It started out really windy and then the rain came. Now there are big clouds and the sun is out, but the phone tells me that more rain is expected in 17 minutes. It rained so hard at Hall’s Harbour that the side of the hill turned into a waterfall and tore out the road, a huge shock to everyone who lives and works there. They are expecting 43 feet tides on Saturday, something that is unprecedented No one knows what to expect. Will there be floods? The Hunter’s Full Moon is today, October 17. Full moons impact the tides being higher.
The long unpainted board above the little tug to the left marks a 41 foot tide. The tide is set to be 39 feet tonight which is slightly above the dark water mark on the boards.
While this is fascinating to someone living on the Prairies, this is not a curiosity to those that live in the area who have faced the mudslides and rising water.
We are not staying at Hall’s Harbour. Decades ago, before the fancy new restaurant, it was a favourite haunt of ours.
Our little cottage is on an appropriately named little lane near Grand Pre!
There were four Bald Eagles hunting on the dykelands this morning along with Crows and Gulls. They sit so still, just like hawks waiting for the small mammals to surface from the big clumps of soil that have been recently plowed. No doubt those fields are full of tasty voles.
Merlin identifies this gull as an Iceland Gull, a sub-species, a non-breeding Thayer’s Gull.
Our ride to Hall’s Harbour revealed fields of pumpkins, small stands of delicious apples for sale, and gorgeous foliage.
They have been harvesting pumpkins and squash from these vast fields for weeks.
There are stands everywhere where the honour system is in place. Pick your produce and put your money in the tin! It is that simple.
‘PB’ alerted me to the cameras at Captiva – both osprey and eagle cams are up and running! Thank you.
The little cuties went to bed with a full tummy at the Port Lincoln osprey barge on Wednesday. This was a great feeding. Wilko and Kasse are doing so well.
‘A’ remarks: “Unfortunately, we saw some aggression from Wilco yesterday morning as it decided to enforce pecking order on the nest. Kasse was completely bewildered, not having encountered this until now, and didn’t really know how to handle it. At one stage, he literally headed for the hills, but Wilco grabbed him by the back and dragged him down again. Certainly, Kasse’s major response was confusion, and I don’t think it is going to result in its being intimidated. We will wait and see. When the fish delivery arrived a little later, the pair were exemplary in their table manners and all was well.
Both of yesterday’s fish were magpie perch – large, striped and very much alive in the first case at least. Flopping around and bonking the babies. It took some time to come under control but luckily the littles are not quite as fragile at this age. Even so, they were a little taken aback to be attacked by breakfast. (Another magpie perch was brought in at 07:55 this morning – 17 October.)”
Breakfast at 367 Collins Street! Everyone is always full. What a great family.
It is very foggy at Orange. Diamond, Yira and Garramma are waiting for Xavier to be able to catch breakfast prey.
The sea eaglets are learning how to defend themselves against the Currawong attacks on the nest! https://youtu.be/dDhYLRxO-5M?
Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J, PB’, Window to Wildlife, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Trudi Kron and JBS Sands Wetlands, NEFL-AEF, Gary’s Videos, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Raptor Persecution UK, SK Hideaways, The Guardian.
It is Sunday morning at 1000. The three Blue Jays are dashing in and out caching peanuts this morning. We have spread the nuts out in four different places so that there is less fussing. The Red Squirrels have the small square feeder while the Blue Jays and Crow are sharing the large one. The Grey Squirrels are on the deck. In the middle of all of this are the Starlings who have decided that they are really enjoying the solid suet cylinders more than the ‘Superior’ birdseed. They all seem happy and energetic. The rain from last night has given way to blue skies and fluffy cotton ball clouds that are moving rapidly to the South. ‘The Boyfriend’ appeared right on time. He is going to be ‘dewormed’. That is the plan for our return from the Maritimes. De Worming The Boyfriend. We will also build him a new winter home complete with lots of straw and a heat lamp. Winter feels like it is approaching fast! Today is a day for wool socks and jumpers.
We had our Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the week with my ‘bestie’, but we are sneaking in another little meal, just the two of us and The Girls and ‘The Boyfriend’ before we head to Nova Scotia. Everyone deserves a special treat. We are likely on our way as you read this. We are so grateful for everyone: the animals, our family and friends, and you, as I said yesterday. We feel blessed. Thank you so much for your good wishes for our Thanksgiving and holiday. So appreciated.
Just remember, there will be no blog on Tuesday. We will be travelling to our digs for the week.
The streaming cams that have nests with chicks are doing very well. The Sea Eaglets will be fledging soon, and we must send positive wishes to chase those Currawongs away from them when they fly. That is the only major event that will be happening while I am away. Of course, we hope all those birds not seen on camera since Milton sped through Florida will be seen soon – including Clive, Gabby, and Beau.
Neither Beau or Gabby have been seen on camera at their NE Florida nest since Milton passed through until late Sunday evening. What a relief to see them. The last time we saw Gabby was when she brought in sticks last Tuesday.
At SW Florida, it is full speed ahead for M15 and F23 as they make that nest as cosy as possible.
Thunder and Akecheta were at the West End nest in the Channel Islands on Sunday checking it out.
Look at Kasse’s fat little bottom and that cute tiny tail. (More about this family later).
Honestly, even with their pin feathers coming in, can we imagine more cuter chicks?
Pin feathers on the go at 367 Collins Street, too. And breakfast came early!
Heidi caught a feeding on video – and there are so many feedings. These little falcon dads are incredible. https://youtu.be/xqEGJsmCfFY?
The sea eaglets are getting ‘too antsy’, hopping about the nest, on and off the branch, and looking out to the wider world.
Some news from Ranger Judy Harrington:
Oh, the first flight for 33 is getting so close. I just held my breath.
‘A’ gives us the report from Sydney’s Cam: “October 14: Again, there was some unknown disturbance during the night – SE33 was alert, with wings out. SE33 spent a lot of the night sleeping standing. Early morning duets with the young ones joining in, then eagles away. At times in the early morning, there was a very noisy flock of Rainbow Lorikeets close by the nest – youngsters standing and watching. Then calling together, reacting to lorikeets. At 10:15, one eagle was seen down on River Roost, Eaglets were resting, lying in the nest. At 10:34, Dad brought in a scrap of fish, which was grabbed and mantled by SE34 but stolen by SE33, and self-fed. When Lady brought some leaves, SE33 mantled over his prey and kept it. Mid-afternoon there was a big storm, and all enjoyed the feeling of rain on their wings. By 5pm, the sun was shining again. Dad brought in a late gull at 17:57, which was taken by Lady and fed to the eaglets. Maybe a little self-feeding with scraps. At last light, Dad came to the nest – false alarm, not prey – followed by Lady.”
The wind is blowing at Port Lincoln. Mum looks to Dad, who is on the ropes, hoping that a fish will be coming soon.
Mum is still waiting for fish for the Wilko and Kasse – and, of course, herself.
Dad came in with a huge Sheepshead (I think that is what it is) for the chicks the evening prior (see top image below), but they are still waiting on Monday in Australia. Mum is trying her best to just sit on them so no unpleasantness but Wilco is getting impatient.
‘A’ remarks: “ I’m writing because dad has just brought in a very late fish at Port Lincoln (it’s nearly8.30pm there) – those IR lights must really be helping (I know they helped that night heron that was fishing off the barge). This is probably a good thing, as there was only one fish brought in today, and it didn’t arrive until after 4pm. The littles behaved themselves, and mum gave a saliva feeding to keep the osplets calm at lunchtime. The fish dad brought in 8.20pm was a big one, minus its head, and mum was hungry herself so had a good dinner, as the kids were in food comas from their late afternoon feedings. “
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you in a few days!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A’, Charter Group, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore.org, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Olympic Park Eagles, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam.
We hope that the weekend has been good to all of you.
Many Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving today with family and friends. The official day is Monday. Lots of good food to celebrate the harvest and to just look around and be thankful for all that we have. It has been a very challenging year for my family and I am so grateful to my children, my friends, to my husband and to his amazing doctor. Because of them, life has been good, full of laughter and ‘living’. I am also grateful to all of you. The wonderful letters, the photos you share with me – of you, your family, and your adorable pets. You are the best! Thank you for being there.
Just listen. ‘MI’ sent me this video taken in Niverville, Manitoba of geese, honking geese. Oh, I am going to miss them so much.
It is late Saturday afternoon and the promised rains have arrived on the Canadian Prairies. I treasure these rains. They clean off the roof of the conservatory from leaves and dust that have accumulated, but, most of all, they help the trees and shrubs prepare for winter. The birds and squirrels are still flitting about finding seed and much to the horror of our guest this afternoon, the Crows had a veritable buffet! I am clearing out the fridge and little odds and ends. Things like grapes wind up on their tray and they do love them.
Not all bird seed is alike and apparently the quality of peanuts from one retailer to the other is different – according to Junior and his Missus Saturday morning. They pecked all about those nuts searching for the heaviest!
Isn’t Junior handsome? Look at that beautiful profile. Junior will stay with us for the winter. Our job is to keep the peanuts coming!!!!!!
Selections finally made.
Inside, ‘The Girls’ are starting to notice that supplies are being left out. Suitcases will get filled tomorrow so that the girls’ anxiety level doesn’t peak too soon.
Hugo Yugo is now getting her teeth brushed twice daily to try and avoid any issues with gingivitis. She is an angel and loves the chicken flavoured toothpaste. I feel blessed. She is sooooooooo tiny. Her tail is bigger than she is. She did grow some, but goodness, she is so very little.
Missey is the ‘best’ behaved of the four. I can trim her nails every day, brush her, clean her teeth and then use dental wipes and she just lets me hold her without wiggling so I can get on with it. Calico is rather different! She is just darn difficult. She doesn’t want any part of it. Well, that is too bad, so sad. Calico will eventually settle, but, for now, it is going to happen regardless of whether she likes it or not. Hope is another story since she continues to be a little wild.
Now getting on with these words…
This is the way industry should work with wildlife! Take notice, Omega!!!!
Mum and Dad will be grandparents if Calypso and his mate’s eggs hatch! Isn’t this wonderful…oh, and Ervie and all his brothers will be uncles.
The new female at Collins Street is working so hard to shade and keep her brood cool! Let’s hope those wings can spread big and wide as it is going to get hot up there. https://youtu.be/SYliGHlf3a0?
Sunday breakfast in the CBD. ‘A’ comments: “Little Dad at Collins Street is just the sweetest. He has been working hard at his hunting and the prey he brings is sometimes a challenge for him. He’s so cute struggling down the ledge with a prey item that’s at least half his size. But he manages. I do wonder how on earth he manages to fly with it, and get it up so high too. He must be a very strong little falcon indeed. I am so impressed by what he and Xavier at Orange can carry. When Xavier brings in a monster pigeon as he did recently or a duckling, it dwarfs him, making me wonder the power to weight ratio of these small male falcons. They must be incredibly strong.”
Thanks to our Australian sleuth ‘A’, we have more news from Collins Street: “And yet more food at Collins Street. When mum brought in food at around 19:08, the chicks were all fast asleep, but they soon roused themselves at the prospect of food, and mum fed them all yet again. Those crops have been full for most of the day, and no-one is going to sleep hungry at this scrape. Mum also has a large crop and dad hasn’t missed out today either. So it seems the pigeon population of the Melbourne CBD has returned, at least in sufficient numbers to make things relatively easy for our falcon family when it comes to finding food. Certainly, this trio of eyases is being stuffed to the brim several times a day. They are adorable. Very very noisy and full of beans. So energetic in ensuring that they get fed. Mum works hard and she does a good job with the clamouring hordes. The youngest does very well indeed, both through its own efforts to get fed (it is very pushy and often grabs at food from its siblings’ beaks and is very good at positioning itself in the front row at feedings) and because mum makes the effort to feed all three beaks. Basically, as long as they are still there and still open, she will keep feeding.
At this meal, the chicks have moved into their tripod feeding arrangements, with the youngest nearest to mum. As you know, I am very keen on this particular positioning, as it makes it easy for mum to reach all three beaks, which are grouped together in the centre of the tripod, and it also provides some support for the chciks, so that early on when they are not as steady, they tend not to face-plant. Thoise crops are bulging!!! Isn’t it lovely to see? And that was a nice parrot at Orange today. I am not prepared to hazard a guess as to what sort of parrot it was but there is discussion on the chat about the colours that were evident on the plumage. Diamond loves a nice parrot almost as much as she likes a plump pigeon, though perhaps a nice duckling might be her favourite. I wonder what the other watchers at Orange think on that subject. I’d love their opinions.
Mum continues to coax the chicks at Collins Street, trying to get them to eat even more, as if they did not already have absolutely mammoth crops. She is e-chupping and continuing to offer bites and the chicks are trying hard to do what she asks. The youngest spends several minutes trying to deal with a bite that seemed to be ‘stuck’, but eventually it managed to swallow the food. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Just LOOK at those crops at 19:20!!!! Yes, I know they don’t burst, but I have to believe they are VERY uncomfortable. Surely. That is just outrageous. Crops the size of their heads, literally. I swear that is not an exaggeration. Again, as with the osplets, I predict a growth spurt in the morning. “
The cams at NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau went live late Saturday afternoon. Neither eagle has been seen on cam at the time I am writing (4pm on Saturday) but the AEF says they have no reason to believe they are not safe and sound!
View of Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian on Saturday.
Achieva. Look at this nest and then remember what you read about the brand new super designed osprey nest that was built by the fishing company at the top to replace an old one they had to remove. I wish someone cared.
There is an eagle at the Trempealeau Eagle nest.
Ah, I was waiting. Someone asked me why I am not mentioning Pepe and Muhlady. First, they are wonderful eagle parents who have raised some impressive chicks. The owner of the property that has the nest and who runs the camera has indicated that he will prosecute anyone who uses images in any way from his site. I will not mention SuperBeaks again.
Nesting Bird Life and More caught a feeding at Port Lincoln. Yes, they are the cutest. Racing stripes and all! https://youtu.be/DSIq8tPB8fA?
I have a soft spot for Ospreys that knows no bounds. Just look at those two little fish eaters. Don’t you just want to pick them up, wrap them in a tiny blankie, and hold them?
It is now early Sunday morning. Dad has a fish he is eating on the ropes and Mum is anxiously anticipating that he will get some of it to her, Wilko and Kasse!
Dad did not disappoint. He left Mum a huge piece of fish for the family! They are just starting to dig in.
‘A’ remarks: “When I turned to the Port Lincoln tab to check the littles, I thought one of the osplets was dead, but when I rewound, it was just in a food coma from eating too much fish at breakfast (which was served in three sittings, the first when dad arrived with the large floppy fish at 07:23, the second at 08:32 and the third at around 08:53). Good heavens. By 09:30 they are eating yet again. It was a very large fish this morning. The sound is back up and the little chirps mum gives the osplets to encourage them to open their beaks are SO cute – different from those of an eagle or a falcon. The loveliest full-throated chirrups. No wonder I feared we had lost another osplet. It’s out for the count. Awwww. They are just adorable with their little bandit masks and racing stripes. (I had to explain to Jonathan how these chicks were different from all the other little fluffy bobbleheads I had insisted he see and that description interested him enough that he came and peered at my laptop to check them out. And yes, they are different, he said. I do love their livery. They really are cute as a button (unless they’re a Zoe, of course, at which point one becomes somewhat distracted by their behaviour. But these two are getting along fine, and even yesterday’s long wait for food did not provoke any dominating behaviour. What a relief. ” And more…”PLO has confirmed what we knew already – that the Fish Fairy (aka Janet) is ready for duty if she is needed. Thus far, dad has been doing an excellent job. But it is very nice to know that there won’t be any chicks starving on this nest this season. There is no aggression between Wilco and Kasse and I’m hopeful there won’t be. The long wait for food yesterday was a good indicator of how well they are getting along. “
Oh, my goodness. It is going to be a great year for ospreys in South Australia. More babies.
Poor Xavier. Diamond is away. He comes into the scrape with the morning’s Starling breakfast in the hope of feeding his chicks — and then, oops…here she comes and thwarts that idea!
There are times that I wish the Sea Eagles would have eaten every Pied Currawong in the Olympic Forest! SE33 and SE34 are branching and looking out to the wider world. Will they be able to get down to the river with Dad and Lady without being chased out of the area by those Curras?
Ranger Judy gives the summary of the day’s events at the Olympic Park Eagle nest:
Gracie Shepherd reported on FB that Jak and Audacity were working on their nest in the Channel Islands on Saturday. I went to have a look. They are forever hopeful like we are for them. Just look at them working so hard.
We can always use a smile and these Merlin chicks are providing it today.
Hugo Yugo wishes you the very best of days! Missey is giving her a good ole’ wash.
Thank you for being with us today! Take care everyone. 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, J’, Fran Solly and Friends of Sth Aus, SK Hideaways, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, NEFL-AEF, FORE, Achieva Credit Union, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Sea Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Trempealeau Bald Eagle Cam, Nesting Bird Life and More, PIX Cams, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, The Guardian, Androcat, OpenVerse, NZ DOC, BTO, IWS/Explore, Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary.
Wilko loves his fish and the third hatch had a swipe of fish at 1124.
Later, the third hatch ate well after Wilko was full and passed out in a food coma. Thanks, ‘H’ for that great clip!
It is just past noon on Tuesday as I begin writing this. We are listening to the news coming out of Florida as they prepare to be hit by Hurricane Milton either today or on Thursday. In the garden, here on the Canadian Prairies, it is a different story. Three Blue Jays are getting peanuts. Three. That means our resident family is safe. They will not migrate, but rather, stay with us for the winter. The Starlings are busy having baths and if this system will allow it, I will post a video of them really enjoying the water. The Crows have not been around, but we can hear them. All squirrels present and accounted for and The Boyfriend has had his breakfast.
Growing concern for the second hatch at Port Lincoln. Both Heidi and I have been anxious since it hatched. Osprey chicks love their fish and when they are not up screaming for fish within a few hours, I am always worried.
At 0616, my concern for the second hatch grows. I don’t think this little one has survived. What we need is one strong chick at this nest! So, let’s keep that in mind and wish this family well.
Chick 2 has died.
Rather sad. Outwardly that second hatch with its fat little bottom looks healthy. Thankfully, the little darling looks peaceful in death. Meanwhile, Wilko is screaming for fish.
The explanation for the choice of names for hatch 1 at Port Lincoln:
Hawk Mountain’s latest migration count:
Shockingly calm at Captiva Osprey platform Tuesday afternoon as Milton is set to hit the area in the next 18 hours at the time I am writing.
Late Monday evening and the winds are picking up with a bit of a howl on the streaming cams at both the Captiva Osprey and Bald Eagle nest.
You can see that the ground is heavily saturated at Fort Myers after Helene at the nest of M15 and F23.
If Milton stays to the trajectory forecast Monday, NE Florida might not get much more than a lot of heavy rain. Gabby was working on the nest on Tuesday.
There are still cars around the St Petersburgh streets and it appears to be the ‘calm before the storm’ at the Achieva Credit Union osprey nest. It is possible, according to predictions, that if the hurricane is a bit south, this area could be hit hard.
‘PB’ sent this posting from Window to Wildlife:
CROW has successfully evacuated from its premises on Sanibel with all its patients as of Tuesday afternoon. Fantastic effort.
These kestrel chicks are so cute and Mum is doing an amazing job feeding all of them. It sounds like peregrine falcons being fed, but quieter! https://youtu.be/PeTqhh3SwtE?
Xavier is providing plenty of prey for his family, too!
‘A’ reports on Diamond and Xavier: “Darling Xavier arrived with fresh prey at around 15:05 to find no Diamond and two hungry chicks. He spent some time preparing the food and seems a bit unsure, as if waiting for Diamond to arrive. At 15:08, he decided to feed the chicks. The first two bites were too big or had feathers on them or were somehow unsuitable so Xavier ate them himself. But shortly after 15:08:30, he finds a small beak with a bite of food. He makes sure that the next bite goes to the younger chick. Very nicely done, Xavier. Oh he is SUCH a sweetie. He works hard to get food to the younger chick, leaning down and carefully trying to put food into its beak, with success. He made very sure that he was giving bites to both chicks. He feeds carefully, as if not wanting to make a mistake and get into trouble with Diamond, perhaps. Sorry, honey, I choked a chick. No, I’m with Xavier. It doesn’t sound good!
What is good though is watching Xavier get some quality chick time. I love watching him get that rare chance to feed his chicks, especially when Diamond is being lazy with the younger hatch (she is not doing that to any major degree this year, but when she is, Xavier is always a welcome sight). He is so deliberate and yet eager at the same time. He does love being a dad. So many of these raptor dads do. They are a delight to watch enjoying their parenting duties. “
WBSE 33 and 34 will be branching soon. Look at them. So tall, so steady on their feet, beautiful juvenile plumage.
‘A’ sends the latest report from the Sea Eagle nest to us: “October 9: After an early duet with the eaglets joining in too, the eaglets both self-fed on the remains of a small bird that Dad brought in at 19:29 yesterday – a late delivery last night. SE33 was seen then expelling a pellet, standing on the front rim. Then both stood or rested on the nest all morning – waiting. After 12, SE33 flapped to the base of PB, and later was standing there. SE34 was flapping well in the bowl as well . A currawong swooper was still about. Around 4:30pm, SE33 was very close to branching – flapped across to the base of PB. At 16:37, one of the eagles at River Roost was seen heading off. Prey? Eaglets are still waiting for prey at 5pm. Lady finally delivered a gull chick at 17:22 and fed them both. Then more flapping across the nest.”
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please send positive wishes to all those in the eye of the hurricane. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, PB’, Heidi McGrue and the Joy of Ospreys, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Hawk Mountain, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Achieva Credit Union, Chartered Group, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Olympic Sea Eagle Cam, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal and Vimeo, Nesting Bird Life and More.
There are not a lot of images today. Apologies all around. You will recall that I have been battling the fact that my allocation of media is at its limit. I have just discovered that there are over – hold on – 50,000 unattached files starting in 2017. I have been deleting them 20 at a time. There must be a more efficient way to do that!
For now, though, most of us have only one thing on our minds and that is Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida and our beloved birds (and friends) there. They are watching and expect Milton to make land fall at Tampa Bay as a category 3 or 4. Despite this slow down, it is going to be catastrophic for this area of Florida that does not normally get hit directly.
Before we even think about Milton, we need a smile and that comes from Annie and Archie who have returned to The Campanile to bond! https://youtu.be/iwBATgGYDHg?
It is difficult to sit and watch knowing that Hurricane Milton is going to tear through Sanibel possibly destroying the Captiva Osprey and Bald Eagle nests. The only – and I do mean ‘only’ – silver lining to any of this is that there are no eggs or chicks on any of the Florida nests yet. The Barrier Islands will get hit first and no doubt, the impact of this hurricane might well be much worse than Ian a couple of years ago. Our thoughts today are with the people and wildlife of Florida as Milton changed quickly from a category 1 to a category 5 hurricane in the blink of an eye. https://youtu.be/AdTp1XgG4Rg?
Many of the wildlife rehabilitation centres have no place to take their animals. They have more than two hundred patients, some because of Helene. They are in direct line of Milton and their buildings will not take the 160-200 mph winds. Good people are staying with their clients and this is beyond sad. CROW is on Sanibel. There might not be anything left of the homes on the Barrier Islands, according to the discussions on many of the weather channels Monday evening.
It is raining at Fort Myers on Monday.
It is raining at Captiva. I am expecting Captiva to get hit by Milton about the same time or slightly before Fort Myers.
Wind and rain begins Monday evening at Captiva. It is coming down harder and harder.
Captiva Eagle Cam. Have a good look at both of them so we can compare after.
The winds are starting to pick up at Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburgh.
Gabby was at the NE Florida nest in the early morning hours of Monday. I do not know if Beau is on the LOP (Look Out Perch).
At the Olympic Sea Eagle nest, ‘A’ writes: “At WBSE, we still have two eaglets lying duckling style, side by side, on the nest. They are such adorable nestlings, soon to be fledglings. They are getting along famously as usual – I remain absolutely convinced that we have two brothers here. They have had virtually no bonking at all – a little enforcing of pecking order for a few days but nothing vicious and never anything that prevented either chick from eating. So as usual, Lady and Dad have done a sterling job of making a mockery of this ‘obligate siblicide’ rubbish that is written about WBSEs. Now, we await with great trepidation the post-fledge fate of these gorgeous eaglets whom we have come to adore. My heart just sinks at the thought. But be positive. This might just be the year. ” “Ooh, I hear honking. That must be the WBSE tab and yes, sure enough, a bird has been brought to the nest. Dad is calling for Lady, not wanting to feed the nestlings but not prepared to leave them to fight over the food. Lady is on the perch branch, not responding, and Dad is very confused about what to do. Eventually he begins preparing the food. Now, he has taken it to the bottom of the perch branch, from which vantage point he continues to glance at Lady. The eaglets have no clue what is going on. Nor do I. (I’m pretty sure I have the parental IDs correct – you know I’m often unsure about these two.) Dad sidles up the branch towards Lady and she moves away, further up the branch, and then flies off. Dad is left preparing the bird on the perch branch. We wait to see whether he feeds it to the eaglets, eats it himself, leaves it for the kids to fight over, or some combination of the above. “
Report from Sea Eagles sent by ‘A’: “ October 8: An early duet just after 5am, then several more. Both eaglets were flapping and jumping. At 6:58 Dad brought a gull chick, quickly grabbed by SE34 & mantled over. 34 fed until SE33 managed to steal it after about 20 minutes. Lady took over when she came in around 8am. She returned with a small fish at 8:43, followed by Dad with a gull chick. Lady took over feeding from both prey, with SE33 grabbing the gull wing and trying hard to take it, but Lady stood firm and kept feeding. A magpie was swooping them as well –with both eaglets alert and watching. At 12:38 Lady brought a gull chick, fed very briefly, then took it to de-feather on the branch, but dropped it as she fell off the branch. She managed to get it from the ground – most unusual – and at 13:22 fed a little more again. Lady brought a bream just before 5pm and fed both. Then more, when Dad brought another gull chick at 18:17, which Lady took off to de-feather. She was still eating it herself at 6:45…. They have had plenty though today.”
‘A’ was really hopeful that Diamond would leave that third egg out of the egg cup, but later, she moved it back and began incubating. Many of you will be screaming at Diamond – I know my daughter and ‘A’ are to get over and feed that second hatch. We have seen this before. The second chick’s neck seems to grow after a couple of days or it learns to jump to get that food. Fingers crossed. ‘A’ reports: “At some feedings, Diamond just cannot be bothered reaching for the younger chick’s beak, especially if it is behind its older sibling, and continues to encourage the older chick to eat and eat, even after it has collapsed once or twice, while the younger chick begs and begs for food, its little beak wide open. She is annoying. And then, while she waits for the older chick to snap out of its food coma, she eats herself! I am not overly concerned about this because there is plenty of food and eventually, at most feedings, the little one does get fed. But I am SO glad there is not a third chick, especially now there has been Ca time gap of over two days since the second hatch. I really would hate to see a tiny third chick try and attract enough attention from Diamond to get fed properly in its first five days or so. But they are getting frequent feedings so I am sure that both chicks will be adequately fed. I am merely reiterating what you and I know already – that Diamond really is not temperamentally up to raising three eyases. She should be perfectly fine with two, as she has been every other season I have watched. But the little one was still begging for more food at the end of that feeding, with Diamond ignoring it completely to eat for herself, then left the box with the remainder with the youngest still chirping for food the whole time she is gone.
This morning there were small birds on the branches of the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23. A pair of horses could be seen in the pasture. It was also relatively calm at Captiva as Milton moves in on Florida.
There are two at Port Lincoln. There has been some notice that the second chick has not eaten or did not eat as well as expected. Is it tired from hatching? We will just have to wait and see. The obs board shows that Wilko, chick one, has been fed twice and that the second hatch, once.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send all positive wishes to everyone in Florida. Take care yourself. We hope to 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, H’, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, KHOU 11, NEFL-AEF, Olympic Sea Eagle Cam, and Charter Group Bird Cams.
Sunday was a bit nippy. 9 C. The 40 kph winds were whipping the trees about with the leaves falling at an alarming rate. It is now 1100 and everyone is in the garden. Three Crows eating peanuts and suet. Three Blue Jays doing the same. Then there are the 18 or so European Starlings trying to grab some mealworms in between the Jays and the Crows. At least in our garden, they are not bullies. Everyone seems to wait their turn like planes lined up on a runway. Since the spring we have not been able to see the little birds very well as they have been hidden in the lilac bushes with their thick leaves. Soon all of those lilacs will be bare.
The bird feeder workshop was quite fun. The young woman leading the few of us that dared to show we lacked some essential skills was wonderful. She discussed every aspect feeding birds from seeds to feeders and for me, how to breed my own meal worms. Yes, we will call it Hugo Yugo’s Meal Work Farm!!!!! I don’t think Calico would want anything to do with bugs and worms! You need a transparent plastic bin (ugh, plastic), some paper towels, bran, and some starter meal worms. This tub has apparently been going at Oak Hammock Marsh for fifteen years. There are hundreds and hundreds of meal worms. I will keep you posted – I have everything but the breeding stock of worms.
Then we had a tray that showed us what to feed birds, different seeds for different species. Two things she noted should not be fed: bacon grease and peanut butter. Both of them will stick to the feathers of the birds and prevent them from flying. The bacon grease melts at a lower temperature than suet which should only be used in the winter. So don’t be tempted to use it. Popcorn – do not salt or butter – and best not on strings. Just air pop it and put it on your tray feeder! Some seeds can only be purchased at specialty bird shops while others can be bought at your local feed and seed stores. Calico says to always check prices -. We get some seed from a local farmer and others at the feed and seed. Our specialty bird feed store is at least twice as expensive. With the number of birds we feed, we need to find good quality food at reasonable prices.
And like magic…another feeder for the garden!
In the fields adjacent to the marsh, the geese were feeding. There were all four species that come to this area of the Canadian Prairies present – Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, White-front Geese, and Canada Geese.
Florida hasn’t cleaned up after Hurricane Helene and already Milton is on its way to hit Fort Myers. Again, we can only be thankful that the raptors do not have any eggs or chicks in those nests. This will be the largest evacuation of Florida sine 2017 as Milton prepares for landfall. Milton appears to have the potential to impact all of the nests in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville. Stay safe everyone.
A different view of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles from cam 4. Lady is hunting for lunch! https://youtu.be/UIO6-eJBsGA?
Lady worked hard for prey.
Xavier tried to feed his chicks! Poor Guy. He is such a sweetie. Diamond is one protective falcon female!!!!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/rSGA_ATc7IE?
‘A’ reports that it is time to name the chicks at Orange! “Thought you would want this info in your blog as soon as it dropped. Here is the link for voting. They will choose the top two names from the voting (and the third egg, if it hatches, will get the third most popular name).
So did Mum tell Dad to go and get a fish or put in a phone call to the fish fairies? He flew out right after a little chat. 🙂
OMG. Ervie’s little brother or sister is so cute…and Mum had such a time getting it back under her after its feeding!
Heidi reports: “The second hatch at Port Lincoln occurred prior to 15:19 on 10/7. The second baby was first seen out of the shell for a split second in a very fuzzy cam view at 15:19 (screenshot).”
Lukin is the name of the little White-tail eaglet at Port Lincoln. He is 50 days old today and is standing and walking on the crane nest quite steadily.
Beau was on the LOP and Gabby was there, too. They are in the area of Milton. Send them good wishes – like I know you will to everyone.
It is raining in Fort Myers. The ground is absolutely saturated.
The nest is really a beauty. F23 and M15 have been working particularly hard and those cot rails are getting perfect. I wonder what it will look like after this hurricane? https://youtu.be/mOMRW5Ff8yw?
Brown Pelican caught on the Captiva Osprey cam where it is also raining and winds are gusting. Milton is not set to make landfall til Tuesday.
As most of you are aware, my husband has Lewy Body Dementia. Getting out in nature is essential not only to HIS mental health, but also mine. Taking part in simple activities, like building a bird feeder, is also key to one’s well being. It was not rocket science. Pre-drilled holes, but it helped with confidence. So if you know of someone who needs a boost, see what is happening at your local wildlife centre and take them! Sign up for a morning bird walk, build a bird house, learn to identify raptors. Life is truly beautiful – live it! Our dance card is full – every day there is something even if it is a trip to the local farmer’s market for their final event. The local honey is divine. Fantastic in tea or on toast.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Send warm wishes to everyone in the path of Milton as Florida prepares to get hit again.
Bird World is so exciting with all the new babies. Watch the cams, check them out, rewind to see the wonderful feedings. Watching falcons is so much different than ospreys. Now that we know that the fish fairies will visit Port Lincoln, we can relax. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, Oak Hammock Marsh, CNN Weather, Olympic Park Eagle Cam 4, SK Hideaways, Falcon Cam Project, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Heidi McGrue, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, BirdMap, and The Guardian.
My inbox is full: There is finally a hatch at Port Lincoln and a pip in a second egg. Fish fairies get ready!!!!!!!!!
There is really good news coming out of West Africa. Blue 5F, Seren, the mate of Dylan from Llyn Clywedog in Wales, is right on her favourite stump in Tujering, The Gambia. She has arrived safely. Oh, that just puts a smile on my face and makes me feel warm and fuzzy. What a distance they have to travel and with the Sahara expanding every year, it can be even a more treacherous journey.
Autumn is such a bittersweet time of year. It is my favourite season because of the chill in the air, the crunch and smell of the orange, red, rust, and espresso-coloured leaves under my feet. As a young girl, there was something about walking through the University of Oklahoma campus when there was a home game that was energizing. At the other end, all of the leaves are falling off the trees, the vines on the woodshed are dead, and most of the songbirds are gone. Soon, everything will be only grey and brown. The geese leaving daily remind me that winter will be here sooner than one desires. Even so, the little sparrows are having baths today, while the Starlings hope that I will give in and put out more mealworms. Of course, I did! They are now busy gobbling them up. Yes.
A very unusual thing happened. The Boyfriend showed up at 1500 wanting his evening meal. The birds were eating at all of the spots ferociously. It is not 1515. The winds have picked up. Dark clouds have covered the grey sky and the phone now tells us to expect rain within the hour. Wind gusts are 40-68 km/h. The lilacs are beginning to whip around like mini-tornadoes and the leaves are flying about the yard. It seems that the garden animals are so in touch with the weather. They do not need an iPhone or the telly to tell them what is happening. They know precisely. I am always so amazed at how smart wildlife is and how so many people think they are just ‘bird brained’ and have no feelings. Silly people.
The Farmer’s Almanac: “Did you know that bird behavior can help us predict the weather? Closely observe nature and your feathered friends—you might be surprised by what you learn!
One of these days, take a moment to look up. Watch birds in flight. Birds flying high in the sky usually indicate fair weather. As the adage goes …
Hawks flying high means a clear sky. When they fly low, prepare for a blow.
Geese fly higher in fair weather than in foul.
Air pressure does indeed affect birds. For example, swallows have sensitive ears; when the barometric pressure drops, they fly as close to the ground as possible, where air density is greatest. Low-flying birds are generally a sign of rain, while high-flyers indicate fair weather.”
One of our readers, ‘B’ sent us a great article about the heavy impact that Avian Flu is having on Bald Eagles. The situation is far worse than imagined.
Waba is the 2022 hatch of Karl II and Kaia from the Estonian Black Stork nest in the Karula Forest. For many of us, he is very precious and we hope that he will live long and carry on the legacy of Karl II who was so tragically killed on a power pole in Turkey last year. Waba is now in Romania making his way down to Africa where he will spend the winter.
Two are already in Africa, Timmu and Kergu.
You can monitor their progress by following the bird migration map or checking in on Maria Marika’s very informative and up to date FB page.
Everyone is anxiously awaiting for that crack in the egg at Port Lincoln to give way to a very feisty little osplet! Heidi called it this morning for us.
Mum is snoozing. She needs all the rest she can get before these three eggs hatch. Those chicks will keep her and Dad super busy for the next 100 days.
Omega is fishing on the weekend at the boundary between Virginia and Maryland ensuring that they get every last Menhaden in the Bay.
Raining on Gabby Saturday. She is still alone at the nest. We have no idea what is happening elsewhere to either Beau or 24E1.
Gabby is here and moderators have confirmed that Beau is on the LOP.
Weather and migration.
So cute. The parents at 367 Collins Street are doing an amazing job with those three chicks. Remember that the falcon chicks cannot see for a few days. Their open eye is just a slit. This will change around day 5 to being fully open and round. As they begin to focus, they will be better able to aim and grab that prey!
‘A’ loves F23’s technique: “At Collins Street, mum’s garage door technique is working a treat, with all three well sheltered by her body and wings. Clever mum. You have no idea how relieved it makes me to see that she has a preference for this brooding position. It really is by far the best for sheltering chicks from rain in particular – a larger area stays dry. I have watched it on eagle nests and osprey nests so many times, and this is definitely the most efficient position. So much so that I wonder why all birds don’t use it pretty much all the time.””At Collins Street, mum brought in a large fresh catch around 18:37, which she then prepared and fed to the three littles. At 18:41, dad came trotting down the ledge with a freshly caught bird in his beak. Mum and dad had a good discussion about the prey situation, and dad took his offering to stash somewhere for later. Mum continued with the feeding. Her bird is massive compared to dad’s, and the debris left on the ledge is impressive.
The Collins Street parents are working so well together to raise these three chicks. I am looking forward to this nest. I am confident these two are going to do a great job. And the pigeons have returned to the CBD it seems – I saw several in Fitzroy (a suburb right next to the CBD) today – they looked plump and healthy and a passerby laughed when he heard me encouraging one such plump pigeon to go for a sightseeing flight over the CBD because our baby falcons in Collins Street might need a feed. (Most Melburnians know about our falcons.) “
Breakfast at Orange. Will that third egg hatch?
‘A’ remarks: “Oh my goodness Xavier! He brought in a piece of prey at 09:25 this morning that was SO big, I have no idea how he managed to fly with it. I am notoriously bad at identifying prey but it was gigantic. Maybe a duck? I don’t know so never quote me on prey types. But this was half the size of Xavier! No, as I watch him struggle to take it away to a stash spot, I see that it is in fact MORE than half Xavier’s size. Seriously. Rewind the fotoage at Orange and have a look at this. Xavier really is stepping up his prey deliveries as the number of beaks in that scrape increases. We now have three little bobbleheads and we all know how much falcon chicks like their food. After all, they tell us so, very very loudly.”” Xavier has really stepped up his hunting since the chicks hatched, and today, he brought in an impressive array of sacrificial birds, including a duckling I’m pretty sure (there was a lot of discussion about the possible sources of duckling on the chat, suggesting that my guess re the ID of that gigantic piece of prey Xavier brought to the scrape was in fact correct. Surprise! It really was huge though. I have no idea how he managed to fly with it. Falcons are obiviously significantly stronger than they look.”
A beautiful family portrait at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest.
Jumping and flapping!
‘A’: “October 6: All early awake, with duets and all joining in. Dad brought leaves in a couple of times. The eaglets were waiting all morning until Lady brought a mullet at 12:26 and fed both. Just before 4pm, Dad brought in a small portion of fish and fed both – it didn’t last long, and SE33 grabbed the last scrap from SE34. Late afternoon, SE33 was standing right on the front rim, flapping and moving sticks about. Looking back, we noticed that on Friday, SE33 was seen on the lower part of Perching Branch – venturing out. At dark, both finally settled down.”
Look at all the little kestrel chicks having a feeding! Goodness me they are the cutest. https://youtu.be/AYGXwCBmOU0?
The Achieva nest is a real mess. Maybe a big wind will come and blow the entire lot of it down on the ground.
Florida will be hit again by Milton. It might clean up the Achieva nest, but let us hope that all stay safe.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. Enjoy the end of your weekend. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Heidi’, The Farmer’s Almanac, The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, The Washington Post, Maria Marika, Port Lincoln Osprey, William Dunn and Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal, NEFL-AEF, Meterologist Chris Vickers, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Nesting Bird Life and More, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Charter Group Bird Cams, Achieva Credit Union, and Sunnie Day.
‘A’ writes: “At 14:27 mum gets up a little and allows us to see the third egg shell completely cracked in half. There is a very damp chick still squashed inside the eggshell as mum tucks the hatching chick underneath her. So the official hatch time will be very shortly afterwards. By 14:30:30, the shell is completely separated and we can see two distinctly separate halves. So I would probably put the official hatch time at around 14:30 on 4 October. And then there were three on the ledge. “
Several of you are traveling on some great adventures right now. My family and I wish you wonderful times and a safe return to your home.
Thursday was a bright sunny day but it was decidedly fall with the nip in the air. It is a time for apple galette, pumpkin loaf, robust stews – comfort food. The birds in the garden seem to be eating more as the days get colder. Certainly the solid suet is not sitting too long til it needs to be replaced! ‘The Boyfriend’ stares at me while he waits for his dish to be filled!!!!!!
Missey didn’t care. She just wanted lots of brushes on Thursday and some chicken and rice.
One of the most exciting sightings in Manitoba is that of a family of Red-headed Woodpeckers. Seen last year for the first time and again this fall- it is quite the rarity. They must be breeding up north somewhere. No one is saying the precise location for their protection.
All About Birds describes the Red-headed Woodpecker: “The gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,” with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers: they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. This magnificent species has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply.”
Their territory is here. I notice that the breeding grounds are in the Southern part of our province. So the woodpecker family is locating itself north. That is interesting. I need to find out more!
The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts, and under roof shingles. Grasshoppers are regularly stored alive, but wedged into crevices so tightly that they cannot escape.
Red-headed Woodpeckers are fierce defenders of their territory. They may remove the eggs of other species from nests and nest boxes, destroy other birds’ nests, and even enter duck nest boxes and puncture the duck eggs.
The Red-headed Woodpecker benefited from the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease outbreaks of the twentieth century. Though these diseases devastated trees they provided many nest sites and foraging opportunities for the woodpeckers.
The striking Red-headed Woodpecker has earned a place in human culture. Cherokee Indians used the species as a war symbol, and it makes an appearance in Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, telling how a grateful Hiawatha gave the bird its red head in thanks for its service.
The Red-headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board.
Pleistocene-age fossils of Red-headed Woodpeckers—up to 2 million years old—have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, and Illinois.
The Red-headed Woodpecker was the “spark bird” (the bird that starts a person’s interest in birds) of legendary ornithologist Alexander Wilson in the 1700s.
The oldest Red-headed Woodpecker on record was banded in 1926 in Michigan and lived to be at least 9 years, 11 months old.
We have hatches in Australia and some new excitement on the screens.
If you missed it, the hatch for Diamond and Xavier. Such a cutie pie with its little pink beak open for some food. https://youtu.be/hh-GWZg5z00?
With the return of Beau, work on the nest at NE Florida seems to be stalling. Let’s hope that changes. The chat moderator notes: “Beau returned on 8/24 and Gabrielle on 9/1. Last year’s “visitor” 24E1, showed up mid-Sept and Beau disappeared for just over 2 weeks. Beau reappeared yesterday, a bit scuffed up but lookng good.”
Gabby followed Beau to the nest Thursday evening. Looks like they are settled for the evening.
It is raining at Port Lincoln. Mum is really wiggling around in that nest. We should have a hatch anytime. Gosh – we are going to be busy. Hatches at Melbourne, Orange, and then Port Lincoln with the sea eaglets getting their legs and wing flapping.
There was a hint of a hole in one egg but nothing confirmed.
Heidi has been monitoring PLO and writes. “All night on 10/4 we were observing for a possible pip. There was a dark spot showing up on one of the eggs in IR lighting. But, the spot never changed in size or shape, there was no cracking around it, or edges of shell seen. So, it may just have been a spot of dirt. No pip could be confirmed during the daylight hours of 10/4. They are now in darkness w/IR lighting in the evening 10/4. I’m going to continue to monitor throughout their nighttime hours 10/5.”
Heidi and I both agree that it is not looking good for egg 1 and that could be the case for egg 2 as well according to the historical hatch of 34-36 days. Here are the dates of the eggs:
Egg 1 laid 8/26, 0357. 10/5 = 40 days.
Egg 2 laid 8/29, 0547. 10/5 = 37 days.
Egg 3 laid 9/1, 0529. 10/5 = 34 days.
Just look at how big the Growing Home osplet is today!
I hope that all of the albatross chicks on the headland have fledged. There was at least one still there a couple of days ago. Please keep everyone in this area of New Zealand in your warm thoughts.
What does it feel like to see the last few birds before they head off on an epic migration?
Oh, my goodness, what fun. Feeding time at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Toronto. You can sign up and watch all the action! https://youtu.be/rPUrZascFnE?
Do you know what a Loon’s foot waggle is all about?
Weather is causing some havoc as the winds are blowing at such a speed the migrants cannot cross The Straits into Africa.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Make Halloween Safe for Everyone. A lot of children have allergies. Many have weight problems. Calico suggests that instead of giving out candies that you check out options like stickers, glow sticks, fancy erasers, funny pencils and cute things that you find or collect over the year.
Calico also reminds everyone against decorating with the fake spider webs. Birds get caught in them as do other wildlife. Please ask your friends and neighbours to be kind to our feathered friends during this time of fun. Thank you!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J’, Heidi McGrue, Guardian Australia, Openverse, All About Birds, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Androcat, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, The Royal Albatross Centre, The Guardian, Toronto Wildlife Centre, Loon Preservation Society, SOS Tesla.
The European Starlings are really enjoying the meal worms. The Blue Jays are sorting through the peanuts for the best ones, and everyone wants a bath. It was a glorious fall morning in the garden with the animals and birds that I love so much.
Birds having a bath; Starlings eating meal worm treat.
Hope watching the Starlings.
Starlings devouring the meal worms.
Missey watches them, too.
Calico doesn’t care.
There is a hatch, on Wednesday, at the Melbourne CBD 367 Collins Street scrape. The penthouse falcons! Congratulations! We should be seeing the other two little fluff balls shortly.https://youtu.be/VRfLhA-E7cg?
And then there were two! Close together in hatch times. Fantastic.
Those two little fluff balls are getting some breakfast bits.
The other big news is that a bit of a ragged Beau has returned to the NE Florida nest after having been away for a fortnight and a day. 24E1 has not been seen since Tuesday morning at the nest. Gabby was there at 1000 on Wednesday morning. It is 5:34pm on the cam and as far as I know, Gabby has not been at the nest since his return. Oh, dear.
Beau made it through the hurricane. Are the missing feathers because of that along with the fresh blood on his tail or has he been in a fight? and with whom?
Gabby did return and she did find Beau. His feet are not in as bad a shape as the rest of him. They were down in the nest together working away. It is better than anything on Netflix. But, let us hope that this nest calms, that whichever of the males Gabby picks is up to the task of fatherhood this year, and that all hatchlings fledge.
I don’t think I have ever been so mad. See the post by Brian Collins below. Forestry England has observed ospreys at Llyn Clywedog for years. John Williams has kept accurate records on the fish delivered, and we now understand that a family of two adults and three osplets eat on average 480-525 fish, medium ones, from time of egg laying to migration. Ospreys cannot carry huge fish – think a Brown Trout. Of course, many other people keep track of fish deliveries, type and size and amount. This information should be clearly available to all. But, Goodness me. That is only about 1000 lbs of fish. A drop in the bucket compared to Omega’s takings. We also know that adults died and that starvation deaths were regional. So that the starving osplets in the Bay are specific to the overfishing of the Menhaden.
Geez. This ASMFC smells fishy.
Collecting data on our nests can be very overwhelming. For Heidi and me, because we were looking at mortality rates and causes, the emotion connected with watching ospreys starve to death when help could come has often been simply ‘too much’. Right now I have data on more than 60 nests that need to be entered except that it is lacking key information – the day the eggs were laid, the hatch dates, details on weather or dates of death, even fledging days. I am getting there slowly and hopefully we will have a good indication of the % that died from starvation and/or siblicide or predators in 2024 from over 566 osprey eggs. Bear with me. My goal is to get this together before the end of November!
I will put out a call early for information for the 2025 season. I am looking for detailed information on the nests that Heidi and I do not normally cover including those in Europe and in particular, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Germany. If you watch a particular nest on a regular basis, we would appreciate hearing from you as to dates the adults arrive, the date eggs are laid, hatch, and the date of the first flight. If chicks die or eggs do not hatch, all information is important. Thank you!
Elfruler has sent out a posting that they will be cutting back on what they are posting in terms of nests for similar reasons – being overwhelmed and nests with poor cams and little information. This is part of the letter that they sent out to readers: “
After reflecting long and hard over the last few months, I have determined reluctantly that it is time to retire the yearly Nest Watch page on my website. I began that page with the 2019-2020 season as what seemed like a logical extension of my comprehensive collection of statistics on eggs, hatches, and fledges on eagle nest cams since 2011. But I am finding that maintaining the page has become exhausting.
Is Ervie out scouting for a female? And how many female are there? Do we need a translocation for all these males??? Ervie was everyone’s all time favourite – the little third hatch that took on big Bazza and Falkey to be kind of the Port Lincoln territory til Mum and Dad thought he might need to move a little further away.
I found some old video footage of Ervie having a dust up with Bazza and another of Ervie catching his infamous puffers. At one time we thought they might seriously injure one another. Enjoy.
We wait and hope for Xavier and Diamond at Orange.
Judy Harrington is bringing us up to date on those cutie pies.
Looking at that wing span!
Smile. This osprey patient was returned to the wild!
Thank you to everyone 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 this morning: ‘J’, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Brian Collins and Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, Elfruler, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Falcon Cam Project, NCTC Bald Eagle nest, IWS/Explore.org, Androcat, Nesting Bird Life & More, Judy Harrington and Olympic Park Sea Eagles, and Florida Wildlife Hospital.
Gosh, Tuesday was a bit nippy on the Canadian Prairies. Fall blew in, literally, Monday morning and is hanging around. The low temperature overnight was 5 C and 15 C is our high. Picture this: A wool jumper from Sweden, heavy wool socks, and some dense denim and the furnace is on. Tomorrow, some Birch will be delivered for the wood stove to drive off the chill of these early fall evenings. This morning it is rainy and damp. The Starlings are pecking at the solid suet feeder while I sneeze and cough – the first of the ‘seasonal change’ colds that happen annually. No sign of ‘The Boyfriend’. He is hunkered down somewhere warm and dry.
Tuesday was the day that I finally got the letter off to EarthJustice about the Menhaden industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. It introduced the problem to see if they are interested in taking on a legal challenge to stop the fishing. It was nice to have the respite time to sit and think through this and do some data entries of osprey nests that are not on streaming cams. So tomorrow will be a good day to head off to the nature centre for a walk. So much nicer than those hot humid days of summer.
Those Canada Geese are probably flying in to sleep earlier each night as the days get shorter and the temperatures get chillier. We are set to go back and check on the geese on the evening of the 5th of October – and then I signed us up to build birdhouses on the Sunday. That should be fun!
The latest news in cat world is that The Boyfriend has either trained me or I have trained him to be ready for breakfast at 0900. He is always waiting. Sometimes peeking in the garden door (staring at Baby Hope) or sitting on a stump. Today, he got an extra treat since it was so cool – a big tin of sardines. ‘The Girls’ do not like them! Of course, Calico loved them when she was an outdoor kitty and a big dish of those very stinky fish is what lured Baby Hope into the trap to come inside. Think they would go near them now? Not on your life. Too funny. Too spoiled. And very much adored.
All of the garden animals are caching food in a frenzy now. Little Red even jumped on the back of a Crow today! They are brave those reds – the greys not so much.
The Florida Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers are overcome with birds and other animals in need. It is the same for Tennessee.
Continuing on with the Menhaden…some agencies are just useless.
An unusual patient in The Netherlands.
I am seeing an Osprey at Captiva, but there does not appear to be that fish bone in the leg. Not Jack?
At the NE Florida Nest of Gabby and 24E1, the couple are working tirelessly on getting that nest sorted!
One of the questions on the NE Florida chat had to do with eagles bonding for life. Do they break up? Now sit back and think about this. Ma Berry left the Berry College nest. She was seen in Alabama. Pa then took Missey as his mate. What others can you think of? Send me your list!
Still waiting to see if Holly Parsons caught a glimpse of a pip at Orange or if it was something from the nest attached to the egg. We are in hatch range, 34-36 days. Oh, I so hope we have a lively little one this year. One is good.
Lady came down from her branch to join SE33 and SE 34 in the nest. Looks like they might be getting a wee snack.
One eagle working on the Duke Farms nest on Tuesday.
Poor thing. Its toes are caught in the shell of the turtle.
32 year old Bald Eagle Ambassador Dies.
As many of you are aware, there have been concerns about the Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platform in St Petersburgh, Florida for a number of years. This past winter the hatchling slipped through a hole in the nest that was part of a drainage system and died. Hurricane Helene has caused much damage in Florida and this nest is not a priority. For many of us, it is because there are no eggs and no chicks yet. It is not clear what work the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre undertook in the winter of 2024, if any. The platform needs a real overall – the drainage system needs to be amended so that no eggs or chicks fall through. There needs to be two perches. A predator baffle needs to be installed. The adjacent tree must be trimmed or critters can climb it and get on the nest. That is just a beginning. I was informed today that the Audubon Society erected the original platform. They are at Clearwater. This is their e-mail address:
If you feel so inclined, please write to them. There are many, many priorities in Florida right now, but this platform needs to get on their radar because of the timing of the breeding season coming up. Maybe someone will be hear by and can lend a hand. I always say it is worth asking. All they can do is say ‘no’, but they might say ‘yes’. I will be sending them a note today or tomorrow. Thank you.
Ospreys do rebuild nests. So do Bald Eagles and they can do it in record time. It is the overall structure of the nest and the issues of predation that need to be addressed not the mess on top, but that would be nice, too.
We have also seen PSEG clean out the nest at Patchogue. The ospreys did the best they could with the upside-down material they were left with.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Achieva Osprey platform looked like the one on Lori Covert’s property on Captiva? I wonder if Window to Wildlife might like to take the Achieva platform on as a project of theirs?
Connie and Clive were both at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest Tuesday.
Frances and Franklin are working on the Bluff City nest. Boone and Jolene lost their tree but this tree and nest seem in pretty good shape.
Migration count to date at Hawk Mountain, PA. I wonder how much Hurricane Helene impacted the weekly total??
Vinny, the Black Vulture, has been hanging out at the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle nest.
Black Vultures are large raptors. They are exquisitely black, with just the tip of their under wings clad in a gorgeous silver.
How big a problem are Black Vultures to cattle ranchers? Purdue University did a study.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Do you love crusty bread? We love it and Mark Bittman’s No Knead Bread is often baking away in my great grandmother’s cast iron lidded pot. The problem is cutting it. Calico will tell you that it seems every time I bake bread or bring a baguette home from the boulangerie, crumbs get all over the kitchen floor. She knows that it happens right after I clean the floor, invariably. My Japanese knives do not cut the bread correctly – they cut everything else so thin but make a mess of bread. So, Calico has been reading Wirecutter again and we now have a very inexpensive knife with a serrated edge that has made my life so much easier!
Calico says you can thank her later, but remember – crusty bread!
Thank you for being with us today. Take care. Stay safe. 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: ‘MP, Dierenambulance Den Holder, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Nesting Bird Life & More, Duke Farms, Missouri Department of Conservation, Back to the Wild, Castilia, Ohio, Achieva Credit Union, ETSU-Bluff City, Hawk Mountain Migration, Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle Nest Cam, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal, and Purdue University.
By elfruler on 10/02/2024
