I am so sorry to write and tell you that the only egg of Jak and Audacity that carried such hope for another Betty Lou this season has broken.
Send out your love to this amazing Bald Eagle couple. They tried so hard and we hoped with them.
At the Fernow Tower nest of Big Red and Arthur on the Cornell Campus, our 23-year-old Queen of the Red-tail Hawks and her mate, Arthur, have brought in the first sticks to their nest. Cornell Bird Lab caught it on video. https://youtu.be/dERgvuToQS4?
Do we think that Jackie and Shadow are thinking about a second clutch? SK Hideaways has them looking at that nest in the snow. https://youtu.be/2PqA-NX63FY?
So sorry to have to send the news about Jak and Audacity. We were so hopeful. There is a snowstorm on its way here that will begin in a few hours. Heavy snowfall warning with perhaps 16 cm. We will be fine. Please take care of yourself…and before I leave I want to show you an image that ‘R’ sent me from Gainsville, Florida. You might think that nest is in the palm tree but it is on a pole on the other side! Thanks, ‘R’. We will look forward to any report of little ones!
Thank you to Cornell Bird Lab and SK Hideaways for their videos, to the IWS/Explore.org for its camera at Sauces and to each of you for loving our raptor families. Thank you to ‘R’ for that great photograph.
Oh, we hope that you had a lovely weekend – and were able to get outside and hear some birdsong! It is much warmer here. That is fantastic but it has meant that the walkways are icy, something that is difficult to deal with when Toby is so enthusiastic about being outside. He wears his boots with a skid pad on the bottom and they help him not to slip and slide. We have our boots with the big grips. Still, one worries a bit about falling so the walks have not been that long.
The skies are a cold, light grey. The leafless trees set against the sky like those Victorian shadow images we used to cut out of paper remind us, however, that it is still winter even if the European Starlings are getting their breeding plumage. I will be glad this year when the cold is all over. There is something that brings the spirit up when you can open the windows and walk down the street, not dressed like you are going on a Polar Bear expedition! But, I am not really complaining. The furnace is no longer churning out heat and there is the huge promise that the UK ospreys will be home in 5 weeks and on top of that Big Red will be thinking about laying her first egg. The days will speed by.
The Girls and Toby are fine, and so far, all of the regulars have made it through the winter that comes to the garden. We had thought that perhaps one of the Blue Jays was missing, but no, it appeared. What joy we had that morning. Brock makes his rounds and he was here at 0900. No doubt he will head down the street to have some food at Jane’s and sleep on her cushion. He showed up at her door when she got home from the symphony last night. I think he was watching and waiting for her to get home! You must be able to feel my excitement that he has another place to go for food and safety.
There are still 33 or more European Starlings coming to eat cat and dog kibble. As I noted earlier, their plumage is changing and some are now in breeding plumage. I hope that their nest in our lilacs and the back trees are successful this year. I adore them. Many people reject the Starlings and the Sparrows…I cannot imagine a day without their different songs. It is time to be equal in our treatment of the birds as most species, including these two, are in decline in various locations. Guardians of Nature just posted this image on FB as a reminder to us:
SK Hideaways Videos Week of 1 February 2026
Channel Island California Eagles Livestreamed nests: ~ Fraser Point ~ Santa Cruz Island ~ Cruz & Andor ~ Sauces Canyon ~ Santa Cruz Island ~ Audacity & Jak ~ Two Harbors ~ Catalina Island ~ Cholyn & Chase ~ West End ~ Catalina Island ~Resident in flux Sauces Canyon Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | Sauces Canyon Eagles Cam Ops Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTsOesC6hE
Audacity Lays Egg #3 ~ Back to 2 Eggs After One Broke ~ Then Back to 1 Again (2026 Feb 6) Pretty much on schedule, Audacity laid her third egg with little fanfare or labor. After accidentally breaking one two days before, she and Jak once again had two precious eggs to tend. Best wishes for a fruitful outcome. Sadly, that egg broke just two hours after it was laid.
Audacity Accidentally Pierces Egg ~ Cleans Up Before Jak Arrives (2026 Feb 3) Audacity accidentally pierced one egg in the middle of the night. She simply stayed present, cleaned up the egg ~ taking in vital nutrients in the process ~ and appeared to revert to delayed incubation of the remaining egg. Keeping good thoughts for a replacement egg in a couple days. Video: https://youtu.be/b2cBALaGn08
Cholyn & Chase Share Sunset Rendezvous (2026 Feb 5) Cholyn and Chase are getting a lot of egg-making practice lately. Will she late earlier than her typical late February-early March timeframe? Only Cholyn knows for sure. Video: https://youtu.be/uZ9JOIGjHxQ
Cholyn & Chase Have a Frisky Morning ~ Twice (2026 Feb 2) With nesting season in full swing, Cholyn and Chase have frequent early morning rendezvous. Despite their 28 years of age and 23 years of “marriage”, they remain quite frisky at this time of year. So much so that they mated twice on the nest in less than 40 minutes. Will Cholyn surprise us with early eggs? Video: https://youtu.be/wMs45lc_3XA
West End Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org | West End Eagles Cam Ops Nest Low Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfuqjSNXZ14 Other Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmmAzrAkKqI Overlook Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kad6O4nF6bg Aerial Food Fight ~ Aerobatics ~ Nest Misses ~ SEDs Together 🤗 The current West End couple had an active day, starting with a spectacular aerial food fight (shown here at regular speed and slo-mo). The wind made for some fancy flying, including swooping nest approaches. At day’s end, the couple met on the night perch. Video: https://youtu.be/7b1wjDO5EWYFOBBVCAM Eagles ~ Big Bear, CA Courtesy FOBBVCAM | Friends of Big Bear ValleyNest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE Wide View Cam (Cam 2): https://youtube.com/live/LCGYWfbyBWc LIVE Recap & Observations https://bit.ly/3Md8TSz Jackie and Shadow Defend Nest and Territory from Multiple Intruders 2026 Feb 7 The past few days have brought a number of unwelcome visitors to Jackie and Shadow’s habitat, which is not unusual at this time of year. They fiercely defended their nest and surrounding area from both adult eagles and ravens. Wishing them all peace and safety as they sort themselves out. Video: https://youtu.be/HMSdUZnPKM8
Tandem Feeding for Fluffballs JBS24 & JBS25 (2026 Feb 4) 10-day-old JBS24 and 9-day-old JBS25 are lucky little fluffballs. Mom and Dad have been filling them to the brim all day every day. Tandem feedings are common here and a joy to watch. Here, Mom and Dad feed both eaglets and even each other a little. Video: https://youtu.be/ge017VDe7mo
Thank you so much, SK Hideaways.
The eaglets at the Kistachie National Forest Bald Eagle nests have been named. Tonya Irwin posted the results:
Gabby and Beau’s babies have been named!
While these two are exploring what is outside the rails, E26 at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest of M15 and F23 is now standing on the rails!!!!!!
In Wales, there is an osprey platform near the one at Glaslyn. It is known as Pont Cresor. The male is Z2, Aeron, one of Monty’s sons. His mate is Blue 014. They have successfully raised chicks. Friends of Osprey installs osprey platforms on private property within Wales. They often will not reveal the location for good reason. They are now adding a camera to the Pont Cresor nest. This is fantastic.
Mary Cheadle announces this:
Here’s the other notice with more information.
Z2 Aeron’s brother, Z1 Tegid of the White Egg, is also breeding in Wales. Monty’s legacy lives long and strong in others as well.
Oh, I am getting itchy osprey talons. How lucky it is that Penny Albright gets to spend her winter watching osprey! She is posting some great images on FB, too. Thanks, Penny!
Jack and Jill have been at Achieva in St Petersburg, Florida. No eggs yet.
It won’t hatch – the single egg at Frenchman’s Creek. Mum continues to come to incubte during the day but stays away at night so as not to be killed by the GHO. In fact, she was pulled off the nest the other evening and survived. Poor thing. I wish that egg would break.
Heidi reported on that owl strike:
So far all is well with Sally and Harry at Mooring’s Park. There are three eggs. Hatch watch begins on March 1.
Beth Lorenzo posted that the Pink Shell osprey nest in Florida has three eggs: Congratulations on three eggs! This is the first time I’ve seen three (2/5): does anyone happen to know when the third was laid? No big deal; I just want to write a date in my records.
Eggs are normally laid at 3 day intervals but we have seen some at 2 days and some at 4 or 5.
There is no shortage of food in the nest of Owlvira and Hoots!
The eaglets on the John Bunker Sands Wetlands nest are doing very well. The chat says: “Mom and Dad’s eggs were laid on Dec. 18 and 21. JBS 24 hatched on Jan. 25, while JBS 25 hatched on Jan. 26.”
Positive wishes for Jak and Audacity who still have a single egg to incubate. Two of the three eggs laid have broken accidentially. And hum that tune ‘All We Need is Love’ but say ‘All We Need is One!’. That got us Betty Lou. One egg is manageable. One egg is easier to cope with when there could be issues of a thinner shell. Keep sending this couple love.
Thank you so much for being with us today! Please take care of yourself. Go outside. Smell the fresh air (I hope it’s fresh), pause. Listen to the birds and read a good book. Bake some scones. We did today – SK Hideaways recipe. They were delicious. Draw, write an old friend. Think of something lovely. We will be back by the end of the week and we hope you are able to join us.
Delicious. If you would like the recipe, let me know.
A tired Toby.
Thank you to all those individuals who voted on the names for the eaglets at the Kistachie National Forest and the NE Bald Eagle nest of Gabby and Beau. Thank you to SK Hideaways for being so kind to send me their weekly list of videos, and to all those who posted information on FB and the owners of the streaming cams who allow us to watch the lives of these amazing birds.
Oh, I love these two. We have an early egg (compared to some years past) for our Big Bear romantic couple, Jackie and Shadow.
Smile. While there might be sadness elsewhere, we have to celebrate what could be an amazing year for these two Bald Eagles in Big Bear Valley that we love so much.
Time to get another mini-bottle of champagne! I finally go to open the last one in 2025 – let’s make it another year for this couple. Send them all your love and good energy.
It is a full moon night on the Canadian prairies with a temperature of -16 C. Tobby and Hugo Yugo are curled up beside me on the sofa along with a couple of ‘Little Lambs’, Toby’s favourite toy. Ann spent the morning with Toby while I went to the hospital to see how Don was doing.
I felt really ‘proud’ and happy when the nurse sat me down, hugged me, and told me how well I was taking care of Don. You don’t think it – or I didn’t – his clothes are always clean, and so he is. I feed him, for the most part, whole foods, giving in to a love of cookies that his mother created by her excellent (and constant) baking when he was younger. His bloodwork is good, and he is very healthy given his condition. I know that many have expressed concern about his discharge back into the home, but the root cause was not his dementia, but rather a serious problem with his bladder that the doctors have now repaired. He was very alert today, and after I had been there for about an hour, his oldest friend, Andrew, arrived, and you could hear them laughing several metres away. I slipped out quietly, knowing that his other friend from high school would be arriving shortly. Ann stayed home, monitoring Toby to make sure he didn’t start haemorrhaging again. Toby is getting stronger and more like himself. It was so nice having him snore in my ear last night – I will NEVER complain again about that! Sometimes he is so loud he could shake the roof off the rafters.
Thank you for all of your notes. I want to publicly pass on a big shout-out to Heidi and her video that was included on Day 11 – many of you have downloaded that blog so that you can watch her handiwork repeatedly. She is exceptionally talented, and I am so glad that our paths crossed in this lifetime.
The nurses have asked me to rest up for a few days, so my posts over the next 2-4 days will be shorter and less comprehensive. As most of you can tell, I have a real soft spot for Gabby and now for Beau after adoring Samson for so many years. Those two little scrappers in NE Florida are adorable. And like all of the other eaglets in the nests, they are adored by their parents. My goodness, I wish we could sprinkle this type of eagle love all over the planet.
Girri is one of those great events from 2025. Having sobbed our eyes out with the loss of Xavier, we thought Diamond would not have any chicks. Then along came Gimbir, and well, everyone thought he was too young and inexperienced to be a Dad. Well, were we wrong? Diamond and Gimbir gave us one heck of a strong female falcon, and here she is flying above the trees near the tower! https://youtu.be/ECUH1DwWGao? It just doesn’t get much better than this at the Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam project.
It’s not a raptor… but this is a story everyone should know about. China has footage of a Wild Siberian Tigress with five cubs in Hunchun. Northwest Tiger and Leopard Park. This is thrilling news! They normally have 2-3 cubs so five is rare and is a great conservation success. Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/JaSsbkfC5N4?
The BBC reports, “Five Siberian tiger cubs have one very proud mum – she’s the first ever tiger known to have given birth to quintuplets in the wild in China.
The family have been spotted in Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, which is one of China’s first five national parks and covers over 14,000 square kilometres – that’s around the same size as Northern Ireland!
It’s very rare for Siberian tigers to give birth to five healthy cubs, so it’s a big success story for the park, who say it’s likely that mum had the cubs back in June.” (27 December 2025)
It is all good for Beau and Gabby at NE Florida.
The AEF captured Gabby feeding Beau who then fed the eaglets with the food. How cute was that?
E26 is a massive eaglet. Want to bet we have a strong female here for M15 and F23 this year? Thermal down. Pin feathers. And quite enough food and more than enough love from Mum and Dad.
What a little cutie – the other only – at Captiva for Connie and Clive.
R9 and R10 are just adorable. Ron and Rose are doing a fantastic job at Dade County. Life is looking good!
One of my favourite all-time books about a human being changed by an encounter with wildlife was Raising Hare. Here is an incredible story about a Japanese island inhabited by Hares! Can I put it on my bucket list?
Time for Toby’s last medication. Oh, my dear darling little man. The sheer idea that I could have lost you is beyond my comprehension.
This week, I learned two significant things I would like to share with you, in the hope that one or both might help you in the future. If you know of anyone whose behaviour radically changes, from calm to agitated, please get them to the doctor to check for an infection. If you know or suspect they cannot pass urine, do not be shy about stating this. It is critical. Secondly, if you see any blood, watery or otherwise, in your pet’s vomit or diarrhoea, rush them to the vet. Do not sit around and twiddle your thumbs, I mean, rush. Toby’s life was saved because of quick action on my part and that of Dr Maryam.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that let us glimpse the breeding seasons of our wonderful raptors. Without them we would never see the joyful moments shared by these parents and their chicks! I would also like to thank The Guardian for their constant reporting on issues about wildlife. Thank you Holly Parsons or that great capture, to Cilla Kinross for her post and to the China Daily for its story on the Siberian Tiger.
We have a New Year’s eaglet. NE33 made its appearance in the wee hours of the morning.
Beau is one proud dad. He has the pantry stocked nicely.
What a wonderful way to start the new year! Remember – get those happy memories in to me, however short or long, by 0800 Friday 2 January so I can get them into the blog.
I am happy to say that Don is doing very well, indeed. His deterioration/behaviour issue was due to a medical condition and not his dementia. The team at the Victoria Hospital are working to resolve those issues.
Little Toby is sleeping by me. I wasn’t going to mention it, but we had quite a scare. Tuesday evening, I had to rush Toby to the emergency veterinary clinic. He was haemorrhaging out of his mouth and anus. There was blood everywhere. He came home to me this morning. I am very grateful to the vets who worked so hard to save his life. He has acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome, or AHDS, formerly called HGE and tested negative for Parvo as a cause. Will be tested for food sensitivity next week. It can return without warning, but right now, he is home and safe with me. I cannot tell you how much I missed him. I did not want to alarm anyone, so just smile. One of my fellas is home.
Thank you for being with me today. See you tomorrow for the good memories of 2025 – get yours in.
Thank you to the American Eagle Foundation for their streaming cam that allows us to ‘spy’ on Beau and Gabby, NE 32 and NE 33.
And one last thing: Rare bird in Vancouver. Tiny little Taiga Flycatcher that should be in Asia has set everyone stirring.
[I am sending this out at 2200 Sunday evening in case things get hectic Monday morning – have a great day everyone].
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. From now on, we will have a tiny bit more daylight, which is always welcome. Sunday was bright and sunny, and there is nothing better to energise a weary body after days of snow and grey than bright light. The Girls certainly enjoyed having those beautiful rays of warmth fill the conservatory.
For the past several weeks or months, I have encouraged each of you to slow down – to savour the moment at hand without worrying about what happened a week ago, what will occur in a month, or if your holiday dinner is perfect, or your house looks like the best cleaning service has detailed it. You would be too worn out to enjoy any of the fun if you did that. Instead, relax. Make the days simple so that you can enjoy them.
I found a blog post about ‘How Not to Feel Lost in a Parisian Cafe’, and I want to share it with you, not that you are going to Paris soon (or maybe you are), but because it speaks to sheer relaxation. Take a quiet moment with a cuppa and enjoy it. Practice relaxing. It is one thing that North Americans are not good at! Endless lists, too much goal orientation and achievement having priority over simple living.
This led to a link about the joys of doing nothing in retirement. In this article in The Wall Street Journal, there is this quote: “Earlier this summer, I read ‘This Is Happiness,’ by Niall Williams, about a fictional Irish community in the mid-20th century where rain is a constant presence in the lives of the town’s poor residents, until it isn’t. “You don’t see rain stop, but you sense it,” he writes at one point. “You hear the quietness you thought was silence get quieter still, and you raise your head so your eyes can make sense of what your ears have already told you, which at first is only: something has changed. The quote describes more eloquently than my words how I felt that morning at the cabin when something for me had changed. It was the realization that in experiencing the peace that doing nothing brings, I could acknowledge quietly to myself, “This is happiness.”
Nellie arrived. The pups have been in and out, and then a rest, and then in and out again. Nellie loves the deep snow in the garden – she is a big girl. Toby likes to go out but not stay out as long. It has been great fun watching them play.
We had a proper ‘tea’ and christened a new teapot. This year we managed to break two teapots – the daily glass one and a much-loved temmoku one made by my friend Gunda Stewart years ago. There are ‘art’ teapots in my cupboards made by people across Canada, but I don’t use them. So…dear Anne brought us a replacement glass one, and I went over the top and purchased a rather glitzy version for special occasions. It is entirely unlike me; I am a much more rustic, handmade person. I like the story behind this design. It is based on the ceiling of the Library in the Fairmont Hotel in Toronto. This is where the ladies had to wait and have tea while the men checked them into the hotel.
I met a wonderful woman years ago in Yangon. Besides the fact that we both looked up and noticed that we were each reading Burmese Days, we were also sequestered inside our hotel for a few days during bombings in the City. Victoria introduced me to Coronation Chicken, and that is what we had today, along with egg mayo, sausage rolls, vegetable samosas, cranberry, orange, and mince tarts, shortbread cookies shaped like Scotty dogs, Fortnum’s Christmas cake, and chocolates. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the solstice! (I meant to take photos and forgot in the flurry of Nellie’s arrival!)
I wondered if Nellie was going to get stuck. She didn’t. She jumped and rolled.
A really tired Toby. He went to sleep before he even got in his bed.
Next to Toby, Nellie is in her big dog bed.
All is right in ‘dog’ world.
SK Hideaways Videos, week of 14 December 2025
Sauces Canyon Eagles: Jak and Audacity Chortle in the Dawn ~ An 11-Year Love Story (2025 Dec 19) As Jak and Audacity greet the day with nature’s most perfect music ~ chortles ~ we share a little history of this 11-year love story. Video: https://youtu.be/jCVVKQNIbfw Courtesy Institute for Wildlife Studies | explore.org Nest Cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTsOesC6hE
Haku Issues Mating Invitation ~ Akecheta’s Not in the Mood (2025 Dec 20) As Akecheta and Haku enjoyed their often frequented ocean view, Haku started feeling a little frisky. She let out some beautiful chortles and lowered her head, making it clear she was inviting Akecheta to mate. This time, Akecheta was focused elsewhere and did not respond. These two are spending a lot of time together on camera, so we could guess they’re doing so off camera as well. We have seen at least 2 mating attempts before this event, so may also guess that such attempts are being made behind closed tors. We are feeling optimistic about a fruitful nesting season for these two. Video: https://youtu.be/zhov66JVXDI
Akecheta Attempts Mating After Haku Casts Massive Pellet (2025 Dec 17) After spending the night together on the night perch, Haku woke before Akecheta and cleared her gizzard by casting a rather large pellet. So large, in fact, that when it hit the ground, it woke Akecheta. Unperturbed, he went right back to sleep before waking later to attempt the first mating we’ve seen on camera. While unsuccessful, it bodes well for these two pursuing nesting and mating behaviors for the season ahead. Akecheta later did some nestorations before setting off to the middle tor, posing beautifully for the camera. (2025 Dec 17) Video: https://youtu.be/YWxv9J9LbMM
FOBBV Eagles: Two Juvie Eagles Visit Nest Tree ~ Jackie & Shadow Let Them Be (2025 Dec 15) Two first year juvenile eagles (2025 hatch year) visited the nest tree. The first flew to the very top while Jackie and Shadow were finishing their day’s nestorations. While their hackles were raised and they were very vocal, Jackie and Shadow did not physically approach the visitor. The second juvie arrived at the nest tree after Jackie and Shadow had retired to their Roost Tree. Who might they be? #CouldBeSunnyOrGizmo Video: https://youtu.be/F6R4BuHTTOc Courtesy FOBBVCAM, Friends of Big Bear Valley, CA
GIRRI FLEDGES at 43 Days Old (2025 Dec 18) Girri woke early on her fledge day, full of energy and raring to go. After some vigorous wingercises and a full frontal attack of the camera, Girri took a wee rest and did a bit of yoga before taking flight. The fledge was perfect, as she flew across the flatlands to a perch tree. Cilla Ross captured video of her perched safely to everyone’s delight. Wishing Girri well in this exciting new phase of her young life. Video: https://youtu.be/96yPLdvaixU Viewer Discretion: Diamond’s Prey Unzipping Lesson ~ Girri Chases Gimbir (2025 Dec 15) Diamond brought another galah (aka pink and grey cockatoo) to the nest for Girri. She watched as her chick tried to consume the galah, but Girri does not yet possess the skills to prep prey. After letting Girri struggle a while, Diamond demonstrated how to prepare and ultimately consume prey. While SK Hideaways doesn’t normally publish graphic displays of raptors eating, we felt Diamond’s master class was interesting and educational. This is something raptor lovers may want to understand about these birds of prey. But we understand if you’d rather skip this lesson. When Gimbir came for the second seating, Girri chased him around the nest. Then Diamond fed him a few bites, but decided better of it. Best he remember that he’s a mate/parent and not a chick. Video: https://youtu.be/rgCWPyT11No
There is nothing cuter than a couple of bobbleheads – .
Dade County R9.
SW Florida E26.
Two very much loved eaglets. R10 appears to be on its way.
I am unclear as to the status of E27’s egg. A single healthy eaglet fledging strong would be fine for me for each nest.
It looks like a juvenile eagle on the Berry College Bald Eagle nest in Georgia.
For those following the ups and downs of Lumi, the young lynx that found itself in the care of our local wildlife rehabilitation clinic, Wildlife Haven, is improving all the time. A video was posted on Instagram of Lumi going through the morning zoomies. She certainly looks like she is getting stronger each day!
We have eggs with Louis II and Anna II at Kisatchie National Forest’s E1 Bald Eagle nest. Now there is a bonded pair at the E3 nest. Tonya suggests that we are now on egg watch for them. Nice. https://youtu.be/NkSdsMy2WAo?
Gimbir in the Charles Sturt University Falcon scrape overlooking the wooded area below where Cilla saw Girri yesterday. I wonder if Gimbir can encourage Girri to try and make her way up that steep flight to get to the scrape where she hatched?
At Port Lincoln, let’s see what Giliath and Ervie have been up to – Giliath has been to Lincoln National Park, Boston Point, and Boston Island (very similar to Ervie).
Ervie’s tracker – both lads come back to the wharf at Port Lincoln to roost at night.
I don’t know about you but I am always relieved to see our dear Ervie doing so well.
I read Mark Avery’s Blog every month and he always reports on Bird Flu in the UK. Having seen the deaths of hundreds of Canada geese near to where I live, I continue to be interested in how HPAI is still impacting wildlife.
This was the report in Mark Avery’s most recent blog:
“Bird flu: Defra’s most recent update seems to cover the period up to 30 November and has a lot of positive records, especially of wildfowl, and adds Woodcock to the 2025 list of affected species bringing the total to 53: Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Black Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Barnacle Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Eider, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Buzzard, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Curlew, Woodcock, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Gannet, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Razorbill, Guillemot, Puffin, Black Guillemot, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, Grey Heron, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch and Starling. The flaws in the ‘surveillance’ scheme mean that it is difficult to know what this species list means in terms of species affected – click here. “
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care! Have a great beginning to the week. See you on Tuesday!
Thank you to SK Hideaways for those great videos and to the owners of the streaming cams who give us a look into the lives of our eagles. I also want to thank those who take the time to post reports and images on FB so that we know what is going on with our beloved raptors. Thank you to Mark Avery for his blog where I used his bird flu report today as well as to the authors of the articles in Substack and WSJ.
I was alerted by one of our long time readers that there is a potential issue trying to get the link to work to send a comment about the proposed changes. That note reads:
“Thanks for your extra bulletin today urging comment on the proposed change in the Endangered Species Act. I have now submitted a comment. However, the link in your bulletin that followed the words ” You can read all about the proposed change and comment here:” did not work for me. It took me to a Federal Register page that told me “Page not found”. I wonder if this is related to the various problems that seem to arise from Word Press? Perhaps the link works for others, but it did not for me. I tried many times with the same result.
What helped me was that you included the link to the Friends of Big Bear Valley facebook page, and I saw that FoBBV also had included the same text urging folks to comment on the ESA (although I had to click “See more” after the words ” Important Announcement And Request For Public Assistance…” to see the full text). Once I saw the full text on the FoBBV facebook page, I was able to click on what appeared to be the same words and link that I had clicked in your email, and it did get me to the correct Federal Register comment page to submit a comment on the ESA. Which I did submit.”
The reader also notes that the ‘Comment’ at the bottom might be confusing as it is part of my blog.
Each and every one of us regrets the difficulties in trying to submit our concerns but please bear with it and get yourself through as suggested above so that the further degradation to wildlife is stopped in its tracks.
Take the time and do this for Jackie and Shadow, for Liberty and Guardian, for Gabby and Beau, for Pa and Missy Berry – for all the animals and raptors.
The birds belong to the world. They migrate, some like the Arctic Terns, for over 10,000 km. The eagles come to Canada to breed, the Geese fly over the US and come to breed in Canada. These changes are – well, quite frankly, a disgrace.
A society must be judged by the way that it treats those who cannot stand up and speak for themselves. Jackie and Shadow and all the others deserve a ‘wild’ environment that is free from building zones, has clean water, and is safe from hunting to raise their young.
Thank you so much for your kind get-well messages for Hope. She was at the clinic at 0730 and home at 1645. Hope was terrific on the way and home but she was so frightened by the entire experience. I find that Hope and Calico are different from Missey. Those Maine Coons are nothing but ‘chill’. Hope is in the little office with soft blankets, a hiding tent, a heated bed, food, litter and toys – plus heat. I have turned the lights off. When she got home, she smelled like the vet clinic, and that started Missey and Calico hissing, so, to allow Hope to have some peace and calm, I may keep her in there overnight. Everything went well. She was just unnerved by the entire event, which is understandable. She only knew ‘the wild’ with Calico under a dark porch and our house, so it was all new. — Well, fast forward five hours. Despite being hungry – Hope is a good eater – she would not touch her food or treats. She continued to cower in the corner, so I said enough. I fixed all the food and treats on a tray called my usual ‘Calico, Kitty Kitty’ and escorted Hope into the conservatory with her Mamma, where there was a bottom sniff and lots of rubbing between the pair. I could feel the happiness. Hope was hanging like a monkey from the cat tree when I looked back, which she should not have been doing within minutes. She had shown some interest in the packet that the food was in but would she eat? We will see. Happiness and contentment are being with Mamma! That will help her heal if my little busy body doesn’t rip those stitches out! Hopefully, she will stay lower to the ground but a final peek and there she is on the top rung of the cat tree with Calico in the chair below. She looks very content.
I am very grateful to everyone at Fixing Feral Felines, the staff, and Dr Torske at the Tuxedo Animal Hospital. They took such excellent care of Hope. I discovered that Fixing Feral Felines spayed or neutered over 300,000 cats in Manitoba in 2023, and it isn’t even the end of the year—my goodness. That is a huge effort to get these needy fur balls into loving homes.
More Canada Geese were flying over as I drove to the clinic. Perhaps another 50 or 75. It looked like they were headed towards the nature centre. We have no snow. Not a speck anywhere, even in the shade. It is -6 C, so chilly. Tomorrow, the high is forecast to be 0 C (32 F) with a low of -9 C. We get progressively colder during the rest of the week. It was wonderful to see a Blue Jay at the feeder. It looks like Junior is the only one that is staying here. I cannot imagine the others – 13 at my corner in the two nests – all succumbing to demise. They do migrate, but they don’t always. Junior has stayed in previous years, while the others have left to return in April. The Starlings were eating furiously at the peanut cylinder, and Dyson and one of the kits were frantically stuffing seeds into their cheeks.
And before I forget, to everyone celebrating Thanksgiving in the US on Thursday, have a wonderful day with friends, family, and colleagues – take the time just to be thankful to be alive and be smiling. We have so much to be grateful for – I am thankful for your empathy and compassion for the non-human living souls that occupy our planet with us. I wish we could spread that love and understanding worldwide like the seeds of a dandelion blowing on a windy day.
Lady and Dad were soaring over the Parramatta River. Beautiful footage.
SeMcGregor posted another image of the juvenile on the banks of the Parramatta River. Fantastic to see them. So grateful to those on the ground for sharing the images which are so reassuring.
At the Port Lincoln barge, Mum flew off and in a blink – or that is what it felt like – she returned with a fish. The time was approximately 12:48. The kids were pretty happy! Beak cleaning at 13:22.
There was some chatter about Dad. Mum clearly sees a fish in a special place and quickly goes and hooks it with her talons. Maybe Dad fishes in a different place. Clearly we do not know but, if this is ‘original’ Dad as we now assume, it is possible that the seizure type behaviour he exhibited in an earlier year has impacted him. The dives for fish are strenuous. What we do know is that the Fish Fairy has saved this nest and Mum’s contributions are also critical to the success.
The fish fairy delivered another partially prepared Trevally and a Red Mullet – what a nice treat for Mum -.
These babies are getting so steady on their feet! Looks like there will be lots of fish left for everyone.
The eating times have not been recorded on the observation board but the time and notes of the two fish deliveries so far have been. No doubt there will be other entries. The observation board information can be found under the streaming cam information if you haven’t located it.
Lovely images of a juvenile at Orange taken by Cilla Kinross.
Gosh, it is pretty quiet in the nests. Imagine, if you can, that 4 or 5 nests might lay their first egg on the same day. No one appears to be rushing to take over that 4th spot although eyes are still on the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23.
Gabby is serious!
Rose and Ron are getting friendly.
There is officially a second egg for Alex and Andria. Thanks, ‘H’ for the heads up. First seen at 1806.
In California, at The Campanile, Lou finds himself with a female floater. Annie would certainly help this young lady find her way out of her territory.
Oh, no. There are concerns for Milda, the White-tail Eagle’s mate, Voldis, from the Durbe County nest.
It is the holiday season for many, many people of various faiths. It is also the time of year when so many are reaching out for donations. At the same time, it is a challenging year for many people worldwide. The cost of groceries is estimated to have increased by 28-30%. Many cannot afford to make a donation or take on an adoption. But remember, if you know someone who wishes to help, there are many other ways! Our vet centre just called for clean old sheets (well, of course, they could be new). Sheets, clean old towels, you name it…it can be used. Putting out that water bowl will help many animals live – a cup of cat kibble helps the feral cats. Volunteer to drive injured animals to the wildlife rehab centre, help with a fundraiser – and share your talents in other ways. It isn’t always money. If you are creative and want to teach your children how to help birds while having fun, gather some pine cones on your walks (if it is possible). Find a source of suet (local butcher, perhaps). Melt the suet. Dip the pine cones in the suet and roll them in birdseed. Safely attach them to a branch so your children (and cats) can watch the birds enjoy the food. Missey will help me find some recipes for homemade bird treats this weekend…stay tuned.
Lots of adoption notices are being sent out as fundraisers this time of year. Do you love Kakapo? Do you want to help with their care? You can adopt a Kakapo.
Look what showed up in the Shetland Islands and it isn’t a film crew.
Decorations are just an unnecessary problem for wildlife—all those balloons, the Halloween netting, and now holiday lights. I would love to see signs that said I donated to the wildlife rehabilitation clinic or a charity helping the homeless feed their pets instead of putting up decorations that will be up for 6-8 weeks max. Think about it.
Thank you so much for being with me today. Please take care…
Thank you to the following for their notes, articles, posts, photographs, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog today: ‘H’, SeMcGregor, PLO, Cilla Kinross, Carol Shores Rifkin, Gracie Shepherd, HeidiMc, KNF-E3, SK Hideaways, Biruta Papa, Kakapo Recovery, BirdGuides, and Greenwood Wildlife.
Friday was tough. A GHO wiped out a nest of 37-34 day old osplets at Moraine Park, PA, beginning around 0135. What a tragedy. These three were doing fantastic. When the totals come in for the season, how high will the percentage be for predation by raptors? It hit me hard…because I enter those deaths three times: here in the blog, on the Memorial Wall, and in the data forms. I am ‘sick and tired’ of entering ‘Died’. To top it off, a feral cat took one of the baby Blue Jays that got too low…Not a good morning so I cannot promise you that this blog will be even intelligent today! Apologies beforehand.
Other good news…The Tom and Angel mugs arrived today and they are cute and super. Coffee in them tonight! Thanks Windows to Wildlife for the fundraiser to upgrade your camera for this beautiful RTH family in Tennessee. Tom brought Deyani a lovely meal today. She must perch and watch for the adults to fly in with prey. Deyani was hot on Dad’s heels.
The other good news is that two other things arrived in the post. One were some new window markers. With the fledgling Blue Jays it is not too soon- and all the fledgling sparrows and now little Crows – to redo all the squiggles. Remember to always put the decals and do the window painting on the OUTSIDE – not the inside of the windows. The other was David Gessner’s new book, A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World. Gessner inspired me by his early books on Ospreys along the Cape and to travel to Cuba to see the Osprey migration over the mountains in September which I hope to do soon.
The really good news is that Mini did eat – and she is not being so aggressive today. Hunger can change a chick’s behaviour. If they think they are dying they have nothing to lose if they attack to test their chances. Mini even wound up with a crop today. That was a fantastic lift to the spirits!
‘R’ sent me a running list of events at Patchogue for which I am terribly grateful. It was a busy day today and I could not keep up. Please read this carefully there are a couple of surprises in there.
“Here is what has happened so far today. 0556 – Mini working on scrapes. 0627- 0638- Mum pulls out a large chunk of fish and feeds Mini over 100 bites! Nothing left for the Bigs. 0853-0857 – Mini and 3 are fed by Mum. Both get equal portions. 1201 – large fish delivered but Mum sits on perch while Bigs eat the whole fish. Nothing for Mini. Despite this she has a nice crop in the afternoon. 1549 – Big stands up and has been laying on a large fish! Can’t find when it was delivered, but Mini gets nothing, nor do 2 or 3.1606 – Bigs eating away. Mini watches. 1728 – Dad delivers another fish. Mini and 3 watching as 1 and 2 gorge themselves!” Now follow the images below and see what happens at 1741. Thanks so much, ‘R’ – so grateful for your eyes on this nest.
Mini has a crop at 0950.
1015. Mini eating. Mini is on the right side of Mum and had a good 14 minute feed.
1137: Nice crop.
1233. Big got the next fish. Mini did not get any.
‘3’ got the 1738ish fish. Mini would like some fish.
‘R’ reports: “1741. Mini eating from tail of large fish while 2 eats from head. Still going strong at 1756! Sneaky!” That is so brilliant of our Little Mini.
The other good news is that with the sibling rivalry happening in the Borders nest, Juno, the female, took matters into her own hands and went. fishing. Read this blog post. It will give you a smile because now there is hope that the third hatch will survive. Way to go Juno!
Then Jackie and Shadow were up in Big Bear and that couple lives on hope..the failed seasons and then the beautiful eaglet, like Spirit. They make me happy and help the sad go away!!! This couple loses brood after brood to crows and DNH and yet they continue to love one another and are now at the nest waiting for the next season. Let us all hope it is a good one for them!
‘MP’ wrote to me about the MN Landscape Arboretum nest and the band on the male. We could tell a certain alphanumeric. ‘MP’ went on to find this information. “Black MS – was banded in 2002 at the nest off of Kings Point Road just north of HWY 7 and Carver Park Reserve in Hennepin County.” The only other possibilities were bands with combinations of green and black so it appears that the male at this nest is 21 years old. Is this a new female? I wish we knew more. As a male he would certainly know what to do after surviving for more than two decades —- that just makes me happy and washes some of the sadness of the day away. Thank you ‘MP’.
Mum has fed and shaded the little one better today. The grassy materials brought in are not flying away either but hardly any sticks are staying on the nest. This couple needs a pile of nesting material! But, just seeing this chick alive today is good. Very good.
Twin Cities Metro was really happy with the National Arboretum nest today too, so she went to check on another nest. Please read it all..you will recognise yourself in that post.
Our ‘not so little’ Cowlitz chick is doing well. Please, please let those metal grids hold so that this nest is not attacked by the eagles and this baby taken. If this works, every nest should put up similar grids. We would then not lose 3 precious babies to a GHO at Moraine, or at Lake Murray…well, I could go on and on.
Geemeff wonders if ospreys can have a brain freeze? Do birds go crazy? or have fogs? What is up with Elen when she repeatedly attacks Aran at Glaslyn? I am bewildered by it all. Aran was just sitting on the perch minding his own business.
I am so upset with Patuxent River Park that has the osprey nests. These are the reasons that I will not promote this nest at all in any of my blogs next year and I urge people to boycott their streaming cam.
First, Patuxent nest 2 was the site of tourist boat encroaching in the area of the nest that left the adult birds stressed and away from the chicks for several hours. Then the third hatch on Patuxent 1 was ill (lack of food?) and placed in another nest where it died the following day. Now why was this chick not taken to rehab and then returned to a nest – either its own or another? That was 1 June. The chick died on June 2.
But this is really getting to me. Yesterday, nest 1 received a foster chick from a nearby tower with its Darvic ring and metal band. Today, they ringed the two chicks from nest 1 – Big and Middle. The individuals retrieving the chicks out of the nest did not cover them with anything. Instead – well, you can see the images but because the chicks were stressed, their bodies were ‘yanked’. If the chicks had been covered with a cloth, they could have been removed easily. We have seen this many times – at Barnegat Light recently and at Dale Hollow when DH18 was rescued. Oh, but that wasn’t all – the bangers caused the forced fledge of the foster chick.
Removing second chick for ringing. Why not a towel to cover them so they are not frightened? And ouch! Geez. I don’t want anyone grabbing me like that.
At the end of the ringing, as is customary, no fish were placed on the nest. Seriously they can probably hear me screaming in Maryland.
Foster chick returned wet. I am sure that you can come to your own conclusions but I prefer slow, kind, and compassionate when dealing with our raptors.
The female at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Osprey platform is a sweetie.
The Outer Banks is doing great….I wonder how many of these amazing nests have GHOs around?
Oyster Bay continues to thrive.
The WDNU Tower camin South Bend, Indiana, is back on line. This is the nest where two chicks died on the 14th of June for unknown reasons. Then the camera was taken offline so viewers did not see the dead bodies…they are now more incorporated into the nest and the third chick is thriving. It is the oldest and has been named Huey. This is wonderful news.
The two chicks at Island Beach, NJ have been banded by Ben Wurst. They are Red 24N and Red 25N. They are part of the RedBand Project which is “A citizen-science based banding and re-sighting project on Barnegat Bay that is menat to engage locals and visitors to the New Jersey coast in osprey management and conservation.”
It is worth posting what NJ is doing and why this project is so important. Here is the information from the website so that you can see how funding cuts can lead to citizen science.
Ospreys have made a remarkable recovery in New Jersey. Over the past 40 years we have seen the population grow from only 53 pairs in 1973 to over 700 in 2022! Over that same time funding needed for their management has declined. Today their population is not in jeopardy of being extirpated as it was in the early 1970s. As funding is being directed towards species that are in decline, we move to utilize our citizen scientists and volunteers to help monitor and manage the population.
To help engage citizen scientists and for the first time in over 20 years, young ospreyshave been marked with an auxiliary band in New Jersey. The new band, which is a red anodized aluminum rivet band bears an alpha-numeric code. This allows birders, osprey watchers and wildlife photographers the ability to identify these individual birds by their bands — when they are alive!
This new project is being focused on ospreys that nest in the Barnegat Bay watershed from Point Pleasant south to Little Egg Harbor. The main goals of the project are to engage the public in osprey management and conservation along the Jersey Shore. At the same time, while collecting data from re-sightings, we will learn about their dispersal, foraging habits, site fidelity, migration routes, and their life span.
Project Redband
#4 Finland: All three accounted for – and doing well.
#3 Empty. Let us hope that there is a couple and chicks here in 2024.
#5 LS: Two chicks only. Doing fine.
Nest #3 in Finland appears so lonely after the Mum was killed and one chick died with the other two taken into care. Likewise South Cape May Meadows, lost the male and all three osplets during the extreme weather system that hung over the area. The camera is back on. No one home. No, I was wrong. ‘H’ tells me that Hera visited yesterday. It must be so sad for her – no mate, no chicks. Zeus has been missing since the storm and did not return like Duke at Barnegat Light.
‘H’ reports that all is well at FortisExshaw near Canmore, Alberta: “Another good day. The older two chicks, (both aged 12 days on 6/30) have been climbing up to the edge of the nest cup and checking out the local landscape. I observed two feedings. Louise always makes sure that ‘Little’ gets fed (age 10 days). There was a little bonking squabble between the three nestlings in the morning that appeared to have been started by Little. There was no parent on the nest at the time. When Louise landed, Little scooted right up to her and appeared to be explaining his innocence, lol.”
The following reports also come from ‘H’-
“Osoyoos: The little chicks are doing well, ages 4 and 3 days on 6/30. Egg #3 will be 37 days on 7/1.”
“Severna Park: Lots of flapping going on, with a little lift!. Ages 53 and 52 days on 6/30.”
“Dahlgren: Those two Osplets are doing great, and they are practicing their wingers (especially ‘Big’). Ages 43 and 39 days on 6/30”.
‘Forsythe: Things have really settled down at this nest. The fish are usually small, but they are plentiful. There were 11 fish delivered to the nest. The siblings are 39 and 38 days old on 6/30.”
“Barnegat Light: Duke, Daisy, and their surviving chick are doing quite well. I just can’t quite get some of the recent sadness out of my mind, and am still grateful that Duke was able to make it back after the storm. We tend to take the adults for granted . . until one day they don’t return. Oh, and Duke loves the new perch installed by Ben! ‘Big’ is 30 days old on 6/30, and no name has been given to Big as yet.”
“Kent Island: Tom continues to provide for his family and delivered five fish that I saw. Tom and Audrey’s only chick is 18 days old, and lovin’ life on the Bay.”
“Audubon Boathouse: Dory and Skiff’s 20 day old nestling is also lovin’ life on the Bay!”
Thanks, ‘H’. So grateful for your monitoring these nest and your daily reports!
Now what is happening in the world of storks?
The three storklets in the nest in Tukums, Latvia are growing so much they could become confused with the adults soon.
Karl II and Kaia are keeping close watch on their three storklets in Estonia.
The four storklets of Bety and Bukacek will definitely be ready for fledging and migration. They are big and strong.
Dmitri’s fostered storklet is doing wonderfully.
Checking on that nest of Imperial Eagles in Tartan Russia…both have survived, and they are getting so big.
There is so much prey on the nest of Golden eagles Lucina and Caliman in Romania. This chick is very lucky.
Ventana Wildlife has released the recording of the June 2023 Zoom chat on the state of California Condors. Have a listen.
Suzanne Arnold Horning found the Ms around the Cornell Campus Friday night. Gosh, she must have a ‘hawk eye’. They are doing fine and so very grateful for that protective curtain on that glass building and walkway that a few have hit and injured themselves or died. It is important that humans be pro-active in caring for our wildlife.
This is the latest update on the Sydney Sea Eagles from them but ‘A’ tells me that while Dad is flying he still seems to be unsteady on those legs:
There is also a worrisome update about Tuffy, the RTH in the Eagle’s nest. It sounds like the eagles are starting to think that Tuffy is prey.
The latest edition of the Journal of Raptor Research – volume 57, no 2, June 2023- is all about kestrels. I love them but know little about them. The stated fact is that there is a “widespread, long-term decline of American Kestrels that persists across North America” (152). The studies were attempting to discover the causes. They include an increase in Cooper’s Hawks, habitat loss, habit loss while nesting, the emergence of anthropods and grasshoppers, rodenticides, the use of neonicotinoids, and climate change. For my purposes, the study that Claudio and I and ‘H’ are conducting studies just Ospreys. The predation by other raptors is of real concern – more than twice the number of chicks killed by predators than siblicide. We will know after all the chicks have migrated, but it is becoming worrisome.
Want to see some nest repairs? Check out what is happening in the Kistachie Forest, home to the nest of Anna and Louis, Alex and Alexandria.
Thank you so much for being with me this morning. Today is Canada Day and the Fourth of July is coming up along with Bank Holidays and all other celebrations as summer begins so take care. I hope that you live in an enlightened community and are not having fireworks as they do so much damage and stress out the urban wildlife…See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, reports, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write my blog this morning: ‘A, H, Geemeff, MP, R’, Sunnie Day, Window to Wildlife, PSEG, Border Ospreys, FOBBV, MN Landscape Arboretum, Twin Cities Metro Osprey News, Cowlitz, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Patuxent River Part, Boulder County Fair Grounds, Outerbanks 24/7, WDNU, Island Beach, Project Redband, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos, Severna Park, Dahlgren, Forsythe, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ, Audubon/Explore, Latvian Fund for Nature, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlady Buky, Dmitri Storks, Imperial Eagle Cam, Bocina Wildlife, Ventana Wildlife, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Sydney Eagle Cam, Nor Cal Birding, Tonya Irving and the US Forest Services, and JRR.
From my family, from Missy and Lewis, and from all the garden animals, we wish each of you the very best for 2023. It means the world to me to know that there are so many people, from all over the world, caring so much for the health and safety of our feathered friends. It is comforting in a world where the news is often full of doom and gloom to read about a species on the rebound, to see the efforts of the many groups including Conservation without Borders track and find a single osprey and bring attention to it so that villagers care, or others who battle the injuries our raptors suffer daily.
It has finally happened. All of the old calendars are put away and a new one is on the fridge. At one point, several years ago, I thought that paper calendars would be replaced by digital ones but, that seems not to be the case. This year so many groups had fundraisers by selling calendars. It was so difficult to choose but I want to give a shout out to Mary Cheadle from the Friends of Loch Arkaig and Heather C at Glaslyn. They both go above and beyond making sure to get their calendars to all parts of the world without a problem. I love the Friends of Loch Arkaig calendar with images of Louis and Dorcha and their family, Glaslyn is full of super quality photographs of Aran and Mrs G with their kids, the smaller format BTO Calendar has the cutest puffin on the cover and is full of images of the birds on The Red List, while DaniConnorWild has both a Red Squirrel Calendar and a Wildlife one this year. Every group has a fundraiser and it is difficult to choose! My plan is to rotate them throughout the year – and I do get to see the holidays in Wales and the UK that are different from ours in Canada.
If one of your resolutions for 2023 was to cut down your carbon footprint, then a study and a quiz in The New York Times ‘What’s the Best Way to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint’ might be an eye opener. The article is really interesting and confirms some of what I have read in Bill McGuire’s Hothouse Planet. Here is the article – take the quiz, see how you do! You might be very surprised.
Before fireworks are set off for any celebration including the new year, a word of warning. They not only scare and harm our pets but they decidedly harm the wildlife including, of course, our birds. Dogs are especially sensitive and Missy and Lewis were particularly upset but it was not until a few moments ago that I realised the timing of their upsetness. The fireworks were set off around 2230 not midnight. Please spread the word!
There are many articles popping up on the Internet. Now how do we get the right people in the city offices to sit down and consider not having fireworks? The research suggests that the birds are more devastating to birds than other wildlife.
Today I have received several notes from concerned readers. Some are staying up with their pets to comfort them if the fireworks scare them. Others are demanding accountability for the millions spent that could be used for other things. The fireworks in Sydney, Australia cost 5.8 million Australian dollars. Unbelievable. But, I am not just picking on Sydney. Across the world, fireworks lit up the skies at a time when people and the planet are struggling. Would it not be money better spent on schools, health care, the environment? I started wondering how much each wildlife rehabber would get if that money was divided up amongst the centres in and around Sydney? and all the other huge centres around the world that set them off last night. Oh, I am such a party pooper!!!!!
Now on to some really good news. It just shows how a group representing our beautiful eagles and the wildlife can band together and stop developers. How awesome.
You may remember that there was a development proposal for 50 luxury condominiums in the Big Bear Valley. FOBBV set about to try and block this development. The good news is they won! A win for the environment and the wildlife including our beloved Jackie and Shadow who live in Big Bear Valley. We can win. We just have to have solid facts and a persuasive argument. Congratulations FOBBV!
Our legal challenge to San Bernardino County’s approval of the Moon Camp development project was successful! The Superior Court ruled in our favor on two items— The proposed mitigation for the destruction of acres of endangered Ashy Gray Paintbrush was invalid; and The potential impacts to fire evacuation from this project were inadequately analyzed and mitigated.Background: In 2020, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Center for Biological Diversity and San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society filed a legal challenge under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) to the County approval of Moon Camp. The proposal was for 50 (luxury home) lots and a 50+ slip private marina. The property is a primary foraging site for our Fawnskin nesting bald eagles and other wintering bald eagles. The site hosts 17 acres of endangered Ashy Gray Indian Paintbrush and Pebble Plains habitat found only in Big Bear Valley, as well as other endangered plant and wildlife species.
Jackie and Shadow were both at the nest today. Apparently Jackie didn’t stay miffed. Yesterday Shadow brought a big fish to the nest and wasn’t sharing. Shadow!!!!!!!
Jackie was sure trying out that nest bowl. She had some people wondering if she was going to lay eggs. It would seem she is just testing but, they could surprise us.
The storm came through and left a lot of snow on the nest of Jackie and Shadow. Doesn’t it look like a magical winter fairyland?
FOBBV has posted a banner saying they are now on ‘egg watch’ for Jackie and Shadow.
Rose and Ron have been working on the WRDC nest. Will they have eggs this year, too? Remember the season in Florida can extend to May! What a long time. It would sure be nice for the hatches to be spread out a little. Then we could enjoy each separate nest a bit better.
I hope that you took the time to watch the video clip of the feeding at Superbeaks that was on yesterday’s blog. PePe and Muhlady are managing the two eaglets fine. There is lots of prey brought to the nest and Muhlady fills the oldest eagle up to the brim. It staggers away ready for a food coma – or simply to watch Mum feed the younger sibling. Everything is very civilised and it appears – but, it is difficult to see – that both are doing well. A parent was on a branch and the eagles, now that they have their grey thermal down, are being left alone. Still, a parent is very near!
One eaglet is sleeping (left) and one is peering out over the rim on the right. Squint!
It is nearing 1500 at the NEFlorida Bald Eagle nest. V3 has been in and out all day, once arriving even panting. Gabby has not been at the nest yet since 1755 on Friday. She is most likely nearby on another tree. And BTW. If you saw the picture of V3 with something hanging from his beak – he just didn’t use his napkin properly (or at all!). It is grass not fishing line. No worries there.
Gabby was certainly around and at 0700 the pair – and they do now seem to be a couple – were working on their nest. Let us wish them the best for 2023. We wait to see if there will be eggs and little eaglets.
I have said it so many times. Everyone reading my blog for any period of time knows that I get really nervous when the second egg hatches and if there is a third hatch, I start breathing deeply. The little one at the Kistachie National Forest nest E3-02 is getting stronger and staying more upright. There is lots of fish which Alex and Andria also love to eat. The second image shows the difference in size of the two eaglets. The eldest really got a great head start because it was so strong when it hatched. That second hatch, on the right in the image below, is just a cutie pie. Such a little sweetie.
Just look at the size difference.
There is a lot of fish on this nest just like there will be on E1. Alex and Louis really take advantage of the fact that Kincaid Lake is right at their door step and it is stocked!
With so much fish on this nest, the adult can feed one til it is full and passes out and then turn their attention to the other one who will get all of their attention and lots of fish – unless Mum tires out! They are doing well at this nest. In the image below, the first hatch is full with a nice crop. It just sits there nicely and watches the wee one getting fed with no trouble.
Alex is a real keeper and like M15 and Samson, steps up to feed the little one. E3-01 was fast asleep and he fed 02 to the brim! Thanks, Alex.
The little one got some nice bites during the second feeding, 0738, of the morning on New Year’s Day.
Nancy and her new mate were at the MN-DNR Bald Eagle nest today doing some restorations. It will be awhile til there are eggs on this nest.
It is Pip Watch at Metro Aviation Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana.
It is about a week til we will be on pip watch for Connie and Clive at the Captiva Eagle nest on the Barrier Islands in Florida. So far everything looks good.
Everyone is a fan of Harriet and M15 and we are about 2 days away from pip/hatch watch at their Southwest Florida nest on the Pritchett property.
Things are going to start to happen so quickly at these eagle nests that we will simply not be able to keep up!
Challenger the Bald Eagle, known for flying in football stadiums and at the Super Bowls, is retiring at the new AMERICAN EAGLE FOUNDATION Centre in Tennessee. His successor is currently named Atlas and is being trained to become an ambassador. What intrigued me was the statement that Atlas will not be flying in sporting events but will be attending various environmental events including those with fisherman to educate them on recycling monofilament line and the use of lead. What a great change! From entertainment to education. Fantastic.
Don’t you just feel so good inside when a kind person stops and helps a raptor in need? Here is the result of quick action on everyone’s part. Remember always. We love seeing the raptors grow up in the nest from hatch to fledge but it is a very challenging world they face and it is the wildlife rehabilitation centres that put them back together and give them a second chance at life. So when you are donating – anything from clean old sheets and towels, cat food, time, or money – think of your favourite rehabber!
It looks like Ferris found a Red-tail Hawk on his tour of the Cornell Campus late Saturday afternoon. There was some discussion about the band. Big Red is banded but the chatters seem to think that this band protrudes a big. Is it BR? Dark brown eyes so not L4.
Before Ferris could focus the camera, she was off!
Cilla Kinross caught Diamond, Xavier, and Indigo flying around the tower. There is a prey drop, too. Watch carefully.
Cilla Kinross posted some images she took away from the streaming cams. Thanks Cilla, they are lovely!
I do love ducks, any ducks. Still, I cannot fathom what 28,000 Red-head ducks floating on water in the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan would look like. Can you imagine the sound? Most people seemed to think it was an oil slick. Why were there so many? and why did others gather with them? Have a read.
The extreme weather of 2022 was more than a misery to wildlife who endured searing heat, flooding, landslides, extreme cold and more. The climate crisis is making population numbers dwindle. While the article is about the UK, it could well be written about areas of all countries.
Thank you so very much for being with me the first day of 2023. Please take care. Thank you again for all of your messages of good cheer. They are so appreciated. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their videos, posts, notes, and streaming cams which make up my screen captures: The New York Times, FOBBV, Benitolink, Superbeaks, NEFL-AEF, KNF-E3, MN-DNR, AEF, WNYK, Ferris Akel Tours, Cilla Kinross, The Guardian, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, WRDC, and Window to Wildlife.
