Category Archives: White-bellied Sea Eagle

Garrama goes into care…Thursday in Bird World

14 November 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

First up the latest on Garrama:

The following information has been provided by my friend, Holly Parsons, who has been following Cilla Kinross’s comments in the chat The latest news on Garrama is that he has been taken into care. Holly wrote me earlier that Cilla Kinross had located Garrama and was able to hold him and remove the sheaths from his tail feathers. As we know, if you can hold a raptor without them tearing off your arm, they are not well. Kinross contacted WIRES for advice.

I am over the moon. Garrama fledged early and the weather almost immediately turned to rain with possible thunderstorms. I cannot tell you how my heart sank in those circumstances. In the past, similar combinations have resulted in the death of the fledgling. So now Garrama will have a chance!

It was a drizzly Wednesday morning on the Canadian Prairies. The bare trees, grey sky, and snow north of us were enough to send us walking in the Chickadee forest while we could.

I just love these little songbirds. They are so precious. It is hard to imagine that stay in Manitoba even in the coldest of winters.

I am so glad that we did that!

Around 1800, I accidentally tipped over a pot of boiling water on my right hand and part of my right arm. Calico will provide you with tips on what to do if this happens to you, but for now, I’m keeping this post brief. I’ll be taking a day off to allow my injuries to heal.

In Bird World:

Good news coming from Montana. Thank you, Dr Greene!

Dad came in with a small partial fish (an appetizer for the two kiddos and Mum) at around 0629 at Port Lincoln. The local herons had been fishing off the barge and walking around with their catch. I wish they had given it to Wilko and Kasse. Maybe the Fish Fairies will come today.

Wilko did some hovers. Everyone is guessing their genders. What do you think? I am going to vote for Wilko as a male and Kasse as a female.

It is now past 1300 and no other delivery but that tiny partial fish. I hope the fairies come or one of the adults gets a big fish on the nest to these cuties.

Would you like to guess the gender of Wilko and Kasse? If you want to, then you must put your guess in the chat in this format: Gender guess: Wilko XXXX, Kasse XXXX.

Yira is 41 days old and would benefit from a few more days in the scrape. Seriously, the longer they stay at home the more success they have in the wild. They are just that bigger – and hopefully full when they fly in case they don’t get fed right away.

Yira had a prey delivery and Garrama has been seen and the staff member at Orange said they were doing well. That is excellent news.

The oldest from Orange:

There is only one eyas left on the ledge at Melbourne. One flew, the other fludged, and is believed to have righted itself. Images of remaining falcon and video of the fledge! https://youtu.be/MoyS1jlbgd8?

A note from Victor Hurley:

I asked AI to provide me with information on the survival rate of fledgling falcons in urban areas. This is what AI generated:

“Peregrine falcons can survive well in cities, and some say New York City has the largest urban population of the species. Here are some factors that help peregrine falcons survive in cities: 

  • Nesting: Peregrines nest on ledges of tall buildings, such as church towers. These ledges are similar to the cliff faces and rock outcrops that peregrines would naturally use for nesting. 
  • Food: Peregrines feed on the large populations of pigeons and starlings in cities.They dive and catch their prey in mid-air. 
  • Fewer predators: Peregrines have few predators in urban areas. In remote areas, great horned owls, martins, and some snakes prey on young falcons. 
  • Nest boxes: Nest boxes can help reduce weather-related mortality. 
  • Rescue: Rescuing grounded fledglings can increase survival. 

Some other things to know about peregrine falcons include:

  • Peregrines are known for their fast flying, diving at speeds of over 200 mph. 
  • The most common cause of death for peregrines is exposure to wet and/or cold weather when they are very young. 
  • Collisions with human structures and vehicles are another common cause of death for peregrines in human environments. “

Post-fledge survival and dispersal of peregrine falcon chicks – some information you might find interesting despite it coming from a different region.

Post-fledging Survival and Dispersal of Peregrine Falcons DuringDownload

It is more detailed, more scientific, but some of you will appreciate this article on how falcons choose breeding spots with the question of urban versus rural.

Breeding habitat, peregrine falconDownload

There has been no word on the state of WBSE 33 who is in care.

Do you live in Northumberland?

It made my heart skip a beat and put a big smile on my face! Big Red was spotted. Her and Arthur should be checking the nest soon if they already haven’t.

Another smile from EJ: https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/climber-sees-wings-trapped-under-a-boulder-and-saves-majestic-animals

Calico’s Tip. If you spill boiling water anywhere on you, the first thing you need to do is to begin running cold water over the burned area. Leave the water running for 20 minutes or until the ‘burn feeling’ has gone away. Then get plastic wrap (Glad Wrap, Cling Film, etc) and wrap the burned area. This is to stop any infection. If you have any blisters, do not pop them. Take something for pain. If you are concerned, seek medical attention particularly if you have blisters. Blisters means that the burn has gone deeper.

Thank you for being with us. Please take care. I will see you on Sunday morning!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘EJ’, Holly Parsons, Montana Osprey Cam, Port Lincoln Osprey Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, SK Hideaways, Victoria Hurley, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Holly Parsons, AI, Digital Commons, Journal of Urban Ecology, RSPB Birders, Cornell Hawk Chatters, The Dodo

Friday in Bird World

18 October 2024

Good Morning Everyone,

Thursday was a slow ‘stay close to the cottage’ kinda’ day. Sometimes we just need to sit and not go too far. It was a beautiful blue sky with sun day and no hint of rain day. The wind was brisk and it was 10 C. The Bald Eagles were nowhere to be seen. The gulls were still feeding and in one field, the closest to where we are staying, a hawk was vigilant in its attempts to get some dinner. Tenacious. Persistent. For at least an hour. We wondered if it was sitting on top of a rabbit hole.

Our batteries should be recharged by tomorrow.

The apples continue to amaze us. We have just finished eating slivers of the Honeycrisp apples we purchased from the little stand in Port Williams the other day. There is no comparison to the apples in the shops. Crunchy. Full of juice. Delicious.

Today, this was a sign at the farmer’s market in Wolfville. In Winnipeg, these apples would be nearly $4.00 per pound. Can you imagine how many pies 25 lb would make – and for only $8.00! Oh, and these are not ones with bruises. They were perfect.

A few of the dykelands from The Lookout on the way to Cape Split. People were lining up to take images of the views. It is simply breathtaking. The water in the distance is the high tide at Wolville.

Cape Split. It is a provincial park that is fantastic for hiking.

Tomorrow, we will be checking out the height of the tide. Remember it is to be unprecedented at 43 feet. On Thursday, at 39-40 feet, the high tide was almost level with the bridge at Port Williams. Everyone is holding their breath in Hall’s Harbour, waiting to see what will happen. I hope to have some images for you. We don’t think about tides on the Canadian Prairies!

Let’s do a very brief check on the Australian nests.

At Port Lincoln, have a look. Our little osplets are both beginning to turn into Reptiles. Wilko is 13 days old, and Kasse is 10 days old. This easily accounts for the commotion caused by the fish coming in late.

Notice, the osplets head under Mum. The soft down is disappearing and giving way to that oily head that will be tinged with gorgeous copper feathers. I am not going to get anxious…the fish fairies are waiting in the wing to help out!

Mum and the kids are waiting for breakfast!

You can really notice the change in Wilko. Notice that head that is getting darker. Kasse also has some black spots!

‘A’ writes: “At Port Lincoln, dad brought in a small fish at 07:50 and both osplets had crops after the meal. Another small fish and another feeding for both at 09:02. Dad is in with yet another fish at 14:22 and this one is large and alive. Again, the osplets get a good feeding before dad is in with the fourth fish of the day at 15:24. There is bonking on this nest but as far as I can tell, it is not impacting the feedings at all. Wilco is periodically enforcing pecking order but Kasse does not appear to be particularly intimidated. We will see how this develops but it is not a significant problem at the moment.” 

Bradley and Giliath have their first birthdays this week.

At the Growing Home osplet nest, Bubba is benefitting from being the ‘Only Bob’. Look at those beautiful feathers coming in. These parents have really done well with this little one.

It is really nice to see some more Australian nests coming on line.

Both SE33 and SE34 have branched. They are flapping wings and hopping all over the nest. They helped Lady and Dad defending the nest with an oil last night. https://youtu.be/CsNU5dZb0zs?

‘A’ sends the ranger report: “Today’s ranger report from WBSE: 

October 18: An owl again disturbed the family, not long after midnight. SE33 sleeping on the rim was alert early – all joined in a warning and both parents chased the owl. Then a quiet night, with all waking early and greeting the day. Swooper currawong was awake early as well. SE33 is doing some serious flapping/flying across the nest to the perching branch and back. At 9:30 both parents were seen down on the river. Eaglets were waiting until, finally, at 15:13 Lady brought in part of a fish. They fought over it, with SE33 mantling, as the currawong swooped. Finally SE33 ate, with SE34 watching – a small meal. Both eagles were seen down on the river at around 4pm. Dad came in a few minutes after, chased by currawong. The eaglets were keeping their heads down, though SE34 is bolder in protesting at the swoopers. Down on the river, Lady was seen missing a catch twice. They both returned to the nest soon though, Dad with an eel and Lady right behind. SE34 grabbed it and mantled – but took a long time to break into the skin, with swooper disturbance as well. Later SE33 managed to push in and ate some. Tough prey for beginners.”

We have not seen this level of interaction between the eaglets and the swooping smaller birds in previous seasons. Will it have any effect on their ability to handle these birds post-fledge or will it make no difference at all? I have to believe it improves their chances, surely. 

Breakfast came early to the triplets at 367 Collins Street! One of the trio has been consistently going into the gutter. That female is amazing. She doesn’t hold any punches and gets that chick back up with the others. She knows, like anyone living in Melbourne does, that they need to stay cool and to do that she has to be able to shade them at that end. She can’t have them exposed to the full sun.

Mum pulls her baby out of the gutter for the second time! https://youtu.be/BgKPc46O4x8?

‘A’ remarks: “At Collins Street, they were left alone for a lot of the afternoon. It was a very wet day and mumbrella was in operation for much of it, sheltering the trio as best she could. Little dad also took a couple of shifts, doing his very best to ensure that the littles stayed as dry as possible, although it was impossible to stop them getting somewhat damp. Mum herself was absolutely soaked for much of the time. She is amazingly stoic, in pouring rain or in the heat of the summer sun. 

The rain was absolutely torrential at various stages, such as from about 14:00, while at other times the day was just grey and overcast with persistent rain. The first feeding I saw for the day was at 12:43. when little dad flew up to the ledge beside the scrape with a piece of headless prepared prey. 

Mum quickly took charge of the food and fed the trio, who all ate well. The younger two were at the front and got the first of the food but the oldest soon joined the feeding line. Everyone had a crop by the end. They are so civilised at meal times. Yes, they compete for bites but there is absolutely zero aggression. Feedings are a noisy affair at any falcon scrape and this one is no exception. The almighty racket these three make is a happy din and one I have come to love. The soundtrack of a Melbourne spring. 

The next feeding occurred when the rain eased, at around 14:45, when mum arrived with a prepared piece of prey. She may have caught this but it looks more like something she has retrieved from a pantry. Either way, it becomes the second meal of the day for the three littles, who tuck into their yummy ex-pigeon (I think) with gusto and some excitement. Mum obscures our view of the meal, so the precise division of the food is a mystery to us all, though the post-meal crops attest to the fact that all the chicks again ate well. 

These three are very good at stretching and grabbing and competing for their food. It is a competitive affair but without malice. The younger chicks are often (usually) at the front of the bunch, and are not shut out of the feedings at all. This female is good at ensuring all mouths are fed and she is patient enough to keep feeding the chicks until she cannot find anyone interested in eating more. “

At Orange, nothing short of adorable as breakfast came in stages.

Both were easily in a food coma.

Yira takes their first steps! https://youtu.be/y9eBVFYZCbE?

‘A’ writes: “At Orange, there is nothing to worry about. There is plenty of prey and the littles are getting along famously. Diamond and Xavier are doing their usual wonderful parenting job. This scrape really is a joy to watch as long as Diamond is not raising more than two chicks. I would not like to watch her raising three. When the rain got really heavy, Diamond moved in off the ledge and onto her Cilla Stones, which is her usual spot when she is scared of the thunder. Those stones are her security blanket. It’s too cute. I do hope Xavier is hunkered down somewhere dry. It would be so nice if he joined the rest of the family in the scrape when the weather is so bad. 

Here is today’s prey summary from Orange. Everything brought to the scrape today was a starling, with the exception of the feed at 15:46, which we think was a rosella. 18 Oct PREY 07:25:11 feed; 07:40:57 feed; 08.57.54 feed; 09.39.31 feed; 11.25.17 feed; 15:19:27 X feeds; 15:46:00 feed; 18:23:04 feed; 18:59:03 feed. Nine feedings! Seriously! “

Thank you so much for being with me today for this short catch up. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: To ‘A’ who filled in the blanks for all of us – a big thank you, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Growing Home Ospreys, Olympic Park Eagle Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Liznm, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Falcon Cam Project.