Tag Archives: Grinnell Jr

Wednesday in Bird World – brief news

22 June 2022

It is a hot sunny and beautiful day on the Canadian prairies. The Farmer’s Markets are opening up, there are still lilacs blooming, and well…I wish the ice cream truck would come down the street!!!!! I did my walk. 5.8 km and it was way too hot!!!!!! Dreaming of winter. LOL.

SF Ospreys posted a video on YouTube showing Molate incubating the nonviable egg. Just look! Perfect aerating, rolling, and incubation! They asked viewers if it was an accident or deliberate. What do you think?

ND16 has joined fledgling ND15 up on the fledging branch at the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest in Indiana. Little Bit 17 is still enjoying being the baby on the nest!

Update: ND16 has fledged. It has not been located as far as I know.

Little Bit 17 is doing just fine. With the two older siblings having fledged and thinking about flying, Mum flies in at 15:57 and 17 gets a private feeding. So far the nest is holding fine. Dad and Mum have some work to do. I wonder if they will rebuilt this nest??

Can you tell the difference between Idris and Telyn’s chicks? I sure can’t anymore. Ringing next week and then names given!

All three of Thunder and Akecheta’s fledglings (doesn’t that sound nice?) can be seen. Some nice soaring in the thermals this morning by at least one of them. I think it was Ahote but not 100%.

‘H’ reports that Mum brought in a Horse-shoe Crab yesterday late and arranged it on the nest – and Dad brought in 9 fish, too. Wow. ‘H’ also had a screen grap that shows what is in that second plastic bag – a water bottle! I wonder where she finds these things. This female does like to decorate her nest. Oh, I would love to get into her head about that love of yellow. It is striking and certainly brightens up the nest. Thanks, ‘H’!

That worrisome piece of yellow mesh wire was still on the nest. One of the chicks was using it as a pillow!

Mum is very smart. Maybe she is worried about that mesh as well.

She removes it from the nest!!!!!!!! The raptors are extremely intelligent. Never think that we are smarter than they are. Some of you will know my huge respect for falconer, Laura Culley. When Big Red’s daughter J1 had been killed by striking a window, someone asked her if Big Red knew. Culley’s answer was, “And why wouldn’t she!”

She has returned unharmed and Dad can be seen, too. It is extremely windy. I am hoping those plastic bags will fly off as well.

Cal Falcons has posted the cutest video clip of Grinnell Jr – loudly saying he wants his breakfast!

If you are following Jan and Janika’s three surviving storklets that are in care at the Vet School at EMU (Estonia Medical University), they have done exceptionally well in care. They are all standing (only one not completely steady is the smallest storklet) and are flapping their wings an getting their juvenile feathers. In two days they should be going to an outside location to help prepare them for when the fledge.

The storklets of Karl II and Kaia are also growing and are doing so, so well. Notice how they form an immediate circle when it is feeding time.

Betty and Bukacek’s storklets are doing fantastic, too. So all three of the nests that I follow – Karl II and Kaia, Jan and Janika (in care), and Bukacek and Betty are progressing well in order to fledge in August. They will return for feedings and then they will fly all the way to the central part of Africa! Incredible.

It is pretty quiet in Bird World – for a change! Thank you so much for joining me for this check on some of the nests. Do take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures or their videos: EMU, Capio Hnizo- Mlade Buky, Eagle Club of Estonia, Cal Falcons, ND-LEEF, Mispillion Harbour Osprey Cam and the DDNR, Dfyi Osprey Project, SF Ospreys, and the West End Eagles and the Institute for Wildlife Studies.

Summer Solstice in Bird World!

21 June 2022

In the northern hemisphere, this is the day when the earth is tilted at its maximum to the sun – the longest sunny day. It has been pitching down rain and now….the sun is shining bright and the temperatures have dropped from the blistering 38 to a mere 20 C. The birds are active and the air conditioning is turned off. Nice. Today I will be sorting through all the things that were in Little Red’s penthouse looking for tomato cages. With the heat and the rain, the tomato plants are almost as tall as I am – seriously. But, let’s see what is happening with our birds, first.—–Oh, and now it is clouding over again and the torrential rain is back. Goodness. I sure hope our City imported a lot of Dragon flies this year to eat those mosquitoes.

The Canadian celebrities continue to be the little hawklet who is living with the Bald Eagles on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. Malala is very cute – and one lucky Red-tail hawklet. Of course, he thinks he is an Eagle! Doing well. Branched the other day. Can you imagine? This wildlife rehab group just put up the camera a few months prior to the eagles arriving and now they are the talk of Bird World? This is a good interview by CBC radio.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-monday-edition-1.6495076/an-eagle-snatched-a-baby-hawk-for-dinner-then-ended-up-adopting-it-1.6495246?fbclid=IwAR2T_4Mhw4tgXNvli_SHd6xDPlr1aMWUOx1q-QsoBwDbH3Ef8p9nb7KN0rw

The fledglings at the UFlorida-Gainesville Osprey platform continue to return to the nest for food and sometimes just to have a quick rest. Gosh, these two are doing really well after a very rocky start on this nest. They are waiting for the tea time fish drop!

What gorgeous birds these two have turned out to be. They know where home is. I wonder if they have been trying to fish on their own yet?

I was able to get some more information about the history of the Mispillion Harbour Ospreys. The woman at the DuPont Centre is not certain that this is the same couple that were on the nest when the camera was installed. Lynn Pussey said, “We’ve generally had good success with our nest, with 2-3 successful fledgelings each year. The only exception to that was 2017 when we lost one chick early on to siblicide and the other two to illness. This year was odd because we had 4 eggs but only 2 hatch. But those two are healthy and growing. Other than that, we usually see all eggs hatch and all chicks successfully fledge.”

 

I wonder if these chicks will be prone to bringing bright coloured material to their nests in a few years?

Little Bit 17 at the ND-LEEF nest just proves that being small is not a hindrance when you are confident. Mum landed with something – I could not see it – and Little Bit mantled right away. One of the big siblings came and took a little piece but Little Bit held on and ate ‘it’! So impressed. 17 is so quick – just like the hawklet in the Bald Eagle nest at Gabriola Island.

Here is Little Bit 17 mantling and hanging on to its food. Take that 16!

Bukachek and Betty’s four White Storklets at Mlade Buky were ringed this morning.

Whatever was happening at the Loch of the Lowes dissipated yesterday when Laddie delivered 7 fish. He has already gotten a good start to this morning and Blue NC0 and the chicks are very happy. They should be ringing these two osplets soon.

The Welsh sunrise is really beautiful. There is always a soft pink glow over the Glaslyn Valley and the nest of Aran and Mrs G.

Aran has been letting out intruder calls in the afternoon around 15:50 but it didn’t stop him from getting Mrs G and the kids a nice fish.

101 votes have been cast guessing the gender of the three osplets at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn. It is a record. GGB is still out ahead with 40 of those votes! We will find out next week when they are ringed. So happy for the interest in this great Osprey family in Wales.

As KG and I said on the chat – the guessing of the genders adds a bit of fun to ringing day — it does. We can all use a smile these days.

It was a beautiful morning at Loch Garten. Mrs AX6 is looking good. She is a great mum.

Later in the day you can see the unviable egg and the two little Osplets.

Just look at those three big females with their bling at the Manton Bay nest of Blue 33 and Maya. I would sure welcome some of that sunshine!!!!!!! It is interesting. At Manton Bay there was no aggression this year — three females. At Port Lincoln Osprey barge last year, no aggression — all males. It is often when you have a female chick with males where you see all the beaking. Females require more food because they have to grow 1/3 larger and they are often very aggressive. Think ND16 at the LD-LEEF Bald Eagle nest.

June 20 was Bald Eagle Day in the US. I forgot. For all who celebrated, belated Happy Eagle Day!

Mr President has brought in two fish already to DC9 Takoda this morning! This is the second delivery. Everything is going as it should. Takoda fledged and is returning to the nest to be fed while getting those flying muscles strong — and take off and landings improved.

As the sun comes up on the Channel Islands, Sky is home alone at the West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta.

It isn’t long until Sky is joined by his younger brother, Ahote. Everyone is waiting for Akecheta to bring in some fish for breakfast. And never fear, Kana’kini is somewhere around the island and will no doubt fly in hoping to get some fish, too.

Chase and Cholyn’s Lancer has been getting some good air and doing some high hovering in the past few days. She is sure a beautiful eagle!

I am really glad that Kaia was not successful in eliminating one of the three healthy chicks on the Karula Forest Black Stork nest. They are all doing well and Karl II just brought in a heaping load of fish for them. What is interesting is watching them now as they stimulate the feeding by doing a special wing flap and lowering and raising their heads. So cute! And they are so nice and fat. These are doing super well and food does not seem to be an issue!

Jan and Janika’s Black Storklets in the care of the Vet Clinic were ringed. They should be moved to the forest enclosure soon – they are thinking 24 June. Today they are 30 days old. How lovely – so grateful to those folks who made it possible for these three to survive.

This morning Lindsay returned to The Campanile and she is chasing a moth! Look at the influence of Alden – both Lindsay and Grinnell Jr love chasing moths. So cute. It is also nice to know that both are safe and doing well. They certainly are loud!!!!!!!!

It continues to pour – just like the monsoon rains in SE Asia. Incredible. I am going to turn the AC off and get a sweater. The thunder is rolling and the temperature has really dropped.

Thank you so much for joining me. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures and their videos: Cal Falcons, Liz M and the EMU, Eagle Club of Estonia, Mlade Buky Storks, Explore.org and the Institute for Wildlife Studies, NADC-AEF, LRWT, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Post Code Lottery and the Woodland Trust, RSPB Loch Garten, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Mispillion Harbour Osprey Cam and DDNR, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, UFlorida-Gainesville Ospreys, and the ND-LEEF.

Monday in Bird World

20 June 2022

It was hot but -not like yesterday- and the weather reports says it is currently raining – again – and will do so for a few hours! The heat and the rain have done amazing things in the garden including causing the tomato plants to grow so tall that they will not have to be transplanted into bigger pots with bamboo poles. They are the same ones that I always plant that have more or less just sat there for 4-5 years with about a dozen tomatoes on each. I understand not, more fully, why the gardeners and their crew are always busy and often use machetes to clean up the lawns and beds in the West Indies.

I was looking for information for another nest and I came across a 2020 Zoom conversation about the ND-LEEF Osprey nest – home to Little Bit 17 this year. Some of you might be interested in the discussion – the first sighting of the nest, the size, how many ospreys in the area, etc. Those stats would have changed over 2 years but they are interesting and helpful. The conversation starts at 26:28. There are some audio issues at the beginning.

The three osplets at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn will be ringed next week. The precise date will be announced one day prior. There is a guessing game going on as to the gender of the chicks on the Dyfi chat. Have a look, take a guess. It is all in good fun. The other day Idris brought in a Twaite Shad. The record catch of that particular species in Wales is 2 lb 2 oz. It is possible that Idris now holds the Welsh record! Hey – he’s fabulous – Daddy Longlegs. You gotta’ love him. Of course, he brought in another whopper not long ago.

BTW. Telyn is one of those Rutland gals that found a home in Wales. Manton Bay (Telyn’s Mum, Maya) has 3 girls this year we need some Welsh boys!!!!!!!! Although I think it is GGB on this nest. We will find out next week.

‘H’ introduced me to a new nest this morning by way of a question. I wonder how many are watching the Mispillion Harbor Osprey Cam at the DuPont Nature Centre? The nest is located on the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek on the west shore. There were four eggs. There are month old osplets on the nest currently- two of them. I cannot confirm what happened to the other two eggs.

‘H’ told me some wonderful stories about this nest – much appreciated! But the one about the piece of yellow material is just brilliant. Mum is apparently obsessed with it and it flew off one day and she went and retrieved it. She certainly isn’t using it to camouflage the chicks so why? Is it nice and soft and you don’t get poked with the sticks from the nest? It is quite a lovely colour and it is surprising how Ospreys get drawn to bright coloured items – Richmond -I think Rosie has broken him of bringing them to the nest and Jack – Harriet still contends with all those toys.

I did not know this nest before this morning. Never watched it. It is on the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek in Delaware – another nest in Delaware. The area is now protected so there is no development.

Dad brought in a whole fish this afternoon. Very nice. Most often the males will eat the heads. He must not be hungry.

Here is the link to their streaming cam.

Osprey Watch shows this population of Osprey nests in the area. Wow.

Laddie just brought in fish 7 to the Loch of the Lowes nest. He was unable to fish and not seen for 36 hours. It is assumed that he was busy getting rid of intruders other than an injury. There are definitely fish in the loch. Blue NC0 must be so full she will pop – I hope Laddie is eating those fish, too. Big and Middle must be too full to even move.

Dylan continues to bring in nice trout – his favourite I think – to the Llyn Clywedog nest. Those three Bobs are fantastic! Seren is quite happy with the deliveries, too.

There they are – 3 big girls with all their bling at the Manton Bay nest at Rutland of Blue 33 and Maya. All the chatter is their arrival in two years time looking for a mate and a nest in Wales. We will wait and see.

It is 16:58 at the Poole Harbour Osprey nest and Blue 022 has just brought in the 4th fish of the day to CJ7 and the kids.

I can see one nice chick’s head up there for the fish.

We have the names of Richmond and Rosie’s osplets. Here is the announcement from SF Ospreys today.

I continue to miss much that is happening at Llyn Brenig. Both of the chicks are still with us but this nest is plagued by intruders. It is unclear how much fish get delivered. The babes look good, though.

Poor Dorcha. It looks like her weather is the same as ours. She doesn’t always catch a break. Still, Louis is great to get the fish on the nest for all of them regardless.

Louis lands with another fish just as I took the screen capture above. Oh, how splendid. Full crops at bedtime.

I hope that Dorcha gets her own fish. That salmon looks good and she is one super mum. My goodness I have forgotten how many times she has been blown tail over head off that nest this season. She is fantastic. Kids are lucky to have her and Louis. Very lucky.

The Glaslyn nest is doing fine, too. Aran has brought in the tea time fish and you can hear the sheep bleating in the background. How idyllic. Mrs G and the kids seem happy.

Two little heads peeking up above that large nest bowl at Fortis Exshaw in Canmore, Alberta. After what happened at Patuxent, I am really starting to wonder if someone doesn’t need to check this nest after breeding season and secure that middle and fill it in. (It could be done now – the osplets will not jump out and it should be a quick temporary fill in).

Electra continues to visit the Cowlitz PUD nest in Washington State where the Bald Eagle took all three of her babies. Heart aches for her.

It looks like it is a beautiful Tuesday morning in the Sydney Olympic Forest. Lady is rolling the eggs and getting ready for the day. Still a few weeks to hatch. Dad has been busy bringing in fish, giving Lady a break and taking his turn incubating the two eggs.

I do not know how many of you saw this. Our dear Grinnell Jr spent the first night after fledging up in a tree. John Davis shot this footage and Cal Falcons posted it. He has since visited The Campanile and I am sure missing the sound of his ‘voice’.

The two worrying nests – Loch of the Lowes – and the ND-LEEF are fine today. Laddie has quite outdone himself and could have shared half that fish with Little Bit at ND-LEEF. 17 did a nice of the end of that fish this morning. I hope there is more later at the nest. Both ND15 and ND16 have branched. Ahote still seems to be the ‘star’ at getting prey at the West End. What a juvenile that third hatch has turned out to be. He is one to watch.

Thank you for joining me. I hope all of you are well. Stay safe. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Inside the Nest, Dyfi Osprey Project, Mispillion Osprey Harbour Cam, Osprey Watch, Friends of the Loch of the Lowes and Scottish Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, CarnyXWild, LRWT, Poole Harbour Ospreys, SF Bay Ospreys, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery and the Woodland Trust, Fortix ExShaw, Cowlitz PUD, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, John Davis and the Cal Falcons.