Category Archives: sibling rivalry in Ospreys

Black Friday runs into Saturday, Mini eats…Bird World

24 June 2023

Hello to Everyone,

It has been a very rough two days. In the six years, I have been monitoring nests for siblicide – and the many before that where I was observing behaviour – I have never had a spate of osplet deaths as we have seen in the past couple of weeks. Chicks dying for unknown reasons and now dying of starvation because of a storm. More chicks will die before Saturday morning and everyone is going to sleep with a very heavy heart.

There are many things that my father taught me by his example. My earliest memory was always helping those that were unable to help themselves. It did not matter if it was the birds, the stray cats and the dogs that people knew to leave because he would care for them and find homes or people. So, no one got in a boat, or a car to place fish on those osprey nests is beyond me. My only alternative tonight was to ensure all the garden animals were overfed. It is essential to stop, take a breath, and care for those that are nearby and need your help. So, this weekend, in memory of all the little ones that were lost, put out a water bowl, fill up a feeder, clean up human debris. While we mourn the lost ones, we need to remember to focus on those that are living. Their lives are as precariously balanced on the thinnest of wires and your generosity could save their family!

Before we start with todays news, I want everyone to have a ‘feel-good’ story to stay with them during some of the tragedies. Enjoy! Who knew that a laundry basket could bring such happiness?

And, yes, we are going to need a lot more happiness today…look at these two beautiful fledglings from the new West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta….but, wait. They are at the old nest! No worries. An adult was over on Tor keeping an eye. Gorgeous. And both seem to have crops.

I want to give a shout out to Louis at Loch Arkaig. As Geemeff says, Every nest could use a Louis’. No mater the weather, nothing stops him from getting fish on that nest.

Louis does it again Saturday morning.

When we hear of Black Friday, it is now most often associated with a shopping frenzy but, for me, the 22-23 June will now be the day that so many osplets died in a climate situation in the NE of the United States. The true toll will not be known until Saturday or Sunday on the streaming cams. The females who have kept their chicks warm and dry and watched them die have not eaten either. We could also lose them! I do not understand why the businesses and the wildlife associations that run the cameras are not prepared to step in and provide fish. Are not the frequency and severity of these storms signalling something to do with human-induced climate change?

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ offered this explanation of the weather system that has caused such a catastrophic loss on the nests in the region – and to them, this is catastrophic having their entire family wiped out.

At Barnegat Light, after more than 60 hours, a fish came on the nest at 14:31:39. It appears that Daisy went fishing…she is wet. Will they all survive? We must wait to see. Big ate and so did Daisy – she has to. Middle was shut out and he has now not eaten (as of this fish delivery) for 53 hours. Duke has not been seen since yesterday afternoon and it is thought that he might be trying to find fish elsewhere – I think he has been injured in the storm and is MIA.

The tears are pouring…sadly, the fish came too late for Little Bob. Hopefully, Daisy will get more fish – and she did. She brought in another at 15:23. She has brought in two fish Saturday morning but Middle is too ill to eat. Middle is dying. Daisy has done amazing work and it looks like she might be able to keep herself and Big alive. How said that Middle is unable to eat some of that fish because Big is full.

Oscar has been bringing small fish for Opal and the two osplets at Forsythe. Anything helps – and ‘H’ noted that Oscar had 7 fish on the nest on Friday in difficult fishing conditions. It appears, however, that we will lose chick 3, Little. Mini has already passed and 3 was just barely alive at 19:38 on Friday and was not seen eating. It now appears that three has died leaving Dad Oscar, Mum Opal, and Owen and Ollie. With some luck, the oldest two might survive.

‘H’ reports on Forsythe for Saturday morning: “Bless dear Oscar, how stressful the previous days of bad weather must have been for him, knowing that his family depended on him, and he was not able to provide.  Seems like he is trying to make up for it now, 8 fish deliveries before 9 am!” After a bit both of the chicks ate…this is good. These two might survive.

Not particularly happy with what is happening at Patchogue. Mini ate well on Wednesday and had some fish Thursday morning but those huge crops of the previous weeks are gone. The three big siblings are now up and eating first thing in the morning and Mini is often shut out. Let us hope that the good fishing returns.

Mini appears to continue to be shut out of fish. Will Dad bring a late night one so our Mini can eat? He will desperately need fish on Saturday if this keeps up.

It is a miserable Saturday at Patchogue but Mini was fed by Mum at 0824. Tears like the rain.

Severna Park was really wet, also. All the nests are getting some residues of that storm. Both seem to have eaten but the fish do not appear to be coming as regularly today.

The fish are small and are few but, thankfully, there is only one chick and the Cowlitz PUD osprey nest might just have a fledge this year when other nests have none. That is almost shocking.

The two osplets at the Great Bay Osprey platform in Greenland, New Hampshire, are eating some nice fish and doing well.

The Outerbanks had a nice big flat fish come in!

Oyster Bay appears to be OK. There is some problem with submission but the fish seem to be coming in.

Boulder County Fair Grounds is alright, too. The little one had a nice big crop as the sun was going down.

Mum fed Dad some of the fish before the chicks were fed. This is a sweet nest.

The large female and male of Laddie and Blue NC0 were ringed a few days ago. The female is Blue PF4 and came in at a hefty 1.85 kg, while the little male weighed 1.2 kg and is Blue PF5.

Three healthy chicks on the Osprey nest in Spain at the Urdaibai Biosphere.

Good News is coming out of Minnesota-

The Peregrine falcon scrape at Topeka Kansas has proven to be a bit of a mystery. The older siblings fledged a week or a bit ago. The third hatch – which appears to be developmental slow in getting its feathers – and appeared to have a problem with its eyes is beginning to look more like a falcon. It is not clear how much prey is brought to it on a daily basis but I will continue to call for an intervention if the adults are not delivering several food items a day…

Lady Hawk caught M15 and his lady friend at the pond! Some good news…and also, there is news that E22 was also seen at the pond at 1620 Friday. Life is good at SW Florida on the Pritchett Property.

Soledad is one of the fiercest Peregrine Falcons I have seen! Here she defends the scrape and she can only have thought that Monty was an intruder!

M1 returned to the nest when prey was delivered. All is well at the Red-tail hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur – it is perfect that she is flying so well and going on and off to the trees and buildings building up her skills. M2 fledged Friday leaving M3 on the nest alone Friday night.

Flying is hard work.

M2s fledge:

Deyani has been returning to the nest of Tom and Angel to get prey items, too. She has been following the adults when she sees them from her behaviour.

Other heartbreaking news. A goshawk has taken 2 of the 4 storklets off the Black Stork nest of Noteka and Nutka in the Noteka Forest in Poland.

In a freak event, the eldest goshawk at RSPB Loch Garten goshawks attacked the youngest, Mini 4, when a large prey item was delivered and killed its sibling. I have never seen this happen at a hawk nest.

After a horrific year of deaths due to HPAI, Sunnie Day reports that Bald Eagles in Georgia are on the rebound.

The latest BTO News came in the post today. There are many great articles, one is an opinion piece by Nick Acheson. He is the author of The Meaning of Geese. In all that he does – and Acheson does a lot- it is because of climate change that he says he wants to know that he has a clear conscience and has done his utmost to mitigate the climate crisis. ” I will have tried. At least I will have tried”. He has been a Vegetarian since childhood; he has given up animal products altogether, doesn’t drive, takes the bus, or uses his bicycle. He never flies anymore, and this young man could earn lots of money on the lecture circuit. He lives in a small Flint house in Norfolk that he also refuses to heat. Check out Nick’s website at http://www.themarshtit.com

Acheson believes that our window for doing something is closing fast – after 40 years of warnings. What I like about him is that he is unwilling to give up!

Nick’s worries are borne out by an article in The Guardian today but, they also show us that with a major effort we can turn some things around.

Ecological-tipping-points-could-occur-much-sooner-than-expected-study-finds-Environment-The-GuaDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. When it all gets too much, take a deep breath. Spend time with your pet, sit outside, and listen to the birds. We all get overwhelmed, especially when we want to do something to help and can’t. Take care of yourself. Amid the mourning, there is much joy, and now it is time to also celebrate that! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘Geemeff, H, L, SP, and T’, Nick Beres NC5, IWS/Explore, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Forsythe Ospreys, PSEG, Severna Ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Great Bay Ospreys, Outer Banks 24/7, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys, LOTL and the Woodland Trust, Evergy Topeka, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall Falcons, Cornell RTH, Window to Wildlife, Sunnie Day, The Guardian, BTO, and Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch.

Utter heartache as osprey chicks die…Friday in Bird World

23 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

I don’t know how many tuned in to the Zoom chat about birding with Amy Tan and Christian Cooper, sponsored by The New York Times, but it was a great discussion about how people get interested in birding. Cooper has a new book out and Tan is writing a book about her backyard birding experiences for release next year. Can’t wait to read both of them. If you missed it, here it is recorded on YouTube:

Lewis did not feel the anxiety that I was having checking on the osprey nests today. Instead, he decided to sleep right in front of me as I watched the Blue Jays so that he could get some good scratches now and again.

It was quite the morning in the garden. There are at least six fledgling Blue Jays – not just the one sitting in the rock bird nest. They have delighted for hours. Some know how to get a peanut open, others don’t. All know that cats are a ‘danger’ and one even flew directly at the window of the conservatory at Missey. I was shocked – so was the Blue Jay.

One of the recent fledglings. Just look at those feathers! They are incredible. They are getting their crests and Junior is losing his – he can now do his annual moult since the babies are now fledged. The patterning…stop, look. It is like a study for a design class using a limited palette.

Each of the fledglings has a ‘different’ pattern and ‘look’. You get to know them as individuals if you stop and watch for long periods of time. That was one of the takeaways from Amy Tan who does her birding mostly in her garden – she has learned the behaviour of her garden birds and their distinct personalities. It is precisely the same for many of us. The first birds we noticed and those that bring us joy every day are those that are in our garden or the local park we visit. They are family.

This is the little fledgling that was nestled with the clay birds on the deck. he is a good flyer and he can open peanuts (or maybe it is a she).

Notice the different pattern on this one to the one above.

The growing numbers in Junior’s family meant a trip to get shelled and unshelled peanuts and more Blue Jay mix. Watching these fledglings learn about the world brings such happiness and takes my mind off the weather and ultimately, the osplet deaths that may come from the Long Island and New Jersey coastal area nests.

I began writing this blog on Thursday watching and with great tears knowing that we were going to lose a lot of chicks. So, the narrative will change for a few of the nests as you read through. As you do read of all the sadness, pause for a moment and get a little angry. Do not let anyone tell you that the weather and the fires are ‘just nature’. Humans have destroyed nature. In the event that the males cannot fish due to these storms, it is now time for us who have destroyed their habitat, the climate, the water, to step up and provide food until the storm has passed. It can be done. We just have to take responsibility. I want to thank ‘H’ who has helped me for two years now observing nests. She chose many of those that have been hit the hardest and this morning she says she is ‘just crushed’. You get so attached to these little ones when you watch them for days – invested in their eating, mourning when they die. To have this one storm impact so many nests – and believe me, the wild nests are suffering the same heartache – is often just too much to take in.

It is not looking good for Hera at South Cape May Meadows. She will, ultimately, have to try and find some food for herself. It is doubtful the three osplets – only wee – will survive two days without food and cold damp weather. I am already grieving for her. She will keep them warm and dry as long as she can but, ultimately, she will have to leave the nest to fish. They cannot thermoregulate. It is not clear if Zeus is missing or simply cannot catch enough fish to feed the family and is not returning to the nest. The last time I checked the eldest could barely raise its head and fish cry.

The males have not been seen at the nests at Barnegat Light and Forsythe either although Duke has been caught on camera elsewhere. They know their family is hungry and their chicks are starving but there is nothing they can do. The weather – the rain and the heavy winds – have churned up the water so that they cannot see the fish. They must eat to be able to carry on as does the Mum.

At South Cape May, “Two of the babies died overnight.  The third will die soon if not fed.  Hera brooded all night.  No fish for 60 hours at 0700 on 6/23.  Zeus has not been seen since 6/20.  Surely Little died.  Big and Middle were close in age.  Ages on 6/22 were 7, 6, and 4 days old.”

My heart aches for Hera. They are showing season highlights. All chicks have passed.

Forsythe has had no fish either for more than two days. The chicks are older and can thermoregulate but the end result is, as ‘H’ reports, “Oscar delivered a very small whole fish at 0639, after 60 hours.  Little was too weak to approach the feeding.  Big beaked Middle.  Opal took one bite.  Big was the primary recipient of the fish.  Middle got 3 bites.  The fish lasted 2 1/2 minutes. Opal has left the nest a few times the last couple of days.  She must have eaten, I suspect.  But, she apparently was not able to catch fish for the kids.  Same with Oscar.  He would have had to have fed himself. This is just so sad on many levels.”

Barnegat Light is in the same situation. The weather is miserable and there was no fish for the second full day in a row. The dead and dying, ” Little died overnight at just under 19 days of age.  No fish since 1006 on 10/21, and I don’t think Little was able to eat much at those early 6/21 meals.  Duke has been seen the past couple of days, but not at the nest.  Ages on 6/23: 23, 22, 19 days.”

It was raining at Severna Park Maryland but fish were coming to the nest. It is unclear who got the lion’s share but Middle did get some as Mum was quick to feed him. H reports, “at least five fish were delivered to the nest by Olivia and Oscar.  ‘Big’ is self-feeding!  Ages 45, and 44 days on 6/22.”

Mum feeding Middle.

At Chesapeake Bay, Kent Island: “The weather was improving, and Tom brought three fish that I saw.  Audrey fed the little one at least 5 times. Things seem to be clicking better between Audrey and Tom, but they do seem to have an ongoing intruder issue.  The little nestling is 10 days old on 6/22.”

At Dahlgren: “The two siblings have always been quite civil to each other, but then they had a ‘big fight’ yesterday afternoon that was started by Middle.  Well, at the next feeding, at 1917, they were back to being besties, no aggression!  What a relief!  Ages 35 and 31 days old, and ‘Big’ is self-feeding.”

The weather is a bit miserable in Boulder as well but fish are arriving at the nest for all three chicks and Mum and Little is being fed. The male is very interesting. Big fish come on the nest and there is dominance – Little always has to wait as the rain began to fall later with the arrival of a fish, Dad stepped in and moved Mum and got the other’s attention away so she could feed Little. It was very interesting. He has also on occasion done dual feedings! Was this a small third hatch male ill-treated when he was in the nest?

Good night, Boulder.

The two surviving chicks at Collins Marsh are doing well. It is a ‘hot’ nest – constructed out of what appears to be a metal disk covered with twigs on top of a fire watch tower moved to the nature centre. The fish are not always plentiful despite there being a pond and wetlands. I would personally suggest that anyone associated with this centre or if you know someone who is – that they consider stocking the pond. It really helps!

Cowlitz can always use more fish – any fish. It is a blessing that there is only one osplet this year. It would cost so little to stock that water! At the Kisatchie National Forest, it is my understanding (please correct me) that the lake is stocked annually. Yes, for fishers but, it helps the wildlife, too.

Clark PUD in Vancouver, Washington. Does anyone know this nest. It looks hot! One chick is/or entering Reptile phase another with down and looks like a DNH. Let me know if you have any history of this nest. Thanks!

Audubon Boathouse: H reports: “Plentiful fish, and doting parents, what a lucky kid!  Age 12 days on 6/22.”

Fortis Exshaw: H reports, “Jasper delivered 4 fish that I saw, and Louise fed the babies at least 6 times.  Trying to ascertain if the youngest is getting fed is difficult.  There is a lot of bobbing and weaving in that deep nest cup at meal times.  At the 1636 feeding, I did count at least 18 bites for Little. Louise seems to ensure that all get fed.   Ages 4, 4, and 2 days on 6/22.”

At Patuxent, there are persistent problems with the park tour boat interfering with the nests. They are coming too close. It is too stressful for the birds. H reports on Patuxent I, ” Fish deliveries started to recover a bit on 6/22 after the worst of the stormy weather of the past couple of days.  They had at least two large fish.  The osplets are 22, 21, and 18 days old on 6/22.:

Patuxent II: H reports, “Also improved fish deliveries today, as the weather is improving.  Of note was a large live fish delivered at 1305.  As Mom was dragging the heavy fish into position, a park tour boat full of tourists steered very close to the nest to provide a better photo opportunity.  This human interference cause Mom to fly away with the fish.  She did return later with the fish after the tour boat had passed.  The osplets on 6/22 are 39, 37, and 33 days old, and they eat very nicely together.”

Here is that ‘tourist attraction’:

At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, there are two new little osplets.

Patchogue: It is a good thing that Little Mini had some fish at the beginning of Thursday because the Bigs were sure hungry.

Mini workings its wings at 0617.

Mini having breakfast at 0659.

Mini having fish before bed at 1947:

The Big ones are increasingly heading up to eat first and Mini is having to wait. It has had some fish but not sure how much twice Friday morning.

Loch of the Lowes: The two chicks of Laddie and Blue NC0 were ringed on Friday.

Dyfi Ospreys: These two gorgeous osplets of Idris and Telyn will be ringed on the 27th. They will be given names that day as well – either rivers or mountains of Wales.

Glaslyn: Everything is good with Aran and Elan and the two bobs who will also be ringed but not for another 10 days and a bit!

Poole Harbour: The sun coming up over the horizon on CJ7 and her precious trio.

Loch Arkaig: Louis is such an amazing Dad. Poor Dorcha, she gets a lot of beaking from the wee one. Geemeff wonders if this is part of behavioural development if there is no sibling. I wonder. We certainly recall the Finnish osplet from 2022 who was quite aggressive towards Mum.

Good and bad news coming in from Kielder Forest:

New-post-Mainly-wonderful-newsDownload

At the scrape of Monty and Hartley, Soledad is really flapping off any baby feathers that could be left – and screaming for food! Ah, Monty has to feed his baby. What a dad! She is so much bigger than he is!

Ferris Akel had a special tour to check on M1 after her brilliant first flight today at the nest on the Cornell Campus of Big Red and Arthur. She is certainly a beauty.

That fledge happened at 0600. traditionally raptor fledges happen in the morning or early evening – not at night and usually not in the heat of mid-day.

M2 and 3 on the nest thinking about flying.

Big Red keeping a good eye on all that is happening. S he knows precisely where each of her chicks are.

Thanks, Ferris for the tour. There will be another fledge soon!

Chase and Cholyn’s Anthony fledged and got a reward for returning to the nest.

It will continue to be a sad day on the NE coast of the US and their osprey nests. It is inevitable that all will be lost at South Cape May if not already and perhaps more at Forsythe and Barnegat Light. Our thoughts go out to these families. Thank you for being with me. Send positive wishes to all the nests that are struggling and those that are doing well. Events such as weather can change things overnight. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: – A big shout out to ‘H’. Also Geemeff and SP, the New York Times, SCMM, Forsythe, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Severna Park, Chesapeake Conservancy, Dahlgren Ospreys, Boulder County FG Ospreys, Collins Marsh, Cowlitz, Clark PUD, PSEG, LOTL, Dyfi, Bwywd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Sk Hideaways and the San Jose City Hall Falcons, Ferris Akel Tours, IWS, Audubon Boat House, Patuxent River Park, Heidi McGru and Patuxent River Park, Fortis Exshaw, MN Landscape Arboretum, and Kielder Forest.

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!

The-2023-Audubon-Photography-Awards-Winners-and-Honorable-Mentions-AudubonDownload

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.

American Eagle Day…Tuesday in Bird World

20 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I am just starting my blog for tomorrow and the news on the TV is on – I don’t have TV at home (only the wifi cable) so sometimes it is a bit of a treat but this is all about weather – no BBC news. There is SNOW in British Columbia (Kelowna), flooding in Alberta, 20 tornadoes in Mississippi, and deadly storms moving from Texas to Florida. Of course, I am thinking about all the birds and wildlife – there are many others thinking about people! Please stay safe!

It is a beautiful day in Manitoba. The thunderstorms that were forecast have not happened. The breeze on the island is a nice change from the hot humid city.

A beautiful spot to have dinner while watching Barn Swallows and Dragonflies eat the mosquitoes and the huge horse flies!

Ringed-billed Gulls are one of the most common birds in North America. They are easily distinguished from other gulls by their mustard yellow bills and that thick black ring. But look at those eyes…in the 9th and 10th centuries, the Chinese perfected porcelain and high-fire glazes. One was celadon – designed to mimic jade. But the range of celadon hues went from light watery blues to olive green. That eye is also extraordinary with its kohl-like liner. Soft grey feathers on the back and wings and a black tail with white splotches complete its beautiful ‘costume’. Of course, the mustard yellow leggings match the bill!

It was difficult to tell the species of ducks…there were definitely Mallards and Green-winged Teals.

There were wee ones paddling about.

This is one of a pair of Tundra Swans at this pond, but at another, there were twelve. The Marina owner told me there were initially two, then six last year, and that number has now doubled. Everyone is delighted! We even had one lone Tundra Swan wintering over in a pond fed by an Artesian Well near Oak Hammock Marsh this past winter.

The roads were lined with Crows and Red-winged Blackbirds. There were hundreds of ducks and a Bald Eagle flew over the pond at dusk. Pelicans and gulls were flitting about along with a myriad of songbirds.

I learned two exciting things this evening. The first one is fascinating in light of changing climatic conditions. Bald Eagles are now at Hecla Island in January because there is ice fishing. Remember – migration is more about a constant food supply than it is about temperature. Eagles prefer cooler weather as opposed to the hot (sorry Florida!). The second is that American White Pelicans have breeding nests around Deer Island. I hope to go by boat before I head home.

I am hoping to see a few more Bald Eagles flying low on American Eagle Day!

Speaking of eagles, our dear Murphy is back in his own enclosure, free to have a nice bath in the pool and eat his food without his ‘little baby’ taking it! Murphy gave us all hope that the impossible could be made possible through love and compassion.

Thank you for all the notes about Little Mini at the Patchogue Nest. Sundays are always difficult with Dad not being able to bring in many fish. This generally translates into the big siblings being ravenous on Monday. Still, Mini seems to have eaten well enough.

‘L’ wrote that Little Mini had a nice late feeding! Well done, Mini.

Tiny Little not only had the private late feeding but everything is back to normal…he got the first fish while the others slept and preened. Way to go Tiny! You are not so tiny anymore…look at those lovely feathers coming!

The Marders have retrieved the two osplet bodies. Thank you ‘SW’ for sending me that message. I am so pleased that people want to follow up and find out what caused this tragedy, as it might lead us to understand what has happened at some of the other nests that lost osplets. The surviving chick appears to be doing better. Fingers crossed.

‘A’ has been anxiously awaiting two events – Deyani’s fledge and the second egg at the WBSE nest in Sydney. Here is her report:

“Lady did not leave the nest after she returned from her break this morning (as per my earlier email), but I note that she has a very healthy crop, so obviously had a nice breakfast during her short break this morning. Just before 11:31 she stands, stretches and reveals – ONE egg. Still no potential sibling. I repeat – if it is not laid in the next few hours, we will have a gap of more than 72 hours between eggs (it’s already closing in on 70 hours). That is Not A Good Thing. The only salvation will be a mixed-gender nest where the second hatch is female. Otherwise, I would be anxious for a second hatch.”

Lady laid her second egg today. It was visible at 0704. Hard incubation begins!

“As night fell, Deyani was glowing in the dark, just like her beautiful mum. Her chest is quite snowy-white and she looks almost ethereal. Oh how we will miss this energetic little ball of fun. She and her gorgeous parents have been an absolute joy this season, have they not? I am already looking forward to next year, with the hope that this time, the hawklet can have a sibling.”

It is a really good thing that Deyani has not fledged. It has rained – pouring down rain and that brings me to memories of Little Yurruga or Indigo as ‘A’ reminded me. Young fledges are just learning about wings. The weight of the water is terrible for them as can be the cold and damp.

Soaking.

Deyani has the most gorgeous blue-green-gray eyes.

The Barnegat Light nest is extremely unstable. ‘H’ reports that Little got 13 bites of fish today which is noting to sneeze at but the significant changes have been that Big is now beaking and intimidating Little along with Middle.

At the Boulder County Fairgrounds, Little seems to have had at least one great meal. Look at that bulging crop!

It is difficult to see how much Little is getting fed at the South Cape May Meadows nest. Zeus and Hera are good parents and there is fish – the big ones need more than Little. Send good wishes.

Cowlitz Only Bob had some fish…oh, I wish there were more. This nest can, at times, be hard to watch…hoping.

The Italians are rejoicing. The Osprey Re-introduction scheme appears to be taking off!

Storks make me happy. Karl II and Kaia with their surviving three. Rain is forecast to come on Thursday!

It has been an excellent – and tiring – day, and it is nearing midnight. The nests that we have been worried about are alright, including Little at Barnegat Light. There was enough food. We need to wait and hope the aggressive behaviour dissipates.

‘R’ introduced me to Temple Grandin. Do you know this amazing woman? If not, check her out. I brought with me a copy of her book, Animals Make Us Human. She is remarkable for her dedication to making the lives of animals and their emotions understood. Will write a good synopsis when I am finished. Good night, everyone!

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Do not go out in the storms and be safe if you are in their path. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, recommendations, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: “A, H, L, R, SW’, Google Maps, World Bird Sanctuary, PSEG, Marders, Sydney Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Boulder County Fair Grounds osplets, SCMM, Cowlitz PUD, SK Hideaway and Cal Falcons, Gregarious J Toonen and Ospreys, Hawks Aloft Inc, and Loodeskalender Forum.

World Albatross Day…Monday in Bird World

19 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that each of you had a lovely weekend. It is World Albatross Day today and the theme this year is the harm that plastics due to the sea and to these fish eating beauties. They fill up with plastic ‘things and then get so full they cannot eat real food and die. They feed plastic to their babies like SP at Taiaroa Head, NZ. Th e Royal Cam chick of the year. Then they die. How can we help? Let’s start at home. The next time you purchase an item, try to go plastic free. Then do it again. Soon you will be doing so much good for the environment, yourself, and our precious wildlife.

“‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ on World Environment Day 2018” by United Nations Information Service Vienna is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Today is a run-through of many nests because I have not caught up with some for a few days. There are only brief notes to say that they are alright. I know that many of you wait for the news of some of the nests that we are concerned about. Hopefully, this will give you a quick sense of how they are doing. I apologise that this reads a bit like a grocery list. It is also the day that I drive north to the Grindstone/Hecla Island Provincial Parks to attempt a count of the Bald Eagle nests around the island. Last year the nests were flooded. All of the eggs were lost. I will take you to the islands and show you a different part of my province and its wildlife.

The area was initially settled by people migrating from Iceland and many of the communities in the surrounding area are populated by people of Icelandic descent.

I am also looking forward to stops along the way and little day trips to areas where I have never been…a breath of fresh air from the City OR will it be with the forest fires?

We need a smile. Thanks, Cal Falcons.

I want to give a big shout-out to Kathleen at Marder’s. Two of their osplets died, and the third is not in good shape. They responded quickly. Marders has a lift ready to retrieve the two little eaglet bodies. They will be refrigerated so that they can be collected by the DEC. Dr Gavin Hitchener will perform the necroscopy if the bodies are not too decomposed. Marder’s loves their ospreys. This has been a sad year for them and others along this coast.

Nest and Scrape Round Up:

I am going to start with a couple of the Latvian nests. My friend Sassa Bird is dancing with glee as the rains are coming down in Latvia. I hope she doesn’t mind…her note was so joyous. She says, “I can happily report that it has been raining for two days in Latvia. Finally!!! I can’t remember the last time when I was so overjoyed about raining and taking it in with all my senses. I’m so happy for all the wildlife getting some relief. We already see a rapid change in the feeding pattern at our live-streamed white stork nest – they’re getting more and more of all the little creatures that have come out of hiding.”

When I went to check on the nests, the forest is so alive with song and life!

White Storks, Tukums, Latvia: They will be so happy because of the rain! Sassa Bird says they have been eating much better since the rains began.

Lesser Spotted Eagles, Latvia: The nest of Anna and Andris and their only surviving eaglet. The rains have brought out the small animals and Andris brings a vole to the chick on the nest who is hungry.

Video of Anna bringing a bird for the chick, Arturs, on 18 June.

Karl II and Kaia Black Stork Nest, Karula National Forest, Estonia: No rain yet for this couple and their three storklets after the brood reduction of Little Benjamin. Send them good positive energy. Let the rains come and the frogs come out of hiding! Such a lovely family.

No rain but Karl II found some fodder for the storklets and Kaia gave them water…Here are the feedings from Sunday.

Kaia giving water to her storklets.

Black Stork Nest, Lodz Poland: The only surviving storklet was getting a feeding when I last checked! Good news.

Black Stork Nest, Wolsztyn, Poland: Missing Tytania returns to the nest after a three-day absence. Want to see ‘stork’ happiness? Watch. Do not, for a second, ever let anyone tell you that wildlife do not have emotions.

White Stork Nest, Mlady Buky: The four storklets of Bety and Bukacek have been ringed and are growing and growing. The food source must be very good in this area of The Czech Republic.

Collins Marsh: The third osplet has died either late on the 16th or the 17t of June, 9-10 days old. Image is of Mum with her two surviving osplets and a partial fish.

Cowlitz PUD: Looks good today.

Newfoundland Power: Three eggs being incubated at the nest that is considered a ‘lost hope’. Let’s see if we can get a fledge here this year! That would be brilliant.

Fortis Exshaw: There are two hatches. The second shortly after the first. Yeah for delayed incubation! Rain is there and windy. Fingers crossed. It is a really deep nest cup and this could help these hatchlings.

Boulder County Fairgrounds: Gosh, this nest is doing well today.

HellGate, Missoula Montana Ball Park: Star and Louis have three osplets this year. That is why Louis has been so busy! He doesn’t have time to go over to that ‘other’ nest.

Severna Park: ‘H’ says that everything is fantastic. Big and Middle are now thriving and we remember Little. Great screen caps, ‘H’. Thank you.

Forsythe: ‘H’ reports that the nest has settled down with the death of Mini and that all were lined up eating without beaking.

Dahlgren: This osprey nest has just been civil and peaceful all season. The chicks are doing great. Thanks’ H’.

Kent Island: It seems that Audrey has figured out that she needs to feed her Only bob! As ‘H’ says, ‘thank goodness’.

Patuxent I: Serene.

Patchogue. Sunday is always a bad day for fish on this nest. I wonder if it is the number of people going outside to the creeks and lake? Mini never gets all the food it wants, but the wee one started out alright with a massive crop at 0908. That was good because Mini got shut out of several fish later in the day. Keep an eye on Mini for me on Monday. Send me a note telling me how it did. Thank you!

There is so much rubbish on our osprey nests. Mum tried to get rid of that clear plastic. Every nest should be cleaned, thoroughly, before the next breeding season starts.

Oyster Bay: The three seem to be doing alright.

Outerbanks: Kathryn reports that the nest is tranquil compared to the other two nests she observed. It has to be – 9 fish before 1230! Gracious. Incredible.

Barnegat Light: This is now the problem nest with Big beaking Little almost constantly. ‘He’ kept close tabs on this nest on Sunday and Little did manage to get a total of 239 bites but there were a lot of feedings. Hoping the aggravation and dominance from the first hatch settles down.

Finland Saaksilvie 1: All is good.

Finland Saaksilvie 5 (LS): Nice fish deliveries. Chicks are in the Reptile phase. All is good.

Poole Harbour: Life is sweet for the trio of CJ7 and Blue 022. Lots of fish, growing like mad. Little Reptiles in the making.

Llyn Brenig: All is great in Wales!

Loch of the Lowes: Laddie brought in a huge trout for the family. All is good.

Manton Bay: The problem is this is such a successful nest that I don’t always check in. Beautiful trio. Banding soon…Proud parents Maya and Blue 33.

Dyfi Ospreys: Wet chicks! Banding in about a week. Well done Idris and Telyn.

Loch Arkaig: Many have said that they are glad that Louis and Dorcha had only this Bob as it is a handful and a half. Cannot even imagine with all the fine fish the life the Middle might have had! LOL.

The latest news from Kielder:

New-post-Nest-5A-newsDownload

Imperial Eaglets, Tatarstan, Russia: The two eaglets of Alton and Altynay are doing fantastic! So big and healthy!

Evergy Topeka Scrape: The older siblings have fledged and are getting fed at the scrape and mid-air while the third hatch with its underdeveloped plumage waits in the scrape hoping for a feeding. The company and a wildlife rehabber in the area have been contacted by the situation. The eyas is beginning to develop feathers but is very late and some have not come out of their shafts. Looking better each day.

San Jose City Hall: What can I say? Soledad is trying out for the role of The Hulk.

Angel and Tom RTH: “Deyani is still on the nest at 6.15pm so hopefully we won’t get a late afternoon fledge (it is light at that nest until well after 9pm). Deyani finally killed the pine cone early this morning. It is now just a small piece. It is astounding to me that she is still on the nest. She is flapping and jumping all over the nest, prey spotting on the ground (we thought she was about to take the plunge this morning when she saw something particularly interesting) and perfecting some very vicious-looking grabbing and killing skills on innocent nest material. Such an exquisite hawklet.”

Later ‘A’ remarks: “Deyani’s only meal today was a bird (catbird according to some chatters) after 4pm, so the parents are definitely giving her the hint, I think. Angel spent the previous two nights sleeping on the branch near the nest (until then, she had spent every night on the nest with Deyani). Tonight, she is not there, but is presumably perched elsewhere in the nest tree, within eyeshot of her precious hawklet. So yes, six are clearly there, the food has been cut right back today and mum has left the building (or at least the near vicinity). So it’s time to fly sweetheart. We want you to stay forever but your parents have other ideas.”

One of the ways that we tell if a hawk let is ready to fly is to count the lines on its tail. It is better if you can clearly count six lines before fledge. Deyani clearly has 6!

Cornell Red Tail Hawks: The Ms. Big Red and Arthur’s kids. Flapping, jumping, and walking…But count the stripes on the tail of this one. Not 6.

Whew! Yes, like a grocery list. I will not be listing nests like this again but there could be some that are unfamiliar and you might want to check them out.

Wondering how it is going in The Gambia fighting Avian Flu? The fundraiser was successful and Conservation without Borders also got some additional help.

And last, climate change affects our feathered friends in many ways.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped me to create my blog today: ‘A, H, Kathryn, Kathleen, Sassa Bird’, OpenVerse, Cal Falcons, Marders Ospreys, Latvian Fund for Nature, Arlene Beech and the Latvian Fund for Nature, Looduskalender Forum, Eagle Club of Estonia, Lodz Poland Storks, Mlady Buky Storks, Collins Marsh, Cowlitz PUD, Newfoundland Power, Fortist Exshaw, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Louis Matteau and Montana Ospreys at Hellgate, Severna Park, Forsythe Ospreys, Dahlgren Ospreys, Kent Island Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, PSEG, Outerbank 24/7, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, LOTL and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, LRWT, Dyfi Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Kielder Forest, Imperial Eagles Tatarstan, Evergy Topeka, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall Falcons, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, and Geemeff and Conservation without Borders.

Fly high Forsythe Mini…Sunday in Bird World

18 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

To all the males in the world – raptor or human – who have cared for any living soul in their lifetime, Happy Father’s Day! Rejoice in your compassion and humanity. We thank you.

There is so much news, so I decided to stop and make apricot and cherry jam on Saturday just to shut down. It is necessary sometimes but, first, we have new members of the ‘garden club’. Dyson brought her two kits to the garden today for the first time. My calendar notes show they are 8-9 weeks old (give or take). Dyson has been busy taking peanuts to and from her nest, which I have not located. We have numerous very tall and old trees nearby, and it may be in one of those. Grey squirrels are born without fur, no teeth, and closed eyes. Those eyes do not open until the kits are about six weeks old. Dyson was here with them and I made sure that there were peanuts in all of the tray feeders and on the deck. For some reason, the little ones do not like to get on the ground and good thing – those bloody cats!

Dear Dyson – named because she can suck up peanuts faster than any of Sir Dyson’s vacuum cleaners can get at the cat fur! She is so precious to me and to have her bring her kits into the garden warms me from the top of my head to my big toe.

It is difficult to put in perspective how small they are because they are not standing at the table feeder with Mum.

Dyson is moulting. She looks tired to me. She is not a youngster. Hopefully, lots of good nuts will help her replenish her health now that the two youngsters can fiend for themselves.

We lost two osplets at the Marder’s platform at East Hampton, Long Island, NY, on the 16th, Friday. Thank you for the head’s up ‘SW’. Dr Gavin Hitchener of the Cornell Lab will do a necroscopy if the specimens can be retrieved and if they are not too deteriorated.  He is with the Duck Lab on Long Island. So grateful. What is causing this? It would be good to find out… the number of unexplained osplet deaths this season grows.

The areas of recent sudden deaths are included in this map and begin at Edgewater, Maryland (near the D in Maryland-lower left) and follow the coast to East Hampton, Long Island and then to Cananicut Island, Rhode Island (Jamestown). You can see the coastal/water path that this pattern is taking.

The female at Marders with her only surviving chick.

Today, remembering Mini at the Forsythe Nest who died during the night after surviving horrific conditions of siblicide/starvation. ‘H’ noted that before it died last night, it did a tiny PS Saturday afternoon and took a direct shot at Little who had been the problem with it getting food. Fly high, little one!

There were two more osplets that hatched overnight. The first hatch for Fortis Exshaw is reported by ‘H’ for day 40 of egg 1 on 16 June and the the third hatch for Hera and Zeus on the 18th at South Cape May Meadows. Thanks ‘H’ for monitoring these nests!

As most of you know, this has been a tragic year at many of the US Osprey nests. It feels unprecedented. ‘H’ and I have been monitoring – along with Kathryn and ‘L’ – a number of nests and when we see beaking at a certain stage, we get nervous. With the death of Mini at Forsythe, directly from siblicide/starvation, we are watching carefully the Barnegat Light nest in NJ. Chatters have commented how cute the beaking is – it isn’t. As ‘H’ and I know far too well, this can quickly turn deadly. If you see people considering this light-hearted play, let them know that it is very serious dominance behaviour that could lead to the one being abused being shut out from food. Thank you!

‘H’ reports: “Duke arrived with a partial fish at 1905.  Just prior to the feeding, Middle beaked Little, and then Big beaked Middle.  So both Little and Middle were tucked.  After a moment, Middle was up and joined the feeding.  It took longer for Little to raise up, in between Middle and Big.  After Little received a few bites, he was again beaked by Middle and tucked again.  Little did return to the feeding and received enough bites to have a crop.  It was a relatively short feeding, and the majority of the feeding was peaceful.  After the feeding, Middle and Big engaged in a bit of a beaking-fest.” 

Many of you have wondered what the impact of the wildfires has on the behaviour of wildlife and raptors. ‘R’ sent me an informative article. Have a read!

Researcher-Smoke-from-wildfires-impacted-bird-behavior-Local-News-standard-journal.com_Download

Last night I took the time to check in with the Finnish Osprey nests to see what was happening. Here is a brief encounter with the nests and their chicks – all have three osplets but nest #5 which has only 2. There are two nests without any occupants and one that is curious.

#1: There are three wonderful little osplets.

#3. Three osplets!

#4. There are also three!

#LS-5. Two Osplets.

I am trying to find out what happened at the osprey nest at Janakkalan – the nest of Boris and Tito last year. Female and one if not both chicks are believed to have died of Trichomoniasis. There were two osplets on the nest. Then it appeared that something had happened to both of them and today the female is back on the nest. Very confusing. Do you know?

Second chick hatched on 8 June after the first on the 7th.

The history of the Osprey in Finland:

Keeping with a focus on some of our international osprey nests, I went back to check on a German nest we checked on earlier in the season. Those osplets are doing fantastic.

There are also three osplets at the Urdaibai platform in the Biosphere which is part of the Basque region. It has been raining and miserable – and in past years the chicks have died of exposure. Let us all hope that these three make it.

In her 2006 M.Sc. thesis, FACTORS INFLUENCING MORTALITY IN NESTLING OSPREYS (PANDION HALIAETUS): AN ANALYSIS OF BREEDING STRATEGIES, Jennifer Anne Rettew confirms that “Weather is a significant influence on breeding success. There are fewer young in years of heavy rainfall. Even when brooded, if the nest becomes wet, the mortality of eggs and chicks increases. Younger chicks are vulnerable to becoming too cold. Direct sun can also cause significant mortality among nestlings. This is especially true for younger chicks. Small young are susceptible to overheating on hot summer days (Poole et al. 2002). Severe storms can also cause nestling mortality. Storm killed young are most often older young because they are too large to be effectively brooded by adults. Poole (1984) found that severe storms caused a substantial number of deaths in a third of study sites. However, chicks were also emaciated, indicating that both starvation and exposure during the storms led to mortality. Weather can also cause a decrease in parental provisioning, which in turn can decrease nestling viability. Cloud cover or sun does not have a significant effect on hunting ability but wind speed and water surface conditions do. Precipitation increases the length of hunt duration such that prey delivery rates to the nest decrease in rain. Hunting is no longer profitable for adults in terms of energetic costs when wind speeds are greater than seven meters per second (Machmer and Ydenberg 1990).”

We have seen this several times on streaming cams where the chick cannot get under the female who is brooding in bad weather and dies of exposure. Indeed, it is quite common especially in large broods or where there are large chicks and one smaller one that cannot get underneath Mum to stay dry and warm.

I love it when I get mail where the excitement jumps right off the computer screen. That happened this morning when ‘R’ wrote to tell me about the antics of Little Mini at Patchogue. So instead of taking screen captures, I did a very short video clip and then a little longer one. Our Little Mini is a tour de force!

Little Mini had such a good day that on several occasions, it appears that she is so full she can hardly walk. It is difficult to imagine having to worry about Mini any longer. This is a formidable, intelligent osplet that is determined to eat as much fish as it can, when it can – and survive!

One of the neighbourhood children saw this image and thought that Mini had quite the costume on but that the ‘grey sweater’ was ‘too tight’. LOL. I was hysterical! Out of the mouths of youngsters! They all love Little Mini and are so excited she is thriving.

‘A’ reports that Deyani ate a skunk today – amongst other prey items. Oh, gosh golly. Tom fed it to his girl who has been jumping and flapping all over the nest. Fledge is near.

The little RTH living with the Bald Eagles in Redding took a bit of a fright today.

Big Red and Arthur’s hawklets are doing fantastic…getting too close to fledge, too.

Oh, but they still love to be fed by Mama.

I am always amazed at all of the things that a wildlife rehabilitation centre needs – and let’s face it, they rescue wildlife in the strangest of locations, build and repair enclosures, and do all the health stuff. Do you have an unused kayak you could donate? Just think about all the waterfowl that get tangled in line or trapped….they need a way to retrieve them!

Want to learn how to catch a fish? Let Ervie teach you! That third hatch of the 2021-22 Port Lincoln season continues to live and thrive in the area of the barge. And guess what? Mum and Dad were on the barge together the other day…the season will begin to kick off in Australia soon enough.

Gosh, he is a handsome osprey. Perfect form!

Cal Falcons are all fledged and grown up but still hanging around the scrape! Thanks, SK Hideaways.

If you are missing fuzzy little Peregrine Falcons, well, here is a scrape with four little ones and an egg in Alberta Canada! Link to camera is below image of this cute little family:

And last, a beautiful tribute to M15 – the Bald Eagle of the year – from SK Saunders Photography. They did an amazing job with all of their footage! Warning: G et the tissues out.

Thank you for being with me today. We will be back to some full nest checks of the osprey in the US and UK for tomorrow. Take care!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to create my blog this morning: ‘A, H, R, SW’, Google Maps, Marders Osprey, Forsythe Osprey, Fortis Exshaw, SCMM, Barnegat Light, The Standard Journal, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Fischadlerwebcam, Urdaibai Biosphere, PSEG, Window to Wildlife, FORE, Cornell RTH, Birds in Helping Hands, Fran Scully and Friends of Osprey Sth Bus, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, The Real Saunders Photography, and Scotfold-Alberta Falcons.

Lady and Dad’s first egg, fledges, DH2 gets prey…Saturday in Bird World

17 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, it is a bit of a shock on the Canadian Prairies. W e went from 38C to now plunging to a low of 11 C. last evening and this morning. S eriously, do we have to keep a jumper out for the summer days like this? I t will be warming up to 24 so all those Canada Geese won’t be wishing they had stayed behind. We hope they all find plenty of food, something in short supply it appears in the South.

As we approach ‘Father’s Day’, let us take the time to think of two male raptors this year that have or are having single-parent duties. M15, the SouthWest Florida Bald Eagle, began caring for E21 and E22 on the 2nd of February, the day that his long-time mate, Harriet, went missing. To the shock of everyone, he fed both eaglets, fought off intruders, flirted on occasion with females, and fledged those two eaglets teaching – at least E22 – the joys of bathing in a pond, catching fish, and soaring. What a dad.

Newmann is now taking care of four Peregrine Falcons at the Great Spirit Bluff scrape after his mate, Savanna, was killed protecting the nest from a GHO. As soon as Newmann realised that Savanna was not there to feed his chicks, he stepped up to the scrape and has been Daddy Door Dash ever since.

In the midst of their grieving, both summoned the energy to forge ahead and raise their last chicks with their now missing, presumed deceased mates. Thomas and Kami fledged on Friday. Happy Father’s Day M15 and Newmann.

We want to also give a shout-out to Murphy, who wanted to be a dad so much after 31 years. You did well, Murphy! Foster Dad of the Year!

The latest news on Murphy’s Baby. Thanks ‘H’!

There is an energy about young eaglets right before they fledge when – at a single moment – they realise they are a bird with the potential to fly. Squeeing they will use their nests like trampolines if there are no branches in a tree to jump back and forth. In this video, Jefferson, the only eaglet of the 2023 season of Smitty and Bella at the NCTC nest, demonstrates his zest for life! Can’t wait to see this youngster with its deep espresso plumage take to the skies! But stop for a moment and look at that tail. It is as if someone took a white brush and painted the tail feathers and then dipped them in the deepest richest coffee at the tip. This is an incredibly beautiful eaglet.

https://fb.watch/lchtBqS2hE/

After Jefferson’s morning romp around the nest, he accidentally branched and flew off for a successful fledge.

My friend, ‘L’ reminds me that humans can make a huge difference in the lives of our raptors if they choose to do so. In Huntington NY, the members of the Lighthouse Preservation Society decided to do a good deed for a pair of Ospreys. We can help to create positive change. Always remember that. Never give up!

My friend, the late Toni Castelli-Rosen, and I often chatted about the most beautiful plumaged juveniles. She was a great fan of the White-bellied Sea Eaglets while I adores the Red-tail Hawks with their peach chest feathers and their rusty brown and cream feathering. Of course, then there are the osplets..and to be honest, they are gorgeous as well. Take the time to look at these youngsters. I can no longer tell you which ranks as the prettiest for me but I do know that the plumage of an osplet, feathered before fledging, is so much nicer than that of their parents.

There they are at Patchogue…check it out. The Ospreys have limited colouring – they did not get on the bright bohemian bandwagon for summer dresses! They stick to a brown-and-white palette but notice the chicks. Their feathers have a creme white crescent on the tip of each one, making that very dark eye band stand out from their white chests. For those new to Ospreys, that dark band helps deflect glare when fishing. Football players have adapted it. The tails, when fanned out have scallops at the tip end alternating white or dream spaces with espresso thick lines. They say that the females have darker more distinctive ‘necklaces’ but that is not always the case. The necklace below looks ‘broken’ – it is decidedly not distinctive!

The plumage really helps to camouflage the chicks when they are on their stick nests.

Little Mini had a good day. Every time I checked it had a nice crop! Several times, Little Mini raised its neck high when it was by one of the Big siblings. This tiny osplet is a ‘cracker’. Love this kid. Smart. A fighter. And look at those clown feet.

Big bite for Mini!

The camera at Llyn Clywedog has exceptional resolution. Notice the magnificent necklace of Blue 5F Seren and look closely at the feathering of the chicks. You can see that rich brown colour better.

To compare, the gorgeous plumage of the Red-tail Hawks, the Ms and Big Red. Notice the ‘peach’.

Speaking of Big Red, a very informative video of the intervention at the nest of Big Red and Arthur was released Friday afternoon.

As has been the practice, Little Mini ate well during the early morning, and I expect it to have some fish later on Friday. This little one is getting its feathers, and while we are not out of the woods yet, Mini is being wise and is a survivor. He ate again from 1335 to 1400, and another fish came on the nest, a big one, at 1440. Mini did not get any of that fish. It started to rain..but, no worries on Friday for Mini at Patchogue.

Today’s Mysteries:

Last time ‘H’ and I checked, there were eggs, blink and there are three Osplets. McEuen Park in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

So does anyone know what happened at the Bay Cam, Chesapeake Bay Foundation? ‘H’ checked in and only the goose egg is there. Where are the osprey eggs? What happened? Do you know?

Nest Check-In:

Boulder County Fairgrounds: Rain and mist, cooler temperatures. All seem fine. Several big fish on the nest. Three chicks still with us.

Moorings Park. Victor stays on the nest and Dad brings in fish! My goodness..now look at the plumage. This is brilliant. This chick is so healthy. Victor fledged on the 19th of May.

Outer Banks. Three thriving Osplets.

Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails: Three beautiful and healthy osplets.

Collins Marsh: Several nice fish and pieces on the nest today. Impossible to tell because Mum blocked the view on how the three ate.

South Cape Marsh Meadows: Two lively hatchlings wanting fish!

Forsythe: Several fish but Little Mini does not get hardly any bites. ‘H’ counted only 17 bites for the wee one by 1100.

Cowlitz PUD: Chick is OK. The fish are not huge and plentiful but feathering and growing.

Barnegat Light: All is harmonious.

Great Bay: All appears to be fine.

First Utility District: Hard to see the chicks but there are at least two of them in beautiful juvenile plumage! Look – standing on the rim of the nest!

Dyfi Osprey Nest: Everything at the nest of Idris and Telyn is absolutely perfect.

Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 look down lovingly at their triplets. All is well.

Llyn Brenig: Life is good.

Glaslyn: Life with his new parter Elen and their two osplets is great. Aran seems to be really having a good season – not sure all those fish are, though!

The King and Queen of Glaslyn – Aran and Elen.

Loch of the Lowes: After a difficult start and the fear that something had happened to Laddie LM12, life is now good at Loch of the Lowes. Blue NC0 can see Laddie flying in with their fish for the kid’s bedtime snack.

Loch Arkaig: When we talk about ospreys with dark plumage, the first one that comes to mind is the late Mrs G from Glaslyn. However, one look at Dorcha, Louis’s mate, tells you that she is as dark as Mrs G. Gorgeous deep chocolate feathering and talk about a necklace! Gracious. Hers is the envy of all. Pesky Only Bob is rather spoiled!

RSPB Loch Garten: Both chicks doing great! You can hardly see them in that deep egg cup.

Llyn Clywedog: The two of Dylan and Seren are doing fantastic. Growing and growing on those nice fish Dylan brings in from the reservoir.

Foulshaw Moss: White YW and Blue 35 have a great nest of chicks this year. It looks hot there in Cumbria today; the three chicks are well-hydrated! And growing.

Relief in the form of food for the Decorah hatchery chick – that cute little Only Bob -. Had not had food in several days. Mum believed to have left area but today both parents turned up with fish! Three of them! A fish, a squirrel, and a huge rabbit head which he is eating in the image below.

Congratulations to Lady and Dad at the Sydney WBSE nest. According to ‘A’ who has been anxiously awaiting this moment, the first egg arrived. “Lady is lying in the nest bowl. She now has something precious to protect. Lady arrived in the nest at 14:14:29 this afternoon and it was immediately apparent that she meant business. The egg was laid by about 14:31, when she raised her body slightly to allow the egg to dry and harden. By 14:52, she has settled back down again. We could clearly see an egg in the nest from 15:45:10, when Lady takes a break. Dad arrives at 16:13:20 to see his egg and incubates for a few minutes before leaving again at 16:24:30.”

There is an update on Middle! I hope his crop is full to bulging…precious Middle.

‘T’ reports that a Goshawk attack in Poland kills two storks – knocked off nest. Feathers found when team went to check at nest site. So sad. As ‘T’ says, they fly all the way to and from Africa to have this happen! This happened two years ago also.

For today’s feel good moment, we than Sunnie Day for posting an article on a Canadian power company’s intervention.

Power-corporation-builds-new-home-for-inconvenient-ospreyDownload

I am going are you?

Here is the info and how you can sign up – it is free!

Christian-Cooper-and-Amy-Tan-on-How-Birding-Brings-Them-Joy-a-Live-Event-The-New-York-TimesDownload

In Canada, Ducks Unlimited has patterned with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and conservation-minded landowners in Alberta to purchase the largest tract of grasslands to become part of the natural environment in Canada, never to be developed. The group are busy raising the 30 million to finalise the plans. I am delighted.

Conservation-leaders-join-forces-on-largest-private-grassland-project-in-Canadian-history-—-Ducks-UnDownload

The British Trust for Ornithology confirms that backyard gardens help increase the population of pollinators. Thank you to everyone who is changing their lawn out for a space for the birds, bees, and butterflies – so many are and if you do not allow anyone to spray those insects that come about will be healthy food for songbireds feeding wee ones in the nest..

Here is the full report from the BTO:

Trends-in-butterfly-populations-in-UK-gardens—New-evidence-from-citizen-science-monitoring-PlummerDownload

Thank you for being with me today. Please have a lovely weekend – get outside and listen to some birds. Your spirit will soar! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A, H, T’, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Great Spirit Bluff Peregrine Falcons, World Bird Sanctuary, NCTC, Deb Stecyk and the NCTC, PSEG, Cornell RTH, McEuen Park, Bay Cam. Boulder County Fairgrounds, Moorings Park Ospreys, Outer Banks 24/7, Pitkin County Open Spaces and Trails, Collins Marsh, SCMM, Forsythe Ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Conservancy Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Great Bay Ospreys, First Utility District Ospreys, Dyfi Ospreys, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, LOTL, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, RSPB Loch Garten, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Raptor Resource Foundation/Explore.org, Birds in Helping Hands, BTO, Sunnie Day and Cabin News, the New York Times, and Ducks Unlimited.

Little Mini is the Early Bird again…Friday in Bird World

16 June 2023

Good Morning,

Thursday was a wonderful day full of field birding in the area of Delta Marsh at the southern end of Lake Manitoba and Island Park in Portage la Prairie. At least 29 species of birds at Delta Marsh – almost all vocalising while the Pelicans and Terns were busy catching fish. To be out among the living – in fields near a big lake – well, it simply lifts one’s spirits! The area is maintained by the Province of Manitoba and Ducks Unlimited. Those are the folks that I have a love-hate relationship. I am grateful that they expand and maintain wetland areas in our province such as Delta Marsh and Oak Hammock Marsh. Both are major flyways for migration. My only problem is ‘duck hunting’….

The haze from the wildfire smoke clouded the sky. Overhead, 77 Canada Geese were heading north in it. Do they know the fires are up there? Chevrons of 70-150 geese have been flying north for several days now. These geese have no goslings to care for….remember I am very worried about the numbers this year. They are heading for food, space, and cooler weather – although surprisingly it has cooled down the past couple of days in the southern part of Manitoba.

Three American Robins flitted about the parking areas. There are so many insects and mosquitoes…what a fantastic place to live and hunt. It was so quiet…no one else about save for a couple of men fishing down the road.

A female Yellow-headed Blackbird serenaded me from the path.

While her mate, across the path, was warning me to keep walking!

At a great distance, the Black Terns were fishing in Lake Manitoba.

A pair of Northern Shovelers were in a shallow pond nearby. It was such a variety of habitats.

At Island Park, a Goldeneye was being followed by eleven little ones.

A Mallard couple were resting in the sunshine while a female Mallard had a raft of ducklings she was trying to manage.

Did you know that a group of flying ducks is called a skein? If they are in the water, it is a raft, and if they are walking on the ground, the group is called a flock or a waddling.

Oh, these babies are so cute.

Sometimes it is just so wonderful to leave the city behind and be in a place where all you can hear is the sound of birds!

‘A’ sent this to me yesterday. You don’t have to be a Royal Albatross fan to smile when you hear SP do a skycall. It just melts your heart. Oh, we need to clean up how those ocean trawlers cast those long lines and stop the beheading of the osprey. We need to demand that they take the six simple steps to stop the killing of albatross as bycatch. Here they are- have a short read and educate yourself, and then set about studying which fish sold is responsibly harvested – if you eat fish.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/6-ways-us-fisheries-reduce-albatross-bycatch

19 June 2023 is World Albatross Day. This year’s theme, selected by The Albatross and Petrel Agreement, is Plastic Pollution. Here is more information:

Agreement-on-the-Conservation-of-Albatrosses-and-Petrels-World-Albatross-Day-2023-Photo-PostersDownload

And a video.

Now imagine that sweet little chick on the South Plateau trying to eat fish with an ocean full of plastic. You can help by refusing to purchase any items made of plastic. We now know that recycled plastic is not good for the environment. Choose alternatives.

We are now four days away from American Eagle Day in the US on 20 June. A posting by Sassa Bird reminds us of the challenges that eagles such as M15, E22, and Jackie and Shadow face every day.

While I was away today, Little Mini at Patchogue was eating and growing, eating and sleeping and growing. Seriously waking up and finding out that this fourth hatch had breakfast while I was still sleeping just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

So the first fish comes around 0545 and like Wednesday, the big siblings are ‘sleepy’. Little Mini is gonna’ get the proverbial worm – in this case, a private 20 minute feeding. Little Mini has a huge crop at 0604 when he stops eating. The crop Little Mini had at 0748 was hilarious. Mini did not get any of the 0956 fish and the kid scared the wits out of me when he is hanging over the nest at 1414. Another fish lands on the nest at 1418. Little Mini is good. He sees it is a big one and he hangs back while slowly making his way around the rim of the nest so as not to alert the other three. Did someone on chat call them ‘The Three Witches of Patchogue’? At 1513, Little Mini is at the beak. Then another fish arrives at 1622, another at 1726, and at 1848. Little Mini was up and ready to eat at 1858. He didn’t get a lot but then another fish shows up at 2031. I thought Mini would go up but he didn’t bother.

0545:

0743:

Little Mini’s crop at 0748. Have a giggle.

This nest needs better rails!

1424 – making his way around the rails.

1729:

1858:

1903. I wold say that Mini did very well in terms of fish today. Mum has been so good to feed him better and thankfully those big siblings are not earlier risers. These parents are amazing. Dad fishes all day and Mum feeds almost all day long.

2018: Still has a crop.

Oh, I hope that this pattern that has been set for a few days continues at Patchogue. Little Mini got the early fish this morning as well. It is fantastic.

0622

0634

0804. Little Mini is getting feathers and has clown feet…oh, joy. Look at that lovely crop.

The Memorial Wall has grown to include 70 birds from the streaming cams now. The latest was Little Benjamin from the Karula Forest Black Stork Nest of Karl II and Kaia. I mentioned this in Thursday’s blog – it must have been heartbreaking as this is the first time Karl II has ever had to do this horrific deed. So many nests are struggling and osplets dying…take a look at that listing for the last two weeks alone! We hope that there is enough food for the five in the family. Send good wishes to this Estonian couple. Black Storks are so rare and everyone has tried to help.

Little Benjamin sitting upright moments before.

Kathryn found another Osprey nest with a trio. This one is at Great Bay, New Hampshire! The chicks hatched on 24 May and the 27th of May – yes the last two on the same day seven and a half hours apart.

Kathryn says there is some submissive behaviour but, in the last image, you can see that all three have big crops!

Here is the link to their camera:

Sunnie Day reports that the Iowa DNR Osplets are doing great.

‘H’ reports on the Forsythe Nest where there are four osplets. Both ‘H’ and I are extremely concerned for Mini who had only 30 bites of food on Thursday and 34 on Friday. This is not enough to sustain life.

At South Cape May Meadows, there is new life. I kept hoping Mum would give us a good look, but no. Sure are a nice looking couple – let’s see how he does with fishing, and she does with feeding!

Oh. surprise. ‘H’ noticed the second hatch this morning at SCMM!

Every time I watch the Boulder County Fairgrounds nest, I start to have palm sweats. Then I am proven wrong…the wee third hatch gets to eat!

Just look at that face! Seriously, osplets can be joyful and enthusiastic when eating fish!

The third hatch at Oyster Bay has a fat little bottom.

Tom and Audrey’s first hatch at Chesapeake Conservancy is a cutie.

The only osplet at the Cowlitz PUD is doing great!

‘A’ looks at Deyani and remarks, “I’m glad we have our exquisite hawklet for at least one more day. Every moment is becoming more precious as the time for fledging grows ever nearer. Will we ever be ready? I doubt it.” Beautiful – and not a bunny will be left on that farm! Deyani has the most beautiful water blue eyes.

Everything seems to be just fine at Severna Park ospreys. Middle is practising some self-feeding. And Big is as big as Mum.

All three at Barnegat Light are either in the Reptile phase or entering it. Fingers crossed for Little Bob. Still tiny and still precarious feeling.

The trio at Dunrovin Ranch in Colorado are big and doing fantastic.

Those two at Jack and Harriet’s nest in Dahlgren are doing great, also. Nice big crops and growing like weeds…and I am not seeing so many toys in that nest now. Thank goodness.

At Loch of the Lowes, Laddie brought in a big fish, and everyone ate including Mum, Blue NC0. Nice.

Idris and Telyn have BIG Bobs…I blinked. Just look at these two.

CJ7 and Blue 022 are such great parents. It has been a joy to watch them raise chicks for the second year.

Those amazing wildlife rehabbers! Two osprey chicks hatched from eggs and fostered. Thanks, Sunnie Day.

HARWICH PORT — 06/14/23 — A couple of osprey chicks await to be re-nested. A couple of osprey chicks were re-nested at Bud’s Go-Karts where there is an existing nest. Wild Care Executive Director and Wildlife Rehabilitator Stephanie Ellis has raised the birds from eggs that were removed by wildlife officials from nests built on chimneys in Osterville and Falmouth. The chicks were placed into surrogate nests along with chicks their same age to be raised by a new set of parents.

MERRILY CASSIDY/CAPE COD TIMES

Thanks Sassa Bird for this joyous story. Bald Eagle parents – more than 30 years old have healthy triplets.

Thank you so much for being with me. I am up and out early, so there could be news I miss. Please send your positive wishes to those struggling, including the little one at Forsythe who seems to be shut out of early fish today. We may lose this baby. Take care, everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, postings, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A, H, Kathryn’, NoAA, Albatross and Petrel Agreement, ABUN, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Sassa Bird and the AEF, PSEG, Eagle Club of Estonia, Great Bay Ospreys, Sunnie Day and the Iowa DNR, Forsythe ospreys, SCMM, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Chesapeake Conservancy, Cowlitz PUD Window to Wildlife, Severna Park, Barnegat Light, Dunrovin Ranch, Dahlgren Ospresy LOTL, Dyfi Ospreys, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Sunnie Day and Harwich Point, and Sassa Bird and Alaska Rain.

Too much news…Thursday in Bird World

15 June 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

The inbox was bulging with happiness as each of you watched Little Mini at Patchogue eat its heart out Wednesday morning. My goodness, that little one even went back for seconds! More on Mini, later, but suffice it to say it made my day on Wednesday just a wee bit better.

The wildfire smoke is somewhat gone, the air outside is a little cleaner, and the skies are clear in southern Manitoba. There is no sign of the Blue Jay fledgling in the garden Tuesday evening, but I will check again as it gets late. Maybe. What a joy that little one was to observe! And the parents, too, keep a close watch. Overhead, at least 150 Canada Geese headed north to find space, food, and cooler temperatures. They might find some of this smoke from the burning fires. These are the ones without families to care for – so many, and this is not the first chevron of geese going over in the last week. So many without families this year. It is worrisome.

On Monday the 16th, I will be travelling north to do a Bald Eagle nest count. I hope to have some good images of wildlife for you on Tuesday. Today I am going to Delta Marsh on the southern tip of Lake Manitoba to see if I can find some shorebirds! Wish me luck. I will be out all day so hopefully, Little Mini will be persistent and get some nice fish.

Lewis was growling at the rain at couple of days ago.

Today he decided to play with his piece of Honeysuckle branch.

Missey just wants to remind everyone that she is ‘sweet’.

Both kittens remind everyone that planting a tree to remember someone or some pet is good for the environment!

Lewis and Missey also remind us that if you are doing some late spring cleaning, see if there is anything you have and don’t need that your local wildlife rehab clinic could use. It is incredible the things they need – check their wish lists and then also think of power tools to help build and repair buildings and fences. Anyone die recently leaving a lot of tools? Find out if the rehab can use them. What a lovely way to remember a loved one by donating to a good cause.

Wednesday turned out to be a mixed blessing day. We might as well start with the ‘good’ before I throw in a little of the sadness.

‘H’ reports that the Dahlgren Osprey platform and its osplets are doing fantastic. You can see the age difference in the plumage…this is good news.

It is day 41 for the second egg at Kent Island. I wonder if that one is unviable as well.

The other nests that ‘H’ has been monitoring are all doing well and she hopes that there are no turn arounds on them! Me, too.

Severna Park: Oh, we worried about Middle after we lost Little to siblicide but, things continue to go well. Middle is older and bigger and the pair are eating side by side. ‘H’ reports that fish are plentiful.

‘H’ reports that the Barnegat Light feeding 0944 to 1006:  The feeding was peaceful eating side by side until, at 0955 Big beaked and bit Little.  Little was able to return at 1001 and ate beside Big.  Total bites for Little = 60. (I hope this nest won’t go sour now, like so many others that started out peacefully).” We wait and see. Send good wishes..that Big one is rather vicious. Let them make it out of the reptile stage!

At the Cape May Osprey nest, it is day 38 for egg one and ‘H’ says we are on pip watch.

I spent the day checking on some nests that I monitor but do not often report on – or a few even that have fallen through the cracks for one reason or another. At the Collins Marsh nest in Wisconsin, there are three osplets for what I believe to be new adults at the osprey platform near the local nature centre. This nest is very difficult to watch as fish are not always plentiful – at all! Malin, the only surviving osplet, force fledged in 2021. I criticised the local caretaker consistently because help was not at hand and the little one died on the ground. There is a new person at the nature centre. I hope if there are issues they will get out and look for those babies on the ground! The nest is on top of a fire tower that was moved. There is no perch and access to the desk would be difficult (or so I was told by the last caretaker – I don’t believe it!).

No chicks yet at Fortis Exshaw near Canmore, Alberta. You can see the fires burning in the distance. It was raining when I checked in. That is good…no chicks! Bad for little ones.

What you are seeing below is the Marsh Meadows osprey platform in Jamestown, Rhode Island. It is one of several nests on Conanicut Island. The three eggs hatched on May 29, 29, and 1 June. By the 7th of June, all three chicks were dead. Was it starvation by parental neglect? or was it starvation through mitigating circumstances – male was missing?

Both adults were on the nest this morning so, since the male is not missing (so he did not die of Avian Flu as suggested on 7 June), did the chicks die of starvation from inexperienced parents?

Bay and Beau’s two little osplets at Island Beach are doing well.

The three at Wolf Bay, Alabama are thriving. Gosh, look at those three big osplets!

The three at Oyster Bay should be getting along but, there is often beaking.

Dad delivering a fish to the Oceanside, NY, Osprey platform.

Two chicks at Seaside. So far so good.

‘H’ reports that both of the Patuxent River Park Osprey nests have osplets that are full and civil!

I just caught the Dad at Patuxent II bringing in a monster of a fish at 2002. Wow.

Oh, just sit down and cry – joyful tears. It really is OK. Newmann is feeding his peregrine falcon babies. Their Mum, Savanna was killed protecting her nest from a GHO. Newmann has called Savanna and called her and is now taking full responsibility for their last chicks together.

Dale Hollow DH17 has been caught on cam and appears to be doing quite well. River has a new mate (or so it appears). Only time will tell if she rebuilds at the original nest she shared with her partner, Obey, who disappeared this spring.

Bonus and Waba are on the move (slightly).

Now, let’s take a look at Little Mini at Patchogue. Is the saying ‘The Early Bird gets the fish’ applicable? Mini did well for when the Big ones were sleeping. That early fish that landed on the nest at 0536 was a bonus. Little Mini ate, then the Bigs woke up, and by 0639 Little Mini decided he would go back to the table for seconds. He finished eating at 0652. Mini got some from the 0846 delivery between 0908 and 0912. He had nothing from the 1526 delivery. He was in submission. At 1537 two of the Big siblings are having a tug o war with the fish. Then it rains. During some of this time Little Mini seems to be shoved down and around. Parents are trying to encourage self-feeding amongst the big siblings. This may or may not be an issue for Mini. If he can get those early feeds, he is OK.

According to someone on the chat there are three lakes nearby and 2 creeks connected to the bay. Should be lots of good fishing.

0540

0639 Up for seconds.

0652. Full. Leaving the table for the second time.

0912. Enjoying a meal. How does it feel to go hungry and see all the other siblings fed. I hope Little Mini feels full and alive this morning!

Later…after ‘they’ wake up. LOL.

1536. Mini shut out.

1537. Tug o war for the fish.

Fish – teasers and big fish – land at the Patchogue nest after the rain and all the time that big chunk of fish is still on the nest. Mini is quick to take opportunities when the Big ones show no interest. Mum feeds a small live fish at 1723 and then moves to the big chunk left at 1736. Mini rushes and is at the beak at 1737 . He ate until 1751ish. Then another big fish comes on the nest at 1800. Mini is right there – two big pieces of fish. He starts getting fed at 1802 and is moved out of the way at 1830. We should really see some growth in Mini by Friday with all this fish.

Smart Mini. He is filling his crop and then dropping it so he can hold more fish. I hope Mum has a good look at this persistent third hatch. It reminds me of Tiny Tot Tumbles from Achieva or Blue 464 from Foulshaw Moss. A Survivor.

Mini had a really good day and he is going to sleep well tonight. Happy Osplet dreams, Mini.

Mini was up and had an enormous crop Thursday morning…way to go Mini! Dad came through at Patchogue with three large fish by 0959.

Speaking of the Foulshaw Moss nest, White YW and Blue 35 have three osplets again this year.

At the Boulder County Fairgrounds, a team feeding by the adults really helped the third hatch, Little, who has been beaked and shut out from most feedings. This nest is still problematic…and each pulls at our heart.

After…this little guy is really struggling. Send your best wishes that they team up to feed the chicks until Little is old enough to hold its own.

At the SWFlorida Eagle nest, M15 visits. Unclear if E22 is still around. Not seen at the nest for a couple of days. M15 will not leave the area until E22 is known to be gone. M15 has taken his parental duties very seriously since Harriet went missing in early February. Thanks Vijay!

The Ms are well…growing up on Big Red and Arthur’s nest. Fledge watch is what? a week away? They may be big but, when the rain came they all wanted under Mum! Oak leaves. Across Tower Road there are Oak Trees. Big Red likes her chicks, when they fledge, to fly to those trees. The eyases have imprinted everything from the type of prey that is safe to eat to now these leaves. (The pine is for insects).

Big Red’s E3 was out doing an educational visit today.

Murphy is enjoying the life of a single foster dad now…it is quiet and no one takes his food!

There is now only one eaglet in the Estonia hybrid eagle nest. ‘T’ explains: “Good news in Estonia is that the baby hatched in the nest of Greater and Lesser Spotted eagles. There are not enough Greater Spotted eagles, and many of them are lost during their massive European-African migration. They create mixed couples. This nest, in Harju County, Estonia, was the nest of male Tõnn, who used this nest since 2016. Sadly, Tõnn, did not return from Spain in 2020. We don’t know what happened to him.”

Here the chick is taking a mouse form one of the adults.

‘T’ writes that the Russian Ornithologist “Michail Korepov went to the National Park “Sengileevskiye Gory” to check the breeding situation of large raptors. So this year, they found 12 white tail eaglets, 6 owlets and 2 Imperial eaglets – they are growing up in the national park! And the number is not including 2 chicks of Altyn and Altynay.” Very good news on trying to increase the population of these critically endangered raptors for the area.

‘A’ has been keeping an eye on Deyani and writes, “Meanwhile, there are either storms on the way or Angel is having a sudden burst of empty nest syndrome at the thought of Deyani fledging, because at 7.30pm, Deyani has an OBSCENE crop and the nest is FULL of prey. A rabbit, a vole and something unrecognisable are literally filling the nest bowl. I have NEVER seen this on this nest. Any food that arrives is dealt with in seconds by Deyani and nestovers are non-existent. But not tonight. Angel is attempting to tempt Deyani, who is taking the occasional small mouthful from her, but essentially, mum and daughter are standing side by side at the back of the nest, surveying the smorgasbord spread out at their feet. Deyani is going to have to find an appetite if she is to sleep on that nest tonight. It is just after 9.30am here in Melbourne, and it is another cold day. Sunny thus far, but that will change apparently.”

Baby bunnies. They seem to have cleared out an entire nest! Oh, dear.

‘H’ reports that Mini at the Forsythe Nest had only 30 bites on Wednesday. It is, as she says ‘feast or famine’ for this little one.

The third hatch at the Evergy Topeka Falcon scrape still has feather issues. The feathers have grown but have not broken the shaft and it is having difficulty jumping up to the ledge of the scrape to get food.

Will be sending a note to Evergy. The little one tried to jump up to the perch so it could have prey but failed…

Everything about Peregrine Falcons in a nutshell:

Peregrine-biology-natural-historyDownload

Just look who has returned to the Cal Falcons scrape!

Doug Gillard reports on the little Red-tail hawk, Tuffy, let that has survived in the Bald Eagle Nest with his foster sibling, Lola.

Kathryn reports that one of the goshawks in Estonia has branched. She adds, “I have somehow watched this nest since the eggs were laid and I thought none of them would hatch since they were left out in the cold so often! But look at them now!” Beautiful hawks.

At the Black Kite nest in the Kurzeme Forest, the only chick of Gold and Griegis is doing well.

Dulles-Greenway gives us an update on Pat, the eaglet of Rosa and Martin, that is in care.

Meanwhile, Pi and Flora are being fed by the adults in the wetlands.

Each of us needs to know that what we do matters. We can change the lives of our raptors, but we have to take action. Sometimes it is simply ‘baby steps’ towards our goal, but each success will lead to another. We must realise and inform others that the fate of our wildlife, our beloved raptors depends on us because most of their challenges are human-caused.

Thank you to everyone for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, Kathryn, T’, Dahlgren Ospreys, Severna Park Ospreys, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Collins Marsh Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Marsh Meadows, island Beach Ospreys, Wolf Bay Ospreys, PSEG, Oceanside Ospreys, Seaside ospreys, Patuxent River Part Ospreys, Lachelle Koestert and Peregrine Falcons at Great Spirit Bluff, Aliengirl and Bale Eagle Live Nests and Cams, Maria Marika FB, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Boulder County Fairgrounds Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Vijay and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cornell RTH, Cornell Cam Chatters, World Bird Sanctuary, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender Forum, Window to Wildlife, Evergy Topeka Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Canadian Peregrine Falcon Foundation, Doug Gillard and Nor Cal Birding, Latvian Fund for Nature, Dulles-Greenaway and Forstythe Ospreys.