Port Lincoln Ospreys – Page 13

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-Ospreys Download

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.

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.

Pip, pip, hatch…Saturday in Bird World

23 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I had to check first thing. More below. But isn’t a day-old osplet adorable? I wish every osplet could hatch into a wonderful nest like Sally and Harry’s.

Happy Saturday everyone – from all of us. Hugo Yugo is well and there are so many pips and hatches going to happen our heads will be spinning by next week!

I haven’t been staying up as late as I used to. Last year I was still watching the cams at 0100 and back up again before 0700. This year, I am being gentle until the ospreys start hatching all over the place so, sometimes I miss things. That is what happened with the hatch at Moorings yesterday. So grateful for ‘H’ – she fills in my gaps. Thursday night was also a difficult evening when I added up how many hours little Willow had not had any food on the Bluff City nest and observed the battering that Oliver was giving it. Food shortages cause many things for both raptors and humans. Sadly, Willow was too weak to eat on Friday and Oliver continued to thrash her about. It reminded me too much of Zoe. Sometimes we all need just to step back and breathe. Life is often extremely difficult and in instances like this, we feel very helpless.

Hugo Yugo is positively fine. The onesie went into the ether somewhere and the incision is fantastic, regardless. Thank you for all your get well wishes and positive energy.

It has been an excruciatingly painful year with the Bald Eagle nests that all of us have watched. We are only beginning to have the little osplets in the nest. Indeed, the majority of the adults have yet to return from migration. We can only hope that the weather and the quantity and quality of fish will be such that the chicks can survive to fledge – and then, we must hope that the larger raptors do not predate them. It is time to show we care, not just talk about it.

I intend to observe those nests that have had predation and send the owners all the information about the proactive folks at Cowlitz PUD. Yes, that is a public utility company in Washington State that cared enough about its ospreys to put up fish grates to protect the babies from the Bald Eagles. Last year, the family lost all three of their beautiful osplets to an eagle. We have seen other nests that could have benefited and outfitted their platforms before their resident ospreys returned this year. If I seem overly critical, well, I am. The ospreys put so much energy into the eggs, incubation, and feeding that to lose the chicks, often right before or right after fledging, is devastating, especially when mitigation might have altered the outcome.

I reported below that there was to be a walk around the Achieva Credit Union nest. This was posted within the last five minutes – so at 2100 Florida time Friday night. So, please send your concerns to the St Petersburg Audubon Society quickly and coherently.

Good news. The Achieva Osprey nest will have individuals looking at it and around the area as well as trimming the tree near the platform.

Thank you Barbara Walker. This is what she found when they looked around the Achieva nest at the base:

Mother Goose at Decorah has laid another egg – the third. Don’t you love seeing those day old goslings take that leap of faith?

The John Bunker Sands surviving eaglet is doing fantastic. Self-feeding and a lot of flapping and jumping are the order of the day. Mum appears to be improving slowly. I have to imagine that standing on the metal, especially on a hot day, does nothing but put stress on that foot/talon at times. Thankfully, and regardless, the eaglet has not suffered. Dad stepped in to help both and did a fantastic job.

There is a hatch – second egg, one eaglet in nest – in progress at the Cardinal Land Conservancy.

Pip watch began at the Redding Bald Eagle nest of Liberty and Guardian on Thursday. Please let them have one successful hatch! The weather is miserable.

We are on hatch watch at Berry College. This is Pa and Missey’s second clutch. The egg is 35 days old today. Wishing both Pa and Missey luck.

Both Ospreys have arrived safe and sound at the Bridge Golf Club Osprey Nest.

At Port Lincoln, Bradley continues to show us that he can catch puffers and fish! I am so glad that he chooses to catch them on the ropes of the old Natal Nest and then barge them so we can see how well he is doing.

Bradley and Dad have been spending time at Dad’s favourite fishing spot, Delamere. You might recall that Dad and Ervie spent much time there also – as do the whole family now.

I am not sure which bird it is but Threave have one on a nest in the UK! Most will return in a week (based on historical records).

There is a new Red-tail Hawk cam at Syracuse University. The residents are Oren and Ruth and they already have two eggs. Check it out!

Here is the link:

Big Red and Arthur continue to take turns. Big Red has been busy finding bark Friday afternoon.

Arthur returns, not Big Red.

Here comes Mama with more bark.

Snow began to fall gently on Big Red, her nest and the two eggs Friday evening.

The little osplet at Moorings Park is hatched and so cute. Sally has been busy having many small fish meals for her first hatch in 2024. At one time the remaining half shell from the hatch got slipped over the ‘orange’ egg (the one closest to you), but, thankfully, it later came off. Is there a pip in one of the other eggs? We wait to see. Hopefully they will all hatch quickly! Harry is such an amazing fisher and Sally an incredible Mum, they can handle three.

‘AE’ sent this adorable screen capture. Don’t newly hatched osplets melt your heart?

We have some tracking news about Ervie.

Food was scarce, and Oliver at Bluff City realised there was currently not enough, even with a rabbit coming into the nest. S/he has continually beaten little Willow, who has not eaten. The parent will not feed a chick they perceive as dying because it is a ‘waste of food’. Willow must be strong enough to get up and open its beak. Sadly, Oliver isn’t allowing this. This is a typical example of siblicide. And it is horrible to watch. Please note that Oliver has an enormous crop when he is beating Willow. You might recall Zoe at Port Lincoln. This will not end well, and I wish the little one speed in its release.

AE reports Willow had only 2 bites of food. Poor thing.

Poor little Willow. It is raining and she is still alive this morning. I feel so sorry for this family with so little food.

It is an entirely different story at Johnson City where there is plenty of fish. Both eaglets are thriving.

Sometimes I wish the other eggs on the nest would not hatch. Ellie and Harvey’s first eaglet on Farmer Derek’s property is a cutie pie.

The first hatch at Decorah North is on its way! We are going to have so many eaglets by next week!

It appears that Archie won the lottery – Annie and him have four eggs. Wonder if she will go for five?!

Archie incubates!!!!! Those four must be awfully uncomfortable for such a little falcon.

Looks like Lisa has returned to the Spirit Bluff scrape and is bonding with Newman. (I suspect she was injured and healed and has now returned to take her place). Exciting news.

As many of you are aware, I have ranted about humans providing fish for the ospreys in times of immediate need. I wrote the following to Geemeff in a big rant, “So I continue to ask myself – what would it hurt us to put up fish ponds near the raptor platforms? I mean John Williams has figured out the number and type of fish that come on to Llyn Clywedog – and if I recall, it is about 450-500 fish for a great feed for a family of 4-5. Would it really break the bank to ensure fish were there? When the rivers and streams in places such as the NE US have nothing? Humans did, after all, scoop all the surface swimming fish for the ospreys.” Geemeff reminded me of the following: ” I like your rant, and remind you of Horn Mill trout farm in Rutland. They estimate they were losing about £60k in fish stocks annually to the Ospreys, and netted all their ponds. Then someone had the genius idea to un-net the biggest pond and install a hide nearby. Now they make more in photographer fees than they lose to the Ospreys. Win-win! Why don’t others do similar?” Geemeff is absolutely right. There is at least one or two other hides making a good income from people wanting to photograph ospreys catching fish. Mention this to anyone you know. All those golf clubs that have osprey nests where there is a dwindling amount of fish could cash in!

At Louis’s original nest at Loch Arkaig, the buzzards fighting for the rights to nest there have locked talons and fallen over the side in this thirty second clip by Geemeff.

Happy Birthday Super Star Kakapo Sirocco!

For the love of the Eider Duck – a Norwegian community and how it protects this precious waterfowl. Who are the Eider Keepers?

The-Eider-Keepers-Hakai-Magazine Download

What has been the reaction to the Scottish Grouse Bill?

Scottish-grouse-bill-–-reactions-latest-news-–-Raptor-Persecution-UK Download

BirdLife International shows us how cement was turned into wetlands in Cambridgeshire, UK. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.

Turning-cement-into-luscious-wetlands-BirdLife-International Download

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again very soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, screen captures, conversations, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, AE, BA, Geemeff, H, MP’, Achieva Osprey Cam, Barbara Walker, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, JB Sands Wetlands, Cardinal Land Conservancy, FORE, Berry College Eagle Cam, Bridge Golf Course Ospreys, PLO, thrive Ospreys NTS, Red-tail Hawk Cam SU, Cornell RTH Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, SK Hideaways, Ashley Wilson, Geemeff, Kakapo Recover, Hakai Magazine, Raptor Persecution UK, and BirdLife International.

It’s raining Ospreys…Achieva chick demise…Saturday in Bird World

16 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Before I begin, the little chick at Achieva is no longer with us. It remains unclear as to what happened. No eggs, no chick. Some predator during the night. So sad. jack was so excited about this baby.

Friday was quite the day. Every time I turned around, something new happened with the Ospreys. It was wonderful but, at times, a little overwhelming. Ospreys will populate the news as they arrive and lay eggs, and things will go quiet for a month before everyone begins to hatch. Thank goodness for incubation.

So, we are fully into migration for all the species. As so many have noted, the ‘spring up’ in terms of Daylight Savings Time seems to have caused spring – which was not expected in some places for a few weeks now – to jumpstart. Things to remember about migration: Get your city to turn its lights off. Turn your lights off. Gives the birds a chance. BirdCast says there are 5.5 million birds on the move Friday night. Put up the Feather Friendly stickers on your window. Fill the feeders. Get the water bowls and baths clean. Stock up on seed. Welcome them home! or boost their energy as they fly through. Here are 10 ways in which you can help:

10-Ways-to-Help-Migratory-Birds Download

How-turning-off-lights-can-save-billions-of-migrating-birds Download

Heres-how-you-can-go-Lights-Out-BirdCast Download

If you don’t know BirdCast, check it out. You can input your location if you live in the US and see what species are arriving and in what numbers. It is a lot of fun and you will learn something.

‘The Girls’ and ‘The Boyfriend’ are all fine, as are the garden animals. Everyone has been seen, which is such a relief this time of year. The squirrels think another winter blizzard is coming as they haul away peanut after peanut. There are now four Blue Jays, which means two have arrived to join the two who stayed during the winter.

Hugo Yugo will go for her ‘operation’ on Wednesday. Dr Green, the vet who has cared for her all along, will have the honours. The primary issue with all voluntary kitten adoption organisations is that they are overwhelmed and have to rely on the vets having space for their kittens. They never know what is available. Dear darling Hugo Yugo, the tiniest 6-month-old kitten I have ever seen, went into heat last Tuesday. It is unimaginable to me that something so tiny would be ready to breed. Her very loud meow turned into a horrifically loud mating call that brought endless feral males to the deck! Poor thing. So glad she was in the house! So, we decided to try to see if there was any possibility of getting her into our vet before the end of May or September. Luckily, they had a cancellation today. I couldn’t believe our luck. So send her good wishes – she will be sleeping on warm blankets and having good pain meds on the 20th.

I learn something valuable every day. Dr Peter Bloom, who banded Black 61, is also responsible for something extraordinary. Steve Schubert of Morro Audubon says, “Pete Bloom captured and brought in the last remaining wild California Condor on Easter Sunday in 1987, contributing to the captive breeding program . The species was absent from the wild until reintroduction began several years later, in 1992.”

Friday was a bit of a day – . Ospreys were landing in their nests, Ospreys were laying eggs, and a chick was hatching at Venice Golf and Country Club. Thank you so much to ‘H, J, and M’ who helped me stay on top of it all! Very seriously, there is no way that a single individual can monitor 150+ osprey nests, so I appreciate all your sightings! You are amazing.

Lucy laid her first egg at Lake Murray. I so hope the GHOs leave this nest alone this year. She has a new mate having lost Ricky and all three of her chicks in 2023.

It looks like both Mum and Dad have arrived at the Patchogue Osprey platform on Long Island. These two did what most only dreamed of last year—they raised four osplets to fledge!

The first egg has hatched at Venice Golf and Country Club! Congratulations. In 2023, their first egg hatched on the 13th of March – so very close this year.

‘H’ also reminds us, “Olivia arrived at Severna Park on 3/8, Oscar on 3/10. Edie at Captiva laid her second egg on 3/13, expect a possible 3rd egg tomorrow. Opal at Forsythe arrived this morning.”

At Dahlgren, Jack brought in his first ‘stuffie’ of the season on Friday. There might be some difficulty deciphering which female is which, but we will never mistake Jack.

Looks like that stuffed animal is gone.

Ospreys arriving in Europe and getting right to the action.

The first arrival at River Gwash, and the fishing looks good.

At Port Lincoln, Ervie and Giliath are fishing buddies.

In the UK, it looks like Blue 33 and Maya will be the first to lay eggs. Laddie has yet to return to Loch of the Lowes. Blue NCO waits.

That is definitely not an Osprey on Loch Arkaig’s nest 1 that used to belong to Louis and Aila. (Louis and Dorcha are on nest 2).

‘A’ has been watching the West End nest and notes, “I watched a late afternoon feeding from Akecheta where the two older chicks were very well behaved (probably stuffed) and dad concentrated on the youngest for several minutes. It was bonked just once throughout the event. It’s a strong, feisty wee one and it gets itself to the table when it can. I have my fingers crossed for it, but if the food supply remains as good as it usually is with these parents, I am cautiously optimistic. In fact, a lot of our two-eaglet nests with young chicks are doing well, with relatively little bonking, although there is the worry you noted with possible intruders at one nest. Of course, we all know that losing a parent is the worst thing that can befall a nest with young chicks, followed by a food shortage or prolonged rain. So, while we cannot control any of those things, I am still hoping this season has turned a corner.”

Proud Dad Akecheta with fantastic Mum, Thunder.

Cali Condor caught Thunder giving a private feeding to eaglet 3 at the West End.

‘A’ was watching when Akecheta fed the wee one and says, “Watch Akecheta feeding the baby some lunch from 13:12. The wee one is eating well and getting enough food. It waits its turn – but these parents are diligent enough to ensure that the older two are sufficiently stuffed to let the youngest have its turn at the table. And the size of some of the fish Akecheta in particular is bringing in is awesome! With each day that passes, as the baby of the bunch gets stronger and more agile, I am more hopeful about this nest. The older two have calmed down slightly – Nessie has a long neck!!!!!”

The two eaglets at Bluff City are eating squirrel. Is it just me or is that first hatch twice as big as the second?

Just look at the eaglets at Johnson City. Jolene and Boone have chicks with the ‘fattest little bottoms’ and their thermal down is really coming in….big clown feet. I blinked. Must have.

Dixie and Mason continue to do great at Superbeaks.

Leaper and Jersey had a fabulous feeding. The new male is keeping nice sized fish in the pantry for Mum and the kids. Their crops were popping several times today. No worries at this nest!

Jack arrived at 0921 on Friday with a fish for Diane and the new baby at Achieva.

The last feeding that I saw on Friday was late afternoon. Jack came to the nest empty-taloned but wet later.

The Crows are the only ones at Oyster Bay so far.

Oh, empty platform at Chesapeake Bay. There is confirmation that the ospreys are flooding the area as they arrive from their winter migration.

Let us all hope that it is a much better year for the Osprey couple that find this nest in Cape May Meadows.

There was an osprey on the MNSA platform on Friday.

The Estonian Golden Eagle Helju has laid the first egg of the season!

In Florida, R6 is now learning about having to defend a nest against intruders!

E23 continues his flapping and flying…we are so near fledge.

Sharon Lee captured Gabby and Beau and isn’t it a gorgeous image of the pair at NE Florida?

Jackie and Shadow are so hopeful. More snow. We need to be more like them. I still wish for a fairy to delivery them a baby eaglet.

Big Red and Arthur were working away on their nest at Cornell. I am expecting eggs to be laid here and at the nest of Angel and Tom any day.

Annie almost had me thinking she was laying her first egg on Friday. Archie was in the scrape calling her when she wasn’t there. Gosh, isn’t he cute? And look at those deep chrome-yellow legs. This guy is healthy!

Annie.

Archie.

Monty and Hartley were both at the San Jose City Hall scrape on Friday.

It’s not siblicide in Ospreys. Geemeff sends us an article out of Science that discusses the Eurasian Hoopoe and siblicide.

Watch-out-This-colorful-bird-raises-a-nest-of-cannibals-Science-AAAS Download

YOU can make a difference. Do not give up…the Nightingales won because people stood up for their habitat!

Nightingale-habitat-saved-after-public-outcry-BirdGuides Download

That’s a crazy round-up of some of the nests that everyone is following. Don’t be shy! Send me any osprey news that you see – landing on a nest, laying an egg, hatching. Everything is appreciated and welcome. Take care all. Thank you for being with me today. Send good energy to the Achieva nest – there is lots of food competition there for Jack!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, M, SS’, National Wildlife Federation, Spectrum News, BirdCast, Lake Murray Ospreys, PSEG, Isak, Forsythe Osprey Cam, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Jane Dell, River Gwash Ospreys, PLO, Mary Kerr, Geemeff, IWS/Explore.org, Cali Condor, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, Superbeaks. Duke Farms, Achieva Credit Union, Chesapeake Conservancy/Explore.org, SCMM, MNSA, Eagle Club of Estonia, WRDC, SK Hideaways, Sharon Lee, FOBBV, Cornell RTH Cam, Cal Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcon Cam, Science, and BirdGuides.

Jack tries to save the egg at Captiva…Monday in Bird World

11 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was just the most gorgeous day. Blue sky and a warm +5. Great to get outside as much of that ice is now gone.

It was a great day to go for a walk, weather-wise. When we got to our destination, there were approximately nine deer, several of them quite young, in front of us. Then, an individual with a Golden Doodle let their dog off the lead, instructing them to chase the deer. The dog began barking loudly and running at the wildlife, at which time I stood and spread my arms, and told it to go back. This was not before the deer were quite frightened and began to run across a road in the park that was rather busy today. Now, why on earth would someone do this?

The feeders were busy. There were a couple of Pine Siskins and a Dark-eyed Junco, along with the normal group of sparrows, the two Blue Jays, and a female Downy Woodpecker. The Crows could be heard but not seen. Little Red and more Little Reds were eating peanuts along with Dyson. It is always so good too see her.

Dyson looks good!

Sunday’s news is that Jack and Edie have their first Osprey egg together at Captiva. That egg and all that bark have caused a bit of an issue.

‘H’ reports: “Well, at 14.49.39 both Jack and Edie left urgently due to an intruder, and Edie accidentally kicked the egg out of the bowl when she flew off (that’s exactly what Flo did to egg #1 last season). Jack had been trying to roll the egg back to the center for a while, and finally had to move some bark, then rolled the egg toward the center by 17.08.38, but the egg was still on top of palm fiber. Jack sat on the egg to incubate at 17.10. Then a short while later Jack stood to move a bothersome stick, and since the egg was on the fiber, it rolled outward again.”

The egg rolled out again and ‘H’ reports that Edie is incubating palm fibre with the egg being covered by the material to her right. If they could get that egg under Edie by the time she gets to hard incubation of her other eggs, I wonder if it would be viable.

The saga of the egg continued during the night as Edie and Jack tried desperately to get it back to the middle of the nest. ‘H’ reports that the wind finally took the covering off. Now the egg is free! Wonder what will happen now.

We have a first egg at the Decorah Goose Cam!

Thunder and Akecheta welcomed their second hatch. This makes my heart beat a little lighter. Of all the Channel Islands eagles, these two have the best luck with eggs and raising chicks. They will need it this year. These two are already bonking furiously. Thunder appeared to get fed up with this and went back to brooding the pair.

Thunder makes sure they both get fed. Gosh, these two produce feisty chicks. It is a bonk fest.

Everyone continues to root for Jak and Audacity and Jackie and Shadow. The positive energy and love going their way is tremendous. If only it could produce eaglets.

Audacity.

Jackie.

‘A’ reports on Tom and Angel: “That nest of Angel and Tom’s looks very much ready to receive a brace of eggs (not three yet Angel – Tom is a bit inexperienced still to feed a family of five, I fear).”

The battle for the nest at Dulles-Greenway continues. Rosa’s mate, Martin, disappeared in December. They had raised three eaglets – Pi, Pat, and Flora in 2023 to fledge and the nest collapsed. It was rebuilt. Rosa’s new mate, Lewis, did not help and she quit incubating the two eggs she had laid on the 23rd of February, 9 days after she laid the first egg. Did she just leave? was she killed by another female wanting the nest? Currently, Lewis is on the nest with a new female according to the latest reports. I have now placed Rosa on the Memorial Page for 2024.

Lewis and new female in nest.

‘As-the-Nest-Turns-Viewers-riveted-by-latest-Greenway-eagles-saga-1local-loudountimes.com_Download

It looks like Swampy and Meadow have a possum to practice their self-feeding. Later, a parent helps them. They are now in training! These two just about gave me a heart attack today when they were both leaning way over the edge of the nest!

E23 wants to fly and is doing really high hover moves.

More fish stacked at the Duke Farms nest. This new dad is fantastic! There has been some concern about Jersey, the smaller eaglet. Leaper is the oldest. Comments on the chat seem to indicate that Jersey has had some good feedings on Sunday.

Very windy at the nest of Jolene and Boone in Johnson City, TN on Sunday. Eaglets are Little John and JC. I have had some concerns here, but that little one came back to eat after some pretty good bonks.

It is not clear how much food the second hatch is getting at Bluff City yet. Yesterday, Franklin made sure that BC 25 was fed. The chicks are Oliver, the oldest, and Willow, the youngest. Their parents are Franklin and Frances.

Isn’t this Osprey beautiful? Frank Borja took it while watching a Saturday track and field meet in San Diego. We are looking for more information. Osprey has a blue colour band on the left leg, with a numeric, either 61 or 19, depending on which way it is to be read. Do you know this osprey number? We are searching and have sent a query to USFWS and reported the band sighting. The osprey looks to be in very good condition with a nice fish dinner.

‘J’ sent news that Ojai is banning glue traps! This is great news if the stops and on line retailers will stop selling them! Despite a ban in my city, I continued to find these for sale in big retail chains.

Sharon Dunne reporting on the TF chick and its visit with Mum.

Love TF chick? His parents? All the other albatross and seabirds? PLEASE stop using plastic. It is bad for humans (you can find endless articles about forever toxins used in plastic), and it is deadly for Royal Albatross chicks whose parents forage in the sea and fill their babies with plastic! What a garbage dump we have created on our planet. It is time to do something about this. Refrain from purchasing plastic items. Do not use plastic in your microwave. Tell your shops to stop buying cheap imported plastic items that are thrown away. Start investing in buying less but better. The world will thank you.

Toroaalbatross-chick-dies-from-swallowing-plastic-Media-release-11-March-2024 Download

A National Geographic article on the forever chemicals hiding in your kitchen.

‘Forever-chemicals-are-hiding-in-your-kitchen.-Heres-where—and-what-you-can-do Download

What Kills An Albatross?

“What kills albatross” by Tatters ✾ is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Milda and Mr H are working fast and hard to get that nest ready for eggs! I am thinking around the 25th.

I honestly cannot get enough of the Port Lincoln Lads hanging out together. This is pretty awesome.

Arthur was working on the Cornell nest for a few minutes before the snow started Sunday evening.

Off he goes over Tower Road.

We love seeing our falcons out and about the urban areas staying safe.

Olivia and Oscar are now both back at Severna Park’s Osprey Platform.

Dr Sharpe has cancelled his retirement. Please note his comment about the build-up of DDT in the older eagles in the Channel Islands – and this would apply to other areas such as Big Bear Lake where DDT was sprayed extensively.

As many as half a million barrels of DDT were discovered leaking in the Channel Islands in 2020. Leaking. Hidden at a depth of 3000 feet so that no one could discover them – the ocean and inlets are garbage dumps used by humans. Out of sight but not out of mind and certainly harming the wildlife.

Imagine. 500,000 barrels. Leaking.

How-the-waters-off-Catalina-became-a-DDT-dumping-ground-Los-Angeles-Times Download

We love Jackie and Shadow. Everyone sat and hoped that with three eggs one of them would be viable. As we close in on the final days that egg #3 might be, let us all applaud this couple who have laid 14 eggs together with 5 of those eggs hatching. It is known that 2 or 3 of that 5 have survived into adulthood. One of those most of you will remember as Spirit from two years ago. I hope that Jackie and Shadow will have another opportunity to raise an eaglet, but if they don’t, they can sure teach us much about getting on with life in the face of adversity. Send them your love!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, FB, H, J’, Window to Wildlife, Decorah Goose Cam, IWS/Explore.org, FOBBV, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Loudoun Times-Mirror, Eagle Country, Lady Hawk, Duke Farms, Sylvia, Johnson City-ETSU, Bluff City-ETSU, Rollin’ Rog, Frank Borja, Ojai Raptor Center, Sharon Dunne, NZ DOC, National Geographic, Open Verse, Biruta Lapa, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cornell RTH, Linda McIlroy, Lucille Powell, Dr Sharpe, and The Los Angeles Times.

Sunday in Bird World

10 March 2024

Hi Everyone,

The girls were really enjoying the sunshine and the warmer temperatures on Saturday. Today it is supposed to get up to +5 C – this is going to melt a lot of this beautiful white snow and turn it into muck. Yuck!

You can’t tell it by the two images below, but Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope (now answering to Calico Kitty Kitty) practically tore the surface off of the hardwood today. When they stopped running and climbing over everything, they slept. Calico Kitty Kitty aka Baby Hope was so exhausted she did not mind being Hugo Yugo’s pillow.

Missey continues to find the highest spots in the house to get away from those two. Calico hides.

We are now five days away from Hugo Yugo’s operation. It happens on Friday at noon. Nothing has happened before, but I am always nervous – just like I am about all those baby eaglets on the nests, especially when it rains. There aren’t as many feedings and sometimes the nest stays damp and sometimes the oldest gets to be naughty and worrisome.

Today was the day we were supposed to ‘spring’ up our clocks. If you forgot, go and fix that right now. Some of mine change automatically, and others don’t—mind you, the only clock in the house is on the microwave, the cell phone, and the computer.

It was beautiful on Saturday. The intent had been to go on a sleigh ride—all spaces were booked! The sky was blue, and the snow was white and still fluffy in places. The main roads were clear, butke mine were still full of snow. Spring feels like it is coming again. I felt sorry for those ea side streets lirly-arriving geese. So it was just a long walk. Tomorrow, will be an exploration of a new park if it isn’t too soggy.

In the UK, it is Mother’s Day today. I want to send a big shout-out to anyone who has ever cared for a living, breathing being. Feathery hugs to all those Osprey mothers on their way home to raise a new batch of bonkers and to Blue NCO anxiously awaiting her Laddie.

Proud parents Thunder and Akecheta and their first hatch of the 2024 season.

Both so happy….Thunder loves being a dad.

Jak and Audacity’s egg is intact and we are in hatch range.

20, 504 people were watching Jackie and Shadow around 16:32 Saturday afternoon. You could hear the Ravens. Shadow got off the nest at 13:21:07 and Jackie got on at 13:23:49. Again, Ravens could be heard in the distance. The couple are still hopeful and there is still time. A lot of positive energy is being poured into this nest from around the world.

At Achieva, there appears to be no movement with the eggs yet. The big excitement on Saturday was a visit from a squirrel and a great Egret flying by the nest in the early morning.

The Achieva Osprey platform has always made me anxious. Tiny Tumbles just about did many of us in, and she survived to become big and strong. ‘H’ has been keeping track of the age of the three eggs: Egg # will be 42 days tomorrow. Egg #2 will be 39, Egg #3 will be 36.” It is possible that the first two eggs are not viable. Will three hatch? I wonder. Maybe it is a good year not to have osplets in Florida.

Speaking of early arrivals, Blue NCO is 9 days early. She left early…I wonder if there is a correlation. Blue NCO has been working on the nest and looking for her partner, Laddie LM12. I do worry about him. He was not in great shape at the end of the season last year. I fear that he did not survive migration….but, then again, I thought Blue NCO was dead. So what do I know?

They have removed the bin lid from the Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya in anticipation of their arrival on Saturday.

Nest at Llyn Brenig is waiting.

Waiting for Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig.

This year, the Alyth SSEN Transmission Substation will be closely watched because of plans to increase its capacity. How will this impact the ospreys?

‘H’ reports that ‘The Boathouse’ is being significantly repaired and renovated since the storms. This is where the ‘Hog Island’ Ospreys have their nest. It should be finished by the time the birds return home from migration.

More…

Bazz Hockaday has been busy photographing the Port Lincoln Osprey family. What a delight it must be for everyone involved in this nest over the years, but especially this year, to see these fledglings hanging out with Mum and Dad and their elder brother, Ervie. There is something to say about having male chicks – they want to stay home!

Swampy and Meadow are fantastic.

Getting those skills for self-feeding.

E23 just wants to get to the top of the nest tree and fly.

Look where Cal is! Oh, he wants to fly just like E23! Some believe that today will be the day.

Johnson City-ETSU looks alright. Yes, the oldest gives some bonks but, for the most part, these two get along. Boone comes in on Saturday and makes sure that the little one gets a good feed.

It’s been raining at Bluff City and there were not a lot of meals today. I wonder how that little one is doing?

It also started raining at Duke Farms, too. I didn’t get a chance to watch this nest much today. Hoping that both got fed well because, despite all the fish on the nest, I didn’t see a lot of feedings.

Archie might like to hunt before dawn but Annie doesn’t seem to like to have her breakfast that early!

We are 8 days away from pip watch for Ellie and Harvey whose nest is on the property of Farmer Derek.

Bonnie and Clyde, the GHOs, are nesting on Farmer Derek’s land. The first egg is 33 days old, and the second egg is 30 days old.The average hatch time is 33-34 days, although the range can be 30-37 days. So guess what? This couple’s aWe are on pip watch!

Hancock Wildlife in British Columbia, Canada is celebrating the first egg of the season at the White Rock nest. Congratulations.

What bird is half female and half male?

A green honeycreeper spotted on a farm in Colombia exhibits a rare biological phenomenon known as bilateral gynandromorphism.

This-Bird-Is-Half-Male-Half-Female-and-Completely-Stunning-The-New-York-Times Download

Everyone should know that I love condors, vultures, and carrion eaters that help clean up our planet. We should all embrace them, but instead, their numbers are rapidly declining in places where they are considered icons of their country.

These-Birds-Are-National-Symbols-but-Getting-Harder-to-See-The-New-York-Times Download

Oh, there is so much happening. This was just a quick look today. We hope you are all well. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today; ‘H, J’, IWS/Explore.org, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), LRWT, Llyn Brenig, Woodland Trust (Loch Arkaig), Alyth SS, Friends of Hog Island, Bazz Hockaday, Eagle Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Johnson City – ETSU, BluffLadey Deeagle55, City-ETSU, Duke Farms, SK Hideaways, Farmer Derek Owl Cam, Farmer Derek Eagle Cam, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, and The New York Times.

Friday in Bird World

1 March 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, I am tired! Cannot possibly tell you why, but I would like nothing better than to snuggle up with Hugo Yugo for a long sleep. Is it from waking up all night to check on Jackie and Shadow? Maybe!

Today is day 36 for egg 1 for Jackie and Shadow. The average hatch day at Big Bear is 38-39 days. It sounds windy today at Big Bear.

Oh, it was a day for pictures. Hugo Yugo was into everything. She first decided to attack Baby Hope to become the ‘Queen of the Cat Tree’. Then she modelled her ‘onesie’ – which was returned. It is a great idea, but they need one for cats. I am thinking of a newborn onesie with cut-out arms and legs. Would that work? And then there is Calico and Hope. The image is blurry. I apologise. There is something magical about these two when they are together. I still tear up, thinking of the miracle of seeing Hope find all of us. But first, they have to watch the birds! Not the real ones outside all over the feeders and the lilac bushes, but on the screen. It sounds like humans when they walk in the woods and take their phones—watching a screen.

Hope goes to the front of the telly when she wants me to turn on the Bird Video. She lays there hoping to catch my attention. She never meows or anything. Just waits patiently.

Hugo Yugo loves to watch things on the big screen, too! Especially the Blue Jays. I keep telling her we have Blue Jays in the garden. She doesn’t listen!

Then Hugo Yugo got ‘antsy’. You can see it in her eyes. She’s ready to go!!!!!!!!! Hope follows. They get to the back and the Cat tree. Hope arrives first.

Hugo Yugo pounces.

Hope has so much patience with Hugo Yugo.

Hope was relieved when Hugo Yugo was distracted by a European Starling landing on the glass ceiling.

Hugo Yugo can get awfully rough. They throw each other into the sofa and the wall and run all over the place.

Now, they are friends again.

Then it was time to try on the onesie. It was made for a tiny Chihuahua. Didn’t fit right. Still, a great idea to keep the animals from licking their incisions. We will try something else.

The light coming in from the conservatory washed this image out. But there they are in their favourite spot to be together. It is a daily ritual – sometimes several times a day. These two could never be separated. Thank you to those who sent me stories and images of their rescue mothers and kittens who, like Calico and Hope, like the comfort of one another. It is so appreciated. Thank you for sharing.

We are going to start with Eagle Country. The images say it all. I hope they put a huge smile on your face.

Second. What a couple of feisty eaglets. Johnson City. Goodness. There was even a dual feeding by Jolene and Boone on Thursday.

Waiting for eggs to hatch is nothing short of agonising. I am not even sure that I wouldn’t like long fingernails being dragged across a chalkboard more.

We are still waiting for a pip at Big Bear Valley. Jackie and Shadow do not know that more than 21,000 people watched their every move today. We checked every piece of dirt and espresso-coloured feather to see if it was a pip. We drove ourselves crazy. Is the microphone sensitive enough to pick up the cheeps from the eaglet like some others?

The eaglet at Duke Farms trying to hatch from the crushed egg has survived. It still has some shell attached as of Thursday early evening. It is breathing. The hope is that the shell will dry and break off and that the eaglet will be alright. There is a pip confirmed in the second egg at Duke Farms.

The latest: (Oh, BTW, the AI that is associated with this site seems to change the spelling for Rollin’ Rog. I do spell it correctly. Apologies for all that!)

It was not until 20:32:52 Thursday night that the little one had its head completely free of that shell. Will there be any lasting injury? Let us all send positive energy. (I was a little surprised at how Mum moved that chick about…oh, please, let us hope it is OK).

I cannot tell if the first hatch has survived at Duke Farms (I am hesitant to say that it died, but it really might have). There is nesting material all matted around. The second egg has a large pip – by Mum’s beak. We wait to see the status of hatch 1.

Avon Lake Eagles have their first egg.

Just look at that eaglet at J B Sands Wetlands. Did that juvenile plumage grow over night? Big and strong with gorgeous feathering coming in. Beautiful surviving eaglet. Glad that all is well here in Texas.

R6 is big and strong, too. ‘H’ tells me he isn’t as proficient at self-feeding as I thought he was – too bad. But, he will get there! Ron and Rose will make certain he is prepared for the wild.

Cal is doing very well. Likes to look out over the world form that branch and still loves to be fed by Mum and Dad.

Another huge and healthy eaglet is E23. Check out the size and the wingspan. How many of you are thinking female?

At Redding, Liberty and Guardian have one of their three eggs crushed on Thursday. This brought a ripple of sadness through their many fans.

Jak and Audacity’s egg looks fine. Fingers and toes – and all talons crossed, please!

The embryonic development of an eagle by Dr Sharpe. You might find this very interesting.

Raptor-Resource-Project-Bald-Eagle-and-Bird-of-Prey-Cams-1 Download

Lots of information about Rita, the Bald Eagle, Ron’s former mate at the WRDC nest, that I bet you didn’t know! I learned a lot. Great little video.

I am so glad that people are realising the value of a nest’s history. Often we do not know it. So in addition to the one by Rita, there is also now a slideshow history of the Centreport Eagles.

The new Dad at Pittsburgh-Hays is so funny. He reminds me of Shadow at times.

Canada Geese. They are starting to arrive in Vancouver, and the City of Vancouver seeks to ‘lethally cull’ the geese. The Animal Alliance of Canada is against the measures proposed by the City because it, the City, is not following the guidelines they set up. In addition, Geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Act! Permission has to be given and I hope those that receive the City’s application check the accuracy of their claims.

Those who often benefit and scaremonger the public are the pest companies who financially benefit. So please read the following article. If you live in the area and this issue touches your heart, get involved. The Geese are only on land that was historically theirs. We are taking away their habitat everywhere. So, Educate yourself. Then with knowledge, not emotion, write to your local councilperson and the City Parks department. You will have to use their online forms. Please Google: Vancouver City Parks Department for those. For those living outside of Vancouver, you can voice your concerns over the lethal culling without first using the non-lethal measures set out in their own documents.

There is no proof that the number of geese will rise. Geese are susceptible to HPAI. We still have Avian Flu. I have written to Cornell Bird Lab to get the statistics on Canada Geese, their growth or decline population, and future projections. I will let you know what I find out if they answer my query.

Vancouver-Goose-Cull-Animal-Alliance-of-Canada Download

The Canada Geese are also now arriving in Manitoba amidst cold temperatures and snow. Is this early for Oak Hammock Marsh? Here are the statistics for the last 25 years.

‘H’ tells me that Lori Covert has decided to name the new female at the Captiva nest despite the fact that she has not laid an egg. Her name is Edie after Edith. If you can’t read the text below from Lori’s Instagram, she says that she is keeping with the tradition of naming the birds after family relatives. So this is Edie pronounced ‘eedie’ which is for her Uncle Jack and Aunt Edie.

There is some good news coming out of EuroNatur but, as Geemeff, asks, what is the point of designating an area a national park and then stealing its water? Doesn’t that sound quite wrong to you?

Better-protection-for-the-Balkan-lynx Download

As we move into osprey nesting season, it is good for us to conjure up the images of Dr Greene and his teams in Montana clearing osprey nests and trying to save the osplets bound up in baling twine. Baling twine is used to secure hay and straw bales in farming areas. It is made of various materials, but it is deadly to ospreys. They gather it up – it seems they love the plastic orange twine, and they take it to their nests. It is there that their chicks get wrapped up in this deadly mess.

There must be an inventor out there – maybe it is you reading this – who can figure out a way to secure hay and straw bales without using twine or any plastics that would injure or kill wildlife. Just imagine if some of the billionaires spent some money on working to save our wildlife instead of sending rockets into space. I wonder what we might discover!

Ahead-of-ospreys-return-Flathead-Audubon-raises-alarm-over-bailing-twine Download

Everywhere we turn, there is something ready to kill our wildlife, our insects and bees that pollinate our plants that help us to survive. And there are government agencies that continue to approve such toxins as Neonicotinoids. Please note, “Despite nearly 15,000 people calling for better support for farmers and wildlife, the UK Government recently approved the use of a bee-killing pesticide (known as a neonicotinoid or neonic) on sugar beet crops in England for the fourth year in a row. For our February edition of Wild LIVE, we will be discussing why more than a third of sugar beet farmers chose to not use the chemical in 2023, and how we can support more to make that transition and stop the reliance on these hugely damaging pesticides.”

In this instance, this is about sugar, sugar beets, and British Sugar. Here is an interesting discussion on how easy it is to ban this pesticide and still have sugar. (Manitoba grows a lot of sugar beets – now I wonder if they use these deadly poisons on their crops. I must check that.)

If you live in or near NYC (or just want to be there and live half way around the world), think about joining the others in a tribute to Flaco – an Owl who brought many together through its hope and resilience.

From Port Lincoln, Giliath has been filmed bathing near the Yacht Club and Ervie has been visiting Boston Island frequently.

Spring is in the air in San Jose! If you don’t believe me, just ask Monty and Hartley!

Thank you so much for being with us today. We hope that you enjoyed about hearing the comings and goings of some of our favourite raptors. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, articles, videos, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, N’, Eagle Country, Johnson City-ETSU, FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, Duke Farms, Avon Lakes, JB Sands Wetlands, WRDC, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, FORE, Baiba Graustina, Raptor Resource Project, Marathon Wild Bird Centre – Crane Point, Bald Eagles of Centreport, PIX Cams, Animal Alliance of Canada, Oak Hammock Marsh, Lori Covert, Euronatur, Flathead Audubon, WILD LIVE, Dimi Belchev, BK Dave, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and SK Hideaways.

More Eagle eggs…tributes to Flaco…Sunday in Bird World

25 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone!

It is +7 C in Winnipeg and everyone seems to be outside, smiling, walking their dogs or cats. The squirrels and Black-capped Chickadees were out at The English Garden. It really was superb despite my angst over the fact that we need the snow, we need our normal winter.

I am smiling. 4.8 km. It was a good day for a walk. Limited ice, lots of sunshine!

At home, Missey and Hugo Yugo found the store room. Quilts piled high on storage bins in case they wanted to look out. It is awaiting spring cleaning, but these two did not care! Well, not quite true. Hugo Yugo raised her head. She did not want her nap disturbed by me.

Lewis and Missey spent hours at this window next to one another, watching the Chickadees that had a nest there. Life goes on. Hopefully Hugo Yugo will spend time there with Miss.

It has been a horrid week. Trees were cut down, Hugo Yugo was ill and is now well, and ‘The Boyfriend’ disappearing topped it all. He did return. And then he was gone again. Not like him! A few of us feared the worst, but then he showed up at 1620 Saturday for food, and as I am writing this, he is eating kibble from the dishes left by my neighbour. Turns out he was locked in her garage for a few days. So…please check to ensure no kitties are locked in yours if you leave for a few days. Things turned around. I cannot do anything about the trees, but plant more in my garden or move which I don’t wish to do — I really couldn’t leave the garden animals. So, forward!

First, there is a correction. I had originally posted that Stella and Talon had their first egg on the 21st. Then I heard that they had three and thought I was wrong. It appears that the second egg was laid yesterday -Saturday- at the Florida-Gainesville nest, so let’s rewind. If there is to be a third, it should be in the nest on the 27th.

Andor and Cruz have their first egg of the 2024 season at Fraser Point in the Channel Islands. You may recall that they are Lillibet and Victor’s parents. Victor was rescued and treated by the Ojai Raptor Centre before being rereleased to the wild in 2023.

The first egg for Dad and the new female at ND-LEEF (ND17’s nest) was laid Saturday evening.

The Centreport Eagles have egg number 2. It feels like the sky is raining eagle eggs as of late.

Jak and Audacity teach us the meaning of love and hope. It has been three years since they fledged a single eaglet. Will we dance for joy on 8 March – we certainly will – if this egg survives to hatch!

PB sent a great image of Meadow this morning. Unless something changes, it appears that we no longer have to worry about Meadow’s survival. Isn’t that fantastic?

They are both rather itchy at Eagle Country.

Beau and Gabby also teach us about love and endurance and accepting one another’s learning curves. The couple returned to their nest after abandoning their egg on Saturday working away. Maybe they will have eaglets next year, maybe not. For now, the two are keeping their territory out of the hands of intruders and living their lives.

Tiny bobbleheads at Superbeaks.

JBS20 has had nice crops all Saturday. The arrival to the nest of the second adult made for some happy moments. AE sent a screen capture of that happy reunion.

Are you holding on to the edge of your seats? Today is the 25th of February. We are four days away from pip/hatch watch for Jackie and Shadow. FOUR.

Shadow has been up to his old stick trick to try and get some incubation time – and when the exchange happens, we get to see three intact eggs.

At the Captiva Eagle nest of Connie and Clive, their surviving eaglet, Cal, is getting proficient at self-feeding!

Ron and Rose are having R6 feed himself most of the time, too.

Chase and Cholyn’s precious egg at Two Harbours.

A view of the two eggs at Duke Farms.

And two eggs at Decorah North!

Royal Cam chick watched over by parent LGK followed by some good feedings. It is always hard to see these little ones left while the adults are out foraging. I wonder what kind of a gardener this one will be?

Giliath is doing well. Making the rounds and catching Puffers, too.

Bonding taking place at Lake Murray Osprey Platform. Lucy lost all her chicks to the GHO last year as well as her mate. I am disappointed that the protective guards used at Cowlitz PUD successfully in 2023 were not tried at this nest.

It is touching that so many are grieving over the death of Flaco, the Eurasian Owl. Tributes poured in from everywhere – the major newspapers and stations as well as a myriad of FB groups.

People and news crews gathered to remember this remarkable owl. Poems were written, tears were shed.

The Guardian carried Flaco’s story.

Flaco-New-York-Citys-beloved-owl-dies-after-striking-building-US-news-The-Guardian Download

The personal testimonials about how Flaco inspired them to change jobs or to even live are very touching in this New York Times article.

New-York-Mourns-Flaco-an-Owl-Who-Inspired-as-He-Made-the-City-His-Own-The-New-York-Times Download

Could there have been other factors contributing to that collision?

Flacos-Crash-Might-Have-Been-More-Than-Bad-Luck.-Heres-What-We-Know.-The-New-York-Times Download

My inbox has been full of the same question – how do I feel about Flaco’s death? The simple answer is I was both sad and conflicted when I heard about his death. I am glad that out of his fourteen years (13 in captivity), he could live one of them freely, being an owl, learning to hunt and flying freely. This will conflict with many people whose opinions I respect and who I contact for help if a raptor is in danger in their area. My thoughts come from seeing our local eagle, Majestic, sitting in a 10 x 10 ft cage – it is a cage, come on. She did this for years and years before an enclosure like the one Rita has was built. Majestic cannot fly and cannot live in the wild. There was nothing wrong with Flaco – he was, as all animals in small enclosures in a zoo are, nothing short of a display object. I cannot even imagine what it would be like for a healthy owl to be confined. So…I am so sad he has died, but I am so glad he was able to fly free.

I just received a message that the ospreys from West Africa are beginning to arrive in Spain! We are less than three weeks away from UK arrivals if they are as early as Maya was one year. Gosh, golly…..And remember. We are FOUR days away from pip/hatch at FOBBV with Jackie and Shadow.

Thank you for being with me today. If you want more images and discussion about Flaco, I urge you to check out Bruce Yolton’s blog. He is a photographer and has followed Flaco from the beginning. I know that he preferred that Flaco was safe in his enclosure, so we will agree to disagree. He is, however, talented and observant of all wildlife in the area. Take care everyone. There are too many Bald Eagle eggs, and the Ospreys are coming online. It is going to get busy. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, images, posts, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AE, EJ, MP, PB’, IWS/Explore.org, Trudi Kron, ND-LEEF, Eagle Country, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, JB Sands Wetlands, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, Bald Eagles of Centerport Live Stream, tulsaducati, PLO, Laurie Spencer, Brendan Hall, Stella Hamilton, MandaPanda73, Pauline Ludwig, Janet Walker, Ian Ingle, The Guardian and The New York Times.

Friday in Bird World

23 February 2024

Hello Everyone,

It was +4 C. The nature centre was full of people. There were two bus loads of young students and at least three groups having meetings. Oh, but they missed being outside – those at the meetings. It is February. It smells like spring and this should not be happening. The open water in Devonian Lake is bigger; I swear there was a duck there when I drove in. Not a migrant duck, but one that stays here all winter. I wonder when the time will come when the eagles and all the songbirds, the shorebirds, and the ducks never leave us to go south. Will this happen in my lifetime?

Turns out it was the Bald Eagle. you can barely see the white head on the edge off the open water to the lower right of the blue area, top image (under the word area).

This is highly cropped and so it is pixellated but now you can see the eagle with its white head.

The birds were not out so much. Squirrels were running around and I did not see any deer. It appears that they don’t humans. LOL. I don’t blame them.

The Girls are doing great. The light is different – the days are longer and they spend so much time in the conservatory. It is nice and warm in there. Hugo Yugo is over whatever ailed her to the point that Calico might wish she was sick again! Hugo Yugo loves to jump on Calico. The newest thing is that Calico will actually play with her. Calico is losing weight – but she is embarrassed because I showed everyone her curvy physique. So today, she would not get up!

Hugo Yugo can be an angel – when she is sleeping. Her battery is otherwise always charged, and she is in sixth gear. There is no low speed on Hugo Yugo. It is a manufacturer’s defect! She is the most curious cat and is fearless. Can you imagine? A kitten 1/6 the size of Calico – well, maybe 1/8, running straight at her? That’s HY.

She fits in a shoe box…and the girls have fun playing with the paper.

They enjoy boxes and paper more than any toy ever purchased! If you have cats that love paper bags with handles, Hugo Yugo says to remember to cut the handles so they don’t slip over the necks of your pets and choke them!

I wrote about the impact that tree cutting has had on my neighbourhood and the concern for the canopy loss. It has, until now, allowed the squirrels to cross the road – above the road – jumping from branch to branch. I fear that many of the garden friends who, for whatever reason, feel it necessary to cross the road will be killed by the fast drivers that come down the lane trying to find a shortcut to avoid the traffic jams on the main road. Sometimes, it helps not to feel alone. I am a great fan of Dani Connor Wild and her photographs, and I care for the squirrels in Sweden, where she lives. One of those was a little one whose mother was killed crossing the road near her house. She rescued, cared for, and released Roo. This is the story’s last episode (so far), with a dramatic turn about the trees and the road near her. Get some tissues for the end -.

I was away for most of the day. I am so grateful for your notes and those posting information on the various FB groups. It helps when I can’t keep my eyes on those nests! Much appreciated. There are many nests missing today, but I will get caught up in the next couple of days.

Hartley and Monty certainly feel spring-like! Does anyone recall when the first egg was laid last year?

Ah, and spring at Anacapa….

Best check in on what is happening with Newmann at Great Spirit Bluff. He is in need of mate!

Newman in the early morning.

Lisa was at the nest this morning also.

There is no doubt that Julie has her eyes and talons set on Newmann. I wonder what will happen…we wait.

At The Campanile, Archie shows up with a prey gift for Annie. She comes out of the scrape, flys off, returns and grabs. Archie sure looks like a ‘keeper’.

Arthur checked out the nest bowl and Big Red flew in for a quick glance Thursday morning. Big Red flies off and Arthur continues to check on what is needed.

It was a good day at Eagle Country. Meadow had a private feeding by Blaze right at bedtime. (They are behind Abby on the other side of the nest). Meadow is stuffed! (A few other images during the day – kids out of the egg bowl).

Jak and Audacity’s egg is still holding! Let’s hope it is viable.

R6 is walking! He crossed the entire near 2 m of the nest!

Ron and Rose with their gorgeous son.

‘H’ has identified that ‘gold’ fish that was brought to the WRDC nest the other day as a Midas cichlid. Thank you! I could not find it on the normal Florida ID listings. Apparently it is an evasive species prevalent in SE Florida.

Pepe and Muhlady have both of the two eggs of their second clutch hatched. Dixie and Mason. They appear to be healthy and robust. So happy.

We are six days away – six – from pip/hatch watch at Big Bear. Jackie and Shadow have been ever so careful around the three eggs this year. It is incredible to watch them as they strive to have one – at least one – of those eggs hatch this season. Will we have another Spirit? or will there be siblings?

They should catch some sleep now…they are going to be super busy if more than one hatches. Can you imagine? Three?? I hope Shadow has a special fishing spot!

Jackie was ever so happy when Shadow delivered her a nice fish meal. They say turn the sound down, but turn it up and listen to this amazing couple talk to one another.

‘J’ captured the eggs.

Too cute not to post. The way to Jackie’s heart? or to get her off the eggs? Shadow knows the answer: fish!

Wings of Whimsy has the video of Baker and Bette’s second egg at the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle nest in Ohio. This happened on Thursday after 1600.

Want to know who is currently incubating? Wings of Whimsy has that too -.

They also did a tribute to Lusa.

Wings of Whimsy – do you know this YouTube site? If not, check it out. You might find it works well for you. Here is the link to the channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@WingsOfWhimsy/videos

There are a couple of great folks in South Bend that keep us informed of what is going on at the ND-LEEF nest. Thanks SB for your images today.

There have been no fish deliveries on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest since the 17th when Mum brought one fish in that Bradley got. Later that day Bradley brought his own Puffer to the ropes. Giliath made a quick fly to the nest and then the cleaners arrived. It seems that nest deliveries are now stopped and I am going to assume that Mum and Dad are in ‘retirement’ from this season with Gil and Brad providing their own meals.

Thanks to the Fish Fairies ‘ foresight, it was a great season. Thanks again, Janet, Fran, and Bazz, for your persistence and care.

The Government of India appears to working towards conservation for migratory birds. BirdLife International reports, “Today at the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS COP14), governments along the Central Asian Flyway have committed to secure the passage of migratory birds in 30 countries from Siberia all the way to the Maldives. https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/02/17/the-government-of-india-leads-a-new-era-for-bird-conservation-in-central-asia/

https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/02/17/the-government-of-india-leads-a-new-era-for-bird-conservation-in-central-asia

It is nearing migration. As spring comes, birds wintering in warmer climates will return to their breeding grounds in the north. Migration does connect and should concern all of us – and we need to do everything we can to help them. From feeding, to making sure that our windows are bird strike free, to slowing down when geese are crossing the road. If you missed this article, here is a little reminder of how we are connected.

Bird-Migration-Connects-Us-All-BirdLife-International-1 Download

The devastation caused by H5N1 has been huge and continues to decimate our Bird community.

Please keep your eyes on the JB Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest. It appears that one of the adults might be missing. I have just been alerted to this situation by ‘M’. Normally you will see both adults at the nest several times during the day. This is quite worrisome as there has been no sign of both of them together for at least 1.5 days. We know form experience that a single adult can raise a chick if it is a month old. M15 is a good example of this. We now need the adult at the nest to realise that something is happening and go hunting for JBS20.

At SW Florida, E23 is getting a little nippy!

Love and devotion…

Many of you would have provided the same answers and we watched the devastation last year. Will it change this year or be worse?

Noreaster-and-Prey-Shortage-Impacts-Nesting-Ospreys-in-2023-Conserve-Wildlife-Foundation-of-New-J Download

Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We look forward to seeing you soon! Oh, apologies. There is a pop-up that asks you to subscribe. I have no idea how it got there, but I am trying to remove it. I hate these things!

Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, screen captures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘H, J, M, SP’, Dani Connor Wild, SK Hideaways, Ashley Wilson, Cal Falcons, Cornell RTH, Gracie Shepherd, WRDC, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Lady Hawk, Eagle Country, Michelle Hillman, Wings of Whimsy, Stephen Basly, PLO, BirdLife International, Ben Wurst, and JBS Wetlands.

Saturday in Bird World

17 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

It is never a good morning after we lose a raptor, and waking up on Friday and finding that Lusa had died during the night was incredibly sad. Indeed, all went to bed after seeing her/him eat feeling much more optimistic about the situation at Captiva.

At the same time I was reading a note about Lusa, Hugo Yugo was vomiting, had diarrhoea, and was lethargic. She was fine when she went to bed but, by morning, he was not playing and didn’t want any treats – sure signs that something was not right. We spent the afternoon at the vet. It is a long weekend in Canada, the vet clinics are packed, and we have to go to a different vet than we usually use. After tests for any poisons (they came back negative), she had an IV for hydration and an injection to calm her stomach and had the Flora-Flora powder to sprinkle on her food. If she does not improve, then we move to X-rays, etc. The diagnostic end of it all. For Hugo Yugo to not eat is unsettling, just like with Lusa. For her not to play is just not right. Again, the same goes for the eaglet. Our condolences go out to Lori Covert, the folks at Window to Wildlife, but most of all Clive, Connie, and Cal.

When Connie and Joe lost Hope and Peace to rodenticide poisoning in 2020-21, it was a real tragedy. The parents knew what had happened. They stood over the dead body of their second eaglet in quiet disbelief. The eaglets had consumed less than a whole rat, but it was a designer poison, and Lori has spent years trying to get people to stop using rodenticides on the island. Joe never returned to the nest after the mourning period. And I will say it clearly and loud – he felt guilty for bringing that rat to the nest that killed their kids. Ask Marc Bekoff, Professor of Avian Behaviour at the University of Colorado at Boulder – animals have feelings. They care. They are sentient like we are.

So far, Cal looks good. They cannot, for safety and legal reasons, remove the body of Lusa. The adults might try to shove the body off the nest, even carry it and drop it in the ocean, or Lusa might wind up as part of the nest. There is no fear of Cal eating its sibling (yes, I have had multiple questions about that). I would have concerns if Lusa had highly pathogenic avian influenza. But that seems highly unlikely because Cal is doing so well. We saw siblings die close together on other nests if it was HPAI.

Connor stated that getting on a nest after four weeks is hard because the other eaglet might get spooked and jump off. That is the last thing we want to happen to Cal. So keep sending positive energy to this nest – it would be grand if Connie and Clive fledged an eaglet this year. With Connick having issues and falling off the nest last year and now going to the Smithsonian, it has been a while since Mum Connie saw a baby fly free.

Angel and Tom are both at their nest. The Blue Jays are apparently not bothering Tom but are aggravating Angel. If they continue to come to the nest, the camera will go live.

I have not done a lot of nest checking today so this post could be ‘slim’. I did head to Eagle Country to check on Swampy and Meadow. Indeed, all of the eaglets that have survived on the nests this year are a miracle. There were so many incidents of DNH…

Blaze was on the nest feeding his eaglets and did a splendid job of it. Both got lots and lots to eat! Gosh, Dad was very even-handed in that feeding. Those two are getting their thermal down. See how dark they are getting, and the soft, fluffy baby down is coming off., Darlings. Just little darlings.

A little bit of a mohawk coming.

E23 is looking good at SW Florida. Just keep all good wishes coming to every nest with babes – we never know what can happen. I am not saying this to worry you, but rather to appreciate those who are healthy and to stay vigilant should something be amiss.

It is very hard to see the eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands, but there are many watching and fingers crossed for this one to fledge. JBS20 certainly does take up more nest space than it did a few weeks ago! Only eaglets have the advantage of having all the food to themselves.

The only eaglet at WRDC continues to grow and thrive, but only after we had to hold our breath a few times. What a year it has been! We will not forget it soon, for all the wrong reasons. That said, the streaming cam is down, and, of course, right before that happened, R6 was fed another pigeon with bands on its legs. ‘H’ tells us, “The cams went down about 4.5 hours ago. R6 ate another pigeon band this afternoon, and we are supposed to be on pellet-and-band watch! Not only that, but the pigeon had a band on each leg, and we were also waiting to see which eagle would eat the other band! Rose ate a pigeon band on 2/11.’

I don’t know about anyone else but seeing these healthy eaglets eat leg bands and nappies and possibly poisoned rats is getting to me. We have so few eaglets this year…ah. Each is precious.

We are a day away from hatch watch at Superbeaks. Pepe and Muhlady should be hearing their chicks inside the shell. Oh, let us hope these eggs are viable. They are such good parents and just got on with life and had a second clutch. Fingers crossed along with toes.

Jackie and Shadow are looking pretty confident. We are now 12 days away from the hatch at Big Bear. You best get the worry beads, the stomach upset medicine, or whatever works for you. This will either be the day we leap out of our roofs in happiness or sit and fill a bucket full of tears. I am thinking of eaglets this year…the champagne is ready.

A look at how Friday went for Jackie and Shadow.

You need to get your votes in! This is the news from Cal Falcons about naming The New Guy.

“After over 200 suggestions and hundreds of votes, we have our four finalists:

Archie, after Archie Williams
Galen, after John Galen Howard
Morgan, after Julia Morgan
and
Mulford, after Walter Mulford

Vote for the winner here before Monday at 5pm:

https://bit.ly/NewGuy2024

Here’s a little more about each of our candidates:

Archie Williams was a successful Cal athlete and engineer. He won gold in the 400m race at the 1936 Olympics, became a highly decorated pilot and instructor, and was an influential teacher in California High Schools. Archie Williams High School is named in his honor.

John Galen Howard was one of the most influential architects at UC Berkeley. He designed many of the most iconic buildings on campus, including the Campanile, where Annie and New Guy live! He also designed Sather Gate, California Memorial Stadium, and many other buildings.

Julia Morgan was the first woman to earn a degree in Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley. She became a prolific and celebrated architect. You can see her work on campus in the form of the Greek Theatre. However, her most well-known design is Hearst Castle.

Walter Mulford was a long-time forestry professor at UC Berkeley, serving as the first Dean of the School of Forestry (now a part of the College of Natural Resources). He encouraged students to gain hands on experience outdoors and founded the Forestry Field Camp in Plumas National Forest.”

Please go and vote. Thanks SP for all that great information!

Wow. Talk about a miracle. Have a look at what happened to this crushed falcon egg! We see these when there is high humidity…and we hold our breath. This gives hope.

When I get sad, I always head to the Royal Albatross Colony. Why? Because I know that the NZ DOC Rangers do everything in their power to ensure that these chicks fledge!

Look at this cutie.

The two osplets at Pelican Bay appear to be doing rather well.

Thunder and Akecheta taking turns incubating their three eggs. Oh, I so hope that this nest is full of little eaglets just like at Big Bear.

One egg at Sauces. Dr Sharpe will be conducting a survey of the nests on the Channel Islands on the 24th according to the moderator of chat. We should be able to find out more about the other nests that we cannot see on cam after that visit.

No egg at Two Harbours for Chase and Cholyn, yet.

Andor and Cruz were both working on the Fraser Point nest – between the camera going on and coming off.

I missed this great video shot with the Centreport Bald Eagle Mum a few days ago. Stunning footage!

At Redding, Liberty proudly stands above her egg delaying incubation and awaiting the arrival of the second egg.

Fireworks. Anyone reading my blog knows that fireworks are dangerous for wildlife as well as for domestic pets. Why we as a society continue to allow millions of dollars to literally go up in smoke is beyond me when there is so much to be done for the environment, wildlife, human health, education, and housing. So, the fact that there are plans for a firework display in a nature reserve in Spain is incomprehensible.

‘Incomprehensible-Madrid-plans-huge-firework-display-on-nature-reserve-Spain-The-Guardian Download

For a smile, a close up of that Puffer Fish that Bradley was eating on the ropes on the 16th at Port Lincoln.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send your good wishes to all the nests and, also, to little Hugo Yugo. She is just not herself yet. She ate a few bites of food and then wanted in her carrier to be alone and sleep. I do worry about her so much. After losing Lewis, I am perhaps a bit sensitive, but Hugo Yugo has had such a rough start in life and she is so tiny – well…I am concerned.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, screen captures, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J, SP’, Window to Wildlife, Heidi McGrue, Jenna Lynn Dorsey, Eagle Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam, JBS Wetlands, WRDC, Superbeaks, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Cal Falcons, Elite Falconry, Royal Cam Albatross/NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, Ildiko A Polk, FORE, the IWS/Explore.org, PLO, and The Guardian.

Category Archives: Port Lincoln Ospreys

3 Hatches at Cal Falcons…Tuesday in Bird World

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Grateful for those that are thriving…Saturday in Bird World

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Pip, pip, hatch…Saturday in Bird World

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It’s raining Ospreys…Achieva chick demise…Saturday in Bird World

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Jack tries to save the egg at Captiva…Monday in Bird World

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Sunday in Bird World

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Friday in Bird World

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More Eagle eggs…tributes to Flaco…Sunday in Bird World

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Friday in Bird World

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Saturday in Bird World

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