Tag Archives: birds

Monday in Bird World

17 May 2022

Balloons.

“Balloon release – 1” by Jerry Downs is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
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Thank you to everyone who wrote to me about the balloons. I am not ‘Debbie Downer’ but there are sure lots of ways of having fun other than sending balloons up into the sky as in the image below!

My comment about starting in elementary school reminded a reader, ‘B’, of an incident. Out in the wilderness a balloon was found. There was a note attached to it asking whoever found it to please call the teacher at the elementary school that had released the balloons. The finder did, indeed, contact the school but did inform the teacher about the dangers of balloons to all wildlife. I am certain she had no idea. This got me to thinking. We really need to spread the word somehow.

I know that many of my readers are teachers or individuals who have friends or family who are teachers or group leaders for Cubs, Guides, etc. We do need to start with the children but let us educate them to the dangers. So how do the teachers do this? and how can we create a web of understanding so that people do not feel criticized but who realize the dangers and want to help? Why not have balloons and the environment as a topic for a staff meeting? or a conference? I am certain that a wildlife rehabber would happily come in and educate teachers and students on the dangers of balloons. They might even bring one of their ambassadors. It would be a great topic that could generate lots of interest! If you know of someone who provides children’s parties, talk to them as well. There are many types of decorations that are much more planet and wildlife friendly and who doesn’t want to be on the sustainable and environmentally-friendly side? Most don’t knowingly want to harm birds or other wildlife; they just simply do not know the bigger picture and how a simple act of releasing balloons for a celebration can have a lasting impact on birds causing their death or disability. Spread the word!

I have several other concerns that focus on simple solutions to a huge problem for wildlife. Lead. The Institute for Wildlife Studies – Dr Sharpe and gang that manage the Channel Islands Bald Eagles amongst other projects including Condors have put out an information pamphlet about the alternatives to the use of lead. I am attaching it. They do presentations at various sporting events. Please read it. If you know someone who hunts or fishes and uses lead, please gently inform them of the alternatives. Thanks!

Click to access Alternativesto+Lead_2011_final+draft_6.23.11.pdf

SF Bay Ospreys have posted an image of a crack in egg 2 for Richmond and Rosie. They believe that egg 1 is non-viable and stated that even egg 2 is late. It would be grand if 2 and 3 would hatch close to one another.

Duke and Daisy survived the storm that went through New Jersey last night. It is still windy today, though.

This is the view from the platform to where Duke does his fishing. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. When you live inland on the prairies, you long for water! and sandy beaches! and mountains!

Middle Little O was on the Captiva Osprey platform with his long, long legs (he could challenge Idris in a couple of years) wanting some fish. Andy brought him a Lizard Fish this morning and later he brought him a Pinfish. Middle Little O is so loud — and always fish crying! So funny. [I could almost swear Middle Little O is a female].

I think the only time that Middle Little and Little Mini were hungry was when Big was alive. Andy and Lena are taking super care of their two surviving juveniles – their first since 2019. So happy for them. Andy is certainly devoted and doing his job getting fish to both the fledglings.

The five walking cotton balls at the Manchester NH scrape continue to do well. Enough food for all – eating,, sleeping, and growing. The fifth hatch is so cute! There he is by the exit to the exterior platform.

There are still serious issues for 17 on the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest. Prey comes in and at 14:26:19, he was able to snatch and grab a single bite. 17 has been conserving its energy by sleeping and was gnawing on some bones at various times. This is pretty sad. 17 is 6 weeks old today. Half way to fledge. The chick needs nourishment and the older siblings have always been aggressive and dominant.

17 did have a small PS. Oh, I wish for some food for this little one. It is hard having two great big siblings and being so small.

It is 15:13 nest time at the UFlorida-Osprey platform on the practice field. Middle has quite the crop. I don’t need to go back and check on a feeding. At some point while I was rustling up an electrician at the last minute, Mum came in with enough fish to fill Middle to the brim. That makes me so happy.

The storm left Big Red and the gang a little soggy yesterday. They are all doing fine. The oldest and the youngest have been flapping their wings today. It is like L4 says to the elder sib, “Anything you can do, I can do!” They are so cute. Watch at the end as they see a parent doing a fly by. Precious.

I haven’t seen any prey deliveries on the Dale Hollow nest. Both eaglets are still there. One found something buried in the nest and the other is watching closely as the sib tries to eat it. Hopefully some fish will come in later.

The chick at Cromer Peregrine scrape has been ringed. The measurements are inconclusive so DNA samples were taken to determine gender. The chick is either a large male or a small female!

Just look at the crops on the eyases at the San Jose City Hall Falcon Scrape. Wow. It’s so funny how you can tell if the crop is totally full – the skin looks really shiny where the feathers separate. Gosh they are cute.

Annie has a snooze and later feeds the two eyases. Cute, cute. Gosh. What is it? 8 or 10 days til they are ringed? Unbelievable. I remember when I was waiting to get my driver’s license and my mother assured me that time passed much faster when I got older. She was right. Weren’t we just waiting for a hatch yesterday?

These chicks always look like they are smiling and why not? They have Annie and Alden for parents.

The ND-LEEF nest is still the problem. I sure hope some giant fish arrive so that 17 gets some decent bites of fish. All of the falcon and hawk nests are fine. We are waiting for Osprey eggs to hatch in the UK.

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cal Falcons, Cromer Peregrine Falcons, DHEC, Cornell RTH, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Peregrine Networks, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Barnegat Light Ospreys, and SF Bay Ospreys.

Early Monday in Bird World

17 May 2022

The Guardian is carrying a story this morning about the overfishing. How does a government stop the current unsustainable levels of fishing? They buy out the fisheries! What a great idea. Australia is spending 20 million dollars to do just that in the south-east of their country. The government said that they are doing this “because of climate change and environmental factors, which are preventing the recovery of some populations.”

Every time we look at our beautiful birds that rely on fish — cute little Pippa Atawhai and QT, their parents, Wisdom the oldest Albatross in the world at 71, etc. we need to remember that warming seas and the use of huge fishing trawlers by some countries of the world are depleting the fish that keep them alive. We can stop this if there is a will. Australia just showed us how to do it!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/16/australian-authorities-to-buy-out-fisheries-citing-climate-crisis

It was so nice to turn on the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey cam this morning and see a fish delivery at 10:41. Middle was really hungry and wasn’t going to let anything stop it from getting some fish. Bravo.

Mum started out in a position favouring Big but moved with her head at the rim which really helped Middle get some fish!

It was a nice fish this morning.

The UFlorida-Gainesville camera is having some issues today. I was, however, able to rewind til 07:08. It is not clear if there was a small fish delivered or a stick. Later, Middle chewed on an old bone. He really is that hungry. Fingers crossed for more fish today. It is 80 degrees and the winds are only blowing at around 4 kph.

It is difficult to know what is happening at the SF Bay Osprey nest of Richmond and Rosie. SFOspreys and Golden Gate Audubon have not announced any pips or hatches. The first egg was believed to hatch from 12-15 of May with the second in the range of the 13-16, and the third from the 16-17. We can only wait to see what happens. The streaming cam has no rewind so you have to wait and hope to catch a glimpse of the eggs. Rosie never gives any secrets away.

Jan and Janika continue to change off incubation duties for their Black Stork Eggs at their nest in Latvia.

It is the 17th of March. While we wait for Rosie to have pips and a hatch and the Osprey eggs to hatch in the UK, Lady and Dad are busy putting the finishing touches to their White-Bellied Sea Eagle nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest! We should be expecting eggs in about two weeks. Put it on your calendar!

It looks like Dad spent the night at the nest.

Here is the link to the WBSE streaming cam:

It is three days until 20 May when Steve and Cody are set to turn off the camera at the Kistachie National Forest Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana. It has been a great season with Louis and Anna and their second chick, Kincaid. Two beautiful juveniles the pair fledged – Kistachie in 2021 and then Kincaid this year. Kistachie was the first eaglet born in the forest since 2013. It was a ‘big deal’ for the eagles to return to this nest. Louis is such a great provider. Looking forward to next year and hoping that all three have a great summer and fall.

All five little eyases are present and fed this morning at the Manchester, NH falcon scrape.

Nancy was off hunting and E1, Harriet, got fed quite early. Fantastic. Nancy is doing a good job being a single Mum. I know that we all wished that E2 was with us. It is impossible to know – if Nancy had brought fish on the nest earlier – whether or not the outcome would have been any different. It is always sad to lose a vibrant healthy eaglet, always. And, of course, Harry. Lost before he even hit his prime.

A lot of people are watching the Dale Hollow nest in anticipation of a fledge. There were 100 this morning. Those eaglets are very restless!

Here is the link to the Dale Hollow streaming cam:

The trio at Manton Bay at Rutland are doing great. Growing and growing. Blue 33 keeps that nest full of fish and Maya continues to feed them on average 8-10 times a day.

I have seen no alerts yet as to when the only eaglet on the Two Harbours nest will be ringed. If I hear in time I will let you know! The eaglet is really growing fast – much bigger than when Dr Sharpe rescued it when it was on the side of the cliff! That was a wonderful intervention that saved the life of this baby. Thank you Dr Sharpe!

My garden is full of European Starlings and Blue Jays this morning. There is a host of White-throated Sparrows and White-Crowned Sparrows as well and the lone Harris Sparrow couple. It is drizzly. Today is removing all of the layers and layers of vines that have been allowed to grow on the garden shed so that the birds could hide from Sharpie, get out of the weather, or make a nest. They are going on the wood storage boxes where they will help for the same reasons. Lots to do – never enough time. So grateful that the flood waters are continuing to recede. Someone spotted some goslings this morning. That is so wonderful. Most of the nests have been ruined. Hopefully the drivers will practice patience and respect if the parents move them across the roads.

That is a wrap for this morning. I hope that all of you have a very wonderful day. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, DHEC, Explore.org, LRWT, MN-DNR, Peregrine Network, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, KNF, and Sea Eagle Cam@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.

Late Monday in Bird World

16 May 2022

I was waiting to see if Big and Middle got any fish today. Then I had to go out but when I returned, at 14:44:15 Mum delivered a ‘piece of fish’. It looked like a 4 or 5 inch catfish steak. Seriously? These chicks have not eaten since yesterday and they are growing and big. Of course, Big was acting up and a couple of times lunged at Middle — but not enough to keep Middle from trying to get some bites right away. The only hydration the chicks get is from the fish – it must be hot on top of that nest. That piece of fish lasted until 15:56:37 and that it includes the time Mum ate some bites and moved the fish to the other side of the nest. So, less than 12 minutes. Big got the tail and Middle got some bites. Did I ever mention that the Peregrine Falcon Mum at the Manchester NH nest feeds the five eyases for an hour? Everyone gets fed. What is up with this nest at the University of Florida at Gainesville? Does it have anything to do with that ‘other’ nest that was shown on the pan around the practice field nest that ‘R’ alerted me to? I wonder. Thanks, R!

The two chicks were really hungry.

Mum settles down. Big is on her right and Middle is on the left.

Big decides she wants to walk over to the other rim and flap her wings so Mum gives Middle a bite of fish.

Well, Big did not like that. She took a very aggressive stance and Middle went into submission. Mum just put her head down.

When Mum moves to the other side you can see the size of the meal – seriously, this is a snack. This nest needs an entire catfish or two, maybe three, not a snack.

Notice the difference in the length of the tail between the two.

Middle sneaks around and under Mum and this manages to get him some bites.

It started pitching down rain towards the end of the feeding. Mum finished the feeding as quickly as she could and took off!

It’s nearly 18:00 and I have seen nothing on the nest but that one chunk of fish. If you see the two get fed, let me know!

Do I dare hope that these two might more fish? So that is one Bird Mum at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest.

It was an entirely different story at the nest of Red-tail Hawks Big Red and Arthur. Big Red knows that a storm is coming. She can tell in her hollow bones. So what does she does she do? She fills the chicks up with food first. She finishes feeding just about the time the storm hits. Then she does everything she can to wrap those chicks in the safety of her wings!

There are four and she is holding them as tight and close as she can.

Just look at that – Mumbrella!

Check the time. Four hours and counting. Big Red will not let anything – weather or an intruder – harm her chicks if she can possibly help it!

I wonder if you were a bird which Bird Mum you would want to be caring for you?

I went back to check on Big Red. At 18:47 she was still hunkered down over her chicks.

At 19:08 Big Red was off the chicks; the system has passed. She flew off the nest a couple of minutes later to take a break and get some prey. The four eyases are, of course, fine. They are extremely lucky to have Big Red and Arthur – utterly devoted parents. I should point out that Arthur dropped some prey onto the nest around 16:00 in the middle of the storm. If you picked the UFlorida-Gainesville male and female as parents, would you like to change your mind? Just sayin’.

Wow. Lucy laid her fourth Osprey egg on the nest she shares with George on Long Island. Oh, gosh, golly. Would I want to be the 4th hatch? I don’t think so despite George being a fabulous provider. (Note: Blue 33 (11) and Maya did successfully fledge four one year – it is rare).

Lucy did not start hard incubation until after she laid the third egg. Fingers crossed for this great couple. We will be checking on them as hatch approaches which won’t be until mid-June.

Here is the link to their Osprey cam.

The five eyases at the Manchester, New Hampshire scrape had a nice dinner at 18:00. They should almost be set for the night now.

There is a cracking article on the BBC site on Dr Peter Sharpe traveling to the Chanel Islands to save the eaglets.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20160602-a-man-who-saves-eagles-by-helicopter

The balloon story struck a nerve in a few people. ‘B’ writes that every time he goes out on a wilderness backpacking trip – far from other humans – he inevitably finds balloons on the ground. ‘B’ points out that if you drop a deflated balloon on the ground it is littering but if you allow it to float into the sky it is considered ‘fun’. Back down on the ground the balloons cause havoc along with many other things – mesh fruit and vegetable bags along with face masks. Why do humans just feel they can make the planet their garbage bin? I wonder if educating at the elementary level might have a lasting change in the future? Thanks B!

‘S’ sent me a link. The Big island of Hawaii, Oahu, is banning the release of balloons in January 2023 but ‘S’ feels that they should just ban balloons period. Agreed! ‘S’ also notes that two of the Hawaiian islands, Kauai and Oahu, had trouble with wind turbines and the Shearwaters. ‘S’ hopes, like all of us, that more research into location and bird deaths are undertaken before anymore are put into position especially on migratory bird paths. Thanks S!

The eaglets in the Dale Hollow nest are still on the nest. Keisha Howell posted their age as 79 days old today. I had it as 78 (if they hatched on 28 Feb) but, hey – the point is they could fledge anytime.

It was a hard nest to watch at times. I know that each of us is thrilled that there will be two healthy eaglets fledging from this nest near Dale Hollow Lake on the Obey River.

The Barnegat Light Osprey nest is one that is a favourite of many including ‘S’. This Osprey nest is located in Barnegat Light, Long Beach Island, Ocean County, New Jersey. It is 19:00 nest time and there is a big storm – a quick mover – that is going to plow through the area. It should all be over by 20:00. This nest is very exposed – just the way that Ospreys like it! But it can get super windy and rock the nest and the camera making the wind appear worse than it is.

Duke and Daisy have three eggs on this nest. The last was laid on 27 April. The couple have had good past seasons. They fledged two in 2018, three in each of 2019 and 2020. In 2021, three hatched but only two fledged.

Duke is extremely handsome. He arrived on the nest on the 8th of April this year just like he does every year (he must be related to Iris). Daisy was waiting on her sixteen year old mate even though some younger males had been trying to court her! He quickly brought Daisy a fish and got rid of the youngsters.

Here is the link to their camera.

I want to close with a cute image of Alden trying to brood the two chicks. Like all the others, the two at Cal Falcons have grown too big and do not fit under the adults very well anymore! Alden is helping out in every way that he can. Sweet.

I received my long sleeve shirt with Annie and Grinnell on the front. It is fabulous! If you wanted one but didn’t order, there are still some remaining. Go to the Cal Falcons website: falcons.berkeley.edu I am going to wear mine tomorrow as I put the finishing touches on Little Red’s new condo! Stay tuned.

Thank you so much for being with me this afternoon. We continue to wait for a pip for Richmond and Rosie. I hope that each of you has a lovely, lovely evening and a wonderful morning. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Osprey Zone, Peregrine Zone, DHEC, Conservation Wildlife Foundation of NJ, and Cal Falcons.

Monday Morning in Bird World

16 May 2022

The sun is trying desperately to brighten the sky. The leaf buds are half way open and there is a tinge of green on all the trees in the neighbourhood. So nice after the long grey white brown winter which seemed to go on forever. The flood waters in my province are finally receding but the cost to the wildlife is unknown. I do hope to see some goslings but how many nests were destroyed by the rising waters will always only be a guess.

I want to thank everyone who sends me news items that demonstrate that we have a long way to go in our fight to make our planet safe for our dearly loved feathered friends (and others). News has come to me this morning from ‘S’ about the toll that wind turbines are taking on the eagles – both Bald and Golden. What an avoidable tragedy!

The ESI Energy Company, Inc. has pleaded guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Act in its killing of at least 150 Bald and Golden Eagles.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wind-energy-company-pleads-guilty-to-killing-eagles-180979898/

The story was carried by all the major US news agencies. Thank you ‘S’ for bringing this to my attention.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/04/06/150-eagles-killed-wind-turbines/9492311002/

The simple solution is to paint one blade black. “An eagle eye has two focal points (called “fovea” [singular] or “foveae” [plural]) one of which looks forward and the other to the side at about a 45 degree angle. These two foveae allow eagles to see straight ahead and to the side simultaneously.” A study by Jesper Kyed Larsen, Environmental Expert at Vattenfall (Netherlands Energy Company) says, “Painting one blade of a wind turbine rotor black resulted in 70 percent fewer collision bird victims. That has to do with the way birds perceive the moving rotor of a wind turbine.”

https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2022/black-turbine-blades-reduce-bird-collisions#:~:text=That%20study%20showed%20that%20painting,Larsen%2C%20Environmental%20Expert%20at%20Vattenfall

So why is this easy solution not being undertaken? Why is this taking so long?

Some US States have outlawed balloons because of the damage that they do to the waterfowl. ‘L’ writes about a story that broke in Florida after 90 balloons were popped and tossed into the water? How many waterfowl will wind up in the care of the local wildlife rehabilitation clinics? This is precisely what happened on a yacht in Biscayne Bay. Will fines and public shaming help to stop the problem of the balloons? And do we really need to have balloons to have fun? or to mark the site of a celebration?

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/2nd-arrest-after-viral-video-shows-popped-17171599.php

The two osplets on the nest at the practice field at the University of Florida in Gainesville are waiting for their breakfast.

As I write this, it is now past 11:00 and the two chicks are still waiting for a fish to appear.

As all of you know, ‘R’ and I have been trying to solve the mystery of the lack of fish coming to this – a fact that saw the third hatch become a victim of siblicide. Every possibility had been examined with no conclusions other than multiple factors might be causing issues including the amount of algae in one close lake and the encroachment of dormitories and parking lots taking up part of Alice Lake. This morning ‘R’ caught the camera panning around the campus. There had been a question about whether or not Dad had another nest.

So who is on this nest? Is this a second nest of Dad’s?

The mystery continues.

Still tracking what is happening at the nest of Richmond and Rosie on the old Whirley Crane in San Francisco.

Everyone was expecting the first egg to pip or even hatch by the 15th of May.

Rosie was rolling eggs and the camera is zooming in to see if there is a pip.

That looks like old fishing nets on the nest. Makes me nervous just like fishing line and baling twine.

Is anything happening? It is very hard to tell.

Everything is fine at the platform of Blue 33 (11) and Maya at Rutland today.

Iris. Iris has, perhaps, had a suitor landing on the nest. One day she called for a fish and he did not bring her one. The next day she fought him off. Yesterday she did let him land but she isn’t friendly. Oddly, Louis doesn’t seem to be around. If only this new male would bring Iris a fish!

There is a chunk of fish on the MN-DNR nest of Nancy and E1, Harriet. We can assume that all is well so far there today.

Beautiful close ups of DC9 at the National Arboretum nest of Mr President and Lotus.

The two eaglets on the Dale Hollow nest are restless this morning. We are within the early part of a fledge window at this nest.

So many of us are really going to miss the triplets at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta. What a joy Kana’kini and her two brothers have given us this year. But hates off to Akecheta. He sure stepped into the role of Dad in a big, big way!

The wee eyases at the Cal Falcons nest cuddled up with one another. They are waiting for their breakfast.

Cal Falcons reports that the eyases have reached a milestone in their development:

Oh, those five eyases at the Manchester, New Hampshire scrape are growing. Unbelievable!

The falcons on top of the tower in Oudenaarde in Belgium have an amazing view! In the image below you can see that while the chicks are seemingly alone, there is an adult close by. This would be the same with all the other falcon scrapes that we watch.

Big Red was up early – just as the sun was beginning to shine over Cornell’s campus at Ithaca – feeding the Ls. Notice how the eyases’ gorgeous contour and wing feathers are starting to grow.

Gosh, I continue to enjoy watching the Goshawk, Alla with her chicks. Here is a short video clip of a feeding this morning.

Bukachek and Betty have been taking turns incubating their eggs in the Mlade Buky nest in The Czech Republic. Some of the interference with the nest has stopped. Looking for pip watch in about a week.

That’s a wrap for this morning. The truck has arrived to start taking apart a very old garage/shed that has been the ‘penthouse’ for Little Red. By mid-June, if all goes well, there should be a greenhouse/conservatory taking its place. Can’t wait. The birds are not happy with the workmen being here – indeed, the birds are not happy if I am outside other than to fill their feeders!

Thank you for joining me today. Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams an/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell RTH, Cal Falcons, MN-DNR, LRWT, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, DHEC, NADC-AEF, Mlade Buky White Stork Nest, Peregrine Networks, Montana Osprey Project, Explore.org, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon.

Late Sunday in Bird World

15 May 2022

It has turned out to be a brilliant day on the Canadian prairies after the morning’s dreariness. At 18:33 the sky is clear blue, not a cloud anywhere. This, of course, could bode very well for the lunar eclipse tonight which I should be able to see – providing the sky stays the same – around 22:30-23:15. Will see if I can grab some shots of it for all of us!

It was a pretty good day in Bird World taken as a whole. The smallest eaglet in the Notre-Dame nest could really use some food. My goodness he is a tiny little tiercel compared to those two sprawling big siblings. I always get nervous when I check on that nest.

A fish was brought in to the UFlorida-Gainesville nest around 17:55. Middle managed to get a few good bites at the beginning by the old snatch and grab and screaming. Then Mum proceeded to feed almost the entire fish to Big. Middle is hungry but not starving. Holding my breath for tomorrow or another fish tonight.

The other super star of the male Ospreys in Wales is Idris. He has his nest with Telyn near the River Dyfi. Idris is ‘Daddy Longlegs’ and he is known for bringing whoppers onto the nest just like Blue 33.

I can’t wait for the chicks to start hatching on this nest! Last year these two fledged two brilliant osplets – a male, Dysynni and a female, Ystwyth. They have just been ringed and we will be looking for their return next year.

Blue 33 did as Blue always does – he brings in the fish, sometimes too much, and Maya has him remove them. The three chicks continue to thrive. No worries here.

The weather turned and it began to rain and blow in the late evening. Blue was on the nest with Maya and the kids. He is extremely protective and one of those ace providers! He also likes to feed his chicks.

The Dale Hollow eaglets are 77 days old. The average age for fledging is 84 days. So we still have some time, hopefully, with them.

The nest is falling apart in some places and River and Obey will have some work to do for next season. These two are gorgeous.

Just look at what was the rim of this nest. It is almost entirely gone!

E1 at the MN-DNR nest is pancaked down on the nest right now. Is there an intruder somewhere? or is this food coma?

Nancy was in to feed E1 at 19:00. These two are doing alright. Nancy is taking good care of E1, Harriet.

I have not checked on the Goshawk nest at Riga, Lativa for a few days. It is another one of those times when you blink and the chicks are getting bigger. There are four. I have checked and all seem to eat fine.

It rained heavily on the nest yesterday. Mum comes in with food and here is a video of that feeding of these Goshawk chicks. Goshawks are beautiful birds. I just don’t like them around Osprey nests!

One of the best books on the Goshawk continues to be T.H.Whites, The Goshawk. It has been reprinted in a small paperback for a very reasonable price.

There is no news that I am aware of coming from Richmond and Rosie’s Osprey nest in San Francisco about a pip.

When Big Red and Arthur laid their fourth egg many became quite concerned that the last hatch would simply not survive with three bigger siblings. It is always good to remember that this is a hawk nest – like the Goshawk above – and all of the chicks will be fed. In fact, when L4 hatched he was just a cracker. Nothing stood in the way of L4 and Mum’s beak. He learned quickly from a few days old just to heave himself over or through the big siblings. Of course, they are not beaking him or intimidating him onto the other side of the ledge. That is why watching Big Red’s nest is the best. The absolute best.

I made a video clip today of L4 doing his stunt to get in front. It is about 3 minutes long. At 1:54 L4 decides to pull a chippie. I thought he might be going to self-feed. At 2:22 he makes for the front. I am calling it the L4 scramble. Enjoy!

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

European Starling. 15 May 2022

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures today: DHEC, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Latvian Fund for Nature, MN-DNR, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Dyfi Ospreys, ND-LEEF, and the LRWT.

Sunday Morning in Bird World

15 May 2022

Good afternoon everyone. It is a coolish, perhaps, rainy day on the Canadian Prairies. So far it feels like a really good day to read rather than planting all the annuals. There are rumours that are temperatures will drop this coming week and that would kill all the delicate flowers and vegetables! So far no Baltimore Orioles today but a whole host of White Crown Sparrows, Pine Siskins, European Starlings, and House Finches. It is also a good day to check on some of our favourites and some that have been overlooked for awhile.

Alden always surprises me. I adore him for his quirkiness and his devotion to Annie and the chicks. Alden was up hunting and delivered ‘something’ that resembled a gull early this morning. Annie ran out and retrieved it for the kids at 04:44. The kids were wide awake and ready for breakfast. Both of those chicks are growing and doing very, very well. What could have been a disasterous season has turned into a truly joyful blessing.

Here ‘it’ comes!

If you have been watching the Weissenburg Peregrine Falcon nest and you cannot see the eyases, do not despair. They are losing their white down and their feathers are coming in. They are also very mobile and all are out on the ledge when prey is delivered as the scrape is very cramped. You can just catch a glimpse of them at the far right.

Only chick at the Cromer Peregrine Falcon scrape is doing great. Indeed, look at the colour of its legs and feet in the second inmage. That bright yellow is a sure indication of a chick that is in good health.

This is a short video clip of a feed at the Cromer scrape on the 13th.

There are four eyases at the scrape in the Salisbury Cathedral. The parents are doing a great job keeping each one of them fed. Every one has a huge crop.

There is a continuing fear by many watching the falcon and hawk nests that have 3-5 chicks that one will suffer like they do on eagle, boobie, osprey, heron, etc nests. This is not normally the case. The falcon and hawk parents feed the eyases til each is full and the % of siblicide is so low on these nests that we do not even have to think about it!

The three in a scrape over looking the city of Warsaw, Poland are doing well, too.

All five eyases at the Manchester, NH scrape appear to be doing just fine. I cannot even imagine the work that these parents are going to have to do in terms of getting prey as these chicks grow and grow and grow.

It is amazing how many Peregrine Falcon scrapes have streaming cams! There is always a new one and the scrape in Warsaw is new to me!

It is raining lightly on Theo’s Osprey nest in Latvia. It appears that he has not attracted a mate to the nest. Is it because all the female Ospreys know that this Osprey nest is close to the Goshawks and that those hawks will kill the chicks? That is sad. This is the only Osprey nest in Latvia.

If only we could get Theo together with Iris! A male sort of suitor has been coming to Iris’s nest. She did not fight him off until yesterday. Iris wanted to see his intentions and when he approached the nest several times without a fish, she wasn’t having it. Good for you, Iris!

The Patuxent River in Maryland has been home to Ospreys for more than thirty years. They chicks are ringed and one female has been returning for 20 years! So don’t forget about these Osprey if you are searching around for a nest to watch. I will also add that it was here, last year, that many of us were able to rally one of the staff to return to the part on a Friday evening to retrieve a chick that had fallen off and was in the water. A good intervention!

Here is the link to the streaming cam for nest 2.

Mum is bringing in catfish to the Osprey nest at the UFlorida-Gainesville. Middle has been working hard to get the food off of them unlike Big who really does like to be fed by Mum. Both chicks appear to have moved beyond the food competition phase. Middle is a lovely bird – a survivor.

Big gives up working on the catfish – getting the meat off of a catfish head is very, very hard work. Middle does not mind.

I have been thinking a lot about this nest and I am grateful to ‘R’ for helping me to understand what might be impacting the fishing for this family. ‘R’ was able to establish that Lake Alice which ‘was’ a very large lake supporting the Ospreys has been partially taken over by dormitories and parking lots! Bivens Arm Lake in the second image is covered with green algae/plants making it impossible for Dad or Mum to see fish and catch them. This is quite tragic. Thank you ‘R’ for finding this out for all of us. Much appreciated.

There is also concern that Dad might be trying to keep two nests as one is clearly seen on a light pole leading up to the campus not far from the nest on the practice field. Both could explain the prey deliveries to the nest for Big and Middle.

The triplets at Manton Bay are doing well. Blue 33 continues to bring in lots and lots of fish including those pesky perch that have several lives.

Blue 33 is getting his breakfast order from Maya.

Rosie and Richmond are not giving any hints as to a pip happening at the San Francisco Osprey nest on the Richmond Shipping Yards.

The eaglets on the Dale Hollow nest are really getting the last of that juvenile plumage in. It will not be long til they begin to hover and fledge.

Big is on the right and just look at Middle’s crop!!!!!!!

Only Eaglet at Duke Farms is really going up high on the branches and is quick to get to the nest when food is brought in. (You may recall that there were originally two eaglets at the nest. The much smaller one did not survive).

That is a quick check in on some of our nests. So far, so good! It is always lovely to start the day knowing that everyone is as good as they can be! Thank you so much for joining me today. Please take care!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Duke Farms, DHEC, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, LRWT, Google Maps, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Patuxent River Park, Montana Ospreys, LDF, Peregrine Networks, Warszawa Peregrines, Salisbury Cathedral Peregrines, Cromer Peregrines, Weissenburg Peregrines, and Cal Falcons.

Late Saturday in Bird World

14 May 2022

I get the most fantastic mail and have the most wonderful readers – you. Today, ‘EJ’ wrote to tell me about a nest that I might enjoy. I think you will love the heart warming story of this Kestrel family in North Yorkshire. Robert E Fuller has a number of web cams set up about his property. One of those is a Kestrel nest. This year the male and female had six chicks. Sadly, as EJ explains, the female got in a tussle with an owl. She returned to the nest only once after that. As you probably know, males are not so good at feeding chicks – that is normally the role of the female. What would happen to the six chicks? Robert Fuller took the three smallest to raise by hand. He left the three larger chicks in the nest. And guess what happened? Dad learned, after a little trial and error, how to feed his chicks!

This is a fantastic video. Look at the size of the chicks an see how the one horks own the snake. Incredible. I did not think they could do that at this age. Always learning something wonderful from the nests.

Dad is going to have to hunt during the day and stay with the chicks or nearby when the owls are out at night. They are still small and need protection. Send all your positive energy towards this great family. Oh, and the three small chicks are doing well. Google Robert Fuller on YouTube if you do not already subscribe.

Thank you, EJ. This is a really, really positive story – one that we need!

The UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys. ‘R’ sent me the dates for the three chicks today. Thank you so much! The eggs were laid on 27 Feb, 1 March, and 8 March. If I recall correctly that is the same difference between Solly and Tapps at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge in 2021. That did not end well – both chicks died of starvation and siblicide actions. Sad. According to the news article below, Big hatched on 5 April at 16:45 with Middle hatching the following morning, 6 April, at 10:00. The article was published on 8 April and they were still waiting for Little Bit to hatch.

This now makes Big 39 days old and Middle would then be 8 days old. In reality, Big is only 17 hrs and 45 minutes older than Middle. Look at them – Big is a ‘big’ female and Middle has to be a male but – we will look at them again nearer fledge. Fledging for Western Ospreys normally occurs from 7-8 weeks or 49-56 days. We will have a way to go – but it will fly by quickly!

There is a great article on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest that I just located. It has 13 images. Have a look. It is fascinating reading and many images you would not have seen!

https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2022/04/08/live-webcam-captures-newborn-osprey-in-nest-at-uf/9503896002/

Around 16:20 Mum brought a fish to the nest. In the image below, Big is behind Middle. She raises her head and walks towards him. Mum will begin feeding Big.

Middle gets its head down in a protective pose.

Mum begins feeding Big.

By the time four minutes is up, Middle is on the opposite side of Mum screaming for fish.

Mum feeds Middle. I was shocked but – she has been better with feeding Middle the past couple of days. Middle is like Middle Little at the Captiva Osprey Nest ——- he is ‘very’ loud.

When the feeding was over Middle had a really nice crop!

‘R’ sent me a lot of maps and information on the places where Mum and Dad fish. I hope to get that organized for all of you for tomorrow or Monday.

This is Alden. He spent some time with the eyases this afternoon. You might recall that Alden brought in a moth and tried to feed the chicks yesterday. Today he just went in with them. They see a parent and think ‘food’. Alden did some ‘fake feeding’ but I think he is going to get the idea just like the Father Kestrel.

Cal Falcons made a 2 minute video of Alden visiting the chicks. It is funny. Alden, I love you!

There is no pip yet – that I am aware while I am writing this – at the Osprey nest of Richmond and Rosie in San Francisco Bay.

Watching birds incubate nests is like waiting for the paint to dry.

Nancy and E1 Harriet were just enjoying a nice meal as the sun begins to lower itself at the MN-DNR nest.

All of the nestlings were anxiously awaiting fish at the multitude of feedings they had today at the Manton Bay platform of Blue 33 and Maya. Gosh they are soooooo cute. The baby is at the far end.

Chase and Cholyn have made sure that Two Harbours 1 (TH1) was full to the brim today. Wow. That almost looks painful.

There is news from Denton Homes today. You will recall that the three nestling Bald Eagles died very quickly from Avian Flu. Dad later died of Avian Flu also. Surprisingly Mum who consumed the infected chicks survived. Today, Mum was seen with a new potential male mate. I did not catch it – but, life goes on. Well done, Mum.

Five full sleepy falcons at the Manchester, NH Peregrine Falcon scrape. Gosh, these parents must be awfully busy — and so much for being able to see the chicks if they are at the other end of the box. Looks like the wee ones have been decorating the mirrors! All five are well fed. No worries.

Falcons can be very loud but, I don’t think quite so loud as ospreys. The four in the nest in the Polish forest had a great feed yesterday. Have a look at what it is like to feed four bigger falcons. Wow.

My apologies to everyone at Utica Peregrine Falcons. I think that I posted the wrong image for Astrid and Ares’s scrape with their two chicks.

The site of the camera links also as a great blog about all the daily activities with the chicks and their parents. Here is the link to the several cameras that cover this nest in Utica, New York:

https://www.big-green.net/falcon/

That is a very quick check a few of the nests we have been watching. It has been a busy day – cloudy, grey skies, rain, then cloudy. It was bird count day and it has been busy in the garden. I am shocked at how many oranges and jars of grape jelly Baltimore Orioles can eat! Of course, they are so cute.

He seems not to have been able to decide how best to get at that orange slice.

It was all a lot of fun.

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

Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, MN-DNR, LRWT Manton Bay, SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Friends of Utica Falcons, Dolina Baryczy Falcons, Cal Falcons, Denton Homes Eagles, Robert Fuller, Peregrine Networks, and Explore.org.

Saturday in Bird World

14 May 2022

Today is Big Bird Day when all the world is counting. The lists of the birds coming into the garden is growing and growing. For the first time, there have even been some Baltimore Orioles and the numbers of Harris Sparrows continues to grow. The rain forecast for this afternoon has been cancelled by the weather station and it is hoped that those traveling long distances to get to the north of our province have a good rest and feed before starting up that journey again. I made a decision to put out at separate stations many different kinds of food: sliced oranges, grape jelly, peanuts, Butter Bark, Black Oil Seed, White Millet, Solid Seed Suet, and Meal Worms. Gosh those European Starlings love the Butter Bark and the Meal Works while the Harris and Chipping Sparrows are taking to the Millet. It should be a big count by the end of the day.

Southwest Florida. The big eagle nest of Harriet and M15. Everyone thought that E20 had left for the long goodbye but look who is back on the nest branch this morning?

The streaming cam for the nest of Anna and Louis will probably be turned off on 20 May. It was a fabulous season down there with Kincaid that beautiful female. What a treat that she hung around the nest tree for so long. Indeed, she was there this morning proving to be a delight for everyone. It was so nice that Cody got the cam up and running after the latest storm.

Kincaid arrives at 11:19:20.

All of these fledglings will be leaving their parents territory – if they haven’t already – to find their own place in the world.

Speaking of fledglings, the Three Amigos at the West End nest are thinking about flying. Kana’kini hovered this morning. Here it is:

The security system seems not to be bothering the ospreys at the new Llyn Brenig Osprey nest in Wales. LM6 laid her first egg on the 25th of April. Dad LJ2 has been bringing in some fantastic fish. Wishing this couple all success this season.

It is sometimes very difficult to tell which osplet is which at the UFlorida-Gainesville nest. While this is a good thing, it is often hard to focus on who is eating and who isn’t. This morning was very interesting. I am hoping that the dominance attacks on Middle by Big are behind us.

A fish was delivered – it looked like it had been hacked up by a chain saw – by Dad at 08:32. The kids were squawking to be fed but Dad didn’t, as usual, by into that. He left the fish. While both of the chicks pecked about, it was Middle that really got into the self-feeding. Of course, he has had to do this for several weeks now to get any food at times. He is doing well. Mum comes in a little over an hour later and feeds the two. Both were fed.

There are male Ospreys that really like to feed their chicks. This Dad doesn’t seem to enjoy this part of the parenting. I am glad to see a big hunk of fish on the nest.

Middle has found the open spot and he should be able to get some good fish. Notice the ‘design’ of the feathers on the top of its head. That is a way of distinguishing the two. Big’s plumage is darker with a much longer tail, also.

Middle has done a good job on that fish. Another difference is the size of the wings. You can clearly see this below. All bets say Big sibling is another one of those robust aggressive females and our Middle is a male.

Mum comes to the nest. She is feeding Middle. Big is behind her just like yesterday. Interesting.

I wonder if Middle ever wishes that Big would just flap those wings and fly off? She will, Middle! The plumage is gorgeous. There is still a long way to go for that tail to be long enough for flight.

When Big Red laid four Red-tail Hawk eggs at the nest she shares with Arthur on the Cornell campus, everyone went into shock. Almost immediately thoughts of doom and gloom went through the community – fearing that the wee one, L4, would have the same fate as the youngest eaglets and osplets. Not so with hawks and falcons normally. Little L4 has been the first in line making its way through the gang if necessary to get on the front row. Today, L4 is skipping and flapping its wings! Big Red is going to be tired and Arthur has had to bring in more food than ever to feed his family but life is good and everyone is well.

Get the worry beads out! When these four start running and flapping from one end of the ledge to the other your heart will sink several times. But all will be well if you don’t see them as there are blind spots on the cameras. It looks like chippy is for lunch!

The California Condor chick that was hatching yesterday has hatched. You can get a wee glimpse of the newest member of the Condor family at Tom’s Canyon under Mum. The female is 846 and the male is 462. 462 hatched in 2008 and 846 hatched in 2016.

Here is a short video of the hatching:

Alden is trying so hard to be the best Dad and mate he can be. Alden will figure it out. Precious. He caught a moth and brought it in to feed to the chicks. I adore Alden! You know he will get this and he will want to take part in every aspect of the nestlings lives.

He is really hunting and getting the pantry full an those wee white balls are growing! The oldest is 9 days old today! And the youngest is 8 days old.

There are so many nests but I know that some of you will want to go and check on E20 or Kincaid if you didn’t know they were around the nest trees. Have a lovely Saturday. Please take care!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Friends of Llyn Brenig, Cal Falcons, SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, KNF, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, and the Cornell Bird Lab (RTH and Condors).

Early Saturday in Bird World

13-14 May 2022

First up. By the time you open this blog, it will be Saturday the 14th of May – Global Big Day. Join in. Check out the link in the notice by Cornell and follow the directions. Join in everyone around the world counting birds!

At 18:55:06 Friday the 13th, a fish landed on the Osprey nest at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Typically, Mum would feed Big almost exclusively but today, something else happened. Middle got himself positioned perfectly and he was fed, almost non-stop, for 13 minutes until the fish was entirely gone. The Mum feeds fast and this time, instead of Big getting all the fish, Middle did. He seemed desperately hungry. Relief.

Middle’s position is perfect. Big tries to get under Mum and for some reason cannot seem to move forward to get up to the beak. That was a good thing as Middle just snatched and grabbed all of those bites encouraging Mum to feed faster and faster.

I kept capturing images but, in the end, they all look the same. Big on the right side of Mum (if you face the image) and Middle on the left getting fed.

It was really nice to see Middle get a good feeding. Earlier in the day but, typically, Mum feeds Big about 15 bites to every one for little. This is a great way to end Friday!

Blue 33 (11) kept good tabs on Maya and the three Bobs at the Manton Bay nest. There was another flippy fish that came in today but no chick was injured. Thank goodness. Each time I saw Blue there I thought how supportive it was if something happened again. He even got to feed the kids a couple of times. Super Dad!

The fish came in on a regular basis and sometimes Maya fed the kids more frequently than every two hours. Look at them all lined up so sweet.

There is something so cute about the Bobs at this stage. They can get a little aggressive when they enter the Reptilian phase. I wonder if it is in part that they are growing so fast and are so itchy with the feathers coming in??

Maya feeds each one until it is so full it passes out in a food coma. Blue 33 looks on at his trio. I love this family.

Next week we will be looking for a hatch at the Loch of the Lowes nest of Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0. Last year the couple hatched three eggs with two chicks fledgling. Third Bob died within a couple of days. It was very tiny and weak and could not compete with a ‘Big’ sister.

Hatch watch will begin for Idris and Telyn at the Dyfi Nest in Wales on 23 May. That is 10 days away. Idris is incubating the eggs while Telyn enjoys her meal down on Monty’s perch.

It is just starting to get light at the Dyfi nest. The train is going by. Idris is on the nest again with Telyn on his perch having a break and a meal.

The surviving chick of Jack and Harriet’s at the Dahlgren Osprey platform on Machodoc Creek in King George, Virginia looks as if it will survive. The other two died this past week – probably multiple reasons such as lack of food and maybe cold and damp issues.

The triplets of Thunder and Akecheta are such striking eaglets. Here is a three minute short video of them – as we get closer and closer to fledge. Kana’kini, the only female of the three, has begun hovering. She will be 67 days old on the 14th.

One of the little eyases at the Cal Falcons scrape, is sleeping on the non-viable egg. It reminds me of those ‘medicine’ or exercise balls that people sometimes use for exercise or to sit on for their posture. Annie is such a sweet Mum brooding those fast growing chicks!

Every California Condor egg is precious. Many are not viable but when one begins to pip and hatch it is a time for hopeful joy. There is a Condor hatching right now. Here is a short clip of Cornell showing the pip. The egg tooth and beak are moving and the chick is alive! The nest is located in Tom’s Canyon which is part of the Hopper Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Enjoy.

It is past midnight and I am heading off to read and hopefully have ‘Sweet Osprey Dreams’. Thank you for joining me. Remember – join in and count the birds. Let’s find out where they are during spring migration! See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell Bird Lab, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, LRWT Manton Bay, Loch of the Lowes and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Dyfi Osprey Project, Dahlgren Ospreys, and Cal Falcons.

Friday Morning in Bird World

13 May 2022

Good Morning Everyone! I hope that your Friday is a very good one.

Have you seen this old film titled Osprey?

In the Q & A discussion at Cal Falcons, one big difference between Grinnell and Alden that has been noticed is that Alden hunts at night. He also seems to be hunting in exotic places bringing in various prey items. Last evening the kids and Annie had a bed time snack at 22:00.

Alden on the left and Annie, who has just taken prey item, on the right. Look at those two smiling eyases! How grand. Both ate extremely well, the little one falling into a food coma first.

All are wide awake first thing in the morning and ready for fish at the Manton Bay Osprey nest at Rutland. Blue 33 (11) has been flying in with more and more fish during the day. The three are doing very well with the flapping perch incident well behind them! A great way to start a Friday.

At 11:50 Blue 33 took a turn feeding his chicks as Maya looked on.

More food around 14:00. Maya is pretty much feeding the chicks every two hours. The trio will grow fast!

The streaming cam to the nest of the Lesser Spotted Eagles, Anna and Andris in the Spruce Tree in a forest area at Lemgate, Latvia is back on line. The couple are incubating one egg which is set to hatch in June.

Both eaglets are still on the nest at Dale Hollow. They are 75 days old today if you count hatch day (28 Feb). Gorgeous birds who are now filling in almost the entire nest. They are definitely within fledge range which is normally 10-12 weeks for Bald Eagles.

The eaglet at the Duke Farms Bald Eagle nest is four days older than the pair at Dale Hollow.

Middle Little was on the platform at the Captiva Osprey nest this morning early calling for dad, Andy, to bring in a fish. All four of the family can be seen flying around the area and since Middle Little and Little MiniO are the only fledglings, Lori has been able to take images from her kayak and is certain it is them screaming for the parents to bring fish. Lori is returning to Canada today. If you have enjoyed watching the Ospreys and all her help finding them to reassure us all are alright, why not go to the chat today and just give her a little thank you. It has been a great year at the Captiva Osprey platform – a first in a long time to have osplets fledge! Thanks, Lori.

At 07:25:29, Dad delivered a fish to the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. Middle started cheeping right away and managed to get into position quickly, on the opposite side of Mum, to get some nice fish. That is a great way to start the day at this nest. It is 22 degrees C, winds were at 6 kmh at the time of the delivery with the pressure rising. The weather forecast is for a thunderstorm later today.

Nice to see that fish this morning before the weather turns bad.

Big did not seem threatening but Middle still got around the back of Mum and over to the opposite side calling loudly for food. Good for you, Middle.

Mum did give Big the first couple of bites before Middle got up front but then she fed both. I hope Middle is getting his confidence back!

Oh, this camera can be annoying. That is Middle with its wings spread. Growing. Getting to the point that Big really cannot do too much damage other than throwing Middle off the nest — which I hope is not going to happen. The thunderstorm is forecast to begin around 16:00 nest time.

Nancy and E1 – Harriet – were rearranging straw on the nest this morning. There continues to be a sub-adult around the nest. Both Nancy and E1 continue to do as well as expected as a nest with a single parent. Look at Harriet help her Mum!

Cholyn fed TH1 at 05:33 from the fish that was left overnight.

Just look at that beautiful golden glow over the nest shining on the face of our beautiful Mum. It won’t be long til Dr Sharpe climbs up the cliff to band the eaglet. I will see if I can find out when that is going to be for everyone. If you know already, let me know!

They have fledged but both Jasper and Rocket are still hanging around the nest tree getting food from Samson and Gabby. Gabby normally migrates north when it gets hot while Samson stays in the Jacksonville area. Last year he kept feeding Legacy for some time. It is so nice to see the birds on the nest. Look close. One of the eaglets is on a branch almost at the left bottom corner.

The two eaglets on the Decorah North nest of Mr North and Mrs DNF are well and doing just fine. Bad weather has been going through the area with a Derecho or Inland Hurricane with winds of 100 mph going through South Dakota and area yesterday. Fingers crossed for all that were in its wake.

Big Red and her gang of four eyases are doing just fine this morning, too. The chicks are relaxing after having breakfast and Big Red has been on the nest doing some allopreening.

Big Red is so beautiful.

This has been a great way to start a Friday morning. All of the nests appear to be doing well. In Canada we traditionally plant the annual flowers on the May long weekend which is connected with Queen Victoria’s birthday. That is next weekend. Everyone will be at the greenhouses stocking up on flowers and vegetables and mixed in there will be me today. Take care everyone. Thank you so much for joining me today!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Latvian Fund for Nature, LRWT, Cal Falcons, Captiva Ospreys and Window for Wildlife, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Duke Farms, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, MN-DNR, Explore.org, NEFlorida-AEF, and Cornell Bird Lab RTH.