urban raptors – Page 6 – Mary Ann Steggles

Clive, the bravest of the brave…Thursday in Bird World

10 October 2024

Hello Everyone,

Cams are down in Florida. We have yet to determine what happened. ‘PB’ sent the following images to me from Barb Henry. All is well at SW Florida in Fort Myers. We are waiting for the word of Clive. And I am presuming that Achieva platform is alright. It was still holding in the worst winds as the far eye wall went through last night.

This report is a kind of mixed-up stream of consciousness following of Milton and the nests. In particular, I focused on Captiva, Achieva, and SW Florida. Thursday was quite the day and many of the other nests got simply overlooked – brief mentions at the tail end. So many of you watched Clive and stayed with him til the cameras went out at Captiva. He is my hero! Let us all hope that there is some word from Window to Wildlife on his status on Thursday since power to the cameras appears to be out there.

This is the wall of the hurricane after Milton made landfall hitting the Achieva Osprey platform. Notice the surge of water in the street below.

Milton has made landfall. So far, M15 and F23’s nest is holding. Some of the upper branches might break off.

At 36 minutes to landfall…cameras went out at Captiva at 1934 or thereabouts. At that time, Clive was in the nest.

Achieva. 89 mph wind gusts at the moment. Achieva had 5 inches of rain in an hour and had more than 7 inches prior to that. Lots of flash floods. The worst of the winds seem to hit Achieva after 2100 and you could see the streets filling up with water. See second image below.

This was 24 minutes til landfall near Achieva nest.

M15 visited his nest in Fort Myers, Florida before a tornado was at Cape Coral moving towards the Fort Myers area. They are expecting that tornado to hit the area of the nest within a few minutes as I write this. This is a PDF tornado, a monster tornado with life-threatening winds. They are saying that these are some of the biggest tornadoes ever seen in Florida. There is significant damage on the north side of Fort Myers. The cells are moving to the east and the nest should be alright for now. It is 1317 at the nest.

Lots of water when that system went through but M15’s tree is still standing.

Twisting M15’s tree around. Not sure those top perches are going to survive this.

There are huge tornadoes all over the area of the nests that are covered on the streaming cams – and, of course, all those wildlife that are not covered on cam. What a horrible day this is going to be.

One of the Bald Eagles is in the nest at Captiva! Look at the time. We are within 1 hour 48 minutes of Milton making landfall. Maybe this eagle knows something we don’t. They are thinking the hurricane is going to hit Sarasota instead of Tampa Bay. That would include Fort Myers and, of course, Captiva is in that path.

Lots of power line flashes going on at Captiva.

Osprey nest at Captiva. The storm surge is hitting the island. Milton is 1 hour and 3 minutes away and the osprey nest is losing sticks and rocking but holding in there.

Cameras off at Captiva now. Clive was still at the nest, hunkered way down as the hurricane went right over Captiva on its way towards St Petersburgh and Sarasota.

‘PB’ sent the migration map. Notice how smart those birds were to avoid Florida.

In other news…

Wilko and sibling, halfway around the world, only have one thing on their mind – fish! *

Every crop is full at 367 Collins Street in Melbourne.

‘A’ reports. “Those three are voracious eaters, and mum is kept very busy indeed filling those three endlessly open beaks. The youngest is very good at getting fed – it begs ceaselessly and loudly and always has its beak wide open. When it turns forward to face mum, it does not do as well as when it has its back to her in the tripod configuration I have been talking about. When the three beaks are gathered together in the centre of the tripod, it is very easy for mum to put food into all three, even though the heights vary. So the youngest has the best access to food in this position, which it has quickly realised. Smart little eyas. Getting fed is its number one priority after all and it is working that out fast.

These little snow people are beyond adorable. Fluffy wee falcons are the cutest things. Little dad is working hard and doing a great job. From soon after 16:24, we can hear him chirping away from the northern end of the ledge. Mum is brooding the trio, who are sprawled in front of the open garage, sleeping in a pile. Dad is eager to get mum’s attention, but she remains with the chicks, It certainly interests the chicks, who wake up at the sound of dad e=chupping. He then begins his kak-kak-kak vocalisation, loudly. He repeats it once or twice. No move from mum. “

The two little falcons appear to be doing just fine at Orange.

All is well with the Olympic Park Sea Eaglets.

Everything is good at Port Lincoln!

Thank you to everyone for being with us. Continue to send positive wishes to everyone as heavy work begins cleaning up after Milton. Take care. See you soon.

*It was reported that Mum removed Comet from the nest. This was an error. The second hatch was fed to the two other chicks as we saw at Niagara Bee.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, PR’, Achieva Credit Union, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Google Maps, BirdCast, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.

Two at Port Lincoln as Milton gets closer to the Florida nests near Ft Myers and Tampa Bay…Tuesday in Bird World

8 October 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

There are not a lot of images today. Apologies all around. You will recall that I have been battling the fact that my allocation of media is at its limit. I have just discovered that there are over – hold on – 50,000 unattached files starting in 2017. I have been deleting them 20 at a time. There must be a more efficient way to do that!

For now, though, most of us have only one thing on our minds and that is Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida and our beloved birds (and friends) there. They are watching and expect Milton to make land fall at Tampa Bay as a category 3 or 4. Despite this slow down, it is going to be catastrophic for this area of Florida that does not normally get hit directly.

Before we even think about Milton, we need a smile and that comes from Annie and Archie who have returned to The Campanile to bond! https://youtu.be/iwBATgGYDHg?

It is difficult to sit and watch knowing that Hurricane Milton is going to tear through Sanibel possibly destroying the Captiva Osprey and Bald Eagle nests. The only – and I do mean ‘only’ – silver lining to any of this is that there are no eggs or chicks on any of the Florida nests yet. The Barrier Islands will get hit first and no doubt, the impact of this hurricane might well be much worse than Ian a couple of years ago. Our thoughts today are with the people and wildlife of Florida as Milton changed quickly from a category 1 to a category 5 hurricane in the blink of an eye. https://youtu.be/AdTp1XgG4Rg?

Many of the wildlife rehabilitation centres have no place to take their animals. They have more than two hundred patients, some because of Helene. They are in direct line of Milton and their buildings will not take the 160-200 mph winds. Good people are staying with their clients and this is beyond sad. CROW is on Sanibel. There might not be anything left of the homes on the Barrier Islands, according to the discussions on many of the weather channels Monday evening.

It is raining at Fort Myers on Monday.

It is raining at Captiva. I am expecting Captiva to get hit by Milton about the same time or slightly before Fort Myers.

Wind and rain begins Monday evening at Captiva. It is coming down harder and harder.

Captiva Eagle Cam. Have a good look at both of them so we can compare after.

The winds are starting to pick up at Achieva Osprey platform in St Petersburgh.

Gabby was at the NE Florida nest in the early morning hours of Monday. I do not know if Beau is on the LOP (Look Out Perch).

At the Olympic Sea Eagle nest, ‘A’ writes: “At WBSE, we still have two eaglets lying duckling style, side by side, on the nest. They are such adorable nestlings, soon to be fledglings. They are getting along famously as usual – I remain absolutely convinced that we have two brothers here. They have had virtually no bonking at all – a little enforcing of pecking order for a few days but nothing vicious and never anything that prevented either chick from eating. So as usual, Lady and Dad have done a sterling job of making a mockery of this ‘obligate siblicide’ rubbish that is written about WBSEs. Now, we await with great trepidation the post-fledge fate of these gorgeous eaglets whom we have come to adore. My heart just sinks at the thought. But be positive. This might just be the year. ” “Ooh, I hear honking. That must be the WBSE tab and yes, sure enough, a bird has been brought to the nest. Dad is calling for Lady, not wanting to feed the nestlings but not prepared to leave them to fight over the food. Lady is on the perch branch, not responding, and Dad is very confused about what to do. Eventually he begins preparing the food. Now, he has taken it to the bottom of the perch branch, from which vantage point he continues to glance at Lady. The eaglets have no clue what is going on. Nor do I. (I’m pretty sure I have the parental IDs correct – you know I’m often unsure about these two.) Dad sidles up the branch towards Lady and she moves away, further up the branch, and then flies off. Dad is left preparing the bird on the perch branch. We wait to see whether he feeds it to the eaglets, eats it himself, leaves it for the kids to fight over, or some combination of the above. “

Report from Sea Eagles sent by ‘A’: “
October 8: An early duet just after 5am, then several more. Both eaglets were flapping and jumping. At 6:58 Dad brought a gull chick, quickly grabbed by SE34 & mantled over. 34 fed until SE33 managed to steal it after about 20 minutes. Lady took over when she came in around 8am. She returned with a small fish at 8:43, followed by Dad with a gull chick. Lady took over feeding from both prey, with SE33 grabbing the gull wing and trying hard to take it, but Lady stood firm and kept feeding. A magpie was swooping them as well –with both eaglets alert and watching. At 12:38 Lady brought a gull chick, fed very briefly, then took it to de-feather on the branch, but dropped it as she fell off the branch. She managed to get it from the ground – most unusual – and at 13:22 fed a little more again. Lady brought a bream just before 5pm and fed both. Then more, when Dad brought another gull chick at 18:17, which Lady took off to de-feather. She was still eating it herself at 6:45…. They have had plenty though today.”

‘A’ was really hopeful that Diamond would leave that third egg out of the egg cup, but later, she moved it back and began incubating. Many of you will be screaming at Diamond – I know my daughter and ‘A’ are to get over and feed that second hatch. We have seen this before. The second chick’s neck seems to grow after a couple of days or it learns to jump to get that food. Fingers crossed. ‘A’ reports: “At some feedings, Diamond just cannot be bothered reaching for the younger chick’s beak, especially if it is behind its older sibling, and continues to encourage the older chick to eat and eat, even after it has collapsed once or twice, while the younger chick begs and begs for food, its little beak wide open. She is annoying. And then, while she waits for the older chick to snap out of its food coma, she eats herself! I am not overly concerned about this because there is plenty of food and eventually, at most feedings, the little one does get fed. But I am SO glad there is not a third chick, especially now there has been Ca time gap of over two days since the second hatch. I really would hate to see a tiny third chick try and attract enough attention from Diamond to get fed properly in its first five days or so. But they are getting frequent feedings so I am sure that both chicks will be adequately fed. I am merely reiterating what you and I know already – that Diamond really is not temperamentally up to raising three eyases. She should be perfectly fine with two, as she has been every other season I have watched. But the little one was still begging for more food at the end of that feeding, with Diamond ignoring it completely to eat for herself, then left the box with the remainder with the youngest still chirping for food the whole time she is gone.

Life is good at Collins Street. https://youtu.be/MEiouJqyTUA?

Feeding time for the kestrels: https://youtu.be/9yG3wqXojKI?

This morning there were small birds on the branches of the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23. A pair of horses could be seen in the pasture. It was also relatively calm at Captiva as Milton moves in on Florida.

There are two at Port Lincoln. There has been some notice that the second chick has not eaten or did not eat as well as expected. Is it tired from hatching? We will just have to wait and see. The obs board shows that Wilko, chick one, has been fed twice and that the second hatch, once.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please send all positive wishes to everyone in Florida. Take care yourself. We hope to see you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, SK Hideaways, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, KHOU 11, NEFL-AEF, Olympic Sea Eagle Cam, and Charter Group Bird Cams.

2nd hatch at PLO, Cute Australian Bobbleheads…Monday in Bird World

7 October 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Sunday was a bit nippy. 9 C. The 40 kph winds were whipping the trees about with the leaves falling at an alarming rate. It is now 1100 and everyone is in the garden. Three Crows eating peanuts and suet. Three Blue Jays doing the same. Then there are the 18 or so European Starlings trying to grab some mealworms in between the Jays and the Crows. At least in our garden, they are not bullies. Everyone seems to wait their turn like planes lined up on a runway. Since the spring we have not been able to see the little birds very well as they have been hidden in the lilac bushes with their thick leaves. Soon all of those lilacs will be bare.

The bird feeder workshop was quite fun. The young woman leading the few of us that dared to show we lacked some essential skills was wonderful. She discussed every aspect feeding birds from seeds to feeders and for me, how to breed my own meal worms. Yes, we will call it Hugo Yugo’s Meal Work Farm!!!!! I don’t think Calico would want anything to do with bugs and worms! You need a transparent plastic bin (ugh, plastic), some paper towels, bran, and some starter meal worms. This tub has apparently been going at Oak Hammock Marsh for fifteen years. There are hundreds and hundreds of meal worms. I will keep you posted – I have everything but the breeding stock of worms.

Then we had a tray that showed us what to feed birds, different seeds for different species. Two things she noted should not be fed: bacon grease and peanut butter. Both of them will stick to the feathers of the birds and prevent them from flying. The bacon grease melts at a lower temperature than suet which should only be used in the winter. So don’t be tempted to use it. Popcorn – do not salt or butter – and best not on strings. Just air pop it and put it on your tray feeder! Some seeds can only be purchased at specialty bird shops while others can be bought at your local feed and seed stores. Calico says to always check prices -. We get some seed from a local farmer and others at the feed and seed. Our specialty bird feed store is at least twice as expensive. With the number of birds we feed, we need to find good quality food at reasonable prices.

And like magic…another feeder for the garden!

In the fields adjacent to the marsh, the geese were feeding. There were all four species that come to this area of the Canadian Prairies present – Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, White-front Geese, and Canada Geese.

Florida hasn’t cleaned up after Hurricane Helene and already Milton is on its way to hit Fort Myers. Again, we can only be thankful that the raptors do not have any eggs or chicks in those nests. This will be the largest evacuation of Florida sine 2017 as Milton prepares for landfall. Milton appears to have the potential to impact all of the nests in Florida from Miami to Jacksonville. Stay safe everyone.

A different view of the Olympic Park Sea Eagles from cam 4. Lady is hunting for lunch! https://youtu.be/UIO6-eJBsGA?

Lady worked hard for prey.

Xavier tried to feed his chicks! Poor Guy. He is such a sweetie. Diamond is one protective falcon female!!!!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/rSGA_ATc7IE?

‘A’ reports that it is time to name the chicks at Orange! “Thought you would want this info in your blog as soon as it dropped. Here is the link for voting. They will choose the top two names from the voting (and the third egg, if it hatches, will get the third most popular name).

Here is the link to the home page (they want people to go through the home page to vote, not just go straight to the voting page, so that’s the link I’m including): https://science-health.csu.edu.au/falconcam and select the News section (if you want to go straight to the voting page, which they prefer you not to do, it’s https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSVVrghyPtbulRzJAR8GxNyv-kK66jKHowKKqg4OdXxfO0JQ/viewform?pli=1.

The name choices are:

Bidhi (big)

Birrang (high, faraway, blue sky)

Birrgun (swift)

Bumbi (smoke)

Garrama (hunter)

Ghuda (shiny)

Gindhay (playful)

Magarra (pretty or bright)

Marrung (cunning)

Nanan (fast)

Yira (sharp)”

So did Mum tell Dad to go and get a fish or put in a phone call to the fish fairies? He flew out right after a little chat. 🙂

OMG. Ervie’s little brother or sister is so cute…and Mum had such a time getting it back under her after its feeding!

Heidi reports: “The second hatch at Port Lincoln occurred prior to 15:19 on 10/7. The second baby was first seen out of the shell for a split second in a very fuzzy cam view at 15:19 (screenshot).”

The triplets are eating well in Melbourne!

Heidi got that morning feed by Mum on video! https://youtu.be/M-AMx425fZc?

Beautiful eaglets.

Lukin is the name of the little White-tail eaglet at Port Lincoln. He is 50 days old today and is standing and walking on the crane nest quite steadily.

Beau was on the LOP and Gabby was there, too. They are in the area of Milton. Send them good wishes – like I know you will to everyone.

It is raining in Fort Myers. The ground is absolutely saturated.

The nest is really a beauty. F23 and M15 have been working particularly hard and those cot rails are getting perfect. I wonder what it will look like after this hurricane? https://youtu.be/mOMRW5Ff8yw?

Brown Pelican caught on the Captiva Osprey cam where it is also raining and winds are gusting. Milton is not set to make landfall til Tuesday.

Sleeping kestrel chicks – six of them! https://youtu.be/aP6eWWocNcM?

The Black Storks are making progress on their way to Africa. Some have arrived. You can follow their journeys on the interactive BirdMap.

Calico’s Tip for the Day: Go for a walk! Or, if you can’t, sit outside in the sunshine. It will do you more good than you can imagine!

‘Nature is free, and the best kind of medicine’: is this the perfect walk for improving mental healt Download

As most of you are aware, my husband has Lewy Body Dementia. Getting out in nature is essential not only to HIS mental health, but also mine. Taking part in simple activities, like building a bird feeder, is also key to one’s well being. It was not rocket science. Pre-drilled holes, but it helped with confidence. So if you know of someone who needs a boost, see what is happening at your local wildlife centre and take them! Sign up for a morning bird walk, build a bird house, learn to identify raptors. Life is truly beautiful – live it! Our dance card is full – every day there is something even if it is a trip to the local farmer’s market for their final event. The local honey is divine. Fantastic in tea or on toast.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Send warm wishes to everyone in the path of Milton as Florida prepares to get hit again.

Bird World is so exciting with all the new babies. Watch the cams, check them out, rewind to see the wonderful feedings. Watching falcons is so much different than ospreys. Now that we know that the fish fairies will visit Port Lincoln, we can relax. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H’, Oak Hammock Marsh, CNN Weather, Olympic Park Eagle Cam 4, SK Hideaways, Falcon Cam Project, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Heidi McGrue, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Window to Wildlife, Charter Group of Wildlife Ecology, BirdMap, and The Guardian.

Fluff balls and a possible pip at PLO? ..Saturday in Bird World

5 October 2024

Hello Everyone,

Update: ‘H’ notes a possible pip at Port Lincoln.

Friday was gorgeous. It was 14 C, with no wind and a clear blue sky. The lake at the nature centre had more than 500 Canada Geese, various ducks, and seven American White Pelicans. The songbirds seemed to have left except for those cute little flitty Black-capped Chickadees. It was a great day for a long walk!

I am happy to include Florida Audubon’s magazine. I hope that you find some interesting ‘bird’ information in there!

naturalist_fall2024_web_v6_1 Download

It is pitching down rain on Port Lincoln’s Osprey Mum. Will any of those eggs hatch? She has been quite incredible over the years. Thanks to the ‘fish fairies’ her two osplets from 2023-24 survived.

The rains have stopped. Mum has been fish calling but as of 0853 none has appeared. It is unclear how strong the winds are in Port Lincoln.

Eggs are: Age (eggs): #1 : 41 days, #2 : 38 days, #3 : 35 days.

I wonder how many will be viable? Fingers crossed.

‘A’ remarks: “At Port Lincoln, we are hopeful of a wonderful season, thanks to our confidence in the fish fairy (and I’m pretty happy about the IR light they’re using to help with night-time fishing, which as I have said appears to have been very helpful to the night heron who was using the barge as a base for a few nights last week – the fish gleam silver in the lights). Dad has brought two partial fish in for mum so far today (which is not a great deal and certainly won’t be nearly enough to feed chicks). The chat has finally worked out that there was no pip three days ago. However, we are looking at eggs that are 34, 37 and 40 days old, so we would want to be seeing a pip in at least one and possibly two of those eggs within the next 36 hours. There should be a pip at any moment really. Again, I would be happy if only two of those eggs hatched. Three is always a worry with ospreys. We don’t tend to see sibling rivalry on the sea eagles nest at Olympic Park but I have always put that down to Lady and Dad. Here, with ospreys, I have little confidence that we won’t see a potential aggressive nest, which I always find impossible to watch without stress. So I remain hopeful that the first egg laid is gradually creeping beyond the hatch window (36 to 42 days according to the literature). We would need to see a pip on the first egg laid by tonight really, wouldn’t we? And the chatters are desperate to see a pip – I can’t see anything, even at the time stamps people have suggested. We wait – but as I say, all the eggs are within or very close to the hatch window and one is only a couple of days from slipping beyond it. So I am very hopeful that at least one of those eggs is not going to hatch. “

Xavier and Diamond are proud parents! Two chicks now.

Xavier wants to feed his chicks!!!!!!!!! How precious is that?

Breakfast at Orange.

‘A’ catches breakfast at Orange and other notes: “Mum headed off to get food for the littles at Orange and quickly returned with a starling. Yes, she is happy to feed starling to the chicks, she just doesn’t like eating it herself, which is great news for the chicks. There was an earlier feeding very early but I didn’t see the new chick getting any bites because Diamond was in the way. So this feeding may be the first one for the new chick.

It is a very short feeding, and Diamond is gone with the leftovers shortly after 9am. While she is gone, Xavier sneaks in for a little chick time, but Diamond is back only a minute later and he doesn’t argue for long when she does. Both of the chicks look very healthy and strong. They are so close together in size that we will have trouble telling them apart I suspect, and I am SO hoping that third egg won’t hatch.

Do you notice that the remaining egg appears to have quite a lot more colour on it than the empty half shell of chick number two? It is my understanding that the eggs are given colour on the way down the tubes, and there is gradually less and less of it, so that each egg laid should have slightly less colour on it than the one before. To me, this possibly indicates that the unhatched egg is not the third egg at all but the second or even the first egg laid. What do you think? Of course this is what I want to see, so obviously, I am probably wrong.

Diamond and Xavier use at least three stash spots of which we are aware – one a little higher up the building from the nest, another on the rooftop and a third in the trees visible from Ledge Cam. There may be more. But we think Diamond retrieved the starling for the 8.56am feeding from one of the stash spots not only because she was back so fast but because the prey appeared partially prepared (and certainly did not look as though it had been alive in the preceding five minutes). “

Video of the pair at Orange: https://youtu.be/heHgQjap1wQ?

Three cute little eyases at 367 Collins Street having breakfast. Heidi kept track of the ages of the eggs at hatch:

Chick 1 – 10/3, 0451 (time per Mods), at 38 days.

Chick 2 – 10/3, 0631, at 36 days.

Chick 3 – 10/4, 1427, at 35 days.

A: “the little Collins Street eyases are SO cute. Watch the lunchtime feeding today (12:22 on 5 October) for three little bobbleheads. Mum is patient with them, and all three are strong and begging for food, beaks open, little heads up. The third hatch is noticeably smaller than its two siblings and its little beak is a lot harder for mum to reach. I do hope it gets its share. I’m not convinced that it did at this feeding. It seemed to become something for the others to lean on. It is very difficult early on when it’s hard for them to hold their heads up or face the right way. As I said, they all appear strong and healthy so we’ll just have to hope mum is patient enough to keep feeding the chicks until the older two have had enough so that number three gets a chance to eat. “

Lots of prey (or a good pantry or both) at Collins Street.

‘A’ remarks: “So we are awaiting the second (and third) hatch at Orange, with the first chick doing well. At Collins Street, we have all three. I have not yet had a good look at number three but can report that the first two appear active and healthy and both have eaten well today. I have been impressed by mum, who made certain that the younger hatch did not miss out on the food. She is patient and appears practiced at feeding newly hatched chicks. That’s is a great relief. Dad has been great, sometimes bringing prey along the ledge to the scrape and at other times giving mum a break by delivering the food higher up the building. Such a sweetie. I can’t wait to see him brooding all three of these chicks. Mum has her positioning perfect as I mentioned. I do like the garage door technique. I find it by far the most effective (especially with one chick too many for comfort). It will sure help with these three when they have doubled in size and are rapidly doubling a second time! “

Life in the world of Australia’s Peregrine Falcons appears to be good. ‘A’ adds: “The second chick at Orange finally managed to escape its little tomb about three hours ago (05:30 on 5 October) but it had to work long and hard to do so. It is tired, sweet baby, but seems well. Oh I am hoping we have a Dudley. I really don’t want that third egg to hatch at Orange. The pair at Collins Street appear to be working very well together to care for their brood. I have to admit that I have not been paying overly much attention to the Port Lincoln nest, although I believe it should be a safe watch this season, as it is obvious that the powers that be have determined the fish fairy will make a return appearance this season if she is required. That is such a relief. “

Holly Parsons posted a really information on the development of the falcon chicks.

Peregrine Chicks Week-to-Week Development | Outside My Window Download

SE33 and SE34 are walking very well on their nest in the Olympic Forest. Both are self-feeding and their wings are huge. They sing the duet with the parents in the morning, just precious. The next step is for them to branch. And then it will not be long until they fledge. They are the cutest pair.

Growing Home Osprey Family. What a darling threesome.

‘J’ reports that the WRDC cam fell into Ron and Rose’s nest on Friday. No one was injured.

A beautiful summary of an extraordinary season at Newfoundland’s Snow Lane nest of Beaumont and Hope! https://youtu.be/1n3-K_d7djg?

The Dyfi Osprey Calendar of Idris and Telyn and chicks will be available on line soon. They do ship internationally – just ask if you can’t indicate that on checkout.

It won’t be long til we have news of the swag available for Iris and Finn, Antali, and Sum-eh. I understand the nest sticks are on their way to be made into pens. Watch their FB for notices of notecards, etc.

The Canadian Highways Network FB posted an amazing image of Canada Geese setting off Friday morning after having a good feed on their field. Please make them welcome everyone south of us! They are not the Canadian bird, but many think they should be. (The Canada Jay is).

Send good thoughts to Gabby at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest. Since Samson went missing, her life has been nothing but chaotic. No solid mate, no eaglets. She arrived at her nest alone Friday night. No Beau. No 23E1.

What a lovely sight.

Calico’s Smile for the Day:

Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. Have a wonderful weekend. We hope to see you soon!

Thank you to the following for your notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, H, J’, Audubon Florida Naturalist, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons and Outside My Window, Olympic Park Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Osprey Stories, Heidi McGrue and Growing Home Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, NEFL-AEF, Animal & Nature, Maria Marika, and WRDC.

Two Hatch in Melbourne!…Beau Returns…Thursday in Bird World

3 October 2024

Good Morning,

The European Starlings are really enjoying the meal worms. The Blue Jays are sorting through the peanuts for the best ones, and everyone wants a bath. It was a glorious fall morning in the garden with the animals and birds that I love so much.

Birds having a bath; Starlings eating meal worm treat.

Hope watching the Starlings.

Starlings devouring the meal worms.

Missey watches them, too.

Calico doesn’t care.

There is a hatch, on Wednesday, at the Melbourne CBD 367 Collins Street scrape. The penthouse falcons! Congratulations! We should be seeing the other two little fluff balls shortly.https://youtu.be/VRfLhA-E7cg?

And then there were two! Close together in hatch times. Fantastic.

Those two little fluff balls are getting some breakfast bits.

Wiggly Dad takes care of the chicks! https://youtu.be/TxPGlZ6lBWc?

The other big news is that a bit of a ragged Beau has returned to the NE Florida nest after having been away for a fortnight and a day. 24E1 has not been seen since Tuesday morning at the nest. Gabby was there at 1000 on Wednesday morning. It is 5:34pm on the cam and as far as I know, Gabby has not been at the nest since his return. Oh, dear.

Beau made it through the hurricane. Are the missing feathers because of that along with the fresh blood on his tail or has he been in a fight? and with whom?

Gabby did return and she did find Beau. His feet are not in as bad a shape as the rest of him. They were down in the nest together working away. It is better than anything on Netflix. But, let us hope that this nest calms, that whichever of the males Gabby picks is up to the task of fatherhood this year, and that all hatchlings fledge.

The AEF welcomes Beau back to the NE Florida nest: https://youtu.be/fl13dy61pMs?

I don’t think I have ever been so mad. See the post by Brian Collins below. Forestry England has observed ospreys at Llyn Clywedog for years. John Williams has kept accurate records on the fish delivered, and we now understand that a family of two adults and three osplets eat on average 480-525 fish, medium ones, from time of egg laying to migration. Ospreys cannot carry huge fish – think a Brown Trout. Of course, many other people keep track of fish deliveries, type and size and amount. This information should be clearly available to all. But, Goodness me. That is only about 1000 lbs of fish. A drop in the bucket compared to Omega’s takings. We also know that adults died and that starvation deaths were regional. So that the starving osplets in the Bay are specific to the overfishing of the Menhaden.

Geez. This ASMFC smells fishy.

Collecting data on our nests can be very overwhelming. For Heidi and me, because we were looking at mortality rates and causes, the emotion connected with watching ospreys starve to death when help could come has often been simply ‘too much’. Right now I have data on more than 60 nests that need to be entered except that it is lacking key information – the day the eggs were laid, the hatch dates, details on weather or dates of death, even fledging days. I am getting there slowly and hopefully we will have a good indication of the % that died from starvation and/or siblicide or predators in 2024 from over 566 osprey eggs. Bear with me. My goal is to get this together before the end of November!

I will put out a call early for information for the 2025 season. I am looking for detailed information on the nests that Heidi and I do not normally cover including those in Europe and in particular, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Germany. If you watch a particular nest on a regular basis, we would appreciate hearing from you as to dates the adults arrive, the date eggs are laid, hatch, and the date of the first flight. If chicks die or eggs do not hatch, all information is important. Thank you!

Elfruler has sent out a posting that they will be cutting back on what they are posting in terms of nests for similar reasons – being overwhelmed and nests with poor cams and little information. This is part of the letter that they sent out to readers: “

Bald Eagles Nest Watch UpdateBy elfruler on 10/02/2024

After reflecting long and hard over the last few months, I have determined reluctantly that it is time to retire the yearly Nest Watch page on my website. I began that page with the 2019-2020 season as what seemed like a logical extension of my comprehensive collection of statistics on eggs, hatches, and fledges on eagle nest cams since 2011. But I am finding that maintaining the page has become exhausting.

Is Ervie out scouting for a female? And how many female are there? Do we need a translocation for all these males??? Ervie was everyone’s all time favourite – the little third hatch that took on big Bazza and Falkey to be kind of the Port Lincoln territory til Mum and Dad thought he might need to move a little further away.

I found some old video footage of Ervie having a dust up with Bazza and another of Ervie catching his infamous puffers. At one time we thought they might seriously injure one another. Enjoy.

We wait and hope for Xavier and Diamond at Orange.

Diamond isn’t getting up for Xavier’s prey offering! https://youtu.be/hw8kTwnYso8?

Holly Parsons is hearing cheeps…maybe by the time I get ready to post this blog Thursday morning there will be a visible pip for Xavier and Diamond.

A look at the eggs at Port Lincoln. We could have a pip any day.

Bella and Scout have been working on the platform below the NCTC nest.

Foggy morning at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta.

M15 and F23 are working diligently on their nest. https://youtu.be/0NTNNvhzgDY?

Our favourite GHOs, Bonnie and Clyde, are back at work, too. Clyde is busy delivering food to Bonnie! https://youtu.be/ZO9dQSqPinM?

More fish for those adorable sea eaglets for breakfast. https://youtu.be/ht8N6kMNlKg?

Judy Harrington is bringing us up to date on those cutie pies.

Looking at that wing span!

Smile. This osprey patient was returned to the wild!

Thank you to everyone for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘J’, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Brian Collins and Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, Elfruler, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, Falcon Cam Project, NCTC Bald Eagle nest, IWS/Explore.org, Androcat, Nesting Bird Life & More, Judy Harrington and Olympic Park Sea Eagles, and Florida Wildlife Hospital.

Saturday in Bird World

28 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

I am starting to put all of the things that excite me or late updates here at the top. On Friday evening 24E1 brought Gabby her first fish gift of the season. She devoured that fish. I know that many have been cheering for Beau. Beau is not at the nest. 24E1 is and Gabby appears to be more than happy with him. His toes are ‘not that bad’ and actually appear to be healing. He is perfectly capable of protecting the nest, taking care of Gabby, and we hope providing for her and their eaglets, if that happens.

Gabby was working on the nest. She knows he is coming. Look at the delight on 24E1’s face when Gabby accepts the fish!

Friday was the most glorious day. There was a clear blue sky. Not a hint of a cloud! There was a nice breeze and the temperature was 22 C. As I write, the European Starlings have come in to try and get as many meal worms out of the nut cylinder as they can. Little do they know that I ordered them 22 lbs of meal worms. They will be here on Sunday.

Mr Crow got into the action, too!

It was Open House at Wildlife Haven. The Director said they wondered if they were taking a huge risk having the event so late in the month, but, no. It was fabulous. Last year it was 15 September and wet and cold. The vet who is doing her internship for a year as part of a project through the University of Guelph was amazing. I learned so much! And I asked a lot of questions for all of us!!!!!!!!!

First up a little bragging. I never win anything. And today, by putting the feather to the raptor (12 different ones), I won the book prize. It is a marvelous volume that I will enjoy.

We got to visit with one of the GHO ambassadors. It was found at the bottom of the nest. The parents would not feed it and then it was discovered why. It was born with only one eye and its beak was crooked so it could not hunt or survive in the wild.

Isn’t this owl a sweetie?

The volunteer with the GHO sent me over to Rick who was hosting a display on Kestrels. He does videography as well as taxidermy. I learned so much about how long it will take to get my Cooper’s Hawk approved for ‘stuffing’.

That is the female Kestrel on the top. She is larger than the male. Rick has a blind and monitors a small population of these raptors. He says the females are ‘fierce’. The males not so much. Want the territory protected? Call the female!!!!!!

Patients are brought to Wildlife Haven by Conservation Officers, Volunteers, and the general public. At intake, they try to get as much information as possible so that the patient can be returned to its territory on release. The goal is always to get them back to the wild. Next is the examination room where there is a host of machines such as an x-ray to try and determine what is needed.

Tess said that the centre is lucky. It has all of the facilities needed including a surgical centre so that raptors with broken wings can be put on the mend and not euthanised.

There are oxygen rich incubators if needed.

Cages for animals awaiting diagnosis. They are using stuffies so that the real animals do not get stressed.

A stuffie stands in for the Bald Eagle who did have wing surgery and is in one of the larger areas awaiting transfer to the flight pens.

The sub-adult Bald Eagle that had the surgery.

You have all heard about imping. Replacing a missing feather with another which is glued in place. According to Tess, you can only imp 2-3 feathers if you want success. Most of the raptors have many more feathers missing either their primaries, tail feathers, or both. She did say that in Manitoba, most of the hydro poles are insulated so that the birds are not electrocuted. She has not seen an electrocution from a power pole.

As I walked around I took notice of all the things that are needed in case you are feeling like making a donation. Those clean old towels are needed all the time! Dawn detergent. Bleach. All manner of stainless steel or plastic container that could be used for feeding animals. Look on the shelves below! If you clean out a house for someone moving (or otherwise), please consider donating items to your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic. They go through gallons of bleach and Dawn!!!!!!

Those old clean towels and sheets are always needed. If you are feeling ‘flush’, a good laundry set is always wanted.

One thing we haven’t thought of – bees wax paper. They use it for bandages for turtles! You can put the beeswax paper on the incision or wound and it actually keeps it from getting infected. They can use these for a fortnight without changing them and they are removed easily with a tongue depressor.

There is a turtle in there with a beeswax bandage under that leaf.

Majestic, the Ambassador Bald Eagle.

It was a great event. The new vet tech is fantastic. I said that at least twice. Her goal is for every animal to live in the wild. She said that the area of wildlife rehabilitation veterinary science is relatively new compared to large animals or domestic pets. One aspect that she is keenly interested in is the resilience of the animals. Can a turtle live in the wild with only three legs? Why not try it? Monitor them. The answer is, ‘Yes, they can’. What about a raptor with one leg? It was not that long ago that the wildlife would be euthanised. Now, some wildlife vets are ‘sticking their necks out’ to see precisely who can live with what injuries and thrive. I highly recommend that you seek out your local clinic and find out when they have Open House!

‘MP’ suggests that it is the right time to get that platform at Achieva fixed before the new breeding season starts. I sent a note to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre to see if they could help. It is possible that there are so many animals in need that this could still be low on the priority list. The platform needs a new perch if not two of them. The dish needs proper drainage but with the ability to not allow eggs or nestlings to fall down and die or break. Was the tree trimmed to stop raccoons? What about other predators?

Oh, goodness. Falcons are the cutest! Don’t you love how they talk to their eggs?!!!!!!! https://youtu.be/qjh2vn1-vh4?

The Royal Cam chick’s name is Kiwa. Just lovely and the meaning is perfect.

Gabby was in the nest on Friday.

No one at the Newfoundland Power nest…it seems they have all headed south.

‘J’ reports that both eagles have been seen at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands eagle nest.

The Bluff City Bald Eagle streaming cam is up and running. The nest appears alright.

The wind is still blowing reasonably strong at Pa and Missey Berry’s nest in NE Georgia.

If you missed the live Ventana Wildlife Chat live, here is the recording. https://youtu.be/yLBrKSws3Zg? This month focuses on “…the Condor Crew highlight the arrival of our condor “rookies” in San Simeon, while our new interns, Rachel and Griffin, offer a glimpse into the developing personalities of these young birds. We also share some exciting nesting and flock updates, including a video of wild-hatched condor chick 1315 being fed by his dad, and Bucky (1087)’s release date from Oakland Zoo.“

What an adorable family. The Olympic Park Eagles in Sydney.

You still have time to guess the day and time the first egg will hatch at Port Lincoln. Put it under the streaming cam in chat! A big thanks to Brad M for keeping us great historical records and organising all the information including the daily log of nest happenings. It is invaluable. The link is at the top of the chat.

‘PB’ reports that the Seaside Bird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida, suffered substantial damage due to flooding.

‘J’ sends us Rita’s Fun Fact Friday: Rita the Bald Eagle

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Time for Fun Fact Friday! Enrichment for good health! It is very important for any facility that takes care of birds and other animals to provide an environment with lots of enrichment to help them thrive. For a raptor, like Rita, having various perches of different heights with different materials covering them helps to keep her feet healthy, and the wood provides a good surface for her to “feak” her beak to keep it clean and sharp. Being able to bath in her bath tub and having a water mister helps with feather conditioning. A variety of prey items, some of which can be placed in containers that require her to use her foraging skills, is very stimulating. A few examples that simulate foraging in the wild are to place prey items in a floating bowl in the bath tub to be “fished out” or to freeze the prey in ice blocks, or put it in egg cartons or cardboard boxes with holes cut out so the prey is still visible are all great ideas. This allows the eagle to “hunt” and tear at the container to get to the prey. Another idea was to provide a sisal rope toy that the eagle could flip around and stomp on like it would do with sticks or prey in the wild. There are lots of ideas for enrichment online. When researching ideas, I came across a YT video of an eagle that was given a carved out pumpkin! That’s a great idea since Halloween is coming up and the stores will have pumpkins! Those caregivers carved holes in it and stuffed it with prey items sticking out so the eagle could forage for its food. With that idea in mind, I brought a ball for Rita, and Kelly and Laura put fish in for her to pick out! She had such a funny expression when she first saw the ball. Kelly and her team are always striving to provide the best of care for Rita with enrichment in her environment and diet that can help her thrive. They are the bestn and your support can help provide some stimulating enrichment for Rita! Thank you! JK #ritathebaldeagle

The Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from the Hen Harrier brooding scheme!

Hawk & Owl Trust withdraws from hen harrier brood meddling sham – Raptor Persecution UK Download

Friday evening we took a quick spin over to The Mint. On our way to Wildlife Haven, we noticed hundreds of geese feeding on the grass at The Mint. I wondered if they would return to the pond at night for its security.

That did not happen. There were a few geese in the pond along with some ducks, but not many.

Is it because of this?

Calico’s Tip for the Day comes from ‘Everything Gardening’. Get yourself a nice cuppa and sit back and leave the leaves alone.

Missey and Hugo Yugo wish you a fantastic weekend. They want you to take care of yourself. Get outside if you can. Listen for the birds. Pet a cat! And be back with us as soon as you can.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP, PB’, Wildlife Haven, SK Hideaways, NZ-DOC, NEFL-AEF, Newfoundland Power, Achieva Credit Union, Berry College Eagle Cam, ETSU Bluff City, Olympic Park Eagles, Raptor Persecution UK, The Canadian Mint, Winnipeg, and Everything Gardening.

Hurricane warnings for Florida…Thursday in Bird World

26 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

We hope that you are all well, and for those living in the path of Helene, please stay safe. We are thinking about you and keeping you in our warmest thoughts. Send your warm thoughts to all our feathered friends in the hope they have found their safe places. SW Florida streaming cam is down this morning. Swaying happening at NE Florida.

It is hard to believe it is fall. Gosh, golly. Wednesday was a beautiful morning. The sky was a clear blue, not a whisker of a cloud. No wind. No forecast for rain. The temperature is set to rise to 27 C. We have to remind ourselves that it is really the end of September and not July.

Mr and Mrs Junior were in the garden very early looking for peanuts. There are three Crows that come regularly together, nest mates. When there is a problem with other species, such as the GHO in their territory or a cat in our garden, there will be eight of them around the back of the garden. At one time, the combined count for the two families and their nestlings was eighteen. Did they disperse? I only saw one killed on the road. We must remember to have a small portable shovel in the boot of the car. If you see a dead animal on the road or street, take it to the boulevard so that the carrion eaters are safe to feed.

Junior has always stayed over during the winter. I have said that before, and we feed Crows all year along with the sparrows, woodpeckers, and chickadees (the others that remain). I wonder about their food sources outside of our garden. The area around me is getting denser and denser with little green, save for a few small parks. Indeed, the loss of habitat for our wildlife is truly concerning.

Speaking of food sources, we were shocked when we went to the country on Monday. Next to our acreage, there are now two HUGE reservoirs. They are about three stories tall, 1/6 of a mile by a 1/6 of a mile. The flood waters from the Boyne River are pumped into the holding ponds to irrigate the potato crops in the summer. There was no need for irrigation a few decades ago, and now the potato farmers have to store water. What happens if the rain and the snow in the Pembina Hills that feed the river dry up?

I have spent part of the day working in the containers on the deck. The pepper plants that show no sign of any more produce are in the compost pile. The soil is now heaped around the cherry tomato plants that are loaded – heavily laden – with tomatoes. The Curry leaves and Sage need to be dried along with the mint and the Rosemary. There is enough celery for everyone to have some for their Thanksgiving dinner that lives in earshot of me. It wasn’t a great year, but it was a good one. Now, we will try to grow lettuces, boy chop, green onions, etc. in the house for the winter. I sure hope Hugo Yugo stays out of that grower!!!!!!!! She is into everything these days. Is it because she is so tiny? Baby Hope sleeps atop the highest cabinet to see what everyone is doing—her private spot. Hugo Yugo cannot get up there! And neither can Calico—just Missey.

It is market day. Will the dumpling lady be there or will we be disappointed again? I must learn how to make these! At one point in my life I did know, but I need a refresher course. The last market day is approaching soon and it would be nice to have some more of the local honey. It is delicious – and, thankfully, the vendor was there.

Calico gave each jar of honey her ‘sniff’ test and voted on the honey from the downtown hives. How interesting.

Speaking of Florida…

The weather in Florida is going to be bad for all the nests with Helene potentially plowing through the State as a cat 3 storm. Everything is set to intensify beginning today. It will hit Captiva and Fort Myers first and make its way northeast hitting the nest of Gabby. Send good positive energy to all the birds and let us be thankful that there are no eggs or chicks in the nests.

Evacuations are now underway in various areas of Florida.

Check out this article:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/24/weather/helene-florida-storm-preparations

How do hurricanes impact our feathered friends?

How Do Hurricanes Affect Birds? | Audubon Download

How will Rita do during a hurricane?

Great article about the Melbourne falcons in The Guardian!

Life amid the carcasses and droppings: what I learned from watching Melbourne’s peregrines on webcam | Ailsa Piperhttps://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/sep/25/melbourne-peregrine-falcons-webcam-stream?

Jackie and Shadow have ousted the Ravens from the nest as they make plans for the 2024-25 season. https://youtu.be/5WxWE0iweQg?

Looking out over their territory of Big Bear.

You need to know that your voice can make a difference. If you believe strongly about our wildlife and their quality of life, then we cannot be silent. As a child, I love the little circus and all the animals. I cannot imagine, for a second, supporting any or watching any animal do tricks for humans! How barbaric. Disney has now stopped its animal shows.

I hope that our voices will also ensure that any company, no matter its country of origin, will never be allowed to conduct industrial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. Can you imagine seeing the little ospreys eating lots of fish instead of starving to death? That is what you are fighting for! I was notified today that my letter has been received and will be read to the Committee meeting today. I made it short and to the point – commercial fishing of Menhaden has, according to the research that has been conducted on nests on either side of the Bay, in both Virginia and Maryland, seen only osprey deaths. ‘H’ and I are still entering the statistics but there will be more than 100 nests recorded – every osprey chick perished. Every one. I compared that to heat in other areas including Osoyoos where Olsen pulled a rabbit out of a hat and 2 out of 3 of his chicks lived despite the 40 C heat and lack of fish. That tells you how bad it was in the area of the Chesapeake. And the boats cannot be allowed to fish at the mouth of the Bay either. We will not give up and will continue to fight to stop Omega.

Despite the date passing, if you did not send a comment, but wish to do so, then please write to the individual below that acknowledged my letter:

‘MP’ writes that Jack is on the Achieva Osprey nest several times a day. Stay safe, Jack! Winds are beginning to pick up.

I really hope that Gabby and 24E1 will fill that egg cup sufficiently so that the eggs do not get lost or fall.

The pair at NE Florida flew off the nest as rain and wind began. Stay safe out there Gabby and 24E1.

At least one eagle at the SW Florida nest on Wednesday. M15 has seen many hurricanes. The nest that he shared with Harriet did not always survive the fierce winds, but they did! Let us see what happens in the nest few days.

M15 and F23 were working on the nest late Wednesday night.

Lovely little video of M15 bringing the first fish gift of the season for F23.https://youtu.be/hRrvbPHR0gc?

Claire and Irv are working hard at the US Steel nest in Pittsburgh.

Here is a video of the action: https://youtu.be/Ry0WUJtGPgA?

‘MP’ caught one of the adults at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands nest on Wednesday near Dallas.

A really nice summary of a bittersweet year for two Newfoundland osprey nests by Ian Winter. Please pay attention to his comment about how Newfoundland Power refurbished the nest of Hope and Beaumont and the belief that this was the contributing factor in Hope caring for these two dark plumage osplets that lived to fledge. Years past I have wept as her chicks died early on. So, if this is true and that caused her maternal instincts to kick in, then I am suggesting that the people who care for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest get up there and fix the most beautiful nest that could be imagined! Then let’s see what happens there.

Eyes continue to be on Malta with all its illegal poaching right during migration!

A good news story! We need them all the time and a vet that can save a wing problem so a stork can fly again is gold.

A wonderful post from Dunrovin Ranch with a tiny summary of the successful year of the ‘JuneBug’ at the osprey nest with new female, Winnie.

Adorable tiny Xavier only wants some eggie time.

https://youtu.be/RUOtARU8NLg?

Just look at how big that White-tailed eaglet is getting! And oh, so cute. 38 days old in the picture…39 days old today. It is so hard to tell how big it is. That crane is huge where the nest is located.

You might not have seen Tim MacKrill’s presentation on Osprey migration. I posted it in previous years. You can grab a cuppa and learn so much from this talented young man. https://youtu.be/JXWgoSF-Yrk?

Goodness. That Calico is smart. She heard me complaining about having 53,000 digital photos in my phone. She started reading ‘Wirecutter’ when an article about decluttering photos in your phone popped up. She even read it with having a ‘winkie’ in her right eye. Calico thinks that you likely have so many photographs in your phone that you won’t be able to find your favourite one of her! She says you can thank her later!!!!!!

Wirecutter: Your Phone’s Camera Roll Is a Mess. Here’s How to Clean It Up.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/clean-organize-store-phone-photos

Thank you for being with us today. We will find out what Top Flat chicks name will be. Voting closed on the 26th. I wonder what it will be. Please take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, MP’, noaa, Sunnie Day, The Weather Network, NEFL-AEF, The Guardian, SW Florida Eagle Cam, Rita the Bald Eagle, NestFlix Memories, PIX Cams, JBS Wetlands, Ian L. Winter, CABS, Maria Marika, Dunrovin Ranch News, Nesting Birdlife and More, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Osprey Leadership Foundation, Menhaden Defenders, Menhaden – Little Fish, Big Deal, and The New York Times.

Wednesday in Bird World

25 September 2024

Good Morning,

If I had one wish, it would be for Jackie and Shadow to raise an eaglet this year to fledge. I am certain that you feel the same. Maybe we can send them the most positive energy. I cannot think of a more deserving couple – they are already working on that nest. They live in ‘hope’.

‘R’ wrote, concerned about me. It wasn’t me, it was one of my dear friends and reporters. I, on the other hand, worry that the albatross won’t survive the five to six years out on those rough seas with those long line factory ships. Or that the oceans, especially the Southern Ocean, are getting too acidic. I am far too cranky and will be cheering those albatross on and those ships to go extinct! Thanks, ‘R’ for worrying about me. And I am sorry if the cemetery plot got anyone weepy. It is a response to my best friend having to deal with all of the red tape attached to her husband’s death. I want things to be simple for my kids, like it was for me when my mother died. The real difficulty is which monument maker can create an osprey with a big fish? So don’t be sad. I will be kicking around for far more years than you might want!!!!!!!!!!!

Right now I am sitting over Devonian Lake. It is so quiet. The geese are out feeding. Only a few ducks and gulls remain on the lake. I did have a big of a giggle. One of the extraordinarily large homes had its drive way full of geese eating pebbles!!!!!!! Full. Packed in there like there was a Taylor Swift concert. It was a strange sight.

These moments have to be the most bittersweet in all of Bird World. The parent returns, waits and waits for the chick to feed them, and they are gone. They will never see one another again. The adults will not see one another again until they return to breed. What devotion. I wish their world is a safer place for them and for all our feathered friends so that these huge sea birds that can live longer than many humans return year after year to their mates to raise chicks.

‘A’ remarks: “Oh, our babies are gone. When I went onto automatic and checked the albatross tab, there were no chicks in camera view and TF’s nest and his play nest were both empty. I felt such a pang and tears prickled my eyes but I try to remind myself that he is on the adventure that is his lifetime and this was what he was born for. I just wish the human destruction of little TF’s world did not create so many hazards for our fledglings. And I also remind myself that darling YRK is home. The returning breeding birds are arriving steadily now, and it is wonderful to see them. These are our survivors.

Papa LGK came in to feed his son at lunchtime today (12:52:17) and called out for TF chick, just as mum LGL did when she came in yesterday after he fledged. We wish LGK a tummy full of squid and safe travels until his return. We hope to see him and LGL in about a year’s time. (Hopefully, their next egg will hatch in late January 2026 (one chick every second year).

The voting for TF’s name closes tomorrow (26 September) at 5pm NZ time (NZ is two hours ahead of eastern Australia, so two hours ahead of Collins Street, Orange and WBSE). The link for voting is https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/albatrosses/royal-albatross-toroa/royal-cam/namethechick/. “

You know that I love my Blue Jays! Now Mr and Mrs Junior are the only ones coming to the garden. Here are four things you might not know these things about Blue Jays! https://youtu.be/VndKdMKXY1c?

Junior does not migrate. Sometimes Mrs Junior does.

Speaking of migration, I think that you will like that book that Calico and I are digging into: Bird Migration. A New Understanding by J. H. Rappole. It is written in non-scientific language. Everything is crystal clear. I liked that the author went back and examined previous theories about migration. What he says will not be knew to you if you have been reading my blog. Birds migrate because of food – not weather! The Black-capped Chickadees live in my garden all winter as do the ones at Bird’s Hill Park – they have an abundance of food resources and do not require moving to a different geographical area. We have Bald Eagles that remain in Manitoba breaking open thin ice to catch fish. The Geese are migrating, following the harvest down to the US from Canada because there is a super abundance of food.

The error in past thinking is that it was weather than drove birds to migrate. Rappole talks about the innate clock, seasonal changes (such as the end of the growing season and harvest) that lead to migration. He discusses the fact that outside of their breeding grounds many of the migrants are highly vulnerable in territories occupied by other birds that are resident year round. You might want to order the book through your library – its price is $47 CDN from the on line retailers. If it were $20, I would say go for it, but this is for those really interested in the nuances of migration. For that reason, Calico gives it her 9 paw award.

Gabby and 24E1 were on the nest tree earlier on Tuesday. There is no way to know if Beau is in the area as the cameras, now only two of them, are focused on the nest tree.

There is flooding in areas north of the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest and the weather forecast is for bad weather in the area of the nest. The eagles will take cover during that tropical storm watch. At least six days of rain with thunderstorms are brewing for Gabby and 24E1.

Please note that I have cancelled out the city around the nest to avoid divulging its location.

There is an eagle at the NCTC nest.

Wings of Whimsy gives us the Bald Eagle nest round up for the week ending on the 22nd of September. Check it out to see who is at home and who isn’t. https://youtu.be/MFCzzzgMHoE?

Hawk Mountain’s count for the week in migration:

I was so happy to see so many of you talking about the sea eaglets and how cute these two are. They certainly are!

That fish is in a video. https://youtu.be/N3eDQpZoJc4?

For those of you who remember Phyllis Robbins, she said she would appear as a ‘red leaf’. Look at that beautiful red leaf!

Incubation continues at Collins Street. ‘A’ writes: “Dear little dad at Collins Street is the funniest falcon. This morning around 11:09, mum got up and flew off the ledge. She was back after a mere minute, obviously aware that dad was nearby. He arrived on the ledge 15 seconds or so later with a scrap of food for mum. She grabbed it from him on the ledge and flew off to eat it. Dad hustled along to the scrape and settled on his eggs, chirping away to them as he did so. He has the cutest little chirps when he talks to the eggs. I love his chatting away to them. I’m sure those chicks will recognise dad as soon as they hatch. Such a cutie.

When mum returns at 11:27:34, Dad holds his ground and chirps for a little but his protests are short-lived. He soon gets up, and shortly before 11:28 he dives off the ledge and allows mum to resume incubation duties. “

M22 brings in a ‘dove’ for lunch for F23. https://youtu.be/VdX9Dju1M30?

The same at Orange.

Calypso, Ervie, Giliath, and Bradley are going to have some siblings soon. I wonder if we might get some females this year? Otherwise we might have to think about a translocation project to get these fellas a mate!

At the Growing Home osprey platform, a really nice fish dinner came in for that little one – and with both parents on the nest, they are keeping this baby ‘secret’ just like it was a famous film star’s children.

More on the topic of Menhaden and what must be done if we are to save the ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay. Brian Collins has really hit the proverbial nail on the head in this post. Please, please write your Senators and Congressional Representatives. Do it for Cobey, the Colonial Beach Osplet that starved to death before our very eyes.

Natural England’s report on Hen Harrier breeding across the UK:

Natural England reports drop in hen harrier breeding attempts – Raptor Persecution UK Download

Stop for a moment and have a look at the bird photographer winners of 2024. You might even seen a cute little peregrine falcon in the winners.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2024/sep/24/bird-photographer-of-the-year-2024-winners-in-pictures?CMP=share_btn_link

Many of you enjoyed Margaret Renkl’s book, The Comfort of Crows. Renkl has published a hard copy journal for people to use as a weekly diary of what is happening in their own gardens. It is called Leaf, Cloud, and Crow. Lots of pages for writing, sketching and it all begins with the first week of winter in late December. It is a great follow up to The Comfort of Crows where we get a glimpse of how an accomplished author celebrates the ordinary which is extraordinary right outside her window. It is also a good follow-up to Amy Tan’s book The Backyard Bird Chronicles -Tan didn’t know how to draw and took classes. But who cares what your drawings look like? Do your own chronicles! Watch how the birds and animals, the foliage, changes from season to season. Then do it again the following year. By the time you start your third year, you will know instinctively when the Dark-eyed Juncos will arrive and you will have your bag of White Millet on hand.

I have been scribbling for years in my Manitoba Bird book, a gift from my grandson, Carter, eons ago. I think it is time to take it to the next level and record the daily happenings. Thinking about those new little instant cameras that print photos…that might be fun to add to the mix. I might have helped run a School of Art, but, I cannot draw! or paint. Photographs are good but increasingly I am getting frustrated with digital images. When you have 58,000 on your phone, how do you find the one you really want? Frustrating.

Our ordinary gardens then become extraordinary.

Calico’s Tip for the Day! It can save your life, and it comes from a former student.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, K, R’, FOBBV, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Cam Albatross FB group New Zealand, NEFL-AEF, Weather Channel, NCTC, Wings of Whimsy, Hawk Mountain, Olympic Park Eaglets, Nesting Bird Life & More, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Growing Home Ospreys, Brian Collins – Menhaden, Little Fish, Big Deal FB, Raptor Persecution UK, The Guardian, Margaret Renkl.

Tuesday in Bird World

24 September 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Monday was a whirlwind day for us. There were many joys, including seeing Canada Geese feeding on field after field of grain that had just been harvested! They were flying in and landing around 10:00. I did not stop and get any images, but just the beauty of fall and the geese feeding on those golden fields made my day!

Then we went and picked out a cemetery plot! I am going to make a point here – really, I am. It isn’t as morbid as it seems although the emotion of death can creep in. It was nice to have my daughter with us. We got reacquainted with a place that was always ‘home’ in my heart – the tiny hamlet of Graysville. New people purchased my fifteen acres, painted the horse barn recently, and I saw two beautiful Quarter Horses in the fields. They had lined the long lane with willowy Poplar trees from the road to the house on both sides. The property looked loved – and that made me very happy.

You might recall that my friend’s husband died quickly. Thankfully they had time to discuss matters, but they did not have the time to get all of the paperwork in order. That is why we were at the cemetery along the river just south of Graysville. My attitudes toward cemeteries and golf courses has changed immensely as the City I live in concretes every square inch of grass that it can. Our birds need safe, quiet places, and no better place than a cemetery or a golf course. Of course, the geese don’t bother the cemetery residents, but I wonder if golfers love them! Still, keeping that in mind, instead of flying my children around the world to deposit some of those ashes in various beautiful places, they will seep into the soil near the edges of the Boyne River. A Gull flew over while we were there. Everything felt good. As my former neighbour said, ‘Pick your neighbours!’ and I did – those who lived near me in life will keep me company in death. So SW1/4 of plot 187 Riverside Cemetery is it. Now, to get on to a proper marker – something creative in the form of an osprey? Surely, with a big fish!

So boxes ticked off. The point is not to put off what you can do today whether that is telling someone how special they are to you, going for a quiet walk to help get over some of modern life’s anxieties, or phoning a friend. One never knows what tomorrow will bring, so do it now. Thinking of a birding holiday, go for it! Register if you want to take up that painting class you always wanted to. Live life.

A new book arrived while I was away. Bird Migration. A New Understanding by John H. Rappole. Calico and I will keep you posted!

‘J’ sent news that two of the small Kakapo population have died.

Two other deaths involve White Storks that were fitted with trackers. They have both died as they made their way to Africa for their migration. One in Egypt and the other died in Turkey. I hope to have more news later. Thanks, ‘T’.

There are still fledglings at Newfoundland Power’s Snow Lane osprey platform. Beaumont is really rejoicing in having chicks to feed this season. What an amazing father he has been. The second chick got one at the nest and the first chick ate a fish on a building. It appears that Beaumont is now delivering fish elsewhere.

The Royal Cam chick fledged and Cornell Bird Labs caught it on video. Watch this gracious seabird take its first flight. Wonder what the wind under the wings feels like? https://youtu.be/JEPh2WFtij0?

At the NE Florida Eagle Cam, Gabby woke up to a bright morning with 24E1.

Please note that not all of the cameras will be operational at the NE Florida nest as per this post:

Omega is destroying Chesapeake Bay. The Bunk are gone. The whales and dolphins need the Menhaden as do our beloved Osprey. Many of us hope that with the attention that the issue is getting, Omega will be ordered to halt its operations! Yesterday they had 8 boats out!!!!!!!! Stay tuned.

Want to get the latest updates on the condor fledglings? the status of the flock? Thursday is the monthly Condor Chat with Ventana Wildlife.

Oh, oh, I love it when those little beaks join in with Lady and Dad. Have a listen as the sea eaglets join in the morning duet! https://youtu.be/48EjAMoLuCA?

Gorgeous closeups. These are the sweetest eaglets! https://youtu.be/gCTsigfyYTg?

More sea eagle cuteness. https://youtu.be/WyC-YClWSqI?

Mum and Dad at the Port Lincoln barge enjoying a quiet morning. In a fortnight they will be very busy – and so will those fish fairies!

More fish need protecting.

These are some of the issues fish in Canada are facing:

Noxious fish have been introduced internationally. George is feeding Only Bob a Tilapia. This beautiful osplet is doing so well.

The ‘baby’ is now two months old!

Jackie and Shadow are back! At the nest. https://youtu.be/o9uAdniPNMU?

Thank you so much for being with us today. In a few days I am going to take a wee break before we have hatches at Port Lincoln, Melbourne, and Orange. It will be some time before our eagles have eggs! I will keep you posted when my mini-break is taking place! Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, images, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J, T’, Kakapo Recovery, Newfoundland Power, Cornell Bird Lab, NEFL-AEF, Lisa Russo, William Dunn and Menhaden- Little Fish, Big Deal, USFWS, Ventana Wildlife Society, NestFlix Memories, Nesting Bird Life and More, SK Hideaways, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Canadian Wildlife Society, and Osprey House Environment Centre, and WingsofWhimsy.

Sunday in Bird World

22 September 2024

Hello Everyone,

As is typical, I am writing my post on Saturday. I had hoped for some sun and wind to dry up all the rain, but, the rain is now coming down harder and harder. Three Crows were frantically pecking at the nut cylinder. I noticed that they gave each other space so that they could eat. All was going well until Dyson arrived! The Crows flew off. They returned later for a big bowl of cheesy dogs. I can see Junior at the feeder sorting through the peanuts. Where is Mrs Junior? It is always worrisome when one or the other does not show up at the morning feeder.

Dyson is moulting. She isn’t sick! She is so strong and healthy. It makes us happy to be a part of her life. I wish we could get the trees to grow faster or convince her to please just stay in our garden. No roads!

It has really started pouring. And yeah, Mrs Junior just flew in to get some peanuts!!!!!! Relief.

In Canada, Beaumont continues to deliver large fish to the nest where his two fledglings might like to scrap for the dinner! Both are eating well and Beaumont is making sure each is fed.

Dad and at least one chick are still at the LDF nest in Kuzeme Latvia.

Right now there is harmony and peace at the NE Florida nest of Gabby. She doesn’t seem to care if the male has necrotic feet in places. They are on the branches together, side by side at times, and in the nest making nestorations. If Gabby gets to raise little eaglets in peace this year, we should all jump up and down with joyful tears.

They have been on and off the nest on Saturday. The AEF has ‘temporarily’ designated the male as 24E1 (year, eagle, first visitor).

The eyes of the male visitor remind me so much of those of Samson. I know it isn’t, but for a split second.

The SW Florida streaming cams are up and ready for action starting today or tomorrow.

It was a beautiful day at the nest of Bella at the NCTC. Didn’t see any eagles.

You can help support conservation by buying stamps! Aren’t these beautiful?

These will be available in the new year. There are currently others for sale – some designed by adults and other junior winners. They are lovely.

The little eaglet in Australia is doing so well and this little fluffy bundle of joy has a name – Lukin.

Bradley and Shultzie. Yes! Good thing there are two perches. It’s always good, just like the Blue Jays, to get a total head count before sunset.

Judy Harrington brings us up to date with the Olympic Park Eagles.

The new pair in the USK Valley in Wales left late. They didn’t breed but hopes are high for 2025.

FAREWELL TO THE 2024 GILESTONE OSPREYS — Usk Valley Ospreys Download

Bird Flu is possibly the reason for the decline in Peregrine Falcon populations in the US. Like everything else, it is still with us – it just isn’t making the news like it did. That is a shame.

Why Are Peregrine Falcon Numbers Falling in the United States Again_ _ Audubon Download

Xavier flew out for the morning breakfast hunt. Diamond waits patiently to see what he will return with for her meal.

We blinked and the Olympic Park Eaglets grew and grew. When did this happen? They are more steady on their feet. Their wing feathers are growing in. They look like eagles, not nestlings. SE 34 is learning to self-feed.

Will we see the Royal Cam chick back on cam before fledge? Possibly not.

Pippa’s Mum is the first to return: Royal Cam chick Atawhai (Miss Pippa) and Lillibet’s Mum YRK is the first to return to Taiaroa this year. You will remember her amazing mate, OGK – some of us still tear up at the thought of him. OGK has not been seen since he went missing in 2022.

The Only Bob at Growing Home is so fortunate. It will never ever have to share a fish with a ravenous sibling. Look carefully. Tiny white bobblehead.

The fight for the survival of the osprey (and other wildlife) in the Chesapeake Bay is on and hinges on the curtailing of the industrial fishing of Menhaden.

In The Arena: Dr. Bryan Watts | Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Download

There is always something to learn about migration: “For migrating birds, fall brings difficulty and danger. To reach warm winter climes, many birds must fly hundreds or thousands of miles, expend immense amounts of energy and successfully dodge storms, skyscrapers and other potential threats.

Still, scientists have long assumed that a basic trade-off made migration worth the gamble: Once birds arrived at their wintering grounds, they wouldn’t need to work so hard to stay warm, saving substantial amounts of energy. “But nobody ever tested this,” said Nils Linek, a behavioral ecologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany.

Now, Dr. Linek and his colleagues have done so. Their findings, based on a partially migratory population of German blackbirds, challenge the conventional wisdom. Even in the depths of winter, blackbirds basking in balmy southern Europe or northern Africa did not spend any less energy than those riding out the cold in Germany, the scientists found.”

Read on to find out more.

Study Reveals Bird-Migration Mystery – The New York Times Download

On line tool is helping with bird collision and renewable energy in Thailand, Vietnam, India, and Nepal for the past two years.

Online Tool Prevents Bird Collisions in Flyways Across the World – BirdLife International Download

Calico’s Tip for the Day. You have heard us mention numerous times the need to halt bird collisions. Residences indeed account for more deaths than skyscrapers. Hard to believe? I know, but it is true if you take all the deaths due to our windows collectively. So what is the problem? People do not know how to stop the birds from hitting their windows. Calico says that you must space the decals on the OUTSIDE of the window at least 5 cm or two inches apart. That’s right. You cannot just put one decal on the outside of your window and hope it will work; you never put it on the inside. The most economical method is window paint. Again, on the outside of the windows. I liked using the white or the yellow. Squiggle everywhere. Let your children or grandchildren help. The window paints come off easily.

Nova Scotia’s official bird (I know that everyone knew that, right?) on an iconic boat, the Bluenose II.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for the notes, posts, videos, articles, images, tweets, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘PB for today and for Saturday’s Tweet from Dr Greene’, Newfoundland Power, LDF, NEFL-AEF, NCTC, USFWS, Port Lincoln Osprey, Judy Harrington and Olympic Park Eagles, Jeff Kear and USK Valley Ospreys, Audubon, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Olympic Park Eagles, The Royal Albatross Centre, Growing Home, Bryan Watts and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Sharon Dunne, Bluenose II, USFWS, Birdlife International, and The New York Times.

Category Archives: urban raptors

Clive, the bravest of the brave…Thursday in Bird World

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Two at Port Lincoln as Milton gets closer to the Florida nests near Ft Myers and Tampa Bay…Tuesday in Bird World

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2nd hatch at PLO, Cute Australian Bobbleheads…Monday in Bird World

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Fluff balls and a possible pip at PLO? ..Saturday in Bird World

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Two Hatch in Melbourne!…Beau Returns…Thursday in Bird World

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Saturday in Bird World

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Hurricane warnings for Florida…Thursday in Bird World

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Wednesday in Bird World

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Sunday in Bird World

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