Category Archives: stork migration

Monday in Bird World

23 October 2023

Hello Everyone!

Sunday continued as a grey day with some drizzle. It did warm up a bit but we are now definitely into layers and toques (knitted hats). No gloves or mitts required – yet.

The fall colours are sensational.

There are still Mallards paddling in the ponds and there were approximately a hundred geese at mid-afternoon on the big lake. More will fly in at dusk.

At home, something wonderful happened on Sunday. All the girls were in the conservatory. Hope climbed up the big cat tree to play with Missey’s bushy tail while Mamma Calico was below on the floor. No problems. Everyone got along! Hope and Missey played for almost an hour. I was in tears. Missey has missed having someone to play with. I know the Feliway doesn’t work for all cats, but it has brought peace of mind to our house.

Hope is growing. Sometimes I have to look twice to see if it is her or Calico.

Hope also decides that she wants to share the same chair with Mamma.

About 1730, the garden came to life. The Blue Jays had been pecking at the seed on the big tray feeder. Then, the Dark-eyed Juncos arrived along with the little woodpecker. Dyson showed up with her three kits, and then Little Red had to come and push its weight around. He is a bully to all the grey squirrels. I think this is the opposite of what happens in the UK, but Little Red is decidedly ‘the boss’ and lets everyone know it. I find it unsettling when there is always plenty of food for everyone, and territory is not an issue.

The Dark-eyed Juncos are one of my favourite migrating visitors to the garden.

A female Hairy Woodpecker enjoying the new suet.

Dear Dyson. The Matriarch of the Clan still going strong. Dyson and her three kits appear to be in very good health. Their coats are lovely and their fur is getting nice and thick for winter. No one is missing a tail either!

Storm Babet hit the UK, leaving many without power, streets flooded, and damage to one or more of the Osprey nests and cameras. There are continuing worries in many areas. We wait for people to be able to get out and check – and they need to be careful – as the water is still high in many places, such as Alyth.

Stay safe everyone!

It looks lovely near the Loch Arkaig nest where there is another surprise visitor.

Lady is taking care of both of her fledglings on the nest. So far, so good. I am almost in shock – in a good way – that these two, SE31 and 32, are flying about and returning to the nest. This is priceless after years of the Currawong chasing them out of the forest the minute they fledge. So hopeful.

Fledge day for 32, if you missed it.

Both safely on the nest.

This was the summary from the WBSE. Thanks, ‘A’: October 23: a quiet night, with 32 sleeping on PB and 31 nearby – neither on the nest. However it was good to see them both find their way “home” in the early morning when swooped by currawongs. Dad brought a fish at 7:10 – as usual 32 quick, but Lady flew in and claimed it. She ate some then fed the eaglets, with 32 eating more. When Lady left 31 came back and self-fed a little. During the day, both were nearby, and swooped by currawongs at times. When I checked in the forest during the day, I could hear them clearly yelling at currawongs, though out of sight. In the late afternoon at 17:42, Lady brought in a gull, which she took off the nest to PB to de-feather. She fed 32, and then both, with them picking at scraps when she flew off. Shortly after Dad brought in part of a fish, which was claimed by 31. Both then preparing for the night, but not on the nest.”

Port Lincoln. Dad brought in a nice fish and both chicks got a reasonable feed at breakfast.

Dad came in with a nice big stick later but Mum was not impressed and despite the winds told him to go fishing!

He returned a few hours later. Fish!

‘A’ reports on the last fish delivery: “The day was very windy and no more fish were brought in for the day until 19:43. Again, the younger chick had the front position and mum gave it lots of bites. It did very well indeed at that feeding. It did become increasingly unsteady on its feet at one stage, even toppling over sideways, I think because it is totally unused to moving with such a gigantic crop. It has never had one before that I’ve seen. But both chicks ate well and will go to sleep with full tummies. That’s what we like to see. Leftovers on the nest for an early breakfast would make things ideal but this dad does like to help himself to them (though he does often eat, then bring back the last of the fish for mum and the kids). In this case, mum finished off most of the leftovers herself. There is a tiny bit of fish still on the nest. The family snuggled down for the night at 20:00.” 

Breakfast came early at Orange.

More prey later. Xavier is an incredible provider. Indeed, look at the summary provided by Orange: “Here is the day’s summary from Orange: PREY 06.02.38, 08:04:14, 09.10.54, 14:56:04, 19:03:58 FEEDING 06.03(X), 08:04, 09.15, 14:57, 19:04 XAVIER BROOD 13:07:24. PREY today: small grebe, eastern rosella, red wattlebird, starling, and pigeon for supper.”

Contentment.

Osprey counting in The Gambia with Jean-marie Dupart.

Thunder and Akecheta were at the old West End nest on Sunday. Oh, how nice it was to see them up close. Akecheta brought in prey and was eating it when Thunder arrived. There was not much left for her. (Akecheta still has his wing tag #61. Thunder lost hers).

Chase and Cholyn were home at Two Harbours as well!!!!!!!!

Gabby and V3 were very busy at the nest on Sunday.

At SW Florida, M15 is delivering food gifts to F23.

Nancy and Beau are creating a new nest. Sadly, there might not be a camera but after the unhappy season earlier in 2023, we all wish them well.

Rosa and Martin were working hard at Dulles-Greenway. Wonder how they will take to this new nest after their old one collapsed right at fledging.

There was at least one adult and one sub-adult at the Decorah Eagle nest in Iowa. Those fall colours are gorgeous.

Not much longer til the Redding Eagle Cam is back on line.

I know that we are all glad that Anna is greatly improved. She was back at the nest on Sunday with Louis, preparing for the upcoming breeding season in Louisiana.

The only Black Stork from the Karula National Forest in Estonia that is sending location transmissions is Kalvi who remains in Bulgaria.

On 12 October Waba was at the Taga Sea of Galilee in Israel. On 30 September Karl II was at Gold Lake, Turkey. On October 5, Kaia was at the fish ponds at Neve Eitan Israel. No transmissions for the three of them since those dates. Bonus’s tracker ran out of battery when he was in Ukraine.

Birds flying in areas of conflict hoping to find food makes me nervous.

More sad news as more birds and wildlife go extinct.

21-species-removed-from-US-Endangered-Species-Act-after-going-extinct-US-news-The-GuardianDownload

I know that many of you are fans of the owl nest in Corona and they are getting it all ready for season 4.

There are concerns over Avian Flu in Canada with cases expected to rise as migration occurs.

Avian-flu-cases-expected-to-increase-in-Canada-CTV-NewsDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. We hope to have you back with us again soon in Bird World.

Thank you to the following for their posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A’, Livia Armstrong, Geemeff, Gracie Shepherd, Sandra Davies, Sydney Eagle Cam, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Jean-marie Dupart, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, Sassa Bird, Dulles-Greenway, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, FORE, Tonya Irwin, Looduskalender, The Guardian, Live Owl Camera, and CTV News.

Calypso lands on Mum while there is a pip in egg at PLO…Monday in Bird World

16 October 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, golly. We are halfway through October! Hard to believe. Sunday was a gorgeous fall day in southern Manitoba. The geese and ducks are still landing on the lakes in the City. Hundreds can be found where there is good grass. It is 16 C and just amazing, warm yet there is a crispness in the air – a nice change from the summer that was filled with the smoke of the more than 900 wildfires burning in Canada.

In the garden, there are still Pine Siskins and Dark-eyed Juncos joining the Blue Jays, the Sparrows, the House Sparrows – and, of course, Dyson and gang and Little Red.

Calico, Hope, and Missey are doing well. Play has taken over the house once again and it often sounds like a band of horses are having a race. There is enough bird and squirrel activity to keep everyone occupied and today, they had special treats – pine cones. Lewis loved to play with pine cones and I would often bring home a pocket full if I found some.

Sunnie Day posted this amazing announcement. The first ospreys breeding in Kansas – land of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.

Successful-osprey-nesting-recorded-for-state-of-Kansas-at-Perry-Lake-Kansas-City-District-KansasDownload

At Port Lincoln, everyone continues to wait for the first pip. Today that first egg is 40 days old and I am going to say that it could very well be unviable. The second egg is 37 days old with the third at 34. I want to be hopeful that we will have one chick. Fingers crossed…but I also have to look up the average day for hatch for Eastern Ospreys. Hold on. OK. The article below the ops board says incubation is on average 40 days for Eastern Ospreys — so we are right and ready for hatch.

Fact-File-Eastern-osprey-Pandion-haliaetus-cristatus-Australian-GeographicDownload

And then the oddest thing happened…thanks, ‘H’. Calypso, Mum’s 2019 hatch, lands on the nest!!!!!!!!!!

A pip is seen at 23:18:36. PLO is saying it is egg #2. (Top egg far right)

Partney and Marrum still have one nice osplet, Blythe.

While we wait, the two chicks of Diamond and Xavier are growing, getting their feathers, and reaching higher and higher for their prey. Diamond and Xavier are doing an incredible job with these two!

At Sydney, WBSE 31 and 32 are climbing higher and higher on the branches and are now flapping their wings. Send them positive wishes – no Curras!

The winds blew in the Sydney Olympic Forest and the parents brought in a bird (?) and then a fish.

I had a bit of a giggle. ‘Boulevard’. In Canada, the boulevard is the piece of grass (normally but people can plant whatever they wish as our City doesn’t maintain the boulevards any longer) between the sidewalk and the street. ‘B’ wrote reminded me that in other parts of the world ‘boulevard’ refers to a very broad street – like those created by Baron von Haussmann in Paris. ‘B’ found an interesting article explaining ‘boulevards’ – and it reminded me of the day that ‘H’ said she needed a dictionary to understand what I was saying. Apologies. My use of language often blends words from my childhood growing up in the southern US, to Canada, to the UK and the Indian subcontinent.

https://katherinebarber.blogspot.com/2020/06/whats-boulevard.html#:~:text=Boulevard%20is%20more%20generally%20used,median%20strip%20planted%20with%20trees.

“Intense human stupidity so that we can have strawberries in the winter.” water drying up and this is a place on the flyway that needs the water for the birds and wildlife. Surely to goodness we can do without exotic fruit in the winter!

Love is in the air at The Campanile.

Connie and Clive continue work on their nest along with most of the other Bald Eagle couples on the US mainland.

Kalvi continues to forage in Bulgaria while Waba is in Israel. No transmissions from either Kaia or Karl II. Bonus’s tracker (I sure hope it was the tracker) had issues some time ago, and there have been no more transmissions from him. It is worrisome.

Elain put together a compilation video of Manaaki and all of his fun friends this past season. A nice remembrance.

Some good news! But more needs to be done. These protective hook covers must be made mandatory! Please support all efforts.

Here is more detail:

Agreement-on-the-Conservation-of-Albatrosses-and-Petrels-Investing-in-innovation-funding-for-bycaDownload

I have not read it but, someone I trust has seen the book and thinks it is a great read. I put in an order – will keep you posted after its arrival.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. I am over Covid completely but more and more people that I know are coming down with it – here and in the US.

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘ B, H’, Sunnie Day, PLO, Fact File, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Katherine Barber, Conservation without Borders, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, Looduskalender Forum, Elain, Holly Parsons, ACAP, and the Toroa Gift Shop.

Saturday in Bird World

14 October 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you so much for your outpourings of love for Lewis and for sharing the stories of your beloved pets. It all meant so very much to me and was very comforting.

The house was so quiet without Lewis tearing around, jumping over all the furniture with one toy or another. Oh, that big, beautiful boy brought such love and laughter to our lives. He is really missed and I treasure every moment we had together from the time I first laid eyes on him when it was ‘love at first sight’.

Lewis’s short life teaches us to take full advantage of the present. There is absolutely nothing promised. Lewis went in for his annual jabs, and in less than a week, he had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Treasure all those around you. Tell them how much you love them. Settle any conflicts. Make the most of every moment that you have. You never know if it is the last.

The girls have done better than I expected. Missey called for Lewis and searched for him, and then in the early evening hours of Friday, she began to play. She ran from one end of the house to the other, with Hope and then with Calico joining in sometimes. It was ‘music’ to my ears to hear them skidding and sliding with things falling or rattling.

Calico and Hope moved into the main part of the house, and Missey could then be back in her much-loved conservatory watching the birds and squirrels. Hope has had the biggest adjustment. Feeding stations have been moved, and her little world got much bigger. She is doing much better than I anticipated. Calico is no longer nursing Hope and Hope has figured out who brings the food!!!!!!!!

These photos are not so good. The light was bright and they were taken with the phone camera.

Calico loves her baby blankie.

Odd that. This showed up on FB as an ad for a tea towel.

Today is the fall migration count. Please go out and check your garden or your park. Participate. Help and be a community scientist. Go to Cornell’s bird.org/octoberbigday for information if you have not already take part in bird counts.

Despite Mirvac turning off the cameras at 367 Collins Street, F22 and M22 returned to their eggs and were incubating them at the time the switch was pulled. Our hearts go out to them. An injury changed their entire breeding season. Was it a good thing because of El Niño this year? Would those chicks have baked in the sun? We will never know.

SK Hideaways put their last day on view for us in a video. Let us all wish them a safe year until we see these two again and let us, at the same time, see if we can figure out a way to get a screen over that scrape box. If Dave Hancock can build eagle nests with sun shades in Canada surely that same empathy can apply to falcons in Melbourne!

The names of the two fast growing and ever so sweet chicks of Diamond and Xavier will be revealed on Sunday. They are growing so fast and there seems no discrepancy on who gets fed – both are pretty equal with the second hatch stretching to get that prey!

Xavier keeps the family well fed.

Xavier and the chicks.

The chicks are way too big to fit under Xavier — and Diamond now! They are both thriving!

It is late Thursday night but it is Friday in South Australia and everyone is waiting to see if there will be a pip in the first egg at Port Lincoln.

Don’t know about anyone else but at 1354 it sure looked like there was a pip in one of those eggs. It could have just been the light or the marks…but, gosh, we are close if it isn’t.

The Sea Eaglets have had a bit of a tug o war with a piece of prey.

It won’t be long til these two beauties fledge.

In the land of Bald Eagles, nestorations continue.

Gabby and V3 are testing out the nest and egg cup constantly.

Thunder was at the old East End nest.

Baiba caught Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear.

Lady Hawk gives us some gorgeous images of M15’s new mate F23. She is a fierce beauty. Look at those eyes! Formidable.

Some articles I have been reading -.

Merlins. The small falcons are thriving in Northumberland at a wind farm!

Merlin-thrives-at-Northumberland-wind-farm-BirdGuidesDownload

My son looks out his office window and sees the coral bleaching because of the hot sea in the Caribbean. What is happening in Florida? Don’t be fooled – this is happening in many, many other places not just Florida and the Caribbean.

Extreme-Heat-Is-Taking-a-Toll-in-This-Florida-Bay-Hakai-MagazineDownload

Coins with nature.

Royal-Mint-unveils-new-coin-design-inspired-by-King-Charles-King-Charles-III-The-GuardianDownload

For Karl II’s family, there is no new data from either Kaia or Karl II. I am trying not to be concerned telling myself that they could be in an area where there is no coverage.

Waba is in Israel.

Kalvi is in Bulgaria.

Migration continues to be on everyone’s mind and Mary Cheadle posted this talk by Tim Mackrill on FB and I know that there I much you know and much you can learn. Have a listen.

The-Migrations-of-Ospreys-into-Africa-ShareScreen-AfricaDownload

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Please take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog today: The Radical Tea Towel Company, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Elain, PLO, Sea Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, IWS/Explore, Baiba, Lady Hawk BirdGuides, Hakai Magazine, The Guardian, Looduskalender Forum, Mary Cheadle and ShareScreen Africa.

Made my Day! Seren Blue 5Fs mother is seen in Senegal

11 October 2023

Good Morning,

It is Wednesday, and today is the day that Lewis has his test. I am touched – you will never realise how much – by the outpouring of concern and care for this big goofy, lovable cat. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget your kindness.

I took him off his pain meds thinking that they might have been the cause of his distress. His vomiting returned in spades in the middle of the night on Monday. He had little reprieve. He has plenty of water and is drinking, but regardless of the food – thin broth with babyhood, pulverised chicken and broth, tinned food – he cannot keep it down. An ultrasound will be taken to see if there is an obstruction and, of course, fluids for any dehydration – all providing that the HPI test comes out negative. Send warm thoughts to our big guy!

Pets are our children. These cats are mine now that my children are all grown.

I have had cats since I could crawl – as a toddler, my playmates were the strays my dad fed and a three-legged dog. Those strays were very gentle. It was a different time. Did anyone talk about HPI? No. Teeth problems? No. Cats going to a vet? Not really. My Dad had his own ‘home remedies’. Gosh, I would love to have a chat with him now.

Of course, he was not always right about their gender. Or was he? A big brown tabby came to our porch one day. Oh, it was a sweet soul. “Could I have it? I asked. My dad dutifully checked under the tail, pronouncing it was a boy, and said “yes”. My grandmother always said that the cat was “sweet”. She declined comment when I insisted that it was the most beautiful cat. “She sure is sweet” was a constant. Of course, she had kittens a few weeks later and lived another ten years with us. A girl! Maybe my Dad knew but didn’t want to alert my mother. Who knows! I mean seriously could he not have known the difference? Those kittens were gorgeous. Each one was a smokey blue-grey colour with yellow eyes…yes, like Burmese. Being my dad, we kept them, too. ——– The point of all of this is that it is hard to deal with the members of our animal family when they are ill. They are family. They bring us joy in the same way that the birds do. We want to heal them when they are sick or injured. It is like we wanted to reach out and mend Little Mini’s leg at Patchogue or make F22 at Collins Street well so she could incubate her eggs.

For now, I am waiting to see if Lewis can be helped. It is the waiting that is hard. Watching him suffer eats away at my soul. If love could heal him, Lewis would be thriving. There are 15 more hours of waiting as I write this – waiting to find out if he is HPI negative or positive. The result of that test will determine the outcome. I have just given him his sedative and will give him another in the morning. A long walk in the park helped me clear my head and realise that whatever the result is – this is all about Lewis. Not me. Lewis. His quality of life is all that matters.

There were lots of geese and some ducks plus Dark-eyed Juncos everywhere, various types of sparrows flitting about, and a couple of hawks. Gulls, too. It was a beautiful clear, crisp fall day.

As I was walking through the park, it was World Mental Health Day. One thing I have learned by being out in the forests and the parks and spending time with the animals in my garden, the birds, and the cats – trees and nature in all its glory is a place where we can settle our troubled minds. Just find a bench and sit in the sun. Close your eyes and listen to the birds. Or listen to the stillness. It is gold.

Migration is in full swing in southern Canada. In the eastern US, Hawk Mountain gives us their most recent count. The birds follow the thermals over the mountains. The Broad-winged hawks are certainly doing well.

There was a lot of sadness in Osprey World last season and when good news comes it just makes you tingle. Well, it doesn’t get much better than this. Last week Blue 5F Seren, the female from Llyn Clywedog and mate of Dylan, was spotted on her normal concrete post in The Gambia. I posted those images just the other day. Well, look, at this – it is Seren’s mother!!!!!!! Yellow 30. Is she the oldest breeding female in the UK now that Mrs G is no longer with us?

My friend Tiger Mozone and I have chatted often about the Ospreys and how two things go into making success – good DNA and a heck of a lot of luck. Yellow 30 certainly has both and she passed that on to her daughter, Blue 5F Seren. I hope that continues down to Seren and Dylan’s fledglings, too.

Jean-Marie Dupurt counted 222 Ospreys in Senegal yesterday including ‘his old friend Yellow 30.’

Sadly, many migrating birds continue to be lost as they cross the border into Malta on their way to Africa. It is time to figure out how to help those in Malta deliver a message to the politicians that humans care about these birds and indiscriminate slaughter for sport needs to be banned.

GPS-Tracked Protected Birds Disappear As They Make It To Malta: https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/pets/gps-tracked-protected-birds-disappear-as-they-make-it-to-malta/

In Australia, the oldest 2023 chick, SE31 did branch – real branching! Congratulations. A bittersweet moment as this leads up to fledgling too soon.

Here is the video of that historical milestone for SE31.

SK Hideaways gives us another look!

Oh, gosh, Xavier is so tiny compared to Diamond! Here he is arriving with prey for the babies and Mum. Adorable isn’t a big enough word.

The chicks can now see. Consequently, they are also snatching morsels of food out of their parent’s beak. A milestone.

Doesn’t this image just make you melt? Notice the pin feathers coming in and you can clearly see the crops when they are full. Their eyes are bright and focused and their beaks and feet are losing that pink baby colouring.

This is Cilla Kinross’s latest blog on the 7 and 8 day old chicks of Xavier and Diamond and, as we can expect, it is a great report on these two healthy chicks. Gosh, golly they can take the gloom out of any day.

Week-old-chicks-thriving-–-FalconcamDownload

Martin and Rosa visit the brand new nest at Dulles-Greenway. They fledged three last year – fantastic parents – and one chick the year prior. Let us hope this new nest serves them well for years to come. They are an incredible couple. Watching them raise the three eaglets in 2023 was inspirational. Be sure to put this nest on your watch list.

Lady Hawk gives us some gorgeous images of F23 at SW Florida.

Pip watch officially begins today at Port Lincoln.

Victor Hurley has stated that the camera feed at 367 Collins Street will only be on for a few more days. For those who might be playing catch up, it appears that Mum, F22, was injured. Precisely what the problem was or what caused it is not known. she abandoned the eggs. The male tried to incubate them, and then Mum came for a few hours, but they are considered unviable by Victor Hurley, who monitors this and many other nests throughout Victoria.

Some really good information in the form of an easy to understand chart on Bald Eagle nesting. It is a great resource to keep you informed as to what is happening state by state.

Jolene and Boone have been working on the Johnson City, TN nest for the past day.

Checking on Jackie and Shadow. Did you know that their nest is one of the highest in terms of elevation in the US? It sits on top of a Jeffrey Pine Nest (145 feet up) at 7100 ft.

Did Jack go fishing and fly to the Achieva nest that he shares with Diane to dry off on Tuesday?

In New Zealand, YRK, the mate of OGK, has been seen on the headland! I am going to wish for a miracle – to see OGK waddling over a bumpy hill!

Help get snares banned in Scotland!

Call-for-Scotlands-Environment-Minister-to-ban-all-snares-including-the-cynically-renamed-‘humane-Download

Following Karl II’s family. There remains no transmission from the beloved patriarch Karl II. Kaia, his mate, has reached the Sudanese border. This is fantastic news. Kalvi is till in Bulgaria.

Thank you so much for being with me and for all your notes and good wishes for Lewis. As someone reminded me today, if love could heal my dear Lewis, he would be in top form. I do want you to know how much I appreciate your kindness. Please take care. Stay safe!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me with my short report today: Woodland Trust, Hawk Mountain, John Williams, Jean-Marie Dupurt, Se McGreger, Sydney Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Cilla Kinross, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Dulles-Greenway, Lady Hawk, PLO, Linda McIlroy, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Baiba Grausting, Johnson City Bald Eagles, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Royal Albatross Centre, Raptor Persecution UK, and Looduskalender Forum.

Monday in Bird World

9 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

To those in Canada celebrating Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving to you! And to everyone else reading this, I am thankful to all of you – what a beautiful community of empathetic, intelligent, bird-loving people you are! I feel truly blessed to be in your company. Thank you for all your good wishes for today.

Sunday was coolish – an incredibly gorgeous fall day full of yellows, reds, and oranges. The nature centre was full of people enjoying the fall foliage and the Canada Geese that were landing on the lakes and fields. There were a few Mallards about and some House Sparrows and a feisty squirrel at one of the feeders.

All of the garden animals were out. A few Dark-eyed Juncos visit the deck. I did remember, after a comment from ‘J’ to get out there and carve that pumpkin up a bit to see if the squirrels would get interested. Will keep you posted. Mr Crow was on the hydro line and I wonder if he saw the pumpkin and thought it might be tasty.

Little Red has been digging around in the old planting boxes. I haven’t seen him going in and out of the wood box and this worried me a bit so it was great to see him today.

Remember the chubby little baby Blue Jay, just fledged, that slept with the two clay bird ornaments? Well, look now! Beautiful.

The ‘girls’ are doing well. I am sad to report that Lewis took a turn for the worse. He has been unable to keep any food down – and believe me, I have tried everything. Broth, Baby food, tinned food with broth, pulverised chicken. We wait and hope that this situation will change. It is hard to deal with any suffering.

Hope is growing fast and continues to want to play more than she wants to eat.

Calico and I have almost finished our WWII spy novel by Cara Black. Wonder what she will want to read next? I am imagining putting my comfy chair by the wood stove in the dead of winter with Calico on my lap reading away.

These cats have taught me so much about the need for a safe space that is ‘their own’ and how stabilising a routine is – even for cats!

Lewis always feels better after he throws up. Sleeping on one of his favourite chairs. Poor little guy. The Gaviscon bottle is being emptied as my stomach churns repeatedly for him.

Missey was caught in Lewis’s carrier. Oh, if something happens to dear Lewis, Missey will be lost. They have been glued at the hip since they were both adopted as rescues on 2 November 2022. This evening she has been very motherly – washing and washing Lewis – over and over – and comforting him.

It is all about Peregrine Falcons – we have had falcons on our minds since the news at Melbourne. The clutch at Melbourne is believed lost for this year. We hope the female will recover from any injuries she has sustained. Our new dad, M22 – remember he was not the father of the chicks last year but came in and helped like Xavier did with Diamond years ago, is refusing to give up on those eggs. He flew in and incubated them on Monday.

There was a video posted by the Bondi Vet, Chris, in Sydney, Australia. Do you know this character? A Peregrine Falcon couple at the Westfield Mall came into his care. Oh, this is good – ten minutes long. Enjoy.

Meanwhile, Diamond and Xavier and the two little ones – who will have names on the 15th of October – are doing fantastic. Gosh, golly, they are so cute. I fear those pink beaks and toes and that fluffy white are giving way, and little feathers are popping in underneath. The first hatch is visibly larger than the second now…a female? Probably.

So cute!

In this video by Elain, Xavier feeds the babies and Diamond, too! Very special moments of our incredible family.

‘A’ writes, “Dear little Xavier had a brief period brooding the chicks late this afternoon (about 15 or 20 minutes), during which he made valiant but futile efforts to cover the chicks by sitting up and leaning over them. He was obviously concerned about being unable to fit the egg underneath him too, and tried several times (eventually successfully) to cover it. So sweet but not a chance of brooding the two chicks. He really is tiny. Check him out when he delivers prey to Diamond. She is gigantic, especially with all her broody underfluffies, whereas Xavier is very sleek, which accentuates how much smaller he is.”

 

At The Campanile, Lou is sunbathing. Nice to see these two are safe and sound. I worry about them because of the poisoning of pigeons, too. Stay safe you two!

‘N’ sent me a note asking what books I recommend on Peregrine Falcons. Here is my list – not in order of preference.

Richard Sals and Steve Watson. Everything you ever wanted to know about falcons and more. A monumental book – great reference.

J. A. Baker. The Peregrine.

Christie Gove-Berg. (especially for children)

Madeline Dunphy. The Peregrine’s Journey. Similar to Belle’s Journey that documents the migration of an Osprey.

Alan Tennant. On the Wing.

There are, of course, many, many books that mention falcons.

On Sunday, Thunder and Akecheta sunned themselves at the West End Bald Eagle nest. What a gorgeous couple. Wonder if they might reconsider their nest location this year. Nudge, nudge.

Gracie Shepherd caught more of Thunder and Akecheta.

Everyone is hopeful that there will be a clutch of eggs in that nice soft nest Gabby and V3 are working on.

The adults are on the nest in Webster, Texas on Sunday.

Connie and Clive have been working on their nest at Captiva on Monday.

Gosh, 1800. Start checking on Jackie and Shadow. These two love to come to the nest in the early evening. They are certainly doing a close inspection!

In Central Park, Bruce Yolton gives us the latest on Flaco and his adventures living in the ‘wild’ of the Big Apple. (Lots of videos in the blog below)

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Monday was the first time I heard Pied Currawongs in the forest while watching the Sea Eaglets SE31 and 32. Someone will tell me that I am a bit daffy, but there doesn’t seem to be an over abundance of prey being delivered to the nest.

At Port Lincoln, Dad brought three fish to the nest on Sunday. Both are doing incubation duty. Egg 1 was laid on the 6th of September. Depending on how you count, that would be 24 days in September plus 10 in October, making that egg 34 days old. Hang on, we will be on pip watch shortly!

Checking on the progress of Karl II and his family from both BirdMap and Looduskalendar Forum. The Birdmap check on all of the storks – not just Karl II’s family – is from the 6th. Please note the concern for Karl II who has not sent data from the 30th of September.

Kaia is making good progress towards her winter home in Chad.

Kaia continues and she I snow in the Eastern Desert.

Kalvi is still in Bulgaria.

Turkey is where Waba is currently foraging.

The second Condor chick in 2023 has fledged! Fantastic.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care – and please continue to send your best warm wishes to all the nests and to our dear Lewis.

Thank you to the following for their notes, questions, articles, posts, videos, photos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, J, N’, Bondi Vet, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Elain, SK Hideaways, IWS/Explore, Gracie Shepherd, Carol Shores Rifkin, Webster TX Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, FOBBV, Bruce Yolton, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Looduskalendar Forum, and Ventana Wildlife Society.

Cheeping can be heard at Orange…Sunday in Bird World

1 October 2023

Good Morning,

Gosh, we watched that big beautiful Harvest Moon as it welcomed us into the month of October. What a view through the roof of the Conservatory!

As I write, it is 25 degrees C, a gorgeous fall day with blue skies and vibrant yellow leaves poking their way through the window frame. The Blue Jays are visiting the table feeder, and Dyson has been scurrying about.

Hope reminded me that Uncle Claudio said to use the ‘Marigolds’ on the upholstery, and the cat hair would come right off. Marigolds are rubber gloves used for washing up. They have little prickles on the underneath that work wonders lifting cat hair. Rub the gloves in circles. Incredible. Thanks, Uncle Claudio!

Hope also likes to help sweep up, but I’m not sure she would care for hoovering. She had such fun with the little broom this afternoon. She will not allow me to stroke her unless she is distracted. Hope will also come up close if Calico is sleeping on my lap. If I pretend to be asleep on the couch, she will come and sleep on my leg. It is slow going, but we will get there! I wish she had been found as a wee kitten, not a 9-week-old, very independent lass.

Things with Covid – the sore throat is gone. The wobblies have passed, and I no longer have a temperature. The Covid test is still showing positive, but things are beginning to look up, and this will pass in a couple of days. You need to take care. There are now reports of Covid cases almost everywhere (did they ever really cease? No). Make sure you are prepared. Did I mention throat lozenges? Aspirin or related products to reduce fever? Nothing tastes good, but you must eat to maintain your strength. So, have things that are easy to make and might make you want to have a bite. Who cares if you eat soup, biscuits (cookies), Ice cream, and frozen dinners for a week? Whatever motivates you. I did find oranges were one of the real treats once my throat quit hurting.

The kittens and I listened to Ferris Akel’s tour today while cleaning. There were some nice waterfowl and wading birds on Saturday.

There were Cormorants.

The first thing I will do when I am negative is to go and see the geese landing on their way south! Can’t wait. Maybe there will be a Cormorant or two with them.

The latest announcement from the SW Florida Eagle nest:

The view Saturday night at Fort Myers.

The weather was not good at The Hamlet. Gabby was alone on the Walleda Branch all night. Where is V3? My heart aches for our girl.

Fish continue to be delivered to Lil’Arb at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest – three came in by 1200 on Saturday! The fishing is good, the weather is fine – no reason to take off. This Dad is amazing – what a change from an inexperienced Mum. This fledgling is getting a right good start to his migration.

Cheeping can be heard on the microphone at Orange! Turn your volume up in the ledge cam (not the side like this image), and – well, we are almost there! Xavier and Diamond must be so excited.

Xavier really wanted some egg time and he tried to convince Diamond to leave and let him but, no way. The couple appeared to chat and listen to the eggs. They know their baby/babies are almost here. In fact, Diamond is acting a wee bit suspicious as I finish up the blog this morning. Fingers crossed.

Birdie Cam got these adorable falcons and their egg time competition on video!

‘A’ writes: “”This is the cutest event of the day at Orange, given the hatch probably won’t occur until after midnight so will be tomorrow’s cutest event. At 11:42:45 this morning (Sunday 1 October), Xavier put up a phenomenal three-minute battle for the right to brood the eggs. (He must know that his egg time is fast running out and his precious eggs will soon become open screeching little beaks, though he adores them as well of course.) At any rate, I have NEVER seen him put up such an effort to win the right to brood eggs. And he very nearly won! Well, technically he did win, but then Diamond had a stern word to him and shortly before 11:46, he decided that perhaps he had better get up and retreat. But the effort he made to actually get onto those eggs in the first place truly has to be seen to be believed. I am certain there will be internet video posted of it – I am looking for it now. But it really was fantastic, and illustrates perfectly why we all adore this sweet little falcon so very very much. He is a one-off.”

It is possible that something is happening with the egg on the left after 1500. Or. perhaps we are all just seeing things because we want to!

At Sydney, the Sea Eagles are jumping and flapping all over the nest.

‘A’ notes, “At WBSE Dad brought in a headless medium-sized fish soon after 11:44 and although SE31 tried to steal it from him, he retained control of it and fed the entire thing to SE32. Right at the end, when SE31 pushed right up to Dad’s beak, SE32, who ate lying duckling style throughout the meal, had his eye on a line below SE31 – he was ready to grab for that fish tail the moment it became accessible. He was like lightning, grabbing and turning away with his prize in a single movement, then horking down the tail with any remaining flesh attached. Dad picked up a small leftover piece and fed that to SE32 as well, finished any remaining flakes himself, and left SE32 with a nice crop and SE31, for once, disappointed. The new self-feeding regime has left SE32 with a bit of a dilemma, as he is not large enough or aggressive enough to beat his sister in a battle for the prey, whereas he was fine with sitting and sharing at the table. So until he improves his ability to win the prey, retain it and self-feed effectively from it, he will be losing out on his share of the food. So that fish was a nice bonus for his day.” 

32 waiting!

Gosh, it is a beautiful view at Superbeaks. That saturated colour is gorgeous. I’m looking forward to this year. Thank you to everyone who introduced me to this nest last year!

Sticks are being moved at Big Bear. Jackie and Shadow have been working diligently. What a relief to see these two together, no intruders, bonding and working for their future – oh, please let them have one nice healthy eaglet this year.

Thunder visited the West End nest on Saturday gazing out over the water. She is lovely.

Connie and Clive have been working on their nest at Captiva.

Trudi Kron reports that Nancy and Beau have been working on their new nest, across the road from the one that collapsed last year, killing their surviving eaglet. It is not known if the Minnesota DNR will be able to install a cam so that we can watch their activities for the coming year.

Martin and Rosa weren’t seen on the Dulles-Greenway Nest when I was checking but the camera crew caught the squirrel who is nesting in the lower part of the nest with its little one!

The heat started at Melbourne after 0900 when Mum began to pant heavily to try and regulate her temperature. It is a cooler day, only 19 C – on Sunday in Melbourne. Rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday after the heat rises again on Monday to 28 C.

Keeping an eye on Mum and Dad2 at Port Lincoln. Still a ways until we will have pip watch here on the barge.

The latest map of our Black Storks from Karula and their migration. Thanks Maria Marika!

Too many species are facing extinction. What can we do? Lots. We will talk about that when I am feeling better, but each day, you can help the birds and the wildlife where you live, those birds out your back door that bring you joy with their song. Could you put out water? For drinking. For baths. If you can afford it, put out food for them. It took me a while, but I finally found farmers in my province who deliver Black Oil seed right to my door. They even have a fantastic seed mixture. By cutting out all of the people in the middle, the savings I have made means that I can continue supporting the hundreds of birds that come during the day to the garden. More and more farmers are diversifying. Many discovered the farm-to-table movement during Covid 19. They can get more money for their products and offer their customers savings. Could you check it out? It could change your birding life. [If you live in Manitoba and would like to know the contact information for local delivery by farmers providing bird seed, send me an e-mail: maryannsteggles@icloud.com].

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Ducks are being rescued in Australia.

Thank you for being with me this morning. So excited for what is happening at Orange. Xavier just be sooooooo excited. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my newsletter this morning: ‘A’, Ferris Akel, Nancy Babineau and SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, MN Landscape Arboretum, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Birdie Cam and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Superbeaks, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, Window to Wildlife, Trudi Kron, Dulles-Greenway, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Maria Marika, The Guardian, and Western Australian SeaBird Rescue.

Pip Watch at Orange, camera on at SWFlorida…Saturday in Bird World

30 September 2023

Good Morning,

I hope you are all well – and, please, stay that way. New masking restrictions are coming into play in various provinces in Canada as this new Covid variant takes hold. I slept almost all Friday curled up with Calico in the conservatory. Oh, what a loving cat she is. I wouldn’t take a million dollars for her and Hope! Or Missey and Lewis. Several have written about wanting to adopt Hope. I could never separate her and Calico. Their story makes me believe that magical things can happen.

The pair of them continue to play like kittens, and we count the days until I am well and can manage the four to ensure their lives together, living in the open, are safe for all. They all deserve it. Hope watched the Blue Jays cracking open the Black Oil seeds at the table feeder and the leaves blowing across the garden and deck. We have started a new book – new to them anyway. The Meaning of Geese. I read it in the winter and came to love the Siberian geese in parts of the UK. As our geese fly in to fatten up and head South, it is a good reminder of how wonderful these birds are. I hope they like it!

We are heading to the 1st of October in Orange, and we are on ‘pip’ watch for Diamond and Xavier. Should the first laid egg be fertile and viable, we should be seeing some action soon. We are holding our breath.

I will raise many eyebrows, and some of you will yell at me, but I hope that Diamond and Xavier have one strong hatch. Let’s see another Izzi in this scrape – not a strong first hatch and a weaker second one with feather development issues.

Keep your eyes on Orange.

Elain did ‘Highlights of Prince Manaaki’ for all those missing that cute little bundle of fluff who turned into a Royal Albatross. Loved watching him garden!

Expecting to see one of the Sea Eaglets interested in that parent branch shortly.

‘A’ has been watching them but had missed the singing, “I found the sea eaglets ‘singing’ with their parents the most adorable thing. Thank you so much for drawing my attention to that. Of course, as it happened at 05:25 and was not something that I picked up while scrolling through the footage, I would have missed it otherwise. Aren’t they looking beautiful? As I have mentioned over the past fortnight, the world beyond their nest has been fascinating to them, especially SE32, and I am truly hoping this will make them less fearful of the currawongs and crows. They are both much larger birds than the blue jays that bothered Angel. 

It is hot in Melbourne, and it is not even 0900. Why didn’t someone do something about the sun on that scrape? or remove that scrape box altogether?

A noticed this, “Poor mum is doing the morning shift at Collins Street and she has been panting since before 9am. Tonight, our clocks go forward an hour, meaning the shadow will not hit the scrape until an hour later than it is currently doing, and this will gradually get worse as time progresses. Today, mum is absolutely baking. It is SO hot out there. I hate to think of what it will be like in three or four weeks time when those babies have natal down rather than thermal down and the parents are going to have to shade them for at least three hours each day. Not sure how dad is going to manage that when he is already having problems brooding the four eggs (though he is valiant in his efforts and always finds a way somehow).”

The sight of the eyases almost roasting last year still haunts many of us. 

It is going to be 30 degrees today, which means it will be a lot hotter on that ledge. Sending out positive thoughts to our lovely Melbourne Couple.

At Port Lincoln, the oldest egg is now 24 days old. We still have a ways to go before hatch!

Egg dates: 6, 9, and 12 September.

Looks who is back fishing at Delamere.

A rallying call to vote for the Peregrine Falcon as Australia’s 2023 bird of the year. Remember go to The Guardian to vote!

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A really quick check at some of the Bald Eagle nests – almost without exception, the Bald Eagles are busy readying their nests for next season.

Pepe and Muhlady paid an early morning visit to Superbeaks.

Jackie and Shadow returned after 1800 to work on their nest at Big Bear Lake on Friday.

Baiba catches that first stick delivery by Shadow in video.

Life is still – seemingly – unsettled for Gabby at NE Florida. No confirmation of who came to the nest on Friday.

Raining hard at ‘The Hamlet’ and no one knows who is on or off the nest.

Anna is still having trouble with her injured leg at the KNF nest that she shares with her mate, Louis.

Connie and Clive are working on their nest at Captiva. Wishing them a good year.

Checking on our Black stork family from Estonia, Karl II and Kaia almost took the same flight path – like almost identical – to get to Bursa, Turkey.

Kalvi is in Bulgaria.

Waba continues to fish on the Danube River in Romania.

The RSPB’s State of Nature (in the UK) report is out and it makes for some very grim reading. The main threats to wildlife are: “The changes in the way we manage our land for farming, and climate change were the biggest causes of wildlife decline on our land, rivers and lakes. At sea, and around our coasts, it was as a result of unsustainable fishing, climate change and marine development.”

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Do you have a garden? Do you have friends or relatives that do? Have they given away all the cucumbers and zucchini they can to their friends and still have more? What about that kale? Wildlife Rehab Centres always need fresh vegetables for their patients. Your local wildlife rehab clinic will be so grateful for the food gifts.

Thank you for being with me today. Cameras will be turned on Saturday at SWFlorida! Go and watch M15 and his new mate kick off a new season. Take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, photos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me: ‘A’, Charles Sturt FalconCam, Elain and NZ DOC, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Pam Hewstone and Friends of Osprey Sth Australia, The Guardian, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Tonya Irvin and KNF E-1, Looduskalender, and the RSPB.

Jackie and Shadow are back…Friday in Bird World

29 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for all your wonderful ‘get well’ notes.

Thursday was worse. I thought things would be better, but the day started much worse. I am doing what the doctor orders – drinking lots of water or tea and sleeping as much as possible. Thankfully, there is not much happening in Bird World. In Winnipeg, the Snow Geese are arriving! The Canada Geese are leaving. The Robins continue to fly through. Migration is going both ways.

The hardest thing about being sick is seeing Calico watching me from the glass door, wanting more stories! Oh, that kitten – she still is a kitten (hard to believe with what she has been through), and she loves to curl up on my lap and listen to a good book. You can tell which ones she likes. It must be the author’s words – she prefers one to another. We have now finished five books in the last month. Today marks a month and three days that Calico has lived in the house. On 2 October, Hope will have been with us for a month. She listens to the stories but prefers to play. It is lovely. Cannot imagine life without the four of them, 16 legs and how many bags of litter a month? And I’m not too fond of cat food. It is just too funny. Hope loves sardines. One good thing about having Covid is I cannot smell them.

It rained, and the wind was blowing leaves everywhere. The Blue Jays were in the garden along with Dyson and Little Red. Hope and Calico spend time atop their ‘tent’ enclosure. Hope enjoys looking at what is happening outside. Missey and Calico have a truce, and there is no more animosity at the glass door. Even Lewis has calmed down. As soon as I am up to it, they will all be inside the main part of the house together.

‘L’ asked me how I taught Hope to do the High 5s. I didn’t. She taught me!

Hope’s eyes remind me of Missey’s!

Hope is so healthy. Look at those fat little legs. Calico still lets her nurse. You might be able to tell, but dear Calico is putting on a little weight. She no longer looks starving and sunken in with her bones being the most significant thing you first see.

Lewis is a big boy. He doesn’t know it, but he will get a new toy – a reward – if he can be gentle when Calico enters the living area with Hope in a few days.

No more growling or hissing at the door between Calico, Missey, or Lewis. It is lovely.

Calico is a gentle soul. I cannot imagine anyone dumping this wonderful kitten in the cold of winter.

Hope, Calico, Missey and Lewis have decided that instead of making pumpkin pie with our little pumpkin, we will put peanut butter in holes and leave it out for the squirrels. Want to join us? You could do this with your children or you could do it after you have your Halloween pumpkin. Just load up a bunch of holes with peanut butter!

I have been so sick or busy that I missed it. Voting time for The Guardian’s favourite Australian Bird. The Peregrine Falcon is in 8th place so far. Check it out; pick your favourite. You can vote every day! You do not have to be Australia, but there are funds to help with conservation, so please go and vote.

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This will just warm your hearts. SE31 and 32 join in the morning duet with Mum and Dad. Oh, I used to love to sit and watch SE26. 26 loved to sing the duet. It was so beautiful.

Watching these two and this beautiful family is so bitter sweet. I wish there was so solution to the Currawongs.

They are becoming very interested in what is happening outside the nest.

It doesn’t get much sicker than this. The migrating birds are not protected in places like Malta because of politics. So, vote with your wallet. Refuse to travel to countries where there are laws to protect migrating birds and those laws are flippantly disobeyed by the hunters. Malta. Lebanon. There are others but those are on the top of my list today.

I wept for my friends in Latvia. They work so hard to try and build the small numbers of birds in their country to something significant, and then to have that beautiful fledgling of this year blown out of the sky for no reason other than someone could aim a gun and pull a trigger for fun. It makes my blood boil.

The end of the season at the Royal Albatross Colony as only 4 are left to take off to the skies and the open sea. Cornell did a short you tube video on what you can expect for September-October.

The Snow Geese might be flying over Minnesota to get to Canada and further north but Dad is still at the Landscape Arboretum in Minnesota bringing fish to Lil’ Arb.

Look who was home today! Jackie and Shadow. What a delight to see these two working on their nest together. It is such a relief to see mated pairs return together to their nests uninjured.

Cali Condor has it in a video.

At the Pritchett Farm, M15 and the new female continue to bond and work on their nest. The season looks promising. Please send out positive energy so that these two can start their lives together in peace.

Things continue to ‘feel’ unsettled at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest. There have been visitors to the Northeast Bald Eagle nest. Unconfirmed. V3 did not visit the nest on Thursday. Gabby was briefly there. Unknown was on the nest later.

Gabby is not happy. Has your heart dropped down to your ankles yet? Will this be a repeat of 2022?

We all love the underdogs that survive, and Flaco is one of those. This Eurasian Owl escaped from its cage at the Central Park Zoo and is now enjoying a life of freedom. Bruce Yolton follows him for us daily as he finds food and survives in the wilds of New York City! Bruce has recently posted some good (and short) videos about Flake’s activities. I hope you are enjoying them.

New York City has hired specialists to help deal with its rat problem, especially since the pandemic. The worry has been the use of rodenticides. We must all remember that Raptors are the solution – the answer to problems with rats and mice. Falco loves this great big rat (it looks like that to me because of the tail).

Well, we are nearly there. It can take as long as 72 hours from a the sighting of the first pip (little chip in the egg) to the eyas being fully hatched. All eyes are on Orange!

At Port Lincoln, Mum gets off the eggs, very excited. Dad2 is flying in with the second fish of the morning – a headless offering which will give Mum a nice round crop. We get a good look at the eggs!

I am holding my breath. This nest has broken our hearts more than once. Will there be a change with the new lad? Will he be a sufficient provider for all the chicks to survive? We wait.

For those new to watching Ospreys develop, the Manitoba Osprey Project put together an informative and concise sheet on what to expect. It will help you as you watch these adorable little dinosaurs. You can click on any of the tabs for the Montana file below to find out other information.

Remember. The Port Lincoln Ospreys are Eastern Ospreys. The Montana Ospreys are Western. Eastern Ospreys do not migrate. Western Ospreys do (for the most part – exceptions are in the warmer climates of the southern US). Western Ospreys vary in their dates for fledging, but many studies indicate a date of 52.8 days after hatch (51-54 days). The average fledge date in Australia is 69 days (Kangaroo Island studies).

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Mum looks pretty comfortable at 367 Collins Street. It is nearing noon on Thursday, and she does not seem heat-stressed. This is good. We should be able to enjoy the Orange hatchlings for a bit before focusing on the white fluff balls hatching on this ledge high over the CBD in Melbourne.

Last, let us check on the status of migration for Karl II and his family. This year’s fledgling, Kalvi, is in Bulgaria on the 28th.

Waba (2022 fledgling) is in Romania fishing at the Danube River.

Karl II is in Turkey!

Kaia is also in Turkey!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please keep your eyes on the scrape of Diamond and Xavier at Orange! Pip watch is soon. Take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘Geemeff’, The Guardian, SK Hideaways and Sydney Sea Eagles, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Birdlife Malta, Cornell Bird Lab, MN Landscape Arboretum, Cali Condor and FOBBV, FOBBV, Saunders Real Life Photography, NEFL-AEF, Bruce Yolton, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, University of Montana, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and the Looduskalender Forum.

3 days to hatch watch at Orange…Karl II is alive…Wednesday in Bird World

27 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, it was a lovely fall day on the Canadian Prairies. The windows were flung open to let out all the stale air. Watching Hope listen to the sounds of the birds in the garden was incredible. She watches every leaf that flies over the conservatory’s roof – she wants to play. What a happy little kitten she is. Today is day 14 – it has been two weeks since Calico’s spaying. Had I felt better, Hope and Calico would have begun the second round of integration into the household on Tuesday. I don’t want anything to go sideways, no hiccups, since I am not on top of my game with this Covid. Calico, Missey, and Lewis had learned to live together. Calico is protective of Hope, which can potentially cause a problem. But soon….I continue to think of the osplets on the nests. There is enough space, enough food, and enough attention for all of them. Enough toys and treats! There will be an uncomfortable few days, and the pecking order will be established and life will settle into a routine.

Hope. She is nothing short of a Mini-Calico with her black tear in the left eye, a single spot of white on her black, and her lovely disposition. I will bore you and I am sorry but I cannot look at the two of them without feeling a little overwhelmed – in a good way – that Hope found us and Mamma and baby were reunited.

As the sun was setting on Big Bear Lake, Jackie pays a visit! So very nice to see you.

Mini did not come to the Patchogue nest on Tuesday that I am aware. Many wonder why she has not migrated. Migration depends on a food source and it is obvious that Mini still has plenty of fish in the area to eat. There are rumours that the bay is full of Snapper and other fish. Why would she leave for something uncertain? Eat up! Get fat! Then go.

This might be of interest to you. Many North American Ospreys from the NE US fly over Cuba beginning in mid-September. This article points out that there are also large numbers in October.

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There has been ongoing worry about Karl II, the patriarch of the Karula National Forest Black Stork Nest Ian Estonia. His tracker stopped transmitting in Ukraine. This happened last year in an area where the cell service was disrupted because of the war. Now, Karl II has sent data!!!!!!! He is alive. Oh, thank goodness.

The time has flown by. We are approximately three days from the hatch at Orange!!!!!!!! We will enjoy these little fluff balls before things start to crack at Melbourne.

While Diamond and Xavier wait for their three eggs to hatch, Annie and Lou are doing some serious beak bonding in The Campanile in California.

The might Mum, F22, at Collins Street.

SE31 and 32 – gorgeous. The plumage. They are working those wings, self-feeding, and getting ready for their fledge in October.

Dad taking his turn incubating while Mum returns from her break anxious to get back to her three eggs.

Ervie went over to Boston Island. He certainly seems to be exploring lately. Wonder what he had in his picnic?

Anna, who was injured, and Andria are at their nests at the Kisatchie National Forest Monday night.

An Osprey landed on the perch at Achieva where it seemed to be drying its wings in the wind.

At least five fish were delivered to the fledgling at the MN Landscape Arboretum Nest on Tuesday. Dad and Lil’ Arb are still around. The weather is good, the fish seem plentiful, and why not? Just like Mini – eat the fish where you are before flying off to points unknown!

It appears that Coco has left the Sandpoint nest and she and Dad, Keo, are on their way south.

Beautiful morning at Superbeaks. If you haven’t, add this Eagle nest in Central Florida to your watch list.

Exciting news of the Black-browed Albatross being spotted in the UK. This is an extremely rare event.

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Thank you for joining me today for a little snippet of the happenings in Bird World. We continue to monitor those few nests that still have juvenile Ospreys being fed by parents and, of course, are getting ever so excited about the lead-up to hatch at Orange. For me, though, the big event will be the sight of a tiny osprey in the nest at Port Lincoln. Those little ones with soft grey down and black eye lines melt the heart. Is it OK to hope we might have a better year with this new Dad? Only time will tell.

Take care everyone. Stay safe! See you soon.

Thank you so much to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my newsletter today: FOBBV, Journal of Raptor Research, Looduskalender, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam at Orange, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Tonya Irwin and KNF Eagle Cam Fans, Achieva Credit Union MN Landscape Arboretum, Sandpoint, Superbeaks, and Yorkshire Wildlife.

While I was away…

Hello Everyone,

I did not go anywhere exotic. I rarely left my home and garden, and it was a joyful week – full of time with Hope trying to socialise this bundle of joy, calming and reassuring Lewis, petting and reading to Calico and Missey, and writing two articles. There was also time to do what was intended – begin writing up the report on the 2023 Osprey breeding season data forms, focusing on the deaths and why they occurred. I needed the cats to balance off the sadness. Sometimes, you can see the birds waiting for their mate to return, and they don’t. Or the babies starving on the nests because society has yet to understand our need to care for them. If we are to survive, the birds, the animals, and the insects need to as well. As I mentioned before the break, the cats have taught me to live in the moment, enjoy, be thankful, and not dwell on the past or the future so that it wrecks ‘the now’. Still, there is an obligation to do what can be done to make the lives of those around me – the neighbourhood community cats, the garden animals, or the birds – as good as possible. Having travelled the world many times, missing what is right at one’s doorstep is easy. For me – now – ‘there is no place like Home’. I am as joyful watching the Blue Jays flit into the little covered feeder for peanuts as I would be walking along the waterfront in Kuching or Penang.

There was also another cat tree to put together. Poor Missey has been looking out a small window with bins full of birdseed stacked one on the other and a wicker basket with a blanket at the top. But this cat tree is nothing like the solid one I have had for two decades. It was obnoxious to assemble with the holes and screws not always lining up easily. Tip: If you have the funds and know someone handy with wood, get them to build you a solid one out of good plywood. You can take it to a local upholster to get it covered. At the end of the day, Missey prefers the wicker basket on the bins. Of course. My house looks like I have opened a cat daycare centre at times. Too funny, but it is driving me a little nuts, so there will be some consolidation this week!

Before checking what happened while I was away, Geemeff sent me a link to the BBC1 programme on Birds of Prey. Ospreys are about halfway through the 57 minutes, and the couple is Brodie and Asha from Loch Garten. But don’t just skip ahead because you will miss the most beautiful landscapes, and the images of the raptors are extraordinary. Enjoy.

Saturday: Mini shows up at the nest and spends about an hour. She looks good. She is putting more weight on that leg. It was windy due to Hurricane Lee’s outer bands. She hung onto the nest tight. This image of Mini is going on a mug. I want to see this magnificent bird every morning and wish her well. Thanks, ‘H’ for the alert.

Ranger Sharon confirms Manaaki fledged. Thanks, ‘R’.

Mum L came to feed Manaaki. She looked for him twice. Bittersweet moments for these dear parents.

Upcoming announcement:

Sunday: It seems that a nest of Ospreys is causing trouble for some organisers of a Green Man Festival in Wales. Let us hope that this does not result in any harm to the platform or any birds.

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Ervie travelled and might have met his sister, Calypso.

Ron and Rose began making changes to their refurbished and refortified nest in Miami-Dade County.

PG&E put up a new pole and nest for ospreys in the SF Bay Area. We need more of this!

Many Ospreys are still in Canada and have not started their migration. Lucky is well known in the Newfoundland Virginia Lake area.

Sea Eaglets enjoyed another ‘eel meal’.

Monday:

Mini visited the nest again Sunday evening at 2018 (17 September). It was already dark. Her leg looked to be bothering her. I wonder if the water has been rough and fishing hard? Mini will be 4 months old, 123 days.

My Mini mug arrived. She and I will have morning coffee together. The screen capture images work well for digital printing on items. The company I used said it was not a high enough resolution, but I told them to print it anyway. The image turned out lovely.

This will be the last sighting of our dear girl. She has come to the nest to say goodbye. Soar high for decades, dear one. May your crop always be full, may your leg heal, and may you thrive. You gave us such joy and showed us what determination can do.

Thunder and Akecheta were together at the West End.

Gabby arrived at the NE-Florida Nest early. She looks out on her territory and its uncertain future. V3 was last seen on the 16th of September. He has been missing for two days now.

Tuesday: Black Storks flying over the Straits of Gibraltar.

Hope is growing and changing. She is no longer ’round’.

Calico loves her cuddles and still wants a story whenever I am with them. It is such a great way to get them used to your voice.

Cuddle time with Mamma and Baby Hope.

How did Avian Flu or HPAI impact the breeding season? News from the BTO gives us insight.

Has HPAI impacted breeding raptors?

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been in the news because of its all too obvious impacts on our breeding seabird colonies and wintering goose populations. However, the disease has affected a wide range of bird species, including birds of prey. Because raptors tend to be more dispersed and often inhabit remote locations, there has been concern that the impact of HPAI on these species could have been underestimated.

BTO Scotland staff Mark Wilson, Anthony Wetherhill and Chris Wernham were commissioned by NatureScot to examine Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (SRMS) data for any evidence of an impact. The team compared SRMS data from the 2022 breeding season with equivalent data from previous years, assessing whether there had been significant changes in reported numbers or breeding success of raptor pairs, and whether any of the changes detected were likely to be caused by the HPAI outbreak.

The analyses provided strong evidence for declines in breeding success consistent with impacts of HPAI on the productivity of Golden Eagle and White-tailed Eagle in 2022. These impacts were evident in most of the Scottish regions where these eagles breed but, for both species, they appear to have been greater in areas where pairs had access to coastal and marine habitats, indicating a possible link to predation and scavenging of infected seabirds and waterfowl.

Other factors that could explain the differences observed between 2022 and other years, particularly in breeding success, include variation in weather, prey availability and survey effort. Of these, the weather recorded in 2022 may have contributed to the observed differences but seems unlikely to entirely account for all of them.

The work, which has been published as a NatureScot report, highlights the valuable role played by coordinated monitoring of our raptor populations.

BTO, e-mail of 19 September 2023

And in Melbourne…

At Patchogue, a local enthusiast and lover of Mini, Isac, said on Tuesday when he went checking, “just saw an osprey crossing from the creek to the lake and have a fish in her talons. I think this our lil 4”.

Do you live in Alabama?

M15 and F1 are getting serious. Androcat brings us the action.

It is a beautiful poem to the Welsh Ospreys…completely written by AI.

Black Storks on the move. No data from Bonus and no new data from Karl II.

One of Atlantic Canada’s favourite male Ospreys, Lucky, is still providing fish to his chicks.

The fledgling from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest was still home.

CORRECTION TO INFORMATION I WAS GIVEN: The male at the Arboretum nest is not 21 years old. Here is the correct information: “This male is G/B MS….a five year old that was hatched in 2018 on a nest in Carver Park.”

RUTLAND WATER, home to many ospreys but my fav male Blue 33 and Maya fledged their 250th Osprey chick in 2023. Congratulations. The event is being celebrated widely and there is even a BBC Radio Programme on the 22nd of September.

Mini has not returned to the nest since Sunday the 17th. That was three days ago. A local believes they saw Mini fishing.

SE 31 and 32 are getting more steady on their feet.

It’s scandalously hot on F22 at the 367 Collins Street nest. Question: Last year, we witnessed the effects of the hot sun and heat on the eyases. So why was the scrape not taken down in that area or, instead, why wasn’t a shade put on it like at the other end?

Thursday: Mark Avery gives us a brief update on Bird Flu in the UK.

“In 2023, up until 17 September, 46 species have tested positive. The last month has seen just one addition – 4 Pheasants in Moray.  Here’s the list: Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Fulmar, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Teal, Moorhen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Razorbill, Guillemot, Puffin, Curlew, Ringed Plover, unspecified heron (!), Grey Heron, dove/pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Pheasant, Red Grouse, Sparrowhawk, Goshawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine, Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Reed Warbler and Carrion Crow.” 

What is happening at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby? V3 has not been seen in some days and I fear that the tragedy of Samson has beset a potential mate for Gabby. Will there be a clear partner before breeding season in 2023? or will all be lost due to territorial disputes?

Friday: New studies on migration with relation to Black-tailed Godwits and Red Knots reveals much about how young birds travel to their winter homes.

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There has been chaos at the scrape of Diamond and Xavier due to the persistent presence of a young female falcon. Diamond has engaged with the female, and as of today, Friday, the nest is calm and back to normal. We need Diamond safe. She is not a youngster and she is incubating eggs.

Here is the video of that moment! This must be very unsettling for Diamond and Xavier.

Lotus and Mr President have been photographed together at the Washington Arboretum Bald Eagle nest.

Ervie is exploring more territory.

The Pritchetts are getting ready for a new season with M15 and his young and beautiful new mate. I hope that they have many successful years – even a decade – together raising little eaglets that spend time at the pond.

Saturday: Ervie is flying inland.

Gabby has been working on the nest with the new visitor. There has been no sightings of V3 and the AEF says they have not seen any fights on camera. There now could be two suitors. ‘As the Nest Turns’ has begun. Poor Gabby. The AEF is labelling them A1, A2, etc. Gabby prefers the smaller A1 and not A2. Hoping that V3 was just run out of the territory but, what a way to start the year.

Now Anna has been injured. She returned to the KNF E-1 nest – limping with a head injury. None of this is good…. but let us hope it is all minor with Anna.

Jackie and Shadow have been seen together in the tree on cam 2. I still love the diamonds that appear on the nest when the sun is just rising at Big Bear.

SE31 and 32 have changed significantly over the past week. Just look at that plumage. My friend, the late Toni Castelli-Rosen, loved the plumage of the White-Bellied Sea Eaglets. The two are much more steady on their feet and they are flapping their wings. Beautiful eaglets.

Dad has been working on the ND-LEEF nest. The new female has also been present. (Home of ND17, that wonderful third hatch survivor that went into care at Humane Wildlife Indiana – finally!).

Eagles at Duke Farms.

Calico has come out of her operation in fine form. She has been playing like a kitten for the past 3 days, and Hope loves it. They both seem to have springs on the pads of their feet. What joy it is to see Mamma and Hope play together. After, they can often be found sleeping side by side on the top of their makeshift tent where they can look out at the garden animals.

The bells will be ringing in New Zealand as the first two Royal Albatross have returned for the 2023-24 breeding season!

This short article explains this much-anticipated event.

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‘A’ is very excited and provides more details and a video explanation of the ringing. ” Meanwhile, the official ringing of the bells in nearby Dunedin to welcome the returning toroa will occur this Monday, 25 September, at 13:00 local time (in the US on Sunday 24 September at 3pm Hawaii time/6pm PST/9pm EST). Here is a brief explanation of this beautiful tradition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uanfnBN6OPI&t=36s. How adorable is the little girl?”

Sunday: Lady and Dad reinforce the side rails as SE31 and 32 become more active in the nest!

Ervie got home safely!

Speaking of getting home safely, V3 has returned to the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby. He is a little worse for wear in places. Will Gabby show up? Will V3 take the prize? We wait.

Pepe and Muhlady are working on their nest in Central Florida as are many other eagle couples throughout North America.

Akecheta was visiting the West End nest.

This is disgraceful! You can look no further than the driven grouse estates. This is precisely what Hamza was referring to when discussing the persecution of the Hen Harriers in Scotland!

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Thank you so much for being with me this morning as I ate back into Bird World. I hope each of you had a good week and are enjoying the crisp autumn air. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my newsletter over the past week: ‘A, H, Geemeff, L’, Geemeff and BBC1, PSEG, Sharyn Broni, Conservation Without Borders, The Sunday Times, PLO, WRDC Pam Kruse and SF Osprey Cam with Rosie and Richmond, Ian Winter and Ospreys of Newfoundland and Labrado, Sydney Sea Eagles, IWS/Explore.com, NEFL-AEF, Birdlife, BTO, Karen Lang and Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcon, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac Alabama Coastal Briefest. Androcat and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Looduskalendar, Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, Mark Avery, Inatra Veidemane and Bald Eagles in the USA, Hakai Magazine, MI McGreer, Karen Long, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Katie Phillips Conners, Tonya Irwin and KNF-E1, FOBBV, ND-LEEF, Duke Farms, The Royal Albatross Centre, Superbeaks, Sharon Dunne and Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, and Raptor Persecution UK.