Category Archives: storks

Scout kills second eaglet, second clutch for Jak and Audacity…Friday in Bird World

Good Morning,

Thank you to everyone who sent me news. It is much appreciated and to ‘H’ who delivers a great narrative of the day at the Moorings Park Osprey nest.

We are going to start with two items that should put a big smile on your fast. First is a video o Tuffy being ‘ruffy’. The second is a screen capture of either Cheyenne or Wichita. The prey must be plentiful in Kansas!

I asked Heidi Mc to make a YouTube video of Tuffy showing its attitude to Ruffy. She did, and here it is! Gosh, that little one has some spunk, which has kept it alive. Thanks, ‘H’.

1 minute 38 seconds. Watch that little one and notice its fat little bottom.

What do you think this eaglet had for lunch? Look at the size of that crop – and then look at the overall health of this chick. Unbelievable. FARMER DEREK must have lost of prey on his property.

Isn’t this a beautiful bird?

Stop for a moment and just look at the colours as they blend together from the matte black beak to the deepest navy-black, blending into a dark iridescent purple-blue, a royal blue and then a turquoise before breaking off into a Khaki and brown. The tail is a wedge, and that is a big, strong beak for a large bird.

Do you recognise this bird? Do you have these where you live?

The Common Grackle, but there isn’t anything ‘common’ about it as far as I can see. This is an adult male. The first three are in the garden for 2024. They arrive in April and stay until October. Often they will make a nest in the garden and have successfully fledged ‘gracklets’. That was an event – all the aunties and uncles came from afar, landing on the overhead wires to see the little one leave the nest. It was a community event, and well, it should be because most are lost to Mr Crow and his family right after hatching.

UPDATE: Scout has killed the second eaglet. Friday 12 April.

On the morning of 11 April, the second egg of Bella and Scout hatched. Scout was confused. He poked but did not appear to harm the chick. Bella returned and dug the egg cup quite deep and then left later and returned. Bella protected the eaglet and also had a tug-o-war with Scout over a fish. She needed to eat and she wanted the fish left on the nest to feed the baby. It appeared that Bella was trying to tell this to Scout – he flew off with the fish! This nest feels ‘unsettled’ to me in that Scout doesn’t understand that he needs to provide security and food. Let’s see how he does with the little one, too.

Bella brooding newly hatched chick.

You can see the little head of the eaglet below.

Bella on the chick after eating telling Scout, who is mantling the fish, to leave it alone!

It is going to be a rough few days at the NCTC nest until such time as Scout figures out his role as father and mate.

Ruffy continues to attack Tuffy even if she is full. ‘H’ reports: .”..At 1220 Harry delivered a large headless tilapia.  Ruffie rushed to the table, but Tuffy stayed back.  At 1227 Tuffy got up and looked at Ruffie, who shot him a glance that said “don’t even try it kid.”  Ruffie walked away from the table at 1231, and there was still a lot of fish left.  It took Tuffy a couple of minutes to move from the rail, since he knew that Ruffie’s reach has been extended lately.  At 1233 Tuffy moved toward the center of the nest, and Sally picked up the fish and met him half way.  Tuffy ate 24 bites by 1236.  Then Ruffie approached and intimidated Tuffy into moving away, Ruffie ate a couple bites, then left.  Tuffy turned toward Sally, got one more bite, and Ruffie beaked and bit him severely on the back of his neck.  After that beating, Tuffy stayed tucked for 5 minutes, even though Ruffie was at the rail, not eating.  At 1241 Tuffy met Sally in the center of the nest and he ate 5 more bites before Ruffy again approached him and intimidated him into moving away.  This scenario played out a few more times, where Tuffy would get a bite or two, Ruffy would intimidate him and he’d move away.  Tuffy had eaten a total of 52 bites by 1251.  Ruffie started eating again at 1252, and the fish was gone at 1256.  Tuffy had managed to eat enough to have a moderate crop.”


…At 1430 Harry dropped off a very large headless tilapia.  Tuffy made no effort to get to the table.  He stayed away from Ruffie, and he was waiting his turn.  At 1441 Tuffy started to make his move…shuffling slowly around the perimeter of the nest, and by 1443 he was close to Sally’s right side.  Ruffy didn’t seem to mind.  At 1444 Ruffy was sated and moved away from the table.  Ruffie laid down on the other side of the nest, and was not worried about Tuffy eating.  So, Tuffy started to eat…and eat…and eat.  By 1453 Tuffy had eaten 90 bites of fish, took a PS break, and rested a minute before going back for more.  Tuffy had eaten 150 bites by 1506, and then laid down to take another break.  It really was a huge fish and Sally was still eating, and Ruffie was still sleeping.  So, at 1512 Tuffy went back for more!  By 1516 Tuffy had eaten 179 bites…and then took another break.  Sally kept pulling on all that fish skin.  Was Tuffy done?  Nope…at 1521 he went back for more.  At 1523 Tuffy was finally done when Sally ate the fish tail.  Tuffy had eaten at least 191 bites of fish!  


‘H’ gives us a late report: “…Despite the wind and rain, Harry brought the 4th fish of the day at 1818, another headless tilapia.  Ruffie intimidated Tuffy…Ruffie was fed…and Tuffy stayed back.  At 1823 Tuffy approached, and when he got up near Ruffies left shoulder, Ruffie promptly beaked him.  When Tuffie finally came out of his submission-tuck at 1831, he was immediately intimidated by Ruffie, and Tuffy waddled away.  At 1840 Tuffy again tried to approach the feeding line and was beaked as soon as Ruffie saw him.  A persistent Tuffy was near Ruffie’s right side at 1846, and Ruffy gave him ‘the look’.  At 1847 Ruffie finally walked away, but the fish was gone.  Sally was eating scraps off the nest.  Nothing for Tuffy at this meal.  Tuffy has eaten pretty well today, though.  He has eaten approximately 345 bites of fish at three earlier meals.”

Audacity has laid another egg!

At Big Bear one of the three unviable eggs has cracked.

Then Jackie and Shadow say goodbye to their dream.

The third egg arrived at the OuterBanks nest around 0848 on 11 April.

These three osplets at Frenchman’s Creek are rapidly getting their juvenile plumage. They are gorgeous.

I have a huge soft spot for the Decorah North Bald Eagle family. This fierce Mamma has the sweetest babies.

Two bobbleheads at Fort St Vrain. Cuties. Be thankful for all those that survive this year.

There are three eaglets at the Sutton Centre in Bartlesville Oklahoma.

Mason and Dixie are all grown up.

No egg yet at the Loch Arkaig nest of Dorcha and Louis but an interesting visitor. Have a look and see how big an osprey is compared to a Great Tit.

Bette and Bukachek have two eggs at their nest in Mlady Buky.

Waiting for eggs at the Black Stork nest in Latvia in Kurzeme.

Beautiful Big Red and cutie pie Arthur. It won’t be long til there are four little hawk lets in the nest at Cornell.

The four eggs were laid on March 17, March 20, March 23, and March 26. I am looking for pip watch on the 22-24 April.

Cute little falcon in Japan has hatched. Looking at that white fluff with that little pink beak and legs should get you all excited for the arrival of Annie and Archie’s chicks!!!!!!!

Send your warm thoughts to Iris at Hellgate Canyon. The Matriarch of Ospreys returned to Missoula from her migration and moved some sticks about on the 5th of April. Iris is normally seen working on her nest or eating one of her whoppers on the owl pole. She has not been seen. We can speculate on many things, but it would be pointless. Let us hope that she is thriving at a new nest with a new beau!

‘J’ reports that the banding at Duke Farms has changed: “Due to the forecast of rain and wind tomorrow, the DF banding is postponed for the safety of the chicks and climber.  The banding is rescheduled for Monday the 15th at 10am.”

I was asked for the links to donate to the folks at the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre (they rescued Meadow and are fixing the Achieva nest) and Audubon for Meadow. Thanks ‘J’ for these:

The full link for a donation to Audubon Florida is:
https://act.audubon.org/onlineactions/ar8crC6bIUGX9UsdFBWdnw2

To donate to the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay:
https://www.raptorcenteroftampabay.org/donate
Yesterday they took in another bald eagle, number 19 this year.

Did you know that the flame retardants used on furniture, clothing, etc. – that were banned a decade ago – continue to plague the small Apex predators such as falcons and hawks?

“As globally distributed apex predators, the peregrine falcon is the ideal canary in the coal mine for monitoring flame retardant pollution in the environment. Flame retardants phased out a decade ago are still accumulating in these birds and into their eggs, which indicates that the threats of these chemicals to wildlife and people can far outlast their production.”

Researchers measured concentrations of a suite of old and newer halogenated flame retardants in peregrine falcon eggs collected from multiple locations in the U.S. (New Jersey, California, Chesapeake Bay, and Pennsylvania) and Canada (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and New Brunswick) between 1984 and 2016. It is the largest investigation to date of flame retardants in peregrine falcons in terms of both time and space.”

Peregrine-falcons-expose-lasting-harms-of-flame-retardant-useDownload

‘AE’ reminds us that some enhancements to the Migratory Bird Act are going to the US Senate.

U.S.-House-Passes-Legislation-Supporting-Migratory-Birds-Across-the-Hemisphere-AudubonDownload

That is my ‘brief’ (LOL, it turned out longer than anticipated) report for today. Tomorrow’s will be short as well with things back to normal on Sunday! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to ‘AE, Geemeff, H, J, OB, SP’, Heidi MC, Kansas City Bald Eagles, NCTC Bald Eagle Nest, Sharon Pollock, Moorings Park Osprey, Gracie Shepherd, FOBBV, Outerbanks/Carova Osprey Nest, Baiba, SK Hideaways, Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project, Ft St Vrain Bald Eagles, Superbeaks, Geemeff, Mlady Buky Storks, LDF, Cornell RTH, Japanese Peregrine Falcon Cam, Physical Org, and Audubon.

Arrivals and Hatches…Saturday in Bird World

30 March 2024

Good Morning,

It was a busy Friday. Eaglets were hatching, problem nests to be watched, and ospreys were arriving in the US. I spent the day watching prey deliveries at Duke Farms while trying to catch up with entering data in the forms for the siblicide research project. At noon, I stopped and walked for 7 km. It had gotten warm. +3. The geese continue to fly in. The ones heading to the nature centre have water and some grass. The pond at St Vital Park, where I took my first walk and goose check, is mostly frozen, but it was beginning to show promise of a nice thaw if the +3 temperatures held. The trunk of my car is full of corn, and these poor things will get some tomorrow. What a misery for them.

There was one deer near the hide eating corn and a red squirrel desperately trying to get a peanut out of one of the feeders.

It is such a privilege to walk outside – gosh, it is such a gift to be reasonably healthy and go outside. I cannot imagine being shut in a bed in a room and not going out. The animals in the garden, the girls, and all of those that cross my path during my walks bring such joy and create this wonderful space of contentment.

Scientists continue to discover how intelligent birds are —-.

Birds-create-barcode-like-memories-to-locate-stored-food-scientists-find-Animal-behaviour-The-GDownload

Loch Arkaig’s Louis is on the BBC!

Idris is home at the Dyfi Osprey nest. Telyn is already there, so another couple has reunited!

UV, the male at nest 5A in the Kielder Forest, arrived home this morning.

A 2021 fledgling of Dylan and Seren at Llyn Clywedog has landed on the Loch Arkaig nest!

Possible pip or Stella and Talon at the University of Florida-Gainesville campus. The eggs were laid on Feb 21, 23, and 27th. This makes egg #1 38 days old today.

FORE fans have had their fingers and toes crossed for the second clutch. Now, Liberty and Guardian have two precious eaglets at their nest in Redding, California. What a happy image. They are so white!

Life on the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta could not be more perfect. The ‘kids’ are starting to look like eagles with their thermal down. That first hatch is enormous. Think she is going to be a granddaughter for Cholyn?

The third hatch is tiny. Akecheta thinks he has a boy.

Gifted parents, Thunder and Akecheta looking out over their domain.

Harry returns to his beloved Flora at Alyth on 29 March.

The situation at Duke Farms was not as good on Friday as I hoped. Remember. Jersey had a nice full crop Thursday afternoon but received no food at the last feeding Thursday night. A small prey item came in at 1104 on Friday. Leaper got it all. There was no prey delivered to the nest when I last checked which was 1649 nest time.

A fish came at 1729 and little Jersey got fed! This nest can go either way. Mum works hard to feed Jersey but there remains tension in the nest.

Little Jersey is smart. He works his way around the rim of the nest. You have seen this behaviour many times before – Patchogue last year, Achieva. They watch and listen and move carefully ready to get into position if there is any food left for them when the older sibling stops and goes into a food coma.

“‘A’ sent us her most welcome Friday summary: “It is notable that Jersey had a crop before the second breakfast of leftovers, which Leaper got to eat all of. Jersey was still exceptionally nervous about approaching mum and the food while Leaper was still up at the table. Watch them from about 11:16am (and especially 11:17). Jersey is lying comfortably, one leg fully outstretched, when Leaper comes over to him and lurches at him as she sits down beside him. He watches her but makes no move to protect himself. She leans over him, nuzzling his head with her beak. Caution, but no significant reaction from Jersey. The pair are seemingly the best of friends. The only time that things seem to get out of control is in the presence of food, especially if Leaper is hungry. Then, I hold my breath. They did wait a long time for breakfast this morning – I did not see it come in or the first feeding, so I don’t know whether there was associated aggression. Due to the waiting, there may have been. But Jersey did have a discernible crop when waiting to see if there would be anything left for him from the second breakfast feeding at about 11:04 (very short and consisting of a tiny leftover and some dropped pieces). There weren’t. 

Jersey’s little beak has been opening and closing, as if he is calling for mum. He might be hungry. Leaper is playing with sticks as it nears noon. But it is 14;46 before a parent arrives, and it is dad with a giant stick!! It reaches right across the nest. Leaper heads immediately towards the table. Jersey, perhaps thinking he is being bonked by the giant stick now lying across him with dad manoeuvring it, goes instantly into submission. It is all to no avail, as there is no food delivery and he soon leaves again. The next parental visit is from mum, who arrives at around 15:42:35 and simply perches on the side of the nest. She has no food either. She soon leaves again. 

At 15:45, poor little Jersey is sitting hopefully up at the table, searching for leftovers, without success. He is hungry. He finds something that looks impossible to swallow but picks it up and tries. Leaper is alerted to this and comes to investigate. Jersey turns away but hangs onto his piece of whatever it is. As he makes another effort at swallowing, Leaper behind him has a stretch, which causes Jersey to become submissive, dropping his leftover (it was only pellet material at best anyway). Note that submission has often become a bowing of the head rather than a full tuck, which is progress – he gets up faster too. 

At 15:47:30, Jersey gives up, turns around, and heads back to the middle of the nest to snuggle up with his sister. Sweet. A cuddle puddle is formed. By shortly after 15:52, Leaper is literally lying on top of Jersey, right across his back. By 16:33 they are both up, standing, and hungry. This nest needs a food delivery asap. And sure enough, even as I type this, Leaper heads across the nest towards Jersey with obvious intent. Jersey turns away and huddles for the coming attack. It is short-lived, consisting of two pecks only, one to the head and one to the wing, but we have returned to a situation where Leaper is hungry. This is NOT GOOD. 

At 16:43 Jersey picks up a bony leftover and tries to swallow it, but Leaper grabs it from him and downs it fairly easily. It was almost pure bone, by the look of it. It may have been the piece Jersey was trying to swallow earlier. It looked very similar. FINALLY, at 17:28:35 dad brings in a long thin whole fish. Mum immediately comes in about a minute later to take it from him. He leaves. She gets down to the job of feeding her babies. When the fish arrived, Jersey was sleeping with Leaper lying on top of him. So when the food came, he just stayed where he was. It wasn’t until dad’s departure that he ducked his head. Interestingly, so did Leaper, who was standing up but turned away from the table with his head ducked down. Strange. Jersey had the front position at the table, so was probably aware that Leaper would lean over him to eat. So he was cautious. 

Mum starts feeding Leaper. The eaglets are side by side at the table but Jersey has turned his back on Leaper and the food. The fish is still moving, the tail striking Jersey and making him more nervous. As the fish tail hits him, Jersey shuffles further away, ending up down at mum’s tail. There, at 17:35, he suddenly has a brainwave. He realises he has space to go up to mum on the other side, putting her between himself and his sister. He thinks. He looks. Then he starts putting his plan into action, moving towards mum’s head along her left flank. 17:37 and he is nearly there. Mum knows he is there, and at 17:37:20 reaches out to him with a bite. He snatches it. Seven seconds later, a second piece. He takes that too. And a third – he is so grabby that it takes him three or four tries to take the food, but mum is patient, staying still until finally he grabs the bite. She is waiting for him to swallow each bite so she can give him the next. He realises he is safe where he is and moves right up beside mum’s beak and the fish. She is feeding him exclusively at this point, with all the bites going to Jersey. There is nothing Leaper can do about it whatsoever. 

Jersey eats a little less quickly now, grabbing the pieces but not snatching at them. Mum waits for him – occasionally, he is scared to take a bite but she waits until he turns his head back and accepts the food. This mum is a gem. She is caring so carefully for her youngest;. I am certain she made a decision three days ago that this little one wanted to fight for his life and she was going to help him any way she could. And that is what she has done. At about 17:38:15 Leaper leans in for a bite and Jersey instinctively turns away, but mum waits for him with the food, and he turns back and takes it. Another few bites from mum before this happens again at 17:38:45. Again, mum waits for Jersey to turn back towards her for the bite. She has not fed a single bite to Leaper since Jersey made it up to her beak soon after 17:37. Jersey has had a couple of dozen mouthfuls, some quite large. Finally, mum gives one bite to Leaper, then returns to feeding Jersey. After half a dozen bites, she gives a single mouthful to Leaper, then back to bites for Jersey. 

Mum then becomes more even-handed, giving a bite to one then to the other, occasionally giving two consecutive bites to one or the other, But both eaglets finish this fish with good crops. Both will have happy tummies tonight. Good for dad. He took a while to bring in dinner, but when he did, it was a whole live fish, and although it was skinny, it was pretty long. So that’s a huge relief because this mum really needs a bit of a break, if looking after two eaglets can be considered restful!!! She has worked so very hard over the past week, and she deserves to have dad step up the hunting for the family. These two will need more and more food as they grow of course, so it’s a big job for a single parent. I’m glad of the fish stocking you mentioned and hope it affects this nest. 

Just after 17:41, Jersey grabs a HUGE bite. He turns away with his prize to eat it but drops it. He wonders whether to have another try at swallowing it or instead return to mum’s beak for more fish, deciding eventually to try the former course. He fails, as the bite is at the wrong angle. He drops it again, picks it up again, this time at the correct angle, and downs it easily. After a moment of triumph (and just checking to make sure crops really don’t burst) he turns back to mum and continues to accept bites. He has a very large crop but has learnt to eat and eat and then eat some more, regardless of how full you may be. 

Another day, another important lesson learnt. Today’s lesson was: you can use mum like a shield to protect you from Leaper during feedings. What an important lesson this one really is, as we all know. Many is the younger hatch who has survived as a result of being A+ students in this particular subject.”

This is A’s summary for Saturday morning, so far, at Duke: “Mum wakes at 6am at Duke Farms and leaves the nest at 06:03:30, presumably to organise some breakfast. There are no leftovers on the nest, though both eaglets went to bed with full crops. Jersey, whose head is underneath Leaper, doesn’t even stir in his sleep. It is still dark. Leaper does some preening, waking Jersey up, and actually does some allopreening of Jersey’s head. Or reaches out to gently touch Jersey’s head or face with her beak. He is a little wary but basically without fear. She can be SO sweet towards him. I am convinced that once these two reach that certain age, they will become firm nest buddies (assuming, of course, a n adequate and consistent food supply). I hope they don’t wait too long for a nice big breakfast fish. 

At 06:47, they are still waiting, snuggled up together, doing some preening and so far behaving themselves nicely. It will be an important day for little Jersey. Are we setting a new pattern of sibling interaction on this nest or will circumstances send us spiralling back into food shortage and insecurity-related aggression? After three days now of little or no aggression from Leaper, another day without violence may well be enough to cement a reversion to pre-famine peaceful sibling interaction. 

Mum is back at 07:03:46 but she has no food – just a talonful of dry grasses. Leaper jumps up and heads straight for the table while Jersey goes into submission. There is no bonking, but nor is there any food. Mum searches the nest for bites of anything she can find to feed Leaper and finds perhaps six to eight bites of something that has been dropped or spat out yesterday. By 07:09:12 Jersey’s head is up and he is lying on his tummy, albeit with his back to mum. She leaves again soon afterwards, at 07:09:28. At 08:30 they are still waiting for breakfast but are cuddling, asleep, and there has been no aggression so far. “

Please send continued energy to this nest – they need all the good vibes they can get.

There is a little bobblehead at the Little Miami Conservancy Bald Eagle Nest in Ohio – but, wait…there are now two of them!

There is a pip at Denton Homes in Iowa Friday evening and DH14 is with us this morning.

The fish that Telyn Blue 5F brought to the Dyfi nest would sure look good on the Duke Farms nest! She is a master angler.

The new dad at Pittsburgh-Hayes brought Mum a fish gift on Friday.

There is an Osprey on the Steelscape nest in the US.

The pair at Allins Cove West are working on their nest. Dad arrived on 18 March with Mum landing a few days later.

Both ospreys are home at the Bridge Golf Course Osprey platform.

I don’t often recommend a FB group but I would like to draw your attention to Della and Warren’s Osprey Platform at Mispillion Harbour, Delaware. It is at the Dupont Centre. Heidi has put together a FB page for this adorable osprey family. Let’s surprise her and see if we can get 50 members over the Easter weekend! She is making videos and knows these birds and their behaviour inside and out. By signing up, her hard work doesn’t go to waste.

They are both home at Clark PUD.

The storks are arriving. Betye and Bukacek are back in their nest in Mlade Buky.

Bradley photographed at Port Lincoln.

Wow. A White-tailed Eagle in California! It is a rarity.

White-tailed-Eagle-appearance-in-California-stuns-US-birders-BirdGuidesDownload

I hope to have the news of the Imperial Eagles soon.

Volunteers have done a clean up where Richmond and Rosie fish at SF Bay. Every area should be cleared, every nest cleaned annually before our ospreys arrive (if possible) to try and make their lives start off safe.

Captured and convicted for leaving dead raptors and animals in front of a shop in the UK.

Man-in-custody-in-relation-to-dumped-hares-raptors-outside-Broughton-community-shop-–-Raptor-PerseDownload

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, The Guardian, The BBC, John Williams, Dyfi Osprey Project, Joanne Daly, University of Florida-Gainesville, Vicki Jacques, IWS/Explore.org, Jeff Kear, Duke Farms, Little Miami Conservancy, Denton Homes, Dyfi Osprey Project, PIX Cams, Steelscape, Allins Cove West, Carol Craig, Heidi McGrue, Clark PUD, Mlade Buky, PLO, SF Ospreys, BirdGuides, and Raptor Persecution UK.

Jersey eats more, hatches, arrivals…Thursday in Bird World

28 March 2024

Good Morning!

Hugo Yugo seems to be doing fantastic. She is extremely lovable and continues to sleep on my head or chest at night. All you have to do is whisper her name and she is there.

I just remembered that I needed to add ‘enchanted’ before Missey. ‘J’ thinks Missey belongs in the ‘Magical Kingdom of Landover’ and ‘she should be able to talk’. Now don’t tell anyone, but I think she does! Missey has now taken Baby Hope under her arm and is proving to be a good second Mum to her if I could only train Missey to clean Hugo Yugo’s eyes.

Good news is coming in from the nests, but we must start with a magical image of a rainbow coming over Telyn at the Dyfi Osprey nest she shares with her mate, Idris, in Wales. Totally enchanting! Now come on Idris, come home.

Irish poet WB Years reminds us: “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

Seren Blue 5F arrived home from The Gambia this morning. Now we wait for Dylan to get to Llyn Clywedog in Wales! She might be wishing for that West African sun.

Isn’t this one a cutie? Liberty and Guardian’s first hatch at Redding.

I am always happy to have egg on my face. It appears that darling Laddie did survive and has now returned to his nest with Blue NCO to start another season. Let us all send good wishes and hope that he is up to the task at hand and this lovely pair at the Loch of the Lowes do not have any intruders to harm them or cause harm to their babies this year. I can hardly believe it. Fantastic.

Thanks, Geemeff.

Laddie wastes no time getting reacquainted. Is there a competition between him and Blue 33 for first eggs laid?

I have spent a greater proportion of my post for the last couple of days on the situation at Duke Farms. There is a clear reason for this – the detailed study of the eagles’ behaviour when food becomes in short supply and the reaction of the eaglets to one another. We are only seeing the second hatch, Jersey, gain more confidence today. Jersey is self-feeding, and Mum seems to have figured out how to manage the situation in the nest. The situation here is no different than it would be on an osprey nest when the eldest has perceived insufficient food for all and begins attacking its sibling/s. It could wind up being siblicide, but, I am hopeful that unless there is another dramatic reduction in prey, we will have two fledges at the Duke Farms nest in 2024.

On Wednesday at 11:26, Mum finds an old fish tail in the rim of the nest. She feeds Leaper. Jersey is obviously interested but afraid. The little one moves around the rim of the nest to get closer to the feeding area. At the point where Leaper has a full crop, Jersey moves up and begins to self-feed on the fish tail. Leaper goes to sleep. At this point Mum begins to feed Jersey who has a nice crop by 12:03. Mum literally stuffs Jersey with all the remaining fish taking advantage of Leaper being in a food coma. The feeding ends at 1212 when there is no longer any food on the nest.

We now wait to see if more food will come to the nest. The good news is that food did arrive.

‘A’ notes, “Jersey lined up mum and did a large and very healthy-looking PS straight at Mum from a distance of only inches (17:54:33). He hit her squarely on the top of her head (she was working on getting bites off the remaining prey – that giant fish has now become a very long spine. It looks amazing. Jersey has eaten today. This is one extremely good mother. She has worked very hard to keep these two alive. When it rained this afternoon, she was the perfect mumbrella, keeping both her growing eaglets warm and dry, She is devoted and smart. I am starting to become very attached to her. But both chicks will go to bed with full tummies and good crops tonight.”

Dad came in with a headless fish and little Jersey ate and ate….that sweetie pie was so full it turned away from the fresh fish at 17:54. Reports are that the the Raritan River is low and not as muddy as it was. In addition, the State of New Jersey is putting the trout back into the rivers so let us hope that fish will be plentiful on the nest.

Getting a late night snack. Jersey has an enormous crop.

How cute is little Jersey?

Jersey had a good morning on Friday so far.

Friday morning at Duke Farms with ‘A’: “

Mum was absolutely saturated after sheltering her eaglets overnight, and had the biggest flap of her wings to try and get the water off – then repeated the exercise three more times. Poor mum. It was a long, wet night, but Jersey got the best of it in terms of shelter, staying pretty dry for most of the night. 

Jersey has had a lovely morning. He missed out on the first feeding, which mum gave him from the leftover torso (or whatever that was), but there was no bonking whatsoever before or after the first breakfast, just a lot of snuggling and preening, including a little allopreening from Leaper to her little brother. She is very sweet to him when she’s not thrashing him. 

When mum returned to feed a smallish whole fish lying on the side of the nest, Jersey went into submission and Leaper began eating, but was full fairly quickly and turned away. Jersey got to the table relatively quickly and began his snatch and grab style of eating. Mum was so patient, even ensuring that when he dropped a piece and she went to pick it up, she moved slowly and carefully near Jersey so that he didn’t get startled or cringe away from the food. She waited for him to take each bite, offering it as many times as necessary. Jersey downed some large pieces, but one was too big for him, even on the second or third attempt, and turned away, so mum ate that bit herself. Jersey had managed the tail, with attached flesh!! He actually ate so much that he had had enough and ended the feeding as a result. He had a large crop. 

After breakfast number two, mum broods her eaglets again. So cute. They are probably a bit damp still, and it has been raining lightly on and off through the morning. She is such a devoted mum and she is having a terrible hair day. 

Just before 08:46 dad flies in with a large whole fish. Is this the first food delivery from dad in five days? I think it may well be. It’s a lovely big fish and he leaves it on the edge of the nest for mum to manage. The babies are too full to bother, so she gets up and flies off the nest. At 08:53:31 dad is back with a talonful of damp grasses, which he spreads about the place. He then takes hold of the fish, drags it closer to the cuddle puddle of eaglets, and offers a bite to Jersey. Despite being literally entwined in Leaper, Jersey is not too scared to accept the bite!!!

This is massive. Normally, he would not have had the courage and would have cringed away from dad’s beak, probably going into a submissive tuck. But now, he takes the bite without hesitation. He is not interested in the second bite offered so dad starts hoeing into the head of the fish himself. Leaper at this stage decides to stand up and stretch. Jersey stays where he is, not cringing or tucking. Leaper lines up for her second PS of the morning (Jersey too has done a very large and healthy PS earlier this morning). 

Leaper now moves up to the table beside Jersey, who is a little nervous and pulls away just slightly but still remains up at the table, his head up. Leaper does nothing to intimidate or hurt him. Dad continues to eat. Leaper watches. So does Jersey. Eventually dad gives Leaper a bite. Jersey stays where he is. He considers leaning towards dad but thinks better of it. Still he is up at the table, wary but not in submission. Dad continues to feed Leaper. There is NO bonking. There has been none all morning. 

Suddenly, at 08:59:30, Jersey reaches across in front of Leaper to take a bite from dad. Leaper is fine with this and does nothing to stop Jersey eating. Dad is doing pretty well out of this fish head himself, feeding the occasional mouthful to Leaper. Jersey remains beside and slightly in front of Leaper, watching carefully. It is 09:03. Just after 09:04, dad offers a bite to Jersey, who accepts it, without any reaction from Leaper. This is SO good to watch. 

Jersey takes another bite. And another. Dad doles out the tiniest pieces. A very different feeding technique to mum’s (I haven’t watched dad feed these chicks at all in the past week). Both chicks are still full from their earlier breakfast, and turn away from the table to snuggle up together again. 

We will see what the rest of the day brings, but so far, this has been the best morning on this nest in about a week. Little Jersey has eaten very well already, with a very large crop, as has Leaper, and there has been not one incident of aggression from Leaper at all. Nothing. Perhaps the food insecurity has gradually abated and Leaper has calmed down. We will see. CertaInly, it was wonderful to see dad bring in a nice big fish this morning.”

There is word of a possible pip at the Centreport Bald Eagle nest on Long Island, New York.

R6 does not want us to forget how handsome he is! Ron and Rose at the WRDC nest agree along with all his fans.

It will not be long til these beautiful eaglets leave their natal nest area. Clearly M15 and F23 have E23 in training. I had to laugh. I thought Hugo Yugo was very loud when she protests that she is ‘starving to death’ on the kitchen counter. Well, E23 sure is loud! it was a good year for M15. This amazing dad deserved it.

Not only are the Osprey having great challenges due to the overfishing of shallow swimming fish like the Menhaden, but now there are different issues with the salmon industry – and they are, as Geemeff, describes, sounding ominous.

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At the same time, I would draw your attention to these two articles that outline the severe impact that the fish shortage because of commercial fishing is going to have on the Atlantic and Gulf Ospreys in the US.

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I will continue to call for individuals that have the access and authority to set aside a pond for the birds of prey so that they can eat. For all of us to call for a moratorium on commercial fishing of Menhaden and for the curtailing of fishing by long line trawler regardless of where they are fishing in the world. There are not too many Ospreys in the US. What is happening is a steep decline right before our very eyes. The population is anything but stable. ‘H’ and I found this in comparing the data from the US and the UK in the 2023 nests that we observed.

Somewhere there is a Bald Eagle nest struggling, just like we saw when an adult is injured, dead, or missing for a few days. This time it is due to the frolicking killing by a human.

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Checking in on Monty and Hartley and their incubation.

Hartley lays her third egg!

Archie is so cute. These males are so tiny and trying to get four big eggs under them is sometimes a bit of a challenge.

The Black Storks are beginning to arrive in Latvia! Oh, how I wish Karl II was going to be flying into Estonia. What a loss he will be.

Is Mrs O back at Tweed Valley?

Warren and Della are back at Mispillion Harbour working on their nest. Della is notorious for loving ‘yellow’ things – she brings them to make the nest more beautiful! Kinda’ like dear Jack did with his stuffies at Dahlgren.

The trio at Frenchman’s Creek are doing well. The third hatch does have to wait in line, but sometimes manages to get a private feeding.

The triplets at the West End are doing exceptionally well. As I have said, Thunder sat on them when they acted up and they didn’t get to eat then. Food is a great motivator!

Harry came in with a couple of big fish for Sally and the two osplets. Looks like the other egg is not going to hatch – no problem! Two healthy osplets are just fine.

Mark your calendars. We are 3 days and 11 hours from ‘Iris Watch’. For those who do not know who Iris is, she is believed to be the oldest osprey in the world. Her nest is in a parking lot at the Riverview Health Centre at Hellcat Canyon, Missoula, Montana. Her first mate, Stanley, and her were very happy. Her second mate, Louis, has another nest and life has been rough. There have been no chicks for at least five years and many would like to see Iris have another mate. Louis would have to give up the territory and his domination of Iris despite having Star on the nest at the Baseball Park. For me, I hope she has another wonderful summer fishing and catching those big whoppers she is known for. Iris gets her name from the flecks in her right eye.

In San Francisco, Richmond and Rosie will have more rain which is delaying their nest building – and it looks like they have a lot of materials required. Do you remember the year the Crows kept taking all of their sticks when they would bring them in? Oh, goodness. Maybe they will leave the ospreys alone this year!

Many of you have asked about Mr President and Lotus. The AEF has posted the following information today. Unfortunately, it appears that we will not even get updates on their breeding season.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, Michael Academia, SP’, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, FORE, Geemeff, Duke Farms, Centrepoint Eagles, WRDC, Misqually Valley News, frontiers, AOL, SK Hideaways, Maria Marika, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Heidi McGrue, Frenchman’s Creek, IWS/Explore, Moorings Park, Montana Osprey Project, SF Ospreys, and the AEF.

Annie lays 2nd egg…Monday in Bird World

18 March 2024

Hello Everyone,

Sunday was quiet. After Saturday that was a good thing. As far as I can tell all of the eagle nests are doing well and there have been no new arrivals at Osprey nests at the time I am writing this, Sunday evening.

It was a good day to spend time with the girls. Calico did not enjoy the dip in temperatures and spent a lot of time in front of the small portable heater in the conservatory. She likes her creature comforts and that little heater is one of them. I figure she deserves it having had to live outside in the winter last year.

Hugo Yugo spent her time in the basket spinning before settling down to sleep behind Calico. She is either on or off – there is no in-between. I wonder what Dr Green will think about her on Wednesday. She is very tiny but getting ‘long’ lime a limousine.

Baby Hope took advantage of everyone’s absence to play the game of finding treats in little green tubes. She is very good at it!

Missey decided to stay out of everyone’s way most of the day!

Oh, I am so glad to have these four! And it was so nice to just stop everything and pay some really good attention to them before osprey season kicks in.

At Cal Falcons, Annie laid her second egg this morning.

Can you please help? Write, research, contact others to help. Once again the developers want to build near Jackie and Shadow’s nest in Big Bear. Please read the following and – because we all love Jackie and Shadow so much and owe them so much (the DDT problems), then we need to fight to protect their pristine home. It is the least that we can do!

The following appeal is from Sandy Steer:
“…Update on Moon Camp…this nearby parcel, proposed for development is so close to Jackie and Shadow, it can be seen from the nest camera. Any development in that area would greatly impact their nesting site and could make them leave the area. FOBBV won an environmental lawsuit in 2022 against the County’s approval of this project. That put the project on hold, but now the County has released a new partial environmental impact report to move toward another approval. We will, of course, be submitting public comments (due 3/18) on this new, but still inadequate study. And when it comes before the County for another approval, we will be asking all of you for letters or calls to assist in stopping it. In the meantime, we are also pursuing getting this 62-acre parcel purchased for conservation, by the Forest Service, or by anyone else willing to conserve it as open space. If you happen to know any superheroes who might like to step up and buy this parcel to save Jackie and Shadow’s habitat plus more than 17 acres of endangered plants on the property, please contact us at fobbvinfo@gmail.com. We’d love to talk with you!”

Everyone continues speculating on what made Diane and Jack’s two eggs and chick disappear. One FB group noted that this happened in 2022 also and there was a second clutch. It was assumed they went down the hole made by the squirrel in the nest. Many would like to see work done on the nest so the couple does not lose more eggs and chicks in the future. Some note how restless Diane was that evening, and it is hoped that security camera footage shed some light on what happened. We know that the nest shook quite a bit at one point. I had one individual contact me, thinking it was possible that a person or persons shook that nest and caused the damage. If that were to be the case – and I am not saying it is – hopefully, their faces will be seen on the security cameras. Regardless of the cause – and I will suggest we will never fully know unless someone excavates that nest – there needs to be substantial work done on the nest itself to fix the hole that everyone knows about and a baffle for any future predators trying to climb up. An IR light would be great.

The big news in Bird World on Sunday was, for me anyway, the first egg of the season for Big Red and Arthur.

Arthur seemed quite delighted as Big Red flew off and let him take over incubation duties.

SK Hideaways has it on video.

Angel and Tom have an impressive nest. Wonder if we will have their first egg this week? Many think that will be the case!

E23 recovered from the GHO hit, but it was quite scary. I hope that this will be the end of it, but probably not. It is, as so many of you have pointed out, ‘that time of year’ – the annual occurrence when we hold our breath and wish that GHOs and eagles got along.

We are still 7-8 days away from pip watch at Berry College for Pa and Missey’s second clutch.

Swampy and Meadow. Gorgeous. Aren’t they wonderful? They look like they are wearing Morning Suits.

Dixie and Mason have their thermal down. Before we know it, they will look like Swampy and Meadow.

No worries about food at the Johnson City nest. Boone certainly had a great day fishing on Sunday! The kids have eaten so much and their crops are so big – old coma.

The snow is melting at Big Bear. Jackie and Shadow have not give up on the eggs yet.

The kids at Bluff City had squirrel for Sunday’s meals. They both seem to be hanging in there.

The Dukies are fine. Mum just keeps feeding them and feeding them. That is one good way to stop the worry about food.

The camera is back up and running at Redding for Liberty and Guardian.

A beautiful day at Captiva’s Osprey platform. Edie and Jack are incubating three eggs.

At the Captiva Eagle nest, Connie and Clive continue to feed Cal well after his fledge. A nice Sheepskin came in during the afternoon.

They are flying into Winnipeg and they are laying eggs at Decorah – Canada Geese. There are five eggs so far. Dad is up there helping keep guard as one of the Decorah eagles has been landing in the branches of the tree near the top.

The two hatches at Venice Golf and Country Club appear to be doing quite well. Waiting to see if third egg will hatch.

We are waiting for Dylan and Seren 5F to arrive at Llyn Clywedog Reservoir in Wales.

Blue 33 and Maya continue to work on their nest at Rutland. As far as I am aware, at the time of this writing, they are the only couple to have reunited at the UK streaming cam nests.

Next news from ‘H’:

I first saw the female from previous seasons on 3/7, but now have not seen her since 3/13.  I first saw the male from previous seasons on 3/9, and I have seen him at the nest every day except 3/14.  A new female first showed up at the nest on 3/17.  She and Dad were in the nest together quite a bit on 3/17, but each time Dad seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder.

Carthage Mum is now back on the nest after having been MIA for a few days.

I am a great fan of Isabella Tree who is the author of several books on rewinding including Rewinding. Knepp Farm took a leap of faith and decided to change from traditional agricultural practices and begin rewinding and reintroducing species to their property in Sussex. White Storks were one of the goals – to being them back. You can read about the history of the White Stork in the region and how Knepp worked to establish the breeding pairs on their property.

Visiting their property is on my Bucket List.

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Knepp White Stork camera can be found here:

In Belgium, at the nature park there are six occupied stork nests. Can you find them?

Storks have arrived at some of the Germany nests including Lindheim.

Waiting for Bette and Bukacek to arrive in Mlady Buky.

Milda. One year she laid her first egg on my birthday…I am hoping she is early this year. Mr H is adorable. Hoping he is a good father. Their nest in Durbe County is looking fantastic.

For those that have life lists, you will be very impressed by this gentleman who has recorded 10,000 birds.

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That is just a hop, skip, and jump checking on some of the nests. We are now on pip watch for Port Tobacco Bald Eagles. Eggs are 38 and 35 days old as of Sunday the 17th so it looks like egg 1 might not be viable. Meanwhile egg two is hatching Monday morning fast!

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, discussions, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J, L, SP’, Cal Falcons, FOBBV, Achieva Credit Union, Cornell RTH Cam, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, Lady Hawk, Berry College Eagle Cam, Eagle Country, Superbeaks, Johnson City-ETSU, FOBBV, Bluff City-ETSU, Duke Farms, FORE, Raptor Research Project/Explore, VGCC, Llyn Clywedog Osprey Cam, LRWT, Dahlgren Ospreys, Carthage Ospreys, Knepp, ZWIN, Lindheim Stork Nest, Mlady Buky, Biruta Lupa, The New York Times, and Port Tobacco Eagle Cam.

Three for Thunder and Akecheta…Tuesday in Bird World

12 March 2024

Hello Everyone,

Oh, my goodness. Monday was one glorious day. Blue skies. +10 temperatures. Happy people everywhere. What more could you ask for? Well, feeding deer and Black-capped Chickadees by hand while, overhead, a skein of 17 Canada Geese were arriving.

Several decades ago, I would be waiting for this arrival in mid-April. Saw one goose in a puddle by a major highway and more deer. Today’s outing certainly boosted the spirits – or as some say here – ‘it sure got the sap running’.

I had to back up as this one kept coming right towards me…I did have a deer once eat part of a wool jacket. It was one of the deer in the park at Nara, Japan, that loved cookies. Many vendors in front of the Todaiji Temple sell the deer’s favourite snacks. They are entirely protected and can even go inside the shops!

Before we go further into Bird World, there is a pip on Monday afternoon in Thunder and Akecheta’s third egg. This little bobble will join two very feisty siblings who know the ropes in that small nest. Wow. Things could get very interesting.

At 0410, Thunder gets rid of the shell from the third hatch! The first two continue to ‘play fight’ while they are trying to be fed. Oh, bless this new one.

As far as I know, there is no pip or hatch at either Two Harbours, Big Bear, or Sauces. I am having, what most people call, a bit of hope-frustration. Not for me, but for these lovely eagle families.

A pile, literally a stack, of new bird books arrived today. One of them is Tim Mackrill’s The Osprey. I will keep you posted as I compare this book with the one he wrote for the RSPB and his PhD thesis at the University of Leicester. Tim is one of the world’s experts on Ospreys. His name is associated with so many reintroductions and it seems that despite having a life, he is always there to help when someone needs it if it involves our beloved fish hawks.

The book that I am most looking forward to reading is one on its way. It is My Summer with Ospreys. A Therapists Journey into Hope, Community, and Healing our Planet.

The one that I am reading is Simon Curtain’s, If you build it, he will come. I lived in the market town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. My two haunts were Belvoir Castle and closer to home, Belton House. The book is the story of the reintroduction of Osprey into the UK after their demise. It specifically tells the tale of 4K, the male Osprey that settled on one of two platforms built at Belvoir raising two chicks in 2022. It is a love story to that singular bird that was the focus of Sacha Dench’s Flight of the Osprey. 4K did not return to breed in 2023. He sadly died on his way home in February 2023 somewhere near Dobire, Guinea.

It is a page-turner when you get to the part where Curtin wonders, after so many years, if 4K will have a mate, lay eggs, and have chicks! His excitement was infectious and Calico and I were up way past our bedtime reading his diary.

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Most everyone who reads my blog knows that I believe nature has the power of healing. I spent at least four days a week outside for numerous hours. I do not wear headphones as I smell the fresh air and walk through familiar paths in the forest. Even though I do this repeatedly, each day is different. There are times that I long to live the life I did when I was twenty, on a small treed average, miles from anyone. Chickens, sheep, Roosevelt the Pig, horses, cows, cats, rabbits, and Guinea Fowl. Sometimes urban spaces ‘get to me’. But living sustainably was a lot of hard work – rewarding but hard, from morning to night. So now the forested areas around the City are my refuge.

Which brings me back to this book. I will keep you posted when it arrives.

Things are really starting to pick up with the Ospreys with reports coming in from near and far.

We discovered that the osprey photographed in San Diego did not originate in Montana. There is a mystery about this bird: the band and the lack of a federal band. The band reads Blue 61. But there is another white line. I am contacting everyone I know who bands Ospreys and has records of them. The news from the federal banding programme takes time. If you know anyone that bands ospreys, ask them if they recognise this band. Notice the line that goes all the way around. It is unique:

That egg at Captiva. It made its way back to the centre of the nest. Jack has delivered a nice fish to Edie and takes a breath. Everything seems fine for now. Lesson learned. Too much bark and objects in a nest can be dangerous for eggs! I am sure glad these two do not like stuffed toys.

‘H’ reports that Jack injured his foot early this morning but he has delivered a fish and seems to be much improved.

At Dahlgren, Jack and Harriet have been reunited.

No matter what happens…we love them.

A lovely video of Jackie and Shadow with those diamonds raining down on Jackie – oh, the bond these two have. I so wished this year had been theirs.

At Berry College, Missey and Pa Berry’s second clutch of eggs was laid on February 17th and 20th. Today, the oldest egg is 24 days. We have 12 days til pip/hatch watch.

My goodness. Francis must be a fast feeder. I blink and she is finished. It looked like the little one did get some nice bites on Monday, regardless, at Bluff City.

There were issues with prey deliveries at both nests – Bluff City and Johnson City on Monday. Franklin brought a garter snake to the nest in Bluff and it was nearly 1700 when Boone brought in a fish.

Kids at Johnson City were a little antsy. They are little to be waiting so long for food to arrive. It was after 1700. They did get a fish dinner.

Check out E23. Goes from the nest to the branch to hovering high in the wind.

Cal is doing some serious hovering, too!

It is hard to see Dixie and Mason the Superbeaks nest. They blend right in with the Spanish Moss. Three weeks old today – Dixie is.

Ron and Rose’s R6 celebrates his 8 week birthday. Check out Heidi Mc’s video for the celebration at this title on YouTube: 3/10/24 Dade County Eagles: Happy 8-Week Birthday, R6 !!

R6 is standing strong on the rails. Wonder when he will get interested in the branches?

Both eaglets at Duke Farms are doing well. Each fed nicely on Monday and the pantry was full.

Swampy and Meadow got a delivery of a huge fish. Both eating well and getting those juvenile feathers with no problems at this time.

Meadow is self-feeding!

I sure miss Diamond and Xavier. Here is the latest news:

Here is that video:

Kielder is preparing for the upcoming season as their ospreys fly home from West Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.

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Are we getting ready for eggs for Rasene and Akacis at their nest in the Kemeri National Park in Latvia? Lots of time spent in that nest on Monday!

The latest from Janet Shaw at Chichester Peregrine Falcons.

Tom and Angel continue to work on their beautiful nest. Pine boughs and pine cones are adding a special touch – and we know that the pine helps to keep insects away!

Black Storks are arriving back in Poland!

No sign of any hatch action at the Achieva Osprey cam. The precise date that the third egg was laid is not known. It is seen on the morning of the 8th of February. If that is the correct date of it being laid, then it is only 34 days old today. Give it a few more days to hatch.

Could Rutland be home to more than Ospreys – like bears and wolves? They are hoping for this type of transformation!

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Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again soon!

Thank you to the following for their comments, posts, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, IWS/Explore, The Guardian, Pamela Lowell, F Borja, Window to Wildlife, Dahlgren Osprey Platform, FOBBV, SK Hideaways, Berry College Eagle Cam, Bluff City-ETSU, Johnson City-ETSU, WsperWings, Sylvia, Superbeaks, WRDC, Duke Farms, Eagle Country, Holly Parsons, Kielder Ospreys, LDF, Janet Shaw, Arlene Beech, Achieva Credit Union, and BirdGuides.

KNF-E3 has its second egg, Waba is in Sudan…Tuesday in Bird World

21 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

November is always a very challenging month for me. Do you have those months when good and bad events are all clumped together? My mother was born on the 26th of November, and my beloved grandmother died on the 26th. My mother died just shy of the 26th – on the 24th. I had flown down for a big birthday bash. It had been less than two months since I had seen her, but I was in for a shock. She knew things were not going well, so instead of having all her still-living friends meet us for a big birthday bash at her favourite restaurant, she asked me to cancel and get her a burger and fries from Sonic.
We spent the afternoon of the 20th writing her holiday cards, putting on the stamps, and getting them in the post. She always said she wanted to live to be a 100 – she died two days shy of 90 years. Reflecting back. Congestive Heart Failure was a blessing. No pain. Just a slow slipping away. She was an interesting woman. It took me til recently to fully appreciate her. I would love to sit down and have a long conversation with her. She was not like the mother of any of my friends. IT would be much later that I would hear the term ‘Tiger Mum’. My mother was that – and I am eternally grateful, although I don’t think I appreciated it then. I went off on a tangent. Apologies. Our parents profoundly impact us, and we all recognise that there are days or months we think of them more than others. Today (I am writing this at 18:24 on the 20th), twelve years ago, she and I were writing cards to all her friends. We never said anything but we both knew they would be the last ones she ever sent. We made sure they were gorgeous and sparkly.

Well, here we are so far! Superbeaks. Captiva. Kistachie National Forest E-3. So now, who is going to be next?

Oh, there is such good news. Karl II’s offspring, Waba, made it through the kibbutz in Israel and is in the Sudan!

Alex and Andria, the Bald Eagles at the Kisatchie National Forest E-3 nest, have their first egg. So – Superbeaks, Captiva, and Kistachie E-3!

The camera was down so we did not know when Andria laid the first egg. Tonya Irwin had a poll on the chat and I missed it altogether. Remember I said do not place bets on things like I do – I am usually wrong. Well, here we are in the pitching rain and it looks like Andria has laid the second egg at 18:51:24 or close to it. The eggs are four days apart just like last season according to Irwin.

The other good news is that Nancy and Beau were on the MN-DNR Eagle Cam by the old nest tree. You might recall that Nancy was the mate of Harry who is presumed dead. She bonded with Beau. They had a single surviving eaglet that was killed when the nest collapsed last year due to heavy snow.

Mum and the Osplets are waiting for Dad or the fish fairy! The chicks were digging in the nest early. Did they find a leftover?

They are still waiting but gosh, golly. These osplets are so cute and standing so well on that uneven stick nest!

Itchy.

Still waiting.

The osplets are so well-behaved. Still waiting.

Dad arrives with a headless fish at 13:24. Good for you, Dad.

Wow. Then the fish fairy shows up with a monster size fish and it has been slit so that the osplets can practice their self-feeding. Great insights, Fish Fairy! Mum is munching away – letting the kids nibble.

Mum is getting a good feed. This is wonderful.

Heidi Mc got the feeding on video – check it out. Much better than stills!

‘A’ sends us the observation board from Port Lincoln:

If you have wanted to donate money for the Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln and have had difficulties, there is now a PayPal button to make this easier.

There is also news of Ervie although there were no photographs. So reassuring that he is flying around fishing and continuing to come into Port Lincoln! Go Ervie!!!!!

At Orange, Diamond slept on the ledge of the scrape. Xavier came in later. Maybe for a rest after a prey delivery? Talons look bloody.

There was some lovely bonding in the scrape with Diamond and Xavier.

‘A’ gives us some sad news: “The important news comes from Orange, where big sister Marri has not been sighted for nearly a week now. I kept saying that there was no definite ID of the juvenile that has frequently been seen on the roof of the water tower, often with a parent nearby. I believed that juvenile to be Barru. So it seems I was right about that, though I am not happy about it. I was hoping that we were seeing both juveniles, sometimes one, sometimes the other. But no. Apparently Cilla has not seen Marri since the day after she fledged, which is horrible news. I cannot countenance the theory that she has ‘already left the area’ because she has not learnt to hunt, and hunting for a peregrine is not a matter of finding some road kill! So I have been super worried about Marri for a week. It surprises me though, given how strong she was and how well she was flying. We can only hope she is smarter than we think and has somehow been able to get food for herself. Still, it is more likely that she has come to a sticky end – we never found Rubus’s body either, so that’s no indicator. Now we have to pin our hopes on Barru. Perhaps female chicks are never going to come out of this scrape. “

At the Parramatta River, there was a sighting of an eaglet.

Rohan Geddes just posted these images from the other day. I have still not seen any indication that both juveniles have been seen simultaneously. So the question is: Like Orange, is there only one?

The latest news from Kielder of Blue 432 in Senegal:

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Sunday night was apparently ‘owless’ at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest…isn’t that wonderful? I do hope I got the gossip right. Here M15 has brought his lady a lovely meal.

M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest tree and are both in the nest. Will they thwart the GHOs?

The GHO attacked with talons out!

Why do GHOs attack Eagles?

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Some of you will remember Bonnie and Clyde that took over the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property. Here is a video of them this month with a juvie at that same nest.

V3 and Gabby have been at the nest tree. V3 was caught on one of the cameras chasing off an intruder. Wouldn’t we all love it if all the eagles – young and old – would leave Gabby and V3 alone? I do not recall this happening when Samson was king of his natal nest. Does anyone?

They always seem tense – either alerting or watching for intruders. Does it cause difficulties for breeding? Stress?

Rose and Ron have a nice nest coming at the WRDC. Just look. A little Greenery, too.

Bella at the NCTC Bald Eagle Nest. Where is Smitty? Was he here? Bella was doing chortles.

Bella had to defend her nest alone on Monday.

An eagle at Decorah Hatchery.

Did Louis and Anna hope to be Alex and Andria laying the first egg? Sorry you two!

It was windy at the NTSU nest of Boone and Jolene in Johnson City, Tennessee. I am certain they love the wind more than humans would rocking around in a nest high above the ground. LOL.

Gosh, isn’t that setting sun on Big Bear Lake simply gorgeous? Jackie and Shadow came to the nest to enjoy it and check on needed improvements.

Want to see Condors released into the wild? Here is the information to catch all the action and find out what is happening with the Big Sur and Pinnacle colonies. You will have to go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign-up for the Zoom chats. They happen every month.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.

I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, streaming cams, posts, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Maria Marika, Joanna Dailey, Tonya Irwin, KNF-E3, KNF-E1, Trudi Iron, MN-DNR, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Sharon Pollock, HeidiMc, Kathryn Palmer, Lady Hawk, Androcat, Woodsy Wisdom, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, NCTC Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, NTSU Eagle Cam, FOBBV, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Fledge Watch at Orange…Saturday in Bird World

11 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

The kittens hope that you will have a wonderful weekend.

All Hope thinks about are bird videos! She now cuddles up to my ankles when I fill the food dishes in the morning. She doesn’t always let Mamma take over. Hope also loves dental treats just like Mamma. What a glorious gift this bushy tail gal is!

Cuddled up with Mamma.

Sweet Calico. I so fear she has arthritis in her back legs. Sometimes Calico looks so old and frail. I continue to say that life outside in Winnipeg for the stray cats is very hard with our winters no matter how kind people are with shelters and food.

Missey has pretty much given Hope her basket and blankets. They each have their favourite perch and several places to sleep. Life is pretty much one of general civility and contentment with the odd ‘hiss’.

Missey says she adores Hope…not so keen on Calico when Calico is hissey.

Hope also says not to believe that nonsense about the new name for the Cooper’s Hawk. She does wonder if it will be that complicated, the new names. How do you change a name?

‘L’ asked if I had heard anything further about Valor 2. No, sadly, I haven’t. Because he was flying strongly no one could safely catch him to take him in to the wildlife centre to help with the eye and anything else that ails this wonderful eagle. He was the ‘root’ that kept the Trio Lovers together.

At Orange, Marri (the oldest) and Barru are getting ready to fledge. I just wonder if Barru won’t fly first. They are spending so much time looking out and extending their necks…Xavier and Diamond continue to provide prey items but it is pretty dangerous inside that scrape with these two ready to fledge eyases.

What beautiful falcons they are becoming.

Cilla Kinross announces a new tower cam:

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I missed this…Xavier feeding his nearly fledgling chicks. How special is that!

While the two at Orange are more interested in the outside world and already have full crops – ignoring the prey item, that Starling on the scrape floor – Mum and Giliath and #2 are waiting for fish at Port Lincoln. Dad came in with a small fish and then a huge Trevally came in before noon.

Mum and the chicks were delighted with the delivery from Dad. Is this really a small fish??

Then the fish fairy arrived. Everyone was full!

The water was really choppy. I wonder if Dad will go out fishing again…meanwhile he had a meal from the Trivially and brought the tail back to Mum for her and Giliath and #2.

These really are the sweetest not so little anymore osplets. Do we have two little boys this year?

Food comas.

The complete report from Port Lincoln:

I have no new news from Sydney. The last was 8 November when Cathy Cook posted the footage of one of the juvies in the mangroves with the Currawongs.

Missey and Pa Berry working hard on that nest. Will they be our next Bald Eagle couple to have an egg in their nest?

Both Ma and Pa were at the Webster, Texas Bald Eagle nest on Friday.

The AEF reminds us that Gabby will not normally lay her eggs until December. So lot of time for these two.

V3.

Gorgeous Gabby and V3.

Visit at Big Bear. That pinecone is sure getting moved about. Hope it stays in the nest. Love seeing the eaglets practice holding ‘prey’ with these cones.

Playing whose nest is this. The Hooties exchange prey gifts in the night while M15 and F23 do during the day.

Meanwhile, M15 and F23 continue to work on this nest. I really hope that there is not a confrontation between the eagles and the GHOs.

Annie would like a food gift from Lou!

SK Hideaways has it in video!

There are some lovely Pelicans flying around Mobil Bay. Thanks ‘L’ for letting us share. The Brown Pelicans is the smallest of the eight different pelican species. Still, it has a wing span of 2 metres or over 6.5 feet. It will only be found near salt water.

The Brown Pelican was almost made extinct. “Unregulated shooting and pesticides were once the bane of many North American birds, including Brown Pelicans, Bald Eagles, and Peregrine Falcons. Declared Endangered in the 1970s, all three of these charismatic birds are now off the list of imperiled species, thanks to conservation legislation, public education, and decades of cooperation by a wide range of partners.” The pesticide that was most responsible for the decline in pelican populations was DDT.

The Moli (Laysan Albatross) have landed in Kauai’.

People do care. They want an end to the use of snares, and they wanting the hunting culture of the rich and sometimes famous to stop. It is reassuring – no, it is darn comforting – to read that more people want an end to these traditional practices that kill off so many of the raptors that just want a lunch. I hope that they end all of the hunting, including the poor ‘sitting ducks’ that get slaughtered every year, bred and fed to sit by a pond and be shot. How sick is that? At least go out in the wild and try your luck as they fly by…but standing in the mud like people lined up for a firing squad. Doesn’t sound so sporty to me.

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The EU is calling for a pesticide free lands. Can changes to agricultural practices not only bring back the birds but also the insects that they eat?

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The insects really are important – not only to the birds but also to us!

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Hamza Yassin is an excellent presenter and inspirational writer. Please enjoy this article by him…seeing any bird puts a smile on our face, listening to them sing is better, and to see a raptor is elating.

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Karl II’s 2023 fledgling Kalvi (the only one with a tracker) is in Israel. Send positive wishes for his safety!

Thank you so much for being with me. We wait while rubbing those worry beads for the fledges at Orange, for fish arrivals at PLO, and to have some word about SE 31 and 32. Meanwhile, we have Pepe and Muhlady incubating two eggs and we wait to see who will have the next batch of eggs. There is not a lot of news but what there is 97% good. A nice change. Take care. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you to the following for their questions, pictures, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘L, L’, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Cilla Kinross, SK Hideaway, PLO, Marlene Louise Ripley, Paul White, NEFl-AEF, FOBBV, Gracie Shepherd, Lady Hawk, Sassa Bird, Pacific Rim Conservation, Raptor Persecution UK, PNAS, The Guardian, and Maria Marika.

Thank goodness for the Fish Fairies…Tuesday in Bird World

7 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

It drizzled again today. There were so many birds at the garden feeders that sometimes it seemed like a solid wall of wings fluttering about. The Starlings ate at the suet cylinders and the table feeder, but I also noticed that they were cleaning out the bowls of kibble for the stray cats my neighbour leaves near her garage. Everyone was hungry! Everyone ‘is’ hungry. The cat’s outdoor feeder has now been positioned so that it is covered, and the dishes stay dry from the rain and snow. Tomorrow will be another shelter for another stray – a huge demand. Every shelter in our city is full and cannot take any more cats, yet there is a constant list of new finds. People struggle to feed themselves and their children to pay rent or mortgage. I have said this before, but it is so worrisome – that which gives us joy and comfort is thrown out to the street, hoping that someone else will take it in or that our ‘best friend’ will find food somewhere and stay alive. It is the beginning of winter. This breaks my heart.

A lovely chat over tea and cardamon buns this afternoon with my granddaughter revealed that the homeless in my city with mental health problems are also struggling. There is no affordable housing. A young man who cannot live alone and whose father died recently was lucky to find a placement, but many do not. She says that they are put on the street and have to try and find a place to sleep in the homeless shelters – people are no different than the cats and dogs, the family pets, that are abandoned. My goodness, what a world we live in. We can delight in discovering that a thirty-something singer now has over a billion dollars in net worth while families struggle to feed themselves on a few hundred dollars a month. Sorry. There is a point to all of this.

Donations to help wildlife are way down. Ordinary families that used to donate to their local wildlife centre – either in the form of cash, volunteering, or wish list items can no longer afford to do so. If they cannot afford to keep their family pet, we know they cannot afford to feed the birds and other animals in their garden. It is a vicious circle, and I have no answer. There is so much waste, and with some ingenuity, a couple of individuals can arrange to collect the food waste and find a suitable place to deposit it for the birds that would happily devour it. Of course, I am thinking about the Crows. (I did find a spot to feed the local ones, but it is a secret to protect their safety because of local health regulations).

Many of you reading my blog will find that the increase in food prices – what? 30% plus – has impacted your way of living. Remember, one thing you can do is to put out water. Water is life. Every animal and every bird needs water to survive. If you are up to it, you can remind your friends and neighbours that the wildlife rehab clinics much need those clean, used towels and sheets. If someone dies and their friends and family do not know what to do with their things and are simply going to ‘get rid of them’, ask if you can check if there is anything that might be useful to the local rehab clinic near you or the animal shelters. You have yet to learn how valuable your actions can be for the shelters and clinics that are now struggling. So, thank you in advance!

My girls are spoiled. Today, Hope spent much time sleeping in Missey’s basket. I think Missey has decided to ‘give it’ to Hope. Hope is a little sleepy head in the image below. Hope and Missey spent much time watching their bird video while Calico tried to find a place to sleep ‘without Hope’. I can promise you that will never happen!

Things are a little out of order because I am so excited about what is happening on the Parramatta River that I have brought it up between the day’s events with the kittens.

I am still so excited about seeing the sea eagles flying around the mangroves near the River Roost of Lady and Dad that I can barely sit still. I can only imagine the joy the adults have in raising their eaglets from egg to fledge to freedom, knowing that they have taught them everything to survive – something that they have not been able to do in past years.

These images were taken by the BOGs and posted on the Sydney Sea Eagle cam, and shared all over FB. They are marvellous and show how strong the fledglings are! It is very reassuring.

‘A’ has some more news this morning: “Tuesday 7: early morning, during the last of this season’s annual Bird surveys, several of us saw both adults and we assume SE32 over on the mangroves across the river. After 10am, we also saw one adult fly across the Nature Reserve Wetlands and then back to the river. Later at around 3:15, the juvenile was seen eating on the ground under the mangroves, after one of the parents brought prey in. Wonderful to see it eating. We have not spotted the second juvenile today. The juvenile osprey from a few bays away is returning to eat near the nest high on a light tower in a playing field. It is interesting to compare the post-fledge behaviour of the 2 species.”

This news, along with the extremely robust eyases at Orange and the Fish Fairies at Port Lincoln, means that the Australia streaming cams have had a good year – not 100% – but an amazing year nonetheless. I would love to have seen the CBD raise their falcons, but that is something to look forward to next year and let us all continue to hope that the Collins Street Mum is well.

It rained on Sunday and it rained a little today. The snow is melting revealing bright green grass. It is a nice surprise – welcome when everything else is grey or brown. The girls have been hanging out in the conservatory enjoying the warmer weather and several chapters from Margaret Renkl’s new book. Tomorrow we pick up another feral winter home for the outdoor kitties.

Hope is a big beautiful girl – almost as big as Mamma. She loves to pose.

Calico’s favourite perch. Missey likes the top and Hope loves the house and bothering Missey’s tail so they all can share and get along – which they are doing, thankfully.

Missey is getting quite ‘woolly’ for the winter. She gets brushed five or six times a day, which is still insufficient for her liking.

The December birdseed order has been delivered from the local farmers. One only handles Black Oil Seed, and the other does a mixture of millet, corn, safflower, and sunflower seeds. It seemed as if the Blue Jays were not so happy with just the Black Oil Seed, so now they have a choice along with the Dark-eyed Juncos, who are still here. If you feed birds, check out local farmers who bypass all the middle handlers and sell directly to those who feed the birds.

Moving on to check our active nests…

At Port Lincoln, Mum cleaned the nest and found some fish.

Meanwhile, Mum is waiting for Dad to get off the ropes and go fishing.

So grateful for the fish fairies. These chicks might not have made it to this age. They are 23 and 21 days old today. Mum waiting with Giliath and #2 for a fish delivery. Mum leaves. Dad remains on the ropes. Thank goodness for those scraps in the nest, too!

At 11:50, the chat says “Fish Fairies on their way”. Relief. Giliath and #2 are so precious. So is Mum.

A large Trevally lands on the nest. Oh, goodness. This will make some nice meals!

Dad will take the fish after the first feeding. He will have a good feed and return it to Mum, who will feed the osplets again and hopefully finish off the tail herself. I hope Dad will get out and bring another fish to the nest before evening.

‘A’s report is always welcome. She tells me that today is the Melbourne Cup and everyone stops everything for the horse race! “The osplets are hungry today, with nothing brought to the nest by either parent, although mum did discover some nestovers very early this morning (about 05:48) and fed a fish tail to the two chicks. We are told by the mods that the fish fairy is on her way as I type, so a large feeding is about to occur. The current joke is that mum and the osplets will be meeting the boat! Certainly, mum is gone for no more than two minutes when fish are delivered. She knows Janet by now and I think she is well aware no harm is meant by the fishmonger. Looking forward to watching this pair eat. I love them both but Little Bob is such a feisty lad, his sister being far more laid-back. Perhaps Giliath is also male. I have thought the size discrepancy made that unlikely, but even when both eat their fill, Giliath is definitely eating at least twice as much as its younger sibling at a lot of the feedings. So it’s hard to tell, but I would still have my money on Giliath being the big sister to younger brother Little Bob. The temperaments seem to be the reverse of what gender would suggest. “

‘A’ and I spend a lot of time discussing the Port Lincoln Osplets and we both wonder – as I have in this post earlier – what would have been the fate of this nest this year without the fish fairies: “Today was a day to wonder what may have happened in the absence of the fish fairy, whose single giant trevally (13:07) was the only fish of the day. There were two monster feedings from the fish, and of course mum ate a lot of fish herself (as always), plus dad took it away for a bit and then brought it back for the second feeding. What interested me the most was how confident Little Bob was – lining up first, getting the prime position, and then reaching for bites in front of his huge sister, who did not object in any way or at any stage. These two are the best of friends, and I would suspect two males were it not for the massive size discrepancy between them. There are times when Giliath does get fed a lot more than her brother because mum for some reason concentrates on her, but mostly Little Bob is eating as much as Giliath, and at all meals, he seems to eat as much as he is able to. (He turns away from feedings, too full to continue, then returns to rejoin the feeding or gets pursued by mum attempting to smother him in fish.) So I have to believe their difference in size represents a gender difference, though we won’t know until banding of course. I do love to watch this pair though. They are so amicable and it is just a wonderful nest to watch as a result. I wonder whether dad feels the pressure has been lifted by the fish fairy or whether fishing conditions were simply bad today. “

At Orange, Marri is beginning to look like a falcon, bigger than Diamond. Both share in the prey and continue to look out to the wide world. The parents will soon turn to doing flying demonstrations with prey in their talons in front of the scrape as fledge approaches.

Diamond appears to be smiling all over. Look at those eyes as she stares at her daughter, Marri.

Barru is a cutie-pie but not match for Marri in a tug-o-war. Thank goodness they get along brilliantly.

The Bald Eagles are either laying eggs, thinking about eggs, or working on nests in preparation for eggs in the US.

Martin and Rosa have made great progress on their brand new nest!

We are expecting at an egg with Missey and Pa Berry at Berry College any time.

Smitty is still missing.

The most recent visit of the male with Bella at the NCTC nest is caught by Deb Stecyk.

Poor Bella. She continues to work on her nest with no news of Smitty.

Gabby and V3 are checking out the nest bowl at NEFlorida.

An owl goes after V3 (for the second time in as many days).

The rails are high and the one camera is set low but Muhlady is in the nest at Superbeaks incubating those two eggs.

More GHOs looking for nests and thinking of those that belong to Bald Eagles! This time at the nest of Abby and Blazer.

Fingers crossed for this pair of Black Storks.

Had to check on the only storklet fledgling of Karl II’s to have a transmitter this year – Kalvi. He is now in southern Turkey. Stay safe, Kalvi!

Wonderful news coming out of Kielder from Joanne Dailey and from Jean-marie Dupart in Senegal:

As we know from the Black Storks flying together (Karl II and Kaia) as well as others, Audubon’s recent report supports the notion of flock migration.

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As you might be aware, the names of American birds are about to be changed. Here is a good read on why this huge task of removing names related to individuals is taking place.

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Thank you so very much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you with us again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog for today: ‘A’, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam and the BOGS, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Gracie Shepherd, Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam, Berry College Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Paul Kolnik, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, Superbeaks, Eagle Country, Maria Marika, Looduskalender, Joanne Dailey and Jean-marie Dupart, Audubon, and The Guardian.

Beaky kisses and SE32 eating in the mangroves…Monday in Bird World

6 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

I hope that the weekend was good and that the beginning of the week is even better for each and everyone.

It was a damp Sunday in southern Manitoba. It rained. Not enough to melt all the snow but enough to make you worry if you went out if the temperature drops quickly and turns that rain into ice. Still, I wanted to get to the nature centre for some suet and walk around checking on the geese and ducks.

But, before we even start on that…Pepe and Muhlady have their second egg of the Bald Eagle season at Superbeaks!!!!!!!! 32 days til hatch watch. Write that in your calendars. 7 December 2023.

Now back to the nature centre. I spotted 27 Hooded Mergansers. Others have seen more. There were Ring-billed gulls, Downy Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, a Rusty Blackbird, two American Coots and 8 Mallards. I did not see a single Canada Goose.

You might remember that earlier in the summer, there were lots of young Hooded Mergansers being cared for by two pairs of adults. I believe that these might be those same waterfowl all grown up!

These are female Hooded Mergansers.

I saw two Males. You can tell them immediately by the white on their hoods and neck.

A małe Downy Woodpecker was really enjoying the suet. Remember when it gets cold suet provides wonderful energy for the birds with all the added fat.

It is the same little Red Squirrel hoping that one of the birds would cause some seeds to drop from the feeders.

Every time I go for a walk in the nature centre, I rub the Buffalo Stone.

In the winter, kids of all ages – seniors, too – will take their sleds to the top of the run and go down the ramp on to the ice of Devonian Lake below. Of course, the lake is frozen solid by then.

Devonian Lake. The only leaves left on the trees are brown. The branches are so bare. The sky is a light dove grey while the lake is a little darker. Everything here in the winter turns into blacks, espressos, deep browns and beaver brown, and a range of greys. I miss the colour of spring! And fall.

At Pork Lincoln, the waters are not as calm as Devonian Lake, but they are calmer than yesterday. Dad will bring in a fish at 08:08 and another one around 13:00 at the time of writing this blog. There could be more and there will also be the fish fairy delivery. There has been no real beaking of any consequence.

Look at the feathers and the down feet. #2 often stars Giliath right in the eyes. It is never the thing to do. One beak by #2. Giliath says not doing that to me. Returns the beak and all is over.

The osplets are getting stronger on their ‘feet’. Just look at Giliath.

Looking out to the world beyond. Those beautiful feathers coming in on the hand and at the tail.

Mum is telling Dad to get on with the fishing. The chicks are going to be hungry.

Mum has flown off the nest. It is nearly 1300. Babies are panting and are hungry. Dad will arrive with a fish shortly. Everyone will get their fill.

‘A’ gives us the remaining report of the day at Port Lincoln: “The fish fairy arrived late this afternoon and delivered five medium-sized fish, mainly red mullet. This was greatly appreciated by mum, Giliath and Little Bob, who ate and ate and ate. For over an hour. Even dad benefitted, because when he caught a fish at 17:39, he was able to eat most of it himself on the ropes. When he brought the remainder to the nest, mum deigned to eat a little before returning to the red mullet. Mum does love her fish, but she tries so hard to fill up those osplets. She feeds fast, and she is always conscious of both chicks, feeding them alternately most of the time (one bite for Little Bob, two or three bites for mum, two bites for Giliath, more bites for mum, three bites for Little Bob, and so on). Oh they are sweet. An osprey nest without undue aggression is a beautiful thing. Rare and wonderful. I have never truly enjoyed an osprey nest until now. “

This is the weekly summary report from Port Lincoln:

They have discovered another nest in South Australia with a wee Osprey babe and an egg.

At Orange, the eyases were looking out of the scrape in the golden glow of morning, waiting for Xavier to bring in the breakfast. Look at how much of the down is now gone. They are developing so fast. Yes, we could have a fledge in a week. That is hard to believe.

These are a series of images from the scrape. Marri and Barru spend a lot of time looking out of the window at the great big world beyond the scrape. The feathers on the bottom of the scrape box not only belong to prey but also have been shed from their back, wings, and head. You can clearly see the falcon head and shape appearing. At times, the pair look like they are on a haute couture runway in Paris with the latest layered satin capes with fine feathering designs. They are simply beautiful although a big bedraggled. In a few days we will not remember what they looked like with their baby down.

There is nothing earth-shattering about these images. They are not fabulous for any reason. I love the state that their plumage is in at the moment. The feathers appear to have a quilted pattern in the first image, with the fine little pieces of down being the ties. The down on their heads is confined to a mini-mohawk. Look at the drape of the cape at the back and imagine a winter wonderland.

‘A’ remarks: “At Orange, little Barru is ADORABLE. Okay, they both are. With their tufts of fluff rapidly disappearing and their feathers coming through, and most importantly those gorgeous eyes. Oh they are so beautiful. Mum and dad are almost reluctant to enter the scrape at this point, as they are immediately mobbed by the eyases, and Xavier needs to count his talons after delivering prey. Mum still feeds the chicks when they let her, but usually, they grab and self-feed, The tugs of prey are risky, as Marri’s near-tumble the other day demonstrated. She really did fall out of the scrape – it was very lucky she got a talon-hold on that tiny ledge beneath the ledge, as it were, and then that she had the strength to flap her own weight back up and into the scrape. It was very dramatic for a few seconds there. But as I said, she learned absolutely nothing from the experience and returned immediately to exactly the same activity in precisely the same spot. Food, food, food!! “

SK Hideaways gives us the video of Diamond not wanting to be in the scrape with the two eyases anymore! Watch those little dandelion feathers go flying…my goodness. This scrape got so small with these two! https://youtu.be/aOZRU7A-Epw?si=Zccfxse3FC1Jh9on

News from Sydney. Images of Rohan Geddes in my blog of for Sunday the 5th of November.

And from Jen for the 6th November, 2023 – As promised, news on SE32 from yesterday. SE32 is with Dad and Lady at river roost! Another thanks to ground obs team – Jen, for the awesome video of SE32 flying with parents. More from the team later on what they saw today. How do we know, which one? SE32 has a high pitched squeal, easily heard over the river and evident when parents were feeding (in mangroves).

And even better news from ‘A’: “November 6: Again all was quiet overnight. Ground crew was down by the river early – and reported both adults and what we think is SE32 in mangroves near River Roost. During the morning I actually spotted SE32 hidden away in the mangroves -superb camouflage and heard it calling. After I left, at around 13:20 SE32 was seen eating under the mangroves, with prey delivered by one of the parents, standing guard nearby. So one of the juveniles at least is with the parents and has been delivered prey, which is wonderful news. Later in the afternoon I again saw both adults in the mangroves in a similar spot, Lady eating a fish and then a juvie possibly eating as well, out of sight. We have possibly heard 2 juveniles calling from that area during the day as well. I went for a walk through the forest, though saw no eagles this time, nor currawongs warning of the presence of a juvenile.”

We are so delighted with SE31 and 32 and knowing they are with Lady and Dad, being fed, getting their flying skills even stronger and learning to hunt. But could you stop for a moment? In recent memory, Lady and Dad have not been able to enjoy these moments either. The eaglets were either lost or taken into care. This must be the most glorious year for these sea eagle parents. Smile. Shed tears. How many years have we waited to see these wonderful fledglings living their lives and being fed without the onslaught of the Currawongs…it is beautiful.

Connie has spent an inordinate amount of time in the nest she shares with Clive on Captiva. Will this be the second eagle couple to lay an egg this season?

Moving sticks and beaky kisses with Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear!

At NE Florida, Gabby is determined to get her nest just right. Now we need eggs!

On Sunday, Smitty had been gone from the NCTC nest for four days. We wait to see what will happen. The young male intruder was seen at the nest on Sunday.

‘A’ gives us a report from the Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand: “At the albatross colony, OGK’s brother has been confirmed as an arrival this season. And as we know, YRK has returned, seemingly aware that OGK will not be coming home. Discussion on this led to someone posting this: https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-55416365. What an amazing photo. There is so much we assume about birds and their emotions (or lack of them) and we actually KNOW so very little. So far, there has not been an egg laid at the colony, but as eggs begin to hatch in the second half of January after an average incubation period of about 11 weeks (77 days), that means we should be expecting eggs to start being laid within the next two or three weeks. They will candle all of the eggs to ascertain which are fertile before deciding on this year’s Royal Cam family. It is a very long period of dedication from the parents – nearly three months of incubation, then eight months of feeding their chick before it fledges. That’s the best part of a year! Now that’s parental devotion.”

The GPS tracking systems on the migrating birds are so good that you can locate the precise pole that the bird was killed on. Indeed, some of them will change the image on the transmission to a skull and crossbones when the bird dies. This is where Karl II took his last breath.

This was sent to me this morning by my friend, Sassa Bird. We had been talking about the great loss that Karl II’s death has done to the people who work so hard for this endangered species to grow in Estonia (and Latvia). We remembered Urmas. He has to be more gutted than any of us will ever know. He has worked tirelessly for the Black Stork families in Estonia.

“NFO BIRDMAP: An adult Black Stork, tracked with support of BAltCF project. Breeding in webcam nest of Karula National Park since 2019. Karl II owned the nest after the previous male stork Karl died during the spring migration in Syria. In the spring of 2020, the former female stork Kati did not return from her migration, and a young female, whom observers began to call Kaia, appeared belatedly in May. Kaia laid two eggs, but left the hatching unfinished. After the breedind appeared unsuccessful we got a chance to capture Karl II and install a transmitter on him. So we know that in the previous two autumns, Karl II made a long migration stop on the Black Sea coast between Kherson and the Crimea, and from there flew west around the Black Sea to Africa. During the 2022 migration, this area was a war zone, and Karl II’s data was cut off on September 4 before reaching the occupied area. The next data transfer took place only on September 22, when Karl II reached the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, in the Dniester River delta. Then we saw that Karl II had flown to his usual stop over area on the Black Sea coast at Perekop Bay by evening September 5th, but the next day he flew away from there, 80 km north to the Dnipro river flood plaines, while checking the feeding places of previous years. In 6-19 September, Karl II stopped at the floodplains of the Dnipro river, in a militarily sense rather hot place between Kherson and Kahovka. On September 19th, Karl II went to see if the conditions on the Black Sea coast had calmed down, but turned back to the Dnipro river and from there in morning of September 20th, he flew further to the northwest, looking for suitable feeding places. In two days, without finding a good place to forage, Karl II reached the border of Moldova, in the delta of the Dniester River (by the evening of September 22). We will see if that will be a longer stop over or only for a single night. When he arrived in Africa, the connection with Karl II disappeared, as it does every autumn. But at the beginning of March 2023, Karl II started flying towards Estonia from his wintering place (from the border of the Central African Republic and DRC). Karl II made a migration stop over on April 1 due to rainy weather, but the rain turned to snow on April 4, and according to the forecast, the snow will not melt until a week later. The north is free of snow, but Karl II probably doesn’t know that. Nevertheless, Karl II breeds successfully in season 2023. There grow up three chicks of four eggs. Last is Karl II to leave for autumn migration. He doesn’t know that it will be his last one. Between 1st and 2nd October Karl II lands on electric pylon for night, but got electrocuted. Turkish colleagues searched and found dead body, took away the transmitter.”

If you are in Malta, please read this and help.

North Ronaldsay is in the Orkneys. It has broken its own record with more than 226 species observed on the island.

North-Ronaldsay-breaks-year-list-record-BirdGuidesDownload

We have Wild Turkeys in Manitoba. I remember with some disgruntlement when eBird told me that I was incorrect in spotting and hearing a Wild Turkey at Fort Whyte Alive in the spring. Well, turns out I was right and several others saw the turkeys, too. Want to know more about their behaviour? Have a read.

The-Fascinating-Fall-Behavior-of-Wild-Turkeys-Cool-Green-ScienceDownload

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. We hope to have you with us again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: “A, H, Sassa Bird”, PLO, Fran Solly, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, SK Hideaways, Rohan Geddes, Jen, Cathy Cook, Inatra Veidemane, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, AEF, Sassa Bird, Maria Marika, Birdlife Malta, Bird Guides, and Cool Green Science.

The osplets are ‘itchy’…Sunday in Bird World

5 November 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Saturday was a day that fluctuated between blue skies and grey. It was also the day I learned all there is to know about making insulated homes for the feral cats that come to my feeder. Our winters are cold and can be wet with heavy snow. I often long for the dry snow that used to blow across the country roads, creating ‘whiteouts’ on the highway. Most often, I was told when I first arrived on the Canadian Prairies, people would go off the road and into the ditch but on the other side. Whiteouts are precisely that – solid white – opaque milk glass. You quickly get disoriented when you are driving, and the snow is blowing across the highway.

The insulated boxes mean ‘The Boyfriend’ and another friend (wonder who that will be?) will have warm and dry places to stay if they choose – under the deck. That horrid old carpet that needs to be replaced will remain til spring. It will keep the snow from falling between the decking onto the ground below. Hopefully, they will have a nicer winter.

Calico can watch them from inside, snug and warm. Gosh, I love how that cat finally came to trust me. The three girls are such wonderful gifts. They are creatures of ritual and the story reading one is very precious. It reminds me of the time when my children were small and cuddled in for their bedtime stories. Now they nestle on the scrap quilt my grandmother made beside me – Calico and Hope – with Missey either on the table or the cat tree. I am so lucky. If petting a cat removes stress, my life should be completely stress free!

Today I did put a little post in FB seeking out a very young male kitten, a little brother for them. I am looking for a little boy younger than Hope, perhaps 6-8 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Calico trying to catch a ‘cat nap’. Hope does sleep but rather than eat or sleep, she would much rather play!

In keeping to my promise to try and get out to the park for a walk at least 5 days out of 7, I headed off to check on the Wood Ducks, the Mallards, and the Canada Geese that were at Kildonan Park a week ago. There is an area by the ‘Witches Hut’ where people come to feed them seed.

There were no ducks in sight, but there were twenty-five Canada Geese.

Squirrels who are getting their thick winter coats were chasing one another all around the park, up and down the trees, and across the snow. Isn’t this one adorable with his paw across his chest? I bet he thought I might have a peanut. Sadly, I did not – which reminds me that I must get some peanuts for the feeders. They must be rationed because of Little Red, who will take them all and not share. Dyson and Gang, along with the Blue Jays generally eat the nuts this time of year.

‘H’ knows how much I love ducks and geese, and she checks on the Barnegat Light streaming cam regularly. Today, she sent me such a treat – a short video clip of the Brandt Geese. You should check out that streaming cam! Oh, I would love to be sitting in those dunes listening to them.

Wikipedia gives us the following information: “The brant is a small goose with a short, stubby bill. It measures 55–66 cm (22–26 in) long, 106–121 cm (42–48 in) across the wings and weighs 0.88–2.2 kg (1.9–4.9 lb).[4][5][6][7] The under-tail is pure white, and the tail black and very short (the shortest of any goose).The species is divided into three subspecies:[8]

  • Dark-bellied brant goose B. b. bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pale-bellied brant goose B. b. hrota (Müller, 1776) (also known as light-bellied brent goose in Europe, and Atlantic brant in North America)
  • Black brant goose B. b. nigricans (Lawrence, 1846) (sometimes also known as the Pacific brant in North America)”.

Audubon describes their migration. It is possible that ‘L’ spotted one in Mobile Bay today!

“Long-distance migrant, travelling in flocks. Birds from central Canadian Arctic move down east side of Hudson Bay, then may make nonstop flight overland from southern James Bay to central Atlantic Coast of USA. In Alaska, large numbers gather at Izembek Lagoon and then depart almost simultaneously for long overwater flight to wintering areas on Pacific Coast. Migrating flocks may fly very high. Wintering birds may linger later in spring than most geese, as coastal breeding areas in high Arctic remain unsuitable for nesting until summer.”

“Brant Geese” by flythebirdpath > > > is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

“Brant Geese” by Andrew_N is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

In her book, The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl says, “The world will always be beautiful to those who look for beauty.”

In the garden, it was damp and grey today. The snow is melting and everything looks ugly. I’m not too fond of this time of year. When you leave your garden to be messy to help the birds and insects, there are some weeks when everything looks so dishevelled, so rotten, in such a mess. I must remind myself that all of this is for the greater good and hope that a large dump of snow will come and cover it with a winter blanket until spring!

The European Starlings flew in and out, and a Blue Jay has been searching through the Black oil Seed to see if the Sparrows left him anything. It is time to go and get some food just for the Blue Jay, but, of course, that will not work as the others will want to share in the goodies, too.

This is Junior, the Dad. He was at the feeder with the youngest of the fledglings the other day. Several appear to have moved on. Often Junior will stay for most of the winter.

It has been especially difficult to get a good image of the Starlings when they come in during the day. They are fond of the solid suet and have consumed many large cylinders this past week in their attempt to keep warm.

Now if I misspell names, tell me! Bazz not Bazza, Giliath. I put an ‘a’ in there. It is Barru and Marri. Apologies all around. My fingers sometimes go faster than my brain!!!!!!!

At the beginning of the season at Orange, my wish was for one healthy eyas. Instead, we have two. Double happiness for Diamond and Xavier this year. And that second hatch is quite the character. Barru and Marri have their ongoing tug-o-wars for prey and then, in a wink, sit there and pull off pieces, sharing their lunch. What great siblings!

It has been a glorious year at Orange.

Just look at how much soft white down is coming off the backs and wings of these two. Imagine if you will that it might well be all gone, flying about the scrape along with the feathers from the prey being plucked. Marri and Barru are turning into ‘falcons’.

‘A’ reports: “There was much wingercising, eating and screeching, along with zoomies around the scrape. THOSE EYES! Oh how gorgeous are those sidelong glances? So very cute. And we’re only a week from fledge watch!! Surely not. Already? Here are today’s time stamps: PREY 07.02 04, 08.16.37, 09.50.37, 17:10:18, 19.09.00, 19.18.35 FEED 07.02(M,D,B), 09.52(M,D,B), 11:57(X scrap from floor), 17:10 (M&B), 19.09(M&B), 19.19 (M,D). HIGHLIGHTS: 17:18 Barru takes the prey! 18:05:46 Marri shows off her giant wings but 18:07:18 Barru wins the winger competition. 18:08:23 they discuss it with beakies. 19:18:38 tug-o-war between Barru and Marri. Barru wins the tug-o-war at 19:18:49. We will miss this pair. What huge personalities they both are. As always, Diamond and Xavier do raise one male chick each year who is a very memorable eyas indeed. Izzi. Yurruga. Rubus. And this year, Barru. I do think this is their first female chick in many many years – Marri is definitely female IMO, as she is as big as her mum (bigger with all that fluff) and towers over poor little Xavier.” 

The water at Port Lincoln is choppy. Will Dad get a fish in? How will the boat ride be for Fran and Bazz as they head out to get fish for the nest on the barge?

Giliath and #2 are getting almost too big to fit under Mum comfortably. You will be able to notice the pin feathers coming in if you look carefully.

The kids are preening. Feathers are itchy!

It is 1244 and no fish has arrived at Port Lincoln yet – not from Dad or the fish fairy. Thinking they need a tank!

It is mid-afternoon. Dad appears on the ropes. Mum and kids in the nest waiting for fish. I hope the fish fairies are not having difficulty finding the catch of the day.

‘A’ reports: “At Port Lincoln, dad brought in only one small fish for the entire day (at 10:07:20), which fed both osplets a small snack. So it was indeed fortunate that the fish fairy delivered an extra large whole trevally (709 grams) at 14:51. This fed both kids to their gills (the feeding lasted 69 minutes), and there was another feeding from the same fish at 16:27 which was listed on the Obs Board as small but apparently lasted for 29 minutes. Either way, both osplets had full crops at bedtime.” 

It is raining in the Sydney Olympic Forest home to the Sea Eagles and the two fledglings SE31 and 32.

Several years ago, a dear ‘late’ friend, Phyllis Robbins, introduced me to Cathy Cook. Cathy lives near the Discovery Centre, and you might remember that she has helped spot the sea eagle fledglings when they are grounded. She has helped on more than one occasion to get help for them, even riding with them in the van to the rehab clinic. I so admire her dedication to these beautiful raptors. Today, Cathy has some news for us that will make you smile.

Then there is more great news!!!!!!!!!!!! Just tape that smile on your face. Look at this sea eaglet.

‘A’ sends the report from Sydney: “November 5: Rain and wind this morning. No action on the nest during the day, but great observations from our ground team again. One juvenile, we think SE32, was seen with the parents across the river in the mangroves, possibly eating as well. Both appear to be still in the area. The watching and listening continues.”

Gracie Shepherd caught Irv and Claire at the US Steel Bald Eagle nest in Pennsylvania. Bravo! I keep missing them. So glad they are both home safe and planning for a new season.

Gabby and V3 continue to work on their nest near Jacksonville. Have these two ever mated? ‘A’ has been sceptical for some time. Now, I am starting to wonder. Why would V3 be camera-shy?

And at Duke Farms…

There are beautiful eagles in the trees with their fall leaves at Decorah.

It was a stunning morning at Big Bear, but I did not see Jackie and/or Shadow at the nest (yet). Don’t you love the way the sun rising creates those beautiful diamonds?

Pepe and Muhlady are taking such good care of that precious egg. Look for another soon!

The situation at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23 – or is it the nest of the GHOs – is worrisome. Whose nest is it? M15 and F23 have not been sleeping at the nest. Do they know that the owls are staking it out as their own?

Some news from around the world:

A growing colony of terns! Oh, I do love terns. My friend ‘S’ has some terns living in her garden on the Hawaiian islands, and they are so pretty. We also have terns in Manitoba during the spring and summer breeding seasons.

Recently-discovered-Sandwich-Tern-colony-is-thriving-BirdGuidesDownload

Banana noses????

Short-tailed Albatross incubating eggs on Midway.

The Black Stork migration continues. Maria Marika reports that many are flying over Egypt. They are almost to their winter homes. I hope Kaia is with them and she is safe. It would be grand if Karl II was by her side – hard to imagine we lost him.

The Royal Albatross continue to return to Taiaroa Peninsula to find their mates and start the process of nest building and egg laying!

Do you know this nest cam with squirrels and songbirds in Nagano?

Please share. Once, when we were trying to protect some Cooper’s Hawk nests in my city, I was told repeatedly, that the hawks had been carrying away the local dogs! The gentleman who told me this was busy trying to locate all the nests in the area so he could destroy them. It took great effort and one of the local wildlife officers to deter his actions.

Thank you so much for being with us today in Bird World. Please stay safe. I hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, photographs, videos, graphics, articles, and streaming cams that helped me write my blog today: ‘A, B, H, L’, Wikipedia, Audubon, Openverse, Margaret Renkl, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Cathy Cook, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Gracie Shepherd, Rohan Geddes, NEFL-AEF, Duke Farms, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, FOBBV, Superbeaks, Androcat, Bird Guides, The Petrel Station and Seabird Tours and Research, Holly Parsons, Maria Marika, Lady Hawk, Nagano Songbird Cam, and The Medina Raptor Centre.