21 January 2024
Hello Everyone,
Saturday was a lovely day. The temperatures had warmed up to -15 but there was a brisk wind off Devonian Lake at the nature centre that made it feel much colder. Tomorrow the high will be -7 C. We will be out in our summer jackets!!!!!!! LOL.
It is often difficult to get motivated to get the boots, toque, gloves, scarf, and winter coat on -. In the end, though, it is worth it. The air is so fresh. There has been a special crunch with the snow because it has been so cold. Mostly, in the forest, it is serene and the clean white snow is more than beautiful. It looks, in places, like a down duvet covering the earth.
Several Downy Woodpeckers were fighting for the last food in the feeders while the Red Squirrels ran all over the snow. A bunch of children were screaming with delight as they went down the tower on their sledges – what fun!
Calico and Missey were just worn out watching Hugo Yugo and Baby Hope run from one end of the conservatory to the sitting room and back, all the while leaping over sofas and chairs, clamouring over the island, up on the cat tree, down and away. Sometimes they scrambled over the coffee table pulling blankets off the sofa and tearing through the tunnels.
You can see that Missey and Calico look a little dazed or grumpy. It did get to be a little much after an hour! It is no wonder that Baby Hope is nicely fit and slender. Don’t say anything, but Calico and Missey could also use some of that exercise daily. The vet smiles and says they are a little ‘pleasantly plump’.
This one just attracts trouble like a magnet! Oh, we have ordered some eye wipes that Auntie ‘R’ recommends. Hopefully they will be here this week.
I am certain that the sentiments of ‘A’ might well reflect many of those reading my blog. ”I’ve just checked in on a few of my favourite bald eagle nests. And what do I see? Massive crops all over Florida. At SWFL, E23 is so full it’s eating duckling style (btw, when did that giant eaglet suddenly appear – I remember a cute little fluffy thing like R6?). And speaking of R6, it too is currently being stuffed, while the wee CEs both have HUGE crops (although CE10’s is absolutely ridiculous and, seriously, may well be the biggest I have ever seen on a nestling) after yet another feeding from Connie. Meanwhile, I’m not entirely sure that there isn’t a fish buried under a bit of nesting, because CE11 appeared to be self-feeding from something that it was able to pull pieces off because it was being held down fairly firmly by the nesting (he’s still not heavy enough to properly hold prey down for effective self-feeding, though he gets some food if he’s persistent). Either way, those are two very happy, well-fed eaglets. Lovely. It’s nice to watch only chicks, getting plenty of food and no bonking, but there’s nothing quite like the sibling experience.”
E23 was full to the brim, too. Mum and Dad took some time to enjoy the sunshine after all the rain from the recent storm.
R6 is one of those well-fed only eaglets. Rita sometimes likes to try out super large bites for this little one. R6 tries…and Mum gets a bite. Surprise.
Some bonding activity on the Hanover nest even with the snow.
It’s cold in South Bend, Indiana. There is snow on the ND-LEEF nest tree in St Patrick’s Park, and I could see no sign of any eagle visits on Saturday.
At NE Florida, Beau did get a turn to incubate while Gabby was off eating, we hope. There have been some intruders in the vicinity.
Beau on the nest after noon.
Gabby did the majority of incubation on Saturday.
Some stretching and rolling of the egg along with aerating the nest.
Details of the day’s events with Gabby and Beau.
I do not believe that the remaining egg at Berry College will hatch. It might be a miracle for Missey and Dad if it does tomorrow. One of the eggs was crushed today and appeared to have nothing inside. It was covered up with nesting material later (It is directly to the right under the straw of Missey’s head). Will they go for a second clutch like Pepe and Muhlady? We will have to wait and see.
Lady has been providing for SE31. How lovely. Doesn’t your heart just want to skip a beat in happiness for Lady and Dad this season – finally getting to raise a little one down at the River Roost after fledging.
‘A’ sends another report for the WBSE for January 21: “An early visit to the nest by Lady – the first for a long time – arrived just after 6am, moved a stick about. A Grey Butcherbird and native Noisy Mynahs nearby, then moved off to the river area at 6:50am. Then, SE31 was seen pestering Lady for food, before finally having a couple of “attempts” herself, her only catch being a ball, taken into mangroves at River Roost! Kept her amused for a good 20 minutes. While we were there (until about 9am), she flew about a bit and kept flying close to Lady, seeking food and causing Lady to move. Again, her protective colouring makes her hard to see. There were no more observations recorded later in this very hot day – the eagles were no doubt sheltering from the heat.”
‘A’ notes: ”
At Orange, it is being noted that there have been no bonding sessions between Diamond and Xavier for three days. Without tower cam operating, these are the only real chances we get to see Xavier a lot of the time, so people are a little worried that he has not been spotted during their usual early-morning bondings. Diamond is currently on her ledge, as always, and Marri has been heard in good voice. Cilla posted this yesterday (20 January): NEWS 20th January 2024 Cilla KinrossMarri is still with us and still chasing adults for food. This action takes place before dawn, so is a bit gloomy even with enhancement. https://youtu.be/SDUNhwNDKns TOWER CAM. The technician came this week to investigate the ongoing problems with the youtube streaming. The part supplied did not function, so will need to be replaced…”
At Port Lincoln, there were 6 fish brought in on the 21st – 4 from Mum and 2 from Dad.
Two Golden Eagles come in for lunch. It is a beautiful winter wonderland.
Diane normally lays her first egg the first week of February. Barbara Snyder has been capturing her on the nest on Saturday.
Recently there has been attention drawn to the killing of the Red List Woodcocks. In some regions, they are of least concern, but overall, their population is declining. If you are not aware of these remarkable birds that are threatened, here is some information to help you appreciate them more.
All About Birds describes them thus, “American Woodcocks are plump, short-legged shorebirds with very long, straight bills. Their large heads, short necks, and short tails give them a bulbous look on the ground and in flight. The wings are broad and rounded compared to most other shorebirds.”
Audubon says, “Related to the sandpipers, but strikingly different in habits. This rotund, short-legged bird hides in forest thickets by day, where it uses its long bill to probe in damp soil for earthworms. Its eyes are set far back on its head, allowing it to watch for danger even with its bill buried in the dirt. Males perform a remarkable ‘sky dance’ on spring and summer nights, in a high, twisting flight, with chippering, twittering, bubbling sounds.”
They are about the size of the Crows that visit my garden, 30 cm or 12 inches in length.
“Photo of the Week – Woodcock at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, RI” by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
The Woodcocks make their nests, a feathered scrape (not unlike the peregrine falcon grave scrape, but feathered, on the ground. The female normally lays four eggs. Five would be very rare but sometimes there are only 1-3 pink-beige, blotchy with grey and brown marked eggs. Incubation takes approximately three weeks. The newly hatched chicks leave the nest within a few hours of hatching. The hen will care for them and feed them, but after a couple of days the young are finding their own worms in the moist soil. They will make short flights when they are a fortnight old and will be completely independent of their parents by five weeks.
“File:American Woodcock Scolopax minor.jpg” by guizmo_68 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
The female is thought to carry the chicks away from danger in her feet or pressed between her legs and body. Woodcocks feed at night probing the wet earth with their very long bill making exploratory holes. They can even take the temperature of the soil as they look for worms and beetle snags sucking them up like young children do with spaghetti! Scientists continue to marvel at the flight patterns over vast expanses of open water between the UK and Northern Europe. Myth states that they return to the UK on the first full moon in November.
Here is a document that gives a good understanding of 50 years of research into the decline and the reasons for this decline.
Woodpeckers enjoying a feast on the cones of the Sitka Pines.
Today is National Squirrel Appreciation Day, but around here, Dyson knows that she is loved every day! Today there will be some extra peanuts for her and the kits. Remember your garden squirrels today, if you can.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. We hope to see you again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, photographs, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to compose my blog this morning: ’A, H, J’, Window to Wildlife, SW Florida, WRDC, HeidiMc, Trudi Iron, ND-LEEF, NEFL-AEF, Berry College, Donna Nickerson, Chang-Le Dong, PLO, Bart M, Trine, Barbara Snyder, Open Verse, BTO Red Sixty Seven, BTO Into the Red, British Ecological Society, The Guardian, and Squirrels Galore.
