It’s a bit chilly at -7 C this morning but there is a beautiful blue sky and bright sunshine to make us feel warm. The birds are all over the garden looking for seed through the fresh snow that we woke up to. Spring will come. There will be lots of moisture in the ground. That will be a blessing. I see Mr Blue Jay has arrived along with the Starlings, Dark-eyed Juncos, and various types of sparrows. Those Blue Jays are so gorgeous against the white snow.
We had a lovely visit with our daughter and grandson yesterday. Jaine came with a homemade Opera cake that could win any Bake Off prize in the world.
This little red squirrel is keeping everyone curious. It darts in and out of the woodbox and under the deck, caching nuts. Hugo Yugo is completely intrigued and sits at the window watching for hours. Isn’t it cute?
Oh, I love this Red-tailed Hawk. For many, Big Red was one of the first raptors they watched on a streaming cam. There is a great Facebook group, along with a live chat from hatch to fledge. This chat will blow you away for one specific reason – each of the moderators is so knowledgeable. Laura Culley used to be one of them. There are set times when chat is open, and historical data and new science are always being added. You could not find a better place if you want to learn about hawks! I will let you know when chat is open and how to find it.
At the nest of Beau and Gabby, the oldest eaglet, Eve, fledged! She really manted to join Kai who earned his wings the day prior.
Lisa Russo posted Gretchen’s post on FB. Thank you, Lisa.
Screenshot
Heidi reports a pip at Brevard County Osprey platform and she was right – there is a chick at Brevard this morning.
Four eggs for Elaine and Newmann at Spirit Bluff scrape.
I was delighted to hear from Lisa, one of our great Bird World members and a daily reader, who also is key at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey. An article has been published about her work there. Have a read! Lisa is a real inspiration. I am so proud of her – and her award as Volunteer of the Year in 2024.
Maybe someone reading this article about Lisa might be motivated to volunteer locally.
One of the eagles at the Audubon Centre that is benefiting from the devotion of many like Lisa is River.
At the Winter Park Bald Eagle nest Peanut has branched. That is wonderful. Peanut’s older sibling, Brutus, is also at the Audubon Centre after being knocked off the nest by a GHO.
So where is Quinn? Diane Lambertson posted a FB message that might hold that answer.
The IWS has given a beautiful name to the female at the West End Bald Eagle nest in the Channel Islands.
Angel has returned to her nest at Loch Doon and they say Frankie is coming in behind her.
A great presentation by Dr Tim McKrill on osprey migration for us and the Osprey Leadership Foundation: https://youtu.be/wlJoNyKapfc?
Watching for Idris and Telyn to arrive at Dyfi.
SK Hideaways is on a mission to a faraway place. They sent one video this morning. Thank you! Safe and wonderful travels.
West End Eagles ~ Catalina Island, CA F & Lee Inseparable on Flirty Pre-Naming Day ~ Must Be Love😍 (2026 Mar 23) F’s name should be announced tomorrow! She and Lee were celebrating together all morning as they repeatedly soared from nest to tor to secret hideout. They were inseparable and had much to chortle-snortle about. There was no interest in mating, but there sure were a lot of goo-goo eyes between them plus one of the sweetest beaky kisses I’ve ever seen. Video: https://youtu.be/PYNBCu8Tw0o Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | West End Eagles Cam Ops Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14 Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmAzrAkKqI Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kad6O4nF6bg
This female is now Isla.
Two ospreys at Pitkin County this morning.
There is a hatch underway for Bella and Scout at the NCTC Bald Eagle nest. Let’s send this family our best wishes. They lost their beautiful eaglets last year in a nest collapse. It was so sad for everyone.
Despite some deaths, it appears that the Kakapo breeding season is going to be a success.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. Have a marvellous weekend. We will be back soon – too much happening. We are on pip watch for Andor and Cruz at Fraser Point.
Thank you to Lisa Ferguson for sending me that great article. Congratulations! I am grateful to everyone who supplied videos, to those who posted on FB, and to the owners of the streaming cams that let us watch our bird families.
We are in the midst of an unexpected blizzard, while thousands of miles to our southeast, it is green, and geese are enjoying the grass on a golf course. Thank you, ‘L’, for letting me share this lovely image of spring! We love our geese, but there is no place for them here, and yet, many arrived several weeks ago! The ponds have frozen, but there remains some open water in the two rivers that wind their way through our City. It is supposed to warm up beginning tomorrow, but I will believe it when I see it. We were not expecting this much snow today!
It doesn’t look like much, but the snow is blowing and accumulating so quickly! The lad who shovels or us thought snow was finished – he is going to get a real surprise! It is more than 30 cm deep on the walkway he cleared a few days ago, and is within 45 cm of covering the large bird table feeder. Unbelievable.
Toby loves it. He bounces through the snow if there is even a whiff of a ‘cat’ in the garden. My plan is to have a tall wooden fence built to match the one constructed a few years ago. I had not planned to put a fence on that part of the property, but the theft of dogs in our City has become quite troubling. Of course, ‘the cats’ – distinguished from ‘The Girls’ – come in from that back corner, so it is important to close it in. Toby loves his sisters, ‘The Girls’. He plays with them, but those that make their way into his outdoor territory will be ousted unless they are Brock (who now still spends 99% of his time at the neighbour down the street)!!!!!!!!!
I hope, after all these years, that each of you knows that I love all animals, but there is a special place in my heart for Big Red and Arthur, the late Annie at The Campanile, and ospreys. I have posted this song before, but I want you to get in the mood. Osprey season is starting in the UK – and has already begun in the US. Here are those wonderful school children with the Osprey Song (2011): https://youtu.be/KoOQK6ejuXY?
At the Lake Murray Osprey platform, Lucy has laid her second egg with a new mate. Please, please put up the owl defences for this family Lake Murray!
Company for Brutus. Storms are tearing down eagle and osprey nests around the US including an osprey nest that Penny Albright monitored near Sanibel that lost two chicks when the nest collapsed. These eaglets made it through…
Blue 25 has made another visit to Blue 33 and Maya’s nest at Manton Bay – Blue 33 normally arrives a few days prior to Maya, and Blue 25 enjoys his company! Geemeff caught her time on the nest: https://youtu.be/HU_XGU3NTro?
We have an osprey at the MNSA Osprey nest in Oceanside’s Jay Cool platform.
“WYL greets his chick upon returning to the nest in New Zealand. The adult male arrives from a foraging trip over the Pacific to feed his growing chick at the Plateau nest site. As the chick gets bigger, the parents will take longer foraging trips to collect enough food for both themselves and their chick.” (Cornell Bird Lab)
Peanut defended the Winter Park Florida nest against a RTH! Nestflix Memories (Gracie Shepherd) caught it on video: https://youtu.be/cQksMDubVEc?
Tonight, Wink is taking now chances. She is right in the nest with Peanut if that GHO returns – and, of course, it will – they never give up! Wink is an incredible mother – I am truly amazed and thankful for her diligence.
Gabby with her babies, Kai and Eve, at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest in Florida. Best keep a close eye on these two – they could fledge before you blink.
At the Johnson City nest of Boone and Jolene in Tennessee, snow arrived. Jolene kept those two babies warm and tried to feed them at the same time. Like Wink, she is an experiened and an exceptional Mum.
Huge crop on JBS 24. Mum and Dad are delivering food and leaving it for self-feeding on occasion.
Harry and Sally are up there in my list of osprey parents. Three babies, three little fat bottoms. Large fish coming in and Harry on guard as it appeared there could have been an intruder around today during a fish delivery. If you haven’t been watching Moorings Park, then check out this osprey family. It is a success story – and believe me when I tell you that there will be few such stories in the NE USA this season unless a miracle happens.
Rutlands Lagoon 4 nest is trying to keep the Egyptian Geese from laying eggs while everyone waits for the ospreys to arrive. This is a second nest with a camera amongst several nests at Rutland Water. AI says: “Based on 2025/2026 sightings, the Lagoon 4 nest at Rutland Water is often occupied by male 359 (a 2021 Rutland-born osprey) and female 3H9 (a 2023 Rutland-born osprey). They have been observed investigating the nest and strengthening bonds. Note: 359 and 3H9 are a distinct pair from the main Manton Bay pair, Maya and 33(11).”
I am getting impatient – and it is a tad early – for Maya and Blue 33 to arrive at Manton Bay.
At the Whitley Crane nest known as the Golden Gate Audubon Osprey nest, Richmond has worked and worked. There is a new female at the nest with him. I do not believe Rosie will make an appearance. Why do I say this? Well, when Aila did not return, Louis moved his nest to another location when he bonded with Dorcha. We often think animals and birds are not intelligent. If I have said it once, I will say it again million times, my teacher about raptor behaviour, the late Laura Culley, taught me that they are smarter and use higher levels of intelligence and communication that humans have lost.
I noticed in one of the chats – it was the Winter Park Florida chat – that someone noted that ‘animals have feelings’. Dr Mark Beckoff and Dr Jane Goodall taught us this. There are several good books out there. I urge you or anyone who is interested in the behaviour of non-humans to read any or all of the following.
Saddness at the Two Harbours as Chase & Cholyn lose their last egg. SK Hideaways has it on video: https://youtu.be/8vmMpnkNsh4?
Big Red and Arthur have snow on their nest at Cornell University.
Suzanne Arnold Horning caught Big Red relaxing on the lights!
Cameras are now live at the Poole Harbour nest of CJ7 and Blue 022.
We have an osprey at Threave. Is it Black 80?
At Achieva the third egg was laid on the 25th of January. Can someone who is watching this nest tell me if Jack is delivering enough fish to his mate? I did not see deliveries today, but I might have missed something.
In fact, start checking out all your favourite UK and European nests as the cameras are being turned on faster than I can keep a list.
The Pitkin County Osprey nest in Colorado is live.
I have such a soft spot for this White-tail eagle in Durbe County Latvia. Milda. Her current mate is Zorro. There was sorrow and now Zorro has proved to be a good mate and provider.
April 7. Hellgate Canyon. Iris’s favourite day to return to her nest in Missoula, Montana. Count the days – 20. Less than three weeks! The snow has melted.
There is evil in the world. I cannot imagine how anyone could harm an animal and yet, every day I find myself telling people not to give their kittens away to anyone. Russell Mason beat a Goshawk to death – how in the world can someone do this?
Large estates, with no eyes around in Scotland (and elsewhere), allow many horrific things to happen to our beautiful feathered friends. What can be done to stop this?
The Cornell Bird Lab gives us hope that people around the world are increasingly engaging with nature and birds. Yes, there are incredibly vicious people anywhere in the world that will harm birds and other animals, but there are more, I hope, that love and help them.
Thank you so much for being with me today and for your patience, as my posting is often irregular. I had hoped to keep to Fridays and Mondays til the UK osprey season began, but every day there is something new and exciting! I will continue to post at the oddest of times, sometimes two or three times a day as news comes in. As you can imagine, my life is anything but routine. We do have a schedule, but it all depends on my husband’s mood, which can vary. I am impatiently waiting for spring to arrive. What I miss most is reading. Yes, we have story time, but it isn’t the same as sitting quietly on a park bench with squirrels dashing around, the wind gently blowing, with a good book in my hand, reading in silence. So, no promises other than there will always be a Monday blog, often coming out late Sunday, until we have osprey chicks on the nests in the UK and Europe.
Thank you to everyone who created videos, wrote informative FB posts, to Raptor Persecution UK for keeping us informed, and to the Cornell Bird Lab for continuing to support education. I remain forever grateful to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to venture into the challenging lives of our feathered friends. To all my readers who are now long-time friends, I appreciate your support. Your letters and comments mean the world to me.
Friday was a really beautiful day. The sky was a clear blue and there was no rain and little wind. The temperature was 24 C. It was a good day to check out the goslings and ducklings at the park later – I went around 1700 and they were coming out of their shady island nests to swim. Even with the sprinkler system, the rain and the heat are causing some algae/pond plant problems.
It was really hard to see the tiny ducklings.
Oh, I adore the little female Wood Ducks.
This Mallard had two surviving ducklings. Many had 12 or 13 and it was hard to tell as the Canada Geese do their ‘daycare thing’ so you might see several geese caring for nearly forty youngsters while the other parents forage.
Five beautiful and tiny little wood ducks.
My garden is lush. The water has caused everything to thrive in a year when I worried as the winter had been so dry. Some of you will recall that there was a peony plant and a climbing rose that were planted on my property in 1902 when the old two-story house was built by Italian rail workers. Both are still alive. The peony is full of buds that will bloom soon and the rose is simply bursting with buds. I coddle it as if it were the most precious thing and I often wonder who lived here and who the woman was who planted the roses and the peonies.
The roses now cover an area of approximately 3 metres by 5 metres. The area is absolutely thick with branches laden with these amazing buds. What a treat! I am already dreaming of what it will be like to sit next to the flowers and sip my tea when they bloom – imagine the scent!!!!!!!
I feel that I am such a bearer of bad news these days. There are so many issues that face our raptors and many of those are playing out around the world. You might recall that there was heavy rain and flooding around the nest of Liberty and Guardian. It was noted that the tree was dead. Today, Sol is dehydrated, and death could be imminent. FORE has tried to get a tree climber but the tree is in too bad of a shape for them to climb. Liberty tried to feed her eaglet but Sol was not interested.
Over the years the citizen scientists, like yourself, observing the nests of all avian species have noted issues with nests. If it isn’t happening (and certainly some places are diligent at inspections), nests should be inspected annually prior to breading season. Dead trees, sadly, should be taken down so that we do not find ourselves in the situation with Liberty and Guardian’s Sol. This might also help with nest collapses when the nests are simply too large and heavy rain would cause them to crash potentially killing eaglets.
Sadly Sol passed away Friday morning. He was 77 days old. Right ready to fledge.
For those concerned for Luna, boots on the ground found her and she is alive and well. What a relief!
At the Fraser Point Nest of Andor and Cruz, Reign has fell off a nest that is collapsing. She was found safe under the nest!
The full report of Ospreys on the Iberian Peninsula for 2023-24 is now available.
Two juveniles on Tor – those West End fledglings are strong. Thunder and Akecheta got them a lot of high quality food. We see it in their spunk and in their flying. But, oh, to have such open spaces without buildings. They are blessed.
All three West End Eaglets – Koa, Treasure, and Sterling were caught on video soaring together. How lovely.
Idris and Telyn did a great dual feeding for the osplets at the Dyfi nest in Wales. They are looking for names. Need to be unused river and mountain names in Wales. Check it out! Dyfi Osprey Project.
Those Montreal falcons really want to fly! If you are missing the Cal Falcons and San Jose ones, then take a look at these three.
Things have still to settled down at Loch Arkaig. C2 still dominates all the feedings.
Blue 022 gets the fish to the nest for CJ7 to feed the Fab Four.
New dad, Finnegan, is actively involved in every aspect of the family including security, delivering food, feeding Iris, and feeding the chick plus being support. What a guy. So thankful you came along, Finnegan. This is an amazing story unfolding on the nest Iris now shares with you.
Good night, Iris.
‘A’ alerts us to the second hatch. Iris didn’t get much sleep!
“Darling Finn was in with a late fish last night (14 June) at 18:53:45. It’s a nice size and appears whole. When Iris stands up to claim it, we can see the second tiny head in the nest. It is still very tired from the hatch, and only wakes up because Big Bob disturbed it by standing up, getting ready to be fed. Big Bob is gigantic already, so this second hatch is going to need to be a strong-minded chick. Iris begins eating while Finn checks out his offspring.
Finn stands and watches Iris feeding Big Bob, who is a great little eater. After a couple of minutes, he flies to the perch while Iris continues feeding. By 19:09 Big Bob’s face is covered in fish and he is falling into a food coma. Mum settles down to brood the pair. Finn flies down the nest, then at 19:16 heads off. Dad is back with a stick at 19:30:24 and leaves again immediately.
Shortly after 19:29, Iris stands and begins alerting. She looks upwards, continuing to alert loudly. Intruder? She calms down relatively quickly but continues to glance upwards and to her left (towards the camera). It is at this point that Finn arrives (from the opposite direction) with the stick, which he nearly brains the chicks with. After he leaves, Iris remains standing and occasionally glances at the same spot again.
Eventually, after a good rouse and another glance around, Iris goes to settle on the chicks but changes her mind and stays standing, looking around. Around 19:33:40 she has a good flap of her wings. Impressive.At 19:34 she carefully returns to brooding the chicks. At 20:06:30 Finn is back on the perch. He flies off again at 20:12:20.
This morning, Finn arrives on the nest just before 05:18, while it is still dark, to say good morning. He stands beside her. She is her usual very chatty self. He is silent. Having said only yesterday I’d never seen Iris sleeping tucked, she did so quite a bit last night (especially as morning approached). Shortly after 05:25, Finn set off to get breakfast. He returns soon after 06:30 but without a fish. Iris does not sound pleased by this development.
He does a little busy work on the nest, but when Iris stands up at 06:3424, he immediately flies off. Iris stretches her wings and then flies off the nest herself at 06:34:40. She is back at 06:35:13, so obviously just did a circuit of the car park. Dad is back just before 06:38, again with empty talons. Iris leaves again. Finn is standing on his left leg a lot, which I presume is just resting but I am hoping he has not suffered any injury to the leg. I don’t think so. He wonders whether/how to brood the chicks and looks around for Iris.
Eventually, shortly after 06:41 Finn settles down to brood the osplets. It appears Iris has taken breakfast into her own talons. Iris is back at 06:56:17. She has no fish. Finn gets up carefully and flies to the perch, allowing Iris to brood the osplets. Iris gets up, moves a large piece of bark, and settles down again. Why? Strange. After a good preen, Finn leaves again around 07:09, hopefully on a fishing expedition. Iris looks to have a good crop still but the chicks need feeding, especially the younger one.
It is now 07:25 and Finn is not yet back. I do hope this new baby is not too tiny and that it is able to get fed. I also hope that it is a female and the first hatch a male, but I doubt that. This first hatch is precocious, physically and behaviourally. It is strong and a very good eater. I am fearful for the younger osplet, but then always was with the lengthy gap (a full week) between the laying of those two eggs. We will wait and hope.”
An absorbing article about Iris and Finnegan with interviews with Dr Greene and his helper Sharon Leigh-Miles.
‘A’ has finally fallen in love with Ospreys! She writes, “Iris carefully supervised Finn’s first attempt at feeding their chick yesterday morning (14 June) at around 08:55. Initially, he wasn’t very good at it, finding it hard to reach down far enough to put the food into the chick’s beak, but after two or three efforts, he successfully gave the chick a bite. And another. He was good at getting the pieces small enough but leaning down to get the food into the chick’s beak took him a little more practice. But he is learning. Iris standing behind him, watching closely but not interfering, was so sweet. She is happy to teach him how to be a good dad – I’m surprised she is not more protective of the wee one, but she obviously trusts this guy and he has already proven himself to her in many ways. Certainly, he has demonstrated an amazing level of devotion to his family. Let’s hope he remembers that his primary role is away from the nest – fishing for the family and keeping intruders away from the territory. Family time is a bonus. But I do adore how proud he is of Iris and their chick. I wonder how he will manage provisioning for two osplets, Iris and himself.
By 08:57 Iris was a little concerned that far more fish was going into Finn’s mouth than into the chick’s beak and decided to intervene. When Finn tries to feed the chick a piece that is too large, Iris takes it from his beak and bends down to feed it carefully to the wee one. Finn continues to eat the fish, while Iris feeds the chick saliva several times. He keeps eating. She moves closer, obviously wanting more of this fish to be fed to the chick. (It is large and pretty much whole, so Finn is entitled to eat the head at least. Iris however is concerned only about feeding the chick.) When he turns to feed a piece to the osplet, she takes it from him again and feeds it to the chick. This is repeated several times, with Iris taking food from Finn to feed to the chick. This is SO sweet. They are not so much tandem feeding as team feeding. Iris is clearly teaching Finn about being a great dad.
Finn now concentrates again on eating for himself, so Iris settles down to brood the chick, though it remains visible at her breast. She reaches out to nibble at the fish Finn is holding down, as he continues to eat beside the nest bowl. He feeds Iris a couple of bites, then continues eating. She continues nibbling at the fish too. When Finn flies to the perch shortly after, he leaves the fish beside Iris. He returns to the nest at 09:33:35 with eyes firmly on the leftover fish. Iris has a lot to say. He nibbles on the fish a little, but soon leaves without removing the remaining fish.
He is soon back again (10:05), possibly with a stick, although Iris standing up obscures our view. She is very chatty. He is tall, dark and handsome, a man of few words. She settles back down to brood and he simply stands behind her on the nest, protectively. After a couple of minutes, he circles Iris and she stands up to show him his baby (and the hatching second egg, presumably). He looks down into the nest, obviously fascinated as always. She continues to chirp. Having closely examined his progeny, Finn flies to the perch. Iris continues chatting. By 10:19, she is settling down to brood again. Finn remains on the perch. There is still half a large fish (probably a fair bit more) remaining on the nest. “
We still have three chicks at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum! Mum provided good shade for much of the day and the three had some good fish.
Wow, that third hatch at Charlo Montana sure came quickly. Charlie looks on at this three kids and his new mate.
Little Mini had a bit of a crop earlier in the day from this feeding but was shut out later – something that bothered me a bit. It was rather submissive during a late feeding allowing the older Little Bob to lean over it and eat. I am hoping Little Mini was just full.
Only Bob at Sandpoint is a fat bottomed little cutie.
‘MM’ watched the Osoyoos nest for us on Friday and she reports: “It was offline again until about 9:30 this morning so not sure if there were any feedings before then but I have counted 6 so far today with the 6th one still taking place. For the most part they have been very small especially the first three or four. I’m almost certain at the first feeding(9:56 am) mom ate it all while the chicks bonked one another. The fish lasted all of 5 minutes, was so small you could barely see it. At 10:56 and 11:34 am dad delivered small fish again with each chick getting a few bites and mom also definitely wasn’t enough to fill their crops. At 1:26 and 2:51 pm he brought fish that were a little bit bigger but not by much. Again they each got enough to keep hunger at bay but still not seeing bulging crops like at other nests. Number 6 was delivered at 4:12 pm and was still ongoing when I started this email. It was definitely bigger than the others. As the chicks get older hopefully the fish will get bigger because there’s no way those tiny fish will fill up 3 growing chicks and mom has quite the appetite as well 😄 I noticed they are pretty well behaved whilst eating but not so much while there’s no food on the nest.”
The 6th fish of the day and the biggest. Thanks, ‘MM’
Two gorgeous feathered babes on the Patchogue nest!
The little one enjoying some fish on the Cowlitz PUD nest.
It is difficult to see if all the chicks are alright on the Oyster Bay nest because of the greenery.
Two surviving osplets at Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home are fantastic.
Smallie spent the night in the scrape. He is looking very well.
Prey continues to be provided for the Ns at the Cornell nest of Big Red and Arthur. Both fledglings appear to be flying strong.
‘H’ reports:
Dahlgren osprey nest: Early on 6/14, viewers noticed that the 12-day-old chick was in a deep hole in the nesting, and sitting on a bottom wood slat of the platform nest. The baby is surrounded by some articles of clothing, perhaps gloves (?), and can’t hardly move. So far, Helen has been able to feed her baby in that position. Viewers tried for hours to raise awareness with the nest owners. Finally this morning on Facebook is the response: Brigitte Schwurack Top contributor Thank you for your message, the owners of the camera are informed.
6/14, The weather started to clear, and it turned out to be a great day! Due to poor fishing, the youngest osplet, Darling, had not eaten for over 3.5 days. At 0917 Edie delivered a whole catfish, and Ding ate. Darling was not able to eat any of that fish. At 1015 Edie brought another whole catfish and fed Ding. While that was taking place, Jack arrived with a partial fish. Ding grabbed Jack’s fish, and Darling was quick to grab Edie’s catfish, and ate his first bites of food for over 87 hours. At 1024 Edie took the fish from Darling and began to feed him. Darling ate for about 40 minutes. At 1259 Edie landed with a partial ladyfish, Darling grabbed and mantled, but Ding took it away. Ding ate until 1334, then walked away. There was still a lot of fish left, and Darling self-fed on the ladyfish. At 1337 Edie brought a whole ladyfish, Darling abandoned the other one, and Edie fed some of the new fish to Ding, but most to Darling. At 1428 Edie fed the remainder of the first ladyfish, mostly to Darling, and some to Ding. Finally, at 1956 Edie delivered a partial catfish. She fed Ding, and then Ding did some self-feeding. Everyone’s prayers had been answered for tons of fish. Darling had a large crop for most of the day. We are so very thankful that the weather cleared and Edie and Jack were able to catch fish, and that our dear Darling is still with us!
6/14 Forsythe osprey nest: There are not enough fish being brought to this nest. It has already undergone brood reduction once. Mini4 died of siblicide/starvation on 6/11. There were four fish brought to the nest on 6/14, and none were very large. Big and Middle were both responsible for preventing Little from eating for the second straight day. Little passed away overnight…COD siblicide/starvation. Big also controls when Middle is allowed to eat, and Middle ate a total of 156 bites of fish the entire day. This may end up being a one-chick nest, where once there were four of the cutest little osplets you had ever seen.
6/14 Fenwick Island osprey nest – Captain Mac’s Fish house: Congratulations to Johnny and June on the hatch of their first baby at approximately 19:45.
6/14, Patuxent osprey nest: There were six fish brought to the nest by Dad, and a couple were whoppers! Everyone had a great day, and Little had several good private feedings. Remarkably, at meal #5, Little was eating right beside Big…as if they had been best buddies their entire lives!
It was almost daylight, and I thought the osplet had survived another night without being hit by the GHO. At 0538 C1 was standing up in the nest when she was struck hard by the GHO. The GHO was not able to take her. C1 managed to grab the rail sticks with her talons, but had been thrown off balance, and she eventually fell off the nest. That nest is very high, and we hoped that she was able to flap and float down to the ground. Well, she did better than that…. The nest owner saw C1 flying across the lake!
‘J’ sent us an update on Connick, Connie and Clive’s eaglet from 2023.
‘J’ also sent us an update on Chance:
‘RP’ sent us a smile:
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, observations, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, EJ, H, J, MM, PB, RP’, FORE, Vicki Jacques, BVS Girl, Aguila Pesiadora, The Raptor Resource Project, BocianiMyBolewice, IWS/Explore, Dyfi Osprey Project, Friends of Loch Arkaig, Montreal Falcon Cam, Geemeff, BoPH, Montana News, Charlo Montana Osprey Cam (Owl Osprey Project), MN Landscape Arboretum, Field Farm, Sandpoint Ospreys, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, PSEG, Cowlitz PUD, Maryland Western Shore for Old Town Home, Amersfoort Peregrine Falcon Cam, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Lake Murray Ospreys, Forsythe, Patuxent River Park, Dahlgren, Fenwick Island, and CBS Sunday Morning.
It rained. The skies opened up late Tuesday night. I stood outside and listened to the drops falling; the wet earth’s smell was amazing. It is supposed to rain periodically on and off until Thursday, when things will change to a mix of rain and snow. We are finally getting the moisture that the prairies need, and it is wonderful. The grass will turn green immediately! The geese will have something to eat besides the dead blades they have been living on for weeks. The Robins will be busy pulling the worms out of the soil tomorrow. I wonder if the Starlings will join them? Or the Brown Thrashers? It will be interesting to see how ‘The Girls’ react when I open the windows a bit so they can get a sniff.
Today’s news is mixed. ‘H’ and I are celebrating the triumphs of Tuffy at Moorings Park and new Osprey eggs while another Osprey nest is struggling to survive, and our dear Meadow has died. I do not want to get desensitised to the struggles and the deaths, and I do not want you to either. Last year, significant declines in osprey fledges were observed, especially in the NE USA. This year, we see low numbers of eaglets fledging on the streaming cams. This impact will not be noticed for a couple of years, but it could be substantial in terms of the declining population numbers of these raptors. At the same time, we must celebrate those that survive. Remember those that we have lost or the ones struggling. Find the joy because it is there. On the day that Meadow died, Swampy branched. S/he looks very healthy. Others laid eggs, and Tuffy continued to eat without much interference.
What can I say? Devastating news coming out of Audubon. Meadow was euthanised. The stated reason was fractures to the wing as in the announcement below and poor condition. On the 8th of April, Audubon put out a post stating that they had not found any breaks or fractures. Everyone is quite sad about this and felt encouraged that Meadow would recover. I wonder if he damaged his wings while flapping about in care?
‘H’ did the first-morning feeding and turned the rest of the day over to me to monitor. I hope to do half as good a job as she does! Tuffy had an extraordinary day on Monday. This nest has turned around because of the regular deliveries of large fish and the willingness of Sally to feed her chicks continually throughout the day.
Tuffy had a very good Monday morning. The smallest chick at Moorings Park dominated the first feeding. At 10:20 a large whole fish was delivered by Harry. Tuffy still had a crop from the earlier feeding. Sally begins eating the head of the fish while Ruffy moves into position. Tuffy stays away. Tuffy is intimidated by both Ruffy’s presence and position but is not beaked. Ruffy dominates the entire first part of the feeding. Tuffy tries to get into a position to be fed but cannot. Sally is obviously hungry and fighting with the head of the fish. At 1045 Tuffy does an excellent PS. The little one begins to move. Tuffy gets bite 2 at 1046. Sally tries to give bites to Tuffy but Ruffy moves to get in the way. Tuffy cannot position itself. At 1048 there is still fish and Tuffy begins its private feeding while Ruffy is in food coma under Sally’s tail in the shade. Our little Tuffy managed to get 227 bites of fish at this second feeding. Well, done, Tuffy, for waiting your time. It was a large fish – plenty for all three!
The third fish of the day was a headless large fish delivered at 1252. Harry stayed on the nest for a few minutes. Today Ruffie is 25 days old and Tuffy is 22 days old. They are exiting the Reptilian phase and that could easily account for the more peaceful nest. At 1253 Ruffie had an excellent PS. Tuffy stays back from the feeding at the beginning. He has a large crop. Ruffie goes to eat. Indeed, Tuffy does not appear interested! At 1259 Tuffy begins to move. Ruffie notices and moves her head but does not beak. Tuffy moves closer to Mum at the back of the tail. Tuffy is positioning himself. At 1301, Tuffie has a second excellent PS for the morning. Ruffie moves away and Tuffie is in position to have its first bite at 1303. There is a nice portion of tail remaining. By 1305 Tuffy had 32 bites of fish. Mum is feeding fast. By 1310 Tuffy has had 78 big bites of fish and has turned away. Ruffie moves up to eat again. Eats its fill and Sally gets to enjoy that nice fish tail. Both of the osplets have eaten very well by 1320 on Monday with no physical aggression from Ruffie to Tuffy. Oh, Tuffie gets more. At 1328, he got 14 more bites so a total of 92 good bites of fish for the third feeding of the day. Well done, Tuffy! Those excellent ‘ps’ demonstrate this chick is not dehydrated and is doing well. This nest is changing for the better.
The fourth fish was a slightly headless sheepshead – gosh, which are tough fish for these mums to feed. That fish arrived at 1520. Both Ruffie and Tuffy have big crops. Ruffie is not interested. Tuffy gets right up to the table to eat. Sally cannot feed the fish quickly, and Tuffy is often impatient and picks up pieces of dropped fish from the moss to eat while he waits. Tuffy was fed until 1539, when he had eaten approximately 1/3 of the fish and was quite full, moving away so that Ruffie could have some fish. No aggression was shown during the feeding. Sally was still getting the meat off that fish at 1640! Tuffy never returned to the table.
The fifth fish arrives in 1811 and is a large half-fish. Tuffy is right up there. Ruffy moves to the table, but Tuffy keeps eating. Then, at 1814, Ruffy takes exception hovering over Tuffy to force him into submission. Rufy gets fed, but Tuffy is back up at the table eating from 1829 to 1839. At 1842, Tuffy did an enormous PS right over the edge of the nest! The fish is done around 1843. I did not count bites. It was obvious that all was well despite the single incidence of domination. The two have eaten very well today.
The sixth fish arrived at 1939. It was a partial large Sheepshead. Both osplets were up at the beak. Ruffy ate until Tuffy began at 1946. Tuffy was fed until 1953 when Sally quit feeding. There is lots of fish on the nest. Both osplets had full crops at bedtime.
Sally decided to have a late night snack without the kids!
Tuffy’s ‘ps’. This excellent poop shot going well over the edge of the nest is a testament to Tuffy’s good eating and health over the past day. ‘H’ and I are going to stop counting bites as long as things remain stable on the nest. Tuffy is going to survive this. Both osplets are getting their feathers and I will probably say it several times – they are growing out of the Reptilian Phase and we would expect the aggression to be ceasing as long as Harry continues to provide this level of fish and their regularity.
*Caution*. I continue to worry about the Mum at Frenchman’s Creek. There are still fish piled on the nest. She fed one chick and stopped. The big one is trying to self-feed. This Mum is not lazy, she is ill. I believe it is possible that she has Trichomonosis. It causes severe damage to the tissues of the mouth, throat, crop and esophagus and affected birds may drool saliva, regurgitate food, have difficulty in swallowing food and water, demonstrate laboured breathing and/or have a swollen neck or throat. Several ospreys have died because of this including the Mum at Janakkala Osprey nest in Finland. The Dad piled fish on the nest and the two osplets tried to self-feed. One survived if my memory serves me correctly. The fourth eyas at the CBD in Melbourne died from this disease.
The older osplet is attacking the smaller one. Sheer frustration. Nest full of fish and chicks starving. Mum ill. Very sad.
Older osplets desperately trying to feed themselves in a nest full of fish. Little one has been beaked – leaning over top of nest. Has not eaten for a couple of days and will likely die shortly unless a miracle happens.
Mum is feeding the two older chicks this morning. The third chick is close to dying and by the time you read this will probably have passed.
The ospreys are into hard incubation at Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home with three eggs in the nest.
Only 5 goslings survived the leap of faith at the Decorah Goose Nest on Monday morning between 0802-0804. Believe it or not, another goose rushed to the nest and began laying eggs at 1030! It is quite a year. The Goose eggs are expected to hatch on Nest 2 in about a week.
Here is the live cam from Nest 1.
More Osprey eggs laid in the UK On Monday.
CJ7 and Blue 022 laid their first egg at Poole Harbour at 1540 on Monday. Congratulations!
Harry and Flora laid their first egg at Alyth at 1101.
Idris and Telyn have their second egg of the season at Dyfi at 0801 precisely 72 hours after their first egg was laid.
Audacity and Jak had another egg laid today at Sauces Canyon. The time was 14:55. You can see the flattened thin-shelled egg below in the image. So sad for them.
A little branching but both feet were off the nest bowl for Swampy at Eagle country at 1524 on Monday.
Both eaglets at Duke Farms are little boys. I don’t think this is a big surprise. Their aggression was only limited to a bit of time when prey was scarce.
Wichita and Cheyenne are doing fine at the Kansas City Bald Eagle nest.
It was difficult to tell how much prey the third hatch at Little Miami Conservancy received today. This nest could warrant a *caution* in watching for now.
Johnson City eaglets are big and doing great.
It looks hot on that Osprey platform at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Stella and Talon still have three osplets! What a nice sight to see as I have missed checking on them for a couple of days. The difference between the first and third hatch had me worried, but so far, so good.
Big Red and Arthur’s eggs were laid from the 17-26 of March. The average period for Red-tail Hawks to hatch is normally between 28-35 days, according to most of the guides. Last year, Big Red’s first egg hatched on the 37th day. I have tried to avoid the nervous energy of an expectant auntie….but we are entering the time when we can all get excited.
First Bald Eagle Hatch at White Rock in British Columbia, Canada announced today by Hancock Wildlife that oversees the nest.
The fourth and I believe final egg at the Peregrine Falcon nest in Japan has hatched. Just look at the size difference. It will be a joy to watch that little one catch up.
A glimpse of a day with Hartley and Monty in San Jose.
Smile. Bradley returns with another Puffer! Oh, he reminds me of Ervie.
And another reason to smile. Murphy who incubated a rock and got an eaglet to raise last year will get another chance this year. How wonderful. It is a win-win!
Concerns for White-tailed eagle Milda this year as her mate Hugo has not been seen for four days. She has protected the nest of eggs from intruders but needs desperately to eat. This so reminds me of the year Ramis was killed. Milda, go eat!
For all the lovers of our gal Iris at Hellgate Canyon, a young male visited her nest yesterday and tried mating with our gal. Keep your eye on that nest!
That’s it for today. I spent my day watching Tuffy which was a sheer delight after the news of Meadow. Please take care. Thank you for being with us.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘H, PB’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Moorings Park Ospreys, Frenchman’s Creek Ospreys, Raptor Resource Project/Explore Decorah Goose Cam, Poole Harbour Osprey Project, SSEN Alyth Osprey Cam, Dyfi Osprey Project, IWS/Explore, Eagle Country, Duke Farms, Farmer Derek Kansas City Bald Eagle nest, Johnson City-ETSU, UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey Cam, Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, the Japanese Peregrine Falcon Cam in Osaka, SK Hideaways, Port Lincoln Ospreys, World Bird Sanctuary, Raine and LDF, and BirdGuides.
It was a sad day in the garden on Saturday morning.
Everyone always talks about a Spark Bird. There can be several of these significant birds throughout our lives. As a child in Oklahoma, it was the Blue Jays and Cardinals that my dad fed out of his hand. As a teenager, it was the Red-tail Hawks. Then, decades later, there was the most magical moment. It changed my life. It was a winter morning in the garden when my eyes connected with those of a female Sharp-shinned Hawk within half a metre of me. Since that day, hawks have been visiting the garden in search of a “Sparrow Blue Plate Special”. Now, to have an Immature Cooper’s hawk die in my garden is simply heartbreaking. The carcass is going for testing for HPAI, as there were no obvious signs of trauma. However, I suspect the hawk flew into the garage belonging to the house next door or somehow broke its neck, colliding with the thicker branches trying to catch a songbird.
The happy ending to this, if there could be one, is that the hawk’s body is going to our local museum as part of their specimen collection. If you find a bird whose carcass is in good condition, check with your local natural history museum or wildlife centre to see if they would be interested in having it as part of their specimen collection.
It was 14 degrees C Saturday afternoon at the nature centre. The Canada Geese had moved from the main lake to the smaller ponds and fields to forage. There were hundreds of Dark-eyed Juncos, several dozen Chickadees, Woodpeckers, and House Sparrows enjoying the warmth as a huge hawk flew overhead.
Meadow is at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey and is getting the first-class care this rehabilitation centre is known for!
Meadow being weighed.
An ambassador celebration at Audubon!
Two little eaglets being fed at the ND-LEEF nest. Looks like the new Mum has been named Gigi.
There has been some concern for the One eaglet in the nest at Tremplealeau, Wisconsin. The male disappeared and the female is alone.
UPDATE: Dad has returned to the Trempealeau Nest and two fish have come in already – Saturday! Yeah.
The situation at Moorings Park improves for Tuffie bite by bite.
Tuffie had some of the leftover fish early and it appeared that he might have had some other bites. It was when I returned from my walk at the nature centre, that Tuffie had a nice feeding. After Ruffy ate, Tuffie was fed and then both of them ate together.
‘H’ gives us a more detailed day’s report for our little one at Moorings Park. “Tuffy ate at least 54 bites at the first meal of the day; 1109 headless fish, Tuffy was attacked by Ruffie, Tuffy moved away to the rail and never went back to eat. Harry removed the leftover fish;1156 Harry returns with what appeared to be the leftover fish. Tuffy is beaked several times and was not able to eat;1455 Harry in with whole tilapia, Tuffy is beaked and intimidated several times while Ruffie is fed. At 1526 Ruffie moves away, and Tuffy is finally able to eat. At 1533 Ruffie returned to the table, Tuffy was intimidated and turned away. Ruffie ate until 1538, then Tuffy moved up and the two ate side by side until 1540, when Tuffy was beaked again. Ruffie finished the fish. Tuffy ate at least 66 bites at this meal.”
With my bad math, that would seem to be at least 120 bites of fish for Tuffie today – more than the two previous days counts.
Oh, the size difference between these two! So glad that third egg didn’t hatch.
Last instalment from ‘H’ – what a good day for Tuffie all things considered. “1710 large headless fish – Tuffy got 3 quick bites, was intimidated and turned away, later got 3 more bites and was beaked. Ruffie ate until 1722 then moved away. Tuffy had a short private feeding until 1726, then was beaked by Ruffie. Ruffie ate some more, then Tuffy got a few more bites starting at 1730. Ruffie quit the feeding again at 1736. Tuffy voluntarily moved away from Mom from 1738 t o 1740. Tuffy ate a few more bites at 1740, and then Tuffy went and laid down at 1742. Total bites for Tuffy at this meal = at least 77 bites.Total bites to Tuffy for the day so far = 197”.
The crop is almost as big as Tuffie!!!!!!! Get the tissue box.
The little bottom sticking out from under Sally belongs to Tuffie who, all in all, had a reasonable day. Each day is getting better in terms of food intake for Tuffie.
Over the past seven years, turning points come on nests like this one. Whether or not it is the change from the Reptilian Phase into the period when juvenile plumage is coming, or if the weather shifts and the fishing gets better, or if the female ‘decides’ that the little one is going to live and begins to feed it, we should be watching and waiting to see what it is on this nest.
Many of you will have shed tears of joy for little Tuffie today. He is hanging in there and all that good energy from the Tuffie Fan Club must be helping!
The second egg was laid at the Patchogue Osprey platform on Long Island Saturday morning around 0858.
In the UK, Storm Kathleen is hitting areas hard. Dorcha was just blown off the perch at Loch Arkaig.
The storm is not blowing so hard at Loch of the Lowes, yet.
The winds were howling at Alyth, where Harry and Flora have their nest.
Storm Kathleen is kicking up waves at Rutland as Maya and Blue try to protect their eggs.
Idris holding on to a huge fish while the gale blows at Dyfi.
Telyn is soaked.
What a great screen capture of Idris and Telyn.
Extremely gusty at Glaslyn.
Same gusts at Llyn Brenig where there was a fish delivery. You might recall Blue 372. She was over at Glaslyn with Aran and flitting from nest to nest. She is trying to find a mate…well, this is her! And this is what is happening in the image below: “LJ2 has been joined on the nest by Blue 372 this afternoon.Blue 372 is a 3 year old Scottish female translocated to Poole Harbour in 2021, she has been seen on a number of Welsh nests over the past week or so and is now braving the winds up at Llyn Brenig. LM6 our regular female has not yet returned from migration.”
She is determined. Will this be her nest?
‘H’ reports that the Mum at Carthage laid the season’s first egg. Saturday the 6th of April at 10:17:10.
Confirmed pip at US Steel’s nest of Claire and Irwin – and now it is a hatch. looks like another crushed egg hatch. Little one alive and squiggling this time!
Darling Big Red never seems to age except for her feet and legs. She and Arthur continue their dedicated teamwork to hatch those four little hawklets.
Iris might have wished she had waited a few days to return to Montana.
Do not get upset if you check on the little owlet at Wolf Bay. They are both fine. There is a prey item currently on the nest, Saturday evening, that is white.
JBS20 is getting those wings strong. Adult in to fed but JBS20 is good at self-feeding!
Was it a quail lunch at the Redding Eagle nest? or a Guinea Fowl? Both eaglets are doing very well.
E23 gets a fish delivery from Mum. It must have been delicious. The fledgling ate all of it.
A family portrait at the West End nest of Akecheta and Thunder.
Little heads pop up for dinner at the Fraser Point nest of Cruz and Andor.
All is well at Denton Homes.
Happy eaglets at Decorah North.
Diana Persinger recorded a video for FB of a very messy meal for these two at Decorah North.
Everything is good at Little Miami.
Little fluff balls at the ND-LEEF nest.
Worried about Angel? She was on the nest with Tom on Friday.
There are no worries about Leaper and Jersey. They had crops most of Saturday and were about to burst late in the day and Dad had a fish in his talons and Mum had one, too!
The fortune of a nest can shift from good to bad to good. Let us hope this is what is happening at Moorings Park.
Hatch watch has begun for the Fort St Vrain Eagles in Colorado.
There is some thought that the ‘original’ Dad at Pittsburgh-Hayes has returned to the nest after being gone for a very long time. (I would have to check my Memorial Page). Is it possible he was in care, rehabilitated, and released and came home?
This was posted by WingsOfWhimsy with the photos below. They sure look alike.
“WingsOfWhimsy 20 hours agoA little bit of interesting news to share. I will say right up front that I have VERY little personal knowledge to go on here, so I will direct you to either the live cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l95k-… or the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/36054… for additional info. There is a theory that the original “Dad” from the Pittsburgh Hays nest has returned. Dad has been away for quite some time, and HM2 has bonded with Mom, although their egg failed to hatch this season. (I believe mom was first seen with HM2 in September.) Recently a visitor has been on the scene, and I have to admit… even I see the similarities! Could it be that Dad has returned? This is certainly exciting, but also a bit concerning. If this is Dad, both he & HM2 likely consider Mom and the nest to be theirs. These comparison photos were shared by a FB Group user: Lynda Philips, comparing Dad and the recent visitor. This is all I know right now, but I will update as best as I can. The folks in the group or on chat are surely more familiar than I am, though. Please consider checking in with them for more details!”
Yesterday I included a video by DaniConnorWild to show you the penguins in Antarctica. Today, here is a sobering article on the unprecedented heat rise on that continent and the fears that it has for the penguins and for humans. The author says with the rise to 38.5 C, “These events have raised fears that the Antarctic, once thought to be too cold to experience the early impacts of global warming, is now succumbing dramatically and rapidly to the swelling levels of greenhouse gases that humans continue to pump into the atmosphere.”
Thank you so much to the following who sent me comments, news, their pictures, screen captures, videos, articles, and those who operate the streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, J’, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, Stephen Basly, Tremplealeau, Moorings Park, PSEG, The Guardian, Geemeff, The Scottish Wildlife Trust (LOTL), Alyth SS, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Project, Marissa Winkle, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Llyn Brenig, DTC, PIX Cams, Cornell RTH Cam, Montana Osprey Project, Wolf Bay, JB Sands Wetlands, FORE, IWS/Explore, Denton Homes, Raptor Resource Project, Diana Persinger, Little Miami Conservancy, Window to Wildlife, Duke Farms, and Sassa Bird.
The humidex in Winnipeg, Manitoba was 38 degrees C. The temperature on the deck was 39 C at one time in the afternoon – not sure what that does to the figures the weather station is releasing. It is simply hot. There is little movement in the garden – some sparrows flitting in and out to get in the shade and eat some seed. No squirrels. No Blue Jays. No Crows. Not even a single feral cat. It is clearly not the time of day – afternoon – to be going out to check on ducklings and goslings. Someone sent me this photo. Sadly I do not know who took it but it is supposed to be goslings in our City crossing the asphalt. My gosh…those poor feet. Asphalt gets super hot in this heat.
Around 1900 a much anticipated five-minute downpour will make everything more humid, but it was so heavy the plants will appreciate the moisture!
The garden has been virtually empty. A few House Sparrows, a couple of squirrels came out around 1700 and a single Blue Jay. The heat impacts all of us even if there is fresh water and food waiting.
I am finishing off the newsletter for Tuesday late Monday but will check through my mail for any news and on a few of the nests…it is convocation for the granddaughter tomorrow morning. A nice day to celebrate and take the gang for a lunch before our lives return to normal.
On the radar! I am astounded when anyone takes a saw to a tree during breeding season. Every country should regulate the cutting down of trees and that means small ones, too that have nests of song birds. Mr Woodpecker no longer comes to the feeder because my neighbour cut down the ‘dead tree’. Gracious. It could have waited. Woodpeckers love dead trees – and this person even feeds the birds.
Oh, don’t we love those times when the Eagles take the little RTHs for lunch and wind up raising them as their own. I am sure you have all seen the nest that is now raising two RT hawklets. Precious. Look at its big sibling! Bald Eagle parents are doing well with these two…so interesting.
I have been watching the Patchogue nest closely as well as Loch of the Lowes. Laddie LM12 has not been seen since he brought in a small goldfish Sunday evening. The chicks are hungry and I am wondering if Blue NC0 will go and fish. She is a good fisher but her hormones are still in the brooding stage. Something has been going sideways at this nest and it could be intruders. No fish all day on Monday. Send your warm wishes.
Here is the weekly report from The Scottish Wildlife Trust on LOTL. Gives some good insight into how well the nest was doing and now another hiccup.
At the Glacier Gardens nest of Liberty and Freedom, little Hope is growing.
There is growing concern that the male, A59, at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest is missing and presumed injured or deceased. He was banded in NJ in 2000 making him 23 years old.
That sweet little eaglet at the Decorah Hatchery nest in Iowa is grown into a beautiful eaglet waiting for its turn to fly.
The Patchogue Osprey platform sponsored by PSEG on Long Island continues to astound me. That said, I want to say that this nest could turn. Mini was shut out of the last two feedings on Monday evening – at 1801 and 2022 because Big attacked.
Mini was eating at 0900, eating again at 1106 and had an enormous crop from a fish delivered around noon – which he was fed for approximately 30 minutes! When you have a male that delivers fish almost every 2 hours that are a good size with no visible intruders – wow…even a tiny fourth hatch has hope. And so should we even if Big, on occasion, rears its head.
1230. Most of the fish remains – Mini has a huge -huge -crop and Mum will get some nice fish, too.
Siesta time.
Right now Mini is doing just fine. The Dad is a Daddy Door Dash with those fish. Mini had several private feedings once the big ones were full. Around 1426 one of the Big ones ‘looked’ at Mini and I wondered but Mini stayed fixed by the fish. It was mostly gone when it was his turn but he did get some and then at 15:17ish Dad hauls in another big one. Mini is eating at 1542 and has a crop, still fish…what a nest!
Mini is going to look ‘thin’ – he is eating. It is the stage of development the little one is in. He is growing like a bad weed, thankfully. Those wings are more than twice the size they were a week ago. Still tiny compared to the big siblings but if these parents can keep this up – well, Mini…you just might helicopter and fly!
1425:
1428:
1542
Big intimidating Mini. He has to walk over…this is not good. The rule is: Never look the older sibling directly in the eyes. It sets them off. You can see that Mini has a crop from the earlier feedings. Right now, all is good. He has eaten, and crop dropped and eaten some more—one day on this nest, one day at a time.
Middle was having a rough time of it at the Severna Osprey nest on Monday. Big reminds me of Zoe because she can just consume fish like she is Dyson the squirrel sucking it up and never getting full. Middle finally did get some morsels around 1504. If another fish would come on quickly, a big one, he could get some more food…this nest is like night and day to Patchogue where the osplets top eating when they re full and the others can get some fish.
‘H’ notes that Middle got a few bites at another feeding. Middle will be very hungry today. let us hope that the fish start returning to this nest.
Things are just fine at the Outerbanks 24/7 nest. Everyone gets fed.
Still looking alright at Cowlitz PUD.
It is hard to say what is happening at Oyster Bay PSEG because Mum loves to block the view when a fish is delivered. Babies are tiny and she gets back to brooding them right away. Temperature at the nest is 65 F.
The two tiny osplets at Seaside appear to be doing alright. Lots of heat shimmer coming on that camera.
All appears well with Duke and Daisy at Barnegat Light in NJ.
‘R’ sent me the forecast for Florida and there is no rain predicted for the St Petersburg and the Achieva Nest. It has to be dire there with the drought. Big and Middle waiting on the nest for a delivery…waiting and waiting. Will the osprey have to migrate north if the droughts in Florida continue along the SW coast?
Blue 022 watches his chicks as CJ7 feeds them.
Lots of fish and fat little Bobs at the Dyfi Osprey nest in Wales of Idris and Telyn.
Aran is an excellent provider. The two little Bobs are doing well for his first season with new mate, Elen.
Louis has been breaking all manner of breakfast fish arrival records for Dorcha and their Only Bob at Loch Arkaig.
As the sun sets in western Scotland, Louis has another fish on the nest just in case anyone is famished.
Dorcha was hit by the Tawny owl last night. The osplet is alright! Thanks Geemeff.
We always need a giggle…this time it is thanks to Richmond at the SF Whirley crane nest he shares with Rosie.
Blinked and the Llyn Clywedog Bobs grew up! What a beautiful place to hatch and a reservoir that gets stocked with 40,000 fish every year.
Lou and Annie tried to have some private time but…they got interrupted.
Both Hartley and Monty delivered prey to a very loud eyas! What a crop. Now smile. This scrape has had a complete turnaround. That is Monty’s shadow with Hartley feeding the chick.
If someone tells me that they are absolutely 100% certain that the third hatch at the Evergy Topeka Falcon Cam is ‘healthy’, I will scream.
The feather development is entirely delayed. Will the feathers coming in caught in the sheaths ever break loose? Will the eyas get help if they don’t.
Lots of chatter about who is feeding Dale Hollow 17. It does look like a male that showed up after Obey disappeared has been providing fish. At the end of the day, it is just good that this eaglet is eating well. Hopefully River will have another mate. Maybe she will rebuild this nest, maybe not. DH17 looks good.
Black storks growing big and strong.
The Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest of Martin and Rosa has completely collapsed. It fell down completely during a food delivery to Flora who slipped and fell and took it down with her. She could be heard. Parents are calling her. She has fledged. Send good wishes.
The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey continues to take in raptors caught in glue traps. This post explains what must be done to release the poor birds caught in these traps – the behind-the-scenes work that the rehabbers do—thinking of a donation? How about a case of Dawn?
Ospreys like nests with a clear view – on top of dead trees, on power poles, on light stands. They have adapted to humans taking over their territory. Sunnie Day posted a great article on a solution to the issue of nests on lighting platforms. Have a look! I think a lot of places and, in particular, ball parks and university athletic fields, could learn from this story.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care all – continue to send your best wishes off to all the birds. Nests are like being on a carnival ride this year – joy, fear, up and down and sideways. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped to make up my newsletter today: ‘H’,Geemeff, ‘R’, ‘SP’, Sydney Wells and Bald Eagles 101, Nick Beres NC5, LOTL, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Glacier Gardens, Raptor Resource Project and Explore.org, PSEG, Severna Ospreys, Outerbanks 24/7, Cowlitz PUD, Seaside ospreys, Barnegat Light and Conservancy Wildlife of NJ, Tampa Bay 168 Hour Forecast, Achieva Credit Union, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Geemeff and Friends of Lock Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, SF Bay Ospreys, CarnyXWild, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall Falcons, DHEC, Maria Marika and Black Stork Ciconia Nigra FB, Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle Nest, Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, and Seattle Parks and Recreation.
For a couple of months now I have been hoping to give a brief shout out to the amazing wildlife rehabilitation centres that provide the raptors (and other species) with a second chance at life. One recent patient was our beloved Little Bit ND17 that was taken for care at Humane Wildlife Indiana. Each of us knows how important the individuals are that pick up, transport, and care for our raptors.
Today, however, I want to focus a moment on the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida. A quote used yesterday by Margaret Mead that came from the book Malena and Klepetan. A Love Story on Wings is once again appropriate.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Before there was a Centre for Birds of Prey in Florida, there was the Audubon Society. The year was 1886 -136 years ago. George Bird Grinnell, editor of Field and Stream, decided it was time to try and unite all people interested in protecting birds. He made an appeal in the magazine and by 1887, he had received positive responses from 39,000 people who joined the new Audubon Society. Unfortunately, the adventure was so successful that he magazine staff could not keep up with the demand! In 1896, Mrs Augustus Hemenway from Boston founded the Massachusetts Audubon Society. What was it that made Mrs Hemenway so angry that she set about trying to fine ways to protect the birds? The wholesale slaughter of birds of prey for their plumage used in hats. Florida was the state that supplied the overwhelming majority of hat plumes and, as a result, the beautiful raptors became very scarce. The Audubon Society worked tirelessly to get state laws passed that would outlaw the killing of birds for plumage. Hand in hand with the lobbying for legislation to protect birds was education. It was deemed important to educate the public – young and old – on the value of birds to our lives and the need to do as much as we can to protect them.
A full history of the early decades of the Audubon Society can be found hre:
In 1900, fifteen wealthy and influential individuals met at the Maitland estate of Clara Dommerich to discuss how they could stop the wanton death Florida’s raptors. The fact that the killing of the birds so that their feathers could adorn hats of the rich and famous drove the small group to form the Florida Audubon Society. The Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey would evolve and become a driving force in the care and rehabilitation of injured raptors. Here is a wonderful article – and I would ask you to note that the portrait of Marie Antoinette shows her wearing a hat with plumes. The plumes also appeared on military hats and clothing.
The Rt. Reverend Henry B. Whipple, the first President of the Florida Audubon Society said, “Many of these beautiful creatures are no longer to be found, unless in the Everglades. The murderous work of extermination has been carried on by vandals, incited by the cupidity of traders who minister to the pride of thoughtless people.” The feather industry in 1900 employed 83,000 people with an income of 17 million US dollars. Taking into account 2.95 % inflation, “…$17000000 in 1900 is equivalent to $591551428.57 today.” That is hard to grapple with – 599 billion dollars. That is a huge industry and the fifteen people meeting to form the Florida Audubon Society must have known they had their work cut out for them if they were to succeed. People were murdered. The killing of all birds but game birds was outlawed in 1901 in Florida. It was a meagre beginning as so many birds were left off the list including “hawks, crows, owls, shorebirds, ducks, pigeons, butcherbirds, meadowlarks and robins.”
In 1903, US President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt stated, “I do not understand how any man or woman who really loves nature can fail to try to exert all influence in support of such objects as those of the Audubon Society.” Roosevelt was active in trying to create areas where the wildlife could be protected. This includes Pelican Island along with 230 million acres for wildlife refuges, forests, and parks.
The subject of this blog is the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey that opened on the 19th of October 1979. Their mission is “the rescue, medical treatment, rehabilitation and release of Florida’s raptors.” Their statistics are enviable. Since their founding they have rehabilitated more than 600 Bald Eagles who were successfully released into the wild. they are also active in education and research.
Here is more information on the Centre and what they do to enrich, protect, and preserve birds of prey in Florida: https://cbop.audubon.org/
How many reading my blog today recognize the name ‘Smedley’? On 7 June 1998, Smedley, an Osprey nestling, was admitted to the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey. Smedley had fallen out of his nest. As a result, his right wing was broken. The Audubon Centre gave Smedley a second chance by keeping him as one of the raptor ambassadors.
For those who love Ospreys you have probably heard that Ospreys do not do well in care. Smedley spent 24 years at the Audubon Centre from the time he was a nestling. He could not fly and the slumping of his right wing needed attention. In addition, he had imprinted on humans and could not live in the wild.
In May, Smedley’s wing began to droop more. The staff at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey designed and made a harness for him. The wing continued to get worse with the harness and then a sling working for awhile. Then Smedley began flipping on his back and he was not able to right himself without human help. His mouth and eyes would get full of sand (the material you can see in Smedley’s enclosure. The issues continued to worsen and the staff at the centre “decided as a group that we need to let Smedley go so he can fly free in a different life and end the hardship this life has become.” They did not, of course, take that decision lightly. It was also decided that the week prior, Smedley would enjoy the most delicious fish meals. On 24 May 2022, Smedley was released from his suffering so that his spirit could soar. I want to thank ‘L’ for this information and for the picture of Smedley above – the last image of this beautiful Osprey, Smedley.
Since 2017, Smedley had a companion named Bailey sharing his enclosure and being his friend. Bailey arrived at the Centre from Hog Island, Maine, where she had sustained a broken right wing due to a Great Horned Owl Attack (GHOW). She was then attacked by wasps and eagles. Poor thing. She is the only surviving osplet of Rachel and Steve at Hog Island in 2017. Her other siblings were taken by a GHOW. Bailey thwarted the attack of the owl only to be stung so badly by wasps that she leapt out of her nest prematurely. A platform was built for Bailey and then she was attacked by Bald Eagles. She did eventually fledge on her own but she sustained wounds and did her own migration in style (via jet airplane) to Florida to the Audubon Centre in November 2017.
Hank is a ‘glove trained’ Osprey at the Centre. Oh, isn’t he gorgeous. Hank came to the Centre from Biscayne Bay as a nestling in 2017. Several attempts were made to return him to his nest but, they always failed because the adults did not return to care for their chick.
The goal of every wildlife rehabilitation centre is to release the birds back into the wild so they can live their lives. If for any reason they cannot be released, then the focus is to provide the best life the Centre can provide or at another place around the country – full of quality care, interaction, and enrichment.
Other ambassadors include Frank (Francis), the Bald Eagle, named after St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint and Protector of all Animals. Frank came to the Centre for Birds of Prey in 1991. He has continual issues with his eyes and his respiration. As a glove trained eagle, Francis is a great ambassador for the centre and his species.
A beautiful hawk mantling its food. ‘L’ says that this Cooper’s Hawk has a svelte body until he puffs up to protect his food.” The army of people that help the raptors at the Centre for Birds of prey work very hard making sure that the birds get the food and calories required so that they stay in top form even though they cannot be released. Such a cutie. Check out their website for the stories of the other 37 ambassador birds.
The staff and volunteers also observe the non-releasable birds, the ambassadors, closely making sure that they have the type of enclosure that is best for them. Here is a great short article on how they do this:
The Centre and the staff educate people on the damage that humans have done to the environment of the raptors. ‘L’ said, “We irrigate/drain land for cultivation and crops which is the death knoll for black storks and other wildlife that relay on the water flooded areas in Europe. Living in Florida, I am so fortunate to see Swallow Tailed Kites as they migrate here for breeding….but we’ve removed their nesting sites for development too. You used to be able to see them as far north as North Carolina. Not anymore….they struggle in Florida for nesting sites.” As ‘L’ mentioned I am well-versed on the destruction and outright extinction of birds of prey in the United Kingdom and the great effort now made to restore those species.
The clinics rely on the love and hard work of an army of volunteers along with donations for vital supplies, medicines, and buildings to teach the raptors how to fly and hunt prey. No one is getting rich! It is, indeed, done for the love of raptors.
I want to thank ‘L’ who provided me with the last image of Smedley and some of the other raptors that she cares for at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey. ‘L’ is dedicated to making their lives enriched and to helping us understand how important raptors are – how we are destroying their environment by the hour and what we might do to mitigate that destruction. Thank you ‘L’ for all you and the team do at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey do for our beautiful birds.
Thank you so much for joining me today. I will have a round up of nest activity this evening. Take care. See you soon!
It was really difficult to keep up with the number of fish coming on the Port Lincoln Osprey nest yesterday but, everyone got something to eat. It does not appear that any of the brothers were left out and some, if not all, had two fish.
The winds picked up and the lads were all hunkered down at 18:57:22. It is often hard to tell what the weather is like just looking at the screen but it sure appears to be windy and later on the boys have some rain drops on their wings.
Dad is still out fishing for them. Ervie got the next fish delivery after being hunkered down. He was eating it at 19:49:37. Falky is hungry! Bazza is just watching.
Dad flew in with another fish at 20:22 and Falky got that one. So all the lads went to bed with some fish in their tummies. Dad, you are really amazing.
Bazza had a really nice fish at 14:03:54. He sure had to defend it. Ervie came flying in and the pair had a very short brotherly tussle but, Bazza maintained control. Good for you, Bazza!
It might have looked horrible watching it, these three have been so polite to one another. They may never have the competition for food some regions have but it is good to be able to protect your ‘fish’ and Bazza did a great job handling Ervie.
Bazza enjoying his fish in peace.
Today might just be the day that Bazza joins the skies with his brothers. I wish there were cameras all around the barge to watch them flying and having fun with one another!
The Audubon Society posted an interesting picture of an Osprey named Smedley. Some of you might know the story of Smedley. I didn’t and it is quite heart warming. Smedley fell out of his nest in 1998 and injured himself to the point that he would never be able to be released into the wild. He could not fly. He has remained at the Audubon Centre for Birds and Prey – count it – 23 years! His wing injury began to bother him and a sling was constructed so that he could move about comfortably.
There he is with his sling. What a wonderful story. Just heart warming. If you travel to the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida you might see Smedley. It is near Orlando.
One of the reasons this is such a heart-warming story is that many Osprey do not do well in care. Smedley is certainly the exception and maybe a look back at what – in particular – the rehabbers did when he arrived could help improve the success rate of Ospreys going into care now.
The Bald Eagles continue to work on their nests. Harriet was hit very hard by the GHOW that has a nest near to hers and M15s’ in Fort Myers. This was a growing problem last year with both the adults and the eaglets. Yurruga continues to grow and develop her self-feeding. She is adorable. There is no news on WBSE 27’s release. One of my eagle friends tells me that the GHOWs have been to visit the nest in Farmer Derek’s field but there is a problem – the raccoons have dug a hole in thee nest. She suggests that he get a raccoon baffle – great idea! Funny thing. We all loved watching those owls hatch and grow but my goodness they can kill everything in sight – and do.
Take care everyone. If I see Bazza fledge I will let you know. If I miss it – let me know. Thank you for joining me today.
Thank you to Port Lincoln Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures and to the FB page of the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey where I grabbed that image of Smedley.
