Category Archives: New Zealand birds

Friday in Bird World

12 January 2024

Good Morning,

We had an ‘Alberta Clipper’ hit southern Manitoba overnight on Wednesday, and when we woke up Thursday morning, all of the main roads surrounding the city were closed. They reopened at 0845, but many city streets were blocked. There is not a vehicle moving where I live. It is wonderfully quiet. What was different, also, was the traffic at the bird feeders. The Crows arrived – two of them – for peanuts. They were joined by five woodpeckers, 4 Chickadees, and 2 Blue Jays, the usual cohort of squirrels and sparrows.

I have been talking about the Crows and how I noticed that they have not been around the neighbourhood. It was worrisome. The other day, I saw one at the corner waiting for a neighbour to put out food. They were not coming to the garden. Today they are here. Oh, tears. Joyful tears.

Our City has marked diseased trees and sadly, their nesting trees are due for cutting. We are all hoping that they will find another tree. These trees were planted in 1902. They are huge and made a beautiful canopy once the leaves were fully out in the spring. It is so sad to see them needing to be taken down. There are others being planted in their place but it will be a decade or more before they are even a decent height, never mind 60 for 70 feet in height.

The Blue Jay in profile is the baby that slept with the ornamental birds in the garden last summer. It is here with its dad, Junior. These seem to be the only two Blue Jays still in the neighbourhood that did not migrate (or die).

The male Downy. Notice the red patch at the back of the head near the nape.

This is the male Hairy Woodpecker.

One of Dyson’s kits was enjoying peanuts, too!

It is one of the female Downy Woodpeckers eating the suet on the big table feeder.

As a result of the activity in the garden, I spent much time in the conservatory watching rather than on the computer – something that I ask all of you to do! It was so nice. There is no hatch news so it is simply the status quo so far.

Iowa got some snow, too, and the eagles at Decorah North were doing a bit of cleaning up.

The Hatchery Eagles stayed in the trees.

Sunny Florida on Thursday. At the nest of Gabby and Beau, Beau is really coming into adulthood. He is helping Gabby and has incubated twice on Thursday. As the hatch approaches, let us all send positive messages that this egg is viable and that Beau begins to bring prey to Gabby and their chick.

We do not ever have to worry about E23 not getting enough prey!

E23 tried to yank that rabbit out of the nesting material to eat it today. Our little eaglet is getting pin feathers and will soon have some dandelions as the thermal down comes in. You can also now see the ear.

Rose is not giving any hints at the WRDC nest on Thursday.

At Captiva, C10 and C11 are sleeping with the fishes.

Shadow brought in the first fish of this season on Wednesday!

Heavy rains caused flooding at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest on Wednesday.

SE31 continues to put smiles on our faces. 

Changeover at the Royal Albatross Colony. Everything is OK.

Marri’s return to the nest and – some memories thanks to SK Hideaways.

In California, Monty and Hartley want one another’s breakfast!

The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland – one of our favourite wildlife rehabilitation centres – released its 700th eagle into the wild! This is where Bailey, the Osprey, is an ambassador and where Connick was cared for before going off to the Smithsonian as an Ambassador.

Audubon-Center-for-Birds-of-Prey-Celebrates-700-Eagle-Release-Milestone-Audubon-FloridaDownload

Why is the Jackdaw the most beloved Corvid in the UK?

Birdwatch-why-the-jackdaw-is-Britains-most-endearing-crow-Birdwatching-The-GuardianDownload

Why is the population of Winter Finches in decline? Audubon gives us some answers. 

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You are looking at the only breeding pair of Short-tailed Albatross at the Midway Atoll and they are feeding a chick. They also breed on Mukojima, Ogasawara Islands, Japan.

Pesky intelligent Kakapo do not like staying in their enclosure.

New comes about one of the Hancock Eagles from British Columbia.

Thank you so much for being with me today. We are anxiously awaiting a pip or hatch at both the WRDC and Berry College. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Raptor Research Project, NEFL-AEF, Jan Lester, SW Florida Eagle Cam, WRDC, FOBBV, Duke Farms, Window to Wildlife, Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, The Guardian, Audubon, Friends of Midway Atoll, Robyne Hocking, and Hancock Wildlife Foundation.

Jack blown off nest…Wednesday in Bird World

10 January 2024

Good Morning,

Oh, that -21 C was a bit brisk yesterday! It was still cold, -15 on Tuesday, but it didn’t seem quite so bitter. The Blue Jays and the Woodpeckers were out feeding alongside the squirrels and the sparrows. It is always reassuring to see them!

The male and female Downy Woodpeckers come and go to the feeder. They are enjoying that hunk of suet. This is the female. I could see the red feathers at the nape of her neck. Looks like a smudge in the image but you can see it, too. 

‘J’ told me that they do not have Blue Jays in Germany. She loves them and I am thrilled that she ‘met’ these amazing Corvids through this blog. ’J’ found a video of a Blue Jay shovelling snow. I have seen the ones in the garden do this same manoeuvre to get to seed.

‘The Boyfriend’ was outside. Seriously. How could you not feed this lovable guy?

Missey was staring at him from the Conservatory table.

An affectionate moment between Missey and Hugo Yugo.

Another adorable face. Yes, she has me wrapped around her tiny, tiny paw.

Calico has signalled it is story time and Baby Hope is getting ready to jump up!

Calico is ready to hear about Pale Male.

If you do not know who Pale Male was, then get your detective hat on! You should be able to find the documentary for free. Thelegendofpalemale.net

Indeed, this is what the two Blue Jays have had to do for a few days in southern Manitoba.

In the UK, Swans ring bells for food!

C10 does seem to get the bulk of the food at the Captiva nest despite not being aggressive (lately) to C11. Regardless, though, both eaglets appear to be doing extremely well.

‘A’ sent in some observations of Captiva – warning some beaking discussion: “CE10 had a large breakfast this morning while little CE11 didn’t manage to get up to the table for quite some time, and when he did, he was ignored by Clive, who at that stage stopped feeding the kids and ate a large meal himself!! However, interestingly, CE11, who at that stage had prime position, CE10 having gone into a food coma, began to attempt to self-feed on the side of the fish Clive was eating. The fish had not been unzipped along that side, so CE11 had to peck through the skin, but there was a distinct dent in the side of the fish by the time he finished (he was quite persistent, continuing to attempt to self-feed for a minute or two, and getting some flakes of fish from the exercise, so it was an excellent first effort – he may need it, as ever since the slightly hungry day three days ago, CE10 has been a little more aggressive in ensuring first position at the feedings and CE11 has become a little less confident. Eventually, though, he generally gets fed, as this nest sees a large number of speckled trout thanks to Clive (he has already brought in a nice very big trout this morning, and of course there were nestovers there already). CE11 did get fed at the second feeding, shortly after 8am, and I’m sure will get plenty to eat later on as well. CE10 woke up with a large crop, which was refilled at the first feeding. CE11 had one too, but crop dropped fairly early on, waiting for some breakfast that didn’t come until the second feeding, and he could have eaten a fair bit more there as well. CE11 does start a lot of the bonking – it is worth noting, though, that CE11 has some avian form of restless legs syndrome. Since the earliest age, little CE11 has been flapping his tiny wings in his sleep. And now, for some reason, CE10 has started objecting to being woken up by CE11’s dreams of flying. Several recent bonking episodes have been started this way, with poor little CE11 getting woken from sleep by an attacking CE10, who has been annoyed by a random wing slap in CE11’s sleep. In one such episode early this morning, CE10 had hold of the front of CE11’s throat and was really twisting and tugging at it. I was quite concerned about the potential damage, given that it was the front of the neck rather than the scruff that was being twisted by a pretty sharp, vicious-looking beak, albeit a relatively small one.”

M15 and F23 prepared for the upcoming storm. Squirrel and fish on the nest to keep E23 well fed and they will hunker down if it gets bad.

There was a beautiful and tender time at the SW Florida nest when M15 joined F23 in feeding their only eaglet, E23.

Here it comes.

I am continuing to track the storm that is hitting Superbeaks harder than at Fort Myers. There is some concern that Muhlady has gone into labour and is laying the first egg of their second clutch. Here is the weather map. It is 1855 in Florida.

This is at Superbeaks.

Muhlady flew off the nest around 17:43.

The wind is blowing hard up at The Hamlet with Gabby incubating as the rain starts. You can hear the howling wind.

Later. The winds have picked up and Gabby is still protecting that egg. The nest tree is really starting to sway.

This is Fort Myers at the same time. It is windy there, too, but the rain has not come. It will be there soon enough but it looks like the bulk of the storm hit the central and NE areas of Florida.

Still rather quiet a few hours later for F23 and E23 in the nest at Ft Myers.

This is Abby at Eagle Country at the same time. The cam focused on the nest tree shows that rain is starting to fall but it does not appear to be too windy yet.

Abby hunkered down but things are a little quieter at Eagle Country.

The winds were blowing hard in the morning at the Achieva Osprey Nest. Jack and Diane had even lined the egg cup with bark and then…the strong winds blew Jack and part of the nest off! Those winds had calmed by evening.  There were no chicks and no eggs and – well, that is sure a relief.

Thanks B. Snyder for capturing that horrific moment.

Cali Condor Jackie and Shadow at the nest. Oh, don’t we love the couple. I really hope they get to raise an eaglet or two this year.

Rotating eagles in the Kisatchie National Forest E1 nest.

At Port Lincoln, both Brad and Gil have had some fish before noon. The supplementary fish yesterday appears not to have been the one on the nest but one that got dropped in the water from the information on the obs board. My error. Apologies. Thanks ‘VS’.

‘A’ sends the report on SE31: ”January 10: No parents were seen on the river early when our watcher was there shortly after 7am. At 8am, SE31 appeared, flying from behind the island to move to River Roost. She may have been eating earlier – hopefully – though not seen. In the attached photo from early in the morning, she is possibly clutching something. At around 2pm, one adult was seen near Goat Island. No more day reports. In the late afternoon, at 5:10pm, one adult was reported at Burns Bay, honking away. The other may possibly have been there as well, and was confirmed shortly after. Then, at 5:30pm, SE31 was seen on the island.”

My addition: Just look at this magnificent sea eagle!

“At Orange, Marri was seen and heard today and Diamond was in and out of the scrape a lot as usual. Time stamps for the day are as follows: BONDING 06.06.36 X arrives for brief bonding RECAP 07.23.46, 15.42.00-15.42.15 Marri heard; Diamond was watching 14:41:16 fly down, 14:41:39 fly up & short scream, 14:49:03 another fly up & short scream; Marri involved?; 14.49.03 (?) Marri fly up; Marri screaming outside until 15:42:19; 17:37:50 Marri heard in the distance, then D flies out. Diamond was most recently back in the scrape around 20:35:28 and left at 20:42.” Thanks, A.

Humans. What can we say? Why would anyone do this?

We are getting closer and closer to the hatch of the Royal cam chick/s. This is what you can expect in the coming days.

There is a book coming out that I am very interested in because I spent much time at Belvoir when I lived in the UK. Simon Curtin has written, If You Build It, He Will Come – about the ospreys return to Belvoir after 200 years. Geemeff says, “In particular, the story of Blue4K, fledged at Rutland in 2013, who found a mate and bred for the first time in 2022 at the late age of nine years old. He was sat-tagged in 2018, and followed by Sacha Dench on the Flight of the Osprey expedition and successfully sighted in his winter home in Dobire, Guinea. The author adds “all my profits from the book will be donated to conservation charities so anything you can do to spread the word will help sell more copies when it is published on 27th February, and raise more money for good works.“ More to come when it is released.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, Geemeff, H, J’, SPO, Our Blue Planet, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, Weather Tracker, Superbeaks, NEFL-AEF, Eagle Country, Achieva Credit Union, B Snyder, FOBBV Cam, Cali Condor, Tonya Irwin, PLO, Bart M, A Place Called Hope, Kakapo Recovery, Ventana Wildlife Society, Simon Curtin, Sea Eagle Cam, and Holly Parsons.

Sunday in Bird World

7 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It was a sunny day albeit a little cooler today and the temperatures will be slowly dropping to the inevitable -27 or more C at the end of next week. There was a nice dusting of snow and if I had a wish it would be that we had a huge blizzard that stopped everything for a day. Snow is a good thing and we need it.

The girls had story time, and everyone was off in their little hiding spot, having a long afternoon nap. As it gets colder outside, Calico and Missey are sleeping more. Today, Hope and Hugo were piled in together. They tend to come out for several good romps now and then. Couldn’t live without them!

Hugo Yugo only ‘stops’ when she is asleep. 

If Calico is by the end of the sofa, then you can bet that Missey is under it. It is hard to determine which one is afraid of the other. They seem to take turns. It is, of course, ridiculous – just like all that beaking or bonking by the little raptors. Lots of food, love, cat trees, perches and one thinks they have to be the boss. Can you hear me growling? Of course, Hugo Yugo is going to come flying through and scare the wits out of Calico. Go figure.

Calico is doing pretty good on her weight loss programme. When spring comes – hoping for snow but wanting winter to end in March and not May – Calico will have a padded halter and we are going to go for some walkies. 

Another really good report coming about SE31: ”January 7: SE31 was seen early flying from behind to her favourite branch on the island, in the morning sun. Then at around 9am, she went for a long flight to the south, over the Sydney Olympic Park area, for about 20 minutes – exploring further each day. As always, she is escorted by chasers like ravens – the lot of a raptor. Later in the afternoon, at 6pm, she was on her favourite perch on Mangrove Island, with no adults seen. Then she took off again, towards Juvie Roost and out of sight from our observer at the boat ramp.” Thanks, ‘a’.

‘A’ reports on the falcons At Orange, “there was a late afternoon bonding session at 17:55:08. Marri was not seen or heard today (or yesterday). The last time she was positively identified was on 5 January, when she was seen and heard flying past the scrape. Of course, the same applies to Marri as to SE31 – the longer they are out there, the more invested we become in their longer-term survival. So with two days since Marri was last seen, we start to worry (at least, I do). There has been so much rain in southeastern Australia over the past couple of weeks, and there have also been storms at Orange, I believe. As I type, beautiful Diamond is preening on her ledge, preparing for bedtime.”

At SW Florida, F23 is finishing up the remnants of the Armoured Catfish and feeding E23.

M15 joins them while F23 eats some fish. Is M15 on alert?

This is one strong eaglet. At only six days old, E23 is out of the nest bowl!

Connie and Clive protect C10 and C11 amidst a big storm that hit the Barrier Islands on Saturday.

That storm hit the Eagle Country nest of Abby and Blazer, too.

It got rainy at Port Lincoln, too. Brad and Gil are soaked. Mum delivered a breakfast fish at 0733 but Gil dropped it. Mum retrieved it and took it to the old barge to eat all by herself. Good lesson!

There will be a total of five fish brought to the nest.

It is getting windy up near Jacksonville at Gabby’s nest with V3.

The second egg which Gabby is incubating was laid on the 23rd of December. Looking for a pip around the 27th of January at 35 days?

What the AEF mod at the NEFL Eagle cam said today re Samson: “RaptorLvr_AEF​Samson has not been seen or found. He was by all accounts healthy when he disappeared. However, since they were so close to egg laying, we think something prevented him from returning to the nest.” More comments followed. ”RaptorLvr_AEF Samson and Gabby were a strong bonded pair with 3 successful clutches – very unlikely he would decide to abandon his nest.RaptorLvr_AEF ​While we never saw any other eagles in the area prior to Samson’s disappearance, eagles did show up within a day or so. They could have been out there out of cam view and we don’t know what went on.”

Guardian is at the Redding nest in California he shares with Liberty – restorations are being made. Wishing these two a much better year in 2024.

I want to go back to Anna and Andria for a moment. We will never know for certain what happened to Anna. It is a shame that Cody and Steve went to so much trouble to retrieve her – first to get help for her and second, to find out why she died – and she was incinerated and the cause will not be known. As ‘H’ reminds me – it isn’t for us, it is for the area. Is there something there. ’M’ is involved in veterinary medicine and is a technician. This is their thoughts on what MIGHT have happened to Anna. ”I thought the bird named Anna wasn’t acting like she had avian influenza. I think she was either poisoned with a metal like lead, etc. or had a neurologic disease like Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM). It affects water birds as well as raptors, including the bald eagle. It was first documented in eagles and American coots in Arkansas in 1994. In the field, affected raptors have difficulty landing on perches and will fly into objects. It is believed to be caused by a toxin produced by a cyanobacterium (a blue-green alga). This bacter–ium grows well on aquatic plants such as Hydrilla verticillata. Eagles become affected after consuming water birds, especially coots, which have fed on this plant. I noticed someone in chat at the nest cam said a coot was brought to the nest and consumed. This disease is often observed during the fall and winter months on or near water bodies with invasive aquatic vegetation. The only way to positively confirm AVM is by examining the brain for the presence of the characteristic vacuoles in the myelin sheath of the brain.”  

Tiger Mozone says it is 70 days til the Ospreys arrive in the UK. We are on the countdown.

Raptor Persecution continues in the UK. I will be so joyful on the day that I can quit posting these monstrous intentional injuries and killings.

Buzzard-suffers-shotgun-injuries-in-Essex-–-the-8th-known-raptor-persecution-victim-in-this-county-iDownload

Translocation Project of Black-footed Albatross to try and stop their extinction.

A recent good book has arrived. The Backyard Birdwatcher’s Bible. 413 pages with illustrations that include gorgeous photographs, textiles with birds, drawings by Audubon amongst others, maps, diagrams. There is the Introduction which includes good tips on how to use the book to its full advantage along with an excellent glossary. Four chapters include Chapter One that discusses the origins of birds, various specie profiles along with feeding and attracting birds to your garden. Chapter Two says it is for beginners but it is full of detailed information from egg to fledge, migration, conservation, the history of bird watching. Chapter Three is specifically on how to attract birds including creating a bird-friendly back yard, making a bird bath, a bird cafe, nesting boxes, etc. Chapter Four is all about birds and their history in art, painting, sculpture, photography, design, and craft. At the end is a long list of additional resources and further reading. It is hefty and would be a welcome addition to anyone’s library.

I have to say that I am particularly impressed by the variety of illustrations that include the females. They are often difficult to identify in the garden because some books do not even acknowledge them. The information is concise and accurate with some fun things to try to bring birds into your life.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, H, M’, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk, Window to Wildlife, Gracie Shepherd, Eagle Country, SK Hideaways, PLO, Bart M, NEFL-AEF, Carol Shores Rifkin, FORE, Raptor Persecution UK, Holly Parsons, Amazon, and The Backyard Birdwatcher’s Bible.

Moorings Park is up and running…Saturday in Bird World

6 January 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that the start to your weekend is a good one!

It was only -5 on Friday at the nature centre. It was a really good day for a walk. The Chickadees, the squirrels, and the woodpeckers were all out looking for food and enjoying the mild weather before – next week – when it is forecast to be -29 C. There were so many going for walks today. Happy. They were smiling and taking photographs. Sometimes, when it is frigid, we don’t want to get outside! So Friday was a good opportunity to walk in and have that quiet, peaceful time in the woods. Nature is healing.

Not a great shot of the woodpecker upside down at the feeder.

Snowshoes. The Ontario Heritage Trust gives us a good history of the snowshoe in Canada: ”Snowshoes are a practical mode of winter transportation, and they are also a symbol of practical ingenuity representing thousands of years of cultural history and adaptation to the country’s snowy winters. It is believed that snowshoes arrived in Canada during ancient migrations at least 10,000 years ago from eastern Siberia over the Bering Strait. In 1608, Samuel de Champlain provided the first written account of the First Nations using snowshoes to walk across the deep winter snow. Recognizing their value, Europeans used snowshoes for hunting and trapping, and for exploring the rugged landscape. In the mid-1800s, snowshoeing became a popular recreational activity, with clubs meeting for hikes and competitive races.”

The girls are fantastic. Every day – many times a day – I profess my great astonishment that these four girls are safe and sound. They bring me such happiness I cannot imagine life without them.

Today, my daughter sent me an article form the local news. Apparently feeding stray cats is illegal in my city. Well, who would have known? If I had not been feeding strays, I would not have Calico or Hope and the Boyfriend would be thin. My entire neighbourhood would be fined. Now how ridiculous is that? It seems that someone has thought so too so there is a move to strike that law and allow people to care for these needy animals. The girls and I intend to write in support of lifting the law that prohibits the feeding of feral cats.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-considers-allowing-care-for-feral-cats-1.7074944

Missey is rather ‘wild’ looking. ’J’ thinks she comes from a magical forest full of unicorns. I could not agree more. She is now 22 lbs. and is 16 months old.

Storytime and Baby Hugo decides which of the treats everyone is going to receive.

Calico listening to a chapter about the establishment of The Ramble in Central Park and all the birds that migrate there twice a year.

After story time, Baby Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope wrestle and run.

Hugo Yugo knows that Baby Hope is hiding under the tablecloth, ready to pounce.

There would not have been enough fines in the world to get me to stop feeding Calico — and I am so glad that someone rescued Missey and took her as a week-old kitten to the Humane Society – and that some kind heart took pity on Baby Hugo Yugo’s mother and brought her in to have her 7 kittens safely. These four beautiful souls are what rescue is all about. 

There is not a lot of action in Bird World. In some ways this has turned out brilliantly for all of us as we can enjoy three little eaglets – both clutches at such different stages of development – without having to spend much time decided on which streaming cam to watch.

There is much relief at watching the SW Florida nest – no bonking! Just one very special little eaglet who has the complete attention of its parents – the super dad M15 and his new mate F23.

E23 is an eating machine…and F23 and M15 are fantastic parents. Food coma after a great feeding from Dad!

The variety of food coming to the SW Florida nest this year is quite incredible. Today it was an Armoured Catfish – but there has been rabbit, egret, fish. F23 is very grateful for the fish!

A nest full of fish and eaglets looking out to a beautiful world at Captiva.

My goodness the nest was really rocking for Rose at the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Dade County. Thinking pip in a week?

It is always a good day when Jackie and Shadow are in the nest at Big Bear.

At Port Lincoln, it is wet. Bradley took the first fish delivery from Mum. Giliath had to wait for food today until dad brought in a headless fish at 18:09.  He ate the entire thing in 15 minutes. 

Look at Gil’s tracking! We all wish Brad could have had that extra tracker. It would have been fantastic to compare the two brothers.

At Orange: ”At Orange, Marri was seen and heard flying past the scrape yesterday (5 January). Diamond and Xavier had two bonding sessions this morning (05:39:30 and 07:24:45). Diamond spent a lot of the day surveying her territory from the ledge of the scrape.”

WBSE news of 5 January: “SE31 appeared from River Roost at 6:40am, then flew to the island. She flew around the bay then, just before 7am, attempted to catch a fish, with a splash. Shortly after, she was not eating, so must have missed (or dropped it). Neither parent was seen earlier, but at 7:45am, one adult was seen at River Roost with SE31, who was whining continually for food. Around 11am, we saw SE31 soaring way up high and one adult on River Roost. Then, at around 12:05pm, the juvenile returned, past the adult and into the mangroves below the adult. Lady took off from River Roost, then the other adult appeared from behind the island. Both then set off, hunting hopefully, at 12:22pm. We did not see SE31 or either adult when we left at around 1:30pm. Then, at around 5pm, SE31 was seen again, and set off on a long flight, over the river to Homebush Bay and over Meadowbank, then back to more familiar territory.”

The latest news from WBSE: ”January 6: Early in the morning, our observer reported one adult and  the juvenile upstream of River Roost. Being Saturday, river traffic was very noisy. They were still there some time later. Then, at around 12:30pm, one adult was seen flying with a big fish, followed by an eager SE31. Around 40 minutes later, SE31 was seen sitting on a low branch on the island – had she eaten? Later in the afternoon, after a very hot day, none of the eagles could be seen from the boat ramp. Plenty of fish were jumping – come on SE31! “ Thanks, ‘A’.

At the Royal Albatross Colony near Dunedin, New Zealand:

Now this is the kind of news we want to read.

Oh, oh, oh. Moorings Park Ospreys are live!!!!!!!! Didn’t we have a great year last year with Harry and Sally. Look who is home. Oh, talk about a fluttering heart.

It is time to have some fun with some of those strange ‘bird terms’….Gorget, anyone?

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How can we help our urban birds? An article in the latest Living Bird Magazine from Cornell Bird Lab has some answers.

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Results of the Christmas Bird Count in Canada. Now, please make sure that you join Cornell and other groups for the Big Bird Day coming up in February. I will remind you again and again of the date as it approaches. All of this helps us understand what species are in decline, which are flourishing, and where. Then, we can ask why.

The-123rd-Christmas-Bird-Count-in-Canada-AudubonDownload

If you live near Threave, you might want to join in the fun! This sounds like a great experience…wish I was in Scotland.

Two more book reviews coming for Sunday, 7 January.

Thank you so much for being with me today. We should have a few more eaglets in a week and hopefully some more eggs. We are looking for hatches at the WRDC and Berry College. Take care all. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, SK Hideaways, Vija, Window to Wildlife, Jenna Dorsey, WRDC, FOBBV, PLO, Bart M, Sea Eagle Cam, Ron Young, Fran Solly, Moorings Park, Living Bird Magazine, Audubon, and the National Trust for Scotland.

Bird Flu in Polar Bears…Friday in Bird World

5 January 2024

Good Morning,

Hugo Yugo went to the vet on Thursday and she had an excellent report. Not a single problem and she is now a good weight for her age and she is getting some adult teeth. Vet Kate thinks she is going to be a super small kitten. It was nice to see Hugo Yugo with lots of energy while she was at the clinic – she is awesome.

Wrestling in the conservatory with Hope. Look at Calico’s face. She is so glad not to be a part of this action.

The plumbers were here all day. They are terrific and got all new drains and vents and a new WC installed, etc. Hugo found a pile of old towels destined for the clinic and she snuggled in. I think the vaccinations made her a little tired. All of the cats were so good. They were sequestered so as not to get outside and the best of the lot were Calico and Hope. Missey and Hugo Yugo were their curious selves. Hugo Yugo is getting nice little ginger tufts of fur on the tips of her ears.

All had a special late dinner to thank them for being so patient during the plumbing ordeal.

You need to be part of the Big Bird Count. Go to the Cornell Lab or Audubon and sign up! We need accurate counts of birds in winter to help understand declines and increases in populations. Thank you!

Looks like M15 brought in an Egret for lunch after the family had finished the rabbit.

Here is that Egret delivery by Faxinating.

F23 catches her own fish and brings it to the nest. M15 removes the Egret carcass. E23 is doing fantastic.

From the behaviour, it sure looks like C10 is a female at Captiva. She still rears her long neck and head and C11 still plummets down on occasion. Little male?

Gabby is on territorial protection duty it seems. Gabby is doing all the incubating as far as I can tell on Thursday.

Ravens and Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear. Video of the busy day at the nest at the end.

Looks like Mum at Pittsburgh-Hayes.

At Port Lincoln, Brad found some leftover fish in the nest and had a nice breakfast. Gil was not bothered.

They see Dad.

The day so far at Port Lincoln. 

‘A’ sends us good news from the Parramatta River. We can all sleep easy. SE31 is really catching fish and providing for herself. It really is OK to sit there and cry your eyes out. We have been waiting for years to see this miracle happen.

Here is the latest: “January 4: The first report of our juvenile today was just after 7am, flying into Juvenile Roost. Then at 9am, she was seen catching a fish, then eating it. Wonderful sighting. At around 10:30am, she took to the air, joining an adult circling above, higher and higher and over Ermington. Then back again when a parent, we think Lady, brought in an even bigger fish – with the young one squeeing eagerly when going to take it from the adult. SE31 has eaten well today. Our juvenile is growing and gaining in experience, flying and soaring strongly, and now has been observed catching her own fish. Late in the evening, both adults were seen at Goat Island.”

The video of WBSE31 catching a fish!

‘A’ also reports: ”Thought you would want to know that BOK came in today (4 January) to relieve WYL. Such a relief to all. I am not sure whether they will replace the dummy egg with the real one again now – I presume they will.”

Diamond looking out as a falcon flies down from the tower. You can see them if you squint! (light grey form half way down Diamond’s chest in green area).

BirdGuides Review of the week:

Review-of-the-Week-18-December-2023-1-January-2024-BirdGuidesDownload

If you have cried over the plight of the Manatees in Florida, a new report is giving hope. Not raptors but I know many of you are concerned. We will take all the good news we can get the beginning of 2024!

Seagrass-resurgence-offers-ray-of-hope-for-Floridas-hard-hit-manatees-Marine-life-The-Guardian-1Download

Some good news I you are not a fan of wind turbines killing our birds.

“In Petit-Pressigny, in South Touraine, the PROJECT FOR EIGHT WIND TURBINE MASTS WAS REJECTED by the Versailles administrative court of appeal DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF A BLACK STORK’S NEST NEARBY.”

We close on a bit of a sad and confusing/conflicting note.  Anna’s body should not have been incinerated without being signed off. Also it only takes 2-3 days to get the HPAI rush results so what is going on? The author is right to be frustrated…good gracious. 

Bird Flu has now been detected in a Polar Bear. 

First-Case-of-Lethal-Bird-Flu-in-Polar-Bears-Reported-in-Alaska-The-New-York-TimesDownload

On the plus side – we will soon be on pip watch for Dade County with Ron and Rose and Berry College with Pa and Missey! ’H’ reports that Superbeaks looks promising for a second clutch. Fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Cornell Bird Lab, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Faxinating, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baibai, PIX Cams, PLO, Bart M, Eagle Cam, NZ DOC, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Bird Guides, and The Guardian.

Action at SW Florida…Saturday in Bird World

30 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

There is news – not a huge amount – there is worry and there is hope. Between now and when the largest group of eagle eggs hatch, Bird World will be pretty quiet. So, two things before I forget. I still want to hear from you. Send me your personal best moments of 2023 in Bird World. Let me know by late on the 31st as I will post them on New Year’s Day. You can add a comment or send them as an e-mail message to maryannsteggles@icloud.com  My plan is to rank them and put in some comments with only initials. The list is growing nicely and is very interesting! So please, join in. Second, New Year’s Day is the day that I host the family.  In order to get ready for their arrival and to work on the list for publication, I am going to take Sunday off. I want that list ready with some illustrations if I can find them for us to welcome in 2024. So remember – I won’t be here on Sunday! But watch SW Florida. There could be a bobblehead or two.

The girls continue to be fine. I am overwhelmed. I could not pick a single highlight of the year in Cat World – getting Calico’s trust was incredible, the thought of losing her only surviving kitten was almost the death of me and then – Hope found us! There she is with Hugo playing in the conservatory on Friday. I cry every time I think of all of that. The bitter moment was the loss of dear dear Lewis. 

Worries continued on Friday for Anna at the KNF-E1 nest. The hope is that the rushed request from the toxicology reports for Andria will get back in time to provide some insight into what ‘might’ be happening to Anna. Still, let us continue – if she is alive when this is published – to send her positive healing energy. It sure has been a rough start to the Bald Eagle season in the US.

Here are the laws that govern what is happening at the KNF-E1 nest:

Can-I-Install-a-Camera-at-an-Eagle-Nest-U.S.-Fish-Wildlife-ServiceDownload

Maybe some good news? I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up or bring them down. We just wait and see what happens with Anna.

Anna continues to fight – and she has been caught on the canopy camera flying by Baiba. Everyone lives in hope that she has overcome any ailment. 

We are officially on hatch watch for M15 and F23. One egg has a pip and the shell on the other egg is crushed – we have seen these hatches before, they just take a bit longer. Humidity comes to mind but I am not an eagle expert (always remember that – my area is osprey behaviour).

Interesting activity at the NEFlorida Nest of Gabby and V3 (and V1?).

Beau cuddles with Gabby on the nest!

Issues with a sub-adult intruder at Johnson City.

Scout continues his visits to Bella at the NCTC nest.

At Port Lincoln, two fish came in before noon, Gil was the victor but never rule Brad out…there will be more fish and when he is hungry, he is going to do a good snatch!

Brad is waiting patiently to see if Gil is going to leave any of that fish.

Some gutting news actually.

Last-Siberian-Crane-missing-in-action-BirdGuidesDownload

Land purchases are attempting to help the population of other species.

Wicken-Fen-purchases-land-to-help-European-Turtle-Dove-BirdGuidesDownload

Great work being done by our rehabbers and the public who call in injured wildlife.

The search for the Buff-breasted Buttonquail continues.

In-search-of-the-buff-breasted-buttonquail-–-the-one-Australian-bird-that-has-never-been-photographeDownload

Wondering what to do with that holiday tree?

Thank you so much for being with me today. Stay tuned to SW Florida! Take care everyone. See you on Monday!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J, L, SP’, KNF-E1, USFWS, James Nesta, Baiba, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd, Carol S Rifkin, AEF, Deb Stecyk, Sara A, PLO, Bart M, Bird Guides, APCH, The Guardian, and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Monday in Bird World

25 December 2023

Good Morning all! 

The best of the holiday season to those who are celebrating Christmas. We hope that you have a wonderful, wonderful day.

There was a light dusting of snow on Friday morning. When I went out to feed the birds, I looked up to the sky, and let a few of the falling flakes dance across my face. It was glorious. A single simple moment brings such joy.

‘The Girls Thought for the Day’: Any ordinary day can become extraordinary – stop, breathe, and look for the beauty.

Late Thursday night, I put out a ‘Bug and Nut’ suet cylinder, hoping to entice any Blue Jay in the neighbourhood. I was not quick enough with my camera this morning, but one deep in the lilacs took a nut and flew off. I didn’t scream for joy because Hugo was nestled in my arms, but oh, how wonderful it was to see the flick of those beautiful Indigo feathers. Dyson was there, too, eating peanuts along with both Little Reds. About 75 sparrows came for some festive seed, and various community cats, including ‘The Boyfriend’, had roast chicken and dry kibble.  It is a lot of work and I am behind in my shovelling of shells, but the happiness that these animals bring cannot be measured. 

The girls will have a table set just for them. Now will they really perch on the chairs and eat their chicken like nice little male osprey chicks? Or will they snarl and fuss? We will see.

The toy of the season has been this interactive one. It has a rotating laser light, a feather toy at the top that moves and little balls they can move with their paws. By far they have played with it the most.

Baby Hugo would rather play with Baby Hope sometimes.

I have mentioned that Hugo is fearless, right? She is so tiny compared to the others but playing rough is just what she wants to do. She is like a little orange tiger.

Now she has decided it is time to play with Missey!

Calico gets out of the way quickly when Baby Hugo is tearing around the sitting room.

Calico was so thin at the end of the summer after raising the kitten/s. She did an amazing job with Baby Hope compared to other stray cats and kittens I have seen. Calico is always worried about food, having lived on the streets, and I am afraid she is the ‘clean up’ kitty. She has gotten a little ‘pear-shaped’ since August when she moved into the house, and we are now working on a bit of a diet plan. 

The girls enjoyed their little party. First up to check it out was Missey followed by Hugo. Calico and Hope opted to eat in their usual spots. Each got their favourite treats along with some ‘dental toys’ and another new toy to alternate – keeping them active and away from ‘boredom’. Did we worry about cats being bored decades ago? or that their nails required trimming? or their teeth brushed?

Around the table are their bowls and favourite treats. Missey prefers the Churu Pops while Calico loves anything to do with Catnip. Baby Hope gets the Wilderness Salmon and Cranberries while Baby Hugo loves the Greenies Dental (I have to break them up for her). Sardines all around, dental chews, gnomes big and small to drag on the floor and a cat toy. All in all I would say that Santa did quite well by the girls.

They will have roast chicken in the pink dishes later. For now it is tinned food. 

See that package of sticks with tassels? They are supposed to help keep their teeth clean. They have certainly chewed on them all evening. Fingers crossed. The cleaning of teeth has been one of the biggest expenses for families with felines I am told by the vet techs. 

As the end of the year approaches, it is good to reflect on all the extraordinary events in our lives and Bird World. What were the 2 or 3 events with our feathered friends that touched you this year? If you feel like it, drop me a line and tell me so that I can share. I want to see how many overlap so I will also rank the top 5. I plan to publish them on the 1st of January to kick off the year. You can add them as a comment or send them to me as an e-mail – thanks, ever, for sharing: maryannsteggles@icloud.com

At NE Florida. Gabby. Will she have to do it all? This nest concerns me. I adore both of them and would like nothing more than to see Gabby become a mum again, but…she cannot do it alone. 

The learning curve is high. Instinctual does not mean parents (raptor or otherwise) get it right. Stop and think about the males that have either done something accidentally to harm their chicks or something silly. Tom and the first hatch for him and Angel, the Leucistic RTH, this year. The feeding of so many eggs, including that at the scrape of Monty and Hartley. Many females prefer to eat and not feed their chicks. We will never know what drove V3 to bury the first egg, and we will sit at home and scream at the screen for him to bring prey to Gabby. I would prefer that this egg fails than to see an eaglet starve. Again, Gabby cannot do it alone – she might be a super Mamma, but she will still require help. — Please prove me wrong! You can all throw rotten tomatoes at me! 

‘H’ sent me the most recent news on Gabby: ”Gabby was not in the nest for a while, and Beau flew to the Wallenda.  He stayed there for a long time, finally going to the nest at 165025.  He started pulling up moss again, and looked like he may have intended to perhaps do what he did to egg #1…but every time he started to do something, Gabby hollered at him from a nearby tree.  So, he eventually flew to the Sunset branch.  The egg was inadvertently moved to the edge of the bowl (not that there is much of a bowl) from Beau’s actions.  Now, Gabby just returned to the nest….she resumed incubating the egg from its current location.  550 people were holding their breath.”

Thanks so much, ‘H’. 

It is raining at the nest of Alex in the Kisatchie National Forest. Alex is trying to keep those eggs dry tonight. Just ache for him…gosh, I wish I could send you Gabby and her egg!

The John Bunker Sands Eagles are incubating two eggs and the area has already had over two inches of rain.

Now that it is the 25th of December, you can start getting excited because we are going to be on hatch watch at the nest of M15 and F23 in Fort Myers soon. There has been great success at Captiva with Connie and Clive and I am looking forward to M15 and his new mate raising their first clutch together. 

Great photos coming out of the Parramatta River from Chang-Le Dong of SE31. Thank you!

‘A’ gives us a good report on the sea eagles: ”December 25: Early, all three eagles were down on the river and SE31 was eating a fish. Around 7am, the parents were duetting with the juvenile squeeing a ‘Happy Christmas’. Again, after 8am, when our juvenile had finished eating, there was another chorus. Then she seemed to stay out of sight, with no more views. Late in the afternoon, at 5:30pm, the storm was approaching and only one adult was to be seen. There was a great sighting of the critically endangered Eastern Curlew earlier, flying over the wetlands. Very exciting.” 

‘A’ also says “At Orange, all three of our falcons have been sighted today, with both parents visiting the scrape (Diamond several times during the day, and she is there now, while Xavier visited for a bonding session at 18:26). Marri was sighted (and heard!!) atop the tower more than once, chasing poor Xavier off the roof on one occasion. There was a big storm, with hail, in the middle of the day, but it fined up later on and all falcons were sighted after the storm, so none of our precious falcons was harmed. “

Checking on Port Lincoln:

Gil and then Brad share in the last fish delivery that is recorded before I call it night’s out. It was a nice big fish to complement an earlier delivery by Dad.

The Arno Bay Ospreys in South Australia have been given names!

At Redding, Guardian is bringing in the prey and building up Liberty’s strength for eggs! 

At the Royal Albatross Colony:

Scary times for Anna and Louis?

Monty and Hartley have a brand new scrape box. Listen to them discuss its potential!

Some images today from the Captiva nest:

The nest is sure nice at Eagle Country. Waiting for eggs.

Jackie was hard at work Sunday morning moving some sticks around on her nest at Big Bear.

Occasionally, I see a posting about an extraordinary young person getting involved to help save the birds and their habitat. I know that there are lots more out there, but kudos to this young man on his second fundraising project for the albatross.

On Christmas Eve, the girls and I slowed down. My friend in Paris suggested I take a nice chunk of chocolate and put it into a mug with heated 10% cream. Stir. Drink. Just like one of the stalls makes in Shakespeare and Company. It was lovely. Try it! And if you want to give it a hint of Mexico – stir with a cinnamon stick. Then, we wrapped ourselves in my grandmother’s quilts and continued reading about Red-tails in Love – the story of Pale Male – in the quiet of the conservatory with the full moon hovering overhead. Blissful. Truly one of the nicest moments of the year.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H’, NEFL-AEF, KNF-E3, Tom Fleming, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Brandy Adams, Chang-Le Dong, PLO, Fran Solly, FORE, Sharon Dunne, Tonya in NO, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Holly Parsons, and Eagle Country.

Captiva Hatch…M15 protects F23 and eggs during heavy rain…Sunday in Bird World

17 December 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It was -2 C on Saturday. At one point, it was -8 when I was at the Nature Centre. Yes, I put on the super warm boots and heavier long coat and, with Possum hat in hand, went for a 2km walk. Lots of families were out enjoying the day. I saw only a few Black-capped chickadees flitting around with the woodpeckers and the squirrels. The crisp air was lovely.

This time of year, I like to pop in and check out the new bird books on the shelves. I found one that might interest you – for yourself or a friend. If you need just a little motivation to sit and watch outside or want to record your sightings, this book is for you. It is large enough you won’t be cramped on filling in information yet small enough to stick in your bag along with a pen for your walks. I usually record my findings on eBird, but I will also start to use this diary instead of scribbling on the pages of my Manitoba bird book! 

When I got home, the little boy across the street ‘Teddie’ and his dad had been doing some snow sculpture. Cute!

The girls are fantastic. Well, I think they are. Calico might tell you differently. She was trying to have a nice snooze after breakfast – Calico loves to sleep upside down. Well, Hugo thought Calico’s tummy was the perfect bullseye to jump on. Hugo wanted to play. – Calico wanted to sleep. Dear Calico was so startled that she ran as fast as she could the opposite direction after giving out a hiss!

Missey quickly hid in the large tunnel toy while the commotion was going on.

Baby Hope decided that the safest place was in the basket.

Hugo, of course, was not bothered by any of this. She just went over and started playing with the other tunnel toy! Hugo is utterly fearless. I wonder what the dynamics are going to be in a year?

Baby Hope eventually came out and posed. I cannot take my eyes off her. She is the most precious kitten. I will still be tearing up when she is ten years old marvelling at how she found us after the entire neighbourhood looked and called ‘hoping’ to reunite Calico and her kitten. 

Despite the mishap with Calico, Missey, Hope, and Hugo are having fun together. They are not bored but are getting vast amounts of exercise. The flow of the house from the conservatory through the kitchen, around the island, past the library and into the sitting room is a perfect race track for them to exercise those leg muscles. 

The kittens want to give you a big giggle to start your day off right.

It is so quiet in Bird World that it is actually eerie. There are storms moving through Florida and along the Carolina coast. In the midst of those, Connie and Clive have their first pip. The couple had piled grasses into the nest prior to the arrival of the storm and those eggs are nice and dry. Mum and Dad are soaking! Good luck Connie and Clive. Bird World needs a little bobblehead right now especially since Gil has fledged and Brad is thinking about it!

Video of hatch in progress. If this chick makes it, it will be the first successful hatch of the 2023-24 Bald Eagle season on streaming cam! Fingers and toes crossed.

https://www.youtube.com/live/z5nu6LL74P0?si=jDKWC0HGcSKBdTel

Clive is staying right there with Connie. Both of them are getting soaked, just like M15 and F23.

The hatch came at 0614 Sunday the 17th.

At Southwest Florida, M15 is protecting F23 and their two precious eggs from the storm. What a guy…F23 does not know how lucky she is…yet.

More sightings of SE31 and Lady and Dad providing food down by the River Roost. Also I am reposting information from an earlier post in case you missed it. SE31 had been taken into care and released in the area by the parents.

This has been the most wonderful year at the Parramatta River. To have one sea eaglet survive to be trained by its parents to live a successful life in the wild just makes me tingle all over. We have all shed tears for this nest in the past and I have longed for Lady and Dad to be able to finish what they began as an egg. Let us all hope that 32 is out there someone living their life, too. 

Marri flew up to the ledge of the scrape on Saturday in Australia. Oh, wonderful. 

Xavier has been testing out the new pebbles in the clean scrape.

At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ gives us an update: ”Giliath went on a second flight – only about 90 seconds, from 11:58:29 until 11:59:54, when he demonstrated an impressive backward-flying landing manoeuvre. Brad was very impressed and a little surprised. It’s all happening with this pair. I still think Brad is a couple of days away from fledging. He has not done anything like the amount of wingercising that Giliath did pre-fledge. But we will see. It probably depends on the wind. “

Mum, Gil, and Brad waiting for fish mid-afternoon.

All of us remain hopeful for Gabby and V3 this year.

At the KNF nest, Alex is still doing incubation duty while F1 stands guard and protects the nest! This was Friday but he was still on the eggs on Saturday.

Saturday night and Alex is roosting elsewhere. Maybe with F1. I wonder when his hormones will shut down or he will realise the eggs are not viable? Was it Shadow that incubated for 80 days? Does someone remember?

If there is time for Pepe and Muhlady to have a second clutch, maybe this will work out for Alex and F1. If not, may their bond grow stronger. She is surely a fierce eagle!

Meanwhile, Bella gets friendly with the new male.

Elfruler.com has an article with a lot of data from their research on why Bald Eagle eggs fail. This might give some good insight into what is happening this year on some nests.

LOST-EGGS-AND-FAILED-FIRST-CLUTCHES-OF-EGGS-Bald-EaglesDownload

There is more good news coming for the Albatross. We have Moana returning to NZ and we have the central character of Kalam’s Journey returning to Kauai – and she is not yet 7 years old! She survived! Tears.

Incubation changeover at Taiaroa Head at the Royal Albatross Colony. Get ready for beautiful sky calls.

Cockatoos alter their food to make it easier to eat – looks like my Crows and my Blue Jays!

Polly-Wants-a-Cracker-but-She-Wants-to-Make-It-Easier-to-Chew-The-New-York-TimesDownload

My rescue girls certainly think that this would be the best thing that could happen!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care – and if you are in the path of the storms, stay safe. We want to see you back with us soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, their photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, Cat’s Diary, Gracie Shepherd, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Chang-le Dong, Sydney Eagle Cam, Helen Match, SK Hideaways, Jerinelle Wray, Carol Shores Rifkin, KNF-E3, Deb Stecyk, Elfruler.com, Holly Parsons, NZ-DOC, Lady Hawk, and The New York Times.

Gil fledges at PLO and R5 is spotted!…Good news in Bird World

16 December 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

First up. Gil fledges. What a great flight. Just like a pro.

The girls are doing great. Thank you for all your messages. We are starting a new book. It is all about Wilding. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to the person or article that suggested reading to cats in a soothing voice was a good way to get them to trust you. You might recall that when I brought Calico into the house that was what we did – we had story time 5 or 6 different periods of the day. Gosh, I got to read a lot. She was fed while I was reading and often wound up sleeping on my lap. I did the same thing when Baby Hope joined us. Then, when it was safe, all the others joined in. Now Baby Hugo is in the mix. There is something so ‘moving’ seeing them on the old quilt my grandmother made or sitting in a chair ‘listening’ to the words of the stories. I am forever grateful to have these four beautiful girls in my life and our dear Lewis, bless him. 

It is hard to believe, but I use Uncle Claudio’s trick of the Marigolds to clean the wool fabric on the chairs twice a day doesn’t make a dent in it…there is always cat fur!

Meanwhile, one of Hugo’s aunties suggested applying a little olive oil on those little crusty bits below the eyes. Done! Hugo loves to play. She loves balls with jingle bells and tearing around. I often find her and Hope together with a pile of little toys. It is joyous. 

Hope and Hugo getting ready for story time. They claim the chairs. Hope wants the other wool camp blanket and Hugo always has to have a toy. Missey will be on the table and Calico will be on my lap or the old quilt.

We were all disappointed when the second egg of Pepe and Muhlady broke with no apparent chick inside. The good news is that there is time for them to have a second clutch and it is rumoured that this has happened before, and Muhlady laid eggs again in February. That would be wonderful.

‘H’ is overjoyed and I assume all of you will be jumping up and down with glee. She writes, “R5 (9 months old tomorrow) has been spotted in Palm Beach County, north of Miami-Dade.” Brilliant. Just the kind of good news that we needed today in Bird World.

Wow. Beautiful juvenile.

There is more good news coming from the Royal Albatross colony near Dunedin, New Zealand. Moana, the Royal Cam chick that hatched in 2016, has returned safely and is now banded. With all the challenges the birds encounter flying to Chile and being alone foraging over the high seas, this is simply a wonderful miracle. 

Here is Moana’s story:

Meet-the-Royal-family-Royal-CamDownload

If you missed it, the 2023-24 Royal Cam couple is LGK and LGL.

Also, if you missed it, Trudi Kron reminds us: “From Cody Wayne · ·Andria is being transported to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine for the necropsy and many of the tests we requested. She will arrive on Wednesday at noon. Preliminary results from various tests should start to come back to us by the end of next week. I will share information as I receive it.”

There is a lot of nest restorations going on at Redding. Just look at that beauty. No chance of an eaglet falling overboard here. Good luck – eggs required!

‘J’ caught some very intimate moments between Gabby and V3. She obviously loves this male eagle. We are always hopeful for them.

Tail swishing.

Eagle affection!

Gabby and V3 have been together both morning and evening. They are a beautiful couple. 

‘J’ also caught a glimpse of the two eggs at Captiva while the nest of Clive and Connie rocks and rolls with the winds of the thunderstorms brewing in the area. The storms will be heavy for the next two days. Let us all hope that chick stays in that egg! The same bad weather will be hitting the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23. Their hatch date is at least ten days away.

They didn’t wait for the weather to pass. There is a pip at Captiva Saturday morning!

Osprey visitors checking out the Captiva nest. They are in for bad weather, too – just a short distance from Connie and Clive.

Since Martin’s disappearance, Rosa has had several suitors. Now another one.

It looks like Alex might have a new mate.

All is well at Port Lincoln. Brad is on the left and Gil on the right. Gil doesn’t even notice the tracker. Well done, Ian Falkenberg! One of the chatters said that Ian Falkenberg practised putting the tracking harness on his chickens before ever applying one to an osplet. If that it true, it is brilliant.

The days observations and fledge and return times for Gil.

At Orange, Marri buzzed the scrape box.

SE32 continues to be photographed. Isn’t this wonderful?

Lastly sad news has come in. Chris Wood has died. It seems it was only yesterday that I spoke to him about a trip to visit The Gambia for next year to observe ospreys. The UK and West African community have lost a formidable supporter of ospreys and a wonderful chap. My condolences to all.

Thank you for being with me today. Lots of good and exciting news. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog: ’A, Geemeff, H, J”, HeidiMc, Sharon Dunne, DOC-NZ, Holly Parsons, FORE, NE-AEF, Window to Wildlife, Gracie Shepherd, Lucille Powell, Dulles-Greenway, PLO, Helen Matcham, Lady Hawk, Eagle Cam, Tiger Mozone, and Bart M.

Friday in Bird World

15 December 2023

Hello Everyone,

Good Morning to all of you. We are just two weeks and a day away from a brand new year – and sometime, between now and then, I hope that we have two healthy hatches at the SW Florida Eagle nest of M15 and F23. They could be the first successful nest of the year with two eaglets.

Before we move on to the other birds and the scant news, I have some more information about Hugo. When you adopt a kitten in Winnipeg, you should be given a file folder of information. That was missing when Hugo was picked up. It came in the post today. So, here are some things that were gleaned.

Hugo was born at the beginning of September. The folder says 5 September, but other information on line said 2 September, and my vet thought that because of her size and teeth development that this had to be the beginning of October. From what I understand, the original family wrote down 5 September as the date the stray cat they took in had her kittens. This original foster family took in a very malnourished stray cat, a Tortie, on the Peguis Reserve north of Winnipeg so that the cat would have a safe place to have her kittens. The family named the cat Grace and she had seven kittens. It is unknown if this was her first litter, but she was very tiny. Hugo had trouble eating. The kittens were surrendered to the adoption agency on the 11th of November. All were very tiny for their age. 

It is not clear what health issues the original situation with the Mum will have on Hugo’s development, overall health, or life expectancy. Right now Hugo is enjoying eating her kitten food, the kitten kibble, and loves the thick kitten milk. She loves to play and is sleeping on one of her favourite teaser toys. She likes being wrapped tight in a blanket and held close. Like all the others, I would not give her up for anything. Today she weighed 1384 grams before her evening meal. On Thursday, she weighed 860 grams so that is a gain of 524 grams or more than a pound. She looks like she might be long. Her eyes are still a little drippy so more Polysporin for Pink Eye. She will have her second round of vaccinations on 28 December and be spayed on the 15th of March -. The vet might be in for a surprise since all the paperwork still indicates that Hugo is a ‘he’ and that ‘he’ will be neutered.

Hope watching Hugo play with the red pom-pom on the tunnel.

It was Hope that first took over Missey’s basket with the little granny square blanket she was given when she was adopted. Now it is Hugo that is moving in on Hope’s territory! I did say that little Hugo is fearless, right?

Missey sits on the back of the sofa or on the wicker and watches them all. More than half the time she is now playing with Hope and Hugo. So nice to see her back to her normal self.

Hugo looking outside to ‘The Boyfriend’ who came for breakfast.

Beautiful Calico. I tear up every time I think about what she went through and how healthy little Hope was. What a miracle.

It was +4 today and what a nice day for a short brisk walk at the nature centre. The squirrels were running everywhere and watching them made me think that they thought spring had arrived. The chickadees were out at the feeders along with a male and female Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch. The entire place feels empty without the ducks and the geese, though. 

There is good news coming from the Sydney Olympic Forest area for our WBSE family – Mum, Dad, and one fledgling presumed to be SE31.

“December 13: Early morning, both adults were seen at River Roost and SE31 was seen going into the mangroves and heard calling. Then again, at 07:45, SE31 was heard but not seen. Then at last, just after 9am, an adult was seen catching a large fish – grabbing it with one foot – in front of River Roost. SE31 flew out to claim it with loud squeeing, then all three were out of sight in the mangroves. No further observations during the day. 

December 14: Early morning, SE31 was spotted at Mangrove Island – then moving to River roost. This seems to be her home patch now, moving back and forth and sheltering in the mangroves lining the river. It has been a really hot day again. We have no more observations for today – hopefully, our eagles were keeping as cool as they can by the river.”

And the last report from Sydney: ”December 15: Early morning report at 07:30 of SE31 and one adult at the water’s edge at River Roost, then joined by the other adult. Then, at around 09:20, SE31 was seen flying over the wetlands, venturing further and flying right up high, before returning to River Roost – feeling her wings for sure. At around 4pm in the afternoon, SE31 was seen at River Roost, a parent arrived, then shortly after she flew to Mangrove Island. Later, she was seen flying high again, before returning to the River Roost mudflats.”

At Orange, Diamond still is not too pleased that the scrape box was cleaned. Wonder what the rush was? Does anyone know if Marri has returned to the scrape since the cleaning?

At Port Lincoln, it is Gil and Brad on the nest. Both now have names. It has been such a good year at Port Lincoln thanks in full to the foresight and tenacity of Janet, Bazz, and Fran who insisted on an intervention. We can all agree that the research coming off this nest opens up new avenues for thinking when it comes to Ospreys. Give them an international round of applause. For my friend ‘A’, she is overjoyed at the success of this nest. In the past she was hesitant to even go on line to check on the osprey family. Today she wrote, “I just adore this pair SO much. Goliath in particular is wingercising with great concentration. He has been getting air, with some impressive hovering yesterday. I know it’s a wonderful achievement and I should be pleased, and it is and I am, but I will miss these two. I do hope that they do an Ervie and hang around Port Lincoln at least sometimes. I still wonder what on earth caused Zoe to head inland into the desert. It made no sense. But then, much of her behaviour made no sense.”

At the time I am writing, Dad has delivered a partial fish to Mum and the boys. That is fantastic.

They are gorgeous – Gil and Brad.

These are the comparison weights provided by the observation board, Bart M for the PLO chicks:

Giliath (male) –   1445 grams

Bradley (male –  1390 grams

In comparison:

Zoe (female    –   1700 g

Ervie (male)    –   1380 g

Bazza (male)   –  1280 g

Falky (male)    –  1230 g

At Osprey House, George has delivered two fish – one for each fledgling!

‘H’ reports: ”Broken shell overnight first noticed around 0310 (very poor visibility).  Muhlady appeared to move the shell.  When cam view improved, it was evident.  No eaglet seen.  Maybe they will reclutch.  They have been mating.”

The question is this: why are these shells breaking? Is it humidity? were they viable to begin with? 

We should watch for Connie and Clive at Captiva Bald Eagle nest. The wind is picking up. Storms with heavy rain are expected over the weekend on the Barrier Islands in Florida. Let us hope that there is no hatch during this time. Renee posted this information on chat: “PIP WATCH: Starts Saturday Dec. 16, 2023. Due to some delayed incubation, we may not see a PIP until Sunday 17th or Monday 18th.” I would like for this to wait until nice weather not during a thunderstorm.

There are many nests without any eggs yet. Duke Farms is one of those. Dad went missing in the spring, and there is a new male.

The other is NE Florida, ‘The Hamlet’ home to Gabby and V3. These two were busy working on the nest and alerting against intruders.

Indeed, of the streaming cams, there are so many without eggs yet. We might enjoy the spacing this year and get to see those little bobbleheads developing at all stages.

Anna and Louis laid their first egg on the 9th of December. There has not been a second egg. It would have been laid on the 12th. Fingers crossed that this egg is good – especially because of Andria’s death and the loss of the two eggs at KNF-E-1. 

Alex continues to incubate his and Andria’s eggs. The female continues to bury them, and he digs them up. My heart aches for him. At the same time, please do not let these eggs hatch. The only way these eaglets could survive would be if the female visitor fully embraced motherhood. Remember, Harriet and M15’s chicks were at month old when Harriet disappeared last February at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest.

Suzanne Arnold Horning is always looking out for Big Red and Arthur. This spring, Big Red will be 21 years young.

Plans to genetically engineer the Dodo back to life! Location: Mauritius.

Bird Guides announces, “An audacious plan between geneticists and conservationists to bring back the extinct Dodo has been announced.

Attempts to bring the species back to its former habitat in Mauritius are set to be led by US-based biotechnology and genetic engineering company, Colossal Biosciences, which is pursuing the ‘de-extinction’ of various other species.”

De-extinction-plan-to-bring-dodo-back-BirdGuidesDownload

If you missed the latest Condor Chat with Ventana Wildlife, here you go!

Could you fish in these conditions? Albatross do it every day in the roaring Southern Ocean.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. See you on Saturday!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J, L’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Karen Long, PLO, Bart M, Heidi Mc, Osprey House, Superbeaks, Window to Wildlife, Ann Penury, Duke, NE Florida-AEF, KNF E-1, KNF E-3, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Bird Guides, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Holly Parsons.