Category Archives: miracle

Miraculous moments that made us smile…2023-24 Season

Good Morning Everyone,

Some of our morning updates before we get to what is the real thrust of today’s news: SE33 has hatched at the Olympic Park Sea Eagle nest in Sydney. Congratulations Lady and Dad. What a beautiful strong little eaglet!

‘A’ remarks: “August 7 (Afternoon) After another shift for Lady, Dad was on incubation duties again for nearly an hour, though he left quickly when she returned. She then fed the chick again, with gentle, tiny bites offered, before settling again. She is restless, as you would expect with a chick and a pipping egg. Just before 2pm, Lady ate a little of the stored fish, and although she tried to feed the chick, she gave up because it was facing the wrong way. Shortly afterwards, she tried again and this time, SE33 ate a little. The pip on the second egg is more raised now. At 14:51, Dad brooded again, then went to the pantry but didn’t feed the chick. Lady was back after a 15-minute break. She was on the nest from just after 4pm, after a last short feed for SE33. Dad brought in a late fish at dark, and Lady ate a little before settling. She has spent longer on the nest today, though Dad has had a couple of shifts. He brought prey, and SE33 was fed four times. What will this night bring? Last season, the eggs hatched 32 hours and 46 minutes apart.”

‘H’ reports:

8/6 Osoyoos osprey nest:  I had a busy day, so when I got home, I primarily rewound the stream to check for a possible fledge for Chick 2.  S/he did not fledge today.  And, when Chick 2 did his wingercizing, he was still only achieving what seemed to be a few inches of lift off the nest (cam view can be deceiving).  A person very experienced with ospreys stated on a chat a few weeks ago, that ospreys typically need to do wingers and hovers for 10 days to build up their muscles for flight readiness.  I’m not an expert, just a nest cam watcher… but, I have seen ospreys suddenly have the ability to perform some nice hovers, and then fledge in a day or two.  Side note:  Little died from starvation on 7/15, and his body has remained in the nest.  This afternoon, a strong gust of wind lifted Little’s body and swept it off the nest.  ‘AMW’, a very kind and caring viewer that lives nearby, drove to the nest to recover Little’s remains.  She posted in the Facebook group:  “Little is now buried in my yard … and I will plant a flowering annual plant in Little’s memory.”  Thank you, ‘AMW’, from all of us.

8/6 – 8/7  Colonial Beach osprey nest: Cobey was awake early and at 0630 he picked up the old piece of fish and managed to pull off some pieces of fish-jerky.  He worked on it now and again, and by 0800 he was still trying.  David did not bring a fish for Cobey until 1348.  It was a large whole fish.  At the very young age of 43 days, Cobey has become quite the self-feeder by necessity.  Cobey had managed to eat the head of that fish before there was an intruder issue.  At 1415 David landed in the nest first, and it seemed that David may have been tangling with the intruder nearby.  The intruder landed in the nest immediately after David, and stole the fish, despite David being on the nest.  Oh no, no, no!  Poor lil Cobey’s only meal of the day was gone!  David did not bring another fish.  

The nest owner, host of the live stream, is a very caring and avid osprey conservationist.  She and others monitor many osprey nests in the Colonial Beach area.  She stated that they are finding many dead ospreys, on the ground or in nests.  It is thought that not only was fishing difficult when it was very hot, but that there may in fact be a shortage of fish for the ospreys to catch.  Some ospreys are having to resort to kleptoparasitism to survive, or to feed their young.  

Cobey’s mom, Betty, will have been missing for 4 days on the morning of 8/7.  The cam owner provided a statement regarding a possible rescue of Cobey.  “The VA DWR recommends that nothing be done at this time… we will continually monitor the nest, things may change.”  Please note that the cam owner’s hands are tied, and she must follow the advice of the regulating authorities.  Some comments on the chat were hurtful to her.  Go easy on the chat.  The cam owner is hurting as much, if not more, than you are.   Colonial Beach weather forecast for 8/7:  Cloudy with showers, risk of thunder storms, high temp 81.

8/6 Fortis Exshaw:  There was a fledge today.  It appeared to be the same chick that was doing the high hovering yesterday.  We missed seeing them for about 3 weeks when the cam was dirty, and we still do not have a completely clear view.  As a result, we were never able to learn how to differentiate the siblings.  We know that the oldest chick in a brood does not always fledge first, but I suppose we will simply assume that’s the one that flew.  The eldest chick was named BJ, and BJ initially seemed to only go as far as the camera at 0803, then returned to the nest at 0834.  But, BJ made a true fledge at 0927.  S/he made a nice landing on the T-perch at 1536, followed by a return to the nest at 1538.  Well done, new fledgling!

‘CG’: “Blue branched this morning, and between the time she branched and the time she fledged, she was doing  wingers, hopping, getting some good height, and went from the nest to the branch a number of times.  She went to the back of the nest and totally surprised everyone at 1557 hours by fledging from the back north corner of the nest by the screen.  One minute she was there then she was gone.  She is 100 days old today.

They have been looking for her but haven’t been able to locate her on the cams.  There is a ground crew out looking for her too.

Aug6-Fledge2.jpg

Congratulations Blue!  Way to go!!”

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

Daily summary Tuesday 6th August 2024

No activity at all on Nest Two, today’s action all came from Nest One, where Affric 152 turned up at dawn quickly followed by Garry LV0. However the pair fled the nest when a third Osprey appeared in the distance – Affric’s mate Prince, perhaps. Garry returned a little later with a stick but didn’t stay long. A few hours later birds were seen in the distance on nest cam and a Wood Pigeon overflew the nest. It rained pretty much throughout the day, and more rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.23.05 (04.07.43); Nest Two 22.22.22 (04.27.15)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/jMtQ4kDsEIE N1 Garry LV0 follows Affric 152 before a third Osprey makes them flee 05.15.16

https://youtu.be/bzEL4MZcwk0 N1 Garry LV0 returns with a stick 05.52.29

https://youtu.be/FzFbWLsw1xI N1 Various little birds on, over or near the nest 08.33.40

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 sending in the moments during the 2023-24 season that put a smile on your face. I really appreciate the time and thoughtful regard that you put into your choices and for sending them in. Most people will hesitate. Why do we think our voice doesn’t count? I hope that there are some surprises in here. I received 79 e-mails with the single word Iris along with what is posted below. So if you sent one of those in and I did not include your initials, my apologies. Just know that you counted in making Iris and her year with Finnegan, Sun-eh and Antali the top of the charts by a long mile. Also I didn’t ask for images but have included them if you sent them in!

‘MM’: “After a season filled with heartbreak after heartbreak it has made the happy moments even sweeter! One happy moment that happened early on in the season was when Beau finally figured out how to mate with Gabby and she was able to lay two eggs, unfortunately Beau got the mating mastered but that’s where the happiness ended, hopefully next season he’ll be ready. 

Another happy moment was the successful fledge of two healthy osprey chicks from Port Lincoln thanks to the fish fairy and the generosity of so many who donated. The two happiest moments of the season for me are tied for first place. I was beyond thrilled when the season started in SWFL and M15 had taken F23 as his new mate after the loss of our beloved Harriet last session. The season got even happier with the hatch of the incredible E23 💜 And of course the other happy moment at #1 is sweet Iris finally getting sweep off her talons by the handsome Finn and their two amazing chicks 💙 ❤️ Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on the good after dealing with so much bad. Praying next season will be filled with many happy moments .”

‘H’: “As I understand it, you are asking for happy stories.  Well, this makes me happy. This may sound strange.  But, I am happy for Darling at Captiva.  Darling fledged on 6/26 at 63 days of age.  His post-fledge life was not easy.  There was competition for the nest and food from his sibling, Ding.  In addition, both of his parents may possibly have had issues with their health, and they stopped bringing food to the nest.  Darling had not eaten for 3 days when he ended up in the water and was rescued and taken to CROW on 7/4.  He passed away at CROW that night.  We don’t know why things turned out the way they did, and we will never understand it.  I wish it had not turned out that way.  So, why does this make me happy?  It doesn’t.  The part that makes me happy is that Darling flew.  I think of all the ‘littles’ we have known that died from nest accidents, or weather events, or starvation, or illness, or predation, and they never got a chance to fly.  Darling was able to experience the sheer joy and exuberance of flying.  And, I am so happy for him.”

‘SP’: Amongst all the turmoil of this year, there were more golden moments and miracles to celebrate. (Photos below in order of the list)

  • Cal Falcons Annie & her new mate Archie fledged four beautiful falcon chicks in Berkeley. This was the first time since Annie’s been a YouTube star that all 4 of her eggs hatched. We were entertained, enamored and completely enthralled with Aurora, Solstice, Eclipse, and Equinox.
  • San Jose City Hall couple Hartley & second year dad Monty also fledged four beautiful falcon chicks – all girls. Though we lost one, we enjoyed weeks of the girl power brought by Luna (RIP), Zoe, Lucia, and Alma.
  • Southwest Florida M15 and his new mate F23 fledged the ever-endearing E23, further mending the holes in our hearts left by the disappearance of Harriet the previous year. F23 proved to be a most nurturing and loving mother, while M15 continued his legacy of being provider extraordinaire.  E23 was such a character and embraced being an only child with gusto. He proved to be an excellent flyer and at one point a protector of his natal nest. 

Oh, thank you for the opportunity to revisit these wonderful moments!”

Cal Falcons.

San Jose.

SW Florida:

‘B’ writes: Too many sad stories, but always some nice ones, too.  I liked how you said you think of all the miracles we have seen, to help offset the sadness of the sad stories.  I had meant to write you a couple of weeks ago how I followed a similar strategy to help offset the sadness.  I had a lower threshold than you, just thinking of the things that make me smile, rather than holding out for “miracles”.  But my number one was the same as yours: the arrival of Finnegan, so that Iris has a real and proper (and wonderful) mate for the first time in years.  Enough of that two-timing Louis!

In fact, two more of the top things that made me smile were also from Hellgate: the wonderful job Iris does as a mom when having chicks for the first time in years.  Especially protecting those chicks in that awful heat.  I swear, if “Mumbrella” were an Olympic event, Iris would be a medal winner.  And the other is how peaceful and calm those osplets are when there started with such a huge difference in size. Part has to be what a great provider Finn is, and also how diligent Iris is in making sure each chick is served well.  Gosh, the larger of the two would just stand and watch patiently if Little was served first, knowing his/her turn would come.

Also, Tuffy’s story always made me smile (even if hard to watch in earlier days), seeing him do what he needed to do to make it to being a beautiful and healthy fledgling in spite of the “Ruff” treatment from Ruffie.

And I couldn’t help but smile whenever I checked in on the Decorah eaglets after their nest (and branch) fell away, to see them happily perched on branches, as if to say, “we don’t need no stinkin’ nest, so long as we got our branch and our parents!”

In spite of all their hard luck getting a hatch, one can never help but smile to see Jackie and Shadow together.  I have to hope for another Spirit next year.

And wonderful to see both Annie and Archie at Cal and Hartley and Monty at San Jose have four healthy hatches make it to fledge, even with the sadness of losing Luna at San Jose and the injury to Nox in Berkeley.  I was so worried, especially for San Jose, what with the tough urban environment and seeing Lucia get rescued from the sidewalk and taking the elevator back to the roof twice before successfully fledging. 

There’s more, but these are some of the stories that make me smile.  (And, oh yes, of course there is Treasure and her siblings, also treasures.)”

CG: “My first thought was Tuffy.  I watched this nest with trepidation. Tuffy was the underdog.  How many times did we think he wouldn’t make it.  He was so endearing, and I loved his sneakiness to try to get food.  He never gave up.  You always talk about the will to survive, and boy, his little body was bursting with it.  The last time I saw him was just before they shut the cam down, and he was proudly standing on his nest.

Iris and Finnegan.  I knew nothing about her until you talked about her.  Finnegan came along and showed Louis the door.  He has been a wonderful mate and provider for Iris and their osplets, and Iris has been a wonderful mum feeding and protecting her little ones the way she does.  Just look at how they have turned out under their care.  They look so healthy, and Big has been a wonderful big sib being so patient with his little sibling except for the one time little sib got uppity and boldly attacked big sib.  That won’t be happening again!  This has been a wonderful osprey nest to watch.

I could not fail to mention my peregrines Annie and Archie and Hartley and Monty, each pair with four chicks this year.  Hartley and Monty went from newbies with one feisty Soledad last year to FOUR this year.  What a jump!  They handled it all with finesse.  No nonsense Annie always handles her chicks with finesse, and her new mate Archie was a great provider and dad.  Peregrines are a wonder and miracle every year.  I wish all nests could be as calming as theirs with equal feedings, no shortage of food, no predators, and lots of chick shenanigans. “

‘BHA’: My smile of the year has to be Iris, Finnegan and family. (Along with you and probably everyone else.)  What a miracle nest this year!!

Also, the San Jose falcons. The antics and shenanigans of the four girls were priceless! (Of course with a bit of sadness that we lost one of them…)

‘PB’: The bird that made me smile is Smallie. He was such a fighter especially how small he was up against 3 big sisters. I’m still sad about it. O18 became my favorite osprey, she was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Her personality matched her beauty. I miss her too! It’s making me cry thinking of them. But before them was a tie between Tuffy and Tiny D. They will all be in my memory forever.

‘J’ loves the Tortilla Bird. ” The photo of that tiny little babe in the tortilla just melts my heart (the feet! the feet!). That someone thought of wrapping it in a warm tortilla to keep it from getting cold is just brilliant – and hilarious at the same time. “

A Family Saved a Baby Bird With a Warm Tortilla. Its name? Taquito.Download

Geemeff: “But just want to say the names chosen for Iris & Finn’s miracle chicks are lovely and very suitable. In a season of sadness, they and the Poole Harbour Four have been some comfort. Iris’ success after so may years of being bullied by her ex, together with the unexpected success of saving one of Louis & Dorcha’s chicks to the point of successfully fledging, are my favourites of this season.”

‘TU’: My favourite article for a good mood is the one in The Guardian about the bird of New Caledonia. I loved it from the first sight.

Much cagou about something: New Caledonia’s favourite bird thriving after conservation push | New CaDownload

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/02/new-caledonia-cagou-bird-conservation

‘L’: Iris finding Finnegan or vice versa.  A wonderful memorable miracle. This nest brings pure joy! Iris is the best osprey mom I’ve ever had the privilege to watch and Finnegan is a precious gem. 

Blue is amazing at the Boundary Nest. I think he’s a miracle for surviving erratic food deliveries. 

The rescue of Rutland’s Little Bob. Golden moment. 

The Purple Martins in Erie PA. All 5 fledged. Enjoyable to watch.

McEuen Park. One, out of 4, that survived to fledge after losing father. 

Eagle Country-Tears for Meadow but Swampy lived and fledged. 

Thunder, Akecheta and their 3 beautiful eaglets! Koa, Treasure & Sterling. A delight to watch. A stress free nest. 

Cowlitz PUD- happiness, a survivor golden moment. 

Osoyoos, losing Little which was sad enough. Thankful two will fledge. Happiness and a miracle in my book. 

Little Miami Conservancy-All 3 eaglets fledged! Happiness. 

Southwest Florida Eagles-One hatch, smart and accelerated in growth. An amazing first eaglet for M15 & F23. 

BONUS!!!! Pure joy. 

Challenger surviving his health issues. 

Hugo Yugo, Calico, Hope & Missey and all the birds and squirrels that visit your garden. 

(I could go on and on. So many more miracles and golden moments….The 2 miracle eaglets that definitely would have made my list were unfortunately killed by father Scout at the NCTC nest.)”

‘BA’: “The first time Lucia accidentally fell from the nest area and had to be rescued. First lots of worry about her, and then the smile moment when she was released on the rooftop. And then the chuckle: later watching SKHideaway’s video of it all. Lucia was just out of the box, looking around wide-eyed at all the contraptions and weird stuff, and SKH’s caption said, “She thinks she’s in Disneyland!” That cracked me up. It was such a tense moment, worrying about how frightened Lucia might be,  and somehow we knew then she was going to be okay. (And then a couple of days later when she made it back down to the nest area and was reunited with her sisters – that was also a big smile moment.)”

LL: “Anything to do with Iris and Finn”.

JT: “The hatch of E23.”

PM: “Iris, Iris, Iris…West End nest. Those three eaglets were remarkable.”

‘A’: “Just before 09:32, there is a lot of thunder at Hellgate and Iris immediately flies to the nest. The rain really sets in, and Iris opens her roller doors and does her perfect mumbrella, managing to keep two fully grown osplets perfectly dry in the heavy downpour. What a mum she really is. Sumeh is the sweetest big sister ever, and little bro is adorable and such a feisty wee lad. This nest has been such a joy to watch. I could not have imagined enjoying watching a big sister/little brother osprey nest without a moment of stress or worry, but then along came Finnegan.” 

I am with you – Iris has put everything into this season, and it may be costly. But it may also give her a reason to return no matter what it takes, as she now has Finnegan waiting for her. These two have bonded strongly and I am really hopeful that the strength of their relationship will give Iris what she needs to make it home again. She truly has been the most wonderful mother. What a waste – Louis truly is a cad. 

BT: “Too numerous. 1. Fish Fairies at Port Lincoln. 2. Finnegan ousting Louis and winning Iris’s heart. 3. Annie and Archie raise four little falcons. Jackie and Shadow because they just make me smile all the time.”

RW: “The Fabulous Four at Poole Harbour ties with Iris and Finn.”

CB: “SE31 fledges and spends time with Lady and Dad on the Paramatta River learning to be an eagle. Iris and Finnegan because I never thought Iris would ever raise chicks again. The eagles at Decorah North because they survived so much and continued to be a family at their nest tree even when it had fallen over.”

CD: “I loved Smallie. The wee little falcon longed to live and it did get to fly.”

DDS:

  • Iris and Finnegan. Never thought this would happen.
  • Jackie and Shadow and their sticks and hopefulness.
  • M15 gets another chance to be a Dad.
  • They didn’t raise a family but seeing Gabby and Beau together made me smile.
  • The rehabbers that help.
  • The small Dutch falcon that died but got to fly.
  • The people who dared to provide fish to the osprey chicks at the barge in Australia.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to those who didn’t but sat and thought about what made them smile this year!

My list in a bit of a narrative and in no certain order:

The day I learned that Bonus was alive, I cried. Knowing that both Black Storks Waba and Bonus, raised by Karl II, are still flying gives me hope that there are others, too. I continue to be ever grateful for the work of Urmas in Estonia and his team in providing fish for the storks, ringing them, and checking on their well-being. It makes me smile to see the fish baskets that he sets up and fills to keep the storks alive. I wish that more people would engage with wildlife positively and constructively. I am grateful to the Roy Dennis Foundation and the Woodland Trust for removing the two chicks of Louis and Dorcha for translocation. Louis was not himself, and while I had an enormous smile when he reappeared after so many days, he needed to get his strength up, so it still felt like a good win-win. But knowing dear Louis is alive is a huge grin and a happy moment. The fish fairies at Port Lincoln took a stand and saved the osplets of Mum and Dad at the barge and I will forever think that this was a miracle that saved the chicks lives. Didn’t you just grin seeing the hand lay the fish on that nest? Whenever I checked on the nest at Poole Harbour, I smiled at the absolute dedication and great parenting of CJ7 and Blue 022. I remember the year they were courting, and it didn’t seem possible that CJ7 would get a mate, and now, to the astonishment of all, in their third year together, they successfully raised four to fledge. The California falcons will always make me smile: Larry at Alcatraz, Annie and Archie, and Monty and Hartley. Incredible families and, oh, our dear little ones that got themselves into some mischief, including Nox, who is recovering. That photo of him with his wing wrapped was lovely. I was happy when Smallie could come and go in and out of the scrape and got to fly and feel the wind under its wings despite its subsequent death. Big Red always puts a smile on my face as does Arthur when he lines the nest bowl with squirrel fur. They love being parents. And this year, because of the year that it was, I am grateful and smile whenever I see one of the nests have a fledge because they are just that much rarer. So many bird families lost so many of their offspring this year. To the delight and relief of many, Hope and Beaumont look like they will fledge two chicks this year from Snow Lane in Newfoundland – the first for many, many years. The Moorings Park nest just melted my heart when Tuffy overcame the abuse of the older sibling, Ruffie, and survive to become a gorgeous osplet that returned time and again to the nest so we could see that he was alright. What made me mad and also sick at times was the Frenchman’s Creek nest with fish after fish piled up and the poor osplets having to learn to feed themselves to survive – not from starvation but lack of parental attention. They triumphed, and somehow, the nasty fish disappeared. That made me smile big time. There were so many moments. Seeing SE31 flying over the Paramatta River with Lady and Dad, free of the harassment of the Pied Currawong, was simply one of the best moments ever, along with Flaco, the Eurasian Owl, who escaped from the Central Park Zoo and flew freely for a year. Perhaps I have said it more than once, but the resilience of Jackie and Shadow makes me smile every day.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/frgJbZxiHeHFwDSy

The ultimate smile was Iris and Finnegan, though. I never thought I would see Iris raising chicks. Louis drove me nuts, and to see a young male osprey keep Louis on the other side of the territory made me grin every day, especially when Finn chased Louis off the owl pole. Iris is simply amazing. She is old (I have great empathy for her), raising chicks in that heat, and now Sum-eh has fledged. I also smile whenever I get a note or a letter from you. It makes my day, along with my garden animals, my family, and the girls, that much better. Thank you for being there.

Thank you to everyone who sent in their memories and for the images and videos thank you to ‘A, CG, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, NestFlix Memories, Osoyoos, Fortis-Exshaw, Colonial Beach, Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal, HWF-BBCentral, Heidi and Windows to Wildlife, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SK Hideaways for the images of the falcon families from San Jose, Cal Falcons, and SWFlorida Bald Eagles, Wildwest Rehabilitation Centre, Texas Monthly, SK Hideaways, and The Guardian.

Mini finally gets some fish…Loud and feisty Soledad…Tuesday in Bird World

13 June 2022

Good Morning!

So what do you do when you worry? This morning after seeing Tiny shut out of food at the Patchogue nest for another day, it seemed like a good idea to head out for a walk in the forest despite the 29C temps. Tiny has not eaten since it had a huge crop late Saturday. Nothing is better to clear the mind than walking through trees with a slight breeze and looking at ‘the living’.

Fort Whyte Alive is restoring and building wetlands. They are being so careful not to disturb the waterfowl that the new area is intended to benefit. Two days ago, I could see only two Hooded Mergansers despite others saying there were three. Today, I turned, and there were three! Two drakes and a hen. Then turning away – I did not make a peep, but I sure wanted to – there was another hen with ducklings! There were eighteen. After so few goslings and Mallard ducklings, this was just overwhelming. Hooded Mergansers do breed in southern Manitoba but, according to all the ‘counts’, they are more populous in eastern Canada and Ontario than where I live.

Happiness in a pond full of Dragonflies and mosquitoes! A tip: if you go to wetlands and there are mosquitoes about, do not wear open-toe sandals. Yes, I did. LOL. Silly me. But I did have on long pants and a long sleeve shirt. Thank goodness. The running joke in Winnipeg is that people get eaten so severely by mosquitoes that they feel like they have given blood to the Red Cross. There were t-shirts to that effect for one year. The Dragonflies must be eating well!!!!!!!

In addition to the Hen, there were also two Mallard hens with eight ducklings. This was just a wonderful sight.

The two Mallard drakes were having a siesta!

Hooded Mergansers are ‘climate endangered’ according to Audubon. Many hope that the species is adjusting to climate change.

Valley-News-Adaptable-Hooded-Merganser-Adjusts-to-Changing-EnvironmentDownload

There are always Red-winged Blackbirds standing sentry at the top of the trees, flying around and following the humans on the paths if they get too close to their nests. This fella kept a really close eye on me and was vocalising very loud.

But then…just around the bend, there were geese with their five goslings. Talk about growing! This is the couple in the water two days ago.

Just lovely. School children were everywhere with nets checking the water, some were in kayaks or canoes, and others were heading to the Interpretative Centre. It is a great place to introduce youngsters to nature and hopefully, they will grow up to be good stewards of the land.

Lewis and Missey literally go and hide when they hear a Peregrine Falcon! It is incredible. Not frightened by eagles or anything else but let those falcons start and off they run! Her name is Soledad, the only eyas of Monty and Hartley at the San Jose City Hall scrape. Nice name.

Soledad is one ‘tough cookie’. Very strong and curious…she goes all over the place! After a meal, of course.

Sometimes Monty looks terrified.

In case you are going to miss, Deyani, SK Hideaways did a really cute video of this gorgeous hawklet before she fledges!

Patchogue is heartbreaking. The fish have changed. There are big bony ones coming on that take a long time to feed so that by the time it could be Mini’s turn, the Big ones are hungry again. Mini is very intimidated but that does not stop it from watching and trying to get up to some fish. It has been beaked by one of the big siblings and has lost out on food on Monday – at least anything more than a few bites by 1606 that I have seen.

Mini hopeful at 1607, but no fish left. This little one had tried and tried. Did I say that I have to go for walks in order to watch this nest now? Pray for lots of fish…we need a fish right after one another.

Mini had only a few bites of food today and was brutally attacked by the older siblings. How sad this has all become. It is unclear if any intervention could take place. ‘L’ is on it -. PSEG says that the osplets are all “doing fine”. It is 2300 and Mini has not eaten for 52 hours…OK. 3-4 bites. By Tuesday evening it will be the very critical 72 hours. Let us all collectively hope for a fish.

It is Tuesday morning and three large boney fish came to the Patchogue nest prior to 1019. Mini had 3 bites before it was sent into submission. The little one tried to chew off a bone. Mini is starving and persistent and a survivor…if it gets a chance. Mum was being so slow to start to feed it from this fish that I thought she was going to refuse. Mini does not understand.

Mum works around that bony head of the fish and finally starts feeding Mini a few decent bites. Is it possible Mini will get the rest of that fish before the others wake up? If so, Mini will survive to live again. Go Mini!

Tears. This nest desperately needs fish delivered like this or Mini will continue to be shut out and desperate. Send your most positive wishes. We need Mini to be another week older and he should be able to handle the Big ones better.

1100. Still being fed. Mum is fighting the bones and trying to eat, too. Mini is getting a crop. So Mini went more than 60 hours. Tears. Come on Mum…feed this baby more quick!

Mini ate until 1108 when the Big ones came up. Now why can’t Mum feed Mini as fast as she does the Big ones? It would make all the difference.

The weather has turned nasty in the UK with thunderstorms, high winds, lightning and hail. Maya kept the three osplets warm and protected as best she could teaching them to tuck their heads in. The minute the storm stopped Blue 33 was on the nest with a fish. Yes, he caught it during the thunderstorm for his family. Great guy! My choice if I were an Osprey!

It might be clear in Rutland but it is pitching down rain at Glaslyn. Elen is keeping the babes warm and dry.

The camera at Dyfi seems to be down.

At Llyn Brenig, Mum is spread out in a great umbrella protecting her chicks.

Dylan is home with Seren at Llyn Clywedog. The storm is passing.

At Loch of the Lowes, Laddie delivered another small gold fish. This nest is hungry. The issue is down to intruders.

Good feed on Tuesday. No animosity at LOTL. Yippeee.

At Loch Arkaig, the storm arrived quickly and left. Dorcha took great care of her Only Bob in the heavy rain and hail – but not until she had bolted off the nest when loud thunder frightened her. Just listen to the wind and heavy rain. Poor thing.

No shortage of fish at Poole Harbour. I saw one on the nest while CJ7 was feeding off another. All Bobs are little reptiles now.

Continuing to watch the Evergy Topeka Peregrine Falcons, where the third hatch is only a day younger than the two oldest and yet…the plumage is underdeveloped. Grateful that the feathers are starting to come out of the shafts but, what will happen to this baby?

‘H’ reports that the feedings remain civil at Barnegat Light. That is fantastic news…We all know that this can change. All it takes is a bad day for fish deliveries to set the nest off so please enjoy it now! You can see they are turning into little reptiles…itchy and a little anxious, they will be.

Birds in Helping Hands reminds us:

We are monitoring the Great Spirit Bluff Falcon scrape. There was a fierce GHO attack and Savannah defended the nest. Hoping she returns and is uninjured.

Newmann, the Dad, has been dropping off food. Savannah has not been seen since the GHO attack. Send your wishes. The eyases are old enough that Dad can raise them alone but our thoughts are with this brave Mum who might have fought that owl to the death to save her chicks.

Young Benjamin has caught up with the other storklets and is now six days old. This is excellent news. This wee one was so tiny. See the change!

There are still four storklets at the nest of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. There were numerous feedings throughout the day and at the evening feeding by Karl II the storklets had huge crops. Kaia arrived to feed but seeing no one was hungry enjoyed all the fish herself. the parents have to eat, too. This is great news – everyone full and the storklets all growing.

Bety and Bukacek’s storklets are growing and growing and doing fabulous. There are five of them.

This is the latest update on Dulles-Greenway Pat:

Ithaca, New York needed rain. We noticed this on Ferris Akel’s tours and it was getting it on Monday. The Ms were soaked! But with all that beautiful plumage, they are fine. Big Red was on the nest at one point and you could not tell her from one of the Ms.

Not sure they moved!

Murphy and his Eaglet have now been separated. Here is the latest news from Wild Bird Sanctuary.

If you are a fan of Kielder Ospreys then you will be delighted to hear that Blue 437 named Elsin, the only offspring of UV, and grandchick of Mrs G and 11 (98) – the original Glaslyn pair – was spotted in Cumbria. He survived his first migration!

New-post-The-sighting-of-the-yearDownload

Thank you so much for being with me this morning as we skipped around the nests. My focus remains on Mini at Patchogue (as well as Mini at Forsythe who had 36 bites this morning and Boulder County that I need to check on). Send your best wishes to all the nests. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, ‘L’, ‘SK’, San Jose City Hall Falcons, SK Hideaways and SJCH Falcons, SK Hideaways and Window to Wildlife, PSEg, LRWT, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, CarnyXWild, LOTL, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Evergy Topeka Falcons, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Birds in Helping Hands, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Maria Marika, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlady Buky Stork Cam, Celia Aliengirl and BE Live Nest Cams and News, Cornell RTH, Kielder Forest, and Wild Bird Sanctuary.

Permit for Dale Hollow? Goslings hatching, Rescue at Bald Canyon…Tuesday in Bird World

25 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is a gorgeous sunny day in the garden on Monday, but there was a problem. It was quiet. the garden is never quiet; it is always humming with at least the sound of several dozen House Sparrows that can be heard from a distance. Something was ‘off’. I did not see a hawk, but I do wonder if one was about or an owl. Now the little birds are returning as the day begins to end. Mr Crow has come to check on the cheesy dogs. Mr Blue Jay has been for peanuts along with Dyson and her gang. The Dark-eyed Juncos are searching for Black oil seed, and the sparrows and Starlings are eating the solid suet. There are now two Common Grackles visiting and from the look of Mr Crow, it could have been the Grackles that were the disturbance. Regardless, they bring so much joy. I cannot imagine my garden without them.

What a joy and right now we need joy.

On Monday, it came in the form of Nicole and her teammate, Ben, from the IWS rescuing the oldest eaglet from Bald Canyon, BC1.

There would be many videos online if you missed the live rescue. But what you would have seen was the arrival of the rescue team. Dad was on the nest, and he began alarming when they were under the nest with the eaglet. Then he flew off the nest, circling the area while Nicole worked with the eaglet. We did not see it, but we should assume that she hydrated the baby and gave it food. Then the ladder was placed, and she climbed and put BC1 back up on the nest with its two siblings. Afterwards, she placed some more twigs for rails. There are not a lot of twigs for the eagles to use for railings. The adults returned, and the eaglets were all later fed. It was beautiful. There was not a single hiccup. This is what a rescue looks like. Flawless professionals doing their job caring for wildlife.

I am encouraging everyone to send Dr Sharpe a note of gratitude. His e-mail is: psharpe@iws.org

Not far away, Chase and Cholyn’s little one is also growing by leaps and bounds. Just look at the love in that parent’s eye.

‘H’ reports that the big news at the WRDC on Monday was that R5 was self-feeding! For real.

We continue to hope for that miracle at Dale Hollow. I cannot personally verify but a posting was made on Bald Eagles 101 that a permit has been issued for a rescue at Dale Hollow and if that it is true you must give yourself a pat on the back. It was through the huge effort in lobbying for these eaglets that this will happen.

The fact that DH Eagle Cam folks was not going to the podcast to discuss the issue is good news. There is no reason for her to join in. The appropriate authorities – state and federal – should be there and this should be a decision for the health of the eaglets. USFWS regulations state – as we all know – that human-caused issues can be mitigated.

I want to be hopeful and I don’t want to spread false hope or rumours. I would love to see something official about that permit.

The two eaglets are tethered together, right leg to the left. Everyone who is anyone knows what is going on, but the issue is doing something. Instead of just saying it can’t be done, why not be like the little train that could: “I think I can, I think I can!” Do not give up hope, and do not give up signing petitions or sending letters. I hope they get 10,000!

River fed the eaglets and DH18 ate. She is sleeping with her babies tonight. We have witnessed what M15 did for the Es. River and Obey had been mates for a long time. We saw her cry out for him after he went missing, grieving. She has gotten the two eaglets this far. Just look at them. Now to have them tangled together with line and she cannot do anything to help them. She has tried. Someone might wonder why we are so upset…”They are just birds.” Personally I believe it is a sign of our humanity that we care for them and want to get them help.

As of Monday evening, the streaming cam is still working. According to the sites, the FB page of Dale Hollow and the chat are closed for a week. There has been a lot of criticism, and there should be. Other nests state that there are non-intervention policies, and, of course, there are unless an eaglet falls out of a nest OR is endangered by something human-caused. There are other reasons a nest can be approached and an intervention undertaken. Not trying is cowardly. Where are all those people that want to put rockets into space and make more money than all of us in a few minutes? Doesn’t one have a bright idea of how to get to this nest?

The saying below needs another line: That help wildlife!

This tethered eaglet was rescued by the AEF, the same people who have offered to go to Dale Hollow.

‘H’ has been keeping her eagle eye on the Fortis Exshaw Osprey Platform in Canmore, Alberta and one of the adults has arrived today. There is a new box and the couple will need to find nesting materials.

Elen is the name of the new Queen of Glaslyn. No sooner did she receive her name and she gave Aran his first egg of the 2023 season. It is difficult to move on from Mrs G. She was such a formidable character but this gal seems to have it all. Well done, Aran!

Many are keeping a close eye on Mother Goose in Decorah. The first eaglet has hatched and there were several ready to follow. I understand the leap will be either tomorrow or Wednesday depending on the last egg to hatch. There are six eggs in total.

Mother Goose is really hissing and is a highly protective mode as the eggs hatch! Father Goose has been around to check on the progress.

Father Goose down by the water ready to help when the leap is made. He has been up on the branch of the nest tree a couple of times also.

Mother Goose is going to have fun keeping them under her while they pop out from under her tail!

Oh, there is more. Mother Goose will not be able to go and forage until they take the leap. Dad is waiting down by the creek wondering what is happening. When she does not show up for her evening meal, he will know that hatch is underway. Looks like several more goslings.

As night falls, one little head is peaking out. Other shells seem to be cracking. Looks like all six little goslings could be with us by morning. It is 22:47 and ‘A’ sent me a note saying that 3 of the 6 have not hatched.

There are five hatched at 1000 Tuesday morning and Mr Gander is pacing and honking anxious for the Mrs and the kids to get down to the stream!

Good Night, Mother Goose!

Sharon Pollock gives us the hatching in a video.

In Webster, Texas, Ringo is still being fed on the nest. Dad flies in with a small fish for Ringo. Ringo flies around the nest and then lands for its meal.

I am very grateful to ‘A’ who sent me a note about the Achieva Osprey nest. Jack went missing and was away from the nest for a similar period that Flo was at Captiva. He had to have been dealing with intruders and this then would have caused prey delivery issues. In the image below the eldest is being fed and the middle is eating nestovers or trying to. We still have prey delivery issues and the aggression from the eldest. Send this nest your positive wishes, please.

The eldest ate two fish on Monday while the Middle Bob got nothing…so far. We need a big fish on the nest now so Middle can get fed. Sad, but hopeful.

We have the second egg for Poole Harbour. In celebration Blue 022 brings in more colourful plastic! Geez.

Moorings Park Ospreys are doing well. No problems here!

I still want to cuddle DH2 and even bring it home. What a little sweetheart.

Remember. Banding Day for the eyases at Cal Falcons is 5 May! At that time their legs will have stopped growing and they can be ringed safely. The gender reveal will be interesting and hey, what about the names?!

Their pin feathers are coming and Lou and Annie helped to shade but not brood all the time now.

Incubation continues at San Jose City Hall scrape.

Dulles-Greenway seems to be doing fine. A Turkey Vulture came to visit the nest tree late on Monday and the adults kept a close eye on it.

We are approximately one week away from hatch at the Cornell Red tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur.

It is pip watch at Angel, the leucistic Red Tail Hawk’s nest! Tom is as anxious as we are!

Geemeff is hopeful that the dissolution of the initiative might actually lead to meaningful change in the area of raptor persecution in the Peak District. Gosh, I hope so! The criminal charges and fines have done nothing to stop the wanton killing of the Hen Harriers, for one.

The blog states: “Incidents of shooting, poisoning, trapping, nest destruction or the disappearance of satellite-tracked birds active within the Peak District have featured in every year of the initiative’s monitoring.

The National Park Authority believes that until these illegal activities are tackled, meaningful progress towards population increases in key species will not be possible.

Phil Mulligan, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority said: “It is with regret that we are closing the initiative after more than a decade of endeavours to safeguard our charismatic birds of prey that have a rightful place here in the National Park.”

You can read it in its entirety here:

Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative finally folds as persecution continues

Karl II and Kaia sleeping on the Black Stork nest in Estonia Monday night.

Good night, Telyn!

I am going to sign off and have a quiet dinner. The Dale Hollow situation is quite stressful especially with regard to DH18’s leg. I want so desperately to be hopeful and that someone will step forward and come up with a helicopter plan or a rehabber with experience that is also a good rock climber to get up the hill to the nest. We just can’t give up until we have tried everything. And I do mean actually tried to help the eaglets not sat in a room talking about it theoretically. We need action like we saw at Bald Canyon. Thank you for your continuing support for these efforts.

Take care everyone. I have not posted lots of incubating birds – it is like watching paint dry. There should be more eggs tomorrow and all of the goslings will have hatched. The moderator at the Goose cam, Buddy’s Mum, thinks the leap will be Wednesday. But might it be Tuesday afternoon? It depends on the timing of that last hatch. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘A from Tokyo’, ‘SP’, IWS and Explore.org, Jackie Brown and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams, DHEC, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nest and Cams, Fortis Exshaw, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Decorah Goose Cam, Sharon Pollock and Decorah Goose Cam, Paul White and Webster, Texas Bald Eagles, Achieva Credit Union, Poole Harbour ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Cal Falcons, San Jose City Hall Peregrine Falcons, Dulles-Greenway, Cornell RTH, Cornell Leucistic Hawk, Raptor Persecution UK, Eagle Club of Estonia, and Dyfi Osprey Project.

Miracle. E21 and E22 both on the nest!

5 April 2023

My inbox lit up —- .

‘B’ says it is 12:09:12. Both eaglets in the nest. Tears. Nothing more to say than Wow.

Thank you to everyone who wrote!

Times cover photo of the year:

Again, it would take the entire alphabet to thank everyone – but thank you again and to SW Florida for their eagle cam. What a grand day it is!

Is Harriet is home? or is this the female intruder hanging around?

11 February 2022

I am reflagging this because it is not clear what is happening at the SWFlorida Nest. I thought it was Harriet that had returned with M15 on the branch but it appears it was M15 in the nest feeding and a female intruder on the branch above.

I am sorry if I gave everyone a joy and now a fright.

M15 flew in with a rabbit.

Female intruder above M15.

My apologies for jumping the gun in my enthusiasm.

Thank you to SWFlorida for their streaming cam where I took these images.

Another miracle day, eggs and more eggs…Thursday in Bird world

9 February 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

It has been precisely a week since the iconic Southwest Florida Bald Eagle, Harriet, went missing. Search parties are still looking for the Queen, hoping to find her and trying everything possible including vocalisations. Another team is set to head out on Saturday searching through some thick brush areas. So far there has been no sight of her and there have been no birds taken to wildlife rehab centres that are Harriet. The resolve to not give up is strong in many around the Fort Myers nest site who have watched Harriet raise her eaglets with Ozzie and then M15 who was, apparently, the ‘Frequent Visitor’ mentioned in many reports. We wish everyone well as they give their all and their love to trying to find dear Harriet.

Meanwhile, M15 continues to take fantastic care of the eaglets. Someone said if there is a silver lining to all of this it has been the amazing care that M15 has given to the nest. There were no less than 8 feedings on Wednesday. E22 had such a huge crop that it simply could hardly walk!

This was how E22 looked at 13:08. Do eaglets get indigestion?

M15 returned for the 7th feeding at 15:44:55 with a really nice fish.

E21 got up first to eat having dropped its crop from the very early feedings. E22 was simply not interested in food. Can you imagine? E22 not interested in food? Our Snatch and Grab King! There would have been no place to put even a flake of prey having eaten at least one if not two fish earlier! M15 fed then half the fish to 21 and left the other half on the nest. Wise move, Dad.

At 16:44 E22 watches Dad aerate the nest. Notice how big that crop still is. Not much difference from 13:08. E22 is full up to the dandelions on top of its head!

M15 returned at 17:24. E22 still had no interest in eating and 21 went to bed (as did 22) with a nice crop.

Both of the eaglets were fed well and are being taken care of diligently – and protected – by their Dad. M15 even did some aerating of the nest and tried to cover 21 with nest material which caused me to laugh. Prior to Harriet’s disappearance, M15 loved to cover up the babies with the nest materials. All is well on this nest. In the on line discussion this evening hosted by Christian Sasse, it was noted that the people for the most part have left the area and those leaving food are no longer a problem. This is great news. M15 can get on with it and we already know that he is up to the job!

Good night, Dad.

It is Thursday morning and M22 has already brought a fish in for breakfast. E21 has a great crop and 22 got fed some fish, too.

Postscript: I missed this entirely. M15 brought in two white rats on the 7th of February, Tuesday. E21 ate all of them. Lady Hawk caught it in a video.

Where in the world do you get white rats/mice with pink eyes? (You know what I am thinking already, don’t say it..that word that begins with an R).

Other Nest and some Other News Thrown In – in no particular order!

A new couple have moved into Sue and Otto’s territory at the Graveyard at Syracuse University. Here is that announcement.

Congratulations to Diane and Jack whose first egg of the 2023 season came after an amazing labour display at 06:51 on the 8th of February in St Petersburg, Florida.

It’s two eggs for Ron and Rose at the WRDC Eagle nest in Miami! Oh, things are starting to get busy with all these eggs. It will be difficult to keep up with them. Congratulations to this new couple! Ron will be an amazing mate for young Rose and we all hope that Rita is recovering well in rehab.

Pat Burke called it at 18:09:57.

HeidiMc got it on video:

The cold winds are whistling around the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and her new mate. Both were at the nest. Nancy spent a lot of time on the nest today – in the nest bowl. I wonder if there is an egg in there? I cannot see one. Tonight, standing guard.

Do you live in New York City? near Central Park? have you seen an unusual owl? Geemeff sent me news that there is an owl on the loose. It is not just any owl that has lived in the wild all its life. No, vandalism caused Flaco, at the Central Park Zoo, to leave his cage Thursday night – the same day that Harriet went missing. Flaco has never had to feed itself and the weather in the area is worrying many. Here is the story:

https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/science/zoo-freed-nyc-central-park-zoo-vandalism

Imagine a penguin bigger than you ever thought possible…well, it happened in New Zealand.

The-Biggest-Penguin-That-Ever-Existed-Was-a-‘Monster-Bird-The-New-York-TimesDownload

We are focused on M15 – a male Apex Raptor taking care of his eaglets after his mate disappears. Around the world, similar stories are playing out – a mate is killed or disappears. It is or would be extremely rare for one of our feathered friends just to up and decide they ‘had had enough’ and left a nest of babies. In this case, a male Swan in Boston MA has charge of his five goslings after their mother died on the nest right after they hatched. He is reported to be doing a superb job, too, even allowing them to ride on his back!

There has been a break and the nest has plenty of food back on it. Ringo really enjoyed a good feed and had a huge crop at the end of it, just like E22 did at SWFlorida today.

The ‘baby’ isn’t such a baby any more at Barry College. Missy still stays on the nest but doesn’t have to brood B16 tonight.

All of the eaglets on the nests are growing and growing and moving through each of the development stages just like they should be doing. The first of the Bald Eagles on streaming cams to hatch this year was Pearl and Tico at Superbeaks. Just look at these beauties. Pearl is 62 days old and Tico is now 61 days old. The average age of fledge in Florida is 77 days. After fledging, it I normal for the eaglets to return to the nest to be fed by the parents who will be teaching them to hunt prey as they strengthen their wings and enhance their flying skills. This period lasts for normally a month or five weeks (sometimes more). I am always very distressed when I see a fledgling shoot out of the nest and never return.

If you do not have your calendars marked, then please do. We are now six days away from the 15th of February which is pip watch for Jackie and Shadow. So far everything is going like clockwork. This adorable couple have kept the Crows at bay and protected those two precious eggs they have been incubating. I wonder if we are in for two ‘spirited’ eaglets this year?

Connick, the only eaglet of Clive and Connie at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest has a huge crop today, too…what is it with today? Every eaglet has been stuffed til they can hardly walk! I know what you are going to say…these ‘babies’ are now sporting their thermal down, the feedings are not so close together, and yes, they can hold a lot more food at a single feeding! And you would be absolutely correct.

At the KNF-E1 nest of Anna and Louis, they filled E-03 up to the brim too – right before the heavy rains came to the area.

Remember. E-03 will be named. You can vote beginning at noon on Friday the 10th (tomorrow) until Saturday at noon. Three names are selected by forestry staff and voted for on the chat. Head to KNF-E1 nest on YouTube. Wonder what the names will be this week?

Valentine and Nugget were soggy over at the E3 nest on Lake Kincaid. Andria makes an effort to keep her ‘big babies’ dry! After the rain settles, Alex is on the nest and it looks like Valentine was doing some self feeding.

Is this Alex or Andria? I am not sure.

Ever wondered what an eagle nest might smell like with the rain and all the fish bits and bobs? Oh, goodness. Just the thought.

Andria trying to keep those babies dry. Sweet Mum.

Alex and Valentine literally looking for a midnight snack.

It was pitching down the rain in Orange, Australia, too. Diamond before and after drying off. I have never seen Diamond so wet!!!!!!!

At The Campanile, Annie was in the scrape box – after what looks like a meal and then scraping and eating some stones. Oh, so nice to see you, Annie. When might we expect some eggs???

We knew we couldn’t call him ‘The New Guy’ forever. Cal Falcons seem to think Annie has decided that this one – albeit a slow learner about the prey gifts – is the one she will share her scrape box with. So there is going to be an opportunity coming up quickly to suggest names and vote. Cal Falcons tweeted the details on Twitter.

I received a note from ‘H’ and it appears that Zoe has missed two check ins. Send positive wishes for a transmission this evening!

Thank you so much for being with me today. It is always so nice to have you hear and to get your notes and comments. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, photos, videos, announcements and streaming cams that help make up my blog: H, Geemeff, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, Red-tailed Hawk Tales, Achieva Credit Union, WRDC, Heidi Mc and the WRDC, MN-DNR, Inside Hook, The New York Times, LEXNAU and Matthew Wraifman, Paul White and the Webster, TX Eagle Watchers, Berry College Eagle Cam, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, KNF-E1 and KNF-E3, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and Cal Falcons.

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Super Dad…M15 pulls off 6 feedings in 4 hours!

8 February 2022

It is difficult not to be over excited about the good things happening on the Southwest Florida Bald Eagle nest. By the time that E21 and E22 fledge, I will probably have called M15 ‘extraordinary’, ‘tremendous’, ‘life saving’ more than a few hundred times. This morning, Wednesday 8 February, six days after his mate Harriet went missing, M15 shows us precisely what a male Bald Eagle can do as a ‘single dad’.

As many of you know, my current research project is actually siblicide – on osprey nests, not eagles. I am interested in the nest survivors of beaking – and so, after Harriet’s disappearance and subsequent fear of our losing 22, I began to pay closer attention to whether or not M15 could ‘right’ this nest. He certainly has and there is so much that can be learned from a single adult – a male – caring for his eaglets. We all need to focus on what he is doing and the impact that it is having on the nest.

This morning in the space of four hours there were six feedings.

The first feeding came in at 08:23:10. It looked like road kill, some fur and some fleshy bits. E21 ate all of it. In the meantime, 22 went over to check out some of the nest overs.

At 09:01:25, M15 is back with what appears to be a fish. It is very difficult to tell. E21 ate the greater portion and then 22 moves up. Was it too late? Apparently. 22 did find some fish tail and is pecking away at it. But no worries…

M15 is back at 09:25:49 with a fish and 22 got it all.

Calm on a Bald Eagle nest.

The fourth item came in at 10:13:20. M15 appears to be distracted. Are there intruders? Looks who is eating.

The fifth prey item comes in at 11:12:03.

Dad is watching and listening. 22 went up to eat first, he got a few bites and then 21 decides he wants to remind him who is dominant. 21 eats a few bites.

Now remember that 21 is actually full from those earlier feedings. 22 moves up and eats.

The item is gone by 11:20:05 when Dad leaves. 22 checks out to see if there are a few nest overs.

At 12:32:40, M15 flies in with a really nice whole fish. What was interesting was that when Dad landed with the food both eaglets paused. No one rushed up to get fed. For a second, 21 leans over and it looks like 22 will go into submission but doesn’t.

And this is where it gets extraordinary. M15 flips the fish over so that it is actually closer to 22 than it is to 21.

At this point, 12:34 you. can clearly see that 21 still has a large crop. 22 doesn’t despite eating earlier. 21 starts playing with some fish parts while Dad shares the entire fish with 22.

At 12:54, 22 is so full that he has to lay down. He still eats a few more bites, settles on the rails nest to 21, and then turns back to see what Dad left when he flew off. Looks like a bit of a tail.

M15 flies up to the branch at 12:58:20 after he has no more takers for food. He left some fish. He must be hungry but – he left it for the eaglets. Incredible.

Whenever I see a nest where there is potential siblicide – and let us not forget that 21 had placed fear in 22 so that last Sunday each of us worried if 22 would make it – this is how you prevent it. Lots of prey deliveries. Lots of them. Get the dominant one full even if it is fur from roadkill and some fish and fill up the non-dominant chick.

M15 is in charge of what is going on in this nest. He is taking advantage of everything he can find to feed these eaglets. Personally he is doing better than many nests with two adults. We should all give him a big round of applause. M15 really is Super Dad.

Thank you for being here with me. You will hear from me again tomorrow but, for now celebrate the great things that are happening on this nest. You might well never see anything like this again in your lifetime! Be joyful.

Thank you to SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

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Sometimes…miracles happen

5 February 2022

Earlier today M15 brought in a big fish. E21 was the only one to eat and then 22 pecked a bit. We have all worried.

M15 was back in the nest at 15:33. By 1600, M15 is feeding our little E22!!!!!

Don’t hold the tears back! Jump up and down and shout. We have lived another day.

Go to the streaming cam and watch this miracle taking place.