It could be a very busy day at the UK nests and in the western part of the US as favourable winds are blowing in the ospreys.
It has been confirmed that our dear Iris is, indeed, the osprey that landed early this morning on the Hellgate Canyon nest. I hope everyone had a good cry – a joyful one. Now let’s get that young male osprey back that was courting her last season!
Louis and Starr are already back. Starr was the first to arrive in Missoula. Their nest is at the Baseball Park – and despite all we think, Louis is a good mate to Starr and they raise 2 or 3 chicks to fledge every year.
Gosh, Iris looks good.
Blue 35 has returned to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in Cumbria and is reclaiming her nest after Blue 717 got a little friendly with White YW.
We are waiting the arrival of Louis at Loch Arkaig Nest 2 in Scotland. His mate Dorcha will be delighted to see him land with a nice big trout.
Busy day at the Glaslyn nests:
Lots of action at Loch of the Lowes.
Thanks, Alison Copland. BoPH have created a genealogy chart. The Carey nest is the one for CJ7 and Blue 022, and it has a streaming cam.
One of my favourite males, Tegid Z1, Monty’s son, who breeds on a private nest, has returned safely.
So the males are starting to show up in Wales, too. Come on Louis!!!!!!!!!
The feeding is going very well at the Achieva Osprey platform. My goodness, if I didn’t know better, I would think this was a new male. (Maybe it is – I am not trying to start rumours here, just pondering the fish deliveries. I was never that pleased with Jack’s deliveries for Diane and the kids. Has anyone truly identified head markings?)
Bella and Scout’s two eaglets are doing just fine although there was a choking concern for the baby earlier on Monday.
Nature chat’s banner:
Interloping Common Buzzard laid 2nd egg today at Lesser Spotted Eagle Cam, as usual LSE pair hasn’t arrived for the season yet.
Peanut has branched at the Winter Park, Florida Bald Eagle nest. Best be watching this energetic second hatch. She is going to take off fast!
News about California Condors:
Stop over and see the two little cuties that Jackie and Shadow are feeding and brooding. They are two little round teddy bears! So very happy for our darling couple.
Take care everyone. Iris’s arrival has made this day much brighter! We are all delighted. If Louis returns, I will be posting again. Otherwise, I will see you later in the week.
Thank you to ‘PB’ for her messages, to the owners of the streaming cams for my screen captures and for allowing us to witness the life of these incredible birds. I am grateful to everyone who posts on FB with information. Without your eyes, we might miss something!
First. A reminder if you haven’t already marked it on your calendar. Iris’s favourite day to return to Missoula is 7 April. We are less than 48 hours away.
They are returning from migration but the osprey season officially kicked off today (IMHO) with the arrival of the first egg.
It was Maya (unringed) and Blue 33’s first egg of 2026 and it happened around 1805.
Blue 33 flies in to have a good look.
There are two cameras. The rails are so high on the nest this year we might only see little heads for some time.
On the Canadian prairies, it was raining and then it started snowing a bit and everything is brown and grey. No beautiful sunshine. Toby was so filthy from our walk that he had another bath – he is so good in the tub. Tomorrow he will have a mobile nail trimmer arrive to shorten those claws. In the meantime, it is damp to the bone weather here in Winnipeg. I hope it is much nicer where you are.
Check out the darling bobble heads at Big Bear and Achieva. Wink has brought in a huge fish to share with Peanut, who has repeatedly defended itself and the nest against that persistent owl. Storks are returning to Europe. One was on the nest at Mlady Buky the last time I checked. Remember, Milda is on eggs, and by the end of the month, I hope to see the cutest little white-tailed eaglets on that nest in Latvia. Fort St Vrain has a second hatch happening with pip watch on the third and only egg remaining (first two broke) going on for the ND-LEEF eagles in South Bend, Indiana.
FSV56 looking at Mum. What a beautiful sight.
Take care everyone. See you soon!
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams – without them we would not be able to look into the lives of these birds and witness these little bobblehead miracles!
We are in the midst of an unexpected blizzard, while thousands of miles to our southeast, it is green, and geese are enjoying the grass on a golf course. Thank you, ‘L’, for letting me share this lovely image of spring! We love our geese, but there is no place for them here, and yet, many arrived several weeks ago! The ponds have frozen, but there remains some open water in the two rivers that wind their way through our City. It is supposed to warm up beginning tomorrow, but I will believe it when I see it. We were not expecting this much snow today!
It doesn’t look like much, but the snow is blowing and accumulating so quickly! The lad who shovels or us thought snow was finished – he is going to get a real surprise! It is more than 30 cm deep on the walkway he cleared a few days ago, and is within 45 cm of covering the large bird table feeder. Unbelievable.
Toby loves it. He bounces through the snow if there is even a whiff of a ‘cat’ in the garden. My plan is to have a tall wooden fence built to match the one constructed a few years ago. I had not planned to put a fence on that part of the property, but the theft of dogs in our City has become quite troubling. Of course, ‘the cats’ – distinguished from ‘The Girls’ – come in from that back corner, so it is important to close it in. Toby loves his sisters, ‘The Girls’. He plays with them, but those that make their way into his outdoor territory will be ousted unless they are Brock (who now still spends 99% of his time at the neighbour down the street)!!!!!!!!!
I hope, after all these years, that each of you knows that I love all animals, but there is a special place in my heart for Big Red and Arthur, the late Annie at The Campanile, and ospreys. I have posted this song before, but I want you to get in the mood. Osprey season is starting in the UK – and has already begun in the US. Here are those wonderful school children with the Osprey Song (2011): https://youtu.be/KoOQK6ejuXY?
At the Lake Murray Osprey platform, Lucy has laid her second egg with a new mate. Please, please put up the owl defences for this family Lake Murray!
Company for Brutus. Storms are tearing down eagle and osprey nests around the US including an osprey nest that Penny Albright monitored near Sanibel that lost two chicks when the nest collapsed. These eaglets made it through…
Blue 25 has made another visit to Blue 33 and Maya’s nest at Manton Bay – Blue 33 normally arrives a few days prior to Maya, and Blue 25 enjoys his company! Geemeff caught her time on the nest: https://youtu.be/HU_XGU3NTro?
We have an osprey at the MNSA Osprey nest in Oceanside’s Jay Cool platform.
“WYL greets his chick upon returning to the nest in New Zealand. The adult male arrives from a foraging trip over the Pacific to feed his growing chick at the Plateau nest site. As the chick gets bigger, the parents will take longer foraging trips to collect enough food for both themselves and their chick.” (Cornell Bird Lab)
Peanut defended the Winter Park Florida nest against a RTH! Nestflix Memories (Gracie Shepherd) caught it on video: https://youtu.be/cQksMDubVEc?
Tonight, Wink is taking now chances. She is right in the nest with Peanut if that GHO returns – and, of course, it will – they never give up! Wink is an incredible mother – I am truly amazed and thankful for her diligence.
Gabby with her babies, Kai and Eve, at the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest in Florida. Best keep a close eye on these two – they could fledge before you blink.
At the Johnson City nest of Boone and Jolene in Tennessee, snow arrived. Jolene kept those two babies warm and tried to feed them at the same time. Like Wink, she is an experiened and an exceptional Mum.
Huge crop on JBS 24. Mum and Dad are delivering food and leaving it for self-feeding on occasion.
Harry and Sally are up there in my list of osprey parents. Three babies, three little fat bottoms. Large fish coming in and Harry on guard as it appeared there could have been an intruder around today during a fish delivery. If you haven’t been watching Moorings Park, then check out this osprey family. It is a success story – and believe me when I tell you that there will be few such stories in the NE USA this season unless a miracle happens.
Rutlands Lagoon 4 nest is trying to keep the Egyptian Geese from laying eggs while everyone waits for the ospreys to arrive. This is a second nest with a camera amongst several nests at Rutland Water. AI says: “Based on 2025/2026 sightings, the Lagoon 4 nest at Rutland Water is often occupied by male 359 (a 2021 Rutland-born osprey) and female 3H9 (a 2023 Rutland-born osprey). They have been observed investigating the nest and strengthening bonds. Note: 359 and 3H9 are a distinct pair from the main Manton Bay pair, Maya and 33(11).”
I am getting impatient – and it is a tad early – for Maya and Blue 33 to arrive at Manton Bay.
At the Whitley Crane nest known as the Golden Gate Audubon Osprey nest, Richmond has worked and worked. There is a new female at the nest with him. I do not believe Rosie will make an appearance. Why do I say this? Well, when Aila did not return, Louis moved his nest to another location when he bonded with Dorcha. We often think animals and birds are not intelligent. If I have said it once, I will say it again million times, my teacher about raptor behaviour, the late Laura Culley, taught me that they are smarter and use higher levels of intelligence and communication that humans have lost.
I noticed in one of the chats – it was the Winter Park Florida chat – that someone noted that ‘animals have feelings’. Dr Mark Beckoff and Dr Jane Goodall taught us this. There are several good books out there. I urge you or anyone who is interested in the behaviour of non-humans to read any or all of the following.
Saddness at the Two Harbours as Chase & Cholyn lose their last egg. SK Hideaways has it on video: https://youtu.be/8vmMpnkNsh4?
Big Red and Arthur have snow on their nest at Cornell University.
Suzanne Arnold Horning caught Big Red relaxing on the lights!
Cameras are now live at the Poole Harbour nest of CJ7 and Blue 022.
We have an osprey at Threave. Is it Black 80?
At Achieva the third egg was laid on the 25th of January. Can someone who is watching this nest tell me if Jack is delivering enough fish to his mate? I did not see deliveries today, but I might have missed something.
In fact, start checking out all your favourite UK and European nests as the cameras are being turned on faster than I can keep a list.
The Pitkin County Osprey nest in Colorado is live.
I have such a soft spot for this White-tail eagle in Durbe County Latvia. Milda. Her current mate is Zorro. There was sorrow and now Zorro has proved to be a good mate and provider.
April 7. Hellgate Canyon. Iris’s favourite day to return to her nest in Missoula, Montana. Count the days – 20. Less than three weeks! The snow has melted.
There is evil in the world. I cannot imagine how anyone could harm an animal and yet, every day I find myself telling people not to give their kittens away to anyone. Russell Mason beat a Goshawk to death – how in the world can someone do this?
Large estates, with no eyes around in Scotland (and elsewhere), allow many horrific things to happen to our beautiful feathered friends. What can be done to stop this?
The Cornell Bird Lab gives us hope that people around the world are increasingly engaging with nature and birds. Yes, there are incredibly vicious people anywhere in the world that will harm birds and other animals, but there are more, I hope, that love and help them.
Thank you so much for being with me today and for your patience, as my posting is often irregular. I had hoped to keep to Fridays and Mondays til the UK osprey season began, but every day there is something new and exciting! I will continue to post at the oddest of times, sometimes two or three times a day as news comes in. As you can imagine, my life is anything but routine. We do have a schedule, but it all depends on my husband’s mood, which can vary. I am impatiently waiting for spring to arrive. What I miss most is reading. Yes, we have story time, but it isn’t the same as sitting quietly on a park bench with squirrels dashing around, the wind gently blowing, with a good book in my hand, reading in silence. So, no promises other than there will always be a Monday blog, often coming out late Sunday, until we have osprey chicks on the nests in the UK and Europe.
Thank you to everyone who created videos, wrote informative FB posts, to Raptor Persecution UK for keeping us informed, and to the Cornell Bird Lab for continuing to support education. I remain forever grateful to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to venture into the challenging lives of our feathered friends. To all my readers who are now long-time friends, I appreciate your support. Your letters and comments mean the world to me.
We hope you had a lovely week. It is still cold, with it feeling like -20 C this morning, even though it is actually -16. Toby didn’t want to go outside. The Girls are busy watching the starlings as they land and search for kibble (I haven’t been out yet to feed them). Brock was here in the middle of the night – that is when he comes, so I get to see him on camera! He has a route. He spends most of his time at Jane’s. Brock loves her soft chair and wet, warm food. Then he goes to a lady a block away (again caught on camera) and comes here when he is assured Toby is sleeping. I do miss him.
Dr Green and team are preparing for Iris’s arrival. The fence has been placed on the parking lot of the Rivberview Health Centre to block any intruders that might want to get to close to her abode.
Typical of Iris, she left the nest in a pretty good state. Oh, please, send out good energy for our Osprey Queen to return – the oldest known osprey in the world should be 30 this year. I also really want her young mate from last year to return, too. We were all saddened when Finnegan, who bred successful to raise two beautiful osplets in 2024, did not return last year as we anticipated he would.
At the Wolf Bay nest in Alabama, Bert and Josie have their second egg of the season. The time was approximtely 0631 today – gosh…I hope there aren’t any Crows around!
Indeed, a thief was caught by the new camera at the Rutland #4 nest. Geemeff caught it.https://youtu.be/BXD-4KKeH3A
At the Moorings Park nest, the osplets are changing. Their heads are getting that oily look (pinfeathers) of the reptilian phase that 1 and 2 are entering. It is a delightful nest! Well behaved, so far.
The fundraiser for the new batteries at Severna Park was a success, and the camera is now live-streaming. There is a number of sparrows taking advantage of the nest while the ospreys are still migrating. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/live/SHGPhGPtDWI?
Ospreys are arriving in the UK. Sightings were in Perth & Kinross this morning, heading north. One was sightee flying over Waterford in Ireland.
I am keeping an eye on Manton Bay. Blue 33 (11) is fifteen years old this year. Maya is older, thought to be nineteen this year.
Heidi is on the case of the Dewey Beach cam and its angle! If anyone can get them to fix this, it is her.
Brutus and Peanut are being shown where to branch as they continue to self-feed and flap those wings.
Eve and Kai will be thinking of fledging but not for a week…
The pine lining to Big Red’s nest bowl on the Cornell Campus has been added. This is not only pretty but it is also a well known remedy to keeping insects away from the hatchlings.
Only eaglet at Duke Farms is doing well.
Stella and Irvin have three eggs at the US Steel nest. Stella has had a sub-adult trying to bother her but she is pretty calm and didn’t react.
Only surviving eaglet JBS24 has grown into a beautiful, fully feathered, wanting to fly bird. JBS24 will be 79 days old on April 14, around the average time of flight at this nest. That would make it 21 eaglets fledged from here since 2012.
That is just a little catch-up. No doubt many things will happen at the nests today. Keep an eye! Take care of yourself. Enjoy your weekend. We will see you again on Monday (unless Iris or any of the UK ospreys land on their nests). Thank you so much for being with us today.
A few of the gang say ‘hi’.
Thank you to the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to view the lives of these amazing birds!
Thank you to those who sent me screen captures of the ads they received when they read my blog. Hopefully, everything is fixed so that they do not appear again.
Oh, what a day it was. The goal was to finish a few small and manageable tasks since it was so hot outside. Well, nothing was easy. The lights that Wirecutter had given their top rating (for both inside and outside) would only work with a W two-prong outdoor extension cord. Think you could find one in Winnipeg? No. The desire to have lights around the conservatory did not leave my head or Hugo Yugo’s. She loves fairy lights. Consequently, we came home with three boxes to go around the perimeter. Now, attaching the cords to the conservatory was another matter. It turns out those picture frame thingamabobs that you nail into the wall (the brass ones) will slip over a part of the conservatory. Bingo. We have lights. The next was to pick a paint to colour block a section of the wall behind my desk to match the feathers in the oak frames. Done. There was a light switch that needed a cover plate. Done. This weekend was the time to put out unwanted but good-quality items for others to rummage through on the boulevard. Partly through. We did not get the painting done, but we did pick up a delicious pumpkin pie!!!!!!!! Oh, it helped with all the annoyance from the lights. Missey loves the whipped cream.
I would to start with a very sad story coming out of Baltimore. It has to do with starving fledgling ospreys and the decline of Menhaden. It is impacting these birds to such an extent that they get wiped out in the area completely if the industrial fishing of Menhaden is not stopped. If you have not written to your Senator and your Congressperson, then do so. Even if you live elsewhere. Here is the latest article. Imagine 80 starving osplets at one wildlife rehab center. Imagine.
Many years ago I told the story of how a very large female Sharp-shinned Hawk changed my life. All of a sudden the frantic pace of the work world I lived in didn’t matter. Only her. Today, I read an article in The Guardian of another woman working in a high-powered position whose life was changed by a baby Hare. It is moving and the images are gorgeous. Have a read.
In another article, I felt gutted to learn that any elephant has to be killed because there is no food. Wars, famine, habitat loss, drought caused by climate change – what will be the eventual impact on all our wildlife unless we find ways to protect it?
So, what is happening in Bird World? Very little. All nests in Australia except for the Olympic Park Eagles are incubating eggs. The Royal Cam chick is set to take to the skies and oceans any moment. Will Partney and Marrum be able to save any other eggs from the Ravens? That is anyone’s guess, but I would put my dime on ‘no’. Diamond and Xavier continue to entertain us as does M22 and F23 in Melbourne. Dad is doing a pretty good job delivering fish to Mum at Port Lincoln. I would like to hear more news and see more images of our dear Ervie.
What is happening at Hellgate Canyon? Finnegan is just a master angler. He would win every fishing award for the season. It is hard to check on the Hellgate streaming cam without seeing Antali with either a huge crop or a fish delivery or both. Finnegan is working over time to make sure that his second hatch is well prepared. These kids are not starving like those in the area of Chesapeake Bay! The Ospreys inland have done well this season save for the heat and some bizarre nest accidents.
The latest news first: Iris and Sum-eh are still home with Finnegan and Antali. Thanks, ‘PB’ for that message!
At Charlo, it appears that C16 is trying his own luck at fishing. He is often on the nest or perch shaking off the water. There are fish deliveries, but they are certainly not as frequent as those of Finnegan for Antali.
Both juveniles are still at the Newfoundland Snow Lane nest where it was windy with some rain on Saturday. There are still fish deliveries. It was impossible for me to tell if Hope is still in the area.
River has a bulging crop at Sandpoint.
Junebug is home at Dunrovin.
No one is home at Foulshaw Moss.
There is good news coming from Big Bear. The evacuation order has been lifted. Jackie and Shadow should be safe but the area around their nest is full of heavy smoke at times.
The cams at SW Florida are getting their maintenance, so they are ready for the start of Bald Eagle season on 1 October. https://youtu.be/aeeH7EzNV5E?
I love geese. How many times have you heard that? Sometimes Calico thinks that I like geese more than cats. It seems that I am always reading books about things with feathers and never cats. Maybe she has a point. :)))))) Decorah Goose Cam is playing season highlights!!!!!!!!! Oh, you can see the goslings jump again! https://www.youtube.com/live/4FB6bLI39lo?
The NCTC nest of Bella and Scout is live. Bella and Scout were in the nest earlier in the morning.
Thunder and Akecheta were caught on camera during large parts of Saturday.
Wondering what is happening at NE Florida with Gabby and Beau? Looks like we have to wait until the 18th!
Didn’t see E1-M2 at the Kistachie National Forest nest, but his turtle shells are all there! Wonder if the kiddos will have turtle meals this year instead of fish?
One of the highlights of Ferris Akel’s Saturday Tour was a Gallinago or a Snipe. Just look at the plumage.
Ferris was also at the Open House of the Cornell Raptor Centre. It is not clear if the Red-tail Hawk Ambassador was E3, Big Red’s kiddo.
The Peregrine Falcon was very loud and caused Calico some anxiety.
Open Houses are excellent opportunities to learn about the raptors, their needs, and challenges and to just get up close with them. Check out your local wildlife rehabilitation centre. It is normal for the Open Houses to take place in the fall so, you just might be in luck! If not, save the date for 2025.
The RSPB describes the Gallinago or Wilson’s Snipe, “Snipe are medium sized, skulking wading birds with short legs and long, straight bills. Both sexes are mottled brown above, with paler buff stripes on the back, dark streaks on the chest and pale under parts. They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK, with particularly high densities on northern uplands but lower numbers in southern lowlands (especially south west England). In winter, birds from northern Europe join resident birds. The UK population of Snipe has undergone moderate declines overall in the past twenty-five years, with particularly steep declines in lowland wet grassland, making it an Amber List species.”
All About Birds has some Cool Facts about the Wilson’s Snipe:
Wilson’s Snipe look so stocky thanks in part to the extra-large pectoral (breast) muscles that make up nearly a quarter of the bird’s weight—the highest percent of all shorebirds. Thanks to their massive flight muscles this chunky sandpiper can reach speeds estimated at 60 miles an hour.
Wilson’s Snipe feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for insect larvae, worms, and other invertebrate prey. The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed. Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil.
Because a Wilson’s Snipe’s eyes are set far back on its head, it can see almost as well behind as in front and to the sides. This arrangement makes it difficult for a potential predator to sneak up on a feeding snipe—it almost literally has “eyes in the back of its head.”
The word “sniper” originated in the 1770s among British soldiers in India who hunted snipe as game. The birds are still hunted in many countries, including the U.S., though their fast, erratic flight style means they are difficult targets.
Although only the female tends the eggs and nestlings, Wilson’s Snipe parents split up the siblings once they’re ready to fledge. The male takes the two oldest; the female takes the younger two with her. After they leave the nest the mates have no further contact.
Researchers have done wind tunnel tests with Wilson’s Snipe feathers to try and duplicate the “winnowing” sound that’s made as birds fly with their tail feathers fanned. They found that it’s the outermost tail feathers, or rectrices, that generate the sound, which apparently happens at airspeeds of about 25 miles per hour.
The oldest known Wilson’s Snipe was at least 9 years, 3 months old, based on a band recovered from a bird that was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in 1973.
‘A’ brings us up to date with the Olympic Park eagles: “Dad brought breakfast (feathered) at WBSE at 06:18 this morning. Of course Lady was there immediately to take charge of the food, and the littles roused themselves from their cuddle puddle for the occasion. They both stand up on their feet to stretch, leaning forward and spreading their wings. Such pretty plumage, changing from one day to the next, and from one striking design to another. SE34 has no hesitation about joining SE33 at the table, moving up beside his older sibling. SE33 is not bothered.
Lady begins by feeding SE33, as per pecking order, but initially it is distracted by Dad on the perch branch so Lady has to offer the bite a second time. Meanwhile, SE34 backs up for a PS anyway. I don’t think SE33 accepted the bite because SE34 was no longer beside him (implying that SE33 was intimidated by the proximity of SE34) but simply because his attention had been diverted when Lady first offered it. I certainly don’t believe SE33 has suddenly become nervous of his younger brother.
By 06:20, SE34 is back in his position at the table, beside SE33. and he shuffles even further forward, taking prime position closest to Lady’s beak. He is soon rewarded with a couple of consecutive bites of red meat. Lady then begins feeding the eaglets alternate bites. I do love the way she does this. Occasionally, one nestling or the other will get a couple of consecutive bites, but she maintains an even-handed approach until one eaglet or the other starts to slow in its eating and indicates it is getting overly full. She is a very attentive mum, and I continue to believe that her experience in feeding and managing her chicks is the reason this nest fledges two every season despite being an obligate siblicide species. In the end, I keep coming back to the wisdom and dedication of these parents. They are a closely bonded pair and when it comes to raising their family, they work as a tight-knit team to provide for and protect their eaglets. I believe they are both in their mid-20s, which is not quite elderly but it’s certainly extremely experienced, and that experience really counts when it comes to keeping the eaglets safe and warm and dry, and ensuring that both eaglets get enough food. Lady has always looked out for her younger hatch when it comes to food. Every season, she ensures it gets food, whether she has to give private feedings early in the morning or late at night, or put her own body between the eaglets, or even to feed the younger chick through her legs or under a wing. And of course Dad is particularly hard-working when it comes to ensuring there is nearly always food on the nest. If Dad is not bringing in food. there is a good reason for it. . “
Calico’s Tip for the Day: No one can be accused of causing cats to run through the house like a Formula 1 circuit. They will do it and defy you. But if you have a new puppy, Calico has found a suggestion for you to make certain you have a ‘calm’ dog.
The dog trainer: playing too much with your puppy
The important thing many owners fail to do with their dog is encourage it to calm down. There is so much emphasis on playing and running. People think they have to play with their puppy because it wants to, but this encourages the dog to be constantly active. It then doesn’t settle well and its behaviour can quickly become problematic. Spending time teaching dogs to walk calmly on a lead and rest at home should be a priority. To learn how, go to a class or follow online advice. Ben Marsh of Balanced Dog
Thank you for being with us today. We are always so happy to have you with us. Take care!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, announcements, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post this morning: ‘A, PB’, The Baltimore Post, The Guardian, Montana Osprey Cam FB, Montana Osprey Project, Dyfi Osprey Project, Charlo Montana, Dunrovin Ranch, Sandpoint Ospreys, Newfoundland Power, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Debbie Shores, Raptor Resource Project/Explore.org, NCTC Eagle Nest, AEF, KNF-E1, Ferris Akel Tours, The Guardian and the Balanced Dog, Olympic Park Eagles.
It is Sunday, and the sky is hazy. It is 27 C at 1730. Sorry for the mantra, but 27 C is nearly as hot as St. George’s Grenada, WI, which is 29 C. Tomorrow is forecast to be 30 C, then 28, and again 30 C on Wednesday. Please let me know if I am wrong, but this is exceptional heat this time of year for Winnipeg. Fort Myers, home to M15 and F23, is 31 C, while it is a cool 13 in Port Lincoln, 10 in Orange, and 12 C in Melbourne. One of the hot spots is Osoyoos, home to Soo and Olsen, which is 34 C. I have yet to see anyone on the nest there, and I hope they have begun their migration. The temperatures are important. We witnessed what heat can do to raptors this summer. The Bald Eagles feeding here in Manitoba (one of the coldest places on the planet in the winter, according to many sources) would stay during the winter if there were food. Several remain in Winnipeg – one lives on the roof of one of our major hospitals. The other couple did live at Ft. Whyte Alive. There is plenty of prey in the winter. Some were seen pecking at ice, trying to get fish at Lake Winnipeg.
The birdfeeders and the feral cat station were filled early Sunday morning. We have a raccoon who is visiting some nights. It makes a huge mess of everything. Tips the lower bird bath over and dumps and eats all the food for either the community cats or the Crows. It ate an entire chicken carcass one night! I am sitting watching Little Red and one of Dyson’s kits alternate gathering peanuts along with the Blue Jays.
They are taking them away, storing them somewhere. I do hope not in or on the bark of a tree destined to be cut. There are House Wrens and House Sparrows around, too. The cheesy dog bowl is full and Mr Crow has finally arrived. It is 1022. Baby Hope is eating hard food, and Calico is staring at the other cat dishes, wondering what happened to all the wet food. Missey ate it and cleaned up all the extra. So now they wait until 1700 – vet rules. While we want some fat on our ospreys, the vet wants the cats ‘more lean’ than ‘pleasantly plump’. Calico has done well on her diet, and her playfulness is a testament to how weight can impact their behaviour.
‘The Girls’ are fine. They are enjoying having more songbirds in the garden to watch and all the squirrels scurrying around.
Hugo Yugo curled up in the house of the cat tree, sleeping after dinner. It seems cats go into food comas, too!
Missey used to sleep in the plant pots with Lewis after they were watered. She barely fits now.
Everyone would like to sleep in the little basket! Hope is waiting patiently. It is impossible for both to sleep together, not enough room. Hugo Yugo is small, but Hope is nearly the size of Calico.
Hope is busy checking out one of the Blue Jays. I must have startled Hugo Yugo! She had been busy watching the Jays flit around eating cheesy dogs, trying not to get stung by the wasps that had invaded the space.
We have several visitors to the feral cat feeder now. There is ‘The Boyfriend’ who has been coming for over 18 months, the other black cat with an entire bowtie moustache and now a young solid black kitten and a ginger male. We know that the ginger male belongs to a neighbour who insists on leaving him out. We hope that he does not get hit by any of the cars that use the streets like they are race tracks.
Calico was very interested in the younger solid black cat. She watched it moving back and forth from the door to the small cat tree. It is really sweet and I will post its image in our neighbourhood FB group tonight.
Gosh. Sunday was just the most beautiful day. Perfect weather. We need rain, but I am thankful for these days. Let it rain at night!
In Bird World, Gabby has been seen mating with ‘the visitor’ – not Beau. Are we destined to have another year of males fighting over Gabby with no eaglets produced?
Every talon is checked and the folks at the AEF are busy trying to identify the necrotic male. Is it A1 from last year?
There is conflicting information, and I cannot see the eagle’s feet to the left. AEF said that Gabby and Beau were at the nest. Their moderator further stated that Gabby and Beau flew off later, and Beau returned to the nest. Gabby did not return. Others have posted that it was ‘the visitor with the necrotic feet’ on the branch next to Gabby, noting that Gabby and Beau hardly ever perched next to one another. We will have to wait and see how this season’s drama unfolds.
The AEF confirms that this is Beau in the tree. He arrived just at 1150.
Then Gabby returned and the couple worked on their nest before heavy rains began.
Beau is still at the nest (confirmed by AEF). He shakes the rain off and looks out over the horizon from the Lookout Tree.
Send good energy that Beau is up to be a great mate AND Dad this year and that all the others leave this couple alone!!!!!!
At Hellgate Canyon, Finnegan delivered the breakfast fish to Antali who, after taking a few bites, flew off the nest with his fish. No sign of Sum-eh at the nest fighting for fish and everyone thinks that she has now left the area. Iris normally departs on the 8th of September. Will she stay longer? or will we see her one last time on Sunday?
Antali certainly went to sleep with an enormous crop.
Beaumont and Hope were on the nest bringing fish to the two juveniles on Sunday so everyone is home at Snow Lane in Newfoundland.
Fish deliveries continue to happen at Sandpoint.
Charlie is still delivering fish to the Charlo Montana nest for C16.
Big Bear and the diamonds. No Jackie or Shadow.
‘J’ writes that Bowen’s body has been removed from the Boundary Bay Nest by the Hancock Wildlife Foundation in the hopes that they might be able to determine what caused the eaglet to die.
There are ospreys know not to return to their natal nest area. Researchers are curious about why this is the case. Gregorius Joris Tooen (he worked with the translocation project of ospreys to Ireland) posted some information and thoughts on this phenomena that I believe will interest you.
In Wales, LJ2, the male at Llyn Brenig, partner of Blue 372, is believed to have left the nest and begun his migration after the last of the chicks departed.
Geemeff’s daily summary for Loch Arkaig and The Wooden Trust.
Daily summary Sunday 8th September 2024
No activity today, other than magnificent scenery on the nests this morning when the promised fog materialised. The weather did brighten up but heavy rain is forecast, and tomorrow will be a good day to end these summaries and close the season by posting my unofficial season highlights video. Woodland Trust will be posting the official highlights and closing this comments page soon, but the livestreams will be available on YouTube, links below, plus previous seasons and plenty of interesting content on Woodland Trust’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/@woodlandtrust/videos
The only surviving osprey chick at the Osprey Environment Centre in Queensland is growing and thriving. The other chick, the smallest one, died on the 12th of August after severe weather, poor fish deliveries, and according to the centre, some bullying from the oldest sibling.
The end of season summary from Dyfi Osprey Project in Wales. They are truly proud of Idris and Telyn pulling off ‘another hat trick’. Thanks, Dyfi. I wish that every streaming cam in the world would produce an end of year detailed summary such as this!
Frankie is still at Fenwick Island still bringing fish to his juvenile, Fen.
The Royal Cam chick (hardly a chick anymore!) has gorgeous wings and has been hoping around and hovering. Soon, very soon, this beauty will take to the skies.
In Bulgaria, the Greater Flamingo has been residing there, but they have never nested and bred. Now they have.
Friends of Sth Australia Ospreys (our Port Lincoln friends) need a treasurer. Do you know someone qualified to help? (This is the biggest I can cut and paste, apologies).
Thank you so much for being with us today. Take care all. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, videos, articles, images, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘Geemeff, J, PB’, NEFL-AEF, Montana Osprey Project, Newfoundland Power, Charlo Montana, Sandpoint Ospreys, FOBBV, Gregorious Joris Toonen, Llyn Brenig Osprey Project, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, Osprey House Environmental Centre, Dyfi Osprey Project, Birds of South Jersey, Judy Harrington and Sydney Sea Eagle Cam, SK Hideaways, Heidi McGrue, NZ DOC, BirdGuides, and Fran Solly and Friends of Osprey.
As promised, I am including a review of the latest children’s book on ospreys by Connie Dennis from Nova Scotia, Canada. Calico and I have read it several times since its arrival last week and Calico gives the book her Golden Paw Award! The cover below gives you a good idea of the quality of the images and the other page shows the great layout.
I am going on a little holiday to Toronto from Wednesday evening through Saturday. I will take you to some of the City’s parks where I will be ‘birding’. The blog will be much shorter on Thursday than usual – I arrive in Toronto late, late Wednesday night. However, we will have Heidi’s reports, Geemeff’s, and a few nests Thursday morning! Things will be back to usual Sunday. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my little excursion.
BOOK REVIEW:
Connie Dennis and her husband, Don, are more than just residents of Nova Scotia. They are privileged observers of the lives of the Osprey couple, Ethel and Oscar. Their home provides a front-row seat to the incredible fish-eating raptors, and they have used this unique perspective to create Pickles the Osprey. An Osprey’s Journey in Nova Scotia. This children’s book is beautifully illustrated with Don’s photographs, offers a rare glimpse into the life of these majestic birds, a perspective that only Connie and Don could provide.
Pickles the Osprey is a delightful book. It has Calico’s seal of approval, which is very hard to earn! Pickles gives us a first-hand view of his life as an osplet in a nest in Nova Scotia. He introduces us to his parents, who work hard to provide their chicks with a nice nest and fish. We learn what kind of fish ospreys consume in Nova Scotia, which differs from fish hawks in other parts of the world. Connie provides useful scientific facts in a manner that is not dull to young people. She also peppers the story with ‘Fun Facts’ alongside the humour of Pickles. Children will learn about the unique talons of the osprey that allow them to grasp fish and carry them back to the nest. They will learn about fledging and migration. In addition, Dennis brings up one of the main challenges of our raptors – hydro poles. The couple worked tirelessly to ensure the ospreys in Nova Scotia were safe. They have provided images of the help that Nova Scotia Power has given to the raptors such as Oscar and Ethel.
The book has stunning close-up images of Pickle’s nest and great graphics. Included are photos of Canadian currency with ospreys and some fun photoshopping with Pickles sharing a meal of fish tacos with his parents after migration. I had no idea that ospreys appeared on our paper currency! And I did not know that Ospreys are the provincial bird of Nova Scotia. This proves that there is always something for us to learn. Grandparents, parents, and teachers will find this an excellent resource to help young people understand the life cycle and the challenges that ospreys face in a contemporary world—highly recommended!
All profits from the sale of Pickles the Osprey: An Osprey’s Journey in Nova Scotia go to Hope for Wildlife. Connie will also sign and mail copies anywhere. This way, ALL profits go to Hope for Wildlife. The address for ordering is below. Copies can also be obtained from Amazon and Indigo.
For slightly older youngsters, I highly recommend Belle’s Journey. An Osprey Takes Flight by Rob Bierregaard and Kate Garchinsky. This book gives you an excellent glimpse at osprey migration using a GPS satellite-tagged bird and twenty years of research into bird migration. Belle takes her first flight from the nest and travels down the coast of the United States all the way to South America. Through her trials and tribulations, we learn about the great challenges and why so many do not last the journey. It is another Calico favourite, and Heidi tells me it suits adults, too.
It remains hot with no break in sight for some of our Pacific Northwest nests. Let’s check and see how a few of them are doing:
At Charlo Montana, Lola’s posture says it all.
It is much nicer for the ospreys in the early morning and evening. Iris is hot like Lola and keeping her babies cool. These poor females.
Iris doesn’t know but Finn has a big fish coming in if he doesn’t lose it!
Finn ate on the fish for nearly an hour and delivered a huge headless piece to Iris. She is delighted as are the chicks.
‘PB’ sent me the Owl cam view of this feeding!
Dunrovin. It is hot there for Swoop and Winnie.
At McEuen Park, Mm continues to try to keep her only surviving baby safe and fed as best she can. She often alerts that intruders are near. Did they harm her mate? Will they try a nest takeover?
Cowlitz PUD: The one remaining osplet, not taken by the eagle, is getting to be a fair size. Maybe the eagle will give up. That would be wonderful for Electra. It started out promising until the heat hit the nest and the eagle. Take a breath.
Steelscape:
The Only Bob at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum continues to appear to be thriving.
Expecting fledges at Field Farm any time!
Hoping Beaumont and Hope keep up the good work with their two osplets. Knocking on wood!
For those birds in the area where Menhaden is their main source of food – and it is being scooped up by the millions of pounds, let’s stop this.
Bailey isn’t the only raptor donating blood. Connick did and saved a Red-tailed Hawk. Thanks, ‘J’!
A great Osprey rescue.
Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig and The Woodland Trust:
Daily summary Tuesday 16th July 2024
A slow day today, no fish arrived on the nest but Louis did bring a very impressive ten foot pole, and spent some time positioning it on the nest and doing some nest-scraping. Despite Dorcha calling loud and long for fish, he decided to attempt mounting her but a wayward breeze put paid to that by blowing him away. LizB says: The mating attempts, along with coy mantling, skydancing, nest scraping and bringing in nesting materials are all normal bonding behaviours to reinforce their bond after what they see as a nest failure following the loss of their chicks. No Ospreys visited Nest One, just a Thrush visited and perched for a few moments. The light rain and light winds of tonight’s forecast were already in evidence when night cam switched over much earlier than usual, and thundery showers are expected tomorrow.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 23.24.45 (03.27.14); Nest Two 23.10.47 (03.40.54)
7/16 Osoyoos osprey nest: The live stream was offline until 0930, so we may have missed a couple of Olsen’s early fish deliveries. It was another very hot day, with a temperature of 102F/39C at 1600. We did not see a fish delivery until 1759, and it was a very large whole fish brought by Soo. After such a long time without a meal, I was concerned that there might be some aggression, but there wasn’t. It was a peaceful, 41 minute feeding, and Soo and her two remaining chicks had a nice meal. At 2113, Olsen dropped off a small partial fish, and there was some slight intimidation from Big toward Middle. This feeding lasted for 7-minutes, and Middle was able to eat during the last 2 minutes. Weather for 7/17: Partly cloudy, high 99F/37C, light winds.
7/16 Audubon Boathouse osprey nest: As you know, Dory and Skiff’s two young chicks were killed by a Great Horned Owl in the early morning hours. There was some light rain in the evening. Dory dropped down from the perch and tried to cover her chicks’ bodies to protect them from the rain. In 2022 Dory and Skiff fledged three chicks. They have had 6 chicks over three seasons, and half of them were predated by a GHO.
7/16 Mispillion Harbor osprey nest: Della and Warren have done a wonderful job raising their two 49 and 50-day-old chicks. The chicks have both been doing some major wingercising. They have not achieved any significant lift as yet, but it won’t be long!
7/16 Chesapeake Bay Foundation osprey nest (Annapolis): This is a cam without rewind. Three eggs were laid, and three hatched. The two youngest nestlings died within days of hatching. The oldest chick seems to be doing very well, and is estimated to be 37 days old.
7/16 Patuxent River Park osprey nest: It is still difficult for Little to acquire food because of his aggressive fledgling sibs. Mom doesn’t even get enough to eat. It has been extremely hot at the nest area (101F on Tuesday), and the fish count to the nest has dropped. Little’s only meal of the day was at 0515 from a large leftover fish, but it was a good, long feeding from Mom. For the first time, Little was performing some high hovers that were completely out of our sight. I think the kid may be ready to fly…but he needs a good meal first.
7/16 Colonial Beach osprey nest: This area reached at least 97 degrees today. Once again, there were only three fish brought to the nest. The chicks are 21 and 22 days old. Chick #1, Big, has just started to become aggressive during meals over the past couple of days. At 0720 David dropped off a large flatfish, and Big prevented Little from eating during the meal. David delivered another large fish at 0900, and Little was finally able to eat for about 5-minutes at the end of the meal. More than 8 hours passed, and finally Betty arrived with a medium sized fish. Due to aggression by Big, Little was only able to eat two bites of fish and the fish tail. I am worried for Little.
Sweet Baby Blue at the HWF-BBC Central Nest in British Columbia. I am so glad that you have been enjoying seeing the fish pieces fly to the nest! They all deserve our help.
Kristel had a Raven and, consequently, a huge crop on the 15th. Kristel was 10 weeks old. She is waiting for more prey deliveries this morning.
Cute little Dorsett Hobby Mum is learning!
Mr Crow would like you to learn more about Crows so that you will consider feeding them! Just as the creator of the video states – the Crows know our car! And there is nothing shy about them when it comes to telling us their food trays are empty. Just like all the other birds living in an urban environment, their habitat is being destroyed as I wrote and there are little food choices for them. Please help if you can. You will be rewarded much more than you give.
Thank you for being with us. Take care everyone. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, videos, images, screen captures, posts, comments, and letters: ‘Geemeff, H, J, PB’, Connie Dennis, Don Dennis, Morning Dove Press, Charlo Montana, Montana Osprey Project, McEuen Park, Dunrovin Ranch, Cowlitz PUD, Pam Breci, MN LA, Field Farm, Newfoundland Power, Lesley the Bird Nerd, SK Hideaways, Hancock Wildlife Foundation, Eagle Club of Estonia, Looduskalender, Osoyoos, Audubon Boathouse, Mispillion Harbour, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Patuxent River Park, by Rob Bierregaard and Kate Garchinskyand Colonial Beach.
I kept the computer on determined to stay awake to see the first hatch of Iris and Finnegan. About an hour before that historic moment I fell asleep! Isn’t it typical? Many of you will know that I have kept a tiny bottle of champagne to celebrate the hatch of Jackie and Shadow’s eaglet for the past two years. It has been sitting. I think today is the day to toast Iris and Finnegan and their first hatch!
It will remain a mystery to me why Louis chose to not challenge Finnegan’s take over of both Iris and her nest but also part of his territory. I am told that Louis and Star moved their nest to a further distance. I would like to think that Louis recognised that Finnegan was serious and would care for Iris and any chicks but I suspect it was Finnegan’s youth and determination that prompted Louis not to want to ‘mix’ with this new guy. There is enough space and fish for all! Whatever the reason, we are now joyously celebrating an event that Dr Green and his team have been waiting to happen since 2018. No one ever expected to see Iris be a mum again and yet, here we are with the oldest known osprey in the world having a strong healthy chick that one can hear cheeping on the microphone.
Dr Green is expecting the second little dinosaur in the next couple of days.
Look at how proud Finnegan is protecting Iris, the baby, and their nest.
The first feeding.
Here is a link to Iris and Finnegan’s streaming cam:
And, two last notes on other nests that got missed in the morning posting: Smallie has been fed by one of the adults (thanks ‘PB’) and there is an issue brewing at Loch Arkaig that we hope will be resolved. Louis always delivers 5 to 7 fish a day and had a bad day. C2, who seems to be the aggressive female, with C1 a male, is being rather brutal to her siblings. We wait for the nest to calm down.
Thank you to the Montana Osprey Project for their streaming cam.
Celebrate Iris and Finnegan’s historic moment. Many of us have tears of joy!
Good Morning Everyone! It is 11 degrees C (51.8 F) and will only rise to 17 C (62.6) – a great day for a long walk! As the temperatures begin to fall and the summer clothes make way for sweaters, it is a reminder to enjoy every moment outside that we can – here on the prairies of Canada. Winnipeg has been known to actually be colder than Mars in the winter so every precious minute outside is a gift.
Oh, it was a nice day yesterday. The best treat was I found the little duck. It is the tiniest wild duck I have ever seen in my life. There is still a lot of down and its wings seem ‘small’.
5 September:
12 September. The head is larger and it appears that some more feathers on the back have grown in. The little one was so busy scooping up what looks like confetti made out of leaves. It is called Duck Weed and is not the best thing to have growing on the ponds but – the ducks love it!!!!!!! In fact, ducks will eat whatever food is in front of them including pondweed, sea weed, reeds and flowers as well as berries and seeds and we have seen them eat frogs, too.
The Canada Goose couple that had lost one another the other day and were honking up a storm had taken possession of the only island in the pond. It seems that the water level is rising due to the staff at the centre draining one area to move the water to another. The geese were sharing with some Mallards but they were not moving and giving up their lease!
Aren’t they a gorgeous couple?
In past years there seem not to have been as many juvenile American Coots. They are everywhere at the nature centre – hiding in the reeds, riding on pieces of branches, or just standing quietly around a corner this year and I have seen others at ponds around the city.
You can see how thick that duckweed is on the pond. Someone of it should be cleaned with a filter – and maybe that is what the staff are doing.
Over the years the Mallards have just gotten more beautiful to me. They are common and often over-looked because of it. So many sweet little females around the edge of the pond.
Most looked nice and full from their foraging. It was bottoms up everywhere!
Oh, look at those beautiful primary and secondary feathers. Let us all hope that our wee one will have as many by the end of October.
In the Mailbox:
No questions just outpourings of love for Izzi who was the subject of yesterday’s archival photo. Oh, what a character he was and each of us that watched Xavier and Diamond’s scrape and Izzi so intently has so many stories of his antics.
Making News:
A Bald Eagle death in Canada attributed to Avian Flu. This is very sad. It was believed that the H5N1 was slowing down. Now it might be spread again by migratory birds.
The EU is being heavily criticized for not protecting marine life from overfishing. Why is this in a bird blog? Well, the birds that eat fish need them so the setting up a moratorium for fishing for human consumption might help.
One of my favourite books, Goshawk Summer, has won the Wainwright Nature Writing prize. James Aldred spent the early part of the pandemic in the New Forest. His assignment was to document the life of a Goshawk family. Written like a daily diary, Alden captures the solitude of the forest and the magical experiences of the chicks. “The wood holds its breath, the only sound the begging of the chicks and the gentle breeze through trees. The forest hasn’t been this peaceful for a thousand years.” Despite Aldred being a wildlife photographer there is not a single image of the Goshawks in the book but, they are not necessary. Through his words their presence is evoked as clearly as a newly cleaned window.
Two lucky Bald Eagles were helped in Maine when they were relieved from being entangled with one another. They were mid-air and crashed into the water. Both could have died with out the help of the kind couple.
I wasn’t quite sure where to put this wonderful news. Many of you will have already heard that Iris – thought, perhaps, to have migrated from her spring and summer home in Montana – was eating an enormous fish she had caught on the Owl Pole today in Missoula. The oldest Osprey in the world looks magnificent.
Here is a 4 minute video of this magical event.
12 September is a very special day. It is the day that Gabby normally returns to her nest near Jacksonville, Florida that she shares with her partner, Samson. Out of 4 years, 3 of the returns have been on the 12th of September. How incredible. Samson has been waiting and looking and bringing in some sticks. Gabby did not disappoint! She arrived today!!!!!!!!!!!!! The couple got busy working together getting ready for the wee eagles this year. Oh, it is so wonderful to see you home, Gabby.
Good night Samson and Gabby. All is well with the world. See you tomorrow.
Lady Hawk caught the reunion on video!
Padarn appears to still be with Idris at the Dyfi Osprey nest in Wales.
Blue 497 is still on the nest at Glaslyn and Aran delivered a really nice fish for tea time.
Did you know that both Padarn and Blue 497 hatched on the same day? It was 26 May. 497 is the oldest and Padarn is the middle chick. Both, as we can see, are still at home.
Idris brought a flat fish later and is looking around for Padarn. Is she gone?
Everything seems to be fine on the Sea Eagles nest in the Sydney Olympic Forest.
The eaglets had an early breakfast. Looks like one of the Silver Gull chicks from the old barge down the Parramatta River.
Even with a great big nest SE29 and 30 prefer to snuggle together. Lady keeps watch.
A lovely family portrait.
At the Port Lincoln Osprey barge, Mum has been rooting around in the nest and rolling those three precious eggs. It is the 14th of September in South Australia. Is it really possible that in 4 more days we could have a hatch? At times it felt like it has taken forever and on other days it seems like we just had the last egg laid. Does it feel that way to you?
At the 367 Collins Street scrape, Mum got up to stretch her legs. Gosh these birds must get stiff sitting on those eggs for so long —- yes, I am projecting human needs on them! If they had a little buzzer to remind them to stand up and get the circulation moving it might help. Oh, she made me ache as I watched her raise off those eggs. She was hardly gone…someone played a trick on this female. They told her that she had to do all the incubating herself. Hopefully she will give Dad some more time.
Oh, just when you say the birds eat off camera, someone brings a nice juicy pigeon and there you go – eaten on the nest! It is like having a sick child and taking it to the doctor and your little one is immediately well on arrival!
Migration News:
Just imagine 428 million birds making their migration flights tonight.
Remember it is time for lights out. If you want to check your own area of migration, go to this link and put in your postal code or the name of your city – sadly lower mainland US only.
Karl II’s family migration – Waba is still around the area of Manachyn and has flown a short distance south where he has discovered a little lake.
Bonus is still in the wetlands along the Prypjat River south of Makarichi.
Kaia is still around the Desna River. So all three appear to be doing well. What a glorious relief. No news from Karl II.
From the Archive:
Do you know my name? I was the only eaglet on an enormous nest. My parents names are Liberty and Freedom. When I branched and started jumping and flapping my wings, your got very worried.
I hope that your day is as lovely as ours on the Canadian Prairies. Thank you so very much for being with us today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their blogs, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that make up my screen captures: Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Wreckhouse Weekly News, The Guardian, Bangor Daily News, Montana Ospreys and Cornell Bird Lab, NEFL-AEF, Lady Hawk, Dyfi Ospreys, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Port Lincoln Ospreys, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, BirdCast, Looduskalender, and Glacier Gardens.
The eaglet was Kindness who hatched in Glacier Gardens, a large botanical garden within the Tongass National Park, Juneau, Alaska. The year was 2021.
Oh, good morning to you! I hope that your week has been a really good one. I see changes…in the colour of the vines growing up the hydro poles which are now turning a beautiful burgundy and the number of children going down the sidewalks in the morning and afternoon with their backpacks. Truly summer has just about come to an end although the official day for the beginning of autumn is a couple of weeks away. The temperatures are still in the mid-20s C and I am not ready to box up the linen just yet.
It was a gorgeous evening with a nice crisp breeze. The sun was setting and it looked like a Monet painting as it reflected on the pond where the ducks and geese were gathering. To my surprise there were a pair of Loons and about 8 Greater Yellowlegs punching in the soft mud at the edge of the pond for a meal with those long bills.
A pair of LoonsGreater YellowlegsA couple of American Coots in with the other water fowl
It is always good to get outside if you can. I remember when my mother fell and broke her hip. She was reluctant to get up and walk again and her doctor was quite stern in his response – “Either use them or loose them!” It is good for me to remember on those days when I would rather curl up with a book instead of getting out in the fresh air. The long hours of book reading and sipping hot tea will be here soon enough!!!!!! It was not a terribly long walk around the pond and blood was given to the mosquitoes! It is a shame that they love to come out at dusk and feed right when all of the migrating birds are landing and settling down for the night.
I want to go back to this location during the day to see the shorebirds better. Wish me luck! There is a chance that a Blue Heron might be there as well.
In the Mailbox:
Question from ‘A’: “I am worried the new mum at Collins Street is inexperienced and this may affect the success of the breeding season. Today, at least 10 days into hard incubation, she left the eggs for nearly two and a half hours. Dad did not arrive to take over. It is a relatively warm but very wet and overcast day in Melbourne, so there was no warming sunshine to maintain egg temperature. How dangerous could such a long gap in incubation be to the developing chicks inside?”
This is a very timely question, ‘A’. Thank you for asking it. There has been quite a bit of concern about the new female at the Melbourne scrape. We learned much and were incredibly surprised about incubation times with Milda at the White-tailed Eagle nest. Her mate died and she stayed on the nest for 8 solid days before seeking food. It was cold and wintery. At one time the two eggs were left for 8 hours and at other times for shorter but considerable time. No one believed they would hatch but hatch the two did. Sadly they did not live because Mum was starving and there was no food even from a male that seemed to want to play Dad. Now these eggs were in a big twig nest that holds heat but the temperatures were much lower than those in Melbourne which are in a scrape. The gravel will hold heat but perhaps not as much as the twig nest. Dr Victor Hurley has stated on FB that an hour and a half will cause no damage at all. I would think that the time she was away is fine but my concern would be if the surface of the eggs were damaged at all by the rain. This can cause undue problems. We wait. There is often a failure for first time parents – in this case just the Mum. Dad and our former Mum worked like clockwork – they were a great team but that takes time to know the other partner well. We will wait but my hope is that only a couple of the eggs develop well as it will be easier for a first time Mum to cope. Many experienced females have difficulty with four!
I found this article on the issues with egg development and incubation that might be helpful:
Question from ‘B’: “Do male Osprey fledglings migrate before female Osprey fledglings?”
That is a fantastic question and I do not have the scientific data at hand to state that the males go first although many believe that this is true. I want to check some data and will get back to everyone on Saturday morning with a data driven answer to this question. The research will be limited to the UK birds because they are ringed and measured. Let’s see what we can find out. Thanks, B!
A rant and a question from ‘J’: “There is a lot of arguing going on over calling the parents of nestlings Mum and Dad at the Melbourne scrape. There is a person telling everyone to stop and use male and female so that we are not anthropomorphizing the birds. What do you think?” Thank you so much ‘J’ for sending me this question. I actually went and found the post and made a comment – something that I do not often do but I feel very strongly about this particular subject and I am happy to address how I ‘feel’ about this!
I get outraged when I see someone jump on another individual for giving human qualities to a non-human. In the study of animal behaviour, anthropomorphizing is attributing human characteristics to non-humans. That is the simple definition. Using words such as joy, grief, embarrassment, anger or jealousy are anthropomorphic terms. Dr Marc Bekoff, an expert in animal behaviour and emotions, and his colleagues use human terms all the time when they are dealing with the emotional lives of animals. “Being anthropomorphic is a linguistic tool to make the thoughts and feelings of other animals accessible to humans.” (123) Bekoff continues, “If we decide against using anthropomorphic terms we might as well pack up and go home because we have no alternatives. Should we talk about animals as a bunch of hormones, neurons and muscles???” (124). “When we anthropomorphize, we’re doing what comes naturally, and we shouldn’t be punished for it. It’s part of who we are.” (125).
Bekoff continues for many pages noting that we observe animals being happy, feeling grief. You have seen these behaviours. Anyone watching a streaming cam of any raptor will, at one time or another, note joy, anger, and all too often, grief. I can still “see” Connie and Clive standing over the dead body of their eaglet who had been flapping and jumping and broke a blood feather. She died of rodenticide poisoning like her younger sister. The blood in the growing feather should have coagulated but it didn’t because someone decided to poison the rats and Clive brought one to the nest. It was an incredibly moving time and Clive never got over the deaths. He left the nest.
We must acknowledge that animals experience joy, passion, grief, and suffering. They feel love and they feel pain. If we fully grasp that the animals and the birds are really no different than we are, then we might stop to think about how we treat them. That would be the beginning of real change in our world. I personally believe that it is our duty to make the planet a better place – to do all that each of us can do to make the lives of non-humans better. If calling them Louis or Sarafina helps to do this then fine. The adults at the Collins Street scrape are parents as we know it. The female is the Mum and the male is the Dad. What in the world does it hurt to call them that!?
Making News:
The only surviving Osprey chick from the Pitkin County Open Trails platform is now out of ICU and in the flight aviary! What fantastic news. In June, the female pulled her two chicks out of the nest when her talons inadvertently got caught on nesting material entangled with monofilament line. One chick died as the result of the long fall; the other was lucky that passersby took immediate action to get it into care.
Sharon Dunne posted some really good information about issues related to plastic and sea birds today. Thanks, Sharon, for reminding us that humans seem to use the ocean as their garbage can – or as is the case with the UK reporting, as their toilet for releasing raw sewage. We need to clean up our act.
Can you image if this beautiful little Albatross chick was fed that plastic horse? Thankfully the parent seems to have regurgitated it on the ground. It could have killed them also. We want the sea birds to eat fish and squid and not fill up on plastic so they are not hungry and die. That is just horrid.
Fledgling osprey from the UK flies west and gets into a bit of a pickle landing on the RRS Sir David Attenborough west of Sula Sgeir. Thankfully they are heading into port. This youngster will get a second chance to get his flight coordinates set!
Two announcements have come for L4 and L3. The first was for L4 who appears to have done so well that release is now almost at hand. This was followed by a statement that L3 is also a candidate for release at a later date. This is great news. L4 was the first of the four siblings this year to catch its own prey and was a real favourite of many of us. I will never forget the fearlessness when L4 wanted to be first at Mum’s beak and scrambled over the older bigger siblings to get there. If you are wondering — will L4 be fine. Absolutely!
Another raptor has been shot in the UK. This was a Red Kite that was shot at Epping Forest! It is now undergoing extensive rehabilitation and vet treatments. The police are appealing for help in finding the perpetrator.
Sarafina had to go between Louis’s legs to get her tea time fish! ‘B’ reminded me that Sarafina is now 97 days old today (Wednesday), the same age as Vera in 2020 when she fledged. If Sarafina stays on another day, she will have the record for Loch Arkaig’s longest lingering fledgling.
Yes, Sarafina now has the record for the longest lingering fledgling at Loch Arkaig! She may also get the award for tackling Dad with her landings to get the fish he continues to supply.
Padarn now has the record at the Dyfi Nest for the longest lingering fledgling.
Aran still has his entire family at Glaslyn this morning. No sign of anyone thinking of packing their suitcases.
Xavier is really enjoying incubating those eggs in the scrape in Orange. I love how he talks to them in ‘falconese’. Diamond is not always obliging in his requests for ‘eggie time’. Xavier is simply adorable. Oh, let us all hope that there is one great big healthy chick this year like Izzi. And if there are more – let them be healthy too…and let the pigeon population increase so that everyone is full to the brim.
Xavier hoping for some more time with the eggs…
The Sea Eagles are nothing short of gorgeous. They are now almost completely covered with their juvenile plumage. It is SE29 standing. SE30 is still a little lighter at the shoulder and the beard.
Just look at the expressions on their face – so intently watching and taking in ‘something’ outside the nest. Great development.
The Sea Eagle FB page reminds individuals that there is an entire website devoted to the Sea Eagles. There is all kinds of interesting information there. Have a look if you are interested. Here is the link:
Mum has been doing quite a bit of yelling at Dad at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge for the last couple of days. Sometimes Dad will slowly eat the fish he has caught and bring her the leftovers….don’t think she is any too happy about that. Maybe if he brings her another big fish she will take it and let him incubate the eggs longer. Could be a good strategy Dad!!!!!!!!!! Just like Xavier, Dad loves time with the eggs in the nest.
Marrum shows her partner, Partney, the second egg of the 2022 breeding season on Tumby Island, South Australia. Congratulations!!!!!!
Migration News:
Rutland has confirmed that all of Manton Bay Ospreys are now officially deemed to be on migration and away from the nest. Here is the announcement with the last image of Maya before she departed. What a grand year it was and what beautiful daughters they raised.
A great article on Osprey migration with maps and dates to answer almost all of your questions and to refresh our memories.
avianreport.com/osprey-migration/
Here is a good article on the tools that scientists use to study bird migrations. Thanks Sharon Dunne for bringing this to my attention!
There is still no tracking data for Karl II who is known to have been in the Kherzon region of Ukraine where the fighting is said to be intense as Ukrainian forces seek to take back the region from Russian forces. There are 2 reports for the 7th of September. Bonus remains in Belarus and we have heard from Kaia who is in Ukraine but appears to have found a good spot to fish.
Kaia did not fly far. She is fishing in the Desna River.
Tweed fledgling positively IDed and photographed on the Iberian Peninsula.
On 1 September at 17:44 Iris stood proudly with her mate, Louis, at the Hellgate Canyon Osprey nest in Missoula, Montana staring straight into the camera. It is one of the most poignant, beautiful, eerie and haunting images (all wrapped up into a lot of emotions) of this year. It felt like goodbye. Is this the last image of the year? I hope not for forever – but that is why it strikes me as so strange. Sealed in our memories in this singular instant is the fact that Iris is happy to stand next to Louis, happy with the way things are, happy with her life. They look beautiful together. If they were humans they would be having this image printed on cards to send to all their friends.
Safe travels dear one…we hope to see you in late March or April.
There have been a lot of questions about the Melbourne scrape and a lot of anxiety amongst viewers. I propose a deep breathe or several and let us wait and see what happens. Not every nest is a success. Xavier and Diamond often lay 3 eggs with only 1 developing and hatching and this could be a good thing for the new Mum in Melbourne. One healthy eyas is a great thing! A blessing. We will continue to keep our eyes on those UK nests for migration but no one appears to be wanting to go on a holiday to the south as yet. We just had a hummingbird in the garden and the rabbit was on the deck eating being protected by the crow who was above it in the bird bath. How beautiful!
Thank you so much for joining me today. Please take care of yourselves. Stay safe. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their posts and streaming cams, their Tweets, etc where I took my screen captures: Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Royal Cam Albatross Group NZ, NZ DOC, Hugh Venables, Cornell Hawks, Raptor Persecution UK, Friends of Loch Arkaig and the Woodland Trust, Dyfi Osprey Project, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Friends of Osprey, LWRT, Looduskalender, Conservation without Borders, and Montana Osprey Project.
