First, some good news, the eldest fledged at the Dade County Bald Eagle nest of Ron and Rose today.
Ospreys are arriving! Word has come from Viki that one osprey has landed in Indian Creek; they do not normally arrive until after St Patrick’s Day. The couple are at the Danville nest, and Heidi sends word that ospreys are arriving in Colonial Beach.
The IWS nest challenge is underway. Many of us have received merchandise and I am happy to say that at least two of us have been asked to name an eaglet.
Funds continue to come in to purchase the land known as Moon Camp near Jackie and Shadow’s nest to keep it out of the hands of developers. In a blink of an eye, or so it seems, nearly $750,000 of the 10 million needed has been raised. Congratulations to everyone.
I remain saddened by the death of F23 and the continuing controversy over the COD. In the end, it doesn’t matter if someone shot her because it is illegal. If she died because of a road accident and somehow managed to get herself into a garden known to her, then that is a different story. It is possible for eagles to have an injury and fly and later die as we have seen many who fall, hit their head, and die of a concussion later. I do not have enough information to comment other than it is simply a sad day for M15, E26 and all who loved this young mother.
I have lots of news to share but I am simply worn out. We will be celebrating Toby’s first birthday hopefully this week – it is tomorrow. Thankfully he can’t read a calendar. I found a photo of him just after he had arrived and managed to climb the cat tree for the first time.
His birthday wish is a box of Kleenex all to himself with no interference. I don’t think so.
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. I hope to be back at the weekend or Monday.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams and those who post information on FB. My blog would not be the same without your generous sharing.
Gabby and the babies are on the big screen this morning. Gosh, they are big! It is windy and looks like rain coming to their nest.
Late note: Colonial Beach osprey cam is now live. We have lost a condor. Ventana Wildlife reports: “We recently found condor Vincent (892) deceased in Big Sur. He was just starting to come into his own as a breeding adult condor, and we are heartbroken to lose him so early in his life and when it was looking like he and condor Kodama (646) were about to nest.”
Thank you for all your lovely notes and supportive comments. We have had a good weekend. The weather has not always cooperated, especially on Sunday when we had pounding sleet during our walk with Toby (yes, we do get out no matter the weather). Today it is warm and the lads are in for a long walk – at least 3.6 km. We need it! And I cannot tell you how uplifting it is to go outside, even if it is for five minutes!
We hope that you had a lovely weekend. Did you watch that little sweetheart at the Winter Park, Florida Bald Eagle nest? And did you remember to put in a name for C14 at the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive?
The Winter Park eaglet is so cute!
The Winter Park female spent most of Sunday protecting her eaglet and 35-day-old egg from an intruder that was rather persistent.
It has been a gorgeous weekend. On Sunday, it will be 0 °C. We woke up to a fresh blanket of snow Saturday morning, and temperatures of -7 C. Toby was more than eager to get outside and go for a walk, and he was really excited when Miyoung arrived for haircut day. She is heading home to Korea for the New Year’s celebrations and to spend a month with her family. We are so very happy for her. It has been a true blessing to be able to count on her to come to our house, cut and style our hair in the conservatory, with Toby and the Girls looking on in awe. There should be more mobile units of all sorts – including dog grooming – for our ageing population. I have managed to figure out grocery delivery. Some people told me that they ordered too much because of the delivery charges – don’t do that. We want to cut down all waste, right? Just order what you need. The charges are a % of that, and you might be able to get free delivery by signing up for a service. Obviously, these conveniences are different wherever one lives! We have lucked out with the groceries, the snow removal, haircuts, and Ann. My next task is to try and organise friends and family to commit to coming one weekend afternoon a month. Those little breaks and Don’s ability to socialise with many different people make a huge difference. Keep that in mind if you or someone you know is in a similar situation.
Toby really enjoys his ‘Bully Sticks’ from Iceland. They help clean his teeth and are good at helping with the anxiety he is having. At the moment, he is wearing a sweater. The four days in the vet hospital matted his beautiful, long fur on his tummy. Poor Guy. He will go for a shave on the 17th.
Hugo Yugo got caught in Toby’s new car seat! You might recall that Hugo Yugo and Calico were quite interested in Toby’s stroller when he was a tiny pup. Well this very soft velvet carseat has caused a lot of commotion – no interest from Toby, however.
Missey has discovered a new spot to hide. I created a pile of wicker baskets – Toby chews on their handles – behind one of the sofas. Missey has taken it over. Toby can’t get back there and there is a nice window.
Baby Hope always sleeps on Don’s bed during the daytime. No one bothers her there and she does enjoy getting away from Calico once in awhile.
I might have missed it but I saw E26 getting fed ‘something’ dug up in the nest. I did not see a prey delivery on Saturday happen prior to 1600- but, please correct me. I want to be wrong. I know that road kill had been delivered and this looks like left over bones from it.
It was hot in Fort Myers.
M15 is OK. Flew in but nothing in his talons. Eaglets can go without food. E26 does not look like it is ‘starving’ – do not get me wrong but in the heat they depend on hydration from the prey. Fingers crossed for a nice whopping meal before bedtime.
Fish was on the menu for C14 at the Captiva nest of Connie and Clive! Oh, how I love it when those eaglets get to eat fish.
It is so good seeing those two healthy eaglets at the Dade County Bald Eagle nest of Ron and Rose. There is also news that R5 has been photographed at a golf course at Palm Beach, Florida. —–Imagine if they had not received their bands we would never know. So happy about the survival of these eaglets!
These two are so big.
I had the loveliest note from ‘N’ and I wanted to share the Eagle Country news with all of you that they sent me: “Wanted to update you on the latest journey we are blessed with at Eagle Country. We have a pair of Great Horned Owls (Willow & Gus-EC announced names yesterday). We miss the eagles being at the nest of course but am embracing this opportunity to learn about more about GHOW with the incredible cams there. Skye has been seen on the river cams (we see eagles daily there) and was last seen Dec 16th maybe the 31st at the nest. She has failed to bond this season with one of many suitors that have been about. Blaze has not been seen in months this season
Love what Eagle Country has said “It’s been a beautiful reminder of why this place we call home is named Eagle Country. Country means the whole wild story, not just one chapter. Nature is wild. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
NE32 & NE33 Crawl to the Pantry + Gabby & Beau’s Seamless Changeovers (2026 Jan 6) NE32 is 6 days old; NE33 is 5 days old. They’re seeing more and moving more, including galumphing over to the pantry for snacks. Gabby and Beau are providing ample nourishment for these adorable, growing eaglets. Video: https://youtu.be/13nHkRpPt2Y
FOBBVCAM Eagles: Jackie & Shadow Fluffed Up Nest Ready for Pancakes & Chick-Proof Rails (2026 Jan 5) Jackie and Shadow have added fluff to the egg cup and built-up the rails around their nest. With Jackie’s fertile time occurring from January to April, we wait with giddy anticipation and hope for another successful breeding season. (5 Jan 2026) Video: https://youtu.be/E6xPBIEXv9k Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear Valley Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz
Two Harbors Eagles: Nest of Cholyn & Chase Cholyn Brings Lunch ~ Ravens Want It ~ Chase Shoos Peregrine Away (2026 Jan 8)After a brief morning chat at the nest, Cholyn and Chase departed to a secret hideaway. Cholyn later returned with a tasty fish, but had to defend it against a raven before consuming it in peace. Chase arrived as sunset approached to defend the nest again ~ this time a swooping peregrine falcon was the culprit. Both Cholyn and Chase made quick work of their respective unwanted intruders to get on with the next eagle task at talon. (2026 Jan 8) Video: https://youtu.be/2bUHUX55g-0 Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies, explore.org, Two Harbors Eagles Cam Ops Eagle Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5T2eHM8tcI Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yx7RKxpyzQ
Masked Eagle Takes to Nest ~ Visitor Perches On Hillside (2026 Jan 9) There was an eagle on the nest for the first time since 1 January. There is some discrepancy about whether it is Haku. I personally don’t think it is. What do you think? There was another eagle perched on the hillside as well. There have been no confirmed sightings of Haku since 1 January and none of Akecheta since 30 December.) Video: https://youtu.be/T3i1xbltjPU
Speaking of hanging around, how blessed are we that Girri continues to chase her parents, Diamond and Gimbir, for food, and that she’s such a strong flyer? Seeing reports on Girri just makes my heart beat bigger and warmer. Good weather and a big strong fledgling – what a difference.
The theft of the peregrine falcons in the UK:
“In the 90s, the UK trade in peregrine falcons was domestic, but it is now almost exclusively geared towards serving the market in the Gulf states. The UK exports more live raptors than any other country, and the UAE is the largest importer. “Over the past 10 years there has been significant growth in the falcon breeding industry,” said DC Steven Irvine, who has been investigating this trade.
Trading captive falcons is entirely legal, but what is not legal is the trafficking of wild birds into the captive trade. It is not known how many of those exported birds are wild caught, but police have identified at least some that are.” Read more…
It is now less than 60 days til we expect the first osprey to land in the UK. Who will it be? Seren Blue 5F at Clywedog? Blue 33 or Maya at Rutland? Blue 28 at Rutland?
Of you can’t wait that long, Moorings Park thinks they might have an egg this week – Harry and Sally are home.
‘A’ sends us a long commentary from Melbourne – thank you! “I was a huge fan of Beau when he was V3, as you might recall, and was thrilled when Gabby warmed to him (in her own time) and decided he was worth training. Beau was young and totally inexperienced at being a mate (and of course Gabby is one very demanding female). But he got there and look at who he is now. The most devoted of mates and a perfect dad. I adore watching the tandem feedings (where Beau usually feeds NE33 while Gabby feeds NE32, I have noticed, although occasionally it is the other way around), especially when he is feeding bites to Gabby that she in turn feeds to NE32, or vice versa.
What I do notice is that when Beau is doing a feeding on his own, he always makes sure that the food is shared between the pair, with a bite for NE32 and then a bite for NE33. These nestlings do have impeccable table manners, which helps a lot, but then I suspect the angelic behaviour at meal times is probably the result of knowing that they will each be given enough to eat so there’s no need for bonking. It just slows down their eating!!
I am so glad that Gabby found such a wonderful mate after losing Samson. She deserved Beau, and as I keep saying, I loved that he was patient with her and not pushy, allowing her to move on at her own pace. I think they did have a special bond. Something made Gabby chose V3 rather than V9 or V13 or even V14.
Suffice it to say that Gabby (and her nest) represented prime eagle real estate and there was much competition for both. It is interesting that a very young, inexperienced male should be the ultimate victor – it surely has to represent a choice on her part because otherwise, it would be most unlikely that V3 should successfully see off so many older, more worldly competitors to ultimately win her talon, so to speak. A true bald eagle love story.
And now look at the results. Super parents in a relaxed, happy, mutually supportive partnership. What a truly adorable family they are.
Meanwhile, the pair at WRDC are also adorable, I agree with you about siblings. I think they are a major plus on a nest, and was really amused to re-read the story of Bodie and Juvie at this nest. I truly believe that was a huge plus for Bodie, and it was so typical of this particular family that they adopted Juvie as their own. I wonder what the motivation was for that on the part of Gabby and Beau. Did they understand the bonuses in the situation for Bodie? Or were they simply reacting instinctively to a young bird begging for food, in pretty much the same way as the parents of Junior did when they brought in Malala, the red-tailed hawklet, to feed to their own chick as lunch but then adopted?
But I’m rambling. It’s a lovely sunny 18C day today with a cool breeze and a blue sky. There are still fires in parts of the state but some rain overnight and the halving of temperatures have helped the situation immensely. Everyone In the family is safe.
At Tataroa Head, the Royal Cam egg (laid on 6 November) is 66 days old today. The egg has been candled and we know that it contains a living creature that we presume to be a miniature northern royal albatross. That means we are less than a fortnight from pip watch. TOO exciting. I’m wondering whether the incubating parent is aware of the impending hatch – I’m presuming they can hear that a hatch is underway – and be reluctant to leave the nest during the hatch. Or whether the foraging parent has some way of knowing that a hatch is due and so hurries home for the hatch.
Of course it is possible that they are remarkably unconcerned about the whole process, given the fact that the rangers remove the egg as soon as a pip is detected and take it to hatch in a supervised incubator, leaving the proud parent carefully incubating a dummy egg that suddenly ceases to emit any sound whatsoever. I do have to wonder whether that distresses them in any manner (it doesn’t appear to do so and fortunately, but somewhat strangely to me, there is no information to indicate any of the bamboozled incubating parents abandoning the suddenly silent egg. Maybe they just accept the happy ending and/or have learned to trust the intervention of the rangers, whatever form it takes.
But to return to my point, the Royal Cam egg is due to hatch in 13 days (which is 24 January by my estimate). The egg takes many days to hatch, so I’m not sure what stage the 79 days takes us to. The pip? The hatch itself? I will have to look it up, but based on my memory of previous years, I think it means we should have a small damp fluffy person on 24 January. I will look it up to be sure but the timing of a hatch on day 79 is perfect – it’s two days before Australia Day.
I’m so excited. I do adore the early weeks of a baby albatross, and this nest is such an easy watch because of its isolated setting and the rangers’ dedication. Intervention? These birds get squid smoothies when they need nutrition, electrolytes when they need hydration, sprinklers when it’s too hot, supervised hatching of the eggs in incubators, and regular general health monitoring throughout, and of course all nests have one chick only and the albatross is the most gentle of birds, so a bit of posturing and bill clacking is about as aggressive a watch as it gets. The birds are just exquisitely serene, as you would be if you planned to spend more than half a century drifting around the world on air currents. Their entire life is a meditation.”
Thank you so much for being with us today. We will see you next Monday.
Thank you to those who post news on the various FB groups – what would we do without them?! And to the owners of the streaming cams who allow us to look into the lives of the Raptors, as well as news agencies and blogs that report on the atrocities that happen to our beloved feathered friends, such as The Guardian and Raptor Persecution UK.I am grateful to ‘A’ for her long commentary, to ‘N’ for writing in about Eagle Country, and to SK Hideaways and their amazing videos. Thank you all!
As promised, I am including a review of the latest children’s book on ospreys by Connie Dennis from Nova Scotia, Canada. Calico and I have read it several times since its arrival last week and Calico gives the book her Golden Paw Award! The cover below gives you a good idea of the quality of the images and the other page shows the great layout.
I am going on a little holiday to Toronto from Wednesday evening through Saturday. I will take you to some of the City’s parks where I will be ‘birding’. The blog will be much shorter on Thursday than usual – I arrive in Toronto late, late Wednesday night. However, we will have Heidi’s reports, Geemeff’s, and a few nests Thursday morning! Things will be back to usual Sunday. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my little excursion.
BOOK REVIEW:
Connie Dennis and her husband, Don, are more than just residents of Nova Scotia. They are privileged observers of the lives of the Osprey couple, Ethel and Oscar. Their home provides a front-row seat to the incredible fish-eating raptors, and they have used this unique perspective to create Pickles the Osprey. An Osprey’s Journey in Nova Scotia. This children’s book is beautifully illustrated with Don’s photographs, offers a rare glimpse into the life of these majestic birds, a perspective that only Connie and Don could provide.
Pickles the Osprey is a delightful book. It has Calico’s seal of approval, which is very hard to earn! Pickles gives us a first-hand view of his life as an osplet in a nest in Nova Scotia. He introduces us to his parents, who work hard to provide their chicks with a nice nest and fish. We learn what kind of fish ospreys consume in Nova Scotia, which differs from fish hawks in other parts of the world. Connie provides useful scientific facts in a manner that is not dull to young people. She also peppers the story with ‘Fun Facts’ alongside the humour of Pickles. Children will learn about the unique talons of the osprey that allow them to grasp fish and carry them back to the nest. They will learn about fledging and migration. In addition, Dennis brings up one of the main challenges of our raptors – hydro poles. The couple worked tirelessly to ensure the ospreys in Nova Scotia were safe. They have provided images of the help that Nova Scotia Power has given to the raptors such as Oscar and Ethel.
The book has stunning close-up images of Pickle’s nest and great graphics. Included are photos of Canadian currency with ospreys and some fun photoshopping with Pickles sharing a meal of fish tacos with his parents after migration. I had no idea that ospreys appeared on our paper currency! And I did not know that Ospreys are the provincial bird of Nova Scotia. This proves that there is always something for us to learn. Grandparents, parents, and teachers will find this an excellent resource to help young people understand the life cycle and the challenges that ospreys face in a contemporary world—highly recommended!
All profits from the sale of Pickles the Osprey: An Osprey’s Journey in Nova Scotia go to Hope for Wildlife. Connie will also sign and mail copies anywhere. This way, ALL profits go to Hope for Wildlife. The address for ordering is below. Copies can also be obtained from Amazon and Indigo.
For slightly older youngsters, I highly recommend Belle’s Journey. An Osprey Takes Flight by Rob Bierregaard and Kate Garchinsky. This book gives you an excellent glimpse at osprey migration using a GPS satellite-tagged bird and twenty years of research into bird migration. Belle takes her first flight from the nest and travels down the coast of the United States all the way to South America. Through her trials and tribulations, we learn about the great challenges and why so many do not last the journey. It is another Calico favourite, and Heidi tells me it suits adults, too.
It remains hot with no break in sight for some of our Pacific Northwest nests. Let’s check and see how a few of them are doing:
At Charlo Montana, Lola’s posture says it all.
It is much nicer for the ospreys in the early morning and evening. Iris is hot like Lola and keeping her babies cool. These poor females.
Iris doesn’t know but Finn has a big fish coming in if he doesn’t lose it!
Finn ate on the fish for nearly an hour and delivered a huge headless piece to Iris. She is delighted as are the chicks.
‘PB’ sent me the Owl cam view of this feeding!
Dunrovin. It is hot there for Swoop and Winnie.
At McEuen Park, Mm continues to try to keep her only surviving baby safe and fed as best she can. She often alerts that intruders are near. Did they harm her mate? Will they try a nest takeover?
Cowlitz PUD: The one remaining osplet, not taken by the eagle, is getting to be a fair size. Maybe the eagle will give up. That would be wonderful for Electra. It started out promising until the heat hit the nest and the eagle. Take a breath.
Steelscape:
The Only Bob at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum continues to appear to be thriving.
Expecting fledges at Field Farm any time!
Hoping Beaumont and Hope keep up the good work with their two osplets. Knocking on wood!
For those birds in the area where Menhaden is their main source of food – and it is being scooped up by the millions of pounds, let’s stop this.
Bailey isn’t the only raptor donating blood. Connick did and saved a Red-tailed Hawk. Thanks, ‘J’!
A great Osprey rescue.
Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Tuesday 16th July 2024
A slow day today, no fish arrived on the nest but Louis did bring a very impressive ten foot pole, and spent some time positioning it on the nest and doing some nest-scraping. Despite Dorcha calling loud and long for fish, he decided to attempt mounting her but a wayward breeze put paid to that by blowing him away. LizB says: The mating attempts, along with coy mantling, skydancing, nest scraping and bringing in nesting materials are all normal bonding behaviours to reinforce their bond after what they see as a nest failure following the loss of their chicks. No Ospreys visited Nest One, just a Thrush visited and perched for a few moments. The light rain and light winds of tonight’s forecast were already in evidence when night cam switched over much earlier than usual, and thundery showers are expected tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.24.45 (03.27.14); Nest Two 23.10.47 (03.40.54)
7/16 Osoyoos osprey nest: The live stream was offline until 0930, so we may have missed a couple of Olsen’s early fish deliveries. It was another very hot day, with a temperature of 102F/39C at 1600. We did not see a fish delivery until 1759, and it was a very large whole fish brought by Soo. After such a long time without a meal, I was concerned that there might be some aggression, but there wasn’t. It was a peaceful, 41 minute feeding, and Soo and her two remaining chicks had a nice meal. At 2113, Olsen dropped off a small partial fish, and there was some slight intimidation from Big toward Middle. This feeding lasted for 7-minutes, and Middle was able to eat during the last 2 minutes. Weather for 7/17: Partly cloudy, high 99F/37C, light winds.
7/16 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: As you know, Dory and Skiff’s two young chicks were killed by a Great Horned Owl in the early morning hours. There was some light rain in the evening. Dory dropped down from the perch and tried to cover her chicks’ bodies to protect them from the rain. In 2022 Dory and Skiff fledged three chicks. They have had 6 chicks over three seasons, and half of them were predated by a GHO.
7/16 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest: Della and Warren have done a wonderful job raising their two 49 and 50-day-old chicks. The chicks have both been doing some major wingercising. They have not achieved any significant lift as yet, but it won’t be long!
7/16 Chesapeake Bay Foundation osprey nest (Annapolis): This is a cam without rewind. Three eggs were laid, and three hatched. The two youngest nestlings died within days of hatching. The oldest chick seems to be doing very well, and is estimated to be 37 days old.
7/16 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: It is still difficult for Little to acquire food because of his aggressive fledgling sibs. Mom doesn’t even get enough to eat. It has been extremely hot at the nest area (101F on Tuesday), and the fish count to the nest has dropped. Little’s only meal of the day was at 0515 from a large leftover fish, but it was a good, long feeding from Mom. For the first time, Little was performing some high hovers that were completely out of our sight. I think the kid may be ready to fly…but he needs a good meal first.
7/16 Colonial Beach osprey nest: This area reached at least 97 degrees today. Once again, there were only three fish brought to the nest. The chicks are 21 and 22 days old. Chick #1, Big, has just started to become aggressive during meals over the past couple of days. At 0720 David dropped off a large flatfish, and Big prevented Little from eating during the meal. David delivered another large fish at 0900, and Little was finally able to eat for about 5-minutes at the end of the meal. More than 8 hours passed, and finally Betty arrived with a medium sized fish. Due to aggression by Big, Little was only able to eat two bites of fish and the fish tail. I am worried for Little.
Sweet Baby Blue at the HWF-BBC Central Nest in British Columbia. I am so glad that you have been enjoying seeing the fish pieces fly to the nest! They all deserve our help.
Kristel had a Raven and, consequently, a huge crop on the 15th. Kristel was 10 weeks old. She is waiting for more prey deliveries this morning.
Cute little Dorsett Hobby Mum is learning!
Mr Crow would like you to learn more about Crows so that you will consider feeding them! Just as the creator of the video states – the Crows know our car! And there is nothing shy about them when it comes to telling us their food trays are empty. Just like all the other birds living in an urban environment, their habitat is being destroyed as I wrote and there are little food choices for them. Please help if you can. You will be rewarded much more than you give.
Thank you for being with us. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, images, screen captures, posts, comments, and letters: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Connie Dennis, Don Dennis, Morning Dove Press, Charlo Montana, Montana Osprey Project, McEuen Park, Dunrovin Ranch, Cowlitz PUD, Pam Breci, MN LA, Field Farm, Newfoundland Power, Lesley the Bird Nerd, SK Hideaways, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender, Osoyoos, Audubon Boathouse, Mispillion Harbour, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Patuxent River Park, by Rob Bierregaard and Kate Garchinskyand Colonial Beach.
We have a predation at the Audubon Boathouse. For those of you that knew Steve and his mate and are familiar with Bailey, ambassador Osprey at the Audubon Centre for Birds of Prey, you will be familiar with the predation at this nest. I realise that there is no guaranteed way to keep owls from attacking osprey nests and killing the chicks – it didn’t even eat them, just killed them, but you would think that they would be trying out something even a huge bright light (won’t hurt the ospreys) but might keep the owl away like they did at Lake Murray) to stop the slaughter.
It was nice and cool Monday morning and a good day to go and check the geese at the nature centre. The paths were somewhat wet after the big thunderstorm that went through Sunday evening, but the geese didn’t disappoint. Two little clips of a few of them.
Need a smile? There was a hatch at the Loon Cam! It’s slow going at first. About 12 minutes in there are some cute shots of the hatchling.
I haven’t forgotten about all those grouse moors in Scotland with their hunts and all the raptors that are killed in the process. Ruth Tingay says in her most recent posting, ” call them ‘The Untouchables’. Those within the grouse-shooting industry who have been getting away with illegally killing golden eagles, and other raptor species such as hen harriers, buzzards and red kites, for decades.
They don’t fear prosecution because there are few people around those remote, privately owned glens to witness the ruthless and systematic poisoning, trapping and shooting of these iconic birds. If the police do come looking, more often than not they’re met with an Omertá-esque wall of silence from those who, with an archaic Victorian mindset, still perceive birds of prey to be a threat to their lucrative red grouse shooting interests.
For a successful prosecution, Police Scotland and the Crown Office must be able to demonstrate “beyond reasonable doubt” that a named individual committed the crime.” ——– You might see the problem if you think about the vast landscape that is Scotland and when these men own thousands and thousands of acres of land, who will see them? Have a read:
You might recall that I mentioned that Waba’s battery was at only 1%. ‘J’ went on the snoop to find out about these GPS trackers on the storks. This is what she found:
Some information taken from the Ornitela website:
What factors affect number of GPS positions that can be collected? GPS positions logged by OrniTrack transmitters represent the parameter that is most relevant for the majority of users. GPS logging primarily depends on sky view and available battery power. Sky view is needed for GPS antenna to detect satellites. Connection with satellites can be obscured in places with limited sky view, such as under the forest canopy, in mountainous terrain or urban areas among buildings. GPS position logging in such environments often takes longer, which results in higher battery drain than in open areas. Logging GPS positions is a relatively expensive process in terms of energy use. When developing OrniTrack transmitters we paid particular attention to achieving the highest possible energetic efficiency of this task. Extensive testing of OrniTrack transmitters in an open terrain revealed that fully charged battery of smaller OrniTrack-30 is sufficient for logging at least 1500 GPS positions and larger OrniTrack-50 can log at least 5000 GPS positions without additional recharge. But please note that data transfer via GPRS, which is more energetically demanding process, was set to infrequent intervals of one data upload per day during the testing. Further, please be aware that GPS position logging stops when available battery power drops below 3675 mV. The remaining power down to 3600 mV is conserved for data transmission and the transmitter stops completely if battery voltage drops below 3600 mV. Once solar panel recharges the transmitter battery, GPS logging and data transmissions resume. Therefore, it is paramount that a user monitors the available battery power and adjusts transmitter settings accordingly.
Battery charge by solar panel OrniTrack transmitters are equipped with efficient solar panels which recharge internal batteries. We experienced that under favourable light conditions solar recharge can be fully sufficient to continuously log GPS positions at 1 minute intervals during daytime hours. But for solar panels to do their job, they need to be exposed to direct sunlight. Overcast days offer little to no direct sunlight. Low sun angle above the horizon, like it is at high latitudes in winter, also delivers inefficient charge. Species living under the forest canopy may also receive limited charge due to scattered light. Finally, perhaps the most frequent factor restricting battery charge is due to bird feathers covering the solar panel. This highly depends on species tracked and transmitter placement. From manufacturing perspective it is not difficult to increase transmitter height so it sticks through the feathers. However, empirical studies and experimental testing in wind tunnels revealed that externals transmitters may increase bird flight costs due to air resistance and turbulence. We therefore chose the transmitter design that minimizes possible impacts on birds. While we supply transmitters capable of efficient recharging under good light conditions, it is user’s responsibility to consider all relevant factors influencing recharge and monitor battery status when choosing transmitter settings.
Alma and Lucia still come home.
‘PB’ reports that Mum is feeding the oldest and only surviving osplet out of four at McEuen Park. Oh, I hope this one makes it. It is just going to get hotter. Send all your best wishes to our poor ospreys.
Meanwhile at Hellgate Canyon, Iris knows Finn is around and coming with a fish. Turn the volume up for the full effect. I would like to put a fish that size at the Osoyoos nest. Soo would pass out. She probably thinks the only fish there are are those little twiddlers. Their lake in that town needs to be stocked. Did you hear me Osoyoos?
A tired and proud Mamma Iris.
The moderator at the Charlo Montana osprey nest says they have not had a fall off the nest for the last nine years. Poor baby. For those who don’t know, little backed up to do a ps and fell off the nest Friday evening. It is still hot. Charlie is delivering good fish. But these nests in the Pacific Northwest need a break.
And they are not going to get it. Temperatures are expected to rise.
Minnesota still looks good.
Some of the Field Farm babies are spreading those wings and wanting to fly.
There is still one osplet at the Cowlitz PUD osprey nest in Washington State. Let us just hope that the eagle decides not to return tomorrow. Electra and her mate worked hard in very hot conditions – surely to goodness, they deserve to have one baby fledge.
Three big osplets at Oyster Bay. What a difference it makes to have your nest in protected waters away from the Menhaden trawlers and also not to be having heat in the high 90s.
Two out of four have fledged at Poole Harbour.
It is much cooler at Seaside and Bruce and Naha’s two osplets are flapping and jumping and thinking about flying.
Moraine: ‘PB’ sent a great image of the chick with a huge crop after Dad delivered dinner. Now that is what I would like to see at Osoyoos and McEuan.
I am so grateful for the turn around at Snow Lane, Newfoundland.
‘H’ reports:
7/15 Forsythe osprey nest: ‘Larry’, the only surviving osplet out of four, fledged this morning, at 55 days of age. We were joyful, and grateful that there was at least one fledge this season. We are happy for Opal and Oscar…that their efforts this season have not been completely in vain. Larry made a beautiful landing back in the nest four hours later, and Oscar brought him a large fish to celebrate!
7/16 Colonial Beach: The ‘kids’ are 20 and 21-days-old. Today was the first time I have seen any significant dominance and aggression from Big during meals. This nest averages three fish per day, but I wish David would deliver more. The osplets need more frequent meals. Due to the aggression from Big, Little did not eat at the first meal. Little eventually ate very well at the second meal, and had a very long private feeding. When the younger chicks first start to be denied food by a sibling, they don’t know what to do, so they just keep trying and can be further brutalized. They need to learn to employ certain tactics to get fish bites from Mom. Well, it seemed that Little was ahead of the curve. After the third meal commenced, and Little was attacked by Big, Little scooted over to the other side of Betty and was receiving some fish bites at her left side. But, Little soon decided that he wanted to eat beside his ‘bestie’ and went back beside Big. I was saying, “No no, what are you doing, Little…go back to the other side!” Little was beaked again, and after a brief period of being tucked, Little returned to Mom’s left side and was able to eat a nice meal. Thus endeth the lesson, kiddo.
7/15 Fenwick Island osprey nest (Captain Mac’s Fish House): This is another nest where I wish there were more fish being delivered. Johnny used to drop off 5-6 fish per day, but now only 2-3 per day. 31-day-old ‘Fen’ is hungry. And for the past few days, Fen has started aggressively attacking both June and Johnny. This nest has not been subjected to extreme heat or high winds. However, it is located in a summertime tourist area, with thousands of vacationers this time of year. I wonder if there are too many boaters out on the local waterways, and that may be hindering Johnny’s efforts to catch fish.
7/15 Osoyoos osprey nest: The extreme heat has lasted for several days and will continue for several more days. As a result, there simply have not been enough fish brought to the nest to support three growing oplets suffering in the heat. Little had not eaten very much for over three days. Little passed away this afternoon, at approximately 1430. I saw four fish delivered to the nest, and the last one was at 1731. Big and Middle were both fed at this meal. There have been meals over the past few days where Middle was denied the opportunity to eat by Big, including at the second meal this morning. Middle’s survival is not a given at this point. I’m not sure when the live stream went offline. There could have been another fish delivered in the evening, but I was not able to rewind to check.
7/16 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: Last season, the only chick ‘Skipper’, was predated by a Great Horned Owl just days away from fledging. Most of us have been on pins and needles watching this nest this year. The GHO had already been at the nest twice earlier this spring, and we feared that it would be back. This year Dory and Skiff had two beautiful osplets, named Harbor and Gray. The GHO did come back, and it attacked both chicks early this morning at approximately 0340, and killed them both. After all the predations that have occurred at the Hog Island nest, Steve no longer uses that nest. He and his new mate come around in early Spring to tend to the old Hog Island nest, but they do not use it to raise a family. Dory and Skiff will need to find another nest. The owl will never forget.
Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Monday 15th July 2024
Today brought more news of the chicks – some footage of them preening, looking healthy and nicely rounded, and some tweets and facebook posts with photos and more details of the translocation programme. No action on Nest One but a little flurry on Nest Two, with Louis bringing two fish today. He gave the first one quite readily to Dorcha, but teased her by mantling over the second one and flying away with it. He did return with it later on and let her take it, and both adults ended the day with full crops. Weather was settled, tonight’s forecast is misty with light winds, and the prospect of sunshine, well, sunny intervals, and a gentle breeze tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.46.29 (03.24.36); Nest Two 00.01.35 (03.36.46)
The three chicks at Finnish Osprey Nest #1 were ringed on the 15th. There is one male, Vaino, and two females, Valma and Vieno. Well done!
Mum caring for the chicks at Janakkalan.
Muonion is alright! Two little chicks. Three weeks old.
Latvian Ospreys. The oldest is eating really well. The second appears, at times, to be a bit shy. Both seem alright.
Kristel eating a Northern Raven – has a huge crop!
Kakapo in care after discovery of a beak injury. Thank yo so much for your annual checks. I hope this was caught in time.
Things are getting better at the Dorsett Hobby nest.
The Northhumberland Trust has an art contest and it is about Osrpeys.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, messages, posts, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB’, LPC Loon Cam, Raptor Persecution UK, Looduskalender, SK Hideaways, McEuen Park, Weather Network, Cornell Bird Lab, Montana Osprey Project, Charlo Montana Ospreys, MN-LA, Field Farms, Cowlitz PUD, PSEG, BoPH, Seaside Ospreys, Moraine Park, Cathy Cohen, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Finnish Osprey Foundation, LDF, Eagle Club of Estonia, Kakapo Recovery, osp, Northumberland Trust, Osoyoos, Fenwick Island, Colonial Beach Ospreys, Audubon Boathouse, and Forsythe Ospreys.
