Tag Archives: David Gessner

Monday in Bird World

24 March 2025

Good Morning Everyone,

It is 0 degrees on the Canadian prairies. The sky is blue and peppered with a few wee cottontail clouds. We spent part of the day outside of the City watching geese fly overhead and deer near the woods. It felt so good.

The two Crows have been visiting the feeder. This morning they had a treat – pizza! There have been regular visits from the two Blue Jays along with the Red Squirrels, the Starlings, a few grey squirrels, and some sparrows. Several male House Finches have been visiting, too.

I am so grateful to see the Crows returning to the garden and the Blue Jays. Long-time readers will remember that these couples bring their babies to the garden when they fledge. It is quite entertaining especially the baby Crows who peck on the conservatory’s roof demanding more ‘cheesy dogs’!

Baby Hope relaxing in the sunshine in the conservatory. She was less interested in the birds than having a nap.

Hugo Yugo had other ideas – like leaping down to play fight with Hope.

They are certainly enjoying the warm weather!

About a week ago, some quotes from Jack Turner’s book, The Abstract Wild, were included in my blog. They focused on our lack of connection to nature and how we must regain a true and deep empathy and connection in order to truly help the wildlife.

One of our readers chronicled an event after reading those quotes that touched my heart. They wrote, “Deep connection with animals. That reminds me that I have a great little story for you. After months, I finally went to the cemetery on Monday. Only a short walk, but I was outside and it was sunny. On the way back to the bus station I passed a caterpillar crawling on the pavement. After a few more meters, it clicked, I sighed and walked back. Found some leaves to put him on and put him in a garden. I walked on and a lady was standing at a bus stop (not the one I needed) and asked me what I had just picked up. So I told her. She said she had thought something like that and that I am like her. She said something similar to your quote, people lost their connection to nature. We continued talking and agreed on every topic we discussed until her bus came, and we hugged goodbye!”

It reminded me of a period when I stayed in Udaipur, India. Many of my friends were Jain and are always careful not to harm anything in their path. Gentle souls, I recall.

After several days of tenseness on the nests – the fishing line and hook at Big Bear, SC1 almost killed by the sea pup corpse, and the death of KNF-E04 – we need a break. There are good things happening and it is so nice to read about them.

Action is being taken to save penguins! Bravo.

Hope for endangered penguins as no-fishing zones agreed off South Africahttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/18/hope-for-endangered-penguins-as-no-fishing-zones-agreed-off-south-africa?CMP=share_btn_url

Ever wondered how the birds migrate from their winter homes to their spring and summer? And land on the same branch? Sometimes we can’t do it with the apps on our phone! Quantum Mechanics is the answer.

‘They have no one to follow’: how migrating birds use quantum mechanics to navigatehttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/23/they-have-no-one-to-follow-how-migrating-birds-use-quantum-mechanics-to-navigate?CMP=share_btn_url

Good news article from Geemeff on an osprey rescue!

Trapped Osprey rescued from twine by firefighters

‘L’ sent me a note: “Isaac has spotted the osprey couple at Patchogue on their new nest!” Fantastic. Hopefully Isaac will provide frequent updates so we know when the osplets hatch and how this family, so dear to all of us, is fairing. (There is no camera as PSEG took down the old nest and did not install a new one on the new nest).

‘J’ sent a post from naturechat about the age of the juvenile visitor at NEFlorida with Bodie.

‘J’ sends us a good news story:

Raptor Education Group, Inc.

Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are magnificent birds! They have inspired people from various cultures worldwide, including scientists, conservationists, and nature writers such as Aldo Leopold. Sandhill cranes are an ancient species, with the oldest fossil estimated to be 2.5 million years old. Their rich natural history includes spiritual and cultural significance. 

One endearing aspect of Sandhill Cranes is that they are long-lived and mate for life, with pairs remaining together year-round for two decades or more. The oldest Sandhill Crane on record was at least thirty-seven years and three months old. This fact plays a vital role in our patient’s story. 

In mid-December, The REGI clinic received several calls about a solitary Sandhill Crane near McDill Pond in Stevens Point. Sandhill Cranes in the area have migrated south by that date. This crane was languishing on a property. It had not been flying for weeks. It was hiding under a resident’s porch. The reports were concerning indicators that the bird may have a wing injury or lead or another type of poisoning. We suggested the crane be captured and transported to Raptor Education Group Inc. (REGI) for care. The property owner was due to be away; she alerted a UWSP natural resources college student to the crane’s dilemma. On December 21st, in below-zero temperatures, UWSP student Kayla Allred gathered a group of friends and family members and captured the crane. REGI volunteer transporters Randy and Anne Orlikowski transported the crane to REGI in Antigo. 

REGI staff were prepared and waiting for the crane’s arrival. The large male was lethargic; however, we saw no apparent signs of fractures or injuries during the initial physical. We tube-fed him a liquid diet, gave him fluids, and let him rest for a few hours to recover from his capture and transport. Radiographs and blood work were negative for injuries or toxins. His physical exam revealed no concerns. Our work with wildlife must include the whole bird, not only what clinical tests offer as a diagnosis. Every medical concern was checked. He had no medical issues that we could prove, but we remained faced with a very depressed, healthy adult male with no injuries or abnormalities. When a patient is admitted, we request a history from the person who reports the bird. That includes questions about the bird’s behavior when found. Were physical movements regular or odd for the species? Could the bird be threatened by a dog or other predator, or what changed in the surroundings to prompt unusual behavior? Everything is a clue to the patient’s condition. Our adult male sandhill crane patient was hiding under a porch! Not normal behavior. The one thing that changed was that there were two sandhill cranes, and now he was alone. 

Wildlife rehabilitation is a complicated field that requires knowledge of each species’ natural history, dietary needs, habitat requirements, and medical aspects in our care. Understanding that sandhill cranes have a long lifespan, The oldest Sandhill Crane on record was at least thirty-seven years and 3 months old. Once paired, they are together for life, two decades or longer for these magnificent birds. Youngsters migrate with their parents. They stay together as a family for about 10 months after hatch. 

We realized our handsome patient was grieving the loss of his long-time mate. He had no will to go on without her by his side. While we do not know what happened to her, she disappeared in late fall. According to the property owner, the pair had been on the same property for at least ten years or longer. (If anyone in Stevens Point near Mc Dill Pond does know what caused her demise, please let us know) 

We gave this patient supportive care. In cases like this, we do whatever works to help our patients recover. Massages around his head, neck, and face made a difference and perked up his sensory system. He started eating again. We moved him from a small enclosure to successive larger areas to allow him to investigate his surroundings. Slowly, he recovered and began behaving in a typical fashion; however, he had not vocalized during the three months we had him in care. We had cameras on him in the flights, and while he was exercising his wings and jumping as cranes do, we could not document vertical flight, which was necessary for his successful release back to the wild. 

Spring was approaching, and we expected our local sandhill cranes to arrive home at any time. On Tuesday of this week, we heard loud crane vocalizations. At first, we thought it was our wild resident cranes announcing their return home. To our surprise, it was our patient in the flight jumping, flapping, and calling out with great excitement to whoever would listen. The following day, we moved him into a large outdoor enclosure. The enclosure has 12 ft. tall sides but a mostly open top, as it usually houses our resident flightless bald eagles. He would have to have an excellent vertical flight capability to fly out of the compound, which was the one aspect we could not prove in the enclosed flight building. The crane showed great excitement being outdoors again. He began acting like any other wild crane, probing the soil, chasing mice, and investigating the enclosure. He vocalized all day. Soon, the resident pair joined his happy sounds. The following morning, he ate well and was filled with more excitement and enthusiasm than we had ever seen in him. At about noon, a staff member observed the crane testing his vertical flight abilities, and then, with one effortless jump, he was airborne and took flight, gaining altitude until he was a speck in the sky. The event occurred so quickly that our staff forgot to take photos. However, they got another chance as the crane returned and circled our facility a few times before he headed out!

We wish this handsome sandhill crane the best in his future. We hope he finds another mate, but that is not assured in their species. No matter what, we hope he lives happily ever after. 

Birds amaze and teach us every day. It is an honor to work with them. Their lives are complicated and mirror our own in many ways. This is not our idea of how they live; it is not anthropomorphic information but biologically sound evidence. 

Thank you to Sharon, the landowner, and UWSP student Kayla Allred and the capture team she gathered after noticing his odd behavior and giving this handsome crane a second chance at life just when he thought his reason for living was over. The capture occurred in below-zero temperatures, with wind chills reaching -35 below zero F. 

If you want more information on Sandhill cranes, please find a link below. 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/id

Photos on their facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaptorEducationGroupInc

A quick check on some of our nests- all mixed up with no order at all today.

Blue IHI, the Rutland 2022 hatch, landed on the Poole Harbour nest this morning. (The nest of Blue 022 and CJ7).

Pont Cresor: Z2 (Aeron) and Blue 014 are reported to be back on the nest.

Foulshaw Moss: White YW has arrived back at his nest!

Goitzsche Wildnis, Germany: Zeus returned to the nest on Sunday the 23rd. We are waiting for the arrival of his mate, Fjona.

Brevard Osprey Nest, Florida. Three eggs.

NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and Beau: Bodie is stealing food from JV. These two are so good together! https://youtu.be/6OxI8s55jGc?

Dahlgren Osprey Nest: Two ospreys on the nest Sunday afternoon. LO and MO1 as identified by the chat moderator.

Kansas Bald Eagles: Kanza is doing very well. Second egg has not hatched (yet).

Fraser Point Bald Eagles: Andor and Cruz have their first hatch. It is deep in that nest bowl.

NCTC Bald Eagle nest of Bella and Scout: Two eaglets are doing well. They are simply adorable.

Mispillion Harbour, Delaware: Della and Warren have returned!

Roundhouse Loch Doon: Resident female named Angel has arrived on Sunday the 23rd.

Big Bear Valley: All is well with Jackie and Shadow and the eaglets. Thank goodness.

Threave Valley Ospreys: Two Ospreys on the nest!

Achieva Credit Union: Jack delivered the first fish of the day on Sunday after 1700. Oh, my goodness. I hope these deliveries get better.

Two Harbours: The second egg broke on Sunday. No one knows precisely what happened. Chase and Cholyn will be fine. Dr Sharpe was interviewed and says there is plenty of time for a second clutch and we should be checking back around the end of April.

Eschenbach: Hermine has not returned. Joan Castanyer reports: “Herbert seems to have made a connection with the new female. Days pass and Hermine does not return, although there is still some hope. But the thousands of kilometers of migration must have a benefit and the option of mating with a female is the most reasonable. However, in the afternoon Herbert seemed melancholic in the nest without his Hermine 😥.”

Sauces Canyon: Jak and Audacity’s baby is growing and strong. So pleased it is alright.

Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam: On goodness. Isn’t Big Red, at 22 years old, just the most beautiful Red-tail Hawk?

Decorah North: Windy and rain coming. Waiting for the first hatch.

Researchers have noted that the plumage of some birds is getting duller. But why? Have a read!

Pollution May Affect the Color of City Birds, Research Shows – The New York TimesDownload

Mini-Book Review: David Gessner, The Book of Flaco: The World’s Most Famous Bird

I recently completed Gessner’s captivating book about Flaco, the Eurasian Owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo in February 2023. Many of you likely followed his remarkable journey, either in person or through social media, as he adapted to life as a wild owl, skillfully expanding his territory throughout the year.

Gessner delves into the intense controversies that surrounded this extraordinary bird. For instance, the size of Flaco’s enclosure at the zoo, described as “the size of a department store window,” raised significant concerns. Questions erupted about whether more proactive measures should have been taken to recapture him and return him to the zoo. The debate over whether Flaco’s freedom outweighed the risks of safety was a poignant theme throughout his story, especially against the backdrop of the widespread use of rodenticides in the area.

Gessner compellingly introduces readers to notable figures who have delved into the concepts of ‘wild’ and ‘wilderness’, such as Jack Turner in his thought-provoking book, The Abstract Wild, and the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Despite living more than 150 years apart, Turner and Thoreau offer strikingly relevant insights into environmental and wildlife issues. It is refreshing to see how their perspectives resonate with contemporary challenges, bridging the gap between past and present. Gessner masterfully intertwines their observations with his own and the life of Flaco, raising profound and challenging questions about the impact of human activity on wildlife. His exploration urges readers to confront these critical issues with urgency and reflection.

I strongly recommend this book for its profound exploration of pressing wildlife issues. Gessner’s exceptional writing is truly captivating, making it nearly impossible to put it down. However, if you’re in search of a beautiful picture book about Flaco, you might want to look elsewhere. The book does feature a central section filled with coloured images of Flaco, captured by individuals whose lives were deeply touched by his presence, alongside dedicated photographers who meticulously documented his daily adventures.

You can order the book through your local lending library (since it is recently released it could take some time to receive a copy) or purchase it for $24.95.

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

Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, articles, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, H, J, L’, The Guardian, ABC7, nature chat, Raptor Education Group, Inc, all about birds, Goitzsche Wildnis, Brevard Osprey Platform, NEFL-AEF, Dahlgren Ospreys, Kansas Bald Eagles, IWS/Explore, NCTC Bald Eagle Nest, Heidi McGrue and Mispillion Harbour, Roundhouse Loch Doon, FOBBV, Jeff Kear and UK Osprey Info (Threave Valley, Achieva Credit Union, IWS/Explore, Joan Castanyer an Eschenbach Ospreys, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, The New York Times

Late Wednesday in Bird World

18 May 2022

It is nothing short of rainy and freezing on the Canadian Prairies. The furnace is on. Outside people have a heavy coat on and hat. I am beginning to believe that we really could have snow in a couple of days.

Little Red. 15 February 2022

The garden/shed is no longer. It was built in 1902 on the property next door. In the 1940s it was moved to my property. Since I dream of living up on the Cape in the dunes with the Ospreys and the sand, everything was covered with cedar shakes. A cottage in an urban environment. I think I miss the shed as much as Little Red does already. 🙁

The Dutch designed and built Red Squirrel House arrived today – thank you DHL. Now to put it up and see if Little Red will accept the new accommodation. He has been stressed out and upset and he might well just go elsewhere. I just hope not in anyone’s attic!!!!

Prairie people dream of sand and water!

“Beach Scene 7277” by Joanna Lee Osborn is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

One of my favourite beaches is Lunan Bay. It is just north of Arbroath, Scotland. Idyllic. Ospreys near by but not here at the beach.

If you want to read something other than factual books about Osprey development, I recommend both of David Gessner’s books. They evoke that beautiful New England coast. The first is Soaring with Fidel written when putting satellite trackers on Ospreys was novel. Gessner follows a bird – at first in an attempt to beat a BBC crew doing a documentary – and then was his own journey all the way to the mountains of Cuba where Ospreys fly in huge groups overhead as they fly to Venezula and Brazil. You will want to travel the same route – Gessner has a way of sucking you in to everything he does delightfully. The second is Return of the Osprey. A Season of Flight and Wonder. I do have a date with an Osprey and I will either be in Cuba on those mountains this September or next! Hidden within the pages of Gessner’s text is all kinds of information on Ospreys, too.

17 at the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest has not had any food and unless something comes in late, it will go hungry. 17 had a full crop last night but to grow this wee one needs food and lots of it. The other two are levelling off. Surely something will happen and turn this nest around! I just ache for this hungry little one. If falcons and hawks can manage five nestlings, what happened with the eagles. Why can’t they get enough food for all of them?

Mid-afternoon saw more fish arrive at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey nest. Both Big and Middle are sporting nice big crops. Talk about a nest that has turned around. I really wonder what is going on there??? If Dad does have two nests does he alternate weeks – one week one gets little while the other gets a lot and vice versa? [I am not saying he has two nests but it is certainly a theory]. It has been a good week and I will take it. Middle is doing fine. Both are fine.

Middle has big droopy wings now. He was so hot today. Good thing there was fish!

Say hello to RR16, Richmond and Rosie’s wee little one hardly a day old. Cute.

Did DH14 fledge? or is Big just up higher on the nest tree? Three or four fish have been delivered to the nest today! Middle seems to be giving away the hide-and-seek secret hiding spot. Fantastic.

More fish. Middle has an enormous crop after River feeding. I do wonder about Big. She always likes her fish.

There was some concern about the weather plowing through northern Minnesota. I just checked and the MN-DNR Bald Eagle nest is alright as is the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Osprey nest where Mum is incubating two eggs.

Top is E1, Harriet, on the MN-DNR nest waiting for Mum Nancy to bring some more dinner!

Right by a field! There are two eggs being incubated at the Osprey nest below.

Aren’t they adorable? Can you see their ears? Those black mole-like dots behind the eye and a little down? Those will be covered with feathers soon. When you look at this group and want to place them in order of hatch, look at feather development, not size. Then you will always get it right.

From left to right, L1, L4 (always in front near the beak), L3, and then L2. It could be the camera angle but it might not. L3 looks larger than L2. I guess we will continue to watch and guess – boys or girls. L4 is definitely a little tiercel. And L1 is too much of a big Mama not be another Big Red. The world could use lots of good hawk mothers like BR.

The two chicks of Annie, Grinnell, and Alden are losing that ‘cute’ little newly hatched look. Feathers are coming in. They are getting taller and thinner. Annie spent time today trying to keep the two shaded. It must be hot in San Francisco. Oh, they are adorable. We could be only a week away from ringing them! And names…yes, names. Of course, one has to be Grinnell, right? I mean how could it not be Grinnell?

I would say they are hot!!!!!! I wonder if there is a bit of a breeze coming in from outside? It looks like they have been doing some egg painting.

Cal Falcons posted some information and two images of Alden taken by Moon Rabbit Rising. Check out her Instagram page for more images.

It is happening. Blue 33 and Maya were the first to arrive and lay eggs in the UK. Now we are getting into the next group of Ospreys. I know that there are quite a number together with Mrs G and Aran bringing up the end of hatch.

Right now there is a really nice pip at the nest of Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 at the Loch of the Lowes!

Everything is fine at the Rutland nest of Maya and Blue 33. The kids eat, sleep, grow, eat some more. Maya is like Big Red. No one goes hungry at her house!

Thanks to ‘B’ who wrote and said Ervie is on the nest. I went and had a good look. Ervie arrived in the wee hours of the morning and slept on the perch flying down to the nest. He flew off and got a puffer. And it appears his talon is starting to grow in.

You can still see Ervie on re-wind on the PLO streaming cam. What a treat. Two days in a row. Thanks so much B from all of us!

You can see the talon just starting to grow.

Every nest seems to be doing fine except for ND-LEEF which has risen to the level of worrisome. If I say this and if everyone sends really positive energy over their way, maybe things will change for the good. As I look at Maya feeding the three Bobs, I sit in wonder. Big Bob survived the fish but I surely thought that Middle Bob was a goner – exposed to rain and the cool weather for 5 or 6 hours til Maya got the fish off and him under her. All three of them are alive and thriving. It is just such a happy positive sight. I wish all of the nests were like this one. We need a miracle for ND-LEEF. Let us all hope for it!

It has been a super long day. I have a few last images for you. I put out a new seed cylinder – they do really well for the garden birds when it is raining. Guess who found it in seconds? Dyson!!!!!!!!

The Baltimore Orioles are still visiting. In the chaos today I did manage to get to the birdseed store to get some White Millet. The place was packed with people purchasing special feeders for Baltimore Orioles. Yes, they are cute. Do you need them? No. A dish of any kind of jelly (not just grape) and orange slices set on something are absolutely fine.

This fellow has been eating oranges and Danish orange marmalade.

Thank you so much for joining me this evening. When I get Little Red’s house fixed, I will show you. Take care everyone. Stay safe.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: DHEC, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, Cal Falcons, ND-LEEF, MN-DNR, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Ospreys, LRWT, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, and SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon.

Thursday Morning in Bird World

14 April 2022

Dyson sends his love to everyone and he wants you to know that he is doing what he does best – getting seeds off the hard seed cylinders!

Thank you so much for your kind notes. The snow storm did precisely what had been predicted. There was a lull yesterday in the late afternoon and then the snow began with earnest around midnight. The forecast is now at the higher end of the snow accumulation at 80 cm or 2.62 feet. We continue to clear periodically and put down a line of seed that extends across 9 metres or 30 feet of decking and keep the feeders full and check on the hard seed cylinders as they need replacing. It has been a challenge. The sheer number of birds in the garden speaks to the recent arrival of thousands of birds during spring migration. Rain is set to start shortly turning to snow in the afternoon. Could it get worse for our feathered friends? The winds continue to bring some white out conditions. Hopefully the storm will taper off, as predicted, late Friday. Sadly, it brings out the worst in the birds who are hungry and fearful that they will starve to death. It is not unlike the beaking in the streaming cam nests when a weather event or diminished prey delivery sets off the ‘survival’ instinct in the biggest bird. Difficult to watch.

When you think you have absolutely ‘had it’ – you ‘are done’ with the birds and their beaking and bonking, stop and watch this piece of archival film that Charles Puleston shot in one of his Osprey nests on Long Island in the 1950s. It is called ‘My Turn’.

I can promise you that there is nothing more joyful, more tearful, and more satisfying than having a third hatch almost die in front of your eyes and then to have them turn around and become the most clever and dominant bird on the nest! It happens! Those are the nests you never forget.

A few of you have written to me in the last week about your need to pull back from the streaming cams and the chats that go along with some of the nests. The last note came this morning from a reader and I thought it would be a good time to discuss this. Watching the streaming cams can often bring about a sense of utter helplessness and frustration instead of the joy you anticipated. Instead of shutting the birds out of your life, I would like to make a couple of recommendations. The first is to educate yourself about the species you are watching. You do not have to purchase the books, go to your local library and if they do not have a copy see if they can order one in for you to borrow. The second is to arm yourself with emergency call numbers. Last year when a fostered Osprey chick fell off the nest at Patuxent River’s nests, the nature centre was closed. No one was answering the phone. People watched in horror hearing the chick splashing in the water. A number of us began to call leaving messages. One of the staff heard these and took their canoe back out to the park and found the chick – just in time – and literally tossed it back on the nest. This was a perfect outcome. That said frantic phone calls came from Hawaii, Canada, and the US to anyone who would listen. Every streaming cam needs the number of the local wildlife rehabber. Sadly, they do not post them. So it is up to you to find those numbers and have them ready if something happens. You also need to understand that most times help does not come. That is why Patuxent was simply so fantastic.

OK. Back to educating yourself. If you want to understand how the use of DDT caused the large Apex predators such as Eagles and Osprey to become almost extinct, get a copy of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Here is an article that speaks to the importance of this book.

Find out who Dennis Puleston was to the environmental movement and how he signalled the decline in Ospreys. Who was Charles Broley to the Bald Eagle community? These are people who fought the good fight to protect and restore the populations of Ospreys and Bald Eagles. You should know who they are. For a specific UK approach, any of the books by Mark Avery who headed the RSBP for 25 years are excellent.

The current threat is often from climate change and for eagles it is heat. Many eagles went into care last summer as did Ospreys particularly in the Pacific Northwest. One of the newest additions that David Hancock (Hancock Wildlife) is adding to the artificial nests for the Eagles in British Columbia, Canada is a shade screen. Ground breaking. How fantastic! Indeed, you might have noted the artificial nest in the Miami Zoo for the WRDC nest. These human-made nests will become more common as trees fail just as artificial platforms are now common for Ospreys.

How many times have you seen individuals belittled and having to apologize for putting human emotions on birds? This especially happens in some chats. I suggest that you read Marc Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals. Good solid research. You won’t apologize again! Jennifer Akerman’s The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way are also very good.

My library is mostly full of books on Ospreys and the smaller raptors, Peregrine Falcons and Red-tail Hawks.

Falcons: The Peregrine by J.A. Baker, Falcon by Helen Macdonald, and H is for Hawk are some good starters. Winter’s Hawk speaks to the persecution of the Red-tail Hawk where I grew up, in Oklahoma. The Kings and their Hawks gives a particular historical perspective. These are a few to get you started.

Ospreys: Alan Poole’s Ospreys is a good solid introduction to the birds. I am particularly fond of David Gessner’s Soaring with Fidel: An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond for a good look at the issue of migration, particularly the New England ospreys. It is a good read. Gessner’s other books speak to various environmental issues impacting birds. There are others: Scottish Ospreys by Philip Brown, Lady of the Loch by Helen Armitage amongst others. I will try and bring one up now and then.

If you want to understand migration, A World on the Wing. The Global Odyssey of Migrating Birds is a great start!

If you want a good laugh, Zarankin’s Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder is excellent!!!!

I did a quick check on some of the nests. The third hatch is hanging in there at the UFlorida Gainsville Osprey nest! Good for it. Spunky little thing.

Here is the link to the UF Osprey cam. It is not on YouTube.

https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/ospreycam/

The sun is coming out on Little Middle and Big at the Dale Hollow nest. They will be anxious for some fish to arrive on their nest.

Deb Stecyk did a short video of Big and Little Middle in the storm.

I found a new Peregrine Falcon nest this morning! It is in the UK at the Chichester Cathedral. There are four eggs.

When people get burnt out of watching Bald Eagles and Ospreys – where there is often a lot of beaking – I highly recommend both falcon and hawk nests. They are often overlooked because they are smaller raptors but the way that they take care of their young is reassuring that life is good.

There is also a Kestrel nest in Yorkshire. Eggs soon!

I highly recommend the streaming cam of Big Red and Arthur at the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York. Good solid nest. Big Red is 19 and Arthur is 6. Big Red has been raising little hawklets for 17 years – for ten on camera. Only one did not fledge and that was K2 in 2021 due to a beak injury and infection. There is also a good respectful moderated chat for a couple of hours in the morning.

The Queen of the RTHs, Big Red incubating four eggs on the Fernow Light Tower. This is the first time she has laid 4 eggs since the camera was set up in 2012.

Indeed, you will notice a lot of nests of falcons and hawks with four eggs this year. It could be nature’s way of adjusting for the quickly spreading Avian Flu.

Half way around the world, Lesser Spotted Eagles will be nesting in Latvia. The nest of Anna and Andris is now happy as Andris returned from his migration yesterday. Anna came home on the 12th.

And because incubation can be so boring to watch, Cal Falcons has done a really fast day in the life of Annie and the New Guy incubating! So funny and a good way to end this blog.

All of the nests seem to be doing fine. The first egg at Llyn Clywedog was laid at 10:27 this morning UK time. That is the nest of Dylan and Seren. I will be checking on those UK Osprey nests later today.

Thank you so much for joining me and for all of your good wishes, prayers, and warm thoughts for us and the garden birds and animals in the storm. It is much appreciated. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Under the Feeders. 14 April 2022

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: DHEC, UFlorida Osprey Nest, and Cornell Bird Lab and RTH.

It’s a Pip for Port Lincoln …and is Iris still in Montana?

The poor mum at the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge nest has certainly been stared at! Chatters want a stick moved and Dad seems to continue, on occasion, to bring in some more nest materials.

At 02:06, many were certain there was a bump. By 05:33:13 there was a definite pip. The bump expanding for three hours certainly seems logical.

You can see it here – the back egg! The first egg was laid on 3 August. I think it makes it 40 days on the dot – but don’t trust me, do your own math, please. It looks like there will be a little Osprey by morning tomorrow. Lovely. I hope the weather is good for mum and chick.

Thanks to the two ‘Ss’ for alerting me. It seems that Iris was enjoying a fish yesterday on her favourite tree at Mt Sentinel. You will read later in this newsletter that Ospreys prefer trees without branches. This one is certainly perfect. She can see all around her. Oh, the survival skills the Ospreys have developed over millions of years.

Oh, these birds are so smart. If the weather is bad, maybe they know it. Certainly they anticipate local weather and act accordingly!

Hurricane season officially lasts from 1 June to the end of November. Last year several of us worried about Tiny Tot and we became curious about the impact of hurricanes on the Ospreys and other birds.

This is an excellent document on the subject.

the_effects_of_hurricanes_on_birds_with_special_reDownload

In his book, Soaring with Fidel, David Gessner talks about visiting Sanibel Island after Hurricane Charley hit the area in August of 2004. Santibel took a direct hit and it is home to many sea birds including lots of Ospreys. Some of you might have watched the Captiva Bald Eagle nest last year – Joe and Connie. That nest is on Santibel Island.

According to Gessner’s friend, Tim Gardner who lives on Santibel, the hurricane hit with 140 mph winds, a category 4. “The Ospreys, according to Tim, moved lower and lower in the trees, until they hunkered down near the ground in the brush.” “But no amount of hunkering could protect them.” Gardner revealed to Gessner that all of the nests were gone after the hurricane. Blown away. Gardner also added, “The remarkable thing was the birds’ resilience: those that had lived through the hurricane had come back to rebuild on the same spots”. He noted that the few trees that remained looked just like sticks pushed up out of the ground with no branches —– well, lo and behold, our Ospreys love trees without branches. Perfect. They can see all around them. As hurricane season continues for 2021, let us wish all the wildlife resilience and strength.

I have so enjoyed Gessner’s writing that I was able to find his first book at a used book shop. It is Return of the Osprey. A Season of Flight and Wonder. I hope that it is as informative as it is a good read. Certainly Soaring with Fidel fit that. I continue to return to that book. It is a delight.

After posting the article, “The Tears of the Albatross,” my friend, ‘L’ send me a link to this wonderful video, Albatross – A Love Story! It is excellent. Have a look. Thank you, ‘L’!

So many of you have sent me the most beautiful images of your the birds. Thank you! The care, love, and concern that each of you have for the wildlife visiting your gardens is so endearing. I wish we could spread that love and care like an aerosol.

Oh, the joy and laughter the birds and animals bring with their antics! This evening as the sun was setting, the three Blue Jays that visit my garden and two of the large grey squirrels had noticed the ears of dried corn that had been put in a bowl for them. My view was mostly blocked but oh, you could see the crest of the Blue Jay pop up and down and, on occasion, the cob would roll and you could see the Jays getting a kernel and eating it. One decided to have a bath. Of course, he will never use the bird bath. This fellow, the male, prefers the old gold water bowl.

I am also certain that he can hear when I take the cap off the lens since he absolutely refuses to pose! Seriously, he had been looking straight at me prior to this.

The Blue Jay couple are year round residents in the back garden. They always come out in the morning and late afternoon to almost sunset. They often arrive with a single juvenile every summer. To my amazement, they get along with the other regulars – the little Downy male woodpecker (and his juvenile in the summer), the lone Black-Capped chickadee, the three Grey Squirrels, Sharpie the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Hedwig the Rabbit, and ‘Little Red’, the Red Squirrel. OK. Red and the Grays dislike each other completely.

These characters that give us so many giggles are really a part of the family. It is always comforting, at the end of the day, to check off that each has been seen.

The link to the Port Lincoln Osprey cam is here:

My newsletter will be late tomorrow, very late. I am hopping to get a glimpse of some birds during the day if the weather cooperates. On the list are Sandhill Cranes. In fact, it might not arrive until Tuesday late morning so don’t worry.

Thank you so much for stopping by to check on our friends in Bird World. No doubt everything will happen at once – the chick at PLO will hatch the moment that Tiaki fledges and Iris arrives at her nest! The birds certainly keep us on our toes. Stay safe everyone.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or their FB pages where I took my images: Montana Osprey Project and Cornell Bird Lab, Sharon Leigh Miles from the Montana Osprey Project who allows me to use images from their FB Page she posts, and the Port Lincoln Ospreys.

A Date with an Osprey

An ex-library book, Soaring with Fidel. An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond arrived in the post on Friday. I hadn’t intended to have it occupy most of Friday night and all Saturday and this morning but, David Gessner’s writing style pulled me in. It was as infectious as Gessner’s obsession with Ospreys that simply screams through the paragraphs. It is clear that he has a love for these large fish-eating birds, almost the size of an eagle, with their dark brown masks, and nearly 2 metre wingspans. His language is so descriptive that I felt that I was on the journey with him following the Ospreys throughout their migration. He got me excited.

An 1887 print showing an Osprey fishing near Nantucket.

The story begins on 4 September 2004, seventeen years and one day ago. The BBC were making a film about the Odyssey of the Osprey following several birds fitted with satellite trackers. Gessner was going to follow the ospreys the old fashioned way. At one time Gessner had hoped to work with the BBC but, it became a competition of sorts. It is simply the back story to one of the best books on Osprey migration that I know. The book keeps you interested – it is not clad in scientific jargon but, don’t get me wrong, it is faithful to the facts and there are many discoveries made about our beloved birds.

Gessner’s surprise comes when he discovers that Ospreys travel in flocks. It was believed that they were lone fliers. Witnessing hundreds of Ospreys flying together over the very top of the La Gran Piedra in the mountains outside of Santiago, Cuba with his soon to be friend, Freddy Santana, mesmerizes our author.

“La Gran Piedra” by erikainthevillage is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The La Gran Piedra is actually a 70,000 lb boulder at the summit of the Sierra Maestra mountain range.

@Wikimedia Commons

It is here that Santana showed Gessner the ‘flocks’ of Ospreys flying together on their migration from the northeast United States and Canada. Can you imagine what it would feel like to see this spectacle. I get teary eyed just seeing juveniles hover!

“Sierra Maestra Mountain Range” by Martin Cathrae is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

I don’t want to give away all of the story but since it is Osprey migration right now, I want to recommend this fantastic book to you. Get your library to bring it in for you or find a good used bookstore. My ex-library edition arrived in mint condition!

I looked to see if anyone had posted videos of the birds flying over the mountains in Cuba. I could not find anything. What I did find was a short video showing the routes that the birds from Cape Cod take to South America. It does show the route over Cuba.

If you get the ‘itch’ to see the Ospreys travel over the mountains but do not feel quite physically up to it climbing it- you are covered. There are 4 x 4 jeeps available with a guide. In addition, the Cuba Travel Network has guides and information on all of the birds that are indigenous to Cuba or others that travel through on their way to South America. They look like a good resource but I have not checked them out – yet.

I also found another very interesting web site just for birders. It is BirdingPal. A Watching Club for World Travellers. Cuba. The interests of the members vary. This is the link to their website:

http://www.birdingpal.org/Cuba.htm

If you live in a country where you are free to travel to Cuba, it is important to note that you will require a guide (unless that law has recently changed) if you wish to go out into the country birding. The fees are very reasonable. The price I was quoted was 146 USD for the guide and the 4×4 jeep to the top of the mountains to see the Osprey.

One of the things that the pandemic has taught many of us that we are finding joy in things we never imagined. It also taught me that your life can be taken away in a blink. So live it.

Next year, I will keep on top of what is happening at my local nest since it was not included in the world listing of Osprey nests in Osprey Watch. I will, indeed, take images at every stage of the nest to help the data collectors. But, instead of travelling to Poole Harbour in the UK to see the migrating Ospreys stopping over for a rest and some fish before heading on to Africa in late August, I want to see the Ospreys fly over the Gran Piedra in September. I have a date with an Osprey.

Thanks so much for joining me. I also highly recommend Belle’s Journey if you have children or are a teacher. It is a fantastic book with great images that explain the challenges of Osprey migration. If you have an Osprey nest near to where you live, I urge you to check out Osprey Watch run by the Centre for Conservation Biology. It is also a great resource on Osprey. See if your local nest is on the list! Mine wasn’t – it is now. Take care everyone. See you soon.

The featured image is Iris. Iris is the oldest Osprey in the world. Her breeding area is in Missoula, Montana. Iris is unringed. It is not known where she spends her winters.