16 April 2022
The sun is shining bright and there is a possibility that some of the snow will melt. The garden remains full of Juncos! They are all over our City trying to find food at feeders. People have been posting images of Robins eating suet. Poor things. Their migration should have been a good one without the snow storm! This morning, however, there have been about 30 Crows on my street. It is believed that the Great Horned Owl could be in the neighbourhood. They will escort it out!
At the NE Florida Bald Eagle nest of Samson and Gabby, Jasper fledged this morning at 11:12:49!
Rocket watches as Jasper opens up her wings.
And she’s off! Congratulations.
The UFlorida Osprey nest reminds me of Port Lincoln when you had Bazza, Falky, and Ervie lined up eating.
Dad arrives with a nice fish for breakfast.
Mum cheeps at him to leave moving the fish to the other side. Little Bit is right up front and is getting some of the first bites.
Little Bit just gets itself up to the front. Oh, he reminds me of Ervie!
I took a short video clip of one feeding. This nest – so far – really makes me happy.
Dr Sharpe is going up to fix the West End camera today so that we can continue to observe Thunder and Akecheta’s triplets. One of the eaglets has slipped off the left side. Thunder knows where it is and it is hoped that Dr Sharpe can put the baby back in the nest. Send best wishes their way!
Telyn laid the first egg of the season for her and Idris at the Dyfi nest about an hour ago!
There it is!
Little Middle has been over nibbling on one of the pieces of fish on the nest.
For those of you worried about the absence of the female eagle at the Duke Farms nest, she was in the nest this morning feeding the only eaglet. All is good!
Teo visited the only Osprey nest in Latvia!
Teo has been bringing fish to the nest. Two females have been seen at the nest and there was a mating attempt with one of them but there is no confirmation that either were Teo’s mate, Vita. We wait for her to return from her migration.
Here is the link to the Latvian Osprey cam near Kurzeme:
Wow. They are sure beautiful. Is it possible that we are looking at the difference in size now between the male and female juvenile Ospreys? Little Mini in the back with his long legs and Middle the larger female at the front?
Little Mini took off at 07:40:38 for a trip around the nest. He will take his 2, 3rd, and 4th flights today after fledging yesterday. So far Little Mini flies at 07:40;39, 08:06:57, and 08:07:59. you can go back and rewind to see this magnificent bird get the air under its wings.
Middle is watching Little Mini. Look above the palm tree on the right. You can see him.
It is going to be a perfect landing!
There is a theory about males flying first. Since the females are bigger 1/3, it takes longer for all their feathers to grow in compared to the males. Therefore, the males tend to fledge earlier.
Little Mini wants to fly again and again. Both chicks would like a big fish delivery, too!
Here is the link to their camera:
Karl II and Kaia are happy to be reunited in their nest in the Karula Forest in Estonia. They are so beautiful. Last year Karl II and Kaia raised three storklets to fledge from the three eggs that hatched.
Here is the link to their nest:
Suitable trees for nesting are becoming a real issue for all manner of bird species including Eagles, Ospreys, and Black Storks. Here is an article about this issue in Estonia. This is one of the reasons that many, including David Hancock at Hancock Wildlife and Ron Magill, Miami Zoo, are looking at alternative artificial nests.
Do you watch the Osprey nest of Alma and Ossi in Finland? Nesting materials are arriving.
Alma and Ossi have raised eight osplets to fledge since 2017. Here is a link to their streaming cam:
There is absolutely so much happening that it is impossible to keep up with all of the changes. While I am watching one fledge, another could be fledging on a different nest! It is a crazy time – but a good one.
Thank you for joining me this morning. All of the nests look good. Take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures and video clips: UFlorida at Gainesville Ospreys, NEFlorida and the AEF, DHEC, Captiva Ospreys and Window on Wildlife, Eagle Club of Estonia, Duke Farms, Dyfi, Latvian Fund for Nature, and Saaksilive.