Cams are down in Florida. We have yet to determine what happened. ‘PB’ sent the following images to me from Barb Henry. All is well at SW Florida in Fort Myers. We are waiting for the word of Clive. And I am presuming that Achieva platform is alright. It was still holding in the worst winds as the far eye wall went through last night.
This report is a kind of mixed-up stream of consciousness following of Milton and the nests. In particular, I focused on Captiva, Achieva, and SW Florida. Thursday was quite the day and many of the other nests got simply overlooked – brief mentions at the tail end. So many of you watched Clive and stayed with him til the cameras went out at Captiva. He is my hero! Let us all hope that there is some word from Window to Wildlife on his status on Thursday since power to the cameras appears to be out there.
This is the wall of the hurricane after Milton made landfall hitting the Achieva Osprey platform. Notice the surge of water in the street below.
Milton has made landfall. So far, M15 and F23’s nest is holding. Some of the upper branches might break off.
At 36 minutes to landfall…cameras went out at Captiva at 1934 or thereabouts. At that time, Clive was in the nest.
Achieva. 89 mph wind gusts at the moment. Achieva had 5 inches of rain in an hour and had more than 7 inches prior to that. Lots of flash floods. The worst of the winds seem to hit Achieva after 2100 and you could see the streets filling up with water. See second image below.
This was 24 minutes til landfall near Achieva nest.
M15 visited his nest in Fort Myers, Florida before a tornado was at Cape Coral moving towards the Fort Myers area. They are expecting that tornado to hit the area of the nest within a few minutes as I write this. This is a PDF tornado, a monster tornado with life-threatening winds. They are saying that these are some of the biggest tornadoes ever seen in Florida. There is significant damage on the north side of Fort Myers. The cells are moving to the east and the nest should be alright for now. It is 1317 at the nest.
Lots of water when that system went through but M15’s tree is still standing.
Twisting M15’s tree around. Not sure those top perches are going to survive this.
There are huge tornadoes all over the area of the nests that are covered on the streaming cams – and, of course, all those wildlife that are not covered on cam. What a horrible day this is going to be.
One of the Bald Eagles is in the nest at Captiva! Look at the time. We are within 1 hour 48 minutes of Milton making landfall. Maybe this eagle knows something we don’t. They are thinking the hurricane is going to hit Sarasota instead of Tampa Bay. That would include Fort Myers and, of course, Captiva is in that path.
Lots of power line flashes going on at Captiva.
Osprey nest at Captiva. The storm surge is hitting the island. Milton is 1 hour and 3 minutes away and the osprey nest is losing sticks and rocking but holding in there.
Cameras off at Captiva now. Clive was still at the nest, hunkered way down as the hurricane went right over Captiva on its way towards St Petersburgh and Sarasota.
‘PB’ sent the migration map. Notice how smart those birds were to avoid Florida.
In other news…
Wilko and sibling, halfway around the world, only have one thing on their mind – fish! *
Every crop is full at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.
‘A’ reports. “Those three are voracious eaters, and mum is kept very busy indeed filling those three endlessly open beaks. The youngest is very good at getting fed – it begs ceaselessly and loudly and always has its beak wide open. When it turns forward to face mum, it does not do as well as when it has its back to her in the tripod configuration I have been talking about. When the three beaks are gathered together in the centre of the tripod, it is very easy for mum to put food into all three, even though the heights vary. So the youngest has the best access to food in this position, which it has quickly realised. Smart little eyas. Getting fed is its number one priority after all and it is working that out fast.
These little snow people are beyond adorable. Fluffy wee falcons are the cutest things. Little dad is working hard and doing a great job. From soon after 16:24, we can hear him chirping away from the northern end of the ledge. Mum is brooding the trio, who are sprawled in front of the open garage, sleeping in a pile. Dad is eager to get mum’s attention, but she remains with the chicks, It certainly interests the chicks, who wake up at the sound of dad e=chupping. He then begins his kak-kak-kak vocalisation, loudly. He repeats it once or twice. No move from mum. “
The two little falcons appear to be doing just fine at Orange.
All is well with the Olympic Park Sea Eaglets.
Everything is good at Port Lincoln!
Thank you to everyone for being with us. Continue to send positive wishes to everyone as heavy work begins cleaning up after Milton. Take care. See you soon.
*It was reported that Mum removed Comet from the nest. This was an error. The second hatch was fed to the two other chicks as we saw at Niagara Bee.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, PR’, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Google Maps, BirdCast, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.
Wilko loves his fish and the third hatch had a swipe of fish at 1124.
Later, the third hatch ate well after Wilko was full and passed out in a food coma. Thanks, ‘H’ for that great clip!
It is just past noon on Tuesday as I begin writing this. We are listening to the news coming out of Florida as they prepare to be hit by Hurricane Milton either today or on Thursday. In the garden, here on the Canadian Prairies, it is a different story. Three Blue Jays are getting peanuts. Three. That means our resident family is safe. They will not migrate, but rather, stay with us for the winter. The Starlings are busy having baths and if this system will allow it, I will post a video of them really enjoying the water. The Crows have not been around, but we can hear them. All squirrels present and accounted for and The Boyfriend has had his breakfast.
Growing concern for the second hatch at Port Lincoln. Both Heidi and I have been anxious since it hatched. Osprey chicks love their fish and when they are not up screaming for fish within a few hours, I am always worried.
At 0616, my concern for the second hatch grows. I don’t think this little one has survived. What we need is one strong chick at this nest! So, let’s keep that in mind and wish this family well.
Chick 2 has died.
Rather sad. Outwardly that second hatch with its fat little bottom looks healthy. Thankfully, the little darling looks peaceful in death. Meanwhile, Wilko is screaming for fish.
The explanation for the choice of names for hatch 1 at Port Lincoln:
Hawk Mountain’s latest migration count:
Shockingly calm at Captiva Osprey platform Tuesday afternoon as Milton is set to hit the area in the next 18 hours at the time I am writing.
Late Monday evening and the winds are picking up with a bit of a howl on the streaming cams at both the Captiva Osprey and Bald Eagle nest.
You can see that the ground is heavily saturated at Fort Myers after Helene at the nest of M15 and F23.
If Milton stays to the trajectory forecast Monday, NE Florida might not get much more than a lot of heavy rain. Gabby was working on the nest on Tuesday.
There are still cars around the St Petersburgh streets and it appears to be the ‘calm before the storm’ at the Achieva Credit Union osprey nest. It is possible, according to predictions, that if the hurricane is a bit south, this area could be hit hard.
‘PB’ sent this posting from Window to Wildlife:
CROW has successfully evacuated from its premises on Sanibel with all its patients as of Tuesday afternoon. Fantastic effort.
These kestrel chicks are so cute and Mum is doing an amazing job feeding all of them. It sounds like peregrine falcons being fed, but quieter! https://youtu.be/PeTqhh3SwtE?
Xavier is providing plenty of prey for his family, too!
‘A’ reports on Diamond and Xavier: “Darling Xavier arrived with fresh prey at around 15:05 to find no Diamond and two hungry chicks. He spent some time preparing the food and seems a bit unsure, as if waiting for Diamond to arrive. At 15:08, he decided to feed the chicks. The first two bites were too big or had feathers on them or were somehow unsuitable so Xavier ate them himself. But shortly after 15:08:30, he finds a small beak with a bite of food. He makes sure that the next bite goes to the younger chick. Very nicely done, Xavier. Oh he is SUCH a sweetie. He works hard to get food to the younger chick, leaning down and carefully trying to put food into its beak, with success. He made very sure that he was giving bites to both chicks. He feeds carefully, as if not wanting to make a mistake and get into trouble with Diamond, perhaps. Sorry, honey, I choked a chick. No, I’m with Xavier. It doesn’t sound good!
What is good though is watching Xavier get some quality chick time. I love watching him get that rare chance to feed his chicks, especially when Diamond is being lazy with the younger hatch (she is not doing that to any major degree this year, but when she is, Xavier is always a welcome sight). He is so deliberate and yet eager at the same time. He does love being a dad. So many of these raptor dads do. They are a delight to watch enjoying their parenting duties. “
WBSE 33 and 34 will be branching soon. Look at them. So tall, so steady on their feet, beautiful juvenile plumage.
‘A’ sends the latest report from the Sea Eagle nest to us: “October 9: After an early duet with the eaglets joining in too, the eaglets both self-fed on the remains of a small bird that Dad brought in at 19:29 yesterday – a late delivery last night. SE33 was seen then expelling a pellet, standing on the front rim. Then both stood or rested on the nest all morning – waiting. After 12, SE33 flapped to the base of PB, and later was standing there. SE34 was flapping well in the bowl as well . A currawong swooper was still about. Around 4:30pm, SE33 was very close to branching – flapped across to the base of PB. At 16:37, one of the eagles at River Roost was seen heading off. Prey? Eaglets are still waiting for prey at 5pm. Lady finally delivered a gull chick at 17:22 and fed them both. Then more flapping across the nest.”
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please send positive wishes to all those in the eye of the hurricane. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, PB’, Heidi McGrue and the Joy of Ospreys, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Hawk Mountain, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, Achieva Credit Union, Chartered Group, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Olympic Sea Eagle Cam, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal and Vimeo, Nesting Bird Life and More.
There are not a lot of images today. Apologies all around. You will recall that I have been battling the fact that my allocation of media is at its limit. I have just discovered that there are over – hold on – 50,000 unattached files starting in 2017. I have been deleting them 20 at a time. There must be a more efficient way to do that!
For now, though, most of us have only one thing on our minds and that is Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida and our beloved birds (and friends) there. They are watching and expect Milton to make land fall at Tampa Bay as a category 3 or 4. Despite this slow down, it is going to be catastrophic for this area of Florida that does not normally get hit directly.
Before we even think about Milton, we need a smile and that comes from Annie and Archie who have returned to The Campanile to bond! https://youtu.be/iwBATgGYDHg?
It is difficult to sit and watch knowing that Hurricane Milton is going to tear through Sanibel possibly destroying the Captiva Osprey and Bald Eagle nests. The only – and I do mean ‘only’ – silver lining to any of this is that there are no eggs or chicks on any of the Florida nests yet. The Barrier Islands will get hit first and no doubt, the impact of this hurricane might well be much worse than Ian a couple of years ago. Our thoughts today are with the people and wildlife of Florida as Milton changed quickly from a category 1 to a category 5 hurricane in the blink of an eye. https://youtu.be/AdTp1XgG4Rg?
Many of the wildlife rehabilitation centres have no place to take their animals. They have more than two hundred patients, some because of Helene. They are in direct line of Milton and their buildings will not take the 160-200 mph winds. Good people are staying with their clients and this is beyond sad. CROW is on Sanibel. There might not be anything left of the homes on the Barrier Islands, according to the discussions on many of the weather channels Monday evening.
It is raining at Fort Myers on Monday.
It is raining at Captiva. I am expecting Captiva to get hit by Milton about the same time or slightly before Fort Myers.
Wind and rain begins Monday evening at Captiva. It is coming down harder and harder.
Captiva Eagle Cam. Have a good look at both of them so we can compare after.
The winds are starting to pick up at Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburgh.
Gabby was at the NE Florida nest in the early morning hours of Monday. I do not know if Beau is on the LOP (Look Out Perch).
At the Olympic Sea Eagle nest, ‘A’ writes: “At WBSE, we still have two eaglets lying duckling style, side by side, on the nest. They are such adorable nestlings, soon to be fledglings. They are getting along famously as usual – I remain absolutely convinced that we have two brothers here. They have had virtually no bonking at all – a little enforcing of pecking order for a few days but nothing vicious and never anything that prevented either chick from eating. So as usual, Lady and Dad have done a sterling job of making a mockery of this ‘obligate siblicide’ rubbish that is written about WBSEs. Now, we await with great trepidation the post-fledge fate of these gorgeous eaglets whom we have come to adore. My heart just sinks at the thought. But be positive. This might just be the year. ” “Ooh, I hear honking. That must be the WBSE tab and yes, sure enough, a bird has been brought to the nest. Dad is calling for Lady, not wanting to feed the nestlings but not prepared to leave them to fight over the food. Lady is on the perch branch, not responding, and Dad is very confused about what to do. Eventually he begins preparing the food. Now, he has taken it to the bottom of the perch branch, from which vantage point he continues to glance at Lady. The eaglets have no clue what is going on. Nor do I. (I’m pretty sure I have the parental IDs correct – you know I’m often unsure about these two.) Dad sidles up the branch towards Lady and she moves away, further up the branch, and then flies off. Dad is left preparing the bird on the perch branch. We wait to see whether he feeds it to the eaglets, eats it himself, leaves it for the kids to fight over, or some combination of the above. “
Report from Sea Eagles sent by ‘A’: “ October 8: An early duet just after 5am, then several more. Both eaglets were flapping and jumping. At 6:58 Dad brought a gull chick, quickly grabbed by SE34 & mantled over. 34 fed until SE33 managed to steal it after about 20 minutes. Lady took over when she came in around 8am. She returned with a small fish at 8:43, followed by Dad with a gull chick. Lady took over feeding from both prey, with SE33 grabbing the gull wing and trying hard to take it, but Lady stood firm and kept feeding. A magpie was swooping them as well –with both eaglets alert and watching. At 12:38 Lady brought a gull chick, fed very briefly, then took it to de-feather on the branch, but dropped it as she fell off the branch. She managed to get it from the ground – most unusual – and at 13:22 fed a little more again. Lady brought a bream just before 5pm and fed both. Then more, when Dad brought another gull chick at 18:17, which Lady took off to de-feather. She was still eating it herself at 6:45…. They have had plenty though today.”
‘A’ was really hopeful that Diamond would leave that third egg out of the egg cup, but later, she moved it back and began incubating. Many of you will be screaming at Diamond – I know my daughter and ‘A’ are to get over and feed that second hatch. We have seen this before. The second chick’s neck seems to grow after a couple of days or it learns to jump to get that food. Fingers crossed. ‘A’ reports: “At some feedings, Diamond just cannot be bothered reaching for the younger chick’s beak, especially if it is behind its older sibling, and continues to encourage the older chick to eat and eat, even after it has collapsed once or twice, while the younger chick begs and begs for food, its little beak wide open. She is annoying. And then, while she waits for the older chick to snap out of its food coma, she eats herself! I am not overly concerned about this because there is plenty of food and eventually, at most feedings, the little one does get fed. But I am SO glad there is not a third chick, especially now there has been Ca time gap of over two days since the second hatch. I really would hate to see a tiny third chick try and attract enough attention from Diamond to get fed properly in its first five days or so. But they are getting frequent feedings so I am sure that both chicks will be adequately fed. I am merely reiterating what you and I know already – that Diamond really is not temperamentally up to raising three eyases. She should be perfectly fine with two, as she has been every other season I have watched. But the little one was still begging for more food at the end of that feeding, with Diamond ignoring it completely to eat for herself, then left the box with the remainder with the youngest still chirping for food the whole time she is gone.
This morning there were small birds on the branches of the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23. A pair of horses could be seen in the pasture. It was also relatively calm at Captiva as Milton moves in on Florida.
There are two at Port Lincoln. There has been some notice that the second chick has not eaten or did not eat as well as expected. Is it tired from hatching? We will just have to wait and see. The obs board shows that Wilko, chick one, has been fed twice and that the second hatch, once.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send all positive wishes to everyone in Florida. Take care yourself. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, KHOU 11, NEFL-AEF, Olympic Sea Eagle Cam, and Charter Group Bird Cams.
Sunday was a bit nippy. 9 C. The 40 kph winds were whipping the trees about with the leaves falling at an alarming rate. It is now 1100 and everyone is in the garden. Three Crows eating peanuts and suet. Three Blue Jays doing the same. Then there are the 18 or so European Starlings trying to grab some mealworms in between the Jays and the Crows. At least in our garden, they are not bullies. Everyone seems to wait their turn like planes lined up on a runway. Since the spring we have not been able to see the little birds very well as they have been hidden in the lilac bushes with their thick leaves. Soon all of those lilacs will be bare.
The bird feeder workshop was quite fun. The young woman leading the few of us that dared to show we lacked some essential skills was wonderful. She discussed every aspect feeding birds from seeds to feeders and for me, how to breed my own meal worms. Yes, we will call it Hugo Yugo’s Meal Work Farm!!!!! I don’t think Calico would want anything to do with bugs and worms! You need a transparent plastic bin (ugh, plastic), some paper towels, bran, and some starter meal worms. This tub has apparently been going at Oak Hammock Marsh for fifteen years. There are hundreds and hundreds of meal worms. I will keep you posted – I have everything but the breeding stock of worms.
Then we had a tray that showed us what to feed birds, different seeds for different species. Two things she noted should not be fed: bacon grease and peanut butter. Both of them will stick to the feathers of the birds and prevent them from flying. The bacon grease melts at a lower temperature than suet which should only be used in the winter. So don’t be tempted to use it. Popcorn – do not salt or butter – and best not on strings. Just air pop it and put it on your tray feeder! Some seeds can only be purchased at specialty bird shops while others can be bought at your local feed and seed stores. Calico says to always check prices -. We get some seed from a local farmer and others at the feed and seed. Our specialty bird feed store is at least twice as expensive. With the number of birds we feed, we need to find good quality food at reasonable prices.
And like magic…another feeder for the garden!
In the fields adjacent to the marsh, the geese were feeding. There were all four species that come to this area of the Canadian Prairies present – Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, White-front Geese, and Canada Geese.
Florida hasn’t cleaned up after Hurricane Helene and already Milton is on its way to hit Fort Myers. Again, we can only be thankful that the raptors do not have any eggs or chicks in those nests. This will be the largest evacuation of Florida sine 2017 as Milton prepares for landfall. Milton appears to have the potential to impact all of the nests in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville. Stay safe everyone.
A different view of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles from cam 4. Lady is hunting for lunch! https://youtu.be/UIO6-eJBsGA?
Lady worked hard for prey.
Xavier tried to feed his chicks! Poor Guy. He is such a sweetie. Diamond is one protective falcon female!!!!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/rSGA_ATc7IE?
‘A’ reports that it is time to name the chicks at Orange! “Thought you would want this info in your blog as soon as it dropped. Here is the link for voting. They will choose the top two names from the voting (and the third egg, if it hatches, will get the third most popular name).
So did Mum tell Dad to go and get a fish or put in a phone call to the fish fairies? He flew out right after a little chat. 🙂
OMG. Ervie’s little brother or sister is so cute…and Mum had such a time getting it back under her after its feeding!
Heidi reports: “The second hatch at Port Lincoln occurred prior to 15:19 on 10/7. The second baby was first seen out of the shell for a split second in a very fuzzy cam view at 15:19 (screenshot).”
Lukin is the name of the little White-tail eaglet at Port Lincoln. He is 50 days old today and is standing and walking on the crane nest quite steadily.
Beau was on the LOP and Gabby was there, too. They are in the area of Milton. Send them good wishes – like I know you will to everyone.
It is raining in Fort Myers. The ground is absolutely saturated.
The nest is really a beauty. F23 and M15 have been working particularly hard and those cot rails are getting perfect. I wonder what it will look like after this hurricane? https://youtu.be/mOMRW5Ff8yw?
Brown Pelican caught on the Captiva Osprey cam where it is also raining and winds are gusting. Milton is not set to make landfall til Tuesday.
As most of you are aware, my husband has Lewy Body Dementia. Getting out in nature is essential not only to HIS mental health, but also mine. Taking part in simple activities, like building a bird feeder, is also key to one’s well being. It was not rocket science. Pre-drilled holes, but it helped with confidence. So if you know of someone who needs a boost, see what is happening at your local wildlife centre and take them! Sign up for a morning bird walk, build a bird house, learn to identify raptors. Life is truly beautiful – live it! Our dance card is full – every day there is something even if it is a trip to the local farmer’s market for their final event. The local honey is divine. Fantastic in tea or on toast.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Send warm wishes to everyone in the path of Milton as Florida prepares to get hit again.
Bird World is so exciting with all the new babies. Watch the cams, check them out, rewind to see the wonderful feedings. Watching falcons is so much different than ospreys. Now that we know that the fish fairies will visit Port Lincoln, we can relax. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, Oak Hammock Marsh, CNN Weather, Olympic Park Eagle Cam 4, SK Hideaways, Falcon Cam Project, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Heidi McGrue, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, BirdMap, and The Guardian.
If I had one wish, it would be for Jackie and Shadow to raise an eaglet this year to fledge. I am certain that you feel the same. Maybe we can send them the most positive energy. I cannot think of a more deserving couple – they are already working on that nest. They live in ‘hope’.
‘R’ wrote, concerned about me. It wasn’t me, it was one of my dear friends and reporters. I, on the other hand, worry that the albatross won’t survive the five to six years out on those rough seas with those long line factory ships. Or that the oceans, especially the Southern Ocean, are getting too acidic. I am far too cranky and will be cheering those albatross on and those ships to go extinct! Thanks, ‘R’ for worrying about me. And I am sorry if the cemetery plot got anyone weepy. It is a response to my best friend having to deal with all of the red tape attached to her husband’s death. I want things to be simple for my kids, like it was for me when my mother died. The real difficulty is which monument maker can create an osprey with a big fish? So don’t be sad. I will be kicking around for far more years than you might want!!!!!!!!!!!
Right now I am sitting over Devonian Lake. It is so quiet. The geese are out feeding. Only a few ducks and gulls remain on the lake. I did have a big of a giggle. One of the extraordinarily large homes had its drive way full of geese eating pebbles!!!!!!! Full. Packed in there like there was a Taylor Swift concert. It was a strange sight.
These moments have to be the most bittersweet in all of Bird World. The parent returns, waits and waits for the chick to feed them, and they are gone. They will never see one another again. The adults will not see one another again until they return to breed. What devotion. I wish their world is a safer place for them and for all our feathered friends so that these huge sea birds that can live longer than many humans return year after year to their mates to raise chicks.
‘A’ remarks: “Oh, our babies are gone. When I went onto automatic and checked the albatross tab, there were no chicks in camera view and TF’s nest and his play nest were both empty. I felt such a pang and tears prickled my eyes but I try to remind myself that he is on the adventure that is his lifetime and this was what he was born for. I just wish the human destruction of little TF’s world did not create so many hazards for our fledglings. And I also remind myself that darling YRK is home. The returning breeding birds are arriving steadily now, and it is wonderful to see them. These are our survivors.
Papa LGK came in to feed his son at lunchtime today (12:52:17) and called out for TF chick, just as mum LGL did when she came in yesterday after he fledged. We wish LGK a tummy full of squid and safe travels until his return. We hope to see him and LGL in about a year’s time. (Hopefully, their next egg will hatch in late January 2026 (one chick every second year).
You know that I love my Blue Jays! Now Mr and Mrs Junior are the only ones coming to the garden. Here are four things you might not know these things about Blue Jays! https://youtu.be/VndKdMKXY1c?
Junior does not migrate. Sometimes Mrs Junior does.
Speaking of migration, I think that you will like that book that Calico and I are digging into: Bird Migration. A New Understanding by J. H. Rappole. It is written in non-scientific language. Everything is crystal clear. I liked that the author went back and examined previous theories about migration. What he says will not be knew to you if you have been reading my blog. Birds migrate because of food – not weather! The Black-capped Chickadees live in my garden all winter as do the ones at Bird’s Hill Park – they have an abundance of food resources and do not require moving to a different geographical area. We have Bald Eagles that remain in Manitoba breaking open thin ice to catch fish. The Geese are migrating, following the harvest down to the US from Canada because there is a super abundance of food.
The error in past thinking is that it was weather than drove birds to migrate. Rappole talks about the innate clock, seasonal changes (such as the end of the growing season and harvest) that lead to migration. He discusses the fact that outside of their breeding grounds many of the migrants are highly vulnerable in territories occupied by other birds that are resident year round. You might want to order the book through your library – its price is $47 CDN from the on line retailers. If it were $20, I would say go for it, but this is for those really interested in the nuances of migration. For that reason, Calico gives it her 9 paw award.
Gabby and 24E1 were on the nest tree earlier on Tuesday. There is no way to know if Beau is in the area as the cameras, now only two of them, are focused on the nest tree.
There is flooding in areas north of the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest and the weather forecast is for bad weather in the area of the nest. The eagles will take cover during that tropical storm watch. At least six days of rain with thunderstorms are brewing for Gabby and 24E1.
Please note that I have cancelled out the city around the nest to avoid divulging its location.
There is an eagle at the NCTC nest.
Wings of Whimsy gives us the Bald Eagle nest round up for the week ending on the 22nd of September. Check it out to see who is at home and who isn’t. https://youtu.be/MFCzzzgMHoE?
Hawk Mountain’s count for the week in migration:
I was so happy to see so many of you talking about the sea eaglets and how cute these two are. They certainly are!
For those of you who remember Phyllis Robbins, she said she would appear as a ‘red leaf’. Look at that beautiful red leaf!
Incubation continues at Collins Street. ‘A’ writes: “Dear little dad at Collins Street is the funniest falcon. This morning around 11:09, mum got up and flew off the ledge. She was back after a mere minute, obviously aware that dad was nearby. He arrived on the ledge 15 seconds or so later with a scrap of food for mum. She grabbed it from him on the ledge and flew off to eat it. Dad hustled along to the scrape and settled on his eggs, chirping away to them as he did so. He has the cutest little chirps when he talks to the eggs. I love his chatting away to them. I’m sure those chicks will recognise dad as soon as they hatch. Such a cutie.
When mum returns at 11:27:34, Dad holds his ground and chirps for a little but his protests are short-lived. He soon gets up, and shortly before 11:28 he dives off the ledge and allows mum to resume incubation duties. “
Calypso, Ervie, Giliath, and Bradley are going to have some siblings soon. I wonder if we might get some females this year? Otherwise we might have to think about a translocation project to get these fellas a mate!
At the Growing Home osprey platform, a really nice fish dinner came in for that little one – and with both parents on the nest, they are keeping this baby ‘secret’ just like it was a famous film star’s children.
More on the topic of Menhaden and what must be done if we are to save the ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay. Brian Collins has really hit the proverbial nail on the head in this post. Please, please write your Senators and Congressional Representatives. Do it for Cobey, the Colonial Beach Osplet that starved to death before our very eyes.
Natural England’s report on Hen Harrier breeding across the UK:
Many of you enjoyed Margaret Renkl’s book, The Comfort of Crows. Renkl has published a hard copy journal for people to use as a weekly diary of what is happening in their own gardens. It is called Leaf, Cloud, and Crow. Lots of pages for writing, sketching and it all begins with the first week of winter in late December. It is a great follow up to The Comfort of Crows where we get a glimpse of how an accomplished author celebrates the ordinary which is extraordinary right outside her window. It is also a good follow-up to Amy Tan’s book The Backyard Bird Chronicles -Tan didn’t know how to draw and took classes. But who cares what your drawings look like? Do your own chronicles! Watch how the birds and animals, the foliage, changes from season to season. Then do it again the following year. By the time you start your third year, you will know instinctively when the Dark-eyed Juncos will arrive and you will have your bag of White Millet on hand.
I have been scribbling for years in my Manitoba Bird book, a gift from my grandson, Carter, eons ago. I think it is time to take it to the next level and record the daily happenings. Thinking about those new little instant cameras that print photos…that might be fun to add to the mix. I might have helped run a School of Art, but, I cannot draw! or paint. Photographs are good but increasingly I am getting frustrated with digital images. When you have 58,000 on your phone, how do you find the one you really want? Frustrating.
Our ordinary gardens then become extraordinary.
Calico’s Tip for the Day! It can save your life, and it comes from a former student.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, K, R’, FOBBV, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Cam Albatross FB group New Zealand, NEFL-AEF, Weather Channel, NCTC, Wings of Whimsy, Hawk Mountain, Olympic Park Eaglets, Nesting Bird Life & More, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Growing Home Ospreys, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, Margaret Renkl.
My goodness. Sunday was the most glorious autumn day. It seemed everyone was outside, eating ice cream, having a last picnic, watching the ducks and geese. There were Wood Ducks, Mallards, and lots of Canada Geese at the pond.
.This was the pond in the afternoon. I can’t describe how beautiful and crisp the fall day was.
In the evening, we were at the nature centre. At least 100 Cormorants perched in three trees between Elliot Lake and Devonian Lake. The gulls flew in first, perhaps 500 or more at the lake’s western end. The Geese arrived late. They will feed twice a day. They leave the lake around 1000 and return a few hours later to rest on the water. Then they go out to feed again, returning around dusk. Because the weather is so nice, they stay and feed at the fields later than usual.
The ‘Cormorant Trees’:
Some sounds of the geese coming in – kinda’ like ‘white noise’…the geese are flying in at a distance. You can see some…they landed at the lake to our left, not the one in front of us for the most part.
It was a great evening. Next week we will be at Oak Hammock Marsh for their goose flight and we hope to return to Ft Whyte before Thanksgiving (October 14).
‘A’ has just sent news that Top Flat Chick, the Royal Cam chick, has fledged: “We have just had the confirmation from ranger Sharyn. And of course, I am crying. I wish our sweet TF chick safe travels but doubt I will live long enough to see him return in five years. :Mum LGL has just been in and has been looking for TF to make sure her baby has really gone and no longer needs her to feed him. She has had a good look around and waited patiently on the nest for a while, just to be sure, but I think she knows he is gone. TFT fledged yesterday apparently.
This is always SO hard. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead, and these chicks have had no parental training in hunting or foraging for food. Of course with our eaglets and osplets, we often never see them again and never know what happens to them, especially here in Australia where we don’t band our eagles or falcons (though we do band some of our ospreys).
But this morning, 23 September, was the official fledge date for TF chick. I’ll go and have a little cry now. My sea eaglets are close to leaving too, and like the albatrosses, the world they will face out there is a very hard one for them. I would love to see Lady and Dad training these two to catch fish, as we did see with one of the fledglings last year I recall, but of course the smaller birds are relentless and this season seems worse than the last in that respect. “
‘A’: “Dear little dad at Collins Street puts such a smile on my face. He loves to chat to his eggs with a tiny high-pitched chirp. He is adorable. He has not been bringing food to the ledge this week – mum is heading off on her own to get food or to access one of the pantries. When M22 arrived to relieve her this morning, he had a huge crop. Meanwhile at Orange (speaking of falcons with large crops – yes, we’re looking at you, Diamond), the companionship between Diamond and Xavier is just a joy to watch. This season, Xavier has been spending quite a bit of time just hanging on the ledge, keeping Diamond company. It is just too sweet.// I love their 4.45am bonding sessions where both of them fall asleep in the middle, then wake up 45 minutes later and continue as if they hadn’t paused at all. TOO funny. They are a wonderful pair to observe year-round, as their relationship is hysterically funny to watch. “
Port Lincoln would like you to help guess when the first egg will hatch. Put the day and time you believe will be the winner in the chat under their streaming cam.
Geemeff and ‘SP’ found another article on the dire consequences of the Menhaden commercial fishing on Ospreys. This really does need to stop. Tomorrow I will gather information and provide you with the address to send a letter before 2 October if you feel so inclined. They should outlaw industrial fishing within 3 miles of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and anywhere in the Bay —- and if someone is brave, outlaw it altogether! Ospreys are starving to death at a rate in excess of the deaths of DDT (or so it is believed now). Remember the problem is Virginia. The other states have laws!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please examine the map and you will see how that mouth of the Bay must be protected. Can any Menhaden get to Maryland?
Anyone can write. What is crucial is that the Menhaden have to get through Virginia waters in order to feed the ospreys lower in the Bay. Check out the maps. Here is the information on who to write to – the deadline is looming. 25 September at 1000.
‘J’ sends news that the little eaglet who had yet to fly but had survived its nest collapsing has been killed by a coyote who breached the enclosure at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
I wonder how many males are still delivering fish to young osprey fledglings? Beaumont certainly is in Newfoundland!
Jackie and Shadow wanted to let everyone know that they are fine after the threats of the Line Fire. https://youtu.be/PacRB76JN4w?
It will be so wonderful to see Shadow with his sticks and beautiful Jackie at the nest in the morning’s diamonds!
Gabby and 24E1 were at the nest on Sunday.
M15 and F23 were busy at the nest in Fort Myers! Nice to see them again.
It was a bird breakfast for the Olympic Park Eaglets.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care! See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, J, PB, SP’, NZ DOC, Port Lincoln Ospreys, The Washington Post, Google Maps, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, Thomas Lilly, FOLFAN, Newfoundland Power, SK Hideaways, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Elain and Holly Parsons, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Olympic Park Eagles.
As is typical, I am writing my post on Saturday. I had hoped for some sun and wind to dry up all the rain, but, the rain is now coming down harder and harder. Three Crows were frantically pecking at the nut cylinder. I noticed that they gave each other space so that they could eat. All was going well until Dyson arrived! The Crows flew off. They returned later for a big bowl of cheesy dogs. I can see Junior at the feeder sorting through the peanuts. Where is Mrs Junior? It is always worrisome when one or the other does not show up at the morning feeder.
Dyson is moulting. She isn’t sick! She is so strong and healthy. It makes us happy to be a part of her life. I wish we could get the trees to grow faster or convince her to please just stay in our garden. No roads!
It has really started pouring. And yeah, Mrs Junior just flew in to get some peanuts!!!!!! Relief.
In Canada, Beaumont continues to deliver large fish to the nest where his two fledglings might like to scrap for the dinner! Both are eating well and Beaumont is making sure each is fed.
Dad and at least one chick are still at the LDF nest in Kuzeme Latvia.
Right now there is harmony and peace at the NE Florida nest of Gabby. She doesn’t seem to care if the male has necrotic feet in places. They are on the branches together, side by side at times, and in the nest making nestorations. If Gabby gets to raise little eaglets in peace this year, we should all jump up and down with joyful tears.
They have been on and off the nest on Saturday. The AEF has ‘temporarily’ designated the male as 24E1 (year, eagle, first visitor).
The eyes of the male visitor remind me so much of those of Samson. I know it isn’t, but for a split second.
The SW Florida streaming cams are up and ready for action starting today or tomorrow.
It was a beautiful day at the nest of Bella at the NCTC. Didn’t see any eagles.
You can help support conservation by buying stamps! Aren’t these beautiful?
These will be available in the new year. There are currently others for sale – some designed by adults and other junior winners. They are lovely.
The little eaglet in Australia is doing so well and this little fluffy bundle of joy has a name – Lukin.
Bradley and Shultzie. Yes! Good thing there are two perches. It’s always good, just like the Blue Jays, to get a total head count before sunset.
Judy Harrington brings us up to date with the Olympic Park Eagles.
The new pair in the USK Valley in Wales left late. They didn’t breed but hopes are high for 2025.
Bird Flu is possibly the reason for the decline in Peregrine Falcon populations in the US. Like everything else, it is still with us – it just isn’t making the news like it did. That is a shame.
Xavier flew out for the morning breakfast hunt. Diamond waits patiently to see what he will return with for her meal.
We blinked and the Olympic Park Eaglets grew and grew. When did this happen? They are more steady on their feet. Their wing feathers are growing in. They look like eagles, not nestlings. SE 34 is learning to self-feed.
Will we see the Royal Cam chick back on cam before fledge? Possibly not.
Pippa’s Mum is the first to return: Royal Cam chick Atawhai (Miss Pippa) and Lillibet’s Mum YRK is the first to return to Taiaroa this year. You will remember her amazing mate, OGK – some of us still tear up at the thought of him. OGK has not been seen since he went missing in 2022.
The Only Bob at Growing Home is so fortunate. It will never ever have to share a fish with a ravenous sibling. Look carefully. Tiny white bobblehead.
The fight for the survival of the osprey (and other wildlife) in the Chesapeake Bay is on and hinges on the curtailing of the industrial fishing of Menhaden.
There is always something to learn about migration: “For migrating birds, fall brings difficulty and danger. To reach warm winter climes, many birds must fly hundreds or thousands of miles, expend immense amounts of energy and successfully dodge storms, skyscrapers and other potential threats.
Still, scientists have long assumed that a basic trade-off made migration worth the gamble: Once birds arrived at their wintering grounds, they wouldn’t need to work so hard to stay warm, saving substantial amounts of energy. “But nobody ever tested this,” said Nils Linek, a behavioral ecologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany.
Now, Dr. Linek and his colleagues have done so. Their findings, based on a partially migratory population of German blackbirds, challenge the conventional wisdom. Even in the depths of winter, blackbirds basking in balmy southern Europe or northern Africa did not spend any less energy than those riding out the cold in Germany, the scientists found.”
Calico’s Tip for the Day. You have heard us mention numerous times the need to halt bird collisions. Residences indeed account for more deaths than skyscrapers. Hard to believe? I know, but it is true if you take all the deaths due to our windows collectively. So what is the problem? People do not know how to stop the birds from hitting their windows. Calico says that you must space the decals on the OUTSIDE of the window at least 5 cm or two inches apart. That’s right. You cannot just put one decal on the outside of your window and hope it will work; you never put it on the inside. The most economical method is window paint. Again, on the outside of the windows. I liked using the white or the yellow. Squiggle everywhere. Let your children or grandchildren help. The window paints come off easily.
Nova Scotia’s official bird (I know that everyone knew that, right?) on an iconic boat, the Bluenose II.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for the notes, posts, videos, articles, images, tweets, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘PB for today and for Saturday’s Tweet from Dr Greene’, Newfoundland Power, LDF, NEFL-AEF, NCTC, USFWS, Port Lincoln Osprey, Judy Harrington and Olympic Park Eagles, Jeff Kear and USK Valley Ospreys, Audubon, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Olympic Park Eagles, The Royal Albatross Centre, Growing Home, Bryan Watts and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Sharon Dunne, Bluenose II, USFWS, Birdlife International, and The New York Times.
Dr Greene just posted his fond farewells to Iris and family!
The garden feels intensely wet still. Hopefully today’s wind will help dry things up. Every tree and shrub got a good start to getting ready for their hibernation!
We have a full day on Friday. It started with a visit to the Japanese exhibition at The Leaf made possible by the local bonsai group. This was followed by a good old walk at the nature centre, and a birthday party for the oldest grandson. At the end of it all, life felt good. Still alive. Not ready to whither like the vines and leaves are doing.
The exact origin of torii is uncertain. “torii” means “bird sitting,” possibly referring to birds perching on the crossbeams. Torii gates are used to separate the ordinary world from the sacred, and they can be found at both Buddhist and Shinto sacred sites in Japan.
A Zen dry garden.
Cranes. Tsuru. Symbols of longevity and good luck. Thought to live 1000 years, the birds mate for life and also symbolize loyalty. They are a common motif in Japanese art.
By the time we got to the nature center, it was 21 C. There were some ducks on Devonian Lake and a few ducks at the other ponds. Songbirds included American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadees, and White-throated Sparrows. Geese were heard overhead.
Good News. Firefighters save Willow and Scout’s Bald Eagle nest from the Airport fire in California.
Niagara Bee looks sad and empty. This osprey platform needs a predator baffle—feel free to message them on FB! If a Raccoon killed that Osprey, as indicated by the camera footage, then this is a must, an absolute must.
The osprey on the perch at Charlo is eating a fish. It is either Charlie or C16. I cannot tell. C16 was 100 days old on 20 September.
Jack was on the perch at Achieva in St Petersburg.
Beaumont comes in with a magnificent fish for one of the fledglings.
And another delivery!
Deliveries still coming in Latvia.
Quiet at Hellgate Canyon.
Thanks, ‘PB’ for the latest update from Dr Greene:
The season is really coming to an end except for Australia and Florida.
Two difference choices of Spanish fledglings to get to Africa!
The Olympic Park Sea Eagles are doing really well. Just look at them lined up so nicely.
Were you watching the Royal Albatross in 2019? One has just been seen off the coast of South Africa!
You are probably sick of listening to me about the need to control the commercial fishing of Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay if our Osprey are to survive. Please send your comments to the individual in the posting below before 2 October if you think that watching Osprey chicks starve to death because a Canadian company is taking every last one of the Menhaden is wrong. Thank you. Please do it for Cobey, the Colonial Beach Osplet who starved to death on his nest along with 99% of the other chicks in that area.
In the latest issue of The Journal of Raptor Research (vol. 58, no. 3, September 2024), an article looking at window strike had some interesting information:L. “Raptors occupying urban environments may be more vulnerable to window collisions than rural raptors because of the greater density of buildings in urban areas. Although large buildings such as skyscrapers cause the greatest number of bird collisions per building, the vast numbers of residential homes across urbanized landscapes collectively pose a far greater risk (399).” Please put up window collision stickers, use window paint markers, Feather Friendly strips, whatever it takes! Thank you.
Calico’s Tip of the Day: Dryer Balls. “Dryer balls are most commonly made of tightly compressed wool, but can also be made of plastic or rubber. They help prevent laundry from clumping together in the dryer by tumbling between layers and separating fabric. This action allows warm air to circulate better which can even help reduce drying time. (Maytag)”. We discovered that with an average load, using four dryer balls, the amount of drying time was cut in less half and at a lower temperature. All towels were fluffy.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourself. Have a lovely weekend. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘PB, SP’, The Leaf, Ft Whyte Alive, CBS News Los Angeles, Niagara Bee, Charlo Montana, Achieva Credit Union, Newfoundland Power, Nesting Bird, LDF, @Hellgate Osprey, Progretto Falco piscatory, Gregorius Joris Toonen, Olympic Park Eagles, Growing Home Ospreys, Jerinelle Wray, NEFL-AEF, Androcat, Sharon Dunne, Thomas Lilly and Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, and The Journal of Raptor Research.
Ah, the ads continue to appear for some – my sincerest apologies. What a headache. I have done all I can, and WordPress is trying to block the third party. Today, I wanted to forget about them!
The garden has been a flurry of activity today after the heavy rains yesterday and overnight. Six Crows have been at the nut cylinder along with the squirrels, including Dyson shown below, and a pair of Blue Jays (Mr and Mrs Junior). Numerous species of Sparrows and Wrens are filling up with seed as the days get shorter.
Junior watches Mr Crow cautiously.
Another Crow decides fighting for the nut cylinder is too much bother and goes for the Cheesy Dogs.
Most of the birds in the garden will not migrate. As their habitat in our area of the City dwindles, more and more come to the feeders. I wonder what it will be like in the winter? I am contemplating building a very large covered feeding area so their seed does not get wet from the snow.
I normally call the Fifteenth of September the end of Osprey season. In the US and Canada, there are, however, still a few Dads hard at work feeding their hungry Juveniles! One of those is not Finnegan. Dr Greene has seen two ospreys in the area that he believes are Iris and Finnegan while he believes that Sum-eh and Antali have departed.
One Dad still feeding osplets is the one at Niagara Bee. There are two survivors. And goodness, gosh, there was some ‘confusion of a sorts’ over the death of the one on the nest. If an eagle had been the predator, it would have swooped down and taken the osplet off the nest and away. Think Cowlitz PUD for a good example. If it had been a GHO, well, they might have flown down and did a grab and go which is what they did at Lake Murray, but then that owl turned around and sat on the nest eating the poor chicks leaving one. So? One keen viewer caught the raccoon attaching the fledgling on the Niagara Bee nest so, it wasn’t an eagle as Niagara Bee had pronounced earlier.
Beaumont is still at Snow Lane with the fledgling? It looks like just one to me. There is no fight over the fish so I am making a presumption that Hope and one juvenile have left the area. Please correct me if I am in error!
Sandpoint is quiet.
Charlo is quiet. Junebug has not been seen since the 15 September.
Hawk Mountains migration count to date:
Of course, there are some lovely chicks and some eggs to hatch ‘down under’. Just look at how much that little White-tail Eaglet has grown in 30 days! It has such a nice crop.
Marrum and Partney at Tumby Island now have two more eggs. The first was predated by a Raven. Let us hope that they can change shifts quickly and never leave the nest alone or those Ravens, who are watching, will be quick to come to the nest. Thanks, PLO, for the image!
In Australia, surprise. Diamond welcomes Xavier’s prey gift! Look carefully. It is not a Starling! https://youtu.be/MbWuvrz2iOo?
Changeover at Melbourne, too. Don’t you love how these urban falcons have a stash of prey. Mum flies off, Dad comes to the eggs after she has accepted breakie off camera!
Every time you see a raptor. Be kind. As ‘H’ notes, we are losing them at an astonishing rate. This is truly sad.
Looks like it is eel for breakfast for the White-Bellied Sea Eagles at the Olympic Park in Sydney. Thanks cam operator for those great close ups. How many of us would love to have that plumage?!
Fat little bottom on SE34.
It is time to name the chick at Taiaroa Head.
So a question in the mailbox from ‘BHA’ and I just bet that some of you are asking the same question. How do Ospreys Navigate? This is a great question and the Scottish Wildlife Trust supplies us with a great answer that is not lost in scientific jargon.
Numerous theories have been suggested, including the presence of a protein within osprey’s eyes which enables them to visualise the Earth’s magnetic field. This would be followed to warmer climates in the south, whilst hugging the coastline to stay within reach of feeding areas.
A process of ‘vector summation’ is also suggested, as a means of segmenting the journey into achievable distances. These segments are genetically inherent, meaning the knowledge of which direction to travel in during each flight step (and the number of steps) will be present since infanthood. This process is much more greatly relied on by juveniles taking their first migration, as they will not yet have the topographical memory needed to readjust their trajectory towards recognisable landmarks.
External factors such as wind drift can impact the orientation of ospreys, which can be detrimental to their success. Once off course it is not so simple to re-calibrate an internal GPS. Often osprey do not recover well from being blown off course. Depending on the direction of the wind they could end up over deserts – with no opportunities to find food and exposed to unexpected predators – or in vast expanses of ocean where the next land is nearer to South America than the fish abundant deltas of Senegal or The Gambia.
Even staying on course has its perils. For example crossing the Bay of Biscay, the massive gulf between France and Spain represents a great challenge. With favourable winds, this path can be taken in one long stint with the aim to continue down the Spanish coastline. But continuous flight across the Bay also runs the risk of draining energy levels, and being mobbed by seagulls along the way. This increases the risk of drowning before reaching the next resting place, and is an option better left to experienced birds.
We know that youngsters taking their first flight do not have the benefit of an experienced osprey like Iris who is now using landmarks to help her get to her winter home. I like to think that they have 62 million years of DNA and a built in GPS system. We have to use computer systems to help us navigate.
It is Eagle Time (except for the Southern Hemisphere), and I will bring you news on books to give you some insight into these magnificent birds.
Beau is resting in the NE Florida nest. I had not seen Gabby by 1700. Does Beau have an issue with his left foot? and is he resting on the nest because of it? I wonder.
As the eagles begin returning to their nests, I will post information on some books you might like. There are many books that describe the birds as well as websites, but I am looking for something more for you. The books I mention will be substantially different from those. Jack F Davis’ The Bald Eagle. The Improbably Journey of America’s Bird is full of information about the cultural history of this majestic bird. What strikes me is how many prejudices that have existed for centuries continue. For example, eagles steal children! At the time of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, “Raptors were excluded…Furthermore, a few out-of-touch ornithologists insisted that H. leucocephalus, the new scientific name given to the Bald Eagle, was a nonmigratory species. This erroneous claim influenced the thinking in government agencies and Congress.” Davis continues, “It was not a marketable good traded across the Canadian border, although it was killed on both sides of it. And it was not a game bird to be protected for the sporting crowd. It was a predator, an animalis non grata, an enemy of civilisation (226).” Davis documents how the eagle became a particularly precarious bird once the US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 and commercial fishing industries arrived there. Alaska set up a bounty on the birds! It had been 20 cents in 1806 and was increased to $1 for every pair of talons. People delivered them by the bucket load. It was not until Rosalie Edge bought up the area around Hawk Mountain and began to lobby for changes to the Migratory Bird Act that the eagles received protection. Her task was not easy. Appearing before a meeting with Audubon, Edge was told that the public loathed the bald eagle and that the Alaska bounty should remain (237)! Edge argued that the symbol that had helped ‘win World War II’ would go extinct if something was not done (238). The argument to protect the Bald Eagle would continue well into the 1940s. Davis continues his book with the restoration of the Bald Eagle into the various states, beginning with an experimental plan at Patuxent. The book was published in 2022 and includes the challenges DDT raised about Bald Eagles, the cultural symbolism with Indigenous people, and the controversies surrounding the eagle. It is a good read, particularly if you love Bald Eagles. Indeed, it would be best if you educated yourself on their history so that you appreciate them even more today.
Want a feel good moment? What about a 52 year old parrot? It has been taken into care – palliative care. The caregiver spends their time on the floor with this lovely one! Thanks, ‘J’. Senior animals, whatever their species, need our devotion and love. They have certainly given it to us over the years.
There is a lesson in here. Don’t buy a parrot unless you have excellent DNA and intend to be around for about 80 years to care for them.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Protect Yourself. Do you have a smoke alarm? a carbon monoxide detector? Then you should be going out and getting yourself one! She wants you to be safe. There are many different kinds from the standard one that uses batteries to ones connected to wifi that can alert you to hazards when you are away from home. In the end, you need one and Calico says you might get a discount on your home owner’s insurance. Best of all, they could save your life!
Calico found some information on hos those carbon monoxide detectors can be useful. Have a read. Calico suggests you read to your kitty!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘BHA, Geemeff, H, J, Jeff Kear, PB’, Montana Osprey Project, Newfoundland Power, Sandpoint, Charlo Montana Ospreys, Hawk Mountain, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Nesting Bird Life & More, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, ‘H’ and Audubon, Olympic Park Eagles, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Cam Albatross Group New Zealand, NEFL-AEF, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Jack F Davis’ The Bald Eagle. The Improbably Journey of America’s Bird, The Guardian, Follow the Feathers, CPSC Documents,
It is a scorcher, but thankfully, there is a good breeze. Clear blue sky, sun beating down, 30 C. We have filled the bird baths twice, and they require more water. It is 1341. Most of the little songbirds stay in the shade of the lilacs and that deep tunnel we created between them and the trees at the back. Two Blue Jays are getting peanuts off the big table feeder. I have yet to see the squirrels.
We had a bit of a fright Monday morning. All of the doors were locked and secured. Like many of you, I have a particular alarm if those doors are opened. It did not go off. Baby Hope did not come for breakfast. She always comes, but she never eats wet food. She did not come. I know precisely how quickly one can go from calm to hysterical – about 15 seconds! The storage room was emptied, and all appliances, cupboards, etc. were checked. No Hope. Eventually, she was found ‘terrified’ under the sitting room sofa. We had checked, and she wasn’t there, but she was this time. She was very skittery. She came out after four hours and nosed Calico, and they had a bit of a tumble. She is not herself. Quite frightened. I cannot imagine what has scared her so much. I wait in the hope that she will be herself soon. And, by 1600 she was fine. Very strange. It did force me to clean the storage room, though. Lots of things on the boulevard that others might want or need!
In Bird World, Antali and Finnegan are at the Hellgate nest. The image below is Iris who is also still home and who visited the nest shortly after noon on Monday. Iris has a necklace and Finnegan is white breasted like Antali. She needs a fish!
It will not be long til Antali is prepared to take flight and then Finnegan will probably eat up for a day and take off. In normal circumstances, the male will never leave a fledgling. They do not normally catch their own fish until they are on their way away from the nest, although some have been known to be precocious and do fish.
Antali was on and off the nest and the perch. Finnegan brought him a headless fish at 1240.
And away Finnegan goes!
At Charlo Montana, C16 is on the nest wanting fish. His chest is quite sunken – the kiddo needs a fish. It is very windy there. C16 got some fish!!!!!
The nest cleaners – European Starlings – were at Dunrovin.
‘H’ tells me that this camera at Osoyoos has been frozen for a number of days. It came back on Monday morning. ‘H’ identifies this juvenile as #2 or Middle. Soo delivers a fish on Monday, too. Mum is still home.
At Newfoundland Power Snow Lane’s nest, Beaumont and Hope are both home along with at least one juvenile. I did not see a fight for fish which makes me wonder if one of the fledglings has left the area.
Keo is still delivering fish to River at the Sandpoint Osprey platform.
Harvie is delivering fish to the Fortis-Exshaw nest also.
There is at least one juvenile hanging around the Blackbush at Old Tracadie Harbour osprey platform hoping for some fish. I did not see a delivery and I cannot tell you if it is a single osplet coming and going or more than one. No one is banded! And I have not studied the head patterns of the chicks at this nest.
I did not see any Ospreys at the Cowlitz PUD nest on Monday.
Some may be concerned about the Line Fire in San Bernardino County and Jackie and Shadow. Sharon Pollock posted news from Big Bear:
Jackie and Shadow are very experienced and they can fly and we must presume they will do so to get out of harm’s way should the fire spread to the area of their territory in Big Bear Valley.
Didn’t see any eagles at the WRDC nest when I checked. It is the home to Ron and Rose.
The latest migrator bird count as posted on the Loch Arkaig FB page! Only 36 ospreys so far.
This is Geemeff’s closing daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust. Enjoy! She will be back with us in the spring after our osprey family arrives.
Final daily summary Monday 9th September 2024
Quoting WTS George: As the dried up flounder tail of time finally descends into the expectant crop of autumn, I notice it’s nearly the end of our season… I’m sorry I haven’t an Osprey, but here’s one I prepared earlier: A rollercoaster season in 2024: triumph, tragedy, and plenty more! Season’s highlights captured from Nest Cam Two, I’ll be doing a separate highlights video for Nest One in due course which will be on my YouTube channel and I’ll also post it on Adam’s site,
https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey/ To keep in touch over winter, Adam welcomes everyone to his site, it also uses Hyvor, and for those on Facebook there is the Friends of Loch Arkaig. It has been an eventful season, all part of nature in the raw, and it will be interesting to see what next year brings. Hoping for two resident families next year.
Many thanks to everyone for their company during the season, special thanks to George for this forum, and Woodland Trust for allowing me to clip bits off their livestreams for my own amusement, Steve Q for the fish stats, Liz B for the wonderful off-nest reports, Beverley for the overnight reports, and Postcode Lottery for funding the nest cams. Extra special thanks to Brenda J for keeping me up to date when I’m away by sending me frequent fishmails, much appreciated.
I look forward to Spring 2025 and Season Nine for the Loch Arkaig Ospreys.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 20.39.55 (05.57.58); Nest Two 20.35.01 (06.05.38)
Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/DO7XJOA6OEs A rollercoaster season in 2024: triumph, tragedy, and plenty more! Season’s highlights 2024
The White-tailed eagle at Port Lincoln is growing. There were high winds the other day and some were concerned. It is still there – that little white bundle in the straw.
Tweed Valley’s Teddy (oh, just adorable as a youngster in the nest) is in Portugal. He made it!!!!!!!!!!
At Nova Scotia’s Russell Lake osprey nest, Oscar and Sylor are still home.
Beautiful close-ups of the Olympic Park sea eagles. The gorgeous rust is coming in at the tip of the espresso-black juvenile feathers. My goodness talk about gorgeous on that snow white! https://youtu.be/LRiIuOhlu9g?
‘A’ remarks, “Just TOO cute this morning was SE33, who tried to join in when Dad and Lady were doing their 05:39 morning duet. The tiny little honks were the most adorable thing I’ve heard in days. I couldn’t quite believe my ears, so I rewound and could see SE33’s little body vibrating with the honking it was doing.
SE34 is growing very nicely and looking active and healthy. SE33 is fed first at most feedings, by mutual agreement, but SE34 is almost always able to eat enough once SE33 has eaten enough. And of course Lady is keeping an eye on him.
The eaglets did a lot of preening while waiting for their meal this morning. They must both be itchy, with feathers emerging everywhere! SE33’s tail feathers are becoming visible now too. Breakfast arrived courtesy of Dad shortly before 06:25. Again, it was young and feathered. SE33 was closest to the table and as usual was fed first. (SE34 still appeared to have a reasonable crop from the night before!)
Shortly before 06:29, SE34 shuffles forward so that the two eaglets are side by side. He is rewarded with his first bite of breakfast. SE33 is unbothered until Lady goes to give SE34 a second consecutive bite, at which point SE33 leans in front of SE34 and steals the bite from Lady’s beak. Remember the pecking order, mum! Lady gives SE34 the next bite, and again there is no objection from SE33 until mum goes to give SE34 a second bite, and again, SE33 leans in to take what it believes to be rightfully its mouthful.
Lady resumes feeding SE33 only, with SE34 a step further back from the table, waiting his turn. SE34 definitely appears larger than its older sibling as they sit side by side at this morning’s feeding. It may be extra fluff, but it may also be because SE34 is female or because SE34 has been getting the better of the feedings over the last few days (which I don’t think is the case – at least not on a regular basis). So I will be fascinated to know (if we ever do find out) what gender these two are. I do so wish they would band and sex these nestlings. It would really help SO much in establishing where they are dispersing to and whether they are breeding successfully in their new territories. That surely would be worth knowing. But obviously not. “
At Port Lincoln, Heidi caught Dad delivering the morning fish.
.’A’ brings us up to date on Xavier and Diamond, “At Orange, Xavier had nearly two hours of egg time this afternoon, though Diamond has now resumed her rightful position as incubator in chief. Diamond was swooped four times in the middle of this afternoon by a black-shouldered kite but sustained no damage. All is well between them of course, with bonding early this morning and Xavier spending quite a bit of time just standing next to Diamond as she incubates the eggs. He is such a darling. He adores Diamond…..Diamond and Xavier had a particularly early bonding session in the scrape this morning (04:36:50), after which Xavier remained in the nest box for about an hour, just hanging about and keeping Diamond company. He has been doing this quite a lot over recent days. He is just SO sweet and he really does adore Diamond. She is doing most of the incubating, but Xavier did get a half-hour of egg time shortly after 11am (Diamond has just resumed her position on the eggs). These two are just SO endearing, and we have watched them together for several years now, 24/7 all year round, so they are like family to us and we know their little habits and routines so well. Of course it makes us all experts! We like to think we understand these two, but of course we don’t. We only get a glimpse of their lives. We’ll never know what it feels like to go into a stoop at 100 miles an hour for example. We see only one part of their lives really – their relationship with each other and with their chicks. But I sometimes wish they could equip a falcon with a tiny camera that gave us a vicarious version of their true lives… At Orange, a persistent visitor today was a willy wagtail, who repeatedly landed confidently on the ledge. Such cute little birds, so well known in the Australian bush. Very brave and determined little creatures. Xavier bought himself some egg time when Diamond headed off for lunch, returning with an absolute monster of a crop. The general consensus was that it contained a luncheon pigeon and would sustain her until morning. It was so gigantic that it appeared almost as large as Xavier. All of him. He took one look at the gigantic Diamond on the ledge and made no protest at all – left the eggs and the scrape in double quick time for him. These two really make me laugh. They are so ‘human’ in their interactions, or perhaps they just make it easy for us to anthropomorphise. Hatch watch begins some time in the first week of October. I really hope there are only two hatches and that they are not too far apart. And a Dudley to lean on or to use as a pillow is always useful for the younger chick when trying to reach Diamond’s beak. Many chatters are hoping for three chicks but I don’t think they’ve watched Diamond closely enough! We both know how lazy she can be, even with two, and the younger chick in her scrape really has to work hard for its food. Mind you, it does usually end up pretty proficient at getting fed, like darling Rufus. Such a sweet little falcon. I loved him dearly. He was such a personality for one so small, and so very determ”
There is sad news coming out of Kakapo Recovery. Thank you, ‘J’ – Ranger was my adopted Kakapo!
‘A’ sends news of the Royal Cam chick: “We are getting so close to fledge at Taiaroa Head, where TF chick was 231 days old today and TFT chick about a week younger. Neither was weighed today, as the rangers are concentrating on chicks requiring supplementary feeding (one is being fed five days a week, which is most unusual). Last week, TF chick weighed 9.7kg (average for male chicks of that age at this colony) and he has been fed by both parents in the week since. He produced a bolus on 6 September, so was obviously ready to fledge, and has been really working his wings over the past couple of days. Probably all it will take are favourable winds to launch him on the lonely journey that will be his life. When I switched on the albatross tab for a quick chick check tonight and could see no signs of TF sleeping on his nest, my heart literally skipped a beat. Is he gone? No-one on the chat is indicating that there has been a fledge but I cannot see either of the chicks (TF or TFT) right now. (It is a particularly dark night and TF’s new nest is not in the circle of light provided by the IR light on the camera.) But both chicks were still on the headland late this afternoon (around 17:30), so I doubt they have departed quite yet. I am unsure whether TFT has produced a bolus as yet, but TF has been fed by both parents since producing his on 6 September so will probably produce another before fledging. I have read nothing about the contents of the bolus he has expelled.”
Calico wants to give everyone some ways to make their phone last longer. Our reading time Monday night was an article in The New York Times. She was surprised when we read that you should not plug your phone in and charge it overnight every night – that you should check your settings and only charge your phone to 80%. The battery will last longer! There are other tips and she hopes that they will help you. Calico wants you to use Merlin when you go for a walk or go to the park and check for birds!
Wirecutter: You Don’t Need a New Phone. Here’s How to Make the One You Have Last Longer.
One of our heroes is Bob Horvath and this year the Centreport Eagle family is donating all of the proceeds of their 2025 calendar to WINORR – Horvath’s organization that rescues and rehabilitates raptors including many of our beloved ospreys. Here is the information:
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, streaming cams, annual summaries and daily synopsis: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Montana Osprey Project, Owl Research Project/Explore, Fortis-Exshaw Osoyoos Osprey Platform, Newfoundland Power, Fortis-Exshaw Canmore Osprey Cam, Sandpoint Osprey Platform, Blackbush, Cowlitz PUD, Sharon Pollock, FOBBV, WRDC, Loch Arkaig FB Page, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Connie Dennis and Ospreys of Nova Scotia FB, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, and Heidi McGrue and Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Kakapo Recovery, and The New York Times.
