I am starting to write my post Saturday evening. It is 1733 and the conservatory is filled with light. The days are much longer and that is truly welcome. Everyone feels good. The weather will, however, continue to get cooler until next weekend when they are predicting we will drop to -30 C.
Today, we put another area rug in the conservatory. There is a reason for these rugs – they are for Toby. He chases Hugo Yugo throughout the house or Hugo Yugo chases him. There is a real issue regarding the legs of these Cavaliers. Like Toby’s food, I am doing everything I can to protect his health and physical well being. This means there is one more rug to get for the library area. At the same time, these rugs must be secured so that Don doesn’t trip on them. Talk about a balancing act!
Hugo Yugo and Toby helped with the rug.
We need to send some good energy to Duke Farms. One of the three eggs broke Friday night. The other one appears to not be viable. There is, however, one little eaglet working hard to get out of the last egg!
The siblings at the Winter Park Florida Bald Eagle nest are doing fantastic.
Jazz is getting a private feeding. Things on this nest, the E3 at the Kisatchie National Forest have turned around just as everyone had hoped. Nola still has first rights, so to speak, but Jazz is eating well and there is plenty of food coming on the nest. The little one looks great.
So far the food deliveries on the E1 nest of Anna and Louis II have been low on Saturday.
There is a second egg for Jack and Jill at Achieva.
Decorah Mum protected her precious egg scovered in snow. There are two of them.
Owlvira and Hoots two of the four owlets that survived are doing fantastic.
Little Miami Conservancy now has three eggs.
There are now 10 Kakapo chicks. This is going to be a brilliant year! There was a daytime egg check a few minutes ago. Here it is on video: https://youtu.be/bkNQWALZ9mw?
Bella has laid the third egg for her and Scout. Wish them luck! Deb Stecyk has it on video: https://youtu.be/PCAOOIIyBVM?
Baby Hope wishes everyone a wonderul end to their weekend.
Missey hopes your weather is warmer than ours.
Brock had several meals and slept on my neighbour’s porch for about three hours. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Thank you for a quick check in with some of our nests. We will be back again with you on Monday with more news about our wonderful feathered friends. Please take care. Enjoy the end of the weekend. Get outside if you can. It is revitalising!
Thank you to those who created videos, to the owners of the streaming cams who let us peek into the lives of our feathered friends, and to the authors of the FB posts who keep us informed of all the action! I am truly grateful.
Hello! Oh, another brilliant day on the Manitoba prairies. We had some soft snow late in the night. Everything is beautiful. All the dirt and grime are covered! The birds and squirrels are happy as the temperature has risen to – 4 C. It will get colder later this week, but for now, we are truly enjoying this break in winter.
Missey in the conservatory.
The conservatory is where we spend our time regardless of the cold outside. In the years past, when we had this amazing glass box, it was very expensive to heat. This year, the temperatures have not been so cold. It is mid-February, and most years the room would be freezing, requiring supplementary heat from a portable electric heater. This year, the furnace heat has been enough for most days. I haven’t even turned on the underfloor heating! Why am I telling you this? Because the climate where I live is changing. Fall lasted long into November, and now everyone, including Brock, thinks that spring is right around the corner. He is now dining and dashing, as Jane says, and we wonder if it isn’t ‘kitten making’ season. It is unusual as he normally lingers.
There is good news in the garden. The grey squirrel that was exposed to rodenticide and had its immune system compromised, causing it to contract mange, is growing its fur back. It survived! We were overjoyed this morning.
There is some good nest news coming out of the Kistachie National Forest E3 nest. ‘MP’ and I have been joking that maybe the male eagle thinks he married the wrong female! He has been feeding his eaglets, much to the female’s chagrin. He also brought in a big fish and she did feed both – it is wonderful to see the little one having such a nice big crop.
Three fish before mid-day. Keep sending positive energy!
Things are going very well at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands Bald Eagle nest. SK Hideaways has this special nest on video: https://youtu.be/h_Nks375XLg?
The adults at JBS lost JBS25 to an unknown cause but JBS24 is doing fantastic. We were so frightened that it was HPAI and would take both eaglets but – nothing happened. How grand.
I haven’t posted much on Beau and Gabby’s Kai and Eve – I hope you have been watching them. Two beautiful fully feathered eaglets, self-feeding. Happy Days.
The two surviving of four owlets for Owlvira and Hoots have names. This is what was posted on the chat:
@liveowlcamera2837Here are the names of the Owlets Meadow Owlet 2 Larger/Older Nugget Owlet 3 little one Both in basket and doing well !Passed owlets: Coco Owlet 4 Passed Feb 5Beaker Owlet 1 Passed Feb 14th
Androcat captures the beauty and sadness at Eagle Country as the GHO’s Willow and Gus’s egg passes the opportune time for hatching. https://youtu.be/Un7Nct8YzEM?
Wink (the oldest presumed female) and Atlas (the second hatch presumed male) at the Winter Park, Florida, Bald Eagle nest are simply terrific. We worried. We sent good energy and look. At the time, I posted information on how rare it is to have siblicide on a Bald Eagle nest. Around 5%. So far, all of the nests that have had difficulties this season with food competition have overcome the fear of the second one passing. Let’s hope this continues to be the case (feel free to correct me if I am wrong).
It is Day 38 for the first egg laid at Duke Farms. We are on pip watch.
Milda and Zorro have been tending to their nest in Durbe County Latvia. What a beautiful winter wonderland!
‘L’ reports that there are three eggs now at the Sutton Centre in Oklahoma. Thank you for your report!
Reforming the laws in the Dales is the first step in stopping the illegal killing of the raptors. Raptor Persecution UK has the full story.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Toby sends his love to everyone!
To our friends who are celebrating the Lunar New Year – have a wonderful new beginning in the Year of the Horse and a fabulous time with friends and family.
Thank you to SK Hideaways and Androcat for their videos, to ‘MP’ for the wonderful and funny conversations about the male and female eagles at KNF E3, to those who posted information on FB, and to all the owners of the streaming cams that allow us to participate in the lives of these amazing birds. Thank you Raptor Persecution UK for your consistent and steadfast reporting.
Oh, it was a grand day today. -15 at noon. Toby went for a walk with Ellen and I got to attend to some much needed recycling. The decluttering/downsizing continues at a rampant pace which makes me feel rather happy. Less really is more! It will get colder but by next Monday, we are going to be looking at -5. One of our favourite places, Pineridge Hollow, has been closed for renovations and I plan to make it a day for Ann, Don, Toby, and me. Monday is our wedding anniversary and an outing on Tuesday to feed the chickadees and be out in the country without freezing to death is in order. Oh, I can already smell the conifer trees and hear the chickadees sing!
A few quick announcements. I had not expected to be back with you til the end of the week but…
Gosh, those eagles just keeping laying eggs and hatching and doing well!
Good news, really, at the Winter Park, Florida Bald Eagle nest. E2 seems to be figuring out how to survive, and the parents are doing well. There have been some good feedings without any rivalry. If the food keeps coming – and there is a huge hunk of fish on the right side of the nest, all should be well. (I am being positive because siblicide is RARE on Bald Eagle nests compared to other species).
Jackie and Shadow now have their second egg. So egg 1 on the 23rd and egg 2 Monday, the 26th. Whoooooooo yeah! I am really hopeful as these eggs are ‘early’ like last year. Last year, the first egg of 2025 was laid on Jan. 22. The second and third eggs came a few days later on Jan. 25 and Jan. 28. Their first successful chick to hatch was Spirit in 2022.
CBS LA announces the moment! (As well as so many other news agencies – Jackie and Shadow are truly loved!). https://youtu.be/fMlh1KuSPvA?
News of Royal Albatross:
Life at the E1 nest of Anna and Louis II is going along nicely.
Sally and Harry have their second egg at Moorings Park on Monday the 26th. Thanks, Heidi!
The Abu Dhabi Cams on four nests:
The second chick has hatched at John Bunker Sands Wetlands Centre!
I want to remind you that there is now a streaming cam at the Kakapo nest. This is a first, and it is a real treat. Please check out these amazing flightless parrots that are nearly extinct. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/live/BfGL7A2YgUY?
Thank you so much for being with us. Please take care of yourself. So many people are in storm areas. Stay warm, stay safe. We hope to have you with us again soon.
Thank you to Heidi for sending me the note about Moorings Park, to the owners of the streaming cams where we watch our favourite raptor families and use screen captures to tell their stories, to SK Hideaways and others for their videos to bring those lives to life, and to those who post announcements on FB. I am very grateful to each of you. My blog would not have all the news it does without your input.
It was a bit nippy on Sunday, but spring is definitely here. It was time to shake off the winter and get back to walking 4 or 5 times a week. Our first trip was around St Vital Park and then over to the duck pond. There were approximately 85 Canada Geese there along with 5 male Wood Ducks and 2 females, and a couple pair of Mallards along with 3 Ring-billed Gulls. There is still some ice on the pond. It was nice to see families with proper seed feeding them as we wait for the grass to turn green and grow.
You have no idea how happy I am that the walkways are free of ice. This winter has been long because of this. I so enjoyed all the walking that we have done in previous years. Oh, this is wonderful!
Moving on to our feathered friends…
Eggs are starting to land in those osprey nests! Eaglets are growing or fledging or halfway there.
Birds of Poole Harbour: CJ7 laid the season’s first egg for her and mate, Blue 022, on Sunday.
Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home: There are now three eggs in this osprey nest.
Glaslyn: Ospreys can count and they ‘know’. Aran arrived on Saturday and Elen laid her first egg on Sunday the 13th. It would have been KC1’s, Teifi’s. Aran tried to evict it and then when that did not work, he buried it. Aran might have trouble holding on to the nest he shared with Mrs G and then Elen when Mrs G did not return from migration. We wait to see how this works out.
So why did Aran (and other males at different nests at different times) try to eject and then bury the egg?
Male ospreys eject eggs from their nest if they suspect they didn’t fertilise the eggs. We quickly learn that ospreys can count! This behaviour is a strategy to ensure their offspring survive, as they may eject eggs from the nest that they don’t believe to be their own. Ospreys are generally monogamous and mate for life, but if a male suspects infidelity, he may eject eggs to remove potential competitors.
Ensuring their own genetic line: Male ospreys are motivated to ensure their offspring survive. They may eject eggs if they believe they are not their own, as they are essentially removing potential competitors.
Guardianship of the nest: Ospreys fiercely protect their nests and mates. If another male is suspected of mating with the female, the male may eject eggs to ensure his own paternity.
Courtship and Mating: Male ospreys engage in frequent courtship displays and mating behaviours, which can increase the likelihood of fertilisation by their partner. If they witness a female with another male, they may attempt to eject the eggs to ensure their genetic line is the only one present.
Territoriality:Male ospreys are territorial and will defend their nest and mate from other males. This can extend to ejecting eggs if they suspect other males have been involved in mating with the female.
In summary, the ejection of eggs is a behaviour driven by the male osprey’s instinct to protect his mate and ensure his genetic line continues. It’s a natural defence mechanism against potential rivals and a strategy to maintain the success of his breeding effort.
Oh, what a worry KNF-E3 O3 was to everyone. Steve looked. Cody helped. And on Sunday that fledgling flew up to the nest like a pro wanting fish. Mum and Dad did not disappoint. Isn’t this wonderful? We will count every one of these moments as gold.
Little Miami Conservancy: These two are doing well but cannot yet thermoregulate their temperature.
Foulshaw Moss: White YW and Blue 35 have their second egg on Sunday. at 1308.
Fort St. Vrain: Less drama today at the nest. Both eaglets fine.
Fat little bottom. Cute.
NCTC: The trio of Scott and Bella are doing extraordinarily well. Little angels.
Port Tobacco: All is well.
Johnson City ETSU: I blinked and that little fluffy chick now has juvenile feathers!
Bluff City ETSU: And just look at these two!
Duke Farms: Then there is this trio. All doing well.
US Steel: Only Bob is doing well. Getting his pin feathers.
Sauces: Betty Lou. Look at those feathers coming in!
Fraser Point: Two adorable babies being well cared for by Andor and Cruz.
Big Bear Valley: Is it possible they will be too full to fly? We would love to keep them on the nest.
Geemeff’s Daily Summary for Loch Arkaig. Just look at the number of fish that Louis has brought in. Now he started out, as Geemeff reminded me, like this last year. But bad weather and an illness and/or injury turned the tide on the nest and the two osplets were translocated. One survived. One did not.
Woodland Trust daily summary for Loch Arkaig Sunday 13th April 2025
Another calm day without intruders, Affric 152 or Prince dropping in. And sadly, no unattached female visitors for Garry LV0 despite his bringing a fish and making Nest One very cosy with sticks and bedding. Garry’s fish tally rises by a whopping 50% up to a total of three since he arrived on 9th April, fingers crossed that this will be the season he finds a mate. Louis on the other hand is providing so well for Dorcha that she initially refused the second of his two fish deliveries today, and his tally now stands at twentynine since they returned on 2nd April. At the time of filing this report (23.45) Nest Two is empty – will Dorcha return and spend the night as she did last night, will she lay the first egg tomorrow? We must wait and see. The weather forecast is light rain and light winds overnight and into tomorrow, not the best weather for eggs but Dorcha will cope.
Night cam switches on (day cam): Nest One 21.31.19 (05.28.03); Nest Two 21.29.45 (05.32.34)
“Over the last 5 days, things appeared to have settled into a fairly relaxed routine for LM24 (The Dark Intruder) and his new mate the Unringed Female. The pair have been spending more time on and around the nest, often appearing at first light, indicating they are likely to be roosting nearby. Mating has been regular, though the male is still sometimes getting himself back to front, but he has also busied himself with bringing material into the nest, skydancing and bringing in fish to his mate – everything you would expect a breeding male to do.
Throughout the week there had been little in the way of intruders, with only a fleeting incursion on the 9th April, which the Unringed Female easily defended against. Not content with LM24’s offerings, she brought in a huge trout yesterday, which unusually she caught on the Loch where it is usually more common to see pike and perch.
This morning it was only LM24 who appeared on the nest at dawn, and it remained quiet for much of the day, with no sign of the Unringed Female. Ospreys can be a little bit like buses, with not much happening and then everything happening all at once! True to form it all kicked off mid-afternoon with the arrival of yet another new intruding bird (another unringed female) who was very ‘hangry’!
This female wasted no time in demanding food from LM24, who although initially reluctant, passed his half eaten pike to her, before trying to attempt to mate. The female, with very striking markings (a large triangle on the back of her head, dark chest and a white gap between her eyes) was not keen to reciprocate, but quickly began rearranging the furniture. This female behaved in a way that was very confident and suggested that she may be a little older and more experienced than both LM24 and his Unringed Female partner.
The ‘hangry’ female (who devoured her fish) very vocally began demanding more food from the male, who was keeping a close and perhaps rather confused eye on the things from the top of the camera. After several more failed mating attempts, he finally managed to encourage the female to lift her tail and mate successfully, before……enter stage left; LM24’s mate, the Unringed Female landed on the nest, flapping her wings and mantling, clearly unhappy with proceedings!! She was closely followed by LM24, who briefly touched down before being chased off by the ‘hangry’ intruder!
All three osprey then took to the skies in a spectacular display of flying, diving and shouting, before the Unringed Female returned to the nest. Her respite was short lived however, with the other female returning to launch another furious attack! Once again the birds took off in a flurry of talons and wings, before order finally seemed to be restored 5 minutes later with both LM24 and his mate the Unringed Female settling back onto the nest together.
Things appear to have settled down and order for now seems to have been restored, but for how long?
Follow the webcam for all the action, or come and visit the centre, open 10:30am – 5pm each day”
Hellgate Canyon: Gorgeous Iris. Still waiting for Finnegan. He was there on the 14th last year. Fingers crossed he arrives today!!!!!!! Oh, tears will flow around the world. Please let this miracle happen again…
Salem Electric: Lots of work to do on this nest. I sure wish that humans in the US would follow some of the UK’s practices where the nest is refurbished each year while the ospreys are on migration!
Clark PUD: Both ospreys are on the nest. Lovely.
Port of Ridgefield: Both home.
Seaside: Bruce has been supplying Naha with some really nice fish since their return. Sunday was no exception with a Redtail Surf Perch and two trout.
Niagara Bee Ospreys: No eggs but a Canada Goose is visiting the nest.
Farmer Derek’s Owl Nest: Bonnie and Clive have one owlet this year, Starr. She is a beauty.
Russell Lake, Nova Scotia: Oscar arrived so early. It seems that he was so happy to have Ethel return that he has been out looking for any kind of gift to brighten her day! OK, Oscar. You can stop now. Those eggs and chicks don’t want to get mixed up with human litter!
Coeur de’Alene, Idaho: No ospreys in sight. Canada Goose nesting on the north platform.
In 2024, with four osplets on the nest and everyone hoping for them, the male disappeared during a heat dome. Mum tried but it is difficult to raise four even if both parents are fishing. Three of the chicks died of siblicide/starvation. One fledged.
Update from Fort St Vrain:
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, and articles, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post: ‘Geemeff’, Birds of Poole Harbour, Bywyd Gwylld Glaslyn, Maryland Western Shore Old Town Home, RAKPhotographic, Kistachie National Forest, Little Miami Conservancy, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Fort St Vrain, NCTC, Port Tobacco, Johnson City ETSU, Bluff City ETSU, Pix Cams, Duke Farms, IWS/Explore, FOBBV, Geemeff and The Woodland Trust, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Montana Osprey Project/Cornell Bird Lab, Salem Electric, Clark PUD, Port of Ridgefield, Seaside Ospreys, Niagara Bee Ospreys, Farmer Derek, Ospreys of Nova Scotia, City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Loch of the Lowes Visitor’s Centre, Fort St Vrain/Excel Energy
The blizzard, being noted as a historic one for parts of my province, blew and blew in the early hours of Friday morning. I do not know how much snow came with it. There were gusts when I was out feeding the birds, and the neighbour’s house was sometimes invisible. It is now late afternoon. The sky is a beautiful transparent Wedgwood Blue as the sun sets, casting a golden glow over the Japanese garden area. The Starlings are still here, along with several dozen sparrows. Little Red and a couple of grey squirrels have been gathering peanuts all day. Mr Blue Jay – yes, Junior is in the garden – was here at noon. Even the Crows came to criticize the food that was left by the time they arrived! I did not run out of cheesy dogs since I had none! They had quit eating them and only wanted peanuts for so long. Now I wonder what they are craving.
Tiny fawn arriving to go around the side of the house to the garden.
These are European Starling prints leading to the cat dish with kibble.
Oh, goodness. Brock is here eating! I have not seen him for four days. Talk about anxiety. That coupled with Beau and Gabby kept me awake at times when I should have been sleeping. I wonder if he were locked in somewhere? We try to take a digital image of every cat that we see eating at the feeders each day. We can also track them if they come in through the front and the video camera catches them and says ‘pet’. I can then check and take a screen capture. Well, this is a relief. Now maybe that second egg for Gabby will begin to pip!!!!!!!!!!!
This was the word from the moderator at NE Florida Friday afternoon: “Today is day 40 for egg 1 and day 36 for egg 2. With delayed incubation, if egg 1 doesn’t pip by tomorrow it likely won’t. We still have 3 days for egg 2.”
Later Friday afternoon:
I have had more than a couple of dozen e-mails with a similar question: If Gabby’s eggs do not hatch, will she take another mate? The answer is ‘yes’. Eagles are known to mate for life. If their partner dies, they take another mate. We have seen this over and over again. F23 is the new mate of M15 at SW Florida, for example. Yes, if there is a period of unsuccessful breeding, they might take another mate. Still, Jackie and Shadow stay together and Gabby has hung in there with Beau. We will have to wait and see what happens.
Only the eagles know if there are any little cheeps in those eggs. Egg 2 is 36 days old as I write. There is still hope for it and I am sending out tonnes of energy on Friday to them, good energy.
At Pine Island, the GHO is very bold. Not only knocking off the resident ospreys, but sitting on the perch staring at the three eggs! There are also Bald Eagles in the area. I am more than concerned for this nest. I won’t mention it again, but the presence of such a bold owl eyeing three eggs and thinking future fat chicks just makes me ill. Reminds me of several nests from 2024 including the Boat House, Lake Murray, and Cowlitz (eagle) amongst others.
In our data forms for 2024, owls accounted for the loss of 13 chicks, while Bald Eagles killed 5.
They are so cute. What is that song about ‘I can’t take my eyes off of you?’
Eggs coming soon at the Redding nest of Liberty and Guardian?
At Port Lincoln, Mum should receive some type of citation for really providing the food this year. She has completely surpassed Dad in terms of her abilities and the light on the barge significantly helped her earlier in the season when she could dive and bring a fish to the nest quickly. Kasse and Wilko owe their lives to her efforts. Of course, we cannot forget the Fish Fairies whose dedication to this nest has ensured fledglings over the past several years.
This was the tally for Friday in South Australia.
Jack has been working hard on that nest at Achieva. I wish that someone would reach out and fix those drain holes so that the eggs and/or chicks would not fall through them to the ground below.
Sally and Harry were at the nest before the rains came to Moorings Park.
Do you think we will have a family at the osprey platform at Captiva this year?
The view at Boulder. We will soon be counting down the days til the Ospreys arrive. It is less than two months for some hope for the really early birds in the UK but more like 2.5 months.
Both Eagles are working on their nest at Ft St Vrain, Colorado.
Thunder and Akecheta early Friday morning.
Beautiful family at SW Florida. M15 sitting on the perch being vigilant to protect his family. Look at those sweet babies. Tears. M15 certainly got a good mate to replace the much loved Harriet.
New from Kelly Sorenson on the remarkable year for the California Condors in 2024. They continue to treat the Condors for lead poisoning despite their efforts to provide free non-lead ammunition. Iniko 1035 was just released into the wild after being treated for lead toxicity at the LA Zoo.
There is outstanding news in the first paragraph. Congratulations to everyone at the VWS! They have worked harder and harder to achieve those figures. Let us all hope that the growth in fledgling chicks and their survival continues.
While I am not happy with GHOs, it appears eggs are being incubated at the Owl Cam! I know that some of you love them. Here is the link to that streaming cam: https://www.youtube.com/live/pxMQgmeROEM?
The winds have stopped gusting Friday evening and tomorrow I hope to get out and get some deer pellets. They have much more nutrition than the vegetables, fruit, and peanuts I have been leaving out for the deer. It is supposed to be super cold with a Polar Vortex visiting us. Send positive wishes to Brock, Star, and all of the garden animals as they navigate winter!
Calico also has some good news. She has developed a line of cards featuring the birds visiting the garden and our province’s nature areas. She has partnered with one local group that helps feral cats and their kittens to raise funds to buy food for them. This local fundraiser will be taking place in February. More news to follow!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, comments, videos, articles, and streaming cams that helped me write my post today: ‘EJ, Geemeff. Heidi, J’, NEFL-AEF, SW Florida Pine Island Osprey Cam, Window to Wildlife, FORE, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and the PLO, Achieva Credit Union, Moorings Park Osprey Cam, Boulder County Osprey Cam, Fort St Vrain Bald Eagle Cam, IWS/Explore, Androcat, Kistachie National Forest Eagle Cams, Raptor Resource Project/explore.org, The Two River Times, MN-DNR, Kelly Sorenson and the Ventana Wildlife Society, The Owl Cam, The Dodo, ABC4, Florida Keys Weekly,
The best of the holidays to those in the Southern Hemisphere who are celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah today. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, it is Christmas Eve. Wishing you glorious memories.
There is lots of news today. As I write, a hatch in progress for Connie and Clive at the Captiva Bald Eagle nest on Santibel Island, Florida. No doubt, Connie will be feeding a wee baby Tuesday morning!
Clive already has fish at the ready. What a grand Dad he is.
There is a hatch for the Captiva couple! Clive is so excited. That nest is going to be full of fish! https://youtu.be/O10VymOl4Xk?
There is an egg at the Kistachie National Forest E3 nest. Congratulations. What a terrible year it was for both nests last year. Good wishes to all for successful hatches and fledges this year.
WingsofWhimsy published the following ‘Worries of a First Year Eagle Watcher’ and ‘J’ sent it to us. How appropriate as the eggs begin to hatch.
The two eaglets at Superbeaks are doing well. (I cannot show images and will only mention them briefly..more on that later).
Gabby has returned to incubating her eggs with Beau. We will probably never know what caused her to leave her incubation duties. Perhaps she was unwell. She tried to cast a pellet thirteen times in 18 minutes but still no success. Oh, please let her be alright.
The Ventana Wildlife Society has given a glimpse of the life of a condor from hatch to fledge! A lovely video. https://youtu.be/d7emYoZ7Qtw?
The Port Lincoln Osprey fledglings are always the most gorgeous creatures.
Thank goodness for the fish fairy – and Mum and Dad came through, too.
The real event for the day is Wilko. He obviously watched Mum fishing from the barge and he dove 4 times for his own fish! My heart is beating faster. How splendid. Here they are on video: https://youtu.be/b0ptEZFmX7Q?
We had a lovely day on Monday. The landscape was covered with hoar frost. Hoar frost forms on branches, foliage, etc., when water vapour in the air touches its surface if that surface is below freezing. It looks like icy needles.
It was magical.
We walked and walked and fed the chickadees. There were hundreds of them. It was like a runway with one landing for food and then another. Enjoy!
Sad news from Birdlife International:
To balance the sad, we have good news coming from Nepal where they are working hard to avoid the extinction of some species.
This Himalayan valley is home to a thriving community and population of cranes. But actions close to home and around the world threaten the landscape. Luckily, our Partner in Bhutan is there to make a positive change.-https://www.birdlife.org/news/2024/11/22/a-himalayan-haven-for-the-black-necked-crane/
More good news after a close call!
A very lucky Australian Osprey chick called Marie had a narrow escape and a good outcome which included advice from Roy Dennis:
As I end this short post today, I have learned of a bush fire very close to the Olympic Park Sea Eagle nest. Send your good wishes for Lady and Dad and all the animals and birds in the forest – even the darn Currawongs!
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. See you soon.
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, and streaming cams that helped me to write my post today: ‘A, Geemeff, H, J’, Window to Wildlife, WingsofWhimsy, NEFL-AEF, SK Hideaways, Heidi Mc, Gracie Shepherd, Ventana Wildlife Society, Port Lincoln Ospreys, Bart M and the PLO, Birdlife International, Australian Rural and Regional News, Audubon Florida
November is always a very challenging month for me. Do you have those months when good and bad events are all clumped together? My mother was born on the 26th of November, and my beloved grandmother died on the 26th. My mother died just shy of the 26th – on the 24th. I had flown down for a big birthday bash. It had been less than two months since I had seen her, but I was in for a shock. She knew things were not going well, so instead of having all her still-living friends meet us for a big birthday bash at her favourite restaurant, she asked me to cancel and get her a burger and fries from Sonic. We spent the afternoon of the 20th writing her holiday cards, putting on the stamps, and getting them in the post. She always said she wanted to live to be a 100 – she died two days shy of 90 years. Reflecting back. Congestive Heart Failure was a blessing. No pain. Just a slow slipping away. She was an interesting woman. It took me til recently to fully appreciate her. I would love to sit down and have a long conversation with her. She was not like the mother of any of my friends. IT would be much later that I would hear the term ‘Tiger Mum’. My mother was that – and I am eternally grateful, although I don’t think I appreciated it then. I went off on a tangent. Apologies. Our parents profoundly impact us, and we all recognise that there are days or months we think of them more than others. Today (I am writing this at 18:24 on the 20th), twelve years ago, she and I were writing cards to all her friends. We never said anything but we both knew they would be the last ones she ever sent. We made sure they were gorgeous and sparkly.
Well, here we are so far! Superbeaks. Captiva. Kistachie National Forest E-3. So now, who is going to be next?
Oh, there is such good news. Karl II’s offspring, Waba, made it through the kibbutz in Israel and is in the Sudan!
Alex and Andria, the Bald Eagles at the Kisatchie National Forest E-3 nest, have their first egg. So – Superbeaks, Captiva, and Kistachie E-3!
The camera was down so we did not know when Andria laid the first egg. Tonya Irwin had a poll on the chat and I missed it altogether. Remember I said do not place bets on things like I do – I am usually wrong. Well, here we are in the pitching rain and it looks like Andria has laid the second egg at 18:51:24 or close to it. The eggs are four days apart just like last season according to Irwin.
The other good news is that Nancy and Beau were on the MN-DNR Eagle Cam by the old nest tree. You might recall that Nancy was the mate of Harry who is presumed dead. She bonded with Beau. They had a single surviving eaglet that was killed when the nest collapsed last year due to heavy snow.
Mum and the Osplets are waiting for Dad or the fish fairy! The chicks were digging in the nest early. Did they find a leftover?
They are still waiting but gosh, golly. These osplets are so cute and standing so well on that uneven stick nest!
Itchy.
Still waiting.
The osplets are so well-behaved. Still waiting.
Dad arrives with a headless fish at 13:24. Good for you, Dad.
Wow. Then the fish fairy shows up with a monster size fish and it has been slit so that the osplets can practice their self-feeding. Great insights, Fish Fairy! Mum is munching away – letting the kids nibble.
Mum is getting a good feed. This is wonderful.
Heidi Mc got the feeding on video – check it out. Much better than stills!
‘A’ sends us the observation board from Port Lincoln:
If you have wanted to donate money for the Fish Fairy at Port Lincoln and have had difficulties, there is now a PayPal button to make this easier.
There is also news of Ervie although there were no photographs. So reassuring that he is flying around fishing and continuing to come into Port Lincoln! Go Ervie!!!!!
At Orange, Diamond slept on the ledge of the scrape. Xavier came in later. Maybe for a rest after a prey delivery? Talons look bloody.
There was some lovely bonding in the scrape with Diamond and Xavier.
‘A’ gives us some sad news: “The important news comes from Orange, where big sister Marri has not been sighted for nearly a week now. I kept saying that there was no definite ID of the juvenile that has frequently been seen on the roof of the water tower, often with a parent nearby. I believed that juvenile to be Barru. So it seems I was right about that, though I am not happy about it. I was hoping that we were seeing both juveniles, sometimes one, sometimes the other. But no. Apparently Cilla has not seen Marri since the day after she fledged, which is horrible news. I cannot countenance the theory that she has ‘already left the area’ because she has not learnt to hunt, and hunting for a peregrine is not a matter of finding some road kill! So I have been super worried about Marri for a week. It surprises me though, given how strong she was and how well she was flying. We can only hope she is smarter than we think and has somehow been able to get food for herself. Still, it is more likely that she has come to a sticky end – we never found Rubus’s body either, so that’s no indicator. Now we have to pin our hopes on Barru. Perhaps female chicks are never going to come out of this scrape. “
At the Parramatta River, there was a sighting of an eaglet.
Rohan Geddes just posted these images from the other day. I have still not seen any indication that both juveniles have been seen simultaneously. So the question is: Like Orange, is there only one?
The latest news from Kielder of Blue 432 in Senegal:
Sunday night was apparently ‘owless’ at the SW Florida Bald Eagle nest…isn’t that wonderful? I do hope I got the gossip right. Here M15 has brought his lady a lovely meal.
M15 and F23 have arrived at the nest tree and are both in the nest. Will they thwart the GHOs?
Some of you will remember Bonnie and Clyde that took over the Bald Eagle nest on Farmer Derek’s property. Here is a video of them this month with a juvie at that same nest.
V3 and Gabby have been at the nest tree. V3 was caught on one of the cameras chasing off an intruder. Wouldn’t we all love it if all the eagles – young and old – would leave Gabby and V3 alone? I do not recall this happening when Samson was king of his natal nest. Does anyone?
They always seem tense – either alerting or watching for intruders. Does it cause difficulties for breeding? Stress?
Rose and Ron have a nice nest coming at the WRDC. Just look. A little Greenery, too.
Bella at the NCTC Bald Eagle Nest. Where is Smitty? Was he here? Bella was doing chortles.
Bella had to defend her nest alone on Monday.
An eagle at Decorah Hatchery.
Did Louis and Anna hope to be Alex and Andria laying the first egg? Sorry you two!
It was windy at the NTSU nest of Boone and Jolene in Johnson City, Tennessee. I am certain they love the wind more than humans would rocking around in a nest high above the ground. LOL.
Gosh, isn’t that setting sun on Big Bear Lake simply gorgeous? Jackie and Shadow came to the nest to enjoy it and check on needed improvements.
Want to see Condors released into the wild? Here is the information to catch all the action and find out what is happening with the Big Sur and Pinnacle colonies. You will have to go to the website of the Ventana Wildlife Society to sign-up for the Zoom chats. They happen every month.
Thank you so much for being with us today. Please take care. We hope to see you soon.
I want to thank the following for their notes, videos, streaming cams, posts, and articles that helped me to write my blog today: ‘A, H’, Maria Marika, Joanna Dailey, Tonya Irwin, KNF-E3, KNF-E1, Trudi Iron, MN-DNR, PLO, Charles Sturt Falcon Cam, Holly Parsons, Sharon Pollock, HeidiMc, Kathryn Palmer, Lady Hawk, Androcat, Woodsy Wisdom, NEFL-AEF, WRDC, NCTC Eagle Cam, Deb Stecyk, Raptor Resource Project/Explore, NTSU Eagle Cam, FOBBV, and the Ventana Wildlife Society.
It is the start of the weekend. What is going to happen today in Bird World? The Ospreys are arriving in the UK. It is like each one got a separate train car, so one or two arrive, we take a breath, and another is spotted on a nest! It is going to be a busy few days.
Before we get to what is happening at the Eagle and Osprey nests, I want to update you on Karl II and his Black Stork family. We have not heard from Karl II since he landed in Chad in September. His tracker is working and he has begun his journey back to the Karula National Forest Black Stork Nest in Estonia. We wait for the tracker to kick in for his mate, Kaia. Now, to get home through Ukraine. What a relief. There is also news of Waba, who remains in Sudan foraging.
The latest tracking has Karl II heading to Khartoum.
Waba remains in Sudan between Murshid and New Halfa.
Sometimes you wonder what is happening. Then you go back to information that you already know and apply it to see if it is a fact in the new instance. So, the Red-tail Hawk Big Red fills her eyases up with food if she doesn’t want them to fledge. It could be a sunny day, and you wonder what she is doing, and then a storm comes, and you go ‘right’ – eyases can’t fly with wet feathers. So, on Friday, Anna and Louis brought 16 fish to Trey on the Kisatchie National Forest E1 nest. Wowzers.
M15 has been busy. There were at least five prey deliveries to E21 and 22 on Friday—feast and then famine—just like life in the wild. M15 is teaching these two so much! Or are the females leaving him alone today so he can hunt?
Vija gives us the video of the fifth delivery of the day. Look at that mantling job of 22!!!!!!!!!! We are all so proud of you, little one.
Oh, and a fish. 22 is making up for 21 stealing all its fish.
This is what E21’s branching looked like from the ground. Thank you Lisa Russo, SW Florida and Saunders Photography!
Here is that branching in a video clip by Lady Hawk.
Today and a few days old…hard to imagine.
Good night M15, good night Es.
It is no secret that I worry about eaglets that have a difference – such as two days – in their hatch or if they have a first-time Mum, OR if both of these instances collide. I have fretted over Rose’s feeding techniques at the WRDC nest. She is getting there slowly. It reminds me of Anna at the KNF-E1 nest two years ago with her first eaglet, Kisatchie. She gave him huge bites, and he didn’t know how to hold his head. Of course, they figured it out, and he fledged, big and bold. Rose is figuring it out, and Ron is helping her!
It is 1700 at the Moorings Park Osprey platform. Sally is stuffing Abby and Victor. The pair behave themselves during the feedings (most of the time) and do their usual beaking about when Sally isn’t brooding. That is pretty normal and as long as both are eating well, everything should be fine. It is sometimes difficult to watch as they can get really rough with one another.
It is hot and Sally is shading the babies while they eat. (So difficult to get a good screen captures of them).
You can see the thermal down coming in. Look at those little bodies below. I always think it must make them ‘cranky’ – all that itching and hormone changes.
Notice the copper-red feathers coming in at the head on Victor, below.
Our cute fluffy chicks look more like their relatives, the dinosaurs today. Of course, they are actually dinosaurs.
If you squint, you can see those crops getting full. All is well at the Moorings. That is Victor closest to you.
Harry brought in a nice fish at 1915 and Sally immediately began ‘stuffing’ Abby and Victor. Their crops were so full they could hardly move after. Well done, Sally!
Victor has his beak wide open! Just look at how dark these two are now.
There are two hatches (3?) at the Venice Golf and Country Club Osprey Platform. The camera drives me crazy as it is so low a resolution that you can hardly see what is happening. That is why I do not report on this nest very often. You can tell there are two because of the stripes on their back if you look close enough – squint, hard!
At the Achieva Osprey nest, Diane is not allowing Jack to come and incubate, and she is acting as if there could be a hatch. The three eggs were laid on 08, 11, and 14 of February making the oldest 37 days today.
The two eaglets at Duke Farms are nothing short of being little darlings. So sweet. No trouble. Experienced parents, and the weather has turned warm enough for them to be out from underneath Mum and Dad for a bit.
Rosa and Martin are working hard to keep the two new Dulles-Greenway eaglets fed and warm – DG3 and DG4. Will there be a DG5? They are our little fluff balls today, just like the ones at the WRDC. I am always fascinated by the eaglets, some born with those dark goggles and some not.
Shadow and Jackie have been on and off the nest today at Big Bear. We are all waiting and watching you two!
Baiba gives a montage of the work that Jackie and Shadow did a couple of days ago! We are in suspense as to how this will work out but…hopeful.
Meanwhile, Liberty and Guardian are getting no rest at their nest in Redding, California this year. They can hardly incubate their only egg without an intruder popping up.
Blue 33 has been a busy boy since he returned from migration. Goodness gracious, the energy he has. Not only has he had to hang out with Blue 25, who seems to be wanting to hedge her bets in case her mate doesn’t return, but he has also been caught mating with 25 and even brought her a fish. Incredible.
Maya and Blue 33 are a ‘super’ couple having raised two sets of four osplets. Some nests have trouble keeping up with two chicks – not these two. Many of you have asked about the ospreys that kick other male’s eggs out of the nest. I often post a video of a couple but I did not realise that Blue 33 was one of them until today when Geemeff sent me the following note:
#Maya got her name in 2014, was known as #Mrs5R and was paired with #Blue28. She’d laid 3 eggs but then #Blue33 arrived, evicted Blue28, kicked out the eggs and spent the rest of the season bonding with Maya. The pair returned the following year and to date have 23 chicks!
Geemeff, 17 March 2023
Geemeff added that we do not know how old Maya is; she is unhinged. Blue 33 is a 2011 hatch. Blue 25 is the long-time mate of Blue 11. Both hatched in 2010, and the couple has been together since 2013.
Blue 25 is relaxing a little too much in the nest Blue 33 is building for his mate, Maya.
Osprey arrival at Theave! They are coming and they are coming in steady!
How many of you could write an article for The Guardian on how birds changed your life or inspired you to love birds? I bet every one of you! Here is an interesting read about someone who fell in love with an NZ parrot, the Kea.
Anyone who knows me, understands that Mr Crow is a big part of my life. Last year, he blessed me by bringing his three fledglings to my garden many times daily until they came on their own. It was the same with Junior, the Blue Jay. Today, one of the Blue Jays came to the garden along with a Pileated Woodpecker. Spring is coming! The woodpecker has been here all winter but, the Blue Jays took off late in the year. So nice to have them back. But, back to the Crows. ‘R’ sent me a very interesting article that I would like to share with you. Its focus is on the repopulation or the saving of the Crows
This crow is ‘very intelligent’ — and it’s struggling to survive in the wild
Plans to repopulate Hawaii’s forests with its “very intelligent” crows have been upended in part by its natural predator, the Hawaiian hawk. Now scientists are tracking the hawk in order to save the corvids.
FERN ACRES, Hawaii — Amy Durham wound the straps under the wing, over the wing, under the other wing, over the other wing, making sure the backpack-like device stays comfortably strapped to the Hawaiian hawk for many months.
“This may be your best work yet,” said Diego Johnson, one of her colleagues holding the straps on the chocolate-colored hawk’s chest as Durham secured a lightweight GPS transmitter to its back.
These San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance researchers are trekking around the mountainous jungles of Hawaii’s Big Island not just to understand the ‘io, one of the state’s only birds of prey, which is considered at risk. It’s crucial, too, for restoring an even more endangered bird species — the ‘alalā, or Hawaiian crow.
Known for its problem-solving abilities, the Hawaiian crow is one of the most remarkable bird species in the world. The ‘alalā, whose name means to “yell” in the local language, is one of the only birds in the world known to naturally use — and even make — its own tools.
Yetthis distinctive crow that many dub “very intelligent” has beenextinct in the wild for two decades, with the only about 120 alive in human care today.
So far, plans to repopulate Hawaii’s forests with its native crows have been upended in partby the ‘io. The hawks are the crows’ natural predator, and have come after the corvids during prior reintroduction efforts.
The ʻio, the endemic and endangered native Hawaiian hawk species, is one of only two native raptors found in Hawaii. (Eric J. Franke for The Washington Post)
The wing feathers of an ʻio. (Eric J. Franke for The Washington Post)
The talons of an ʻio are tagged by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance scientists before its release for future identification. (Eric J. Franke for The Washington Post)
By tracking the hawks, scientists with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources are trying to figure out where it is safest to reintroduce the crows so they can again thrive in the wild. At the heart of their research is a riddle: How do you protect two rare birds when one keeps attacking the other?
“They’ve coexisted for many, many, many years,” said Bryce Masuda, conservation program manager for the zoo. Now his team is trying to get these two bird species found nowhere else on Earth to coexist again.
Bringing back a ‘family god’
Ever since people set foot in the Hawaiian archipelago, humans have been enthralled by the islands’ crows.
Its glossy black feathers adorned Native Hawaiian robes. Its imposing beak and piercing eyes led some families to regard the ‘alalā as a manifestation of an ‘aumakua, or “family god” that watches over them.
When Capt. James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778, many murders of crows stalked the islands’ volcanic hillsides.
The Mauna Loa eruption of 2022 is seen at dawn from the southeast area of Hawaii Island. (Eric J. Franke for The Washington Post)
A fence line along a gravel road separates invasive animals from the native forest in the Puʻu Makaʻala Natural Area Reserve. (Eric J. Franke for The Washington Post)
An ʻalalā, the endemic and endangered Hawaiian crow species, on an aviary window at the Maui Bird Conservation Center. (Eric J. Franke for The Washington Post)
Over the centuries, a variety of factors — disease, destruction of forests for farming and cattle ranching and predation by cats and other nonnative animals — conspired to drive the crow’s population down.
By 1992, there were only 13 ‘alalā in Hawaii’s forests. The last wild ones were spotted a decade later. The only ‘alalā known to exist today live in a pair of breeding centers run by the San Diego Zoo on the Big Island and Maui.
A picture of one of the survivorscaught the attention of Christian Rutz, a behavioral ecologist at the University of St. Andrewsin Scotland.
For more than a decade, he had studied a different corvid species called the New Caledonian crow. Without any training, chicks in New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific, pick up sticks to collect grubs from crevices. At the time, no other crow was known to naturally use tools.
But Rutz suspected there were others. When he saw the Hawaiian crow’s straight beak and forward-facing eyes — features perfect for holding and manipulating twigs — he phoned the San Diego Zoo’s bird conservation center.
A manager told him the Hawaiian crows were always flying around with sticks in their bills. Rutz was stunned. “I booked myself pretty much onto the next flight to Hawaii,” he said.
The Washington Post, 17 March 2023
There are osprey sightings at Chesapeake Conservancy and Patuxent today, too!
If you have been looking for the GROWLS streaming cam, it doesn’t exist. Possibly because of the attention last season, the land owners do not want a camera on the nest where Junior hatched, and Malala was adopted. Sharron Palmer-Hunt advises that they will put up the camera that they have when a suitable nest is located.
Since it is St Patrick’s Day when I am writing, let us all wish the luck of the Irish to Jak and Audacity at Sauces Canyon. Their seventh egg – lucky number 7 – is still holding!
There are many in the UK fighting for justice for the raptors. Trying to get those that are responsible for maintaining the laws to do their job. It is incredibly frustrating to find the evidence and then stand bewildered when no one does enough about it to cause real change. Hats off to those who diligently work for the raptors.
Isn’t it time that game shooting was stopped?
If you live in the UK, why not add your name to help stop the trawling of Sandeels so that birds like the Puffins can continue to have a food source?
Thank you so much for being with me today. I will try and include a look at a few other nests that have been neglected at the weekend. Take care of yourselves. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, posts, tweets, videos, and streaming cams that help make up my blog today: ‘A’, ‘H’, ‘R’, ‘Geemeff’, Kisatchie National Forest E-1, SW Florida Eagle Cam and D Pritchett, Vija and SW Florida Eagle Cam, Lisa Russo and SW Florida Eagles and Saunders Photography, Lady Hawk and Sw Florida Eagles, WRDC, Moorings Park Ospreys, VGCCO, Achieva Credit Union, Duke Farms, Dulles-Greenway Eagles, FOBBV, Baiba and FOBBV, FORE, Theave Ospreys, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Chesapeake Conservancy and Explore.org, IWS and Explore.org, Raptor Persecution UK, and @MeganMcCubbin.
Oh, good morning, everyone! Lewis hopes that you had an extraordinary wonderful weekend full of treats! He has been enjoying some strawberry-filled Japanese crepes lately – just little bites – and he loves them! I must go into a room and lock the door to keep him away! He does not understand, ‘Sweets are not good for a cat’s teeth!’
Sunday was a rather fantastic day in the garden! Mr Woodpecker was in ‘Abigale’s tree’. Mr Crow came here. Oh, it is so nice to see you! And then, there was the rabbit. I don’t want the rabbits here, but, it was such a delight to see one alive. The feline pets that frequent the feeders kill the rabbits for fun. It isn’t their fault. Their owners let them outside when it is clearly against city by-laws.
So what is Abigale’s tree? We started ‘re-foresting’ our city lot by planting trees for family members and cats when they died. Now the garden is getting full. It is a nice escape for the birds in the City, cool in the summer and lots of food in the winter. Abigale was the big ‘Blue’ Abyssinian cat. She was huge, adorable, and ever so gentle.
Mr Crow reminds me of E22, who is always ‘sqeeing’ for food even if he has a fish tail in his mouth!
There is wonderment when seeing wildlife in a big city. It makes me so happy and tells me that, hopefully, when we are gone, they will take over and have the run of the place again.
M15 delivered one earlier prey item on the SW Florida nest on Sunday before dropping a nice fish off at 13:09:30. (The female took the possum tail from an early delivery). E21 got that breakfast and the 13:09 prey item, too. 22 has been calling to Dad, who has been on the tree branch ever since. M15 is ignoring 22. I don’t believe 22 got any of the earlier breakfast, and he is hungry. This is the problem with Dad needing to play the double role of Mum and Dad. He is making drops, and the eaglets are dealing with food as they would if they were in the real world. In other words, the eaglets mostly have to fend for themselves in terms of eating. It is good. These are great lessons. Sometimes it would be nice to see Dad feeding the babies, but it could also draw the female to the nest. On Saturday, M15 delivered 5 fish and 2 prey items to the nest!
E21 is being cautious. It knows that 22 is hungry and could grab that fish. I hope 21 leaves something because 22 mantled the early fish and then lost it to 21 and hasn’t eaten. It looks like there is a lot left. Hurry up 21 so 22 can have some before ‘she’ comes.
I need to continue reminding myself that E22 got a super duper feeding from Dad Saturday afternoon! Yes, M15 does still feed them. E22 did eat a lot on Saturday. Must not panic if he doesn’t get fish today. That is the mantra.
The fact of the matter is that E21 is not as good at self-feeding as 22 who had to figure all of this out to survive. E22 is now ‘under’ 21’s tail and will steal that fish! The time is 13:30.
Thank you, big sibling! There is enough for 22 to have a meal. E22 eating at 133953.
At 135223, E22 eats the fish tail.
There was another delivery at 14:19:06. Both eaglets ate off this fish. It went back and forth, and each wound up with a good-sized crop. Then Daddy Door Dash M15 flew in with another fish at 16:36:59.
Notice that 21 has a piece of leftover fish from 22 and is reaching over to Dad’s beak to be fed! Too funny. E22 is absolutely stuffed.
E22 with his big crop. I wonder if he will also want some of the last fish of the day?
No. That was the quickest feed. E21 got it all, and 22 didn’t care; he was too full to care. That is a brilliant way to end the day! It was another excellent day at the SW Florida nest of M15 and the Es. Harriet would be proud.
Too funny. By 1652, 22 is digging around an old fish head for flakes of prey.
The Es had a great day in terms of food.
A very good radio interview. You might have to cut and paste the title into the news organization.
M15, you are magnificent. Sweet Eagle Dreams.
The Es had breakfast around 10:28:45. 21 was more or less fed by Dad, while 22 snatched and grabbed some nice pieces of the prey. Thank you, M15!
It is a much nicer day at the Big Bear Valley nest of Jackie and Shadow. Still, snow on the nest, but the storm that raged for several days has passed. Sadly, the two eggs in the nest are now well beyond the viable dates. Egg 1 was laid on the 11th of January, making it 46 days old and egg 2 was laid on the 14th, 43 days old. There is time for a second clutch.
Yes, it is Connick! Blink, and they do grow up. Those ebony-coloured feathers are now making this little one look immensely grown up. Connick is on the rails. In the second image, you can see that thermal down that will help Connick regulate its temperature and keep him dry.
Louis has flown into the KNF-E1 nest in the Kisatchie National Forest. I want you to look at the size of E1-03. Sure looks like they have a female this year at this nest after two previous male fledges.
Not much longer til branching!
Do you need to see baby eaglets? Well, get ready! The first egg at Duke Farms was pipped at 21:31:13 Saturday night, the 26th!
The eaglet at Duke Farms is making progress Monday morning. Dad has been on the nest checking how things are going.
Just a few hours before the pip at Duke Farms in New Jersey, Denton Homes in Iowa had their third egg!
SK Hideaways shows us that Lou is growing up. Annie gets a whole prey item all to herself. Brilliant!
Making News:
Going for a walk on flooded lanes and being the only one there with a Golden Plover. Rather idyllic, right?
CROW has had an intake with Red Tide poisoning in Florida.
Yesterday I posted an image of the Stellar’s Eagle that flies back and forth from Canada to Maine. This eagle is far from home. Here is an image from Hokkaido, Japan where the eagle should be!
Remember this if you should spot a new hatch GHO on the ground. Call your local wildlife rehabilitation centre and wait. And then suggest the laundry basket for the nest if they don’t know this trick of CROW.
Thank you so very much for being with me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their notes, tweets, posts, videos, and streaming cams that make up my blog today: Superbeaks, SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, Lady Hawk and SW Florida Eagles and D Pritchett, Tonya Irwin and Raptors of the World, FOBBV, Window to Wildlife, KNF-E1, Duke Farms, Sherri van Syckel and Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News, SK Hideaways and Cal Falcons, The Guardian, CROW, and Jonathan Wadsworth Photography and Birds of Prey.
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’.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
