Late Wednesday in Bird World

29 June 2022

Everyone that watches the ND-LEEF nest loves Little Bit 17. They also like 15 and 16. Everyone associated with the park where the nest is located is trying to deal with the situation of ND17 as they can. It is best to keep in mind that no one yet – as far as I can determine from the public correspondence on the chat and FB – who has the expertise to determine if 17 is alright has examined him. The operative word is examined – not observed. If I fell 60 feet and pretty much stayed in the same spot and hadn’t moved for 3 days and had not had a good meal for at least 4 days – well, I would hope that they would get medical help not just observe me to be healthy and say it is best to leave me alone.

That is the issue at hand. 17 has not moved from where he was Monday morning and he has not eaten for at least 4 full days. If he was vigorous and lively he would be all over the place not sitting in the same place. He cannot fly. 16 and 15 returned to the nest where the parents wanted them to be to be fed. That nest is falling apart and 17 cannot get up there. Will someone just step back and get a wildlife rehabber – a licensed one – or a volunteer of the rehabbers to pick up 17 and take him to a clinic to be x-rayed and assessed? He can be brought back if he is well. The parents will not abandon him. I pick up wildlife for a clinic and transport the birds (mostly ducks where I have to muck in a pond but often songbirds) to their site as they are busy treating other animals. All clinics have volunteers that do this and we/they are trained in taking great care in picking up and transporting the patients.

Enough. I wish the world was full of individuals like Dr Sharpe and his team at the Institute for Wildlife Studies. Gosh…I bet he would even do a phone consult!!!!!!!!!

The nest continues to deteriorate. Those parents will have it back up and in fine shape for next season once these season’s three have left the territory. It is surprising how fast a nest can be built! I was amazed at how quickly Richmond and Rosie rebuild their nest on the Whirley Crane in the Richmond Shipping Yards even while the Crows kept taking the sticks that they would bring in. Eagles can do that too.

There are holes popping up on the nest everywhere! What is doing that?

I wonder what the ratio of female osprey chicks to male will be in the UK in 2022? They endeavour to get every osprey chick ringed. I am so impressed.

Foulshaw Moss released the information on the banding of the three chicks of White YW and Blue 35 in their blog this morning. One large female – 1.8 kg or 1800 grams (only 30 grams less than the largest ever female at Dyfi) and two males.

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/news/over-100-osprey-chicks-have-been-tagged-cumbria-2001?fbclid=IwAR2iHrOucTYXV7P1O_1MTveU0uhQpmyn0nzMiWeXaAPINSSVGqJy0YRkC00

In the blog they mention the 100th chick ringed – that was Tiny Tot, Blue 463. So small that no one thought she would survive but with the great care by her Mum and the tricks she played to get Tiny fed (removing the fish on the nest, letting the big ones fall into food coma and returning it to feed Tiny Tot).

Blue 35 feeding Tiny Tot after the two big siblings are fed and going to sleep.

The three chicks on the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G were ringed today. Mrs G kept guard and she is still watching and waiting for every human to get far away from the nest. Here is the information from the individual that ringed the chicks:

Yesterday the three chicks of Idris and Telyn were ringed at the Dyfi Nest. There are three girls. Their names are after Welsh rivers and lakes. A vote was taken and it was agreed that the names should all use the same first letter. The letter ‘P’ was chosen to honour a long time Dyfi supporter, Posh Pete. The chicks are: Pedran (7B0), weight 1695g. Padarn (7B1), weight 1790g and. Paith (7B2), weight 1830g. Paith sets the record for weight at ringing on this nest but ironically she has the shortest wing span.

Chloe Baker put together this chart to compare.

It is really a good thing that Idris is a good fisher with three large girls to feed plus Telyn and himself!

‘H’ mentioned her frustration at trying to find information on the streaming cam sites. Many have nothing and the FB groups often do not have the history either. I have often addressed the need for an emergency phone number if something happens at the nest but few places will post phone numbers for fear of getting inundated with worrisome calls. Many of the nests are on sites where there is no continuity of staff. I have found, however, that the UK sites have excellent websites. Many – if not all of the nests – are associated with a nature centre that does have dedicated staff and volunteers who try to keep information up to date and accurate.

I want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to the Dyfi Osprey Project – they have all kinds of information under the streaming camera plus a very informative website with a family tree that I have placed on my blog in the past. Here is that information under the streaming cam image:

Out of all that information I am particularly pleased to see Intruder no 7, Blue KCB. This is why information and ringing is important. You can track and establish a history of the birds and their success. Tegid is one of my third hatches of 2020. It was not his sibling that beaked and harassed him but an adult female, Blue 024, an intruder. No one thought he would make it. Well, he did return and this is his third year to have chicks. The fact that he had a chick in his first clutch return as a juvenile at 2 years is fantastic. There is something about this fighting to survive that makes these birds fierce. There is also good DNA. Tegid is Monty’s son and KCB is Monty’s grandson. The dynasty continues.

Do you watch the Theave Osprey nest in the UK? Those chicks were ringed and there is one female, one male, and the other can’t be determined. Nice healthy osplets.

Today is the anniversary of the Osoyoos Osprey nest sadness of 2021 when all chicks died due to the heat wave in the Pacific Northwest. The three this year are doing so well and Olsen has been bringing in some nice big fish. Please send positive blessings to this family that this continues.

It is blowing like crazy in Canmore, Alberta. I wish those three chicks would pancake in that nest but it seems they like it! Mom returns and broods them so all is going to be well.

A reminder now that outdoor picnics are around, parties, weddings, anniversaries and celebrations of all kinds – make the confetti out of leaves (seriously awesome) and leave the balloons out. The raptors will thank you.

Ferris Akel had Arthur and the three Ls on camera tonight and he had seen Big Red but could not get to her. Arthur caught a bird or birds and one of them was delivered to an L. The other two really would have loved that bird delivered to the coop.

Mantling to protect its prey. Look at the tail. How many dark bands can you count? That is a tail that is long enough to help this hawk fly very well, indeed.

Two cutie pies. Big Red and Arthur have the most gorgeous chicks.

The chicks went over to the Fernow railing and they are hunting.

It was a breezy cool day here in Manitoba. Today it was nearly a 5k walk around all the trails and a discovery of a very quiet duck and some growing ducklings.

I took the longer path around the entire nature area and found this beautiful male Blue-winged Teal in a very quiet pond hidden by lots of reeds. These ducks arrive in Manitoba in April and will be migrating south in October. They are here to breed and sadly, it was a bad year because of the flooding for the eggs of the ducks and geese. They eat pondweeds and aquatic invertebrates as well as grass seeds on the top of the water.

American White Pelicans were flying overhead.

The Canada geese and goslings were preening after a nice swim.

It was a lovely day. When I got home Mr Crow was waiting for his tea time snack. Looks like Tandoori Chicken was a big hit.

I see no word on the Pitkin Osplet that fell off with its sibling and was in guarded condition.

Thank you to everyone who wrote in with additions to the memorial list. Please, if you know of birds that are on streaming cams and have perished this year please let me know.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or web pages or FB groups where I took my screen captures: ND-LEEF, Chloe Baker, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, Osoyoos Ospreys, Fortis ExShaw, and Ferris Akel Tours.

Fledging is tiring – and other catch ups in Bird World

I am going to start off with an answer to a common question: How is K2? The last update was from the Cornell Bird Lab on the 22nd. It takes time for test results to come in and it is hard to wait when you are worried. Many of you will have watched the adorable eaglets, E17 and E18, at the Fort Myers Nest of Harriet and M15. You will remember that they had conjunctivitis and were taken into care by CROW. Let me say it for the 1000th time – I am so grateful to the Pritchett Family and CROW for getting a permit and getting those two babies into care. They were in the clinic for five days. Still the test results were not back but the staff was so knowledgable that they treated them for conjunctivitis because that is what they believed was the issue. And they were right! E17 got feisty enough to have to go into its own ‘time out towel’. Those two were so cute and inseparable. So we have to wait and trust that K2 is getting the best of care. The minute I hear anything I will let you know!

Here is the video of K2s retrieval:

K1 and K3 are absolutely flat out pooped. Fledging is hard work. They have to solve problems – physical ones – that they are not used to. Seriously it is so nice to be on the nest and be taken care of by Big Red!!!!!! It is scary out there. They might even decide to stay with mom a whole lot longer!!!!! K3 and K1 have been on the nest together since around noon. I just checked on them at 18:38 and they were both still there. Love these kids. Glad they feel like staying home.

Earlier….While K1 hunkered down and slept, K3 is back in the trees over by the Fernow Building. He looks pretty cute there in that tree.

@ Suzanne Arnold Horning

K1 sleeping on the nest. You can tell it is her because of the wide white terminal band on her tail and the clear black lines on her tail.

Now K3 is back and K1 is off the nest. K3 is listening and looking at K1 upstairs.

Big Red or Arthur left at least one chippie on the nest in case someone was hungry. Remember – Big Red’s kids never go hungry for long – if they ever do!

Resting in the sun.

Adorable K1.

K1 24 June 2021

There are so many who would love to see a photograph of Big Red when she was banded. The only thing I could find out was that she was banded on October 20 in 2003 in Brooktondale. Maybe someone reading this will know a student who had a project or the bander in the area at that time. I would love to know if they took a photo of Big Red. Many banders do take photographs of the juveniles they ring. OK. But that brings me back to the picture below of K1. To me she looks exactly like a juvenile Big Red would look. Isn’t she just adorable?

So the Ks are fine and the minute there is word on K2 I will let you know. K1 and K3 might just decide to stay on the nest all night.

Over in Wales, the two chicks of Idris and Telyn on the Dyfi Osprey Nest were banded and given their names today. Chick 1 is a male. He weighed 1600 grams and his ring number is 490. His name is Dysnni. It is pronounced Duh-suh-knee and is a river in mid-Wales at Gwynedd. Chick 2 who is four days younger than chick 1 is a female. She already weighs more than the male – she comes in at 1690 grams – and she is a full 4 days younger so they know she is going to be a big girl. Her ring number is 491. And goodness, her name is going to take some time. It is Ystwyth and it is also a river valley in Wales. I was told you take the ‘Aber’ out of Aberystwyth and that is how you pronounce her name. Wow.

Here is beautiful Ystwyth with her new bling! I might just call her Blue 491.

Well, here is the ‘Only’ Bob on the Clydewog Nest of Dylan with mum, Blue 35 Seren. Now this is one – can I use all caps – BIG – chick. Just look at her. This bird has to be a female. Oh, I do hope they get around to ringing her! These parents had lots of food and really took care of their only little Bob. The other two eggs which are still on the nest were nonviable.

Oh, I had to close my eyes when I went to check on Tiny Tot at the Achieva Osprey Nest. There had been a huge rain storm with big winds and Tiny was holding on for dear life on the edge of the nest. Of course my mind went back to the tornado that cut through the lakes in northern New York State with the Osprey nests. Hang on Tiny!

I have found it hard to check on the Cowlitz Nest. I thought the little one that was dying had died around noon on the 22nd. But it suffered through the afternoon and did not die until close to 6pm nest time. Some big fish came on that nest that day but it was too late for that little one. Yesterday I only saw one small fish – there could have been more- I didn’t see them and I do not see any significant growth in the remaining chick, sadly. Today the other chick had a fish this morning and must have had something to eat later as its crop was bigger. Electra has not moved the body of the other chick off the nest. She may not. The female at Port Lincoln left the little one there and it became part of the nest. If the chicks are bigger they need to be removed so they do not decompose in the nest. This takes a human and a permit.

This chick is so far behind for its age. But I hope that it survives and does well otherwise the death of the other one was just futile. I am still baffled by this Osprey Nest. This is not the first time that Electra has lost chicks. Is it really down to Wattsworth not bringing in fish? does he have another nest? or is it that there are just not enough fish? It reminds me too much of what Iris went through trying to raise chicks with Louis. [And note- Louis is good to Starr and their chicks. They have 2 this year.]. Is it the same situation? If you have any insights please write to me.

I just checked in on the Achieva Osprey Nest and the wind and rain have stopped. Tiny Tot is not on the nest. K1 and K3 are getting a little antsy. Big Red and Arthur like to do prey drops across Tower Road on the Rice Building. Maybe they are trying to lure them for a meal? Hard to say.

That’s a wrap for now. Tomorrow I hope to introduce you to a mother duck who has decided to use a person’s flowerbed for her nest! Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam where I grab my screen shots: Achieva Osprey, Cowlitz DUP, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Carynx Wild. I also want to thank Suzanne Arnold Horning for posting the image of K3 in the tree on the Cornell Red Tail Hawks FB page. That reminds me – go to the Cornell Red Tail Hawks FB Page and sign on. You can see lots of wonderful images there!

Featured image is K3 on 24 June 2021.