Yugo wants a grilled cheese sandwich! Baby Hope will run you down for peanut butter. It makes me think that while she and Calico were living ‘wild,’ someone fed them bread and PB. Hugo Yugo loves cheese and every evening has to play ‘hockey’ with small pieces of a nice old cheddar. She knocks the piece off the countertop onto the floor and then knocks it about before eating it. I have always believed she needs calcium.

Yesterday I had images and for some strange reason, no text from ‘H’ despite her sending it in the same e-mail. It was like half of it was cut off on my computer and then, this afternoon there were 2 more e-mails with all the information. I am including the text now. It will give you good background on what is happening at the Fortis-Exshaw nest – which appears to be a repeat of last season’s dramatic and devastating year. ‘H’ did a great job in her report – apologies it is late.

“8/9 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  There have been some intruder issues the past few days, but today was the worst so far.  At 0700 Harvie delivered a fish and one of the three juveniles grabbed it.  The female intruder showed up early.  Initially she was passive, but by 0800 she started attacking the chicks.  Over the next couple of hours the intruder dive-bombed the chicks at least 30 times.  Sometimes she made significant contact with her talons, and a few times she was able to flip the chicks onto their backs.  She landed in the nest several times, and would jump on the chicks.  Only the two oldest osplets have fledged.  Nakoda has yet to fly, and we were worried that Nakoda was going to get pushed off the nest.  At 0851 the intruder flushed one of the fledglings off the nest and she gave chase.  The intruder was establishing control. The two remaining chicks in the nest stayed tucked in submission.  Any time they would so much as move a wing, the intruder would flap her wings at them.  At 1003 Harvie brought another fish and the intruder grabbed it.  Harvie jumped on her, the intruder flew out with the fish, and Harvie followed.  After eating her fish, the intruder returned. She was in and out of the nest a few times, and jumped on the chicks a few times.  At 1050 Harvie delivered another fish, a chick grabbed it, the intruder fought the chick for the fish, Harvie jumped on the intruder, Harvie left the nest and the intruder chased him.  The intruder returned and took the fish.  

At 1142 the intruder saw Louise approaching the nest and she immediately flew away.  Louise is the only deterrent for this female intruder.  Louse had brought a fish for the chicks.  Louise stayed for about 10 minutes, and then she left.  At 1154, the fledgling that had been flushed from the nest earlier returned to the nest.  For the next few hours the family had some peace.  Nakoda was practicing wingers, and getting some nice wind-assisted lift, and was even hovering.  The intruder returned at 1524, and started doing her usual thing… dive-bombing, jumping on chicks, and flapping at the chicks.  Harvie delivered a fish at 1621 and the intruder took it.  Harvie dropped off more fish at 1700, 1720, and 1817, and thankfully the osplets were able to eat those.  At 1843 the intruder was back, jumped on the chicks, and may have left with a piece of leftover fish.  With the glare of the afternoon and evening sun, it became increasingly more difficult to see because of the dirt on the camera.  At 1931 the intruder was back, and she appeared to arrive empty taloned.  But, she soon started to eat.  She must have found some more leftovers in the nest.  While she was eating, she was intermittently flapping at the kids.  Harvie brought another fish at 2006, and one of the chicks grabbed it.  Harvie and the intruder stared at each other for a while, then Harvie left.  The intruder continued to harass the chicks, but finally at 2127 she left for the night.  

What a terrible day this family had.  Louise’s presence is needed to keep this female intruder away.  But, we only saw Louise once today.  Is it possible that Louise is already curtailing her involvement with her family to begin her rest and recovery phase?  Would she do that before they all have fledged?  Well, we certainly hope to see more of Louise tomorrow.  “Your kids still need you, Mom.”

8/9 Osoyoos osprey nest:  Chick 2 was doing some nice wingers early in the morning, including some flap-hops going about 3/4 of the diameter of the nest. The first fish I saw was brought by Olsen at 1505.  It was a large partial fish, and Chick 2 acquired it first and ate for about 4 minutes before Chick 1 took it from him.  Chick 1 had the fish for a long time, finally leaving it at 1628.  There was still a good size piece remaining, and Chick 2 started to work on it.  By 1727, Chick 2 had accomplished all he could, because the remainder had a lot of dangling tough skin.  Soo took over and fed both of her juvies.  But, even Soo had a difficult time with the skin.  At 1927 Olsen dropped off a small whole fish.  Chick 2 grabbed the fish, and mantled strongly.  Chick 2 ate the fish, and was able to rebuff Chick 1 each and every time Chick 1 tried to steal the fish.  Nice moxie, Chick 2 ! “

Today’s post from ‘H’:

8/10 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  The intruder was still around today, but she wasn’t nearly as aggressive toward the chicks as she was yesterday.  She spent a few long periods of time at the nest.  She would flap at the kids now and again, but there were only a few times that I saw the intruder jump on them.  And, the intruder did not do all that dive-bombing like she did yesterday.  I have 6 pages of notes on the day’s events, and I will summarize to spare you the minutiae.  Harvie brought 9 fish to the nest, and the intruder managed to acquire 3 of them.  The chicks didn’t make it easy for her, they fought the intruder for those fish.  There were a couple of times when the intruder did not make a grab for the fish.  She would simply ‘let’ them have it, and then she would just stand there and stare at them while they ate.  Strange.  But, it seems that poor Harvie is fishing for four.  Sometimes when Harvie would make a delivery with the intruder on the nest, they would have a staring contest, and then Harvie would flap his wings at her, but he always flew away.  One time, Harvie buzzed the intruder on his way out and made her duck.  Harvie knows that he cannot afford to get hurt fighting her.  The fact that we saw the intruder less often today may mean that Louise is helping to monitor the airspace in their territory.  And, we did see Louise today.  At 1211, an adult carrying a fish landed on the t-perch beside one of the fledglings that was believed to be Peyto.  Then, the adult provided a nice long feeding to the juvie on the t-perch.  It had to be Louise.  The youngest chick, Nakoda, ate two whole fish today.  Nakoda is no push-over when it comes to battles for the fish.  

Nakoda branched today!  At 1003 Nakoda flew up to the nest perch…wow!  At 1040, after figuring out how to turn around on the perch, s/he hopped back down to the nest.  Later on in the afternoon, Nakoda did several hovers that were out of our view lasting several seconds each time.  Yesterday, those hovers by Nakoda were 90% due to the wind, but today the height and hang-time was 90% due to Nakoda’s skill.  Prediction:  Nakoda will fledge on 8/11, at 56 days of age.  The three siblings are very difficult to differentiate by their appearance.  We will do our best to determine when Nakoda fledges and when s/he returns to the nest.

In my opinion, it does not seem that this intruder wants to take over the nest.  She is hungry, and wants some easy meals.  Last year it was Louise against a male/female pair of intruders, and they definitely wanted to take over the nest.  This year, it is Louise and Harvie against one intruder.  Perhaps the intruder will decide to move along soon.

8/10 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The live stream was frozen for about three hours today.  But, we did see plenty of fish at the nest, including some really big ones.  Some of the fish were obviously recycled… that is, they had previously been removed after everyone was full, and those same fish made return appearances.  There were lots of feedings and self-feedings.  A couple of times this morning, Chick 2 was seen doing some flap-hops all the way across the nest, from rim to rim… that’s progress!  Unless I’ve missed it due to recent cam issues, I have not seen Chick 2 perform hovers with decent hang-times.  Chick 2 is 64 days old on 8/11.  Weather forecast for 8/11: partly cloudy with smoky air, high temp 90F/32C, winds gusting to 11 mph.

8/10 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  Johnny delivered two good sized fish today, and June did not disappoint when she caught her daily striped bass.  ‘Fen’ ‘branched’ to the perch this morning, and hopped back down to the nest after about an hour.  Fen will be 58 days old on 8/11, and I think he is ready to fly!

More than a few letters have come to the inbox about donations. We cheer, clap our hands, wish hard, pray, and jump up and down in support of our birds, especially those in distress. It is natural to want to rush and help fund their care and food. It just makes you the wonderful people who you are! This also happened after Meadow went into care and subsequently died. To begin, wildlife rehabilitation centres rely on donations. I know this because of our local rehabilitation centre, Wildlife Haven. They depend on volunteers and donations of all things, from bleach to large buildings, for flight training. But when to donate and what? This is going to depend on your personal circumstances. Having had many of you pour your hearts out after Meadow and Cobey passed, I think I have come up with a simple suggestion. If you wish to donate following a rescue, you might want to wait 48-72 hours. The wait period would allow insight into whether the bird might survive. Remember that anything can happen anytime – a bird looking as if it is improving might suddenly pass. We don’t have crystal balls. You might also want to save up and give to a rescue/rehabilitation centre at the end of the year. I like to watch what these centres are doing all year and like to help those that rise to the occasion to try and do anything to save the birds.

Speaking of rescues and rehabilitation, the Denton Homes fledglings are in flight training. Isn’t this marvellous. All survived. Thanks, ‘PB’.

The two osplets from the Green Ledge Light Preservation Society were holding on tight as the remnants of Debby hit Connecticut! I am waiting a post to see how they fared during that violent storm.

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

Daily summary Saturday 10th August 2024

Both nest cam livestreams were restored by 09.30 this morning after yesterday’s shutdown which was due to the internet connection for the local area going down. Actually, in such a remote area where it’s very challenging to provide services, being able to watch the nest cams is a bit of a miracle.  Therefore tonight’s bonus is about how the nest cams work with no wifi and no electrical plug points nearby. Today was wet and windy again with no sign of any Ospreys, but Nest Two did get some colourful visitors in the form of a pair of Crossbills. More rain is forecast for tonight, but there is the prospect of sunny intervals tomorrow. 

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.30.33 (04.45.22); Nest Two 22.23.05 (04.52.51)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/AfoAgZcxRZQ  N2 Colourful Crossbills visit 17.03.20 (zoom)

Bonus info – with no wifi and plug sockets, how do the nest cams operate?

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

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

The menhaden overfishing issue seems to be getting more attention:

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/climate-environment/chesapeake-bay-osprey-population-reproduction-7MDNGMBNVZBNTGSDZVA5UAADVQ

Cute little sea eaglets!

A gorgeous image of Lady feeding her babies from the Olympic Park Eagle Cam:

As is typical, these little bobbleheads have begun to do some bonking. It will stop! It always does.

The Australian Museum describes the White-bellied Sea Eagle and how these fluffy little white nestlings will change: “The White-bellied Sea-Eagle has white on the head, rump and underparts and dark grey on the back and wings. In flight the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown. The legs and feet are cream-white, with long black talons (claws). The sexes are similar. As in other raptors (birds of prey), Males (2.5 kg – 3.7 kg) are slightly smaller than females (2.8 kg – 4.2 kg).The wingspan is about 1.8 m – 2 m. Young Sea-Eagles are brown as juveniles than slowly become to resemble adults in a patchwork manner, acquiring the complete adult plumage by their fourth year.”

Iris, Sum-eh, and yet-to-fledge Antali.

Finnegan is very busy catching and delivering fish – Uber Dad!

‘A’ remarks: “Little Bro is getting lonesome on his own on that nest, but it so far has not prompted him to copy big sister Sumeh, who has been flying confidently for nearly a week now. C’mon Antali, you can do it! He’s having a pleasant nap in the late afternoon sun. Around 19:32 he begins looking around, and at 19:32:45 Finn arrives with a nice fresh fish, Sumeh hot on his tail. 

Antali is fish begging and considering self-feeding but dad keeps moving the fish. He is looking around for Iris. Antali already has a noticeable crop and Sumeh is not asking for fish, so dad eats a bite or two himself. By 19:35, however, he has started feeding Antali. Sumeh just watches the feeding. She is very used to watching Antalia being fed, after all! He has always been completely confident about getting to the table and accepting bites of fish. I have never seen him intimidated at a feeding. Sumeh has been an amazing older sister. She is very laid-back indeed. Around 19:38 she begins to show some interest in the fish, but still waits to be offered a bite. 

Finn begins feeding Sumeh and Antali stands up as tall as he can, turning away from the table. He has very long legs, which is the most obvious proof that he is a male. He is too cute. It’s Sumeh’s turn. Antali has a good crop.”

It is mid-afternoon Saturday at Charlo Montana and C16 could fly at any moment. Got so much height on its hover you couldn’t see it on camera!

C16 has not fledged as I write this Saturday evening but he could still fly as there is some time difference. Charlie delivered a fish and C16 had a nice fish dinner.

It was painful. The wind was gusting around the tree below the nest and C16 kept hovering. The sticks in the nest aren’t helping the matter. C16, you are going to fly soon – probably today or Sunday morning.

River and Keke continue to return to the nest waiting for some fish – just like nests all around the world. Chicks wait and watch for Dad flying in with a fish and they have a singular focus – nevermind who gets in the way! In that instance, being an Only Bob has an advantage.

The fledgling comes and goes from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest wanting a fish dinner, too.

On the eve of the Inglorious 12th, there are more and more calls for regulations and the policing of the Red Grouse Moor shoots.

Call for tougher policing of Scottish grouse moors on eve of ‘Glorious Twelfth’https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/10/call-tougher-policing-scottish-grouse-moors-eve-glorious-twelfth?CMP=share_btn_url

Pam Breci brings us up to date on the Fort Calhoun osprey family:

It is always reassuring that fledglings returning to the nest to get their fish. The Fab Four at Poole Harbour keep Blue 022 very busy! CJ7 is also delivering fish and some are being fed off nest because they show up on cam with a huge crop but have not been seen eating on camera.

Osplets fledge, on average, at 55-56 days after they hatch. They should return to the nest over and over again as they remain dependent on Mum and Dad until they migrate. Many say they stay until they can fish for themselves, but much research in the UK indicates that they actually don’t normally (there is always an exception) catch their first fish until they are on their way which is generally in September. The Mum will migrate first leaving the Dad behind to do the fishing for the chicks. In one year, I forget which one, Monty (Dyfi Ospreys) remained until the 20th of September til his chick fledged! The Dads and fledglings generally leave 2-3 weeks after Mum.

Please remind everyone you know that fish to please try their best not to leave lines and hooks. I know that lines break and there are snags on trees on the shore – if that is the case then everyone should pitch in to do bi-annual clean ups to protect the birds.

White Storks continue to move south throughout Europe feeding on the seeds left after harvest in places such as Lithuania and Croatia. Some have already made it to Europe. Black Storks are moving as well. Waba continues to feed in Ukraine near the Moldova border.

‘A’ reminds us that Xavier is getting excited for the possibility of eggs at the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape in Orange: “We are getting ready for egg watch at Orange. Certainly, Diamond and Xavier are in parental mode, with Xavier bringing food gifts, and the pair doing lots of bonding and mating frequently. The first egg was laid on 26 August last year, so we still have over a fortnight to go. We would be very happy with just the one, Diamond. I don’t want this pair worn out – they are not young falcons. Xavier has just come into the scrape, chupping away. There is no sign of Diamond, who is no doubt perched on the microwave or along the roof. Xavier is looking his usual handsome self. Adorable little falcon that he is. What a man. Remember his first season? Saviour, he most definitely was. “

Xavier brings breakfast and it is not a Starling to Diamond’s delight.

The Dorsett Hobby branched Saturday afternoon but did not fledge. Look to the top left. That is coming swiftly. Such a strong, beautiful little Hobby! (see further below)

Fish deliveries at the Muonio Osprey nest in Finland.

Did you know that Rita has her own FB page? Rita of Ron and Rita and the WRDC Eagle nest? Thanks, ‘J’.

https://www.facebook.com/people/Rita-the-Bald-Eagle/61562017139998

Dorsett Hobby fledged.

There are no reported sightings of Blue at HWF-BBCentral area. We hope that s/he has found fish and will be heading north to Alaska to enjoy the salmon.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, questions, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Fortis Exshaw-Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Fortis-Exshaw, SOAR, Greens Ledge Light Society, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Sea Eagle Cam, Australian Museum, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint Osprey Platform, MN-LA Ospreys, The Guardian, Pam Breci, Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Looduskalender, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project, Nesting Bird Life and More, Osp, Rita the Eagle FB, Dorsett Hobby Cam.

Cobey is rescued…Thursday in Bird World

8 August 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is grey and very windy today. The only animals in the garden are Dyson and her kits waiting for me to put out new peanuts. Some of the larger container pots of tomatoes were blown over during the night and I have a thick jumper on with wool socks this morning. It feels like fall!

We hope you enjoyed a little trip down memory lane with the events at the nests and the birds that gave us hope and smiles so far during the 2023-24 breeding season. I enjoyed reading every list that you sent! Thank you again. Some of you have sent in more memories than reading the lists triggered. I will include a mini-listing tomorrow or the next day. I am so happy that you enjoyed that post. If you forgot someone, feel free to tell me.

‘H’ sent me a note saying little Cobey at Colonial Beach was rescued. Tears. Thank you to the owner of the cam who persisted in requesting help, to the DWR who came to the rescue, and to Dominion Energy, which brought in the bucket truck to help get little Cobey down. Cobey’s condition was described as ’emaciated’.

And her report: “8/7 Colonial Beach osprey nest:  This morning David delivered a partial fish to Cobey at 1131, and he also chased away an intruder.  Cobey worked on the fish on and off for a couple of hours before David removed it, thinking that Cobey was done with the fish.  Mom Betty had been missing for over four days.  And, David was not providing enough fish, nor was he feeding his 44-day-old youngster, Cobey.  Cobey had to take a crash course on self-feeding the past few days.  But, Cobey wasn’t getting enough to eat, and he was declining.  Everyone knew it.  The weather forecast was predicting a few stormy days, and Cobey would not have had any protection from the weather.  The nest owner continued to consult with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and the earlier decision to not intervene was reversed.  We were notified on the chat at around 1430, and within a half hour, we saw the bucket being raised and someone with gloved hands reaching across the nest for Cobey.  Many of us were crying.  It was a miracle.  We owe a debt of gratitude to Colonial Beach Osprey Nest Cam, and VA DWR, that Cobey now has a chance to live.  Cobey was taken to Alton’s Keep Wildbird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, and will be under the care of Mr. Harley Thomas White.  “Now, you listen to Mr. White, Cobey, and do what you’re told… and he will make you better… And one day you will fly.”  

Screen captures from a video Heidi posted on FB of the rescue:

Harley Thomas White is caring for Cobey. He made a fish gravy and fed Cobey some fish pieces, emphasising Cobey’s critical condition. Cobey is thin and weak. There will be daily updates. These images came from a video on the website of Altons’ Keep Wildbird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center Inc. Check out Harley Thomas White’s FB page for the videos and updates for Cobey as well as the website of the centre. (Want to show your support for this rescue from the nest? Have a spare tenner? I bet they would appreciate it).

WordPress Media Storage. Once again, I have hit 99.95% of my storage capacity. Tuesday afternoon, I spent some time deleting educational and information files, videos, and images from posts in 2022 and 2023 to make room for Wednesday’s post. I will gradually go back through the Memorial Walls and try to leave the single best image for the deceased bird instead of including several. Moving forward, you will see that I am putting in links to articles and videos instead of inserting the video or the PDF file. It all goes to saving space. I pay the top subscription fee for WordPress, and they will not sell me any more storage, so this is the only alternative I have discovered. There will be images, but fewer of them, sadly. If you know any secrets to getting around this issue, please let me know!

I am getting extremely excited about the upcoming trip to Nova Scotia. There are three reasons for this. You might recall that we were in Toronto a few weeks ago. It was a trial run for a longer vacation. Two years ago my husband (at the age of 63) began having memory issues. This was followed by hallucinations beginning in March 2023. All the while, I could not get a doctor! With the help of an old friend, we were able to see a specialist in December of 2023. That visit, MRIs and trips to a neurologist confirmed a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia. Some of you might remember that the American comedian Robin Williams had LBD. It is a terrible illness – not the memory issues. They come and go and never disappear like those who have Alzheimers, but it is the hallucinations that are tormenting. Thankfully, the pharmaceutical cocktail Don is taking is helping, and after Toronto, we got the green light to travel a little further and stay a little longer. (Please do not worry or fret. Believe it or not, we are doing great. Being outside on long walks fits me perfectly and it is also good for those with dementia. Nature heals and changes everything! We are living a good life – and enjoying every moment that we can). We are excited to return to a place we called home for so long but haven’t seen for 26 years. The second thing is that Nova Scotia is a birder’s paradise. While we will miss seeing the osprey chicks in the nest with the adults because they have now fledged, we hope to see them fishing and getting strong before they leave on their migration. We also hope to look out our windows in the morning and see Bald Eagles flying and get to add some shorebirds and waterfowl to our life lists. Meeting the Dennis family, who organised people throughout the province to observe and record the osprey nests, will be an honour. Last, luck found us the perfect place to stay. It is an Animal Sanctuary for rescued farm animals – pigs, goats, cows, etc. The entire property is Vegan, and we will be staying in a new apartment above a gallery. Across a quiet country road is the estuary where the eagles fly and the shorebirds scurry. What a wonderful change from living in the middle of a growing Prairie city! We are even hoping to ride bicycles!

‘CG’ reports on the search for Blue at HWF-BBCentral nest in Boundary Bay, British Columbia: “No reports yesterday of hearing Blue or the parents after Blue left the nest. Also, the parents were not seen later in the day.  Normally, Mere would come back to the nest and be perched above from around dinner time until Blue was tucked in for the night. At 1251 hours today a parent was seen on a post near the water.  Departed.”

In the United Kingdom, the fledging of two White-tail eaglets is causing a stir.

Beaver kits in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland are also putting smiles on the faces of those who worked so hard on their reintroduction. You may be aware that beaver activity is essential to establishing thriving wetlands and biodiversity.

https://cairngorms.co.uk/first-beaver-kits-in-400-years-born-in-the-wild-in-the-cairngorms-national-park

In Finland, all chicks at Saaksilvie #1 have flown.

USU is on the nest with Mum at nest #4 in Finland. The status of its wing is unclear or what might happen to the chick.

Beautiful osplets in Latvia waiting to fly.

Hollywood movie crew members watch Iris as she feeds her chicks. They should be considering making a movie of her life! Sum-eh fledged and returned to the nest after practising flying. She is flying around the parking lot and Dr Green reported she had also gone up and down the river. Antali is yet to fledge. S/he is five days younger than Sum-eh.

‘A’ comments: “When a lovely big fish is brought in at around 16:55, the only one home is Antali, who does not try to claim the fish or self-feed. Iris, in response to the constant begging for fish, soon begins feeding Antali. who already has a healthy crop. He can see Finn and/or Sumeh flying above – watching from below but not at all alarmed as he would be were the osprey above an intruder.  Sumeh flies in at about 16:59, eager for fish. Iris obliges. She feeds both osplets, but Sumeh is hungrier and more demanding, so she is given more food. This is a very big fish – there is plenty for the whole family. By 17:39 Iris is feeding primarily herself, although occasionally, one of the osplets (usually Antali at this stage of the feeding) decides one more bite could just fit. Dad arrives just before 18:04. Sumeh is closely studying the leftover fish mum is standing on. Iris is not pleased at the arrival of Finn, although he has BYO fish. It looks like a chunk of fish but may be something of the smaller variety. Finn takes it to the perch – the remainder of the earlier fish is still on the nest (about half of the fish) so there is still another meal for Iris and the kids.”

Beautiful osplet at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on a cloudy day. Waiting to fly. The chick has officially ‘perched’.

It really is not a coincidence that so many ospreys are dying in the Chesapeake Bay area. The extreme heat arrived, and there was no fish to hydrate the ospreys. Adults and chicks are being found dead. It is interesting to note that the Pacific Northwest had the extreme heat – even hotter in places – as did Iris – and the deaths were much less. So think about the lack of fish! The overfishing of the Menhaden needs to stop, and so does the rescue of starving osplets. We need a healthy population of fish hawks.

Mark Avery reminds us: “The Inglorious 12th – the start of the grouse shooting season is approaching. It’s one of the few issues that brings animal welfare, climate change, nature conservation and law enforcement together so clearly.” So what is the Inglorious 12th those that do not live in the UK ask? (12 August)

“Red Grouse chick” by cazalegg is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

PETA UK says: “Traditionally, the Glorious Twelfth – or the “Inglorious Twelfth”, as it should rightly be named – marks the start of the red grouse shooting season. But this year, many estates have been forced to delay or even cancel it after human-induced climate change saw unseasonably hard sleet and cold rain, resulting in fewer birds for hunters to blast out of the sky…About 700,000 red grouse will be killed between now and December. According to a report by the League Against Cruel Sports, 40% of birds shot are wounded rather than being killed outright, causing intense and prolonged suffering. Grouse are low-flying and difficult to shoot cleanly, and hunters need no formal training or competence with a gun to go on a shoot – it’s a free-for-all. These are just a couple of reasons why this barbaric “sport” should be banned.

Grouse are charming, sensitive birds who are devoted parents to their chicks. They deserve better than being killed in cold blood for someone’s twisted idea of entertainment. And it’s not just the grouse who suffer at the hands of the hunters. To preserve the interests of their own sick pleasure, hunters remove the grouse’s natural predators, meaning foxes, stoats, weasels, squirrels, and birds like hawks, falcons, owls, hen harriers, and eagles are trapped, poisoned, or shot or their nests are destroyed.

All this cruelty and destruction so that a tiny minority of bloodthirsty people can wander through the British countryside gunning down sentient animals – it’s a senseless massacre, not a hobby.”

When you sibling wants your other slipper!

In a comment to a post about migration and if the males ever leave a chick on the nest (the question was in regard to nest #4 in Finland where the sole surviving osplet appears to have a wing injury), the author of Belle’s Journey and many papers on Osprey behaviour and, in particular, migration, Rob Bierregaard says: “Adult females almost always leave first, usually a week or two before the males. In the northeastern US, it’s usually mid-August for females and the first 2 weeks of September for the males and young. This information is based on 107 satellite-tagged birds, so I know when birds start migrating, as opposed to leaving the nest and hanging around somewhere, which they’ll do, especially after a nest fails. When young leave the nest, they are not necessarily starting their migration. Some wander all over the place and and delay the start of their migration until, exceptionally, November. I had one young from Martha’s Vineyard, an Island off the east coast of Massachusetts, wander 1,200 miles all the way to the Great Lakes! I had one male linger into late September when a young couldn’t get its act together and was constantly on the nest begging. The male finally gave up and left before the young did.”

The Eurasian Hobby in Dorsett is becoming a Hobby instead of a ‘baby chick’. Don’t you just love those strong legs of the falcons?!

Geemeff sends both a happy and sad story of Ospreys at the Cape which has grown from a few pairs to now over 500 they estimate.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/08/06/as-ospreys-make-a-strong-comeback-on-the-cape-many-have-run-afoul-of-human-infrastructure

Geemeff also sends the daily summary from Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Wednesday 7th August 2024

No action whatsoever today, not even a visit from a little bird. It’s not yet the middle of August, but with night cam switching on ever closer to 10pm and staying on until almost 5am, and no chicks flying around demanding fish from Louis, the season feels suspiciously like it’s over for this year. Affric152 and Prince should still be around as they have a young fledgling to look after, and with luck we might even see their chick testing his wings on or near one of the cam nests. Garry LV0 was the last one to leave last year so perhaps he’ll do that this year too but it does seem as if the star pair, Louis & Dorcha, have already headed south. With the weather being wet and windy today, and more of the same forecast for the next ten days, moving south seems the sensible thing to do.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.21.45 (04.41.53); Nest Two 22.14.31 (04.49.20)

Today’s videos: none – not even a visit from a little bird!

Bonus read – a free ebook by W. H. Majoros Season with the Osprey:

Click to access ASeasonWithTheOsprey.pdf

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

‘J’ sends news that the couple at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest had their nest collapse during heavy rains and storms. Thankfully no eggs or chicks!

Welcome WBSE34 who joins that sibling at the Olympic Park Eagle nest in Sydney.

‘R’ sends a good read on why we should be putting bird friendly tape on our windows. How many birds do you think die each year from window strike?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/billion-bird-deaths-glass-window-building-crashes

The wind appeared to be strong at the Port Lincoln barge. Both Mum and Dad were tucked in and then Dad flew off and left Mum hoping he was going to bring her a nice big fish for brekkie.

Jackie and Shadow were at the nest for morning chortles on Wednesday.

Ceramic nests save the life of little seabirds and they are coming to Alcatraz to save birds. Thanks, ‘EJ’ – a very engaging story of people figuring out solutions.

https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/30/as-atmospheric-heat-kills-seabirds-a-bay-area-ceramicist-fires-up-a-solution/?utm_source=copy_sitebutton&utm_medium=site_buttons&utm_campaign=site_buttons

Sadly, we will be hearing more about bird flu.

Bird flu is here. We have no plan.Download

But this is good news. It is time for some serious consideration about taking all the Menhaden that keep our ospreys alive (and other birds and mammals).

Atlantic menhaden board votes to study more restrictions on controversial Chesapeake Bay fishery

https://www.whro.org/environment/2024-08-06/atlantic-menhaden-board-votes-to-study-more-restrictions-on-controversial-chesapeake-bay-fishery

The measure passed this week is meant to help protect birds and fish that rely on menhaden as a key food source. But researchers say more data is needed to understand the dynamics in the bay.

I really hope that my readers living in this area and loving the Osprey will speak up – and anyone else that feels it is important for Osprey to have fish to eat! The commercial fishing of Menhaden has to stop – inside and outside of the Chesapeake Bay.

‘H’ reports:

8/7 Osoyoos osprey nest:  Unless I missed one, it seems that there were only 4 fish brought to the nest, all delivered by Olsen.  There were two good size fish from which Soo provided nice feedings.  And, the two very small fish were acquired by Chick 1.  Chick 2 was doing much better with his wingercizing today.  At 1749, Chick 2 was so high that s/he was almost completely out of view for a second.  Keep exercising those wings #2!  Weather forecast for 8/8:  Partly cloudy with smoky air, high temp 92F/33C, light winds.

8/7 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  Everything is going well for Johnny, June and 54-day-old ‘Fen’.  Today was the first day in a few weeks that June did not catch a large striped bass, but the wind and rain may have had something to do with that.  Fen was wingercizing with some nice hops today.

8/7 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  There was another fledge today.  Due to the dirty camera, it is still difficult to see details of the birds.  But, at 1200, we believe that chick 2, named Peyto, fledged at 54 days of age.  Peyto landed on the nest perch at 1240, and dropped to the nest when a fish arrived.  Congratulations Peyto!

A wee peak at WBSE 33 and 34. They always look like fluffy little snow people to me.

Hugo Yugo wishes everyone the best Thursday (or Friday) depending on where you live. She is a sleepy girl waiting to get her eyes cleaned, poor thing.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, CG, EJ, Geemeff, H, J, PB, RP’, Heidi McGrue and the Joy of Ospreys, Henry Thomas White and Altons’ Keep Wildbird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center Inc., Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, Sea Eagle England, Cairngorms National Park, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Montana Osprey Cams, LDF, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Osprey Cam, Chesapeake Mermaid, OpenVerse, PETA UK, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, CBS News, SFStandard, The New York Times, Mark Avery, Brian Collins and Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Osoyoos Ospreys, Fenwick Island, and Fortis Exshaw.

Tuesday in Bird World

6 August 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

What a wonderful way to start the day!

This is part of a fabulous message from ‘B’: “Gosh, Mary Ann, Hellgate is breaking the smile-meter today.  Not only does Sum-eh “branch” to the perch at 6:53, but then s/he tires of the perch at 7:43 and takes off on a real fledge.  And without even seeing her, we can follow the whole flight by seeing Antali track the whole flight, right up to the landing a minute later.  At 8:00 Iris lands and begins calling for the celebratory fish, but she must already know it is on the way, because Finn arrives with fish at 8:00:54, and the whole family is on the nest to celebrate Sum-eh’s fledge.”

How many of us just had tears in our eyes when we saw Sum-eh fly? I keep thinking that this is the perfect Osprey family. Everything this year was as if it had been choreographed by someone directing a world-famous symphony or ballet company at the Hellgate nest of Iris and Finnegan. I want it to stay this perfect.

Iris and her family have energized me.

Information on Montana Ospreys and where they migrate and when:

Osprey – Montana Field GuideDownload

Poor Iris.

Oh, it was not so hot today but that did not stop the Blue Jays dive bombing the Crow fledglings whenever they came to get cheesy dogs and kibble! The sounds of the fledglings alarming and wanting the parents to come and help was, at times, a bit eerie. And then a community cat came and that really got the Crows going!

The tree you can see is where the Blue Jays nest. They gather there and swoop at the fledgling Crows whenever they come for food. You will see that one of the Crows on the fence has a lighter chest (far right)—it is moulting and an adult.

BirdGuides Photo of the Week is an osprey diving for a fish. Several places in the UK offer hides for taking these amazing images – at a price. Most of all, it helps the ospreys because there is a healthy amount of fish available and, in all cases, as I understand it, the ‘farmers’ who monetised their ponds or fish tanks are making more money from folks like us who want to get that winning image. Note that I have been more than careful not to say ‘shot’ – as the ospreys steal fish at the commercial fish ponds in South America and do get shot. I wish those farmers would advertise hides for taking photographs. They might discover this win-win situation, too.

Photo of the Week: 29 July-4 August 2024 – BirdGuidesDownload

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

Daily summary Monday 5th August 2024

Just a raft of Mistle Thrushes and a Woodpecker on Nest One today – no Ospreys, no other action on either nest, just plenty of rain. Filling in the gap a little, LizB posted more footage of the Bunarkaig nest showing Affric and her chick, links in the bonus section. The wet weather continues tonight and tomorrow, with the possibility of thundery showers in the late afternoon.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.35.04 (04.41.35); Nest Two 22.46.59 (04.49.03)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/2VFRd-lLvn4 N1 Many Mistle Thrushes and a Woodpecker visit 13.12.59

Bonus videos – Another couple of bits of video footage from Bunarkaig (thanks LizB):

https://youtu.be/KZnXzJYpR6Q  The chick having a flap and a hop about on the nest with mum Affric

https://youtu.be/aFurmuMNz5E The chick taking flight

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

Concerns for USU at nest #4 Finland continues as migration approaches. Will someone take the osplet into rehab?

‘PB’ caught USU flapping!!!!!!!

We are going to have a fledge at Charlo soon!

The other nest to keep an eye on is Minesota Landscape Arboretum. Our only surviving chick is on the perch with Mum on Monday.

Dad continues to deliver nice fish meals to the Cowlitz PUD nest.

River has come a long way to getting very proficient at self-feeding. Mum Keke looks on at the Sandpoint nest.

All three on the nest at Blackbush at Old Tracadie Harbour.

Nice crops on Mum and the fledgling at Boulder County.

‘PB’ caught a great image of the McEuen fledgling – just look at that crop. Mum did well. Such a sad year for this nest but one osplet survived with Mum despite the heat and having a single parent nest.

Blue (HWF BBCentral nest) was doing some wingers and moving around the nest including standing on the rim.

From the Forum:

‘CG’ reports:

AP Hovasse was out taking videos this morning.  Believes Blue is ready to FLY!!  He will be out again tomorrow morning.  

Cams came back up at 1452 hours.

At 1715 hours, she pulled a plastic bag up out of the nest and proceeded to rip it up scattering it across the nest.

Aug5-Bag2.jpg

At 1750 hours, a parent delivered food, dropping it at the edge of the nest.  Blue grabbed it and mantled it.

She did her usual flapping and seems to have taken to sitting on the edge of the nest.  She also had three healthy looking PSs this afternoon.  

Aug5-Edge1.jpg

Close up of Blue.Aug5-Close4.jpg

By 2251 hours, she is lying down asleep.

Aug5-Nite1.jpg

Weather for Tuesday high of 73F, low 50F, sunny.  Temperature predicted to rise to the 80s Wednesday-Friday, then back down to the 70s with clouds for Saturday through the next week.”

Dad brought a really nice fish to Mum at the Port Lincoln Barge Tuesday morning! Oh, these two are getting me excited. Think the fish fairies will be around this year?

Small beak peeking out of the egg at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest in Sydney. The chick has made some progress during the night and Lady didn’t get much sleep. Let’s hope it is out today.

At Osprey House Environment Centre, the three osplets are little reptiles. I wonder if they will continue to play sweet. Let’s hope!

Where does Australia’s Painted Snipe go in the winter?

One of Australia’s most elusive birds, a 2,200km journey and a mid-winter mystery solved | Birds | TDownload

A reality TV show in Australia where the contestant ate a rare bird. I thought Geemeff was kidding me – not. Who are these idiots?

https://www.birdguides.com/news/reality-tv-contestant-killed-and-ate-protected-bird

And some better news!

https://www.birdguides.com/news/extinct-in-the-wild-guam-kingfisher-hatches-in-captivity

‘H’ reports:

8/6 Colonial Beach osprey nest:  By 0935 this morning, Betty will have been missing for three days.  Yesterday, David brought 43-day-old Cobey a large headless fish in the morning, and Cobey ate some of it a few times throughout the day.  Cobey is doing well with his self-feeding, but he is not strong enough to tear through much of the skin, especially as the fish dries out.  There was an interesting period of time when there was an intruder on the nest for about 1.5 hours.  Fortunately the intruder was not interested in Cobey, and he did not take the leftover fish.  The intruder simply looked around, and moved some sticks.  We were hoping that David would bring a fresh fish for supper, but he didn’t.  Cobey was noted to have a few good PS on 8/5, but s/he needs more fish than what he is getting.  Unfortunately, David does not do any feeding.  As a single dad, we are hoping that David will increase the amount of fresh fish that he provides for Cobey.  Today will be mostly cloudy, high temp 90, winds gusting to 17 mph.  Please come home, Mommy!

8/5 Osoyoos osprey nest:  They had a good day.  There were 7 fish brought to the nest, including 2 from Soo.  And, both Soo and Olsen delivered some whoppers.  Chick 2 is still not quite ready to take that maiden flight.  S/he did some wingers with slight lift, but no hovers that I have seen.  Weather for 8/6:  sunny, high temp 90F/32C, winds gusting to 13 mph.

An Osprey family living in the Turtle Mountains of Manitoba just west of where I live taken by Brenda Lyons two days ago!

In Estonia, three new Black Storks have been fitted with transmitters. Yeah! We wish them a long, long life. We hope that one of those, Kerli, which is believed to be Kergu’s sweetie pie, will return with him next year to breed.

Kerli (young female – Kergu’s sweetheart) – Black Stork – Ciconia NigraDownload

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, observations, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, CG, Geemeff, H, PB, RP, TU’, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cams, mt.gov, McEuen Park, Hancock Wildlife Forum, HWF-BBCentral, BirdGuides, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Cathy Cohen, Osprey House Environment Centre, The Guardian, BirdGuides, Colonial Beach, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Brenda Lyons, Ciconia Negro.

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.

Friday in Bird World

2 August 2024

Hello Everyone!

Don’t forget to send me a note or a long list with your favourite moments of the 2023-24 season (every bird counts, no matter the species). I will publish these on Wednesday, August 8th. We need to have some smiles and I just know that there are some surprises lurking out there that have not been mentioned! You can put the list in the comments or send me an email: maryannsteggles@icloud.com Make sure I get this before midnight CDT on Tuesday August 7. Thank you so much!

Another hot day. 32 C. The bird baths needed filling continually. The Crows and Jays kept quiet during the high heat of the afternoon and are just coming into the garden. Dyson should be joining them soon!

We are nearing the time when every osplet should be fledgling. They will then have time to gain their muscle strength and get lots of practice. Some very precious osplets might even catch their fish before they leave on migration, but most will depend on their parents and, in particular, Dad as Mum will be departing well before anyone else. The females lose from 10-15% (some even have been found to lose up to 30%) of their body weight, and it takes them extra time to build up for their long journeys.

The University of Toronto reminds us of the simple facts, “There are two distinct populations of osprey with respect to lifestyle, the Residents and the Migrants. Residents are the ones, which breed in the subtropical latitudes in winter; they either stay in the same area all year round or move only locally during the non-breeding season. The other ones are the Migrants, which nest in the temperate latitudes and fly off each autumn to spend the winter in the tropical regions. North American ospreys start migrating south to their wintering grounds in Central America and in the northern parts of South America, around mid-August. By early September, most nesting colonies in the northern latitudes are empty. The numbers of migrating ospreys observed at selected watch points along their southward route are at their greatest during mid-September and early October. They reach their wintering grounds by late November. During winter, the only thing an osprey does is to eat, rest, recover from the stress of the previous breeding season and prepare for the next breeding season. It has been observed that during winter, they become more tolerant of each other as they congregate in loose flocks and are even known to hunt together in small groups, a few birds hovering over water, looking for fish might also stimulate others to join in the frenzy. Adult ospreys start leaving their wintering grounds in early March, by late March, more than half of the wintering ospreys have left the wintering areas, for their natal nesting grounds. Yearling ospreys stay on their wintering grounds for another eighteen months, returning to their natal nesting grounds at the age of about two years. Two-year-old ospreys however, leave the wintering grounds much later than the adults, and may reach their natal nesting grounds as late as June, by then; they are already too late to breed. However, pre-adult ospreys may become a nuisance to the breeders, because they try to take over nest sites and may interfere with the breeding pairs, as they explore and search for nesting sites of their own. They are also sometimes known to replace a partner in a breeding pair if it dies or is incapable of performing its duties. Ospreys arrive back at their natal nesting grounds by early May.”

If you are looking for interesting books on Osprey migration, here are my top two.

Soaring with Fidel by David Gessner is not your typical academic book and that is why it is my favourite choice for anyone wanting to understand the migration of ospreys and, in particular, those on the NE coast of the US. Gessner follows Fidel down the coast, to Cuba, and into South America. I promise you that you will want to travel to the mountains near Manzanillo, Cuba to see the hundreds if not thousands of ospreys that fly over heading south. It is the top of my bucket list. And I will get there!

The second choice is more for older chidren but Heidi expressly told me that it is not just for children, adults can enjoy it, too, and I agree. Belle’s Journey. An Osprey Takes Flight will touch your heart. It is the true story of a GPS tracked osprey. Rob Bierregaard takes us from Belle’s fledge, to her first successful fish catch, through a tumultous trip down the coast of the US to South America.

Which leads us into these amazing birds that are hopping, jumping, and hovering and will soon spread those wings with confidence and fly for the first time.

Oldest chick fledges from Saaksilvie nest #1 while the remaining chick gets some high hovers!

I haven’t reminded anyone about the benefits to birds of shade grown coffee for awhile. It is time to do that as we examine, on occasion, agricultural practices that can benefit not only humans but wildlife. The Snithsonian certifies ‘bird friendly’ coffee. They even sell it. In Canada, it is Birds and Beans. Yes, it is more expensive than brands where the tree canopy has been clear cut but, compared to other high quality small roasters in Canada, it is only about $3 more per 454 grams (one pound). It is discounted if you get a subscription. And no, I don’t get a commission! But I do support every effort to rewild and to make our planet more inhabitable for all living creatures so I cut back on the amount of coffee that I drink so I can purchase the bird friendly brand.

Shade-grown coffee demonstrates the benefits of combining agriculture and conservation – Oxford BrooDownload

Ventana Wildlife is not all about Condors. They are a Species Recovery Programme. This is a recent video about the success of the restoration of the Bald Eagles in Central California. It is beautiful and short, 1:27 minutes.

Some news about Blue and a lot of flapping at Boundary Bay.

Food deliveries for Blue:

‘CG’ sends her report on Blue’s Day:
Mere.  Ha, ha.  I’ll bet she was the twitterer I kept hearing yesterday.  Blue knew she was there and was squeeing at her.  I’ve seen this kind of thing happen before.

July31-South1.jpg

Blue greeting the day from her favorite spot.  Wonder what she thinks of the fog.

Screenshot 2024-08-01 090238.png

I thought she had a pretty good day.  She was very active all day long and did quite a bit of squeeing.  I wondered if a parent was around but didn’t hear any adult twittering until later in the day.  She spent the morning wingercising, hopping, and dancing across the nest.  It was so cute that they put together a video.  

Great Flapping From Blue on YouTube with a message from Hancock Wildlife regarding concern about Blue.

There was a food delivery of fish around 1000 hours.  Blue pounced on it, and there was a struggle to release it from Mere’s talons.  I’d called it a medium sized piece, and it was all gone by 1018 hours.  

,During the afternoon, she spent time moving around the nest, looking out, preening, wing stretching, and more dancing, skipping, and flapping across the nest.  She lay down a few times today but not for long except when she lay down in her favorite spot in the late afternoon.  I think she was dozing.

There was another food delivery at around 1830 hours, and she accomplished a good clean snatch.  It was a large piece.  It looked like moist fresh meat, a little more work than fish, but she did a good job of holding it down and pulling pieces off and all the time was squeeing while eating.  After dinner, she stood for a while, and after squeeing, she was answered by a lot of twittering.  Someone asked about Pere.  He is still around.  In fact, it looked like he delivered the last meal.  When chicks become “exuberant” trying to grab food when delivered, dads tend to retreat.  All chicks are bigger than dad, especially the females.  Poor Akecheta delivering food to his 3 eaglets at the West End Territory ended up on his back in the melee.

At 2200 hours, Blue was up and started doing a lot of preening.  I had seen a lot of moths on previous nights, but tonight, as well as the moths, there were lots of tiny flying insects.  Had to be annoying.

I checked in at 2244 hours, and she was asleep lying down with her head to one side.  She looked so adorable.  Funny, the flying insects and moths were gone.

WEATHER:  Thursday, 8/1, at 1715 hours, it is 82F, mostly sunny, wind 8 mph, humidity 63%, feels like 90F, low tonight 61F.

Friday, 8/2 through Monday, 8/5:  Highs ranging from 79F to 82F with lows ranging from 50F to 62F.”

If you missed it, Finnegan and Iris’s chicks were named. This article includes the overwhelming numbers of people who voted and how many chose the winning names.

Hellgate Osprey Chicks’ Names Revealed After Community Vote | Cornell Lab Bird Cams Cornell Lab BirdDownload

Iris, Sum-eh and Antali see Finnegan coming in with a fish!

This nest just makes me smile. Thank you and good night Iris, Finnegan (wherever you are), Sum-eh, and Antali.

‘RP’ found this on X. So cute.

When fish deliveries come, everyone wants in on the action and some of that nice dinner! Fledglings who have been civil to one another on the nest take on a new energized stance as they prepare to live independently in the world.

Dyfi Osprey Nest.

It is precisely the same at every nest.

Glaslyn.

The baby, 5H6, claims the fish at Poole Harbour!

Later, other siblings want some fish, too.

At McEuen Park, the fledgling is enjoying a fish dinner all by itself.

It feels like things are finally settling down in the nests. The last of the osplets will be fledging and then they will need to eat and fatten up a bit – so will Mum and Dad – before they begin their migrations (if they migrate, some don’t). What a year it has been.

Annie and Archie are finally getting some quiet time after successfully fledging four! Dear Nox, the fourth hatch that landed in the water at the marina is improving. Great news. If I had a list for cutie pies this year I bet Nox and Smallie would tie. Interesting that they are both Peregrine Falcons!!!!!

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

Daily summary Thursday 1st August 2024
Not much action today but after a quick pop in on Nest One from a pair of Warblers, we did have the pleasure of seeing an Osprey – Garry LV0 arrived and spent a few quiet minutes looking around and preening before flying off again. Chaddie 14 gave us the exciting news that the chick at Bunarkaig has fledged, this chick is thought to be the offspring of Affric 152 & Prince. Link to his update:  https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15536809.  WTS George says we would really appreciate people signing our Living Legends petition to protect our ancient trees:  https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/?ht-comment-id=15532685. The weather was settled today, but tonight’s light cloud and light winds will change into heavy rain tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.32.55 (04.30.46); Nest Two 22.32.34 (04.38.42)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/9LKihnfJAjo N1 A pair of Warblers visit 10.31.12https://youtu.be/QTRqeePpg8I N1 Garry LV0 arrives, stays a while, and preens 13.07.21

Bonus watch – Soar with a Golden Eagle as it flies over Scotland wearing a go-pro eagle cam:https://youtu.be/JDmgtkaKx6c

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

Royal Cam Chick is loosing all his baby down and transforming into a beautiful albatross that will be fledging in another 5-6 weeks. Isn’t he lovely?

Everyone is still home at Blackbush.

Morning rained stopped. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum chick is certainly ready to begin some great hovering and flapping. My goodness, I hope some fairies bring some soft material to this nest next year to help the ospreys get a head start.

Fledgling at McEuen Park waiting for Mum to bring some fish! This is actually a bit of a miracle, too. It is hard enough for a single parent to take care of chicks in a perfect world. Then imagine a single parent with four chicks, intense heat, and babies not able to thermoregulate. I think we are lucky that we had one survive on this nest in Idaho this year.

My goodness. The two chicks at the Latvian osprey nest in Kurzeme seem to have grown even more overnight! Look at the wing spread and look at that healthy ‘ps’. Another miracle nest and congratulations to Singa and Svings. The chicks were ringed on the 30th of July. The oldest is Red 59T, a female weighing a whopping 1750 grams. The second is Red 59V, a male weighing 1400 grams. The third egg DNH.

It’s very windy there.

Dorsett Hobby scares everyone by climbing to the rim of the nest. Is chick hungry?

Chatters have expressed some concern over what appears to be a wing problem with the chick on nest #1 in Finland.

Many of you will know that the largest wildfire in California history is burning and could be a threat to many nests. Here is an update on Liberty and Guardian.

Russian Imperial Eagle fledglings waiting at the nest for prey deliveries.

‘A’ sends the latest posts from Australia if you have not seen them:

At the Olympic Park, we are very close to hatch:

August 1: The 35th day since the first egg was laid. Early duets, and then Dad came in and took the fish tail off himself. He returned and sat for a short while. Lady returned after only 31 minutes. Another shortish shift each, then Lady came in at 9:20 with leaves and incubated again. During the morning, both were in for short shifts, with calling and duets. Later, both took their turn at incubating during some light rain. Late afternoon, Dad relieved Lady briefly, until she returned for the evening at 5:20. Lady spent some 7 hours on the eggs today, and they were uncovered only briefly during changeovers. No prey was brought to the nest.

August 2: A cold wet night for Lady. After a few calls, Dad came in at 6:30, and Lady was off for a break but heard close by. She returned after only 33 minutes – a quick break for her. There was some rain in the morning, and several changes. Lots of calling off the nest. Some rain on and off. Dad had a long (two-hour) shift from just before 9am, and again in the afternoon. Is Lady out getting prey for herself? Both brought some greenery in today, though again, no prey was brought to the nest. Lady was home from 15:35, and other than a few short stretches and rolls, she sat on the eggs until evening- though there was quite some muttering from the nest. A few late ups and downs, then settled. Both parents spent a similar time on the eggs today, with the eggs only uncovered for brief periods.

‘H’ sends her reports:

8/1  Osoyoos osprey nest:  Breakfast consisted of the large leftover fish from yesterday.  Soo fed her youngsters for about 18 minutes.  The first new fish of the day did not arrive until 1221, when Olsen dropped off a very large partial fish.  That fish provided for a 46-minute feeding for the osplets.  I did not see any more fish brought to the nest the rest of the day, but I noted that the chicks both still had large crops late in the afternoon.  It was a very warm day, with the temperature reaching 101F/38C.  Soo was acting as Mombrella to help shield her big kids from the sun most of the afternoon.  Weather forecast for 8/2: mostly sunny, high temp 102F/39C, light winds.  

8/1 Colonial Beach osprey nest:  It was a better day for this nest.  Four fish were brought to the nest, three of from Betty.  And, David delivered a fish after he had not been seen on cam for three days.  So, little Cobey ate pretty well today.  Betty was even seen acting as Mombrella for a while to shade Cobey from the hot sun…that’s progress!  Forecast for 8/2: mostly sunny, high 95, winds 16 mph.

8/2 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest:  There is a patch on the ground at the very top of our nest-cam-view where the marsh grass is thinned-out a bit, and I have seen both fledglings fly to that spot on occasion.  There’s something they like about being on the ground, and they think they are hidden by tall grass.  It was getting dark, and at 2030 in the evening on 8/1, I saw both of the fledglings fly from the nest to that spot.  I could make out one of their heads, while the other one was just out of view.  I have not seen a fox this season, but I have in the past.  They roam the marsh at dusk.  I didn’t like the fledglings being on the ground at that time of day.  How would they learn to stay up high out of harm’s way from ground predators, especially as darkness approaches?  Shouldn’t it be instinctual?  Or, is it something that they would somehow learn from their parents?  Certainly learning from experience doesn’t sound like a very good idea.  Well, I worried all night, and I was very grateful to see those silly juvies fly to the nest early this morning.  I wonder where they actually spent the night.

If you happen to be near St Louis, Missouri, there are celebrating Murphy at the World Bird Sanctuary (Thanks, J)

And they continue…Omega will be there til they get the very last Menhaden. Perhaps it is time for a world wide boycott of Omega!

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

Thank you to the following for their wonderful reports, posts, pictures, videos, articles, books, and streaming cams that helped me write my post today: ‘A, CG, Geemeff, H, J, PB, RP’, Amazon (book covers), David Gessner, Rob Bierregaard, Nesting Bird Life & More, Oxford Brookes University, Ventana Wildlife Society, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, All About Birds, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, BoPH, Pam Breci, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Blackbush Beach Ospreys, MN-LA, McEuen Park, LDF, Finnish Osprey Foundation, FORE, Imperial Eagle Cam RU, Olympic Park Eagles, Sharon Dunne, Montana Osprey Project, DancinLionHeart, and Menhaden-Little Fish, Big Deal.

Surviving chick at McEuen fledges…Thursday in Bird World

1 August 2024

Good Morning,

Happy August. To all those in the area of the big storms last night, I hope that you and our feathered friends in the area are safe. It is another hot day on the Canadian Prairies. 32 C. The garden is thriving, and the birds cannot stay out of the birdbath. I don’t blame them. The heat and the humidity have been challenging. I wish the nature centre stayed open past 1700. The nicest time to walk is in the early evening. Tonight, it was around the neighbourhood. One thing I missed was the sound of birds until I got closer and closer to my little haven, and there they were – hundreds singing their hearts out. My garden is their paradise. Everything is for them so nothing is tidy. The sunflowers the birds planted are growing wild, the deck is set up so that there is room for feeding in the lilacs, on the deck and the little feeder, and behind the conservatory is an area for the Crows which is being infiltrated by the Blue Jays and Squirrels. The Starlings seem to have moved now that their chicks have fledged.

As I continue to suggest that humans need to work together with wildlife, I have, at the same time, been researching birding in Nova Scotia and I came across a wonderful entry about Bald Eagles that is truly heart warming from ‘Keeping an Eagle Eye on Sheffield Mills’ in Saltscapes Magazine:

In what has become a true phenomenon, Bald eagles have been making their way to the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia to ride out the winter and to feast on handouts. Hundreds of the birds come, filling the skies like flocks of seagulls. It’s a sight to stir the soul of even the most travelled nature aficionado. Like many solitary creatures, including grizzly and polar bears, these eagles congregate in large groups near a food supply as a winter survival strategy. But in the Annapolis Valley, the plentiful food source is anything but natural. In an ironic twist, the poultry farmers of Kings County, who once regarded the eagles as deadly predators, are helping the birds claw their way back from the endangered species roster. With the encouragement of Acadia University biologists, poultry farmers began the practice in the 1970s of letting the eagles clean up the plentiful supply of dead chickens that large poultry farms are saddled with every winter. The birds relished the free chicken dinners and have come back every year for more.

The return of eagles across the Annapolis Valley marks a heartening trend across the province. No longer poisoned by DDT or shot by misinformed farmers, eagles have become a common sight in many regions in Cape Breton and northern Nova Scotia. “We’re even starting to see them more and more in southern Nova Scotia and even on Brier Island,” says Mr. Maybank. “That’s very encouraging.”

With 85 to 90 per cent of Nova Scotia’s poultry producers located in eastern Kings County, the supply of chickens shows no sign of running out. But Mr. Hennigar says that everyone is working to make sure eagles don’t become dependent on these handouts. Farmers are careful not to overdo it, giving the birds a chance to forage for themselves on warm winter days.

I am hoping that a few of those eagles will be around along with all the sea birds, the ospreys, and the shore birds when I am visiting!

This is what can happen when we join together. The chickens would have been destroyed, why not feed the eagles? Restaurant meals are dumped. Why not feed the Crows or the feral cats? Pet food is put in dumpsters when the expiration day arrives and yet it is still good. It just can’t be sold. So why not get the pet stores to donate the food to feed the feral cats? or help those who cannot afford to purchase food for their pets and are considering surrendering them? Have an hour, talk to you local pet store and see if you can help.

‘H’ reports: (Thank you!)

7/31 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The live stream was down all day until 1520.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  There were two large partial fish on the nest, and no one was eating.  When was the last time we’ve seen two leftover fish on the nest at Osoyoos?  I’ve only been watching this nest for three years, but I cannot recall it ever.  We could not initially see the second leftover fish because Soo was standing on it.  But, at 1539 Olsen dropped by with another partial fish.  No one was interested, and he took a look at the other fish, so he left with his latest offering.  It was at that point that I saw the large fish that was under Soo.  They must have had a fish-filled day!  Who knows why fishing had been so good.  It was 94 degrees, and none of these fish were small.  At 1611 Soo fed Big from the fish she was standing on until 1632, and there was still a lot of that fish remaining.  At 1726 Olsen arrived with another large partial fish, and this time Middle took it from him, and ate until 1738.  Meanwhile, at 1730 Soo had resumed feeding Big from her fish, but Big walked away at 1738.  At 1832 Middle self-fed for 10 more minutes.  Soo provided a feeding for both chicks starting at 1911.  Middle quit the feeding at 1930 and Big ate until 1944.  Then Soo fed Middle until 1954.  Soo finished that fish herself, eating the tail at 2003.  There were still two large pieces of fish on the nest.  At 2007 Soo provided one last feeding for both siblings from the fish that Middle had taken from Olsen.  That meal lasted until 2018, and I think they ate all of that fish.  There was still a large piece of fish remaining for their breakfast.  Oh my goodness!  I hope the cam can stay online.  The chicks are 54 and 55 days old.  We will be watching for lots of wingers, with the chicks achieving higher lifts off the nest.  Weather forecast for 8/1:  sunny, high temp 99F/37C, winds gusting to 9 mph.

7/31 Colonial Beach:  This nest can be summarized as: ‘Inconsistent’.  New dad, David, is MIA from the nest again.  He was last seen on cam on 7/28.  He’s not really missing, because the cam owner sees him occasionally in the tree across the street eating a fish.  Cobey can see him too, and calls to him.  Betty has been providing all the fish the past few days.  The temp today was 91 with light winds.  At one point today, Betty was gone from the nest for five hours straight.  Cobey had no shade from the hot sun.  But, Betty is a new mom, and even when she is at the nest, she apparently doesn’t know to provide shade for her youngster.  Betty finally brought a partial fish at 1700, for a feeding that lasted 18-20 minutes.  37-day-old Cobey had only one meal today, and only two meals yesterday.  Weather forecast for 8/1: sunny, high temp 93, winds 9 mph. 

The ospreys that have not fledged yet are getting good height and soon all of them will be airborne as the month of August is here and many will leave in early September to take to their winter homes where they will remain for two years before returning to the north.

In Finland, the oldest is getting some good height and should be fledging any day at the Janakkalan nest.

Two chicks getting fed. Parents seem to be staying around the nest. This nest has had problems with predators in the past.

The chick at Saaksilive #4 where the two other siblings were taken by the White-tailed eagle is still on the nest and doing well. It was very frightened the day of the last incident. Fingers crossed for this little sweetie to survive. It is a huge concern as the eagle lives in the forest near to the platform.

The only surviving osplet is now eating, enjoying being fed by an adult.

The heat continues in Montana.

Finn had a fish on the nest mid-morning.

Finn delivers 8 fish on Wednesday the 31st of July. He is not slacking. Everyone in his family is going to be nice and bulked up for migration! Way to go, Finn.

The Only Bob at Charlo Montana is starting to hop and flap. Will we see hovering soon?

Dunrovin Ranch, early morning.

Field Farm Dad is busy bringing in the fish with four fledglings to feed! This has been such an amazing nest to watch this year, just like Poole Harbour with its four. Can you imagine raising a nest of four osplets this year? Well, a few did and Field Farm was one of them.

All is well at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Electra and her only surviving chick that has fledged waiting for a fish delivery at Cowlitz PUD.

Mum and fledgling at the Boulder County meal got a ringside seat when staff of the county came to rescue the twelve domesticated ducks that had been left in the Cattail pond.

In another story, “Crews responding to the Stone Canyon Fire on Tuesday inadvertently dropped fire-retardant slurry into the St. Vrain Supply Canal, and the slurry has made its way into Boulder Reservoir.” While this might not pose a problem to humans other than eye irritants, the “Police added that aquatic life and wildlife may also be adversely impacted due to the concentration of the slurry.” (Daily Camera, 31 July 2024).

McEuen Park Only Surviving osplet out of four flew today for the first time and landed on the old South nest with Mum. (Thanks PB for the photo with Mum and the alert!)

Mispillion Harbour kiddos flying around as well.

Giving an osprey a wonderful second chance at life!

The hurricane force winds that hit the Missoula Montana area are now in Omaha, Nebraska as of Wednesday early evening. ‘PB’ advises that the cam at Fort Calhoun is down. We hope the ospreys are safe.(Thank you!)

Wings of Whimsy posted an annual round up of events at Decorah North and their 2023-24 season. I know that you will be more than interested if you haven’t seen this already. This amazing family had their nest and part of their tree break during bad weather and the four of them stayed together at their home. It was beautiful.

And there’s a live chat you can join about this incredible family and their year with the Raptor Resource Project coming up!

The Eastern Cattle Egret is breeding in the Middle East for the first time.

Eastern Cattle Egret breeds in Middle East for first time – BirdGuidesDownload

And Penguins are swimming in the Black Sea. The Penguin escaped from a private zoo. ‘TU’ writes: “Professor and Doctor of Biological Sciences Anatoly Kudakhtin, chief researcher of the Caucasian Nature Reserve and academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, noted that the Black Sea is a suitable habitat for this bird due to the abundance of fish.”

World Heritage site designation will help save migratory birds in PRC.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has designated 5 additional World Heritage sites along the coast of the Yellow Sea-Gulf of Bohai, helping migratory waterbirds across the continent.-https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/07/30/new-world-heritage-sites-in-china-help-migratory-birds/

The Centreport Eagles are having some fun.

That Dorsett Hobby is such a sweetheart.

Some footage of Richmond and Rosie together with their two osplets. It is the first time that the entire family has been caught on camera – at least to my memory so that we can see them clearly. What beautiful chicks and this light stand did turn out to be a good nesting spot. I am so happy for these two. There have been deaths and accidents at the old nest (no not always!) – it is good to have a glorious year.

‘CG’s report on HWF-BBCentral and Blue: (Thank you!)

July 31, 2024

Lots of moths flying around after dark.  They’re the white blobs.  Every so often Blue flinches as the fly into her.  Early in the morning, they had disappeared.

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There was a small food delivery around 0715 hours.  Someone thought it was a bird with not much meat on it. 

It turned out to be a glorious afternoon for Blue and her fans.  There was a humungous food delivery in the early afternoon.  It was in large pieces that looked like fish.  It looked fresh and moist.  She must have been so hungry and that fish so delicious that she tucked into it and kept going.  I was watching on the live cam and lost count of the pieces.  Someone said 12.  

She spent most of the afternoon in the one back corner looking out over the countryside.  Seems to be a favorite spot for contemplating.  She could have been napping on and off; I couldn’t see her eyes.  She also has some shade with that screen and can move to another spot on the nest if she wants some sun.  She did move into the sun at one point and at around 1630 hours, she found some fish she had missed, and had a leisurely snack.  Then back to contemplating.

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Is that a crop I see?

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She did not seem to do much wingercising today.  She did do a lot of calling. I left the live cam running, and all day, every so often, I would hear her and loud adult bald eagle twittering.  I never saw the adults, but they could have been perched out of cam view.

My weather forecast image in the last blog turned out as a sad miniscule square.  It looked fine in the email.  Maybe WordPress doesn’t like .png files.  I used a different method here so it’s a .jpeg file.  So, we’ll see. 

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That is wonderful to see that crop on Blue and it is really nice to see some cooler temperatures. Thanks, CG.

In the following posting from Geemeff there is an excellent article on why ospreys intrude on other osprey nests. Have a good read!

Geemeff’s Summary for Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust: (Thank you!)

Daily summary Wednesday 31st July 2024

The big news for today is that there is no news! No Ospreys were seen on either nest today, and the only activity was visits from some little birds. Pleasant weather today, but light rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.55.17 (03.53.23); Nest Two 22.56.40 (04.13.37)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/0pQQIotNUsM N1 Various little birds visit the nest 09.50.27

https://youtu.be/dJAmVH178r8 N1 A juvenile Robin fiddles with the nest furnishings 10.59.11

https://youtu.be/irAW6knurFY N2 A pair of juvenile Bullfinches investigate the empty nest 19.17.24  

Bonus read – why do Ospreys intrude on established nests?

https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2022/05/intruder-series-ospreys/

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

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

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care and remember to get those notes in telling me – and all of us – what it was that put a smile on your face this year. It can be eagle season, hawk, falcon, stork, osprey – whatever. Just in the midst of saddness I know that there were some of the happinest moments. We don’t want to forget them. I will be publishing the list in a week, Wednesday, the 7th of August.

Thank you to the following for their observation reports, comments, notes, videos, images, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘CG, Geemeff, H, J, PB, TU’, Saltscapes Magazine, Osoyoos, Colonial Beach, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Field Farm, MN-LA ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Boulder County, Daily Camera, McKuen Park, Heidi McGrue, Medina Raptor Centre, Pam Breci, Wings of Whimsy, Trudi Kron, BirdGuides, Birdlife International, Bald Eagles of Centreport, Dorsett Hobby, SF Bay Ospreys by Golden Gate Audubon, HWF-BBCentral, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust.