Tag Archives: Foulshaw Moss

Happiness in Bird World

It seems like it has been a pretty good day in Bird World.

The two little ospreys on the Cowlitz Nest had plenty of food today and nice crops albeit one of them had a bigger crop than the other. But, hey! I am not complaining. Fish is fish and they both ate really well. So did their Mom! Yippeee.

The little ones really blend into that nest with that bright sun. The one is in profile and the other is still being fed by Electra. And, of course, Wattsworth is hovering in case there is fish left! Can you hear me growling? Electra has done really well eating along with the two chicks and using up every morsel of the fish.

Now this Bob has a bit of a crop, too. He is going to drop it shortly. Wish he had done now and turned to get some more fish. For some reason this chick does not eat as much as the other.

Little Bob on the Foulshaw Moss Nest was right up there today with his big siblings – all standing in line nicely. Blue 35 is doing a fantastic job keeping those kiddos in line.

Little Tiny Bob has figured out where the ‘sweet spot’ is for feeding. Good for him. He has a lot of growing to do but, already, he is getting his beautiful curved feathers. What a cute little one.

Jack brought Tiny Tot a fish at 11:57:26 and then the rain started falling. Tiny really earns that fish. All day he has had to contend with adult intruders. He is doing an amazing job keeping those adults moving off that nest. Here is a short video of Tiny Tot getting one adult off the nest. That adult had the nerve to dive bomb Tiny!

Over at the The Landings Nest on Skidaway Island (Savannah) the second chick has fledged. That happened this morning at 6:13:51. By 8:50 both were on the nest having some breakfish. Scarlett and Rhett do not seem to be in any hurry for these two gorgeous ospreys to leave the area. Food arrives in good time to keep them on the nest and practising their flying skills before taking off for good.

There was quite a bit of excitement over in the UK today related to Ospreys. The 150th juvenile to fledge from Rutland Water has returned today for the first time. It is Male 056 hatched on the 13th of May 2019, one of four chicks of Maya and Blue 33 (11). 056 was seen in January 2020 in The Gambia. Wow! That really points to the success of their reintroduction programme.

Now to celebrate the translocation project of Poole Harbour. Translocation is when young birds are taken, at a certain age, and moved to a different location to try and establish an osprey colony where there is none. Such was the situation of Poole Harbour. In an earlier blog, I told you how Roy Dennis worked with the Poole Harbour Ospreys to introduce birds from Scotland to Poole Harbour. Remember, male birds normally return to the area of their natal nest to breed while females go elsewhere. The celebration is not happening at Poole Harbour per se but over in Glaslyn in Montgomeryshire Wales. There is the nest of Mrs G and Aran and then there is the PC nest. Z2 is the 2019 hatch of Monty and Telyn and his mate is Poole Harbour 014. And, while there are no images available, boots on the ground note that the behaviour in the nest has changed and it looks like there could be two hatches now! There is really good DNA in those chicks – lucky youngsters!

And everyone is wondering what in the world is going on in Missoula, Montana. Iris had the most handsome visitor – a three year old juvenile returnee visiting on her nest. His name is Congo 4C and he was hatched at the Dunrovin Nest in Missoula in 2018 just when Iris was taking care of her last ever chick, Le Le. This image shows Iris on the nest. She has been doing all manner of nestorations this morning. Then Louis has gotten a whiff of the visitor who is flying overhead with a fish! Like everyone else, I would love for this to get interesting!

Iris is on the left and Louis has just landed on the right. Overhead you can see Congo 4C coming with the fish – possibly for Iris? Now wouldn’t that be an interesting match? The oldest Osprey in the world with a 3 year old. And he is trying to show her he can fish.

Someone once told me that Ospreys do not have territories since they all fish in the same spots. That said, I have always understood that Iris’s nest is on Louis’s territory – that Louis more or less inherited it when Stanley died. But can a territory be divided? what about Starr and her chicks? My answer to that is that I wish Louis would take good care of his family at the baseball park and let Iris find herself a young man who wants to take care of her!

Here is Congo with Iris on the nest earlier:

Wow. Lots of things happening and then there is the fledge watch at the Redtail Hawk Nest of Big Red and Arthur. Laura Culley says it isn’t going to happen til next week. I hope she is right. K3 almost fludged today! But K2 has a bit of a sore or something causing its mouth not to close and a problem with an eye which Cornell experts are monitoring. I am really hoping that she has not cleaned her beak well and this is dried prey. The eye issue could relate to the chicks pecking at one another when they were younger???

K2 is on the left and K1 is on the right. K1 is distinguished by her very dark and thick belly band.

And then there is the adorable K3.

I am a real sucker for these tiny third hatches – for sure!

Thank you so much for joining me today. The ten goslings at Schloss Benkhausen in the White Stork Nest hatched and jumped to the ground this morning. You can see it here again:

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I get my screen shots and video clips: Schloss Benkhausen, Achieva Osprey, Cowlitz PUD, Cornell and Skidaway Audubon, Cornell and Montana Osprey Project, and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

Here a fish, there a fish, everywhere a fish!

One of the things that I have learned but which I continually have to remind myself is this: birds are individuals. They may have instincts that have developed over 50 million years but, at the same time, they definitely have their own character. One of the first times I noticed this was with the Royal Albatross Family in 2020. The Royal Cam chick was Atawhai (Pippa was her nick name). Her parents are OGK (orange-green-black) and YRK (yellow-red-black). OGK hatched in 1998 and he was 22 years old last year when Atawhai hatched. YRK hatched in 1994 and was 26 years old when Atawhai hatched. They have been a bonded pair since 2006 and 2020 was their seventh breeding attempt. They have four children and one foster chick as of 2020. So they are not ‘new’ parents. OGK would fly in to feed Atawhai. He loved to sit next to his baby girl and have the most animated conversations. OGK was never in a hurry to leave. Atawhai adored him and would go running when he would land. Sometimes he would even spend the night with Atawhai. In contrast, YRK liked to feed her daughter and leave! Then there are the adults that I call over providers. A case this year was Louis, the partner of Anna, at the Kisatchie Forest Bald Eagle Nest. They were first time parents of Kisatchie. At first I didn’t think that Anna would ever figure out how to feed her wee chick. The parents try to look straight at their chick and keep their beak straight and vertical but in fact, because of the way the raptors see, the mother needs to angle her beak. Anna figured it out – thankfully. Louis was the envy of all the people fishing on Lake Kincaid. One day there were eighteen fish piled up on that Bald Eagle Nest – 18! He had enough food for all the Bald Eagle nests in the southern US. Unbelievable. And then there are those nests where you just sit down and weep. I said I was not going to watch the Cowlitz PUD Osprey Nest but one day I peeked. How bad could this dad be? I know that I often called Jack at the Achieva Osprey Nest a dead beat dad and for several weeks he was but I didn’t think it could get worse than Jack. Oh, but yes it can! Wattsworth. I only have to say his name and those that watch the nest know precisely what he does and doesn’t do. Wattsworth gets caught not bringing in fish but if Electra catches one he is right on the nest expecting her to give it to him! Meanwhile the two barely living chicks – those poor little things – have barely enough food to live. They certainly don’t get enough food to thrive. And Electra is worn out and ever so hungry, too.

Can a nest be an indication of the success the couple will have with their nestlings? I know it sounds like one of those really stupid questions. The day that Louis landed on the rim of the nest at Loch Arkaig, the nest he shares with his mate Aila, he began to do nestorations. He repaired the walls of the nest, brought in new seaweed from the loch to dry and got everything ready for Aila’s arrival. As the days passed and Aila didn’t show up, Louis continued to work on the nest in case she was really late. Have a look at this nest. There has been snow, lots of rain, and some pretty windy storms but the nest is more or less the way Louis left it when Aila did not return this year.

From the moment Iris arrived at her Hellgate Missoula Montana nest she began to repair it. Iris had a lot to do. Last year she went on a rampage when a squirrel climbed up and tried to get in the nest cup. This was after the raven had eaten her egg. There wasn’t much left of the walls. So in 2021 it was almost like starting from scratch. One of the people who belong to the FB page of the Montana Ospreys commented on how Iris was still doing her best even though Iris knows that the outcome in 2021 will not be any different than previous years. The key is that she is doing her best, regardless.

Even CJ7 and 022, who are currently bonding on the Poole Harbour Nest but will not have chicks this year, are working on their nest!

Just yesterday one of the two chicks on the Cowlitz Nest almost fell out of the nest. There is no wall on the far side! You can see it plainly in the photo below.

Is this because there are no sticks to bring to continue building? or there are so many intruders there is no time to secure the nest? or is it indifference? or is Jack just lazy? or does he have another family or two? If anyone knows the answer, write to me – I would sure like to know!

How can you tell if a raptor has food in their system? We all know by looking to see if they have a crop but is there any other way? I happened to catch Tiny Tot on the Achieva Nest tonight doing his ‘ps’. That white streak ends between the C and the H in the Achieva logo below. The PS left Tiny Tot’s body like a cork popping out of a champagne bottle. The point of all of this is that Electra had such a tiny ps yesterday that you knew her system was almost entirely void of food. The same for those babies. They fight now – they each want to live. It is sad because that clobbering one another uses up their precious energy.

Tiny Tot doing a PS. 15 June 2021

The Cowlitz kids had feedings from two fish today and Electra was eating too. We can hope that all of that small fish will go to Electra and the babies and not into the talons of Wattsworth who was waiting to claim it! Wattsworth certainly gets the Dead Beat Dad award for the past two weeks!

Speaking of Dead Beat Osprey Dads. I have to give Jack a gold star. He has really turned around. Every day he brings at least one fish to Tiny Tot on the Achieva Osprey Nest. One day – was it Sunday? – he even brought in four – FOUR – fish for Tiny. Jack has not forgotten his little one protecting the nest!

Here comes Jack with that fish for Tiny at 7:05:17.

White YW and Blue 35 on the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest have also been working on the nest. White YW is getting much better at bringing in fish to the nest for Blue 35 and the three chicks, too. My concern is really only Tiny Little Tot. Oh, he is starting to get clever like Tiny Tot did when he was starving and being picked on by the bigger siblings. One of the FB friends of the nest said it well today, “Little One saw the fish coming in and made sure he was in pole position!” Her observations were absolutely spot on. Tiny Tot got right in front of mama so that she could see him clearly and Tiny Little Tot didn’t move. Not only did he not move but he also took bites meant for one of the bigger siblings. Oh, I just adore this little sweetie. He could go on that list of third hatches that survive and thrive!

That was just brilliant! And the older ones didn’t even seem to mind. What a relief. Tiny Little Tot had a really good feed.

Speaking of crops, have a look at the crop of Little Bob on Loch of the Lowes. Looks like everything has straightened itself out on that nest as well. Both Bobs are really thriving.

Today’s winner of provider of the day goes to Idris, however. Sorry Laddie! Just look at that whale that he hauled in for Telyn and the Bobs. He didn’t even eat the head!

Oh, thanks so much for joining me. It is always a pleasure. I will be checking in on Big Red and Arthur and the Ks first thing tomorrow. Fledge watch is truly on for that Red tail Hawk Nest on the Cornell Campus.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam where I grabbed my screen shots: Dyfi Osprey Nest, Achieva Credit Union, Cumbrian Wildlife Trust, Cowlitz PUD Osprey Nest, Scottish Wildlife Trust and People Postcode Lottery, Poole Harbour Ospreys, Cornell Bird Lab and Montana Osprey Project, Woodland Trust and Friends of Loch Arkaig.

World Albatross Day is coming – 19 June!

The Guardian newspaper has consistently printed stories about the growing Chinese industrial fishing fleets. ‘It’s terrifying’: can anyone stop China’s vast armada of fishing boats?’ appeared on the 25th of August 2020.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/25/can-anyone-stop-china-vast-armada-of-fishing-boats-galapagos-ecuador

A few weeks later another article appeared titled, ‘Chinese fishing armada plundered waters around Galapagos, data shows’.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/17/chinese-fishing-armada-plundered-waters-around-galapagos-data-show

Just last week, The Guardian printed another article about the growing number of Chinese industrial fishing boats in the Pacific and the threat to the tuna. It stated that the number of Chinese boats had increased by 500% in a couple of decades. Another article addressed that these huge industrial boats switch off their trackers to avoid detection while they are engaged in illegal fishing.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/02/fishing-fleets-go-dark-suspected-illegal-hunting-study

All of this is really more than sad. It would not matter to me which country was doing it. About a year ago I wrote a blog on the labelling for sustainable fish that is sold in supermarkets. I am now wondering about those labels and whether or not all of the fish sold that carry them is actually sustainable. How much of that fish comes from the Chinese fishing trawlers? How do we really know? The whole notion of whether the fish is sustainable or not is linked to the theme and events for this year’s World Albatross Today which is coming up on 19 June.

The theme of World Albatross Day for 2021 is Ensuring Albatross Friendly Fisheries. The Albatross Task Force has lots of information on its website. There are tabs that come down and some of them will discuss the points I mention below in great detail.

https://www.acap.aq/world-albatross-day/wad2021-ensuring-albatross-friendly-fisheries?fbclid=IwAR2HCY4TmgofVJA7NEiLkypMo1_xciNtHgWwcJBX1ztoip7n34zVIVQkjfk

The mitigations against harming birds and stopping them from being bycatch are relatively easy to do so why don’t these huge industrial fishing ships want to help? In many instances, organizations will provide streamer lines for free for the boats! They include

  • streamer lines – those shiny coloured lines that will scare the birds away
  • setting their lines at night (gosh that sounds easy doesn’t it?)
  • shielding the hooks
  • integrated weight lines
  • using external weights for the lines

The other aspect of World Albatross Day is to introduce the general population to these beautiful, large, and gentle sea birds. Today, I will focus briefly on the Tristan Albatross which is the feature image of this blog. The Tristan Albatross are critically endangered because of longline fishing and mice. Yes, mice.

“Tristan da Cunha-12-010-albatross on Nightingale Tristan in background-Credit Paul Tyler and Alison Rothwell)” by darwin_initiative is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Tristan Albatross is listed as critically endangered because of its rapid population decline over the past 70 years. The two main causes are being killed by longline fishing boats and the chicks being killed by mice introduced to the islands by humans. The population of Tristan Albatross is mostly located on Gough Island. Do you know where that is? I wasn’t sure so I looked it up on Google Maps.

There are roughly 1750 pair of breeding Tristan Albatross on the Tristan da Cunha Islands and, in particular, Gough Island. Gough Island is a UK Protected Territory. At present, the decline is roughly 3.5%, according to Birdlife Australia, a year. Just like the Royal Albatross at Taiaroa Head, the Tristan Albatross breeds every other year. The single egg is laid in January and the chick, if it survives, will fledge in November. Juveniles return to the colony on Gough Island between the ages of 3-7 years. Most do not breed until they are 10 years old. The oldest recorded Tristan Albatross was 38 years old.

This is not a video for the faint of heart. It shows a small mouse killing a Tristan Albatross chick. You can certainly skip this one but it is good to know that humans introduced the predators onto the island in their boats. There have been plans to eradicate the mice from Gough Island. They were put on hold last year because of the pandemic. The little mice grow into mega-sized mice. They are really quite frightening. The plan continues to relocate the birds while the mice are killed.

Here is a short video clip showing how the Tristan Albatross flies over the ocean:

They are beautiful birds and I cannot possibly imagine a world without them.

A quick check in at the Cowlicks Osprey Nest showed a fish – albeit small – had been brought in for breakfast today so that is a good start.

The Ks on the Redtail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur are just antsy to fledge. K1 now has five dark bands on her tail. She is really a BIG girl – no doubt about the gender there. And I suspect that K3 is a little, little male. K2 – who knows?

Tiny Little Bob over on the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest continues to hold its own.

Over on the Achieva Credit Union Osprey Nest, Tiny Tot is really hoping that a fish is coming in to the nest now that the rain has started in St Petersburg.

Thanks so much for joining me today. Will introduce you to another albatross tomorrow but we will also take a good look at what is happening on some of these Osprey nests as fledge watch hits them – and, of course, I will be checking on the Ks every ten or so minutes. Fledge looks eminent. Will it be K1 or K2? Last year, K2 fledged first. K1, also a big female, was the last to fledge and she did so reluctantly. Sadly, J1 flew into a window of the Weill Building, the same building that E2 flew into and died. Oh, I wish they would put up bird friendly windows so near to where these juveniles fledge – but that is a complaint for another day.

Take care!

Thanks to the following for their streaming cams where I grab my screen shots: Achieva Credit Union, Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, and Cowlitz PUD.

Saturday Excitement in Bird World!

Oh, my day was made perfect when I woke up to see that both Tiny Tot and Little Tiny Bob both had had fish this morning.

The Cumbria Wildlife Camera has no rewind feature and shivers went up my arms as I struck it lucky for the late afternoon feeding! Little Bob is right in there and is starting to get a nice size crop. Warm fuzzies and tiny tears.

Here is a very short video of Little Tiny Bob getting some good bites.

If you look carefully, up by Blue 35’s head, you will see Little Tiny Bob with its nice crop. Big Bob is facing the opposite way.

Tiny Tot slept on the natal nest perch at the Achieva Osprey Nest in Florida last night. He went to sleep without any fish but woke up hopeful this morning. He kept flying on and off the nest in expectation. And then at 10:26:49 Jack delivers a fish! Tiny Tot has not been forgotten. Isn’t it just lovely? Warms my heart for this little one.

There is always a bit of a scramble as the juvenile grabs the fish out of the parent’s talon.

Tiny Tot is enjoying his fish in peace. No intruders and no siblings there to annoy him.

Liz Brackens reports some exciting news from Loch Arkaig. Last year, Louis and Aila raised three fabulous Ospreys. Louis is a fabulous provider. He would even fish at night and take on tandem feedings with Aila to ensure that little all of the chicks including Little JJ7 grew and thrived. Sadly, Aila did not return this year from her winter migration. Louis waited and waited at the nest. He bonded with another female and they took on nestorations on a different nest – not the one Louis shared with Aila that has the camera. Everyone was happy that Louis had found a new mate. This morning Liz reports that the nest behaviour has changed. Normally Louis would bring a fish to the nest and the new female would take it off the nest to eat it. Louis would then incubate the eggs. But this morning that behaviour changed. Louis brought a fish to the nest, stayed for a few minutes before going to the perch. The female ate the fish on the nest. Do we have a hatch?

The 1000 Islands Environmental Centre in Wisconsin posted a video of their four eaglets. They are doing fantastic. There are three parents. In this nest, there are two females and one male. Some of you may watch the Love Trio Nest on the Mississippi where there are two males, Valor I and II and Starr, the female. I grabbed a screen shot from that video for you. There they are all four of them getting ready to branch and then fledge. Goodness. I cannot imagine trying to hunt and feed four – good thing there are three parents!

This morning Aran arrived at the Glaslyn Nest where he collected the morning’s gifted fish. He then went on to defend the nest against intruders. It is wonderful that he is healing. Let us all hope that his wing is in excellent shape when winter migration comes in September.

And there is more fledging news. Big Bob on The Landings Osprey Nest on Skidaway Island near Savannah fledged this morning at 8:22. He is going to hover and land on one of the branches above the nest. There is a fish delivery about half an hour later and Big Bob had a bit of a time figuring how to get down to the nest and eat. Oh, these fledglings are so funny.

Here he goes hovering. He will land on one of the branches of the tree off camera and make his way to a different branch where we can see him.

Oh, Big Bob wants some of that fish! But how do he get down now that he is up on the branch? That seems to be his quandry. Of course, he will figure that out. Hunger is a great motivator.

After doing a lot of calling, fretting, and pacing on the branch, Big Bob jumps down!

There are going to be a lot of fledges. This morning at the Pittsburg Hays Bald Eagle Nest both H13 and H15 fledged. Early in the morning while the IR is still on you can see the three – one on the nest (H13) and two branched (H14 and 15). You might recall that this nest is a big event for the Pittsburg community. This is the first pair of Bald Eagles that have bred in 150 years. H13 has already fledged on 6 June. He was 75 days old. Today, H14 and 15 fledged. They are 77 days old.

The juvenile on the nest below is H13 having a food drop.

There will be a lot more fledges in the coming week. Things are really ramping up. Thank you for joining me today. It is a beautiful sunny 24 degree C day on the Canadian prairies. The birds are so happy that the temperature has dropped from the heat wave last week.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I grab my screen shots: Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Achieva Osprey, Cornell Bird Lab and Skidaway Audubon, Pittsburgh-Hays Bald Eagles and Pix Cam.

Checking on ‘the Bobs’

There is actually something refreshing happening in the United Kingdom. All of the Osprey hatches are called ‘Bob’. The term references the fact that after hatch they are all ‘bobble’ heads. There are Little Bobs and Big Bobs and sometimes Middle Bobs and there are also Only Bobs. Strangely, unlike some of the North American sites, there doesn’t seem much discussion about whether they are male or female – or maybe I have just missed that. When the chicks are banded, information is usually given out on their gender. At the same time, blood tests may be taken to formally determine the gender and to put their identification into a DNA data base. When the blood tests have not happened there have been, on occasion, a few surprises – a particularly large Bob thought to be a female might return from migration and be found to be a male. But, generally, they seem to get the gender right with the weight and measurements.

There has been a lot of worry about Little Bob at the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest of White YW and Blue 35. For a day or two I was even afraid to look. The Cumbria Wildlife Trust does not have a replay feature so when you are watching it is live. Sometimes the chicks are eating and sometimes they are sleeping. I was very lucky this morning and arrived there on time for a feeding – and it was marvellous. One of those feel good moments of a humid Friday! There were the three of them all lined up behaving themselves. Little Bob was getting most of the bites and then I realized I could film it for you. He is still getting some in the video but, prior to this he was getting more. The still image below captures one of those moments. The little one is beginning to get full in the video. That is a wonderful sight to see. Tears. This little one is another like Tiny Tot. Oh, send all the warm positive wishes you can!

Blue 35 is an excellent mother and she really seems to have this feeding under control today.

I want to thank the Cumbria Wildlife Trust from whose livestream I took this clip and the screen shot. Check out their live camera here:

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/cams/osprey-cam

The ‘Only’ Bob and Blue 5F Seren got really excited when they saw Dylan arriving with a whopper of a Rainbow Trout. Look – he hadn’t even eaten the head off! Incredible. I love the expression on Only Bobs face with his mouth wide open. Only Bob looks like he is saying, “Wow, Dad!” I bet Seren can already taste it.

Those dads often look like they could surf or ride skateboards really well.

“Only Bob, don’t you think you could have just one more bite!” I wonder what the size of that crop is after eating most of a trout? Only Bob just seemed to fall down in a face plaster. There are clearly some advantages to being an Only Bob and not living in a nest with Three Bobs.

I want to thank the Carnyx Wild Wildlife on the Web and Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymruy whose livestream I took these screen shots. Check out their live camera here:

The Two Bobs up at the Dyfi Nest of Idris and Telyn were also enjoying a great big fish that dad had brought in. It seems like the weather and the wind are really working in favour of the fishing today.

One Bob is already fool and in a food coma.

Well, I had no more than turned around and Idris had another fish on the nest for Telyn and the Two Bobs. Is there some kind of fishing competition going on today between these male Ospreys? That is a really good looking fish, Idris!

You might recall that there was a mesh bag on the nest one day and then a bin liner. Telyn removed the bin liner – and I am not sure which adult removed the mesh bag. It is a really good lesson for humans to dispose of their litter carefully. You never know where it is going to wind up – in the rivers, wrapped around the little talons of the chicks, or stuck onto an adult.

I want to thank the Dyfi Osprey Project from where I took my screen shots. You can watch Idris and Telyn live here:

The condensation on the camera at the LRWT Manton Bay Osprey Nest doesn’t really let you see the Two Bobs of Maya and Blue 33 (11) very well. Blue 33 (11) is one of our super stars when it comes to bringing in fish for Maya and the chicks. These Two Bobs are growing and growing. It is fantastic to see them. I hope those of you that read my blog on a regular basis enjoyed that short BBC One show on Rutland with the film of Blue 33 (11) diving for that fish – and being successful first try. Amazing.

Thank you to the LRWT Rutland Osprey Project for their streaming cam where I took this image. You can check out all the action of Maya and Blue 33 (11) and the Two Bobs here:

And last, but never least, is the Osprey Nest up at the Loch of the Lowes in Scotland with Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0. Their Two Bobs are doing remarkable well. I worried so much about Little Bob and NC0 not being able to handle two chicks – and then sometimes Laddie was only bringing in appetizer size fish – but things have turned around there and these two look excellent.

It is so nice to see them leaving that Reptilian Phase and getting their juvenile beautifully curved feathers. Older Bob on the left really has a lot of peach coming in. You can see that Little Bob is a bit behind but he seems to be catching up.

What a beautiful setting. It looks like Laddie has been filling up the nest with moss. Maybe he didn’t know there is a Friday fishing competition!

Thank you to the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Friends of the Loch of the Lowes for their streaming cam where I grabbed my screen shots. You can watch all the antics of Laddie and NC0 and the Two Bobs here:

They are all doing well. Aran continues to improve at the Glaslyn Nest and the community continues to care for him and Mrs G. Everyone hopes that he is completely healed from his wing injury before migration in September. Today was especially heartwarming for me to see Little Bob on the Foulshaw Moss Nest getting fed right up with the other Two Bobs. He is so very tiny and the oldest Bob has been especially cruel at times. This was just a warm fuzzy day at that nest. Let us hope it continues.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope your Friday and the weekend is as good as it has been for these Osprey families today. Take all good care. See you soon!

Wednesday in Bird World

The rain is pouring down and it is so welcome. Thunder and lighting have sent the family cat scurrying off to her ‘tent’. The smell and the sound of the rain are a delight and the greens in the garden seem to have come alive. I cannot remember when last we had downpours like this. One of my friends in Regina, Saskatchewan says it has been four years for them.

Years ago I remember standing in the street in Chennai, South India. The skies opened up on the first day of the monsoon. It was around 4pm. People were dancing and raising their arms singing and shouting. It was a beautiful experience. Rain is certainly a gift.

A good friend of mine that lives south of the East Kootenays, at the base of the Purcell Mtns, wrote to me yesterday to tell me about the drought in their area. They have been warned that the wildfires in their area of British Columbia will be worse this year and already the creek beds are drying up and people are not able to find water when they try to drill wells. How sad. I wish I could share this downpour with her.

Today I went and checked on the tiny little third hatch at the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest of White YW and Blue 35. The little one has been treated very aggressively by both of its older siblings. Today, it waited til they had eaten and then went up to get some fish. Many of you know that I cheer these little third hatches on with all the might I have – and I know that hundreds, if not thousands more, send them positive energy and love. If they survive, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Tiny Tot on the Achieva Osprey Nest is recent proof of what can happen when a third hatch is almost starved to death and survives. They become ‘street’ smart – so to speak. They refuse to take abuse. They learn how to fight. They are clever and they are not afraid to eat left over pieces of dry fish found in a nest to survive. Tiny Tot remains on the Achieva Osprey Nest and it is wonderful to see him.

Roy Dennis in his book, The Life of Ospreys, suggests sketching the plumage on the head and neck, particularly around the eye of these unringed birds. It can help in future identification. Believe me when I say that I hope that Tiny Tot takes over this nest he has so valiantly defended – and why not? I don’t even know why he should leave. There is no rule book that says he has to. And since Florida is a year round home for the Ospreys he doesn’t have to migrate – it is his instinctual choice.

Tiny Tot sleeping on the perch ready to defend his nest if any intruder comes in the morning.

But back to these little ones. Tiny Tot did survive and the wee Bob at the Foulshaw Moss, with its sore eye from the others pecking it, has learned to wait. Here he is. He has a crop from the last feed but he is going to go up and get some more. He has stayed away til the big ones were fed and have quieted down. He may only get the food left towards the tail but he will not get walloped by the others. He needs to learn to protect himself and it looks like he is figuring that out. Well done you.

Look at the size of those other siblings! Bob 3 is hardly the size of their wing.

If you know of any third hatches who have survived aggressive treatment and gone on to fledge, please do send me a note. I am collecting information on them. Of course, on my list are Tiny Tot, Z1 Tegid of the White Egg, and JJ7 Captain (who had amazing parents and did not get the treatment that Tiny or this one on Foulshaw Moss has received). It will be interesting to see their survival rate at the age of 2 moving forward. Z1 already has its own nest in Wales for the second year of breeding. His believed to be more survivable sister died shortly after fledging. Go figure. So thank you. There are so many nests and such a history I welcome any that come to your mind. Thanks so much!

Indeed, for awhile, I thought that the second Bob on the Loch of the Lowes nest was going to suffer but Laddie seems to have kept the fish coming and NC0 has grown into being a great mother. They are both doing well.

Here is Laddie flying in with a delivery.

Here is Laddie still on the nest after delivering a fish and NC0 feeding both of the Bobs. Bob 2 is still small compared to Bob One but they are both getting their beautiful curved juvenile feathers rimmed in white. Look at those cute little tails and the blood feathers coming in on their wings. This nest at the Loch of the Lowes is really a delight to watch – and such a beautiful landscape!

It has been a really nice day in Scotland and in southern England but it is raining in Wales.

Blue 5F Seren is keeping her wee Bob warm and dry.

A lonely fish waits at the Glaslyn Nest for Aran or Mrs G to come and fetch it (or an intruder).

Over in Storkland, the three White Storks in Czechoslovakia continue to grow and do well. Every morning I wake up and smile because of the kindness of this community. I wish it were everywhere!

Everyone is doing really well at the Red tail Hawk Nest of Big Red and Arthur. Arthur made a prey drop this morning. The two older siblings ate off of it and then Big Red flew in and fed little K3.

Yesterday Big Red spent a lot of time on the fledge ledge and the fledge post. She will continue to do this showing the Ks where is the best place to take that leap of faith. Big Red is an amazing mother. I honestly don’t know how she keeps it up encased in ice and snow, soaked to the bone with rain, loving each and every chick!

Thank you so very much for joining me today. It is a wonderful day because of the rain! And it warms my heart to see the tiny little one at Foulshaw Moss still alive. I hope that everyone is well. Stay safe. See you tomorrow.

Thank you so much to the following who have streaming cams where I grab my screen shots: Cornell Bird Lab and RTH, Carnyx Wildlife, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife Trust, Foulshaw Moss and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Achieva Osprey, Mlady Buky, and the Llyn Clywedog Osprey Project.

Leaving you with a lovely image of Tiny Tot. I have a collection of these noting the distinguishing markings of this beautiful Osprey. He will not be ringed so hopefully these marks and his behaviour will always help us to identify him.

Friday Nest Hopping in Bird World

After the continuing sadness on the Glaslyn Nest and the mounting attacks by the intruder on the Achieva Credit Union’s Osprey Nest in St Petersburg, Florida, it felt like a good time to check on the other nests in Bird World to see what good news is going on.

There were three chicks on the Loch of the Lowes nest. The third, one of the tiniest I have ever seen, died shortly after it was born. The first hatch is doing well and growing like mad. The second is small. I attribute this to the aggressiveness when there is food to the first hatch and the lack of experience of NC0. Let’s hope they both keep going.

The following two images are from the Scottlish Wildlife Trust and the Loch of the Lowes streaming cam:

Being the armchair auntie that I am, Laddie needs to keep bringing the fish onto the nest – big and small. NC0 is hungry and she needs to have fish to top up Little Bob while Big Bob is in food coma!

Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes Nest Cam

Blue 33 (11) delivered a big fish to Maya for the Two Bobs early this morning and he is back checking on the pantry. Now problems and now worries at the Rutland Manton Bay Nest. Blue 33 (11) and Maya are a Super Osprey Couple.

The two chicks are starting to get their feathers and will look less and less reptilian in a few days!

LRWT

Idris and Telyn (Blue 3J) are on the Dyfi Nest. Idris caught a whale of a fish this morning. He is eating the head and then will deliver the rest to the nest. It is unknown whether the male Ospreys prefer the head or if this is a mechanism to help keep the chicks from being injured in the nest. Still, we know from experiences this year that the fish does not always stop flapping even if the head is off!

Dyfi Osprey Project Cam

Sweet little babies eating their fish.

Dyfi Osprey Project

Ready for another lunch two hours later!

Dyfi Osprey Project Cam

Oh, and just look at that first hatch of Blue 5F Seren and Dylan at Clywedog. This little one is finishing its late lunch resting on the two eggs left in the nest. The second egg is late in hatching and might not and we will see if the third hatches. Sometimes having one healthy chick is the best

Llyn Clywedog Osprey Project Cam

I don’t know if you can tell it but this nest is also still damp from the rain. I hope that Seren keeps Bob warm and dry!

Llyn Cleydewog Osprey Project Cam

Here you can see how damp the nest is better. Oh, little one. Stay well!

Llyn Clywedog Osprey Project Cam

There was other excitement at the Clywedog Nest early this morning. A second year juvenile, KA7 returned to his natal nest today at Llyn Clywedog. KA7 was originally believed to be a female due to its weight but it now believed to be a male. A success story – we need all of them we can get today.

Blue 35 and White YW are on the Foulshaw Moss Nest in Cumbria. The nest is certainly drier than those in Wales. You can see Blue 35 incubating but letting Big Bob get some air.

Cambrian Wildlife Trust

Fauci fledged yesterday at the UC Berkeley Campanile Peregrine Falcon Nest. Annie and Grinnell still have Kaknu and Wek-Wek and both of them seem to be more interested in eating and playing together than fledging.

UC Falcon Cam
UC Falcon Cam

Annie is bringing food to Wek-Wek.

It may be sunny in California but you would think that the Welsh rains have hit Ithaca, New York. The Ks woke up and it was a nice dry day and then the skies opened. Big Red is on the Fernow Lightstand Nest with the Ks and they are now drenched – soaked down to the bone.

Cornell Bird Lab
Cornell Bird Lab

Sadly, the weather is showing continual downpours on Big Red and the Ks through Saturday.

Cornell Bird Lab

The sun is setting on the Osprey Nest in Estonia and we are on hatch watch. The first egg was laid on 17 April, second on 20 April, and third on 23 April. We could wake up to a pip tomorrow morning!

Eagle Club of Estonia

You can watch this nest here:

I would like to introduce you to a new nest. It is an artificial platform that was rebuilt in 2021. This is the Black Stork in in Jõgeva County in Estonia. The Black Storks successfully bred in this nest for many years until 2004 when it was vacant. The male, Tooni, moved to another nest. The Black Storks on the nest have been here for two years. The Black Stork is on the Extreme Endangered List for Estonia and they are very rare. It is wonderful that these two have accepted the new nest.

The male arrived on 10 April to begin preparing the nest in the hope that the female mate would come.

Eagle Club of Estonia

The female arrived on 2 May. The female is incubating four eggs that were laid on 12, 14, 15, and 18 of May.

Eagle Club of Estonia

You can watch the nest here:

The Estonians are learning many things through watching the rare Black Storks. First, the fledge date depends on the amount of prey brought to the nest. Also, the longer the storklets stay on the nest after fledging the more successful they are. In North America, we also know this – the longer the Ospreys and the Bald Eagles remain on the nest after fledging, the more likely they will succeed and beat the odds. A good example is Legacy who fledged, was missing, found her nest and remained on the nest for nearly a month longer. The other case are E17 and E18 from the Fort Myers Bald Eagle nest of D Pritchett. The Estonian scientists also learned that any disturbance of the nest could cause the parents to abandon it at any time. If you see a nest, do not disturb it. And do not tell anyone where it is located. Caution is always the word.

Thank you for joining me today. With the chicks dying at the Glaslyn Nest and the Welsh nests still being cold and damp, it is good to see that many other nests are doing very well. Some have enjoyed good weather while others have had on and off heavy rain, like Big Red and the Ks. Fingers crossed for all of them keeping intruders away, making nestorations for the laying of eggs, and the incubating of their eggs. Take care everyone. Stay safe. Enjoy the weekend coming up.

I have put the names of the streaming cams where I get my screen shots under the images. I am thankful to these organizations for their streams because that is where I get my screen shots.

Bird World Nest Spotlight: Foulshaw Moss (plus Glaslyn update)

The weather has calmed down in the United Kingdom. The birds are getting a break from those Force 11 winds and the heavy rains that caused flooding in several areas. The sun must feel really good on those feathers!

My focus today is on the Osprey Nest at Foulshaw Moss in Cumbria. Foulshaw Moss is one of the rarest and most threatened habitats in all of the United Kingdom and Europe. It is a raised bog. What is a bog? why is it so rare? and why do Ospreys and other wetland birds love this area in Cumbria so much?

Raised bogs are rare in lowland Britain because 94% of them have been drained so that trees could be planted. By planting the trees, which require water to grow, these former wetlands are anything but wet! The Foulshaw Moss raised bog is unique because of its peat. A Google search tells me that peat is “a brown deposit resembling soil, formed by the partial decomposition of vegetable matter in the wet acidic conditions of bogs and fens, and often cut out and dried for use as fuel and in gardening.” Peat was cut at the Cumbria site but the area still has a ‘dome’ of peat that is higher than the surrounding area.

In 1998, the Cumbria Wildlife Trust purchased the property. Their goal was to reverse the damage caused by drainage and afforestation. It is now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is highly protected. Natural England has provided funds for the Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the British Dragonfly Society to reintroduce the White-faced Darter, an extremely rare species of dragonfly.

“White Faced Darter” by Martijn Nijenhuis is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

The acid pools, the mosses and the bog grasses are home to many other species of bird and insects. It is a very unique area that includes the rare Emperor Dragonfly, seen in the image below.

“Dragonfly – Foulshaw Moss” by Stephen Childs is licensed under CC BY 2.0

This is the female Emperor Dragonfly living in the wetlands.

“Female Emperor Dragonfly” by tsbl2000 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Bog Rosemary” by DenaliNPS is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“bog cranberry” by troutcolor is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

The moss and pools are perfect places for nests and feeding for many wetland birds including the moorhen, snipe and water rail. The area is also home to many birds of prey such as Peregrine falcons, Sparrowhawks, and Buzzards.

“Grey Wagtail – Foulshaw Moss” by Stephen Childs is licensed under CC BY 2.0

It is also home to Ospreys – and that is what this blog is about – The Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest! They live in an incredible environment and grateful thanks to all those who made this raised bogland possible! Here is a short introduction to the conservation of the area and the Ospreys.

“Osprey (Foulshaw Moss) – Leighton Moss” by Stephen Childs is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Ospreys have been at the mossy bog since 2008 but it appears that they have only been nesting there and breeding since 2014. Like all other UK Ospreys, the couple migrate. They return to Foulshaw Moss in late March or April and leave for Africa or Southern Spain in August and September. The resident couple are White YW (male) born at Bassenthwaite in 2008. The female is Blue 35 and she was born in Kielder Forest in 2010. Both of them returned to the nest at Foulshaw Moss on the same day – 26 March 2021 -within hours of one another. So this begs a question.

UK Ospreys normally travel to either The Gambia or Senegal for winter; some stay in Southern Spain. This is a trip of 4000 km there and 4000 km back. It has always been assumed that the Ospreys do not stay in the same spot together. The females normally leave a few weeks earlier while the males remain at the nest feeding the fledglings only departing in September when the chicks are gone. Maya and Blue 33 (11) adore one another. Blue 33 often spends time in the nest with Maya. They simply like to be around one another and they, too, arrive – this year – within half an hour of one another. What if they do stay together in Africa? what if they travel together? I wish these couples had satellite trackers!!!!!!! Besides Foulshaw Moss, Rutland Manton Bay, two other UK Osprey couples arrived back at their nest within hours of one another and they were the resident pair at Bassenthwaite and Loch Doon.

Blue 35 and White YW’s first egg was laid on 10 April, the second on the 13th, and the last on the 16th. Hatches were 21 May, 23 May, and 25 May. There was some concern about the little one but here they are all thriving and loving their fish. Blue 35 always makes sure the little one gets fed.

Indeed, in 2015, Blue 35 worked hard to ensure that another little chick, Blue V4 always had food and fledged. She kept a close eye on the older siblings. Fantastic mother this Blue 35.

@ Cumbria Wildlife Trust

Blue 35 (f) and White YW (m) appear to have hatched twenty-two chicks since 2014. Here is the information:

2014 – 3 chicks (Blue 5A f, Blue 6A f, Blue 7A m)

2015 – 3 chicks (Blue V2 f, Blue V3 f, Blue V4 m)

2016- 3 chicks (Blue V8 f, Blue V9 m, third died after 3 days)

2017 – 3 chicks (Blue U9 m, Blue V0 f, Blue N0 m)

2018- 3 chicks (Blue 5N m, Blue 9N f, Blue 7N m)

2019 – 2 chicks out of 3 eggs (Blue 3N f, Blue 2N m). Note: Blue 3N was the largest chick they had ever seen. At six weeks when she was banded she weighed 1810 grams. Known as ‘Biggie’ no one thought she would be able to fledge she was so large but she did!

2020-2 chicks out of 3 eggs (Blue 410 f, Blue 411 f)

2021 – 3 chicks

So why do I include all of these coloured ring numbers? Numbered rings can immediately tell you where a bird is from. They are coloured. In Scotland, the coloured bands are on the left leg while in England and Wales, the Darvic ring is on the right leg. The chicks are normally ringed at around six weeks of age when their leg is fully grown. Without satellite trackers which are expensive, we cannot possibly know where the birds travel. Even if ringed, you still have to be able to read the numbers which is not always easy. Those pesky Osprey like to hide them for some reason!

Right now, there have been confirmed sightings or images of six of the nineteen fledges from Foulshaw Moss. One, Male Blue 7A (14) is mated with an unringed female at Esthwaite in the Lake District and they have three eggs ready to hatch in 2021. They have been breading there since 2017. Male Blue N0 (17) is at an unmonitored nest in Wales; he was seen at Montgomeryshire in Wales in May 2020. Male Blue V8 (16) was seen in January 2021 in The Gambia and also at Leighton Moss. Female Blue V3 was seen at a Kielder Nest in 2017. The two males from 2018, 5N and 7N (the tiny one) were seen in The Gambia and Spain, respectively. Not all sightings are recorded and I am still trying to see if there is a comprehensive listing. Tiger Mozone’s website has a list of returning two year olds and it is helpful. It is interesting, also, that of the six sightings, five were for male fledges. I wish I had more data (yes, I am a data nut!). Does this mean that males are more likely to survive the first migration? and if so, why? Why does one answer always lead to ten more questions???!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the link to the Cumbria Osprey Cam. You will not find it on YouTube. I personally think cam 2 is the best. There is no rewind feature.

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/cams/osprey-cam

I would like to close with the latest news from Glaslyn:

“We would like to say thank you to each and every one of you for your support since we shared yesterday evening’s update from the Glaslyn Nest. It means a lot to us.
Aran has been looking stronger again today, taking longer flights around the nest area and making more of an attempt at chasing away persistent intruding ospreys. Mrs G has been bothered much less by the crows and both chicks have fed well.
We know how much you miss watching the Glaslyn family online and we are happy to announce that Live Streaming will return tomorrow morning. We will be live streaming from the nest between 8am-8pm for the time being. We can’t wait to ‘chat’ with you all again!”

That is just the best news that I can imagine on a late Wednesday afternoon on the Canadian prairies. Take care everyone. Thanks so much for joining me today!

Lots happening in Bird World and it is just Tuesday!

My goodness. Monday and moving into Tuesday in the UK turned out to be a blur. Mrs G officially had her and Aran’s first hatch at Glaslyn Osprey Nest in Wales at 00.08 18 May. Mrs G, with her great experience – this is her 47th hatch – removed half of the shell. Good work, Mom. You can see the little Osprey to the left of the white egg – that sweet little stripe down its back.

There is Aran coming to check out how Mrs G and Q1 are doing in the early morning. Mrs G told him it won’t be long til Q2 is here – there is a big crack in that egg.

Little Q1 wanting some more fish. Oh, goodness. Not even 24 hours old and look how strong!

Here is the link to watch Aran and Mrs G with what will soon be the two Qs.

NC0 had her first hatch ever! The little one just needs mom to nudge that shell a bit. It has a really loud cheep that can be heard on the microphone under the nest cup.

And here is the little one getting its first feeding! So tiny.

No one gives the Ospreys a manual and it takes time to get to know how to feed a bobble head. I remember aching every time I saw Anna feeding Kisatchie at the Bald Eagle nest in Louisiana. Now Kisatchie is ready to fledge – it all worked out. Nessie (Blue NC0) is trying hard to connect with the little one to feed it and Laddie (LM12) seems to understand he is to deliver fish. Fingers crossed. I am certain they will have the feeding all sorted quickly before number two arrives.

Here is the link if you would like to check out this nest.

White YW (male) and Blue 35 (female) celebrate the arrival of the first hatch of 2021 at the Foulshaw Moss nest in Cumbria.

There is a lot of excitement at the Poole Harbour Nest and ironically, I was just reading through Roy Dennis’s account of when they were first setting up the nests at the most opportune locations in Poole Harbour in his new book, Restoring the Wild. Sixty Years of Rewilding our skies, woods, and waterways. It is very interesting how they use Google Earth to help pick out the best places for the artificial nests.

CJ7 flew in with a fish and lo and behold, there is a male. It is Blue 022. They have been seen mating on the camera pole. Late eggs?

Another nice view of female CJ7 with her catch. Oh, the folks at Poole Harbour would be elated if there was a new pair at this nest! Blue 022 is a 2019 translocated Osprey.

The Cal Falcons need a name and the folks at UC Berkeley have narrowed down the field from 650 suggestions. If you would like to vote to name Annie and Grinnell’s vivacious boys, please go to the link below. There they provide information on the names submitted and then you just choose three. Why now join in the fun?

Names

Here is Grinnell giving the three their morning breakfast. They were fantastic for their dad, all lined up and being nice. Sometimes they run all over the place when Annie tries to feed them later in the day. Nice, healthy falcons!

You can catch the action here when they are inside:

And this is the link to the outside camera:

Oh, those babies of Big Red and Arthur’s get more adorable every day – even with their pin feathers starting to show. Glad to see Arthur snagged a chipmunk for the gang. Did you realize there is a shortage of chipmunks in 2021? It isn’t just Ithaca – across the state of New York. I also wonder about squirrels. Did Arthur wipe out the colonies of squirrels and chipmunks last year when he delivered 2x the normal amount of prey to the nest? It has to take many more Starlings – and I understand that hawks and falcons don’t particularly like Starlings. Wish for a chippie!

They are sure growing but immediately you can still tell which is K1, K2, or K3. Oh, the little wings and tails.

The little ones at The Landings Osprey Nest on Skidaway Island (Savannah Ospreys) are doing great. It is easy to tell them apart. The youngest one has a very dark breast. That one struggled for awhile but the feeding has levelled out and both are fed well and growing. This morning the youngest decided to try walking for the first time! Wow. What a milestone! These two have beautiful peach in their plumage.

Checking in on Iris, she brought in an amazing catch yesterday at 12:45 pm. She could hardly pull it into the nest and then she decided to fly off with it to the pole.

Iris already had a pretty full crop when she caught this one. She has to be the envy of everyone there on the river in Missoula.

Iris is such a beauty. I wonder if she remembers how nice it was to have Stanley for a mate? someone to share these precious moments with? to help her with the eggs and the chicks? Those are, of course, human questions but, you can’t help but notice when a chick is born how quickly the female wants to show it to the male. Iris, the oldest Osprey in the world, is much loved – by tens of thousands.

Iris is not tied to her eggs. Thank goodness. She spent the night on the perch and did not go down to the nest til 8:44 am and was gone by 9:06. She is taking care of herself this year knowing that a single parent cannot raise a family of Ospreys. It is very interesting to me. I would love to have a coffee with Iris and hear what she thinks about Louis! Can humans learn Osprey speak? Probably not. It remains a great unfortunate in the Osprey World that Louis has two nests and that he doesn’t have the energy of Monty to try and keep both thriving.

It won’t be long until Tiny Tot fledges. He is getting a lot of good height and is exercising those wings.

Tiny and Diane are waiting for a fish delivery. The pair enjoyed a late night delivery the other day from Jack and were eating well into the night. It is hot and windy in St Petersburg today, 30 degrees C. Fishing might not be that good.

Tiny has grown into a beautiful osprey. Such joy he has brought to everyone who cheered this little one being clever and wanting to live. It is one of those good news stories from 2021 for sure.

Legacy is still with us! Samson brought in two fish today for her – two at the same time! This is really amazing as there is a high rip tide warning for the coast between Jacksonville and Georgia.

Samson waits and protects Legacy while he eats.

We are so lucky to have this extra time with Legacy. He has not strayed since he was missing for three days. That must have been very scary. Samson is doing a great job feeding Legacy and keeping him on the nest.

Thank you so much for joining me today. We are once again on hatch watch at the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G. If I look at the other potential hatches in the UK, things are getting busy. It is difficult to keep up.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams. That is where I get my screen shots: Cornell Bird Lab and the Montana Osprey Project, Cornell Bird Cam RTH, Cornell Bird Lab and Skidaway Audubon, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Loch of the Lowes, UC Falcon Cam, Poole Harbour, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife, NE Florida Bald Eagle Cam and the AEF, and the Achieva Credit Union.

Updates in Bird World…plus Tiny Tot just got a private 45 minute feeding. Yahoo.

There was a hatch on the Savannah Osprey nest on 13 April. The pip happened at 20:58:42 the night before. There is the cutie looking for some fish!

14 April 2021

NC0 laid her second egg on the Loch of the Lowes nest today, 14 April. The first was laid on the 10th. What a gorgeous view! NC0 was apparently very quiet and took everyone by surprise.

NC0 looks out over her territory. Loch of the Lowes. 14 April 2021

In the changing of shifts, you can see the two beautiful reddish eggs. The couple had one chick last year – will they try for three in 2021?

You can see both eggs at Loch of the Lowes! 14 April 2021

Louis is still waiting for Aila to arrive at the Loch Arkaig nest.

Louis waiting for Aila. 14 April 2021

Telyn or Blue 3J was busy rolling her egg over at the Dyfi Nest in the middle of the night. Might we expect a second egg eminently? The first was laid at 9:55 am on 12 April! Some are not leaving the streaming cam as Telyn is breathing rather heavy in the middle of the night.

Rolling the egg. 14 April 2021 Dyfi Nest, Wales.
Telyn rolling the egg laid on 12 April 2021. 14 April 2021

Telyn sure is a beauty! Did you know that she is the daughter of unringed Maya and Green 5R from Rutland? She was born in 2013. No wonder she is so gorgeous.

Is Telyn laying another egg? 14 April 2021

What a beautiful sunrise at Clywedog. No eggs for Dylan and Seren yet! Dylan was back on 24 March and Seren on 29 March. Fingers crossed as the middle of April approaches.

15 April 2021. Sunrise.

The second egg was laid at Foulshaw Moss on the 13th with the first coming on the 10th. The image below shows Blue 35 doing her incubation duties. She is the mate of White YW.

Blue 35 incubating eggs. 14 April 2021

Maya is blissful incubating her three eggs at the Rutland Mantou Nest. Her mate is Blue 33 (11). The eggs were laid on 30 March, 2 and 5 of April.

Maya incubating her three eggs at Rutland. 14 April 2021

Wonder what is happening on the nest of Mrs G and Aran? Will there be another egg? The first for this much loved pair at the Glaslyn Nest came on 10 April, the second on the 13th and we are expecting the third on the 16th!

Mrs G (front and left) and Aran (right). 14 April 2021

As I was typing this, a fish came on to the Achieva Osprey Nest. Thank goodness. It has been incredibly hot there. There was speculation that something might have been wrong with one or the other of the parents. Was Jack’s leg hurt? Why wasn’t Diane fishing like she did yesterday? There was also worry that since the two older ones had not eaten they would be very aggressive. Tiny Tot grabbed that fish and wanted it but, as usual, he had to wait. Now the older sibs just weren’t that interested. Could it be that they ate so much yesterday they both need to cast a pellet and Tiny will get ‘fed up’. Diane fed him privately for 45 minutes. Bravo!

In the middle of the feeding of Tiny Tot. 14 April 2021
14 April 2021. Tiny Tot at the end of the 35 minute feeding. Nice crop!

And last, some news from UC Berkeley’s Peregrine Falcon Nest. There is now communication with the eyasses and expected hatch is 17 April. Splendid! Annie and Grinnell are amazing parents and there is nothing short of delirium watching a peregrine falcon nest. And no worries about siblicide!

You can join in the peregrine excitement here:

Thank you so much for joining me today. Oh, I can’t wait for these furry little falcons to hatch. What a riot it is when they figure out how to eat. You will love it! And I am relieved, like so many, that Tiny Tot got fed today. Don’t care what time just that he was fed. If another fish doesn’t arrive, he is fine til tomorrow. Tiny Tot has taught us that.

Thank you to the following streaming cams where I get my screen shots: UC Berkeley Peregrine Falcons, Achieva Credit Union, Woodland Trust, Post Code Lottery, Friends of Loch Arkaig, Rutland Water, Scottish Wildlife, Friends of Loch of the Lowes, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Dyfi Osprey Project, and CarnyxWild Wales.

Here is a great shot of Tiny Tot after that good feeding. Food coma will come shortly!