Concern is growing over F23, the mate of M15 at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest. She has been an incredible mate and mum and E26 is nearly ready to fledge having branched a few days ago.
This is what the Pritchett Family have posted:
Screenshot
I have to say that when I saw this, my heart sank. The only good thing is that M15 is well prepared, having raised two eaglets from one month to fledge after Harriet went missing.
There is no word about Mr North either and Mrs DNF and MU are in the nest.
Jolene and Boone have their first hatch at the Johnson City ETSU nest.
Another egg:
Honestly, I am having trouble keeping track of all the eggs being laid, branching, hatching – thank goodness the ospreys are not arriving yet in the UK.
Brutus and Peanut ate well on Saturday. Peanut? Peanut might be bigger than Brutus by the time they fledge.
The kids at Dade ate well, too!
Ferris Akel found Big Red and Arthur today on his tour. This is a great way to end this short post. Send best wishes to all the raptor families but a little more for F23 to return home safe.
On the Canadian Prairies, it is cold. Was -28 C this morning and Toby took one sniff of the freezing air and decided that ‘going on the potty pads’ was what was going to happen this morning. He’s very good. He might be able to win at darts!
We are moving my office, clearing boxes, and waiting for a new Magic Mouse from Apple to arrive. Toby and Hugo Yugo are having a nice nap in the conservatory.
In the garden, the European Starlings are gathering in mass.
Thank you so much for being with us today. We are tired from moving tonnes of boxes. I think Toby and I will have a wee nap before a big mug of tea. Take care of yourself. See you soon with the new Kakapo chick hatch count!
Thank you to Ferris Akel for chasing after Big Red and Arthur, the Pritchett family for their streaming cam and website announcements, the owners of the other streaming cams and those who post on FB and keep us up to date. You are greatly appreciated.
I cannot thank you enough for your letters. Please keep them coming! I love hearing from you, and it was so nice to know that you are enjoying the photos of The Girls, Toby, and the garden animals and birds. I have included more today, as well as another video. – More and more of you are in the hospital or have a partner who is. I hope Toby and HY’s antics bring some smiles to what could be very challenging situations.
We went to sleep with snow falling, and it was still coming down when we woke up Thursday morning. It is snowing as I write. Indeed, it has been snowing on and off for several days now.
Temperatures warmed up to a balmy -5 °C. Toby had a marvellous walk in the snow -he loves winter, frolicking through the snow while kicking up his heels in his new snowsuit. This one has one of those ‘silver astronaut blanket’ thermal linings. I was shocked at how toasty warm he was!
He does have boots and a hat – no scarf yet. The boots are so challenging to put on. He doesn’t seem to care – snow brings joy to his step. We clean his feet when he gets in and lotion is applied to keep the pads from cracking. Did I say that dogs are a lot more work than cats?!
Speaking of cats and dogs. Toby and Hugo Yugo had one of their little love fests. Enjoy.
Our Australian commentator, ‘A’, found some interesting news. I think you might be terribly interested in this:
“Watching an episode of one of my favourite shows this morning – Who’s Who in the Zoo (the episode is called Baby Boom). Apart from the babies, the episode covers a female WBSE that was rescued near the Olympic Park forest. From the dialogue, it sounds as though this was definitely one of our girls. Here is the WIRES post about the rescue:
The show includes them checking her injured/broken wing – initially they thought she would have to be euthanised but they keep trying with her and she is eventually released.
This was definitely one of our girls. Thought you might be interested. But it’s good to know that people like these are there for them.”
Reports are circulating of a sighting in the mangroves near the Parramatta River of a juvenile sea eaglet. Could that one be SE35? I sure hope so! Without a Darvic band or DNA, we can never ever be certain but it is so nice that there are people who love these eagles and look out for them!
There were 31 European Starlings at the feeders on Thursday morning.
The Starlings are going after cat and dog kibble. They even ate the kibble out of Brock’s dish.
Notice the beautiful, iridescent green back feathers. Do you know what those white tipped feathers indicate?
Rosemary’s blog has some excellent images and drawings explaining the Starling plumage.
Lots of sparrows were on the ground and in the little covered feeder searching for seed.
Mr and Mrs Crow were feeding along with three grey squirrels, one red squirrel, and at least one Blue Jay came to visit today.
The Blue Jay images above were taken with the iPhone and are very cropped – hence their softness. The ones below were taken in late August with the new lighter P1100. Certainly better images! (I am still getting used to this camera). Oh, I miss the green leaves and grass!
Hello Junior.
Oh, it seems like those warm days were aeons ago. I am already sick of the browns and greys of winter.
One of Dyson’s kits.
Beautiful Hope.
A last bit of news. The White-bellied sea eaglet that hatched on that crane in Port Lincoln has taken its first flight.
We hope you have enjoyed the videos, images, and today’s news tidbits. Thank you so much for being with us! Just imagine. It is approximately 108 days til the ospreys begin arriving back in the UK. I can’t wait. The failure of Port Lincoln to have nestlings this year has sure left a hole.
Take care. We hope to see you again tomorrow.
I thought that was the end of today’s offering…BUT. Around 2230, Toby began barking his curly ears off in the conservatory. Much to our surprise, there was a very large deer at the bird feeding table. Not a great shot through the glass in the dark, but this is what has caused all the commotion. What an extraordinary evening.
Thank you to ‘A’ for the news on the sea eaglet in care and to the BOGS near the Olympic Forest who keep an eye out for SE35. Let’s hope they saw it!
Glaslyn: Aran arrived home safely today! Yes. Come on Finnegan. Geemeff sent this: Aran is finally back at Glaslyn. Elen has bonded with Teifi (hatched at Dyfi) so fun and games there today. She is confused and has flapped her wings at Aran. Aran has been defending his nest – and his Mrs! All quiet now, I think Aran is chasing Teifi away. Going to be fun there. The same thing happened at the Llyn Brenig nest and seemingly that hasn’t settled yet.
Dyfi: Idris and Telyn have their second egg of the season.
John Bunker Sands Wetlands: The second eagle fledged.
Bety and Bukachek are reunited at the Mlade Buky White Stork nest! Thank you PB.
15 degrees C. Feels like summer.
It just feels like spring is here on the Canadian prairies. The Dark-eyed Juncos are enjoying the White Millet that has been scattered on the deck and on a small piece of ice near the wood box. The central heating is turned off. Our heavy winter coats are in the closet. If a blizzard hits – and they have been known to – we can easily grab them. A replacement bird bath has been ordered and we are beginning to clean up the yard where we can. Some things are still frozen to the ground!
In anticipation of the arrival of our songbirds and raptors, I will remind everyone how to keep their feeders clean so as not to spread disease:
The National Audubon Society gives these tips to help stop the spread of bird diseases such as avian flu. Clean feeders and bird baths with a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach every two weeks. Use multiple feeders to make it easier for birds to feed at a distance from each other, and remove feces and seed casings from below feeders regularly.
On the way home, the Bald Eagle that has its nest between our nature centre and the dump, flew right in front of our moving car, and grabbed an enormous bunch of dried grass and lifted off. Majestic. Thank goodness I was not driving fast. This all happened in the blink of an eye. Huge talons full of dead grasses and a flurry to get off. Scared me. I cannot imagine hitting this beautiful creature. I cannot imagine anyone doing them (or any other wildlife) harm.
It was not a surprise. So many were hopeful. Still, the 4th eaglet did not survive at Fort St Vrain. Many of you wrote to say that you are glad that the little one went quickly.
A growing number of you, along with others we may not yet know, are passionately seeking support. Last year, ‘MP’ and I faced significant frustration as we encountered endless obstacles—it felt like we were stuck in a loop. It is essential that we find a dedicated individual in the area who is willing to champion this important initiative. Having high-quality photographs is vital; many potential supporters rely on current visuals, but the images available on Google Maps are often outdated. Let’s come together to ensure we capture the attention and resources needed to move this project forward. for the Achieva Osprey Platform.
Geemeff sends the daily summary for the Woodland Trust and Loch Arkaig:
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 11th April 2025Today was a bit calmer, no intruders on Nest Two, just plenty of fish deliveries from Louis giving Dorcha the luxury of refusing one or two of them. Louis brought four fish to the nest, taking his tally to twenty four, along with sticks and moss to prepare the nest ready for the arrival of the first egg. That could be as early as the 14th, just three days away – there will be many watchers looking out for that special event. Over on Nest One, the day started with an early morning visit from a Tawny Owl who only stayed for a few minutes, giving her distinctive call before flying away again. Garry LV0 brought a fish but had no takers as neither Affric 152 nor any unattached females were seen, and he took it away again. Perhaps the continuing good weather will bring some traffic to the area and give Garry the hope of finding a mate. Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.31.23 (05.34.38); Nest Two 21.43.39 (05.40.16)Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/OEnaIWW4XeE N1 Tawny Owl visits 04.06.02https://youtu.be/2y8zxmxgX9M N2 Fish number one – early breakfast arrives 06.13.32
The Bird of the Week from the American Bird Conservancy.
Its life is threatened by habitat loss due to logging and mining.
Many more are threatened by our lights. Turn them off during migration as ‘PB’ has done. They send us the latest migration map.
While we are sad when we lose a little one or the adults do not return, there are many to celebrate including USS8 who is being fed by his dad, Irv, at the US Steel Nest.. https://youtu.be/IswC6bNr6Nw?
Thankful for our miracle, Bodie.
For Sunny and Gizmo at Big Bear Valley:
For only amazing miracle eaglet, Betty Lou, at Sauces Canyon:
For Iris returning to us at Hellgate Canyon:
I have a deep appreciation for European Starlings and House Sparrows. It’s disheartening to see their numbers dwindling in my garden, and the decline of the Starling population in the UK is alarming. We must take action to protect our feathered friends. When you encounter a garden company claiming to rid your space of weeds without using any toxic chemicals, challenge their assertions—it’s simply misguided. Our environment and wildlife deserve better!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care of yourself. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, and streaming cams that helped me to write this short post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, JBSW, Mlade Buke White Stork News, The Audubon Society, Fort St Vrain, Achieva Credit Union, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Sydney Sea Eagle FB, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, American Bird Conservancy, USFWS Columbia Pacific, The Guardian
The sun is shining down on the snow that blew and fell over night. It is -22 degrees C with the wind chill at -32 C. The birds are arriving early! We are all hoping that spring will be here soon. Yesterday I put out two seed cylinders. If you have not seen these they are fantastic for the birds who have difficulty eating at some of the ‘normal’ feeders such as the European Starlings. Of course, Dyson likes to sit on top of the cylinders and munch away while the Black-Capped Chickadee flies in with the speed of Sharpie getting seeds. I really like the Starlings and the Old World Sparrows, many do not. It feels good to supply them with supplemental food in the winter. My City is nothing but a building site and the habitat where the birds foraged is no longer.
I know someone else who likes Starlings! Ferris Akel has posted a short video of the European Starlings on his deck at the feeders. Have a look.
That is not the kind of action that my daughter is getting at hers! She is taking care of this squirrel and rabbit who seem to have worked out how to help one another and keep the birds away. It is funny and wonderful!
I went to bed worrying about the Captiva Osprey nest.
In my head I kept hearing my grandmother say, ‘Everything works out the way it is supposed to’ with the saying, ‘Change what you can, accept what you can’t, and be smart enough to know the difference.’
There is a huge issue of fish delivery at the Captiva Osprey nest. The last time that the Mum, Lena, and Middle and Little Bob had more than a few bites of fish was 8 March. Big has had all the fish for the 9th and 10th. We are entering the third day. As much as all of us might want to pull a tank of live fish to the dock at Lori’s for Andy and Lena, I cannot do this. This area of Florida is experiencing hot and humid weather. There is no quick fix for the weather patterns that are impacting many nor can I put a halt to the intense competition for food (fish) in this particular area of Florida. In other words, if I am smart, I will recognize that I have to accept the situation and just hope that there is a turn around at this nest.
Well, Andy has brought in three fish so far this morning. They were a Sheepshead, a Lady Fish, and the last one is a Spotted Trout. brought in a big fish. Big has been eating and eating and eating.
Big ate the first two fish. Little and Middle who had to have been starving each kept out of the way.
We are now on the third fish. Big is obviously full. Look at that crop. Lena fed him slow. Good for her. That will allow the other two fish to settle and send Big into a food stupor. Hopefully there will be fish left for Mum and the other two siblings, Middle and Little.
Lena has eaten some bites and given at least one to Middle. Big is keeping Little from going to eat. Let’s wait a few minutes and see if Big will pass out and ignore the others.
No. Big has gone back to the table! We saw this type of behaviour at the Achieva Credit Union last season when Sibling 2 would eat til it was almost sick to keep the others away from the fish.
Lena must eat and so must the other two including Little. The heat will have dehydrated them over the past three days.
It is 11:56 nest time. Big is out for the count and Little is being fed. Middle is looking out to the water. Interesting.
Little Bob is eating for the first time in 72 hours save for a couple of scraps on the 9th. Look at how open his beak is. Oh, I hope this wee babe gets good and full.
Little has been eating for 19 minutes. This is so good. Tears and more tears.
This has been a very good fishing day for Andy. I hope that he continues to bring in the fish so everyone, including Mum, goes to bed tonight full to the brim. There is bad weather coming for the weekend and that will cause the fishing to drop. (See map below). As I finish, there is still fish. Lena is feeding Middle along with herself and more bites for Little. What a relief.
Little ate for 24 minutes. He is ready to have a nice nap. Lena and Middle will finish up the fish.
It is difficult to decide which nests to check there are so many now. If you follow the VGCCO Osprey nest (the Venice Golf and Country Club), they now have two hatches and Denton Homes in Iowa has eggs. I completely missed both of those.
The West End Territory or West End Bald Eagle nest on Catalina Island just makes me smile. It is in a beautiful location and it is the home of Thunder and Akecheta.
In the image below, Thunder is on the nest in the middle. Akecheta is to the left on the tall peak guarding the area.
Akecheta has grown up. He is learning how to feed his babies and he seems to fully understand the importance of working with Thunder to keep the Ravens away from the nest! This is huge.
Yesterday a couple of really good videos were posted. If you have time take a peak. Shadow has been watching the way Thunder feed the chicks. Here we get to see his progress! This is our proud first-time Papa wanting to be involved. It is simply precious.
Lady Hawk took the second video clip:
It looks like the sun is really helping to dry out the nest of River and Obey. River also has the chicks out in front so they can get the warmth of the sun, too. There are fish hiding underneath the grasses for lunch.
River has fed all of the kids several times this morning. Little Bit is getting around so much better today. That warm sunshine is really helping. Life is good at Dale Hollow Lake.
Oh, the nest of Jasper and NE27 is a soggy mess. The rains on the 10th, yesterday, were torrential. Mum Gabby tried to keep her sweet way-too-big-to-brood babies dry! What a fabulous Mum she is, too.
Gabby trying to get a little sleep while brooding the kids.
Today, Jasper and NE27 are still wet and the nest is a soaking mess. Both eaglets have been self feeding.
The parents were in and out feeding the two after leaving them to try for themselves.
NE27 has been self-feeding for some time. He will still remain submissive if the parent is only feeding one, Jasper. But, when he is ready, he will do the old snatch and grab if necessary.
Both eaglets are developing fine. There are no issues save for the weather and it looks like they are in for more rain over the weekend.
Big Red and Arthur were both working on the final touches to their nest on the campus of Cornell University. Arthur was in first with Big Red coming in after and ‘tweaking’ his efforts.
Arthur brought in some greenery.
If you have watched the Royal Albatross nests on Taiaroa Head, you will know that the NZ DOC rangers spray for fly strike. Big Red and Arthur use pine boughs to ward off insects.
The nest as Arthur left it.
He flew back in with a twig – working on the side rails so the little ones do not roll out of the nest cup accidentially.
Arthur is very handsome!
Gorgeous deep brown eyes! looks like he has also had some breakfast or made a prey drop to Big Red off camera.
Big Red comes in a few minutes later to check on the decorating.
She will work and get it all tweaked.
When she is finished, she looks out to see if she can see Arthur with her ‘eyes like a hawk’. LOL.
The weather forecast shows a ‘weather bomb’ headed for Big Red and Arthur’s nest over the weekend with more rain for the nests in Florida and the SE.
The nest of Jackie and Shadow should get a break from the weather this weekend. The strong winds from yesterday – winds that almost blew Shadow off the nest – have calmed today. Thank goodness. That beautiful chick is 8 days old today. Wow. Where did the time go?
First feeding of the day around 05:42. The sun is just coming over the mountains in the distance.
Just look at that little one sitting up so straight and tall. This is the second feeding and there will probably be at least six more today. Jackie and Shadow have done an amazing job with this wee babe. We are so fortunate to be witness to their job, just like Thunder and Akecheta at the West End.
Thank you so much for joining me today. We can all rest easy. Everyone at Captiva has eaten! Take care everyone. Stay safe.
My thanks go to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear Valley, Dale Hollow Lake Eagles, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, CNN Weather Tracker, my daughter, Ferris Akel for his video, and Explore.org
The sky is a bright blue with a few clouds and the sun is pouring down on the birds in the garden. The temperature is -15. Dyson and Scraggles have been chasing one another and Dyson has now lost the back half of its tail. I wonder if that wasn’t the evidence of an injury that I saw last week? No worries. Dyson is fine and fat and is still eating the right mess of seeds that he managed to dump! Mr Downy has been at the suet feeder this morning and there have been 63 Starlings in the mix with the House Sparrows. There are now two Grackles that have arrived. It seems early for them. Spring is definitely coming.
Starlings are incredibly beautiful. Just look at the untouched colours in the bird below. Gorgeous.
Duke Farms has put out a statement about Little.
The little one at Dale Hollow continues to worry me, too. It was spunky and up there with the twins. I wonder if it has gotten sick from the rain and the cold and the damp?
It has literally been the weirdest day at the Captiva Osprey nest I have encountered since Andy and Lena began incubating eggs. Lena flew off. Andy flew in with a fish around 14:00 – the chicks have not eaten all day. He tried to feed them. Lena returned. There was a kerfuffle on the nest and, in the end, Big is eating all of the fish. Little and Middle will likely have to wait, hoping that another comes in before Big gets hungry. Both Middle and Big recognize that Big is the dominant bird on the nest and gets first dibs. Ah,…it was so different a little over a week ago when all lined up and ate together each leaving the table with some food in the belly.
Big Bob ate the entire fish. I do not know if Lena got more than a few bites. It is now 14:54, almost mid-afternoon and the other two remain hungry and hot along with Mum. Oh, I hope Andy can get some good fishing in. Big Bob is so full he would probably ignore a fish if it arrived on the nest right now. Fingers crossed! Maybe Lena will go fishing, too. That would be quite helpful — just like Diane on the Achieva Credit Union nest last year. Diane really saved the day when she started bringing in her catfish.
It is still snowing at the nest of Big Red and Arthur.
This morning the camera zoomed in on the most beautiful Red-tail hawk in the world, Big Red. She is also the most famous – know around the world!
Toni Castelli-Rosen posted the following chart for Big Red’s egg laying today on the Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters FB group:
The West End Bald eagles are really happy today. The male, Cheta, is not know for hanging around the nest and that is all he has done since the wee chick hatched yesterday. Like Jackie and Shadow, this couple had two years without any eaglets because of the Ravens. Let us hope this diligence continues!
Here is the link to this nest if you do not have it on your list:
All is well with Jackie and Shadow. The little one is doing so well and the feedings and fish deliveries continue.
It is good to leave on a nice note. The chick at both the West End and here at Big Bear are strong and well. Andy will get a fish on the nest again at Captiva. His fishing could have been hampered by those in boats. There seems to be a lot of them about today. Those osplets are fine albeit hungry. Andy and Lena are great parents. A really nice way to end in the day in a few hours would be to see Ervie again! Oh, that bird just lifts all our spirits!
Thank you for joining me. Take care everyone. Think spring!!!!! It is coming.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Cornell Hawk Cam Chatters, Captiva Ospreys and Window on the World, Cornell Bird Lab RTH, Friends of Big Bear Valley, Dale Hollow Lake Eagles, Explore.org, and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
Samson has come to the nest to check on the progress of the hatch and to see if Gabby wants anything. Samson is more than anxious for NE26 to hatch – just like the rest of us.
Samson comes in to check on Gabby. Do you need anything, sweetie?
26 is using his egg tooth to chisel away at that shell. At 08:20 this was just a tiny hole.
Looks like a nice hole!
You can see that egg tooth chipping away.
Hello, NE26
Samson is back again, just checking on progress.
Samson decides to redo the rim of the nest and add and move sticks while he is waiting.
Waiting is hard!
Gabby has rolled the eggs. Look carefully you can see some cracks underneath the branch on the egg.
Samson is as anxious as the rest of us. He keeps jumping down on the nest to see how 26 is doing.
What a great portrait of our NEFlorida couple.
Look at the progress! Wow. This little one is getting that egg open quickly. I am really impressed with the progress. It won’t be long til 26 can give a karate kick and be free!
Come on NE26! We want to see you.
Progress!
Thank goodness for Ferris Akel. I was getting a little bit like Samson wondering how things were going with the hatch and the notice popped up that Ferris was on his tour. So between Ferris and the garden birds it is helping to pass the time while we wait for N26 to hatch! There is heat shimmer on the images and some were at a great distance.
It has been a great day to see raptors on Ferris’s Tour especially in the Montezuma area. There was an American Kestrel, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a Red-tail Hawk mixed in with Starlings and Horned Larks.
Rough-legged HawkRough-legged Hawk
This is one gorgeous hawk!
Rough-legged Hawk
There were a pair of them hunting. The light one above and a darker plumaged one.
Rough-legged Hawk
This is such a beautiful dark Red-tail Hawk. Look at that amazing patterning on the scapula, the ‘V’ formed on the back when the wings are folded.
Red-tail Hawk, Adult
Horned Larks do not really have horns. They normally show two little feathered tufts on their heads. Horned Larks are the only true species of lark in North America. There is one other lark, the Sky Lark, that was introduced to Vancouver Island.
The Horned Lark is larger than a sparrow. The pattern is striking. Notice the yellow under the beak and then the dark brown/black line across separating the head from the breast.
Horned LarksEuropean Starlings
All of a sudden there was open water and there were Mallards, Black Ducks, and a female Red-breasted Merganser plus an array of Canada Geese.
Ferris took us to see some amazing water falls on the way to Ithaca. They are Taughannock Falls at Ulysses, New York. Incredibly beautiful. They are 8 miles away from Ithaca and if you are ever in the region, this would be a great place to visit.
Having promised myself to take images of a wasp nest hanging over the street in the tree canopy, it seemed like a good time between the falls and Ithaca to do that.
This nest is so fragile looking. It was in tact, like a tight round ball, until our snow storm the other day.
I will go out during different lighting conditions to document the change in the nest as winter progresses.
This little Black-capped Chickadee kept itself busy getting seeds and moving around the many European Starlings.
It seems like they would use more energy retrieving the seed and cracking it than the energy contained inside. But what do I know? I am just a silly human.
One brave sparrow sat with a sea of European Starlings today.
This fellow decided it was easier to knock the seed cylinder down and eat on the ground! The Chickadee thanked him.
Ferris is trying to find Big Red and Arthur. NE26 continues to work itself out of that shell. All of the other birds are doing well even with the cold temperatures in areas such as Louisiana.
Dad delivered a fish for Ervie. It was a bit of an appetizer. Ervie has been away from the nest. Maybe he is out fishing!
Ervie knew that day was coming before we could see him. Ervie flew into the nest and started prey crying.
Ervie is great to flap his wings and call for food at the same time. He can also stand on its tippy-toes.
There is Dad. Mum watches from the perch.
It is a flurry of wings and feet. Thanks, Dad!
Everything seems to be fine in Bird World. So far Ferris has found lots of Crows but not Big Red and Arthur. What in the world is going on? The Crows are flying, in the trees, just moving about.
They are also on the roof of Barton Hall at Cornell University. Is the beginning of hundreds of Crows gathering together? Researchers believe that they gather at dusk to share food sources and to find breeding partners in the spring.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care. Just think tomorrow there will be a new eaglet in the world. Yes!
Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screencaptures: Ferris Akel Tour, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, NEFlorida and the AEF.
Oh, wow. It is a bright sunny Sunday on the Canadian Prairies. There is no snow falling and the temperature dropped from that very nice -14 C at midnight to -24 C this morning. It is supposed to further drop to -29 C. When I went out to fill all of the feeders, Dyson was on top of the large suet cylinder chewing away. He took no mind of me as I worked around him until I got the camera out. Then he scurried away! The now regular 28 European Starlings were the first to arrive. They were followed by the several hundred Sparrows. The chickadee seems to find a way to manage in the midst of all of them but I have not seen Junior or Mr and Mrs Blue Jay for a couple of weeks. Little Red will wake up sometime around 14:00 and join the garden gang. When it is cold like it is today the feeders are all filled twice. Thank goodness for bulk buying!!!
Louis just gave up his incubation duties at the Kisatchie National Forest Bald Eagle nest. He gave us a quick glimpse of the egg. Doesn’t look like a pip yet.
Louis had his talon caught in some of the Spanish Moss and it completely covered the egg. I wonder if this is egg #2? One of them was broken by Anna when she was landing one day in December. If it is #2, then pip watch could be delayed until Tuesday.
Annie arrives at 12:00:33 and there is a nice view of the egg after the moss is cleared away. Anna is looking at the egg closely. The adults will be able to hear the eaglet inside if all is well as we near pip.
The news coming out of Captiva Bald Eagle Nest on Sanibel Island is that there is no pip yet for Connie and Clive. Last night Lena 2 laid the first egg for the Captiva Osprey Nest.
Pa Berry is incubating the egg at the Berry College Eagle Nest. There is no pip there and they are expecting rain today. The weather has been terrible for this pair. There was snow last night and high winds and hail the other day. I honestly did not think the tree would survive that storm never mind Missey who was hanging on and keeping those eggs safe.
E19 and E20 are fast asleep at the SWFlorida Eagle Nest in Fort Myers. Their only job is to grow – so they eat and sleep. Adorable.
It got a little too hot under Mum but the shade is really nice! The Mumbrella.
Bald Eaglet spells ‘cute’. These two are really growing. Notice the egg tooth is almost completely gone.
R1 and R2 are ready for some lunch at the WRDC nest. It will be around 26 degrees C for these Miami-Dade eaglets today. I hope there is a nice breeze.
Here is a view of the Hilton Head Bald Eagle Nest in South Carolina. What a magnificent nest.
The two eaglets of Harriet and Mitch are in a food coma. They are doing very well. I love their fat little bottoms and tails. They scoot around pushing and moving with their wings.
Awwww. I have been watching the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge closely. You will recall that both Ervie and Falky had early morning fish. Then Bazza, who had a crop, decided to push Falky off the ropes. I was quite afraid for Falky but, on his third try, with a cool head, he was able to free himself from the water. It was brilliant.
Ervie decided that he was not giving up the nest. Indeed, control of the nest is all important by the dominant bird. That is how it came to be that Erive had four fish deliveries yesterday. The deliveries were at 07:08, 15:29:44, 18:05, 18:30, and at 18:40 Ervie seems to find another fish on the nest! His crop should have popped! There is clearly a reason that there is competition for the nest!!!!!!!
At 17:40, Ervie still had a crop from the 15:29 fish.
Ervie spots one of the adults coming in with a fish. It is Dad.
That was a nice fish for Ervie.
Ervie was still eating the 18;05 fish when Mum landed on the nest with a small fish. Falky flies over from the ropes to retrieve that little fish.
So there is Ervie in the back eating his fish and mantling. Mum is in the middle with the fish under her left talon. Falky has gotten turned around and is facing us.
Mum decides she wants out of there quick. Falky is still facing the wrong way. Ervie has his fish under his talons and is mantling.
Ervie decides he doesn’t like Falky on the nest and boots him off. Ervie takes both of the fish.
Now Ervie has two fish to eat! It seems like Ervie has been eating all day. There is no sharing like they did as youngsters. These are three males that will be future rivals if they are not fully already.
Ervie was selected for the sat-pak because he was believed to be the best bet for survival. I continue to say that made a perfect choice. It may feel entirely unfair but it takes confidence, creativity, and cleverness to survive it seems.
Ervie sleeping on the nest in the middle of the night.
Ervie is on the nest and Falky is on the ropes waiting for that first fish delivery. Wonder who will get it?
Other Bird News: Rafa Benjumea has reported that the recent count of Ospreys in the Sanctuaire des Balbuzards in Senegal is 161. That is excellent news. How many Bald Eagle nests and couples do you think are in the small state of New Jersey? The 2021 count shows 247 Bald Eagle Nests. Out of those, 222 were active. 296 eaglets hatched and there were 27 new Bald Eagle couples. That is quite the count! There are growing numbers of Bald Eagles being admitted to Rehab Clinics with high lead levels. A few make it while a lot perish. It is a simple fix: stop using lead in hunting and fishing equipment! If there is one thing that you can do this year to help the birds is to get on your computer and write to the politicians in your area asking them to ban lead in hunting and fishing equipment. While you are at it, you might want to ask them to ban the manufacture and sale of any type of rodenticide. We remain on pip watch for Captiva, KNF, and Berry College – and we are getting close to a pip watch for NEFlorida with Samson and Gabby.
Thank you so much for joining me today. So happy there are so many people who get joy from the birds! It is heart warming. Take care. See you soon.
Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen shots: Hilton Head Eagle Cam, SWFlorida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, WRDC Eagle Cam, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Berry College Eagle Cam, and the KNF Eagle Cam.
We remain in an Extreme Cold Warning on the Canadian Prairies while Australia and New Zealand have been having Maritime Heat Events. Both are equally challenging for our feathered friends. As for the humans, the furnace is fixed, the heat is on and my -35 degree C ski pants arrived today along with the -35 degree C rated boots. There will be no excuse for not heading out to walk the trails and check on those several hundred ducks that continue to live on our Assiniboine River. Today at the feeders, the normal 28 or so European Starlings and several hundred Sparrows were joined by no less than 10 Black-capped Chickadees. There could have been more as they darted in and out with seeds. They are such beautiful little birds. Some of the Starlings, like the one below, seemed to really get into eating the snow!
Others seemed to prefer to poof up their feathers and hang out with one another in the Lilac Bushes. They leave about 16:00 and I am constantly wondering where they roost at night. They return just after dawn waiting patiently – or impatiently – for the Bark Butter and Meal Worms.
For those who might have missed it, Royal Albatross YRK returned to Taiaroa Head on Day 15 to relieve her mate, OGK. It was an emotional homecoming. This morning the NZ Rangers returned the ‘real egg’ that had been in the incubator to YRK and removed the dummy egg. I could watch these two all day long if I had the time. Talk about a loving couple. In case you missed it, here is that reunion:
There are so many Bald Eagles or Ospreys named Harriet that it can be confusing when trying to keep the nests straight as to who belongs to which one. Harriet and Mitch are at the Hilton Head Bald Eagle Nest.
Those babies are really adorable.
At Hilton Head the menu appears to be almost exclusively fish.
Harriet of M15 and Harriet at the SWFlorida Nest has herself a handful. Today, each chick was trying to climb completely out of the nest bowl – one going one direction and the other one going the other. It is no wonder that we see both Harriet and M15 bringing in reinforcing branches for the sides of the nest.
E19 is full and has passed out in a food coma. E20 thinks it can still hold some more fish! Indeed, these two eat really well when fish is on the menu.
Everyone was talking about a pip and a possible hatch at the WRDC Miami- Dade Bald Eagle nest. I have been unable to confirm a hatch. Rita was busy feeding the two and what was special on the menu? an Ibis.
The White Ibis lives in the estuaries and along the shores of the Southeastern United States. They are easily identified by their bright red legs and red bill. With these long tweezer like beaks they dig in the mud for crabs, crayfish, marine worms, frogs, and lizards.
These two seemed, when I was watching, to settle down and eat. They have had a diet of only fish up til today when the Ibis was delivered.
I cannot tell if there is anything happening with the egg or not. R2 hatched on 2 January so if R3 had hatched today there would be three days difference and tomorrow it will be greater. Again, two healthy eaglets are perfect. Maybe there will not be a third.
There are a myriad of other Bald Eagle nests that have either one egg or the couple are preparing for breeding. I cannot keep up with all of them!
There are certainly funny things that go on at the Port Lincoln Osprey nest when all three of the boys are on deck. Ervie – yes, you read that correctly – decided to pay the barge a visit Thursday afternoon PL time. He flew in around 13:00 and chaos ensued, in a manner of speaking. All of the lads thought Dad was flying in with a fish and they were quite animated. When Dad landed on the bottom deck without a fish, Ervie flew right into Dad’s nest! Ervie tried to steal fish from Bazza a few times, got a piece of fish and then proceeded to drop it. Mum picked it up! Who says an Osprey will not pick up a fish that has been dropped? At the end of it all, I think everyone was just happy to see Ervie!
It is amazing how loud three juvenile Ospreys can be when they see Dad flying in with a fish and each one of them wants it. Incredible. Bazza is on the nest, Ervie is on the corner of the ropes and Falky is on the yellow and black ropes. Mum is down below.
Dad has flown in and is next to Mum below deck and Ervie has landed right in the middle of the sticks.
Somehow Ervie comes up with a piece of fish and is eating it on the nest with Bazza.
There is a lot of condensation but that is Ervie on the left and Bazza on the right. Ervie has a piece of fish.
It truly is good to see Ervie – to see all three of them. They are safe and healthy, just maybe a little hungry. Flying takes a lot of energy and the weather has been hot, windy, and the water is choppy. Tough conditions for juveniles learning to fish.
Thank you so very much for joining me. It is always my pleasure to bring you some news about our beautiful birds. As National Bird Day comes to a close, I am forever grateful for the joy these characters bring us. Take care everyone.
Thank you to the following streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clips: SWFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and D Pritchett Family, WRDC Eagle Nest, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Hilton Head Eagle Cam, and Cornell Bird Lab and the NZ DOC.
It is another cold day on the Canadian Prairies. The European Starlings were sitting on the tips of the Lilac branches on a bright sunny morning. It is -30. Notice how blue the sky is on a cold, cold day.
The Starlings puff up all their feathers. They seem more interested in sunning themselves than eating today.
Little Red was leaping from the fence to the feeders and back again, collecting nuts as quick as he could. It looks like Dyson & Co have decided to hibernate during this week or two of extreme weather. I do not blame them!
M15 found a possum that had been killed on the road and brought it to the nest in Fort Myers. That is one of the ways that Eagles get killed – removing carrion from the roads and taking it to the nest OR sitting on the road and eating the prey item. Our wildlife rehabbers suggest carrying a shovel in your car and stopping and removing dead animals from the road and placing them way back in the ditch. It will certainly help all the raptors.
In a late Sunday afternoon feeding, E20 got smart for a bit and stood behind E19 when Harriet got up to feed them.
If you are wondering which one is which, it is easy to identify them. Currently, E19 has a bit of PS and food on its back and it is slightly bigger. E19 is in front. E20 is a fluffy clean white ball. A sweetie.
So far their eyes are looking great. No sign of any infection.
The other day when E20 climbed out of the nest cup for a feeding, it was too close to Harriet’s beak making it difficult for her to feed it. By standing behind E19, E20 is at the right place for food and away from E19’s beak. So the first bites go to E20.
The next bite goes to E19. Harriet is such a good mother. There should never been any feelings of food insecurity on this nest.
Adorable.
I was a bit shocked to see an individual on the FB group of the SWFlorida Eaglets write expecting E19 to kill E20. Siblicide in Bald Eagles is very rare. I include below some information from a study. You will see that storms cause more deaths. There has never been a death due to siblicide on this nest in SWFlorida. Everyone can rest easy.
From the researcher in Maine:
“I studied 62 webcam Bald Eagle nests with direct observations of the nest bowl recorded over a period of up to 8 years. The total number of nest seasons was 240. Of that number, there were 91 with just one hatch or none, 105 nestings with 2 hatches, 42 with 3 hatches and 2 with 4 hatches. (These are all direct observations of egg-laying, hatch, eaglet development and fledge.)
Of the 105 nestings with 2 hatches, both eaglets successfully fledged 77 times (73%), 1 eaglet fledged and 1 died 22 times (21%), and both died 6 times (6%). Of the 34 who died, the cause of death was parent neglect (6), killed by intruder (4), storm (4), failed in the first day or two (3), accident (5), illness (1), unknown (7), possible siblicide (1), and known siblicide (3). Based on these figures (including the possible siblicide), the incidence of siblicide on a nest with 2 eaglets is 3.8%.
Of the 42 nestings with 3 hatches, all 3 eaglets fledged 35 times (83%), 2 fledged and 1 died 3 times (7%), 1 fledged and 2 died 2 times (5%), and all three died 2 times (5%). Of the 13 who died, the cause of death was storm (eight), poison (2), accident (1), unknown (1), and siblicide (1). Based on these figures, the incidence of siblicide on a nest with 3 siblings is 2%.
Of the 2 nestings with 4 hatches, all 4 eaglets successfully fledged on one, and 2 on the other. The cause of death of the 2 who died was storm (1), died in the first day or so (1).
The known incidence of siblicide on these 62 random nests of 396 hatched eaglets was 4 eaglets, 3 of whom were from the same nest in Maine, and all were attributed to lack of food and/or parent neglect. That’s 1%. It would be less than 0.3% if I discounted that one nest in Maine.”
That should put everyone’s mind to rest when they are watching the Bald Eagle nests.
And as I close, E20 is eating again and E19 is looking at something else. It was a good feeding!
Lady and Dad, the White-Bellied Australian Sea Eagles, did not return to their nest in the Sydney Olympic Park after having been harassed by both the Currawong and the BooBook Owls the previous night.
It has been confirmed that there are boxes for ducks at the Duck Pond but our Daisy seems to prefer nests to them. Let us all hope she changes her mind.
Samson is giving Gabby a break at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle Cam near Jacksonville. He is incubating NE26 and 27. (Legacy was NE24 and the unviable egg was considered NE25). We will be on hatch watch in about 12 days. How wonderful.
It is an interesting morning at the Port Lincoln Osprey Nest. Ervie is the one who has been on the nest and who is prey calling – very loudly.
Falky has landed on the nearby ropes and is hoping for a chance at the breakfast fish this morning, too. I wonder how much fishing Ervie is actually doing??? He has been sitting on that nest a long time prey crying instead of fishing….
The other Bald Eagle nest that currently has two little eaglets is Hilton Head. The eaglets are doing fine. I will include the link to the camera since they are not on YouTube. They are adorable and I urge you to stop in and have a look. There is no rewind function, however!
Someone asked me what nest I am looking forward to the most in 2022. That is a real hard one! In the United States, it would have to be Big Red and Arthur, the Red-tail Hawks at Cornell University. Here are K1 and K2 from last spring’s nest. K3 will hatch the day after. They are just super parents. Big Red will be laying her eggs in March.
Unlike Bald Eagles who hatch with grey soft natal down, Red-tail Hawks have the most beautiful soft white down and white spikey hair on the top of their heads! They melt my heart instantly.
5 May 2021. K1 and K2.
I love Peregrine Falcons so Annie and Grinnell will be at the top of my list and as for Osprey Nests in the US, you can’t get better than Richmond and Rosie out in California. I try to keep track of several Osprey nests in the UK, the Black Stork nests in Latvia and Estonia, and for this year, the Osprey nests in Finland. Then there is the Black Kite Nest in a Taipei Cemetery. That should keep me out of trouble!
Thank you so much for joining me today. It is wonderful to have you here. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: SWFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, NWFlorida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Hilton Head Eagle Cam, Cornell Bird Lab, and Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park.
It is still super cold on the Canadian Prairies. You don’t even have to look at the temperature on the phone when you hear a super loud crunch when you walk on the snow. It is so dry, the snow, that you cannot even pack it into a snowball or a snowwo/man. The European Starlings were waiting for the first food drop, all lined up on the tips of the Lilac Bush branches. Surprisingly, the Sparrows beat them out. Four sparrows to one Starling. They will all eat but, most of the time, the Sparrows get shut out. The other day Little Woodpecker was here. He just stays away from all of them. Which reminds me – I need to go and fix his suet!
Looking back on the history of the Port Lincoln Osprey Barge, I realize that we probably have another month with the three lads. Last year DEW was last seen on 17:01 25 January. He was never sighted again after that time. Solly departed and flew West on 2 February. We know from her tracker that Solly thrived until that tragic day this fall when, after catching a fish, she landed on a power pole and died. I know that Port Lincoln has lobbied hard to get those poles covered and I understand that the power company is cooperating. For those who wrote letters to the Minister, thank you. Public pressure can help.
Ervie had advanced from flying to the fishing ramps to hanging around the commercial shipping yards over at the Marina!
That is Ervie on his perch. You can see that is crop is full.
Ervie and Falky on the nest hoping to get a fish from Dad.
The nest of White-tail Eagle, Milda, at Durbe has been covered with snow. Still, nest visits have taken place. Just look at the forest and the view. So beautiful. This nest will not become active until spring when I will be reporting daily on the happenings. Looking the White-tail Eagles raising chicks and the return of the Black storks.
Kindness’s nest is all covered in snow up at Glacier Gardens in Juneau, Alaska.
If you are wondering what Kindness might be doing, please have a look at this 2 minute video. It is a bit dated in the sound but the information is correct to the present time. The images of the eagles flying and eating are gorgeous. The video ends abruptly. I would have loved to hear about the two clans but, another time! There are so many Eagles in Alaska. They sometimes take over small trucks delivering fish to the canneries.
The Roe Deer feeder is in Latvia. Yesterday, for the first time, they caught a female deer cow and her calf coming to eat. You can see them arriving on the right to try and get some food. The males are the ones with the antlers and from my reading it can be dangerous. The mother and her baby will wait after being escorted by the leader of the bucks and return.
You can see the little one eating here. There is a hierarchy in all of the groups. This is, of course, why our birds try so hard to be dominant and why Ervie, once he established himself, expected to get the first fish of the morning. E19 and E20 are going through this process currently.
Andy and Lena were both alert and alerting at the Captiva Osprey Nest this morning.
Of course their eyes are so good. All I could hear were people below. I wonder if that is the issue? They sure have a beautiful site for a nest! Hopefully it will be a successful season for this lovely pair who continue to try and continually have the Crows steal their eggs.
You can watch Andy and Lena here:
Harriet and M15 are being kept busy by E19 and 20. You can hear the little ones chirping away to Mum and Dad.
The pair got started on all the beaking as soon as Harriet got up to feed them. Oh, my.
There are over 4000 people watching these two at any one time and a myriad of videos coming up on YouTube. You won’t be able to miss them!
Everything is just fine in Bird World. The eggs at Taiaroa Head have been candled and OGK and YRK’s egg is developing normally. We are a month away from hatch. Gabby and Samson are taking turns up at NEFlorida and you will see me getting pretty excited in a couple of weeks. Thankfully, Daisy has not yet returned to the WBSE nest that I am aware. The latest news was awhile ago on WBSE27 who is currently in rehabilitation. The two chicks at Hilton Head are doing great. My copy of The Season of the Osprey arrived in the post this morning. That is on the agenda for today. It is far too cold to be outside for very long.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Stay warm, stay safe and take care until I see you again.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screenshots: Glacier Gardens, Roe Deer Feeder in Latvia, SWFlorida Eagles and D Pritchett Family, Port Lincoln Osprey, Captiva Osprey Cam, and the Latvian Fund for Nature.
