My goodness. Can you believe that we are 16 days away from 2023? Did we blink and 2022 flew by? The good news…it seems that Gabby might have been persuaded by V3’s charms. They were in the nest together and on the branches this morning!
In the garden it is snowy wonderland. About 17 cm fell – or should I saw blew in from Colorado with some more to come today. The birds do not like the heavy wet snow any more than I do. Mr Crow flew in and complained along with 27 European Starlings and a host of Sparrows.
The Starlings also knocked a solid seed cylinder to the ground and have been trying to eat it. I don’t think they like getting their feet in the snow.
The lone Blue Jay, Junior, has decided that eating the soft suet like the Starlings is a delicacy. So happy to see him enjoying it. Of course, Dyson is busy working away at the brand new solid seed cylinder that I put out this morning. Apparently Dyson & Co can eat a whole one in two days. That surprised me. They must have been eating all night!
In the World Cup of Birds, it is the French Gallic Rooster versus the Argentinian Rufous Hornero.
Channel Islands eaglet seen. San Miguel is the most remote of the islands and in this article Dr Peter Sharpe says he has not been there since 2017. The spotting of the eagle is excellent news.
Deborah North Eagles caught mating. New season. New Hope.
Goodness. That Pepe at the Superbeaks Bald Eagle nest in Central Florida had some good fishing today. Just look at the size of the fish he brought in for the family! Incredible.
At the California-Berkeley Peregrine Falcon scrape of Annie, the new guy continues to come and try to wow her. However, twice he has brought prey and twice he has eaten it! I don’t think he read the ‘courting’ manual carefully. Annie is too much of a treasure. Let’s hope that this new guy shapes up or ships out!
In Louisiana, there was severe weather and tornadoes. Tonya Irwin reports on the nests in the Kisatchie National Forest:
It looks as if the male at the Metro Aviation Nest in Louisiana got hit by flying debris on his head ?? or had some other injury. It seems he will be alright.
This is a long but, a good eye-opening read from the Raptor Persecution UK. It has been suggested by Geemeff that I give you a warning before reading this. It is distressing to the extreme. Baby Hen Terriers stomped to death by humans!!!!!! Having just read Bowland Beth and a stack of books on the plight of the Hen Harrier and the Red Kites, I find this article distressing. How can we convince people that all of the animals have as much right to life as we human animals do?
Early morning at Port Lincoln and Zoe is wishing for a fish!
We will miss that amazing Indigo when they leave the territory of Xavier and Diamond. Indigo is adorable. He has been stashing his leftover prey in the corner and Diamond has been taking it – obviously to teach Indigo many life lessons. He retrieved his prey from Mum. Look at how proud he is!
As Wednesday ends at The Hamlet, Gabby and V3 are on the nest tree together.
This image of Gabby with V3 is from this morning, Thursday 15 December. It seems Gabby might have made up her mind!
Two other love birds…Samson and Jackie. Oh, stay safe you two!
And last, some very good news sent by Geemeff —especially if you have been following The Flight of the Osprey! A live event…
Thank you so much for being with me today. Wherever you are, take care. See you soon!
Thank you to Geemeff for the heads up on the Flight of the Osprey live discussion. Thanks to the following for their postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: FOBBV, Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Raptor Persecution UK, Tonya Irwin and Raptors of the World, Cal Falcons, Superbeaks, Raptor Resource and Explore.org, and Vancouver City News.
I hope that you are all well. There are many things going on in Bird World. ‘J’ writes that she cannot go to sleep and it is the middle of the night in Europe because of the excitement at the NEFlorida nest. Gabby is becoming more accepting of V3, Annie is being kind to her ‘new guy’, Zoe is flying more, and there is news of UK Ospreys in Africa. Indeed, Jean-marie Dupart counted over 300 the other day in Senegal! That is incredible. Of course, skipping over to California, has Annie found her ‘new guy’?
It remains mild on the Canadian Prairies. There is a Colorado Low moving our way that is really going to dump snow along the border between us and the US. I wonder how far north it will go? There is nothing more beautiful than freshly fallen white snow. And nothing uglier than City trucks dumping sand on the snow making it slick to drive on and just gross to look at. I love the ‘winter wonderland’ images!
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The Flight of the Osprey has officially ending and thanks so much to Geemeff who has been recording this wonderful documentary with Sasha Dench and Friends following the migration of the UK Osprey. Here is the link to the ending:
Geemeff informs me that there will be a film released on the expedition next year. How wonderful! The earth’s wildlife and, in particular, its birds deserve all of the attention they can get. So grateful for this programme.
Staying with UK migration and Ospreys, the mate of Dylan, Seren 5F, from the Llyn Clywedog nest, has made it to her favourite spot in The Gambia again this year. Dylan and Seren raised three fantastic fledglings this year. Always just warms your heart to find out they are at their winter hones, safe and sound.
Now if anyone hears anything about Blue 464 from Foulshaw Moss (2020), I would be over the moon. 464 is the third hatch, the one no one thought would survive but, White YW and Blue 35 were determined that their tiny, tiny third hatch – so much younger than the other two huge siblings – would survive. And she did! To become quite dominant on the nest. Any news would bring tears of joy.
@ Cumbria Wildlife Trust
The Guardian brings us news for the contender for King of Birds – and it is not a blood dripping taloned raptor but a tiny little bird. Gosh, isn’t he cute? Here is that story!
So many are watching the nests of Gabby and Ron to see what will happen next. Gabby seemed to be so attached to V2, that very handsome eagle with that smoky head. He has not been back to the nest now for over two days. Samson and V2. Two losses. She is playing it cautiously with V3 who is trying really hard to become her mate. Perhaps she is now waiting to see if either Samson or V2 will show up at the nest. We can only sit and watch as Gabby’s new life unfolds before us. We all wish her the very best. She is a fantastic Mum.
V3 brought a fish to the nest. Presumably it was for Gabby. He ate part of it and must have left some. When Gabby returned, she flew to the nest and ate the fish she found. Slow and steady, V3. She needs to know you are going to stick around and be able to feed her and her babies.
Later, Gabby and V3 were working on the nest together. Progress!
Most days Ron is seen working on the nest. I have, however, not caught him there today as of the time I am writing. I will check on him this evening to see if he has returned. Let us all send positive wishes to Rita and Ron – Rita so that she will recover and live a life as full as it can be without pain – and Ron that he finds a lovely new mate. Too bad they cannot send some of the eagles up near Jacksonville south!
Oh, I have so been hoping to catch a glimpse of either Thunder or Akecheta after the fly by teasers at the West End Bald Eagle cam in the Channel Islands. Well, today they did not disappoint. The two sitting together at 0907.
The snows at Big Bear are the reason that Jackie and Shadow lay their eggs later than the other nests. Look at how beautiful it is. Stunning. I do love pure white beautiful snow.
A young eagle chased Shadow to the nest! It wanted the fish!!!!!!!
Of course, the other nest to watch is that of Annie at Cal Falcons where Alden has been missing, as well. Alden stole our hearts last year…no ifs, ands or buts about it. How could we love someone after Grinnell? Well, we did. Alden saved the day and one of our readers wants to believe that Alden has put on his magic cape and is off saving some other falcon widow and her chicks. I agree! What a wonderful way to think of Alden flying around helping out wherever he can. Thanks, ‘B’ for shifting my mind in a different direction.
We will wait to see if Annie falls head over heals for the ‘new guy’. Last year we called Alen the ‘New Guy’ for so long. I don’t know about you but I am really looking forward to the nests settling down. Last year was tough.
Bonding!
Thanks to Elain and her great videos we can easily get a great summary of the day at Orange featuring Diamond the prey snatcher, Xavier the Door Dash Daddy, and Indigo, the screaming fledgling!
Oh, when that wind down in Port Lincoln gets up, it gives Zoe such a gorgeous crest. She has been flying in and off the nest and is really anxious to have Dad deliver a fist at the time of this writing.
Why do I love Ospreys so much? Well take a look at this stunningly beautiful video with great close ups of the male Osprey fishing and that would be part of the answer. They are such exceptional birds. It is difficult to imagine the exertion it takes to bring fish after fish back to Mum and the kids at the nest.
Checking in at Superbeaks. That nest in Central Florida has such a beautiful landscape with water and what appears to be good fishing nearby. The nest is so deep that it is difficult to see those little bobbleheads. This is a nest that I am completely unfamiliar with so, anything could happen. That said the fish being brought in are good size and the parents – Pepe and Muhlady – are both totally attentive to their eaglets, Pear and Taco.
I am not allowed to post the link to the streaming cam for some reason so please go to YouTube and key in SuperBeaks Eagle Cam Live and you will find them. Fingers crossed for a great year for this family.
Thanks so much for being with me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!!!!!!!
Thank you to the following for their posts, their notes, their videos, and their streaming cams which make up my screen captures: Geemeff, John Williams, Foulshaw Moss and the Cumbrian Trust, The Guardian, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, IWS and Explore.org, FOBBV, Cal Falcons, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Mark Smith, and Superbeaks.
Oh, I sure could use some blue skies right now. It is grey…everything is grey and brown. The temperature is hovering right at 0 degrees C. Even the birds are damp to the core. I will have to remember the beautiful blue sky of Grenada, those gorgeous hibiscus, and the birds filling the air with song. Thankfully all of the garden animals are doing well and happy to have me back along with the kittens. The Starlings are still here. There are 31. A host of House Sparrows and a Robin somewhere. The squirrels are here and Dyson was enjoying one of the new hard seed cylinders the last I checked this afternoon. The Crows are about and one Blue Jay has been for a visit. Life is good. I have no complaints save that it would be so nice to see some sun. On the Canadian prairies, that means it is cold. So bring it on! The cold and blue skies.
In the Mailbox: A question came in from ‘V’ wondering if there was a reason I was not mentioning Superbeaks.
This is a great question and I wanted to share it with everyone!
I briefly mentioned Superbeaks when the nest in Central Florida came on line, when there were eggs, and the hatches including the second one in my blog this morning, 11 December. It is not a nest that I consistently follow. Indeed, there are far too many nests to follow. It looks like there is good fishing around for Dad, Pepe. He brought a huge fish to the nest this morning.
I am an Osprey and hawk/falcon person. That said between the end of the UK Osprey season and the beginning again in spring, I watch other nests including the Bald Eagles in the US. There are ‘good’ Bald Eagle nests and some whose track record is not so good. There are nests where help is sought and others where it is thwarted, even if the on going potential tragedy is human caused. I know nothing about the Superbeaks nest but, will quietly watch them this year and see.
I highly recommend for Bald Eagles: the steady as you go team of Harriet and M15 at SWFlorida. They raise competitive eaglets so you just have to hold your breath at the early bopping but, normally, the eaglets grow up to be feisty besties. The relationship between M15 and Harriet is worth watching on its own.
Liberty and Guardian at the Redding Nest are fantastic. With the Redding Nest, you get commentary and videos by Gary and here is the chart for dates at the Redding nest that has been posted recently by Gary.
The Channel Islands nests of Thunder and Akecheta (West End), Chase and Cholyn (Two Harbours) and Andor and Cruz (Fraser Point) are excellent. Glacier Gardens comes on later. They are in Juneau. Alaska. How about Martin and Rosa at Dullas-Fairway? Clive and Connie at Captiva have 2 eggs.
Rolling the two eggs at Captiva. There is no confirmation yet of when they were laid.
Fingers crossed for a good season after rodenticide deaths in 2020, no eaglets last year, and the hurricane this year. There are others such as US Steel, the nests in Decorah but last year, they were hit with Avian Flu like Hilton Head. The National Arboretum Nest of Mr President and Lotus, both of the nests in the Kisatchie National Forest, E1 and E3, as well as the Metro Aviation Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana, Berry College with Pa Berry and Missey – the list is long!
Pa Berry and Missy working on their nest in Georgia.
There is no reason to believe that Avian Flu will not rear its ugly head this year also. We must remember that. It will impact birds eating birds or carrior (dead animals).
There are far too many nests to follow and everyone has their favourites. If you have recommendations – or nests not to watch recommendations – send me a comment. I would love to hear from you.
One of my favourites is Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear. They have had some problems in the past but we are always cheering them on and last year the amazing Spirit kept our hearts glowing.
The snow is really coming down at the nest of Jackie and Shadow in Big Bear Valley!
It is now Sunday afternoon and V2, the suitor trying to charm Gabby with the smokey head, has not been seen since Friday. V3 seems to be making a strong case but so far, – well, at least until now – Gabby is being aloof as to whether or not she will choose him as a mate.
There was a fly by at 11:37 at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta on Sunday. No telling which of the Bald Eagles it was. But, look at the nest! Thunder and Akecheta will be bringing in lots of materials for this coming season.
Quite a different view than we are used to at Two Harbours.
Dr Peter Sharpe of the Institute for Wildlife Studies takes good care of the Channel Islands Eagles and their babies. If they fall down the cliff, he will figure out a way to get them back up to the nest, if he possibly can. He is our hero!
Checking on the two Australian nests still active, let’s head to Orange first where Indigo has had a nice breakfast delivery from Xavier and has been eating it in the scrape.
Xavier and Diamond are teaching Indigo valuable life lessons. If you leave your prey, someone will come and steal it!
Elain’s latest video on the Orange scrape. Such a wonderful falcon family.
At the Osprey nest in Port Lincoln, Zoe was eyeing a fish in the water. She seems to have flown to the left and then turned around and flew past the barge. Did she see a fish? or was this just a quick wet talon tried to catch a fish story?
Watching the water at 09:41:19.
Zoe flies off the nest to the left.
Later Dad flies in with a fish. Mum flies over but Zoe had that fish while Dad was still in the air. It seems that Mum just makes sure that her beautiful daughter gets her fill. It looks like she knows that there will never be anything left. You did well Mum in a year that had a lack of fish. You did well.
Zoe will do well.
There is news on WBSE27 and it is excellent. So happy for this amazing eagle who did so well in rehab!
It would appear that Gabby is rejecting the advances of V3.
Lady Hawk caught it on video for us.
In Miami, Ron continues to perfect the nest that he shared with Rita in the Miami Zoo not knowing what has happened to his mate.
Yesterday I posted the autopsy results regarding the two year old male Hesgyn, the last chick that Monty raised at Dyfi with Telyn.
I could not have said this better. We must be prepared to set up artificial pools with fish just like the Great Egret had in the Caribbean. We have caused this dire situation and we must be prepared to rally and fix it. Ospreys have successfully been fed when it was necessary. They do not like frozen fish but, please, if possible no more deaths when the weather turns how. Let’s help them out – and this call for action includes those nests in the Pacific NW of the US and Canada, too. Where it is possible.
Tragic news coming in from the US this morning as more and more eagles are being found ill or dead because people are not cremating their pets and their euthanised bodies are killing birds that eat carrion. This is easily prevented!
For all of my parrot loving readers, here is another streaming cam in South Africa you might really enjoy. How wonderful – the third time was a charm. Aren’t those babies adorable?
Thank you so very much for being with me today as I jumped around some of the nests that we have been watching. Gosh, those little Galahs are soooooo cute. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: SWFL Eagles and D Pritchett, Redding Eagles and Gary, Window to Wildlife, Berry college, FOBBV, NEFL-AEF Explore.org and the IWS, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Dyfi Osprey Project, Elain and Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bald Eagles Live Nests and News, Australian Raptor Care and Conservation Inc.
None of us will forget the tragedy that struck the Barrier Islands off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Ian. Both Andy and Lena’s Osprey brand new Osprey platform was destroyed along with the new cameras. Connie and Clive had their nest tree torn apart along with all the new camera equipment.
Well, the Bald Eagle cam is up and working and guess what? Connie and Clive are incubating two eggs!
Here is the link to their camera:
At the NEFlorida nest of Gabby, V3 is working hard to impress her. Gabby appears to be cautious in making a decision as to who will be her mate since Samson has now been missing for more than a fortnight. Samson’s talons will be hard to fill and I am glad that Gabby is being careful.
Gabby was chortling with V3.
We wait. I would still like to see Samson fly in well enough to take on any intruders and keep his Gabby. It is difficult for everyone when there is such a huge unknown – what happened?
This is just a quick hello from the kittens to let you know about Captiva! The service is a bit sporadic. I do not see the Osprey nest cam up yet on Captiva. Take care everyone. See you soon. Thanks to Window to Wildlife for getting everything back working and to NEFL-AEF for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
Missed likes to pose and she doesn’t like Lewis interrupting her photo sessions. The second image shows her hearing him coming!
Lewis does not look like he could ever get into mischief, right? LOL
Good Morning Everyone from a snowy, icy landscape – the Canadian Prairies. As many of you suggested, it was a huge culture shock going from bright sun and warm seas to frozen. It is always good to be away but, it is equally nice to get ‘home’. Thank you for all your wonderful letters and best wishes. I had an epic time!
The big news is still coming out of Samson and Gabby’s nest in The Hamlet near Jacksonville. Will there be a nest take over? will Gabby get a new mate? where is V2 this morning as I write this? did Samson appear? Wow. Everything else pales in comparison.
This is a short catch up on some news that we are following this morning.
I want to start with a disgusting arrogant display that has gone viral. It was posted by Geemeff, one of our readers.
What a disgusting individual.
Was it Samson visiting the NE Florida nest? We would have to see his toe – one is flattened. But, gosh, it sure looks like him.
Maybe the word is out and all of them know that Gabby is now single (sadly) and they are lining up for her to choose? They should try bringing her fish!
There was a musical nest. V2 was there and gone, then Gabby left and V2 returned, and then he saw Gabby and escorted her back to the nest.
Postings of a third visitor.
But where was V2 last night. It looks like Gabby spent the night alone – again!
Gosh, I love these daily videos that Elain posts of the highlights at the Orange scrape in Australia of Diamond and Xavier. That little Indigo reminds me so much of Izzi – chasing the parents out of the scrape in the morning, pair bonding, and snacking.
Why do I like them? Elain edits the entire day into a short video and includes the main highlights.
Now for a few smiles.
Falcons in the Middle East fly in their own 747s. Challenger the famous US Eagle in the care of the American Eagle Association likes to fly SW Airlines.
Have you been following the World Cup of Birds? Let’s see who is left standing! Pick your favourite bird out of those left and follow what happens. Morocco stunned everyone when they beat Brazil putting the Rufous Bellied Thrush out of action. So will Moussier’s Redstart take home the cup? England is playing France today – the Robin vs the Gallic Rooster! Stay tuned.
For all Osprey fans, there is an Osprey still in Londonderry today – at the Bann Estuary. Does this bird know something we do not know? I mean seriously shouldn’t he be sunning himself in Spain right now or Africa? or does he need to get out of town quick?
Zoe is flying over shallow water and getting those wings to work. Dad brought Zoe 3 fish yesterday and Mum brought her 1. They are taking good care of their daughter! Here is her most recent tracking release.
We haven’t done a check on Karl II’s family recently so let’s have a look and see where Waba and Bonus are today.
Waba is still loving Sudan and fishing at the Nile River.
Bonus started flying over the Eastern Desert. There has been no transmission since the 4th of December. We wait. Please send Bonus your best wishes.
Thank you for being with me for this quick look at what is the main story in Bird World – Gabby and her nest. Send out your warmest wishes to Rita who is healing nicely in Miami and to dear Alden and Samson – we wish you would still appear! Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, and posts which make up my blog this morning: NEFL-AEF, Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam Project and Cilla Kinross and Elain, American Eagle Live Nest Cams, Southwest Airlines, Raptors of the World, Port Lincoln Ospreys FB, Looduskalender, and Geemeff.
Thank you for all your comments and mail. I am very behind in responding and I apologise but, I will before the middle of next week! Keep them coming!
Oh, it is another beautiful day in the Caribbean. Hot. There was little wind and the water was as smooth as glass. It is hard to imagine huge traffic jams and security guards everywhere, that was what happened here today. The Cuban Diplomatic delegation is here to discuss all manner of things with the new Prime Minister of Grenada. There is also a medical conference with a lot of Cuban doctors. So, we spent the day away from the main area of St George’s at the ‘family friendly marina’, Le Share Bleau. The couple that run the restaurant are excellent chefs and they are from Manitoba! The young man grew up in the area of the city where I live.
At the same time I got to check on that Great Egret that has his own private pond!
Everything is cared for here and is beautiful to the eye as well as to the soul.
Christmas decorations began going up last weekend.
There is no reason for this Great Egret to ever leave. It has an entire pond with fish to itself!
An incredibly beautiful bird.
A Coconut Tree. One of the best ice creams on the island is Coconut. The second really good one is Nutmeg.
The Tropic Mockingbirds love to eat the fruit of the palm tree.
This Tropical Mockingbird sat still long enough for me to get a good photo!
It is a gorgeous island that is trying to be good stewards. Plastic bags were outlawed awhile ago but you can still see them. Plastic drinks bottles are a problem – what do you do in an area where the water is not always good to drink and there is a growing number of tourists? Do you put up water stations and everyone has their own recyclable bottle included in their ticket price? Plastic imports carry a higher import duty than other materials that can be recycled. The upmarket shops have lovely jute bags for their customers. Many groups work on shore clean ups. They are trying – there remains a lot to do like there is everywhere.
One of the biggest pollutants does not occur in Grenada but in Brazil where the fertilisers used in the fields runs off the land and into the ocean where it mixes with the seaweed. That seaweed finds its way to the Grenadian coast and then rots giving off noxious gases.
Coming out of the COP 15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal is the statement: “Humans are instruments of mass extinction”. There has been nearly a 70% decrease in wildlife since 1970. What will be the next Dodo bird? And why aren’t we ready to tackle this and start b being good stewards?
And another one on two birds that are now thought to be added to the extinct list – the Rook and the Swift. The number of birds added to the Red List – which I was including in all my blogs before the holiday – has doubled. This is just so sad. As a world population we need to stop what we are doing and have a reckoning with ourselves on what is really important to us – what is essential. Not a want but a need.
One of the good things that the hotels in Grenada do for the birds is maintaining beautiful gardens. The fruit from the trees and the nectar from the flowers feeds multitudes of birds. The ponds – if stocked – attract the herons. Off the beach this morning were a pair of Frigatebirds. The tourists like the birds and the flowers. While I was taking photos of the hummingbirds last evening, a big crowd stopped. They had not see the little one flitting around. Everyone had a smile. Now to spread this love elsewhere!
So tomorrow is my last day here. I will not be back in the cold of the Canadian Prairies until Friday afternoon. Oh, the cold. I am not looking forward to that but, having a week away was a gift.
So, let us see what is happening in Bird World.
Just look at that face. How incredibly cute! Just know that the only time you could cuddle with this little one is when it is not feeling well or is under anaesthesia. After you look at the eyes, move down to that killer beak and well, we can’t see the talons but Victor Hurley calls falls ‘all blood beaks and bloody talons’. The fastest flying predators in the world.
Oh, if they could only market a plush toy as cute as this guy. Hi sweetie.
First up is a question from ‘O’: ‘What is happening at the Melbourne Scrape?’
Well, nothing. The Melbourne Four all fledged. One was lost early in a flying accident and had to be euthanised. The little male was recently taken into care and released with a comment that he was really healthy. The parents lay the eggs and raise the eases to fledge at the scrape box on the ledge of 367 Collins Street. They will teach them to fly and hunt prey around the CBD area. The camera is normally turned off until the following breeding year. Whether or not the parents return with the chicks to the scrape is unknown because of this.
Here is the announcement from Wildlife Victoria:
Annie and Grinnell’s 2020 fledgling, Sequoia, is making news with his meetings with a female at San Jose City Hall, BA24. There is a streaming cam and all are hoping that the pair will form a bond and raise eases. But, will they?
News on Glen, the last surviving Osprey fledgling from Tweed Valley made the news:
Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk gives a look at Harriet and M15’s eggs for this year and some of the daily activity at their nest in Fort Myers, Florida.
‘D’ sent me this screen capture making the rounds. This is V2, the visiting male at the NEFlorida nest, who has mated with Gabby. Yes, he does have the most gorgeous soft blue eyes. ‘Celadon eyes’. Celadon was a 9th and 10th century glaze perfected in China for use on porcelain. Celadon glazes ranged in colour but one was like water…that is like the eyes of this eagle.
Some are wondering if there is any possibility that he could be another offspring of Romeo and Juliet and thus, Samson’s full brother. Samson hatched in 2013. The tragedy at the nest occurred in 2018. So, is there a possibility? Perhaps. Like males do, Samson returned to his natal nest so, could this be a 2017 fledgling?
V2 got introduced to the problems with owls.
Jackie and Shadow are working on their nest. They were there today. The California Big Bear Valley could do not normally lay their eggs until January and as late as March.
There have been many times that Indigo has not been able to finish his prey so, like a good little falcon, Indigo stashed it in the corner as he had seen his parent’s do. Well, Diamond has been snatching that prey! So Indigo has been staying in the scrape much longer keeping an eye on his lunch.
Zoe has been diving and flying. Dad delivered his beautiful girl a nice little fish this morning.
At last some intelligence about wind farms and how they impact birds — and a compromise in Tasmania.
For all the eagle lovers, ‘N’ sent me this image…it is perfect for all of us. Smile!
Thank you so much for being with me. My next blog will come out Saturday morning so there is a break on Friday. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their letters, questions, photos, videos, postings, and streaming cams included in my screen captures: Friends of Big Bear Valley, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Elain and the Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Sharon Dunne/Lady Hawk and SWFL-Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, San Jose City Hall, STV News, Wildlife Victoria, ABC News, The Guardian, and ‘N’, D’ and ‘O’.
Today was ‘outing day’. I did not take my camera with me thinking I would not see any birds. Now, how silly was that? Thankfully the phone did catch a few. The images are really cropped and blown up so not in sharp focus but, I want to share them with you anyway.
People on the islands begin celebrating and preparing for Christmas the first weekend in December. So many blow up Santas! This evening they are having a big party (islanders love an excuse for a party) with carols, turning on the Christmas lights and walking through an area of them, and bands and singers. One highlight I heard about is that Martha Stewart is flying in with Snoop Dog to promote their wine. If you purchase a bottle of their very expensive vintages, you get to have your photo taken with a celebrity. Ah…it didn’t appeal to me. An Osprey maybe!!!!!!! An Osprey with a Santa Hat.
The entrance to the Le Phase Bleu Marina. It is a fascinating place with cottages you can rent or buy and services for people who come in on their boats – like a restaurant, a laundry mat, a clothing store, and a delicatessen amongst others.
This is a Green-throated Carib. It is there below the big flower almost in the middle. These are smaller than some of the other species of hummingbirds in the Caribbean. They are green all over except for a patch of violet-blue on their breast and a violet-black tail which you can see if you squint! You will find them in gardens and in dry woodlands. They nest between March and June laying two white eggs in a down lined nest with grasses and lichens.
Of course, the Great Egret was just standing there in the pond on the opposite side of the walkway from the hummingbird. You might, by now, recognise how sad I was feeling at leaving my big camera at home!
Such a gorgeous bird. I don’t know if you can tell but, my son and I stood and looked in the little pond and you could see fish everywhere. This Egret is very smart! I wonder if the person who owns the Marina stocks the pond for the egrets?? I must find out!
So this is my idea for Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln. A shallow pond – Ospreys can only go down about a metre. Stocked at Port Lincoln. A little bigger perhaps but, it doesn’t have to be too big. The Ospreys that winter in Columbia are always stealing fish out of the tanks where they are fish farming. But would those pesky gulls take all the fish? Oh, maybe.
Later in the day, I ‘heard’ the birds but, could not see them. Merlin Song ID helped with the sound identification of a Lesson’s Motmot, a Gray Kingbird, House Wren, House Sparrow, Bananaquit along with more Tropical Mockingbirds.
These are not my photographs but, these are the birds I ‘heard’ that I really hope to see. Aren’t they incredibly beautiful?
This is the Lesson’s MotMot that was in the mangrove. What colourful plumage. He fits right in with the fantastic colours of the islands.
This is the Gray Kingbird. This bird is the largest of the Tyrant kingfisher family in the Eastern Caribbean. It is a lovely soft grey on top and all white underneath. If you look, that grey in the image below is kissed by a wee bit of brown with a white outline on the tips of the wing feathers. There is a black eye line that goes from the cere to the ear coverts. The bill is thick and pointed and black. They build a twig nest high in the trees where they lay 2-4 heavily splotched red eggs between March and July.
The Bananaquit is one of the most common birds across the Caribbean. They are called ‘Honeycreepers’. They have a short slim slightly curved bill. They have a distinguished plumage: The top half is black. They have a yellow-green underbody and rump. There is a distinctive white eye line that go from the cere to the nape in the adult birds. It is yellow in the juveniles.
They live on nectar and the juice of fruit such as mango and banana, seeds from herbaceous plants, and a variety of small insects. Breeding is from March to August. Their nest is a small mass of leaves and grasses with a small hole in the side in which they lay 2-3 heavily spotted white eggs.
This is an adult bird but notice that the yellow underpart is limited to the rump with the back and wings a more dark grey or sooty black with white tipped wings. In fact, the plumage of this common bird does vary slightly over the region.
When I returned from my adventure today, there was news from ‘H’ on Rita from the WRDC. This is really, really good news.
“Update from moments ago: Rita is recuperating. She ate a fish. She’s still attacking anyone who reaches into her enclosure (this is good). The flesh part of her wound has some healing (also good).”
“Still a very long way to go. She picked a bit at the wrap and pin, which surprisingly was also considered good news, but not enough to need a cone. Sorry I don’t have a pic but if I get one I’ll post.”
I continue to try and point out different incidents to help educate all of us. Rita had a trauma and almost died. She was so lucky she was rescued. Those rescuers had no problem getting Rita to care. She did not fight them BUT she is today and she is still in critical condition. It sounds like I am beating a dead horse but if you are ever in a situation where you can pick up a raptor with a blanket, then that bird needs immediate attention. You should have the name of your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic 24/7 phone number. Call them. Tell them the situation. Ask if they can help or if they can give you the name of a centre who can. Get the bird to care. It should be standard protocol everywhere for this to happen and those connected with streaming cams need to be sensitive and have their entire teams and anyone around the nest versed in what the protocol is. Emergency contact numbers should be posted around a nest but they should also be placed under the streaming cam clearly so people can find them. ‘S’ and I urged this to happen after incidents in 2020 at two nesting sites, Collins Marsh and Patuxent.
Indigo is doing exceptionally well. Diamond was looking out from the ledge of the scrape box at Orange when Indigo flew in with a small bird she had received from Xavier. The time was 09:49.
Diamond is looking out over her territory on the Charles Sturt University.
Diamond sees Indigo coming and she wants out of the way!
Indigo has the small bird but she is still mantling and telling everyone that it is his.
What a handsome fledgling. Strong and healthy.
Indigo is very good at plucking!
It is delightful to see this falcon family doing so well with Indigo proving himself to be a very strong flyer. Very reassuring. ‘A’ writes that the only thing Indigo hasn’t figured out is that Mum steals stashed prey. She sure does! Watch out Indigo!!!!!
The camera at Port Lincoln may or may not have been off part of today. There is news that Zoe has had at least one fish if not two during the time I am writing. Ah, ‘A’ has written this morning that there were 2 fish for Zoe yesterday.
The Port Lincoln Osprey group continues to add information below the observation board including fish counts and hatch and fledge days from 2015 to the present. They have also included images of the barge. All of this is very interesting stuff.
This is the barge with the nest. Isn’t it amazing?
To view all of the documents uploaded to Google Documents by PLO, you go to the streaming cam and then go below the image and click on the link. Here is the link to that streaming cam in Australia.
In New Zealand. L has returned to the nest to join her Royal cam mate much to the relief of all. Sharon Dunne aka Lady Hawk posted a video of their happy reunion. Don’t you just love skycaps?
I continue to wish for a reunion for Samson and Gabby but, it appears that Gabby may be giving up hope as she warms up a little bit to one of her suitors. Both returned to the nest with big crops – you can clearly see Gabby’s – and Gabby allowed V2 (Visitor 2) to move a few sticks in the nest.
In California, at The Campanile, Annie is still being courted. It is not breeding season so we will wait to see how she does with the male visitors. Oh, Alden, where are you?
Thank you so very much for being with me today. I am having a great holiday – what a wonderful battery boost. It is sadly cold and wintery in Canada where I live. They had a big storm yesterday and it is to get very cold. I am so glad I am here for a few days longer! Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to ‘H’ for the news about Rita and to ‘A’ for the news of PLO and Indigo and the following for their postings, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, NEFL-AEF, Sharon Dunne and the Royal Albatross Cam and the NZ DOC, Cal Falcons, and OpenVerse.
Oh, I continue to marvel at the flowers, the beautiful sky and the green grass — and the birds on this small island!
There are Hibiscus of every colour.
It is a gorgeous view. This is a far cry from the wind chills of -30 in Manitoba!
The Tropic Mockingbird was eating fruit off of one of the trees.
In Grenada no one likes the Carib Grackles. They are always around when people are eating, taking their food. Is it because they are hungry? Well, my breakfast companion was a Carib Grackle. You see, I don’t really eat a big breakfast but it is the same amount for coffee and fruit than for everything piled up 3x over. So, — sorry. You will never take me out to breakfast with you! I turned my camera so that the women working at the breakfast buffet could not see. Then I fed the Grackle. It felt good.
In return, that same Carib Grackle, I assume, brought me a gift – feather. He left it right in front of me on the table. How sweet. I have heard of Crows leaving trinkets for people who feed them but, not a Grackle. The colour is washed in this image from my phone. It is small – about 10 cm or 4 inches long – and black. Probably from a Grackle!
After breakfast, we went to the mangroves near Mt Hartman to check on the egrets and herons. Nothing there but some cattle and goats along with a huge termite nest. Will check again early in the morning on Tuesday.
I am really surprised with all the mud around the edges of the ponds that there are not more Shorebirds, like the Greater Yellowlegs out and about. Maybe they come earlier – or later – in the day. Maybe tomorrow.
There were no Ospreys today at St George’s University but, there were some Cattle Egrets in the distance on an island, some more Grackles and Mockingbirds, and then….the fisher cleaning his fish threw the heads into the water. Well, some big birds began to fly in. Apparently the fishers do this everyday – clean the fish and give the birds the parts they do not want. Can you imagine Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln if this were to happen? or Ervie?!!!!!!!
The sea birds after the fish parts were Magnificent Frigatebirds. The image below is the female. She has a beautiful white collar.
The Magnificent Frigatebirds are from 95-110 cm or 37-43 cm inches in length. The male is all black and the female, as mentioned earlier, is all black with a white collar. They soar and swoop on the surface of the water getting fish using a wing span of 2.5 metres or 98 inches. They make their nests in trees and shrubs and laying their eggs from October through December. Unlike Ospreys and other sea birds, the Magnficent Frigatebirds never land on the water as they would not be able to pull themselves out like eagles or ospreys.
This is a juvenile. Its white head and chest will turn black as it reaches adulthood. It is off finding fish with Mum. Being trained like Indigo is.
Their tail reminds me of a scissor tail flycatcher. Notice the beak. It is like an albatross.
You can just see the Cattle Egret flying by the island. They are the smallest of the ‘white’ egrets on the island. The other two are the Greater or Common Egret and the Snowy Egret.
The sweet little Zenaida Dove was around with the Tropic Mockingbirds over on the SGU Campus where the Frigatebirds were.
Look closely at the photo below. See the white eye ring and look above the beak and around the eye at the pink-violet colouring. Just beautiful.
Zenaida Doves grow to be approximately 30 cm or 12 inches in length. It is a grey-brown bird with cinnamon or pink areas appearing around the neck and breast. There are two eye lines, lighter towards the black beak and getting darker towards the nape of the neck. There is a tinge of violet kissing the area around the eye with a blue-grey ‘cap’ on the head. It has white tipped outer feathers. The inner wing feathers have two black spots, while there are also blue-grey feathers going ombre into beige-grey. It feeds mainly on seeds and fruit. The Zenaida Doves lay their clutch of two eggs between February and August in a flimsy nest – sometimes on a palm leaf!!!!!!
This dove is not injured. Their legs and feet are red. Also it closely resembles the Eared-Dove but that bird does not have white around the wing tips.
I thought it was a good day because included in the sightings was a Grenada Dove. I have no photo. They are very quick and live in the back trees – some thorny trees that remind me of the Mimosa growing in my parent’s garden when I was a child. But I did see one! Yippeeee.
Seriously, we all know that the members of the Corvid family are brilliant but here is a new study that just emphasises that even more!
And a new study on the level of self-awareness in crows.
Gabby has not given in to the uninvited guests at the NEFL Bald Eagle Nest that she shares with Samson. Our beautiful Gabby is waiting and we are waiting with her – and hoping just like she is.
That head is not pure white yet or he has had it stuck in suet somewhere. I don’t think he could attract our girl.
Just to remind everyone, Bella had quite the time early last season. She was injured and bleeding and was absent for 21 days while she healed so that she could come and boot any female intruders away from Smitty! This year Smitty and Bella are working on their nest together. Hope for Samson and Alden.
Highlights today from the scrape at Orange. Indigo is quite the character! Diamond and Xavier have very vivacious offspring!
Also in Australia, the Rare Honeyeater is still learning its breeding song even if there are so few they might never find a mate and breed. If I am not mistaken, one of the adults at Orange brought in a Honeyeater this year. If I am wrong, please let me know!
In Port Lincoln, at 11:20:37 Dad brought in a fish. Mum was once again too late. Zoe got it! She spots him flying in and starts doing that famous talon dance.
I think Dad needs fish. It looks like Mum has a good crop.
Zoe is doing well and so is Indigo. This is good news. I do not keep up with their feedings now…Zoe might soon start to do her own fishing. We wait.
Last but not least, Harriet and M15 have their second egg of the season which means that hard incubation will begin. Congratulations to Harriet and M15 (remember Harriet is 28 years old), the Pritchett Family, and all who love SWFlorida Eagles.
This is not a long newsletter today but I hope that you found something of interest and also learned something new. That is the most important thing. Tomorrow I am getting up at 0400 to head north to Levera National Park and Lake Antoine. I cannot find a decent map to show you so, fingers and toes crossed there are some nice birds for Sunday morning!
Thank you for being with me today. Take care everyone. Send best wishes to Samson, Alden, and Rita. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: My Modern Met, Port Lincoln Ospreys, SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett Family, abc.net.au, D Steyck and the NCTC Bald Eagle Cam, Falcon Cam Project and Elaine, Big Think.com and Manitoba Birding and Wildlife Photography, NEFL and SWFL Eagle Cam and Watchers Group – and to my son, Cris, who chased birds all over for me today. It was great fun.
Good morning everyone from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada. It is 29 degrees C – a real shock from the snow, ice, and blowing winds of Canada! It has rained – it is the wet season – and all of the trees, the grass, and the flowers are bright and beautiful. The forecast is now giving us so many good days. On Saturday it will be an all day birding trip starting at 0530. I am excited. The island is home to many species but I especially hope to see the Cattle Egrets, the Green Herons, and the Tri-Coloured Heron out in the mangroves as well as the gorgeous parrots, shorebirds, and songbirds of this island. And, of course, the Caribbean Ospreys. Fingers crossed.
Grand Anse Beach is pure white sand. It is one of the longest white sand beaches in the world. Looking to the right of this beach is an area of the island above the Lagoon known as Springs. There is always a mist and it rains a lot. The area has some of the nicest gardens. Even though it is such a small island there is another area near the airport that is completely dry!!!!!
My first bird came into view as the light was leaving us…It s a Tropical Mockingbird. Oh, its song was incredible. Tomorrow I am going to sit right under the tree where several seemed to be perching. They must be very used to the human presence along the beach. Indeed, they will eat human food along with spiders, grasshoppers, beetles, seeds, small fruits and berries, mangoes — there are a lot of mangoes on the island in the spring. There are so many falling on the roads that the cars slide around on those that get slimy from being run over. The Mockingbirds also eat lizards as well as other small bird and lizard eggs. They have been seen consuming seed from bird feeders just like Dyson!
Many of you will have seen and heard the Northern Mockingbirds in North America. This is the Caribbean equivalent. The Tropical Mockingbird lives in open or semi-open areas. In this instance they are living in the trees along a major tourist beach area.
They lack colour but if that is a problem their song certainly makes up for it. They have a black beak and legs, a striking bright ebony eye with a black eye stripe. The top of their head is a medium grey fading into a lovely silvery white which continues along the throat, the breast and underparts of the bird. The wings are a symphony of grey and black with white wing tips. The tail is a dark charcoal verging on black with a white tip and underneath area. You can hear their song here:
‘H’ kindly sent me the most recent announcement about Rita, the mate of Ron, the bonded pair of Bald Eagles from the Miami Zoo. Thanks, ‘H’. Here it is:
Yesterday, “Rita,” the bald eagle had surgery performed to help repair her severely fractured right wing. The surgery was performed by avian veterinary specialist, Dr. Don Harris, assisted by Zoo Miami Associate Veterinarian, Dr. Marisa Bezjian and the Zoo Miami Animal Health Team. The surgery was successful inserting a metal pin to align and support the fractured bone. However, the prognosis for successful healing is extremely poor due to the lack of circulation in the wing as a result of the devastating trauma. At this time, it is unfortunately unlikely that the wing can be saved and even more unlikely that she will ever fly again. Having said that, we are not giving up hope! She is receiving daily drug therapy, laser treatments and acupuncture along with her wound care and dressing changes. She has already beaten tremendous odds by surviving the trendous trauma from which she would have certainly died from had it not been for the intervention of all of the involved parties. We are all praying that she can provide us with a miracle and continue on a positive path.
Wildlife Rescue of Dade County FB, 1 December 2022
Still no news to report. No sightings of Samson. No visitors to the nest. Gabrielle continues to perch at the nest throughout the day and at night keeping watch.
(c) 2022 American Eagle Foundation eagles.org AEF-NEFL
Gabby waits patiently for dear Samson to return. Continue with your positive wishes.
This story is from several years ago but was posted today on the NEFL-SWFL Bald Eagle FB group. It reminds us, like the time with Bella and Smitty this year, that eagles can be gone for some time and return. This eagle was missing for 3 weeks! I live in hope for our beloved Samson.
My holiday is not just a chance to spend time with my son and his wife, or eating amazing Caribbean food, or find new birds but it is also a time for a battery recharge after all that has happened during the last month.
Like all of you, I need some good news and I know you do, too. Well, here it is coming from Lori Covert in Captiva. You will remember that Captiva and Sentinel, the barrier islands off the coast of Florida, were the hardest hit by Hurricane Ian. The ospreys and bald eagles lost their nests. Well, smile when you read this!
I just checked on Zoe at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge. Dad brought in a very small fish at 0925. Mum probably didn’t even get a chance to see it. Zoe is very quick when she wants her food!!!!!!!!!
Zoey doing her talon dance.
Dad lands and Zoe has it before Mum even gets there. I do hope that Mum and Dad have some fish to eat at other times. This is worrisome sometimes.
Yesterday there were 2 fish brought in by Mum and 2 brought in by Dad. Zoe even tried her wings. Here is her tracker information for 2 December.
Diamond has been spending time at the scrape box at Orange. This morning she seemed very interested in the stones. My friend ‘A’ has observed that the falcons prefer to eat only the white stones. Do any of you know why this is the case?
We know why the birds eat stones. Here is the standard Goggle answer:
“Birds eat stones to form gastroliths that grind against food when they contract their gizzards. The grinding action of gastroliths aid in the digestion of fibrous food in birds. When the gastroliths begin to smoothen over time, birds eat new stones to replace the older ones.“
But why do they prefer white ones?
Giving Tuesday has just passed – where donors often match what funds are given. Now…there is December and if you are thinking about ‘giving’ for the holidays, stop and think of your local wildlife rehabber — or a rehabber that you respect for all the hard work they have done this year. We watch our beautiful birds and many times they go into care and we are cheering for them to be taken in and made well and released. So remember the wildlife clinics and give. Our Wildlife Haven listed the costs associated with surgery — think dear Rita! The antibiotics after. These items are extremely expensive. So help if you can!
In Australia ABC news did an article on this very topic.
Thank you so very much for being with me this morning. At the time of publishing this blog, I have no new news on any of the missing birds or Rita. Keep sending all your good energy to our missing birds and to Rita as she continues to fight to fly — I would love to see her be the exception to the rule (ie lack of circulation in the wing). Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures today: Lori Covert Instagram, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, WRDC, NEFL-AEF and the American Eagle Foundation.
I can see the lights from the Toronto airport. It was snowing and blowing in Winnipeg and now raining here. Strange to see everything ‘brown’ instead of ‘white’. It is quite ‘strange’ being in an airport! One word of advice: if you can travel with a small carry on, do so. It is a nightmare at the larger airports with the new self-baggage check in. Huge line ups and the same for security. But, I feel privileged to be able to have a short holiday in a wonderfully warm and beautiful place with birds and see my son and daughter in law. It has been far too long!
Speaking of ‘white’, before I go any further, have you ever seen a white eagle? Well, the folks in Oklahoma, where I grew up, are certainly checking their eye sight!
I want to thank everyone that sent me notes so I had them when I landed. First up was ‘H’ and ‘S’ with the good news that Rita has had her surgery and she is standing up!!!!!!!! Now seriously. Standing up. What a strong eagle she is! I am sure we can all shed a few little tears or break out into a huge smile. By, gosh, we need some good news in Bird World. She is still in guarded condition but the surgery itself went well.
The Orthopaedic surgeon said the surgery could not have gone any better. Tears. This is fantastic news at a time when we sure need it!
Tonya Irwin has been keeping a log and it seems that Louisiana is still ahead of Florida in terms of Bald Eagle eggs laid. Today, Anna added to that list with the first of the season’s eggs at the E-1 nest in the Kisatchie national Forest near Alexandria. Congratulations!
At the time of writing this blog, this is the latest news on Samson from the AEF.
There has been no sighting of Alden either but, there is other good news. Annie and Grinnell’s daughter, Sequoia, has a mate at the San Jose City Hall and guess what? They have a streaming cam. Is it possible that we will get to see Annie and Grinnell’s ‘grandeyases’ hatch and fledge? Wouldn’t that just be amazing? When everything seems so dark, there is always light trying to get through.
There is a lot of news coming in but, before I go any further, there has been a question from a very worried watcher of the SWFlorida nest of Harriet and M15. ‘R’ would like to know why Harriet is not incubating her egg? That is such a great question. What Harriet is doing is called delayed incubation. She will lay her second egg in 3 days from the first. If she started ‘hard’ incubation immediately when the first egg was laid, the first hatch would have an enormous advantage over the second hatch. By waiting to start hard incubation until the second egg is laid, the eaglets will hatch much closer together in time – sometimes within an hour or two of one another -and while they will bop one another, it is not usually deadly. They hatch and are closer in size.
In addition, Harriet and M15 do not have to worry about the egg freezing in the Florida sunshine and they have a stocked pond for prey and it appears that there has not been a time of food scarcity at this nest (please correct me if I am wrong).
There are advantages to starting incubation immediately. David Hancock of Hancock Wildlife in British Columbia, Canada has consistently given two reasons why immediate incubation might be practiced. They are: 1) to protect eggs from predators such as Crows, Ravens, Raccoons, etc.; and 2) the eagles want to ensure that at least there is a chance of one surviving during a time of food scarcity. The idea Hancock says is that it is much better for the eagles to have one chick survive than no eaglets at all.
Do not worry. Harriet and M15 know precisely what they are doing. As I said, their eaglets will cause us great grief during the ‘rock ’em, sock ’em’ days but, in the end, the pair normally develop into best buddies. In fact, most of us will grieve for their going off to find their own way in the world probably to never see one another again.
That amazing fledgling Osprey from the Tweed Valley, Glen, is just getting more and more news coverage. If you are trying to figure out where you have heard his name, well, let me remind you that Glen also landed on two different cargo ships and took rides, he flew through a large area of hydro lines and landed on a the roof of a fruit factory in Portugal where he was believed to be dead. But, nope. Not Glen. He flew out over the Atlantic Ocean for 36 hours solid flapping his wings until he found a small island to land on. He is now in Morocco. Glen deserves all the news coverage he can get. What an adventurous life this young man has had and he isn’t even near a year old!
If you do not know about Glen’s adventures on the two fishing trawlers, please start your reading here. You will be delighted you did!
So grateful for all the coverage of this amazing young Osprey. Sacha Dench is going to have to add more segments to her programme, Flight of the Osprey, for the BBC. This chap might even deserve his own show! I honestly don’t think I have gotten so excited about the migration of a male Osprey since Ervie didn’t migrate!
At the Port Lincoln Osprey nest, Dad brought Zoe a nice little fish at 10:00:13. ‘A’ says that she can always tell when Dad is coming because Mum ‘does her talon dance’. I watched for that – she does, back and forth on the talons, wings flapping, moving out of the way so Dad can land. Well, Zoe is perfecting or has already perfected that talon dance along with her fish prey screaming. My goodness she is loud. I bet Fran Solly can hear her across the lagoon without having the sound on the streaming cam. Zoe start about a minute and a half before Dad lands with the fish.
We will continue to grieve for little one, Rubus. At the same time, we must also celebrate the falcon fledgling that Xavier and Diamond are working so hard to train so it can have a full and productive life like Sequoia.
Indigo certainly as a ‘voice’! He flew in and chased Xavier out of the scrape a few minutes before returning with his breakfast. Here is a short video clip of Indigo coming into the scrape with prey at 0700.
This is the latest update from Cilla re Rubus. So very sad but, reassuring that the little fella did not suffer.
Thank you so very much for being with me. Send all your good wishes out to Rita as she recovers, to Ron who may or may not know what is going on, to Gabby who waits for Samson and to Annie who might not yet know Alden is missing. So much is happening — and here I thought there might be a lull until eaglets start to hatch at the end of the month. Bird World is always full of surprises. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their messages, posts, videos, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clip: ‘S’, ‘H’, ‘G’, Port Lincoln Osprey, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, Conservation without Borders, BBC, Raptors without Borders, Sharon Pollock and SWFlorida Bald Eagles and D Pritchett, Tonya Irwin and Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cam Fans, Gretchen-AEF, Salsa Bird and Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and Birds, Holly Parsons and Orange Australia Falcons, and Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
