I hope you are all well – and, please, stay that way. New masking restrictions are coming into play in various provinces in Canada as this new Covid variant takes hold. I slept almost all Friday curled up with Calico in the conservatory. Oh, what a loving cat she is. I wouldn’t take a million dollars for her and Hope! Or Missey and Lewis. Several have written about wanting to adopt Hope. I could never separate her and Calico. Their story makes me believe that magical things can happen.
The pair of them continue to play like kittens, and we count the days until I am well and can manage the four to ensure their lives together, living in the open, are safe for all. They all deserve it. Hope watched the Blue Jays cracking open the Black Oil seeds at the table feeder and the leaves blowing across the garden and deck. We have started a new book – new to them anyway. The Meaning of Geese. I read it in the winter and came to love the Siberian geese in parts of the UK. As our geese fly in to fatten up and head South, it is a good reminder of how wonderful these birds are. I hope they like it!
We are heading to the 1st of October in Orange, and we are on ‘pip’ watch for Diamond and Xavier. Should the first laid egg be fertile and viable, we should be seeing some action soon. We are holding our breath.
I will raise many eyebrows, and some of you will yell at me, but I hope that Diamond and Xavier have one strong hatch. Let’s see another Izzi in this scrape – not a strong first hatch and a weaker second one with feather development issues.
Keep your eyes on Orange.
Elain did ‘Highlights of Prince Manaaki’ for all those missing that cute little bundle of fluff who turned into a Royal Albatross. Loved watching him garden!
Expecting to see one of the Sea Eaglets interested in that parent branch shortly.
‘A’ has been watching them but had missed the singing, “I found the sea eaglets ‘singing’ with their parents the most adorable thing. Thank you so much for drawing my attention to that. Of course, as it happened at 05:25 and was not something that I picked up while scrolling through the footage, I would have missed it otherwise. Aren’t they looking beautiful? As I have mentioned over the past fortnight, the world beyond their nest has been fascinating to them, especially SE32, and I am truly hoping this will make them less fearful of the currawongs and crows. They are both much larger birds than the blue jays that bothered Angel.
It is hot in Melbourne, and it is not even 0900. Why didn’t someone do something about the sun on that scrape? or remove that scrape box altogether?
A noticed this, “Poor mum is doing the morning shift at Collins Street and she has been panting since before 9am. Tonight, our clocks go forward an hour, meaning the shadow will not hit the scrape until an hour later than it is currently doing, and this will gradually get worse as time progresses. Today, mum is absolutely baking. It is SO hot out there. I hate to think of what it will be like in three or four weeks time when those babies have natal down rather than thermal down and the parents are going to have to shade them for at least three hours each day. Not sure how dad is going to manage that when he is already having problems brooding the four eggs (though he is valiant in his efforts and always finds a way somehow).”
The sight of the eyases almost roasting last year still haunts many of us.
It is going to be 30 degrees today, which means it will be a lot hotter on that ledge. Sending out positive thoughts to our lovely Melbourne Couple.
At Port Lincoln, the oldest egg is now 24 days old. We still have a ways to go before hatch!
Egg dates: 6, 9, and 12 September.
Looks who is back fishing at Delamere.
A rallying call to vote for the Peregrine Falcon as Australia’s 2023 bird of the year. Remember go to The Guardian to vote!
A really quick check at some of the Bald Eagle nests – almost without exception, the Bald Eagles are busy readying their nests for next season.
Pepe and Muhlady paid an early morning visit to Superbeaks.
Jackie and Shadow returned after 1800 to work on their nest at Big Bear Lake on Friday.
Baiba catches that first stick delivery by Shadow in video.
Life is still – seemingly – unsettled for Gabby at NE Florida. No confirmation of who came to the nest on Friday.
Raining hard at ‘The Hamlet’ and no one knows who is on or off the nest.
Anna is still having trouble with her injured leg at the KNF nest that she shares with her mate, Louis.
Connie and Clive are working on their nest at Captiva. Wishing them a good year.
Checking on our Black stork family from Estonia, Karl II and Kaia almost took the same flight path – like almost identical – to get to Bursa, Turkey.
Kalvi is in Bulgaria.
Waba continues to fish on the Danube River in Romania.
The RSPB’s State of Nature (in the UK) report is out and it makes for some very grim reading. The main threats to wildlife are: “The changes in the way we manage our land for farming, and climate change were the biggest causes of wildlife decline on our land, rivers and lakes. At sea, and around our coasts, it was as a result of unsustainable fishing, climate change and marine development.”
Do you have a garden? Do you have friends or relatives that do? Have they given away all the cucumbers and zucchini they can to their friends and still have more? What about that kale? Wildlife Rehab Centres always need fresh vegetables for their patients. Your local wildlife rehab clinic will be so grateful for the food gifts.
Thank you for being with me today. Cameras will be turned on Saturday at SWFlorida! Go and watch M15 and his new mate kick off a new season. Take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, photos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me: ‘A’, Charles Sturt FalconCam, Elain and NZ DOC, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Pam Hewstone and Friends of Osprey Sth Australia, The Guardian, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Tonya Irvin and KNF E-1, Looduskalender, and the RSPB.
Oh, it was a lovely fall day on the Canadian Prairies. The windows were flung open to let out all the stale air. Watching Hope listen to the sounds of the birds in the garden was incredible. She watches every leaf that flies over the conservatory’s roof – she wants to play. What a happy little kitten she is. Today is day 14 – it has been two weeks since Calico’s spaying. Had I felt better, Hope and Calico would have begun the second round of integration into the household on Tuesday. I don’t want anything to go sideways, no hiccups, since I am not on top of my game with this Covid. Calico, Missey, and Lewis had learned to live together. Calico is protective of Hope, which can potentially cause a problem. But soon….I continue to think of the osplets on the nests. There is enough space, enough food, and enough attention for all of them. Enough toys and treats! There will be an uncomfortable few days, and the pecking order will be established and life will settle into a routine.
Hope. She is nothing short of a Mini-Calico with her black tear in the left eye, a single spot of white on her black, and her lovely disposition. I will bore you and I am sorry but I cannot look at the two of them without feeling a little overwhelmed – in a good way – that Hope found us and Mamma and baby were reunited.
As the sun was setting on Big Bear Lake, Jackie pays a visit! So very nice to see you.
Mini did not come to the Patchogue nest on Tuesday that I am aware. Many wonder why she has not migrated. Migration depends on a food source and it is obvious that Mini still has plenty of fish in the area to eat. There are rumours that the bay is full of Snapper and other fish. Why would she leave for something uncertain? Eat up! Get fat! Then go.
This might be of interest to you. Many North American Ospreys from the NE US fly over Cuba beginning in mid-September. This article points out that there are also large numbers in October.
There has been ongoing worry about Karl II, the patriarch of the Karula National Forest Black Stork Nest Ian Estonia. His tracker stopped transmitting in Ukraine. This happened last year in an area where the cell service was disrupted because of the war. Now, Karl II has sent data!!!!!!! He is alive. Oh, thank goodness.
The time has flown by. We are approximately three days from the hatch at Orange!!!!!!!! We will enjoy these little fluff balls before things start to crack at Melbourne.
While Diamond and Xavier wait for their three eggs to hatch, Annie and Lou are doing some serious beak bonding in The Campanile in California.
The might Mum, F22, at Collins Street.
SE31 and 32 – gorgeous. The plumage. They are working those wings, self-feeding, and getting ready for their fledge in October.
Dad taking his turn incubating while Mum returns from her break anxious to get back to her three eggs.
Ervie went over to Boston Island. He certainly seems to be exploring lately. Wonder what he had in his picnic?
Anna, who was injured, and Andria are at their nests at the Kisatchie National Forest Monday night.
An Osprey landed on the perch at Achieva where it seemed to be drying its wings in the wind.
At least five fish were delivered to the fledgling at the MN Landscape Arboretum Nest on Tuesday. Dad and Lil’ Arb are still around. The weather is good, the fish seem plentiful, and why not? Just like Mini – eat the fish where you are before flying off to points unknown!
It appears that Coco has left the Sandpoint nest and she and Dad, Keo, are on their way south.
Beautiful morning at Superbeaks. If you haven’t, add this Eagle nest in Central Florida to your watch list.
Exciting news of the Black-browed Albatross being spotted in the UK. This is an extremely rare event.
Thank you for joining me today for a little snippet of the happenings in Bird World. We continue to monitor those few nests that still have juvenile Ospreys being fed by parents and, of course, are getting ever so excited about the lead-up to hatch at Orange. For me, though, the big event will be the sight of a tiny osprey in the nest at Port Lincoln. Those little ones with soft grey down and black eye lines melt the heart. Is it OK to hope we might have a better year with this new Dad? Only time will tell.
Take care everyone. Stay safe! See you soon.
Thank you so much to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my newsletter today: FOBBV, Journal of Raptor Research, Looduskalender, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam at Orange, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Tonya Irwin and KNF Eagle Cam Fans, Achieva Credit Union MN Landscape Arboretum, Sandpoint, Superbeaks, and Yorkshire Wildlife.
One need not look at the calendar to know that fall is completely with us on the Canadian Prairies. Leaves are turning on all of the trees, squirrels and Jays are rushing to store food. The air feels and smells different.
Every one of the garden animals has been accounted for but one and sadly the latest Hedwig (rabbit) was hit by a car on the lane in front of my house last evening. I found the darling thing this morning.
Dyson looks particularly good. Taken with my phone when I went to fill up the table feeder – she isn’t afraid. She waited and posed. Little Red was running around. He has officially moved into the wood box in the house built for him in the spring of 2022. Yippeeee. Better late than never. He only has to go a few feet in the winter to get more peanuts!
Dyson wishes all her friends in Japan and Asia a joyous Tsukimi (Moon Viewing Festival), lots of delicious rice dumplings and Moon Cakes.
The Blue Jays are still coming to the feeders. Many do not migrate remaining on the snowy prairies along with the Black-capped Chicadees and sparrows. We wait to see what these four will do.
Lewis wants nothing to do with the new cat tree. He prefers the box, and Missey prefers the blanket that wrapped some furniture at one time or another on the top of the bins and the wicker basket.
Calico looks stronger every day. She is filling out a bit but a sweet gentle soul she is. Did I tell you we dropped all of our other projects for a few weeks to write a book for children about Calico and Hope? It will be a fundraiser for the mobile Vet clinic that works in my City to provide affordable spay and neutering, vaccinations, deworming, etc. for those persons wishing to trap and release or adopt the community cats.
It is also hoped that the book will offer a lesson for not ‘dumping’ pets.
Are you missing Mini? I sure am. You never ever forget these amazing survivors.
Patchogue tops my list for the most incredible osprey nest this past season. The adults raised four – four to fledge – at a time when a substantial number of clutches from Long Island up through the NE were entirely lost due to weather events (especially that storm in June) and overfishing. Thank you, Isac, for reminding us what a spunky fourth-hatch Mini was!
Well, shock of shocks. Mini visited the nest for about a minute at 1258 Monday. Oh, my goodness. How wonderful it is to see you!
Violence. Disregard for life of any kind.
What kind of person would deliberately shoot any raptor never mind, one of the most endangered species on our planet – the California Condor. I had been out playing with Hope and Calico and had not looked at my e-mail (one of the benefits of taking a few days off is you realise it can wait!). Then I did. A note from Geemeff, and below it is my copy from Kelly Sorenson. I am beyond understanding this.
Gabby was at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest Monday morning.
V3 returned to the nest with what could be new wounds at 1745.
The eagles are working on the Pittsburg-Hayes nest. Look at those rails! This is a nest to envy!
There’s at least one juvie at the Dulles-Greenway nest of Martin and Rosa.
Looks like C15 and Dad might have finally left for their migration fro the Charlo Montana Osprey platform.
Ospreys are gone and the Canada Geese are enjoying the Boulder County Fair Grounds nest.
Trudi Kron gives us a good look at the injuries that Anna, the mate of Louis, at the KNF-E1 nest near Alexandria, Louisiana has sustained. It looks like they are healing. Send good wishes for all those floaters wanting a nest to scat!
Lightning fills the sky around the Superbeaks’ nest of Pepe and Muhlady.
Everyone hopes the new male at Port Lincoln will be a great provider and that the long-running heartache at the PLO barge nest will end. That said, this morning, Mum got impatient waiting for a fish and caught on camera is a female incubating eggs catching a fish.
‘A’ brings us up to date: “At Port Lincoln, the fishing is going well. Three yesterday (one caught by mum) and dad has caught at least two so far today. As always, mum is allowing him far less egg time than he would like. Guesses regarding timing of the first hatch are between 15 October and 18 October, so we have at least three weeks to wait there. So all attention is now on Orange and of course on our adorable sea eaglets in Sydney. They are gorgeous.”
There are still juvenile ospreys near their nests in the UK that have not left for migration.
Dad is still bringing fish to Coco at the Sandpoint nest.
Dad delivered at least four fishing starting at 0705 and going until 1500 on Monday at the MN Landscape Arboretum Nest.
Suzanne Arnold Horning spotted Big Red on the Cornell Campus on Monday! Looking good, Mamma.
The eaglets at Sydney Sea Eagle nest in the Olympic Forest are ever more steady on their feet.
The date that is predicted for the first egg to hatch at the scrape of Diamond and Xavier is 1 October. That is less than a week away!
‘A’ reminds us: “The countdown is on at Orange. Only four days until pip watch. There is a very pesky scout bee (or bees) that has been bothering the falcons for the past two days, buzzing constantly into, around and out of the box. I think it is really starting to annoy Diamond. Xavier made a lunge at it yesterday as if to eat it but missed (as he was on the eggs so had limited reach!) and today, it continues to irritate all. Apart from that, all proceeds smoothly at this scrape. The couple had another of their early morning bonding sessions today (05:20) but this time there was a changeover and no-one fell asleep mid-bonding. It’s so sweet the way he arrives so early and sits on the ledge to keep her company. For some reason, she allowed him an hour of early-morning egg time, so he’s happy. He’s had a couple of lengthy stints this morning.”
To prepare for what is coming – and the falcon chicks grow rapidly compared to eagles and ospreys – here is a guide to their weekly development with pictures.
Annie and Lou visiting the scrape at The Campanile of UC-Berkeley on Monday.
Almost all of the Royal Albatross chicks have fledged. We now await the arrival of this year’s adults who will be breeding.
Remember – if you have to just tie your wrists with a ribbon! Don’t start up the mower, the weed whacker, the leaf blower. Use that time to go birding and let the insects living in the leaves have a home.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care! See you soon!
I want to add that I tested positive for Covid on Sunday. I am feeling a bit rough. Thankfully there is not a lot going on in Bird World. I will continue with the newsletter but the content might be smaller for the next week while I recover.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H, Geemeff’, PSEG, Isac and PSEG, Ventana Wildlife Society, Open Verse, NEFL-AEF, NEFL-chat, PixCams, Dulles-Greenway, Charlo Montana, Boulder County, Trudi Kron and Bald Eagles 101 Superbeaks, Bart Molenaar and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info, Sandpoint, MN Landscape Arboretum, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Sydney Sea Eagles, Charles Sturt FalconCam, Outside My Window, Killarney Today, Holly Parsons and Albatross Lovers, and Cal Falcons.
I did not go anywhere exotic. I rarely left my home and garden, and it was a joyful week – full of time with Hope trying to socialise this bundle of joy, calming and reassuring Lewis, petting and reading to Calico and Missey, and writing two articles. There was also time to do what was intended – begin writing up the report on the 2023 Osprey breeding season data forms, focusing on the deaths and why they occurred. I needed the cats to balance off the sadness. Sometimes, you can see the birds waiting for their mate to return, and they don’t. Or the babies starving on the nests because society has yet to understand our need to care for them. If we are to survive, the birds, the animals, and the insects need to as well. As I mentioned before the break, the cats have taught me to live in the moment, enjoy, be thankful, and not dwell on the past or the future so that it wrecks ‘the now’. Still, there is an obligation to do what can be done to make the lives of those around me – the neighbourhood community cats, the garden animals, or the birds – as good as possible. Having travelled the world many times, missing what is right at one’s doorstep is easy. For me – now – ‘there is no place like Home’. I am as joyful watching the Blue Jays flit into the little covered feeder for peanuts as I would be walking along the waterfront in Kuching or Penang.
There was also another cat tree to put together. Poor Missey has been looking out a small window with bins full of birdseed stacked one on the other and a wicker basket with a blanket at the top. But this cat tree is nothing like the solid one I have had for two decades. It was obnoxious to assemble with the holes and screws not always lining up easily. Tip: If you have the funds and know someone handy with wood, get them to build you a solid one out of good plywood. You can take it to a local upholster to get it covered. At the end of the day, Missey prefers the wicker basket on the bins. Of course. My house looks like I have opened a cat daycare centre at times. Too funny, but it is driving me a little nuts, so there will be some consolidation this week!
Before checking what happened while I was away, Geemeff sent me a link to the BBC1 programme on Birds of Prey. Ospreys are about halfway through the 57 minutes, and the couple is Brodie and Asha from Loch Garten. But don’t just skip ahead because you will miss the most beautiful landscapes, and the images of the raptors are extraordinary. Enjoy.
Saturday: Mini shows up at the nest and spends about an hour. She looks good. She is putting more weight on that leg. It was windy due to Hurricane Lee’s outer bands. She hung onto the nest tight. This image of Mini is going on a mug. I want to see this magnificent bird every morning and wish her well. Thanks, ‘H’ for the alert.
Mum L came to feed Manaaki. She looked for him twice. Bittersweet moments for these dear parents.
Upcoming announcement:
Sunday: It seems that a nest of Ospreys is causing trouble for some organisers of a Green Man Festival in Wales. Let us hope that this does not result in any harm to the platform or any birds.
Ervie travelled and might have met his sister, Calypso.
Ron and Rose began making changes to their refurbished and refortified nest in Miami-Dade County.
PG&E put up a new pole and nest for ospreys in the SF Bay Area. We need more of this!
Many Ospreys are still in Canada and have not started their migration. Lucky is well known in the Newfoundland Virginia Lake area.
Sea Eaglets enjoyed another ‘eel meal’.
Monday:
Mini visited the nest again Sunday evening at 2018 (17 September). It was already dark. Her leg looked to be bothering her. I wonder if the water has been rough and fishing hard? Mini will be 4 months old, 123 days.
My Mini mug arrived. She and I will have morning coffee together. The screen capture images work well for digital printing on items. The company I used said it was not a high enough resolution, but I told them to print it anyway. The image turned out lovely.
This will be the last sighting of our dear girl. She has come to the nest to say goodbye. Soar high for decades, dear one. May your crop always be full, may your leg heal, and may you thrive. You gave us such joy and showed us what determination can do.
Thunder and Akecheta were together at the West End.
Gabby arrived at the NE-Florida Nest early. She looks out on her territory and its uncertain future. V3 was last seen on the 16th of September. He has been missing for two days now.
Tuesday: Black Storks flying over the Straits of Gibraltar.
Hope is growing and changing. She is no longer ’round’.
Calico loves her cuddles and still wants a story whenever I am with them. It is such a great way to get them used to your voice.
Cuddle time with Mamma and Baby Hope.
How did Avian Flu or HPAI impact the breeding season? News from the BTO gives us insight.
Has HPAI impacted breeding raptors?
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been in the news because of its all too obvious impacts on our breeding seabird colonies and wintering goose populations. However, the disease has affected a wide range of bird species, including birds of prey. Because raptors tend to be more dispersed and often inhabit remote locations, there has been concern that the impact of HPAI on these species could have been underestimated.
BTO Scotland staff Mark Wilson, Anthony Wetherhill and Chris Wernham were commissioned by NatureScot to examine Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (SRMS) data for any evidence of an impact. The team compared SRMS data from the 2022 breeding season with equivalent data from previous years, assessing whether there had been significant changes in reported numbers or breeding success of raptor pairs, and whether any of the changes detected were likely to be caused by the HPAI outbreak.
The analyses provided strong evidence for declines in breeding success consistent with impacts of HPAI on the productivity of Golden Eagle and White-tailed Eagle in 2022. These impacts were evident in most of the Scottish regions where these eagles breed but, for both species, they appear to have been greater in areas where pairs had access to coastal and marine habitats, indicating a possible link to predation and scavenging of infected seabirds and waterfowl.
Other factors that could explain the differences observed between 2022 and other years, particularly in breeding success, include variation in weather, prey availability and survey effort. Of these, the weather recorded in 2022 may have contributed to the observed differences but seems unlikely to entirely account for all of them.
The work, which has been published as a NatureScot report, highlights the valuable role played by coordinated monitoring of our raptor populations.
BTO, e-mail of 19 September 2023
And in Melbourne…
At Patchogue, a local enthusiast and lover of Mini, Isac, said on Tuesday when he went checking, “just saw an osprey crossing from the creek to the lake and have a fish in her talons. I think this our lil 4”.
Do you live in Alabama?
M15 and F1 are getting serious. Androcat brings us the action.
It is a beautiful poem to the Welsh Ospreys…completely written by AI.
Black Storks on the move. No data from Bonus and no new data from Karl II.
One of Atlantic Canada’s favourite male Ospreys, Lucky, is still providing fish to his chicks.
The fledgling from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest was still home.
CORRECTION TO INFORMATION I WAS GIVEN: The male at the Arboretum nest is not 21 years old. Here is the correct information: “This male is G/B MS….a five year old that was hatched in 2018 on a nest in Carver Park.”
RUTLAND WATER, home to many ospreys but my fav male Blue 33 and Maya fledged their 250th Osprey chick in 2023. Congratulations. The event is being celebrated widely and there is even a BBC Radio Programme on the 22nd of September.
Mini has not returned to the nest since Sunday the 17th. That was three days ago. A local believes they saw Mini fishing.
SE 31 and 32 are getting more steady on their feet.
It’s scandalously hot on F22 at the 367 Collins Street nest. Question: Last year, we witnessed the effects of the hot sun and heat on the eyases. So why was the scrape not taken down in that area or, instead, why wasn’t a shade put on it like at the other end?
Thursday: Mark Avery gives us a brief update on Bird Flu in the UK.
“In 2023, up until 17 September, 46 species have tested positive. The last month has seen just one addition – 4 Pheasants in Moray. Here’s the list: Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Fulmar, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose,Mallard, Teal, Moorhen, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Razorbill, Guillemot, Puffin, Curlew, Ringed Plover, unspecified heron (!), Grey Heron, dove/pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Pheasant, Red Grouse, Sparrowhawk, Goshawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine, Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Reed Warbler and Carrion Crow.”
What is happening at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby? V3 has not been seen in some days and I fear that the tragedy of Samson has beset a potential mate for Gabby. Will there be a clear partner before breeding season in 2023? or will all be lost due to territorial disputes?
Friday: New studies on migration with relation to Black-tailed Godwits and Red Knots reveals much about how young birds travel to their winter homes.
There has been chaos at the scrape of Diamond and Xavier due to the persistent presence of a young female falcon. Diamond has engaged with the female, and as of today, Friday, the nest is calm and back to normal. We need Diamond safe. She is not a youngster and she is incubating eggs.
Here is the video of that moment! This must be very unsettling for Diamond and Xavier.
Lotus and Mr President have been photographed together at the Washington Arboretum Bald Eagle nest.
Ervie is exploring more territory.
The Pritchetts are getting ready for a new season with M15 and his young and beautiful new mate. I hope that they have many successful years – even a decade – together raising little eaglets that spend time at the pond.
Saturday: Ervie is flying inland.
Gabby has been working on the nest with the new visitor. There has been no sightings of V3 and the AEF says they have not seen any fights on camera. There now could be two suitors. ‘As the Nest Turns’ has begun. Poor Gabby. The AEF is labelling them A1, A2, etc. Gabby prefers the smaller A1 and not A2. Hoping that V3 was just run out of the territory but, what a way to start the year.
Now Anna has been injured. She returned to the KNF E-1 nest – limping with a head injury. None of this is good…. but let us hope it is all minor with Anna.
Jackie and Shadow have been seen together in the tree on cam 2. I still love the diamonds that appear on the nest when the sun is just rising at Big Bear.
SE31 and 32 have changed significantly over the past week. Just look at that plumage. My friend, the late Toni Castelli-Rosen, loved the plumage of the White-Bellied Sea Eaglets. The two are much more steady on their feet and they are flapping their wings. Beautiful eaglets.
Dad has been working on the ND-LEEF nest. The new female has also been present. (Home of ND17, that wonderful third hatch survivor that went into care at Humane Wildlife Indiana – finally!).
Eagles at Duke Farms.
Calico has come out of her operation in fine form. She has been playing like a kitten for the past 3 days, and Hope loves it. They both seem to have springs on the pads of their feet. What joy it is to see Mamma and Hope play together. After, they can often be found sleeping side by side on the top of their makeshift tent where they can look out at the garden animals.
The bells will be ringing in New Zealand as the first two Royal Albatross have returned for the 2023-24 breeding season!
This short article explains this much-anticipated event.
‘A’ is very excited and provides more details and a video explanation of the ringing. ” Meanwhile, the official ringing of the bells in nearby Dunedin to welcome the returning toroa will occur this Monday, 25 September, at 13:00 local time (in the US on Sunday 24 September at 3pm Hawaii time/6pm PST/9pm EST). Here is a brief explanation of this beautiful tradition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uanfnBN6OPI&t=36s. How adorable is the little girl?”
Sunday: Lady and Dad reinforce the side rails as SE31 and 32 become more active in the nest!
Ervie got home safely!
Speaking of getting home safely, V3 has returned to the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby. He is a little worse for wear in places. Will Gabby show up? Will V3 take the prize? We wait.
Pepe and Muhlady are working on their nest in Central Florida as are many other eagle couples throughout North America.
Akecheta was visiting the West End nest.
This is disgraceful! You can look no further than the driven grouse estates. This is precisely what Hamza was referring to when discussing the persecution of the Hen Harriers in Scotland!
Thank you so much for being with me this morning as I ate back into Bird World. I hope each of you had a good week and are enjoying the crisp autumn air. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my newsletter over the past week: ‘A, H, Geemeff, L’, Geemeff and BBC1, PSEG, Sharyn Broni, Conservation Without Borders, The Sunday Times, PLO, WRDC Pam Kruse and SF Osprey Cam with Rosie and Richmond, Ian Winter and Ospreys of Newfoundland and Labrado, Sydney Sea Eagles, IWS/Explore.com, NEFL-AEF, Birdlife, BTO, Karen Lang and Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcon, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac Alabama Coastal Briefest. Androcat and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Dyfi Osprey Project, SK Hideaways, Looduskalendar, Twin Cities Metro Osprey Watch, Mark Avery, Inatra Veidemane and Bald Eagles in the USA, Hakai Magazine, MI McGreer, Karen Long, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Katie Phillips Conners, Tonya Irwin and KNF-E1, FOBBV, ND-LEEF, Duke Farms, The Royal Albatross Centre, Superbeaks, Sharon Dunne and Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, and Raptor Persecution UK.
Hope, Calico, Missey and Lewis – along with all the garden animals hope that you are well, that the weather is grand, and that you will get outside and enjoy the sound of birds and the smell of autumn which is upon us.
Calico’s incision looks really good. What a sweet cat she is. She sees the antibiotic cream tube and will go and lay down on the striped quilt and let me apply it. She is simply a marvel.
I have had animals all my life. When I was born my father had a three-legged dog that stood guard by my basket. She lived quite a long life – and it is because of her that I recognise that animals can adapt to many situations and live a full life. Trixie certainly did. In all those decades, I have marvelled at how smart these animals are, but I have never had a companion like Calico. She is quiet, affectionate, and sweet, and seems to simply understand that the cream is to help her. She has never – and this is apparently rare for a community cat – ever scratched or fought me. It has been the opposite. What a blessing she and that little bundle of energy, Hope, are.
Tonight, on my walk, I came across a woman who helped look for the kitten. She teared up at the sight of Calico and Hope together in the photos. We all need happy endings. At the same time, I was a wee bit saddened to see that the deck where Calico had her kittens had been enclosed with wire mesh. It was a good place for the community cats to be warm and dry in the winter. No one knew they were there – and while it is none of my business, it is an example of how quickly animals can lose a ‘home’. These cats have served an important role in our little neighbourhood. There are no mice that I am aware of. Numerous people feed birds, including myself. I attribute the lack of mice directly to these cats.
Calico and I have been reading an edited volume Not Too Late. Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility. One of the most moving and inspiring chapters is by Jacquelyn Gill, a Palaeontologist. The chapter is called “The Asteroid and the Fern”. Gill writes about her visit to a cave in Siberia and the Great Dying that took place 251.9 million years ago when “roughly 90 per cent of life on Earth was lost” (126). Gill adds that the “heat wave that triggered the Great Dying took around seven hundred thousand years to unfold”. She compares this to now where in a lifetime we have created disaster which “barely spanned the breadth of a human life” (127). Gill looks at what happens after adding that the stories of extinction in the past are as inspiring as they are sobering (126).
I look at the four animals in my direct care and those that live in the garden and realise that we must live in the present and not fall into depressing despair. We must work cooperatively to find solutions while living ‘in the moment’. If not, we will miss those beautiful lives standing right in front of us. Isn’t that what this is all about? The wonder of the seasons, the animals, the people we love. To ponder in despair what might come and to miss the now would be a heavy loss.
The beauty of the world does not have to be in an exotic location halfway around the world. Most often it is right before our eyes.
Bird World is going to take a wee vacation starting on 17. September. ‘A’ and ‘H’ and I will return on Monday the 25th. We urge you to keep your eye on Manaaki if he has not fledged by Sunday and to also watch for the start of the cams at Sw Florida.
First up – do you live in Maine? If so, please read the following notice carefully.
Geemeff gives us a year of highlights from nest 1 at Loch Arkaig – Louis and Vila’s old nest. Now it is ‘as the osprey soap opera turns’ – we wait to see who pairs up next year. Thanks, Geemeff. It is a beautiful nest that needs to be occupied with fish screaming osplets!
M15 and F1 at the SWFlorida Eagle Nest.
Thunder, the daughter of Chase & Cholyn from Two Harbours, visits the old nesting area she shares with her mate, Akecheta on Thursday.
Oh, we would give anything to see Mini on the Patchogue nest – have her just fly in like Thunder and recognise her. Mini was last on the nest on September 11. Locals noted that Dad was also seen that day but Mum has not been to the nest since Sunday the 10th. No one has seen them in the area since then and it is possible that they are elsewhere on the water or after left the area.
One of the Webster Texas eagles is back working on the nest!
Pepe was working on the Superbeaks Nest – gosh, Osprey season ended and the eagles are now starting work! How exciting is this?
The posting of the loss of Stormy and Simba touched so many. I have received numerous letters. Please don’t stop watching Jackie and Shadow – we won’t probably ever know what happened to those two gorgeous fledglings but, we can, each day, in our way, do something to hopefully make the lives of our wildlife better.
Sadly, a large number – the precise % each year is unknown – do not survive their first year. We must also celebrate those who do and cheer on those who live into their 20s. It has not been easy for them.
‘Down Under’-
Sharon Dunne updates us on the status of fledging at the Royal Albatross colony.
‘A’ was able to confirm: “Quarry is confirmed to have fledged so it is just UQ and Manaaki now. Both the girls have left. UQ is far better at hovering than Manaaki is, so I do hope our boy does not try to leave before he is ready (which he really isn’t yet).” ‘A’ also adds: “At 18:35 at Taiaroa Head, the last of the light is fading and we can just make out Manaaki on his nest and UQ on his new ‘ nest’. (We can’t see whether he has actually constructed a new nest or whether he has simply relocated to the grass area next to Manaaki and a long downhill from him.) He seemed to move there permanently after Quarry left the area several days ago but has always been friendly with Manaaki. The girls (Quarry and Miss NTF) were constantly visiting UQ, displaying to him and generally being precocious and a little aggressive, which disconcerted UQ, who in turn sought refuge around Manaaki. The girls also tried similar approaches with Manaaki, but being not nearly as shy as UQ, he was always prepared to stand up to the girls and clack his bill at them, driving them away from his nest. He took no nonsense from either! Although UQ is the fluffiest and least adventurous of the four, his flying skills (well, at least his hovering) are way ahead of Manaaki’s, and over the past two days, UQ has been hovering so high he has been out of sight of the camera. He has also flown a long way across the downhill grassy area, towards the water, and has sometimes had to walk back up, although on other occasions, he has been able to glide backwards (I finally understand what the chatters meant about backward flying, which these albie chicks do all the time). The chicks try to ride the wind currents by simply stretching out their winds and allowing the wind to lift and carry them. If they get high enough, and are sufficiently balanced, they can tuck up their trailing legs and feet and actually glide quite a distance. It looked on more than one occasion as though UQ was off and gone this afternoon. Manaaki, on the other hand, is still not getting the same lift as UQ yet and is not yet balanced enough to control his movements in the air or to tuck up his legs and feet. Both of the boys still have too much fluff to fledge, in my opinion, and I am hoping UQ will wait another few days to lose his fluff and that Manaaki will wait at least another five days to a week to perfect his skills in the air. But as I said the other day, the wind will usually decide for them. And hopefully, the ones who are not strong or skilled enough will ditch in the bay, allowing their rescue, as we saw today. So it is only after they leave the waters near Taiaroa Head that they begin the exhilarating beauty and deadly risk that is their life as wild birds.”
At Collins Street, ‘A’ writes: “Little dad at Collins Street is a trooper. He did several lengthy incubation spells today, and not just the nearly two hours in the centre of the day but another couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon. He is a very dedicated dad, and as I mentioned, I’m sure he is providing food for F22, though she may be hunting for herself as well. Certainly, she has left the nest several times and then, very shortly afterwards, we have seen feathers floating down from a higher level while M22 looks upwards with that sweet sidelong glance he has, so I’m sure she has had no time to catch her own food in that time. Who knows what she does in that late morning/lunchtime period (90 minutes to two hours), which she used to take as down time last season as well, until that day when the chicks nearly baked (honey, I fried the kids). From memory, I seem to recall her being more diligent following that incident, although of course it was only a week or two after the baking incident that last year’s eyases started to make their own decisions on which end they wanted to inhabit, heading along the gutter at will. She takes her final break of the day at 18:07, with M22 taking over at 18:10 and remaining until F22 returns to the ledge at 18:16. As always, she is screeching (is that her normal mode of communication?) on arrival and dad leaves the nest and dives off the ledge. Fast. Mum settles down for the night shift.”
The Sydney sea Eagles have eaten well. There is some concern about Lady’s foot. ‘A’ observed this closely and adds, “At 10:11:06, and again from 10:11:22 to 10:11:24, have a look at the surface of Lady’s left foot. It appears to be a very raw wound or nasty scrape, not blood from a piece of prey. See what you think. At 10:13:02, as she walks to the back of the nest, it looks as though there may be some inflammation or mark on the back of the left ‘ankle’ area. Lady also has some blood on her head, at the top/back on the left side of the crown. I thought little of it earlier in the morning, but now, noticing the apparent wound on her left foot, I am wondering about the blood on her head. It is possible she scratched her head with the foot when it was bleeding and I suppose it is also possible it is from a prey item, as she has a piece of fluff or a feather stuck to her forehead at the top of her beak, between her eyes. She does not appear hindered by any injury nor does she exhibit any signs of discomfort. So perhaps I am worrying about nothing. There’s another close up at 11:14:18. It doesn’t look quite as bad as in the earlier shots but perhaps that is the light.”
On Thursday, Lady was bringing in new twigs for the railings to try and keep the sea eagles in. One of the cutest things is when these adorable eaglets start pitching in and helping being little Mini Mums.
At Orange, Diamond is impressed when Xavier arrives with a Rosella at 0908!
Eastern Rosellas are brightly coloured birds – blue and yellow along with some green, with a bright red head and white cheeks – that live in New South Wales and Queensland Australia. They live in flocks – usually of about 20 birds – and eat seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, and even leaves.
I saw no fish deliveries while watching or rewinding the Port Lincoln Osprey cam. Hopefully, since it appears to be a calm day, Dad2 will get on and haul in a big fish for Mum.
It is that time of year and the Osprey nests that ‘H’ has been observing are getting really quiet. She notes that the Osoyoos camera is once again down but she will continue to check for us to see if anything is happening. Audrey was not seen at Kent Island on Thursday and is believed to have migrated. “Duke at BL was seen a couple of times yesterday, and he has been documented to stay around as long as eight days after the last juvie left the area.” ‘H’ is also checking to see if the IR light will be turned on at Collins Street. Thank you ‘H’.
Birdlife International brings us a short but gripping story about birdwatching, yacht racing, the Southern Ocean and the decline in wildlife.
Before we go, another great image of Ervie finishing up the innards of his fish dinner. Always lovely to see you Ervie!
And more Ervie!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H’, Kshanti Green and Maine Birds, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore, SL Security Pros, Paul Williams and Webster Texas Eagles, Superbeaks, Terri Ashmore and FOBBV, Sharon Dunne and Royal Cam Albatross Group of NZ, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Julie Lovegrove and Friends of Sth Aus, Bazz Hockaday and Friends of Sth Aus, and BirdLife International.
The happenings in Bird World – in terms of our beloved Ospreys – are getting thin. Most have left their nests and are returning to their winter destinations. It has been a privilege to watch these amazing families struggle in some very challenging conditions to survive. The joy that even a single survivor on a nest brought to us – seeing Dorsett catch a fish and hang out by the beach after fears that the entire clutch would be lost. Witnessing the loss of the Lake Murray osplets to a GHO or others die for mysterious reasons like those at Marder’s. And then seeing a survivor like Mini – . It was like being on a roller coaster – the 2023 Osprey breeding season.
Thank you for your really good wishes for Calico. She is healing nicely. We have not resorted to the Victorian Collar – well, I tried it when I saw her licking but she was not having that and in the end the stress and her trying to tear it off might have caused more damage. I learned from Geemeff that Olive Oil will keep skin around the incision from drying out which is the root cause of the licking -when that skin dries it pulls. I also picked up some antibiotic cream. Calico is such a lovely girl – she rolled on her back and let me apply those as if she completely understood that I was trying to help her. I cannot tell you how much I adore this cat.
Hope is a live wire and wants only to play. Missey wants to play with her but Calico is not so happy to share so we are going to wait. Hope is also beginning to lose that ‘fat’ little face of a kitten. She is 74 days old – nearly 11 weeks. She has such big legs! She is cute, quick, and fun and is less and less afraid of people every day.
Hope loves this feathery teaser that her Auntie in Scotland got for her. It brings her out of her hiding spots in an instant!
Hope is a whirlwind. She must just make Calico tired. You might be able to tell that the conservatory has been turned into a cat play room complete with the table being turned into a hiding spot with thick comforters on the floor and heavy quilts and Rajasthani block prints as cover. It is hopefully a happy safe plade for these two as they acquaint themselves to life indoors. I got a giggle this morning. Geemeff sent me a saying, “Dogs have owners, cats have staff.” Isn’t that the truth? I am getting ready to go and do ‘maid duty’ after having already done ‘room service’. I would not change anything.
Calico has discovered that from the little house on the cat tree she can control Hope having access to that tummy tum.
This old cattier has been fun for more than a dozen cats since a couple of local men – a carpenter and an upholsterer – made a few of these around 2006. They are heavy duty – 3/4″ plywood construction and the carpeting can easily be replaced in the bits that get the. most use.
Missey and Lewis grew too big to run and play in the lime green tunnel. Hope loves it and the crinkle sound the fabric makes.
‘H’ has a surprise in her three reports this morning…a wonderful surprise.
Osoyoos – What a surprise … After the livestream was down for 14 days, it went live on 9/13 … for 4.5 hours, then the feed went down again. So, what did we learn? The fledgling is still there. She was on and off the nest several times. And, she looks fabulous! She is quite plump and healthy looking. That is just wonderful. We did not see either of her parents.
Kent Island – Audrey made an appearance early in the morning when she landed on a pole at a nearby dock. She stayed perched there for some time, but we are not sure how long, as the camera panned back to the nest. We did not see her the rest of the day, which was somewhat unusual of late. The past several days, Audrey had been seen a few times in Joe’s tree or on the dock. We will monitor, but it is possible that we may have seen Audrey for the last time this season.
Barnegat Light – Duke was seen in a couple of different trees throughout the day. Dorsett was not seen or heard. There were no significant live streaming issues on 9/13, so technical difficulties cannot be blamed for the lack of Dorsett sightings. The last time we saw Dorsett was the morning of 9/11. There was a beautiful sunset over Barnegat Bay … a poignant moment in time … missing Dorsett. “You be safe out there, girl.”
Visitor at Loch Arkaig! Not an Osprey. Beautiful.
More visitors to Louis and Dorcha’s nest at the midnight hour.
A fledgling having a wonderful fish meal on the Kallavesi Osprey nest in Finland! These sightings are getting rare as the urge to leave the natal nest and breeding grounds grows stronger.
Keo brought Coco three fish today at Sandpoint. T here was no sign of Keke and she might have begun her migration.
Mum was eating a nice fish on the perch at Boulder County Fair Grands Osprey nest. No sign of the fledglings while I was checking.
The Patchogue Nest is empty. Locals have seen ospreys but they have not come to the nest and there is no confirmation that they are Mini or members of her family as there are other nests in the area. I did find this short video clip showing Mini having dinner with her siblings. A nice memory.
The Osprey platform at Seaside is quiet.
Caught Swoop on the nest at Dunrovin.
Now that Pat has been released from being in rehab, is it possible that all three fledglings from the Dulles-Greenway Nest were home?
Is there anyone that isn’t excited about what is going to happen on the Sw Florida or the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest this year?
M15 has his new beautiful lady.
Gabby and V3 are going to try and raise a family together this season. It is exciting – new beginnings for two of our favourite eaglets who lost their mates last year.
The most beautiful sunsets come from the Superbeaks Bald Eagle nest in Central Florida.
Checking in NZ and Australia:
Royal Albatross Colony, Taiaroa Head, NZ: ‘A’ notes: “In New Zealand, there are strong onshore winds currently and the chicks are taking this perfect opportunity to practise their flying. UQ is doing wonderfully well but Manaaki really does have some way to go when it comes to technique. He is currently down the hill, out of sight, having hovered out over the edge and down a bit. He really has little control over his skills yet, unlike UQ who looks very close to departure. And as I said, Quarry has not been seen on the hilltop for several days. We will get another report tomorrow on who has left the colony. There are currently two fledged chicks who have landed on the water in the bay. The rangers are keeping a close eye on these two, as if they become waterlogged they will be unable to take off again and will eventually drown. The rangers will rescue them for a second take-off attempt if this becomes necessary.” She continues, “Manaaki is still there, as is UQ, though it appears Quarry has left. We are not sure whether she was at the chick count yesterday so she may be elsewhere on the headland but we suspect she has fledged. Heart in my mouth every time I turn that tab on. It won’t be long now for Manaaki. He is 236 days old today (average age at fledge 240 days). I presume you are aware that this is the only mainland northern royal albatross breeding colony in the world, so it is a very special privilege to be able to watch them and to know the rangers are doing everything possible to protect this magnificent species. I will be interested to see the contents of the boluses this season, especially Manaaki’s of course. I suspect they will be largely the same, though it could vary based on where the parents have been foraging.”
‘A’ brings another update: “They have rescued the two fledged chicks who landed in the bay. They picked them up from a boat and took them back to their nest areas, from which they can make another attempt at fledging.’
Alison
367 Collins Street: ‘A’ knows someone who works near the Falcon’s scrape and she writes: “They can hear the Collins Street falcons all day at work, and the screeching noise is becoming very familiar. Any city dwellers would have been woken early this morning, as F22 was up and calling loudly for food before 05:55, leaving the ledge and presumably heading for the food stash. She has a large feather stuck to her face, on the right side of her beak, which looks so funny. The falcon version of bed head I think. The eggs were left unattended for just over 62 minutes before M22 arrives to incubate. He hardly has time to settle before mum is back, still with the facial feather and still shrieking. Dad does a classic GCW dive off the ledge and mum settles down. It’s 08:40 and M22 is back on the eggs at the moment. He has been for nearly an hour now, and he is breathing through his mouth already in the morning sun. Remember that in a couple of weeks’ time, it will be only 07:40, with daylight saving starting on 1 October (clocks will go forward one hour at 2am on the Sunday morning). It is currently 17 degrees and I can hear F22 arriving back on the ledge. She is noisy. Dad dives off the ledge, probably to get away from the ear-splitting screeching.”
“After leaving M22 to look after the eggs from around 10:30, F22 did not return until nearly 12.20. During that nearly two-hour period, little dad took a very short break of perhaps two or three minutes but that was well after the shade had completely covered the scrape. There were times when he was panting so fast, his little body looked like it was vibrating. If the parents are suffering like this at this time, what will it be like in six weeks, when the temperatures will be up to 8C higher and the shade won’t cover that scrape until well after midday. (Remember daylight savings puts the clocks forward an hour, so what is now 11am will become 12 noon, which is the last thing that scrape needs.) And of course the sun is moving further south, meaning the shade will take longer and longer each day to reach that scrape. It is worrying me a month before the eggs hatch….”
Like ‘A’, so many wish that a sun shade was placed over the end of the ledge where the eggs are like the other side because of the escalating heat in Melbourne at this time of year.
Orange Peregrine Falcons: Cilla Kinross has published the prey deliveries and a comparison to earlier times so that we can see that the drop off in deliveries this time of year is natural.
In New Zealand, the mainland colony of Kakapo is growing. These are historic moments -. Let us hope that the Kakapo will once again thrive – as in both numbers and quality of life – on the main island of New Zealand where they once lived. For those who do not know the history of the Kakapo and their extinction, here is a brief article to acquaint you with that sadness.
I have included this before but, let’s all remember! Don’t let those pumpkins go to waste. Tell your family and friends. All those pumpkins turned into Jack-O-Lanterns are great food sources for wildlife. It can make a difference in their lives – food. Life saving food.
You can do something to help lots of wildlife with your pumpkins, old apples, etc -.
I checked on Karl II’s family – all are still travelling, but there is no transmission yet from Karl II, and there is also no transmission from Tweed Valley’s Poul. Keep them in your most positive thoughts.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, postings, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Osoyoos, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Sandpoint Ospreys, Boulder County Fair Grounds, D Lambertson and PSEG, Seaside Ospreys, Dunrovin Ranch, Sassa Bird and Bald Eagles I the USA, Ana Boone and SWFL Eagle Ca, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, NZ DOC, Holly Parsons and Albatross Lovers, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Cilla Kinross and Orange Peregrine Falcons, and Kakapo Recovery.
First up. My e-mail and FB Messenger ‘lit up’. The messages were mostly ‘Mini is Alive’…’We knew Mini was a survivor’..’Mini wanted to show us that she is alive and doing well’. Gosh, she is a survivor and it is fitting that our dear fourth hatch came to the nest to show everyone who loves her that she is well and living her life and eating fish!
After being MIA for two days, Mini flew to the nest in Patchogue and spent a couple of hours showing us how good she had done since we last saw her. She stood well on her left leg, she played with her cardboard, and before she flew off, she did what all raptors do – a ‘ps’. This was a grand one – at 1929. She has been eating well. Mini is living the life of an osprey off the nest. Is this our last sighting? or will she come again? Whichever it is, treasure those images. She is well! She is beautiful! And she is eating.
Saying goodbye to ‘cardboard’?
That is a great ‘ps’ – one of the best I have seen. This girl has eaten fish!
Mini went from perch to perch but, at the time I am writing, has not settled on the nest to rest her leg.
Thank you for all your good wishes for Calico. We so appreciate them! She is, indeed, a very special presence and I am so happy she is part of my life.
Calico has her surgery today. She will be home around 1830 or 1900. Everyone is hoping that the lump that appeared on her side, which turned out to be mastitis, is gone (seems like it) and if that is the case, the surgery will be simpler with a much smaller incision. Tattooed, microchipped – hopefully never to be lost outside again – ever. While Calico is away having her luxury spa day (the vet gives them heated blankets), Hope will go through an intensive get-to-know-me routine that will ‘hopefully’ include more petting. She is soooooo fast and alert. The slightest movement in the wrong direction, and she bolts. A good nickname might be ‘Usain’ after Usain Bolt, the Jamaican 8-time Olympic Gold Medalist! She might challenge him for some of those 100 m times!!!!!!!!!! Hope has no idea how determined I am that she will not be ‘wild’. In fact, ‘wild’ is not an option. Do you hear that Hope?
Hope and Calico are so much alike. The tiny little black tears on their left eye, the liners of dark fur on their left sides, kohl-like eyeliner around their eyes. Hope does have a couple of differences. She is white in the front, her legs, chest, and throat. She has a tiny, white, almost graph-like line right between her eyes. She has a single white dot of fur on her back, and her head is a slightly different shape. Calico is ‘fine boned’ as my grandmother would say. Hope isn’t.
Hope often waits for Mamma to finish eating before she begins even though there are always two dishes.
The laundry has been going over time and the conservatory is going to have to be ‘aired’. It smells like sardines. Did I ever tell you that I dislike fish so much? Hope loves sardines. T hey got her into the little kitten trap and they are good for her. (There is little chance that she is a he – from all appearances – but when I get close enough to fully confirm will let you know).
Lewis continues to be slightly insecure and in his own Lewis way gets himself in trouble. Calico protects the space that Hope is in and she is not going to let anyone harm her kitten. While Calico is away, Lewis and Missey will get time in Hope’s company to ease the transition. They are all lovely kittens and each has their own story of being found under a deck with 5 siblings and a feral mother (Lewis) or Missey being found alone under a truck. They have much in common!
But look at Missey. Missey decided that she was going to try and open the door to the Conservatory! She seriously almost made it. I am going to have to lock that door. Cats are super intelligent.
Hope and Calico will be glad when the integration process is complete. Calico looks sad to me – wanting out but not wanting anyone to harm her baby she chooses to stay in the conservatory with Hope – their ‘safe’ place together.
Two days ago Hope was afraid to look through the glass of the Conservatory into the kitchen. Now she copies her Mamma only she gets closer! Soon, little sweetie. Not sure what it is about her but Hope just melts my heart like the first time I got to stroke her Mamma.
Photographs of our favourite Port Lincoln fledgling, Ervie, fishing. Remember when he lost a talon? When we thought he would have to survive on Puffers? Just look – great technique. Ervie, we adore you! This is why I support banding and satellite trackers. It is the joy when they survive. Like Mini, Ervie was a survivor.
It is bachelor days for Richmond – of Richmond and Rosie – at the Richmond Shipping Yards in California. Rosie appears to have departed for warmer climates on the 4th of September. Richmond prefers to spend the winters in the Bay Area.
‘H’ brings us up to date on Kent Island and Barnegat Light:
Kent Island – “Audrey had spent the night at the nest on 9/11 and she flew off the nest at 0625. It was thought to be Audrey preening on a pole at a nearby dock at 0905. There were no more sightings of ospreys until 1820, when an osprey landed in a tree. Some thought it was an adult osprey, but others thought they saw juvenile plumage. It was difficult to say. Unlike the previous four nights, Audrey did not spend the night at the nest on 9/12. Molly was last seen on 9/5, and Tom last seen on 9/9.”
Barnegat Light – “As with the previous couple of days, the camera feed omitted several hours of time throughout the day due to buffering issues. The technical issues are making it very difficult to chronicle Dorsett’s last few days before she leaves her natal area to begin her first long journey. Dorsett was seen on the 24th Street pole with a fish tail at 0614. At 0750 it was thought to be Dorsett on a boat mast. That was the last time we were able to observe her on 9/11. Dorsett is 104 days old, and she fledged six weeks ago.”
Pa Berry is home and starting to work on that nest at Berry College in Georgia.
KNF-E3: Alex and Andria working away.
Superbeaks: Pepe and Muhlady remind me so much of Jackie and Shadow. Big sticks come to the nest and the two have a lovely disagreement over placement!
Someone is supposed to be on holidays! It is incredible how these peregrine falcon families can draw you in…and don’t you love those Dads that try to feed their eggies?!
It looks like there are three eggs at Port Lincoln. Hiding in the midst of some moss, Mum laid another egg. The last. Hard incubation will begin now in earnest. Oh, please pinch me and tell me that this really is Dad2. No offence Dad1 but we worried about your health and we only want the chicks to thrive!
The Sea Eaglets are particularly beautiful…notice the ‘in style’ brick brown-rust colour and peach that is beginning to colour their plumage. Lady slept on the nest and at 0524 she found a piece of leftover fish (?). After the two got up for their morning stretch – hopefully more prey will arrive shortly.
‘A’ brings us up to date: “The day began at WBSE with an early (pre-6am) breakfast from the leftovers of the eel brought in late yesterday afternoon. SE32 had the better of the first breakfast, so when the next food was brought in around lunchtime, SE31 claimed the small-medium headless fish and ate most of it by herself. SE32 watched those last few mouthfuls carefully, and made a grab for the last bit of flesh and the tail. He had to grab four times to pull it out from under SE31 and the eaglets then had a tug-of-fish. SE32 eventually won the battle and horked down that tail piece in short order, flesh attached. Brave and determined.
The next food item was another fish, and this one was fed to the eaglets and shared out fairly evenly between the two. It wasn’t long before another food item came in, this one feathered. SE32 got the majority of this rather large prey item and by the time he was finished, his crop was enormous. So when another chunk of prey (it looked like a part of the previous piece) arrived shortly afterwards, SE32 could not even be bothered getting out of the nest and allowed SE31 to sit and be fed
Both eaglets went to bed with full crops, and the parents both ate well too. It was a good day at WBSE. “
At the Royal Albatross colony, Manaaki gives us a beautiful skycall while a beautiful Albie comes to visit.
‘A’ adds: “In New Zealand, nine of the 33 chicks are confirmed to have fledged. More may have left this afternoon and are yet to be confirmed. Manaaki is still on his nest. He was weighed around 11:30 this morning and weighed 9.2 kgs. He is readying for departure and has probably cast his pre-fledge bolus. UQ is still there, as we think is Quarry.”
At the WRDC nest in Miami, recent fledgling R5 returned for a quick visit around 0659 Monday. Wonder what he thought of the reinforced nest and its paint?
Quess what? There are eagles back on Farmer Derek’s land in Kansas!!!!!!!! You might recall that there was a young Bald Eagle pair on Farmer Derek’s property. Their nest got taken over by a pair of GHOs who raised a couple of clothes of cute little owls. This might be interesting.
Migration makes me nervous especially when it involves crossing through countries or resting. We anxiously await news of Karl II, the Super Dad from the Karula National Forest Black Stork Nest in Estonia.
I feel sick. At the same time I am hoping that this is only the same issue with cell coverage in some areas of Ukraine where Karl II likes to rest. Last year we held our breath also. I forget how many days it was.
Kaia:
Kalvi:
Bonus:
Waba:
Another reason to get rid of leaf blowers (besides the noise and the pollution) and allow the leaves to stay overwinter (until after May):
I am so happy to receive my Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys 2024 calendar! Thank you to Mary Cheadle for all the fundraising she does for the Woodland Trust so the streaming cam continues to operate at Loch Arkaig!
If you live in Winnipeg or Southern Manitoba, why not take in Wildlife Haven’s Annual Open House? Tickets are $10 for adults. You get to tour the facilities and meet the ambassadors and learn why they would love to have you grow some vegetables in your garden for their patients or what else is needed in terms of care such as clean old towels, sheets, hand tools, bleach, pet food. — So many of you live elsewhere – we are an international family – but, please check out your local wildlife rehabilitation centre and find out when they have their open house. It is always a day for learning and admiring the work these dedicated individuals undertake.
I will being you highlights of the tour on Sunday!
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes to Calico and to all who wrote to tell me Mini was on the nest! Thanks also to the following for their comments, notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today” ‘A, H’, PSEG, Julie Lovegrove and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Bay Ospreys by Golden Gate Audubon, Wildlife Conservation F of NJ, Kent Island, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Superbeaks, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Sea Eagles, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, WRDC, Trudi Kron and KNF-E3, Trudi Kron and Farmer Derek, Looduskalender, and Wildlife Haven.
Calico had her vet appointment and I cannot possibly describe the relief. No HIV, No Feline Leukaemia, her teeth and ears are perfect. She is between 8-10 months old so the vet let us choose a ‘birth’ date for her and we picked 2 November, the day Lewis and Missey arrived. Calico does have mastitis and is on an antibiotic and she will have ‘the’ operation and be microchipped on the 12th at 0800. Everything is good. She was cleared to join Missey and Lewis but she is so tired from it all that she is sleeping and sleeping. I have to add that while Lewis howls like you are pulling his toe nails out when he is in the car, Calico was polite and sweet during each and every event this morning. What a sweetie she is.
Lewis and Missey will get to meet their new sister tomorrow now that she is all clear for any issues – how lucky are we? No obvious fleas, ticks, parasites, etc. And all tests came back negative.
On the way to the vet.
Here are some interesting facts about Calico cats taken from the Website All about the Calico Personality:
Calicos are one of the subjects of “The Duel,” a popular children’s poem by Eugene Fields. The poem describes a fight between a “calico cat” and “gingham dog.”
Because of their rarity, Calico cats are considered lucky by many around the world. The Calico cat is thought to bring good luck and fortune to the homes and families that adopt them. They are also considered to be a little magical because of their three colors.
In the 1870s, Calico cats were named the official symbol of fortune in Japan. They’re sometimes called “money cats” here and elsewhere.
The Calico cat became the official cat of the state of Maryland in 2001. The Calico cat was chosen because the colors of its fur are similar to that of the Baltimore Oriole, which is the official state bird.
According to Irish folklore, if you have a wart that you want to get rid of, just rub it against a Calico cat’s tail.
You will recall that I have been feeding and cuddling with Calico for months and months outside. She was brought into the house at 1900 last Saturday, the 26th. After that, extensive effort was put in by the neighbourhood to find any kitten or kittens. One of the neighbours ran over to tell me that the kitten had been found late Thursday. Well, it turns out that ‘a kitten’ was found and turned in to the Humane Society. It was processed through their intake the morning of Friday, the 25th – thirty-four hours before Calico moved in. I am not convinced it is Calico’s kitten because the posting said 2 weeks old. But if it is, it is a beautiful white kitten that someone is going to love. Calico’s kittens would have been approximately 54-55 days old. Still, it tells me that people know what to do if they see a lost kitten! No other sightings that I am aware of currently.
‘H’ report at Fortis Exshaw is fantastic, “Overall, it was an extremely quiet day. The female intruder flew to the nest alerting at 0646, and after twelve minutes she flew away. We did not see her on cam the rest of the day. The male intruder has not been seen since the afternoon of 8/30. We would occasionally hear an osprey call, but not often. The highlight of the day was a surprise visit by Banff. At 1130, Banff casually flew in and landed on the right side of the T-perch. We were absolutely delighted to see her. She was calm. The intruders were not around, and Banff knew that. She exuded confidence and maturity. She appeared regal. She shifted her position once in a while. She preened a bit. She roused once. She surveyed the entire area. Was she reminiscing? After all, she had spent her entire life there. Of course, I know she wasn’t reminiscing, ospreys live in the moment. But while I watched Banff on that perch, I was reminiscing. Everything that had transpired over the past few months, good or bad, happy or sad, flashed before my eyes. After twelve minutes, Banff gracefully and majestically flew away toward the river. Was that ‘Goodbye’? We did not see her or hear her for the rest of the day. We will continue to look for her, just in case. Banff has made it. She is ready. “Well done, Banff.”
Thanks, ‘H’. You have done. great job reporting on this nest. It is so wonderful to see Banff thumb her nose at the intruders but, at the same time, allow all of us to see that she survived it – she survived it all. Go Banff!
Mini did a good PS at 0602 before flying off the perch at Patchogue. It is impossible to tell what happening with her left leg. She does not return to the nest during the day like she used to, and from the size of the PS she is being fed off-camera or catching her own – my bet is on the former.
I would give anything to have GPS tracking on Mini. After watching and worrying for so long, she has become so big a part of so many people’s lives it is difficult to let go and not know how her life is unfolding like we do that of Poul.
Tweed Valley’s sat packed fledgling, Poul, is in Spain. Great time!
The main camera has not returned to the Sydney Sea Eagles cam. ‘A’ has been watching: “Dad brought breakfast for the eaglets (I presume a fish) at around 07:37. Lady had flown in and taken control of it within 10 seconds. She is impressive. I can’t see any heads so I don’t know who is in front and whether both are being fed, but she is feeding eaglets, so based on yesterday and the four days before that, I am sure all is well.”
Update: “As of about ten minutes ago, the nest camera came back up at WBSE. The time stamp says 23.32:12 when the screen changes but the time just before the screen changed was 21:27:27 (which wasn’t the correct time either). It is currently 21:41 in Sydney (1 September). Lady is on the nest with the babies, who are sleeping peacefully. SE32 looks even bigger than last time I saw him! “
Mum and Dad2 at Port Lincoln. Still hoping.
Dad2 is a really good provider for Mum.
There was one super large fish that arrived on the Boulder County Fair Grounds nest. One happy osplet and one wishing and hoping some will be left!
At Sandpoint, Coco had at least one fish delivery part of which she left on the nest and there was also an intruder. Everything is fine. Coco is getting fed well.
There is at least one of the two fledglings coming to the nest at Collins Marsh. I did not see any fish deliveries to the nest on Thursday.
Gorgeous fledglings getting some nice fish at the Dunrovin Ranch Osprey Platform in Colorado.
These female Ospreys can fish. Just look at the catch Maya pulled on the nest! Now, where is Blue 33? He flew off on Wednesday. Was he checking the territory to make certain that the fledglings were all dispersed before he leaves? He is always there until they are gone and this year Maya is still there with him.
‘H’ other reports:
Barnegat Light – Dorsett is still enjoying her life at the bay, and her dad, Duke, continues to provide fish for his girl.
Kent Island – I didn’t see a single fish brought to the nest for Molly on 8/31, but perhaps she had a meal or two off the nest.
Osoyoos – The livestream has been offline for the past two days.
Thanks, ‘H’.
The big news is that the AEF is 99% certain, based on physical markers, that V3 is back on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle Nest near Jacksonville on 31 August! We wait for the arrival of Gabby.
Muhlady and Pepe are both at Superbeaks!
The beautiful view of the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle Nest.
David Abram writes what the salmon were like in 1988 – the eagles in Alaska have historically lived on salmon.
I got up and walked over to the water’s edge; the stream, I now saw was thick with salmon, boiling with salmon, all jostling and surging against the current in fits and starts – it was as though the stream was made of salmon! I gazed and gazed for a couple hours, then went back to my tent and tried to sleep, but couldn’t. So I hiked back into the middle of the night and stood staring into that moon-illumined river of fish, and then I waded out into that mass of sparkling, silvery muscles, all shoving and lunging against the water’s flow. In the middle of the stream, I was up to my knees in salmon, but they didn’t care – didn’t even notice; they bumped into my legs and then plunged on past with a single-minded determination I’d never encountered before, nosing aside their dying cousins who were floating back downstream on their sides, too exhausted to swim, with their mottled skin starting to peel off. Yet the vigorous salmon around me just nudged me out of the way, wholly intent on making their own way upstream to reach the remembered place of origin – their spawning place – so they might deposit their eggs, and fertilize those eggs, before they too began to fall apart and die.
D. Abram, ‘Creaturely Migrations on a Breathing Planet’, Emergence Magazine, vol. 4, pg. 146.
Pat, one of Martin and Rosa’s trio this year from the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest, has been released. How wonderful!
M15 and his lady seem to be quite the couple. So happy that he has kept his territory – M15 certainly deserves it after the stunning year he gave us following Harriet’s disappearance in early February.
How long will our changing climate support the Chum Salmon that eagles like Hope depend on for their food?
Xavier gets some precious egg time while Diamond takes her break.
A prey delivery at 12:31 (off camera) got Diamond off the eggs and Xavier some more incubation time. Oh, what a character he is!
At The Campanile, Lou and Annie are bonding – something they continue to do since the eyases fledged.
The Black Stork nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia is quiet. All three fledglings of Karl II and Kaia have now left the natal nest and begun their journeys south towards Africa. Kalvi flew first and has the satellite tracker. This is the information at the time of my writing.
This is the area where Kalvi is foraging.
This short video shows the last time that the storklets of Karl II and Kaia were together.
The last data:
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, PB’, All About the Calico Personality, PSEG, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO. Boulder County, Sandpoint, Collins Marsh, Dunrovin, LRWT, NEFL-AEF, Superbeaks, Glacier Gardens, Linda Russo and NEFL and SWFL Eagle Watcher’s Club, Emergence Magazine, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, SK Hideaway and Cal Falcons, Maria Marika, MadliaA, Fortis Exshaw, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Kent Island, Looduskalender, and All About Black Storks.
There is only a little action in Bird World. The Osprey nests in the Northern hemisphere are becoming rather quiet as they empty around the world and birds begin their journeys to their winter homes. As I write this, there are no eggs at Collins Street or Port Lincoln. A storm has taken out the main camera in Sydney. Diamond laid her third egg. Mini appeared to have more difficulties with her left leg on Wednesday. Those are a few nests that we are watching.
We will begin with ‘H’s report of Fortis Exshaw: “First an update to 8/28: Janet Preston, one of the local cam watchers, was at the nest in the evening and managed to find Banff standing on a log on a hillside. Banff was safe, she looked good, and she had a crop! This was particularly welcome information for us, on a day where Banff had been chased and attacked by the intruders a few times. Attached are a few of Janet’s photos from 8/28.
8/30 – For the second consecutive day, Banff was not seen at the nest. The intruder pair was in the nest briefly at times, just enough to remind other ospreys (and one young osprey in particular) that they still ruled the nest. Tiina Moore, one of the local viewers stopped by the nest area at 1600, and she managed to find Banff sitting on a utility pole toward the east end of the pond. Tiina stated that Banff was apparently fish-calling to an adult in a tree across the river (possibly Louise). Banff stayed on the pole for about 45 minutes, then she flew over the river. Thanks to Tiina’s efforts, we had been reassured that Banff was okay. Later in the evening from 2009 to 2011, we heard Banff’s distinctive chatter, the call that she makes while flying. She was very close to the nest and getting closer. We were on the edge of our seats, hoping that Banff would not intend to land on the nest, because we knew what would happen to her if she did. Banff, with her newfound wisdom, did not attempt to land. Someone else was also hoping that Banff would not try to land on the nest, and that was the big ol’ female intruder. The intruder landed on the nest at 2010 alerting, and for the next minute or so, her head was literally on a swivel, watching Banff showing off her courage in the face of the intruder. Banff was flying high above the nest for a couple of minutes and she was saying: “You can have that old nest, I don’t need it any more, I am a big girl now, my name is Banff, and you did not defeat me !!!” I believe that by staying away from the nest the past several days, Louise has taught her youngster another lesson: ‘Discretion is the better part of valor’. (Attached is Tiina’s photo from 8/30)”
Mini is on the perch. It is impossible to see how she is clutching or if she is able to tighten her feet around the perch.
Her leg does not appear to be giving her much difficulty as she stands on the nest, but it will be apparent that there are some issues. Did she have a tug of war with a fish and someone? We may not see Dad on the nest, but he is feeding his girl. H er crop is not deeply concave.
Mini reminds me of Blue 33 and his ‘snake eye’ in the image below.
Everything looked OK with Mini until early evening. She landed on the nest at 1808. By 1943, Mini appeared to have trouble getting up from her duckling position due to the swelling in her left leg. It is worse by 2100. Thanks ‘L’ for alerting me to this issue.
Mini is not sleeping entirely duckling style but standing up on the nest slightly with her head tucked in her wing after midnight.
At 0449 Mini is on the perch before flying off.
The situation in terms of care remains the same. It is dangerous to try and catch a flying bird – dangerous to Mini. Traps do not normally work with Ospreys like they do with eagles, hawks, falcons, etc.
A ‘myth’ is spreading: ospreys do not do well in care. This is not true and it is troubling. Go to the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida. Visit them, write them. Read their reports. They cared for Smedley and Bailey, who thrived in their centre. Bailey is still there; Smedley sadly passed away last year. He was at least in his mid-twenties at the time. Audubon has had many other ospreys pass through the facility over the decades. They have had some miraculous clients, including one that was electrocuted. Indeed, they have – along with other centres on the East Coast – much more experience than the rest of the US put together simply because so many Ospreys live permanently in Florida. There are other centres, of course – the one in Colorado that cared for the Pitkin Country nestling that got pulled off the nest by its Mum with some nesting material (its sibling died). It is in flight school and has been in care since 27 June 2022. If Ospreys did not do well in care, this bird would have died long ago. That bird will be released soon if it hasn’t already been. There is much work being done with ospreys in Idaho as well – to name three places.
What is wrong with Mini’s leg or her long-term prognosis is unclear. That would require that she be in the care of a wildlife rehabilitation centre or a vet who could do x-rays, scans, or an ultrasound. The DEC office over the Patchogue Region has been clear – no help unless the bird is grounded. I had hoped that some local publicity would bring attention to Mini. Instead, the writer had a photo of Dad – not Mini – and did not address what such an injury would do to the quality of life for an osprey. It was disappointing because it did not get the audience overly sympathetic with our girl that I could tell.
So, back to the drawing board. Rehabbers need clear images of an injury. They need short video clips – the emphasis is on short – that demonstrate the issue the raptor is having. They do not have the time to weed through unnecessary material. Remember. Most people who help are volunteers – including many vets. They need the name of the nest and its exact location – even if you think they should know this. They need the name and phone number of who is in charge of the platform and the camera. Do not assume that they know this information. Always be polite and to the point. Get all the required information in a single-page document. If you saw what caused the injury, tell them. Include an image. Cut and paste this information into e-mails to all the nearby wildlife rehab centres, the local USFWS or the DEC, the platform owner, etc. To find the nearest clinic, go to : https://ahnow.org
Fledgling was still at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest on the 30th.
All three continue to fish call at Boulder County.
Four fish for Coco arrived at the Sandpoint Nest on Wednesday. Gosh, this is wonderful.
At least one juvenile still at Oyster Bay came to the nest on Wednesday, hoping it just might get a fish delivery. Like other nests, the males are feeding the chicks mostly off the nest now, so it is rare to see them with fish where they hatched.
Hurricane Idalia did not weaken as some weather and news stations predicted, but she passed through Florida. Some raptors checked on their nests in Florida – and all is well. Dad reportedly did this at the Achieva Nest in St Petersburg.
Muhlady was at the Superbeaks nest in Central Florida on the 30th!
It was a beautiful sunset at Two Harbours, too. No Chase and Cholyn, however.
Thunder visited her old nest with Akecheta at the West End on Wednesday afternoon. What a stunning place to watch the sunset. Wouldn’t you love to be sitting there with her?
I did not see Jackie and Shadow on the nest on the 30th but they were spotted recently together in the tree.
Windy at the NE Florida nest of Gabby. No one home – yet.
There were reports of a big storm in the Sydney, Australia, area that could have impacted the nest of the WBSE in the Olympic Park. One of the cameras was on the flick, but we caught Lady feeding two little heads. What a relief! It looks like the only thing that was bothered was the camera. Relief. The main camera is out of action. Will we miss these eaglets growing up until they are big enough for us to see from this view?
A video of an eel being fed to SE32 during the storm (before the camera went down)!
Diamond is tired and for good reason. She laid the third egg in the wee hours of the morning. Get ready for over a month of incubation exchanges between her and Xavier!
Diamond has been the female at Orange since 2015. She is at least ten years old.
There is still no egg at Port Lincoln. With the main cam down at Sydney, and no eggs at Collins Street yet, I remain hopeful that we might have little osplets to watch even if they do fight over fish.
There is, however, hope for Port Lincoln. The first egg was laid at Turnby Island yesterday.
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Stay safe wherever you are. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, L’, Fortis Exshaw, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Boulder County, Sandpoint, Barbara Snyder and Achieva Credit Union, Superbeaks, IWS/Explore, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF, Sydney Sea Eagles, Faxinating and Sydney Sea Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons and Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcons, PLO, and Friends of Sth Australia Ospreys.
Calico’s new world is waiting for her and any kitten/s that have survived. She has been so good to let me fiddle around with ‘training’ collars. Her GPS tracker arrived on Sunday and we spent considerable time together trying to get the kitten size to fit. Nope. Too big. She is the tiniest thing. So now I have a much smaller kitten collar for her. The debate is whether or not to fit her late this evening or wait til in the morning. I am thinking in the morning is better for me…wider awake to go digging around in hiding spots for the little one. We are almost there.
The Canadian Government is evacuating people from Yellowknife NWT. Fires are burning around BC, and I have friends now that I cannot get in touch with. I hope they are safe. The rain is pounding down in Big Bear Valley as an unprecedented hurricane hits the western coast of the US. In Bird World, our focus remains on three nests: Fortis Exshaw, Patchogue, and Sydney Sea Eagles – and our thoughts with all of the birds and wildlife being impacted by Hurricane Hillary.
We know that our feathered friends – M15 and Harriet – survived Hurricane Ian as did many of those on Captiva. Still, our thoughts are with those in the line of the storm including, as I was reminded, all those hummingbirds.
Heavy rain was hitting the Big Bear Valley when I last checked. At the time the wind seemed to have calmed.
We always start with Mini at Patchogue. Mini had two nice fish by the time 1630 rolled around on the clock. She managed to eat all of the first one in good time and worked hard on the second, flying away with the tail in her beak. Her fans cheered her on nothing how her eating is so improved now that she is holding down the fish with that right talon! Just see below our wonderful girl. She is a survivor!
Mini was back on the nest cleaning her beak with ‘someone’ on the perch.
Mini did a lot of talking to the bird on the perch. Mini loves her piece of cardboard that the Crows pulled out of the nest Sunday morning. She was using it as a pillow one time. Some of you might recall that a flip-flop or a sandal arrived on the nest, and she slept on it too. So precious.
Mini was also seen on camera scratching her head with her left foot.
I have just checked and Mini is eating a fish. Dad is taking good care of his girl. She is adapting to a situation that was beyond her control. An old falconer told me decades ago that the raptors live in the moment. At this moment, Mini is doing the best she can without help for her leg.
I know that there are individuals upset that Mini is not getting help. The rehabbers can’t help her unless she is down on the ground or low enough for them to get her without injuring her further.
This was the situation early Monday morning at Sydney Sea Eagles. WBSE 32 finally got some much-needed nourishment. ‘A’ reports: “SE32 has had a small fish for breakfast, without any interference from an already stuffed SE31 (who had just eaten someone else’s baby chick – perhaps half her age). The good news about this (as well as the eating, obviously) is that once he had eaten a couple of bites, SE32 began to eat with confidence and by the end he was eating greedily and without hesitation. That is excellent, though it will take more than one bonk-free feeding I fear to rebuild his carefree little spirit. The second and possibly more important thing was that SE31 was not interested in preventing SE32 from eating. On a couple of occasions, she got up, but only to change position and flop back down, duckling style, to rest her giant crop!” Later, ‘A’ writes: “SO good that the little one got to eat as much as he needed without paying for it by being bonked and beaten. That is just wonderful, and it’s happened twice today. He is still fearful and cringing, from mum as well as from SE31, though his confidence builds as he eats more and doesn’t get bonked. But even during that eat-a-thon, he was nervy between bites. But he has eaten and he has eaten very, very well. Lady did a great job of managing that fish so that SE32 ate more than half of it. She has been working hard at dealing with this situation over the past couple of days. It may not look like it at times, but she really has been thinking about him and how to get enough food to him. That feed was a particularly good example of it, but what happened late yesterday was also something I’ve rarely seen – all those deliveries in such a short time and in an obvious effort to feed SE32. That gives me heart.”
Fortis Exshaw: ‘H’ has been my helper all season and we have both taken to the antacids on more than one occasion. She has lived with Fortis Exshaw and its tragedies. She writes a very moving report on Banff and Louis this morning: “
It can be very frustrating watching raptor nests. Quite often, things simply do not follow our desired script. On 8/19 Louise had treated Banff to a ‘whale’ fish that she worked on for most of the day, and later Mom brought Banff a smaller fish. But by late afternoon, with parts of two fish still in the nest, the intruder had driven Banff from her nest, and she spent the night roosting elsewhere. On 8/20 Banff flew to the nest at 0621, and we were very glad to see her. She immediately picked up one of the leftover fish. But, it was almost as if the intruder had been lying in wait. Less than a minute after her arrival to the nest, the intruder began dive-bombing her, and at 0622 Banff was dragged off the nest (for the third time). We were able to see that Banff had been released from the intruder’s grip. Banff had a piece of fish in her talon as she went over the side. Poor Banff simply cannot get a break. We waited, and we worried. At 0918 Banff flew back to the nest. We do not know if Banff had been able to hold on to the fish she had in her grasp when she was dragged off the nest. When she returned to the nest, her crop was rather flat, but three hours had passed. Over the next few hours, Banff did not retrieve the other piece of fish from the nest, so it must have been dragged overboard during the earlier melee. Poor Banff was almost constantly fish-calling to her Mom. At 1323 Banff was twice buzzed by the intruder, and as the intruder approached for the third time, Banff flew off the nest and was then chased by the intruder. At 1424 Louise landed with a whole medium-sized fish. She waited for Banff to show, but Louise was hungry too, so she began to eat. Banff finally flew to the nest at 1444 and grabbed the partial fish from her Mom. Louise immediately flew off and we were sure that she would bring in another fish. For most of the rest of the day Banff was alternately calling her Mom for more fish, or she was alerting when she would see a perceived ‘unfriendly’ bird in the sky. No more fish came for Banff today. Eventually Banff laid down in the nest and resigned herself to going to sleep hungry. Banff is learning many lessons that will prepare her for her challenging life ahead. Banff is a survivor. NOTE: We don’t know what role the ‘stepdad’ O’Hara has at this point (if any). O’Hara was instrumental in helping Louise flush out the intruder on 8/14, after the intruder dragged Banff off the nest for the first time. O’Hara was last seen on camera on 8/17 when he stood on the nest for a while. He has not delivered a fish to the nest for at least ten days. While the intruder problem continues, we do not know how many intruders there are, and O’Hara may still be playing a role in keeping most of the intruders at bay. Louise is likely dealing with intruders in the area as well, and we feel certain that she is doing the best she can for her only surviving ‘child’. Banff fledged on 8/13, and Louise would normally be tapering off her ‘Mom’ duties to prepare herself for her long migration. But, without a male to take over the support of Banff until she disperses, there has been a role-reversal for Louise. While O’Hara was instrumental in ensuring the success of the family early on (and we will be forever grateful to him for that), Louise has essentially had to be both Mom and Dad ever since Jasper disappeared on 7/7. We are observing a unique situation. Will Louise continue to support Banff until Banff is ready to leave? Will hunger encourage Banff to learn how to fish sooner rather than later? Would the intruders even allow Banff to keep her hard-fought prey once in her talons? We are filled with such love and empathy for this young osprey.”
‘H’ also checked on two other nests for us today.
Kent Island – We have not seen Molly fly to the nest carrying a fish, but we have seen her diving from the nest, possibly fishing. Meanwhile she continues to be well fed by Mom and Dad.
Osoyoos – There were only two small whole fish brought to the nest (that I saw), and both were delivered by Mom. ‘Junior’ continued to practice wingercising, and at 56 days of age s/he is definitely on fledge watch.
Reports of a fledge at Osoyoos. Need confirmation from ‘H’.
Thank you ‘H’ as always.
Waiting for eggs at Port Lincoln and at Orange.
At Sandpoint, by 1626, there had been six fish delivered. I am not even certain that Coco is hungry!
At Minnesota, Mum is happily feeding her fledgling. It was a great fledge but coming back to an empty nest, Mum looked a little shocked by it all. Everything is fine.
Mum sure likes to feed on this same corner. 1245 and later, after 1700.
Hello Iris! You are gorgeous. No wonder you are getting so much attention. Wonder if it will be Bachelor Number 1, 2, or 3? I guess we will have to wait til spring to find out.
Two beautiful fledglings at Collins Marsh continue to return to the nest for fish. This has been a good season for this nest and what appears to be two new parents.
Boulder: Everything is just fine. Fledglings continue to come to the nest for fish like at most of the others. They all appear to be present in the last shot. Life is good in Colorado.
The eagles continue to be at Superbeaks!
Waiting for Gabby…
It’s a crazy busy morning. Calico has her tracker on – just – and the collar is still too big. As Geemeff says, ‘Kittens having kittens’. The tracker is stationary. I hope it has not fallen off. Wish us luck. I understand that there has also been a feeding at the Royal Cam Albatross colony of the little Manaaki. Yeah! Looks like both parents have been in recently. More news tomorrow.
I want to thank ‘H and A’ for their continuing reports and Geemeff along with all of the streaming cams and individuals who posted information that helped me write my blog today: Fortis Exshaw, Kent Island, Osoyoos, PSEG, Boulder County, Sydney Sea Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, IWS/Explore, AEF-NEFL, Collins Marsh, Superbeaks, Montana Osprey Project, MN Landscape Arboretum, and Sandpoint.
