Tag Archives: Hog Island Ospreys

Early Monday in Bird World

15 August 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

The hoped for blog on migration will be written tonight and appear Wednesday morning. Lots of good information has come in! Thanks to all. If you are still thinking about migration challenges – even in your own area – send them to me before 1800 CDT Tuesday the 16th.

When will Diamond lay her first egg of the season with Xavier at Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia? That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind. Xavier continues to bring in lovely prey items – some not so welcome like the Starlings but, it would seem that Diamond is in really good shape for this breeding season. Many of you might have noticed that Diamond appeared to be in less that stellar form last year and there was some concern that little Yurruga did not have good feather development. We are wishing Xavier and Diamond a successful season – meaning lots of prey items for the hatchlings, good weather for fledge, and success.

Here is the data on previous years:

Egg-laying time approaches…

Surviving Poole Harbour fledgling, 5H1, immediately flies away when it hears a predator approaching. Everyone learned fast after 5H2’s death by Goshawk. Today it was a Buzzard – a friendly. The little one is taking no chances though. Well done. You even took your fish dinner with you!

There was a question: Do goshawks eat fish? Goshawks are carnivores. They eat mammals and large sized birds found near the edge of the forest. They also eat amphibians, insects – and, yes, fish!

I had a comment in more the form of a question from my good friend, ‘T’. She noted that for years people have loved looking at the Osprey nests in the UK. The only things that were of concern were the weather and enough fish. They brought a lot of solace. Now Goshawks? ‘T’ wonders when the UK is so active in reintroducing the Ospreys to their country that there are now goshawks – long time enemy in the forests.

‘T’ here is your answer. A reintroduction project began in 2018 with Goshawks taken from Norway and Sweden to the UK.

Goshawk reintroduction to the UK

Watching our raptors lay their eggs can emit all kinds of empathy especially if the eggs are big and more hard than soft when laid. At the Port Lincoln Osprey nest, Mum laid her third egg of the 2022 breeding season right on time. She looks tired. Watching birds incubate eggs is like watching water boil when the heat on the stove is ‘off’. But, Mum will get a rest and then in about 38-43 days she is going to be really busy. Should I wish for a clutch of all males or all females so life is civil again this year?

Sadly, it appears that Dad might have had another issue like he did a number of days ago. ‘H’ caught it! Is Dad having some kind of a seizure? or is the wind whipping him and his beak gets caught in nest material? It really is not clear but please send warm wishes to this amazing male – Ervie’s best buddy. Here is the video:

What a treat it is to check on a steaming cam and have a fledgling sitting right there as the sun sets. That is what happened when I went to see if Lancer had visited Two Harbours today. She is probably hoping for food! Chase & Cholyn haven’t delivered anything on camera for a few days. Not to worry. Lancer is not going to starve to death. They are seasoned parents. Cholyn is 24 years ‘young’.

Remember we talked about the things that wildlife rehabilitation centres need – besides cash donations. We talked about old clean towels – well, add old clean sheets and egg cartons to your list. Collect them from neighbours, friends, and family. Create a box. Everything helps! Most centres offer enrichment to the animals in their care. This comes in many forms from using toys to crumbled up paper to egg cartons!

The very latest on our Little Bit ND17. What a fantastic image. We can all be assured that Little Bit has been eating and that his flying is getting stronger. He has been back in St Patrick’s Park for many weeks now! So grateful to those on the ground who continue to track Little Bit and send us images. Thank you Stephen Basly!

The Sydney Sea Eaglets are fine. They ate and ate yesterday. Both had enormous crops – and yes, they do still get a little scrappy but I will venture to say that there is nothing to worry about unless there is an absolute food shortage. SE29 is the dominant bird. 30 knows it but sometimes doesn’t like it!

I continue to track Kaia, Karl II’s mate as she migrates towards Africa. She did a round turn and left the Ukraine and went back to Belarus! Dates on second image below.

What caused Kaia to flee the area and return to a safe spot she knew? Will she be resting and trying to figure out a different route? will she feed up so that she does not have to stop in the Ukraine? This is an extremely worrisome situation for both Kaia and Karl II but also for the four Black Stork fledglings – they represent the only storklets to survive this year.

War is a very terrible thing no matter where it is happening. We read about the costs to people and infrastructure but never to the wildlife that are suffering. Most of the birds from Estonia will be flying through the Ukraine – or have traditionally. Send them your most positive wishes.

While Kaia tries to work her way around a war zone, Karl II is keeping the four fledglings full — they will need to fatten up and so will Karl II for their long journeys.

There is a rumour that all of the chicks on the Boathouse Osprey platform have now fledged.

Chicks are doing fine on the Osoyoos Osprey Platform. BC was self-feeding and LC was enjoying being fed by Soo. Hats off to them. They have survived the two heat domes and it continues to look good for this nest in Canada!

That’s it for today in Bird World. Thank you so much for joining me. I will be keeping my eyes on Kaia’s movements and, at the same time, I will be trying to find out what is happening in the area of The Ukraine where she had landed that sent her back to Belarus.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or postings where I took my screen captures: Osoyoos Ospreys, Audubon Explore, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Notre Dame Eagles FB, Explore and the IWS, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Poole Harbour ospreys, Charles Sturt University Falcon Cam.

When feather loss is nothing short of beautiful!

6 August 2022

I am up writing this short blog after midnight. The weather has turned agreeable in a place where I desperately want to go and check out the shorebirds. I am not an early morning person like so many of my birding friends who rejoice in getting out to see the latest arrivals before 0600. Tomorrow, however, I plan to leave early for me which means…I need to check on our feathered friends on line sooner! I am also awake because of the worry over Poole Harbour and the attack. How is the family?

First of all ——– let’s have a shout out and a drum, roll. Stephen Basly understands that we will not be 100% certain that the fledgling photographs contain Little Bit ND17 without a clear view of THE BALD PATCH. It is only now that I want to thank ND16 because this is complete proof that our Little Bit is flying and is doing well. It is nearly three weeks since Little Bit was released. He is definitely eating – whether or not he is catching some of his prey or having it delivered is not clear and — is now utterly irrelevant. What a relief…Thank you Stephen Basly for keeping an eye out for this amazing juvenile for all of us.

I had a question and it refers to Finnish Osprey nest #4 but, in fact, it applies to all Osprey nests post-fledge. The reader was worried that neither parent had shown up on the nest with UNA.

We are going to begin to see the nests being empty for a lot more time than when they are occupied now. It is always worrisome. We do not know if something has happened to the parents and/or the chicks. More often than not everything is good. It is a natural progression. The adults initially feed their fledglings on the nest. Sometimes both parents bring food to the nest for the chicks…we have also seen this at the stork nests with Karl II and Kaia both feeding their four and also with Bukacek and Betty. At some point, the adults might begin feeding the fledglings ‘off nest’. Big Red prefers, after the eyases fledge, to only feed them off the nest. She first feeds them on a flat roofed building called Rice directly across Tower Road from the nest. Sometimes she gives in to feeding on the nest and Arthur likes to sneak food there! At some point the female disengages from feeding the fledglings. Dad takes over completely allowing the female to bulk up her weight and add some fat before she begins her migration. The chicks will continue to be fed by Dad. Then they will feel the call to fly and they will start a journey to a place they have never seen which will become their forever winter home. The males leave last – only once they are assured the fledglings have all departed.

The #4 nest is mostly empty now. I have caught UNA there a few times but no prey deliveries. The chick appears fine and can fly quite well. It does not appear that there is any cause for worry.

The absence from the nest might also lie with the fact that a Goshawk attacked it. Just as you will see that the Ospreys at Poole Harbour are stressed about returning to the nest – and have not so far.

Daylight is just coming to the Poole Harbour nest.

No one slept on the nest last night. None of the family members have been seen on camera since the attack including Dad, Blue 022, and the other fledgling, 5H1.

Here are two stills from the attack on the Poole Harbour fledgling who is eating a fish on the nest. In the first one you will see CJ7’s head and her talons extending in front of her from the top left. The fledgling kind of melts into CJ7’s image. You can see the intruder (dark shape) also on the left – at 0900 on the nest.

In the image below, from left to right: the fledgling 5H2, the goshawk staring at the throat of the fledgling. The goshawk appears to have at least one leg and talons in the side of the nest. Some people have thought that it had its right talon in the wing of the fledgling. That is not really clear from the image. That right foot might also be caught in the rim of the nest pushing the primary feathers of the fledgling outward. CJ7 is on the far right. It is possible that she has one of the talons on the left food catching the goshawk’s wing. The talons of CJ7’s right foot seem to be embedded in tip of the goshawk’s wing – but this could just be the camera angle. This attack takes place in a couple of seconds – not even a minute. Was the goshawk successful? That really is unclear. Everyone went tumbling from the nest. It is very hard to wait to find out what has happened.

MORNING UPDATE FROM POOLE HARBOUR: The fledgling 5H2 was located alive with an injury to its flank. It has been taken into care. Blue 022 and CJ7 were located and they are alright. They are monitoring for 5H1. Here are the announcements:

The latest news.

Camera glitches when the chicks are near fledgling cause a lot of stress. Thankfully the camera on the Boathouse Osprey platform is once again working. The change in the three osplets is remarkable. Dory looks so tiny next to Schooner, Slapjack, and Sloop. ‘H’ has reminded me that they are 49, 48, and 46 days old today. We are nearing fledge watch.

Soo and the chicks at the Osoyoos nest have weathered another day – thankfully not such a hot one but others are coming. The chicks have been fed and also practiced some self-feeding. We are some days away from fledge.

Fish deliveries continue on a nice pace at the Fortis Exshaw nest. The parents have been going on and off the perch today. If you watch eagles, you will know that ‘branching’ is the first step to fledging. I wonder if the adults are showing the osplets the perch for the same reason?

While Mrs G is both a grandmother and a great-grandmother, Glaslyn was so happy to announce that Mrs G current mate is now a grandfather. His female chick of the 2018 season KS1 (middle chick) has fledged two chicks this year at the Bolton Estate in Yorkshire with her unringed mate. Well done! Here is the official announcement:

What the announcement does not tell you is that this is the first time since 1800 that osprey chicks have hatched at Bolton! 222 years. Incredible. They made the news with photos of the two grand chicks.

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/environment/first-osprey-chicks-recorded-in-yorkshire-since-1800-hatch-at-wensleydales-bolton-castle-estate-in-landowners-dream-come-true-3795431?fbclid=IwAR2AJF2zV0GGoz3xTLz8-TwEqV77gAznHdTfS7sdCz8ehFRoPeV3EoWSzOQ

If you are waiting for the banding of QT chick on Taiaroa Head, it will now take place Tuesday August 9 – Australian dates.

The Mispillion Harbour Ospreys have been given names. The adult female is Della and the adult male is Warren working its way into the state where the Osprey nest is located, Delaware. The two chicks are Bay (eldest) and River (youngest) representing the Bay and the inlet where the two chicks were raised this year. Super meaningful names. Thank you ‘H’ for always going the extra mile to get this nest noticed – and the family loved.

Next year, ‘H’ is going to start a Facebook group for this wonderful Osprey family. So everyone remembers this nest – the Mum loves yellow! ‘H’ has dressed them up.

While Lindsay was resting on the ledge of The Campanile she had a visitor – Alden! Oh, how precious. Be sure to also check out moon_rabbit-rising Instagram’s account for recent photos of Annie hunting in the area.

Thank you for joining me this morning. Like so many of You I stayed up waiting for news of Poole Harbour. Wishing 5H2 a quick recovery! I am heading off to areas west to check on shore birds. I hope to have my regular report on Sunday. Take care. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cam, Tweets, or FB postings where I took my screen captures: Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and ‘H’, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Notre Dame Eagles, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos Ospreys, Audubon Explore, Birds of Poole Harbour, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Cal Falcons.

Brief Bird World check-in

27 July 2022

The presentation about Eagles Dying of Electrocution: What Can be Done? was quite informative. A number of topics were covered including why it is important for utility companies to not have wildlife incidents. Because they boost of having reliable electricity they cannot afford to have too many power outages due to wildlife electrocutions (squirrels, raptors, etc). So while wildlife is not their primary concern, if an eagle gets electrocuted it does impact their goal of ‘reliable’ transmission of power and it is actually in their best interests that their poles are safe. It is also good for their public image.

A PDF of a very large study done in 2006 was mentioned several times. It studied different birds in different countries with various configurations of hydro poles and how electrocution might be mitigated. Christian stated that the solutions are still solid examples. Here is a copy of that large study:

Click to access ML12243A391.pdf

One interesting note in the mitigation is that you simply cannot install insulators or insulated cables. You must also deal with the transmitters.

A question or statement by one of the chatters for the presentation had to do with the lack of responsibility in this situation. If the first electrocution for an eaglet from the Gabriola Nest was accidental, isn’t the second one intentional? Many power companies will immediately move to fix the poles if they know there has been an incident. Florida has so many big raptors and it was mentioned that the power companies are pro-active in protecting the large birds.

An example from Belgium was shown. That is a perch for the eagle that is higher than the pole. The perch is not dangerous to the eagle. To mitigate further, the pointed triangle on the left has been installed making it impossible to create a connection also. Fantastic.

An example of good spacing and bad spacing in terms of wildlife.

Here is the presentation link in case you missed it or would like to listen again. It is about 50 minutes long.

Yvonne Roll Peterson posted the following image on the Notre Dame Eagles page. She carefully took the time to mark out who was where. You can’t see ND16, she is on the nest (of course). ND15 is on one branch and our Little Bit 17 is on another branch behind some leaves. Smile.

My eyes are on the Osoyoos Osprey nest where temperatures are climbing getting hotter and hotter. Olsen brought in a nice sized fish but it has been more than four hours ago. Hopefully they will get another. Soo is doing the best she can to try and keep her panting chicks shaded.

After the presentation on the Eagles and electrocution, I spent some time observing SE29 and SE30. SE30 did two ‘ps’ – one at 0634 and the other at 0713. Both were good. I did manage to capture one. Look carefully below.

Dad brought in what appeared to be a bird – possibly a Silver Gull chick? for the next feeding. Neither chick was that enthusiastic about eating at either feeding.

SE29 did hover but, there were no violent attacks at either the 0634 feeding or the later one right after 0715 ish. After SE30 did his ‘ps’ he did eat some bites.

Lady may have lots of prey items under the leaves. It is hard to tell but I did not see the piles of fish like I did when these two first hatched. So two good ‘ps’ to indicate that SE30 has been eating and its plumbing is working fine. Dad comes down to the nest and flies off – to go fishing from Lady and 29 & 30. Good luck!

At 0745 Dad returns with a large fish. SE29 did take exception when it appeared that 30 was going to get the first bites. In situations where the eldest sibling is trying to establish dominance, most of you will have seen them eating first and once they are full the second eats if there is prey left. It would appear that 29 is asserting that dominance.

It should be sorted out in a few days. Look for good ‘ps’ from 30. Lady continues to feed them almost every hour. All those little bites add up. In a week or a week and a bit, the feedings will show down because the eaglets will be eating more at each feeding.

Things remain really stable and good at the Boathouse Osprey nest in Maine. Dory is feeding the three chicks another good sized fish.

Every once in awhile you can catch one of the Ospreys at Mispillion Harbour on the perch today.

Duke has been bringing some really nice fish to the Barnegat Light Osprey nest in New Jersey. Daisy feeds the kids and winds up with a big crop herself. Oh, I would love to send that fish to Osoyoos! Wouldn’t you?

I have seen no news on the cause of Tom and Audrey’s chick suddenly dying at the Chesapeake Conservancy nest. Will continue to monitor. The adults have been on and off the nest.

Aran and Mrs G have been doing a lot of posing on the perches – sometimes with but today without the fledglings.

Notice the difference in size. Mrs G is at least one-third larger than Aran. Check out the difference in size in wings. — It is always good to remember, when watching a raptor nest, that the females require more food in order to grow to the larger size and to also grow all those additional feathers. Often the females are not the first to fledge either even if they hatched first.

The difference in size – where the females are larger than the males – is called reverse sex-size dimorphism.

I hope if you did not get to attend Christian Sasse’s presentation that you will take the chance to listen to it later. Some very good information with a lot of common sense when approaching utility companies. To all who wrote in, thank you.

Thank you for being with me this evening on this quick check. I am just watching two nests – Osoyoos and the Sea Eagles for stability. One for weather and the other for sibling rivalry. Fledge should be happening anytime at the Janakkalan Nest in Finland (or it has – have not checked today so if you know – send me a comment). Take care all. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their videos, FB postings, and streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Christian Sasse, ND-LEEF, Osoyoos Ospreys, Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Barnegat Light Ospreys, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, and Audubon Explore.

Has Little Bit 17 eaten?…and other news in Bird World on Friday

22 July 2022

It is 0751 in British Columbia and Olsen, the male at the Osoyoos Osprey nest, is taking advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to get fish for him and his family. Already he has brought in two fish to Soo and the kids. Lovely start to the day and it will certainly help them when it gets hot.

The male at the Jannakkalan Osprey nest in Finland was just delivering another big fish to the nest the instant I went to check on the chicks. Of course, there are other big hunks of fish on the nest already. No one will go hungry. The female has been added to the growing list of ‘the remembered’ and the intruder female has not returned – a good thing. The chicks are big. I don’t believe they could be predated now. Dad will feed them and they will fledge. I wonder if they found the body of the mother? and if they will release their findings on what happened to her if they did find it?

At the ND-LEEF nest, a prey item was delivered to the nest by an adult at 0652. I do not know which of the fledglings got the drop but another flew in to the nest. The park staff say that Little Bit 17 was seen flying over the area at 0652:08 on the wide cam.

You can see the wing tip on the branch above the nest of the other fledgling.

The time that 17 was believed to have flown by is 0652:08. Here is a short clip covering the entire time period. It has to be viewed in conjunction with the images above. Sadly the cameras are not synched with one another.

The driving question is this – and nothing else matters — has Little Bit 17 had anything to eat since he was released at the park? Anything? Just ‘seeing’ him does not mean he has eaten! It has been more than 48 hours and it is clear that 15 and 16 know to follow the parent and go to the nest.

Junior’s electrocution by power poles owned and operated by BC Hydro made the news in Vancouver.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/gabriola-island-bald-eagle-dies-electrocution?fbclid=IwAR13R_89H6w7K9Q7ivniSQVRdGylGUAah-EU-NO26ZBEgwRUKSyAR5I6Ch4

Is BC Hydro the agency that actually kills more eagles in British Columbia than anything else? Many think that is the case. It will take a raging public outcry and actions that will bring them to their knees. So if Junior’s life is to be meaningful cry but get mad! Bring BC Hydro to an agreement to get all of the poles on the island made safe for birds. — Then let’s move to the other hot spots where the eagles are killed on their poles.

The streaming cam is once again working at the Boat House Osprey nest on Hog Island. The chicks are doing well! Yippeee.

The Mispillion Osprey nest is vacant this morning. Are the fledglings and the parents down by the harbour?

There is a lovely video that has been compiled about Sky at the West End nest. Have a look…beautiful Sky.

As I sit and watch the three juvenile Crows fly about my garden, get their sandwiches, and bathe in the water, here is a smile from a wildlife rehabber about a female crow that broke her beak. Kindness. Everyone needs it.

Suzanne Arnold Horning caught up with the Ls and Big Red last night. Here are some of her great images.

Can you follow instructions? do Laundry? clean? make a specific lunch? Your local wildlife rehabilitation clinic might be looking for volunteers. It is normally a commitment of 4 hours every week or fortnight for a period of 6 months. Have some time? want to do something for wildlife? Give them a call or check their website. They might be taking applications.

That is a quick check this morning on some of the nests we have been watching. I hope that you have a lovely Friday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Fellowship of the Crow, Explore.org and IWS, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Audubon Explore, GROWLS, ND-LEEF, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, and Suzanne Arnold Horning.

Early Tuesday in Bird World

19 July 2022

Good Morning Everyone,

We woke up to more rain with the promise of tornadoes in some parts of the Canadian prairies. When I first moved to Canada, tornadoes were rare – something that I knew a lot about coming from Oklahoma where F4s are the norm. Now everyone knows what the word ‘tornado’ means. It is 21 degrees C – almost half of what it is in parts of the UK and Europe. I am grateful for the rain – wells are full and so are lakes – instead of a drought and fire. The garden birds are happy today. Way too hot yesterday. Thunderstorms are headed to Llyn Clywedog in Wales but it looks like Glaslyn will be spared. The temperature at Heathrow Airport hit 40.2 C, a record. My thoughts go out to all the animals – human and not – around the world who are experiencing drought, massive flooding, fires, heat, or all of the above. We live in very challenging times.

In Finland, the female has returned to the Janakkalan nest. I have been missing her visits. Thank you ‘C’ for the time stamp. Reviewing footage, the Mum of the two beautiful osplets has tried to eat but she cannot keep the food down. She appears to be weak and tired. Her ‘ps’ is like water – not thick cream. It is so sad but we must be thankful that the chicks appear to be healthy, regardless. Dad is bringing in plenty of fish. One can eat well and the other one is getting there. There are, of course, fish squabbles and both wish their Mum was well and was feeding them. Send positive wishes to this nest – for Mum, so the chicks don’t get sick, for plenty of fish, and for cool weather as Mum is not able to shade the babies if it gets hot as she is normally not on the nest. This is a good thing since it appears that she could have trichomonosis which is highly contagious.

Rain is falling on the Ironwood Tree in the Sydney Olympic Forest. Mum is keeping SE29 nice and warm and we are waiting to see where SE30 is in the hatching process.

Very first bites of fish for SE29. Sweet.

The last osplet, Farne, has fledged from nest 1A at Kielder at 11:10. The Mum of the three fledglings, Mrs YA, has a real task ahead of her keeping these fed. This may hinder her own preparation for getting her weight and fat levels up for migration. I wonder what will happen at the time of migration? Normally the UK females leave earlier than the males leaving the Dads to feed the young ones for 2-3 weeks. Once the fledglings fly south the Dad will leave.

Thanks to Suzanne Arnold Horning we still have wonderful images of Big Red and Arthur’s Ls flying around campus, accepting prey drops, and catching their own.

Cutie Pie L4. Notice that the juvenile hawks have the loveliest blue eyes, sometimes blue-green or blue-green. As they mature, those baby blues will turn dark espresso brown.

Brooks flew off the nest on the morning of the 18th and has not returned. Richmond and Rosie are on the nest. I wish we had some understanding on what happened to Molate. GGA said that they will not retrieve Molate’s body while Brooks is still in the area. So sad for this lovely Osprey couple in their beautiful nest on SF Bay.

Golden Gate Audubon mentioned that some of the chicks in this area actually go to other Osprey nests where they are fed. This apparently happened in 2018 when one of Richmond and Rosie’s chicks moved to another nest and was fed and stayed there until he left the area. That was Brisa.

At the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G, it appears that Blue 498 fledged this morning. Congratulations! The only chick remaining on the Glaslyn nest is 499!

Both of the fledglings sitting on Aran and Mrs G’s perch! Gosh, they look like they are going to be dark like Mum.

Padarn and Paith on the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn. Pedran fledged on the 15th of July. Waiting for these two to test their wings. Gosh, look at that crest. Gorgeous.

All of the chicks of Dylan and Seren’s at Llyn Clywedog have now fledged. what a fabulous year for this nest!

Dorcha continues to look quite fine after the scare with the blood on her abdomen/leg the other day. Louis continues to get the fish on the nest and the weather looks pretty good today. It is about 24 there today.

One of Blue 33 and Maya’s girls was on the Manton Bay nest this morning fish crying to Dad. These were the first to fledge and it is rare to catch them on the nest at Rutland.

Annie and Alden, the Peregrine Falcon couple on The Campanile on the grounds of UC-Berkeley might be wishing that Lindsay and Grinnell Jr would find their own territory!

What a gorgeous sunrise on the Channel Islands West End nest of Thunder and Akecheta this morning. Thunder even came to the nest and paid a visit at 05:45.

Everything looks good at the Boathouse Osprey nest of Dory and Skiff on Hog Island this morning. It is going to get pretty hot on Hog Island today…going up to 28 or 29 C with a 50% chance of rain.

No one slept on the Mispillion Osprey nest by the harbour in Delaware. Later Mum is on the nest with one of the fledglings feeding it and then enjoying some fish herself. I am surprised the other fledgling is not rushing in for some of that fish.

According to the chatters, fish of various sizes ranging from tiny to a little bigger arrived at 0501, 0516, 0534, and again at 0650 for Mum and the two osplets on the Osoyoos nest in British Columbia. Dad is making up in numbers what he isn’t able to supply in size with the heat in the region. Looks like it will be up to 33 C later today — it is 18 degrees C now. What a difference. Mum will be shading her babies!

I have seen no updates on Victor or Little Bit ND17 so far. It is 0939 CDT. All of the nests look fine but two which are worrisome. One is the nest in Finland which took a turn for the worst with one chick dying of starvation. The two older chicks, realizing that fish was at hand, learned to self-feed. There is also worry for Mrs YA at Kieldner nest 1A – how will she get herself in good condition to migrate while tending to all the chicks? Send them all your best wishes – and also for Brooks. I hope that he is safe and being fed elsewhere or that he gets himself home.

Thank you for being with me today. Take care. Stay cool if you are in an area of extreme heat. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their photos, videos, or their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Finnish Osprey Foundation, Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Suzanne Arnold Horning, SF Ospreys and GGA, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Dyfi Osprey Project, CarnyXWild, Friends of Loch of Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, LRWT, Cal Falcons, Explore.org and IWS, Explore and Audubon, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and DDNR, and Osoyoos Ospreys.

Life and Death in Bird World…

18 July 2022

We are going to start off with the good news…a hatch! Sydney’s Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre is giving the official hatch time of WBSE 29 at 1426. There is also a pip in WBSE30’s egg.

Beautiful Lady. By the time we wake up tomorrow morning there should be two healthy White-bellied Sea Eaglets in this nest getting ready to bop and bob.

I thought I might make it through Sunday evening without finding out about another Osprey death. Not so. A much loved male Osprey of a long time mated pair in Bitterroot Valley, Montana was shot with a soft bullet and died. Local animal right’s activists have issued a reward for the identity of the shooter.

Shootings of protected raptors are on the rise in the area. There were 7 last year and already there are 5 this year in this single area of Montana. Reports from wildlife rehab clinics often cite either shootings or – heavy lead toxins due to the eating of prey with bullet fragments – as the major reason for eagles to be in care or dying.

It is, of course, illegal to shoot a protected species but, it doesn’t seem to matter. It has happened in my City, all over the US, in various countries in the EU such as France and Malta. And, of course, there are the ongoing issues in the UK on the private estates where grouse hunting is permitted.

https://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/bitterroot-osprey-shooting-leaves-activists-looking-for-answers/article_fe7ff6c8-f90b-535f-98b6-9a3826e123ee.html?fbclid=IwAR3qVHQb8gMmqRYhFw6CQZX24PHNfYuaFMh57p_EOndiZBTT7NLxDI5dwno

There is good news coming out of the Osoyoos nest. One look at the image reveals the remains of a large fish still on the nest. ‘A-M’ mentioned on the chat that both chicks had eaten well today and Little Bob even had a really full crop. Apparently both parents brought in 2 big fish. It is wonderful to see Mum with a big crop, too. Oh, we could not ask for anything better coming out of the heat in the area. Fantastic.

With all the sadness, the fact that this nest got 2 great big fish and everyone is full and there is still fish is something to celebrate. I wanted fish to fall from the sky but coming in from the lake is just as good.

To also put a smile on your face, Lilibet at the Fraser Point nest of Andor and Mama Cruz had something to say to the fox cub that keeps getting on her nest! And she was very vocal about it.

There is other good news. The youngest osplet of the trio at Llyn Clywedog fledged at 10:22 on Sunday the 17th. Congratulations Dylan and Seren for another successful year and to all those at Llyn Clywedog in Wales.

Seren on one perch and two of the fledglings on the other perch.

The two osplets on the Llyn Brenig nest in Wales have not fledged. They certainly have grown since I last checked on them! Mom looks happy and I bet that fish Dad brought in really tasted good.

Dorcha looking over her two osplets as the sun was setting on Loch Arkaig.

and dawn over Loch Arkaig. I has been impossible to tell how Dorcha is doing. Hopefully she will go for a good swim and get the blood off from her injury – continuing good thoughts for her to heal quickly.

The area is so beautiful.

The Glaslyn Valley nest of Aran and Mrs G is so very different than Loch Arkaig and Loch of the Lowes. The cows and the sheep make the entire scene look like it could be a 17th century painting.

At the Loch of the Lowes, one of the fledglings slept ‘adult style’ on the nest perch all night. There is another (or two?) osprey/s on the dead tree at centre left. Where is everyone else? Laddie? Blue NC0?

Later. Waiting for a delivery!

Dad delivers fish to the Janakkdan Osprey nest on a regular basis. Here is the last delivery for the 17th at 19:28. The osplets will take turns self-feeding.

I have not seen the female on the nest for some hours – from 1900 to 0700. The chicks have not fledged. Some on the chat questioned if she has begun her migration. No, it is too early. Let us hope that she is well.

It is possible there is a perch and Mum is there. She was on the nest at noon today. Both chicks appear to be capable of eating on their own. One better than the other but it has had more practice.

‘H’ reports that it is Smooth Dogfish Shark for breakfast at the Mispillion Harbour Osprey nest! Dad brought in two in quick succession. Everyone was hungry – one fledgling trying to self-feed and the other being fed by Mum who eventually feeds both.

While the ospreys in Delaware were enjoying their Smooth Dogfish Sharks, Karl II was delivering large fish to the Karula National Forest Black storkling nest – that includes Bonus, the adopted storklet of Jan and Janikka. I am so happy that the four are doing so well and so grateful to Urmas for his fish basket! Thank you, Urmas.

The camera was down at Glacier Gardens for part of the 17th. NitBot reports that there were four fish deliveries with Peace getting 1 fish and Love seeming to get the other 3. It is so hard to see the eaglets – is it condensation on the camera? and the cars racing up and down that road are making me nervous. But…Liberty and Freedom know best!

There is no word yet on what caused the 9 day old osplet of Tom and Audrey at the Chesapeake Conservancy to suddenly die. Will keep you posted on any news. Its death was entirely unexpected. There was lots of fish and it was eating well.

Everything seems to be fine for Dory and Skiff and their three osplets on Hog Island in Maine.

Here is a short video of Dory feeding the three just a short while ago.

Like everywhere else, it has been hot and stormy on the Canadian Prairies. If you are in an area of high heat and have shallow bowls (no deeper than 2 or 3 inches), put some water in them if you do not have a bird bath. All manner of raptor are coming to cool down including the local crows and owls – even the rabbits have been in to drink water and get in the shade of the lilacs and ‘the bush tunnels’. I will try to get a photo if I can but Mr Crow was on top of the sunroom/greenhouse this morning telling me that he wanted breakfast!

An osprey expert in the UK told me that never rule out dehydration in the death of Ospreys. He was talking about Molate. But, remember that all of the birds can suffer in the heat without water!

The image below is (I believe) Hedwig’s baby. It is really cropped and blown up – the rabbit is tiny. Those are dandelion leaves and they are not long. He thought he was hiding behind some of the builder’s garbage! But we saw you, cutie pie. Caught in the act. You can eat all of the dandelion leaves you want!

This is Hedwig the Elder over eating the seeds that the birds spill everywhere! What they are really enjoying are the tender shoots.

Bye Hedwig!

Hedwig and Little Hedwig took off together to go to their burrow which is across the back lane underneath a garage.

It has been a week since Victor was rescued. I have not seen an update but it is early in California. Looking forward to some news. Things are rather quiet in Bird World — and goodness, gosh, golly…quiet is welcome. There will be more fledges in the UK and another baby Sea Eagle tomorrow. Something to look forward to….

Thank you for being with me today. Take care Everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Sydney Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre, Osoyoos Ospreys, Explore.org and IWS, CarnyXwild, Llyn Brenig Ospreys, Friends of Loch Arkaig, People’s Postcode Lottery, and the Wildlife Trust, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Friends of Loch of the Lowes, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Eagle Club of Estonia, Glacier Gardens, Chesapeake Conservancy, and Explore.org and Audubon.

Sunday in Bird World

17 July 2022

Good morning everyone. Yesterday was a very tough day in Bird World. So before I begin today I want us all to smile and I cannot think of anyone better than Ervie to do that —our favourite Osprey juvenile at Port Lincoln Australia. He was at the beach in Delamere today. The FB posting said it was cold and blustery. Here is our beautiful lad soaking his talons in the salt water and flying about.

Oh, Ervie what a darling you are. You are doing so well. We all wish we could sit on the beach with you and cool our talons, too. We all hope your talon is growing and that you are catching some fine fish. Your crop certainly doesn’t look empty!

___________________________________________________________________

There is much news coming out of SF about Molate. On the chat yesterday an individual identifying themselves as ‘Video Assistant’ remarked that they had gone over the footage of Molate’s fall and were able to determine that he hit the grid, there were a couple of jerks, and nothing. In other instances, others associated with GGA said that Molate took a couple of difficult breaths, became unstable losing his balance, and fell off the nest. This is one of the most recent posts by SF Ospreys and might answer questions:

GGA and SF Ospreys have tried very hard to keep everyone in the loop as best they can in this difficult situation. It is a difficult call – to leave the body of the raptor there without knowing what caused it to be ill – or to leave it and allow the family to go about their daily lives without the stress. Clearly, none of us wish to see Richmond, Rosie, or Brooks suffer any further. My condolences go out to this long standing Osprey family in SF and all those who love and care for these amazing birds on the Whirley Crane.

There was a fledge at the Glaslyn nest of Aran and Mrs G. Congratulations to Blue 497 is 52 days old and she took her very first flight at 08:11 Sunday the 17th of July. Back home on the nest safely on quite a breezy day in Wales.

At the Welsh osprey nest of Idris and Telyn, Pedran continues to take some glorious flights around the nest to show the others how wonderful it is off the nest. It looks there is another one on the perch but I cannot tell which one it is. This is a great view of the nest and the river…I wish that Dyfi would leave it like this!

The cam operator at the nest of Dory and Skiff on Hog Island in Maine gave us some lovely close ups of the chicks feather developments this afternoon. These three are doing great. No problems being reported.

Small fish continue to come to the Osoyoos nest. The temperature will drop from 34 to 30 today but we really need it to go much lower to get those nice sized fish to come up higher in the water. Dad has to do a lot of fishing to try and find even wee ones in this heat.

Does the lake at Osoyoos ever get stocked with fingerlings?

The male at the Canmore, Alberta Fortis Exshaw Osprey nest continues to catch some really nice sized fish. The trio and Mum had a good breakfast this morning!

The two osplets on the Janakkdan Osprey nest in Finland continue to perfect their self-feeding. Mum has been on the nest in the afternoon and she continues to appear to be improving (not a vet – so this is just my observation).

The second osplet wants some fish but the older one is not giving that nice fish up just yet and is telling the other one clearly to wait its turn! No worries. There will be fish left! But will he share?

Only Bob on the Finnish #1 nest had a really nice meal. Look at that crop!

It looks like Tom and Audrey’s only chick will be the Only Bob on the Chesapeake Bay Osprey nest this year. S/he is 9 days old today and the Conservancy has declared the remaining egg nonviable. Just think…no one to have to share the fish with other than Mum. Sweet Osprey dreams little one.

Remember how loud Grinnell Jr was during the banding? He still is – bet you could hear him across the campus at UC-Berkeley!

Speaking of the University of California Campus at Berkeley. ‘B’ wrote me a note to say that one year Annie and Grinnell’s fledgling had gotten trapped between the glass railings on one of the buildings. UC-B learned a lesson and has a grounds maintenance person hang ribbons on all the balconies of a nearby building to prevent bird strikes. They did only the buildings that would probable sites for bird strike. How wonderful. Thanks, ‘B’. This would be a great solution for Cornell.

Yesterday, Ferris Akel held his normal Saturday birding tour of the area around Ithaca – Wildlife Drive, Sapsucker Lake, ending up on the Cornell Campus. He was able to find all four – Big Red, Arthur, L2 and L4. One of the highlights of yesterday’s tour was getting to see one of the fledglings soaring. I did a short video clip. There are trees that get in the way but the juvenile does come out and soars again. Big Red had also been soaring in the thermals showing the eyases how it is done. It is beautiful to see them flying free, high in the sky.

The Kakapo Recovery team is very happy. After a drop in the number of the flightless parrots, they announced yesterday that the current number of Kakapo is at 216. Amazing. It can all be attributed to the hard working team that does wellness checks, changes batteries in the transmitters, and knows these birds as if they were their own children. Congratulations everyone.

The Kakapo love to hide and the only way to find them is to attack GPS transmitters!

Katy Rossiter has produced a compelling podcast on the Kakapo. If you would like to learn more, have a listen:

Thank you for joining me today. There will be more fledges in the UK. Dorcha has yet to get the blood off her feathers but she appears to be doing OK. Telyn had an injury, too, and she is OK. Let us hope that each of our birds stays safe today. Looking forward to a good report on Little Bit 17 shortly and more information on Victor. Thank you so much for your letters and comments. It is much appreciated. Everyone wants the best for the birds – at the end of the day that is the underlying cord that connects us all. I hope that each of you has a very wonderful Sunday wherever you are. Take care. See you soon.

Thanks to the following for their videos, their postings, and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: The Kakapo Recovery Group, Ferris Akel Tours, Cal Falcons, SF Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Explore.org and Audubon, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife, Chesapeake Conservancy, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Fortis Exshaw, Osoyoos Ospreys, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Port Lincoln Ospreys.

Late Saturday News in Bird World

16 July 2022

The ‘sunroom’ – the reason for Little Red’s eviction from the ancient shed – is not finished but, I am enjoying sitting here until I am tossed out so the workers can finish the floor and the dry wall on the one wall. It is almost like having eagle vision – I have a clear view of the garden and the critters. For Dyson, this means that I now know for certain that he sees himself as the ‘dominant osprey in the nest’. Poor Hedwig the Elder had no peace trying to have its breakfast and I have discovered that Junior also gets chased by Dyson. I have seen this behaviour before but was not aware of the extent of Dyson’s reign of terror. Of course, he is far too cute and the shenanigans he gets up to so he can enjoy just one more peanut or another cup of bird seed are precious.

Dyson first made a mess eating the peanuts and leaving the shells,. Then he decided to stash them instead of sharing with Junior. There he goes running. (Sorry for the not so clearly focused image…his coat is beautiful and that fluffy tail has all grown back — which clearly leads me to believe now that Dyson is a ‘she’ not a ‘he’. )

The birds gifted me sunflowers in the Vermillionaire boxes for the hummingbirds.

I was not quick enough to even get a bad picture of Junior but, it was Junior. Last week when we had everything going on with Victor, I came home and found a dead Blue Jay in the front garden. There had been a big fight between a Blue Jay and Mr Crow with Mr Crow winning – and well, I thought it was Junior. For days I worried about the three juveniles but, alas, it was not Junior. I was able to confirm by a distinctive mark that only Junior has that I saw this morning. Relief.

The other thing the garden critters battle, sadly, are cats. We have a bylaw that states people are not to let their cats out of their house. Is it enforced, no. But it called enough attention to the problem of rising feral cat numbers that most people abide by the law. But some don’t.

The bylaw has helped. The sheer number of feral cats has had significant declines. It is just getting humans to obey the laws – it is not the cat’s fault. I do not know who owns this particular cat but a gentle tap and it is gone. It is impossible to keep them out and well, the cat doesn’t know it isn’t supposed to be outside. There are advantages to cats staying inside – they won’t get hit by a car, they won’t get bitten by bees and have to go to the vet, they will not get injured in fights with other cats, they will not get their fur matted with plant material, they will not get caught in traps…

It really is a simple fix and could save tens of thousands or more birds each year if we would only trim our trees and shrubs before or after breeding season…not during. And keep the cats inside! The Guardian just featured an article on this very topic today. That said, I was planning to write about this regardless. Now that I have an eagle’s 270 degree view around my garden and neighbourhood, I just noticed yesterday that the man across the lane cut down the top third of his tree. In that part of his tree were two nests: the Blue Jays and a Red-squirrel. We were alerted to the issues when a squirrel sat on the power line screaming its head off for the entire day on Thursday. Did it have babies in a nest?

If you or someone you know is cutting down or trimming a tree, if your City is cutting them down, take the time to tell them if there is an unseen nest. Two years ago we had to lobby our power company over a Cooper’s Hawk nest – they backed down and we got a commitment to fall only trimming. Everyone can do their part!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jul/15/think-of-nesting-birds-before-pruning-your-hedge

Akecheta and Thunder continue to have trouble with juveniles coming to the West End nest in the Channel Islands. Akecheta had to escort another one out of the territory today.

There has been a fledge at the Loch of the Lowes. It happened at 10:06 this morning. So both of the osplets of Laddie LM12 and Blue NC0 have fledged. Congratulations Laddie, Blue NC0 and everyone at LOTL. Well done.

There are some concerns about Louis’s mate, Dorcha, at the Loch Arkaig nest. She has blood on her lower abdomen. It looks rather nasty. I had originally thought it might have come from a fish but not so sure. Did she get injured trying to move one of her big sticks?

Fish continue to come on to the Osoyoos nest. The last one was a little larger but it took only 3 or 4 minutes to finish it. One osplet got it all but the tail which Mum ate. Please send wishes for more fish on this nest…we need so much more. It is a bad situation with the heat. Mum needs much more food to survive and we have chicks getting juvenile feathers now…I am really worried about this nest. The parents have to eat as well as the two chicks…hoping the heat wave will end!

Oh, I would love to send a big fish like the one that Dad just brought to the Mispillion Harbour nest over to Osoyoos! It is a nice lunch for everyone in Delaware today.

The three osplets are getting their juvenile feathers, too, at the Boathouse Osprey nest on Hog Island, Maine. They have been pancaked many times this morning..more problems with intruders it would appear.

Every once in awhile I want to remind you of special blogs or websites. One of those is Bruce Yolton – a bird lover and photographer – who covers the urban hawks in New York City. Today, he has some wonderful images of the Peregrine Falcons and Red-tail Hawks. Have a peek! urbanhawks.com

Image copyright. Bruce Yolton.

There were ospreys on the Henlopen State Park nest in Delaware today. Not sure who they are. Is this the same intruder that injured the Mum causing the three osplets to die?

Dear Victor. I love how Ojai Raptor Centre is helping Victor through the physical therapy. Everyone cross their fingers and toes and hope that they find out what is the cause of Victor’s problem. Poor Baby. You got this Victor!

It isn’t just Bald Eagles that raise other species, this showed up in my inbox today…an owl and a duckling.. So grateful that the duckling is precocial and can pretty much take care of itself if it finds water and plants to eat! Thanks Mama Owl.

https://www.sonyaz.net/foto-galeri/owl-mistakes-duck-egg-for-her-own-and-raises-it/521/?fbclid=IwAR2cJDFz7Tlp5UwB099kFhajw_DYxckz-hClWyLQTQyw2u1Ty3MQcDj510A

Keep Southern Royal Albatross male, OGK, father to Miss Pippa Atawhai and Quarry Track chick, in your thoughts. He was last positively seen on the 19th of May. It is unusual for a parent, especially one so devoted as OGK,, to be away for this long period of time. As is the practice of the NZ DOC, he will not be declared deceased until he does not return for the next breeding cycle in October 2023. Let us all hope he finds his way back to QT chick!

I have not seen any updates on Victor or Little Bit 17 this weekend. Perhaps on Monday. We know that Little Bit is working on his flying and Victor is getting therapy. Lots of fledging in the UK – too much to keep track of at times and intruders, many juveniles hatched from the nest in previous years such as KS7 and KS8 visiting Llyn Clywedog. KS7 fledged in 2018 and KS8 in 2021. Looking good! Continue to send your warm thoughts to all our birds.

Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone…see you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, FB posts, blogs, etc, that form my screen captures: Explore.org and IWS, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Woodland Trust, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Audubon Explore, Bruce Yolton, Ojai Raptor Centre, Cornell and the NZ DOC, and the Dodo.

Victor is doing physical therapy and other brief news in Bird World

16 July 2022

Oh, everyone is watching for news about Victor so you will already have seen what I posted below – but, oh, Physical Therapy for Eagles. Makes me smile. All of us are hoping beyond hope that they can find what is wrong with Victor so he can be ‘fixed’. That is the key isn’t it: what is wrong with Victor?

What a great little video clip. Chase teaches Lancer to work for that fish!

The Mum at the Jannakadan Osprey nest in Finland was eating a morning fish and appeared to be much better at swallowing. What a wonderful sight. Could it possibly be that the fright for the health of the Mum is over? Oh, goodness,. wouldn’t that just be a blessing!

Thank you ‘B’ for sending me the latest update on Victor that was posted on the Ojai Raptor Centre’s FB page below the image.

Look at Victor having to work those legs.

Victor being held up so that he can work his legs.

“Physical therapy time! ORC staff Veterinarian Dr. Stephany Lewis uses this technique for physical therapy for our raptor patients, as well as an assessment and monitoring tool for animals with neurological diseases. Spinal trauma is extremely difficult to diagnose on avian radiographs, but should be visible on CT scan. The CT scan on this eagle performed at VMSG did not show any evidence of spinal trauma, though further review of the CT is still pending. A West Nile Virus PCR test and a toxic heavy metal blood panel are still pending and we will update as we know more about this case.”

Did you notice that old clean towel with the holes cut through to support Victor? Do not discard your old towels that are clean. Keep them, gather others from friends, family, and neighbours. I kid you not – they are used so much in the wildlife rehab clinics. Then deliver them to your local clinic. They will be ever so grateful!

Dear Victor. So many people are sending you love and support. You can do this little buddy! If you go to the Ojai Raptor Centre FB page they also have some videos of Victor working those legs. Please watch. He is working so hard.

There was also a posting by Humane Indiana Wildlife – not specifically about Little Bit ND17 but all the animals in their care. Take the time to read down closely. I am going to take a giant leap of faith and presume that Little Bit will also be required to have hunting skills and be independent before he is released. That is just terrific news. The staff had never mentioned this but surely it is their intention. Here is their statement on their FB page:

This morning I have another video of that teenage osprey with attitude. It is nest #3 — thanks, ‘S’. I am not sure whether to feel sorry for Mum or just roll in laughter.

Small fish continue to come to the Osoyoos nest – both chicks are eating and Mum got the tail but this nest has to be ‘hungry’. Thanks Dad for all your hard work trying to find fish in this hot weather.

There have been intruders around the Hog Island Osprey platform of Dory and Skiff. The three kids really know how to pancake when someone is around.

It is fish deliveries and practice eating at Mispillion as the two fledglings continue to have some fun flying. This nest has done well. It has been fun to watch Mum decorate. I wish I could send her the sunflower the birds planted for me. I think she would love the yellow.

If you love the Llyn Clywedog nest of Dylan and Seren in Wales, then you know the name John Williams. Last year he did a lot of spotting and driving and figuring to find out where Dylan was getting the Brown Trout if he wasn’t catching them at the Reservoir. He is the person who also gives us some great images of Dylan out fishing sometimes. Here is some more information on John but also the history of the nest if you want to keep a record.

https://johnwilliamswildlifeandlandscapephotography.wordpress.com/about/?fbclid=IwAR1gpSBBWh22EKlt6_9CewQAzz6O-Yc99307P5AmsmVxSZb-l7uihqa1wkw

That is brief news this morning. Will be watching for a pip at the WBSE nest in Sydney. It looks like the little one at Chesapeake Bay will be it for Tom and Audrey this year! Grow fast..you are the youngest of all the babies of 2022. Take care everyone. Have a wonderful Saturday. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Ojai Raptor Centre, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Humane Indiana Wildlife, Osoyoos Ospreys, Explore.org and Audubon, Mispillion Harbour, and Explore.org and IWS.

Late Friday in Bird World

15 July 2022

If you did not see the presentation and discussion about the care that US Steel eaglet 4 (USS4) is getting at the Tamarack Wildlife Centre in PA, then please go to my earlier blog this afternoon and have a listen. As I noted, at 14:52 in the discussion, the lead wildlife rehabilitation officer at Tamarak is addressing the life skills that USS4 will get and -require- before he can be released. That includes a lot of work with prey. Yes, by all weights and measurements, USS4 is a ‘he’ but they sent away a blood sample for DNA analysis to be sure. I was ‘blown away’ by their investment and it is what we all dream Little Bit 17 will have before he is released. Here is the link to get to the earlier blog that has the interview.

https://wordpress.com/post/maryannsteggles.com/58064

This is one of the best videos that I have seen showing the Whirley crane nest of Rosie and Richmond and the juveniles flying. Brooks is doing really well and Molate even managed to do some hovers. You can see Richmond and Rosie, too. Really hope that Molate is doing better. He sure enjoyed his fish.

At the Osoyoos Osprey nest, Dad has been delivering fish – four this morning. Thank you, Dad. Mum is doing her best to keep the two little ones cool. It was a good morning for this family.

It is 34 degrees C in Osyoos and it is forecast to get hotter. Keep all of these nests in the heat wave in your positive thoughts. We don’t want a repeat of 2021 when chicks were dying of sun stroke or jumping off nests so they did not roast to death in the Pacific Northwest.

It is 30 degrees C in Winnipeg and we have a heat warning and it is currently 30 degrees C in Canmore, Alberta where the chicks and their Mum are hot – but that 4 degrees C means these are just a little cooler than Osoyoos.

Gosh, the Boathouse Ospreys are cute. Sometimes when they are asleep it is hard to tell who is who. Dory is trying to keep her babies cool just like Mum at Osoyoos.

Have you noticed how expressive Osprey faces are? They are such individuals. I would love to know what the conversation is on the Mispillion Harbour nest!

Here are some shots from the Dyfi Osprey nest in Wales in the late afternoon. Pedran fledged at 51 days old, slightly earlier than the average, at 15:05. It was a perfect take off and Telyn even escorted her daughter back to the nest. Telyn looks so tiny next to these three big girls her and Idris raised this year. One more to fledge. They will spend their time working those wings to get strength and eating and eating to put fat on their bodies for their first long migration. They normally do not catch their first fish until after they have left the natal nest.

Blue 553 fledged from the Llyn Clywedog Nest at 05:27. Well done, two down, one to go. The osplets have certainly started decorating the pine to the left of Dylan and Seren’s nest a little early!

Did you know that raptors often chose a nest sight – if vacant – by the amount of PS on everything. The more PS, the more prey and the healthier the chicks will be.

There was storm, rain, and thunder when LR0 at the Loch of the Lowes nest of Laddie and Blue NC0 decided to fledge today. That was really something unexpected.

Is it just me or does the female at the Janakkdan Osprey nest in Finland look better today? Both of the osplets had a lot of nice fish before bed. No worries for them. Positive wishes for this family.

All four of the White storklets (not little anymore) are doing so well at the Mlade Buky nest of Bukacek and Betty. Just look at them. They are as big as their parents. What a delight.

Discussions are underway as to who will get the transmitters on the Karula National Forest nest of Karl II and Kaia. It seems that Bonus, one of two surviving storklets of Jan and Janikka, who was taken to the clinic to be raised and then adopted at the Karula nest will be one of the recipients.

I would hope that Urmas and Dr Madis V of the Estonia Medical University would be very happy with their intervention to save the surviving storklets of Jan and Jannika. It was a bold experiment that worked — and underscores what we need to do to help our wildlife. The fish basket has been a real help – possibly a life saver. When other nests like Osoyoos are only getting little fish and it is hot, is it not possible to supplement them? After all, climate change has been caused by humans…it just makes sense to do what we can, when we are able.

‘EJ’ sent me a link to a great video about an eagle that would just not give up – the drive to live was so robust. Add this to your playlist for Friday night or the weekend, it is really uplighting! Thanks EJ!

It feels pretty good in Bird World this afternoon. Molate is eating well and he did some hovering. Perhaps his only problem was Brooks was getting too much of the fish. Let us all hope so. The chicks in Finland are eating and to me — not a vet — the Mum ‘looked’ better. Let us hope for some cooler temperatures at all the nests who are suffering from heat and keep all of those in care in our warm thoughts.

Thank you for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!

Thanks to the following for their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: SF Bay Ospreys and Golden Gate Audubon, Osoyoos Ospreys, Fortis Exshaw, Audubon Explore.org, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR, Dyfi Osprey Project, CarnyxWild, and Friends of Loch of the Lowes and the Wildlife Trust and the Wildlife Foundation of Utah.