Category Archives: North American ospreys

Thursday in Bird World

16 May 2024

Good Morning,

It was miserable today. We have had rain and rain and are almost water-logged. I recall the day I begged for rain, but now we could have a week break! I went for two different short walks. The first was around an area known as the Sturgeon Park Greenway. The first thing that I saw was a group of twenty little goslings! One family was doing gosling day care while the other adults foraged.

There was a lovely little waterfall.

Red-wing Blackbirds were everywhere. I love their song.

I only saw this male Mallard.

I had not been to The Leaf for a few weeks. The Leaf is a huge conservatory at our zoo. It has a tropical area, a Meditteranean area, a special floral area that changes regularly, and a butterfly garden. It was a wonderful day in the Butterfly area! The last time I went, I did not see one butterfly. Today there were so many and they were active.

The only one that I recognised was this Blue Morph.

Oh, and yes, this is the Red Postman. The others I did not know.

My goodness, Bird World happenings just aren’t slowing down. The intervention at Rutland, the banding of the Cal Falcons, and then the banding of the eyases in The Netherlands, a fledge or two…endless delights. Even Little got a nice feed at Lake Murray!

That Bob is a toughie at Rutland. Tossed off the nest, rescued and then smacked with a stick. It is still alive, thank goodness. How would you put that if you were doing their ‘baby’ book?

Here is the banding video if you missed it at Cal Falcons.

If you are interested in Peregrine Falcons – it doesn’t matter what region of the world they are living – the Q & A after the banding is really informative. “A little squirming pillow in your hand, they are super duper soft” (Sean). I really recommend that you grab a cuppa and listen because you will learn so much! Great questions this year like how to peregrine falcons decide on where to have their nest? Do they predate Crows? What do they eat? Why not HPAI vaccination?

Names are now on the Cal Falcons FB, Twitter, etc – think of four names that fit together and have a theme. Heart the ones you like to make a short list!

‘H’ and I have been sounding an alarm over the osprey population decline in the US for the past two years. One of our researchers ‘VV’ is monitoring ten nests from their home in Maryland. Those nests are not on streaming cams, but they give us good insight into the current issues this year. One nest has recently had its eggs stomped by Canada Geese. Other bonded pairs are not bonded but divorcing putting the breeding season at risk. We hope that two of the ten nests will have fledglings.

Michael Academia has been discussing the Menhaden issue. Others have noted it. I want a moratorium on the fishing especially by the big net trawlers. It does not matter if the population appears stable – it isn’t. Few chicks last year and the same possibility this year. This can prove critical in 2-4 years.

Researchers-Sound-the-Alarm-Over-the-Chesapeake-Bays-Ospreys-AudubonDownload

At Kent Island, ‘H’ reports it appears the Tom and Audrey will not have any osplets this year. “Kent Island (Chesapeake) osprey nest of Audrey and Tom:  Things have just been ‘off’ this season for Audrey and Tom.  Audrey was inattentive to her first egg in April and the egg was predated by a crow.  Audrey did not lay a second egg and then she took a hiatus, and was not seen on cam for several days.  Audrey and Tom returned and Audrey laid the first egg of their second clutch on 5/8.  A second egg was laid on 5/11, but immediately broke.  Over the past few days Tom has brought Audrey very few fish.  Audrey finally left the nest in the early evening of 5/15, presumably to fish.  She and Tom were both at the nest a little later. Tom left, and Audrey left the nest again at 19:52.  She did not return to incubate the egg overnight.”

The eggs are hatching at the Montreal Peregrine Falcon scape. The first one has hatched this morning!

While we have strong concerns over the depleting osprey population due to overfishing, loss of habitat, and loss of mates, they are having a bit of a different experience in Finland. this was posted in the chat on the Juurusesi Saaksilvie streaming cam on Wednesday:

“Good news from the other nests in Juurusvesi: all nine are nesting! Two nests in new artificial nests and ONE COMPLETELY NEW!. At all three nests in Karhenvesi, nesting is also fast!”

The feeding of the Outerbanks Chick:

Johnson City eaglet fledges on Wednesday.

Prepping. If you see a raptor lower their head, do a PS, there is a distinct possibility they are going to fly. And this one did! JC23 has not returned to the nest. Send good wishes. JC24 has yet to fledge.

‘H’ kept good track of Lake Murray today:

“At 1424 Kenny delivered a live largemouth bass.  Lucy was distracted, and the feeding did not start until 1428.  The feeding was very slow going for a while as Lucy dealt with the tough fish head.  Little was positioned to Lucy’s left and the older sibs to her right.  This tactic worked amazingly well in Little’s favor, and s/he was able to get many bites of fish.  Usually one of the siblings would nip this arrangement in the bud, and reach behind Lucy and put an end to it, but not this time.  All three were fed in this manner for a long time, but Lucy eventually shifted to her left and Little was displaced, forcing him to reach between Lucy’s legs for bites, and this worked!  Lucy fed Little many bites through her legs. There was some beaking of Little toward the end of the feeding, and Little was placed in ‘time-out’ by Big, but soon Big retired from the feeding, and Little was back, and eating beside Middle.  The feeding lasted until 1514, and Little ate at least 123 bites of fish.”

“At 1619 Kenny brought a headless fish to the nest.  All three osplets still had big crops from the last feeding.  Little ate a couple of bites initially, then was beaked.  The older siblings both beaked Little intermittently, even though Little was not near Lucy.  But, by 1651 they had both dropped out of the feeding and Little ate until 1654.  Little had about 46 bites of fish at this meal.”

Morning report from Lake Murray from ‘H’: “

5/16 – Lake Murray osprey nest – Kenny brought a large headless fish to the nest for breakfast.  Little was intimidated, but managed to grab a couple bites now and then.  When Big dropped out at 0640, Little crept up near Middle, but Middle gave him the ‘stink eye’, like “Don’t even think about it, Kid.”  At 0647 Middle beaked Little, but at 0648 Middle left the table, and Big returned to eat some more.  At 0656 Big was finally sated, moved away, Little had a nice little private feeding for 8 minutes, and had eaten at least 78 bites of fish.

This is not a photogenic nest, especially in the morning, lol.

See the second screenshot of the chat this morning.  There is a tragedy in the making here, I think.  But, I hope I’m wrong.   See the statement:  “All we can do is hope, and pray, and wait.”   You know that was not true… they could have done more in the off-season, as you had recommended.”

As ‘H’ indicates, the owners of the Osprey platform at Lake Murray were made aware, several times, of the fish grids that Cowlitz PUD attached to their platform to prevent predation. It is very sad. The GHOs will sit and wait for their opportunity. Why would they move? They didn’t move at the Pritchett Property but the eagles were able to defend. Ospreys can’t.

‘H’ also reports on the Audubon Boathouse. “5/15 – The Audubon Boathouse osprey nest of Dory and Skiff: Dory laid their third egg at approximately 09:00.”

‘H’ reports on Captiva: “

5/15 Captiva Ospreys:  Fishing was uncharacteristically slow for Jack the first part of the day, but improved later on.  Hence, it wasn’t the best of days for CO8.  CO7 is 22 days, CO8 is 20 days old, and CO7 is still dominant.  At the first meal of the day (0806), a large catfish, CO8 managed to eat intermittently for a total of 17 minutes, despite CO7 preventing him from eating at times.  The second feeding did not take place until more than six hours later, and it was only a small needlefish, so CO8 was not able to eat at that meal.  The third feeding, a snapper at 1518, only lasted for 6 minutes, and CO8 only managed to eat for about one minute at that meal.  Jack delivered another snapper at 1553, and that feeding lasted about 20 minutes.  Being so close to the previous fish delivery, CO8 fared a little better at this feeding, and managed to eat for a total of 8 minutes.  Jack brought a headless catfish for the final feeding of the day at 1926.  CO8 managed two private feedings of 14 minutes and 6 minutes.  CO8 ate fish for a total of roughly 46 minutes today.

So, life is difficult for this youngest nestling, as it often is on osprey nests.  But, the situation is not dire for CO8 (when compared to the situation that Tuffy at Moorings Park faced several weeks ago, or that C3 is now potentially facing at Lake Murray).”

Watching for hatch at Clark PUD.

Tuffy and Ruffie have been getting really good height with all their flapping. Some nice hovers by both. Fledgling is really near. Which one will be first?

Chicks at Patchogue doing well.

The single chick at Carthage was well fed on Wednesday. ‘H’ saw at least six feedings. Fantastic.

Still one hatch at Mlade Buky nest of Bety and Bukacek.

The most beautiful stork landed in Karl II’s nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. The young ones are returning. Might Bonus or Waba make this their nest?

Four beautiful black storklets in Poland at Bolewice.

Still incubating osprey eggs in the Ramuka Forest.

The two White-Tailed eaglets in the Bory Tucholskie Forest in Poland are doing well also. Just look at those crops! I am so pleased that once again there is plentiful food for two babies.

Three beautiful storks in the Lodzi Forest.

Where storklets hatching elsewhere, too, in Poland – these are in Zastawki!

There is serious concern for the Moraine Park Osprey platform which has been continually attacked by a GHO.

It is untrue that Ospreys tolerate humans well. Nests fail. Note the warning from Tweed Valley.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, on line sessions, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, PB, VV’ Geemeff, Cal Falcons. Audubon, UniMFalcons, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Outerbanks, Johnson City-ETSU, Lake Murray Ospreys, Audubon Boathouse, Clark PUD, Moorings Park Ospreys, PSEG, Chesapeake Conservancy, Captiva Osprey New (WoW), Carthage-DTC, Mlade Buky, Eagle Club of Estonia, Black Stork On Line Bolewice, Ospreys on Line Ramucka Forest, White Tale Eagle On line Tucholskie Forest, Lodzi Black Storks On Line, Bocian Zastawki, Moraine State Park Ospreys, and Tweed Valley Osprey Project.

Hatch at Manton Bay…Saturday in Bird World

11 May 2024

Hello Everyone!

A young woman came to relieve me of a pile of ‘junk’ – for lack of a better word – Friday morning. She was coming and going from 0900-1330. During that time, I was using lots of energy (LOL) watching the Canada Goose cam at McEuen Park in Coeur de’ Alene, Idaho. The goslings hatched on Thursday and would be ready to jump. The mother dithered for hours. Three or more.

The minute I went to pay for the cleaning and hauling – turning my back to the computer -well, they jumped! There is no rewind on HDonTap streaming channels. I hope they made it!

‘H’ turned and blinked and then there were four eggs at the Osprey Nest at McEuen Park. What’s with all the four egg clutches this year?

Things happen quickly.

The first hatch of an osplet on a streaming cam happened at Rutland’s Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya on 10 May.

‘MP’ sends good news. It looks like the female is listening to the male at Minnesota Landscape and is working on a proper nest for their chicks. Now, let’s see if he can convince her to feed all of them when they hatch! ‘MP’ notes there are even flowers! Lovely.

‘MP’ adds: “The female was on the perch and dropped her fish on the ground and she beelined it on the ground. She didn’t seem to know exactly where it was when she got there however. I’ve often wondered if adult osprey ever drop their fish while eating it. Well, she did! “

Lake Murray makes me so nervous. That nest always does. That third hatch needs some fish. I am worried we could be losing this baby. ‘H’ kept track and confers. She notes, “5/10 Lake Murray – Kenny has delivered 4 fish so far today (by 18:00), but it is not enough for his family.  Perhaps he will bring in a late fish and Little will be able to eat a decent meal before nightfall.  At 0903 Kenny delivered a partial fish.  Little was beaked by Big several different times.  It wasn’t until 0919, when Little had managed to position himself on the other side of Lucy that he was able to be fed.  He ate 19 bites of fish, but then the fish was gone.  At 1154 Kenny brought in a small whole fish which did not last very long, and due to aggression from both of its siblings, Little never made it to the table.  Kenny delivered a large whole fish at 1538.  Little suffered several vicious attacks from both of the older siblings, and was prevented from eating.  At 1802 Kenny delivered another large whole fish, and the two older osplets still had large crops, but they still would not let Little eat.  Finally, by 1810 Little had managed to position himself on the other side of Lucy and she fed him several bites of fish.  Unfortunately, Lucy soon shifted her position which in turn exposed Little and he was beaked.  Little ate 24 bites of fish at this meal. So far today, Little has only eaten 43 bites of fish.”

The little one got a couple of bites. Look at the crop on the one osplet and the size difference.

It was hot in San Francisco. Archie was in the shape panting. The Fab Four were in the shade keeping cool. Remember – we are four days away from banding at The Campanile.

Larry’s chicks are doing fantastic. You can easily tell, from the plumage, the oldest and the youngest.

In contrast, Monty and Hartley’s chicks are still pink with soft white down.

Hartley feeds the chicks.

Last year we struggled with that one little hatch at the Evergy Energy scrape in Topeka. There are eggs again this year – well, at least one so far.

Our little fluff balls at Salisbury Cathedral’s scrape box.

It was so nice to hear that my statement about ‘the green perfect lawn’ and all the companies trying to part you with your money while, at the same time, killing the bees and other pollinators, insects, and birds, touched your hearts. ‘B’ found a very timely article in The Washington Post that was published on Friday about all the reasons not to mow your lawn! Have a read. Think about it.

Years ago, one of my neighbours caught the attention of the perfect lawn brigade. They did absolutely everything to try and persuade the City to force him to clean up his garden. We will just call him ‘the man living at the corner’ was Cornell educated in math. He is quite brilliant and, also, a little ahead of his time. He had a pollinator garden and was rewinding before anyone even knew the terms. ‘The Man Living at the Corner’ won his argument and for the past twenty years has tried to educate people in biodiversity and wilding. He doesn’t own a lawn mower.

The other ad that is prominent is tree trimming. Isn’t this nesting season?

Why-stop-mowing-your-lawn-and-what-happens-when-you-go-no-mow-Washington-PostDownload

Big Red was drenched earlier on Friday. If you stopped in to check on her, you probably felt really sorry for her. She kept N1 and N2 perfectly warm and dry.

We know that the Port Lincoln ospreys fish at Delamere. Ervie learned from Dad and so did his brothers, Bradley and Giliath. Well Bazz Hockaday posted some footage so we could see what Delamere looks like! Thank you!

Missing Karl II and his family.

The golden glow of the evening falls softly on Tuffy after Harry delivers a late evening fish.

Enjoy them while you can!

‘H’ reports on Captiva: “5/10, Captiva osprey nest:  At 0703 Jack arrived with a small fish tail.  Edie fed both of the sleepy osplets.  Jack delivered a whole sheepshead at 0818…CO7 ate and CO8 waited its turn.  CO8 ate for about a minute at 0827, but was then beaked by CO7.  At 0832 and 0840 CO8 started to eat, but was beaked by CO7.  Ditto at 0844.  At 0846 CO7 moved away and it was ‘go-time’ for CO8.  CO8 had eaten for about 3 minutes when Edie suddenly became disturbed by human activity below the nest, and she flew off.  Meal over, and CO8 only had a small crop.  At 1356 Jack arrived with a small partial fish.  CO8 moved toward Dad, but Edie was distracted and CO7 stayed in the shade of Mombrella.  It seemed as though CO7 was not even aware of Jack’s fish delivery…good one, Edie…keeping the fish out of view of CO7!  Jack fed CO8 for about 5 minutes…Yay, Jack!.  At 1542 Jack delivered a large prepared fish.  Most of the feeding was blocked from our view by Edie.  We didn’t know if CO8 was eating, but we also did not see CO8 scurry away from the table as if he had been beaked.  It was a very long feeding, and eventually Edie shifted and we were able to see both siblings being fed side by side, and both had large crops!”

The trio at Venice Golf and Country Club are doing so well. I can hardly tell them apart.

Liberty and Guardian’s eaglets have been named.

Clair and Irvin’s only eaglet USS7 at the US Steel Plant nest in Pittsburgh has been named Lucky.

In Montana, the New Guy continues to bring whoppers for Iris to eat and dutifully incubates their only egg.

South African wildcats are eating seabirds.

This-South-African-Wildcat-Has-a-Taste-for-Endangered-Seabirds-Hakai-MagazineDownload

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. 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: ‘B, H, MP’, McEuen Park, LRWT, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Lake Murray Ospreys, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Parks Conservancy, San Jose City Hall, Energy Energy, Sue Smith, The Washington Post, Cornell RTH, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Bazz Hockaday, Eagle Club of Estonia, Moorings Park, Heidi McGrue, Window to Wildlife, VGCCO, Ofelia Finch, PIX Cams, Montana Osprey Pr9oject, and Haikai Magazine.

Tuesday in Bird World

30 April 2024

Good Morning!

I have an early appointment tomorrow, so I apologise for this post going out late on Monday evening.

I so hope that your week started well. It was cold in Winnipeg. 5 C. We live on a weather roller coaster. One day, we put up the winter coats, and then we had to go and drag them back out again along with the toques. The leaves continue to break open on the lilacs; a few Dark-eyed Juncos are still here, along with the White-throated Sparrows and European Starlings. The normal garden birds are here all year, but this spring is different. There are so many Black-capped Chickadees that we have a chorus! It is incredibly beautiful. I will try to make a recording one day for all of you.

Gosh, it is a mixed bag. Eaglets are still growing, with many getting ready to branch and fledge. Falcons, along with the hawklets, are jumping and munching around the world. Osprey eggs are still being laid, and Europe will hatch some in the UK next week. I continue to be busy entering data – egg and hatches in our data forms, changes of partners. It seems a little more hectic than last year and yet, there are not nearly as many eggs in comparison. We are waiting for all of those in the NE to come on board! ‘H’ and I will not be able to catch our breath or have a cup of tea. Severna Park has one and the others are going to quickly follow suit.

If you are monitoring a nest that is not on a streaming cam, I would love to hear from you. In Manitoba, I watch three nests—one is at the University of Manitoba, and the couple has now returned for another year on top of a light stand. The other two are at different sites on Lake Winnipeg. No would would ever know about them and perhaps not about the nest you watch, so please, write to me. There is a comments section and you can always e-mail (maryannsteggles@icloud.com). My interest is in Osprey behaviour and, in particular, siblicide. If you see something, also let me know. I appreciate all the news I receive and try to answer within 24 hours. Sometimes it takes me longer to respond to the comments section, but I do read them daily. Thank you so much.

I will also try to get some good images of ‘The Girls’ this week. They are all fine, including Hugo Yugo, who is chasing Calico through the house. I’m not sure the attention is appreciated! I always wonder about Hugo Yugo. Today, I had a small Brioche roll, and she attacked it – so she loves cheese and bread. Did they give her grilled cheese sandwiches at her foster home? Or is it just her crazy character? She is so different from any cat I have ever owned. Some of you have told me about your lovely ginger cats, and it seems they are a force on their own.

At the nests –

At Superbeaks, ‘H’ caught Mason branching! Congratulations. What an exciting milestone.

My ‘inbox’ lit up like fireworks were going off – I kept hearing pings while I was at my appointment, and then there it was. The culprit was Connie, the resident female bald eagle at the Captiva nest, taking the opportunity to steal part of a fish off the Captiva Osprey nest of Jack and Edie. The problem: two little osplets were in that nest. Lady Luck was sure on hand as those two little ones were not pulled out of the nest along with the moss. My heart sank.

Many of you will have noticed that ospreys do not often leave fish on the nest. I often see comments in the chat asking why they don’t. Well, this is the reason for that. The male will remove the fish, and then he will return it if there is fish left after he eats. Some males have stashes. Leaving the fish on the nest invites predators or the nest cleaning Crows, Ravens, and Gulls to stop by for lunch. Food draws attention to a place we don’t want others to be. Today, Jack and Edie were lucky. Connie won’t forget. She lives right by them – she will swing by that nest to see if there is a fish. Why catch one when Jack and Edie will leave you a nice big piece? Oh…this could have been so tragic.

Heidi has it on video:

What would Connie do if she saw the fish at Frenchman’s Creek? The two kiddos are eating, sometimes being fed, and growing. It is hard to believe, but these two will probably fledge, and we should be ever so glad. The Dad has been feeding, and they are self-feeding, and the nest is still full. The Crows and Gulls and any other carrion eaters in the area will have a feast when these two leave the nest.

In the UK, Blue 372 laid her third egg at the Llyn Brenig nest on Monday the 29th of April.

The Fans of Redding Eagles (FORE) is looking for names for Liberty and Guardian’s two eaglets. Here is the information. The deadline is Wednesday.

At Leighton Moss, Yellow-legged Gulls have taken over the Osprey Platform.

At Moorings Park, dear not-so-little-anymore Tuffy is doing just fine. What a lovely little osplet he is. You just have to watch his behaviour and facial expressions and you will have a smile from ear to ear. He is growing, doing well, and unless some bloody tragedy happens, he should fledge. Meanwhile, Sally and Harry are busy with intruders just like most of the other nests. That is so sad because the exchanges sometimes become violent and one or the other, or both, could get injured or die.

Blue 33 taking an opportunity to cuddle with Maya. He loves doing that! In about six days, he is going to be busy fishing for a new set of osplets. First to lay their eggs, first to hatch. Can’t wait. Mark your calendars for pip watch 5-6 May at Rutland Water.

It was a soggy day for Blue NCO at Loch of the Lowes. Someone at the loch saw Laddie sitting near the nest yesterday, I believe it was. There have been worries that something had happened because of a lack of fish deliveries—and even I get nervous watching this nest. Siblicide is entirely possible. It has happened for the past two years.

I am starting to wonder if the other two eggs on the nest of Big Red and Arthur will hatch. If they don’t, it is fine. Big Red had a leg injury that appears to have healed. Feeding four and caring for them might delight her and make her glow like the sun on a bright day, but caring for two is much easier. It might be nice to have a more relaxed year. N1 and N2 are rather feisty!

The camera operators really want to see those eggs clearly and it is hard. N1 loves to go after N2’s neck and twist it about. But, remember, this is really play fighting like Hugo Yugo does with her sisters. It is not the harm that we see on nests with either siblicide or Cainism.

Dear Archie must have had a chat with Annie and convinced her that he is perfectly capable of helping to feed the chicks. Tandem feeding. Monday 29 April. This should put a smile on your face.

It is frightening how fast these chicks of Annie and Archie are growing.

At Syracuse, there are two chicks and the other egg is pipping. Update: That chick has hatched!

‘J’ sent me a super reminder that the PA-DNR falcons have hatched! Here is the link to their cam with an image of the scrape with Mamma and eyases below.

https://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/falcon-cam-popup_v2.html

The news coming out of the UFlorida-Gainesville osprey platform of Stella and Talon is not good. The first chick died from siblicide. Talon is rarely seen – a Dad that was known for bringing a good amount of fish to the nest. Only one fish on Monday and the weather is to be quite hot according to ‘R’ who is monitoring the nest. So we have to think of dehydration. We could lose another chick, so sad.

‘R’ gives us an update: “1700 – Stella brings in big fish.  #2 learning how to hide behind her and getting some good bits, even a small crop.  #1 is brutal, but speed seems to be working. Talon is gone!” Sadly, another one to add to the Memorial Pages. Another Mum has to be everything to her chicks – security, hunter, and feeder. Thankfully they are well feathered and will be able to thermoregulate when she is out fishing.

The lives of males are often filled with danger that is not visible on camera.

All three are well at the Venice Golf and Country Club Osprey nest. Growing and growing. Sometimes it is hard to tell the third hatch now from the second.

The female at the Wells Fargo Osprey Cam in Des Moines, Iowa has laid a fourth egg on the 29th of April. Last year the couple fledged two chicks.

Two eggs visible at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest on Monday. These would be the first egg that got soaked and then buried as the third egg is not due to hatch yet.

Two cute little White-tail Eaglets in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland.

There is at least one egg at Pitkin County! The egg bowl is so deep.

A brief glimpse of some eggs at Clark PUD.

Male brings a really nice fish and relieves the female at the Kalakotkas 2 nest in Estonia.

‘H’ reports: “The Osoyoos osprey nest of Soo and Olsen: Soo laid their first egg of the season on 4/29, at 12:55:56. This was approximately three weeks earlier than last season.”

ZE brought a fish to the Goitzche-Wildnis nest in Germany and the female was really telling him not to eat it all! Cute.

The eaglet at Fraser Point has a name – ‘Reign’.

An Osprey nest in a tree in the US. How many of you can say you have seen this? (There are many, many in the UK and Europe using beautiful big trees).

The GH owlet at Wolf Bay in Alabama looks better. Heavy rain came late on Monday. The drops were so big that on the streaming cam they looked like snow. I have not seen a feeding, but those generally happen at dusk and dawn. If you have, please let me know.

Thank you so very much for being with us today. It is always a pleasure to hear from you and we look forward to having you with us again soon. Remember to look up!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J, MM, PB, R’, Superbeaks, Heidi McGrue, Frenchman’s Creek, Llyn BGrenig, Julie LaLima, RSPB Leighton Moss, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Cornell RTH, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, SU RTH-Cam, PA-DNR, University of Florida-Gainesville, VGCCO, Iowa DNR, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Bieliki Online Bory Tucholskie, Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Clark PUD, Eagle Club of Estonia, Osoyoos Ospreys, Goitzche-Wildnis, Gracie Shepherd and IWS/Explore.com, Connecticut Osprey Group, and Wolf Bay Ospreys.

*Disclaimer. Every effort is made to identify the individuals, groups, and institutions that supplied information for my post today. Please let me know if I missed anyone!*

3 Hatches at Cal Falcons…Tuesday in Bird World

23 April 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It was a beautiful spring day on the Canadian Prairies! The hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos remain in the garden. They hop and hop, scratching and pecking trying to find seeds. They are adorable. We will enjoy them for awhile longer and then they will leaving, heading north to return again in the fall.

Calico has asked me to post her ‘new look’. She is now down a little over three pounds. She runs down the hall, through the galley kitchen and straight up to the top of the cat tree. The energy and the joy in play have returned!

In California, it was sheer happiness as the second eyas of Archie and Annie hatched on Earth Day, too!

Archie meets his chicks for the first time.

The chicks first meal.

Can’t get enough of Annie and Archie!

There will be a third one soon!

And then there were three for breakfast on Tuesday! Way to go Archie and Annie!

The first eyas has hatched at Cromer Peregrines, too!

At Mispillion Harbour, Della loves bringing things to the nest she shares with Warren. Sometimes it is something yellow, Della loves yellow. Sometimes it is something else..

The pair also have a full clutch of three eggs.

I did not get a chance to watch Tuffy as closely on Monday. He is definitely being fed. Ruffy is so big compared to Tuffy and requires much more food that it often feels as if Tuffy gets short-changed.

A nice meal at sundown and Tuffy will get a nice crop and go to sleep dreaming of more fish for breakfast.

Heidi reports that there is a possible pip in one of the eggs at the Captiva Osprey nest of Jack and Edie. This would be a welcome surprise. Some have said that they do not have late hatches in the Barrier Islands – so let us wait and see!

And it was a hatch! Welcome to the world little miracle osplet. We now know that opera eggs can hatch with a live chick this late in the season on the Barrier Islands.

Surprise! Two chicks at Lake Murray. Wow.

First egg or Mr and Mrs UV at Kielder Forest nest 5A on the 22nd at 19:47.

Nest-5A-joins-the-egg-club-Kielder-OspreysDownload

The Ospreys are returning to Finland. Some are finding open water with snow melting while other nests are covered with no ospreys yet (smart).

#1 Nest: The male, Ura, arrived on 14 April at 1516.

#2 Nest, Satakunta: Nothing

#3 Nest: Nothing

#4 Nest: Nemo, the male arrived on 8 April with Nuppu, the female, arriving on the 14th.

#5, LS: Roni and Sara are together. Sara arrived on the 16th with Roni arriving on the 21/22nd.

Janakkalan: nothing

Juurusvesi: nothing

Muonion: nothing

Aran and Elen at the Glaslyn nest in Wales have their first egg.

The second egg has been laid at Dahlgren for Helen and Doug.

What is happening at nest 1 at Loch Arkaig? What is wrong with Prince

Poor Affric. Two males. One female. One nest.

Meanwhile on the other Loch Arkaig nest, Louis is taking very good care of Dorcha.

This is the situation at Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys. The nest is full of fish, the older two osplets are alive and self-feeding. The streaming cam is up and running with notices from Frenchman’s Creek about stealing content, etc. You can go to their site on YouTube to check on the osplets. So far they are alive and it looks as if they are sleeping on fish!

In Latvia, Milda is in the midst of a snow storm. She is trying to care for her two eggs by herself since the absence of Hugo.

The female at the Trempealeau Eagle Nest in Wisconsin has done a top rate job caring for her two little eaglets all by herself! She had to leave alone to hunt for them so the three could eat. They survived that and now have their thermal down. Send positive wishes to this nest, please.

Oh, thank you Stephen Basly. I know we have talked about Meadow but let us go back to ND17. Starved by its two older siblings. We know that he had to eat skin and bones to survive and then he fell from the nest. Spent 3 full days and a bit more on the ground and then, thankfully, Humane Indiana Wildlife rescued ‘our baby’ – he was everyone’s baby. ND17 survived. They taught him to fly and hunt and returned him to a spot near the nest site where he engaged with his parents.

I want to thank Trudi Kron who has been keeping a close eye on the Mum at the JB Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest. You will recall that Mum injured her foot and was unable to care for JBS20 for a few days. Dad did a heroic job and continues to help out. But Trudi got a great screen capture and enlarged it and it is showing improvement and healing! Great news.

Watch for Swampy to fledge anytime! S/he is climbing higher on the nest and really working those wings.

The trio at Decorah North are getting their blood feathers. They are growing so fast. It seems only yesterday that they were white little chicks sitting in the morning sun.

There are three eggs at the Great Bay Osprey nest in New Hampshire. The third was laid on the 18th of April.

‘A’ has been keeping a wishful eye on the nest of Angel and Tom. “A male red-tailed hawk that we believe to be Tom just flew onto Angel’s nest. He left after 15 seconds, and there is some debate now about the tail markings, which were apparently different from those of the RTH that shared beakies with Angel on 5 April at 09:02:08. Others say it was definitely Tom, based on the confidence with which he entered the nest and based on the fact that this is Tom and Angel’s territory. There is a view that Tom’s plumage is still changing, even in a the two and a half weeks since 5 April, and that this was definitely Tom. 

Obviously, we all very much want it to be Tom, and it does confirm the report I made of hearing RTH vocals when I was typing my earlier email to have been accurate. It’s now 11:42 on the Tennessee nest and I can again hear the sound of a RTH very nearby. This is probably what I heard originally when I lost the TS – it sure sounds like it. If I check the PTZ cam at around the 11:42 onwards TS (the noises are continuing), I may be able to spot whether it is Angel there or whether it is Tom. or even whether it’s neither of them and some visitor instead. 

I will keep you posted, but I would call that a very hopeful sighting, and I am fairly confident it was Tom. Talons crossed. He (or she, if he was accompanied by Angel) is continuing to vocalise, and it sounds as though the vocals are coming from either the nest tree itself or somewhere within one or two trees either side of that microphone. It sure sounds extremely close. I am hopeful. “

The three Bald eaglets at the Sutton Centre in Bartlesville, Oklahoma are thriving.

Three Osplets at Venice Golf are all feathered and fine. Gosh, isn’t this a relief.

Our darling Ervie.

‘EJ’ wrote to remind me that Any Tan’s book on her backyard birds is being released tomorrow. There will be many articles and there is a wonderful interview with Tan on YouTube. My copy should be in the mailbox by Wednesday. I am so looking forward to reading it, but most of all seeing the drawings that Tan made of ‘her’ birds. She took classes, taught herself. That should encourage all of us to look closer, keep a nature journal, and get really involved with the wildlife right around us.

EJ sent this article:

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/22/1245849320/amy-tan-the-backyard-bird-chronicles-trish-okane-birding-to-change-the-world

Here is the link to the chat:

Another senseless death due to a power pole. This time a White-stork mother with five eggs on a nest. The male stayed for two days incubating and then eggs were removed. Power poles kill. Every new install should be safe at the outset – every old pole should be retrofitted so it does not harm wildlife. Yes, there are a lot of poles, but the solutions are often simple as shown to use many times by Dave Hancock of Hancock Wildlife Foundation and Christian Sasse. So sad. It happened in Germany.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Stop in and see Annie and Archie’s little fluff balls. Turn the sound up to get the full impact during a feeding. Smile. Little falcons can quickly take away the glum of the day. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, Geemeff, EJ, H, PB’, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, Sharon Pollock, Mooring Park Ospreys, Joanna Dailey, Lake Murray Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Geemef, Frenchman’s Creek, LDF, Aiva Vantere, Stephen M. Basly, Trudi Kron, Raptor Resource Project, Window to Wildlife, PLO, Npr.org, and VGCCO, NY Audubon.

Tuffy smiling at the camera…Monday in Bird World

22 April 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It seems that ospreys were busy laying eggs on Sunday. It was like bunnies were delivering them – whether it was the first or the third – to nests around the world. I hardly had time to pull my head out of the data forms to check on other nests! So, today’s posting reads a little bit like a list. And in about 36 days there will be sixty or more osplets hatching around the world. Imagine it…they will join their siblings. Let us hope that all of the nests prosper this year.

I love a good rescue story with a happy ending and the one today comes from a friend ‘S’ who lives in Hawaii. A nestling White Tern had fallen off its branch; they do not build nests. The proper authorities were called, the chick was taken up to a much higher branch and the parent immediately came to it. Saved!

Check out the webbed feet that help them cling to branches where they nest and roost.

Animalia says, “White terns are often seen on their own or in small groups. They are a diurnal species but are more active at dawn and dusk. To eat, it dips its beak to catch prey at the water’s surface or just beneath it. A dive is often preceded by extensive hovering, and the bird may use the wind to sustain its flight. It may catch flying fish from the air, and it is commonly seen foraging near groups of predatory fish and dolphins which drive their prey towards the surface. An individual may carry a few small fish in its bill, taking these to its young with the prey held crosswise. If disturbed by a predator, a White tern will hover, flutter and make buzzing sounds. This bird has a graceful flight. It flies easily low above the waves, without landing. It will touch the surface once it has spotted prey. Its flight is buoyant, involving erratic changes in speed and direction.” They are often called ‘fairy terns’.

‘The Girls’, and I hope you had a beautiful day. It was sunny and warm—16 C—on the Canadian Prairies, but a brisk, cool wind was accompanying it. Ice cream did not taste the same, even with a heavy jumper!

Archie was encouraging the pipping chicks to hatch! What an incredible Dad he is – ‘SP’ has often wondered if he has raised chicks before and lost his mate. We will never know, but I hope that he is with Annie for eons. Cannot wait to see these fuzzy little ones with their pink beaks and legs jumping for food.

Falling in love with Archie. His enthusiasm is contagious.

The four Osaka Peregrine Falcon chicks being fed on the 20th. This is what Archie and Annie will be looking forward to very, very soon!

We have not been able to follow Nancy and Beau at the MN-DNR nest as they moved nest when theirs collapsed last year. Trudi Kron reports that the couple have two eaglets in 2024! Fantastic news.

As you know the posts by Audubon caused a stir in Bird World and everyone wanted to know what had happened to Meadow and when. The Raptor Centre of Tampa Bay posted this on their FB page on Sunday:

It certainly is a worry for those chicks that we love and who might suffer from lack of food and/or abuse by their siblings. Even Hugo Yugo craves anything with Calcium; we often think it is because her mother was starved when carrying those 7 kittens. What will Hugo Yugo’s life be like? Is this why Mini at Patchogue had the injured leg, ‘AE’ ponders. We won’t know, and sadly, we cannot tell, but there is concern for these chicks who suffer and do not get food regularly like the others. As you might recall, Meadow was beaked often and kept from prey at one time. This includes our dear Tuffy, who had a bit of a rotten ride for a while.

Today, Tuffy has been eating well. ‘H’ sent me the first screen capture below showing Tuffy smiling at the camera. How adorable. I hope that Tuffy’s health has not been compromised from lack of food and beaking for those days we worried about this little one.

He is right up at the beak at 1700 and no doubt will be smiling again.

Tuffy having a nice meal before bedtime on Sunday. Great crop, too.

On Sunday, Louis brought Iris a fish gift. — Don’t fall off your chair! Iris has been thwarting his advances. Keep it up – get some more fish, Iris!

‘H’ reports that the second egg was laid at the Seaside Nest in Oregon.

The third egg for Boulder County was laid on the 21st!

There are three eggs at Ferris State University’s Osprey nest. The three egg clutch was completed on the 21st. Their camera is now on Twitch and there is no rewind that I can see, but they do have an up-to-date FB page.

There are three eggs for Herbert and Hermine at the Eschenbach Osprey nest. Sunday began with a snow-covered nest that gradually melted during the day.

The second egg at the Cowlitz PUD osprey nest in Washington arrived on Sunday the 21st.

The three osplets at the University of Florida-Gainesville are entering the Reptilian Phase!

Waiting for the arrival of the first egg for Aran and Elen at Glaslyn.

First egg in the nest at GribSkov on the 21st.

There are now three osprey eggs in the nest in the Ramucka Forest in Poland.

‘BHA’ reports that the third egg (and hopefully the last) was laid at the Port of Ridgefield on Sunday.

It’s three eggs for Mispillion Harbour on the 22nd!

Second egg for the new couple at Dahlgren.

And then there were three at Alyth for Flo and Harry!

Bety and Buky have been incubating their two eggs in Mlady Buky.

Dunrovin Ranch’s latest newsletter reflects on the absence of Harriet and the great matriarch she was of their osprey nest.

Honoring-Queen-HarrietDownload

The American Eagle Foundation posted some images and information on Mr President and Lotus and their eaglets at their new nest. I know that many of you loved this eagle pair and are so disappointed not to be able to see them raise their chicks.

The GH owlet named Wyatt branched at the nest on Farmer Derek’s land on Sunday.

Down in the Sydney Olympic Forest, Dad and Lady are starting the nest renovations for the 2024 season! Wow. Cal Falcons hasn’t even hatched their eggs yet….did time start moving at warp speed?

The Cream-Coloured Courser is only one bird that is beginning to breed further north than its norm. Climate change is driving more and more birds to cooler areas to make their nests.

“Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius cursor) Tal Chhapar, Churu, Rajasthan, India February 15th, 2013” by Dibyendu Ash is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Cream-coloured-Courser-found-breeding-further-north-than-ever-before-BirdGuidesDownload

All About Birds shows this normal distribution map.

Key:

Animalia describes them as wading birds that forage for insects. Their numbers are decreasing but so far they are listed as of Least Concern.

“These coursers are found in Canary Islands, Cape Verde, North Africa and Southwest Asia. Their two eggs are laid in a ground scrape. The breeding season extends from February to September, but they may breed also in autumn and winter when local conditions (especially rainfall) are favourable. They are partially migratory, with northern and northwestern birds wintering in India, Arabia and across the southern edge of the Sahara. Some birds also breed in the southern desert regions in northwestern India and Pakistan. They are rare north of the breeding range, but this species has occurred as far away as Finland, Ireland and Great Britain.”

Thank goodness some communities understand. Portsmouth stops seaside condos from being built due to worries over wintering bird habitat! Give them five gold stars.

Portsmouth-seafront-flats-delayed-over-habitat-concerns-BirdGuidesDownload

There appears to be an egg at the Balgavies Loch nest on the 21st also. So many eggs on the 21st – it is raining them.

Movement has been noticed in one of the eggs at Captiva. ‘H’ reports that egg 3 is 37 days old today.

And, sadly, dear Audacity laid another egg on Sunday and it had a puncture.

Thank you so very much for being with us today. Things are going to get quite exciting the third week in May when these osplets start hatching! Take care all. Happy Earth Day.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘AE, BHA, H, PB, SS’, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Osaka Peregrine Falcon Cam, Trudi Kron, Raptor Centre of Tampa Bay, Moorings Park, Montana Osprey Project, Seaside Ospreys, Boulder County, Ferris State University Osprey Cam, Fischadle Eschenbach LiveStream, Cowlitz PUD, University of Florida-Gainesville Osprey Cam, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, GribSkov, Ospreys in Napiwodzko-Ramuka Forest, Port of Ridgefield, Mispillion Harbour Osprey Cam, Alyth Ospreys, Mlady Buky Stork Cam, Dunrovin Ranch Newsletter, American Eagle Foundation Live Nest Cams, Farmer Derek, Eagle Cam, BirdGuides, OpenVerse, Animalia, and All About Birds.

Leaps of Faith…Tuesday in Bird World

16 April 2022

Good Morning,

It rained. The skies opened up late Tuesday night. I stood outside and listened to the drops falling; the wet earth’s smell was amazing. It is supposed to rain periodically on and off until Thursday, when things will change to a mix of rain and snow. We are finally getting the moisture that the prairies need, and it is wonderful. The grass will turn green immediately! The geese will have something to eat besides the dead blades they have been living on for weeks. The Robins will be busy pulling the worms out of the soil tomorrow. I wonder if the Starlings will join them? Or the Brown Thrashers? It will be interesting to see how ‘The Girls’ react when I open the windows a bit so they can get a sniff.

Today’s news is mixed. ‘H’ and I are celebrating the triumphs of Tuffy at Moorings Park and new Osprey eggs while another Osprey nest is struggling to survive, and our dear Meadow has died. I do not want to get desensitised to the struggles and the deaths, and I do not want you to either. Last year, significant declines in osprey fledges were observed, especially in the NE USA. This year, we see low numbers of eaglets fledging on the streaming cams. This impact will not be noticed for a couple of years, but it could be substantial in terms of the declining population numbers of these raptors. At the same time, we must celebrate those that survive. Remember those that we have lost or the ones struggling. Find the joy because it is there. On the day that Meadow died, Swampy branched. S/he looks very healthy. Others laid eggs, and Tuffy continued to eat without much interference.

What can I say? Devastating news coming out of Audubon. Meadow was euthanised. The stated reason was fractures to the wing as in the announcement below and poor condition. On the 8th of April, Audubon put out a post stating that they had not found any breaks or fractures. Everyone is quite sad about this and felt encouraged that Meadow would recover. I wonder if he damaged his wings while flapping about in care?

‘H’ did the first-morning feeding and turned the rest of the day over to me to monitor. I hope to do half as good a job as she does! Tuffy had an extraordinary day on Monday. This nest has turned around because of the regular deliveries of large fish and the willingness of Sally to feed her chicks continually throughout the day.

Tuffy had a very good Monday morning. The smallest chick at Moorings Park dominated the first feeding. At 10:20 a large whole fish was delivered by Harry. Tuffy still had a crop from the earlier feeding. Sally begins eating the head of the fish while Ruffy moves into position. Tuffy stays away. Tuffy is intimidated by both Ruffy’s presence and position but is not beaked. Ruffy dominates the entire first part of the feeding. Tuffy tries to get into a position to be fed but cannot. Sally is obviously hungry and fighting with the head of the fish. At 1045 Tuffy does an excellent PS. The little one begins to move. Tuffy gets bite 2 at 1046. Sally tries to give bites to Tuffy but Ruffy moves to get in the way. Tuffy cannot position itself. At 1048 there is still fish and Tuffy begins its private feeding while Ruffy is in food coma under Sally’s tail in the shade. Our little Tuffy managed to get 227 bites of fish at this second feeding. Well, done, Tuffy, for waiting your time. It was a large fish – plenty for all three!

The third fish of the day was a headless large fish delivered at 1252. Harry stayed on the nest for a few minutes. Today Ruffie is 25 days old and Tuffy is 22 days old. They are exiting the Reptilian phase and that could easily account for the more peaceful nest. At 1253 Ruffie had an excellent PS. Tuffy stays back from the feeding at the beginning. He has a large crop. Ruffie goes to eat. Indeed, Tuffy does not appear interested! At 1259 Tuffy begins to move. Ruffie notices and moves her head but does not beak. Tuffy moves closer to Mum at the back of the tail. Tuffy is positioning himself. At 1301, Tuffie has a second excellent PS for the morning. Ruffie moves away and Tuffie is in position to have its first bite at 1303. There is a nice portion of tail remaining. By 1305 Tuffy had 32 bites of fish. Mum is feeding fast. By 1310 Tuffy has had 78 big bites of fish and has turned away. Ruffie moves up to eat again. Eats its fill and Sally gets to enjoy that nice fish tail. Both of the osplets have eaten very well by 1320 on Monday with no physical aggression from Ruffie to Tuffy. Oh, Tuffie gets more. At 1328, he got 14 more bites so a total of 92 good bites of fish for the third feeding of the day. Well done, Tuffy! Those excellent ‘ps’ demonstrate this chick is not dehydrated and is doing well. This nest is changing for the better.

The fourth fish was a slightly headless sheepshead – gosh, which are tough fish for these mums to feed. That fish arrived at 1520. Both Ruffie and Tuffy have big crops. Ruffie is not interested. Tuffy gets right up to the table to eat. Sally cannot feed the fish quickly, and Tuffy is often impatient and picks up pieces of dropped fish from the moss to eat while he waits. Tuffy was fed until 1539, when he had eaten approximately 1/3 of the fish and was quite full, moving away so that Ruffie could have some fish. No aggression was shown during the feeding. Sally was still getting the meat off that fish at 1640! Tuffy never returned to the table.

The fifth fish arrives in 1811 and is a large half-fish. Tuffy is right up there. Ruffy moves to the table, but Tuffy keeps eating. Then, at 1814, Ruffy takes exception hovering over Tuffy to force him into submission. Rufy gets fed, but Tuffy is back up at the table eating from 1829 to 1839. At 1842, Tuffy did an enormous PS right over the edge of the nest! The fish is done around 1843. I did not count bites. It was obvious that all was well despite the single incidence of domination. The two have eaten very well today.

The sixth fish arrived at 1939. It was a partial large Sheepshead. Both osplets were up at the beak. Ruffy ate until Tuffy began at 1946. Tuffy was fed until 1953 when Sally quit feeding. There is lots of fish on the nest. Both osplets had full crops at bedtime.

Sally decided to have a late night snack without the kids!

Tuffy’s ‘ps’. This excellent poop shot going well over the edge of the nest is a testament to Tuffy’s good eating and health over the past day. ‘H’ and I are going to stop counting bites as long as things remain stable on the nest. Tuffy is going to survive this. Both osplets are getting their feathers and I will probably say it several times – they are growing out of the Reptilian Phase and we would expect the aggression to be ceasing as long as Harry continues to provide this level of fish and their regularity.

*Caution*. I continue to worry about the Mum at Frenchman’s Creek. There are still fish piled on the nest. She fed one chick and stopped. The big one is trying to self-feed. This Mum is not lazy, she is ill. I believe it is possible that she has Trichomonosis. It causes severe damage to the tissues of the mouth, throat, crop and esophagus and affected birds may drool saliva, regurgitate food, have difficulty in swallowing food and water, demonstrate laboured breathing and/or have a swollen neck or throat. Several ospreys have died because of this including the Mum at Janakkala Osprey nest in Finland. The Dad piled fish on the nest and the two osplets tried to self-feed. One survived if my memory serves me correctly. The fourth eyas at the CBD in Melbourne died from this disease.

The older osplet is attacking the smaller one. Sheer frustration. Nest full of fish and chicks starving. Mum ill. Very sad.

Older osplets desperately trying to feed themselves in a nest full of fish. Little one has been beaked – leaning over top of nest. Has not eaten for a couple of days and will likely die shortly unless a miracle happens.

Mum is feeding the two older chicks this morning. The third chick is close to dying and by the time you read this will probably have passed.

The ospreys are into hard incubation at Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home with three eggs in the nest.

Only 5 goslings survived the leap of faith at the Decorah Goose Nest on Monday morning between 0802-0804. Believe it or not, another goose rushed to the nest and began laying eggs at 1030! It is quite a year. The Goose eggs are expected to hatch on Nest 2 in about a week.

Here is the live cam from Nest 1.

More Osprey eggs laid in the UK On Monday.

CJ7 and Blue 022 laid their first egg at Poole Harbour at 1540 on Monday. Congratulations!

Harry and Flora laid their first egg at Alyth at 1101.

Idris and Telyn have their second egg of the season at Dyfi at 0801 precisely 72 hours after their first egg was laid.

Audacity and Jak had another egg laid today at Sauces Canyon. The time was 14:55. You can see the flattened thin-shelled egg below in the image. So sad for them.

A little branching but both feet were off the nest bowl for Swampy at Eagle country at 1524 on Monday.

Both eaglets at Duke Farms are little boys. I don’t think this is a big surprise. Their aggression was only limited to a bit of time when prey was scarce.

Wichita and Cheyenne are doing fine at the Kansas City Bald Eagle nest.

It was difficult to tell how much prey the third hatch at Little Miami Conservancy received today. This nest could warrant a *caution* in watching for now.

Johnson City eaglets are big and doing great.

It looks hot on that Osprey platform at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Stella and Talon still have three osplets! What a nice sight to see as I have missed checking on them for a couple of days. The difference between the first and third hatch had me worried, but so far, so good.

Big Red and Arthur’s eggs were laid from the 17-26 of March. The average period for Red-tail Hawks to hatch is normally between 28-35 days, according to most of the guides. Last year, Big Red’s first egg hatched on the 37th day. I have tried to avoid the nervous energy of an expectant auntie….but we are entering the time when we can all get excited.

First Bald Eagle Hatch at White Rock in British Columbia, Canada announced today by Hancock Wildlife that oversees the nest.

The fourth and I believe final egg at the Peregrine Falcon nest in Japan has hatched. Just look at the size difference. It will be a joy to watch that little one catch up.

A glimpse of a day with Hartley and Monty in San Jose.

Smile. Bradley returns with another Puffer! Oh, he reminds me of Ervie.

And another reason to smile. Murphy who incubated a rock and got an eaglet to raise last year will get another chance this year. How wonderful. It is a win-win!

Concerns for White-tailed eagle Milda this year as her mate Hugo has not been seen for four days. She has protected the nest of eggs from intruders but needs desperately to eat. This so reminds me of the year Ramis was killed. Milda, go eat!

For all the lovers of our gal Iris at Hellgate Canyon, a young male visited her nest yesterday and tried mating with our gal. Keep your eye on that nest!

UK Migration in Review for last week:

Review-of-the-Week-8-14-April-2024-BirdGuidesDownload

That’s it for today. I spent my day watching Tuffy which was a sheer delight after the news of Meadow. Please take care. Thank you for being with us.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘H, PB’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Moorings Park Ospreys, Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project/Explore Decorah Goose Cam, Poole Harbour Osprey Project, SSEN Alyth Osprey Cam, Dyfi Osprey Project, IWS/Explore, Eagle Country, Duke Farms, Farmer Derek Kansas City Bald Eagle nest, Johnson City-ETSU, UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey Cam, Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, the Japanese Peregrine Falcon Cam in Osaka, SK Hideaways, Port Lincoln Ospreys, World Bird Sanctuary, Raine and LDF, and BirdGuides.

Grateful for those that are thriving…Saturday in Bird World

13 April 2024

Hello Everyone,

Thursday and Friday were difficult days. Jackie and Shadow said goodbye to their eggs after one cracked, with Jackie covering them later. The miracle babies hatched at the NTCT nest of Bella and were killed and eaten by the male, Scout. Audacity surprised everyone with another egg, but it broke Friday morning. Little B17 died and Meadow is ill. It felt a little bit like a roller coaster of emotions. Others call it ‘hope fatigue’. These events take their toll and sometimes we need to go outside and listen to the birds or sit and stroke a beloved pet. Then we need to stop and be very thankful for those that survive – they are very precious.

Bella feeds her second little eaglet before flying off to find food. She returns, looks around the nest, cannot find the baby while Scout is on the perch, then Bella flies off saying goodbye. It would have been difficult, if not impossible or Bella with the attitude that Scout was exhibiting. Many wondered if this was not a blessing in disguise.

The empty nest says it all.

The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey is expressing concern over Meadow’s condition on Friday. Send your positive energy to this eaglet.

So what is giving us hope?

Iris returned to her nest at 20:51:22 Friday night. She looked like she had a full crop. So the Matriarch is fine! She stayed til after 0633 Saturday morning. Perhaps she didn’t want Louis to see her!

Annie and Archie. We are 11 days away from hatch watch. ‘A’ is getting excited. “Annie is looking particularly lovely this evening – she really is an exquisite specimen of a bird. Just beautiful. I cannot wait to see four little fluffy eyases lined up with their beaks open in that scrape. Poor little Archie is going to be run off his talons. And if he thinks it’s difficult to incubate four eggs, wait until he tries brooding four chicks. That should take some serious enfluffling.”

Tuffy is getting smarter and is sometimes braver. This nest gives me hope because of “H’s great observations.

‘H’ reports on how Friday morning began well for Tuffy: “At 0728 Harry arrived with a large live tilapia.  Sally started to eat, and for once Sally was positioned near the rail facing outward.  Her positioning would afford Tuffy an opportunity to position himself on the other side of her from Ruffie.  Tuffy was on Sally’s right, and Ruffie hung back a bit.  Tuffy received 5-6 bites of fish before Ruffie reached over and beaked him.  So much for Sally’s new positioning.  Tuffy scooted away and tucked.  At 0728 Tuffy was trying to move around to the other side of Sally, but Ruffie saw him and cut him off at the pass.  At 0750 Tuffy was getting a little too close to Sally for Ruffie’s liking, so she beaked him.  By 0753 Ruffie moved away from the feeding, but still kept an eye on Tuffy and was giving him a warning look.  Soon, Ruffie started to eat some more.  At 0803, brave lil’ Tuffy decided to go for it, and shuffled right up to Sally in front of Ruffie, and started to get some bites.  Ruffie turned away for a PS, and she then stayed away.  Good.  By 0813, Tuffy had eaten approximately 100 bites of fish.  The view was partially blocked and I was not able to see if bites were dropped.  I just had to count when Sally leaned toward Tuffy, and he leaned toward her.  At that point Ruffie returned to the table to eat some more, and she beaked Tuffy.  Ruffie was finished, this time for good, at 0816…Tuffy untucked and resumed eating his breakfast.  Tuffy took a break for about a minute at 0822, then resumed eating.  At 0831 Tuffy simply couldn’t eat any more and shuffled away from Sally sporting a very large crop.  Sally finished the fish.  Tuffy ate an estimated 180 bites of fish.  Great way to start the day!”

Look at Tuffy’s crop!

“… At 1128 Harry brought a nearly whole tilapia.  Ruffie was fed, and Tuffy remained on the sidelines.  Harry stayed in the nest for a while, so Tuffy gradually moved to get into Dad’s shade.  Even after Harry left, Tuffy stayed away from the feeding line.  At 1207 Tuffy moved to be closer to Sally, and was beaked by Ruffie.  By 1214, Ruffie had moved aside slightly, Tuffy moved in, and it appeared that Sally was feeding Tuffy (view was blocked).  Sally did move a little bit and we were able to see that Tuffy was eating.  By 1218 Tuffy had eaten 40 bites of fish before being intimidated by Ruffie, and he shuffled away.  Ruffie continued to eat, and around 1222, Sally reached over to Tuffy to give him some bites, before Ruffie again banished Tuffy to the sidelines at 1224.  At 1227 Tuffy was again reaching to Sally to receive fish bits.  Ruffie simply did not want little brother to eat, so at 1228 she made a big physical display of dominance and Lil’ Tuffy scurried away.  At 1234 Ruffie seemed to be finished eating, and our view was partially blocked, but it was obvious that Sally was feeding Tuffy.  The meal was over by 1248 save for a few scraps.  Tuffy ate at least 78 bites of fish.”


.”..Harry delivered the third fish of the day at 1705, a headless tilapia.  It was a smaller piece of fish, which did not bode well for Tuffy’s chances for a nice meal.  Ruffie approached Sally, Tuffy moved further away from Sally.  I noted that Tuffy’s crop was flat at that time.  Ruffie was giving warning glances to Tuffy as Ruffie was fed.  However, Sally managed to periodically sneak a bite to her little one who was standing off to the side.  Many of those quick bites to Tuffy went under Ruffie’s radar, but some did not.  When Ruffie would notice Tuffy getting a bite she leaned toward Tuffy to intimidate him.  So, Tuffy would move a little further away, but would then slowly inch closer to Mom as he dared.  By 1731 Tuffy had eaten 14 bites of fish by Sally quickly sneaking bits to him.  Then he received 5 bites in quick succession while Ruffie was trying to eat a big piece of skin.  Ruffie was not able to eat the skin, so she dropped it, but seemed irritated that Tuffy had eaten those bites…so she charged Tuffy who went to the rails.  Ruffie then wedged herself in between Sally and Tuffy.  Finally, at 1743, Ruffie was full and moved across the nest and laid down.  Tuffy made a beeline to Sally, but unfortunately there wasn’t much fish left.  Tuffy ate, and some bites were a pretty good size.  Sally did her best to pull every last bit of meat from that fish tail, then she offered the tail several times to Tuffy, who simply could not do anything with it.  Total bites for Tuffy at this meal = 46, and he had a small crop.  Total for Tuffy so far today = 304 bites of fish.”

Sally was calling for fish at 1957.

The three osplets of Talon and Stella at the Florida-Gainesville campus continue to do well. This is excellent news. They are all lined up like the three lads at Port Lincoln in 2022. You can see the size difference now between the first hatch in the centre and the baby on the right. At one time, they were almost all the same having hatched within a 36 hour window.

‘H’ reports that the Canada Geese and the Ospreys have switched nests at McEuen Park in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Grateful for Geese and not owls!

In the UK, Idris and Telyn have their first egg of the Osprey season on Friday at the Dyfi Nest in Wales.

Waiting for Seren and Dylan at Llyn Clywedog to have their first egg of the season. Seren was not impressed with the food gift o a frog that Dylan brought to her and when he wasn’t looking, she dropped it overboard.

Intruders have been bothering Aran and Elen at Glaslyn. It was sent packing over to the Pont Cresor Nest of Aeron Z2 and Blue 014.

Louis fishes in the worst weather and delivers beautiful fish to Dorcha.

I am grateful that Laddie LM12 made it home safe this year to Blue NCO. No eggs at Loch of the Lowes yet.

Blue 33 guards Maya. He has been bringing in gold fish – beautiful bright orange-gold Koi. Someone’s pond is getting raided. He must like the colour!

Bradley makes me smile and it is fantastic that Port Lincoln continues to post videos of him bringing his fish to the barge. It is heartwarming when these fledglings thrive. A still form that video. Check out what is happening at Port Lincoln by going to their FB group.

And there are these various stages of some of the bobbleheads that are doing well:

US Steel 7: It is pitching down rain but Irvin has the nest full of fish and Claire is trying to keep the wee one dry while keeping it fed.

Little Miami:

Johnson City-ETSU:

Superbeaks, Dixie and Mason:

Kansas City, Cheyenne and Wichita:

Duke Farms, Jasper and Leaper who will be ringed on Monday:

ND-LEEF – Dad’s new mate Gigi appears to be doing well:

Eagle Country – Swampy in the nest and Meadow in care. Hoping dear Swampy is not sick, too:

Denton Homes – three Majestic babies:

Decorah North:

Redding with Liberty and Guardia:

Port Tobacco:

Bluff City and Viper:

Fort St Vrain. Two little bobbles doing well.

West End. Aklecheta and Thunder showed us how to deal with three healthy energetic eaglets this year:

Fraser Point, two adorable eaglets for Andor and Cruz:

PA Country Farm – a family who can consistently raise three:

Dade County, R6 has fledged and returns to the nest:

SW Florida, E23- so grateful that M15 had a new family this year after the sorrow of losing Harriet and the joy of raising E21 and 22 to fledge by himself:

Poor E23 has had to defend its nest!

JB Sands Wetlands, JBS20. We lost JBS21. Please keep Mum in your thoughts because of her injury:

Trudi Kron captures JBS20 getting ready to fly.

It isn’t all of them, but count these as blessings. In a year when many nests did not have a single hatch, we can be grateful. There is no news on Meadow Saturday morning form the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey.

Jackie and Shadow start over. What an amazing pair of eagles these are! ‘A’ writes: “Meanwhile, the sadness at Big Bear is felt by thousands of BB viewers. Jackie and Shadow are much loved by so many. This video really broke my heart. They take it in their stride and carry on, together. While they have each other, there is always next year. Spirit was such a miracle. It was a joy watching that couple caring for their precious eaglet. They were so devoted. That little one sure was spoiled for love. And fish, obviously.” 

The Royal Albatross are always bittersweet. Little fluff ball TopFlat Chick, the Royal Cam chick, waits for food deliveries. LGK Lew in on Friday to feed the little one who can be heard squeeing. At the end, you see TF flap its little wings copying the adults.

The top bird sightings in the UK. Please note the huge decline in House Sparrows since 1979 and the growth of some others. House Sparrows live amongst humans that is why they are seen so often and we are destroying their habitat which is why the huge decline. Feed them. Be joyful when you hear their song. Just imagine if they were not there.

House-sparrow-tops-Big-Garden-Birdwatch-charts-for-21st-year-in-a-row-RSPB-Big-Garden-Birdwatch-Download

Thank you for being with me. Step outside. Celebrate spring, listen to the birds that live around you. Smile. There are things in the world that we have no control over. We change what we can, when we can doing the best we can. We mourn the little ones that are lost, but remain joyful and hopeful for those thriving on the nests.

*Disclaimer: Every effort is made to credit individuals who send me information, those who take screen captures, create videos or posts, those who write articles, and those who operate streaming cams. If I miss acknowledging someone’s contribution, please let me know so I can rectify that omission. Thank you.*

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, streaming cams, videos, and articles that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J, H, PB, SK, TK’, NCTC Eagle Cam, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Cal Alcons, Moorings Park ospreys, Florida-Gainesville, McEuen Park, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Clywedog and CarnyXWild, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, The Woodland Trust (Loch Arkaig), Geemef, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), LRWT, Port Lincoln Ospreys, US Steel Eagle Cam, Little Miami Conservancy, Johnson City-ETSU, Superbeaks, FARMER DEREK, Duke Farms, ND-LEEF, Eagle Country, Denton Homes, Raptor Research Project, FORE, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, Bluff City-ETSU, Fort St Vrain, IWS/Explore, PA Country Farms, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, JB Sands Wetlands, Trudi Kron, Lady Hawk and The Guardian.

The boys are back in town…Sunday in Bird World

31 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

For those celebrating Easter, may you have a lovely peaceful day full of family and friends.

Calico made me promise – since I embarrassed her so much several weeks ago – that I would show you her new ‘slender’ figure. She has lost more than two pounds on her new cat food and is really beginning to run and play with the other girls.

Calico is actually sitting under a chair staying out of Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope’s way. They have been jostling for the ‘Queen of the Cat’ Tree crown all morning.

Baby Hope held the throne, the orb, and the sceptre for a few minutes. She basked in the happiness of being able to have a front row seat in order to see the little squirrels running back and forth with their peanuts.

It was only a short time until Hugo Yugo ousted Hope. And then it began all over again!

They make me tired.

There were four Blue Jays in the garden today! It looks like both bonded pairs have returned. I watched carefully. The pair whose tree was cut down has found a new home and Junior and his partner are in the Maple across the back lane.

I did not come up with the title today. Jeff Kear wrote it in a comment, but it is so true. Now, I can’t get the tune out of my mind. The Boys are truly back in town. Idris and Aran returned to Telyn and Elen and their nests in Wales on Saturday, March 30th.

All is well in Glaslyn. Aran and his new mate, Elen, will have their second breeding year together. They had two lovely fledglings in 2023, and Elen proved to be an incredible first-time mother.

Aran marked his arrival with a huge fish! I bet that tasted good after such a long migration.

Idris brought a huge fish for Telyn and then worked on their nest. Talk about egg-cited. Joan Brady got the screen capture!

Dorcha also arrived on Saturday, arriving at the nest and soaking wet. Louis was quick to get a fish to her and pick up on their bonding! She always reminds me of Mrs G with that gorgeous dark plumage.

Louis and Dorcha’s reunion.

If you missed it, Blue 33 and Maya have the first egg of the UK Osprey season for 2024. Her gentle little chirps called out to Blue 33 to come and see.

Each of us has a warm spot for a bird – maybe several. Tegid, Z1 of the “White Egg”, was one of Monty’s lads. He has a mate – an Unringed Female -and they have been raising osplets at a private nest in Wales for several years. Tegid is the brother of Aeron Z2 at the Port Cresor nest near Glaslyn’s Aran and Elen.

Dylan and Seren’s lad, Blue 496 from 2021, landed at Lock Arkaig, and then, guess what? He flew home to be near Mum and Dad, landing on nest two at Llyn Clywedog on Saturday. Oh, and might we hope for a beautiful female to arrive, too?

No ospreys at Llyn Brenig yet.

BirdGuides celebrates the arrival of CJ7 and Blue 022 at Poole Harbour.

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Everything is calm at the Duke Farms nest, and Jersey had at least one massive crop on Saturday. Jersey and Leaper even ate side by side. Can you believe it?

The time stamps and big crops tell the story of the morning.

At 1640 there were lots of fish tails on the Duke Farms nest. Looks like no one is going to go hungry today.

‘A’ gives us another terrific narrative of what part of the day at Duke Farms nest was like for little Jersey! “Jersey gets fed a very good breakfast. He did start off snatching at the bites but gained confidence as the feeding progressed and he suffered no attacks from his sister. It was wonderful to watch. Such a happy wee eaglet. Just after 9am, he takes a huge piece and turns away to eat it. Leaper has decided she could do with seconds so has headed back to the table. Mum has a bite to offer Jersey, but is waiting for him to finish dealing with the immense piece he had just grabbed. As Leaper approaches Jersey, she decides it would be a good idea to pacify her by giving her that bite. She gets another, and considers giving it to Leaper, but changes her mind and turns towards Jersey, again waiting for him to have an empty beak! As Leaper moves closer to him, Jersey gets nervous and turns away, so mum gives a couple of bites to Leaper. But Jersey regains his confidence and moves back towards mum, so that he is actually pushing in front of Leaper. Mum is working hard on the last piece of the fish. The second she has it ready, Jersey snatches it, even before she has raised her head to offer him the bite. The fish is finished. Mum moves around the nest looking for stray pieces, which she feeds Leaper, who happens to be closest when she finds a scrap or two. Jersey has a very nice crop. At 09:02:35, mum finds the other half of the fish dad brought in at 08:55 – it appears he bit it in half and mum has only fed the chicks one of the two halves. She gives two bites to Leaper and then drags the partial fish over to where Jersey is on the rails and begins feeding him again. She drags the fish even closer to Jersey and further away from Leaper. This is definitely the larger half of the fish. Jersey is now less nervous, with Leaper quite a distance from him. He eats and eats. When mum offers him the tail, sideways, he politely refuses it so mum downs it herself. She cleans the table, feeding Jersey any leftovers she can find and he takes them, even though his crop is now noticeably larger than his head. Just as the final flake is gone, at 09:09:45, dad is in with another fish. He has unzipped it a little on one side but it is otherwise whole. Mum immediately takes charge of the fish. Both eaglets have absolutely gigantic crops and surely could not fit another single bite. Jersey staggers over to Leaper and flops down beside her, forming a fuzzy ball of happy eaglet in the centre of the nest. Dad comes over to check on their bedding, spreading a little grass behind the pair. TOO cute. He is still on the nest and has turned back to survey his fish. Mum begins her warning vocals (the ‘do not even think about taking this fish’ ones). The look on her face is absolutely clear. This is a mum protecting her babies’ food. She means business. Dad is suitably chagrined and leaves at 09:10:20. Obviously aware the eaglets need no more food at this moment, she heads into the centre of the nest to check on her eaglets. She does a little aerating and tidying, feeds a tiny food scrap or two to Leaper. Jersey turns around to face the table. The two are now both facing the same way but still snuggled up close. Just look at those cute little tail buds and round bottoms. Both are looking a bit woolly and oh so cute. Little Jersey only has half his white head feathers, Leaper having spat out the others after ripping them from Jersey’s head last week. Jersey has quite the individual hair style as a result. Mum returns to the fish and looks around and upwards. She vocalises threateningly at something above from 09:18:25-34 (probably warning dad not to take the fish if she leaves it). She continues to look around in all directions for another minute or two. More threatening vocals from 09:19 to 09:19:15. She is sitting over the fish and has her very stern look on. At 09:22:30 dad lands on the opposite side of the nest with YET ANOTHER whole fish. This one is medium-sized and very much still alive. Mum stays where she is but immediately begins with her warning vocals. He stays where he is, surveying his fish. Mum is not looking his way, so he is perhaps assessing his options. What does a man have to do to get a decent sushi breakfast around here after all? This is his third fish of the morning. When is it his turn to eat? But mum continues with her unambiguous warnings. Dad is looking down at the fish, then up at mum, then back to his fish. It is just TOO funny. I wonder who will win this battle of wills? Any bets? Of course, mum. Dad admits defeat, and shortly after 09:24, he flies off the nest. I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for dad. Eat the next catch away from the nest, I suggest. He deserves one. Mum goes and stands over the floppy fish perhaps to protect the chicks from it. There is some shuffling in the cuddle puddle as Jersey makes his way to the table and moves confidently up to mum’s beak, with Leaper literally against his back. Just after 09:31, mum begins feeding Jersey, and despite the massive crop he has, he takes the bites. Leaper is in a food coma. Jersey should be too, but having learnt the hard way that you eat whatever is in front of you, he is stuffing himself further. By 09:32, after a dozen or so bites, he is having trouble, so tries a couple of small crop drops. Mum waits for him. He continues to eat. Mum downs the tail. At about 09:33:30, another small crop drop. He is really struggling now. That crop looks uncomfortable but he soldiers on. Another small crop drop just after 09:34. He takes four or five tries at the next bite and eventually swallows it. Another small crop drop. This crop is getting ridiculous. His crop drops are small – I am not sure whether he has much room for them either!! Perhaps he has not yet fully mastered the technique. By 09:35:30 mum is having to literally force food into Jersey, who is leaning back, away from the food, as if to say ‘please mum, no more!’ but she is slow on the uptake and keeps offering the piece. Sometimes after four or five attempts, usually involving the spitting out of the food, Jersey usually manages to get the bite down. But at this point, he really has had significantly more than enough. Around 09:37 Jersey seems to get a second wind (or a second stomach), as he leans forward to grab a couple of big bites. But it is short-lived and by 09:37:30, he cannot eat another flake.”

Thank you, ‘A’ – we love your narratives. You should write a book! 

Leaper and Jersey shared breakfast Sunday morning. Jersey is doing the snatch and grab but still nervous if their beaks touch. Meanwhile, both are learning how to scale a fish! Fingers crossed for another good day with lots of fish in the nest. Notice that both have their thermal down and that their pin feathers are coming in.

In San Jose, Hartley laid her fourth egg of the 2024 Peregrine Falcon season keeping up with Annie and Archie. Monty, you are going to be busy!

Monty managed all those eggs for incubation!

The camera is back up and running and sometimes off again at Two Harbours. The egg is rolled. No visible pip yet.

Chase and Cholyn are 26 years old and have been together for 21 years. This only egg was laid on the 22nd of February. Today it is 39 days old. I am hoping for a pip under there!

Pair of eaglets at Decorah North are sooooo cute.

The pair at Little Miami Conservancy are pretty sweet, too.

The view isn’t as good as some, but the pair at Kansas City are also doing very well.

There is a big of a mystery going on at Berry College. Missey continues to cover up newly hatched B17 and the egg is now completely covered – B17 is sitting on the grasses covering the egg. That egg is 40 days old today and Missey knew it was unviable.

Port Tobacco’s only eaglet is doing just fine.

Second eaglet Sunday morning at Denton Homes.

At Bluff City, Oliver is growing nicely.

At Johnson City, JC23 and JC24 are getting their juvenile feathers.

Ruffie and Tuffy had an early breakfast fish from Harry at Moorings Park and several fish throughout the day. Food is plentiful.

Tom is home with Audrey at the Chesapeake Conservancy Osprey nest.

The ospreys at Moraine have a beautiful nest! Thanks, ‘L’!

Big Red and Arthur continue incubating their four eggs. Meanwhile there is no sign of an egg with Angel and Tom.

R6 fledged today from the WRDC nest!

Dedication and love. Plus hope. Sadly, there will not be a hatch at Big Bear this year for Jackie and Shadow. If only someone had airlifted an eaglet in for them.

Across the US, in NE Florida, Gabby and Beau continue to work on their nest with dreams of 2025, too.

In Eagle Country, Swampy and Meadow dream about flying – while they wait for the right time to arrive.

Toni Hoover reports that Rosa is back with Lewis in the nest at Dulles-Greenway.

Both Ospreys are home at the very popular German nest, Goitzsche Wildnis.

There is an osprey back at Great Bay. Sadly, the couple lost all their chicks in 2023 due to weather and starvation (one had to be euthanised). The nest is in Greenland, New Hampshire.

There are two little Great Horned owlets at the Wolf Bay Osprey Nest in Alabama this year.

The third hatch at the Venice Golf and Country Club is so tiny compared to its two older siblings who are entering the reptilian phase. For some reason, this nest is making me a little bit nervous this year.

Nest renovations are well underway for the pair at the Bridge Golf Club osprey platform.

In the UK, Black-necked Grebes had a remarkable breeding year. Bravo!

Black-necked-Grebes-thriving-on-RSPB-reserves-BirdGuidesDownload

A lovely opinion piece sent to me by my friend Wicky Woo for all of us to enjoy! Birding is one of the best ways to avoid the therapists’s couch!!!!!!!! That is what Calico tells me.

Opinion-When-I-Became-a-Birder-Almost-Everything-Else-Fell-Into-Place-The-New-York-TimesDownload

Thought or the week:

Thank you so much for being with us today. It was busy. There are nests not included, but as far as I know, JB Sands and Frenchman’s Creek. I have not heard of a hatch at Gainesville, but we are monitoring Two Harbours. There is a rumour of a hatch at Centreport on the 29th of March but no confirmation of feeding, and there is a pip watch underway Saturday night at ND-LEEF. Take care everyone. See you soon! For those celebrating Easter, the very best wishes for the day.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, L, SP, WW’, Jeff Kear, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Geemeff, LRWT, Welsh Osprey, The Woodland Trust, Llyn Brenig, Bridge Golf Club Osprey Cam, BirdGuides, Duke Farms, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore.org, Raptor Resource Project, Little Miami Conservancy, Farmer Derek, Sharon Lee, Port Tobacco, Yale Sharon, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, Moorings Park, Heidi McGrue, PIX Cams, Cornell RTH cam, Wolf Bay, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Toni Hoover, Goitzsche Wildness, Eagle Country, The New York Times, and David Suzuki.

Jersey gets fed, Redding has a hatch…Wednesday in Bird World

27 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

Dry snowflakes flew about on the Canadian Prairies Tuesday morning and the snow got heavier in the early evening. It is really blowing around and my thoughts go out to all of the geese and ducks that arrived so early. I hope they can find food and hold on til the weather warms up in a few days.

Yesterday, I wrote about the need for a moratorium on commercial fishing in Mahaden. I also mentioned that the individuals who breed farm fish in the UK have discovered how to monetise the ponds. The charge to photograph is substantial at some of the sites, and the owners have proudly admitted that they make more money from the photographers than from selling their farm fish. This is something that could easily be adapted in the US, and it would be a win-win for the Osprey and the entrepreneurs who want to make money. With all the interest in wildlife photography, this should be seriously considered. It could be a nature centre, a golf course, or anywhere along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, which are the most at risk presently. If you know someone who is interested, I am certain that Dr Tim Mackrill would be more than happy to connect them with the parties in the UK. Tim is the Director of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and can easily be found on X or the Internet.

Lots happening! I feel that we are a page of headline news today. This is more of a run through the nests with a stop at a couple – like Duke Farms – to see what happened on Tuesday.

There is a pip at the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian.

And now there is a hatch! Proud parents Liberty and Guardian. First hatch, second clutch. How grand.

The eaglet at Berry College is a cutie and will be very spoiled if it is the only one.

Only chick at Port Tobacco is doing wonderful.

Two eaglets of Jolene and Boone at Johnson City-ETSU are looking more like old carpets. They are ‘wooly’ with their thermal down and are getting their juvenile feathers.

Big Red lays a fourth egg at the Cornell RTH nest. Both of them look at it wondering where on earth that one came from! Arthur is probably thinking, ‘oh, no, not again!’. Of course, he will be able to handle it. Let us hope this is a good year for chipmunks and squirrels on the Cornell campus.

Jersey lives another day. The second hatch at Duke Farms flapped its little wings in happiness. It is often too aware and too afraid to let Mum feed it, but that little one is self-feeding and got enough for a crop and then a crop drop and partial crop on Tuesday before Leaper started bonking it while it was eating some fish. Rain is on its way to the nest. We can only send positive wishes and hope that this situation will be rectified because Jersey is a survivor. We have seen this at other nests…keep sending good energy.

Mum tries to feed Jersey from the fish but Jersey is very afraid of Leaper and for good reason.

Mum gives an order for food.

Jersey continued to work on the fish and then the miracle happened. Mum fed Jersey while Leaper slept off its food coma. Jersey ate and ate. ‘J’ remarks, “Hope is Powerful”.

Leaper’s food anxiety is not over. But Jersey got braver and Mum knows this one is a survivor! Keep sending all that good energy to this nest – for prey delivery, Jersey eating, and both to fledge.

‘A’ gives us a good late day rundown at Duke:

“Mum decided not to feed much of that big fish to Leaper, once she realised that Jersey was not going to get anything, so she left the fish and instead began feeding Leaper from the old waterbird torso – it was as if she was deliberately leaving the opened fish for Jersey to self-feed and then filled Leaper to the brim with food Jersey would have had no real chance of getting any real bites off. She then tried to put herself between the pair. Leaper, with the most gigantic crop, nevertheless got up and crossed the nest to give Jersey a serious and prolonged beating (around 17:50), which ended when Leaper headed back to the centre of the nest, where mum immediately lay down between the two. Jersey now could make a good effort at the large fish that had been opened at the head end and unzipped a little down one side. He pulled the giant fish down towards him, stood on it, and pulled bites from it. Mum watched him, then covered Leaper in a blanket of dry grass. Mum’s positioning gave little Jersey the confidence to ignore the fear of an attack and concentrate on trying to eat as much of the fish as he could. It was noteworthy that he still had a respectable crop before this self-feeding. At 18:00, mum got up, leaving Leaper sleeping, and moved to where Jersey was self-feeding to begin feeding him herself. She offered him some of the torso, and after some initial hesitation, he accepted the bite. Just as mum is about to offer him another bite, dad flies onto the nest with another (this time, absolutely huge) talonful of dried grasses. He spreads this to cover first nearby Jersey, who goes into submission, and then Leaper in the middle of the nest, still sleeping. TOO funny. Jersey realises it was not a Leaper attack and lifts his head, so mum immediately takes the chance to offer him a bite of food, which he snatches. He turns away to eat it, then turns back to face and get closer to mum. Jersey turns to dad and takes a bite of what he thinks is food but is really nesting material! He spits it out. Both parents are on the nest now, dad having found the leftover large fish he had buried alongside Jersey, while mum is still with the torso. Jersey has his back to both parents, who are each trying to feed him, dad on his left with the fish, mum on his right with the torso. He is too nervous to take either. He looks towards mum but eventually turns towards dad, but cringes and turns away when dad offers him some fish. He looks back towards mum and snatches a bite from her, which again he turns away to eat. He looks back towards dad, but again cringes away when dad offers him a bite of fish. This happens again, and when Jersey cringes away from dad this time, dad reaches out to try and give the bite of fish to mum to feed to Jersey. She does not take it from him. Jersey continues to watch dad but turn back and take bites from mum. He wants some of that fish though, and dad pulls it out from under the grass. Mum is not looking pleased at the idea he might be taking the fish for himself and goes to stop him. She vocalises, quite obviously warning him not to even think about it. He retreats, without the fish, and leaves the nest.

At 18:08 Leaper wakes up, but Jersey still grabs a bite from mum. Leaper takes a bite from mum but then decides she really cannot be bothered and refuses a second. Jersey literally spins in a circle, gaining and then losing the courage to take a bite from mum. Just TOO funny. Would make an absolutely hysterical gif. Jersey has a good crop. (Leaper’s is humungous.) The more bites Jersey takes without being attacked for eating, the more confident he becomes and the faster he eats. Mum periodically tries to coax Leaper, lying duckling style on the other side of mum, to take a bite, and once in a while she does so, but most of the bites are going to Jersey. Around 18:12, Leaper half-stands, as if to attack Jersey, and mum instantly tries to pacify her with the offer of food, but Leaper decides it’s too much effort, lies back down and refuses the food. Mum resumes feeding Jersey, whose crop is enlarging by the minute. He is eating as fast as he can now, grabbing and swallowing bite after bite. Big bites, small bites;.anything he can get he is wolfing down. Some of the pieces are big. Some are awkwardly shaped. He is finding a way to force them all down, although some take him some time and effort to swallow. He is eating what he can, while he can (yet another valuable survival lesson he has learned this week!!) Oh it is just wonderful to watch. I cannot help but cry. He is fighting so hard to live, and mum is helping him do so with every maternal instinct in her body. The way she warned dad off that fish was pure MOTHER. Do not dream of taking food from the mouths of my babies, you deadbeat dad. Go out and bring in a fish!! (Or is that anthropomorphising too much even for me?) But seriously, the vocal warning she gave him, and THE LOOK when he tried to sneak at least half of that gigantic fish off the nest was an absolute classic. He literally slunk away. 

Jersey went to bed with a happy tummy last night. He had achieved such a lot, and I honestly believe that the lessons he has learned will save his life, as long as mum can keep this level of food coming onto the nest. She must be exhausted, having started hunting before dawn yesterday, bringing in three large prey items during the day. I still wonder where dad has been and why he is not bringing in food now he is back, given that he looked totally uninjured. It really is a mystery, and it may be that mum is going to have to do much or all of the work on this nest. If that does happen, things are still very tenuous here, with Leaper still keeping Jersey in a state of terror whereby he is usually too scared to be fed by mum. There was one feeding today where Leaper allowed Jersey to eat from mum for as long as he wanted without any aggression at all, but that was not the way Leaper behaved when that late afternoon fish arrived, gigantic though it was. 

I am astounded at how well Jersey has done at getting enough food off those two fish yesterday to fill his crop twice – once at breakfast time and again late in the afternoon – with the feeding from mum (from the waterbird torso – at least I think that’s what it was – it was very hard to identify, but there was a lot of meat on it and not much else, such as feet or wings or a head or legs or anything really, so it could have been mammalian for all I know). So Jersey has eaten very well today and in the process has learned some incredibly valuable skills. Leaper is not yet a competitor for leftovers, having had no need to self-feed yet, and so leaves the spoils to Jersey. Once she has filled her crop and gone into a food coma, Jersey can then self-feed to his heart’s content. The combination of mum’s obvious awareness that she must hunt and she must look out for the younger chick, plus the reappearance of dad (despite him so far not bringing in food) and Jersey’s self-feeding prowess (which will improve by the day from here on, especially as his weight increases) may well be enough to salvage the outcome on this nest. Mum is certainly doing her best. “

Jersey has not had food Wednesday morning. It does appear that Mum is the only one bringing in food items to the nest but it is possible that she is retrieving them from Dad off nest as Duke Farms did imply at one time. It is going to be wet. Jersey ate well enough yesterday but it would be good to get that crop filled today sometime with the weather.

The pair at Moorings Park are doing very well. They are absolutely adorable.

The two eaglets at Decorah North are equally cute. There is some bonking as their eyes adjust to the world. Every beak is a potential bite of food – or a sibling!

The Sutton Centre in Bartlesville Oklahoma now has two eaglets! Thanks, ‘J’

‘H’ thinks R6 is ready to fledge any time! It sure looks like Ron and Rose will be empty nesters soon enough.

Lots of fish piled up on the nest of Ellie and Harvey at Farmer Derek’s. These two like to team feed!

In the UK, Blue NCO continues to wait for Laddie LM12 at Loch of the Lowes. White YW arrived early, also, and is waiting for Blue 25 at Foulshaw Moss. Telyn arrived on Tuesday at the Dyfi nest and awaits the arrival of Idris while Elen is at Glaslyn waiting for Aran.

Elen at Glaslyn.

Telyn (Blue 3J) at Dyfi watching for Idris.

CJ7 and Blue022 are getting reacquainted at the Poole Harbour nest in the UK. Other nests with both of the pairs are Manton Bay, Esthwaite, Threave Castle, Blackwood Farms, and Bassenwaite.

This is more the style when I think of CJ7 and Blue 022.

There is some good news coming from the Loch of the Lowes – no, sadly, Laddie isn’t home, but I have not expected him to return this year. There is another sky dancing male trying to attract Blue NCO’s attention. I hope he is a good fisher and stays! One of Laddie’s fledglings with his mate LF15 of 2017 has been sighted in the Lake District possibly looking for a mate or a nest! That is fantastic news – a great moment to celebrate for so few survive those first two years —- and getting an actual sighting of one to record is difficult. This bird is six years old. I wonder if it has a nest in the area?

You might recall that a Peregrine Falcon with its jesses landed in the scrape of Monty and Hartley the other day. It is quite worrying when a falconry bird is flying free. There is no telling how far it came from its home. AE brings us good news:

Many thanks to the California Falconry community for their quick work on this unusual incident! Fun facts: the bird was a 9 year captive bred anatum peregrine who was clearly very excited about the arrival of the first egg. It was from a line of birds that retains that dark streaking through the breast in their adult plumage. While Monty was clearly upset with the intrusion, it was so interesting to see Hartley e-chup along with the intruder like they were having a little baby shower! Glad all seems to be moving along smoothly now.

At the Durbe County White-tail Eagle nest in Latvia, Milda laid her second egg of the season.

‘MP’ sends us a good sighting at the JB Sands Wetlands eagle nest. As you recall, Mum had an injury. She did not hunt or feed the chick for some time. Dad took over. Thankfully, the eaglet was a month old. Things have improved. This is today’s short report: “Today it looks as though mom is back hunting. She brought a fish in this morning along with dad. It’s funny, two days go by and nothing, and suddenly, three pieces of prey already this morning, before 9:00AM.”

It is so good to see both parents back at the nest (just like it is at Duke Farms).

Looks like the parents at JB Sands are trying to teach JBS20 how to ‘branch’ on that tower!

At Bluff City, ‘Viper’ is growing and doing well. We have seen this before at nests. Brood reduction it might be called. Let us hope that Viper fledges and all is well.

This past weekend was pip watch for Chase and Cholyn. Will their only egg hatch?

It is always mealtime when you have three growing eaglets. Cholyn and Chase’s daughter, Thunder, is no stranger to three hatching!

I missed this yesterday. Happy Hatch Day Thunder!

Dixie and Mason are so cute. Aren’t you happy they can peek over the rim of the nest now? Gosh I really dislike that view form the top camera.

Swampy and Meadow are curious about food scraps in the nest and their self-feeding is coming along nicely. Abby and Blaze have done a wonderful job preparing them for life off the nest. Do you remember when we thought that Swampy was going to harm Meadow? Now look at them! Best buddies.

The late Pale Male’s (Central Park’s longest-living Red-tail Hawk) mate, Octavia, has been seen with another male and exhibits some nesting behaviour. Pale Male died in the arms of Bobby Horvath last year. He was the subject of books and films, including The Legend of Pale Male, which is free to watch. I highly recommend it as a community came together to save his nest. It shows the power of people who care! You can find it at thelegendofpalemale.net

927-Fifth-Avenue-Urban-HawksDownload

There are many reasons that people study raptors by putting satellite tags on them. This is one study of the Golden Eagles in Scotland.

Fascinating-new-study-reveals-movements-of-young-satellite-tagged-golden-eagles-in-Scotland-–-RaptorDownload

If you live in the Eastern US, Audubon has a chart prepared so that you know which songbirds will be migrating through your area and when.

This-Wave-Theory-of-Spring-Migration-Will-Prepare-You-for-Your-Next-Birding-Outing-AudubonDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. We can expect a few more bobbleheads and osprey arrivals! Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, screen captures, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AE, Geemeff, H, J, MP’, FORE, WingsofWhimsy, Berry College Eagle Cam, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, Johnson City-ETSU, Cornell RTH Cam, Duke Farms, Moorings Park, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Heidi M, Farmer Derek, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Poole Harbour, Jenny Moore, Gregarious Toonen, LDF, JB Sands Wetlands, Bluff City-ETSU, Jan Gallivan, Superbeaks, Eagle Country, Bruce Yolton, Raptor Resource UK, Sutton Centre, and Audubon Magazine.

Cal fledges…Maya is home…Wednesday in Bird World

13 March 2024

Good Morning,

‘The Girls’ hope that your week has really started off nicely. They are enjoying all the warm weather because it means there is more squirrel and bird activity in the garden. They have a panoramic view and seem to stay out there most daylight hours.

Hugo Yugo was supposed to have her surgery on Friday at noon. It’s been on the calendar for months, but it was a ‘maybe if the vet surgeon has room’ date. So, I am waiting to hear tomorrow to see if there is space on Saturday. We wait. It is a universal problem: too few vets. Clinics are booked months in advance. Those who do reduced-cost work for the rescues take the rescue kittens when they have an open slot only.

Of course, Hugo Yugo needs her eye wipes. We use them several times a day and she still gets those little crusties. She is the loudest. Her meow could be heard in Toronto if they had their windows open! The smallest with the voice that lets you know she wants ‘something’ (normally kitten milk) and the biggest one that never makes a peep. What a group – love them to bits.

Calico does try to get away from Calico Kitty Kitty. Doesn’t she look exasperated and tired?

More Canada Geese are arriving! We can hear them honking over the conservatory as they fly into the city heading for the open water in parts of the river. People have spotted crocus coming up and they are saying that spring is really here. Having seen far too many blizzards around the beginning of May, I remain a little sceptical.

Somehow there always seems to be several small bags of bird seed in my pockets or in the car. These two have flown a long way to find the Duck Pond frozen solid at the zoo. I felt very sorry for them.

I am terribly grateful for the eaglets that we have this year. There have been many failed nests, many new dads, and many missing from major nests. Like so many others, I am grateful for Jackie and Shadow and their comic love in Big Bear. For Gabby and Beau who have had two years without eaglets but continue working on the nest. I hope Scout continues to work out for Bella….and that all the bobbleheads in the nests now fledge and thrive.

Top news of the morning. Cal, the only surviving eaglet of Clive and Connie at Captiva, fledged this morning, Wednesday the 13th of March at 0912. Thanks, ‘H’ for that great incoming news. Congratulations! Please return to the nest!

There is great news coming out of the UK. Blue NCO arrived and went fishing and caught a super Brown Trout on Monday. Another ‘queen of the nests’ arrived today in very good physical shape.

Maya, the favoured osprey to arrive first, arrived second. She appeared on the nest she shares with Blue 33 at Rutland Water’s Manton Bay on Tuesday.

Unringed Maya and Blue 33 are considered to be a super osprey couple. They have successfully raised two clutches of four to fledge and no less than 20 chicks. She had 11 chicks with her previous partner, and at least 5 of them are known to have returned from their migration. Great DNA and luck.

Here is her bio from Rutland Water. Please note that recent hatches and fledges and returns do not seem to appear.

About-the-Rutland-Ospreys-Leicestershire-and-Rutland-Wildlife-TrustDownload

On Monday, the two eaglets at Bluff City, tiny little bundles, were alone. it caused worry amongst watchers. They also did not get dinner until late. Was it intruders? Certainly, the eagles are alerting.

Oliver and Willow continued to enjoy the rabbit that Franklin brought to the nest. Oliver did bonk Willow some, but the little one did manage to get a good feed.

At Johnson City, Jolene has had good control and both of the eaglets have eaten well without a lot of anxiety. ‘J’ wonders when they got so big!

Thunder and Akecheta have high-spirited and healthy eaglets. This year Thunder is 15 years old. She hatched at the Two Harbours nest in 2009. Akecheta is 8 years old and comes from Los Pinos Nest.

I don’t know who said it first but name suggestions for the trio at the West End include: Rock’em, Sock’em, and Good Luck. I laughed til I cried.

The first two hatches are the strong-spirited chicks these two raise. They would rather bonk one another than eat. Do you remember the wonderful job Akecheta did when they had three before? Those triplets grew and thrived under his watchful care, along with Mum, Thunder. They were the 2022 hatches Sky, Ahote, and the group’s female, Kana’kini. I love how Thunder sits on them and stops feeding when they continue to act up. She will have then quiet and lined up to eat before you know it.

Gracie Shepherd caught it – all three at the West End lined up eating nice.

Lady Hawk has a montage of all the bonking battles.

Jak and Audacity continue to hope for a hatch from their single egg at Sauces.

As does Chase and Cholyn, Thunder’s parents, at Two Harbours.

At the Captiva Eagle nest, Cal really wants to spread those wings and fly. Remember that most fledges take place in the early morning or evening. Not on rainy days normally and not when the chick is overly full with a huge crop. There are always exceptions, however.

E23 is a kindred spirit of Cal. He spends more time on the branches, looking out to the wide world, and wants to fly soon. Mamma F23 might want to keep filling her first baby up to the brim to try and get him so heavy he can’t take off! Hopefully, E23 will spend much time at the nest after fledging like M15’s other fledglings with Harriet, so we can enjoy watching him grow into the eagle he will be. (No one has said he is a he…I am going by the length of the mouth in relation to the eye).

Dreaming of flying.

I have not consistently watched the Duke Farms nest. The eaglets are Leaper, the oldest, and Jersey. It looked like they were both fed today. Fingers crossed this continues. Each is using its little wing tips to balance and you will see the two spread the wings as if they want to flap them.

R6 had a nice fish meal around 1100. He is certainly spending a lot of time sitting on the rim of the nest. Branching will come soon enough.

Oh, just look at Swampy and Meadow. They are the richest 90% pure chocolate brown. Beautiful babies…well, not babies anymore. Note that deep chrome yellow colour to their feet. These two are very healthy eaglets! Very healthy.

Latvian White Tail Eagles. Mr H is bringing Milda fish gifts. I get the feeling that eggs will be here soon.

The ladies are fighting over Newman at Spirit Bluff. Lisa and intruder fought in nest box. It was not a pretty sight. Imagine those sweet eyases who do not bonk and then see the fight to the death (sometimes) for a mate and territory.

On Wednesday morning, Big Red and Arthur were actively checking out the nest bowl and the construction going on across Tower Road. We could have eggs anytime!

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, photographs and screen captures along with the streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, SP’, Geemeff, LRWT, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, IWS/Explore, SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Gracie Shepherd, Lady Hawk, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, WRDC, Eagle Country, Biruta Lapa, Helen Matcham, MLizGrindstaff, and Cornell RTH Cam.