Category Archives: Snowy Owl

Thursday in Bird World

21 November 2024

Good Morning,

Is it Thanksgiving in the US? I think so. So for all of you celebrating, have a wonderful, wonderful day.

We had snow on Tuesday night that started at midnight. Hugo Yugo and I were up watching the delicate flakes fall, but then the rain came. On Wednesday morning, the sky was icy gray and gloomy. Three girls were watching the squirrels scurry about outside waiting for me to dispense the peanuts.

Over coffee, I re-arranged my list of things to do citing the most important at the top going down to the least. There was another section of things to do for fun when life gets overwhelming.

On Wednesday, we set about getting Don a new ID (he can no longer drive so has no license) and passport pictures, as his passport needs to be renewed. Those were the two most critical items on the list. Then, it was time for some fun, so we went to find some things to decorate the window by my grandmother’s dining room table.

My grandmother was the most special person in my life next to my father. I don’t need her table or her quilts or her needlework to remind me of her. She is always present. Her family was from Switzerland where her grandfather was the Regierungsratspräsident or local government council president of Chur, a canton in the northeast. His job was to preside over meetings – not nearly as glamorous as it might sound! We have travelled to see the family home – a traditional house with an attached barn with the vineyards behind the house going up the mountain. It was incredibly beautiful. I am often asked why my great-grandfather left. It was very simple. Simeon was not the first son; Johannes was. All of the other boys would need to find their way as the oldest would inherit everything. So, at the age of fifteen, Simeon crossed the Atlantic alone, first settling in Virginia and then taking a wagon train to West Texas before finally settling in Oklahoma. He had intended to set himself up as a watchmaker, but all of his tools were stolen on that fateful journey to Texas. Instead, he became a cattle rancher.

The table originally belonged to Simeon and my great-grandmother, Caroline. It is unclear when and where they acquired the quarter-cut oak table with its heavy pedestal. At one point, it had several leaves that could be added or removed depending on the number of people dining. I found it buried in a blackberry patch, where it had been for who knows how long, and it only had two leaves left. For more than half a century, this table has accompanied my family, adding to its rich history. If only tables could talk!

We are creating a little woodland scene on that table. Right now, the focus is on placing little felt birds around the pine cones and candle. No telling what it will look like at the end of the week.

Our fun today was attaching little lights that hung down all across the window along with glittery paper snowflakes. Hopefully, Hugo Yugo will not chew on the little lights of the felt birds.

Missy moved in to watch from the sitting area.

Later, Hugo Yugo plunked herself down in front of the wood stove where she refused to move. (It is 0 C outside, but inside the register is reading 25 C – toasty!)

We now have story time before the fire, and everyone agrees that Olivia Laing’s book, In Search of a Common Paradise. The Garden Against Time is not too bad. I’ll let you know more about those later.

Bazz Hockaday has confirmed that the light installed on the barge has allowed Mum to see and catch the fish in the water just below the nest. She did not fish in past years and this is the reason for the change this year. Wilko, Kasse, and Mum enjoying a very early morning snack.

Just a beautiful osprey family. Chicks self-feeding.

So far…

Precious Mum having a nap. She has brought in all three fish on Thursday at the barge and it is now 1330 nest time. Help us out Dad or fairies…Mum is more than pulling her weight. Gosh, golly. She is gold.

When asked about Yira, Cilla Kinross replied on the chat: “I have seen her once in the field (no photos) and several probable sightings via ledge and tower cam. Some videos available on the Youtube channel FalconCam Project.”

The photograph of this bird has been making the rounds. I am unclear now who took it, but it was taken in Puerto Rico. A dark green band could be an osprey ringed in either France (Corsica) or Portugal. Enquiries have been sent out. It reminds me of Blue KW0 discovered in Barbados two years ago. I will let you know what I discover. spotted in Barbados who was a UK osprey. They do sometimes get ‘carried away’ by the winds.

No further news on SE33.

Two couples wanting the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle nest? https://youtu.be/4MzB3SGpiMc?

At the NE Florida nest of Gabby and Beau, the couple were working on the nest. Later in the day a sub-adult comes visiting.

The day started with rain at Captiva. It cleared. No worries for that egg. Connie and Clive will keep it safe and warm – iguanas included!

I wonder if any ospreys will be interested in the Captiva Osprey platform? There sure are some beautiful sunsets!

Thunder and Akecheta at the West End nest.

Those sweethearts, Jackie and Shadow, were working on that nest today!

They had a little visitor.

Beaky kisses with our lovely couple! https://youtu.be/bevGnWpWOag?

Eagles at Denton Homes working on that new nest!

I love owls, but not when they bother osprey chicks (or any other chicks for that matter). Please eat the mice! There are plenty of them. Barn owls are particularly gorgeous.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/20/country-diary-flushing-out-barn-owls-with-an-explosive-sneeze?CMP=share_btn_url

All About Birds says: “Ghostly pale and normally strictly nocturnal, American Barn Owls are silent predators of the night world. Lanky, with a whitish face, chest, and belly, and buffy upperparts, this owl roosts in hidden, quiet places during the day. By night, they hunt on buoyant wing beats in open fields and meadows. You can find them by listening for their eerie, raspy calls, quite unlike the hoots of other owls.”

Their call sounds like they have a sore throat and need a lozenge. I mostly see GHOs and Snowy Owls. The Snowys are starting to arrive for the winter in Manitoba and can be seen sitting on poles or hay bales in the empty fields.

“Female Snowy Owl Portrait” by Charles Patrick Ewing is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Speaking of owls, I don’t know if it was Owlvira or Hoots that visited the nest on Wednesday, but one of the owls made a brief stop.

Lukin, the WTE chick in a nest on a crane near Sydney, took its first short flight to the top of the crane.

What is it like being a wildlife vet? https://youtu.be/C4g2v08D2gY?

Research indicates that wildflower gardens planted in urban settings is as beneficial to insects as wildflower fields in rural areas.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/20/patches-of-wildflowers-in-cities-can-be-just-as-good-for-insects-as-natural-meadows-study-aoe?CMP=share_btn_url

Checking in on the Black Stork migration. This was the last news. Gosh, I hope Waba kept on going!

Ducks Unlimited Canada is partnering with an Adjunct Professor and others to determine what is happening to the Eider population. One discovery is that their traditional breeding grounds, the Gulf of Maine, is warming and warming. It is one of the fastest warming places on the planet. Where are they going? What is happening?

Where have all the eiders gone_ — Ducks Unlimited CanadaDownload

A beautiful person sent me this. If you can, please feed the birds this winter.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: Bazz Hockaday, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and PLO Obs Board, Ospreys FB, Little Miami Conservancy, NEFL-AEF, Window to Wildlife, IWS/Explore.org, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Denton Homes, Toronto Wildlife Centre, The Guardian, Live Owl Cam, All About Birds, Openverse, Looduskalender

Fledge at Achieva, 2nd hatch at LOTL…Tuesday in Bird World

16 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It was another hot day in the Canadian Prairies. The temperature shot up to 29 C before one even realised it was hot outside. It is late evening, and it is still 28 degrees. The birds in the garden have been spending much time getting drinks out of the bird bath, and the bowls are scattered around the deck between the plants. It is vital to put water out in shallow dishes for them when it is hot – even more important than supplying food is water! The garden plants will need water later tonight. There is no rain in sight. This kind of lazy day – a summer day when it is not officially summer – gave me a chance to look at a new arrival in the stack of books I want to read. This one is Two Lights. Walking through Landscapes of Loss and Life by James Roberts. His writing style and references to his great-grandfather, the Scottish naturalist George Seton, pulled me in immediately. He lives in Wales along the border with Herefordshire and writes, “The dawn begins with seabirds, with the first faint wash of rose-tinted light touching their feathers. There are crested auklets perched on lava flows and sea cliffs. They are here in their millions. The sounds they make, as their milk-pale eyes open, creak and grate, as if overnight the salt winds have penetrated their workings. In among them are tufted puffins, red-legged kittiwakes, short-tailed albatrosses. Their purrs and shrieks begin.” Roberts imagines all the birds waking up at dawn around the world – that line of light separating day and night as it moves around the globe. He appears to have a fascinating mind and I can’t wait to get the time to really read this book. He continues, “It’s our fate on this ocean-facing island, if our direction of travel as a culture continues, to face the rising waters, the ever-more frequently boiling rivers. We may continue to poison them, to carve, block, and silt them for a time, yet, believing as we do that they are simply our resources to be harnessed. But they will outlast us, and their waters will run clean, eventually. There will come a time when this stretch of river will flow wilder than it does now.” The Ospreys have been here for 60 million years. They will be here- enough to begin again-, long after us, to reclaim these clear waters and their fish.

So many things to do and so little time to do them.

Lewis and Missey are not particularly cooperating when it comes to photos. When they were younger they would pose. Today, as usual, they are stuck to one another firm as if one was not there, the other would evaporate. They are watching out the window. Mr Crow is standing on the rim of the bird bath. They are as interested in what is happening in the garden as I am. They were the first to see the Northern Flicker when he landed in the lilac bushes today. Their sounds made me look!

The whole gang was here including Mr Blue Jay and Little Red who was frustrated that the birds were getting all the goodies from the table feeder.

Fledge of the Day comes from Achieva! Wow..look at Big go! 08:20:07. (More information on the nest below). Congratulations Achieva!

Smile of the Day. No one could believe that first hatch at Loch of the Lowes (LOTL) could be alive Monday morning and yet it was. Tears.

What a precious little baby.

On Tuesday, Laddie and Blue NC0 welcomed their second hatch of the season. Will there only be two Bobs?

I have been torn as to whether or not comment on the situation at LOTL. As anyone reading my blog knows, I believe in intervention when it will help and not harm them. Could we sit and watch the osplets starve to death not knowing if Laddie was only injured slightly? A number, how many is unknown, called for a fish table, myself included. When Laddie landed on the nest with that huge fish, we were all so glad he was well enough to care for his family. Now, it appears that this might have been an intervention to save the nest. If it was, then a big round of applause for those that helped! Please keep it up until Laddie is healed!

So grateful for all those people to kick in to help our little feathered friends! This feel good story comes to us today from CROW.

Our hearts go out to the Lake Murray Ospreys community. Middle will now be the only Bob at Lake Murray unless the GHO returns in the night and snatches it from the nest. It has been a tough 6 days for Lucy. She has lost her mate and two babies – just like River. I cannot even imagine what that must feel like. Now the fear of losing another one. Oh, these owls. I am always reminded of how the Crows actually escort the owls out of our neighbourhood during the day – not the night. Let us all hope that Lucy will be able to fledge one osplet this year. Send your best wishes.

This was posted by the individual who cares for the platform. We must always be mindful that we do not know what goes on behind the scenes and they must be feeling terrible right now. No sought music will be blaring and mannequins will be everywhere to try and now protect Lucy and C1. Be kind everyone. Their hearts are broken, too.

‘T’ writes that Lake Murray try and keep C2 and Lucy safe from the GHO. They have added: “3 strobe lights and a radio, along with moving the golf car and 2 trucks in the area. One night at a time is all we can do. Just like last year. Prayers for C2 and Lucy!” Send them all the positive energy that you can.

Lucy will defend this baby to her detriment if she sees the danger. We must now hope that all the deterrents that Lake Murray has put in place will work and we will have one nice healthy fledgling for Lucy.

Breakfast at Great Spirit Bluff for the four little falcons.

Things are looking well at the Achieva Credit Union Osprey Platform in St Petersburg, Florida despite a terrible drought in the area.

It looks like a couple of fish came to the nest on Monday. The last one was at 1857 as I write this. It is an enormous fish and everyone will get to eat off it including Diane who will wind up with a nice crop as well.

Life continues for Angel and RTH5 and Tom at their nest on the farm in Tennessee. As we know, Tom has really stepped up to his role as Dad and is providing prey and also standing over the baby when the other songbirds are attacking.

Such a big yawn.

Dad being protective while Mum is out hunting.

Looks like Angel brought in a squirrel!

You can see the ear clearly. When the feathers grow, it will be concealed. Have you noticed how dark the baby’s eyes are and how much they look like Angel’s?

Hot on the nest today. Little one panting.

‘A’ sent in the time stamps for Angel and her nest. My goodness how this has turned around to the good! “It was another day of eating for RTH5, who is now gigantic for a chick just 15 days old. Here are the time stamps: 10:33:18 Angel looks to be off on a mission. 11:35:57 Chick does some cro dropping. 11:39:43 Crop drops. 12:02:32 Tom in and 12:47:27 He is off after 2 Jays. Back 12:04:55. 12:07:34 Off gain. 12:49:20 Back up for a PS. 1:40:08 Angel returned to nest. 1:42:32 A little stretch for chick. 1:43:53 Angel of nest. 1;44:17 See her fly on a hot mission through trees. 1:46:32 Tom on duty. 1:50:22 Angel back with a squirrel she may have received from Tom while out nearby, as he had blood on his face and the squirrel was prepared. 1:58:10 Feed1. 2:19:35 Chick has had enough! 2:25:18 Time to do a face clean. 4:53:35 Angel is in strike mode. 4:54:15 She is off. And the chick has a PS. 5:06:20 Angel below and to the nest 5:06:53 with a young meadowlark. 5:09:30 Feed2. 5:48:48 Angel does another preening. 5:53:37 Chick crop drops. 6:39:38 Another preening. 7:29:10 Feed3. 8:19:17 Another preen and face wash. And the squirrel is finished, I think!”

The Ms are growing so fast. Big Red feeds and preens while the eyases grow and sleep. Arthur loads the pantry!

Big Red so loves being a mother.

Waiting and watching for Victor to take his first flight at Moorings Park Ospreys. Not yet. Abby flew a week ago! They are both intent on seeing what is happening in the water today.

And, of course, Sally is always ready to feed her babies.

While we are all ready to see the babies on the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta, Dr Sharpe has been busy elsewhere in the Channel Islands banding eaglets.

Banding right now.

At one time there were two eaglets spotted and that is precisely what Dr Sharpe and his team found when they got to the nest – two little boys for Thunder and Akecheta this year! I have to admit that the baby rails on that nest make me nervous just looking at them as I type these words.

If you are not aware, Dr Sharpe is retiring. Amber will be taking over in his place. If you are as grateful to him as I am consider sending him a quick note to tell him what his interventions and everything he did for the Channel Islands Eagles to be restored meant to you. I am sure he will print them and read the letters in time. His e-mail is: psharpe@iws.org

Osprey eggs being laid across Canada now as the Ospreys have returned from their migration. ‘H’ caught another egg at Fortis Exshaw today and now Newfoundland!

Both of the eaglets at Duke Farms have now branched.

Severna Park Ospreys at the Loudon Valley Osprey Centre have three osplets on the nest. Thankful to ‘H’ who is going to keep an eye on this family for me. It is always gratifying for three to survive and fledge but it is always a challenge for the parents to have food and security for five.

‘H’ spotted another egg being laid at Fortis Exshaw near Canmore, Alberta and also a feeding at Patuxent despite the egg cup being so deep all you can see are the feeding motions of the parents. There are osplets everywhere now and it is going to get busy as more begin to hatch.

Well, he is still my pick – Blue 33. There he was at 0434 with a fish for Maya and the babies just as the sun rose. Like the chapter ‘Chasing the Dawn’ in Roberts book, around the world, there are males bringing fish to their mates to start the morning off so that their babies are not hungry.

The camera was not zoomed in close enough to see if either of the other two eggs had a pip. Already these two are loving their fish. Nice big bites they were taking, too at Manton Bay. Such strong little osplets.

Others like Louis at Loch Arkaig will be bringing their mate a fish and letting them have a breakfast break from their all-night incubation. It is wonderful to check on these UK nests early…the songbirds are heralding in the dawn.

Telyn is also waiting for Idris to relieve her at the Dyfi nest in Wales. They must get so stiff!

Ah, Telyn couldn’t wait for that comfort break…gives us a chance to have a good look at those three eggs. She was gone for a minute and back on those eggs!

For all the newcomers, Telyn is the daughter of Maya at Rutland who has two little ones she is feeding and another two eggs she is incubating.

At Glaslyn, Aran slept on the perch while Elen incubated the eggs.

Ah, I often wonder what Murphy thinks about that little eaglet that grew up. Still doing well. What a lucky break for both of these guys.

Thankfully Bruce Yolton continues to track the raptors and birds around Central Park and he brings us news of Falco. He says, “It’s getting much harder to watch Flaco, the feral Eurasian Eagle-Owl that was released from the Central Park Zoo over three months ago. He’s not using the construction site as often, has gotten much quieter, and is less visible with the trees fully leafed out.”

Luckily, I did get to see him for about twenty minutes on Sunday night.

Wildlife Rehabilitation. I have been asked to write a blog on the new use of technology in helping our wildlife and every time I turn around there are old school methods being used. This one is perfect for keeping this Snowy Owl cool – an ice machine. If you have one and you are not using, take it out to your local wildlife rehab clinic. They might be able to put it to use!

A rescue is taking place at a stork nest in Germany today (Starch Lindheim) to remove a nylon stocking or strong brought to the nest. The fire brigade will do this today, not yesterday when it was discovered because there are too many straw bales at the site of the nest. It has worried some who think the adult might fly off with the nylon string attached and pull off a storklet.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. A lot is going on, and this is just a glimpse into some of the nests we have been watching – particularly those that might have concerns. We send all good wishes to Lake Murray! Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, Geemeff, ‘H’, Kathryn, ‘L’, ‘T’, LOTL, Geemeff and LOTL, Lake Murray Ospreys, Great Spirit Bluff Falcons, Barbara Snyder and Achieva Ospreys with Jack and Diane, Achieva Credit Union, Heidi McGru and Achieva, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, Moorings Park Ospreys, IWS and Explore.org, Townsend Duong and CIEL, Lin Lawson and osprey Friends, Duke Farms, Severna Park Ospreys, LRWT, Loch Arkaig, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, World Bird Sanctuary, Bruce Bolton, Medina Raptor Centre, and Starch Lindheim.

Middle is peckish, a look at stunning L4, and other tales in Bird World

30 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The weather on the Canadian Prairies continues to be balmy. It is 10 degrees C as I write to you and it is just past 2030 Saturday evening. The one thing I enjoy so much about living in Canada is that we will never let a good weather day at the end of October pass us by. Visitors at the wetlands today were in their shirt sleeves — short ones! Everyone had come to try and spot the Tundra Swans. There were 13 of them on the water yesterday including the family that I had seen in September.

It promised to be a good day as the sound of Canada geese honking filled the sky. On the way to Oak Hammock, I passed more than one field of corn being harvested. This is a huge bonus for the geese and ducks landing here now on their way south. Lots of food and the weather is supposed to be warm and dry for several more days. The geese will have those fields cleaned up in short order.

I have mentioned Oak Hammock Marsh before but, for those that are new, here is a short description. It is a huge area of wetlands northwest of Winnipeg measuring 36 sq kilometres or 13.89 square miles. The area is owned jointly by Ducks Unlimited and the Province of Manitoba. The landscape changes from season to season and month to month. There are many educational programmes, tours, canoes, and an interpretative centre. It is one of two large nature centres near the city where I live. The other is Fort Whyte Alive. The main difference between the two is the fact that Ducks Unlimited – while restoring wetlands to protect and grow the number of waterfowl – are also proud promoters of duck hunting. That is difficult for me. At the same time, I am grateful that there are expanses of land for waterfowl instead of housing divisions or paved parking lots.

The main building has a little shop, a display of miniature ducks that have won the annual contests, lots of computers set to eBird, and walls of displays – historical finds on the land when they were building, a class room, and cases full of beautifully carved ducks. I forgot my phone or I would have images of these for you – the lens on my camera simply cannot focus that close.

We had so much water in the spring. It rained and rained and rained every day. Torrential rains. This area of the flat prairie flooded in many parts. It made for soggy earth where bull rushes grew. They grew so tall. The Red-winged Blackbirds were eating the seeds the last time I was here. Today, there was no a single one. They are on their way south!

This female Downy Woodpecker was looking for bugs and insects and flitted around the path going in and out of the shrubs. She seemed to care less if I was there with her so focused was she on finding food.

Such a gorgeous Greater Yellowlegs.

There were two American Coots towards the end of one of the trails in ‘Coot Pond’. It was also there that I found the Snowy Owl I had gone to see – one seen flying over the marsh this morning. Sadly, it was dead.

Overhead two raptors were enjoying soaring in the thermals. There are Northern Harriers that I have seen at the wetlands but, there was always only one. These two look as if they were having fun and their silhouette looks like the immature Bald Eagles in both of my books with raptor silhouettes. I just wonder if one of these might be responsible for the demise of the Snowy Owl.

I saw six Great Yellowlegs today. They were all very busy poking around at the edge of the pond looking for food.

The Tundra Swans alluded me today. That is perfectly fine. It was a joy to see them in September!

On my way home I stopped at a park that I frequent occasionally checking for Wood Ducks. I was not disappointed today. A cute little girl, about three or four years old, was feeding the ducks cracked corn – a perfect food for them! This had brought the 20 or so ducks up to a single area. Many looked as if they had already eaten lots of corn and were back in the water swimming. And the light was so strange – the water looked metallic. Everything had a reflection and this cute little female Wood Duck seems to be looking at hers. I wonder if she knows how gorgeous she is.

This Mallard couple sat so still and their plumage was so vibrant and perfect that they appeared to be decoys. And then they moved!

The golden glow of the sun as it was getting lower in the sky caught this precious female Mallard. She looks like she has been eating very well and it is time for the last of the sun’s rays to warm her.

The forecast is for it to be 18 degrees C on Wednesday. I am going to check e-Bird and see if there are any hotspots with shorebirds and ducks still in southern Manitoba!

I know that many of you have pets, perhaps more than one. One of the wonderful things about them is how happy they are to see you when you get home. Well, when I pulled up and parked the car, I could hear a sound. I didn’t recognize it at first but, then, I saw her. There was Dyson running down the branch of the tree to greet me. She said all of her hellos and beat me – she was already waiting on the deck for peanuts – by the time I sat my camera down. Now how did she know that there was an enormous sack of fresh nuts just purchased for her???

And does she know how happy I am to see her?

___________________________________________________________________

Making News:

Suzanne Arnold Horning was out and about today and she has photos of Big Red, Arthur, and L4 on the campus today. Oh, L4 looks so grown up. Remember that little one clamoring over its siblings to be right up and front at feeding time? and L4 being the first one to catch their own prey? Beautiful juvenile. I am so glad that L4 is staying in the territory. Wish this juvie had a band!

Look at those beautiful Juvenile eyes. Looks like L4 is over around the field by Highway 366.

Beautiful Big Red. Our fabulous Mama who will be 20 years old in the spring of 2023. Incredible.

This is another image of Big Red today from Ferris Akel’s tour. Isn’t she a stunner? And she has her dinner!

L4 will get her ‘red tail’ when she turns one. It is really a mark of honour for so few survive. Gradually, L4’s eyes will get darker and darker and one day she will look like her gorgeous Mum.

The Illegal trade in Song birds coming out of Indonesia. Oh, however so disgustingly sad. There are moves around the world to stop the illegal trade in birds and many places are banning the sale of parrots and other exotics to try and stop this practice. What is happening where you live?

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2022/oct/28/caged-indonesias-songbird-trade-in-pictures

We all know about Taiaroa Head where the NZ DOC take such good care of the Royal Albatross colony. Nearby is Dunedin’s Eco Sanctuary. Check out this birdwatching trip in New Zealand.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/oct/31/a-birdwatching-trip-back-in-time-what-pre-mammal-new-zealand-wouldve-been-like

There was a big fire across from the nest of Harriet and M15!

Nest News:

The weather is truly miserable at Port Lincoln. It was pitching down rain and there was concern that Dad would not be able to bring any fish to the nest but, Dad is extremely dependable. If there are fish – even small ones – he will bring them to Mum, Big, and Middle. It was between small and small medium size. Middle got the first good bites and that is a good thing because at 085754 Middle got up to walk away and then turned as if he might want another bite. At 085757, Big takes exception and gives Middle a brief reminder that she is eating – and eat she did – all the rest of it! It is certainly true that things appear to be civil but, when Middle eats his fair share before Big or Big thinks Middle is going to eat all the fish, she doesn’t put up with it. There was a ‘look’ from Big at Middle at 091225 that said it all.

Oh, the family was soaked.

Breakfast arrived at 08:49. Middle will get the greatest share of the fish for the first six minutes of the feeding. Indeed, Middle will have a small crop. Middle is on the left and Big is on the right. You can see that the fish is not huge but it is not tiny either. Dad is extremely reliable.

All is forgiven as the pair try to get some warmth as the rain continues.

The rain stopped by the winds are blowing at 31 mph. It could be very difficult for Dad or Mum to bring any fish to the nest in these winds. Send this nest your best wishes, as always.

Middle is hungry. Big has gotten the lion’s share of the fish for yesterday and that was not much, just the two deliveries due to the stormy weather. So Middle was peckish and pecked – yes, he pecked Big – twice. Here are some images of the last encounter. BTW Big does retaliate but, it is not as viscious as previous times.

What precipitated the event was the sighting of a parent and the hope of some fish. The two followed and did a wee bit of fish calling. Middle puffed up real big before pecking Big —-oh, please let there be lots of fish on Monday in Australia!

At 367 Collins Street, the falcons did survive the fireworks but, at the same time, it was so apparent that Mum was frightened out of her wits. She returned to her perch above the scrape before dusk. Very grateful all is well.

It is impossible to know when the Melbourne Four are being fed unless you see them being fed at the end of the ledge above or hear them squeeeeeeing which they are doing now at 1400! I am not worried about them. These parents have done a smashing job feeding these four and learning how to care for them. ‘A’ tells me it is blistering hot in Melbourne today and the eyases know to stay in the shade. So they are eating and they are sleeping in the shade and isn’t that wonderful — all is well.

Oh, goodness they are loud! Rewind to 1404 to hear them. It is a wonderful sound. You can just picture them jumping a bit with their beaks wide open snatching that precious prey.

At 1411 one of the eyases is heard running down the gutter. Then they mantle once they get to the scrape box. They have a piece of prey and they are going to self-feed. How exciting! This wee one keeps looking back to see if anyone is coming to try and take its treasure.

All finished and the fluffy eyas is running down the gutter back to the feeding wanting more!

The Melbourne Four had their usual four feedings yesterday despite the fact that we cannot always see them. Great parenting! Glad things are now quiet.

‘A’ reports that she saw that dreadful synthetic spider web decorating a property in Melbourne for the first time yesterday. This needs to be banned before it becomes ‘the thing’ to do. It is dreadful for all the small birds and other animals including pets that can get tangled up in it.

No more had Alison said this and there is an article in The Guardian urging Australians not to adopt the spiderwebs as they continue to follow the Americans trend of Halloween.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/30/is-australias-growing-love-of-halloween-endangering-our-wildlife

All is well at the scrape in Orange of Diamond and Xavier. We are so lucky that there are several cameras covering all the angles including the outside of the water tower at Orange. It gives the viewer real insight as to what is happening everywhere.

There were two feedings in the morning. At 0648 Diamond arrives with a pigeon and feeds Rubus and Indigo. Then at 1027, Xavier arrives with an Eastern Rosella Xavier will begin the feeding and Diamond will take over. She loves her Rosella, too. Just look at Indigo and Rubus. Look at their size. Gone are the days when Rubus was so tiny he could not get to the beak for food. Now it is watch out or Rubus will get it all. I do wonder if Rubus – who is four days younger and that is a huge amount of time in a falcon’s early life – is not a female.

Rubus is really getting all of the first part of the feeding. What an aggressive youngster. Reminds me of Izzi.

Rubus also gets full and goes over to the Cilla Stones making it easy for Indigo to finally get some breakfast.

But then…Rubus decides he would like some more prey. Poor Indigo. Just look at that adorable face. How could anyone ever get mad at that?

Rubus is still like a fluffy cotton ball with sparkling decoration around the edges.

Just close your eyes for a second and remember little Rubus trying to jump up and get prey and now look. Snatching it right out of the parent’s beak!

Diamond slept on the edge of the scrape box for part of the night departing sometime after 0100 to go up to the top of the tower.

The nest with prey delivery problems is Port Lincoln and that is because of the weather. The forecast is for rain and wind on Monday and Tuesday.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care everyone…and remember to work on your Bird Names Alphabet. I cannot wait to see all of the names you come up with! See you soon.

Thank you to The Guardian, Suzanne Arnold Horning for her photographs of Big Red’s family including the phenomenal beauty, L4, Ferris Akel’s Tours, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Birds at the Zoo…and breakfast with the Australian nests

28 October 2022

Hello Everyone!

So happy to have you here with me. I set out ‘in my mind’ last evening that I would get up early and head out to find Snowy Owls sitting on large round hay bales near Oak Hammock Marsh. I got a text from a friend – ‘no’ owls seen. So, determined to see a Snowy Owl today, I did something entirely different! I went to the zoo.

How long has it been since you have been to a zoo? With all the criticism against keeping animals in small cages, our Assiniboine Park Zoo set out to try and make the enclosures for the animals considerably larger. At the same time they addressed issues of ‘boredom’ and the environments that the animals would live in if they were out in the wild. It was a much more pleasant place to visit because of those major changes.

One of the zoo volunteers saw me looking at the map and asked me what I wanted to see. The answer was Snowy Owls and Birds. I wonder if they were disappointed that I didn’t say ‘tiger’ or ‘cougar’. As it happened we were very close to the Snow Owls and it was feeding time. Fluffy yellow chicks raised specifically for the purpose were being dished out. For several seconds, it seemed that a woman standing near to me was going to pass out she was so overcome by seeing the owls eat the chicks. I stood in wonderment trying to figure out if she thought that they ate lettuce – our zoo purchases an inordinate amount of Romaine lettuce – or fruit. It is a good thing that she was away from the cougar or the Stellar’s Eagle compounds at that specific moment.

The real character of the entire four hours was the Toucan. He made eye contact immediately. What an incredibly beautiful bird he is.

This is the Toco Toucan. They are the largest of the species at 62 cm long with a bill/beak that is 17 cm long. Their lifespan is approximately 20 years. The Toco Toucan is native to South American rainforests where its numbers are decreasing due to deforestation.

I wish we could have had a conversation. This chap was a real cutie pie.

These little Sun Conures were tiny in comparison to the Toco Toucan. No wonder they have the ‘sun’ as part of their name. Oh, those faces ranging from yellow to orange to red are the colours we painted the sun as children. They are native to northeastern South America. They are approximately 30 cm in length but these certainly did not look that big unless you count that long olive green tail in the measurement! These little cuties were using their bill and their feet to dig around the edge of their enclosure. They have a stubby quite muscular tongue that helps them move their food around in their mouth.

This beautiful Golden Eagle was finishing up its breakfast and not the least bit interested in anyone looking at it. What a beauty. It is one of the largest birds of prey in North America, about the same size as a Bald Eagle. Unlike a Bald Eagle whose legs and talons are bare, the Golden Eagle has feathers on its legs. In Canada, they are ‘at risk’. Their meals consist of small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels.

The Stellar’s Sea Eagle is the largest of the sea eagles. With its striking bright yellow beak and legs and its espresso brown/black and white plumage, it is easy to recognize this raptor. It has a wedge-tail and fine pointed wings. They are rare. In the northern areas they will stand on the ice and fish and love the salmon in the north. It is thought that they almost exclusively breed in the north of Russia. You may recall that there is a Stellar’s Sea Eagle that has come to Newfoundland, Canada travelling south to parts of New England. I believe it is back in Newfoundland.

There were so many little Red Squirrels. This one is eating a ‘helicopter’, the seed of the Maple Tree.

Little Red stuffed these Maple Tree seeds in every part of the old shed. There were boxes full. Never knew if he used them for insulation to stay warm as well as eating. There is a large box full of them in his new home if he ever moves in!

It was great fun. Lovely to see families out with small children running about. Next time you are looking for a place to go – think the zoo!

A very small fish landed on the Port Lincoln Osprey barge at 061847. Middle got some of the tail but Big got most of it at 062652.

Breakfast arrived at 0618 on the ledge of 367 Collins Street for the Melbourne Four. Another plucking lesson, too!

This big one has run off with a nice piece and is self-feeding.

After eating it was running to get those legs strong, finding scraps of prey, and flapping those wings. What a brilliant place for these eyases to get exercise! I wonder how being able to run and flap freely – running a great distance – might give these falcons an edge in terms of physical strength that would help them survive? Just a thought!

This is the Recap for the morning feedings at Orange. Goodness Xavier has been busy hunting!

BirdieCam​ RECAP: 6:07:33 starling, X leaves, 6:20:58 D feeds; 6:38:31 X w/RRP?, he feeds; 09.13.33 X w/Noisy Friarbird, D feeds

Everyone has had breakfast, some more than others. Wish for fish – a big one for Port Lincoln.

Take care all. This is just a quick check and all are doing well at the 3 nests we are watching in Australia.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.