Tag Archives: Dahlgren Osprey Nest has 2 hatches 2021

Checking in on Bird World – Friday 4 June

This is the first year that Sarasota Bay has a camera on their Osprey nest. This year there are three chicks and this morning at 7:41, Mom put on a stunning fishing demonstration for everyone watching. Here is a short video clip of that moment. She has been watching a fish for several minutes and was drawn to catch it!

Over in Mlady Buky, Czechoslovakia, the three baby storks and their Dad are really doing well. The community continues to provide food for them and will until such time as the little ones can get their own. How generous and caring these people are. It has been two weeks since the female was electrocuted on the hydro lines. It is heartwarming that everyone has pitched in so that this nest can be a success and not a tragedy.

Look at how well they can stand. Their wings are growing. This is just grand. And now the three can move around the nest much better than they could a week ago. They love to watch what is going on below them! My Asian friends tell me that everyone will be blessed with a long life because of their good deeds for this stork family. I sure hope so! It is for their efforts that these three little birds are now standing.

Look at those precious ones standing and their wing feathers growing in so nicely. They are looking like healthy little storks. This was ten days ago:

What a difference!

The little albino Osplet in the Urdaibai Biosphere Nest is still with us! It has really been raining and thankfully, the skies stopped pouring down and Landa got a break to feed the trio.

Aww, little Zuri is right up there wanting some fish. Thank you Roy!

The sun is setting. The golden glow that it casts on the marshlands makes them so green and so alive. Landa is keeping all three of her little ones warm and dry. I wonder if they will have one more fish dinner?

The rain has left Landa and her wee ones in Spain but it is pitching it down in King George County in West Virginia. Harriet and the two Bobs were soaked when I checked on them today. Just look at how big those kids are now. Harriet seems to have controlled Jack’s urge to bring too many objects to the nest! or maybe the people of the area have stopped putting out toys specifically for Jack to take to the nest! That would help a lot.

Thinking about toys and aprons being brought to an Osprey nest reminded me of Richmond and Rosie. Richmond is the ‘king’ of cute things coming in to the nest. There are people who watch so that the chicks don’t get hurt and carefully go up and remove them. One of the most fun things was a blanket last year; many remember an orange monkey, too, and an apron.

There are two camera views. One is a rather wide view of Richmond and Rosie’s nest on the Whirley Crane – yes a real crane – at the Richmond Shipyards in San Francisco.

The other one shows more of the actual comings and goings on the nest. The last time we checked on this family – I am embarrassed it has been so long – was when the third chick hatched. Rosie is a pro at handling a nest with three ospreys and Richmond is quite the fisher. These babies and their mom will never be hungry. Richmond does not migrate. He stays in San Francisco all year round but Rosie heads south in the winter returning in late February. This year she arrived earlier than she ever has – on 18 February – just a few days off of Valentine’s. Richmond is always delighted to see her. He is usually at the nest within minutes of her arrival! Oh, the love birds. How sweet.

Richmond and Rosie’s trio are getting their peachy juvenile plumage!

I always watch the scrape box of Diane and Xavier on the grounds of Charles Sturt Campus in Orange, NSW, Australia. As you may know, Peregrine Falcons do not build nests like Ospreys and Eagles. They lay their eggs on gravel or sandy cliffs. This is a method that has evolved so that there are no parasites to harm their eyases. Izzi is Xavier and Diamond’s 2020 hatch. Izzi has his own very distinct personality. And he is a handful.

The scrape box is on top of the old water tower (170 steps up). The behaviour of the Peregrine Falcons is part of Dr Cilla Kinross’s research on raptors.

Izzi is posing a lot of interesting questions into falcon behaviour. He should have vacated the scrape box months ago as the new breeding season is about to start. BUT – yes one of those big pauses….Izzi fludged and was returned to the scrape box. Then on his second fledge he flew into a window and was taken into care and returned to the scrape box. The third time was a winner – a perfect fly out from the box. But Izzi, being Izzi, the only child of X and D, may think that the scrape box is his! It is now the beginning of June and everyone was sure he would be evicted no later than February. I wonder what is doing to happen???

Here is Izzi having a serious chat with Diamond, his mother, who is on the ledge. Izzi is known for being very loud. They can probably hear him all the way to Sydney!

I am going to close with a video by Lady Hawk on the Bucovina Golden Eagles in Bulgaria. The mother hunted and brought a fawn into the nest the other day. You might recall that normally the males do the hunting but the male is afraid of the camera! So the mother has had to go and hunt. Here you can see that she keeps feeding her chick til it looks like it will pop. Just look at that crop!

It is now 35 degrees C on the Canadian prairies. The heat warning remains in effect for this atypical weather. In fact we are now 7 degrees hotter than islands in the Caribbean! It is time to replenish all the bird bowls and baths. Have a fabulous weekend everyone. Thanks for joining me. Take care.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam, Urdaibai Biosphere Ospreys, Mlady Buky, Dahlgren Osprey Nest, Sarasota Bay Ospreys, and Golden Gate Audubon.

Being a bird is not that easy!

At 5:58:36 Tiny Tot was busy eating a fish. Then all of a sudden, Diane and Tiny begin to look around. Someone is arriving, someone they know! Two seconds later and one of the older siblings – I cannot tell if it is 1 or 2 – lands on the nest and begins sniffing around Tiny Tot’s dinner. It was really apparent that the older sibling was extremely hungry. Tiny Tot did not mind sharing its fish – at least, this time, it didn’t.

More than half of first year fledges die. The challenges they face are immense. Most die of starvation. Maybe the older sibling will stay around the nest and have a long sibling chat with Tiny Tot telling them of the dangers and the scary things they might face. Are there gators around St Petersburg? would an Osprey think they were a log and land on their back? What about all the other birds trying to catch fish. Someone trained in watching Ospreys fish said that it takes approximately 15 tries before an experienced bird gets their catch. That could be exhausting and frustrating for first year birds who probably take many more tries.

The older sibling arrives ravenous and heads right to Tiny’s fish.

Whichever sibling you are, it is nice to see you. Tiny Tot does not mind sharing. He knows that Diane will allow you to eat the fish and then she will take it and feed everyone – and that is precisely what she did when the 7:56:11 fish arrived on the nest. The older sibling was so hungry that it really put up a fight with Diane for immediate control of that fish. She gave in and then twenty minutes later took the fish and fed both of the chicks. The older sibling will sleep with a full tummy tonight – perhaps the first time in a week.

Here comes Diane with that nice fish.

The older sibling begins trying to pull the fish off Diane’s talon.

He’s got it. Notice that Tiny Tot is not making a fuss or mantling.

Diane lets the oldest sibling feed on the fish for about 20 minutes and then she takes over and feeds both of the osplets.

The older sibling was on the nest when Jack brought the first fish in at 7:15 Wednesday morning. There was a scramble and Jack wanted to get out quick. The older sibling grabbed the fish. Let’s see how happy Tiny is if this happens all day!!!!!!!!

I cannot even imagine what it is like to be a first time bird parent. Wonder what it is like trying to feed a moving bobble head? Their heads bobble back and forth and the beak of the parent is large and well, it takes time to figure out precisely how to coordinate feeding.

Telling their partner that they need a convenience break or to get out and get some more fish on the nest is sometimes difficult. Watching some of the more ‘power’ couples, they seem to know what the other needs before they scream out for it. Aran always has fish on the nest for Mrs G. She needs to eat just like the Qs.

Today, NC0 needed a break. She flew off the nest. Laddie flew in to watch over the little one. Laddie needs to get with the fish deliveries, however. He has to provide food for both NC0 and the little one.

At an earlier feeding, NC0 did a good job feeding the little one and it also held its head as straight as it could. Tomorrow they will be even better. Now, we just need fish, Laddie!

Her is a bit of a giggle that was recorded when Nessie was first feeding the little one. Have a bit of a giggle. It is about 30 seconds long.

And now we have the second one arriving! Sure wish the rain would stop on this nest. It is hard to keep the babies dry and feed them when it is pitching down rain. So much to think about with little ones.

Osprey dads love to bring colourful items to the nest and Jack at the Dahlgren Nest is no exception. There was a big smile on my face today because Harriet has really cleaned up dad’s hoard of toys and plastic objects so that the two osplets can walk around. That must not have been easy! She usually buries the plushies in the rim of the nest but I wonder if she hasn’t just tossed them off?

Just imagine the challenges for an Osprey mom with four chicks? That is what this pair of Ospreys overcome every day in the Botrona Natural Reserve in Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy.

The first chick hatched on 1 April 2021. You can easily tell by their size which is the oldest and the youngest in the clutch.

They are all doing splendid. The nest is in a prey rich area and the parents have worked hard to make sure that each is fed. All four are thriving.

I would like to introduce you to another Osprey Nest, this time in Estonia. The nest of Marko and Miina is in the south of Estonia in Vorumaa. Miina is stunningly beautiful. In the image below you can see her dark wide necklace.

Miina is incubating three eggs. The first was laid on 17 April, the second on 20 April, and the third on 23 April. Hatch watch will officially begin on 25 May! This is the tenth year for this nest and everyone is very excited.

Why do I mention this particular nest in Poland and not another? The female is incubating four eggs!

You can follow Marko and Miina raising their family here:

I have been meaning to post information on a nest in the Bartlinecka Forest and I have waited to find out more information. Instead of waiting any longer, I would like also to introduce you to an Osprey nest on a 35 metre high artificial platform built by the Polish Committee for the Protection of Eagles. This has been a very successful nest in the past. Just look at that beautiful forest. The camera was just installed in 2019. Oh, the female has a beautiful necklace, too.

Congratulations to Aran and Mrs G on their second hatch!

The last bit of this morning’s news is that in the early morning, at dusk, Iris laid her third egg. Iris cannot help it. That is Mother Nature. So far Iris has mostly ignored incubating the eggs. If she has any free will from her hormones maybe that is it – or maybe she knows those eggs aren’t viable. Who knows? I love getting a glimpse of her when she comes to the nest! Each day is precious.

It is a partly cloudy day on the Canadian prairies and we are being promised rain. I hope that it really does rain for the nest week like it shows on my phone. Everything is so dry. Even so, there were some Brown Thrashers thumping about in my garden this morning. They are always a welcome sight along with the Purple Finches. Thank you so much for joining me. Take care and have a wonderful Wednesday.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I get my screen shots: Rybolowy Online Puszca Barlinecka, Scottish Wildlife and Loch of the Lowes, Eagle Club of Estonia, Botrona Natural Reserve in Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy, Dahlgren Osprey Nest, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife, and Achieva Credit Union.

Late night Thursday edition of ‘As the Nest Turns’

The White-tail Eagle nest in the Matsula National Park in Estonia – one of the oldest known breeding territories in the country, has been fledging eaglets since the nineteenth century, if not before. Archives go back to 1870 with modern records from 1996-2020 indicating that no less than 29 eaglets fledged from the nest that Eve and Eerik currently call their own. So what has happened this year?

For two days now, Eve and Eerik have been mourning the loss of their two babies, EE1 and EE2. Long before the little ones stopped breathing, the couple knew. A parent was always there with them witnessing their last breath. It is a scene that many of us have observed at other nests this year. I remember too clearly the Captiva Bald Eagle Nest in Florida – on Santibel Island – when Hope and Peace both died of secondary rodenticide poisoning. Joe, the father was devastated, and I have often wondered if it wasn’t the death of his two eaglets that made him vulnerable and, eventually, evicted from the nest by Martin. Several years ago, stories of the injuries to Juliet at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest and then the death of his eaglet, made Romeo abandon the Bald Eagle Nest in Jacksonville where his son, Samson, has now fledged his third-eaglet, Legacy (the two previous were Romy and Jules last year). Birds have memories and emotions, they mourn the dead, and understand. Laura Culley would challenge anyone who begged to differ, “And why wouldn’t they?” she was ask.

Eve and Eerik completely covered the babies, each spending time at the nest. Imagine that you have two seemingly healthy children and within a day they are both dead and you don’t know what happened. I use the term ‘seemingly healthy’, as the two eaglets were somewhat lethargic for several days before they died. It was extremely hot – one of those blasts of extreme heat that my friend ‘T’ from Strasbourg warned me about. I thought it was the heat that caused them to be less hungry and alert.

The experts in Estonia have mentioned that a sizeable number of large birds have been found dead along the coastline. Below is a Google Map showing that coast line and the area of Matsula.

Google Map showing the area of Matsalu and its proximity to the coast line of Estonia.

The eagles eat carrion (dead animals). Is it possible that a disease was transmitted to the nest? Was it Avian Flu? or was the cause rodenticide? It will be good to have the speculation stopped and have factual evidence – then the wildlife authorities can begin to figure out how to make sure this doesn’t happen again (if they can). The bodies of the babies will be removed on the 14th of May for an autopsy if the eagles allow them to take them. Meanwhile, Eerik is at the nest looking down at his baby, EE1, now covered by straw.

Wildlife employees in Estonia have just released this statement: “If we manage to collect the dead chicks (hope the parents let us do that), the tests will be done in Estonian University of Life Sciences or sent abroad if needed. We’ve talked with Dr. Madis Leivits about it. We’ll post the findings on the forum, if we get new information. The camera will stay online and I really hope that next year we can follow this nest again.” Thank you ‘T’ for sending this to me!

It is hard to transition from what is happening in Estonia to the rest of Bird World. I hope that the issues at this beautiful nest in Estonia are resolved and that Eve and Eerik return to raise another family next year.

When the anxiety and tensions on one nest get too high and I need a break, I head to a nest that appears stable – at that moment. As we all know, everything can change in an instant. One of those ‘safe’ nests is the Manton Bay Osprey nest at Rutland, home of Maya and Blue 33 (11). Just look at those Two Bobs! Blue 33 (11) has been busy bringing in fish today. It was a whopper at 11:47. Maya is busy filling the two up before the rains come. Look at how strong their necks are! Oh, I love this Osprey nest and those baby blues of the little ones. They will turn an amber or yellow-orange shortly and when they are adults, their eyes will be a piercing bright yellow like their dad and mum. Oh, those little dinosaurs are adorable.

Birds are often better at telling what the weather will be than our local forecaster. Maya fed the babies as much as they could hold before the skies opened in the late afternoon. Look at how she is hunkered down so the Bobs are warm and dry. Their down is of no protection to them.

By 18:22 it is dry enough that Maya can safely stop her brooding and feed those spunky osplets! There is not any nonsense. Maya and Blue 33 (11) are amazing parents who keep those kiddos full. The Bobs know that there is plenty of fish – no food insecurities here. How refreshing. I could watch these two little ones all day. You can see how they stand erect for Maya and how their crops are just beginning to get full.

There is no shortage of pigeons for the three male eyases of Annie and Grinnell. The parents had a banquet for them after the banding yesterday. If you look carefully you can see the red band on the right leg of the chick at bottom left. Each eyas has two bands – an aluminum one and a coloured one.

One of the questions that someone asked yesterday during the Q & A was about the ‘ps’ all over the walls. The answer was this: if something happened to Annie and Grinnell a pair of falcons checking out this box would know that the territory was a good one, full of prey, because of all the ps. Isn’t that interesting? One of the other questions was about parasites. Peregrine falcons evolved to lay their eggs and raise their eyases in a scrape box. This helps avoid mites and parasites that happen on stick nests.

Big Red and Arthur’s little ones are also full of spunk and vinegar! K3 got its head caught under the wing of one of the sibs and it stood up like a big prize fighter giving that sib the what for. Look at that crop! That little one is really telling that other one. It is not the first time this little one has been ready to take one of the older ones on. This nest is going to get really interesting.

Samson brought Legacy a nice fish. Legacy started squealing and mantling before he was even in sight – that was 4:50:28 if you are watching the streaming cam. There she is mantling and Samson is just arriving.

I love Samson’s skinny legs! It looks like he is wearing tights. He is getting out of there quick – saving those talons for sure!

Legacy will not stop mantling the fish til Samson is not a threat.

Legacy is really learning how to keep her fish for herself. Great lessons by Samson and Gabby.

Legacy made quick work of that fish!

Oh, Legacy, you are gorgeous. We are so lucky you returned to the nest and have stayed around longer so we can enjoy seeing you learn and grow more confident.

I have done a quick run through of the other nests and everything seems to be going smoothly. There will be hatch watch for some of the Osprey nests in the UK this weekend. Iris has two eggs in the nest but she appears to not be taking their presence seriously. She left at 13:55 and at 20:25 she had not returned. I am glad to see that Iris is taking care of herself. No doubt she is enjoying the nice day and has caught herself several good fish.

Tiny Tot, who is no longer tiny, has been eating a lot of fish today. #2 sibling got the first fish of the morning. Tiny Tot showed the remarkable patience she has gained. She waited knowing full well that Diane would let #2 work on the fish for so long and then she would take it and they would enjoy the rest of it together. That has repeated itself throughout the day.

And can you see them with all the things in the nest? The two at the Dahlgren Osprey Nest are doing well. The first hatch has really taken off in terms of size. I bet everyone is sitting around saying that ‘it’ is going to be a ‘big girl’. Time will tell. It is too late for the third egg to hatch and it will be absorbed into the nest. No worries. Harriet keeps the two chicks warm and well fed. Jack is an excellent provider. Two nice healthy chicks is great!

Tomorrow I want to check on some of the Red-tail hawk nests in New York City – yes, right in the heart of the city. In fact, it was one of these nests that keened my interest on urban hawks – the one on the ledge of New York City University. There should also be some news on the retrieval attempt of EE1 and EE2 for their post-mortems. Right now, Eerik is on the left hand branch of the nest tree in Estonia. He has moved the bodies of the babies and him and Eve have eaten off the prey in the nest. They need to consume it so that intruders do not come. So fingers crossed!

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

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I get my screen shots: The Eagle Club of Estonia, the Dahlgren Osprey Cam, Cornell Bird Lab, UC Falcon Cam, NE Florida Bald Eagle Cam, LRWT Rutland Osprey Project, Achieva Credit Union, and the Montana Osprey Project.

From all the little ones…

There are so many bird babies around the world today thankful for their great moms that I thought we would stop in and check on some of them – and take a look back in some cases. I apologize if I didn’t include your favourite.

Thanks Mom Bonnie and Dad Clyde for finding us a beautiful nest tree and then stealing it from those Bald Eagles.

Farmer Derek Streaming Cam. Tree on the farm near Newton, Kansas that once belonged to the Bald Eagles but captured by Bonnie and Clyde to raise their owlets, Tiger and Lily Rose.

We did well. Look at us! Lily Rose and I fly all over the farm but we love to come back to the nest for you and dad to bring us some food.

Farmer Derek Streaming Cam. 8 May 2021

You kept us really warm and full with all those mice when it was snowy and cold.

Farmer Derek. February 2021

Thanks Mom. Look at how big we are – #1 Daughter and #2 Son.

MN DNR. Parents are Nancy and Harry. Oldest sibling is a girl, youngest is a male. 9 May 2021

Thanks Mom Gabby. I inherited your and Dad Samson’s stunning beauty and also your loud squeal – not sure Dad Samson likes it when I chase him! You and Dad have taken such good care of me.

NE Florida Eagle Cam and the AEF. February 2021

Thank you for keeping me on the nest and teaching me all those lessons after I got lost!

NE Florida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF. Legacy with a huge crop. 9 May 202

Mom, it’s Mother’s Day and I really thought I would be a great mom like you are. But there are people looking at the beak line and my eye ratio and the length of my hallux and they are saying I am a boy!

NEFlorida and the AEF Bald Eagle Cam. 9 May 2021

Thanks Dad Jack for coming to help Mom Harriet feed us this morning! And thanks Dad for not bringing in anymore toys so Mom can find us to feed us.

Dalgren Osprey Nest. 9 May 2021. Jack and Harriet are the parents.

Look, Mom Anna. We did it! I grew up – your first baby ever. Thank you for keeping me safe when that other juvenile came to steal my fish the other day.

KNF Streaming Cam. First time parents are Louis and Anna. This is Kisatchie named after the national park where the ancient nest tree is located.

Boy, Dad Louis sure kept that nest full of fish. Good thing we can’t smell very well, right Mom Anna? Do you remember?

KNF Eagle Cam. 8 March 2021

Thanks Mom, Annie. You are always fair when you feed us. Look how big we are growing. And just look at our pretty pantaloons!!!!!!!!!

UC Berkeley Falcon Cam. Annie and Grinnell are the parents on this beautiful nest in the Campanile in San Francisco.

Look how much we have grown! Thanks for taking such good care of us and feeding us all that pigeon.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom. I hatched just in time! Can I have some fish please?

Rutland Water Ospreys. Maya is the mom and Blue 33 (11) is the dad. This is ‘Little Bob’.

Aren’t I gorgeous? Just like my mom Lime Green Lime. My mom travels thousands of kilometres to find food for me. Then she flies back to Taiaroa Head to give me my squid shake. I don’t have a name yet. People are voting and I will know soon. Stay tuned.

Cornell Bird Lab and NZ DOC. Royal Albatross Cam Chick of the Year, Daughter of LGL and LGK. 7 May 2021
Cornell Lab and NZ DOC. One day I am going to fly like my mom, LGL. April 2021

Yeah, the sun is out and the wind is warm and our mom, Big Red is drying out just like we are. Isn’t she the best? She takes good care of us even if it is snowing or raining and flooding everything. Big Red is the best mom ever.

Cornell Bird Lab. Big Red is the 18 year old mom and Arthur is the 5 year old dad of this years Ks. 9 May 2021

Mom Big Red. You endure any kind of weather to keep your little ones safe!

Cornell Bird Lab. April 2021.

Thanks Mom for yelling at dad to bring in more fish so we both can eat. We are growing really big. And I promise to try not and be so bad to my little brother, Mom.

Cornell Bird Lab and Skidaway Audubon. The Savannah Osprey Nest. 9 May 2021

Thank you Mom for staying with me when I get scared. It is lonely in this nest sometimes. You were so great at keeping me warm when it got really cold here in Colorado. But, today, what do you think of the new hair style?

Xcel Energy Fort St. Vrain Eagle Cam. This Bald Eagle Cam is located in Colorado. This little one has done well and is just getting its dark thermal down. 9 May 2021

Thank you Mom Eve for keeping us warm and being fair with the feeding. We both get fed and we both grow the same! You and dad Eerik keep the nest stocked with food so we never are hungry.

Eagle Club of Estonia. Eve and Eerik are the parents of the two little White-tail Eaglets. 9 May 2021

Thanks Mom for not giving up on us when you were buried in snow for a month. We are going to get our satellite trackers soon and you can follow us wherever we go after we fledge! And also Mom, thanks for not letting Big get all the food!

Duke Farms Eagle Cam, Hillsborough, New Jersey. These two are really growing fast and evening out in their size.

Thank you Mama Lucy. It’s just me so far and that is OK. You are a great Mom.

Lake Murray Osprey Cam. Parents are Lucy and Ricky and this is nest number 8 for this pair since 2013. The nest platform is brand new in 2020. What a beautiful place to raise ospreys.

Lucy and Ricky have a beautiful place and a new platform in 2020 to raise their little ones. The couple arrived in the area in 2013. Since then their nests have been destroyed by storms. Hope this wonderful new Osprey platform survives.

Lake Murray NH Osprey Cam. 9 May 2021

Mama Harriet, we had to go away and get our eye infection taken care of by CROW. Mom, I am sorry I had to have time out because I was so bad to my little brother, E18. I promise we will be the best of friends in the future.

Mama Harriet, I kept my promise. E18 and I are the best of mates now that we are growing up.

You did good, Mom. We only fight over food drops now – just like we did when we were at CROW. Sorry!

Tiny Tot: “Thanks Mom Diane for bringing in all that extra fish. It was literally life and death for me. I promise to grow into a great mom. You will be proud of me.”

Achieva Credit Union Osprey Cam. 9 May 2021. #2 sibling on left, Tiny Tot on Right

Thank you for joining me today. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Bird Moms and to each of you that has inspired, raised/reared someone or something else. It takes a village!

Thank you to all the streaming cams listed under the images. That is where I captured those screen shots.

Bob Bob Bobble heads arriving faster than I can count

Congratulations to Richmond and Rosie whose nest is on top of the Whirley Crane at the Richmond Shipyards in San Francisco! That first hatch of the three eggs came on 2 May.

Everyone knows have been pulling my hair out to understand what in the world is going on at the nest of Gabby and Samson – no food for Legacy for three full days. But, hats off to Richmond, the minute that pip happened, he went out and hauled in a fish for Rosie! Richmond and Rosie are a great team. They can handle three – no question!

Welcome little one. Your parents have that fish under control and you are assured of lots of food and maybe some fun toys and blankets in that nest, too.

And, oh my. I reported the first hatch at Dahlgren Osprey Nest in King George Country, Virginia. It should have been the second hatch! Sometimes it is really hard to wade through and see what is in the nest. Jack brings in so much stuff. Harriet is going to have to start throwing it overboard!

There are two little taupe bobble heads with stripes down their back right under Harriet’s beak.

Every year Big Red gets my vote for ‘Bird Mother of the Year’. She is incredible. She is the epitome of care and devotion. I sure would like to ask her if she would consider fostering a juvenile Bald Eagle from Florida right now! Big Red’s kids never go hungry. Never. She’s old school, like Richmond. Load that pantry – tomorrow could be a hot stormy day. Don’t wait. Arthur is more than happy to oblige.

Oh, you can barely see that little bobble head, K1.

And last but not least, the ‘Name the Royal Cam Chick of 2021 Contest’ is Open. You can take part. There are lots of prizes but the opportunity to name this beautiful albatross is award enough! Give it a go.


This year’s competition theme is ‘kaitiaki’ which is the Māori concept of guardianship over the land, sea and sky. This theme has been chosen to inspire names that celebrate this vital role. Five names have made the short list out of 700 submitted. The five short listed are:

Tiaki means to preserve, protect, and care for the land, sea, and sky.

Mahara means to think about and remember.

Ururaki means the winds of the sky. It is also the name of a star cluster.

Ataraku means morning star, a time for new beginnings and opportunities

Kaihauta means navigator

Vote here: www.doc.govt.nz/namethechick❗ Polls close at 5 pm on the 6th of May.

Thank you for joining me today. I will be in a decidedly better mood once our dear Legacy has some food in that crop of hers. It is 32 degrees in Jacksonville today and the only way to get hydration is through prey. There is no intervention allowed. Just send warm wishes like we did for Tiny ‘Biggie’ Tot that whatever is going on with the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest is rectified soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams. Those cameras provide the feed where I get my screen shots: Bay Ospreys by Golden Gate Audubon, Dahlgren Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, and Cornell Bird Lab and NZ DOC.