Tag Archives: Australian wildlife

Big shuts Middle out of fish…and other breakfast news from Australia

20 October 2022

Yesterday was a good day. All four of the Blue Jays were seen along with all four of the Crow family. The two Chickadees came flitting through. Four grey squirrels and one red one. Loads of Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. I know I have mentioned all of them recently but there is something so reassuring to see them – alive. Urban environments present particular challenges for our feathered friends and, it is like knowing that your whole family is fed, warm, and tucked in for the night. It feels good just like watching the little falcons eat. Something very rewarding.

Making News:

SE 30 was seen in a residential area around the Discovery Centre. What a beautiful sea eagle.

Jackie and Shadow have been working on the nest in the Big Bear Valley. Shadow has a new hair style to show off for this breeding season!

It is that time of year that lead begins to make news – and never in a good way. Read the post by one of my favourite Wildlife Rehab Clinics in the US, A Place Called Hope. It takes one lead pellet or one lead sinker to damage or kill an eagle. When there are alternatives, this is unacceptable. If lead paint is outlawed because it can harm humans, then lead hunting and fishing equipment that causes death to our raptors needs to be outlawed as well.

I wish that I could tell you that all is well at Port Lincoln. A whole fish arrived at 090824. Middle did get some bites but Big ate the majority of that fish making Middle have to do the snatch and grab. At 124709 another fish arrived on the nest. Big is going to eat all of it. She has beaked Middle so that he is afraid to come up to the table. Middle was tucked in tight. Listening and watching. At 13:10:58 Middle slithers up to Mum. Is there any fish left? No. Mum just ate the fish tail.

There will, of course, be other fish. But there is still a problem. We had high hopes that Big would calm down and everything would be civil on the Port Lincoln Nest on Monday. Big did get most of the fish but she was not chasing Middle away from the table.

Both eating on Monday.

By Wednesday everything had changed significantly. If Big continues to eat the way she is, Mum is not getting enough food and Middle will continue to be intimidated and afraid to go and eat.

Big will stop eating to intimidate Middle.

Middle really needs to have a good meal.

There were other fish but beyond the 0909, Big did not allow Middle much. Those fish came in at 1247, 1651, 1931, and 1952.

If Middle moves a speck, Big raises its head. This is not a good situation. Middle neeeds to eat today, Thursday in Australia.

At Melbourne, the problem was the heat. The eyases were very hot. Some made it to the other end of the ledge to enjoy the shade. Mum and Dad had turns acting as umbrellas to block the sun.

Both parents dug in their talons and tried to help the Melbourne Four.

Thankfully the shade came! What a difference a couple of hours makes.

Lots of prey came for the Melbourne Four. It looks like Mum took charge of all the 5 feedings. Thanks to ‘H’ and ‘A’ for the time stamps and information. At the 0552 feeding, the eyases ate for 9 minutes; at 0749 it was 21 minutes, at 1627 for 32-33 minutes, at 1734 for 12 minutes, and a bedtime snack came in at 1859 and the kids ate for 5 minutes.

Indigo and Rubus had five feeds yesterday, too. Those came at 072721, 100848, 105425, 144754, and the last one before light’s out was at 181056. The prey thought to be a Red Waddle bird at 100848 was positively identified as a Noisy Miner later.

Have a close look at little Rubus. He is starting to get pin feathers.

Diamond is making sure that Indigo uses her neck muscles, too!

Diamond is fascinated by the camera!

Migration News:

The news coming for Karl II and his family of Black Storks from the Estonian Karula National Forest appears to be all good. Little Waba flew 298 km and is now in Turkey. S/he did that in one day!

This is an image from where Waba’s tracker indicated s/he is feeding. Just lovely.

There was no new transmission from Kaia. She continues to be in Chad in a dry area it is believed.

Bonus is still in Romania feeding in the ditches east of Latinu.

Karl II really got to flying. he covered 373 km in one day and is now feeding along on the eastern side of the Nile River near Asswan.

Great News.

Two things I try to avoid when bringing you news about our feathered family are politics and religion. Sometimes, politics cannot be avoided because our wildlife are wrapped up in particular views and policies that belong to the different parties in the various governments around the world.

There is a quiet movement behind the scenes to see what can be done to change the intervention laws in South Australia in the memory of Little Bob. What we have learned is that David Speirs -often seen with the ospreys, Janet Forster (Port Lincoln Osprey founder), and who is now President of Friends of Ospreys- was the Minister of the Environment for the State of South Australia and, as you can tell, extremely supportive of the Ospreys. The Liberals lost the last election and the Labour Party is in power. David Speirs (Ervie is named after the village in Scotland where Speirs was born) is now the leader of the Opposition.

Every day something new is discovered. Current regulations and policies are being examined to see how to move forward. The last thing anyone wants to do is to damage the fine work that Port Lincoln and Friends of Osprey have already done. It takes time for change but, no one is forgetting Little Bob least of all Port Lincoln who support intervention but cannot within the current policies and guidelines or they would lose their licenses and everything they have gained in terms of being able to provide for the Ospreys. All of this is good. Little Bob is not forgotten.

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care. See you later today with the breakfast news. Send positive wishes to Port Lincoln, please.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Sydney Sea Eagle Cam FB, Friends of Big Bear Valley, A Place Called Hope, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and Looduskalender.

Will Indigo hit the bullseye again and other news…Late Tuesday in Bird World

18 October 2022

Hello Everyone!

It is entirely possible that the most entertaining and educational streaming raptor cam of the year will be the Falcon Cam on the water tower at Charles Sturt University in Orange. It is the home of Xavier and Diamond, seasoned parents, and this year’s eyases, Indigo and Rubus.

How do you spell adorable? Indigo and Rubus! When Indigo was walking today, Rubus was very concentrated in watching his big sister.

Today, Indigo continued her quest to walk while, at the same time, she is practicing hitting the camera with her ps every day. The last one resulted in Dr Cilla Kinross, the lead researcher on the Peregrine Falcon Project, having to climb 170 steps inside the old water tower to clean the camera.

Watch Diamond’s reaction and then, don’t stop. Listen to how little Rubus is. Then, watch as Cilla finishes going down the ladder, Indigo has a near hit again!

Of all the streaming cams, this one with its three cameras gives you a view of the tower so you can see the peregrine falcons arrive and leave, and two views of the scrape. The closeness lets us catch the details that can be missed elsewhere including the incredible facial expressions and eye popping moments.

Indigo and Rubus have already had two feedings today. At 055209, Xavier arrives with the breakfast pigeon. That breakfast is over at 060314. At 074959, a bird with long red legs arrives. What is special about this feeding is that little Rubus is in front and gets some of the best and biggest mouthfuls yet. How splendid. He did not have to stretch his neck all the way to Sydney to eat! Cilla Kinross thinks it could have been a Red waddle bird.

Proud mama Diamond.

Indigo wants to walk and flap at the same time. She is just not quite coordinated yet!

This morning Indigo played, ‘Ring around the Rubus’.

That second prey item was very popular!

Look at that neck on Rubus!

The Melbourne Four had an even earlier breakfast. Dad arrives with the pigeon before Melbourne is even waking up. It was 055209. At 060314 Mum flies off, breakie is over. At 074959 there is another pigeon feeding! These parents are working hard to take care of the pigeon population in the CBD.

Port Lincoln was still waiting as the golden glow of the sun spread down on the nest with beautiful Mum and Big and Middle. It is the first time we will see Big stand.

Dad brought in a late fish last night but the osplets and Mum are starting to get a little peckish as 0800 gets closer. Big has pecked Middle a couple of times – late yesterday – but, in general the nest has entirely settled down. Middle is a beautiful bird. Look at the images of her/him next to Mum at the end.

We all miss Little. It is impossible not to grief that we have loved. What we need to learn is the ‘why’. But, now it is time to turn our attention to wishing well for Mum and Dad, for the nest to have a lot of fish, for these to fledge, and have productive lives building up the population of Ospreys in South Australia.

At the same time, take care of your garden birds, the birds at the park, and do whatever you can, how little or small, to make the world a better place for our feathered friends. A place where there is so much fish that all of the birds and animals depend on the oceans, the seas, the lakes, and rivers can thrive. We will talk about how you can do that later this week but, if you have good ideas or know projects, send them to me. I would be very grateful.

Middle is very smart. He tries not to make eye contact with Big yet. Instead, he moves over by Mum to look out over the water waiting for Dad’s arrival.

As Port Lincoln waits for breakfast, I will sign off. It is a sunny blue skied day in Manitoba. The temperature is 4 degrees C with the promise of a much warmer day coming on Thursday.

Thank you for being with me on our breakfast check up in Australia. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Port Lincoln Ospreys and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures.

Update on SE30 and other news in Bird World

18 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The sky is a beautiful royal blue, not a cloud in sight and it is -7 on the Canadian prairies. On Thursday, we will warm up by 21 degrees C to a balmy +14. I cannot wait! I can hear the Crows but, I cannot see them. The Blue Jays are already finding corn and the Dark-eyed Juncos are still in Canada. Meanwhile, despite the break in the weather which will be wonderful for checking duck numbers in the city, it is time to get all the winter closed organized, put up the garden hose, and store the summer deck furniture.

Making News:

The birders on the ground, the bogs, near the Discovery Centre really need a great pat on the back. Thanks to them we have been able to keep up with SE 30 since s/he fledged. It is fantastic. Just look at this beautiful juvenile. SE 30 looks to be doing very well, indeed. Here is the latest announcement:

I really hope that SE30 is getting their own prey and we do not see them hungry in a couple of weeks on the sidewalk. Send this wonderful fledgling all the good wishes that you can!

Floods in the State of Victoria, Australia are causing havoc for wildlife.

Native wildlife flee flood waters across northern Victoria – video | Environment | The Guardian

From the Bookshelf:

I realized that I should create a link to a book list for everyone who is searching for books on different species. I promise to do that over the winter. The latest questions have been about books on Ospreys – questions about general knowledge books and others more specific. ‘H’ gave me a poke and reminded me about one on migration that she had just read. So here goes a few good books on Ospreys to get you started.

I have two books by Alan Poole on Ospreys. They are excellent reference books. The first is Ospreys. A Natural and Unnatural History published by the University of Cambridge in 1989. There are no beautiful colour photos – it is all black and white. The second is Ospreys. The Revival of a Global Raptor published in 2019 by John Hopkins University Press. The second book is much more up to date in terms and has made use of technological advances in studying raptors to bring our understanding up to date on their lives.

One of favourite books on Ospreys is by Roy Dennis who has spent the last 60 years re-introducing raptors to England (and various sites in Europe such as Spain). His book, A Life of Ospreys, of 2009, is very good.

The book that ‘H’ wants me to mention to you is Belle’s Journey. An Osprey Takes Flight by Rob Bierregaard. As ‘H’ points out it is not just for children and the reviews say it is loved by those from 9 to 90. The book follows a fledgling osprey with a satellite tracker to her winter home so it is about migration and its challenges. Extremely well written and easy to understand.

A book by David Gessner, Soaring with Fidel, is written on the back of Belle’s Journey and offers us even more insight into the migration of the Ospreys from the NE US who winter in Brazil and Columbia. It was this book that has prompted me to want to take that journey to Cuba to sit on top of a mountain with thousands of Ospreys flying overhead. Gessner is a charismatic writer and it is not boring science which one can easily get tired of reading. Like Bierregaard, Gessner weaves the science in like a parent sneaking cough syrup to a child and they didn’t know it.

Gessner wrote a second book, Return of the Osprey. A Season of Flight and Wonder. Equally well-written but this one focuses on the breeding season, not migration.

I know that many of you are fans of the Chesapeake Bay nest. Inside An Osprey’s Nest. A Photographic Journey through Nesting Season takes you up close and personal with a newly mated pair of Ospreys. Their eggs fail. Will they accept foster chicks? It is a moving narrative with incredible pictures.

If you can get your hands on a copy, The Scottish Ospreys from extinction to survival by Philip Brown is excellent. It was published in 1979 and, like the first Poole edition, has mostly black and white illustrations. It is an excellent historical account of the demise of the Osprey in the UK and the reintroduction efforts that have been underway by individuals such as Roy Dennis.

Lady of the Loch. The Incredible Story of Britain’s Oldest Osprey by Helen Armitage tells the story of Lady who lived to have 20 breeding seasons in Scotland. It gives special insights into the challenges of the birds, banding, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed it but, it is a book about a special Osprey in a special area of Scotland. If you are looking for general knowledge, get the second book by Poole first.

There are many others some written to celebrate a notable male bird such as Monty or the history of Rutland Water and its Ospreys. I will include that in the long list for everyone.

Nest News:

The Melbourne Four are really keeping the two first time parents busy. All of them are capable of getting up and down out of the gutter and today, when I checked, there were only three near the scrape. I did, literally, hold my breath til that little head appeared. ‘A’ loves the sound of the eyases ‘stomping’ down that metal piece of the ledge because it means that they can now get into the shade. ‘A’ might be happy but the parents appeared particularly bewildered at times today.

Poor Dad got down in the gutter with them. Just think. These two didn’t have one eyas to deal with in their first season as parents. Oh, no. They got four…lively, healthy, fat little bottomed chicks. It is perfect.

The parents must have decided that they need to bring in more pigeons. The kids had pigeon at 0646. When next I checked, Mum had come in with a pigeon and was feeding them at 1014. They had just settled down and Dad comes in with ‘something’. The time was 1031. I hope someone identifies this prey. It was big. It is so odd watching the falcons attach the prey to one taloned foot and hobble down to the scrape. It was not clear if the eyases would get up to eat but, they did. They are literally just ‘eating machines’ right now growing bigger and bigger every day.

At Orange, a Starling showed up at 0624. It was the parrot that came in at 0941 that caused the most excitement. We are going to start calling Rubus ‘Rubber Neck’. My goodness Xavier makes Rubus work for his dinner. He jumps and stretches and squeals. Meanwhile, Indigo just sits there occasionally raising her neck and sometimes taking food out of Rubus’s beak. She is unphased by his antics. What a live wire Rubus is. ‘Full of vinegar’ my grandmother would say rolling her eyes thinking of all the mischief he will be getting into.

At Port Lincoln, the day was rather calm. A large fish came in early – at 0748. It was followed by a much smaller fish at 0954.

At Port Lincoln, Dad brought in a total of six fish for the day. That is a lot of fish! Just look that the crop on Big.

Middle also has a crop. Yippee. I hope that Mum was able to get enough fish for herself. It is so hard to determine that when she is so busy feeding these two growing osplets.

Rubus and Indigo ate well. The Melbourne Four could have had more prey but, the osplets were stuffed. In all it was a good day in Australia yesterday. The Melbourne Four can now easily move up and down the gutter to the scrape so they can get into the shaded area if Mum is not about.

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

Thank you to the following for their posts and/or streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Amazon, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam FB, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam.

Grieving? Surviving? A look at Bird World early Monday

17 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The mailbox has been full. So many of you want to help Port Lincoln get permission to intervene should siblicide be apparent in the future, others want to know if raptors grieve, many are concerned about the hot sun on the eyases at Collins Street. What a caring community you are! It warms my heart. The outpouring of love for a small little Osplet still brings tears to my eyes. It is so very difficult to lose one. It takes days to get over it.

It was cold this morning. -5 C. We are being told that there will be a warming period with temperatures up to 13 the end of this week. I hope to go and check on the ducks that day and see how many remain in our City. The past two evenings there have been no Canada Geese flying overhead. It will be interesting to see how many are still at the nature centre.

Today, however, I have appointments this afternoon and I expect that my breakfast updates will be arriving late.

In the Mailbox:

My mailbox has been full of individuals wanting to help Port Lincoln get permission to intervene in the future should the fish deliveries run low. I would love to help Port Lincoln secure those permissions. There have also been other questions – ‘Is Big really a survivor’. My answer is below in Nest News’.

One question that is very important comes from ‘F’ who writes: ‘Will the mother know that the youngest has died because of the eldest?’

The answer to that question is ‘yes’. At times Mum even ‘sat’ on the three when they were younger to stop the beaking. Other osprey and eagle parents have tandem fed so that the youngest gets food. There are many examples of tandem feeding but Harriet and M15 come to mind immediately. I always refer back to the falconer, Laura Culley, who insists that raptors have a higher level of communication than humans – that we have lost that ability. She would answer this question with this answer, ‘And why wouldn’t the Mum know what happened?’

Animals and raptors grieve. A few good examples are when the sweet Moli chick, Ka ha Ki’i died unexpectedly in April 2021. His Mum, Laysan Alobatross, Kauai often visited his grave. When Hope and Peace died on the Captiva Bald Eagle nest due to a rat brought to the nest by their dad, Joe. The rat had eaten rodenticide poisoning. Both parents stood over the body of the second dead eaglet and mourned before it was removed for testing. Humans only believe that we are the only ones with feelings and emotions. This is not true. One of the best books on the subject of the emotional lives of animals which includes grieving is Marc Bekoff’s The Emotional Lives of Animals.

It also needs to be understood that most parents do not get the opportunity to grieve because they have other chicks to care for. In many instances, when the male has felt responsible for the deaths of the babies, such as the case with Joe at Captiva, he is mourning, leaves the area, and never returns. Connie, his mate, has taken several mates since him but has had no eaglets to fledge.

Making News:

The attacks on Chris Packham and calls for his BBC presence to end by Nature’s Alliance are not being supported by the public. Indeed, the mood of the UK population is to support nature, not harm it. Packham has been lobbying to end grouse hunting on the hunting estates. He has had his gate and car burned and has threats on his life.

Public support for Chris Packham overwhelms Countryside Alliance’s latest vindictive attack – Raptor Persecution UK

If you ever travel to Port Lincoln, they have indicated that Ervie often perches in front of the hotel on the Morton Bay Fig Tree.

Nest News:

‘A’ wrote to me about Indigo and the Starlings head wondering if anyone would mention it. Yes, it comes in the form of a video! It was one of those great moments in streaming cam history.

If Academy awards could be given out in Bird World surely the ‘Starling Head Scene’ at the Orange scrape would rate right up there with the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Here is the video of that interaction with the Starling head.

If you are trying to watch Orange today, you will not be able to see the chicks from the side camera (the one I use) very well. Indigo made a perfect bull’s eye with a big ps. I wonder if Cilla will climb up the 170 steps to get to the scrape to clean it? I am betting she does.

Victor Hurley has announced that Mirvac is going to install a second camera at the 367 Collins Street scrape in Melbourne next year. He also indicated that the camera will be panned out to show part way down the gutter now that the eyases are becoming more mobile. There are a few of us that are hoping they might put a shade cover and rain protector – like they have at the other end of the ledge on the other scrape box – on this one if the F22 is going to continue leaving her eyases alone in the heat of the day.

‘H’ takes very detailed notes of the Collins nest. She counted 5 feedings yesterday: At 1640 for 15 Minutes; at 0852 for 11 Minutes; at 1343 for 19 Minutes; at 1657 for 27 Minutes; and the last feeding at 1920 for 21 minutes. I was astounded at how fast the Melbourne Four could eat a large pigeon yesterday. Thanks, ‘H’.

At Port Lincoln, Big decided a few times that Middle was getting too much of the fish. The beaking was not awful and you can see Middle has a crop in the image below but, the intimidation remains. I continue to hope that her angst slows. Today Big will be 30 days old.

Let us all be clear about ‘Big Bob’. Big Bob did not have to survive anything. Big Bob ate all the fish including times when Mum needed some nourishment, intimidated its siblings, even killing one of them by starvation and possible injury. Right now Middle is having to survive Big and Middle is ‘clever’. She went under mum’s bottom and between her legs to eat. Middle has -so far – survived Big. Sadly, Little did not. Big has had no hardships to face. As ‘H’ puts it, ‘How would Big do if it went up against some bird bigger than it?’ ‘H’ is right. We would then see if Big was a survivor. The use of the word is misleading – you must survive ‘something’ to be a survivor.

The weather was not good yesterday with choppy water and strong winds. Dad managed to bring in several fish – one whole and the others partially eaten. The fish he brings in must feed four. If he is to provide, he has to eat. So does Mum. Dad has no control over the wind, the waves, and the gulls that attack the Ospreys wanting their fish. We hope that he has much better fishing luck today. The nest could use some large fish to fill everyone up — and I am speaking mostly of Mum since you will notice that both Big and Middle had crops at several feedings.

With the first eggs due to laid in November for the Bald Eagles in the US, ElfRuler has posted links to all of the streaming cams for eagles. Here is the link to their blog to find those cams.

LINKS TO STREAMING CAMS | Bald Eagles (elfruler.com)

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. I hope not to be too late with the breakfast news today. Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to all those who wrote in with questions or comments, to ‘A’ and ‘H’ who are my eyes in the middle of the night, and to the following for their posts and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Raptor Persecution UK, ElfRuler Blog, 367 Collins Falcon Watchers, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam.

Early Sunday in Bird World

16 October 2022

Good morning, Everyone,

It was a very long night. I want to thank you for your outpourings of love and empathy for Little Bob at PLO. If love – human love – could have saved him, that nest would have been full of fish. Little Bob died of the effects of siblicide (starvation and a possible early morning injury) in the late afternoon of the 16th of October at the age of 24 days. Port Lincoln received permission to remove his body from the nest. Fran Solly (?) moved the camera away from the nest to the landscape while Little Bob was being taken off the nest.

Port Lincoln posted the following information on their observation board:

A sad day at port lincoln as #3 didn’t survive. It didn’t get fed properly these last few days and collapsed around 1 pm this afternoon and died at the end of the afternoon. PLO got permission to retrieve it for burial, but didn’t get permission to interfere before that. It is sad, but also the way of life in any nest. The other two siblings are thriving and have every chance to successfully fledge in a few weeks.

If you go to the obs board, you can also join in guessing the fledge time of the two surviving osplets. That obs board can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQRkHwV-ke4JmvnzkPjMFN1EAEncHygYVd2qOmvorg0-0beJWj9Mw12KSwmhHppN16iWWl0ScUtEFSS/pub?urp=gmail_link&gxids=7628

It is a shame that Port Lincoln did not get permission to intervene once they realized what was happening on the nest.

There are divided feelings on which osplet should be removed when food competition is present. Most researchers believe you remove the eldest if it can self-feed instead of the youngest – leave the youngest with the adult who will feed it. In other instances, smaller birds being beaked have been removed and fed and returned to the nests to live happily. Perhaps, in the future, should this occur again (and it almost seems inevitable at this nest if the first hatch is a big female), permission to intervene can be gained even before the eggs are laid. Just a thought.

Little Bob was loved by so many and we remain heart broken. I am glad that his suffering has ended, however. The parents have little time to grieve – they have two large osplets to care for and get to fledge.

Making News:

Warming seas, overfishing, hotter temperatures are all having a huge impact on birds. Will there be a time when Ospreys will only be able to find enough food for the parents and one chick to survive?

We have just witnessed at Port Lincoln the ospreys eating fish that were fresh and left on the nest or the one that magically appeared on the barge. Since climate change is human caused, it is time that we began to consider ways in which we can help our Osprey friends adapt – and that is through intervention. Providing fish when there is not enough. Fish tanks. There are figures of how many fish come to an Osprey nest with three chicks. The average, if I recall correctly, is somewhere around 450 fish.

Already scientists are seeing a 43% decline in Penguins. Here is the story:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/12/australian-scientists-observe-rapid-decline-in-adelie-penguin-numbers-off-antarctic-coast

The article might be about penguins today but, it is easy to see that the Royal Albatross chicks are requiring more supplementary feedings. What others will we be reading about?

Here is a story coming from Cyprus about the Griffon Vulture. When will countries realize that wildlife and bird watching tours add much income to an economy. So instead of trying to wipe them out with poisons why not embrace the beauty of all and celebrate it?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/10/its-a-serious-problem-battle-to-save-griffon-vulture-heats-up-in-cyprus

Nest News:

There remain three active nests in Australia with chicks to fledge: 367 Collins Street Peregrine Falcons in Melbourne, Charles Sturt Peregrine Falcon scrape in Orange (Xavier and Diamond), and the two Osplets at Port Lincoln. There are currently no concerns for the falcons at Orange. Both are eating well and food is arriving with no issue. There is concern about the amount of time the female is away from the scrape box at Melbourne. My understanding is that there will be two very hot days this week that will impact the eyases. They do not, as yet, have the ability to run up and down the gutter nor are they feathered to further help them regulate their temperatures. Big and Middle should thrive at Port Lincoln.

The Melbourne Four had several feedings yesterday. The last was at 1832. The four were absolutely bursting at the seams!

Indigo and Rubus ended their day with a duckling feed. Yesterday they had Starlings, a parrot and a Rosella. Xavier is bringing in quite a variety for his family. The Rosella feeding was at 16:29:58

At 1740 a duckling arrived on the ledge which Diamond happily took to feed Indigo and Rubus. Rubus did not have a crop from the earlier Rosella feeling an hour prior and so, this little one got to fill its tummy before bed with a favourite, duck.

At Port Lincoln, after the removal of Little Bob’s body, Mum fed the two surviving chicks one of the fish that was left by Port Lincoln. She also enjoyed some of it herself. It is worth remembering that both Mum and Dad have to retain their health or the entire nest suffers. Mum worked hard to find Little Bob fish when he was eating – at the expense of herself. The females lose weight and body mass as they produce eggs, incubate, brood and feed the chicks until such time as they fledge. Often, at about 30 days, Mum will, in fact, go fishing and supplement the fish Dad brings to the nest.

I do not personally believe there will be any more problems on the Port Lincoln nest. It is not always the case, however. At the UFlorida-Gainesville nest, after the third hatch died, the eldest began to take their angst out on the second hatch. The competition continued but as Middle got bigger, it was clear that Big could not kill it. At that nest, it was evident that the Mum often favoured the eldest. It was a very interesting nest to watch – it had two strong fledglings in the end.

Middle has grown a great deal in the last couple of days as she began to figure out how to get fish and be away from Big. Let us all hope that lots of fish continues to come in and that Mum will also get her share.

Breakfast has not yet arrived at all the nests. I hope to have a very late day report on the comings and goings early on a Monday morning at the nests in Australia. Thank you for being with me and thank you for all of your outpourings of sympathy for Port Lincoln over the death of sweet Little Bob. It will be very difficult to watch that nest for many. Port Lincoln is not a nest for the faint of heart. For those of you that love Ospreys, I want to now recommend three nests in the UK: Rutland’s Manton Bay with Blue 33 and Maya. That Osprey family has raised four osplets twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are Super Stars in the Osprey world. The second is at Dyfi in Wales, the home of Idris and Telyn. It just so happens that Telyn is Maya’s daughter from Rutland! The other is the home of Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig. Louis melted our hearts when he helped his former mate, Aila, feed their three chicks in 2020. He is an amazing provider just like Blue 33 and Idris.

Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their stories, posts, and our streaming cams where I took my screen captures: The Guardian, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Soar High, Little Bob

15 October 2022

Little Bob,

It is nearing midnight on the Canadian Prairies, and it is just after 1500 on the 16th of October in Port Lincoln, Australia. As the tears pour down my cheeks, like the monsoon rains in Chennai in July, you are struggling to take your very last breath. It is so very, very hard to say goodbye to you.

Siblicide. We have to say the word to acknowledge that your life was taken away from you. You did not die of a disease. You died because you were physically tortured, mentally terrorized, and kept from eating by your oldest sibling. Those are the facts. What began as a perfect nest of three osplets, fell apart.

You hatched 24 days ago. Oh, how you tugged at our heart strings from the moment you popped out of that shell. I am so very grateful for the joy that you brought into my life and the lives of so many others.

Little Bob, you need to know that you did not die alone. Hundreds of people from around the world wrapped you gently in their arms, rubbed your face and your feet, surrounding you with warmth and love. You will not be forgotten little one.

Soar high.

Deepest condolences to Mum and Dad, to the Port Lincoln Osprey community, and to all those who loved this little bundle of fluff and feathers. May we all live to realize the challenges that our wildlife face every day of their lives and in memory of Little Bob work hard to make the environment better.

Thank you, Port Lincoln, for your streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Little Bob battered…afraid to eat

15 October 2022

The dreary cool day continued on the Canadian Prairies. The garden has been very energetic all day. Notable were visits for 7 Black-capped Chickadees, some adult and juvenile Clay Sparrows, Junior and his three Jays, one Crow, all of the squirrels, and about 150 House Sparrows. Oh, yes, and about 25 Dark-eyed Juncos and 4 European Starlings.

Dark-eyed Junco
Dyson and Co dumped the covered feeder. Two of Junior’s fledglings are in the middle of it eating their corn.

All the joy in my garden doesn’t compare to the sadness and despair bracketed by hope that people have for Little Bob at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge.

At 06:38:32, Big Bob decided it was time to give Little Bob a good thrashing – for nothing more than being there – and Big anticipating that an early fish was coming in.

Little Bob got nothing of that fish. He is so afraid that he did not even raise his head.

Mum flew off and came in with a big fish. Little Bob was too scared to move. He had Middle on one side and Big on the other. Middle is doing well and when I last looked both Middle and Big had huge crops.

Everyone is hoping that another fish or two will come in quick succession and Little will get to eat. He had some fish – not tons and not enough to make a big crop but, some, 24 hours ago. Little needs a really good feed today. He needs to be able to raise his head up and not be intimidated and hurt by Big.

Breakfast was confusing at 367 Collins Street. Mum flew in with a freshly caught pigeon which she began to pluck. She changed her mind after the Melbourne Four were excited for an early feed. – Oh, she gave one or two of them a few feathers. She flew off with the bird. Then she returned with it mostly plucked. Went to feed the eyases and then changed her mind again and flew off at 07:33. I would not be surprised if Dad shows up and feeds the Four.

No real breakfast yet. Back to sleep.

I wonder if these chicks are as confused as I am. What is going on, Mum?

There was a frenzied breakfast feeding at Orange. Diamond came in with a Starling at 07:11 and Rubus was ready to go. Diamond is working to get Rubus to stretch its neck and the little one did not disappoint. At the end of the feed, both Rubus and Indigo had nice crops. Well done.

Another prey item came in at 0724. Cilla Kinross said it was definitely not Starling. Diamond stayed with the chicks and Xavier either ate his breakfast or put it in the pantry for later. All is well at Orange. No worries here. Indigo’s feathers are developing very well. Rubus continues with his loud screams..and life is good in rural Australia.

The only nest to have had breakfast by the time I finish writing this is Orange. The four chicks at Melbourne would love to have had some of that fresh pigeon. They wait. Middle and Big (of course) ate well. Little needs food. ‘A’ observed a very tiny PS from Little last evening – a sure sign that he is becoming very dehydrated. Please wish for fish. Send all your positive energy Little’s way.

Thank you for being with me. That is a wrap for me in Manitoba. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Early Saturday in Bird World

15 October 2022

It is 0500 on the Canadian prairies and the sky is solid clouds with a temperature of 5 degrees C. I am surprised at how toasty warm it is in the conservatory and how quiet it is. No cars, no people, no geese honking, or songbirds. Quiet.

The situation at Port Lincoln has had me up and down most of the night. I had so hoped that Little Bob would get some more food during the day but Big has made sure that Little and Middle are so frightened of eating that Little wouldn’t hardly raise its beak. It is a worry. If Big is going to calm down, it should begin to happen. What I witnessed on Saturday was a huge sibling demanding all the fish including any that would go to Mum. I am up early today because one of the things that relieves stress is to go for a walk in the forest and that is where I will be headed. As much as I would like to remove Big from the entire situation at Port Lincoln, I can’t. You can’t. Sometimes it is simply hard to watch abuse.

A sweet story about Blue Herons by an 11-year-old, how weather changes might impact Chiffchaffs, and a couple of videos to start the day:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/15/young-country-diary-grandmas-favourite-walk-was-to-see-the-herons

Besides the little warblers in the article below, how many other birds will be impacted by weather?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/12/weatherwatch-chiffchaff-garden-winter-breeding-population

Before we go and get the round up of the days events in Australia, Lady Hawk made a very short video of Samson and Gabby for all of us who are missing them!

And for those who cannot wait until the next season of Royal Albatross begins, Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk, made a much longer video of the albatross arriving at Taiaroa Head. I wonder who the Royal Cam family will be?

Oh, I had so hoped that Big Bob at Port Lincoln was ‘cooling her jets’ and settling down. The breakfast meal on Saturday went well. Big filled up. Middle got quite a bit, and Little got a couple of bites and then was able to get fed some fish before the tail area. Everyone settled down. As the anticipation of another fish arrival grew, Big ‘decided’ to remind Middle and Little Bobs with some savage beaking and pulling at the neck and some tossing that – she – and only she – was to eat first.

As the morning wore on with no additional fish delivery, Big got increasingly angry. The chatters who were watching the live stream were urging Little Bob to just not make a sound. Big is in a frenzy. Will Big be one of the exceptions to the rule of calming down? Middle and Little would gladly be fostered about right now. No matter what size the next fish is, it is Big’s. And no one will have any peace until there are several fish deliveries in a row that are huge…deliveries that have a late one and then an early one the next morning. Gracious.

Neither sibling is spared. The meal was over. Both Middle and Little were minding their own business and Bob decided to go after them.

At 11:50 Little Bob insists on cuddling with Big Bob – right under her neck. Interesting. Big Bob gave Little ‘the look’ but, didn’t beak.

It is windy and choppy. No fish delivery yet. It is after 1330. It could be quite nasty with Big on edge. I sure hope it is a monster of a fish.

There will be two more fish deliveries at Port Lincoln. The mid-afternoon delivery saw Bob terrorizing both Middle and Little again. Does anyone remember the days when Big only went on a rampage between meals and everyone got to eat? It has been a long time since that happened. Now, both Middle and Little are fearful of eating. Little Bob did not get anything to eat. Middle did a do around and pulled some pieces of fish from behind Mum.

On the PLO nest there was a late fish delivery at 20:13:24 but Little did not get anything to eat. Middle got to enjoy some fish. It is very clear that Big Bob has scared Little from eating. Let us hope, beyond hope, that he gets some food Sunday morning. Of course, the other miracle would be that Big would slow down in the aggression. Will this happen?

At 367 Collins Street, Mum returned after Dad had fed the chicks. The prey that he brought in was identified as a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo. You can just see a few of the yellow feathers remaining. Apparently these are very dangerous birds for the falcons to catch as they can break the tarsus.

So we can be clear. The prey breakfast that Dad brought was not the pigeon that Mum caught and brought to the ledge. From the look of her enormous crop when she returned, she must have been ravenous and finished off that entire bird.

Mum cleaned up pieces of prey in the scrape, stayed with the chicks for a bit, and then left. Dad returned when the chicks were panting to try and shield them from the sun. Again, this is the strangest Peregrine Falcon scrape I have ever seen.

The eyases have grown so much that little Dad has a hard time just shading one of them. We are still about a week away before they can run down the gutter to the other end when it is in shade.

Top 2 images of Mum shading the chicks when she returns. Why didn’t she stay? It is so hot for them.

Little Dad comes and does his best. Look at how big they are. Oh, the shade cannot come quick enough and my calculations are that is 2 hours away.

I have included this ‘behind the scenes’ view of what I believe is the oldest or next oldest of the chicks. Just look at the feathers coming in, that huge tail, and yes, that fat little bottom and legs. It will not be long til this one is running up and down the gutter.

The Melbourne Four are eating well. The last delivery arrives around 1725. Dad comes in with a nicely prepared piece of prey. None of the four will be going hungry!

After Dad feeds them, Mum returns to brood the eyases.

Diamond fed Rubus and Indigo again around 10:17. Oh, she must enjoy facing away from the camera so we cannot possibly count the bites each of them gets! Of course, now that Rubus can see better and is more stable, there is no cause to worry. Rubus gets fed! And so does Indigo. She had an enormous crop when Diamond left the scrape with leftovers at 10:32.

We have to assume that with how well the feedings have been going that Rubus was full as well as both chicks will go into food coma.

Rubus had a really good feed at noon. At 1209 Diamond was insisting that he eat this huge piece of prey but, he tried and tried and couldn’t. Eventually Diamond ate it giving Rubus lots more bites after. The feedings are going so well now.

At the last feeding of the day, Indigo had an enormous crop and Rubus had a wee one. When you are watching a feeding at Orange, turn the sound up. Rubus is sooooooo loud!

Migration:

Here is a link to the interactive Bird Map showing ospreys, Black Storks, and other raptors on their way to their winter homes:

https://birdmap.5dvision.ee/index.php?lang=en

I will bring news of Karl II and his family – Kaia, Waba, and Bonus as soon as new transmissions are received.

Bird Cast shows us the changing nature of migration through North America.

As the sky begins to lighten, I can smell the coffee. Once upon a time I had a cat named Duncan. She knew that when the morning and evening coffees came, she would be able to go outside. She would sit at the edge of the counter waiting for her harness to go on and we would sit, enjoying the beautiful outdoors. What a great friend she was! I am not sure what the birds would make of having a cat outside but, as the sky turns a light grey, the Dark-eyed Juncos are arriving in droves. There are, perhaps, 40 of them this morning searching for any Millet left from yesterday. It looks like that is my reminder to feed them before I enjoy that coffee. The songbirds have arrived and broken the silence…and it is wonderful. A single Blue Jay has arrived as well. Time to get moving!

Let us all send the warmest wishes that we can to the Port Lincoln barge. May there be so many fish that Big gets sick of seeing fish and allows Middle and Little to eat, unharmed.

Thank you for being with me today. Take care all. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their stories, posts, videos, and streaming cams that form my screen captures: The Guardian, Lady Hawk, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Late Friday in Bird World…or is it Breakfast in Australia?

14 October 2022

A good late afternoon to everyone. It is 1640 on the Canadian prairies. The temperature has warmed up to a balmy 5 degrees C. The sky is very overcast. The Juncos are feeding on the White Millet and there is a large group of American Tree Sparrows that have joined the regulars in the garden. Having been for Bark Butter and Meal Works the Starlings have yet to show up again. I have a feeling they are feeding elsewhere and roosting in the big trees at the back in the evening. I hope they see their special set up. They generally like to eat out in the open tearing through the goodies rather quickly.

Let’s check and see what is happening at the homes of the Melbourne Four, Indigo and Rubus, and the three osplets at Port Lincoln. Of the three I am most anxious for Little Bob at Port Lincoln.

At Port Lincoln everyone is curled up tight. Just have a look at how big Big is! There was no middle of the night snack for Little Bob and Mum last night.

We should, of course, be astounded by the growth of ospreys. They normally “triple their body weight in the first eight days they are out of the egg, and then double it again in the nest four days. During the period of fastest growth, between the ages of fifteen to thirty days, chicks are gaining an average of forty grams or .09 of a lb a day which is translated to 2-3% of their final weight. By thirty days of age, Osprey chicks have achieved 70-80% of their total body mass and growth slows.” (Alan Poole, Ospreys, 101).

This is what I hope will happen to Big. She will plateau. Not requiring so much food for that accelerated growth that has caused her to become nothing short of huge, her beaking and need to keep the others at bay should slow as well.

The first arrived at 06:25. Thankfully, it was a nice big one. Little Bit winds up in the middle of Big on the right and Middle on the left. At 06:52, Little Bit gets a good 3 or 4 bits. Then the two older siblings find yet more room in their full crops. At around 06:53 Mum really reaches her neck over and feeds Little Bit.

It is hard to imagine that Big could hold another bite, but she continues to get some bites until 06:58 when she backs off. Little Bit will move around the left side of Middle to get closer to Mum and the fish tail. Middle has eaten well but is still getting bites. Mum works hard to get the rest of the meat out of the tail for Little.

During the feeding, Little Bob was very aware of Middle and kept back. That was very smart. It will be interesting to see what happens at the next feeding.

It was the most congenial breakfast I have seen in more than a week. Fantastic. We should all be smiling. Little Bit did not get tons of food, not like Big and Middle but he ate without being pecked and was not too scared, just careful. Also, clever moving around Middle to get closer to Mum.

Mum needs some food. That is a fact.

The sun is coming up over the Central Business District (CBD) of Melbourne. The Melbourne Four will be waking up and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first prey item of the day.

Mum left the eyases and it looks like she went hunting. She flew in with a ‘just killed’ pigeon with all its feathers!

Mum left with that prize pigeon at 07:38. The eyases have not been fed and neither adult has arrived back. As I write it is now 08:40. This is the strangest behaviour at a Peregrine Falcon scrape with four little ones I have ever seen in my entire life. It does not take an hour to pluck a pigeon!

At 0847 an adult arrives on the ledge with a plucked pigeon. I cannot tell if it is Dad or Mum but, the behaviour is like Dad. Ahhh…and it is Dad. He has arrived to feed the little ones who are ravenous.

Dad did a fantastic job feeding the four and they are still eating as I finish writing. What on earth is going on with this female? Most females will go without eating to feed their chicks. Clearly the Mum at Port Lincoln is like that. This female catches prey and leaves. Why didn’t she pluck it on the ledge? The old Mum and Dad often did that. Why did Dad come in with a plucked pigeon looking around and not seeing Mum. Was it the pigeon she caught? Too many questions.

Diamond is awake in Orange as the camera gets ready to change over from IR light.

Indigo and Rubus are awake. Rubus is when breakfast is arriving.

Xavier arrived with a Starling at 0642. Oh, I thought he was going to get to fed Rubus and Indigo. Maybe Xavier did, too! He started plucking that Starling…and then Diamond arrived and took it over.

Diamond had her back to the camera during the feeding.

Both Rubus and Indigo appear to have had plenty to eat. Diamond has now moved ‘eggie’ back into the nest cup. I wonder if she will move it out when she goes to brood the two.

Migration News:

There is good news coming from the satellite transmissions of Karl II and his family. Everyone has sent out their locations.

Karl II has left Turkey and is now in Lebanon in the mountain area near Hos ech Chadoura Ridge.

Waba is still in Bulgaria near Rakowski. He is feeding at the River Marizu and in the canals between the fields.

Kaia is still in Chad. She is feeding in a seasonal river near Baouda.

Bonus is still in Romania.

Everyone has eaten but it sure is a strange morning at 367 Collins Street. Just about the time Port Lincoln is due to calm down the scrape in Melbourne continues to confound. Rubus and Indigo had a good feed and Little Bob did not get a full crop, but he had a good meal on top of his full crop last night. Life is good.

Thank you for being with me. I hope that you have a lovely start to your weekend. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross.

Early Friday in Bird World

14 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Some snow fell last night and it was still here – not melting – until half an hour ago. Everyone has been in the garden this morning and Canada Geese have been flying overhead. Everyone is visiting the garden. The number of Dark-eyed Juncos has increased, and the Starlings are here waiting for me to go and get Meal Worms and Butter Bark. I plan to do that shortly. They do cause chaos, but they are such beautiful birds and they also deserve a good feed on a cold day.

Making News:

Oh, I adored Rosa and Martin’s 2022 eaglet, Orion, at the Dulles-Greenway Bald Eagle nest. What a gorgeous chick. Orion hatched on the 13th of March. Well, guess what? Orion returned to the nest! But it gets better ———— Martin and Rosa were there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is the video:

Harriet and M15, the famous Fort Myers Bald Eagle couple, have made The Washington Post with their rebuilding activities! The raptors can show us all the way. Don’t grumble about what life throws at you, just get on making it better!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/10/14/bald-eagles-rebuild-nest-hurricane/?fbclid=IwAR2VxX84BEELvFGm6uHJXCm2lIm2qfvsDUHwDj4GLnnYCx9GTfPR0YsTYZU

Abby and Blazer from Eagle Country are on their nest tree. Just look at what Hurricane Ian did to their wonderful nest. I wonder if they will rebuild in the same place?

Do you adore the Kakapo, the charming green flightless parrots of New Zealand that are so threatened? Well, I do and am always thankful for the care they are given. They were New Zealand’s Bird of the Year for two straight years but, because of that, they have been struck from the ballot this year. Some are wondering if that is fair.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/12/new-zealand-bird-of-the-year-contest-favourite-kakapo-blocked

New research comes from all the poo samples collected of the Kakapo. Here are the results that shows gut health is key to their survival.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/10/kakapo-gut-bacteria-key-to-its-survival.html?fbclid=IwAR3ArV1bv8gLBVh4wIP0drEOQQICOkkxbimeWUZwoMlwQTou2g6UZz5S3Is

Nest News:

Today, at Port Lincoln, Big is 27 days old, Middle is 26, and Little Bob is 23 days. Those four days and, perhaps, a gender difference with Big Bob certainly being a female, sure set those two apart. According to Port Lincoln’s data chart, there were 4 fish delivered with 5 feeds. That does not tell us much about what happened on this nest. I was, however, delighted to see that Little Bob had a feeding around 0100 Friday morning. That is interesting as the night before, Middle had been the recipient of those precious bites. I could not rewind to see how much fish Little Bob got but, on Friday in Australia, Big ruled the roost in frenzied attacks on all the siblings. Little Bob had some fish around 10:45 before it was attacked by Big three minutes later. That feeding was highlighted in my last blog.

There was a feeding at 12:36. Little stayed rolled up tight and did not get any. The third feeding at 16:28 Middle got some but Little did not. It was the break through very large whole fish that helped Little Bob. It arrived at 17:17:45. Little Bob moved up to eat with Middle at 17:36 getting its first bite at 17:37:58. After that Mum worked that fish tail again giving Little huge bites at the end. Little Bob went to bed full of fish. That is a good thing.

There was not a late fish delivery like there had been the night before. It sure would have benefitted Mum and Little. Big is out for the count so full after gorging all day. I remember the second hatch at Achieve Ospreys in 2020. That osplet would eat and eat and eat so that Tiny Tot could not get any food. We wondered how it could even hold another bite.

Looking at Port Lincoln and the age of the Osplets, let us remember that the beaking started on day 8. The late and only fish delivery that day came after 1500. It was also the onset of the Reptilian phase. We are now moving out of the Reptilian Phase and this nest should settle —- if it is going to. It is why the ages of the osplets are now important as the development of their juvenile feathering. Oh how I wish we could measure their hormonal levels leading up to that Reptilian Phase and then coming out of it.

The chicks at Melbourne were once again left out in the hot sun yesterday. I am mystified at the female at this scrape. I have never seen a female consistently leave her chicks for an hour and a half or longer every day. They were so hot. Hopefully in another week – when, according to the Melbourne weather reports it is to get hotter – they will be able to run to the other end of the gutter for shade. I want to say ‘should Mum leave them alone in the hot sun again’ but, it seems that a pattern has formed and that is precisely what Mum will do, sadly.

Indigo and Rubus are being well fed and taken care of. Rubus now gets lots of food and you can see that it knows precisely where Mum’s beak is. The eyes are open and they are focusing. When Rubus is an adult it will be able to see a prey item a mile away. There were six feedings yesterday at Orange.

Rubus and Indigo are just cute little buttons of things. Indigo is so calm and Rubus seems to be a live-wire. I do love watching Indigo take food out of Rubus’s mouth – but, only if, Diamond replaces it for Rubus!

There is no news about SE29 or SE30. I will be back with updates on migration later today along with the breakfast news from the nests. For those watching the Finnish Ospreys, Salli left Finland on August the 25th and she arrived at her winter home in Rwanda on the 13th of October. She is now feeding at Lake Llaema. Fantastic. The adult Royal Albatross have been arriving on Taiaroa Head. Some have been around Lillibet’s nest. Check it out.

Thank you so much for being here with me. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their news, their posts, and their screen cams where I took my screen captures: ‘A’ and ‘H’, Dulles-Greenaway, Osprey Friends, Eagle Country, Kakapo Recovery, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.