21 March 2022
Good Morning Everyone,
The first spring day saw the first Peregrine Falcon return to Winnipeg from its winter migration! On top of that, an e-Bird submitter apparently ran into 150 Mallards at one of our parks yesterday. Let the fun begin.
Well, Michael St John and I are inching our way to discovering how the mystery Osprey, Blue KW0, came to be in Barbados! First, I want to thank everyone who reads my blog and to all the folks who don’t but who answered our calls to find out about this stunning bird. Today, I decided to write to John Williams. Many of you will know of John and his work in Wales for Llyn Clywedog. Why did I decide to write to John? Well, first of all he is curious. Second, he is tenacious. He once set out to figure where Dylan was getting his Brown Trout. Talk about a spy operation! So, it cost me an e-mail and did I learn some valuable information.
John Williams (Llyn Clywedog) says the K rings were only used in 2018/19. Great information. If this turns out to be accurate, this would make Blue KW0 five years old. Secondly, John said that Dylan was ten days late returning to Clywedog last year because “Last year around this time we in Britain had quite strong storm force winds from the northeast, in a south-westerly direction. Many birds were delayed or lost, including Dylan, who was 10 days later than the previous year. I wonder if KW0 was blown off course and out to sea and found a passing ship.” So grateful; thank you, John! I also learned that the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation gives out the Scottish bands, so Tim – who did not work for them then – should be able to discover the bander and location when he has time.
Of course, Blue KW0 may, sadly, spend his life as a bachelor (or her) on Barbados. Should we put an ad in the papers for a mate? Like they did with the domestic goose in the Iowa cemetery? Just kidding. There are plenty of Ospreys on Barbados for KW0 to find a mate and he is young.
I did not look at many of the nests in depth on Monday. Sometimes it is good to take a little break, and re-stocking the kitten’s pantry was a priority today! That said, I did check on little Victor; he was my priority. The news is good. No, the beaking has not stopped, and no, Victor has not learned to stop provoking Abby, but Victor ate well and is up at the table, as you can see in the images below. On occasion, Abby is in a food coma, and Victor gets an excellent private feeding. As long as Victor is eating, I am not concerned. It is worrying when the eldest sibling can prevent the younger ones from eating. Sally is an excellent Mum – quite amazing for this being her first year to raise osplets. She appears to be negotiating this well.
Sally fed both Victor and Abby at least once during the night and finished off the fish early in the morning. Too sleepy to fight in the early hours?
There were periods when Victor went into submission, but there were good feeds, too.
At 13:35, Sally is between us and the chicks. It is impossible to tell who gets what when she blocks the view.
At 15:54, both are up at the table and both have crops.
At 17:31, Sally is between the osplets feeding them. Victor got a really nice feeding this meal.
Victor having a private feeding at 20:51.
Victor is still eating at 21:06 and has a very nice crop! This is what we want to see. Victor had fish first thing in the morning, at least one very good feeding during the day (if not more), and he is eating again at the end of the day, getting his entire tank filled. It is all good.
Sally is feeding them again at 10:55. That is Victor eating!
Congratulations Lisa and Oliver on the first hatch of the 2023 season at PA Farm Country. The couple has four eggs again this year! This lucky first hatch on the first day of spring is getting a tandem feeding from these two delighted parents.
At SW Florida, M15 keeps up his campaign to feed the Es well and have two fabulous fledges. We have seen E21 branch but not 22 and even 21 is not doing a lot of branching. One answer was provided by one of the FB groups – the rebuilding of the nest resulted in a deeper cup, farther away from the branches! Great explanation.
They may love one another but not when a fish is concerned.
The two eaglets at the Duke Farms nest continue to do fine.
There continues to be ample food on the nest of Ron and Rose in Miami but, there is something wrong with the camera or is at the time I am writing this.
‘H’ reports that the eaglets at WRDC were fed ten times on Monday. Out of the ten, Rose only fed the eaglets four times. I am thankful that Ron is feeding his babies. He is much better at caring for them. Is this because Rose is so young?
Martin and Rosa have three eaglets to look after at the Dulles-Greenway nest. They are adorable.
Today, ‘L’ asked me if I ever checked in on the First Utility District Osprey cam. I didn’t even know this nest. Thanks, ‘L’. It looks like they have two eggs for the first day of spring, and what a gorgeous location.
Here is the information about their platform from the information below the streaming cam: “These Osprey built their nest on a dangerous power line in 2018. In response, First These Osprey built their nest on a dangerous power line in 2018. In response, First Utility District operations staff built a nesting platform for the Osprey. The Osprey relocated to their new home within 24 hours, and we have enjoyed their presence ever since. They return yearly to nest. Intermittent breaks in broadcast may occur due to weather conditions. The camera is solar powered and depends on good weather for a successful charge.”
Here is a link to Ricky and Lucy’s streaming cam:
https://www.youtube.com/live/hqmP06kJ3F4?feature=share
The 7th and only egg in the nest of Jak and Audacity is holding firm at Sauces Canyon. Fingers and toes crossed.
‘H’ sent me a note confirming that Daisy arrived at the Barnegat Light osprey platform in New Jersey on the 19th at 14:44. Now we wait for Duke!
Peregrine Falcon lover? There are now lots of streaming cams. One of those is at Salisbury Cathedral in the UK. There are now two eggs!
Meanwhile, Annie and Lou continue incubating their four eggs at The Campanile. Hatch watch beings on the 11th of April.
I don’t always report on them, but this is for ‘A’ since I have been more than neglectful – the three surviving GHOs at the Corona California basket nest are doing fantastic. They are filling up the space.
Their names are Pip, Tootsie, and Hoot.
I am a huge fan of Knepp Farm who chose to step outside the box and rewind their property in the south of England. Those courageous efforts are paying off!
If you want to read more about the history of Knepp Farm, the issues related to traditional agricultural practices and biodiversity in the UK, and the moment that a decision was made to rewind the land, pick up a copy of Wilding. The Return of Nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree. If you are in the UK or visit the area, go over, show your support, take a tour!
Darling Big Red and Arthur continue to work on their nest…
It is certainly looking like it is ready for eggs!
If you are wondering about Bird Flu, it remains within the environment and things are not looking well. Here is the report from the UK that indicates that 18 different species have tested positive so far.
Thank you so much for being with me as we did a quick spin around some of the nests. The storks are arriving in Europe so there should be much to report just like the ospreys over the next week. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘H’, ‘L’, John Williams, Manitoba Birding – Bird and Wildlife Photography, Michael St John, Moorings Park Ospreys, PA Farm Country, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, WRDC, Dulles-Greenway, Sunnie Day, First Utility District, IWS and Explore.org, Barnegat Light and the Nature Conservancy, Salisbury Cathedral and Peregrine Falcon Group, Cal Falcons, Corona California owls, @Knepp Wilding, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, gov.uk.
