It is difficult to believe but it appears that the Little Bit or Tater Tot at the Dale Hollow Nest is still alive. This is quite unbelievable. The will of this little wee eaglet to live is intense. It has moved again to try and get in the shade. It does not have the protection that the other two eagles have. It still had natal down despite its 17 days old. The other two are 20.
If rewards of fish could be given, this little one would win them all. It has lowered its breathing so it doesn’t use up so much energy and it has played possum more than twice to survive. This was at 16:25.
In other news, I have heard from a reader in Lithuania, ‘S’ who has cleared up a mystery about Milda at the Durbe White-tailed Eagle nest. Milda has been through a lot of mates since she lost her long time partner last year. This is what ‘S’ writes: “I just wanted to add on our Latvian WTE nest – Milda has a new partner now – Voldis (a shortened version of the name of the Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky). She has recently laid 2 eggs (15/03 and 18/03), but Voldis seems a bit inexperienced and is not willing to incubate for longer periods of time, nor is he bringing food for Milda while she incubates. We hope the situation improves, but it may as well be that the eggs do not hatch this year under these circumstances. Hope dies last, of course.”
Meanwhile, there is no news at the Captiva Osprey nest over the cause of Big Bob’s sudden death. However, Middle and Little are doing very well!
Mum Lena offered Little Bob the fish tail. Yum, yum. He was happy to have the honour.
I just checked at the Dulles Greenway Bald Eagle nest of Rosa and Martin. For a second some of us saw the chick below and thought we were seeing double. There is, however, just one chick on the nest, confirmed by the moderator. And it is a cutie!
Why does one egg hatch and not the other? The Dulles Greenaway nest posted this informative article.
The Red-tail Hawk celebrity couple, Big Red and Arthur, at the Cornell Campus are doing great and waiting for the arrival of egg 3 tomorrow. Big Red is trusting Arthur with more of the incubation duties and he has happily provided her with the gift of a mouse today for her afternoon tea.
Everything also looks good on a hot Friday afternoon in California at the West End nest. The three eaglets of Thunder and Akecheta are literally sleeping with the fishes. Oh, they are going to have such gunky fur! Yikes.
There are no new reports of Cal Falcons Annie and Grinnell or Ervie at the Port Lincoln Osprey Project today.
I am exhausted from the happenings at Dale Hollow. Little Bit or Tater Tot would be a formidable eagle if it could survive. Twice now I have thought it died. Even the moderators on the Dale Hollow chat which they opened up just this morning believed so. Please send all your love. Surround it with love! If my grammar has gone sideways today, I apologize. There has been a lot of stress today. Wrap your arms around Little Bit!
Correction: Apologies to ‘A’ who first alerted me to Little Bit remaining alive. I previously said it was ‘L’.
Thank you for joining me. I cannot see a problem at any other nest! Take care everyone! See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab and the RTH, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Dale Hollow Eagle Nest, Dulles Greenaway Bald Eagles, West End Eagles,
I have only witnessed once, in many years, the level of aggression and violence that DH14 has shown to DH16 at the Dale Hollow nest. It is Friday at 12:31 and Little Bit has not had food in 72 hours. That it was still breathing and moving this morning gave me some kind of hope that a miracle would happen. Two fish came on the Dale Hollow nest. One in the early morning with River and the second a smaller one brought in by Obey at 12:09. Big ate both of them. No other chick was fed.
In both instances, the older sibling could hardly eat for beaking the other two siblings. She was particularly ferocious – pulling off fur down to the skin and placing DH16s head in its mouth and whipping it around. The level of violence was unbelievable. I have seen older ospreys intimidate younger ones from eating. I have seen many nests with three chicks thrive. The West End Bald eagle nest is doing really well. The fact that DH16, the small one on the Dale Hollow Nest fondly called Little Bit or Tater Tot was ONLY three days younger than the other two speaks volumes about what happened on this nest. I know that there will be many who wanted Little Bit to get up and fight another day but the immense suffering and pain that this little babe has had to endure for three days has finally stopped.
We need to use the right words. Little Bit was killed by its older sibling, DH14 at around 12:27-28. Siblicide.
I have not included any images. They were simply horrible. It is a very sad occasion. Sadly, Big will now turn its complete attention to the Middle chick who hatched on the same day as it.
I am a night owl and not generally up before 07:00. This morning I wanted to check on the status of the Dale Hollow nest. In all the sadness there, it is good to pause and to continue to thank all those amazing ‘bird’ mothers and dads out there. Over the years I have seen them separate chicks, get their mate to help with tandem feedings, and go fishing or hunting themselves to ensure that there was ample food for all on the nest. I am desperately trying to understand the ‘root cause’ of the issues at Dale Hollow that have taken us to this morning. River has come into the nest alerting and Big is still attacking. Rain started at 10:17.
It was a beautiful morning on the Gulf of Mexico at the Captiva Osprey nest in Florida. Lena was up waiting and trusting that Andy was going to get a fish on the nest for Middle and Little (Little and Mini). Andy did not disappoint!
The chicks are full and Lena is going to go for her bath to get off all the fish. Middle and Little look great!
At the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, breakfast has arrived. Jasper is being fed and Rocket is self-feeding. If you are new to this nest, the eldest, Jasper once demanded to be fed first and tried to keep Rocket from eating. Rocket became an expert at the ‘snatch and grab’. Rocket even took fish from the parents and was a pro at self-feeding early. Rocket learned great survival skills.
These two have not branched yet but that stage of their development is coming soon.
DG1 has had a few feedings already this morning at the Dulles Greenaway Bald Eagle nest in Virginia. Martin even took a turn at feeding the chick while Rosa had a break.
This little one is alert and ready for some more fish!
There is a second egg but time for pip is passing. Maybe this little one DG1 will be an only child.
There are three eggs being incubated at the Pittsburg Hayes Bald Eagle nest and this week we are on pip watch.
Are you a teacher looking for resources to teach about Bald Eagles? The Pittsburgh Hays Bald Eagle nest has posted a link to the Audubon Resources. Not a teacher? Have a peek. We are never too old to learn!
The US Steel Bald Eagle nest was built in 2019. Eaglets have fledged from that nest in 2020 (1 fledge) and in 2021 (2 fledges). There are two eggs being incubated on this nest and Dad is on duty this morning.
At the White-tailed Eagle nest in Matsalu National Park in Western Estonia, the breeding couple are on the nest. Last year, two eggs were laid. The first on 20 March and the 2nd egg on the 24th of March. Both chicks died. Cause of death was confirmed to be H5N1, the highly pathogenic Avian Flu.
The White-tailed eagles are extremely rare in the Balkans and it is hoped that this nest is successful in fledging little eaglets this year. Here is a link to the camera:
Milda is at her nest in Durbe Municipality near the city of Liepaja in Western Latvia.
Milda has a new partner this year after losing her long time mate, Raimis, last year after she had laid her eggs. Her new mate, Mr L, and Milda bonded last year. I hope that he is of good help to her and that this nest also has successful fledges this year. There are many interlopers and both eagles have been on alert today.
Everything is great at the West End Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta. The three sleepy heads looked around when it was time for breakfast! Like what, is it that time already!?
The to be named chick at the Big Bear Valley nest of Jackie and Shadow is 15 days old today. It is doing really, really well. It is good to keep in perspective the size of this chick compared to DH16, Little Bit, on the Dale Hollow nest. There are stressors on the little ones that cause a lack of feather development or lines in the feathers. This wee one is getting 8 or 10 feedings a day and is extremely healthy.
Big Red is patiently incubating her two eggs in the shade on the grounds of Cornell University campus in Ithaca.
That is it for me this morning. Every nest that we are following is doing well except for Dale Hollow. I really hate to see the Little Bit suffer. Nature is not kind. I hope to have some new Osprey arrivals for you late this evening. There is still no word on the cause of Big’s death at Captiva. We wait for the results.
Take care everyone. Thank you for being with me today.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Looduskalendar, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Pix Cams, Friends of Big Bear Valley, West End Bald Eagles and the Institute of Wildlife Studies, Latvian Fund for Nature, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Dulles-Greenaway Bald Eagles, and NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF.
I got up specifically early this morning to check the Dale Hollow Bald Eagle Nest. I was shocked Thursday that Little Bit had survived the beakings of Big and wanted to see how it was.
WARNING: GRAPHIC EFFORTS AT SIBLICIDE
All of the chicks were cuddled together, all alive.
River left the nest and returned with a small fish at 07:07:04.
Big immediately went up to eat leaving the Middle chick and Little Bit in the middle of the nest.
Big immediately went over to Little Bit and started tossing it about despite eating all the fish alone and having a huge crop. Middle moved to the rails to get out of the way of Big’s attacks.
It didn’t matter. Big went between Little Bit and Middle with the continuation of its violent beaking from yesterday afternoon and early evening.
Having frightened Middle, Big turns back on Little Bit this time more ferocious than before.
Big gets Little Bit’s entire had in its mouth, shaking the little body.
Leaving Little Bit, Big turns back on Middle.
Big turns back to Little Bit who has moved slightly causing Big to look over.
Big passed out in a food coma but not before he had really beaked Little Bit. Middle moved up to where the fish used to be – perhaps to be ready if River brings in another fish?
Middle moves to the other side of Big and that wakes her up. The attacks begin again on Middle.
Big goes back and forth and begins attacking Little Bit again.
By 07:47 Big is laying on top of Little Bit. Little Bit has had, to my knowledge, no food for 48 hours unless he got some tiny bites around 19:00 when it gathered up the strength to get to where Middle was being fed the last of the fish tail. It is hard to imagine this fragile little eaglet being still alive.
It is very difficult to tell the status of Little Bit at this moment. It appears there is some slight movement.
It is clearly apparent that Big will not allow the other two siblings to eat unless it is a situation like last evening when some fish was left and Big had finally gone into food coma for good. Middle had moved up slowly perhaps thinking River would return to brood and it was ready. Little amassed some energy and got up there but because of the position of River, it was difficult to tell if Little Bit got any fish or not.
If River were to fly in with a fish the two younger siblings might be able to eat. Will she? We wait.
It is emotionally draining to watch siblicide happening on a nest. This is not the first Eagle nest and it will not be the last. I am sad to see Little Bit – or any sentient being – treated this way. River will not get involved. It is clear that there are other things happening at this nest. My first observation is that River has been bringing in the food. Obey seems to come to ruffle the nesting material but I have not observed him piling up the fish for his family. Why is he not helping? As you have probably seen, it is difficult for one parent to do everything. So what has happened to Obey that he is not providing food? There might well be other things happening but, at the moment, there is fish for one eaglet and Big is in high survival mode.
Because of the high emotional cost watching the Dale Hollow nest, I will not be checking it often but will return sometime later today to check on the eaglets. Take care all. I wish that this were a sunnier report.
Thanks to Dale Hollow for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
I always hope to give accurate information on the nests. I believed Little Bit to have died earlier. Instead this ingenious starving little eaglet played the best possum I have ever seen! So I want to correct that and add in subsequent information.
Today, Little Bit at Dale Hollow endured more than an hour and a half of pecking from her big sibling preventing her from eating along with the middle sibling. The two have not had food since early Wednesday morning. I thought Little Bit was dead. Instead, he was playing possum and doing a grand job of it. I am shocked at what this chick endured and persevered – at the same time, I have to warn you that just because the little one survived until the next fish arrival, the terror reigning down on this nest is not over and the accurate word remains, ‘siblicide’. The deliberate killing of a brother or sister.
Before I proceed, it is believed that the oldest sibling is a female and that the youngest one is a male. Some of these images are horrific – they are even worse in video which is why I chose stills. Little Bit is still alive at 19:25 when he joins its siblings under River.
At 18:16:01, a parent arrives on the nest with a fish.
That delivery aroused the interest of Middle and Little Bit. Big immediately went to thwart them from wanting any fish.
Big rushes over walking on top of Little Bit to get to the Middle sibling.
Middle sibling has its neck down for protection and in complete submission. Big is standing on Little Bit now. It looks like River is going to reach over to feed Big.
Big settled in eating knowing that the siblings would not dare bother him eating.
Big ate his fill and there was still some meat and that lovely fish tail left. Before River flew off, Big went over to stop the two siblings from getting up to Mum to eat.
With her chick fed, River flew off the nest at 18:27. This is so odd to me. A parent seems to show up with a fish and then they leave.
Big has a ‘big’ crop. Indeed, Big is so full that she has trouble moving about the nest. This does not stop her attacks on her two siblings, however.
For a moment, Big went off to go into a food coma.
That food coma did not last long. Middle dared to raise its head and Big went back over to the two siblings. Big is a big clumsy because its crop is so full.
Big begins beaking Middle.
When Big is finished with Middle, he decides to go after Little Bit. It is a ferocious attack involved multiple pecking at the spinal cord on the back, tossing the nest and thrashing the chick about, and kicking.
I honestly do not know how Little Bit is still alive. If there is to be a miracle and this little boy survives this nest, he is going to be one tough eagle.
At 18:42, Big is not content and shakes Little Bit’s head and kicks him with her feet.
The skin of these birds must be really tough.
Big looks over and is pretty satisfied that he has ‘taken care of’ the two. Remember, to Big, this is about survival and Big is determined to be the last one standing.
No. Big is not finished. Big will not leave Little Bit alone.
At 19:03, Obey appears on the left rim of the nest.
Little raises its head and leans it on Big.
Obey goes over to where the fish tail is located.
Obey stirs up the nesting material as Big looks on. Big is leaning on Little Bit. Middle is moving up with the grass on its back thinking Dad might feed it.
At 19:09 Big goes to sleep.
The River flies up to the rim of the nest at 19:11. Middle scoots up to the Mum. He is under the grass. Little Bit raises his head and so does Big. River roots around. In my head I went Yippee…thinking of the fish tail.
River begins to feed Middle the fish tail at 19:15. Little Bit sees this. Will he get up to eat, too?
At 19:18 Little Bit is on the move. Will he make it in time to get any fish at all?
Little Bit did make it up to Mum and Middle. River turned her back. I cannot tell you how much, if any, fish Little Bit got to eat but Middle did have a tiny crop. You can see it in the image below.
Little Bit will join Middle and Big under Mum.
This entire afternoon reminds me of Tiny Tot Tumbles on the Achieva Osprey nest who was believed dead several times and wound up being the dominant bird on the nest. I do believe in strange miracles. But I also do not want Little Bit to suffer. We wait now until tomorrow.
Before I begin what is a much happier news letter, there is something that I need to do. It appeared that Little Bit at the Dale Hollow nest had died. However at 17:47 Little Bit came out of playing possum (I swore the chick was dead).
That movement caused Big to turn around and attack.
The status of Little Bit is unclear. What is known is that Big has not let Little Bit or Middle eat today. The situation remains dire and sad at Dale Hollow. Little Bit and Middle have not eaten since Wednesday morning. I am absolutely amazed that Little Bit is still with us.
Lena had been keeping Middle and Little (or Little and Mini) shaded and in flies Andy with a really nice catfish at 16:13! He looks like he is posing for the camera. Thank you, Andy. We know you are a great provider.
The chicks were hungry and I bet Mum Lena was glad to see a fish. We have to remember that the Ospreys get that hydration from the fish as well as their food.
Just look at that crop!!!!!!! I cannot tell if this is Little or Middle. Oh, looking back over the footage, I think it is Little.
Indeed, Little Bob was still eating at 17:27! Lena has been feeding babies for 1 hour and 14 minutes. Lena will not stop until all are full. She is a great Mum and to be appreciated.
Lena even got to have some nice catfish herself! The two chicks, Little now completely full, are off watching the happenings on the Gulf. They are content. Everyone on this nest will sleep well tonight.
All of us need a giggle after what has happened at the Dale Hollow Nest. I needed something ridiculous. On the chat of the West End Bald Eagles, someone said that Akecheta is being a Poptent. Those babies are being shaded and protected!
It is 15:47 in California and Thunder has just joined the rest of her family.
Akecheta is such a proud papa.
It is 18:51 in Ithaca, New York and Big Red is just coming back to the nest from her last break and dinner for the day. What a fantastic Mum you are Big Red! Did you know that it is extremely rate for falcons or hawks to have siblicide on their nests? It is much more common on eagle and osprey nests.
Big Red is a delight as a mother and I cannot wait to see the pile of critters that Arthur is going to bring to this nest. Sometimes the nest cup is lined with fur. It also gives you a chance to play the game that everyone does on a hawk nest: Name the Prey Item.
Here is a really short video of Big Red laying her second egg.
Mary Cheadle, the force behind the Lock Arkaig FB Group, has created a list of all the UK streaming Osprey cams. I am so grateful to her and I know Mary will not mind if I share that list with you.
Many of us have been wondering where the rest of the prey is for Annie from Grinnell. We haven’t seen anymore. Here is a superb article on the happenings of the Cal Falcons, Grinnell and Annie, for the past few months. Do take the time to read it if you are a fan of these two super peregrine falcons.
These are just some quick looks at a couple of nests in Bird World. The article about Annie and Grinnell is really good. I hope you enjoy it. I cannot imagine that Little Bit will be with us in the morning but I am shocked at the way this chick played possum. Amazing. Still, what you are witnessing is siblicide.
Thank you for joining me. Everything is so good at Captiva. We are blessed. I hope we know what the results on Big’s necroscopy are tomorrow. Take care everyone. Stay safe.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Dale Hollow Lakes Bald Eagles, Cornell RTH, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, and West End Bald Eagles and the Institute of Wildlife.
UPDATE: Little Bit played possum. It raised its head at 17:54 and was again attacked by Big. It is unclear as to the status of Little Bit currently. Sadly, it will not – without a miracle – survive the night.
WARNING: I believe it is important to recognize that nature is very cruel and to understand what is happening when you are witnessing siblings kill one another. This blog is about the siblicide that is now happening at Dale Hollow Nest.
River brought a small fish onto the nest around 14:30. The only chick that went up to the table to eat was Big. I initially thought that Big had eaten the entire fish and so, was surprised when River flew off after alerting for some minutes to see a piece left.
The chicks moved from their positions when River flew off the nest. Little Bit moved to the left rim and Middle saw the piece of fish and went over. Middle is too weak and too young to eat it. It was so sad seeming it so hungry and that fish laying there on the nest.
I have actually been watching Little bit to see if it was breathing. Parents come in different sizes with different capabilities. Often young Bald Eagle mothers take some time to figure out how to feed their little ones especially the first chick ever. River is 23 years old. She is an experienced mother.
I continue to ask what is happening on this nest. From what I know, the eagles work to protect their territory above all else. Then they take care of themselves, and then the chicks on the nest.
Middle has moved to the piece of fish and is calling its Mum to please come and feed it.
Middle made a move to lay on the fish and this alerted Big. Big immediately went over to Middle and began beaking it.
When he finished with Middle he went over to Little Bit and began tossing its neck around.
Big stopped. Little Bit was doing some quiet crying. Big went over to the rim and then it turned on Middle again. What you are witnessing is a classic case of siblicide. The older sibling has prevented the two younger from eating through intimidation and physical beaking and neck twisting. It is killing its siblings. In this case these actions appear to be a direct result of lack of enough food for all three on the nest. Indeed, there is barely enough food for one.
Middle moved to the left rim of the nest and has now walked by the fish again and is looking over the nest. Middle seems to be in much better shape than Little Bit.
In the image below Middle has gotten into the shade next to Big. Little Bit is in the heat of the sun. Very shallow breathing.
At 15:47, Little Bit raises its head and cries for food.
Big noticed Little Bit and went over to beak it.
As far as I can tell, Big stopped because it realized that the smallest sibling on the Dale Hollow Lake nest was dying slowly, calling out to a Mum who will not hear it, for food.
Big sibling is hot and bothered today. As you know, at least one parent will be there to shade them especially when they are not able to regulate the temperature themselves.
Did Little Bit ever have a chance? On a different nest, perhaps.
Big Bob went over to Little Bit and then turned again on Middle Bob.
Then he turned on Little Bit.
It appears that Little Bit is barely breathing at 14:27. Big is there, hot and panting hard, to make sure that it doesn’t get up to eat again.
Little Bit had some mini-convulsions at 16:29 and 16:32.
It is 16:44. An adult has returned to the nest and Big has gone over to be fed the rest of the fish. Middle did not bother to go up. Little Bit is barely breathing.
At 16:45, Little Bit actually found the energy to flip a bit – or it was another convulsion. Big immediately went over to make sure that the wee babe did not get to the food.
Big grabbed Little by the neck and tossed it about many times.
Big left Little Bit in the middle of the nest barely breathing. Indeed, I am shocked that Little Bit is still alive. Meanwhile, Middle is at the rim of the nest in the shade terrified.
It is incredible what this wee little one endured over the past hour and a half and is still breathing every so shallow. Big is determined to be the only chick on the nest because the food that is being brought in is barely enough to keep it alive.
It is hard to believe but Little Bit is just hanging on barely breathing.
Big sitting triumphantly over Little Bit. It is 17:10. I do not think Little Bit is with us any longer. Its suffering has surely ended.
We expect all bird parents to be the same and clearly, they are not. I have come to understand that what we have seen on this nest at Dale Hollow is pretty typical for River and Obey. Siblicide has occurred here in previous years. There are gold star eagle families and there are others where circumstances are neglectful. It is likely we will never know what happened in its entirety at this nest to set Big off to try to kill its siblings. We might never know the combined circumstances for the lack of prey delivery or the lack of attention by the mother, River. All I know is that it is terribly sad to see a lovely little chick crying for food while it is dying. At the same time, it is important to call it for what it is – siblicide. This is directly related to the need to survive. Big is the dominant bird on the Dale Hollow nest. With little food arriving, its instincts went into survival gear.
I am attaching a bit of information on a study done on siblicide. I want you to also notice that the individual includes instances of parental neglect. I found this helpful in understanding just how rare or not siblicide is.
If you have made it this far, thank you for hanging in with me today. This is a difficult topic and it is even more difficult to watch live on a screen. I hope that you learned something and I also hope that none of us see the instance of siblicide again this year. Please take care. It has been a rough couple of days at this nest. I am glad that Little Bit is no longer suffering. I hope that food comes on the nest and Middle is not the next victim.
Thank you to the Dale Hollow Lake Eagles for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
For more than a week now I haver been wondering what is going on at the Dale Hollow Lake Bald Eagle nest. There was torrential rain and then snow. At the beginning of the season, I saw tandem feedings and was so hopeful that this was another great nest. Sadly, that just simply does not appear to be the case. While other raptor mothers are covering their chicks from the hot sun, nothing is happening at Dale Hollow. Little Bit does not have all its thermal down. Little Bit is also crying out for food. I want to be wrong because you always hear ‘The Eagles Know Best’ but with the case of River and Obey, I am not sure. Did the rain stir up the lake and it is so murky that they cannot get fish? did the snow send the critters underground? At any rate, I am very worried about Little Bit surviving. I do not wish to cause undue alarm but what happened here?
A small fish was brought in to the Dale Harbour nest around 14:30. You can see for yourself what is happening. I suspect that the Big sibling might well eat all of it – and yes, that is what happened.
Are River and Obey eating off camera?
If the fish brought on to the nest is only one of these a day or two, then it is possible that the other two siblings will not get any food. It is so sad. They might well be beyond getting up to the table.
Little Bit is at the bottom of the screen. Both of them know not to get near the food until Big is finished. Little Bit is really suffering today. It has had nothing to eat for approximately 30+ hours and is crying and crying. At any other nest, this wee babe would be getting 8 or 10 small meals a day.
Middle is walking away towards Little Bit.
Neither Little Bit or Middle had any food to eat. Neither made any effort to go up to the table. They are dehyrated and lethargic. The fish is all gone. Big has an enormous crop. Sadly, unless another fish comes on the nest and Little Bit gets fed full, I do not believe this poor little nestling will survive. The middle chick might have a better chance. Are both Little Bit and Middle too dehydrated, too hungry, too tired – and too intimidated by Big – to ever get up to the table again? We wait.
It is a hard reality. The eagles only need one chick to survive. Watching this nest is extremely difficult when we look at the others. I continue to wonder what is going on.
This is the last image I have today of the Dale Hollow Bald Eagle nest. It pretty much says it all. Big is over by River at the opposite side and Middle and Little Bit are together sadly alone, beyond hungry.
In comparison, Thunder and Akecheta were feeding the three chicks on their nest before daylight and several times after.
We can also compare what is happening at Big Bear Valley with Shadow and Jackie. It is 11:55 and the wee only Bob has been fed four times. There have also been multiple poop shots.
The two eagles of Abby and Blaze at Eagle Country hatched on the 11th and 14th of February. Gosh, they have grown and are lookin’ good.
What a beautiful sight at the Duke Farms Bald Eagles. You might recall that the second hatch was so tiny and died. The surviving eaglet is doing very, very well. The nest is full of fish and Mum is there not only shading but keeping the chick warm.
Mark your calendars. Pip watch begins on the 19th for Liberty and Guardian at the Redding California Bald Eagle nest. Last year the couple fledged three lovely juveniles.
Here is the link to the streaming cam at Redding.
There were sure some beautiful images coming out of Iowa at the Decorah North Bald Eagle nest of Mr North and DNF today. Eggs were laid on 16 and 19 of February and we are about a week from pip watch!
The top image is of Mr North.
This is DNF. You can compare her with Mr North above so you can recognize who is on the nest.
A close up of DNF below.
The nest is on top of a White Oak Tree near a small forest area with a stream on private farmland north of Decorah, Iowa. The nest is 17 metres or 56 feet above the ground.
I love how the different regions provide such a variety of nesting materials. In Florida and Louisiana there is Spanish Moss and in Iowa it is corn husks and wheat stalks.
This is DNF on the nest below. She has grey eye shadow.
Here is the link to the Decorah North Bald Eagle nest.
The nest of Martin and Rosa at Dulles Greenaway Bald Eagle nest in Virginia is also covered with corn husks. Wow. The couple laid two eggs. The first on Feb 1 and the second on Feb 4. The first little eaglet hatched on the 13th and is now 4 days old. If the other egg is going to hatch, we should be seeing a pip soon.
Andy brought in some nice fish for the family so far today. In fact, Andy has made three fish deliveries so far today. A Sand Perch at 08:32:40; a Sheepshead at 10:20:31, and this Ladyfish at 14:41:53.
Little (Mini on chat) has a big crop now. Compare with the image above.
These two are doing really, really well. I am quite optimistic for the two of them. There is no news yet on the cause of Big’s death.
If you missed it, there are now two eggs at Cornell’s Red-tail Hawk. One more to go!
There is the beautiful Big Red with her dark morph incubating those two eggs. She will leave the nest periodically to eat. Normally, Arthur will have her meal ready for her off camera.
There are the two precious eggs. The second was laid today.
Here is a close up with markings that was posted on the Cornell Twitter account so you can tell the difference between the eggs.
Big Red is giving Arthur, her mate, more incubation duties! Fantastic. He is a great mate.
Arthur is also very handsome! It will be interesting to see which of the populations of chipmunks or squirrels are the most plentiful on the nest this year.
That is it for my Thursday afternoon report. All of the nests are doing quite well except for Dale Hollow which, sadly, is a tragedy in the making. Thank you so much for joining me. I look forward to having you with me again. Take care.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen captures: West End Bald Eagles and the Institute for Wildlife, Dulles Greenaway Bald Eagles, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Dale Hollow Bald Eagles, Explore.org, Redding California Eagles, Eagle Country, Friends of Big Bear Lake, and Duke Farms.
Each of us has turned to watching and caring for the birds and other wildlife for as many reasons as there are humans. One of the most commonly cited is ‘The birds bring me joy’. Unlike scientists who try to be arm’s length, most of us have our favourite bird families that we watch. We even have our favourite chicks in the clutch. Certainly I admit to that – Ervie at Port Lincoln was always my guy out of the three. I like the third hatches that survive. They are spunky and creative and, I hope, have facilities for survival in the wild that maybe the eldest who often ate first and the most doesn’t have. It is particularly difficult when we see our bird families struggling. We worry. We cry. My fingernails get shorter.
It is easy to miss what is happening on the Dale River nest. If you look the rewind is only an hour. I wanted to find out what was happening on this nest. Did something happen to a parent? No, both came on the nest around 19:00. So I went to the link in the information under the streaming cam to find out about Wednesday’s feedings.
The Dale Hollow group were able to tell me the chicks had eaten well – all of them once and there was a second feeding in the morning. It was not videotaped so no one was sure if all ate. I also learned something else from Keisha Howell who has been making the videos of the nest and posting them on YouTube. In the early days, DH16 who I have been calling Little Bit, was fed so much for a tiny little chick that it actually balked at feedings. Apparently it still has trouble eating too much food at once. That is good to know. I included the video of the early morning feed in an earlier posting. If you missed that video, here it is:
I would encourage anyone interested in this nest to join the discussion group and ask as many questions as you like. There are very knowledgable people who will be happy to help you. This is how we all learn – by asking questions. And no question is a stupid question! Ever. The link to the group is:
There is concern as the Black Storks and Ospreys move from Africa up to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland that the wildlife will get caught in the war in the Ukraine. There is someone called Ann that is diligently creating maps and posting information on Looduskalender from information provided by the satellite tracker on Karl II. I have cut and pasted the most recent information from this discussion group below. If you would like to check this yourself, here is the link to Looduskalender:
On his fall journey to Africa, Karl II stopped in the Ukraine. There are many nature reserve areas along the shore of the Black Sea around Odessa. You can see from the simple map below the countries that he will fly over to reach a resting spot on the Black Sea. We worry for him, for his mate and for all the others who are making their way home to the Baltic Region.
California loves their Bald Eagle families. I often wondered why some nests were more popular in terms of viewers than others and as one reader, ‘B’ explained to me last week, the eagles are all over the news in California. Californians love their Bald Eagle families – they are celebrities. ‘B’ was referring to Jackie and Shadow at the time. Now it is Thunder and Akecheta’s turn!
I am going to bore you with baby pictures. These are Thunder and Akecheta’s threesome being fed by Dad, Akecheta, this afternoon at 14:43. There are slight movements in each frame. In some you can see their sweet tails and in others you can glimpse their faces. Talk about adorable! I haven’t been able to take my eyes off these three little cuddles since they hatched.
Cheta is taking parenting very seriously this year. He rarely leaves sight of the nestlings.
I believe we have, from left to right: Little Bob, Middle Bob, and Big Bob. Big Bob is longer and ‘lanky’ than Middle Bob who is more round. Being so much younger, Little is just little – but not that little. Gosh, they are cute. The age difference is the same between Little and Big as it is at Dale Hollow. That is interesting.
Oops!
Everyone ate well.
Thunder and Akecheta have been widening the nest cup so that all three can line up to eat. It is far too difficult if it is deep and narrow. Most often the little ones have trouble getting to the front or get trampled in the process. Not here!
The three had a nice fish breakfast Thursday morning. They seemed so sleepy when Thunder got them up for a feed.
There are some really outstanding Bald Eagle parents out there. Cheta has matured since he first had chicks at the age of 4 two years ago. Having lost two seasons he broods, has learned to feed quite well actually, and does security. I am impressed.
Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear are another super couple who also suffered for two seasons and who have just the sweetest little eaglet this year. How many feedings a day? There were eleven. It goes without saying that I wish River and Obey at Dale Hollow Lake would feed their eaglets more. The wee nestlings need less food more often.
Jackie and Shadow’s baby is 13 days old today. Eleven feedings. Look at all the fish on the nest. A Gold Star family.
One of those other Gold Star Bald eagle families is Harriet and M15 at the SWFlorida Bald Eagle nest. Their two this season, E19 and E20 are taking turns going higher and higher in the nest tree as they prepare for fledging. We will miss these two and their antics. They are super healthy and well prepared for living in the wild. Do you remember how excited you were as Christmas approached and hatch at this nest? Now just look at them! They were the first eaglets of the season (on streaming cam) to hatch if I remember correctly.
Both E19 and E20 were enjoying the breeze up on the branches this morning. They look healthy! That is great.
Jasper and Rocket at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and Samson are flapping their wings. It is not going to be long until they branch. Two really beautiful eagles – stunningly gorgeous.
It’s a foggy late morning at the NEFlorida nest in Jacksonville. Look at how big these two are. They are waiting for a fish delivery!
Beautiful Mum Gabby keeps watch over the nest with her two 2022 hatches.
Both Middle and Little (or Little and Mini) ate well at the Captiva nest Thursday morning. Andy brought in a fish at 10:29:30. Both were hungry. I continue to say that this is a good sign. Lena even had some nice fish left for her. At the both were full and wanted to watch the people on the fishing boat below.
It is hot in Florida today and all the news in the state is about Avian Flu. I sure hope these four miss that. We should know today or tomorrow the results on Big from the UGA Vet School.
Both chicks are hungry but luck closely at Middle. He wants all the little innards and Lena doesn’t want him to eat it particularly. He has his mouth open wide.
Both of the chicks are well behaved and Lena feeds Middle some first and then goes to Little. Neither are submissive to the other. The nest is very calm.
Middle is full and has gone to the side to see the boats and to get some air. Look he is so hot. Yes. My phone says it is 27 C. One of the hottest days so far.
There is fish left for Lena. She will enjoy the tail of the Sheepshead. You can see Little under her left wing. His feathers re coming in good now.
So cute. The pair of them together washing the boats. Best buddies.
Middle and Little were having some more fish around 12:30 Thursday. Lena is a great Mom keeping them hydrated and shading her ever growing babies.
B15 a the Berry College is up on the perch this morning. Making more and more progress. What a gorgeous bird!
Right on time. Big Red and Arthur now have their second egg of the 2022 season. It was laid at 11:05 Thursday morning.
The egg is wet and soft and Big Red will let it cool and harden before attempting to lay on it or it would break.
The only thing about Big Red that looks 19 years old are her feet.
How gorgeous. If you have never watched a Red-tail Hawk nest then you should join in with Big Red and Arthur. There is a moderated chat with experts that is open a few hours a day. It is amazing what you can learn and the fabulous Laura Culley, a long time falconer, will be on board.
Here is the link to one of Cornell’s cameras on the nest. As far as I am aware, there are only 2 RTH nests on streaming cam in the world. Egg 3 will be expected on the 19th!
There is great news coming out of the Loch of the Lowes nest. Laddie, LM12 arrived first in the UK on the 13th. He was joined by his mate Blue NC0 today. How grand. Both made it home for another fantastic Scottish Osprey breeding season!
Rutland Water’s Manton Bay is being worked on by the female, Maya. She arrived back in the UK on 15 March. Normally her and her mate arrive within half an hour of one another. No sign of Blue 33 yet. It is early days in the Osprey migration from Africa.
Port Lincoln Osprey posted this along with their news on their FB of other Osprey nests and platforms. Everyone noticed that Ervie was missing a claw when he was last on the barge eating his puffer. The posting was on 13 March. I found tracking information for Desy and the Phantom but could not find Ervie’s. He is fine and staying around Port Lincoln.
Have a super day everyone. It is so nice to have you with me. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, Google Maps, Looduskalender, West End Bald Eagles, Dale Hollow Bald Eagles, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, SWFlorida and D Pritchett, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Berry College, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Rutland Water Manton Bay, and Friends of Big Bear Valley.
All of the eaglets ate well this morning at the first feeding. The second feeding was not videotaped. So this is a huge relief. Here is that feeding video:
The Dale Hollow Eagle group has their own discussion board at Discord.com. Check it out!
The folks there believe, as I do, that the oldest sibling is a female and the third is a male. I would add on to that the oldest a larger female while the tiercel, the third, the male, Little Bit, is a tiny male. The group believes the middle eaglet is also female. There is three days between their hatching.
The eaglets will be fine til tomorrow for food.
Thank you to the great Discord group for answering my questions so quickly!
