Tag Archives: Cal Falcons

Late Friday in Bird World

08 April 2022

Just when I introduce you to Teo and Vita, a new cute female shows up on the nest the minute Teo arrives with a fish! This is the only Osprey nest in Latvia but it looks like there are floaters looking for mates. Maybe another nest is in the making???

I have not seen an image Of Karl II at the nest in the Karula National Forest but, Looduskalender says that Karl II is now in Estonia and could be arriving anytime. I hope the camera gets to working!

If you have not suggested a name for Annie’s ‘New Guy’, Cal Falcons is accepting suggestions on their FB page. On Monday, they will select the finalists from that list for voting. Give the ‘New Guy’ a great name associated with UC-Berkeley. I hope he continues to be a loving, kind, and supportive mate for our Annie.

Annie in the scrape 08 April 2022. 11:47. Incubating three eggs – 2 Grinnell’s and 1 of New Guys.

Speaking of Peregrine Falcons, did I mention that the couple in Manchester, New Hampshire have five —— yes, 5 – eggs?! They were laid on March 21, 23, 25, 28, and 30th. How in the world do they fit them underneath? So grateful that the scrape box is covered! Don’t want to see anyone cold and sick. This is going to be a great nest to watch!

Here is the link to that streaming camera:

After posting that WBSE 27 was released from rehab in Sydney, Australia, ‘B’ wrote and asked if there had been any sightings of Daisy the Duck and ducklings. I checked with my source and they said no sightings of Daisy. Boy did that little duck win over our hearts. Won’t ever forget her! If I ever do hear anything, I will be sure to let you know. This is precisely why my friend there has not sent us any images. We do hope that Daisy hatched some eggs and that her and the ducklings are safe and sound.

Staying in the Sydney Olympic Forest and Discovery Centre area. My source believes that the WBSE eaglet juvenile that landed on the WBSE a few weeks ago could possibly be WBSE 27’s younger sibling, WBSE28. 28 fludged and has not been seen after being chased out of the forest by the Curra. Oh, I loved the spunk of that eaglet. Well, that would simply be wonderful if this is 28. Of course the bird looks quite skinny and hungry to me – which makes me ultra sad. I hope it gets some fish and is safe and well. Life is so difficult for the first year birds. 28 was a sweetheart. Of course, this is just conjecture and wishful thinking on the part of my source and me. We know it wasn’t 27 because she was in care and 26 was euthanized. The plumage and the attitude make my source believe that this beautiful bird is 28.

I really appreciate it when you write and ask questions, send links to nests, or news worthy articles. There are so many and it is hard to keep up. As we all know, the Bald Eagle and Osprey populations – the Apex Predators at the top of the food chain – were almost completely wiped out due to DDT use. The numbers have been climbing back up and populations are healthy but, the regular counts are starting to see a drop in the number of eagles. As you know, I want to see positive change in hunting and fishing equipment including the ban of all lead. ‘S’ sent me this great article on the impact that lead ammunition is having on population declines and I wanted to share it with you. Each person that ceases to use lead when they hunt and fish ultimately help. One person at a time can make a huge difference! Believe it.

Bald Eagle Rebound Stunted by Poisoning From Lead Ammunition

It is unclear how long the YouTube station will be broadcasting the nest of Eastern Imperial Eagles, Altyn and Altynai. This is only the second year that the Imperial Eagle cam has been streaming.

Last year, the couple laid their eggs on 13 April and 16 April. The first eaglet, a male, named Aydar hatched on 24 May. He was found dead under a power line on 6 September after fledging. The second eaglet, a female, named Aygul, hatched on the 26th of May. She fledged on 12 August. She is ringed and her numbers are black on silver АВ-0423-2Е on the right leg and a silver and green ring В-423 on the left leg.

Eastern Imperial Eagles were persecuted for years by humans and are one of Europe’s most endangered species. There are approximately 10,000 breeding pairs left in the world. They breed in northern European forests – from Central and Eastern Europe all the way to Asia. They live all over southern Europe and southern Russia. Some winter in Africa, India, and southeastern PRC. They do not like to live around humans and are vulnerable to deaths by unprotected power lines and, of course, habitation loss. Their plumage is a dark brown with a rufous tinge on their shoulders. The head and neck are often lighter in colour often casting a golden glow. They are extremely beautiful birds. The eagles lay 1-4 eggs and live on small mammals, reptiles, snakes, and carrion (found dead animals). They are large predators measuring from 72-84 cm or 28.3-33.1 inches weighing an average of 5.5 lbs for the male or 2.65 kilos and females being larger weigh from 8.1 lbs or 4 kilos.

You can see that beautiful plumage that differentiates these eagles from others such as the Bald Eagle. Gorgeous!

“Eastern Imperial Eagle” by Koshyk is marked with CC BY 2.0.

It wouldn’t be Friday without stopping in and checking on Thunder and Akecheta and the triplets. Seriously, how could you not smile every time you see this wonderful eagle family in the Channel Islands. Two years without eaglets and then triplets – no fighting, just great civilized kids and wonderful parenting!

This is a great nest. The land is owned by the US Navy. The Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org have a permit to run the camera. That permit specifies when they can go and do maintenance, etc. The US Navy could, based on the agreement, stop the camera from operating. They are the controlling authority. — Do not worry. Dr Sharpe and his crew are fine. I am using this nest as an example of who ultimately has control over what happens at this nest – the landowner, the US Navy. If it were on my property, like Lori Coverts at the Captiva Osprey nest, then she has control. Lori withdrew her agreement with the AEF and gave Windows on Wildlife an opportunity to run a camera and chat. Lori called in CROW when Big died of unknown causes. — Sometimes it is good to know the hierarchy at the nests.

The other nests seem to be doing fine. Both eaglets are eating at US Steel – fantastic. Still waiting for Aran to get to the Glaslyn Osprey nest in Wales and for the camera to up and running at the Karula National Forest for Karl II and mate, Kaia.

Thank you for joining me. I hope you have a lovely evening. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB pages where I took my screen captures: The Institute of Wildlife Studies and Explore.org, Sydney Sea Eagle at Birdlife Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park Peregrine Falcons Live, and Cal Falcons.

Storks and other news from Bird World, late Thursday

07 April 2022

There is fabulous news. Karl II is now in Latvia! This is the latest transmission posted on Looduskalender Forum.

So hopeful the camera is working tomorrow when Karl II arrives home. Then where is his mate? and the others? We will have to check on them.

The White Storks at Mlady Buky have returned to their nest in The Czech Republic.

Father Stork’s name is Bukachek. This is his new mate from the very end of the season last year. It will be fantastic to watch them raise their little ones this year. The river where they get their fish is across the highway and over by the forest.

Here they are flying in:

You may recall that Father Stork lost his mate in 2021 when she was killed on a hydro pole in the area. The loving community vowed to care for Father Stork and the nestlings. They brought small fish and set up a table for Father Stork. The storklets survived to fledge by the kindness of these people and we got to watch this miracle unfold through their camera.

Here is the link to their camera and this wonderful caring community:

Many of you will be unfamiliar with this nest and how the two engineers of Mlady Buky vowed to save the stork family. Here is a short video of them coming up the ladder with food for the little ones when they were wee and then when they were older. Tears were shed and messages of great thanksgiving over the gentle care and concern for Bukachek’s family.

US Steel Bald Eagles had their first hatch, USS4 on the 5th of April at 10:24:49. Egg #2 is making good progress pipping.

Just a beautiful nest area at US Steel Irvin Plant.

The triplets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest are doing fantastic. They were enjoying an afternoon snack.

Another Bald Eagle family with triplets. Just look at how much Thunder and Cheta’s triplets have grown. I am going to remember this nest for a long time and, particularly, for the turn around in Dad Akecheta to being mature and doing a great job caring for his family.

Spirit is five weeks old. She is growing stronger and stronger. Already there have been five good feedings and it is only 14:00 at the nest.

I also want to congratulate ‘A’ whose name suggestion of ‘Milagro’ was one of the 34 runner-ups at Big Bear. Thanks for taking part ‘A’.

The weather network says that is is about 100 degrees F over at the nest site of Chase and Cholyn where their day old hatchling is getting shaded.

It is equally hot at Redding and Liberty and Guardian are each shading an eagle. Wow. Isn’t that fantastic? This is the way Eagle parents step up to the plate to ensure that their chicks are cared for! Gold stars all around at Redding.

Feeding fast at the National Arboretum nest where it is raining and the new chick doesn’t have any thermal down yet!

Someone asked me why I like the UK Osprey nests. To answer that, I want you to first look at this image of Blue NC0 in her nest at The Loch of the Lowes in Scotland. She is the mate of LM12, Laddie, and last year they fledged two – a male and a female.

When you look out at the water how does it make you feel?

I respect the individuals and Trusts that manage the lochs and the nests. You will not see any motor boats in a frenzy with folks trying to catch the biggest and the most. You will not even see people in other leisure activities on the loch. The loch is off limits to activities during the breeding season of the Ospreys and that is from April 1 to the end of September. Now imagine that at a lake in the US! or Canada. Don’t I wish.

The eaglets at the Dale Hollow nest appear to be free of fishing line and that is a good thing.

Remember to turn in your name for the ‘New Guy’ that is really winning hearts and minds by rescuing Annie. They ask that the name be associated with the Campus. That appears to be the only restriction. Suggestions can be made publicly on their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/CalFalconCam

I hope to have images of Karl II in his nest tomorrow and everyone can breathe a big sigh of relief. War and wildlife do not mix very well. As always our wishes are for their health and safety. Watch the Mlady Buky videos and feel joyful. Good people do exist!

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

Thanks to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen shots: Looduskalender, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Pix Cams, Explore.org, NADC-AEF, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, DHEC, and Redding Eagles.

Wanna’ Name Annie’s New Guy?

07 April 2022

Cal Falcons just posted this announcement:

Here is the link to Cal Falcons FB page so that you can take part. Have fun! I hope this ‘miracle man’ gets a lovely name.

https://www.facebook.com/CalFalconCam

Romance on The Campanile

05 April 2022

Someone once told me that if you can get people involved in the lives of the birds, get them to see them as the individuals that they are, get them to understand the hardships that they face because of ‘us humans’, then there is hope that the world will be a better place for our feathered friends.

One of my readers, ‘B’ mentioned to me that California loves its birds. He sends me wonderful links to the news stories of Grinnell and Annie or Jackie and Shadow. It was mind blowing to see the sheer mass of press coverage – everything from breakfast news, to the headline news at 6pm, to the printed pages – stories of the lives of the birds from eagles to falcons. What a fantastic way to get the public involved. No wonder the streaming bird cams in California have over 5000 viewers at times.

Today there is another wonderful article surveying the life of Annie and Grinnell, the death of Grinnell, and the rise of the ‘new guy’. Have a read, it is a good one:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-05/the-avian-soap-opera-unfolding-atop-this-berkeley-clock-tower-has-humans-riveted?fbclid=IwAR35v7zWAV6nJvN-3ds3G_NNllvIG9AF7qMeBoSeT7TFvDlepiI5mb8–vk

I miss Grinnell. There was something about that little falcon that tugged at my heart every time I saw him. For transparency sake, I should say that I feel thee same heart tugs when I see Xavier bringing prey to Diamond or the male at the CBD 367 Collins Street scrape in Melbourne plucking a pigeon for his female triplets. They are tiny up beside the females. If someone could design a pajama onsie like the plumage of an adult male falcon, they would surely make a lot of money. Seriously, these little males are cute. We cannot forget – at the same time – that they are the best aerial predators in the world flying at speeds up to 350 kph, breaking the necks of their prey in the sky. Still…put that altogether with the ritual bonding of the couples and you have a most interesting raptor. I disagree with some who say watching falcons is the ‘gateway’ into watching larger raptors. For me, the falcons and the hawks are just as interesting, if not more, than the eagles. Eagles frustrate me. Falcons can feed three eyases without a problem and have them all fledge. Enough said.

For Annie’s sake and for the two eggs of Grinnell’s in the scrape along with the one of the ‘new guy’, I am glad the NG came along. I like the fact that he brings prey to Annie late at night. If she isn’t hungry she can stash it away and have it in the middle of the night or eat it for breakfast. There is no waiting for food. I like the tenderness that he uses in trying to roll the eggs and get them under his tiny body along with the fact that if Annie calls him – he comes. New Guy isn’t going to win a lot of awards for his jammies – they are a little rough at the edges, something that goes along with his lameness – but he will most certainly win hearts and minds, just like Xavier did at Orange, for rescuing this 2022 breeding season for Annie — and for our dear Grinnell. We must not forget that. He isn’t the male that comes storming in and shattering the eggs of his predecessor. Nope. He is tender and caring. It is a miracle of sorts that he came along, just at the right time, slipped into place. In a month, we will play guess whose nestling belongs to whom – and we won’t know and the new guy and Annie won’t know. They will just take care of all three of them.

I do wish that the falcons wore identity tags. It appears that the ‘new guy’ flew up to the ledge. No prey in talons but obviously working on something. Is it stashed somewhere? The ledge clock says it is 17:16 when he arrives.

Simultaneous with the new guy’s arrival, Annie gets up and leaves the eggs to take a break.

It was only the limp that gave away it was the ‘new guy’ trying to fit the eggs and roll them under him without causing any damage.

Annie returns with some nice YSL red lipstick at 18:08. She obviously had a nice supper. Did I say I was getting to like the new guy? How many times?

Cal Falcons put together this video of the exchange of incubation duties. Enjoy!

Good night Annie and ‘the new guy’. Good night to all of you. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to Cal Falcons for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Late Tuesday in Bird World

05 April 2022

Good Afternoon Everyone. It does not feel like spring on the Canadian Prairies. The sky is snow white, the snow is melting, and it reminds me of the first winter I spent in the United Kingdom when I was cold to the bone and came to appreciate heavy wool sweaters and a warm fire! Canada Geese continue to fly into the city while fears of a flood are mounting. The river is rising and rising and rising some more.

I want to thank those individuals – in addition to each of you – that stepped up to help Little Middle or to help me find people to help: Keith Buch (falconer), Ron Magill (Miami Zoo Goodwill Ambassador and Communications Director who retrieved the monofilament line from R2 in the WRDC nest), Resee Collins (Eagle & Rehabilitation Permit Coordinator, Migratory Birds & Science Applications, USFWS Interior Regions 2 – 4), Rusty Boles, Al Cerere, founder of the AEF, and Jessica Halls with the American Eagle Foundation.

As of yesterday, Jessica Halls was awaiting permission from the Army to enter their property; the nest is on their land. It came to my attention that a video showing River removing monofilament line was posted yesterday. I shared that knowledge with Jessica. I have not seen the footage. If the line is off the nest, great! Jessica is in charge and is working to verify if that is true. I have every faith in each of these individuals – their only concern, as is ours, is the health and well being of the eaglets. I want to give them a big shout out for stepping up and helping in any way they could. Little Middle and the Dale Hollow nest are now in their expert hands.

At 09:342 this morning it appears that DH15 or Little Middle still could have some monofilament line around that left foot area. It seems to move. I took an overall image showing the date and time stamp and then blew up the area with Little Middle.

Jessica will certainly ascertain if that is fishing line. We have done our due diligence and hope for a happy ending for Little Middle. He has eaten well today! He is more mobile than earlier. And with the rain, the nest and the eaglets will be turning into soggy little birds.

At 12:21 there is an image of a wet Big walking over to River to eat. Does Big have fishing line over its back? or is it nesting material? I don’t want to be the person that sees monofilament line where it isn’t. There is enough real line along the shores of the two rivers that impact my City and our wildlife.

River is staying in the nest with the eaglets – too big to fit under Mum unless she wants to pop the umbrella for them.

I had a wonderful note from ‘MR’ from New York who wants me to mention the Peregrine Falcon nest in Utica, New York. So many of you adore the falcons and would like to see more ‘good’ nests. The couple are Astrid and Ares. Astrid laid her third egg on the 4th of April.

The group is really organized. They have an excellent web page with both current and historic information. There is also daily information so be sure to check out the ‘latest news’ section. There are six – yes, 6 – cameras. Here is the fish eye view:

You can find everything you needed to know on the website including access to the six cameras. Here is the link:

The first egg of 2024 has arrived!!

They also have a FB group called Watch Utica. Why not check them out?

The first egg is hatching at the US Steel Bald Eagle nest. The chick is making excellent progress and appears strong. Here is a short video of that action:

There is another hatch in progress as of 09:43 nest time at Two Harbours. Chase and Cholyn are getting ready to welcome a sibling for Thunder over at the West End nest!

Here is the link to their camera:

Kincaid from the KNF nest in Louisiana and the second eaglet of Anna and Louis fledged yesterday morning. It happened at 08:17. Congratulations to Cody, Steve, and everyone at the Kisatchie National Forest. It was a great year. This is a wonderful eagle nest to watch. Cody and Steve are always working on improving the camera and the sound and are often on chat to answer questions. The mod is also wonderful – Eagles at Work.

This is an image from today. Unlike Kisatchie who fledged last year and never returned to the nest, Kincaid has been lured back by his/her love of fish. S/He had the opportunity to eat three fish so far today. Fantastic. As we all know, the fledglings that return to the nest, get better at flying and learn how to hunt/fish have a much better chance at survival. Hopefully we will be able to see more of Kincaid over the next 2 or 3 weeks. S/he is a gorgeous fledgling.

Life continues to be good at the West End nest of Thunder, Akecheta, and the triplets. They are so big now and have all of their thermal down. There is a hint of feathers coming!

The naming contest for Jackie and Shadow’s only eaglet this year is set to be announced. The deadline was 4 April. The children from the grade three class of a local school pick the name from randomly drawn submissions. Can’t wait. Baby is getting quite big!!!

The two nestlings at the Decorah North nest of Mr North and Mrs DNF are thriving. Aren’t they cute? And seemingly well behaved.

The two eaglets of Harry and Nancy are also thriving. Harry continues to load the nest with prey.

No worries for the triplets at the Pittsburgh-Hayes nest. They are all growing and doing quite well, transitioning from wee white fuzzy babes to getting their thermal down.

There is really good news at the Dyfi Osprey nest in Wales. Idris is home!!!!! He is often called Daddy Long Legs and no matter short or long, welcome home. Telyn has been waiting for you.

Dr Bast at the CROW Clinic has issued a statement on the death of the eldest osprey on the Captiva Nest. The chick died suddenly on the 15th of March. There were, of course, worries that it was the highly pathogenic Avian Flu, H5N1, that is spreading through the region. However, the other two osplets continued to thrive. Here is that announcement:

I am so grateful for all the wildlife rehabbers who work tirelessly – and through donations – to care for injured wildlife or in this case to rush to retrieve a dead chick to find out the cause of death. Thank you CROW.

It is that time of years. Birds are returning, local counts are being undertaken, and everyone with a camera is out trying to get that ‘great’ shot or to fill in their ‘Life List’ of birds. Cornell posted these guidelines for the photographers. Even if you don’t take pictures, it is always good to respect the space of our friends – feather, furred, or scaled.

https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/photography/how-to-photograph-birds/an-expert-photographers-advice-on-bird-photography-ethics/?fbclid=IwAR2WfnduKUY-ca7SommdVF1aWF54fveZmQGIzB3zTzj4iDLknVxwMjuZe9w

The tributes continue to come in for our dear Grinnell. It is so wonderful that a falcon could bring such joy to so very, very many. The role that birds play in enriching our lives should never be underestimated. Many who write to me feel closer to their bird friends than to humans. They find great solace in watching their lives and the care they give to their families. Grinnell certainly did all of that!

https://www.dailycal.org/2022/04/04/devastated-and-heartbroken-grinnells-death-rocks-campus-community/

The ‘New Guy’ continues to bring Annie prey late at night, to help her protect the nest, and incubate the eggs. He is certainly rising to the occasion.

Karl II’s transmission for today has not come in. He was in Belarus yesterday having made it through the Ukraine without a problem.

I want to close today with a few images of the Canada Geese that I have been out counting for the past several days and for the rest of the week. As I said, I adore them! Some absolutely do not.

The local nature centre puts up wonderful nests and provides the straw – if the geese want to use them. This one did. Her mate is on the boardwalk and has decided that I will not walk through! I did turn around.

I remember when the geese used to arrive the middle of April. Now it is in March and we continue to have snow, rain, and melting snow. It is hard to find food.

The geese scour everywhere hoping to find a morsel of grass – green or dry. It doesn’t seem to matter.

There are geese everywhere!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care of yourself. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and FB pages where I took my screen captures: CROW, Pix Cams, Explore.org, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Dyfi Osprey Nest, MN-DNR, KNF, and Utica Falcons.

Late Monday in Bird World

4 April 2022

Today’s news continues to just get better!!!!!!! If you missed it, the American Eagle Foundation who surely have had their own troubles to deal with concerning the recent fire at Pigeon Forge have sent the following message: “We will reach out to the Army Corps of engineers to see if we gain access to the site.  We have some experience in situations such as these and have successfully navigated retrieval, rehabilitation and replacement before.  I will keep you updated as the situation unfolds.  Thank you for your dedication and support to our native wildlife!” Ervie shows up at the Port Lincoln barge – he always brings sunshine – and hangs around for a long time. He was off around 06:29 but I believe you can still rewind the camera to ‘see’ him. His missing talon is growing in slowly. Many are asking for Cal Falcons to give the ‘new guy’ to Annie a proper name. If you have any suggestions, go over to the Cal Falcons FB page and give them a soft nudge to consider it. (They aren’t asking for names but a lot of people are suggesting they give Annie’s new guy a name). The ‘new guy’ has defended the nest, done lots of incubation, and brought in prey for Annie today. He feels like a keeper. And I am not even over the shock of Grinnell’s death. Things move quickly in Bird World sometimes.

‘B’ sent me the link to a YouTube interview with Mary Melac. She gives us good insight to what happened to Grinnell and what is happening currently on the nest. Thank you ‘B’! Mary is the individual that had to retrieve Grinnell’s body.

The news that had me jumping up and down is that the Black Stork patriarch, Karl II, from the nest in the Karula National Forest in Estonia has crossed the border and is now safe in Belarus on his way home having spent far too much time in the Ukraine.

Yesterday I posted a link to the White tail Eagle nest in Poland. Thanks to one of our sleuth readers, ‘CA’ found out this information: There are two eggs. They were laid on March 3 – start of incubation: https://youtu.be/QmvQWVDEOso
March 30 – 2 eggs are visible: https://youtu.be/7wXH98H6CCM

Thank you CA! This is such a gorgeous nest area.

At the Dale Hollow nest of River and Obey, Middle Little self-fed after Big ate and ate and then Little Middl got a chance for a feeding at 12:40 ish.

At 14:27 Little Middle continues to have a nice crop. In an earlier blog I posted two videos of Little Middle self-feeding. In the second one, he figured out to hold down the fish and pull up with his head. He managed to do very well. If you missed those videos, I am reposting them. In terms of survival skills, he might not be big and he might not intimidate Big but he can certainly figure out how to eat – even finding flakes of fish and old pieces on the nest. What a little guy!

Little Middle is full and happy right now.

The four eaglets at the PA Farm nest continue to do well. Keeping those parents busy! The little one just needs to keep its head up – the others are so big. I believe it is 9 days younger than the eldest.

There are so many more nests and so much news but for now, I want to relish the joy that maybe, just maybe Little Middle will be helped. Birds bring us so much joy. It is up to us to protect them from harm when it is something humans have caused. I am so grateful to all of you for your help and concern for the wildlife. See you soon.

A Big special thank you to all those people working so hard today to get help to remove the monofilament line at Dale Hollow. I want to particularly thank Ron Magill at the Miami Zoo for getting the ball rolling fast this morning! A huge shout out will go out to Ron and all the others including the AEF staff —— great people who are eagle experts.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or pages where I took my screen captures: PA Game Commission for PA Farms Eagles, Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, Looduskalender, and Bielinki On line Bory Tucholskie.

Early Monday in Bird World

4 April 2022

It is a great morning – feedings at Dale Hollow, Ervie at the barge, and the romance continues at The Campanile.

The morning started out with real positive energy in terms of an intervention to get the monofilament line off of DH 15 Little Middle and remove any other line off the Dale Hollow Nest. Approval has come down from the top permit officer so we wait to see if the local officer will assist. Jessica Halls and her team from the AEF are prepared to leave and help the eaglet. We do not know what the tree is like – that is the one very unknown in all of this. But however this turns out, it was a real ray of sunshine to connect with the people who love eagles and move into action when there is a problem.

If you missed the earlier posting with the letters from Ron MacGill who helped get me in touch with the USFWS head permit provider, they are here:

https://wordpress.com/post/maryannsteggles.com/44638

The adults at the Dale Hollow nest have not fed Little Middle since 2 April. Big continues to intimidate – more than twice this morning at 10:17:29 (just got up close and LM went into submission) and wings out at 12:04:20 and again at 12:05:44. There is plenty of fish on the nest – 2 have been delivered.

This morning, very hungry, Little Middle self-fed and in the second video stands on the fish and pulls and tugs developing good neck muscles. This eaglet is a survivor. I sure hope it gets the chance out in the wild.

Really proud of how well Little Middle is feeding itself. At one point the crop was full but, because he had not eaten for so long, he dropped that food rather quickly.

River has not fed Little Middle any of the fish this morning. Big is always threatening.

Big is full. At 12:23:53 Little Middle begins to move over to the piece of fish left to self feed.

As I write this, Little Middle is self-feeding. Hunger and the will to survive are driving this wonderful little eaglet. These are great skills for the wild.

An adult returned to the nest and Little Middle moved and then began to go around the rim to be fed.

Little Middle was being fed and then…Big noticed.

At 12:33, the adult is feeding Big. There is plenty of fish. Stay up there Little til Big leaves. That is all you have to do!

Big’s crop is big enough to pop.

In another golden moment, the adult got between the two eaglets and is turned and feeding Little Middle. If the adult will stay there, Little Middle will really be able to have a good feed. There is plenty of fish.

An adult brought in more fish at 12:48:54. There has been lots of fish on the nest. I wonder if the weekend leisure boat traffic, etc. in any way impacts the fishing for the eagles?

I cannot promise you that the rescue and intervention will happen. What I can say is that the removal of the fishing line is in the hands of the USFWS and the AEF. If it is possible, I believe we will have a good resolution. It clearly depends on many factors including the tree the nest is in. I have not been able to get a proper height for it other than very, very, very tall.

There is also good news coming out of The Campanile and the Cal Falcons. Annie’s ‘new man’ – please give him a great name Cal Falcons – brought her a large prey item which she accepted last night. Despite his lame foot, this fellow is a good hunter and provider. Annie how lucky!

The two changed incubation duties just a few minutes ago! Courting ritual in scrape. Seriously, can there be a better written romance?

And in the midst of everything, Ervie was at the Port Lincoln Barge begging Mum for a fish! I want to thank ‘A’ from Japan for alerting me to his presence. The Port Lincoln Osprey folks did a close up of Ervie’s foot so that they can see how that talon is growing. It is growing in slow.

You might be able to rewind to the times above and get to see Ervie! Here is the link, Ervie is still on the barge!

As I mentioned yesterday, Dale Hollow can be mentally exhausting. The intervention and removal of the line is in the hands of those who have the opportunity to help. I am going out for a long walk in the forest because waiting and watching is agonizing.

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clips: Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.

White-tailed Eagles in Poland

3 April 2022

One of my favourite White-tailed eagle females is Milda. I have mentioned her before in my blog. Her nest is in Durbe County in Estonia. It has been a rough year for Milda since her long-term mate was missing and presumed dead in late March of 2021. Milda heroically tried to incubate the eggs without food for 8 straight days to the point of starvation. Several males offered hope and then didn’t. As if with a miracle the two chicks hatched and we all celebrated only for them to perish because of one of the males taking the food off the nest and then not covering them. But, that was last year, and there was hope for this one but again, disappointment when the eggs laid were broken by an interloper.

The females on the nests need a good strong partner who is working with them cooperatively!

The White-tail Eagle is so rare in Eastern Europe. Latvia, Estonia, and Poland are doing what they can to encourage breeding sites.

The White tail eagles are Haliaeetus Albicilla. They are the largest raptors in Europe and are located from Greenland to Asia. The Eagle Directory describes the plumage like this, “White-Tailed Eagles are almost entirely brown. They have a yellow-gray head, neck, breast, and lesser wing coverts, and the belly, thighs, and rump are dark brown. The flight feathers are close to black and their wedge-shaped tail, as their name would indicate, is white. The tibia are feathered, though the tarsi are not, and the legs and feet are yellow. The eyes, beak, and cere are yellow.”

As you can seen from the images of the White-tailed Eagles below, the plumage can vary and of course, we have to take into account the lighting and settings on these streaming cams. These eagles grow to be from 74-92 cm long with a wingspan of 193-244 cm. The females are larger than the males as in most raptor species and weight between 3.7 and 6.9 kg. The males come in at 3.1 to 5.4 kilos. Their life expectancy can be up to 36 years. They eat mainly fish but also hunt mammals such as rabbits and birds. I have seen them also be opportunistic and bring some carrion to the nest. Indeed, it was a crane brought to the White-tailed eagle nest last year that killed two wee chicks because that crane brought with it the highly pathogenic Avian Flu, H5N1. While the birds are listed as not being under threat in some areas, they are very rare in Eastern Europe and the UK is trying to reintroduce them. While they may lay 1-3 eggs, it is most typically 2 eggs that will be incubated by both parents (as you see below) and hatch within 34-46 days. Fledging typically takes place between 77-90 days after which the fledglings are depending on the parents for 4-6 weeks while they learn to fly and hunt.

In older White-tailed eagles, the head and neck can be almost white.

The adults in the images are in a nest in the Woziwoda Forest District. It is a special project of the Eagle Conservation Committee, the Woziwoda Forest District and Polish Radio promotion both old forests and the White-tailed Eagles. The nest is highly protected. There can be no activity within a radius of 200 m. Setting up the camera were problematic and the workers who installed it had to do this cautiously when the eagles were away.

The nest you are looking at is on a 140 year old pine tree at a height of 25 metres. This nest has been occupied for four years. It is known that there was one fledge in 2021.

For transparency, I do not know any of the history of this nest so I do not know whether to give you caution or not. I am attempting to find out. The setting is simply beautiful and if some of you have been watching this nest in the past, please let me know. The chat is in Polish and I understand eggs are being incubated but it is not clear how many or when they were laid by the information provided.

Here is the link:

Just an update on 2 other nests: The adults at Dale Hollow have brought in a teaser 2 bite fish and a small sucker early in the morning. Big ate both of them. No other food has been provided to the eaglets up to 18:30 this evening. I sure wish they would bring a whopper on the nest tonight for both. That said, Little Middle ate well yesterday and is OK. Sadly, Little Middle continues to pull that monofilament line. Thank you to ‘CA’ from Belgium who sent me this 15 second video clip. I could not see him dragging the nesting material, my mistake.

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxv7V8o6oR9Gyt8aIgJyQ8dTxjUZI3Copk

Annie and the new male continue to bond in the scrape box. I have caught him incubating a few times today. I sure hope he is a good guy to our Annie! I don’t think any male will ever fill Grinnell’s shoes – he was a huge character in every aspect of a raptor’s life but any bird who will care for Annie, Grinnell’s eggs and now on of his own is gold in my books!

Karl II has spent his 4th night in the Ukraine not far from Kyiv. Anne7 posted this image of where he was hunting for food this afternoon. I am so grateful for the Looduskalender Forum and their English pages and to the tirelessness of Anne7 to inform all of us of Karl’s whereabouts. I wish him to replenish his energy and get to Estonia! Fast.

You may find yourselves spending too much time looking at the Dale Hollow nest hoping for a miracle. I had to begin to pull back today. It is mentally exhausting. We cannot make the adults bring in more food and legions of you have contacted enough people to get help. ‘L’ has had a promising conversation with Al Cerere who asked the important questions. If help can come, he is the guy to make it happen. We simply have to wait and hope. My heart breaks for both of these eaglets but, of course, most especially Little Middle.

Our weather is set to soar to a high of 8 degrees Celsius. We will all be outside in our summer clothes! Well, not quite but it will feel like that. It was a damp day, cold to the bones British type weather today. Birds are arriving and I really hope to get out to see some of them in the morning tomorrow. My post will likely arrive late in the afternoon.

Thank you so much for joining me this evening. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures: Cal Falcons and Bieluki On line Bory Tucholskie.

Annie and her new man…love at The Campanile?

2 April 2022

So many of us love/d Grinnell. I do not know anyone who is not still shocked by his death.

How do you write about a Peregrine Falcon that brought so many so much love, joy, and laughter? Grinnell was a very sweet lad. I have found it difficult to write about him because for many years it was always ‘Grinnell and Annie’ ‘Annie and Grinnell’. In my mind, I was not able to separate the two. They were a constant which, over the past few years, has been very reassuring. And then they weren’t.

Grinnell was last seen at The Campanile at 10:37 on the 31st of March. He was later found dead in the downtown area of San Francisco. It is believed he was chasing a female intruder and went low and got hit by a car.

Grinnell hatched along with another male in a nest near Martinez, California. He was banded in 2013. This makes him 9 years old this year.

Annie and Grinnell were bonded mates for six years. Indeed, it was probably only Grinnell’s injuries on the 29th of October that caused them to be separated for the longest time in their relationship. They appeared at The Campanile in December 2016 making their first nest on a sandbag!!!!!!! Cal Falcons decided that it was better if they fixed them a proper nest in 2017 which evolved into the scrape box that you see on camera in 2018.

Annie and Grinnell raised two to fledge in 2017- Fiat and Lux. Fiat flew out of Mum and Dad’s territory to set up his own while, sadly, Luxe hit a window and died. In 2018, they fledged 3 – Berkelium, Lawrencium, and Californium. All successfully left. Lawrencium, the female has a nest on Alcatraz and has made Grinnell and Annie grandparents. In 2019, there were two fledges – Carson and Cade. In 2020, there were three – Poppy, Sequoia, and Redwood. Poppy was spotted recently in San Jose, California and Sequoia is known to be in Santa Clara, California. Unless a miracle happens, 2021 will be the couple’s final breeding season. It was hugely successful with three males fledging – Fauci, Kaknu, and Wek-Wek. In total, they fledged 13 juvenile peregrine falcons in 5 seasons. It is not clear how many grandchildren the couple have.

We ached for Annie and the two eggs in the scrape.

It has been a bit like a roller coaster with the plot thickening every day since Grinnell’s death. A male appeared, began courting Annie, and briefly incubating the eggs almost as soon as Cal Falcons announced the death of Grinnell. The news of this tragic drama has spread. It even made it to the Toronto news.

Berkeley peregrine falcon finds partner after mate’s death

The new male likes to sit on the ledge above the nest box watching over Annie and the eggs. Has she accepted prey from him? I am not certain.

This afternoon, Annie initiated the bonding and the male immediately came to join her at 16:30.

He has a limp. Cal Falcons confirms that this should not impact his hunting. And, in fact, he tried to give Annie some nicely prepared prey last night but she was either full, according to Cal Falcons, or not ready to commit. Has anything changed today?

After the bonding ritual, the young male situates himself on the eggs to incubate them.

He is rather cute and I am quickly warming up to him.

These are gentle gestures of loving kindness — the world could use so much more kindness like this – right now.

There are so many news stories out about Annie and the new male. Here is one with comments by Lynn from Cal Falcons:

I will always treasure the years that I was privileged to watch Annie and Grinnell raise their chicks. No one will replace Grinnell in the hearts of thousands but, for now, I am grateful to this young male who has been hanging around for about a month, that he is stepping up and will help raise the last two chicks ever of Grinnell’s. That makes him a winner in my books.

Thank you for joining me tonight. If you are looking for a blog on Sunday, it will be coming late in the afternoon. I am counting Canada Geese tomorrow at several locations! Continue to send your warm wishes to all of the birds especially those migrating over war zones and those entangled with monofilament line. Please take care. See you soon!

Thank you to Cal Falcons for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.

Late Saturday News in Bird World

2 April 2022

I have tried desperately to get an image of both of Little Middle’s legs since I took my walk in the woods. This is the best I could do. At 11:34:26 Little Middle is facing the rim. He moves to the right but the footage of that .79 seconds is not there. At 11:35:15 Little Middle is facing the right – the gap did not allow for a look at that left leg that was having problems with the monofilament line cutting the flesh yesterday. It continues to be hard to get a clear look at the legs and talons.

The first image was taken at 08:22. The line is around the talons of the left foot. Cannot see if the line is anywhere else. It appears that Little Middle is not pulling the nesting material behind him anymore. Whether or not that is a good thing is not known. Where is that long piece of monofilament?

This image of Middle Little attempting to walk standing up was taken after noon. The talons appear not to have the line tightly around them on the left foot. This is good. The right foot appears to be clear in this instance.

These images were taken at 15:48. I tried to blow them up as best I could. The right leg and talons appear alright to me.

The toes on the left foot are not would tight like yesterday. It appears there is still line on toe 2 and 3.

I want to thank each and everyone of you that wrote in concerned about Middle Little. ‘L’ has been speaking with Al Cerere, the founder of The American Eagle Foundation, which has its home in Tennessee where this nest is. Al is no longer the Director but he cares about eagles, is extremely well respected, and can get action. He returned ‘L’ phone call and asked this afternoon how long the line has been attached to Middle Little, the age of the eaglets, and the height of the tree. This is excellent. Through the help of Paul Kolnik with the Bald Eagles 101 FB group I have been put in contact with individuals in the area but on the Kentucky side that might have some leverage. Another wonderful sleuth, ‘L’ has gotten me the numbers of the State Ornithologist in TN. Ron Magill at the Miami Zoo is among the several dozen individuals that have been contacted. I remain hopeful – that Mother Nature will get that line off or that an intervention can occur.

Today, the FB group for the Dale Hollow Eagles posted a message. It was copied and sent to me by ‘C’ who lives in Belgium. It said: “”Dale Hollow Eagle Cam. If someone acted to help one baby, both babies would most likely die or the nest would be abandoned by the parents. Let the experts handle the situation. I know it can hurt to see one of the babies die, but it happens.”

I would really like to know the experts that they are quoting!

There are many FB groups connected with nests that have nothing to do with the owner or operator of the camera. A good example is the Cornell Red Tail Hawk cam at Ithaca. The FB group is run by a group of people that love Big Red and Arthur. They have no influence at all as to what happens on that nest. I know – I do their puzzles. Toni Castelli-Rosen lives in California and she is the administrator of the group! We post about the nest comings and goings but we have no influence on anyone. So, it is difficult to know in what capacity that message was posted. Even some of the chats connected with cameras have no one associated with the nest moderating them – for example, Achieva Osprey in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the situation we find ourselves in with regard to River and Obey’s nest and eaglet, it is always best to let the real eagle experts figure out how best to handle this. I am a little shocked that the people from Dale Hollow immediately believe that this is not something that can be undertaken!

In instances such as this, it is best to rely on what you have seen with your own eyes in terms of deciding whether the message is true or false. We have seen rescues on many nests including the Captiva Osprey to obtain Big’s body for testing, at SWFlorida where Harriet returned quickly, at Captiva Bald Eagles where it was fishing line, etc. Each was successful. Ron Magill took the monofilament line off R2 at the Miami Zoo nest last week!

By luck, I found this today when I began to search who had control over the camera and the nest. It is very informative.

This is the link to this page: http://daleholloweaglecam.net/

The phone has been disconnected.

I remain hopeful that one of the leading experts on eagles will have some influence to get help for Little Middle OR the line will come off on its own. I know that none of us would want to endanger the life of any bird.

The young male that is trying to woo Annie might be around. She is looking up. Last night he brought her what looked like a nicely plucked pigeon. She did not accept the prey gift. Perhaps she is still trying to decide – accepting the prey is akin to making a lifetime commitment!

Annie is so beautiful. I continue to try and write a tribute to Grinnell and I find I am having a hard time separating the two. It was always ‘Annie and Grinnell’.

We wait to see what Annie decides!

The youngest eaglet on the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, Rocket NE27, branched this morning around 07:57.

Everyone is preening at the Captiva Osprey nest of Andy and Lena!

Such good camouflage on the nest, too, in case of predators. The osplets are too large for the Crows to bother and it looks like Andy and Lena are going to fledge two lovely birds this season. Isn’t it wonderful for them? Still no word on the cause of Big’s death.

DC9 is barely hatched and already this little fluff ball that was mostly ’round’ yesterday is getting elongated! DC9 hatched on 28 March.

Happiness is always checking in at the West End Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta.

These kids are all spread out today!

I will continually report on the spring migration of Karl II because of his satellite tracker and the locations that he must fly through. I am grateful to Anne7 from Looduskalender Forum for posting this information. I don’t think she will mind that I share it with you.

I am waiting to find out how tall the tree is for the new nest at Dale Hollow. I know nothing might come of it but Al Cerere is asking the right questions and if someone can help, he can get things moving. I owe you big time, ‘L’. Thank you for pressing on to get in touch with him. At the moment River is on the nest calling Obey to bring in a fish.

Thank you for joining me today. Thank you to all of you for your efforts and your positive wishes for Middle Little. Take care of yourselves. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or pages where I took my screen captures: Dale Hollow Eagle Cam, Looduskalender Forum, NADC-AEF, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, Captiva Osprey Nest and Window on Wildlife, West End Bald Eagles, and Cal Falcons.