Tag Archives: Cornell Bird Lab

A new supporter for the Albatross? has Mrs G left for migration…early Friday in Bird World

9 September 2022

Thursday was truly a bit of an uneventful day mostly spent waiting on a parcel delivery that came much, much later than anticipated! It was a good time to just watch the garden to see what was happening. For Dyson fans, she is back to her normal self since having the babies. She was flying off branches today, landing on the deck, grabbing peanuts and running so fast I could not catch her on camera! Two of the Crows alerted me to the presence of the cat under the bird feeders. My goodness, they are quite remarkable and were given ‘extra treats’ – cheesy sausages – for their good work in protecting the rabbit and the songbirds. It has also been quite in Bird World, pretty much. These images have been shot quickly through a screen!

The Crows on the line cawing very loudly and looking at the cat below the feeders.
The culprit – a well fed pet!

In the Mailbox:

A couple of days ago, ‘B’ asked which gender migrated earlier – males or females? I have spent time asking Osprey experts and have uncovered some preliminary data using the Dyfi charts. It seems that gender is always discussed with regard to fledging but is only a footnote when it comes to migration. With a very small sample, males are 75% more likely to migrate first than females 90 days and under.

The chart below is of the Dyfi chicks. So those who fledged at 90 days, 75% more males than females. As you can see the older the chicks get, there are more females that take longer in the nest to migrate after fledging. I cannot assume that this is the same for other nests but, for now, this is the clearest data chart I have found for us to interpret. I will be looking for others in the days to come.

‘L’ wrote to me about the new climate bill in the US. The Audubon Society had posted an article on the 12 ways that it will help birds – and other wildlife. Thanks for sending me that article, ‘L’. I am certain others will find it of interest, too.

https://www.audubon.org/news/12-ways-inflation-reduction-act-will-benefit-birds-and-people?ms=policy-adv-email-ea-x-engagement_20220908_advisory&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=engagement_20220908_advisory

Making News:

The Osprey lost at sea that hitched a ride on a boat is making news in Scotland.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/uk-news/boaty-mcboatface-rescue-osprey-lost-27938175

Mississippi Power is putting up some Osprey Poles. How wonderful! Maybe they will place some more nests and other utility companies will follow suit. Sitting on the Canadian Prairies it is easy to imagine the number of Ospreys that might choose to winter along the Gulf or in the Gulf States.

The Royal Albatross and the campaign to change the long line fish trawling practices may have a new champion in King Charles III.

Nest News:

Based on their size and weight, the wildlife rehabber believes that Big Red and Arthur’s L3 and L4 are both female! Nice. That explains a lot about L4’s behaviour in the nest — not afraid of anything, just barreling over the others to get to the beak. Is it possible they were all females?

L4

At the Osprey nest of Aran and Mrs G in the Glaslyn Valley in Wales, all three of this years fledglings have joined the 100 Club. This means that they have been on the nest for over 100 days and counting before migrating. Today they are 106, 105, and 102 days old! Aran might be wondering if everyone has decided to over winter.

This was early Thursday morning. Mrs G is in the second photo. It was the last seen of her. The time was 08:58. If she isn’t hiding down in the Oaks or trying to fool us, Mrs G has now left for her migration. She took a piece of fish off one of the fledglings just to top up her tank! If you have left Mrs G, safe travels, lots of fish, and return again next spring – you remain the oldest osprey in the UK and what a lovely group of offspring this year!

Idris continues to deliver fish to Padarn. It looks like some are very happy to stay in Wales!

Padarn this morning. She is still in Wales!

Louis still has Sarafina fish calling!

The Melbourne scrape seems to be getting a lot of attention lately. First up, the building number is 367 Collins Street. There are now 36.7 members of the FB group. That is an incredible number of supporters. Here is the announcement:

There has been much concern over the incubation time and whether or not there was another male falcon present at the building. Victor Hurley, the chief researcher of the nest for the Victorian Peregrine Falcon Research group posted this today on FB:

The images that I have taken today appear to me to be the same male that has been at this nest since I began watching some years ago. Dad is relieving Mum so she can have a break this morning.

Later the couple were having a conversation.

In Orange, there is heavy rain falling. Diamond watches it from inside the scrape. Xavier has been in and out helping with incubation duties. I hope he is somewhere trying to stay dry.

At the Sea Eagles nest, it was chilly and the two eaglets wanted nothing more than to be able to shrink so all of them would fit under Mum.

Dad brought a little fish in for their breakfast so that Lady could feed the two.

Both SE29 and SE30 are really getting much more steady on their feet and they are spending more time walking on top of this twig nest. That surely cannot be easy!

At the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, Mum has been hungry. Dad has been known to bring in a fish, eat a large portion of it before bringing her a piece. Today he brought her a really nice sized larger fish for her tea. How wonderful. Thank you, Dad! Mum was really excited for that lovely dinner.

Looks like Alden’s funny quirks have rubbed off on Annie who was caught ‘loafing’ on the ledge of The Campanile on Thursday.

Oh, how I love Samson. He was at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest today waiting for his mate, Gabby, to arrive from her migration. Like Richmond, the SF Bay Osprey, Samson stays in the area of the nest and does not migrate. Both Rosie (Richmond’s mate) and Gabby, do. Gabby is usually home by the 12th of September.

Migration News:

There is information from Bonus, Jan and Janika’s Black Storklet that was fostered by Kaia and Karl II. Bonus remains in Belarus near the Pripyat River where he has been feeding for some time.

Kaia remains in the general vicinity she has been in Ukraine.

Karl II is still believed to be in the area of Kherzov. We now know that the telecommunications in the area is down. Storks should, unless shelled by accident, wish to stay away form the people and there are the many nature reserves in this area where Karl II stayed for long periods in previous years. I am trying to remain positive for him!

Waba has had trouble with the tracker so there is no conclusive report.

From the archive:

Do you know which nest this was? The year is 2020. The older sibling supported the younger. The Magpie helped ‘this eaglet’ when the Pied Curra were attacking? The third image is the last one at the nest.

Thank you so much for being with me on this very quiet Friday in Bird World. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, tweets, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Dfyi Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab, The Scottish Daily Express, Mississippi Power, Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Charles Sturt falcon Cam, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cal Falcons, NEFL-AEF, and Looduskalender.

From the Archive Answer: That is SE25 supporting SE26 after its little leg was broken. Lady is feeding both of them. SE26 struggled in the forest after fledging. After 6 days returned to the nest massively hungry and exhausted. Lady and Dad fed SE26. When 26 had recuperated, she flew to the camera branch where she was attacked by the Pied Currawong. A Magpie came to help 26. That is the last picture we have of SE26 in the forest. She flew out, chased by Curra, during the time of a storm and landed on the balcony of a 22nd floor condo some 1.5 km away in Horn Bush. SE26 was taken into care and euthanized, sadly. It was believed the damage to her leg would cause extensive pain and could not be repaired properly. It was a very, very sad day. SE26 was inspirational to all you watched her struggles to ‘be an eagle’…she flew. That is one consolation. What we learned was that the Pied Currawong are unrelenting in chasing the Sea Eagles out of the forest. This has caused extensive difficulties which have been noted in recent years with SE27 going in and out of care and requiring training to fly and hunt prey.

Is it really Little Bit 17? and other Sadness and Gladness in Bird World

3 August 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

I was out almost all day yesterday and returned to find some sad news. We will get this over and move on to all the good news!

The situation at the #4 Osprey nest in Finland turned darker. An intruder appeared and the chicks ‘fell or flew’ off the nest. The youngest who had not as yet flown was predated. This is also the chick that was so vigorously attacked by Mum the other day. So sad. Thank you ‘N’ for letting me know. This is 81 lost so far in the past 13 months on streaming cams.

The Mum and the surviving fledgling on the #4 nest. Keep them in your warmest thoughts.

Ervie. Bazza Hockaday was doing some photography for a client and found Ervie, too. Can you spot Ervie on top of the pine tree? This park is across from the barge – so Ervie is staying close. (Magnifying glass almost required!)

Meanwhile Mum and Dad are making sure that Mum is quite comfortable on those eggs – they are lining the nest with a Silver Gull, one of the favourite foods of the Sea Eagles.

Everyone wondered if anyone would be keeping an eye for Little Bit ND17. It seems that lots of people who loved the eagle that fought so hard to live continues to have a loyal fan club. This evening on the Notre-Dame FB page, the following was posted. It looks as if our Little Bit has been very resourceful and is doing fantastic. Tears, joyful tears!

SF Ospreys have not received the DNA results from Brooks and Molate. Brooks continues to enjoy herself at the other nest and the visitor seems right at home. He is certainly a lovely Osprey – and talented.

The ‘visitor’ at the nest of Richmond and Rosie has done something very special – it caught a Spiny Dogfish (Shark) that lives in the Bay. (Reminds me of those brought to the nest at Mispillion Harbour in Delaware – bet it is just a slight difference in name from one region to the other but the same fish). The juvenile very proudly brought it to the nest. SF Ospreys say this is highly unusual. They have only seen a juvenile do this once. Round of applause!

Here is the video clip:

At the Black Stork nest of Karl II and Kaia, Karl was busy flying back and forth to the fish basket. He delivered 3 big meals to the storklets. Kaia delivered 1 on the 2nd of August. There was some concern that Karl II’s GPS was not working but it seems to be fine now. Thank goodness. I do worry about them all the time for some reason – storklets not yet fledged and requiring much food before migration.

Bonus has been standing on the curved perch with 1 leg. Great balance. Bonus is the oldest of the four. He is 72 days old on 2 August.

The four storklets of Betty and Bukacek are doing fantastic. The female- Fifinka- often spends time on the nest of the adults and then flies to the natal nest when food arrives. Sometimes she holds back from the bigger males but she wastes no time getting there if she is hungry. In the image below she is at the top flying in.

There is no reason for it other than sheer dominance at the Sydney Sea Eagles nest. Lady feeds SE29 and 30 at least every hour if not sooner. Things were going relatively well until 0911 when 29 decided to not be nice and attack 30.

Three minutes later 29 is going into a food coma and 30 is being fed (0917 below).

SE30 keeps its head down to protect it.

Notice how 30 is slinking around the back ready to move forward and eat when 29 calms herself. Very clever tactic.

SE 30 is still being fed four minutes later. All is right with the world.

Mom and Dad on the nest of the Port Lincoln Barge early on 3 August.

Did you fall in love with Louis and Anna at the Kisatchie National Park Bald Eagle cam? couldn’t believe your eyes the day 18 fish were on the nest? did you melt and worry when Kisatchie fledged? when Kincaid hatched this year? Well, Cody and Steve have more fun for everyone. You will be able to watch 2 Bald Eagle nests from the Louisiana! Here is the announcement:

Humans and wildlife rehabbers helping another juvenile eaglet so that it has a second chance at life. These stories are always welcome!

The fish have been arriving in various sizes to the Osoyoos nest. ‘H’ sent me a note this morning saying the tally was at least 13 yesterday. Olsen is keeping up the numbers and some of them had to be good a good size. Sometimes the chicks are full and sometimes they aren’t. The last fish for 2 August was delivered at 20:01. Dad brought it in and Big Chick (BC) grabbed the tasty little twiddler. Dad rooted around and found an old piece of fish and fed Little Chick (LC). The family is nourished and hydrated. They have a break in the weather for a few days. This is all good news.

Here comes Olsen! BC rushes over to get the little prize.

Fortunately for LC, Dad found a piece of fish and is feeding him while BC works on the twiddler. It is all good.

The fish started arriving at the Osoyoos nest around 0523. The first was a small one but it seems to have changed possession at least 6 or 7 times. BC has been grabbing and self-feeding. Soo got into the action so that her and LC had some breakfast too. It is starting off to be another great day at this nest with 7 fish before 00700. Thanks Olsen!

Beautiful Iris. She continues to work on her nest. Precious are these moments – every year we wait til she leaves and wonder if she will return in the spring after migration. 29 years?

There are no updates on L4. It is now presumed that it was another window strike on the Cornell Campus. That would mean that of the four eyases – three struck windows at Cornell whose Bird Lab is one of the world leaders. Of those three, two are in care and one died. It is time Cornell made its windows bird strike proof like all of us try to do. I have not see at this time 1052 CDT an image of the head of the juvenile believed to be ND17. Elsewhere things seem to be steady but that could change as I hit the word ‘publish’.

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, postings, videos, etc: Osoyoos Ospreys, Notre Dame Eagles FB, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Mlade Buky, The Eagle Club of Estonia and Looduskalender, Center for Wildlife, US Forest Service at the Kistachie NF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and SF Bay Ospreys. They have been turned into my screen captures.

Early Tuesday in Bird World!

2 August 2022

Good Morning Everyone! It looks like rain here on the Canadian Prairies – and when finally believe it is coming, the sun pops out. I am heading up north to check on the Ospreys along Lake Winnipeg. Fingers crossed! I may only make it as far as the nature centre.

Just some housekeeping. The NCTC streaming cam on Bella and Smitty’s nest has been hit by lightning. It will be replaced in time but not when the eagles are about. Phillipe Josse posted on the Notre Dame Eagles FB that all of the eaglets were seen flying about on 1 August. Great news. Victor Hurley reminds everyone that the CBD (Central Business District) 367 Collins Street Falcons generally lay their eggs around the end of August. The camera at the Boathouse Osprey nest in Maine is on the blink. I just about had a heart attack when I did not see 3 chicks in the nest yesterday when I went to their stream. Thankfully I finally figured out it was ‘Highlights’. Check in the left bottom corner if you go so the same thing does not happen to you. The word ‘Highlights’ will appear. The situation at the #4 nest in Finland where the mother attacked the youngest on the nest and the fledgling when it returned has calmed. No clear understanding of the reason behind the attacks but the youngest seemed to get the blunt of the wrath. No updates on L4 taken into care. Good news. The one surviving osprey from the Pitkin County Trail Platform (they were pulled off the nest by female caught in nesting material) remains in care at a wildlife rehab centre. The chick is now eating on its own and its feathers are growing in. Great news! That incident happened on 22 June.

Olsen delivered a very large fish on the Osoyoos nest at 1137 on 1 August (Monday). It was the 13th fish of the morning. Large and with its head. Soo fed the chicks til they were so full they could not eat another bite and then she took the fish to the perch where she enjoyed it.

Soo and BC and LC know Olsen is arriving.

Look at that nice fish! Olsen must have found a super spot to fish today even with the heat.

Everyone ate and ate.

After taking the fish up to the perch to eat her portion, Soo returned a nice piece to the nest.

There were more than 13 fish arriving at the nest of Soo and Olsen Monday. Another one came in at 18:58.

The chicks have eaten well and have spent much of the day with one or the other hanging their heads over the rim of the nest scaring the wits out of viewers. All is well!

Soo and Olsen got a bit of a break in the weather. It dropped to 33 today but….sadly another heat dome is coming in a week. Olsen has already delivered ​fish small fish at these times: 0521:46, 0533:10, 0541:22, 0620:46, 0625:11. A larger fish with head came at 0656:53 with the 7th fish at 0715:06 which was smaller and headless. If you count that is 7 fish by 0715 Tuesday. Olsen, you are amazing.

The good news at The Campanile is that the bonding rituals between Annie and Alden are increasing…and often they are sans Lindsay and Grinnell Jr. How lovely. Stay safe Annie and Alden!

If you did not see my earlier announcement, L4 was taken into care. He was found on the ground unable to fly during the evening of 31 July. Thank you to those who rescued him and took him to the Swanson Wildlife Clinic at Cornell. No updates so far.

Suzanne Arnold Horning caught Big Red, Arthur, and L2 on the campus Monday evening.

Big Red is moulting.
Arthur on the stacks.
L2 yelling for food.

It is fledge watch at the Black Stork nest of Karl II and Kaia. Yesterday it was raining which halted any thoughts of flying but, this morning the storklets are jumping around and flapping. Bonus is the oldest at 72 days with the other three at 66, 66, and 63 days.

The camera was off for awhile and it is unknown if they had a feeding or not. Yesterday Kaia brought in 1 feeding, Karl II travelled to the fish basket but it was empty because he went further to try and find fish. His transmitter stopped at 10:01 on 1 August. It is not know what the problem is and everyone is waiting not so patiently to see if data is uploaded today or if he appears at the nest with food. Fingers crossed. These are the only four Black Storklets that I am aware of in Estonia this year to survive.

Bonus is 77 days old and is the only surviving storklet of Jan and Janika of the original six.

Andor delivered a fish and Lilibet sure enjoyed it. The top image is the 30th of July.

Lilibet on 30 July 2022.

Then he delivered a fish and no one showed up.

Everyone began to question if Lilibet had left the territory. Lilibet has gone no where! She is around the nest a few minutes ago being quite loud – with what appears to be a nice crop.

Lancer is still calling Two Harbours home and Chase & Cholyn are busy delivering fish. Lancer has earned the name ‘Miss Sassy Pants’ by the Bald Eagle community. She practically tore Chase’s leg off with the delivery. — I am sure Mum and Dad do not mind. She will really be able to stand up for herself when she leaves the safety of the nest area.

The Sydney Sea Eaglets are ‘darling’. Just cute little fluff balls eating and growing. Start watching for the slightest hint of little black dots which are feathers coming in.

It is August and we have another month, perhaps, with Iris at the Hellgate nest in Missoula, Montana. For those unfamiliar, Iris is the oldest unbanded Osprey in the world believed to be 29ish. It is remarkable. Mrs G in the UK is their oldest at 22 years.

Iris spent much time at the nest earlier working and bringing in sticks and she has, on occasion, lately graced us with her beauty. She was there this morning when an intruder arrived. Louis went swiftly over to remove the visitor.

Each of us needs a good rescue story! It gives us faith in ‘humans’.

https://www.wboy.com/news/randolph/bald-eagle-released-back-into-the-wild-after-rehabilitation-in-elkins/?fbclid=IwAR1no_MqG4aoZcgpkWMAYkuypY2NXa5YX15LZuOsq-rVE9QamJAS61Yc6Oo&fs=e&s=cl

Dad at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge seems fine. Bonding taking place!

That is a hop, skip, and a jump around the nests this morning. So far everything seems calm. It is a strange time of year. The US Ospreys are eating and preparing for migration at the end of August or beginning of September. We have eaglets in Sydney and we await the arrival of the eggs for Mum and Dad at the barge and the peregrine falcons at CBD and Orange. I do not know about you but I really need a ‘fix’ of little ospreys. Simply cannot wait.

Thank you for joining me today. Please take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures: Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Osoyoos Ospreys, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Audubon Explore.org, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Eagle Club of Estonia and Looduskalender, and Suzanne Arnold Horning for her lovely pictures of Big Red and family.

Sarafina flies, Too many fish at Osoyoos, and other good news in Bird World

31 August 2022

Good Morning! I hope this finds all of you well. For those of you waiting to see Sarafina fledge, she did it at 0655 Sunday morning, 31 July. Congratulations to Louis and Dorcha and to all at Loch Arkaig!

I am so glad that Saturday is over! This means that if the forecast is correct, the nests in the Pacific Northwest that are broiling will begin to get some relief from the heat in two days. Gosh, that seems like such a long time but they have weathered extreme heat for nearly a week and all are still with us.

Olsen and Soo have really done an amazing job keeping the two osplets in the shade on Saturday and, well, anyone who has ever fished know that the fish go down deep to get into cooler water. Ospreys are only able to dive 1m or 3 feet below the surface of the water – so they need those fish swimming around near the top not going deep to get cooler. By 0930 Olsen had delivered quite a number of fish, apparently some better sized than others. I did not count them. There was one delivery around around 19:30ish. It appeared that the two chicks were super full and Soo got some nice fish, too. — They look good at the end of today. Such a relief.

‘H’ sent this image of the ‘unwanted’ fish.

At 08:55 Sunday morning, One chick is sleeping on a fish piece, the unwanted is still there, and Soo has a super nice crop. I sure hope Olsen got some good fish, too. This family is depending on him! And Olsen, you get the gold star for the week. You and Soo are doing amazing.

On Saturday, Ferris Akel ended his tour, as always, with a stop at the Cornell Campus home to Big Red and Arthur. He found L4 prey calling to Mum and Dad. Big Red was also located.

Oh, my goodness, what a handsome fledgling. L4 has lovely light grey-blue eyes that will get darker and darker turning into an exquisite espresso colour in adulthood. He will also get his red tail when he is a year old.

L4
L4
L4
Big Red

The White-Bellied Sea Eagle nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest is becoming much calmer. There is plenty of prey. Lady feeds SE29 and 30 still about every hour. I noticed that the feedings are getting a little longer and that both chicks have nice crops at the end. It will not be long until there are fewer feedings with the chicks consuming much more prey.

What to expect as we end week 2 and prepare for week 3? The chicks will have doubled their size. You might also notice that their shape is changing – they are getting longer and so is their beak! We will begin to see them climb out of the nest or egg cup exploring their surroundings and pecking at leaves. By week 4, some pin feathers on the wings will begin to show.

The last feeding before night fall in the forest. If you look carefully you can see how the down is ‘looking different’. There will be little ‘black dots’ soon.

If you love White-tail Eagles then you will be excited to know that the oldest WTE couple on Mull Island just fledged their 25th chick! Skye is 28 and Frisa is 30. Look at that beautiful baby!

https://www.birdguides.com/news/uks-oldest-known-white-tailed-eagle-pair-fledge-25th-chick/?fbclid=IwAR2VaicG4ZgKYXqWASf-x4qjwOstyti3NUx0uEiQnEJ51PY8waezLbHO-ig

Another article about our dear Victor’s recovery.

Please note that Victor is not standing on a towel but has moved to a low perch. Lovely.

https://www.ojaivalleynews.com/news/sick-bald-eagle-recovering-at-orc/article_c4540a4a-0f08-11ed-91fc-4ba35f94378b.html?fbclid=IwAR1dT0-m8dw_Q5mF4p4ZyPyaGIuZ6Wo_9uuVq1-WpQ4PLlLe3CI0LF-Fs3Q

I am certain that everyone will agree that you can see the improvements in Victor. The top image is a couple of days ago- the lower one is when Victor began his physio.

I saw no images but on thee Notre Dame chat, Little Bit ND17 was seen by someone at the park. That is good news.

Our other lad, Ervie, really flew about Port Lincoln yesterday!

You may recall that the Port Lincoln Osprey Project carried in parts of a new tower platform nest for the couple at Turnby Island. Previously their eggs had been predated by foxes on the island. The new tower was to stop that predation with a plan in place to rid the island of its invasive fox population. The time for egg laying is near – and look what is causing the ospreys to alert.

Port Lincoln says this foxes’ days are numbered. He cannot, however, get to the eggs which were previously laid on the ground. Thank you Port Lincoln!

The two Ospreys at the Janakkalan nest are safe from the Goshawk again. They eat and sleep, sleep and eat…

Eating..

Dad with another delivery.

Last but he could never be least – one of our ‘saviours’ of the year – Alden. Alden who insured that Annie’s eggs and the last of Grinnell’s chicks would hatch – with maybe a contribution of his own! (No word on that yet). Alden finally found a little time to ‘loaf’.

Thank you so much for joining me today. It is a little wet on the Canadian Prairies – again. My garden is like a jungle. The three fledgling Blue Jays and the three fledgling Crows continue to visit. Images to follow tomorrow. I hope that all of you are well and enjoying some time in nature today. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, FB postings, etc which have become my screen captures: Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Osoyoos Ospreys and ‘H’, Sydney Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Sydney Olympic Forest, BirdGuides, Ojai Raptor Centre, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Port Lincoln Ospreys, and Cal Falcons.

Norway osprey numbers grow plus Brooks kicked off nest by intruder…plus other brief news in Bird World

26 July 2022

It has been a beautiful day on the Canadian Prairies. The temperature is just right after our midnight thunderstorm. The forecast shows we could be in for another unsettled night. There are intruders everywhere in Bird World. Some are harmless – others not so much.

There is wonderful news coming out of Norway. Efforts to lure Ospreys to better locations after they have been impacted by extreme weather and deforestation are working. The number of Osprey chicks in 2022 is up 50%! In 2021 there were 54 chicks and this year there are 70. Fantastic.

https://www-smaalenene-no.translate.goog/hils-pa-tre-nye-skjetvinger-stor-suksess-for-orne-prosjekt/s/5-38-1197055?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp&fbclid=IwAR0LDlZvDHfkGXlw0XyFcSlpbEmbfPxUinYdqbpKYZvvIacOrSp2HrluRVc

Sadly, the news out of the SF Bay Osprey nest of Richmond and Rosie is not good but, worrisome. On 25 July Brooks was sent off the nest by an intruder. in a rather violent attack.

At present, 1118 PST, neither Brooks or Richmond have returned to the nest. Rosie is there somewhere with the intruder who has returned and is eating a big fish on the nest.

Since the intruder arrived, Richmond and Rosie have provided six fish. The intruder has not let Brooks return to the nest. The location of both Richmond and Brooks is unknown the last time I checked.

Thanks to ‘A-M and Burky 4’ for the time stamps at the Osoyoos Osprey nest. They are sooooo appreciated. We know from the weather report that it is going to be a scorcher. According to our avid hawk eyed chatters, there have been at least 6 fish deliveries, some of good size, to Soo and the chicks. The last one was at 11:03. The chicks were full from the previous deliveries at 0554, 0616, 0944, 1955, and 1103. There was some indication that the 0554 delivery was either the 2nd or 3rd of the morning. This is great. They need all the hydration they can get as the temperatures rise during the afternoon. Thank you, Olsen!

A lovely tribute article to Big Red and her two mates, Arthur and Ezra, and the chicks on the Cornell Campus.

Cornell’s Beloved Hawks Raise a Family, Far Above Campus

Many of you have written letters and e-mails to BC Hydro. I still get the most welcome letters asking “What else can I do?” Tomorrow Christian Sasse will hold a discussion on that very topic. It is on YouTube and it is free. The time below – 3pm – is, as far as I know MY time which is CDT. The Pacific time would be 1pm or 1300. Go on line and check to be sure. YouTube should give the time locally at the event! Let’s try and have a good turn out. BC Hydro needs to know that we care!!!!!!!! And that we are not giving up. It will help everyone in other regions and countries when they go to demand their hydro poles protect our much loved raptors and storks.

Good to know.

At least three large fish have landed on the Jannakalan Osprey nest in Finland. Dad is taking very good care of his youngsters who are 51 days old today.

At 1904 both are working on fish.

Not quite 2 hours later, Dad arrives with another! I wish we could courier one of these to Osoyoos.

The little Sea eaglets could share some of the five fish on the nest in the Sydney Olympic Park. The cute little fluff balls finally got interested in breakfast. Sometimes there is just too much fish!

In fact, too much fish is what ‘H’ is report about the two fledglings at Mispillion Harbour. It appears that they are eating both on and off the nest. So much fish! That is another one of the Dog Fish Sharks landing on the nest in Delaware. Thanks, ‘H’.

Rescues of our beautiful raptors caught up in fishing line are always inspiring. Two surfers and a fisherman came to the rescue of an exhausted Osprey. Stories like these reach large audiences and help those who fish at least become aware of the problem and, hopefully, if they love wildlife they will become part of the solution. Thank you ‘B’ for calling my attention to the good news!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/24/surfers-and-angler-combine-to-rescue-osprey-caught-in-fishing-line-off-north-stradbroke-island

Oh, please keep Richmond, Rosie, and Brooks as well as Olsen, Soo, and the two kids at Osoyoos in your positive wishes. Those two chicks at Osoyoos are big and walking around. So far Olsen is doing good going out early. That might pull them through this week if he can keep it up———— . Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care of yourself. Remember Christian Sasse’s discussion tomorrow!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam and/or FB postings where I took my screen captures: SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Osoyoos Ospreys, GROWLS, and Cornell Bird Lab.

Saturday Morning in Bird World

23 July 2022

Oh, good morning everyone. I hope that your Saturday is starting off nicely. It is a day that my mother would call ‘sultry’ – high humidity and it feels like it could rain. The sky is a light grey with whisps of blue. Already the small songbirds are in the bird bath – enjoying the deck while the Crows are away! The three juveniles seem to have claimed two houses – ours and the one next – as ‘their’ territory. I continue to be fascinated by the fact that they are large in size but are just ‘babies’ learning to not stand on the hot metal and what is food and what isn’t. Of course, our dear Little Bit 17 is – I so hope – learning the same way. The juvenile Blue Jays are also here collecting peanuts under the watchful eye of Junior and Mrs Junior. They are now mantling their peanuts and beginning to learn ‘competition’ in an interesting way directed by Junior. That is, of course, another thing that happens after fledging. We saw it clearly at Port Lincoln Osprey barge last year. The three lads were as good as gold in the nest. Everyone marvelled and wondered why? Well, it was three males. But, oh, once they fledged- after a couple of weeks passed – and the competition for prey items intensified. I learned what the Australian term ‘dust up’ meant – a nicer term for a big brawl. Do you remember? This is Ervie and Bazza having one of their battles.

The little Merlin taken into out wildlife rehab centre and who had a successful surgery has made the news. It is a big thing -our wildlife centre doesn’t always make the news with its patients. Hopefully people will spread the word about ‘not’ shooting the raptors (or other birds and waterfowl).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/merlin-pellet-surgrical-removal-1.6529811?fbclid=IwAR136exwIos-dkNBrk_TnmX3cDMlC7hnRnfNgy0Y5Swt0PZg8XKboL_utKM

It is thankfully pretty quiet in Bird World today. Big Red and Arthur watch over L2 and L4 from the light stands – a rare moment caught on the streaming cam as it surveyed the area around the nest.

Big Red is on the left and Arthur is on the right

The first of the historic osplets to hatch at Poole Harbour has fledged. 5H1 took to the skies this morning. It happened at 11:54. 5H1 flew for 15 minutes before landing perfectly next to Dad, Blue 022, on the nest rim.

The oldest chick, 5H1, is on the perch to the right. You can barely make out a feather of her tail.

She lands! H51 has been on and off the nest ever since having a good old time being a bird! Oh, do you ever wish you could fly?

The story of Junior’s tragic death is hitting other newspapers. https://www.cheknews.ca/gabriola-island-eagle-that-shared-nest-with-hawk-found-electrocuted-1064590/

The story of the nest and the untimely killing of Junior needs to be kept alive. The e-mails to BC Hydro need to flood their inbox in order for this human caused tragedy to be fixed so that it does not happen again. It is the only way that change will happen.

Christian Sasse will be giving a special YouTube talk – in his capacity as an electric engineer -on avian electrocutions. He does not mention the time. If you go to YouTube and search for Christian Sasse you can subscribe to his channel. In theory, you should get a notification of the talk. This does not always work but Christian archives the discussions also and that is much appreciated. We should all educate ourselves on these dangers so that you speak and write to authorities with knowledge and facts.

The news of the rescue of the osplet from the Delaware River in Pennsylvania has been all over the social media platforms. It is one of those great stories. The PA Game Commission got a call of a juvenile osprey in trouble. It had fallen into the water. They immediately act to save its life! The ranger found it sitting on a wall and returned the chick to its nest That is a story that each of us would welcome every day — action! Thank you!

There have been several twiddler deliveries to the Osoyoos nest this morning (it is now 0900 there). Twiddlers at 05:53, 06:11, and 07:44. Two fish of reasonable size landed at 07:40 and 08:09. That is a good start to the day. The high will be 33 C. Hot.

I am always amazed at how quickly the little black beaks of the White-bellied sea eagles grow. The two chicks are doing fine. Dad continues to have lots of fish on the nest and both are eating well! You can certainly tell by the fish juice that has rained down on their little heads!

Lady checks on them just as the IR camera comes on.

Plenty of fish – big fish -continue to come on the Jannakkala Osprey nest in Finland. No sign of the intruder wanna-bee Mum that was around the nest a couple of days ago. Dad must be grateful – he doesn’t have to supply fish for her anymore, just his kids. I have not heard if the Mum’s body was found. I will check for us.

I did not find any more information but I could be looking in the wrong place. I will continue to search out any news. What I did find was a very informative paragraph about the banding and nests of the birds in Finland. I was particularly drawn to the fact that platforms were placed in good environments for the Ospreys. Indeed, the available fish for this nest is remarkable.

You will recall that the Balgravies Osprey nest – a natural one – collapsed with a chick. That chick was saved and placed onto an artificial platform. This is the latest ‘great’ news:

Things are quiet and that is a great way to start the weekend. Victor is working hard and standing on his own. Don’t forget to send him all your positive wishes. If you are able, a $5 donation helps – small amounts grow into big ones. That is the Ojai Raptor Centre. They also have some amazing tote bags and t-shirts which sadly do not ship to Canada! (I am going to write and ask them about this). Lots of people are watching the Notre Dame nest for any sign of Little Bit 17. Send him all your love — we want so much for this worthy eaglet to survive. The only nest needing our love is Osoyoos – we need this heat spell to break for Olsen, Soo and the kids.

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

Thank you to the following for their FB posts, Twitter feeds, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Lab, Poole Harbour Ospreys, GROWLS, PA Game Commission, Osoyoos Ospreys, Sea Eagles @Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, James Silvie, and the Finnish Osprey Foundation.

Has Little Bit 17 eaten?…and other news in Bird World on Friday

22 July 2022

It is 0751 in British Columbia and Olsen, the male at the Osoyoos Osprey nest, is taking advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to get fish for him and his family. Already he has brought in two fish to Soo and the kids. Lovely start to the day and it will certainly help them when it gets hot.

The male at the Jannakkalan Osprey nest in Finland was just delivering another big fish to the nest the instant I went to check on the chicks. Of course, there are other big hunks of fish on the nest already. No one will go hungry. The female has been added to the growing list of ‘the remembered’ and the intruder female has not returned – a good thing. The chicks are big. I don’t believe they could be predated now. Dad will feed them and they will fledge. I wonder if they found the body of the mother? and if they will release their findings on what happened to her if they did find it?

At the ND-LEEF nest, a prey item was delivered to the nest by an adult at 0652. I do not know which of the fledglings got the drop but another flew in to the nest. The park staff say that Little Bit 17 was seen flying over the area at 0652:08 on the wide cam.

You can see the wing tip on the branch above the nest of the other fledgling.

The time that 17 was believed to have flown by is 0652:08. Here is a short clip covering the entire time period. It has to be viewed in conjunction with the images above. Sadly the cameras are not synched with one another.

The driving question is this – and nothing else matters — has Little Bit 17 had anything to eat since he was released at the park? Anything? Just ‘seeing’ him does not mean he has eaten! It has been more than 48 hours and it is clear that 15 and 16 know to follow the parent and go to the nest.

Junior’s electrocution by power poles owned and operated by BC Hydro made the news in Vancouver.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/gabriola-island-bald-eagle-dies-electrocution?fbclid=IwAR13R_89H6w7K9Q7ivniSQVRdGylGUAah-EU-NO26ZBEgwRUKSyAR5I6Ch4

Is BC Hydro the agency that actually kills more eagles in British Columbia than anything else? Many think that is the case. It will take a raging public outcry and actions that will bring them to their knees. So if Junior’s life is to be meaningful cry but get mad! Bring BC Hydro to an agreement to get all of the poles on the island made safe for birds. — Then let’s move to the other hot spots where the eagles are killed on their poles.

The streaming cam is once again working at the Boat House Osprey nest on Hog Island. The chicks are doing well! Yippeee.

The Mispillion Osprey nest is vacant this morning. Are the fledglings and the parents down by the harbour?

There is a lovely video that has been compiled about Sky at the West End nest. Have a look…beautiful Sky.

As I sit and watch the three juvenile Crows fly about my garden, get their sandwiches, and bathe in the water, here is a smile from a wildlife rehabber about a female crow that broke her beak. Kindness. Everyone needs it.

Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with the Ls and Big Red last night. Here are some of her great images.

Can you follow instructions? do Laundry? clean? make a specific lunch? Your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic might be looking for volunteers. It is normally a commitment of 4 hours every week or fortnight for a period of 6 months. Have some time? want to do something for wildlife? Give them a call or check their website. They might be taking applications.

That is a quick check this morning on some of the nests we have been watching. I hope that you have a lovely Friday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Fellowship of the Crow, Explore.org and IWS, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Audubon Explore, GROWLS, ND-LEEF, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Suzanne Arnold Horning.

Early Friday in Bird World

15 July 2022

Good Morning everyone. It is going to be a hot sunny day here on the Canadian Prairies with a temperature of 31 C – a good day to get outside early for that walk! There is a heat wave across the southern areas of western Canada right now and it is going to have an impact on our Osprey nests.

I had a lot of questions about the ducklings in my blog yesterday. Here are the ducklings again. They do not all belong to the same Mum. There were 35 in total but, the individual who took the image couldn’t fit them all in the frame. They are Mallards. The females rotate taking all the ducklings to the pond to swim and eat. The other mothers get a chance to relax and eat grass. What a great system! And what well-behaved ducklings. Incredible. ‘Duckling Daycare’.

The other day Suzanne Arnold Horning took an image of the three Ls (minus L3 who is in care) on the grounds of Cornell. Every year there are a few opportunities when the three get together on the top of a fence. This was the magic moment for 2022. What a treasure. Who would know that L1 would not be with us today as we woke up? Their lives are ever so fragile and we are so lucky to be able to observe them. So glad L1 flew, and hunted, and played with her siblings. And so sorry for Big Red and Arthur who, more than likely, saw that fateful moment that took their first hatch’s life.

L1
The Ls, 1, 2, and 4 on the fence by the track. Cornell University.

Ferris Akel was kind enough to go to the Cornell Campus last night and look for Big Red, Arthur, and the two remaining chicks in the wild. There is a lovely community that has bonded around Big Red and her family. It was getting dark when Ferris took these last images of Big Red hunting a squirrel and Arthur on top of the same building where they found L1 yesterday morning.

Arthur was on the other end of the building. Earlier they had been on a light pole overlooking the area where the two chicks were – observing from a distance and perhaps thinking of L1.

Both osplets at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest in Delaware have fledged! Congratulations to Mum and Dad and all those cheering them on. Thanks ‘H’ for letting me know! The pair are having fun taking short flights on and off the nest.

One on the perch and the other one flying.

Tuckered. Flying is hard work…turns fledglings into ducklings.

Audrey is busy incubating the remaining egg and brooding Big Bob. It is possible that Big might turn out to be the only Bob on the Chesapeake Bay nest of Tom and Audrey for the 2022. Big is the first hatch of the second clutch for these two. He needs to grow big and strong and fly good to meet migration deadlines.

Right now all Big Bob wants to do is sleep and eat. Cute.

The two chicks on the Janakkalan nest in Finland continue to work on their self-feeding. Dad continues to bring the fish to the nest. One is better at self-feeding but the second is getting there. Hunger is a great motivator and when one chick has opened up the fish it is easier for the smaller one to eat. Send positive wishes to this nest. They can both survive if they feed themselves.

Everything appears to be good at the Boathouse Osprey platform on Hog Island. Morning stars glittering around Dory as she stands on the edge of the nest.

Another nest just needs fish. The heat in British Columbia is driving the bigger fish deeper into the water. The male at Osoyoos is only able to bring in little twiddlers. More fish is needed…It is going up to 34 C today. A cooker. The Ospreys need all the hydration they can get. Too bad Dad doesn’t have a fish basket on that lake.

The temperature will rise from 9 C to 29 C with a heat warning at the Canmore Alberta Fortis Exshaw Osprey nest today. Wish for fish here, too.

Peace and Love, the eaglets at the Glacier Gardens nest, were ready for their morning breakfast. There is condensation (I think that is what it is) moving about on the camera lens so it is hard to see them. Their juvenile plumage is really coming in and both continue to be healthy. — Which reminds me. The news on H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian flu, is that it is waning. Thank goodness.

The latest Twitter posting of Cal Falcons show an incredible prey exchange caught by the photographer moon_rabbit_rising

Annie and Alden are making sure that these two are so capable of getting their own prey when they leave the home territory. Would love to see this in real time…

While we wait to hear what the Ojai clinic can determine is causing Victor, Andor and Mama Cruz’s eaglet fledgling, not to be able to stand, here is an uplifting story of a sub-adult Bald Eagle that was shot and got a second chance at life. Thank you ‘C’ for making sure I had a smile on my face the other day. So grateful to the vets and the rehabbers who take our feathered friends into their care and work miracles for them.

If you saw a raptor (or other bird or animal in need) who would you call? ‘B’ sent me the answer if you live in the United States. Here is a site – Animal Help Now – that will help you find all of the wildlife rehabbers in your area and their specialties. Note that some only take turtles and amphibians, etc. You enter your address or a city and you get a list. Please bookmark this site. You never know when you are going to find yourself in a park with an injured waterfowl or raptor or on the highway. This will save you a lot of time fumbling around and it could make a real difference to the life of the injured wildlife. USFWS does not help and neither does the DNR – so do not bother calling them. If you know of a similar website in other countries, please let me know. We are all here to help and getting to the right person is critical. Thanks ‘B’.

https://ahnow.org/#/

Fledge watch is on for most of the UK Osprey nests that have not already had fledges. Keep an eye on Brooks and Molate at the SF Osprey nest of Richmond and Rosie, too. Time is passing very quickly.

There was a fox cub seen on the Fraser Point nest last night. It is a good thing Victor was rescued when he was. Lilibet was not on the nest at the time the cub came poking about.

Pip watch at the WBSE nest of Lady and Dad in the Sydney Olympic Forest nest. Yesterday Lady let Dad incubate the eggs. Will she let him today? If not, watch that first egg closely.

Thank you so much for joining me this morning. There is so much happening with all the nests – I am just glad we don’t have eggs hatching at all the Australian nests right now. We would all need several computer monitors! Continue to send positive wishes to those feathered friends in care and to those nests that desperately need fish today – big fish – like Osoyoos. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their photographs, streaming cams, FB pages, and Twitter posts where I took my screen captures: Suzanne Arnold Horning, Cornell Chatters, Ferris Akel Tours, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Chesapeake Conservancy, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Audubon and Explore.org, Osoyoos Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Cal Falcons, Explore.org and IWS, Glacier Gardens, and Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre.

An ‘Almost’ Fledge and more nest news in Bird World

6 June 2022

Oh, what a day it has been. Pretty exciting stuff happening on the nests. I was just told by my friend ‘G’ that a hatch is happening at Cape May Osprey nest. If you follow that nest, check it out!

First news first. Ahote returned to the natal nest of the West End Eagles, Thunder and Akecheta at 06:54:08 this morning. Whew! He spent 4 days over on Transmission Hill. It is sure nice to see the Three Amigos back together.

Thunder and Akecheta have not delivered food. One of the eaglets has flown off the main nest. It is not clear which male it was. Kana’kini is on the branch on the ocean side. It is thought to be Ahote but no confirmation.

Ahote is back on the nest. So controlled. Oh, I hope those parents get some food on this nest. He needs a big reward for all that effort.

As many of you are aware, Urmas Sellis undertook the rescue of Jan and Janika’s storklets. He originally placed a fish basket for Janika in the hopes that she would find it and be able to feed herself and the four storklets. He also put a pail of small fishes on the nest. Janika did not find the fish table. Two days later, Urmas returned to take the storklets after cold nights without warmth, etc. Sadly, the fourth one died right before the rescue. The three surviving chicks are in incubators. There is a fundraiser. Here is the information if you feel so inclined to contribute.

Fledges are going to overlap one another once they start. At the Red-tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur, the average age to fledge is 46.5 days. Today L1 is 46 days, L2 is 43, L3 is 42 and L4 is 39 days old. It is believed that to fly well, the hawklets need to have at least 5 dark bands showing. L1 has her 6th band peeking out. L2 has the 5th band peeking out while L3 has 4 dark bands and L4 has 3.

Big Red brought in some unidentified prey and some wanted to eat while others wanted to run and flap. It was rather chaotic!!!!!

The hawklets are pretty sedentary on the nest – even with all the flapping. After fledging, during the first 3 weeks, their activity level is believed to double. After 6-7 weeks, they will begin to catch small vertebrae. The parents will continue to feed them (more at first) and teach them hunting tricks until they leave the territory.

To my knowledge, Little Bit 17 at the ND-LEEF has not had prey yet today.

At the UFlorida-Gainesville nest, Middle almost fledged today. He would have if a storm had not quickly rolled in with high winds, rain, and some hail. Have a look at a couple of clips of Middle’s hovering. He is impressive!

At least twice today, Middle got the fish and Big did not! His confidence level is growing and growing.

Even soaking wet, Middle just doesn’t want to give up. Expect a fledge anytime!!!!!!! Nothing is going to stop him.

Middle is full of vinegar. Is this osplet going to fledge soaking wet?

How lovely it is going to be when Middle flies off with confidence. There was a time when it was not clear if we would get to this day. Middle has grown into a fantastic, getting more confident, healthy bird. Am I saying it twice? how nice the feathers are on these two? Mum and Dad can be proud. We lost Little Bit but will have two super fledglings when Middle takes off. I hope he finds his way back to the nest as easily as Big. OGK and YRK have been a bonded pair since 2006 – 16 years.

If you watch the Royal Albatross cam, today marks the 21st day that OGK has been away. Let us hope he returns to QT chick soon. Mum YRK is doing double duty at the nest and the NZ DOC rangers on Taiaroa Head are providing supplementary feedings for several chicks.

D

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clips: Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org, the Eagle Club of Estonia, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Cornell Bird Lab and NZ DOC, and UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys.

Early Monday in Bird World

6 June 2022

Liz has posted a video of Urmas and his team removing the Black Storklets from Janika’s nest in Jegova County, Estonia on 5 June. I reported earlier that a glove like a Black Stork shape had been used to place the storklets in the basket. That information is incorrect and my apologies. Bare hands were used. One storklet, sadly, died in the nest over night before the intervention. They need temperatures of 22-28 degrees C. They cannot thermoregulate their temperatures yet. In addition, it rained and well – I hope the remaining chicks survive and thrive. It will be a first for the Veterinary College to raise Black Storklets to fledging. Good luck to Urmas and his team!

Here is the video that Liz posted:

The White Storks Bukachek and Betty still have five storklets in their nest in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic. You can see the difference in size from the oldest to the youngest known as ‘Little Finger’ by the chatters.

Bukachek (male) is making sure that the wee storklet gets food in the image below.

It has been raining on and off. The rich Red Iron in the clay makes all of the Storks look dirty. Maybe when it is not so rainy more straw will be brought to the nest! That would help.

Awhile ago I mentioned the Lesser Spotted Eagles. Andris and Anna, at their nest in Zemgale, Latvia. The camera was down for awhile but it is now back and running. In the meantime, a beautiful little Lesser Spotted eaglet has hatched!

It is so cute and fluffy! There was only one egg so this is the only chick. Had there been two eggs, the first hatch most always predates the second. So having only one is a good thing! The parents can focus on bringing food to this cutie pie.

Voldis came to the White-tailed Eagle nest that he shares with Milda near Durbe, Latvia. He arrived at 05:30 and stayed for well over an hour.

Milda has had a terrible time since her long time mate, Raimis disappeared two years ago. I hope that Milda and her mate if it is to be Voldis have a very successful next breeding season. This year the eggs were predated.

Margit hatched on 25 April and is growing by leaps and bounds with the tender care of the parents, Kalju and Helju. This Golden Eaglet’s nest is in Soomaa National Park in the southwest of Estonia.

Oh, such a beautiful eaglet. Margit is waking up. The black dot behind the eye is the ear. It will be covered over with feathers before the eaglet fledges.

Helju just brought breakfast for Margit. Liz caught it in a video:

This is the streaming cam for this nest:

What is happening with Ahote? Ahote, the youngest of the three eaglets at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta, fledged on June 2. He has spent the time since then on Transmission Rock and is getting hungry unless food was delivered. Working his way back to the nest, he got some wind on his wings and got to the nest but was blown off course. No doubt he will get there! Very determined.

In the image below you can see him directly below and slightly to the right of Kana’kini and Sky.

Checking on Osprey nests in the UK, the third chick hatched at Llyn Brenig but did not survive.

Aeron Z2 and Blue 014 have had their first hatch at the Pont Cresor nest in the Glaslyn Valley.

Laddie LM12 delivered nine – yes, 9 – to the nest for Blue NC0 to feed their three Bobs at the Loch of the Lowes.

All three Bobs seem to be doing fine at the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G. Just look at how dark Mrs G’s plumage is and that necklace.

Aran has been busy delivering fish. Little Bob is not always in the most perfect position!

I do have to admit that Idris and Telyn are my favourite Ospreys in the UK along with Blue 33 and Maya.

Telyn is feeding the two older Bobs while Bobbie Bach is asleep.

Food coma!

Oh, could that be comfortable?

There is Bobbi Bach ready for his meal while the others sleep. Poor Telyn. They are surely keeping her busy.

It looks like it is starting to dry out for Dylan and Seren at the Llyn Clywedog nest. Gosh, Seren was just so wet and hunkered down keeping the three Bobs warm and dry. Let us hope the sun comes out, too, to warm them up.

Both of the Ospreys were on the UFlorida-Gainesville nest sleeping during the night.

Both are back on the nest waiting for a breakfast delivery!

Good Morning Little Bit 17! Everyone is waiting for prey deliveries at the ND-LEEF nest. I hope that the adults will feed Little Bit like they did yesterday. That would be grand.

The scrape box at Manchester NH is getting to be quite the mess! A good wind will help clear it out. It is hard to believe but this scrape will be on fledge watch beginning on the 10th or 11th of June – this coming weekend!

Nancy is on the nest at 08:40 feeding E1. It looks like they will have a beautiful day at that Bald Eagle nest in Minnesota. Wonder when E1 is going to take to the skies? Nancy has done wonders taking care of E1 and fending off intruders.

Fledge watch is on for the three at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest. It looks like only two but 17 is up higher in the tree.

There are still two eaglets – Sentry and Star – on the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian. We are on fledge watch for these two also! It could be a very busy week!!!!!!

We are definitely on fledge watch for the eyases on the nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell campus. The chicks are restless and L1 is definitely ready!

Oh, the excitement of a nest of four hawks – each itching to fly including the youngest, L4. Wonder if L1 will be the first of the oldest to go? Stay tuned.

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: the Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlade Buky White Storks, Latvian Fund for Nature, IWS and Explore.org, Friends of LOTL and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, CarnyXWild, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, ND-LEEF, Peregrine Networks, MN-DNR, Pix Cams, Friends of Redding Eagles, and Cornell Bird Lab RTH.