I had to write to thank you for all the letters and notes you have sent me, wishing me well for the holidays, for the short notes each day, and for the good wishes that the new medications for Don will work. You have no idea how much I appreciate each one. I am overwhelmed by the warmth and love of our Bird World community. What struck me most is the warmth and caring from so many who are also experiencing very challenging days – parents who have gone into care with dementia, others having chemo and radiation therapy or facing surgeries, and some who will have insurmountable financial obstacles in the new year. I am so very, very touched by your kindness and, yes, your love. I can feel it, and it truly helps me get through these terrible days.
Dementia or Alzheimer’s (they are different) seems to have touched all of our lives. Either a parent or sibling has died or has this terrible disease, or you have known someone with it. Memory centres are full, hospital beds are full, and the holidays seem to be a prime time when mental illness doesn’t go to sleep but starts boiling over for many.
I am happy to say that the additional medication cocktail has kept Don more or less sedated. He went back to bed at noon on Wednesday and didn’t wake up till 1900, when he ate, brushed Toby, talked, and held me, and then was back in bed by 2130. Was he just overly tired? To so suddenly become agitated and violent is very strange, and his doctor certainly thinks that he could have an infection or something. He has been drinking a lot of water, and I wondered if he was dehydrated. We will never know.
I could not go to sleep tonight without reaching out to you to thank you again for your wonderful kindness and to wish you, your family, and your friends and all our pets and raptors a happy holiday.
One of our very talented Bird World community menbers sent this from Japan. Isn’t it marvellous?! Thank you ‘A’.
Winter is truly here. Snow is falling regularly. The temperature has warmed from the frigid cold of a few days ago to a balmy -9. Our walk with Toby as the snow danced down was wonderful. -9 C is just perfect winter weather. Toby loves the snow. He jumps and plays sniffing every tree or bush along the path.
This is Ellen’s photo from Monday morning. Ellen comes on Mondays and Thursdays. All I have to do is say her name, and Toby’s eyes literally light up. When she arrives, he jumps up and down for joy. Our lad loves his walks. They usually go from 1.3 to 1.7 km in half an hour. Toby is truly tired when he gets home.
One of the things I often get asked is how we stay warm in such cold weather. First, our houses are super insulated, and ours has triple-pane windows with a gas-filled cavity between the mullions and special glass that holds the heat in winter and dissipates it in the summer. Doors fit super tight. Our heating bills can be high, especially in January and February. We dress to go outside. Our coats are rated to -40 C. Our coats are ‘800 fill down’. This means that one ounce of this down expands to fill 800 cubic inches. Our coats are fluffy, very lightweight, and super warm, as are our boots, which are also rated to -40 C. We wear natural materials such as wool. I find a cashmere turtle neck layered with another sweater works when it is truly around -30 C. Hats and gloves are lined, and we have scarves of every thickness and size. I find that when we are moving, we stay warm, but when we stop to chat with other dog walkers, we often start to feel cold, especially our toes.
Holidays are just around the corner, and during the days and weeks ahead, your lives will get busier. Hanukkah begins at sunset on the 14th, Christmas is on the 25th, and Kwanza, St Stephen’s Day, and Boxing Day are on the 26th. For my friends in Japan, the tradition of cleaning comes just ahead of the new year celebrations. Oh, how I would love to be in Kyoto munching on mochi!
Calico reminds all of us that it is the precious time we have together, not the money or the presents (the stuff we will happily discard later), that make us joyful or peaceful. So, please, take a breath. Please just put away the credit card if it is out of your wallet, and think of something that you can do for someone to help them. It could be an afternoon of babysitting. Or taking someone for a walk and giving a caregiver free time? Why not find some objects and greenery and make some small wreaths for friends? Or cook them a simple meal – it does not have to be elaborate. Remember it is the time together that is important. I cannot tell you how much Thursday afternoons with my daughter, Jaine, taking Don out for a long walk means to me. I cannot put it into words. Made some homemade jam? Put a ribbon on it! What a lovely gift. Be creative and smile after the holidays because you will not be agonising over how to pay for them. Then send Calico a ‘thank you’. She would love to hear what you did that didn’t cost ‘the bank’.
Calico found a great article in The Guardian, ‘Shop secondhand, shred your veg and try ‘furoshiki’ wrapping: 14 easy ways to cut Christmas waste’. Grab a ‘cuppa and have a good read. I do love the orange peel stars. We are going to work on that this week!
Snow is dancing down. It is really quite beautiful and festive. I will try and capture some of their beauty with the camera phone.
The early morning, but most especially the time right before the sun begins to set around 1600, is magical. There is a golden glow to the light. All of the garden animals are out eating – the Chickadees, the four grey squirrels, Little Red, the Starlings and Sparrows, Mr and Mrs Crow and, sadly, only a single Blue Jay today. This worries me, but we will see about tomorrow. Maybe there will be two.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the frigid temperatures disappeared on Monday, and it was wonderful to be outside in the snow. Toby loves the snow. He runs, jumps, and rolls in his snow suit, and he doesn’t even mind having his boots put on. Boots, you say? Boots for a dog? They have super grip on the bottom, and that keeps him from slipping on the ice while protecting his back legs. We don’t want any dislocations!
On Wednesday, we have hired a local photographer to take some very informal and fun photos of Don and me – and Toby, of course, at our local park. ‘The Girls’ would not sign the waiver!!!!!!! We have not had our picture taken together in any professional way for decades – and I do mean decades. I am so excited. We are just hoping that the warmer temperatures will hold. If they come out, I will be posting them here on the blog.
Pepe and Muhlady’s first hatch at North Central Florida (Superbeaks) Bald Eagle nest has been named Mira. I stopped covering this nest because the owners of the Superbeaks streaming cam took exception to Heidi posting videos of the nest. Over a year later, it appears that the owners have had a change of heart. Paul Kolnik on Bald Eagles 101 now states that they have said that it is alright to post videos and images from the nest on social media.
I have no idea what the term ‘professional scraper’ means, so I am including a FB post today by Maria Johnson so you can see that little grey fluff ball. Since I do not earn any income from my blog, I assume the term does not apply to me. That said, I will rarely post anything from this nest until there is a clear understanding of what is meant by the term. I do love Pepe and Mulady – they are incredible eagle parents.
Pepe has brought in prey, and both adults have fed Mira.
Egg number 2 has a hole and egg number 3 has a crack. Mira will have brothers and/or sisters soon.
The Laysan Albatross are incubating eggs on Kauai. Hob Osterlund keeps us up to date – check out the battle for incubation. Doesn’t this look familiar?
Big things are happening at Big Bear Valley for Jackie and Shadow, and they are really early this season. Has this pair figured out that laying their eggs earlier might lead to a higher hatching success? SPO gives us all the details!
Beau and Gabby continue to take turns incubating their eggs. Do you remember when Gabby had more suitors than days in the week? We wondered if V3 was worthy. There was blood and skirmishes and that first year everything went sideways after Samson disappeared. Then we wondered if Beau was up to the task of fathering after burying the egg. We learned that he is up to the task last year. Fingers crossed that this one is even better for one of our favourite Bald Eagle couples.
The camera operators at the Trempeauleau Bald Eagle nest in Wisconsin (Raptor Resource Project) are to be commended. We got a beautiful look at the nest and surrounding area. Mr T has been chortling with Mrs T. I wonder if he is also doing the same with the ‘other Mrs T’ on the other side of the lake?
Snow in Iowa at the nest of Mr and Mrs North at Decorah.
At the US Steel nest of Irvine (Irv) and Stella, Pix Cams caught the pair fishing and soaring. https://youtu.be/SSV1vj5o09o?
Snow covers the nest at ND-LEEF in South Bend, Indiana.
It’s a little warmer on Captiva where Connie and Clive are incubating their two eggs.
Warmer at Fraser Point, home of Cruz and Andor.
Jolene and Boone are at their nest in Johnson City, Texas.
Ron and Rose – oh, I do love Ron. What a character! Incubating eggs in the heat of a Florida winter.
Knepp Farm reintroduced White Storks to the south of England. Now London will be getting their own in a rewilding programme. Can you feel the smile on my face?
Saving Monarchs posted this really informative image on FB. We have always had a lone rabbit coming to our garden in the winter. This year is no different – it appears that the large rabbit population of fifteen years ago has dwindled due to habitat destruction and road collisions.
Since it is the holiday season, Everything Gardening posted a very appropriate information poster on what can harm wildlife. Please look it over and make certain that you have not inadvertently put decorations outside that will harm our beloved friends.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care of yourself. We look forward to having you with us tomorrow as we continue our daily check in as we lead up to more eagle hatches.
Thank you to the owners of the FB groups and their posts, to The Guardian for covering wildlife stories and the environment, and to the owners of the streaming cams that give us a glimpse into the lives of these amazing raptor families.
We woke up to -22 C Saturday morning. Just seeing those numbers on the phone screen and feeling the cold of the conservatory floor on the soles of my bundled-up feet reminded me how much I dislike getting up on a winter’s morning. While ‘The Girls’ have their boxes, dear Toby had to head outside for his ‘business’. Poor thing. We also had to get ready to get Toby to his last grooming session of the year. My goodness. We are 24 days away from 2026. Can you believe it?
There is a forecast, our first for a cold warning (ECCC) with windchills from -35 to -40 C. This is for Saturday night and into Sunday. Extreme Cold.
Thank you so much for your letters and your comments. Today I finally got around to answering comments, some from near Thanksgiving. I do appreciate them even if I can’t sit down and respond as quickly as I did several years ago. It reminds me that there are wonderful people out there who love our wildlife and will do anything they can to help. It makes my heart (and feet) warm.
‘MP’ sent us a link to a new Bald Eagle nest in Texas with the following note:
Eagle nest live Texas. It’s in Bay City, TX in Matagorda county on the coast in South Texas. There are already two eggs in the nest. They are going to be naming the adults and then the chicks after they hatch. I don’t know how long the nest has been there, but it’s on a private ranch near the Colorado River in Texas. It has a chat too. The stream opened this year on 12/2/25.”
When I checked the live stream was not available. Please check on and off as they could be having Internet issues!
If you want to help all of our wildlife, then it is time to take on the issue of lead. Every year at this time, countless raptors are admitted to rehabilitation clinics in dire condition due to lead.
Lead builds up in the bodies of raptors and other carrion eaters, such as condors and vultures, by ingesting fragments of lead ammunition from animal carcasses or gut piles left in the field by hunters. They also consume lead from lost fishing weights and sinkers in aquatic environments. Our birds do not have the luxury of ordering food. They are opportunistic. They are scavengers and eat carrion, especially in winter when live prey is scarce. When they consume meat containing tiny lead fragments (often the size of a grain of rice or smaller), the lead enters their digestive system. The stomach acid quickly breaks down this lead which is absorbed in their blood stream. Their bodies do not get rid of it. It accumulates in their liver, kidneys, brains – the soft tissues of their body – and over time it will even be absorbed into their bones. Even small amounts of lead can cause severe illness or death.
The easiest solution is for anyone currently using lead equipment – either in sports or in the military – to switch to a non-lead alternative. They cost a little more but, in the end, isn’t it worth it? If humans cannot voluntarily do what is good for wildlife and the environment, then lead ammunition and lead equipment should be banned from manufacture.
Please tell anyone that you know that hunts or fishes how they can help and what happens if they don’t stop using lead!
For those who love the Decorah Hatchery Eagles, you might recall that the wonderful female, known as Hatchery Mum or HM, also died of lead toxicity.
.Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We will see you again tomorrow!
Thank you to ‘MP’ for writing in about the new Texas eagle nest! And thank you to Geemeff for that great story as well as the authors of articles and posts included today. My blog would never be the same without your input.
With the wind, it was -28 on Wednesday. Today will be slightly warmer, but the wind will be bitter.
Thank you so very, very much for your notes. I am so touched that the little video of Hugo Yugo playing with Toby brought such joy to so many!
I was particularly touched when one of our readers sent the following, “Toby and Hugo Yugo! Hilarious. I laughed until I cried. Especially when Toby grabbed her tail. Thank you for cheering me up on the first day of my husband’s cancer treatment. I needed that. I’m going to show the video to him.” We wish you and your family well as you continue down this long journey of treatment, and I hope to have more videos of the feisty HY and Toby for you to enjoy.
Many have asked about Brock. Dear Brock. My heart aches, and tears always fall when I see him in the winter. I cannot imagine what happened to this beautiful, gentle Tuxedo cat to send him into a life of homelessness. Just thinking of him outside when it is -19 C causes me great agony.
We are testing all manner of contraptions to see what he will actually use this winter. Today, he opted to sun himself on the shelf of a strange end table. Raised up off the deck, it provided a good vantage point to rest. I wish there was a heated mat on that shelf. I might try putting one there with some insulating material around a couple of sides to break up the wind but not enough to cause Brock to feel trapped.
His fur is in good shape and quite shiny.
I have accepted that Brock will never come inside the house. So, instead, the quest is to keep finding ways to make his life outside as good as possible. Rigid home insulation has been put on the ground under the deck, with an area isolated off with a heat lamp and a heated pad. Brock must spend a lot of time under the higher area of the deck where we have created ‘his apartment’ because when I put the food in the heated dish and call ‘Kitty, kitty’, he is there in less than thirty seconds. Could you keep him in your thoughts? Winter is just starting, and it is long.
Toby and Hugo Yugo helped put up the holiday garland over the French doors. Then HY spent the next hour trying to figure out how to tear it down! The eucalyptus needed a trim, so HY couldn’t reach it. The joy this mischievous pair brings cannot be measured.
Zonked from all that activity.
Calico’s Tip for the holidays (no matter which one/s you celebrate): Please remember that people do not need more stuff. We only have to declutter later. They do not need you to go into debt to get something under the tree for them. They need you to be happy and stress-free. The best gifts can be your time, a handwritten note, or even a donation, however small or large, to help a rescue or rehabilitator. A homemade card, a jar of homemade jam, and help to clear a garden… be creative. Money does not have to be involved…in fact, from our perspective, it is much more fun when it isn’t.
Our present to be bestie is babysitting her British White Retriever for ten days so she can visit her son. It feels good to be able to do that, and imagine… we are going to have so much fun. Lots of photos will be posted!
Calico also wants you to remember, for her, the outdoor animals this winter. This lovely poster showed up in Manitoba Wildlife Photography FB, original creator unknown. It highlights the struggles that Dyson and her family face each winter.
We are always happy when you can join us, and we love getting your letters. Take care. See you tomorrow for Day 4.
We are going to take a break from digital media and people for awhile and slide into holiday hibernation mode here in Canada.
I want to thank all of those wonderful students and people who brought so much joy into my life over the past year. Getting up in the morning would be nothing without you!
If I could give each of you a box of gifts it would certainly hold lots of good health and ikigai – a source for your own happiness and waking up and seeing the wonder in the world. I would give the world calm and a truck load of trees to plant. Imagine planting trees and stopping deforestation! They say it will help clean up the mess we have made of this beautiful planet of ours.
No matter how or what you celebrate this holiday, have wondrous moments with those who really matter to you. And may 2019 be full of hope.
