protecting wildlife – Page 49

Blue 33 arrives at Rutland…Thursday morning in Bird World

16 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for your good wishes! When I got in the door at home and saw the kittens, the trip seemed to melt away. Air travel is not like it ‘used to be, back in the day’. I am privileged to be able to travel and had a wonderful trip, and it was just as good to arrive home, too! I shall mumble quietly about the lack of ground crew personnel, sitting on the tarmac, and waiting for luggage for hours at an airport where the passengers could have offloaded it faster!

If you are planning a trip to Toronto, message me. I will happily pass on all the tips I have learned on this trip and in past ventures to that amazing city.

The kittens were fine. Happy. Wanted to play ‘fetch’ for hours!

The best news of the morning is that a male UK Osprey has arrived home from his winter migration. Blue 33 arrived at Manton Bay at 12:58:39 – just about an hour ago. Some of you will know that I adore this male Osprey…so glad to see him return safe.

Of course, Blue 33 caught a fish right away and is looking around for his mate.

He waits for the love of his live, Maya, to return.

E21 and 22 might have gotten a snake at 1930 on Monday evening with nothing on Tuesday but, on Wednesday, M15 brought in three fish for them. The female intruder was hot on his heels! Poor Dad.

When they were not mantling and fighting for prey, 21 was testing out his wings and 22 was giving us all nervous breakdowns by standing on the rails all day long.

The scramble over one of those deliveries.

Lady Hawk has edited all of the action surrounding the three feedings on the 15th into one video for us.

Last night was the first time that M15 did not sleep on the branch above the eaglets. Instead, he chose to stay in the tree next to the female. Lady Hawk has it on video.

Did you watch the nest of Ron and Rose on Wednesday? Oh my goodness, R4 is a really strong eaglet. I could not believe it when I saw it holding its head erect and eating after only a few hours after hatching. What kind of sibling R4 will be?

Upside down, again!

Before R4 hatched, Rose did not stay in the nest during the day. That behaviour was quite odd. Ron got plenty of incubation time. Now he is lucky if he gets a chance to brood and incubate the kids! Rose has turned into an extremely dedicated Mum whose feeding abilities are improving.

You can see R4’s egg tooth, that temporary white projection that helps the eaglet break through the hard shell.

On Thursday morning, ‘H’ reports to me that the egg with R5 has been hole side down for some time, and there is some concern. We will have to wait and see. My mantra is always – one healthy eaglet!

On Wednesday, Mum brought a rabbit in for breakfast while Dad had been brooding the eaglets.

These two are loosing that soft natal down and you can see their dark thermal down growing in.

At the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and V3, the couple worked this morning on the nest. Gosh, they are a handsome couple. It doesn’t look like there will be any eggs this year, but every time they work on that nest, they bond.

This nest might have been Gabby’s former mate’s natal nest but, since Samson’s disappearance in late November, Gabby is determined that it will be her territory! V3 is helping her do that.

At the nest of Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear, the couple continue to visit the nest and Shadow seems particularly keen on refurbishing it. “Jackie…we need more eggs!”

The sun rising over Big Bear Lake Thursday morning.

Shadow at the nest on Wednesday working away.

The four owlets in Corona, California have been named: Pip, Tootsie, Hoot, and Peanut. Sadly, Peanut died on the 11th of March.

The Canada Geese are arriving at some of the eagle and osprey nests! Look who showed up at Charlo Montana? One year, we had fluffy little goslings jumping from that platform instead of osplets flying.

Oops…and then the snow came!

The geese are at the unused eagle nest in Decorah, and they might give us some lovely goslings to ooooh and coo at this year, like last.

Everything continues to go well for the two osplets at Moorings Park. Harry is a fantastic provider. There is always fish for the two and Sally, although it might not arrive as early as the osplets would like. She keeps the eaglets fed well, and Harry occasionally gets to pitch in and help, too. I continue to praise this nest. Harry loves being with Sally and seeing the nest happenings. Both take the best care they can of these two as they morph into ‘dinosaurs’. On Wednesday, they had a couple hour long feedings. Both were stuffed.

Proud first-time parents, Harry and Sally.

Harry flew in with a live fish about 1908. Look at the eaglets above and then at the images below and you can see how quickly their plumage is changing.

These two will now eat longer at a feeding. They will consume more fish giving them a nice crop. There will be fewer feedings per day.

Do Osprey Mums feed their osplets in the middle of the night? We certainly saw this at Port Lincoln and now, here is Sally feeding these two. It is 00:33 Thursday, 16 March. (Clock says 12:33 which always confuses me).

It is called ‘How to keep peace and food security on an osprey nest!’ Fantastic parenting at this Moorings Osprey nest. Just wonderful.

Port Tobacco has two of three Bald Eagle eggs hatched this morning.

It is pip watch at PA County Farms where there are, again, four eggs in that eagle’s nest.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Now that Blue 33 is home we sit and watch and wait for Maya. They have previously landed within an hour of one another. Stay safe. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, LRWT, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, WRDC, Duke Farms, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Corona California Owl Cam, Lin Lawson and Osprey Friends, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Moorings Park Ospreys, and Sassa Bird.

Wow..the pace is picking up. Wednesday in Bird World

15 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is my last day in Toronto, and as the old saying goes, ‘There is no place like home.’ Toronto is a fantastic city with so many things for everyone. It has been particularly busy because of the Harry Potter show, and March break for the students. Exciting to see young people at all the museums, going to the theatre, and looking at dinosaurs! A short break can recharge the batteries. It has been a fun time. I am, however, looking forward to being home with Missy and Lewis and everything familiar!

A few hours after the little one of Ron and Rose hatched at the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in Miami, DG3 hatched at Dulles-Greenway in Virginia, but that wasn’t the only other. My goodness. It would take a tiny army to keep up with all the nests, the pips, the hatches, and now the returns of the UK Ospreys. It will be crazy when they fledge on the same day.

Rose and Ron’s first hatch and this morning R5 is wanting to get out and join its older sibling.

Oh, R4 has been ‘goggly’ eyes.

Ron and Rose’s baby a couple of hours later. This eaglet has ‘strong’ and ‘trouble’ written all over it.

Gosh, Rose loves her fish! The little one is getting some bites at a later feeding, but Mum is making sure she gets plenty. Too funny. Just wait til that eaglet is the size of the Es!!!!!!

This eaglet covered with fish juice reminds me of Connick when Connie was figuring out feeding, and Connick was trying to focus and grab the fish from the beak.

HeidiMc taped the action for us. If someone could please move that piece of nesting material!!!!!!!!!!! All kidding aside – the feedings are improving from one to another. Well done, first-time Mum, Rose.

Rose is going to be a very busy Mum. R5 is pipping. ‘H’ says it was called at 0705 on the 15th of March.

Rosa telling Martin their first eaglet has hatched at Dulles-Greenway.

At least two nests are experiencing bad winter weather. One of those is Duke Farms. The parents got busy once the snow and wind came and fed both of the eaglets quickly so they did not get wet and sick.

That miserable weather got itself sorted. The nest at Duke Farms was drying out, and the eaglets were having a meal at 1827.

Big Red and Arthur were not at the nest today. So glad she doesn’t have eggs yet. Even though we know Big Red can be encased in ice and snow and keep her eggs warm, it would be much nicer for those watching if the weather were better!

It was still snowing at midnight at Cornell.

Two raptors who were at their nest working yesterday and today were Jackie and Shadow. What do you think? a replacement clutch? It is certainly starting to feel like a possibility.

Thanks ‘A’ for the link!

As I write this, it is 1700 at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of E21 and E22. The pair have spent the day standing on the rails and wing flapping. One small fish was delivered at 10:39. They had a lot of fish yesterday and are fine with this. Dad needs a break and he could be off fighting an ever-growing number of intruders in the territory. M15 has managed what many believed would be impossible. 6 weeks he has cared for these two alone. They are now 10 weeks old and within fledge range. We will start watching for branching soon. The average age of fledge in Florida for Bald Eagles is 11 weeks. Can you believe it?

I cannot see her talons, but this appears to be the female that landed in the nest the other day. Most of us got attached to R23-3, who has not been seen for many days. Let’s see how long this one lasts! Poor M. I am sure he would appreciate a companion that kept everyone else away while he finishes up raising the Es as a single parent.

The Bald Eagles are still going strong with the late hatch of Ron and Rose at Miami, all the new hatches in Virginia at Dulles-Greenway, a new baby at Tobacco Creek and so on.

Chandler and Hope’s new little one at Tobacco Creek, Maryland. Chandler has a lot of fish in that nest for Hope and the baby.

At Bluff City, Tennessee, Eugene and Frances have a little one at the ETSU (Eastern Tennessee State University) Bald Eagle nest. Goodness! On top of having a new baby to care for, Chandler has had to fight off intruders while trying to feed the new hatch!

At Johnson City, Tennessee, Jolene and Boone had a hatch, too!

Now the first osprey has landed at a streaming cam in the UK. It isn’t Maya on her nest but B25 from another nest

Everyone has their eyes set on the trackers watching as the ospreys and other birds enter UK territory after their winter break. On Tuesday, 6250 Black Kites crossed Gibraltar along with three ospreys.

Loch of the Lowes is so beautiful. Looking forward to your arrival Laddie, LM12, and Blue NC0.

Loch Arkaig is waiting for Louis and Dorcha.

At Moorings Park, Sally waited at 0830 for a fish delivery to feed the two osplets. It hadn’t arrived, and she sat back down on the pair! Their heads are now pretty bald and getting dark.

I am behind on reporting on the Venice Golf and Country Club ospreys but, it appears there has been a hatch there (perhaps on the 13th). The remnants of the egg can be seen at the rim of the nest.

Lou came to Annie’s aid in warding off an intruder. Thanks for catching this SK Hideaways! All I can say is ‘wow’.

‘A’ sent me a note. Lots of bonding – four minutes of it – by Diamond and Xavier in the scrape at Orange. Indigo might have been heard but, for now, the parents are enjoying time together.

There is snow in the East and rain coming down on the Channel Islands eagle nests. Audacity looks completely miserable at Sauces Canyon. One precious egg to keep warm, dry, and whole!

Cholyn at Two Harbours is wet, too.

Making news is this huge mess that is heading to Florida. How will this impact our beloved birds?

A-Giant-Blob-of-Seaweed-is-Heading-to-Florida-The-New-York-Times Download

Thank you so much for being with me today! The Thursday blog will go out just a few hours later than usual. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, posts, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, WRDC, HeidiMc and the WRDC, Sassa Bird, Dulles-Greenway, Duke Farms, Cornell RTH, FOBBV, SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, ETSU, Mary Kerr and Friends of Loch Arkaig, Osprey Sky Call, @Tommy Finlayson, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Friends of LOTL, Woodland Trust, People’s Post Code Lottery and Friends of Loch Arkaig, Moorings Park, VGCCO, Cal Falcons, Cali Condor, Charles Sturt Flacon Cam, IWS and Explore.org, and The New York Times.

Hatch for Ron and Rose, more intruders for M15…Tuesday in Bird World

14 March 2022

Good Morning!

I hope that each of you had an excellent start to your week.

The temperature was around +2 C in Toronto, with light snow this morning. It was a marvellous day for a walk and a trek to try and locate some ducks. There was no need for anything exotic – any duck would do when I set out. One of the advantages of being in a large City is your transportation options. I love the Toronto subway system (any subway system for that matter) and often dream of living where there is no need to own a car! Toronto has an extensive subway system that took me right to High Park on West Bloor Street rather swiftly.

There are 400 acres of parkland, a small zoo and Grenadier Pond, several restaurants, and playgrounds. The terrain is mostly rugged as opposed to manicured and everywhere you can hear birds singing and see squirrels scampering about.

Every where you looked there were magnificent old trees. Stunning.

The view from the top trail down to the path along Grenadier Pond.

It was a jaunt – from High Park Station at the top to the bottom and back up again along a path by the pond. The dials on my iPhone for ‘activity’ were undoubtedly spinning. The terrain is undulating and incredibly beautiful. The cherry blossoms in the spring rival many other destinations.

One difference is in the species of squirrels. Toronto has these rather amazing Black Squirrels! (They also have the Red Squirrels, the Eastern Greys, and rare white squirrels in Bellwood’s Park).

The Black Squirrels are Eastern Grey Squirrels. They are black because of a genetic anomaly that will not allow their fur to turn grey! Toronto is full of them! If you come to Toronto, the largest population of Black Squirrels seems to be in Queen’s Park.

Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Red-wing Blackbirds, Starlings, and House Sparrows were in the park. Trying to get them to stay still long enough for a photo was another matter! The quest was, however, to find ducks! If you find yourself in High Park, the place to see the ducks is Grenadier Pond. It was quite iced over today, so there was not the normal variety paddling, but there was some!

There were American Black Ducks, Mallards, and two insistent Canada Geese. They wanted food – NOW!

Posted in clear sight was this sign. Every place where humans are allowed to fish should have signs like this.

It was a wonderful time despite the wintery weather. I highly recommend it if you visit Toronto and are looking for a beautiful park to relax. You can also rent bikes, enjoy a meal, see some animals in a small zoo, and check out the waterfowl.

Monday morning M15 landed on the SWFlorida eagle nest with a rabbit for the Es. It was a flurry of pulling and tearing and it appears that each eaglet got some food. The time was 10:05.

Our ‘Dad of the Year’ has had to contend with more intruders including a juvenile/immature and a rather aggressive female with injured talons (could be the one that has been at the pond and at the top of the tree). She jumped into the nest wanting the fish M15 was feeding E22 but, today, he got rid of her! Well done, Dad. There was another owl strike and even a car accident at the nest. What a guy!

[The eaglets shared a rabbit, 21 got a rat, and 22 is being fed this fish on Monday].

It is E22 that is getting fed.

The female wasn’t happy but she went up to the branch.

Oh, the Es are so wet.

M15 paid a late visit to the nest. At first, he found pieces of fish and ate without offering anything to the eaglets. E22 was, of course, squeeing. The Es got some bites, and the nest is cleaned up. I wonder if Dad had much to eat today.

Abby and Victor are doing great. They are eating well and giving each other grief! Lots of grief. Sally just lets them go at it.

Abby climbed out of the egg cup—well fed osplet with that fat little bottom.

Their little tails are starting to develop as they move from the light grey down nestlings to looking like dinosaurs with their oily heads.

Sweet little babies when they are asleep.

Please take a look at the osplets below. The soft grey down on their heads is giving way to the black of that dark charcoal thermal down. Abby is on the right and Victor is on the left.

Harry brought a nice fish to the nest and didn’t count on the osplets fish begging. He turned around and fed Abby several bites while Victor called for bites, too. Sally took over and fed both of her hungry osplets.

At the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose, Rose has stayed on the nest all day as her very first eaglet is hatching. Proud Papa-to-be, Ron, brought Rose a fish for breakfast and then another one. He is teaching her – stay in the nest; your first baby is coming. What an exciting time and a privilege to witness this first-time eagle mom as her little one pecks away at that shell.

At 17:26, Rose is off the eggs and eating some fish. You can see the eaglet spreading the shell apart. Hatch is coming along quite nicely. No longer a single hole with a beak but now a crack around the egg that is getting wider and wider. So happy for Ron, who lost his mate Rose and was won over by this very young female who did not give up courting him! Many wondered if there would be eaglets at this nest so late. Send them all your good wishes, everyone. That little one will be fully hatched before most of those in Florida turn in for the evening.

HeidiMc has a video for us…much more interesting to see that beak moving that shell!

23:10. That shell is all crushed around the eaglet but it sure looks like it is mostly out!

Looks like it was completely out of the crushed shell around 07:44 Tuesday 14 March at WRDC. (The shell crushed just like the shells in Louisiana where the humidity is also high. Wee one had to work a little harder).

Oh, sweetness. Now to see how our first time Mum’s instincts kick in.

Ron is really happy!!!!!!

Take your calendars and mark them for 11 April. Pip/hatch watch for Annie and Lou at Cal Falcons scrape on The Campanile.

Now that Annie has finished laying eggs, Cal Falcon is looking for memes.

Oh, have a giggle!!!!!!!! 3x speed – wiggling and giggling to get those eggs under!

Fledglings are still returning to the Superbeaks’ nest. Sometimes they are fed by an adult, and at other times, they find fish left on the nest to eat. Everything seems to be going well with both eaglets flying in and out of the nest.

On Monday, Arthur delivered a nice squirrel treat to Big Red as she worked on their nest on the grounds of the Cornell campus. Big Red is my hero, and this year this Red-tailed Hawk turns 20. Eggs can be expected anytime.

The osprey platform of Maya and Blue, 33 at Rutland Water, has been busy today! Geemeff sent news of a peregrine falcon bringing prey to the nest, visits by Egyptian Geese, and finally, a Cormorant. Maya could arrive as early as tomorrow, and she will clear them off!

When Shasta died, Sequoia left the San Jose City Hall scrape. A new couple is bonding now. Everyone will have to keep an eye out for Sequoia, Annie and Grinnell’s son, and where he lands next.

The three surviving GHO owlets at the nest in Corona, California, are really filling up that basket! Look at those eyes looking up at Mum.

Owlvira pauses on the branch above the nest. This is where she will want the owlets to go when they branch. Voting for the names of the eaglets (including little Peanut) ends on Monday evening. So, today, the winning four names should be announced. I thought it was really nice that in respect of Peanut, they kept the fourth name in the listings.

At the nest of GHOs Bonnie and Clyde in Kansas, Bonnie has been nibbling on prey while giving her only owlet some air on Monday. Gosh you forget that those little ones were once soft and white!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, posts, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘Geemeff’, Google Maps, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Moorings Park Ospreys, WRDC, Heidi Mc and the WRDC, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Superbeaks, Cornell RTH, LRWT, Sharon Pollock and Raptors of the World, Corona California Owl Cam, and Farmer Derek.

4 Fish Day at SW Florida, a Pip for Ron and Rose…Monday in Bird World

13 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

The weather was slightly nicer in Toronto on Sunday. It was a good day to attend the Wildlife Photography exhibition at the ROM. They also have a T-Rex exhibition, and the place was packed with old and young alike who love dinosaurs. It is March break in Ontario, and what a delight to see so many young parents engaged in teaching their children about the natural world.

The Moorings Park Osplets are nine days old today, and they love to beak and wrestle. Not during feeding but often when Sally isn’t brooding them. They are so evenly matched – having hatched only 16 hours apart -that nothing should come of this. Always interesting is that it starts as the Reptilian phase approaches.

Oh, just look. They get those beaks together and twist and turn!

What a difference a few hours makes. Just look at the osplets. They are changing their plumage so quickly. It is very hot at the nest and Sally and Harry are both keeping their babies shaded and hydrated through lots of fish.

The dark thermal down is coming in. They are getting long and ‘lanky’. You will not recognise them late Tuesday. Little reptiles. Oily heads. Copper-red feathers at the back of the head and nape.

M15 delivered a fish and another small prey item to the Es on Sunday. This is excellent; the eaglets had nothing to eat on Saturday. It is believed that the recent female has been the cause of the disruption.

E21 got the fish. There was a piece of the tail left and 22 ate it and it appears that 22 also got the second smaller prey item.

M15 was above the nest and flew off at 15:59.

Meanwhile, 22 found something on the nest and mantled and then 21 gets curious.

M15 is on a roll. A third fish came on the nest to add to the first and a piece of unidentified prey. Yeah, Dad! The time is 15:56. E22 got it!

M15 a fourth, and the female took it. Then our amazing Dad went fishing again and got another – making four fish for the Es today. That time M15 was chased by a sub-adult that circled the nest. Dad works hard to get food to those babies. We have to remember that. He also has to eat to be strong enough to provide for them. So, everyone ate today. 21 the first fish, 22 got the second, and 22 got the third, and 21 got the fourth and final fish of the day. Hopefully, he shared some. Oh, they are eagles. Right. They don’t always share! 22 doesn’t always. LOL.

This is a post that shows a good image of that new female at SW Florida.

This is a great video for all lovers of E22. He stole that fish. Thanks, ‘A’ for sending me this link! Go 22. We love you!

There are no issues at the Duke Farms eagle nest. The two eaglets are eating well and growing. The oldest is called Strawberry and the younger is Kiwi.

You can see the pin feathers coming in and that soft white down coming off. Don’t they always grow up too fast?

Everyone has delighted in seeing Big Red and Arthur’s 2022 fourth hatch, L4, on the Cornell campus without any interference from the parents. It seems as the time for Big Red to lay her eggs for the 2023 season, the couple have decided to show L4 where she can live on the territory! This is very interesting behaviour and is expected. They have allowed their juvenile to stay so long. It has been wonderful seeing L4 develop into a fully capable raptor.

There has been no transmissions from Zoe. We know that Ervie has been fishing around the wharf at Port Lincoln. Today, Dad showed up at the barge!

Lots of pip watches this week. Keeping an eye on the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose. Ron has been on the nest during the day. Rose left early in the morning, which appears to be a pattern for her. Would this behaviour change once we have eaglets in the nest?

Ron on the eggs at 07:39.

He flew off calling Rose after 1600. We all hope she is alright.

Ron is back! And he is calling and here comes Rose! All is well. This is a very peculiar incubation rotation but, this is Rose’s first eggs. Ron is being hugely supportive.

Oh, ‘H’ just sent a note and there could be a pip for Ron and Rose! We wait.

‘H’ reports that there is some progress in the pip and movement can be seen. Rose is still on the nest!!!!!!!! Yippeee.

Are you careful to not mention things if you are afraid something might happen? And so it is with Sauces’s Canyon’s egg. Holding my breath for Jak and Audacity! Egg 7 is holding.

The eagle nest at Centreport, New York, is a rotating door like the SW Florida nest. On Sunday, a sub-adult visited the nest area, and Mum and D3 (yes, you read that number correctly) ushered it away. You might recall that it was D4 and D5 that engaged one another in the ‘death spiral’. Both survived, but D3 is now back at the nest with Mum. No eggs that I am aware of, and well, we wait to see who is there next week!

Jack is waiting for Harriet at the Dahlgren Osprey nest. Yes, two old toys and one new one! And so, it begins.

At Loch Arkaig, home to Louis and Dorcha, there is rain. Last year, Louis and Dorcha arrived home on the 11th of April.

We are watching for Laddie, LM12, at the Loch of the Lowes, who returned on the 12th of March last year. His mate Blue NC0 arrived on the 23rd of March. Looks pretty idyllic.

So many but it will be thrilling to see Blue 33 and Maya back on their nest at Rutland Water.

Thank you so much for being with me today. It is all beginning to happen – eagles and ospreys, falcons and hawks. Our heads will be spinning soon!

I want to thank the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Moorings Park Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Carol Marshburn and the SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Terry Carman and Bald Eagle Live Nest and News, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, @CornellHawks, Port Lincoln Osprey, WRDC, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, IWS and Explore.org, Centrepoint Eagle Cam, Bridgette Schwurack and the Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and the LRWT.

Valentine and Nugget back in the nest, Annie has 4 eggs, Peanut dies…Sunday in Bird World

12 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

Thank you for all your good wishes. I am having a delightful time. It is fun to be in a different city. Toronto is a beautiful place to visit. For someone from a small Canadian city, to be able to walk through neighbourhoods that are entirely Greek, Korean/Japanese, or Italian is fantastic. The little privately owned shops and cafes with no big box store in sight make for a lot of nice window shopping. I love beautiful fountain pen inks and cannot find them where I live. I have ordered them from a small shop near the University of Toronto for years. What a pleasure it was to visit the store! Bottles of the most amazing colours of ink, all made in Kyoto. The young lady who helped with my ink purchase made that visit more special, telling me of a nearby Japanese coffee shop with custard cream dorayaki. They are not precisely like North American pancakes but similar, filled with custard cream, strawberry cream (Lewis’s favourite), or red bean paste. Delicious. Blocks of Japanese restaurants – not just sushi – . Decades ago, fewer Japanese restaurants in Winnipeg served more than sushi and ramen. Those gave way to sushi shops and now to a few Japanese fast food-type restaurants. How extraordinary to sit down and have a full meal of seasonal plates! LOL. I did not get to the park with the ducks!!!!!!!!!! That will come either tomorrow or Monday. The snow is heavy and very damp, and is difficult to walk. Still, there were over 16 kilometres of walking. It was marvellous.

A mural of an owl staring dow at Bloor Street West.

That heavy snow is also in Ithaca, New York, the home of Big Red and Arthur. They visited the nest on Saturday afternoon.

Ferris Akel had his regular Saturday tour, and it was a magical landscape at Sapsucker Lake near Ithaca. That Cardinal on the snowy branch is gorgeous.

When I got back to my room, there was a great joy. Annie had laid her fourth egg. Is Lou going to be able to get four big red-speckled eggs under his little body? He will surely be busy if all four of those eggs hatch!!!! Remember Melbourne. Gosh, golly.

There was other good news. After its fludge, Valentine has made it back to the nest. Now we wait for Nugget to get itself up there! It sure helped having a hungry eaglet and a fish on the nest!

Oh, tears. ‘B’ just wrote. At 17:17:43 Nugget is back in the nest. Whew! All is well. Nugget flew on to the nest like a pro and mantled that prey! Valentine looked and knew he was coming!

Look at Valentine – a look of sheer surprise as Nugget hones in on that fish dinner! Nugget, you earned it. So happy to see you both back on the nest.

You may remember the Bald Eagle family that adopted the Red-tail Hawk, Mahlala. Remember Mahlala had to work herself back up to that big old nest, too. Nugget, you can do this!

The intruders are causing issues for M15 and delivering prey to the Es. By 1200 noon on Saturday, they had no deliveries, nothing. Poor M15. He has had to be a security guard and mum and dad lately. What happened to R23-3? She had kept these other female eagles away?

Glad to see that M15 got some food. He has to be strong to protect the Es and to take care of them. We are getting close to fledge for these two. On the 2nd of February did we believe we would see this miracle?

That new female is a big gal!

Besides the intruders preventing M15 from feeding the eaglets today (so far I have not seen any prey drops but I could easily have missed one today), other sad news is coming from the Corona Owl cam. ‘A’ writes that little Peanut, the fourth hatch, died at 25 days. 11 March at around 10:00. Cause unknown.

Warning: Deceased owlet in image 2 down. As is a practice amongst some raptors, the deceased was considered prey, not a living eaglet, and fed to the others.

‘A’ wonders if this nest is not problematic for smaller owlets due to its shape. It reminds me of some deep egg cups in eagle’s nests that have caused the tiny ones to be trampled and unable to get up high to eat.

The two osplets at the Moorings Osprey platform in Naples Florida are growing…notice they are starting to take on that ‘long and lean’ look to their necks as they approach the Reptilian Phase.

The Duke Farms eaglets are fine, too.

Pip watch at the Dulles-Greenway Nest of Martin and Rosa right now – as I keyboard these words in!

Ervie has been fishing!!!!!!!! Would love to see some recent photos but, isn’t it such a relief that his tracker is working?

The last of the 55 Kakapos that hatched in 2022 has been named.

And last, trying to track down information on an Osprey seen in Barbados on 09 March. Blue Darvic Ring on left leg KW0. Do you recognise this number? USFWS? Passing through? or local?

Thank you so much for being with me on the day that Nugget flew back to the nest. So much joy! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their questions, notes, postings, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘MSJ’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘B’, Cornell RTH, Ferris Akel Live Stream, Heidi Mc and Cal Falcons, KNF-E3, Rhonda A and KNF-E3, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Corona California Owls, Moorings Park Ospreys, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenway, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Kakapo Recovery.

Ervie, Jackie and Shadow at nest, Milda lays an egg…Friday in Bird World

10 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

The end of the week is here! It is rarely of little consequence to me unless something is happening. There are some wonderful things about retirement!

Two new to me ‘previously owned’ books arrived in the post this morning. I have been waiting some time, and what a joy to receive them. One is by Roy Dennis. It is The Loch. A Year in the Life of a Scottish Loch. It was an accompaniment to a television series in the 1990s. The images are beautiful and would have you booking a ticket to Scotland immediately. The other is a study of Peregrine Falcons in New York City by Saul Frank. It is titled City Peregrines. A Ten-Year Saga New York City Falcons. Will keep you posted!

Meanwhile, the kittens have taken over the house. They love nothing more than going in and out of a box and all the wrappings, large paper bags are fair game for an entire afternoon of jumping in and out, and anything that is light enough to be transported can and will be picked up and moved by Lewis.

Lewis decided to take over the large dog bed today with all of the blankets!

Missy fell asleep in the small basket while she was playing.

They bring joy! And they love watching the animals in the garden.

There is news of Ervie and he is still in Port Lincoln!

Lou did a marvellous job yesterday. There was a huge storm in San Francisco and Lou incubated for almost six hours was Annie was missing.

Wondering about Jackie and Shadow? They showed up together on cam 2 on Thursday. In fact, they were on the snag tree and in the nest and Shadow stayed around for some time! There is also a sub-adult hanging about.

Looking at the image above and the chart below, how old do you think this eagle is?

Jackie and Shadow were also in the nest doing some cleaning. The time was 13:38 on Thursday. Getting anxious to see if we will have a replacement clutch.

M15 was extremely busy flushing those female intruders from the territory on Wednesday, which might account for the few prey deliveries to the Es. Lady Hawk posted all the action! We might begin to imagine that M15 wishes he was less popular.

On Thursday morning, a prey drop came at 12:47. E22 got it and ate it but not before 21 had some and then 22. It went back and forth. Both ate.

I love these little chats that C F Marshburn creates for the eagles.

Wonder why there has not been a lot of prey deliveries? D Morningstar posted a very informative video of M15 and one of the female intruders. He cannot risk getting injured. Better the eaglets be a bit hungry than to have their only provider, Dad, disabled or killed.

You can hear 22 in the background calling for fish! I don’t think we will ever forget him!

Ron and Rose are approaching pip watch and now they are having to defend both their nest and those precious eggs!

I cannot think of an Osprey nest I have enjoyed more than Moorings Park. One of the reasons is Harry. Not only is he such a great provider, but he loves being in the nest with Sally and the two kids, and he is getting more involved in feeding the little ones every day.

Unlike eagles, ospreys will remove the fish from the nest to not attract insects and intruders wanting food.

The osplets eyes are open wide, as is their beak. That open beak will get the fish! The eyes of the osprey are large. Poole tells us that they can resolve the details of an object at 3-5 times the distance a human can (11).

The pair hatched on the 3rd of March. They are a week old today. These two have already tripled their body weight since hatch. This weight will double in the nest four days. Their fastest growth is between 15-30 days.

In North America, Western Ospreys, according to Cornell Bird Lab, remain in the nest for 50-55 days before their first flight (the fledge). They will return to the nest to be fed by their parents while they develop their flying skills. While the fledglings may accompany and observe the adult fishing, they are not taught to hunt/catch prey like Bald Eagles do with their fledglings. Ospreys have developed a clear instinct for knowing how to fish after 60 million years of existence.

Notice the white at the tip of the osprey looking at you in the image below. This is what remains of the egg tooth that this little one used to break up that egg shell. Also notice the black line that extends under the eye towards the nape. This helps them to ward off glare so they can see fish in the water when there is bright sun. Yes, football players picked up on this trick from the Ospreys!

These two are beginning to develop. See the cream stripe down the centre top of the back. Notice the little ‘prickles’ on either side. This pair will keep their light woolly down (feathers) for 10-12 days, and then dark charcoal thick down will replace it. This is called the ‘reptilian period’. Their heads will look like black oil has been poured on them. Some copper-red feathers will appear at the back of the head and nape. It is often during this period that osplets get ‘cranky’ and they may begin beaking one another.

There was some concern that Indigo had left the territory of his parents, Diamond and Xavier. That is not the case. He was MIA for about 24 hours, then showed up and spent an entire in the scrape. Wonder what he was up to that tired him out so much? In the Wizard of Oz we are reminded, ‘There is no place like home!’

In Latvia, Milda, the White-tailed Eagle, has laid her first egg of the 2023 season. Sending positive wishes to her and Voids. Milda deserves it. She lost her long-time mate, Ramis, two years ago. She has yet to raise chicks to fledge since then successfully. 2022 was particularly difficult. After almost starving, Milda, who had been incubating here eggs for 8 days with no food for herself, left to eat. The fear was the eggs would not hatch. But, they did. The wee things eventually froze/starved to death. So, yes, please, lots of positive wishes for this much loved WTE.

Milda will likely lay two eggs three days apart. They will be incubated for approximately 35 days.

Voldis and Milda were working on their nest and mating late in February. Arlene Beech shares some of this with us in her video.

Watching raptors incubate eggs is boring. We are almost to the stage where Ron and Rose will stop incubating and feed little eaglets! The same applies to the Venice Golf and Country Club, where osprey eggs await their pip date. There are lots of others. Meanwhile, the Kistatchie Forest eaglets are branching, and soon SW Florida will be branching also. So enjoy a few days of incubation with Annie and Lou and watching Sally and Harry feed their little ones and the two eaglets at Duke Farms. Soon you will be scrambling to find time to check in on everyone. Oh, and then Jackie and shadow could surprise us with more eggs!

It is pip watch for Martin and Rosa at Dullas-Greenaway on the 11th! – yes, tomorrow.

Watching Karl II’s Black Stork family for migration movement. Waba headed north to Eritrea, then turned around and returned to Sudan. Gosh, this little one surprises us all the time. No transmissions from Bonus, Kaia, or Karl II yet.

There has also been no transmission from Zoe from the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. We wait in hope that she will turn up somewhere and someone will see and photograph her.

I wonder how many raptors actually land on ships and travel around. We certainly saw this with Glen, the Osprey, who was on two ships. Now a Burrowing Owl has gone on a cruise.

Gosh, I hope that Zoe didn’t get on a cruise ship!

Thank you so much for joining me today. I am heading off for a wee bit of a break and to catch sight of some waterfowl, I hope. It is not clear if there will be a blog on Saturday morning. It could be an abbreviated one. I will, for sure, be back on Sunday. Take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, Port Lincoln Osprey, Cal Falcons, FOBBV, Avianreport.com, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagles, Carol F Marshburn and SWFlorida Eagles, D Morningstar and SW Florida Eagles, Patti Lawless Sirbola and Ron and Roses Eagle nest Watchers, Dulles-Greenaway Eagle Nest, Moorings Park Osprey Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Amanda lake and the Latvian Fund for Nature, Arlene Beech and the Latvian Fund for Nature, Looduskalender Forum, and ABC7 Southwest Florida.

Annie lays 3rd egg, KNF-E3 has ‘branches’, Valentine hit by an owl…Thursday in Bird World

9 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day in the Canadian Prairies. The wind was brisk, but bundled up like one was heading to outer space, it is possible to walk through the woods and by the lake without getting too much wind burn. There were few birds and squirrels out, oddly. Perhaps it was all the schoolchildren. Four buses of laughing and sledging young ones. Brilliant. We must start getting them to love nature when they are little!

In the distance but almost in the centre of the middleground, you can see the Bald Eagle nest.

The trees that make up the forest are mostly Aspens and Birch.

The Chickadees were the only birds at the feeders with a single Red Squirrel hoping they would spill some seed!

The Bison were closer today.

Lots of owl action lately. Valentine got hit Tuesday night at the KNF-E3 nest of Alex and Andrai. As cute, fluffy, and ‘intelligent’ these ‘wise’ owls are, they are at the top of the Apex Predators, and they can do a lot of damage with their silent approach and razor-sharp talons.

Construction work near Central Park is causing some urban hawks to abandon their former nesting sites. Flaco, the escaped Eurasian Owl, has discovered that these building sites are good places to catch rats. Oh, Flaco, we sure hope that rat you ate had not consumed rodenticide! For the latest action, please go to Bruce Yolton’s urbanhawks.com

Most everyone was focused on the scrape of Annie and Lou on Wednesday. According to Cal Falcon’s chart, Annie was due to lay the egg around 1600, but by 1230, ‘H’ had sent me a note saying Annie looked like she was uncomfortable. She was! That third egg could be seen at 13:47:15. Most surprised was Lou, who is tiny and wondered what to do to get three under for incubation! Lou was adorable in his effort.

The reveal.

Annie was quick to get up for a break and give Lou a chance to see the three eggs.

Cal Falcons posted a video of the third egg being laid.

Peregrine Falcons are arriving at their scrapes all around the world. In Montreal, Eve and Miro, are thinking about spring on their scrape on the 23rd floor of one of the buildings of the University of Montreal. That scrape faces the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery. A great place for hunting.

Shadow visited the nest near Big Bear Lake he shares with Jackie at 10:23 on Wednesday, the 8th.

Shadow spent more than two hours at the nest just looking out to the beyond.

Now we wait to see if the couple will have a replacement clutch or they will come back in the fall and begin working on nesting for 2024.

Little osplets do not like to wait to be fed! When this happens they will often start cavorting and this usually ends up in some beaking. “Feed us!” Thank goodness Sally arrives. Poor Harry needs some instructions in feeding and a little more confidence.

Harry loves being on the nest with Sally and the kids. They are doing great. Beautiful Thursday morning in Naples, Florida.

These two at Moorings Park eat very well. Harry is an excellent provider. That there is a stocked freshwater pond also helps! No problems, even though they might like you to think there are! Harry is always good with fish deliveries and is trying to do a little feeding. Sally will let him do more when they are older.

E22 might want some of the fish at the Moorings. Today there was one delivery to the nest and it seems 21 got the most of it.

22 loves being on the rails, but 21 almost pushed him off accidentally on Tuesday. Thankfully 22 was alert!

As the sun set, the intruder female settled alongside M15 on the branch. Has this female fought with R23-3 and driven her from the territory? R23-3 has not been seen since Sunday and Marti Lord reports three new females hanging around.

M15 ate well! Look at his nice crop.

The female.

Marti Lord shares some incredible images of the new female with us.

M15 is a good catch. We all want him to find – or have her find him – a strong, fierce, protective, funny, ‘kissable’ mate like Harriet was for eight years. Isn’t it amazing how protective we have become of this amazing Dad?

The two eaglets at Duke Farm are doing fine. There has been some concern about beaking, but this is an experienced nest with lots of food. Enjoy!

Rosie has delivered the first stick of the 2023 season to the Whirley Crane. Poor thing. They must rebuild that nest again this year! I always think of Richmond and Rosie and then recall those lovely platforms all fixed with twigs and railings, waiting for some of the Welsh Ospreys. Still, R & R surprise me with what they can whip up in a short time.

Congratulations to Valentine who has flown to a branch and to Nugget who is up on a branch, also! Nugget is 70 days old today! Well done, you two.

At 0648 both eaglets were on the nest looking for leftover prey.

Alex and Andria are preparing for their eaglets to fledge. In Ithaca, New York, Arthur and Big Red are preparing the nest for their first eggs, which could arrive within a few days. The earliest Big Red has laid an egg was the 13th of March.

Arthur was in and out, and Big Red flew to the nest for a private inspection!

For something a little different. A Great Egret bathing…

Happy Hatch Day to two little Kakapo!

Oh, those gorgeous White-bellied sea eagles. As humans take over more of their territory, where do they go to make their nests? To the tall telecom towers in Malaysia! The telecom companies have been working with Birdlife International in Malaysia to find a solution for wildlife and communications companies. This should interest everyone as storks, eagles, and ospreys also use towers in other countries.

https://www.birdlife.org/news/2023/03/09/king-of-towers/

Quite honestly, I do not know what is wrong with humans. There is not a morning that I do not read about a raptor being poisoned in the UK or a Bald Eagle being shot in the US. The fines in the US are high, so impose them – $100,000 – and the individual gets a criminal record. So why are people still killing the raptors? Respect for all living beings must be instilled in children the minute they are born, and as adults, we must be role models so they can see how this plays out in real life – respect, compassion, and empathy.

Bald eagle found shot in Enumclaw

Last, a shout out to ‘B’. I had listed and discussed the Channel Islands nests and some changes there. At the time I did not know what had happened to FP. Thanks ‘B’ for updating me.

Andor and Cruz have established a new nest area. Dr Sharpe might be able to get a camera there for 2024. So, the best thing to do this year is to check the website for the Institute for Wildlife Studies for updates on West End and Fraser Point.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘B’ Tonya and KNF-E3, Cal Falcons, Falcoun UdeM en direct, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Heidi Mc and Moorings Park, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Terry Caman Bald Eagle Live Nest Cams and News, Marti Lord and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, KNF-E3, Cornell RTH, Native Bird Boxes, Kakapo Recovery, Birdlife.org, the Courier Herald, and the IWS.

Big Red and Arthur nest building, 3D legs for geese, Ravens eat Shadow and Jackie’s eggs…Wednesday in Bird World

8 March 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that your week is going well! We have been sent back into the deep freeze. This morning it was -21 C. It is -12 C now, with the promise of much warmer weather at the weekend. Yippeee. When it is really cold, I keep the door to the conservatory closed. Missy and Lewis do not like it these days! They stand and stare but quickly settle into the other living area with nice windows looking out to the birds. Lewis has taken a keen interest in them as of late. It is nice to see both kittens enjoying the out-of-doors safely indoors!

We are going to start with Jackie and Shadow. It is terrific that Ravens ate the two eggs of our beloved couple. I have never said that before! The Ravens arrived at the Big Bear nest at 15:01. They were cautious, looking out for the eagle pair and then getting busy consuming the eggs. Jackie and Shadow can move forward. I have used, and so have many others, the term ‘second clutch’ about the Big Bear nest, but that is the wrong term. The appropriate wording is ‘replacement clutch’ about when the first clutch of eggs is non-viable or lost to predators. At least when they return to the nest, the eggs will be gone. Jackie and Shadow will have closure. Thanks, ‘B’ for letting me know about this!

Jackie and Shadow are going to be on television. Here is the information if you get CBS.

There are currently 2 eggs at the Two Harbours nest of Chase & Cholyn, 1 egg at Sauces with Jak and Audacity (please keep sending best wishes to them), and three eggs at Bald Canyon. I have had no news or seen anything about the Fraser Point nest of Andor & Cruz (they are showing highlights). For those anxious to discover what is happening with Thunder and Akecheta’s nest, Dr Sharpe is travelling to the area at the weekend and will send out a report confirming if there are eggs.

This has just been posted from the IWS Tuesday late.

Akecheta shows up at the old West End nest site where three eaglets fledged last year. Time is 11:31 on the 7th of March.

He was still there at 12:11 enjoying the sun and the view.

Bald Canyon Eggs. Three always make me nervous. Two eaglets are a handful. It is difficult to image the resources and feedings required for three in comparison.

Cholyn at Two Harbours incubating her two eggs. I believe she is 25 years old this year.

Some of the best news is that Jak and Audacity’s seventh egg is still in tact. Today is day 9.

The Channel Islands Bald Eagles are part of a reintroduction project by the Institute for Wildlife Studies. Most of us know Dr Sharpe and his team from the intervention efforts at three of the nests during the 2022 breeding season: eaglet rescue at West End, eaglet rescue at Two Harbours, and Victor removed to rehab from the Fraser Point nest.

You might not know the history of DDT on the Channel Islands. Here is an introductory excerpt from the IWS website:

Bald eagles were present on the Channel Islands until the mid-1950s or early 1960s, but no successful nesting activity was known. The reasons for the decline and eventual disappearance of bald eagles on the Channel Islands are not completely understood. Possible causes include shooting, egg collecting, nest destruction, poisoning, removal of young from nests, and nest disturbance (Kiff 1980). The most likely cause of population declines, however, was the production and use of the industrial pesticide DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro ethane). Between 1947 and 1961 an estimated 37 to 53 million liters of DDT-contaminated acid sludge, containing 348-696 metric tons of DDT, were disposed of in an ocean dump site 16 km northwest of Catalina Island. In addition, it was estimated that another 1800 metric tons of DDT were discharged from the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant outfall, 3.3 km offshore of Palos Verdes Peninsula (Chartrand et al. 1985). The introduction of DDT into the Santa Monica Basin marine ecosystem was implicated in the decline of two other piscivorous bird populations on the Channel Islands, the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) and the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) (Risebrough et al. 1971, Gress et al. 1973). These declines coincided with the decline of bald eagles as a breeding species on the Channel Islands.

I have mentioned it before, but DDT was also sprayed on Big Bear Lake. The toll this believed to be harmless insecticide wrought on all wildlife is unbelievable and ongoing.

Here are the links to all of the Channel Islands cameras including the falcons.

We are three days away from pip watch at the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose in Miami. It is hot at the nest! 86 degrees F. Oh, goodness. We will get to see how eaglets do in the heat. You have observed them when it is cold and snowy.

Pepe and Muhlady have had a wonderful year. Tico and Pearl were on the nest Tuesday at 15:10, having some fish. They are observed flying around the area. Excellent.

On Tuesday, M15 had to contend with an intruder who even entered the nest. Still, he brought in 3 fish, and two prey items – an odd bit of something and a road kill possum. M15 is a constant observer – either in the nest or on the branch – of how the eaglets are doing with their self-feeding. Each of us must be smiling from ear to ear. We all have favourites every year, and 22 has certainly won over the hearts and minds of so many. No longer submissive and cowering but strong and surviving.

Mid-afternoon, Dad brings in a fish and feeds the other eaglet the rest of the road kill.

At 1646, Dad is in the nest cleaning up some of the tidbits that would attract predators and feeding the eaglets their final meal for the day (presumably). E22 is right up there snatching and grabbing that old possum!

Good Night SW Florida. Where is R23-3? Am I missing something?

The two eaglets at Duke Farms each ate well on Tuesday. They are sure growing! Fuzzy little ones with big crops.

In Louisiana, KNF-E1-03, Trey, was almost hit by a falling perch branch!

At the nest of Big Red and Arthur, Arthur flew into the nest early (0626) with more greenery. He checked out the nest bowl and off he went!

Big Red was in later inspecting everything that Arthur did just to make sure it is perfect.

The snow is starting to fall on the nest of our adorable Red-tail Hawks Tuesday evening. It is -1 C with 25 kph winds. Very windy!

The osplets at Mooring Park in Naples, Florida appear to be doing quite well.

Mum Sally needed a quick early morning break.

After the osplets hatch, the Mom stays in the nest most of the time. That said, she does take breaks, and, at this nest, Dad can be seen relieving her so she can have a stretch and a relaxation break. Still, his primary role is food delivery – ‘Daddy Door Dash’ and security. Alan Poole reminds us that the number of fish deliveries doubles and triples in the first 20 days after hatch. This is a rapid growth period.

Ospreys are semi-precocial. This means that they are not as developed as ducks or chickens who, after 24 hours, can walk, are covered with feathers, and feed themselves. Ducks and chickens are precocial. On the other hand, Songbirds are born altricial –naked and require complete care. Osplets are in between. They need their parents to feed them. They cannot regulate their temperature until they are 2 to 3 weeks old.

In terms of growth, osplets should “triple their body weight in the first eight days after hatch and then double that again in the next four days”, according to Poole. By the time they are a month old, they will be 70-80% of their adult size if all has gone well.

The GHOs in Corona, California are growing. That nest is getting tight. All four are doing well. The fourth hatch – about a 1/4 of the size of the oldest – has had some personal feedings.

We all knew it…just from the size, but it has now been confirmed. Sweet Pea or South Plateau Royal Cam chick is a male! A little boy. So nice for a change.

Making News:

We have seen 3-D printers make beaks for eagles and bits and bobs for humans, but, we have been waiting for legs. Now, when will we see these on an eagle? Surely they can use their mind to clinch the toes and talons, right?

Each of us wants to know what happens when one of the birds fledges. This is especially true when they have had a tragedy, such as ND17, when it fell from the collapsing nest. In the UK, at Balgavies Lach, Blue 640, known as The Bairn, did just that – fell out of a collapsing tree, too. That juvenile was spotted in Senegal! It survived its first migration. This is the reason for a huge celebration.

Now this is exciting!

Do you live near enough to the Audubon Centre of Prey in Maitland, Florida, to go for a celebration of baby owls? Oh, it looks like fun! What a great way to get items needed for the rehabilitation of our raptors.

The Cal Falcons t-shirt and hoodie fundraiser has begun for 2023. This design is fantastic, and on Wednesday, 8 March, if Annie is on time, she will lay her 3rd egg around 1600 scrape time.

To look at the options in colour and style, head off to: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/campanile-falcons23 The proceeds go to Cal Falcons not into a generic fundraising at Berkeley.

The Institute of Wildlife Studies (Dr Sharpe) is having their annual fundraiser, also.

Wisdom, the oldest living banded albatross in the world (early 70s) is a grandmother again!

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Keep an eye on Annie and Lou’s scrape and, of course, the WRDC nest of Ron and Rose as pip watch approaches. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that make up my blog today: ‘B’, ‘H’, FOBBV, Jana Maria Johnson Jamar and FOBBV, IWS, IWS and Explore.org, Jann Gallivan and CIEL, WRDC, Superbeaks, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, Tonya and KNF-E1, Cornell RTH, Moorings Park Ospreys, Corona California Owl Cam, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, David Attenborough Fans, Ospreys, The Telegraph, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Cal Falsons, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels.

1 owlet for Bonnie and Clyde, Intruder at SW Florida, Beaking at Duke Farms…Tuesday in Bird World

7 March 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that the beginning of the week started well for you. We are so happy to have you with us today. There is just too much going on at the nests! Osprey cams are coming online because the ospreys are arriving in the US! The eagles have returned to their nest in Glacier Gardens in Alaska, eggs are being laid, and it is getting hard to remember everything that is going on. And, yes, the beaking has started at Duke Farms for no reason other than dominance. This behaviour will probably start at Moorings Park, too. Just hold your breath.

Monday was an interesting one with the kittens. Missy and Lewis have shown that they have a keen interest in ‘things’ in packets. Missy loves savoury Japanese snacks. Lewis will eat anything, and I mean anything, but he is especially fond of sweet things such as Japanese strawberry-filled crepes. Lewis will carry the little packets away while Missy is the ‘opener’. She would be great at unzipping fish for the Es. Today, a small pack of Madelines was on the island. Madeleines are delicate cakes that are the size of a cookie and in the shape of a shell. The French bakeries in my City make delicious ones. They were meant to go with Monday night’s after-dinner coffee. At 1900 the Madelines were nowhere to be found. Did I put them up, and did I forget? A thorough look in all of the drawers and cupboards turned up nothing.

Missey: ‘I didn’t take the cookies!’ [Any Mum who believes that has her head stuck in the sand!!!!!!]. Just look at that sweet face.

Lewis is now in a ‘cookie coma’.

It took ages to find the cookie packet! With Lewis practising opening doors, it seems the only safe place for any bags of treats – human or feline – is up high under lock and key!

Lewis did get another cupboard door open, too. Inside was a small vase with a handful of Canada Geese feathers picked up at the park over the summer when the geese were moulting. He was running all over the house and having such a time! Sort of playing ‘hockey’ with that feather batting it around. Such energy and agility.

Oops!

Next to boxes with paper wrapping or paper bags (cut the handles), the feathers proved to be great toys.

Lewis is often a very bad influence on Missy! He is not afraid of anything, and his battery never dies. Some of the cell phone companies should find out what his secret is! (He seriously makes me tired just watching him most days).

Missy waits for Lewis to get the paper out of the box. They will play with it for hours.

What joy these two rescue babies have brought. I cannot imagine life without them!

In the Mailbox:

‘N’ writes: Are ospreys born blind? I just saw this on a chat.

Oh, thanks, ‘N’ for sending in that question. Ironically, I saw that and a few other statements on a streaming chat today, too, and was puzzled by it. The leading authority on Ospreys in the US is Alan Poole.

The chicks are born with a furry down that is tan in colour with the distinctive black stripe down the back and the dark eye line to help them with the glare. This is not down as we think of it but it is “actually made up of feathers, simple unbranched feathers” (Poole, 97) – forming what looks like a fuzzy appearance. This helps them regulate their temperature. Now this is the important part to the answer of your question and I want to quote Poole. “Osprey hatchlings are known as ‘semi-precocial’ which means they are a step back in the development from the precocial young of chickens or ducks” (98). “Osprey hatchlings are a step ahead of their altricial young of songbirds, which are born largely naked and barely able to move much of anything beyond their heads or necks to beg for food.”

Two key terms are the thrust of the answer to the question. Precocial. The goslings and ducklings jump out of the nest after 24 hours and can care for themselves. They walk and feed. They turn to their parents for warmth and security. Altrial hatchlings are entirely dependent on their parents. So, what about Ospreys? Well, they are in the middle. They are not born blind like owlets. [A 2010 article from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey says they are “born semi-altricial, or blind, feathered, and completely helpless.”] It does take a few days for their eyes to focus completely, but they are semi-Precocial, not semi-altricial. This is the bobblehead phase. They see a ‘beak’ and think of food. It could be their sibling!

Ospreys do not normally leave fish in the nest because it attracts predators or intruders. Normally the female will feed the begging chicks before she feeds herself. The new hatchlings can eat 10 small meals a day, the female taking the fish down to the open beak of the osplet.

Here is a good talk by Poole about Ospreys on YouTube. You can watch it in chunks:

If you are looking for a really good book with great images of the behaviours and development of Ospreys, I recommend Alan Poole’s book, Ospreys. The Revival of a Global Raptor. It also includes a section on threats and solutions. It is currently priced at $54 CDN or about $40 US on Amazon. You can also check any of the used book sellers, such as Abe Books or Thrift Books. I have this one and his earlier addition and both were purchased used.

There are many good volumes on Ospreys and over the course of the nest month I will be mentioning my favourites from the UK. Osprey season is starting – learn as much as you can!

At the Nests:

At the KNF-E3 nest, Nugget has branched at 67 days old! Congratulations everyone. Way to go Nugget.

At the nest of Connie and Clive, Connick is perching (standing on the rim of the nest like E21 and 22 at SW Florida).

I love the hatchling ospreys. However, those two little fluff balls at Duke Farms are adorable. However, the beaking has started. Thankfully, they are both about the same size, and hopefully, all of this will end soon.

Fan of Liberty and Freedom at Glacier Gardens in Alaska? Well, the streaming cam is back on early because the beloved couple was on the nest together on Monday.

Here is the link to their cam:

https://www.youtube.com/live/zukDc5a9_RE?feature=share

And guess what? the Ospreys are back at Dahlgren!!!!!! Oh, I wonder how many stuffies will land on the nest with Jack and Harriet this year?

Here is a video that HeidiMc did of the afternoon feedings at the Moorings Park Osprey nest. Sally sure does love her fish! Notice that the chicks are not yet screaming for food when she is eating! Their necks will get stronger, so they do not flop around. They need to hold their heads steady and have those beaks wide open. Otherwise, Mum does not think they are hungry!

The beak that is open is going to get the fish.

Wow, what a Dad. Harry brought in a late fish for Sally and the Bobs. Time 20:09. The Bobs were hungry. Just fantastic.

Turn around little ones!

The first GHO owlet hatched around 05:44 at the nest of Bonnie and Clyde on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas. Apparently, the name already chosen is Butch Cassidy. After the event, Bonnie and Clyde were vocalising loudly, and Clyde flew to the nest tree.

Clyde is directly below Bonnie on another branch.

The voting has begun for the Corona Owlets of Owlvira and Hoots. If you go to the YouTube live cam page for the Corona Owls, click on the tab at the top to vote. The names have been organised in groups of four possible choices, with ‘Peanut’ appearing multiple times!

M15 brought in a squirrel and 2 fish to the SW Florida nest today despite the presence of a sub-adult at the nest tree. Doing good, Dad.

This was the 16:14 fish that M15 dropped and flew. Those eaglets are quick and it was a scramble. At one point, each appeared to have a piece of fish.

E21 and 22 are perching and working their wings (21 more than 22 with the wings).

M15 appears to have been alone all day. No sightings of R23-3. Everyone is wondering where she is. Does her absence have anything to do with the intruder? This morning, a posting from SW Florida indicated three eagles around the property yesterday. I presume it was M15; we know the sub-adult and, most likely, R23-3.

Good Night, Dad. You are amazing. Your kids are perching and flapping. Today 21 is 60 days old, and 22 is 58 days old. It is hard to imagine that they could take their first flights in less than three weeks. You have put us all to shame because we doubted you…no one will ever forget your great efforts. When someone asks: can a single parent Bald Eagle raise one-month-old eaglets on their own? The answer will be, ‘Of course, M15 did it!’ *

Question: Who (or what) is on the branch below towards the road?

The IR seems to be picking up two figures on the other cam. I do not believe it is R23-3. She would most likely be on the same branch close to M15.

Annie and Lou are taking turns incubating the eggs at The Campanile on the campus of UC-Berkeley. Looks like a bit of delayed incubation. Will we see a third egg on Wednesday?

At the nest of Big Red and Arthur, something caused Dad to work frantically on the nest today. Does he know something we don’t?

On March 4th at 19:15:49 that Jackie looked down at her eggs, reflecting on them before leaving them and the nest. Shadow was flying off, and she paused. A woman on FOBBV wrote that she believes eagles have feelings after seeing Jackie’s behaviour. Of course, they do. Of course. We collectively grieve with Jackie and Shadow as their hope for a family this year dissolved on a cold winter’s day in Big Bear Valley.

Making News:

Oh, I love this. We see so many lonely widowed Canada Geese in my city. These are domesticated geese, but how wonderful…a romance ad answered for a goose! Single mingles for Geese.

Widowed-cemetery-goose-finds-companionship-through-a-personal-ad-CBC-Radio Download

Speaking of geese…remember the Canada Goose couple that took over the old Decorah Bald Eagle nest last year and raised those goslings? They could be back!

This article came in the mailbox from Geemeff. It would be fantastic if every organisation controlling an area where our waterfowl breed would close the space off during breeding season. All too many – at least here in Winnipeg – chase the geese and ducks or send their dogs running. It is horrible treatment and causes great stress to the birds.

https://www.kpax.com/news/local-news/flathead-county/large-section-of-flathead-lake-north-shore-closed-for-seasonal-waterfowl-production

After at least eight years in the making, The High Seas Treaty has passed. This treaty will protect 30% of the high seas. While not everyone agrees about every point, most biologists believe this will go a long way to helping with climate change. It will also help our seabirds!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/05/high-seas-treaty-agreement-to-protect-international-waters-finally-reached-at-un?CMP=share_btn_link

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

My sincere thanks to the following that sent me notes, posted announcements, videos, and stories or have streaming cams that formed part of my blog today: ‘L’, ‘A’, ‘N’, ‘H’, ‘Geemeff’, Alan Poole, Amazon.com, Rhonda A and the KNF-E3 Eagle nest, Window to Wildlife, Ondabebe and Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, Glacier Gardens, Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Heidi Mc and Moorings Park Osprey, Moorings Park Osprey, Farmer Derek, Corona California Owls, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Cal Falcons, Cornell RTH, FOBBV, CBC Radio, Laura Rose and the Decorah Eagles Love Nest, kpax.com, and The Guardian.

NOTE: A few single-parent bald eagles have successfully raised their entire clutch to fledge. I am thinking of Decorah, who had three eaglets in the nest. You might know of others. Let me know!

Annie and Lou have the 2nd egg…Monday in Bird World

Good Morning Everyone,

In the Mailbox:

‘J’ asks: “I was just wondering if you could talk about R23-3’s damaged talon. Do they heal? Will the actual nail fall off? Will it grow back?”

These are great questions; they have been on everyone’s mind since we first saw R23-3’s injured feet. First, let’s get to some facts in case some do not know. Those talons (and beaks) carry the eagle’s prey and nesting materials to the nest. They are also used to fight their enemies. Talons are essential for the eagle’s survival. Each foot has four talons, three in the front and one in the back, the hallux. The talons are made out of keratin. It is a protein. Human hair and nails are also made out of keratin.

So have a good look at the image below. Do you remember where the main injuries were on R23-3’s feet and talons? She appeared to have multiple marks and gouges, with one main injury on DIGIT IV, the Outer Talon. We saw it early as black, and I even called her ‘black taloned’. I feared that the injury was necrotic and would eventually kill her. There was no soft tissue swelling, just a deep gouge with a dark, dry scab. That scab eventually came off. The female adult appears to be eating and in good health. She enjoys her baths with M15 and socialising with him in the pond and on the branch. In other words, she is not lethargic.

That hallux is important because it digs into the prey items and allows the raptors to carry their food to where they will eat it or feed their young. The talons are grey in colour when the eaglets are in the nest and turn a shiny black as they age and fledge. They will remain that shiny black throughout their lives..

Now back to the question. The injuries on the female R23-3 appear to be healing. She has yet to lose her talon. If the entire talon were to be pulled out, growing a new one would be a very slow process. You might recall that Ervie, the third hatch Osprey at Port Lincoln in 2022, lost a talon. It was believed to be pulled out when he was fishing, but we do not know. It took nearly 8 months to see any growth in that talon.

We know that the female can bring carrion to the nest tree. We have seen her. She is also eating, arriving with a crop when she has yet to take a fish from the nest. We have yet to see the female actively hunting and carrying a large, heavy prey item to the nest tree. We, therefore, cannot make any observations on her ability or lack of ability to transport prey with that right foot.

If the foot continues to heal as it appears to, this female will be fine. Some eagles are flying and living with only one leg, as we have witnessed this year or managing with a leg with an old injury that did not heal properly, as Ma Berry did for years at Berry College. Feet get damaged regularly. V3’s feet are rough at the NEFl nest (with Gabby). Let us wait and watch to see how she does!

Hard to see the full extent of the injuries in the image below. We can, however, determine which is the most injured toe on the right foot.

We can also see some damage on the left foot.

It must be noted that Peregrine Falcons have been observed with talons with broken ends, which do not appear to grow back. In other words, the entire black talon needs to be pulled out and it is possible that it will regrow slowly.

In the News:

How might climate change impact the Northern Hemisphere’s sea birds? This is a great article coming out of Birdlife International on this topic. Have a read!

https://www.birdlife.org/news/2023/03/02/what-climate-change-looks-like-for-north-east-atlantic-seabirds/

Nest News:

Have you been missing Indigo? wondering if he was still around the scrape on the campus of Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia? thinking that Diamond and Xavier might be having some peace and quiet? No. Indigo is still there! Elain caught him on video!

Jackie and Shadow are so loved. They get more visitors to their streaming cam in the Big Bear Valley east of Los Angeles than any other eagle family in the US. We are saddened by the non-viability of their first clutch of eggs in 2023. It is not clear whether or not they will lay more eggs. The couple has left these two and the wind and ice are pelting down. Love you, Jackie and Shadow! Today, they made the USToday News. Thanks, ‘B’, for letting me know!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/animalkind/2023/03/05/big-bear-bald-eagle-live-nest-cam/11377425002/

M15 is on top of his game. On Sunday, the single parent delivered 3 fish to the nest of E21 and 22 before noon! Way to go, Dad! There were a total of five for the entire day.

Gosh, these eaglets are gorgeous.

The tails indicate the difference. E22 on the left and E21 on the right. Otherwise it is really difficult to tell them apart.

Such beautiful and precious babies. E21 below panting to keep cool.

The end of the day posting from SW Florida Eagles:

I mentioned that Duke Farms’s male will be 23 this year. That hatch date is 11 March. He was taken in as a foster eaglet at Duke Farms when he was a fortnight old. His two recently hatched eaglets are growing and are ever so strong! Just fluffy little snow people…adorable.

The osplets at Moorings Park in Naples, Florida are doing great. No worries at this nest so far.

Monday morning there was some frustration on the osprey nest by the osplets. Sally was hungry and there was a lot of fish. Harry finally gave her a break so that she could eat. The little osplets sure wanted some fish! They were up and waiting as Mum ate. There is nothing to worry about. At this stage of their development, they will eat a little fish many times a day not a lot of fish a few times.

At the Achieva Osprey nest, Jack and Diane have been doing incubation rotations. There are still some days til pip watch for these two.

Big Red and Arthur continue to work on the nest and mate on the light stands. Eggs soon, please!

Big Red and Arthur’s 2022 hatch, L4, remains on the Cornell Campus. Bravo! They are paying her no mind and she is going on about her business hunting in a very prey rich territory.

Happy Hatch Day!

There are now four eggs at the Peregrine Falcon nest in Japan. Will there be a 5th?

Watching for the second egg to be laid at Cal Falcons. Annie has been in the scrape box most of the day.

At 14:51 there was still just one egg. Soon!

At 15:09, Lou is on incubation duties.

‘H’ sent me news that the second egg arrived around 0430 Monday 6 March. Thanks, ‘H’.

Lou is getting the hang of ‘enfluffeling’!

Connie and Clive’s only eaglet, Connick, is looking for roles in more superhero movies. Looks at those legs!!!!! Wow. This eaglet is big and strong.

Connick is a huge, beautiful, well-nourished eaglet! Sometimes there is no place to go when the sun is hot on the nest. Connick can regulate his temperature now.

Gabby and V3 are both at the nest tree today. V3 provided for Gabby the security she needed with so many intruders and hopeful suitors. This nest is pleasantly peaceful now. Have you noticed that it is the same at SW Florida except for the GHOs?

Thanks, ‘T’ for the head’s up. The West End streaming cam was panning around, and guess who the camera caught? Akecheta!!!!!! Oh, it would be grand if they could figure out how to get this camera to focus on the new nest of Thunder and Akecheta. The time is 13:13 Sunday, 5 March. Nice to see you, Dad.

We may not be able to get everyone to stop using rodenticide but each of us can start by remembering that ‘Raptors are the Solution.’ If you know of someone with rodent problems, discuss with them why you do not use these highly designed poisons. If they have domestic pets, it might help save their lives, too. My cat Duncan would still be alive if a neighbour had not used this terrible poison and if Duncan had not caught the mouse that ate it. We will simply not be able to convince everyone but it is worth a try.

I want to thank Dave Hancock and all the folks in British Columbia who work tirelessly to support the well-being of Bald Eagles. There are more Bald Eagles in British Columbia than anywhere in the world. Due to climate change and rising temperatures during breeding and nesting season, Dave Hancock has also been working on eagle nest shades. He is an amazing man who has spent his entire life trying to improve their lives. Some of you will be familiar with the nest cams in British Columbia. They also have a web site with lots of information on eagles.

At the Corona, California GHO nest, the four owlets appear to be very healthy. The fourth is tiny, but size does not mean it is not well. Owlvira seems to be able to manage to feed all of them quite well. Potential names have been posted on chat, and now those are being put into a list for voting.

You can see the size difference in the image below as all are snuggled upright to stay warm.

Thanks so much for being with me today. Take care of yourselves! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘B’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘J’, Superbeaks, Lady Deeagle55 and Superbeaks, Avianreport.com, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Birdlife.org, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, SWEagleCam.com, Duke Farms, Moorings Park Ospreys, HeidiMc and Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH, @Cornellhawks, Kakapo Recovery, JPFalcon Cam, Cal Falcons, SKHideaways and Cal Falcons, Window to Wildlife, NEFL-AEF, IWS and Explore.org, Raptors are the Solution, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, and California Corona Owls.

Category Archives: protecting wildlife

Blue 33 arrives at Rutland…Thursday morning in Bird World

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Wow..the pace is picking up. Wednesday in Bird World

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Hatch for Ron and Rose, more intruders for M15…Tuesday in Bird World

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4 Fish Day at SW Florida, a Pip for Ron and Rose…Monday in Bird World

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Valentine and Nugget back in the nest, Annie has 4 eggs, Peanut dies…Sunday in Bird World

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Ervie, Jackie and Shadow at nest, Milda lays an egg…Friday in Bird World

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Annie lays 3rd egg, KNF-E3 has ‘branches’, Valentine hit by an owl…Thursday in Bird World

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Big Red and Arthur nest building, 3D legs for geese, Ravens eat Shadow and Jackie’s eggs…Wednesday in Bird World

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1 owlet for Bonnie and Clyde, Intruder at SW Florida, Beaking at Duke Farms…Tuesday in Bird World

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Annie and Lou have the 2nd egg…Monday in Bird World

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