Monday was a rainy grey day on the Canadian Prairies, but the weather wasn’t what weighed on my mind. While driving past what was once a vibrant golf course, I reflected on how the University of Manitoba is transforming it into a site for student and faculty housing, along with a grocery store. Although this project aimed to enhance campus life, it comes at a significant cost to our local wildlife. Once again, we are witnessing a concerning loss of habitat. Our city is rapidly becoming a place devoid of the natural spaces that our feathered friends depend on. Without grass for the Canada Geese to forage, trees for nesting, and adequate food sources, we risk the disappearance of these beautiful creatures. While there are a few ponds near housing developments, they lack the connectivity necessary to foster a thriving ecosystem. We must reconsider our development priorities to ensure that we do not sacrifice our local wildlife in pursuit of urban expansion.
Nearer to home, ‘The Boyfriend’ finally relaxed and ate his food out of a dish right outside the garden door! Yahoo.
Calico looked on and wasn’t so happy. “How come he gets more cat food than we do?” was what all the squawking was about.
Baby Hope was not bothered about our visitor this morning. Odd. I hope she isn’t feeling unwell. She is normally standing at the window watching ‘The Boyfriend.’
At the feeders, the European Starlings were eating suet as fast as they could before the rain came.
In my mailbox was a sad note from ‘J’. The beautiful female Golden Eagle from the Bucovino nest in Romania has died. Her name was Lucina and many of you will have watched her raise her annual eaglet for the past four years. Her mate was Calliman. Here is the announcement. On the Memorial Page, Lucina is #183 and 2024 is not yet over.
This is Lady Hawk’s video about the death and a warning – it shows the body of Lucina. https://youtu.be/J0eH1vIyKto?
Lucina and Calliman in February of 2024 working on their nest.
Condolences to all who loved this beautiful female who took such amazing care of her babies raising four to fledge in four years. Fly high, Lucina!
At Port Lincoln, a nice whole fish arrived on the nest. Was it Dad? or a fairy? The camera turned away right at the time of delivery. It doesn’t matter. What does is that Wilko and Kasse get the calories they need to develop properly.
Mum is such a treasure. Both are going to be full. Just look at how their tails and the beautiful juvenile plumage are growing.
Mum managed some bites of fish for herself and then the rains began. Both Wilko and Kasse tried so hard to get under Mum!
Mum wiggled and squiggled and got both her babies under her as the drops became heavier and heavier.
Dad flies in with a big crop and a partial fish for Mum and the kids.
The partial fish is completely gone in ten minutes.
With the heat heating the ledge at 367 Collins Street, F23 and the triplets take refuge in the cool shade of the North end scrape. They are quickly losing those baby feathers. My goodness. Soon these three will look like Mum and Dad.
The latest news from Sydney on the Sea Eaglets, SE33 and SE34.
‘A’ has the latest ranger report: “November 5: Both parents were seen down on the river early in the morning, and several more times. One juvenile was seen on the island at around 7:30am and it was quiet later, so may have been fed. There have still been no eagle visits back to the nest. I was watching from just before 1pm – both parents and one juvenile on the island. I saw the juvenile fly and change position and both parents took off. One returned with a fish at 13:10. It flew past the juvenile, ate some and spent some time, it seemed, trying to encourage the young one to take the fish or come closer. Finally, at 13:46, the juvenile stood beside the parent and was fed. It did not seem to try to grab the fish or feed itself. Just after 2pm, the adults flew off and the young one may have been self-feeding for a while. I did not see it perch anywhere else on the river, though it did fly about at one stage. When I left, before 3pm, both adults were out of sight. Swoopers have not bothered them much on the island today. Later in the afternoon, one adult and juvenile could still be seen on the island.”
It is precisely the same at 367 Collins Street where the chicks are similar ages. They are meeting milestones at both scrapes just as they should. Despite their determination, each Mum eventually takes the prey so that all chicks are fed. Beautiful. https://youtu.be/mNsKgks91lA?
‘A’ comments: “At Collins Street, the littles are very mobile, and currently we have two at the sheltered end, very much awake and looking mischievous, while the third sleeps in the unsheltered scrape at the other end. The three tend to sleep at the northern end but seem to like to move about between the two scrapes during the day. It is a great relief to mum and dad, who no longer have to worry about brooding or sheltering the trio. Feeding, on the other hand, is a loud and vigorous affair, the remnants of which are really starting to pile up in the gutter. I remember reading somewhere that a messy scrapeI r (full of feathers and streaked with PSs) was evidence of a healthy brood. Collins Street appears to support this view! The trio are SO adorable. Very active and exploratory. I wonder who will be first to fly onto the window ledges – the Collins Street equivalent of ‘branching’. I do so love the sound of gutter stomping in the springtime. “
At Growing Home near Sydney, Bubba is waiting for breakfast. S/he will not have to wait long.
The wind is helping move the mess of nesting material at the Achieva Osprey nest in St. Petersburg, Florida. I wish a colossal gust would just come and rip it off. We can see the large drainage holes where the chick from 2024 might have fallen to its death. (No one seems sure of the exact cause of its demise – was it a predator?). A predator baffle has been installed, but I do not believe the tree has been trimmed so raccoons can climb and jump to the nest. No organization has yet taken the holes seriously enough to want to help put stainless mesh to protect the chicks and eggs.
Ron and Rose were at the WRDC working to get their nest ready for this years breeding season that is set to begin with the first eggs begin laid in three weeks or less.
Poor E1 F3 picked a mate, E1 M2, that loves catching turtles. Tonya Irwin caught the moment that the ‘gift of turtle’ that the male had brought to Kistachie National Forest Nest E1 F3 bite and hung on to the female’s talon!!!!!!! Ouch.
‘J’ sends us news about the Kakapo and in particular, Kumi, who will be 20 years old next year. Isn’t he gorgeous? He is up for adoption as part of the fundraising efforts of the Kakapo Recovery. For details, see their website.
In Canada, many organizations are joining together to purchase land to create or expand wetland areas. One of the most active is Ducks Unlimited. Similar projects are helping internationally and this is one reason that waterfowl numbers are climbing while so many others, like Prairie Songbirds, are declining in population numbers rapidly.
We must educate our youth about the privilege of living alongside wildlife. At the same time, we need to guide them to understand the importance of protecting their habitat rather than destroying it!
Join the Ventana Wildlife Society on Wednesday for the release of the Rookies into the wild of Big Sur and Pinnacle. (Go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign up).
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, information, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, J’, Lady Hawk, Bucovina Golden Eagles, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Judy Harrington and the Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Liznm, Charles Sturt Falcon Project and Cilla Kinross, Growing Home Osprey Cam, Achieva Credit Union, WRDC Eagle Cam, Tonya Irwin, Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam E1, Kakapo Recover, Suffolk Wilderness Trust, Friends of the SIBC, Ventana Wildlife Society.
Sunday morning. Baby Hope is the protector of the realm this morning! She decided that there was no way that The Boyfriend would come into the house after he had breakfast. He now arrives at 0900 and 1700 for ‘wet’ food. There are two of them. One has white on both sides of its nose – this one – and the one who is quite skitterish has white only on the right side.
Greetings from a sunny and HOT Saturday on the Canadian Prairies.
Every bird spent some time having a bath today! Water is so essential when it is hot even more so than food! And it has to be changed and filled lots of times a day.
Years ago we had a neighbour, Alf. Alf kept a journal throughout his life, no matter where he was, including being in a British submarine during World War II around Sri Lanka. He always included everything about the weather, who he saw, what he did, and the major news events. Alf was amazing. Every morning, he went swimming with the high school team at 0700. He rode his bicycle up and down the lanes near our town, often picking blackberries and bringing us a pail. Many years after he retired, he started studying German and Russian. On New Year’s Eve, he was always at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. Alf taught us so much during the time I lived near him while reading at the University of Leicester. The fates worked in my favour in 2003. I was able to visit with Alf a few weeks before he died. He began to feel unwell during the morning swimming and died peacefully in the ambulance en route to the hospital. Alf never married. I think his neighbours were his family and he certainly treated us that way. I want to take a page out of Alf’s playbook and start tracking the garden animals in a properly bound journal. I might even force myself to learn how to draw!
Lately, the digital world has been giving me a headache. The sorting of the photographs, information. While I cannot imagine not being able to find information quickly compared to ordering articles and books through inter-library loan, I want to slow down and pick up a journal and see what was happening in the garden last year on this date. Analog. Today, I would write that the European Starlings returned. Did you know their beaks are not correctly shaped for eating most seed? They like unshelled peanuts, meal worms, and soft suet. On Saturday we picked up the Starlings’ favourite suet and today their meal worms should arrive. What perturbs me is the fact that so many people are highly selective in the birds that they want to feed. Yes, Starlings are an ‘invasive’ species. They can’t help that some humans introduced them into North America. And personally I think they are stunningly beautiful and they are not more aggressive in the garden than the Jays or the Sparrows. In fact, the most aggressive animals are the squirrels. There are more entries on a search engine for bird food to prevent Starlings from wanting to eat at your feeder than what they like to eat. Oh, that irks me.
Saturday evening was amazing. It was so warm. The geese were busy feeding at the fields on the way to Oak Hammock Marsh. They had a presentation on the geese that come to the marsh and then we went out to see the murmurations of the Rusty and Brewer’s Blackbirds (the Red-Wing and Yellow-heads left on migration several weeks ago). We get Canada, Cackling, Snow, White-fronted, and Ross’s geese and the morphs. Tonight there were Blue-winged Teal, two Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese and a speckled breast White-front juvenile. Tens of thousands of geese did not fly in at once like they would have had the weather been colder. They need to eat more than they need to sleep. Most will come to the safety of the marsh at 0100 or 0200 and go out feeding again around mid-morning.
Oak Hammock is a combination of wetlands, the marsh, and the Tall Grass Prairies.
What is unusual at the end of September are the number of mosquitoes!
The Trumpeter Swans at a distance. One overwintered about 2 km north of the wetlands at the site of an Artisan spring.
The colours were so beautiful and the water was as smooth as glass.
It was just the perfect night.
In the UK, those amazing Pink-footed Geese are arriving from Iceland and Greenland.
We need to know as much about Menhaden as we can. They are critical to keeping the ospreys in Chesapeake Bay alive. https://youtu.be/2Tvq8W8QtLM?
After Helene. Gabby and 24E1 continue work on their nest.
Still wet at SW Florida.
It is raining in Ithaca, New York at the nest of Big Red and Arthur.
It is always nice on a Saturday listening to Ferris Akel’s tour. Today, there were some excellent waterfowl, including gorgeous Great White Egrets, Blue Herons, and Gallinue.
And some female Wood Ducks!
It was the start of a beautiful day at Big Bear Valley.
The cameras picked up a person walking their dog close to the nest tree.
A sub-adult Bald Eagle is working on the US Steel nest of Claire and Irvin in Pittsburgh. https://youtu.be/zmF87AzhDPU?
eBird describes the Sooty Falcon thus: “Slim, long-winged, long-tailed falcon that is built for long-distance migration. Adults are all gray, while juveniles have pale, spotted underparts. Breeds on cliffs along the coast or in the desert. During migration and winter, spends most of its time on the wing, and can be seen over any habitat. Quite social, and often seen in loose flocks of dozens or more. Adult is very similar to the dark-morph adult Eleanora’s Falcon, but Sooty is paler gray. Immatures also very similar, but immature Sooty has an unbarred tail without a rufous tip. Much longer wings and tail than Peregrine Falcon. Larger and lankier than other falcons.”
The Peregrine Fund describes the challenges these falcons have: “The Sooty Falcon is categorized as Vulnerable. Some of the threats this lovely falcon faces including habitat destruction, especially in the form of human developments cropping up at important breeding sites, and disturbance. Feral cats also pose a threat to this falcon.”
Those cute little Olympic Park Sea Eaglets had some fish for lunch! Not a bird. Gosh, these two are little darlings. https://youtu.be/JiVqBbKBKX0?
Pip watch for Xavier and Diamond!
Thankfully these two are not going to fledge in the next week!
The first pair of White-tail Eagles are breeding in Northern Ireland in 150 years.
There are no plans for anything to happen to the Achieva Nest. I wrote to the Tampa Bay Raptor Centre and bucket trucks are in high demand right now and the ospreys will need to rebuild their nest on their own.
It is relatively quiet in Bird World right now. Instead of taking a full break, I will be writing a shorter blog until we get the hatches in Australia.
Take care of yourselves. We will see you in six days.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, announcements, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘J’, Oak Hammock Marsh and Ducks Unlimited, The Guardian, The New York Angler, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Bald Eagle Cam, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Ferris Akel Tours, FOBBV, PIX Cams, WingsofWhimsy, Duke Farms, eBird, CarnyXWild, OpenVerse, Nesting Bird Life & More, Ildiko Pokk, ETSU-Johnson City, and Raptor Persecution UK.
Thank you so much for all of your holiday good wishes. I had a wonderful time. It is amazing how just a wee break can revive one’s batteries! ‘The Girls’ survived the 54 hours I was away. Missey and Hugo Yugo did well with the cat sitter, but Calico and Baby Hope did not. They hid. While I am certain that they came out when the individual left, it did take them twenty minutes to show their precious faces when I got home. Six hours later and all is well.
On Tuesday, the skies driving north were churning black. Torrential rain had been predicted, but by the time I got to Hecla Island the sun was coming out. A lone Tundra Swan swam with some Common Goldeneyes in the marshy areas. Eight-five Canada Geese flew in a huge formation overhead while American White Pelicans were fishing while Red-winged Blackbirds flitted around trying to catch – I hope – all of the mosquitoes that I would be complying about later. What an amazing welcome!
83 Canada Geese flying in. They will feed on the grass that you see in the images.
American White Pelicans.
The Red-wing Blackbirds were everywhere. Lots of insects for them to feast on.
Nature is such a healer.
The Girls and I are reading a new book, Wild Service. Why Nature Needs You edited by Nick Hayes & Jon Moses and published by Bloomsbury. The illustrations are stunning woodcuts (Lino?) by Nick Hayes. The author is a member of the Right to Roam Action Group in the UK. While I might not totally embrace some of the politics in the book, I want to read it again quietly after we finish the first ‘go’ and try and absorb more of what the pair are advocating. What did strike me, right at my heart, is the notion that we are stewards of nature and that we must care for it, not exploit it.
Sitting on the rocks or on the porch of the cottage and listening to the waves as the sun set over the horizon, I was struck by some of the ways in which people are so alienated from the natural world. We know that being in the forest, taking walks, or stroking our pets or someone else’s helps our mental and physical well-being. On average, 94% of the population spends their time indoors in front of a screen! This includes children.
There will be more about the book in the coming days, but I want to challenge you to get outside more. I know this is very difficult for some of you, but I suggest you use your creative mind to see how you might get out for half an hour each day. Listen to nature. If you are in a wheelchair, get someone to take you for a walk. It will benefit them, too. If you are in the City, find a safe little spot to sit. Perhaps take a friend or family member. If you have a garden, spending thirty minutes a day 5, days a week, is as beneficial as having a gym membership. All that bending, pulling, and lifting is really good exercise. This challenge includes spending less time in front of your computer watching the birds — yes, you heard that right. I am not saying stop altogether – of course not, but when the weather is good, and you have the opportunity, spend it with nature. (There are far too many articles from various academic and medical sources on the Internet on this topic. To find them search for ‘The benefits of being outside in nature’.)
My second day on the island was full of crashing waves and more birds including another ‘V’ of Canada Geese, more Common Goldeneyes, the Swan, American White Pelicans, a Bald Eagle and, yes, a Grey Wolf running across the road that caused us to stop dead in our tracks.
These are Common Goldeneyes.
The Pelicans fascinated me. It seems that they are a good marker for where fish are located and some of the local fishers pay close attention.
It was hard to say goodbye to the island. The little ducks and the Pelicans became my good friends while sitting on the rocks listening to the roar of the water. It is always good to be away and it is always good to get home!
TWO DAYS UNTIL PIP WATCH AT THE MONTANA OSPREY NEST AT HELLGATE OF IRIS AND FINNEGAN! MARK YOUR CALENDARS. FINGERS CROSSED. THIS COULD BE AN AMAZING SEASON.
Geemeff sent us a real treat. “BBC Springwatch 2024 episode 8 with Osprey hero Roy Dennis – I’ve recorded it for any overseas viewers who can’t access BBC IPlayer:
This is a must-see for anyone remotely interested in Ospreys and Eagles and raptors in general. Roy Dennis is an absolute legend in conservation, and at 80+ years old, is still working. This episode of Springwatch with Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams features an in-depth interview with Roy Dennis. Copyright BBC, but they do allow recordings, like this one, to be made.”
I hope to bring you a few highlights of the week; many through the eyes of those who kept tabs on your favourite nests. I really appreciate the kindness and the help – all of these reports allowed me to have such a nice serene break!
‘B’ was delighted when all of the Cal Falcons fledged! He writes: “All four of Annie and Archie’s chicks have now fledged. I have been out hiking this morning (Tues), so all my info is from the Cal Falcons FB posts. It sounds like Sol was the next to go after Eclipse, following Eclipse off the runway when he went for a morning flight (from the time of the post, maybe about 8 or 9 am) and landing near Eclipse on a neighboring building. Then Aurora was next, perhaps at 11 am or noon, landing near Sol on that same neighboring building (which makes it sound like Sol had stayed in place on that building). And then Nox (the last to hatch) finished off the morning, flying off the runway perhaps not long after Aurora. No report yet on where he has landed. Congrats to Annie and Archie and their fabulous four young ones!!” That is certainly wonderful news.
The third hatch at Patuxent, with the protrusion that had made a hole in the chick’s neck/throat area, was removed from the nest and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation centre on Tuesday. Thanks to all the chatters—our citizen scientists—who monitor these nests so closely and those who alerted Patuxent of the initial concerns. Thank you, Patuxent River Park, for your diligence in caring for your ospreys. We wait to see if Little can be returned.
Little Mini at Field Farm was tucked in under its much larger older siblings Tuesday.
The size difference is the same at Pool Harbour for Little Mini who got a really nice private feeding. My goodness.
Tuffy was hungry!
As of Wednesday night, Middle is still safe in the nest at Lake Murray.
Both Golden Eaglets in Estonia and both of the Imperial Eaglets in RU are still alive. (This is part of a thread that I will continue while I am away).
My goodness. Hartley and Monty have four lively eyases. Just check out how much bigger those girls are than Dad who is trying to feed them! Don’t you love how their eyes look around. What a grand family!
Fledge is coming soon at the nest of the Ns on the Cornell Campus.
Jackie and Shadow never give up hope. We could learn a lot form them and their struggles to have a family in the high mountains of Big Bear Valley.
Smallie has been eating – looks like leftovers from the big siblings, but what the heck? It is food. Perhaps not the best quality but Smallie’s feathers are coming and his crop was somewhat full.
The oldest Golden Eaglet at the Kaljukotkas 2 nest has been attacking, as predicted, the younger sibling and it has an injury. Caution should be exercised if you are watching this nest as obligate siblicide is the norm for Golden Eagles.
Many of you will remember the saga of Golden Eagle Spilve and her chick, Klints, who died of starvation in their nest in Latvia a few years ago. It was a tragedy that struck many people. It appears Spilve did not return to use that nest but has been in the area. She has been caught a couple of times on camera on the nest where she tried to raise Klints alone.
Little Mini still with us Wednesday evening at Field Farm.
We need to send good wishes to Little Minis – both at Field Farm and then also at Poole Harbour. These two are so much smaller than their siblings!
Frederick and Betsy’s two osplets are doing alright despite the size difference. Enough food and the second sibling seems to almost always have a crop.
Still fighting for ‘Top Chick’ at Loch Arkaig.
First hatch at the Minnesota Arboretum Landscape Osprey Platform on Wednesday 5 June. This appears to be egg #3. Egg #1 was left uncovered and it got wet. It would have been 42 days old today with the second being 39. Egg 3 was 36 days.
Three sweet babies at Bridge Golf. Wishing for lots of fish this year.
On Wednesday, ‘B’ wrote and brought us up to speed on two California nests: Cal Falcons and the West End.
“No new fledges since Tuesday noon at the various falcon and eagle (and a few osprey) nests I have watched.
Cal Falcons had another Q&A session today (Wednesday) at noon on youtube, featuring Bridget Ahern (moon_rabbit_rising), who takes those great photos of the Cal Falcons. They answered general questions, in addition to the photography questions directed to Bridget. They report all four fledglings are doing well. Eclipse (who fledged four days before the others) seems to be doing particularly well, chasing the parents at times and making longer excursions than the others.
One tidbit that I found interesting from Lynn and Sean is that they said that, in the cases of some falcons elsewhere who were taken in for care for specific reasons that were NOT avian flu, antibodies for avian flu were detected in the birds. Which they took as evidence that some birds have been building resistance to the avian flu without being known to have the flu.
There may not be any fledges at the IWS nests, but there has been some mild drama at West End. I mentioned when I wrote midday Tues that Treasure and Sterling were preventing Koa from re-entering the nest. Koa tried again mid afternoon on Tuesday and got very firmly chased off in a big kerfluffel of flapping wings, but once Koa was gone Treasure kept being aggressive to Sterling, to the point that Sterling went into submissive posture and kept his/her distance. (I suggested last time that the sense was that both T and S were female, but now I am hearing some thinking Sterling could be male.) Then, late in the afternoon, maybe 5 pm, Koa managed to land in the “basement” of the nest when Akecheta delivered food to the nest, which distracted Treasure and Sterling. Treasure grabbed the fish and ate nearly all, as Koa watched closely but knew he couldn’t approach without drawing Treasure’s ire. It is not clear if Koa had eaten at all since fledging early Monday. As soon as Treasure turned and took a step away, Koa jumped on the remaining fish and ate ravenously. And then picked up scraps around the nest. When done, Koa drifted down to a rock adjacent to the basement, keeping his distance from his siblings, seemingly not trusting them to be aggressive again. Then Thunder flew in with a fish at 8:08, and we were all amazed that Koa flew/leaped up to mantle on the fish. Treasure was probably still full and didn’t threaten, and Sterling was interested but was not assertive to try for it. Then just four minutes later, Akecheta flew in with a fish, and Koa grabbed that one, too. So our boy ate very well late Tuesday. Some were saying Koa was now the new alpha. Not clear to me, but he has regained his “right” to be on the nest without aggression from his sibs.
When done with the fish, Koa again drifted down to his rock next to the basement and spent Tuesday night there. He was quick to get up to the nest for at least some share of the breakfish today (according to reports — I did not see this one), and I saw him getting a good share of an evening fish today. Koa has more confidence, even if still wary of his sibs, is asserting himself, and is flying very well. Oh, yes — Koa did a ps right in Treasure’s face in the afternoon. Like right at point-blank range — Koa’s rear was right on Treasure’s head. Chatters called it “payback”, but I don’t think they are that scheming. But it was funny, given Treasure’s past aggression.
Thunder and Sterling both look like they could fledge soon. Maybe tomorrow.”
The big news on Thursday was the return of Little Bob to Patuxent Nest 1 after a clear check from the wildlife rehabber and a few great meals!
‘A’ sends us news of the Sydney Sea Eagles: “June 4: Our eagles were awake early, with duets and mating in the morning mist– great to hear them. Both were away and brought in a couple of early sticks. The nest now has a good leafy lining. Dad brought in a good-sized fish, headless, just before 11am. Lady was there quickly to take it to eat. Then both were off somewhere – not seen from the river at 12:40pm. They both returned before 4pm, with more sticks and leaves. Then Dad brought another fish, a whiting, again claimed by Lady, while he arranged a few sticks on the nest. When she had finished, she left the rest of the fish on the branch and settled nearby. A busy day with lots of sticks and two fish.”
June 5: A cold, misty morning, with early duets and mating. Dad delivered leftover fish to the nest at 5:22am, which Lady took to eat. He brought in the first stick of the day at 6:52am, then both brought more, placing them just so. They were gone from around 10:30am. We heard that there were two eagles at Burns Bay and that they have been visiting around midday for the past couple of days. Both returned around 4:15pm, with sticks. After a while, with a few soft squonks, Lady bowed forward, inviting mating, with a duet at 4:33pm. Lady then spent time arranging sticks, with Dad chewing in the base to settle leaves and twigs. There was another mating at dusk. Dad brought eight sticks today and Lady also brought eight, with several matings seen.
It is nearing time to turn our attention South and ‘A’ also reminds us of the two wonderful falcons at the Orange scrape: “Speaking of Diamond, she is as I type (it’s nearly 1am on 6 June in southeastern Australia) sleeping on her usual place on the ledge of her scrape. When she turned up at the scrape shortly before 4pm this afternoon (5 June) she had the most MONSTROUS crop. I’m not sure whether that came courtesy of Xavier or whether she did her own hunting this afternoon, but certainly, she is looking happy and healthy. I wonder whether the peaceful life at Orange with the smorgasbord of bird species on the menu has helped Diamond live a long and healthy life. She has gradually laid fewer and fewer eggs as the years progress, so we will see how this season goes. She is a true matriarch of the falcon world. I love that these two not only stay together and maintain their territory throughout the year but actually use their scrape on a daily basis. I wonder how rare that actually is. Cal Falcons springs immediately to mind. I presume there are others and we just don’t see them. I wonder what happens at Collins Street in the ‘off’ season. I must ask Jonathan whether he sees or hears them at the moment. He has not done so over the past six months so they obviously don’t live where they breed.
Here is the latest post from Cilla at Orange:
As winter has arrived, courtship displays start to ramp up. We have already had two matings (a week earlier than last year) and other activities, such as scrape preparation, prey bringing and pair bonding displays, are also starting to increase in duration and frequency. Here the pair bonding lasted 22 minutes.. Video: https://youtu.be/SEsXle_iMy8“.
And, of course, everyone is getting excited for Iris and Finn: “At Iris’s nest, we must be approaching hatch watch for that first egg, laid on 5 May. I continue to be incredibly worried that there is a second (or technically third) egg laid on 12 May – that gap is HUGE. One hatch only, please! I do not want either Iris or this new partnership to have the stress of more than one osplet. I would prefer a spoiled and well-fed Only Bob here and truly hope this first egg does not hatch. We will know one way or the other within a week. I am nervous for them.
This morning, Finn arrived as usual to say good morning, this time with empty talons. Iris flew straight off the nest at 05:44:35 to stretch her wings. Finn settled down carefully on the eggs. He has really become a lot more gentle around the eggs – he was very clumsy early on and continually threatened to accidentally trample on the eggs, but now he has worked out that he needs to tread delicately. Iris is back around 06:09. She does not appear to have eaten. I do love the way they chat quietly to each other. Iris really does seem very happy. Let’s hope Finn proves worthy of this very special lady. Finn has gone fishing – we see shots of the river, Finn perched beside the river on a tall pole, then Finn diving and returning wet to his pole but with empty talons. The river appears to be moving fast, and there is a small section of waterfall where the water flows over a rocky outcrop right across the river. This should provide a good fishing area, though when the water is moving this fast and looks this dark, it may be hard to see the fish. (from ‘A’)” NOTE: EGG IS 33 DAYS OLD TODAY. PIP/HATCH WATCH WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY.
At San Jose, the Fab Four are thinking of flying.
Hartley has to break up the food fights that are now constant between the four.
The Forsythe Four are also doing very well. Much better than I expected after the dismal season last year. Fingers crossed.
They should be giving out awards to raptors. Louis would certainly get one for his fishing abilities!
You just gotta love Little Bob at Loch Arkaig.
The Dyfi Trio are doing fantastic.
Aran and Elen are coping well with their three as well. So far, almost all of the nests in the UK are doing well.
Both Golden Eagles at Kaljukotkas 2 are still alive and are getting their juvenile feathers. Is it possible both will survive? We must wait. It would be unusual.
I would really like to see some more big fish come to the MNSA Jay Koolpix Osprey nest.
CJ7 makes sure that Mini Little Bob gets some fish dinner.
Maya with her Big and Only Bob at Manton Bay. She was unwell and nature was kind with just one chick to look after.
What a gorgeous sight. Three healthy storklets! The torrential rains have caused so many nest deaths this season.
And also at Bociany.
In Latvia,
A nest full at Bolewice.
One healthy storklet at Mlade Buky.
On Thursday, the Ns were a little wet at the Red-tail Hawk nest on the Cornell Campus. The average day of fledging at Cornell is 46 days. Keep your eyes open next week.
Concerns for the Osprey nests in the NE.
I also want to share with you the newsletter from Knepp Farm with the trailer for the Wilding movie!
For those following the remaining members of Karl II’s family, Waba continues to travel north but is going through Russia – thanks ‘T’ for that news!
As of Friday morning, Middle is still with us at Lake Murray! S/he is getting so big. Let’s hope the GHO cannot lift this beautiful only surviving osplet.
Thank you so very much for being with me today as we did a brief catch-up on some of the nests we have been monitoring. Looking forward to some more fledges and hatches in the coming week. Take care! See you soon.
Thank you so much to the following individuals who so graciously and generously sent me comments and links for these updates as well as those who created videos, made FB and Chat postings, and, of course, to the streaming cams where I took my screen captures: ‘A, B, Geemeff, H, J, PB, T’, Geemeff and BBC Springwatch, SK Hideaways, Field Farm, BoPH, Heidi McGrue, Lake Murray Ospreys, Eagle Club of Estonia, Cornell RTH, Amersfoort Falcon Cam, LDF, OBX Osprey Cam, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Bridge Golf Club, IWS/Explore, Patuxent River Park, Sea Eagle Cam, Cilla Kinross, Montana Osprey Project, The Woodland Trust, Geemeff, Dyfi Osprey Project, MNSA Jay Koolpix Osprey Cam, LRWT, Kirchzarten Stork Cam DE, Bociany Carne Online, Bocian Czarny Online, Mlade Buky, Diane Lambertson, and Knepp Farms.
‘The Girls’ are just fine. We are enjoying Amy Tan’s new book and read an entry or two every evening. Oh, how I wish I had the time to learn to draw like Tan! This morning we are enjoying having no heat on in the house and listening to the Chickadees sing to us. The sky is heavy overcast and I am hoping for a lot of rain.
Hugo Yugo is quite the character and if anything happens one has to look no farther than a little ginger cat. She has ‘decided’ that the butcher block area is ‘hers’ especially when we are away. The key is not to leave anything there that could be knocked, eaten, or tossed off to the floor. This included a yummy packet of cookies today. It appeared she had knocked them off and then played hockey with the bits and bobs. Either ‘on’ or ‘off’ and nothing in between, looking for mischief at every turn. We picked up a small bag of tiny pinecones today in the hope that they would be of interest!
She is ready to run! This look just spells trouble.
Missey has decided that she likes the vintage wicker cat carrier.
‘The Boyfriend’ comes about 4 to 5 times a day. I am constantly checking his water bowl sine it has been so warm. Must find another place for his feeding location soon.
It was 24 degrees C in Winnipeg on Thursday, 25 April. Unbelievable for this time of year. The soil is so dry that when I was going down country roads it blew everywhere. We need moisture! After such a successful Wednesday at Delta Marsh and Delta Beach, it was time to go and check on the pelicans.
The American White Pelican lives on our main lakes and near the dam at Lockport, Manitoba. They arrive in April and set off for their southern winter grounds in September. They fish by diving into the surface of the water to get small fish. The ones with the barnacle-like disk on their bill are breeding pelicans. The others are not. They make scrape nests lined with pebbles or lay their 1-3 eggs on mounds of debris. Normally only one chick survives because of the high percentage of siblicide associated with this species.
There were hundreds and hundreds of them on the river.
The one below is a breeder. Notice the keel plate on the upper mandible – the barnacle-like protuberance – indicating a breeding bird.
The only other birds that I saw, other than a few ducks, were a small group of Ring-billed Gulls.
Have a giggle. Thanks, ‘MB’ for the link – Silly Idris wants incubation time!
Big Red and Arthur had their first hatch on Thursday morning. Oh, goodness, gracious.
‘A’ gives us her perspective: “Wasn’t it lovely to see a hawklet hatch yesterday? We could see the half shell shortly before 13:00 and we get our first really good look at the still-damp hatchling at around 14:33, at which point mum decides it is ready to be fed. It is able to sit up strongly and hold up its head (though the baby fox that’s on the menu today retains a little more fur than is ideal for the baby’s first feeding). I must say the sight of that crushed and mangled shell does worry me slightly. We have had several of these this season, most with happy endings but at least one (at SWFL) with a very sad outcome. Let’s hope the other eggs are not in this condition. Arthur is a very proud dad. Are there pips on egg 2 and/or egg 3? That was definitely egg one that hatched, based on the amount of speckling, which means the pip I thought I saw (which was on egg 2, I’m fairly certain) was likely not a pip, as the mark in question still appears to be on that second egg and has not enlarged at all. Thus, it is probably something stuck to the egg. Still, we are expecting pips in eggs 2 and 3 at any time, based on the timing of the delayed incubation principle followed at Cal Falcons. I believe Big Red did something similar here.”
Oren and Ruth have their first hatch, too!
It is sometimes hard to hit a moving beak especially if you are a new Mum and have two little osplet heads bobbling about. Aren’t they cute? The two at Captiva CO7 and CO8. Both have had fish.
That other egg in the Captiva nest. Well, if you read the chat, you might think that a 45-day-old osprey egg – the first to be laid – might hatch tomorrow. Think about that. The average for osprey eggs to hatch is 36.5-38 days, according to the data that ‘H’ and I have collected (as well as many others). At 40 days, we would give up hope -. There is no way that a 45 day old egg will hatch! So sit back and enjoy the two of them.
It looks like dear Tuffy is going to survive Ruffie. Tuffie is now 31 days old and has beautiful, beautiful juvenile feathers.
‘A’ gets pretty excited watching the Cal Falcons. This is from a day ago. “At Cal Falcons we get our first proper view of hatch four, fully out of the egg and still very damp, when mum heads off to the pantry at about 13:43. Of course the little one is not nearly ready to eat and its eyes are still closed. It looks tiny without its fluff. The other three are all fed – again, Annie is careful to make sure all those little beaks are filled several times each. I always worry that one of the three doesn’t get as much as the other two at a feeding, but it never the same eyas as at the feeding before, so she makes sure that with frequent feedings for these youngsters, no-one actually goes hungry. They are ADORABLE. When we first see them as a fluffy cuddle puddle, I wonder how quickly even Annie will become way too small to brood them. They are a largish pile already, and Archie’s valiant efforts at brooding will be entertaining! Oh he is a darling little mate. Don’t you just love the way he leaves beautifully prepared food within 10 or 15 seconds of the nest – Annie seems to be able to collect perfect prey from the pantry in an incredibly short time when she heads off for food – she’s always back within 20 seconds or so with nutritious-looking meat without inedible parts attached. He does a great job. Of course Annie cleans up any bits that are not suitable for feeding to the babies.
By 14:53, Annie is up and heading for the pantry again. This time, the new hatch is dry and fluffy but not yet ready for a feeding. Still, it has been out of its egg for about 90 minutes or so and already, it seems strong. Archie is quick;ly onto the scrape in case anyone is chilly or a bit lonely, e-chupping to Annie as he checks the kids. But again, Annie is back within 20 seconds, the prey this time a little more feathered than usual, and Annie takes a couple of minutes to prepare the food herself. She then proceeds to feed the chicks yet again, and Archie stays a while to watch the meal. Chick number 3 has front position for this feeding and is doing particularly well. A couple of minutes in, the little fourth hatch pokes its head through the fluff and appears at the front of the line, beside chick 3. It opens its tiny beak, whether for a yawn or for food, I cannot be certain. Oh they are just TOO sweet. Mum has her work cut out for her!
Archie is still there at 14:55, when chick 4 stands up (it has to pull its head out from between the others, which puts it into the back row at the table) and opens its beak!!! This chick is less than two hours old (it’s probably been officially out of its egg for about 90 minutes at this point), and it is already standing, holding its head up and opening its beak for food. Wow! At 14:56 Archie continues to watch closely, appearing absolutely fascinated. He is on the edge of the scrape, within inches of the little cohort of chicks standing in the middle of the scrape, little beaks open wide. Small squeaks for now – just imagine how noisy these cuties are going to become en masse!!
Mum is ignoring the fourth hatch, which is at the back of the group and is much shorter than the others so hard for mum to reach. At one point, the baby is even jumping in an attempt to gain her attention! It reminds me of Rubus, and appears to have similar leaping abilities. At such a young age, its strength and balance is truly astonishing. It tries several tactics to try and get mum’s attention but to no avail. Shortly after 14:59 it stands up at the back of the group and appears in danger of falling over backwards. This concerns Archie, who moves around behind hatch 4 to make sure it is okay. He is such a sweetheart. He seems to want something to feed to those open beaks, and e-chups to Annie. I think he’s counting the bunch and realising he now has four children!!!! (No, that’s anthropomorphising, but he definitely appears to be worried by the fact that the youngest hatch, at the back, has not been fed despite all its efforts. Mum continues to try and coax the older three to eat, without success, but continues to ignore hatch 4. Watch at around 15:00 to see Archie’s reaction to this. He seems to very badly want to grab that bite of food from mum and distribute it himself. But of course he doesn’t.
Interesting. I’ve never seen a parental interaction quite like that. He actually seemed to make a half effort at grabbing the food from Annie’s beak to feed the chicks himself. Archie stays beside the chicks, watching with great intensity. Everything Annie does, every movement from the chicks, he absorbs. He is totally engrossed. Several times, he appears to consider taking the food from Annie’s beak, apparently wanting to feed the youngest hatch, at the back, which still has not been fed any food, despite its continual begging for something, its little beak wide open like its older siblings. Of course it does not yet need to eat, only two hours out /of its egg, but it wants to and is trying to, so I am surprised that Annie is ignoring it completely. She is usually really good at reaching the one at the back or the chick facing the wrong way. Perhaps she simply thinks this one is so young, she doesn’t need to include it in feedings yet. I do hope so. Otherwise, this one looks determined and strong, so I suspect it will rapidly learn how to get itself into the front row. It will jump like Rubus if it has to, I suspect, based on what it has been doing this afternoon. I will check for feedings later in the afternoon to see if chick 4 did get fed today.”
A story too good not to tell. A 17 year old male Peregrine Falcon has a mate and a clutch. His name is Dipper.
Frenchman’s Creek has received many letters from concerned viewers of their osprey cam. ‘MP’ wrote and got a response stating, “They were in contact with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Florida and several ornithologists who told them of the situation; and per expert opinion, human intervention is neither necessary nor permitted at this time.”
The female was on the nest feeding one of the osplets today while the other was self-feeding.
‘MP’ reports that the first egg of the season has been laid at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest on Thursday the 25th.
There are two osplets at Lake Murray and there is a hint of the third egg perhaps pipping. We will see tomorrow.
The third osplet at Lake Murray arrived overnight. Thanks, ‘H’.
One of the Decorah North eaglets has a fishing hook issue. This would qualify for intervention because it is a human-caused problem. Can they get a permit? Is it possible to get a cherry picker up to help? We wait. Poor baby. Please send positive wishes.
Swampy is on the nest and is being fed well. He was eating a fish and there are now two more as I write on the nest for later! Thanks Abby and Blaze.
The two eaglets at Cardinal Land Conservancy have been named Arnie and Neil.
Murphy has a new eaglet to raise!
News from ND-LEEF:
‘H’ caught an Osprey landing on the Cape Henlopen State Park platform – a change from the Black Vultures. Ospreys have not used this nest since the tragedies of 2022 when the Dad was found dead, the Mum chased off nest by intruding and overtaking ospreys, and the chicks starved on the platform as a result.
Glaslyn: Elen and Aran have their second egg of the season at 12:44 on Thursday the 25th.
It actually appears that there is a new male at the nest of Iris at Hellgate Canyon in Missoula who has been bringing fish and there might have been a successful mating. Many believed it was Louis, but after much comparison it appears it is a new male to be named by Dr Greene. Well, this could be an interesting year. Iris certainly likes his fish and heaven only knows she deserves someone to care for her! This is certainly a twist that I did not anticipate.
The Fraser Point eaglet has been named – and we will be waiting to hear the name of the other one.
Both Bald Canyon Eaglets were named.
Dorcha cannot get a break this year! Poor gal just wants to incubate in peace and quiet.
Dorcha takes off with the ‘brunch or lunch’ fish. Louis was late – keeping intruders away?
Jackie and Shadow and the dawn.
New female replacing Charlotte at Charlo Montana is a 14 year old.
Six goslings taking the leap of faith seen from the US Steel Eagle cam. Fantastic. You might have watched the second leap of faith at Decorah. One gosling made it down to the adults. Volunteers looked and found a second at the bottom of the nest tree that night but parents were elsewhere. I do not think that they found the third. I will try to get more up to date news.
Thanks so much for being with me today! Take care everyone. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, Geemeff, H, MB, MP’, Dyfi Osprey Project, Cornell RTH, Suzanne Arnold Horning, @CornellHawks, Red-tail Hawk Tales, Window to Wildlife, Heidi McGrue, Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways, Linda McElroy, Frenchman’s Creek, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Lake Murray, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Laura Rose, Eagle Country, Cardinal Land Conservancy, World Bird Sanctuary, Carol Mandis-beadle, IWS/Explore, Geemeff, Pam Breci, and PIX Cams.
*Every effort has been made to credit individuals for their notes, videos, photographs, etc. If I have inadvertently missed someone, please let me know so I can rectify that oversight.*
I had a marvellous day and, as a result, this post might be rather short. The weather has been splendid on the Canadian Prairies and at 15 degrees C, we begin to believe that summer is here – not spring – LOL. Everyone is out on their bikes, their electric scooters, walking their dogs, and generally being of a good humour.
I headed out to try and spot the arrival of some of the first Sandhill Cranes. No luck. Instead, I was treated to a magical ten or fifteen minutes with thirteen Snow Geese. They were riding the thermals way, way above my head, dancing with the wind. It was magical. (The images below were taken with a 600 mm lens and cropped! I have no idea how high they were.)
They are heading north up to the top of Manitoba and the Arctic Circle.
Speaking of heading north, I will be going on a short holiday north of Winnipeg, hoping to see the Sandhill Cranes, more Snow Geese and Tundra Swans, and eagles and Canada Geese. There will not be Wi-Fi available where I am going (except for my phone), so I will not be posting any news on Friday and Saturday. Everything will return to normal on Sunday. Please continue to send your images, videos, and news. I will catch up with all of them late Saturday and put them in the posting on Sunday with much appreciation. Thank you!
Today, I want to start with something so beautiful. How many times have you seen a double rainbow? Storm Kathleen was quite frightening and now that calm has arrived, Louis and Dorcha’s nest has been double blessed.
The nest that is on everyone’s mind is Moorings Park. It is nothing short of agonising watching Tuffie wanting fish and being beaked into submission continually by Ruffy. Like people, the osplets and eaglets lose their confidence despite their hunger. Some are very clever and muster enough energy to devise ways to survive. Others not only devise those ways but also have a Mum that sees and understands and finds ways to help. Some simply wait to be fed if a feeding happens. Right now that seems to be where little Tuffie is. — But if you want to remember clever and determined, then I remind you of the fourth hatch at Patchogue in 2023 named by many ‘Tiny Dancer’. Or the third hatch Tiny Tumbles at Achieva in 2021. There are, of course, a number of others. We can only hope that Tuffie gets its strength up, that it gets enough fish to last through the Reptilian phase, and that Harry continues to deliver at least 5 fish on the nest, perhaps more.
‘H’ has been wonderful to watch over this nest for me for the past few days and I am so grateful. She writes:
“At 0651 Sally picked up the leftover fish and began to feed. There was no initial aggression, as Tuffy was still quite sleepy and showed no interest in eating, so Ruffie was fed. At 0658 Tuffy was finally awake enough to show interest in the meal, at which time Ruffie beaked Tuffy into submission. Sally stopped the feeding at 0705 with fish remaining. No bites for Tuffy. The remainder of that fish was removed from the nest.
1029 Harry delivered a live bluegill. Tuffy was already at the side of the nest and didn’t bother to head toward Mom. Sally fed Ruffie. At 1043 Tuffy finally approached the feeding line, and was promptly beaked into submission by Ruffie. At 1050, with the fish nearly gone, Ruffie moved away, and Sally finished the fish. The bluegill was not nearly as big as the tilapia that Harry frequently brings in, so there was not an opportunity for Tuffy to eat after Ruffie was full. No bites for Tuffy.”
“At 1734 Harry delivered another large headless tilapia. Tuffy got 5 quick bites before he was attacked by Ruffie. At 1734 Tuffy got 4 more bites and then was brutally attacked. Ruffy ate some, but wasn’t very hungry. Sally ate. At 1744 Tuffy got 1 bite. At 1748 Tuffy ate 3 bites. Then, starting at 1749 Ruffie left him alone, Tuffy had a long feeding, and he was seen crop-dropping several times. Tuffy ate an additional 90 bites of fish, for a total of 103 bites at this meal! After his last two bites at 1806, Tuffy was so full and tired, he simply scooted away from Mom and laid his head down.
So far today, Tuffy has eaten at least 133 bites of fish.”
“Harry delivered a smallish headless fish at 1852. Ruffie was not aggressive toward Tuffy, although a couple of times Tuffy moved away slightly because he thought he was about to be attacked. Tuffy ate at least 40 bites of fish.
Total for the day so far = 173 bites for Tuffy.” I don’t know about you, but seeing that little one – and it is so little compared to Ruffy – an indication of the difference in good and gender – with a bulging crop just makes me weep.
‘H’ sent me a short video of Tuffy’s PS. I thought it was good. It appears that our little one is ‘allowed’ to eat at the end of the day if there is enough fish.
Relief for another day.
This video is from a couple of days ago but what a lovely family, all eating. Thunder could send out booklets to all the Mums on how to take care of bonking.
At Big Bear, Jackie and Shadow might be thinking that the eggs are not viable and they will soon move on.
Louis and Dorcha are alright. It looks wet at Loch Arkaig but the gale force winds from Storm Kathleen seem to have subsided.
Mum and Dad working on the nest at Boulder County Fairgrounds.
The names of the two eaglets at the Kansas City Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property are Wichita and Cheyenne. And just look at them. It feels like they only hatched a couple of days ago!
JBS20 is about ready to fly. Thanks ‘AE’ and ‘MP’ for these wonderful screen captures. There were a lot of worries at this nest including the death of JBS21 and Mum’s injury. We are nearing fledge. Fingers crossed that all goes well.
The two little ND-LEEF eaglets of Dad and Gigi are so cute and so tiny and before we blink they will look like JBS21!
All is well at Duke Farms. Mark your calendars. Leaper and Jersey will be banded, weather permitting, on 12 April at 10am.
The trio at Little Miami Conservancy are adorable.
Peach (aka BC17) is already out of the nest bowl and over to the rim! Goodness. I am glad that I did not see this live.
Only surviving eaglet renamed Viper at Bluff City appears to be thriving.
Dixie and Mason at Superbeaks are big kids now. We can see them with east on the side cam!
DNF did not let those two little precious eaglets of hers be out in the damp cool weather in Iowa for long. Both are doing well.
US Steel welcomes USS7 who hatched from that rather crushed shell Sunday morning.
It looks like Swoop might have arrived at Dunrovin! Now for Harriet.
‘A’ sends us news of Angel and Tom: “
They have been back since 3 April, and though neither turned up on 4 April, both have visited each morning since. Many people seem to think the eclipse on 8 April may have something to do with her tardiness in her egg-laying schedule but personally, I’m somewhat sceptical. On the other hand, anything that disrupts the ‘pull’ of the moon in a major way could in theory impact egg laying, and presumably ovulation in humans. No-one will convince me that in a creature that’s about 75% water, as we are, the length of the cycle of the moon just coincidentally happens to exactly coincide with the female ovulatory and menstrual cycle, especially when the moon’s cycling demonstrably influences the movements of bodies of water on our planet, in the form of tides etc. In other words, there is a logical reason why it COULD be so, meaning perhaps it IS possible. If so, according to the theory, after today (8 April), she may lay her egg/s.
They are both continuing with their nest-preparation behaviour albeit in a very limited way – at this stage the only thing they are bringing to the nest is tree bark for the nest bowl, no sticks at all. Other interesting behaviours of note include beakie kisses between Angel and Tom, Angel plucking at her brood patch and, for me most exciting of all, Angel getting in some chick practice by allopreening Tom’s head. Shades of Deyani!!!
She is definitely getting ready to lay an egg. But then, I have said that before … This nest has appeared ready for at least three weeks now. The question has been whether Angel and Tom are ready. But small things are different. No sticks, just bark to line the nest bowl. Cautious behaviour too – standing in the nest looking carefully around for example, as if checking for intruders. Tom is also being annoyed by a few of the smaller birds (last year they buzzed poor, stoic Angel almost constantly but seemed to leave Tom completely alone – that is no longer the case).
Can you tell I am OVER THE MOON that my gorgeous Angel and oh so handsome Tom are back at their nest? Now for an egg or two. Just so excited. “
And, look, Bradley with a puffer! So nice to see you 173 day old Bradley.
Is there a miracle happening at the NCTC nest of Scout and Bella?
“The Girls” and I have finished two books. The first one they want to tell you about is Tim Mackrill’s The Osprey. I did not think that Tim could do any better than his book for the RSPB, RSPB Spotlight Osprey, but he did. This is a wonderful volume and will be a great addition to the library of anyone who loves Ospreys and wants to know as much about them as possible. Over 300 pages. There are charts, reference materials, and excellent colour photographs (not tonnes but enough to illustrate his points). Tim is a gifted writer and is one of the leading authorities on Osprey migration. The book covers everything from nesting behaviour and raising chicks to migration issues and considerations. Discussion is not just limited to UK ospreys either. I much appreciated the discussion of their wintering habitats and discussions of the threats to their survival. Even the girls gave it a 10 out of 10. The price is $60 CDN for the hardcover. If that is more than your pocket will bear right now, but if you are looking for an excellent book on Ospreys, go for the RSPB Spotlight Osprey, which is $24 CDN. I prefer it to Alan Poole’s larger more expensive edition on ospreys, actually.
The second book is Chris Packham’s Birdwatching Guide from Beginner to Birder. Chris must have been a teacher in a previous life. The book is laid out, like Tim’s, in a logical way, covering every aspect of birdwatching from the purchase of binoculars, setting up a hide, what to wear birding to bird behaviour. There is a good discussion on wing shape and caring for your garden birds. I loved the one with images of the feet to show you the relationship between the feet and bird species. The illustrations are very good. I would definitely buy this for someone who is beginning to watch birds. And if you are feeling a little bit flush and wanted to add something more, how about a map of good birding spots in the individual’s location, a pass to a nature centre, or add a pair of binoculars along with this book. It will get them going. The price is right. 12.99 GBP. Hardcover.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. We hope to see you here again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post for today: ‘AE, H, J, MP’, Geemeff, Moorings Park, Lady Hawk, SK Hideaways, Geemeff, Boulder County, FARMER DEREK, JB Sands Wetlands, ND-LEEF, Duke Farms, Little Miami Conservancy, Sharon Lee, Bluff City-ETSU, Superbeaks, Raptor Resource Project, PIX Cams, Kitty Carlyle, Window to Wildlife, Port Lincoln Osprey, Deb Stacy and Bald Eagles 101, and Amazon.
The girls hope that you have a wonderful start to the weekend. They have been enjoying the +11 C temperatures and the life that has come back into the garden. The squirrels, the Blue Jays, the Dark-eyed Juncos, and an array of Sparrows including some Pine Siskins have been keeping them busy.
Calico ran from one corner of the conservatory to the other – yes, Calico ran! watching the squirrels gather peanuts and hide them.
Hugo Yugo played and slept in her basket and kept an eye out when Dyson was on the fence. I clean her eyes twice daily but she still has the drippies.
Baby Hope looked beautiful watching the birds fly over the glass ceiling.
My friend Ruby was visiting. She is an indigenous healer. Her knowledge about the natural world is abundant as are her observations. The Snow geese could be seen on Tuesday at a particular point near to where she lives. For her, this signals that there is no more snow coming to us!
Today, driving through the agricultural fields north of Winnipeg, yielded huge numbers of Canada Geese on the shallow waters foraging from what was left of last year’s crop that they fed on when they migrated south. There were Snow Geese and Tundra Swans mixed in.
The Snow Geese arrive in early April and will be with us until November – just like the Canada Geese. In the late fall they will congregate south of where I live to fill up in the corn fields that have been cultivated – a boost to them for their long flight south.
The Tundra Swans normally arrive before all the snow is gone and forage in these flooded fields like they are doing today. They will make their nests along the coast of the Arctic at the top of Manitoba near Churchill. These nests will be large mounds of material along the shoreline. The female will incubate 4-5 eggs for 31-32 days. The geese are ‘dabbling’ waterfowl and forage along the surface for aquatic vegetation and invertebrates. They also eat tubers and, as we see here, grain left after cultivation.
It was positively joyous seeing the geese playing in the water and foraging for plants. I wish some of the ones in the urban areas would take flight to the country.
Two news items coming in this morning about Ospreys in the US.
USFWS says it is legal to put deterrents on light poles to keep ospreys form nesting.
Thank you to everyone who sent me news items. I am so grateful to all of you. ‘R’ is watching the Gainesville nest and ‘H’ is keeping a keen eye on what is going on at Moorings Park for me. Watching the osprey nests is extremely difficult when there is a chance of siblicide. It wrenches your stomach, causes you to have indigestion, and a great sadness comes. As I continue to say, it is never easy and over the past seven years, this year has been the hardest. When ‘H’ and I start counting bites – we hope that there are at least 100 a day, minimum. Tuffie had 99 on Thursday. Let’s see how that poor little one winds up today.
‘H’ has kept eyes on Tuffie for me when I am not able. So thankful! This nest is so bleak compared to last year. She reports, “Tuffy has had a bad day. S/he has suffered numerous beat-downs from Ruffie, even outside of meals. And, at meals Ruffie would not let Tuffie get fed. Four fish so far: 0904 – whole fish, nothing for Tuffy; 1124 – partial fish, two bites for Tuffy; 1354 – almost whole fish, one bite for Tuffy;1607 – an enormous headless tilapia. Ruffie had the equivalence of at least 3-4 meals on and off for 1.5 hours, while intermittently severely beaking Tuffy, and not letting Tuffie eat. Finally, at 1734 Tuffie began to get fed. Tuffie had eaten 4 bites up to that point, and ate a total of 46 bites before Ruffie decided that Tuffy had had enough. At that point Sally fed Ruffie a little more, and then she walked away from the large leftover piece of fish. She fed Tuffie three scraps off the nest. At 1801 Harry arrived to remove the fish from the nest. Total bites to Tuffie so far today = 53.”
Then an update -“Harry brought a partial fish at 2000. Selly fed both osplets, and Tuffy ate about 42-43 bites at that meal. Sally stopped the feeding early, perhaps because it’s too dark for them to see, but still plenty of fish left for breakfast unless Harry removes it. Total fish bites for Tuffy today = at least 95.”
Sunday Morning Update: “4/6 – Around 0652 Sally picked up the large leftover piece of tilapia and began feeding Ruffie. Ruffie beaked Tuffy several times, and was particularly brutal at 0707. However, Ruffie eventually moved away from the feeding line and Sally was able to feed Tuffy. Tuffy received several bites before Ruffie eventually moved back to the feeding line. For several minutes Tuffy and Ruffy ate peacefully side by side, but for some reason, only Ruffie got bites for the last 4 minutes of the feeding. I counted 54 bites that Tuffy actually ate. “
Sunday morning image:
The back of Tuffie’s head has been battered and is bloody – it isn’t feathers coming in…Send your most positive wishes to this nest, please.
Again, Sunday morning you can see the size difference. Tuffie certainly got a good name! This little one is like Hugo Yugo!
Tuffie being fed Sunday morning:
The peaceful side by side meal.
Reports of Meadow in care – and these are the same folks that are repairing the Achieva Osprey nest of Diane and Jack if you are looking for somewhere to donate:
This is the rest of the communique that says that Meadow will go to the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey – that was where Connick rehabilitated along with some of our favourite ospreys.
They state: “Meadow made it here safe and sound. The eaglet is very thin. We have rehydrated it and are getting ready to start the baby on liquid food. This is our standard protocol for very skinny birds. The liquid food consists of carnivore care. This is a premium recovery food for carnivores with a poor nutritional status. It is a specialized formula that contains beneficial omega, fatty acids and easily digestible proteins that come from egg and chicken sources to support nutrient absorption, and optimize the energy levels of the bird. We do have a few other additives as the bird progresses in its recovery slowly switching over to solid food. Because this bird is eight weeks old, it is no longer safe to put it back in the nest, even if she was in perfect health, which she is not. There are multiple reasons for this, but for Meadow, even if she was younger, because of her nutritional status, putting her back is not an option. We will transfer Meadow to the Audubon Center for Birds Of Prey in the morning so that she can get continued excellent care under their Eagle experts, and she will be with at least 17 other eagles that are currently patients there. And she will be in the presence of adult eagles, which we feel is important.Will keep provide an update later on this evening. Please cross your fingers and say your prayers and think positive thoughts for Meadow. If you would like to support the raptor center of Tampa Bay and help us out with the things that we do to support our eagles and all other Birds Of Prey, please visit our website.”
A further update on Meadow. Thanks, ‘J’.
‘R’ reports on Talon and Stella at Gainesville: “All is well in G’ville. Talon is bringing in big fish and all 3 osplets are well fed and all about the same size. Hopefully all 3 will thrive.”
The three eaglets at PA Country Farm are also doing well!
The earthquake that went through parts of New York and NJ did not make the Duke Farms eaglets even flinch. They had nice crops during the day and both Leaper and Jersey appear to have overcome the period of low prey delivery just fine. It would be nice if this would happen at Moorings Park – but the Mum at Dukes Farm worked hard for these babies.
Here is a video showing the nest at Duke Farms shaking during the earthquake.
Proud parents Liberty and Guardian at Redding.
Archie is taking very good care of Annie.
Likewise, at Loch Arkaig, Dorcha was equally happy to see Louis arrive with a fish.
This was after he did a beautiful sky dance at dawn.
The trio of osplets at Frenchman’s Creek are really looking nice as they get their juvenile plumage. What a difference – sorry Sally and Harry – but just look – this nest has three osplets that are thriving!
I absolutely would not mess with the Mum at Little Miami Conservancy. Her little bobbleheads are all doing fine.
That Johnson City Eagle nest is very windy! Did we blink? These two look like Swampy and Meadow to me.
There ARE three eaglets at FOLAN.
Two sweet eaglets at Farmer Derek’s Bald Eagle nest.
Swampy alone on the nest after Meadow’s accident.
The eaglet – JBS20- at John Bunker Sands Wetlands is 71 days old today. The average age of eagle fledging in the US is 77 days (unless it is Alaska where it is 85 days).
Angel the Leucistic Red-tail Hawk made an appearance at last year’s nest in Tennessee. There are no eggs and little activity for some time. I believe that Angel and Tom made an alternative nest to use this year somewhere close.
It is not unusual for raptors to change the site of their nest. Mr President and Lotus moved their nest, River moved her nest at Dale Hollow, M15 and Harriet moved their nest, Richmond and Rosie moved theirs this year, while Thunder and Akecheta changed sites in 2023. Sometimes the birds perceive a danger that we might not – such as the site being unsafe. “Excessive human activity near raptor nests in the early weeks of the breeding season may cause a pair to abandon the site; or if later in the nesting cycle, may cause an incubating or brooding female to flush from the nest, leaving eggs or nestlings vulnerable to fatal chilling or predation.”
We will never know the specific reasons and it is always sad if a nest has been on camera and we do not know what is happening, but, in the end, we have to trust that the raptors felt more secure in moving their nest and laying their eggs in a different location. For Angel, maybe she felt the old location meant a smaller nest and not a lot of room for 3 or 4 chicks to flap about!
There is an Osprey pair on the nest in Kurzeme, Latvia!
Osprey pair returned to their nest in the Lipka Forest in Poland on 4 April.
A great image from Sharon Dunne of the Royal Cam chick – so white and so fluffy.
Shadow is not giving up! I really do wish there was an orphan eaglet somewhere that could miraculously find itself under this amazing Dad.
Do you love penguins? There are some amazing shots of several penguin species in the following 17 minute video DaniConnorWild did of her photography excursion to Antarctica.
Human debris is coming to all of the osprey nests. There is hardly a single one that is not plagued by plastic. What will happen to the chicks and the eggs?
Sometimes the wind takes things away!
Looks like the geese are thinking about the Sandpoint Osprey platform as a nest.
Beautiful day at Lake Murray. Lucy is incubating those precious eggs.
The birds are migrating and some old friends are arriving at your feeders and bird baths. Thanks so much for giving them water and food. ‘L’ says that the Brown Thrashers are in Alabama!
Ending with that wonderful happy glow that spread around the world when Iris set down on her nest at Hellgate Canyon Friday morning.
Cornell has a free raptor guide for you to download to help you ID the birds.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, images, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J, L, R’, WMUR9, WJAR, Moorings Park Ospreys, Raptor Centre of Tampa Bay, HDonTap, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, PA Country Farms Eagles, Duke Farms, SK Hideaways, Geemeff, Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys, Little Miami Conservancy, Johnson City-ETSU, AEF, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, LDF, Utah Grosse, Sharon Dunne, DaniConnorWild, Steelscape, Boulder County Fair Grounds, PSEG, Sandpoint, Lake Murray, ‘L’, Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, and The New York Times.
It is -21C on the Canadian Prairies. The cold weather has arrived. It was a good day to wake up to hot coffee and warm cardamon rolls out of the oven. LOL. The girls didn’t care! They wanted breakfast and story time before I started my day. Calico now ‘walks’ me out to the conservatory sofa to read. It is too funny. The cats have me fully trained.
As you know, if you have read my blog over the summer of 2023, a large family of Crows lives in my neighbourhood. They bring their fledglings to the garden to get peanuts and for the bird bath, where they dunk their food and have baths. The numbers have decreased since the end of autumn, and I am worried about them. Today, I was happy, but simultaneously sad, to see a single crow at the corner waiting for another person who feeds birds. I know she specifically feeds the crows, but where are the others?
I have also been reading more about Crows, and if you are interested in the intelligence level of the members of the Corvid family include Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays, I have a book for you! It is called Bird Brains, and it is by Candace Savage. This is the latest edition from 2018.
I was impressed by the writing that drew me in and made the new findings on this amazing species’ intelligence level relatable. The photographs are top-notch. (Sorry about the glare from the light)
The introduction included mention of anthropomorphism. Put simply it is ascribing human traits to animals. if, however, you study the behaviour of animals, the apologies of individuals such as many on chat for doing just that will more than irk you.
Savage discusses the ‘ascription of meaningful intelligence to nonhuman creatures’ as problematic. She notes that at a point, scientists and researchers into behaviourist psychology who looked into memory, insights and thoughts stopped looking at nonhumans. Some had been tricked, and she noted that no one wanted to be embarrassed. It paused the subject of knowledge and intelligence…She notes that anyone who dared to state that nonhumans were intelligent was accused of the dreaded anthropomorphism. Savage’s entire book bunks the notion of ‘dumb animals’, stating that humans ‘have a lot invested in keeping animals dumb’ (19). Think about it – humans can treat animals any way they want if they believe they do not feel pain, have feelings, share emotions, solve problems, etc. Savage points to the research of many, including Irene Pepperberg from the University of Arizona, who concludes that Corvids are superbly intelligent, capable of identifying items by name, able to distinguish similarities and differences in objects, as well as ‘capable of acquiring complex vocal and nonvocal behaviours that many scientists believe are co-or prerequisites for referential communications’. Pepperberg, in her research, discovered that Corvids have the same cognitive capacities as primates. Indeed, their superior powers might be higher than primates (18).
If you are interested in avian behaviour and love the Corvid family or want to learn more about the intelligence of our feathered friends, this is an excellent book. It is well-written, wonderfully illustrated, and at a good price point.
One of my favourite Corvids, the baby Blue Jay from the summer, came to visit the feeder on Monday. Delighted to see it!
The girls are doing great. The plumbers were here again today – they will be finishing up tomorrow – and I could not ask for better behaviour. They all stayed out of the way of any danger!
Missey has a new sleeping spot. It is on top of one of the tallest cabinets – almost touching the ceiling – next to a carved cat on a skateboard that my late friend, Charlie Scott, made. Missey is very smart. What a safe place and out of the way of Calico. They do not always get along. I would say they tolerate one another.
Hugo Yugo and Calico slept on the cat tree together, ignoring the workers who dumped the vanity behind them piled with anything and everything.
I was so delighted when ‘AM’ sent me some beautiful images they had taken of Blake Kites near their home in Japan.
Nature Japan gives us some information on one of the country’s most beautiful raptors: ”The Black Kite or “Tobi” トビ as it is known in Japanese is a common sight in the skies throughout Japan. This raptor is thought to be the world’s most abundant bird of prey. Its numbers are healthy and is under no threat.
This bird can be mainly found in Eurasia, Australasia, Oceania and is a year-round resident here in Japan. You can see this powerful looking bird often soaring in the thermals high above coastal areas, rivers and lakes. I’ve also seen them in farming areas throughout the Kansai region of Japan. They are very graceful flyers that soar with ease and turn with precision.
Male and female Black Kites look very similar and are very opportunistic hunters. They prey upon fish, rodents, and other birds. They are also known to scavenge which is one of the reasons they are so successful a species. I have watched them dive towards the ocean plucking fish from the water and I have also seen them dive-bomb people at highway rest stops trying to steal their rice balls and bento box lunches.” Their only predator is the Eurasian Eagle-owl. “This powerful owl can easily pick off even adult Black Kites and can sometimes be found in northern parts of Hokkaido (common throughout Europe and other parts of Asia).”
Wilde Nature gives us the size variations for these birds of prey: “The Black-eared Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey, measuring about 45–55 centimetres in length with a wingspan of up to 150 centimetres. The distinguishing feature of this subspecies is the black patch of feathers on the sides of the head, located behind the eyes, which gives it its name. Its eyes are dark brown; its bill is short and hooked. The outer wing feathers are black, with dark crossbars and a mottled base. The underparts are pale brown and become lighter towards the chin. The body feathers have a dark shaft, giving it a striped appearance. The corner of the mouth is yellow, but the bill is black. Male and female birds look the same, but females are slightly longer with a larger wingspan.”
Black-eared Kites are opportunistic hunters and feed on various prey such as small mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles. They are often seen soaring high in the air on thermal updrafts, effortlessly gliding while searching for potential prey on the ground.
Thank you ‘AM’ for allowing us to share these beautiful images of the kites.
Look at this beautiful White-tailed Eagle that visited one of Finland’s Osprey (Selli Island) nests on Monday. Gorgeous.
Connie with C10 and C11 today. Note more dandelions are missing! There are pin feathers coming in along the wing tips.
‘A’ comments on these little eaglets: ”Speaking of having enormous appetites, so does CE10, who is absolutely massive in comparison to baby brother CE11. I am still not entirely sure that CE10 has the temperament of a female, but certainly she has the physical characteristics of one. Little CE11 seems to eat his fill most of the time, but she can eat SO much more. Today, both of them had very big crops mid-afternoon (of course CE10’s was larger), and then Connie came in and CE10 was fed the majority of a good-sized speckled trout! CE11 lifted his head from his afternoon nap and initially decided not to bother, but about 20 minutes later, he eventually got up and made his way to the table, by which stage you might have expected CE10 to have long since fallen into a food coma, but no, she was continuing to eat, so that CE11 still had to wait some time to get perhaps a dozen mouthfuls out of the entire fish. CE11 is definitely getting enough to eat, but CE10 is bottomless. She is making no specific effort to prevent CE11 from eating, and has not really done so at any point in their development. She eats and eats and eats, while CE11 is a confident eater but not a pushy eaglet at the table. Occasionally, when big sibling is asleep, CE11 gets a quiet private feeding, usually from Connie, but the size differential continues to grow between the two eaglets. Fortunately, there has been no real food shortage (except one day where there was an inkling of ‘hungry’ experienced on the nest). The bonking has been minimal throughout (and instigated often by CE11, who has been prepared to look his older sibling in the eye from an early age, despite the inevitable results). “
‘J’ has a reminder: Today is also Connick’s first birthday. Connie and Clive’s 2023 hatch will be the Ambassador at the Smithsonian. Maybe you will be able to travel to see him!
Changing before our eyes. Thanks for the close-ups, cam op.
Faxinating caught the whole fish drop to F23 for her and E23 today – we all cheer when the Dad doesn’t eat the head, but we also cringe when the fish flops everywhere. Not to cause alarm, but these live fish have killed eaglets and Osplets. (more on SW Florida below)
Tonya Irwin reports on the action at the Kistachie National Forest E1 nest that Louis shared with his late mate, Anna.
Not a lot of action at the nest of Beau and Gabby. I really hope Gabby is getting to eat enough. It looks like Beau is busy with the defence of their territory.
All is well with M15, F23, and E23 at the SW Florida Eagle nest after the earlier fish delivery. Dad stopped in before bedtime to feed the cutie pie some fish.
The Great Horned Owls are nesting at the Hilton Head nest it seems.
On their social media page, the Hilton Head Island Land Trust posted a short video of the male bringing prey and being in the nest with the female. You can see the two eggs.
Meanwhile at the nest of Bonnie and Clyde on Farmer Derek’s property in Kansas, it is snowing. No sign of the owls.
Just northeast of Kansas, in Iowa, the snow is coming down in Decorah, home to the Decorah North Bald Eagle family as well as the Hatchery Bald Eagle Family.
Snow was also coming down on the Denton Home Nest.
Baiba caught Blazer going after a squirrel coming up to the Eagle Country nest where he is incubating his and Abby’s eggs.
At Port Lincoln, Gil got himself a really nice fish off the nest. This is not just any fish – this is a delivery by the fish fairy at 0938.
The lads have been fighting for the fish and today Gil was the clear winner until…
Mum came in with a really large fish at 1344. The lads struggled. Gil had a nice crop – come on, Gil. Let Brad eat! Brad was hungry and got that fish and really enjoyed it. Well done, Brad.
‘A’ sends the report for the WBSE: “January 9: Early this morning, just one eagle was spotted at the river, moving between roosts. Just before 9am, SE31 was finally seen soaring high above the wetlands and the river. Then, at 9:15am, she was at River Roost with Lady, both flying back and forth a bit. At 9:20am, SE31 took flight, followed by Lady, up high, circling then off over Homebush Bay. Neither had returned at 10:15am. Just after 12 noon, SE31 was seen at River Roost, but no parents. But then we heard that at 11:06am, she had been seen catching a fish shortly after returning from her flight with Lady. At 4:30pm, one adult was seen at River Roost, and it then flew off to the west. Shortly after, at 5pm, both adults were spotted on the island, then SE31 was seen there as well.”
BirdGuides review of the week for the UK, including some unusual finds.
Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretative Centre is closed for renovations, but they have some online events for people living in my province. Want to know where to go birding? Check this virtual information session on the 14th of January from 1300-1400.
Thank you so much for being with me. Please take care everyone. See you soon.
I would like to thank the following who also helped me with my blog today: ’A, AM, J’, Nature Japan, Wilde Nature, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Window to Wildlife, Faxinating, Tonya Irwin, Carol Shores Rifkin, Hilton Head Island Trust, Farmer Derek, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, Denton Homes, Baiba, PLO, Bart M, Eagle Cam, Bird Guides, and Oak Hammock Marsh Wetland Centre.
Friday was beautiful. 16 degrees C. No wind. It was the perfect day to go birding. Indeed, it was so perfect it was hard to remember that this is the third week in October. If you looked in one direction, the geese fed on green grass in the fields and on the other the farmers were harvesting the flax, everything brown, the Poplar trees in the distance a sunny yellow edged by a lovely bronze-brown. It was delightful to be outside. Calming to the mind – tranquil would be the correct word. Sitting and listening to the geese honking as they flew in at a distance, it took me back decades to when I first moved to Canada and discovered the geese. Then it was April and they were the harbinger of spring. They always arrived around the time of my first son’s birthday. We knew winter was on its way out. Their departure in the fall signals the opposite…I hate for the last ones to leave when the sky goes silent.
The first images are from one of our lovely City parks – Kildonan – on the way to Oak Hammock Marsh for me. The Marsh is closing the first week of November for extensive renovations to their Interpretative Centre. We will still be able to walk the trails. It will not reopen until the summer of 2024, and I will miss snooping around amongst the displays. The area around Oak Hammock is a haven for migrating geese and ducks. They are still flying in by the thousands. I had a giggle. The lady at reception said, “As long as geese are flying in, we know winter is not near.” She is right. When we see them high-tailing it out of the City, we know something ‘bad’ is coming. Sometimes, a few are still around when the first snow falls, but they quickly get in the mood for a winter holiday!
At Kildonan Park there is a little pond that is fed by a creek that runs through the park. There were at least 75 Mallards and another 35 Wood Ducks along with about 400 Canada Geese this morning.
The pond is by the Witches House and people come throughout the day and feed the geese and ducks. They are overly friendly if they think you have a bag of seeds.
Oak Hammock Marsh is a joint venture between the Province of Manitoba and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). It is one of those partnerships that has created vast wetlands that benefit both the ducks and geese and sadly, those that like to hunt them. ‘R’ and I chatted about this and it appears that the way forward to saving our wildlife is to partner with groups that might have seemed unthinkable in the past. I do not like shooting ducks but if it is the duck hunters that are creating all of the wetlands throughout North America that benefit all manner of waterfowl – some hunted and some not – then I am going to sit down and be relatively quiet in the hope that someday there will be huge wetlands and people might be dissuaded against killing animals.
Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese, and Canada Geese in the fields feeding near to Oak Hammock Marsh.
These are rosehips. Many collect them and make rosehip jelly or syrup. It is delicious. Rosehips are the fruit of the rose plant.
A Northern Shrike. They are a large songbird. These birds unusually feed on small birds, all manner of rodents including mice and voles, as well as insects. They are also known to eat frogs. They live in my area during the winter.
The range for the Northern Shrike.
At Port Lincoln, ‘A’ was watching and left me this note, “Watch the feeding at Port Lincoln from around 18:13 to see how very carefully mum is working to ensure that the younger osplet gets fed. Her awareness of it and her efforts to ensure it gets fed really are very encouraging indeed. The eldest has been in the front position and getting all of the food to this point of the feeding, and has a large crop by now. So mum turns to the younger chick to ensure that it gets fed. She moves the fish over to the younger osplet, who is behind the older, but the older one turns around so the two chicks are facing each other. Mum moves again, so she can make sure she is directing each mouthful to the second hatch. She gives it some fairly decent-sized chunks, which it manages to swallow. It is a determined small person and is getting steadier by the hour. And dad did bring in another fish, albeit a late one. Both chicks will go to sleep with full tummies and mum has eaten well during the day. I suspect that mum’s dedication is going to be extremely important to the survival of this second chick. If the fish supply is low, then it will probably be the factor that determines whether or not two osplets survive.”
Heidi caught a good feeding, too.
The second chick is definitely getting stronger. The third egg is not hatching or cracking. It is nesting material stuck to the shell. You can really see the egg tooth clearly in the image below.
‘A’ gives us the run down on the feedings at PLO: “There were three fish brought in today, all large and all by dad. The first one was huge at 06:34, the second was large at 15:50 and the last at 19:50. There were at least nine feedings between 06:38 and about 20:00 and perhaps more after dark (I haven’t checked). The younger chick ate at all but two of those feedings, though it only had a small amount on each occasion (sometimes just a bite or two). But it is getting better at the whole eating thing (facing the right way, seeing well enough to correctly time the grab, managing to deal with larger pieces) and will be much better at all of those skills tomorrow. So far it is getting enough to eat, though not nearly as much as its sibling. At least mum is looking for it once the older chick is fed and is being relatively patient with it, offering the food two or three times if it misses on the initial grab. She is still giving pieces that are too large but the little one is struggling manfully with them and managing most. Such a sweetie. So far, dad has stepped up his game with the fishing to make sure mum and the kids are getting properly fed (today’s fish were all a good size and one was super-large) and mum is well aware that she has two osplets that both need to be fed. So that’s an excellent start. Talons crossed that these two actually decide to skip the bonking phase altogether. Is that even possible? I’m also interested in dad’s response to the offspring – he seems extremely interested and perhaps wants to get involved. Does this suggest/confirm that he is as we believe a new dad at this nest and learning the ropes as it were?”
Marri and Barry are ‘scooting’ around the scrape. They are adorable, interested in their surrounds, the feathers all over the floor of their home, and one another.
The soft fluffy down is going away. Look at how different Marri is – as she is changing. Notice the pink beak has given way to a soft dove grey. Pin feathers are appearing. The beak is much more raptor-like. They are still adorable and their individual personalities are beginning to show along with – the clown feet!
“Have some delicious feathers”.
Marri passed a major milestone – she is self-feeding. Thanks Heidi!
‘A’s observations: “Meanwhile, at Orange, that pair are little eating machines. (Why is it that falcon chicks are the most voracious eaters of all? Even hawklets and eaglets and osplets don’t attack the feeding process – as opposed to their siblings – with such incredible gusto and energy. Falcon eyases take it to a whole new level. As with their screeching to demand sustenance.) At today’s mid-afternoon feeding, Marri downed an entire grebe leg, complete with attached foot. Seriously grown-up now. They are climbing onto the Cilla Stones, exploring their expanding world as they start to get up off their tarsi and onto their feet. They compete for every bite, usually getting alternate mouthfuls most of the time so that the food ends up being relatively equally shared between them. They are beyond adorable, sleeping together in a pile and today getting into some allopreening (little Barru allopreened his older sister Marri). Both chicks PS’d on mum this afternoon (Marri at 12:03:39 and Barru at 13:24:36, so poor Diamond had a difficult lunch hour today). All in all, Xavier is keeping the prey coming as this little pair eat increasingly voraciously with every passing day. The feeds are getting bigger (they are consuming a lot of food in a relatively short time at each meal now) but less frequent (they are getting about four or five feeds a day compared to the six or seven they were getting for the week or two before that). They are also starting to attempt some self-feeding, with limited success, but they will learn quickly. “
As I write this, SE32 has still to fledge. Both have been bombarded by the little Boobook Owl at one time or another and parents are bringing in food. It feels like a good year. Still hoping.
The summary from WBSE: ” October 20: a quieter night, and both eaglets slept in the nest. Early morning at 5:33 a smaller owl swooped Lady, starting their early chorus. 31 was not disturbed though sitting beside Lady. Dad brought in a fish part at 7:35, snatched and eaten by 32. When Lady brought a fish later at 11:27, 31 was there first with 32 hanging about trying – nothing left for 32 though other than a few scraps. Then both stayed around the nest area, on a hot windy day, 31 below the nest camera and 32 in the nest. Both magpie and currawong were swooping Dad up high above the nest mid-afternoon. The eaglets finally moved after 4 and were jumping about and flapping – 31 slipped and nearly fell at 16:22, but recovered well. 32 was very quick to get to the nest to grab the juvenile gull that Lady brought at 17:36 – then was de-feathering it alone, with 31 watching on. Then 31 took over, Lady came closer, both ate a bit, Dad came in with a fish, a great scrabble on the nest, Dad left, Lady still there, 32 still defending the bird – where is the fish? Confusion. Then 32 was eating the fish on the edge – all ate in the end, except Dad. Both eaglets were on PB at dusk, back and forth a little close by.”
The Real Saunders Photography gives us some dynamic images of M15 and F23 flying!
These two are bonded and building a home for their babies. I cannot wait to see them as a couple together!
Last year was a very sad season for Ospreys breeding in some areas of NE United States. It is heart warming to read that the breeding season in Italy was so successful.
There is news on how well the re-location of the Kakapo back to mainland New Zealand is doing.
Hope would like everyone to leave the chipmunks and squirrels alone. They are her friends in the garden and she has been watching them for more than a month storing up their seeds and nuts. Her Mamma watched them before that and Lewis and Missey have enjoyed their garden buddies for a year. Don’t trap them and move them far away just because you don’t like them around. Hope will tell you why after she shows off her beautiful busy tail. Perhaps – with the exception of Missey – who has the most gorgeous and expected fan tail – I have never seen a cat with such an exaggerated tail as Hope. It looks like something pinned to her body that might have adorned an old children’s hat. When she decides to ‘puff’ it up, the crazy thing could dust all the furniture its diameter is so large, we could hang it on a pole and it could tell us which way the wind is blowing like a wind sock. Seriously this tail is enormous.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. See you soon!
Thank you so much to the following for their notes, posts, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, Vail Gail, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Heidi Mc, Sydney Sea Eagles, Real Saunders Photography, Gracie Shepherd, Gregorious Joris Toonen, Progetto Falco Pescatore, Sirocco Kakapo, NZ DOC, For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue, and Bird Guides.
Gosh, golly. We are halfway through October! Hard to believe. Sunday was a gorgeous fall day in southern Manitoba. The geese and ducks are still landing on the lakes in the City. Hundreds can be found where there is good grass. It is 16 C and just amazing, warm yet there is a crispness in the air – a nice change from the summer that was filled with the smoke of the more than 900 wildfires burning in Canada.
In the garden, there are still Pine Siskins and Dark-eyed Juncos joining the Blue Jays, the Sparrows, the House Sparrows – and, of course, Dyson and gang and Little Red.
Calico, Hope, and Missey are doing well. Play has taken over the house once again and it often sounds like a band of horses are having a race. There is enough bird and squirrel activity to keep everyone occupied and today, they had special treats – pine cones. Lewis loved to play with pine cones and I would often bring home a pocket full if I found some.
Sunnie Day posted this amazing announcement. The first ospreys breeding in Kansas – land of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz.
At Port Lincoln, everyone continues to wait for the first pip. Today that first egg is 40 days old and I am going to say that it could very well be unviable. The second egg is 37 days old with the third at 34. I want to be hopeful that we will have one chick. Fingers crossed…but I also have to look up the average day for hatch for Eastern Ospreys. Hold on. OK. The article below the ops board says incubation is on average 40 days for Eastern Ospreys — so we are right and ready for hatch.
And then the oddest thing happened…thanks, ‘H’. Calypso, Mum’s 2019 hatch, lands on the nest!!!!!!!!!!
A pip is seen at 23:18:36. PLO is saying it is egg #2. (Top egg far right)
Partney and Marrum still have one nice osplet, Blythe.
While we wait, the two chicks of Diamond and Xavier are growing, getting their feathers, and reaching higher and higher for their prey. Diamond and Xavier are doing an incredible job with these two!
At Sydney, WBSE 31 and 32 are climbing higher and higher on the branches and are now flapping their wings. Send them positive wishes – no Curras!
The winds blew in the Sydney Olympic Forest and the parents brought in a bird (?) and then a fish.
I had a bit of a giggle. ‘Boulevard’. In Canada, the boulevard is the piece of grass (normally but people can plant whatever they wish as our City doesn’t maintain the boulevards any longer) between the sidewalk and the street. ‘B’ wrote reminded me that in other parts of the world ‘boulevard’ refers to a very broad street – like those created by Baron von Haussmann in Paris. ‘B’ found an interesting article explaining ‘boulevards’ – and it reminded me of the day that ‘H’ said she needed a dictionary to understand what I was saying. Apologies. My use of language often blends words from my childhood growing up in the southern US, to Canada, to the UK and the Indian subcontinent.
“Intense human stupidity so that we can have strawberries in the winter.” water drying up and this is a place on the flyway that needs the water for the birds and wildlife. Surely to goodness we can do without exotic fruit in the winter!
Love is in the air at The Campanile.
Connie and Clive continue work on their nest along with most of the other Bald Eagle couples on the US mainland.
Kalvi continues to forage in Bulgaria while Waba is in Israel. No transmissions from either Kaia or Karl II. Bonus’s tracker (I sure hope it was the tracker) had issues some time ago, and there have been no more transmissions from him. It is worrisome.
Elain put together a compilation video of Manaaki and all of his fun friends this past season. A nice remembrance.
Some good news! But more needs to be done. These protective hook covers must be made mandatory! Please support all efforts.
I have not read it but, someone I trust has seen the book and thinks it is a great read. I put in an order – will keep you posted after its arrival.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. I am over Covid completely but more and more people that I know are coming down with it – here and in the US.
Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ‘ B, H’, Sunnie Day, PLO, Fact File, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Katherine Barber, Conservation without Borders, SK Hideaways, Window to Wildlife, Looduskalender Forum, Elain, Holly Parsons, ACAP, and the Toroa Gift Shop.
Gosh, we watched that big beautiful Harvest Moon as it welcomed us into the month of October. What a view through the roof of the Conservatory!
As I write, it is 25 degrees C, a gorgeous fall day with blue skies and vibrant yellow leaves poking their way through the window frame. The Blue Jays are visiting the table feeder, and Dyson has been scurrying about.
Hope reminded me that Uncle Claudio said to use the ‘Marigolds’ on the upholstery, and the cat hair would come right off. Marigolds are rubber gloves used for washing up. They have little prickles on the underneath that work wonders lifting cat hair. Rub the gloves in circles. Incredible. Thanks, Uncle Claudio!
Hope also likes to help sweep up, but I’m not sure she would care for hoovering. She had such fun with the little broom this afternoon. She will not allow me to stroke her unless she is distracted. Hope will also come up close if Calico is sleeping on my lap. If I pretend to be asleep on the couch, she will come and sleep on my leg. It is slow going, but we will get there! I wish she had been found as a wee kitten, not a 9-week-old, very independent lass.
Things with Covid – the sore throat is gone. The wobblies have passed, and I no longer have a temperature. The Covid test is still showing positive, but things are beginning to look up, and this will pass in a couple of days. You need to take care. There are now reports of Covid cases almost everywhere (did they ever really cease? No). Make sure you are prepared. Did I mention throat lozenges? Aspirin or related products to reduce fever? Nothing tastes good, but you must eat to maintain your strength. So, have things that are easy to make and might make you want to have a bite. Who cares if you eat soup, biscuits (cookies), Ice cream, and frozen dinners for a week? Whatever motivates you. I did find oranges were one of the real treats once my throat quit hurting.
The kittens and I listened to Ferris Akel’s tour today while cleaning. There were some nice waterfowl and wading birds on Saturday.
There were Cormorants.
The first thing I will do when I am negative is to go and see the geese landing on their way south! Can’t wait. Maybe there will be a Cormorant or two with them.
The latest announcement from the SW Florida Eagle nest:
The view Saturday night at Fort Myers.
The weather was not good at The Hamlet. Gabby was alone on the Walleda Branch all night. Where is V3? My heart aches for our girl.
Fish continue to be delivered to Lil’Arb at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Nest – three came in by 1200 on Saturday! The fishing is good, the weather is fine – no reason to take off. This Dad is amazing – what a change from an inexperienced Mum. This fledgling is getting a right good start to his migration.
Cheeping can be heard on the microphone at Orange! Turn your volume up in the ledge cam (not the side like this image), and – well, we are almost there! Xavier and Diamond must be so excited.
Xavier really wanted some egg time and he tried to convince Diamond to leave and let him but, no way. The couple appeared to chat and listen to the eggs. They know their baby/babies are almost here. In fact, Diamond is acting a wee bit suspicious as I finish up the blog this morning. Fingers crossed.
Birdie Cam got these adorable falcons and their egg time competition on video!
‘A’ writes: “”This is the cutest event of the day at Orange, given the hatch probably won’t occur until after midnight so will be tomorrow’s cutest event. At 11:42:45 this morning (Sunday 1 October), Xavier put up a phenomenal three-minute battle for the right to brood the eggs. (He must know that his egg time is fast running out and his precious eggs will soon become open screeching little beaks, though he adores them as well of course.) At any rate, I have NEVER seen him put up such an effort to win the right to brood eggs. And he very nearly won! Well, technically he did win, but then Diamond had a stern word to him and shortly before 11:46, he decided that perhaps he had better get up and retreat. But the effort he made to actually get onto those eggs in the first place truly has to be seen to be believed. I am certain there will be internet video posted of it – I am looking for it now. But it really was fantastic, and illustrates perfectly why we all adore this sweet little falcon so very very much. He is a one-off.”
It is possible that something is happening with the egg on the left after 1500. Or. perhaps we are all just seeing things because we want to!
At Sydney, the Sea Eagles are jumping and flapping all over the nest.
‘A’ notes, “At WBSE Dad brought in a headless medium-sized fish soon after 11:44 and although SE31 tried to steal it from him, he retained control of it and fed the entire thing to SE32. Right at the end, when SE31 pushed right up to Dad’s beak, SE32, who ate lying duckling style throughout the meal, had his eye on a line below SE31 – he was ready to grab for that fish tail the moment it became accessible. He was like lightning, grabbing and turning away with his prize in a single movement, then horking down the tail with any remaining flesh attached. Dad picked up a small leftover piece and fed that to SE32 as well, finished any remaining flakes himself, and left SE32 with a nice crop and SE31, for once, disappointed. The new self-feeding regime has left SE32 with a bit of a dilemma, as he is not large enough or aggressive enough to beat his sister in a battle for the prey, whereas he was fine with sitting and sharing at the table. So until he improves his ability to win the prey, retain it and self-feed effectively from it, he will be losing out on his share of the food. So that fish was a nice bonus for his day.”
32 waiting!
Gosh, it is a beautiful view at Superbeaks. That saturated colour is gorgeous. I’m looking forward to this year. Thank you to everyone who introduced me to this nest last year!
Sticks are being moved at Big Bear. Jackie and Shadow have been working diligently. What a relief to see these two together, no intruders, bonding and working for their future – oh, please let them have one nice healthy eaglet this year.
Thunder visited the West End nest on Saturday gazing out over the water. She is lovely.
Connie and Clive have been working on their nest at Captiva.
Trudi Kron reports that Nancy and Beau have been working on their new nest, across the road from the one that collapsed last year, killing their surviving eaglet. It is not known if the Minnesota DNR will be able to install a cam so that we can watch their activities for the coming year.
Martin and Rosa weren’t seen on the Dulles-Greenway Nest when I was checking but the camera crew caught the squirrel who is nesting in the lower part of the nest with its little one!
The heat started at Melbourne after 0900 when Mum began to pant heavily to try and regulate her temperature. It is a cooler day, only 19 C – on Sunday in Melbourne. Rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday after the heat rises again on Monday to 28 C.
Keeping an eye on Mum and Dad2 at Port Lincoln. Still a ways until we will have pip watch here on the barge.
The latest map of our Black Storks from Karula and their migration. Thanks Maria Marika!
Too many species are facing extinction. What can we do? Lots. We will talk about that when I am feeling better, but each day, you can help the birds and the wildlife where you live, those birds out your back door that bring you joy with their song. Could you put out water? For drinking. For baths. If you can afford it, put out food for them. It took me a while, but I finally found farmers in my province who deliver Black Oil seed right to my door. They even have a fantastic seed mixture. By cutting out all of the people in the middle, the savings I have made means that I can continue supporting the hundreds of birds that come during the day to the garden. More and more farmers are diversifying. Many discovered the farm-to-table movement during Covid 19. They can get more money for their products and offer their customers savings. Could you check it out? It could change your birding life. [If you live in Manitoba and would like to know the contact information for local delivery by farmers providing bird seed, send me an e-mail: maryannsteggles@icloud.com].
Thank you for being with me this morning. So excited for what is happening at Orange. Xavier just be sooooooo excited. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my newsletter this morning: ‘A’, Ferris Akel, Nancy Babineau and SW Florida Eagle Cam, NEFL-AEF, MN Landscape Arboretum, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Birdie Cam and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sydney Sea Eagles, Superbeaks, FOBBV, IWS/Explore, Window to Wildlife, Trudi Kron, Dulles-Greenway, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Maria Marika, The Guardian, and Western Australian SeaBird Rescue.
