It might be the shortest day, but it also harks back to the days when they were not longer. It is a welcome day in our house because it has been getting dark by 1630.
So what is Winter Solstice? This is what Google said: “Winter solstice rituals focus on welcoming the return of light after the longest night, often involving candle lighting, feasting, creating altars with natural elements (evergreens, stones, candles in white/gold/green), and intention setting like writing and burning wishes or fears to release them, reflecting ancient traditions of Yule, Saturnalia, and Dongzhi that celebrate rebirth, renewal, and hope.”
There are so many ways to celebrate the solstice. The Nordic countries do a fantastic job of lighting up their community spaces and their homes, creating a warm glow using candles. I would love to do that with real beeswax candles, but the last time I tried, Missey almost caught her beautiful, fluffy tail on fire. So I decided to do some research, and here are some other ways to celebrate. I particularly like number 6: “6. Connect with nature:
Spend some time outside, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Take in the beauty of the winter landscape and appreciate the natural world around you. In these darkest days, seeking sunlight on your face becomes even more important. A brief moment in the sun can lift your mood, boost your energy, and remind you of the light slowly returning with each passing day. If you’re near water and feel called to it, cold water swimming can be an invigorating way to connect with nature and your body. Immersing yourself in cold water sharpens your senses, grounds you in the present moment, and leaves you feeling refreshed and alive. Whether it’s standing under the sun, walking through frosty fields, or dipping into icy waters, connecting with nature during the Winter Solstice invites us to align with the Earth’s rhythms and find peace in its beauty.” Oh, I don’t think I am brave enough to take a plunge in our icy rivers but a nice walk with Toby in the park will be perfect.
Toby’s friend, Nellie, is already to make some holiday memories with him and The Girls.
This is just the best news about Girri. We knew she was a strong girl! And thankfully the weather has been brilliant after her fledge. Please read and smile. (There is older news below).
Jak and Audacity have been together for eleven years. We have witnessed their triumphs and their struggles. Cried and leapt for joy. SK Hideaways gives us their history. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/jCVVKQNIbfw?
News on Girri on the Falcon Cam chat: “21 DEC BOX 04.38.50 distant call heard; 04.41.52 D out; Gimbir in box 05.51.33, 06.12.22, 06.22.01, 06.31.00, 10.03 44; Girri update: seen by Cilla in roost trees this morning!”
Gimbir is in the scrape. What an amazing first-time dad he was!
There could be a pip in the second egg at the SW Florida nest of M15 and F23. I sure hope this second hatch is strong and feisty.
E26 is doing great!
Protecting Mum and the nest. M15 is one of those great Bald Eagle dads!
NestFlix Memories gives us some insight into little R9 and Mummy Rose moving the fish to give it some room! https://youtu.be/dyxhLia-f6c?
There is a pip. R10 is wanting to hatch!
Feeding at Dade this morning:
Missing Big Red and Arthur and those cute little Red-tailed hawklets? Well, here is a video of the season’s highlights for you to enjoy. https://youtu.be/0PY02IzVD48?
Have a glorious day everyone! We will see you tomorrow after all the drama of Nellie’s arrival has settled. It is -28 C. Whew. So cold you don’t feel it. Bye.
Thank you so much to Cilla Kinross for her report on Girri and those lovely photos, the owners of the streaming cams, Gracie Shepherd for her FB posts, and SK Hideaways, always, for their videos!
Oh, my goodness. I have not seen so much snow in so long. Our weather was so lovely for so long – well into late, late November. Everyone believed we would be clobbered by snow, and we certainly have!
It’s Saturday. Tomorrow, Nellie arrives, and she will be with us for thirteen days. Nellie is a Retriever – a huge White British Retriever. Toby adores her, and they both like the snow, so the pair of them should have some superb romps in the garden.
We have all of our provisions in thanks to Ann who came in the middle of a heavy snowfall to be with Don and Toby. There is enough pet food for several months and surely there will be something in the larder – maybe not fresh fruit – but something for the humans in the house should the weather set in and not go away.
Many have asked what we are doing for the holidays. ‘Nothing’. I am not a grinch – I love and have loved sharing the holidays with friends and family for many decades. I am now ready to put the skids on and enjoy some quiet. We will enjoy the animals. I am not going to cook a big dinner – perhaps a small one with a pavlova for dessert or a Haskap Chocolate Yule Log from the Farmer’s Kitchen. There are only two of us who will be there! Although I suspect it depends on the offerings, as Toby and Nellie might have their noses right up at that table. My idea of a holiday, this year, is relaxing – we have done the big dinners, the fuss and muss and the fun and laughter. This year, I would like to sit under the duvet by the fire with a good book, watching the animals, a mug of hot chocolate in hand.
Indeed, I urge each of us to make our lives simpler and less stressful. Simple gifts, shared meals so that not one person has to do all the work, breathing and relaxing, walks and quiet times and, of course, watching the birds.
Rose and Ron’s first hatch, R9, has arrived at 37.8 days, at the Dade County nest in Florida. Egg 2 is 35 days old. What an incredibly beautiful sight – Ron and Rose looking at their new baby! The little one was first seen around 0813.
There is sadness at the Central Florida Superbeaks nest of Pepe and Muhlady as chick number 2, Froto, has died at 10 days old. It is thought that he got caught in the rails when one of the adults went to ward off an owl (both left the nest).
E26 is doing very well. Cute and already strong and eager to eat!
It appears that the part of E26’s egg that was attached to E27 is now off. No pip yet. Happy to have one healthy eaglet, too.
Country Diary is all about Brent Geese flying over the Isle of White.
Brock came to the feeder around 2000 Friday night after the blizzard had calmed down. He does not mind the woven basket around his heated food tray, but he dislikes one of those plastic bins. Did someone try to trap him with one of them?
I do worry about Brock, but he has no frozen ears, and it has been really cold. His bolt hole must be warm.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again tomorrow! Today is Nellie proofing the house!
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams, the authors of the FB posts, and The Guardian for covering the environment.
Oh, my goodness, what a day it has been. I have made a couple of videos for you. Still, you do not get the intensity of the heavy wet snow blowing down. We have had more than 20 cm of snow in our garden in only two hours!
Ann braved the storm, which let me shop in the neighbourhood, stocking up on cat and dog food, along with any provisions we were missing. We can now stay put for up to a fortnight without having to leave the house – perhaps longer! Mind you. Toby loves the snow. He doesn’t care if it covers him from top to bottom. He jumps and, living up to his sporting pedigree as a duck hunting dog, often likes to pester the small birds.
SW Florida did beat Dade County to hatch, but R9 is now working its way out of that shell. This is perfect timing, as it lets us watch both of them and cheer those little ones on as they clamour to step into the world of eagles.
Oh, what a sweetie. And strong. This will be a formidable big sister for that second hatch (probably).
That little eaglet was ravenous!
You will notice that part of E26’s shell has attached itself to E27’s shell. Don’t concern yourself. The little one should be working itself out of the other end and as F23 and M15 roll that egg, the old shell could easily come off.
Proud parents M15 and F23.
I really hope you can open this. Girri has been seen and she was caught on camera flying very strongly. I am including that FB post and I urge you to visit the Orange, Australia Peregrine Falcons FB page for the latest news.
Cilla Kinross’s latest blog is located here with all the news about Girri and a video:
In case you cannot open the link, Cilla notes that the fledge was a very strong one. Then she says, “I had a couple of visitors from Melbourne today and so we went and had a look for her. We found her by chance on the ground with some magpies in the woodland directly in front of the ledge cam, so she had moved a fair way from her original landing place.
Unfortunately, we disturbed her and she took off, flying close to the ground towards the road. We checked that she hadn’t gone across the road and into the open paddock (she hadn’t) and had a bit of a look around, but didn’t want to disturb her again as it is very hot today (32 C), so it’s best she rests in the shade until this evening.
She’ll now start learning to fly and may return to the box within a few days or a week or two. Barring accidents (they do happen from time to time) she should be with us for a couple of months and I will try and get some photos of her in the field.”
That brings you up to date on the latest ‘big’ news in Bird World.
Please take care. We look forward to having you with us again tomorrow!
Thank you so much to Cilla Kinross for her informative post, to the owners of the streaming cams I am so grateful as you allow us into the lives of our wonderful birds. I also want to thank those individuals who have posted on FB the latest news and photos. My blog would not be the same without you.
Thank you so much for your get-well wishes. I am better. Not great but definitely better.
The forecast promised warmer weather at the beginning of the week, following the Extreme Cold Days. It is currently -12 C, but it will warm to -6. Tomorrow, as promised, Ann and Don are going to the Zoo. I know – the zoo in Winnipeg in the middle of December.
If you are craving something other than winter like I am, the Dyfi Osprey Project has its holiday streaming cam on, and sometimes you can catch a beaver! https://www.youtube.com/live/muGI8NZcvAk?
Reports of Ospreys in The Gambia and Senegal are beginning to trickle in. I wondered about Clywedog’s Seren, Blue 5F, who is always seen on the same tree. Had she been seen? Yes! Seren is Dylan’s mate and a fantastic mum.
Diamond slept on the ledge. Girri was pancaked on the floor of the scrape with her head on the Cilla Stones. Girri is ready to fledge.
Some of you might be squeamish watching the next video. Diamond unzips that huge Galah for Girri and the whole family. I am glad that SK Hideaways caught this moment on video. This is a life lesson for Girri. Galahs are plentiful in this area of Australia and no doubt Girri will catch them and she will need to know how to get through all those feathers to the meat. https://youtu.be/rgCWPyT11No?
We have an egg at the Kistachie E1 nest. As noted on the chat, “2nd male to claim the nest since Louis left, 3rd female to claim the nest since Anna became ill.”
Here is the egg revealed.
There was activity at John Bunker Sands Wetlands Monday morning.
There has been a lot of rolling of eggs this morning at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest. We are preparing for pip for M15 and F23’s eggs. It is Day 33 for egg 1.
It is also Day 33 for Ron and Rose’s first egg at the WRDC nest. It was windy there Monday morning.
It is Day 29 for Clive and Connie’s first egg at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest.
Gabby is hunkered down at NE Florida. Their first egg is 23 days old now.
Toby is heading out with Ellen for his morning walk while I try and get my head around making some Acadian bread. This head cold makes everything ‘tasteless’. I’m hoping that rich molasses/brown sugar aroma will fill the house and along with some soup chase this cold away!
I had a question this morning about cold-weather gear. I have learned that if you can, you get the best and warmest kit you can. If you take care of it, it will last for years, and you will not be sorry. I wear Icebreaker thermal leggings and their thermal long-sleeve tops often under ski pants. I went through several coat companies before settling on Aritzia’s Super Puff (Rainproof long coat). I am so short that I go down to my ankles, and I am marvellous. To add to this, there are the Super Puff Mitts and a Falljraven faux-fur-lined bomber cap. I am toasty warm! It doesn’t matter if it is long walks in the forest or around the neighbourhood walking Toby – this set up works well for me.
Take care everyone. Thank you for being with us. I will try and get some more holiday fun from Toby and HY for you as soon as I can.
Thank you to SK Hideaways for their video and for all the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to look into the lives of our favourite birds!
Today, it was -22 degrees C. It was cold. Despite this, Ann braved the cold with Don and Toby to go for their walk along the river.
It’s funny. We know winter is coming when we complain it’s too hot in summer. Still, it takes time to get our heads around the fact that we do need to find all our winter kit. We have coats and boots down to -40 °C. We have scarves and toques. We have ski pants. I have discovered we need a few things because we are finding ourselves outside, walking Toby three times a day, no matter the weather. Today, two out of the three winter wardrobe essentials arrived – Merino wool Long Johns to go layer with those ski pants. They are rated for extreme cold. The next are faux fur-lined bomber hats, complete with flaps. We are just waiting for some much warmer mitts with glove liners. Toby, as you know, is all kitted out with absolutely everything. He doesn’t mind his boots, and those jump suits lined with thermal blanket are pretty amazing. If the ice on the roads would disappear, it would be really nice to go for a long walk through the forest with the chickadees.
We had ‘sun dogs’. This image was taken out of the screened window of the conservatory around 1530. Sunset is an hour later. Sun dogs appear when it is very, very cold on the Canadian Prairies.
So what are sun dogs? Mr Google says, “Sun dogs are bright spots of light that appear on either side of the sun, formed when hexagonal ice crystals refract sunlight in the atmosphere. They are also called parhelia or mock suns, and are most visible when the sun is low on the horizon, like during sunrise or sunset. The ice crystals act like tiny prisms, bending and separating the light into a spectrum of colors, with red on the inside closest to the sun.” There is another one on the other side of the sun that is low on the horizon – too low for me to get an image of the entire scene.
There is a new FB group organised by Cali Condor and a few of their friends. I am putting the link here, and I urge you to step up and join.
I caught Toby and Hugo Yugo again, so here is another of their ‘loving’ videos! I hope these two cutie pies bring you some joy today.
Want to help support ospreys in South Australia? Why not purchase a copy of Fran Solly’s book about Marie!– – Let’s talk Fran into writing a book about Ervie and that clutch! Hint, hint. The story of Ervie and his brothers, Falky and Bazza, is remarkable. There were no fish fairies that year. It was just heart-warming.
Here is the link if you wish to purchase and have the book sent to another country other than Australia:
SK Hideaways caught Liberty and Guardian having a ‘discussion’ over stick placement. Don’t you just wish you could talk ‘eagle’? I bet it sounds something like humans talking about furniture. https://youtu.be/a_YZBv6zTZo?
SW Florida’s M15 and F23 – November 12 was the day the first egg was laid. So today is day 31. The range is 34-38 days.
WRDC nest of Rose and Ron – November 12 was also the day the first egg was laid. So it is also day 31 at the WRDC nest.
Captiva Bald Eagle nest of Clive and Connie – November 16 is the date for the first egg.
This coming week is going to be very busy in terms of pip watches and hatch.
Gabby and Beau’s first egg was laid on November 23 so we have a couple of weeks before we are on pip watch for NE Florida.
The American Bird Conservancy’s Bird of the Week is the Waved Albatross – a new seabird for me. Have a read! These beautiful birds are critically endangered. Like other albatross, there are many ways we can help and changing the nature of long-line industrial fishing is at the heart of it.
Menhaden – Always on my Mind should be a popular song. Wonder what would happen to those osprey nests – the adults and any chicks that hatch – if 112 million tonnes of Menhaden got dumped in The Bay? Check out this meeting!
Wishing you a lovely weekend from our house to yours!
Thank you to Cali Condor, Friends of Osprey South Australia, Port Lincoln Osprey, and SK Hideaways for the content I added to my blog today. I am very grateful for all they do and their love and support for our Raptors. I guess I should also thank Toby, Hugo Yugo, and the American Bird Conservancy, too!
I hope that the beginning of the week was a good one for all of you. As the holiday season draws closer, even if you do not celebrate anything at all, you will feel the rush and the stress without knowing it. There is more traffic, the crowds are bigger, and people are not always polite. Everyone has forgotten to slow down, breathe, and have fun. Cranky might be an apt word for many others, but I hope it doesn’t describe you.
Look for the good and the beautiful, and do not let the bad and the ugly get you down; do not let them ruin your life. And don’t let the drive to have the cleanest house, the most perfect meal, and the most ideal table decorations, along with stacks of presents, ruin the moment. None of that really matters. Time with friends and family sharing laughter – and maybe a sandwich instead of a meal that took hours and hours to prepare and made you dead tired on your feet – is really what the holidays should be about.
It continues to be warmer on the Canadian prairies with temperatures on Tuesday around -9 C. Snow continues to fall and the young man who shovels for us will, no doubt, be coming again tonight as he did last evening. It is quite beautiful, but the roads are ‘greasy’ and someone even wrote to say it was raining on one side of our city. It is near the middle of December. This season is strange.
I took a very short video in the small front garden where the conifers are planted. The small tree is in memory of Melvin, one of our cats (a tuxedo like Brock). Melvin was a sweetheart. We put solar lights on his tree this year. There is a Scotch pine planted in memory of Don’s mother, a large Blue Spruce we planted in 1998 in memory of our youngest son, William, and an apple tree that was relatively small when we purchased the property. A family of chickadees lives in the Blue Spruce. Missey often sits atop a small dresser, watching them. Gosh, it makes me so happy to have a garden in the middle of a city where wildlife feel safe.
I tried to capture the snow falling, but the iPhone camera didn’t quite do it justice. Squint. You can see a bit of snow falling. LOL. If you have suggestions on the settings that will help me improve, by all means, please tell me! Please.
Ann took the boys out for a long walk in the snow. We will go out again tonight. -9 °C is simply the perfect temperature. Toby loves to romp. As I always try to mention, ‘The Girls’ do not have any desire to go outside. They easily find the closest vent with the heat pouring out – or their heated beds that ‘EJ’ recommended a couple of years ago. They still love them, especially when the floor is cold.
Everyone in the garden has been accounted for, except for one Blue Jay, missing for over a week. That leaves a sad hole in my heart. I wonder what happened. I hope that one is just off visiting the kids and will return. Stay tuned. You will be the first to know. The Crows are here, but they are not coming as often; as a result, only about half of the peanuts are eaten. The small birds have increased in number so that we will increase the amount of wild bird seed and Black Oil seed for them. They are fluffed up to stay warm.
This year, I have not ordered many books, simply because few interested me. One did entice me, though, and that was Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Journal.
You will never know which birds are visiting your garden or their seasonal patterns unless you keep a journal. This book is an excellent gift for you or for inspiring someone to look more closely at the natural world around them. You need to be sure to add the date and the year and I also recommend adding the temperature and wind conditions. Later, you can go back and do an annual comparison.
The Backyard Bird Journal is more than a journal if you let it be. Tan discusses how nature ‘saved her’ and how being outside in the natural world can reduce stress. Her ‘Introduction’ is very personal – read it. Think about how wildlife, being in nature and actually ‘seeing it’, can change your life. Her other book, Backyard Bird Chronicles, is beautiful and tells her journey to find happiness after the stress she felt when she began. I highly recommend both – especially now when you might be feeling there is no hope for nature.
The second eaglet has hatched at the Central Florida nest of Pepe and Muhlady and its name is Froto.
I mentioned issues with disclaimers at Superbeaks. I am so grateful that Heidi spoke up with what happened to her. This is the reason that I am very weary of covering this nest.
This is in the comments section of my blog, but, because many people do not read the comments, I want to include it here.
Heidi wrote:
“About 18 months ago I made 3 videos to show the fledges of the eaglets (Mason and Dixie) and their return to the nest. The videos were complex with transitions, overlays, and graphics, and took a lot of time to make. I gave credit to Superbeaks, and their logo was on the videos. My YT channel is not, and has never been monetized. SB/CF took my videos, cropped off my watermark, and posted them on their own channel. When I protested, they replied that the videos I made were their property. I filed copyright strikes with YT, I won, and YT removed the videos from the SB/CF site. Then, SB/CF filed a counter-strike with YT and threatened to sue me. YT washed their hands of it at that point, and told me that I had 15 days to show proof that I was suing SB/CF. Of course, I was not going to spend the money and go that far. It was after their issue with my videos that SB/CF posted their current legal language below their live feed. Their copyright statement is not new, it has been posted for about 18 months. There was no such language posted before I made the fledge videos. By the way… I was not, nor have ever been a ‘professional scraper’. Beware.”
For those of you who are capturing images and making videos, like Heidi, I recommend being careful.
One nest I do love is the Charles Sturt Falcon cam. Girri is getting so big. She is waiting for breakfast to arrive and in it comes!
Dad was on the nest of the barge at Port Lincoln in South Australia. Hello, Dad! So nice to see you again.
Hawk Mountain has posted their migration chart for the week of December 9:
Look over those numbers. Some birds have really increased in numbers – like the Bald Eagle. Others have had a sharp decline (so far). We still have eagles in Manitoba. I continue to say that they know more about the changes in weather patterns than we do. It is going to be a very interesting winter.
A close encounter with a Buzzard. The following commentary, “Six feet away, the buzzard crouched, as though preparing to leave if I came any closer, and I wondered what kept her there. Was she weak with hunger? Or sick? Or reluctant to waste energy against the cold wind? What remains with me now is the intensity of her eye, glossy black in the light, how the buzzard’s gaze drilled into mine, as if the world were simply endless calculation.” reminds me of my encounter with a very large female Sharp-shinned/Cooper’s Hawk years ago in my garden. Looking deep into her eyes changed my life. I have not experienced anything so powerful since that cold winter’s morning in the garden. This is one of those lovely little Country diary articles of 350 words or fewer. Enjoy.
The RSPB describes Buzzards: “Now the most common and widespread UK bird of prey, the Buzzard is quite large with broad, rounded wings, and a short neck and tail. When gliding and soaring, it will often hold its wings in a shallow ‘V’ and the tail is fanned. Buzzards vary in colour from all dark brown to much paler variations, but all have dark wingtips and a finely-striped tail. Their mournful mewing call could be mistaken for a cat.”
“Key features to look out for:
Not to be confused with the Honey Buzzard, which is a rare summer visitor to the UK. They glide with their wings held flat, tilting their tail like a kite. Their wings are not held raised in a ‘V’. They are neatly barred underneath, with a prominent small head.
Usually brown, with white undersides to the wings, but their plumage is quite variable
Adults have an obvious dark tail band and dark trailing edges to their wings
Long, broad wings with prominent ‘fingers’
Buzzards tend to hold their wings in a raised ‘V’ when soaring, whereas Red Kites hold their wings flat, or slightly downcurved
Short tail, often fanned in flight, which lacks the distinctive fork of a Red Kite’s
Yellow beak, with a black tip
Yellow legs
Often sits with a hunched posture”.
In the UK, Buzzards are on the UK Green List meaning they are doing well and have no conservation concerns. I love them. They remind me of Red-tail Hawks despite the difference in their plumage.
Calico sends everyone some love.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Thank you to Heidi for carefully explaining what happened to her when she posted a few of her videos. At the time, I was so taken aback by the way she was treated that I stopped covering this nest, and despite how much I admire Pepe and Muhlady as parents, other nests will get my attention and donations. Thank you to Hawk Mountain for providing their detailed charts and to Amy Tan for her new book. Thanks, Gracie Shepherd, for the FB post about the second hatch at Superbeaks. Thanks to everyone connected with the Charles Sturt Falcon scrape – Cilla Kinross and to Holly Parsons for being such a great FB group moderator. Once again, I want to thank The Guardian for its articles on wildlife and the environment and OpenVerse for images that can be used on various social media platforms if citations are included.
We hope that you had a terrific day. It was glorious weather, again, on the Canadian Prairies and due to be +12 C tomorrow – unthinkable but welcome.
The male fledged at Melbourne followed by the last female. Here are the details from Victor Hurley. Please note that the live stream will be turned off almost immediately.
Off the goes:
The return – thank goodness he wasn’t injured.
More images from today:
We will miss them! People working in the offices have confirmed sightings of the first female that fledged afterwards with her flying brilliantly. My contributor ‘A’ has a direct line to the rehabber that will care for any of the trio should they get injured and will alert us.
Congratulations to everyone at Melbourne, and a big thank you to Victor Hurley and Mirvac for the two streaming cams that allowed us into the special world of peregrine falcons.
In another note, Rose and Ron have their first egg at the WRDC nest in Florida. Thanks, Heidi! Rose laid this egg 21 days earlier than the first eggs in previous years.
The leaves on the trees in the garden are primarily on the ground. We can now see into the previously hidden back area that was obscured during the summer. Brock continues to sun himself on the farthest woodshed. He is cautious now to let me see him when he comes to the deck for food, preferring to grab my attention and hide under the highest decking, waiting to be sure that Toby is not about. Toby ‘guards’ the territory. It is unclear whether he believes he is a cat, like The Girls, but he decidedly does not like any other animals in the garden, including Mr Crow and Mr Blue Jay. Of course, they pay him no mind. Tonight, Hugo Yugo and Toby are curled up in the small dog bed with HY holding Toby’s head firm and washing and washing his neck. I do think they ‘love’ one another in only a way that they understand.
We have experienced torrential rain and storms, primarily characterised by heavy rain and strong winds. This summer, the province posted that we had only 1/3 the average rainfall – hence, all the wildfires. That has corrected itself. This is good news for all the trees and shrubs that require a lot of moisture before winter arrives. All of the trees and shrubs we planted this year are doing very well. The new Amur Cherry stands tall in the front garden while the Wisteria has wound itself around the stairs and is beginning to climb the side of the porch. I hope to post images of huge clumps of beautiful purple flowers one day. The debate is whether or not to bring the Jasmine plant inside. The problem lies with the aphids, and whether they will also infest the inside plants despite the cleansing and soil changes. The Coral Hibiscus (image near the bottom of the blog) is beautiful, but its flowers are toxic to pets. Although it will not be available for purchase, it can be given to someone who can care for it without harming any cats or dogs. Sometimes the first frost comes and surprises me, and that ends all the debate!
Next Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving. It is timed with the harvest and has nothing in common with the underlying motives for the American Thanksgiving in late November. Ours is more simple – a people grateful for the harvest. We will have guests that otherwise would not be with anyone that day. The Girls and Toby will be delighted for the attention.
We hope that you have been having marvellous times watching that terrific trio of fluff balls in Melbourne at the 367 Collins Street falcon scrape. What cuties they are. The female, F23, looks formidable. I would not want to mix it up with her.
Suzanne Arnold Horning caught Big Red on the Cornell Campus today, and it is always a pleasure and a relief.
The videos by SK Hideaways for the last few days with some new offerings:
Diamond & Gimbir Welcome Their Second Egg (1 Oct 2025)
Diamond laid her and Gimbir’s second egg 59-1/2 hours after the first. Her typical laying interval is between 50 and 60 hours. Congrats, Diamond and Gimbir!
Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University NSW
Gimbir Meets and Nibbles First Egg (2025 Sep 30)
In his first inspection of his and Diamond’s first egg, Gimbir did a good amount of nibbling of the shell during each of his 3-4 inspections. There was no obvious harm done, but Gimbir clearly needs a little daddy training, which is no surprise given his young age. He has performed well in all his other lessons, so we have high hopes for his paternal capabilities.
Courtesy FalconCam Project, Charles Sturt University NSW
Channel Island Eagles, California
West End Bald Eagles🦅Akecheta and Haku Sit Not Quite Side-by-Side on Tor (2025 Oct 2)
After Akecheta’s first visit a week earlier, it was unclear whether he was still in the area. Today’s visit left no doubt when he was positively ID’d sitting near Haku on the middle tor. While not behaving like good friends, Akecheta and Haku did seem comfortable in each other’s company. Only time will tell where this fascinating story goes from here.
Two Harbors Eagles🦅Cholyn & Chase Greet Day in Song🎶22 Years Wedded Bliss (2025 Sep 30)
Cholyn and Chase came together to watch the sunrise and greet the day with their melodious chortles. We never tire of watching this couple’s glorious splendor.
Dad Tries to Feed 5- and 2-Day Old Chicks Whole Prey (2025 Oct 5, 8:22:50)
When Dad M24 arrived with yet another meal for his family, Mum F24 was out. So he did what any super responsible dad would do ~ he tried to feed his chicks. Trouble is, the prey was bigger than the chicks. F24 returned and straightened him out, surely knowing he meant well. (2025 Oct 5, 8:22:50)
Chick #3 Peeks Out at Dusk ~ Makes Grand Appearance in Daylight (2025 Oct 2-3)
Chick #3 peeked out of its shell 2 days after its siblings, hatching in a fashionably late manner. Here we see its arrival at dusk and then its grand appearance the next morning.
Chick #2 Hatches ~ #1 Rolls Out of Nest with Excitement (1 Oct 2025)
Chick #2 snuck out in the dark of night, but dawn provided a grand entrance for the wee one. Chick #1 was so excited they rolled right out of the nest box. Mum F24 eventually rolled them back in. Another celebratory day for the Collins Street falcon family.
Mum F24 and Dad M24 Welcome 1st Chick! (2025 Sep 30)
Mum F24 was on incubation duty when chick #1 appeared from under her. Dad arrived 90 minutes later, seeming slightly perplexed about what to do now that one of his beloved eggs had become a squirming chick. After a bit of revelry, Mum and Dad got back to incubating #2 and #3.
“Forgot to send you this – it’s only about ten seconds but it is a fabulous illustration of (a) how these birds work as a team and (b) how incredible peregrine falcons really are – you must put it into the blog (I’m certain readers would be as impressed by it as I was): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B8xQJaPB4tw.
Meanwhile, that pigeon Dad brought to the Collins Street ledge early this morning was humongous. Mum was already feeding the littles yesterday’s gigantic pigeon, which she had stashed in the pantry, so Dad dragged his new offering into the gutter and subsequently took it off, presumably to the pantry, which is on a floor (or the roof) above the scrape. Rain is forecast for this afternoon, which will bring Mum’s garage door technique into its own, as none of these chicks is yet able to thermoregulate (they have only natal down at this stage) I have zero concerns in that regard, as Mum is just magnificent at using her wings to shelter her chicks. The best I have ever seen in fact. I love this couple. Could you guess?
At 10.38, Dad brings in yet another pigeon (not as large as the last but definitely a decent piece of prey). This Dad is taking his new parental responsibilities extremely seriously. I don’t think these chicks are going to go hungry at this scrape. Ever. Good on you little Dad. What a partner he’s been for Mum this season.
At WBSE, SE35 is picking at leftovers while SE36 stretches its wings by practising this flapping business their parents seem to utilise to great effect. It’s being very energetic! Go SE36! Oh these two are growing up SO fast. The thought of losing them to their annual battle with the currawongs is worrying me more with every passing day. Lady and Dad have done their usual magnificent job of raising two gorgeous, healthy eaglets, only to have to abandon them to their fate and cross their talons, as it were. And yet they try again each season. I do wish we could get a GPS tracker on these fledglings to see whether any do disperse to an area where they can survive and hopefully breed. As it is, we can only guess (and hope).
At Orange, the ultimate cougar peregrine (Diamond) is incubating her two eggs. Gimbir has done some incubating this morning – he is learning by the day. Here is the summary of the falcons’ activities so far this morning (the time stamps refer to the box cam rather than the nest cam or the tower cam): 3 Oct BONDING 4.47.57, 05.29.55, 05.53.51 (Incubation G 5.05.19, 06:26:19, 7.19.40, 8.30.49)
I think Diamond will whip him into shape very quickly – it’s fascinating to see what instinct drives him to do. He seems to have a very good idea of what he needs to do with these strange things in his scrape but he understands their importance and may even be getting some idea of what’s inside them. But of course we can’t know that. Suffice it to say that Diamond is acting as a strict teacher and Gimbir seems to be an eager student and a quick learner. He is very sweet (like all male peregrines). It will be a real treat to watch him come into his own as a father in front of our eyes. By his second incubating effort of the day (at 06:26:19) he seems to have worked it all out. He knows that if he comes into the scrape and finds the eggs unattended, it is his job to keep them warm and safe. He has also perfected his enfluffling technique and does it perfectly. I am SO proud of our very precocious little man. It’s hard to believe that a year ago,.he was just leaving his own natal nest. And as I said the other day, he has taken on a real challenge in Madame Diamond! (I have to say – and this is NOT for the blog – that he reminds me of my husband when we first met. I was 37 and he had just turned 20 (literally the week before we met). I am a somewhat formidable female but he had no fear of taking that on. Enough said. We had a wonderful ten years. “
From the videos and ‘A’s’ commentary, you can see that all is going well in the Australian nests currently as I wait – rather impatiently – for the hatches at Port Lincoln!!!!!!!
There are still ospreys in the UK who have not left on their migration. This Tweed Valley fledgling is one of them! Thanks, Mary Cheadle!
Want to learn more about White-tail Eagles? You cannot go wrong by listening to this podcast by Dr Tim Mackrill sponsored by the Osprey Leadership Foundation.
At the West End nest (IWS/Explore), Haku has been having trouble with a juvenile coming to the nest! Nestflix Memories caught the battle for the fish on video: https://youtu.be/9rUwR30TjyI?
Do you know what Gabby and Beau are up to at the NE Florida nest? Wings of Whimsy checks up on what has happened during the last week. https://youtu.be/1eSGYv-KPrc?
Time to vote for the Australian Bird of the Year! Remember,New Zealand recently voted the Peregrine Falcon asits Bird of the Year. Maybe we can do this for Australia, too! The Guardian gives us more information.
The image below is the poster and here is the link that will tell you how to vote:
“It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I realised birds could have a powerful significance even for people who weren’t bird-nerds like me….One day I got a lift with a friend who was really struggling. As she sped through inner city streets sobbing uncontrollably, things started resembling that scene from Vanilla Sky when Cameron Diaz drives Tom Cruise off a bridge. I persuaded her to pull over, and we parked beneath some trees. As I sat, clueless about how to ease her distress, a white-plumed honeyeater flitted down and started hopping around in front of us, searching for insects.
Watching that sweet little bird go about its business was the circuit-breaker we needed. Completely indifferent to our troubles, it connected us to something bigger, putting our issues into perspective and brought a magic sense of wonder at simply being alive. I’m not so woo-woo as to claim that the appearance of a single bird was an instant cure-all, but its presence brought a moment of peace and grace to what had been distraught hopelessness.
Recent studies have shown that this experience is not unique. Playing birdsong in hospital has been shown to reduce levels of both reported pain and anxiety in patients as well as reducing the average time spent before discharge from the ward. A 2020 European study showed that having 14 extra bird species in your neighbourhood raised general happiness levels equivalent to the same boost people would get if they started earning $150 a week more.”
I know that these articles and the importance of birds to our lives is ‘preaching to the choir’ as all os us understand fully the mystical quality that they have over our lives. Each week I get one or two letters from people, mostly strangers, who stop and send me a note telling me how much the birds on the streaming cams have done for their lives. Many have terminal illnesses and their love for the bird families has helped them through great trauma.
Today, I often advise people not to listen to the news, but to go outside instead. Alternatively, consider getting a small bird feeder and placing it so you can watch it from a window. Put out a bird bath and cheer along all the fun the birds have when they are bathing! I promise that even the most dismal moments — and I am certainly no stranger to those – will melt away.
Calico has a couple of book recommendations – not for the fun of reading aloud to four cats and a dog, but rather for those who might feel like they have lost control of their lives. It reminds us not to be so ‘goal-oriented’, making endless lists so that we are productive and feel good about ourselves. She speaks of restorative time – very important! Not just relaxing but restoring. Finding Focus has, on every other page, advice about putting your devices away and finding time to be outside. There is another chapter on eating well. In the past year, I have witnessed friends whose lives have been shattered by sudden deaths in their family and how that has impacted them. To be mentally alert, you must feed your body well. Not with cookies and processed cakes but whole foods. Every since Don was diagnosed with dementia, probably even before, we have practiced eating the ‘rainbow’ – making sure that our plate had all the colours as best we could. Now it is a game to ensure that we have that and are not eating food that has come from a factory. Dear Toby even eats eggs from hens that run free on a farm. We see them living life to the full every week when we pick up our eggs and vegetables. I want each of you to take care of yourself. Life is extremely stressful for many right now.
I mentioned not watching the news. We turned off the television component years ago and now only have a couple of streaming channels so that we can watch several British series. I do not miss not reading the news or listening to commentary that may or may not be informed. We try to focus on the local and take care and make better, if we can, the lives around us. It really does good for your mental health.
The other book is The Almanac. A Seasonal Guide to 2026 is a real gem for those living in the UK. It is a fantastic almanack focusing on the natural world month by month, featuring planting guides, moon cycles, and a genuine focus on the woods and trees. Beautifully presented along with folklore and even recipes!
Raptor Persecution UK researches the killing and disappearance of raptors in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Calico also wants to send you some images from the garden from the last few days when it was 27 °C. There are many more, but I am just learning about this camera and finally found a setting that works for me.
The coral Hibiscus continues to bloom.
One of Dyson’s kits from this past summer.
The European Starlings returned and really have been enjoying a great bath.
Baby Hope is feeling much better after her injury. She is watching one of the Crows cawing on the fence outside the conservatory.
Thank you so much for being with us today. This is going to be a busy week for me, as we had heavy rain for several days during the past week, and there is still much to do to ready the garden for winter. Although we experienced temperatures reaching 28 °C last week, the weather has become considerably cooler. It is now time for warmer coats and toques when we watch Toby – we learned that this evening! Soon, we will be pulling out the winter boots. My point is that all the nests are doing very well. We anxiously await the first hatch with some trepidation at Port Lincoln – we worry every year whether there will be enough fish to sustain the chicks until they fledge. I will post again on Monday, the 13th, our Canadian Thanksgiving, unless we have a hatch or something really significant happens in Bird World. Please take care of yourself. Go outside and enjoy the wonders that fall has to offer – the crunch of leaves beneath your feet and that distinctive autumn ‘aroma’.
Thank you to the individuals and owners of streaming cams and individuals posting for various FB groups listed in Bold. You keep us informed. A particular shout-out to SK Hideaways for their videos and to ‘A’ today for her keen observations on the Australian nests. The Guardian continues to publish great articles on wildlife and the environment, and Raptor Persecution UK keeps reminding us how unsafe it is for raptors in the UK and why. We are grateful.
The mystery at SWFlorida has been cleared up by keen eyes! There are two females and this helps to explain why all of us were confused and concerned.
The female that is on the branch with M15 at night is NOT the female that jumped into the nest, ate the Es food and pecked and kicked them. M15 got rid of her.
Here is the announcement from SWFlorida:
Now we can all go back and embrace the female with the injured talon that allows M15 to sleep at night…
Thank you SWFlorida and SL Hope for this clarification. Our eyes weren’t fooling us…
