Late Sunday in Bird World

7 August 2022

It was a lovely trip to a small town on the Canadian Prairies to check out waterfowl – which turned out not to be Greater Yellow Legs – but, a small variety of ducks. What is so nice and relaxing is a single area around Crescent Lake and Island Park. There are walking and biking paths as well as benches to look out over the water and watch the ducks. It was beautiful and quiet, something someone living in a big city does not realize they need until they are sitting surrounded by the sound of hardly anything.

As it was nearing dusk, the water glistened with silver striations. The ducks were quite camouflaged. You could only spot them when they were moving. All of the bird ID technology available to me identifies this as a pair of Common Goldeneye. They were about 100 m or 328 ft away.

The duck in front with its wings raised preparing to fly is a female. She has a chocolate brown head, lighter grey breast. You can sometimes see a thin white collar.

This Eared Grebe was finding food and feeding this little one. It had two with it and this is a male.

This cute little female Wood Duck with her tear-shaped eye-ring did not seem to mind having her picture taken.

The Duck at the back of the group is a Northern Pintail. She almost fooled me but her bill is grey while that of the Mallard in the front right is orange. The Pintail does not have the eye line of the Mallard either.

Another American Pintail on the rock.

The American Coot came along and stood on one of two large stones at the edge of the marshy area. If you look carefully you can see the black ring at tip of the white bill. Coots have red eyes, long green-yellow legs and a charcoal grey plumage all over their body.

Mallards.

What surprised me the most was the fact that there were recently hatched ducklings! I started counting the months til they would migrate and began wondering what on earth. It is possible that they will not fly away for winter. There is a river called the Assiniboine that is south of Crescent Lake. There are several dozen ducks that remain on that river near to where my daughter lives in Winnipeg.

The way that the ducks camouflage themselves in the reeds was simply remarkable – just like the striations on the river in the evening when you cannot see them.

It was a lovely day away and it was nice to get home having the Crows complain that all the peanuts and cheesy sausages were gone!

It was nice to come home to have an update about the Poole Harbour Ospreys. Here is the official announcement if you have not seen it.

CJ7 and H51 along with Blue 022 have now been on the nest. These images are from the 6th.

H51 eating a fish.

CJ7 came in with a fish for H51. They will be careful of the nest now that they know there is a Goshawk in the area. Just like Ospreys are being introduced so are Goshawks. These Ospreys then will always need to take great care.

The family is not sleeping on the nest at night.

Annie and Alden certain are enjoying their quiet time when Lindsay and Grinnell Jr don’t pop out of a corner chasing them. This is a four-minute bonding ritual complete with many kisses! If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, I do not know what would. They start off with what appears to be a conversation or a long permission to enter the scrape and amp it up from there.

The Sea Eaglet chicks have crossed over that stage of beaking and bopping and are now teasing one another.

This is just too funny!

Then a beak kiss. Lady just takes it all in stride. Notice that their crops are rather full and squishy providing the perfect cropillow.

The pin feathers can be seen much easier on the eaglets today.

There were six feedings on the Black Stork nest in the Karula National Forest of Karl II and Kaia. The storklets have been jumping and hovering and preening as well as eating. In fact they ate really well today.

The storklings can tell that an adult is approaching with food. They begin their begging dance which helps to stimulate the parent to bring up the food.

Karl II delivers a lot of fish. The basket must have been replenished.

Bonus is 77 days old today. Under normal conditions, Bonus would have fledged. Urmas believes that maybe it is delayed development due to a lack of food. The longest recorded time to first flight for Black Storks comes from China at 76 days. Bonus broke a record! The record for earliest fledge is 56 days (Saxony). Generally the chicks fledge before the female leaves for migration. But will this happen this year? Kaia left on 11 August last year. When they leave we must send them positive thoughts – it is a long, long journey through an area of war. I wonder what the nature refuge at Odessa looks like? was it shelled? or just the port area?

Titi at the Janakkalan nest has been really eating and growing – he seems to have caught up with Boris in size in a couple of days. He has not fledged and both osplets hatched on the same day. I wonder if the difference in feeding – like that with Little Bit 17 and Bonus – has really impacted his development too? All of us were aware that Boris was getting much more but how much we could not easily measure.

Titi hovering.

I understand that Titi is now sleeping alone on the nest while Boris is perched in the trees – near Dad?

The Osoyoos Osplets of Soo and Olsen are still on the nest! Whenever you go away you hope that chicks do not fledge but — that can’t be controlled! You also hope to come home and have all safely in the nest just as it was when you left. The family continues to deal with the heat domes they have experienced. This is the second one. It is currently 36 F and will climb to 38 tomorrow. It seems Olsen is still able to find fish.

Love and Peace remain on the nest at Glacier Gardens. They should be branching soon. Love and Peace will not migrate. They will remain in Alaska where they will feed off the local Salmon just like their sibling, Kindness, from 2021.

If we want everyone to respect nature and wildlife we have to make an effort to educate them, to get them to ‘love’ and ‘respect’ the birds like we do, to get them to understand their challenges — and to get them involved. Port Lincoln Osprey just posted an event that is intent on doing just that!

It looks like Mum and Dad at Port Lincoln Osprey Barge could become grandparents this year. This is Calypso on the left watching her mate eat a fish…I presume he knows that he is supposed to feed her, right? Calypso was the 2020 hatch with Star. Star has not been seen. —— She is Ervie’s sister. Gosh, I wish there was word about Bazza and Falky.

It is a very foggy morning on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia. You can just see the trees below the water tower where the scrape of Xavier and Diamond is located.

The fog goes away quickly. Diamond looks out over her territory. We should be having eggs in what? 3 weeks?

There is news that L3 is doing well with her flight training. That is great news. L2 has been hanging out with Big Red and Arthur learning more hunting techniques. I do not have an update on L4 but I am assuming that the soft tissue injury will heal rather quickly. The Boathouse was back on ‘Highlights’ so if you go there to check on the three osplets just make sure you look down at the left corner….Highlights often shows an empty nest! Good way to get a heart attack. :))))

Thank you for joining me this evening for a quick check up on the birds. Take care everyone. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams, FB posts where I took my screen captures: Friends of Poole Harbour, Cal Falcons, Sea Eagles@Birdlife Australia Discovery Centre Sydney Olympic Park, Port Lincoln Osprey Project, Eagle Club of Estonia and Looduskalender, Osoyoos Ospreys, Finnish Osprey Foundation, Charles Sturt University falcon cam, and Glacier Gardens.

Early Monday in Bird World

4 July 2022

Good Morning Everyone. I hope that you had a marvellous weekend and for those celebrating independence day in many countries around the world, have a fun and safe time.

With all the talk about storks, ‘L’ asked a question in the comments. Did I know what happened to the White Stork couple, Malena and Klepetan? Thank you ‘L’ – that is a great question and I bet many are wondering too.

Klepetan and Malena are the best romance story in all of Bird World. The intervention to save Malena’s life after she was shot by a man in Croatia is a testament to what love can move us to do for our wildlife friends.

If you do not know the story, before you read further, please watch at least the first one of these videos so you know the background to this truly remarkable story.

Perhaps the most famous stork couple in the world were Klepetan and Malena. Malena stayed year round with Stjepan Vokic in Croatia. As you will know from the video, Malena was shot and it was only through the gentle care of Vokic that her life was spared. What devotion to keep her, clean her, feed her, prepare the nest and fish for both adults and chicks so that Klepatan and Malena could spend all their time together.

For 20 years, Klepetan migrated back and forth from South Africa to Brodski Varos, Croatia. Malena died peacefully on 7 July 2021 of old age. She was 28 years old. Klepetan was by her side when she died along with her other faithful companion, Vokic. Malena was buried in one of her favourite places. Klepetan continued to come every day wondering where his mate was. They had been together for 20 years and had raised 66 storklets. Klepetan was fitted with a transmitter. He did not return to the nest he shared with Melana in 2022. Did he also die? or find a different nest with a new mate? I am hoping to be able to find the time and help to see if Klepatan’s transmitter is still working.

Want to help out Humane Wildlife Indiana? They have an extensive wish list on Amazon including a xylophone for chickens. I have learned through one of our readers, ‘L’ how important it is to have creative stimulation or enrichment for all of the animals in care. Who would want to live strapped to a perch with nothing to do? There are lots of things on the list from a few dollars to $30 or $40. Here is the link. It is good to see what the wildlife clinics are asking for. You can always help out your local clinic too – they always need laundry detergent, bleach, hand sanitizer, wipes, and those old clean towels I keep repeating…Even if you do not intend purchasing anything for the clinic, have a look. It is possible that you intend to get rid of items that could be used at your local clinic.

Here is the link.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/12TH5G1M7K4DC?fbclid=IwAR26cBDgVhsmN3_U_rzTCKHLaamk0zys4DS3eN8P0piyppMkdBox9oJs1Ms

So busy with Little Bit and the JJ storklets that some others get forgotten so I am also playing catch up this morning. The only surviving eaglet at the Fort St Vrain nest in Colorado, 46, fledged on the 1st of July. Congratulations everyone!

It is not just Annie and Alden bonding in the scrape! As breeding season in Australia gets closer, Diamond and Xavier are doing a lot of bonding rituals in the scrape – some short, some long. Oh, you are going to fall in love with little Xavier if you don’t know him already. Here is that video clip.

‘B’ sent me a newspaper article on the rescue of the US Steel Eaglet. It is a good read with one troubling bit – they state that he eaglet will learn to fly and be released in an area away from the natal nest. My concern is that they must teach that eaglet to hunt – just like Little Bit needs that training. In order to do that the eagles need a little of time, trained professionals, and specialized structures. It is expensive and time consuming and well worth it if neither wind up back in care. Thanks ‘B’.

https://www.post-gazette.com/life/outdoors/2022/07/03/bald-eagle-pittsburgh-pennsylvania-us-steel/stories/202207030127

I want to include a screen capture that ‘H’ sent me on Sunday. It is just a beautiful sunrise at the Boathouse Osprey nest on Hog Island, Maine. How stunning. Thanks ‘H’ for sharing this beautiful image with all of us!

The boathouse osprey cam on Hog Island is currently offline and is only showing highlights.

Two chicks on the Osoyoos Osprey nest on a misty wet morning. Let’s hope that dad gets a pile of fish on the nest today since the weekend festivities have passed.

There is a severe thunderstorm watch in the area of the Canmore Fortis Exshaw Osprey nest…send positive wishes to all!

There was also beautiful sunrise in Mlade Buky, The Czech Republic. Betty has flown in and is feeding those four great big storklings.

It is early morning in the Karula National Forest in Estonia. The four chicks of Karl II and Kaia are sound asleep. It is so good that Bonus, one of JJ’s chicks, has integrated so well into this family. It is Day 5 for Bonus.

‘T’ sent me an image of Karl II. Last year he discovered the fish basket that Urmas provided. It is about 9-10km from the nest and this year Karl II has been visiting the fish basket and bringing lots of fish to the four storklets on the nest. They are hoping that the herons do not find the basket as it will limit the fish Karl II will find.

This is the other nest where Janus, the middle chick of Jan and Janika, in Urmas and Dr Madis V’s experiment has been placed. It is doing well. Thank you ‘T’.

Takoda decided to come and visit the National Arboretum nest on Sunday. He has found his reflection in the camera. There are some great ‘selfies’ that Takoda is taking! Have a peek.

Some of you became very interested in what your country is doing to help stop avian electrocutions. Knowing what is being undertaken to help the birds is a good way to begin understanding what you can do to spread the word about the dangers and solutions. ‘A’ wanted to find out what Japan was doing and she discovered that there is a special institute working on this problem on the northern most island of Japan, Hokkaido.

“Birds of prey have the habit of perching on high places with a good view and will use tall trees as well as man-made structures such as streetlights and utility poles as perches. When raptors perch on utility poles or pylons, or when they are about to take off from a perch, they are electrocuted when their wings or other body parts come in contact with parts of the body that conduct electricity.

In Hokkaido, accidents involving electrocution of Blakiston’s fish owls, hawk eagles, white-tailed eagles, and Steller’s sea eagles have occurred to date. Electrocuted birds of prey may show severe burns and blackened feathers. Red spots called electric current spots may also be seen on the skin where the electric current was applied.

To prevent electric shock accidents, electric power companies install insulators on current-carrying parts and devices to prevent birds of prey from perching on utility poles. They also install safe perches on top of utility poles to prevent electrocution. The Institute for Birds of Prey Medicine is working to prevent electric shock accidents by analyzing electric shock accidents and consulting with electric power companies and other parties in order to develop more effective countermeasures in areas where electric shock accidents have occurred or are likely to occur.”

Thank you, ‘A’.

I wanted to see what work the Institute for Birds of Prey Medicine is doing and came across something very interesting. Fifteen years ago the use of lead (Pb) ammunition was outlawed in Japan. Today, lead poisoning remains a serious problem for raptors who accidentally consume lead pellets from illegal hunting in various places in Japan but the overall testing of raptors and discovery of those who have ingested lead has dropped significantly (lower than 25%). In comparison, the US Geological Survey discovered that between 2010-2018 (the end of the study) more than 50% of all raptors in the US had been poisoned by lead either in hunting or fishing equipment. The soft lead bullets that break into fragments have the worst impact on the raptors. Other lead fishing equipment can be mistaken by birds such as Loons who think these lead weighs are pebbles and eat them!

There is no nationwide ban in the US for the use of lead. California is the only state to ban the use of lead entirely. New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Maine have partial bans in fishing gear. In 1987, Minnesota banned the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting. In 1991, a federal law in the US also banned lead shot for waterfowl hunting. The problem rests with the DNR who has lobbied against imposing any other lead restrictions on hunters. In April of 2021, three states – Maine, Minnesota, and New York introduced bills that would ban lead completely in all hunting and fishing gear. I am checking to see if HF2556 has been signed into law in Minnesota in 2022.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220217141324.htm

Do you remember the ‘Old Warrior’? He was taken into care after being found on the side of the road lethargic. He went to A Place Called Hope, another great wildlife rehabber. His lead levels were measured at 49. Very extensive lead removal treatments resulted in the old eagle with the broken leg and beak being able to go into an outside enclosure. A Place Called Hope applied to the USFWS for a license to keep the Old Warrior as an educational bird. I reached out to A Place Called Hope and they said that sadly the lead issues had caused so much damage that the Old Warrior had died. He was a poster child of trying to beat the odds. There are other kinds of ammunition – stainless steel and copper. Lead is not the answer!

There has been some concern about Blue 022 at the Poole Harbour nest. He has now been caught on camera and all is well. The two chicks have been ringed and they are both girls! Well done Poole Harbour. Congratulations and relief.

At the Rutland Mantou Bay nest of Maya and Blue 33, 1H2 and 1H3 fledged this morning. All girls are flying about and there is definitely an empty nest! They will return to harass dad for fish, no worries.

Whew! You might need an extra cup of tea or coffee to make it through this today – sorry! Lots happening in Bird World. The kids up at Loch of the Lowes are starting to get the hover going, too. Thank you for joining me today. Please take care. Thanks to everyone who sent news, photos, or comments. They are always appreciated. See you soon!

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams and/or FB pages or videos where I took my screen captures: The Dodo, HRT, Ft St Vrain and Excel Energy, Falcon Cam, Audubon Explore.org, Osoyoos Osprey Cam, Fortis Exshaw, Mlade Buky, Eagle Club of Estonia, NADC-AEF, A Place Called Hope (APCH), Poole Harbour Ospreys, and LRWT.

Saturday morning in Bird World

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.

Late Monday and early Tuesday in Bird World

Let’s have some fun first thing!

Ah, you can really enjoy a birder’s sense of humour and their love of music with this video of some Red-winged Blackbirds taken by Ferris Akel:

There is super news coming out of Cal Falcons. Annie and Grinnell’s 2020 fledgling Sequoia has a mate! This is just wonderful news. Here is the announcement.

So how far is San Jose from the scrape box in San Francisco? How far did Sequoia travel in her dispersal?

The wonders of banding birds can give us this kind of information.

This is really good news. Did I say that twice? or three times? The population of Peregrine Falcons in the Bay area is returning.

The Dale Hollow Eagle nest looks like it needs more straw! Reminds me of the wet and muddy nest of the storks at Mlade Buky in The Czech Republic. Obey has delivered lots of fish and he stepped in and helped River with the trio.

The little one at Duke Farms got a really good feeding and both of the chicks had a nice crop. Hoping that this wee chick gets much stronger and does well. This nest fledged two last year.

There is plenty of time for more feedings at Big Bear (it is 15:00) but, already, Jackie and Shadow have fed the little chick 9 times. Ten is about normal for this age – 4 days old. They eat such a little amount. Jackie can continue to increase the size of the fish flakes and the length of the feedings. Next week, we should be seeing fewer but longer feedings as the chick grows.

Shadow came in before bedtime and seems to have brought one of his famous sticks and placed it very near the little one to the left. Shadow is certainly thinking about crib rails!

Some images from Tuesday morning at Big Bear. The wee chick has already been fed at 05;35 06;35, and 07:29 – all by Jackie. Shadow has been in and out. A Red-tail hawk has been buzzing around the nest keeping everyone alert.

Jackie and Shadow and their ‘miracle’ baby are making all the papers and televisions stations it seems.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-07/big-bear-bald-eagles-jackie-shadow-welcome-new-eaglet?fbclid=IwAR3pnk8Hdd9S6PpBVDv4LLM1nnP3IRkIYKZdANjWxAt_Ndme1_pM-ZCuot4

I know that the storks are beginning their migration northward to their spring and summer breeding grounds just like the Ospreys are doing. You can see the route that the birds migrated to Africa in the late summer of 2021 below. It goes through Belarus and the birds stop over at various places in the Ukraine including spending much time on the Black Sea. Somehow I thought if I willed them to take a more westerly route they would but, of course, that is simply being nonsensical. Karl II is on his way home and this is what he will be facing.

The map below shows Karl II’s routing in royal blue that he took in the early fall of 2021 get to The Sudan.

The top map shows the different nature reserves that the storks rest and feed at clearer than the second image which shows Karl II and Pikne’s routes for migration south in 2021.

Karl II spent much time on the Black Sea resting and eating. This is currently a war zone.

The last update was on 4 March. It is believed that Karl II is in a desert area north of Sudan and is out of GPS range.

Karl II is a Black Stork whose nest is in the Karula National Park in Estonia. He is equipped with a satellite tracking GPS and is ringed. His number is 715R. His mate is unringed Kati. Last year they fledged three storklets. The oldest was the male Udu, the middle was the female Pikne, and the baby boy was Tuul. Both Udu and Pikne migrated successfully. Sadly, Tuul was lost.

If you want to follow this fabulous and much loved Black Stork, please go to the Looduskalendar Forum that is following his migration home. There are also good discussions and images of the terrain where the birds are staying. Here is the link:

There were heavy rains at the nest of Gabby and Samson near Jacksonville. Gabby did the best she could to keep Jasper and NE27 from getting too wet.

Gabby flew off later and Jasper and NE27 are preening. Looks like the weather is improving. Poor wet babies.

These two are growing and walking and self-feeding, well E27 is doing a great job. Jasper is still in kindergarten stage. Gorgeous eaglets. Samson and Gabby make beautiful babies.

Both Harriet and M15’s eaglets have branched. E19 is 10 weeks and 1 day old and E20 is 10 weeks old today putting them right at the beginning of the fledge range. Will they fledge today? Probably not. Hopefully they will wait for another week or more developing their branching skills.

Do you follow the West End eagles on Catalina Island? There is a pip in the first of the three eggs!

Here is the link to the cam:

Things are really beginning to pick up! In the UK the first official sighting of an Osprey returning from winter migration was today. The fish eagle was flying over the Loch of Clunie in the south of Scotland in Perth & Kinross. They are coming home!

Little and Middle Bob have learned to steer clear of Big Bob. This morning they let him eat, then they started eating and he got a second wind. Probably 90% of the fish went into Big. I would hope that Andy will get another fish on deck so that the two others can eat if Big finally passes out in food coma. In the image below, Big is getting his second wind and Little and Middle have moved away and not challenged for food.

At 11:25 Big passed out and the other two rushed up to get more fish! Oh, thank goodness! It is hot and these two need food. Big has dominated the nest since the weekend making life miserable for the other two.

Lena is working hard to find some meat on the skin of the fish that is left. Little Bob is hungry and still does not have a crop.

That is the quick summary of the early morning nest review. I hope that you have a wonderful day. Take care everyone. See you soon.

Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Explore.org, Captiva Osprey Nest and Window on Wildlife, SWFlorida and D Pritchett, Dale Hollow Lake Bald Eagles, NEFlorida Bald Eagles and the AEF, Friends of Big Bear, the Looduskalender Forum, Google Maps, and Ferris Akel Tours.