Category Archives: protecting wildlife

First egg second clutch for Missey and Pa Berry…Sunday in Bird World

18 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for all your good wishes for Hugo Yugo. She was fed with a syringe every 30-60 minutes until 1300 on Saturday when we went for our long walk at the nature centre. The sky was blue but, strangely, the temperatures had risen to a lovely -4 C. It was a fantastic day to be in the woods – and it really helped take away the worrying for the little ginger kitten for a bit.

Instead of going through the regular paths, I cut in and out of the forest area. There were lots of people doing things – tobogganing, sitting by the outdoor fire pits, ice skating, bike riding – because of the good weather. Even so, it was so quiet in the trees.

On the way home, we stopped and got special cat food – a gentle chicken and rice. I was curious to know if Hugo Yugo would eat. She has refused food – except for about a Tablespoon on Friday morning. I hoped the ground-up kibble and kitten milk syringe feeds would strengthen her and create an interest in food – and play. — And it worked. She ate. 2 T for the first feeding, which increased to the point where she ate three small portions of the chicken and rice food. I was literally in tears.

Ah, the one that causes all the worry. Ragged and missing whiskers, curious about everything, and getting better. She will cause all my hair to fall out!

But, oh, she is so adorable. I would do anything for this little one. She is the life of the party – the heart beat of our house.

Baby Hope’s face is changing a bit. She looks more and more like a cat and less like a kitten. She is a real little sweetheart. This girl is big and strong.

Missey found another high hiding spot. She seems to be able to plot where to get away from Calico if Calico is cranky.

As I finished checking on the birds at midnight on Sunday morning, Baby Hope and Hugo Yugo were playing. It is the first time now since Thursday that Hugo Yugo has played.

Sunday Morning Update: Hugo Yugo ate all of her chicken and rice food and drank her kitten milk. Then her and Baby Hope proceeded to ‘clear’ the island. I think she is now fine!!!!!!!!!!!

So on to these birds…

Please go and vote for the name for New Guy at Cal Falcons! ‘B’ did some searching and found some very interesting information about one of the nominated names in addition to the information circulated the other day by Cal Falcons. This is for the name Archie. The high school in Marin County that was named after this Archie is known as the “Home of the Peregrine Falcons”, the name for their athletic teams.  And their logo features a peregrine falcon with aviator goggles (Archie Williams was a pilot who during WW II was an instructor at the school where the Tuskegee Airmen trained, and himself flew missions in WW II and Korea):

I am not suggesting one name over another but I do love that logo!

Everyone at Berry College is more than excited. Pa and Missey have worked on their nest since their first clutch failed. Nothing was going to deter them from having a family this year. On Saturday the 17th around 1911, Missey laid the first egg of their second clutch for 2024. Let’s wish them well. Congratulations!

The cams were down, and during that time, the folks at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose took the opportunity to band R6. He or she is fitted out with the normal green and black band for the nest with “the sequential number 5/6 green/black”. ‘H’ tells us that a feather sample was taken to do DNA sequencing. By the end of the week, we will know whether R6 is male or female.

In the second photo, look at R6 standing tall and strong!

Ron Magill posted some images that he took of Rita during the opening celebrations of her enclosure at Marathon. Notice Rita’s green and black band also.

In Florida, band colours can be confusing. The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey uses this: “The band color indicates the type of nest the young eagle hatched in: green for nests in trees and black for nests on artificial structures.” So what if they have a black and green band?

Blue is also a colour used in Florida.

But the Green over Black in Florida is for Brian Mealey, the bander. See PDF below.

Eagle-Band-Colors-The-Center-for-Conservation-BiologyDownload

Swampy and Meadow continue to do well, also. They are growing leaps and bounds. At the moment you can easily tell Swampy because of its darker plumage, darker and more shiny black bill, and s/he has fewer dandelions on their head.

Someone asked how birds hear. You can clearly see Swampy’s ear in the top photo. Look at the corner of the mouth and go straight back…that is the ear. It will be covered with feathers eventually.

Swampy and Meadow being fed before the rains begin.

29 February is officially pip watch for Jackie and Shadow. That is 11 days away. The eggs look good. Jackie rolls them ever so gently…she is completely aware of what could happen. 11 days. We are all so anxious for this loved couple…imagine a hatch. The news agencies around the world will be celebrating.

Bonnie and Clyde have their second egg at the Cardinal Land Conservancy Nest.

It’s raining at Superbeaks – and we are now on hatch watch for Pepe and Muhlady and their second clutch.

We will be looking for egg 2 at Decorah North on Monday.

There might be a problem at the Dulles-Greenway nest of Rosa and Lewis. Rosa calls Lewis to incubate the egg. Will he? There is snow, and it is cool. The leg has been left on and of for periods of time so Rosa could eat and have a break.

Egg 2 is due today. Will this new partnership work out? We wait.

The egg has been left several times. Rosa is an experienced female with a new inexperienced male (or not the same male at all). We will just have to wait and see how this turns out but best it be eggs that become non-viable than eaglets on the nest suffering.

And then, Rosa laid her second egg, right on time.

I have been looking for studies about the life expectancy of the males versus the females in terms of Bald Eagles living in the wild. I haven’t found anything good to post for you – the answer to whether the males live longer than the females is unclear. We do have some older females this year – Gabby, Rosa, and Ellie (below)- who have younger mates. We know that M15 has a younger female partner. Maybe we should start keeping a list and come up with our own data.

There is a new Bald Eagle couple on Farmer Derek’s land in Peabody, Kansas. They have a nest now with their first two eggs. The banded female is Ellie and she is ten years old. The male is named Harvey. He was there with her on Saturday when she laid the second egg at 13:39:52.

Dad and the new female at the ND-LEEF nest have been very busy.

The first female Bald Eagle I ever saw buried in snow as this same female at Duke Farms. She has a new mate this year. Wishing her the best.

If you are watching the new couple at the Kistachie National Forest nest E-3 (Alex and Andria’s old nest), there is a fishing line and lure tangled in the moss bedding of the nest. Neither eagle is tangled. There are no eaglets on the nest. But does this pose enough of a threat to the birds for USFWS to allow Cody to remove it? Let’s hope so – before there are eaglets.

We still have only one egg at the nest of Jak and Audacity (Sauces) in the Channel Islands. The track record is dismal for this super pair of eagles – all due to the continuing presence of DDT after what? 75 years?

The following material is intended for classroom use for students ages 11-12. However, I find it really informative about the impact of DDT on the Eagles in the Channel Islands. If you are not aware of why Jak and Audacity continue to have difficulties – as well as Jackie and Shadow – have a read. (Note: Many areas of the US were sprayed with DDT including Big Bear Lake).

ClassroomStudyGuide-ChannelIslandsDownload

There are many articles.

COLUMN-ONE-DDT-Ills-Still-Haunt-the-Coast-Years-after-scientists-thought-threat-from-pesticide-hDownload

Osprey fever is beginning to happen. Geemeff sent me a link to an Osprey nest in Mallorca that I did not know about! And also an Osprey chat space for the off season. Have a look! Thanks, Geemeff.

To the live feed camera:

To the Osprey Fanatic chat page. Adam has two young daughters…you might enjoy this space.

https://walkingwithdaddy.com/osprey

Harry and Sally laid their third egg of the Florida Osprey season at their Moorings Park Nest in Naples at 10:59 on Saturday, the 17th! If anyone can raise three, these two can.

Sally obliged cam watchers by showing us her labour…She raises her back slightly and spreads her wings out. Like eagles, ospreys will allow the egg to cool and harden after laying. Sally will surely being hard incubation now.

The Peregrine Falcons are getting busy. It is almost egg time in California.

She certainly has beautiful under fluffies. The third egg is shiny and wet. All three appear to be darkly speckled.

Bolivia rehabilitates three Harpy Eagles so they can return to the wild.

After-Years-in-Captivity-These-Rescued-Harpy-Eagles-Are-Flourishing-in-the-Wild-AudubonDownload

Everything you need to know and more about the world’s largest eagle, the Harpy.

Harpy-eagle-guide-where-these-strange-but-iconic-eagles-live-how-they-hunt-and-why-they-are-calledDownload

Thank you so much for being with me and for all your positive energy for Hugo Yugo. She is doing so much better. We hope to see you soon! Take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, screen captures, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J, SP’, Cal Falcons, Berry College, WRDC, Ron Magill FB, The Centre for Conservation Biology, Eagle Country, FOBBV, V, Superbeaks, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Dulles-Greenway, Gracie Shepherd, Duke Farms, KNF-E3, Farmer Derek Eagle Cam, Phillip Josse, Return Flight, Column One, SEO Birdlife, Walking with Daddy, SK Hideaways, Moorings Park, and BBC Discover Wildlife.

Saturday in Bird World

17 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A little bit of a mohawk coming.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A look at how Friday went for Jackie and Shadow.

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

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

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

Vote for the winner here before Monday at 5pm:

https://bit.ly/NewGuy2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look at this cutie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First eggs for Liberty and Guardian and Mr North and Mrs DNF…Sadly, Lusa has died…Friday in Bird World

16 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Goodness, it turned cold on the Canadian Prairies on Thursday. The temperature is currently -16 C and will drop to -19 C overnight. We have become very spoiled by those -4 C temps that allow us to go outside. The one difference was waking up to a bright blue sky and sunshine – always an indicator of a cold day. ‘The girls’ have decided it is a good day to sleep. Indeed, they had their breakfast and piled into my bed and now, at mid-afternoon, they are still there. No meowing for food or anything. Just a cuddle puddle to keep warm. The central heating is working – but, I made the decision to roast them a chicken and the heat from the little oven is so close to the thermostat that the unit thinks the house is warmer than it is. They will survive and so will I!

Many of you have pets, and I know dog owners are always so excited when their dogs wag their tails and are eager to see them. It is, indeed, the same with ‘The Girls’ who scurry to the middle of the kitchen first thing in the morning to say hello and remind me of ‘cat food’ (gosh, I hate wet cat food). They are so precious to me. I still tear up, looking at Calico and Hope. Hugo Yugo is entirely another story. Having wished for a miniature cat all my life, the last one is! She is nothing short of an adorable bag of energy. If you are looking for mellow, however, you cannot beat a Maine Coon. Whoever lost Missey lost the calmest and most patient cat I have ever met. I continue to marvel at my luck at having all of them with me – just like you do with your pets. They keep us sane.

Thank you for your notes after hearing about Rita being in her new enclosure. Please know that you are not alone when you say that you feel she is alone or that it is also sad knowing that Ron does not know what happened to his beloved mate of so many years. I agree. I have argued that if a Canada Goose is injured, it should go into rehab with its partner, not be left alone in a parking lot, which has happened in Winnipeg. It is more difficult to capture a Bald Eagle, and I am not sure what the response should be, but we know it is stressful on the mate who does not know what happened. Ron has moved on with Rita, and they have now raised three beautiful eaglets together. He seems quite content.

Moving on to bird news – not as much today as yesterday!

Redwood Queen (190) is one of my favourite California Condors. The way she defended Iniko during the Dolan Fire in 2020 was incredible. Now, she has lost Phoenix, her partner after King Pin died in that fire of 2020.

I really encourage you to add the Condor cams to your viewing list. They are so endangered, and we need to know their plight so that we can fight for the use of non-lead in all hunting, fishing, and military uses, as it is one way they die a slow and horrible death if not found and treated.

‘B’ sent me word that Amber at the IWS (she climbs those cliffs with Dr Sharpe and puts on tags) is taking a break and Dr Sharpe is stepping in as her replacement. While I adore Dr Sharpe and his sheer dedication to the Channel Islands Bald Eagles, I do hope that there is nothing untoward with Amber and that she will be back soon!

Just look at this new platform. How do you spell wowzers?

There are now three eggs at Port Tobacco Bald Eagle nest. Wow. Three eggs! Is this a norm for this year? Congratulations Chandler and Hope.

Lots of activity with Bella and Scout but no eggs yet at the NCTC nest.

While we are waiting for eggs at some of the eagle nests still, Arthur is really stepping up the pace at the Cornell nest preparing for the Ns with Big Red. We are one month away from egg watch.

The following two images are screen captures form Heidi Mc’s video of R6 celebrating his/her one month milestone on Valentine’s Day.

Adorable family portrait.

UPDATE: Lusa died around 0322. I am keeping what I wrote yesterday evening here.

Both Cal and Lusa appeared to eatThursday afternoon. This is a very good sign as there were worries over Lusa’s foot injury. Keep sending positive energy to this nest.

Connor did a video discussion about Lusa, what might be going on, and the legal and logistical issues regarding an intervention.

Connor’s video:  https://youtu.be/0f8S8cQZRzE?feature=shared

Connor is Not concerned about the toe. The amount of blood is not concerning but, his worried about Lusa’s not eating and their lethargy. Please go to YouTube and watch this presentation. It is very informative. As you can see above, Lusa has eaten, so this is good. The video was recorded at 1000 EDT on the 15th so well before Lusa ate.

Just look at Swampy and Meadow! Thank you Cam Op for getting us these fantastic close-ups of this wonderful feeding. Both are going to pop. Isn’t this wonderful. I so worried about Meadow and all got sorted thanks to the hunting abilities of Blaze and the steadfastness of Abby.

We are 13 days away from hatch at Big Bear.

The eggs look fine. We are, as I reminded you, 13 days away from hatch. Jackie and Shadow should begin to hear their little one pecking away around the 27th. Meanwhile, continue with positive wishes while we hold our breath for these two. The world is watching and hoping for these loved birds in the Big Bear Valley.

Good gracious. An intruder landing on the nest tree is all Jackie and Shadow need right now.

Isn’t she beautiful? Mrs DNF? She is positively glowing. The first egg of the season was laid at their nest in Iowa on the 15th. Mr North came to check it out. Congratulations Iowa!

Here is the video of the first egg at Decorah. The Raptor Resource Project says: “Congratulations to DNF and Mr. North! DNF laid her first egg of 2024 today at 2:12 PM CT. She tends to lay her eggs about 72 hours apart, give or take a little, so we’ll be watching for egg #2 on Sunday, February 18 at about 2:12 PM – although it could be a little earlier or a little later. As you watch the video, listen for her soft chirps and look for egg labor beginning at about three minutes.”

The first egg for Liberty and Guardian was in the nest – and the camera stream was down.

Gary came back to show us the action on video!

The Bald Eagle streaming cam and the eagles are back for their 8th season at Lakes Folsom and Natoma. The lakes are located in Sacramento County, California.

Here is the link to the streaming cam:

Whitetail eagles are busy fixing up their nest in Rasene, Latvia.

Newmann is home at Great Spirit Bluff. Last year he finished the hob of raising the eyases alone. Marvellous Dad!

Beau and Gabby. A beautiful couple destined, it seems, to wait another year for a family together.

This makes me sick just like the raising of the ducks at the ponds and then allowing people to shoot them down as they stand. Seriously, why do we think we are so advanced over the other animals? We certainly don’t act like it!

The New Guy at Cal Falcons is yet to be named, but he showed up with some crop. Incredible. Let us hope he is as good a hunter when there are 3 or 4 mouths to feed!

More information and pictures of Rita in her new enclosure at Marathon comes from ‘J’. It is an exceptional space. I hope that those of you who live close will travel to see Rita and send back reports!

We are readying for the Great Bird Count and for spring migration to begin. Migration connects countries around the world by the flyways that the migrating birds use. We need to protect those flyways. Birdlife International looks at why nature and the flyways are important.

Bird-Migration-Connects-Us-All-BirdLife-InternationalDownload

Remember. Please get involved in the Great Bird Count. There are not enough scientists to count the birds. They need us! So take 15 minutes a day – that is all you need – to help count! It starts today and it is not too late for you to register. I will be counting the birds that come to my garden for the next four days – join me. Count your garden birds, too!

Oh, I love it. Bradley lands on the nest with a Puffer Fish at 10:48! He has been taking lessons from his big brother, Ervie, for sure. Isn’t this fantastic? Make sure you keep tuning in. I don’t know about anyone else, but it was a lot of fun watching Ervie with those Puffers.

Thank you for being with us today. What a perfect way to end the blog – a Pufferfish back on the Port Lincoln Barge. Oh, Bradley, you just put smiles on hundreds of faces. Take care everyone. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their comments, videos, articles, streaming cams and tweets that helped me write my post this morning: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J’, Ventana Wildlife Society, Wildlife at Osprey House, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, NCTC, Cornell Bird Lab RTH Cam, Heidi Mc and the WRDC, Window to Wildlife, Connor at W to Wildlife, Eagle Country, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Minette Murk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Vicki Jacques, Gary’s Eagle Videos, FOLFAN Eagle Can, NDF, Ashley Wilson, NEFL-AEF, Geemeff, Cal Falcons, Marathon Wild Bird Centre, Birdlife International, Cornell Lab, and PLO.

Thunder and Akecheta go for triplets…Thursday in Bird World

15 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that each of you had a very good Wednesday. That you found time to marvel at nature or read a book or connect with a friend, a family member, or even a stranger. ’The Girls’ and I thank you for your Valentine’s wishes and also for sharing your beloved pet friends with us and their stories. I marvel at how much love there is for wildlife and our fur families. I do not own a television and only get streaming channels I rarely watch. The news in the world is dire, so – it is time to just focus on the life around us, treasure the moments, find joy, and marvel at our feathered friends.

Gosh, there is a lot of good news in Bird World today. It just makes you feel the joy and love. So before even going anywhere near eggs, let’s talk about Ron’s former mate, Rita, at the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest. ’H’ wrote to tell me that she is now in her new enclosure at the Marathon Wild Bird Centre, Crane Point Hammock Museum, in Marathon, Florida. That is in the Keys. 

This is a stunning enclosure for Rita. Well thought out in terms of size and height. She can no longer fly wild and free, but she can move about easily and there is even a pond for her to have a refreshing splash on a hot day in Florida.

Here she is – isn’t this beautiful?

Wednesday was lovely. It was the perfect day to go to the provincial park for a nice walk amidst the Chickadees. The roads were snow-covered, and big flakes were dancing down. A few cross-country skiers were heading to the trails, but no one was feeding the birds. As a result, there were hundreds and hundreds of chickadees ready to hit your hand and take a seed! We went through four pounds of Black-oil Seed! Seriously. 

I will bore you with photographs of these amazing little songbirds that flit their way through a Canadian winter, just like some do with grandchildren and vacation pics. 

Look closely; you can see some in the bare branches, too. I only had my iPhone with me. For some reason, I have been leaving the big lens at home – cumbersome in the winter – so I do not have any good shots of the hundreds in the trees. Well, I have images, but you can’t see the birds…so that is why I am explaining the phone camera.

It was just a beautiful day. Several miles away, in a protected area, deer were feeding.

‘The Girls’ had a few more little treats and got to hear their Valentine Story again. I know they don’t like it nearly as much as the book we are currently reading, 12 Birds to Save Your Life. Nature’s lessons in happiness by Charlie Corbett. More about that later. They do, however, love treats. Those are very limited because of Calico’s need for a diet and you won’t see Missey there – she doesn’t like treats at all. Go figure. 

Calico’s nose was a tad out of joint – she gets overrun when Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope are together. They dive in after those little calorie-laden morsels.

Not a great image, but you can see that Hugo Yugo’s face is still that of a kitten and you can see her tiny paw. What you aren’t seeing is a lot of whiskers. Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope play so rough that the whiskers get broken off! 

And, gosh, it is time to get into the news from Valentine’s Day. There is so much, and I might miss something! Rita is just such good news. It took a long time to build that enclosure for this very special eagle, but thankfully they made our home safe and large so she could move about. 

In California, Thunder and Akecheta are going for triplets.

Trudi Kron has it on video…the first sighting when Akecheta was rolling those eggs. We know this pair can do it – still remember that remarkable year with the trio. Akecheta was amazing. 

Congratulations to Rosa and Lewis at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle Nest on the Potomac River. Their first egg arrived in the late afternoon on Valentine’s Day.

Sally and Harry at Moorings Park have their second egg – right on time on Valentine’s Day, too. Will they go for three?

I you missed the ABC news broadcast on Jackie and Shadow, here it is:

It is nice to see the weather has dramatically improved for our much-loved Bald Eagle Couple. Today is the 15th of February. We are a fortnight from the hatch. I am holding my breath like tens of thousands of others. I think I told you. There is the tiniest bottle of champagne waiting for their hatch. I bought it last year, and sadly, there are no hatches here. My fingers and toes are crossed, but mostly, I am holding my breath and not breathing for fear that one of those sharp talons could nip one of those eggs or all of them. Can you imagine how careful these two must be with those wet twigs and the snow melting?

Everything you wanted to know about hatching and more from Elfruler. There are good reminders here as we twirl the worry beads for the next two weeks hoping that one or more of these eggs are viable and make it to hatch.

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I love Pat Burke’s comparison captures of R6 and just how quickly those little eaglets grow once they hatch.

They put a lid on the Egyptian Geese at Rutland, starting a nest on Maya and Blue 33’s Osprey platform! We are seriously on a countdown for these two superstars of the UK Osprey World, and there will be no goose eggs there instead!

The latest publication on Ospreys will be released in precisely two weeks. Tim Mackrill is no stranger to the Osprey World in the UK. This will be his third major publication. I love the volume he wrote for the RSPB both for its thorough and excellent content and the price point. Will compare that one to this one when it arrives in Canada.

Annie is into the ‘new guy’. Wonder what his name will be? After not seeing them bonding in the scrape, it seems like that is all they do. So happy for Annie…but, missing Grinnell, Alden, and Lou. 

There has been some concern for Lusa in the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest. There are some cuts and blood on the Right Digit IV talon. It is unclear what has caused this but the eaglet has appeared lethargic on Tuesday and better on Wednesday. Rodenticide causes blood not to coagulate. This doesn’t look like that. If you look closely it appears to be an injury to the talon. Cause unknown. I hope that is what is happening. Window to Wildlife staff are monitoring the situation and ready to move into action if required.

In Canada, at the Surrey Reserve in British Columbia, a young intruder was looking for a free meal.

This is now going to be a quick run through a few of the nests before I call it lights out for today. 

Meadow and Swampy continue to do well at Eagle Country. I am not seeing any bonking. There is always big chunks of food and I suspect some of the old prey is hidden underneath the nest materials. It was nice to see Blaze on the nest checking on his chicks. He is a fantastic provider. 

The eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands is growing and so much easier to see.

Despite all the hope, not seeing an egg at Redding for Liberty and Guardian yet.

Kansas City eagle pair, Ellie and Harvey, have their first egg of the season.

Put your suggestions in for a name for Annie’s new mate in the FB thread for Cal Falcons. Who knows – you could just suggest a winner!

At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ sends us news of Bradley’s fishing efforts. ”

The boys at Port Lincoln were off doing their own thing today, with Giliath MIA. At 13:47, Bradley flew in with a monster live fish, which he then spent 67 minutes eating on the ropes. Did he catch it himself? It definitely appeared so as I watched him fly in over the water and land on the ropes with his fish. He did have some initial problems controlling it on the ropes, as it was pointed backwards, but once he got it the right way around, he had no difficulties in eating it. 

Are we not SO very proud of our wee lad? By the size of that fish, and the way he managed it, I suspect this was not Brad’s first catch, but it’s the first one we can definitely confirm. We can be very sure, I think, that Giliath is also doing some fishing, on his travels around the local fishing spots with Dad and Ervie. What a triumph for PLO this season after last year’s tragic outcome. We could make the observation that this nest definitely needs the help of the fish fairies.”

‘A’ also brings us news from Orange: ”We finally have a live stream nest camera back on line at Orange, which allows us to see that the beautiful Madame Diamond is sleeping in her scrape, on her Cilla Stones (she moved to the Cilla Stones around 10pm local time, when it started raining). Ah, Diamond is in her house and all is well with the world. She had a bonding session with Xavier at 16:43 – he is such a darling. Diamond spent last night sleeping on the Cilla Stones too. 

Report from Cilla: 

Both Xavier and Diamond have been seen hunting at night this week. Here is a clip: https://youtu.be/pLynezfGb6A. Marri has not been heard or seen now since early this month, so it looks as if she may have dispersed. It’s about the right time. I cleaned the nest box last month, retrieved and ‘candled’ the egg (held a torch underneath to see contents), and it appeared to be unfertilised.”

Birdwatch looks at the not-so-shy Albatross—a short, ‘nice’ article to give you a smile.

Birdwatch-On-the-trail-of-the-shy-albatross-in-Australia-Birds-The-GuardianDownload

Bird Flu has caused havoc amongst seabirds in the UK and the real numbers might never be known.

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Some more news about the stolen Peregrine Falcons coming in from the RSPCA via Raptor Persecution UK.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, screen captures, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, WRDC Chat, Lloyd Brown, Jann Gallivan, Trudi Kron, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, ABC News, FOBBV, Elfruler, Pat Burke, LRWT, Tim Mackrill, SK Hideaway’s, Window to Wildlife, Sandy Williams, Jerinelle Wray, FORE, Eagle Country, JBS Wetlands, Cal Falcons, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Raptor Persecution UK, and The Guardian.

E23 self-feeds…Wednesday in Bird World

14 February 2024

Hello Everyone,

It is the middle of the week. ’The girls’ hope that the week has been kind to you and that you got some nice little treats along the way. They were hoping that Valentine’s Day might have something special in store for them – and I did. It isn’t what they were expecting! Dental Wipes. Yes. Only Missey will let me trim her nails and brush her fur and teeth without bother. Brushing Calico’s teeth is like trying to kiss an enraged lion. So, Dr Green suggested dental wipes. The container reminds me of those Clorox cleaning wipes. You pull up a sheet, twist it around your finger, and attack from back to front. It was recommended that I cut one sheet in 4s and do all the girls – and it worked. Now, if this and the chewy stick toys keep us from having a dental cleaning in a year or two, it will be worth it. The wipes must taste good. No one complained! They got a few dental treats after as a reward and we have a special Valentine’s Day story for later today.

Meadow and Swampy are doing great. It appears we have gotten past the bonking stage. Abby fed those two so they couldn’t hold another fish flake. Mum managed to clean up some of that piled-up prey, as well. What a wonderful relief. Swampy and Meadow are lookin’ good.

Early morning and Jackie is calling to Shadow. There is prey on the edge of the nest and both continue to be ever so careful around those precious eggs. 15 days til hatch. Wonder how many people will be watching? 8500? 10,000? This is the most watched Bald Eagle nest – and people around the world are hoping for a big miracle this year that will test Shadow’s hunting abilities!

Jackie and Shadow continue to make the news!

The day for Bella and Scout started out with a blizzard on Tuesday. The snow tapered off during the day and began to melt at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest. The nest is 75 miles NW of Washington, DC, in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia along the Potomac River.

No eggs yet for Irvin and Claire at the US Steel Bald Eagle nest in Pittsburgh. Ever wonder how Irvin got his name? The nest is located at U. S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

They are on egg watch at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest. But no egg as of 1700 Tuesday.

Fish dinner all day long or R6 at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose.

R6 wants to play with Rose.

E23 self-feeds on the bunny after being fed by F23. E23 is six weeks and one day old today.

Getting a plucking lesson.

The little eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands still has most of its soft down. Growing thought. Much easier to spot in that nest!

Bonnie and Clyde, the Eagles not the GHOs, of the Cardinal Land Conservancy have their first egg!

The West End camera of Thunder and Akecheta is now up and running again.

Too much bonding? New Male has trouble getting out of scrape?

Hartley and Monty have eggies on their mind, too.

The Wakefield Peregrines are getting active.

The recent court cases in Scotland have made people sick beyond belief at the non-custodial sentences handed out for the killing, selling, and laundering of Peregrine Falcons and their eggs. People are fighting to save the species while those profiteering from it are laughing. 

The author of the article below remarks, “In early 2021, Police Scotland had begun an investigation of its own, after reports of a man bragging to friends about how much money he was making from taking wild peregrine falcon chicks.

High-status racing falcons can sell for up to £250,000 in the Middle East, according to the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The UK exports more live raptors than any other country, and the United Arab Emirates is the largest importer.”

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Giliath is all about town. He would do well to follow Ervie and Dad!

Lewis loves bones and he should be excellent at incubation and rolling those eggs once they arrive. Way to go Lewis!

At the Captiva Osprey nest, we have Jack and I think it is Lady Friend #7. But I could be wrong! It feels like a revolving door on this nest!

It doesn’t matter how big or old they are, eaglets still like to be fed by Mum. Cal and Lusa are not except at the Captiva Eagle nest of Connie and Clive.

The Dahlgren nest of Jack and Harriet is back .

Here is the link:

Arthur has been busy bringing sticks to the nest he is fixing up for Big Red. Expecting eggs after the middle of March.

‘L’ sent me a link to a great image of Flaco, the Eurasian Owl, venturing out around Manhattan.

This is making many uneasy. The lowest recorded number of wintering birds in Spain in 40 years.

Donana-records-lowest-wintering-bird-numbers-in-40-years-BirdGuidesDownload

For my parrot and budgie readers, here is a new article on some viruses that are threatening the health of one parrot, the Orange-bellied. They are considered to be critically endangered.

These gorgeous parrots live in the South of Australia and Tasmania but only breeds in Tasmania, as I understand it. Here is eBird’s description: ”Small grassy-green parrot that feeds on the ground. Bright green and yellow with blue wings and yellow lower belly with a central orange patch, yellowish throat, and thin mid-blue line between eyes. Compare Blue-winged Parrot (olive-green), Rock Parrot (duller olive-green) and Elegant Parrot (yellow-green, more distinct yellow patch in front of eye). Migratory, breeding in tree hollows on button grass moors in southwest Tasmania in summer, and wintering on saltmarsh in coastal Victoria and South Australia. Critically endangered and the subject of substantial conservation efforts. Calls include a soft buzzingchatter and a high-pitched, thin “ziiiit.”

The Government of Tasmania states : “The OBP is one of the most threatened birds in Australia. The wild population, measured at the start of each breeding season, did not exceed 35 birds between 2010 and 2018. According to the criterion of the Recovery Plan, the wild population is neither​ stable nor increasing. The wild population is not viable without supplementation from captive bird releases to the wild. Recent breeding seasons have provided some hope with 77 birds returning to Melaleuca in 2022, the largest ​number of returns recorded in over 15 years!.”

“The OBP breeds only within Southwest Tasmania, with the known breeding population concentrated in the Melaleuca region. Birds typically begin to arrive at Melaleuca in late September. Nests are occupied from mid-November and nesting occurs in artificial nest boxes, or where available, hollows of eucalypt trees (typically Eucalyptus nitida). Pairs do not mate for life. The female stays in the nest for several days before the first egg is laid and clutches average 4.6 eggs (range 1–6). Only the female incubates the eggs during the 21-day incubation period. After hatching, the female remains on the nest for 10 days, being fed by the male. After the 10 day brood period, the chicks are fed by both parents before fledging at four to five weeks of age. Fledglings are fed by both parents until the adults depart on the northern migration in February–March. The fledglings typically depart between March and April. Juveniles are also individually colour banded (using leg bands) from nest boxes each year which forms the basis of population studies.”

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Sometimes, there are big bonuses for charities. Conservation without Borders is seeking your help to get them an injection of much-needed cash! Make sure you vote. I will post the link as soon as I have it available.

Thank you for being with being with us today. Take care. Have a wonderful day and we will see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, graphics, streaming cams, articles, and videos that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’L, J’, Eagle Country, FOBBV, Kristen Hulk, NCTC, PIX Cams, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Carol Shores Rifkin, JB Sands Wetlands, CLC, IWS/Explore, SK Hideaways, @wfldperegrines, The Guardian, Raptor Persecution UK, PLO, Gracie Shepherd, Window to Wildlife, Bridgette Schwurack, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, @CornellHawks, Manhattan Bird Alert, BirdGuides, Government of Tasmania, and Conservation without Borders.

Tuesday in Bird World

13 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Monday was warm on the Canadian Prairies. At 0 degrees C everything is melting. It is damp and icky. The beautiful white snow is gone and is now puddles of brown coloured muck – salt and sand mixed together. Oh, gosh, golly. I want winter back!

Dyson and the kits were at the feeders loading up on peanuts. There were some sparrows and the Starlings. I didn’t see the little Reds, but I wasn’t always looking. The peanuts were, however, cleared up in record time, so they must have been scurrying about! 

I spent the day taking apart and putting ‘back’ together an IKEA Billy Bookcase—a word of advice on these flatpack bookcases. If you do not intend to move them, get a bottle of wood glue, put glue in every hole and then attach it. Then, being careful, glue that back on as well. I hope never to have to do this again! The three will never be moved – not during my lifetime! As a result, the blog is a bit short today. At least you cannot hear me yelling! The ‘girls’ were very patient today—such little sweeties. 

Annie and the new male are getting rather chummy and bonding more in the scrape on Monday. Cal Falcons has decided to name him, too. Details under the image.

Flaco, the escapee Eurasian Owl, appears to be doing just fine. Remember. Flaco could die from eating a rodent that had ingested poison. All of the wildlife that feed on the rodents in Manhattan could! Including the Red-tail hawks in the area. Indeed, many of them have and it is very sad. It is time to end this practice and let the raptors take care of them!

Here is the link to the streaming cam at Mt Ibuki in Japan, home to a pair of Golden Eagles. ”According to current trends in census size and reproduction, the Japanese golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos japonica) is at risk of extinction this century, leading the Japanese government to recognize the subspecies as endangered. It is now the focus of national conservation efforts.” 

Last year the only surviving Golden eaglet sadly starved. It caused great concern particularly since the raptors are considered to be greatly endangered.

 

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Jackie and Shadow continue to be ever so careful when they are getting on and off the eggs or doing the old switcheraroo for incubation duties.

I thought maybe they were not going to eat on the nest, but Jackie proved me wrong as she nibbled on that piece of fish.

We are now 16 days away from hatch watch for Jackie and Shadow and their three eggs at Big Bear.

Thanks Abby and Blaze! We really cannot see those darling eaglets now!

We are expecting the second egg for Sally and Harry at Moorings Park on Valentine’s Day. 

At first glance, I thought this was Ervie on the light, but it is Bradley. There are his beautiful leg tags. 

These are the reports for a day ago. Both fledglings are still coming to the barge for fish. But, read the report. It looks they are each trying to fish as well. Fantastic.

PLO posted some stats for Giliath. The posting below shows you how far he has travelled and the places around the nest. Well done, Giliath. You are doing fantastic.

This is the information for Gil’s older brother, Ervie:

“2024.02.13 – Port Lincoln Barge – Ervie – October 2023 to January 2024.

The satellite tracking data for Ervie for the time October 2023 to January 2024. At a broad scale view, clearly the dense clusters of points shows his preference for fishing including the Port Lincoln Grain Terminal, grain silos, between Stenross boat facility to the Moreton Bay fig tree, Delamere and northern shore of Proper Bay (adjacent greyhound Road) and Boston Island. I have over layed same data from October 2022 to January 2023 and almost identical pattern of movements. Not surprising his avoidance of the Porter Bay Barge nest during the 2023 breeding season. Elevation data shows his movements and distance covered over the 4 months = 3,364km and an average height of 58 meters. This Osprey is also now in his third year and appears to be a most competent hunter.”

The new male at Dulles-Greenway replacing Martin is named Lewis! Oh, Lewis! (Fabulous name…you all know why.) Lewis has big talons to fill. Martin and Rosa had no trouble raising three eaglets. Let’s see what happens this year. We are on egg watch.

It is so lovely to see Mum at Duke Farms not buried under snow.

An eagle was at the ND-LEEF nest quite early.

Liberty and Guardian were both at their Redding nest working away. I have to admit I am really nervous when I see that high water below them.

Rose and Ron should be very proud. They have such a beautiful eaglet this year in R6.

The Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle Cam is live with Bette and Baker. This nest is near Miami, Ohio – not Florida. Both were on the nest Monday working away. 

Here is the link to their streaming cam:

Beau has learned to incubate and stay the course. 17 hours. He has also done some other long stints. My goodness how I wish he had done this earlier when there was a chance this egg was viable…good practice for net year.

We are all looking forward to Rosie’s return, but none more so than Richmond! Condolences, Richmond, on the loss in the Super Bowl. Maybe next year for the 49ers.

BirdGuides Review of the Week for Birds in the UK.

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How can we protect the raptors if the sentences handed out mean nothing to those convicted? More on the pair that laundered the Peregrine Falcons and their lack of a custodial sentence. They make the rules protecting wildlife a joke – and they know it and continue to abuse the systems that offer meagre protection.

Commentary-on-the-staggeringly-inadequate-sentencing-of-Timothy-Lewis-Hall-convicted-for-illegal-Download

It is beautiful, and soon we hope that Aran and Elan will be there, right before our eyes, in the Glaslyn Valley.

Word has come that the camera for Jak and Audacity might get repaired.

I missed it. It was Otepoti’s Birthday and every Kakapo deserves to have their birthday celebrated! If you do not know about the Kakapo, I have included the Kakapo Recovery Brochure below this posting. 

A fantastic book also arrived in the post last week, waiting for my attention. Written in 2010 by Alison Ballance, Kakapo. Rescued from the Brink of Extinction, it includes everything you would want to know about these evasive flightless parrots. It did not include any further information about Otepoti, sadly, as he was born 5 years after its publication. Thanks, ‘J’ for the recommendation! 

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

Thank you to the following for their posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’J’, Cal Falcons, Kathy Robles, Conservation Science, Japan Golden Eagle Cam, FOBBV, Eagle Country, Moorings Park, Mike Wood, PLO, Bart M, Dulles-Greenway, Duke Farms, ND-LEEF, FORE, WRDC, Little Miami Conservancy, Jerinelle Wray, SF Bay Ospreys, BirdGuides, Raptor Persecution UK, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Gracie Shepherd, and Kakapo Recovery.

7 days til hatch watch for Pepe and Muhlady…Sunday in Bird World

11 February 2024

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you have had a grand weekend so far. Some of you will be celebrating the Lunar New Year while others are preparing for the Super Bowl – or maybe both! Whatever you are doing today, enjoy. Savour every moment. Life is way too precious to miss – the tiniest things are often the most joyful. And remember to laugh. Surprise someone by being kind, by saying ‘hello’ to a stranger – who knows, it could lift them up from the deepest depths. Send a note to someone you have been meaning to – just to say ‘hi’. 

The ‘girls’ were very needy on Saturday. I am not sure why. Was it a change in the weather? Are they impacted as much as we are? It is curious. Calico woke me as usual – she really is better than the alarm. Today, she wanted to stay for cuddles instead of rushing to get me up to feed the gang. We spent nearly half an hour alone without Hugo Yugo screaming for breakfast. It was fantastic. Calic is a truly a gentle soul – like Missey. Except when it comes to Missey. 

After breakfast, Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope only wanted to eat and play. Their minds were made up – today was the day they would leap through the air to catch the unicorn on the end of the fishing pole. As so many of you have reminded me, It is a very good thing Hugo Yugo is so tiny and lightweight. Otherwise, the house would be destroyed. 

Missey decided to stay way out of the way. I have noticed that it has been mostly Hope and Hugo Yugo playing rough now. Missey and Calico tend to just go somewhere ‘quiet’. 

Missey seems to get woolier by the day. Her back fur is now more than 7.5 cm or 4 inches long. She is brushed no less than five times a day to keep that beautiful coat from turning into a mat.

It is still amazing how much Calico and Hope look alike. Their evening ritual is to get into the ‘Swan’ chair and cuddle around 1800. Calico will give Hope a very good wash, and then Hope, feeling invigorated, will want to play a little rough. Calico gets irritated and boots her out after a few minutes!

Hugo Yugo is so tiny. I still walk around shaking my head. She is now 5 and a half months old. In another month she will have ‘her surgery’. Dr Green has suggested that I get a tiny, tiny onsie for her to wear instead of a cone. Now to find one small enough – or make one ? My sewing talents are not that great, but I am determined to learn how to darn! Maybe there is a Chihuahua onsie???? 

The kitten adoption has their own vet to do the surgery. Hugo Yugo is also set for a follow-up checkup with Dr Green three days later to ensure everything is in order. It is going to be impossible to stop her from jumping. I was told there are three layers of stitches and I should not fret too much. That is like telling a cow it shouldn’t moo. 

After, it was off to the nature centre. With the new snow, the trails promised not to be icy – it was a super morning. Squirrels were running everywhere, invigorated by the colder temperatures and snow. Children were again using the tower to slide their sledges onto Devonian Lake. The Chickadees flitted about the forest – there has to be at least 50 of them – while the Sparrows and Woodpeckers looked for seed. It could not have been a more perfect day.

When I got home, there was a note from ‘B’ alerting me that Annie and the new male were in the scrape. He was calling and Annie obliged. He bowed, keeping his head low and his tail high. This courtship ritual lasted for a good three minutes! Lots of ee-chups. Peregrine Falcons are so civilised. 

This new male seems tiny.

Before I go any further, two Osprey brothers fishing in the same area in South Australia. How wonderful. I bet Dad was there, too! Delamere is near the Marina and you might recall that Ervie fished there with Dad when he fledged.

There is so much food on the Eagle Country nest that it is rotting and attracting so many flies. The Eagles probably don’t care, but it does seem that the buzzing around of the insets does disturb them. Meadow and Swampy are deep in the nest bowl. You cannot see them much of the time…I do hope that nest has a good, thick bottom! 

It looked like there was a double feeding going on at one time. Look closely in the top image and you can see the little eagles, Swampy and Meadow.

There is continuing drama at the Captiva Osprey nest. Having just named the new female ‘Jill’, that bird has now disappeared and there is a new female. Jack has duly delivered a fish and mated with her at least four times on the nest. I don’t think he cares anymore – he just wants eggs and osplets! The first female to oblige will hopefully be safe from other female intruders and stay the course at least til after fledgling. This nest makes me nervous. Too many intruders. — An update. It is now 1900 on the nest and the new couple have mated 10 times on camera. That must be some kind of record. How many viewers were blushing?

E23 continues to do well. So curious about what is happening outside the nest now. These nests with one eaglet have been so wonderful to watch this year. Big healthy chicks. 

Jackie and Shadow continue to take turns doing incubation. Jackie takes control at night – as she always does. I have not seen a lot of prey eaten on the nest since the eggs were laid. Is that because of the snow, OR is it because Jackie and Shadow might deem it a safety measure not to in order to not step on the eggs? I am curious. Let’s see what they do if the snow melts before hatch.

It sure started out window but, overall, the day looks nicer.

Shadow did have to take things into his own talons in order to get more egg time, though! Watch it until the end…Jackie gets Shadow out and then Shadow returns.

Did R6 double in size overnight? S/he will be four weeks old today! the 11th. This eaglet is one cutie. Look at that soft, downy mohawk. It will soon disappear. And those big clown feet. They are turning yellow…and that nice charcoal thermal down—one healthy baby. 

Heidi Mc continues the story and provides us with a good ending for R6 and the pigeon band.

Look hard and you can see the little one at JB Sands Wetlands.

Many watching the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian are thinking Liberty is getting ready to lay the first egg. 

SK Hideaways reminds us that Liberty is 24 years young.

A good look at Chandler and Hope’s first egg at Tobacco Creek!

We are now a week away from hatch watch for Pepe and Muhlady at Superbeaks! They are going for gold with a second clutch. Let us all wish them well…they should be able to hear their eaglets cheeping and wanting out of those shells.

They are still incubating the egg. Beau has turned out to be quite good – sad that it is too late to save it, but maybe next year. These close-ups of Gabby need to be seen. Great screen captures. 

For the past two years the geese have hatched little ones from this abandoned eagle nest at Decorah. I do hope they do it again this year! It really was marvellous watching all of them leap down to get to the stream with Mum and Dad.

Pittsburgh-Hays is now live again.

Clyde brought Bonnie a big rat for her meal after 2200. Bonnie quickly horked it down and had a wee break before going back to incubation duties.

You can barely see the rat before she downs it. I hope the businesses and people around this nest do not use rodenticides. This is now the ongoing concern for Flaco, the Eurasian Owl in NYC. Rodenticides. Secondary poisoning. It is tragic.

It is pretty quiet at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. Two fish came in on Saturday around mid-day. The nest is empty on Sunday. I wonder how much longer Gil and Brad will come to the barge.

We know Bradley is doing well. Those pink and red rings sure stand out! Great news.

Rutland gets visits from Egyptian Geese and Colin the Cormorant, but we are all waiting for Blue 33 and Maya to return from their winter migration and the countdown is on. We are seriously less than 42 days now. 

Last year Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 laid the first egg, but it is unclear what happened to Blue NC0 last year. She left the area quite early – in mid-July and she may no longer be with us. I actually have her in the 2023 Memorial Listing. Laddie is not a youngster. So we will have to cross our fingers and toes and wait to see.

If you are in Wales, the Dyfi Nature Centre opens on the 1st of March…getting ready for the arrival of Idris and Seren! 

Join with Audubon or Cornell – who cares which one – and do the Great Backyard Bird Count. We are only a few days away. It takes only 15 minutes a day and runs from Friday, February 16, through Monday, February 19, 2024. Here is the info from Audubon.

About-the-Great-Backyard-Bird-Count-AudubonDownload

Want to protect those adorable Albatross? and other seabirds? Well this is how your government policy makers can make a difference. This focuses is from Malta, but it applies everywhere.

https://www.facebook.com/birdlifemalta/videos/349378911398194

Remember!

From Emergence Magazine, there is a film about Puffins. I hope you are able to access it!

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Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Look forward to having you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, videos, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’B, H, J, SP’, Cal Falcons, Eagle Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam, FOBBV, FORE, SK Hideaways, WRDC, Heidi Mc, JB Sands Wetlands, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, Superbeaks, Carol Shores Rifkin, Laura Rose, PIX Cams, Farmer Derek Owl Cam, PLO, LRWT, Dfyi Nature Centre, Audubon, Give a Shift about Nature, Emergence Magazine, and Birdlife Malta.

Thursday in Bird World

8 February 2024

Good Morning,

Don’t look at Hugo Yugo’s eyes. They need to be wiped. You must focus on poor Calico’s eyes. Wonder what she is thinking? She was having such a leisurely nap when, you know who decided they wanted on top of the smallest cat tree with her. 

Hugo Yugo is so proud of herself. Gracious.

Missey and Hope pulled off the table cloth and each of them took turns flipping it about the conservatory. Missey is as wooly as ever.

Once Hope noticed that Hugo Yugo was not around, she settled in nicely at the top of the large cat tree and enjoyed a very blissful time. 

I came home from several appointments to find the streets blocked off and the tree-cutting equipment and men working diligently. The 1902 trees are diseased, but they are also the homes of the squirrels and the woodpeckers who like dead trees. They are also where Mr Crow and his extended family build their nests. I am grateful that no trees were cut down during the nesting season, but I am slightly distraught at how many need to be cut down, and I am wondering where the garden animals will find shelter and nesting places now. We wait to see.

The girls and I are starting a new book. Will keep you posted — and, yes, they still love their story time. It adds to the rhythm of our day. Like the book we are going to read, the birds saved someone’s life – well, these girls and the garden animals certainly top up the quality of my life. I am very thankful for them.

There are a lot of people where I live that envy all that snow in Big Bear. Everyone wants to go skiing and we are having rain! (It is supposed to get colder – I am hoping!). We are 19 days away from pip watch.

Jackie broke the record for incubation. 62 straight hours until she was relieved by Shadow.

This is just too cute not to post. What are all the adjectives we could use? Adorable? Expressive? Not to mention a great attention to detail. That is an amazing sculpture of Jackie and Shadow! 

Jackie and Shadow have the most extensive Bald Eagle streaming cams fan base. Let us all hope that three weeks from now, we will be shouting so loud that if there were people on the moon, they could hear us. I have a tiny bottle of champagne waiting.

Shadow delivered prey. I understand it is still on the nest. He takes over incubation and Jackie enjoys her break. The forecast is for bad weather to return again on Thursday. They can’t get a break!

The Duck that almost didn’t make it for dinner at Eagle Country.

https://www.facebook.com/eaglecountryofficial/videos/25084720337779863

Swampy and Meadow both had a good fish feast on Wednesday. Relief.

Meadow finally gets some nice big bites – after Swampy.

There are fish absolutely everywhere and other remnants of prey at the Eagle Country nest. Surely no one could go hungry here! Meadow has been getting good feedings all day Wednesday.

Little Meadow gets some bites.

No egg at Moorings Park. Gosh, Sally and Harry have fooled everyone!

At Port Lincoln, Gil found some fish on the nest and had a wee bit of a snack before the day began in South Australia.

Checking in at Superbeaks. We are less than two weeks away from the pip watch for the second clutch. In fact, it is only 10 days for the first egg today! Fingers crossed for these two eagles dedicated to raising a family again this year!

There is something to be said about being an only eaglet. R6 (and E23) are robust!

Finally a look at the only surviving eaglet at JB Sands Wetlands in Texas.

Cal and Lusa are so big and their plumage has changed completely into that of a juvenile compared to the little one above at JB Sands.

The cam operator at SW Florida got up close and personal with E23’s feather development. Not long until E23 looks exactly like Cal and Lusa!

It is chilly at the Port Tobacco Eagle nest. Both eagles, Hope and Chan, have been on the nest working on Wednesday regardless – In fact, we must remember that eagles actually prefer cooler weather as opposed to hotter.

It was a beautiful day at Dulles-Greenway but no egg yet.

I sure wish I knew what the distance was from the nest to the water that is flooding around Redding. It looks like it continues to rise significantly.

‘J’ sends us one of Mike Dakar’s images of one of the Centreport Eagles sliding on the ice on Long Island.

Latest post on SE31 from Judy Harrington:

The first Osprey egg has been laid at the Venice Golf and Country Club. Yes!

Oh, I was right. Bonnie was laying her first egg of the GHO season on the nest on Farmer Derek’s land. Congratulations Bonnie and Clyde!

Goodness. That TF Royal Cam Chick is growing like a bad weed on those squid shakes.

Jean-marie Dupart is the energy behind the Osprey counts in Senegal. The fundraising for the binoculars was for his assistants. Read what he does in a day when he is counting. It makes me tired. Thank you for all the hard work, Jean-marie and team!

These beautiful birds in West Africa will begin thinking about migrating back to their spring and summer breeding grounds in the UK and Europe. It is a hazardous journey. Many do not make it. We need to appreciate what they endure. It will help us to celebrate the triumph of their return to the nests.

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Osprey-Migration-Explained-Avian-ReportDownload

How do they make it over the open seas?

Migrating-ospreys-use-thermal-uplift-over-the-open-sea-Biology-LettersDownload

A beautiful story about Oriental Greenfinches from BirdLife International written by HIH Princess Takamado.

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‘H’ and I will be adding Osprey nests, eggs, and hatches to our 2024 International Osprey Data Project. I am currently looking for specific information on when the eggs at Pelican Bay were laid and when they hatched. If you happen to know, please send me a comment or a note in an e-mail: maryannsteggles@icloud.com    Last year we monitored 344 eggs. The goal was to establish survival rates and causes of death. I specifically look for siblicide, but last year, weather/starvation and predation were the main causes of death after eggs not hatching. We appreciate information on any nests that are followed and, in particular, those in Europe. Thank you for any information at any time!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, pictures, screen captures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, H, J’, FOBBV, Cali Condor, Chelsea Sheehan, Eagle Country, Moorings Park, PLO, Superbeaks, WRDC, JB Sands Wetlands, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Port Tobacco Eagle Cam, Dulles-Greenway, FORE, Mike Dakar, Judy Harrington, Diana Lambertson, Androcat, Sharon Dunne, Jean-marie Dupart, Osprey Tales, Avian Report, BirdLife International, and The Royal Society.

Meadow gets a good meal…Tuesday in Bird World

6 February 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Another grey miserable day that chilled you to the bone regardless of the warm temperatures! It is time for rain jackets and puddle boots. Hard to believe. Wishing for snow.

It was another day of ‘Who is going to be the Queen of the Cat Tree’. It is all hard play and goes on from morning to night with the ‘top cat’ changing regularly. On Monday morning, Baby Hope was enjoying having a relaxing time on the top rung of the cat tree after breakfast. Then…she looks down, and who does she see? You guessed it! Hugo Yugo has arrived to disturb the peace. 

Ouch! Hugo Yugo is fearless and is fortunate that Baby Hope has a very sweet disposition. 

Baby Hope decides all she wants to do is get away or is she going to try to take over from another position on the cat tree?

The winner – for now,

While I was out, ‘L’ sent news that Meadow was being fed well today. Yahoo! Sometimes it is just those first few days for the oldest to set dominance and the beaking stops. This is fantastic. I was almost afraid to look.

Poor Jackie and Shadow. They cannot get a break from the horrific weather that is in California that is causing major flooding and mudslides. Pouring rain and now rain and snow mixed on Monday.

The deadly storm is slowly moving out of the area. 

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It started off west at the nest of M15 and F23 in Fort Myers before the weather changed and little E23 could sun itself and dry out.

You can see the dramatic change in the plumage in the image below. Notice the quills holding the blood feathers for the tail and the few white dandelions left on the top of the head. The beak is becoming a shiny ebony, and the yellow legs, feet, and the mandible indicate this is a healthy little eaglet. 

E23 has attempted to do some self-feeding after finding some prey hidden in the nesting material.

M15 flew in with a big fish. ’J’ caught some screen captures of F23 feeding little E23 his lunch.

D Morningstar caught some good close ups of E23 – she was 36 days old on 5 February and is 37 today. Time passes so quickly. Look at the plumage and then look at those fuzzy babies at Eagle Country. What a difference a month makes.

The same weather system went through Captiva before hitting Fort Myers. Cal and Lusa are trying to stay warm and dry under Connie, but to no avail. They are way too big. What sweeties. After drying off, look at them both standing so tall and strong on those beautiful chrome yellow legs.

It was wet at the WRDC nest of Ron, Rose, and R6. Heidi Mc caught Ron being a ‘Dadbrella’. Way to go! Looks like there is still some coot left on the nest too, but catch R6’s crop! What a cutie.

At the Captiva Nest of Jack (and formerly of his mate Ruby who is MIA), it seems the male might have a new partner - just in time for breeding season we hope. She accepts his fish gift – that is a good start.

It looks like it could be just two eggs for Jack and Diane this season at Achieva. Fantastic!!!!

At JB Sands Wetlands it was sunny. I could not tell what was in the pantry but the little eaglet is being well taken care of. 

Did Ervie meet his brother Giliath when they were both out looking for fish?

More tracking for Ervie. Have to say it – Ervie is the ‘Rock Star’ of the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. Sorry, Gil and Brad.

I am getting so excited for Osprey season to begin that I can hardly think of anything else. Tiger Mozone posted an older video of Henry and EJ. It shows Henry returning from migration to discover EJ on eggs – not his! So what does Henry do? Watch.

Oh, don’t you just love Osprey behaviour!

Angel, the Leucistic Red-tail Hawk, is back at her nest! Window to Wildlife gives us the good news: “Angel is back! In late January Angel was seen on her nest while our team was out doing some routine maintenance and upgrades to the cameras for the upcoming season. The new upgrades will include better low-light viewing with infrared floodlights for a better viewing experience of Angel’s amazing nest!There is still some work to be done before the streams can go live, so stay tuned for more updates and an announcement of when that will be! We’re looking forward to another fantastic season and hope you’ll stop by the streams!”

Eagles at the ND-LEEF nest on Monday.

At the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau, Gabby had an unexpected visitor on Monday – A1. He even went into the nest bowl. Some worried that Beau had been injured in a fight with A1, but Beau did return later all talons in tact.

Bonnie has spent much of the day on the nest on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas. We are expecting her to begin laying eggs in 2 or 3 days. Normally, Bonnie lays two eggs with successful hatches in past years, and both are fledging. They grow fast!

It sounded like thunder. The rain began in a gentle way and then really began coming down. I hope Monty and Hartley are safe and dry – and, I am wondering why they just don’t sit out the storm inside the scrape where it is dry. Any thoughts?

In Port Lincoln, Gil and Brad each had a fish on the 5th. Today they are both waiting, taking turns, to see who will be the lucky one on the nest when din-dins arrive.

Canada Geese are loud and the one who landed on the Decorah nest is no exception.

What does your City do during migration? Is it switching off the lights like a number of growing urban centres?

Why is switching lights off important? Let’s check.

Birdcast says: ”Light attracts and disorients migrating birds, confusing and exhausting them as well as making them vulnerable to collisions with buildings, not to mention other urban threats like cats and toxins.”

Popular Science gives us more information:

Switching-off-the-lights-could-protect-wild-birds-Popular-ScienceDownload

USFWS: 

Dim-the-Lights-for-Birds-at-Night-U.S.-Fish-Wildlife-ServiceDownload

Audubon has their own article on their Lights Out Programme – and there are hundreds more on the Internet. Educate yourself and your City! Save the birds.

Lights-Out-Program-AudubonDownload

When I adopted a Kakapo in 2022, I adopted Rangi. He is a very special Kakapo – at least 51 years old. His story is really worth a read – it unfolds in the posts below. Rangi is very special.

Here is the full text. It is very interesting. ”The known population at the time was just 90 ahead of another breeding season on Whenua Hou. Ranger Chris Birmingham was out checking the location of females when he heard booming from an unidentified male. As soon as he noticed the old metal leg tag, he knew this was an extra special find. Excitement passed through the team on the island and the bird was soon undergoing a full health check, sampling, and having a transmitted fitted. That night the team matched records to the tag number confirming it was Rangi, one of four males missing since their first release. Ranger Chris wrote a new database entry adding, “words cannot express the joy I feel at finding this guy!”

Genetic data shows Rangi fathered Wendy, Zephyr, Sarah, Adler, Merty and Ralph; making him a grandfather to 17 (including @Sirocco), and great-grandfather to nine. 

He hasn’t bred since 1981, but Rangi still booms in season and has been maintaining his bowl site recently. His exact age is unknown but he would be at least 51 now. He lives amongst dense supplejack vines making it tricky for rangers when it’s time for his annual health checks. Elusive yet crafty, he has been known to sneak quietly through the undergrowth to circle back behind rangers that are following him. Rangi is known as the artful dodger after all!”

Last but never least – we often hear the names of men who made a difference in the world of birds. But what about the women? This is a previously published article that is always good to visit again to remind ourselves that everyone can contribute! What a wonderful list of amazing women.

Seven-Women-Who-Made-the-World-Better-for-Birds-and-People-AudubonDownload

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, screen captures, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ’A, H, J, L’, Eagle Country, FOBBV, The Mercury News, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Visa, D Morningstar, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, Heidi Mc, Achieva Credit Union, JB Sands Wetlands, PLO, Tiger Mozone, BBC Report, ND-LEEF, Gracie Shepherd, Farmer Derek Owl Cam, All About Birds, San Jose City Hall, Bart M, Rosieanne B, National Audubon Society, BirdCast, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, USFWS, Audubon, and the Kakapo Recovery.

Sunday in Bird World

4 February 2023

Hello Everyone,

It was a real workday around the house – the girls helped. Of course, they helped! Hugo Yugo, Missey, and Hope were climbing all over everything. Meanwhile, Calico found a toy and decided it was much more fun. In the process, we found a couple of hand-felted ‘cat rocks’ that had belonged to previous cats. Baby Hope was very interested in this one.

Oh, I do adore this beautiful girl, the only surviving baby of Calico. She loves to relax on the wicker and she will pose. It is her eyes that always ‘get me’.

The Black Oil Seed shells have gotten out of hand. They were too frozen to be shovelled today. If the forecast holds, it will be +5 next week and they can be cleared up. It is the worst part of feeding the birds in winter. Today, Little Red and Dyson called a truce with Little Red on the feeder and Dyson eating peanuts below.

We listened to Ferris Akel and his tour and were delighted that he saw Arthur while hunting for probably his last meal of the day. I remember everyone being shocked when Big Red picked Arthur – he didn’t have his red tail yet – to be her mate and replace Ezra. Well, Big Red picked a good one! 

Big Red was spotted on Saturday, too! 

There have been a lot of tributes to various feathered personalities this week, and the New York Times even covered Flaco.

Flaco-the-Owls-Year-of-Freedom-From-the-Central-Park-Zoo-The-New-York-TimesDownload

In California, Jackie continues to carefully incubate the three eggs. Just watch Shadow and Jackie change turns and you will see how very careful these two are. Even when rolling the eggs, they are so delicate. They are determined to have an eaglet this year…let’s send them all the love and positive wishes we can.

I was concerned about Jackie and not seeing her eat. She had a big meal! Thank goodness.

Jackie and Shadow make the CBS news.

The bowl is deep at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta. There should be two eggs in there now. Dr Sharpe and his team at the IWS got that camera back up and working!

There is plenty of food at Eagle Country. The oldest is doing fantastic and can stretch its neck out and get food from Abby. So why am I so worried about the second chick?

I wish that nest bowl was not so deep! Is Meadow getting fed?

Frustration has set in. There are a lot of feedings at this nest and Abby is experienced, but is Meadow getting any of that prey?

Lucky R6 doesn’t have any worries. S/he is growing and getting their thermal down – changing before our eyes. The top picture with its leg stuck out just reminds me of the legs of the prey they have been munching on all day. 

R6 is going to be able to use that crop for a pillow Saturday night.

Across the state, E23 likes his Lapin for dinner.

Cal and Lusa are both self-feeding at Captiva. Lusa is doing better than Cal so far. Will Connie come in and save the day?

Yes!

No egg yet at Dulles-Greenway.

Food gifts coming into Pittsburgh-Hayes.

They may be thinking about eggs but not one is on the nest at Moorings Park – yet.

Diane has been incubating two eggs. Will she lay a third Saturday night? We wait – and I hope not~. The third chick does not fare well here. Best no egg.

The only surviving Eaglet at J B Sands Wetlands is doing fine.

Gosh, the water looks high at the Redding Eagle nest. Is it an illusion? or is the area really flooding that much due to the Atmospheric River that hit the area?

‘A’ sends us the report for WBSE 31 at the Parramatta River in Sydney: 

“February 3: Early in the morning, no eagles were seen by the river or at Goat Island. Then around 9am, SE31 was seen hidden in the mangroves near River Roost. Later, just after midday, she was seen in flight checking the river west of River Roost and on the western side of the wetlands. Then she was lost to sight, up very high over the prison. She flushed waterbirds from the wetlands as she flew over. No further reports at the end of the day – maybe update in the morning.”

At Farmer Derek’s, Bonnie was in the nest bowl most of the day. Rain came late and it looks like there is no egg. Owl up on branch. Nest empty. Look hard. She is there!

The owlets at SW Florida are cute. I just wish their parents weren’t so protective and would leave M15 and F23 and their chicks alone…Knock on wood.

At The Campanile, Annie was in the scrape calling the new male. Is he shy?

Someone was home at Monty and Hartley’s new scrape at the San Jose City Hall.

It is always a pleasure to see either Diamond and Xavier and a real gem to see both together after fledging. Diamond looks out over the landscape in the early morning light. I understand that Marri is still seen in the area chasing the parents for food. Fabulous.

At Taiaroa Head, the TF Royal Cam chick is adorable. The parents come and go and have not gone far to forage. The chick’s weight is good.

These gentle giants of the Southern Ocean need us to protect the fish that they depend on for their lives and to muster the world to make the long line fishing factories responsible – by using safe measures to bait their hooks so that no albatross is beheaded!

Do you eat canned tuna? Here is an article to make certain that you are selecting sustainably caught fish. Please note that ‘Dolphin Safe’ does not mean that the fish were sustainable caught!!!!!!!

Tips-for-choosing-sustainable-canned-tuna-Seafood-WatchDownload

It is not just albatross that get caught in these long lines – in fact, maybe long line fishing should just be banned. This article is a few years old, but it is well-written and really can open your eyes to the threat those huge boats have on the mammals and birds that depend on the sea for their lives.

It is a topic that really rubs me the wrong way. To save the albatross is an easy fix (which many refuse to do!) but what about the other animals?

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Did you know that parrots use their beaks to swing like monkeys?

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Urgent conservation is needed if Hen Harriers are not to go extinct in Ireland.

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One of our favourite eagle dads, Murphy! He sure looks happy in that bath.

Apparently New York and Verizon do not want Ospreys nesting on their cell towers. 

Still watching Diane at Achieva and hoping that she will only have two eggs, but is she laying another?

Thank you so much for being with me today. I do hope that you find something worthwhile in my blog! Take care. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tours, videos, photographs, tweets, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ’A, Geemeff, J, R’, Ferris Akel Tours, @Cornell Hawks, The New York Times, FOBBV, Cali Condor, @CBS, IWS/Explore, Eagle Country, WRDC, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Dulles-Greenway, PIX Cams, Moorings Park, Achieva Credit Union, JB Sands Wetlands, FORE, Eagle Cam, Farmer Derek Owl Cam, Cal Falcons, San Jose City Hall, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, NZ DOC, Sharon Dunne, Seafood Watch, The Guardian, Raptor Persecution UK, WIVBTV, Trudi Kron, and Achieva Credit Union.