Tag Archives: Anna and Louis

Monday Updates in Bird World

The snow and rain persisted in the North East longer after bringing bitter cold, rain, tornado warnings, and ice in the SE. Last night those white flakes piled up on Big Red and Arthur’s nest at Cornell University. This afternoon rain is falling in Ithaca.

There is still about 9 weeks before Big Red thinks about laying eggs. Suzanne Arnold Horning caught Big Red preening in the snow this morning. Big Red is always beautiful, no matter the weather.

The sun has come out on the WRDC nest of Ron and Rita. Hopefully this will make R1 nicer. Even Rita tried to stop his nonsense with R2 yesterday.

The behaviour of R1, more aggressive than normal during the day of the storm, was mirrored in E19 who was entirely unpleasant to E20 on Harriet and M15’s nest in Fort Myers. These two have been called the ‘the most sweet’ and ‘the most caring’ of all of Harriet and M15’s eaglets and yet, yesterday brought out the aggression.

The cameras at SWFlorida are having problems this morning. The IR remains on and they are all on different times. The camera should, at this moment, be reading 12:30. Those eaglets are fine. Hopefully today will calm E19 down.

The one nest that I have been concerned with is that at Berry College. Missy did real well during the storm yesterday. It appears that the chick attempting to hatch in the second egg has failed. As one of the chatters said this morning, ‘we are thankful for one feisty chick’. Agreed. Let Missy get some experience with this one! Fingers crossed that this little one, B15, will grow and thrive.

I checked on Missy late last night and was thrilled to see the precipitation had stopped.

What I would like to see is a pile of fish on that nest! Pa Berry, let’s go fishing.

No egg at Duke Farm but the nest continues to be restored by the pair of Bald Eagles that gave us those two magnificent fledges last year.

It is breezy and sunny at Hilton Head Island Trust Eagles Nest, home to Harriet and Mitch and their two eaglets. It certainly isn’t hot there and the forecast indicates that the temperatures will plunge on Thursday. Right now the babies are full of fish and sleeping.

Lori Covert at Captiva Bald Eagles has announced that the two eggs of Connie and Clive are either unfertilized or non-viable. No eaglets for Connie and her new mate this year, sadly.

There was a late fish delivery to Ervie on the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. I am not quite certain of the delivery time but Ervie was working on it after 20:00. At one point, Mum came over to see if she could get that fish off Ervie and he promptly booted her off the nest. Ervie!

Ervie did not finish that fish. He seems to have saved some of it for breakfast. He is sleeping on it!

Before signing off – I am late in feeding the garden birds and animals – a quick check on Anna and the little one. Louis has the pantry full – typical Louis -and this baby continues to delight. It is so strong. The Kisatchie National Forest nest is quickly rising like cream to the top in terms of my favourite Bald Eagle nests.

I know that there has been a lot of chatter about Louis being able to feed lots more chicks. Yes, he could. He could supply Berry College easily and keep Anna and babies full. That said, my preference will always be for one very healthy chick at each nest – always. Anna is a young Mum. This is only her second breeding season. Ease her into larger clutches gently! If ever.

This eaglet is the cutest! Seriously.

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. They all seemed to have survived the storms well. Such a relief. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Berry College, WRDC, SWFlorida, Hilton Head Island Trust, Port Lincoln Ospreys, KNF Bald Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, Cornell Bird Lab, and Suzanne Arnold Horning for the image of Big Red today.

Late Sunday in Bird World

Oh, what a day in Bird World it has been! The weather at the nest of Pa Berry and Missy clocked in at 3 degrees F. That is -16 C. As a comparison, it was only -5 in Winnipeg today. Poor Missy. The snow and sleet were coming down, she has a hungry baby – and she is hungry herself – and there is a chick trying to hatch! My heart went out to her. There were a few tiny breaks in the weather for Missy. She jumped up and ate ferociously and then quickly fed her baby. The bad weather is due to continue til at least Monday afternoon. I was almost afraid to check on her but, then I did.

Pa Berry had brought in another fish. He looks pretty dry compared to Missy, ironically. Missy worked hard to get some food into her little one before she had to brood and try to keep that baby warm and dry.

Missy took lemons and made lemonade with it. She ate and so did her baby. It was fast. She could not afford for the wee one to get soaking wet, cold, and die. I was impressed. Whatever will happen at this nest with all the horrible cold and wet weather will not be this Mum’s fault. She was trying as best she could.

There were tornado warnings and 60 mph winds down in Miami-Dade County at the nest of Ron and Rita. That nest held. I caught some of it on a video clip. Rita works really hard trying to get the two babies under her so they will not get wet and chilled.

R1 has been brutally aggressive today to R2. Indeed, Rita had R2 begging for food and twice she did not feed until R1 came up to the front. At the end of the day, R2 was fed three times today. I cannot confirm the amounts or if there was a big crop like R1s. You might have noticed. But R2 did eat.

Harriet was soaked but she took great care of E19 and E20 during the storm. The heavy rain actually hit Fort Myers well before it started in Miami hard.

None of these issues – extreme weather and/or sibling rivalry -are happening down at the Kisatchie National Forest nest of Anna and Louis. Louis is bring ever more fish onto the nest and that little one is just a sweet little roly-poly.

I can count the remains of one Coot and six fish.

You will think I am nuts continually talking about this kiddos cute tail but it is cute. I have never seen such a cute tail on such a young eaglet. It looks like a soft little ball, so sweet.

Both eagles were on the nest at Duke Farms working on the egg cup. There are expectations that an egg will be laid soon. This couple is in line for some of that storm as well.

Mum is on the nest and the snow has started. Last year she spent almost her entire incubation period encased in snow and ice. I ached for her.

The winds are picking up at the Hilton Head Island Trust, the home of Harriet and Mitch and their two eaglets. The gusts are blowing at 31 mph but there is no indication of rain or snow hitting the nest.

Here is the tracking of that storm as it moves NE as of 9:23 pm on CNN. It is out of Florida. Mt Berry Bald Eagles are in the purple area of Georgia near Atlanta. Pittsburg-Hays, Duke Farms, and even Big Red and Arthur are in the area of winter weather advisories. Continue to send your warm thoughts to everyone here and in all the extreme weather systems moving about the planet including those with the tsunami earlier today.

Snow has been falling in Pittsburg.

Snow continues to be heavy in the Ithaca and Finger Lakes area of upstate NY. This is Big Red and Arthur’s nest.

Meanwhile, in the UK, everyone is getting excited. It is only two months until the expected arrival of the Ospreys. The BBC did a short programme on CJ7 and her nest at Poole Harbour in June of 2021. CJ7 found love this past summer and it is hoped that her mate will return and there will be chicks on this nest for the first time in 200 years! Wow. I am showing it again as the anticipation is bubbling over. It is short and it will also get you excited for the arrival of some of the North American returnees as well.

In New Zealand, OGK, the Royal Cam Dad, returned to incubate his egg and let his mate, YRK, go and feed. That egg is due to hatch on the 27th of January give or take a day or two. Lady Hawk caught the return and the cuddles of this sweet couple.

We hold our breath and wait for the storms in the US to pass and wish all of the nests the best in handling the weather.

Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots or video clips: WRDC Bald Eagle Nest, Berry College, KNF Bald Eagle Nest, SWFlorida and D Pritchett, Duke Farms, Hilton Head Island Trust, Pix Cams, Cornell Bird Lab, and CNN.

Late Saturday in Bird World and — Ervie is 4 months old

As this big weather system moves through the United States Midwest over to the East coast, a multitude of raptor nests are in its wake ranging from those at Decorah, Iowa to Berry College and Duke Farms.

There is snow on the Decorah North Bald Eagle Nest in Iowa. Not expecting egg watch for about six weeks – sure glad the eagles are missing all the snow! — Yes, I know they can handle it but it is difficult feeding just borns in the cold and wet. Better dry!

There is snowing covering the Denton Homes Bald Eagle nest in Iowa also.

The Pittsburg-Hays Bald Eagle Nest looks like it could get some of this nasty weather. Right now the adults are roosting on a tree above the nest. Not looking for eggs here for a bit. Last year this couple raised three to fledge! Amazing.

Right now at Berry College, this is the weather forecast:

B15 is doing great and B16 is trying to hatch. As you know, I am often rather out spoken. B15 is Missy’s first to survive little one and her and it are doing nicely. If B16 doesn’t hatch, it might be for the best. Let this young mom find her way.

There remains no signs of rodenticide poisoning with Ron and Rita’s two, R1 and R2. R1 is a real stinker to R2 lately and, in part, this is why I say let Missy raise one strong eaglet. The experienced Mums have ways of sorting out the rivalry issues such as gentle taps on the beaks or getting the assistance of their mate. Even so, it is not easy even for them. I want to see some success on this Berry College nest this year and right now, things look good with B15.

Duke Farms is in Hillsborough, New Jersey and it is set to really get hit by this storm as it gets to the eastern sea board. They are on egg laying watch there. Oh, I hope that egg can wait! Many of you have set through night upon night worrying about the Mum on this nest who was incubating eggs covered in snow for weeks. She is quite amazing. She is not on the nest tonight,.

The high wind warnings continue for the Kisatchie National Forest area. Anna fed the baby some Coot and hopefully the little one will sleep through the wind!

As night settled on the forest, the winds picked up. It is now 34 degrees F at the nest of Anna and Louis.

It is a little breezy at the Osprey nest of Lena and Andy on Sanibel Island, Florida. Lena is sleeping blissfully incubating those three eggs of hers.

The only hope left for the Captiva Bald Eagles, Connie and Clive is if the second egg is fertile. Egg #1 is 42 days old today.

Today is Ervie’s birthday. He is precisely 4 months old. How incredible. As many of us know, we held our breath when he hatched hoping beyond hope that #1 sibling would please leave the little one alone. What we didn’t know at that precise moment of hatch was the robust character that #3 was going to turn out to be. Today Ervie has been flying around the barge and might have even been up on the wheel house. Of course he is screaming his head off to be fed —— if he wasn’t, we would think something was wrong with the Erv. What a magnificent bird you have turned out to be #3.

Let’s hope that Ervie gets some extra fish today for his birthday. So happy with this Osprey. Send out positive wishes to all the people and the birds – not just our beloved raptors – in the path of this storm. Keep them in your thoughts as the wind and the snow and ice plow through the Eastern side of the US. I hope that Big Red and Arthur are hunkered down.

Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me on this quick report.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Decorah North and Explore.org, Captiva Osprey Nest, Port Lincoln Ospreys, KNF Bald Eagles, Berry College, WRDC Bald Eagles, Pittsburgh Hays Bald Eagles and Pix Cam, Duke Farms, and Denton Homes Eagles.

Late Friday in Bird World

LOL. It looks like Ervie roosted on the perch last night. The angle of the camera only allowed you to see the nails of the talons if you looked really close. He is back on the nest waiting for his breakfast fish!

They were moving the camera when I caught a glimpse of Ervie on the perch.

No one else appears to be on the barge. Ervie will be hoping that Dad or Mum will hear his calls for breakfast.

Andy and Lena of the Captiva Osprey Nest on Sanibel Island now have three eggs.

Despite the fact that I am always checking on on E19 and E20 at the SWFlorida Bald Eagle Nest, I often don’t comment. That is a shame. These are two of the best behaved Bald Eagles I have seen. It feels like the year for that. The Port Lincoln lads lined up and ate and really didn’t have much rivalry at all until they had fledged. E19 and E20 had a bit but that went away quickly. They are marvellous. I hope that Lena and Andy hatch three well behaved Ospreys, too. We will not know, however, as the owner has decided that once the eggs hatch the camera will go offline until the ospreys are too big for the Crows to take.

Meanwhile E19 and E20 are being ‘filled up’. Look at that crop.

The little one at the KNF nest could be heard chirping loud and clear wanting to be fed. Louis was brooding and, well, Louis is a great fisher but he isn’t such a good feeder – at least not yet. Give him time.

That little eaglet is very strong. It can clamour up the egg cup after food besides being able to sit upright for a bit.

Louis has brought more fish and Anna is brooding the eaglet now. It will get a nice feed. The microphones Cody installed are fantastic. You can hear the eaglet clamouring for a feeding under Anna!

Anna got up right away and gave the baby some nice big bites of Pike.

This little eaglet is so patient and Anna is a splendid Mum.

The baby will have a nice big crop when Anna finishes feeding but they aren’t going to show us. Look at how chubby it is already! This is one of the strongest little bobbleheads I have ever seen. A great family to watch. No worries about sibling rivalry or hunger here! The chat moderator, Tonya, has just confirmed that when Kisatchie, their eaglet last year, was 13 days old, Louis brought in 8 fish and Anna brought in 2 for a total of 10 fish on the nest in case the chick got hungry!!!! (or Mum or Dad). Wow. I recall that big stack of fish in the corner.

Remember to send in your name suggestions to nameknfeagle@gmail.com by 30 Jan. Let’s give this great eaglet a super name! Everyone can join in. They will select some names for a final voting.

Here is the link to this great Eagle family in case you lost it.

If you are looking for something to do on a Friday evening, if you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest the movie about Pale Male, the Red-tail Hawk that lives in New York City’s Central Park. He is 32 years old this year. Him and Octavia still live in the park. It is free. Scroll down for the white rectangle that says ‘Watch It’. It is an inspirational story of how the people of the City came together to save the nest of this amazing hawk.

https://www.thelegendofpalemale.net/

It looks like there could be a pip or a large crack in the second egg at Berry College. Will continue to monitor.

Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. See you soon!

Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Berry College Bald Eagles, SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, KNF Bald Eagles, Captiva Ospreys, and Port Lincoln Osprey Project.

Friday in Bird World

Just about the time I begin to think, and then say, that it looks like the parents at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge are slowing down with fish deliveries, they bring two nice sized fish to Ervie. There was a huge chunk at 07:34 and another nice fish arrived at 15:20. Ervie didn’t actually start eating it until 16:25. Ervie was the only lad about. Bazza was last seen on Sunday the 9th and Falky was last seen on the ropes with Mum and Dad at 19:40 on the 12th. Will Ervie stay or go?

Ervie is still full from the morning fish when the afternoon delivery arrives.

Ervie is still eating at 17:34! My goodness those were nice fish brought to the nest. Ervie finished off his fish and flew off the left side of the nest.

Will that be our last sighting of Ervie on the nest? No one slept on the barge last night. We wait.

Missy has been feeding the little one on the Berry College Eagle Nest. It appears to be doing fine. Everyone is watching for the second egg. Sadly that broken shell has really attached itself to that egg.

I believe this is Missy’s first eaglet to survive. She is figuring feedings out!

B15 is getting stronger. You can see the issue with the second egg clearly here. I cannot tell if the extra piece of shell is over the narrow or wide part of the egg. The eaglets pip on the wider end. Pip watch coming for that second egg.

The nest is empty this morning at Big Bear, California but everyone is on egg watch for Shadow and Jackie.

Anna let Louis brood the chick this morning! Last year she waited a long time and Lous is delighted to be involved with his chick. Both Anna and Louis have been on the KNF nest this morning and the eaglet is eating well. Lots of nice fish for everyone on that nest!

There seem to be two words used for Harriet and M15’s E19 and E20. They are ‘nice’ and ‘cute’. Look at the feathers coming on E19 and E20 and then look at Anna’s baby above. They change so quickly!

This is a great little film about the Kakapo. Since it is breeding season and we are looking at eggs, it seems like a good time to refresh what we know about this very endangered non-flying parrot and how they are cared for. The update on the numbers is that there are now 202 Kakapo down from 208 the beginning of last year.

Daisy the Duck has not returned to the White-Bellied Sea Eagle Nest to lay eggs since she visited with her mate on 1 January. That was two-weeks ago. Fingers crossed she has found another spot and is successful. One of the women who visits the centre was to send us images of Daisy paddling but nothing so far. Maybe Daisy is away from the area of water around the Discovery Centre and the Duck Pond.

Great Horned Owls have been mating on the Savannah Osprey Nest and the GHOWs have been mating on the nest that was stolen from a young Bald Eagle couple in Newton, Kansas last year. The couple who became known as Bonnie and Clyde raised two of the cutest little owlets on this nest. When the eggs are laid, I will definitely let you know.

For the most part the Owls and the Eagles live cooperatively but I really don’t like the owls when they try to knock the eagles off or hurt their eyes and heads as at the WBSE Nest by the small BooBook Owls and at SWFlorida when it is a GHOW hitting M15 and knocking him off the branch into the nest, sometimes.

One thing I did not know is that there are no Great Horned Owls near the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest in Miami-Dade County. The Coot delivered yesterday, the second one to arrive as prey on the nest, is gone! They seem to love the taste of that waterfowl. My eagle expert tells me that the WRDC are thinking about putting up more nests like this one for the eagles. Fantastic. It seems to be a really good design and they can work out any kinks watching this nest.

R1 ate well and now Dad is making sure that R2 is full to the brim. Ron, you are a great Dad! You can see R1 passed out in a food coma and Ron has even moved across the nest to feed the youngest sibling. Fantastic.

Today is Day 40 for the eggs at Captiva Bald Eagle Nest on Sanibel, Island. It is the home of Connie and her new mate, Clive. There is some chatter that the eggs might not be fertile. Let’s wait and see.

I haven’t seen any of Ervie’s tracking uploaded since 26 December. I will be checking on the PLO nest during the rest of the day to see if anyone returns to the barge at Port Lincoln. That wing of his could be our last sighting of the Erv until people along the coast send in images of him. There appears to be a huge interest ‘and caring’ for the Osprey in the region. That really helps!

Take care everyone. Have a great end to your week. Thank you for joining me. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Berry College Eagle Cam, KNF Bald Eagles, Friends of Big Bear, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Forest, Captiva Bald Eagles, Farmer Derek Owl Cam, and the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest.

Wednesday in Bird World

Oh, gosh, golly. Just when you think the day is going to be quiet, Missy at the Berry College Bald Eagle Nest in Mt Berry, Georgia, has a pip. The announcement of the pip was posted on FB this morning.

I just took this image a few minutes ago. The chick is making good progress! That is not a video. That arrow just shows up when you try to take a screen shot on their camera.

Speaking of cameras, Berry College has three – an approach one, one above the nest, and one closer to the nest. If you want to see thee action on hatch, I think the camera closer to the nest is the best. Their cameras are not on YouTube.

https://www.berry.edu/eaglecam/nest2

What spells Bald Eagle Fluff Ball better than cute? Be prepared to melt. Anna and Louis’s 15-hour-old chick is adorable.

Oh, the fluff balls grow too quick and get pin feathers in a blink. Soak them in when they are like this. So precious.

Bald Eagle parents work on instinct. There isn’t a manual on eagle parenting tucked under the nest. This is only Anna’s second chick. Last year I almost had a sore throat yelling at Anna to get closer to Kisatchie to feed him and for Kisatchie to turn around, face Mum (or Dad, Louis feeds his babies), and open that beak wide. Anna and this little one are struggling too. The little one is ready to eat and opens its beak wide and tries the grass in the nest! It has its back to Anna who is trying to feed it. She gets closer and the little one takes its first bite. This will only improve as Anna remembers and the little one figures out its part in the feeding-eating process.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinics work on donations and the sweat, tears, and love of volunteers. Our local clinic, Wildlife Haven, put out a call for donations to help a Snowy Owl in December. Today they were joyful in sending out a short video on its release. So happy to have been a small part of this success story!

There is currently no pip at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest. Waiting for Friday!

There is also no Daisy the Duck on the Sea Eagles nest in Sydney and that is a good thing!

Down at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, Ervie is on the nest crying for a fish delivery. Twice now he has flown off the nest as if he saw an adult with a fish. He returned quickly the first time. Let’s see if he comes back with a fish the second time. No, empty taloned!

In Durbe, Milda and Mr L have returned to the nest to move around some sticks. There is still lots of snow in Latvia, just like Manitoba! I am really looking forward to Milda laying eggs and having a successful fledge of chick or chicks this spring. That would be so wonderful. Losing her long term mate, Raimis, last spring just sparked more and more sadness.

Just like Milda and Mr L, Annie and Grinnell are hanging out on The Campanile. Their scrape box is ready and waiting for those precious eggs in a couple of months. Cal Falcons posted this on their Twitter site today. So happy it will be Annie and Grinnell. The interloper has not been seen for a month! Yeah!!!!!!!

Annie is still there several hours later. Can you see her by the camera, perched on the pipe?

For other baby eaglets, it looks like it is fish dinners in Miami-Dade County and over in Fort Myers. R2 and R3 really seem to enjoy the fresh fish that Dad brings in. There have been several other varieties of prey items including a parrot and a coot. Did you know that Bald Eagles fish in both fresh and salt water?

E19 and E20 are also having fish. It is so hard to tell them apart. There is a white line under the cere of one of them but E20 does not seem to be that much different in size from its older sibling, E20. It is difficult to tell who is who sometimes. I ‘think’ it is E19 at the bottom of the screen and E20 in the middle.

Oh, tomorrow, the chick at Berry College will have fully hatched, the little one at the KNF nest will be stronger with its eyes more focused, and then there should be a pip coming at Captiva. Goodness.

There has been more snow on and off all day on the Canadian Prairies. There were 57 European Starlings in the Lilac Bushes and back trees this morning. They are still here. The feeders were filled twice. It is now 16:08 and it will not be long til every bird goes off to roost. It is normally dark here by 16:45. It is now 16:25 and all the birds are gone. It is absolutely still in the garden as new snow falls.

Thank you for joining me today. Please take care. See you soon.

A big thank you to the following for their streaming cams, Twitter, or FB pages where I took my screen captures: KNF Bald Eagle Nest, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Berry College Eagles, Cal Falcons, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, WRDC Bald Eagle Nest, SWFlorida and D Pritchett Bald Eagle Nest, Wildlife Haven, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cam News, and the Latvian Fund for Nature.

KNF has a hatch

There are 57 European Starlings in my garden this morning. They are very skittery. Normally there are only 28. It is -12 and they are swooping down to get the chopped peanuts and sunflower seeds on the edge of the deck. They have already emptied the feeders. It is 10:49! They did that in less than two hours. Crazy.

The Starlings and Sparrows try – as hard as they can – to get those whole peanuts out but, they can’t. The peanuts go over in a box for little red and the little feeder gets full of meal worms, butter bark, and chopped peanuts. Often the Starlings will share a branch with the Sparrows so that all can eat.

The Black-capped Chickadee was all puffed up. It is fascinating how they take one tiny seed, fly to crack it and then return for another. We have one chickadee that always comes to the garden. On occasion, it will bring a couple of friends.

A few of us could not sleep last night and got up to wait for Anna and Louis’s little one to finish hatching. Cody and Steve had put a microphone inside the nest and you could hear the baby cheeping. It was soooo cute. Anna called Louis to show him their baby around 12:32. Everyone melted. It is incredible to be able to see this type of tenderness between Bald Eagles.

Louis wants to get closer and have a good look at the little fluff ball.

The rangers at the KNF nest believe that the little one was fully hatched at 00:17:00 on 12 January.

The lads at KNF spent a great effort getting that audio situated just right so, yes, please turn it up!

Here is the video of that hatch.

This is the wee one this morning. So soft! So fragile.

Anna will keep that baby nice and warm.

This is a very healthy and very tired eaglet. It worked really hard to get through that membrane and crushed egg. The fluids inside the egg provide the food for the eaglet so that it does not have to eat right away. Mother Nature is great – she compensated by giving it food because hatch is so tiring. Despite Louis’s enthusiasm for bringing in fish, this little one might not be interested in eating until late this evening.

Other Bird News:

There is no pip at Captiva Bald Eagle Nest yet. We might be waiting for two more days. Today is Day 38 and Connie’s eggs normally hatch around Day 40. Pa Berry and Missey are not giving anything away so it is unclear if there is a pip at Berry College. Ervie continues to chase Falky off the Port Lincoln Barge in Australia. Ervie was in the nest and Mum, Dad, and Falky were on the ropes. No sign of Bazza since Sunday. That statement does not imply anything sinister. He could be off camera or he might have decided it was time to leave on his journey to find a territory for himself — before his two brothers. That could be a very smart idea. I am pretty certain that Ervie will want the best spot!

R1 and R2 at the WRDC nest are really doing well and becoming more and more curious. They peak out to the rest of the world. These two of Ron and Rita’s seem to love to scramble out of that nest cup! If you don’t see parents right on the nest do not worry. They will definitely be close by!

They are just darlings. It looks like fish has been on the menu this morning.

Harriet and M15’s E19 and E20 are changing so quickly from the fuzzy little balls like the KNF eaglet to getting feathers. You can see the flight feathers coming in on the wing in the picture below. Look at those feet and the little tiny tails. They grow too fast!!!!!

The Hilton Head pair are also interested in what is going on outside their world. That low nest wall really makes me nervous. They are getting ‘long and lanky’ like E19 and E20 and soon we will be able to see their pinfeathers coming in clearly. Like the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest, Harriet and Mitch will be somewhere close by to their babies. No worries!

Oh, it is so nice that that little one of Anna and Louis arrived safe. What a relief when they finally make it into the world.

Thank you so much for joining me. It is so nice to have you with me today. Take care! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen shots: KNF Bald Eagle Nest, Hilton Head Island Trust, SWFlorida Bald Eagle Nest and D Pritchett, and the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest.

Late Tuesday evening in Bird World

It is 18:30 on the Canadian Prairie. It has been dark outside for approximately 2 hours. The weather is actually balmy at -6 C. This winter, for the past several weeks, the temperatures have gone up and down like a rollercoaster. It is difficult to get used to and somehow manages to make sure that you have a cold at one time or another. The tissue box is sitting right next to me!

The hatch at the Kisatchie National Forest in Central Louisiana of Bald Eagles Anna and Louis is going well. If this chick survives the process, it will be only the second Bald Eaglet to hatch in this nest since 2013. Anna and Louis are so lucky. It is one of the most beautiful Bald Eagle nests I have ever seen – for its location. Lake Kincaid is not that far away and is stocked with fish. Louis does not have to go far!

Anna, finally, had to get up and take a break. Louis was more than happy to step in. In fact, he had arrived at least one time and Anna was not giving in to letting him take over. Poor guy. When she did finally let him, when he got up to change shifts when his time was over, Louis pulled Spanish Moss over the egg hiding it. Anna had to look and look all the while the chick could be heard cheeping.

Anna finally found it and removed the covering. Whew! For a few seconds everyone watching must have held their breath.

The side with the egg tooth protruding is hidden. You can see the membrane and the cracked, crumpled shell.

It is great that Cody attached a small microphone to the nest for sound. That little one sounds like it has healthy lungs!

There is no pip at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest. Land owner, Lori Covert, said that Connie’s eggs usually hatch late at day 40. Today is only day 37.

Over at the Captiva Osprey Nest, however, Lena laid her second egg of the season at 17:06:01. Poor Lena. She has no idea how many people are watching her fluffy bottom!!!!!!!

R1 and R2 are really doing well. Ron has brought in fresh fish and has even fed the babies once today when I was watching. He is funny because he stands way back at the rim. I am hoping that he isn’t afraid of feeding them just cautious. It has been raining and there is currently a food warning for parts of Miami-Dade County.

About a month ago, the Kakapo Recovery posted a series of cartoons of the male Kakapo. Today they did the same for the females! Too funny. The one thing these cartoons do is point out that the birds that may look the same are actually individuals with their own personalities. I know that you have seen this with the birds that you watch in your garden or on screen.

Ervie had a fish delivery at 09:13:18 so all is well in the world of the Erv. The camera operator also showed the area around the barge and the clean up crew.

There are pigeons sitting on the top of the ladder waiting for Ervie to drop some of his fish now and again.

Some of you might remember when that barge sunk during the storm. Nice view off in the distance.

These are some of the places that Ervie visited – where the fish are brought in. A good place to find some unwanted fish, perhaps.

Anna is not giving away any secrets at the KNF nest. This little one is going to keep everyone up late pacing back and forth!

Harriet and M15 have been chasing off an immature eagle, perhaps 2 or 2.5 years old, from the nest! Lady Hawk posted the event as a video.

It is time for dinner. So looking forward to a fluffy little chick at Anna and Louis’s tomorrow!

Take care everyone. Thank you so very much for joining me. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB Pages where I took my screen shots: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, KNF Bald Eagle Cam, Kakapo Recovery, Berry College Bald Eagle Cam, WRDC Bald Eagle Cam, and the Captiva Osprey Cam.

KNF Hatch Progressing Well

The hatching at the Kisatchie National Forest Bald Eagle nest is progressing nicely. These are the latest images of the egg at 12:58 CDT.

As you are probably aware, the adults do not help the chick hatch. It is too dangerous for the fragile baby. There are also thoughts that the chick must survive the hatch to be able to survive in the wild.

The chick has a nice hole but it needs to get through that membrane.

It is unclear if this is egg 1 or egg 2. Anna had a bad landing and broke one of the eggs. Egg 1 would be 38 days old today and egg 2 would be 35 days old. It is a bit of a toss up. There were some marks on egg 1 and many watchers believe the egg that survived is egg 1. At the end of the day, it only matters for the data which egg it is. I simply want a healthy chick to get out of that egg. You can hear the sweet little thing cheeping sometimes. Anna must be excited.

Louis has returned to the nest. Is he wanting Anna to give him a turn? or is he there protecting the nest? Eagles that hatch with the membranes like this usually take a little longer than the clear break of the egg. Everything will be fine though! It just could be a little while.

Oh, thank you. You can see the chick’s beak with the egg tooth breaking that hole big. All around the shell is crushed.

Hi there…just a little longer. What an adorable little chirp. The eaglet has now broken through that membrane and can breathe air! It is doing so well.

That little one is really chirping. You can actually see it push outwards from inside the shell. Adorable. Anna watches her little one try to break into the world. This will be the second successful hatch for this young couple.

Anna is being so careful.

There are still no signs of a pip at Berry College. Both adults were on the nest when I checked in. Eggs were being rolled.

As far as I know, there are no pips at NEFlorida with Gabby and Samson yet.

If we are lucky, they will all pip and hatch on different days. It would be very difficult to watch all the eagle nests! Possible. But much better one at a time! With Harriet and M15’s E19 and E20 moving into the stage of getting feather growth, it is really exciting to have some new bobble heads coming our way.

I wonder what is going on at Captiva? Clive got off of the eggs and there is no real close up. Pip? Unknown.

So what is up with the PLO Lads? Sometimes when I check, it is only Ervie on the camera. Are there other family members on the barge? It is hard to say. Some could be sitting up on the wheel house. Mum and Dad could be over on the old barge so they have some peace and quiet!

Late in the evening, around 20:44, Ervie took off from the perch. At this time it appears that no one else is on the barge. He flies around the barge. He is seen on camera several times.

Gone.

Flying back.

Ervie does this interesting touch take off on the nest.

I wanted to make sure it was Ervie. You can see his sat-pak between the wings clearly in the image below.

Ervie returns at 20:45:23 to the nest with a very small fish it appears. Now this is the question. We can see no other members of the family on camera. But it is also impossible to tell if Ervie is wet. The camera is blurry for some reason. If he were wet, then he would have caught the fish. I actually suspect one of the adults delivered Ervie the small fish off camera. That is always something to remember- just because we cannot see what is happening does not mean it isn’t happening. Adult Osprey deliver fish at various locations for their fledglings.

In the middle of the night there are at least two other family members on the barge with Ervie on the nest — ‘his’ nest.

Morning has come and everyone appears to be off the barge leaving Ervie on the nest.

Ron has been doing a great job feeding R1 and R2 on the WRDC Bald Eagle nest. Those little ones are doing really, really well. Always a variety of food!

It has warmed up on the Canadian Prairies. It is now a balmy -14 C. Seriously after -32 it almost feels like spring. Most of the birds in the garden are the European Starlings. I think they are gorgeous birds.

Today is also bread making day and it is time to take those loaves out of the oven and find some nice butter.

Thank you for joining me. It is so exciting. There will be a fluff ball down at the KNF nest soon! Take care everyone. Please stay safe.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: the KNF Bald Eagle Nest, Berry College Eagle Nest, NE Florida Bald Eagle Nest and the AEF, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, and the Captiva Bald Eagle Cam.

There is never a dull moment at Port Lincoln

How many times have I said that watching the Port Lincoln Osprey lads are better than anything streaming on the telly? From hatch to today, they have not disappointed.

To recap. Bazza, the eldest, has not been seen since 9 January – 2 days ago. It could mean many things. Bazza could be off camera on the nest barge. He could be over on the old barge with Mum. He could be somewhere near to the nest barge OR Bazza could have left to find his own territory. It is interesting to note that Mum has not been seen since yesterday morning and Bazza could be with her. I did often call him ‘Mama’s Boy’. Yesterday, Falky, the middle hatch, caught what I believe is the only fish by a juvenile on camera at the nest. That was just fabulous. He was brilliant. As one of the watchers noted ‘JL’, to celebrate Falky flew a victory lap around the barge! I suspect Falky was so proud of that fish he caught he wanted everyone to see including Mum and Dad!

Ervie was ‘prime time Erv’ today. He might have been on the nest for several days and not moving too much but, there is nothing wrong with his flying and his attitude. Twice this morning Ervie engaged with Falky in what can only be described as ‘aerial dog fights’ just like you might have seen in movies or airshows about World War II. It was Ace Pilot Ervie at his best.

There are two main events with an intermission.

As you can see I cut out some of the time in between. In those minutes, you could see the shadows of the two going over the barge but, you could not see them. When they landed, before Ervie took after Falky again, they had both arrived wet so somewhere the pair of them went into the water. Good gracious. Is this really boys playing? or is this dominant Ervie deciding he wants the nest and barge all to himself?

That attitude of the third hatch wanting to take over the nest completely as the dominant bird has been seen elsewhere. Tiny Tot Tumbles at the Achieva Nest returned and even fought off adult interlopers. I clearly think that Ervie would do the same if that same instance happened.

I wonder. Will Ervie return to this barge and want it for his nest in a few years time? Only time will tell. So glad that he has a tracker on.

Ervie is not behaving like Falky is on the barge. When he sees someone he fish calls but he doesn’t appear to be willing to give up that nest to go out fishing independently – yet – since his return from his long flight a few days ago.

Here is the link to the Port Lincoln streaming cam.

I was going to bring you a report on the lack of streaming cams for raptors in Japan today but this will be delayed by a few days. I have not had time, sadly, today, to put all the strings together.

I have also not seen any news of any pips although Anna at the Kisatchie National Forest Nest looks like she is expecting something. She has been rolling the eggs and try as we might it is difficult. There is a mark on the egg but I think it is vegetation and not a pip. Perhaps later this evening.

The first egg at Berry College Eagle nest of Pa Berry and Missey is 35 days old today.

Gabby and Samson have been listening to the egg and rolling. They are getting really close to a pip watch.

R2 and R3 continue to do really well over at the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest in Miami-Dade country. Rita removed the Coot that had been on the nest and had a big meal herself. You can ‘sort of’ see the nice crop she has. The kids are well fed, no worries!

It is a wrap for today. We will wait together for those pips at Captiva, KNF, Berry College, and NEFlorida Bald Eagle nests!!!!!! Waiting is hard.

Thank you for joining me. I am delighted to have you here with me. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and my video clips: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, KNF Bald Eagle Cam, Berry College Bald Eagle Cam, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, and the WRDC Eagle Cam.