I thought everyone would be excited to see that our dear Little Bit 17 made the news paper as the ‘Little Eagle that Could’! We knew he was very special from the moment he hatched. It is nice that everyone else sees that, too!
Kim Weiniger posted some images on the Notre Dame Eagles page. I am attaching one in the hope that she will not mind since it was on FB. 17 is looking so well.
Thank you so much for joining me. See you soon.
Thank you to the Notre Dame Eagles FB page for their continuing coverage of the eagles and, in particular, Little Bit 17.
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.
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.
Ah, the rain continues to fall and it is cold and damp. It sure looks like it is a beautiful day on the New Jersey shore where the Banegat Light Osplets of Daisy and Duke are now 6 weeks and 3 days old. Duke has brought in fish and then removed them must to the angst of the kids.
For those who missed it, Little Bit ND17’s blood work came back with a negative to the West Nile Virus. He is flying but is not yet steady on his take off and landing. More work will be done by the Humane Indiana Wildlife on this and getting his wings stronger for release back at the park where he hatched. It is then hoped that he will rejoin his family and be taught to hunt his own prey. I am very grateful that Humane Indiana Wildlife were able to pick up and take Little Bit into care and get him this far into returning to the wild. I wish they had a way to train him to catch his own prey and a prey rich area to release him. That said, not all facilities can undertake that level of rehabilitation. We all wish ND17 a super successful life. He certainly deserves it.
Little Bit’s tail feathers have grown with all that good food and care.
Eyes have been on the Janakkdan Osprey nest in Finland since the female was observed having a difficult time swallowing and feeding her chicks. I have been alerted by ‘S’ in Finland that there is some concern that the female may have contracted Trichomonosis. This is a parasite that can come from contaminated water or transfer from bird to bird. Feeding chicks could spread the disease so it is good that the chicks are self-feeding more now!
Here is an article explaining this disease. You will note that this disease can impact all species of birds. It is highly contagious and could impact all manner of birds in the area sharing the same water source.
Today, Mum has observed her chicks trying to self-feed. One chick is better than the other who wants to be fed. We hope that her health will improve and that these little ones, who are nearing independence, will continue to master their feeding skills and do not catch the disease — if that is what is plaguing this female.
One chick is eating well while the other is calling at Mum to feed it. There are two fish on the nest that I can see.
The chicks have been ringed at nest #5 in Finland!
Here is the video showing this momentous occasion in the chick’s lives. Thank you so much for sending me this link, ‘S’. It is much appreciated.
I am always interested in the human intervention that helps our feathered friends. Several have sent me the most delightful stories and I am going through them so that I can show them to you. They are delightful. Since we have been looking at the Finnish nests I would like to share with you today a story from Finland sent to me by ‘S’. The story is my words based on what ‘S’ told me. If it is inaccurate – blame me!
In 2020, there was a lot happening at Finnish Osprey nest #3. The female described as both funny, timid, and hassling) Helmi thought that her time off caring for her chicks was finished and she left for migration (or was injured/killed) and did not return to the nest. The big female chicks on nest #3 managed to self-feed quite nicely and entered into a fierce competition of who was now the boss of the nest! Then all of a sudden fish deliveries waned because of poor weather. People on the chat got hysterical as they believed the chicks would starve to death. The cameras were turned off. And….as is sometimes the case, humans came to the rescue with a delivery of fish on the nest for the chicks. And all was well. It is like a fairy tale for Ospreys –fish falling from the sky into the nest!
There are several new videos out from some of our favourite nests. The first one features Mr President and Takoda and a fish!
In this one, we get to see great views of Cal Falcons Lindsay:
Intervention was called for with Manitoba’s own peregrine falcons…a second chance at a full life is granted! Our Manitoba Peregrine Falcons are gorgeous…don’t you think?
Also in Manitoba, one Mum taking all the ducklings to swim!
In the Glaslyn Valley, fledge watch has begun for Blue 497 who is 49 days old today. In the UK the Ospreys fledge from 40 to 53 days old. Males normally fledge earlier because they are smaller and have less growth and plumage development to undertaken before flying than females. At the nest of Aran and Mrs G, the average time for males to fledge is 52.5 days and females at 54 days. Blue 498 is only one day younger so who will go first?
Beautiful family portrait with Aran on the perch. Proud parents of three lovely osplets.
At the Dyfi Nest of Idris and Telyn, the oldest of the three females, Pedran, is 50 days old today. She is officially in fledge watch but, these are all females. The earliest male to fledge at Glaslyn was Tywi in 2020 at 48.7 days and the oldest was Leri, a female in 2011, at 57.3 days. Let’s keep an eye on this nest in 2-3 days for a fledge because the average fledge age between all is 52.8 days.
We are waiting for the second osplet at the Mispillion Harbour nest to fledge. Gorgeous image of Mum with her remaining ‘nestling’. By the way, ‘H’ alerted me to the fact that Mum has now found her favourite yellow metal object and returned it to the nest!!!!!!! The yellow matt is hiding under nesting materials. Is yellow the state colour of Delaware?
Looks like Mum on the perch. It will not be long til both siblings are flying around the nest and the harbour. Looks like some duct tape cam on to the nest….if I say that anyone hosting a streaming cam or knowing of a nest should get permission after breeding season to clean it will I sound like a broken record?
The Woodland Trust is wanting name suggestions for Louis and Dorcha’s two chicks for the 2022 season. If you would like to join in, here is the announcement. Suggestions end Monday and you must vote on The Woodland Trust’s FB page.
And last a quick look in at the Boathouse Ospreys on Hog Island. Dory and Skiff are doing an amazing job – simply amazing with three and Dory a first time Mum.
Dory is feeding the two little ones…Slipjack and Sloop.
Look at that crop on Schooner! Lovely.
Thank you so much for joining me today. There are lots of birds that need your good wishes. We wait to hear what they can determine is causing Victor’s illness and we hope that the two osplets in Finland stay well. Take care all. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages where I took my screen captures: Audubon and Explore.org, The Woodland Trust, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Banegat Light Ospreys, Humane Indiana Wildlife, Finnish Osprey Foundation, NADC-AEF, Cal Falcons, Manitoba Birding, Bird and Wildlife Photography, Mispillion Harbour Ospreys and the DDNR.
You need to know about the presentation and we have all been waiting for an update on Little Bit 17. Of course, we do not need any more bad news in Bird World.
First. I have just been notified that Alan Poole’s excellent discussion about North American Ospreys will be taken off YouTube in 8 days. This is extremely informative – if you want to learn about Ospreys, please have a listen. Lots to learn! The original programme aired last year. You can start and stop…
Humane Indiana Wildlife posted this announcement today. You will see mention of Little Bit 17 at the bottom. — I am going to assume that Little Bit’s fan club have tried to see him. Please don’t. Every wildlife clinic is underfunded and overwhelmed especially in the middle of summer. We do not want the staff to get to the point that they cannot get Little Bit out the door quick enough. He needs to stay there as long as he can learning how to fly and being taught to hunt. If you know people who say they are going,, please have a gentle talk with them. It is in Little Bit’s best interest.
At the Fraser’s Point Eagle nest, Victor and Lillibet fledged on 30 June. Here is a short video – notice that Victor tried to land on a bush but it would not support him so he fell to the ground. Lillibet had a good flight.
Victor returned to the nest this morning around 1030. He cannot stand. Mama Cruz doesn’t understand what is wrong with him. She has tried to feed him. This is tragic.
The Fraser Point nest is part of Dr Sharpe’s research area – the Channel Islands eaglets. You can be sure that he is aware of the problem and will determine whether or not it is safe to intervene and extract Victor so that it can be determined what happened and what is the best help for this recent fledgling.
This is the link to the Fraser Point streaming cam:
Send all the positive wishes that you can to this wonderful Fraser Point nest! Rest assured that if anything can be done, Dr Sharpe will do it. It is one of his great missions – to give these eagles a chance at life.
Thank you for joining me for this very quick post. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to Humane Wildlife Indiana for their FB post, and to Explore.org and The Institute for Wildlife Studies for their streaming cam where I took my screen captures.
Do you live in an area where farmer’s are baling hay or straw? and using baling twine? It was baling twine mixed in with some other nesting materials that caught on the male Ospreys talon at Osoyoos and pulled the chick off to fall to its death. Dr Erick Greene at the Montana Osprey Project finds literally tonnes of baling twine in the Osprey nests he studies. He also finds dead chicks and others nearly dead and tangled. If you live in a farming area help our Ospreys by spreading the word. Here is an information pamphlet that Dr Greene prepared – it is quick and to the point.
It is surprising that the nest at ND-LEEF is still holding. It looks like bits and pieces of it are falling away each day. Mum and Dad are still bringing fish to the nest for ND15 and 16.
15 was on the nest when the adult arrives with a nice fish. Soon 16 arrives.
I believe 15 kept the fish!
There is an update today on ND17 – and it is a good one. There is that sweet baby. It appears that individuals have been showing up at the clinic wanting to see 17. Please do not go there. The clinic staff has addressed this issue in their posting. ND17 is doing great and it is the clinic’s business to help him so that he can be returned to the wild. Everyone who works at a rehabilitation clinic is overworked and underpaid – it is a very sad situation in many instances where they do not get celebrity birds and good donations. Send them a thank you letter! Tell them you don’t expect a reply. Make a donation! Give to your local rehabber — I keep saying clean old towels but gosh, they are much needed. Give the towel a second life, too.
Isn’t he adorable?
Problems with nests and falling out of nests happens everywhere. It has been awhile since I checked on the two White-tail Eaglets in their nest in the Tucholskie Forest in Poland. Last time I remained somewhat cautious about the second chick surviving. Their names are Uno and Duo. (The third chick was a victim of siblicide). Uno fell off the nest and spent 4 days on the forest floor. He must have glided – as he flew back up to the nest. There are now some concerns that Duo has not been fed since 1 July and Uno is taking all the prey. They are big eaglets – just beautiful. Both will hopefully survive.
Sleeping and waiting for food.
Last year, Karl II and Kaia had three storklets. One of those Pikne who stayed with Karl II for a long time having him bring her food before fledging. She hatched on the 28th of May and fledged 4 August. She has a perfect flight to Ethiopia where she arrives on October 24, 2021. Pikne stayed in Africa and set off for her return flight to Estonia. She was in Israel on 1 June 2022 and everyone was so happy to see her transmitter working. Sadly, on 6 June, she on a power line and was killed in the middle of nowhere in Turkey. Such promise. A day does not go by without adding another one to ‘the list’.
Pikne is the storklet getting ready to stand up at the front.
As ‘S’ reminded me last year, countries can make laws that power companies must make their poles safe for wildlife but the companies must follow through in a timely manner. Last fall we lost Solly in South Australia and the individuals that make up Port Lincoln Osprey were on a mission to get the government to fix the power poles. Must check with them to see how they are doing. It is, sadly, a worldwide issue for our beautiful raptors and storks. In Pikne’s case, it is thought that she was tired and landed to rest as there was no place to feed near that pole — so it is not just poles near feeding areas but all poles that should have a protective cover.
This is the nest of Karl and Kaia this morning. Bonus made no reaction to Karl II which means that he has accepted him as his father, the male on the nest and is home with the three siblings. This is such good news for the success of the intervention by Urmas and Dr Madis V. Actually it is fantastic news.
What can you do to help so that our beautiful birds are not electrocuted? Here is a story of a Bald Eagle and an individual who got their power company to retrofit the power lines – 12 of them – in their neighbourhood. Remember! Each of us can make a difference by seeking solutions for the birds that live where we do.
Most everyone is following the story of Malala, the Red-tail hawklet meant for dinner but adopted by the Gabriola Island Bald Eagle family. This article covers this adventure from the beginning to the present. It is a really good read.
Every once in awhile I feel compelled to give a shout out to the New Zealand government and specifically their Department of Conservation (NZ DOC). I wonder how many of my readers follow the exploits of the Royal Cam chick on Taiaroa Head? There she is – QT (Quarry Track) chick doing her morning stretches. What a beauty.
This year has seen at least 10 supplementary feedings for QT and a few of the other chicks on the peninsula. Her parents are YRK and OGK. Just like Janika could not provide enough food for her storklets alone, neither can YRK. There is little talk on the Royal Cam FB group but the much beloved OGK was last seen on the 19th of May. Some believe he came in on June 10 but that is not confirmed and many believe it was not him but, rather, YRK. OGK doesn’t choose to not return to feed his chicks. He is one of the most devoted Royal Albatross I have ever seen. He is either injured or dead. Two years ago OGK suffered a leg injury and returned limping after 40 days. If the 19 of May date is correct – he is missing for 46 days now. Send all good wishes his way, please.
US Steel Eagle 4 (USS4) is in care from tumbling out of the tree with severe feather injuries but USS5 is doing great – learning how to fly and returning to the nest for prey from the parents. Congratulations 5 – you are doing very well, indeed.
‘H’ reports that Dory has really mastered the art of feeding her three osplets on the Boathouse Osprey nest – making sure that each and everyone has bites. Dory purposefully gave Little Bob several nice mouth fulls this morning. Fantastic. Thank you ‘H’.
Dad was in early with fish for Mum and the two osplets on the Osoyoos Osprey Platform. It was 0554. Fingers crossed!
That is a brief look at some of the news today. Everyone seems to be doing well.
It is not a good image – taken with my phone at a distance. But this is the tiny rabbit that comes to the garden now grown – 4x his size. Grass and birdseed!
In celebration of ND17s progress, I am sending each of you a virtual piece of that Yokohama Orange cake…Sorry to all food designers. Fall plate and spring flowers! But delicious cake…it was worth all the effort.
Thank you for joining me today. Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB postings where I took my screen captures: Humane Wildlife Indiana, The Eagle Club of Estonia, Bieliki Online Bory Tucholskie, NZ DOC, ND-LEEF, Explore and Audubon, Pix Cams, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, and GROWLS.
What a busy day in Bird World and sadly, another entry on ‘that list’.
I want to start by thanking one of our readers, ‘AM’. She left her home and pushed through all kinds of Canada Celebrations and a parade for an hour to get to the Osoyoos Osprey Nest the minute she learned of the chick’s fall. Sadly, the little one did not survive. ‘AM’ found a quiet restful place for him near the nest. Thank you ‘AM’. I also want to add that she went prepared with all the things needed to drive him to a rehabber – gloves, towels, a box, etc. Fantastic.
It is always tragic to find a wee one dead or badly injured. It was a big fall and unlike goslings or ducklings, osplets just don’t have the bounce. Sadly, we cannot stop the ospreys from bringing material to the nest but, we can urge farmers to use best practices and different baling materials. Dr Ericke Green at Montana Raptors (Iris) has been studying this problem for a long time and has found a different material for baling that is less problematic for the Ospreys — if farmers would only use it.
I am very thrilled to see all of the donations and thank you’s to Humane Wildlife Indiana. For all of you that pushed the staff at St Patrick’s Park to get help – through your e-mails, phone calls, and in chat, thank you. It takes an army of people to get help and you are a great army.
If you want to send a direct thank you to Delilah Ruiz, here is the e-mail: druiz@humaneindiana.org
Our beautiful Little Bit in care, thankfully. Tears.
There is, however, some really super news in Bird World. It comes from Cal Falcons. Annie and Alden were doing a courtship ritual in the scrape box. Alden proved himself to us over and over again as being very capable of taking good care of Annie and any chicks but – Annie had to really make that decision. Alden passed – and Annie and Alden are a couple. Yes.
Alden figured out how to overcome a physical limitation and he now has Annie and the best territory in San Francisco. I hope that their lives together are long and productive.
Looks like we are going to see the chicks doing a lot of moth chasing and loafing just like Lindsay did today! Isn’t she gorgeous? Look at those eyes and those feathers. I hope that we see Little Bit 17 get his feathers into good condition now that he has regular food.
You know. Human animals should watch some bird cams before they have children so they learn that everything one does makes an impression on children.
Other good news is coming out of Cornell. Here is today’s update on L3 who was taken into care a week ago.
“We received a brief update from the Wildlife Hospital today, reaffirming that L3 continues to do very well. The veterinarians will be performing additional radiographs in another 1-2 weeks to check up on the fractured coracoid bone, at which point they should be able to better predict a future timeline for continued healing and rehabilitation. They also shared that, based on body weight, L3 is likely a female. We will plan to post another update following the next set of radiographs — thanks for sharing all of your concerns about L3’s continued healing!” Thank you ‘SAH’ for seeing that L3 was found and was in care quickly.
Dylan has just brought in the last fish for the day to Seren and the three Bobs.
The three at Llyn Clywedog have been ringed. They are 553 a big female weighing 1710 grams at 40 days, 554 a male weighing 1485 at 40 days and 555 another male weighing 1410 at 37 days old.
The parents lose weight when they are busy raising chicks. Just look at how small Maya looks compared to the three big gals that her and Blue 33 have been feeding. Maya lost about 33% of her body weight taking the great care she did of her chicks.
Idris brought in another whopper to the Dyfi nest despite the rainy weather. Him and Telyn (Maya’s daughter) are feeding three girls, too.
It hasn’t all been rosy with the four Black storklets in the nest of Karl II and Kaia. At first Bonus was hissing at Kaia. That got better. Then the biological storklets were biting Bonus’s legs. Karl II has brought in a meal a few hours ago and things look good. Urmas needs to observe the nest closely so that the biological osplets do not get in a position of not having enough fish due to the size of Bonus.
Fingers crossed that all of this gets worked out. The biological three are looking for more fish and there is Bonus busting his crop.
I intended to include more but a kestrel has a broken wing about an hour and a half away and needs to get to Wildlife Haven – so I am off!
Take care everyone. Thank you for joining me. Donate if you can – even $5 for Little Bit. Every $ helps. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and FB pages: Eagle Club of Estonia, Humane Wildlife Indiana, CarnyXWild, LRWT, Dyfi Osprey Nest, Cornell Bird Lab and Cal Falcons.
There are reports coming out of the Osoyoos Osprey Nest that moss and baling twine were brought into the nest at around 0531 and that sometime later, at 0645, a chick fell off the edge of the nest onto the ground below. Dr Greene has been warning people of the perils of bailing twine use – certain kinds – because of the impact on the osprey nests in Montana. This is all I know. The closest rehab is in Oliver, BC and today is a national holiday in Canada. I have left a message for them and will keep you posted if I hear anything. Additionally, two locals appear to be going to also check.
We are all very joyous today that Little Bit ND17 is in care – finally. It is unfortunate that those who were giving the park staff advice did not realize that he was sitting in the bushes starving to death. We can never assume that the adults are feeding their eaglet when it is off the nest. You must have a scope or a long lens camera and actually see them feeding and take the date and time. You also have to check frequently to see that they continue. Do not assume that Eagles feed young off the nest – never. Thunder and Akecheta made Ahote get himself back up to the nest! Little Bit 17 could not fly. There is a whole lot of difference. In the future if you see or hear of a situation like Little Bit’s, please recommend care. It never hurts the birds to be checked. ——What a relief though. I hope he had an entire plate of quail last night. He certainly deserves it.
Remember if you want to help your local wildlife rehabber clean old towels are always needed. Look what is in Little Bit’s enclosure! Save them and drop them off or ask someone to do it for you. They also need donations of laundry detergent, etc. Most have wish lists on their websites.
So far the clinic with Little Bit has over $1800 in donations. Thank you to everyone for showing your love.
My plan is to write to the clinic. There was an incident this year with a WBSE fledged from the nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest – WBSE27. Found starving and emaciated. Taken into care. Released when strong. Then found starving and emaciated and being attacked on a public sidewalk. It is essential that these fledglings be taught how to fly and how to hunt. This takes quite a long period of time. It is not weeks. So fingers crossed for our baby that he is being given the best care and love he could possibly have.
The ND-LEEF nest continues to fall apart but there is a fledgling up there waiting for a feeding!
One of my readers, ‘c’ reminded me today that the Lobby that is against Nature is huge. It is! But that does not mean we cannot have an impact or that we should back down in our care and concern. No matter how big or how small, never give up working for the betterment of those who cannot – in my case, I am talking about our beautiful feathered friends. Thank you for everything that you do — and if you are reading this, I know that you are concerned and doing whatever you possibly can. Just spread the message.
There is a big intervention experiment happening in Estonia. You might remember the Black Stork nest of Jan and Janika. There were five storklets and then Jan disappeared and is presumed dead. Janika could not get enough food for the storklets – two died. In an effort to save these rare and beloved birds, Urmas, the senior ornithologist for Estonia, worked with Dr Madis Vialis at the Estonian Veterinary College at EMU. They removed the three surviving storklets and placed them in the clinic where they had a decoy mother and a step father Toto who delivered fish.
This experiment appears to be successful. So Urmas has now tried something else. He has introduced the largest of the three storklets from the clinic to the nest of Karl II and Kaia in the Karula National Forest. He did this when he ringed the storklets two days ago. The 4th storklet is named Bonus!
This is bonus in the nest around 17:45 on 30 June with his step siblings. Bonus is the large one to the left – that is not a parent!
It is now Friday morning and the sun is rising. Karl II and Kaia have seen their new off spring. On the first day in the nest, Bonus is treating the adults, Karl II and Kaia, like intruders and is hissing! You might recall that Little Bit ND17 also hissed when anyone came close to him in the bushes. They also raise their wings.It is a natural way of trying to protect themselves.
At the first feeding with Kaia, Bonus has his wings raised like Kaia was an intruder but life on the nest is much better and reports say this behaviour by Bonus is diminishing.
This second phase will also allow the smallest and the middle storklet in care to grow larger because they will have more fish. It also solves another problem. Urmas and Dr Madis wanted the storklets to be in a real nest in the forest. Fish would be brought but there was no one trained that could do that work – and it would take a lot of effort. It will be interesting to see how this works out but – what we have to remember is that they are trying to make the lives of the storklets better so they can be free and live in the wild. (Thank you ‘T’ for clearing up where Bonus originated!)
Bonus is eating along with all the others!
He also ate well when Kaia brought food today and this is excellent. After eating some are resting, some are preening. Bonus is standing but he has rested on the nest in a clump with the step siblings. By the end of 1 July perhaps he will not react to the adults at all!
There are also four storklets on the nest of Betty and Bukacek at Mlade Buky in The Czech Republic. The red iron rich clay makes such a mess on their beautiful feathers and legs. It has been raining but I hope that some nice new straw might by some miracle show up for them!
I find Lindsay and Grinnell Jr fascinating. Cal Falcons caught them playing at night! Remember Alden hunts at night – how much more of Alden’s behaviour is going to influence the behaviour of the two fledglings?
I wonder how many reading my blog saw the efforts of Daisy the Duck to hatch her eggs and have ducklings? in the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest of Lady and Dad? Daisy took me down a rabbit hole and when I came out of it — I loved ducks and all manner of water fowl.
Out of all the long lists of waterfowl I want to see a Loon. Seriously I have never seen one! There should be Loons all around me but, no. So part of this summer will be a hunt to locate these loons. In the meantime I have found a Loon nest in Central New Hampshire. They are attempting to restore Loon populations to the state. The information under the streaming cam states, “LPC’s mission is to restore and maintain a healthy population of loons throughout New Hampshire; to monitor the health and productivity of loon populations as sentinels of environmental quality; and to promote a greater understanding of loons and the larger natural world.” LPC is the Loon Preservation Committee.
The nest has two eggs – laid on the 17th and the 18th of June. Hatch should be about the middle of July. The amount of information about the nest and its challenges is under the streaming cam images. LPC also keeps an archive and has their own YouTube channel so if you miss something you can go back and see it. I am impressed. So many have nothing as ‘H’ reminded me yesterday.
Here is the link to the cam if you are interested:
You might just want to ‘listen’ to the sounds from the nest area. It is incredibly relaxing. Here is a very short clip of a female Wood Duck and her duckling visiting the nest two days ago.
The size of Idris and Telyn’s largest female is almost shocking. She is the largest female in the history of the Welsh nests. Just look at Paith! She is also the youngest and weighed 1830 grams at 32 days. Incredible. We often worry about the third hatch being brutalized and being much smaller but..not in this instance.
It is a good thing Idris is such a good fisher — or is it because Idris is such a good fisher that she is so big? Some people are joking that they won’t be able to fledge they will weigh too much!!!!!!!!
I promise not to show it again but this image of the three of them and those amber eyes of the juveniles is simply stunning. Juvenile ospreys are incredibly beautiful – their plumage is magnificent. More so than their parents. I wish they could keep it!!!!!!
I want to stay with the Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales for a moment. If you are reading this blog, you not only care about wildlife but you also care about the environment. How environmentally friendly is your nearest nature centre? (I must find out). This is the report from Dyfi – it makes for really really interesting reading and a positive change for the environment.
In terms of Osprey nests, the Boathouse Ospreys on Hog Island are being watched. It is unclear how much food the third hatch is getting. Fingers crossed for this new Mum, Dory.
The Fortis Exshaw chicks in Canmore, Alberta appear to be doing fine. The concern is the nest – there is a very deep nest cup and most platforms are not solid on the bottom.
Oh, the joy of Little Bit in care and now the worry of another gone overboard. It has been a very challenging year.
Thank you for all you did to help Little Bit. Keep sending good wishes his way. 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: Humane Wildlife Indiana, ND-LEEF, Explore.org and Audubon, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, LPC Loons, Dyfi Osprey Project, and Fortis Exshaw.
UPDATE ON LITTLE BIT 17: Message from Humane Indiana Wildlife. ” Hello! We will post an update on ND17 tomorrow. Today was stressful for him, as you can imagine, but he is doing well and receiving much needed care.”
I am feeling some comfort in the news that Little Bit ND17 was taken to Valpo to the Humane Indiana Wildlife clinic for a thorough examination and assessment at 11:40 this morning. This is the best news Bird World has had in a couple of weeks. ——–And in the update ‘much needed care’ indicates that getting him to the clinic was the right decision.
I know that the St Patrick’s County Parks staff could never have foreseen the events that would transpire at the ND-LEEF Bald Eagle nest this season. There is an expectation of stability – business as usual – but as many know, we live in very unstable times. And so it was with the nest. The second hatch ND16 took exception to Little Bit’s existence. The aggression, the deterioration of the nest, and then Little Bit’s 60 foot drop to the ground would never have entered the minds of park staff as spring arrived in South Bend, Indiana. But, it did happen. I am grateful that they were able to get Little Bit 17 removed from the bushes and taken to the Valpo clinic. IDNR has stated that not all rehabbers will take birds now because of Avian Flu – so thank you Humane Wildlife Indiana, too.
We wait to hear how our little eaglet is doing tomorrow!
The Dyfi Osprey Project has published all the information on the ringing along with the video of the ringing and weighing and another earlier one of nest aggression attributed to the fact that all three were females. There is a map showing the rivers and a pronunciation guide to the chick’s names after those rivers. It is a good read. Have a look. This is the kind of information that becomes so useful about the nests. Here is that link:
The ringing video is a really good one to watch. They are so careful and the chicks just pancake and stay still. It takes no time. Those colour Darvic rings with their numbers tell us so much information about these amazing birds and their life journeys.
There is also images and information on the ringing of nest 1A at Kielder. This nest had four babies ——yes, I did not get that wrong – 4. I did not mention it but once because I was so afraid that something would happen to little 4. There is a picture of him in there at 1000 grams. His big sister is 50% heavier at 1560. The other two were males. The ringers could not determine the gender of little 4 because he is so small for his age. I hope he proves mighty.
I have been working on and off on a couple of stories about wildlife rehabilitation clinics. They are our go-to when it comes to getting care for our wildlife in need. Each is special in its own way. Some specialize in certain animals and will not take birds. Because of the spread of H5N1 Avian Flu this year, many will not take our feathered friends. So, a bit of a shout out to Valpo for taking Little Bit. They need your support whether it is with your time, volunteering, with a few dollars or a truck load. Every bit is appreciated. Believe it or not, old clean towels are always wanted!!!! So, while we wait to hear about Little Bit 17, I will spend a little time showing you what I did today.
This afternoon was a day to spend at our own rehabilitation clinic. It is the only wildlife clinic in Manitoba with a full time vet, operating room and diagnostic equipment and it is run entirely by donations and volunteers.
Wildlife Haven is not unique. Every facility – those that many of you know by their names – CROW, The Audubon Centre, A Place Called Hope – operate entirely on donations and the generous time offered by volunteers.
I have been working on a blog about 2 other wildlife centres that I will finish up shortly. I was moved to tell you a little bit about our facility because the first thing the Rehabilitation Manager said was, “99% of the injuries to wildlife are human caused.” Everything that we do has the potential to harm the animals that share this planet with us – it can range from kidnapping bunnies from their Mum, to road accidents, taking wildlife in our houses where they imprint on humans, to wind turbines, sticky or glue traps – the list as you know is endless. I am grateful that there is a big campaign to let people know that fishing line is dangerous. It is that time of year when people should be using non-lead fishing tackle, barbless hooks, and helping to clean up the shores as well as taking care of their own area where they fish. I had no idea that so many bunnies arrive at the care facility. Over 900 right now!
Tip regarding rabbits. If you see a brown circle on your lawn and remove the grass covering and see bunnies, do not think that their mother has abandoned them. Take 2 thin sticks and criss-cross them over the top. Go back in 24 hours. If the sticks are moved, the Mum has been in to feed the babies. If the sticks have not been moved, then take the babies to a wildlife rehabber. Put a towel in a box with a lid and holes for air and carefully transport them to the closest facility.
Our centre has been in existence since 1984 but it has only recently been able to have full vet facilities. The amount of rehabilitation work that they are able to do has increased with generous donations for flight and hunting training. That requires trained staff and intense dedication and it is precisely what Little Bit 17 will require. He is missing that by not being with Mum, Dad, 15 and 16. So he is like WBSE28. We want Little Bit kept so that he is able to successfully live in the wild and what I have learned from our local team is that this is a long slow process. It doesn’t happen in weeks. 6 months or more for some birds.
Our wildlife facility, Wildlife Haven, is determined to educate the public through open house days as well as taking the ambassadors to the schools. Start young, teach the children to love and care for the welfare of animals. So every week on Friday they will have what is called a Raptor Rendezvous Day. It was fantastic to see so many people with children at the first event. They also sponsor Open Houses and try hard to let people know how much effort there is in caring for the wildlife patients. From 5 am to 7pm, songbirds are fed every half hour. They constantly need volunteers to do this. The middle of the summer is the most crucial time. Some volunteers are trained in ways to enrich the lives of the raptors that will spend all their lives in the centre. Eagles get bored, too!
So today they introduced three of the ambassadors that help educate the public on how to respect wildlife and what to do if they find an injured animal. They were a Swainsons’ Hawk, a Great Horned Owl, and a Great Gray Owl. The Great Grey Owl is the provincial bird of Manitoba.
This is Avro. He is a light morph Swainson’s Hawk. He was hit by a car. The accident caused him to be blind in his right eye. Losing that one eye meant that Avro is unable to hunt and provide for himself in the wild.
There are lots of Swainson’s Hawks that come to the southern part of our province to breed in the summer. They migrate to Argentina in the winter. Avro is 18 years old now.
Uma is a very small Great Horned Owl. Uma’s nest was in the yard of a family that watched. They noticed that Uma was much smaller than the other owlets and it appeared ‘different’ to the other siblings. It was determined that Uma was under developed due to a lack of food — just like Little Bit 17. Uma was also missing an eye and its beak was out of alignment. Uma would never be able to survive in the wild.
Great Horned Owls are very plentiful and they adapt to all manner of environments from the forests of northern Manitoba to the deserts of Southwest United States and beyond. They have excellent hearing – a kind of shallow disk or satellite-shaped face. The tufts on their heads are neither ears or horns. The ears are on the side of the head, like all raptors, and they are covered with feathers. The tufts are feathers. You can see that Una lost his right eye. He is fed rats every day. He can fly and has a enclosure that is large enough for him to do that. Owls hunt from dawn to dusk and mostly within an hour of each of those times of day. They will hunt during the day time to feed their young, if necessary.
You can see the misalignment of the beak in the image below. Imagine trying to tear into a squirrel with that beak.
This is Zoe with Una. She gave an amazing presentation and answered every question and more.
The last ambassador today was Ash the Great Gray Owl. Ash was orphaned and his rescuers took him home to live with them. As a result he imprinted on humans and not owls. This means that Ash believes she is human, not owl. Despite Ash being in excellent health he will never be able to live in the wild and know what it is like to fly free and hunt.
With its excellent hearing, a Great Gray Owl can detect a mouse under 60 cm or 2 feet of snow. Incredible. In the image below you can see the fur covered legs and talons that help the Great Gray in our cold winters.
It was a great afternoon and came on a day to really think about the important work that these people do.
What can you do? Well you can volunteer or you can donate. Want to do something else? Talk to people about caring for the wildlife on our planet. Let them understand how important it is to get them to care quickly if it is needed. Put on window strips to stop bird strike. Talk to people about putting poison on their lawns. Have that chat about fishing line with people you know and the need for lead free equipment. Take a shovel in your car. When you see road kill, pull over. Of course, be careful but move the road kill off the road and away from it. Vultures, hawks, eagles, and all manner of wildlife will find it and it will be cleared down to the bone within a few hours. Put out bird feeders and water…..lobby for protective wind turbine blades…the list is, sadly, endless. Educate yourself and talk to the experts at your local wildlife clinic.
Several of the streaming cams are set to go offline today. One of those is UFlorida-Gainesville. We will look forward to joining Mum and Dad in the new year! Big and Middle are doing exceptionally well.
Tomorrow is Canada Day. I will be posting a short blog in the morning. I hope that some news of Little Bit will be available. I will also try to check on other nests that we are watching closely including Osoyoos, Boathouse, and FortisExshaw that have wee ones in the nest.
Thank you for joining me. Thank you to everyone who cares for our much loved feather friends and to everyone who worked hard and believed that Little Bit 17 needed to be assessed. It is a bit world out there with many polarizing opinions and intervention is one of those. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to Dyfi and Kielder for their ringing updates on their blog that I included here today – and to Wildlife Haven for all they do.
