Victor Hurley has posted a very informative post regarding the male fledgling from the CBD in Melbourne. There has been some speculation as to why he has remained on the nest after he fledged yesterday.
Here, it has been 16.7 C. Unthinkable the middle of November. We even had rain and when Don and I were having tea with Anne today there was a Dark-eyed Junco scratching for seed along with nearly 40 European Starlings, 80 Sparrows, 5 Blue Jays, 2 Crows, and any number of squirrels roaming around.
We are trying to teach Toby the difference between Brock and ‘Cat’. He is learning – and, indeed, he knows Missey and Hugo Yugo so hopefully he will not bark at Brock but only ‘Cat’ – meaning the domestic pets that come into the garden who do not need to be fed and who occasionally try to take a bird.
I hope this finds you well and happy. We are doing superb! Take care.
Thank you to Victor Hurley for sharing his thoughts on FB.
We hope that you had a terrific day. It was glorious weather, again, on the Canadian Prairies and due to be +12 C tomorrow – unthinkable but welcome.
The male fledged at Melbourne followed by the last female. Here are the details from Victor Hurley. Please note that the live stream will be turned off almost immediately.
Off the goes:
The return – thank goodness he wasn’t injured.
More images from today:
We will miss them! People working in the offices have confirmed sightings of the first female that fledged afterwards with her flying brilliantly. My contributor ‘A’ has a direct line to the rehabber that will care for any of the trio should they get injured and will alert us.
Congratulations to everyone at Melbourne, and a big thank you to Victor Hurley and Mirvac for the two streaming cams that allowed us into the special world of peregrine falcons.
In another note, Rose and Ron have their first egg at the WRDC nest in Florida. Thanks, Heidi! Rose laid this egg 21 days earlier than the first eggs in previous years.
It says Monday, but it is actually late Sunday night.
I hope each of you had a lovely weekend. We had snow and ice, and it wasn’t all that wonderful, but it warmed up today to 1°C, so some of that treacherous ice has melted. Thank goodness! The garden animals have been very busy, and on Saturday, there were so many European Starlings that it was completely impossible to count them. Oh, they are lovely birds. Our friend Geemeff was here to see them, and they noticed that our Blue Jays are much brighter in colour than those in the UK.
Heidi has sent me the most informative presentation on the issue of the ospreys in the Chesapeake. It is worth sharing with everyone who cares about the destiny of our fish hawks in that region.
Heidi writes: “This was a very informative presentation about the decline of ospreys around the Chesapeake Bay region. It includes some general osprey educational information, then at around the 49 minute mark, they start to talk more about the decline of ospreys, and specifically as it relates to industrial fishing of menhaden. It is a long video (2 hours), but I watched it in 15-20 minute increments over a couple of days.”
SK Hideaways Videos for the Week of 2 November 2025
All my videos stem from my love of raptors. My mission is to inform, educate, and entertain viewers. I have never and will never monetize my videos. They are purely a labor of love that give me great joy to share with anyone kind enough to view them. Much gratitude to Mary Ann Steggles for bringing my videos to you.
367 Collins St. Falcons, Mum F24, Dad M24, and 3 chicks
Morning Shenanigans More Vigorous & Daring. NEW ~ Louvre Perching (2025 Nov 7)
As fledge nears, the chicks are more active and even a little twitchy, especially first thing in the morning. Their wing exercises are more vigorous, their gutter stomping louder and bouncier, and all of this happening more often on the ledge. Today, one sister made it to the louvre ~ another milestone.
Chicks Take Self-Feeding Seriously ~ Give Mum the Boot (or Beak) (2025 Nov 7)
The chicks were all over mum F24 when she delivered breakfast a little later than they would have liked. They needed no help devouring every last morsel and then gave mum the heave-ho when she stopped by for leftovers.
SE36 FLEDGES✈️ Follows SE35 to Dad’s Perch🌲 and Back Again🎉 (2025 Nov 7)
SE36 had a beautiful fledge, flying to Dad’s perch tree to meet SE35, who flew moments before. The eaglets were frisky and lively all afternoon ~ seemed like they were planning SE36’s fledge along. After an exhausting day, the siblings pancaked in the nest overnight.
SE35 Leaves Nest for 2-Hour Exploration ~ SE36 Remains on Sentry Duty (2025 Nov 6)
SE35 took to the forest for a 2-hour exploration of the habitat. SE36 was content to keep an eye on things and simply look stunning. When SE35 returned, all was well between the eaglets and they simply got on with their day.
Gimbir Watches Diamond Feed Chick #1 from Cilla Stones 🥰 (2025 Nov 7)
Gimbir continued his on-the-job training after delivering one of many meals. While he typically flees after deliveries, this time he perched himself on the Cilla stones and watched Diamond feed his first born. It was one of the most heartwarming displays I’ve ever seen.
Gimbir Brings 3 Starlings in 9 Minutes ~ Chicks Gets First Meal (2025 Nov 6, 6:01-6:29)
Gimbir showed his paternal chops, delivering a significant bounty to the nest for the 17-hour-old chick and Diamond. His 9-minute hunt reaped 3 starlings. Wonder if Diamond was impressed as we were.
Gimbir Meets His Very First Chick ~ Moments of Puzzlement Ensues (2025 Nov 5)
Gimbir seemed somewhat perplexed to see a fluff ball where there used to be an egg. While he hasn’t yet learned the subtleties of fatherhood – or even the not-so-subtleties, he will do so in time. Here we look at his first two visits with his very first chick.
FIRST HATCH for Diamond & Gimbir ~ From Pip to Hatch in 7 HOURS (2025 Nov 5)
Diamond increased moving and shaking of the eggs as she likely detected a pip and heard at least one chick. Chick #1 was motivated to see the world! The video shows progress from pip to hatch over 7 hours
Shadow then Jackie Make Pre-Season Nest Visits🪹Rendezvous on Roost Tree🌲 (2025 Nov 3)
Adult visits to the Lookout Snag and Basement were gifts enough. But then, Shadow and then Jackie each visited the nest. Shadow brought 2 sticks with Jackie following a bit later to inspect the still messy nest. It’s pre-season time, so every visit is an extra special gift. The cherry on top was Jackie and Shadow’s rendezvous on the Roost Tree.
Cholyn & Chase Do Major Nestorations with Massive Sticks (2025 Nov 3)
Cholyn and Chase continue shoring up the rails of the original nest, bringing in massive branch after massive branch plus soft material from the fluff factory. Typical disagreements about what furniture should go where are quickly resolved. They depart the nest at the end of the video, flying away to their secret hideaway. Listen for the beautiful chortles.
It continues to be possible that the falcons Gimbir and Diamond at the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape in Orange will only have one eyas to care for and what a lucky little fluffy white ball this one is if that is the case!
This little one is seriously adorable.
Cilla Kinross wants to name this little cutie pie. Here is the information – please vote noting that you can select up to three names but no more or your vote will be discarded!
While the little one at Orange has not even had its beak change colour, the trio at Melbourne’s CBD falcon scrape at 367 Collins Street are preparing to fly. Almost all of the dandelions have disappeared and they are enjoying watching their parents fly through the CBD luring them into a life away from the scrape. Soon! Too soon, of course.
Every year we wring our hands with worry around the fledging of the sea eaglets at Sydney. It is the Currawongs. Despite those pesky birds attacking our fledglings, Lady and Dad are persisting in feeding the eaglets on the nest and today on the branches of nest tree – Ranger Judy Harrington says this is a great milestone. In all the years I have watched this nest, the adults only fed at the nest or down by the River Roost. No doubt these feedings will keep the fledglings strong, strong enough to beat those pesky birds so that they can learn to hunt from Lady and Dad and live a marvellous independent life – both of them. No more starving sea eaglets on the pavement by the Discovery Centre taken into care — let’s hope! So happy.
‘A’ sends us their commentary from Melbourne: “Dear Mary Ann,
I presume you have seen this footage, but in case you hadn’t, I thought I’d send it to you:
It’s almost as if the two eaglets following each other and appearing to play together is giving the younger sibling confidence. It certainly looks like that (okay, I’m anthropomorphising but you have to admit, it does appear that way.)
Let’s hope this year will be different. Certainly, the pre- and post-fledge behaviours have been somewhat different this year, and the confidence of both eaglets may be greater when it comes to insisting on their right to exist in that forest. I have a lot of confidence that this is going to be the year that the eaglets manage to thrive despite the currawongs. If they work to some extent as a team, they will surely have a better chance. Let’s hope my completely irrational belief is based on something real.
The three at Collins Street are such a noisy and energetic rabble that the parents just dump food and flee. Meanwhile at Orange, Gimbir continues to observe and learn. He still has not done a feeding but I’m sure he will try soon. Meanwhile, I believe I was right about the egg that hatched being the last one laid. Certainly, it was the one with the least colour. But whether or not I am right about that, I don’t think either of the two remaining eggs is going to hatch. At this stage, I have enough confidence in Gimbir’s hunting to have stop fearing a second or third hatch, but I don’t think we’re going to have one.”
M15 is undoubtedly a handsome eagle, and he is working hard with F23 to prepare their SW Florida nest for eggs. Mulhady and Pepe already have three at Central Florida – they always seem to be the first!
I have a soft spot for the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby. Like so many of you, I adored Samson, but it appears that Beau is rising to the occasion, and let us hope that they have another fledgling this year! They are sure working on that nest.
Eagles at the US Steel nest.
They are working on the Decorah North nest in Iowa!
And at many other nests including Fraser Point on the Channel Islands.
There are ospreys visiting the Captiva Osprey nest on Sanibel Island! They came and went before I checked on the nest. The chat is very informative and Window to Wildlife has a daily log – the link to it is in the chat. This is a new osprey couple it appears.
Jack and Jill have been at the Achieva Credit Union nest in St Petersburg, Florida. Concerns persist regarding the structure, with worry that eggs and/or chicksmay fall through.
The environment remains on all of our minds. As much as we try to avoid plastic, it is almost impossible to do so. What a mess we have made of things! The Guardian brings us up to date on just one of the major disasters brought on by plastic.
Our local wildlie rehabilitation centre, Wildlife Haven is really busy. Lumi the rare lynx cub is now doing much better after refusing to eat. Now they have a Bald Eagle in their care.
Anyone reading my blog is aware of the dangers posed by lead to our beloved raptors. We must continue our fight to halt the production of lead ammunition, as well as lead in all types of fishing gear. Please raise your voice to ban this deadly substance any time you can.
How much do you know about Great Grey Owls? There are some lovely close ups of nestlings in this documentary by Our World.https://youtu.be/OVE3UzyvEIc?
From everyone in my family to yours, we hope you have a truly wonderful week. We look forward to you being with us again next Monday. Here are some recent photos of Toby and his sisters and a few of the garden animals that add so much joy to my life. Indeed, I cannot imagine a day without them despite all the work they create.
Toby is modelling his new turtleneck sweater. Toby is going to need a miniature closet soon.
Hugo Yugo looking beautiful in the golden light of sunset.
Baby Hope – the sweetest and most shy of the bunch.
The mysterious Missey.
Lovable Calico.
Mr Crow waiting his turn in line to get a peanut.
Brock trying to hurry and eat his roast chicken and ham before Toby finds out he is outside! As everyone knows, Brock is a true survivor. He has lived for five years outside on his own. He won’t come in the house and is very weary of being ‘trapped’ in fancy heated houses for winter. So, we simply love him, respect what life has thrown at him and what he is used to, and make sure he gets at least three large tins of food and fresh water every day.
One of five grey squirrels.
Do you know what the national bird of Canada is? Have a good read and celebrate the American Bird Conservancy’s Bird of the Week!!
Thank you to A, Heidi and SK Hideaways, to all the owners of the streaming cams that give us a glimpse – a great privilege – into the lives of our favourite raptors, to the authors of Facebook posts that keep us up to date on the nest happenings, and to papers such as The Guardian that continue to carry the environmental story. My blog would never be the same without their contributions. I am very grateful!
‘A’ is keeping me on tenterhooks as we waited to see how long it would take that little sea eaglet to get out of what appeared to be a crushed egg!
“No time to chat now but the hatch was well underway this morning when Lady got up from the eggs. The little one can be seen working away (see 09:58 this morning, 13 August) but the shell is very crushed and it is looking like it could be a long hatch. By 10.20 the top half of the egg looks to be crushed almost entirely. At 11:11 not much progress appears to have been made. A glimpse at 13:06 and still no hatch. Another glimpse at 13:23 and the little one has still not made an appearance though nearly half the shell has been crushed.
At 13:46 the eaglet appears to be breaking out through the crushed shell. It is now 2.30pm and I am hoping to see a hatch very soon. The wee one has been working for quite a while now and it appears to be getting very tired, though I hope I am wrong. Mum has remained on the nest during the day so far, though Dad has been nearby a lot of the time, ‘singing’ his half of a duet, though Mum is preoccupied and has not joined in.
I will let you know when we have a hatch – as I said, I’m hoping it will be free within the hour or even sooner. It is so close to breaking out.
14:50 and we can see a large hole in one side of the egg. But I can’t see the chick working inside the egg and it can’t have broken out of that hole yet. I do hope the little one is alright. I suppose it has plenty of oxygen and mum is keeping the egg and chick warm, so there is no reason why it can’t take a bit of a rest without it being a disaster. But I didn’t like the look of that eggshell. There has been so much rain during the incubation of these eggs, and they have got wet on several occasions though they haven’t really been soaked. The chick was working hard from inside the shell this morning, so we know it was fine at hatching time. There should be no reason for concern here, so why am I feeling so worried? I suppose it’s the first hatch on the Australian cameras for this season so it’s all a bit nerve-wracking. I will keep you posted.
15:27 and still no hatch. The shell is completely crushed on one side and the shell is ‘breathing’ so we know the chick is alive inside. But still it hasn’t managed to get out of the shell. The crushing has not pushed inwards onto the chick, so it has plenty of room. It is just tired, I think. But it’s been working for a long while now. Theoretically, it should be fine. Enough oxygen. Enough warmth. Still absorbing the last of the nutrients from the yolk sac. So all should be good if it just has a bit of a rest and then completes the hatch. Of course the nights have been very cold and it would have been better if the wee one had been able to dry and warm up and perhaps even have a snack before dark but there’s plenty of time for all of that. I just want to see the eaglet safely out of that shell. It’s nearly 4pm here (and in Olympic Park) so it’s been a long day for mum and chick. There has been a close-up of the second egg that suggests the beginnings of a pip. In this nest, it’s always hard to tell because of the thinnish long dark damp leaves which can look like a crack or pip (and which can also stain the egg), but there was some delayed incubation practised so it’s possible that the second egg is no more than a day behind the first. Fingers crossed for two safe hatches close together. “
Thank you to ‘A’ and to the Sea Eagle Cam for the screen captures above.
Thank you for checking in. Head over to the cam and watch the action in the Olympic Park. Let’s hope Dad catches those fish and other prey on that nest. These are going to be close hatches, we hope.
If you are a Royal Albatross fan, who isn’t???? RLK came in to feed the Royal Cam chick! Cornell Bird Lab shares that moment with us: https://youtu.be/Bpv85jcHWf4?
Thursday turned out to be a great day for Bald Eagles, just when I thought that there were none to be seen until winter. The local chicken farms, which cover a large area of the Annapolis Valley, provide carrion for the eagles – all of them I am told as well as the other farmers. It made me smile. Not the chickens crunched up in tiny cages, but their lives do not go to waste when they die.
Eagles were soaring over the estuary and at Grand Pre National Monument, the site of the Evangeline memorial. I was walking through the gardens when I heard the distinct call of a juvenile, and I saw two adults flying overhead. Following the sound, I located the baby in a gorgeous pine tree by the potager (kitchen garden area). The minute the adults and a fledgling appeared, this one cried for prey. It was a beautiful juvenile doing what juveniles do when they do not hunt for themselves- tracking the adults. What a distinctive call so different from an osprey.
Taken with a 200 mm lens and cropped – oh, how I wish I had my larger lens with me!
The nest was on the grounds of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I think they are pretty lucky – quiet and protected. It is the memorial site to the Acadians forced to leave Nova Scotia by the British. The Acadians were farmers living in the 1680s in an intertidal area. The tides were over 11 metres, some of the highest in the world. They reclaimed land using dykes, wooden sluices, and a series of drainage networks creating a rich soil that enabled them to become excellent farmers.
The memorial site remembers not only the cultural legacy of the Acadians but it is also the site of the Great Expulsion. The deportation of the Acadians began in the fall of 1755 and continued through 1778. The first group was approximately 7000 individuals. In total, about 11,500 out of a population of 14,000 were deported. Why? Well, two reasons. The Acadians would not be loyal to the British, but the second was more economical. The British wanted their prime agricultural land.
Brochures state: “The Memorial Church expresses the Acadian’s strong attachment to Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada. Built in 1922, with funds raised from Acadian communities throughout North America, the Memorial Church symbolizes the spirit of Acadian nationalism and the deep-seated desire to commemorate the tragedy of the Deportation. Architect René Fréchet of Moncton, New Brunswick, drew up the plans for the church, which reflect Normandy-style architecture of the 1700s. The design does not duplicate the original pre-Deportation church whose appearance is unknown. “
The Memorial Church at Grand Pre.
On the path leading to the entrance to the Memorial Church is a bronze statue of Evangeline. She is the focus of Longfellow’s poem, Evangeline, written in 1847. “Almost immediately after its release, the poem obtained worldwide popularity. Millions of people were drawn to the story of a young Acadian couple from the village of Grand-Pré, Evangeline Bellefontaine and Gabriel Lajeunesse, who were separated by the events of the Deportation. Evangeline, being a faithful, pious woman, vowed to find her true love Gabriel, yet she always seemed to be two steps behind. More than a fictitious character, Evangeline became a symbol of the Deportation and the perseverance of the Acadian people.”
View over the Annapolis Valley from ‘The Lookout’ north of Canning.
There are orchards and vineyards everywhere you turn. Indeed, the local artisans have been invigorated by the steady stream of tourists coming to the wineries and the distilleries in the area. Small villages that were losing young people appear to be stabilising according to the young ladies at one of the many coffee roasters in the area.
Tomorrow I am heading out in search of some shore birds. The Noodle Guy’s food is too good to pass up so you will find me there again before leaving for home Saturday afternoon. The joy has been staying in the quiet farmlands of the valley away from the tourist areas – loud, crowded, and overpriced. The cat sitter says that ‘The Girls’ are doing fine. Calico has even come out from under the sofa for pets. It is good to get away, it will be great to be home. The trip has turned out to be a good one. erful
Cornell Bird Labs gives us a hint as to what to expect now that Iris and Finnegan are ’empty nesters’.
Concerns have been growing for Antali who has not been seen on camera. Thank you, Dr Green and than you ‘PB’ for seeing this alert and sending it to me. Postiive energy out there please to help find Iris’s second baby.
‘A’ comments: “It was an awful day at Hellgate, with driving rains. But despite this, Finn brought in a fish for Sumeh, which she demolished in short order, finishing with a large crop. Antali flew in late (it was nearly 9pm) followed by both mum and dad. Dad brought the fish, which Iris took charge of, despite Antali trying to wrestle it from her. She fed Antali, so that once again he did not get to practice his self-feeding. He was hungry, grabbing at the bites, and vocalised throughout the feeding. But despite the dreadful weather, both fledglings had a decent-sized fish of their own today, Sumeh’s self-fed, Antali’s fed by Iris. The winds were so strong, Sumeh was literally tossed about by them when she flew off the nest. She started off by lying duckling style on the nest after she finished her fish, but as the rain grew heavier, she decided to head elsewhere, and took off in the gusty conditions. It is good to see the parents looking after this pair, and both fledglings coming to the nest for fish (obviously keeping an eye out for any sightings of an incoming Finn, in particular – he has been doing such a great job for this family. I was a little worried about this stage, where the fledglings have such a high caloric requirement, but at least Iris can fish for herself now and so Finn is only providing for three. Iris is helping with that too, I presume – today, though, it was Finn doing the fishing.
I too worry about Iris. She is so devoted to her osplets. She goes without food herself if the chicks need it. She has been stoic in the heat, shading the osplets even once they were pretty much fully grown, and sheltered them through a very hot summer. She has been the best mumbrella in heavy rains with howling winds, keeping her babies warm and dry whilst being soaked to the skin herself. She has been the most dedicated of mums, and I do feel concerned to consider how much this season may have taken out of her, and whether she will have the time and the opportunity to rest and eat before she heads off on migration. I do wonder why there is a need for these ospreys to migrate as far as they do – surely southern USA would be far enough. Africa seems a little extreme (and unnecessarily dangerous).
Antali returns to the nest at 20:08, in time to meet dad with yet another fish. Iris turns up as well. Finn leaves her to it and Iris claims the fish. Antali tries to peck a little at the fish but then just waits to be fed by Iris. At least he is getting fed – I was very worried about whether he would be able to compete for food with Sumeh at this stage of their development, and although I do wish Antali would be left to self-feed a bit more, I am basically just pleased that both osplets are being fed, and apparently fed enough, to be growing and looking healthy. Both appear to be mastering this new flying skill, though the winds were very challenging today. “
‘H’ reports:
8/15 Osoyoos osprey nest: Chick 2 fledged on 8/14 at 67 days of age, and s/he returned to the nest in about a minute. The cam was frozen for about three hours, and we didn’t know if Chick 2 flew again during that period of time. But, after the live stream was restored at 1149, we did not see Chick 2 leave the nest again on 8/14. On 8/15, Chick 2 decided to take an early flight at 0552. For the next few hours, Chick 1 flew out and back to the nest several times, but we did not see Chick 2 return. Then the cam froze again for almost 2.5 hours, and resumed at 1230. At 1230, Soo was seen on the nest eating alone. Hours passed without seeing Chick 2, and we were worried. Finally, at 1649 Chick 2 landed in the center of the nest right on top of Chick 1, practically knocking him/her off the nest. It is entirely possible that Chick 2 may have returned to the nest during the cam downtime, but we were relieved to see Chick 2 return after 11 hours. The siblings were both hungry, and did a lot of fish-calling. Olsen brought a small whole fish at 1923, and it was grabbed by Chick 1. The cam froze again at 2020. (There is talk of setting up a fund to raise money for a new camera for next season.)
8/15 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest: We are lucky that we still get to see all three of the fledglings at the nest or the perches. Louise has not been seen since she provided feedings on the t-perch on 8/10 and 8/11. Harvie is continuing to bring fish to the nest. It may not seem as though he is delivering enough fish to the nest to feed three active and hungry juvies, but he may be providing meals for them at off-camera locations as well. The intruder is still around. She has not been a major problem, and has not stolen a fish from the juvies in three days. The intruder sometimes lands on the nest, or the nest perches or the t-perch. At 1502, the intruder was standing on the nest-pole, when an adult osprey flew in quickly and flushed her off the pole. Then there was a brief chase that occurred within our view. We assumed that other adult osprey was Harvie. The fledglings are becoming more confident and bolder around the intruder. At 1908, the intruder landed on the nest, and she was forced off by one of the juvies. Harvie delivered a fish at 2018, and the intruder landed on the nest at 2020. The intruder simply stood there while one of the juvies was eating, but then she was forced off the nest at 2033 by one of the juvies… Well that did it, now the intruder was mad, lol. Over the next 25 minutes, the intruder dive bombed the two juvies on the nest at least 14 times. It seemed that she was mostly trying to harass them. There was only some occasional minor contact with her talons on their backs, but nothing too serious. She was not trying to hurt them… if she had been, she would have. The fledglings are learning life lessons. Unwanted ospreys interfering in their lives will be a part of their world.
WYL arrives to feed the Top Flat chick at the Royal Albatross Colony in New Zealand.
SE33 and 34 are getting bigger. The wings are longer as are their necks and as you can see they are nearly the same size. Lady is feeding them a small bird.
‘A’ visits the sea eagle nest: “It was also another wet day at WBSE. It seems that both eaglets are getting fed. SE34 is not at all intimidated by SE33, and is quite capable of starting a bonking incident if it feels antsy. Lady is reaching across SE33 to feed SE34, and there seems to have been quite a bit of red meat on the menu. It looks very nutritious. It may be easier to catch small birds at the moment than to fish in the rain. As long as the eaglets are being fed, we are happy. There does however appear to be a distinct size difference appearing between the eaglets, with SE34 looking noticeably smaller than its older sibling. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about at this stage but it is worth keeping an eye on. I was worried about one or both of SE34’s eyes the other day but they appear to be normal now so it may just have been rain or fish juice. (There’s often a chunk of fish stuck to the end of his beak, skewer-style, so there’s bound to be fish juice on his facial feathers.) They do both seem healthy and they are both being fed. Dad is doing a great job of keeping food on the nest and Lady is making sure both eaglets are fed. So far, so good. “
C16 on the Charlo Montana nest screaming for fish!
Oh, just look at how big those little ones are at the Osprey Environment Centre in Australia! If you recalled that there were three, sadly, one has died, but two are well.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Thursday 15th August 2024
Plenty of action today as Affric 152 and Garry LV0 flew on and off Nest One over a period of several hours, ignoring a quick flypast by the RAF. She spent a lot of time fish-calling and was eventually rewarded with a fish – but it was a teeny tiny little tiddler which she demolished in about three minutes. She called for more, but Garry didn’t oblige. The weather wasn’t very obliging either, wet and windy most of the day, and same again expected tonight and tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.02.27 (05.12.15); Nest Two 21.52.38 (05.17.08)
Jack and Shadow continue to let us see them, returning to the nest and the roost tree often. It is fall. Oh, these two!
Growing concerns for the lack of insects in the UK. But, it isn’t just the UK. There appears to be an international decline. What is causing it? We should all be concerned because the insects are part of this great food chain. The small birds eat them – think of that little Hobby and all the Dragonflies it eats. The larger birds eat the Hobby – and, ultimately, we have our Apex Raptors. They are the measure of the health of a region – without the ladder of prey they do not survive.
Thank you so much for being with us today! Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, PB’, Montana Osprey Project, Montana Osprey Cam FB, Hellgate Ospreys, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Fortis-Exshaw, Olympic Park Eagles, Living Bird Life and More, Charlo Montana, Cornell Bird Lab, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SK Hideaways, and The Guardian.
In North America, it is almost Halloween. Children still go door to door and hear screaming ‘Halloween Apples’ or ‘Trick or Treat’. I always feel sorry for them when it is cold and you can hardly see their costumes. We are all set – packaged goods only – lots of combinations of dried fruit. Presumably, they will eat their candies first and sigh when they see the fruit, but I won’t feel guilty about their teeth. I had a friend once who handed out toothbrushes.
Decades ago, it became clear that ‘incidents’ happen and children should not eat treats from people they don’t know unless they are fully sealed, etc. I often wonder why the community centres, schools, and families do not just have a local party for the children. When we lived in England, Halloween was not a ‘thing’. I understand it is now. We had Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November – jacket potatoes on the barbecue or bonfire. Sometimes called Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night. Effigies were burned. It always depended on whose side you were on, I was told (please correct me). Fawkes was part of a plot to burn down the Houses of Parliament; he was a Catholic in 1605. So, the effigy is sometimes considered the Pope, and some burn a figure of Fawkes in support of the monarchy. The holiday became official in 1859. It was all new to us and great fun – friends from the cup de sac at the foot of the gorse joined to celebrate. Gosh, I miss them!
The girls will be safely stowed away in the conservatory while treats are handed out. I still do not trust them not to run out the door – although I have to say that Calico has not even ventured near the door to do that. She will look out at the birds and, on occasion, at the cats visiting the feeding station, but she is mostly uninterested. The three girls still love story time. It is a ritual that prescribes I sit on the floor with a pile of blankets beside me. The little portable heater needs to be on. I must have a bag of treats. Calico will sit on my lap or the blanket. Missey is on the couch, and Hope is under one of the chairs. Treats were distributed, and then, today, we reached the end of H is for Hawk. If I do not do precisely as I have done since Calico first came into my life, she appears to get stressed. Ritual. I love it, too. We all know what to expect, and I get time to read some very good books.
Hope has decided to move into Missey’s basket. Missey doesn’t seem bothered. If I look for Hope and cannot find her, she will be in the basket! Just look at that bushy tail. Hope is a really sweet kitten. Missey loves playing with Hope (not so much Calico).
Calico has taken over the couch. We are so glad so many of your enjoyed seeing Hope and Calico with ‘Lewis’s’ pillow. It was a wonderful surprise – so thoughtful. Thanks, Auntie.
Other images from Saturday – cats lounging, the snow, Missey watching the birds.
Calico seems to have decided that she still needs to provide milk for Hope. She was bursting this afternoon…Hope is very well fed!
Now, one thing. Pumpkins and peanut butter. The squirrels are too well-fed to bother. I saw some little birds pecking, but the deer is like the pumpkins in Canada. I have discovered that pumpkins are dangerous to hedgehogs, so don’t put them out if you live where there are hedgehogs. We don’t wish to kill them. I loved the ones who came to the orchard at the end of our garden to eat the fruit that had fallen on the ground.
Before we check on Australia, M15 is getting really serious about his new mate and the potential for a family with her. He brought in two fish gifts on Saturday. She, of course, might know that she won the Bald Eagle lottery when they met and bonded. F23 could not have a better mate and provider for her and their babies.
At Port Lincoln, Goliath and Little are really into the Reptilian Phase. The Reptilian Phase generally begins around Day 12. Between the plumage of the newly hatched, that light down with the dark eye line and the slightest hint (or more) of the dark stripe on their back and their juvenile feathers. In the Reptilian Phase, the chicks look like they have been dipped in a pot of old motor oil. They are dark, scaly, slick, bald, ebony black heads with little copper-red feathers coming in at the back of the nape. Those coppery-red feathers will begin to appear elsewhere as well. The chicks become itchy as their blood feathers begin to grow. The feathers grow out of ‘blood quills’ if you did not know. If these are broken, they can die if the blood does not coagulate. It is the same with eaglets, and some of you will recall the season 2021 at Captiva when Joe and Connie’s two eaglets died of rodenticide poisoning. One directly from the poison and the eldest from its blood feather breaking, and because the blood did not coagulate (due to the rodenticide to kill mice/rats), it bled to death on the nest). From my observations over the years, this is the time when the chicks also begin bonking.
They are right in terms of development. Goliath is 12 days old, and Little is ten days old. The size difference can reflect the two days between hatch and gender, with the female being much larger than the male. You will notice that Goliath is darker with less down – it is the age difference. Little is just entering the new itchy phase. They will appear thin and ‘lean’. As this phase and the juvenile feather phase take over, their flight feathers, both the primaries and secondaries on the wing and the tail feathers, will come in. The largest and longest of the feathers take much longer to come in. Once all their feathers are in, they are ready to fly! No worries. We are a long way from fledge!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I write, Dad has brought in a whole fish at 0747 which lasted for two feedings an hour apart.
It is hard to tell how much fish Little received at the feeding. He got tangled with Goliath. Dad returned to fetch the fish at 0809. He will return it, but – he will have some breakfast, too. The fact that the parents can now eat will give them strength. It was physically hard on Mum during the last season with Zoe when she demanded so much fish that neither her siblings nor Mum had some at times. This year is going to be so very different. Hoping for the best for all of them. This family deserves a ‘break’.
All of the positive comments on the Port Lincoln Osprey FB feed must be heart-warming to those who fought hard for this intervention to happen.
The fish fairy arrives with four really nice size fish. Mum and Goliath and Little feast as does Dad.
PLO posts: “Dad the first one back and takes 1 fish. Mum feeds the 2 babies. Both babies full. Dad back for a 2nd fish and leaves the fish tail.”
‘A’ gives us her report: “There were several good feedings for both osplets at Port Lincoln today. Dad brought in a big whole breakfast fish at 07:47. and the ensuing feeding continued until 08:12. At 12:45, the fish fairy delivered four medium-sized whole fish. This fed everyone – dad was first to the nest after the delivery and grabbed one for himself. Mum then arrived to feed the kids. Neither parent is at all perturbed, it seems, by the aunty door dash and seem to be getting very used to it. It’s a race between them to get to the nest after the fairy leaves, given they know what they will find there. The feeding from those gift fish lasted for 37 minutes and, like the morning feeding, left both osplets with very very full crops. Another half fish was brought in by dad for dinner, at 18:42. So everyone went to bed with full tummies. And again today, there was no bonking and no signs of aggression between the osplets.”
‘A and H’ mention that there is really sad news coming out from Turnby Island, the Osprey nest of Partney and Marrum.
Calypso, the 2019 Port Lincoln Hatch, has been exploring the area. Everyone is hoping she will find a mate and raise chicks so Mum and Dad can be grandparents. Port Lincoln will build a platform for her if she does not settle on one of those available.
Port Lincoln has found another osprey nest with chicks that they did not know about! Check out that nest. Off the ground and away from predators.
At the nest tree in the Sydney Olympic Forest (the old Ironwood Tree), SE 32 decided to stay home. S/he had many meals and time with Lady and Dad – which brought joy and tears to all of us. SE31 was also seen. No one has seen 31 fed on camera but the eaglet is flying strong — send every positive wish you have for the eaglets as they persevere against the Currawong who would like to drive them from the forest!
Earlier News.
Currawongs harassing 31.
As soon as the adults flew off the nest (they had stayed with 32 overnight), the Currawongs came and pestered 32 til it flew off. Later, the parents are looking over the forest for their eaglets.
All is well at Orange. It looked like something other than a Starling arrived for breakfast at 0728. The two are really getting their primary and secondary wing feathers in as well as the tail feathers. The faces are changing and every day they get stronger and stronger on their legs. Diamond makes them stretch their necks to get their prey – strengthening those muscles that will become so valuable to them in the future.
‘A’ gives us the prey report from Orange: “At Orange, mum arrived home for the evening about ten minutes ago. The two eyases are asleep in their usual cuddle puddle, on the near side wall of the scrape (so largely invisible from the Box Cam). They are gorgeous. Here are the day’s time stamps: PREY 06.12.06 M takes, 07.27.50, 08.19.23, 10.42.06, 13:35:02, 17:10:05 FEEDING 06.13+, 07.22 M+B self feed, 07.28, 07.43( leftover starling), 09.08, 10.43, 13:37, 17:10 (M self-feed). HIGHLIGHTS: 06.07+ zoomies, 07.25.50+ B+M plucking, 12:58:10 Barru ‘broods’ Dudley. 12: 58:57 Marri’s turn, LEDGE CAMERA 10.09.20 M puts wing over B, 13:36.35 + Barru nipps at Xavier’s tail feathers.”
Did they? or didn’t they? Gabby invites V3 to mate.
The first confirmed case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza reaches the Antarctic. So, it’s not just melting sea ice but now H5N1 that is a massive threat to all species including the Penguins.
Everyone thought he retired – of course, Dr Peter Sharpe can never retire. He has Bald Eagle blood flowing through his veins and today he was fitting a camera so that Thunder and Akecheta’s breeding season can be viewed at their new nest. Of course, they could choose the old nest – thankfully there is a camera there. Thanks, Dr Sharpe!
Territorial disputes continue at the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty.
Always grateful to the kindness extended to our wildlife in trouble – normally created by us like fishing line! Completely tanged and the kind soul took the time – and great patience – to free this osprey.
In the UK, Babet, the storm that hit and caused extensive flooding and damage, also caused some birds to wind up in very unusual places.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourselves. We hope to see you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H’, Lady Hawk, PLO, Rohan Geddes, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Denise W Starr, SK Hideaway, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, British Antarctic Survey, The Telegraph, Down to Earth, Dave Gallivan, Deb Stecyk, Rachel Stevenson-Thomas, and Bird Guides.
With the warm weather, the garden has been a busy place. The European Starlings do not like the butter bark suet cylinders when they are frozen. They sure don’t know Canadian winter weather! Today, with the warm weather they softened up and the Starlings, the Crows, the Blue Jays, and the squirrels were out in full force filling up in case it gets really cold again soon. The weather says it is going to be a mild -8 or -9 as a high with -10 to -21 as lows for the next five or six days. Splendid.
I did manage to get some images of the garden animals to share while Lewis was on the table watching. Now, Lewis read the manual: when your mother makes that certain sound, turn and look cute! Missy is still reading the chapter in the Maine Coon manual about ‘affectionate and loving’. She certainly doesn’t like to pose for me today!
Lewis wants you to know that his nose is not dirty. His big sister likes to scratch the sides of his nose and the lines are from her nails. Ouch.
Mr Blue Jay was all puffed up today and so happy to have peanuts in the shell.
Little Red found a stash of peanuts in the snow and was enjoying them. Look how healthy he is and that beautiful red chestnut colour on his tail lined with the black. He is coming and going from the insulated boxes that we fitted in with the wood in the big wood storage unit. I think it is possible he has moved in. That would be brilliant. I have felt exceptionally guilty since his penthouse in the garden shed was torn down to make way for the conservatory this summer. But..he looks good. Beautiful ear tuffs. He is here every day foraging as well.
Elain’s wonderful video summaries of the adventures of Indigo! Be sure to have the sound loud so you can hear Indigo’s prey calling.
The AEF seems to feel that it is V3 that has been in and around the nest today and for the last 3 or 4 days and nights. He flew in with a big fish (after bringing in other prey items including a squirrel one day). Of course, how frustrating is it when you make the effort and despite calls, Gabby doesn’t show up? I hope he doesn’t give up on our girl (whichever V you are).
It is a big fish and it still has its head!
The male calls and calls. Eventually he gives up and eats the fish.
Gabby on the left. The male V on the right.
They flew in together – landing on the nest seconds apart – Wednesday evening at 1744. They did some restorations and went off to their own branches. Looking more like a couple – Gabby and V3 (who has an injury according to the AEF but it will heal).
There is any question down in Miami. Rose seems to have used all her feminine powers and won Ron over. She will be a good mate for him. I am assuming she is young with a few of the feathers in her head needing to turn white. Please yell at me if this is wrong!
It does seem to me that they need to get a little more nesting material in this nest if there will be eggs this breeding season. Maybe there won’t be – perhaps next year. We wait to see.
It is absolutely silly. Ron has a duck in his talon for breakfast. If you watch, he flies in from the bottom left corner to the back and around to land on the nest with Rose chasing him.
They need a good rain on the camera at Superbeaks! That would help with the view. The eaglets are now large enough that we could easily see them during feeding times when they are stretching their necks.
They are sure cute and there is still some soft dandelion fluff on their heads.
Pepe has just flown in and is getting a good look at the two eaglets. They have just finished a nice fish dinner.
Jackie and Shadow were working on their nest right before 1100 Wednesday morning.
Here is a video of their efforts even as the winds are increasing and a storm is approaching.
Alex continues to bring in the fish to the E3 nest. You can see them and many are buried underneath the nesting material. It looks like it is causing a lot of flies. Poor little E3-1.
The second egg at the E3 nest has hatched! Let us hope that the first hatch is a little darling to this one! 02:07:03.
The morning feeding at the Kisatchie E3 Bald Eagle nest on Lake Kincaid. Strong eaglets.
There was a posting that there was a pip at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest but that cannot be right. If you go to the Captiva Eagle cam, they have a clock counting the days from the egg is laid. Egg 1 is only 25 days old as I write this blog meaning that there is at least 10 days remaining if not more. Bald Eagle eggs take 35-40 days to hatch with many coming in on the 37-38th day.
Let’s all give a shout out to all these great Bald Eagle Mums. Here is Liberty – of Liberty and Guardian at the Redding Eagle nest in California – flying high. She is 24 years old. How many other female eagles can you think of that are in their late 20s? Harriet at SWFlorida for one. Cholyn at Two Harbours for another. Any more?
Meanwhile, the ospreys continue to visit the new platform nest on Lori Covert’s property on Captiva, one of the barrier islands just off the coast of southwest Florida.
If you are wondering, the Port Lincoln camera on the barge is offline. I do not know if it has been turned off intentionally, if there is maintenance, or if it is a technical or weather issue.
More and more eagles are being taken into rehabilitation for lead poisoning. It is simply outrageous that this is still an issue – one that can be easily solved by the simple outlawing of the manufacturing and sale of lead for any hunting and fishing equipment. There are alternatives.
Most of us are familiar with the Bald Eagle nest of Mr President and Lotus at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. The staff have discovered another nest. Is it another couple? or have Mr President and Lotus built a second nest? We wait to see.
It looks like L4 has a squirrel this morning at Cornell. Did Arthur deliver it? or did L4 catch it? My money is on L4 catching it since this was the first fledgling at Cornell to catch prey after fledging.
It is a shout out to the NZ DOC who take excellent care of the Royal Albatross at Taiaroa Head in New Zealand. It has been scorching hot in the south of Australia and in NZ and the rangers have set up misters for the nesting birds. Wow. How many of us wold like to see this type of ‘intervention’ on those scorcher days at the Osprey nests in the PNW and western Canada???
If you have been wondering about Annie and the ‘new guy’, he has been bringing prey into the scrape area. Is it for Annie? It is anyone’s guess but if he wants to win our Annie’s heart, he best be able to be a good provider!
Thank you so much for being with us this morning, Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their videos, their posts, their tweets, and their streaming cam where I took my screen captures: Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, Superbeaks, FOBBV, KNF-E3, Window to Wildlife, Redding Eagles, Ventura Wildlife Society, @CornellHawks, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons.
We are out of the freezer but it is a dull day. -11 but getting warmer – up to -7. Grey. It is so nice to get up and not feel cold even when the furnace is blasting. Thoughts for all those people without power and who have been hit with relentless bad weather as well as for our bird friends who are getting hit by these weather bombs. To our friends in Australia who will be hit with +37 C temperatures today – stay cool!
I had a letter from ‘J’ the other day asking how on earth we manage when it is so cold, like -26 or -35 C. I will try and answer it but, first, a little story. When I first moved to Canada, it was entirely possible to have several months where the weather did not vary during the winter. It was always colder than -25, always. With climate change, we no longer have those very long stretches of being in such dire cold weather. The majority are, however, equipped for it. Our houses are well insulated from top to bottom. The window panes in my home are triple paned with argon gas between the panes and a coating that absorbs the sun for warmth in the winter and sends it back out for the heat of the summer. There are now companies who make nice looking winter clothing rated to -40 C. That includes coats and boots. The majority of cars also ‘plug in’. There is an electric heater to keep the oil warm. —– It is not so bad. Today, we are going to have a warming streak where the temperature will be only -7 C. It is those days that you want to get out and go for those walks in the forest and that is precisely what I hope to do on Wednesday!
A couple in Perthshire have a nesting Brown Honeyeater on their high-rise balcony! Oh, how super. Such an adorable little bird. They are abundant throughout Australia.
To bring a sense of excitement to your day, stop and watch this incredible video by Mark Smith of a young Brown Pelican trying to ‘eat’ an Osprey! Who will win?
Rare leucistic. Red-tail Hawk seen in Mystic, Connecticut. What a beauty!
Shadow and Jackie were there at sunrise —-continuing to do some tidying up on the nest. Must admit that I am getting really excited and hopeful that this wonderful couple can pull off another highly spirited eagle like Spirit who hatched in 2022. They are an incredible eagle couple. Wishing them the best.
No obvious eagle activity on the nest today in Minnesota but it looks like Nancy and her new man might have been around at sometime.
There is, however, lots going on at the E3 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest since the first eaglet hatched after 0300 on the 26th. Dad Alex has brought in a Coot and several Crappie. Adorable. The second egg is expected to hatch on the 28th.
A video of one of the feedings. Gosh this little eaglet is a cutie.
Pepe and Muhlady have been busy bringing in fish and feeding the eaglets but, those two are the best kept secrets. The parents seem determined for us not to get even a peek of them!
PePe brought in a nice catfish and Muhlady took a moment to look down at her growing youngsters.
Indigo had a green parrot today. Did he catch it? was it a prey drop from Dad or Mum? It is not clear but he did jump all around the scrape and guess what? Indigo ate every bite of that prey so when Diamond came in to check the corner for leftovers —- there weren’t any! It seems Indigo likes a parrot as much as his mother does. I wonder if Diamond would have searched if it had been a Starling?
You might well recall an image of Izzy with a green parrot (I think his was a Supreme Parrot) in quite a similar position as Indigo today.
In San Jose, another male was in the scrape box. This time it was Sequoia, the son of Grinnell and Annie, bonding with his mate. Oh, we will have another falcon scrape to watch with little eyases this year. This is wonderful.
It was Annie at The Campanile today. Where was the new guy? I might have missed him!
So who is visiting Gabby today? Your guess is as good as the next person. No one can keep up and there are so many marks that are similar with perhaps new eagles coming in, that it is impossible to keep up. And, last night, I went to sleep thinking this revolving door at NEFlorida was ending. Guess not.
Has she made a choice? Will he stay?
It has not been that long since the male at the Centrepoint Bald Eagle nest died. Mum, however, has a visiting ‘friend’ and she is warming up to this suitor.
The Bald Eagle couple at Fort St Vrain in Colorado lost one of their beautiful eaglets to a raccoon last year and fledged the other. Since then measures have been taken to prevent the raccoons from climbing up to the nest. How wonderful! The eagles are now working on their nest and were there today. Eggs are usually laid in mid-February.
Can you imagine heading out on a nice walk on Boxing Day and finding a river full of dead pheasants? What a horrible sight that must have been. Raptor Persecution UK is investigating. It is believed that the birds are ones that were killed as part of a shooting party on one of the nearby game estates or did they come from a pheasant farm. You can find the entire story at Raptor Persecution UK.
Of course some worry that the birds might have Avian Flu. Surely the proper authorities after having been notified of this travesty will investigate thoroughly.
It does look like Ron has made a choice with V2 female named Rose by the AEF. Heidi followed their courtship in a series of videos that you might enjoy watching. Thank you ‘H’.
A prey gift from Ron on Christmas Eve:
Nestorations and Bonding:
Ron and Rose’s relationship Blossoms:
Keeping your fingers crossed for Gabby!!!!!!!!!!! Ron certainly appears to be settled. Pip watch for Harriet and M15 is 3 January. Second egg at Kisatchie National Forest is the 28th. Must check on the dates for Connie and Clive as well as Missy and Pa Berry.
Take care everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. Stay safe and warm or cool depending on where you are. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their questions, announcements, postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures in my blog: The Guardian, Mark Smith, News Times, FOBBV, MN-DNR, KNF-E3, Superbeaks, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, San Jose City Hall Falcon Cam, Cal Falcons, NEFL-AEF, Centreport Eagles, Ft St Brain, Raptor Persecution UK, ‘HM’ and her videos of the WRDC.
For those that celebrated Christmas, I hope that you had a wonderful day surrounded by friends and family. For those celebrating the end of Hanukkah, chag Hanukkah sameach and for all preparing for the New Year and especially our friends in Japan, we are cleaning our house with you and looking forward to eating lots of mochi.
I have so many fond memories of living in the UK. I wonder how much it has changed? Those of you who live there can tell me. We lived on a lovely cul-de-sac on Gorse Road and the gorse was about six houses (semi-detached) from ours. We spent so many hours wandering those fields. But, back to the point. Milk was delivered by the person driving the milk float. But they also had a brochure with all of the holiday hamper offerings for the next year. You could pay for your Christmas feast by the week and it would be delivered on time. It was a fantastic way of budgeting for some truly remarkable things. But, at the time, the children got two presents. A sock filled with little treats and one big present, normally a new bike. That was it and it was wonderful. No flurry, no regrets, no big bills to look forward to. The most important thing was everyone stopping to share a truly nice meal with one another.
As we see the end of 2022 approaching, let us hope that joy, compassion, empathy for all living things, and peace will be with us in 2023.
I want to introduce you to someone who is a wildlife conservation photographer who moved to looking at the birds in her back garden. It is just a great little video clip and some of you will remember we also had the General Adjutants in the blog one year. Time to go back and visit the energy the women of Assam India had in trying to protect this terribly endangered species. Enjoy!
Making News: A golf course in the UK is being turned into a park and the only holes made will be by badgers and woodpeckers. Isn’t that fantastic – rewinding?
Things are starting to happen in Bird World with the first pip and quickly the progression of the hatching of their first egg for Alex and Andria at the E3 Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana. Indeed, I am writing this at 2200 Sunday evening and by Monday morning, there could well be an eaglet for this lovely couple. They are named after the closest city, Alexandria, to the forest. Many thanks to Tonya Irwin who has kept everyone up to date on the progress and who so carefully explains below how humidity impacts hatching. I learn something new every day. Thank you Tonya.
The latest news to describe how the difference in humidity (80%) in Alexandria, Louisiana impacts hatching.
First feeding – a Coot. Look how big and strong that little eaglet is. Unofficial full hatch time is 0341 on the 26th of December.
Meanwhile, in Central Florida, PePe and Muhlady are keeping the two eaglets well fed. I have to say – the position of the camera at this nest is excellent. Yes, yes, I can hear you screaming at me but let me explain. We cannot see a thing at Superbeaks. The eaglets are slowly being revealed to us as they grow taller. It certainly saves a whole lot of stress. There are two of them. Sometimes you only get sight of one.
Great news regarding Big Red and Arthur’s L3. Oh, gosh, we have waited to hear if this darling would ever fly again and there she is. So very relieved and happy. She sure looks like her formidable mother, Big Red!
In the meantime, Ithaca, home to Big Red, Arthur, and L4 is in the grips of that bomb cyclone weather with a temperature of -9 C and it is predicted to get as low as -13 C. Please send your warm wishes to our favourite RTH family as they battle to stay alive in these unusually frigid temperatures that are seeing many Americans in the area die. The cameras are down but Buffalo, which is, as the Ithaca Report said, “A low pressure storm system is expected to rapidly intensify, a process known as explosive cyclogenesis or “bombogenesis,” as it crosses the Lower Great Lakes west of Ithaca and Tompkins County. This storm will be extremely powerful, with forecasted core pressure more typical to oceanic lows and hurricanes than a continental storm system. The National Weather Service Buffalo office is describing it “as a once-in-a-generation type of event.”
Ervie was over at Delamare wishing for a fish! What a handsome fellow he is. I wonder if he is still fishing with Dad?
I have not kept as close an eye on Ernie’s sister, Zoe. The parents are still bringing her fish. Today, Mum brought in a small piece for her daughter at 1405. Zoe did seem to have a crop prior to that delivery. Wonder where she ate? and who brought it? or did she catch it? I would not be surprised if Zoe is not fishing but we wait to see if those attempts are successful. Perhaps she will join Dad and Ervie over at Delamere soon (her tracker will tell us? Now that would be sensational!!!!!!!
Zoe’s crop three minutes before Mum delivers her a small piece of fish. Don’t you think her crop looks full? and what about that necklace? It is pretty awe-inspiring.
Mantling that snack from Mum.
While Alex and Andria were celebrating the pip and hatching in their first egg at the E3 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest, Ron and V2 are still working on their nest.
Someone was with Gabby at the nest early in the morning. Is it V11? Will this nest settle down in the new year?
It looks like V11 is still there tonight. Send positive wishes! Maybe the revolving door of suitors and intruders is coming to an end. If V11 can keep them away and get food on the nest, wow. Wouldn’t that just be sensational? I don’t know about you but I am growing weary and if I am, can you imagine how Gabby feels after losing Samson? and then having seen mostly dire prospects come to the nest? Everyone has gotten a good education in widowed eagles finding new mates from watching both Gabby and Ron. (Ron is not widowed per se but he is alone as Rita will not ever return to the nest).
At the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the snow has all melted and our eagle couple are there checking on things today right before noon. — And my goodness, how could I not put Shadow right up there at the top with Akecheta now that our dear Samson is no longer with us? Sorry Shadow. I do adore you.
The sun setting on Fraser Point Bald Eagles nest, home to Andor and Cruz, is simply stunning. The eagles were not there – do not be fooled if you see one working on the nest – it is a highlight. There was, however, a visit by a Raven or a Crow.
No one home today at Two Harbours, the home of Chase and Cholyn. It certainly is a rather spectacular place for a nest – this and the West End nest of Cholyn’s daughter, Thunder and her mate, Akecheta.
The Red-backed shrike is only slightly bigger than the House Sparrows that visit my garden. The male is striking with its black mask earning the male birds of this species the nickname, ‘the bandit’. They have a grey head, that really dark black eye line going over their cere and running to the nape. Their underparts are white. They have the most gorgeous rust or shall we use the 2022 colour, Redwood, to describe their back and primary feathers. Their tail is black while their other wing feathers are black with white edging. Their beak is black and it is hooked. I really hate it when writers describe the female (image below) as being dull. They are not dull at all! Is it not possible to see the variety of browns and rusts in the upper parts, the lovely grey in the rump along with the upper tail coverts. Instead of an all black tail (very boring), the female’s is an espresso brown with white edging and tips. Their mask is subtle as if they have been trained in the fine art of using an eye liner brush compared to the male who has taken a Sharpie marker!
Matt Shardlow says of the Red-backed Shrike in his essay for Red Sixty-Seven: “Victoria shrikes watched over the land from Durham to Devon and Kent to Conway; eyes alert for burly bumblebees, dumpy dung beetles, well-fed wasps, even delicious lizards. with a pounce and swoop the animal was dead in the shrike’s little raptorial bill.” Shardlow reminds us that by the Beatles became the pop music hit of the 1960s, the Shrikes were in rapid decline and that decline continues. “In 1989, it was down to one heath, with one nest in one short lonely lolly-pop tree…” (80).
While many believed it was the weather that caused the near extinction of the bird, it was, in fact, a loss of food with large moths decreasing by 2/3 in population since 1948. The same was true for the bees and the beetles. Change in farming and the use of pesticides has been key to its demise. Imagine all the birds gone and left to only two pairs to raise young to keep the population going. Imagine now if this were all the birds. The use of pesticides is entirely unnecessary. Indeed, my City was ripe to spray all living flying things to get rid of mosquitoes only to discover that Dragon Flys do a much better job and cause no harm to the environment. It was time for a change to save the Shrike and it seems that some changes in the UK in terms of rewinding and the cessation of pesticide use in certain areas, since the publication of Red Sixty-Seven in 2019 (just 3 years ago), have had an impact. We can change things but we must just dig our heels in and get on with it. No excuses. The RSPB still counts only three resident mated pairs of Red-backed Shrikes living in the UK; the remainder are migratory. Let’s see if that number can be raised ten fold in the coming years. Wouldn’t that be grand?
Thank you so very much for being with me today. When I think of all of you, I get all giddy. So many people who care so much for our feathered friends. Sheer joy and a huge smile comes on my face. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for the letters, their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Beneath the Feeder, The Guardian, Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam Fans and Tanya Irwin, NF-AEF, Ron and Roses Eagle Nest Watchers and Pat Burke, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters and Suzanne Arnold Horning, Superbeaks, Openverse, Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org.
I hope that you are all well. There are many things going on in Bird World. ‘J’ writes that she cannot go to sleep and it is the middle of the night in Europe because of the excitement at the NEFlorida nest. Gabby is becoming more accepting of V3, Annie is being kind to her ‘new guy’, Zoe is flying more, and there is news of UK Ospreys in Africa. Indeed, Jean-marie Dupart counted over 300 the other day in Senegal! That is incredible. Of course, skipping over to California, has Annie found her ‘new guy’?
It remains mild on the Canadian Prairies. There is a Colorado Low moving our way that is really going to dump snow along the border between us and the US. I wonder how far north it will go? There is nothing more beautiful than freshly fallen white snow. And nothing uglier than City trucks dumping sand on the snow making it slick to drive on and just gross to look at. I love the ‘winter wonderland’ images!
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The Flight of the Osprey has officially ending and thanks so much to Geemeff who has been recording this wonderful documentary with Sasha Dench and Friends following the migration of the UK Osprey. Here is the link to the ending:
Geemeff informs me that there will be a film released on the expedition next year. How wonderful! The earth’s wildlife and, in particular, its birds deserve all of the attention they can get. So grateful for this programme.
Staying with UK migration and Ospreys, the mate of Dylan, Seren 5F, from the Llyn Clywedog nest, has made it to her favourite spot in The Gambia again this year. Dylan and Seren raised three fantastic fledglings this year. Always just warms your heart to find out they are at their winter hones, safe and sound.
Now if anyone hears anything about Blue 464 from Foulshaw Moss (2020), I would be over the moon. 464 is the third hatch, the one no one thought would survive but, White YW and Blue 35 were determined that their tiny, tiny third hatch – so much younger than the other two huge siblings – would survive. And she did! To become quite dominant on the nest. Any news would bring tears of joy.
@ Cumbria Wildlife Trust
The Guardian brings us news for the contender for King of Birds – and it is not a blood dripping taloned raptor but a tiny little bird. Gosh, isn’t he cute? Here is that story!
So many are watching the nests of Gabby and Ron to see what will happen next. Gabby seemed to be so attached to V2, that very handsome eagle with that smoky head. He has not been back to the nest now for over two days. Samson and V2. Two losses. She is playing it cautiously with V3 who is trying really hard to become her mate. Perhaps she is now waiting to see if either Samson or V2 will show up at the nest. We can only sit and watch as Gabby’s new life unfolds before us. We all wish her the very best. She is a fantastic Mum.
V3 brought a fish to the nest. Presumably it was for Gabby. He ate part of it and must have left some. When Gabby returned, she flew to the nest and ate the fish she found. Slow and steady, V3. She needs to know you are going to stick around and be able to feed her and her babies.
Later, Gabby and V3 were working on the nest together. Progress!
Most days Ron is seen working on the nest. I have, however, not caught him there today as of the time I am writing. I will check on him this evening to see if he has returned. Let us all send positive wishes to Rita and Ron – Rita so that she will recover and live a life as full as it can be without pain – and Ron that he finds a lovely new mate. Too bad they cannot send some of the eagles up near Jacksonville south!
Oh, I have so been hoping to catch a glimpse of either Thunder or Akecheta after the fly by teasers at the West End Bald Eagle cam in the Channel Islands. Well, today they did not disappoint. The two sitting together at 0907.
The snows at Big Bear are the reason that Jackie and Shadow lay their eggs later than the other nests. Look at how beautiful it is. Stunning. I do love pure white beautiful snow.
A young eagle chased Shadow to the nest! It wanted the fish!!!!!!!
Of course, the other nest to watch is that of Annie at Cal Falcons where Alden has been missing, as well. Alden stole our hearts last year…no ifs, ands or buts about it. How could we love someone after Grinnell? Well, we did. Alden saved the day and one of our readers wants to believe that Alden has put on his magic cape and is off saving some other falcon widow and her chicks. I agree! What a wonderful way to think of Alden flying around helping out wherever he can. Thanks, ‘B’ for shifting my mind in a different direction.
We will wait to see if Annie falls head over heals for the ‘new guy’. Last year we called Alen the ‘New Guy’ for so long. I don’t know about you but I am really looking forward to the nests settling down. Last year was tough.
Bonding!
Thanks to Elain and her great videos we can easily get a great summary of the day at Orange featuring Diamond the prey snatcher, Xavier the Door Dash Daddy, and Indigo, the screaming fledgling!
Oh, when that wind down in Port Lincoln gets up, it gives Zoe such a gorgeous crest. She has been flying in and off the nest and is really anxious to have Dad deliver a fist at the time of this writing.
Why do I love Ospreys so much? Well take a look at this stunningly beautiful video with great close ups of the male Osprey fishing and that would be part of the answer. They are such exceptional birds. It is difficult to imagine the exertion it takes to bring fish after fish back to Mum and the kids at the nest.
Checking in at Superbeaks. That nest in Central Florida has such a beautiful landscape with water and what appears to be good fishing nearby. The nest is so deep that it is difficult to see those little bobbleheads. This is a nest that I am completely unfamiliar with so, anything could happen. That said the fish being brought in are good size and the parents – Pepe and Muhlady – are both totally attentive to their eaglets, Pear and Taco.
I am not allowed to post the link to the streaming cam for some reason so please go to YouTube and key in SuperBeaks Eagle Cam Live and you will find them. Fingers crossed for a great year for this family.
Thanks so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!!!!!!!
Thank you to the following for their posts, their notes, their videos, and their streaming cams which make up my screen captures: Geemeff, John Williams, Foulshaw Moss and the Cumbrian Trust, The Guardian, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, IWS and Explore.org, FOBBV, Cal Falcons, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Mark Smith, and Superbeaks.
