The promised snow storm from that Colorado Low dumped more than 30 cm of snow in my garden and drive! It is hard to know what is happening elsewhere, but, I will not be driving to an appointment any time soon.
There is some news that I want to bring to you and it centres on DH19 at Dale Hollow. My friend ‘A’ watched the nest for me – what a great research assistant she is – and provides the following information.
“Today was the hardest day for little DH19. He was beaten so badly and so often by DH18, I actually worried for his life. The attacks were prolonged and unprovoked, and occurred when 18 had a massive crop. It was terrifying and emotionally traumatising to watch. Over and over again. There were several occasions when River used food to stop the attacks, and there were also occasions when DH17 definitely intervened to protect its sibling.”
“Realising this, River flew off the nest, leaving the tail and about four to six inches of nice flesh attached to it. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the little one got to the tail, and began self-feeding. It was getting excellent bites from the tail, holding it down well and really twisting and pulling with all its strength to pull off really big juicy pieces. It was doing so very well. It ate and ate but there was still half the flesh and all the tail left when 18 decided to steal the fish.”
“
DH19 had to work really hard as the flesh started to get close to the tail. He pulled and tugged and got everything he could from the fish and then set to trying to swallow the fish tail. His first attempt fails because he cannot get the angle right. The second try almost succeeds, but although he gets the correct angle, he gives up before completing the task. On the third attempt, he got the angle just right, finally horking down the tail with the remaining attached flesh at 06.47.25. Cheers, then tears. Jonathan was a little amused by my cheering on this little eaglet on a REPLAY as if my urgings and pleadings could affect what I was watching.
Little DH19 has a crop! She earned it entirely by herself. Not a mouthful of it was fed to her. What a brave, clever, determined little person she is.”
Thank you, ‘A’. Everyone. Send your best wishes to this determined eaglet.
‘A’ was also watching Achieva for me and she notes the following:
“Assuming the one on the right as we look at the screen is the youngest, with the Middle Bob on its left. Big Bob has come up behind Little Bob, who is not intimidated by its presence. As I said, I cannot guarantee which of the two osplets in front is Middle and which is Little – I am guessing a bit here – so I suggest you watch this feeding for yourself. I do think that Little Bob gets by far the best of the first ten minutes of the feeding. It is not a large fish, certainly – by Dale Hollow standards, I would call it small-medium. Here, they call it a big fish apparently.
At any rate, the little one is at the table and right at mum’s beak for this feeding, which goes on for well over 40 minutes (Flo was still feeding at 21:00 but was finally cleaning up any last dropped morsels at 21:03), so I can only hope it got enough to eat. The bad light made watching the feeding a particularly frustrating experience and afterwards, it was hard to see who had what sized crops.” Let us hope the baby got to eat. That camera is horrible!
Connick is now being cared for by CROW. If you missed it, he fell off the nest last evening, Tuesday 4 April. There was some earlier concerns about Connick losing flight feathers as shown in this video by Hancock Wildlife. Thanks, ‘H’ for sending this to me.
Send Connick your best wishes, too!
Gabby and V3 were together at the NE Florida Eagle nest. I haven’t reported on them for awhile. They are just hanging out, eating, working on the nest, and being an adorable couple. I hope that M15 gets a good mate.
For all the White Stork fans, Bety is now at home with Bukachek in Mlady Buky. Yeah. They made it!
Our Black Stork family for the Karula National Forest continues to move – or, at least the adults. Karl II is in Moldova and Kaia is in Bulgaria! Waba is still in Sudan.
And last but never least, Big Red has laid egg 3 of the 2023 Cornell Red-tail Hawk season on the 5th of April at 0609. Congratulations Big Red and Arthur.
Sleep while you can, Big Red!
Thank you for being with me for this brief catch-up on some missed news. Continue to send your best wishes to the Achieva and Dale Hollow nests. Take care all. See you soon!
Thank you to ‘A’ for all your hard work and ‘H’ and the following for their streaming cams and videos that helped make up this blog: Cornell RTH, Mlade Buky, Looduskalender Forum, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, NEFL-AEF., and Dale Hollow Eagle Cam.
Oh, this report was very long and I have cut it down. There is simply too many things happening and I decided not to make your eyes sore. LOL. If there is sadness or worry at some of the nests, the first story should make up for all of that!
There simply are no words to describe the feeling when we see an image like the one below. It is remarkable. What a magnificent day that began with M15 coaxing 22 so he could eat and they wind up in the pond together having their evening bath. Remarkable isn’t even the right word. After all the devastation from the supercells, this melts my heart.
D Morningstar shows us 22’s first bath. Wait to see M15 turn around and look at his fledgling. Priceless. Jumping for joy at 5:28. Gulping water. Learning.
Are you exhausted from all the drama and trauma at the nests? This morning (Monday), I just wanted to pick up squeeing E22 and tell him it is alright. ‘You are a bird. You can do this!’ M15 is one super dad. We have seen just how hard adult eagles work to get their fledglings where they want them so they can feed them if those little Butcher Birds would take a holiday.
There was a lot of debate about whether it would be Maya or Blue NC0 that laid the first Osprey egg in the UK to kick off the season. Congratulations Laddie and Blue NC0! You get the honour in 2023!
The folks at Glaslyn are cheering. One of their couple is home safely. Oh, it is so nice to see you, Aran. Now we wait for Mrs G, the oldest osprey in the UK.
My goodness, Aran, you are handsome!
It did not take Aran long to get a fish on the nest branch!
Geemeff caught his arrival for us! Sure is a nice fish. Was he looking for Mrs G to come and grab it? Let us hope she is home soon.
More on SW Florida. It was quite the morning at the Pritchett Property with M15 doing everything he could possibly think of to get 22 to either get to the nest to eat a fish, eat it at the snag tree, or down by the pond. What a Dad. He never gave up. Victory!
‘A’ sent us the video link for yet another GHO strike caught by Lady Hawk on 22 during the night. Those owls are persistent. E22 do not let that owl daunt your staying home with Dad at the pasture, the pond, and in the trees!
At 0926, Little Bitty 22 (s/he is not so little) continued to enjoy being at the pond and having a bath. What a beautiful sight. There is no word on 21 so far.
Valentine are both back at the KNF-E3 nest in the Kistachie National Forest. Thanks Rhonda A for the video!
It is Monday morning, and it looks like there is a pip at Decorah!
Jackie and Shadow have been mating and Shadow has made sure Jackie is eating well. They were at the nest very early this morning.
The pair spent a lot of time at the nest until the ice pellets and wind picked up in the afternoon on Monday.
I really wish that Shadow could lay those eggs.
After their evening meal on Monday, Duke Farm Dad settled down with the family for a bit. Beautiful
They are soooooooo cute. Just love H19 and H20 at Pittsburgh-Hays.
Second hatch for Bald Canyon Eagles. That first one is just a little fluff ball darling.
Waiting for a pip – while hoping the egg is viable at Sauces Canyon. You send all. your good vibes to Jak and Audacity. This is egg 7 and it is intact. They sure deserve a healthy hatch.
Two eggs have hatched at the Bartlesville Oklahoma Bald Eagle nest. Congratulations. One more to go, maybe.
Dulles-Greenway. Martin and Rosa are doing great with their three eaglets. Oh, please just send some good love to them. It is hard with three and I really do not want anything to happen to either parent!
Oh, my goodness. Ron and Rose’s two eaglets have beautiful white Mohawks and gorgeous thermal down. They had excellent crops when Ron came in with another big fish after 1600 on Monday. Rose did a great job feeding the pair.
Every female adult eagle has ‘that look’. There is no way I would want to mess with Rose!
Just pause and look at those Mohawks. It looks like they have just returned from a luxury salon! I have never seen anything like it. Have you? Normally there are a few dandelions. This is incredible.
Quite the egg cup that Laddie and Blue NC0 have going at Loch of the Lowes. Will they beat Maya at Manton Bay with the first egg to officially kick off the UK Osprey season?
Beautiful CJ7 at her nest at Poole Harbour.
So you have found a baby bird. What do you do? Audubon tells us how we should behave:
Harriet is home at Dunrovin and Star is at the Baseball Park. Come on Iris!
Moorings Park. Abby and Victor might like an earlier breakfast, but Dad seems to like to bring in a late fish. They are both well-nourished. No perceivable problems at this nest.
I do wish they would not get so close to the edge!
Victor still protects his head in case Abby wants to take a peck.
Angus and Florence continue to incubate their three eggs at Captiva. Gosh, these chicks are going to hatch late. Wonder what the heat and humidity will be like? Sure hope the fishing is good for Angus if they have three lively osplets to feed.
There were storms in Iowa. Mother Goose seems to be fine in her nest at Decorah.
Arthur and Big Red have quite a ways to go before hatch. I am so very grateful that there nest is up on that light stand!
Do you watch the Great Spirit Bluff Peregrine Falcons? If you do, Savannah just laid her third egg of the season!———— We are one week away from pip watch at Annie and Lou’s at Cal Falcons. Are you getting excited?
As I close the blog for today, I am reminded that there is a concern for the three eaglets at Dale Hollow and the three osplets at Achieva. The fish deliveries dropped off at Dale Hollow over the weekend, possibly due to the fishing tournament held at the lake. River has brought in a nice fish, and the three will go to bed with very full crops. River, you are doing great. It is not easy while you grieve your missing Obey.
DH19 had a good feed but, throughout the feeding, River was distracted with the intruder. It was a lot of work for the little one to get that crop. Please, go away intruder and let River get on with what she needs to do. It would be grand if the same success came to this nest as SW Florida.
Fish deliveries have dropped off at Achieva as noticed by chatters. ‘H’ tells me that the little one has little to nothing to eat. In fact, I believe that all three of the osplets are quite hungry especially in the heat. They need their hydration. Send your best wishes to these two nests, please.
All chicks at Achieva are so ravenous. The third hatch is very tiny. The problem is that Diane simply will not stay the course and feed the little one and often sends fish back when Jack arrives. I am not hopeful this morning.
What might impact Jack’s hunting abilities besides his fish being stolen by other birds? Avian Report says, “Osprey hunting times vary with locality and are influenced by weather conditions, particularly wind speed and tide schedules, where tides occur. A study of foraging Ospreys found that birds tend to hunt more often at dawn and dusk. However, Ospreys concentrated their hunting efforts and were more successful during mid-tide regardless of the direction to low or high tide. An Osprey’s hunting schedule and success are affected by wind speed. According to field observations, ospreys were more successful in catching fish during calm wind hours. As the wind speed increases, the water becomes choppier, and Ospreys have less success catching fish. Consequently, Ospreys tend to avoid hunting during high winds. The hunting success rate of Ospreys is not affected by overcast or bright days or even rain.” We do not know all the obstacles Jack faces getting fish to the nest.
It feels like a roller coaster for all of us. So many things are happening – many are joyful, and others are tragic. When it gets too much, go outside and listen to the birds in your neighbourhood (I hope there are some), take a short walk and breathe in the spring air. Look at the flowers. Then breathe again. Call a friend and step back from a nest. One of the difficulties is feeling helpless. Then pause…and find the joy because it is there. The glass is more than half full.
Cherry blossoms are such a joy. They remind us that spring has arrived while at the same time, they bud, bloom, and fall to the ground symbolising that life is fleeting. ‘A’ sent me some beautiful images from Tokyo yesterday. With some sadness, we must continue to remind ourselves that nature brings us joy. I know she will not mind if I share one of those with you. How gorgeous. Thank you, ‘A’.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for the notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘A’, ‘Geemeff’, Betty Weeks and SW Florida Eagle Cam, D Morningstar and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Geemeff and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Geemeff and Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Eagle Goddess, Rhonda A and KNF-E3, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, FOBBV, Duke Farms, PIX Cams, IWS and Explore.org, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles 101, Dulles Greenway, WRDC, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke, Audubon.org, Lin Lawson and Osprey Friends, Moorings Park Ospreys, Window to Wildlife, Decorah Goose Cam, Cornell RTH, Dale Hollow Eagles, Achieva Credit Union, and Avian Report.
What a horrible horrible weekend it was. There is some good news and before I even say anything else, we will get right to it. M15 watched and saw 22 fly to the ridge of a nearby roof yesterday. 22, then flew back to the branch below the nest. The Real Saunders Photography caught the difficulty E22 had in trying to get up to the nest from the branch below but, applaud, the effort that M15 made to try and get him there!
On Sunday, one of the local photographers has caught M15 feeding 22 on that roof. While there is debate over whether or not it is 22, there is no reason to believe that it is not 22. Eaglets remember have longer wing and tail feathers than their parents until their first moult. That is where M15 fed his fledgling! He may be also feeding 21 off camera but no one has seen that happen as far as I know. I hope that the address is not divulged so that the public will keep away and let M15 finish the task he began with Harriet when they had their first egg for this season. He is doing brilliantly and this story is one of the bright stars in a bleak world.
The confirmation needed:
One of the fledglings at SW Florida on the pasture fence around 0920.
The rural bird watchers in my province were having a field day on Sunday. There is a ridge of hills – not mountains – where the thermals are pretty good. eBirders report 102 Bald Eagles, 72 Red-tail Hawks, 4 Golden Eagles, 4 Rough Legged Hawks, and many smaller birds: migration and spring. After the loss of so many – and the little eaglet at MN-DNR was found and confirmed dead – it was a hard week in Bird World. The arrival of the migrants gives me some hope. Must begin to compare these arrival statistics with last year.
After a short drive checking on geese arrivals – and they are coming – poor things. Some are here already walking on the snow and ice while others fly overhead. Snow is predicted for today through Wednesday when it turns to rain. They might wish they had waited although if I had been in the northern part of the central US I would get out of town, too. There is more severe weather predicted for them. We get the odd little tornado but nothing like those storm cells covering half the eastern part of the US that are destroying raptor nests!
Junior was here. In fact, every one began to arrive in the garden around 1530 trying to fill up before the snow begins. So nice to see him. He is looking very well, indeed.
Mrs Downy is a regular visitor to the garden. She comes several times a day keeping me on my toes to fill that log with suet!
One of 35 or 40 House Sparrows. You can see the buds on the lilacs coming along nicely. The flowers are usually here by May.
The raccoons are busy early and have seen on at least two nests in the last day or two- Redding and Golden Gate. You might recall that they captured and killed an eaglet at Fort St Vrain in Colorado this year. I do not like them around the nests. They love to eat eggs too.
Oh, I sound like a broken record but when eaglets fledge, we want them to return to the nest. We have all seen M15 trying to coax 22 up to the nest. Well, congratulations to Trey, the only eaglet of Anna and Louis this year, who has flown back to the nest after fledging. This is precisely what we want to see.
Trey fledged on Friday, returned to the nest for a feeding on Sunday. Way to go Trey!
At the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest, Ringo has branched!
More news is coming in from the MN-DNR nest and its failure and the death of that much-loved eaglet of Nancy and Beau. The report below was updated. The crew returned to clear out the nest of all the food to try and find the baby to see if it was alive. Sadly, the eaglet was found some ten feet from the nest. How it got there is not known. So very, very sad.
Nancy and Beau continue to grieve. Beau doesn’t know what to do and continues to bring prey to the nest to feed Nancy and the baby. So sad.
Starr is mourning the loss of her nest at The Trio, Mississippi Flyway, Fulton, Illinois. Dennis Brecht has confirmed that Starr and her new mate, Tarek, had two little ones in the nest that perished. Brecht confirmed that the tree snapped about 2 or 3 feet above the ground and that many more trees were down and twisted around one another. Starr was looking at her loss from the Lookout Tree, soaring and returning to the lookout tree. I was hoping her mate was nearby. We are waiting for news from Brecht. As you might remember, Starr was with Valor I and II – the trio. She lost Valor 1 to Jolene, but Valor II stayed with her and disappeared. She has had a rough few years from the days of The Love Trio that raised all those babies in that nest.
The very sad thing is that the eagles are facing not only a huge decline in the population due to deaths from nest collapse but also, we continue to have warnings of active cases of Avian Flu. This is just the beginning of storm season.
Here is yet another nest collapse. This time one of the eaglets survived! Isn’t he a little cutie? Send you best wishes!
Big Red and Arthur have their second egg of the ‘M’ season. Their nest was shaking and rattling yesterday due to the high winds. It would be nice if they had a break. Big Red has a nice crop on her return to the nest from her break. It feels like she is giving Arthur much more incubation time this year.
Angel and her mate, Tom, have eggs they are incubating. Their tree is holding.
I am hoping that the camera angle is causing the distortion of the nest for Mother Goose at Decorah.
‘A’ sent me a great report on Dulles-Greenway.
“At Dulles Greenway, lunch at around 13:04 was probably a possum (opossum?) as it had a long thin tail and was way too large to be any sort of rat. Again, all three sat up nicely to the table, with the two youngest in front and the oldest at the back, waiting for their siblings to feed! Perhaps we have a rare male first/male second/female third in this nest. Otherwise, it’s three boys, I would say. I did see one single beaking at this morning’s breakfast – but I’m pretty sure that was the youngest (if not the second youngest). The oldest sibling is very relaxed, usually last to the table and never getting pushy when it misses out on getting enough food (which it does more often than the younger ones).”
Pittsburgh-Hayes is doing good. Five feedings already this morning and it isn’t even mid-morning!
Lou finally got some incubation time. ‘B’ sent me the following note: “Mary Malec of Cal Falcons was reported as having said that in the recent storm Annie did not get off the eggs from 1 pm one afternoon until 7 am the next morning, the longest continuous incubating she had seen from Annie.” Lou really does want to stay a little longer. Thanks SK Hideaways for the video.
Looks like we have lift off at Ithaca for the Peregrine Falcons. Egg 1!
We can’t see them but Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot are about a metre above the nest bowl according to the chat moderator. Fantastic.
Abby and Victor continue to thrive under the care of Sally and Harry at Moorings Park. Harry brought in a fish at 2000!
The Montana Ospreys are arriving at their spring and summer breeding grounds. Harriet arrived at Dunrovin and Starr arrived at the Baseball Park on Sunday. Iris is always about a week after Star. Let us all hope the matriarch, the Queen, survived the winter and her return home.
There is a hatch at Bald Canyon, the three eaglets at Tobacco Creek of Chandler and Hope are doing well, and today is pip watch for Jak and Audacity at Sauces. Oh, goodness. Now that hatch, a healthy eaglet, would sure get our spirits up. And then if Jackie lays an egg- well, the sun would be shining bright.
Hatch at Bald Canyon:
Chandler feeding the 20, 18, and 16 day old Ps.
Meanwhile, Shadow is filling Jackie with fish and they have been mating often…hoping for one viable egg! Baiba brings us the action in images.
The egg at Sauces Canyon is 35 days old today. We wait! Best wishes for Jak and Audacity.
There is also one egg at US Steel and we are on pip watch today, too!
Things have deteriorated over the weekend at Dale Hollow. This could, in part, be due to the fishing tournament at the lake and the intruder. Little third hatch was afraid to eat and had nothing of the last two fish brought in. Things were going well. Send good wishes. Note: River has just brought in a nice fish around 0800 Monday. Let us hope there is enough to go around. DH19 in submission and you can see how small it is. Oh, goodness.
I am so sorry to bring such sad news today. Let us hope this is the tragedy’s end as more bad weather and supercells head east. When trees are checked, like the nest at MN-DNR, and the arborist says they are dead, would it not then be of some help to try and lessen the load of the heavy eagle nest by removing some material during the off-season when the eagles are not there and by doing some human intervention on the tree to support it? With all the loss of trees and the number of eagles, thoughtful designs for artificial nests should be considered and implemented.
Thank you for being with me. Take care all. See you soon. Feel free to hit the share button for FB and Twitter!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, photographs, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Real Saunders Photo, Brittany Laurie and NEFL and SWFL Eaglecam Watcher’s Club, Nancy Babineau and SWFL Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, SF Bay Ospreys, KNF-E1, Paul White and the Webster Texas Eagle Cam, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams, Lady Hawk and MN-DNR, Dennis Brecht and Trio Eagle Nest Lovers Group, Cornell RTH, Angel the Leucistic RTH, Decorah Goose Cam, Dulles-Greenaway, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Melissa Richards, Corona Owl Cam, Moorings Park Ospreys, Sheila Staley and Osprey Friends, IWS, PA Farm Country, FOBBV, PIX Cam, and Lolita Ozolina and Baltgalvas ergo ASV.
Big Red was certainly not giving away any secrets. She was on the nest on the Fernow Light Stand all day today. She would get up and floof. Was there an egg? We could not see. But now we can!
Arthur, the wait is over! How many eggs will there be? 3? 4 like last year? I am hoping for 3.
Congratulations and thanks Cornell Bird Lab for the streaming cam where I took my screen captures!
Spring ‘decided’ to turn a little nippy on Monday. The sky was blue and the House Finches returned to the feeders along with a few more Dark-eyed Juncos, Mr and Mrs Woodpecker, and an assortment of Chickadees and Sparrows. I hope to have decent images for you sometimes this week.
The kittens and I cannot take our eyes off the SW Florida nest. E22 is going to fly soon!!!!! Very soon. The other nests are doing fine. I am a little nervous about a couple with three osplets or eaglets where the size is vastly different from the first to the third, but we wait. So far, so good. Knock on wood, as they say! Or don’t worry about something until there is something to worry about! We wait to see if the single egg at the Redding California nest of Liberty and Guardian is viable. Otherwise, we can look for several more hatches along with Osprey arrivals and fledges in the coming days.
Will the spill in Poole Harbour harm all the wildlife?
A very good article about the restoration of the Peregrine Falcons on the University of California Campus at Berkeley. It is in the most recent Alumni news, The California Magazine.
Big Red could have fooled us all today. She has spent a lot of time at the nest on the Cornell campus.
Is it just me, but does Big Red look ‘tired’ in her eyes this year? I hope this is just the camera angle.
Jackie has patiently sat on the branch letting Shadow have a fun day with his sticks on the nest. ‘B’ reports that the nest could be in for some more bad weather on Wednesday. Thanks for the head’s up, ‘B’.
They are three cute osplets. I so hope they all play nice at Achieva. Just look at the size difference.
Not ospreys but three little eaglets. Hoping for them, too! This is PA Country Farm and they have one more egg to possibly hatch.
At the beginning of February, when Harriet disappeared, no one imagined that M15 could raise the Es to fledge. It just seemed like such an insurmountable challenge but, we knew it had been done before. He rose to the occasion and here we are today preparing with him for the last two eaglets he will have with Harriet to fly and eventually make their way into the world. What an amazing journey it had been. Better than the afternoon soap operas my grandmother used to watch!
On Monday, M15 brought at least three prey items to the Es today. Everyone ate.
E22 is sure beautiful. Missy and Lewis think that our feisty Bitty is going to fledge first!
As dusk settled over the pastures, E22 was squeezing, flapping, and going from branch to branch. As many of you might be aware, fledging often occurs in the early morning or the hour before dusk. Missy and Lewis were watching the computer, and I could tell something was going to happen. We are so close to fledging at SW Florida.
M15 with his eagle eyes keeping an eye from above. As so many have said, Harriet would be so proud of how he has taken care of these last two eaglets of theirs.
Finally, asleep on the rim. Flying can wait til Tuesday.
Lady Hawk shows M15 delivering two fish, one each, in less than two minutes. Did we say incredible in describing our Dad at this nest?
Pittsburgh-Hays had their first hatch on the 26th and there is a pip in the second egg. Congratulations!
We watched as Audacity laid eight eggs hoping to have eaglets this year with her mate, Jak at Sauces Canyon in the Channel Islands. It looks like that egg continues to hold. Let us hope for a successful hatch.
If you like the sound of frogs, visit Jak and Audacity’s streaming cam at night. Audacity in her nest listening to the serenade and protecting her precious egg.
There is a pip at the Denton Homes Bald Eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa!
Smitty feeds his little eaglet for the first time at the NCTC nest! After no chicks last year – you may remember that Bella was attacked by an intruder and MIA for three weeks, it is fantastic to see these two be parenting a wee one again.
Then Bella and Smitty do a tandem feeding. They are so happy to have an eaglet to care for this year.
Isn’t this just the sweetest little eaglet? It looks like it is smiling. Congratulations Bella and Smitty!
The Live Owl Cam GHOs are really growing. Caught Owlvira bringing in some prey – a mouse? – for Tootsie, Pip, and Hoot tonight.
One of my favourite Osprey nests in the UK is the Foulshaw Moss nest of White YW and Blue 35 in Cumbria. Today, White YW returned home after his winter migration. Just waiting for Mum. I will tell you more about this amazing nest in days to come.
Victor and Abby had another good day. Victor is so very clever. As ‘A’ has observed if Abby is giving him grief and keeping him from fish, then he gets under Sally’s bottom or under her wing and she feeds him. Sally loves to stuff these two full to the brim and then asks if they want more. If they say no, she feeds them more anyway! Too funny. What a glorious nest to watch.
Abby and Victor have huge crops. Sally is such a devoted mother.
Victor could hardly hold his crop up but Sally insisted that he have more fish…so he ate while on his belly. Too funny.
There is a problem with fishing line on the Moorings Park nest. ‘A’ writes, “It is 4.34am at The Moorings and it sounds as though it is raining heavily. We have a problem with one or both osplets caught up in nesting material for over four hours and unable to move about freely. In trying to free itself, Abby has got very close to the edge, which is concerning Sally greatly. I am not sure how Victor is going, as he has been making quite a bit of noise, chattering, but he too was entangled earlier. At least he is under mum, between her and Abby, so he is getting some shelter from the weather and is further from the edge. His right foot appears to be caught under nesting material and he is unable to get it out. Sally is trying to dig at the nesting material to loosen it perhaps and free Victor’s foot. I am unsure how this happened but it is not a good situation.”
The rain has stopped. Thankfully. The line has been seen at 1000 on the nest, but it may be off Victor’s leg. In situations like this (human-caused), wildlife rehabbers get permission and can remove the line from the nest. Victor and Abby are too small to worry about a forced fledge. — Let us hope that Sally takes care of it! I did notify Moorings and the local wildlife conservancy in case the line continues to be an issue.
Victor still had line pulling on him at 11:02.
I don’t know if Maya is still suspicious of Blue 33 and Blue 25. Both Maya and Blue 33 have been at the nest working on the egg bowl over Monday.
Michael St John just sent me a new article covering the exploits of Blue KW0. As I have mentioned earlier, Kirk, Tweed Valley 2022, fledgling Blue 707, might have been caught in the same winds and could also be out in the Caribbean. As I write this, I seek help from radar and meteorological specialists to try and establish the weather patterns that could have taken these UK birds to the Caribbean—more on that as information is discovered. I will put out a call for help with 707 that I hope everyone will send out to any and all in a few days. Who knows, we might get lucky and find this other osprey!
Colouring books are not just for children. This book arrived today in the post, and I wanted you to see it – especially since we will watch the White-bellied Sea Eagles in the Sydney Olympic Forest in a few months. The coloured images are superb and are the work of the famous Australian artist, Elizabeth Gould, whose work is being featured in a new book released in the fall.
In some places of the world – not on the Canadian Prairies – please remember – and thank you. Spread the world. Embrace dandelions!
One of the key individuals in the fight to protect wildlife and habitat in the UK is Chris Packham. I have written about the arson attack at his home. The threats to his life are growing simply because he calls out the gamekeepers and gun sports for their violence and illegal activities. What is happening now is frightening. How would we feel if we defended the right to life of foxes and came home fearing someone would be there to harm us?
Thank you so much for being with me today. Coming up this week – a close look at Tweed Valley Osprey 707 Kirk and how he might have gotten blown off just like Blue KW0, Missey’s review of Waterbabies, and a surprise visit to a new site in my city. See you soon. Take care!
I want to thank the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, Michael St John, The Guardian, The California Magazine, Cornell RTH, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, PA Farm Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Pix Cams, IWS and Explore.org, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles 101, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC, Live Cam Owl, Cumbria Wildlife, Moorings Park Ospreys, LRWT, BBC, Amazon, and Raptor Persecution UK.
Sunday was a beautiful day in the Canadian Prairies. Spring is arriving, and the small ponds around the City and parts of the river are melting. The Geese are beginning to return. I saw four this morning during my walk, and others have reported them returning on eBird.
There was one lonely goose on the open water at Fort Whyte Alive.
Several were in the sky, flying toward our Assiniboine Park and the River. It is exciting seeing the end of winter. Can’t wait to see ‘green’ as in grass and leaves!
We will start with an incredible video of M15 delivering a Bluegill to the eaglets at the SW Florida Bald Eagle Nest. Shot by The Real Saunders Photography, who are on the ground in Fort Myers. What a different perspective!
On Sunday, M15 brought three fish and a piece of ‘something’. I can’t be positive, but E22 got the majority, if not all, of the prey. He appears to continue to provide feast and famine days for the eaglets as he eases them into what will be living in the real world. There were no big dramas yesterday. M15 also found time to have a nice splash about in the pond. He has done it! Will the Es fledge this week?
The winds are blowing UK Ospreys onto their nests. Blue 022, the mate of CJ7 at Poole Harbour, flew on to the nest on the 26th of March. Other arrivals are being reported around the UK. The nest at Poole Harbour is part of the Roy Dennis relocation efforts to bring Ospreys back to the area after a more than 200-year absence. Last year CJ7 and Blue 022 fledged two historic osplets from this nest. Sadly, one was killed by a Goshawk.
Blue 22 was joined by an unringed female. Come on CJ7!
Telyn has arrived home at the Dyfi Osprey Platform in Wales just after noon on the 27th. Now we wait for her mate Idris to get home.
A second osprey has been seen on the nest at Clywedog, but the camera has gone down and no firm confirmation that it is Dylan. Sure hope it is!
The three osplets at the Venice Golf and Country Club in Florida appear to be doing quite well. They are certainly well camouflaged. You have to look carefully to tell the stripes on their backs from the sticks.
Arlene Beech reports that the first Osprey has arrived in Poland for the 2023 season.
It was so nice to check on Abby and Victor and find them both up eating Sunday morning. The average number of fish coming to the nest is 5-6 a day. Many of those are being brought in by Sally. It appears that on Sunday, Harry delivered one early fish. Thank goodness the water feature below the nest must be teeming with food. Sally has no trouble bringing fish to her, Abby, and Victor.
Everyone is preening and itchy. Look at the image above. The tail feathers are starting to come in also.
Sally keeping the osplets shaded. Where is Harry? He has been off camera for a couple of days. I am used to him being on the nest and there being a few more deliveries. Sally caught fish yesterday.
Abby and Victor were so full of fish they could hardly move and then Sally decided to feed them some more after the IR light came on. Just look at the crops on Sally and the kids.
‘A’ is a keen observer of the Moorings nest and she writes about Sunday, “Not only is Victor rapidly learning how to get to the beak, even if he has to go between mum’s legs or hide under her wing, and he seems to have renewed confidence. As I think I mentioned yesterday, he has developed a technique for not being beaked by Abby – as he becomes aware of Abby raising herself up to beak him from behind, he does the same himself, stretching his neck and standing literally on his tiptoes to get himself high enough to prevent her from being able to bring her weight down on his head. Abby retreats nearly every time. Victor has now learnt that, so he seems quite confident to continue eating even in Abby’s presence.” Thanks, ‘A’. There are no worries at this nest at the moment!
At the Achieva Osprey nest, Jack flew in with a huge fish around 0830. Diane has been busy feeding the trio. It is so difficult to see the behaviour on this nest this year without the camera zoomed in closer!!!!!!!! I cannot tell how the osplets are doing in terms of the feedings only that there are still three alive on the nest. The third hatch, despite being only four days younger than the eldest, is quite small.
Jackie and Shadow were at the Big Bear Valley nest early Sunday morning.
Shadow has been bringing in lots of nice fish. If those prey gifts could be eggs in that nest, it would overflow.
Congratulations to Bella and Smitty on their first hatch of the 2023 season at the NCTC nest.
Big Red was also on her nest early Sunday morning!
And the camera pans over to the Bradfield ledge and catches her trying to keep out of the wind. Is this a new improved zoom?
The three eagles of Martin and Rosa in the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest in Virginia continue to do well. What more can we ask when three are in a nest, and one is much bigger? They are doing well! There are, as of today, seven Bald Eagle nests in the US with three eaglets. Wow.
Ron and Rose continue to trade off duties caring for the two eaglets. Everything is going along splendidly.
A whole new meaning to ‘sleeping with the fishes’.
Rose indeed found an incredible mate when she landed on Ron’s nest! Lucky girl.
We are still waiting for a pip at the nest of Liberty and Guardian in Redding, California. I am not ready to give up on their only egg this season. Send them positive wishes, please.
Bella and Smitty had their first hatch on the 25th of the 2023 season. This is great news. The couple did not have any eaglets last season.
PA Farm Country now has their third hatch of the four eggs on the nest this season. Wow. They are going to be busy!
Pittsburgh-Hayes had their first hatch of the 2023 season at 12:03 on the 26th. Welcome H19!
Six hours old.
Congratulations to Nancy and Beau at MN-DNR on their first hatch of the 2023 season. Hatch occurred early Sunday evening.
Bonding is happening at the scrape on top of San Jose City Hall. This new couple replaces Shasta, Annie, and Grinnell’s son, Sequoia.
Proud Owlvira standing with her three owlets in Corona, California. They have all ‘branched’ to the rim of the nest.
Pip, Tootsie, and Hoots must be full as each is ignoring the mouse in the nest that Mum delivered a few minutes earlier.
Here is that delivery:
Checking on Karl II and his family and their migration back to Estonia. Karl II’s last transmission was as he was almost leaving Turkey. No news today. Kaia had one ping in Chad and nothing since. That was several days ago. Waba remains in Sudan. Bonus’s last transmission was in the fall migration in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
If you want to take part in voting at Cal Falcons for your favourite memes, go to https://calfalcons.berkeley.edu Click on either the FB or Twitter links, and you will find the ‘Vote Here’ link. Have fun!
There seem to be more cases daily, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, as so many never appear on the FB site. It is a simple fix. Imagine all the resources saved, never mind the pain and suffering of the carrion feeders. So explain to me why this is not happening. The EU has banned lead. You cannot hunt waterfowl in England, Wales, the wetlands of Northern Ireland and Scotland using lead but, the programme is not comprehensive. A voluntary initiative in the UK to stop pheasant hunters from using lead indicated that 94% of the pheasants tested had been killed with lead shots. It needs to be a mandatory ban on all lead in all hunting and fishing equipment. It is simple. Every news outlet is looking for a story. Give them one. Pepper the local papers and outlets with the reasons for not using lead then make it mandatory. It will take a few years but people will comply (for the most part). Just do it! And not piece meal.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. I hope to have another unique story from Barbados for tomorrow for everyone. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, announcements, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: Real Saunders Photography, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Ospreys of Poole Harbour, Dyfi, Venice Golf and Country Club, Arlene Beech, Moorings Osprey Park, Achieva Credit Union, FOBBV, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Eagles, Cornell RTH, Dulles-Greenway, WRDC, FORE, Pix Cams, MN-DNR, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Corona Owl Cam, Live Owl Cam, Looduskalender Forum, Cal Falcon Cam, Phys.org, Terry Carman and Bald Eagle Live Nests and News, and The Guardian.
The sun is bright, and the temperature is only -2 C, but a 22 kph wind makes it chilly! I have not seen them, but others have witnessed 45 Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle arriving from their winter migration. First American Robin seen, also. Amazing. Last year many of the eagles who make their nests on the ground and the ducks’ and geese’ nests were ruined by overland flooding. Hoping that does not happen this year!
For me, the delight of the day came when about half a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos landed in the lilac bushes at about 1630! They’re back. Mr and Mrs Downy had just departed when they arrived. Do you know what this means? A trip to the bird food store for millet tomorrow.
‘H’ reports that it was quite the day at the WRDC nest. There was a feast with Rose bringing in 2 fish and Ron delivering 7 fish and a duck. Goodness. There was even one feeding. Needless to say neither chick was hungry! Incredible.
Gosh, that fish on the Moorings Park Osprey Platform has been there a long time. Sally started feeding Abby and Victor and Abby took great exception to Victor wanting food. Not that behaviour is any surprise. Poor little Victor. He did wait it out and watched and got over and Mum Sally fed him until he had a nice crop. There is still fish left.
Little Victor finally getting some fish.
Around 1640 Sally ‘decided’ to feed Abby and Victor before they got ravenous. Great idea. They both ate little civilised cherubs. Each got fed a nice meal.
There was even fish left for Sally.
Victor had a nice crop as the sun was setting over the nest. Harry was not around much today. Chasing off intruders? Sally caught one fish herself. Saw it from the nest and went and got it. Don’t think she cared much for that other fish that Harry brought in. Perhaps it was too bony.
Sally and the osplets sound asleep…Victor tucked in under Mum.
There is fish hiding all over the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. The triplets are doing just fine. Martin and Rosa seem to managing them well.
This is the listing of the UK Ospreys that have returned. Thanks, Mary Cheadle!
Seren Blue 5F is an amazing fisher. Here she is with a huge trout – too large to finish in one meal. She will have the rest for breakfast.
There is still some rumbling on FB about Gabby ‘being missing since Wednesday’. Gabby has returned from her spa days. The AEF has confirmed this with the following post on the 25th of March.
Here are some images:
Meanwhile Jackie and Shadow keep us guessing at Big Bear.
They certainly have been bringing in more railing!
Our big girl Jackie on the left and Shadow on the right. A great image to see the difference in scale between male and female Bald Eagles.
Shadow provided Jackie with several fish on the nest Saturday. The perfect gentleman…oh, Shadow, you really do want those eggs!
‘A’ sent news that all three GH owlets at the Corona California nest have now branched.
Bonnie and Clyde’s owlets on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas are enjoying some sun and from being out from under Mum!
E21 is 79 days old today. The average age of fledge at South West Florida is 83 days. Oh, what a bittersweet moment this is all going to be.
Sometimes you can only see a few talons!
They track Dad when he is incoming with prey and get themselves in that nest!
On Saturday, M15 brought in no less than five fish for the Es.
M15 and the kids did defy the odds…fledge watch! We should all be jumping up and down with joy but, the moments are so bittersweet. What an amazing season and what a pleasure to watch M15 rise to every occasion. We do not know what his fate will be after the Es leave the area. Will M15 get a mate and keep the nest? Will he leave on his own for a more quiet life elsewhere after Harriet? We wait.
The miracle at the SW Florida nest this year has made the Naples news.
Mum and Dad eating on the nest at Duke Farms along with the two eaglets. These two are so easy to watch!
Three eggs laid on February 20, 23, and 26 at Denton Homes. We will be on pip watch next week.
There is a possible pip at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty Saturday night.
There is a pip at Pittsburgh-Hayes, which was confirmed at 16:44 on Saturday. Hatch is now in progress. Oh, the wind is really blowing and it feels cold just watching Mum trying to get some sleep, hunkered down.
Did we not think everyone would have a hatch at the same time. Oh, goodness.
At the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest near Houston, Ringo has branched!
Beautiful Mama Goose and her two eggs at the Decorah Goose Cam in Iowa. The second laid on Saturday the 25th at 1000.
Eggs covered with nesting material and down while Mum has a break.
If you are into wading birds, do you know about the Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam in St Augustine, Florida?
Ferris Akel had the most extraordinary images of the Sandhill Crane migration. These images were taken in Nebraska. Ferris said the tour was 1000% worth it! Even getting up at 0400 for the fly off.
Ferris Akel is a gem. He has a streaming tour of the Ithaca area every Saturday. You can see it later archived on YT. He also shares so much and taking us with him on this amazing tour was very special.
There are upwards of 400,000 Sandhill Cranes in this area migrating right now. They expect 600-650,000 at peak migration, according to Ferris.
This is a gathering place. They will gather around marshes often surrounded by prairie forest feeding and then flying off at dawn. Every crane set off at the same time to continue its travels north.
Those Sandhill Cranes will be flying into Southern Manitoba any day now!
Ferris has this fantastic spectacle – with the sound of the cranes – now on YT. Thank you, Ferris Akel!
This is why we need everyone to stop using lead in hunting and fishing equipment (and military).
Conservation without Borders are heading back to West Africa to see if they can find Tweed Valley Osprey Glen whose tracker says he is still in Morocco. I hope he is there for their arrival and not on his way back to the UK. Go Sasha Dench and Crew!
Meanwhile, we are going to band together and try to locate Glen’s brother, Kirk 707 beginning this week!
Good Morning, gorgeous. Big Red and Arthur have sure been trying out that egg cup. All eyes are on the 20 year old Red tail Hawk, the Queen of the Cornell Campus.
On the Canadian Prairies, people are just getting ready for gardening season. With the high cost of food, many are converting lawns into gardens or, if they have a small space, container gardens. This article in The Guardian challenges us to reconsider our garden because it should be a vital place for wildlife. Have a read, get some ideas! Send me some pictures if you join in. I would love to see what you are doing to help everything from a small insect, songbirds, beavers, deer, and waterfowl!
Missy is going to help us review a new book for next week. It is Water Babies. The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds by William Burt. Oh, just in time for the new season!
She has already started evaluating the images!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. Remember to get outside and take in some fresh air, even if it is on your balcony or front step! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, streaming cams and videos that helped make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘A’, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenway, Mary Cheadle, Carnyx Wild, AEF, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, Corona Owl Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, Denton Homes, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC Eagle Cam, Pix Cams, Paul White and Webster Texas Eagles, Decorah Goose Cam, Alligator and Spoonbill Swamp Cam, Ferris Akel Live Tour, Terry Carman Bald Eagle Live Nests and Cams, Conservation without Borders, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.
Can you believe it is the end of the week? The days fly. It is so lovely that the weather is becoming milder here in the Canadian Prairies. The sky was blue again today, and the winds were brisk, but the temperature was quite nice. I hope to finish a survey of the nests in my neighbourhood before all of the appearing buds turn into leaves. It is an area – nests – that I am not entirely familiar with so I am hoping to learn and if I find anything useful, I will be sure to share it with you.
Four Chickadees were flitting about in the garden this evening about an hour before sunset. This one (above) was smart. It spent a lot of time at the suet cylinder instead of taking one Black oil seed, breaking it, and returning for another.
The chickadee was not the only one interested in the new suet cylinder. We can always count on Dyson! So, so good to see her out and about on a nice day. Dyson will probably finish that entire cylinder by Friday evening or Saturday morning!
The kittens were happy to ignore everything in the garden and play with one another on their big cat tree.
Tim Makrill, the Director of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, has tracked down all the missing information and some excellent images of Blue KW0, the female Osprey that found herself in Barbados, not Scotland. It is a great read. Thanks, Tim! And thanks, Geemeff, for sending the link to me. I might have missed it this morning.
I am certain that each and every reader continues to check on the Es. You must be delighted at the change in confidence in E22 since he branched. On Thursday, the little one got the White Ibis that M15 brought at 0821. He plucked that bird like a pro!
E22 mantling his prey.
E21 will share some of that bird of 22’s.
Lady Hawk caught the delivery of the Ibis, the chase by an intruder, and E22’s amazing grab on video for us.
And then Dad arrives with a fish a few hours later. E22 is up on the branch but jumps into the nest, getting the fish before 21 can even figure out there is prey (well, almost).
The scramble for the fish.
22 is on a roll but, 21 is getting hungry. Hoping for prey for both equally, actually. They are in their 11th week. It will not be long until they fly.
E21 has made it to the porch. Oh, I hope that these two are careful with that GHO about.
The fourth fish delivery on the 23rd went to E21! M15 is really feeding the babies on Thursday! There will be at least two more deliveries before the day is over. M15 continues to amaze me.
Moorings Park Ospreys. Sally and Harry continue to be incredible parents for these three-week old osplets, Abby and Victor, who hatched 18.5 hours apart. Abby has not stopped beaking Victor or shaking him by the neck and Victor has not stopped getting his revenge. Both are eating and growing. That is what matters. There were six fish delivered on the nest on Thursday.
Looking carefully at the osplets, you will notice that Victor and Abby are getting the beginnings of feathers. They are not ready to do any self-feeding but the pair are starting to peck at the fish.
‘A’ reports that both Abby and Victor ate their Friday breakfast like little ‘eating machines’ especially Victor. Some dominance but Sally and Harry are incredible parents. Just incredible. This nest is good!
All three of the Dulles-Greenway eaglets are doing fine today. DG3 seems to have not suffered any ill effects from being out of the egg cup for over 5 hours on Wednesday.
Can you find the ear of DG3? That little black dot to the left of the mouth. It will be covered with feathers before fledge.
There is sad news coming out of Decorah, Iowa, today. This is the Decorah North nest.
A view of the Decorah nest later in the day.
It was a bit of a soggy day at Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest. Just look at the size of those two eaglets! They both have good thermal down and a few dandelions left. My goodness. Did we blink?
Clown feet time!
This has been a superb eagle nest to watch this year. Both eating well and growing. You can see their feathers starting to come in, too. They still have the white-lined mouth. Watch for this to change to yellow.
Today is hatch watch for Liberty and Guardian. Gary says the second egg at this nest should, based on past history, that the egg will hatch Saturday-Monday. Here is his explanation looking at the data for the Redding nest.
We are also on hatch watch for Nancy and Beau at MN-DNR and for Bella and Smitty at NCTC. We could have several hatches on the same day!
It is raining in Ithaca, New York and there are no eggs in Big Red’s nest – yet!
Oh, how I wish the Achieva Credit Union streaming cam had a better zoom on it. There are three little osplets being cared for and they all look to be faring rather well – from a distance!
Rose and Ron continue to take turns feeding the eaglets at the WRDC nest in Miami. They are both doing just fine. Indeed, if you watch carefully they are beginning to reach back and preen. Fat little bottoms and ute little tails. Ron is doing a wonderful joy keeping the fish coming to the nest and helping Rose feeding and brooding.
You may recall that Trey, the only eaglet of Anna and Louis, was struck 16 times by an owl the other evening. Here is a very informed response as to why this might have occurred from Steve Shively, one of the Rangers at the KNF.
A gorgeous sub-adult/juvie eagle visited the nest of Gabby and V3 today. Could this be Jules or Romey? The head development indicates a bird of approximately 2.5-3 years. Fledglings do return to their natal nests! Samson certainly did and we are happy with that result.
Thanks to everyone that joined in the Cal Falcons fundraiser. Oh, they surpassed their goal. Well done! Despite the fundraiser saying the funds go to the Regents, I understand they are then earmarked for the falcons. (It was the same way at the University where I was a professor and administrator).
Thanks to ‘L’ for her note another egg arriving at First Utility Osprey Platform today at 14:38:41.
Sunnie Day has the laying of the third egg on video. Apparently the first egg has failed, so after this third egg, there are two good eggs in the nest.
Ervie’s tracker is working. Here are his latest exploits. We know this great third hatch of 2021 is doing well. Indeed, if my memory holds, only two fledglings from Port Lincoln are confirmed to be alive and well – Calypso from 2019 and Ervie from 2021. Both are in the Port Lincoln/Eyrie Peninsula area. There could be others, not spotted but it seems strange that no one has seen Bazza or Falky or DEW.
It would be reassuring if all levels of government would make respect for the environment and all living things a priority. With that in mind, Audubon has published an article on the lobbying going on to stop the Willow project in Alaska. Every time I read about oil and gas in Alaska, I think of those beautiful Bald Eagles that go up there or live there for the salmon. Think Glacier Gardens. Please let your representatives know that you do not support this project before it is too late.
Ever wonder where the ‘Crossing over the Rainbow Bridge’ came from?
If you travel to areas of the Iberian Peninsula or Alsace, look up! The White Storks have the most enormous nests in some of the most exciting places!
There is good news coming from the Karula National Forest Black Storks. Karl II is in Turkey! He crossed the border. Kaia is near Khartoum and Waba continues his foraging in Sudan.
Karl II.
Kaia.
That is a mix and a mash of things happening in Bird World. We have a little more time with 21 and 22 before they fledge but not long. What a very bittersweet moment that will be. Let us all hope they visit the nest for 4-6 weeks, learning from their super day, M15, how to navigate the world. How can they not succeed?
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. Looking forward to having you with us again soon!
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to form my blog today: Geemeff, ‘L’, A’, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Vijay and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenaway Eagle Cam, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Rose Swailes and Decorah Eagles Love Nest FB, Duke Farms, Gary and FORE, Cornell RTH, Achieva Credit Union, WRDC, Tonya Irwin and the KNF Eagle Cam Fans, Bird Cam Network and NEFL-AEF, Cal Falcons, First Utility Ospreys, Sunnie Day and First Utility Ospreys, PLO, Audubon.org, Lorig Basmaijan and New England Nature Enthusiasts, and Looduskalender Forum.
So Tiger Mozone sends me a message saying, ‘Your bird has been identified’. Yes, Blue KW0 has been identified. The news is exciting. Tim Mackrill found the information on the ring number and the history of the bird. He has asked that this be kept confidential so as to publish it on the Roy Dennis Wildlife blog. When that happens, I will give you all the information. What I will say is that we were correct. It is a Scottish bird that was blown off course last summer and found itself in Barbados. Thank you to everyone who helped in this discovery.
Wednesday was one of the most beautiful days on the Canadian Prairies so far. Blue sky, little wind, -3. The first Canada Goose arriving in our City has been spotted. Mallards are coming in. Spring really might be coming…but, I will not say that too loudly. We have been known to have blizzards in May.
Lewis loves to pose! Today he got to help with more spring cleaning. How much fur can accumulate in corners when there are two large kittens? When do they stop being kittens and become cats? Lewis also believes that any surface in the house, especially in the conservatory, is his.
It is always nice to wake up to a good news story. Thank you, ‘MB’. Another osprey was saved after being tethered to its nest with a monofilament line. Can you imagine how that would cut through their legs and toes? Remember. Call your nearest wildlife rehabilitation centre if you see a raptor (or other bird species) tangled in a fishing line. Don’t know who they are? Take a few minutes to find out and put that information in your phone so that you can call them quickly! It could save a life.
Congratulations to Angus and Florence who have their second egg at Captiva. 22 March 2023. Looks like it was around 11:13.
‘H’ reports that Rose is now doing approximately half of the daily feeds at the WRDC nest in Miami. She is gradually easing her way into being a confident mother. She is more patient and the prey items are better for the eaglets who can, now, eat bigger bites. Great news. Thanks, ‘H’.
Since last summer, I have received many letters wondering what happened to Malala, the Red-tailed Hawk raised by the Bald Eagles on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. I had a running list to respond to everyone on my old computer but sadly, that list went with the computer when it caught fire. So apologies. Here, however, is the news we have been waiting for. Yesterday I spotted a posting by the head of GROWLS, and in her list of items she addresses is Malala, who was seen with the Bald Eagle parents fishing and hunting. Terrific news.
It has been a tough time for GROWLS. They received donations for a new camera because of the attention paid to Junior and Malala. Then the property owners decided they did not want the camera on their land. People have that right, and I can only imagine the level of invasion they felt when the eagles adopting the RTH made the news. It is entirely understandable that they had enough. This has left GROWLS looking for another site. They cannot do anything until fall, so please have patience if you were one of the donors.
PA Farm Country has a second hatch on Tuesday.
The Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons now have three eggs. Way to go!
Speaking of falcons, news has come that Shasta, the mate of Sequoia, at San Jose City Hall did, indeed, have HPAI, when she died. I have changed this in the memorial wall. Thanks, ‘H’ for drawing my attention to the announcement.
I am also going to add Sequoia to the memorial board as MIA. Like Sue and Otto, the Syracuse University Red-tail Hawks, if one of a pair dies of HPAI, generally the second does, too. All we know is that Sequoia went missing after Shasta passed. Unless Sequoia is spotted and he does have a band, we might never know what happened. Hence, the MIA designation.
I have also decided to add Zoe to the memorial wall. We may never know what happened to the Port Lincoln first hatch and the only surviving osplet from the Port Lincoln barge 2022 season. Did she fly out to sea, get on a boat, and is in an exotic location? Did she land on a hydro pole and get electrocuted? Is she happily fishing? Without a transmission for some 2 months, we do not know. If she turns up, I will joyfully remove her.
Robert Wright took the following photo and posted it on Port Lincoln Ospreys. It is believed that it is Mum, Dad, and Ervie – yes, Ervie – in one of Ernie’s favourite trees waiting for the fish to run—an incredible image of the three of them. Great timing.
You can really see the change in the Duke Farms eaglets. They now have little dandelion Mohawks and a lot of dark thermal down on their bodies. They can now regulate their own temperatures but Mum and Dad will still brood them and keep them dry and warm if the weather turns.
So civilised. Will they band the pair? I will love to see if they are two little boys if they do DNA sampling.
Jackie and Shadow continue to come to the nest to have a meal and work on bringing in sticks despite the snow.
Even if they do not have a replacement clutch, Jackie and Shadow and their antics and behaviour towards one another will continue to melt our hearts as long as they are visiting the nest!
It was tough to gauge how much food Victor had today. Often Sally had her back to us, and you could not see any of the feedings. Still, both Abby and Victor had crops at various times of the day and nice long feedings. The osplets can now consume an entire fish without even thinking about it. They are in a period of great growth and change. Fewer feedings but more fish. It is an adjustment for everyone.
We can tell that both are progressing nicely and have been fed. Their eyes are clear and shiny and their plumage is developing as it should.
Our little E22 is coming into its own and as Lady Hawk says, he is having some revenge for all that previous beaking by 21!
E22 has been the bravest in terms of reaching higher branches. Let us just hope that he gets himself down in the nest so the GHO does not cause him to fledge early!
There is ‘branching’ at the Corona California GHO nest.
Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot cuddled up together in the nest.
Lou has joined a long line of fantastic male falcons that want to feed their eggs! Xavier and the male at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne come to mind.
We have covered the hatch days of the Kakapo so why not some of the California Condors?
We are getting closer and closer to the first egg at the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell campus. Her earliest was the 13th of March, but the norm appears to be the week of the 23rd of March. Fingers crossed.
Big Red just after having breakfast on the nest. 22 March 2023
We all get excited about rare birds in our area – or, well, I get excited about the ordinary, everyday ones that return from migration. There are some birds – Alpine Swifts -getting folks in the UK really, really joyful!
A book of Elizabeth Gould’s drawings will be released in October 2023.
Some sad news is coming out of the Channel Islands. One of the eggs of Chase and Cholyn at Two Harbours was broken during a storm a day or so ago. The good news at Sauces Canyon is that egg 7 is still intact! Oh, let us all hope that egg is viable and Jak and Audacity have a little one to care for – they sure deserve it. Eight eggs! I have no idea how Audacity managed that. No word on Thunder or Akecheta, Andor or Cruz as their new nests do not have cameras. Best wishes to all of them.
There is, of course, so much news out there. Waiting for more arrivals of ospreys in the UK. Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care.
Thank you to the following for their notes, announcements, videos, tweets, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up the information in my blog today: ‘H’, ‘MB’, San Diego Humane Society, Window to Wildlife, WRDC, GROWLS and Pam McCartney, PA Farm Country Eagle Cam, Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Bart Molenaar and Friends of Osprey, Robin Wright and PLO, Duke Farms, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Live Owl Cam, Julie Krizmanich and Raptors of the World, Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell RTH, and The Guardian.
It was simply a gorgeous day in the Canadian Prairies. The temperature worked up to -1; there was a cloudy sky and little wind. It was a perfect day for a walk at the nature centre until….DG3 decided to go walkies in the nest and found itself over by the rim! Needless to say…I didn’t go out but, stayed home, baked cookies, read your lovely letters, and enjoyed the kittens.
We have been shifting furniture. A bit of spring cleaning. Not sure the dried hydrangeas will survive. When the kittens first arrived, they enjoyed tearing them apart and eating the pinecones I had collected on my walks. In the winter, I smear suet over them and put them in the lilac bushes. Let’s see if these hydrangeas last! Not counting on it.
Missy and Lewis used to fit together on top of their climbing tree. No longer.
Dyson was here today eating peanuts. So lovely to see her and the three babies from last year. Little Red was running on the hydro wires on the lane and the lilacs were filled with birds, including Mr and Mrs Woodpecker. Life is good. Each survived the winter including Little Red who had to find another home after the garden shed was torn down to make way for the conservatory.
The woodpeckers love the logs with the drilled holes filled with suet.
Michael St John and I continue to track Blue KW0 and its adventures getting to Barbados from Scotland. Hopefully, Tim at the Roy Dennis Foundation will discover the owner of that mysterious band and where and when this lovely osprey was ringed in Scotland. This morning Geemeff sent me a really good article on birds – all manner of birds – hitching rides on the big ships. Geemeff asks an important question: do they land on the boats out of choice or necessity?
Jackie and Shadow have far worse weather than I do. Glad Jackie isn’t buried under that snow. They continue to visit the nest and are seen mating on the tree.
The wind could not have been more perfect at the Southwest, Florida Eagle nest of M15 and the Es. E21 was on the rim of the nest, letting the breeze blow against its wings. E E22 was in the nest. Then E22 began to flap his enormous wings, and at 17:04:34, he branched. It was magnificent. E22 was 73 days old on Tuesday.
After making it to the spike, E22 explored other branches higher up. Our brave little one. Yahoo….22.
Poor 22 had another first yesterday. It got hit by the GHO while it was sitting on the rim of the nest. Thankfully 22 went into the nest and not over the side! Thanks, Heidi!
All three eggs have now hatched at Achieva Osprey in St Petersburg, Florida. The third was Tuesday, the 21 March around 10:00. The hatch dates for the three are March 18, 19, and 21 so there is only three days difference between one and three. Not bad. Jack and Diane will be particularly busy. Fingers crossed.
Moorings Park Osprey platform. Just look at Victor’s ‘ps’. Looks healthy! And he has a fat little bottom—time 0739, 21 March.
A considerable fish came to the nest at 10:48. It had its head and Sally worked away trying to get the flesh from the bones.
That time Sally took allowed Abby to get herself into a right state.
Victor and Abby are 19 days old today. You can still tell them apart by their heads but Abby is now bigger.
Abby remains aggressive. She demands to eat first. Victor, of course, doesn’t like it.
Victor goes into submission. Good lad. There is lots of fish left. Either Victor needs to wait or he needs to carefully move around to the other side of Sally.
You can see how Ally is working away at the head of that fish.
Victor is very hot. He has moved around the rim but Abby is keeping him at the side. Come on Abby! There is fish left and you have had lots.
Victor got up in the shade and Abby followed him.
At 12:02, Abby is in food coma. Victor is up in the shade of Sally and there is fish left. Come on Victor! Come on Sally. Now is the perfect chance.
Harry’s eyes remind me of Blue 33.
To the relief of all, Victor is eating!
Victor got some fish and Sally finished the tail at 12:34. That means that she fed Abby, Victor, and herself from 10:48-12:34. Remarkable.
Thank you, Sally, for shading the babies!
Of course, Victor does not know when to leave a good thing alone. He went on a ferocious attack on Abby. Victor, everything is fine. Leave Abby be! No revenge is necessary.
In Virginia, Martin and Rosa continue to do well with the three eaglets at Dulles-Greenaway.
I do not know about the weather but these little ones cannot regulate their temperature yet and the oldest has gotten out of the egg cup and over to the rim of the nest. It needs to get back! This happened around 11:00 on Tuesday.
The chick is still moving at 12:37.
The oldest was out of the nest cup for over 5 hours. At one point, Rosa went over to encourage it to get closer to the egg cup. It must be extremely hungry, and I hope it has not gotten a chill. And then, a miracle happened. All three are in the nest! Tears.
The female eagles are at a loss as to when this happens. Most will not help because they could harm the little one. You might remember that one of the Es got out of the nest cup this year, and Harriet did use her beak to roll it back under. That was a brilliant solution.
I cannot see DG3’s head in this image.
Then a few minutes later it is there and seemingly tired.
Now all three are back in the cup. Thank goodness.
DG3 feeling better a few hours later.
At 17:04, the trio were enjoying a meal.
I continue to have mixed feelings about Rose. Thankfully Ron is feeding the eaglets! Rose flew off early on Tuesday morning and Ron flew in and fed the little ones.
Rose returns and does a feeding. Did she bring the fish?
She’s gone again. Ron is looking after the little ones. No worries. Ron is really rather amazing and is having a wonderful time looking after his babies while Rose eases herself into motherhood.
‘H’ has sent me a note. Apparently Rose has done an amazing feeding of the eaglets. She is being patient and offering small pieces. It was 16:16. Thanks, ‘H’. I do hope that Rose gains more confidence. ‘H’ says there was no beaking and both left the meal with nice little crops that you can see in the image below.
Bravo, Rose!
The two eaglets at Duke Farms are older than those at Dulles-Greenway and WRDC. They hatched on the 27-28th of February and are 23 and 24 days old. Their thermal down is coming in and Mum and Dad do not brood them all day long.
They also have enormous crops. It is a wonder they can sit! or move.
The Latvian White-tail Eagles, Milda and Voldis, continue to incubate their eggs. Gosh, these are beautiful eagles.
Arthur and Big Red continue to work on their nest. It seems that Arthur is very much aware of the construction across Tower Road. Let us all hope that this does not cause issues for this Red-tail Hawk couple on the Cornell campus this year.
Meanwhile in Mlade-Buky, The Czech Republic, everyone is awaiting the return of White Storks, Bukachek and Betty.
Checking on Karl II and his family. Waba continues to forage in Sudan. There was a hiccup on the tracker, but it shows that Kaia is on the move north from Chad. Precisely where is unknown. Everyone feels that Karl II should be arriving in Estonia at any time but there is no tracking news. We wait.
How long does a Bald Eagle live when it is cared for? fed? Mrs B was at least 49 years old when she passed. Wow.
Flaco, the escaped Eurasian Owl from the New York City Zoo, thrives in Central Park. Check out the latest on Falco and other NYC urban hawks with Robert at urbanhawks.com
In Canada, especially in some of the most beautiful parts of our country, the developers are taking over land traditionally supporting Bald Eagles. Dave Hancock and his foundation are working diligently to replace nests in trees lost to developments, including parking lots! I have mentioned it before, but it is worth pointing out again in case you missed it, Dave is including a sunscreen because of the rising summer temperature in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
The geese are taking over some unused Bald Eagle nests in Iowa. This one in Decorah had goslings jumping last year to our delight. Now there are eggs again this year! Bravo.
Red Tide has come to the coast of the Barrier Islands in Florida. So what is Red Tide? NOAA says, “Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—plant-like organisms that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. While many people call these blooms ‘red tides,’ scientists prefer the term harmful algal bloom. One of the best known HABs in the nation occurs nearly every summer along Florida’s Gulf Coast. This bloom, like many HABs, is caused by microscopic algae that produce toxins that kill fish and make shellfish dangerous to eat. The toxins may also make the surrounding air difficult to breathe. As the name suggests, the bloom of algae often turns the water red.” In fact, not all of the waters are red but, this can be very deadly as you can see form the Plover below in the care of CROW.
How will this impact our eagles and Ospreys?
If you are watching the Loch of the Lowes nest and are confused because you cannot see the Blue Darvic ring for Blue NC0, it appears it has split and come off. I cannot emphasise how important these rings are in identifying the birds. The recent mystery surrounding Blue KW0 would not even exist without that ring!
Maya and Blue 33 continue to reacquaint themselves after their return to Rutland after their winter migration.
The Scottish Government is trying to come to grips with the illegal killing of the raptors because of the grouse-hunting community. They have now implemented a grouse shooting licensing bill. It is a first step. Still, the legal system must deal with those who defy the laws allowing gamekeepers to get off with little or no penalties for horrible crimes against these amazing birds, such as stomping on five Goshawk chicks in the nest!
I want also to introduce you to a lovely Ukrainian tradition today. One of my former students from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, CD, teaches at a university in northern Manitoba. She posted that March 22 is the Day of the Forty Martyrs. Her baba (grandmother) would make bread (pasta) covered with little dough birds. Of course, I saw the post and thought how interesting. Here is the story from the Ukrainian Cultural Centre:
The importance of this day, which comes immediately after the spring equinox, pre-dates Christianity in Ukraine. According to folklorist Olexa Woropay, on this day the magpie puts forty twigs in its nest and forty larks migrate from south to north. Bird-shaped buns called zhaivoronky were baked – forty of them, of course – and were given to children so that the poultry breed well. Some traditions report the children playing with the forty bird-shaped buns, tossing them into the air to invite all the birds to return from their winter migrations.
What a marvellous tradition! Guess who is baking paska today?
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care all. Remember to get outside, even for a few minutes if you can! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, announcements, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Geemeff, ‘H’, ‘CD’, Hakai Magazine, FOBBV, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Heidi Mc and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles-Greenaway, WRDC, Duke Farms, Latvian Fund for Nature, Cornell RTH, Blade Buky, Bald Eagle Live Nest Cams and News, Urban Hawks, Hancock Wildlife, L Rose and Decorah Eagles Love Nest, Diane Lambertson Captiva Island Eagles and Ospreys, LOTL, LRWT, Raptor Persecution UK, and the Ukrainian Cultural Centre.
