There are only a few birds that would bring me out of vacation and one of those is Mini.
‘H’ spotted her on the nest at 1246! I thought everyone would want to know that she is still at Patchogue. It looks like the outer bands of Hurricane Lee are causing it to be quite windy in the area. She was holding on to the nest good and tight.
She was on the nest for about ten minutes, until 1255 before flying off. It is not known if any other family members are still in the area but, I suspect that Dad is there. He was too good to this family to leave Mini.
Thanks to ‘H’ for the alert and to PSEG for the streaming cam so we can continue to see this amazing fledgling.
Hope, Calico, Missey and Lewis – along with all the garden animals hope that you are well, that the weather is grand, and that you will get outside and enjoy the sound of birds and the smell of autumn which is upon us.
Calico’s incision looks really good. What a sweet cat she is. She sees the antibiotic cream tube and will go and lay down on the striped quilt and let me apply it. She is simply a marvel.
I have had animals all my life. When I was born my father had a three-legged dog that stood guard by my basket. She lived quite a long life – and it is because of her that I recognise that animals can adapt to many situations and live a full life. Trixie certainly did. In all those decades, I have marvelled at how smart these animals are, but I have never had a companion like Calico. She is quiet, affectionate, and sweet, and seems to simply understand that the cream is to help her. She has never – and this is apparently rare for a community cat – ever scratched or fought me. It has been the opposite. What a blessing she and that little bundle of energy, Hope, are.
Tonight, on my walk, I came across a woman who helped look for the kitten. She teared up at the sight of Calico and Hope together in the photos. We all need happy endings. At the same time, I was a wee bit saddened to see that the deck where Calico had her kittens had been enclosed with wire mesh. It was a good place for the community cats to be warm and dry in the winter. No one knew they were there – and while it is none of my business, it is an example of how quickly animals can lose a ‘home’. These cats have served an important role in our little neighbourhood. There are no mice that I am aware of. Numerous people feed birds, including myself. I attribute the lack of mice directly to these cats.
Calico and I have been reading an edited volume Not Too Late. Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility. One of the most moving and inspiring chapters is by Jacquelyn Gill, a Palaeontologist. The chapter is called “The Asteroid and the Fern”. Gill writes about her visit to a cave in Siberia and the Great Dying that took place 251.9 million years ago when “roughly 90 per cent of life on Earth was lost” (126). Gill adds that the “heat wave that triggered the Great Dying took around seven hundred thousand years to unfold”. She compares this to now where in a lifetime we have created disaster which “barely spanned the breadth of a human life” (127). Gill looks at what happens after adding that the stories of extinction in the past are as inspiring as they are sobering (126).
I look at the four animals in my direct care and those that live in the garden and realise that we must live in the present and not fall into depressing despair. We must work cooperatively to find solutions while living ‘in the moment’. If not, we will miss those beautiful lives standing right in front of us. Isn’t that what this is all about? The wonder of the seasons, the animals, the people we love. To ponder in despair what might come and to miss the now would be a heavy loss.
The beauty of the world does not have to be in an exotic location halfway around the world. Most often it is right before our eyes.
Bird World is going to take a wee vacation starting on 17. September. ‘A’ and ‘H’ and I will return on Monday the 25th. We urge you to keep your eye on Manaaki if he has not fledged by Sunday and to also watch for the start of the cams at Sw Florida.
First up – do you live in Maine? If so, please read the following notice carefully.
Geemeff gives us a year of highlights from nest 1 at Loch Arkaig – Louis and Vila’s old nest. Now it is ‘as the osprey soap opera turns’ – we wait to see who pairs up next year. Thanks, Geemeff. It is a beautiful nest that needs to be occupied with fish screaming osplets!
M15 and F1 at the SWFlorida Eagle Nest.
Thunder, the daughter of Chase & Cholyn from Two Harbours, visits the old nesting area she shares with her mate, Akecheta on Thursday.
Oh, we would give anything to see Mini on the Patchogue nest – have her just fly in like Thunder and recognise her. Mini was last on the nest on September 11. Locals noted that Dad was also seen that day but Mum has not been to the nest since Sunday the 10th. No one has seen them in the area since then and it is possible that they are elsewhere on the water or after left the area.
One of the Webster Texas eagles is back working on the nest!
Pepe was working on the Superbeaks Nest – gosh, Osprey season ended and the eagles are now starting work! How exciting is this?
The posting of the loss of Stormy and Simba touched so many. I have received numerous letters. Please don’t stop watching Jackie and Shadow – we won’t probably ever know what happened to those two gorgeous fledglings but, we can, each day, in our way, do something to hopefully make the lives of our wildlife better.
Sadly, a large number – the precise % each year is unknown – do not survive their first year. We must also celebrate those who do and cheer on those who live into their 20s. It has not been easy for them.
‘Down Under’-
Sharon Dunne updates us on the status of fledging at the Royal Albatross colony.
‘A’ was able to confirm: “Quarry is confirmed to have fledged so it is just UQ and Manaaki now. Both the girls have left. UQ is far better at hovering than Manaaki is, so I do hope our boy does not try to leave before he is ready (which he really isn’t yet).” ‘A’ also adds: “At 18:35 at Taiaroa Head, the last of the light is fading and we can just make out Manaaki on his nest and UQ on his new ‘ nest’. (We can’t see whether he has actually constructed a new nest or whether he has simply relocated to the grass area next to Manaaki and a long downhill from him.) He seemed to move there permanently after Quarry left the area several days ago but has always been friendly with Manaaki. The girls (Quarry and Miss NTF) were constantly visiting UQ, displaying to him and generally being precocious and a little aggressive, which disconcerted UQ, who in turn sought refuge around Manaaki. The girls also tried similar approaches with Manaaki, but being not nearly as shy as UQ, he was always prepared to stand up to the girls and clack his bill at them, driving them away from his nest. He took no nonsense from either! Although UQ is the fluffiest and least adventurous of the four, his flying skills (well, at least his hovering) are way ahead of Manaaki’s, and over the past two days, UQ has been hovering so high he has been out of sight of the camera. He has also flown a long way across the downhill grassy area, towards the water, and has sometimes had to walk back up, although on other occasions, he has been able to glide backwards (I finally understand what the chatters meant about backward flying, which these albie chicks do all the time). The chicks try to ride the wind currents by simply stretching out their winds and allowing the wind to lift and carry them. If they get high enough, and are sufficiently balanced, they can tuck up their trailing legs and feet and actually glide quite a distance. It looked on more than one occasion as though UQ was off and gone this afternoon. Manaaki, on the other hand, is still not getting the same lift as UQ yet and is not yet balanced enough to control his movements in the air or to tuck up his legs and feet. Both of the boys still have too much fluff to fledge, in my opinion, and I am hoping UQ will wait another few days to lose his fluff and that Manaaki will wait at least another five days to a week to perfect his skills in the air. But as I said the other day, the wind will usually decide for them. And hopefully, the ones who are not strong or skilled enough will ditch in the bay, allowing their rescue, as we saw today. So it is only after they leave the waters near Taiaroa Head that they begin the exhilarating beauty and deadly risk that is their life as wild birds.”
At Collins Street, ‘A’ writes: “Little dad at Collins Street is a trooper. He did several lengthy incubation spells today, and not just the nearly two hours in the centre of the day but another couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon. He is a very dedicated dad, and as I mentioned, I’m sure he is providing food for F22, though she may be hunting for herself as well. Certainly, she has left the nest several times and then, very shortly afterwards, we have seen feathers floating down from a higher level while M22 looks upwards with that sweet sidelong glance he has, so I’m sure she has had no time to catch her own food in that time. Who knows what she does in that late morning/lunchtime period (90 minutes to two hours), which she used to take as down time last season as well, until that day when the chicks nearly baked (honey, I fried the kids). From memory, I seem to recall her being more diligent following that incident, although of course it was only a week or two after the baking incident that last year’s eyases started to make their own decisions on which end they wanted to inhabit, heading along the gutter at will. She takes her final break of the day at 18:07, with M22 taking over at 18:10 and remaining until F22 returns to the ledge at 18:16. As always, she is screeching (is that her normal mode of communication?) on arrival and dad leaves the nest and dives off the ledge. Fast. Mum settles down for the night shift.”
The Sydney sea Eagles have eaten well. There is some concern about Lady’s foot. ‘A’ observed this closely and adds, “At 10:11:06, and again from 10:11:22 to 10:11:24, have a look at the surface of Lady’s left foot. It appears to be a very raw wound or nasty scrape, not blood from a piece of prey. See what you think. At 10:13:02, as she walks to the back of the nest, it looks as though there may be some inflammation or mark on the back of the left ‘ankle’ area. Lady also has some blood on her head, at the top/back on the left side of the crown. I thought little of it earlier in the morning, but now, noticing the apparent wound on her left foot, I am wondering about the blood on her head. It is possible she scratched her head with the foot when it was bleeding and I suppose it is also possible it is from a prey item, as she has a piece of fluff or a feather stuck to her forehead at the top of her beak, between her eyes. She does not appear hindered by any injury nor does she exhibit any signs of discomfort. So perhaps I am worrying about nothing. There’s another close up at 11:14:18. It doesn’t look quite as bad as in the earlier shots but perhaps that is the light.”
On Thursday, Lady was bringing in new twigs for the railings to try and keep the sea eagles in. One of the cutest things is when these adorable eaglets start pitching in and helping being little Mini Mums.
At Orange, Diamond is impressed when Xavier arrives with a Rosella at 0908!
Eastern Rosellas are brightly coloured birds – blue and yellow along with some green, with a bright red head and white cheeks – that live in New South Wales and Queensland Australia. They live in flocks – usually of about 20 birds – and eat seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, and even leaves.
I saw no fish deliveries while watching or rewinding the Port Lincoln Osprey cam. Hopefully, since it appears to be a calm day, Dad2 will get on and haul in a big fish for Mum.
It is that time of year and the Osprey nests that ‘H’ has been observing are getting really quiet. She notes that the Osoyoos camera is once again down but she will continue to check for us to see if anything is happening. Audrey was not seen at Kent Island on Thursday and is believed to have migrated. “Duke at BL was seen a couple of times yesterday, and he has been documented to stay around as long as eight days after the last juvie left the area.” ‘H’ is also checking to see if the IR light will be turned on at Collins Street. Thank you ‘H’.
Birdlife International brings us a short but gripping story about birdwatching, yacht racing, the Southern Ocean and the decline in wildlife.
Before we go, another great image of Ervie finishing up the innards of his fish dinner. Always lovely to see you Ervie!
And more Ervie!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H’, Kshanti Green and Maine Birds, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, SW Florida Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore, SL Security Pros, Paul Williams and Webster Texas Eagles, Superbeaks, Terri Ashmore and FOBBV, Sharon Dunne and Royal Cam Albatross Group of NZ, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Julie Lovegrove and Friends of Sth Aus, Bazz Hockaday and Friends of Sth Aus, and BirdLife International.
First up. My e-mail and FB Messenger ‘lit up’. The messages were mostly ‘Mini is Alive’…’We knew Mini was a survivor’..’Mini wanted to show us that she is alive and doing well’. Gosh, she is a survivor and it is fitting that our dear fourth hatch came to the nest to show everyone who loves her that she is well and living her life and eating fish!
After being MIA for two days, Mini flew to the nest in Patchogue and spent a couple of hours showing us how good she had done since we last saw her. She stood well on her left leg, she played with her cardboard, and before she flew off, she did what all raptors do – a ‘ps’. This was a grand one – at 1929. She has been eating well. Mini is living the life of an osprey off the nest. Is this our last sighting? or will she come again? Whichever it is, treasure those images. She is well! She is beautiful! And she is eating.
Saying goodbye to ‘cardboard’?
That is a great ‘ps’ – one of the best I have seen. This girl has eaten fish!
Mini went from perch to perch but, at the time I am writing, has not settled on the nest to rest her leg.
Thank you for all your good wishes for Calico. We so appreciate them! She is, indeed, a very special presence and I am so happy she is part of my life.
Calico has her surgery today. She will be home around 1830 or 1900. Everyone is hoping that the lump that appeared on her side, which turned out to be mastitis, is gone (seems like it) and if that is the case, the surgery will be simpler with a much smaller incision. Tattooed, microchipped – hopefully never to be lost outside again – ever. While Calico is away having her luxury spa day (the vet gives them heated blankets), Hope will go through an intensive get-to-know-me routine that will ‘hopefully’ include more petting. She is soooooo fast and alert. The slightest movement in the wrong direction, and she bolts. A good nickname might be ‘Usain’ after Usain Bolt, the Jamaican 8-time Olympic Gold Medalist! She might challenge him for some of those 100 m times!!!!!!!!!! Hope has no idea how determined I am that she will not be ‘wild’. In fact, ‘wild’ is not an option. Do you hear that Hope?
Hope and Calico are so much alike. The tiny little black tears on their left eye, the liners of dark fur on their left sides, kohl-like eyeliner around their eyes. Hope does have a couple of differences. She is white in the front, her legs, chest, and throat. She has a tiny, white, almost graph-like line right between her eyes. She has a single white dot of fur on her back, and her head is a slightly different shape. Calico is ‘fine boned’ as my grandmother would say. Hope isn’t.
Hope often waits for Mamma to finish eating before she begins even though there are always two dishes.
The laundry has been going over time and the conservatory is going to have to be ‘aired’. It smells like sardines. Did I ever tell you that I dislike fish so much? Hope loves sardines. T hey got her into the little kitten trap and they are good for her. (There is little chance that she is a he – from all appearances – but when I get close enough to fully confirm will let you know).
Lewis continues to be slightly insecure and in his own Lewis way gets himself in trouble. Calico protects the space that Hope is in and she is not going to let anyone harm her kitten. While Calico is away, Lewis and Missey will get time in Hope’s company to ease the transition. They are all lovely kittens and each has their own story of being found under a deck with 5 siblings and a feral mother (Lewis) or Missey being found alone under a truck. They have much in common!
But look at Missey. Missey decided that she was going to try and open the door to the Conservatory! She seriously almost made it. I am going to have to lock that door. Cats are super intelligent.
Hope and Calico will be glad when the integration process is complete. Calico looks sad to me – wanting out but not wanting anyone to harm her baby she chooses to stay in the conservatory with Hope – their ‘safe’ place together.
Two days ago Hope was afraid to look through the glass of the Conservatory into the kitchen. Now she copies her Mamma only she gets closer! Soon, little sweetie. Not sure what it is about her but Hope just melts my heart like the first time I got to stroke her Mamma.
Photographs of our favourite Port Lincoln fledgling, Ervie, fishing. Remember when he lost a talon? When we thought he would have to survive on Puffers? Just look – great technique. Ervie, we adore you! This is why I support banding and satellite trackers. It is the joy when they survive. Like Mini, Ervie was a survivor.
It is bachelor days for Richmond – of Richmond and Rosie – at the Richmond Shipping Yards in California. Rosie appears to have departed for warmer climates on the 4th of September. Richmond prefers to spend the winters in the Bay Area.
‘H’ brings us up to date on Kent Island and Barnegat Light:
Kent Island – “Audrey had spent the night at the nest on 9/11 and she flew off the nest at 0625. It was thought to be Audrey preening on a pole at a nearby dock at 0905. There were no more sightings of ospreys until 1820, when an osprey landed in a tree. Some thought it was an adult osprey, but others thought they saw juvenile plumage. It was difficult to say. Unlike the previous four nights, Audrey did not spend the night at the nest on 9/12. Molly was last seen on 9/5, and Tom last seen on 9/9.”
Barnegat Light – “As with the previous couple of days, the camera feed omitted several hours of time throughout the day due to buffering issues. The technical issues are making it very difficult to chronicle Dorsett’s last few days before she leaves her natal area to begin her first long journey. Dorsett was seen on the 24th Street pole with a fish tail at 0614. At 0750 it was thought to be Dorsett on a boat mast. That was the last time we were able to observe her on 9/11. Dorsett is 104 days old, and she fledged six weeks ago.”
Pa Berry is home and starting to work on that nest at Berry College in Georgia.
KNF-E3: Alex and Andria working away.
Superbeaks: Pepe and Muhlady remind me so much of Jackie and Shadow. Big sticks come to the nest and the two have a lovely disagreement over placement!
Someone is supposed to be on holidays! It is incredible how these peregrine falcon families can draw you in…and don’t you love those Dads that try to feed their eggies?!
It looks like there are three eggs at Port Lincoln. Hiding in the midst of some moss, Mum laid another egg. The last. Hard incubation will begin now in earnest. Oh, please pinch me and tell me that this really is Dad2. No offence Dad1 but we worried about your health and we only want the chicks to thrive!
The Sea Eaglets are particularly beautiful…notice the ‘in style’ brick brown-rust colour and peach that is beginning to colour their plumage. Lady slept on the nest and at 0524 she found a piece of leftover fish (?). After the two got up for their morning stretch – hopefully more prey will arrive shortly.
‘A’ brings us up to date: “The day began at WBSE with an early (pre-6am) breakfast from the leftovers of the eel brought in late yesterday afternoon. SE32 had the better of the first breakfast, so when the next food was brought in around lunchtime, SE31 claimed the small-medium headless fish and ate most of it by herself. SE32 watched those last few mouthfuls carefully, and made a grab for the last bit of flesh and the tail. He had to grab four times to pull it out from under SE31 and the eaglets then had a tug-of-fish. SE32 eventually won the battle and horked down that tail piece in short order, flesh attached. Brave and determined.
The next food item was another fish, and this one was fed to the eaglets and shared out fairly evenly between the two. It wasn’t long before another food item came in, this one feathered. SE32 got the majority of this rather large prey item and by the time he was finished, his crop was enormous. So when another chunk of prey (it looked like a part of the previous piece) arrived shortly afterwards, SE32 could not even be bothered getting out of the nest and allowed SE31 to sit and be fed
Both eaglets went to bed with full crops, and the parents both ate well too. It was a good day at WBSE. “
At the Royal Albatross colony, Manaaki gives us a beautiful skycall while a beautiful Albie comes to visit.
‘A’ adds: “In New Zealand, nine of the 33 chicks are confirmed to have fledged. More may have left this afternoon and are yet to be confirmed. Manaaki is still on his nest. He was weighed around 11:30 this morning and weighed 9.2 kgs. He is readying for departure and has probably cast his pre-fledge bolus. UQ is still there, as we think is Quarry.”
At the WRDC nest in Miami, recent fledgling R5 returned for a quick visit around 0659 Monday. Wonder what he thought of the reinforced nest and its paint?
Quess what? There are eagles back on Farmer Derek’s land in Kansas!!!!!!!! You might recall that there was a young Bald Eagle pair on Farmer Derek’s property. Their nest got taken over by a pair of GHOs who raised a couple of clothes of cute little owls. This might be interesting.
Migration makes me nervous especially when it involves crossing through countries or resting. We anxiously await news of Karl II, the Super Dad from the Karula National Forest Black Stork Nest in Estonia.
I feel sick. At the same time I am hoping that this is only the same issue with cell coverage in some areas of Ukraine where Karl II likes to rest. Last year we held our breath also. I forget how many days it was.
Kaia:
Kalvi:
Bonus:
Waba:
Another reason to get rid of leaf blowers (besides the noise and the pollution) and allow the leaves to stay overwinter (until after May):
I am so happy to receive my Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys 2024 calendar! Thank you to Mary Cheadle for all the fundraising she does for the Woodland Trust so the streaming cam continues to operate at Loch Arkaig!
If you live in Winnipeg or Southern Manitoba, why not take in Wildlife Haven’s Annual Open House? Tickets are $10 for adults. You get to tour the facilities and meet the ambassadors and learn why they would love to have you grow some vegetables in your garden for their patients or what else is needed in terms of care such as clean old towels, sheets, hand tools, bleach, pet food. — So many of you live elsewhere – we are an international family – but, please check out your local wildlife rehabilitation centre and find out when they have their open house. It is always a day for learning and admiring the work these dedicated individuals undertake.
I will being you highlights of the tour on Sunday!
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes to Calico and to all who wrote to tell me Mini was on the nest! Thanks also to the following for their comments, notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today” ‘A, H’, PSEG, Julie Lovegrove and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Bay Ospreys by Golden Gate Audubon, Wildlife Conservation F of NJ, Kent Island, Gracie Shepherd and Raptors of the World, Superbeaks, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Sea Eagles, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, WRDC, Trudi Kron and KNF-E3, Trudi Kron and Farmer Derek, Looduskalender, and Wildlife Haven.
Sunday started off cool, and it warmed up but the day was mostly cloudy. So, to me, it felt cooler looking out than it actually was. Small raindrops have just started falling late in the evening. The Blue Jays are still coming to the garden for water and seeds as are the Sparrows. Migration is in full swing, and only time will tell if the Blue Jay family is staying for the winter or will leave for part or all of it. The six Crows in the Crow family are still here- they will probably remain all winter just like the Chickadees. Canada Geese continue to fly overhead as are the Pelicans – all of them leaving for parts warmer and in the South.
Audubon has a wonderful tool to learn about migration. Migration is remarkable and now that the birds are leaving I am already longing for their return next spring. Nature continues on despite all that is thrown at it.
Today was the day Hope came out of her shell. Geemeff suggested a feather teaser toy. Little Hope loves to play and right away she was in the middle of everything. I got a small stroke on her head! This kitten has the sweetest face. One miracle for the day. Next play time I will try to grab her with Geemeff’s instructions firmly in mind to let her loose so she isn’t frightened – and knows she can get away. Fingers crossed. Calico goes in for her surgery on Tuesday and I hope to have this little one all friendly by then.
Calico is very protective of Hope. While she weants to return to the main part of the house I have left the door open and Calico will not leave without the baby who remains, at this time, hesitant.
Little Mini-me. I continue to marvel at the miracle – the moment is so clear – when I looked out and saw this wee kitten eating at the feeding station. It was beyond my hope that these two would be reunited. No wonder Calico doesn’t want her out of her sight.
Lewis and Missey are much more used to the ‘smell of Calico and the presence of Hope – through glass. They are all fed at the same time and there has been lots of tasty meals to cement the idea that Calico and Hope bring ‘good things’ not bad ones! Constant companions. Constant washing and playing. Lewis and Missey are both now a year old.
Let’s start off with something fun – the season highlights from Loch Arkaig! Louis, Dorcha, Ludo and various visitors delighted us day in and day out throughout the 2023 breeding season in Scotland.
News has just come in from ‘H’ that there are now four eggs at Melbourne! Oh, little M22 has going to have his work cut out getting those big eggs under for incubation! Egg #4 laid at 07:48:52.
‘A’ gives us a prey update: “At about 09:09:48 M22 lands on the ledge with a small bird, calling F22 as he arrives. For a couple of minutes prior to this, we have watched small feathers floating up, from where M22 is obviously preparing the prey at a lower level. He chups and waits. When F22 does not appear, he plucks the bird a little more, then heads with it, still chupping, up to the scrape. He seems to want to feed his eggs! He plucks the bird a little more, and at 09:11:30 flies off with the prey, presumably to leave it in one of their stash spots for mum to retrieve. Dad returns to incubate at 09:13:39. He has a little difficulty settling down on four eggs but he manages. This pair is adorable.”
I went to check and Mum is home. No fear! After last year I worry all the time about this nest.
Liznm caught that fourth egg being laid at Melbourne for us.
Mini has not been seen at the nest since the morning of Saturday 9 September. Mum has appeared a few times (or it is believed to be Mum). I have an inbox full of concerned letters wanting help for Mini but, in truth, we do not know if Mini needs help. Wildlife rehab clinics do not have the resources to search Patchogue for Mini. Indeed, every clinic that I know relies heavily on volunteers. If someone were to find Mini and get her to a clinic – if that clinic knows her story and any in the area should – they would recognise her. But, for now, we only know that Mini is not coming to the nest. Dad has been seen on the antennae by the lake where he fishes and Mum might or might not have come to the nest once or twice. That would be typical osprey behaviour before departing for migration. The fact that Mini has not come to the nest does not mean she is grounded, nor is she dying and starving. The absence of evidence is not evidence.
The only thing that could be done at this point is for a local search party to comb the area for Mini. That is a huge task but it would be worth it just to check and for everyone to know that she is not grounded.
Five fish were delivered to the Sandpoint Osprey Platform today. Coco was deliriously full of fish dinners!
‘H’ sends her report on Kent Island and Barnegat Light:
Kent Island – The fledgling, Molly, has not been seen for almost six days. Audrey spent the night of 9/10 on the nest, and she flew off at 0630. She was not seen on camera for the rest of the day, until she landed on the nest just before 10 pm. Audrey spent the night of 9/11 at the nest. Tom was not seen on camera on 9/10.
Barnegat Light – There was frequent and prolonged buffering of the live stream on 9/10. But, we were able to observe a fish delivery from Duke to Dorsett at 0725, and we saw Dorsett on the nest with a partial fish at 1828.
Thanks, H’!
‘A’ sends her down under report from down under – thanks A:
Sydney Sea Eagles: “It is now nearly 12:30 and Lady and Dad have spent this morning bringing in more and more nesting material .Check out how much fresh greenery there is on that nest. And that’s not counting the two gigantic branches (one at the front, one at the back) that have been brought in and carefully arranged so far this morning. It is phenomenal. They are doing a total spruce-up and a little renovating – it is a DIY fest up there this morning. The eaglets, of course, would prefer some breakfast, but I think the parents are bringing in the extra cot rails for the reason discussed yesterday (two much more mobile chicks now up off their tarsi and motoring around that nest) and all the fresh greenery and talonfuls of dry leaf material are being brought in because of the day of rain they had there over the weekend (or was it Friday). Anyway, they’re freshening up and drying out the nest. They have both been aerating today and yesterday. So I’m pretty sure that’s the reason for this sudden obsession with bringing in nest materials.
Hopefully, there will be some food soon, though I have reached a level of confidence about this nest that leaves me unconcerned about major problems even if food is late and/or short today. Obviously, we would prefer them to get two good meals a day but they do need to learn that life in the wild is not all home-delivered meals at the drop of a twig. So either way, I am sure all will work out fine and lunch will come soon.”
Xavier and Diamond: The intruder is still causing issues for the couple. Diamond had to leave the scrape to defend the territory. This is not a good thing.
Port Lincoln: Dad was on the nest with Mum. Oh, I hope these two only have two eggs!!!!!!!
Dad2 doing incubation duties. The chat group notes that the eggs were not incubated for 41 minutes which should not be an issue.
But ‘H’ has just sent me a giggle: Is this Dad 1 or is it Dad2? Fran Solly and Bazza are starting to think it is Dad1?!
‘A’ is missing our little prince and he isn’t gone yet! She writes, “
Omigod, talk about heart in my mouth. I checked the albatross cam and not only was Manaaki’s nest empty but the camera was giving us the view of the bay from his nest. For a moment there, I thought he had fledged. Then, I saw a little flash of white far down on the hillside and sure enough, up he came. He had had a practice flight down the hill and had to walk a lolng way back up. The wind has really picked up this afternoon (it is now nearly 4pm) and it is hovering and flapping time. Scary. Every time I watch this, I wonder if it is going to be the last time, as it was that day I watched QT in the storm. Sudden. And possibly permanent. Stay with us just a little longer sweet boy. Another week to get rid of that remaining fluff. Just one more week.
Manaaki was fed about three hours ago (13:23). We think the parent had come in earlier and that this was the second feeding today. The weather really changed three or four hours ago. The rain started teeming down and the wind really picked up. It sounds like a gale on the tab now. We believe that in all the excitement this has caused, it is possible that Quarry has fledged. UQ has been hovering a lot this afternoon, and although he is still obviously carrying too much down and has not yet perfected his flying technique (paddles are still hanging down and he hasn’t worked out how to hold them up yet), there is a fear among chatters that he will leave today. If he does, there is the danger he will ditch in the bay and become waterlogged. I’m sure they keep a close eye out for chicks that do that – I have heard talk of them being rescued for a second fledge attempt. So we watch, we wait. The wind is encouraging all the chicks, but hopefully, Manaaki’s feedings today will keep him at home a little longer. As I type, both Manaaki and UQ are still at home, Manaaki on his nest and UQ a little downhill from Manaaki (where he has been for most of the day, rather than on his nest higher up the hill – he likes Manaaki).”
At SWFlorida, home to M15 and his new mate, bonding is happening! We have a fish offering.
In the letterbox: A few letters have arrived since the posting of the death of two of the fledglings – Stormy and Simba – from Big Bear Valley in previous years. It is hoped that FOBBV might be able to find out what happened to the two siblings. Readers have expressed concern over the deaths of the eaglets and the many non viable years for our beloved Jackie and Shadow. Every year we struggle with them and, of course, it was such a delight when Spirit fledged. The difficulties that Jackie and Shadow face in terms of eggshell hardness and viability of offspring in the nest might be directly related to the historical DDT that was intensely sprayed on Big Bear Lake. Of course we are aware of the issues in the Channel Islands.
The heartache that we feel for these two Bald Eagles and they are much loved by thousands and thousands, is directly due to human causes.
From a previous blog ‘Why Do Some Eagles Have Wing Bands’: “
It all goes back to DDT and the near extinction of the Ospreys, Bald Eagles, and other birds from the United States. Sea life has been impacted and so have humans. After World War II DDT was used to eradicate for mosquitoes in the US. Various areas received high amounts of this toxin. It wasn’t just the spraying but also the illegal dumping of hundreds of thousands of tonnes that has caused harm. Indeed, the waters off Catalina Island, for one, became a dumping ground for DDT.
In 2020, an article appeared in the Los Angeles Times about the finding of the rusting barrels of toxins leaking near Catalina Island. (The scientists were looking for methane). The author says, “As many as half a million of these barrels could still be underwater right now, according to interviews and a Times review of historical records, manifests and undigitized research. From 1947 to 1982, the nation’s largest manufacturer of DDT — a pesticide so powerful that it poisoned birds and fish — was based in Los Angeles.”
“DDT is so stable it can take generations to break down. It doesn’t really dissolve in water but stores easily in fat. Compounding these problems is what scientists today call “biomagnification”: the toxin accumulating in the tissues of animals in greater and greater concentrations as it moves up the food chain.” The birds at the top of the food chain, often referred to as the canaries in the coal mine are the Ospreys who eat the fish and the Bald Eagles.
This is a fantastic read. I urge you to take the time so that when you hear about the impacts of DDT you will understand the history and the harm.
In 1980, there was a reintroduction programme of Bald Eagles into the Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands. Even until 2001, the eggs were removed and fostered and the chicks banded. Between 1980-86, 33 Bald Eagles were released on Santa Catalina. These birds grew to adulthood even breeding but due to the DDE levels, the eggshell thickness was still compromised. You might recall that Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear have problems with thin eggshells today. Big Bear Lake was heavily sprayed with DDT and it is residual in the soil. The tagging program can be seen with the tags on Thunder and Akacheta. Their chicks, should they hatch and survive, will be banded as part of the continuing study.
From the findings of scientists now, the number of barrels of DDT in the waters of this area rusting and leaking are growing. In April of 2021, more were found.
For those who would like to go back to the 1970s when the alarms were being sounded by various individuals including Rachel Carson, a good read is The Silent Spring. I would hope that most local libraries would have copies. As you can see, the storage and long life of DDT and the fact that it does not break down in water, is a continuing concern for all the wildlife and humans around the Santa Catalina Island which is now controlled by the US Navy.
There continue to be warnings about humans eating the fish from Big Bear Lake:
A group of concerned individuals is working towards a united presentation to see what can be done about the proposed battery storage facility at SSEN Alyth where Ospreys Harry and Flora have their nest. This is one of the revised plans for the site that shows the battery storage right up to the nest.
This is very discouraging. Flora has left the nest on previous occasions when there were disturbances.
Sue Wallbanks posted this article. It is a good read for anyone who wants to understand how disturbances can cause issues at raptor nests.
The beautiful Black Eaglet had breakfast compliments of Dad. Lady Hawk comments: “The Selati eaglet has another good day of eating compliments of Dad bring in a Rock Hyrax! The eaglet is enjoying the morning sunlight and spreads out its wings as it lies on the nest sunning itself (and keeping cool) 🙂 Mom flies in right after Dad but the eaglet claims the prey and mantles it and will self feed on it for quite some time. Finally Mom takes over and finishes up the feeding and the eaglet gets to swallow the pelt down. i did edit out a lot of the feeding since it went on for so long. Great job! Mom will then fly off leaving a very contented chick.”
These Black Eagles live in the Slate Game Reserve which is part of the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa. Their proper name is the Verreaux Eagle. Only one of two eggs hatched at this nest in 2023. This is the time line, and we expect this eaglet to hatch in less than 3 weeks.
First egg laid on 15 May 2023 🥚
Second egg laid on 19 May 2023 🥚🥚
Egg cracked by parent on 6 June 2023 ✖️
Chick hatched 29/30 June 2023 🐣
Fledgling flight expected from around end September 2023
Verreaux’s eagle is one of the larger eagles of Africa. It measures 75 to 96 cm (30 to 38 in) long with an average weight of 4.19 kg or 9.2 lb. Its wingspan is 1.81 to 2.3 m (5 ft 11 in to 7 ft 7 in). The Verreaux Eagles like others has reverse bisexual morphism – the female is larger than the male. The adults are the most gorgeous slate grey but some are the deepest ebony. Their cere is a remarkable yellow when they are healthy. There is also white plumage which is a great contrast and causes the birds in flight to stand out. That white is on their back, their rump and the upper-tail coverts as well as part of the scapular. The white can only be seen looking up when the birds are flying, not when they are perched. The legs are covered with deep black feathers. The juveniles appear as in the image above.
In the Kistachie National Forest near Alexandria, Louisiana, Louis and Anna from the E-1 nest are busy making nestorations!
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
I am very grateful to the following for their notes, comments, questions, letters, videos, posts, and streaming cams that help me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, L’, Audubon, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Liznm and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PSEG, Sandpoint Ospreys, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, Sydney Sea Eagles, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, NZ DOC, Real Saunders Photo, LA Times, Tapa Talk, The Guardian, Office of the EHHA, US Dept of the Interior, SSEN Alyth, Livia Armstrong and BESS Battery Storage, NatureScot, Lady Hawk and Selati Eagles, Open Verse, and the KNF Eagle Cam E-1.
Saturday was the most gorgeous fall day. It was about 16 degrees C with a beautiful blue sky and some soft puffy white clouds as I travelled north from the City. You could see the geese overhead flying in their standard ‘V’ formation swirling around the fields that have been recently harvested – wheat and flax, mainly. There is something so magical about the rhythm of their lives. They come in late March or April and being heading to their winter homes in September-October. At one of the local nature centres, they fly in by the thousands at dusk (on a good day). Their black silhouettes filling the horizon as the sun begins to slowly set in the West.
One of the best places to see the geese in the afternoon is at Oak Hammock Marsh.
A lone American White Pelican and a Trumpeter Swan with all the geese landing at a small pond by the road.
On the way home there was a beautiful Red-tail Hawk hunting in one of the fields. What a magnificent raptor. No photo…just watched it for a bit and left quietly — we must always remind ourselves that their lives are overtly challenging and any opportunity for a meal should be respected and we should ‘disappear’.
Oak Hammock Marsh is run by Ducks Unlimited and the Province of Manitoba and is an extensive wetland. Being there reminded me that ‘R’ had sent me an article several weeks ago and our discussion about how we need cooperation to protect the birds. What he sent me was about the Excise Tax in NJ – how that comes from the sale of hunting equipment, firearms, permits, etc. goes to help with the conservation of the birds, such as our beloved Ospreys, in the state of New Jersey. We talked about how this could be a blueprint for the future if we want our birds to thrive – and as much as I hate killing of anything, it makes sense. Ducks Unlimited is working across Canada with various groups including some in the province of Alberta to purchase huge tracts of land to protect and restore for wildlife. It is something to think about. In NJ it is called the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Does your state or province promote such a scheme? If not, it might be worth a good conversation!
All of the kittens behaved themselves. Missey and Lewis continue to be in the main house and Calico and Hope in the conservatory annex. Hope has been enjoying her new rich foods a little too much or it is that plus the stress of coming inside…but the poor little darling is now on kaolin probiotic granules for running poop shots. Hoping she is over this very quickly…she was fine when she arrived! A few images from today…Hope insists on doing everything that Mamma does. She resisted her own little dish of organic chicken and sauce to try and eat with Calico, was on the cat tree and it seems that Calico is an excellent pillow.
Giggles all around today – the cats are eating well and their rooms are disinfected and cleaned twice a day – everything. Gosh, the laundry in making those tents…Calico is off for her surgery on Tuesday and Hope will be, by then, surely she will, friendly!
Thank you Jeff Kear – I had not heard about Alyth putting in battery storage units right under the nose of Harry’s Osprey Nest! Does the need to constrict the use of fossil fuels mean that we should not consider the environmental impact and the location? Was any study done? It is not clear when it comes to the ospreys or other wildlife.
‘A’ reports on what is happening ‘down under’ – that is where most of the action is currently!
Sydney Sea Eagles: “Dad brought in a very nice fish at 08:33:22 this morning and Lady was quickly shimmying down the perch branch to take control of it. Lady and Dad have a little chat and seem excited by the fish but the eaglets (especially SE32) are more interested in what’s going on in the tree around them this morning. SE31 is first to the table, while SE32 is looking up and around at everything in his expanding world. The view is somehow different from up on his feet perhaps! At 08:39 he finally moves up to the table and his sister courteously moves aside so her brother can have some breakfast! This is so civil, it’s ridiculous. Someone remind these kids they are apex predators! Just before 08:40 Dad flies in with a stick (the parents have been busy building another level of cot railing over the past five or six days, as the two get up onto their feet and start moving around the nest a lot more – now SE32 has joined his sister up off his tarsi). Dad is very engaged in his stick placement and spends considerable time perfecting the front of the nest. So cute. Lady continues feeding SE32, though SE31 is momentarily fascinated by Dad’s manoeuvrings.”
Royal Albatross: “In New Zealand, Manaaki is on his nest and there is very little wind today, so I am not anticipating a fledge this morning. The wind may pick up during the afternoon. We will see.”
This video is from the NZ DOC. It shows our young prime hovering nicely! This was three days ago.
Melbourne Peregrine Falcons: “At Collins Street, F22 takes a break shortly after 9am (that time stamp is SO hard to read) and little M22 is soon in to take over incubation. He settles down in his customary jerky manner and then finds he has a spare egg he has failed to cover. So he has to start his enfluffling all over again. Such a sweetie. I love these falcon dads.”
Port Lincoln: “No third egg at Port Lincoln and I certainly hope there won’t be, given the gap between the first two eggs is 74 hours. A third egg could therefore be as far away as Tuesday. I do hope there isn’t another one. I’m not looking forward to the huge gap between the first two. A third hatch would be so nerve-wracking. We really don’t need that sort of stress.”
There are still only 2 eggs at Port Lincoln.
I certainly agree with ‘A’. A third hatch at Port Lincoln does not need that kind of stress! But then again, we have a new Dad and a new season and anything is possible.
Thanks, ‘A’.
Let us go and check on Diamond and Xavier – Xavier flew in with a nice prey for Diamond’s breakfast, and he then worked hard rolling the three big eggs and trying to fit them under him. He was successful, but gosh, it is a good thing there are not four of them.
‘A’ writes about the intruder that has been bothering Xavier and Diamond: “That intruder is still worrying at Orange, although Diamond and Xavier have things sorted. This morning, the intruder was spotted. Diamond called Xavier to come and mind the eggs. He arrived and took over incubation. Diamond dealt with the intruder (visible from tower cam) and returned to the nest box. All is well. I am SO glad they have this routine. Diamond is twice Xavier’s size and makes short work of an intruder. Any injury to Xavier at this point would be a disaster for the clutch. They know this. We are grateful. But I do wish this intruder would move on. I do keep wondering whether it is Izzi, as the males do tend to move no more than 50 km from their natal nest, from what I have read, whereas the female fledglings spread much further away. It is so funny that Indigo, too, proved impossible to persuade it was time to leave home, so that Diamond and Xavier had to physically bar him entry to the scrape! At least they got rid of him before the eggs were laid, which was only just the case the year Izzi was there. He was persistent in the extreme. I think it was early August before they gently told him “grow up and find your own territory, son!” and moved him on.”
So do we think that this might be Izzi? That would be interesting. (Note that raptors normally engage other raptors of the same gender).
‘H’ sent me a quote today from one of David Gessner’s books on Ospreys. It is so appropriate and she believes it is form the Return of the Osprey but neither of us had the time to dig through the book to find the right page:
“To love the Osprey is to be constantly open to loss.”
Mini was not seen at the Patchogue nest after she flew off in the early morning. It is now 2100 nest time, and she has not flown in. Mini, you taught us to persevere, not give up hope, be smart, and figure things out. Safe travels – good winds, a full crop, a good life.
‘H’ brings us up to date on the last two nests she has observed for me. She officially monitored ten nests, but it was always more than that. Over the course of osprey season, the number of eggs grew to over 350 that were monitored. I am very grateful for her help and keen eye and instincts – thank you, ‘H’. You came to Ospreys, naturally.
Kent Island – It seems that Molly may have already started on her journey. September 9th was the fourth full day without a sighting of our precious Molly. Both Tom and Audrey were seen in ‘Joe’s tree’ during the day. At 1800 Audrey came to the nest for a while to dry off after her bath. And, Audrey flew to the nest at 2300 to spend her third straight night on the nest.
Barnegat Light – There were intermittent periods of live stream buffering throughout the day. We did not observe Duke delivering a fish to Dorsett at the nest, but Dorsett was seen a few times at the nest and on Duke’s perch.
Louise and Banff are no longer at the Fortis Exshaw Nest. As the sun sets Saturday evening near Canmore, Alberta, not far away from Lake Louise, they have had snow on the 6th! By vehicle, it is 5 hours through the mountains, according to Google. The girls will happen to be sunning themselves in the south.
The two surviving chicks at Osprey House in Brisbane, Australia are doing well.
There is extremely sad news coming out of Big Bear Valley today – confirming losses from several years ago.
How has the earthquake in Morocco impacted Ospreys migrating from Europe and the UK? Certainly transmissions might be garbled but what about the environment where they are fishing, living, or flying through?
A lovely Red-tail Hawk – juvenile – visited the WRDC nest of Rose and Ron yesterday. ‘H’ was the first to alert me and Pat Burke has posted an image.
That’s a wrap for Sunday, September 10. Thank you for being with us. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for the notes, comments, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, Jeff Kear’, Alyth, Sydney Sea Eagles, NZ DOC, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, PSEG, Snow Seekers, Osprey House, Tonya Irwin and Raptors of the World, Pat Burke and Eagle Nest Watchers, Bloom Biological, and The Guardian.
Friday was a busy day for me and most of the time I was away from home. However, the moments that I did get to spend with my four four-legged furry friends was brilliant. Hope is now peeking around the corner at me and even came near to my foot when I placed a dish of organic roast chicken down for her! This kitten has so much energy. I cannot wait to get it with Lewis. He is going to enjoy having a playmate.
We are about a metre apart. Hope is curious and getting less afraid by the story!
If Mamma Calico moves her tail, Hope is right on it!
Everyone watches one another. The four of them enjoyed a nice roast chicken dinner – a treat to encourage Missey and Lewis to link ‘treats’ and goodies with their two new siblings.
Each of us hopes that you are well and looking forward to a nice weekend wherever you are. Let’s all try and get outside if the weather is nice! And speaking of outside…every time I go to the park there is litter. There are bins everywhere for litter so why don’t we use them? This post on FB seemed really appropriate.
‘H’ sent me the good news. PLO has its second egg of the season! Oh, I hope this young Dad is an excellent fisher and brings those fish into the nest one after another. Can I ‘hope’ that this couple might fledge all of them just like 2021 with Bazza, Falkey, and Ervie?
There is other good news coming out of Port Lincoln!
‘A’ is musing about the Royal Albatross chicks: “the rangers have confirmed that Miss NTF fledged on 7 September. She had been off exploring (or perhaps finding an ideal place from which to fledge), as the chicks often do for a few days before fledge, but they have confirmed her gone. She was last seen on the morning of 7 September so we think she fledged some time after 11am on Thursday. Godspeed sweet girl. Quarry, who has been out and about for the past couple of days, returned to her nest this morning and seemed to miss Miss NTF. The two girls had been hanging out a lot. UQ on the other hand is less pleased to see Quarry, who needs a restraining order whenever she is in his vicinity. Manaaki is less tolerant of her and clacks his bill at her if she gets too close. Poor little UQ is much more timid. The winds are not super strong today, though Quarry and Manaaki have been doing a lot of wingercising in the wind there is. It could be any time now for either of them. It looks as if Quarry will be next to go, then Manaaki and finally UQ. But we will see. I again emphasise that these are precious hours we are spending with Manaaki now. And once he launches, there is no guarantee we will ever see him again. Will we live that long? Will Manaaki? Will the climate permit a return? They fly into an uncertain future, but don’t we all?” Those worries of the state of the ocean, of long line fishing, of climate haunt all of us as well look at these long-lived seabirds.
Manaaki looking out to an uncertain future.
Lady Hawk caught Gabby and her new mate V3 in the pouring rain and has some super close ups for us.
I was contacted by several individuals today about Mini and was told that there was much anxiety about her condition. My day allowed me no time to go and observe Mini until she was at the nest after dark. At the bottom of everyone’s desires is for Mini to thrive – we care, we worry. We want her to be whole and live a long, prosperous life. The fact that Mini somehow injured her leg causes great anxiety to everyone. We will never know what caused that injury. No one saw what happened. Unless she goes into care, we may not even know what that injury is. There are many, many theories, but that is all they are – theories. Until a vet/a vet technician/or a rehabber has a bird in hand, a diagnosis cannot be made, and sometimes sophisticated tests and scans are needed to determine the problem and the possible treatment. The DEC does not normally give permits for a bird that is flying. There is a reason for this — it is extremely dangerous for the bird. No one wants to endanger Mini’s life further. Her injury is now old. She has been adapting. Life is not perfect but she is living it.
Life in the wild is extremely challenging for all raptors – for all wildlife. Each day is about survival. Some days there is a lot of fish and other days there are none. Whether or not Dad is delivering or Mini is fishing is not known. It could be both. On Thursday Mini had several nice poop shots. I am not clear about what happened on Friday and, of course, she is often not on the nest.
I urge everyone to enjoy the time we have left with Mini at the nest. To treasure her, to wait for her to come in at night to rest her leg – she is very smart to do that. In a couple of year’s time, I would very much like to see a two-year-old osprey land on this nest with a wonky leg. That would be marvellous so…with that in mind, I really hope that Mini is a male and not a female. Send her positive wishes. Treasure all that she taught us, for she did teach us much about endurance and determination.
Mini did seem to put her weight on both legs when she landed on the nest from the perch at 20:26.
Mom has been spotted landing on the nest so she has been here at least until today. That is good news because under normal conditions the males will not leave until the females do. With the climate changing we do not expect these fledgling ospreys to travel all the way to South America and they might well spend the winter in the Carolinas or Florida.
At the Minnesota National Arboretum nest, Dad brought in 7 fish – yes, you read that correctly – 7 fish on Friday!!!!!!! That is one well fed fledgling. One of those beauties was lost overboard. Hopefully some other hungry creature will discover that tasty meal.
‘H’ reports on Molly and Dorsett:
Kent Island – Molly was last seen (so far) on 9/5. Her dad, Tom, was seen almost every day up to 9/7, but we did not see him on 9/8. That does not mean that Molly or Tom have formally begun their migration, they may simply not be on camera. We shall see. Audrey was seen in “Joe’s” tree, and for the second consecutive night, Audrey spent the night at her nest on 9/9. It is surprising to see Audrey this late in the season, but we are thrilled to see her.
Barnegat Light – Dorsett and her dad, Duke, seemed to have a good day. The camera operator managed to catch Duke taking a bath, and the highlight of Dorsett’s day was a live bunker that her dad delivered to her for supper. Dorsett decided to eat the whole fish atop the 24th street pole. Yum!
‘A’ reports on the breakfast for the Sea Eaglets: “a nice large fish was brought in at WBSE early this morning (around 06:40) and both eaglets had a good breakfast. SE31 got the early bites, then SE32 moved up beside his sister and ate without fear or intimidation. The two were perfectly behaved throughout the meal.”
So many love the Collins Street falcons and my inbox was bursting with news of the third egg! Do you think they will go for four?
Xavier just melts my heart. He is the cutest little male falcon and his mate Diamond often gives this poor guy such a rough time. So happy he got some egg time…it must actually feel nice to be able to do duckling style and rest for a bit…just thinking about Mini and how it helps her leg.
‘A’ reports: “Manaaki was fed by one of his parents at about 6pm this evening (9 September) – we don’t know which one because it was not within camera view but our little man gets so excited, wheeing away. I do love that sound. And we will miss it until this time next year. But I cannot wait to see whether YRK (and maybe even OGK) return over the next two or three months. He is the footage of Manaaki’s feeding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj35d68kQ6g&t=2s“.
News has come to me Friday night from ‘B’. We have wondered about the fishing at Cowlitz PUD. This is a new discovery. “The river where they fish has been full of silt and mud from a landslide up north awhile back which we never heard about…” ‘B’ continues by saying that a drive by a couple of weeks ago revealed sandbars in the river that were never there previously. This is so sad but let us hope the eagles and the ospreys have another source of food. Thanks so much ‘B’.
There is often a lot of confusion about feeding birds. Audubon has a short article to help us.
Speaking of feeding birds. Chiang Mai is north of Bangkok in the beautiful mountains. It is one of my most favourite places in the world. There is an historic walled city full of Buddhist temples. Just outside the walls is a small French area with some of the best coffee and lemon tarts to be found anywhere. Check out a feeding table in this northern Thai city!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their comments, alerts, posts, videos, and streaming cams: ‘A, B, H, L’, PLO, NZ DOC, Lady Hawk and NEFL-AEF, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve F of NJ, Sea Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Karen Leng and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, and Audubon.
Gosh, another week has flown by. Honestly, I do not notice unless I have an appointment. All of the days blur together, and that is perfectly fine. It was nice to put up the watch and not have the calendar overflowing with appointments once I retired. As one former student says, ‘My days are busier and fuller,’ but my choice is what they are busy or full with. Garden animals, birds, and kittens…
When my grandmother could no longer make the elaborate patterned quilts of her youth -because her arthritis in her fingers was so bad in her 90s- she started making strip quilts. [The woman could not sit still for long. S he was gardening, raising chickens, doing embroidery or quilting til the day she died. She was an incredible role model.] That is what she called them – long strips of material pieced together. Sometimes, she would tie the layers together with bright embroidery thread that ‘tickled’ my children. They became known as ‘tickles’. Calico was sleeping on one of those today – a tired Mamma!
To see this little kitten follow its Mamma or to peek around the corner and see them sleeping together still brings tears to my eyes. Honestly, I did not think this would happen.
Both Calico and her daughter have a black tear on their left tear duct.
The sunlight is so crazy often the pair are bleached out in the images and no adjusting will help! Calico spends a lot of time washing her little one. There are so many kittens in the lost kitten postings and Hope is so healthy compared to them. S he has no eye problems, her fur is in incredible condition and she is ‘fat’.
Missey and Lewis are doing brilliantly. Today Calico wanted out of the conservatory, and when she was in the main part of the house, Lewis was friendly! I almost fell over. In fact, Lewis and Missey are back to their old selves – confident that there is lots of food and love – enough to go around to four. It reminds me of Ospreys and little eaglets in the nestHoping to have the kitten integrated by the end of the weekend as Mamma goes in for her surgery on Tuesday.
I was away for part of the day, and when I got home, the first nest I checked was Mini, and there she was. Mini arrived at 18:47. The left leg is still held – and may always be – out at an odd angle. It does not look any worse in my humble and non-wildlife rehabber/vet/vet technician-trained eye. Her crop was not as full as it often is, but it was still a gift to see her, and I hope she gets an evening fish or one first thing in the morning.
Mini was on the nest in the evening. It was good to see her resting her leg.
At 22:59 she raised herself up – it made me ache a bit to see her with that left leg still causing issues but, she did quite a normal looking ps. Thick and well projected over the edge. She is eating. Who is getting the fish is unknown.
At Alyth, Harry has been busy feeding Chirpy some really nice Flounder and other fish every single day, sometimes several times a day. Today Harry arrived with a fish and no Chirpy. Has Chirpy migrated? We wait to see but it certainly looks like it. That third hatch never wanted to miss a meal!
Swoop is still delivering to Crackle at Dunrovin.
‘H’ tells us what is going on with Molly and Dorsett – they are still home!
Kent Island, 9/7 – For the second straight day, we did not see the fledgling, Molly. Some believe that Molly may be exploring a wider area, perhaps catching her own fish, and that we may see her again. In the meantime, Tom was seen dining on a nearby dock, and we saw either Tom or Audrey perched in a tree. The most pleasant surprise was when Audrey arrived at the nest around 9 pm, and spent the night on the nest. It has been a very long time since she did that.
Barnegat Light, 9/7 – There were at least two fish brought to the nest by Duke for Dorsett. Dorsett was a little conflicted as to where to eat her breakfish at 0645. She first took the fish to the 22nd street pole and ate a bit, then she flew to the 24th street pole and ate some more, and then she changed her mind once again … back to the 22nd street pole with the fish, lol.
Tweed Valley’s Poul is now in central Algeria. Ah, he didn’t stay in Morocco like Glen. Curious path. We wait to see where he goes next.
Xavier and Diamond were right on schedule with their third egg on Thursday. I am going to say something that will be wildly unpopular and then I will forever hold my peace – I actually hope that only one egg hatches. Diamond does better with a single chick that grows to be big and strong like Izzi than she does when there are two. I can’t even begin to imagine three ——and I adore Diamond. Just my own personal observation which, in the world of nature, doesn’t mean a heck of a lot!
SE 31 and 32 are growing like crazy! 31 has become an expert self-feeder.
‘A’ reports: “SE31 is really getting serious about self-feeding, which is so funny, because we thought SE32 would master this skill first and of course during that week or so when he was being intimidated, he did make some early attempts but did not have the weight to hold down prey. Now, it is SE31 who is waiting for food while SE32 gets fed, and she is getting impatient enough to start self-feeding while she waits. This eel is perfect for the purpose, long enough for Lady to feed SE32 from one end while SE31 self-feeds from the other. She starts off having some problems opening the eel but soon works it out and is doing a great job of using her right foot to hold down the food. The eels can be difficult, and Lady sometimes has to work really hard to separate the flesh from the skin, so I am really impressed by SE31’s effort on this one. It has only been opened at one end, the end from which Lady is feeding SE32, so SE31 is doing great work. Check her out from around 15:40! Quite the professional. Well done SE31! SE31 is much more balanced on her feet than SE32 and is practising her walking and her wingercising with vigour. She is really starting to look more like a juvenile than a nestling, with her beautiful feathers growing in by the day. Two absolutely exquisite sea eaglets. How lovely it is to see them getting along so nicely again. This nest really does have something special, as according to my reading, many authors consider this an obligate siblicide species. Fledging two happy eaglets who get along well season after season is quite an achievement if that is the case, and one can only assume it has something to do with the parenting on the nest. It is not because we have single-gender clutches here (especially two males). As far as I can recall, the last three seasons have seen a female first hatch with a younger brother. So unless there’s something genetic that makes the offspring of this couple particularly laid-back, it seems to be more nurture than nature as it were.”
There should be another egg arrival at Port Lincoln.
At Collins Street, Dad brought in a Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike for Mum. Wow. Way to go Dad!
These Shrikes range in size from 32-34 cm and mostly feed on insects, seeds, and some fruits. They are stunning birds in terms of their plumage. The body is a soft pearl pale gray often paler on the belly. Their face has a very distinctive ebony black mask and throat. If you look carefully there may be some white edges at the wing and feather tips. The eye is black blending in with the mask while the sharp bill is a deep charcoal. The bird is really a study in greys -. Gorgeous. They live in wooded areas as well as urban habitats and farmland in a large area that reaches from Indonesia to Australia.
So are there two or three? We wait for the reveal at Collins Street.
At the Royal Albatross Colony, Manaaki is losing all of that fluffy baby down and starting to look like a juvenile who will soon embark on a journey so long and for so many years that it is hard for this human to fathom it.
Oh, wow. Good news from SWFlorida coming from ‘A’: “We have lovely news from SWFL, with M15 and his new lady love having been observed bonding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHlwSU3y4uA&list=TLPQMDgwOTIwMjPQFEwHlsRyRQ&index=3 Does this not gladden your heart? What a loss it would be if the best eagle dad of all time did not get the chance to be a dad again.”
Checking on Karl II and his family:
Kaia is in the Ukraine near some fish ponds. Nice.
Waba is also in the Ukraine.
Bonus is alive, but the transmitter is only sending out an alive signal not a location.
Kalvi is in Bulgaria.
There has been no data available for Karl II, the patriarch of the clan. I have not but am hoping to find an update somewhere for today.
Pharmaceuticals kill birds that forage. India, one of the largest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals for humans and non-humans, is banning two veterinary drugs that have proven to kill vultures – Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac- can no longer be manufactured, sold and distributed throughout India. Are these being used in your country?
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Hoping to see you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, PSEG, Sue Wallbanks and Friends of Loch Arkaig Osprey Cam, Kent Island, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Tweed Valley Osprey Project, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Deborah Victoriana and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, PLO, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, NZ DOC, Maria Marika, Looduskalender Forum, and BirdLife International.
I hope that you have had a lovely weekend and for those living in places where this is a long weekend, savour all the moments left before returning to the norm.
It was the second day of integration with Missey, Lewis, and Calico. Missey and Calico are fine. Lewis still has an attitude about the new family member and was not happy today. He must have let it fester all night. So Missey and Calico spent the most time together while Lewis was in and out of various rooms depending on who was where. We continue to work with treats, nice food, and spreading the scent of Calico being mindful of the safety of all three. Tomorrow is a new day!
I wish Lewis was as relaxed in his behaviour as he appears.
Missey has been simply phenomenally well behaved and accepting.
Calico and Missey are in their favourite spots and so is Lewis. It is only a mater of time.
The entire time with Calico has been a huge learning experience for me. I rarely give my City a ‘high five,’ but I will now. There are so many programmes for feral cats and dogs – to spay and neuter them and return them to their community OR for people who want to adopt them and take them home. One agency was offering $20 spay and neuter. Others are heavily discounted, and the Humane Society will spay and neuter for people to own the animal for $50. This is an incredible discount from taking them to the vet! It also helps keep the animals off the street, gives them a home, and gives people companions who need the social interaction (in many instances). They do not help with rescuing cats and kittens under decks and this would be very helpful especially those that require trapping.
‘H’ just sent me a note that there is one egg at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne and that both cameras are operational! Yes! I had been so involved with the drama between Lewis and Calico that I missed this. This is fantastic news for all falcon lovers. Thanks so much ‘H’.
Here is the link to the cam with the egg in the scrape.
Bazz Hockaday has some more images of Ervie from the past couple of days. What a fine fisher Ervie became!
For those of you who do not know, Ervie is the third hatch of Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln in 2021. His two big siblings were also male, Bazza and Falkey. Despite his size, Ervie wanted to live, and he took no gruff off Bazza after a few days getting himself right up to Mum’s beak for the fish. It is the only year that I can recall no siblicide at the PLO nest, and I attribute that to the fact that the three fledglings were all male. During feedings, they got along in the nest, lined up like sweet choir boys. It was only after fledgling that they went at one another, becoming independent in their own right and striving to succeed. Falkey flew off the dock, flew about 350 miles away and was never heard from after the first sighting. Bazza has not been seen since leaving the area. Ervie stayed close to home. He lived on puffers for the first half a year or so it seems. He lost a talon and then to the delight of all was seen fishing with Dad. He is the love of so many people’s hearts from that year and we are overjoyed that he is thriving.
I am so glad that there is some action in Australia. There is very little happening at the Osprey nests. Most have departed for their various migration sites. The Bald Eagles are flying in to their nests and working on them.
At Turnby Island in South Australia, our couple – Marrum and Partner – now have two eggs while we wait for the first at Port Lincoln.
Dad Harry was still delivery fishing at Alyth to the third hatch, Chirpy, who is 99 days old today. My goodness he is so good to his last chick at home. Look at that super nice fish!
Idris is still delivering fish to Senior at the Dyfi Osprey platform.
Maya was still at Rutland.
White YW and one of the fledglings are still at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria.
Aran is still busy feeding 0H1 and 0H2 at Glaslyn as of Saturday!
This morning they all seem to be in the Valley.
At Dunrovin, Swoop is still providing fish dinners for Snap and Crackle.
Iris is still home, and she is making it known that this is her nest as she does some restorations before migration. Gosh, she looks good!
Mini flew over and in front of the brewery to land on both of her legs on the perch at 1726. She looks much better than she did yesterday. She is fish crying and wouldn’t it be superb if Dad would bring her a fish – for our sakes – on the nest? Gosh, that would be grand. One last time seeing her eat a nice big fish meal.
Oh, what a lovely sight you are our dear girl! Thank you for coming to see us.
Good Night, Mini.
Thanks Rosie Shields for the End of Season report on Borders Osprey. Congratulations on a great year with Samson and Juno!
The report for the end of season fish count at Llyn Clywedog. Dylan sure does love those Brown Trout and so does Seren and the kiddos.
‘H’ sends us her two morning reports – Fortis Exshaw is not empty of Banff and Louise and we have only Barnegat Light and Kent Island.
Kent Island – Tom brought at least three fish to the nest for his fledgling. For the most part, Molly has been taking her fish off the nest to eat. Molly is 84 days old, and she fledged on 8/11.
Barnegat Light – Thanks to the efforts of Daddy Duke, Dorsett is looking a little bit chubby. All that extra fat will serve her well though, as she will soon get the urge to start her long journey south. Dorsett is 96 days old, and she fledged on 7/30.
Karl II comes to say goodbye to his nest just like. Kaia did. The kids are on their way, there is no more mouths to feed, and Karl can make his own way to the centre of Africa for the winter. W hat an amazing dad he was and what a difficult year. I t was the first time, that I am aware, that he did a brood reduction. There was simply a drought and not enough food- thanks to Urmas and his team, the family survived and the three out of four storklets went on to fledge.
Well, Karl II did not waste any time. His tracker shows him to be in Belarus.
Kalvi is in the north of Poland.
The last transmission for Bonus was August 28 and showed him in Belarus before the battery of the tracker quit sending.
Waba and Kaia are still in Ukraine according to the last reports posted that I saw.
In Australia, ‘A’ writes: “It’s just after 9am and the eaglets are waiting patiently for breakfast. They are playing with a leaf on a stalk, grabbing it from one another. So sweet. They are the cutest little eaglets. I just adore them. I check them first thing every morning to see if they have eaten. Usually, they are in the middle of their second breakfast by now but not for the past two days. I can only assume this is a parental decision and is deliberate. When they need to, they have been quite prepared to raid a nearby nest for a meal, and when Dad decided it was time to feed them the other day, he had a fish on the nest in under ten minutes. So I can’t help but think this is not a food shortage but a life lesson. There is a lot of preening going on as those feathers grow. I can’t believe how SE31’s shoulder feathers have grown in the last two or three days. She really is more feathers than down now. They’ll have juvenile plumage before we know it. Our little fluff balls are nearly gone already. I do love their little pale grey heads though, especially SE32’s. He is a darling. And all the bald patches on his little head and neck have grown back now, so he looks a little less like a raggamuffin.”
“Lady has spent a bit of time on the nest with the kids this morning, but has disappeared again now. I’m not sure, but they bring it very quickly when they decide it’s time for food. I just get the impression they’re not in a rush to go and get anything… The eaglets have been getting at least one really good feeding per day over the past two or three days. They seem to be doing well, though obviously, we would like them to eat at least two good meals a day. From what I remember, food has not been a problem at this nest before, but we will wait and see. Still, for the third day in a row, it is late (after 2pm) and no food has arrived yet.”
SK Hideaways show us that good fish lunch the eaglets were devouring.
The adults are coming and going at 367 Collins Street!
No eggs at Port Lincoln.
Thank you so much for being with me. Please take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, streaming cams, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Bazz Hockaday and Friends of Osprey Sth Aus, Alyth, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Jane Dell and UKOsprey Info, Foulshaw Ospreys, Dunrovin Ranch, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, PLO, Montana Osprey Research Project, PSEG, Rosie Shields and Border Ospreys, Alastair Cameron, Peggy Beatrice and the Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender Forum, SK Hideaways and Sydney Sea Eagles, Sydney Sea Eagles, and 367 Collins Street by Mirvac.
I hope the beginning of the week has been kind to each of you! It is nearing 1700 on Monday as I begin to write after spending some time checking on the birds – both on the screen and in the garden. Things are winding down. Spotters in the UK are starting to see migrating ospreys flying south. Here it was sunny and is now overcast. The Blue Jays and a single Crow have offered joy in the garden today. It will not be long before the migrating birds appear, including the hummingbirds and the Baltimore Orioles looking for their grape jelly and oranges, before continuing their southern journeys. I plan to get to the nature centre on Wednesday for a long walk and check on the ducklings and goslings. They should be all grown up! Little Red was there, too, and Dyson and the gang will, hopefully, be around later this evening.
There is severe weather headed for the east coast of the US that is predicted to produce 75-80 mph winds, hail, and tornadoes. Thinking of all our nests including, potentially, our Mini – and all of you. Stay safe.
Mini was on the nest at least twice today. In the image below, at 16:32, she has a crop. She got the 0601 fish delivery! Not huge, but a fish, and she will have another during the day for sure – as is noted in that 16:32 crop.
It is hard to see Mini’s nest empty…one day soon she will not show up, she will be on her way south. While we will never know for certain what will happen to this young lady, she has been a survivor. There is some concern Monday evening that Mini might have an injury to her left leg. Let us all just breathe. We have seen ‘slight’ injuries on nests take several days to heal. Mini will rest and Dad will bring fish if she is, indeed, having an issue.
Oh, goodness. Mini is still favouring that left leg this morning. She cannot put much weight on it. She has a fish and let us all hope that our little one heals..she has plenty of time before she might think about migrating in September. Just rest, Mini!
Can she hold down the fish hard well enough to eat…let’s keep an eye.
We fretted over the debris in Mini’s nest and thankfully, none of the twine or the bin bags endangered the health of the adults or the osplets. In Montana, they continue to find osprey chicks when they are being banded in nests where they are tangled – dangerously so. Thankful for the intervention.
Oh, what a cute little one. So grateful he is recovering.
A hope, skip, and jump around the nests. There is not a lot of action – that is a good thing.
MN Landscape: Chick is self-feeding, but when Mum has a fish she is eating, this baby is loud with the fish begging!
Boulder County: That nest just seems to get smaller and smaller when all three of the fledglings are home!
Seaside: Naika and Kawok continue to fly in and off the nest. Naika had a beautiful big fish that could not be finished. Kawok got to finish the best part – the tail half!
Clark PUD: One osplet has fledged. Both on the nest and being fed. All looks good.
Loch of the Lowes: Please note that Blue NC0 has not been seen since 15 July and the male, Blue PF5 for several days now.
Janakkala, Finland: Ospreys watching for Dad who delivers fish – and then the great tug o war begins.
Muonio, Finland. Video of the ringing of the chicks has been released.
Port Lincoln Osprey: The date of Zoe’s egg tells it all. Soon we will be staring at incubation in Southern Australia.
Mum and Dad on the nest of the barge at Port Lincoln. They are both anticipating the arrival of the first egg.
It is time for ‘H’s report:
Fortis Exshaw: “It was not the best of days for the youngest chick, JJ. In the early morning, both Banff and JJ took turns trying to eat the large fish tail left over from the very tough fish the previous day. The tail also had a large piece of attached skin dangling from it. JJ finally managed to eat the skin and tail at 0816. As it turned out, that was all that JJ had to eat on 8/7. Two large fish were delivered to the nest, the first one by O’Hara at 0844, and Louise delivered one at 1352. The older sibling, Banff, ate both of those fish. JJ did have a couple of good meals the previous day, however, and we’re hoping the fishing improves for Louise and O’Hara today. The air was visibly smoky or foggy for most of the day, and a nearby viewer confirmed it was smoke from a distant fire. Perhaps the smoke had made fishing more difficult for the adults. There were no major intruder issues that we could see.”
Osoyoos – It was another good day for the family. There were six fish delivered to the nest. The body of chick #2 had been slipping off the edge of the nest for a few hours, and at 1205 when Soo shook the nest as she flew, the body finally fell to the ground. A member of the Facebook group who lives in Osoyoos was going to try to retrieve #2’s body.
Kent Island – A severe storm system went through the area in the evening, with heavy rains and wind gusts that were predicted to be up to 70 mph. The live video stream went off, and the cam is showing highlights. During the day, young Molly had been ‘helicoptering’ so high that she was out of cam view a couple of times. I hope she wasn’t too excited with all the wind and continued practicing her hovers. We hope that Molly and her parents, Audrey and Tom, stayed safe during the storm. We anxiously await the return of the live stream, and for any news from the Com family.
Barnegat Light – A couple of ‘firsts’ for this osprey family on 8/7: On 6/28 Dorsett was banded, and afterward the bander installed a new perch for Duke near the Bay. On 8/4, the fledgling Dorsett, was on the perch for the first time, and then on 8/7 Daisy tried the perch for the first time! The other ‘first’ was that Dorsett flew in and landed on the railing with a big gob of soft nesting material in her talon. A surprised Daisy said, “Well how lovely, thank you very much, Dear!”
Severna Park was another nest impacted by the strong storm system on 8/7. Here is a photo of the two fledglings after the worst of the storm was over.
Patuxent Nest-1 was also inundated by the storm on 8/7. In this photo the two fledglings are waiting for their ‘breakfish’ delivery on 8/8.
Audubon Boathouse – It is not very often that Skiff and Dory are seen together at the Boathouse nest, but they were on 8/6. Little Skipper was predated by an owl 15 days ago. The view from the Boathouse nest cam is one of the most picturesque of any osprey streaming cam, and perhaps soon I will be able to find solace in its beauty. But, it’s just not happening yet.
Black Stork Karula Forest: This is the nest of Karl II and Kaia. Karl II has the sole responsibility for feeding the three storklets since 23 July at 16:19 when Kaia was last seen on the nest. She is not dead. She is foraging in an area with a brook about 6km from the nest site. Storklet 7194 fledged on 7 August.
Big Red and Arthur’s Red Tail Hawk Nest:
Ferris Akel has some really good footage of the Ms and family!
San Jose City Hall: SK Hideaways caught more bonding between Monty and Hartley. Wonder where Soledad is and how she is doing?
Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Orange: Xavier and Diamond continue bonding and mating as the 2023 breeding season is getting ready to begin in Australia. ‘A’ remarks, “At Orange, bonding activities are increasing, including mating up to several times an hour and much prey being brought to the scrape. Diamond will occasionally accept a starling but only if she is particularly hungry, which is rare – she is not often seen without a noticeable crop. Xavier brought her an eastern rosella she was happy about the other day and a pigeon was on today’s menu, but he usually dances around with his starlings before leaving again, taking his starling with him. He is so svelte and handsome with his snowy bib and his orange feet.”
Sydney Sea Eagles: Both eaglets are being fed very well. There is a variety of food including fish and today an eel! Their big crops have made lovely cushions to sleep on. What a relief.
Roy Cam Albatross: ‘A’ reports “The big news is that Manaaki weighed only 8 kg at today’s weighing (he is 200 days old today, only 40 days from the average fledge age, and today was one of 20 chicks at the colony, 10 males and 10 females, to be fitted with a data logger). The 8 kg he weighed today is down from his peak weight of 11 kg, and a supplementary feeding is scheduled for him tomorrow or Thursday. Imagine, we never thought we would see our big boy needing supplementary feeding, but that is what happens when a parent fails to return, and sadly, it has been way too long since we last saw L (20 July). GLY has done his best but he is unable to sustain a male chick on his own. At this point, GLY has not been in since 30 July, which is a very long time for GLY, who usually has half that time between visits. Before this absence, L was gone for 15 days in April and again in May, but this is significantly longer than those absences. So we are all worried about both parents at this stage and Manaaki has obviously been hungry for several days, begging other chicks’ parents for food. It would be a tragedy to lose either one of this couple, who had already successfully fledged two chicks before Manaaki so were a well-established pair.”
Lady Hawk gives us a video of the GPS tracking device and the weighing.
Going back to Port Lincoln, there is news of Ervie and Zoe from the Port Lincoln FB page today:
Please send all your most positive energy to our Mini if she has an injury to her leg so that she rests and recovers fully.
Thanks, everyone for being with me today. Please take care. I look forward to seeing you again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, CNN Weather, NOAA, PSEG, Wild Skies Raptor Centre, MN Landscape Arboretum, Boulder County, Seaside, Clark PUD, LOTL, FOF, PLO, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Audubon Boathouse, Patuxent River Park, Severna, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Kent Island Ospreys, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender, Ferris Akel Tours, Cornell Bird Lab, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam and Port Lincoln Ospreys FB.
The weekend is over for many and in Canada and those having Bank Holidays there is one more day before the week officially begins. Oh, retirement is wonderful! Sometimes I do not even know what day it is!
Before I move any further, one of my favourite authors, David Gessner, hs some appearances in Cape. Do you live close enough to attend? If so, lucky you! And if you have not read Soaring with Fidel – please do. Often for sale at heavily discounted prices, it is the tracking of an Osprey to its winter home in South America through Cuba. It can inspire you to follow the birds too just like individuals follow the falling cherry blossoms in Japan.
We had an ‘explosion’ of Blue Jays this year, according to my neighbour. The only ones that I could tell apart were that little rather round one and Junior, the Dad, because he was moulting. But now, I have stared at them so much there is a way to tell them apart and tomorrow I plan to have a chart and I can tell which ones are coming and going. With an Osprey, it is the pattern on their head that never changes from when they are ready to fledge til they die. Take images of the front, back, sides, and top – stare. Make a file. you can recognise those ospreys! This does not readily work with Blue Jays but there is something about their tails and it is the lateral white band. Some have a very delicate scalloped white lateral band, some have a white dot on the outermost feathers on either side, one had a single white dot on the very middle tail feather. Each appears to be unique. — I am not a Blue Jay expert. Someone who is might tell me that I am totally wrong but right now, that seems to be a good start for this family.
I have learned from my friends and readers living in Germany that I am blessed to have Blue Jays because they do not see them! So a little factual information for those who live where Blue Jays do not:
The Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata is a little larger than an American Robin, about 30 cm in length from the tip of its bill to the tip of its tail. A white-faced bird with a blue crest, back, wings, and tail, it is strongly marked with black and white. Male and female Blue Jays are very similar in appearance. The crest, an elongated crown of feathers found in many jays, is raised or lowered according to the bird’s mood. In moments of high excitement and aggression the crest may be fully erected, forming a prominent peak. When the Blue Jay is greatly surprised or excited, the crest points forward. If the bird is frightened, the crest bristles out like a bottle brush. The Blue Jay’s crest position, when erected, is emphasized by a black band that crosses over the back of the head, a continuation of the broad band or necklace across the chest. However, when the bird is feeding among other jays, when it is ready to flee, or when it is quietly resting, the crest is laid flat on top of the head, giving the bird a quite different and somewhat untidy appearance.
Hinterland Who’s Who – Blue Jay
This is one of the babies. Notice the deep white lateral band on the tail feathers and that gorgeous scallop. So what is this chap doing? Sibley says that he is sunning himself BUT, is this behaviour something else? Sunning is when a bird spreads its wings and fluffs its body feathers to take advantage of the airflow between the feathers. In this instance, while this might look like sunning, we have to consider other factors. First, the lad has its crest raised. Those wings are beating a bit in alarm, and the Jay appears to be mantling precious peanuts. What you cannot see is that Little Red is sitting on a tree branch wanting those nuts!!!!!!!!!
Blue Jays do not grow their feathers simultaneously. When they moult, they drop one or two feathers at a time. This fellow appears to be missing one feather on the left and a central one coming in. If the feathers come out completely, I was told they will grow back. n immediately. Fantastic. You might recall that I had an earlier little one that lost its tail feathers due to a fright moult. He is quick and stays in the lilacs out of the sight of my camera, but it appears those feathers are coming in.
This one is quite different in its patterning.
This little one did not want me to see its tail! It was hot and all it wanted to do was drink – remember, water!
He finally turned but I had a bad sight line. A single white on the far left feather.
Another variation! This is the youngest of all the babies in the garden. Will the patterns on this tail change during August? I will keep an eye and report back. Isn’t this little one just precious?
And another. There should be 14 different patterns for the 14 different birds. If you have several Blue Jays in your garden or if you see Blue Jays, let me know what you discover – does each have a different pattern with the white on the tail?
For those who do have Blue Jays, just a tip. They need calcium. sometimes there are not natural sources. What you can do for the Jays and all the other birds, especially during egg laying season, is to provide them with crushed egg shells. Please wash the shells out and allow them to dry before crushing them and placing them on a feeder.
Today was planned to be the day that Calico’s kitten or kittens would be found, and they would begin their integration into the family by staying in the luxury suite – the Conservatory. Geemeff gave me some fantastic tips to help this happen. Sunday morning Calico decided that she wanted to come into the house. I wasn’t quite ready. There was a new litter box and some ‘high value’ treats to get along with kitten milk in case, for some crazy reason, something happened) and toys. The plan was to follow her after her afternoon meal. (She comes approximately every 3 hours). She ate 4 small tins of cat food (yes, that is not a typo) and drank 1/3 of a tin of kitten milk. She loves the stuff, and it is so good to help her replenish her lost calcium and give her protein. She was not anxious to come into the house. We were ready to follow her and had a blanket, a cat carrier, a tin of salmon and another of sardines to try and lure the kitten/s out so we could get them. At some point, she spotted us and darted under a gate and down a sidewalk in a person’s yard. By the time we had retraced our steps and were in the back lane, Calico was nowhere to be seen.
Like birdwatching, this is going to require patience. Everything is in order. We wait. Either the kitten/s will follow Calico to our house, or she will bring them if she feels that level of trust. Or once weaned, she will return full-time to the garden and I will bring her into the house. She has been dewormed and has had her flea and tick treatment. She has standing appointments with two vets and the clinic at the Humane Society. My grandmother always said that things work out how they should. Patience, dear one, patience!
Just hoping these two are welcoming!
A wonderful intervention that took less than half an hour and saved a chick’s life. Please read. It is a heart warming story of a huge storm, Monty and Nora, and their two babies.
For those who opposed the intervention, Emyr Evans wrote, “The bottom line is that Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust is one of the 46 Wildlife Trust charities working hard for Conservation in the UK. It took 500 years for Man to completely, and artificially, wipe out the osprey in this country. Even today they are still shot and their eggs stolen illegally, year after year after year. To my knowledge, at least six adults have been shot in just the last three years alone. Illegal osprey persecution and killing is intervention no matter how you look at it. A half an hour intervention yesterday doesn’t even begin to re-address the balance.”
With the storms in the US and the overfishing in the NE of the vital fish for the Ospreys, I know that you can think of at least one nest that would have benefitted from an intervention such as that above. As a society, we must consider what we have done to the planet and how these beautiful birds might be living if we had not intervened and destroyed their habitat, the air they breathe, depleted the fish and then caused all manner of poisonings, harming them with debris. The list is endless, never mind the dramatic impacts of climate change that we have caused. Of course, this statement applies to all of North America, Canada included!
With all the discussions about the Cornell Bird Lab, and window strike and M2’s death, my friend ‘R’ sent me an article to read and share with everyone. Just imagine, “This is a huge problem,” the author writes. “They estimate that somewhere between 300 million and 1 billion birds a year die in the United States from window collisions.”
They are simple solutions for our homes, but I think the tiny pink squares would work on the office windows at Cornell as they would elsewhere…we have the strips on the Conservatory, and the other windows look like a team of youngsters were turned loose with white markers. We have not lost a bird to a window strike.
The real question is this: We know the problem, and we know the solutions, so why aren’t big companies and institutions that have buildings with large amounts of glass doing something about this? I find it very frustrating – just like the simplest solution to not decapitating albatross is to set the lines of the long-haul trawlers at night. Like, do it! Don’t be complacent.
Let’s start with ‘H’s report first because there is great news coming out of Fortis Exshaw: “Any day that the nestlings have a couple of crop-filling meals is a good day. Both JJ and Banff woke up very early and were delighted to find large leftover pieces of fish on the nest. They both ate, and had crops. At 0632 O’Hara touched down on the nest, looked around a bit, and then left. He was almost immediately followed to the nest by Louise who brought a large fish. Louise fed both siblings. Again, both had nice crops. O’Hara had returned to the nest at the beginning of the feeding and he stayed for 24 minutes, simply standing guard while Louise fed the kids. At 0709 there was an intruder issue, Louise and the kids were all alarming, and O’Hara immediately flew to the nest to assist with nest defense. After five minutes he bolted off the nest in pursuit of the intruder. Louise is known for the large fish she catches, but at 0909 she delivered the smallest fish I’ve ever seen her catch. Banff ate that one. The last fish of the day was delivered by Louise at 1422. It was a large headless fish, and Banff claimed it. We noticed that Banff was having a little difficulty pulling off pieces. Banff ate for 75 minutes before walking away, and JJ took over. There was still 3/4 of the fish remaining. JJ had even more difficulty pulling off pieces of fish. JJ ate for nearly an hour, and only managed a slight crop. The siblings continued to take turns eating from that fish for six hours. At least 1/4 of the fish remained as darkness fell. That was one tough fish! The siblings are both 50 days old, and Banff has been achieving a little lift-off from the nest during her wing exercises.”
Osoyoos – “There were at least five fish brought to the nest that I saw. Soo and Olsen’s youngster ate well. It is emotionally difficult for the livestream viewers when a chick dies, and when the body remains in the nest it is a persistent reminder of the sadness. There have been a few attempts to cover the body with new nesting material the past couple of days. On 8/6, Soo tried to remove the body of #2, but it was heavy, and unfortunately it got hung up on some sticks at the rail.”
Forsythe – It was a better day for Ollie. Oscar delivered three fish to the nest for her. Older sibling, Owen, was not seen for the third straight day. Opal was last seen a couple of times on 7/25, and once on 7/29. Ollie is in charge of the nest and has been taking on the intruders, quite effectively I might add.
Kent Island – Oh my goodness, 55-day-old Molly has been doing some brief hovers!
Barnegat Light – Daisy caught a false albacore and treated beach-loving Dorsett to some ‘little tunny’.
Dahlgren – D12 hangs out at the nest more than D11 does, but usually when Jack delivers a fish, D11 appears out of nowhere to make a claim. This has resulted in some epic battles and tug-o-fish between the two siblings. Mom, Harriet, has not been seen for three days.
Thanks so very much ‘H’. That is great news at Fortis Exshaw and Osoyoos.
Dorset Hobby Falcons: We have the first fledge!
Patchogue: Every time we get a glimpse of Mini, it could be the last one. She has grown into such a beautiful bird with those short stout legs and big wings, the hearts on her chest, and her dirty knees. How fortunate we were to have her in our lives this year – this bird gives me hope!
When I look at those hearts, I think they represent each of us that loved her dearly and sent her warm wishes for survival. Her cheering squad. Just look at how many there are! She carries us with her wherever she goes.
Collins Marsh: Both osplets have successfully fledged. Mum is till content to feed them on the nest and they return to have a nice rest once in awhile, too. Flying is hard work!
Clark PUD: Both osplets have fledged. They, too, are returning to the nest. Beautiful!
MN Landscape: Everything is a little damp but the fish are coming in and this chick is looking good.
Sandpoint: This nest was needing fish and two arrived on Sunday. We need more!
Loch Arkaig: Luco gets some fish from Dad – there were 5 fish delivered on the 6th. Ludo was so full he could have popped.
Poole Harbour: Another nest with lots of good fish for the trio.
Llyn Brenig:
Dyfi Ospreys: I am always so entranced about their comings and goings. Wish all the nests safe travels, full crops, and a return next year.
Finnish Ilomantain: Some nice fish on the nest for the chicks.
Charles Sturt Falcon Cam: Xavier wants eggies!
Port Lincoln: Last year Mum laid Zoe’s egg on 9 August. Just sayin’. we are getting close!
Sydney Sea Eagles: WBSE 32 got a good feed. ‘A’ remarks, “It seems little SE32 has become much more confident today. SE31 is still getting the best of the feedings, but not because SE32 is being intimidated or bonked but just because SE32 is not accepting all the mouthfuls it is being offered. It seems both chicks are being well fed and SE32 is not instantly cowed by sudden movements. Rather, it is sitting beside its sibling, watching the feeding and waiting its turn, without being intimidated. This is a wonderful development, as this situation has always been more about SE32’s attitude than SE31’s bonking. Now the younger one seems far less scared and is much more confident sitting up at the table. We will see how the rest of the day goes, but it is 3pm currently and another feed has just ended. Both chicks have been well fed today and I have not seen SE32 bonked at all today. It is sometimes slow to join in the feeding, but that is its own choice, not the result of being intimidated.”
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, their posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, R’, David Gessner, Osprey Watch, NY Times, CBS News, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Kent Island, Forsythe, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Dahlgren, Sk Hideaways and Dorset Hobby Falcons, PSEG, Collins Marsh, Clark PUD, Sandpoint, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Poole Harbour, Sue Wallbank’s and Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles, and SK Hideaways and Sydney Sea Eagles.
