Category Archives: Poole Harbour Ospreys

Sadness at Audubon Boathouse…Tuesday in Bird World

16 July 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

We have a predation at the Audubon Boathouse. For those of you that knew Steve and his mate and are familiar with Bailey, ambassador Osprey at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, you will be familiar with the predation at this nest. I realise that there is no guaranteed way to keep owls from attacking osprey nests and killing the chicks – it didn’t even eat them, just killed them, but you would think that they would be trying out something even a huge bright light (won’t hurt the ospreys) but might keep the owl away like they did at Lake Murray) to stop the slaughter.

It was nice and cool Monday morning and a good day to go and check the geese at the nature centre. The paths were somewhat wet after the big thunderstorm that went through Sunday evening, but the geese didn’t disappoint. Two little clips of a few of them.

https://videopress.com/v/yzWKYJom?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Everywhere I turned there were geese.

https://videopress.com/v/E3hr0afJ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Need a smile? There was a hatch at the Loon Cam! It’s slow going at first. About 12 minutes in there are some cute shots of the hatchling.

I haven’t forgotten about all those grouse moors in Scotland with their hunts and all the raptors that are killed in the process. Ruth Tingay says in her most recent posting, ” call them ‘The Untouchables’. Those within the grouse-shooting industry who have been getting away with illegally killing golden eagles, and other raptor species such as hen harriers, buzzards and red kites, for decades.

They don’t fear prosecution because there are few people around those remote, privately owned glens to witness the ruthless and systematic poisoning, trapping and shooting of these iconic birds. If the police do come looking, more often than not they’re met with an Omertá-esque wall of silence from those who, with an archaic Victorian mindset, still perceive birds of prey to be a threat to their lucrative red grouse shooting interests.

For a successful prosecution, Police Scotland and the Crown Office must be able to demonstrate “beyond reasonable doubt” that a named individual committed the crime.” ——– You might see the problem if you think about the vast landscape that is Scotland and when these men own thousands and thousands of acres of land, who will see them? Have a read:

Why-Scottish-grouse-moors-will-have-to-stop-slaughtering-golden-eagles-opinion-piece-in-The-ScotsmanDownload

You might recall that I mentioned that Waba’s battery was at only 1%. ‘J’ went on the snoop to find out about these GPS trackers on the storks. This is what she found:

Some information taken from the Ornitela website:

What factors affect number of GPS positions that can be collected?
GPS positions logged by OrniTrack transmitters represent the parameter that is most relevant for the majority of users. GPS logging primarily depends on sky view and available battery power.
Sky view is needed for GPS antenna to detect satellites. Connection with satellites can be obscured in places with limited sky view, such as under the forest canopy, in mountainous terrain or urban areas among buildings. GPS position logging in such environments often takes longer, which results in higher battery drain than in open areas.
Logging GPS positions is a relatively expensive process in terms of energy use. When developing OrniTrack transmitters we paid particular attention to achieving the highest possible energetic efficiency of this task. Extensive testing of OrniTrack transmitters in an open terrain revealed that fully charged battery of smaller OrniTrack-30 is sufficient for logging at least 1500 GPS positions and larger OrniTrack-50 can log at least 5000 GPS positions without additional recharge. But please note that data transfer via GPRS, which is more energetically demanding process, was set to infrequent intervals of one data upload per day during the testing.
Further, please be aware that GPS position logging stops when available battery power drops below 3675 mV. The remaining power down to 3600 mV is conserved for data transmission and the transmitter stops completely if battery voltage drops below 3600 mV. Once solar panel recharges the transmitter battery, GPS logging and data transmissions resume.
Therefore, it is paramount that a user monitors the available battery power and adjusts transmitter settings accordingly.

Battery charge by solar panel
OrniTrack transmitters are equipped with efficient solar panels which recharge internal batteries. We experienced that under favourable light conditions solar recharge can be fully sufficient to continuously log GPS positions at 1 minute intervals during daytime hours. But for solar panels to do their job, they need to be exposed to direct sunlight.
Overcast days offer little to no direct sunlight. Low sun angle above the horizon, like it is at high latitudes in winter, also delivers inefficient charge. Species living under the forest canopy may also receive limited charge due to scattered light.
Finally, perhaps the most frequent factor restricting battery charge is due to bird feathers covering the solar panel. This highly depends on species tracked and transmitter placement. From manufacturing perspective it is not difficult to increase transmitter height so it sticks through the feathers. However, empirical studies and experimental testing in wind tunnels revealed that externals transmitters may increase bird flight costs due to air resistance and turbulence. We therefore chose the transmitter design that minimizes possible impacts on birds.
While we supply transmitters capable of efficient recharging under good light conditions, it is user’s responsibility to consider all relevant factors influencing recharge and monitor battery status when choosing transmitter settings.

Alma and Lucia still come home.

‘PB’ reports that Mum is feeding the oldest and only surviving osplet out of four at McEuen Park. Oh, I hope this one makes it. It is just going to get hotter. Send all your best wishes to our poor ospreys.

Meanwhile at Hellgate Canyon, Iris knows Finn is around and coming with a fish. Turn the volume up for the full effect. I would like to put a fish that size at the Osoyoos nest. Soo would pass out. She probably thinks the only fish there are are those little twiddlers. Their lake in that town needs to be stocked. Did you hear me Osoyoos?

A tired and proud Mamma Iris.

The moderator at the Charlo Montana osprey nest says they have not had a fall off the nest for the last nine years. Poor baby. For those who don’t know, little backed up to do a ps and fell off the nest Friday evening. It is still hot. Charlie is delivering good fish. But these nests in the Pacific Northwest need a break.

And they are not going to get it. Temperatures are expected to rise.

Minnesota still looks good.

Some of the Field Farm babies are spreading those wings and wanting to fly.

There is still one osplet at the Cowlitz PUD osprey nest in Washington State. Let us just hope that the eagle decides not to return tomorrow. Electra and her mate worked hard in very hot conditions – surely to goodness, they deserve to have one baby fledge.

Three big osplets at Oyster Bay. What a difference it makes to have your nest in protected waters away from the Menhaden trawlers and also not to be having heat in the high 90s.

Two out of four have fledged at Poole Harbour.

It is much cooler at Seaside and Bruce and Naha’s two osplets are flapping and jumping and thinking about flying.

Moraine: ‘PB’ sent a great image of the chick with a huge crop after Dad delivered dinner. Now that is what I would like to see at Osoyoos and McEuan.

I am so grateful for the turn around at Snow Lane, Newfoundland.

‘H’ reports:

7/15 Forsythe osprey nest:  ‘Larry’, the only surviving osplet out of four, fledged this morning, at 55 days of age.  We were joyful, and grateful that there was at least one fledge this season.  We are happy for Opal and Oscar…that their efforts this season have not been completely in vain.  Larry made a beautiful landing back in the nest four hours later, and Oscar brought him a large fish to celebrate!

7/16 Colonial Beach:  The ‘kids’ are 20 and 21-days-old.  Today was the first time I have seen any significant dominance and aggression from Big during meals.  This nest averages three fish per day, but I wish David would deliver more.  The osplets need more frequent meals.  Due to the aggression from Big, Little did not eat at the first meal.  Little eventually ate very well at the second meal, and had a very long private feeding.  When the younger chicks first start to be denied food by a sibling, they don’t know what to do, so they just keep trying and can be further brutalized.  They need to learn to employ certain tactics to get fish bites from Mom.  Well, it seemed that Little was ahead of the curve.  After the third meal commenced, and Little was attacked by Big, Little scooted over to the other side of Betty and was receiving some fish bites at her left side.  But, Little soon decided that he wanted to eat beside his ‘bestie’ and went back beside Big.  I was saying, “No no, what are you doing, Little…go back to the other side!”  Little was beaked again, and after a brief period of being tucked, Little returned to Mom’s left side and was able to eat a nice meal.  Thus endeth the lesson, kiddo.

7/15 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  This is another nest where I wish there were more fish being delivered.  Johnny used to drop off 5-6 fish per day, but now only 2-3 per day.  31-day-old ‘Fen’ is hungry.  And for the past few days, Fen has started aggressively attacking both June and Johnny.  This nest has not been subjected to extreme heat or high winds.  However,  it is located in a summertime tourist area, with thousands of vacationers this time of year.  I wonder if there are too many boaters out on the local waterways, and that may be hindering Johnny’s efforts to catch fish.

7/15 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The extreme heat has lasted for several days and will continue for several more days.  As a result, there simply have not been enough fish brought to the nest to support three growing oplets suffering in the heat.  Little had not eaten very much for over three days.  Little passed away this afternoon, at approximately 1430.  I saw four fish delivered to the nest, and the last one was at 1731.  Big and Middle were both fed at this meal.  There have been meals over the past few days where Middle was denied the opportunity to eat by Big, including at the second meal this morning.  Middle’s survival is not a given at this point.  I’m not sure when the live stream went offline.  There could have been another fish delivered in the evening, but I was not able to rewind to check.

7/16 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest:  Last season, the only chick ‘Skipper’, was predated by a Great Horned Owl just days away from fledging.  Most of us have been on pins and needles watching this nest this year.  The GHO had already been at the nest twice earlier this spring, and we feared that it would be back. This year Dory and Skiff had two beautiful osplets, named Harbor and Gray.  The GHO did come back, and it attacked both chicks early this morning at approximately 0340, and killed them both.  After all the predations that have occurred at the Hog Island nest, Steve no longer uses that nest.  He and his new mate come around in early Spring to tend to the old Hog Island nest, but they do not use it to raise a family.  Dory and Skiff will need to find another nest.  The owl will never forget.  

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

Daily summary Monday 15th July 2024

Today brought more news of the chicks – some footage of them preening, looking healthy and nicely rounded, and some tweets and facebook posts with photos and more details of the translocation programme. No action on Nest One but a little flurry on Nest Two, with Louis bringing two fish today. He gave the first one quite readily to Dorcha, but teased her by mantling over the second one and flying away with it. He did return with it later on and let her take it, and both adults ended the day with full crops. Weather was settled, tonight’s forecast is misty with light winds, and the prospect of sunshine, well, sunny intervals, and a gentle breeze tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.46.29 (03.24.36); Nest Two 00.01.35 (03.36.46)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/5Y9kwM70tXI  N2 Two fish in two days! Louis brings an early breakfast  04.51.00

https://youtu.be/qJEOIijj5Hc  Valencia: the chicks are preening, plus tweets & FB posts 13-15th July

https://youtu.be/2pzx2f_0dm4 N2 Fish number two arrives but Louis won’t give it to Dorcha 16.58.40

https://youtu.be/h9oCsNTe8zE N2 Louis returns and this time gives Dorcha the fish 18.16.47

https://youtu.be/rlP1X8w_HrI  N2 Dorcha’s not happy when Louis brings sticks not fish 21.41.48

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

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

The three chicks at Finnish Osprey Nest #1 were ringed on the 15th. There is one male, Vaino, and two females, Valma and Vieno. Well done!

Mum caring for the chicks at Janakkalan.

Muonion is alright! Two little chicks. Three weeks old.

Latvian Ospreys. The oldest is eating really well. The second appears, at times, to be a bit shy. Both seem alright.

Kristel eating a Northern Raven – has a huge crop!

Kakapo in care after discovery of a beak injury. Thank yo so much for your annual checks. I hope this was caught in time.

Things are getting better at the Dorsett Hobby nest.

The Northhumberland Trust has an art contest and it is about Osrpeys.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, messages, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB’, LPC Loon Cam, Raptor Persecution UK, Looduskalender, SK Hideaways, McEuen Park, Weather Network, Cornell Bird Lab, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana Ospreys, MN-LA, Field Farms, Cowlitz PUD, PSEG, BoPH, Seaside Ospreys, Moraine Park, Cathy Cohen, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Finnish Osprey Foundation, LDF, Eagle Club of Estonia, Kakapo Recovery, osp, Northumberland Trust, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach Ospreys, Audubon Boathouse, and Forsythe Ospreys.

Dorsett Hobby dies, Smallie is stuffed…Sunday in Bird World

14 July 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Post Update: The second hatch at McEuan Park has died. The second hatch at Dorsett Hobby has died.

The heat produced some thunderstorms Friday night and some heavy rain. We are in another thunderstorm alert for the next few hours with loonie-size hail and 100 kph winds. The birds have been eating frantically all day. Their behaviour should have told me. Thankfully, it missed us.

It was a lovely evening at the park. Despite the signs around the pond, someone or many people were feeding the ducks. What they were feeding them was good bird seed—that is alright. And the duck population is good!

At home the little Blue Jay is having a wonderful time in the bird bath!

Little Blue Jay spent many hours playing in the bird bath. This is a very short clip.

One of the baby Cowbirds played in the water, too. It really helped to keep the birds cool on a hot day.

The shade tunnel at one side of the back garden for the birds and animals.

Being in the garden and spending time at the duck pond was a good way to step back for a few hours. It has been a tough week.

Seeing Jackie and Shadow together melts away anxiety. Ever hopeful, always loyal, these two never give up. When I get really low, they are the one raptor couple I turn to to make it all better.

Falcons help, especially soaring fledglings. Check out Alma and Lucia.

Bailey. She donates blood to help other raptors.

If you live in the United States, please read Audubon’s appeal for your help in getting the The Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act of 2024 passed. Everything helps.

Seabirds-Will-Benefit-from-New-Bill-to-Update-Federal-Fisheries-Law-_-AudubonDownload

One of the representatives in Virginia has a son who works for Omega. Flood him with letters. The House of Representatives name is Rob Wittman. I am sure you can see the problems that the State of Virginia is having and why. Let’s try and help Virginia be as successful as New York!

The following short presentation (below) has an 8 minute film on the history of Menhaden and why it is so important. It is a keystone fish. For those in the film, they mention whales and other fish species such as tuna and bass, but we need these fish for our osprey. Menhaden is what osprey eat in this area and the Chesapeake Bay is depleted. The ospreys are starving.

This is the Director’s message:

The Montana Ospreys eat other fish. Some of those fish are trout. When the rivers get too warm the trout die. The Osprey also cannot eat. The osplets get tangled in baling twine. They have their own issues including the heat.

The message seems to have been sent from Dunrovin and Charlo Montana. Finn worked on the rails at his nest with Iris and their two chicks Saturday morning. Now we know that Iris always has one of the best nests in ‘the West’ if anywhere. It has gotten a little ruffled with all the activity this season, but the couple continues to work on it to keep their babies safe. Look at their babies with all those gorgeous juvenile feathers. Dear Iris has taken the brunt of the heat, and Finn has fished his heart out.

Everyone is concerned about how the heat is impacting Iris who so loves being a Mum and who is so lucky to have Finn. She is going to have high temperatres for another week.

At the Patchogue nest, Dad brought in fish for both Patches and Rainer! We get to see them both eating on the nest. How wonderful.

The Middle chick Blue 8B4 has fledged at Llyn Clywedog on Saturday! There he is on the right looking at us. Gosh, what a gorgeous place to take a first flight.

Fledglings in Germany at the Goitzsche-Wildnis nest continue to return to be fed by Mum or self-feed.

No fledges yet at Poole Harbour.

The heat continues to hit the Pacific Northwest. This heat is persisting and the longer it continues our Osprey prospects become more and more dire unless there is plenty of fish coming to the nest. Otherwise, in these extreme conditions the ospreys have to use the energy from the fish they do get to try and stay cool.

McEuan Park on Saturday:

Charlo Montana:

Blackbush: All three are doing well.

Great Bay: All three osplets have fledged and have returned to the nest for some of those fish dinners while they get their wings stronger.

Field Farm is doing good. Osplets getting a little antsy. Wonder how small that nest is going to feel when they all start flapping and hovering?

Sandpoint: Looks good.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Things look great. Look at the wing span of that Only Bob.

Look at the big feet on the Arboretum chick’s feet.

Cowlitz PUD: Second could get some more fish. Both osplets are alive and the eagle has not been back. Holding our breath.

Clark PUD: Only Bob is doing very well despite the heat.

Port of Ridgefield. Cam is often down but ‘PB’ caught this. Chick and Mum look good.

An osprey rescue! Thanks ‘SD’ for posting this.

The Imperial Eaglets were ringed!

At the Estonian Golden Eagle nest 2, Kristel has not had any food since Mm delivered a wood pigeon on 11 July. Dad has not been seen since 7 July.

The oldest eaglet at the Boundary Bay nest in British Columbia is still alive!

Two beautiful osplets getting those gorgeous juvenile feathers in Latvia.

‘H’ reports:

7/13 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The early morning was interesting.  Soo was off the nest and Olsen had been fishing.  At 0501 he dropped off a tiny fish, Little took it but was beaked, then Middle took the fish. At 0503 Olsen was back with another ‘tiny’, and Big grabbed it.  (I don’t think any of the kids have experience in self feeding).  Middle abandoned its fish, and took Big’s fish.  Soo landed in the nest with a slightly larger fish at 0507.  She quickly took charge of the rather comical scene.  Soo picked up fish #1 and her own fish #3.  Big had fish #2 at that point but dropped it.  Soo started to feed Big and Middle.  Meanwhile, Little picked up fish #2, took it over to the far northeast rails, and appeared to lose it overboard.  Then Olsen returned at 0515 with another tiny fish.  Soo finished feeding from fish #1 and #3, and Little had managed to eat a few bites, before s/he was beaked by Middle.  Then Soo fed Big and Middle from fish #4.

Olsen brought a small fish at 1252.  Big beaked both Middle and Little, and Big was the only chick to eat during the 5-minute meal.  There were no other fish brought to the nest that I saw.  I triple checked in rewind, so I hope I didn’t miss a meal.  The high temperature was 100F/38C at 1700.  Olsen came to the nest several times in the late afternoon and evening, and just stayed and hung out with the family for a while each time.  I don’t know if they were concerned about nearby activities.  There were a lot of cars parked below the nest.

When a particular osplet is in danger of not having enough to eat to survive, I try to quantify how much they are eating, by either counting bites or estimating feeding durations.  It is particularly difficult at the Osoyoos nest to quantify how much Little is eating.  Quite often, the view of Little eating is blocked.  Also, the live stream has been offline a couple of early mornings when Olsen usually makes many of his fish deliveries.  That being said… My impression over the past three days is that Little is definitely not getting enough to eat.  I’m not even sure that Middle is getting enough to eat, but Middle does usually fare better than Little.  Weather forecast for Sunday: High temperature 99F/37C, sunny with winds gusting to 17 mph.

7/13 Patuxent osprey nest:  At 63 days of age Little still has not fledged, but has been getting more lift during his wingercising.  Little cannot compete with the two fledglings for food.  They are bigger, stronger and more aggressive.  There were 6 fish brought to the nest.  Big managed to acquire one of them.  But, Middle got all the rest, and even flew off the nest with a small fish!  There were no feedings from Mom.  Little did not eat today, but fortunately he ate well the day before.  Need more fish, Dad!

7/13 Fenwick Island (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  Today was a better day.  The previous two days, Johnny’s fish deliveries had dropped to just two per day instead of his normal 5-6 per day.  Today, Johnny brought 4 fish to the nest for June and 29-day-old ‘Fen’.

7/13 Colonial Beach osprey nest:  There were only two fish brought to the nest.  They had some morning rain showers and another shower in the afternoon.  David delivered the first fish at 1120.  Over 8.5 hours later Betty brought a large whole fish.  Both kids ate their fill, slept off their food comas, and then they ate some more!  The osplets are 18 and 19 days old.

7/13 Audubon Boathouse:  Everything is splendid for this family.  29-day-old Harbor, and 25-day-old Gray seem to be getting along well.

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

Daily summary Saturday 13th July 2024

Another day with little action, nothing on Nest One, and just a few early morning visits on Nest Two from Louis and Dorcha, neither seen on the nest after approximately 09.30. However, Louis spent some time sky-dancing before landing on the nest and making a couple of mating attempts with Dorcha along with coy-mantling. Of course, this is not to try for a second brood, it’s much too late in the season for that, but the mating attempts and the coy-mantling all reaffirm their pair-bond and is a healthy sign of the strength of their relationship, their fourth year together. In other news, Chaddie14 provides this update on the Bunarkaig nest: Lewis, our local raptor man, was up in the Bunarkaig nest today and found one dead chick and one healthy, possibly male, chick which he ringed. All just as was expected, so all good so far for the one chick. So success for the probable resident pair Affric 152 and Prince this year following the failure of that nest last year – we wish the surviving chick and his parents all the best. The weather was settled, and tonight’s forecast for the Inver Mallie area which covers the nests is light clouds and light winds, and sunshine tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.34.51 (03.31.49); Nest Two 23.22.11 (03.41.31)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/f4cyHgyr1-c  N2 Louis is heard skydancing before landing 03.56.53

https://youtu.be/39BScubJvE0  N2 Louis affirms his bond with Dorcha with a mating attempt 04.00.17

https://youtu.be/kAKf8Ur1RrI  N2 Another mating attempt by Louis 09.06.21

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

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

We need our insects. We need pollinators. We need butterflies. Is it the same where you live as it is in the UK?

Where-are-all-the-butterflies-this-summer-Their-absence-is-telling-us-something-important-Tony-JuDownload

There is sad news coming in this morning. The second hatch at Dorsett Hobby has died. Those who monitor falcon nests question the shape of the human made nest this year as it appears it was difficult for the Mum to feed or she was an inexperienced female. So sad. I wonder if there could have been an intervention early to save the chick that was obviously struggling.

‘J’ has put together the Memorial to Smallie for us. Please read through. Smallie was taken to a taxidermist and stuffed.

https://hetgroenehuisamersfoort.nl/slechtvalk/smallie

VIDEO’S
Ode aan Smallie 1             https://youtu.be/H4sF74mRJeg       met dank aan Jan Noorman
Ode aan Smallie 2            https://youtu.be/uvDYBUMwOlA       met dank aan Henk Hazenhoek

deepl translation:

Summary of Seven Weeks Smallie =============================================

Hatched from the fifth egg, five days younger than his sisters, fifty days old.

Week 1

Smallie hatched on April 28, 2024, five days after the first three hatchlings. Since there are five eggs this year, it is most likely that the fourth egg did not hatch, and Smallie thus hatched from the fifth laid egg.

As an offspring, he is then much smaller than the three other hatchlings that are already five days older. This has a big disadvantage at feeding time, because Moe naturally fills the biggest mouths first. Only when there is something left will little Smallie get some bites. Miraculously, he manages to survive the first week anyway – the most crucial period. He gets just enough food not to die, but too little to grow normally.

Week 2 

The first foreigners report to the chat at the webcams. Smallie immediately attracts attention because of his small size in relation to the three other hatchlings. Consequently, many think he is not going to make it, counting the number of bites he has received each day. But he turns out to be a smart and energetic little rascal who actively tries his best to get food – although it is not nearly enough to grow properly. In his attempts to get enough food he often stands close to Moe to (while she tears the prey to pieces) secretly try to pick some of the prey in her claws. But then one day when Moe shifts the prey (a pigeon) a little, Smallie ends up underneath. It remains unclear for some time whether Moe is not also tearing Smallie apart with the pigeon. Only after half an hour does he fortunately manage to get out of it in time and the viewers can breathe normally again.

Week 3 

When the three oldest youngsters are ringed and turn out to be three sisters, Smallie is also measured. According to the chart, he would be 10 days old but in reality he is already 17 days – so he is 40% behind in growth development. He is too small to get a ring, and even his sex cannot be determined (due to his small size, it is only later assumed to be a male). He looks skinny and thin, but is otherwise healthy, so he is put back in the closet with the sisters to be given a chance. 

Fortunately, the following days show that Moe now pays special attention to Smallie – she sometimes comes to feed him separately and at night she sits with him to keep him warm.

Week 4

The clever Smallie discovers a way to be the first to get food when Moe feeds from the grid : he crawls into the space between the grid and the nest box in the wide stone balustrade. He then sits in front and gets fed first. But unfortunately he does not manage to clamber back into the nest box after that. Suddenly he has mysteriously disappeared and everyone is extremely worried where he is and that he will not survive the night alone. It is only the next morning when he is checked that he is found safe and sound under the nest box and immediately put back in the box. The joy of his return lasted only a short time, because a few hours later he disappears in the same way.  Fortunately, he returns by himself and now manages to clamber back into the hive. 

He also provides some hilarious moments when he tries, for example, to pull food out of the mouth of a sister or Moe. When they raise their heads he holds on and is lifted up by his light weight. 

Week 5 

Moe no longer feeds individually, but on the roost gives the prey to the first one who wants it. The latter then takes it into the nest box and secretly (against the wall, with wings wide) feeds on it. The other two sisters often don’t notice this at first, but clever Smallie does. Because he is small, he will crawl under a wing and just join in. 

Sometimes he is the first and only one to see that a prey is brought to the roost and then sees a chance to grab it. Hilarious is that he then tries to drag it into the nest box on his own – sometimes a pigeon almost as big as himself.

It is striking that the falcons always treat each other lovingly. The “fights” are purely about the food, not with each other. They prefer to sleep next to, on top of and against each other. When the other sisters are elsewhere, one sister often keeps Smallie company and she sleeps with him. Their greetings are very gentle and loving, with paws and beaks touching each other briefly. 

Week 6

In the course of this week all three sisters fly out successfully, and Smallie ventures more and more on the grate, the walkway and to the shock of the viewers even already on the narrow edge : at 50m height and at an angle. 

At the end of the week Smallie stumbles out of the railing at the grating and lands 50m down the street. Fortunately, an expert happened to be nearby, checking him : he had no broken legs or wings and was therefore brought back up immediately. It is a miracle that he survived that fall, because the small wings will have had little stopping power. It takes a day for him to get over the fright and show himself again.

Week 7

The sisters have been at the high offices near the station learning to hunt often this week, and few are seen on the tower. Only his favorite sister visits occasionally. So Smallie is alone a lot but apparently in no hurry to follow them. He often sits out of view of the cameras on the walkway. He has less and less down and is getting a beautiful plumage – though he seems on the small side even for a male. 

At the end of the week he appears to be off the tower, because a little falcon is seen in the evening near St. George’s Church – sitting on a bicycle parked there. Someone took a picture of it and it does indeed turn out to be Smallie. But after the photo was taken, he disappeared again. A search the next day in the city center turns up nothing.  Only in the evening is he discovered again, halfway up the tower. He manages to get to the nest box while fluttering up and is even visible again on the webcams. As a finale and last image of him on the webcams, he flies away from the roost. Against all odds, he has succeeded in achieving his first life goal : he too can leave the nest – he can fly.

Ode to Smallie

(page under construction)

This page is intended as an ode to the youngest and smallest peregrine falcon that managed to glue a huge number of viewers to the webcams daily for seven weeks in 2024 with his adventures. He stood out because of his small size, his constant fighting and his clever methods to get enough food, but also because of his mysterious disappearances, his loving scenes with his sisters, his fall from 50m high, and finally his last image on the webcams : flying away from the grid as an almost adult falcon.   

He became “world famous”, because 2024 was the year that for the first time the webcams also managed to attract many viewers from abroad, with on the chats comments not only from Europe, but also from Canada, USA, Australia, India and even many from Japan, China, Korea and Russia with comments in their own language and script.  The Japanese call him “Chibi-chan,” the Chinese “Xiaobao,” but most others have chosen “Smallie” (little one).

Part of the reason foreigners suddenly visited the webcams was a report on the international website “Bird Parenting.”  If then only the usual four hatchlings would have been seen, most viewers would not return after a few visits. But the presence of the very small hatchling drew attention : how long would it stay alive ?  

Smallie became for them the little brave hero of the daily story. Viewers sometimes forgot that it was not an expensive Disney movie, written by clever film writers, but simply conceived and performed on the spot by a family of peregrine falcons, with themselves as unpaid actors. Pure nature.

Yet the story contained many elements that appealed to people emotionally : possible death (which played a major role from the beginning), admiration (that despite his poor prospects, he continued to fight fiercely for his existence), frustration and pity (when Smallie had had another day of little food), great joy (when Moe stuffed him with a pigeon and he fell asleep while eating), excitement and uncertainty (when he was lost for hours), humor and amusement (when he once again outwitted a sister), sadness (when he was not to be seen for a long time), action (when he tries to conquer food in a clever but fierce way), fear (when he flutters on the narrow sloping edge), friendship (when his favorite sister comes to keep him company), tenderness (when he cuddles with his sisters), pride (when he finally comes to show that he can fly).

Local and national newspapers wrote extensively about the famous little falcon who had so many compassionate followers worldwide.

Unfortunately, just when he was ready to really fly out (he had already been flitting around town for a day), a fall into the canal near the OLV Tower proved fatal to him. Monday morning, June 17, he was fished out of the water there by bystanders, after which he was brought back to the second circulation with the help of the animal ambulance. Probably already shortly after this placement, he died there, as he was found dead Wednesday morning during a check on the spot where he had been put back on Monday.

Because he lay dead on the tower for a few days, the parents saw him and realized he was dead : he no longer responded to their presence, as hatchlings always do. If he had died somewhere else (at the bird sanctuary, for example, or on the way there) they would not have seen it, and would have spent days in town looking for him. 

Smallie’s death was announced on the Amersfoort peregrine falcons’ own website at HetGroeneHuis, and on the chats at the webcams. Viewers could not believe it at first, but then loving and emotional messages poured in from all sides on the chats to comfort each other. He appears to have formed a tremendous emotional bond with many viewers during those seven weeks.

They also lamented the sight of the now empty nest box and the loss of seeing Smallie – although that would have been the case anyway if he had not fallen into the moat after his farewell, but had joined his sisters at the station : once flown away, the hatchlings rarely appear on the webcams. 

The local and even some national media were shocked and paid attention to his death. He turned out to be a “world-famous little falcon” for good reason.

To give him a dignified end (and not just to be dumped or buried somewhere), it was decided to have Smallie stuffed and then added to the collection of stuffed animals of Bezoekerscentrum “HetGroeneHuis” in Park Schothorst in Amersfoort, so he will be permanently visible to the public. “

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB, SP‘, FOBBV Cam, SK Hideaways, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Debbie Campbell, Menhaden Defenders, Montana Osprey Project, PSEG, Llyn Clywedog, Goitzsche-Wildnis, BoPH, McEuan Park, Charlo Montana, Blackbush, Great Bay, Field Farm, MN LA, Cowlitz PUD, Clark PUD, Pam Breci, CBS News NY, Lady Hawk, Eagle Club of Estonia, HWF-BBC, LDF, Osoyoos, Patuxent River Park, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach, Audubon Boathouse, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Guardian, Amersfoort Falcons.

More deaths…Saturday in Bird World

13 July 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is 40 C in Winnipeg with the heat index. So humid! We did our morning walk at the nature centre regardless packing a big container of watermelon bites and an insulated jug of water. The rain has caused everything to grow tall and the forest is cool. The breeze off the lake and the shade from the trees actually made the walk very tolerable. The delight was turning the corner and seeing a little duck, listening to the songbirds, and having a parade of over 50 Canada Geese of varying ages. I thought, for a moment, they wanted some watermelon!!!! Apparently, the pigs at the nature centre’s farm love it.

The geese came in groups, some juveniles mixed in with the adults. Everyone moving through the paths to get to the stream behind where I was sitting.

Not babies anymore. They will be ready to migrate when October arrives.

At home, Hugo Yugo decided that the perfect toy was my sun hat. She wold get under it and move towards Calico like she was going to bulldoze her down while she was drinking?

Dyson knows when I come home from the nature centre with new seed cylinders. She must have them on speed dial! I no more than get the new cylinder on the spike and she appears. I am so glad that Dyson is in such good condition. She is elderly by squirrel standards. We adore her and her kits.

Everyone is hot and wanting in the bird bath. I ‘thought’ that the Brown-headed Cowbirds had managed to sneak only one egg into the sparrow nest, but I was mistaken. There were three cowbird babies in the bird bath at the same time this afternoon. Those poor House Sparrows feeding those big things. And they are probably still feeding them.

On the far left is a baby Sparrow. You can see the size difference between the Cowbird. Both are ‘babies’.

Reets asked me if I tried the ice in the bird baths. Yes, I did. It is fantastic. I am thinking about embedding peanuts in one of the forms. Meant to take some photographs and forgot and by the time I remembered everything had been chipped away or melted. The birds did love the ice.

I am just getting news from ‘AM’ that one of the osplets was taken by an owl at nest #3 Finland. Mum tried to fight it off but to no avail.

Menhaden. I want you to dream about that word. It is those little fish that the Ospreys need in the NE United States to stay alive. I am embarrassed that Omega, a Canadian company, is taking millions of tonnes of this fish out of the Chesapeake Bay. The Ospreys are only one part of this. Heidi sent me this post by the son of the owner of Captain Mac’s Fish House. That is Fenwick Island. We are watching their osprey. He is also the manager of the fish house. This was two years ago – even the fish could not survive without Menhaden. Neither can the whales. It is time to stop them. I wonder if anyone is brave enough to do it — or will it take us, demanding a stop because of the destruction of the entire bay? The impact on the ospreys is worse than DDT, and they were almost completely wiped out then.

Note to everyone: Omega sells fish oil for humans. They are taking the krill from the Arctic that the whales and seals need. Do humans need supplements? My doctor says ‘no’.

Today’s message from Brian Collins at the Little Fish-Big Deal FB page. If you live in the US, read the notice by the Audubon Society below and write to your representative to save our ospreys.

These were the Omega ships on Thursday.

The other huge risk this year has been dehydration. Gary that does the FORE videos has put together an hour long informative video about the impact of dehydration in light of the deaths of Luna and Sol. But it is not only eagles that are at risk due to dehydration – it is ospreys and all the other animals!

Blue 8B3, the first hatch at Llyn Clywedog, a male, fledged on Friday the 12th of July. It was a beautiful flight off the nest banking to the right over the forest. Blue 8B3 returned safely to the nest.

The third hatch at the Janakkalan Nest in Finland died on the 7th of July from siblicide/starvation (as far as I know). The surviving two were ringed on Friday the 12th.

Video of the ringing by the 85 year old bander.

Beautiful chicks being fed at Saaksilvie 1 in Finland:

Sunnie Day posted a very interesting rescue of an Osprey. Very interesting, indeed.

Community-Rallies-to-Rescue-Entangled-Osprey-in-Orange-BeachDownload

Doing a bit of a roll call on some of the nests we have been watching:

Niagara Bee: All is well with the trio!

Hellgate Canyon, Iris and Finnegan: Might be a good name because of the heat! Iris is doing everything she can to protect her two precious babies in the searing heat wave.

Charlo Montana: Sad news this morning. Little fell over the edge of the nest and died. Please, please help the ospreys by secring their nests for them if you own a streaming cam! You need to do annual maintenance on the cameras so put up a secure railing, high, around the nest! Others in Wales do this for their birds. Their babies don’t fall overboard! Two babies this week lost because of a lack of a railing.

So sad. You were so healthy with such promise, little one.

Like Finnegan, Charlie is trying to get fish on the nest for Lola and the three osplets. Hot, hot.

McEuan Park, Idaho: Mom is off the nest fishing. Chicks not covered with shade. It is unclear what has happened to Dad, if anything. This nest really needs fish, several deliveries close together so #2 can get enough fish to survive. Two chicks already dead.

Later. Both chicks appear to have crops at McEuan Park.

‘PB’ caught a good ‘ps’ out of Two. It has to be eating. Relief.

Minneapolis Landscape Arboretum: 87-90 degrees F. Rain forecast for tomorrow.

Snow Lane, Newfoundland: Some fish are larger than others. The little one sometimes looks like it could use a little extra fuel. Tiny compared to Big sibling.

Field Farm: All is well with the Fab Four. This nest amazes me along with the few others that have four. Little Mini made it! Can you pick them out?

Outerbanks: ‘H’ reports that the names for the chicks are Bonker and Dodger. Quite fitting! Dodger fledged on Friday!

Sandpoint: Keo is getting some fish to the nest for Keke and River. Hot there as well – the general condition at most of the nests in the Pacific Northwest.

Clark PUD: Dad is getting fish on the nest and the Only Bob is good.

Dunrovin: It’s a cooker. Swoop is working hard for Winnie and remaining chicks.

Moraine Park: Heidi reports that the Only Bob is good.

Cowlitz PUD: Two Surviving chicks are still on the nest after the Bald Eagle took Little on Friday morning the 12th. Dad had delivered a fish and Electra was feeding the two larger siblings. Little was at the top of the nest. The eagle possibly followed Dad to try and get the fish. When it couldn’t, it took Little. An opportunistic moment on the eagle’s part. I was somewhat disheartened that the eagle came through the place where there is no fish grid. Let’s hope it doesn’t return.

Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have three beautiful osplets, Gwenlais, Coron, and Senni. They could fly any day. My money is on the only male, Senni, to go first to get away from his big sisters!

Poole Harbour: A beautiful family portrait – CJ7 and Blue 022 and the Fab Four.

News from Cal Falcons:

Geemeff reports on Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Friday 12th July 2024

Today’s main story is seeing footage of the Spanish aviary where our two 2024 Arkaig chicks are now living, and the big thrill of having 1JR walk right in front of the camera giving us a good look at him. He looks in great condition and holding his head up, not thin, weak and submissive as he was before removal, and ready to play his part in helping establish a thriving Osprey population in Valencia. Nest One had some little visitors before Garry LV0 arrived bringing nesting materials and doing a bit of housekeeping. Over on Nest Two, Louis did the same, bringing nesting materials and doing a bit of nest-scraping, although Dorcha let him know she would much rather have fish. The weather was settled and should remain so with tonight’s forecast of light cloud and light winds, continuing through tomorrow. 
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.31.09 (03.36.57); Nest Two 23.17.57 (03.38.38)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/Nb4V8EKa_os  WTS tweets and footage of our chick 1JR in the Spanish aviary
https://youtu.be/6qeyNmLWYWc  N1 Little birds visit – Great Tits and juvenile Robins, possibly 06.34.00https://youtu.be/Zv55S0PD-T0  N2 Dorcha arrives fish-calling, Louis arrives but brings no fish 09.02.36

https://youtu.be/WnoPi5nkNGY  N1 Garry LV0 brings nesting materials and keeps a lonely vigil 09.29.21

https://youtu.be/VpDVwAJsY_A  N2 Dorcha does her exercises before leaving 12.16.37

https://youtu.be/2XLYBfvjFLo N2 Louis brings nesting materials and does some housekeeping 16.25.52

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

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

‘H’ gives us her reports: “7/12 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The live stream was once again offline from 0300 to 0915.  We probably missed Olsen’s first couple of fish deliveries.  At 0918 Olsen dropped off a small whole fish.  Middle beaked Little, and Big beaked both of its sibs.  It was a 6-minute feeding, and Big was the only one that ate.  The next meal was a tiny fish at 0959 that lasted 3-minutes.  Little managed 10 bites of fish before being beaked.  Middle was not able to get to the table.  Olsen brought another ‘tiny’ at 1022.  There was more beaking by Big.  Middle managed to grab 2 bites of fish before being beaked by Big…and Little had nothing to eat during the 3-minute meal.  At 1037 another tiny fish was delivered by Olsen.  Little had squeezed around the right side of Soo and ate approximately 16 bites of fish.  Big was eating at Soo’s left, and Middle could not get into position.  It was another 3-minute feeding.  So far, of the four feedings we viewed this morning, Middle has had 2 bites of fish, and Little has eaten 26 bites.  

It was a warm day with light winds.  Temp at 1500 was 97F/36C.  Olsen did not make another delivery until 1505, and it was a large whole fish.  Middle was the primary aggressor toward Little.  Big and Middle ate, one on each side of Soo.  There was only room for two at the table, and each time Little tried to approach s/he was intimidated.  It was a 12-minute meal and Little did not eat.  The final fish arrived at 2002, and it was a large partial fish.  Once again, Middle beaked Little.  But, Middle stayed back, and Little managed to get a few bites on the other side of Soo, that is until Soo moved the fish.  At 2006 Soo flew off with the fish, but returned 15 seconds later.  At that point, Middle was right up at Soo’s beak and ate a few bites, until it decided it would rather beak Little.  When Middle did that, Big took that spot at the table.  By 2009 Little was eating at Soo’s right side for a couple of minutes, until s/he was beaked by Middle, and then Middle took that spot at Soo’s beak.  It was a 23-minute meal, and Big ate well.  Middle and Little both ate ‘some’, but I could not tell how much.  Middle had a moderate sized crop, and Little’s crop was small.  It will be another hot and sunny day on Saturday, with the high temp predicted to be 99F/37C, and 12 mph winds.

7/12 Colonial Beach osprey nest:  It was a rainy day at the nest.  We were worried about Little, because s/he seemed to be chilled and shivering a lot.  Perhaps Betty could have kept her littles a bit drier.  There were three meals today, and it was concerning that Little did not want to eat at the first two meals.  Finally, at around 1930 David brought a large headless fish, 8 hours since the last fish.  Little was eager to eat…good!  Both kids ended up with good crops.  Little was still shivering though, and it was quite a while before Betty provided them with some warmth from her body.”

A Woodpecker comes to check on the Dorsett Hobbies when Mum is away.

The White Stork Project at Knepp Farm has been deemed a huge success this season.

What is the Golden Eaglet doing with its dead sibling?

Humans and Wildlife. India’s Flamingoes are facing great challenges.

“This migration season has been particularly deadly for migrating flamingos in India, and these collisions are highlighting the ever-increasing tensions between human development and wildlife. “

-https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/06/21/flamingo-deaths-highlight-development-tensions/

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourselves. Stay cool! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, letters, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AM, Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Nesting Bird Life and More, Matt McGuigal, Brian Collins, Audubon, William Dunn, FORE, Gary’s Videos, Llyn Clywedog, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Sunnie Day, OBA, Niagara Bee, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, McEuan Park Osprey Cam, MN-LA, Newfoundland Power, Field Farm, Outerbanks, Sandpoint, Dunrovin Ranch, Heidi McGrue, Cowlitz PUD, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, White Stork Project, Nesting Birdlife and More, Birdlife International, SK Hideaways, Osoyoos, and Colonial Beach.

Friday in Bird World

12 July 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Today, I got a notice that another new tree is going in front of my property. What joy! I hope they grow fast. With all the new baby crows and squirrels, we need all the big trees fast.

I want to be overjoyed by this notice – and believe me, I am. But a quick walk down the street shows me that four more of the 1902 trees are set to be cut down due to disease. Each has a bright orange circle. I know they must go, but Dyson and her family need trees. There will be some left. Thank goodness.

Does anyone have any good plans for squirrel houses that work? So far, they have balked at the beautiful house I had sent from Sweden!!!!!!! Little Red finally took to the crates in the wood pile but the Greys need a tree. Maybe a fake tree??

The baby Crows have been visiting. I could not grab my camera quick enough to take a photo of them dancing on the glass roof of the conservatory. One was in the birdbath later while three tried to balance themselves on the hydro line coming into the house. The other two were walking around the fence. There are six of them with soft downy heads calling their parents to come and feed them. They are as big as Mr Crow!!!!!!!! The only way that you can tell the difference is that they are thinner and their heads are soft down, not feathery.

Look at the baby Crow’s soft downy head. The water feels good on their hot feet. These are just the cutest crows…

I think it is time for more cheesy dogs!

Let’s start with some good news. Nox. Thanks, ‘B’ for sending me the latest update on Annie and Archie’s fourth hatch. Look at those eyes and tell me this isn’t the cutest little falcon you have ever seen!

At San Jose, Alma has been hunting.

There are nests that I check on but don’t often report on especially when it is osprey season. Here are a couple that I know many of you are interested in!

If you have been wondering about the Centreport Eaglets, they did fledge and they are soaring and locking talons together! Amazing footage by Rob Schwartz.

LGL comes in to feed the Royal Cam chick!

Two little Hobbys. Dad has been hunting and had four bird meals for Mum to feed the little ones before mid-day.

Jackie and Shadow have been visiting the nest. Their chortling is music to my ears. No matter what is thrown at them, they always manage to over come it and bring us smiles.

Seren and Dylan were amongst the lucky nests this year. Indeed, Wales did good in the scheme of things. The weather around Kielder and Border was horrific – we saw it, too, at Loch Arkaig. These three are just beautiful osplets. Don’t you just love the look of the kid staring at the camera?!

Aran and Elen started out with three beautiful chicks and it looks like they will fledge three from Glaslyn in Wales.

Idris and Telyn started out with three and they will fledge three as well at the Dyfi nest in Wales!

Llyn Brenig in Wales started out with three eggs. One DNH and now there are two nice big Bobs ready to fledge.

Alyth SSEN started out with three chicks. One died from a nest accident and the other from weather induced causes. This only surviving Bob looks great. Alyth is in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.

Sadly, Laddie was possibly shot and Blue NC0 waited for her mate. The nest failed this year at Loch of the Lowes. Only time will tell who the nest belongs to next year. Blue NC0 has been with the dark-coloured osprey but there has also been another around. It was very sad as Laddie LM 12 was much loved. Much loved. The dark one has a fish for Blue NC0. Where is she?

Time to bid Tuffy goodbye! Remember his head pattern for years to come.

H wrote: “This was Tuffy’s last day on camera, before the camera was shut down for the season. Tuffy treated viewers to some extended appearances today. We witnessed Tuffy dive into the water to try to catch a fish (3:00). He didn’t appear to come away with a fish on that attempt. But, about an hour later, Tuffy flew to the nest carrying a tilapia (4:35). He was wet, and shaking off water. Tuffy took a long time to eat that tilapia, and we enjoyed watching him eat it. As we watched, memories surfaced of when Tuffy was so little, and he barely had enough to eat due to the dominance of his older sister, Ruffie. “We have been blessed to witness your life thus far, Tuffy… through all your struggles and your victories. You are a survivor. We wish you a long and productive life. We will never forget you.”

At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Mum is trying to keep her chick cool. It will go up to 90 and then 92 F on Saturday before the heat breaks a bit in Minneapolis.

Dad continues to bring in the fish and Mum continues to feed. The chick looks good.

At 0555, Finnegan arrived on the nest with a very large headless fish. He was still wet. I hope that Iris got a lot of that fish to eat. It is going to be hot today in Missoula. The temperature is 97 F. Remember that is not the heat index which will be higher.

‘PB’ alerted me to a late fish delivery by Finn for Iris and the kids. – a headless whooper!

‘A’ loves Finn – welcome back! We are so glad you are feeling better. “Finn is doing his usual superb job. There was a whole fish (small by his standards but a good medium at any other nest) delivered late in the afternoon, and Iris fed it all to the osplets within 10 minutes or so, creating respectable crops for both osplets (of course, Baby Bob’s was the largest, as always bigger than his head – seriously) but that wasn’t enough for Iris, who immediately began nagging Finn for more fish, although he was still preening and drying himself on the perch from his previous fishing expedition. 

But off he went, dutifully obeying Iris’s instructions, and at he returned with one of his patented baby sharks (Pacific whitefish, I understand), minus head (a whole one was not only too large to get to the nest easily but also nearly brained an osplet last week, so Finn has learnt from that episode) around 20:34. 

It is wonderful to see that Little’s left eye appears to have healed almost totally. I do hope he is not left with any residual corneal damage. I know I’ve been banging on about it but we both know if Baby Bob cannot triangulate, he cannot fish, and if he cannot fish, he cannot survive. So obviously, it has been my number one concern for some time now. There were four or five days there when I was truly distraught with worry for my little man. 

These two are males. They must be. Not a single bonk or beaking. Nothing to suggest any aggression, at meal times or otherwise. They simply have to be brothers. Iris is looking good – she is eating better I think. And Finn is my favourite osprey dad of 2024. I know he has some competition out there, with some of the successful four-osplet clutches this season, but we all know that watching Iris being loved and cared for by a worthy mate who is helping her raise two exquisite osplets is the highlight of the season for many of us. She is blissfully happy and SUCH a good mum. (What a mumbrella she makes, shading them from the heat, sheltering them from the rain and cold – just totally devoted to her babies.) 

I ADORE this family. Could you tell? “

I agree and so does everyone else. Finn is amazing. Here is his big whole fish for the family first thing Friday morning!

It is so hot at Charlo Montana. Lola is doing an amazing job. Charlie is getting fish in – every nest in the heat dome area could use much more fish. The adults as well as the osplets are all suffering. Today is Friday. Let us hope this heat dissipates soon.

I thought we might lose Middle at McEuan Park on Thursday but Mum went out and got a big fish and everyone ate. What a relief. Unless someone tells me otherwise, it appears that the male is now MIA.

The youngest of the two siblings at McEuan Park crop dropped quickly. It is difficult to know how much fish it got. Probably not nearly what it should have as Big is extremely aggessive and hungry. Hoping Mum goes out again and catches a huge one so that all can get their fill before bed time. No rewind, no time stamp, cam freezes. Hard to tell what is really happening.

Another fish came to the nest and the camera froze. I have no idea if number 2 got any fish or not. How frustrating is this.

The fledglings, both Patches and Rainer, do return to the nest at Patchogue. Fingers crossed for both of them. This is Patches with a fish from Dad.

Steelscape had a good delivery! Keep it up, Dad.

Looking good at Black Bush:

Continued concern for Little at Cowlitz PUD:

Geemeff sends us her summary for the day’s activities at Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Thursday 11th July 2024

The big news of the day is the safe arrival of our chicks at their new home in Valencia and they are now sporting their new yellow Darvic rings. The submissive chick is 1JR and the dominant one is 1JW, and they looked cosy together in their nest in the photo posted by Woodland Trust Scotland on their social media channels, link in the bonus section. Their parents spent time together today on the nest before an unseen intruder caused them to flee, Louis did a little nest-scraping and a fair bit of coy-mantling but still didn’t bring any fish for Dorcha, although we don’t know what fish exchanges might be taking place off-nest. Garry LV0 visited Nest One bringing nesting materials and doing a bit of housekeeping, but there was no sign of the Dark Female. it would be good to see him with a mate, perhaps they are connecting off-nest. The weather was settled today, the sun broke through a few times, and the forecast for tonight is partly cloudy with light winds.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.32.11 (03.36.07); Nest Two 23.26.04 (03.40.16)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/CscB0UbvO3c N2 News update – chicks safe in Spain and have been ringed 09.00

https://youtu.be/hT20jh6SGBU N2 Dorcha & Louis together on the nest but no fish 09.56.50

https://youtu.be/RQNxDQEbg5s N1 Garry LV0 visits but no sign of the Dark Female 13.08.50

https://youtu.be/VS4q1tY2vks  N2  Dorcha & Louis spend time together until scared off by an intruder 18.08.40

Bonus photo – our chicks in their new Spanish nest:

Bonus song – The Osprey Song – performed by the Juniors at Hurst Lodge School:

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

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

‘H’ reports for the day:

7/11 Osoyoos osprey nest:  The live stream was offline until just before noon.  Olsen has a habit of fishing early in the day, so hopefully he had delivered a few fish for the family earlier.  The first fish we saw delivered was at 1736.  I never got a good look at the fish, but Soo fed the osplets for 7 minutes.  Little quickly found a spot on the other side of Mom and seemed to be eating.  At 1739 Little was beaked by Big, but being on the rim, Little had nowhere to go.  I could not tell at that point if Little was getting bites of fish, or was in submission.  Big beaked Little again at 1740, then Middle beaked Big, and Big beaked Middle!  A short time after the meal ended, we saw that Little had a small crop.  The next (and last) fish of the day arrived at 2004, and was a large partial fish.  Nice going, Olsen!  Once again, Little set up on the other side of Mom from Big and Middle.  We could not see how much Little was eating, but everyone ate, and there was no aggression.  It was a 16-minute feeding.  After the meal, Little had a small crop, and also had a good PS at 2119.  The high temperature on 7/12 is predicted to be 96F/36C, and it will be sunny, with winds gusting to 13 mph.

7/11 Colonial Beach:  David brought fish to the nest for Betty and the kids six times, and a couple of those were huge!  The osplets are 16 and 17-days-old.  There is some occasional beaking between meals, but the meals are peaceful.  Yay!

7/11 Fenwick Island:  I only saw two fish brought to the nest today for June and young ‘Fen’.  Johnny usually averages 5-6 fish per day.  The temp was in the low 80’s, and the wind was gusting to 17 mph.  Fishing should not have been very difficult, but I’m not an osprey, so what do I know, lol. 

7/11 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest:  It was a rather uneventful day for this osprey family…other than the youngest osplet, Gray, falling over and being stuck on his/her back for several long minutes!  Finally, Dory arrived at the nest and pulled on some nesting, and then Gray was able to right itself.  What a good Mom.  Whew!

7/11 Kent Island (Chesapeake):  Dear Audrey is still incubating her two non-viable eggs.  

7/11 Captiva osprey nest.  The chat has been shut off for the season, but the livestream will continue for a while.  Jack had an injury to his leg, and we have not seen him for a while.  Edie may have an issue with her health, and she stopped bringing fish regularly to Darling and Ding.  Ding has dispersed. She had learned to catch her own fish, and has likely moved to find a better fishing spot.  Darling died at CROW on 7/5.  I have a huge hole in my heart.  And it hurts.

When you see all those gulls rushing for the chips at the beach? Well, they would rather have fish new study finds.

Herring-gull-chicks-would-rather-have-fish-than-your-chips-finds-study-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

Ventana Wildlife continues to vaccinate the California Condors for HPAI.

‘PB’ reports that Steelscape has had a fish this morning. Cowlitz PUD had no late night fish and nothing has arrived Friday morning so far. Send them good wishes.

Connie Dennis reports that the osprey nests in Nova Scotia are doing very well compared to others in the US and the UK. She is the founder of a group working to get Nova Scotia Power to put up poles, and she organises the monitoring of the province’s nests with information on their FB page, Ospreys of Nova Scotia. She has written a book for children on Ospreys with photographs by her husband, Don, that I will review in the coming days.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, messages, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, PB’, California Raptor Centre, SK Hideaways, Rob Schwartz, Lady Hawk, Dorsett Hobbys, Llyn Clywedog, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Llyn Brenig, Alyth, LOTL, Heidi McGrue, MN LA, Montana Osprey Project, McEuan Park, PSEG, Pam Breci, Cowlitz PUD, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Charlo Montana, The Guardian, Ventana Wildlife Society, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach, Window to Wildlife, Kent Island, Audubon Boathouse, and Connie Dennis Ospreys of Nova Scotia.

Iris the Swamp Cooler…Thursday in Bird World

11 July 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

The heat is still around. It was 29 degrees, which is cool compared to many places. I saw an idea that popped up on one of the FB pages. It was to freeze water in containers, then remove the solid ice and put it in your bird bath to keep the water cool. I am going to do this tonight!

Today was busy despite the heat. First was a walk at the zoo. The Polar Bears were ‘hot’. They were off in a corner where there was a bit of a breeze and shade, then a swim.

At home, we are making certain that there is always water and food. The birds and animals are coming out mostly in the early morning and later in the afternoon and evening until about 2100.

Mr Crow and all the family have been busy eating apple pieces along with his cheesy dogs and peanuts.

Washing peanuts in the water.

The baby squirrels, three of them, are in and out of the garden with their parents. They love those nut cylinders.

On Wednesdays, we have our local farmer’s market. It is now well-attended. Lots of local honey, veggies, ice cream, some great food, flowers, music, and neighbours. We have several ice cream companies. Fete is one of them. Delicious on a 29 C day.

The Girls have been busy chasing a fly that managed, sadly, to get itself in the house. They stalked, ran, jumped, and nearly broke their necks trying to catch it.

Hope thought she could stare it down.

Missey did, too!

Hugo Yugo (poor thing needs her eye cleaned) flew everywhere. She just about knocked everything off of anything it could be on. But the fly got away!

Calico thought they were all idiots running all over the place for a fly!

This morning the baby Cowbird landed on the sill of the conservatory and they all went nuts – including Calico. Good thing this lot will never be outside by the feeders.

Thank you to everyone that sent me a joke or a photograph to make me smile in the midst of all the tragedy lately. I really do appreciate it. I don’t know what I would have done this year withot these beautiful girls and all your friendship. So far there has not been a death on Wednesday that I am aware. Sadly there could be some today. We will see.

A smile before we move on. The magic of watching birds fledge!

Country-diary-A-young-kestrel-wings-its-way-into-the-world-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

Heat is on everyone’s mind and how it is impacting people of the world – as well as our dear wildlife

I wonder why more of the females do not do this? Swamp Cooling.

Finn delivers.

Cornell Lab posted a video showing Iris keeping her chicks cool.

‘H’ sends us reports: 7/10 Osoyoos osprey nest:  It was predicted to be a very hot and sunny day.  Olsen was at work bright and early, and delivered his first fish at 0448.  Little was beaked, but still managed to eat 32 bites of fish during this 13-minute meal.  Olsen brought a medium sized fish at 0522.  There was not a lot of aggression, but Little never found a good spot to be able to access Mom’s beak, so s/he did not eat at this 15-minute meal.  The next fish at 0940 was very small, and it only took Soo about 4 minutes to feed.  Little and Middle ate on opposite sides of Mom, until Big beaked Little.  Little ate 13 bites of fish.  More than 8 hours passed before the next fish arrived at the nest, and up to this point, Little had only eaten about 45 bites of fish.  My weather source indicated the Osoyoos temperature at 1500 was 104F/40C.  At 1800 Olsen delivered a very large whole fish.  I watched for nine minutes, and our view of the feeding was partially blocked, but there did not appear to be any beaking.  Little was behind the pack however, as the real estate near Soo’s beak was very limited.  Due to the size of the fish, I wasn’t too worried, knowing that Little would eventually get its chance to eat after Big was sated.  My time zone is three hours later, and I was tired, so I went to bed knowing that I could resume viewing the feeding early in the morning.  Well, I was wrong.  When I went to watch that meal, I found that the live stream had gone offline again.  Ahh…but fortunately, ‘A-M’ had posted in the Facebook group:  “Sleep well tonight little ones, all have full crops after nearly an hour long feeding.  Mum got lots too, kudos to Dad for being a great provider in the sweltering heat.”  Appreciate the update, ‘A-M’.   Weather for 7/11:  Sunny with slightly cooler temperatures, high 98F/37C, winds 15-22.

7/10 Patuxent River Park osprey nest:  We were thrilled to see the newest fledgling, when Chick #1 returned to the nest at 0759 after fledging yesterday morning.  Dad brought a few massive fish to the nest and everyone ate very well.  It was a good day!

7/10 Forsythe osprey nest:  At 50 days of age, Larry performed his highest hovers to date.  Larry is looking good to fledge in a day or so.


7/10 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  The 24, 26, and 28-day-old osplets are doing quite well, and they are getting big!

Thanks, ‘H’.

I will be running through the Osprey nests again to check how our families are doing in the heat:

Clark PUD: At least several fish have come to the nest but the position of the camera doesn’t always catch their size. Hoping that enough food and hydration are coming in the hot days.

Charlo Montana: Another really hot day for Lola and the trio. Charlie has been bringing in fish. Thank you, Charlie!

McEuan Park: Hot and hotter. There are two chicks surviving. This nest really needs a lot of fish and a lot of positive wishes.

Mum left the nest and came in with a fish. Big ate. Middle is very submissive and needs to eat. Almost falling off the nest to get away from Big despite being ravenous.

Is the male at this nest missing? Are you watching this nest and can you let us know. Thank you.

Two moved up. Is there any fish left? Fish taken off nest by parent.

No fish for Two. Crop totally shrunken, head drooping. So sad. This was an original nest of four chicks. I just wonder if the deaths have been mitigated by no male, the heat and then, of course, no fish???

No sign of the male again. Mum off nest probably trying to fish. Poor babies.

Seaside: Bruce is delivering some big headless fish to Naha and the two osplets.

Pitkin County: The nest looks good. Weather is much different than in the Pacific NW.

More fish. Such beautiful babies on this nest at Pitkin County.

Boulder: Hot. Mum trying to keep Only Bob cool. Notice the difference in heat in Boulder than in Pitkin County.

Sandpoint: Keke doing a great job keeping River cool while Keo continues to bring in the fish. Mum and baby have a nice crop.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Dad is bringing in the fish and everything seems to be alright.

Bridge Golf Course: Cooler there and very windy. Mum and Only Surviving Osplet appear to be fine.

Snow Lane, Newfoundland. I have tears in my eyes for this nest. Beaumont has been hauling in the fish, and Hope has fed her chicks this year. The oldest is getting into the Reptilian phase, and if you look carefully, so is the youngest. I want the weather and fishing to stay good for Dad. If Hope continues, we could have two chicks fledge from this nest. I am afraid to get hopeful.

Steelscape: Oldest is self feeding. Hope Mum steps in so all get some fish. The heat is much less later in the day!

Cowlitz: ‘PB’ reports that Little is continually attacked on the nest by the older sibling. So far it has had about 66 bites of fish on Wednesday. This nest is in a very hot area and this baby needs more fish to survive during this long heat dome.

Cowlitz PUD posted a video of one of the feedings on Wednesday. They really care about their ospreys. They put up the metal fish grates to protect them and they know that there is competition to steal their fish from the local eagles.

‘PB’ reports that Little had no fish this morning.

Geemeff reports for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Wednesday 10th July 2024

Today was quite a contrast to yesterday with all its action going between the two nests. Instead we had Louis making just the one early appearance on Nest Two, and no sighting of Dorcha, Garry LV0, Affric or the dark female, just a banditry of Coal Tits making a couple of brief visits to Nest One. We did however get the news that our two chicks travelled safely over to Spain today, precious cargo entrusted to Heathrow Animal Control and then on to their new home. It’s very reassuring to hear that in just nine days, they’ve gained half their body weight again, going from 1.1kg on the 1st to 1.5 kg today, 10th. We wish them good luck and look forward to hearing more news in due course. Weather was reasonably settled, and the forecast is a dry night tonight with light cloud and light winds, and more of the same tomorrow.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.35.23 (03.49.41); Nest Two 23.39.33 (03.55.36)

Today’s videos plus a late one from last night:

https://youtu.be/SRSKU62lfrE N2 Colourful sunset seen from Nest Two last night 22.00 (time lapse)

https://youtu.be/HOdzu0e6hQc N2 Skydancing is heard nearby then Louis lands on the nest 05.50.00

https://youtu.be/X7KHs2yg6EI  N1 A banditry of Coal Tits flitting around, no sign of any big birds 15.33.30

Bonus watch – bird stopped play at Wimbledon:

Bonus read – a good summation of the soap opera that is the Ospreys of Loch Arkaig:

https://12ft.io/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13612473/hapless-husband-nest-Scottish-osprey-soap-opera-Louis-dorcha-chicks-bird-camera.html

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

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

It is a nest full of four apparently healthy osplets at Poole Harbour. Blue 022 and CJ7 will be one of only a couple of nests on streaming cams to successfully fledge four this year. What a feat!

The information on the Foulshaw Moss ringing of the chicks for 2024.

Ringing-2024-Cumbria-Wildlife-TrustDownload

In readying for the 2024-25 Osprey season in South Australia, Port Lincoln has set up a camera at Tumby Island for Marrum and Partner. Fingers crossed!

It is so wonderful when all of us, no matter what we do, consider the wildlife. Well done Hungarian farmers? Living in a farming province of Canada, this would be very helpful.

Mum delivered a Raccoon Dog pup to the surviving Golden Eaglet at the Estonian nest #2.

‘TU’ reports that the two Eastern Imperial Eaglets in RU were ringed today.

Two healthy osplets on the osprey nest in Latvia.

It looks like there are still only two little Dorsett Hobbys. I could be wrong.

Congratulations to the Roy Dennis Foundation and the Poole Harbour Ospreys. It is the 7th anniversary of the translocation project and just look – a nest of four osplets doing very well. Everyone has to be delighted.

Here are Louis and Dorcha’s two osplets in their new nest in Scotland. I am glad they were taken for the project. As you will undoubtedly know by reading all of Geemeff’s reports and seeing their videos, Louis continues to ‘not be himself’. No one is certain what is wrong but please send him good wishes along with all of our raptors under the heat dome and these two precious little ones.

More information: “The two young ospreys are settling in well to their new surroundings in Spain. They have been given Spanish rings which are yellow in colour. The dominant bird is 1JW. The submissive one is 1JR. The aviary contains nests made from woven sticks and foliage which the birds sit in together just as they did at Loch Arkaig. They can see the surrounding area and when the time comes to fledge the sides of the aviary will be opened up to let them come and go as they please. Food will continue to be provided in the aviary nest until they migrate which will likely be in August or early September. We hope to have some images to share today at some point. These will be posted on Woodland Trust Scotland’s twitter and facebook accounts. We will alert you here once they are up.”

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, PB, TU’, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Cams, Cornell Bird Lab, Clark PUD, Charlo Montana, Weather Network, McEuan Park, Seaside Ospreys, Pitkin County, Boulder County, Sandpoint, MN Landscape Arboretum, Bridge Golf Course, Newfoundland Power, Steelscape, Cowlitz PUD, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, BoPH, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, David Attenborough Fans, Eagle Club of Estonia, Imperial Eagles RU Cam, LDF, Osoyoos, Patuxent River Park, Forsythe Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Dorsett Hobby Cam, and The Woodland Trust.