Has Manaaki fledged? Saturday in Bird World

16 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

This is our last blog until we return on Monday 25 September. We hope that you have a great week while we are away!

Today it was cold and rainy. Not a great day for the annual open house at Wildlife Haven, our wildlife rescue hospital, in Ile des Chenes, Manitoba. Normally the grounds outside would be filled with people listening to speakers and visiting with the raptor ambassadors. Today, most huddled inside.

It was good to see so many parents with children aged 5 and up asking questions and being ever so curious about the animals.

One of the highlights of the tour was seeing the new home for Majestic. Majestic is a Bald Eagle that came to Wildlife Haven from Rainy River, Ontario ten years ago. She arrived as a juvenile and is believed to be between 10 and 12 years old. She was starving, dehydrated, and was suffering from an old fracture in her left wing at intake. She cannot live in the wild as she does not have control over her flight feathers but – now – she can fly about landing on various perches within her new enclosure safely.

Meet Una, a Great Horned Owl. Una had problems in the nest, according to the presenter. She was born with a missing right eye and a beak that was not aligned – he is small for the species. As a nestling, Una was neglected by her parents. Today, she is living the good life as an ambassador.

It felt ‘very odd’ holding the tail of an Osprey that was once very much alive.

Or a Red-tail Hawk.

There were tours throughout the surgical wing, the food preparation area, the big flight chambers, and special areas for clients such as otters and fox cubs.

Every wildlife rehab centre relies on donations and volunteers. It is amazing what they do with so little. You can normally find a ‘wish list’ at your local centre of items that are urgently needed and, of course, I will continually remind you about clean used towels and sheets, bleach, washing up liquid, laundry detergent, stainless steel bowls, small hand tools that work, pet food, vegetables from your garden, and items of enrichment such as toys. Clean kennels are particularly helpful in transporting animals or isolating them while they await intake or treatment. So before you bin it, think again. There is some wildlife rehab centre near you that might find those things useful – and they would be very grateful. Thank you!

Meanwhile – the kittens. I am guilty of taking way too many images of Hope. She is growing so fast and every day I can see subtle changes in her appearance.

Calico is getting very restless to get out of the conservatory and back into the house’s main part. The vet says ten days. Meanwhile, Hope is nothing short of energy in a small packet. She wants to play and runs from chair to table to tent and couch and then scurries under the covered area over the dining table and out again. Mamma is tired and, I think, growing weary of this big kid of hers. LOL.

Hope gets excited when anyone enters the conservatory – she wants to play with her favourite feather-dangling toy. She was introduced to healthy cat treats full of flax, cranberries, chicken, and other goodies. Her treats look healthy, like homemade human granola bars with extra protein. I made a line, and sure enough, she followed it to my lap. She is still very nervous, and I try not to breathe or move when this happens. She remains reluctant for me to hold her, so we are going every so slowly.

Lewis wants everyone to know that he is cuddly, adorable and a goof.

Lewis and Missey found a way to look out the window in the old office where Calico first stayed. Little birds were flitting about the apple tree. I am so glad that their closeness has not been jeopardised by the arrival of the two new siblings.

Looks like one of the things that we will be doing next week is building some insulated cat shelters. Winter will arrive on the Canadian Prairies before we know it. The Dark-eyed Juncos showed up in the garden today looking for Millet and Robins are passing through. There are still some hummingbirds being photographed along with Pine Siskins. Geese are everywhere, filling up on grass and grain left on the farmers’ fields before going south.

There is still concern over Hurricane Lee. There are reports that one beloved male Osprey adult, Swoop, is still near the nest at Hog Island in Maine. As I write this, the defined eye of the hurricane appears to have broken up, but this could still bring high winds and heavy rains to NE USA and Atlantic Canada.

Keep all of the wildlife in your thoughts as this system moves. We still have many fledglings and adult Ospreys in Atlantic Canada that have not left for migration.

Annie and Lou are bonding! How sweet. These are rare occurrences this time of year, but what is so good about this behaviour is that we can confirm that both are healthy and doing well.

In South Australia, Ervie is back fishing at Delamere, where he used to join Dad when he was just a youngster. Ervie is now two years old. Happy Birthday, Ervie!

It is always good to see Osprey platforms being replaced or installed for new couples. There are not enough old dead trees in situ for them near good fishing spots. This is a good solution and far superior to them building nests on power poles where they could be electrocuted.

Remember the two Royal Albatross chicks that failed in their first flight? Here is the story of their rescue. Thanks, Holly!

‘H’ brings us up to date on Barnegat Light and Date County:

Barnegat Light – “Duke is enjoying a few days of well-earned rest and relaxation since Dorsett left the area on 9/11.  Duke can often be seen in one of his trees at the north tree line, and Thursday he was wading at the shoreline with some gulls.  Friday Duke enjoyed a nice breakfish on his perch.  Later in the afternoon, he was seen on his perch shaking his tail and drying out his wings.  We love ya’, Duke.”

Dade County – “The juvie, R5, was back at the nest again on 9/15, and this time he was looking for food scraps.  Ah, he is so mature looking!  R5 has been at the nest 5 out of the last 6 days.  There is still some time before nesting season begins for Ron and Rose, but as much as we love R5, some of us are hoping that he will be bitten by the wanderlust bug soon, lol.  R5 is six months old on 9/16.  Happy Birthday, R5 !!”

Flaco, the Eurasian Owl that escaped the Central Park Zoo is doing well despite initial worries some months ago! You can check out more of Flake’s adventures by going to Bruce Yolton’s website urban hawks.com

‘A’ reports: “At Collins Street, F22 had a large crop today when she left the nest at 10:36, and little M22 arrived by 10:41 to take over the incubating until the shadow covered the scrape. He was panting a lot, and both parents this morning were using the technique of standing over the eggs with wings outstretched to shade them, rather than settling down on the clutch. Little dad looks so cute when he does it! He works so hard at enfluffling the eggs. It’s hard work for him to cover them all. He’s going to have major problems when it’s four eyases aged, say, a week to 10 days, without thermal down and exposed to the rain and the direct sunlight.—Yes, I’m going to say it again. WHY OH WHY could they not have strategically placed two small squares of wood to shelter from above and to extend the shelter of the building on the far side!??? What will happen on the first wet day?”

‘A’ continues: “I am genuinely concerned that there is the real possibility of a tragedy at Collins Street this season. Last year was the third consecutive La Nina year. That is not a normal Australian summer. We are about to get back to our usual summers, which include days reaching as high as 43C and I shudder to imagine what that scrape will look like by the time the chicks are, say, 10 days old. There is going to be a period of up to a month when the chicks are very vulnerable to that heat and are unable to escape it along that gutter. Not only that, but dehydration is going to be a potential problem even if they are getting enough food.”

SE31 and 32 were very hot on Friday, too. They were panting to help cool their bodies.

‘A’ reports about breakfast: “Breakfast was something that had been feathered (it looked young, but its feathers may just have been wet – it lacked a head so identifying it was not easy), which Lady brought in at 06:40:35. SE31 was in the right place at the right time, so was already in perfect position for food when it arrived, and shortly after 06:41 tried to help herself to the prey. Lady waited a while for some reason, and SE32 joined SE31 waiting for food. Because he came up on his big sister’s inside, SE32 was in primary position when mum did begin feeding, so was fed first rather than his sister. But Lady is relatively even-handed and is feeding both. The blood appears to be nearly gone from her head. so it must have come from her talons,. perhaps while scratching herself, and there is no apparent sign of what yesterday looked like a wound on her left foot. This is really lovely juicy nutritious red meat, and a decent-sized piece of prey as well. Both eaglets are eagerly grabbing bites, some of them very large. Their manners are impeccable. Neither is being at all aggressive and each is happy to watch the other eat. When they lose a competition for a bite, they just wait for the next one. It is lovely to watch. Lady is doing her best to feed both, and it seems they will end up having roughly equal amounts of this meal.”

‘J’ brings news that there is a new camera at the Centrepoint Bald Eagle Nest.

Gabby and V3 have been very alert at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest on Friday.

The cameras will return to SWFlorida on the 30th of September.

At the Royal Albatross colony, ‘A’ reports: “Manaaki is hovering so high, he is out of camera shot. Twice, I have thought he has fledged, but he has landed far down the hill and walked back up. He may well go today, but he shouldn’t. He is still not in control of his flying and he still has too much fluff. Another three days is my guess, as he is still not tucking his feet and legs up confidently and is unable to surf the thermals with any real control. Still, he is getting great height on his hovers and staying airborne for increasing lengths of time. He is very serious about his practising, and cast another bolus at 01:40 this morning. So he is preparing to leave and it could be at any moment now. Literally.”

‘A’ returns later with what is ‘sad’ news: “Manaaki has not returned to his nest. UQ is waiting for him, in his new spot near Manaaki’s nest. The general consensus on the chat is that Manaaki has fledged, although we need to wait until the rangers do their walkaround and head count tomorrow to know whether he is elsewhere on the headland. Unless of course he returns to his nest during the night. It is agreed that he was last seen on camera at 16:39:45 and has not been seen since. Other sightings thought to be of Manaaki were in fact of UQ chick (whose hovering skills are way better than Manaaki’s). I am still sceptical because he really did not seem to be sufficiently balanced in the air and still looked very uncertain. Not to mention the fluff he still had. If he has fledged and landed on the water in the bay, he will be spotted and if necessary rescued.  If he has fledged successfully, he has done so at 238 days of age. We wish him godspeed and all the luck in the world out there. We pray we (and he) will live long enough to see him return to his birthplace (some return as early as age three, others not until they are five or even older). One or probably both of his parents will visit the nest over the next few days to make sure their baby has fledged and is not hanging around nearby, needing to be fed. It is so bittersweet watching them wait. If their chick does not return to the nest to be fed, then all their devotion and hard work has paid off. They have done their job for the season, successfully raising a chick to fledge. But somehow, there is a pang as they wait. Sometimes, they come back more than once, just to be sure.  

So now, a year after we watched QT fledge, we are waiting for her parents to return for the new season. Mum YRK and dad OGK. Of course, our hope that OKG will return is very slim indeed, but it does remain a possibility. They ring the bells at the colony when the first returnees arrive home, and then the bells ring out all over the area. They love the toroa.” 

There is good news. While I do not know the number of butterflies in Canada this year, we have noticed a considerable number in the garden and the local parks. Others have mentioned this as well. In the UK, the record of butterflies has grown this summer – excellent news. This does not mean that there has been an increase in the number of insects – so vital to the lives of our songbirds.

Indeed, a group of residents at one of the condominiums in Winnipeg has noticed that the songbirds have disappeared from their property after the management had the grass treated by a firm claiming to be ‘Eco’. If it kills weeds, it will kill insects that the birds eat and often kills the birds. If you know of any well-researched articles on the issue of lawn treatments and songbirds, please send them to me. I hope to help some of my former students prepare a united front and argue against this practice in the future.

Do you know the Island of Mull on the west coast of Scotland? It is notorious for its wildlife, and the White-tail Eagles are no exception. There are also dolphins and whales to be seen.

While the Ospreys are away, want to watch a different table feeder in Scotland? Check out the one at RSPB Loch Garten. Here is the link. You might see some of those adorable red squirrels.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to seeing you on the 25th of September when we return from a brief break.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A, H, J’, Geemeff’, Wildlife Haven, NOAA Hurricane Centre, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, PLO, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info, Holly Parsons and Albatross Lovers, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, WRDC, Bruce Yolton, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sydney sea Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, The Guardian, and Hakai Magazine.

Friday in Bird World

15 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Hope, Calico, Missey and Lewis – along with all the garden animals hope that you are well, that the weather is grand, and that you will get outside and enjoy the sound of birds and the smell of autumn which is upon us.

Calico’s incision looks really good. What a sweet cat she is. She sees the antibiotic cream tube and will go and lay down on the striped quilt and let me apply it. She is simply a marvel.

I have had animals all my life. When I was born my father had a three-legged dog that stood guard by my basket. She lived quite a long life – and it is because of her that I recognise that animals can adapt to many situations and live a full life. Trixie certainly did. In all those decades, I have marvelled at how smart these animals are, but I have never had a companion like Calico. She is quiet, affectionate, and sweet, and seems to simply understand that the cream is to help her. She has never – and this is apparently rare for a community cat – ever scratched or fought me. It has been the opposite. What a blessing she and that little bundle of energy, Hope, are.

Tonight, on my walk, I came across a woman who helped look for the kitten. She teared up at the sight of Calico and Hope together in the photos. We all need happy endings. At the same time, I was a wee bit saddened to see that the deck where Calico had her kittens had been enclosed with wire mesh. It was a good place for the community cats to be warm and dry in the winter. No one knew they were there – and while it is none of my business, it is an example of how quickly animals can lose a ‘home’. These cats have served an important role in our little neighbourhood. There are no mice that I am aware of. Numerous people feed birds, including myself. I attribute the lack of mice directly to these cats.

Calico and I have been reading an edited volume Not Too Late. Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility. One of the most moving and inspiring chapters is by Jacquelyn Gill, a Palaeontologist. The chapter is called “The Asteroid and the Fern”. Gill writes about her visit to a cave in Siberia and the Great Dying that took place 251.9 million years ago when “roughly 90 per cent of life on Earth was lost” (126). Gill adds that the “heat wave that triggered the Great Dying took around seven hundred thousand years to unfold”. She compares this to now where in a lifetime we have created disaster which “barely spanned the breadth of a human life” (127). Gill looks at what happens after adding that the stories of extinction in the past are as inspiring as they are sobering (126).

I look at the four animals in my direct care and those that live in the garden and realise that we must live in the present and not fall into depressing despair. We must work cooperatively to find solutions while living ‘in the moment’. If not, we will miss those beautiful lives standing right in front of us. Isn’t that what this is all about? The wonder of the seasons, the animals, the people we love. To ponder in despair what might come and to miss the now would be a heavy loss.

The beauty of the world does not have to be in an exotic location halfway around the world. Most often it is right before our eyes.

Bird World is going to take a wee vacation starting on 17. September. ‘A’ and ‘H’ and I will return on Monday the 25th. We urge you to keep your eye on Manaaki if he has not fledged by Sunday and to also watch for the start of the cams at Sw Florida.

First up – do you live in Maine? If so, please read the following notice carefully.

Geemeff gives us a year of highlights from nest 1 at Loch Arkaig – Louis and Vila’s old nest. Now it is ‘as the osprey soap opera turns’ – we wait to see who pairs up next year. Thanks, Geemeff. It is a beautiful nest that needs to be occupied with fish screaming osplets!

M15 and F1 at the SWFlorida Eagle Nest.

Thunder, the daughter of Chase & Cholyn from Two Harbours, visits the old nesting area she shares with her mate, Akecheta on Thursday.

Oh, we would give anything to see Mini on the Patchogue nest – have her just fly in like Thunder and recognise her. Mini was last on the nest on September 11. Locals noted that Dad was also seen that day but Mum has not been to the nest since Sunday the 10th. No one has seen them in the area since then and it is possible that they are elsewhere on the water or after left the area.

One of the Webster Texas eagles is back working on the nest!

Pepe was working on the Superbeaks Nest – gosh, Osprey season ended and the eagles are now starting work! How exciting is this?

The posting of the loss of Stormy and Simba touched so many. I have received numerous letters. Please don’t stop watching Jackie and Shadow – we won’t probably ever know what happened to those two gorgeous fledglings but, we can, each day, in our way, do something to hopefully make the lives of our wildlife better.

Sadly, a large number – the precise % each year is unknown – do not survive their first year. We must also celebrate those who do and cheer on those who live into their 20s. It has not been easy for them.

‘Down Under’-

Sharon Dunne updates us on the status of fledging at the Royal Albatross colony.

‘A’ was able to confirm: “Quarry is confirmed to have fledged so it is just UQ and Manaaki now. Both the girls have left. UQ is far better at hovering than Manaaki is, so I do hope our boy does not try to leave before he is ready (which he really isn’t yet).” ‘A’ also adds: “At 18:35 at Taiaroa Head, the last of the light is fading and we can just make out Manaaki on his nest and UQ on his new ‘ nest’. (We can’t see whether he has actually constructed a new nest or whether he has simply relocated to the grass area next to Manaaki and a long downhill from him.) He seemed to move there permanently after Quarry left the area several days ago but has always been friendly with Manaaki. The girls (Quarry and Miss NTF) were constantly visiting UQ, displaying to him and generally being precocious and a little aggressive, which disconcerted UQ, who in turn sought refuge around Manaaki. The girls also tried similar approaches with Manaaki, but being not nearly as shy as UQ, he was always prepared to stand up to the girls and clack his bill at them, driving them away from his nest. He took no nonsense from either! Although UQ is the fluffiest and least adventurous of the four, his flying skills (well, at least his hovering) are way ahead of Manaaki’s, and over the past two days, UQ has been hovering so high he has been out of sight of the camera. He has also flown a long way across the downhill grassy area, towards the water, and has sometimes had to walk back up, although on other occasions, he has been able to glide backwards (I finally understand what the chatters meant about backward flying, which these albie chicks do all the time). The chicks try to ride the wind currents by simply stretching out their winds and allowing the wind to lift and carry them. If they get high enough, and are sufficiently balanced, they can tuck up their trailing legs and feet and actually glide quite a distance. It looked on more than one occasion as though UQ was off and gone this afternoon. Manaaki, on the other hand, is still not getting the same lift as UQ yet and is not yet balanced enough to control his movements in the air or to tuck up his legs and feet. Both of the boys still have too much fluff to fledge, in my opinion, and I am hoping UQ will wait another few days to lose his fluff and that Manaaki will wait at least another five days to a week to perfect his skills in the air. But as I said the other day, the wind will usually decide for them. And hopefully, the ones who are not strong or skilled enough will ditch in the bay, allowing their rescue, as we saw today. So it is only after they leave the waters near Taiaroa Head that they begin the exhilarating beauty and deadly risk that is their life as wild birds.”

At Collins Street, ‘A’ writes: “Little dad at Collins Street is a trooper. He did several lengthy incubation spells today, and not just the nearly two hours in the centre of the day but another couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon. He is a very dedicated dad, and as I mentioned, I’m sure he is providing food for F22, though she may be hunting for herself as well. Certainly, she has left the nest several times and then, very shortly afterwards, we have seen feathers floating down from a higher level while M22 looks upwards with that sweet sidelong glance he has, so I’m sure she has had no time to catch her own food in that time. Who knows what she does in that late morning/lunchtime period (90 minutes to two hours), which she used to take as down time last season as well, until that day when the chicks nearly baked (honey, I fried the kids). From memory, I seem to recall her being more diligent following that incident, although of course it was only a week or two after the baking incident that last year’s eyases started to make their own decisions on which end they wanted to inhabit, heading along the gutter at will. She takes her final break of the day at 18:07, with M22 taking over at 18:10 and remaining until F22 returns to the ledge at 18:16. As always, she is screeching (is that her normal mode of communication?) on arrival and dad leaves the nest and dives off the ledge. Fast. Mum settles down for the night shift.”

The Sydney sea Eagles have eaten well. There is some concern about Lady’s foot. ‘A’ observed this closely and adds, “At 10:11:06, and again from 10:11:22 to 10:11:24, have a look at the surface of Lady’s left foot. It appears to be a very raw wound or nasty scrape, not blood from a piece of prey. See what you think. At 10:13:02, as she walks to the back of the nest, it looks as though there may be some inflammation or mark on the back of the left ‘ankle’ area. Lady also has some blood on her head, at the top/back on the left side of the crown. I thought little of it earlier in the morning, but now, noticing the apparent wound on her left foot, I am wondering about the blood on her head. It is possible she scratched her head with the foot when it was bleeding and I suppose it is also possible it is from a prey item, as she has a piece of fluff or a feather stuck to her forehead at the top of her beak, between her eyes. She does not appear hindered by any injury nor does she exhibit any signs of discomfort. So perhaps I am worrying about nothing. There’s another close up at 11:14:18. It doesn’t look quite as bad as in the earlier shots but perhaps that is the light.”  

On Thursday, Lady was bringing in new twigs for the railings to try and keep the sea eagles in. One of the cutest things is when these adorable eaglets start pitching in and helping being little Mini Mums.

At Orange, Diamond is impressed when Xavier arrives with a Rosella at 0908!

Eastern Rosellas are brightly coloured birds – blue and yellow along with some green, with a bright red head and white cheeks – that live in New South Wales and Queensland Australia. They live in flocks – usually of about 20 birds – and eat seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, and even leaves.

Eastern Rosella” by zosterops is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

I saw no fish deliveries while watching or rewinding the Port Lincoln Osprey cam. Hopefully, since it appears to be a calm day, Dad2 will get on and haul in a big fish for Mum.

It is that time of year and the Osprey nests that ‘H’ has been observing are getting really quiet. She notes that the Osoyoos camera is once again down but she will continue to check for us to see if anything is happening. Audrey was not seen at Kent Island on Thursday and is believed to have migrated. “Duke at BL was seen a couple of times yesterday, and he has been documented to stay around as long as eight days after the last juvie left the area.” ‘H’ is also checking to see if the IR light will be turned on at Collins Street. Thank you ‘H’.

Birdlife International brings us a short but gripping story about birdwatching, yacht racing, the Southern Ocean and the decline in wildlife.

Before we go, another great image of Ervie finishing up the innards of his fish dinner. Always lovely to see you Ervie!

And more Ervie!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H’, Kshanti Green and Maine Birds, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore, SL Security Pros, Paul Williams and Webster Texas Eagles, Superbeaks, Terri Ashmore and FOBBV, Sharon Dunne and Royal Cam Albatross Group of NZ, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Julie Lovegrove and Friends of Sth Aus, Bazz Hockaday and Friends of Sth Aus, and BirdLife International.

Three for Melbourne…Saturday in Bird World

9 September 2023

Good Morning All,

Friday was a busy day for me and most of the time I was away from home. However, the moments that I did get to spend with my four four-legged furry friends was brilliant. Hope is now peeking around the corner at me and even came near to my foot when I placed a dish of organic roast chicken down for her! This kitten has so much energy. I cannot wait to get it with Lewis. He is going to enjoy having a playmate.

We are about a metre apart. Hope is curious and getting less afraid by the story!

If Mamma Calico moves her tail, Hope is right on it!

Everyone watches one another. The four of them enjoyed a nice roast chicken dinner – a treat to encourage Missey and Lewis to link ‘treats’ and goodies with their two new siblings.

Each of us hopes that you are well and looking forward to a nice weekend wherever you are. Let’s all try and get outside if the weather is nice! And speaking of outside…every time I go to the park there is litter. There are bins everywhere for litter so why don’t we use them? This post on FB seemed really appropriate.

‘H’ sent me the good news. PLO has its second egg of the season! Oh, I hope this young Dad is an excellent fisher and brings those fish into the nest one after another. Can I ‘hope’ that this couple might fledge all of them just like 2021 with Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie?

There is other good news coming out of Port Lincoln!

‘A’ is musing about the Royal Albatross chicks: “the rangers have confirmed that Miss NTF fledged on 7 September. She had been off exploring (or perhaps finding an ideal place from which to fledge), as the chicks often do for a few days before fledge, but they have confirmed her gone. She was last seen on the morning of 7 September so we think she fledged some time after 11am on Thursday. Godspeed sweet girl. Quarry, who has been out and about for the past couple of days, returned to her nest this morning and seemed to miss Miss NTF. The two girls had been hanging out a lot. UQ on the other hand is less pleased to see Quarry, who needs a restraining order whenever she is in his vicinity. Manaaki is less tolerant of her and clacks his bill at her if she gets too close. Poor little UQ is much more timid. The winds are not super strong today, though Quarry and Manaaki have been doing a lot of wingercising in the wind there is. It could be any time now for either of them. It looks as if Quarry will be next to go, then Manaaki and finally UQ. But we will see. I again emphasise that these are precious hours we are spending with Manaaki now. And once he launches, there is no guarantee we will ever see him again. Will we live that long? Will Manaaki? Will the climate permit a return? They fly into an uncertain future, but don’t we all?” Those worries of the state of the ocean, of long line fishing, of climate haunt all of us as well look at these long-lived seabirds.

Manaaki looking out to an uncertain future.

Lady Hawk caught Gabby and her new mate V3 in the pouring rain and has some super close ups for us.

I was contacted by several individuals today about Mini and was told that there was much anxiety about her condition. My day allowed me no time to go and observe Mini until she was at the nest after dark. At the bottom of everyone’s desires is for Mini to thrive – we care, we worry. We want her to be whole and live a long, prosperous life. The fact that Mini somehow injured her leg causes great anxiety to everyone. We will never know what caused that injury. No one saw what happened. Unless she goes into care, we may not even know what that injury is. There are many, many theories, but that is all they are – theories. Until a vet/a vet technician/or a rehabber has a bird in hand, a diagnosis cannot be made, and sometimes sophisticated tests and scans are needed to determine the problem and the possible treatment. The DEC does not normally give permits for a bird that is flying. There is a reason for this — it is extremely dangerous for the bird. No one wants to endanger Mini’s life further. Her injury is now old. She has been adapting. Life is not perfect but she is living it.

Life in the wild is extremely challenging for all raptors – for all wildlife. Each day is about survival. Some days there is a lot of fish and other days there are none. Whether or not Dad is delivering or Mini is fishing is not known. It could be both. On Thursday Mini had several nice poop shots. I am not clear about what happened on Friday and, of course, she is often not on the nest.

I urge everyone to enjoy the time we have left with Mini at the nest. To treasure her, to wait for her to come in at night to rest her leg – she is very smart to do that. In a couple of year’s time, I would very much like to see a two-year-old osprey land on this nest with a wonky leg. That would be marvellous so…with that in mind, I really hope that Mini is a male and not a female. Send her positive wishes. Treasure all that she taught us, for she did teach us much about endurance and determination.

Mini did seem to put her weight on both legs when she landed on the nest from the perch at 20:26.

Mom has been spotted landing on the nest so she has been here at least until today. That is good news because under normal conditions the males will not leave until the females do. With the climate changing we do not expect these fledgling ospreys to travel all the way to South America and they might well spend the winter in the Carolinas or Florida.

At the Minnesota National Arboretum nest, Dad brought in 7 fish – yes, you read that correctly – 7 fish on Friday!!!!!!! That is one well fed fledgling. One of those beauties was lost overboard. Hopefully some other hungry creature will discover that tasty meal.

‘H’ reports on Molly and Dorsett:

Kent Island –  Molly was last seen (so far) on 9/5.  Her dad, Tom, was seen almost every day up to 9/7, but we did not see him on 9/8.  That does not mean that Molly or Tom have formally begun their migration, they may simply not be on camera.  We shall see.  Audrey was seen in “Joe’s” tree, and for the second consecutive night, Audrey spent the night at her nest on 9/9.  It is surprising to see Audrey this late in the season, but we are thrilled to see her.

Barnegat Light – Dorsett and her dad, Duke, seemed to have a good day.  The camera operator managed to catch Duke taking a bath, and the highlight of Dorsett’s day was a live bunker that her dad delivered to her for supper.  Dorsett decided to eat the whole fish atop the 24th street pole.  Yum!

‘A’ reports on the breakfast for the Sea Eaglets: “a nice large fish was brought in at WBSE early this morning (around 06:40) and both eaglets had a good breakfast. SE31 got the early bites, then SE32 moved up beside his sister and ate without fear or intimidation. The two were perfectly behaved throughout the meal.”

So many love the Collins Street falcons and my inbox was bursting with news of the third egg! Do you think they will go for four?

Xavier just melts my heart. He is the cutest little male falcon and his mate Diamond often gives this poor guy such a rough time. So happy he got some egg time…it must actually feel nice to be able to do duckling style and rest for a bit…just thinking about Mini and how it helps her leg.

‘A’ reports: “Manaaki was fed by one of his parents at about 6pm this evening (9 September) – we don’t know which one because it was not within camera view but our little man gets so excited, wheeing away. I do love that sound. And we will miss it until this time next year. But I cannot wait to see whether YRK (and maybe even OGK) return over the next two or three months. He is the footage of Manaaki’s feeding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj35d68kQ6g&t=2s“.

News has come to me Friday night from ‘B’. We have wondered about the fishing at Cowlitz PUD. This is a new discovery. “The river where they fish has been full of silt and mud from a landslide up north awhile back which we never heard about…” ‘B’ continues by saying that a drive by a couple of weeks ago revealed sandbars in the river that were never there previously. This is so sad but let us hope the eagles and the ospreys have another source of food. Thanks so much ‘B’.

There is often a lot of confusion about feeding birds. Audubon has a short article to help us.

Speaking of feeding birds. Chiang Mai is north of Bangkok in the beautiful mountains. It is one of my most favourite places in the world. There is an historic walled city full of Buddhist temples. Just outside the walls is a small French area with some of the best coffee and lemon tarts to be found anywhere. Check out a feeding table in this northern Thai city!

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

Thank you to the following for their comments, alerts, posts, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, B, H, L’, PLO, NZ DOC, Lady Hawk and NEFL-AEF, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, Sea Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Karen Leng and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, and Audubon.

Fish Battles and more…Monday in Bird World

31 July 2023

My goodness. It is the end of July. Where did the summer go? and the Osprey season? It seems it was only a couple of weeks ago that we were wondering if Blue NC0 would lay the first egg of the UK season or would it be Maya?

I woke up to a note from a friend living on a farm in southern Manitoba with a pond. She wanted to know what is up. The geese typically are not on her pond until the middle of October, and at least 65 landed on Sunday. Is migration starting this early?

‘PB’ sent us a smile for the day. After Louise feeds the osplets twice from the big fish she brought to the nest, look at those crops.

‘H’ adds: “Mr.O was not seen on 7/29, and we were worried that he may have been injured while fighting an intruder the day before.  We were so relieved when Mr.O flew to the nest with a fish on 7/30 at 0911.  I’m sure many viewers were jumping for joy.  Louise flew to the nest a few seconds later to greet him.  They immediately had an intruder issue and Louise and Mr.O spent the next few minutes sending the intruder packing.  Louise brought three more fish to the nest throughout the day, including a couple of her signature ‘whoppers’.  The chicks had bursting crops.  All is well.”

Now for a break through….a simple coat of paint! We have known this for years but there was no action. Now there is no excuse.

How a pool ring helped a little vulture.

More fishing hooks…

Swinging through the Nests:

We are going to start with Australia and ‘A’ has some news to add:

Lady has had a busy morning, organising the three half-fish on the nest and ensuring Dad didn’t remove a single flake of it. She is very jealous about guarding the food once it is on the nest. Dad very rarely gets away with removing any food from the nest. There were cot rails to replace this morning after the first breakfast sitting. Both eaglets ate well. They are beyond adorable. Dad is bringing fish after fish for his family and Lady is absolutely devoted to her chicks. Such a sweet family. Those little faces are just darling. 

In Orange, Xavier arrived for the early morning bonding session but he has not had a good morning, with two starlings rejected by Diamond. I’m not sure why he keeps bringing them. Surely he must know by now that they are not a popular offering. He is on the ledge as I type, surveying his world. It’s an idyllic place for them to raise their family, Ah, something has caught his attention. He e-chups a few times, then flies out of the box. No idea what he’s spotted but something below the nest box certainly interested him. Such a handsome wee falcon. Gorgeous. I love little Xavier. There is regular mating on the tower and much digging of deep indentations in the nest box. 

In New Zealand, Manaaki is looking especially gorgeous this morning. It is a lovely sunny day at the colony and our beautiful albie chick has had a quiet morning, relaxing on his nest. For once, he has not been gardening or exploring, just enjoying a quiet rest. He is gradually losing his fluff and is starting to look increasingly like his parents. Our giant fluff ball is nearly an albatross. What a beautiful boy he really is, Darvic bling and all. We’ll miss him terribly when he fledges. It’s such a very long time before there is any chance of seeing them again – several years in most cases – so their fledge is particularly bittersweet. We still wonder and worry about little QT, who fludged early in a storm. Lilibet was only 220 days old when she became the first fledge of the season last year. That look on her face ….. 

At Collins Street, it is a cold but sunny morning. There is still some time to wait before we can expect eggs to be laid. Last year’s first hatch was on 30 September, so it should be up to four weeks before the first egg is laid. The last week of August probably, although as I keep saying, who knows what climate change will do to the birds’ inner clocks. I have been rewatching some of last year’s videos from Collins Street in an attempt to discern enough identifying features to determine whether or not this is the same couple we saw in the second part of last year’s season. 

Thanks ‘A’.

Moving back to the nests we have been following:

Collins Marsh: Two beautiful, fully feathered chicks standing in the blowing wind on the nest. This couple looks like they will fledge a pair of osplets this year! It is fantastic. Last year the nest was abandoned, and the year prior, the chick Malik had a forced fledge and was found dead below the nest. This is a new couple in 2023 who diligently cared for their young. Fingers crossed for safe flying.

Boulder County: Two fledglings, one to fly and Mum on one of the successful US nests this year. This beautiful couple that fed one another and did tandem feedings in the beginning so that little third had a chance did it! Success.

Finnish Nest 1:

Fish brings both fledglings in – Mum has a full house. There was still one to fledge at the time of my writing.

Finnish Nest 4: It was a little wet and the three were huddled together for warmth and some fresh fish. Notice the difference in plumage in the two nests. The little ones at nest 4 still have the white stripe. We are a ways from fledgling here! Indeed, they can still, for the most part, fit under Mum to stay dry.

Ilomantsi Finland: This nest is the most eastern of all the Finnish nests and is right on the Russian border. It is the home of parents Manta and Manu who have raised three beautiful osplets. Two females and a male. All have been ringed and at least one has fledged.

The ringing of the chicks took place on 11 July.

Patchogue: Watching for a fish delivery! Our Mini (top) is magnificent. Look at those ‘snake eyes’. Just like Iris! Not nearly the fish deliveries coming to the nest that we saw a few days ago. Dad is feeding off nest. Oh, we need a GoPro on Mini!!!!

Steelscape: Three got some fish and had a nice crop for a bit. Oldest sibling is doing a good job self-feeding. Keep sending good wishes to this little one.

Sandpoint: Wishing for fish for Coco who has not had a lot of fish over the last 24 hours. Keke is very hungry as well and has eaten fish and then tried to feed Coco. Wish for lots of fish!

MN Landscape Arboretum: All is good! The first image is from Sunday and the second Monday morning when Mum and chick are waiting for a delivery. Gosh this nest looks better than it did at the beginning of the season and this new female has really turned into a good Mum.

Alyth: Everyone appears to be doing well after the big tumble out of the nest on Saturday.

Dyfi: Nothing deters Indris – not even a bit of Welsh wind and damp – from getting fish to his kids.

Glaslyn: Looks like there is more rain at Glaslyn and wind. Elen hunkered down on the perch.

One of our Manitoba Osprey nests:

‘H’ has her reports – thanks ‘H’.

Forsythe – There were three fish brought to the nest by Oscar.  Ollie was the beneficiary of all three fish.  But at 0612, two minutes after the first fish was delivered, Owen flew to the nest and a battle ensued with both fledglings going overboard in a mass of wings and talons.  Ollie was seen flying away and Owen returned to claim the fish lying on the nest.  There were a few more brutal battles between those two juvies throughout the day.  Someone is going to get hurt.  More fish is needed at this nest.

Barnegat Light – Dorsett had the pleasure of experiencing several flights on her fledge day.  In these photos, the new fledgling is hanging out with Mom and Dad, and later she is shown enjoying a well earned dinner fish.  

Osoyoos: I’m not quite sure how many fish were delivered to the nest . . many were delivered by Dad, but then some were removed from the nest.  It was a confusing day, and a sad day.At 0542 Dad dropped off a partial fish.  Over the course of the next 2 1/2 hours both chicks tried to self feed from the fish.  #2 was more interested than #1, as #2 was literally starving, but at 33 days of age, did not have the skills to self-feed.  Most of the time that #2 was attempting to eat, s/he was attacked by #1.  There were a few times when #2 held the fish with its talon he did seem to pull off some bites.  Eventually at 0811 that fish either went over the east side of the nest or became lodged in some sticks.  Chick #2 had been facing away from the camera, but when #2 turned around, his crop was still flat.At 0724 Dad arrived with a partial fish and fed chick #1.  Whenever #2 attempted to approach, s/he was attacked by #1.At 1321 Dad was feeding, with a chick to either side.  #2 actually ate 8 bites of fish, before #1 lunged in front of Dad to reach #2, and attacked.  The incident seemed to be disturbing to Dad.  He stopped the feeding and flew away.  The remainder of the fish was left in the nest.  Chick #1 picked up the fish and did a pretty good job of self-feeding.  #2 managed to grab a large tail piece and tried to eat, but unfortunately he dropped the fish over the side.There were other feedings by Dad at 1415, 1529, 1959, and 2014.  Chick #2 did not receive any bites of fish at those meals.I’m not sure if Mom was seen at the nest on 7/30.”

McKeun ParK:
I took this pic yesterday afternoon.  Looks like they all fledged!

Thanks so much ‘H’.

A note has just come in from Kielder Forest that Grasslees is the first osplet to fledge from nest 2. That happened on Saturday, the 29th. Return to nest safely.

Glacier Gardens. The eaglet has been named Serak and is beautiful in that dark chocolate plumage.

Eastern Imperial Eagles: At the Tatarstan nest of Altyn and Altynan, the two eaglets have branched!

Karl II and Kaia: The three surviving storklets have been ringed. One has a transmitter. Karl II has been providing all of the feedings. Kaia was last seen on the nest on 23 July at 16:19. I asked my friend ‘T’ what is happening at this nest and she went and consulted the Forum to check for theories. We know that food appears to have been very limited due to the drought in the area and that Urmas has had to supply fish baskets so this family could survive. For the first time in the history of the nest Karl II did a brood reduction. So this is what ‘T’ sent to me, “She finds good food for herself further away. But she would probably have to find three times as much to give it to the chicks.” As was noticed by some observers, Kaia often stole food from Karl II and did not provide all the food she found for the chicks. Karl II has often sent her away from the nest so that he could take care of the storklets. Is Kaia off finding food for migration? Has she abandoned her nest? We do not know this answer and we wait – perhaps until next year.

The storklets are hungry. Karl II has brought in some fish that were not provided in Urmas’s fish basket and we should thank this generous man who kept this family alive and all who donated to purchase fish for them.

Karl II feeding. Kaia has left early. Is it because of a lack of food and she must build up her strength for migration?

Here is the latest news on Waba and Bonus.

Before we close, it looks like Mini might have gotten a fish on the nest from Dad Monday morning. She was up on the perch when Dad delivered at 0821. Smart girl!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send the struggling nests your most positive energy – Osoyoos and Forsythe could use many more fish. Please take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ” ‘A, H, J, PB, T’, Fortis Exshaw, Ars Technics, Alis Jasko and Nor Cal Birding, Tonya Irving, Raptors of the World and VulPro, Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, NZ DOC, Collins Marsh, Boulder County, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Ilomantsi Finland, PSEG, Steelscape, MN Landscape Arboretum, SSEN Alyth, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, MB Birding, Forsythe Ospreys, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, McKuen Park, Osoyoos, Kielder Forest, Glacier Gardens, Eastern Imperial Eagles, Eagle Club of Estonia, and Looduskalender.

Osoyoos under evacuation alert, Dorsett and Huey fly..Sunday in Bird World

30 July 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I have a huge tip for you today if you feed birds in your garden. The weather could not have been more grand. It was a good day to work in the garden. The humidity had dissipated, there was no hot sun, the wasps were visiting somewhere else and life felt good. I did not stare at the computer screen worrying. We have some troubling nests and must wait and see how things unfold.

M’ asked me about the window dots/the pink squares that I use for to prevent bird collisions. They are a brand called Feather Friendly, and a single roll does about 100 sq ft and costs about $25 at my nature centre. you can purchase them online at many places, but the key is the name Feather Friendly. Clean the windows and let them dry. Apply lots of pressure on the strips outside the windows, then pull the supporting strip off easily. They work, and I have tried everything. The single decals must be placed outside – anything to prevent bird strike -must be on the exterior.

Today I am experimenting with birdseed. It is expensive as you know. Someone told me to go to the feed and seed store. I wish I could remember who that was and thank them. So today I mixed up 1/3 chicken scratch with 1/3 birdseed and 1/3 black oil seed. It is undoubtedly Dyson approved. She scooped it up with her paws for several minutes. It thwarted Little Red, who only wanted peanuts! LOL.

The seed mixture is a winner! I pushed the chicken scratch even further at the late top up. It appears that I can do 50% chicken scratch, 25% black oil seed, and 25% birdseed and everyone continues to approve. There were 8 Blue Jays at one time vying for space on the square feeder. Some stayed on the telephone wires and others were on the ground. Wow.

‘The baby with the tail’ – the little one that is slightly more round is changing every day. It still loves to be in the bird bath splashing about and it also loved the new seed mixture. I cannot put out peanuts for them because Little Red and Little Red2 take them all. They are so fast!

The little one that lost its tail is flitting around everywhere with the bigger ones and seems to be so agile. I am so surprised. It has adapted, like all birds seem to do, to the challenges that are thrown at them.

Little Red yesterday quickly removing about 35 peanuts from the table one by one. He could win an Olympic medal.

Oh, good news is always so welcome. An 11-year-old Osprey has been saved from netting!

SP sent me a fantastic article about tenacity and commitment. 50 Years of working with Puffins…a jolly good read.

Twirling around the nests:

We will start with ‘H’s reports this morning because two of the nests are under the radar for needing boxes of worry beads – Osoyoos and FortisExshaw, both in Canada.

Barnegat Light: “At 60 days of age, Dorsett opted for an early morning fledge on 7/30, at 06:09:10.  She first flew north, then headed east toward the ocean, hung a right at the Atlantic, then flew south, made a right turn at 24th street, and made a perfect landing back onto the perch at her nest.  Dorsett has since taken a couple of additional flights.  Congratulations to Duke, Daisy, and Dorsett!”

FortisExshaw:

Fortis Exshaw: “It was a good day for Louise and her kids, with only a few indications of minor intruder issues.  Louise brought three fish to the nest.  The first fish at 1104 was so large, it resulted in a prolonged period of feeding that was the equivalent of three meals.  Prior to Louise feeding, she allowed the chicks a chance to practice self-feeding from the headless fish for over an hour.  Chick #1 has learned the advantages of holding the fish down with its talons, and s/he was able to tear small pieces from the fish.  Chick #1 is now grabbing and mantling fish when Louise delivers.  Even though they hatched less than 12 hours apart, chick #1 is more advanced in skills development.  Mr.O was not seen on Saturday.  I hope Mr.O was not injured during the altercation with the intruder on Friday.”

Forsythe – Oscar delivered three fish, and Opal delivered a fish after a few days’ absence.  It was nice to see Opal.  Owen was the recipient of three of the fish, Ollie just one.  As with most nests during the post-fledge period, any given day may seem unfair in that one sibling gets the most fish.  But, it does seem to even out in the long term.  Ollie had eaten the majority of the fish the previous two days.  Starting Sunday there will be a break in the heat wave, with cooler temps the next several days. 

Osoyoos – There were four fish brought to the nest.  Dad ate the first small fish at 1041.  I’m sure he was very hungry, but perhaps he should have eaten it off the nest.  Just the fish being brought to the nest caused #1 to attack #2.  The fish at 1131 was very small, and chick #1 was fed a small meal.  At 1237 Mom brought a partial fish.  Chick #2 was beaked and bit by #1, and had no chance to eat.  At 1531 a larger partial fish was delivered.  Chick #1 wasted a full minute of feeding time attacking #2.  Chick #2 later snuck up on the other side of Mom and grabbed a large piece of fish equivalent to about 6 bites of fish.  It took a while, but #2 managed to swallow that whole piece of fish.  Chick #2 has had 30 bites of fish to eat in the last three days.  Note:  There is a wildfire located SW of Osoyoos, which has been renamed the Eagle Bluff Wildfire (previously called the Lone Pine Creek fire).  Parts of Osoyoos are under an evacuation alert, that currently does not include the area where the nest is located.

[‘H’ has just written that the nest area is, according to AMW not under an evacuation alert. Please send your best energy to Soo and Olsen. Just look at those two beautiful chicks. The camera feed could go down and we might not ever know what happens to these chicks if the fire does rage through. Our thoughts are with everyone…]

Dahlgren – Really big news . . the youngest of the two fledglings went diving! D12 dove from the nest platform four times, and did a little swimming and bathing.  While she did not catch a fish, this was an important milestone.

Severna Park –  Oscar continues to provide fish for his two fledglings at the nest.  It’s always nice to see them.

Patuxent Nest 1 –  The fledglings, Sibling-B and Foster, are frequently seen at the nest. But, it’s a good thing they no longer sleep there, because a Great Blue Heron has decided to make the nest its nighttime roosting spot.  Last night the GBH found a welcome surprise . . a fish had been left on the nest, which he quickly gobbled up.

WDNU Tower, South Bend, Indiana: The only surviving osplet on the WDNU Tower, Baby Huey, endured a horrible storm and then took his first flight on Saturday the 29th. Amazing. Congratulations. It was a tough year on the nest. So pleased for everyone.

Pathogue: Every time I checked Mini had a fish. At least three on Saturday. Dad is obviously feeding the fledglings off the nest as we do not see the older siblings bombarding Mini for that fish like they are doing on some other nests. These parents really know how to keep the climate chill.

Charlo Montana: Those osplets are adorable.

Boulder County: All is good.

Dunrovin: Harriet and the three fledglings pose together.

Pitkin County Open Trails and Spaces: Both fledglings continue to return to the nest. Everything is excellent.

SSEN Alyth: When everyone is hungry and scrambling for fish, things happen. Mum came in with a fish at Alyth, it got caught on the talon of one of the chicks and they both went overboard….and the first then went to the third hatch! Some of the nest went down with them.

Well, the good news is that everyone is alright at the nest after this terrible entanglement and high tumble. Thank goodness.

Manton Bay: Blue 33 delivers fish and everyone goes crazy.

It may look rough on the nests but in the real world, the ability to eat is literally ‘life and death’ to our fledglings. They have to learn strategies, be quick – and be ruthless.

Loch of the Lowes:

Cowlitz: It is hot in the Pacific NW and the nests could be suffering. The fledgling at Cowlitz has rested on the nest and has had at least one fish on Saturday.

Sandpoint: At least two fish were delivered Saturday morning. I am not clear about deliveries the rest of the day.

Steelscape: I did not watch the nest closely enough to count deliveries but I do know that the third hatch had some fish on Saturday.

Minnesota Landscape: The weather has cooled down a bit and it makes for much better fishing. This one is doing well.

Maryland Old Town Home: The fledglings continue to come to the nest and like many of the others there is a lot of rivalry over fish deliveries.

Dfyi: All is good. Idris continues to bring in the fish! And Telyn loves to feed her ‘big and more independent every day’ babies.

Glaslyn: Aran is delivering lots of fish and the two fledglings are doing very well indeed.

Loch Arkaig: There were winds beginning to blow and rain starting late on Saturday at Loch Arkaig. Ludo is hoping for fish! Oh, by the way. The Crow that vacuums up the Loch Arkaig nest so well has been named Dyson!

Poole Harbour: It is all good.

Llyn Clywedog: Seren on the perch and beginning to get in form for migration. She will fly and will land on the same tree in the Tanji Reserve that she does every year. Meanwhile, the surviving fledgling of the goshawk attack has been photographed flying all over the area. So all is well.

Sydney Sea Eagles: Cuteness Overload. The pantry is stocked and Lady is joyful. 31 and 32 are delicate little snow people.

My friend ‘A’ lives in Australia and she loves the royal Albatross and most of the Australia nests and is happy to send us reports on recent events at those nests. A says: ” in Sydney, Dad brings in a lovely big fresh fish at 06:51:18. He heads off up the branch off the back porch and shakes himself off. He is still wet from catching that fish. He hasn’t even eaten the head. It’s been left on the nest for Lady and the chicks. He is a good provider. That should keep the family going for the rest of the day. Lady starts working on the head herself, and around 07:01 starts feeding the chicks. SE32 is ready to eat now, and the first bites go to the baby. It does really well, managing four or five consecutive mouthfuls without dropping them and without falling flat on its face. By now SE31 is awake too and ready for some more food. She feeds both chicks plenty of fresh fish, though concentrates on the younger one. These two are doing great.”

Orange Peregrine Falcons: “In Orange, Diamond spent the night perched on the ledge of the nest box, tucked and facing inwards as usual. Xavier arrived for an early morning bonding session at 06:28:24. These two are just beyond adorable. Xavier really is only half Diamond’s size. He is so svelte and handsome. She appears significantly older and lazier than Xavier. She watches the sunrise from her ledge and leaves the box at around 06:51. Both spend a few moments on top of the tower before Xavier heads off to get some breakfast..He arrives back at the box with prepared food at 07:37:05, with Diamond hot on his heels. He hardly has time to e-chup before Diamond has swooped in, grabbed the food and left again within three seconds! Xavier looks a little stunned. He glances down a couple of times at where the food was, as if wondering where it’s gone. Then he cleans a few feathers out of his talons. Oh but he is such a handsome falcon. Tiny but gorgeous.”

Collins Street: “At Collins Street, there was a short falcon visit about 9.30am – the falcon flew off the nest at 09:42. It doesn’t look as though any eggs have been laid but I note that the birds seem to be favouring the same nest box as last season. There has not been any shelter added at that end, which surprises me after what happened last year. (I’m sure you well remember the day mum went for a spa morning and returned to find two chicks in the gutter and two in the nest, all baking in the hot sun and looking as if they might be in serious danger. And mum pulled the smallest chick back into the box by lifting it with her beak! It was a very dramatic day.)”

Reports that a new camera is being installed at Port Lincoln and the stream will be back up sometime on Monday or Tuesday.

At the Royal Cam Albatross colony, ‘A’ notes: “I forgot to mention that on Friday (28 July), all 33 of the albatross chicks at the New Zealand colony received their permanent Darvic bands (no more coloured leg bands). Manaaki’s is black (for male) and his Darvic number is D36. They used Darvic bands last season but for some reason, this season’s are the first that are permanent and will last a lifetime. (And as we know, a lifetime can be 70+ years for an albatross!)”

Thanks, ‘A’! And thanks for giving me the head’s up that Ervie has been out fishing with Dad. Port Lincoln Ospreys posted these images of Ervie, and I knew you would love to see our favourite Eastern Osprey! —- Do you remember when we thought Ervie would eat Puffer Fish all his life? When he lost a talon, and we feared he would starve to death? Well, here we are. Ervie is almost two years old. I have not heard any news about Bazza or Falky, but Ervie, that little third hatch that didn’t take any gruff off Bazza, the first hatch, grew up big and strong and stayed near the natal nest – safe—still fishing with Dad. Do you recall those chin wags that Ervie had with Dad down in the cave? What a season that was! (I still want to forget last year…that was traumatic).

The Lesser Spotted Eaglet in Latvia is nothing short of adorable…and happily a small vole was brought in for food.

I think the eaglet has spotted the camera! Just look. Almost all of the natal down is gone revealing a soft brown plumage with stunning blue eyes.

The fledgling ospreys – three of them – return to the platform for some lovely fish meals at the German Goitzsche Wildness nest.

At the Finnish #1 nest, tummy and Usva took their first flights on 28 July. Only Roihu is left and that could be any moment. Beautiful healthy osplets!

Finnish #4. The two surviving chicks were younger when they were ringed and both are still on the nest. Neither has taken their first flight yet.

Whew…I hope I didn’t make you dizzy with that swing around the nests…in no particular order! Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. Have a great weekend. See you soon.

Thank you to absolutely everyone for their notes, comments, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H, M, SP’, Audubon, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Patuxent River Park, Dahlgren, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Forsythe Ospreys, Stephen Basly and WDNU, PSEG, Charlo Montana, Boulder County, T Barrington and Dunrovin Ranch, Pitkin County Osprey Cam, SSEN Alyth, LRWT, Loch of the Lowes, Cowlitz PUD, Sandpoint, Steelscape, MN Landscape Arboretum, Maryland Old Town Home, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, The Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour, CarnyXWild, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NZ DOC, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Latvian Fund for Nature, Fischandler Webcam, and the Finnish Osprey Foundation.

Oh..so cute. SE31 and SE32. Friday in Bird World

28 July 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, not only is it the end of the week but it is also the end of July. The beautiful osplets from Norway are now in Ireland and all is well. All three chicks at Dunrovin have fledged along with probably many more today. It cooled down a bit on the Canadian Prairies and thankfully, I did not get the storms that some did on Wednesday evening. I would be fine but, of course, my concerns are always with those that come and go from the garden. Right now Mr Crow is yelling his head off demanding cheesy dogs, Junior wants more peanuts, and Little Red is sitting in the lilacs waiting in case I change my mind and put out more of those tasty nuts. Missey and Lewis have been relatively quiet all day which means that they will be tearing around all night. Bird seed and cat food are now stocked for next month and life is good.

Oh, we always need some great news. There are such wonderful people out there…Man swims 70′ in Idaho to save Osprey! “Ten days of fluids, antibiotics and a diet of fish helped the 2-and-a-half-pound adult male osprey heal from soft-tissue injuries, but no fractures.“The geese beat him up pretty bad,’ said Birds of Prey Northwest Founding Director Jane Veltkamp.”

https://cdapress.com/news/2023/jul/27/hes-still-alive/?fbclid=IwAR3tG5vNhivOei7bTrWBHhmD-C4vCcxN3uqBS9-gLwwoIA2qSLiOKBzG92U

More good news is coming from South Australia where the water company has agreed to remove the spikes from his pipes! Congratulations! This is the way that it should always be!

The hottest recorded July in history. Sadly the heat that is driving severe weather, low fish counts and drought is not going away. Just how long can those that have the power to do something continue to deny the need is not urgent?

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/27/scientists-july-world-hottest-month-record-climate-temperatures

The Norwegian osplets have arrived in Ireland in a private jet and are now safely in their new cages. Not sure what their parents thought about this…perhaps I am not supposed to mention something like that.

The Grey storklets have received names!

When I grew up, everyone wanted manicured lawns, beautiful flower beds, patios and porches with climbing roses on trellis. The magazines pushed our control over nature – just like those very managed French gardens of the 19th century. When I returned to Manitoba, one of my neighbours was a graduate in math from Cornell. A brilliant man but life had thrown some wrenches at him. He let his garden go. People talked about him as if he was a freak. Of course, ‘J’ was ahead of the times. Now people seek him out for his advice.

Please share with your friends, family, and neighbours:

We finally have the date when the grouse hunting licenses on United Utilities land will not be renewed – 2027 and the hunting groups are in meltdown…I am over the moon that this onslaught on wildlife will be stopped. Let us hope more join in!

Whirl through the Nests:

Little Mini, our amazing fledgling from Patchogue, eating a fish Thursday afternoon. Time 1424 when Mini grabbed that fish.

Mini wants a fish and is watching. Is Dad feeding off nest? I wonder.

Steelscape: ‘PB’ sent a great screen capture of the third hatch and what a crop. Dad delivered a number of fish and this one that has been pecked and pulled ate well.

Dunrovin: All three – Snap, Crackle, and Pop – have now fledged!

Glaslyn: All is well. Look at the size of that Mullet!

Loch Arkaig: Is Dorcha getting tired of visitors?

Boulder County: Everyone is home. All are being fed well. What an amazing family.

The Bridges Golf: Nice fish delivery before time to tuck it all in. These two look ready to fledge. I have failed to check on them for a few days. Please correct me if they have already taken to the skies. Nice to see two survive after a really poor start during that heat.

Cowlitz PUD: Fledgling and adults continue to return to the nest. All is good.

Clark PUD: Everything is fantastic.

Sandpoint: Both of the osplets – Keke and Coco – were well fed on Thursday.

MN Landscape Arboretum: Everything appears to be alright. I did not see a lot of fish deliveries on Thursday but I might have missed them. It has been really hot near the nest – 29 C. They have had the same heat that we have had in Winnipeg. This is impacting all the nests and their ability to fish.

Loch of the Lowes: Laddie will continue to deliver. PF4 grabbed the fish and Dad this morning while PF5 dreams of fish. There has been no sign of Blue NC0 for nearly a fortnight.

Sydney Sea Eagles: ‘A’ is so excited. She reports, “At 7am 28 July, we can see a large hole in the second egg and movement inside. Dad has just brought in a lovely headless fresh fish for breakfast for SE31’s first feeding. It’s good at holding its head up but it’s not great at the food transfer bit so it’s dropping most of its bites. Mum is being so patient with the sweet little one. It did not end up getting much food and I think it was still hungry afterwards, but it did get a couple of small bites. Meanwhile, SE32 is making good progress, and as we watch the feeding we can see the hole enlarge as a flap starts to open next to it. I think the second chick will be out within 36 hours of SE31’s hatch, which is a pretty good result considering the 75-hour gap between the laying of the eggs and the fact that Dad was so impatient with the incubation that I worried about whether that first egg would even hatch! There will hopefully be two fluffy little balls under mum by tonight.” Then minutes later she writes again…”

The hole is bigger at 07:54 and we can see the chick working away inside the second egg. That shell really is incredibly thick. It can’t be easy for the tiny chicks trying to break free of that calcium tomb. I always hope they have the strength to make it out. When you consider that they are already 24 hours into their escape effort by the time we see that first pip, it really is a pretty impressive achievement for such tiny youngsters. Life gets really hard really fast for them. And it doesn’t really get that much easier. I suppose the weeks in their nest are the best of their lives, in the sense that they are largely fed and protected by doting parents. Life in the wild will be so challenging, and the preparation time is so short. 
How adorable they are at this age. Still unable to bonk each other. Just lovely. Let’s hope we have a peaceful nest, that the family stays safe, and that all goes well this season.”

Isn’t this little one just precious. This family really deserves a break. They raise such beautiful babies to fledge…send positive, positive wishes for the very best for them.

Se31’s first feeding:

And then….SE32 hatched! Get ready for cuteness overload as the Australian raptor season beings.

Royal Cam Albatross: Prince Minaaki has been ringed! It is possible that this wonderful Albie will have fledged in six weeks. So do your thing and help make the seas safe for the Albatross — don’t look that can of tuna in the eye!

Cornell Red-tail Hawks: Suzanne Arnold Horning found Big Red and Arthur,.

Time for ‘H’s reports!

Fortis Exshaw: There were three large fish delivered to the nest, with Mr. O contributing the first one.  There was also a meal from a leftover fish from the previous evening.  The chicks are now 40 days old, and both have been active with wingercising.  And, at the second fish delivery, one of the chicks took the whole fish from Louise and mantled it, wow!  Of course, Louise retrieved the fish, lol.  Mr. O once again was instrumental in providing protection for the nest.  At 1023 Mr. O urgently flew to the nest, was very vocal and demonstrated his most fearsome body language directed at an unseen intruder.  Louise followed him to the nest 20 seconds later.  For the next four minutes they collaborated in warding off the intruder.”

Forsythe – There were three fish delivered to the nest, and all were delivered by Oscar.  Opal was last seen on 7/25.  Ollie was the only fledgling at the nest for the first two deliveries at 0625 and 1222, and Owen didn’t even fly to the nest to make a bid.  So, I assumed that Owen may have been served a fish at another location.  At 1825, both siblings were at the nest when Oscar delivered a large headless fish.  There was a battle for the fish, with Ollie coming away victorious.  There was also a brutal and prolonged battle between the two siblings at 1311.  They are hungry.  I hope Oscar will have more success fishing on Friday, but unfortunately it will be another extremely hot day.  The high temperature is predicted to be 96-97 degrees.

Thanks so very much ‘H’ and thanks to all of you for being with me today. Take care of yourself! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, postings, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, PB’, CDA.org Press, Fan Solly ad Friends of Osprey St Australia, The Guardian, Gregorius Joris Toonen and Ospreys, Arne Torkler, Raptor Persecution UK, PSEG, Steelscape, Dunrovin Ospreys, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Boulder County Ospreys, Bridges Golf Ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Clark PUD, Sandpoint Ospreys, MN Landscape Arboretum, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Sydney Sea Eagles, Gracie Shepherd and Sydney Sea Eagles, Sharon Dunne and Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, Fortis Exshaw, Forsythe, and Suzanne Arnold Horning.

Fledges, Zeus missing? and more…Thursday in Bird World

22 June 2023

It is always good to go somewhere and soak in a very different environment and then, it is always good to be ‘home’. It was hard to leave the island. There had to be one last stop by the rocks and the water with the Pelicans and Hooded Mergansers. Before I could get there, a family of Canada Geese swam by! Oh, joy!

This beautiful female Common Merganser sitting on ‘her’ rock watching her babies swim.

Pelicans have to be the comedians of the shore. Notice that the pelican on the right has a ‘caruncle’ – a protrusion from the top beak. It is thought that these are there to attract a mate as they are shed after mating and eggs are laid. Both males and females grow them.

Lake Winnipeg is the 10th largest freshwater lake in the world at 25,514 sq km. It is also very shallow – something that causes these huge swells. At its deepest, it is only 38 m.

The water pounds against the rocks when it is windy – I find it soothing. They were all there, so it was a nice goodbye, and then, crossing the causeway, there was a single Tundra Swan and, to my delight, a Bald Eagle (not an adult but too far at a distance to determine age) who was none too happy that I stopped to say hello! It was near the Black Wolf trail, where their nests are located.

The distance is about 80-90 metres. That eagle with its keen sight knew where I was all the time. It had flown from an old dock to that tree in the distance to keep an eye on me.

I love it when the garden animals realise that I am home! Or maybe it is the smell of those peanuts in the feeders! LOL

Poor Junior looks a little bedraggled now that he is moulting. That Blue Jay in front – well that is the little fledgling that was sitting with the stone birds last week.

Dyson is looking a lot better than she did a few days ago.

There were so many birds getting drinks.

Moorings Park Victor is having a ball, skimming the water for fish, and coming to the nest wet! What a delight!

Little Mini is doing very well despite the Bigs getting some small fish to self feed on previous days. ‘R’ sent me two images of Mini up feeding at dawn and again when another early fish arrives. It seems that things are back to normal with Mini eating well in the early morning and evening. Don’t you just love this little character?

A big fish came into the nest at 18:44, and Mum happily fed Mini from 19:54-19:21, when she was too full to eat another bite. Mum got to enjoy some nice fish. We should no longer have to worry about Mini, but because she is a fourth, I will continue to watch her closely until she fledges! It is simply a delight to see this little one work hard to stay alive and is now thriving.

Mini also had the most amazing ‘ps’ at 20:31. That wide ribbon of white going in front of the perch is going to make a big splash on the sidewalk.

Deyani fledged on Wednesday and returned to the nest. Perfect.

Angel arrived to an empty nest.

Deyani returns to get the little bird for her lunch that Angel brought. This is excellent—the continuation of the nest as a place for prey.

On Wednesday, the Ms were getting a little antsy. One was on the fledge ledge and the railing today sending out the signal that they could fly anytime now and M1 did. She flew Thursday morning.

We almost had an ooops.

Here is the video of that flight!

Perhaps I am the only one but this eyas at the Evergy Topeka scrape – while it has now its back and wing feathers broken out of their shafts – still has the most peculiar head. Where is its plumage?

Climate change is revealing new places for our birds to try and live. Here is some news from Sanibel Islands.

Storms are really playing havoc with the osprey nests along the NE coast of the US today. This is the report from ‘H’. “Ospreys near the Mid-Atlantic coast are not eating well today.  Rain and heavy winds.  So far today as of 1955:

Barnegat Light, three early fish – Little had 36 bites at the first meal, and at the other two meals the view was blocked. I note that the wind is terrible and Mum is soaked as night begins to descend.

Kent Island, one early fish (two meals)

Dahlgren, two early fish

Patuxent 1, one afternoon fish

Severna Park, two early fish (I think that’s all) 

SCMM, no fish so far !!! And now we may know why. ‘H’ reports: “Worrisome.  Zeus was not seen at all yesterday.  We assume he had no luck fishing for the family, but he did not stop by the nest.  Hera flew off the nest this morning at 0810 and did not return until 0953.  We assume she went fishing.  When she returned, she did not have a fish and her crop was flat.  It is damp and chilly, 63 degrees.  For some reason, she has not returned to brooding the chicks at 10:20.”

This is very sad, indeed. Hera might know that something has happened to Zeus and that she cannot care for the osplets alone. We wait. Send good wishes to all of these nests, please.

Forsythe, no fish so far (Big and Middle self-fed Mini’s carcass) !!!

Boathouse, plenty of fish and feeds.

Exshaw, three feedings so far.  I watched the feeding at 1630 (mdt) to make sure Little was getting fed, and the answer is a very big YES.  Louise went out of her way to make sure Little in the back row had many bites, even some big ones that the little stinker surprisingly managed to swallow.

As you can see, some of the nests are doing splendidly and do not have weather issues – others have severe wind and rain causing a lack of food and those horrid wet and cold conditions that can make osplets vulnerable. We may lose some chicks off these nests. I am particularly concerned about Barnegat Light.

Here is a sweep of some other nests:

Cowlitz PUD: The osplet was seen attacking Mum’s beak because it is hungry. The fish are small and most often not enough of them.

Finally!

Boulder County Fair Grounds: Everything appears to be alright. Little got a private feeding!

Outerbanks, North Carolina: Everything is good. Chicks are self-feeding and also being fed.

Dunrovin: Three healthy osplets!

At the Finnish Nests:

#1. It appears that all three are doing good.

#3. Little sometimes hangs back but manages to get up front and get some of the big fish that are brought to the nest.

#4. Everything appears to be alright. Lined up nicely for meals with a wee bit of bother sometimes – but not during feedings that I have observed.

#LS5: Everything looks alright with this nest and its two osplets. It is the only Finnish nest with only two this year.

Janakkalan: The third hatch often gets fed after the two big ones.

In the UK, banding will occur at all of the nests we have monitored as long as the weather holds and there are banners. Chicks cannot be banded after 45 days for fear of causing a premature fledge/fludge. The ideal time is 35-38 days.

Loch of the Lowes: Blue NC0 has to protect her chicks from bad weather.

Nice fish for a late night meal. Laddie has been delivering a lot of fish. On the 15th of June, he delivered a record eleven for the nest.

Dyfi Osprey Project: The ringing of the two osplets of Idris and Telyn will take place on 27 June, weather permitting. Awwwww, sleeping sweeties.

Glaslyn: I love seeing Aran and Elen sharing the perch. The chicks are growing and healthy and all is well.

Loch Arkaig: Geemeff catches the delivery of fish number two in the early afternoon….It is identified as a whole Silver Tourist (a species I do not know but gosh, what a nice one!). I can only imagine if a fish like this landed on the Cowlitz PUD.

Poole Harbour: Breakfast is served at 0426. Blue 022 is really an early bird.

Llyn Clywedog: Dylan fed the Bobs a really nice Brown Trout for their tea on Wednesday.

For the fans of the Albatross, the Royal Cam chick has a name. A really nice compilation by Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk.

Does M15 – our amazing SW Florida Dad – have a new mate? Oh, this is fantastic – let us hope that these two bond and we see them in the late fall at the nest. So grateful to those photographers on the ground.

You might really enjoy seeing the winners of the Audubon Photography Awards. There are so many talented individuals!

And now for something extraordinary – we really could use a pick me up after the weather and Zeus missing…Middle at Achieva. He is fattening up at the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre and will attend flight school next week. How wonderful is that? Thanks, ‘H’.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon – and do not forget to send good wishes to these beautiful nests. Many of them might be in some trouble today.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, postings, photographs, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: “A, H, L, R’, Moorings Park, PSEG, Window to Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab, Evergy Topeka, NBC2 News, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Chesapeake Conservancy, Dahlgren Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Severna Ospreys, SCMM, Forsythe Ospreys, Audubon Boat House, Fortis Exshaw, Cowlitz PUD, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Outerbank ospreys, Dunrovin Ranch, Finnish Osprey Foundation, LOTL, Dyfi, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Laura Davis Nelson and SWFL Eagles, and Audubon.

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.