Category Archives: UK ospreys

Death by micro plastics, M2 is here…Monday in Bird World

8 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was an overcast day with the feeling that rain could start anytime. It didn’t. The garden feeders were busy! Unfortunately, the squirrels have figured out two different ways to get on the table feeder, causing issues with the birds. Still, they waited and watched. Mr Crow is also afraid of the feral cat that visits and, as a result, has not been quick enough to feed well today. Silly boy. Today they also marked the first day for the White-throated Sparrows to be in the garden this season. In a few days, there could be fifty or sixty of them. If all goes to plan after they arrive, the Orioles will eat oranges and Grape Jelly and pay no mind to Dyson and her gang.

So proud of itself!

Mr Blue Jay watched and waited til he could get a turn at the feeding table.

Your smile for the day…

So far it has been a good Sunday at the nest of Angel and the Baby. This was the posting of the prey delivery and feeding. It is windy and the weather could turn stormy. As I am writing this there has been a feeding at 12:53 with a partial piece of rabbit that Tom delivered. A second feeding began at 2:07:40. ‘A’ has sent me the entire time stamps for the action at the nest. Here they are: “Time stamps for today (7 May) at Angel’s nest. Spoiler alert: Tom brought in some food around lunchtime, which was enough to feed the hawklet three times. Okay, time stamps: 07 02 45 Angel up, wing stretch,head scratch,BJS buzzing her. 08 32 31 Angel up and spots something. And the BJs spot her. 08 39 44 She leaves. 08 41 01 She returns. 10 05 59 After a big wing stretch Angel leaves.10 15 42 PTZ camera Angel flies by on her way back to the nest. 11 46 25 Angel aerating the nest and some preening. 12 52 15 Tom in with part rabbit?. 12 53 30 PTZ feed starts. Some leftovers for later. 2:06:50 RTH5 falls over, gets up after a struggle. 2 07 40 PTZ Second feed starts. 12 51 Angel up.big wing and leg stretch and preening. RTH5 Preening itself. 3 22 00 PTZ Start of third feed. 3 41 44 Angel swallows a lump of fur/skin. 6 06 55 One For the PS fans. This chick is the most adorable little thing ever. The way Angel looks down at it with sheer unadulterated adoration is just precious. I love this chick way too much!”

Thank goodness for small miracles. Angel sure can use them. Let us hope that the storms and potential winds and tornadoes do not hit this nest. This couple needs to find prey and keep it coming so that the baby can develop properly. It sure looks like a hardy little one.

There is something magical about the way that Red-tail Hawks look at their chicks. Big Red is the same. You simply melt at the love in those eyes.

Arlene Beech caught the prey delivery for us.

The weather turned with heavy rain and thunderstorms. Angel is keeping her baby snug and dry.

The situation is also good at Achieva where Jack brought in two fish almost at once. Big Bob ate its own fish while Mum fed Middle. Smiling. Both osplets are safe and find and it is probably that the Bald Eagle wanted the fish and not the osplet! If it had been younger, yes.

Barbara Snyder reports on FB that Mum brought in one of her big catfish and Dad brought in another fish – so another double delivery – Sunday evening that is keeping this nest happy. This is wonderful news for Achieva. These two have their juvenile feathers and well, we don’t want to lose either one of them!

Sadly, the first delivery at Lake Murray did not come until late in the afternoon. Kathryn observed that Mum went out to possibly find fish several times but returned empty handed. Little Peanut did not get any food and this osplet does not look well to me. As Kathryn notes it is also not being clever. I think we should brace ourselves for a sad ending for this very tiny third hatch.

No food for Peanut this morning. It is so very slow and sad to see a sweet baby die of starvation. Only a miracle will help this wee one.

I will add a few articles, once in a while, or postings that discuss siblicide so that we educate ourselves. In 2012, Dr Erick Greene, the Professor at the University of Montana associated with the Osprey Research Project and Iris’s Nest, wrote this post for Montana Ospreys FB Group. It focuses on the amount of food brought to the nest. Other research studies suggest that the oldest or most dominant (usually the same) are getting the majority of food, so siblicide makes no sense. Hopefully, you will enjoy and learn from the articles coming up, and they will provide much to think about as you watch the nests that are getting ready for osprey hatches.

Siblicide – part IV

Siblicide occurs in MANY species of birds and other animals, including all hawks and owls, egrets and herons, kingfishers, pelicans, boobies, cranes and some others. Although it may seem cruel, it is an adaptation that allows the parents to raise the maximum number of healthy and vigorous young under fluctuating and unpredictable food supplies. When there is enough food to go around, all the chicks thrive; when food is limited, only the number of chicks that can be supported survive. So siblicide is a self-adjusting mechanism that matches the number of chicks with the available food.

This is what siblicide is and why it occurs. It is a completely natural part of Osprey biology (and the biology of many other species). However, this does not mean it is easy to watch – it is quite disturbing to watch a chick kill its sibling. Last year fishing was so tough that about 95% of the Osprey chicks starved to death around Missoula. While we were saddened and disturbed to watch the two chicks in the Hellgate nest die last year, we rejoiced that Iris and her old mate were able to raise one very robust and healthy chick in such difficult circumstances. This is something not many Osprey pairs were able to do. If there was not siblicide, all three chicks would have starved to death last year. Nature can be “red in tooth and claw,” even within a family. Even though siblicide may seem cruel to you, there is some sort of comfort in a system that allows the Osprey parents to raise healthy chicks even when times are tough. This is part of the reason we still have thriving Osprey populations.

Some of you may wonder why we don’t take the smallest chick from this nest and put it in the Dunrovin nest. We are not allowed to interfere with this natural part of the Osprey cycle. Our research permits and animal care permits (that are very strictly regulated) would not allow us to do this.

We are giving you this information to let you know about a natural and expected part of Osprey biology, and prepare you in case the smallest chick does not make it. So what can we expect at the Hellgate nest this year? The third chick is definitely running from the back of the pack, but the new male is a fantastic provider! I just watched carefully and saw the smallest chick get absolutely stuffed with part of the large trout the male brought in (Tuesday, 26 June 2012 about 1115). This is a good sign, and if the male continues to be such a good provider all three chicks may make it! Think pure thoughts.

Erick Greene of Project Osprey

That was 2012 and much has been learned since then. I hope to enlighten us more in the coming weeks.

Oh, I wish I could wiggle my nose and transport Peanut to the Moorings Park Osprey platform after Abby and Victor fledge…those two are helicoptering. Fledge (their first flight) could happen at any time!

Moorings Park has gone all out with good cameras and a split screen so we can see all the action.

Jackie and Shadow were bringing in sticks and working on their nest in Big Bear Valley on Sunday.

A little windy up at the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle nest where eggs are being incubated. Looks like some branches have been trimmed so that the camera view of the new nest (as of 2022) is much better. Thanks, Glacier Gardens.

Adults with nice crops keeping a watchful eye over the energetic Cal falcons. That big female sure likes to be out of the scrape. I do not envy Lou and Annie when these three start running around!

Annie has been chasing them about to feed them. SK Hideaways caught it for us.

The Decorah eaglet was really hot today, using panting to help stay cool. Little sweetheart. Doesn’t look like they have had any of those bad storms (yet). Hopefully not.

Whenever you see a nest with three equally healthy raptors on it, just smile. As you are all aware it is not easy. The three at Denton Homes are thriving.

The three at Dulles-Greenway are equally doing well. It is difficult to see if the river is flooding and hard for Martin to get fish but there does not appear to be a shortage of prey. There is also not a shortage of plastic bags! The one black one on the side fooled me one day…at first glance I thought it was one of the eaglets hanging on for dear life!

We have a reminder from Liz Bracken. You will recall that Blue NC0 and Laddie LM12 laid the first egg with Blue 33 and Maya quick on their talons. Well, we will be on hatch watch for both of those nests starting on the 11th…yes, that is 3 days a way.

Blue 33 keeping Maya’s he3ad dry in the drizzle.

It is my favourite nest and it always will be. Steady and reliable. Big Red and Arthur, the Red-tail Hawks calling the Cornell campus in Ithaca, New York their territory.

M2 working its way out of that shell.

If Big Red and Arthur’s kids go hungry there is something very wrong in the world.

Big Red tucking M1 in and we can see M2’s egg tooth working away.

Cuteness!

It started raining at the nest of Big Red and Arthur Sunday evening. Big Red seems to always know and she gets her chick/s fed to the brim and then plunks down on them so they are dry and warm.

M2 is here and already being fed! It is sitting in its shell!

Lots of baby falcons about these days….tis the season!

It is just a gorgeous landscape at the Charlo Montana Osprey platform of Charlie and Charlotte. One egg as of yesterday. Thanks, Loretta!

‘H’ reports sad news coming from Hob Osterlund in Kauai. Not large pieces of plastic, tiny micro plastic that will impact all the seabirds including the Royal Albatross, too…what a shame we cannot get a handle on this nasty stuff that is everywhere.

Murphy’s baby is continuing to do very, very well.

Chase and Cholyn’s eaglet at Two Harbours was so full today from eating half a considerable fish that it could hardly walk on the nest. Check out the last image of the three; Mum had a huge crop, too! It was a fish fest day!

‘H’ reports that there is a second egg at Kent Island Ospreys this morning. ‘H’ and I are keeping our eyes on the ospreys at Osoyoos in the hope of identifying them to see if it is Soo and/or Olsen or a new pair.

This sub-adult eagle got a second chance at life because of a rehabber!

For everyone who reached out to help on the Dale Eagle chat and felt shunned and ‘well, abused’, there are some changes coming.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Loretta, Kathryn, Terry Tempest Williams, Window to Wildlife, Arlene Beech and Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Lake Murray Ospreys, Moorings Park Ospreys, FOBBV, Glacier Gardens Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Dulles-Greenway, Liz Bracken and Friends of Loch Arkaig FB, LRWT, Cornell RTH, Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Charlo Montana, Hob Osterlund, World Bird Sanctuary, IWS and Explore.org, and Terry Carman and Live Nests and News.

Cal Falcons getting banded, update on SE30…Friday in Bird World

5 May 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

Wednesday was a tough one. Thursday was better, but there are still two worrisome nests – Achieva’s and Angel’s. When it gets too much – and it does for everyone, we need to step back and change what we are doing. There has been no food for the little one at Angel’s for a day, and the little one has only had a few bites. I do not expect it to survive and, as of this morning, I, too, will step back.

It is true – go out and spend some time in nature, go for a walk, say hello to people you don’t know…at the end of all, you feel better. That is precisely what I did – a spin or two around the pond, stopping to chat with everyone along the way. The Wood Ducks are back.

Not in any great numbers, about five males and a couple of those sweet little females. There were a handful of Mallards and several hundred Canada Geese. It was sunny and dry, and everyone was happy to be outside.

There is green grass coming and some vegetation growing quickly so they can feed.

In the garden, Dyson sees me. She knows that I am taking her photo. Isn’t she lovely?

The table feeder is becoming more popular as the birds get used to seeing it in the garden.

While Dyson and the Starlings were eating peanuts, the Crows were assembling in the big tree in front of my house. It was planted in 1902 so 121 years old. I will not start about our City’s tree trimming policies! Normally when the Crows gather they are here to escort the GHO out of their neighbourhood!

Specific events tell me spring is here, and hopefully, there will not be any more snow. The first is the arrival of the Canada Geese, then the Dark-eyed Juncos and Blue Jays. The second is the opening of the local farmer’s market. There are a few ingenious farmers who have built greenhouses, not to grow flowers like the Dutch arrivals in our area in the 1950s but, to grow – strawberries. The farmer’s market opened yesterday, and those berries had not only the aroma of a ripened berry in a field but the most delicious flavour. Well done to those trying to figure out how to grow things locally that might be otherwise flown in from thousands of miles away – and have no taste and be polluting the planet. The third is the arrival of all the annual flowers and herbs to be planted in flower boxes or gardens. Today was a celebration of all of those – the geese at the pond, a trip to the farmer’s market and a box full of herbs and, instead of a hanging basket of flowers, a Tiny Tom Hanging Tomato vine. How will it do? All of this helped to wash away the anger and some of the sadness over the death of DH18.

In celebration of these spring rituals, the kittens and I will enjoy a lovely little Japanese sponge cake with strawberry buttercream filling.

Do you know Aldo Leopold? He was talking about biodiversity and stewardship of land before any of the more recent environmental movements. He died in a fire in Wisconsin helping a neighbour in 1948. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin but loved escaping to his weekend refuge without modernisation. I love his sense of humour. One time during a flood – and you have to understand that his cabin is the family escape from the world of humans, Leopold writes, “There are degrees and kinds of solitude. A n island in a lake has one kind; but lakes have boats, and there is always the chance that one might land to pay you a visit..I know of no solitude so secure as one guarded by a spring flood; nor do the geese, who have seen more kinds and degrees of aloneness than I have. ..So we sit on our hill beside a new-blown pasque and watch the geese go by. I see our road dipping gently into the waters, and I conclude with inner glee that the question of traffic, in or out, is for this day at least, debatable only among carp.” (27)

Leopold observes, “Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with out Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” (xviii) I highly recommend his little book, A Sand County Almanac. Essays on Conservation from Round River. Written like a diary, Leopold says of March, “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.” (19) Leopold takes you through the months, and he loves his spring geese. It is more than just Leopold’s close observation and love of all things wild. He stops to make us think about the value of our land and why some, like trophy hunters, will never be able to understand those of us in the minority who see the word of living things connected and sacred. “…our bigger-and-better society is now like a hypochondriac, so obsessed with its own economic health as to have lost the capacity to remain healthy. The whole world is so greedy for more bathtubs that it has lost the stability necessary to build them, or even to turn off the tap…Perhaps a shift of values can be achieved by reappraising things unnatural, time, and confined in terms of things natural, wild, and free”. That was written on the 4th of March 1948 right before his death. It could have been written yesterday. Today, the situation with DH18 continues to weigh heavy on my mind and I would substitute in much of the quotes of Leopold the term wildlife instead of land…we think we own it, it is a commodity that we can abuse…that kind of thinking has to stop.

Our smile for the morning comes from the Cal Falcons and the food tug-o-war caught by SK Hideaways. Then marvel at how well falcons tend to feeding three chicks! Most of the time (Angel and Tom excluded) falcon and hawk nests are incredibly energetic and full of laughs.

Right now we need all these precious joyful moments that we can garner. It has been a ‘depleting week emotionally’ for all of us.

Check your clocks. Banding is taking place at Cal Falcons between 0830-0900 Pacific Time. The cameras will be off during the banding. A video of the event will be uploaded after. There will also be the annual Q & A session with Sean and Lynne (see further down for details) tomorrow.

The Australian Raptor Care and Conservancy has provided an update on SE30! Oh, she is doing well. This is the kind of news we want and need. Thanks, ‘H’.

George Smith gives us an update on the Rutland Ospreys. Quite a good read and happy to see that Maya and Blue 33 are attempting to raise their fourth set of four osplets. Wrap your head around that one. Some nests cannot manage even two! But four sets of four. Super couple! Some of their fledglings are out chasing down nests and mates. Have a read!

Great-Egg-Spectations-Leicestershire-and-Rutland-Wildlife-TrustDownload

Thanks for posting some successful rescues. We all know about Dr Sharpe but there are also other rescues for monofilament line as well as non-human caused issues. CROW was at Captiva last year with the Osplets. CROW intervened when E17 and E18 at SW Florida had conjunctivitis. There are so many more. In the incident below, the eaglet appeared to have half its body ‘stuck’ to the nest. It was removed because it was weak..information below. It was successfully released after this 4 May 2012 intervention. Thanks, Deb.

M15 still gets my vote for ‘Dad of the Year’ for Raptors. E22 knows precisely when there is a food delivery and is on it!

There are a lot of Peregrine Falcons hatching in the world and the first one at Cromer Peregrine Falcons is here.

You can watch this white little fuzzy with its pink beak and toes here.

https://www.youtube.com/live/HpYgxVKS05o?feature=share

Today is banding day at Cal Falcons. There is a Q & A scheduled. You can go to YouTube and search for Cal Falcons 2023 Banding Q&A. You can get a notification to watch it live and they always archive the event if you miss it. For me, it looks like it is at 1300 but if you live in California, I bet that time is 1100.

We are all aching for Angel and her baby. Tom has not provided any prey today. He has not been seen. Angel has left the little one for long periods of time – once an hour – to go hunting but came back to the nest empty taloned. Whether or not Tom is still around or if the prey in the area is so limited is unclear. The little one cannot thermoregulate its temperature, and it should be fed much more often than is happening. At the same time, Angel is also hungry. The chick’s last meal was Thursday morning.

It is dusk and Angel has left the baby again to go hunting. I hope she finds some food for them. The possums and other creatures often come out at dusk. Oh, I hope she finds some food. Remember, I told you that this situation is very dire and it is. Unless Tom steps up and begins to deliver prey regularly it will be difficult, if not impossible, for Angel to feed the two of them and provide security and warmth. The area is obviously not prey rich like that of Big Red and Arthur. It is heartbreaking.

Angel did not have any food when she returned. Many believe Angel is at a disadvantage as the prey can see her coming since she is leucistic rather than camouflaged. This creates a huge problem if that is the case. Tom is not helping. Please send your good wishes…I wish some food would drop from the sky. The forecast does not look good. Rain for 5 days in a row at the nest…we could easily lose this baby. Personally, if I owned the land this nest is on, I would put out a prey table now!

If this year has already been too much for you, you might want to step away from this nest. Come back on Monday and see how things are going.

We are really waiting for a pip and a hatch at Big Red and Arthur’s nest on the Cornell campus. The changeovers have been swift. These two work like a well-oiled and cared for machine. There is little time to even get a glimpse of those eggs.

When Big Red lost her mate Ezra, everyone thought she was ‘nuts’ picking such a young mate as Arthur. Well, she wasn’t. He is an uber hunter and wooed her with the number of squirrels he could catch! I know there is a lot of chatter about how young Angel’s mate Tom is but, I just don’t think it is that. There is either hardly any prey to be had in the area, he is not the father of the chick so really has not much interest, or he is just a dud.

Cute little Arthur.

Big Red.

You may recall that a group at Cornell University worked diligently to get the windows on campus fitted so that bird strikes do not happen. Several of Big Red’s fledglings have been injured or died. Now there is movement in other places to ensure that birds are safe. Thanks, ‘S’ for sending me the latest news on what is happening in Washington, DC. This needs to go international.

Washington, D.C. Passes Bird-Friendly Building Act

This is the weather at Big Bear Valley today for Jackie and Shadow.

The eagles did a nest check.

Looking for a US Osprey nest to watch? You cannot get any better than Moorings Park. Victor and Abby still have up to seven fish meals a day. Neither has fledged although they are spreading their wings!

Achieva is a tough Osprey nest in the US to watch. It is on my list of not recommended nests. At the present time, food is also scarce and Big Bob, number 1 is acting like Zoe at Port Lincoln. Jack delivers the fish, Big takes it and neither Diane or Middle get anything to eat. As we know, there is a drought in the area that is causing canals to dry up and fears of wildfires. This means that all those Ospreys are fighting for little fish.

These beautiful osplets have their juvenile feathers and they need more fish. It is always a problematic nest but with climate change and so many ospreys in the St Petersburgh area, the competition for fish could become ruthless and many ospreys might not survive. They might have to move further north. Let us hope that both survive to fledge.

Little Decorah Hatch – DH2 – is doing fantastic. What a crop…the joys of being an only nestling.

The crop on Chase & Cholyn’s only eaglet is equally as large at Two Harbours. And check out those thighs!!!!!!!!

Precious trio to Martin and Rosa continue to thrive at Dulles-Greenway.

There is good news coming out of SF Bay Ospreys!

The winds at Loch Arkaig were so intense on Thursday that Louis was literally blown off the nest while incubating. Thankfully, he returned, unharmed. Geemeff caught it on video:

There is some concern and a little bewilderment at the Osoyoos Osprey platform in British Columbia. The nest was that of Soo and Olsen. ‘H’ sent the history of the nest in terms of egg laying: “Egg laying history for Osoyoos Osprey Cam: 2016- Apr26. 2017- May 14 (late because they had to wait for Canada Geese goslings to exit the nest) 2018- Apr 28. 2019- May 5. 2020- May 2. 2021- Apr 29. 2022- May 6.” No one knows for certain if the male at the nest is actually Olsen. Some believe it is a new male. It is now 4 May and I actually wondered, last season, if Soo and Olsen might lay their eggs earlier to try and avoid the sheer magnitude of the heat in the area. That is certainly not the case and, as of this evening, the nest is not ready.

Fellow Canadian, Deb Stecyk who administers the Bald Eagles 101 FB Page has posted the following call for action following the death of DH18. Many of you will recognise our request for simple emergency numbers under the streaming cams. Some of you will recall the sheer panic two years ago when the foster osplet fell off the Patuxent River Park platform. ‘S’ and I phoned – her halfway around the world to try and get help. The park office was closed but thankfully a staff member checked and returned with a canoe – just in time as the tide was going to start to go out. Deb’s is a good plan and a good protocol. We need to work towards finding a rapid response for all the raptors that are on streaming cams now – and it needs to be universal.

One of the two eaglets at Duke Farms has ‘officially’ branched on Thursday. Congratulations! They have both done so well this season.

Tom and Audrey at the Chesapeake Conservancy Nest have their second egg. It was laid 74 hours after egg 1.

As the coronation of King Charles III approaches, Australia’s gift is a donation of 10,000$ to help save a beloved parrot of South Australia. “The government has pledged $10,000 to help conserve the critically endangered “shy and rarely seen” species in honour of the monarch, on behalf of the people of Australia.” Will the king’s views on conservation influence any changes towards wildlife, biodiversity, land management, etc in the UK? We wait.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/03/australias-coronation-gift-to-king-charles-is-10000-donation-for-wa-endangered-parrot?CMP=share_btn_link

There is lots of good news out there in Bird World. I am getting so excited to see the Cal Falcons banded and to see the list of names the children select so we a vote. Of course, waiting for Big Red and Arthur’s first hatch of 2023 is agonising. So, all of the nests are doing well but Angel’s and Achieva where Middle really needs some fish and so does Mum, Diane. Again, Angel’s baby needed feedings every few hours, not a few bites in a day. Angel is extremely hungry as well. Send her your love.

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

Thank you so much for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘S’, ‘H’, ‘A’, Geemeff, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, George Smith and the LRWT, Deb Stecyk, MN Bound Eagle Family, Gracie Shepherd and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cromer Peregrine Falcons, Window to Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, American Bird Conservancy, FOBBV, Moorings Park Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, IWS and Explore.org, Dulles-Greenway, SF Bay Ospreys, Geemeff and Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Duke Farms, The Guardian, and the Australian Raptor Care and Conservancy.

Bitty dies, Tom brings prey…Thursday in Bird World

4 May 2022

Hello Everyone,

It has been a rough evening. As ‘J’ reminds me, there is something to celebrate in all the sadness, “DH17 is alive on the nest and would not be if it had not been for the intervention of the AEF.” Both eaglets were tethered together, and yes, we must never forget that one is alive because of your efforts. I want to bring you the latest news, and if you do not recall all the ins and outs over the past week, some are here. We will try to find some good in this tragic mess and move forward. Unless there is any other communique from the AEF, we will now work to change the law.

This is the latest communique from the AEF:

Terry Carman (founder of Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams on FB) once said that she wore her emotions on her sleeve when it comes to the eagles. I am so glad that she does and so many of you do also. Empathy.

You will find numerous definitions for empathy is you do an online search. There are three forms of empathy. They are cognitive empathy where we try to put ourselves in someone else’s position so that we can understand what they are thinking and feeling. Then there is emotive empathy where we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. This is more than just thinking; it is feeling with them. “When we see someone being sad, for example, our mirror neurons fire and that allows us to experience the same sadness and to feel empathy. We don’t need to “think” about the other person being sad – we experience it firsthand.” The last type of empathy is empathic action. This is what the term says – action. This involves various levels of helping, including getting help or simply doing nothing if that is what the individual desires. What keeps me going – instead of screaming and saying ‘the heck with it’ is being part of such an amazing empathetic community with each of you.

As the AEF requested, we mourn today, but tomorrow, let our outrage turn to action in DH 18’s name. The law has to change. No one owns the raptors. We are stewards, and we are responsible for observing, caring for, getting help when needed and following the law. As ‘B’ said when he wrote to me, “Mary Ann — I, too, am just beyond words for the sadness of poor DH18’s fate.  This poor eaglet was doubly hurt by humans, first by the fishing line that caused the initial injury, and then by the resistance to letting 18 be helped.”

Anyone who has followed this story knows precisely what happened at Dale Hollow. Some of the comments were ” “The issue with fishing line brought to nests probably occurs at non-camera nests all the time, but we just don’t know about it.  This is nature.” That is true, but that is not an excuse when we see the problem before our eyes and know the dangers! Besides, it is legal under USFWS regulations to intervene under these circumstances. One reader notes, “Just because it happens at nests that we cannot monitor should not preclude us from helping when we are aware of the problem.” Another excuse given on chat was:  “The monofilament line on the nest does not necessarily mean that it is a man-made problem.  The line could have snapped with the hook in the fish’s mouth.  That is not the fault of the fisherman.” The reader wonders if it is then the fault of the fish! Another observation from ‘H’, “I think part of the problem with some human’s approach to helping wildlife is that many people simply do not really respect the animal’s right to life.  They apparently feel that the lives of animals in the wild are not as valuable as ours, or even of our domesticated pets.”

It is time to modernise the laws regarding intervention. The USFWS articles need to allow for accredited wildlife rehabbers to immediately attend to any nest that has monofilament or baling twine on it – to be removed or to assist in untangling the eaglets. A blanket permit so that people do not have to wait over the weekends to get the permissions. It really is that simple.

Dale Hollow posted a short statement above the official notice of the AEF.

The AEF’s comment:

Wildlife has rights. There will be other crises, but let us not step back from the work needed to ensure that a situation like the one that unfolded at Dale Hollow never happens again.

As of Wednesday, Angel is having to be everything to the little chick. She left the nest to find prey for both of them and was away for thirty minutes. She did return with lunch. She is fortunate that the weather is dry and warmer so that the little eaglet does not get too cold or wet. It really is unclear what is the matter with Tom. There are many theories. Angel needs help – that is the main thing!

These are the time stamps on Wednesday from the moderators of the chat: Mouse [TOM] Feeding1 at 7:06:00 am. At 7:36:57 Feeding2, with the leftovers. Seen on PTZ. 1:23:26 Angel returns with Prey. Set aside. 1:35:40 Tom brings prey. Angel ate half. 2:37:41 Feed3 SEE PTZ. This makes things hopeful. Tom needs to bring prey! So twice so far on Wednesday. Progress.

Arlene Beech captures the prey deliveries by both adults on Wednesday.

There have been some questions as to whether or not Angel is at a risk of being Leucistic – a risk of not getting a suitable mate. I am just beginning to explore the research papers on this topic. I have come across a good study from South America about a population of Leucistic birds, the Southern Caracaras, that have an advantage over their darker-plumaged relatives. You might want to have a read. I will continue to pursue this topic in the days ahead.

Leucitism-in-a-costal-raptor-populationDownload

Look at Murphy’s Eaglet. My goodness s/he has really grown!

Llyn Clywedog’s KA7 is giving some grief to Dylan and Seren. Nice to see you KA7! Oh these youngsters without mates or nests…or sometimes with them but roaming around causing some mischief.

In Winnipeg, Ella and Pip now have four falcon eggs on top of the Radisson Hotel. Fantastic!

Glen’s transmitter has pinged and all is well with the Tweed Valley osprey spending its first year in Morocco. This is great news for Sasha Dench and the Flight of the Osprey team. With HPAI running rampant in The Gambia, it is a very good thing that Glen Blue 708 stayed in Morocco!

Kids – you and old – join in sending in names for the Cal Falcons!

We know that there are eagles and now a Condor is living in the wild and surviving with one leg. I always think of WBSE26 when I see a posting like this.

Big Red and Arthur. Got a good look at the eggs. Are there little cracks or pips? The back one still looks suspicious. May 4th is circled in red for Big Red and that is today. Will we get a pip?

At 1957 Big Red called Arthur. She wanted a break. He was there in a couple of seconds!

I am not clear on the fish deliveries at Achieva today. Diane brought in a fish at 1745 and Middle Bob is waiting his turn hoping some is left.

Middle got no fish. Big is an open pit. Maybe another fish will come in…the case of the big sister and the little brother.

M15 brought in two dinners for E22 today! He is still feeding this precious fledgling.

Together. Beautiful.

Beautiful Bitty.

SKHideaways caught the day in video…I hope we have many more of these! It is impossible to think of a day without hearing E22’s squeegeeing. Can we get a ringtone?

Iris is a superstar. She is not a youngster but right now she is battling several things – a flooding river so it is completely difficult to get fish and a very aggressive much younger female attacking and wanting her nest and her fish. Louis is no help. Despite the conditions with the river, Iris did manage to get another whopper. But, please keep Iris in your heart. She really doesn’t need to have to deal with all of this.

Monty is not going to let anything endanger the eggs that him and Hartley are incubating – including one from last year.

I just checked on Angel and her precious baby. She was feeding the little one. All is well. Nothing sweeter than a little round fluffy nestling…this one is a cutie pie.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning and for reaching out to help the Dale Hollow eaglets. It was a long rant on the issues at Dale Hollow and I won’t do it again. It was reassuring to see the AEF tackling the problem of the rescue at the core. Every living being matters. We are all interconnected in ways that many do not fully understand. Keep little DH18 in your heart, and continue to send good wishes to Angel. Let’s work to get the intervention law on manmade objects in a nest changed! Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘J’, ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘B’, AEF, DHEC, Window to Wildlife, Arlene Beech and Window to Wildlife, ResearchGate, World Bird Sanctuary, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Clywedog Osprey Group and John Williams, MB Birding and Dennis Swayze, Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys and Mary Cheadle, Cal Falcon Cam, Ventana Wildlife Society, Cornell RTH, Achieva Credit Union, SK Hideaways and SW Florida, Montana Osprey Project, Sk Hideaways and San Jose City Hall.

Pip for Big Red and Arthur?… DH18 fights infection…Wednesday in Bird World

3 May 2023

Good Morning to Everyone,

I hope that the week has started off well for each of you…that the old saying, ‘April showers brings May flowers’ has given you sunshine and some time to be outside appreciating the beauty around you.

I picked up the book Slow Birding again yesterday to try and locate the research materials on how many nests had been discovered to have chicks raised by a male, not the biological dad. That book, plus the two on the geese – that migrate from the Siberian Tundra and Iceland/Greenland to the UK – continue to press that we need to look at what is close at hand, what we might take for granted that is so beautiful, just outside our windows. In The Meaning of Geese, Nick Acheson says, “Wild geese were simply always there, the sound and spectacle of my winters…” Then he moved away to South America and got caught up in the beauty of the Amazonia, and “I was so enraptured by it all that geese slipped into the background of my mind.” Acheson returned to the UK and found a project. He would “follow Norfolk’s geese all winter, I would write about them, and the many people whose lives they touched.” The book is a diary of how the geese impacted Acheson’s life, but it is also a reminder that each of us, everyone reading my blog, is part of an annual renewal. It is spring, and the birds are building nests and raising chicks (depending on where you live), and the grass and trees are waking up. In summer, those chicks will strengthen their wings and fly away. The geese that arrived a month ago will depart in the fall, and the trees will go dormant…winter will come, and then the cycle will repeat itself. There is something so reassuring about the seasons coming and going no matter what happens in our human lives.

We do not have exotic geese where I live. Canada Geese are everywhere and because of that, I want them to be special. So this spring and summer, you are going to hear an awful lot about the geese where I live. Hold on! I want to learn everything I can about them and share it with you.

This goose has chosen not to make her nest in one of the baskets provided but, rather, on a small island in the pond. Is this safe? If we get a lot of rain, it will flood and the eggs will ruin.

This male was doing ‘his job’ – keeping anyone and everyone away from the nest he and his mate have established.

Today was a good day in the garden. A problem was solved…not the one I was trying to resolve but another I had set aside. Mr Crow is having a difficult time with the squirrels. So, a table feeder was set up, especially for him. He looked at it when he came for his cheesy dogs and thought differently. Then…around 1800, the Chickadees appeared, and they headed straight for the table feeder filling their beaks! Nine of them came to feed over a half hour – waiting for their turns in the lilacs (which is how I got to count them). Nine. The entire gang lives in the Blue Spruce tree across the road.

It is almost possible to set my watch on the arrival of the birds in the garden. If they do not appear, I wait and worry like a parent when their teenager has taken the car out for the evening for the first time. The joys they have brought over the years is boundless.

Every year the Grackles have a nest in the garden. Mr Crow took the chicks one year but another year, the Grackles had a fledge. The entire Grackle community came – I am sure I have told you this story before – to celebrate the fledge. Fingers crossed, we have success this year with chicks. Mr Grackle is on guard! Here he is getting some food during his break from sentry duty.

Dyson’s gang are getting pesky and right now they are loving chasing the birds from the lilac branches. Silly little ones.

So I have decided to keep a diary this year beginning this week, showing how the ordinary can be the most extraordinary. Why don’t you join me with observations from your walks, garden observations, trips to the nature centre or places more exotic? Let’s do it for a year. If you can draw – I can’t! – even better. Feel free to share with me what you have learned!

We are now only two days away from the banding at Cal Falcons! It will fly by in a wink!

DH18 is stable after his procedure on Monday. Stable is good. We wait to hear if his infection clears up. Waiting is hard.

Are you a teacher? a leader of a youth group? We need inspiring ways to get children involved in learning about our feathered friends in order to be the stewards of their future. These lucky children got to name the Manchester peregrine falcons!

CIEL has posted images of the nests with the eaglets on them for comparison.

That egg continued to bother Hartley. I wonder how long they have been thinking about it? Well, today, Hartley moved that egg from last year into her clutch of four eggs! SK Hideaways caught this precious gesture for us. The wonders of nature never cease to amaze us.

There is still concern for Angel and her eaglet. The situation remains precarious. Tom was on a branch being bombarded by Blue Jays and did not bring any prey to the nest on Tuesday. The eaglet ate leftovers from Monday Tuesday morning but as far as I know, had nothing the rest of the day. Tom was only there at 1415. He arrived and was off again. Angel left, presumably to have a break and try and find food.

This nest will need food tomorrow…for sure for the little one. 24 hours between meals is not good. Let us hope the weather is good. Angel cannot hunt and leave the chick as it cannot regulate its temperature. It is very tense. Let us all take a deep breath and send good wishes.

Oh, thank goodness. Tom brought a mouse! Angel fed most of it to the baby but ‘A’ notes there was a little left for Mum. More prey needed!

Ondabebe caught that mouse delivery and what happened….Thanks ‘A’.

So far no pip for Big Red and Arthur. The target date is 4 May.

Is there a bit of a crack or pip in one of the eggs Wednesday morning for Big Red and Arthur? We wait to see if that is it in the back egg to the right.

Tuesday was a good day at Achieva Credit Union’s Osprey platform in St Petersburg. Six fish!

Abby and Victor are still at the Moorings Park Osprey platform in Naples, Florida. Sally doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to have her babies fledge. She just keeps filling them up with fish!

The third hatch at Lake Murray is still with us! My goodness that osplet is tiny compared to those big sibs that are now getting their reptilian plumage. Let’s collectively hope that their tempers stay muted.

We are so fortunate to still have E22 at home. He was in and out of the nest, up and down on the branches, and sure hoping that Dad would bring in a whopper on Tuesday.

If there was anything left on that old catfish head, E22 would find it. He was ravenous. I wonder if M15 is hoping he will go down and try some fishing?

‘H’ reports that the WRDC nest is doing well. She says, “Dade County is wonderful, there is no longer any aggression from R4 toward R5 during meals, which is quite a relief.  A parents can actually feed the eaglets with them standing side-by-side.  On occasion R5 still has a pre-conditioned knee-jerk reaction to be submissive briefly, even though there is no threat from R4.  But R5 behaving like that is becoming less often as s/he is becoming more relaxed with the ‘new and improved R4’.  Speaking of feeding, R5 does not need to be fed at all, just drop a (preferably unzipped) fish on the nest and R5 will consume it.  The eaglets are becoming huge, and there is some dueling hop-flapping going on.  We are waiting for the results of testing to determine R5’s gender.”

The two GH owlets of Bonnie and Clyde are flying from branch to branch but still being fed by Mum at times. So cute…

Decorah eaglet is not a baby anymore! Clown feet and pin feathers coming in. What happened to that cute little fluffy eaglet of a couple days ago?

The three eaglets at Denton Homes in Decorah, Iowa are doing great as well.

The trio at Dulles-Greenway have their juvenile plumage and, at least one, is standing on the rim of the nest. Did you know that the parents, Martin and Rosa, are named after Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks? ‘A’ reminded me that she didn’t know the other day and I wonder how many others do. This is a good Bald Eagle nest to watch. Put it on your list for next season if you haven’t got it there already.

The two eaglets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Eagle nest are doing really well. Large fish have been brought to the nest for the past couple of days.

At the White-tailed Eagle nest in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland, there are two eaglets. The eldest is the most dominant and demands to eat first. when its crop is about to pop, the second cautiously makes its way up to the beak to be fed. Hopeful for both to fledge.

Murphy worked on the nest a few days ago. On Tuesday, the not-so-little-eaglet began rearranging the sticks. This is precisely why it is so good that Murphy got to have a ‘real baby’. (sorry the screen capture is terrible- the eaglet is in the nest raising up a large stick) Learning through observation.

A reminder of the absolute vandalism that happened at the Llyn Brenig nest in Wales in 2021. A good interview with Lolo Williams and a discussion about the importance of Ospreys – a rare bird in the UK. The perpetrators were never found but it could have been someone upset about the platforms in North Wales. — The pair did not return to lay another egg. there is now a protected nest at the site. Thanks, Geemeff, for this historic reminder of this tragedy.

At the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Elen, Aran waits for Elen to want her break so he can take over incubation. What I wouldn’t give if our dear Angel, the RTH, had a mate like Aran! There are two eggs this year for this newly bonded couple. Fingers crossed for good weather and lots of fish with no injuries.

I love the new split screen at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn. Here we can see Idris incubating while Telyn is enjoying her nice fish – at least for a few moments. It is, sadly, going to slide off and land on the ground where it will stay.

It was a close call the other day when Blue 33 got a stick stuck in his BTO leg band. He managed to get it out but no before we all had a huge lump in our throats with Maya incubating four eggs. It all ended well, thankfully.

It’s 0513 and Dorcha is waiting for Louis to come and relieve her and bring her a nice breakfast fish.

Connor from Window to Wildlife discusses what a crazy year it has been at Captiva. Have a listen! Thanks, ‘H’.

There have been a lot of events since the beginning of the year with many donations being requested by various rehabilitation centres. As one of you said, they felt a bit ‘bird poor’. It can indeed happen. I certainly know the feeling. My goodness, I have to sit back, and it is hard to imagine that Connick was one of the first who needed help this year, with DH18 being the last. Today, I will challenge everyone who belongs to an organisation associated with birds in the UK to give Sasha Dench and Conservation without Borders the cost of a coffee – through a Twitter Feed. Give up the coffee for one day. 810 GBP out of 1500 GBP has been raised to help clean up the HPAI outbreak in The Gambia. Going through the UN will take too long…in late August and September, the UK Ospreys will be heading back to The Gambia and other parts of West Africa to their winter homes. The dead and dying birds need to be cleared! Do people think 2 GBP is too little? I sure hope not! Wish us luck!

Geemeff just posted a thank you from the people of The Gambia doing the clean up.

Thank you for being with me today. Please continue to send your good wishes to DH18 who is fighting for its life and to Angel and her chick – that Tom will be an uber food delivery dad. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog this morning: ‘H’, ‘A’, Geemeff, Cal Falcons, AEF, Anne Pardo and the Manchester NH Falcon Fans, Jann Gallivan and CIEL, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Osprey, Lake Murray Ospreys, SW Florida Eagle Cam, WRDC, Farmer Derek, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Dulles Greenaway, PIX Cams, Tucholskie Forest WTE, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, BBC, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, LRWT, and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s PostCode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Geemeff and Conservation without Borders.

Osprey eggs, DH18 update…Tuesday in Bird World

2 May 2023

Good Morning!

The sky is blue, and the sun is bright this Tuesday morning on the Canadian Prairies. By tea time it will be 15 degrees C. This should really bring on the budding of the leaves and hopefully, we will be seeing some green shortly. Everyone in the City is preparing for the arrival of the Baltimore Orioles – stocking up on grape jelly (they like any flavour, actually) and oranges to help them after their long journey. They fly what is known as an ‘ancestral route’ through the Central Plains of the US down to Florida, the Antilles, and then to their final destination in the marshes of Southern Brazil returning to us in May. It is a long journey, 8-11,000 km (5-6800 miles). They are meeting many challenges due to the changing patterns in agricultural production and irrigation, loss of habitat, and climate changes. These guests will be a welcome addition to the garden family. They stay for about 8 or 9 days and fly north to their breeding grounds for the summer.

Your first smile for the day is brought to you by the students of the Hurst Lodge School in Montana – we missed Osprey Week but we can still enjoy their performance!

Monday evening a moth has gotten into the house. This gobsmacks Missy and Lewis. Lewis got so tired of jumping up and down chasing it that he had to nap…all stretched out. Earlier in the day, Missy and Lewis had also been napping in their Big Dog Bed..always together except in the ‘cat tree’ house. There is no longer room for both of them inside!

First, the latest update on DH18. I am so saddened to hear that an infection has been found but, glad it was and is being treated. We wait to see how our warrior is doing in a couple of days. I know that none of us will give up on DH18. His young life was full of tragedy that none of us would want to go through – lost his dad, lost his sibling, was beaked and starving at times, and then trapped with monofilament line cutting through its legs and causing tremendous pain.

If you see wildlife whose lives are endangered by monofilament lines or baling twine, you must contact the proper authorities immediately. Do not hesitate. We will never know why those watching at DH denied that the fishing line injured the eaglets. All we know is that through dedicated hard work and the efforts of hundreds of people, these two eaglets have a chance – one on the nest with River and the other with the AEF. We hope that DH18 will be released and live in the wild…along with its sibling DH17.

We all know the captivating story of Murphy and the Eaglet. ‘B’ sent me an article out of The New York Times today and it is a good one about Murphy. It isn’t long and I urge you to read it til the end. I can gift articles so please copy and paste the link. The author says, “We fail to understand the creatures who share our ecosystems because we assume they are nothing but bundles of instincts.” I wish more humans understood that all living things are sentient beings. The world would be very different, indeed.

tps://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/opinion/murphy-eagle-rock-baby.html?unlocked_article_code=C0NC7KXrItFJ3nP31LqrjicRndEnDVp9sfIua3biiLRQ155Rauw3gBdy1rU7V-QZkhEcamsCx3ZwdP6fAzngaXNAqQcdoRgVQw-hS306a1NHlys2x1G0uDsqatuHWANg2d4qxWknvedOg8DX3sE26d1_z4FvKEZr2pxrFPwmlvhMk9AEauVyVVxlwUBIH4zXJTmn93T3r-STgABY8WCnRb2PlXZi1HWWiEqepcHNNR-Jjijq12d4eMXSHMbEo1vMGm7KlarRk39uWdanOOPk8bcrtI2GB4P1YeIUZBl97r29_4hKZ-brILDoG4nxglajP7u9fvF8UdCyoR0_8KkIeQ&giftCopy=0_NoCopy&smid=em-share

Thanks to those great BOGs we still get to see what E22 is up to around the Fort Myers Bald Eagle nest on the Pritchett Property. The departure of E22 will be so bittersweet.

Bella and Smitty’s only eaglet is doing fine. Smitty brought in four big fish for them on Monday.

‘H’ reports that Kent Island has its first Osprey egg of the season!

‘H’ also reports that Dory up at the Boathouse might be sitting on her first egg. This is exciting! And there is that egg.

Over in the UK, the third egg has arrived at Loch Garten.

Aran continues to deliver his huge fish to Elen at Glaslyn. Oh, you are so handsome, Aran – but, what is important is that you can catch big fish!

Sasha Dench and her team from Flight of the Osprey have been in The Gambia and are driving through Morocco trying to find Blue 4K. He was located earlier and should now be in the UK breeding but where is he?

‘A’ remarks about Tom and the new baby…”Tom returns to the nest around 2.06 pm this afternoon (1 May) – check out the darling little baby from 2:04:12 onwards. Again, Angel is forced to leave the baby on its own. Tom later brought a small opossum to the nest and Angel made it very clear to him that he was not to touch the baby at this point, just bring it food! So Tom has done well today. He has managed not to kill or injure the hawklet and he has brought food. Now that’s what I call progress”. Let us all hope that this progress continues.

‘A’ continues: “Based on his actions this afternoon, I think Tom has got the message. He is delivering prey, and he has watched Angel feeding the baby. I think he is learning fast. And yes, it is a precious darling little thing (and so was its sibling). Angel is being super protective of her baby. When Tom brings the second opossum, she vocalises constantly until he leaves the nest. She remains firmly on top of the chick. She is teaching him. Gee that second opossum is huge. No wonder it provided four feedings and still there are nestovers. “

Excellent news. I am so glad there is food and that Angel is being super protective Mum although the possum family might not be happy about losing its babies. This single surviving hawk let deserves the best of care by Mum and Tom needs to keep that pantry filled – to try and ensure this one survives regardless of its DNA.

There were several fish brought to the nest at the Achieva Credit Union today. The one around 1800, which Diane brought in, was a blessing. Big Bob self-fed off another fish while Diane fed Middle. Oh, this is grand! Today was a good day on the Achieva Nest. With the drought, we can be grateful.

Harry is such a great provider and he also has the advantage of a stocked pond at his doorstep – compared to Achieva. Abby and Victor have been well cared for…is it possible they might never ever want to leave home?! It seriously feels that they are always eating fish! That pond is going to need a good restocking.

Talk about beautiful osplets. I wish the plumage would stay the same when they are adults.

Remember Friday, 5 May. The banding of the Cal Falcons. They are so cute and are getting pin feathers…flapping cotton balls. Thanks SK Hideaways.

At San Jose City Hall, Hartley found the leftover egg from last season and thinks maybe it should be incubated too – in addition to the four he is already incubating! Our giggle of the day. Thanks, Hartley and SK Hideaways.

Missy Berry flew to the nest with a fish for B16. She wasn’t there…they must have found one another because B16 returned to the nest with the fish. Well done! Lots of training going on out there for these fledgling Bald Eagles. Thanks Bel-A-Dona.

The DNA testing has returned for Ron and Rita’s eaglets at the WRDC. R4 is a male and the testing was inconclusive on R5 and will be re-done. Thanks, ‘H’.

Did anyone else notice Big Red looking down, listening, and moving slightly differently at 1838 Monday evening? Pip watch is coming!

Big Red got up and left the eggs around 2000. No pip yet.

This morning at the change over…I am getting excited.

And a bit of a giggle – Big Red getting that egg cup just right.

In Latvia, the two White-tail Eaglets of Milda and Voldis continue to thrive. Wonderful!

‘L’ sent me a photo of the Canada Goose family that lives hear her in the Carolinas. Look how protective they are. Geese are amazing parents. Thank you, L.

The two books I am currently reading are about geese, particularly Pink-footed Geese, Barnacle Geese, Greylags, Brants, and Bean Geese. They are The Meaning of Geese. A thousand miles in search of Home by Nick Acheson and Wintering. A Season with Geese by Stephen Rutt. I must admit that I find Wintering quite a delight to read. Rutt’s writing style sucks you into his burgeoning love for these large flying creatures. It is his discovery and fascination that keeps you turning the pages. Acheson’s book is excellent, too. It is a diary of his year spent with the geese weaving in their history, the science, the challenges of climate change for our feathered friends. Both, however, deal with the migration from the Siberian Tundra or Iceland and Greenland of these beautiful creatures who land in Scotland or Norfolk beginning in September to spend their winters in the UK. Highly recommended.

“grey lag and pink footed geese” by Nick Goodrum Photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, pictures, videos, posts, tweets, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog this morning: ‘B’, ‘L’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘S’, Geemeff, Hurst Lodge School, AEF, The New York Times, SW Florida Eagle Cam, NCTC, Explore.org, RSPB Loch Garten, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Conservation without Borders, Geemeff and Conservation without Borders, Window to Wildlife, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Ospreys, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Bel-A-Dona and Berry College Eagle Cam, WRDC, Cornell RTH, Latvian Fund for Nature, and Openverse.

Monday in Bird World

1 May 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was a beautiful day on the Canadian Prairies albeit quite windy. It was quiet in the garden this morning but the action picked up as 1700 approached. Thank goodness. I simply cannot imagine a world without birdsong. I wouldn’t want to live in it!

It has also been a very stressful weekend because of the events at the nest of Angel and Tom in Tennessee. Angel is the Leucistic Red Tail Hawk with a new mate, a young male, Tom. The first chick that hatched was unattended by Angel and Tom mistook it for something on the nest and killed it. That is the only explanation I can find, and then, of course, he realised what he had done. He has now been missing for some 36 hours. I believe that the sheer magnitude of what he did is keeping him from the nest, but that does not help Angel, who now has their second hatch to raise. That is nearly impossible. We are also waiting for news of DH18; since there was no update on Sunday, we can assume that DH18 is stable in its subsequent surgery today. This gives me hope. Thank you to everyone who donated to the AEF to help with DH18’s medical treatment. The sheer volume of funds is an excellent indication of the public support for intervention. We need to care and show it sometimes with our wallets or actions – your phone calls, e-mails and screams for someone to help these two eaglets.

We are awaiting word on the condition of DH18. He will have additional surgery today but, it appears that his condition remained stable over the weekend as there were no further communiques from the AEF.

Looking to do some good in the world? Where you donation fully supports the operation? Then look no further than helping the folks in West African clean up the birds that are dying of HPAI. If you go to the crowd funding site and cannot find this project, please go to Sacha Dench’s Twitter feed, find this and click on the image. Anything helps…5 GBP or 24 GBP for a boat to help move the cleaners and the dead birds.

Sasha Dench tells us why it is vital that we chip in now…I can add another one. Even though HPAI is around lurking and can rear its ugly head, this outbreak in West Africa needs to be curtailed well before the Ospreys and other birds return in September. That seems like a long time away. It isn’t. This affects everyone. It is not just Gambia’s problem.

‘A’ writes: “We have a hatch at 1:22:43pm. There’s a good view of the chick at 3:15:59.. Still no sign of Tom. He has not been seen since 3.24 yesterday afternoon. Will he return? Or did Angel’s anger with him when he killed the chick so extreme that he is scared to return? We wait.” This is extremely unfortunate and it may mean the demise of this relationship and nest as Angel cannot take care of herself and protect and feed the little one…well, that is what we would think. We wait as ‘A’ suggests but it is not looking good. The baby cannot thermoregulate and unless it is really warm in Tennessee, which it could be, leaving it would be problematic. ‘A’ notes that it is very out of character for Tom who was there to incubate within a few seconds of when Angel needed a break. So what is going on? Does he feel so guilty about the death of the other baby? In his grief for his actions he chose to leave? or did something happen to him? Let us hope he returns.

Typically, RTH nests are easy to watch but, sadly, this is simply making me ‘ill’.

Lady Hawk captured the hatch on video for us.

By night fall, Tom has not appeared. Angel was said to have dropped her crop. She will be hungry. The little one will need to eat Monday morning.

On Monday morning Angel went to find food, Tom returned and saw the chick. Then Angel appeared quickly..so far. Tom seems not to know what the chick is. Will he realise when Angel feeds the baby? We wait.

Arlene Beech caught Tom’s first sight of the second chick when Angel was away. Tom needs to delivery prey to this nest. Angel is brooding the little one and it does not appear injured by the encounter with Tom.

Arthur was young, like Tom, at the Cornell nest of Big Red when he fathered their first clutch but, that went smoothly as have all the other clutches in subsequent years.

Heavy rain began on Sunday at the Cornell Campus. Big Red was soaked.

The rain got heavier. We should be keeping a close eye on this nest.

SK Hideaways gives us some great close ups of Big Red and Arthur as we are now on pip watch.

So far there does not appear to have been a fledge at Moorings Park. It was windy on Sunday and I thought there might be some good hovering but there was some wing flapping.

Cute little Decorah hatchery eagle has quite the crop.

We worried at times but the trio at Dulles-Greenway are getting the final bits of their juvenile plumage. They are doing some self-feeding. Martin and Rosa did great.

The two at Pittsburgh-Hayes are fine also. They are a little soggy this morning.

USS6 is wet too!

We haven’t checked in on them for some time but the two eaglets at Duke Farms are now standing on the rim of the nest and at least one, if not both, are up around the base of the branches.

‘R’ reports that Bob 2 at Achieva ate fine earlier in the day but only had a few bites later and then got a good throttling from Bob 1 just because she felt like it. Both have been pecking around the nest for food and both are getting more steady on their feet even on that twiggy nest. Bob 2 or Middle had a ps at 18:10. Not a great one but alright. — ‘R’ reports that despite all of the attacks on Middle, Diane did get a reasonably good feed into Middle later. ‘R’ also confirms that there is a significant drought going on in the St Petersburgh area and there is fear for wild fires there. I had heard that the canals where the ospreys fish are drying up and this would be a major contribution to the lack of fish on this nest this year. Hopefully Diane’s place for catfish is alright.

Jack has delivered two fish in a row Monday morning – at 0855 and at 1013. Bob 1 controlled the food. Middle needs to figure out how to get around to the other side and eat but it is very frightened from the beatings it took yesterday.

SP chick at Taiaroa Head had two feedings. One was by Mum L who had been away for a fortnight. This is fantastic.

This is the latest update on Connie and Clive’s little eaglet, Connick, that fell out of the tree on Captiva Island. Connick is in really good hands down at the Audubon Centre for Prey.

It is hard to imagine but World Bird Sanctuary is showing us Murphy’s baby then and now. Way to go Murphy! Again, thank you to everyone who reached out to help World Bird Sanctuary.

B16 with his parents, Pa and Missy Berry. What a gorgeous juvenile she is! Always so grateful to all the BOGS on the ground for their images and videos…the things we miss that never make it on the streaming cams.

The two surviving eaglets from the Bartlesville, Oklahoma Eagle nest are doing great. They are about 28 days old today.

Keeping an eye on Lake Murray…

Kathryn has introduced me to a new nest – a pair of challenged Griffon Vultures who get to act as foster parents every year! She adds, “Both of these vultures were born with rickets and they have their own accessible nesting box. They do lay their own eggs but they have so far been infertile. They do a great job of raising chicks though. They are locally endangered there and they have two additional cameras on their feeding stations (where a lot of vultures go) so they can have food that is free of any poisoning.” I wonder how many others are fostering little ones. How grand!

They feed the chicks by regurgitation just like the Albatross.

As we prepare for big Bird Day on May 13th, there are other bird counts going on around the world. Here is a chart by The Bird Nature guide showing how bird sightings are going around the world.

There is a big celebration going on in Finland this year and other areas might want to copy what they are doing. It is BirdLife Finland’s 50th anniversary. Reports indicate “that almost half of Finlands needing species are nationally Red Listed, with significant declines occurring across nearly all of the country’s habitats, owing to various threats, including intensification of agriculture and forestry, eutrophication of its wetlands and peatland drainage.” (BirdLife International April-June 2023, 58) In order to help half this, Birdlife Finland set about to install a passion and connection amongst the people. They had birdwatching trips, bird ringing days, and grew their membership to 27,000 members. One of the most interesting things, however, began in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence. The government encouraged people to celebrate the year by recording 100 birds. Today, thousands of people take part in this traditional exercise noting that it has caused “growing public support for habitat protection in recent years”. We should all try this!

There is a man going to prison for killing a Bald Eagle. His sentence is two years.

Perhaps the UK Raptor Persecution groups should cite this when individuals who have killed many more raptors get off with a slap on the wrist! Just a thought.

One of the most exciting things this week is the hatch of Big Red and Arthur’s three eggs. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to this annual event. My goodness, we sure do need some joy in Bird World – and I hope it comes in the form of three healthy hatches and the news from the AEF that DH18 is going to make a full recovery! Mark on your calendars the 5th of May. That is the banding day for the Cal Falcons! We will find out their gender, there will be some name contests, and we will see the kids with their bling. Loretta is watching Charlo Montana for us for eggs. that might happen as well. Then there must be a fledge coming up at Moorings Park this week. So lots of exciting things coming our way. Send your positive wishes to Angel that her mate Tom returns to help her and please spread the word about Sasha Dench’s appeal for funds to help fight HPAI in the Gambia (watch her short video and educate yourself).

Thank you for being with me. I hope to have some images of the kittens this week. It is nearly 2300 Sunday evening and they are “just waking up”. Nocturnal. Eat and sleep all day! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, posts, videos, and streaming cams that help to make up my blog this morning: ‘A’, Kathryn, ‘R’, AEF, Sasha Dench, Window to Wildlife, Cornell RTH, SK Hideaways and Cornell RTH, Moorings Park Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project, Dulles-Greenway, PIX Cams, Achieva Credit Union, NZ DOC, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, World Bird Sanctuary, Bill Cameron and B3 Branch Buddies Berry College Eagles, Sutton Centre, Lake Murray Ospreys, The British Nature Guide, Live Griffon, and Terry Carman.

DH18 is stable, E21 farewell?…Sunday in Bird World

30 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It was an overcast Saturday on the Canadian Prairies with a few raindrops. Everyone is itching to get out and clean up their gardens, but it is best to wait another couple of weeks to benefit the insects and birds. Instead, the conservatory got its windows cleaned to the delight of Missy and Lewis who seemed to think they could vaporise through the panes of glass and be outside with the birds!

Missy gets the award for being naughty. Oh, if she only knew how much trouble my friend in British Columbia went to sending me her dried hydrangeas! In the post no doubt. Missy!!!!!!!!!

There are still thirty-five or forty Dark-eyed Juncos in the garden and now a couple of Brown Thrashers kicking up everything looking for insects. The Starlings have been in, 23 of them, and out throughout the day, but there is a noticeable decrease in the number of House Sparrows. I hope that they are feeding elsewhere. Mr Woodpecker came around his usual time and if everything is alright with the world, the other two Downeys along with the Chickadee will appear within the hour. Ah, no sooner than I said it, the Chickadee appeared. Then the Downys and along came a Hairy who arrived with a single Grackle.

One of a handful of House Sparrows in the garden. They are so loud. I miss their songs.

I could almost set a watch by the woodpeckers. They come to eat suet every six hours during the day. Today, there were five different woodpeckers in the garden. I could hear a sixth, the Pileated, in the distance.

The female Downy waits at the tree til the male is finished before going to the suet log. If he returns, she flies away immediately.

The second male arrives when the female leaves. This male is a Hairy Woodpecker, larger than the Downy. You can see how much of the log its body covers compared to the little Downys.

The Starlings are gorgeous. These are full breeding colours. Notice how the white spots on the breast are almost entirely gone.

Dyson is enjoying the fresh water in the bird bath. Water is so essential and the birds and mammals eat the snow during the winter but there is nothing like a big drink!

It is really important that we take are of our environment beginning right at home and then moving out into the greater community. This article on these Blackbird chicks states, “To have been born at all in this place at this time when so many millions of birds perish through casual ecocide is miraculous. Environmental justice is not just about the survival of species, it’s about care for these birds, right here and now, and to see them is such a privilege.”

Here is this short article. I imagine each of you could watch and write your own story! The joy the birds bring cannot be denied. So many of you write and tell me that you have found new life in the lives of the birds, both on the streaming cams, and outside in your garden and at the parks. Many of us find being with the birds often more productive and calmer than being with humans!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/29/country-diary-the-blackbird-chicks-are-out-and-up-against-it?CMP=share_btn_link

On Saturday, at 1319, E21 took flight and left the nest area and has not returned. It is ‘assumed’ that s/he has started on their life of independence. E22 spent the first night alone in the nest with a major thunderstorm raging. Vija caught it for us.

Earlier, E22 had spent time down at the pond – gosh, this eaglet loves that pond and chasing dad with a fish dinner. Thanks, Lady Hawk.

We have seen a similar photo before of Ervie and Mum and Dad on the pine tree at Port Lincoln. This one was taken on Sunday. I find it so interesting how they hang out together. We know, for sure, that two of the PLO fledglings have survived – Calypso (2019) and Ervie (2021). Both have stayed reasonably close to Port Lincoln instead of venturing out at a distance.

There is a pip at the nest of Angel and Tom and let us all send the best wishes that the second baby thrives. The trauma of Tom not recognising his own chick and killing it must have been horrific for both him, when he realised, and Angel.

Status of the pip at 1924. You can see the egg tooth. Oh, please…let this little one survive.

Otherwise, it is quiet in Bird world, which is nice…we sure could use some down time. This year started off in a whirlwind and has not stopped. It was crisis-central. It would be nice if there was a 30 day lull between the eagles and the ospreys…but, no. Never.

Good news. The AEF issued their statement on DH18’s condition on Saturday. It is beautiful to hear that the AEF are both “grateful and overwhelmed” with public support for the medical care for our little warrior. Send positive wishes for his surgery on Monday. He is a fighter and a survivor!

So how did Nick Dwyer climb that tree to rescue the Dale Hollow eaglets? Gosh, smile…with an incredibly simple tool – a sling shot!

Freya wasn’t a raptor (she could have easily been) but a furore over officials who euthanised the Walrus in Oslo last summer resulted in a bronze statue to her memory – and, just perhaps, a reminder that humans should reconsider their actions.

In my past, I studied the commemoration of Britons in SE Asia and, in particular, the Indian sub-continent. Statues go up and they come down mostly due to the political nature of the human memorialised. Let us hope that the presence of Freya will remind us to be ‘human and caring’ to all wildlife even if they ‘inconvenience’ us. We did take over their land and poison their oceans, after all. We owe it to them.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/29/sculpture-walrus-freya-unveiled-oslo-norway?CMP=share_btn_lin

All is well with the two hatches at First Utility Ospreys.

Ever since Middle forged its way to Diane’s beak and made it clear that it was going to eat and survive, the Achieva Osprey nest seems to be much more balanced.

Beautiful Decorah Hatchery family.

DH Mum and Dad spent some time on Saturday putting up some more crib rails for DH2. That little one is getting big and they do not want their precious baby to go overboard. Michelle Celeste caught the action on video for us.

On the Cornell Campus, Big Red and Arthur continue to incubate their eggs on Saturday.

At the same time, E3, the fledgling of Big Red and her former mate, Ezra, is celebrating its 9th hatch day! Just look at that face.

Geemeff catches Louis delivering a nice fish supper to Dorcha at Loch Arkaig.

A nest to watch is Moorings Park Ospreys. Abby and Victor are 8 weeks old and helicoptering and first flights are imminent. Florida Ospreys typically fledge at 55 days.

Abby is on the right and Victor on the left – Victor’s head has much more white on it.

It has been a great year at the Moorings Park Osprey Platform and I urge you to put this nest on your watch list for next year but, if you haven’t checked in this year, now is a good time to do so. Helicoptering by pre-fledge ospreys is incredible. Perhaps not as good as the Royal Albatross chick will do but, still, it is remarkable. I sure can’t hover! Gosh, don’t we all wish we could grow feathers and fly, just once?

The trio at Dulles-Greenway were a little soggy early Saturday but the day ended with some sunshine and all eating well.

‘S’ wrote and asked why we see two of the eaglets at Dulles-Greenway together almost all the time with the other one separate. It is believed that this is a gender separation issue – the two together are the same gender with the other one alone, the opposite. Oh, if they were to band them we could find out for sure in this case!

On 5 May, Annie and Lou’s eyases will be banded. They will be measured, weighed, and DNA will also be taken. Today, you can see that the plumage on the two older chicks (look around the eyes) is beginning to change.

This video is too funny…Thanks SK Hideaways…Lou eats but what about the chicks?

Beautiful Iris.

There are three little osplets at Lake Murray. Take a deep breath and hope that Ricky gets lots of fish to this nest. That third hatch is so tiny.

Aran and Elen are expecting their third egg at the Glaslyn nest today -if there is to be one. Aran stayed with Elen in the nest during one of Wale’s downpours. It rains in Wales – or so it seems – like it does in Ireland – and everything is continually green and lovely from the nest.

There could be only two eggs this year. That would be just fine..a nice way to ease into motherhood for Elen.

Glaslyn posted this reminder. It was on the 30th of April 2015 that a very handsome young male osprey landed on Mrs G’s nest. Here we are 8 years later…you were a keeper, Aran.

Dad GLY has been in to feed South Plateau chick at the Royal Cam nest on Taiaroa Head on Saturday. The little one was weighed this past Thursday and their weight was fantastic despite the fact that Mum L has not been in for a feeding for nearly a fortnight now. Send good wishes. We hope she is alright.

Lots of eyes on the nest of Big Red and Arthur as pip watch is fast approaching! Indeed, some are counting on a hatch for tomorrow…we will see.

In Latvia, Milda and Voldis have their hands full with the roaming little white-tail nestlings. Liznm gives a glimpse into their lives through a feeding.

In The Czech Republic, Betty and Bukacheck continue to incubate their five White Stork eggs.

And last but never least, my daughter sends us an article on the Peregrine Falcons at the University of Montreal! And the people who protect them. Thank you!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/peregrine-falcons-universite-de-montreal-livestream-1.6825643

We are awaiting the hatch for Angel and Tom, fledge at Moorings Park and more eggs at other nests.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning – it is sunny with a blue sky today. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, Geemeff, Jaine, The Guardian, Vija and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lady Hawk and SWFlorida Eagle Cam, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Bass Hockaday and Friends of Sth Bus, Cornell Bird Lab, AEF, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nests and Cams, First Utility Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, Raptor Resource and Explore.org, Cornell Raptor Program, Suzanne Arnold Horning and Cornell Hawk Dam Chatters, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Moorings Park Ospreys, Dulles Greenway Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Montana Osprey Project, Laurie Spence and Osprey Friends, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, NZ DOC, LixnM, Ziva Camera, and CBC.

DH18s rescue continued, Bonus is alive, Horror at Angel’s nest…Saturday in Bird World

29 April 2023

Good Morning All,

It is Saturday. The weekend started for many yesterday afternoon…and for some of us, it is always the weekend! I hope whichever is the case for you, it is all good.

It is almost the end of April. The calendar might say spring began 5 weeks ago, but here on the Canadian Prairies, it does not always feel that way. Today it did, even with some grey skies until late. In the garden, a younger crow has just flown down to check out the cat kibble at my neighbour’s because ‘Calico Cat’ is outside eating the kibble on my deck. It is always a busy time in the garden from 1800-1900. Everyone wants to eat something before they go to roost for the night. Mr Younger Crow must be hungry. He is now below the feeders picking up some of the Butter Bark that the Starlings tossed out of the feeder when they were picking out the Meal Worms. It is not easy for urban birds. As he settles to eat, another fat (literally) cat with a collar darts out…it is pretty sad. The time that the birds need to be eating is also the time that humans get home from work and let their cats out. It is against the law. But no one will enforce the bylaw. There are not enough workers to do that, and it has never seemed there was a will. The goal when the bylaw was passed was to reduce the feral cat populations in the City.

But, never mind. Everyone got something tonight to eat, and that is what matters. Soon I will not be able to see them so quickly as the buds are getting ready to pop open. Green. Seriously, it is time for the green in the garden.

Read to the end of the blog today for some info on a new video of DH18’s rescue.

Your first smile of the morning comes from the Two Harbours nest of Chase and Cholyn…poor baby has such a big crop it can hardly move!

Our giggle of the morning is a short 3-minute video from the Dulles-Greenway Eagle Cam. Have a smile to start your day!

And then there is the sheer joy of the morning. Bonus is a Black Stork. He was one of the Estonian nestlings of Jan and Jannika that were removed to be raised by Urmas and Dr Madis when Jan went missing. Bonus was fostered by Karl II and Kaia. In his migration, Bonus’s transmitter stopped working in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Yesterday, that transmitter started sending signals again. Bonus is alive! Bonus is flying north and is at the Israeli-Jordanian border. He must have spent the winter in Sudan with Waba! Now. Jump up and down. And realise that transmitters can go ‘off’ – I am thinking of some UK Ospreys, including Glen. If the administrators turn the transmitter completely off, you will never know if they are alive in seven months. Just a thought. Thank you, ‘T’ for letting me know. Over the moon!

The latest news on DH18- I am so glad to hear he is eating well and is bright and alert. Hopeful. Continue to imagine a new buffet for him full of succulent morsels carefully prepared.

Many of you will not have seen this quick action by Bella at the NCTC nest in 2021. I am so glad that Deb Stecyk posted it again. Fishing line as we are well aware is a huge hazard to the well-being and lives of our raptors. As humans we need to do better in cleaning up the messes we leave and also those that others make. Good bi-annual clean-ups of shorelines – rivers, lakes, streams, small ponds, all help. Sadly, one of the biggest dangers is the fish that break the line, hook in their mouth, and go on to be caught by the eagles and ospreys. These are brought to the nest to feed the chicks only to have the line bet in the chick’s mouths and tangled amidst nesting material, legs, wings, and necks. This is what happened to DH17 and 18.

There is something else that should be done. A blanket permit to the licensed wildlife rehabilitation centres allows them to approach a nest that has a monofilament line on it that is or could endanger the life of the eaglets. It is a no-brainer. Not randomly, but to the centres that can organise the rescue. This would save many lives and a lot of injury or death to the raptors. This should be our next effort – in honour of Dale Hollow 18 whose life could be seriously compromised because of the delay. Letters would go out to the USFWS as well as the licensing agent in each State.

Flo comes to the platform to mourn the loss of her babies.

‘A’ sends news of a hatch underway Friday morning at the nest of RTHawks Angel and Tom!

Angel and Tom have a hatch! Thanks, Gracie Shepherd. Notice how Angel preens the little one. so sweet.

It should have been wonderful…it wasn’t. *DISTRESSING* ‘A’ writes, “I cannot believe what has just happened at Angel’s nest. Tom arrived for morning duty at around 07:42 and saw his chick for the first time. It is an absolute darling – fluffy white little sweetheart, yawning and looking up at dad. He looks startled and spreads his wings as if he is mantling. He has his back to us, but we hear the chick’s distress sounds. Angel lands on a branch behind the nest at 07:44:48, at which point she can see what is happening in the nest. Tom leaves a few seconds later, at which point we see that the chick is dead. Tom has killed it. Angel is very distressed. She has already vocalised her displeasure at him as he left the nest and she is now very uncertain. She tries to allopreen her baby. She is vocalising constantly. She broods the second egg, her dead baby in front of her on the nest. She leaves the nest around 08:07:14. Tom returns at 08:07:47 and looks down at the nest. Angel can be heard in the background, still angrily vocalising at Tom, who looks up, then back down at the dead baby. He may be realising what he has done. He is obviously confused. He is touching the baby with his beak. I cannot keep typing right now. This is the saddest and most unexpected thing I have seen.”

‘H’ sends news of the third egg at the Osprey platform of Duke and Daisy at Barneyghat Light in New Jersey.

Both Es on the branches of the nest tree at Fort Myers on a grey Friday morning.

There are lots of osprey intruders flying about in the UK at the moment. They do not have nests or mates yet. Some of these turn out to be very interesting ospreys. In this case, it was a grand chick of Mrs G at Glaslyn.

You can see the moss in the nest above at Aran and Elen’s nest at Glaslyn. You will also see it in other nests. Here is a statement on what the Ospreys are doing as they incubate eggs and prepare for hatch.

The little eyases at Cal Falcons are two weeks old. They will be banded on 5 May. Mark that in your calendars. Thanks Cal Falcons for showing us how much they have grown in two weeks with all those prey deliveries! Great job Annie and Lou.

The first venture out of the scrape was to be about a week away but one of those pesky little ones decided to tumble out. SK Hideaways caught it for us.

A question came in the e-mail from ‘N’ who wonders how the little falcons in Rome who lost their mother, Vergine, are doing. Here is a link to the camera. The chicks appear to be fine. Alex is feeding them and doing the best he can.

https://www.youtube.com/live/wIin45_sXz4?feature=share

Sunnie Day reminds us that in some areas, the twine used to hold hay or straw bales together is as dangerous to the raptors as is the fishing line. They have sure pulled a lot out of Montana nests with some chicks dead in unmonitored nests. So sad.

I am so glad that Murphy and his eaglet are still making news. It is a good feeling story. Murphy may never feel the urge to incubate a rock again but, he was noticed and thoughtful individuals gave him and the eaglet needing a parent a chance. It worked. Joy all around.

We have a first egg today for Karl II and Kaia at the Black Stork Nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia.

Condor chat by the Ventana Wildlife Society for April! Avian Flu Update. Rebuild. Population Status. Nesting. Reducing lead poisoning in Condors.

Everything is alright with the little eaglet at Decorah Hatchery.

There is more news coming out of the Raptor Resource Project and the six goslings that jumped. They have reviewed the footage and discovered what happened to the sixth baby.

Wow! ‘R’ sent me some exciting time lines for the Achieva Osprey platform. Middle Bob is doing really great thwarting Big Bob from both attacking it and getting to the fish. Fantastic. What a change in behaviour!

Speaking of Achieva. I do not know why that chat attracts people who not only supply disinformation but also like to be extremely hostile and have no knowledge of Osprey’s behaviour. Call them out if you know they are wrong! Block them. Whatever it takes.

As you are aware, the Kakapo are one of the world’s most endangered Species. The New Zealand Government and the Kakapo Recovery have done everything they can to increase the numbers and protect and assist the Kakapo if sick or injured. A single stoat made its way on to one of the uninhabited islands where the Kakapo live. It could have killed every non-flying parrot. Luckily that Stoat was found!

What is a stoat? The stoat is a small predator with a long, low-slung body that makes it particularly well-suited to hunting small rodents and rabbits. I think they look like weasels. Stoats can quickly kill an adult rabbit, which is much larger than itself, with a bite to the base of the skull. 

It is that time of year. Everyone is finding bunnies and baby birds and worrying what to do about them. Sassa Bird posted a reminder for us from Audubon. You might not find yourself in this situation but, guess what? A friend or family member might so have a read so you can help if required.

It is also time for a few other information sheets. Spread the word. People want to do the right thing. Do not feed the ducks and geese bread. They love the stuff. It is sugary and salty and it will stop them from eating the plants that are good for them. In addition, it could also cause deformities such as Angel Wing – we saw this at my local park pond last year – and the ducks had to be euthanised.

Many of you are wanting to help the birds with materials for their nests. It is important not to put out anything that could harm them. This includes dryer lint if you have used detergents with fragrance or any softener or dryer sheets. Dryer lint also contains microfibres. Do not put out pet hair if your pet has had any treatment for fleas and ticks like Revolution. It kills birds! Do not put out human hair as it can cut the legs of the birds just like monofilament line. String and yarn if the pieces are too long can be deadly.

So what can you offer to the birds? Here is the information from the David Suzuki Foundation. Please pass it along to others!

How-to-offer-birds-nesting-material-David-Suzuki-FoundationDownload

Get the tissues out. On the AEF Twitter page, there is a new video of the rescue of DH18 – from an entirely different view. The boat to go to the site, the climb, and our dear DH18 getting care at the bottom of the tree. Go over and have a look. Grab the tissue..and then look at how big DH18 was.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Continue to send your best wishes to DH18 who is healing from its surgery and who will have more surgery in the coming days. We continue to be grateful to everyone who rescued this eaglet in need. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘R’, ‘H’, ‘A’, ‘S’, IWS and Explore.org, Dulles-Greenway, Birdmap.it and Looduskalender, AEF, Deb Stecyk and NCTC, HeidiMc and Window to Wildlife, Cornell Angel Hawk Cam, Conserve Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Birdcam.It, Sunnie Day, CBS Sunday Morning, Eagle Club of Estonia, Ventana Wildlife, Raptor Resource Project, Achieva Credit Union, Kakapo /recovery, Audubon, David Suzuki, and the AEF.

Hatch at First Utility, Eggs at Glaslyn, Loch Arkaig, Dunrovin…Thursday in Bird World

27 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Oh, it is so good to wake up on Thursday! The goslings lept and one had a temporarily paralysed leg which will not hamper its life or return to the family, hopefully. The monofilament line has been removed at Dale Hollow and there is rejoicing around the world. As several commented – if we had not been watching Dale Hollow we could not have facilitated the rescue. Maybe that is a reason to continue watching. What do you think? I definitely want to see DH17 fledge this year.

Based on a posting by Dave Hancock of Hancock Wildlife, there is some discussion that eagles often leave their nests after the human incursion. Of course, Dave also supported the intervention yesterday at Dale Hollow. It is an interesting observation that goes back to the time and notebooks of Charles Broley, the Eagle Man, in Florida, who was the manager of a bank in Winnipeg not far from where I live. There is another point of view on this and that is the eagles leave when something dire has happened on their nest to find a safer nest. For example, Thunder and Akecheta had their eaglets banded with no move of the nest until the eaglets tumbled. Which one is it? At this moment in time, we have two widowed Bald Eagles – M15, a male, and River, a female. M15 is young, and River is not so much young. Will they keep their nests? get new mates? All of this is to unfold.

Our giggle today is brought to you by Lewis. It seems that Lewis has outgrown his cat tree ‘house’. It is hard to tell in the picture. We have had large cats before weight nearly 20 lbs. Lewis has enormous feet and legs and is very muscular. Missey has stubby stout huge legs. They are going to be big kitties!

Loretta is reporting that the first hatch at First Utility Osprey Platform happened! Oh, it is so cute.

You can catch this osprey family here at this streaming cam:

The best thing is that the AEF rescue of the Dale Hollow Eaglets DH17 and DH18 was a success. It took an army of people to raise the concerns, to pull the strings, to do what it took to get action at this nest ——–and it worked. So what did we learn? Never give up. If you see entangled eaglets, you shout out to anyone and everyone to get help. And do not take ‘no’ for answer! They said no one could get to the nest on this tree – it was too high, the slope was too steep. Wrong. It was done. So never give up and never give up hope. Doing the right thing is the thing to do. We do it for those who cannot do it for themselves.

The babies tangled in the line prior to the rescue.

The latest on DH18:

Nick Beres NC5 

  · ***UPDATE: I’m told the eaglet is under the care of the American Eagle Foundation based out of Pigeon Forge, TN. They will take the eaglet to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital for care. Then it will be determined if the eaglet can return to the nest — if it is physically capable.”

This is from Resee Collins:

Thank you for your concern about the Dale Hollow eaglet nest situation.  Please see attached statement from the American Eagle Foundation (AEF) regarding the eaglet rescue effort conducted today in coordination with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Army Corps of Engineers, Eastport Marina, the Dale Hollow Lake Marina Operator’s Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  A tree climber from the American Eagle Foundation accessed the nest, removing all fishing line and debris from the nest, examining the older eaglet who appeared fine and removing the younger eaglet for examination on the ground by AEF veterinarian Dr Mike Jones, an avian specialist. Dr Jones determined that the younger eaglet would need medical treatment due to the fishing line and is transporting the eaglet back to AEF for rehabilitation. The adult female eagle remained in the area during the rescue attempt and is expected to return to the nest to care for the remaining eaglet soon.

It is my understanding that a Video podcast with the responders is available and a montage of the eagle rescue will be posted on the TWRA website and Dale Hollow youtube channel. 

Special thanks to all responders who coordinated to make this rescue happen, especially to the expert team from American Eagle Foundation. Best of luck to the younger eaglet for a successful rehabilitation and quick return to the nest, if medically possible.

​Sincerely,

Resee Collins Eagle & Rehabilitation Permit CoordinatorMigratory Birds & Science Applications USFWS Southeast Region 4 Office-404/679-4163 Mobile-404/314-6526

This is all great news. I know that many, myself included, have written to thank Nick Dwyer for his great tree climbing and rescue skills. He has posted a note thanking all of us and suggesting that if we really want to thank him to give him a 5 star review on Google. I will figure out how to do that and any of you that want to join in, that would be great. He did what was said to be impossible – maybe he can become the national rescuer of eagles in the US! He says on his website that he not only cares about trees but also the animals that live in them. What a wonderful person!

I urge you to read the article below. ‘A’ says, “The tone of this article is wonderful – they basically make it really clear that the DH powers that be did everything possible to ignore the public pressure for intervention, including taking down the FB page to stop people commenting. Prior to that, they had been draconian in their response to any comments whatsoever suggesting that DH18 was in trouble, that the filament was tightly wrapped around his leg just above the foot and was cutting into the flesh. It was obvious to viewers and while they were insisting that there was no immediate danger to the eaglets, DH18 was losing circulation to his right foot.” 

https://www.southernliving.com/dale-hollow-eagle-cam-rescue-7485714?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons

Another great video of those goslings leaping from SK Hideaways!

The latest I have seen on the sixth gosling.

It was also a delight to see that Middle Bob at Achieva continues to perfect its methods to keep Big Bob at bay so he can eat! This was at 13:45. It was a nice big fish and Diane even had some late lunch after Big and Middle.

As Murphy’s eaglet gets older, what is next for this pair?

Wild Bird Sanctuary gives us their timeline:

Murphy and his Eaglet made the CBS News. All of the news stories can only help raise awareness of our raptors and hopefully will educate and generate kindness and care within the broader human population.

https://cbsn.ws/3mQGWcd

The weather at the Pitkin County Trails Osprey Platform is very wintery. The eggs were uncovered overnight with the expectation that the third is due today. We wait in hope for this family.

Congratulations on their hatch day to three Condors but, especially the beloved Iniko 1031, daughter of KingPin (deceased in Dolan Fire) and Redwood Queen. Happy Hatch Day, Iniko! You have had a very eventful life.

At SW Florida, the Es continue to delight and also help M15 protect the nest. What warriors he has fledged! They are such gorgeous and strong fledglings.

The Venice Golf and Country Club Osprey cam is down. They will replace it but there are there osplets, growing nicely, on that nest. Yes!

Just listen to those chicks of Annie and Lou’s when Lou comes in to do a routine wellness check while Annie is away. Gracious. Missy and Lewis go running out of the room!

Geemeff reports that Louis and Dorcha have their third – and let’s hope – final egg of the season at Loch Arkaig. Congratulations Louis and Dorcha!

We have a second egg for Aran and Elen at the Glaslyn nest. Wonderful. Aran was ready with fish and present when the egg was laid. Mrs G trained him well and Elen will benefit. Oh, I love this male Osprey and he seems so delighted to have a new mate.

There are now three eggs at Dunrovin! Wow. Hang on to your hats. It is going to get crazy when all these eggs begin to hatch at the same time!

Oh, what an exciting few days it has been. What lessons did we learn? Do not hesitate to help! If you see endangered wildlife, get on the phone to the proper authorities but, then get on the phone to the media. Give them the human interest story. It could mean saving a life…we owe it to our feathered friends to protect and care for them.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, their graphics, videos, article links, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: Loretta, Geemeff, Deb Stecyk, ‘H’, ‘A’, First Utility District ospreys, Dale Hollow, Nick Beers NC5, Angela Edwards and Bald Eagles Live Nests and News, Southern Living, Decorah Goose Cam, Decorah Eagle Chat, Achieva Credit Union, Wild Bird Sanctuary, CBSN.ws, Carol Craig and Osprey Friends, Ventana Wildlife Society, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Sheila Staley and Osprey Friends, and Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn.

Goslings leap…Wednesday in Bird World

26 April 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

My blog is shorter today as I had an eye exam which took nearly 3 hours on Tuesday! Yes. An exceptional doctor who is working hard to help me keep my eyesight. Because of all the drops and the long time, I did not get to review the nest happenings like I would typically want to. That said, some exciting news is coming from both Decorah and, I hope later today, Dale Hollow.

First up, however, I had a question, from ‘T’, in the comments that I felt was worth sharing with all of you: “Next year, I will ‘boycott’ this nest. Will you also exclude it from the blog? We need to send a signal that people will not watch nests with such a cruelly inflexible non-intervention policy.”

Thank you for your question, ‘T’. My intention was not to mention Dale Hollow at all because of the issues that came about during the 2022 season when DH16 was so viciously killed by DH14 – and the fact that DH15 got entangled in fishing line and the reaction was, last year, the same as this one. Thankfully, the monofilament line worked its way free of DH 15.

My interest was in comparing the behaviour at the Dale Hollow nest with with the SW Florida nest- both single parent nests. As it happened, some of my readers did not want to watch once siblicide had occurred at Dale Hollow, but, they did want news of the eaglets. I was happy to provide that news. Then came the issue with the fishing line and hook and the entanglement of both eaglets. I am proud to have worked with many great people to spread the phone numbers and e-mail addresses so that the proper authorities knew what was happening at this nest and could not ignore it. I want to think that the individuals who were always so against intervention will be humbled and will understand that it is not their decision whether the eaglets get help. Indeed, anyone who runs a streaming cam should be objective. Part of their role should be to report any issues regarding the nest to the proper authorities for their assistance if required. It is then up to the various agencies to find a solution within the Migratory Bird Act. In this case, as last year, human-caused issues with wildlife warrant an intervention.

There are three problem nests. They have always had problems. They are Port Lincoln Ospreys, Achieva Credit Union, and Dale Hollow. They cause great anxiety and I do not recommend them. I will watch the Osprey nests because that is my area of research, but I have no plans to include Dale Hollow in my blog next year. It is important that we support those institutions and individuals who will seek quick and proper help for the raptors. We saw just such a rescue yesterday through the IWS in California. CROW is another good agency and SW Florida is tops along with Captiva on getting help when help is required. There are many others as well.

BC1 being hydrated by Nicole from the IWS during the rescue at Bald Canyon on the 24th of April 2023. Dr Sharpe and his team have conducted many rescues – some have been heroic feats involving cars, boats, and climbing steep cliffs. They are an excellent agency to support!

All six of the goslings have hatched. Father Goose is wanting Mum to come to the stream but the last hatch is still a wee tired. I wonder if Mother Goose will wait til in the morning?

SK Hideaways caught these energetic goslings! They are so healthy looking – tomorrow, they will take the leap to the stream off of the nest 70 feet in the air.

They lept. All six! What a privilege. ‘A’ writes: “They jumped. It was WAY quicker than last year – it took the six under five minutes to vacate the nest. At the bottom, three gathered with mum, and were joined after a moment or two by another pair. Dad came to join them. The sixth has not yet appeared. After about 15 minutes of searching, calling, listening for it, the parents eventually headed slowly for the water. When they got there, the goslings were not behind them. After a very quick dip, both parents returned to the riverbank to wait for the goslings and to continue quietly calling them. Gradually, the five appeared from the grass and joined their parents in the water. There are BOTG, who will be looking for the sixth gosling now that the parents and the other five are no longer close to the nest tree. Fingers crossed that the missing sixth chick has a bad sense of direction, as happened with one gosling last year, and can be pointed in the right direction by the BOTG. “———–The sixth was taken to the Vet. Poor Mother Goose. She has gone to the nest looking for it. And, yes, they can count and they know how many children they had! Let us hope its leg is OK.

Here is the video from AntiqueRose:

A permit and a rescue. We will not know when the attempt is made, but a Vet will be present to help the eaglets if necessary – if they can get to the nest. It is up to the rescuers now. Each agency has come together for the two Dale Hollow eaglets. So thankful for all the e-mails, phone calls, prayers, and anything else you did to facilitate this rescue attempt. There is power in people. Do not forget it. You might need to stand up for the raptors again. Do not hesitate!

DHEC and Twin Lakes have been asked to shut down the camera until the rescue is completed – from midnight Tuesday night until noon on Wednesday. Looks like it could start very early Wednesday morning! If you ever sent out positive wishes for a successful outcome, please send it to the rescue team. Then we can flood the AEF with thank yous and donations.

These two have been through a lot. They will never know the army that worked so hard for them -.

Other good news is that Middle Bob at Achieva in St Petersburg got some good bites of fish in the 1330 feeding. Well done Middle Bob for holding your ground and eating! This is a good turning point. Keep it up!

Murphy’s eaglet is growing! That little eaglet is watching everything Murphy is doing and learning. What an experience this 31 year old male Bald Eagle has had getting to raise this little one.

The little cutie pie at Decorah Hatchery nest is 19 days old today. Like Murphy’s eaglet, it is really growing and before we know it we will look up and see juvenile feathers coming in all over.

The Pitkin Country Trails Osprey Mum is under snow and it is continuing to fall very hard Tuesday night.

Dorcha was really wanting some fish and Louis finally brought her dinner! He has been wanting incubation time….well, Louis, just bring more fish! Dorcha will fly away for her meal and you can have nest time!

A beautiful Tuesday morning at the Decorah Hatchery Eagles.

It was hot in The Campanile scrape of Annie and Lou Tuesday. The couple each spent time shading the chicks until the sun was no longer pounding down on them.

Sleepy time.

The little falcons are eating well. No worries for any of them!

‘H’ reports that the second egg was laid at Barnegat Light in New Jersey. Congratulations Duke and Daisy!

We continue to be on pip watch for Tom and Angel. Tom is doing a great job coming in quickly to give Angel a break!

Little Arthur is on incubation duty over at Cornell this morning as Big Red takes a short break. We are getting close to pip watch for these two! Can’t wait. It is so much easier on the mind watching falcons and hawks.

It was short today. The other nests continue to do alright. Expecting eggs at more nests today so there should be lots of news tomorrow including the Dale Hollow Rescue. The camera is down and we wait in the hope that not only is the rescue a success but that it will set a precedent for this nest and this community. Thank you American Eagle Foundation! For now, let us find joy in the six that leaped and send your best wishes for the little one and its leg with the hope it gets back to its family quickly, if that is possible.

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

Thank you to everyone for their notes, their comments, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘T’, IWS and Explore.org, Decorah Goose Cam, SKHideaways and Decorah Goose Cam, AntiqueRose and the Decorah GooseCam, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Achieva Credit Union, Murphy and the WRC, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Pitkin County Trails Osprey Cam, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery, and the Woodland Trust, Cal Falcons, Barnegat Light Ospreys and New Jersey Conservation, and Cornell Bird Lab.