Tag Archives: Ithaca NY

Eaglets get names…late Saturday in Bird World

2 May 2026

Hello Everyone,

Ever heard of the International Dawn Chorus? Well, it’s tomorrow.

AI Overview: International Dawn Chorus Day 2026 takes place on Sunday, May 3, 2026. Celebrated annually on the first Sunday in May, this global event encourages people to wake early to experience the peak spring birdsong, either by joining organized guided walks or simply listening from home. 

Key Details for 2026:

  • The Experience: Birdsong peaks in early May as annual migrants arrive, providing a spectacular, immersive, and often therapeutic soundscape.
  • How to Participate: You can participate anywhere, from urban areas to nature reserves. Many enthusiasts join the #DawnChorusClub on social media to share their recordings and experiences.
  • Events: Specific, locally hosted, in-person events include a 5:30 AM walk in Toronto’s High Park and a 6:00 AM event at Crieff, UK, according to local event listings.
  • Why Birds Sing: The dawn chorus peaks in spring because birds are defending territories and attracting mates. 

It is recommended to check local listings for nature walks in your area.

Let’s get out in nature – .

We had our first Robin in the garden Saturday morning. So happy. We were just chatting with Ann on Friday and I said we hadn’t had Robins in the garden for several years and there it was!

A close-up of a robin perched on the edge of a birdbath, surrounded by bare branches and a blurred background.

Did I tell you that Toby alerted the other evening and we had two deer eating from the feeders? Life is full of beautiful moments.

Two deer near a bird feeder, surrounded by bare branches and debris on the ground.

Today I am having to be very cautious. Toby has had his first ‘treatment’ for ticks, fleas, and worms. These Cavaliers have many health issues. I listened to a reader, now friend, and got the best treatment I could get. Still, I cannot have the cats licking Toby’s back as one of the ingredients is dangerous for them. So the Calicos are sleeping in Don’s room and Hugo Yugo and Missey are in mine. Tonight Toby and I will lock ourselves in and by tomorrow at noon, the treatment should be completely dry and all will be well til se have to do it again in a month.

I have learned a lot, and Toby will not go to the groomers anymore. He will only have the hair between his pads cleaned, his nails trimmed and his ears cleaned. I brush him every day and shampoo and condition as necessary – when it is muddy, it could be more than once a day. He is a Spaniel!!!!!!!! They sure love to get dirty.

The Girls are good and Don is hanging in there. we have our good days and bad days. The bad ones aren’t that bad anymore! I am working on some small renovations to the house. I wasn’t happy with the glass around the French doors that were installed – I don’t know why but it bothered me immensely so I am now working on installing bookcases with drawers and a lot of moulding.

They are IKEA. David put them together yesterday evening – a great young dad with two children who works very hard. All of that glass above will be covered up with some panelling modelled on Shaker doors. The question then is to paint or not paint? I will see how tired I am. The plan was to paint them the same colour as the walls, but David also said I could leave everything white and paint the French doors a white to match the bookcases and relax. That sounds easy! I am definitely changing the handles for knobs.

Keeps my mind busy.

A cozy living space featuring a Buddha statue, candle holder, and decorative items on a wooden table with a white bookshelf in the background, and a sofa in the foreground.

There are names at two nests that I know of as of a few minutes ago –

At the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the school children selected the names Sandy for the oldest and Luna for the youngest out of the names sent in.

At the nest of Irvine and Stella, USSteel, the triplets have been named:

A close-up view of three young eaglets in their nest, surrounded by twigs and greenery.

The Achieva Credit Union runs the cam but doesn’t get involved either the ospreys. Why doesn’t the chat group have someone run a naming contest for Jack and Jill’s two?

‘PB’ took this screen capture of their bursting crops of the US Steel eaglets. Irvine has been keen to ensure the little one is fed regularly, while Stella seems to take care of the older two. I wonder if the ‘baby’ smelled different when it returned from rehab/rescue – similar to the way our cats and dogs smell different when they come home from the vet, and the other pets in the house growl and dismiss or attack them

Three young birds sitting in a nest made of twigs and branches, with fluffy feathers and visible talons.

Achieva’s Mum Jill is incredible, and if there is a bird Mum of the Year, it could well be her for pitching in immediately when she saw her baby was going to starve to death and catching those catfish like Diane used to bring in. The difference is that Jill goes fishing at a specific time in the afternoon and always comes back with a nice catfish dinner. She sometimes goes out early, too, if Jack fails to bring in breakfish.

Big at Achieva has started self-feeding. He grabbed a small fish from Jack and ate while Jill fed her catfish to Little on Saturday.

The Kakapo streaming cam is live again. They are growing so fast and turning sooooo green. Just beautiful.

Two Kākāpō parakeets sitting near their nest inside a hollow log.

The hatch at the Cornell Red Tail Hawk nest of Big Red and Arthur is bothering me. I hope I am just being too cautious. It looks like one of those high-humidity crush eggs. I want to be terribly wrong about this concern. I haven’t seen any of Big Red’s eggs crush like this in the years I have been watching – and that has been a long time. (Please feel free to correct me!)

A red-tailed hawk sitting in its nest with a cracked egg on the ground, surrounded by twigs and nesting material.

Arthur and Big Red are doing a lot of changeovers but they are sure now showing us anything. I sure hope those babies are fine. The Cornell Bird Lab has a whole Q & A on their hawks. People always ask:

How Old Are Big Red And Arthur?

Records show that Big Red was banded in the nearby town of Brooktondale, New York, during her first autumn in 2003. Arthur was first spotted by local birders on Cornell University campus as a fledgling in 2016.

Big Red picked Arthur to be her mate after her previous mate, Ezra, died. Arthur did not yet have his red-tail!!!!!!!!!!! But as we know, the birds know better than we do. Arthur impressed by presenting Big Red with a multiple squirrels, his great hunting skills showing he would be a good provider for their chicks, won her heart. The rest is history.

The nest is, as I recall, over the years, very successful, with all the eggs hatching but one. Only one chick, K3, did not fledge. Sadly, a few have died from window collisions on the campus and one from West Nile Virus. E3 is an ambassador for the Cornell Bird Lab.

Two red-tailed hawks in their nest, one facing away and displaying its feathers, while the other is visible on the right, standing on the nest's floor surrounded by twigs.

The eyases of Oren and Ruth are so cute and becoming quite the characters. Lots of food including bunnies.

A close-up view of a bird's nest containing a newly hatched chick and its parent, with nesting materials like twigs and straw around them.
A hawk sitting in its nest surrounded by twigs and grass, with small prey nearby.
A fluffy chick resting in a nest made of twigs and pine needles, with remnants of small prey nearby.

Weekly update, a Nesting Eagles Podcast, of the Trempealeau Bald Eagle nest. https://youtu.be/hJrEKu04BrU?

Migration is stepping up in North America. Please turn out the lights and save lives.

A social media post by Meteorologist Ross discussing an upcoming bird migration surge, with advice to turn off outdoor lights to help migrating birds. Includes a map showcasing migration intensity and alerting about three key migration nights.

‘J’ sent the banner from nature chat:

1st egg laid today at Lesser Spotted Eagle Cam in Estonia.

Pip watches begin for 1st eggs at Black Stork Cam in Poland 2 and at Northern Goshawk Cam in Estonia.

Pip watches begin for 1st eggs at Golden Eagle Cam in Estonia 2 and at Golden Eagle Cam in Romania.

Pip watch continues for 1st egg at Peregrine Falcon Cam in New Jersey.

I wonder why they aren’t covering Big Red????????

News from Kielder – more osprey eggs!

Egg 3 for Nest 2 and other news

Beautiful Iris and what looks like her new mate.

Two ospreys perched on a nest, with a parking lot and greenery in the background.

Perhaps he’s young?

An osprey is seen on its nest with two chicks, flapping its wings in a natural setting with a parking lot and buildings in the background.

Geemeff’s Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Friday 1st May 2026

A mainly routine day today after the excitement yesterday of an egg for Nest One finally arriving after six long years. Both first time parents Aurora 536 and Garry LV0 fulfilled their parental obligations with Aurora brooding the egg and Garry supplying fish, and quick meal breaks for Aurora while Garry took over egg duties. This bodes well for their next two eggs, due 3rd and 6th May. Garry delivered two fish, taking his tally to forty one, and on Nest Two, Louis also delivered two fish to Dorcha, although the first was just a tail-end snack. Their nest tally now stands at thirty five including two brought by Dorcha. Her third and probably final egg is due tomorrow, 2nd May, and with luck she won’t be disturbed by intruders like the one she fought off today, the English male Osprey whose Darvic looks like 286 and who’s intruded a couple of times already. Weather was settled but expected to change to light showers overnight with possible thunder showers tomorrow.  Today’s videos:https://youtu.be/KsufkdeOL14 N2 Louis brings a tiny snack for Dorcha 06.44.34https://youtu.be/I9K9nCpFocQ N1 Garry brings Aurora a fish and remains on egg duty 11.11.28 https://youtu.be/tgDswzdcGxI N1 Garry brings a second fish but the first’s still there 15.01.43 

https://youtu.be/uf3M3YUjaEU N2 English blue ringed Osprey intrudes on Dorcha 17.17.30https://youtu.be/SR8offMPO9s N2 Dorcha flies off with fish two as soon as Louis brings it 18.48.22

Blast from the past, this day in previous years:

https://youtu.be/l-f7VaXK21A  N1 Two red deer graze near the nest 2020

https://youtu.be/fnHg9LxETHA  N1 Louis pays a flying visit 2021 (slo-mo)

https://youtu.be/wE6nWxP8JTU  N2 Dorcha’s third egg arrives just after midnight 2022

https://youtu.be/w3jSNo9VC3g  N1 Affric & Prince are back with moss! 2022

https://youtu.be/KiQW-kUOBnM  N2 Louis is oblivious as a bat flits around 2022

https://youtu.be/iF-53Y6h0IA  N2 Dorcha’s finally able to persuade Louis to leave 2022

https://youtu.be/7fF-jH2_83k  N2 Dorcha tells Louis off for taking so long 2023

https://youtu.be/0wwxhyiiz24 N1 Aida arrives with the sunrise, Garry is heard but not seen 2024

https://youtu.be/oHU-qlnE6lQ  N2 Intruder nearby makes Dorcha & Louis flee the nest 2024 (slo-mo repeat with zoom)

https://youtu.be/8mdWTR5kpcE  N1 Garry LV0 brings a fish but Aida’s not there 2024 (zoom)

https://youtu.be/CggxUpYOh3M N1 Another successful mating 2025 https://youtu.be/vfGb0sFlXtk N2 Dorcha does a grab and go with the second fish 2025https://youtu.be/EfXhITns0qo N1 Blue 536 grabs the second fish immediately  2025

Why not come and join the lively community at Woodland Trust’s Osprey forum, it’s friendly, free and everyone’s welcome:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/osprey-cam

Sadly the fishing line is still hanging out of the mouth of the only surviving of three osplets at the Moorings Park nest – Poor Winken. Is no one coming to help?

Thanks so much for being with us today. Enjoy being outside tomorrow. Smile. Listen for the birdsong. It will relieve whatever is aching your heart.

Thank you to all the contributors today – we appreciate your dedication and hard work on your summaries, your videos, your FB posts, and all the articles. Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch with me with news of happenings in Bird World and to the owners of the bird streaming cams, we are all grateful to you for allowing us into their lives.

Sunday News in Bird World

20 November 22

Greetings from a wintery wonderland on the Canadian Prairies. We have snow – thankfully not like what has been landing in the Great Lakes area of the US. Just lovely snowy drifting down giving everything a crisp clean Hallmark card ‘look’.

Before I go any further, Rubus and his fludged-fledge has been located in a tree near to Indigo by Shines. Later Indigo flies up to the scrape but has difficulty due to the very strong winds getting the landing perfect. It was like Rubus who had little control with those winds as he exited the scrape but greater control near the ground. Both are safe and sound. We can all breathe a little lighter! Zoe remains on the nest as I write this. So everything is, so far, alright at both of the Australian nests we have been watching. Only one fledge to go, Zoe, the Port Lincoln osplet.

If you missed it, here is Rubus’s start to his great adventure:

Thanks to ‘B’, who sent me this link, we can see Rubus and Indigo perched in trees! Thank you so much ‘B’.

Rubus fledges

This is the feeding recap for Zoe at the Port Lincoln Osprey barge up until 1500. ​06:14 Dad with partial fish. 06:14:12 Zoe steals fish from Mum.8:24:50 Partial by Dad. Zoe self feeds. 9:10:50 Zoe finishes the tail.

Making News:

Paith, the third hatch at the Dyfi nest of Idris and Telyn of 2022, has been spotted in another country. Emyr Evans needs permissions for all the details, etc. but this is fantastic news. Oh, tears. Need these third hatches to do well!!!!!!

The Melbourne Four make the news again and they are right. Who needs Netflix when we can have Nestflix?

https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/bird-s-eye-view-who-needs-netflix-when-you-can-tune-into-nestflix-20221116-p5bywe.html?fbclid=IwAR2MHVlDtBYcr46mtwCPkpd9gkSg7bJDEqoFy_7MiTjJu6XQcAoFQbneNiE

There was also just an amazing season tribute to the Melbourne Four that included ‘Old Dad’ (M17). Thank you for this! It came on a day when we needed some really positive news with Rubus fledging/fludging.

The Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon was thought to be extinct. It was last seen in 1887. It has been found in New Guinea.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/this-bird-hadn-t-been-seen-since-1882-then-scientists-captured-video-of-it-in-papua-new-guinea-1.6160514?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvnews%3Apost&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%20Trending%20Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR02x5i0QFNU25sIas0XdNXpQe_6OKRZ6pkiZ7Sie_zGqecHKXySVkHbdF4

The very first egg of the season at the Kistanchie National Forest nest has been laid on Nest E-3. Congratulations!

Big Red was spotted on the Cornell campus along with one of the juveniles. It is always great to see Big Red, the international star of all Red-tailed Hawks! She is all flooded up to keep warm. Big Red had been spotted earlier out hunting – and it was successful. There is great comfort in knowing that she is alright. It seems that L4 is also still around the campus. That is also wonderful news.

No 10 The Red List: The Tree Pipit

“Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)” by gilgit2 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

I have never heard of a Tree Pipit. As far as I know, we do not have them in Manitoba. Ed Douglas describes them this way, “Pipits are often regarded as dreary-looking birds, the avocado bathroom of the avian world. That only makes me love them more, but telling these flecked brown birds apart visually is a task of tooth-grinding attention to detail.” The Tree Pipit is a bit bigger than the other Pipets and its beak is thicker. “The Tree Pipit has a touch of swagger, strutting across the ground, tail pumping rhythmically, like a wagtail, as it hunts for insects.” The birds also breed on the ground laying a clutch of approximately six eggs in the grasses beneath the trees. Indeed, the birds like the woodlands and the fringes at the edges for raising their families. They flutter through the air in a way not dissimilar to a Black Capped Chickadee.

“Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)” by gilgit2 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Personally, I do not think they are Avocado Bathroom at all. The colouring is marvellous. Stop for a second and examine the range from a soft silvery white to the creams, the darker ash blonde, moving into the very dark blond and on to that deep 70% chocolate. They are stunning! Notice the white eye ring and the very subtle eye line.Move on to the wing and the teardrop pattern with the dark espresso lined by the white. Incredible. Striations only on the upper breast. This melody of brown and its hues is all topped off by velvety light rose legs and beak. I expect this little one to be wearing a matching light rose velvet hat with feathers carrying a matching handbag!

There are parts of the world where the Tree Pipit is of least concern but in the UK, its song and it are in dramatic decline. They migrate annually to Africa and when in the UK, their diet consists of insects gleaned from the woodland floor and old rotting trees. Declines can also be attributed to the use of insecticides and herbicides both in the UK and in Africa – to kill the insects which are then eaten by these small birds causing them to die. Secondary poisoning.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/13/country-diary-the-song-of-the-tree-pipit-is-a-rare-pleasure?CMP=share_btn_link

Migration News:

Little Waba is still in the Sudan fishing at the Nile River near Nori. She is obviously doing very well. The temperature in the area today was 26 degrees C.

Bonus is also in the same area in Turkey in Konya Province. It is considerably cooler there at 13 degrees C. Bonus also landed on a transmission tower today and everyone was very, very concerned because of the deaths from electrocution. He left, thankfully!

Oh, the time just flies by. It is hard to believe that we have our first Bald Eagle eggs in Florida and in Louisiana now and that we have only one more raptor to fledge in Australia, Zoe. It is a good time of year to take a deep breath, to remember those lovely feathered friends we have lost, and to be ever so grateful for those that survived.

Thank you for being with me today. Please take care of yourselves. Looking forward to having you with me again soon.

Thank you to the following for their posts, their videos, and their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: ‘B’, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam and Cilla Kinross, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, Looduskalender Forum, OpenVerse, Suzanne Arnold Horning, Cornell Bird Labs, US Forestry Service KNF Bald Eagle Nests, CTV News, 367 Collins Street by Mirvac, The Age, Ospreys. Ringed Birds and Sightings (UK), and 367 Collins Falcon Watchers.

7:46, June 12. J2 fledges.

It is the day that everyone has been waiting for – the first fledge off the Fernow light tower at the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York. The winner of the honour was J2.

J is the designation for the year, 2020. The camera began recording the activities at the nest in 2012. Knowing that Big Red had, at least, two earlier years raising successful chicks prior to the cameras, they began with the letter C in 2012. The ‘2’ is because this hawklet was the second to hatch but was, ironically, the first egg to be laid. Which if you are good at math and understand the counting indicates that this chick is actually the oldest.

J2 has beautiful blue eyes which will eventually turn darker and a wide white terminal band. Notice how the breast (or crop area) is covered with the typical peach colour for these hawks. At fledge it also had a line of ‘dandelions’ remaining on the top of its head, like a mohawk hair-cut.

J2 sitting in a pine tree across the street from the nest but within view of his mum, Big Red. Notice the little dandelions on his head. How cute! Their talons have tendons that enable them to sleep or sit standing up without fear of falling over.

J2 set a first in the recording of fledges from the Fernow Tower nest. He fledged off the back of a light box. It was, actually, more of a fludge. He/she spent some wonderful time sitting on top of the light box balancing nicely and then slipped but recovered beautifully flying under the tower, across the street, landing by its talons on Bradfield to steady itself in a nearby Ginko tree.

For nearly twelve hours, until the camera stopped rolling, J2 kept us on the edge of our chairs. I tell you it was better than a good thriller on Netflix!

He/she flew keeping the legs tucked tight like a pro. J2 spent some time on top of the Rice Building, flew back near Bradfield and played around on the steps and railings to the entrance, flew off again to another building, and finally wound up near to where it started, back in the tree. Throughout Big Red was watching from the southeast corner at the top of Bradfield while Arthur soared whenever J2 got out of sight so that the chick could be located. Nothing gets by these two parents. Parenting is a well orchestrated sharing of duties.

Big Red on the left (17 years old) and Arthur on the right (4 years old)

When I first began watching the hawks on the ledge at NY University, I naively asked the chat group what kind of dangers hawks experienced. The Washington Square group were very patient with me describing the use of rodentcides that cause blood not to coagulate as a prime poison for the hawks in the parks of NYC. This is because their primary prey are the rats of the city. And then there are cars, buses, trucks, windows, air vents between buildings -. The list was extensive.

This morning J2 flew over a street with little traffic but still the cars and buses were moving at a clip and well, who knew that he could steer itself to the safety of a tree away from the road? He/she could have also, just as easily, flown into a window. There is a box of worry beads in the chat room and I suspect most of us were helping ourselves today. The sad truth is that 1 in 3 red-tail fledglings do not live to see their first year. I hope, for these in rural New York, that is not the case.

So tomorrow will be another nail biter as we wait to see what J1 and J3 will do. Will they both fledge at the same time? on the same day but at different times? will either of them try to go over the light box like J2 or will they find some new entry way to this next stage in their life?

Stay tuned! I am now officially a hawkaholic.