Our family knows this truth all too well. You never know when you say ‘Goodbye, I love you’ if it will be the last. I will never forget the morning that our son walked out the door on his way to his summer job, and his employer phoning me two and a half hours later, wondering where Will was – because he was never late. I am so grateful that our morning was spent having breakfast together in the warm breeze of a Canadian summer. It was calm and it was beautiful. Twenty-six years later, I still miss that amazing kid. We have learned that you must treasure every moment – live life as if it is the last day, always. Never leave with a harsh word, never have to say you are sorry to someone. Surround yourself with love. And that brings us to this post…We generally do not know when the moment will come when we will see a person, a pet, or a treasured ‘bird’. We do not realise it until it is past.
Today as I drove out to Oak Knoll Farm to pick up the week’s produce and eggs, skeins of Canada Geese filled the skies. Others have photographed the Bald Eagles gathering on the river. The great migration has really begun in earnest as our temperatures dropped from 30 C two days ago to 8 C today. Fall is here, not by the calendar but by the movement of the wildlife.
And so, we must treasure all the years we have spent with these amazing birds and hope that those who are departing, or have departed, on their great fall migration will return to us in the spring.
Iris stood and posed on the nest on Tuesday 2 September as if she was ready to depart. Iris has outlived all other female ospreys that I know about and if this is her last visit to the nest and the last time we will see her this year, I hope that her migration is safe, full of huge fish, and that she returns safely to raise yet another nest of checks with New Guy in 2026.
Tiger Mozone told me years ago that it is, in part, good DNA and luck that allows some adults to thrive as long as Iris has. She will be at least 30 when she returns next year, if not 31. She has definitely had luck on her side. We have no idea where she spends her winters, but she would have honed the trip over the years, landing at the same tree and making the same stopovers. We have learned these things from the ringed birds from the UK spotted in The Gambia and Senegal.
We didn’t know when Xavier delivered that yummy parrot to Diamond five days ago, that it would be the last prey delivery. Xavier was a ‘real’ character. He always seemed so small compared to Diamond, and the poor little guy often got scolded for only being able to find a Starling. It will be Xavier’s acute desire to help incubate the eggs, brood the babies, and his sneak attempts to try and feed his children that will remain with me. He was a good provider, and we will not forget him. He takes a little piece of our heart, just like Annie and all her mates, beginning with Grinnell, when they did not return.
Life in the wild goes on. Diamond will hopefully have chicks this year. She is no youngster and has now outlived two mates. Let us hope that this new chap will warm our hearts by his intense caring for her.
At the falcon scrape on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia, Diamond is bonding with the young male who has been delivering prey to her on the tower. https://youtu.be/uwc9J40eGps?
Cilla has named him Gimbir. Dr Kinross posted this:
From the Box Cam live stream info in Youtube:
GENERAL INFORMATION This site is about a family of peregrine falcons using a nest box since 2008 in a water tower at Charles Sturt Unversity, Orange, Australia. The adult female is Diamond and the new male (just arrived 31/8) is called Gimbir (Wiradjuri for spring or fountain, pronounced more like Kimber, not Jimbeer). The previous male, Xavier, disappeared on 27/8 and is assumed dead, probably from a hunting accident. He had been with Diamond since 2016 and is sorely missed.
NEWS 2nd September 2025 We don’t know yet whether Gimbir will be accepted as a new mate but there have been at least three bonding session and we know he is a good hunter as brought two large prey to the tower yesterday. I’ve made several videos of him already. He still has to prove that he can provide for a family by giving his catch to Diamond so we shall see.
Tributes to Xavier are filling FB and YouTube. I will have those for Friday. In the UK: Brianne is getting ready to break the Dyfi record for being the longest remaining fledgling. Idris is there with her, delivering fish, and he is set to beat Monty’s time between arrival and departure, which was 166 days in 2013. Idris arrived back at Dyfi on 21 March 2025 (earliest ever for any Dyfi osprey). Harry is delivering fish to Forest at Alyth. The entire family is reportedly still at Llyn Brenig. Heather saw two ospreys at Glaslyn in the distance – too far away to identify. 8 remains at the Rutland Manton Bay Nest with Blue 33 and Maya. At Poole Harbour, Blue 022 is still home but hasn’t been seen at the nest today.
Thank you to the Montana Osprey Project, Charles Stuart Falcon Cam Project, and Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcons FB for the streaming cams, videos, and posts, and Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn for their streaming cam and Emyr Evans for his reminders.
Latvian Golden Eagle: Both chicks of Spilve alive.
The cooler weather, 3 C, continues on the Canadian prairies. It is so wet and so cold. I feel for any little birds in the nest. It reminds me of when the osprey nests (or eagles) get damp and cold.
Missey and Calico are even friendly when it is chilly. I have the tiny space heater plugged in and both found the precise spot where the heat dispersed the best and shared! My goodness what is the world coming to – Calico and Missey sharing?
Little Toby is doing better. He is not scratching his ear nearly as often and he does not yelp when I put the medication in. He does love his little pill dipped in peanut butter and thinks if we head for the fridge it is ‘cheese time’. I don’t fall for it every time. He isn’t going to train me this young!!!!!!
We left Toby home and made a quick trip to the greenhouse. This is the long weekend of May commonly known as Queen Victoria’s Birthday weekend. Gardeners call it ‘Greenhouse Weekend’. It is the time when normally we would not fear a frost and all plants could go into the ground. They had been holding a jasmine plant for me and the woman had a new climber, Butterfly Blue. You make tea out of the blue flowers and it is supposed to help with cognition and stress. It is, “Butterfly pea (clitoria ternatea) is a flowering plant also known as Asian pigeonwings, blue butterfly pea or blue ternate flower. It is a type of pea, but its flowers are more famous than its fruit. The purple blooms have been used for centuries as a natural food dye.” A tea shops says, “These flowers have the power to delight, changing colour from blue to purple to pink, depending on what they’re mixed with. They have been used to add colour to celebratory drinks in various locales around the world since forever.
Butterfly Pea Flower is perfect for making exotic tea-infused cocktails, unicorn lattes or just for a little fun in your cup.
Blue butterfly pea is also rich in antioxidants. It can slow down the skin aging process, prevent premature aging, and improve overall skin tone and texture.”
I will be excited to try it.
It is the weekend and we have some hatches starting in the UK.
Dyfi Osprey Project: The first hatch for Idris and Telyn! Idris has a good look. We can count on lots of Mullet for the family. Idris is an incredible provider.
Poole Harbour: Soon!
Storm took down their nest but one eagle was saved! How wonderful.
Loch of the Lowes: The new male has been filmed fishing at the loch. He is going to be a good provider for the new female and their family. https://youtu.be/g8XmC9Afok4?
Boulder County: Those pesky little birds would like to get Mum off those eggs. They think they might make a tasty dinner.
Wolf Bay: By 1636, there had been six feedings for the osprey trio.
Rutland Manton Bay: Maya has been feeding all four of the chicks. Send good wishes. Their hatch dates are spread and the last two are tiny. If any couple can pull this off, Maya and Blue 33 can.
Finnish Nests: Incubation continues on all nests.
LVM Klinšu ērglis (Latvian Golden Eagle nest of Spilve and Grislis): The eldest eaglet survives. There has been lots of food. The small one was being fed, but the older one continually bonks it and it is not popping its head up to eat. Sadly, as we know, there is the imperative of the oldest to kill the second hatch. The oldest golden eagle hatchling may start acting aggressively to its younger sibling(s) as soon as it or they hatch. Within the first two days, this often escalates into “bill-stabbing” wherein the younger sibling is jabbed around their neck or the middle of their body until a gaping, fatal wound is created.
Silve is feeding the second hatch. In instances where there is lots of food and good parenting, there is an opportunity for the second eaglet to survive.
Geemeff Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Saturday 17th May 2025
The day started with an early visit from an inquisitive Buzzard who checked out the nest even to lifting bits of bark to look underneath, and returned a second time to preen and shed a few little feathers. Later in the day an unseen intruder near Nest Two caused Dorcha to flee the nest and not return for five minutes, while on Nest One Garry LV0 made some alarm calls and shortly afterwards both he and Aurora fled the nest and didn’t return for three hours. However when they did return, Garry brought a fish for Aurora, and less than three hours later, delivered a second, which takes his tally to fifty six. Louis made Dorcha wait for a meal today and delivered only a single fish but that fish was a whopper and made for a substantial meal. His tally now stands at ninety four. Today’s weather continued the pattern of clear sky overnight and sunshine during the day, and that should continue tonight, with sunshine and a high of 22°C tomorrow. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.17.16 (03.17.06); Nest Two 23.45.07 (03.39.18)
Heidi sent this video discussion to me and I would like to share it with you. Perhaps you have seen it, I haven’t. It is a discussion of the owl attack on Dory, the female osprey, at the Audubon Boathouse.I don’t know if you’ve seen this: A video collaboration from Explore.org and Audubon Seabird Institute
Heidi says, “I thought this video was well done. Dory was an excellent mom and mate and we loved her. Dory was a predator, but she was not at the top of the food chain. Dory became prey. Warning: briefly graphic.”
Also a nest note from Heidi that is truly a miracle: “ 5/17 – Havre de Grace osprey nest: The babies hatched on 5/12 and 5/13. A very inexperienced Mom did not feed them for nearly two days… she did not know how. At first she just ate and made no attempt to feed them, despite their apparent readiness to receive fish bits. Later she would lean toward them from about 2 feet away to offer them bites… like ‘come and get it’. I thought for sure those babies were going to die. But her instincts kicked it, Mom learned, and now she’s doing very well… and so are the kids! I was relieved that Mom suddenly seemed to get the hang of it. There is not a lot of time at that stage for a long-duration learning curve.”
‘EJ’ sent me a note about a rehabilitation officer that might interest all of you. They write, “I wanted to bring your attention to the Southwest Wildlife Foundation of Utah, run by a man named Martin Tyner, who has cared for raptors, mainly Golden Eagles, his entire life. He has lots of YouTube videos which you will love, especially the release of rehabbed raptors.” Oh, it is always a delight when our raptors have been healed and can go back and live in the wild. Check out his channel!
I could not leave without checking on Big Red, Arthur, and O1 and O2. The chicks are getting some pin feathers. There are clown feet. Life is looking good and the sun is shining in Ithaca!
I want to thank everyone who has sent a list – short or long – to help me with the Memorial Wall. Please keep them coming! I know that I am missing eaglets that have died. Any information is appreciated.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘AR, EJ, Geemeff, Heidi, PR’, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, TA Montague and Bald Eagles 101, LOTL, Sylvia and Duke Farms, Boulder County, Wolf Bay, LRWT, Saaksilvie, LDF Golden Eagle Nest, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, SciTechDaily, Explore.org, the dodo.com, Cornell Red-tail Hawk Cam, Havre de Grace
There was quite the scare at Sauces Canyon Friday when a huge placenta was brought in that covered most of SC1. The wee one was shivering. The camera operator stayed and caught Audacity doing everything she could to save her little one. She was moving and shuffling and removing matter to free SC1. It took two hours. Everyone was holding their breath.
Meanwhile the nest is simply full of food including a dead seal pup and a lot of Mackerel.
SC1 standing up for a meal after its arduous ordeal. Another miracle. Poor little thing could use a bit of a wipe. But who cares – SC1 looks fine.
In other Eagle news, Bodie and the visitor at NE Florida are quite settled in with one another. Gabby even fed the other juvenile – and, of course, Bodie got fed as well. Many are hoping that the American Eagle Foundation will give the adopted eaglet a name.
Bodie did not go hungry! Look at this crop. It is a wonder she can stand upright.
The two at Big Bear Valley are doing so well. Look closely, the pin feathers are coming in. The little one is scampering around that egg cup wanting ‘out’. They are flapping their little wings and growing fast.
The eaglets at John Bunker Sands Wetlands are gorgeous.
The triplets at Duke Farms are doing well. Their mum was heroic in keeping them as dry as she could during the recent storm. They have their dark thermal down coming in which allows them to regulate their temperatures but, oh, what a lovely sight she was tucking them in as best she could. Just look today.
At the NCTC nest, Bella and Scout’s little one had its first feeding. It is fine. Scout was there to see it hatch and has brooded the wee one. This is good news. https://youtu.be/0aPqI9_OW5c?
Mr North and Mrs DNF have a hatch in progress or two at the Decorah North nest in Iowa.
Hancock Wildlife Foundation announced today that their Surrey nest of Brit and Rey has their second egg of the season.
We are keeping eyes on several other nests for pips that include Harvey and Ellie at the Kansas Eagle Cam on Farmer Derek’s land, the other egg for Bella and Scout at the NCTC nest, and US Steel.
Osprey News:
Dyfi Osprey Project: Idris has arrived home. They just turned the camera on and as if by magic, there he was. So happy to see him home. It is nine days earlier than his usual arrival date of March 30th. Now let’s get his mate Telyn home soon – and safe.
Known as ‘Daddy Longlegs’, Idris is an excellent fisher. He must have been hungry. Look at those whoppers at the nest.
Kielder Nest 7: Female KX7 arrives! This is the earliest arrival ever of an osprey back at Kielder Forest. Her mate is KM18, yet to arrive.
Threave Castle: Blue KC has arrived on the nest to join her mate Black 80 on the 20th of March.
Birds of Poole Harbour: Blue 022 that helped raise our fine osplets to fledge with its mate CJ7 has arrived home safely! He wasted no time in starting to work on their nest.
Glaslyn: Elen, Aran’s mate, arrived back on the Glaslyn nest this morning and then flew over to the PC nest which interestingly has a camera this year. Wonder who will get to watch it?
Meigs Point, Connecticut: The unringed male has returned on the 19th of March. He immediately began to work on the nest – cleaning out that egg cup.
Eschenbach: Hermine has not returned yet. The visiting female is getting more comfortable. Joan Castanyer writes: “Herbert follows the courtship rituals with the female, from gifts in the form of fish to displays of submission. In the video we can see him with his back to her, flapping his wings. Meanwhile, the female complains because he, instead of fish, has brought material for the nest. The candidacy of the new partner is strengthened, although there is still time for Hermine.”
Mark Avery has an update on Bird Flu in his latest news blast. I am cutting and pasting here for all of you. This is going to be a potentially catastrophic year for our feathered friends.
Bird flu 1: there are currently many UK cases of bird flu and the list of affected bird species has reached 31 for 2025: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Little Gull, Cormorant, Razorbill, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant and Starling. It might look as if gulls, wildfowl and raptors are particularly affected, and it’s possible that’s the case, but the flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme (negative tests not publicly reported, limited numbers tested, no systematic testing) mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here. An interesting gull list and just one passerine in the list!
Bird flu2: wintering Sandhill Cranes have been dying of bird flu in Indiana – 1500+ of them (click here). This link – click here – provides information from the USA on detections in wild birds but also in dairy cows (quite a lot) and there are some human cases including one death, it seems. Robert F. Kennedy, who was put in charge of health matters by Trump, has suggested letting the disease rip in order to find the resistant birds that could form the basis for building a resistant stock. Something similar was considered as a covid response in the UK. US scientists are quoted as opposing Kennedy’s suggestion because intensively-farmed chickens and turkeys are killed so quickly that they never (?) produce antibodies to the disease. I wonder what the death rate is in Wild Turkeys in the USA?
Bird flu3: a paper in British Birds (by Tim Birkhead and Ben Hatchwell) assesses the impacts of bird flu on the Guillemot colony on Skomer which has been studied for five decades. The 2023 outbreak of bird flu led to a higher-than-usual number of recoveries of (dead) ringed Guillemots that July and August and counts of ringed birds in 2024 suggested that about a quarter of the colony had been lost the year before. There were impacts on nesting success too which will take some years to work their way through. For a not very relevant comparison (perhaps), UK human covid deaths in 2020 numbered around 72,000, or 1 in 1000 of the population, or 0.1%.
In Manitoba, the Assembly of First Nations has issued a statement on Bird Flu. As you can see, the concern is world-wide. Please help by keeping your feeders and bird baths clean and follow any directives that you are given. So far no one is asking for songbird feeders to be taken down. The fear is for the migratory birds that are coming to their spring and summer breeding grounds.
‘PB’ loved Smallie like all of us. She sends news that there are three falcon eggs at Amersfoort. How grand!
At Robert Fuller’s kestrel nest, the couple, Apollo and Athena, are fighting to protect their eggs. https://youtu.be/qFeLnxjXT24?
The’ quiet’ was one of the best things about being on Hecla Island during the winter. (The hardest was being away from The Girls). Hardly anyone was there except for those ice fishing and the odd tourists. The snow was pure white – not dirty with salt and sand like the City. You could see the deer in the woods, the Crows and Eagles flying overhead, and some small birds murmuring. A few gulls were sitting on the top of the lighthouse and, of course, at least one very large grey wolf. Without the foliage, it was also easy to spot Crow nests, a few eagle nests and one osprey, one near Winnipeg Beach. It felt so good. As most of you know, I am not fond of the City. While I have dreamed of moving to ‘the middle of nowhere’, my heart is also with the animals that occupy our garden. So this summer, we must plant even more trees to enclose us; perhaps, it will be a buffer for noise and other humans. Yellow Warblers on the Galapagos Islands feel the same as I do about traffic noise!
Closing on a really upbeat note – Cornell’s Red Tail Hawk Big Red has been working on that egg cup on Friday. We could have eggs soon!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We hope to have you with us again soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, comments, images, articles, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, IWS/Explore, NEFL-AEF, FOBBV, John Bunker Sands Wetlands, Duke Farms, NCTC, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Dyfi Osprey Project, Kielder Forest Ospreys, Threave Castle, Meigs Point Ospreys, Eschenbach Ospreys, Joanna Castanyer, Woodland Trust (LOTL), Lynn Cracknell, Knepp Farm White Storks, Cultured Northeast, First Alert 6, Mark Avery, Robert Fuller, Town of Amersfoort Falcons, The Guardian, LRWT, Cornell Red Tail Hawk Cam, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Manitoba Assembly of First Nations, Osp, Birds of Poole Harbour, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn
It is Sunday, and the sky is hazy. It is 27 C at 1730. Sorry for the mantra, but 27 C is nearly as hot as St. George’s Grenada, WI, which is 29 C. Tomorrow is forecast to be 30 C, then 28, and again 30 C on Wednesday. Please let me know if I am wrong, but this is exceptional heat this time of year for Winnipeg. Fort Myers, home to M15 and F23, is 31 C, while it is a cool 13 in Port Lincoln, 10 in Orange, and 12 C in Melbourne. One of the hot spots is Osoyoos, home to Soo and Olsen, which is 34 C. I have yet to see anyone on the nest there, and I hope they have begun their migration. The temperatures are important. We witnessed what heat can do to raptors this summer. The Bald Eagles feeding here in Manitoba (one of the coldest places on the planet in the winter, according to many sources) would stay during the winter if there were food. Several remain in Winnipeg – one lives on the roof of one of our major hospitals. The other couple did live at Ft. Whyte Alive. There is plenty of prey in the winter. Some were seen pecking at ice, trying to get fish at Lake Winnipeg.
The birdfeeders and the feral cat station were filled early Sunday morning. We have a raccoon who is visiting some nights. It makes a huge mess of everything. Tips the lower bird bath over and dumps and eats all the food for either the community cats or the Crows. It ate an entire chicken carcass one night! I am sitting watching Little Red and one of Dyson’s kits alternate gathering peanuts along with the Blue Jays.
They are taking them away, storing them somewhere. I do hope not in or on the bark of a tree destined to be cut. There are House Wrens and House Sparrows around, too. The cheesy dog bowl is full and Mr Crow has finally arrived. It is 1022. Baby Hope is eating hard food, and Calico is staring at the other cat dishes, wondering what happened to all the wet food. Missey ate it and cleaned up all the extra. So now they wait until 1700 – vet rules. While we want some fat on our ospreys, the vet wants the cats ‘more lean’ than ‘pleasantly plump’. Calico has done well on her diet, and her playfulness is a testament to how weight can impact their behaviour.
‘The Girls’ are fine. They are enjoying having more songbirds in the garden to watch and all the squirrels scurrying around.
Hugo Yugo curled up in the house of the cat tree, sleeping after dinner. It seems cats go into food comas, too!
Missey used to sleep in the plant pots with Lewis after they were watered. She barely fits now.
Everyone would like to sleep in the little basket! Hope is waiting patiently. It is impossible for both to sleep together, not enough room. Hugo Yugo is small, but Hope is nearly the size of Calico.
Hope is busy checking out one of the Blue Jays. I must have startled Hugo Yugo! She had been busy watching the Jays flit around eating cheesy dogs, trying not to get stung by the wasps that had invaded the space.
We have several visitors to the feral cat feeder now. There is ‘The Boyfriend’ who has been coming for over 18 months, the other black cat with an entire bowtie moustache and now a young solid black kitten and a ginger male. We know that the ginger male belongs to a neighbour who insists on leaving him out. We hope that he does not get hit by any of the cars that use the streets like they are race tracks.
Calico was very interested in the younger solid black cat. She watched it moving back and forth from the door to the small cat tree. It is really sweet and I will post its image in our neighbourhood FB group tonight.
Gosh. Sunday was just the most beautiful day. Perfect weather. We need rain, but I am thankful for these days. Let it rain at night!
In Bird World, Gabby has been seen mating with ‘the visitor’ – not Beau. Are we destined to have another year of males fighting over Gabby with no eaglets produced?
Every talon is checked and the folks at the AEF are busy trying to identify the necrotic male. Is it A1 from last year?
There is conflicting information, and I cannot see the eagle’s feet to the left. AEF said that Gabby and Beau were at the nest. Their moderator further stated that Gabby and Beau flew off later, and Beau returned to the nest. Gabby did not return. Others have posted that it was ‘the visitor with the necrotic feet’ on the branch next to Gabby, noting that Gabby and Beau hardly ever perched next to one another. We will have to wait and see how this season’s drama unfolds.
The AEF confirms that this is Beau in the tree. He arrived just at 1150.
Then Gabby returned and the couple worked on their nest before heavy rains began.
Beau is still at the nest (confirmed by AEF). He shakes the rain off and looks out over the horizon from the Lookout Tree.
Send good energy that Beau is up to be a great mate AND Dad this year and that all the others leave this couple alone!!!!!!
At Hellgate Canyon, Finnegan delivered the breakfast fish to Antali who, after taking a few bites, flew off the nest with his fish. No sign of Sum-eh at the nest fighting for fish and everyone thinks that she has now left the area. Iris normally departs on the 8th of September. Will she stay longer? or will we see her one last time on Sunday?
Antali certainly went to sleep with an enormous crop.
Beaumont and Hope were on the nest bringing fish to the two juveniles on Sunday so everyone is home at Snow Lane in Newfoundland.
Fish deliveries continue to happen at Sandpoint.
Charlie is still delivering fish to the Charlo Montana nest for C16.
Big Bear and the diamonds. No Jackie or Shadow.
‘J’ writes that Bowen’s body has been removed from the Boundary Bay Nest by the Hancock Wildlife Foundation in the hopes that they might be able to determine what caused the eaglet to die.
There are ospreys know not to return to their natal nest area. Researchers are curious about why this is the case. Gregorius Joris Tooen (he worked with the translocation project of ospreys to Ireland) posted some information and thoughts on this phenomena that I believe will interest you.
In Wales, LJ2, the male at Llyn Brenig, partner of Blue 372, is believed to have left the nest and begun his migration after the last of the chicks departed.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Wooden Trust.
Daily summary Sunday 8th September 2024
No activity today, other than magnificent scenery on the nests this morning when the promised fog materialised. The weather did brighten up but heavy rain is forecast, and tomorrow will be a good day to end these summaries and close the season by posting my unofficial season highlights video. Woodland Trust will be posting the official highlights and closing this comments page soon, but the livestreams will be available on YouTube, links below, plus previous seasons and plenty of interesting content on Woodland Trust’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/@woodlandtrust/videos
The only surviving osprey chick at the Osprey Environment Centre in Queensland is growing and thriving. The other chick, the smallest one, died on the 12th of August after severe weather, poor fish deliveries, and according to the centre, some bullying from the oldest sibling.
The end of season summary from Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales. They are truly proud of Idris and Telyn pulling off ‘another hat trick’. Thanks, Dyfi. I wish that every streaming cam in the world would produce an end of year detailed summary such as this!
Frankie is still at Fenwick Island still bringing fish to his juvenile, Fen.
The Royal Cam chick (hardly a chick anymore!) has gorgeous wings and has been hoping around and hovering. Soon, very soon, this beauty will take to the skies.
In Bulgaria, the Greater Flamingo has been residing there, but they have never nested and bred. Now they have.
Friends of Sth Australia Ospreys (our Port Lincoln friends) need a treasurer. Do you know someone qualified to help? (This is the biggest I can cut and paste, apologies).
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, NEFL-AEF, Montana Osprey Project, Newfoundland Power, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint Ospreys, FOBBV, Gregorious Joris Toonen, Llyn Brenig Osprey Project, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Osprey House Environmental Centre, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of South Jersey, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, NZ DOC, BirdGuides, and Fran Solly and Friends of Osprey.
It was a gorgeous albeit windy 22 C on the Canadian Prairies for the Labour Day long weekend. The sky is a beautiful blue with a few fluffy clouds. It was a good day for a walk and lunch by the lake at the nature centre. Lots of children trying their luck at getting tadpoles and little frogs jumping all around on the paths. There were several species of ducks, some Canada Geese, various species of woodpeckers, American Goldfinches, squirrels, etc. Missing were the calls of the Red-wing Blackbird which is striking in its absence.
My sanctuary at the nature centre. The wind was rather silent and the songbirds were singing their hearts out.
Well, we had a bit of a scare last evening. The garden door appeared closed when doing the final bits and bobs with the outdoor animals at 1800 but it was windy. A gust caught it and it went open and in seconds four cats on the deck! I know. Holding my breath and hollering, three ran into the house. Only Calico remained. She is actually ‘terrified’ of the outdoors – as a community cat she knows its perils. She hid under the deck for two hours. Finally, the other three were secured in the conservatory and the garden door opened. Calling and Calico ran in! I had read on the step like I did when she lived outside and she would stick her head out. Poor thing. All is well this morning, thank goodness – and a new lock will be fixed to that door after our long weekend.
We have new eggs at Port Lincoln and at Charles Sturt Falcon scrape, home to Xavier and Diamond on Saturday. Congratulations everyone! Surely we will now be in hard incubation mode.
And there are the three beautiful osprey eggs at Port Lincoln:
With the departure of Glenwais at the ripe age of 102 days at Dyfi, it is believed that Idris – not having any takers for his fish now – will begin his own migration either Sunday or today. I will keep you posted. What an amazing dad he is and like all others, we want him to eat well, rest up during the winter, and return to Wales healthy in the spring! Idris was last seen on the 30th of August at 19:53.
The empty nest. Idris has indeed departed for Africa. Idris has been breeding at Dyfi for five years, taking over for the iconic and much-loved Monty, who was here for nearly 12 years.
I wish that every streaming cam, no matter their location, would keep records and post them for the public such as those kept and published by the Dyfi Osprey Project. Their website is wonderful. Here is the information for this year. Imagine finding this at other sites!
More data to help us try and understand the return rate of the juveniles.
All four at home on Saturday at Llyn Brenig in Wales.
It was a fabulous year for Knepp Farm and their translocation project of the White Stork. They introduced injured birds from Poland. We watched them on the streaming cam and now that they are migrating, that will pause according to their FB posting.
I am pretty excited about the wetlands that are being created at Knepp Farm by a pair of beavers. This video shows what they have been doing, but beyond that, remember that wetlands are wonderful places for many species of birds!
At Poole Harbour, Blue 5R2 appears to be the only fledgling left at the nest. Blue 022 is delivering fish. Blue 5H6, the fourth hatch, migrated on the 30th of August. CJ7 and the others left earlier.
Just look at how healthy this chick is – its crop is full and its body has the kind of fat on it needed for migration. Despite having four to feed, Blue 022 and CJ7 did just that and had four really healthy fledglings this year. Bravo.
R52 would have liked another fish but Dad did not oblige at Poole Harbour.
Blue KL5 is still at RSPB Abernathy. Eating fish and getting ready for his long migration.
It looks like everyone has departed from Llyn Clywedog. Blue 5F Seren might already be in her winter spot in The Gambia. She has the same post every year and many travel to see her there. They are an amazing couple always raising big healthy chicks. Stay safe Dylan and Seren!
I missed him but Blue 33 was on the Manton Bay nest Saturday morning at 0611 for four minutes. Maya was seen on the nest on Friday at 1869. Blue 1R0, their only fledgling this year, has left on migration. They will both be leaving soon. Maya might have already departed. We wait to see for sure for a couple of days.
Bart M has done an amazing job giving us a detailed observation board and a list of key events at Manton Bay. Oh, I sure wish more nests would do this! There is a video archive, photographs, a nest history and more for anyone interested. Just go to the streaming cam and click the link to the obs board. For example, you will learn that Maya has been at this nest since 2010. Blue 33 took the nest and Maya in 2014 – he really wanted both of them! And the history of their nest and all the chicks they raised is there.
There is even a fish chart!
Finnegan delivered two fish to Antali on the nest. There might have been others at a different location. I have not seen Iris at the nest on Saturday but she was eating a fish on the Owl Pole on Friday at 1906. She could be fattening up and letting Finnegan take care of Antali and Sum-eh if she is still around.
A juvenile osprey was observed on the Osoyoos nest Saturday afternoon. I could not see what happened prior to that time and I did not see a fish delivery. Someone else might have – please let me know if you did.
At the other Fortis Exshaw nest in Canmore Alberta, both juveniles were seen on the nest wrestling for a fish from Harvie at 1534. It is presumed that Louise has left on her migration. The oldest won the prize with the smaller fledgling having to wait for another delivery. That delivery came sixteen minutes later! According to the chatters, there was a fish delivery at 0703 and 1005 also. Harvie is really working to get these two fit for flying. So it looks to me like two juveniles and Harvey with Louise and one juvenile away. Feel free to correct me!
Juvenile on post at Fortis at 1602 with adult on nest with another partial fish at Fortis. Wow.
Fish deliveries continue to come to the Newfoundland Power nest at Snow Lane. Both juveniles accounted for. Beaumont is delivering lots of fish. I cannot confidently confirm Hope’s presence but I also cannot confirm that she has departed. She did an amazing job feeding her two chicks this year and it was a happy surprise to see these two take their first flights. One of the really wonderful events of the 2024 season that will not be forgotten soon. Previously, the nest failed for four years in a row.
Heidi posted the link for the new 4K camera of Window to Wildlife at Captiva. They are doing tests.
Sharon Pollock catches us up with the Crawley Falcons:
Congratulations to Connie Dennis and Hope for Wildlife on a successful fundraising.
It is one of the reasons our zoo does not have many feathered ambassadors – when Avian Flu H5N1 hit, all of the birds had to be kept indoors for two years.
‘A’ comments on the Royal Cam chick: “at Taiaroa, the chicks are practising whenever there is enough wind, hopping and using their wings to get some air. No real hovering yet but we have had both paddles in the air. I love the way TF has built himself another nest this season. The chicks often build ‘play nests’ but they usually don’t move into them. One of the viewers noted mum sniffing at TF’s play nest yesterday and was wondering whether there was a bolus there. We await a response from the rangers to that question, as there was something white in the nest but it was blurry when you tried to zoom in on it. If it is a bolus, it would be interesting to know its contents, though of course I hope it’s not because that would suggest TF is only a day or so away from fledging. September is the month when we lose them, but not quite yet! It is the first day of spring here in the southern hemisphere, although the weather has been very vernal for weeks now. “
That lucky chick got a feeding, too!
and on the WBSE: “At WBSE, Dad was honking at 05:45, so Lady got up at about 05:50 began feeding leftover fish to SE33. She ignored SE34, who was facing the table side by side with SE33 but further from mum’s beak. After a few minutes, SE34 shuffled closer to mum, and from )5:53, she fed him exclusively, and because it was nearing the end of the fish, he got the larger bites, nearly all of which he managed. He has nearly caught up to his older sibling in size, though SE33 is still larger. Certainly, he got the better of the breakfast feeding today. There has not yet been fresh food delivered to the nest today and the pair are as usual lying in their cuddle puddle, sleeping and growing. Feathers are starting to show along SE34’s wing and both chicks are presumably itchy, as they are doing a lot of preening.
There are baby rails being brought in and positioned, and the eaglets assisted in arranging some of the smaller pieces of nest material. Too cute. There are SO many fresh green leaves on that nest. They have so far been used primarily as a table, as well as to line the nest bowl area. I believe the eucalyptus would be good at minimising bacteria and discouraging insects, as eucalyptus oils have those qualities. The pair are looking active and healthy and are getting along fine today. There was no antagonism at the breakfast table, even when Lady began feeding SE34 only for a good two minutes, his sibling right beside him. There was no intimidation from SE33 and no fear shown by SE34. So that was progress. It still seems like SE34’s head look larger than his sibling’s, probably because he retains a lot of fluff atop his head while SE33’s head appears quite sleek. Otherwise, they are easily distinguished by the feather growth on the wings. The littles are really starting to move around, validating the baby rails decision. At the moment, they have snuggled up on the green leafy dinner table, up the back of the nest. They have moved from further towards the front, where they have been for their life so far. ”
Thank you for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, images, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H’, Falcon Cam Project at Charles Sturt University, SK Hideaways, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, Brenig Osprey Project, Knepp White Stork Project, Birds of Poole Harbour, RSPB Abernathy, Llyn Clywedog, LRWT Manton Bay, Montana Osprey Project, Fortis-Exshaw Osoyoos and Canmore, Newfoundland Power, Heidi and Window to Wildlife, Sharon Pollock, Connie Dennis and Ospreys of Nova Scotia, RSPCA Stapeley Grange, NZ DOC, and Olympic Sea Eagle Cam.
We are supposed to have rain over the next week. Everyone knows this and was in a bit of a panic to get outside and be in the nature centre today before it rains for 6 or 7 days. Of course, it never rains all day long. It is like Asia when it looks like the forecast is 100% for all day, but the rains begin, on time, at 1600 and are downpours and then stop. That said, it has been raining for the past four hours…Little Red, the Blue Jays, and all the sparrows continue to eat regardless. I am putting a bit of food out every hour so that it does not get wet for them. They also have seed cylinders, the solid ones inside the lilac bushes.
Calico has a covered area where she can eat (along with a few of her friends if they stop by). She comes on the dot just about every 3 hours. Her fur looks better since the worm and flea/tick treatment. I was reminded by ‘RP’ today that often kittens will follow their mother to find food. Maybe a kitten or two or three will show up! I live in hope because Calico surely has them hidden well.
The new wetlands area begins at the lake. The water is pumped to another pond where it flows downwards, filling all of the pool areas in the park. (All photos taken with iPhone).
I went to count goslings. There were only 14 visible but mostly there were mature Mallards, a few American Goldfinches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Black-capped Chickadees. The animals and birds were quiet. Humans were loud. It was nice to have the nature centre garden market open – lots of freshly picked veggies, the profits going to a good cause.
The day continues to be consumed with Mini and her left leg. There are visible two puncture wounds above the ankle and before the knee of the left leg. Did Mini injure her leg stretching it and having someone’s talons caught in hers? A fish fight? We don’t know.
Indeed, any observer knows very little. We can deduce that she is keeping her balance with her wings. She appears to be in some pain. She is still flying and she is hungry. She is not – and I want to repeat this – she is not lethargic. She is not grounded. My friend ‘R’ and I know that if it is a sprain it will heal. If it is a break, it will heal – maybe not the precise way that it would if set in a cast but there is no guarantee that a wildlife rehabber would —- OK and this is harsh — put Mini’s leg in a cast and keep her in residence til late next spring when she could be released. She would not be ready for this year’s migration. This is something that has to be considered. I know that it is hard to watch her but she is alive, eating, flying, screaming for fish.
My reaction to Mini comes out of remembering many others, like Mini, that did not get a second chance. The first one that comes to mind is WBSE 26. We need to take a deep breath, send positive wishes, and not panic but observe.
1530: Fighting with one of those hard to eat fish unless the head has been taken off…it is good practice for our girl to try and open up these fish, though. No matter how frustrating it is to watch. She will have to do it soon enough in the real world without parents.
The two puncture marks above the left ankle before the knee. Two spaced black dots the distance of talons. We do not want these to get infected. (Mini could we ask that you go and stand in some salt water and soak that leg? Salt water aids healing).
You can see the punctures better here.
Mini has been on and off the nest. She has been fish-calling. Flying down from the perch. It was not a bad landing.
Our beautiful survivor.
Gone.
Bobby Horvath has a practice on Long Island. He rescued Pale Male (the 31-year-old celebrity Red-tail Hawk with its nest on one of the most expensive properties in Central Park) and held him as Pale Male was dying. Horvath is willing to come out to help Mini if she is lethargic. Here is the note that he sent ‘L’ and the phone number. Write it down! Bobby might be our best hope that she would get good care instead of being euthanised. But he is busy – like everyone, and please note that he is stressing weak or lethargic – low or on the ground – not on the nest. Please don’t call him otherwise. All the rehabbers are busy. There are strict laws – and we don’t want anyone to get tired of hearing about Mini. We want them to respond when it is necessary. At least one local individual is making trips to check around the nesting area if Mini were to get grounded.
One diagnosis from a trained reader ‘MP’ suggests that this could be a lunated patella (a dislocation). I found an academic paper on this orthopaedic problem.
Steelscape: The third hatch has a huge crop today. And wait…more news. The third hatch had 3 fish today…and one of the older siblings had a huge crop. All is fine. We can relax. Thanks so much for the images and the report ‘PB’.
Fortis: ‘PB gave me the head’s up early that we would be getting a very good report from ‘H’. There were two whoppers brought on to the nest!
‘H’ writes: “It turned out to be a very good day. The youngest osplet, JJ, had not had very much to eat for the previous three days. The viewers were all extremely worried for him. The day started out with Louise delivering a headless fish, which JJ initially acquired. JJ had the fish for a couple of minutes and managed to pull off a few bites before big sis, Banff, took it away. Banff ate that entire fish, but JJ managed to grab the tail. For JJ’s sake, we knew there had to be another fish delivered soon while Banff was still full, but the next fish did not arrive for four hours. At 1215, Louise delivered the largest fish to date this season. It was massive. Louise initially wanted to hold on to the fish to feed, but Banff took it. It was a tough fish and Banff had not made much headway, when JJ managed to drag the huge fish from Banff at 1242. They traded possession of the fish a couple more times before Louise returned to the nest at 1355. She confiscated the fish and fed JJ! That’s what we were all hoping she would do. JJ was fed for 10 minutes before he got the boot from Banff, and then Louise fed Banff. By 1422 Louise was clearly distracted by something and she stopped feeding. She was on alert. At least 1/2 of that huge fish was left, and JJ tried to pull off a few more bites. Louise flew off the nest at 1456 taking the rest of the fish with her! She returned at 1535, with the same fish. There was still about 1/2 of the fish remaining, it did not appear as though Louise had eaten any of it. Banff claimed the fish at that point and ate until 1608. JJ then fed for an hour before Banff reclaimed the fish at 1707. When Banff quit eating again, JJ ate from 1730 to 1808. Then Banff ate some more, and finally downed the tail of that massive fish at 1821. That had been a 6-hour fish! So, there were only two fish delivered to the nest, but the monster fish had provided at least six or seven meals each for JJ and Banff. JJ had his largest crop in days. The siblings are 54 days old. Banff has managed to increase her lift off the nest during her wingers, but has not hovered as yet. JJ has only achieved a few inches of lift off the nest while wingercising. During the night of 8/11, the siblings both slept upright and tucked for the very first time.”
Those are two North American nests I have been concerned about in addition to Mini. The other nest is PSPB Loch Garten and the attacks on the two male juveniles by a male fledgling from that same nest in 2020. Remember the males return to their natal nest area and things are getting crowded in parts of Scotland.
There remain intruders including an unringed female at Loch Garten. The injured chick 2C4’s wing has stopped bleeding. Hopeful he will be fine.
Sadly, the 2020 fledgling KL5 is back again this morning at the nest.
Thankfully all is well at the nest of Louis and Dorcha at Loch Arkaig – and Ludo is as noisy as ever.
Suzanne Arnold Horning found all of the hawks on the Cornell Campus Thursday. So grateful for her diligence and kindness in sharing her images of Big Red and Arthur’s family.
‘A’ reports on the Australian and NZ nests:
Sydney Sea Eaglets: “This morning’s breakfast had to wait for Dad to bring in a fish. Eventually, just before 09:20, he came in with a whole fresh small-medium fish, which Lady fed to the chicks and ate herself. After the breakfish was consumed, Lady headed off. Dad brought in part of a fish (slightly less than half – he had eaten the head and then kept going for a bit longer). He stood there for some time, waiting for Lady to arrive and feed the eaglets, but she never came and the chicks were obviously begging him for food, sitting up at the table and trying to move closer to him and the fish. Eventually, he decided to feed them, and both got quite a few bites before Dad downed the tail, fed the kids a few more bites, then took the remaining morsel to the perch branch to eat himself. So now the nest is again devoid of food and we do need a good feeding day today. I was happy to see that both chicks waking up hungry and waiting for a later-than-usual breakfast did not precipitate bonking behaviour. Both were peaceful while they waited for food to arrive and once it did, there was negligible bonking. SE32 has taken to pushing itself forward, in front of SE31, to ensure it gets fed, and SE31 is allowing it to eat without interference most of the time. SE32 is still wary, and ducks for cover if SE31 does beak it, but the shaking by the back of the neck has largely ceased.”
Royal Cam Albatross: “We are hoping that Manaaki gets his supplementary feeding today – he looks literally flattened as he lies in his nest and seems to be low on energy (or just conserving it). He had built up significant reserves, according to the rangers, and is not on the high priority list but is still scheduled to be fed by today. As every day passes, I worry more and more about his parents.”
I just noted before I closed the blog this morning that the supplementary feeding was given to the Royal Cam chick. This is a great relief to everyone who sat and worried about this little bundle of joy.
Collins Street: “Cameras won’t be back up at Collins Street until the first egg is laid (last year, that was 25 August, so some time in the next two weeks is likely).”
Port Lincoln: “At Port Lincoln, they are on egg watch. To be honest, every time I watch and see mum sitting on the nest, I wonder whether she is laying that first egg. She is in that position now and I am wondering if this is the big moment. Surely, there will be at least one egg on that barge before the weekend is over.”
Orange Falcons: “Orange is as it always is – Diamond with a full crop, Xavier dancing about looking handsome. It’s just after 1pm in eastern Australia. A lovely day in Sydney, Orange and Melbourne, though they are expecting rain in Port Lincoln.”
Wondering about Dmitri and his stork? Excellent post on Thursday from Karla Pilz!
At the nest of Karl II, the three fledglings slept on the nest and then were there for the morning and flew off.
‘H’s other reports!
Kent Island – This Chesapeake osprey family is doing very well, and dear Mollie seems to be very close to fledging. She hovered high out of sight for several seconds, and for a while we didn’t know if she had fledged. Audrey and Tom’s youngster is 60 days old.
Barnegat Light – Life is grand for the fledgling, Dorsett. And, she has shown a definite preference for eating her meals on the utility pole. Dorsett is 72 days old, and fledged 12 days ago.
The Osoyoos osprey cam was offline for the second straight day. We miss the ‘O’s and we are anxious to see how they are doing. The young nestling is 46 days old.
Thanks ‘H’.
Skipping to a couple of other nests before I close for the morning.
Boulder County: All three fledglings were perched for the night and off the nest in the morning. They are being fed off cam it appears and all is well for this family as it prepares to migrate.
At the Dyfi Osprey Centre, they are remembering Monty. Monty was the male at Dyfi from 2011-19. He had three mates – Nora, Glesni, and Telyn. Of their children, 8 have returned as two year olds. A remarkable number and his DNA continues throughout the area….his perch is inside the new Centre.
The Dyfi website adds: “Monty was the breeding male at the Dyfi from 2011 to 2019 and he is arguably the most famous, and loved, osprey in the world! Monty was unringed so we never knew exactly how old he was or where he came from. We know that he has been around on the Dyfi since at least 2008 and probably 2007, so his year of birth has to be 2005 or earlier…Monty was a fantastic fisherman whose fishing habits have been closely studied. Two separate scientific studies conducted in 2013 and 2015 have concluded that there is no correlation between the fish species that Monty catches and environmental factors such as tidal phase, temperature, time of day etc. It seemed he was able to catch a fish whenever he (or his family) was hungry and did not need to link his fishing trips to any other factor. Monty’s typical catch was grey mullet but he has been known to bring home some more unusual fish including a long eel-like garfish, a poisonous greater weaver fish and the occasional twait shad!”
The other nest I want to mention is Iris. She is still with us in Missoula and she has not been visited by Louis as much this year (it seems) as in years past. Pe chaps it is the weather and the challenge of feeding the trio and Starr. Iris has had a persistent visitor, a ringed male and here is some information posted on him this morning. Iris is, by the way, not chasing him off.
Thank you for being with me today…please send good wishes to Mini. Take care. See you soon!
I am so grateful to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: “A, H, L, MP, PB, RM, RP’, PSEG, Steelscape, Veterinary Quarterly, Fortis Exshaw, RSPB Loch Garten, Sue Wallbanks and Friends of Loch Arkaig Ospreys, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Suzanne Arnold Horning, SK Hideaways and Sydney Sea Eagles, NZ DOC, Lady Hawk and NZ DOC, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Karla Pilz and Stork 40, Eagle Club of Estonia, Kent Island, Conserve Wildlife of NJ, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Mary Anne Miller and Montana Ospreys at Hellgate.
It is freezing – well, not literally, but temperatures will drop to 11 C tonight. Already it is feeling like wool socks and jumpers.
I hope your day has been as good as it can be as we worry about our little Mini. I hope that we are not worrying about Mini in a week – that she is progressing. My friend ‘R’ says that when a patient comes into a doctor’s office with a complaint, they look for symmetry. Do you know how hard it is to get Mini to stand with her legs apart, facing the camera? Three does it all the time. Frustrating!
Before we even peek at the kittens today, the big news is that Ervie is on the move! Oh, I hope that someone will be there to take photos of our little lad. Ervie is nearly two years old (hatched mid-September 2021), and I would love for him to stay in Port Lincoln and take over the barge from Mum and Dad. but now thankful he has a tracker.
Thank goodness for the three kittens! They work wonders – better than worry beads!
Calico now allows me to scoop her up and rub her cheek against mine. She is also in full approval of kitten milk. She drinks about 1/3 of a cup at each meal. Her fur is beginning to shine a bit. She is very sneaky, and I cannot find that kitten/s. She weaves in and out – keeping me guessing and running – when she is ready! Geemeff suggested in jest that I put a GoPro on her. Well, there is one sitting here in front of me. But Calico doesn’t weigh more than a quarter, so I am reluctant, but it sure would help me find where she is going! She certainly has a PhD in thwarting surveillance techniques.
Oh, Wednesday was another day spent – in part – staring at Mini’s leg to see if something is wrong and what it could be. The truth is we will never know. She is eating and flying and that is good. Mum is checking on her and fish keep coming in. She did not even finish a really large one. I am glad she is not grounded because who knows what would happen after that…let us all hope it is a sore sprain. Someone thought her foot had been cut but it was blood from the nice fresh fish she was munching on…fingers crossed. She is surely loved and if love can heal she will be 100% soon!
Mini got some nice fish flakes but lost part of the fish over the side of the nest. She appeared to be in some pain and having difficulty with that left leg in the early morning.
This is the best image to see that left leg.
16:31
1727. Parent with another fish for Mini.
These parents are amazing. They take such good care of all their chicks and now they are concerned about Little Mini, too.
Mini flew off shortly after. Please send her positive wishes. On Thursday morning the parents brought Mini her breakfast fish…she is not putting any weight on that left leg today. She ate some of the fish but appears to be worse than yesterday.
My heart is just broken. She cannot be taken into care unless she is grounded. Oh, I so wish this is just a bad sprain, but I fear it is worse than that.
If we ever begin to doubt how much Mini wants to live and how much she deserves to, ‘MP’ found a screen shot of the Patchogue nest he took eons ago. It was raining and the three bigger chicks were under Mum and Mum had quit feeding the fourth hatch. There is Mini. She should have died of exposure. She didn’t. She should have died of hunger. She didn’t. Let us all help her beat this! Positive energy.
Today, Mini appears to be in considerable pain – visually so. I hoped – beyond hope- this was just a simple sprain and she would ‘get over it in time’. But it looks like she really needs an intervention – which is something that I did not want to see for fear that our darling girl cannot get better. Send our little fighter all of your love.
There have been worries at several other nests. One was the third hatch at the Steelscape nest that has not had fish in some time. ‘PB’ alerted me to a fish arriving at 1535 on Wednesday and the third hatch devoured it. Thank goodness, the older siblings flew in later. This baby was starving.
At Loch Arkaig, after being MIA for 28 hours, Louise arrived with one fish for Nuka and returned shortly after with one for Dorcha. Relief. I don’t even know what my mind would do if we lost Louis this year to intruders – and there are intruders everywhere.
In the middle of some worry over Mini and concerns for the third hatch at Steelscape (and other nests), there are always stories that lift our spirits. ‘MB’ sent me one of those today to share with you. One lucky osplet family.
I reported about the storks dying due to extreme weather. Those were Latvian storks…my friend Sassa Bird says that they have not witnessed in their lifetime a catastrophic storm with tornadoes and hail and the winds that caused the deaths of the beloved storms preparing for migration. It is simply heartbreaking. The Latvians love their storks, and this has been a challenging year in the area with the weather. Our thoughts go out to everyone there.
The trio at Osprey House in Australia are beginning to enter the Reptilian Phase.
Bitty – DH2- from Decorah Hatchery caught its first fish. Did the parents leave the fish? Who knows – it is a great milestone for this beautiful eagle.
First fledge at nest 10, Kielder Forest! 9 August.
Seaside: Fledglings on the nest – one with fish and one wishing! It is fantastic to see all of these young fliers return to the nest to be fed. We get to know they are safe and the parents can feed them while they work those flight muscles.
Boulder County: Some fledglings have huge crops, while others sit and wait and hope for fish. Just look at the one in the middle – reminds me of Diamond when she finishes eating a huge pigeon. There are no worries about these. Fish are plentiful. Great parenting to get the three to fledge.
Dunrovin: All is well. Swoop is busy bringing fish to the nest and the three are at the nest at night.
SSEN Alyth: So many fish that the one has a crop that is about to pop and another fish comes to the nest!
RSPB Loch Garten: Sadly, there was an aerial battle between fledgling 2C4 and intruder KL5. The result was that 2C4 has been injured. It looks as if that injury is on the right elbow – perhaps a deep talon scratch – that has bled between the wing and the body. Send your best wishes.
Geemeff sent me the video of this persistent attack on the two youngsters at this nest.
Dyfi: No one is hungry at the nest of Idris and Telyn – not even the cleaners!
Time for ‘H’s reports:
Fortis Exshaw – “As nest cam viewers, we try to rationalize what we see on the livestream. But, sometimes even the most knowledgeable viewers can only guess at possible causes of what we see, or what we are not seeing. Louise used to bring in 5-8 fish per day, and now it’s down to 1-2 per day. On 8/7 the air quality was smoky. The temperatures in the area have been in the low to mid 70’s, and there were a couple of light rain showers on 8/9. There was one brief intruder issue on 8/9 that we saw, and both Louise and O’Hara defended. There has been some intermittent construction taking place very close to the nest for the last two days. The construction disturbance has not completely prevented Louise from delivering fish, but we don’t know if it has hampered her efforts at times. There was only one fish delivered to the nest on 8/9, and it was brought by Louise. The older sibling, Banff, ate it. The younger osplet, JJ, only had a fish tail to eat on 8/7, he had two small-ish meals on 8/8, and had nothing to eat on 8/9. We are praying for a fish-filled day on 8/10. The chicks are 53 days old.”
Forsythe – Wow, what a day for Ollie and Oscar! Oscar delivered six fish to the nest for Ollie (at 0613, 0803, 0906, 1342, 1444, and 1734), and a couple of them were quite large. Ollie was probably pinching herself to make sure she was not dreaming, lol. There were times when there were two fish in the nest, and a small partial fish was left on the nest when Ollie finally retired to her roosting spot. It was the sixth straight day with no sign of the older sibling, Owen.
Barnegat Light – Duke was minding his own business and enjoying his afternoon bath in the Bay . . Ah, but someone else was also minding his business . . Dorsett flew right at her Dad and buzzed him! It was hilarious.
Kent Island – This family had a fish-filled day, and Molly and Audrey each had their own fish at one point. 59-day-old Molly has been sleeping upright for two nights in a row.
Osoyoos: Offline.
Severna Park – One or both of the siblings can often be found at the nest. Being the good Dad, Oscar is continuing to provide for his two fledglings.
Patuxent Nest-1 – Foster and Sib-B are often seen at their nest, and Dad continues to supply them with large fish.
Thank you so much, ‘H’.
Sydney Sea Eagles: ‘A’ reports “Isn’t it always the way? Just as I say the WBSE food supply has been wonderful, we had a day today when the first food did not arrive on the nest until nearly 12:25. It was a nice, big whole fresh fish (perhaps a bream?), which Lady quickly took charge of to feed the eaglets, who had spent the morning snuggled up sleeping together and putting in some serious growing time. Once food arrived however, SE32 was quickly up at the table and got at least the first dozen bites. SE31 was not bothered, lying behind SE32 and watching its younger sibling eating. Amazing! SE32 was obviously hungry and Lady fed it bite after bite. Eventually, SE31 decided it was ready for brunch and stood up to eat but SE32 just pushed forward another step and kept eating. SE31 watched. Lady kept feeding SE32. After another six or eight bites for SE32, SE31 again tried to get to mum’s beak but Lady keeps feeding SE32. Finally, SE31 has no real choice but to beak SE32 in the back of the head. Not hard and just once, but SE32 ducks down and SE31 gets to eat a few bites. SE32 is back up with 25 seconds and accepting more bites. They eat side by side until SE32 decides to stare down SE31, which had the usual result. SE32 allows SE31 to eat for a moment or two before again popping up. The pair are remarkably civil and both get plenty of brunch. I am no longer worried about the relationship between them, unless the food situation deteriorates. It was an exceptionally windy day in Sydney, with the trees tossing violently. This is no doubt the reason Dad had problems fishing today. This was a big fish though, enough to feed Lady and the kids for the rest of the day.”
Avian Flu has not gone away -. Now it is in the Red Grouse populations.
In a related vein, Wild Justice held a poll about banning rouse hunting or issuing licenses. Geemeff sent me the results of that vote. As Geemeff says, the authorities should take note of this!
Thank you so much for being with me today. Take care. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, MB, MP, PB, R, Sassa Bird’, Port Lincoln Ospreys, PSEG, Steelscape, Geemeff and the Woodland Trust, Al Eastman, Sassa Bird, Linda McIlroy and Raptors of the World, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, Joanna Dailey and Kielder Forest, Seaside, Boulder County, Dunrovin Ranch, SSEN Alyth, RSPB Loch Garten, Fortis Exshaw, Forsythe, Wildlife Conserve of NJ, Kent Island, Severna Park, Patuxent River Park, Raptor Persecution UK, Wild Justice, Syllabub and RSPB Loch Garten, and Dyfi Ospreys.
All of the Corvid babies are coming to the feeders. This includes the six Blue Jays – easy to recognise from the adults because they have their crest – the adults are now moulting having fledged this large nest. then there are the baby Crows. They do not look so much like babies but the adults feed them on the top of my fence and it is so cute. Then now, this morning, we have the Grackles. Of course, in the mix, are the dozens and dozens of baby House Sparrows, and Dyson’s kids. The images are not great…it is very difficult with the iridescent black and the black eyes and beak to capture the Crows when they are in the south of the conservatory.
Of course, the peanut stock is being depleted regularly with all of these Corvids. The St Boniface. is near the shop to get the birdIndustrial Park . It has two larger ponds and a smaller one. I have not been there this year, and it was high time to check to see what was happening. First, there were no Canada Geese. Not one. Not even a feather from moulting. There were four Ring adult Ring-necked ducks, a pair of Mallards, a few Red-winged Blackbirds, Song and Savannah Sparrows, and a lone Robin pulling worms out of the moist soil. All this rain is helping the birds!
That said- the running around for seed (the shop is quite a distance from where I live) means that my blog today is not nearly as long as normal.
‘H’ sent me great news on Saturday, and if you did not see the posting, you will be thrilled to know that Rita, the former mate of Ron, from the WRDC Bald Eagle Nest, is splendid. While we would all want her living in the will with Ron, raising eaglets, it was not meant to be. She had to have part of a wing amputated and she was in guarded condition for some time. Here is the latest news from the Miami Zoo and it is good. Thanks, ‘H’,
Gosh, it’s nice to start off with good news and there is more.
Check out the growth of Dmitri’s storklet! This is from May to July, 2 months. I will put the link to today’s feeding below. Dmitri has been overwhelmed by the international response to his health condition. Enough funds have arrived for him to have the private surgery and not wait a long time in the queue at public hospitals. He has said that the storklet ‘saved his life’… The belief that storks bring individuals good luck if we care for them is shown clearly in this instance. This is a feel-good story, and so happy and grateful for this kind and generous ordinary person. If you wanted to donate, however small, to Dmitri, send me a note, and I will give you the address for the fund. He will need help and funds to feed the storklet and himself after the surgery. Donating was very easy.
The link to this feeding. There does not appear to be a streaming cam live but a camera has been provided to Dmitri so that he can make short clips of the storklet’s progress and post them.
Soledad is still yelling and screaming and the parents are furnishing her with breakfast and keeping track of their only eyas this year. Monty and Hartley you did well! It is sure nice to know that these babies that have fledged are safe.
The third hatch at Outerbanks 24/7 has fledged and like its two older siblings has already returned to the nest! Well done. Put this Osprey nest on your list to watch next season. They are all gone and then they are all on the nest. You can hear them fish calling on the cam!
There is a fledge at Llyn Clywedog. Dylan and Seren’s eldest boy, Blue 8B1, took to the skies, did a fantastic flight around and returned landing on the perch right next to Mum.
Dylan brought his young lad a nice Brown Trout as a reward.
Female chick PF4 has fledged at Loch of the Lowes! Oh, goodness they are all taking to the skies or thinking about it.
At the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn, the chicks are hovering.
The Finnish Osprey #4 nest was a concern. ‘A’ was correct to be concerned. The lack of fish and rain has prompted the first hatch to attack both Middle and Little. The female appears reluctant to feed the Little one and despite two large fish being brought to the nest one after another, the Big osplet has now killed the little one.” It was an outright attack according to my friend ‘T’.
Finnish #1 nest. Eine really loves to eat her fish and those chicks have to work hard to get fed. There could be a potential for problems. The Big one eats, then the second, and we hope there is enough for the third!
The Patchogue Osprey nest is doing fine. There is a lot of wing flapping. The two older osplets have fledged and returned to the nest. On Saturday, Three got up to the perch so it is only time til it flies officially. That left Mini on the nest and our deal little one looked so lonely. Little Mini had a couple of good crops on Saturday. Fully confident that this fantastic chick will fledge. Please continue to watch as we celebrate these amazing parents who raised four energetic and healthy osplets.
Mini keeping an eye on that fish that one of the older is eating. Mini is very smart and has proven itself a survivor. The only issue could be a nest accident but I didn’t say that! This is also a good nest to put on your list for viewing next year.
Mini alone -.
‘M’ got this nice screen capture of Mini alone today, too. The flying is going to cause the older ones to be hungry so no doubt the nest is going to be frantic when there are deliveries. Gos, this chick is gorgeous. Notice her nice necklace and those amazing eyes. You can always tell Mini by her head and neck form the others. And look at those thick ankles. Little tears of joy…I know many of us worried so much that we would lose Mini.
After some initial hiccups, Boulder County Fair Grounds Ospreys are doing fantastic.
Everything appears to be alright at Cowlitz PUD. This nest was fortunate – only one egg hatched and there is enough fish for three. If you have forgotten, the theory is that the Bald Eagles – which are plentiful in the area – steal the fish from the Ospreys.
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum nest is very interesting. It is thought that this is the first breeding season for the female. The male is 21 years old. He often stays in the nest and observes the female feeding the chick. Today is the first day I can say that this baby has ‘a fat little bottom’. Things have improved since the beginning of the season on this nest.
Clark PUD is alright. I keep thinking this nest could use some more fish as the osplets are growing rapidly and feathering.
The female at Collins Marsh is just a sweetie. The two chicks of this new couple are doing very well, indeed.
The three chicks at the Lipka Forest Osprey nest in Poland are doing super.
The ringing of osplets (or any raptor or bird) can cause upsets at the nest. After the initial delay of the parents returning to the nest on Saturday, Louis comes in with fish number two. On Sunday, it is confirmed that this big chick is a boy! The naming contest has begun. Geemeff sent the link, please scroll through the comments when you get to this site: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam/
‘H’ continues to be concerned about the FortisExshaw nest. This is her report for the morning: “Their only feeding yesterday was from a large fish brought by Louise at 0934. Since then, Louise has left the nest numerous times, and the longest she was away was 52 minutes. She returned a few times with nesting material. She was never seen with a large crop. I have seen beaking of Little a few times. I assume this beaking is probably taking place more often than I am finding it on rewind. Jasper will have been missing 48 hours on 7/9 at 0930. I hope Jasper returns. This is really tough on Little.”
Louise alone wondering what happened to Jasper with three very young chicks to feed and protect – and brood.
Ferris Akel has been checking in on Big Red, Arthur and the Ms and on Saturday he found all of them. Those fledglings are doing great.
Suzanne Arnold Horning found the Ms as well. Gosh these are precious little ones.
A beautiful story coming to us from the Kakapo Recovery about Nora – and, yes, she is still alive. I have attached the article below so you can read about this remarkable female, the matriarch to the now 209 Kakapo in the world.
All of Heidi’s other Osprey nests are doing well so no individual reports on them.
Thank you for being with me today. Send your positive energy to those struggling nests, including Fortis Exshaw. Take care, everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘Geemeff, H, M, T’, Miami Zoo, Dmitri’s stork, SK Hideaways and the SJCH Falcon Cam, Outerbanks 24/7, CarnyXWild, George Green and the Clywedog Osprey Group, Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve, Dyfi Osprey Project, Finnish Osprey Foundation, PSEG, Boulder County Fair Grounds, MN Landscape Arboretum, Clark PUD, Collins Marsh, Lipka Forest, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Ferris Akel Live Stream, Suzanne Arnold Horning, and kakapo Recovery.
Thank you for all your letters and holiday wishes. Each was very much appreciated. It is so kind of you to think of me!
It is 1800 Sunday evening, and my garden is teeming with Dark-eyed Juncos and House Sparrows. Mr Blue Jay has been for a visit, as has Little Red and Dyson & Gang. I can hear the Crows in the distance as gulls fly overhead. It is remarkable how spending time in the light or stepping away from a nest for 24 hours can refresh your mind and body. Missy and Lewis have voted that I write the blog in the conservatory where there is light! It was not that long ago that 1800 would have meant darkness. Twenty-six Ring Billed Gulls flew over like they do every dusk from spring through to fall when they depart. On the Red River Flyway, more than 400 American White Pelicans flew north. Spring is wonderful!
Both Mr and Mrs Downy came to the garden several times today. They always come right before dusk, no matter how many visits they have made earlier. I am a wee bit sloppy about getting the suet into the holes, but, hey, they seem not to be annoyed.
e-Bird reports from Saturday said that the Dark-eyed Juncos were arriving in our province. On Sunday, more than two dozen were in the garden flitting about. Oh, how grand. Just love these little ones.
The first Hibiscus blossom of the year arrived yesterday! So far, Lewis and Missy have left it alone. They often like to sleep in this pot after I water them. I never knew cats loved the water so much!
Correction: The GHO strike on the Es took place NOT during the day. Lady Hawk’s time fooled me and ‘A’. Thanks, ‘H’ for the head’s up! It seemed so unlikely but, there have been battles with eagles and owls during the day time. The first that comes to mind is Bonnie and Clyde taking the nest from the young eagle couple at Farmer Derek’s three years ago.
We are one day away from hatch watch at Cal Falcons and only Annie and Lou know if they can hear those little eyases chirping away getting ready to burst out of those shells. Mark your calendar! While we have been told that the 11th is probably hatch day here are some figures from Cal Falcons based on past hatch times.
Annie and Lou have made the LA Times! Well done.
Remember! There will be the annual Q & A session and celebration on YouTube with Cal Falcons on the 11th. Here is the information.
Wonder what it feels like to lay that first egg? A very young male still has his juvenile plumage and probably a first-time young female falcon at San Jose City Hall. SK Hideaways caught their reaction to their first egg! Please watch this super-edited video. It gives us some insight!
The female appears to later ‘shade’ the egg.
The young couple bond in their scrape. We wait to see how all this plays out.
Our young dad is ready to feed his baby – even in the shell! This is going to be very interesting!
There were two fledges on Sunday. B16 from Berry College and Ringo from the Webster Texas nest. Congratulations!
There are five eggs at the Manchester, New Hampshire, scrape! The couple has been together for 9 years, and last year they hatched and fledged five. ‘SP’ says the chicks are banded but the male and female are simply known as Mum and Dad. Here is the link to their camera and there are the five from last season. Adorable.
There is nothing more adorable than little pink beaks reaching up from white fluffy bodies to be fed.
Ringo flew strong and in the video on FB by Paul White, you could see her fly way out into the background near the water feature. Brilliant.
‘JL’ asked: “I was wondering if you could comment on aggressive/submissive behaviour sometime. On the SWFL nest, I’ve watched E22 become the aggressor, and E21 turn submissive. It was almost an overnight change (even before E21 left). I suppose the question is, why did 21 allow the change to occur? I noticed the same with the Sea Eagles (29 and 30), with 30 becoming more assertive before 29 left.”
We have all witnessed various levels of aggression on the nests. This ranges from the bobbleheads fighting it out in those first few days to the extreme aggression where a sibling is killed. Dominance ‘play’ is often seen but is not dangerous to any of the nestlings. It is when there is fear for survival that really aggressive behaviour comes in. Research reveals that deadly aggressive behaviour can happen on a nest that is full of prey. Just what causes one bird to turn against another in that situation is a matter of conjecture. Is it DNA? is it toxins that drive aggressive behaviour? is it a particular growth stage that spurs the attacks?
A sibling has never died of siblicide on Harriet and M15’s nest. Never. They have beaked each other, making chatters concerned, but that was dominance play. Both eaglets, E21 and E22, are now similar in size and have fledged. 22 gained confidence and, if I am correct, grew a little while 21 was away. We do not know their genders, although I thought they were the same sex because the fighting and dominance/submission has not been extreme. 22 had control of the nest when 21 returned and wanted to keep that position. ‘E21, you are not going to boss me around anymore!’ In the end, we know that they became beak and branch buddies. All is fine. M15 took good care of them; amazing. You will begin to see how remarkable his parenting was as the saga at Dale Hollow unfolds.
WBSE 29 and 30 were both females. Females are much more aggressive towards little males. So again, it could have been a confidence matter, testing the ‘waters’ of who is dominant at WBSE like it was when 21 returned. In neither case, there was never cause for any concern over the health and welfare of the other eaglet in these two instances.
Concern continues to grow for Mrs G as she is ten days late from her normal arrival time to Glaslyn.
Meanwhile, Aran has been sky-dancing for an unringed female that came to the Glaslyn nest. He has fed her a fish in the nest and he must be understanding that Mrs G is not returning. A new era at Glaslyn could be starting.
Meanwhile, Dorcha has returned to Loch Arkaig and is waiting for Louis to return from his adventure around the loch so they can begin their 2023 breeding season.
Dorcha begins work on the nest just like Louis did last week. Hey, Louis, come home!
Louis home. Both arrive at the nest with a fish as the wind blows strong. And do I hear ice pellets?
In Latvia, a Mallard attempted to land on the nest while Voldis is incubating his and Milda’s eggs. That duck didn’t even get a chance to land! Hatch watch coming soon. Hoping this will be a good year after two tragic ones for our beautiful WTE Milda whose nest is near Durbe in Latvia.
In Decorah, precious DH2 gets a feeding.
Martin and Rosa’s three eaglets continue to do very well at Dulles-Greenway.
There are three eaglets at Bald Canyon. I have noticed a tiny bit of beaking between 1 and 2. 3 was out of the way and did get fed. Relief.
One much adored eaglet at Two Harbours that will be well fed and loved by parents, Chase and Cholyn. For those that do not know, Cholyn is Thunder’s Mum. (Thunder is the mate of Akecheta at the West End).
Everything looks A-OK with Big Red and Arthur!
‘T’ sent her vote for photo of the day…Bluff City eaglet with a crop the size of a tennis ball!
Maya has laid her third egg of the 2023 season at Manton Bay! Blue 33 has been by her side. What a couple!
Yesterday Iris arrived home to her nest at Hellgate Canyon, Missoula, Montana. She is the matriarch of American ospreys and is believed to be the oldest living osprey in the world.
Her first mate there was Stanley and they raised multiple chicks to fledge. Then Stanley passed and Louis came on the scene. Louis has always had another nest at the baseball park. It has been nothing but sadness for Iris and Louis. Lin Lawson gives us the history, in case you did not know it. This will provide some background as to why people get upset when Louis comes to the nest with Iris. Things will not change so do not get upset. They will mate, Iris will lay eggs, the eggs will get eaten by the Crows, and then Iris will spend her summer eating fish and growing strong. There will be no starving osplets on the nest to worry about. And that is a good thing.
DH17 and DH18 ate well and went to bed with full crops. River is trying the best she can. She is followed to the nest by intruders that land and stay there. DH17 is 38 days old, and 18 is 39 days old. DH19 was 32 days old when it died of starvation. We send good positive wishes to River. This situation is tough, and there is no guarantee that any of the eaglets will survive. Diane and Jack were both at the Achieva Nest. Diane fed Big Bob and left Middle Bob in submission without any fish. Later Diane went fishing and brought in one of her nice catfish, and Middle ate for at least 30 minutes. There is a drought in the St Petersburgh area, and all of the water is very low, causing fishing to be difficult. Send your best wishes to this nest.
Reports are coming in that the much loved Finnish Osprey, Salli, has been electrocuted in Iraq on her way home from her winter grounds.
Thank you so very much for joining me today. Take care, everyone. Have a great beginning of the week. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, videos, posts, and streaming cams that helped make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘T’, ‘SP’, ‘JL’, Geemeff, Cal Falcon Cam, LA Times, SK Hideaways and San Jose City Hall Falcons, San Jose City Hall Falcons, Peregrine Networks Live, Colleen Hayman Orange Australia Peregrine Falcons, Paul White and Webster TX Eagles, Jackie Morris and Friends of Dyfi Osprey Project, Dailypost.co.uk, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Geemeff and Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Latvian Fund for Nature, Raptor Resource Project, Dulles Freeway, IWS and Explore.org, Cornell RTH Cam, Bluff City Eagle Cam, LRWT, Montana Osprey Project, Lin Lawson and Osprey Friends, and Dale Hollow Eagle Cam.
Oh, gosh, it is grey and dreary here in Manitoba. The sun did not break through at all today. There were moments when I wish we could ‘wiggle’ our noses and be transported elsewhere. I wanted to feel the warmth of the sun, see the green grass, and sit and just listen to the Tropical Mockingbird and Bananaquit.
At the same time, had I not been sitting where I was, I would have missed Sharpie’s visit! I know that he has been about or the larger female Cooper’s Hawk, but I had just not caught him landing. Today, he did!
It is so nice to see you, Sharpie. You are looking quite healthy with those chrome yellow legs.
At the same time, he caused the 31 European Starlings that were feeding to gather and form a murmuration. It was the first time I had seen these birds clustering and flying together to confuse a predator. It was not like anything I have seen when there are thousands of Starlings together forming intricate patterns. These 31 were a loose knit group but, they did manage to keep the hawk at bay with their flying formations.
Sunday morning and Sharpie is back trying to get a songbird feeding in the lilacs. The three Crows are all upset causing the songbirds to flit and fly away. I figure Sharpie is hungry. He is not giving up easily.
I suspect, like Diamond, Sharpie prefers something other than a Starling – perhaps, his usual House Sparrow. He is too small to go after a Crow but, the Crows get excited when anyone enters their territory. I never resent him taking one of the Sparrows. Everyone has to eat to survive. Sharpie just takes what he needs, eats it all but the feathers and even some of those, some days. He doesn’t waste – like humans do.
While I was away, one of our readers, ‘L’ sent me a photo of a hawk wondering what it was. I knew but I decided to ask Merlin and sure enough, Merlin photo ID said Cooper’s Hawk as opposed to the image above which Merlin IDed as a Sharp-shinned.
Which brings me to a point I want to make. At one time I was not happy with Merlin Bird ID. It drove me nuts. While I was on holiday, there were so many songbirds singing at the same time that I could not separate them. Additionally, they were tropical birds that are completely unknown to me. The Merlin Song ID was incredible. The only bird that it did not identify was the Carib Grackle which surprised me.
The other positive besides knowing all of the birds that are around you is that by using the app, you can learn the song of species that were originally unknown to you. By the end of the week, I was able to tell 8 Caribbean birds by their song. That is pretty good for someone who is tone deaf! Just imagine what you could do. It is free. I really do urge you to put it on your phones. Go out, take a friend, or a young person and teach them to hear the songs and identify the birds. Make an outing of it. It is really fun and it helps Cornell understand where birds are located even when they don’t think they should be! Like Sharpie. Once I sent them the image with all its meta-data, they quit telling me that there could not be a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Winnipeg at this time of year.
The final report has come in on Hesgyn, the last chick that Monty raised with Telyn, found dead this summer in Wales after living through his migration and returning to find a mate. The report is cumulative – meaning that that the most recent finding and autopsy report is at the bottom. It would appear that Hesgyn’s return coincided with the tremendous heat that Wales had during that singular week. The impact on the ability of this magnificent osprey to fish – after returning from Africa – could have been the natural cause of his death. No human cause.
It was nice to see Zoe with a great big fish delivery from Dad. At 0701:14, Zoe sees Dad arriving.
At 0701:20, Dad lands on the nest. Mum begins to fly over from the ropes to the nest.
It was a big fish, not a teaser. Mum seemed to hope there would be some left but, Zoe does love her fish! And has a history of being unable to share.
By 0735, Zoe has finished the entire fish!
At 0801, Zoe sits with Dad over on the ropes. He doesn’t seem to have budged a centimetre from the earlier image above.
At the scrape box of Xavier and Diamond on the campus of Charles Sturt University, Diamond was having a nice siesta in the afternoon sun. She is so beautiful. Her and Xavier must be very happy with Indigo’s progress.
Indigo arrives and thinks the ledge is a good place for an afternoon nap, too.
Elain has another great highlights of the Day for our Orange Falcon family.
The biggest news in Bird World continues to be the competition for Gabby’s heart and nest.
In order to try and keep the identification of the suitors separate and apart from one another and Samson, the AEF have gone to identifying the birds using their tail feathers.
Tail Comparison: Top Row L to R: Samson, V1. Bottom Row L to R: V2, V3
I have not seen V2 at the nest today. There is now the third male, V3, who has been working on the nest and Gabby has not chased him away. Gabby even got into the nest with V3 for a bit.
V3 has slept on the nest and is very alert.
There is very little known about Gabby including her age. She became Samson’s mate at this nest in 2018. She was an adult so she is at least 9 years old now. She has a nest in a good location and there are many suitors. To date, I do not believe we have noticed a brood patch on Gabby. A brood patch is the spot where the feathers do not exist – they fall out when it is time to incubate eggs. The skin of the adult touches the eggs and helps to keep them warm. If the feathers would there, the warmth of the parental body would not exist – so this brood patch has developed over eons to assist the eagles with incubation.
Wonder who Gabby will choose? There seems to be plenty of time so as the AEF suggests, get some popcorn and sit back and watch. It truly is a soap opera. Meanwhile, Harriet is only letting M15 have a little incubation time while Anna down at the KNF nest in Louisiana loves to give Louis plenty of time with their eggs.
M15 brought Harriet a tasty treat today, right off the Road Kill menu – rabbit. Harriet wanted it plain, not in a cassoulet.
Meanwhile at the Kistachie National Forest nest, Louis is getting another chance to incubate the eggs overnight. Wow! These young eagle mums are really sharing the whole experience with their mates. It looks there is some rain and a little lighting near the nest in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Congratulations to Superbeaks – the Central Florida Bald Eagle nest – on their second hatch as announced by Paul Kolnik on Bald Eagles 101.
‘A’ reminded me that Wisdom is not only the oldest Laysan Albatross in the world but she is also the oldest banded bird in the world. Incredible. There is a new announcement from the Midway Atoll. It seems that Wisdom has returned and was seen on the 24th of November but, her mate has sadly not. Will she get another mate? We wait to see. What an amazing seabird Wisdom is…incredible.
Remember that Ferris Akel has his live tour on Saturdays starting at noon Eastern on YouTube. Today, he didn’t catch big Red on the Cornell Campus, our queen of the Red-tail Hawks. Ferris did find her mate, Arthur – and it is always good to see either of them and extremely special when it is both.
Some thoughts from David Suzuki.
Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Take care everyone. See you soon! One last one to put a smile on your face – the ever loving Jackie and Shadow kissing in the nest yesterday while they did renovations.
Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: David Suzuki Foundation, Bald Eagles 101, Ferris Akel Tours, US Fish and Wildlife Services and ‘A’, Tonya Irwin and KNF Bald Eagles FB, Lady Hawk, SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, NEFL-AEF, the AEF FB, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab, and FOBBV.
