Tag Archives: Boulder County

Diamond lays her first egg with Gimbal…late Sunday instead of Monday in Bird World

28 September 2025

Hello Everyone,

The big news at the moment is that Diamond has laid her first egg with new mate, Gimbir, at the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam scrape in Orange, Australia. Are you teared up? I sure am! Many questioned Gimbir’s youth and his ability. Well, they can stop wondering now!

09:02:16 was the time.

The most recent videos from SK Hideaways including Diamond and her precious egg!!!!!!

DIAMOND LAYS FIRST EGG OF 2025 After Early A.M. Mating x3 (2025 Sep 29)

After dear Xavier’s disappearance on 27 August and Gimbir’s arrival soon thereafter, the breeding season was in question. No one knew if Diamond would remain fertile or whether the mating occurrences between she and Gimbir would be successful. Today’s egg laying answered some questions. 

Video: https://youtu.be/7GizyOC-VSI

Much gratitude to Cilla Kinross, director of the FalconCam Project, and Charles Sturt University NSW

CHANNEL ISLAND EAGLES

Two Harbors Eagles, Catalina Island California ~ Cholyn & Chase (21 Sep 2025)

Cholyn and Chase enjoyed each other’s company on their cactus perch, chatting, stretching, and peacefully watching the world go by. I celebrate these 27-year-olds and their 22 years of mated bliss every time I’m lucky enough to see them

Video: https://youtu.be/habH8sTSseo

Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org, Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops 

Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI

Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ

🦅💖🦅 AKECHETA RETURNS 🦅💖🦅 (24 Sep 2025)

What a wonderful sight to see!  Akecheta arrived to greet the morning. This West End story remains fascinating and compelling. 

Video: https://youtu.be/DgFXKDnDrp0

Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org

West End ~ Catalina Island, CA

May be too soon to say for sure, but it seems that Akecheta’s return may have been a one-day event.

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FALCONCAM PROJECT ~ ORANGE NSW AUSTRALIA

A Morning Filled with Bonding and Mating (23 Sep 2025)

Diamond and Gimbir pair-bonded twice and mated thrice all before 11 a.m. Only time will tell if the activities of this new couple have the desired effect, but it’s evident that young Gimbir’s reproductive instinct is fully functional.

Video: https://youtu.be/yAmNZrzSwz4

Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University NSW (http://www.csu.edu.au/special/falconcam/)

FalconCam Project, Orange NSW ~ Diamond & Gimbir (25 Sep 2025)

Gimbir incorporated the leftovers of a silver gull into a long bonding session with Diamond. It seemed a little rude until Diamond ultimately joined in the nibbling. A strange and entertaining episode!

Video: https://youtu.be/B914LS9XHiA

Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University NSW

Box Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv2RtoIMNzA

Ledge Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCIawe2WWI

Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj1Y6ydRl1c

Tower Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFAsJvGPd00

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BIG BEAR HAPPENINGS

Jackie & Shadow Chortle Night Away on Favorite Perches ~ Habitat Critters Photo Bomb (2025 Sep 26)

Glorious sounds of Jackie & Shadow filled Big Bear Valley as they chortled throughout the night. They settled on their Roost Tree overnight and convened at the Lookout Snag at dawn. All through the night, habitat critters, Fiona, the Bernardino flying squirrel, and her friend, a wee tiny mouse, visited the nest looking for snacks. A lovely Cooper’s Hawk graced the Cactus Snag to close the morning’s activities.

Video: https://youtu.be/ARdTGn7QFfM

Courtesy FOBBVCAM, Friends of Big Bear Valley

Shadow Returns to Nest  (23 September 2025)

Shadow returned to the nest after a record-setting 82 days. He and Jackie must really be enjoying their summer vacation. Shadow took in the mess of sticks left by  Sunny, Gizmo, and all the visitors to the nest since the family departed, vowing to return with Jackie after vacation to tidy the place up. The ravens greeted him with an aerobatic display, much to his chagrin. He conveyed the whole story to Jackie  when they met up on their roost tree for the night.  

Video: https://youtu.be/BIxkSvt4iBY

Courtesy FOBBVCAM, Friends of Big Bear Valley, CA

Jackie & Shadow Return to Nest ~ Reminisce About Sunny & Gizmo (2025 Sep 26)

After 3 months, Jackie and Shadow returned to the nest, taking in their habitat for over 2 hours. I like to think they were reminiscing about the special spring they shared raising Sunny and Gizmo. I’ve interwoven lots of those memories here.

Video: https://youtu.be/M-vDe1_DUi8

Courtesy FOBBVCAM, Friends of Big Bear Valley, CA

ℹResident Bald Eagle male: Shadow (unbanded) since May 2018. Estimated hatch year: 2014

ℹResident Bald Eagle female: Jackie (unbanded) since September 2016. Estimated hatch year: 2012

Sunny is 207 days old, Gizmo is 203 days old (as of 27 Sept).

🔗Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE

🔗Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc

🔴LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz

🔠Eagle Glossary + Acronyms +Useful  Links: https://bit.ly/2Ln0GAN

📖Big Bear Eagle History: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagle-history/

On Monday, the 22nd of September, our family said goodbye to our oldest grandson, Zak, who died in a tragic accident on the 15th. He was soon to be twenty-nine years old. His father was our son who was killed in a car accident twenty-six years ago. Zak was enormously funny and very kind; we are so grateful that we got to see him a year ago. A new tree has been added to the garden.

Needless to say, this has not been the most productive time, although distractions were welcome, and the return of Akecheta gave me hope for all manner of things.

We spent Sunday restoring our spirits in the woods of the Birds Hill Park. Toby was so good. We were shocked that he did not even bark when the chickadees came to take their Black oil seed.

Oh, lots of news in Bird World.

We saw him injured and cried. He was photographed several months later near Ojai, California on the mainland and now Akecheta has returned to the West End where he raised eaglets with Thunder. Thunder suddenly left her eggs (Makaio’s) and I still wonder if she didn’t see Akecheta and follow him. We wait to see if she shows up and if they are in camera range.

Akecheta has not been seen since the 25th at the West End. That was Thursday.

On May 18, Akecheta was photographed near Lake Casitas, California on the mainland.

Here is the chronology of the drama from Jann Gallivan around the nest of Thunder and Akecheta:

Cornell Bird Lab has posted the results of the necroscopy on Big Red and Arthur’s O1. She died of West Nile Virus.

The progress of the Royal Cam chick on her race to get to the waters off of Chile and Peru. Thanks, Holly Parsons.

Heavy rain is hitting Gabby and Beau’s nest south of Jacksonville, Florida.

On Tuesday, Charlie was still at Charlo Montana while Dad was last seen at the Boulder County Fair Grounds Saturday morning the 20th. It appears that both have started migration now.

Rosie appears to have started her migration late this week from the SF Golden Gate Audubon Osprey nest.

What happens when glaciers recede? The Guardian tells us.

‘Like walking through time’: as glaciers retreat, new worlds are being created in their wakehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/13/switzerland-alps-fiesch-aletsch-glaciers-retreat-ecosystems-mountains-culture-aoe?CMP=share_btn_url

Fall is a wonderful time of year to see many wildlife species as the leaves give way and the birds and animals linger feeding before winter. USFWS got some great images of the migrants.

I dream of seeing this number of Pink-footed Geese! Just look at those at the Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve in Scotland. Oh, I am dreaming.

Sightings of youngsters is always welcome. Those at Threave Ospreys are excited.

Newmann has a visitor at Great Spirit Bluff and Ashley Wilson caught 33/U!

Did this Norwegian osprey go off course, winding up in the UK? Thanks, Mary Cheadle.

It is simply beautiful fall weather on the Canadian prairies, and we have managed to squeeze in some time to go to the nature centre for a much-needed walk during the week. I particularly wanted to see some geese, and was not disappointed.

I am very concerned about the hurricanes in the Atlantic and their impact on the Bald Eagle nests in the NE of Florida like that of Gabby and Beau. Extreme Weather Chaser posted these images.

Keep an eye on the nests as these systems move through. For those of you living in the region of the storms, please stay safe!

Please let your voice be heard on the use of rodenticides in the UK! We know that they do not just kill rodents, and we also know that eagles, owls, hawks, harriers, and all manner of our feathered friends catch the rodents that have consumed these horrible toxins and die. Let the raptors eat the rodents! Raptor Persecution UK gives the details.

New consultation on Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs): your opportunity to tell tDownload

‘A’ comments from Australia – (I can’t wait to see what they will say about Diamond’s egg):

“Yes, the spring equinox has ushered in some gorgeous weather – sunny and not at all hot (15C today but it’s been up to 22C in recent days). The trees are blossoming, the bulbs are flowering and everything is energised. The birds are flirting and nest-building. Melobourne is not yet subtropical.

Mr and Mrs Crow are huge birds with huge appetites.They like to grab chicken carcasses and fly it to a flat rooftop over my back fence (a three-storey block of units), where they eat at their leisure. There must be a lot of regurgitated bones and the like on that rooftop! 

Mr and Mrs Magpie definitely have a nest but do they have eggs yet? I suspect they might, as I have been seeing them both but not together. And Mr Magpie has been removing food from the garden, which is unusual. I suspect he is taking it to Mrs Magpie on their nest. It’s nearly the end of September, and the falcons have had three eggs for a couple of weeks now, so I’d be surprised if that were not the situation with the magpies. Interestingly, by summertime, the magpies are sometimes accompanied by a fledgling from the previous year as well as the one from the current year. I have no idea whether the gender of the fledgling has any impact on whether this occurs but it’s interesting to see the family group – mum, dad, and a couple of kids. (I usually see only one fledgling per season – I really should do some reading on magpie breeding because I don’t even know why there’s only one fledgling per season (siblicide/food shortage or only one fertile egg). 

Those sea eaglets in Sydney are so gorgeous as their juvenile plumage comes in. I hate watching them nearing fledge however, based on previous years. I wish I could think of ways to give them a better chance of surviving after fledge – the annual rescue with mixed success and the loss of contact with no way of knowing whether they even survive. It’s an awful end to a season of watching them daily and counting their bites and growing to know and love each one of them. I think it’s the seeming inevitability that makes it so hard. 

At Collins Street, the parents are so patient, sitting on those eggs day and night, rain or shine. Dad has this endearing habit of chatting to the eggs in a tiny, squeaky little voice. It’s adorable. And you are SO right about male falcons. They are the cutest things. Gimbir has learned to deliver the fruits of his hunts (he is a very good hunter) to Diamond – now, all he has to work out are her preferences, though she has very kindly accepted and actually partaken3 of a starling gift, no doubt trying to encourage him. Such an odd couple, with Gimbir so young and tiny and Diamond a matriarch old enough to be his great-grandmother and at least twice his size. But if we had to lose Xavier (and he is dreadfully missed) I am glad that Diamond has found a new mate. 

At Port Lincoln, the incubation continues, with mum doing most of the egg sitting and dad getting in egg time whenever he can (and sometimes being tardy about leaving again – mum has had to apply the foot more than once). Three eggs laid over the course of a week does concern me. I’m sorry to repeat myself but I do wish they had stuck to two. I suppose three eggs at Port Lincoln has far too many memories of Zoe for my liking. Still, the Fish Fairy has arrived since (and perhaps because of) the Zoe season. I keep wondering what that taught us about spoiled first hatches and their survival skills. Zoe certainly seemed to lack them! 

The information about the breeding habits of the albatross was interesting. The updates on some of the birds from previous years were fabulous. I am glad YRK has a new mate, although we always grieve for those who are missing. We must advocate for an end to the eating of tuna!

Of course we check everything for safety before offering it to the birds because they will eat all sorts of leftovers, raw and cooked, so obviously, I don’t want to do anything dangerous through ignorance. In that manner, I discovered that avocado is deadly for birds – it damages their liver. The magpies in particular love a walnut as a special treat – that’s safe for them. 

It is so good to see Gabby and Beau together. And the return of Akecheta is wonderful news. Do we think he has perhaps been recovering from an injury? What else would have kept him away, I wonder. “

The Ventana Wildlife Society has a monthly chat. If you missed the one in September, the link is here. There are other links to the different cameras for watching the condors.

Missed It? Watch September’s ChatDownload

We still have ospreys in Nova Scotia, Canada. At other sites, winter occupants have arrived, including Colin the Cormorant at the Rutland Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya and Fred the Heron, captured on the nest by Barb and Bob Larsen at Boulder County.

Thank you so much for being with us today. We look forward to having you with us next Monday, when we will be sharing several book suggestions! In the meantime, please take care. Put your devices away and go outside to restore your spirit.

I want to thank our notable contributor, ‘SK Hideaways’ for their videos highlighting the nests we are following, ‘A’ for their Australian commentary, the owners of the streaming cams listed in bold, the individuals who take the time to create videos and the authors of posts such as Jeff Kear at UK Osprey Information, and all others, often too many to name but whom I have tried to cite in bold. I am very grateful to you and to the newspapers and journals that still cover environmental issues as they relate to our precious feathered friends. My blog would not be what it is without your input into the world of birding.

Sunday in Bird World

18 May 2025

Good Morning Everyone,

Morning Updates:

Dyfi: Second osplet hatches for Idris and Telyn.

Foulshaw Moss: First hatch.

Latvian Golden Eagle: Both chicks of Spilve alive.

The cooler weather, 3 C, continues on the Canadian prairies. It is so wet and so cold. I feel for any little birds in the nest. It reminds me of when the osprey nests (or eagles) get damp and cold.

Missey and Calico are even friendly when it is chilly. I have the tiny space heater plugged in and both found the precise spot where the heat dispersed the best and shared! My goodness what is the world coming to – Calico and Missey sharing?

Little Toby is doing better. He is not scratching his ear nearly as often and he does not yelp when I put the medication in. He does love his little pill dipped in peanut butter and thinks if we head for the fridge it is ‘cheese time’. I don’t fall for it every time. He isn’t going to train me this young!!!!!!

We left Toby home and made a quick trip to the greenhouse. This is the long weekend of May commonly known as Queen Victoria’s Birthday weekend. Gardeners call it ‘Greenhouse Weekend’. It is the time when normally we would not fear a frost and all plants could go into the ground. They had been holding a jasmine plant for me and the woman had a new climber, Butterfly Blue. You make tea out of the blue flowers and it is supposed to help with cognition and stress. It is, “Butterfly pea (clitoria ternatea) is a flowering plant also known as Asian pigeonwings, blue butterfly pea or blue ternate flower. It is a type of pea, but its flowers are more famous than its fruit. The purple blooms have been used for centuries as a natural food dye.” A tea shops says, “These flowers have the power to delight, changing colour from blue to purple to pink, depending on what they’re mixed with. They have been used to add colour to celebratory drinks in various locales around the world since forever. 

Butterfly Pea Flower is perfect for making exotic tea-infused cocktails, unicorn lattes or just for a little fun in your cup.

Blue butterfly pea is also rich in antioxidants. It can slow down the skin aging process, prevent premature aging, and improve overall skin tone and texture.”

I will be excited to try it.

It is the weekend and we have some hatches starting in the UK.

Dyfi Osprey Project: The first hatch for Idris and Telyn! Idris has a good look. We can count on lots of Mullet for the family. Idris is an incredible provider.

Poole Harbour: Soon!

Storm took down their nest but one eagle was saved! How wonderful.

Loch of the Lowes: The new male has been filmed fishing at the loch. He is going to be a good provider for the new female and their family. https://youtu.be/g8XmC9Afok4?

Duke Farms: Sylvia catches the first fledge on video. https://youtu.be/dM8vQNEk9VA?

Boulder County: Those pesky little birds would like to get Mum off those eggs. They think they might make a tasty dinner.

Wolf Bay: By 1636, there had been six feedings for the osprey trio.

Rutland Manton Bay: Maya has been feeding all four of the chicks. Send good wishes. Their hatch dates are spread and the last two are tiny. If any couple can pull this off, Maya and Blue 33 can.

Finnish Nests: Incubation continues on all nests.

LVM Klinšu ērglis (Latvian Golden Eagle nest of Spilve and Grislis): The eldest eaglet survives. There has been lots of food. The small one was being fed, but the older one continually bonks it and it is not popping its head up to eat. Sadly, as we know, there is the imperative of the oldest to kill the second hatch. The oldest golden eagle hatchling may start acting aggressively to its younger sibling(s) as soon as it or they hatch. Within the first two days, this often escalates into “bill-stabbing” wherein the younger sibling is jabbed around their neck or the middle of their body until a gaping, fatal wound is created.

Silve is feeding the second hatch. In instances where there is lots of food and good parenting, there is an opportunity for the second eaglet to survive.

Geemeff Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 17th May 2025

The day started with an early visit from an inquisitive Buzzard who checked out the nest even to lifting bits of bark to look underneath, and returned a second time to preen and shed a few little feathers. Later in the day an unseen intruder near Nest Two caused Dorcha to flee the nest and not return for five minutes, while on Nest One Garry LV0 made some alarm calls and shortly afterwards both he and Aurora fled the nest and didn’t return for three hours. However when they did return, Garry brought a fish for Aurora, and less than three hours later, delivered a second, which takes his tally to fifty six. Louis made Dorcha wait for a meal today and delivered only a single fish but that fish was a whopper and made for a substantial meal. His tally now stands at ninety four. Today’s weather continued the pattern of clear sky overnight and sunshine during the day, and that should continue tonight, with sunshine and a high of 22°C tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.17.16 (03.17.06); Nest Two 23.45.07 (03.39.18)

Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/ErDsAnWi3-E N1 A Buzzard pokes about inquisitively 06.36.32

https://youtu.be/JvJOyJzMabg N1 The Buzzard returns and does some preening 06.42.37 (zoom) 

https://youtu.be/U2G-xjJBEKs  N1 Aurora waits for Garry then grabs the fish and goes 13.26.06

https://youtu.be/OFrj8CuZmPQ N1 Another fish for Aurora not long after the first 16.15.11https://youtu.be/prod5jXGvEU  N2 Nearly 24 hours after the last one, a fish finally arrives – it’s huge! 18.50.12 
Bonus advice – what to do if you find a chick out of the nest:https://www.popsci.com/environment/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-baby-bird/

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/2xr0kHFi4BE  N1 Aila brings a new Louis-removal device 2019

https://youtu.be/2SeN0J1rxOg  N1 Close encounters of the bird kind 2020 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/Rh1aeXJkWng  N1 Co-ordinated stick work by Louis & Aila 2020

https://youtu.be/IW7bBXUG7QM  N1 Woohoo! Successful mating by the Newsome Twosome 2021

https://youtu.be/aip-ZV4vZ4g  N1 First fish delivered to Blue 152 by The Stranger 2021

https://youtu.be/akMXEPJOQIo  N2 Dorcha sees off intruder Osprey Blue PU0 2023

https://youtu.be/miF-Q3_MxDg  N2 Intruder Blue PU0 returns and very nearly lands on Dorcha 2023

https://youtu.be/9aC3rufAdio  N2 Dorcha uses her ‘scare crow’ voice 2023

https://youtu.be/5cCaq5kTqkI N2 First fish is number 100 and also season’s earliest! 2024

https://youtu.be/ebw5Gj3hh4A N2 Louis arrives with an unsuitable stick 2024

Come and join the friendly community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s fun, free and everyone’s welcome:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

‘AR’ sends us some of the latest information on mapping the evolution of our feathered friends!

Researchers Have Mapped the Evolution of Every Known Bird Species

Heidi sent this video discussion to me and I would like to share it with you. Perhaps you have seen it, I haven’t. It is a discussion of the owl attack on Dory, the female osprey, at the Audubon Boathouse.I don’t know if you’ve seen this: A video collaboration from Explore.org and Audubon Seabird Institute

Heidi says, “I thought this video was well done.  Dory was an excellent mom and mate and we loved her.  Dory was a predator, but she was not at the top of the food chain.  Dory became prey. Warning: briefly graphic.”

Also a nest note from Heidi that is truly a miracle: “
5/17 – Havre de Grace osprey nest:  The babies hatched on 5/12 and 5/13.  A very inexperienced Mom did not feed them for nearly two days… she did not know how.  At first she just ate and made no attempt to feed them, despite their apparent readiness to receive fish bits.  Later she would lean toward them from about 2 feet away to offer them bites… like ‘come and get it’.  I thought for sure those babies were going to die.  But her instincts kicked it, Mom learned, and now she’s doing very well… and so are the kids!  I was relieved that Mom suddenly seemed to get the hang of it.  There is not a lot of time at that stage for a long-duration learning curve.”

‘EJ’ sent me a note about a rehabilitation officer that might interest all of you. They write, “I wanted to bring your attention to the Southwest Wildlife Foundation of Utah, run by a man named Martin Tyner, who has cared for raptors, mainly Golden Eagles, his entire life. He has lots of YouTube videos which you will love, especially the release of rehabbed raptors.” Oh, it is always a delight when our raptors have been healed and can go back and live in the wild. Check out his channel!

‘EJ’ also sent a cute video. Do you think owls like baths? https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/she-was-miserable-and-trapped-in-manure-now-shes-unrecognizable

I could not leave without checking on Big Red, Arthur, and O1 and O2. The chicks are getting some pin feathers. There are clown feet. Life is looking good and the sun is shining in Ithaca!

I want to thank everyone who has sent a list – short or long – to help me with the Memorial Wall. Please keep them coming! I know that I am missing eaglets that have died. Any information is appreciated.

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AR, EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, PR’, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, TA Montague and Bald Eagles 101, LOTL, Sylvia and Duke Farms, Boulder County, Wolf Bay, LRWT, Saaksilvie, LDF Golden Eagle Nest, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SciTechDaily, Explore.org, the dodo.com, Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam, Havre de Grace

Monday in Bird World

12 August 2024

Hello Everyone!

We are about 95% ready to leave tomorrow for our mini-break in Nova Scotia. Cat sitters, garden helpers, outside garden birds and animal helpers – well, it is all under control. Mr Crow & Gang have 12 kg of cheesy dogs, there are large pails with wild bird seed, black oil seed, and peanuts prepared for each day we are away to be distributed, cat food and anything a cat sitter could need is piled high on the island including some new treats and toys. ‘The Girls’ are smart and they have caught on to what is happening. They don’t know it but I am already missing them, too. It is the only thing I dislike about even being away one night – is missing them and not having Hugo Yugo snuggling under my chin at night.

I melt every time I look at Baby Hope. It is those celadon eyes.

Calico and I have been working on items to clean cat hair off of the chairs. We have discovered that those natural coconut scrubbers for dishes are fantastic. They look like a donut and are made from the fibres of the coconut shell.

Everyone shares the one little basket that is fixed so they can look down very low and watch Mr Crow eating his dinner.

Hugo Yugo Day 1 with us and now. She is not afraid of anything and is really pretty much the boss of the gang. Yes, she still looks like a kitten but she will be a year old on 2 September. She is a little ‘toughie’.

I have just received word from the Green Ledge Light Preservation Society that the two osplets in the storm along the coast of Connecticut created by Debby are both fine. Only a couple of sticks at the nest needed to be arranged! Amazing. I cannot tell you how relieved and happy I am for those two. knew you would want to know, too – and I want to give a shout-out to the staff at Green Ledge for letting me know so swiftly.

My goodness. Getting organized for a longer trip takes the cake. I am hope that the neighbour will follow the few instructions and feed the garden animals and water the plants. The cat sitter is fantastic so no worries there. ‘The Girls’ have gotten used to Gary. It looks like the weather will be good in Nova Scotia and I cannot wait to walk across a reasonably deserted country lane and sit and watch eagles soaring in the sky for feeding on the fish at the shore.

There will be no post Tuesday morning. I don’t get into the Halifax airport til late Monday evening despite having to leave the house at noon! I was a little shocked to see all the regulations for just flying within Canada. Goodness.

The news in Bird World is dwindling and that is a good thing. We want everyone out there to be safe and building their strength for migration. On my radar are only a handful of chicks to fledge including Antali and C16 and ours in Canada.

That cute little Hobby fledged. Just quick as a wink. They change from bobblehead to Hobby so quickly. I can’t get used to it. It is like the California Falcons – one minute they are hatching and the next they are flapping all the baby down off their wings preparing to fly.

SK Hideaways always does the best videos and here is hers of the little Hobby fledging! Check out her other posts too – especially if you are missing the Cal or San Jose Falcons!!!!!

We will be watching with great anticipation and much enthusiasm as Diamond and Xavier prepare for those eggies that Xavier loves so much.

Beautiful, beautiful little sea eaglets at the Olympic Park nest. Dad couldn’t be prouder. He even fed Lady some bits of bird today – romantic and sweet. The little ones are having some bonking fests. Do not worry. It will end.

‘A’ comments (paraphrased) – The bonking is well underway at WBSE (so far, SE34 is giving as good as s/he gets), it is reassuring because some claim that the WBSE is an obligate siblicide species. Obviously, that is not universally the case, and we therefore have to ask ourselves what is it about this nest that makes it one of the exceptions. I think Lady is the difference. The parents who show a conscious interest in ensuring the younger hatch is fed are the ones who can _ and regularly do – fledge two (or even three or four – look at West End, for example, and some of this season’s osprey nests that fledged four). Lady is careful to feed both her chicks (and Dad keeps the nest well supplied with fish – at least, he has done thus far). Surely this has to make a major difference. But of course we worry when we see sibling rivalry become aggression. I’m sure it will quickly settle down, especially given how very close these two are in size. It’s hard to tell them apart except by the remains of their tiny egg teeth. 

There is a live Osprey chat tomorrow sponsored by Explore.org. Thanks to everyone who sent this notice to me. Sadly, I will be on the plane, but I hope they will archive the talk so those who miss it can check it out later. This is the link to join and set an alarm to alert you when the talk is starting:

Do you ever have to pinch yourself when you look at Iris and Finnegan and their two osplets? I still can hardly believe it. What an amazing year it has been, and what a challenging one for these two parents. The heat was enough to kill all the osplets off so many nests, and these two survived without a hiccup. Finn was an amazing fisher, and Iris didn’t allow any shenanigans between those chicks. Each was treated equally. Iris often fed little Antali when she might have wanted a little fish. But thanks to Finn, so many came to the nest that no one was ever hungry.

Antali watches Sum-eh fly all around the area and is often caught watching the train with Mum Iris. She is so protective of her babies. Soon Antali will be flying up and down the river chasing Dad for fish, too.

I am so in love with this family.

Iris made sure that Antali had some fish. She is really incredible. I am so glad that I got to witness her being a Mum to these two.

At Charlo, C16 continues their quest to take to the skies. C16 is really a gorgeous osplet. I am so happy that Lola and Charlie will have one to fledge. Maybe someone can work on some permanent cot rails for that platform during the off-season.

The Dunrovin Ranch chick is dreaming of flying, too – but still loves to be fed by Winnie. It has been doing some wingers but not to the extent of C16.

In Port Lincoln, Dad has been busy decorating the nest. He sure loves Turquoise. Later, he came in with a white piece of rope. I wonder if Mum would rather he was delivering fish? Port Lincoln will remove the ropes so they don’t harm the osplets! We will have eggs at Port Lincoln by the end of the month. I bet Bart is already a guessing pool on the date of the first one.

In New Zealand, the Kakapo are getting their health checks and new batteries for their transmitters. What a great job the Kakapo Recovery does in making these birds safe and keeping them well.

Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Sunday 11th August 2024

The little songbirds were back on both Nest One and Nest two, but they were a supporting act to the main event – Ospreys turned up in the shape of Affric 152 and Garry LV0. They spent a fair bit of time together on Nest One, Garry brought a fish which was seized by Affric who proceeded to leave with it, return, munch a bit on the nest and leave with it again. After finishing it she returned and demanded more fish from Garry but only got a half-hearted mating attempt from him. The forecasted thundery showers didn’t materialise today but there’s a weather warning for the Highlands for thunderstorms starting at 2am tomorrow, and more rain throughout the night.

Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 22.14.16 (04.49.55); Nest Two 22.11.11 (05.04.26)

Today’s videos:

https://youtu.be/zbmAOdpvwjg N2 A pair of Crossbills visit 08.31.06

https://youtu.be/MLLmjh7dMH8 N1 A Robin pays a visit 09.52.04

https://youtu.be/lzSl5Wepv8U N1 Affric 152 follows Garry LV0 onto the nest 10.58.12

https://youtu.be/WceshcwWjH8  N1 Garry LV0 brings a fish to Affric waiting on the nest 16.44.20

https://youtu.be/hotAz4uBAdI  N1 Affric returns to Garry on the nest, wants more fish 16.58.26

https://youtu.be/6trrzqNVgnQ  N1 Garry returns with sticks, does a little tidying 18.31.33

Bonus watch – how it all began! Woodland Trust Season One highlights (2017):

Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

What would we do without Suzanne Arnold Horning? She chases Big Red and Arthur and the kiddos (when they are on the Cornell campus) and so generously posts her photographs on FB. This way we always know that our Red-tail Hawk Queen is safe and sound and living a good hawk life – or King if it is Arthur.

Another nest that has had me gobsmacked this season is the Newfoundland Power Snow Lane nest of Beaumont and Hope. I even went so far as to ask if ‘C’ had some historical images of Hope’s necklace and head markings. I could not believe she had gained such maternal instincts. It is her or her identical twin and this huge change in behaviour has meant that the two osplets did not starve, but look amazing in their juvenile plumage and will certainly (knock on wood) fledge!

Oh, that Boulder County nest is sure trying to get the award for the most bin bags in one season to land on an osprey nest. Caught the entire family at home on Sunday. All are safe.

Lots of very loud fish calling from the Poole Harbour nest. Blue 022 and CJ7 have been brilliant – being one of only a few nests to successfully fledge four osplets in the 2024 season. But, I bet they are tired. CJ7 will need to build her strength for migration. Blue 022 will stay behind being Daddy Door Dash til the kids depart. Hopefully he will have some time to eat some good fish alone to get himself ready. We will look forward to another grand year in 2025.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum fledgling is safe and getting those wings strong. Comes back for nice fish meals from Mum – fed on the rails like she always wants to do it.

Concerns raised that H5N1, the highly pathogenic bird flu, could break out in Australia in the spring.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/12/bird-flu-outbreak-australia-h5n1-risk?CMP=share_btn_url

Let’s get a ban on the commercial fishing for Menhaden and see if we cannot have a resurgence of healthy osprey families with two or three chicks fledging instead of one or none! Come on politicians. Stand up for wildlife.

Specieswatch: Sand eel fishing ban offers hope of stock resurgencehttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/07/specieswatch-sand-eel-fishing-ban-offers-hope-of-stock-resurgence?CMP=share_btn_url

Besides window strike, fishing line, hooks, baling twine – and how many more items that cause our feathered friends injury or death – did we ever think of soccer nets?

Always feel free to send me news. Always grateful! One person cannot keep up.

Polish White Storks continue their journeys after arriving in Africa.

A step in the right direction but an all out ban on fishing is needed. Thanks, ‘PB’.

Atlantic menhaden board votes to study more restrictions on controversial Chesapeake Bay fishery

https://www.whro.org/environment/2024-08-06/atlantic-menhaden-board-votes-to-study-more-restrictions-on-controversial-chesapeake-bay-fishery

The measure passed this week is meant to help protect birds and fish that rely on menhaden as a key food source. But researchers say more data is needed to understand the dynamics in the bay.

‘H’ reports:

8/11 Fortis Exshaw osprey nest:  The intruder was still around, and she spent some time on the nest.  She was not aggressive today, but Harvie did jump on her a couple of times to indicate his displeasure.  At 0932, an osprey chased the intruder off of the nest-pole, but we couldn’t tell who flushed her off.

Harvie delivered at least 7 fish to the nest, and the intruder took the first one in the morning.  All the rest of the fish went to the siblings.  Our view is particularly bad in the evening due to the sun shining on the film coating the camera, and we could not tell who made the fish drop at 1855, but it was most likely Harvie.  Also, a chick was seen eating a fish at 2116, but I couldn’t find a delivery for that fish through the glare.  Besides Harvie’s deliveries, there were two other fish delivered today… and I still can’t wrap my head around this one:  At 1242, the intruder landed in the nest with a partial fish, and one of the siblings took it.  After about 3 minutes, the intruder left.  I know…bizarre, right?  Well, many of us scrutinized that osprey for identification, and we agreed that it was the intruder.  Go figure.  After the intruder flew off at 1245, she was not seen for the rest of the day.  At 1630 an adult osprey landed on the t-perch beside one of the juvies, and provided a feeding for about 18 minutes.  The t-perch is too far away for identification, but only Louise would have done that.  Louise did the same thing once yesterday as well.

Nakoda, the only chick that hasn’t fledged, was on the nest-perch twice today.  At 1352 Nakoda actually flew from a high hover and landed on the nest-perch.  Nakoda did not fledge today, but s/he is ready.

8/11 Osoyoos osprey nest:  Olsen delivered a large fish at 0735, and both chicks were able to do some self-feeding.  Then the live stream froze for more that six hours.  I did not see another fish delivered for the rest of the day.  Chick 2 was seen doing some very nice hovering in the evening…Yay!  Chick 1 fledged on 8/3 at 57 days of age.  Chick 2 is 65 days old on 8/12.

8/11 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House):  The first part of this season was quite rocky as new parents Johnny and June struggled to get their act together.  They had one chick to raise, and it has all worked out wonderfully.  ‘Fen’ fledged today at 58 days of age.  Fen took off from the perch, and made a nice landing back in the nest about 5 minutes later.  Congratulations to Fen and his Mom and Dad!

Thank you so much for being with us today. I will report from the estuary with the eagles on Tuesday morning – it could be a little later than normal. Not sure. So please take care. We look forward to having you with us.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, photographs, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, C, Geemeff, H, J, L, PB’, Green Ledge Light Preservation Society, SK Hideaways, Cilla Kinross, Olympic Park Eagles, Explore, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, PLO, Kakapo Recovery, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Newfoundland Power, Boulder County Ospreys, BoPH, MN-LA Ospreys, The Guardian, Fairhaven Animal Control and Shelter, SOS Tesla, WHRO.org, Fortis-Exshaw, Fenwick Island, and Osoyoos Osprey Cam.

Too many deaths…Monday in Bird World

8 July 2024

Good Morning!

Oh, Sunday was a joyful and a tearful day. My superb neighbours have moved. To their little daughter, I was the ‘Tomato Fairie’. She loved the little grape tomatoes and paper baskets of them appearing regularly on her front porch. I shall miss them terribly. Friends visited, and later, we took the grandson, who works too hard and who we don’t see so often, for dinner and then picked up his sister to go for ice cream. We found a new little ice cream shop – they are popping up everywhere. It was delicious. Then we went for a walk to check out the river, which has flooded the walks and bike paths down to The Forks. We spotted a family of ducks who seemed fine.

It was a good day to be outside and to be with friends and family. The killing of the second Golden Eaglet by the first, followed by the little Dunrovin chick falling off the nest to its death, and the discovery that all three Redding osplets were dead in the nest —–well, it was a difficult day. These deaths should always remind us to hold those alive close and to celebrate those who survived this year. So many didn’t. As one of my friends told me today, please don’t wait for the politicians and policymakers to do anything to improve the lives of our wildlife and environment. If we each do something good positive, however small, our planet will be a better place.

My posting may meander a little today. Several people are monitoring nests, especially for fish drops in this heat so there might be some later inclusions.

Was it true or is it just a rumour? I am still trying to figure this out. It was reported that the second hatch, Raider, at the Patchogue nest on Long Island fledged at 0511 with a successful return to the nest. Patches was flapping and Raider joined in hopping and flapping and away it went!

Not true.

Raider fludged later. See post below by Heidi.

Check out the look on Raidier’s face as he slides down the perch. Patches is paying no mind. That fish is good!

Also from Patchogue, ‘MP’ says “Chickie takes dad’s toe almost off thinking it’s a fish. Fish under green line.”

We have been worried about Blue at the Hancock Boundary Bay Nest. Deb Stecyk gives us an uplifting video showing Blue’s crop and a good ps. Relief.

At the Snow Lane nest in Newfoundland, Beaumont often brings fish to the nest and then flies to the camera pole to have a wee bit of a dinner for his efforts and returns the fish to the nest for Hope to feed their two chicks. She is doing much better than in previous years. Feeling hopeful.

Plenty of food continues to arrive on the Golden Eagle nest #2 after the eldest killed the youngest on the 7th of July. At one time, I hoped there was a shortage of prey. I even rationalised this to myself but, then, when the prey came on the nest, item after item, after the eldest had killed the youngest, it just confirmed that it was a strategy to get the one to kill the other. That second hatch survived the first attempt at killing it. Why not feed them both so close to fledge and see which one survives in the wild? Well, we will never know.

Great Bay nest is doing well. Osplets are really perfecting their self-feeding. I cannot confirm how much fish came on this nest on Sunday.

The males in areas where the extreme is going to be a factor appear to be going out fishing early and later in the day with success. Today’s high at Charlo, Montana will be 97 with 4 mph winds. It is forecast to be 99 on Wednesday. Let’s hope that the fishing continues to be good despite the heat.

This is Charlo Montana very early Sunday morning.

Finnegan also brought in an early fish at 0556.

In past summers, Iris would be in the shade catching her own fish. She is now trying to keep her two chicks cool while they wait for Finnegan to bring in another fish.

If Finnegan thought he was going to have some fish, Iris might have had another thought for him. She stuffed those two osplets to their little tiny talons and then back to the top of their heads. She knows it is hot. She knows they need hydration. Finnegan is making sure his family does not go without.

Just look at that crop!!!!!

The little one raises its neck and stands up and looks at the older sibling. It was hilarious.

Date Night on the Perch with Iris and Finnegan! (Thanks PB for alerting me to where they were!)

I did not see an early fish on the nest at Dunrovin but I might have missed it. The pair are enjoying a late breakfast or early lunch around 1130 on Sunday. This nest might miss much of the heat that other areas are getting. And then…the most horrific sadness hits the nest. The young one fell off the nest over the railing. Such a loss. A beautiful healthy osplet on a nest with food. Soar high, little one.

Note to self: I love how some nests are annual inspected and repaired by the owners of the property and the streaming cam. Glaslyn (if I remember correctly) checks the woven railing and rewires it if required when they do their annual renovations. Many nests could use nesting material, too. Thinking of MN LA. What if we helped the Ospreys this way? Could save a life or two.

Melbourne police rescue an osprey! Thanks, Geemeff. We need a good news story.

Melbourne Police Officer Helps Rescue Injured Osprey Friday Night

Steelscape is one of the nests in the high heat area.

‘PB’ watches Cowlitz PUD and despite the heat it was a good day.

There is no end to sad news and I thought June was the worst month. The Osprey family whose chicks survived the fireworks in Redding have died.

Fireworks are not the only stressors. Humans around nests trying to take photographs, dogs, motorised vehicles, etc. have been known to cause great stress. I am sure there is a list as long as my arm.

Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:

Daily summary Sunday 7th July 2024
There was an intruder but no fish today – Louis teased Dorcha again by appearing several times without fish and staying nearby within sight so she kept calling to no avail. The nest was overflown by an intruder who returned and landed on the nest next to Louis and was seen to be a dark female with striking markings, possibly the same one who intruded in 2021, see bonus video. Dorcha arrived and chased her off, all the way past Nest One where Dorcha dropped in briefly for her first ever visit to that nest. Weather was settled today, tonight’s forecast is partly cloudy and light winds, but rain is due again tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.51.05 (03.18.25); Nest Two 23.54.50 (03.27.43)Today’s videos:
https://youtu.be/FrXbbUeLP1k N2 Louis arrives without fish – Dorcha yells at him 13.01.45
https://youtu.be/2OI2t67rNhU N2 Intruder overflies Dorcha on the nest 13.35.35
https://youtu.be/rzFuxemIvPE N2 Unringed intruder female lands next to Louis 13.55.40
https://youtu.be/LwP5OtDRWKY N1 Dorcha’s first ever visit to Nest One! 15.06.42
https://youtu.be/AX4rxHJaSWoN2 Louis arrives and coy mantles but no fish for Dorcha 15:21:08

Bonus video – compare and contrast today’s dark intruder with the very dark one seen once only on 27 May 2021, is it the same bird?:


Watch the Loch Arkaig Osprey livestream 24/7 and join in the conversation here:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Tuffy landed on the nest with a nice-sized fish he had caught. What a joy to see him. The camera will be turned off today. It could be already by the time you read this. At one point, we did not think Tuffy would survive Ruffie. Well, he did. Please notice the distinctive head marking. You will always know that it is Tuffy. There is a dark patch at the back of the head, too. Their heads and underwing markings never change in an osprey. So even without rings on their legs, if you know these, you can tell which osprey is which.

Tuffy is one of the good survival stories of the 2024 breeding season and we will always remember him (or her). What a great nest. Camera will be turned back on when Sally and Harry return to the nest.

See Heidi’s report below.

For the Decorah North eagle family, there is no place like home even if it is a dead tree without a nest. They are all fine. What a joy it is to see them, too.

Fish are coming in at Boulder. It is 46 F and 1 mph winds. The high this week will be 80 at the nest.

It is a lot hotter at the Seaside nest of Bruce and Naha. Bruce flew in with a really big Red-tail for Naha and the kids at 1649. This will keep them nicely. Temperature is expected to be 90 degrees F with 14 mph winds on Monday.

‘PB’ reports that a nice late fish came into Steelscape. They are in the hot zone, too.

Cowlitz has fish, too. The Dads on that Columbia River are really working hard to get fish to their nests in this heat.

‘H’ reports:

7/7 Osoyoos osprey nest:  It was a sunny day, and the temperature reached 100 F/38 C yesterday afternoon.  Olsen brought eight fish to the nest, but most of them were quite small.  When the ‘kids’ were little, that would have been ample, but now it may be only half (or less) of what they need.  Five of the fish were delivered before 0900, while the sixth fish was delivered at 1657.  Meal duration times were: 5, 7, 4, 3, 18, 5, 8, 5 minutes.  Our views of the feedings were partially blocked at times, making it difficult to determine how much Little was eating.  There was no aggression at the first three meals, and Little seemed to eat some fish at each of those meals.  Big beaked Little at the third meal, which consisted of a tiny fish, and Little ate one bite of fish.  The fifth fish, at 0849, was the largest.  Little was beaked, but managed to start receiving some bites on the other side of Soo at 0855 for a couple of minutes.  I could not tell how much Little was able to eat.  When we say the osplets are ‘at the table’ or ‘at the chow line’, we are referring to them being in a position to receive bites of fish offered by the parent.  When the ‘kids’ were little, the ‘table’ was small.  They could all fit side-by-side compactly in a small area, easily within reach of Soo’s beak.  But, at the current size of the chicks, the ‘table’ is wide.  There was no aggression at the sixth feeding, at 1657.  Little was skittish, and waited a couple of minutes before approaching.  When Little was ‘at the table’, s/he was positioned closer to Soo’s tail.  It was only a 5-minute feeding, and I did not see Soo reach back and offer a bite to Little.  There was an 8-minute feeding at 2058, and once again, Little hesitated to approach.  But when s/he did get to the table at 2103, he ate two bites, then was beaked.  The last meal of the day was at 2122, and lasted five minutes.  Little was beaked, and was not able to eat.  Little’s crop was noticeably hollow.   Unfortunately, Little did not eat much today, which is all the more serious due to the extreme heat which can hasten dehydration.  Little’s last good meal was around 11:00 on 7/6.  Middle was not prevented from eating today.  It’s going to be another hot sunny day on 7/8, with the high temperature predicted to hit at least 102F/39C.  Winds will be 14-22 mph.  Wouldn’t it be nice if Olsen could find a big whopper of a fish?  Surely, Little would then get a good meal.  Good luck out there Olsen…we know that you are doing your best.

7/7 Patuxent River Park:  The osplets are 57, 60, and 61 days old.  A few days ago, Big and Middle were making some progress with wingersizing and managing some brief hovers.  But, over the last couple of days, their activity has been reduced, possibly due to the extreme heat and calm winds.  The temperatures have been in the upper 90’s.

7/7 Captiva osprey nest:  Ding is 75 days old, and fledged 15 days ago.  On 7/6, Ding caught her first fish, and it was a needlefish.  This morning, on just her third fishing attempt of the day, Ding caught another needlefish!  After she finished her breakfast, she resumed diving for fish.  On her sixth fishing attempt of the day, Ding caught another needlefish, just 32 minutes after her last successful catch.  You go girl!  Ding may be known by some viewers as the ‘Needlefish Kid’.  Ding made numerous attempts at fishing over the next six hours.  Edie was not seen on 7/7.  Ding is expending a lot of energy with her fishing.  It would be wonderful if Edie would drop off a fish for Ding in the morning.

7/7 Moorings Park osprey nest:  Monday morning at 0900 the camera will be turned off for the season.  Tuffy treated viewers to some extended appearances today.  At 11:29 we witnessed Tuffy dive into the water to try to catch a fish.  He didn’t appear to come away with a fish on that attempt.  About an hour later, Tuffy flew to the nest carrying a tilapia.  Tuffy was wet, and shaking off water.  He took a long time to eat that tilapia.  How wonderful that we got to witness those events on the last day of the live stream.  We have been blessed to witness your life thus far, Tuffy… through all your struggles and your victories.  You are a survivor.  We wish you a long and prosperous life.

Studies identifying the extent of the bycatch problem and our beloved birds like those cute little Royal Cam chicks. We do not want them, their parents, or any of the colony ending up like the ones below. Those trawlers gather the fish to provide feed for salmon and chickens. Want to save our seabirds? Stop eating farmed fish and industrially grown chickens.

New study shows the real scale of seabird bycatch in European waters.-https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/07/03/bycatch-tragedy-we-are-losing-200000-seabirds-annually/

Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, MP, PB, TU’, PSEG, Heidi McGrue, Deb Stecyk, Newfoundland Power, Eagle Club of Estonia, Great Bay Ospreys, Charlo Montana Osprey Cam, Montana Osprey Project, Dunrovin Ranch, Space Coast Daily, Pam Breci, FORE, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Moorings Park, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, Boulder County, Seaside Ospreys, Steelscape, Cowlitz PUD, Birdlife International, Osoyoos, Patuxent River Park, and Window to Wildlife.

Ervie is on the move, 2C4 injured…Thursday in Bird World

10 August 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

It is freezing – well, not literally, but temperatures will drop to 11 C tonight. Already it is feeling like wool socks and jumpers.

I hope your day has been as good as it can be as we worry about our little Mini. I hope that we are not worrying about Mini in a week – that she is progressing. My friend ‘R’ says that when a patient comes into a doctor’s office with a complaint, they look for symmetry. Do you know how hard it is to get Mini to stand with her legs apart, facing the camera? Three does it all the time. Frustrating!

Before we even peek at the kittens today, the big news is that Ervie is on the move! Oh, I hope that someone will be there to take photos of our little lad. Ervie is nearly two years old (hatched mid-September 2021), and I would love for him to stay in Port Lincoln and take over the barge from Mum and Dad. but now thankful he has a tracker.

Thank goodness for the three kittens! They work wonders – better than worry beads!

Calico now allows me to scoop her up and rub her cheek against mine. She is also in full approval of kitten milk. She drinks about 1/3 of a cup at each meal. Her fur is beginning to shine a bit. She is very sneaky, and I cannot find that kitten/s. She weaves in and out – keeping me guessing and running – when she is ready! Geemeff suggested in jest that I put a GoPro on her. Well, there is one sitting here in front of me. But Calico doesn’t weigh more than a quarter, so I am reluctant, but it sure would help me find where she is going! She certainly has a PhD in thwarting surveillance techniques.

Oh, Wednesday was another day spent – in part – staring at Mini’s leg to see if something is wrong and what it could be. The truth is we will never know. She is eating and flying and that is good. Mum is checking on her and fish keep coming in. She did not even finish a really large one. I am glad she is not grounded because who knows what would happen after that…let us all hope it is a sore sprain. Someone thought her foot had been cut but it was blood from the nice fresh fish she was munching on…fingers crossed. She is surely loved and if love can heal she will be 100% soon!

Mini got some nice fish flakes but lost part of the fish over the side of the nest. She appeared to be in some pain and having difficulty with that left leg in the early morning.

This is the best image to see that left leg.

16:31

1727. Parent with another fish for Mini.

These parents are amazing. They take such good care of all their chicks and now they are concerned about Little Mini, too.

Mini flew off shortly after. Please send her positive wishes. On Thursday morning the parents brought Mini her breakfast fish…she is not putting any weight on that left leg today. She ate some of the fish but appears to be worse than yesterday.

My heart is just broken. She cannot be taken into care unless she is grounded. Oh, I so wish this is just a bad sprain, but I fear it is worse than that.

If we ever begin to doubt how much Mini wants to live and how much she deserves to, ‘MP’ found a screen shot of the Patchogue nest he took eons ago. It was raining and the three bigger chicks were under Mum and Mum had quit feeding the fourth hatch. There is Mini. She should have died of exposure. She didn’t. She should have died of hunger. She didn’t. Let us all help her beat this! Positive energy.

Today, Mini appears to be in considerable pain – visually so. I hoped – beyond hope- this was just a simple sprain and she would ‘get over it in time’. But it looks like she really needs an intervention – which is something that I did not want to see for fear that our darling girl cannot get better. Send our little fighter all of your love.

There have been worries at several other nests. One was the third hatch at the Steelscape nest that has not had fish in some time. ‘PB’ alerted me to a fish arriving at 1535 on Wednesday and the third hatch devoured it. Thank goodness, the older siblings flew in later. This baby was starving.

At Loch Arkaig, after being MIA for 28 hours, Louise arrived with one fish for Nuka and returned shortly after with one for Dorcha. Relief. I don’t even know what my mind would do if we lost Louis this year to intruders – and there are intruders everywhere.

In the middle of some worry over Mini and concerns for the third hatch at Steelscape (and other nests), there are always stories that lift our spirits. ‘MB’ sent me one of those today to share with you. One lucky osplet family.

I reported about the storks dying due to extreme weather. Those were Latvian storks…my friend Sassa Bird says that they have not witnessed in their lifetime a catastrophic storm with tornadoes and hail and the winds that caused the deaths of the beloved storms preparing for migration. It is simply heartbreaking. The Latvians love their storks, and this has been a challenging year in the area with the weather. Our thoughts go out to everyone there.

The trio at Osprey House in Australia are beginning to enter the Reptilian Phase.

Bitty – DH2- from Decorah Hatchery caught its first fish. Did the parents leave the fish? Who knows – it is a great milestone for this beautiful eagle.

First fledge at nest 10, Kielder Forest! 9 August.

Seaside: Fledglings on the nest – one with fish and one wishing! It is fantastic to see all of these young fliers return to the nest to be fed. We get to know they are safe and the parents can feed them while they work those flight muscles.

Boulder County: Some fledglings have huge crops, while others sit and wait and hope for fish. Just look at the one in the middle – reminds me of Diamond when she finishes eating a huge pigeon. There are no worries about these. Fish are plentiful. Great parenting to get the three to fledge.

Dunrovin: All is well. Swoop is busy bringing fish to the nest and the three are at the nest at night.

SSEN Alyth: So many fish that the one has a crop that is about to pop and another fish comes to the nest!

RSPB Loch Garten: Sadly, there was an aerial battle between fledgling 2C4 and intruder KL5. The result was that 2C4 has been injured. It looks as if that injury is on the right elbow – perhaps a deep talon scratch – that has bled between the wing and the body. Send your best wishes.

Geemeff sent me the video of this persistent attack on the two youngsters at this nest.

Dyfi: No one is hungry at the nest of Idris and Telyn – not even the cleaners!

Time for ‘H’s reports:

Fortis Exshaw – “As nest cam viewers, we try to rationalize what we see on the livestream.  But, sometimes even the most knowledgeable viewers can only guess at possible causes of what we see, or what we are not seeing.  Louise used to bring in 5-8 fish per day, and now it’s down to 1-2 per day.  On 8/7 the air quality was smoky.  The temperatures in the area have been in the low to mid 70’s, and there were a couple of light rain showers on 8/9.  There was one brief intruder issue on 8/9 that we saw, and both Louise and O’Hara defended.  There has been some intermittent construction taking place very close to the nest for the last two days.  The construction disturbance has not completely prevented Louise from delivering fish, but we don’t know if it has hampered her efforts at times.  There was only one fish delivered to the nest on 8/9, and it was brought by Louise.  The older sibling, Banff, ate it.  The younger osplet, JJ, only had a fish tail to eat on 8/7, he had two small-ish meals on 8/8, and had nothing to eat on 8/9.  We are praying for a fish-filled day on 8/10.  The chicks are 53 days old.”

Forsythe – Wow, what a day for Ollie and Oscar!  Oscar delivered six fish to the nest for Ollie (at 0613, 0803, 0906, 1342, 1444, and 1734), and a couple of them were quite large.  Ollie was probably pinching herself to make sure she was not dreaming, lol.  There were times when there were two fish in the nest, and a small partial fish was left on the nest when Ollie finally retired to her roosting spot.  It was the sixth straight day with no sign of the older sibling, Owen.

Barnegat Light – Duke was minding his own business and enjoying his afternoon bath in the Bay . . Ah, but someone else was also minding his business . . Dorsett flew right at her Dad and buzzed him!  It was hilarious.

Kent Island – This family had a fish-filled day, and Molly and Audrey each had their own fish at one point.  59-day-old Molly has been sleeping upright for two nights in a row.

Osoyoos: Offline.

Severna Park – One or both of the siblings can often be found at the nest.  Being the good Dad, Oscar is continuing to provide for his two fledglings.

Patuxent Nest-1 – Foster and Sib-B are often seen at their nest, and Dad continues to supply them with large fish.

Thank you so much, ‘H’.

Sydney Sea Eagles: ‘A’ reports “Isn’t it always the way? Just as I say the WBSE food supply has been wonderful, we had a day today when the first food did not arrive on the nest until nearly 12:25. It was a nice, big whole fresh fish (perhaps a bream?), which Lady quickly took charge of to feed the eaglets, who had spent the morning snuggled up sleeping together and putting in some serious growing time. Once food arrived however, SE32 was quickly up at the table and got at least the first dozen bites. SE31 was not bothered, lying behind SE32 and watching its younger sibling eating. Amazing! SE32 was obviously hungry and Lady fed it bite after bite. Eventually, SE31 decided it was ready for brunch and stood up to eat but SE32 just pushed forward another step and kept eating. SE31 watched. Lady kept feeding SE32. After another six or eight bites for SE32, SE31 again tried to get to mum’s beak but Lady keeps feeding SE32. Finally, SE31 has no real choice but to beak SE32 in the back of the head. Not hard and just once, but SE32 ducks down and SE31 gets to eat a few bites. SE32 is back up with 25 seconds and accepting more bites. They eat side by side until SE32 decides to stare down SE31, which had the usual result. SE32 allows SE31 to eat for a moment or two before again popping up. The pair are remarkably civil and both get plenty of brunch. I am no longer worried about the relationship between them, unless the food situation deteriorates. It was an exceptionally windy day in Sydney, with the trees tossing violently. This is no doubt the reason Dad had problems fishing today. This was a big fish though, enough to feed Lady and the kids for the rest of the day.”

Avian Flu has not gone away -. Now it is in the Red Grouse populations.

Highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-confirmed-in-red-grouse-in-Scotland-–-Raptor-Persecution-UKDownload

In a related vein, Wild Justice held a poll about banning rouse hunting or issuing licenses. Geemeff sent me the results of that vote. As Geemeff says, the authorities should take note of this!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, MB, MP, PB, R, Sassa Bird’, Port Lincoln Ospreys, PSEG, Steelscape, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Al Eastman, Sassa Bird, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Joanna Dailey and Kielder Forest, Seaside, Boulder County, Dunrovin Ranch, SSEN Alyth, RSPB Loch Garten, Fortis Exshaw, Forsythe, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Kent Island, Severna Park, Patuxent River Park, Raptor Persecution UK, Wild Justice, Syllabub and RSPB Loch Garten, and Dyfi Ospreys.