Central Park – Mary Ann Steggles

Thursday in Bird World

2 November 2023

Oh, good morning everyone!

It is a very special day at our house today. When our vet examined Calico and said she was not a year old and that her best guess was that she was only ten months at the time, she asked me to pick a birthday for Calico. I picked 2 November. So today is Calico’s first birthday. We are having a little party full of lots of treats and an extra chapter of story time. We have now finished H is for Hawk and starting another book. Will tell you all about it tomorrow.

There will be some treats and an attempt at a birthday cake made of tinned food plus lots of love.

Some flashbacks…

Calico on 7 May 2023 when she was an outdoor kitty. She came regularly for food and slept under the lilacs. Often she slept under the deck.

30 June. By now, Calico is bursting and it is apparent that the kittens she is carrying will be born any day. And they were, two days later. She came to the feeding station many times during the day. She would eat for no more than 5 minutes and rush back to where she had hidden her kittens.

26 July. Her kittens are three weeks old. We have been looking for them.

26 August. Calico has joined the family inside. We hope to find her only surviving kitten.

The next day, Calico has relaxed.

Out with the rest of the family on 4 September. This will be a momentous day.

Little Hope shows up at the feeder. She will be humanely trapped and brought inside to join her Mamma and her new family.

Little Hope on 1 November 2022. She was born on 2 July so she is four months old today. Hope is a real treasure. Look at those eyes.

It is also another special day. It was one year ago today that Missey and Lewis joined our family. Oh, how I wish Lewis was still with us. He died way too young. Poor lad. You would not know that the fate of feline viruses would turn against him so quickly.

Lewis and Missey were so cute and tiny and so full of love for one another.And what a great day it was….these two brought me so much comfort and joy.

Missey still misses Lewis. She has lost some weight and we are monitoring her closely. Spending extra time with her and making sure that she gets lots of good roast chicken.

Once upon a time, the term ‘publish or perish’ was a big part of my university academic life. After a residency at Hospitalfield (the first art school in the UK) in Arbroath, Scotland, which focused on the environment, I became ever more critical of ceramics as a practice of making. Four book chapters highly critical of the teaching of the discipline came out of that residency. The last one will be published this summer.

Books take a long time to reach publication – this one some six years. Since then, I have retired and moved on to what truly sparks my life – osprey behaviour and conservation. It is nice to be putting this ‘to bed’ as they say.

The book ‘Finding Hope’ should be finished in the new year. It will address the tragedy of people dumping pets through the eyes of Calico and Hope. The proceeds will go to our local mobile vet unit that spays and neuters strays and feral cats in our City. Will keep you posted. It was a joy to write – just getting the illustrations perfect and the layout.

Now, let’s get to the three nests we are following and then to check on any recent news.

SK Hideaways gives us some chuckles thanks to Marri and Barru.

Oh, these two are so cute. They are both doing really well at the self-feeding and in the images below you can see that both are getting prey. Marri is flapping those wings and the baby down is flying all around the scrape. Marvellous.

Just look at those beautiful wings being revealed.

Barru is tired.

Just look at the difference in size between Galiath and #2.

Dad brought the fish at 06:48. Both had large crops, #2 achieved that goal first, I believe. They are both well and truly in the Reptilian Phase!

Look carefully at the nape of the neck and there is a hint of the copper feathering on Galiath. Their colouring is as dark as the ebony of their beaks with the pin feathers making them look like they are wearing a Donegal Tweed.

And the clown feet are here, too.

Babies are hungry.

Still waiting. No fish fairy either. Odd that there is not a regular time for the delivery of the daily supplement.

The fish fairy arrives. Mum eats and then feeds Galiath and #2. Dad arrives a little later with a fish but Mum has had the supplemental fish so Dad will leave with it returning with the fish tail which he will also remove as Mum and the chicks are full. All have eaten – Dad has to eat as well.

The experiment that is taking place is interesting. Will the number and amount of total weight of fish change as the chicks require more food? It reminds me of the kindness of Urmas and his team with the Black Storks in Estonia. They are endangered there, like the Ospreys are in South Australia. To attempt even a slight change of increasing the population, humans realised quickly that habitat destruction and weather patterns, lack of rain and food, meant that Urmas and his team had to provide food. Similarly, thankfully, Fran, Bazza, and Janet knew they had to help this nest.

She moves! #2 has a huge crop. Galiath is being fed. Mum and the two chicks will be full.

Galiath is full and turns away. #2 is still being fed. Mum does turn to see if Galiath wants some more fish then she takes some large bits for herself.

Oh, Galiath changed her mind! It could be the only fish they will have until tomorrow morning. Best ill up completely, crop drop and eat some more.

The report from Port Lincoln so far:

06:38	A brief, morning bonking starts. Mum’s blocking the view. Looks like chick #2 started it and Giliath retaliates. Chick #2 submits.Couple of minutes later, Giliath nibbles at Mum’s talons.
06:48	Dad in with a whole fish!	Dad (L,Whole)
06:48 1	Mum feeds. Giliath’s in front. Both chicks get full crops! Dad takes the fish. Mum eats scrapes on nest.
09:03	Giliath bonks chick #2 and chick #2 submits. Then Giliath bonks Mum! Mum doesn’t react.9:18 Giliath bonking chick #2 again. Giliath gets distracted when Mum comes back into the nest with nesting material.
10:37	Mum takes out some sea weed and brings it back in. Mum’s making trips bringing in some of nesting material.10:55 Giliath tries to do some nest work too. lolEven more nesting material! Chick #2 tries to help out with the nest work as well! lol
15:07	3 supplemental fish delivered! 2 red mullet!	Sup. Fish (M,Whole)
15:24	Dad in with a partial fish!	Dad (M,Part)
15:24	Dad takes the partial fish off after Mum shows no interest with the supplemental fish.
15:37	Dad back on the nest with his fish tail. Mum’s not interested and he takes it off to eat.

HeidiMc got the feeding on video! They love their Red Mullet.

The camera at the Sea Eagles nest points away towards the river and where we might see the adults flying about or even, in my most desired dreams, a juvenile. One eagle was in the nest over night (or were there two) and both were at the nest for a brief period in the morning.

I am more than worried about SE31 and 32 as there appears to have been no sighting of them in several days.

SK Hideaways caught their rendezvous. They must be searching for their children in the forest and around the river. Let us hope that they find one another.

M15 sure picked a beauty! Let us all cross our fingers and toes that their babies – their first clutch together – are safe from egg to fledge.

Work continues at the NE Florida nest of V3 and Gabby.

Fish gifts for Gabby?

There is snow at the nest of Little Bit ND17 and some concern that the new female is lost to us. Locals are keeping an eye.

It was a beautiful day for having a meal at Dulles-Greenway.

Pepe flies out of the nest taking much of that nice moss for his and Muhlady’s eggs on Wednesday. Oh, that makes me nervous. Seen too many osprey chicks and eaglets pulled off accidentally when nesting material gets caught in the talons of the adults.

There were 522 people watching the Big Bear nest of Jackie and Shadow hoping to get a glimpse of our couple. They were not disappointed.

Did Ron’s Rose at the WRDC nest fly into something that had white paint on it?

Dyson, not the squirrel, but the hooded crow, visited Loch Arkaig. So many visitors during the off-season for the Ospreys. It is lovely to see all the wildlife.

Cross your fingers and toes. Karl II’s chick of 2023 with its transmitter is in Turkish territory.

Falco continues to enjoy his freedom around New York City’s Central Park. Thanks Bruce Yolton for taking him down!

Remember we talked about Ospreys that are still in their spring and summer breeding grounds in the UK and Colorado. Here is one in Newfoundland, Canada today! Unbelievable. There is apparently an endless supply of Brown Trout going through the area at the moment. Maybe this is the smartest of the local ospreys!

Midway Island. This is from a year ago. There will be another count soon.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: Wilfred Laurier Press, SK Hideaways, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, Heid Mc, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Hazel sky, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, ND-LEEF, Dulles-Greenway, Superbeaks, FOBBV, Geemeff, Maria Marika, Bruce Yolton, John Alexander, and the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels FB.

Jackie and Shadow are back…Friday in Bird World

29 September 2023

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you for all your wonderful ‘get well’ notes.

Thursday was worse. I thought things would be better, but the day started much worse. I am doing what the doctor orders – drinking lots of water or tea and sleeping as much as possible. Thankfully, there is not much happening in Bird World. In Winnipeg, the Snow Geese are arriving! The Canada Geese are leaving. The Robins continue to fly through. Migration is going both ways.

The hardest thing about being sick is seeing Calico watching me from the glass door, wanting more stories! Oh, that kitten – she still is a kitten (hard to believe with what she has been through), and she loves to curl up on my lap and listen to a good book. You can tell which ones she likes. It must be the author’s words – she prefers one to another. We have now finished five books in the last month. Today marks a month and three days that Calico has lived in the house. On 2 October, Hope will have been with us for a month. She listens to the stories but prefers to play. It is lovely. Cannot imagine life without the four of them, 16 legs and how many bags of litter a month? And I’m not too fond of cat food. It is just too funny. Hope loves sardines. One good thing about having Covid is I cannot smell them.

It rained, and the wind was blowing leaves everywhere. The Blue Jays were in the garden along with Dyson and Little Red. Hope and Calico spend time atop their ‘tent’ enclosure. Hope enjoys looking at what is happening outside. Missey and Calico have a truce, and there is no more animosity at the glass door. Even Lewis has calmed down. As soon as I am up to it, they will all be inside the main part of the house together.

‘L’ asked me how I taught Hope to do the High 5s. I didn’t. She taught me!

Hope’s eyes remind me of Missey’s!

Hope is so healthy. Look at those fat little legs. Calico still lets her nurse. You might be able to tell, but dear Calico is putting on a little weight. She no longer looks starving and sunken in with her bones being the most significant thing you first see.

Lewis is a big boy. He doesn’t know it, but he will get a new toy – a reward – if he can be gentle when Calico enters the living area with Hope in a few days.

No more growling or hissing at the door between Calico, Missey, or Lewis. It is lovely.

Calico is a gentle soul. I cannot imagine anyone dumping this wonderful kitten in the cold of winter.

Hope, Calico, Missey and Lewis have decided that instead of making pumpkin pie with our little pumpkin, we will put peanut butter in holes and leave it out for the squirrels. Want to join us? You could do this with your children or you could do it after you have your Halloween pumpkin. Just load up a bunch of holes with peanut butter!

I have been so sick or busy that I missed it. Voting time for The Guardian’s favourite Australian Bird. The Peregrine Falcon is in 8th place so far. Check it out; pick your favourite. You can vote every day! You do not have to be Australia, but there are funds to help with conservation, so please go and vote.

Australian-bird-of-the-year-2023-vote-now-for-your-favourite-Environment-The-Guardian Download

This will just warm your hearts. SE31 and 32 join in the morning duet with Mum and Dad. Oh, I used to love to sit and watch SE26. 26 loved to sing the duet. It was so beautiful.

Watching these two and this beautiful family is so bitter sweet. I wish there was so solution to the Currawongs.

They are becoming very interested in what is happening outside the nest.

It doesn’t get much sicker than this. The migrating birds are not protected in places like Malta because of politics. So, vote with your wallet. Refuse to travel to countries where there are laws to protect migrating birds and those laws are flippantly disobeyed by the hunters. Malta. Lebanon. There are others but those are on the top of my list today.

I wept for my friends in Latvia. They work so hard to try and build the small numbers of birds in their country to something significant, and then to have that beautiful fledgling of this year blown out of the sky for no reason other than someone could aim a gun and pull a trigger for fun. It makes my blood boil.

The end of the season at the Royal Albatross Colony as only 4 are left to take off to the skies and the open sea. Cornell did a short you tube video on what you can expect for September-October.

The Snow Geese might be flying over Minnesota to get to Canada and further north but Dad is still at the Landscape Arboretum in Minnesota bringing fish to Lil’ Arb.

Look who was home today! Jackie and Shadow. What a delight to see these two working on their nest together. It is such a relief to see mated pairs return together to their nests uninjured.

Cali Condor has it in a video.

At the Pritchett Farm, M15 and the new female continue to bond and work on their nest. The season looks promising. Please send out positive energy so that these two can start their lives together in peace.

Things continue to ‘feel’ unsettled at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest. There have been visitors to the Northeast Bald Eagle nest. Unconfirmed. V3 did not visit the nest on Thursday. Gabby was briefly there. Unknown was on the nest later.

Gabby is not happy. Has your heart dropped down to your ankles yet? Will this be a repeat of 2022?

We all love the underdogs that survive, and Flaco is one of those. This Eurasian Owl escaped from its cage at the Central Park Zoo and is now enjoying a life of freedom. Bruce Yolton follows him for us daily as he finds food and survives in the wilds of New York City! Bruce has recently posted some good (and short) videos about Flake’s activities. I hope you are enjoying them.

New York City has hired specialists to help deal with its rat problem, especially since the pandemic. The worry has been the use of rodenticides. We must all remember that Raptors are the solution – the answer to problems with rats and mice. Falco loves this great big rat (it looks like that to me because of the tail).

Well, we are nearly there. It can take as long as 72 hours from a the sighting of the first pip (little chip in the egg) to the eyas being fully hatched. All eyes are on Orange!

At Port Lincoln, Mum gets off the eggs, very excited. Dad2 is flying in with the second fish of the morning – a headless offering which will give Mum a nice round crop. We get a good look at the eggs!

I am holding my breath. This nest has broken our hearts more than once. Will there be a change with the new lad? Will he be a sufficient provider for all the chicks to survive? We wait.

For those new to watching Ospreys develop, the Manitoba Osprey Project put together an informative and concise sheet on what to expect. It will help you as you watch these adorable little dinosaurs. You can click on any of the tabs for the Montana file below to find out other information.

Remember. The Port Lincoln Ospreys are Eastern Ospreys. The Montana Ospreys are Western. Eastern Ospreys do not migrate. Western Ospreys do (for the most part – exceptions are in the warmer climates of the southern US). Western Ospreys vary in their dates for fledging, but many studies indicate a date of 52.8 days after hatch (51-54 days). The average fledge date in Australia is 69 days (Kangaroo Island studies).

Timeline-Montana-Osprey-Project-University-Of-Montana Download

Mum looks pretty comfortable at 367 Collins Street. It is nearing noon on Thursday, and she does not seem heat-stressed. This is good. We should be able to enjoy the Orange hatchlings for a bit before focusing on the white fluff balls hatching on this ledge high over the CBD in Melbourne.

Last, let us check on the status of migration for Karl II and his family. This year’s fledgling, Kalvi, is in Bulgaria on the 28th.

Waba (2022 fledgling) is in Romania fishing at the Danube River.

Karl II is in Turkey!

Kaia is also in Turkey!

Thank you so much for being with me today. Please keep your eyes on the scrape of Diamond and Xavier at Orange! Pip watch is soon. Take care.

Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘Geemeff’, The Guardian, SK Hideaways and Sydney Sea Eagles, Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, Birdlife Malta, Cornell Bird Lab, MN Landscape Arboretum, Cali Condor and FOBBV, FOBBV, Saunders Real Life Photography, NEFL-AEF, Bruce Yolton, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, PLO, University of Montana, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, and the Looduskalender Forum.

Nest Takeovers, Little Bit ND 17’s Mum missing…Sunday in Bird World

19 February 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

Gosh, it was a gorgeous day on the Canadian Prairies…it was so nice that I spent the entire day in the conservatory with the kittens watching and counting birds and watching the cams. Gabby had me fooled into thinking she was going to lay an egg today!

Cornell has posted the results so far for the Great Bird Count: “Halftime for the 4-day Great Backyard Bird Count—and the results so far are impressive. More than 200,000 bird enthusiasts have reported 6,426 species on 125,101 checklists and 103,207 sightings saved in Merlin. Bird reports are coming in from 182 countries so far.” That is very impressive.

It is difficult not to take pictures of Missy all day. She loves to pose! Lewis can’t slow down. He would rather terrorise the toys or his tail.

As spring is only a little over a month away, the bright-white dots on the Starlings’s sides, flank, and belly are getting lighter and some are disappearing. These suet cylinders are just the best thing for us in the winter. No mess. No waste. Everyone likes them but the woodpeckers and Black-capped Chickadees.

Things continue to be unsettled in various parts of Bird World this morning and yet, the eagles and ospreys just go on with their lives. They can teach us a lot of good lessons if we listen! Sometimes it is just difficult to watch a day longer. Take a break. It will be good for you. Much of the time the birds bring us great joy. Their lives touch ours and we often feel like we know the bird families better than our neighbours or friends. And then something happens and it feels like it has happened to ‘our family’ — and it has. Our connection to these beautiful raptors is not insignificant. Think about it. Sometimes things do not go the way we want them to. But when it goes well, there is nothing more adrenalin pumping and happy…hysterical joy. So take a moment if you are stressed…and then come back and share the joy.

First up, we have some more sad news – another female Bald Eagle is MIA. Our dear Little Bit ND-17’s mother has been missing since the morning of 15 February. A female intruder has been landing on the nest. We wait to see if Mum returns.

Is it OK to say that things are really getting nasty out there with so many eagles – males and females – wanting nests and mates?

Dad tussling with female intruder who flew onto nest. At other times it appears he might tolerate her a little.

ND-17 was one of the great success stories of last year – at a time when most of us were frantic that he would die of starvation. Today, Paul Kolnik posted a memory of the day that Little Bit fell off this nest…we waited, we pleaded, we wrote letters…and then, really just in time to save him, the Humane Indiana Wildlife came to his rescue. He ate, he learned to fly and his wings got strong and he learned to hunt prey and then — he came home to the park to live in the wild. It was wonderful to have the BOGs sending in photos of his great progress and to watch him near the river.

This is another lesson for all of us. If you can pick up a raptor, something is wrong. Get help immediately. This precious little one that ate squirrel pellets to survive deserved nothing less – and he lived! Always grateful to the wildlife clinic that gave him a chance at life. Always.

Mum and Dad worked so hard to rebuild their nest in St Joseph’s Park in South Bend, Indiana after it completely collapsed last year causing – ultimately – ND 17 (Little Bit) to eventually go into care. It is hard to see these adults come come back and rebuild and work for their future – just like Harriet and M15 – and have things thrown apart by possible intruders.

Intruders are everywhere. Even Annie at Cal Falcons had to engage with a Red-tailed Hawk!

Everyone waited and watched as Mabel and Angus readied their Osprey nest and we just knew that we were going to have eggs for Valentine’s. Again everything turns on a dime. Mabel is gone. Did she tire of battling the female intruder? or was she so injured she had to leave? or was it worse? It is absolutely not clear what happened to Mabel. And it is definitely not certain that there will be any eggs on this brand new nest platform this year unless Angus leaves and a bonded pair come to the nest right ready for their eggs to be laid.

There was an intruder attack on the NCTC nest of Bella and Smitty. Bella laid her first egg on the 15th and her second on Saturday at 18:55–the attack was only 47 minutes earlier. Please keep this couple and all the raptor families under attack in your most positive thoughts.

Connick is really growing up and this is a great video of him winging it. You can see those new juvenile feathers coming in with their quills, Connick’s big strong legs and her amazing tail.

Gosh, the meals might be very different with the TBD male at the Cal Falcons scrape. He brought a Greater Yellowlegs, a shore bird, to his gal on the 17th. He’s learning!!!!!!!

Thank you to ‘B’ who sent a really nice article about Mr P and Lotus at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. The couple have moved their nest and are, this year, among several very popular Bald Eagles who have decided for new housing. At the West End we have Thunder and Akecheta and at Fraser Point, Andor and Cruz, too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/02/17/bald-eagles-national-arboretum-dc/

There is great news coming out of New York City. Flaco will be allowed to live free and not pursued or returned to the Zoo. He is living the good life and has proven that he can take care of himself.

Now – for all the raptors that live around Central Park – if the City and residents plus all those businesses – would not allow rodenticide, Flaco and his pals could clean up the place without their lives being in danger.

I wanted you to see where Flaco was…the arrow for the video only works if you go to the person’s twitter feed unfortunately.

It opens with our friend Indigo screaming into the scrape…Elain’s highlights from the Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam in Orange, Australia. Indigo is a darling and he looks so much like Izzi…so happy all members of the family have returned to the scrape and are safe and sound.

Not a day can go by without checking in with M15 and the eaglets, E21 and 22. On Saturday morning at 0735, M15 comes in with a fish..many thought that it was a small fish. In fact, M15 took advantage and gave the eaglets some teaching moments. He left the head for one and a portion of flesh and the tail for the other. They worked on those for a bit. 21, of course, ate first and 22 had to resort to his amazing snatch and grabs. 22 also got the tail – smart – out of the pile and dismissed with it nicely. 22 is doing well…he really is. Still a bit timid but on Saturday he ate well as he had done on Friday with that rabbit and innards.

While 21 battles with that Armoured catfish head, 22 got the juicy and meaty tail!

At 1400, M15 comes in with another fish. This time 21 appears to get it all with 22 searching the nest for scraps which he finds! 21 was still eating at 15:11. It was a nice fish. Too bad 22 didn’t turn around…but, hey. They have eaten well in the past few days. There are no worries.

This amazing Dad did not disappoint. He flew into the nest an Armoured Catfish around 15:52ish. 22 got the lot of it and, of course, the event was not without some anxiety as the female with the black talon flew onto the rim of the nest. She did not bother the eaglets. Instead she watched M15 feed 22. Then she flew off.

M15 gave her a piece of his mind and she will fly away…he did his job. He fed the eaglets!

At 1600 the female is watching Dad.

Seconds later she flies away leaving 22 and the eaglets. 22 would like more but, he will in fact, wind up with a crop. 21 was full from the earlier feeding. you can see s/he still has a crop in the image below. Timing is perfect for 22.

At 16:38 M15 is back with a nice chunk of ‘fish’? and 22 gets right over there at Dad’s beak. 21 does not care. He is asleep on the rails. 22 gets some super nice bites of fish…well done 22. You don’t have to snatch and grab. It was a much more civilised meal for you. It lasted 10 minutes.

One of the females landed on the nest tree with prey. She flew off with the prey. Was she thinking of feeding the Es? or just needed a plucking post? The Es continue to wait for breakfast on Sunday morning…

There is something ‘up’ at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and V3. Gabby was on the nest again today…They are a beautiful couple and the area is so much more secure and stable since V3 took control.

V3 and Gabby have been scanning the horizon for intruders and at 1800, Gabby is back in the nest.

Nancy and Beau have their second egg – arriving right on time – at the MN-DNR nest. Congratulations!

Liberty and Guardian seem to be back to their old selves after their first egg collapsed.

https://www.youtube.com/live/0EmSL0K_XGA?feature=share

Congratulations to Valentine who – for the first time in their life – mantled and claimed their own fix from Dad Alex at the KNF-E3 nest. Thanks Rhonda for the video! Oh, this is just brilliant. A beautiful execution by Valentine.

Missy and Pa have a little while to go until B16 is mantling a fish and taking it but…in all honesty, it won’t be long. B16 is 29 days old today. This is one big eaglet just like KNF-E1 03 (Trey).

At the National Arboretum, Mr P is decidedly hanging out at the old nest after it seems Lotus insisted on having a new one deep into the forest.

There are Peregrine Falcons almost everywhere and Tom and Azina at the Charing Cross Hospital scrape box are getting to know what it is that Azina prefers for her gift meal.

Every morning when we wake up, we need to thank the wildlife rehabilitation centres, their staff, and the army of volunteers they have who save our birds when they get themselves in trouble.

The dumping of shot game birds in the UK has now found its way to Wales. Go to Raptor Persecution UK for the whole nauseating story…

Question I keep getting asked: Do I think Jackie and Shadow’s eggs are viable? I would hate to speculate. Eggs have been left for long periods of time and miraculously hatched. It depends on the circumstances and we don’t know what all of those are. I continue to remind myself that the first egg might not hatch but the second could. If that is the case then I will not give up until the 25th which is 6 days away. That would be the last day for egg 2 to be viable. If they do not hatch, I hope the Ravens take them so Jackie can lay new eggs in the nest without the issue of having the other two there as well.

It is possible that the UK Ospreys are beginning to pack their bags in Africa and start their journey to their spring and summer breeding grounds…I am so excited.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, videos, announcements, and streaming cams that make up my blog today: ‘B’, ‘H’, ND-LEEF, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles 101, Cal Falcons, D Steyck and the NCTC Eagles, Window to Wildlife, The Washington Post, MSN, Stella Hamilton, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, Paul Kolnik and Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, MN-DNR, FORE, Rhonda A and KNF E-3, Berry College, Mr P and Lotus Twitter, FaB Peregrines, Terry Carman and Bald Eagles Live Nest News and Cams, Raptor Persecution UK.

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Early Sunday in Bird World

23 October 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

As is my usual routine, I am starting my blog for Sunday morning late on Saturday evening. That flu shot has had me a bit under the weather and I have not ventured out to check on the local duck populations. I hope to do that tomorrow with some new images for you. The number of birds in the garden is certainly dwindling. Instead of 40 or more Dark-eyed Juncos there are only a handful and the number of sparrows is about half. The squirrels continue to hoarde the peanuts at the dismay of both the Blue Jays and a single crow. All four of them are in the neighbourhood but, one family has taken to feeding them bread. Crows love bread – it is sweet and salty. It is junk food. And the ones that come to my garden would much rather have bread than healthy nuts, fruit, and protein. Drives me crazy! Angel Wing is why – when we went for a walk around the local duck pond on Thanksgiving, we found two Mallards with Angel Wing. They have since been taken to the wildlife rehab clinic. It is unclear if they will survive. People believe they are helping because the ducks come running for the bread. Sadly, not.

Have you ever heard of Angel Wing? It is a condition in waterfowl caused by a nutritional deficiency. The wings droop or are crooked. The birds cannot fly. It is normally caused by humans feeding bread to the ducks and geese! It can kill them. Feed only high nutrition feed such as wild bird seed OR do not feed them at all.

Making News:

The United Kingdom has been hit particularly hard by Avian Flu. Indeed, scientists now believe that this deadly disease for wild birds and commercial poultry farms will remain in the country year round. The plan is to require anyone who has poultry to move them inside — no more free range eggs or chickens. That is very sad and, well, it is known by Virologists such as Thijs Kuiken -who examines the spread of Avian Flu – that factor farms are the likely cause. I wonder if what is being done in the UK will spread to other European countries?

The finalists in the funniest wildlife shots of the year:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-22/the-comedy-wildlife-photography-awards/101561274?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf261214873&utm_campaign=fb_abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com&sf261214873=1&fbclid=IwAR0bcAsC0HbXMV91qCc53s10V3vBKArRFvJVJmTcFU2VBNhWOKRH8SiSdyc

Do you like Chimney Swifts? Have you ever gone birding in Central Park? Are you wondering what the 33 year old Pale Male, the resident Red-tail Hawk of 927 Fifth Avenue is doing? (Yes, he really is 33. He hatched in 1990 and has his own Wikipedia page!). I urge you to check out the blog of Bruce Yolton. Yolton is an excellent wildlife photographer and knows Central Park and its surrounding area as if it were his own hand. He has recently changed his blog template and it is easy to search using the box on the right. There are recent YouTube videos of the swifts as well as one of Pale Male from the 1st of September. Yes, he is still alive. Just do a search using Pale Male on Yolton’s site to see the latest video.

Urbanhawks.com

‘H’ wrote and said she had just watched the film about Pale Male. With all that has gone on at PLO, it is sometimes easy to forget what brings one happiness. So, if you haven’t seen it or if you are like me and you need to watch something that clearly demonstrates just how people can influence a hawk’s life, check it out. It’s free and it is very heart warming and uplifting.

thelegendofpalemale.net

LGK (Lime-Green-Black) is one of the favourite male Albatrosses and is the father of Taiki, last year’s Royal Cam chick. LGK has returned to Taiaroa Head! Here is the announcement by Sharon Dunne:

Damon and Gabby continue to work on restorations on their nest. Just look at the huge stick Samson brought in!

Harriet and M15 continue to work on their nest and rebounding.

Nest News:

The eyases at 367 Collins Street are simply having a fabulous time wandering up and down the gutter. It seems to cause some confusion in the adults still but everyone is coping well. Mum loves her perch and as ‘A’ notes, the pair of them don’t seem to fully understand their duties so both are hunting and bringing prey. I love it – cooperative parenting. In fact, Osprey Mums often start hunting when the ospreys turn 30 days. It really helps during then and fledge when more prey is required.

The Melbourne Four were fed 5 times yesterday. In fact, five seems to be the average feeding per day. I have not sat down to compare delivery times. Once I tracked a hawk family that delivered prey 7 times a day at almost the exact same times. It was like they had a food supply delivery! The four ate at 0628 for 20 minutes, then again at 1108 for 7 minutes (a snack), at 1209 for 22 minutes, at 1540 for 17 minutes and their last meal at 1915 for 16 minutes. Mum continues to perch above the scrape box.

This adorable video of Diamond feeding little Rubus and Indigo popped up on my screen. It is now 6 days old but, it just shows hot cute these two eyases are and how much they have changed. Indigo was a cotton ball then. Poor Little Rubus. I wondered if he would ever get any feathers. Rubus is quite the character, full of vinegar and mischief with as loud a voice as his brother, Izzy. ‘A’ says he is as loud as Yurruga, too!!! It is hard to imagine how much they have grown in 5 days. Just look. They are all white down with no pin feathers.

Meals are coming in on a regular basis for Indigo and Rubus. The pair of them are a delight. Like any younger sibling, Rubus wants to do everything that Indigo does. He has now migrated over to Cilla’s stones to stay with Indigo! And he is enjoying the camera.

The weather appears to not be so good at Port Lincoln. It is now 1439 and I have not seen a fish arrive on the nest since the large breakfast fish. It is entirely possible that Dad has not been able to catch anything. There is an image of Mum eating a fish by herself at 2016 (the clock on the camera is incorrect). She is the one that I worry about. She needs to eat – a bite for Big, one for Middle, and then one for Mum. That would be good! She does not require as much prey as Dad as he is actively fishing but, she has been out fishing and will probably continue to do so to supplement the takings.

If you have been watching the Port Lincoln nest and noted more deliveries to the ospreys on Sunday in Australia (when they wake up it will be Monday), please do let me know.

The cam operator did some really good close ups of the ospreys yesterday. You can see how their feathers are developing and once again, we get a look at those gorgeous amber eyes.

Migration:

We have been following the Black Stork family of Karl II from Estonia to their winter homes in the central part of Africa. There has been no recent transmission from the female, Kaia. Her last transmission was from Chad on the 16th of October. There has been no news from Karl II. His last transmission was from Egypt on the 18th of October. It is likely that both of the adults form the Karla National Forest nest are out of range for transmissions. The two fledglings with satellite transmitters are Bonus and Waba. Waba flew 161 km and is now in Turkey near Antalya along the coast.

Bonus flew 106 km and is near the village of Gravita in Romania.

Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Wish for fish at Port Lincoln. All is well at the other nests. The Bald Eagles are busy building and there is word that an artificial nest might go up for Connie and Clive at Captiva as the trees are mostly destroyed – the ones good for Eagles. Take care everyone – see you soon! Please note that my check on breakfast feedings in Australia will be coming out late. Just wanted to let you know.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk videos, SWFlorida and D Pritchett, AEF-NEFL, Looduskalender, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, BBC, Royal Albatross FB Group, and Charles Stuart Falcon Cam.

It’s Nearly Mother’s Day and I tip my hat to Big Red, a 17-year-old Red Tail Hawk for “Mother of the Year 2020”

If my mother were alive, I hope that she would understand why I am so adamant that a Raptor Formel should be nominated for Mother of the Year 2020. It was, after all, my mother who carried the duck my father had given me to my grandmother’s every day on her way to work. There the duck lived in a specially designed ‘cage’ or stayed in the hen house. On occasion, the duck would join my grandmother and me for a swing on the porch. I know that my grandmother would approve as she had a fondness for all living creatures, as did my dad.

2020 is a very unusual year. Since the end of 2019, the international community has been paralysed by COVID-19 that has killed nearly three million people as I type this. Many are without jobs or health insurance. Entire countries and cities have been under various levels and length of lockdown. The funeral homes cannot handle the number of dead. Hospitals have run out of protective gear for healthcare employees. And there remains uncertainty from world leaders on how to continue to manage this virus. Is it safe for people to be outside amongst one another? or should we be locked down longer? When will a vaccine be available? When will people be able to travel? When will schools open? Will people have jobs? Will there be enough food? The level of anxiety, coupled with the number of people working from home, has caused people to seek solace in cooking, reading, and learning. Many have turned to nature with the number of individuals watching bird cams sometimes more than five times the norm. I am one of those people. I have a fondness for hawks ever since I first stood about a half metre away from a female Sharp-shinned hawk in our garden three years ago. That moment had a transformative impact on my fondness for these regal birds of prey.

In early March I began following the exploits of a pair of Redtail hawks with their nest on the ledge outside the office of the President of New York University. They were Aurora and her new mate, Orion. Having laid three eggs, the pair took turns incubating them so the other could eat. On the morning of March 26, Aurora did not return. She did not return that evening nor the next day. Everyone was in tears and devastated beyond belief. That pair of hawks symbolised hope for the people watching who were living in the hardest-hit area of the United States at the time. The virus was so harmful and so many people were dying that the parks were being turned into field hospitals and temporary burial grounds. One of the members suggested that we switch our attention to the Bird Cams run by Cornell University. And that is how I met “Big Red.”

Big Red is specifically a Buteo jamaicensis. Technically this is the order Accipitriformes, and the family is the Accipitridae. Leaving the fancy language aside, Big Red belongs to one of the most common hawk families in North America. There are approximately two million. The birds, along with their nests, eggs, and feathers are protected by treaties on migratory birds throughout the Americas.

Big Red was born in 2003 and was banded in Brooktondale, New York that fall. When you look at pictures of her, you will notice that she has a large dark red head, nape, and throat and the most magnificent red tail feathers. She currently resides on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with her mate, Arthur. Redtail hawks mate for life. Arthur was born and fledged in 2016, making him a whole thirteen years younger than Big Red! Arthur and Big Red completed their first breeding season in 2018; this is their third year for successfully raising chicks. Arthur has a real pale head, chest and nape, not unlike the notorious Pale Male from Central Park in New York City. For the last two months, this pair of hawks taught me so much and inspired so many others at a time when the world needed something beautiful.

Big Red is the epitome of dogged persistence and dedication to the task of taking care of her nest, incubating her eggs, brooding and feeding her chicks, and being a model for them for their successful life as raptors. Since the first records at Cornell in 2012, Big Red has successfully raised twenty-one chicks! There could be almost that many more uncounted – before the cameras – from 2006 (?) through 2011.

Big Red and Arthur are often seen in the late fall inspecting their nest which is eighty feet above the ground on a lighting tower on the campus of Cornell University. Hawk nests can get very quiet high and wide as the couple continue to refurbish and redecorate annually. Typically, hawks have one nest, but Big Red and Ezra actually have two. For the last couple of years, they have favoured their current nest.

Sticks and twigs ranging in size between eight inches and fourteen inches are carried from the ground to the site in anticipation of eggs being laid. Redtail hawks lay between one to four eggs depending on the local food supply. Typically, Big Red has a clutch of three eggs. Redtail hawks usually incubate their eggs from 28-35 days although in 2012 Big Red sat on her eggs for 35-38 days with the longest being 42 days in 2013.

Observing the weather in Ithaca, New York made me quite happy, actually, to be living in Winnipeg. There were quite a few days where it was frosty with snow, but on April 17, Big Red found herself encased in ice and snow as she incubated her eggs, ensuring the survival of her chicks.

Big Red encased in snow and ice on April 17th sitting on her clutch of three eggs.

Below are the three eggs in the clutch. Big Red laid egg number 3 at 1: 23 pm on March 24. She immediately “told Arthur” and began incubating the clutch. Both Big Red and Arthur take turns sitting on the eggs until they hatch.

There are several things to notice in this image. The first is the nest bowl which is lined with soft materials. Big Red and Arthur will continually maintain the nest bowl, making sure that it is big enough to hold the checks and that they cannot harm their tiny legs and talons. Second, notice the pine. The hawks bring these into the nest in preparation for the hatching of the chicks. They help keep flies and their larvae away and protect the chicks from disease caused by flies. And third, the bottom left egg has a pip, and the chick is beginning to use its body to crack the shell. Pipping is when the chick first breaks through the shell with its “egg tooth”. Sometimes it takes the chick up to twenty-four hours to completely break out of its shell.

It takes a lot of energy to hatch, and the newborn chicks are often tired for the first day of their lives. Before long, however, their feathers will have dried off, and they will be covered with white fluff.

At first, the chick’s eyes do not focus well, and they do not quite understand what “food” really is and who is feeding them. There is an awful lot of pecking and bonking that goes on with the siblings. This settles down after about four or five days.

The chicks are not given names. They are assigned letters of the alphabet. In 2012, when Cornell University first installed its hawk cameras, the chicks were given the letter C after Cornell. In 2013, the chicks were given D and so on until 2020 when the chicks have been given the letter J.

In the image below, the first hatched chick, J1, is trying to take a bite out of J2’s head!

It is up to Arthur to bring food for Big Red and the chicks. Arthur’s territory is abundant. Until the chicks fledge, he will bring chipmunks, squirrels, pigeons, Starlings, snakes, voles, and rabbits to the pantry. There is never a shortage and viewers have been surprised – shocked even – at the plentiful supply of animals and at the talents of both Arthur and Big Red at hunting. She has, in fact, brought some meals back with her when she has gone off the nest for a bit.

These chicks have a lot of food security, thanks to the excellent hunting skills of Arthur and Big Red. The rails to keep them in the natal nest are made out of their dinner. Pine is scattered about to keep away the flies, and sometimes you could see the chicks sleeping with their head on a furry pelt.

Big Red fed and kept her chicks warm during a period of dangerous wind and heavy rain on May 1. I don’t think anyone slept that night and there was certainly a lot of emotion, even tears.

And she has patiently made sure that each and every chick, from the first to hatch J1 to the tiny J3, is fed.

Here the three of them are lined up for an afternoon meal. Little J3 is front and right with J2 front left. J1 is behind both. The trio managed to eat an entire chipmunk! That was just one meal. Big Red is feeding them a lot. She still spends the night brooding, keeping those chicks toasty warm. Soon they will sleep on their own at night. Eventually, they will jump and flap their wings, preparing to fledge. By then they will also be eating on their own, and Big Red and Arthur will courier food to the nest throughout the day.

By the middle of June, all of the 2020 chicks will have fledged. They will spend the summer learning how to hunt, and by fall they will be gone to find their own territory. At the age of two, they will get their distinctive red tail feathers, and by three, they will have families of their own.

In the meantime, Big Red and Arthur will enjoy being empty nesters, and by late fall they will again repair their nest on the Cornell campus in preparation for 2021!

All of us who have gotten to know this hawk family and to learn a little about raptor behaviour have been inspired by the sheer dedication Big Red has maintained during the most horrid of weather. We have watched J1 grow to be four times the size of “Little J3”. We have worried that the little one might be left out. This was decidedly not the case! J3 is right up there, and Big Red makes sure each is fed well, that they are safe and warm. She is currently teaching them to preen their feathers and by observation, J1 today began flapping its wings.

Tag Archives: Central Park

Thursday in Bird World

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Jackie and Shadow are back…Friday in Bird World

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Nest Takeovers, Little Bit ND 17’s Mum missing…Sunday in Bird World

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Early Sunday in Bird World

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It’s Nearly Mother’s Day and I tip my hat to Big Red, a 17-year-old Red Tail Hawk for “Mother of the Year 2020”

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