Sunday was a very rainy day. Despite that we did the Chickadee Trail at Bird’s Hill Provincial Park – the long trail. It is fast becoming my favourite place to walk because of the silence. Yes, on occasion, you can hear traffic from the main highway but mostly it is the song of the chickadees that fills the air. They were hungry today as not so many people visited the park in the recurring periods of heavy rain. Every where we stopped, wee little songbirds, the sweetest things, flew down to our hands to grab a seed! It is magical. They weigh nothing. They are so beautiful. And like all other songbirds, we need to protect them.
The paths were a bit muddy but there was a rich earthy scent to our walk that we didn’t have yesterday. What a privilege to be able to visit a place during every season.
So cute.
Calico finally had her party. It wasn’t as glitzy as it might have been, but they all enjoyed those squeezy chicken treats and dear Hugo Yugo was into everything before Calico could get there. She got a new reclining scratch post, much needed as they have used up the other two. They still like to sleep on them like a chaise. She has a new book and lots of dental chewy sticks that she loves plus some other dental treats.
Calico is licking her lips! She loved her new scratch post and devoured her treats and got right into chewing on her dental toys.
Missey decided it was safer elsewhere. Missey loves those squishy squeezy chicken treats. (They smell terrible).
The big news in Bird World is what we knew, but what we wanted to see – a juvenile sea eaglet being fed by Lady or Dad down by the river roost. If it wasn’t for the energy and dedication of BOGS like Rohan Geddes we might not feel the relief that we are seeing this baby being fed by its parent. Now..if we could only see both sea eaglets being fed at the same time – well, that would feel like winning the Super Jackpot Lottery.
Here is all the latest news I could find trolling the Internet.
Are you in Devon? There is a fundraiser to put up some platforms for the Ospreys!
Some Ospreys are doing so well they have decided not to migrate yet. Remember it is all about food availability, not weather.
News of a Kielder Fledgling at its winter home in Senegal!
‘BA’ reminded me to mention Bubba at Growing Home. That nest is near Sydney, Australia. So grate to have another osprey cam in Australia. Bubba is doing fantastic. Looks fully feathered to me!
Gabby and Beau at the nest on Sunday.
It was windy in Big Bear Valley. Jackie and Shadow did some quick nestorations on Sunday.
Nest collapse at Iroquois Wildlife Refuge. Will the eagles rebuild so they can be seen on the cam? We wait.
There is good news for the Black Grouse population in Europe.
Calico’s birthday book, Sky Dancer, by Gill Lewis, looks very promising as a book that you might want to add to the list of children in your lives, ages 8-12. (I am enjoying it, too). I will keep you posted as we work through a book where children wonder what ‘the wild’ really is. Gill Lewis is a vet who has travelled from the Arctic to Africa, examining different species and their habitats. She lives in the UK and has a series of books I am keenly interested in. We need to educate our children to know about the history of raptors, such as the hen harriers who were virtually killed out of existence in the UK. In 2016, only three pairs – think about that – successfully raised young in the UK. Lewis says, “I hope that the dream of rewilding our landscape and rewilding our own lives becomes a reality.”
Ongoing results for the International Osprey Data Project: I am behind in entering nests. I still have 8 from Nova Scotia, 2 from Manitoba, and about 20 miscellaneous ones for 2024. This is, however, the results of our mortality study for 2024 so far, without those nests.
Out of 493 eggs, 80 DNH, 103 died, and 309 lived. Of those that died, 1 was from an illness, 10 were nest accidents, 1 was electrocuted, 2 were deemed to be natural deaths, 8 deaths were from unknown causes, 37 were predated with owls being the largest killer, 1 died in rehab, 1 died after translocation cause unknown so far, 19 died from siblicide, 10 starved to death (there will be many more in this category once I finish entering data), and 13 died from weather-related events.
Sharon Dunne brings us up to date with what is happening with the Royal Albatross.
Calico’s Tip for the Day: Bird Feeders should be at least 15 feet or 4 metres from any windows. All windows should be bird friendly. Decals and stickers need to be spaced close together and placed on the OUTSIDE of the window or they are not effective. Calico does not recommend them as it is expensive to purchase enough for them to repel the birds. Instead for those with short budget strings, get window markers made by Crayola. The white and yellow work well. For those with more funds, Calico recommends Feather Friendly strips.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: Rohan Geddes, Judy Harrington, Dixie Rottler, Devon Osprey Partnership, John Thorpe, Joanna Dailey, Falcon Cam Project, SK Hideaways, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Growing Home, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baiba, Trudi Kronenberg, Rewilding Europe, International Osprey Data Project, Sharon Dunne, USFWS Alaska.
Thank you so much for being with us. It is nearly the end of October! Tomorrow is Halloween. The following day is All Souls Day, and when I lived in England, we were preparing to celebrate Guy Fawke’s Day on the 5th of November. I have lots of beautiful memories of ‘Guys’ in wagons, bonfires, and jacket potatoes in the back garden with friends. It marked fall. The back garden of our house on Gorse Road in Grantham had fruit trees, mostly apples and plums. They were delicious and by the beginning of November all had been picked and eaten or given to friends and neighbours. The ones that had fallen were left for the hedgehogs to eat. Shallow bowls of water were always left on the back step for them, too. When we first moved to the UK, hedgehogs were the stuff of children’s stories. Our son decided to bring one inside the house. Yes, those of you who are British will know what happened next! Fleas flew everywhere. It was a solid cloud. Our dear little friend quickly found its way back to the orchard – and if memory holds, not a single other hedgehog made its way into the house.
The past several years have been really challenging. I never know if I am waking up to a toddler or a teenager. It is difficult navigating through life with a partner whose Lewy Body Dementia is getting worse. I have learned more about dementia in the last couple of years than I ever imagined. Well, to begin with, I never imagined caring for a person with dementia a decade younger than I am, but it happens more often than you might think. There are beautiful moments, and then, in a blink, his world and mine change. I have learned to grasp onto those times and hold them tight. Thank you for bearing with me through these transitions. My reports are not as long and do not include as much academic information – Bird World is relatively quiet right now (thank goodness) and my real focus is always the ospreys. Thankfully, the Northern Hemisphere’s breeding season is not here yet and will not be in full swing until the new year. In the meantime, I am so grateful for the garden animals and The Girls and for the fact that I can go for long extended walks in the parks and forests near to where I live. It all helps keep my mind in balance!
I did have a laugh. One long time reader and friend thought that Missey had done Calico in. No, Calico was not eaten by Missey! Yes, I know Missey looks huge in the images. She is large; she is a Maine Coon, but she is also mostly fur. Missey does look formidable, something out of a medieval forest lurking with magical creatures. Calico is, however, very much alive and well. Both Calico and Missey like to think that they are the boss, but the real boss of the house is Hugo Yugo. She is the tiniest, bossiest little ginger female I have ever met. She will rush to finish her food dish and then leap off the counter and run to push Calico away from her dish so she can eat it. That single fact has helped Calico lose all that weight. Just look at how trim she is. The vet will be pleased when she sees her in November for her annual check up. When we brought Calico in from the cold outdoors, we did not know when she was born. The vet guessed how old she was and based on that we picked November 2 for her birthday. This, of course, means that we will be having another one of those wild parties on Saturday.
Sadly, as The Girls have now all passed the year mark, they do not run and play at night like they used to. I surely miss that!
The real boss of the house! And if you are wondering, Hugo Yugo did run and jump on Calico to get that spot in the purple chair.
I have said it once and I will say it a million times, Baby Hope is nothing short of the sweetest thing around. Look at her staring at Hugo Yugo as HY is getting ready to leap to the top of the cat tree.
Calico and Baby Hope never cause an instant of trouble. It is always Hugo Yugo and Missey. If things are falling down in the middle of the night, you can count on it being those two.
Two Crows were at the big tray feeder. I counted. This one carefully took six peanuts including this one, the seventh, in his beak. Incredible. The Crows are ‘off’ the cheesy dogs. I also find that very interesting. They started wanting only peanuts in early September. We start out with huge piles on the tray feeders – big and small – and scattered on the deck for the squirrels. They will be gone within an hour! I am not kidding you.
Junior and the Mrs were also after those peanuts. Just look at that pile of peanuts on both those feeders. These Corvids are busy! They are in competition with three grey squirrels and two red ones.
Just a quick note. Yesterday I included the day’s sightings at some of the Bald Eagle nests. I did not mean to imply that eagles had not visited ETSU-Johnson City. I had just not seen them yesterday. Boone and Jolene have been regularly visiting the nest and refurbishing it!
Wildlife groups and rehabilitation clinics continue to plead with people not to use the fake spider webs. Here is another one:
What is going on in Bird World? Well, the focus is on the Sea Eaglets at the Olympic Park in Sydney. And the questions that are on everyone’s mind are these: Are the eaglets eating (either being fed or getting their own prey? OR Will they wind up grounded near the Discovery Centre and wind up in care – which if they are not so emaciated, would not be so bad. As far as I can tell the only bad scenario is that these fledglings are not seen fed and are not grounded by the Discovery Centre so they can be rescued. So fingers crossed. I will post all the news that I can find.
“October 29: Eagles were seen on the river around 7:30 –then shortly after on the mangroves – one with a fish. While doing surveys in the wetlands nearby between 7am and 8:30, there was no sign of either eaglet. Around 8:15, an eaglet was seen flying across the Armory grassland, being chased by the usual swoopers. It was seen on top of one of the old Navy-era mounds, then flew off again. One eaglet was reported by a member of the public along one of the pathways, but was gone when we investigated. We think this is SE34 and it is flying strongly and moving about. There were more sightings during the day, and one of the eaglets was seen from the ferry, flying along the river. Early evening, Dad was seen with a bird, taking it to River Roost. Neither eagle returned to the nest today. At dusk, the adults were at River Roost. The picture is from a sighting yesterday.”
‘A’ remarks: “I can hear those damned currawongs from the open WBSE tab, which I check regularly in the hope that one time, I will see an eaglet back on the nest, eating some fish. But all I hear are currawongs. It’s worrying, and oh so sad. I really thought this year might be different, due to the lengthier time the youngsters spent dealing with the swoopers while still having the nest as their ‘safe spot’. But it seems not. And what is really worrying to me is that it seems to be the parents who are letting the eaglets down. I was hoping that, like last season, the parents would help the eaglets by feeding them and showing them where the fish were. Watching their parents hunt would surely have helped immensely. But apparently this is not happening. “
In the Central Business District of Melbourne, there is a peregrine falcon scrape. Everyone held their breath as one of the chicks got a little too close to the ledge. https://youtu.be/0nKnS5II4rU?
They are getting their juvenile feathers as you can see clearly in the images below. They will be walking soon, tall and strong. They are learning to pluck by watching the parents who are bringing the prey to the nest and plucking it before them.
‘A’ remarks: “At Collins Street, the littles are self-feeding, and at least from dad’s point of view, it may well have reached the dump and depart phase. He brought some prey early, about 06:12, but one of the humongous fluffballs grabbed it from him and dad considered, then thought better of trying to retrieve it. The triumphant chick took its prize down into the gutter to eat it in peace, so dad retrieved what looked like a very long leg (or perhaps a piece of wing) from the scrape and began feeding it to one of the others.
The third chick sat motionless, intently watching the scene unfold, from the back corner of the scrape. Eventually, it moved forward and into the feeding line. When dad responded by offering it food, it stole the entire piece and took it back into its corner of the scrape, where it proceeded to self-feed. Dad continued feeding what was left of his leftovers to the remaining chick.
So in the end, everyone ate breakfast, but it was hardly the most organised or coordinated of feedings. Everyone ate in their own place and in their own time. Dad just went with the flow, handling the situation with aplomb. These three are already a massive handful for their parents, especially poor little dad, who is dwarfed by his offspring. This family is just TOO funny. “
These kids at Collins Street are so precocious. They are developing right where they should and one decided to take the prey from Dad and high tail it to the other end of the ledge!
Oops. Dad arrived Wednesday morning on the ledge and those triplets let him know that he can only come with his talons full! https://youtu.be/ej47XnKN9JE?
At Port Lincoln, Wilko eats first but Kasse wants some fish and gets some! He scoots up and Mum notices. ‘A’ comments: “At Port Lincoln, there was a bit of bonking at 06:32, but dad brought in a small whole fish at 06:41 and everyone was happy. Kasse is up off hisd tarsi and onto his feet today. He seems to have a fascination with feet that reminds me of a sweet girl called Lindsay. She too had to be reminded that other people’s toes were not toys. But Kasse is playing with Wilco’s toes and with mum’s. Just adorable. “
Diamond feeds Yira and Garramma their second breakfast. Xavier had a good go for a few minutes!
Black Stork Migration. Here is the Bird Map chart for the 30th of October. Waba still appears to be in the very south of Egypt at his last transmission.
Despite the fact that ospreys are what make me wake up in the morning, I love all birds and there are some that pull at my heart strings more than others. Jackie and Shadow are one of those couples. Jackie was at the nest looking at it and out over the territory while Shadow was finding the best sticks for cot rails. This couple lives in hope – the eternal hope that maybe this year they will be able to raise another eaglet together.
Polar Bears. The Canadian province where I live is often called the world’s Polar Bear capital. At our local zoo, three live in a large open space with pools and dens built a few years ago. In the north, in Churchill, the bears are hungry. If they come into the town three times, they are shot. Not tranquilized, but killed. They are hungry. The sea ice has retreated, and there are fewer seals they rely on for food. It is hot in Churchill and parts of the Arctic. It is unclear when the entire ecosystem that supports them will collapse, but there is evidence to show that it is beginning to happen sooner than expected. So what about captivity, like our zoo? What are the pros? And cons?
This is a good read. It asks a lot of important questions.
What a great post from Connie Dennis in Nova Scotia. How often do we hear people say or read that our dear feathered friends, mammals, and fish do not have feelings? They are sentient beings; their behaviour towards these beautiful creatures will surely change once people recognize this. For a good read on animals and birds as sentient beings look no further than Marc Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals.
The trailer for the documentary on California Condors from the Ventana Wildlife Society: https://youtu.be/dgCVAA-NNig?
Geemeff sends us some really good news. Don’t we wish we could get together and buy the Chesapeake Bay and stop the fishing? They say, “One more parcel of land for nature, one less for the #IdiotsWithGuns who like to kill in the name of so-called ‘sport’.
While that is a good thought-provoking read about polar bears, we are going to close today with a good news story about a juvenile rescue. We need these good stories!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care everyone. Stay safe out there.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, J, SA’ Valerie Wright , Judy Harrington, Kerry Allen, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Deborah Victoriana, SK Hideaways, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Falcon Cam Project, NEFL-AEF, Androcat, Charter Group Birdcams, The Guardian, Connie Dennis, Ventana Wildlife Society, Tamarack Wildlife Centre.
Oh, we had a fun time Saturday afternoon. For the past four years, CPAWS (Canada Parks and Wilderness Society) hosts a Halloween walk with games and treats at Bird’s Hill Provincial Park. We headed out to get our 2k exercise and check out the chickadees. Had they returned? And would they land on our hands for seed?
Decorations lined the paths, which were clearly marked. There was that peculiar smell of fall, the musky sweet aroma of the fallen leaves under our boots, so familiar that one never forgets it from year to year.
To the right of our dear witch are the golden leaves of the Oak trees, so plentiful in the park. There were conifers, aspens, and birch.
When we were in Nova Scotia, our remembrances of the trip were the Red Maple Leaves we collected and the pine cones. There were no Red Maples in the woods, but we did find pine cones to add to the bowl on our dining table. They are so tiny compared to the ones we brought home from the Annapolis Valley.
The Black-capped Chickadees were not shy. They would get their seed, fly quickly to a branch to crush and eat it, and then, just as quickly return for another. The energy they expend getting food is admirable. It is their familiar song – the chick-a-dee-dee – that filled the air on Saturday.
I had no idea how many calls these cute little birds had until I checked the information on the Cornell Bird Lab site.
‘A’ remarks on SE34’s fledge: “The rain had come over this morning shortly before SE34 fledged. It looked grey and overcast and as if it were raining or about to do so. It was not great fledging weather, but soon after SE34 fledged, the sun came out and things were looking a lot brighter.
In the minute before fledging, SE34 had been struck by a swooping currawong on the nest (09:58:40). The currawong then flew to a branch right in front of SE34’s face, about a metre away, and the two vocalised at each other before the currawong flew off. SE34 hopped and flapped around the nest, making vocals indicating his displeasure. Just before 09:59 the currawong swooped again, this time met by SE34, who flapped and vocalised at the currawong. SE34 moved up the perch branch, and at 09:59:06, the currawong again swooped past him. SE34 hesitated for a second and then fledged, flying off in pursuit of the currawong, or so it appeared.
We did not see either eaglet for the remainder of the day, so I am keenly awaiting the ranger report for this evening. “
In Port Lincoln, Wilko and Kasse have stopped the slight agro as they move out of the reptile phase. Totally grand. I have loved how Kasse tried to make herself bigger and looked Wilko straight in the eye. Would not be surprised if Wilko is a male and Kasse a female. But we will have to wait – and wait for a long time maybe. Everyone believed Calypso to be a female and she turned out to be a he with a mate this year. I often wonder at how Falkey and Bassa shot out of Port Lincoln like Zoe if they weren’t females….just weird thoughts on a Sunday morning sitting in the sun. Of course, Tiger Mozone told me in jest years ago not to question the person ringing the raptors. But, of course, I do because only DNA testing or seeing an egg is the absolute mark of gender. https://youtu.be/foDdB91SsI4? (more below)
I hope that eel that Lady kept from the ospreys is for the sea eaglets!
‘A’ comments on what I am worried about, too – have the sea eaglets been fed? “I’m concerned too. Here is yesterday’s ranger report, which doesn’t actually give much comfort:
October 27: SE34 slept on the front rail of the nest overnight – were the parents nearby? Early morning swoopers were about and swooping SE34 as he moved a little about the nest branches. SE34 moved up higher, then back to the nest again. A currawong came close, clipping/ SE34. The eaglet flew off then, strongly – flying out and up. So SE34 fledged today around 10am, at 81 days from hatching. Then, he was out of sight. The ground crew reported adults down on the river and SE33 possibly out of sight in the mangroves. At 1:20pm, no prey had been brought back to the now-empty nest. Around 1:30pm, one fledgling was seen flying over Ermington Bay, landing on the power tower. Then, when flushed, it took off over Wentworth Point and the residential areas – and away. The parents were circling overhead. Later, SE33 was seen flying back towards the general forest area again. As well, an eaglet was reported earlier on the ground in the area near the nest – SE34 – in the restricted access area. After 5pm, the adults were seen circling high overhead. There were several sightings of them, so SE33 seems to be moving about. We are unsure where SE34 is at the end of the day. Will the adults return to the nest area? Will either fledgling?
When SE34 fledged, he had just been struck by a currawong swooper, and it seemed to me, watching the footage of the five minutes or so leading up to the fledge, that SE34 took off after the currawong, chasing it. I was pleased to see that it was not the other way around! But SE34 definitely appeared to me to be chasing his tormentor. That attitude is a good one, at any rate. But the fact that it has been seen on the ground near the nest is not a great sign. Still, the parents are obviously aware of where the fledglings are, and are keeping an eye on them, though that’s not the same thing as feeding them. Obviously, I am waiting anxiously for tonight’s ranger report, which should be posted in about an hour, two hours at most. I’ll let you know as soon as there is word from the BOTG at WBSE. We are reliant now upon their reports, and it is a wonderful thing to know that they are out every day in that forest, watching and listening for the eaglets and their parents. It is a great comfort to have their daily updates on what the fledglings are doing and whether they are with their parents or getting fed. Things are a little unsettled at the moment, and I would give a lot to see those eaglets return to their nest. But whether they have the physical strength or the flying skills to do so at this stage is dubious. So obviously, we are hoping the parents will bring food to them wherever they are perched. SE33 has apparently at least stayed off the ground, which is more than can be said for SE34, who is in serious danger as long as he remains there, vulnerable to feral cats, foxes and even dogs, not to mention the swooping smaller birds. I am sick with worry about both of them and it makes us feel so helpless.”
If you missed it, SE34 fledged while being harrassed on the nest by Currawongs and then chased. S/he flew out of the forest in a path very similar to the adults. Wishing 33 and 34 long and productive lives with lots of eels. https://youtu.be/neBjn5AZJO4?
Wilko and Kasse are doing so good at Port Lincoln! 22 and 19 days old now. Beautiful juvenile plumage coming in. They survived the dreaded reptile phase and now we can just breathe nicely. Of course, the fish fairies are always there should there be the need, which is another bonus for these two beauties.
These two at Port Lincoln are so adorable. I am absolutely smitten by Kasse.
Breakfast arrived as the golden rays of the sun kissed the scrape of Diamond and Xavier.
At 367 Collins Street, breakfast was served at the cooler end of the ledge. Goodness me those little chicks knew to run down there and stay where the sun would not beat down on them. One went and the other two followed. As far as I can remember, this is the earliest the chicks have moved down to the other end and used this scrape in the shade. Mum has a great perch to watch her triplets, too.
Beau and Gabby are dedicated to their nest in NE Florida near Palm Court.
Wings of Whimsy gives us a round up of what is happening at 17 Bald Eagle nests from the 21st to 24th of October. https://youtu.be/erEAiieAfj8?
One of the images from the video summary is from the John Bunker Sands Wetlands where Mum and Dad are busy at work fixing up that beautiful nest of theirs.
Calico’s Tip for the Day is don’t turn into a bear that hibernates. Get out and enjoy nature, make it part of your life regardless of clock changes and weather! It will make your life so much better.
From the article: “It’s easy to pass birds without really seeing them or to walk through a park without paying attention to the trees. We can become so caught up in our own thoughts and conversations that we miss the sensory gifts nature has to offer. By tuning in to the sights, sounds and sensations around us, by listening to the birds, we can transform passive wandering into an immersive experience. When we truly notice nature, something magical happens.”
And last, please leave the leaves. Spread the news. It will save you time to do other things. If you must, just pile the leaves but do not put them in bags! or grind them up with a mulcher. Just let them sit. Read a good book.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. 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, J’, Heidi McGrue, Cornell Bird Lab, Olympic Park Eagles, SK Hideaways, Rohan Geddes and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, NestFlix Memories, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Trudi Kron, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Wings of Whimsy, The Guardian, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal, Pollinator Friendly Yards.
Again, because of these important developments in the Olympic Park, I am posting on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning, and I will return on Monday.
First news. SE34 fledged at 0959:08 Sunday October 27 amidst attacks by the Currawongs. He was honking and flapping his wings just as he might as an adult. He flew off to the right.
Look at how big that Currawong is – that is not our eaglet. SE34 is behind the big branch.
SE34 leaving the nest.
It’s pear season! The trees in Nova Scotia were full, and each bite promised juice running down our chins. We now have delicious pears in the markets in Manitoba.
This time of year reminds me of my father. When I was a child, he would take me on his boat with his best friend to an island in the middle of a lake. No one lived there, but there were pear trees. My dad and his friend would bring three bushel baskets: one for my paternal grandmother, who would make pear preserves, and the other two for us and for “ES.” Once home, each pair was carefully wrapped in newspaper and placed in boxes in our garage to ‘ripen’. They were delicious, and the juice running down my chin on our trip to Nova Scotia reminded me of my father. What a gentle soul he was. Almost as soon as we had started eating the pears out of the boxes, it was time to pick the pecans from our neighbour’s tree. They were not the tiny, tasteless pecans I buy now, but meaty, long halves full of flavour. While many went into cakes and pecan pie, they were also made into pralines. Oh, goodness, those were so good. Sweet memories.
What a glorious day and what wonderful news of SE 33 flying over the river. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that this fledgling overcome the Currawongs, got out from the bush near the nest, and can now be taught to be an eagle by Lady and Dad. S/he was flying by the river roost. I don’t know about you, but I am utterly in tears! Thanks Jen for the video! https://youtu.be/rlZYZ4Zx21k?
SE34 is in the nest being dive bombed by the Currawongs as I write. The yet to fledge sea eagle is honking at them like Dad and Lady!
The latest from Ranger Judy:
And, of course, if you missed it, the other good news is that the chicks at 367 Collins Street refused to bake in the hot Melbourne sun and made their way to the shadier end making F24 move house! (And, apologies. Yesterday I called her F23 in error. Thanks SP for noticing that!). https://youtu.be/6Umglw1ZJp4?
Xavier was in with prey, out and back again and fed the chicks. One appeared to take the leftovers from Diamond when she flew into scrape and was self-feeding. It was a tad confusing. Yira and Garramma are quite content even if my mind is boggled.
Waiting for Dad to bring in a breakfast fish at Port Lincoln. He is off the barge and we assume he is diving for fish. And he was! At 820, Dad arrives with a really nice fish for the family. Well done, Dad! I love how Kasse joins in with Mum to call Dad and cheer him into the nest with the fish. That little one is really cute and this morning, Kasse raised her head up, stretching it really high while looking Wilko right in the eye. I wonder if Wilko is a male and Kasse is a female.
Everyone is going to be stuffed.
At NE Florida, Beau and Gabby work on and off from dawn to dusk working on their nest despite eggs being about a month away. It is now full of moss with lots of pine boughs. Beau loves working on the crib rails.
Gary gives us the latest on the starter nest for Liberty and Guardian at Redding with some great historical information. https://youtu.be/OVVAcyDeOOk?
I have been on a mini rampage for several years about our need for trees. I am not going to tell you about the importance of trees for our planet – you already know that. I also know that most of you recognize that in order for our birds to thrive, they need trees!!!!!!!!! All I could do was stop on the side of the road and stare at the trees in Nova Scotia. The trees on the prairies were destroyed by urbanization – Winnipeg can’t contain itself and spreads out like mercury on a floor! The farmers when they modernized and purchased larger and larger tractors cut down trees, too. If we are to help our planet and our feathered friends, we need to fight for ancient trees and plant new ones.
They could seriously have diverted around the tree. Human efficiency is nothing short of deplorable.
Calico’s Tip for the Day is borrowed from our friend, Connie Davis, in Halifax:
Thank you so much for being with us this evening. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, graphics, and streaming cams that helped me to write this post: ‘J, SP’ Olympic Park Eagles, Se McGregor and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Heidi McGrue, Port Lincoln Ospreys, NEFL-AEF, Gary and the Redding Eagles, and Connie Davis.
I have decided to send out Friday’s news late Thursday instead. There are two main news points: Nox has died and SE 33 fledged. By the time Friday morning arrives, it is possible that SE34 will have also fledged. I will resume my normal postings on Saturday morning.
It is with a very heavy heart that I write that cute little Nox, the fourth hatch of Annie and Archie in 2024, has died. Many of you will already know this sad news as it is the biggest story in Bird World. Nox was taken into care shortly after fledgling after being found grounded at the Marina and treated for a fracture. He was kept in rehabilitation and sent to a falconer for training. He was released into the wild on Monday the 21st of October 2024 amidst great applause and happiness. He was found grounded again, highly anemic, three days later. He was emaciated. A post-mortem is being undertaken to find the cause of his death.
There are deaths in Bird World that impact us more than others. Nox was the cutest little chick who won all of our hearts. While we want all of the chicks to thrive, Nox was very, very special to so many and, thus, his death has impacted us deeply. Fly high little one. Soar in places you never dreamed possible!
A male Bald Eagle that won everyone’s hearts and caused us great concern during Hurricane Milton was Clive, the mate to Connie at the Captiva Nest in the Barrier Islands off the west coast of Florida. He rode out the hurricane protecting his nest and, now he is making the news and well, he should. I don’t believe anyone has seen this on a streaming cam before (please feel free to correct me on that!).
Around many of the Bald Eagle nests there is some question about who is who and who is on what nest with what mate. We wait to see US Steel’s nest of Irvine and Claire and now Dulles-Greenway, the nest that formerly belonged to Martin and Rosa.
SW Florida is stable. M15 and F23 are busy, busy looking forward to their second breeding season together.
We hope that NE Florida will be stable and that Gabby and Beau will finally have a family!
At the WRDC nest, Ron came in, landed on the nest, took a selfie around 0655 Thursday morning and departed.
Thunder and Akecheta were both at their West End nest!
I did not see Andor and Cruz at Fraser Point nor did I see Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear on Thursday.
In Australia, Diamond is stuffing Yira and Gammatta to the top of their little heads!
At the Port Lincoln Osprey nest, Wilko is being aggressive towards Kasse. This is a food issue. As clearly demonstrated by the Poole Harbour nest of Blue 022 and CJ7, frequent fish deliveries can ensure that four osplets fledge without anxiety and beaking. Thankfully, Dad came in with half a fish (or that is how it appeared) Thursday morning around 0730. I thought that poor little Kasse was going to go off the rim of the nest trying to get away from the aggression.
It is impossible to see who is getting fed, but I suspect it is Wilko eating first. There is plenty for Kasse. I hope that the fish fairies will appear and bring supplementary fish to the nest to fill in the spaces when Dad is not bringing fish.
On Friday morning, the oldest sibling SE33 fledged from the nest around 0619. They stayed near the nest eventually flying out of the forest around 0643.
Where is Mum at Collins Street? The eyases are in the gutter and back up to the scrape but there has yet to be a prey delivery. It is 0820.
Thank you for being here this evening. Take care.
Thank you to the following for their posts, articles, news, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write this post: Cal Falcons, weather.com, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, NE Florida-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Olympic Park Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys.
It is a gorgeous, albeit windy, fall day on the Canadian Prairies. I noticed about thirty-five Canada Geese feeding on the soccer field at one of our nearby high schools while five flew overhead. At last count, thirty European Starlings were feeding on the suet at the big table feeder. Mr Crow was also getting peanuts, sometimes, he would take six at a time, swallowing them (seemingly) while the Blue Jays retrieved theirs. The squirrels were eating the ones left on the deck. It was a bit of a feeding frenzy. The temperatures dropped to 0 C last night, and the birds, being more attuned to weather than most humans unless you have arthritis, must feel the end of fall is coming soon.
Notice how, in the space of a few minutes, the suet cylinder is reduced. The Starlings really peck away at it. Their beaks can only eat certain seeds so no Black Oil Seed or peanuts for them. We get this suet especially to give them energy. Tomorrow I plan to put out apples and oatmeal. We will see who is happy!
The days for our nice walks without heavier clothing are swiftly coming to an end. Tomorrow we hope to get out to the park for a goose count!
Nox. When he went back into rehabilitation three days after being released, he was emaciated and required a blood transfusion. Was he not able to hunt? I hope they keep him in and give him more training at hunting! He has had a complete blood transfusion and his condition is now stable.
The triplets at Collins Street are healthy and becoming quite independent. Not sure what the Mum F23 thinks about all of that, but they are growing and we can look forward to a lot of running back and forth and gutter-stomping it seems. It is wonderful they are so healthy! Dad slipped in and even got to feed his little ones. They look like snow people but that cotton ball coat is going to shed itself just as we are beginning to see a change in the plumage around their eyes. https://youtu.be/rucHRHj2VQ4?
There was a nice breakfast feeding with the triplets quickly falling into food comas.
As it got hotter in Melbourne, the kiddos stopped their gutter stomping and she protected them from the hot rains of the Melbourne sun. It is 16 C but hotter up on those top floors of the concrete buildings with the sun beating down.
There were three feedings at Orange before 0800 on Thursday!
More feedings at Orange and the kiddos explore the scrape checking out the Cilla Stones!
Seriously cute with its little bloody beak. Just look at those sparkling black eyes. Adorable.
‘A’ comments: “Meanwhile, the falcon chicks at both scrapes are eating machines. All five appear very healthy and active. The parents are barely able to cope with their demands and are working tirelessly to do so. At Collins Street, the littles are into the gutter and the stomping season has begun. So far, there have been no problems and no-one has got themselves trapped down there. Mum is now leaving the kiddos to get up and down by themselves, as they are capable of doing.
Darling Diamond and Xavier are feeding their pair about eight or nine meals on an average day and the chicks seem to be growing before our very eyes. At every feeding, they seem larger than at the last. Similarly, the trio at Collins Street appear to have permanently bloated crops. “
More osprey nests with eggs in South Australia.
Many will have noticed the netting that Mum brought in to the Port Lincoln nest. So many were concerned that the osplets could get caught in it and be pulled off the nest. We have seen this many times before. Pitkin County comes first to my mind where one chick died and the other spent a year in rehabilitation before being released. The fish fairies came quickly removing the netting and leaving some nice fish.
This happened on the 21st – the removal of the netting so a few days ago.
Wilko had breakfast with Mum at 0611 on Thursday. Kasse slept through all of it. It looks like a rather small fish or partial fish arrived at 1340 and had not been clocked on the obs board when I checked. Both osplets fed. They do need more fish!
Geemeff sent us an article about the Coobwie Osprey nest with the four chicks. I have yet to confirm that the fourth has made it. It was not eating when I left for Nova Scotia and I have not seen any information. If you have, please let me know.
Judy Harrington gives us a good report on what SE33 and SE34 were up to. Notice that they are way up on the branches and could fly any moment save for the fact that currawongs send them back to the nest. Personally I think this is a good thing. They need to get used to and ignore those pesky birds. Hopefully spending more time on the nest watching Lady and Dad deal with them will help.
The two could easily fly Thursday morning. They certainly have me sitting on the edge of my chair and it looks like several hundred more! They were way up in the branches. They came down to the nest several times, went higher, and then down lower. They are very aware of the Currawong. This is a good thing – the longer they stay on the nest the more they should develop skills to either fly out when the Currawong aren’t around or ignore them and follow the path Lady and Dad take to the river. Once at the River, they will be fine. They will be trained to hunt and fish by Lady and Dad. They just have to get down there, not somewhere else!
They are still in the nest at the Olympic Park in Sydney, being harassed by the Curras. That might keep them home so that they can mature more…
‘A’ sends us the latest report from the nest at Sydney: “October 24: An early quartet to welcome the day [don’t you just love the eaglets joining in the morning squawking?], then Lady was off chasing a currawong. Both eaglets moved out on the limb together, side by side. The eaglets were resting – waiting – and Lady brought in a gull just before 10am, along with swoopers. SE33 self-fed well and both were fed a little by Lady. After a quiet late morning, Lady flew in at 12:15. She must have seen Dad coming with a fish. This was grabbed by SE34, who took a long time to break into the flesh. Lady tried to join in, SE33 ate a little, until finally they left it at 2:30pm. A long feed. Dad finished off a few scraps. Both eaglets were then resting on the nest and venturing up the perch branch – flapping and exploring a little. Both eagles were seen down on the river at 16:40. At dusk, the eaglets were standing on the rim of the nest, with a magpie swooping.”
‘A’ continues with her own thoughts which parallel mine – the sea eagles do not eat the chicks of the Curra so why bother one another? “October 24: An early quartet to welcome the day [don’t you just love the eaglets joining in the morning squawking?], then Lady was off chasing a currawong. Both eaglets moved out on the limb together, side by side. The eaglets were resting – waiting – and Lady brought in a gull just before 10am, along with swoopers. SE33 self-fed well and both were fed a little by Lady. After a quiet late morning, Lady flew in at 12:15. She must have seen Dad coming with a fish. This was grabbed by SE34, who took a long time to break into the flesh. Lady tried to join in, SE33 ate a little, until finally they left it at 2:30pm. A long feed. Dad finished off a few scraps. Both eaglets were then resting on the nest and venturing up the perch branch – flapping and exploring a little. Both eagles were seen down on the river at 16:40. At dusk, the eaglets were standing on the rim of the nest, with a magpie swooping.
…
I continue to gain confidence in the eaglets gaining confidence from repeated successes in dealing with the swooping birds. It simply HAS to help, doesn’t it? This has not happened in any season I have seen previously. This is the first time they have had a substantial pre-fledge period where they have self-fed and been fed on the nest while seeing off the swoopers and using the nest as their ‘safe spot’.
You can see the difference between the magpies and the currawongs – the currawongs have totally black heads and a white band across the end of their tails. They are also noticeably larger than the magpies. From my knowledge of these birds, neither attacks in pairs or groups like the smaller birds (such as the noisy mynahs, who attack in twos and threes, repeatedly swooping at the target bird, either simultaneously or in rapid succession, from different directions). These larger birds swoop individually at the target bird, as the magpie is doing in this photo. (The white on the back of the neck in this pic shows the swooper to be a magpie not a currawong, who has no white on its head or neck.) The magpies also have white (or light grey for females and juveniles) on their backs, unlike currawongs, whose backs are black. The magpies have longer, slightly thinner beaks. Apparently, both magpies and currawongs will often steal both eggs and chicks as prey, though I personally have not seen it. They also attack fledglings of smaller birds as prey but presumably not fledglings of the size of the sea eaglets.
They continually say in the literature that the currawongs are merely protecting their young, but if this is the case, why is it that we never see the sea eagles bring in currawongs or magpies as prey? In all the years we have watched the WBSE nest, how many have you seen being eaten? No, me neither. Not a single one.”
At NE Florida, Beau and Gabby slept on the nest tree and then did some great nestorations. This is becoming a beautiful spot for eggs.
Across the state of Florida from Gabby and Beau, M15 and F23 are working diligently on getting their nest ready, too! They have been working on the crib rails and bringing in moss to make everything soft and nice for F23 and her eggs.
It was a scary moment. M15 working on sticks and F23 nearly hit by a car! This is when we are more than grateful for boots on the ground with their cameras like The Real Saunders Photography. Their images are incredible. I urge you to follow their FB feed to see all the action you miss because it is not on the cams. https://youtu.be/5AVTQD7d3Z8?
I have been helping Brian Collins get fish count figures for all the osprey nests that I can. Geemeff sent me the count for Loch Arkaig for this past year and a few earlier. Poole Harbour raised four to fledge. Blue 022 and CJ7 were really busy fishing. I was sent their count today by Jenny Moore. Thank you to Geemeff and Jenny. The individuals overseeing the regulations for commercial fishing of Menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay have no idea how many Menhaden exist in the Bay nor do they have any notion of how many fish osprey take for various size nests. We hope to educate them. If you or if you know someone who did fish counts at a nest for 2024 or earlier, please have them get in touch with me with that data. It will really help our approach.
Here is the count for Poole Harbour. This is amazing information. Notice they even include the time of day and which parent was most active in deliveries.
The fish count from Loch Arkaig:
These are the actual figures with a brief explanation of chick and egg numbers. The vast majority of fish deliveries are Brown Trout, with Mackerel and Flatfish coming in next but in low numbers, and a couple of other species in insignificant numbers eg one eel.
G Fish stats for Loch Arkaig:
2024 Male delivered 255 and female delivered 1 fish: three eggs, three chicks hatched, C3 starved to death at 23 days old due to weather making fishing difficult, C2 died before fledging at 62 days old as a result of weakness due to semi-starvation due to weather, and C1 survived to fledge after being placed on a translocation programme.
2023 Male delivered 396 and female delivered 1 fish: three eggs – one lost in owl attack, one unviable, C3 hatched and fledged
2022 Male delivered 546 and female delivered 0 fish: three eggs – C1 and C2 hatched and fledged, C3 died at 7 days old,
2021 unknown fish: female failed to return and male moved to a non-cam nest with new partner therefore number of eggs and hatches unknown, two chicks hatched and fledged
2020 Male delivered 553 and female delivered 26 fish: three eggs – all hatched and fledged
2019 Male delivered 407 and female delivered 7 fish: three eggs – C2 dead in shell, C1 and C3 hatched and fledged
Calico and Baby Hope always make sure that we take good care of ‘The Boyfriend’ by providing him with food and water, special treats, and several choices of outdoor accommodation. It is not his fault that his owners ‘dumped’ his mother and/or him to live on the streets. He is too frightened to come and live in the house so we do the best we can for him, giving him options which he can choose or not knowing that one day, we will put the food out and not see him again. Life is short for the urban feral cats. Many asked me if I think he will go in the little container home. I don’t think he will. I believe he lives under the deck where Calico had Hope (and maybe some other kittens who did not survive that litter). Calico and The Boyfriend were together before she moved into the house. They were always in the garden and at the feeding station. Although the vet felt that Baby Hope was a kitten from Calico’s first litter, I am unsure. It is possible that he is actually a surviving kitten from Calico’s very first litter (if Hope wasn’t in that litter). It is just my gut feeling. When we lived in the UK, we rescued a small Calico cat and her kitten, a tuxedo. Because he stays where Hope was born, I wonder even more. The neighbours look out by giving food and any time anyone makes a remark about trapping him, we all go crazy so that talk has stopped. He is not adoptable. But he is a gentle soul nevertheless. We do the best we can for him knowing that under that deck he is dry and away from the weather. He has now survived at least two winters there.
Baby Hope always watches The Boyfriend when he eats and, in return, he sits and looks longingly at her for several minutes before leaving. He now comes if I call ‘Kitty, Kitty’ really loud. I try to manage that he gets all the food put out at the beginning and if he wants seconds he can have it. I pick up the deworming medication this week! He is a lovely tuxedo and is now part of our family although not inside with us.
He was intently watching Little Red from a perch on the barbecue table.
Calico’s Tip for the Day concerns feeding the birds outdoors. Look over the list. There are some items that you might not have considered. That said, I disagree with ever feeding birds bread despite even the leader of our bird house building workshop saying that everyone does it after admitting it is unhealthy. So please, no bread. I always give the Crows and Jays cat kibble but I do not soak it.
Calico also found a poster about feeding ducks. The majority of the ducks resident in Manitoba during the spring and summer are now gone. Many will be showing up in ponds near the southern US (if not further). Please keep in mind what to feed them.
Calico would love it if we had hedgehogs in Canada. She reminds everyone in the UK to please leave the leaves. The hedgehogs might need them!
Cockatoo finally rescued after being trapped in shopping mall!
‘J’ has been monitoring the situation at the US Steel Plant where there is the nest of Claire and Irvin. It appears there is a new female there. We do not know the status of Claire. We will continue to monitor. Thanks, ‘J’.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We hope to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, Jenny Moore, L’, UC Berkeley News, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Australian Rural & Regional News, Judy Harrington and Sea Eagle Cam, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, The Real Saunders Photography, Jenny Moore and Poole Harbour Fish Count, Geemeff and Loch Arkaig Fish Count, Backyard Bird Lovers, For Fox Sake Animal Rescue, Hope for Hedgehogs Woodside, The Guardian.
It is Sunday morning at 1000. The three Blue Jays are dashing in and out caching peanuts this morning. We have spread the nuts out in four different places so that there is less fussing. The Red Squirrels have the small square feeder while the Blue Jays and Crow are sharing the large one. The Grey Squirrels are on the deck. In the middle of all of this are the Starlings who have decided that they are really enjoying the solid suet cylinders more than the ‘Superior’ birdseed. They all seem happy and energetic. The rain from last night has given way to blue skies and fluffy cotton ball clouds that are moving rapidly to the South. ‘The Boyfriend’ appeared right on time. He is going to be ‘dewormed’. That is the plan for our return from the Maritimes. De Worming The Boyfriend. We will also build him a new winter home complete with lots of straw and a heat lamp. Winter feels like it is approaching fast! Today is a day for wool socks and jumpers.
We had our Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the week with my ‘bestie’, but we are sneaking in another little meal, just the two of us and The Girls and ‘The Boyfriend’ before we head to Nova Scotia. Everyone deserves a special treat. We are likely on our way as you read this. We are so grateful for everyone: the animals, our family and friends, and you, as I said yesterday. We feel blessed. Thank you so much for your good wishes for our Thanksgiving and holiday. So appreciated.
Just remember, there will be no blog on Tuesday. We will be travelling to our digs for the week.
The streaming cams that have nests with chicks are doing very well. The Sea Eaglets will be fledging soon, and we must send positive wishes to chase those Currawongs away from them when they fly. That is the only major event that will be happening while I am away. Of course, we hope all those birds not seen on camera since Milton sped through Florida will be seen soon – including Clive, Gabby, and Beau.
Neither Beau or Gabby have been seen on camera at their NE Florida nest since Milton passed through until late Sunday evening. What a relief to see them. The last time we saw Gabby was when she brought in sticks last Tuesday.
At SW Florida, it is full speed ahead for M15 and F23 as they make that nest as cosy as possible.
Thunder and Akecheta were at the West End nest in the Channel Islands on Sunday checking it out.
Look at Kasse’s fat little bottom and that cute tiny tail. (More about this family later).
Honestly, even with their pin feathers coming in, can we imagine more cuter chicks?
Pin feathers on the go at 367 Collins Street, too. And breakfast came early!
Heidi caught a feeding on video – and there are so many feedings. These little falcon dads are incredible. https://youtu.be/xqEGJsmCfFY?
The sea eaglets are getting ‘too antsy’, hopping about the nest, on and off the branch, and looking out to the wider world.
Some news from Ranger Judy Harrington:
Oh, the first flight for 33 is getting so close. I just held my breath.
‘A’ gives us the report from Sydney’s Cam: “October 14: Again, there was some unknown disturbance during the night – SE33 was alert, with wings out. SE33 spent a lot of the night sleeping standing. Early morning duets with the young ones joining in, then eagles away. At times in the early morning, there was a very noisy flock of Rainbow Lorikeets close by the nest – youngsters standing and watching. Then calling together, reacting to lorikeets. At 10:15, one eagle was seen down on River Roost, Eaglets were resting, lying in the nest. At 10:34, Dad brought in a scrap of fish, which was grabbed and mantled by SE34 but stolen by SE33, and self-fed. When Lady brought some leaves, SE33 mantled over his prey and kept it. Mid-afternoon there was a big storm, and all enjoyed the feeling of rain on their wings. By 5pm, the sun was shining again. Dad brought in a late gull at 17:57, which was taken by Lady and fed to the eaglets. Maybe a little self-feeding with scraps. At last light, Dad came to the nest – false alarm, not prey – followed by Lady.”
The wind is blowing at Port Lincoln. Mum looks to Dad, who is on the ropes, hoping that a fish will be coming soon.
Mum is still waiting for fish for the Wilko and Kasse – and, of course, herself.
Dad came in with a huge Sheepshead (I think that is what it is) for the chicks the evening prior (see top image below), but they are still waiting on Monday in Australia. Mum is trying her best to just sit on them so no unpleasantness but Wilco is getting impatient.
‘A’ remarks: “ I’m writing because dad has just brought in a very late fish at Port Lincoln (it’s nearly8.30pm there) – those IR lights must really be helping (I know they helped that night heron that was fishing off the barge). This is probably a good thing, as there was only one fish brought in today, and it didn’t arrive until after 4pm. The littles behaved themselves, and mum gave a saliva feeding to keep the osplets calm at lunchtime. The fish dad brought in 8.20pm was a big one, minus its head, and mum was hungry herself so had a good dinner, as the kids were in food comas from their late afternoon feedings. “
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you in a few days!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A’, Charter Group, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore.org, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Olympic Park Eagles, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam.
We hope that the weekend has been good to all of you.
Many Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving today with family and friends. The official day is Monday. Lots of good food to celebrate the harvest and to just look around and be thankful for all that we have. It has been a very challenging year for my family and I am so grateful to my children, my friends, to my husband and to his amazing doctor. Because of them, life has been good, full of laughter and ‘living’. I am also grateful to all of you. The wonderful letters, the photos you share with me – of you, your family, and your adorable pets. You are the best! Thank you for being there.
Just listen. ‘MI’ sent me this video taken in Niverville, Manitoba of geese, honking geese. Oh, I am going to miss them so much.
It is late Saturday afternoon and the promised rains have arrived on the Canadian Prairies. I treasure these rains. They clean off the roof of the conservatory from leaves and dust that have accumulated, but, most of all, they help the trees and shrubs prepare for winter. The birds and squirrels are still flitting about finding seed and much to the horror of our guest this afternoon, the Crows had a veritable buffet! I am clearing out the fridge and little odds and ends. Things like grapes wind up on their tray and they do love them.
Not all bird seed is alike and apparently the quality of peanuts from one retailer to the other is different – according to Junior and his Missus Saturday morning. They pecked all about those nuts searching for the heaviest!
Isn’t Junior handsome? Look at that beautiful profile. Junior will stay with us for the winter. Our job is to keep the peanuts coming!!!!!!
Selections finally made.
Inside, ‘The Girls’ are starting to notice that supplies are being left out. Suitcases will get filled tomorrow so that the girls’ anxiety level doesn’t peak too soon.
Hugo Yugo is now getting her teeth brushed twice daily to try and avoid any issues with gingivitis. She is an angel and loves the chicken flavoured toothpaste. I feel blessed. She is sooooooooo tiny. Her tail is bigger than she is. She did grow some, but goodness, she is so very little.
Missey is the ‘best’ behaved of the four. I can trim her nails every day, brush her, clean her teeth and then use dental wipes and she just lets me hold her without wiggling so I can get on with it. Calico is rather different! She is just darn difficult. She doesn’t want any part of it. Well, that is too bad, so sad. Calico will eventually settle, but, for now, it is going to happen regardless of whether she likes it or not. Hope is another story since she continues to be a little wild.
Now getting on with these words…
This is the way industry should work with wildlife! Take notice, Omega!!!!
Mum and Dad will be grandparents if Calypso and his mate’s eggs hatch! Isn’t this wonderful…oh, and Ervie and all his brothers will be uncles.
The new female at Collins Street is working so hard to shade and keep her brood cool! Let’s hope those wings can spread big and wide as it is going to get hot up there. https://youtu.be/SYliGHlf3a0?
Sunday breakfast in the CBD. ‘A’ comments: “Little Dad at Collins Street is just the sweetest. He has been working hard at his hunting and the prey he brings is sometimes a challenge for him. He’s so cute struggling down the ledge with a prey item that’s at least half his size. But he manages. I do wonder how on earth he manages to fly with it, and get it up so high too. He must be a very strong little falcon indeed. I am so impressed by what he and Xavier at Orange can carry. When Xavier brings in a monster pigeon as he did recently or a duckling, it dwarfs him, making me wonder the power to weight ratio of these small male falcons. They must be incredibly strong.”
Thanks to our Australian sleuth ‘A’, we have more news from Collins Street: “And yet more food at Collins Street. When mum brought in food at around 19:08, the chicks were all fast asleep, but they soon roused themselves at the prospect of food, and mum fed them all yet again. Those crops have been full for most of the day, and no-one is going to sleep hungry at this scrape. Mum also has a large crop and dad hasn’t missed out today either. So it seems the pigeon population of the Melbourne CBD has returned, at least in sufficient numbers to make things relatively easy for our falcon family when it comes to finding food. Certainly, this trio of eyases is being stuffed to the brim several times a day. They are adorable. Very very noisy and full of beans. So energetic in ensuring that they get fed. Mum works hard and she does a good job with the clamouring hordes. The youngest does very well indeed, both through its own efforts to get fed (it is very pushy and often grabs at food from its siblings’ beaks and is very good at positioning itself in the front row at feedings) and because mum makes the effort to feed all three beaks. Basically, as long as they are still there and still open, she will keep feeding.
At this meal, the chicks have moved into their tripod feeding arrangements, with the youngest nearest to mum. As you know, I am very keen on this particular positioning, as it makes it easy for mum to reach all three beaks, which are grouped together in the centre of the tripod, and it also provides some support for the chciks, so that early on when they are not as steady, they tend not to face-plant. Thoise crops are bulging!!! Isn’t it lovely to see? And that was a nice parrot at Orange today. I am not prepared to hazard a guess as to what sort of parrot it was but there is discussion on the chat about the colours that were evident on the plumage. Diamond loves a nice parrot almost as much as she likes a plump pigeon, though perhaps a nice duckling might be her favourite. I wonder what the other watchers at Orange think on that subject. I’d love their opinions.
Mum continues to coax the chicks at Collins Street, trying to get them to eat even more, as if they did not already have absolutely mammoth crops. She is e-chupping and continuing to offer bites and the chicks are trying hard to do what she asks. The youngest spends several minutes trying to deal with a bite that seemed to be ‘stuck’, but eventually it managed to swallow the food. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Just LOOK at those crops at 19:20!!!! Yes, I know they don’t burst, but I have to believe they are VERY uncomfortable. Surely. That is just outrageous. Crops the size of their heads, literally. I swear that is not an exaggeration. Again, as with the osplets, I predict a growth spurt in the morning. “
The cams at NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau went live late Saturday afternoon. Neither eagle has been seen on cam at the time I am writing (4pm on Saturday) but the AEF says they have no reason to believe they are not safe and sound!
View of Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian on Saturday.
Achieva. Look at this nest and then remember what you read about the brand new super designed osprey nest that was built by the fishing company at the top to replace an old one they had to remove. I wish someone cared.
There is an eagle at the Trempealeau Eagle nest.
Ah, I was waiting. Someone asked me why I am not mentioning Pepe and Muhlady. First, they are wonderful eagle parents who have raised some impressive chicks. The owner of the property that has the nest and who runs the camera has indicated that he will prosecute anyone who uses images in any way from his site. I will not mention SuperBeaks again.
Nesting Bird Life and More caught a feeding at Port Lincoln. Yes, they are the cutest. Racing stripes and all! https://youtu.be/DSIq8tPB8fA?
I have a soft spot for Ospreys that knows no bounds. Just look at those two little fish eaters. Don’t you just want to pick them up, wrap them in a tiny blankie, and hold them?
It is now early Sunday morning. Dad has a fish he is eating on the ropes and Mum is anxiously anticipating that he will get some of it to her, Wilko and Kasse!
Dad did not disappoint. He left Mum a huge piece of fish for the family! They are just starting to dig in.
‘A’ remarks: “When I turned to the Port Lincoln tab to check the littles, I thought one of the osplets was dead, but when I rewound, it was just in a food coma from eating too much fish at breakfast (which was served in three sittings, the first when dad arrived with the large floppy fish at 07:23, the second at 08:32 and the third at around 08:53). Good heavens. By 09:30 they are eating yet again. It was a very large fish this morning. The sound is back up and the little chirps mum gives the osplets to encourage them to open their beaks are SO cute – different from those of an eagle or a falcon. The loveliest full-throated chirrups. No wonder I feared we had lost another osplet. It’s out for the count. Awwww. They are just adorable with their little bandit masks and racing stripes. (I had to explain to Jonathan how these chicks were different from all the other little fluffy bobbleheads I had insisted he see and that description interested him enough that he came and peered at my laptop to check them out. And yes, they are different, he said. I do love their livery. They really are cute as a button (unless they’re a Zoe, of course, at which point one becomes somewhat distracted by their behaviour. But these two are getting along fine, and even yesterday’s long wait for food did not provoke any dominating behaviour. What a relief. ” And more…”PLO has confirmed what we knew already – that the Fish Fairy (aka Janet) is ready for duty if she is needed. Thus far, dad has been doing an excellent job. But it is very nice to know that there won’t be any chicks starving on this nest this season. There is no aggression between Wilco and Kasse and I’m hopeful there won’t be. The long wait for food yesterday was a good indicator of how well they are getting along. “
Oh, my goodness. It is going to be a great year for ospreys in South Australia. More babies.
Poor Xavier. Diamond is away. He comes into the scrape with the morning’s Starling breakfast in the hope of feeding his chicks — and then, oops…here she comes and thwarts that idea!
There are times that I wish the Sea Eagles would have eaten every Pied Currawong in the Olympic Forest! SE33 and SE34 are branching and looking out to the wider world. Will they be able to get down to the river with Dad and Lady without being chased out of the area by those Curras?
Ranger Judy gives the summary of the day’s events at the Olympic Park Eagle nest:
Gracie Shepherd reported on FB that Jak and Audacity were working on their nest in the Channel Islands on Saturday. I went to have a look. They are forever hopeful like we are for them. Just look at them working so hard.
We can always use a smile and these Merlin chicks are providing it today.
Hugo Yugo wishes you the very best of days! Missey is giving her a good ole’ wash.
Thank you for being with us today! Take care everyone. 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, J’, Fran Solly and Friends of Sth Aus, SK Hideaways, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, NEFL-AEF, FORE, Achieva Credit Union, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Sea Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Trempealeau Bald Eagle Cam, Nesting Bird Life and More, PIX Cams, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, The Guardian, Androcat, OpenVerse, NZ DOC, BTO, IWS/Explore, Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary.
First up. I have had some questions about donations for the fish at Port Lincoln for Wilko and Kasse. Fran Solly answered me right away. The fish donations are being handled by Port Lincoln Osprey. There is a link on their FB page and on the live stream Obs board. It is PayPal and funds can be sent from anywhere in the world to South Australia. You can specify that they go for fish for the kiddos if you like in the square where it asks what the payment is for.
Wilko and Kasse wanting some fish.
I have just had some amazing news from Janette Forster (PLO): “We have just heard we have 4 chicks on a platform we installed on Yorke Peninsula – Coobowie – so that is exciting – never heard of 4 in Australia, usually it is 3 at the most.” I am hoping some of those chicks in South Australia will be females. Ervie needs a mate!
Gosh, wasn’t Wednesday tense? Milton making a night landfall kept everyone sitting at the edge of our chairs until late. So far, we know that M15 and F23 are fine. What a relief…indeed, the news has been rather good. The osprey platform that I complained about at Achieva held – so I won’t complain again except to ask that someone (Audubon at Clearwater) fix those drain holes so we don’t lose another chick or egg. The Osprey platform at Captiva held, but they lost their new camera. We are still holding our breath to find out if dear Clive, who tried to ride out Milton in the nest, survived. Oh, please, let him be sitting there! Let’s hope that the wildlife of Florida (and all the people) can relax and that there will not be any more storms or hurricanes for the rest of the year. They have so much cleanup to do.
We are officially beginning the long weekend for Canadian Thanksgiving. I will be leaving for our second trip to the Atlantic coast on Monday. My plan is for minimal postings from Wednesday the 16th. There will be no post on Tuesday, October 15. I am looking forward to the rolling hills and the beautiful landscape and getting away from a city that has been a construction site for too many years. The concrete and all the building are really getting to me despite my little piece of land being a haven. I need ‘the wild’ and the ocean’s roar for a week.
‘The Girls’ and ‘The Boyfriend’ had their organic chicken dinner early. Gosh, the feral cat is so cute. He waits and looks in the window and now only hides close to the door til he hears me close it and he feels safe to come out. He is very afraid of humans.
Tonight he got three small bowls of chicken. It turns out that Missey is the only one who wanted ‘real meat’! His fur is getting shinier and his patches of missing fur are now mostly filled in. He really is a sweetheart.
He always stops when he has finished eating and looks in the garden door at us. He will sit for a few minutes before moving on. I wish he would walk in the door! He is quite the handsome Tuxedo.
It will be a year on Saturday that we lost dear Lewis. I am so worried about the teeth and gums of the girls. Now Hugo Yugo is showing signs of gingivitis despite wiping teeth and gums with Vetradent, brushing, and having dental treats and food. Many of her adult teeth have failed to come in. I am hoping something can be done to help her and it is not the issues that Lewis had!
Hugo Yugo is just the sweetest little kitten. Technically, she is a cat, but she remains so tiny and kitten-like. It is marvellous to wake up with her snuggled under my chin in the morning.
Everyone else is fine. All of the garden animals are accounted for except we have noticed that one of the Red Squirrels has not been at the feeder. We will keep a good watch. Maybe we are just missing it. The cars drive so fast down the streets and the canopy that the squirrels used to cross over is gone now that so many trees have been cut down due to disease. The Reds often use the power lines but then they can also fall. So, we wait and hope.
Moving on to the birds…
Peregrine Falcons being killed on the grouse moor estates!
The Bald Eagle at the SW Florida nest has been confirmed to be F23 and M15 was there as well so both eagles seen, photographed and are alright. https://youtu.be/laT8TyVva14?
No one had seen an eagle ride out a storm in a nest like Clive at Captiva. We are hoping for our families at Captiva, Achieva in St Petersburg, and M15 to all be alright and return to their nests.
They are getting ready for Liberty and Guardian in Redding with a new camera. Let us hope they are both safe and sound.
Everyone at CROW is safe and awaiting the return to Sanibel.
We can now easily see the drain holes that need mesh so that the eggs and osplets do not fall down form the nest at Achieva and die as per last year. Please write to Audubon at Clearwater. We know everyone is busy but let’s get this nest in their sights. They built the original platform! And it has held, thankfully, including the perch that I often squawk about.
Here is news about NE Florida nest of Beau and Gabby.
Cuter than little buttons the Port Lincoln osplets.
Breakfast fish at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest in Sydney. ‘A’ is watching closely and worrying about fledging at the Olympic Sea Eagle nest. “Still two at WBSE at 10am, lying duckling style on their nest, side by side. They are SO sweet together and I do love the way they have been so friendly throughout their nestling period. I recall one minor incident of bonking and that was about it. SE34 did seem to show some level of deference to SE33 when they were younger, but even then, he was not intimidated, just waiting for his turn, and SE33 was not aggressive. Mum made sure she fed SE33 first most of the time, which also helped reinforce pecking order and avoid disputes. And of course Dad kept a good supply of prey coming to the nest so SE33 never got to experience real hunger. Well done Lady and Dad. Another season of getting two chicks ready to fledge. ” “We still have two eaglets at WBSE. This does not bother me in the slightest. The better prepared they are for their big adventure and the stronger they are, the better. It is going to be a huge challenge and I want them fed and healthy and strong.
October 11: b\Both eaglets spent part of the night standing. All were awake early, joining in a chorus and flapping about. Dad brought a good-sized mullet at 6;30 and Lady fed them. SE34 self-fed as well. Then they were alone for the morning. Late morning both eagles were still at River Roost. Currawong swooper was about the nest later. Eaglets were waiting, resting, and around 4pm enthusiastically flapping about the nest. They even squonked at a magpie calling above. After a lean day, Lady brought a bird in at 17:12, fed a little, then took it off to de-feather. She fed both, and then Dad brought a gull chick in. SE33 self-fed and Lady also fed them both. Plenty to eat at the end of day.”
Adorable. ‘A’ remarks: “At Collins Street, in a preview of what is to come, we are having a sunny day even though it is only 12C. Mum is standing with her wings outstretched, back to the street, shading the trio of sleeping eyases. She is SO good at this. The chicks are in complete shade, stretched out and growing as hard as they can. (I saw a comment once about chicks fast asleep, working as hard as they could to convert fish into eaglet, which I thought was just a magnificent turn of phrase. Well, that’s what these three are doing right now, although of course they are converting pigeon into falcon, watched over by their very conscientious mum.) This little family is wonderful to watch. I am hopeful that little dad will be able to provide for the five of them, with mum’s help a bit later on when those appetites are even larger than they are right now.
I have been amazed in the past couple of days at both Collins Street and Orange by the size of the prey these little males are able to catch and carry. Birds that appear to be more than half their size have been brought in at both scrapes this week – these falcons may be smaller and more delicate than the eagles but wow, are they stronger than they look. I’m very impressed. “
The same at Orange. Little falcons having their breakfast are nothing short of sweet and adorable even when their pin feathers are starting. ‘A’ sends us the short morning summary from Orange: “At Orange,Xavier has already brought in at least three prey items this morning, Here is the summary of the day so far:
11 Oct BOND 05.28.49; PREY 06.08 39 feeds; 07.59.26 takes; 09.32.02 takes; TOWER PREY STASH 06.55.16 on MW; 08.21.59 D eats MW stash; 08.01.14 at hatch”
Voting has ended. The names are Yira and Garrama. There is a crack in the third egg and we are thinking it could be egg damage. Surely to goodness we won’t have another chick, will we?
Thanks, ‘MM’ – A sad sight – lightening hits an eagle nest but – the amount of habitat being lost to wildlife is going to have devastating effects. https://youtu.be/udagWeaIw48?
It is always good to end with a smile. Does King Charles love ospreys as much as us? Just ordered. Review to come! Thanks ‘Tiger’ for the posting!
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, images, tweets, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Fran Solly, H, J, Janette Forster, MM, PB’, Raptor Persecution UK, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Bald Eagle Cam, D Morningstar and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Liz Wutschel, Window to Wildlife, Trudi Kron and Bald Eagles 101, CROW, Achieva Credit Union, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Liz Russo and NEFL Eagle Chat, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Olympic Park Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Cal Falcons, FOX 31 Denver, Maria Marika, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Tiger Mozone and now King Charles III.
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.
