Tag Archives: Australian birds

2nd chick for Diamond and Xavier and other news in Bird World

5 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

It looks like the clouds are breaking up and it feels like another beautiful fall day. Yesterday, the trip to the wetlands was stunning in its fall colour. Most spectacular were the Aspens with their bright yellow leaves flittering in the wind and some that were red – so red – with no other colour. I hope to have taken at least one image to share with you in another blog.

This morning there are more Dark-Eyed Juncos eating the millet. They like it on the wood or carpet. Junior and one of the fledglings is here eating corn and a squirrel has been seen scurrying about. Mr Crow has also been here. There is something so nice about seeing the birds eat their breakfast even if they do fight with one another over one of the cobs of corn. It is like seeing the chicks in the nests eating first thing – the reassurance that no matter what else happens that day, they have had one good meal. Over and over again I am struck about how challenging the life of a bird actually is.

Sometimes I start my blog for the morning in the early evening before. That is when I have moments free and really get to sit down and enjoy watching all of the chicks on the nest. October 5 in Australia was particularly interesting because of the crack clearly seen on one of the eggs at Xavier and Diamond’s scrape and the antsy pants of SE30 in the Sydney nest.

This evening though, I am glued to the screen as Diamond works that egg to help that eyas hatch. Who would have thought? The one thing that many did notice was just how healthy Xavier and Diamond are this year. If you want to know how healthy a falcon is look at the colour of its cere, the ring around the eyes, and the legs. You want a bright orange-yellow in the adult. Not a light yellow a bright yellow with an orange tint. Both Xavier and Diamond have that this year. Last year, both seemed a wee bit tired to me. Perhaps it had not been a good year for a lot of prey. This year it appears that there is lots of good prey, not just Starlings. The lead researcher, Dr Cilla Kinross, says the amount of prey is because it is a La Nina year. She also adds that the hunting is more difficult. So, it is a good year for two little eyases!

It was a pip and then at 12:03 you could see the crack. Diamond is wiggling around helping that egg shell come apart!

Some raptor mums will not, in the least, help the chick out of the shell. Others, when hatch is coming roll around and help loosen the shell so that the little one can get out easier. Many remove half a shell to help the process along. I wonder if they can tell if the chick has been trying to hatch for a long period of time and could be tiring?

Diamond is really turning around in the nest rubbing and working that shell for that wee chick.

At 1252, you can really see the hole and the crack!

Xavier brought in a Starling for Diamond and Big chick at 13:50. There was some confusion. Xavier took the prey over to Diamond but, he thought she didn’t want it. Then there was a bit of tug-o-prey. I am not sure that Xavier was, initially, aware that another eyas was making its way through the shell to hatch.

Diamond fed the wee chick while a wet Xavier readied himself to go out into the rain.

Xavier got some brooding/incubation time in the late afternoon when Diamond took off with the prey delivery. Look at that sweet little one. Not going to be an Only Bob much longer. Xavier and Diamond fooled everyone!

The empty shell was first noticed at 22:20 in the scrape. All are sound asleep.

You can vote for the name of the chicks! Join the fun. Remember that is Australian time. Here is the information: Voting for the chicks names is open until Oct 9, 5pm, link is in News section https://science-health.csu.edu.au/fal…

More feedings at 367 Collins Street. Nice big fat pigeons being brought in with at least 3 or 4 feedings since dawn. I normally do not worry about hawklets and eyases getting food but the 4th hatch is having some difficulty simply because it cannot see yet. It faces the wrong way – sometimes backwards, sometimes to the side. The other three are so far advanced and they are beginning to lose their baby down and look like chicks that are getting their pin feathers – not in the least attractive!

Dad came in with another fish at Port Lincoln. All of the osplets were full and it looked like Little Bob was going to get left out but, wait! Little Bob got right up there at the front and gosh, golly, did that kid get a lot of nice fish bites. Then Middle woke up and wanted some fish. Little and Middle ate. There was some fish left for Mum. One of the nice things about this osprey nest is that the three do not fight during meal times. This is seriously important. It means that Little Bob gets fed. In most instances where there is food competition, the little one is prevented physically from eating by one or more big siblings. That is not a worry at this nest, so far, this year.

More fish later. You can really see how much bigger Big Bob is than Little and Little’s wing size to Middle.

All full and some fish left for Mum.

Mum has to spread her wings like a Mumbrella to cover the kids and keep them warm and dry.

SE29 flew to the nest after SE30 had been fed a small fish. The pair of them together reminded me so much of SE25 and SE26…25 showing and encouraging 26. For several minutes, it looked like SE29 was going to get 30 to fly off the tree with her/him. It didn’t happen but at this very moment, which is around 11:00 nest time in Australia on Wednesday, it looks like 30 would really like to go. Dad ? arrived on the nest and pulled a fish out from some twigs and fed 2+30 on and off. 30 would eat then go look at the branch, then eat. You can tell immediately that 30 is antsy. Every family member is flying but her/him.

It is a bittersweet moment when both of the eaglets fly. We cheer them on triumphantly and secretly we try and hold back the tears. These have been two beautiful eaglets. Yes, there were some ruffles at the beginning and then, they became best friends. No competition. No disturbance.

Is it possible this year that birders on the ground near the Discovery Centre will be posting images of the pair of them flying around the Parramatta Riber and Dad and Lady’s River Roost? Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I am terribly impressed with 29’s flying in and out. No torn wings on bushes, just good strong take offs and landings. Hoping that it is that easy for 30 when it takes to the air.

SE30 spent the night alone on the nest. No doubt SE30 will show up for breakfast!

In the News:

Do you read the Country Diary in The Guardian? If not, I want to share this lovely story so evocative, and it is about Ravens. I have grown to love the Crow family that visits my garden and the Blue Jays. Only once has there been a Raven.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/05/country-diary-the-mountain-silence-is-interrupted-by-ravens

Remembering a time in the fall when goshawks were everywhere in the fall.

When Goshawks Ruled the Autumn Skies

Today is Izzi’s 2nd birthday and someone put a video together to remember this fabulous character brought to us by Xavier and Diamond in 2020!

Migration News:

Karl II fed well at the Danuke River in Ukraine then flew across Romania and is now in Bulgaria. Awesome.

This is the area where Karl II is fishing.

There was no tracker information for Kaia. It is assumed that she is in Syria and transmissions there are sketchy.

Bonus was still in Romania while Waba remained in Moldova. Udi, one of the 2021 fledglings of Karl and Kaia, continues to be in Italy around the Po Valley. Here is their location:

This is the BirdCast migration map for 5 October. Note that the most birds moving continue to be down the centre of North America. That corresponds directly with what we are seeing in Manitoba.

I hope that today’s blog finds each of you well and enjoying all that life and the birds have to offer. We are so fortunate to be able to watch these glorious feathered creatures raise their families. They bring us so much joy! Thank you so much for being with me. You take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and posts where I took my screen captures: Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Looduskalender Forum, and BirdCast.

A pip at Orange and breakfast news from Bird World

4 October 2022

It was a gorgeous day and I headed north up to the wetlands to check on the geese and ducks. In the process, I discovered a Swan family and only wished I was in a canoe and not hiking the trail. It was simply amazing to be outside and then return to find the Australian nests waking up! I am also watching a pile of Dark-eyed Juncos eat millet. They would normally have been here three weeks ago and they are just arriving. The Blue Jays are here after the corn and one of the squirrels is eating peanuts. The Crows cleaned up the cheesy hotdogs while I was away so they are off elsewhere searching for a dinner.

I honestly did not believe it would happen at Orange but a pip was spotted by Holly Parsons and I was alerted by ‘H’. It would be really interesting with Xavier and Diamond having two. I wonder if this is the third egg? No way to tell. I hope the little one gets out of their soon!

It is the egg closest to diamond. Look at about 5 o’clock near the gravel.

Dad headed out bright and early for Mum and the kids. A nice big Zebra fish arrived on the nest at 07:11:40. The kids are all dark – it is difficult to tell them apart in a pile now!

Thank you Dad!

Little Bob got some nice bites at the end when Mum got near the tail. The feeding ended at 0731 with not a flake of fish left.

The Collins Street Four were fed early, just as the golden glow was coming over Melbourne. Everything is going fantastic here. It will be a little crowded if the rain starts as the eyases are getting so big!

SE29 has been flying on and off the big Ironwood Tree nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest since it fledged. SE30 always looks a little lonely without its sibling there. Both are wet from the rain this morning. Lady arrived with a fish and fed SE30 and then 29 appeared!

Everyone has had breakfast with the possible exception of SE29. Hopefully the rain today will not be so terrible at any of the nests so that it hampers food deliveries. It might, however, keep SE30 from taking flight. What is good is that SE29 continues to fly to and from the nest strengthening its wings and its muscles and seemingly without interference from the Currawong. I never remember this happening at this nest with any of the fledglings. Such a promising sign.

Thank you for being with me for this quick check in first thing in the morning. The day is starting out well everywhere. Keep checking on Diamond and Xavier. It is possible that there will be a second hatch. Remember from pip to hatch can take from 24-72 hours. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.

When did the 4th eyas show up at Collins Street? and other news in Bird World

3 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is overcast on the Canadian prairies. No rain forecast for here but it will be raining in Australia this week. In fact, heavy rains have already started at Port Lincoln. Let us all hope that it does not hamper any fishing or hunting of prey for our four raptor families.

I did not anticipate sending out a notice this early but the sighting of the 4th eyas at Collins Street – finally – was a wonderful surprise. I knew that you would want to know especially since I predicted early yesterday that there would be only 3. Mistake.

Making News:

The soaking wet bird that landed on the Mispillion Harbour nest yesterday was, indeed, a Peregrine Falcon. The green and black banding indicated that it was an ‘Eastern’ falcon. Thanks, ‘H’.

As many of you know, CROW, the wildlife rehabilitation centre that services the Sanibel/Captiva and Fort Myers areas, was located on the barrier islands that took a direct hit by Hurricane Ian. Here is an announcement from them and a view of their buildings, still standing, thankfully. They were also able to evacuate all their patients before the hurricane hit. Amazing. Please keep all of them in your thoughts.

Judy Harrington has released the most recent sat tracking for White-bellied Sea Eagle SE27 (2021). She is doing magnificently. There is also a report of her comings and goings from previous months. How wonderful it is to see one of Lady and Dad’s chicks thriving in the wild!

You will note that the Conservation Centre brings up the fact that there is so little known about the post-fledge life of the sea eagles because there are no bands and no trackers. SE27 has a tracker because she was in care twice – and I am so glad that she does. She is alive and well and finding her own areas for food.

Nest News:

It just doesn’t get much better than 367 Collins Street. Yesterday, I ‘thought’ I saw 4 eyases but, never got a good image of the four of them so did not report it but, yes, there are four. At 18:57 ‘A’ reports a clear view of the four and there they are – 3 facing forward for the feed and the wee one backwards! Meanwhile, Dad has stepped up to the plate in terms of staying with the eyases and bringing in more and more prey. Indeed, while Mum was feeding the eyases at 18:44, Dad returns with another nice plump pigeon at 18:56.

They are doing well despite the first-time parent ‘funnies’. Mum really did think that the eldest would love to have the entire pigeon leg to itself!

This one is going to win our hearts like Xavier and Alden. He is doing very well keeping the pantry stocked and having extras. All are eating well. The four eyases will keep them very busy!

Mum is doing the best to keep the kids at Port Lincoln full to the brim. There was another feeding after the long afternoon one at 17:22. Everyone was bursting at the seams. Fingers crossed that the heavy rains will not hamper Dad’s fishing abilities. In fact, looking back at my notes from years prior, Dad often has better fishing when it is raining.

Xavier and Diamond have a big healthy eyas. Just look at it. Wee things crop was so full that it could not hold its head up yesterday. With four at Melbourne and a single, much loved, well fed and spoiled eyas at Orange, watchers have the best of both worlds.

SE29 spent the night sleeping on the nest with SE30 after all the excitement of fledging yesterday. Did the parents presence at the nest tree prevent the Curras from harassing the eaglets?

That is a look at all of the Australian nests at the end of the day on 3 October. I wonder what will be in store for us today when the sun rises?

Thank you for being with me for this quick check of the news and what happened at the nests last evening in Australia. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts or their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: CROW FB, Sea Eagles FB, 367 Collins Street by M, ‘A’ for some great time stamps, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.

Port Lincoln Osplets – another dust up this morning!

2 October 2022

Thank you to everyone for their notes and concerns about what is happening at Port Lincoln.

Yesterday there was a prolonged period of beaking between Big Bob and Middle Bob that lasted in excess of six minutes. Little Bob literally was in the middle of the fight and sometimes because an object of abuse but, only a few times.

Big Bob woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. S/he has been beaking Middle all over the nest when Mum was not present. Big has also had Little Bob between her legs beaking him. It is not a nice situation.

It all seems to have stated, as often happens, on day 8 so the strife has been going on for a week. It is not clear how it will end. The beaking became worse after a single fish delivery at 1500 in the afternoon caused Big and Middle to immediately switch into rivalry mode for dominance. The osplet that dominates the nest gets to eat more than the others, etc. Big and Middle, at times, seem to be evenly matched. Little is too small and just needs to try and get out of the way. This morning, however, Big had Little between its legs pecking at Little’s head.

Mum came in and sat on the three of them. It is often the only way to stop it and Ospreys and Eagles are notorious for not interfering.

Let us hope that lots of fish arrives and that the rest of the day is civil. Little is very vulnerable right now.

Oh, I wish we could brag about what a lovely bunch of osplets there are this year – like last with the three boys, Bazza, Falky, and Ervie. I think we have at least one large female this year, if not two.

Thank you to Port Lincoln Ospreys for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Thank you for being with me. Let us all send the most positive energy we can muster to this nest.

Early Sunday in Bird World

2 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is going to be 21 degrees C on the Canadian Prairies. Just a fabulous autumn day to be outside checking on the geese and the ducks and other birds that are migrating through the area. That is where I am headed shortly. It is so rare to get this kind of weather in October that it has to be enjoyed.

I want to thank everyone, before I forget, for all their letters and comments. Much appreciated!

In the Mailbox:

I have had word that it will be a long time before anything can be confirmed about the eagles and ospreys on Captiva/Sanibel. Individuals have seen both eagles and ospreys flying in some of the news broadcasts from the area. The area was more or less completely destroyed I was told. So sad for everyone’s property but thrilled that the raptors appear to be around.

Several have written in to ask if there is something wrong with Mum’s eye at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge? Thank you, ‘M’ for the image of Mum!

What you are seeing is the nictitating membrane or third eye lid. This thin membrane helps the Ospreys to see under water and instead of lowering this third eye lid, it raises up from the bottom. You will often see the birds pull up the nictitating membrane when they are resting. Some people call them a windshield/windscreen. Their function is to hold in the lubricating fluids of the eye. — So there is absolutely nothing wrong with Mum’s eyes!

Making News:

A recent poll in the UK reveals that the majority of individuals believes that nature is in need of protection! While I do not have a crystal ball, it seems that this might be the sentiment in most countries in the world. So why is there not being more done to protect the land and the wildlife – not just words – but action?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/30/most-uk-adults-think-nature-is-in-urgent-need-of-protection-poll

Cornell Bird Lab reminds us that October 8 is Big Day for Bird Counting.

Here is how you can take part:

https://ebird.org/news/october-big-day-2022#:~:text=Mark%20your%20calendars%20for%20October,birds%20to%20bring%20people%20together

The Tweed Valley Osprey Project has given an update on Blue 694, a fledgling, seen in Portugal!

https://forestryandland.gov.scot/blog/osprey-update-29-september?fbclid=IwAR2DpHTcmnVUilg0fnubkJ2CgXBsTLFLADdXdpZdKJ4HPflqdvep8_RjknE

Mr Kes at the Robert Fuller nests in the UK has a new mate!

Nest News:

If you are a fan of Big Red and Arthur, the Red-tail Hawks on the Cornell Campus, then you will be thrilled to hear that L4 was caught on Karel Sedlacek’s streaming cam catching a squirrel yesterday. This is the longest that any of this popular couple’s fledglings has ever been seen on campus. It is fantastic.

The osplets at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge just seem to be ravenous. Big Bob is 2 weeks old and they are entering their big growth spurt and consuming more and more fish will help that. Dad brought a small-medium fish in at 1334 and it was completely gone by 1400. At first Big Bob was right up there followed by Little Bob. Little Bob got a couple of good bites and then Middle joined the line. Middle had the advantage in terms of position with Middle and Little seemingly getting all the bites. I wondered when Big would tear into them but s/he didn’t and all left the table with crops. I wondered about the heat – it is 19 degrees C in Port Lincoln and they are in the direct sun. They had a nice meal and that is all that counts. What was interesting was that both Big and Middle made attempts to pick at the fish themselves! Keep the fish coming in, Dad!

The three had another fish and finished it off around 1900. Look closely. Little Bob is losing his soft light grey downy coat. Oh, he will be a reptile soon!

It was really hot up in the scrape box at 367 Collins Street. Mum was just panting and it appears that both Mum and Male2 provided the eyases with some much needed shade until the sun was no longer on the scrape.

Yesterday I said something that confused one reader and I presume more, so my apologies. The couple at the Melbourne 367 Collins scrape are both new parents. I had been watching the old couple for about 5 years -.

What I ascertained from the 13:13 feeding is that it is possible the male has now served as a umbrella to shade the chicks, is bringing in prey for the female and the chicks, and has fed them. I admit to being completely confused by these two unless they are side by side and I can see the line of black in the white at the neck of the male. Both have extremely dark heads. The be all end all of this is that we should not be worrying. These first time parents are working this out and it seems that male2 will be another ‘saviour’ like Xavier.

They are soooooo cute!

Everyone is wondering whether or not Xavier and Diamond will have a second hatch at the scrape box on the water tower in Orange. Big Bob (or Only) is only a day old. Yes, many times falcon eggs hatch within 24 hours of one another but, that not happening in Orange does not mean it can’t. The last two years Xavier and Diamond have had only one hatch out of three eggs – Izzi in 2020 and Yurruga in 2021. It is common for not all of the eggs to hatch – there is one egg still in the 367 Collins Street scrape that hopefully will not hatch!

Mum and Dad have done wonders with SE29 and 30 this year. Big beautiful eaglets ready to fly.

I love this image of SE29 up on the parent branch with Lady. SE29 has ‘officially’ been declared as branching at 1445 on Saturday. Thanks, ‘J’.

Thank you for being with me this morning as we check on all the action that happened late Sunday in Australia. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and posts that make up my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab, Robert E Fuller, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.

Will the Sea Eaglets fledge today? and other brief news in Bird World

1 October 2022

It is 15:44 on the Canadian Prairies and it is Saturday. The sky remains cloudy with a temperature of 12 degrees C. In Australia, our raptor families are waking up and I wonder what will be in store for them today.

At the Sydney Sea Eagles nest in the Olympic Forest near the Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, SE29 and 30 were particularly active around 0522. If official branching has not been called, it could certainly be done this morning. The eaglets are very interested in the world beyond the nest and are hopping and flapping and standing on the parent branch. An adult flew in but had no food in its talon. Oh, I would love those two eaglets to follow an adult out of the forest to the River Roost on the Parramatta River. There, safely away from the Pied Currawongs, Lady and Dad could continue to feed them while teaching them to hunt their own prey and letting the eaglets get their flying perfected.

At any rate, it feels like fledgling is imminent.

At the 367 Collins Street scrape, the eyases woke up to a feed. Mum looked around, rushed down the ledge, and flew back with a small item of prey. Was it the leftover pigeon? or a Starling? It was hard to tell.

‘A’ has assured me – much to my relief – that male2 is providing the food for Mum and the trio at the Melbourne scrape. There was much e-chuffing and Mum flew out to retrieve the prey from the hidey-hole. Meanwhile, Male2 comes down the ledge, stands over the chicks as if to protect them, and then moves out of the way watching as Mum feeds the three white furry balls. All is well in Melbourne. Relief. Thank you ‘A’.

Xavier and Diamond’s first hatch had Starling for breakfast this morning. It is a running joke at this scrape that Diamond hates Starling. She will refuse to eat it if Xavier brings her a fresh bird but, she is happy to feed it to the eyases!

Meanwhile, the osplets had a nice fish delivery – everyone seems to have eaten well although Mum moved and it is hard to see how much Middle and Little are getting.

Everyone still had a nice crop over an hour later.

So far this morning in Australia all is well on each of the four nests. There are three eyases and a Mum being fed in Melbourne by the new male who we all hope will turn out to be as lovely as Alden and Xavier. The Sea Eagles are more than ready to fledge and they are beautiful. I wonder if they will take their first flight together? Port Lincoln was relatively calm this morning with the feeding and Little Bob is beginning to turn into a reptile, too. Diamond and Xavier could not be happier with their first hatch.

Thank you for joining me on this catch up again with our Australian raptors. If you did not hear, Harriet and M15 have been seen and photographed at their old nest tree and Samson and Gabby are home, too. We continue to hope that all of the others impacted so badly by the storm at Captiva will be seen – but, it is unclear if there is anyone to check on them the area was simply destroyed I am told. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and to ‘A’ for letting me know about the prey delivery at Melbourne: 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam.

Hungry osplets, eyases eating and other news…Early Friday in Bird World

30 September 2022

Good Morning Everyone!

It was a beautiful autumn evening, just perfect for watching some of the geese arrive at the nature centre at dusk. There were not nearly as many as expected – normally the pond surface is covered and the honking is so loud but, not so tonight. So I am heading back in a week to see if the numbers of migrants has increased.

Cormorants were sitting on some of the logs in the water – far away in the distance.

The geese begin to arrive about 15 minutes prior to dusk.

They fly in from all directions.

The silhouettes against the sky are so beautiful. They remind me of cutting paper and making silhouettes as a child and sticking them to the windows.

The geese were flying about 70 metres above my head.

The pond should be filling up with geese as the sun set but, there were only about 5,000 scattered about the two large ponds. Perhaps next week!

In the Mailbox:

There have been several repeated questions. The first one is: “Has the Old Dad been seen at Melbourne since the eyases hatched?” Sadly, the Old Dad will not see his last chicks. He has not been seen at the ledge for 4 weeks. Male 2 is about and has been seen on the ledge. Let us hope that he is providing food for the Mum. When Xavier took over Bula’s place at the Orange scrape on the grounds of Charles Sturt University, he provided food but did not interact with the chicks that were Bula’s. The situation was slightly different with Alden as one of the eggs was believed to be his. Let us all hope that this new Mum at Melbourne and the new male provide for and raise these healthy babies. She is going to be exhausted having to do almost everything – let us hope she doesn’t have to hunt, too!

Question 2: “Has Harriet and M15 been seen?’ The Pritchett family released a statement that all of the cameras had been found. One tree that a camera was on was down and it is going to take some time to get things repaired. There has been no sightings of Harriet or M15 yet. Eagles can fly great distances and they are great weather predictors. Let us all hope that they are at some distance from the nest enjoying prey.

Making News:

Mum and Dad made the news!

The AEF has reported that Samson and Gabby’s nest in Northeast Florida near Jacksonville is intact.

The practice of Red Grouse hunting continues to impact the lives of raptors in the UK. Nine dead raptors were found, thrown into bags, outside a games keeper’s lodge. The book that I am reading, Bowland Beth. The Life of an English Hen Harrier by David Cobham speaks to the barbaric nature of this sport that threatens the lives of the raptors that seek out prey in order to live and find themselves on the hunting estates. There is a huge campaign to stop grouse hunting in the UK but, it might not have any legs in the current political situation.

Nine raptors found shot & dumped in bags outside gamekeeper’s houses on Millden Estate and at the nearby River Esk in the Angus Glens

Nest News:

On the 29th, the chicks at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge ate really, really well. The 30th turned out to be the opposite. Those three are hungry and they are moving about. Mum even took off and had a bath. I wonder if she tried to catch a fish. Today the chicks are 13, 12, and 9 days old. I am hoping that some fish come in later and these three have a really good feed. It is not the time for deliveries to be variable – they need to be steady.

A large fish came in at around 1500. All of the chicks were fed until their crop was popping. Oh, they waited such a long time and were so good to one another in the meantime. Let us all hope that the fishing for Dad is much better today.

Mum has been in and out and the two eyases at the 367 Collins Street scrape. She tried to feed the eyases earlier and they were not hungry. We all held our breath when she dropped the prepared pigeon. And each of us has worried how this would all work out.

At 12:11 the pair had their first feeding and they held those little beaks open and Mum fed them really well. I was surprised at how well she did putting the morsels of pigeon into their beaks. She looked like she had done this before! So, for now, male 2 is coming around and Mum is talking to him. The two hatchlings are eating well and – well, we could not ask for anything more. For all the worrying, I wonder how many of us shed a couple of tears of joy?

At Orange, we are on pip watch with Xavier and Diamond.

Beautiful SE29 and SE30 are still with us. Lady fed them their late meal yesterday. She must know that her time with them is limited. They simply could fly off the edge at any time but, hopefully, they will stay on the nest and get really strong.

Migration News:

Following the family of Karl II, Black Storks from the Karula National Forest in Estonia, there is all good news. Karl II is feeding on the Danube Delta betweek Ukraine and Romania.

Kaia, Karl II’s mate, was in Bulgaria and is quickly flying south. It is wondered if she will stop in Turkey.

Waba is in Moldova.

Bonus is also in Moldova.

So as of yesterday, all are safe and sound. What a relief.

It may be some time before we hear about the arrival of the eagles back in Florida. Captiva has simply been decimated, according to the news and with no land bridge to connect the barrier islands to the mainland, this will be a slow process of clean up and rebuilding. Our thoughts continue to be with every animal and bird that was impacted by this horrific hurricane – and, of course, all of the humans impacted, as well.

In the world of Australian raptors, we are looking forward to more feeds at Melbourne and a pip at Orange. Of course, our little scamper Little Bob is going to be right up front, like dear Ervie, when the morning fish comes in!

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Please take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and posts that made up my screen captures: AEF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Looduskalender, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.

It’s a Hatch in Melbourne

29 September 2022

Around 0316, Mum pulled a half egg shell from underneath her to the ledge. At that point, everyone knew that all the wiggling and fluffing earlier had signalled a hatch was in progress.

She completely ate it replacing some of the calcium from her body that had made that eggshell.

There is the fluffy little eyas on the left of two large eggs.

We wait for the others to hatch. It will be very interesting, also, to see how prey delivery and feeding plays out. Fingers crossed for these first time parents to have this worked out through millions of years of DNA and hardwiring.

In other news, nest 2 – the old nest of Harriet and M15 – has survived on the Pritchett Property. That said, we know that Eagles can rebuild nests quickly. We wait for all of our beloved birds — and it could be some time – since Captiva/Sanibel and Fort Myers have had devastating damage to communications, etc. The cameras are down at SWFlorida and, of course, we have no idea what has happened at Captiva. Thoughts remain with everyone impacted. I understand the storm is on the east coast of Florida, the Atlantic side, and was moving up from Daytona Beach.

Take care. Thanks for checking in. I am off to see some geese land at dusk today! It is 21 degrees C. – a perfect day! See you soon.

Thank you to 367 Collins Street by Mirvac for my screen captures from their streaming cam.

And then there were 3 Bobs at Port Lincoln!

22 September 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The sun is shining bright, the skies are clear bright blue and it is 9 degrees C. It dropped down last night to 4 degrees C and thankfully no lower. The garden escaped the frost. In anticipation of the conservatory I bought some non-local tropical plants including a Hibiscus. Goodness those huge terracotta pots are heavy. Two came inside but required their bath of light dish detergent to get the outdoor bugs off so there was no room at the inn for the third. It will get its shower today. I have a friend who brings his in and out every year and has done so for at least a decade so we will see if there is any green in this thumb!

The big news is, of course, the hatch at Port Lincoln of the third chick. That came at 19:31:40 with the lid having come off at 18:45. Here is a view of all three a few hours later.

This nest has always caused a certain amount of worry because of its history of siblicide which extends back to many memories of Solly, DEW, and little Tapps who died after not being allowed to eat by Solly on its 18th day. The difference in hatch times in 2020 was huge and not anything like this clutch. That said, Big and Middle Bobs really know how to eat. I have images from the 12:26 feeding yesterday when they took in huge pieces of fish. And it does seem that Big Bob always has its mouth open regardless of the time of day or circumstance. You will need to be a toughie little one but you can do it.

While we waited and worried, Little Bob was working hard to get out of its beautiful shell. And just look at that soft light grey down covering the older siblings. Isn’t it beautiful?

You can see Little Bob’s left wing out of the shell.

There you are sweet baby. Relief.

We know that Dad was followed to the barge by a Pacific Gull yesterday intent on that fish. I had seen gulls being ruthless to one another down by the river but never to an osprey til I saw what the one did to Sloop at Hog Island to get that fish. While we cannot see off camera, I wonder how much hassle Dad gets from gulls?

Dad came in with the breakfast fish at 07:51, another fish arrives at 12:26 and again at 15:23 with a feeding at 16:05. Mum pushed the half eggshell out of 3 at 17:04:33 with, again, the hatch at 19:31:40. There is another fish delivery at 21:36.

Here are some images from that 12:26 feeding before the arrival of Little Bob. Big and Middle are keen eaters. They can only eat so many big bites until their crop is full and they fall into a food coma but they need to be fed frequently, for now.

And the 16:08 feeding.

Big Bob has a really nice crop! And there will be another feeding in about three hours. Mum and Dad you are doing fantastic.

I will be back later today with a review of all the nests in Australia but, for now, savour the moment. Three healthy Bobs at Port Lincoln, grey and fuzzy with their distinctive black eye stripe to keep the glare out of their eyes when they are older and fishing. Adorable. 65 million years of evolution to get to this point. Incredible.

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. It is so exciting to have a clutch of osplets to watch again. We are also now within 4 days of hatch at Melbourne and so far Mum has kept the second male from harming the eggs. Fingers crossed. Take care of yourselves. See you soon!

Thank you to Port Lincoln Osprey for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures — and congratulations Port Lincoln! We are all cheering you on for a successful fledge of three strong chicks.

Morning Fish at Port Lincoln

21 September 2022

It is actually the 22nd of September in Port Lincoln, Australia and the morning delivery started off a little ‘cock eyed’. Dad delivered a fish, Mum fed the kids a couple of bites, and then Dad came and took it. He had already eaten the head but it was noticeable that he was hungry. He ate another portion, looked around a bit, and then delivered the rest to Mum and Big and Middle Bob. Those kids were hungry, too – and so was Mum. Let us hope the deliveries get closer together to ensure the continued peace on the nest and there is peace. Mum gives one a bite and then a bite to the next. The bites are not little flakes but, surprisingly, large and the kids gobble them down! Osplet 3 is working on getting out and the cap of the pip was seen to move in the middle of the night. So things are happening.

I hope you enjoy these screen captures. I could not wait to show you. These two are little darlings.

Dad finished his fish and waited on the ropes before flying over to Mum. Why did he hesitate? There was at least one gull flying around hoping to grab the kid’s breakfast and Dad wasn’t going to let that happen!

The gull came and did a clean up after Dad flew off to the nest. With its bright orange legs and beak, I believe this is a Pacific Gull but, every Australian, please correct me if I am wrong!

The gas tanks in the osplets were empty but by the end of the feeding they both registered full.

Thank you so much for joining me on this quick update to what is happening at Port Lincoln with Big and Middle Bob – and Mum and Dad. Take care everyone. See you soon — maybe Little Bob will be here by tomorrow. That would be grand.

Thank you to Port Lincoln Ospreys for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures today.