Category Archives: vulnerable birds

Banff has a great day…Tuesday in Bird World

22 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you are all well.

It was a grey drizzly day on the Canadian Prairies. All of the garden animals are present and accounted for. None of the Blue Jays appear to be thinking about leaving on migration. The Chickadees have been out in force and as I am writing, Little Red is busy stocking away all the peanuts he can get his little hands on and the duvet is out – signalling that it is beginning to feel a little hippy in the evenings now. There is a tinge to the top of the trees, just a hint of chartreuse with a soft yellow in places that signals a change of season is on us..

For all those wondering…I found Calico’s hiding spot with her kitten or kittens. Ironically it was the first spot where I believed she was- it was ideal – lots of piled up things and a huge deck that was difficult for anyone to get under – including any dogs or foxes (yes, there is a fox that lives in a garden of Tiger Lilies in the summer near to where Calico is hiding). A neighbour had informed me that a raccoon was living under that deck, but that was untrue. It was Calico! The young man who owns the house has given me full permission to come and go in his garden. Sadly, I cannot get under the low part of the deck to get to her, and there is no access to the higher part without cutting into the structure. So we wait to try and lure this kitten out. It will not be for lack of trying, but one day that kitten will play with the laser pointer, see the fluffy feather toy, smell the sardines and come walking out. It is certainly in a safe place – and I am no longer worried except for car traffic. Calico comes to eat and scurries back – quick as a wink she is away. Patience and more cunning than her mother will be required…and I am not sure the latter is possible. Calico is one smart Mama. The score is now Calico 10- Mary Ann 2.

The storm in California has passed. Checked on four nests. Just because I did not see the eagles on the streaming cam does not mean there is a problem. I have not seen eagles often at the West End or recently at Fraser Point. The amount of rain and flooding has been considerable, but the nests and the trees appear to have survived fine. I hope that is the case and that they have not been weakened.

Jackie and Shadow are safe.

Chase & Cholyn are alright.

Did not see Andor or Cruz.

The West End Cam at the ‘old’ nest is now up and running. Did not see Akecheta or Thunder.

Did not see anyone at Sauces.

Beautiful Mini. She was not bothered when Three (Sneezy) joined her on the nest except when Sneezy was trying to rearrange ‘Mini’s nest and move her cardboard. Mini did give her sibling ‘the look’ a few times. Mum even stopped in. We have not seen her for a bit. Did she come to check on Mini and say goodbye as she leaves on migration?

Mini had at least three fish on Monday and when my friend ‘R’ writes that he is now ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Mini, the smile goes across my face from one ear to another. Like many of us, he has noted that Mini is using her right foot to hold down the fish and eat them quickly, a tool she will need to survive in the wild. No more fiddling around the nest. I love the term ‘R’ used – ‘she was able to rip through them’. ‘R’ also noticed that the swelling in the left knee is “diminishing, and at times she even bears weight on it” adding that the rest on the nest has meant that she has been caring for her leg very well. We hope that this young lady is one of the luckiest osplets in the world. She is certainly one of the most strong-willed ones I have met. ‘R’ says it is too early for any prognosis but she appears to be healing. — What a wonderful note to wake up to. Thanks ‘R’ for keeping an eye on our gal.

Mini had a bit of a crop and one good ‘ps’ was observed.

Mini had a good breakfast and was flexing that left talon this morning. Keep sending your good wishes. As I finish writing this, two fish have been delivered by Dad!

The fledgling at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is doing very well. Flying around, returning to the nest to rest and eat.

Dyfi Osprey Project: Telyn has not been seen since Saturday. She ‘might’ have started her migration. Sometimes she takes some time and returns to the nest before departure. We wait to see. Lots of nice fish coming for the fledglings -Seiont & Cennen. Idris is doing a fine job fishing.

Glaslyn: OH1 and OH2 have been on the perch and in the nest eating fish from Dad Aran. The weather is raining and it is thought that Elen might have started her migration Monday morning. We wait to see.

Poole Harbour: CJ7 and Blue 022 are still home and providing for all three fledglings who also remain – coming and going off the nest for fish. What a great year it has been at Poole!

Rutland: Blue 33 found himself defending the nest against intruders and Maya was on the nest too – at times – helping. .

Time for ‘H’s reports –

Fortis Exshaw: “Oh, what a splendid day!  Banff woke up hungry, having only eaten a small part of a fish the previous day.  So, she did not take any long flights away from the nest in the morning, instead opting for a few quick out and back flights.  Banff did not want to take a chance on missing breakfast!  But, starting at 1021, it seemed as though Banff was on to something.  She was calling, she resumed taking several short flights from the nest, and she always flew off in the same direction.  At 1027 Louise landed with a large headless fish and Banff flew to the nest right on her tail!  Aha, Banff had known that her Mom was eating a fish, and Banff had been telling Mom to save some for her.  A very hungry Banff ate ravenously.  Throughout the afternoon Banff was quite vocal, calling for more fish, and she also seemed to be warning unseen intruders not to mess with her!  The ‘I’ word (intruder) was conspicuously absent from the chat . . no one wanted to jinx Banff.  At 1407 Louise delivered a medium-sized whole fish to the nest, and Banff grabbed Louise’s left foot with her beak, and would not let go.  So, Louise attempted to fly off, and in the process they were both dragged overboard, lol.  Within seconds, Banff circled around to the nest to claim what she had originally intended . . the fish.  After eating her second fish, and having an intruder-free day (thus far), Banff was feeling pretty good.  She seemed relaxed, bright, and ‘happy’ for a change (and the chatters were too!).  Liberated by an intruder-free day, Banff took several more short flights around her neighborhood.  And, again we learned that she had been keeping an eye on her Mom.  At 16:33 Banff flew to the nest just five seconds ahead of Louise who had a partial fish in her talons, “Thanks a lot, Mommy!”  Banff had a lovely evening, she took a couple more quick flights, and all was right with the world!!!  SOD’s, Banff.”

Osoyoos – “The Osoyoos chick fledged at 0624 on 8/21, at 56 days of age.  Congratulations to Junior, Soo and Olsen!  Junior returned to the nest at 1124, and she was hungry.  It would be a while before her first meal of the day however, so s/he took another short flight at 1344.  At 1439 Soo brought a very large fish to the nest, and Junior feasted!  A juvenile visitor landed on the nest at 1530, and Junior found it quite interesting.  Soo however, was less intrigued, and she gently persuaded the young fledgling to go home, lol.  It was a fine day, indeed.”

Barnegat Light – “Duke and Daisy both delivered fish for Dorsett.  Dorsett seems to always take her meals to her favorite utility pole to dine.”

Severna Park – “Oscar delivered a nice fish to the only fledgling that has been coming to the nest for several days.”

Gosh, those are good reports, ‘H’. Thank you so much!!!! It is nice to see these fledglings doing so well and no bad news.

Lou and Annie are bonding in the scrape. They are staying close to their home, The Campanile, on the grounds of U-California-Berkeley. It has been lovely to see them along with Monty and Hartley when they are not raising chicks.

Diamond and Xavier are also bonding at Orange and they fell asleep during an extremely long bonding session!

Karl II continues to bring fish and frogs for his three fledgling Black Storklets. What a devoted Dad. When he begins his migration, Karl II will eventually arrive at his destination near Chad where Kaia spends the winter.

Did you know there is a stork rehabilitation centre in Lublin in northeastern Poland? Look at the beautifully woven baskets for these sweet babies on top of the barn roof. Oh, these precious ones are treasured by so many people in Europe.

In many ancient traditions, when someone died their soul would go into a bird – most often a stork. The soul of the dead would travel for 40 days before it reached the underworld or paradise inside the stork. The birds would return in the spring when life was reborn. In other traditions, any home that had a stork nest on top of the house would have harmony and peace. Every type of calamity would beset someone who would deliberately harm the storms in any way.

“The stork rehabilitation center is run by the “Chance for Stork” Association in Kozubszczyzna near Lublin. Storks injured in various types of accidents find help here. They are treated, rehabilitated and released here. However, some storks, due to their injuries, are not able to get up in the air, so they stay in the Asylum until the end of their days. There are 14 such individuals here.”

Kate was at the nest of her parents, White-tailed Eagles Milda and Voldis, in Durbe County. Isn’t she beautiful? The couple fledged two this year – so over the moon happy for Milda!

There is good news about the Kakapo that were reintroduced on the mainland of New Zealand after being made extinct there. Before we arrived, Kakapo, these adorable green flightless parrots, were abundant across New Zealand. There are now only 248 birds living on four tiny NZ islands. The cause of their demise was hunting, predation, and loss of habitat. Today there are 248 Kakapo. The reintroduction project is the first to try and bring them back to the mainland. It took place in 2023. They are critically endangered.

At Port Lincoln, everyone has been watching the nest and wondering what is going. n. ‘A’ often comments to me that the mating has been sporadic and often not successful. Odd for an experienced male such as Dad. So is there a problem? or has the male been misidentified and this is a new one this year? PLO says it won’t be for lack of trying that there are no eggs! PLO has a fantastic obs board and chat under the streaming cam. ‘H’ sent me the following note from the chat last evening. Question: Has anyone seriously compared the head plumage of this male with the Dad from previous years? I have to admit that we were quite worried about him last year when he had what appeared to be seizures.

Checking on the Sydney Sea Eagles, ‘A’ reports: “Dad brought in a small whole fish (bream perhaps) at 15:46:09. Both eaglets sat up, but it was little SE32 who headed up to the table first. Dad had a couple of bites and then offered one to SE32, who took it. Instead of offering him another, Dad had the next bite himself, and before he could finish it and give a second bite to SE32, SE31 beaks her little brother in the back of the head and twists and pulls at the beakful of fluff. She puts him down but he is still between her and the fish so she repeats the dose. She then proceeds to eat the entire fish, with SE32 remaining in submission throughout (and for a while after Dad left). At one point, SE31 circled around SE32 and went right up to Dad, leaving separation between herself and SE32, but that didn’t help his confidence at all. He remained submissive and motionless. He is hungry, hence his dash for the table, which was a brave move from him and not one we would have seen two days ago. Yesterday was such a good day for the little one that he did actually gain some confidence from it but all it takes is one of SE31’s attacks (as opposed to the single beak to the back of the head, which he usually quickly brushes off) to restore his victim mentality. It is most discouraging. For his self-feeding abilities to help him, there need to be some leftovers on this nest. Apparently, there were some overnight but of course SE32 was not at all hungry and was not ferreting around on the nest looking for food overnight. Mum and Dad found all the nestovers on the WBSE nest while the IR lights were still on this morning and SE31 got them all. But SE32 did get the breakfish – nearly all of it – and has had a good crop all day. Hoping another fish (this time, a big one) comes onto the nest before nightfall.”

Sightings of M15 at the nest site are being reported in Fort Myers!

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care of yourself. Look up and listen for the birds!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: “A, H, R’, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, PSEG, MN Landscape Arboretum, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Poole Harbour Ospreys, LRWT, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, Eagle Club of Estonia, LizM, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Severna Park, Sydney Sea Eagles, PLO, Sydney Sea Eagles, SK Hideaways and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, and the Kakapo Recovery.

Skydancing…the plight of the Hen Harrier and Mini is adapting…Friday in Bird World

18 August 2023

Good Morning,

It is Thursday afternoon and it is nearly 1400. A Cooper’s Hawk has just landed above my head on the Conservatory. A summer fledgling who has found the garden and its hundreds and hundreds of Sparrows, the snack of choice for this raptor. You have to look in their eyes – just once – directly and you will melt. It was a long time ago now that I ran into the garden through deep snow for fear that a very large female Shark-shinned Hawk was eating Hedwig, the resident rabbit. She wasn’t but, in an instant, our eyes met one another. There was a meeting of spirits. I understand fully the Circle of Life and for this beautiful raptor she needed food. I love raptors – some people don’t. They see them as big mean birds.

Today, there will be little news from nests but I want you to understand, by listening, what all the fuss is about the hunting estates, and the extinction of the Hen Harrier.

So please listen! You also get an explanation of the Inglorious 12th of August. I hope you understand why stomping on a nest of innocent Hen Harrier chicks makes me ill and causes my anxiety to rise. The wealthy pay 1000s of GBP per day to shoot grouse but they also stay in hotels, eat at restaurants, and spend money in the villages. The fines and punishments mean nothing because killing birds is big business with the Driven Grouse Moors seen to be a ‘part of traditional Britain’ – which they are. We live in the 21st century and our attitudes towards killing have changed since medieval times.

There are three episodes. Educate yourself and listen to all of them. Imagine the vast expanse of Scotland because this is where this happens.

Part One. Susie’s Chicks

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/audio/2023/aug/15/killing-the-skydancer-episode-one-susies-chicks?CMP=share_btn_link

Part Two. The Perfect Crime.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2023/aug/16/killing-the-skydancer-episode-2-the-perfect-podcast?CMP=share_btn_link

Part Three. An Open Secret

https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2023/aug/17/killing-the-skydancer-episode-three-an-open-secret-podcast?CMP=share_btn_link

There are so many good books out there on Hen Harriers. They are such beautiful raptors. These are two of my favourites:

At Patchogue, Mini had four fish on Thursday. She ate the majority of each of them proving that she is adapting to her situation. It has been over a week now that she appeared on the nest with her injury.

When there is not much of the fish left – or if they are small, to begin with – Mini has difficulties because she still cannot put weight on that left leg. She can’t hold down the fish and pull. Today, she was persistent in working on the tail of one of those deliveries. Tried to work on a tiny piece! Dad brought the fourth fish in, a small one, late in the day. Mini worked and worked, and she succeeded – this fish, not a bite of it, went overboard.

Gosh, she is beautiful.

Mini is desperately trying to get every morsel of that fish tail.

Mini worked and worked an she horked all of that fish tail!

All gone.

We have to watch Mini’s progress. She appears more steady on her legs, less wobbly – although at the end of the day – around 1952 when she flew off the perch she appeared to have trouble -, uses her wings to help her, and is enthusiastic in her fish calling. She is flying. Dad continues to feed his youngest. What we know about Mini’s personality is this – she survived against great odds – one of only a few (I have to find those stats) fourth hatches to live this season. She is intelligent, tenacious, and she does not give up. She works hard. If all of my university students had those qualities, teaching would have been a breeze!

Good Night, Mini.

There is good news about Ervie who is enjoying Turnby Bay!

Waiting and watching as Dad continues to deliver fish to Mum at Port Lincoln.

At Sydney Sea Eagles, little 32 (noticeably smaller now than 32) still waits submissively while 31 eats. The fish was very large, and 31 was full, and the baby ate. The pattern of domination was set early. We can still see some of the feathers missing from 32.

“A’ gives us the rundown: “Dad came to the nest shortly after 9.35 and asked Lady whether it was okay for him to have some of the leftover fish. Surprisingly, she actually agreed! She stood up from brooding the chicks and flew off, leaving him to have a snack and then feed the remainder of the fish to SE31 (well, SE32 got about half a dozen or perhaps eight mouthfuls at the beginning of the feed, but as soon as SE31 beaked him, pulled out another beakful of feathers (she can’t shake SE32 any more – he’s too big now – but still grabs a beakful of feathers somewhere on SE32’s head or neck and twists back and forth till he pulls out the feathers, leaving herself spitting out fluff), he went into submission. Late in the feed, Dad tried to offer him a bite but SE32 shrank away, which confused Dad, who didn’t try again. SE32 still has a huge crop from breakfast, so if he doesn’t eat again for the rest of the day, he will be fine… As long as SE31 has had enough, she is perfectly happy to watch her little brother stuffing himself to the brim. On other occasions, though, she continues to return to the table, and as long as she is that close, SE32 is fearful, with good reason, as SE31 will often react to any food given to SE32 by beaking him.”

Friday morning Xavier had stashed a fresh European Starling in the corner of the scrape. We know that this is not Diamond’s favourite breakfast but…she was hungry. Went over and accepted the food gift and out she went. Still waiting for eggs.

Three healthy and happy fledglings at Boulder County hoping that they will be the lucky one to get the fish delivery.

At the time of my writing, Maya was still at Rutland.

Only four so far reported crossing over the Straits of Gibraltar.

This is Thursday’s chart from Hawk Mountain in PA, USA.

Migration is on everyone’s mind and Tiger Mozone posted an older chart showing the relationship between fledge dates and migration from Loch Garten.

A note came to me today stating that the Middle hatch at Achieva is doing very well and is flying around. He needs to gain some weight before release. This is all good. You might recall that he was falling off the nest – dehydration/starvation – and was monitored and picked up for rehab.

Voldis and Milda continue to provide prey items for their two fledglings at the Durbe County White-tail Eagle nest in Latvia. LizM catches one of those deliveries on video.

LizM catches Karl II coming in with a load of fish for his three fledglings in the Karula National Forest nest in Estonia.

Ludo has not had anything to eat as of 0900 Thursday morning due to intruders at Loch Arkaig. Has Dorcha left for migration? Geemeff reminds us that she departed on the 18th last year. Louis is probably fighting intruders. Certainly Ludo is having to deal with them. Poor thing. What is up with these intruders this year?

‘H’ reports that it was a good day at Fortis Exshaw: “All things considered, it was a good day.  I think the cam viewers are in agreement that any day where Banff has a couple of fish to eat and she is not snatched from the nest by an intruder, it is a good day!  Louise delivered one of her signature ‘whale’ fish at 0619.  Banff would eat from that monster fish on and off until 1551.  At 0626 Louise flew off the nest with one of the nearly-whole leftover fish that she had delivered in the evening on 8/16.  At 0630 and 0631 Banff was buzzed by an intruder.  Louise quickly flew to the nest holding what appeared to be the same fish she had just removed.  Then, when Louise flew off to chase the intruder, she left that fish in the nest.  Banff picked up the 0632 fish and deftly laid it right beside her ‘whale’ fish.  That was so cute.  So, the 0632 fish brought to the nest seemed to have been a recycled leftover fish from 8/16.  Louise brought a big gob of fluff to the nest at 0720.  We thought that she may have intended to cover JJ’s body with it, but she did not.  Louise flew out at 0742 chasing an intruder.  At 0907 O’Hara landed on the nest and was scanning the skies, then he flew off quickly in pursuit of something a few minutes later.  At 1442 O’Hara was back again and stood on the nest as a sentry until 1502.  Starting at 1618, Banff had been intermittently nibbling on the recycled leftover fish, when an intruder started buzzing and dive bombing her.  She was buzzed at least seven times until 1621.  At 162130 there was an adult that flew higher over the nest, but we weren’t sure if it was the intruder, Louise or O’Hara.  Banff’s response to the attack was to ‘pancake’ as flat as she could until the threat subsided.  Then, cool, calm and collected, Banff finished eating the recycled leftover fish.  She was also dive bombed twice at 1649.   At 1819 Louise delivered the last fish of the day.  Banff was buzzed twice by an intruder at 2004, and she pancaked again.  Then an intruder (or ‘friendly’?) hovered over the nest briefly at 2005.  After all her flying and being chased by intruders the previous few days, and the stress of twice being snatched off the nest, Banff decided to rest and refuel today.  She took no flights, she was a total homebody.”

‘H’ also reports:

Osoyoos – There were five fish brought to the nest at 0604, 1039, 1243, 1357, and 1742.  Despite the ongoing heat wave, this family is doing great.  The young osplet is 53 days old.

Forsythe – Dear Ollie is spending much more time away from the nest, but she did have three fish delivered to the nest for her by Oscar.

Severna Park – At least one of the juvies is still coming to the nest and eating fish provided by Oscar.

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow with a look at what is happening on the European nests.

Thank you to everyone for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, PB, R’, The Guardian, PSEG, Port Lincoln Osprey, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Bart M and LRWT, Jane D and Ospreys, Hawk Mountain, Boulder County Fair Grounds Osprey Cam, Tiger Mozone, Liz M and the LDF, LizM and the Eagle Club of Estonia, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, FortisExshaw, Osoyoos, Severna Park, and Forsythe Ospreys.

Second attack on Banff…Thursday in Bird World

17 August 2023

Hi there,

As I sit and write this, six Blue Jays are getting peanuts in the garden and drinking from the fountain. The sky is black and we have both air quality warnings and wind warnings of 80 kph. The birds are frantic. One even hid in a red plant when the gusts got high. (Fast speed so nothing looks like it is moving but it was!)

The cutest thing was when the ‘baby’ slept in the bird bath. Oh, this little one delights me many times a day. Such a cutie pie.

Bliss. Soaking your feet on a hot day in water with the sun pouring down warming your feathers.

A sibling decided they liked the cleaner water in the taller bird bath for his bath! These Blue Jays are the cutest things this year. They spend the entire day in the garden. So grateful that they do not like little grape tomatoes! They seem to eat everything else in sight.

Missey watched it all from her perch inside the sitting room.

The only nest that I checked on throughout the day was Patchogue. I knew others were watching Fortis closely and Mini is quite dear to my heart.

At 0951 Mini is on the nest screaming. She sees Dad!

I know that I call her Mini and at one time it was Little Mini. Some call her Tiny Dancer. But I want you to look at the span of the wings right now…not little anymore.

Her left leg is not straight. My friend ‘R’, who is qualified (I am not) to discuss physical issues more than anyone I know, believes the trouble is at the knee. The problem with getting Mini help is that she is flying, her parents are still feeding her, she is not grounded. There is just no way to do that at this point. She is wild.

Indeed, it is appropriate to bring in today’s experience with Calico -the stray that I hope to get vaccinated and fixed. She is in heat. The vet told me that she would not be around for two days, but, like clockwork, she arrived at 1901 (instead of 1900) for her dinner. I fed her a bit on the deck, picked her up, and took her into the conservatory. Well, now. She bolted and climbed the glass walls to the roof, sliding down. I felt horrible. The terror that she was experiencing sent me back to the drawing board on how best to care for her and any kittens. So the goal is still to find the kitten/s – to get them adopted or keep the only surviving one if possible and get Calico fixed and all vaccinated. If she chooses to live outside she will have a heated house if she wants to live in it. There will always be food. Tomorrow when she is not traumatised by being inside a house, I will fit the collar on if I can find one that closes with Velcro. There was no way I could hold her and buckle the collar I had prepared with the tracker. I must remember that she is a wild soul and be patient.

Mini is also wild and she will not fit into the story that I (or anyone else) has written for her – either.

The last fish was a rather large goldfish. She ate some on the nest and flew off with the rest in her beak. Everyone watching held their breath when she was feeding near the rim, fearful she would drop her dinner over the edge. Hopefully, Mini has found a flat room in her time of adaptation where she can eat in peace without the fear of losing the fish.

The best-case scenario for Mini is a miraculous healing. Second, she is grounded and rescued. We must realise that she would have to stay in care until spring when the ospreys return from migration. She could not be released before then (it would be winter). That is why the local publicity and her story are important and, perhaps, a GoFundMe to help with her expenses should she go into rehab. I have a feeling our gal would eat a lot of fish if she got the chance!

This afternoon Banff flew on to the nest at Fortis Exshaw and was once again repeatedly attacked and taken off the nest by another Osprey – an adult. I have asked ‘H’ for clarification because it looked like it might have been an adult this time. A local resident, Tina Moore, noted (on the chat) there was an aerial fight between four ospreys. It is a very unstable situation. Will Banff figure out to stay in the trees and hope she gets fish fed there? How many fish does Louise lose trying to feed herself and Banff? Where is Mr O? I presume he is also fighting intruders. Someone told me once that the raptors protect their territory first, themselves second, and the chicks third.

‘H’ gives us the most remarkable account of these events – with an ending that defies logic as we still see JJ’s body – a result of starvation.

“Fortis Exshaw – Ya’ just can’t make this stuff up.  We don’t believe Banff had any food on 8/14 after she was dragged off the nest by an intruder, but we cannot rule out that she may have been fed while in hiding.  Banff only had one fish to eat on 8/15 at 0639.  8/16 started out to be a peaceful day.  Banff went on a few short flights, but starting at 0855 she was dive bombed 8 times while on the nest by an intruder.  Banff eventually flew off the nest while being chased.  At 1111, Banff flew to the nest perch and was buzzed by the intruder, so she took off.  She was chased back to the nest and was dive bombed two more times, so Banff flew away.  A local live stream viewer, TM, went to the nest and reported that she saw a couple of adult ospreys helping to chase the intruder away from Banff (she thought them to be Louise and O’Hara).  We next saw Banff at 1304 when she landed on the nest, and she was dive bombed three more times.  At 1305, the intruder approached from behind, grabbed Banff on her back with its talons and dragged her off the nest!  Starting at 1545 Louise hovered over the nest dangling a fish and flew off.  Then she came back and landed with the fish, but took off with the fish again after a minute.  She came back with the fish and hovered and flew away.  Then she landed with the fish and flew off.  Louise was looking for Banff, and trying to attract Banff.  At 1548 Louise again landed with the fish . .and we thought we heard Banff calling, and Louise heard the calls too . . Louise immediately looked north and seemed to be laser-focused on a specific spot, and she flew off with the fish.  We think she may have taken the fish to Banff.  If so, it would have been Banff’s first meal in 33 hours.  Banff landed on the nest at 1922.  She appeared to have a slight crop.  Louise knew where her girl was, and she was on the case!  Louise proceeded to deliver seven whole fish to Banff from 2020 to 2123!  Now, that is the kind of fishing success Louise was having just a few weeks ago.  The first fish was at 2020.  Banff had not quite finished fish-1 when Louise arrived with fish-2 at 2035, and Banff started eating fish-2.  At 2041 Banff dropped fish-2 and started eating fish-3.  Banff finished fish-3 and resumed eating fish-2.  At 2105 Louise brought live fish-4, Banff drops fish-2 and starts to eat fish-4.  At 2110 Louise arrived with fish-5, an even larger live fish.  Banff had not eaten much of fish-4 when she grabbed fish-5.  By then, Banff had a huge crop, and she really wasn’t hungry.  She stood holding fish-4 in her left talon, and a still flopping fish-5 in her right talon.  Louise arrived with whole fish-6 at 2115.  Banff let go of fish-4, and started eating fish-6 (fish-5 was still alive).  Banff periodically took bites from fish-5.  She soon switched her main focus to the frisky fish-5, and periodically took bites from fish-6.  Finally . . at 2123 Louise delivered fish-7.  Through all of this time Louise’s crop had been flat each time we saw her.  Satisfied that she had provided enough fish for her kid, Louise picked up a nearly-whole fish-4 and ate it.  You go girl!  You deserve it, Louise.  The entire time Louise was eating, Banff was simply standing there with a fish in each talon, but not eating.  She was talking up a storm, telling Mom all about the terrible time she had been chased, dive bombed, and dragged off the nest by that awful mean bird.  Only fish-1,3,and4 were eaten in their entirety.  Pieces of fish-2,5,and 6 remain in the nest.  Fish-7 remained a whole fish. Banff will have the strength to fight another day.  Banff slept on the nest, and Mom spent the night on the T-perch.   (It is such a shame that fishing became so difficult for several days, and JJ could not get enough to eat.  Now JJ’s body is surrounded by fish)”

I want to thank the folks at Cowlitz because of their progressive thinking on stopping the predation of their osplets. Many nests could benefit from the grids that Cowlitz PUD put up to protect their ospreys. Maybe Fortis Exshaw should be first in line – along with Lake Murray -to get those plans.

At 2245, I got a note that Banff was on the nest and had a huge crop thanks to a fish Louise delivered. Thanks ‘PB’. One thing is certain: Louise appreciates what has happened to her daughter – and Banff is getting real-world experience that will give her an edge out in the world off the nest! She is one tough cookie.

Tears.

How many raptors were displaced because of the fires throughout Canada will never be known. You can see the fires still burning behind the nest in the mountains beyond. They would have lost some or all of their nests, mates, and chicks. A few nests, like one in Nova Scotia, made the news because two chicks were rescued from the wildfire, and a new nest was put up after they had been in rehab for a fortnight. The parents returned to care for them. Many, many more were not so fortunate.

Dyfi: A beautiful capture of Cennen.

Glaslyn: Aran’s fish dinner. Where is everyone?

Manton Bay: My favourite Osprey Dad in the World (sorry Louis). Blue 33 has made quite the nest and is doing repairs so that when him and Maya return in March it will be ready! What a wonderful provider!

Osprey season is over at Dahlgren and the cam will be shut off until next spring. Good luck. Safe travels everyone!

‘H’ reports on Osoyoos: “Osoyoos – The heat wave continues in the region, and the air remains smoky.  But despite the heat and smoke, Olsen delivered a large headless, and Soo brought two nice-sized fish to the nest.  There was a long tug-o-fish between Soo and Junior for the second fish, but Soo kept the fish and fed Junior.  At 1941 ‘Junior’ grabbed fish #3 from Soo and ate the whole thing! “

Alyth: The camera has been down for several days. Last time we saw the youngsters there were fish squabbles but all were well.

Ever wonder why ospreys might benefit from being banded? Here is the latest report From Diane Bennett at Tweed Valley about an osprey caught in netting. Have a read – it is very informative.

15th-August.docx-Google-DriveDownload

The latest report on the Border Ospreys – both adults were still at the nest.

YET-MORE-HUMBLE-PIE-–-Border-OspreysDownload

Jeff Kear gives us the round-up of who is where in UK Osprey Land.

Darling Xavier. Sometimes Diamond is so picky. I hope he had a nice breakfast. How dould you not love this tiny male…oh, Xavier, you are a doll.

Port Lincoln: Dad dutifully takes a fish to Mum, which she flies over to the ropes to eat. Mum is still spending time on the nest, and the couple are still mating. We wait for eggs.

Sydney Sea Eagles: Little 32 is shy even when 31 is not doing anything and often goes into a submissive mode. Some worry about why this little one is not more spunky. ‘A’ writes, “Around 10.22 dad brought in what looks like an eel. Little SE32 has a nice crop from his breakfast and is looking perky. He has front position for this feeding, at least as mum takes control of the food, but we will see what happens once the eating begins. There should be plenty of meat on this eel to feed both eaglets, so all SE32 has to do is wait until SE31 is full and all should be well. Fingers crossed.”

And that is precisely what happened!

Just a correction. KL5 has been at the Loch Garten nest causing havoc. All of the information that I saw posted on FB stated that he fledged from the Loch Garten Nest in 2020. ‘D’ says that it was actually at Loch Ness. Thanks, ‘D’.

Thank you so very much for being with me today. Please take care. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, D, H, PB, R’, PSEG, Fortis Exshaw, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Jane Dell and LRWT, Bridgette Schwurack and Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Osoyoos, Alyth, Diane Bennett, Border Ospreys, Jeff Kear and Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, Cilia Kinross and Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, PLO, and Sydney Sea Eagles.

Tragedy hits Fortis Exshaw again as JJ dies…Sunday in Bird World

13 August 2023

Hello Everyone,

Saturday was nothing short of a day full of anxiety for many of our Osprey nests. We have lost another beautiful bird nearing fledge, and we are consumed with worry over Mini and how fast our darling girl can heal. Loch Garten has me worrying that more fledglings might have died or been injured due to KL5’s aggressions. My blog today runs over with the harsh reality of the lives of our beloved fish-eating eagles. Sometimes these events just take the wind out of our sails and we need time to just sit and stare at the wall.

It is one of those osprey seasons where we have cried buckets and Saturday evening is no exception. Louise and Jasper’s second hatch, JJ, succumbed to starvation at 21:21:50. He had not been allowed to eat for more than forty-eight hours. The two fish that came to the nest on Saturday were eaten entirely by Banff, the first hatch and much larger female.

Fortis-Exshaw has seen its share of sadness this season, beginning with the loss of the male, Jasper, when the chicks were only wee. The third hatch immediately became a victim of siblicide/starvation. Then O’Hara comes on the scene to help Louis feed the two surviving chicks and the relentless intruders. We believed that everything would be alright. Then there are wildfires, more intruders, and then Louise is left defending the nest and providing for the chicks – again – on her own. Condolences all around. JJ was adored for his sweet nature.

Look at that beautiful, fully feathered osplet on the left – sweet JJ. Soar high little one, soar high. It is simply hard to believe.

These are ‘H’s notes about Saturday at Fortis:

” Oh, dear . . what happened to all the fish that used to be brought to this nest?  I wish Louise could tell us.  JJ had not eaten since 1808 on 8/10.  There were only two fish brought to the nest by Louise on 8/12.  The first fish at 1259 was rather small.  JJ fought Banff valiantly for it, and was able to tear off a small piece, but Banff won the fish.  After Banff ate that fish, she put on a surprising aerial display of out-of-sight hovers.  The next fish was at 1409, and it was very large.  It was enough for a couple of meals each for Banff and JJ.  There was a three-way battle for that fish.  JJ had it for only a few seconds, then Banff took it, but Louise took it from Banff.  Louise wanted to feed, but unfortunately only Banff came to the table.  JJ had been jumped on by Banff during the tussle for the fish, and JJ ended up cowering over on the sidelines.  After just a few minutes of Louise feeding, Banff pulled the fish away from Louise, and Louise left the nest a short time later.  We all thought that Banff would eat her fill then walk away from the fish, so then JJ would be able to eat.  But, apparently Banff’s mindset was becoming more survivalist, and adult-like.  Whereas she previously would walk away from a fish when she was full, today she did not walk away.  It was Banff’s intention to maintain possession of ‘her fish’.  So, she would take long breaks from eating and simply stand on the fish.  JJ tried unsuccessfully to take the fish a couple of times.  Almost 2 1/2 hours after she started eating, Banff left a tail+ piece on the nest.  JJ never even knew it was there, and Banff finished it later.  JJ passed late in the evening at 55 days of age, and he was reunited with his Dad, Jasper.  Fly high JJ, and may you always have a full crop.  We are so very glad that we met you, and we will never forget you. “

On Sunday morning, Banff flew to the perch. It is highly likely that she might fledge today. Louise has not been seen on the nest since JJ died that I am aware.

On top of this great sadness, there is also some great joy. ‘H’ reports that Dorsett, the only surviving osplet, of Duke and Daisy at Barnegat Light caught her first fish ‘on camera’ yesterday. “Dorsett caught her first fish, 13 days after she fledged.  She caught an Atlantic needlefish, and ate the entire fish on Duke’s perch.  Way to go, Dorsett!” We must rejoice in this – because hundreds and hundreds (if not thousands and thousands) of little osplets died on the nest during those horrible storms in mid-June. Dorsett is the only one from Duke and Daisy’s nest to make it and she is amazing.

‘H’ also reports on good news at Kent Island, “Kent Island – At approximately 1655 Molly made a perfect landing back on her nest, 25 hours after she fledged.  She was soon treated to a nice fish from her Mom.  It’s great to see you back, Molly!”

There has been a lot of discussion about how Mini might have injured her leg. We will never know. There are endless possibilities. Whatever happened occurred off the nest, away from the camera. My ‘dime’s worth’ is on a fish fight with someone. At the RSPB nest, the 2-year-old returnee KL5 has been ruthless in seeing off this year’s fledglings (2C4 and 2C5) – in dramatic, unrelenting and harmful ways. He is determined to take this nest.

Most of the time, we think of Ospreys being relatively docile compared to other raptors, but we must remember that they are Apex predators. And while they do not have the type of talons to fight head to toe with eagles and hawks, the battles between Ospreys can get superheated and very intense, as this video shows.

At Patchogue, Mini had everyone concerned Saturday morning when she dangled her left leg while sitting on the perch. I want to think that she did not want to put pressure on the leg – to allow the swelling to go down and this healing process to accelerate. So far, she does not appear lethargic. Everyone loves Mini and wants this super special lass to achieve great things, not be suffering from an injury. So – it is tough for everyone to watch and to wait and see how this plays out. It appears that Dad might be feeding Mini off nest – perhaps she has found a place where it is easier for her to hang on to the fish (a nice big flat surface like a roof) and eat slowly.

The ‘elephant in the room is the lingering question: will Mini heal enough to care for herself by the time Dad and she need to leave on their migration?

Saturday morning at Patchogue:

Mini is fish calling really loud this morning. She is spunky and alive and wants Dad to get there in a hurry. Please send her your best wishes! We want our dear little one to heal quickly. The good news is she is not lethargic.

There is also good news coming out of NZ for the supplementary feeding for the Royal Cam chick worked wonders. ‘A’ reports, “In New Zealand, Manaaki is very active following his supplementary feeding and has spent the days since gardening up a storm and ticking off the local scenic walks. (He has ventured even further than before in his explorations.) What a beautiful creature he really is. His fluff is almost gone now and we are looking at a juvenile now, not a chick. Our gorgeous boy.”

What would our world be like if all the people who owned streaming cams took the same great care with such compassion as NZ? When the parents do not show up or there is not enough food, they feed the chicks!

‘A’ reports that someone is going out to fix the camera at the barge in Port Lincoln on Monday (today in Australia). We are waiting for the first egg for Mum and Dad.

A very quick look at some other nests that have caused some worry in previous weeks.

MN Arboretum- Fish are coming on the nest and the beautiful osplet, fully feathered and nearing fledge, is doing a good job at self-feeding. You can sure see the change in the landscape now – from dry soil to corn growing!

Steelscape:

That is wonderful news to see this little third hatch eating so well.

PF4 has been caught on camera at Loch of the Lowes!!!!!

I have been so worried about this nest. We can now see PF4 also catching her own fish – the second time on camera. But, look at her, she must have been catching fish all along. Mum Blue NC0 has not been seen since 15 July and PF5, the younger brother, for some weeks now, too. It is unclear what is happening with Laddie LM12. But, for now, we can rejoice that this fledgling is surviving by her own fishing – a skill set that she is perfecting before she migrates.

I always appreciate Emyr Evans Science Sundays. Ospreys and catching fish – we have seen their dives. They are so brilliant – it is one of the most incredible things to watch.

Like so many of you I needed a little break for today. I find the situation at Fortis-Exshaw a little overwhelming – it has been like a roller coaster – and I cannot imagine how Louise is feeling.

Thank goodness for the kittens who bring me such joy! Always together, always loving towards one another. I hope that the introduction of Calico does not change the dynamics too much.

Please take care everyone. Let us collectively take a deep breath and turn our attention back to sending good energy towards Mini at Patchogue. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, PB, R’, Fortis Exshaw, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Kent Island, RSPB Loch Garten, PSEG, NZ DOC, MN Landscape Arboretum, Pam Breci and The Joy of Ospreys, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, and Dyfi Osprey Project.

Beautiful Mini…Thursday in Bird World

3 August 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

We are almost at the end of the week. The time is flying by, and in Canada this is the August long weekend. It will be 30 C, and everyone will rush to their cottage near a lake to refresh. For me, it will mean continued diligence in keeping the bird baths and bowls full of water. It also means that it is the weekend for local corn, time to finally pickle the beets, harvest the first of the potatoes (I planted the seed potatoes in fibre bags), and take several gallons of peaches and turn them into jam. About 6 blocks away, our award winning ice cream shop will have the first of the Louis Lavender flavour available. Everything they make is local and this is lavender mixed with Saskatoons – they are sort of like blueberries but I like them better. Looking forward!

There is lots of good news coming in. This is just a thin slice of what has been happening.

I am thinking Ospreys!

Some wonderful rescues! Every one of these speaks to the dedication of the people at the wildlife rehab clinics – most volunteers – and to the power of people to cause change. Never give up!

Do you fish?

We are still elated that the osprey was untangled without incident to it or the other sibling on the nest.

It takes an international community to help the wildlife. They cannot speak for themselves. They have a right to live without our debris, without their lives and those of their chicks being endangered by our garbage – balloons, baling twine, fishing line. Just as was the case with the osplet above, please do not give up. Phone the local wildlife rehabber, the USFWS offices, television and radio stations in the area – do whatever it takes to right the wrong. The Migratory Bird Act allows for interventions when human debris endanger the life of wildlife even chicks on the nest.

Encourage the owners of every streaming cam to do annual clean-ups and repairs to their nest platforms just like they perform on their cameras. Be alert to fishing line, baling twine, hooks and line on the nests and make those phone calls and send those e-mails. You could save a life and I promise you, you will wake up feeling better and more determined to help others. They cannot get themselves out of our mess. Just look at that twine below.

A group of people came to the rescue.

One last information post before we move to the nests. The term ‘Crossing the Rainbow Bridge’ is familiar to all of us. Have a look at this!

The results of the necroscopy on Tuffy2, the Red-tail Hawklet on the Redding Bald Eagle nest, are published. The photo is by Doug Gifford.

This is the summary:

Bay Raptor RescueAuthor Here is a summary of the necropsy: 1. The analysis supports my post-mortem findings that the hatch year female was in very poor nutritional condition. 2. Her body and head had wounds that are consistent with talon punctures. 3. The body wounds were older and partially healed, and include a fractured sternum. 4. Two head wounds were more severe and recent, with the larger, rear wound penetrating the skull and causing brain damage. 5. The diagnosis is predator trauma leading to reduced food intake and emaciation.

Bay Raptor Rescue, 2 August 2023

Time to check in our nests…let’s start with the reports from ‘H’ today!

Fortis Exshaw: It was an intruder-filled day, with many intruder fly-bys, and even an attempted landing.  It started early, while Louise was away from the nest.  At 0635 Mr.O landed urgently in intruder-defense mode. He jumped up to intercept an intruder and ended up falling on his face. Then he flew off after the intruder.  Mr.O also flew to the nest a couple other times to help keep intruders away.  At 1237 Mr.O stayed on the nest for a full 50 minutes to provide protection while Louise fed the chicks.  There were six fish brought to the nest.  Just before noon portions of the livestream video image pixelated making identifications of the ospreys difficult.  There is a possibility that Mr.O may have delivered the fish at 1907.  At 0605 chick #2 grabbed the first fish and began to eat, but #1 stole the fish four minutes later, and a bit later #2 stole it back.  Both chicks ate well from that fish.  Chick #1 ate the second fish at 1135.  Louise fed both chicks at 1230.  Chick #1 ate the next fish at 1756.  At 1907 a small whole fish was dropped off and #2 grabbed it and mantled, but then surprisingly he walked away from it, so #1 ate the fish.  Finally, at 2005 Louise brought in a large fish and provided a long feeding for chick #2.  Chick #1 joined in the feeding later on.  


Forsythe: There were only two fish delivered to the nest by Oscar on 8/2.  It is impossible to know if the fledglings are being fed off the nest.  But, Ollie in particular spends a lot of time at the nest.  Owen acquired the first fish at 1001.  Ollie was the winner of the second fish at 1619, and she flew off with it.  However, Ollie arrogantly circled back around and buzzed Owen on the nest while still holding the fish.  At 1630 Ollie tried to land on the nest to eat her fish, but Owen wouldn’t let her.  A battle ensued with Owen taking possession of the fish, but both sibs ended up going overboard.  They were seen chasing each other, and neither one had the fish!   Ollie had lost her only fish of the day!  These two siblings had several knock-down-drag-out fights throughout the day.  It was awful to see.  They are so hungry.

Osoyoos –  Eight fish were brought to the nest, and all was well for this family of three.

Kent Island – At 51 days of age, Tom and Audrey’s chick did a nice job self-feeding from a fish delivered by Tom.  An official name for youngster will be announced on 8/4!

Thank you so much, ‘H’!

Shifting to our Mini. I wonder how many of you continue to stop in to see if you can see Mini on the Patchogue nest? Clearly I do…she is such an inspiration. And today, she had at least one nice fish!

Mini sees Dad coming with the fish.

Gorgeous Mini two hours later. Hoping for another delivery.

The bird that got the 1948 fish was Mini! The hearts are a give away along with the dirty front part of the legs.

Steelscape: The cam is on highlights. Three had not even hatched!

Before that happened, ‘PB’ caught the oldest sibling flying for the first time. The time was 0944. Throughout the day, Mum has been fighting off intruders.

Llyn Clywedog: John Williams keeps some amazing statistics on events at the nest of Dylan and Seren and the number and type of fish form month to month is one of those.

Loch Arkaig: A Hooded Crow visits the nest when Louis has been there. Is this Dyson?

Tartastan RU Eagles: Those two Eastern Imperial Eaglets are looking out to the world of Tartastan and dreaming of it being theirs.

MN Landscape Arboretum: It has been hot and Mum has tried to keep her gloriously large only osplet cool on Wednesday.

Collins Marsh: Two beautiful osplets. Collins Marsh should be very thrilled this year to see these handsome birds. One has fledged – I believe the other still has to fly but correct me, please!

Boulder: They have all flown successfully. Congratulations! Dad flies off with his fish – no one is home. Notice that the markings on Dad’s legs are like those of Mini.

Charlo Montana: The cam is up and running and just look at those two precious osplets.

Glacier Gardens: Hope is another beautiful raptor and what a wonderful name. It is something that each of us could use more of in our lives. Hope is flapping those wings and dreaming of a world off the nest.

Did you know that the farther north you go the larger the raptors are in size? And did you know that Hope will fledge around 89 days – the average for Alaskan eagles. That is almost a fortnight longer in the nest that her southern counterparts. The American Eagle Foundation found a huge difference in weight which is logical, “Northern eagles are larger than Southern eagles. Male Bald eagles’ weight may range from 6 to 9 pounds, with females’ weights usually 20 to 30 percent greater. Alaskan females reach up to 15 pounds. Florida males may weigh only 6 pounds.”

At San Jose City Hall, Soledad’s parents, Monty and Hartley, are finding some time -now that their vivacious daughter has fledged – for some bonding.

Cal Falcons: And checking in with Annie and Lou – looks like Annie devoured one huge pigeon! I always find it interesting that the fuller the crop is the more ‘Lacey’ the feathers on the chest/breast area appear…just beautiful. Annie looks like she needs to go and loaf and fall into a food coma.

Kuopio Kallaesi: Only the smallest of the chicks, K7Y, who weighted only 1100 grams at the time of ringing, remains on the nest. The other two K8Y and K9Y have fledged and have returned to the nest. Poor thing is all wet this morning. The parents are still taking great care and this one gets a really nice fish and is self-feeding without any interference from the others. Grand.

Ilomantsin: Everything looks fine.

Cornell Red-Tail Hawks: So many of you have written after the death of M2. It is not clear whether she hit a building or a window. But, as most agree, Cornell should be setting the gold standard in terms of safety for. irds. It is, after all, the home of the internationally respected Cornell Bird Lab. So with $30.8 million of assets for the Cornell lab in fiscal year 2022 (annual report below, thanks EJ), couldn’t they spare what is needed to make each window safe? Last year a very kind and empathetic donor gave $20,000 to collusion proof the breezeway where K1 broke her neck. In other instances, Karel and Cindy used their own resources to collision-proof the bus shelters. Just say’in.

2022-annual-reportDownload

Because of M2’s death, it is reassuring that Suzanne Arnold Horning found all four remaining family members on campus on Wednesday.

Last, a photo of Murphy at the World Bird Sanctuary. His foster eaglet has been released and Murphy is enjoying being – just Murphy! I do wonder if he will ever incubate an egg again….we wait.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Have a fabulous day. Please take care of yourself. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, pictures, Videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog for today: ‘EJ, H, JN, PB’, The Times, Parkes Champion Post, APCH, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Montana Osprey Cams, Christine’s Critters, KSBW TV News 8, Bay Raptor Rescue, Doug Gifford, Fortis Exshaw, Forsythe, Osoyoos, Kent Island, PSEG, Steelscape, The Clywedog Osprey Group, Tartastan Eagle Cam, MN Landscape Arboretum, Collins Marsh, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Boulder County, Charlo Montana, Glacier Gardens, SK Hideaways and SJ CH, SK Hideaway and Cal Falcons, Kuopio Kallaesi, Ilomantsin, Suzanne Arnold Horning and the Cornell RTH Chatters Group and the World Bird Sanctuary.

Collins Street is live, cute little sea eagles…Saturday in Bird World

29 July 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is 22:20 Friday, the 28th of July. Things should be getting quiet in Osprey World. The chicks should be fledging or fledged, working those wings and getting them strong. The fledglings and those about to fledge should be adapting well to self-feeding. Dads should be delivering more fish to the nests while the Mums also are fattening up like the osplets – preparing for migration. There should be a magical lull where everything is alright, but – it isn’t. ‘MP’ has just written to tell me that Mum could be missing from the Steelscape, Inc nest. There is still one osplet on the nest nearing fledge, and one has flown. ‘H’ just sent me a note that Louise is missing from the FortisExshaw nest and that Mr O has protected the nest and osplets from an intruder. The Scottish Wildlife Trust has now acknowledged that Blue NC0 is probably dead. I listed her on the Memorial Wall 13 days ago. Things are volatile in the nests of our Ospreys, so please, join me in sending them all your very best and most positive energy.

Update: ‘MP’ has written to say the female at Steelscape has returned. Good news. Maybe she is sunning herself and eating fish preparing the chicks for her departure while Dad is upping the deliveries to help the chicks get ready.

Lewis still does not care and he certainly doesn’t mind having the cat tree house all to himself even if he no longer fits. It is hard to imagine that they will be a year old now – Missey already is and Louis was born about the middle of August.

We are all anxious for more of the news from Australia now that the cutest little sea eaglets have hatched. Well, Collins CBD is now live! ‘H’ sent me the links…

South facing:

https://www.youtube.com/live/y3b2rKUPMsA?feature=share

North facing:

https://www.youtube.com/live/xUUK5c-Gsz0?feature=share

And yes…there is a falcon on the north facing camera Saturday morning in Canada….yippeeeeeee.

This wonderful rescue spread around the world like wildfire. Thank you to the dozens of people who sent me the link to the stories! Osprey -water logged and exhausted – hitches a ride on a boat.

Exhausted-baby-osprey-hitches-ride-to-Jersey-Shore-on-familys-boat-VIDEO-nj.com_Download

Oh, I respect Isabella Tree. In this short article, ‘Don’t Be Afraid to Rewild’ for The Guardian, she explains what rewilding is to gardening and it isn’t about letting it all ‘just go’. “Our gardens, now, must help us in the battle against the climate crisis. The planet is on fire. Water is catastrophically scarce. The sprinklers, mowers, leaf-blowers, high-carbon gismos, peat compost and chemical inputs pushed on us by garden centres – the billion-pound horticultural industry that Titchmarsh has been defending to the House of Lords – is as bad for the planet as industrial farming.”

Dont-be-scared-of-rewilding-Monty-Don-and-Alan-Titchmarsh-its-a-garden-revelation-Isabella-TreDownload

California Condors. The Ventana Wildlife Society is doing amazing things and there is a lot of good information on tagging, on a 20+ year old Condor with lead toxitocisis. The effort to move this Condor from the Oakland Zoo to the LA Zoo for quick surgery is incredible and again shows us that there are people out there who will do anything for the wildlife. Ventana WS has a Condor chat every month. Check it out. They also post the Zoom chat on YT later if you cannot make it.

Update on the Dulles-Greenway eaglet that remains in care:

It just feels good that so many incredible and ordinary people are trying to make a difference…I hope it spreads like a bad cold. Imagine if we woke up to find everyone feeding the animals, insisting on ponds being stocked, signing up for shore clean-ups, refusing to buy plastic, finding ways to limit their use of fossil fuels, putting away the leaf blowers and planting Milkweed and other native plants for the birds, bees, and butterflies. Wow.

A Swing around the Nests!

Let’s start with ‘H’ because she has some concerns on her nests….

Osoyoos: Fishing remains very difficult.  There were three small fish brought to the nest on 7/28.Feeding from 1509 to 1512, a very small fish.  Chick #2 was beaked and intimidated by #1, and was prevented from eating.  Feeding from 0517 to 0526, a slightly larger fish, and once again chick #1 prevented chick #2 from joining in the feeding.  At 1719 Olsen brought a fish to the nest, and Soo flew away with the fish.  There was no feeding.  She must have been absolutely starving.Chick #2 last ate a decent meal at 0647 on 7/26.  On 7/27 chick #2 ate a total of 24 bites of fish at four feedings.  On 7/28, chick #2 had nothing to eat.  And, even though chick #1 has eaten some small meals, it is not enough, especially considering the heat.  The high temperature in Osoyoos is predicted to be 34 Celsius on 7/29.  The osplets are 32 and 33 days old.”

Fortis Exshaw:

It was not a good day at the Exshaw osprey platform.  There were only two fish brought to the nest, including one by  Mr.O.  The last fish was delivered at 1040.  Intruders seemed to be the problem.  Mr.O flew to the nest at least six times to help provide defense against intruders.  And, Louise was not seen after 1456.At 1642, there was a terrible altercation at the nest between Mr.O and an intruder, ending with their talons becoming locked together, and both of them tumbling overboard.  Mr.O was not seen after that.  As darkness fell, an osprey flew to the T-perch, and we are hoping that it was Louise assuming her usual roosting spot.”

Kent Island –  All is well for this family on the Chesapeake.  This lovely 47 day old girl of Audrey and Tom will soon have a name!

Barnegat Light – Oh goodness, Dorsett was so very close to fledging on 7/28.  Many times we were on the edge of our seats.  Just look at the height of that hover.  Dorsett is 59 days old, and today will be the day for her first flight!  (I’m positive, lol)

Forsythe – The fishing has been poor for a few days, most likely due to the extreme heat which is expected to last at least another day.  Oscar only managed to deliver three fish to the nest for the two fledglings.  Opal was last seen on 7/25, and she may be taking some time for herself at this point in the season.

Thanks so much, ‘H’. We are not sure if Louise is missing so please continue, as always to send positive wishes to all the nests especially those in trouble or that could be facing difficulties.

Patchogue: Mini got a nice fish and took it up to the perch to eat…milestone after milestone this chick has shown us that she can survive and do well, not just ordinary but, very well.

There has been some concern on the chat and by ‘L’ about Mini’s voice. I s it hoarse? is there a case? Unfortunately there could be many causes including food stuck in the wind pipe or bacterial or fungal infections. It could be the dirt in the area and we don’t know where Mini is now most of the day. That said it would be extremely stressful to have people chasing Mini to try and get her to a rehabber now that she is flying. Let us all hope that this is ‘nothing’ but if she should appear ill on the nest, then PSEG should be notified as well as Brookhaven Wildlife 631 451 8696. They are the closest. Do not call them unless Mini is sick on the nest. If she is eating and flying about sit back and observe.

Mini wants a fish!

Good Night, Mini.

Allin’s Cove East, RI: Both osplets fledged on Friday!

Steelscape: Three gets on the other side of Mum and gets some fish. During the afternoon Dad delivered 3 fish while Mum was away.

Carova Beach: Fledglings/Juveniles continue to come to the nest sometimes with pieces of fish.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Many nests are struggling in this area with only a single parent (lots of missing males) and intruders. We are fortunate that this little one is doing well after a terrible beginning to the season. Dad is doing his very best to get fish on the table despite the ravaging heat that has come and gone over the summer.

A nice fish before bed.

Bridges Golf Osprey: The fish just keep coming. These two are so ready to fly. They are looking particularly well.

Sandpoint: Waiting for fish.

Loch Arkaig: Has Louis been injured or is this blood from his latest fish delivery?

Dyfi: Lots of big fish coming on the nest for the fledglings of Idris and Telyn. Some of the nests in the Pacific NW of Canada and the US would like just one of those a day! Maybe Forsythe, too….the size of the fish is incredible.

Alyth: Lots of hungry fledgling squawking for fish!

Cowlitz: Nice fish for the fledgling.

Oyster Bay: The fledglings are really doing well and there appears to be enough fish being delivered for all. This has been a good nest all year.

Wolf Bay: There seems to be – like the other nests – one fledgling with a fish and another one wishing it was theirs.

Boulder County: Three gorgeous osplets – Big Sibling has fledged (on the 26th and returned to the nest after a minute and 17 seconds) but all still like Mum to shade them and feed them…despite the fact that they are getting good at self-feeding.

The Dorset Hobby Falcons: Fantastic. No hunger at this nest! Stop and notice that all that white fluffy is giving away to some beautiful silky deep charcoal coloured feathers.

San Jose City Hall: Hartley and Monty are happy to see one together. Wonder what Soledad is doing? I sure wish these fledglings would check in on camera!

Sydney Sea Eagles: Both of the little fluff balls are doing so well…you can almost see Lady ‘glow’.

West End, Channel Islands: Thunder and Akecheta’s 2023 fledglings – Scout and Starlight -can often be seen at the old nest that was used in 2022 and before. Gorgeous fledglings and so happy to see them together. We missed seeing them grow up on the new nest this year so this is a real treat.

One last smile…little ducks! You gotta’ love them.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/28/country-diary-little-grebes-swim-around-me-like-bath-toy-ducks?CMP=share_btn_link

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

Thank you to the following for all their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, G, H, K, L, M, MP, S, R’, Sunnie Day, NJ.com, The Guardian, Ventana Wildlife Society, Mirvac, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Kent Island, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Forsythe Ospreys, PSEG, Allins Cove East, Steelscape, Inc, Carova Beach, MN Landscape Arboretum, Bridges Golf Club, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Dyfi Ospreys, Alyth, Cowlitz PUD, Wolf Bay, Sharon Pollock and the Dorset Hobby Falcons, Boulder County Fair Grounds, SK Hideaways and SJ CH Falcons, Sydney Sea Eagles, IWS/Explore.

Potential fledges…Tuesday in Bird World

25 July 2023

Good Morning Everyone!

There was a fish delivery at 0816 on the Patchogue Nest and Mini, who was on the perch at the time, flew down to snap that breakfast up! Mum was on the nest at the time of the delivery and flew off….it makes you wonder if the adults aren’t counting who gets what fish during the day. This family is so good at keeping all four of their fledglings fed. It is heart warming.

Mum is so proud of her little fourth hatch. She was on the nest when Mini did a big ‘ps’ at 0844 and then Little Mini did laps around the nest. gosh, she is a good flier. Mini returned at 0846 with Mum watching every flap of her wings!

Off she goes!

Look at Mum’s beak…there is Mini flying in front of the Blue Point Brewery.

Great landing. Darn that black bin bag!

Little Mini is so smart. The others are away from the nest and Dad flies in with a nice fish at 1052 Monday morning. Way to go, Mini!

There were many other fish deliveries. Fish 3 arrived at 11:26, fish four was at 14:23, and another fish came at 15:50. I did not watch for fish after this. Mini got the majority of these and it looks like Three had one with Mini on the perch. The 1550 fish was taken by Dad off the nest either to feed himself or another one of the siblings off nest.

Good Night Mini – good night Mum, Three, and One.

Good Morning Mini.

Well, no surprise, I am celebrating Mini! What a precious osplet who defied the odds – and I mean defied the odds with most of the nests from New York along up along the Chesapeake producing less than one osplet a nest! You are looking at a miracle.

If you are thinking about the heat and its impact on the birds, think no more. ‘R’ sent me an article from The Washington Post on what is happening in Phoenix. — Please, no matter where you are, find a way to leave our water for the birds. It does not have to be anything fancy. An ordinary bowl will work fine. They desperately need hydration.

Phoenix-is-too-hot-for-some-baby-birds-as-the-heat-wave-persists-The-Washington-PostDownload

Attempts to safe the world’s rarest bird might have a chance!

Spinning Around the Nests:

Glaslyn: Both of the lads have now fledged. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Bridge Golf Club Ospreys: What a change from the earlier fish deliveries. Today five fish were delivered!

Steelscape: I cannot comment on the amount of fish that the third hatch had today but all three are alive at the end of Monday evening.

Sandpoint: Mum Keke is on the nest with the only osplet, Coco. Fish deliveries appear to have slowed a bit as fledging is approaching.

MN Landscape Arboretum: Gosh, golly. This Mum really turned herself and this nest around. There are nice fish being brought in by the 21 year old male and the chick is growing magnificently.

Collins Marsh: There are two beautiful osplets growing like one of our Canadian wildlfires in this nest…incredible result after the sadness of losing Malik in a forced fledge and no nesting last year.

Great Bay: It is hard to believe that this nest and so many lost all their chicks around the Chesapeake Bay. Water so close and yet – no fish. Overfishing of Mehenden? Need a quote or an outright ban on fishing. Need re-stocking?

Cowlitz: We had a fledge on the 24th and the little one has successfully returned to the nest. Well done. You can just see the chick’s tail.

‘PB’ found a great image of this nest with its protective shield. If you know of a nest that should use this device, then please feel free to take a screen show or go to the Cowlitz PUD FB page for 30 March.

Seaside: It was a windy day with some precipitation.

Boulder County: ‘PB’ caught one of those osplets getting a lot of height! Fledge watch! T hanks ‘PB’.

Dunrovin: Flapping and hopping. Someone is going to fledge soon. W ill it be Snap, Crackle, or Pop?

Fort Calhoun Station, Omaha Nebraska: The only osprey nest in eastern Nebraska and now with a streaming cam. One nicely feathered chick. Here is that link:

Island Beach: the two osplets of Beau and Bay are getting some good hovering in.

Osprey House Environmental Centre in Australia: Two of the eggs hatched on the 24th. One left to go. Don’t you just love these little osplets? They are so cute. Just wanting a little bit of fish.

Llyn Brenig: Both of the Osplets took to the wind and flew, one right after the other!

Salt Water Cove Harbour, Newfoundland: Just look at that Osprey nest! BTW. In Canada, Newfoundland is known as ‘The Rock’.

And now for ‘H’s report:

Fortis Exshaw – “There was a total of seven fish, including two headless offerings from Mr. O.  Mr. O also contributed two sticks for nest maintenance, and he provided on-nest intruder defense during one of Louise’s feedings. One of the two 36-day-old siblings was doing some serious wingers!”

Forsythe: Oh dear, another day with few fish for the fledglings.  Oscar delivered fish at 0607, 0933, and 1812.  Ollie managed to grab the first one, while Owen won the battle for the other two. The nest was fairly civil, however, with no major kerfuffles.  And, guess what?  After some major head-bobbing and triangulating, one of the sibs (thought to be Ollie) dove into a small pond adjacent to the nest!  She did not appear to come away with a fish, but she must have seen one.  Very cool Ollie!

Barnegat Light – A couple of mini-milestones for 54-day-old Dorsett: she ate her first fish tail, and she managed to get several inches of lift off the nest while vigorously flapping her wings.

Osoyoos –  All is well for the Ospreys in Osoyoos.  Soo and Olsen are doing a fantastic job raising their 29 and 28-day-old youngsters.

Dahlgren – The nest remains a frequent gathering and dining spot for the family.  How did that nest get so small?

McEuen Park – Those three gorgeous osplets are nearing fledge.  And, one of them even sleeps standing up.

Thank you ‘H’. Mini was a fourth hatch miracle. For the ospreys, the Fortis Exshaw Nest is another. What a fairytale story.

Do you want to know about the California Condors? the impact of the vaccine for HPAI on their population? why not join Joe and his crew on Thursday for a live chat.

An up-to-date study out of Northern Colorado on the eagle population and the post-fledge period – video. Post-fledge is the time the eaglets (or any Avian) spend with their parents before they leave their parent’s territory and become independent.

Let’s end with a big smile – one of our favourite Peregrine Falcon couples, Lou and Annie – bonding.

Thank you so much for being with me today. There is so much action on the nests right now with impending fledges it is difficult to keep up! Tomorrow I will focus more on the UK and European nests. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, articles, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning. ‘H, PB, R’, PSEG, The Washington Post, Science, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Bridge Golf Ospreys, Steelscdape Inc, Sandpoint Ospreys, MN Landscape Arboretum, Collins Marsh, Great Bay, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside, Boulder County, Dunrovin Ranch, Ft Calhoun Station, Friends of Island Beach, Osprey House, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Gerard Hickey and Ospreys of Newfoundland and Labrador, Fortis Exshaw, Forsythe, Wildlife Conserve Foundation of NJ, Dahlgren, McEuen Park, Ventata Wildlife Society, Northern Colorado Front Range Bald Eagle nesting Programme and SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons.

OH1 at Glaslyn just took off…Thursday in Bird World

20 July 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It has rained every day for ever so many days. The garden is emerald green. Without even looking at the forecast – the storm clouds roll in quickly – you can tell that something is going to happen by the frantic activity of everyone trying to eat!

One of Dyson’s kits got so excited and then lost its peanut over the edge of the feeder. Ahhhh….

The little sparrows lined up on the branch of Abigale’s tree hoping to get fed or get a turn at the feeder after the squirrel.

It was delightful to see Little Red at the feeders! He knew I was watching and thwarted my gaze.

Baby Blue Jay having a nap.

The little one only woke up when a sibling came to pester. There are five of the babies alive out of the original six…they were all in the garden on the feeders, having baths, and eating today. That is pretty good…they bring me such joy I cannot even describe it properly sometimes.

The baby on the left (above) is the one that slept with the little garden ornamental birds. Its crest finally has blue on it! But I can still tell which one this wee baby is from its behaviour. Adorable. Always loves a good long bath.

Lewis, of course, could care less. These days he is either sleeping or eating!

Oh, my goodness, the ospreys were fledging on Wednesday! I am going to lose count of all of them quickly! It took great effort to get all of the data in my forms along with the continued quest to find more French and German osprey nests.

And they were fledging on Thursday. OH1 just took off not long ago at the Glaslyn Nest! Congratulations! Time was 14:33.

‘D’ wrote and told me that it looks like it is possible all three on the Crooked Lake, Iowa osprey platform of parents Nobel and Whitley fledged on the 19th. Sunnie Day was going over to the footage to make sure that the first hatch CL16 also flew – and the verdict is ‘yes’ – all three flew today.

Take off and return for the first chick’s flight.

Siblings watching.

A great return.

‘H’ wrote and the second chick at Dahlgren flew!

Geemeff wrote that Ludo, the newly named osplet of Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig, fledged before he got his official name. It was apparently the shortest trip ever from the nest take-off to the return landing.

Here is the video of that short flight:

Blue 5H3 took off at Poole Harbour at 1719 on the 19th.

These are exciting times for these young birds but, we have to remember that their journey is just beginning. Like many others less fortunate, these birds got to fly and we hope they will be safe.

The news coming out of the Chesapeake Bay Area that has been hit with storms and whose ospreys are starving to death underscores the coming challenges for the osprey population in the area.

“Williamsburg, VA – In 2023, The Center for Conservation Biology has documented the highest rate of osprey nest failure ever recorded within the lower Chesapeake Bay.  Only 17 of 167 nests monitored during the season produced any young.  The nesting population produced only 21 young resulting in a reproductive rate of 0.13 young per pair.  This rate is below that recorded during the height of the DDT era.  In order for the population to sustain itself, pairs should produce 1.15 young per pair.”

Here is the full report:

The-Center-for-Conservation-Biology-documents-unprecedented-osprey-nest-failures-within-the-lower-ChDownload

When a goshawk attacks a fledgling osplet on the nest while it is eating along with its sibling and Mum, my heart stops. Those are dangerous raptors and all of you know that predation by goshawks occurs throughout Europe and the UK. The loss of these chicks is personal to those who live and work around the nests – to whom the birds really are family. Have a read of John William’s poignant blog regarding the loss of the Llyn Clywedog fledgling on the 18th of July.

Tragedy-The-Clywedog-OspreysDownload

Translocation projects continue.

Instead of chopping down the Osprey platform for the demolition, it will be left standing long after the osplets fledge! We needed a good news story like this one. Thanks, Geemeff – it is “one for the good guys” as you say.

Rare bird spotted in the UK. Accident? Intentional? Black winged Kites are a “Small and distinctive falconlike kite. Light underneath, blue-gray above with conspicuous black shoulders formed by black wing coverts. Juveniles have a scaly back and brownish-washed breast. Found in open savannah, semi-desert, and agricultural lands with scattered woods; frequently seen on exposed perches. Varied flight style, hovering like a kestrel or gliding like a harrier with deep wingbeats and raised wings.. ” (eBird).

Rare-black-winged-kite-spotted-in-Norfolk-Broads-BBC-NewsDownload

Time for a spin around some of the nests not covered above:

Boulder County Fair Grounds: A Fantastic news with diligent devoted adults and three very healthy nearly ready to fledge osplets.

MN Landscape Arboretum: It is all good. Lots of nice fish meals beginning very early. Our 21 year old Dad is doing fantastic.

Patchogue: Little Mini had a nice fish first thing as the sun was coming up.

The time was 0525 and Mini scrambled with that fish stuck on its foot!

Cowlitz PUD: All is well. Chick is eating, sleeping, and growing. And the metal grids are still holding out against the Bald Eagle predation. At the suggestion of ‘MB’, I wrote to Tweed Valley and Llyn Clywedog about the metal grids erected on the nest at Cowlitz to try and stop predation. It is something that the UK nests might have to consider if the goshawk threat to ospreys continues.

Oyster Bay: All present and accounted for.

Wolf Bay: Fledglings come to the nest hoping for a fish dinner.

Dunrovin: Everything is fantastic.

Poole Harbour: Getting lift and then gone. Blue 5H3 fledged at 1719 while its siblings watched.

Glaslyn: I thought it was the best screen capture I had seen of Aran’s new mate Elen and their two lads. Everything is fine. No fledges as yet. Soon.

‘H’ reports on the nests she is monitoring:

Fortis Exshaw: “Thankfully it was a mostly intruder-free day for this blended Osprey family.  There were a couple of minor intruder issues, with Mr. O quickly flying to the nest at 0624 and 0651 to assist with defense.  There were a total of 5 fish brought to the nest, one by Mr. O.  At 1249 Mr. O landed on the nest and got an earful from Louise.  She may have been telling him to go fishing, and even the two kids got involved and had a ‘talk’ with their stepdad, lol.  This went on for about three minutes, with poor Mr. O just standing there and responding with soft chirps.  It was comical.  He showed up later with a headless fish.  After Louise had brought the last fish of the day at 1951, Mr. O came to the nest and simply stood by for 27 minutes, while Louise fed the kids and enjoyed a meal for herself.  Very cool, Mr. O.”

Dahlgren – At 1246 D12 became a fledgling at 58 days of age, although it was unclear if that was her intention at the time.  She flew across the nest and may have intended to land on the other side, but miscalculated and tumbled over the edge.  There was the sound of sticks hitting the water, but no splash or ripples were seen.  Several seconds later, D12 was seen flying low past the nest toward a nearby dock.  D12 landed safely back on the nest 4 1/2 hours later.  Enjoy your new life as a flighted bird, D12! 

Kent Island – All is well on the Chesapeake for Audrey, Tom, and their 38 day old youngster.

Severna Park – Olivia and Oscar continue to provide for their two fledglings at the nest.

Forsythe –  At 57 days of age, Ollie jumped up, flapped three times and landed on the camera pole.  Then 52 minutes later she jumped back down to the nest.  Perhaps she will fly away from the nest and take a spin around the marsh today.

Boathouse –  At 40 days of age, Skipper has been taking wingercising very seriously.

Thanks so very much, ‘H’!

Dorset Hobby: Oh, my goodness gracious. These little Hobbies are adorable.

Port Lincoln: Mum and Dad seem to be staying more and more on the barge nest as egg-laying approaches in August. ‘A’ reports some failed mating attempts, and you might recall that there was some concern for Dad last season.

Sydney Sea Eagles: ‘A’ reports that the 19th was “another quiet night, possums passing a few times. Lady left for a short break just before 7am and back straight away. Dad brought part of a fish shortly after, which she took away to eat. Both were then in and out during the day though Lady spend more than 2 hours longer than Dad on the eggs today. In the whole incubation period to date both have spent an almost equal time on the eggs. At dusk, Lady was settled as usual for the night.”

Durbe County, Latvia: Milda and Voldis’s male eaglet returns to the nest looking for a meal. Isn’t he gorgeous?

The female fledgling also visited the nest! both are safe and flying well.

Lesser Spotted Eaglet Nest in Zemgale Latvia of Anna and Andris. the eaglet enjoyed having a vole and a frog for a meal. I wonder how scarce food is in the forest?

Three beautiful storklets at the nest of Karl II and Kai in Estonia.

Four beautiful storklets of Bety and Bukacek are superb.

Lady Hawk captures a feeding at the Selati Verreaux Black Eagle Nest in South Africa.

Black Eagles are large raptors that live in various parts of Africa. The pair will lay two eggs four days apart. Incubation is 40-45 days. If two eggs and both hatch, the oldest chick will kill the second one. There will be only one chick to raise and fledge. They eat mammals such as monkeys, small antelope, squirrels, and rabbits.

Thank you so much for being with me today. P lease take care. Have a good end of the week. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you to the following for their alerts, notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, D, Geemeff, H, MB’, Timothy Dygert Live Street, Pool Harbour Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Centre for Conservation Biology, John Williams Blog, Gregorious Joris Toonjen and Ospreys, CBS2, ITV News, BBC News, Boulder County Fair Grounds, MN Landscape Arboretum, Wolf Bay, Dunrovin Ranch, PSEG, Annie Roc and The Glaslyn Osprey Group, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Fortis Exshaw, Dahlgren Ospreys, Kent Island Ospreys, Severna Park, Forsythe Ospreys, Boathouse/Audubon, Dorset Hobby Nest, Pool Harbour Ospreys, Cowlitz PUD, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles, LizNM and the Latvian Fund for Nature, Latvian Fund for Nature, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlade Buky Storks,Lady Hawk and Selati Verreaux Black Eagles.

The storm that just keeps giving…Monday in Bird World

17 July 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

It is 11 degrees C or 51.8 F. Chilly. The temperatures on the Canadian Prairies are like a roller-coaster these days. My tea is not cold this evening; it is hot!

Sunday was meant to be a quiet day, and, for the most part, it was. I do not know if I mentioned a young and very beautiful Calico cat that has been coming to my house since last fall. I feed her and call her ‘Calico’ (nothing creative in that). Now she will come and sit about 1.5 metres from me. If she is ‘starving’, she comes to the garden door and looks in. Thankfully I see her most often and take out food. She had kittens about two weeks ago (the problem with feral cats). This is her first litter. I have tried to find where she goes until this evening. She is very tricky. She had me going in the opposite direction. I now have it narrowed down to an old garage or a garden shed. The goal is to locate the kittens, see if the Humane Society can find homes for them, and see the status of Calico. The goal is to get the kittens into good homes ultimately. Calico is probably too old to be socialised but I am hoping to have her a heated home by fall.

Then ‘H’ warned me about an issue with a nest in Ocean City (later). Definitely did not end quietly!

What should you do when you believe a nest has a crisis? You’ll need to take notes and screen captures. Dates and times. What happened? Make sure it is a crisis. While doing that, find out the precise location of the nest. Google search for the wildlife rescue and rehab clinics for that specific location. Get their contact details. Once you are confident there is a problem, contact them! Don’t sit and discuss the sadness on chat – do something! This is especially important if there is no chat moderator. There are rules and guidelines to get permits. The nest in question at Ocean City has adults missing, one chick dead, and one alive. The question is: Can they intervene and foster the surviving chick before it dies? What is that old Nike saying? Just do It. It takes time to get permission; the sooner people know there is a problem, the quicker help can arrive. It could save a life. (It isn’t easy to know who is the precise authority over the particular nesting area so write to several agencies).

There was a surprise for me. An Osprey landed on the Seilli Osprey nest in the far north of Finland. The nest did not have a mated pair or chicks this year but maybe next year?

The two chicks at nest #5 in Finland were ringed on 13 July.

The chicks at the two German nests that we have been observing – Goitzsche-Wildnis and Eschenbach – have now fledged. All three on the Goitsche-Wildnis cam flew on the 13th of July.

The three flew and returned at Eschenbach safely.

At the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Centre, the first two hatches flew on the 12th of July while the third took off on the 13th. A fish came in but only one claimed it as the reward…more fish arriving later.

The osplets at Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home nest have fledged as well and I am searching for dates. If you know when those beauties flew, please let me know. (I have asked chat with no response).

All is well for the fledglings at Wolf Bay in Alabama.

Just returned.

Waiting for fish!

At Crooked Lake there is a whole lot of flapping going on. Fledge is so close it could happen this week. The chicks are 51, 50, and 48 days old. Average fledge range is 50-55 days.

Watching the Ferris State University nest for fledges, too.

‘H’ is also reporting a fledge today. It is the first fledge for the Forsythe nest and she says, “Forsythe fledgling has been identified as chick #1 (Owen).  I hope she was able to find a safe perch.  The storm started 20 minutes after she took off.” Send your best wishes. It is terrible for these birds when they have just flown and the heavy rains begin. I am haunted by the image of Yurruga on the little building at Orange to do this day.

At Llyn Brenig, it is reported that “LM6 and LJ2 both brought in a good size trout each to the girls. Both have a huge meal tonight”.

In other news,

The MN Arboretum Landscape osplet appears to be eating really well and amassed a huge crop on Sunday. ‘L’ caught a screen shot of its outstretched left wing for me and all looks alright. Hoping that is the case!

It was raining on Little Mini – as it was on many of the nests in the area. Some had huge storms hit Saturday night. In fact, Mini seemed to have a miserable Sunday with the big ones flying in and grabbing the fish.

One soaked Little Mini. Hopefully, Mum and Dad will come and feed their fourth hatch so she gets some good fish before night falls.

Mini eating a nice fish Monday morning. Thanks Mum and Dad!

Everything is fine at Dunrovin and the weather appears to be markedly nicer than that for the nests on the NE coast.

Everything is fine at the Boulder County Fair Grounds and, in fact, it is looking good for most of the nests despite the storms and torrential rains in the NE, so far.

That egg on the Loch Arkaig nest is finally smushed…..Just watch this chick flap and hop!

Congratulations to Victor at Moorings Park who was seen catching a fish on Saturday 15 July. It might well not be Victor’s first but we certainly know he has the skill set to get his own food. A tribute video was made in celebration of the event.

Just when you think it is a quiet Sunday, it isn’t. Both adults at the Ocean City OC nest in New Jersey are missing. Two chicks – one has died. The other is living. Folks are hoping for an intervention and a fostering situation.

UPDATE: The second chick fell off the nest into the marsh and died. The issue appears to be a die-off of fish from the storms that have hit this coast over the past month as well as the heat domes and the current issues with fewer fish in areas of salt water. What makes this so sad is that entire nests have died off this season and without trying to be too negative this could be a glimpse into the future for many of the nests. I wonder if any of the surviving parents will leave the area for elsewhere? There are other ospreys, adults, landing on this nest. It is really unclear if these are the parents of the two dead chicks but, personally, I do not believe so. Ospreys do not just abandon dying chicks (even this did not happen at either Carthage or Snow Lane).

‘H’s report on the other nests she is monitoring:

Osoyoos:  It is hot is Osoyoos and temperatures are predicted to be even warmer later in the week.  Dad has been delivering 7-8 fish per day.  Soo and Olsen’s 20 and 21 day old osplets are doing very well.

Forsythe:  Things are off to a pretty good start this morning.  Oscar delivered a partial fish at 0836, and Opal delivered a huge fish at 0853.  The beneficiary is chick #2 who had been shorted on fish the past few days when chick #1 was in the nest.  Opal will get a nice meal from that large fish as well. I hope that chick #1 is safe and will return to the nest soon.

Dahlgren:   D12, the younger sibling at 55 days of age, seemed so eager to fledge on 7/16.  There was a storm that went through, but after the weather cleared and his wings dried out, D12 stood at the edge of the nest for the longest time.  At one point he leaned into the wind, bobbed his head, spread his wings a little, and bobbed some more . . and all the viewers held their breath . . Ah, but he did not fly, and we eventually had to exhale, lol.  Fly when you are ready, little one.

‘Sibling B’ fledged at 1504 and made a nice return landing on the nest about 7 1/2 minutes later.  Foster, Sib B’s older foster sister, was waiting in the nest to congratulate him.  Nicely done, Sib B !


Louise delivered 8 fish to the nest at: 0604, 0640, 0807, 1234, 1400, 1804, 1945, 2058.  Her chicks were once again well fed.  Louise’s new friend, Mr. O, did not bring in a fish.  But he did land on the nest at 1214 and seemed to be fending off an intruder.  Louise landed on the nest right behind him, then Mr. O flew off after the intruder.  Mr. O also brought a nice stick to Louise at 1921, and surprisingly, she was satisfied with his initial placement of the stick, lol.

Thanks so much, ‘H’.

A real survivor! Lived to tell the tale of its nest collapsing and is now seen in Senegal by Jean-marie Depart. What a beautiful story.

If you are concerned about the amount of plastic in the oceans – and we should be because in several years, there will be more plastic than fish – here is an article titled, ‘Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds’. Please read and try as hard as possible to find alternatives to plastic in everything you use and purchase. The article was part of a package of materials from the British Trust for Ornithology and appeared in Nature.

Whenever you look at those cute little Albatross chicks (or Petrels), you need to realise that they are the most at risk. Let us all join together to do what we can to help them.

Global-assessment-of-the-impact-of-marine-plasticsDownload

Artist interpretations of our feathered friends opens at the Photographer’s Gallery. Have a look at some of the images.

Feather-report-artists-images-of-birds-–-in-pictures-Art-and-design-The-GuardianDownload

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

Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, Seilli Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Eschenbach Ospreys, MNSA Osprey Cam, Maryland Western Shore Old Home town, Wolf Bay, Timothy Dygert Live Stream, Ferris State University, Llyn Brenig, MN Arboretum, PSEG, Dunrovin Ranch, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Ej Ej and Moorings Park, OC Osprey Cam, Osoyoos, Forsythe, Dahlgren, Patuxent River Park, FortisExshaw, The Guardian, BTO and Nature, and Mary GK.

Nest Round up. Late Thursday in Bird World

6 July 2023

Hello Everyone,

As promised, a quick round-up of what is happening at our nests today. I hope this finds you all well. It is nearly the end of the week and now it also is beginning to feel like July will fly by.

Cowlitz PUD: The fish are coming. I wish a few great big ones would land on this nest. The chick is growing like a bad weed and if you look carefully you can tell that this little one is nearly the size of Mum.

Collins Marsh: Everything is fine at Collins Marsh. Two nice growing osplets.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: The chick has lost its fluff and that head is pure Reptilian. A nice early fish came in and Mum fed the wee one after it scrambled to get up to the rim of the nest. At first I thought, oh, no, she is going to eat it all and not feed the chick. Wrong.

Boulder County Fair Grounds: These two parents continue to work together to feed and shade their three growing chicks. What a great nest this has become after the initial sidelining of the third hatch.

Patchogue: Big was on the perch and it looks like everyone is doing alright. Mini has been eating and eating and doing some wing flapping along with the others. ‘M’ mentioned some concerns in chat that Mini was sneezing between 0757 and 0800 and was concerned if this was true. As it turns out Mini was being fed by Mum the entire time (and at least 15 minutes prior). Mini seemed to just eat and eat today. She is growing but needs that tail longer to fly and from the look in her eyes, she really wants to fly when she sees Big hover to the perch!

The Fabulous Four from Patchogue!

Sandpoint: The second egg did not hatch and the first is a right little reptile! Seems to be doing quite well.

Outerbanks: Doing great. Fledglings return to the nest. Just perfect! I was, however, horrified, when ‘A’ sent me an image from the 4th of July where fireworks went off near to the nest…on the water under??? I do not know anything about fireworks regulations but this should not be allowed. The area should be restricted so as not to disturb the nest.

On behalf of all of us, I will write to the individuals that run the camera and see what they know and if this behaviour can be stopped. I understand from ‘L’ that it is possible in the tourist areas along the coast to have fireworks once a week, not just on holidays. Can you see me shaking my head?

‘L’ asked me if there was a way to send donations from outside RU to Dmitri who rescued the little fifth stork and cared for it so that it is big and strong. As you might recall, Dmitri has prostrate cancer and is looking for assistance to get the surgery quickly. It is scheduled for 12 July. This is the link that I was given for donations to be sent: https://www.donationalerts.com/r/storks40

There is some more sadness. The last of the three osplets of the Great Bay nest has died. That storm just keeps on giving and it isn’t good.

But there is also good news elsewhere…after the third hatch died of siblicide at The Bridge Golf Club, the camera went offline. It was feared that the storms that caused such deaths at other nests such as Great Bay also impacted the two older chicks here. Well, guess what? Just look at those two older ones! Isn’t that wonderful? I can hardly believe my eyes.

Here are the nests that ‘H’ has been monitoring – thanks so much, H.

Dahlgren – Jack and Harriet’s kids are doing great.  There were at least 5 fish delivered by Jack on 7/5, and both chicks are doing some self feeding (49 and 45 days old)

Osoyoos – There is a good supply of fish coming to the nest, and the little ones are being well cared for by Mom and Dad (Soo and Olsen ?).  Ages 10 and 9 days old.

Forsythe – They had 11 fish delivered to the nest on 7/5, and Opal delivered 4 whoppers.  A little joke is that Oscar fishes from the ‘kiddie pool’, lol, but Oscar did deliver a pretty big fish at 1344.  The chicks are 45 and 44 days old.

Barnegat Light – Life is good for Duke, Daisy and 09/N.  Daisy brought a smooth dogfish shark to the nest, yummy!  We are still awaiting a name for their 36 day old youngster.

Kent Island – There were at least 6 fish delivered by Tom that I saw.  Audrey and Tom’s little kiddo is 24 days old, and would like to have a name!

Audubon Boathouse – The sun finally shone brightly at the nest of Skiff and Dory after several gloomy days.  At 26 days old, little Skipper is growing like a weed.

Severna Park – Olivia and Oscar sure did haul in some large fish on 7/5  Big did not fledge on 7/5, perhaps today is the day.  Ages of the sibs: 59 and 58 days old.

The UK nests are fine and I will look closer at them tomorrow. We will close with a video by Gracie Shepherd of Thunder, Akechets, Scout, and 39D soaring. Enjoy.

Thank you so much for being with me this evening for this quick check on some of the nests. Take care. See you soon!

I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this evening: ‘A, H, L, M, T’, Cowlitz PUD, Collins Marsh, MN Landscape Arboretum, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys, PSEG, Sandpoint Ospreys, Outerbanks 24/7, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Bridge Golf Club, Dahlgren Ospreys, Osoyoos, Forsythe, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Kent Island, Audubon Boathouse.