Tag Archives: Blue 463 on Foulshaw Moss is a female

Send love and positive energy to Latvia and Estonia

I want to begin with the Black Stork nests today. For those just learning about the situation of the Black Storklings in both Latvia and Estonia, here is a very brief summary. The storklings at the nest of Grafs and Grafiene in Latvia and that of Jan and Janika in Estonia are late hatchlings. There was concern from the beginning that both parents might leave for their migration before the storklets fledged. Currently, the mothers have left and the fathers, Jan and Grafs, are the sole providers. Neither male can provide enough food for three storklings to thrive. There is also a question of the supply of the fish. In both Latvia and Estonia, feeder situations have been established with decoy female Black Storks. To date, neither male has found these feeders.

‘S’ in Latvia reports, “The good news is that it seemed that yesterday Grafs had encountered a generous feeding place on the way, not so far away. We were already a bit sad thinking that the storklets will have to spend another day with just one small noon feeding, what a celebrated surprise it was when he came back less than 4 hours later with plenty of food. Many of us bursted into happy tears:) It is good to know that he can still manage to get food elsewhere even if it is not from the feeder. And the most important thing is that he is still here caring for his young.”

aGrafs and Grafiene’s Storklings, Sigulda, Latvia 19 August 2021

At the very beginning, M. Strazds, a Latvian Black Stork specialist, warned that he felt that there was only 0.1% chance that Grafs would find the feeder because birds do not normally search for new feeding spots at the end of the nesting season. Still, as I understand it, the storklings, once they fledge, will find the feeder and it will be very good for them.

In Estonia, Jan has made only one delivery that I am aware of. The storklings have supplemented that with the fish that Urmas delivered last night. I was made aware that the storklings were playing with the fish but, it appears now that they have been eating them as the pile of fish is almost gone as I write this. I am aware that there are controversies about the effect of humans getting close to the nest because of the stress that it causes on the birds. But starving is also a major stressor. I believe that Urmas and his team know what they are doing and I hope they continue to feed these birds.

Jan and Janika’s Storklings, Jegova County, Estonia

There is one other nest with a fledgling, Pikne, the female, still being fed by a parent and that is the nest of Karl and Kaia in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. ‘S’ reports, “The feeder approach has been very successful with Karl’s nest in Karula for the sole reason that he has a transmitter and it is possible to track his usual feeding places.”

Pilkne, the last remaining storkling being fed by Karl II at the nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. The other two have fledged.

It has been a very difficult year for those who care for the birds and who watch the streaming cams. Osprey chicks died due to weather related issues and Cooper’s Hawk eyases got so hot on the nests in Canada, they lept off the nests to avoid literally being roasted. Many are dying as they undertake their migrations which are challenging enough without having fires and smoke enroute.

At the same time, there have been some remarkable situations. Around the world, humans have stepped in to save birds of every variety. In the interior of British Columbia, the wildlife rehabbers climbed the Osprey nests and removed the chicks taking them into care because of the extreme heat and fires. At various places around the world, Osprey chicks have been fostered and received a second lease on their life. A Canada Goose named Arnold had his digits fixed so that he could live a full life with his mate, Amelia. A very old Bald Eagle full of lead was given treatments and is now thriving and waiting for A Place for Hope to get its permit so he can be their ‘forever’ bird. Every day I read about a group of people and trying to help fix what many believe is unfixable. I hope that this is just the beginning of a change in intervention and our understanding of what works and what doesn’t. The key is not to give up.

There are, however, three miracles. I am thinking of the three Ospreys that should have died but did not – they have thrived – two of them to become dominant on their nests! Those were Tiny Tot aka Tumbles at the Achieva Osprey Nest in Florida and Tiny Little Bob aka Blue 463 on the Foulshaw Moss Nest in Cumbria. To me these are simply nothing short of a miracle.

Tiny Little Bob aka Blue 463, Foulshaw Moss Nest, 19 August 2021

The third has yet to fledge but has shown remarkable growth. I am aware that many on the chat rooms in Latvia and Estonia are concerned about feather growth. This was also a big concern for Malin on the Collins Marsh Nest in Wisconsin. Malin is our third miracle.

Malin, Collins Marsh Osprey Nest, 19 August 2021

I cannot tell you what happened to make the food deliveries on this nest turn around. All I can say is that they did and there are no more missing feathers, the tail now has 7 dark bands when 3 weeks ago there were 2 with the hint of a 3rd. It has been a remarkable recovery. At one time, there was concern that Malin might survive but not be able to fly. Those concerns have now vanished. Today, Malin has had 3 fish deliveries before 1pm and one of those was a whopper. Malin actually walked away from being fed by mom, Marsha, he was so full.

One of the major concerns for the Collins Marsh Osprey Nest is that the parents would also leave Malin on the nest and begin their migration. So far everything is going smoothly so I will just ‘knock on wood’ that it continues to be that way.

One other good news story is that the fires in Turkey are dying down or are out.

And there is more. Aran, the mate of Mrs G on the Glaslyn Valley Osprey Nest, was injured and was missing a couple of primary wing feathers,. There was a huge concern that he would not be able to fly — and consequently that he would not be able to fish or be able to migrate. Well, look at Aran’s feathers today! Yahoo. He is good to go. Tears. This is an amazing couple who lost their three chicks due to starvation when Aran was injured. The Glaslyn community kept the birds alive with a fish table until Aran was able to fly and fish.

Indeed, I do not want people to think that feeder areas or fish tables do not work. It depends on the circumstance and in the case of Aran and Mrs G as well as the Mlade Buky White Storklings, those fish tables saved the lives of those two families.

Aran at the top sitting on edge of nest! 19 August 2021.

We have a lot to be thankful for – and there is a lot of work to do to figure out how to help our precious birds – all of the wildlife. Humans stepping up to take responsibility and to “try” even if they are met with low odds and negativity should be the norm not the exception.

What can you do today to help the birds and all of the wildlife?

I want to close today with a bit of a giggle. If you watch Ospreys you understand how difficult it is for both the male and female to raise three. Actually that is true of eagles as well. Well, what about five? Now consider the fact that those five are all female. The poor dad would need a set of sound cancelling headphones!!!!!!!!!! You can hear females clear across a lake. Oh, my. The parents of these Westport, MA fledglings will certainly deserve their winter break.

Thank you for joining me on this quick update on what is happening in Latvia and Estonia. Send them all of your positive energy – and take care.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Collins Marsh Nature Centre, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust and the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest, the Eagle Club of Estonia, the Latvian Fund for Nature, Brywd Gwyllt Glaslyn and the anonymous reader of my blog that sent me the image of these five beautiful female Ospreys. Thank you.

Tuesday nest check in

In one of the most definitive books on Ospreys, Ospreys. The Revival of a Global Raptor, author Alan Poole addresses the issue of migration challenges of those Ospreys whose breeding grounds are from California to British Columbia over to Manitoba and the areas in the US adjacent to Canada, such as Montana. Written in 2019, Poole stresses that these summer breeding grounds offer easier migratory routes, ‘less challenging ones’ to the winter homes. One of the big advantages is the fact that they do not have to cross large bodies of water like those in the United Kingdom. Another is that the distances are shorter than those of the UK Ospreys. All of that is true and I highly recommend Poole’s book to anyone who wants to learn about Ospreys.

In 2021, the challenges that these birds are facing with the extreme heat – the second time for some places before July even begins – is having a devastating impact on the chicks (as well as other animals and humans). One dead at Cowlitz, two at Osyoos and another looking very unwell, and several chicks at various nests on Vancouver Island. Within this extreme heat area of the Pacific Northwest in the US and Canada, the chicks are at risk. Perhaps even some adults. The heat has yet to dissipate. As we have witnessed, the Ospreys cool themselves by panting and they are hydrated by fish. In the area of this extreme heat the water channels are low. In British Columbia the salmon are not able to go upstream, and the fish are having to go lower and lower as the water heats up. One other aspect is the glaring sun. It makes it extremely difficult for the Ospreys to fish. Which brings me to something interesting. Night Fishing.

Streaming cams and satellite trackers on the birds are changing what we thought we knew. Last year on the cameras of Loch Arkaig, watchers of the nest saw Louis fishing at night and bringing in fish to Aila and the three chicks. Louis was quite amazing. He fished around the clock. Of course, there could be thousands of others that have fished at night for eons and we do not know about them because their nest is not on a platform with a streaming cam!

What surprised everyone last night was Jack coming in with a fish for Tiny Tot at 2:09 am!!!!! Seriously he had delivered a monster fish to Tiny at 6:41:16 on Monday evening but in the middle of the night?! In many regions of extreme heat, such as Washington and British Columbia, it might well be that Ospreys, who were accustomed to fishing at dawn and dusk, might be fishing earlier or later because the water is hot and the fish are deep. So now we know that it is a myth that Ospreys do not fish at night. If you watched the Tiny Tot or Loch Arkaig cam, you witnessed this ability with your own eyes. And, ironically, if you Google Osprey night vision to find out about the birds, ads for the most powerful night vision scopes with some part of their brand or style name being Osprey appear!

Tiger Mozone uploaded an academic 10-page article on how Ospreys thermoregulate during these heat waves. I am attaching it here for you – even if you glance through the first few pages you will learn a lot! Thanks so much, Tiger. It is a topic on everyone’s mind!

ospreys-and-heat-regulationDownload

So a quick run through some of the nests:

Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria: Little Tiny Bob or Blue 463 ate first and then went over and started rearranging and helping with nest rebuilds while Great Big Bad Bob and Middle Bob enjoyed some fish with mom. Now how did he get to eat first? It seems the other two were still full from an earlier fish. Always helps!

Cornell Red Tail Hawks: There were some beautiful close ups of K1 and her huge crop on the nest of Big Red and Arthur around 12:30 pm. Gosh, she is such a beauty. Look at that peachy chest. Everyone believes that she is just a mini-Big Red. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?!

Here she is looking up. I thought it was K3 she was seeing but no, K3 is having a bit of a nap at the end of the nest ledge out of camera view. Wonder what K1 is looking at? Is it Big Red?

There is K1 resting!

SF Bay and Golden Gate Audubon: The three male chicks of Richmond and Rosie are doing great. Poppy (ZP) hatched on 1 May, Sage (WR) hatched 3 May, and Lupine (VZ) hatched on 4 May. Sage has fledged. He took his first flight on 25 June at 7:05pm. Here are all three preening on the nest of the Whirley Crane in the Richmond Ship Yards today. They are all there. One is behind Poppy.

Rutland Water Manton Bay: Home to Blue 33 and Maya. The kids are starting to be really good at hovering but neither has fledged.

Clywedog: Dylan has certainly been bringing in the fish and that Only Bob is getting the benefit. The other wonderful thing about Dylan is that he loves to feed his chick!

This is Dylan below feeding Only Bob his second breakfish of the day. It was 7:30 am in Wales. Seren is looking out wondering what she can do while these two boys bond. Dylan also likes to feed Seren when she is incubating the eggs. What a sweetheart!

Dyfi: Telyn and Idris are over on the tree. Dysnni and Ystwyth are on the nest. They should be thinking about hovering real soon! This nest is still dripping wet in Wales but what a gorgeous setting for Ospreys!

Margaret Blakeley wrote the following poem about the Dyfi Nest. Here it is for you to enjoy:

Telyn, these chicks are getting too big

Ystwyth is like a feathered pig!

It used to be comfy on the nest

Now, where can I go to get some rest?

Idris, dear, it’s all your fault

Look at the size of the fish you’ve caught!

There isn’t room for you in here

So go and sit on the perch, m’dear.

I hope that you had a good laugh. It looks like both Idris and Telyn are on the perch! With all the sadness we can certainly use a giggle. Margaret’s poem is great! It certainly does sum up this nest with those whoppers Idris has been bringing in.

That is it for this afternoon. All of the UK nests are doing fine. The Ks, Savannah, Tiny Tot, Lake Murray – they are all grand. Kindness, the eaglet in the Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle nest is really hot and panting but there appears to be no problems with fish. The worry is for those in the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, Electra has returned to the Cowlitz PUD Osprey Nest in this heat. A reader wrote to tell me that she was brooding the last chick to die last night. I am worried for Electra. Is she grieving? is she still in the hormonal state of brooding? Send her your warm wishes. Let us all hope that no more Osprey lives are claimed. Thank you so much for joining me.

Just a note. I normally try to answer all of your mail within 36 hours. However, my laptop’s hard drive died. It is in for repairs and the desk top computer I am using doesn’t seem to want to handle e-mail. So thank you ahead of time for being patient. I will definitely answer! We have a holiday in Canada coming up for 1 July. I am hoping to have my computer back in 9 days.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Byrwd Gwyllt Glasly, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Dyfi Osprey Project, Clywedog and Carnyx Wild, Rutland Water Manton Bay and LRWT, Cornell Lab and RTH, and SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon. I also want to thank Tiger Mozone and Margaret Blakeley. Great article for everyone and wonderful poem.

Featured image is Big Red and Arthurs chick, K1. 29 June 2021.

Whew, what a day in Bird World

It is 42 degrees C in Longview, Washington. It is much hotter on the very high, exposed nest of the Cowlitz Ospreys. There have been two fish deliveries today that I am aware of – that was up to the afternoon. The area is under an excessive heat warning until 11pm on Monday.

Both Electra and Little Bob ate well. You can see Little Bob has a nice crop in the image below.

Electra is doing all she can to keep Little Bob and herself cool. She has mantled and even flapped her wings to try and get the air to stir. Oh, please send your warm wishes for these two.

Sad news is coming out of the Kakapo Recovery Team. Today they began their annual transmitter change on Whenhua Hou Island. When they arrived they found two deceased Kakapo, Xena and Ihi. Zena hatched in 2019. She injured her leg early on and had to have medical treatment. She was returned to the island but they found her, today, with her leg stuck. Poor thing. Ihi hatched in 2011 and bread in 2016. She was the mother of Hondy and Galaxy. This now brings the total Kakapo to 202, down from 208 a year ago.

The photographs below were taken by Lydia Uddstrom. The top one is Ihi and the bottom is Xena.

Please, again, send warm wishes down to those working on this small island where these non-flying critically endangered parrots reside. Let us hope that they do not find any more dead or sick birds.

And, now, for some good news. The heat wave hitting the Pacific Northwest did not happen in Alaska. It is 26 degrees dropping and will be 28 tomorrow. Still, it is hot on that Bald Eagle Nest at Glacier Gardens. Little Kindness who is 38 days old today is regulating her temperature by panting and she is panting a lot! The average fledge age for this nest is 89 days with the national average being 80 days.

Parents, Liberty and Freedom, are making sure she is hydrated. Today, six fish have come to the nest – yes, you read that right – six whoppers!

Speaking of whoppers, Idris appears to have set a fishing record for the Dyfi Osprey Nest. The staff have calculated that he is bringing in mullet in the 3-4 lb range. This means that they weigh more than he does. It appears that he will now hold the record for the largest fish brought to the nest.

Here it is! The staff also understand now why Dysnni is also the largest male chick at this nest ever – at the time of ringing! All that fish. You just have to look at the underdeveloped little one on the Cowlitz Nest to understand how important it is for these birds to have sufficient nourishment to grow healthy and strong.

The graph was posted on the FB Page of the Friends of Loch Garten Osprey Page today along with the image above. Look at the graph below. You will see Dysynni coming into the weight range of the females. Ystwyth is not the heaviest female, however, but she is four days younger than Dysynni.

There has been a bit of a leak of information from the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest. It seems that our precious Tiny Little Bob is a female! She is Blue 463. I was shocked! I suppose we all assumed a tiny little male. It seems that Blue 463 is also getting interested in self-feeding. Those of you that watch the Achieva Osprey Nest will remember that Tiny Tot also was self-feeding before the two bigger siblings. It is part of survival and Tiny Little was caught on camera trying to sneak fish today.

Here is Tiny Little in the front. You can just see a bit of her Blue bling. Apparently, one of the two bigger Bobs is a female and the other is a male. I am going to make a guess that Great Big nasty Bob is a female and Middle Bob that hangs out with Tiny and didn’t bother her eating is a male.

It has been a particularly sad year for the Osprey Nests. Today, a friend, sent me news that both chicks on the Newfoundland Power Company Osprey Nest have died. I have not watched that nest this year. It is reported that after the youngest hatched today, it got trapped under the older chick. The mother tried to get the big one off the little one by pulling its leg and sadly, both chicks died.

There were questions about Ospreys and their ability to ‘fight’ intruders. A reliable source tells me today that the talons of the Osprey have developed over millions of years to carry the fish, not to fight like eagles. When the intruder was on the Achieva Osprey Nest, Tiny Tot learned to get on the intruder’s back, just like they would if they were mating, and beat the daylights out of the head of the offender with its beak.

Almost all of the Osprey nests have had intruders. Some are just annoyances but others are more deadly. It was only two days ago that the mother, Alma, and one of the three chicks was killed in Finland. That same day, there was a relentless attack on Iris and her nest by another female. Louis comes to Iris to help protect her. Here is a video of that encounter:

Good news comes in from the Dahlgren Nest of Jack and Harriet. Both of their chicks have now fledged. Congratulations!

Speaking of fledging, any day now and the two Bobs on the Rutland Manton Bay Nest will take off. The hovering has gotten intense on the nest of Blue 33 and Maya the last couple of days.

Over at the Achieva Osprey nest with Tiny Tot and Jack has been busy delivering some nice fish for the little one. Thanks, dad! I have seen two deliveries but there could have been more. Tiny seems to have a nice sized crop.

Beautiful NC0 has taken such good care of her chicks this year. They have grown beyond belief and soon, they will begin their hovering, too, just like those on the Manton Bay nest.

I stopped in to check on the Ks for everyone and found K1 on the nest. Within a blink, she was off. I wonder if Big Red and Arthur were delivering a meal over on the Rice Building?

She’s off!

Checked back later and the Ks are not sleeping on the nest tonight.

Thank you for joining me this evening. Send cooling thoughts out to our lovely birds who are in the extreme heat area. We can sit with fans or AC but they are exposed. If you live in the area please put bowls of water out for the song birds living near you. Every little thing helps. Take care of yourself. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I grabbed my screen shots: Achieva Credit Union, Cowlitz PUD, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Friends of Loch of the Lowes, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Glacier Gardens Bald Eagle Cam.

The featured image is Xena. The photo credit goes to Lydia Uddstrom.